no beets or sour cream

Cantonese Borscht

serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 lbs pork ribs or oxtails

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

2 cups chicken broth + 6 cups water

2 tbsp avocado oil

2" piece of ginger, smashed

1/2 head garlic, smashed

1 onion, chopped

6 Roma tomatoes, quartered

3 carrots, chopped

3 potatoes, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tsp sugar

1.5 lbs cabbage, chopped

2 bay leaves

METHOD:

1. Parboil Meat - Salt meat and place into a medium pot. Cover with water and bring to a rolling boil. This process removes impurities and scum, about 2-3 minutes. Remove, season with salt and pepper, and set aside. Discard water.

2. Ready a large stock pot, add water and bring to a boil.

3. While your water is boiling - In a large wok, add oil and heat over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Add onions, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and celery. Continue to stir-fry for another 5-10 minutes until everything has softened. Mix in ketchup and sugar. Turn off heat.

4. Add your parboiled meat to the stock pot, and then add stir-fry mixture, cabbage and bay leaves. Add chicken stock and simmer for 2 hours.

5. Taste and adjust season as desired. Serve hot.

lion's head meatballs

Cantonese Steamed Pork Meatballs

serves 6-8 as part of a main dish

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs fatty ground pork or 1 lbs ground pork and 1 lbs pork shoulder, chopped

2 bunches Mung bean noodles (funsee)

1 block soft tofu (optional)

1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth

Marinade:

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp water

2 green onions, sliced white parts only (save the green parts for garnish)

1" piece of fresh ginger, grated

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp Shaoxing wine

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 egg

METHOD:

1. In a medium bowl, add baking soda, salt and water. Stir with a fork until dissolved. Add pork and mix well with fork.

2. Add only the white parts of the sliced green and grated ginger. Mix well with fork.

3. Add remaining marinade ingredients and mix well with a fork, about 5-7 minutes until the pork mixture becomes smooth and elastic. Chill pork mixture in the fridge about 1-2 hours.

4. In a small bowl, add Mung bean noodles and cover with water. Soak for 4-5 minutes until pliable. Drain and place noodles into a shallow steaming dish.

5. If using tofu, cut into even pieces and arrange atop noodles.

6. Remove pork mixture from fridge. Ready a bowl of cold water. Dip fingers in water and gently form 1-2" meatballs. Arrange in an even pattern atop noodles. You can save any leftover pork for another use such as steamed pork cake or any minced pork stir fry dish.

7. Add enough chicken broth to the dish until the noodles are partially covered. Steam dish for 15-20 minutes. Drizzle with sweet soy sauce (optional) and garnish with remaining sliced green onions. Serve hot with steamed rice.

what to do with ripe bananas

Mark Chocolate Chip Banana Cake
recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest
makes a 9" square cake

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs 

4 ripe bananas

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/4 honey

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup dark chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips

METHOD:
1. Preheat your oven to 325F. Grease a 9" square brownie pan. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, add eggs and scramble with a fork. Add bananas and mash. Add coconut oil, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and mix well. 

4. Fold in flour mixture and then chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

5. Cool cake in pan for 15-30 minutes before serving.

easy moist vanilla cake

Vanilla Bundt Cake
makes 1 large 9.5" Bundt cake, 24 cupcakes or 1 small 7" Bundt cake + 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup full fat Greek yogurt

1/2 cup avocado oil

1/2 cup water

1 package yellow cake mix

1 small box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding

METHOD:
1. Preheat your oven to 325F. Grease cake pan and/or line your muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, add eggs, yogurt, oil, water and beat on high until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Add in cake mix and instant pudding, mix for another minute until everything is moistened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

3. Cupcakes - fill liners half full with batter and bake for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

4. Bundt - pour batter into the greased cake pan. Tap and smooth out batter to make sure it's evenly distributed. Place cake pan onto middle rack of oven and bake 45-50 mins for a large Bundt, 20-25 mins for a small Bundt. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

5. Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes and Bundt cake for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting (optional).

VARIATIONS:

• Dark Chocolate Pistachio - use dark chocolate cake mix, pistachio instant pudding, and add 1 cup dark chocolate chips.

ground beef topped with egg over rice

Cantonese Minced Beef

serves 6 as part of a main dish

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs ground beef

2 green onions, sliced

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

1 cup frozen green peas/carrots, rinsed and drained

2 tsp chicken broth

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

6 eggs, fried sunny side up

Marinade:

1 tsp avocado or olive oil

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 tsp light soya sauce

1 tsp dark soya sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

4 tbsp water

METHOD:

1. In a medium glass bowl, add ground beef and all the marinade ingredients. Use a fork and mix well. Set aside.

2. In a non-stick wok, over medium high heat add ground beef. Using a wooden spatula, spread and break apart the beef. Don't disturb for 1 min until the edges start browning.

3. Add only the white parts of the sliced green onion and flip the beef. Continue breaking up the beef for another minute.

4. Drizzle cooking wine around the edge of the wok and stir fry for 10-20 seconds. Add peas/carrots and chicken broth, continue to stir fry for another 30 seconds. Add oyster sauce, mix well. Turn off heat and drizzle in sesame oil for finishing.

5. Serve over a bowl of steamed rice and garnish with remaining green onions and a fried egg. You can drizzle sweet soy sauce as a condiment.