Simple Mixed Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette

簡易雜菜沙拉配私房醬汁
Category: Salad
Style: Fusion
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 8

Ingredients
Salad
1 lb washed mixed salad leaves
Vinaigrette
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Procedures
To make vinaigrette, put all ingredients in a jar with a tight lid. Shake until all blended.
To serve, dress and toss salad leaves with vinaigrette, put on a plate.

Tips
You can adjust the taste of the vinaigrette by changing the amount of each ingredient. Do some experiment to create your best proportion. Try adding some honey too.
The base for a vineigrette consist of an equal amount of oil (olive oil here) and acid (lemon juice here. Vinegar is also common). The rest of the ingredients are all flavour enhencer. Some people like adding mustard too. What I usually do is: select an acid, add oil, and open my pantry cupboard and pour in whatever I feel like right. Be creative.

Fusilli with Tomato, Eggplant and Bocconcini

蕃茄茄子軟芝士螺旋粉
Category: Pasta
Style: Italian
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 4

Ingredients
1 Japanese eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cans 14-oz whole tomatoes with juice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
pinch of chili flakes (optional)
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped
4 tbsp whipping cream
1 lb dried fusilli or other pasta (about 450g)
1 tub Bocconcini cheese, about 200g (or use fresh mozzarella)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmasan cheese)

Procedures
Heat 4 to 5 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Add eggplant, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened. Add garlic, onion, sauté for another 2 minutes until fragrant. Add canned tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Stir and season with salt and pepper. Add chili flakes if desired. Simmer for about 15 minutes, add basil and cream. Lightly crush tomato with a wooden spoon.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add about 3-4 tbsp salt. Add pasta, stir around, and cook according to package instruction until al dente. Drain and return to pot. (For tips to cook pasta, read here)
Add tomato sauce to the pasta. Tear the bocconcini to small pieces and stir into the pasta. Let sit about 30 seconds and stir again. The cheese should now be nicely melting. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Tips
Bocconcini is a fresh cheese. It is sold soaked in lighty salted water. It has a very mild and delicate milk flavour. You can buy them fresh from the deli department of the supermarket or packaged in plastic tub. If you cannot find bocconcini, you can substitute with fresh mozzarella, or even pressed mozzarella (the kind used for making pizza)

Chinese Clay Pot Rice with Preserved Meats

簡易臘味煲仔飯
Category: Rice, Meat, One Dish Meal
Style: Chinese
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 4

Ingredients
2 杯 白米
2.5 杯 清水
配料
適量 臘腸，臘肉，臘鴨等
鹹蛋，連殼洗淨

Procedures
用一小煲，放入適量清水，加入鹹蛋，煮至水沸，改用小火，煮至熟，約十五至二十分鐘。
白米洗淨，隔乾水
瓦煲放大火上燒熱，下小許油，放入米及水。猛火煮至米乾水，其間不時將米攪動放止黏底，約十分鐘。
其間，將臘味洗淨，抹乾。
將臘味置於飯面，改用慢火，蓋上煲蓋，再煲約十分鐘，不用攪動。
熄火，不要開蓋，再焗五分鐘即成。可淋上適量蒸魚甜豉油。
將鹹蛋切開兩邊伴吃。

Tips
臘味應該待煮熟後才切開
如果煲內有飯焦，可加少許水或湯在煲內，置中火上煮一會，水滾後用木匙將飯焦刮出，便成為泡飯。

Chinese Rice Congee with Salted Pork and Preserved Egg

鹹瘦肉皮蛋粥
Category: Pasta
Style: Chinese
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 8

Ingredients
鹹瘦肉：
一塊 瘦豬肉或豬月展，約半磅
3 tsp 鹽
粥底：
1杯 白米
2 tbsp 油
1.5 tsp 鹽
1塊 薑
約6粒 瑤柱
其他配料：
2只 皮蛋，去殼

