Stir-Fried Egg & Tomato 抄西红柿鸡蛋

One of the Chinese dishes I craved when I was in the States during the pandemic was this simple, homestyle egg dish, China’s answer to the French omelette. It’s deceptively easy to make, but don’t forget the sugar, a good tablespoon of it, sprinkled over the tomatoes before you add the eggs. Served over steamed white rice, this is the ultimate comfort food.

Stir-Fried Egg & Tomato
Serves 4

6 eggs
4 medium-sized tomatoes (ideally well-ripened and organic)
2 scallions or 1 leek
2-4 cloves garlic
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil with a high smoke point (canola or grapeseed)
salt & white pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon white granulated sugar

Prep the Eggs and Tomatoes
Cut the tomatoes into quarters, then eighths. Break the eggs in a medium bowl and mix well. Add a little salt.

Cook the Eggs
In a wok over high heat, add half about 1 tbsp cooking oil. After heating the oil for 2 minutes, pour in the eggs. When the eggs begin to solidify (about 1-2 minutes) turn them over and stir, breaking them into smaller clumps. When the color on both sides is golden, use a spatula to separate the eggs, then remove the eggs from the wok.

Add about 1 tbsp of oil into the wok over high heat. Add leeks (or scallions) and garlic and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir occasionally for 3-4 minutes, until the tomatoes become saucy. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Add the sugar and allow to simmer for another minute or two. Add the cooked eggs and stir and garnish with the green parts of the scallions. Remove from the wok and serve immediately.

Pan-Fried Tofu

I’m so glad to be back in country that appreciates tofu! This is a super easy, delicious weeknight tofu recipe, perfect to scale up or down, depending on how many people you’re serving and a recipe that my kids love. The Thai sweet chili sauce is the perfect compliment, though you could also use a sesame or Asian salad dressing.

Pan-Fried Tofu
Serves 4

1 package extra-firm tofu
1/2 cup cornstarch
salt & pepper to taste
a few tablespoons vegetable oil
Thai sweet chili sauce or a sesame or Asian-flavored salad dressing

Prepare the Tofu
Slice the tofu in 1/4 inch thick pieces.  Spread the cornstarch on a cutting board or plate. Mix in the salt. Dredge each slice of tofu in the cornstarch, covering all sides.

Pan-Fry the Tofu
Place a large frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 tbs of oil in the pan and heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the tofu, piece by piece, in one layer making sure that none are touching. Brown for about 2 minutes and flip. Cook for 2 minutes and remove. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

Homemade "Cat's Ear" Noodles

I’ve been locked in my house in Beijing for the last seven days, and we have seven more days to go! Everyone who arrives in China is subject to an enforced 14 day quarantine in their home. And this isn’t American-style quarantine — we literally can’t leave our front door or even step into our backyard.

I haven’t been cooking a lot. Fortunately, ordering takeout from virtually any restaurant is super easy, fast, and inexpensive — which has been a total luxury after cooking almost every night for 6 months.

But I broke out my apron the other day for a private cooking class for some of my husband’s colleagues and their family members. Like us, they’re all in quarantine too, trapped in the house with their kids, so the purpose of the class was to make something fun with the fewest ingredients possible. Noodles sounded like the right call. All that’s required is flour, water, and a rolling pin — or a wine bottle in a pinch.

The class was a bit of a disaster (I’ll tell you why next week, see my post about quarantine under “Stories”) but the ones who managed to follow along and my kids were very happy with the results: chewy ear-shaped pasta. We doused ours with butter and sprinkled it with grated super-aged Parmigiano-Reggiano (it’s been sitting in our fridge for the entire time we’ve been away from China).

Chinese noodles have a lot in common with Italian pasta — so much so that I wrote a whole book on the subject. When I resume online cooking classes in September, I plan to team up with my chef friend Andrea in Rome to offer a noodle/pasta class … stay tuned!

Ideally, this recipe should be done with two or more people, to divide the work of shaping the dough, but if you’re on your own, love pasta, and have the patience, this activity can feel pretty meditative. Either way, you’ll have something yummy to show for when you’re done.

