Category Archives: Asian vegetables

Bitter melon soup, a Hakka classic

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Summer brings bitter melon (foo gwa). We can find them at the Hmong’s stand at our farmers market. Their appearance prompts curious questions. They don’t look much like melons, their shape is more like a slender gourd or a plump cucumber. Their shiny bumpy skin is furrowed with deep wrinkles and their interior is filled with a white pithy mesh of seeds. Like their name implies, they are bitter. Although Hakka and many Asians love their strong numbing bite, it’s an acquired taste for many. Although I love bitter in many forms, I’ve find most times they are simply too bitter for me.


My father loved them so much that when he retired, he grew them in his garden. His recipe for the Hakka classic, stuffed bitter melon soup is on page 24 of The Hakka Cookbook.


My husband also loves bitter melon. Last weekend we bought two bitter melons at the market. I’m making his favorite, stuffed bitter melon soup tonight. I will use all pork for the filling, You can vary the filling to your taste. Many add some minced shrimp or fish to lighten it. I like to season the pork with some minced ginger, garlic, green onions, cilantro, soy sauce, shaoxing wine, salt, and pepper. Add some cornstarch to help bind it together. Slice the gourd crosswise into thick rings and scoop out the seeds. Pack the meat mixture into the bitter melon rings. then slide them into the simmering broth. Simmer the soup until the melon is tender. Tonight, I had some filling leftover so I dropped spoonfuls of the mixture into the broth. I also added some sliced carrots and celery to the soup because I had some in the refrigerator. Success! He ate three bowls.


Feeling adventurous? Give bitter melons a try.

Braised mushrooms from Luodai

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Braised Mountain Mushrooms at Guangdong Guild in Luodai

In October 2005, I spent a day in Luodai, a picturesque Hakka suburb of Chengdu, capital of the Sichuan province. I was there collecting information and recipes for my Hakka cookbook. This town houses many guilds from different provinces in China. The guilds function as social halls with restaurants, tea houses, and meeting rooms. Donations from Hakka from these provinces built these guilds. We eat two Hakka banquets, one at the Jiangxi Guild, and a second one at the Guangdong Guild.

History of the Guangdong Guild in Luodai


One ingredient that appeared in several dishes in both banquets were mushrooms. Mushrooms grow in the mountains nearby. We saw many mushrooms for sale in town. One dish that was served at both banquets was braised mushrooms. It was a relatively straightforward dish that emphasized the pure, earthy mushroom essence. The mushrooms were simply braised in broth, with garlic, ginger, and leek. It’s an easy dish for the home cook. This is a description on how to make the dish. For a more detailed recipe, see The Hakka Cookbook, page 70.


Braised Mountain Mushrooms


Clean about 12 ounces fresh mushrooms (use one or several types). Discard stems from shiitake. Slice the mushrooms about 1/2-inch thick. If pieces are large, cut mushroom slices in 2- 3-inch lengths. Clean1 leek or 2 or 3 green onions, and thinly slice. Cut 2 or 3 large garlic cloves and a1-inch piece of fresh ginger into thin slices.


In a large wok or frying pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add leek, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry until leek is limp, about 30 seconds, then add mushrooms. Stir-fry until mushrooms are lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth, 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine (shaoxing) or dry sherry, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring often until mushrooms are limp, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix 2 tablespoons water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and add to pan. Stir until the sauce boils. Transfer to serving dish. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Ways to use lotus root

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fresh lotus root

Fresh lotus root looks a bit scruffy on the outside. This rhizome of the lotus plant resembles a string of fat, ivory-colored sausages. To reveal its beauty, peel and thinly slice the root crosswise to see it blossom into lacy snowflakes. When lightly cooked, they’re crisp and slightly sweet and crunchy. When thicker chunks simmer in broth or stew, they take on a starchy quality somewhat like a slightly sweet firm potato.

Thinly sliced fresh lotus root

I lightly blanch the thin slices in boiling water, then rinse and drain them. I cook half using the recipe for Stir-fried Lotus Root and Pork in The Hakka Cookbook (page 79). It’s easy and satisfying. In this simple dish, stir-fry soy sauce-marinated thinly sliced pork with lots of green onions, a few slices of chile, and garlic. Add the the blanched slices of lotus root and a sauce mixture of water, soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, cornstarch, and bean sauce or hoisin sauce. Eat with rice.

