STAR ANISE BRAISED BEEF AND SHORTRIBS

I have always loved star anise (chinese: 八角, meaning “eight corners” since you’ll notice that the star anise has eight separate rays, each one containing a seed). It’s just so pretty! Not only does it have a beautiful shape but it also has an incredibly unique anise flavor. For such a small, delicate looking spice, it really packs a punch of flavor. One to two star anise goes a long way.

This braising liquid is extremely versatile, use it to braise chicken, beef, short ribs, eggs, and tofu. My mom has got this braising liquid down to an art. She usually just throws this and that in, pops in a star anise, and lets the meat do its thing…but I begged her for some measurements so I could share it with you guys. 

As is a lot of Chinese style home cooking, not following the recipe won’t ruin your dish but will only make you love the flavor more. Cook to your taste! You can add more ginger, put less soy sauce in, add chilies, etc. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lb braising meat (beef shank, short ribs, etc.) cut into 1 in. cubes
• 1 inch peeled ginger, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/4 cup rice wine
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 cup chicken stock or water
• 1 star anise
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Using plenty of oil and heating until it’s hot, add in ginger and garlic, frying until fragrant but not too browned. Add the meat and brown on all sides. Add the brown sugar, five spice powder, wine, soy sauce, chicken stock, star anise and cinnamon stick. Stir well. Cover the pot and let it come to a boil, then lower until it’s at a simmer. Let it braise for at least two hours. Check periodically to see that there is enough stock to keep the beef covered. If there isn’t, add some water so that beef is submerged in braising liquid.  

After at least 1 1/2 hours, with a fork, check the meat. It should be literally falling off the bone at the touch of your fork…yum! In my opinion, best served over rice, with plenty of braising liquid to garnish.

Enjoy,

L&M

CHINESE DELI 

Whenever things are extra hectic in my life, a trip to a Chinese deli for CHAR SIU, CRISPY DUCK, or CRISPY PORK is a time saver. I skip over the greasy pre-cooked dishes in favor of picking up these three items instead.

At home, I like to heat the meat up, cook some rice, and stir fry whatever green vegetable I have at home with some garlic for a quick meal. Also, char siu comes in handy for so many traditional asian dishes (buns, fried rice, etc.) that I find it can be easily incorporated into a dish later in the week. But seriously, most of the char siu, especially the charred crispy parts, is gone after 2 days from excessive snacking! 

GARLIC SESAME NOODLES

sesame paste, which is just a bunch of ground up sesame seeds, is commonly known as tahini and many know tahini as the stuff that is used to make hummus. but the asians have their own version of sesame paste that is made with ground unhulled sesame seeds. this gives the paste a more bitter taste. to make the dressing for this noodle, the bitterness of the sesame paste is rounded out with sugar, chilli oil, and chopped garlic. this is one of those dressings that is perfected by tasting. if you like it sweeter, add more sugar. some like it spicier, so add more chili oil. keep tasting until it tastes right and you love it. 

fresh vegetables are julienned or shredded. pick your favorite veggies, but carrots and cucumbers are classic. in my family, we love to add eggs. we scramble it and cook it like a pancake then roll it up and thinly slice it. to elevate the noodles from a side dish into a meal, shred some roasted chicken or you can also use ham. 

enjoy, 

L&M 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup sesame paste
• 3 large tbsp sugar or more  
• hot water
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 2 tsp chili oil 
• 1 cucumber julienned
• 1 carrot julienned
• 3 eggs scrambled
• 1 chicken breast shredded 
• 1 package fairly thick noodles

cook the noodles according to package. this dish can be a chilled dish or a hot dish. if you are going to chill the noodles before serving, i suggest adding just a tiny bit of oil into the noodles to avoid sticking together. 

combine sesame paste, sugar, chili oil, and garlic together with a spoon. pour in the hot water until the sauce thins out enough to a dressing consistency. 

scramble the eggs. using a nonstick pan on medium heat, pour the scrambled eggs into the pan until it forms a thin layer, like a pancake. when the egg is almost completely set, carefully flip it over. when the egg is done cooking, roll it up and thinly slice. 

arrange the vegetables, chicken, and eggs over the cooked noodles and pour sauce over. combine together and eat! 

BEAN THREAD NOODLES WITH MARINATED PORK (ANTS CLIMBING A TREE)

the thing i love most about chinese food is that there is always a story, a long winding tale of some sort that grounds the food. i will be cooking a lot of traditional chinese dishes and i hope to be able to learn about the history and the stories behind them. but for today, there is no tale to tell, simply a description. a direct translation of what is visually on the plate to a phrase that became this dish’s name: ANTS CLIMBING A TREE (蚂蚁上树). 

what a silly phrase for a simple dish, which is merely cooked ground meat mixed with clear bean thread noodles. the little pieces of meat clinging onto thin slivers of noodles evoke images of ants climbing on twigs. hence: ants climbing a tree, ants up a tree, or ants climb tree, etc. you get the picture. it involves ants and trees. 

this dish is a chinese 家常菜 “common house dish.” meaning that it’s a dish you cook at home and not something you would order at a restaurant. the awesome thing about these common house dishes is that there are no rules about how to make it. every mother will have her own way. if you like it spicy, add red chillies or add garlic and ginger too if you’d prefer. the idea is to make it your own. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 packet clear bean thread noodles 
• 1 green onion diced
• 1/3 lb. ground pork
• 4-5 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• salt
• pepper
• cooking oil

Use 2 tbsp soy sauce and the sesame oil to marinate the ground pork before cooking, anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours. Soak the noodles according to package directions. I soaked my noodles in hot water for 3-5 minutes until soft. 

