salt – Page 5 – yummy food share

Sizzling Spicy Pepper Chicken

2025-12-09

If you’re searching for a dish that packs a serious flavor punch and comes together in about 30 minutes, you’ve just found your new favorite. This stir-fry is a spectacular whirlwind of textures and tastes, featuring wonderfully crispy fried chicken pieces tossed in a fragrant, spicy mix of fresh peppers and aromatics. While it involves a quick frying step, the process is surprisingly straightforward, making it a perfect “ordinary” difficulty recipe for a weeknight adventure or a weekend treat. The true star here is the incredible flavor profile—a medium, vibrant heat that’s beautifully balanced by a unique tingling sensation from Sichuan peppercorns. It’s an easy-to-master dish that will make you feel like a pro chef in your own kitchen. Ingredients Here is what you’ll need to create this masterpiece. Don’t worry if you can’t find a specific ingredient; I’ve included some easy-to-find substitutions. For the Chicken: 1.5 lbs (about 700g) chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces. Traditionally, a mix of bone-in parts like wings, legs, and even chicken feet and gizzards are used. For an easier version, boneless, skin-on chicken thighs work perfectly. Chicken wings (flats and drumettes) are also a fantastic choice. The Vegetables: 1 green pointed pepper (or 1 green bell pepper, or 2 jalapeños for more heat) 1 yellow pointed pepper (or 1 yellow or red bell pepper) ½ cup diced lotus root (about ½ inch cubes) 3-4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced A 1-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced The Aromatics & Seasoning: 1 tablespoon green Sichuan peppercorns 1 tablespoon dried red chiles (or to taste) 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste) ½ teaspoon MSG (optional, for an umami boost) Vegetable oil or other neutral oil for frying (about 2-3 cups) A Note on Ingredients: Green Sichuan Peppercorns: These are essential for the dish’s signature málà (numbing…

Simple Steamed Fish with Ginger and Scallion

2025-12-09

If you’re searching for a dish that is the epitome of elegance, flavor, and simplicity, look no further. This recipe for steamed fish is a revelation, proving that you don’t need a lot of time or complicated steps to create a meal that is truly stunning. Ready in under 30 minutes, it’s a perfect meal for a healthy weeknight dinner yet sophisticated enough to impress at a dinner party. The magic of steaming is that it gently cooks the fish, locking in its natural moisture and delicate texture, resulting in a buttery, flaky finish that melts in your mouth. The aromatic trifecta of ginger, scallion, and a light-seasoned soy sauce creates a clean, savory broth that perfectly complements the fish without overpowering it. This recipe is wonderfully easy to master, making it a fantastic introduction to the art of steaming. Let’s gather our ingredients. The beauty of this dish lies in its simplicity, so using fresh, high-quality components will make all the difference. For the fish: Whole Yellow Croaker: 1 (about 1 lb or 450g), scaled and cleaned. Yellow croaker is prized for its fine texture and slightly sweet flavor. If you can’t find it, don’t worry! This recipe works beautifully with other white fish like sea bass, branzino, snapper, or even flounder. You can also use thick fillets of cod or tilapia. Green Onions (Scallions): 3 stalks, cut into 3-inch sections. Fresh Ginger: 3 generous slices. Fresh Sichuan Peppercorns: a small handful for garnish (optional). These add a unique, tingling citrusy aroma. If you can’t find them fresh, a tiny sprinkle of crushed dried Sichuan peppercorns will work. For a less adventurous but still delicious option, simply omit them. Red Chili: 1 small chili, sliced into thin rings for garnish. A Fresno chili is great for a mild kick,…

