Mobile Cooking School (無比烹飪學校) Chinese Recipes – back from 1966 by Miss Tam Kwok Mui (譚國梅)

Please check out these recipes!  They are some of the most original and oldest Chinese recipes from Miss Tam Kwok Mui (譚國梅).  Some of recipes don’t exist any more due to method changes or lack of cooking ingredients.  I have kept these recipes for 45 years and it is my honor and privilege to share it with all of you in a PDF file.  These recipes are the foundation of my Chinese cooking knowledge.  Please feel free to download them and let me know how it works!

Mobile Cooking School Chinese Recipes

Chinese Stir Fry Recipe with Garlic Shoots and Tofu

This is the basis and the mother of all Chinese stir fry. Simple, fresh ingredients, fast, and tasty. You don’t have to use the exact ingredients — you can pick any vegetables, meat, tofu, etc. and employ the same technique. In this post, I will teach you the philosophy behind making the best stir fry and how to make your stir fry the most presentable using “colour, smell, and taste.”

“Colour, smell, and taste” are Cantonese cooking principles. To make a truly successful dish in any Cantonese cooking, you will have to fulfill these three criteria. The total time to make this dish is less than 30 minutes, with actual cooking time under 10 minutes. Click to read further:

Braised Chinese Mushroom Recipe with Dried Scallops and Fresh Bean Curd

This is a very healthy and tasty meal, which represents a traditional Chinese way of cooking. The current North American diet is very fatty and loaded with calories — the basis of our current health problems (hypertension, diabetes). This dish has low caloric content, no saturated fats or cholesterol, and is high in fibre (thanks to vegetables) and protein (thanks to bean curd). Often we think of healthy recipes as bland or dry with no taste — following this method, you will see how to add tons of flavour while still eating very healthy and enjoying a savoury meal.

Chinese dried mushrooms are very hearty and restaurants often charge an arm and a leg for ordering this dish; however, it’s so simple and easy to make — it requires no special tools or expertise.

Click to learn how to make this delicious dish!

Yukon Potato Pancake with blacken garlic

Potato Pancake

This is my daughter’s flavour potato recipe…..crunchy with blacken garlic outside but soft and juicy inside.   It takes a little time to make it but it worth the time you spend…..kids would love it!!

4 large Yukon Gold potato

2 cloves of chopped garlic

Pinch of Kosher salt

Use a food processor to julienne the potato.  Heat up a thick bottom frying pan under high heat and pour 4 table spoons of vegetable oil to season the pan.  If you do it properly, it’ll turn into a non-stick pan.  As a rule of thumb, I don’t use a taflon coated pan because of the potential health hazard.  Turn the heat to medium and pour 1/8 cup of extra virgin oil.  Transfer the julienned potato to the pan and spread it evenly.  Sprinke the chopped garlic all over and just let it sit there under medium heat for about 10-15 minutes or until you can see the edge turning crusty.  Use a silicone spatula to lo0sen the edge and get ready for the “BIG FLIP”.  If you can flip a pancake on Sunday, you can flip this big potato in front you!  After you flip it sucessfully, sprinkle a pinch of Kosher salt all over and let it cook for another 10-15 minutes.  Cut it to six pieces just like cutting a pizza.  Serve with mayonnaise or ketchup.

How to make beef, chicken or vegetable stock

Stock is a very important part of cooking because it’ll enhance the taste of a dish, sauce or soup.  I usually make a big pot and use smaller containers to store it in my freezer for future use.   I don’t put any salt in my stock so you can adjust the taste during your cooking process.

Ingredients: 

Beef neck or hip bone (with cartilage and meat attach to it)                       10 lbs

ask your butcher to cut it up to big pieces

Meat from Chuck or blade (big pieces)                                                                     4 lbs

Aromatic vegetables:

Garlic                                                                                                                                ½ cloves

Sweet onion                                                                                                                   1x

Leek                                                                                                                                  1x

Carrot                                                                                                                               2x

Red pepper                                                                                                                     1x

Fennel                                                                                                                               1x

Shallot                                                                                                                               6x

Italian parsley                                                                                                               1 bunch

Celery                                                                                                                                4 stocks

Bouquet Garni                                                                                                            2 bunches

Bouquet Garni is a bouquet of cooking herbs : thyme, oregano, savory, enveloped with bay leaves and attached by a small string.

