½ cup chopped fresh mint (or use parsley, basil or dill), for serving
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions.
As the pasta boils, slice asparagus stems into ¼-inch-thick pieces; leave asparagus tips whole.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, peas, scallions and red-pepper flakes. Cook until vegetables are bright green and just tender (but not soft or mushy), 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute more. Season with the salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper; pour mixture into a large serving bowl.
To the same skillet, add the heavy cream, ½ cup grated Parmesan and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Simmer until reduced and thick, about 2 to 3 minutes. Return vegetables to the skillet and toss with the sauce to reheat.
When the pasta is done, reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain well.
Immediately put the hot pasta in the same bowl you used for the vegetables and toss with remaining ¼ cup grated Parmesan, lemon zest and mint. Add vegetable-cream mixture and the juice of half a lemon, and toss well. If the mixture looks thick, add a little pasta water to loosen it; it should be saucy. