Braised Okra with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

I seldom buy okra before I move to live in UK.  It is because it is quite expensive and sometimes it is not fresh. I am happy that I can always buy cheaper and fresh okra here. Okra is fast gaining a reputation as a so-called 'superfood' for people with or at risk of diabetes or cancer.  It contains potassium, vitamin B, vitamin C, folic acid and calcium.  Also it is low in calories and has high dietary fibre content.  I like it very much.

Yesterday I went shopping at Tesco and bought a bag.  It is very fresh and green.  Since I did not want to miss the train, I made a very simple and quick lunch.  It just took me six minutes to cook this yummy dish.

Preparation time: 3 minutes

Cooking time: 3 minutes

Serve: 1

Ingredients:

-         90g okra                                                            

-         1 tsp olive oil    

-         40ml water

-         1 tbsp wine

-         dried skipjack tuna flakes (optional)

Teriyaki Sauce:

-         1 tbsp soy sauce

-         1½ tbsp mirin

-         ½ tbsp brown sugar

Method:

1.	Clean and peel off the skin of the head of each okra.
2.	In a small mixing bowl, mix all ingredients well to prepare teriyaki sauce.  Set aside.
3.	Use a small knife to make some small cuts on each okra.
4.	Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat.
5.	Spread the okra evenly on the pan, add water and teriyaki sauce. Cover and simmer for 1 minute.
6.	Flip the okra to another side and add wine.  Reduce heat to low-medium.  Then cover and simmer for a further 1 minute.  Remove from heat.
7.	Sprinkle with dried skipjack tuna flakes on top of okra and ready to serve with rice.

Pan-fried Fish Fillet with fresh Orange Sauce

A lovely taste of Spring! The weather has become warmer and more pleasant since Monday.  Today it is a very beautiful day here. The sky is sparkly blue and clear; and the sun is shining all day.  There is nothing better than this.  I am lucky I have a wonderful morning walk with my cool neighbor.  We share cooking tips, funny travel stories and interesting adventures.  Both of us missed Japan very much, like bathing at onsen, seeing cherry blossoms and eating sea urchin sashimi at the street stalls. 

We also appreciate the beauty of nature in Spring. As we walk down to the pond, we see two beautiful swans and their babies are swimming leisurely.  When we stand silently watching them, we see two white-tailed deer coming down to get an early drink from the pond on the opposite side. We watch them for a little while, then we move on.    

I love Spring very much, it is the most beautiful time of the year. It is a rebirth of nature. Everywhere is clean and air is fresh.  I like the colorful wild flowers, the birds flitting around finding nesting places and the emerald green of the new leaves and grass. 

I feel relaxed and happy for the whole day after morning walk.  I want to have something fresh and healthy for dinner. I think orange is perfect for this season.  Then I make this wonderful dish in honour of Spring. 

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serve: 2

Ingredients:

-         220g fish fillet

-         ¼ tsp table salt

-         ½ tsp white wine

-         A pinch of white pepper

-         1 large orange (150ml orange juice)

-         ½ small orange

-         1 egg                                                          

-         2 tbsp plain flour

-         1½ tbsp corn flour

-         1 tbsp olive oil

-         1 tsp sugar

Thickening Sauce:

-         2 tsp corn flour

-         3 tsp water

Method:

1.	Rinse the fish fillet and pat dry with paper towels.  Thickly sliced the fish into 8 -10 pieces.
2.	Slice the large orange in half and remove the seeds. Use a plain juicer to coax all the juice out and keep the juice in a small mixing bowl.  Set aside.
3.	In a small mixing bowl, beat an egg together with a fork.  Set aside.
4.	Season the fish fillet with salt, wine and white pepper for 10 minutes. Put 1½ tbsp egg mixture and 1 tbsp corn flour into the fish and mix them well.
5.	In a medium mixing bowl, mix the plain flour and ½ tbsp corn flour well.  Dip each fillet into the flour mixture and completely coat each fillet with flour.
6.	Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.  Add olive oil and put the fillets on the frying pan.  Reduce to low-medium heat, Pan-fry each fillet for 3-4 minutes until lightly golden on the bottom and flip the fish to the other side.  Cook for another 3-4 minutes until lightly golden.  Remove from heat and put them on a plate.
7.	Cut half of the small orange into thin slices. Then cut each slice in half.  Arrange sliced oranges around the cooked fillets.
8.	Meanwhile, mix the corn flour and water in a small bowl.  Add them and sugar into the orange juice.  Stir thoroughly.
9.	Heat the juice mixture in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir constantly until thickened.  Remove from heat and toss the orange sauce on the fillets or serve it separately in a small plate, if you like.
10.	Ready to serve with rice.
	Tips:
i.	Be careful with the cooking time. It will vary depending on how thick the fish fillets are.  Allow extra time for cooking them through if they are thicker.
ii.	Keep a close eye on the heat of the frying pan.  It needs to be hot when the fish goes in.  Do not flip the fish many times
iii.	Add more oil in the pan if you like deep-frying the fillets. Remember to place the deep-fried fillets on a paper towel before serving.

