Hazel Soon’s Egg Fu Yung

My friend Hazel Soon is a remarkable woman and a gifted cook. I first met Hazel nearly 40 years ago, when she taught an eager class of  students (myself, among them) how to prepare and cook Chinese food - a skill that seemed exotic all those years ago, but is now mainstream. This is one of my favorite recipes from this busy, active woman. It’s quite simple the best Egg Fu Yung I have ever tasted. 

If you like this recipe, you must try this outstanding cook’s Flank Steak with Chinese Preserved Cucumbers! 

Hazel Soon’s Egg Fu Yung:

¼ c. (60 mL) peanut or canola oil, divided (see Note)
1 small onion, quartered lengthwise, sliced thinly, with each piece separated
1-to-2 stalks celery, angle-sliced thinly
About 2 c. (500 mL) fresh bean sprouts, rinsed and blotted dry
Chinese barbecued pork, slivered, or fresh, cooked shrimp or prawns (see Further Note)
4 eggs, well beaten 
1-½ tbsp. (22 mL) milk
Dash salt
1 green onion, angle-sliced, as garnish

To Prepare the Egg Fu Yung:

Assemble, measure, and get ingredients ready for Fu Yung and Sauce before starting. Heat empty wok on stove-top at high setting. Add 1 tbsp. oil, heating briefly just to smoking point. Add onions, stir-frying 30 sec.; celery, stir-frying 30 sec. (see Further Note); bean sprouts, stir-frying 30 sec.; and pork or shrimp, stir-frying just until heated through. Remove from wok; set aside.

Also on high stove setting, add remaining 3 tbsp. (45 mL) oil to wok, heating just to smoking point. 

Working quickly, beat together eggs, milk and salt in medium bowl; set aside. Add cooked ingredients, blending well. Ladle half egg mixture into hot wok. Flatten in oil to form a patty. When edges of mixture bubble and brown slightly, flip one side of patty over vegetable mixture; flip second side over. Cook 30-to-60 sec., just until mixture firms. Remove with slotted spoon. Set aside.

Note: If using peanut oil, store in a cool place or refrigerate. 

Further Note: I used six large, uncooked prawns to serve 2 diners. If using frozen prawns or shrimp, thaw under running cold water before peeling and cooking. Because the prawns were raw, I stir-fried them for 30 sec. immediately after stir-frying the celery. By the time I’d finished stir-frying the sprouts, the prawns were almost ready, completing their cooking with the egg mixture.

To Prepare the Sauce:

1/3 c. (80 mL) chicken broth, chilled or at room temperature 
3-to-4 drops soy sauce, for color
3/4 tsp. (3.7 mL) cornstarch or tapioca starch

Drain excess oil from wok. Wipe wok with paper towel but do not wash. In small bowl, gradually add combined broth and soy to starch, mixing well. Over medium heat, pour mixture into wok, stirring constantly 15-to-20 sec. Immediately pour over Egg Fu Yung. This mixture yields 2 patties (2 servings).

Angle-slice celery and onion.

Thaw prawns in ice water.

Use fresh sprouts - canned sprouts are greatly inferior. 

Stir-fry quickly.

Add cooked, cool vegetables to egg mixture. Combine well.

Ladle half egg mixture into sizzling wok.

Garnish and serve immediately.

Seared Asparagus with Onions and Peppers

Yesterday’s blog saw me saving a little bacon fat. This excellent and très easy recipe needs it! The fat sears the vegetables quickly, imparting a slight flavor of bacon. The quantities below are loose - adjust them as needed. This version serves 2.

Seared Asparagus with Onions and Peppers:

2 tbsp. bacon fat, strained 

Every morsel ... Delicious!

8-to-10 asparagus spears, trimmed
1 small onion, cut into 1/2-in. dice
1/4 yellow bell pepper (“capsicum”), cut into 1/2-in. dice

To large skillet, add bacon fat over medium-high heat until melted and sizzling. Pan should be large enough that fat barely skims the bottom. Add asparagus, onion, and bell pepper, turning asparagus frequently with tongs and stir-frying vegetables until each starts to brown. 
Cover 1-to-2 min. or just until tender-crisp. Serve at once. Asparagus will retain its bright green color and will appear slightly glazed.

Start with this ...

A couple of minutes later, end with this!

Nugget Potatoes with Bacon and Olives

Wash and dry some nugget potatoes. Toss with bacon and olives. Serves 2. So there you have today’s recipe, everyone! Enjoy the rest of your day! I’m outta here!   

Wha -??? You want more? This is one of those rare recipe titles that says everything you need to know!  So much for my “easy day...!”  (Grumble, grumble ...)

