NYC Pinkberrys are having special Mad About Mango Happy Hour celebrations TOMORROW from 5 to 9 p.m. Get a free 3 oz. MINI serving of Pinkberry’s mango or mango swirl with all the toppings that can fit in the cup. There will also be music, in-store games, and fantastic giveaways!
The NYC locations are: Union Square (6th between 13th and 14th), Columbus Circle (58th between 8th and 9th), Koreatown (32nd between 5th and Broadway), and Hell’s Kitchen (9th between 42nd and 43rd).
On our last trip to Chinatown, my mom picked up some fresh bamboo shoots from a vendor on Hester. I’ve never seen fresh bamboo shoots, but my mom assured me that they were very easy to cook with and fresh bamboo tasted a lot better than anything you’d find from a can. We also picked up some Chinese celery, dry tofu, and pork to make a healthy stir fry. If you see bamboo shoots at the market, definitely pick some up and make this dish - it’s easy, fast, and delicious.
Bamboo Shoot Stir Fry
Ingredients
1 Fresh bamboo shoot
1 red pepper (optional)
1 bunch Chinese Celery
3-4 pieces of dry tofu
1 pound pork
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 pinch of white pepper
First, begin peeling the tough exterior off the bamboo shoot. They should come off very easily to reveal a fibrous interior:
Next, chop off all of the layers that are very fibrous:
Thinly slice the bamboo and set aside:
Also, cut up any other vegetables you’re using (and tofu if you’re using that as well). Make sure the widths are all around the same size.
Slice your pork into small pieces:
Place in a bowl:
Add a tablespoon of soy sauce:
A tablespoon of corn starch:
And a healthy pinch of white pepper:
Combine the ingredients and make sure the pork is coated:
Stir fry the pork in a pot with canola oil:
After the pork has finished cooking, place it in a clean bowl. In the same pot, place the chopped Chinese celery and red pepper in first, then add the bamboo shoots and the dry tofu:
Stir fry until the Chinese celery is almost cooked through:
Finally, add the pork and stir until the celery is completely cooked:
The dish is a great all-in-one: protein + vegetables + lots of flavor. The vegetables can be easily substituted, but I think the colors work really well and it’s very delicious. Let me know if you end up using other veggies and how the bamboo shoots turn out!
Cost Breakdown:
1 Fresh bamboo shoot - $1.50
1 red pepper (optional) - $1.00
1 bunch Chinese Celery - $1.50
3-4 pieces of dry tofu - $0.50
1 pound pork - $4.50
1 tablespoon corn starch - free
1 tablespoon soy sauce - free
1 pinch of white pepper - free
On Sunday, my friend Sumon called me to ask me about my Aerogarden. Sumon’s interested in purchasing an Aerogarden for himself but I had to tell him about my experience with the machine. While it started out well, this is what my Aerogarden looked like towards the end:
The problem with my Aerogarden was that plants weren’t growing at the same time; the basil grew really quickly and covered up a lot of the slower growing herbs. However, I’m giving them another try; my mom purchased the cherry tomato seed pack:
I planted them right around Christmas time but haven’t seen any tomatoes yet; the leaves smell like a regular tomato plant but they haven’t started sprouting and it’s been almost two months! Anyone else have problems with their cherry tomatoes?
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we had a dessert after our hot pot party that was from a popular show in China. The show, Wo Ju (??), reflects the current pricey housing market in China. One of the main characters, a middle-aged (and married) city mayor’s secretary, chases and woos a newly college graduated young woman (her sister is the one that needs money to buy a house). On one of their secret dates, he takes her to a private restaurant and the chefs prepare a very large tasting for her. Near the end of the meal, the chefs bring out the stuffed lotus root in honey syrup; she was so full by the time this dish was presented that she initially said she couldn’t eat anymore. However, the mayor’s secretary encourages her to try a bite. She liked the dish so much that she was lamenting (and kind of whining) that she wished this was the first dish presented so she could’ve eaten more of it.
Right now, this dish is a big sensation in China - it’s served after almost every meal at fancy restaurants and meals aren’t considered complete without it.
Stuffed Lotus root in honey syrup is actually very easy to make - my mom’s friend’s family owns a couple of large hotels in China and their chefs used to prepare this when he was growing up and showed her how to make it.
Stuffed Lotus Root in Honey Syrup
Ingredients
2 Lotus Roots (pick firm and large ones)
1 cup glutinous rice
5 cups water
Honey
Lotus roots are a popular vegetable in Asia - there are a lot of different ways to prepare this healthy and fiberous dish. We usually cut up lotus root and put them in soups, or slice them into thin, potato-chip like slices and stir-fry them with meat and vegetables. The reason you want to pick a firm and large lotus root for stuffing them is because the holes will be larger, meaning it will be easier to fill them with sticky (or glutinous) rice. Here is what lotus root looks like:
Step zero would be to soak the glutinous in rice for a couple of hours (or overnight) to soften it and reduce the cooking time.
Next, cut a little lid for the lotus root so you can reassemble the root once it’s been filled with rice:
Scoop up handfuls of rice and start stuffing the lotus root (we used chopsticks to help the rice get in the holes):
Fill the rice to the top of the opening:
Reassemble the lotus root by placing the lid back on the lotus root and closing it with toothpicks:
Place the lotus root in hot water to cook the lotus root and rice (you can also add honey and sugar to the water to sweeten the dish, but we decided against it since I don’t like super sugary desserts):
Cook the lotus root on low to medium fire - the slow cooking will cook the lotus root in about an hour (it will also change from light brown to dark brown):
Slice the stuffed lotus root:
And drizzle with honey:
The dessert was sweet and had different textures from the very sticky rice and the slightly crunchy lotus root. I can see why it’s such a popular dessert in China!