You can buy from O & CO through mail order or from their retail locations.

http://www.oliviersandco.com/FO/

Pre heat oven to 450ºF and roast the bone and meat for an hour or until brown.  Take it out and let it cool off for a few minutes.

Under high heat on the stove, use a big pot (20 liters) & pour ½ cup of olive oil in it.  Cut up all the above vegetables and put it in the pot.  Gently stir it constantly until it begins to caramelize (natural sugar from vegetable turn brown and becomes sweet).  Use ¾ bottle of red wine to deglaze (a process using a liquid to remove cooked-on residue from a pan/pot).  When you can smell the alcohol is no longer in the liquid, pour about 15 liters of water in the pot.  This procedure would add intense flavor to the stock.  When you see the water is boiling, put it beef bones and meat to the liquid and turn heat down to medium low.  Let it simmer for at least six hours under low heat.  Skim all the fat from the surface and use a colander to filter out everything and drain the liquid to another container.  After the stock is completely cool off, transfer it to smaller boxes for storage in freezer. 

For Chicken stock: 

Replace beef with two to three stewing hens (each one should weight about three to four lbs)  and a white win to deglaze and follow the same procedure through out. 

For vegetable stock: 

Just triple the amount vegetable and use a white wine to deglaze.   

Note:  Please feel free not to use any wines to deglaze if you are a religious person or having wine allergy.

Japanese Kabocha Squash Soup, Seasoned with White Truffle Oil

Japanese Kabocha Squash

Japanese Kabocha is a winter Squash found in many parts of the world, especially in Asia.  Today many of the Kabocha in the market are of the type called Kuri kabocha, which was created based on Seiyo kabocha (buttercup squash). It’s popular for its strong yet sweet flavor and moist, fluffy texture, which is like chestnuts.  It has an exceptional naturally sweet flavor, even sweeter than butter squash. It is similar in texture and flavor to a pumpkin and sweet potato.  Kabocha is available all year round but is best in late summer and early fall.  It is ideal and suitable for winter time as a comfort food item.

Ingredient:

Kabocha squash                           x1 (about four lbs)

Soffritti                                            ¾  cup (For this recipe, I like to use sweet onion, shallot, garlic, carrot, celery, and leek.  For details please go to my Scallop with sauté vegetable recipe.)

http://eddyskitchen.wordpress.com/seafood/

Kosher salt                                       ½ table spoon

Extra virgin olive oil                    2 table spoon

Chicken stock (unsalted)             six cups

Heavy cream                                    ¼ cup (optional)

White truffle oil                               ¼ tea spoon

 Cooking method:

Cut up the squash in four quarters.  Take out the seeds and use a heavy knife to cut the outer skin.  The skin is very tough so be very careful with your fingers.  Cut up the squash into smaller pieces and use a bowl to toss it with kosher salt and olive oil.  Place it on a cookie try and bake it in 375ºF for 45 minutes.  Take it out and let it cool off for about ten minutes.

Pour the chicken stock a cup at a time to a blender.  Transfer about ¼ of the cooked squash and soffritti to the blender.  Use high speed to liquefy everything and repeat the same procedure until all the squash turn into thick soup.  Pour the soup into a pot and cook it gently with constant stirring to avoid burning.  Drip a few drops of white truffle oil and heavy cream on top of the soup before severing for more intense flavor.

Vegetarian Lasagna

It is very easy to make vegetarian lasagna with some basic vegetables.  The trick is to blend the flavor of different vegetables mix together so young children can’t tell they are eating something really healthy.  This is what I do:

 Making of  “Soffritto” – please see my seafood page under scallop section. 

