How To Cook Stir-Fried Snow Peas With Shrimps

Pea pods are also known as snow peas, and here in the Philippines they are known as Chinese green peas or chicharo. They are the tender pods of baby peas. These pods are crispy and sweet, they go well with pork, chicken, beef, shrimps or any seafoods. The color of these pods is green and they are as translucent as jade; they enhance the color of any dish when properly cooked. 

Chicharo is a favorite Baguio vegetable, although it is a bit pricey here but a little of this versatile vegetable goes a long way specially when added to noodle dishes or any vegetable dish, we need only a handful and the noodle dish becomes beautiful to look at presentation wise. 

Ingredients:

1/4 kilo snow peas, snip off ends, strings removed, washed and drained

1/4 kilo fresh shrimps, peeled and cleaned marinated in 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp Shaoxing wine and 2 tsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp cooking oil

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp minced ginger

1 small red onion, chopped 

2 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp chicken powder dissolved in 

1/4 c water to make chcken stock

4 stalks green onions, chopped

2 tsp dark roasted sesame seed oil

Procedure

Mix all the marinade for shrimps in a bowl and add the shrimps. Toss to coat and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes. 

Heat a saute pan over high heat and add oil and let get hot about 30 seconds.

Add the ginger, garlic and onions, toss to combine and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. 

Add the shrimps and all the marinade to the pan. Add the snow peas, oyster sauce, chicken stock and stir-fry until the shrimps turn pink, about 2 minutes.

Add the green onions and stir-fry for 1 more minute. Turn off the heat and add the sesame oil. Toss to combine once more and serve with steamed rice. 

Enjoy!

Note: 

You may add other vegetables to this dish if you like variety like thinly sliced carrots, celery and cabbage and saute them all together at the same time. 

How To Make Buchi/Sesame Seed Balls

Buchi/Sesame Seed Balls

I enjoyed making these Sesame Seed Balls or better known in the Philippines as Buchi at home because it was fun, I had all the ingredients available in my kitchen, filling and shaping them into perfect balls made it more fun. 

I enjoyed the frying part also because I had to turn each ball around with wooden chopsticks to make them in perfect round shapes when they are done. I really enjoyed it. 

These delicious snacks are found in many Chinese restaurants like the popular Chowking who usually serve them as dessert during parties or even in the popular packaged menus like their Lauriat plate. Of course there are other choices of after meal sweets such as Almond Jelly, Halo-halo and Fresh Fruits in Season but the Sesame Seed Balls are the most popular choices.  

Try them as I have done following a tested recipe here and enjoy it too, as I did. 

Sweet Red Bean Paste Inside A Buchi/Sesame Seed Ball

Ingredients:

2 cups glutinous rice powder, 200 grams

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup sweet potato flour + 1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup white sugar + 1/2 cup boiling water

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup white sesame seeds

Cooking oil for frying

Procedure:

• Dissolve sugar in boiling water. 
• Mix sweet potato flour in boiling water until pasty. 
• Put the glutinous rice powder in a mixing bowl. 
• Add the baking powder and whisk to mix. 
• To the bowl add the dissolved sugar syrup and mix to form a dough. 
• Add to the dough the sweet potato flour mixture and mix to form a soft dough. 
• Start to knead the dough until it becomes smooth and pliable. 
• Divide the dough into equal 12 portions and form into balls. 
• Fill each ball with the sweet red bean paste and form it into a smooth ball. 
• Roll each ball into a bowl of white sesame seeds until it is covered evenly.
• Maintain the round shapes of every ball you make for presentation.
• Heat enough oil in a frying pan and start frying the sesame balls. Lower the flame when the oil starts boiling. 
• Using a wooden chopstick try turning each sesame seed ball while frying it to golden brown for 10 to 15 minutes. 
• When golden remove the balls from the hot oil and transfer them to a paper towel lined plates to absorb excess oil. 
• Finish frying the second batch and do the same as the first batch.  
• Serve. 

Share and Enjoy!

Jumbo Buchi/Sesame Seed Balls

Red Bean Paste

1 cup red beans, soaked in water overnight

1/2 cup white sugar

1 Tbsp butter

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure:

• Boil the soaked red beans in enough water to cover for a minute then throw the water and replace with a new amount and bring to boil until soft for 45 minutes  up to 1 hour. Drain. 
• Mash the soft beans and pass through a sieve to remove the skins. Discard the skins.
• Mix the beans puree with sugar, add the butter and vanilla. 
• Cook the mixture in a non stick pan mixing all the time until the mixture is thick and pasty and leaving the sides of the pan. 
• Cool and divide into 12 portions and form into 1 inch balls. 
• Use these sweet red bean paste to fill the sesame seed balls. 

A Plate Of Jumbo Buchi/Sesame Seed Balls

How To Cook Steamed Chicken With Chinese Sausage

Steamed Chicken with Chinese Sausage

Steamed Chicken with Chinese Sausage is an easy recipe and takes a few ingredients to prepare. The special sausage combines well with the chicken and the dried mushrooms give the dish a delightful umami flavor. 

Try this recipe and see how easy it is to prepare this dish.  

Ingredients:

1 big chicken cut into pieces

1 tsp salt

1/2 t pepper

3 Tbsp dark soy sauce

1 Tbsp Shao Xing rice wine

1 tsp slices of ginger

1 stalk green onions, chopped

3 small pieces dried mushrooms, (soaked in hot water, stalks removed and cut into 4 pieces each)

2 big Chinese sausage, cut into 1/4-inch diagonal slices

Ingredients of Steamed Chicken with Chinese Sausage

Procedure:

Put chicken into bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients. 

Place bowl in steamer. Cover bowl with cling wrap and steam over boiling water for 1 hour.


May be prepared in advance, frozen and  re steam before serving. 

Steamed  Chicken with Chinese Sausage and Mushrooms

Serve. Share and Enjoy!

A Serving Of Steamed Chicken with Chinese Sausage and Rice