Vibrant Cabbage Cucumber Salad with Spicy Sesame

2025-12-05

Hello fellow food adventurers! Today, I’m thrilled to share a recipe that’s incredibly quick, delightfully crunchy, and bursting with a unique flavor profile that will tantalize your taste buds. This dish, at its heart, is a simple tossed salad, but don’t let its ease fool you. It’s a masterclass in balancing textures and tastes, coming together in just about 20 minutes with minimal effort. Perfect for a busy weeknight or as a vibrant side dish to impress, it features crisp purple cabbage and refreshing cucumber tossed in a dressing that has just the right amount of kick. Get ready to wow yourself and your guests with this one – it’s wonderfully forgiving and endlessly adaptable! Let’s talk ingredients! For this delightful salad, you’ll need: Purple Cabbage: About half a medium head, finely shredded. It’s the star for its color and crunch. Cucumber: 1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced then cut into matchsticks. English or Persian cucumbers work wonderfully here for their thin skin and fewer seeds. Garlic: 2-3 cloves, finely minced. This adds a pungent depth. Millet Pepper (小米椒): 1-2 small fresh chilies, finely minced. These are tiny but pack a punch! If you can’t find them at your local Asian market, you can substitute with finely minced Thai chilies or a Serrano pepper. Adjust the amount based on your spice preference. White Sesame Seeds: 1-2 tablespoons, toasted for maximum flavor. Salt: About 1 teaspoon for brining and a pinch for seasoning. Sugar: 1 tablespoon for brining and 1 teaspoon for the dressing. Soy Sauce: 1-2 tablespoons. This brings that essential umami depth. Vinegar: 2 tablespoons. The original recipe calls for “香醋” (fragrant vinegar), which is typically a dark, aged black vinegar with a complex profile. If you can’t find it, a good quality rice vinegar or even a balsamic vinegar…

Savory Seaweed and Celery Greens Stir Fry

2025-12-04

If you’re looking for a dish that is bursting with unique flavor, incredibly fast to make, and uses up an ingredient you might normally throw away, you’ve come to the right place. This stir-fry is a true game-changer. Ready in just 10 minutes from start to finish, it’s the perfect weeknight side dish. The cooking technique is a simple, high-heat stir-fry, which makes it perfect for even novice cooks. The flavor profile is a delightful surprise: the fresh, slightly peppery taste of celery leaves meets the savory, umami-rich chewiness of kelp, all brought together with a fragrant kick of garlic and a touch of heat. It’s light, crisp, and so delicious you’ll want to eat it straight from the pan. Before we get cooking, let’s gather our ingredients. The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity, but don’t let the short list fool you; the flavors are bold and satisfying. For the Stir-Fry: Celery Leaves: A generous handful, from one bunch of celery. Don’t throw these flavor-packed greens away! Kelp: 150g (about 5.3 ounces). This is the star of the show, providing a wonderful savory flavor and chewy texture. You can typically find this in Asian grocery stores, either dried (which will need rehydrating) or, more conveniently, pre-cooked and shredded in refrigerated packages. What is Kelp? Kelp (or haidai) is a type of large, edible seaweed. It’s packed with nutrients and has a distinct umami taste. Good Substitutions: If you can’t find kelp, you can use rehydrated wakame seaweed, which is commonly used in miso soup. For a non-seaweed alternative, finely shredded kale or Swiss chard can work, though the flavor profile will shift from oceanic to more earthy. Garlic: 2-3 cloves, thinly sliced. Fresh Red Chili: 1 small chili, or to taste. This adds a gentle warmth. Substitution: A…

