John Wong Recipes

Ingredients:

1lb fresh green beans (washed with strings removed and ends trimmed)
1 garlic clove (minced)
2 cubes fermented beancurd
3 tablespoons water
vegetable oil (for frying)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Place beans into a vegetable steamer and place over boiling water. Cover and steam for 8 minutes. When finished drain and dump beans into cold water and drain once again.

Step 2: Add oil to the wok and add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add beans and sauté.

Step 3:  Combine 3 tablespoons of water with beancurd and sesame oil and mix well.

Step 4: Add mixture to beans and stir fry for 30 seconds to a couple minute.

Mustard Greens with Salty Egg Soup

This is not an everyday dish, because it takes a lot of prep and cooking time.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb of beef short ribs (about 6 pieces)
• 12 cups of water
• 1 small Korean radish (mu), about 1 lb.
• 1 small onion
• 8 cloves of peeled garlic (one head)
• 3 thin ginger slices
• 4-6 green onions
• Seasoning for broth (mushroom powder, salt, chicken bullion)

Directions:

• Soak ribs in cold water for about an hour to remove residual blood and bone fragments (traditionally soaked 8-10 hrs)
• Drain ribs, and blanch in boiling water for 10 minutes
• Strain the ribs in the sink, and wash each one thoroughly, removing any visible fat.  Clean the pot, too.
• Put clean ribs in the pot, and add radish, onion, garlic, ginger, and 12 cups water
• Boil over medium high heat, for 30 minutes to draw flavor from meat
• Cover and simmer for another 90 minutes.  After the first hour, remove and discard veggies;  except the radish.  Season broth to taste.
• Dice up the radish, as broth continues to simmer.
• When soup is done, ladle ribs and broth over diced radish.

Oregon Albacore is in season August through October and is available fresh and sushi grade at Flying Fish Co.

Ingredients:
– 1/4 cup light soy sauce
– 2 tbl sake
– 2 tbl seasoned rice vinegar
– 2 tbl sesame oil
– 1/3 cup sesame seeds
– some water if soy sauce is not light enough
– 6 oz. tuna steak
– Avocado oil, or other high smoke point oil

1. In small bowl, stir together soy sauce, sake, seasoned rice vinegar, and sesame oil.  Coat the tuna steaks in the mixture, and let sit for few minutes.
2. Spread sesame seeds on a plate.  Press the tuna into the seeds to coat.
3. Heat oil in heavy skillet until very hot (400°).  Place steaks in the pan, and sear for about 40 seconds on each side.
4. Serve with wasabi paste.

Steamed whole fish is the epitome of Cantonese cooking.  A perfectly steamed fish has flesh that is just cooked at the bone, moist and not dry (a 1 lb. rainbow trout is pictured above). Typically, whole fish are not served with the liquid in which it was steamed, which is fishy tasting, and any sauce is added at the end, after the fish has been cooked. In this classic preparation, the fish is topped with scallions and ginger, then doused with hot oil, which releases the flavor of the aromatics into the flesh of the fish.

INGREDIENTS

1 to 1.5 lb. whole fish (such as rock fish, rainbow trout, tilapia, etc.), cleaned with head and tail intact
2 by 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely julienned
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine (or sake)
1 scallion, white and light green parts only, julienned
1/2 cup canola (or avocado) oil — hot, about 400°F

PREPARATION

1. Rinse the fish in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Score the fish.  Place the fish on a heatproof plate that is both large enough to accommodate it (e.g., a 9″ glass pie plate in wok, or 12″ fish plate in microwave), bending the fish slightly if it is too long. Stuff half of the ginger inside the cavity of the fish and spread the remaining ginger on top of the fish.
2. Pour water into a wok and set a steamer in the wok. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the steamer. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Place the plate holding the fish in the steamer, cover, and steam for about 8 minutes, until the fish flakes easily when tested with the tip of a knife.
3. Alternatively, microwave the fish for about 3.5 minutes (1300 watt microwave);  under a “dome” to retain moisture.
4. While the fish is cooking, in a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, wine, and 1 tablespoon of water. Set aside.
5. When the fish is ready, carefully remove the plate from the steamer and pour off any accumulated liquid. Lay the scallion along the top of the fish.
6. Also, while the fish is cooking:  In a small sauté pan, heat the oil over high heat until it is very hot but not smoking (~400°). Remove the oil from the heat and pour it directly over the fish and scallion.  The oil should sizzle and pop.
7. Drizzle soy mixture over the fish and serve immediately. (The mixture should also be heated, for best result).
8. Reserve some scallion (and optionally cilantro) to garnish, as a final touch.

How to Prepare a Whole Fish

Most markets sell fish that have already been scaled and gutted. If a fish has not been cleaned, you can ask the fishmonger to clean and gut it for you. Fins can also be trimmed off because the fish is easier to serve without them. With a pair of scissors, cut off the fins from both sides of the fish, from the belly, and then the dorsal fins (the ones running along the back). Finally, trim the tail by cutting it into a V shape and score the fish.

Adapted from Ling Chen, and Vietnamese Home Cooking by Charles Phan.