Homemade "Cat's Ear" Noodles

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups water

Make the dough

Heap the flour in a large bowl or a flat work surface. Make a well in the center.

Pour 1 cup of water into the well and work it into the flour, mixing with your hands. Slowly add more water, about ¼ cup at a time, mixing thoroughly until all the flour has been incorporated and the dough is soft and pliable. You can also do this with a KitchenAid or hand mixer, using the dough hook. Once the dough comes together, it should be tacky to the touch but should not stick to your fingers. If it’s too wet, add more flour.

Knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes, then cover with a damp cloth and let sit for at least 30 minutes. While you’re waiting, you can read the recipe for another of my favorite noodle dishes, have a drink, or read about my pasta adventures.

Roll out the dough

Dust the work surface with flour. Break off about an eighth of the dough to work with, leaving the rest under the damp cloth. Knead the dough for a couple of minutes and shape it into a long rope, rolling it until it’s about the thickness of your index finger. With a butter knife, cut the dough into little pieces about 1/4-inch long. Rub a little flour on your thumb. Working with one little piece of dough at a time, press your thumb into the dough and roll it from one side of your thumb to the other. (Your thumb will essentially serve as a mold, and the dough should form a concave shape against your thumb.) Repeat until all your dough is shaped into these ear-like shells. Place the noodles on a lightly floured surface and make sure to space them out (think social distancing, pasta style) so they don’t stick together.

Cook the noodles

Boil the noodles in a large pot for 3-4 minutes; drain and run under cool water. Toss with your favorite sauce.

Braised Bok Choy with Shitake Mushrooms

Growing up in a Chinese-American household, I was force fed a version of this dish and never really cared for it much — until after I moved to China and learned how to cook it like an expert, incorporating methods of blanching, stir-frying, and a quick braise. The mushrooms make it heartier but are optional, and if you don’t have bok choy, you can substitute a hearty green vegetable like kale or swiss chard.

Braised Bok Choy with Shitake Mushrooms
Serves 4 as a side dish to a larger meal

12 or so dried shitake mushrooms
1-1 1/4 lb baby bok choy
2 cloves garlic
1 little piece of ginger
1 scallion 
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 ½ tbs regular soy sauce
1 ½ tbs oyster sauce
1/4  tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper (or black pepper)
1 tbs Shaoxing cooking wine
¼ cup chicken stock
1 tbs cornstarch mixed with 1 tbs water (optional)
1 tsp sesame oil

Prepare Sometime Earlier …
Soak the dried shitake mushrooms in a bowl of boiling water for at least 20 minutes and up to several hours.
Wash the bok choy thoroughly and cut in half lengthwise.

Prep the Ingredients
Finely mince the ginger, scallions, and garlic.
Drain the mushrooms and squeeze them lightly to remove excess water. Slice the mushrooms in half. (Larger ones can be sliced into 3-4 pieces). Remove the stems if they are tough.

At the Stove
Blanch the bok choy in a large pot of boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and rinse under cold water.

At the Wok
Place the wok over medium high heat. Add the oil and swirl in the wok. Allow the oil to heat for 1 minute, then add the ginger, scallions, and garlic. Allow the aromatics to infuse the oil for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and the bok choy and stir under high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the following, stirring in between each addition: soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt & pepper, cooking wine.  Add the chicken stock and allow the mixture to braise for 2-3 minutes, until the bok choy reaches desired tenderness. If you prefer a thicker sauce, mix the cornstarch with 1 tbs water in a cup or bowl and add to the wok to thicken the sauce. Garnish with sesame oil. Remove from wok and serve immediately. 

Dan Dan Noodles

This dish is commonly served at street side stands in Chengdu, Sichuan (where I lived from 2014 to 2016), and is simply an amalgam of all the yummy sauces and flavors that adds up to Sichuanese food. It contains so many delicious ingredients that even if you’re missing a couple of them, the other ingredients more than make up for it.

