Parchment cooking En Papillote did not fail me. This Asian-Style Steamed Cod Fish Fillets with Cordycep Flowers, Gojiberries, Woodear Mushrooms turned out wonderfully delicious.
Cordyceps Flower or Cordyceps militaris is a type of mushrooms in family Cordycipitaceae, and are usually cooked in soups.
Instead of steaming the fillets over the stove, the fish wrapped in "parcels" are "steamed"/roasted in the oven.
When cooked in soups, winter melon is typically added in bigger chunks or smaller cubes. I have even "pulverized" it before but not to this extent that you cannot even see them.
Winter melon is mildly sweet and when the "puree" is added to the chicken soup at the last leg of cooking, it balances the chicken soup to perfection; more importantly, retain as much nutrients (e.g. Vitamin C) as possible. The winter melon "puree" also acts as a natural thickener to the soup
- slightly thick, not as thick like a "cream-based" soup.
There are many possibilities to healthy, delicious protein bowls, only limited by imagination. Going beyond traditional pairing of Chinese Soy-Braise Eggs and Tofu with steamed rice or putting together Roast Chicken Quinoa Bowl, Smoked Salmon Quinoa Bowl, the journey today is East Meets West Soy-Braise Eggs, Mushrooms, Tofu Protein Steamed Veggies Bowl.
As a short-cut, I am using store-bought Chinese five-spice tofu nuggets, "borrowing" its braising liquid and flavors to cook with home-prepped hard-boiled eggs, store-bought firm tofu and fresh shiitake mushrooms.
On a separate occasion, fresh tofu-beancurd skin/yuba were stuffed with enoki mushrooms to make Mushroom-Stuffed Tofu-Skin Yuba Rolls, perfect for this veggie bowl.
For vegetarians, omit the shredded chicken as the tofu skin rolls would suffice as plant-protein source. You can also make Yuba Salad which is much simpler compared to oven-baked rolls. I have actually made yuba salad many times, improving (and "perfecting") each time.
The size of these stuffing portobello mushrooms is between that of regular huge portobello mushrooms and the standard-size cremini mushrooms; and as the name goes, perfect for stuffing.
Nothing too fanciful, so here goes the stuffing for Spinach Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms.
The major difference between this Cabbage, Woodear Mushrooms Salad and the regular raw veggie salad is: these finely julienned/thinly sliced vegetables (including the mushrooms) are blanched to cook - vegetables become warm, tender and infuses deeper with sesame oil-based dressing.
Chrysanthemum Greens Shungiku (a.k.a Tong Ho) is not just for soup-based dishes (most common in hotpots). This mellow fragrant vegetables can be steamed e.g. Shungiku Tong Ho Steamed Tofu, Shungiku Tong Ho Steamed Fish, and prepared like a salad/side-dish appetizer e.g. Shungiku in Sesame Dressing.
Chrysanthemum Greens can also be stir-fried just like any other leafy greens e.g. spinach, kale, Bok Choy. Even better, Chrysanthemum Greens has a nice flowery fragrance, so the stir-fry tastes wonderfully delicious. Today, this Chrysanthemum Greens Mushrooms Stir-Fry is elevated with fresh earthy shiitake, finished off with briny bonito flakes - best enjoyed with steamed rice, cooked noodles, warm plain congee or cod fish porridge/congee.
Mildly sweet and earthy, Pioppini mushrooms remain firm and tender when cooked. As part of mushrooms Shimeji family, Pioppini mushrooms is rich in umami-tasting compounds.
If you find basic stir-fry of leafy greens and garlic too flat in flavors, mushrooms add good "meaty" flavors to a basic leafy greens stir-fry e.g. Asian Leafy Greens and Shiitake Mushrooms Stir-Fry
Even the simplest sauté of crimini mushrooms tossed with pesto e.g Basil Walnut Pesto (vegetarians, this one's for you), tastes as delicious as Pesto Chicken and Pesto Salmon.
Do you feel what I feel? (oh, that Christmas song "Do you hear what I hear?" continuously lingering over my ears these days).
When I came across the term "Alimentary Yakisoba", I was puzzled for a while, not knowing what "Alimentary" meant until I tried to find out later that it meant "relating to nourishment or nutrition". But, is there a reason why "alimentary" is tagged with "yakisoba"? I wonder if there is a special connotation or meaning.
This dish uses "Yakisoba" noodles but you can replace with your favorite noodle variety e.g. Ramen or Udon. As the base-sauce for this noodle stir-fry is developed from simmering five-spice tofu (Hodo brand) and mushrooms, the noodles are infused with the five-spice flavors from the simmered tofu which makes it essentially Five-Spice Stir-Fry Noodles.
This Broccoli and Oyster Mushrooms Stir-Fry is a simple and delicious vegetarian dish - one of the many vegetables and mushrooms combination stir-fries (with shiitake mushrooms, maitake mushrooms or even pink oyster mushrooms) already featured in my website.
Without using meat, mushroom is an ingredient that adds earthy flavors and "meaty" texture to a vegetarian dish.
To complete the entire stir-fry with less oil, I have used the partial stir-fry-steam method, which is to cover the pan or pot and allow the steam to finish off cooking the vegetables in the process of stir-frying.
