Chinese Again!

Baby Bok Choy (Easy!)

8 bunches of baby bok choy
2 tbsp sesame oil
Oyster sauce (best is Lee Kum Kee)
2 tbsp chopped garlic

Pour some corn oil to coat a frying pan, omit if using non-stick ware.

Throw in chopped garlic and fry until aromatic. Toss in the bok choy and turn down heat to medium. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes or until "blanched". Mix in sesame oil, drain and arrange on plate. Then drizzle oyster sauce on top. Serve with steamed long-grain rice.

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The next dish is something my mom used to cook for us, and I enjoyed it thoroughly not only because of the taste and texture but the experience while making it. You see, it is scallions that make this dish so delicious, but scallions also attract flies due to its sharp pungent smell. Sean said it smelled like rotten stuff, but I disagree. Everytime my mum would chop up the scallions, big bulbous flies would come into the house and I would hone my skills in fly swatting with a wet rag. I did it again tonight when we had a huge one zooming about, and as usual, stunned it dead on. Then it was sent packing to the trash bin.

I must note that scallions are not spring onions, they are usually found in Asian grocers and mildly difficult to locate in a majority of nationwide grocery stores. I think you can substitute it with chives but it would not taste the same. The pancake might look like a Japanese pizza (okonomiyaki) but I can assure you, it is not.

Scallion Pancakes

3 eggs (one egg per person)
20 stalks of scallions (less if you prefer less, more if you like it stronger, the pancake is supposed to be covered in the stuff and thick)
6 pieces raw shrimp, deveined and shelled (optional)
Dash of salt and pepper to taste

Grind or mash up the raw shrimp until it becomes a rough paste.

In a large mixing bowl, break the eggs and mix in the shrimp paste. Add the scallions last and mix together until well blended. It should look somewhat like green batter, and be slightly thicker than just plain beaten eggs.

Put some oil in a pan and heat at high. At this point I debate if I want to make mini pancakes or just a huge one. I used a 20 inch skillet tonight and made a large sized omelette by pouring everything in, cooking it at medium heat on the underside and covering it with a lid to cook the top. Then after the top of the pancake is solidified, I flipped the pancake to brown the other side. When fully cooked through, remove from heat and serve with plain long-grain rice.

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These two dishes are very simple and delicious to eat. Hope some of you give it a try! :) I know when I bit into the first piece of the pancake, my eyes almost misted up from the memories. This is just good comfort Chinese food!