Fish Recipe that family has been raving about...

I'm back in the states till tomorrow. Since being back I've gotten to cook for family. 

I made this fish dish with hybrid bass that my dad caught fresh that morning. 

EVERYONE raved over it and it was the first dish gone.

And there was coconut shrimp as well. So yeah...it was good. 

I revised the printed recipe a bit because it was just way too salty for my taste buds and everyone else's. I added in everything after the salt in the recipe you'll find below. 

 Yes, I'll post the Coconut Shrimp recipe. Eventually...

 For now, enjoy this great way to actually enjoy hybrid bass that you have takin up freezer space.

Light-fried and simmered Mandarin Fish

1-3 Fillets Sea bass, perch, or hybrid bass

1 tbsp light soy sauce or 2 tsp If dark soy sauce

½ c all purpose flour or cornstarch

6 oz lard or veg oil

2 eggs well beaten

2 tbsp onion oil (see recipe for directions to make this)

Sauce

1 ½ c chicken stock, low sodium is best

1 ½ c rice wine or dry sherry (can also use cooking wine but if you do, cut out the soy sauce that is called for in the sauce.)

1 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tsp ginger juice

½ salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp hoisin or oyster sauce

2 tsp fish sauce

First, prep the onion oil. In a microwave safe dish, heat at least 2 tbsp veg or peanut oil with 1 tbsp sliced green or red onion until the onions are caramelized. Drain off the oil into another small bowl and set aside.

Then, pound fish with a cleaver to tenderize. Sprinkle on soy sauce and marinade if desired for 15 minutes. Coat with flour or cornstarch. Heat the lard or vegetable oil in a wok or sauce pan. Dip the fish in the beaten eggs and coat it thickly, then fry on both sides until nice and golden. Lift out and place in a casserole.

Lastly, bring sauce ingredients to a boil and let simmer 20 minutes. Pour the onion oil on top of the fish and spoon on the sauce. Serve. Garnish with green onion if desired. +++ OR once the sauce is just boiling, add the fish into the pot and simmer 20 minutes. Move back to casserole gently with sauce and drizzle with onion oil and garnish.

Fun With Food!

It snowed today.
Yes.
In April.
Snow.
In spring.
Crazy Hohhot.

So I've been cooking up a storm this week. I made kimchi, pickles, marinated potatoes, meatballs, cabbage rolls, corn muffins, sweet potato balls and terikayi chicken. I made all this stuff to pack healthy lunches for my long weekends of work. Most of it can be stuck in the freezer and pulled out when needed, warmed up, and packed to take away. Serious lunch packers all agree: Your meal should be tightly packed, but appealing to look at and exciting to dig into.

Today, I made curried lotus root stir-fry that's out of this world good. It's one I really have to share.

Some of you might think, "Lotus root?! That's scary stuff!" But really, it's not scary. If you like crunchy, slightly sweet (carroty) but also a bit of very light bite (radishy), you'll enjoy this. It also soaks up any flavor you put in with it. It's also beautiful! White lace, speckled with curry, graced with sauteed pepper and onion, sour bite of mustard seed...this is a dish that is sure to please. Total eye food.

 

You can get the recipe here. Only thing I did different is that it's a bit spicy for me, so I added about a teaspoon of sugar to cut some of the heat, and I also threw in three small cloves of sliced garlic (she suggested this too). And I didn't have curry leaves either, so added a little more curry powder instead.
This is good hot or cold. Which is good, cause it's in my lunch box. I'll put up a picture of the completed box later. :)

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On another note, I got my hair done this week. Woooo. It was fun.

 

 Result: natural looking loose, fun curls.

Bed time!

Love ya'll.

xoxo

Living Overseas isn't always an Adventure

It's been a while since I last blogged because, honestly, if I blogged more everyone would think of me as nothin but a whiner, complainer, and general pain in the butt. :)

Since being back in China, things have been rough. I was sick for a whole month and still had to work through it. Thankfully the job I'm employing is only 3 days a week. Meeting with friends and building relationships has been the kicker. I've met with Jeff and Judy several times, and saw Rose for a few minutes, but not near as much as I'd have liked.
Apartment searching wasn't going well and came to a complete halt. Looks like I will probably not be moving in to town after all.
Lost my phone, thus losing contact with several friends.
And right after I thought I was finally well, I went out and got food poisoning and had to miss a day of work due to a sleepless night hugging the toilet.  
So all these disappointments have compounded and left me pretty dreary for a month.

But FINALLY, feeling better, got a new phone and number, regained contact with several old friends, and accepted the housing situation after friends assured me they'll still come out to see me as long as I cook for them...and as long as Mahu promises to be good. ;)

I've made friends with some coworkers, though I don't hang out with them a lot out of work. Some of them are afraid of Mahu. He's had a bad case do the bitesees lately...all sweet one minute and biting people the next. He does have all his shots and he's healthy, but he has a mean bite. I'm not sure what to do to correct this behavior, either. I don't have a room to put him in when people come over, so people just don't really wanna come over right now. He was doing so much better for a while. I'm kind of at a loss...