Nugget Potatoes with

Bacon and Olives:

10 nugget potatoes, rinsed and halved

2 tbsp. (30 mL) butter or margarine

6-to-8 strips side bacon, diced raw

8 kalamata olives, drained, pitted and quartered

In a medium saucepan, cook potatoes in unsalted boiling water 10-to-12 min., until a sharp knife easily penetrates the flesh. Drain potatoes; briefly set aside. Swirl butter or margarine in still-hot saucepan until melted. Return potatoes to saucepan, gently tossing with butter until coated. Cover saucepan until ready to add prepared bacon and olives. 

As potatoes cook, sauté diced bacon in medium skillet. Remove bacon from skillet, blotting dry on paper towel. Strain and reserve bacon fat for future use (see Note). Combine cooked bacon with prepared kalamata olives. Add to potatoes, gently tossing to combine. Serve at once. Yields 2 servings.

Note: Although I don’t usually cook with bacon fat, tomorrow’s equally easy recipe for Seared Asparagus with Onions and Peppers wouldn’t taste as scrumptious as it does without the fat I saved today. I hope you’ll try not only today’s recipe, but tomorrow’s, too. Each is excellent.

Sauté bacon.

Pit olives. Every morsel ... Delicious!

Spicy Soy Chicken Wings

Left wing! Right wing! Chicken wing! They're all excellent!

Spicy Soy Chicken Wings: 

This recipe requires extra time for marination

¼ c. (60 mL) soy sauce

¼ c. (60 mL) vegetable oil

¼ tsp. 1.25 mL) Worcestershire sauce

⅓ c. (80 mL) brown sugar

½ tsp. (2.5 mL) ground ginger

½ tsp. (2.5 mL) cayenne pepper

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) chili powder

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) paprika

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 lb. (0.907 kg) chicken wings, tips removed and cut as “drumettes” at joints

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Combine all ingredients except chicken, mixing well. Pour over chicken. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hr., turning once during this time. Spread chicken wings on rack in shallow baking pan. Brush with remaining soy sauce mixture. Bake 20 min.; turn wings over and brush with reserved ⅓ c. marinade. Bake an additional 15-to-20 min. Makes 8 appetizer servings. 

Devilishly Good Wings in Diablo Sauce

Another excellent chicken wing appetizer!

Devilishly Good Wings in Diablo Sauce:

2 lb. (0.907 kg) chicken wings, tips removed and cut as “drumettes” at joints 

½ c. (125 g) brown sugar

¼ c. (60 mL) melted butter

¼ c. (60 mL) chili sauce

½ c. (125 mL) ketchup (“catsup” for my American friends)

2 tbsp. (10 mL) cider vinegar

¼ tsp. (1.2 mL) chili powder

3 tbsp. (45 mL) Worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp. (45 mL) prepared mustard (ballpark mustard, Dijon, or any other favorite variety)

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Pour boiling water into a shallow baking pan, spreading chicken wings on rack just above water level. Cover with foil and steam 30 min. While chicken is steaming, combine remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Remove wings from oven, draining water and fat from baking pan. Add wings to sauce mixture, covering all. Return wings to rack and bake, uncovered, 20 min., turning over halfway through baking time and brushing again with sauce. Makes 8 appetizer servings. 

Sticky Ginger Wings

Who doesn’t love chicken wings? I’ve made this fabulous recipe over and over!

Sticky Ginger Wings:

1 c. (250 mL) packed brown sugar

2 tbsp. (30 mL) sweet chili sauce

½ c. (125 mL) soy sauce

1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. (20 mL) ground ginger

1 tsp. (5 mL) garlic powder

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) salt

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) coarse black pepper

2 lb. (907 g) chicken wings, tips removed and cut as “drumettes” at joints

Sesame seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 deg. F. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken, mixing well. 

Add wings to ginger-soy mix.

Pour over chicken in a shallow baking pan. Bake 10 min. and stir. Bake a further 10 min. and stir. Continue baking and stirring every 10 min. until sauce becomes dark and sticky (about 45 min.). Remove from oven, stirring several times over next 10 min. Sauce will get stickier as it cools, completely coating wings. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds over top. Makes 8 appetizer servings. 

Hot, sticky, and delicious!

Ron’s Sweet and Spicy Brown Beans

When Ron invented this recipe, I wrote it down. It’s since become a family favorite! I like to use a red onion for color, but a plain-jane cooking onion does equally well.

