Hi guys, it's been a really long time. Unfortunatly I won't be able to post any recipes for a few other months. But for now I wanted to give you the chance to cook like a real chinese citizen!

I'll introduce you ingredients you'll always need to keep in stock if you want to cook chinese food daily. And then, tell you how to proceed to chance your food routine into a chinese one.

The ingredients you should always keep in stock:

-Light Soy Sauce (Or also called Clear Soy Sauce). The most IMPORTANT ingredient in chinese food history. Is is used to salt a plate and to give some taste.

-Black Soy Sauce. This soy sauce to used to marinate some plate. Never put to much since the taste is really strong and it colors very well.

-Cooking wine. Preferably Shaoxing Wine, can use Xeres, or at very trouble, Sake. Used to Marinate or seldomly used in sauces for stir fry or the slow cooked chicken.

-Dried chili pepper. Always soak them a bit before using. You can add them in stir fries alongs with garlic. Which means before adding the raw meat. DO NOT EAT THEM. When eating, chinese poeple will just sort them, along with Sichuan pepper.

-Flour, obviously

-Rice vinegar. Used in Sweet and Sour meals, and soups..

-Potato starch. Used to marinate and to thicken the sauce. You can also use cornstarch if you cannot find it.

-Rice.... LOL isn't it obvious?

-Dried Noodle. Very usefull when you don't want to cook rice, just add them in your meals and that'll do.

- Peanut. Peanuts are good in stir fried meals. But chinese poeple loves peanut too. They seasonthem, the roast them, they ground them.... Isn't it amazing?

-Sesame oil. Used to add a nutty flavor to meal. Can be used to marinate or to season the finished meal. Place it on the table along with white soy sauce. Both are like that duo ''Salt and Pepper''.

-Dried shrimps. Delicious on rice, in soups, or just as side dish, marinated or with sesame oil... Just soak them 4-5 minutes.


Sauces:
-Oyster Sauce. Really basic sauce, used in alot of meals.

-Chili-bean sauce, also called Doubanjian. Is a sichuanese sauce, spicy with the tast of black beans and garlic. Good in stir fries or as dipping sauce. Also good on white rice.

-Sesame seeds. Add cute look on meals and some textures.

-Anis stars.

-5 spices

-Garlic and Ginger: Almost essential in every recipes...

Fresh ingredients:

-Your favorite veggies of course. (Veggies popular in chinese cooking: Bell pepper, Eggplants, shiitake mushrooms, white mushrooms, spring onions, winter melon, bean sprouts, onions, bamboo sprouts)

-Chinese sausage. Easy to cook when you dont know what to do. Just make some rice, fry some sliced sausage and add them!


SO. now I've name the ingredients you absolutely need. Now you need to know. Chinese poeple does not always eat meat. They often will substitute it by eggplants or by eggs, or by tofu. You will also find recipes with ''Fried tofu skin''.


I will tell you some combinaitions. Cauz yu won't always want to do a recipe everyday right, you need some rest! Here is combinaions often used in chinese cooking

Chicken+White mushrooms+soy sauce
Eggplants+Tomates+Shaoxing wine
Eggs+Tomatoes+Shaoxing wine+ Light soy sauce
Coliflower+pork+doubanjian
Nappa cabbage+Bell pepper+ketchup+light soy sauce+ rice vinegar
Mini corn+doubanjian

Chicken in spicy chicken oil sauce雞油辣椒雞丁

雞油辣椒雞丁
Jī yóu làjiāo jī dīng

Chicken in spicy chicken oil sauce

Hi guys, now you must be like ''What the **** is that Chicken in chicken random stilly stuff. By reading the name I'd be the same way as you so don't worry. The name must tell you ''too much oil'', but guys it's not! Actually I used a chinese product from Laoganma which is a dried chili mixture preserved in chicken oil, we call the product 風味雞油辣椒. So it's a meal I improvised when I didn't know what to cook, and it turned out very delicious. This 風味雞油辣椒 product is actually a very very thick and crunchy paste preserved in chicken oil and it contains also other ingredients, like fried bean curds.

This recipe is perfect for winter or for a hangover!

The recipe is for around 3-4 servings depending on what you are eating with. If you are eating it alone, count 2 or 3 person. If you serve it with rice you can easily get it for 4 servings!