The trick to this dish is to get the oil in the skillet scalding hot until the oil is almost smoking. If you have a wok or are using a pan that is not nonstick, make sure to use plenty of oil so the noodles don’t stick to the pan. Add the green onion and ground pork and cook until there is no pink left. Make sure the pan is still at a high temperature and add the noodles. Pour the remaning 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp sesame oil and mix the noodles until well incorporated into meat and onions. The noodles should start turning a light brown color. Cook for another few minutes until the flavors come together. Garnish with green onions if you’d like. 

Enjoy,

L&M

these are the coolest bento boxes i’ve ever seen. super modern and sleek! i’ve been trying to pack more lunches and these would make any food i put in them look so much better. we all know we eat with our eyes first. head over to bento&co. to check out more of their designs.  

EGG DROP TOMATO SOUP

Today felt like the first day of winter. It was gray, gloomy, and rainy. These days are meant to drink soup I think. There’s nothing better than a hot bowl of soup to pick one’s mood up from the gloomy weather. And there’s nothing prettier or more colorful than an EGG DROP TOMOATO SOUP! 

INGREDIENTS

total cooking time 30 min. 

• 1 tomato diced into one inch cubes (don’t cut any smaller or else it will dissolve into the soup)
• 2 eggs beaten 
• 1 stalk green onion chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water 
• 1 tsp corn starch made into a slurry with 1/3 cup warm water 
• 2 tsp white pepper
• salt 

Put just a little bit of oil into a deep soup pot, add the green onions, and cook until fragrant. Add tomatoes and mix around for a few minutes. Add the chicken stock and water, cook until it boils. 

Once the soup is at a hard boil, the fun begins. Slowly pour in a thin stream of egg into the soup. Because the soup is at a hard boil, the egg should start to cook immediately. Watch in delight as the egg starts to bloom in the water like flowers! Some call this Egg Flower Soup for this exact reason. Once all the egg is poured into the soup, pour in the corn starch slurry and gently stir the soup with a spoon but don’t over stir. Add the white pepper and some salt. Wait for the soup to come to a boil again and thicken. Spoon soup into your prettiest bowl. 

Enjoy, 

L&M

CHILLED SOYBEAN CURD NOODLE SALAD

These soybean curd noodles look so much like spaghetti but it’s a fake out. These noodles are made out of compressed tofu…sort of like having pasta but without the carbs of wheat and gluten! I know it may sound a bit funky, tofu as a spaghetti? But once blanched, they really are a white canvas for any flavor. 

The way I’ve always ate them is the way my mom makes them, as a chilled noodle salad. Add bright thin slivers of julienned celery and carrot, add a dash of sesame and chili oil, put it in the fridge and forget about it for a few hours. Come home later to find a surprisingly healthy, light, yet filling salad. This is a great one for the vegans and vegetarians out there. Or for my meat lovers, add thin slices of roasted chicken and turn it into a main dish. 

Enjoy,

L&M

INGREDIENTS

• 2 packets soybean curd noodles (available at any asian supermarket, look by the tofu section)
• 2 julienned carrots
• 2 julienned stalks of celery
• roughly 1/2 tbsp sesame oil (careful, this oil is incredibly pungent)
• 1 tsp chili oil 
• pinch salt 

Blanch the soybean curd noodles in boiling water. Here’s how I like to blanch these noodles. Once the water boils, I put the entire 2 bags worth of noodles in and just wait until the water starts to boil again. The minute the water looks like it is starting to rumble, take the noodles out. Don’t over cook these noodles, it gets soggy very quickly. 

Mix in the julienned carrots and celery with the noodles. Add the sesame and chili oil, add that pinch of salt. Mix until everything is incorporated. Cover it with something and leave it in the fridge for a few hours to chill. Uncover later, eat!  

droooooling. CHAR SIU!! 

P.S. people, it means “fork roasted” because the meat is hung in large forks to roast over an open flame. 

(Source: gastrosophia)

5 SPICE CHINESE CABBAGE FRITTERS

This is one of my favorite Chinese snacks or tapas! So easy to make, just mix everything in a bowl and fry away. It fills the house with the scent of 5 spice powder, which is made of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and ground fennel seeds. A perfect appetizer to a dinner party, make the dough ahead and fry right before the party. Display it on a pretty platter with toothpicks so guests can eat leisurely. 

Enjoy,

L&M

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head finely chopped cabbage
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 large onion or 1 medium size onion finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp five spice powder (available at any asian supermarket)
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tbsp sugar

Mix the ground pork, chopped cabbage, chopped onion, and spices together. Add the egg and mix until egg is well incorporated. Add the flour and mix until a soft dough forms.

Using your hand, form the mixture into 1 tablespoon round balls. In a medium frying pan, pour oil until about 1/2 inch high, let it heat until it bubbles when you drop a few drops of flour. You want it hot so the dough will immediately start to fry in the pan. Drop the balls into the oil and let it fry until brown and crispy on all sides.

Line a plate with paper towel, drop the fried cabbage fritters onto towel to absorb excess oil. 

i’m in love with la tartine gourmande #tartinegourmande. i love how Béa tells personal stories around the food she makes. she allows the readers to feel like they’re getting a tiny glimpse of her life. and my gosh, those photos! so airy, so fresh, i love how she makes the most ordinary vegetables look like something out of a fairytale. ok, enough gushing. just check it out! 

and thanks Bea, for sharing your food. can’t wait to receive your cookbook!