Food in Beijing, China

I have not doing any cooking for few week during my trip to Beijing, China. There are some many kinds of delicious food and wanted to eat every dish that I saw. Always make me wondering why the Chinese people who live there don't get fat with all those delicious meals? I have to put myself on a diet after my trip...haha...

The vegetables, fruits, nuts, spices, and food at the farmer's market are SO fresh! If I would live there, I will not put them in the refrigerator, just stop by the market daily to enjoy the freshness.

Homemade Sandwich Bread

Why buy bread from the store and you can simply make a fresh loaf of bread at home? You may already have all ingredients at home. Toast the slices bread, then make your own delicious sandwich your way.

Ingredients for the Bread:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cups luke warm milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. active yeast
• pinch of salt

Make it: I use a stand mixer to make the dough and so easy.

1. Mix milk and sugar in the mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast over the milk and about few minutes. Add flour and salt, mix with the dough attachment on low. After flour mixture form into a smooth dough, cover and place on a warm place in kitchen. Let the dough double the size.
2. Punch down the dough and knead to a loaf shape. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking oil. Place the dough in the pan and rest for another 20 minutes with cover. Brush some butter on the top.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the pan to cool.

After the bread is cool, slice it and make your own sandwich.

I like use salad dressing to coat the lettuce first, then spread mayo on both sides of the bread, add lunch meat and marinated roasted red bell pepper...yummy and fresh!

 

Oreo Pudding Cheesecakes

For this recipe, I add Oreo Pudding in the basic cheesecake recipe. It is light and fluffy.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Oreo cookie crumb (crush about 12 Oreo cookies with a food processor)
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 box of Jello Oreo Pudding
• 1/2 cup milk

Make it:

1. Spray 6 mini foil loaf pans with non-stick cooking oil. Place 3 mini pan in a 9x13 baking pan. other 3 in another 9x13 pan.
2. Mix cookie crumb with melted butter and press on the bottom of each mini loaf pan. About 2 Tbsp. in each pan.
3. Cream sugar and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl with a standing mixer or an electric mixer. Then, add one egg at a time and 3 eggs are will blend. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and Oreo pudding mix until blend. Slowly add 1/2 cup milk, continue to beat until well blend and fluffy. Evenly pour the filling to each mini loaf pan.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add 1 cup of water into each 9x13 pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool before top with chocolate mousse toppings. Chill in the refrigerator until toppings set. Sprinkle with coco powder.

Here is how to do the "water bath" easy way:

White Chocolate Cheesecake with Blueberry Bottom

Like making any other cheesecake, it takes time to make a GOOD one, but it worth it! Place fresh or frozen blueberries on the bottom, it makes this cheesecake with soft and juicy crust. Serve with some sliced almonds and give you some crunch for each yummy bites...enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of crushed cookie crumb (any kind you like, crush with a food processor)
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 cups blueberries, enough to cover the bottom of baking pan
• 4 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1 bag white chocolate chips, about 2 cups.
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Make it...

1. Place a parchment paper on the bottom of 9-inch spring form baking pan, lightly brush oil or butter on the side of the pan.
2. Combine cookie crumb and 2 Tbsp. butter in a small mixing bowl, then press them down with a spoon on the bottom of the prepared pan. Chill in the refrigerator while preparing filling.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and cream cheese together with a stand mixer. Then mix in vanilla and lemon juice. Add one egg at a time, beat until blend, then add another egg. After all eggs well beat and blended, add sour cream and flour, mix few minutes until well blend and fluffy.
4. Crush 1 cup white chocolate chips with a food processor, and mix in cheesecake mixture.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven.
6. Take the pan out of the refrigerator, place the blueberries on the top of the cookie crust. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the blueberries. Place it on the middle rack of the oven.
7. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven until cool completely.
8. Place other 1 cup of white chocolate chips with 1/2 cup heavy cream in a microwave. Heat 1-2 minutes until melted. Pour over cheesecake and place in the refrigerator for at least overnight, until set firmly before cut into slices.

