use real butter

I’ve received a lot of requests lately for foods I’ve posted pictures of without corresponding recipes. I will get on those in due time. There just happens to be a huge backlog of recipes I need to post and I’m cranking them out daily (have you noticed?) because I have another chemo on the horizon. But it’s my last frakking one! Can I get a w00t! ?? Hell Effingham yeah, people.

So just sit tight and keep your pants on.

I know some folks get that sour-lemon look on their face when they hear the word tofu. Those people can stick it. If you know how to prepare tofu properly it is teh delish. And yes, I know how to prepare it properly. I’m Chinese after all, and I wield a big knife.

tofu, green onions, preserved mustard green, pork floss

I spent my fair share of childhood summer days sweating my brains out running around like a maniac in the sweltering and oppressive Virginia heat. On occasion I’d come inside on weekends and find my dad preparing a refreshing lunch of cold, silken tofu tossed with loads of goodies. I’ve never had this in Chinese restaurants, so I am just assuming it’s my dad’s concoction. Either way, I loved it. Like Diane, I too am a salt girl rather than a sweets girl. Salt grrls rule. I just call it cold tofu, but I suppose it’s really cold tofu salad or some such thing.

on the left: pork floss, on the right: preserved mustard green

I’m posting the packaging for the less common ingredients because if you’re anything like me, you can’t read Chinese and you may not know how to find these things in an Asian market. Sometimes I have to ask the lady who runs our local Asian market in Boulder and she shouts at me (that’s her only volume though, it’s not that she hates me - she actually likes me). I’m trying to save you guys from the shouting.

diced silken

minced green onions

minced preserved mustard green

I always use silken tofu in this dish as the firm stuff just has the wrong texture. The preserved mustard green is a salty, crunchy sort of pickled vegetable. Pork sung (pork floss) is really finely shredded dried pork with a sweetish flavor to it. I like to eat the pork sung with congee (rice porridge) and loads of chili radishes and any other spicy vegetables. Love the spicy. Give it to me.

sprinkle the vegetables over the tofu

Cold tofu salad is a totally simple recipe. Top the tofu cubes with the minced onions and mustard green. Pour a little sesame oil for flavor (use chili oil if you’re my dad) and some soy sauce. Sprinkle the pork sung on last or else it becomes a matted mess that soaks up the soy sauce and becomes unbearably salty.

top it off with soy sauce

Now, for the more daring eaters, you can add some diced thousand year egg. If you’re not familiar with this preserved duck egg, don’t freak out. It’s not really a thousand years old. It has been preserved in a mixture of ash, salt, lime, and other stuff which raises the pH and transforms the sucker into this:

you were expecting?

My dad loves to dice this up and add it to the cold tofu salad. I am not such a fan of the egg and I’ve given it several chances, believe you me! I’ll list this as optional. I opt out and enjoy my refreshing salad sans green and black stinky egg.

great in the heat of summer

Cold Tofu Salad

8 oz silken tofu, diced into 1 inch cubes
2 stalks green onions, minced
2 tbsp preserved mustard green, minced
2 tbsp pork sung
1 tsp sesame oil
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
1 thousand year duck egg (optional)

Combine ingredients and serve cold.

I’ve been able to resume my cardio workouts this week and it feels great. It helps alleviate some of the lingering side effects. My body and mind are much happier for it too, albeit a little tuckered out. That’s okay with me. I am a firm believer in the no pain, no gain mantra. Did I mention that I’ve dropped two sizes? Crazy - I know. My oncologist mentioned that I hadn’t gained any weight as most of his chemo patients tend to. It’s hard to gain weight when food 1) tastes like ass and 2) plays havoc on your insides. At least the endorphins from my workouts are flowing - w00t!

Jeremy made it home late this afternoon. Even though I don’t get bent out of shape when he’s on travel, it’s always nice to see my best friend again. Some folks require time away from their partner, but we can get along 24/7 indefinitely and that’s a good thing to know. Actually, we can work together 24/7 in adverse conditions - read: vacation. I literally trust him with my life (well, he used to be high-angle Search and Rescue).

It’s now 1 am and Jeremy just woke up to operate that giant radio telescope… My astrophysicist is hot. [I was about to say astrophysicists are hot, but that is a totally untrue and completely laughable statement.]