Stir-fried lotus root with pork

For easy pickles, I immerse the blanched thin slices of lotus root in a mixture of vinegar, sugar, water, and salt. I use the recipe for Pickled Carrots an Radishes (page 60) in The Hakka Cookbook as a guideline for the pickling liquid. Add a few slices of ginger or chiles, if you like. Chill the pickles at least 2 days or up to 2 weeks. They’re deliciously crisp, tangy and sweet. Enjoy!

Weeknight stir-fry from the farmers’ market

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Stir-fry Chinese summer squash for a quick summer weeknight dinner.

I buy most of my Asian vegetables at my local farmers’ market. The produce is so fresh that if I don’t get around to cooking everything I bought, veggies are often still good the following week. Farmers bring an ever-changing seasonal selection of Asian veggies, greens, and herbs that tease me to try something new. My purchases often show up on the dinner table as a quick weeknight stir-fry.

Last week I bought see qwa or angled loofah squash. Loofah squash (aka si gua, angled loofah, silk squash, Chinese okra) is long and slender with a rough dull green skin. Protruding ridges run down the length of the squash. Inside, the flesh is white and soft. When cooked, the squash turns silky soft, slightly sweet, and tastes delicately refreshing.

Chinese summer squash (see gwa or si gua)
Peel rough skin off see gua, sort of a Chinese summer squash to reveal soft tender flesh. For a firmer texture, peel off only the ridges, leaving strips of skin on squash.

Last night I decided to stir-fry the squash with what I had on hand: ground pork, red bell pepper, and onion. I peeled the squash then cut it into bite-sized chunks. I thinly sliced the red pepper and onion. To season the mild squash, I finely chopped lots of fresh ginger and some garlic.


In an ad-lib weeknight creation, I stir-fried the ground pork with the ginger and garlic. Then stirred in a spoonful of fermented black beans, onion, and the red bell pepper. I cooked them briefly then added the squash and stir-fried for a few minutes until the squash softened slightly but still held its shape. While stir-frying, I added a couple tablespoons of Chinese rice wine (shaoxing), and soy sauce and salt to taste. In minutes, dinner was ready. Delicious and easy. For another recipe, see this previous post.

Mustard Green and Pork Soup

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On these days of shelter-in-place, I tuck into a bowl of Mustard Green and Pork Soup to make my world warm and cozy. The hot broth enriched with pork, garlic, fresh ginger, and pungent mustard greens sends warmth throughout my body and hugs my soul. With a scoop of hot rice, the soup turns into a whole comforting meal in a bowl.

Variations of mustard green soup appear in many Hakka kitchens. The Hakka love mustard greens in many forms–fresh, pickled, salted, and preserved. In this simple version of the soup, bold, direct flavors come from just a few ingredients. Start by flavoring broth with crushed garlic and ginger slices. In this fast shortcut version, mix ground pork seasoned with garlic, salt, and pepper. Poach chunks of the pork mixture in the broth to instantly imbue the broth with meaty flavor. Alternatively, with lots of time at home, you can use chunks of pork butt or bone-in pork neck to slowly enrich the broth. Simmer until the meat is very tender. Then immerse loads of mustard greens into the hot soup. As the greens simmer in the broth, their mustard pungency leaches into the broth to contrast with the rich pork.

It’s so easy, you don’t need a recipe but if want one, look at page 26 in The Hakka Cookbook or below.

Sometimes I embellish the soup with the addition of sliced carrots and chunks of tofu, or replace the pork with chicken. In almost any variation, it is a feel-good meal.

Mustard Green and Pork Soup

Use almost any type or maturity of mustard green, from leafy to broad stem varieties. I prefer the young stalks of Chinese mustard greens that I find at the farmers’ market but you can use the curly leafy mustard greens from the supermarket.