Procedures
處理鹹豬肉：
將豬肉洗淨，抹乾水。用刀在豬肉上切幾刀，但不要切斷。將鹽均勻塗在豬肉表面和切口上，用保鮮紙包好，放在雪櫃內醃最少12小時或更長。
處理粥底：
將米洗淨後，加入油和鹽拌勻，醃約半小時。
將其中一只皮蛋切粒。
用一大湯煲，盛2.5 – 3 公升水，置大火上煮至大滾。先放入鹹豬肉及薑，待水再次沸騰時便放入醃好的米，瑤柱及一只切碎的皮蛋。
先用大火將粥煮約二十分鐘，再轉小火煮一小時半。
將粥中的鹹豬肉取出，撕成小塊。另一只皮蛋也切碎。將豬肉和皮蛋放回煲內，再煮半小時便成。試味後若嫌不夠鹹，可加少許鹽調味。

Tips
如果煮粥時黏底，千萬不要用勺子將煲底的黏皮刮出，這樣會令粥有焦味。應留待煮好，把粥盛起後才處理。
在煮粥時放一只湯匙在煲底同煮，可改善黏底的情況。

Japanese Zaru Soba

日式冷麵
Category: Pasta
Style: Japanese
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 8

Ingredients
600 g dried Soba noodles
roasted nori seaweed, finely sliced
4 green onions, finely sliced
wasabi, according to taste
Dipping Sauce
1 cup hot water
3 tsp hondashi powder
2 cups cold water
1/3 cup mirin
1/2 cup Japanese Soy Sauce

Procedures
Cook dried soba according to package instruction. Rinse with ice cold water and drain.
To make dipping sauce: mix hondashi powder with hot water until completely dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
To serve: Place one serving of soba on a dish, top with seaweed strips. Put some green onion and wasabi in another small dish. Put one serving of dipping sauce in a small bowl. Serve together.

Tips
The Soba should be kept ice cold. Do not cook the Soba too long ahead of time or it will become soggy. The Soba should be al dente, not too soft. See tips for cooking pasta here.

Yakibuta

日式叉燒
Category: Meat
Style: Japanese
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 4

Ingredients
1 piece pork shoulder (char siu meat), about 2 lb, cut into 2 strips
1/2 cup Japanese soy sauce
2 tbsp grated ginger with juice
1 piece star anise
4 cloves garlic, mashed or roughly chopped
sugar

Procedures
Put pork, soy sauce, ginger, star anise and garlic in a large zip-lock bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible, and put in the fridge to marinate overnight. Turning often.
Pre-heat oven to 300F. Put pork and marinade in a small baking tray. The liquid should be about 1 cm deep. If there is not enough liquid, add water to make up. Sprinkle sugar generously on the pork.
Roast the pork for a total of 2.5 to 3 hours, or until the liquid has almost all evaporated and become a syrupy sauce. While roasting, turn the meat every 1/2 hour, and sprinkle sugar on the top of the meat each time.
Store in the fridge or freezer.

Yakibuta and Ramen in Miso Soup

叉燒麵豉湯拉麵
Category: Soup, Pasta
Style: Japanese
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 4

Ingredients
300 g fresh Japanese Ramen
2 litre water
5 tsp hondashi powder
6 tbsp miso paste
Toppings
Corn kernels (fresh, frozen or canned) and Bean sprouts, sautéed with butter
Japanese fish paste cakes, cooked in miso soup
Bamboo shoots (canned)
Boiled eggs
Slices of Japanese Char Siu (Yakibuta) (Recipe here)

Procedures
Bring a large pot of water to full boil. Cook ramen according to package instruction. Drain and set aside.
Bring 2 litre of water to a boil. Add hondashi and stir until melted.
Put miso paste in a bowl. Add about 1/2 cup of dashi stock to dilute. Add diluted miso to dashi stock. This is the miso soup base.
Put cooked ramen in serving bowls. Add miso soup, and finish with desired toppings.

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

巧克力鬆脆曲其餅
Category: Cookie, Dessert
Style: Western, American
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Makes about 24 cookies

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Dipping
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tsp vegetable oil

Procedures
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream on medium speed butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, continue to beat until very light in color and fluffy, about 2 more minutes. Sift flour and salt into mixture, combine on low, scraping sides of bowl with a spatula if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.
Place a piece of parchment paper on a clean surface, dust with flour. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thinkness, and move dough to a cookie sheet. Chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325F.
Using the back of a knife, cut dough lengthwise into 1-inch wide strips, then cut crosswise into 3-inch bars.
Bake until firm and barely starting to color, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cool completely on wire rack.
In a heat proof bowl, microwave chocolate on high for 1 minutes. Stir chocolate until completely melted. Stir in the oil. Dip one end of each cookie into the chocolate mixture. Place cookies on a piece of parchment paper and allow chocolate to dry. Serve, or store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Tips
Remember to rest the butter until room temperature before starting, or you'll be unable to combine the butter and sugar. It usually takes 2 to 3 hours. If you do not have enough time, grate the hard butter with a grater, and the butter will soften in less time.
Chilling the dough before baking will make the cookie more light.

