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.
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.
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.
Our world changed with the COVID-19 crisis. We are hunkered down at home with no where to go–no classes, no work, no parties. Take advantage of this time at home and cook through it. Learn a new skill, try new recipes, cook and eat together.
Two online subscription sites that I am associated with have generously offered free access to recipes from The Hakka Cookbook as well as recipes from other cooking experts and authors.
Want a cooking class or a yoga practice? Check grokker.com , an subscription online site that offers videos from cooking, yoga, and fitness experts. I demonstrate a few recipes from The Hakka Cookbook, as well as other mainstream Chinese recipes. You’ll also find teachers from all cuisines. Grokker is offering free access until the end of April with this link.
Looking for some new recipes to try? Our your libraries closed? Browse through a curated collection of cookbooks at the online subscription site ckbk.com . View the contents and recipes of The Hakka Cookbook as well as many other classic cookbooks. They are offering free access to hundreds of cookbooks for 30 days with this link.
We can get through this. Food will make it better. Stay healthy and well!
For the story behind The Hakka Cookbook, check out my guest post at ckbk.com , a online curated cookbook collection subscription site. My inspiration came from Popo, my grandmother, who nagged us about being better Chinese children. Popo would say, “You should be proud to be Hakka.” This quote fell on deaf ears. As the only Chinese children in Paradise, a small retirement town in northern California, my brother and I were much more interested in fitting in rather than learning how to be more unique. Decades later, Popo’s words haunted my memory and eventually inspired me to find my Hakka history and identity through food.
Plan your menu for the symbol-laden Chinese New Year feast now. The lunar new year is fast approaching.
In 2020, January 25 marks the beginning of the Chinese year 4717. The celebration marks a time of renewal, marked by food, traditions, and festivities. On the Chinese horoscope, each year is dominated by an animal sign: Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey rooster, dog, and pig. Each animal has special characteristics. This is the year of the rat.
A family reunion feast highlights the New Year celebration. The table is traditionally filled with foods that send auspicious messages to attract wealth, luck, success, unity, longevity. As I plan the menu for our family’s new year feast, I’m looking through The Hakka Cookbook for ideas. I like our meals to be a cooperative effort, sort of an organized potluck plus cooking lesson. It’s easier to share cooking duties and hopefully everyone can learn something new.
For my grandchildren, I try to include one cooking activity. In the past, we have made wontons, dumplings, and pot stickers. This year we may make Stuffed Tofu (pages 31, 33). The Hakka invented stuffed tofu when they could not find wheat flour in their new home in the south to make the dumplings they ate in their former home in northern China. Instead of putting the meat filling in a wheat flour wrapper, they stuffed the filling into chunks of tofu.
Noodles represent long life. I like the dark, umami-rich flavor of Noodles with Mushroom Pork Sauce (page 104). Or perhaps we’ll cook Garlic Noodles and Shrimp (page 193), sort of a Hakka-style Chow Mein.
Fish is a must-have on Chinese New Year table. The fish brings surplus and abundance to the new year. I like Steamed Fish with Green Onions (page 39). Steaming keeps the delicate flesh moist and is so easy.
A green vegetable represents growth in business. I love the simplicity of the stir-fried Chinese Broccoli in Sweet Rice Wine (page 230).
Possibly we may cook the famous Hakka Salt-baked Chicken (page 64) or some of the easier variations or maybe we’ll buy a Chinese roast duck. What’s on your menu?
Best Chinese Cuisine Cookbook of the World 2012 -Gourmand World Cookbook Awards
Looking for a gift for a Hakka relative or friend eager to learn more about their Hakka history? Is there a cook on your holiday gift list who is interested in Chinese history and cuisine? Give them The Hakka Cookbook, Chinese Soul Food from around the World. The book was recognized as the Best Chinese Cookbook in the World in 2012 by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.
Through recipes and stories told by Hakka from all over the world, discover the unique Hakka history, culture, and cuisine. Find 140 recipes, including Hakka classics such as stuffed tofu, lei cha, and salt-baked chicken as well as easy Chinese comfort food. The beginner cook will find sections on cooking techniques, equipment, and ingredients. Paintings created by artist Alan Lau gracefully illustrates the book.
Check this link for sources on where to buy The Hakka Cookbook. It is widely available online. Some of the major sellers are Amazon.com, Books Kinokuniya, and University of California Press. Or ask your local book store to order The Hakka Cookbook for you.