-550 g chicken in small pieces (marinated in 2 tbs light soy sauce, 1 ts black soy sauce, 1 1/2 tbs oil, 1 1/2 ts potato starch)
-2 cups of rectangled carrots
-1 big onion, half chopped, half in cubes

-3 tbs oil

-3 tbs light soy sauce
-1 tbs chili paste in chicken oil from Laoganma
-2 ts white sugar.

In 3 tbs of oil, cook the spicy paste for 1 or 2 minutes then add the chicken and the chopped onion.
When the chicken is cooked, set it aside while keeping the more oil you can in the wok.
Cook the vegetables until cooked but crunchy, then put the chicken again, and the soy sauce and sugar. Stir for the sugar melt and it‘s done！

Ideas: Wrap in letuce
           Add your favorite vegetables.

Kung Pao with shrimps宮保蝦仁

宮保蝦仁
Gōng bǎo xiārén

Kung Pao with shrimps

Hello, long time no post! I got internet problems for the last 2 months so I couldn't post anything. Today I want to introduce you to a great worldwide classic from Sichuan province. The Kung Pao! The name ''Kung Pao'' is an Western romanization of Gong Bao, which litterally means ''Imperial, or Royal''. In overall '' Imperial shrimps''. You can make it with shrimps and chicken. By the legend, the name would come from the Palace Gardien in Qing Dynasty. The meal is known for it's spicy taste, and to have nuts and sichuan peppercorns. The secret is to infuse the oil with the peppercorn, the nuts and the chili peppers.

Let's start now.

For approximately 3 servings

-300g of pre-cooked shrimps (shelled)
(Marinate in 1 1/2 tbs of shaoxing wine and a pinch of salt, not more than 30 minutes)
-1 full hand of nuts or 2 for more (I used white almonds)
4-6 thai chilis, seeds removed and chopped
2 bell peppers in cubes
1 onion in cubes
ginger and garlic (around 1/2 tea spoon in amount)
1/2 ts crushed sichuan peppercorns

Sauce
-5 tbs of Light Soy Sauce
-1 ts of black soy sauce
-5 tbs water
-1 ts of Chinese chili sauce (it's like as very thick paste with fried bean curds) (optional)
-1 ts of potato starch

Heat 3 tbs of oil at very-hight in a wok, and drop the chili, ginger, garlic, peppercorns and almonds.
When the almonds turns brownish, add the veggies and cook for 1 minutes max, than add the shrimps.
Cook another 2 minutes and add the sauce mixture.
When the sauce thickens it is ready!
You can top with spring onions if you want,as I did!

To vary: Add some cilantro
             Change the Almonds for peanuts of cashews.

Pork dumpling豬肉餃子

豬肉餃子

Zhūròu jiǎozi

Pork Dumplings

Hi there, already an other recipe! I want to update my blog more often. Today I want to show you how to make dumplings. I need to practice my folding because I want to be able to make pretty dumplings like in restaurants. But at least my dumplings are juicy and tender, and flavourful. There are 4 ways to cook dumplings, by steaming, boiling, pan frying or deep-frying, which is sometime served for the Chinese New Year, and is popular in America but less in China.

My recipe is steamed dumplings. Steamed dumplings has to be eaten quickly or the skin may come harder. I used frozen commercial jiaozi skin, but frozen skins aren't very stretchy, and homemade ones are way better and more opaque.

My recipe is actually an accident but it turned into my formula A dumpling! I grabbed the vinegar bottle, thinking it was soy sauce and pourred on my meat, then, I realised it was vinegar.... But it turned out very good! :)

Stuffing:

-1 lbs pork

-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

-1 big bunch of green onion, finely chopped

-1 bird eye chili, finely chopped and seed removed (optional)

-1 egg

-1 ts dark soy sauce

-1 tbs light soy sauce

-1 tbs vinegar

-1/2 tbs sesame oil

-1 tbs of potato starch

-1 pinch of asian 5 spices

-1 pinch of black pepper

Mix well together. It may looks too light or too liquid but that's what will make your dumpling not dry.

And the potato starch will help the meat to keep a good constancy.

MARINATE 2 to 5 HOURS.