Stir-fried Baby Pak Choi with minced garlic

This morning I went to apply for a dim sum course at London Chinese Community Centre.  The staff told me that the class is nearly full and there is only one place left. I am so lucky I can take the class on the coming Sunday. The centre is a good place for the elderly during the weekdays.  Most of them played mahjong, card games and Chinese chess.  A few of them kept chatting with each other. They looked very happy together.

Then I went shopping at Chinatown. I found the baby pak choi is very fresh in See Woo Supermarket, I bought two packs.  Also I bought soft tofu, pork ribs and some Chinese ingredients.  I made a bowl of fried rice and stir-fried a small plate of baby pak choi for my lunch.

Pak/bok Choi is a member of the cabbage family.  It has either white or green short, chunky stalks with glossy and deep green leaves. Its texture is crispy and its flavor is somewhere between mild cabbage and spinach.  I love baby Pak Choi very much.  I like stir-frying it with minced garlic.  If it is fresh, its flavor is excellent and wonderful crunchy. 

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Serve: 1

Ingredients:

-         100g baby pak choi (trimmed the base of pak choi)

-         2 garlic cloves (minced)                             

-         ½ shallot (minced)

-         ¼ tsp red pepper (finely sliced)

-         ½ tbsp olive oil       

-         100 ml water

-         a pinch of table salt
-    sesame oil (optional)

Method:

1.	Heat a non-stick wok with olive oil over medium heat.
2.	Add minced garlic and shallot in the wok and stir-fry for one minute.  Then toss in baby pak choi and stir-fry for another one minute. Pour in water and continue to stir-fry for a further two to three minutes until the leaves change to a bright dark green.
3.	In the meantime, add a pinch of table salt and red pepper, drizzle sesame oil (optional) and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
4.	Ready to serve.

Central London’s Chinese New Year Parade

Kung Hei Fat Choy!  Wish all of you have good fortune in the Year of Rooster.  This was the first time my family spent Chinese New Year in London.  We were so excited to watch the parade which was held in Chinatown, Central London last Saturday.  We woke up at 7:00 a.m. and arrived at Trafalgar Square at around 9:40 a.m.  The event kicked off at 10 a.m.  Many people arrived there earlier and waited to see the kick-off ceremony.  The parade commenced in Trafalgar Square and ended on Shaftesbury Avenue where is next to Chinatown. 

The parade was fantastic and colorful, it featured color floats, martial arts, lively dragons, lion dance, cultural dance troupes and folklore.  The lion dance performance was very amazing.  I saw a foreigner dressed up as the Lucky Money God.  He looked so funny and cute.  All performers dressed up in Chinese traditional costumes in the parade. A group of little girls, who played floral drums, were very lovely. The streets were crowded with spectators; most of them were busy with taking photos and videos. 

In addition, there were craft stalls and food stands open during the day.  People queued up in front of the Chinese bakeries to buy Chinese buns and pastries. Buns come with dozens of fillings. Cakes are stacked with cream and fruit and decorated with geometric frosting.  I love egg custard tarts, pineapple buns and sponge cake very much.  When they are fresh from the oven, they are light, mildly sweet and fluffy.  They are very yummy.  If you have time to walk around Chinatown in London, do not forget to buy one. 

The restaurants in Chinatown got crowded after the end of parade.  We were so lucky that we got a table at Lido restaurant without waiting for so long. We ordered some dim sum, like king prawns dumplings, deep fried scallop dumplings, with Kataifi pastry, deep fried dough stick cheung fun  and a dish of fried noodles.  The tastiest dish is deep fried scallop with Kataifi pastry.  They are so crispy and yummy.  After finishing our lunch, we walked around the craft stands and food stalls.  We bought some buns and souvenirs. We spent a very happy day there.