Work is going well for the most part. It's tiring but it's fun at times too. I'm teaching 11 classes total,  2 of those classes are new students. The 7 year old group has only studied 3 weeks, the 5-6 year old group 3 months, so very young. I've learned some new children's songs and even "written" one for the newest learners.
9 of the classes are twice a week. The other 2 classes are once a week. So basically I teach 20 classes every week, and sometimes the Chinese teachers will ask/beg us to do a makeup class as well.
My days go something like this:
5:30am wake up, drink coffee, finish preparing lessons/get things together for classes.
7:00 breakfast/get ready/walk dogs
7:55 meet up with coworkers and get the van to the school
8:30 arrive at Little London
8:45 class starts--40 minutes at a time of faced-paced Simon says, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, Grammar, vocabulary, word games, and screaming, running, fighting, and "paper scissor stone", music, dancing, drawing, spelling races, word slapping, and babies squatting to poo. Yes, in the classroom. but only the really young ones do this...
12:30 lunch, usually a sandwich from home while I prepare some drawings for my last young kids class.
Class starts back up at 2 usually, but this rotation I got a long lunch :) so
2:45 classes start back up with a vengeance and its a repeat of the morning schedule.
5:45, this rotation, 5:45 is class over. the first month I was scheduled till 6:30.
5:50 get in van and go home.
6:30 arrive home
6:35 walk dogs.
7:00 prepare dinner or warm up leftovers
8:30 prepare for next days classes.
11pmish sleep
and repeat.

 BUT this is only two days a week. :p so it's not bad at all.  OK, when you have a bad cold, constant headache, and can barely breath, it's not great, and tiring. And the first weekend of this I could hardly open my mouth to chew my bbq chicken dinner. Haha. But I've gotten into the swing of things and it's not so bad anymore. I think...I'm not cut out for being a teacher of little children long-term. I really miss teaching college-age students that can actually have more developed and thought-out goals and plans and are able to discuss on more elevated terms...and oh my goodness I really need that because I'm becoming incapable of "higher thinking" conversations myself. LOSING my English!! Blah.
The third day of work is Thursday, and only have two classes in the evening. The rest of the day is spent listening to the Chinese teachers do demo classes, lesson plan, and formally discuss topics chosen by a specified foreign teacher. It's really laid back and we get a 3-hour lunch. Haha. So pretty boring for the most part.


I need to take the dogs out and check on my friends puppy too.

Easiest ice cream on the planet.

Need: Ziplock bag, freezer, bananas, peanut butter, and cocoa powder. 

Put bananas in bag. Squish. Mash. "Whip". 

Add peanut butter (I did 1 tbsp crunchy for 5 bananas). 

Add cocoa powder. I did a tbsp of that too.) 

Squish. Mash. Mix. 

Put in freezer. If you want, you can take it out every 30 min to an hour to squish again. I didn't. I left it in the freezer over night and took it out 20 minutes before eating cause I don't have a good ice cream scoop. It came out beautifully and tastes amazing. Nice and smooth but a few chunks of banana and the pb. Creamy and tasty. Not too sweet, but not bitter. A good mid-day energy boost.

 

 

I love Penguins

I love penguins.
And I love painting my nails.
I was on Pinterest earlier looking for some manicure ideas and found a penguin. So of course I had to do it. Too bad I'm not so great at painting left handed....but this is what I came out with...

 I like it :)
And it was fun.
And I have to get this out before I have to be "professional".

Next month it'll be back to clear and french manis.

But pinterest has given some great ideas! So till I leave....
I will have fun with nail polish.


How to do penguins:
Paint a base clear coat if you want. Let dry.
Paint black. Let dry.
Paint white spot. Let dry
With a toothpick, apply black dots for eyes.
With a toothpick, apply two dots for feet and one for his beak.
Let dry completely.
Apply top/clear coat. Let dry.


"Baby penguins":
Paint nails with clear coat.  Let dry.
Paint every other nail white, and the remaining orange. let dry.
On the white and orange bases, drop some black dots. Let dry.
On the white base nails, the middle dot should be orange. Apply the orange dot to the middle of the black dot with a toothpick.
On the orange base nail, the middle dot should be white. Apply the white dot to the middle of the black dot with a toothpick. Let dry.
Apply clear top coat.

You might wanna clean up your skin around the nail with a toothpick and nail polish remover. I always make a mess when painting my nails...ha.
 
Done!

Back to normal. Another recipe!

After last nights breakdown, I'm feeling much better. Maybe a little embarrassed over the breakdown, but getting it out always has its benefits. Today, we're back!! My usual more chipper self is here to bring you a favorite and much-loved recipe. I've done some Chinese food for family and friends since I've been back so made the effort to get step-by-step pictures for the long-promised sweet and sour ribs.
While in China last year, a friend had me over and her chef-husband taught me 糖醋排骨(tangcupaigu) home edition.
These ribs are sticky, just sweet enough, just tangy enough, and have a little garlic and ginger in there too. They're not dusted with flour and deep fried, so in that respect, "healthier" than what you'd get out. And they're finger lickin good.
I should also point out the weird lookin red sauce you find in Americanized Chinese restaurants is widely unknown in China. If someone knows it, they despise it, from my experience. So this is a more true to China sweet and sour --  the perfect combo of black vinegar and sugar. And a few other little things. Ha. So simple.