Ron’s Sweet and Spicy Brown Beans:

2 tbsp. (30 mL) olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped 

into 1/2-in. (1.3 cm) chunks

1/4 c. (60 mL) combined chopped red and yellow bell peppers (“capsicums”), diced small

One or 2 chorizo sausages, sliced into thirds (See Note)

Two 14-oz. (398 mL) cans brown beans, undrained

1 medium tomato, in 1-in. (2.54 cm) chunks (optional)

2 tbsp. (30 mL) molasses

2 tbsp. (30 mL) chili powder, or to taste

1 tsp. (5 mL) chili flakes, or to taste

1 tsp. (5 mL) dried basil

1/2 tsp. (2,5 cm) coarse black pepper

2 -to-3 tbsp. (30-to-45 mL) demerara sugar 

In large pot, heat oil on medium-high. Add peppers and onion. Sauté 2 min., stirring constantly. Add chopped sausages, cooking until golden and no pink remains. Stir in remaining ingredients, bringing just to the boil before reducing heat to low. Simmer, covered, 15 min. Garnish with fresh chives or other favorite greens. Yields 4 servings.

Note: No chorizo? Use 6 breakfast sausages, sliced into thirds. 

Heat oil in large skillet. 

Add prepared onions and peppers ... 

Sauté 2 min. on medium-high.

Add sausages, beans, tomato, and molasses.

Add seasonings and chili powder, combining well.

Simmer 15 min. Grab the cutlery! This is great!

Note: If you prefer your beans on the sweet side, try Cowboy Beans ... The kids will love ’em, too!

ABC Omelet

Here’s a delicious egg recipe to get you going morning, noon, or night! A stands for the Assortment of vegetables in this deliciously nutritious dish; B is for its Bacon and Bell peppers; and C is for its Cheese. 

ABC Omelet:

3 slices side bacon
1 tbsp. (15 mL) canola oil
1 small onion, and chopped into 1/2-in. (1.3 cm) pieces 
1/3 of a red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into 1/2-in. (1.3 cm) pieces 
1/3 of a yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped into 1/2-in. (1.3 cm) pieces 
1/4 c. broccoli flowerets, in 1/2-in. (1.3 cm) pieces
1 small tomato, sliced into 1/2-in. (1.3 cm) pieces
1/4 c. (60 mL) cheddar, in small chunks
4 eggs, beaten well

Salt and pepper, to taste

Fry bacon strips (or cook on shallow microwave-safe plate lined with a paper towel). Blot dry and chop into 1/2-in. (1.3 cm) pieces. Set aside. In medium skillet, add oil over medium heat. Stir-fry onions, peppers, and broccoli 2 min. Add tomato and bacon, stir-frying just until heated through. Dot with cheese. Reduce heat to low. Pour eggs over vegetables and cheese, lifting egg mixture around edges after 30 sec. to ensure edges cook through. Cover and let sit about 2 min. Serve immediately, sliced into 2-to-4 portions. All in good fun and no harm done!   

As easy as ABC!

Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns

Well, now, I do have a problem. I must apologize to Hungarian baker Grace Hasz, who in 1954 perfected the recipe for what became known as the UBC Cinnamon Bun. 

Bound for the oven: 

Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns

Cooking has evolved since then - some might say for the better, some might say for the worse, some might say a little of each. So I started tinkering with Grace Hasz’s recipe, and Ron added his magic touch, and before you know it ... The UBC Cinnamon Bun has never tasted better! And so I’ve renamed these the Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns, simply because they are! Using both a sauce and a filling for these buns was Ron’s original idea. He truly deserves a blue ribbon for this outstanding creation.

I have just one photo of the finished product, at the end of this blog. That’s because my Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns fell like the sacking of Rome. We plucked up each bun as plunder, unable to stop eating. The few that remained, we gave away. The final photo in this post shows the very last one. So that’s how good they were! 

(While not as decadent or tasty, Quick Cinnamon Buns will offer a measure of satisfaction without the time these take.)

Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns:

To Prepare the Dough:

1-1/2 c. (375 mL) milk 

3 tbsp. (45 mL) butter or margarine 

1/2 c. (125 mL) cold water 

1 large egg 

4-1/2 c. (1.125 L) all-purpose flour, divided 

1 tbsp. (0.2 oz. or 8 g packet) quick-rise yeast (see Note)

3 tbsp. (45 mL) granulated sugar 

1-1/2 tsp. (7.2 mL) salt (do not reduce)

1/4 c. (60 mL) butter or margarine, melted, for greasing pan

1/4 c. (60 mL) butter or margarine, softened, for brushing over dough

Recipe for Sauce for Top and Bottom of Cinnamon Buns

Recipe for Filling for Center of Cinnamon Buns

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Heat milk in microwave or on stove-top almost to scalding. 

