Mapo tofu is one of a must-have entree on our dining table. There’re tons of option to make a Mapo tofu; you could buy the pre-made sauce in any Chinese/Japanese provision store or supermarket. However, to achieve the authentic taste you can simply make it from the stretch. This post we are going to share with you how to make it without a fuse – like the original Sichuan version.

Unlike the Japan version, this is less creamy and you will taste not only the spiciness but the numbness of it. Which you simply just have this dish to serve with a few bowls of rice.

Cooking Chinese food is pretty much freestyle, it’s the easiest yet complex culinary on the earth. You do not need much skill or procedure when come frying a dish. In a traditional Chinese family “wok” and the “ladle” are the most essential of all but not to forget the fire (which is very silly to mention about it).

Then you will need to have all the basic condiments in the kitchen such as oil, sesame oil, chilli oil, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. There are so many to list on but those we have mentioned are the most basic of all.

We do not use Olive Oil in Chinese dishes as it required heated heavily on the “wok”.  Olive Oil, its flavour, its low burning point (280 degrees), and if nothing else, its expense, olive oil is not appropriate for Asian cooking. We highly recommend you other kinds of plants oils; that included Peanut Oil, Corn Oil, Sesame Oil, and any Vegetable Oil.

So this recipe another highlight of it are the chilli (oil), fermented black bean and (Hua jiao fen). Without these three main ingredients, the dishes will not be as delicious as it should be.

Another common step that we often used in Chinese cooking is called “勾芡, Gōuqiàn”. It’s like how the western region adds the flour to thicken the soup or the sauce.

Thus for us, cornflour is used regularly in Chinese cooking to thicken the sauces of the dishes. In our recipes, we have written that you need to add in 2 tablespoons of cornflour mixture. Cornflour mixture, in this case, refers to 1 tablespoon of cornflour mixed with 2 tablespoons of water.

Ingredients |

• 1 block silken tofu 19 oz box
• 1/4 lb ground pork
• 3 tablespoons Sichuan spicy bean paste 辣豆瓣酱
• 2 tablespoons chilli powder
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 3 tablespoons chilli oil
• 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns roasted and ground to powder
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon fermented black beans rinsed and pounded
• 1 stalk of leeks or scallions chopped into 1 or 2-inch length
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• Salt to taste

Method |

Cut the tofu into small pieces, drain the water from the tofu and set aside. Heat up a wok and pour in the cooking oil and chilli oil. Add the chopped garlic, ground pork, spicy bean paste, and stir-fry until the pork is half-done. Then add in chilli powder, soy sauce, fermented black beans, and stir-fry until aromatic.

Add in the tofu and water; stir gently to blend the tofu (don’t break them) well with the sauce. Lower the heat and simmer for about 3-5 mins or until the sauce thickens.

Add in the roasted Sichuan peppercorn powder and chopped scallions. Gently stir and blend well. Dish out and serve hot.

Take a photo of your version, send us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. We love to see you trying out our recipe!

xoxo, Angela.

Making your own stock or broth is never a difficult matter, you simply need to spares some of your time to make it ahead. This week we would love to share with you how to make good prawn stock and never throw away your prawn head like a waste again. 

As you know prawn head have cholesterol however if you boil them into stock and use them wisely it would never be a harmful effects but adding in flavors to your food. 

It seems like every day somebody asks me “How do you make prawn stock, Angela?” or “I was thinking of making some prawn stock, how would you do it?” Given that we are a pretty average type of guy, I know that you too must be harassed on a regular basis with prawn stock conundrums. So we are going to tell you how to do it.

First, you need a decent quantity of big fresh Dublin Bay Prawns. I have mentioned these previously. The last time, I cooked them and we ate them. This time, we need the prawns for their heads and shells only. 

For this recipe you will need the following:

• Nice fresh prawns
• A bag of prawn bits
• garlic
• Black peppercorns
• The patience of Jobe for shelling the prawns

First, pull the heads off the prawns and then put the bodies in the freezer for 30 minutes. This makes it much easier to get the meat out of the shells. To do this, squeeze the shell on the open end until the shell cracks or your finger bursts and you start to bleed. Bandage up the fingers and get the rest of them done.

When you are finished, you should have a pile of prawn meat. This has no place in the stock recipe so discard this and place the shells, heads, legs, claws and other bits into a pot and fry them in batches, in some garlic and oil until they change color somewhat.

Next, add them to a big stock pot and cover them with water, adding the peppercorns. Simmer (don’t boil) this for a couple of hours, removing any scum that rises to the surface.

Strain it all through kitchen paper in a cheesecloth or sieve to leave an intensely prawn flavoured stock. This will make an excellent basis for a bisque or for making a seafood risotto.

Following the steps we shall you will be enjoying the flavorful prawn stock in your food. Take a photo of your version, send us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. We love to see you trying out our recipe!

xoxo, Angela.

Growing up in a very Chinese household, we had homemade potstickers at least once a month – steamed, fried, boiled, mushroom filling, shrimp filling (you name it). So it’s no surprise that we always have to order a plate of potstickers when we eat out at an Asian restaurant. But at the end of the day, nothing will ever beat homemade potstickers.

The best thing about homemade potstickers is that it’s so easy to put together and you can completely customize the fillings. We’ve made shrimp potstickers before so we tried something a little different with a pork filling with tons of cabbage. But feel free to use your favorite kind of protein, although we’ve found that pork really creates a more tender filling than any other kind of ground meat. You can even add in your favorite veggies that you have on hand!

