I've Got A Soup For That (Yum Tong)...

Yum Tong... Cantonese saying for "Drink Soup". Whether you are coming down with a cold, under the weather, want to ward off ailments or hungover(?)... there is a soup for that. In Asia, particular China and Korea, soups are nourishment and medicine offered as one-pot meals for the family and as individual tonics. The range of ingredients can be anything from and in combination of chicken, fresh and dried vegetables, meats, bones, fish, seafood and carefully selected dried herbal concoctions. The Chinese believe that some soups cool in the summer and others give warmth in the winter, and then there is one's individual internal weather of yin and yang and the perpetual philosophy of balancing these opposing forces for harmony of health. When the internal body is off balance, outward bodily symptoms like sore throat, coughing, or dryness can appear. Here are some of our regular family favourites...

A simple soup made from a small chicken or cornish game hen cooked in water with some dried ju jubes/dates and ginseng could do wonders. That's really all there is to it. Chicken is nourishing, ginseng is known for its immune and energy boosting properties, and jujubes alleviates stress and prevents aging-- an elixir in a pot. Two hours on a soft boil is recommended for all soups to optimize on the flavours and to bring out the health properties from all the ingredients.

Chinese ginseng are usually sold dried and should be bought in a Chinese herbal shop whereas Korean fresh ginseng (insam) can be bought in the refrigerated section in a Korean supermarket. The jujubes provide a touch of contrasting sweetness to the chicken and ginseng, and can be purchased in the dried aisle of Asian supermarkets.

Two hours on medium with a pinch of salt yields a rich broth with an under tone of fragrant and sweet bitterness of ginseng. Skim fat on the surface before serving. You can eat the chicken though it can be dry, especially its white meat as all the moisture and flavour has been cooked into the soup.

A similar Korean soup ginseng chicken soup (Samgyetang) is eaten like a meal. Each small whole chicken is boiled in its own clay pot over the stove, then served boiling hot, directly at the table. Koreans will break up the chicken and rice in the pot so that it becomes a porridge. Considered a summer dish, it is eaten in restaurants and in the homes during the hottest days to help deal with the heat. It also makes a wonderful meal when you're fighting off a cold or flu. Ginseng (insam) is one of Korea's most famous products with its rejuvenating properties valued as a booster for the immune system. A source of energy and vitality, it also promotes longevity and increases libido.

ginseng chicken soup (Samgyetang)

According to Chinese medicine, black silkie chicken soup helps to strengthen the immune system, brings down the deficient body heat and overall boosts your energy stores where they have been depleted. A great detoxification if you have been eating a lot of deep-fried and junkie foods. This is one I make at least once a month. Just one bowl can feel like wonders, if not just the warming effect it gives.

black silkie chicken soup 

The Chinese believe that these kind of slow-fire soups are not just soups but more like tonics. This is attributed to the concept of balance in one's body, that winter melon soup brings down heat in one's body and so is especially suitable in the hot weather. Although for me, this is an all-weather comfort and nourishing food. It is known to cool the internal heat, lowers blood pressure, promote yin and also helps to lose weight.

winter melon soup

And if we are talking about hangovers, Korean spicy pork bone soup-- Gamjatang is famous for it's cure... maybe that's why these speciality soup shops are opened 24/7 in Korea as well as in Toronto's Korean towns :).

Gamjatang

So what are you waiting for....  "Yum Tong!"

Oysters with Ginger and Green Onions (Cantonese-Style)...

When you can buy fresh oysters flash-frozen, you don't need to worry about eating them fresh during the "r" months. I always seem to have a bag ready in the freezer bought on sale when my eldest son's craving for oyster omelets comes-a-calling. So a portion of a one lb. bag of frozen oysters will be used for making an omelet but what to do with the rest. A quick search lands me oysters with ginger and green onions-- one of the most common way to prepare oysters in Cantonese Chinese cuisine. At restaurants, oysters are deep-fried making them incredibly greasy, and they tend to overuse cornstarch in an attempt to make the oysters appear bigger; making them at home is easy and you can control the oil and starch. 

Fresh oysters (whether off its shell or frozen, thawed) have great natural seafood taste, so just a small amount of seasoning and complimentary ingredients highlight rather than mask their true taste. Ginger and green onions is classic, but I had a few celery stalks and long chili peppers to use up-- and it turned out delicious! Use medium or large oysters as larger oysters pan-fry up crusty on the outside with a moist, nicely-cooked plump centre; smaller ones tend to dry up and have more chewy parts.