Melt butter in hot milk.

Remove from heat. Add butter, allowing to melt. Set aside and cool to room temperature. When milk-butter mixture has cooled, add water and egg, combining well. To large bowl, add 2-1/2 c. (675 mL)  flour, one packet quick-rise yeast, sugar, and salt, mixing well. Add combined liquids, beating well with spoon and then with clean hands. Add remaining 2 c. flour a little at a time, stirring well after  each addition. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, kneading 5 min. 

Knead 5 min. before letting dough rest.

Cover dough with clean, damp cloth, allowing to rest 10 min. 

While dough rests, grease a 13x9-in. pan with 1/4 c. melted butter or margarine. Chill to firm. Layer of butter or margarine in pan will prevent Sauce for Top and Bottom of Cinnamon Buns from burning. Spread half this sauce over butter layer. Set pan aside and proceed with instructions for dough. 

Once dough has rested, roll into a rectangle measuring roughly 13x9-in. (33x23 cm) Leaving 1 in. (2.54 cm) unbuttered around edges, brush inside of dough with 1/4 c. (60 mL) softened butter or margarine. Sprinkle with Filling for Center of Cinnamon Buns. Working from long end, roll filled dough up and over itself. 

Roll filled dough tightly ...

Use dental floss to slice through rolled dough.

Slice dough into 3/4-to-1 in. (2-to-2.54 cm) pieces (see Further Note), laying each slice over Sauce for Top and Bottom of Cinnamon Buns. Loosely cover sliced buns with waxed paper, allowing to double in size about 30 min. before spooning remaining sauce over top of buns. 

Bake 30 min., or until buns are baked through and sauce runs soft and gooey. These buns are excellent fresh from the oven or at room temperature. Invert the pan to release them with the maximum gooey sauce. Yields 18-to-20 buns.

Ready for ooey-gooey sauce ...unbeatable taste!

To Prepare the Sauce for Top and Bottom of Cinnamon Buns:

1 c. (250 mL) golden corn syrup

1/2 c. (125 mL) granulated sugar

1/3 c. (80 mL) butter or margarine, softened

2 tsp. (10 mL) cinnamon

3/4 tsp. (3.7 mL) nutmeg

1/2 c. (125 mL) chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 c. (125 mL) chopped raisins (optional)

Combine sauce ingredients, spooning half over firmed layer of butter or margarine in pan. Sauce will be thick. Set pan and remaining half of sauce aside.  

To Prepare the Filling for Center of Cinnamon Buns:

1/4 c. (60 mL) granulated sugar

2 tsp. (10 mL) cinnamon

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) nutmeg

1/3 c. (80 mL) chopped walnuts or raisins 

1/4 c. (60 mL) softened butter or margarine

In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, or raisins. Sprinkle this mixture over softened butter or margarine you’ve previously spread over rectangle of dough.

Note: This recipe is not interchangeable with traditional yeast.

Further Note: The best way to slice rolled dough is not with a knife, but with dental floss. A knife compresses the dough, but dental floss looped and tightened under and over the dough will squeeze and release it into perfect slices. 

Deliciously tempting!

Bananas Foster

You’ve been patient. You’ve been kind. Never one word of criticism that I’ve kept this recipe to myself. Well, now here it is - almost as good as a trip to New Orleans, where a version of this recipe originated in 1951. 

Bananas Foster:

4 tbsp. (60 mL) unsalted butter
4 tbsp. (60 mL) dark brown sugar
Juice and grated peel of 1 lemon
3 tbsp. (45 mL) dark rum
2 tbsp. (30 mL) banana liqueur
1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) ground cinnamon
4 bananas, halved horizontally and vertically
Vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

In a heavy skillet (cast iron is ideal), heat butter, sugar, and juice and peel of lemon over medium-high heat. Stir until mixture begins to caramelize. Add dark rum and banana liqueur, tilting pan slightly to flame with a lit match or propane igniter. Stir occasionally with metal spoon until flames die down and mixture reduces and thickens, bubbling all the while. Stir in cinnamon. Add bananas, gently turning to coat with thickened sauce. Add scoops of ice cream to dessert dishes. Spoon bananas and sauce over ice cream. Serve immediately. Yields 4 portions.

Olga Rumen’s Carrot Cake

Let me tell you a little something about Olga Rumen. Much of Olga’s cooking fame rides on her Carrot Cake and Carrot Muffins. It wasn’t always so. Her Citrus-Nut Soufflé with Hot Chocolate Sauce once won her a trip to Florida - but alas! The recipe is AWOL and Olga can’t find it.

