Pork Ribs with Bean Curd Sticks Soup 腐竹排骨汤

A classic soup that I grew up having at home, this is by far one of my mom's regulars, my brother's favorite. Mom's version comes loaded with whole white peppercorns and I used to dislike this soup for that particular reason. Nothing to do with its peppery nature; in fact I loved the kick! I just happened to really hate those chances of me biting into them randomly with every mouthful of soup that I took, especially those hidden in between the many foldings of those bean curd sticks.

So while it continued to make an appearance at home, I would usually give it a pass. Nope, I didn't even resort to just having the soup plain and simple - no ribs, no bean curd sticks, nothing at all; there's always a risk of stumbling upon a peppercorn still! Is there a term for the phobia for peppercorns, by the way? I think I must have had that! lol.

Things took a turn for the better when mom brought home with her something new for her kitchen collection - the stainless steel wire mesh ball! This has got to be the best invention ever! lol. So thereon, no more loose peppercorns swimming around in the pot, and especially none gone hidden anywhere at all. Now stress-free, I then declared myself a fan too!

Moving here, it didn't take me long before I found myself in the kitchen preparing the ribs, soaking the dried bean curd sticks, pitting the dates and crushing the peppercorns. Yup, just everything my mom did, all in the effort to make my own pot of Pork Ribs with Bean Curd Sticks Soup 腐竹排骨汤. And the good news? I have mom's wire mesh ball with me! Tadaaa...

Cute little thingy huh? lol. I'm not sure if mom eventually bought another one for herself after that replacing this, but this has ever since been a little treasure of mine. One that comes with a memory no money can buy, no time can erase...

Quoting from my previous post on the White Radish Soup 白萝卜汤,
"The longer the soup is left to simmer, the better it will be infused with all the flavors coming from the different ingredients. The water level will drop slightly as the simmering goes on but additional water will be unnecessary unless the water content has really decreased considerably. I would maintain it around 4-5L. Should you need to add in more water into the pot, make sure you add in only hot boiling water to ensure that the simmering does not get disrupted with the water of a different temperature. Add in just slightly more than enough to cover the ingredients comfortably. Any more will have the soup diluted rendering it less flavorful. If you are left with enough leftovers from this for the next day or two (I always do! lol), you will be amazed with how much better they taste after a night out. Try adding in some noodles of your preferred choice while using this as your soup base; you will have a good meal in a snap of time!"

And a few last notes to end this...

• RECONSTITUTE The bean curd sticks come dehydrated in a pack. Before they are fit for the pot of soup, they have to be reconstituted in water. Depending on their quality and thickness, they can take some time in between half an hour and up to 2 hours. So do make an early start. Have them soaked in advance and leave them soaked until it's time to bring them into the pot.
• COOK and TIME
  Different brand comes with different qualities and thus different time needed to cook them well and thorough. Some get cooked in a matter of minutes, others are just way tougher against heat and water. So you may want to get to know the ones you are using. If you have found a good one, stick to them.
  
  Get the soup base with the pork ribs started first (while the bean curd sticks are getting soaked). Add the bean curd sticks into the pot of soup and simmer with the rest only for the last two hours prior to serving. If you are unsure of their quality and texture, check them out about half an hour after adding them in. Well cooked and all soft - you should just stop the simmering there and then; intact and tough - let the simmering continue and recheck half an hour later.
  
  Keep watch to avoid over simmering; they break the bean curd sticks up. The taste will still be there, just not the mouthfeel, not to mention the not-so-appealing appearance in the end. Just for the record, mine took about 1½ hours.

Sesame Orange Shrimp 橙汁芝香虾球

Revealing... the four seasons Chinese cold platter 冷盘! Well this is not a post particularly highlighting the platter itself, but I thought I could just make this a little continuation to the previous post on Scrambled Egg with Glass Noodles 粉丝炒蛋. The idea of making this Sesame Orange Shrimp 橙汁芝香虾球 a part of the huge platter came from Wendy at Table For 2..... or More, pretty much a love at first sight thingy really. A dish with an orange hue so pretty, the whole dish is made simply appealing with how well tangy pairs with sweetness, and the idea of fresh and springy shrimps fried to a perfect crisp.

This recipe is a crossover between two different recipes; the sweet sauce with a tad of tartness is a creation of Wendy herself; the crunchy coating is one I adapted from Bon Appétit magazine of the recent March 2013 issue in the recipe for Parmesan Chicken Cutlet by Jenny Rosentrach and Andy Ward.

My first attempt at making this was done solely based on Wendy's recipe - both its batter and of course, the sauce itself. And that was exactly what went up onto the cold platter 冷盘 that very day of my self-declared huge home project. The shrimps really did shine. The only setback would be the crunch that came with a relatively short half life. But that could be totally a personal case of mine, considering the fact that I had to juggle between making this dish and some other four different dishes for the platter, all within the same few hours. But it went well all in all; we had a big feast that night and the platter was wiped cleaned nevertheless. lol.

When the Bon Appétit magazine reached my doorstep sometime two weeks ago, the attraction to the crunch portrayed in the featured breaded chicken was almost an instantaneous one to me. Took me no time to get it bookmarked! lol. And have I ever mentioned anywhere that hubby makes a superb chef at home? Oh yes he does! A couple more days later, he made it a point to make his renowned spaghetti carbonara with this parmesan chicken cutlet on our date at home. WOW! The crunch was simply amazing!

hubby's renowned spaghetti carbonara... DELIZIOSO!

Well to cut a long story short, that was how the idea of matching the two recipes came about. Sealing in the moist and sweetness natures of the shrimps, the flour-egg-breadcrumb coating creates a perfectly satisfying crunch to the dish. A different batter, a different mouthfeel, same great satisfaction!