 In addition to the basic carrot, celery, onion, red pepper, shallot, garlic and sweet potato, I even dice up some cauliflower, broccoli and some Shiitake mushroom.  Because I am using the Soffritto instead of ground beef so I want my Soffritto finely dice – just enough to give it a little texture but children can’t tell the difference that they are not eating beef

Also cut up a bunch of spinach and use extra virgin olive oil to cook it down to ½ cup. 

Tomato sauce – ½ cup:  Please see my Eddy’s killer tomato sauce for cooking details.

Nicoise olive                                                                     10 pieces (cut to half)

Cheeses: 

Ricotta cheese                                                                   200 gm

Shredded mozzarella cheese                                       250 gm

Goat feta cheese                                                                150 gm

Shredded Medium cheddar cheese                           150 gm

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano                     100 gm

Method: 

Put 9 stripes of lasagna (to make three layers) in a big pot of boiling water, add some salt. Keep stirring from time to time to prevent pasta from sticking together. 

First layer –

Grease the baking pan and line the first three stripes of lasagna on the bottom and brush the first layer with tomato sauce.  Add ½ the ricotta cheese and spread it out.  Add 1/2 the olive. Layer spinach evenly on top of the cheese and add ½ of the cheddar cheese on top the spinach. Spread ½ of the Soffritto on top and cover it with three stripes of lasagna.   

Second layer -

Brush some more tomato sauce on top of the second layer; add the rest of the ricotta cheese, spread the left over Soffritto , add ¼ of Shredded mozzarella cheese and the rest of the cheddar cheese on top.  Add the other half of the olive.  Put in all the goat feta before cover it with another three stripes of lasagna. 

Top layer -

Brush the left over tomato sauce on the top layer and cover it with tin foil.  Place the lasagna in a pre-heated 375ºF oven for 40 minutes.  Take it out and turn the oven temperature up to 425ºF.  Put all the Parmigiano-Reggiano on the top layer and cover it with the rest of the mozzarella cheese.  Return the baking pan to the top shelf of the oven for final browning.  Take the lasagna out once you see the cheese has a light brown color and melted.  The self cooking should give the top a darker color in a few minutes.  Let it cool for five ten minutes before severing.  It is a lot easier to cut into portion after ten minutes.

Baby Spinach with Organic Spring Mix Salad, Danish Blue Cheese with Sliced Fuji Apples, Spiced Caramelized Pecans and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese croutons

  

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese croutons

Caramelized Pecans

 

Ingredients  

• 1 apple, chilled
• 1 small lemon, juiced
• 8 ounces spinach, washed, thoroughly dried, and stemmed
• 4 ounces organic mix green
• 2 ounces Italian Arugula 
• 2 ounces white mushroom (thin slice) 
• 1/8 cup dry cranraisin (cranberry and raisin mix) 
• 2 hard boil eggs 
• pine nut 
• 6 ounces Danish blue cheese, crumbled
• 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup Eddy special Vinaigrette  Dressing, recipe follows
• 1 1/2 cups Spiced Caramelized Pecans, recipe follows

Directions  

Cut the apple into quarters, remove the stem and the seeds, and cut into very thin slices. Sprinkle lemon juice over the slices and set aside.  

When ready to serve, in a salad bowl, combine the apple, spinach, mix green, Arugula. Season lightly with salt and pepper and toss with the dressing. Adjust seasoning, to taste. Sprinkle blue cheese, pine nut, cranraisin, mushroom, goat cheese, and blue cheese on top of salad.  

To serve, divide the salad among 4 plates and sprinkle the pecans around each salad.  

Eddy’s special Vinaigrette Dressing:  

• 1 large shallots, minced (1 heaping tablespoon)
• 1 large garlic, minced ( 1 heaping tablespoon)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons of Canadian Maple syrup 
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the shallots, garlic and the mustard. Whisk in the vinegars, and then the olive and vegetable oils. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until needed.  

