Hot and Sour Soup!

Hot and Sour Soup! Happy New Year! Since the first time I tasted hot and sour soup which was more than four decades ago, it is a soup if made right, fills the body and soul with all the right taste sensations. Living in BC the many versions that passed my lips has been numerous to say the least. I’m always on a quest to sample an Asian restaurants chef version. Recently I have found two soup makers in the same month that were absolutely worthy of high praise. First to make a good hot and sour soup it takes a dozen ingredients and flavor adding condiments to prepare...

Chinese Pot Sticker Dumplings:

Chinese Pot Sticker Dumplings: thekitchenman loves a good pot sticker wonton. Lots of restaurants serve up the frozen packaged variety. A good indication that a cook is worthy is by his pot sticker. On January 28th Chinese New Year many familys sit around a table and prepare the family celbration for good fortune. My favourite retaurant makes the dumplings that are so lite and tasty. Yum! I was shown this recipe by the chefs grandmother who for some 80 years made the family dumplings each day. Now that’s dedication. My chef friend and myself sat around a table and I...

Black Bean Prawn Stuffed Egg Plant.

Black Bean Prawn Stuffed Egg Plant. This is one of my favourite dim-sum items that sure hits all the right flavour notes. Very light and satisfying. The Asian tube eggplants are mush sweeter and very digestable. Give this a try.       The wild caught prawns at the Steveston Pier are fresh head on and alive. Find 150 grams of fresh peeled salad prawn meat and place it in a mixing bowl. Fine grate one large clove of garlic, one inch piece of ginger, and mince one spring onion and adding  to the prawns. Add a dash of tobasco, sesame oil, soya sauce and 1/2 tsp...

thekitchenman Seafood Chowder Penne.

Quick and simple dish that always pleases. The ingredients are what’s available in your fridge and pantry. I start my prep by cooking off some dry penne pasta noodles al dente. Rinse under cold tap water to chill and set aside. In this recipe dish I am using some tiny bay scallops, chunks of salmon belly meat, a nice chunk of cod fillet as the protein part. Use what ever seafood you wish. In a heavy duty sauté pan on med high heat I add ab…out 1 tbs. of olive oil 1/2 tsp. of minced garlic 2 tbs. of chopped onion and 1 tbs. of unsalted butter. Stir until they...

Iron Skillet T-Bone.

thekitchenman loves his iron skillet. Heated in the oven to 500 degrees it becomes a great way to grill a steak. Preheat the oven or if you have a fire place with some good fruit hardwood burning, do it there. Choose a well marbled portion of beef like this 550 gram angus t-bone. Because it is so well marbled I trimmed the fat cap. This will reduce splatter and reduce the fat residue pooling. Simply seasoned with kosher salt and ground pepper I place into a buttered skillet. Next I add a half onion and a firm hot house tomato cut in half. Seasoned again with just salt and...