If Olga’s name sounds familiar, it was she who invented the legendary Beer-Cheese Soup. 

Trained as a dietitian, Olga Rumen spent 50 years in the food industry, principally as a dietitian and food services manager at the University of British Columbia. Olga retired in 1999, but the recipes she developed remain timeless. She still has the ability to flick her eyes over any recipe, knowing immediately if it will “work.” And she still has the ability to convert a standard recipe into one that serves 500. Just ask any student who’s chowed down on one of her Carrot Muffins at the University of British Columbia. 

Olga Rumen

I’m a Carrot Cake fan, and understand that there are many different recipes and many variations on a theme. A few years ago, a popular Canadian magazine voted one particular recipe “Canada’s Best Carrot Cake.” I’m not about to reprint it here, but Carrot Cake aficionados will find it on the magazine’s website: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/baking_and_desserts/canadas_best_carrot_cake_with_cream_cheese_icing.php

If you’re a Carrot Cake fan, you’ll love this one, too. It’s definitely a keeper! 

When Olga Rumen and I recently had lunch, we talked about these and other Carrot Cakes. When Olga talks Carrot Cake, she talks Carrot Cake (!), so I came away from lunch with three excellent recipes for same, two of which I’ll save for another day and one of which I’ll share with you today. Olga and I disagree on a couple of things - one being that I prefer pecans in my Carrot Cake while Olga uses walnuts; the other being that I’m partial to raisins while Olga likes dates.

We do agree that a quality Carrot Cake needs a quality Cream Cheese Frosting. This blog offers several different types of Cream Cheese Frosting:  Check the Index under Frosting. 

So here’s Olga Rumen’s flagship recipe for Carrot Cake. Check out Olga’s recipe for Carrot Muffins, too. Olga’s cake and muffin recipes are similar, but with slightly different proportions and a slightly different mixing method. Olga’s muffin recipe also omits the nuts. Olga popularized both recipes in what she calls “the hippie days of granola with peace signs everywhere.” I love that both use whole wheat flour!

Olga Rumen’s Carrot Cake: 

4 eggs

1-1/2 c. (325 mL) granulated sugar

1-1/2 c. (325 mL) vegetable oil (I use canola - NP)

3-1/4 c. (810 mL) whole wheat flour

2 tsp. (10 mL) baking powder

2 tsp. (10 mL) baking soda

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) salt 

2 tsp. (10 mL) cinnamon

1 tsp. (5 mL) nutmeg

1 c. (250 mL) crushed pineapple, well drained

2 c. (500 mL) grated carrots

1 c. (250 mL) chopped walnuts (see Note)

1 c. (250 mL) finely chopped dates

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Beat eggs until frothy, gradually adding sugar and oil. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Reserve and set aside 1/4 c. of combined dry ingredients, stirring remainder into egg mixture. 

In a medium bowl, mix together pineapple, carrots, walnuts (see Note), and dates, tossing gently with reserved 1/4 c. dry ingredients. Stir into egg mixture and pour into 10-in. bundt pan that has been spray-greased and floured. Bake 75 min. or until cake tests “done” when a skewer poked near center of cake emerges dry. 

Note: Choose shelled walnuts for their color. Pale nuts are fresh nuts; darker nuts are stale and possibly rancid. That’s a tip from Olga!

Olga Rumen’s Carrot Muffins

This recipe drove thousands of hungry students into a feeding frenzy at the University of British Columbia “way back when”!

Olga Rumen’s Carrot Muffins:

4 eggs

1 c. (250 mL) granulated sugar

3 c. (750 mL) whole wheat flour

2-1/2 tsp. (12.5 mL) baking powder

1-1/2 tsp. (7.2 mL) baking soda

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) salt 

2 tsp. (10 mL) cinnamon

1 tsp. (5 mL) nutmeg

1 c. (250 mL) vegetable oil (I use canola - NP)

One 10-oz. (300 mL) can crushed pineapple, well drained (see Note)

2 c. (500 mL) grated carrots

1 c. (250 mL) finely chopped dates

Preheat over to 350 deg. F. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Beat eggs and sugar well. Set aside. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients and oil alternately to egg-sugar mixture, beginning and ending with oil. Add pineapple, carrots, and dates. Spoon into ungreased paper liners in muffin pans. Bake 30 min. or until muffins test “done” when a toothpick poked near center of a muffin emerges dry. Makes 18-to-20 standard-sized muffins.