Monday, January 22, 2007

盐水鸭


盐水鸭应该是南方的名肴,尤其是南京的盐水鸭最有名气。南京的盐水鸭当属夫子庙的名气最响当当,号称贡鸭。主要是因为当年慈禧每年都着人到这个地方采购五百只盐水鸭和板鸭,可见这里的鸭子有多好吃。
记得第一次吃盐水鸭还是在大学的一年暑假,我去安徽的好朋友家里去玩吃到的,想想距离现在大概有十三四年的时间了。因为我是在北方长大的,北方其实并没有吃鸭子的习惯,最多吃咸鸭蛋,所以第一次吃到盐水鸭很是觉得美味。而且那么大的鸭翅,吃起来很过瘾的。自那以后也就爱上了盐水鸭。后来一旦有机会,比如在南方风味的饭店里或者后来超市里也经常有卖的,我就绝对不会错过。但是从来没有想到自己来做。现如今,插队在偏远的美国,凡事都要自己动手才能丰衣足食,才动了自己作盐水鸭的念头。
说动手就动手,周末去国际商城买了一支中等大小的鸭子回来。平时做得比较多的是盐水鸡,想想应该差不多吧,顶多鸭子大一些,腌的久一些,煮的久一些罢了。不过觉得第一次做嘛,不敢肯定是否成功,而且两个人也吃不完太多,所以就从中间锯开,用半只做实验。洗干净放在一边控水。找一个炒锅,烧干,加入大量的花椒粒和盐,炒到花椒的香味出来并且盐已经变成了淡黄色,趁热把花椒盐一勺一勺的浇在鸭子的表皮和内腔上面。可以看到鸭子的表皮有一点变色,程度刚刚好。稍凉用手揉搓(最好带一次性的手套)。涂抹均匀后找一个大的容器或者塑料袋,封好,放在冰箱里面冷藏,两天。中间翻身一次。拿出来,用凉水冲洗干净表面的盐和花椒,否则太咸。这时,用适合大小的锅烧水,加入姜片葱段,水温热的时候,把鸭子加入进去。待水沸腾几分钟后,改小火煮40分钟,中间鸭子翻面一次。关火,取出鸭子放凉、斩段、码盘即可。
能够在这里吃到赝品盐水鸭也是不错了,连不爱吃鸭子的老公都赞很不错呢。就是有点咸,哈哈,喝啤酒刚刚好,干杯!

Friday, December 29, 2006

Kimchi


Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish. It is very popular in China, especially in Northeastern China. When I was young, I liked it very much. After I came here, I met a Korean friend named Moonjo. She gave me a chance to learn how to make kimchi. I learned it and wrote a recipe of it.


KIMCHI RECIPE

• A Chinese cabbage
• 1/4 cup Fish sauce (Kroger)
• 1/3-2/3 cup red pepper powder (Korean red pepper is the best, sold in CAM)
• 5 or 6 cloves of Garlic
• Ginger (1/3 garlic’s quantity)
• Half onion
• Half apple
• 1cup of salt


1. Cut the cabbage into 4 quarters. Salt the cabbage throughly. Stand for 2 hours.
2. Grate the ginger, garlic, onion and apple.
3. Mix the ginger, garlic, onion, apple, red pepper powder and fish sauce. The mixture is called kimchi sauce.
4. Wash the salted cabbage, and get rid of the water. Spread the kimchi sauce on the cabbage evenly. Put it into a container.
5. Stand half day at room temperature in summer or two days in winter or until it ferments slightly. It is ready to serve.
6. Move it into refrigerator. It can be kept for a long time.

Smoked neck soup

Smoked neck soup

This soup is a simple and delicious soup, it needs slow cooking though. It takes more than two hours. You should prepare a deep pot, then put smoked neck, kelp, some pieces of jigger, 4 cloves garlic and enough cool water into it. Stew it for about two hours, then add sweet corn. Continue stewing it for 20 mins. It is served with black pepper or white pepper.