Captain Crunch Cookies

This cracked and cakey cookies are easy to make. I put this recipe together just because I had some leftover ingredients from previous baking, and want to clean up my cabinet. But they turn out really good! I can't help it to have more than one cookie...

 

Simple ingredients:

• 1 stick butter (about 1/2 cup), at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. lemon juice (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups Captain Crunch cereal, crash with small food processor
• 1 1/2 cups ground almond meal
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup raisin, or cranberries (optional)

Easy to make:

1. Cream the butter and sugar with a stand mixer, then add egg and vanilla, blend well.
2. Add the rest of all dry ingredients in the wet mixture and mix well.
3. Roll the dough with hands into balls, about 1 Tbsp. size. Place on cookie sheet with lined parchment paper 1-inch apart. They should be easy to roll into balls without stick on your hands.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly brown. Remove from oven, cool until you can touch with your hands, but still warm. Coat warm cookies with powdered sugar.

Quinoa Stir Fry

Quinoa is considered a superfood. Protein content is very high (14% by mass), yet not as high as most beans and legumes. Nutritional evaluations of quinoa indicate that it is a source of complete protein. Furthermore, it is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is also a source of calcium, and thus is useful for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.

You will need...

• 1 cup Quinoa
• 1 cup water

Cook Quinoa with 1 cup of water in a rice cooker. Set aside when it's cooked.

In a non-stick wok or medium saucepan, drizzle some cooking oil on the bottom of the pan on medium-high heat. Stir fry any choice of chopped meat and chopped vegetables as you prefer, such as chicken breast, broccoli, carrot, soy beans, peas, cabbage, celery, bell pepper, etc. Mix in cooked Quinoa. Stir fry just like when you make Chinese style fried rice. Add seasonings, such as salt, ground pepper, soy sauce, seasoning all, sazon (if you like Spanish rice color), garlic powder, etc. Drizzle some sesame oil when it is done.

Neiman Marcus Cookies

I found this delicious cookie recipe on Pinterest.com and reduce the original recipe in half for smaller batch. Just happened that I have all the ingredients at home from previous baking. They are great for school bake sales or office parties, etc.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, soften
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 cups blend oatmeal (no sugar added)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 12 oz. chocolate chips
• 4 oz. Hershey bar, grated
• 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

Easy to make:

1. Cream butter and both sugars, then add eggs and vanilla. Blend well.
2. In another bowl, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Pour into wet mixture and mix well.
3. Fold in chocolate chips, grated chocolate and chopped nuts.
4. Scoop and roll into balls. Place 1 inch apart on cookies sheets.
5. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on a cooking rack.

Healthy Tofu Stir Fry 素炒三丝

The combinations of food are important for your daily healthy. When you combine tofu, celery and carrot together, you will get a super healthy dish that rich in vitamin A, C, K, protein and help to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol. Use the organic celery or Chinese celery for tender and tasty dish. Don't have to measure everything and just put the amount as you perfer and to your taste.

Simple ingredients:

• Chinese Celery, cut into 1-inch long
• 1-2 carrots, sliced
• 1/2-1 cube of firm tofu, or extra firm tofu, sliced
• 1-2 olive oil
• pinch of salt
• sesame oil to drizzle

Easy to make:
Place enough oilve oil on the bottom of a wok and warm on medium-high heat. Add sliced tofu and brown both sides. Then stir in celery and carrots, cook until celery just turn soft. Sprinkle pinch of salt and drizzle some sesame oil, stir to mix and remove from the heat. Don't over cook if you like the vegetables crunchy.

Goji Cabbage 枸杞炒白菜

This simple diet dish is delicious! Eating cabbage could help you shred up to 1 pound of fat per day. If you want to lose 3 lbs in a week, start with eating head cabbage every meal before eating other dish. If you want to lose 5 lbs. in a week, eat cabbage only for every meal. You may use cabbage to make soup, stir fry, salad, steam, or cook with crock pot. I discovered this recipe from my Mom-the BEST cooker in my world- and I never get tired of eating it.

