Crispy Fish Skin with Salted Egg Yolk 香脆金沙魚皮

If you follow my blog, you would notice that I like snacks, appetizers or small bites food a lot. This is another good one that is very popular in Asia. It is not difficult nor complicated to make if you could get fried fish skin from local restaurant or store.

Hong Kong Style Vegetarian Lo Mei 港式齋鹵味

This is one of the most popular street foods in Hong Kong. Vegetarian sweet and sour pork, curry chicken, BBQ pork....the list is quite long. I am always amazed how they are made vegetarian but taste more authentic than the real meat!!

Even though Southern California is home to the largest Asian population in the US, it is a big disappointment that I cannot find this kind of vegetarian lo mei in Chinese restaurants. If you do know where I can get this, though, let me know!

Fortunately, it is very easy to DIY. Many Chinese vegetarian dishes are made with soy product or these fried gluten balls. The ones I used are available in Chinese markets.

Tea Eggs with Five Spices 五香茶葉蛋

There are certain things in life that really train or test your patience. If I were to rate which role would be the toughest test of patience, I would vote that being a parent is number one. I think many parents would be on my side. From taking care of an infant to parenting a teenager, there are endless challenges a parent has to face. It is through these trials that we all mature and grow up.

Another role that build up one's patience level is to be a cook. As it is said, no pain, no gain. To make a good meal, you simply have to put in time and effort. I am not referring to instant TV dinners or instant noodles. I have learned much about patience and perseverance through cooking and baking. Making yeast bread takes hours; aged dough takes days to mature; a successful batch of French macaron took me over ten trials to achieve.

Take these tea eggs as another trial of patience. Making hard boiled eggs does not require a lot of time nor patience. But to make delicious tea eggs, there is no shortcuts. In order for the marinade to infuse into the eggs, they have to sit overnight. Without patience, you will just have hard boiled eggs.

Remember, no shortcuts!!

Quail Egg Croquettes 鵪鶉蛋薯蓉球

What is a croquette? If you search it up online, you would get "a small cake or ball of minced meat, poultry, or fish or of rice, potato, often coated with beaten egg and bread crumbs and fried in deep fat." (dictionary.com)

Its French root "croquer" means "to crunch". But since its French birth, there have been many many varieties from many many countries trying to give it a new twist. In this version, I attempted to bake it for a healthier version in comparison to deep frying it. My food critics at home gave them thumbs up. This is a great party and finger food.

See which version you like!

Tuna Strudels 香脆吞那魚卷

What comes to your mind when you think of an appetizer ? Savory, finger food, easy to prepare, may be crunchy, etc? This appetizer fits all of the above. I use honey mustard as a sauce to make it really appetizing. All the ingredients are store bought, which made it exceptionally easy to make. Not counting the time the fillo sheets need to defrost, it only takes 30-45 minutes from start to finish. A great party or potluck choice !

Pig Ear Terrine 豬耳凍

I was a little bit surprised when I read the newspaper last Saturday. In the food section, it featured a recipe and article about a dish using pig's ear. As with recipes including chicken feet, dishes with pig's ear is not popular among Americans. However, it may not be too foreign to you if you are a descendant of Asia. (My American born kids love to have chicken feet, pig ear, tongue, stomach and beef tripe.)

Korean Kimbap 韓式紫菜飯卷 김밥

It has been a pleasant summer so far in Southern California, compared to the rest of the country where triple digit temperature has been prevailing. We have been blessed by marine layers from the Pacific Ocean which serve as a natural air conditioner to keep us around 80F for most of Los Angeles.
On hot summer days, light meals with easy to fix ingredients are preferred, like kimbap, a Korean dish similar to California rolls. It is fun to make (my daughter LOVES to do it) and easy to eat. It can be an appetizer or side dish. You can make kimbap whenever you don't feel like cooking. The ingredients do not need any cooking, except the fried egg and rice, but like the rest of the ingredients, it can be replaced with other foods of your choice. It can also be completely vegetarian.

Soy Sauce Egg 鹵水蛋

Hard boiled eggs sound easy to make. I remember it was one of the small and simple tasks that was taught to me by my mom when I was young. I was not properly instructed at the time and most of the time the eggs cracked while boiling and the whites spilled out and it became ugly.  And sometimes the yolk is completely runny....There is so much science involved: click here to read an experiment on boiling eggs. In reality, it is more than a simple task...

Now I am a mom, I want to make sure that my children know how to boil an egg properly.

Chinese Scallion Pancake 葱油餅

Chinese New Year is around the corner, and my mind is shifting towards Chinese food. There are so many festive new year foods that I don't know what to start with...

This scallion pancake is not typically for new year. It is enjoyed year round and in almost every Chinese restaurant that offers dumplings, it also has scallion pancakes.

Turnip Pudding 臘味蘿蔔糕

This is the season for turnip and various squash. This recipe for turnip pudding has been my favorite for over 20 years...( I started early in the kitchen, when I was 13) The texture is just right, not too mushy, not too hard. You can eat it right after steaming or cut out a thick slice and fry it in a pan. My picky eaters at home do not eat other turnip dishes but they can finish this in no time.

Stuffed Mushrooms with Ground Pork 焗釀磨菇

This is a very simple and easy to do dish. It is a great appetizer to any dinner. You can also use different ingredients for the stuffing. For this one I used ground pork, but ground beef or sausages(without casings) can be used as well. Chopped onions and green onions will be great additions as well ( I did not include them because of one of my picky eaters does not like them).