Grandma’s fan qie chao dan (番茄炒蛋) – stir-fried tomato and egg
If you give my Ama a few tomatoes from the garden, she’ll tell you how pretty they are (they are!) and how our tomatoes are THE BEST (I started them from seed, so I’m pretty biased too), and then she’ll stir-fry the tomatoes with eggs. Use the best tomatoes you can, whether homegrown or from a farmer’s market. You only need a few, but this simple dish is all about the fresh sweetness of tomato. Honestly, I’m not sure I’d even bother making this dish in the winter. Maybe try Ama’s garlic chive eggs instead… These are Purple Russian tomatoes, also known as Ukrainian Purple. Flavor-wise, these are definitely the…
Truffled Artichoke Dip
We were in St. Helena a couple years ago, tasting some fantastic olive oil and mustard at Olivier Napa Valley. They had a truffled artichoke condiment that I really liked, and I thought… hrm, maybe I can approximate these flavors. I came up with this super easy almost-not-a-recipe. It’s pretty healthy and works well as a dip for veg, or as a spread on sandwiches. I use Trader Joe’s canned artichokes, any nice olive oil, and a little drizzle of Urbani white truffle oil. It’s optional, not everyone likes truffle, but I think it gives this vegetable pate a bit of depth. Ingredients 1 14oz can of artichoke hearts 1…
Grandma’s Gu Cai Neng
Taiwanese people love omelettes. There’s the famous oyster omelette, of course, and the popular cai poh neng or dried radish egg. My grandma make hers with garlic chives (gu cai). Garlic chives are really fragrant and thinner than green onions/scallions. You can find them in Asian supermarkets like Ranch 99, and they may be called nira if you’re shopping in a Japanese market. Ingredients 3 large eggs1/4 lb garlic chives1 tbsp soy sauce (I use Kikkoman)1/2 tsp dashi powder (like Ajinomoto) or salt1 tsp cornstarch or tapioca starch, mixed with 1 tbsp cold water1-2 tbsp oil for cooking, depending on how non-stick your pan is Wash the garlic chives, shake…