Yield: 1 1/4 cups  

Spiced Caramelized Pecans:  

• 3 cups peanut oil
• 2 cups pecan halves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar

In a deep-fryer or a deep pot, heat the oil to 350 degrees F. (A deep-frying thermometer can be clipped to the side of the pan so that you can tell when the proper temperature has been reached).  

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the pecans and boil for 2 minutes. Drain in a large strainer, shaking off all excess water. Sprinkle the salt and cayenne pepper over the nuts and then coat with the confectioners’ sugar, a little at a time, allowing the sugar to melt into the pecans. Toss the nuts by shaking the strainer, adding a little more sugar each time, until all the sugar is used and all the nuts are coated. Do not use hands or a spoon to toss. The nuts should have a glaze of sugar.  

Carefully add the nuts to the heated oil, keeping the oil at 350 degrees F. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon to a baking tray to cool.  

Yield: 2 cups  

Cheese Croutons:

Thick cut French or white bread                                                 1 loaf  

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (grated)                                      ¼ cup  

Garlic salt                                                                                              1 tbs  

Extra virgin olive oil                                                                         ¼ cup  

Method: 

Cut bread into thick cubes and place in a big bowl, pour olive over it and toss it quickly.  Sprinkle cheese and garlic salt on top and mix thoroughly.   Spread bread cubes evenly on a cookie tray (single layer) and put it in a pre-heated 350ºF oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Take it out and let it cool off before storing croutons in a container.  

Note:

Don’t wait till the color is right when baking the croutons in the oven. The heat from self-cooking will make the croutons darker.  

Eddy’s Special Killer Tomato Sauce

 

Eddy’s Special Killer Tomato Sauce:

20 x Roma tomato
1 bunch fresh basil leave – about 25 leaves
4 x Shallots
1x sweet Walla Walla onion
10 x cloves of garlic
Extra Virgin oil

2 x cookie trays

Roughly chop up fresh basil, shallot, garlic, and onion and spread it evenly on cookie trays. Cut tomato to halve and place it face up on top of the onion/shallot/basil/shallot mixture. Dash a generous amount of extra virgin oil all over the tomato and sprinkle sea salt and fresh crack black pepper on top.

Pre-heat oven to 375 F0 and bake the tomato for 90 minutes. After the trays are cool of, scrap the content from one tray to a food processor and blend it to a sauce. Repeat the same procedure with the second tray. Drain the sauce to a medium size pot and simmer it for alt least three hours under low heat. (this procedure can further reduce the acidity of the tomato) Leave it on the stove top over night (without opening the top) and simmer it again the next day for another two hours.

Now the sauce is ready for your pasta or you can make it into meat sauce or meat ball recipe.

Italian meat ball with tomato sauce:

½ LB ground beef
½ LB ground pork
½ LB ground veal
½ cup fine bread crumb
1 tea spoon of sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
1/8 cup of fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano
½ tea spoon of mince garlic
¼ cup of water

Mix the above ingredients well in a bowl and use your palm to make a slightly flatten meat ball. (don’t make it too perfectly round as you can’t brown it properly).

Heat up a medium size cooking pot (well seasoned) and pour small amount of vegetable oil in it. Brown both side of meat ball and pour your pre-made tomato sauce in it and simmer it under low heat for about four hours.

Prepare you favour pasta and pour sauce with meat ball on top. Sprinkle fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top and serve with some good quality fresh bread.

Caesar Salad with Pancetta

Serves 8:

Fresh juice from one lemon

Six anchovy filets (mashed)

1 egg yolk

Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese (freshly grated)

Worcestershire sauce (few drops)

Freshly grounded black pepper

1 tablespoon of freshly minced garlic

2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

Three romaine lettuce

Pinch of sea salt

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Optional: grill ten pieces of pancetta (Italian roll bacon) and place on top of salad.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire, mustard, and anchovies. Slowly whisk in the oils to emulsify. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mix 3/4 of cheese in dressing. Place the lettuce in a large bowl. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing and toss well. Sprinkle with more cheese and black pepper Sprinkle top with croutons. 

Left over dressing can be stored in fridge for two weeks.