Beijing Egg & Tomato

While in Beijing, we were amazed by our visit to the Great Wall. We visited the Mutianyu section of the Wall, which seemed immense, but is just a small portion of the Wall that goes on for thousands of miles. In the shadow of the Great Wall, we ate an amazing lunch with so much food. I liked all the dishes, but I especially liked the Egg and Tomato. I learned that it is a common Chinese dish in Beijing, probably because it is so easy to prepare.

Egg and Tomato is just like our very own Egg and Pepper. And the methodology is nearly identical. But in my internet search, I found that it was common to add garlic to Egg and Tomato. It is so delicious. Next time I make Egg and Pepper, I need to add garlic. If you have medium tomatoes, you should use equal number of eggs to tomatoes. But you can always adjust the proportions for your preference.

Egg & Tomato 

• Olive oil
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 4 eggs
• 4 medium tomatoes

Pour enough oil to lightly coat a skillet. Add the garlic and heat on medium. Cut the tomatoes into eighths. In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add the eggs to the hot skillet and allow to cook until just about done. Remove the eggs to a bowl. Add the cut tomatoes to the skillet and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften. Put the eggs back into the skillet and cook for a few minutes. Enjoy!

Chinese Dessert Soup

While in China in June, we ate excellent food. One unique dish that I loved was a cold sweet soup that was served at a fantastic restaurant in a shopping mall in Beijing. The soup had tapioca pearls, purple sweet potatoes, and red beans. It is also made with coconut milk, which I am enjoying more and more. The version in Beijing also had grass jelly in it, but I have not found any yet in my local Asian market. In searching the internet, I did not find an exact recipe, but I have been able to put together my own version here.

To prepare the red beans, I decided to follow the steps for making red bean paste, but then remove some of the beans when they were fully cooked, but had not yet popped. I did also make some red bean paste for later use. I had never cooked tapioca pearls before, but you might be able to find pre-cook tapioca pearls. I used the larger pearls like the ones in boba teas. Once the red beans and tapioca pearls are done, the rest of the soup comes together quickly. This sweet soup can be served hot or cold, but I think I prefer it cold which makes it a great summer treat.

Chinese Dessert Soup 

• 1 cup red beans
• 1 cup tapioca pearls
• 2 medium purple sweet potatoes
• 3 cups brown sugar, divided
• 1 can coconut milk

Prepare the red beans: Soak the beans overnight in water. Drain the beans and add fresh water for cooking. Simmer the beans for an hour or so. Add more water as needed. Continue simmering until beans become soft. Add one half cup brown sugar and continue to simmer. If needed for taste, add the other half cup brown sugar. When the beans begin to pop, pull out about half a cup of beans and reserve for the soup. With the remaining beans, cook for about 20 minutes more until a paste forms. Use the bean paste as a spread on toast, ice cream topping, or oatmeal add in. The bean paste will last in the refrigerator for a few days or can be frozen for later use.

Prepare the tapioca pearls: Place 7 cups of water in a pot and boil. Add one cup of tapioca pearls. Stir to prevent the pearls from sticking. Cook at a low boil for about 30 minutes until pearls are cooked. Tapioca pearls are white before cooking and will become translucent when done. Rinse the tapioca under cool water.

Prepare the soup: Peel and finely chop the purple potato. Add two cups brown sugar, two cups water, and the chopped potato to a large sauce pan. Cook on medium-high heat for about ten minutes, or until the potato is cooked. Add the can of coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the tapioca and red beans and stir. Turn off the heat. The soup can be served hot or cold. Enjoy!

Chinese Vinegar Peanuts

In June 2019, a number of family members travelled to China to celebrate the wedding of Mike and Shuyan. We had an amazing time and ate so much amazing food. I would love to try to re-create many of the recipes, but for now, I'll start with the easy recipes. With many meals, cold vinegar peanuts were served. And, yes, we ate them with chop sticks. I found these peanuts to be delicious--sweet, salty, and tangy peanuts. After some internet sleuthing, I was able to come up with the recipe below that I think is a close approximation of these peanuts.

One of the hardest parts about this recipe might be finding raw peanuts. I had no luck in American grocery stores. But, I did find them in my local Asian grocery store. The other item that I had trouble finding was ground coriander seeds. I found coriander seeds in my local African grocery, so just ground the seeds myself. Coriander seed is from the plant that has leaves that we call cilantro, but coriander does not really taste the same as cilantro. Rather, coriander is somewhat citrusy and nutty in flavor. If you cannot find coriander seed, caraway seed might be a good substitute. These peanuts should be stored in the refrigerator because they are best cold.

Chinese Vinegar Peanuts 

• 1/2 pound raw peanuts with skins
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 Tbsp. vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. ground coriander seed
• green onion or chives for garnish

Add the oil and peanuts to a skillet and heat on low-medium for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon. The peanuts are done when the skins darken. Make sure not to burn the peanuts. Remove the peanuts using a slotted spoon to a plate covered with a paper towel. Allow to cool for a few minutes. In a bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder, and ground coriander seed. Then, add the peanuts to the sauce bowl and stir to coat. Refrigerate for at least an hour. When ready to serve, stir the nuts and garnish with green onion or chives. Enjoy!