Simple ingredients:

• 1/2 Chinese round cabbage, cut into bite sizes
• 2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• some Goji, soak in water until soft
• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil - MUST have to make this dish delicious!
• pinch of salt

Easy to make:
In a large wok, drizzle olive oil on the bottom, then add cabbage, mushroom and goji, cook on medium-high heat. Add some water(about 1 Tbsp. at a time) if getting dry. Stir fry until the cabbage just turn soft. sprinkle pinch of salt to your taste, and drizzle sesame oil at end...hmmm...smell so good and taste so tender!

Note: You may purchase the Chinese head cabbage in Chinese grocery stores. They are more tender than American head cabbage. You may also use organic cabbage. Goji from Asian stores are very hard and take longer to soak. But the Goji that I bought from the Whole Food supermarket is softer, they can even eat as is, taste a little sweet and they are good for your eyes.

Some benefits for Goji:
Goji berries have been used for 6,000 years by herbalists in China and India to:

• protect the liver
• help eyesight
• improve sexual function and fertility
• strengthen the legs
• boost immune function
• improve circulation
• promote longevity
• rich in antioxidants

You may google more information on the websites.

Chestnut Balls 香栗酥

I saw these ideas from a Chinese food website. The variation of the fillings are not limited to chestnut, you may use peanut butter balls, meat balls (as shown in one of my pictures below), or any other nutty balls.You can also make different shapes...it is fun!

Simple ingredients:

• 1 box Pie crust (normally including 2 sheets), defrosted
• 1 package Roasted chestnuts without shells(can be purchased in Asian grocery stores)
• 1/4 cup sugar (white or brown; add more if you like sweeter)
• 1 egg for coating

Easy to make:

• Crush the chestnuts in a food processor, add sugar and blend together with the same food processor. The mixture should be soft enough to roll into balls (1 Tbsp. size).
• Cut the pie crust into stripes (about 3-inches long and 1/2-inch wide). Use 8 stripes to make one ball as shown in the pictures below.

See more how-to pictures on sbar.com.cn

• Place the balls on a cookie sheet and brush with the egg. Bake at 350 F degrees for 25 minutes.

Easy Berry Dump Cake

No kidding! This cake doesn't need any electric mixer or whisker to mix, not even mixing bowl, my hands not even get messy. Just dump everything in a baking pan and bake it! It turns out SO yummy...specially with a scoop of ice cream...hmmmm...feel like in a dessert heaven!

Simple ingredients:

• 1 box of classic yellow cake mix (or white cake mix)
• 1 bag of frozen mixed Berries (about 12 oz.)
• 1 stick butter (about 1/4 cup)

Easy to make:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Lightly spray no-stick cooking oil over a 9x13 baking pan.
2. Sprinkle some cake mix on the bottom pan with a thin layer. Spread frozen berries all over the pan. Then evenly dump the rest of the cake mix all over the mix berries.
3. Cut butter in to small pieces and spread over the cake mix, place in the preheated oven.
4. Bake 40-50 minutes until the top turns golden brown.

Optional: drizzle some honey or caramel while it's hot to give little more flavor.
You may also use apple, pineapple, cherry, peach or other your favorite fruit for this cake. I like Berries because they are rich with Antioxidants.

Roasted Cauliflowers

Here is another easy making recipe, healthy and tasty too! I didn't measure all seasonings with spoons, just sprinkle, drizzle and shake! Have Fun.

Simple ingredients:

• 1 large Cauliflower, cut them into the big bite sizes
• olive oil, not much but just enough to drizzle
• Sazon Tropical seasoning
• Salt and ground pepper
• Garlic powder

Easy to make:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredient above together. Shake, flip and mix well. Set aside for 15-20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Line a foil paper on a cookie sheet (for easy clean), or just lightly spray with no-stick cooking oil. Spread seasoned cauliflowers on the pan, bake for 20 minutes. Turn the cauliflower once, then broil for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.

Note: when broiling, don't walk away from the oven. Check often so won't burn the cauliflowers.