Makes 6 to 8 servings as part of a multi-course meal or 3 or 4 whole meal servings

6 cups chicken broth homemade or purchased
3 thin slices fresh ginger, lightly crushed
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
8 ounces ground pork (see note following)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
12 to 14 ounces mustard greens

1. In a 4-quart pan over high heat bring the broth, ginger, and crushed garlic cloves to a boil.

2. Mix the ground pork, minced garlic, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Drop about 1/2-inch lumps of the pork mixture into boiling broth. Return to a boil, cover and simmer, until pork is no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), 3 to 5 minutes. Skim off fat and discard.

3. Meanwhile, trim the tough stem ends off the mustard greens and discard. Cut the greens into pieces 2 to 3 long and about 1/2-inch wide, to make about 8 cups. Rinse and drain. When the pork is done, add the mustard greens, bring to a boil, and cook until bright green and tender crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls or a large serving bowl.

Note: For a richer soup, omit the ground pork, minced garlic, and cornstarch and replace with 1 1/2 pounds bite-sized chunks of bone-in pork neck or 12 ounces boneless pork butt, cut into 1/2 inch-chunks. Simmer pork, covered, until the meat is tender when pierced, 45 minutes to 1 1/4 hours, before adding greens. Add a little water or more broth, if some of the broth has evaporated.

Easy Hakka recipes for everyday

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My daughters are like many of you-–looking for recipes for a healthy dinner on a hectic schedule. They lead busy lives with small children who have active social calendars that rival their parents. Although my girls like to cook, their time is limited. I love it when they tell me they turn to The Hakka Cookbook for inspiration.

Often they look for a recipe they can use with food they have on hand. Sometimes they shop for a favorite recipe that has become a quick go-to weeknight dish such as Stir-fried Chinese Broccoli and Chicken (page 210).

Here are some of the quick and easy recipes that they have used from The Hakka Cookbook in the last few weeks. As you can see, they sometimes adapt the recipe to their family’s taste and the ingredients they have at the moment. You can do the same.

Stir-fried Long Beans with Pork with cook’s additional of cherry tomatoes (page 21)
Stir-fried Chicken and Cucumbers from The Hakka Cookbook
Garlic-Chile Eggplant Sticks (page 56)
Stir-fried Chicken and Cucumbers with cook’s substitution of cherry tomatoes for red chile slices (page 202)

Don’t let time stop you from eating well.

How to cook Asian eggplant

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When I was young, I didn’t appreciate the wonders of eggplant. My mother grew big pear-shaped eggplants in the garden. She simply boiled them and I found them bland and boring. As an adult I discovered slender Asian eggplants. I found the eggplant’s inherent mild flavor could be an asset. When cooked, eggplants act like sponges soaking up a myriad of flavors to take on a new dimension. Their soft texture becomes creamy and lush. 

Asian eggplant

In northern California, eggplants reach maturity in late summer and early fall. They grow firm and plump with shiny purple skin. Slender Asian varieties such as the lighter colored Chinese eggplant and the dark purplish-black Japanese eggplant contains less seeds for a creamier texture. When stir-fried or braised, they can hold their shape better , especially when attached to the skin, rather then collapse into a shapeless mass as pear-shaped varieties tend to do.

Cook Asian eggplants in braised dishes such as Braised Eggplant, Pork, and Mushrooms (recipe on page 93 of The Hakka Cookbook.) You can view a cooking video preview of the recipe on grokker.com 

Restaurants often deep fry eggplant because it saves time. Then they stir-fry the fried eggplant quickly with seasonings. For the home cook, braising is a healthier, less oily, and easier technique to achieve a soft succulent texture and deep flavor found in many eggplant dishes served in restaurants. In braising, stir-fry the eggplant pieces briefly to coat with a little oil, then add liquid and seasonings. Cover and cook over low heat until the eggplant turns tender and soaks up the flavorful liquid. The texture may not be quite as lush and oily as the fried version but it’s far less messy, less greasy, and easier for the home cook.

Hakka stuffed chicken for Thanksgiving

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Chicken with Preserved Greens from Hakka RestaurantAs Thanksgiving approaches I’m reminded of Chef Jin Hua Li’s Chicken stuffed with Preserved Mustard Greens at the Hakka Restaurant in San Francisco.

