Red Cooked Pork

Found original recipe here: http://www.redcook.net/2008/01/18/hong-shao-rou-red-cooked-pork/

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 lb. pork belly meat cut into two inch cubes
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 3 cloves of garlic peeled
* 1-2 whole star anise
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce (老抽)
* 1/4 cup rice wine (紹興酒)
* 1 1/2 cups water

Preparation:

* Melt the sugar with some water in a small pot over medium high heat. Continue heating until the sugar is slightly brown.
* Brown the cubed pork in the pot
* Add brown it with the caramelized sugar. About 8 minutes.
* Put the garlic, star anise,soy sauce, rice wine and clear stock into the pot. Cover the pot and simmer over low heat. Cook for about 40 minutes. Stir the meat every 10 minutes to make sure the bottom of the pot does not get burnt. Remove the cover and turn the heat to medium high. Cook the meat for another 10 minutes until the sauce reduces to a smooth consistency.
* This dish, like most stew dishes, is better if left overnight and reheated the next day.

Sweet Green Bean Soup

This is a popular Chinese summer time treat.

1.5 cup green beans (mung beans)
10 cups water.
5 T sugar.

Wash the beans.
Bring water to boil.
Add beans and simmer at low heat for 45 minutes or until bean is soft.
Add sugar and stir.

Can be served hot or cold.

Banana bread recipe

3 large or 4 regular size over ripe bananas
1.25 C sugar

0.5 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla

1.5 C all purpose flour
0.5 tsp kosher salt
1.5 tsp baking soda
0.5 C chopped toasted walnut (optional)

1. Preheat 325. 9"x5"x3" loaf pan.
2. Melt butter then let slightly cool.
3. Whip bananas and sugar in mixer.
4. Mix butter, eggs, vanilla together.
5. Mix flour, salt, baking soda, nuts
6. Whip (4) well and scrape down sides of bowl.
7. Add (5) to bowl and mix
8. Pour into pan and bake for ~1 hour.

(muffin pan: 16-20 mins)
(4 small loaf: ~20mins)

Chinese Tea Eggs

Ingredients:

8-12 eggs
1/2 cup light soy sauce
2 t salt
4 piece star anise
black tea (usually just get a black tea bag)

Method:

Cover eggs with enough water to cover. Bring water to boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove eggs and roll in towel to crack shells.
Return eggs to water, add soy sauce, salt and star anise.
Simmer for 3+ hours.

(This is how I cook it, but I've seen recipes that add 1 stick of cinnamon stick and some sugar.)

Chinese Sticky Rice (油飯)

Classic comfort food from Taiwan.

Ingredients:

3 cups of long grain sweet rice (sticky rice)
2 chinese (non-sweet) sausage
5 pc. dried mushrooms
1/2 cup dried shrimp
1/2 cup fried shallots
3 T light soy sauce
1 T brown sugar
2 T sesame/cooking oil

Preparation:

Soak mushroom in 1 cup hot water until soft.
Soak shrimp in 1/2 cup water.
Cook rice in rice cooker with 1.5 cup of water.
Chop mushroom into small strips.
Chop sausage into small pieces.
Mix soy sauce and brown sugar.

Method:

Stir fry shallot in oil briefly.
Add sausage.
Add mushroom without water to shallot (keep water for later).
Add dry shrimp without water.
Add water from mushroom and shrimp and bring to boil.
Add soy sauce and brown sugar.
Add sweet rice and mix together.