How to cook Chicken porridge (congee) by Breville

Breville Risotto Plus is a very good slow cooker, you can use it even for Asian dish such as porridge. Korean friend told me how to cook this dish simply and deliciously.

1. Ingredients: for 3 people
- A whole cornish hen (I prefer to buy organic cornish hen in Wholefood, about $12 per one)
- 1 cup of rice (less or more is up to you, depends on the thickness of congee)
- Date: 6
- Green onion: 1
- Garlic (optional): 3 gloves
- Gingseng (fresh/dry): 1 (optional)
- Chesnut: 5 (optional)
- Black pepper, salt
- Organic cotton twine (for cooking, I bought in from Mother's market)
- And a slow cooker: Breville Risotto Plus

2. Method:
-Wash and soak the rice in cold water for 1 hour. If you don't have time, just wash it.
- Clean the chicken, trim out the fat (I prefer that)
- Stuff rice into the chicken (don't make it too full), tie up with the cotton twine

- Put the chicken in the center of the bowl, add the remain rice around it (if you have some)

- Put other ingredients but the green onion into the bowl, then pour water cover the chicken

- Use Saute setting, till it broils for 10 mins (be careful, open the lid if it has too much bubbles), stir well the bottom (make sure no rice sticking there) then change to fast slow cook.

- After 2 hours, add some green onion, your soup is ready!

101 NOODLE EXPRESS

If you are looking for Chinese food (not what you can eat from Panda Express~~), this is the best restaurant I can find Irvine: 101 NOODLE EXPRESS at 5408 Walnut Ave. The restaurant is quite clean (compare to other Chinese restaurant). The dumpling is delicious, it has almost the flavor as in China, said Chinese friend.

- "three fresh ingredients" dumpling

- baked leek pocket

- Goat meat soup: amazingly great for dinner in a cold day (you should have 2 friends eat with you this soup, otherwise, you have to bring home some)

Steam tofu sandwich

This dish is very simple but it takes more time if prepare for more than 2 persons if you use Breville Risotto Plus 

1. Ingredients:
-Firm Tofu: 1 pack , it's better to have tofu as I bought in Asian tofu store: Dong Phuong tofu
- Slice pork (I bought from Mitsuwa)
- Napa cabbage or cabbage: some leaves
- Carrot and green onion
- Cilantro, garlic, black pepper
- Fish sauce:1 spoon, oyster sauce: 1 spoon, sugar: 1 spoon, lemon juice: 1/2 spoon, 1/2 spoon tapioca powder.

If you eat spicy, prepare some slice of red hot chili

2. Method:
- Marinate meat with  1/2 spoon oyster sauce, pepper, tapioca powder

- Pour water to the bow and use saute setting (you can pour up to 30% capacity of the bow if you want to cook for 1 hour)
- Prepare the vege: cut into same size as tofu

- When the water is broiled, carefully put the sliced meat and vege between every 2 slices of tofu

- For two persons, you can use 2 layers of meat, and it takes about 25 mins to cook, for more people,use as many layers as you want but it will take about 1 hour.

- While waiting for the steam, you can prepare the sauce:  put chopped garlic and cilantro and the rest of seasoning into a small bow, add 1/2 cup of cold water (better to use warm water) and mix together.

- Take the tofu out and pour the sauce on it.

Fresh homemade style tofu

If you drive only 15 miles from Irvine to Westminster, you can buy a very good tofu from tofu houses. We went to Dong Phuong tofu (東方）next to Phuoc Loc Tho. 

Soymilk for only $1.75, they have both cold and hot soy milk. If you buy in restaurant, it's $2.75 per glass and $4 per can. Here you can find a great price the this delicious drink. Also, there is no weird additive or other chemical in this soybean juice, only water, soybean and sugar ~~~~ 

Vietnamese pickles

Fresh hot tofu. 

The store also sells fried tofu with/without mushroom, and vegetarian food made from soybean. You can buy it and stew with pork belly.

Taiwanese lunch box in Irvine

It's funny to find a Taiwanese restaurant so close to UCI: next to Rite aid, right in the plaza with Wholesome choice. The flavor almost closes to the food in Taiwan, especially the oyster pancake.

Espresso in Italian restaurant

If you go to San Diego, you should go to this place for coffee and pizza: caffe Calabria -  The true Italian coffee shop ( said my Italian friend). The restaurant locates in a small street, you'd better find parking lot in other streets.

They have a corner for Napoli and its football team, even the ball has N letter!

 

The espresso here is awesome!

My Bicerin: steam milk with esspresso

  and espresso doppio

The best sweet they have is orange cookies.

And here the pizza oven