Dan Dan Noodles
Serves 4

1 lb fresh Chinese noodles or ¾ lb dried Chinese noodles, cooked, drained, and rinsed in cold water

For the meat topping:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-2 teaspoons whole Sichuan pepper
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1-2 teaspoons ground red chili pepper
2 tablespoon Sichuan “ya cai” or other Chinese preserved vegetable
¼ lb ground beef or pork, preferably with 20% or more fat (ground turkey or ground meat substitute can also be used, but won’t be quite as crisp)
2 teaspoons regular soy sauce (Lee Kum Kee premium, Kikkoman, or Shoyu)
¼ teaspoon salt

For the sauce:
3 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste (or double the amount of peanut butter)
3 tablespoons peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
¼ cup to 1 cup chicken stock or water
1/3 cup regular soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted and crushed Sichuan peppercorn
1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
Sichuan-style chili oil, to taste

To garnish:
Minced scallion greens
Crushed roasted peanuts

Make the meat topping
Heat the oil in a wok on medium for 3-4 minutes. Add the red chili pepper, Sichuan pepper, and preserved vegetable and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground beef and stir for another 3-4 minutes, until browned and slightly crisp. Add the light soy sauce and salt, stir for another 1 minute and remove from heat.

Make the sauce
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame paste, peanut butter with ¼ cup of warmed chicken stock or water. (For a soupier noodle dish, use more chicken stock/water.) Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and whisk until smooth.

Combine it all
Divide the sauce into 4 bowls equally, add the cooked noodles, and add the beef topping and garnish. Serve immediately. 

Pichet's Pad Thai

Back in March, when the pandemic was just beginning, our local Whole Foods pasta aisle had been cleared out almost completely — except for a bunch of boxes of Annie’s brown Pad Thai rice noodles, which sat on the bottom shelf like unwanted orphans. It seemed that no one knew how to make Pad Thai at home — even though, according to Uber Eats, it’s been the second-most ordered dish since the pandemic began (after French fries!).

I’d made the dish occasionally in the past, but I wasn’t an expert in it — until I recently reconnected with my friend, celebrity pastry chef Pichet Ong @pichetong, who shared his amazing Pad Thai recipe. It contains some surprising ingredients — pineapple, for example — and lots of fish sauce, that magical umami-boosting ingredient. Join Pichet and me to make this dish this Sunday July 19th at 1:30PM Eastern Time (U.S./Canada East Coast). Register by emailing classes@blacksesamekitchen.com and we’ll send you the Zoom info.

Pichet’s Pad Thai
Serves 4

1/2 cup canola oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup scallions, cut 1” long, green and white separated
12-16 large shrimp, deveined, rinsed under cold water, drained dry
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
4 eggs
8 ounces uncooked flat rice noodles, soaked in cold water for 10 mins, and drained
1 cup bean sprouts
3 tablespoons, roasted peanuts, chopped
Pad Thai sauce, see below

Optional but highly recommended additions:
¼ lb smoked tofu, diced into ¼ inch cubes
¼ cup dried shrimp, minced small, soaked in cold water for 10 mins, and drained
6 tablespoons salted radish, drained dry in paper towel  

Pad Thai sauce  
2/3 cup fresh pineapple chunks
8 cloves garlic
4 whole shallots
4 tablespoon Thai chili paste
4 tablespoons shrimp paste (optional)
1 cup tamarind concentrate (Laxmi brand preferred)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more when serving
2 tablespoons apple cider or rice vinegar
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white pepper

For the Pad Thai Garnish:
Chopped roasted peanuts
Ground dried chili flakes (optional)
Brown sugar (optional)
Cilantro, chopped (optional)

1. Make the Pad Thai Sauce

Using a stick handblender, process all the ingredients for the Pad Thai sauce in a bowl until smooth.  Ideally, let it sit for 2 hours before using for flavors to infuse.  It will keep up to 5 days in refrigerator.

2. At the Wok

Heat saute pan or wok over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and cook garlic and white scallion pieces until translucent and wilted.  Transfer to a bowl.

Heat saute pan or wok over high heat, add 2 tablespoon of oil and cook shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt and white pepper until translucent.  Transfer to the bowl of aromatics.