Notice: ALL measurements approximate. I never measure. Neither did my teacher. Go by taste!

糖醋排骨Sweet and Sour Spareribs

 (For 3-4 people as part of a meal)

You need:

3 lbs Short ribs/spare ribs-pork or beef, both are great, bones in recommended but country ribs also work. 
1/4 c sugar

1/3 c black vinegar (Chinese vinegar is best, if you can't get it, balsamic is a good sub but it won't be 100% the same) + 1/3 c more
3 tbsp soy sauce + 3tbsp more
3 tbsp cooking sherry or wine + 3 tbsp more***
5 cloves garlic, 3 halved and 2 sliced
5 slices ginger, think the size and thickness of a quarter or 1远coin 
half a medium onion, rough chunked
1/2 c.+ water or broth
Salt to taste
Oil

Put halved garlic cloves, 3 quarter-thick slices of ginger, half of an onion, salt, soy sauce, and a dash of wine/sherry, black vinegar and ribs in a pressure pot. Add water till ribs are covered.

Tighten the lid and cook on medium high for 20 minutes.

If you haven't got a pressure pot, no worries! Put it in your soup pot. As long as it has a lid, you can still achieve fall off the bone tender ribs. Put it on high and let it boil 5 minutes, then turn it back down to let it simmer 20. Then up again and boil for 5, then down again another 20 or so. Repeat this till they are your desired tenderness. You can even just let them simmer on low 35-40 minutes, then boil 5, then back down. In a soup pot, I usually give it an hour and a half.

I cut my ginger and onions a little smaller. No biggie, do it how you want. Just make sure they get in there.

Add your water.

This is the pre-cook stage. It makes sure the meat is clean and also fully cooked. My Chinese friends don't seem to like rare or even medium steaks. Fully cooked, all the way. This also provides great broth for simple soup to go with your meal.

Once your meat is tender and ready to move on, pull out your wok! Woks are always recommended for this, anything else might make a big mess while you stir it.

In the wok or large skillet and over medium high heat, put a ladleful of broth and add sugar, wine, black vinegar, soy sauce, 2-3 slices ginger, salt and oil. Let it simmer. The sauce should thicken and reduce by half.  

 You can add cornstarch if you’d like, but it’s best if it reduces down properly. Adjust seasoning as necessary. Add 2-3 cloves of sliced garlic. Add ribs. Stir to distribute sauce. Let simmer and get some caramelization for the best flavor. Serve and enjoy.

 ***If you don't have or don't want to use cooking sherry, you can use regular sherry, red wine, or even just some rice vinegar (which isn't quite the same but eh, it works.)

For the broth, you can toss in some bok choy or cabbage, cleaned and sliced mushroom, and some more slivered onion, and it'll be a great side, along with the tofu dish below. 

Hope you challege yourself and try this out! It's really worth the effort!

If you do try, let me know how it goes. Any input would be great.

Braised Tofu Revised

I love tofu. :) Living in China, I get to eat it more often. I stumbled across this recipe for Braise Tofu and served it when my Chinese friends came over to grade my Chinese dish abilities and it got an A+. "It tastes so complex: It's savory then a bit sweet then the end leaves a nice heat! You gotta teach my mom!" -Jeffrey

Original Recipe from "Three Tummies' Kitchen"
serves 2 to 4 as part of a Chinese meal
You'll need;
1 container of fresh soft tofu, halved longways and then cut into quarter-wide pieces
light oil for cooking (usually use sunflower but it's hard to find Stateside, veg oil works well.)
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 to 3 bird chillies, chopped (can also use dried chili peppers)
3 tbs of oyster sauce or  mushroom sauce*
2 tbs of light soy
1 tbs of dark soy
1 tsp of sesame oil
2 tbs of sugar
dash of white pepper
dash of Chinese cooking wine (also ok to sub white vinegar)
1 cup of water (I think I used a little less)
3 spring onions, cut into 3 cm lengths
(opt.) 1 bell pepper, chunked
(opt) ginger slices
* use mushroom sauce or vegetarian oyster sauce for a vegetarian version

1. Prepare the garlic, chillies, ginger and spring onions. Also cut your tofu and bell peppers.

 2. Pan fry tofu on both sides until golden,  remove and set aside. I also sauteed up my bell peppers after pulling out the tofu.

3. In a small amount of oil, I saute garlic and ginger with a little cooking oil and cook 10 seconds or till fragrant. Be careful not to let it burn. Then add in the seasonings and water. If you want yours spicier, put the chillies in with the garlic and ginger.

 4. Return the tofu to the wok and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

 
5. When the sauce has reduced by half add in the spring onions and cook for a minute more. Add your bells too.

A bowl or two of piping hot steamed rice is all you need to go with this simple but delicious dish.