Classic Penne Carbonara

傳統煤炭風長通心意大利粉
Category: Pasta
Style: Italian
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 4

Ingredients
1 lb dried penne or other kinds of pasta (about 450g)
100 g bacon or pancetta
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup whipping cream (can substitute with coffee cream, even milk)
5 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Procedures
Preheat broiler. Place rack at the top 1/3 of the oven.
Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente according to package instruction.
While pasta is cooking, place bacon slices on a baking sheet and broil until slightly crispy, about 4 minutes. Break bacon into small pieces.
Mix egg yolks and cream in a bowl.
When pasta is cooked, reserve 2 cups of cooking liquid. Drain pasta and immediately return it to the pot. Mix in egg mixture and toss. The residual heat should cook the eggs and make a creamy sauce.
Mix in half the cheese and the bacon pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
If the sauce is too thick, add some pasta cooking water to dilute.
When serving, sprinkle the rest of the cheese on the pasta to garnish.

Tips
This is a traditional Italian style pasta recipe. The name is called "Carbonara" because it is a favourite among coal miners –it provides a lot of energy through the protein and the carb.
Always use good quality Parmesan cheese. It is the key to the success of this dish. Never buy pre-grated cheese, or worse, cheese powder in a green can. Good parmesan cheese cost about $5 per 100g; a packaged 200g piece usually cost about CDN$10. Anything cheaper than this will not be good enough.
This pasta needs to be served at once. It will dry out very quickly.
If you like, you can also add some green peas to the pasta.

How to Cook Dried Pasta
When cooking pasta, use a large pot and lots of hot water. Use as big a pot as you can find. At least 5 litre in volume. There are 2 reasons: 1. the more water you have, the less starchy will be the water after you add the pasta, thus less sticking together to sticking to the pot and less mushy pasta; 2. the more water you have, the quicker the water will return to a boil after you add the pasta, thus less mushy pasta.
Generously salt the water. It will not only flavour the pasta, but will also makes its texture not as mushy. For a 5 litre pot, I add about 3-4 tbsp of salt. Trust me, it will not be too salty.
Do not add oil to the cooking water. Oil makes the pasta slippery, thus unable to hold onto the sauce.
Bring the water to a rapid boil. (Do not add pasta until water is rapidly boiling!) Add the pasta, and keep stirring with a wooden spoon for the first 2 minutes. It is because in the first 2 minutes, the pasta releases the most starch to the water. If you don't stir, the pasta will eaily stick together. But if you stir in the first 2 minutes, it will not stick together (or to the pot) even if the don't stir afterwards. But still, after the first 2 minutes, stir occasionally.
Length of cooking: whatever said on the packaging. But 2 minutes before the scheduled done time, check the doneness of the pasta by taking a bite. If it is already al dente, stop cooking.
Do not rinse the pasta after it's done, unless you are making pasta salad. Rinsing will remove the starch on the surface of the pasta, thus unable to stick to the sauce. Simple drain the pasta, and add to prepared sauce immediately. Do not pre cook pasta, it will stick together or dry out very quickly.

Baked Pork Chop with Special Sauce

醬焗豬扒
Category: Meat
Style: Chinese / Fusion
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 4

Ingredients
1 piece pork shoulder butt or collar butt 梅頭肉 (about 2 lb), cut into 4 slices
Marinade
3 tbsp "Bullhead" Barbeque Sauce 沙茶醬
3 tbsp hoisin sauce 海鮮醬
1 tbsp sesame oil 麻油
1 tbsp brown sugar

Procedures
Making marinade: in a large bowl, mix all ingredients together until it forms a paste.
Add pork to bowl, make sure the marinade cover all surfaces of the meat. Let stand in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 425F.
Put a roasting rack on a cookie sheet. Arrange pork on rack. Bake for 35 minutes or until done. Flip once.
Serve immediately.

