Paradox Blog

The weather seems to get a bit chilly all of a sudden. It makes you yearn for some slow-cooked comfy stews. The seasons are in for cold weather vegetables like turnips, carrots and onions. They are perfect ingredients for stews. Look into your pantry and find those dried lily flowers, shiitake mushrooms, pickled mustard greens and canned baby corns. Stock your freezer with sweet corns from this past summer. Pick your favorite variety of apples. Put on a good pot and fill your kitchen with the aroma of your favorite stews.

Lily Flowers and Pork Short Ribs Soup

1/2 lb. pork short ribs cut into chunks
1/2-cup dry lily flowers, soaked in 1 cup of water
1/4 cup of pickled mustard green, julienned (optional)
1/4 cup of chopped celery (optional)
2 slices of ginger
salt and pepper

Dried lily flowers are sold in packages and can be found in Asian food stores in dried food sections. Soak dry lily flowers in water for about 30 minutes before use. Heat a pot of water and blanch pork chunks in boiling water for 30 seconds. Discard water. Fill a big enough pot with 5-cup fresh water and add pork, lily flowers, ginger slices and other vegetable if used. Bring soup to boil, reduce heat and simmer for an hour or so. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm. Make 6 one-cup servings.

Stewed Roots with Pork

1/2 lb. pork short ribs, chopped into chunks
1-cup turnip, cut into big chunks
1-cup rutabaga chunks
1-cup carrot chunks
2-tblsp cooking oil
2-tblsp soy sauce
2-tblsp cooking wine
1/4-cup water
salt and pepper

Heat oil, brown pork chunks a bit. Add soy sauce and cooking wine, mix well. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add vegetables and water and simmer for another 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm. Make 4 1/2-cup servings.

Apple Curry Stew

1/2 lb. pork for stew, cut into chunks
2 apples, peeled and cored, cut into pieces
1 onion, peeled and cut into pieces
1-cup carrot chunks
4 oz. Japanese-style curry sauce
1/2-cup water
2-tblsp cooking oil

Heat oil and brown pork. Set pork aside and continue to brown onions. Add pork chunks back into pot, then add apple, carrot chunks, water and curry sauce. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stir to mix. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes or so. Serve warm. Make about 6 3/4-cup servings.

Corn Chowder

1-cup corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped celery
8 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup of water 
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1-cup tofu cubes
1-cup chicken broth
1-cup water
salt and pepper
2-tblsp cornstarchs

Cut soaked shiitake mushrooms into tiny pieces. Keep the mushroom water.  In a big pot, put together, water, broth, mushroom water, corns, mushrooms and tofu. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch with 4-tblsp of water. While stirring, add cornstarch to soup and stir. Add salt and pepper. Sprinkle on green onions and turn off heat. Serve warm. Make about 8 3/4-cup servings.

Seafood Hot Pot

8 oz. fish fillet
8 oz. peeled shrimp
1 lb. clams or mussels
3/4-cup oyster mushrooms, cut into strips
3/4-cup baby corns
1/2 cup chopped leek
1-cup chicken broth
1-cup water
salt and pepper

In a big pot, put together broth, water, chopped leek, baby corns and mushroom strips. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add seafood and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm. Make about 8 one-cup servings.