How to fold dumpling: I couldn't have anyone to film me folding a dumpling so I will send you a link of a video from my favorite blogger (Margo Zhang): How to fold a Jiaozi

Put your dumplings on the both stages from your bamboo steamer. Put the steamer on a pot full of water and start boiling.

When it boils, start counting 25 minutes and the dumplings are cooked!

Meatball Soup肉丸子湯

肉丸子湯

Ròu wánzi tāng

Meatball soup
Hey there, longtime no see! I'm posting my fist soup recipe, which is one of my favoites, Meatball soup! Since I have no cooking robot but I love the texture of the taiwanese style meat ball, I've made original chinese meatball but I've put taiwanese ingredients and more starch to have a more ''dought-like'' texture. You'll see, the spices add an intensive flavour to the meatballs and make them addictive!

Around 2 or 3 serving, considering it as a main dish.

Ingredients:

-1 pound of ground pork

-4-6 tbs potato starch (dpending how chewy you want them)

-1/2 ts baking powder

-1 ts ground black pepper

-1 ts sesame oil

-1 tbs dark soy sauce

-2 tbs sugar

-1 ts MSG (optional)

-1 tbs salt

-2 cloves of garlic chopped

-3 nappa cabbage leaves in strips

-1 can of sliced water chestnuts

-100 g rice vermicelli

-7-8 cup of water

Bowl season:

Light Soy Sauce

Black Pepper

Sesame Oil

Chili oil

Spring Onions

Mix your meat with starch, baking powder, black pepper, black soy sauce, sesame,oil, sugar, MSG, salt, and garlic.

Marinate your meat for 3 hours in the fridge.

Boil the water, when it start boil, make chicken balls one by one to put in the water.

Once the meatballs float to the top, add the cabbage, the water chestnuts, and boil for one minutes.

Add the noodles and cook 2 more minutes.

Put your favorites seasoning at your taste in your bowl, then pour the soup in.

Enjoy!

Vary: Add some cilantro 

           As bowl seasoning add a drop of fish sauce

           Add some chili pepper as bowl seasoning

Long time no see! Sorry for keeping you waiting, I never have time to cook these days :'( Due to budget problems and that now i'm in a trip but there are no asian grocery stores here.

I've made a new section as an apology, called Beta Recipes. I love to write recipes even thought I didn't tried them, so I decided to post them here!!:)

Since I didn't tried them they sure are not perfect and there are possibilities of bad ingredients proportions... But I still hope you'll enjoy.

If you try them let me know how it was!

BETA General Zhuo's Chicken

BETA RECIPE
General Zhuo(aka Tao or Tso)'s Chicken

General Zhuo's Chicken is a mysterious meal unknown from chinese poeple themselves, since, from one of many legends about the meal, this one was created during G.Zuo's trip in Taiwan and to foreinger countries.

General Zhuo's chicken is know as General Tao's chicken, from a bad romanization of the name. This one is a meal composed of fried chicken pieces and sweet and sour sauce. In my version I like to add a bit of spicyness to give a little kick ;)

Ingredients:
- 2 boneless chicken breast in chunks
- 1 cup of all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of potato starch
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tea spoon of black pepper powder
- 1 tea spoon of salt
- 1 pinch of chinese 5 spices powder
- 1/2 red bell pepper in cube
- 1 onion in big cubes
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 or 2 bird eye chili, chopped and seeds removed (or a bit of sriracha ^
- 1 cup of ketchup
- 1/4 cup of white vinegar
- 3 table spoon of black been sauce
- 3 table spoon of light soy sauce
- 2 table spoon of ground rock sugar or any kind of sugar you have
-Sesame seed!
________________________
Tenderize your meat with your fist or with a tenderizer, then add the flour, the starch, pepper, salt, spices and the egg. Mix well and marinate it for 1 hour in the fridge

Meanwhile, stir fry the bell peppers, garlic and chilies then keep it aside.

Deep fry the chicken on both sides until it gets golden brown.

Now it's time to prepare the sauce. Add the ketchup, sauces, vinagar and the sugar in the wok and boil for it to thickens.

Add the chicken and seasoned veggies to the sauce, simmer 2 more minutes and serve with sesame seeds on top!

(If you can have all the ingredients feel free to ajust to your taste!:))