Tips
This recipe came from a friend back in the small town college days, when we all lived in dormitory or small apartments. Since the town that we lived in did not have much entertainment, getting together to cook and eat became the favourite pass time. This recipe is so easy to make that many of my friends who do not know how to cook could still make this successfully.
Pork chop that we can buy on the market these days tends to be too lean, thus too tough too. Using pork shoulder butt or collar butt to imitate pork chop is a good way to solve the problem.
You can also use this recipe for making spare ribs.

Classic Tiramisu

傳統提拉米蘇
Category: Dessert
Style: Italian
Difficulty: Medium
Portion: Serves 8

Ingredients
1.5 cup Espresso Coffee, room temperature (or use espresso powder)
6 tbsp Coffee Liqueur (such as Kahlua) or brandy
6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup whipping cream
500ml Mascarpone Cheese, room temperature
36 Savoiardi Ladies Fingers
Cocoa powder

Procedures
Take cheese out of fridge ahead of time and let sit until it is warmed to room temperature.
If using espresso powder, make espresso according to manufacturer's instruction. Let cool completely.
Prepare coffee dipping liquid: mix prepared and cooled espresso with 2 tbsp Coffee Liqueur or brandy in a shallow bowl.
Place egg yolk, sugar and salt in a stainless-steel mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat the egg yolk mixture until it is thick and creamy and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Stir in cream.
Place bowl over a pan of simmering water. Reduce the heat to low and stir constantly with a rubber spatula until the mixture reaches 160F, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from heat, let sit a a pan of cold water to cool it down.
In another mixing bowl, beat mascarpone and the remaining 4 tbsp liqueur with an electric mixer at medium speed until combined and fluffy. Add egg mixture, continue to beat on high speed until smooth and very thick, about 3 minutes.
To assemble: Dip ladies fingers into coffee liquid, then cover the bottom of dish with moistened cookies. Spread half of cheese mixture on top of the ladies fingers. Repeat until all cheese and ladies fingers are used.
Chill covered at least 4 hours. Dust with Cocoa powder to garnish just before serving

Tips
Be careful not to over-soak the ladies fingers or it will become too soggy. Briefly soak on side on the cookie, about 3 seconds, then flip it over. The liquid will automatically wet the unsoaked side.

An easier version of this recipe

Chicken Cacciatore with Mushroom & Sage

sage

鼠尾草蘑菇紅酒燴雞
Category: Meat
Style: Italian
Difficulty: Medium
Portion: Serves 4

Ingredients
8 bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 lb), trimmed of excess skin and fat
salt and ground black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
6 oz button mushroom, wiped clean and cut into halves
4 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 tbsp flour
1.5 cup dry red wine
0.5 cup chicken broth
1 14oz-can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp dried thyme
1 piece Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
2 tsp minced fresh sage leaves

Procedures
Preheat oven to 300F.
Heat oil in a large ovenproof pot (Dutch oven) over medium-high heat until very hot. In the mean time, season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Add chicken thighs to pot, skin side down, and cook, not moving them until the skin is crisp and well-browned, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken and brown on the second side, and 5 minutes longer. Transfer the browned chicken to a large plate.
When the chicken has cooled, remove and discard the skin. Remove and discard all but about 1 tbsp fat from the pan.
Add the onion, mushrooms, and 1/2 tsp salt to the Dutch oven. Saute over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Add the wine, scraping the pot bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the brown bits. Stir in the stock, tomatoes, thyme, Parmesan cheese rind (if using), salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken pieces and accumulated juices, submerging the chicken in the liquid. Bring to a simmer, cover, and place the pot in the preheated oven. Cook until the chicken is done, about 30 minutes.
Remove the pot from the oven. Discard the cheese rind, stir in the sage, and adjust the seasonings. Serve hot.

Tips
The reason for using bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs is that the final stew will taste richer in flavour than boneless-skinless chicken. But to avoid the excess fat, we will remove the skin after the first browning process and pour off most of the accumulated fat. This way, we can maximize the flavour and minimize the fat.