Golden Pan Seared Salmon

2025-12-04

Welcome to what might just become your new favorite weeknight dinner. If you’re looking for a meal that is incredibly fast, packed with flavor, and delivers a restaurant-quality result with minimal effort, you’ve found it. This pan-seared salmon recipe takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish and relies on a simple yet brilliant cooking technique: a quick sear to create a crispy skin and a flash-glaze that coats the fish in a savory, umami-rich sauce. The result is a salmon fillet with a wonderfully firm and juicy texture, where the flesh flakes away in beautiful, meaty pieces. Don’t be fooled by its simplicity; mastering this dish will make you feel like a professional chef in your own kitchen. It’s the perfect way to turn a simple piece of fish into something truly special. Let’s get our ingredients in order. The beauty of this recipe lies in its short and accessible list. You probably have most of these items in your pantry already. For one serving (easily multiplied): Salmon Fillet: 1 piece, about 6-8 ounces (170-225g), with the skin on. The original recipe uses Chum salmon, which has a firm texture. However, any good quality salmon like Atlantic, Coho, or Sockeye will work beautifully. Choose a fillet of even thickness for consistent cooking. Neutral Cooking Oil: 1 to 2 tablespoons. Grapeseed, canola, or avocado oil are perfect choices because of their high smoke point. Shaoxing Wine: 1 tablespoon. This is a traditional fermented rice wine that adds incredible depth and aroma. If you can’t find it, a good quality dry sherry is the best substitute. In a pinch, a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc can also work. Light Soy Sauce: 1 teaspoon. It’s important to use “light” or “all-purpose” soy sauce, not dark soy sauce. Light soy sauce…

Pork Skin Jelly Ocean Treasure Mimic

2025-12-01

Step aside, ocean’s bounty! While true sea cucumber, often hailed as “sea gold,” boasts remarkable health benefits, this recipe offers a delightful surprise straight from the kitchen. We’re crafting “Pork Skin Jelly Sea Cucumber Mimic,” a dish that pays homage to its marine inspiration with striking visual accuracy and a surprisingly similar texture. What makes this “mimic” so special? It artfully replicates the form, texture, and even the deep, inviting color of its oceanic counterpart, creating a culinary illusion that’s almost too realistic. This is gourmet food artistry at its finest – a lifelike creation born from humble, natural ingredients, embodying the principle that true safety and deliciousness lie in what we choose to put into our bodies. Prepare to be amazed by this ingenious take on a classic, proving that spectacular dishes don’t always need to come from the sea – or cost a fortune! For this culinary adventure, we’ll need a few key components. The star is certainly pork skin, which forms the foundation of our jelly. You’ll need a generous amount, about 1 pound (or 450g) of cleaned pork skin. To infuse our jelly with classic aromatic notes, we’ll use 3 slices of fresh ginger and 3 sections of scallion. For simmering and seasoning, a splash of Chinese cooking wine (Shao Xing wine is ideal, but dry sherry or even just a neutral cooking wine will work) and salt to taste are essential. The magic truly happens with our accompanying dipping sauce, which enhances the delicate flavor of the jelly. This sauce brings together 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce (or regular soy sauce), 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of black vinegar (or balsamic for a similar tang), a pinch of MSG (optional, but recommended for authentic flavor; you can omit if preferred), and a…

Fiery Pork Stir Fry with Chewy Green Beans

2025-11-29

Get ready to discover your new favorite weeknight meal! This stir-fry is a game-changer, delivering an incredible depth of flavor and a wonderfully unique texture in just about 10 minutes of active cooking time. Don’t let the short cooking time fool you; this dish packs a serious punch. We’re talking tender slivers of pork, fiery bits of red chili, and the star of the show: chewy, sun-dried green beans. The magic of this dish lies in its simplicity and the delightful contrast between the savory, spicy sauce and the satisfying, springy bite of the rehydrated beans. It’s an incredibly easy stir-fry to master, perfect for beginners, and serves as a fantastic introduction to a different way of enjoying a familiar vegetable. It’s the kind of dish so flavorful it makes a simple bowl of steamed rice feel like a banquet. Let’s gather our ingredients. The list is short and simple, with the dried green beans being the most unique component. You’ll be amazed at how a few basic ingredients can create something so delicious. Ingredients: Pork: 150g / 5 oz, preferably pork loin or tenderloin, cut into thin slivers Dried Green Beans: a large handful (about 40g / 1.5 oz) Fresh Red Chilies: 2, such as Fresno or red jalapeño Garlic: 2-3 cloves High-Smoke-Point Oil: 2 tablespoons, such as peanut, vegetable, or canola oil Salt: ½ teaspoon, or to taste Light Soy Sauce: 1 tablespoon A Note on Ingredients & Substitutions: Dried Green Beans (干豆角, gān dòu jiǎo): These are not your typical fresh or frozen green beans! They are mature long beans that have been blanched and sun-dried, which concentrates their flavor and gives them an amazing, pleasantly chewy texture. You can find them in most Asian markets or online. If you absolutely cannot find them, you have a…