And now back to the four seasons Chinese cold platter 冷盘; it's pretty much a compilation of some different dishes that have been featured at one point or another in the blog, only each prepared in a cut-down portion size to fit the platter. They can be anything really; deciding on what goes onto the plate is almost like an art of pairing, mix and matching itself. And here's the version that we had for our first Chinese New Year reunion dinner celebrated here at home just about a month ago.

In no particular sequence, they are...

• the treasure in a ring - Crispy Yam Ring with Kung Pao Chicken 佛砵宫保雞丁;
• the ultimate classic finger food - Hokkien Spring Rolls 福建春卷;
• the humble yet elegant duo - Scrambled Egg with Glass Noodles 粉丝炒蛋;
• the green blossom - Braised Bean Curd Skin Packets with Mushrooms and Broccoli 香菇西兰花焖豆包;
• and last but not least... this springy fresh shrimps packed with a crunch - Sesame Orange Shrimp 橙汁芝香虾球!  

Scrambled Egg with Glass Noodles 粉丝炒蛋

It all started with hubby's big craving for the four seasons Chinese cold platter 冷盘. Such an unusual huge craving he had! lol. Setting out to lay off a plan for the different small-portion dishes to fill the huge platter, this Scrambled Egg with Glass Noodles 粉丝炒蛋 came to my mind. It's more of a replica of the renowned scrambled egg with shark fin 炒桂花翅 commonly seen and served in these platters that always make it first to the table in Chinese banquets or multi-course meals.

But with the active anti-shark finning campaigns (oh yea, Say NO to Shark Fin! lol) going on especially over the past decade, what used to be the shark fin in the dish has gradually been substituted with the imitated shark fin instead. I think that is a real good call, well at least to me personally. And this version of scrambled egg with not at all a relation to the shark turns the dish up a notch further. With the glass noodles in replacement for the shark fin, this is one totally made simple and possible to be recreated easily at home. A way more modest version compared to its predecessor, it nevertheless makes an awesome dish still; it's a classic dish where simplicity meets elegance!

The credit goes to Wendy from Table For 2..... or More; this is a recipe adapted from a post of hers that goes by a real nice and fancy name Osmanthus Scrambled Egg 桂花炒蛋. And a last note - try serving it with leaves of fresh iceberg lettuce! Springy, fragrant and some flavorsome scrambled egg with glass noodle wrapped in crisp cold lettuce, REFRESHING is the word!

Steamed Crab 清蒸蟹

When I was way too young a kiddo to start appreciating anything spicy, having the crabs steamed was exactly how I had my crabs. Each time we had these Crustaceans as part of our meal, there would be two versions of them - mom's renowned chili crab, and another plainly steamed. That steamed version? That would be exclusively mine lol. And the best part of all - dad would be patiently doing all the cracking and meat picking for me, have them nicely incorporated into my plate of rice and tadaaa! A plate of steamed rice loaded with crab meat all ready for his baby princess by her dinner time. No, I wasn't spoilt! But yea, that's pampering perfectly defined lol.

This must be how the affinity for these steamed crabs has sprouted in me. And a couple of years later, I officially joined the rest of the family and became a big fan of mom's chili crab. That "Steamed Crab and I" story had since been stowed away, nice and secure. Right until sometime last year on our vacation to San Francisco; an evening spent at the Fisherman's Wharf had brought me traveling back in time.

Along the sidewalk stand was where whole Dungeness crabs were boiled in cauldrons and sold by the pound, readily served in minutes. And that was truly an eating experience on its own with the sight of seagulls roaming freely close by and the salty smell of the sea breeze as you enjoy the open-air food dining. Probably not for the faint of heart, but we loved it! lol. Here's a photo of me and the crab that stirred the "Steamed Crab and I" memory in me. Looking kinda familiar? Yea, I have this as my profile picture (on the right!) even lol.

That's where the idea of recreating these steamed crabs at home came from. But instead of having them boiled just like those that we had at the Fisherman's Wharf, I opted for the classic way that I am more familiar with - steaming them. I do think that it actually does a much better job at retaining their flavor at its best; plus they stand much lesser a risk at losing their precious fat and juices to the water (as opposed to boiling). And with them so fresh to begin with, even simple seasonings like the salt has become somewhat unnecessary.

The dipping sauce featured here was one adapted from Yi at YiReservation. Tangy and salty with a tad of spiciness coming from the hot chili oil, this dipping sauce brings a whole new dimension to this seafood fare on the whole. A very pleasant match indeed!

But all in all, whether you have it plain with or without the dipping sauce in the end, it's just hard to miss the sweetness and the old-fashioned charm these freshly steamed crabs have.

Crispy Deep Fried Baby White Pomfret 脆皮炸白鲳鱼仔

This is one of the plenty other dishes that will always bring me down the memory lane of mine. Kids being kids, I had always loved everything deep fried and crispy that came readily packed with a crunch in every bite. And this Crispy Deep Fried Baby White Pomfret 脆皮炸白鲳鱼仔 is one of mom's regulars back then. My dad and my brother are no big fans of fish and especially so after a couple of those mini episodes of theirs with the nasty fish bones in general. Mom and I - we love everything fishy! No, not literally that of course lol.

A simple dish it sure is, but getting it done right does take a little basics set right with plenty of patience to spare. But when you have got those checked off, this is what you get - crispy, golden brown looking baby white pomfrets that need basically no effort to literally break a bone lol. And as much as most people will find this unacceptable, they're so crunchy and brittle every little part is made edible! My favorite parts? The side fins, side bones and the tail! Eww I know, but yummm lol. And all those plus just a tad of saltiness coming from the light soy sauce further enhanced in the presence of the smoky hot oil drizzled in prior to serving... super yummm lol.