Want The Hakka Cookbook but simply have no shelf space for more books? Consider buying the ebook version from ucpress.com or kindle version from amazon.com or many other online vendors.
Or if you simply want to access The Hakka Cookbook online plus a curated collection of many more cookbooks, consider getting a subscription to ckbk.com On this digital subscription service for cooks, you have access to the complete content of a curated collection of classic cookbooks. Digital access allows you to easily and quickly search for recipes.
You can find recipes for World Cuisines, Baking, Vegan and Vegetarian, Health and Fitness. I especially like the Chinese classics from esteemed authors such as Irene Kuo, Eileen Yin-Fei Lo, and Ken Hom. Other popular authors include Alice Waters, Nigella Lawson, and many more. Build a digital library of your personal favorite recipes and cookbook collections. You can even print out the recipes.
Disclosure: Since The Hakka Cookbook is included on ckbk.com they have offered me a free subscription and a small commission on subscribers that use my invite link for a free trial.
Last week, we dined again at Chef Jin Hua Li’s new business, Zhong Shan Restaurant on Taraval Street in San Francisco. Like his previous restaurant, he features Hakka cuisine. At our last meal at Zhong Shan, we tried many of the new dishes. At this feast we couldn’t resist ordering some of our old favorites from his Hakka Restaurant that he previously owned. Luckily, these dishes appear on the Zhong Shan menu, too.
We ordered the Steamed Pork Stomach with Chicken Soup and the Stuffed Duck in Lotus Leaf. Both of these labor intensive dishes require advance notice and are well worth planning ahead.
Steamed Pork Stomach with Chicken Soup
For the soup, he stuffs a pork stomach with a whole chicken filled with chicken feet, white peppercorns, and dried longans. The football-shaped stomach steams for 5 to 6 hours to create a complex broth imbued with the chicken essence, a slight peppery spiciness, and a faint sweetness. The server brought the stomach and broth in a huge white tureen. She lifted out the stomach, cut it open with scissors, and cut the stomach and chicken into smaller pieces. The golden clear broth was ladled into small bowls to sip. Bite-sized pieces of chicken and stomach were offered to eat with a dip of soy sauce.
Lotus leaf encases stuffed duck
Duck filled with Glutinous Rice Stuffing
In the Stuffed Duck in Lotus Leaf, glutinous rice laced with Chinese delicacies such as sausage, chestnuts, and dates fills a whole duck. The duck is browned, then wrapped in lotus leaves and steamed until the duck almost falls apart with succulent tenderness.
Braised Fried Tofu and Fish Fillet in Clay Pot
Minced Pork and String Beans with Olive
We tried a couple of new dishes. Braised Fried Tofu and Fish Fillet in Clay Pot will join my list of favorites. The delicately sauced tofu and fish simply melted in our mouths. We also liked the simple stir-fry of Minced Pork and String Beans with Olive. What was the olive? The olive looked like small bits of dark leaves. Checking on the internet I find that the Chinese olive vegetable is a dark condiment of cooked Chinese mustard greens, minced green olives, spices, soy, and oil. Use it as a seasoning to add deep earthy, savory flavor.
Braised Spareribs
Chef Li sent us a new offering on his menu, Braised Spareribs. Not sure what the official name is, but we found the moist, tender, pork ribs cloaked in a dark, savory sauce to be a winner.
Chinese Bacon with Preserved Green
House Special Basil Eggplant
Hong Kong Style Spicy Clams
Sauteed garlic pea sprouts
Must-have favorites rounded out our menu. Chef Li makes the best Chinese Bacon with Preserved Green. I love the House Special Basil Eggplant with its soft, seductive silkiness. The Hong Kong Spicy Clams are deep-fried to crust the exterior, then stir-fried with chiles and garlic. The bright green Sautéed Garlic Pea Sprouts brought a fresh note and balance to our feast. We all agreed, it was an incredible meal at a bargain price!
Zhong Shan Restaurant
Hakka Cuisine
2237 Taraval Street (between 32nd and 33rd Avenues)
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)
Garlic-Chile Eggplant Sticks (page 56)
Stir-fried Chicken and Cucumbers with cook’s substitution of cherry tomatoes for red chile slices (page 202)
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.
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.