Oysters with Ginger and Green Onions 
Makes 2 to 4 servings

16 medium or 8 large oysters, fresh sold in a container or frozen, thawed
2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 slices ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, sliced (optional)
2 long green chili peppers, removing most of the seeds and sliced (optional)
1 Tbsp. Chinese cooking wine
Sauce:
3 Tbsp. chicken stock or water with 1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon powder/seasoning
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp. dark or mushroom soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Chinese cooking wine
1 tsp. sesame oil
Dash of white pepper
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
cooking oil

Clean the oysters in a bowl of cold water: Let oysters sit in 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch and 1 tsp. salt for 10 minutes. Rinse twice with cold water and be careful not to break them apart; drain well.

Combine all the sauce ingredients except cornstarch in a small bowl. Set aside. Place oysters on a paper-lined towel plate or chopping board. Lightly press with another paper towel to remove excess moisture. Pat the oysters with cornstarch. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a skillet/wok over medium-high heat and pan fry the oysters until golden on both sides. Remove onto a plate.

In the same skillet/wok, heat 2 tsp. oil over medium-high heat. Add ginger and stir until fragrant. Add the green onions. Cook for one minute. Add the celery (if using) and garlic; stir-fry for one minute then add the chilies (if using). Add 1 Tbsp. cooking wine and let cook for another minute. Return oysters to the skillet; toss a few times and stir in the sauce. Let cook for one minute until the sauce is slightly thickened. Remove onto serving plate.

Aromatic, scrumptious, juicy and full on savoury-sweet sea-essence flavour with heat!

For other Asian oyster-inspired dishes try: Malaysia's Oyster Omelet (Oh Chien)- a top Malaysian hawker favourite- intoxicating, crispy, gooey, chewy savoury and juicy oyster omelets, Fried Oyster and Kimchi on Rice- fabulously juicy oysters and spicy kimchi, and Kimchi Fried Rice and Oyster Mix-Up- make fried rice with kimchi and oysters, set the condiments at the table- shredded seaweed, toasted sesame seeds, chopped jalapenos, egg strips, sliced green onions and fish eggs. Scoop everyone some rice and place it into a large bowl to give room for mixing and tossing with a disposable-gloved hand. Bon appétit!

From top left clockwise: Malaysia's Oyster Omelet (Oh Chien), Fried Oyster and Kimchi on Rice
and Kimchi Fried Rice and Oyster Mix-Up.

Three-Ingredient Cassava Cake...

A delicious cake, pudding or sweet treat is impossible to resist anywhere but particularly in Asia. Asian desserts are regularly served as snacks in between meals rather than after a heavy meal (when there is no room for it anyway-- how clever!) I find they are starting to appear more often in Asian restaurants but there is still tremendous room for getting popularized outside of Asia. When it comes to the home-front, many think that Asian desserts are difficult or complex to prepare but really, most recipes are quite simple. The trick is to find the right ingredients, understand how they are used, and then master a few easy techniques. However,..... in the case of this particular version for Southeast Asia's favourite sweet-- cassava cake, there is nothing to master except finding grated cassava (frozen), dumping, stirring and baking. This easy peasy three-ingredient recipe (what?) was given to me during my past weekend trip to Montreal. Honestly, never cared for cassava cake maybe because I am partial to coconut milk while my hubby and best friend goes ga ga over it, but after trying it and simply making it at home, I really like it and can see myself making it over and over again.

Cassava is a root tuber native to South America, and is now an important crop throughout Asia and the Pacific. It must be cooked to destroy the hydrocyanic acid it contains. The young roots are peeled and grated to make various cakes and savouries. If you know tapioca or pearl sago-- the small dried white balls sold in supermarkets or appearing in many Asian soup desserts such as sweet tapioca coconut milk dessert, you may be surprised that they are actually made from the starch of the cassava (tapioca) plant.

Three-Ingredient Cassava Cake
Makes two 9" pie plates

2 packages (454 g) frozen grated cassava, thawed overnight (find in frozen aisle in an Asian supermarket)
1 can (300 mL) condensed milk
1 can (400 mL) coconut milk
2 9" foil pie plates

Place the thawed grated cassava in a large bowl or basin. Run water through it and rinse with your hands several times. Pick out any specks such as leave particulates. Let drain in a colander for several hours-- try to strain as much of the excess water as possible. Pour both milks in a large bowl, and stir to blend; add the grated cassava and stir to incorporate well.