Insalata Caprese (Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad)

意大利式蕃茄軟乳酪蘿勒沙拉
Category: Appetizer
Style: Italian
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 4-6

Ingredients
4 very ripe medium beefsteak tomatoes
16 oz fresh mozzarella or bocconcini
2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Procedures
Cut tomatoes and mozzarella into 1/4 inch thick slices
Layer tomatoes and mozzarella alternately on a platter.. Sprinkle basil, salt and pepper on top. Drizzle the oil over the platter and allow the flavour to meld for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Tips
Fresh mozzarella is sold soaked in water/brine. It is available in large supermarket at the fresh cheese or deli department.

桂花酒釀湯圓

Glutenous Rice Flour Balls in Rice Wine Sweet Soup
Category: Dessert
Style: Chinese, Shanghai
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 8

Ingredients
一盒 酒釀，425g
12 oz 冰糖
1 tbsp 桂花糖
12 cups 清水
適量 急凍湯圓

Procedures
燒滾12杯水，加入冰糖，煮至完全溶解。再加入酒釀，推散；再加入和桂花糖，即成桂花糖水。
另燒一鍋水，按包裝上指示將湯圓煮熟。
將湯圓撓起，溺乾，放進碗內，加上糖水即成。

Tips
酒釀是用糯米和酒餅經發酵製成，在一般大形華人超市有售。
桂花糖是用新鮮盛開的桂花加糖漬製而成，味道清香。
加入酒釀後便不能再加熱，否則會變酸。所以這甜品要即做即吃。

砂鍋獅子頭

Giant Meatball in Clay Pot
Category: Meat
Style: Chinese, Shanghai
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 8

Ingredients
兩磅 碎豬肉（自己剁的更好）
四片 薑
一包 小棠菜，洗淨，切開邊
Marinade 調味料
1 tbsp 生抽
1 tbsp 紹酒
4 tbsp 生粉
少許 白胡椒粉
1 tbsp 薑米
Sauce 汁料
2 tbsp 生抽
1 tsp 老抽
3 tsp 糖
1.25 cup 水

Procedures
預熱焗爐至450F。
碎豬肉加入調味料拌勻，分成四份，做成四顆大肉丸。
將肉丸放在焗盤上，放入焗爐內焗45分鐘。
燒熱鑊，放少許水，少許糖及薑片。待水滾時放入小棠菜，煮至半熟。盛起，溺乾水，排在砂鍋底部。
將焗好的肉丸放在菜上面，再將汁料混和後加入。用大火將整鍋肉丸煮滾，然後改肉中火煮至肉丸入味，約20分鐘。其間要將肉丸反轉再煮，使其煮得均勻。
吃時原煲上菜。

Tips
獅子頭是傳統上海菜。取名獅子頭是因為肉丸形狀與獅子頭金魚相似，是好意頭的菜式，所以肉丸的數目一定要是雙數。
這改良了的獅子頭做法，用焗爐代替走油，是更健康，更方便的做法。

簡易醬方

Revised Easy Braised Pork
Category: Meat
Style: Chinese, Shanghai
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 8

Ingredients
一條 五花腩肉，約兩磅
四片 薑
一札 蔥，切成長段
Sauce 汁料
2.5 tbsp 老抽
1/2 tsp 鹽
1.5 oz 冰糖
一大粒 八角
1/4 cup 紹酒
1 cup 水

Procedures
預備一大煲熱水。五花腩肉洗淨，切成四件方型的肉方。將五花腩肉放進熱水中出水約兩分鐘。撓起，溺乾。
預備一只小砂鍋，大小要剛好放得下腩肉，不可太大。將砂鍋置中火上燒熱，下少許油，爆香薑片和蔥段。
將汁料混和，倒進鍋中，再放進五花腩肉排好。改用小火煮15分鐘，將肉反轉，再煮15分鐘。
預備一鍋熱水，用中火將整鍋醬方隔水蒸約5小時。使用電蒸籠亦可。其間每小時將肉反轉一次。反轉肉方時要小心不要將其弄碎，因為肉方已經非常酥爛。
如預先一日做好，可以將整鍋醬方放進雪櫃。表面的油脂會凝固，可以用小匙將油輕易除去。約時間不夠，使用隔油湯壺亦可隔除油份。
臨食前30分鐘，將整鍋醬方用中火再煮三十分鐘至汁料濃縮成一半，即可上菜。吃時用小刀將醬方切成小塊。