Peaches with Berry Sauce

When looking through Mom's recipe for an easy summertime recipe, I was intrigued by this recipe. Although I do not specifically remember it, I do remember fruit salads from childhood, so I thought I would give it a try. The berry sauce is a delicious topping for peaches. In fact, the berry sauce could easily be put to other uses. And, raspberries or blueberries could be substituted for the strawberries for other delicious sauces.

This recipe calls for using an egg white to create a fluffy and frothy sauce. If you are worried about salmonella or other food safety risks from using raw egg whites, you could buy pasteurized egg whites. Or, you can use the method of whipping the egg white with sugar over warm water. It seemed to work just fine for me. And, the resulting sauce was so delicious, I will have to make the sauce again.

Peaches with Berry Sauce 

• 6 fresh peaches
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh strawberry slices
• white of one egg

Peel and slice the peaches. Arrange in the serving bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Mash by hand or use a blender to get the strawberries to a pureed consistency. Heat a bowl of water in the microwave until just boiling. Combine the egg and sugar in a smaller bowl. Place the smaller bowl in the bowl of hot water and beat the egg and sugar until frothy, about three minutes. Combine strawberries with the egg mixture. Spoon the sauce over the peaches and serve. Enjoy!

Coffee Chocolate Treat

While looking through Mom's recipe box for a good recipe to make without using the oven, I came across this pudding treat. And what a treat it is. MDS, who says he does not like puddings, loved this dessert. This recipe might have turned him into a pudding fan. The recipe results in a layered treat of chocolate and coffee creaminess. Each layer is delicious on its own or when combined with another layer.

When making this recipe, I used instant chocolate pudding. I used the full two cups of milk to make the pudding, but I recommend reducing the milk to one and a half cups for a thicker pudding. Also, I had some extra whipped cream, so I made a third layer of whipped cream to the top, but left off the walnuts suggested in the recipe. When I made this recipe, I made one individual cup and one larger shared bowl. Next time, I might try making 4-6 individual cups.

Coffee Chocolate Treat 

• 1 cup marshmallows
• 1/2 cup strong coffee
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 package chocolate pudding
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• optional: chopped walnuts

Melt the marshmallows in the coffee on low. Chill for half an hour. Whip the cream until stiff. Fold in the coffee mixture. Prepare the chocolate pudding with the milk. Spoon the chocolate pudding into the serving cups or bowls. Layer the coffee mixture on top. If you have extra whipped cream, add to the top. If desired, sprinkle on chopped walnuts. Refrigerate a few hours. Enjoy!

Mango Rice Pudding

Recently, we had a wonderful family dinner at Chew Chew Cafe in Riverside. For dessert, there was mango rice pudding. It was so delicious that I had to figure out how to make it myself. So after reviewing a few recipes that Google found, I came up with this recipe, which takes some elements from different variations. When I brought some to Mom's for a Saturday night dinner, Mom and Meg loved the pudding, but the kids did not like it so much.

The recipe calls for mango puree, which can easily be made by putting fresh or frozen mango in a blender. Or, you might be able to find some mango puree in the freezer or canned food section. I used basmati rice, but other types of rice might work out fine. I really like the cardamom combined with mango. If you are not familiar with cardamom, you should give it a try because it enhances the taste. Alternatively, you could add cinnamon or ginger instead of cardamom.

Mango Rice Pudding

• 4 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup uncooked rice
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 cups mango puree

In a heavy bottom sauce pan, boil the milk until reduced to about two-thirds of the original amount. Grind the uncooked rice until it is coarsely ground. Add the rice flour to the milk and cook on low for 8-10 minutes. Add the cardamom and sugar and mix to dissolve the sugar. Return to a boil. Stir continuously and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and blend in the mango puree. Pour into serving bowls and allow to cool. Refrigerate and serve cold. Enjoy!

Big Fudge Cake with Caramel Frosting

Another year has gone by, and MDS is still 39. For his birthday this year, I made his favorite chicken and this chocolate cake with caramel frosting. The cake is rich and chocolatey like a devil's food cake. The frosting is amazingly easy to make and a delicious caramel taste. The combination of these two recipes is perfect, especially when served with vanilla ice cream.

Although the recipe calls for making the cake into a three-layer cake, but I made a pan cake. Like most cake recipes, you can change up the pan used and adjust the bake time as needed. Also, the recipe calls for using baker's chocolate, but I did not have any on hand, so for each ounce of baker's chocolate needed, melt a tablespoon of butter and blend in three tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa. For the caramel frosting, it is important to keep stirring while preparing the caramel sauce. After blending in the powdered sugar, the frosting sets relatively quickly, so make the frosting when the cake has fully cooled and is ready to be frosted.

Big Fudge Cake 

• 3/4 cup butter
• 2 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 squares (1 oz. each) baker's chocolate, melted
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cup ice water

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add chocolate and vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients; add to chocolate mix in thirds alternating with ice water, beating until smooth after each addition. Pour batter into greased baking pans. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until done. Allow to cool.

Quick Caramel Frosting 

• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 to 4 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter in saucepan. Add brown sugar and milk; heat until boiling. Stir constantly and boil gently for five minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Blend in confectioner's sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add additional confectioner's sugar until spread consistency. Spread on the cake. Enjoy!