Li Wu

Posted Monday, October 20, 2008

This is a staple in my house. It's quick and easy, and tastes light and fresh. In the winter I like to increase the amount of ginger to make the soup extra spicy.

Clam Soup 1 lb manila clams 3 to 5 slices of ginger 1 small stalk of green onion, diced Salt to taste 4 cups of cold water 1. Put diced green onions in empty soup bowl; set aside. 2. Add ginger slices into the pot with cold water; bring to boil. 3. Add clams. 4. When all the clams are opened, add salt to taste. 5. Pour clam soup into the soup bowl with green onions; serve.

Posted Thursday, September 11, 2008

This is an easy make-ahead dish that freezes well, and my kids love it!

Li's Pork Lettuce Wrap 1 garlic clove, smashed 1 carrot, shredded 1/2 lb ground pork 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder 2 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp teriyaki sauce or brown sugar Lettuce leaves 1. Heat a bit of oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. 2. Add garlic, cook until fragrant but not brunt. 3. Add carrot and pork, turn up heat to medium-high, and sauté for a couple of minutes. 4. Add five-spice powder, soy sauce, and teriyaki sauce (or brown sugar). Stir and mix well. As it starts to boil, turn down heat, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. 5. To eat, wrap pork and carrot in lettuce leaves.

Posted Thursday, September 11, 2008

This is my quick version of the tasty Korean Beef BBQ, and my husband's favorite!

Li's Korean Beef Lettuce Wrap 1 lb beef short ribs (thin cut, bone in), cut into pieces Lettuce leaves Chili sauce (Korean red sauce, or Chinese tomato-based sweet chili sauce) Garlic cloves, thinly sliced Marinate: 1-inch length of ginger, thinly sliced 1 tsp brow sugar 1.5 tsp sesame oil 1.5 tsp vegetable oil 1 Tbsp soy sauce 1. In a medium bowl (or a zip-lock bag) combine all the marinate ingredients and mix well. 2. Add beef to bowl (or bag) and marinate for at least 30 minutes. 3. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. 4. Cook beef (discard marinate) for about 3 minutes on each side. 5. To eat, wrap beef with chili sauce and raw garlic slices in lettuce leaves.

Posted Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Three-Cup Chicken is a traditional Taiwanese dish that's quite popular in restaurants. Every time I go back to Taipei the first stop is my favorite restaurant with the most amazing Three-Cup Chicken. This is definitely my number one comfort food. I hope you like it!

Three-Cup Chicken 7 slices of ginger (very thinly sliced) 1.5 lb chicken thighs, cut into pieces of desirable size 1 Tbsp teriyaki sauce 2 Tbsp sesame oil 3 Tbsp soy sauce 4 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine or rice wine Basil leaves (preferably Thai basil) 1. Heat a bit of the sesame oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat 2. Add ginger slices and cook until brown 3. Add chicken pieces and brown on both sides 4. Add teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, wine, and the remaining sesame oil; bring to a boil 5. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes. You want the sauce to thicken and coat all sides of the chicken. Check the pan regularly, especially after 10 minutes, to make sure the sauce hasn’t dried up and ruined your pan! 6. Garnish with basil leaves and serve. Note: I love ginger and basil so I use a lot more than what I indicated in this recipe. If you love basil like I do, add some basil during the simmering to infuse the smell and taste into the dish, and at the end add the remaining basil on top as garnish. Also note: I think the dish is traditionally made with one cup each of the three liquids: wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil. I tried that several times and failed miserably. I played with the proportions of these liquids and also added teriyaki sauce. You can use brown sugar or other sweeteners instead of teriyaki sauce.