Heat saute pan or wok over high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and eggs with remaining salt and scramble until well done.  Push to the side, add the dried shrimp, tofu, and radish and saute for a minute, and mix in with the scrambled egg and cook until eggs are golden and mixture is fragrant.  Transfer all to the same bowl.

Heat saute pan or wok over hight heat.  Add remaining oil, and cook drained noodles and sauté until softened.  Add 1+1/4 cup of Pad Thai sauce and continue cooking and stirring until slightly carmelized.   Stir in bean sprouts, green onions, and shimp/egg mixture, and cook until dry.

Transfer mixture onto 2 serving plates, garnish with peanuts and the optional garnish toppings. Serve immediately.

Mapo Tofu

One of the things that surprises me about my fellow Americans is how much they think they dislike tofu. If they don’t like tofu, it might be because they’ve never tried it this way, sautéed with spicy broad bean paste and magical Sichuan peppercorns.

Maybe tofu’s gotten a bad rap in the States because of health food stores and the fact that it’s difficult to find good, fresh varieties of it outside of China. One other thing; there seems to be a widely-held misconception that you must press the water out of the tofu — we never do this in China! Simply drain the water from the tofu and use it immediately!

Mapo Tofu

2 scallions or 1 leek (white or light green part)
1 small knob ginger
2-3 cloves garlic
1 block semi-firm or extra firm tofu
1/4 lb ground pork, beef, turkey or meat substitute
1-2 tbs vegetable oil (canola, grapeseed, or soy)
1 to 1 1/2 tbs whole Sichuan peppercorn (optional)
1 tsp fermented Chinese black beans (optional)
1 tbs broad bean paste (Sichuan Pixian brand preferred)
2 tsp ground Chinese chili pepper (or substitute other, but not cayenne)
1/4 cup chicken stock or water
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp granulated white sugar
1 tbs soy sauce (Lee Kum Kee premium, Kikkoman, or Shoyu preferred)

1. Prep the Ingredients
Cut the tofu into dice-like cubes. Mince the scallion (or leek) and separate the white part from the green. Mince the ginger, and garlic.

Optional: grind 1/2 tbs Sichuan peppercorns with a mortal or pestle and reserve for the garnish.

2. At the Wok
Place the wok over high heat. Add 1-2 tbs oil and swirl in the wok. Add 1 tbs of whole Sichuan peppercorns, and allow them to infuse the oil, about 1 minute. Remove the peppercorns with a curved spatula or slotted spoon before they burn.

And the white part of the scallions, ginger, and garlic and stir for 1-2 minutes before adding the fermented black beans and ground pork (or your choice of meat). Break up the meat with a spatula.

Add the following in order, stirring for 30 seconds between each addition: broad bean paste, chili flakes. chicken stock (or water), white pepper , sugar, and soy sauce.

Gently add the tofu and stir carefully, ensuring the pieces of tofu don’t break. Turn the heat to medium and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Gently mix the tofu and the sauce and transfer the contents of the wok to a large bowl. Garnish with the green part of the scallion (or leek) and the crushed Sichuan peppercorn.

Quick and Easy Coconut Mango Rice Pudding by Pichet Ong

My friend Pichet Ong @pichetong, pastry chef extraordinaire, taught me this yummy Asian rice pudding — and it’s easy enough for my eight-year-old daughter to make it. The added bonus is that it uses leftover rice, so we’ll no longer have the problem of extra rice sitting for days on end in our fridge.

Quick and Easy Coconut Mango Rice Pudding
4 servings

1 cup (250 grams)  jasmine rice, cooked
1 cup (225 grams) coconut milk
1 tablespoon (15 grams) vanilla paste or extract
¼ cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 ripe mango, peeled
¼ cup coconut flakes

In a medium pot, add rice, coconut milk, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Place on medium heat until mixture starts to bubble. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the mixture thickens, about 8-10 minutes.  

Divide mixture into 4 bowls. Let sit for 20 minutes until it cools. Place sliced mangos on top and garnish with coconut. Serve at room temperature.