Pour into two lightly greased foil plates (I spray with cooking oil). Bake on the middle rack in a preheated 325 F oven  for 50 to 60 minutes until golden brown. Remove onto a rack to cool slightly. 

Perfectly coconutty, balanced sweetness with the texture sticky creamy and not dense. I love the slightly caramelized chewy rim! Keep one for yourself and bring the other to share with your family and friends. My parents, siblings and one son loved it!

I like to slice the cake into 16 thin slivers! So heavenly with a cup of hot green or Jasmine tea!

Don't be put off just because you see ingredient(s) in recipes you're unfamiliar with. Nowadays, everything is available in speciality shops or ethnic supermarkets, and each new thing you try opens up a whole new world of possibilities and taste adventures! Happy discovery!

Bien manger à Montréal...

Visits to Montreal are never short of great eats. And its not about eating out in the wonderful city, but the home-style kind with family and relatives... It's been two years since we've back to see my husband's family, and our kids are older making the drive much easier. I've always looked forward to the trek and the smorgasbord of food to come, especially Vietnamese home cooking. The weekend was short but lovely-- a nice reunion over conversations and food, watching the family cook together and the kids getting along with their "sprouted" cousins, picking plums and snipping fresh herbs in my sister-in law's bountiful garden and toting homemade food in tofu containers home (Vietnamese spring rolls, my mother-in-law's chicken curry and sausage and dried shrimp sticky rice).

Vietnamese lacquer paintings-- base is wood, painted and inlay with mother of pearl or egg shell. 

Vietnamese-style chow mein, fried battered spicy shrimp and pork, fried shrimp chips, deli roasted duck, corn on the cob, mixed vegetables and steamed rice grace the dinner table.

Morning breakfast of Vietnamese-style pork and shrimp wontons (slightly sweet profile) in chicken soup.

It never fails that with every single visit to great aunt's house in St-Laurent, their kitchen is always bustling with cooking activities. My husband's cousin chopping up a big batch of chicken legs to marinate in soy sauce, garlic and wine for soy sauce chicken. Here is my version double soy sauce chicken drumsticks. Their door is never locked-- siblings (there are seven) and their families drop by unannounced all the time, to stop in to say hello, to drop off food, to stay and eat, and thus... there is always something cooking and ready at a moment's notice to nibble and nosh on. This is what I would love when my children are older-- invite their friends and eventually their families to my house any time they please... my kitchen will always be an open invitation! 

Uncle drops by with homemade cassava cakes-- a Southeast Asian dessert favourite. I couldn't believe it when I heard how simple the recipe was-- just three ingredients to bake up and the result perfectly sweet and not dense (as I usually know it). Recipe to come in my next post :)

Some photo-takings are worth bending backwards for... such as my sis-in-law's fruit tree bearing tons of precious plums.

 

What a beaute!

And snipping fresh herbs from her lush herb garden with my absolute favourite-- rau ram (Vietnamese cilantro), purple shiso, mint, rosemary and chives....

Their little pooch Bishan is adorable! The kids were all over him!

Our last night with some good ol' fashion BBQing with fish sauce and lemongrass in the meat marinades!

Plain vermicelli noodles is often served as an alternative to steamed rice on the Vietnamese table.

Love seeing these cousins get together to play some ol' fashion board games.... 

a rare kodak moment nowadays!

We loved our family visit to La Belle Province! Jusqu'à la prochaine fois...

Fresh Mango Sorbet...

What to do with the remaining slightly bruised mangoes after eating a few each day -- how could I resist at two cases for $10.00 (I split the deal steal with my sis-- so a dozen for $5 each!)? Hot, humid, muggy, sticky weather all points to one thing and one thing only-- Mango sorbet! 

This is the best way to cut a mango in my books, whether you are removing the fruit to eat immediately, to place into a salad or cook with it. The presentation is also cool and attractive.

1. Stand the mango on your cutting board stem end down and hold. Place your knife about 1/4" from the widest centre line and cut down through the mango. Turn the mango around and repeat this cut on the other side. The resulting ovals of mango flesh are known as the "cheeks." What's left in the middle is mostly the mango seed. Remove the skin and eat the flesh around the seed-- don't waste the delicious fruit.

