My Mama’s Recipes

Hello! Over the summer, I asked my mom to give me some of her personal recipes, knowing that I would be living in an apartment this year and hopefully cooking for myself. She usually just cooks from experience, without measurements or written recipes, as most Chinese moms do, but eventually I was able to transcribe some of my favorite dishes into written English. And now I’d like to share some of the simpler, more delicious ones with you! Keeping in mind the regular college student’s budget and time constraints, the following dishes only require a few
accessible ingredients and can be made in a short period of time.

Smashed cucumbers 拍黃瓜 [pai1 huang 2 gua1]
- 1 seedless (or English) cucumber
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 2 tsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. dumpling vinegar

1) Cut the cucumber lengthwise into about 2 inch chunks, and quarter
each piece so that you have wedges.
2) Using the surface of a large knife (ie: butcher knife), smash the
cucumber wedges. One smack each should do the trick.
3) Mince the cloves of garlic.
4) Mix the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic together to create the sauce.
5) Toss the cucumber in the sauce.
6) Enjoy this crunchy and refreshing side dish!

I always thought it was fun to help my mom smash the cucumbers. I like smashing things.

4-ingredient stir-fry 炒四絲 [chao3 si4 si1]
(serves 6)
- 4 oz. slivered chicken
- 6 oz. bean sprouts
- 1 bell pepper, sliced
- 2 oz. slivered ham
- 1 tbsp. cornmeal
- 3 stalks of scallions, sliced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 3 tbsp. oil

1) Coat the chicken in the cornmeal.
2) Start frying the scallions in a pan with oil. Add the chicken soon after.
3) When the chicken is almost cooked, add the pepper, sprouts, salt,
and sesame oil.
4) Stir everything together and leave it in the pan until everything is cooked.
5) Take out and serve with the ham on top.

This tasty stir-fry has a lot of flavor and texture. The measurements can be easily adjusted according to personal preference. Yum yum.

Water Egg 水蛋 [shui3 dan4]
- 1 or 2 eggs, depending on desired thickness
- 1 scallion
- about of cup of cold drinking water

1) Beat eggs together with a dash of salt and a few drops of oil.
2) Prepare a steaming pot.
3) Mix the cup of water with the egg mixture. Pour it into a dish and
steam for about 10 minutes.
4) When it solidifies, lower the heat and sprinkle the dish with scallions.
5) VERY IMPORTANT: Prop the cover of the pot up with two chopsticks so
that some of the steam escapes. [This prevents the surface of the egg
from collapsing or cracking.
6) Take the dish out after five more minutes.

If you want the water egg to be sweet instead of salty, replace the salt and oil with sugar and milk. Water egg is very adaptable as well. I used to like it with dried scallops, or dried shrimp mixed in. It can be topped with nearly anything, and goes really well with rice. I’ve always loved this dish, ever since I could eat it as a toothless
little kid. =)

I hope you try out these recipes, and enjoy some good ol’ home-made Chinese food!