Grain bowls and salad bowls - coupled with plant-based proteins such as beans/legumes, tofu, tempeh, or meat options like chicken, or even seafood - are still part of the family meal plan. However, soups and stews, porridge and congee start to have a presence at the dinner table more often during the winter season as these hot and warm dishes says nothing but comfort, just like this Mushroom Turkey Pasta with Marinara Sauce.
Store-bought jarred pasta sauce is convenient and saves a lot of cooking time in the kitchen. However, I hardly use jarred pasta sauce because it is usually too high in sodium and lacks fresh tomato flavor; until I came across several good reviews on Rao's Homemade Marinara Sauce.
With its bright orange flesh, kabocha squash is an excellent source of beta-carotene that can be converted to vitamin A in the body.
Vitamin A is important for healthy white blood cells, good immunity and
for vibrant, healthy eyes, skin and hair. To boost fiber
content, you can cook them with their edible green skins. I bought a whole kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin) with a plan to cook Pumpkin Rice 南瓜饭.
This Pumpkin Rice a pumped-up version of this Garlic Pumpkin Rice and fits a one-pot one-dish meal perfectly.
We are pretty much adventurous in the mushroom world. Not that we have tried the most exotic mushrooms but having tried fresh pink oyster mushrooms, maitake mushrooms and lion-mane mushrooms, adding wild morels surely makes the mushrooms-list more complete.
Wild morels is the mushroom of Spring season, isn't it? I bought mine from Costco (these mushrooms are seasonal and not always available) while braving the cold produce room where I usually get my box of organic baby spinach.
The reward of visiting the local farmers market is having the family enjoy easy and delicious dishes e.g. Baby Shiitake Mushrooms Stir-Fry and Spring Peas, Mushrooms Stir-Fry that are prepared from fresh and local produce.
As part of the oyster mushroom family, I was amused by the vivid pink of the pink oyster mushrooms when I saw them at Far West Fungi, Saratoga Farmers Market. Some also call it flamingo oyster mushroom because it is as pink as the flamingo. Oyster mushrooms live up to their name; they look like oyster shells and have a mild seafood taste.
Welcome, Spring! When the days get longer, I always look forward to visiting our favorite Saratoga farmers market for fresh local produce then make healthy and delicious dishes out of it.
This dish today is similar to Snap and Snow Peas Stir-Fry. The snap peas and snow peas are still the "star" here while the broccoli and shiitake mushrooms have been switched to Chinese broccoli and oyster mushrooms.
Isn't that just meatballs? Why is it called Lion's Head Meatballs 红烧狮子头? This Shanghai casserole dish has such a name because the typically over-sized meatballs is like the "head of the lion" braised with surrounding Napa cabbage that resembles "the lion's mane".
For the recipe today, I have tried to simplify the preparation and cooking, hoping to achieve a healthier yet delicious dish.
First, for those who avoids deep-frying at home, this lion head meatball recipe shares a over-roasted meatball version that eases up stove-top deep-frying. Second, the meatballs are of standard meatball size (not over-sized) so that cooking or baking time can be easily managed. For example, if you deep-fry a gigantic meatball, it takes a much longer time to cook through the meat compared to smaller meatballs.
A poached egg would be perfect, just like this Mushrooms Spinach Saute with Noodles and Egg; but well, life is not perfect.
So I made this easy noodle bowl that is perfect for no-time-to-make-dinner, almost-wanted-takeout-night. Indeed, it is simple home-cooked fare, without the high-in-sodium, high-in-grease burden for late night dinner.
Salad-bowl meal is becoming standard lunch routine at least twice a week in my family. Not only it is healthy and nutritious, it is also a balanced meal if you build it correctly. This is also a great way to incorporate the day's veggie and fiber intake.
The more often I make salad-bowl meals e.g. Chicken, Veggies and Potatoes with Turmeric Dressing, Mixed Green Salad and Egg with Avocado Dressing, the easier it gets.
This is typically how I create my salad-bowl meals with an emphasis on vegetables, packed along with lean proteins, fiber-packed grains and good fats.
Vegetables - Target a variety by using colors e.g. red (bell peppers, beets), orange(carrots), yellow (corn), green(broccoli, green beans, zucchini), purple (cabbage) etc.
Proteins - Egg is typically my first choice as it is the easiest complete protein to prepare. Add legumes/beans, tofu/tempeh, or your choice of lean protein (e.g. chicken breast, wild salmon, sardines)
Grains /complex carbohydrates - Quinoa, millet, potatoes,sweet potatoes, brown rice, wheat pasta, legumes/beans, lentils
Good Fats - extra-virgin olive oil which typically manifests as the salad dressing; avocado which can also be salad dressing or stand-alone as an element to the salad bowl. Lean protein such as salmon or sardines is also a form of good (omega-3) fats.
This is an easy side-dish to make from zucchini "noodles"; and kitchen-friendly especially in the hot summer days when you want to spend less time behind the stove. As each ingredient is finely julienned to thin strips, they cook almost instantly, either with a brisk sauté or quick blanching.
If you prefer to have it all raw, you can. However, a lot of Chinese
salad-type dishes e.g. Luffa (Loofah) Salad do not recommend entirely raw food due to the
"cooling" properties of raw food. In Chinese food therapy, consuming raw food regularly when one has a heaty (yang) body-type will not be an issue but when one has a more
"cooling" (yin) inner body-system, it is best to cook the ingredients slightly. Another reason to cook it, is to prevent the possible contamination of consuming raw ingredients/food.
