Martin Yan’s Hot and Sour Sauce with Mini Wontons

Martin Yan's Hot and Sour Sauce with Wontons

Martin Yan’s Hot and Sour Sauce
With Mini Chicken Wontons

Martin Yan is a celebrated chef, cookbook author, and television host. He is best known for his popular cooking show “Yan Can Cook,” which debuted in 1982. His energetic personality, impressive knife skills, and iconic catchphrase, “If Yan can cook, so can you!” have made him a beloved figure in culinary television. In fact, he has hosted over 3,500 episodes of cooking shows aired worldwide. His charismatic teaching style has inspired generations to cook Chinese and Asian cuisine at home.

In addition to Quick Mussels over Angel Hair and Quick Wonton Soup, for another time-saving tasty recipe, here I pair the Chef’s Hot and Sour Sauce with frozen Mini Chicken Cilantro Wontons from Costco. The wontons are simply boiled for a few minutes according to package instructions.

Regarding the garnish, it is worth noting that Dendrobium orchids are beautiful, edible, and non-toxic. They have a mild, slightly sweet flavor that is mostly neutral. However, while a single orchid brings a colorful pop to the presentation, it is used more for its visual appeal than for taste and is not meant to be eaten.

Martin Yan’s Hot and Sour Sauce Recipe

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Fried Prawns with Candied Walnuts, Inspired by Wing Lei-Las Vegas

Fried Prawns with Candied Walnuts, Inspired by Wing Lei🦐 Fried Prawns with Creamy Calamansi Sauce 🦐
Date Syrup Candied Walnuts with Chinese Five Spice

Wing Lei is the first Chinese restaurant in North America to earn a Michelin star – serving Cantonese, Shanghai and Szechuan flavors, and featuring tableside-carved Imperial Peking duck.

The meaning of the Chinese characters that represent Wing Lei, is twofold: not only does it mean “forever prosperous” but it also represents “Wynn” itself, the luxury Las Vegas resort and casino. All the menu items are priced ending in 88 cents. Representing prosperity and completeness, the number 88 is especially popular in Chinese culture because of the double eights but also because of its visual similarity to the sign for double happiness 囍.

Places are set with two sets of chopsticks per person. Black chopsticks are used to take food from mutual dishes to one’s plate. White ones are meant to carry food to one’s mouth.

We recently enjoyed an extraordinary meal at Wing Lei, celebrating my nephew’s 21st birthday. The service and ambiance were impeccable, the food sublime. One of our favorite dishes was Fried Prawns, I re-create my version here.

Fried Prawns with Candied Walnuts, Inspired by Wing Lei

Fried Prawns Recipe

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Chinese Food on Christmas

Chinese Food on Christmas

Chinese Food on Christmas

🕎🎄🕎🎄🕎

The custom apparently started in Manhattan, around the turn of the last century. Immigrant Jewish and Chinese neighbors did not share in the celebration of Christmas with other New Yorkers. So it seems that Jews were grateful to find Chinese restaurants were open on a holiday when all other restaurants were closed…

OK, fast forward to today. Jewish people eating Chinese food on Christmas has become an American tradition. It’s become part of the holiday spirit. And nobody’s kvetching.

Christmas Menu

Soup Dumplings
Roast Duck Two Ways
Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles
Stir-Fry Vegetables
Three Sauces

Chinese Food on ChristmasChinese Food at Home

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Teacher Appreciation & Pi Day

staff appreciation luncheon

Happy Pi Day!

If you are a math nerd (like me), this is a fun day!

People young and old, all around the world, challenge themselves to memorize ∏ on this day
March 14 or 3.14

3.141592653589793238462643383279502884…

Pi, the ratio of the circle’s circumference to its diameter, is an irrational number which never repeats,
so memorizing pi can be a lifelong adventure!

For this Pi Day, we are not baking an apple pie, nor a pizza pie, nor egg pie or quiche!

To celebrate Pi Day 2011 we are going to appreciate our math teachers, or better yet, all our teachers!

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