Tips
這改良了的醬方做法，減少了繁複的工序（例如走油），也減少了肥膩，而且成功律很高，沒有經驗的人也能做到。
使用同一方法，也可以製作元蹄。
汁料的份量比較少，這才能做出濃味。因為汁料少，不能完全浸過醬方，所以煮時要不時將醬方反轉，使肉能均勻入味。
使用電蒸籠，便不用擔心乾水。

醃篤鮮湯

Soup with Salted Pork, Bamboo Shoots and Soy Sheets
Category: Soup
Style: Chinese, Shanghai
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 8

Ingredients
一磅 豬掙肉，切小塊
半磅 上海五香咸肉
一罐 清水竹筍肉，淨重約10oz，溺乾，切塊（或用經過出水的鮮冬筍肉）
一包 急凍百頁結，約半磅

Procedures
豬肉，咸肉洗淨，放入一大鍋滾水內出水。撓起，溺乾。同樣地，將百頁結出水，撓起，溺乾。
燒滾一大鍋清水（約12 cups）。將豬肉，咸肉，筍肉放入，用大火猛滾約半小時。
加入百頁結，待滾後改用中火再煮一小時至湯味濃即可。可用鹽調味。

Tips
醃篤鮮是傳統上海菜。「醃」是指鹹肉，「鮮」是指鮮肉和筍，「篤」在上海話是滾動著煮的意思，類似廣東人叫的「滾湯」。
用新鮮冬筍做這湯會更鮮味，不過較麻煩，所以改用罐頭。
百頁結是豆製品。急凍的已經處理過，可以即食。如果是買新鮮的，要先用食用梳打處理，比較麻煩。另外，買已經打成結的，比買一張張的又少一個工序，更為方便。

金華火腿煮白菜（火腿爛糊白菜）

Stewed Siu Choy with Ham
Category: Vegetable
Style: Chinese
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 8

Ingredients
兩條 長紹菜，約5-6磅
4 oz 金華火腿
2片 薑
3條 蔥，切段
1 tbsp 糖

Procedures
紹菜切絲，將葉與梗分開，洗淨，溺乾。
金華火腿切薄片。
用少許油起鑊，爆香薑片與蔥段。先下紹菜梗，加糖，加蓋煮至稍稔，約三分鐘。再加入紹菜葉及火腿，加蓋，轉中火，煮至紹菜稔爛，約半小時。加鹽調味即可。

Tips
上海人的「白菜」，即是廣東人的「紹菜」。當然，講究的人，是可以分出當中不同品種的不同味道的。
在加拿大買到的金華火腿，其實並不正宗，不過一般作菜也可以了。
如果買到的火腿附著骨，可以將火腿骨也加入一同煮，增加鮮味。上碟前將火腿骨棄掉便行。
一次買回來的火腿吃不完，可以先切成小塊，用保鮮紙包好，放進冰箱急凍。平常煲湯下一小塊，倍添鮮味。

椰汁黑糯米糖水

Black Glutenous Rice Sweet Soup with Coconut Milk
Category: Dessert
Style: Chinese
Difficulty: Easy
Portion: Serves 8

Ingredients
2 cups 黑糯米
4 liter 水
8 – 12 oz 冰糖
適量 椰漿

Procedures
用一大鍋，燒熱水至沸騰。加入黑糯米，再煮滾後，改用中火，煮至糯米稔身，湯也濃稠，約半小時。此時，應只剩下約八杯份量。
若已煮至乾水，糯米仍然未稔，可以加入少許水再煮。
加入冰糖，煮至溶化，便可盛在碗裡。
如想冷吃，雪凍才吃亦可，但要酌量增加糖的份量，因雪凍後，糖水會顯得較淡。
吃時加入適量椰漿。

Tips
此食譜如果再煮至更乾身，便成為黑糯米糖漿，可以加在豆腐花或刨冰上食用。
冰糖的份量，可按個人口味增減。
如果沒有冰糖，亦可用砂糖取代，但份量要較冰糖為少，因為砂糖比冰糖甜。