2. Cut parallel slices into the mango flesh, being careful not to cut through the skin. Turn the mango cheek 1/4 rotation and cut another set of parallel slices to make a checkerboard pattern.

3. Either “slice and scoop"-- scoop the mango slices out of the mango skin using a large spoon or “inside out"-- flip the scored mango cheek inside out by pushing the skin up from underneath, and scrape the mango chunks off of the skin with a knife or spoon.

For a purist version, freeze 4 cups of diced mango for several hours. Then along with 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar, whiz in a food processor for five minutes and serve.  For an adult version margarita-style-- whiz along with 1 tsp. lime zest and 1/4 tsp. salt for a sweet and salty tang!

Can't get more simple and refreshing than that? Smiles all around!

Enjoy the remaining summer weather! Stay cool and hydrated!

Vietnamese Curry Grilled Pork Chops...

Wondering what to do with a package of pork chops I bought on sale, I happily discovered it was Vietnamese-style when I found all the ingredients on-hand in my fridge-- leftover mint sprigs, a close-to-expiry tomato, green onions on its last limp legs, a cucumber, lettuce, and drum roll please... a jar of Vietnamese curry paste I prepared a month ago :). Always handy to have around, this particular curry profile is exceptional and forms the base of many Vietnamese curry dishes often as a meat marinade- so full of exotic flavour and aromatics with galangal, lemongrass, cilantro, cumin, turmeric and garlic. I've used it to make chicken wings and a similar recipe to my mother-in-law's curry chicken with potatoes in soup. Grilled pork chops to serve along with fresh vegetables and herbs on vermicelli noodles (bun- pronounced with a long "u") and rice (cơm) eaten with seasoned fish sauce are popular dishes served at this Southeast Asian cuisine restaurants everywhere. There's more to Vietnamese food than their famous beef noodle soup.

Curry paste is easy to make when you have a handy dandy food processor to whiz everything!

Vietnamese Curry Grilled Pork Chops
Makes 6 pork chops

6 pork chops, centre or loin cuts
5 Tbsp. prepared Vietnamese curry paste
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. fried onion or shallots
lettuce, cut into bite size shreds
tomato, sliced
cucumber, sliced and cut into sticks
red onion, thinly sliced into slivers
steam rice or cooked vermicelli to serve

Nước mắm cham (seasoned dipping fish sauce): Makes 3/4 cup
i) Dissolve 1/4 cup granulated sugar in 1/3 cup boiling water;
ii) Mix in 2 Tbsp. fish sauce and 2-3 Tbsp. white vinegar and leave to cool;
iii) To season, add 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped and Vietnamese chili sauce to taste. Refrigerate until serve.

Marinate the pork chops in a mixture with curry paste, fish sauce and sugar. Refrigerate for an hour to three hours for the flavours to meld.  

Grill both sides on medium-high heat for about five minutes or until pork is thoroughly cooked. TIP: Give a snip or slice into fat or tendon areas around the pork so that the meat grills flat and even. Set onto a platter to rest and redistribute its juices. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a skillet/pan; add onions and fried shallots; cook until aromatic and sizzling. Remove into a bowl (this will be a nice condiment for the grilled pork chops).

Pickled leek is a favourite side at Vietnamese meals. Look for it in the pickle or condiment aisle in an Asian supermarket.

Place all the prepared vegetables and herbs and condiments at the table for everyone to help themselves. You can also offer bean sprouts, Asian chives, Thai basil and cilantro. Slice up the pork against the grain and arrange along with rice or noodles and everything else for your own customized "com" or "bun" serving. 

Here's my bowl with all the fixings! A shallow dish is perfect for presentation and allowing room to mix it all up!

My boys really love the fresh flavours-- one on noodles, the other on rice... great either way!

There are some labour involved in making the curry paste-- with the amount of ingredients, cooking then pulsing. But make a jar with the recipe and you're set for three to four Vietnamese-inspired curry dishes! Just a thin oil on top of the paste, refrigerate in a sealed air-tight container and it's good for two months. Awesome to pull out at your whim, like I did for some nummy curry goodness!

Try also my curry chicken with potatoes in soup and chicken wings