John Wong Recipes

Winter melon soup is a soothing and comforting dish. Winter melons are grown in summer and harvested in late summer through early winter, making this a great summer/fall transition recipe!

There’s also a famous Chinese pastry—called “wife cakes”, or lao po bing (老婆饼)—with winter melon in the filling. Like other common Chinese pastry fillings (lotus seed paste, red bean paste, taro, etc.), if you cook down winter melon and add sugar, it makes an excellent sweet treat.

Winter melon can grow into a very big fruit, measuring over 15 inches in diameter and weighing in excess of thirty pounds. At the supermarket, you’re most likely to see them sold by the slice due to their extreme size. Although it’s called winter melon, it’s actually a summer vegetable. It is a type of fruit, but when mature, the fresh melon doesn’t taste sweet. It is mildly flavored, and has a similar texture to that of a watermelon. It’s typically used for cooking savory dishes, including soups and stews, with other flavorful spices. The white fresh part will turn very soft and absorb flavor easily as it’s cooked.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (2-lb) wedge of winter melon (e.g. from Chang Fa, Food Depot)
• 2 dried black shiitake mushrooms
• Dried shrimp (about 1.5 tbsp)
• Stalk of dried tofu (optional)
• Wood ear fungus (optional)
• About 1 pint of chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp mushroom powder
• 3-4 pieces sliced ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Soak mushrooms, dried shrimp, tofu sticks, & wood ear fungus for couple hours
2. Cut winter melon into 1/2 inch slices, making bite size pieces, removing rind
3. Put melon into pot, cover with water, and boil about 15 minutes until tender
4. Pour off excess water
5. Add chicken broth, dried mushrooms, dried shrimp, mushroom powder, sliced ginger, water from soaking mushrooms, salt, and white pepper
6. Simmer for about 20 minutes, adjust seasoning for taste
7. Garnish with green onions or cilantro if desired

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Tablespoons (50g) of coffee beans (e.g. Peet’s Big Bang)
• Water, 650ml (1:13 coffee to water ratio, according to Hario)
• Makes 2-3 cups of delicious cold brew coffee

DIRECTIONS

1. Grind coffee beans (coarse grind for cold brew)
2. Place ground coffee in Hario Cold Brew basket
3. Fill brewer with water
4. Brew 12 hours at room temperature
5. Place brewer in the fridge to serve cold
6. Hint: bottom of brewing basket screws off for easy cleaning

See: https://www.brewcoffeehome.com/hario-mizudashi-cold-brew/

Easy to make, and can last up to 6 weeks. When you’ve finished the beets, the brine can be brought back to a boil and reused. Or, use it to marinate hard boiled eggs. This recipe uses a 1 quart jar.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large beets (~11 in. circumferance)
• 1 cup cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground mustard
• 5 whole peppercorn
• Onion (optional)
• Garlic (optional)
• Cinnamon stick (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook beets in Instant Pot for 25 minutes high, 15 minutes natural release.
2. Cool, peel, and slice the beets.
3. Bring vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and mustard to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Take off heat to cool.
4. Add peppercorns and beets to clean glass jar. Pour the brine in, covering the beets.
5. Cover and set aside for several hours (up to 24), then transfer to refrigerator.
6. Serve after two days.

INGREDIENTS

• 6.5 to 7 oz. water (room temp – 70 to 80℉)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 2 cups (250 grams) bread flour
• 1.5 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 to 2 tablespoon coarse salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Measure water into bread pan
2. Stir salt and sugar into water
3. Add flour
4. Put dry yeast on top of flour
5. Select “Dough” setting, press “start”
6. When unit indicates about 0:30, press stop (otherwise, will rise too much)
7. Pre-heat oven to 450℉. Divide dough into 6-12 pieces and form pretzel.
8. Place on baking pan with parchment paper.
9. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with coarse salt.
10. Bake about 12 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes (to brown the top).

Millet congee is a good change of pace to steel cut oatmeal for breakfast; and the rice cooker is an easy way to make.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 “rice cooker cup” of millet
• Water
• 1/3 of a sweet potato, cubed (or savory ingredients like wood ear fungus, goji berries, etc.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Put 1/2 (rice cooker measuring) cup of millet into rice cooker bowl
2. Fill water to 1.5 mark on the Steel Cut Oatmeal mark on Zojirushi rice cooker
3. Add sweet potato (or sweet/savory ingredients like wood ear fungus, goji berries)
4. Let soak overnight
5. Set timer to have congee ready for breakfast