Vibrant Garlic Luffa and Carrot Stir Fry

2025-11-29

Looking for a side dish that’s stunningly beautiful, incredibly fast, and bursting with fresh, natural flavor? You’ve just found it. This gorgeous stir-fry, featuring delicate ribbons of luffa gourd and sweet carrot, is a celebration of simplicity. It’s the kind of recipe I turn to on a busy weeknight when I want something nourishing and delicious on the table in minutes. Seriously, this dish comes together in about 10 minutes, making it faster than ordering takeout! The cooking process is a quick, high-heat stir-fry, a technique that perfectly flash-cooks the vegetables so they retain a delightful tender-crisp texture and their vibrant colors. The flavor profile is light, savory, and clean, with the mild sweetness of the vegetables shining through, accented by a fragrant hint of garlic. It’s an effortlessly elegant dish that proves you don’t need a long list of ingredients or complicated steps to create something truly special. Ready to get cooking? First, let’s gather our ingredients. You’ll be surprised by how few you need to create such a flavorful dish. For the Stir-Fry (Serves 2-3 as a side dish): 1 medium Luffa Gourd: Also known as angled luffa or ridged gourd. Look for one that is firm, slender, and bright green. If you can’t find luffa, don’t worry! One medium zucchini or a yellow summer squash makes a fantastic and easily accessible substitute. 1 large Carrot: For that beautiful color and sweet crunch. 2-3 cloves Garlic: Finely minced. This is our primary aromatic, so use fresh garlic for the best flavor. 1 tablespoon Neutral Cooking Oil: Such as canola, grapeseed, or avocado oil. 1 tablespoon Cooking Wine: I use Shaoxing wine, which adds a wonderful depth and aroma. If you don’t have it, a splash of dry sherry works wonderfully. For an alcohol-free version, you can simply use…

Savory Braised Pork and Tofu Skillet

2025-11-28

Looking for a new weeknight dinner hero? You’ve just found it. This dish is the perfect answer to the “what’s for dinner” dilemma when you want something incredibly flavorful without spending hours in the kitchen. In fact, this one-pan wonder comes together in about 10 minutes of active cooking time and is beautifully simple to prepare, even for beginner cooks. The magic lies in a quick braising method where tender slices of pork and firm, savory tofu simmer together in a light, aromatic sauce. The result is a wonderfully comforting meal that’s salty, savory, and has just a hint of warmth from garlic and chili. Its approachable flavor and easy preparation make it a guaranteed hit for a satisfying and speedy meal. To get started, you’ll need a handful of simple ingredients. The star of the show is a special type of tofu that is key to the dish’s texture. Don’t worry if you can’t find the exact kind; common supermarket alternatives work beautifully. Ingredients: For the Main Event: 9 oz (about 250g) Pressed Spiced Tofu (also known as xiang gan). This tofu is firm, dense, and often has a brownish hue from being pressed and braised in spices. If you can’t find it at an Asian market, smoked tofu is an excellent and widely available substitute. In a pinch, you can also use extra-firm tofu that has been pressed for at least 30 minutes to remove as much water as possible. 7 oz (about 200g) Lean Pork Loin or Tenderloin, very thinly sliced. Aromatics: 2 cloves Garlic For the Marinade and Sauce: 1 tsp Cornstarch 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce, plus a little extra for cooking (use all-purpose soy sauce, not dark soy sauce) ½ tsp Salt A pinch of Chili Powder or red pepper flakes (adjust to your…