A little tip for those who use cabbage in your potstickers. This step is crucial to perfect potstickers – salt the cabbage to draw out the water. Cabbage contains a lot of water, and the cabbage releases the water when it cooks, which makes the potstickers soggy (and prevents crisp bottoms.) The salt will draw out the water, later we’ll squeeze the cabbage and discard the water.

Add a little salt to the cabbage. Give it a good stir and let sit for 7-10 minutes while you move forward with the rest of the recipe.

When filling in your potstickers with the skin, start by pinching the middle tight. While my sister likes to work right-hand side first, I prefer starting with the left. Not sure why! Either is fine. Pleat the outer edge towards the middle. Repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 pleats on this side. Then pleat the right side. Make 3 pleats towards the center. A final step, pinch the entire edge tight.

You can even make a huge batch of potstickers and pop them right in the freezer – that way you can indulge in your Asian food cravings whenever you want! Just be sure to freeze them on a baking sheet first before throwing them into a freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat, you can toss them right onto the skillet without thawing, although cooking time may be longer than usual.

So there you have it – easy homemade potstickers with customizable fillings that you can make ahead of time and freeze. Now, who still wants store-bought potstickers?!

Now when it comes to cooking them. Start by heating up the oil in the non-stick pan. When the oil is heated up, start lying your potstickers evenly in the pan.

Let cook for 1-2 minutes. While they are browning, get 1/4 cup of water and the pan’s lid ready – you’ll need these at your side shortly. Peek underneath a dumpling to give it a look. Not brown yet. Cook a little longer!

Check a couple of different dumpling bottoms – sometimes your pan can cook unevenly. When the bottoms are browned, grab your 1/4 cup of water in one hand, and the lid in the other. Carefully and slowly pour in the water (it might splatter a bit) and immediately cover with the lid to trap the steam.

Let cook for 2 minutes. Then, open the lid. There should be lots of water bubbles as the water heats up and steams. The steam cooks the dumplings on the inside. Keep the lid off and let the water continue to cook and evaporate.

Cook, uncovered until all water has evaporated and the bottoms are now crisp and browned. Isn’t it easy, let’s get started!

Ingredients |

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 cup shredded green cabbage
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 36 won ton wrappers
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil Soy sauce, for serving

Method |

In a large bowl, combine pork, cabbage, garlic, green onions,  ginger, sesame oil, and white pepper.

To assemble the dumplings, place wrappers on a work surface. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture into the center of each wrapper. Using your finger, rub the edges of the wrappers with water. Fold the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape, pinching the edges to seal.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potstickers in a single layer and cook until golden and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Serve immediately with soy sauce, if desired.

Make this dish, it’s definitely a show stopper! Take a photo of your version, send us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. We love to see you trying out our recipe!

xoxo, Joe

We made us a big skillet of awesomeness. And I did it all in one pan… without even heating up the kitchen. As we moved our kitchen to our garden. Ok, so the paella.

Can you believe we made this whole thing on the electric stove and dirtied just one dish, one cutting board and one knife? I was so happy about the minimal mess since lately cleanup around here has been a 2+ hour project and the thought of cleaning even one more dish, or vacuuming up another crumb or wiping more stickiness up off the floor is pretty much daunting.

Clearly, not only the flavors of this dish were welcomed with open arms, but also the simplicity of this dish! Bring on more easy clean-up meals… please!!!

Making paella on the electric stove is really just the same as making it on the stove. You simply need to try to keep the heat of your grill a consistent temp and you’re good to go. Bonus, you also get a little smoky flavor from the grill as well!! We are impressed by the electric stove, as it works better than the stove top. Well don’t worry, you can totally just make this on the stove-top. Works exactly the same ways.

For my paella, we used a mix of chicken, chori, o and seafood. You can do all three like me, pick your favorites or leave them out completely and make a vegetarian version. It’s totally adaptable to your personal taste buds. For the seafood, I used a mix of a jumbo tiger shrimp, clams, conch, and mussels. It was the perfect combo if you ask me and made for a really pretty dish too!!

If you’re out to impress someone, finished my dish off with a drizzle of truffle oil. We planned to do it but ended up forgetting as we were so hungry. But we definitely will do so on our next try. A little tip that Angela learned during her trip to London. When you are cooking the paella cover the skillet with a baking paper to prevent it from overflowing!!

Ingredients |

• 4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, soak in water
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 1/4 cups Bomba or arborio rice
• One 12-ounce package cooked chorizo, sausages halved lengthwise and crosswise
• 8 large head-on shrimp
• 1 pound littleneck clams and conch, scrubbed
• 1/2 pound mussels, scrubbed
• 1/4 cup thawed frozen peas
• 1/2 cup olive, for garnish

Method |

In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken stock and crumbled saffron and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a 15-inch paella pan or large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. After that the garlic and paprika and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Lastly, the rice and cook, stirring, until it is evenly coated in the oil, 1 minute.

Add the hot broth and stir the rice once to evenly spread it in the pan. Cook over moderate heat, without stirring but rotating the pan for even cooking, until half of the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.

Nestle the chorizo and shrimp into the rice. Add the clams, cockles and mussels hinge side down and cook, turning the shrimp halfway through, until the shrimp and shellfish are cooked through and all of the liquid is absorbed about 20 minutes. Scatter the peas on top and let stand for 5 minutes.

Garnish with olive and serve.

Make this dish, it’s definitely a show stopper! Take a photo of your version, send us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. We love to see you trying out our recipe!

xoxo, Joe