He stuffs a whole chicken with a mixture of preserved mustard greens, mushrooms, and pork. Then he browns and braises the whole bird in broth until tender. After removing the chicken from the pan, he boils the broth to reduce and concentrate flavors, then lightly thickens the savory liquid to create a sauce. He created this festive dish for Chinese New Years but it also reminds me of a Hakka variation of Thanksgiving turkey and gravy.

The flavors and ingredients have roots in Hakka cuisine. Preserved mustard greens (moi choi, mei cai) contribute a distinctive salty-sweet pungency to the dish. These same dry greens are used in the Hakka classic, pork belly with preserved mustard greens. Chef Li mixes this preserved vegetable with pork and mushrooms to create a savory stuffing.

If you’re having a small Thanksgiving dinner, consider making this Hakka Stuffed Chicken in lieu of turkey. My recipe adapted from Chef Li’s version is on page 233 of The Hakka Cookbook. Or if you live in San Francisco, order Chicken with Preserved Greens from Hakka Restaurant 415. 876. 6898 (one day advance notice).

 

Hakka stir-fry with pickled mustard greens

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Hakka chicken stir-fry with pickled mustard greensMost nights when I cook dinner, it’s usually an ad-lib effort based on what’s in the refrigerator. Last night I had some leftover raw chicken breast strips coated with a little cornstarch, wine, soy sauce, salt, and oil. There was also a week-old red bell pepper, a stray celery stalk, and some green onion. I thumbed through The Hakka Cookbook and found Stir-fried Chicken and Salted Mustard Greens on page 162. Bingo! I had all the ingredients plus some extras and the all-important pickled mustard greens, beloved by the Hakka.

Basically, it is a chicken stir-fry with the addition of salted or pickled mustard greens and red bell pepper for color. The recipe includes a sauce mixture with a little sugar and vinegar that gives the finished dish a slight sweet-sour tang. I stir-fried the chicken with ginger and garlic, then added the vegetables. At the end, I added a tiny bit of water and skipped the sauce since I used pickled mustard greens which were already a bit sweet and tangy. Here are my results. Quick, easy, and delicious.

Long beans and pork stir-fry

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Popo (grandmother) loved to garden. One of my favorite vegetables was her Chinese long beans that measured almost two feet long.

Last weekend at the farmers’ market long beans (aka yard long beans) were back in season. This variety is related to black-eyed peas or cowpeas so they have a heartier bean flavor than common crunchier green beans. I bought a bundle of the slender dark green beans (they can also be light green) and cooked them as Popo (grandmother) would in this easy stir-fry with pork and a dark savory bean sauce.

Look for the ground bean sauce in Asian markets. Other names for it are bean sauce, brown bean sauce, yellow bean sauce, bean paste, mo chi jiang, meen see, mo see chiang) This thick, pasty sauce is made from ground fermented soybeans. It has a salty, pronounced fermented bean flavor, akin to soy sauce. For an alternative, you could use hoisin sauce which is a sweetened spiced version of bean sauce. Eliminate the sugar in the sauce, if used.

Stir-fried Long Beans and Pork (page 21 of The Hakka Cookbook)

Makes 2 servings as a main dish or 4 servings as part of a multicourse meal

Sauce:

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (shaoxing) or dry sherry

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

 

Stir-fry:

8 ounces long beans

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

4 to 8 ounces ground pork

1 tablespoon ground bean sauce

1/2 cup water, or as needed

 

1. For the sauce: In a small bowl, mix the water, wine, soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch.

2. For the stir-fry: Trim off the stem ends from the beans and cut the beans into 1/2-inch lengths.

3. Set a 14-inch wok or 12-inch frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil and rotate pan to spread. Add the onion and garlic; stir-fry until the onion is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the pork and stir-fry until the meat is browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the bean sauce to coat the pork. Add the water and beans. Cover and cook until beans are barely tender to the bite, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the sauce mixture and add to the pan. Stir-fry until the sauce boils and thickens, about 30 seconds. With a frying pan, the sauce may be thicker. If needed, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water to thin sauce. Transfer to a serving dish.