Eggplant Parmesan with Garlic Peanut Sauce

There are many eggplant Parmesan recipes. This garlic peanut sauce makes this recipe different than the others...it is one of the East-meet-West style and delicious! Garlic and eggplant are great food combination and it will make your eggplant dish tasty and little spicy.

Simple ingredients:

• 1 Asian style eggplant (slimmer than America's eggplant)
• 1 egg, beaten
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Cooking oil for fry

For Garlic Peanut Sauce:

• 1 tsp. peanut butter
• 1 tsp. warm water
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 large cloves garlic, grated
• pinch of salt (if needed)

Easy to make:

1. Mix all sauce ingredients together with a spoon, until well blend and smooth. Set aside.
2. Heat the cooking oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Dip sliced eggplant in the egg, then coat with grated Parmesan cheese. Fry until both sides turns golden brown. Serve with the garlic peanut sauce.

Easy Spicy Pasta

You may already have all these ingredients at home and just need to put them together to make this quick and delicious meal...leftover for lunch next day.

Simple ingredients:

• 6-8 oz. of any boxed pasta
• 2 Tbsp. cooking oil
• 2 cups of meat, such as sausage, chicken, ground beef, etc.(it's optional for vegetarian)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (10 oz.) Rotel Tomatoes and green chiles
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup frozen peas
• salt and ground pepper to your taste
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Easy to make:

1. Place cooking oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add sliced sausage, garlic and onions and cook until lightly brown, smell the fragrant.
2. Add the whole can of tomatoes with the juice, milk, cream cheese, pea, salt and pepper, stir and mix. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium--low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir 1/2 cup cheese. Sprinkle other 1/2 cup cheese on the top. let set until the cheese is melted.

Easy Fried Zucchini

This healthy fried zucchini is crispy outside and juicy inside...simple and easy!

Simple ingredients:

• 1 zucchini, cut into stripes
• 1 egg
• 1 package seasoning mix for chicken (I used 炸排粉 as shown in the picture. It can be purchased in Chinese grocery stores. Already have enough seasoning and salt in it.)

• Cooking oil for fried
• Sweet and sour sour for dipping

Easy to make:

1. Heat cooking oil in a small saucer pot on high heat (enough for cooked zucchini to float later). Turn down the heat to medium.
2. Dip the zucchini stripe in egg one at a time, then coat with the seasoning powder. Deep fried until all sides are lightly brown. They should float when they are cooked.
3. Serve with the sweet & sour sauce, mayo, ranch dressing or others of your favorite dipping sauce.

Tender Grilled Chicken

You may tenderize the meat with Meat tenderizer, meat tenderizer powder, or baking soda. The BEST way that I recently tested is to add some coconut milk and marinate for overnight. You can use any kinds of your favorite marinate sauce. This is what I like and homemade easy!

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. chicken tights, boneless and skinless (about 10-12 pcs.)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 can of coconut milk
• 1 tsp. salt
• some chopped green onion, minced garlic and ginger
• Hot pepper paste, if you like spicy

Easy to make:
Combine all ingredients together and storage in a covered container. Refrigerate and marinate at least over night. Grill them on a outdoor or indoor grill pan next day.

Healthy Collard Greens

This is a healthier way to cook the collard greens - no oil, no fatty pork, not salty - still tender, juicy and tasty. It definitely helps your detox, clean eating and weight loss!

Simple ingredients:

• 1 bag of chopped Collard Greens, about 2 lbs.
• 1 can lite coconut milk
• 6 shiitake mushrooms, soften(soak in the warm water) and sliced
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• Salt, ground pepper and garlic powder to our taste
• 1/2 Red bell pepper, cubed or sliced

Easy to make:

1. Place collard greens, mushrooms and coconut milk in a large stock pot and bring to boil. Turn to medium heat, cover to simmer about 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
2. Then, add brown sugar and other seasonings to the soften collard greens, cover to simmer another 5 minutes.
3. If the greens are soft enough for you (I like it a little crunchy), stir in the bell pepper at last. Turn off the heat, the remain heat will hot enough to cook the bell pepper.