My mom makes the most silky steamed eggs.  I tried making the dish many times and ended up with eggs that are either too runny, scrambled or overcooked — what she would call “pock marked and more wrinkled face than the old grandmother”.  Her secret: she whisks in hot water into the eggs — an extreme egg  tempering method.  By bringing the eggs to a higher temperature before steaming, it helps the eggs cook faster and more evenly.

A cousin of the Japanese Chawan Mushi, the Chinese steamed egg is fuller bodied and thicker.  This 3 “king” eggs recipe (and I mean 3 different types of eggs, not the count) is a delicious combination of century eggs (pi dan) and salted duck eggs suspended in a regular egg custard.  You can also add some ground pork simply seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper.

Chef’s tip: As provided by my mom above!

2 eggs
1 salted duck egg
1 century egg
1 cup hot water

1. In a small bowl, whisk the chicken eggs and the whites of the salted duck egg together.  While whisking, slowly pour in the hot water.
2. In the meantime, bring a steamer to boil with an empty dish that will hold the eggs.  A stainless steel or enamel plate works best.
3. Cut up the duck egg into 6 wedges and scatter over the plate.  Repeat with the pi dan.  (If using ground pork, add it here, too).  Bring steamer to boil, covered.
4. When water comes to a boil, pour in the egg mixture.
5. Cover the steamer and continue steaming for 5 minutes under medium heat.  The egg is done when the center is jiggly.
6.  Drizzle on some shallot oil and soy sauce before serving.

Shallot oil
2 shallots, sliced thinly
1 cup canola oil

Heat canola oil on medium heat.
Add sliced shallots and cook till golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Pour cooled oil into a jar — it will keep for weeks.

Tags: Chinese, Malaysian.

I was at a my friend’s baby first month party earlier this year and his mom made a Filipino cassava cake that reminded me of the Malaysian bengka ubi.  At that time, the Malay name just slipped me, and Marco keeps on calling it the Tagalog name bibingka.  When I finally recalled the Malaysian name, I was pleasantly surprised at how similar the Malay word is to its Filipino cousin!  Of course, in Malaysia, we refer the tuber with the British word, tapioca.

My grandmother used to make this steamed “kuih” for sale, and my dad taught me how to make the kuih eons ago.  I had forgotten about it until I bit into the wonderful sweet and chewy cake at David’s.  I remember peeling the tubers and grating the tapioca tubers and carefully avoiding the bitter heart that runs along the tuber.  I love the smell of fresh tapioca, and grating it leaves your hands tapioca smelling fresh all day.

Chef’s tip:  The frozen version works just as well (sans fragrant hands!).  You can find the frozen version in most Asian stores.  David’s mother glazed the top with condensed milk to give it a nice golden brown topping.

2 lbs cassava, grated or if using frozen, thawed
3/4 cup sugar or palm sugar
1 can (400 ml) about 1 2/3 cups coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Squeeze out excess water from the cassava.  Let the strained juice sit 10 mins.  Discard top clear water and add back the settled starch to the cassava.
2. Mix together all the ingredients.  Transfer to an oiled pan.
3. Bake in 400F oven for 40  mins.
4. Place under broiler for a few minutes to brown the top.
5. Let cool before cutting.

Tags: Dessert, Malaysian.

Ma Po Do Fu is probably the most popular (or at least the gentrified version is a permanent item in the Chinese take out menu) of Sichuanese cuisine. As many of you know, the “ma” refers to the hot and numbing spice, not some old lady with pock marked face, which the dish is sometimes referred to.  It’s truly a Chinese comfort food.

Chef’s tip: The steps below may look laborious but frankly, I am just trying to line out in great detail the steps in wok cooking.  It literally takes about 5 minutes or less to cook the dish.  This dish employs the classic steps in working with a wok.  The wok is designed so that the hottest part of the pan is the bottom part, that’s where you brown the meat, etc.  The sides of the pan serves as the in between placeholder, where you park parts of the dish while you cook the other parts, before tossing them all back together.  That way, ingredients that need different cooking times get their own special treatment and you come out with the perfect crunch and tenderness.

8 oz ground beef
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
1 lb silken tofu
4 tablespoon scallions, white part, chopped

Sauce
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ginger, finely minced
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon chili bean paste
1 tablespoon fermented black beans (optional)

1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar

½ tablespoon cornflour, plus 2 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons scallion, green part

Preparing the meat
1. Mix ground beef with 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce and shaoxing wine.  Set aside

Preparing the vegetable
2. Dry fry the Sichuan peppercorn. Lightly grind peppercorns
3. Chop scallion (white part), ginger and garlic finely, set aside separately
4. Cut bean curd into 1 inch cubes.

Cooking the dish
5. Heat the wok over high heat.  Add the peanut oil followed by the marinated meat.  Drizzle remaining shaoxing wine around the side of the wok.  Fry for 1 minute until meat starts to brown.  Push the meat to the side of the wok.
6. Add chili bean paste, fermented black beans, and fry till the oil is separated, about half a minute.
7. Add chopped garlic, ginger and scallions (white part).  Fry till fragrant – about 30 seconds.  Toss with the meat.
8. Add broth, soy sauce, and sugar
9. Add tofu, stir lightly and bring to boil.  Then lower the heat and simmer 5 minutes.
10. Combine cornstarch with water to make a slurry, add to the sauce, toss to cook until sauce thickens.
11. Add chopped green scallions and crushed Sichuan peppercorns, toss to coat.
Serve immediately.

Serves: 6

Tags: Chinese, Sichuanese, tofu.