Crab and Tofu Soup

When I made XO sauce I had some liquid leftover from steaming the dry scallops, so I added a few tablespoons to the chicken broth this time when I made the soup. It does add lots of flavor, and the cooking wine gets rid of fishy smell (if any). Even though the weather was kind of warm, we finished all the soup. This is one of Alexander’s favorite soup as he loves crab. I didn’t have any green onion and cilantro for garnish otherwise the soup will look much prettier… anyway, it still tastes delicious!

Crab and Tofu Soup

Crab and Tofu Soup Recipe (serve 4-6 people)

Ingredients:
1 cup crab meat
1/2 box regular tofu
1 egg– beaten
chicken broth
1 tsp rice cooking wine (optional)
cornstarch water for thickening
scallion & cilantro for garnish

Method:

1. Dice tofu into small cubes. Lightly season with salt.
2. Add chicken broth to a pot and bring to a boil. Add tofu and let it boil again.
3. Add crab meat, stir to lightly loose up the crab meat. Add cooking wine if used. When the soup boils again gradually pour in cornstarch water while stirring. Add salt and pepper to taste. With the aid of a fork/spoon/chopstick, slowly swirl in the beaten egg to form “egg flower” on top of the soup, drizzle with some sesame oil. Garnish with scallion & cilantro.

Variation: add some shrimps and turn it into seafood tofu soup.

Stewed Chinese Mushrooms

am not a big fan of Chinese mushroom but this is really good. I learned it from a friend at a potluck party. Don’t let the name mislead you into thinking that this stew dish takes a long time to cook– it’s very simple and pretty quick as long as the mushrooms are soaked through.

Stewed Chinese Mushrooms

Stewed Chinese Mushrooms Recipe

Ingredients:
20-30 medium Chinese mushrooms — soaked overnight
1 clove garlic– finely chopped
1 can chicken broth
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar

seasoning:
3/4 tsp chicken bouillon powder
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sesame oil
(note: if you have oyster sauce feel free to add to the seasoning, adjust to taste)

Method:

1. Squeeze off excess liquid from mushroom and trim off the stems. Cut into 1/2, 1/3 or 1/4 size if desired.
2. Season the mushroom with the seasoning and mix well. Let it stand for at least 20 minutes.
3. Heat up a deep pan and fry garlic until aromatic but not burn. Add mushrooms and quick stir to prevent sticking.
4. Pour in chicken broth and let it boil. Turn heat down to medium, half cover, and cook until the sauce gets thicken. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Adjust seasoning to taste. Garnish with some blanched/steamed green vegetables i.e. broccoli, baby bok choy, mustard, lettuce etc… if desired for nicer presentation.

Almond (Ice Box) Cookies

Almond (Ice Box) Cookies

I learned this super easy quick cookies from my friend Angela. It has very few ingredients and no tools is needed other than your hands, which means you just clean the bowl afterwards– That’s IT!! Better yet, the dough can be made ahead of time and chilled until ready to bake (I tried chilling mine 2 days in the fridge but you can freeze it for a longer life). Although the look is not as fancy as cut-out cookies, but ice box cookies really save lots of time and none of the dough goes to waste! The flavor is rich, buttery and yet fluffy at the same time… what a perfect match with a cup of tea!  If I were having a tea party, this irresistible cookies is definitely on my menu.

Almond Cookies Recipe (makes 40 pcs)

Ingredients:
8 oz (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup ground almond (orig. recipe calls for 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Method:

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, add butter and vanilla extract. Use both hands to rub butter into flour mixture to form a dough (do not knead!). Shape the dough into cylinder, wrap up and chill in the fridge to harden. (This will make it easier to slice the cookie dough and also prevent the cookies from spreading out too much during baking. Alternatively you can use cookie cutter to cut out the dough).
   
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Unwrap cookie dough and slice into 1/4 inch thickness. (Feel free to brush egg wash or make impression on the top). Line on cookie tray and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until lightly brown. Leave cookies in tray for 2 minutes before transferring onto cooling rack. Store in air tight container.