This afternoon, I made a recipe I’ve been wanting to post for a while. I usually make these in small quantities when I need to use up leftover dough from Chinese dumplings. It’s something my mom always used to do when I was little. I never learned how to make these outright from my mom - the technique just sunk into my head with all of my visual memories of my childhood. Same with the dumplings. To see how the dough is made, I’ll refer you to the dumpling recipe.

chopped scallions

let the dough sit for 30 minutes under a damp cloth

We never ordered scallion pancakes at dim sum because my parents could make them much better at home. I follow the same general philosophy to this day - if I can make something at home with competence, then I don’t order it when dining out (because I’m usually disappointed).

shape the hunks of dough into racquetball-sized rounds

roll the dough out into a thin pancake

The scallion pancakes are an order of magnitude easier to make than the dumplings. They are also faster and far more forgiving of screw ups.

spread a thin layer of oil over the pancake

sprinkle salt

I discovered that I tend to underestimate the amount of salt needed in the pancake. I used to shake out what I thought was necessary and would realize it wasn’t salty enough after all was said and done. Now, I typically add more than most others would. Your mileage may vary, so the first time you try this recipe, cook the first pancake and taste it so you can adjust the rest accordingly.

sprinkle scallions then roll the pancake like a rug

roll it up like a snail

Rolling out the pancake can get a tad messy at this point because little pockets of air will burst and spew oil in the direction the pin is rolling.

roll out the pancake to 1/8th inch thickness

pan-fry in a little oil on both sides until golden

Frying the pancakes takes some time because I fry each side in about a tablespoon of oil over medium-low flame until crisp and golden. When they are done, you can serve them immediately or toast them up in the oven. Slice into quarters or eighths.

whole scallion pancakes

slice and serve

Chinese Scallion Pancakes

2 cups flour
1/2 cup warm water
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
vegetable oil
salt

Make the dough, Method 1: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).

Make the dough, Method 2 (my mom’s instructions): In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed. Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.

Both dough methods: Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into 5 or 6 pieces of equal size. Roll the pieces into balls.

Place a ball of dough on a well-floured work surface and roll out into a thin circle (about 1/16th inch thickness). Spread a teaspoon of oil evenly over the pancake (use more if needed). Sprinkle salt evenly over the pancake. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of scallions over the pancake. Roll the pancake up from one end like a rug, then curl the roll around in a spiral and pinch the end to the roll so it stays wrapped. With the palm of your hand, press the roll from the top to flatten it. Roll the pancake out to 1/8th inch thickness. Heat a tablespoon of oil on a flat, wide pan over a medium-low to medium flame until hot. Set the pancake in the oil and let fry until the bottom is crisp and golden. Flip the pancake, adding more oil as needed. Remove from heat and serve immediately or reheat in the oven.

I don’t have a beef with winter. Nor do I have a beef with spring when it turns the trees in my front yard into this:

these are my kind of april showers

I got my turns in today. There were ten fresh inches of powder at the local hill. Spring has been good to me.

jeremy discusses which run to ski next

chicks kick ass

Meme time again. Isa tagged me for a meme which is cute, but apparently doesn’t have a name. I’m going to dub it the “six words to describe me” meme. Here are the rules:

- Write your own six-word memoir;
- Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like;
- Link to the person who tagged you in your post;
- Tag five more blogs with links;
- Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

six words
practical
realistic
friendly
active
curious
motivated

visual
I found some pictures of me with long hair… or any hair for that matter.

Instead of tagging five more blogs, I’m just going to tag anyone who wants to do this meme because I’m too lazy to look up the links and comment on their blogs. So much for motivated! *snort*

Yes, there is actually a recipe in here. One of the first things I learned to cook was Chinese stir-fried flank steak. I was a teenager and one evening, my mother looked at me and realized I was going to leave home for college some day. She ordered me to come watch her make this dish. While she deftly whipped it together, she told me she didn’t want me to starve when I left home. Obviously she had never heard of the freshman 15.

slice the flank steak against the grain

add cornstarch, soy sauce, and sesame oil

Despite being the first and one of the easiest Chinese dishes I learned to cook, this one reliably pleases the crowds. I always use flank steak. The cut of meat they use to sell pre-cut stir-fry beef in grocery stores is awful. It’s too tough and you should avoid it like the plague unless you intend to slow cook it (which isn’t stir-fry). On occasion, my parents will use filet mignon for their stir-fry. That is because they are made of money and I am not.

garlic, green onions, and the flank steak mixed with sauce ingredients

The trick is to have a hot sauté pan. I don’t own a wok. I never have. I make plenty of great Chinese dishes and you’d never know I used some crappy non-stick pan to cook it all. I’ll get a wok one day, but it’s not a huge priority right now.

toss the green onions and garlic into the hot oil

sauté the beef

I like to remove the beef from the pan when it is still pink in the center. Because it’s so thin and still hot, it will continue to cook after you’ve taken it off the burner. This helps keep it pretty tender. Then again, I like my beef mooing. The point is that you don’t need to cook it to death, but be sure to serve it immediately because it doesn’t retain heat for long.

serve on a bed of greens like sautéed spinach

best eaten hot

Chinese Stir-Fried Flank Steak

1 lb flank steak (can be frozen for an hour for easier slicing)
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 stalks green onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Slice flank steak on the diagonal against the grain into thin pieces. In a bowl, mix the flank steak, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch together until beef is well coated. Heat the vegetable oil in a sauté pan on high heat. Toss in the garlic and green onion and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the beef and stir-fry constantly to ensure even cooking of the beef. When the beef is cooked with hints of pink, remove from heat. Serve on a bed of cooked greens (bok choy, broccoli, spinach, kale, etc.).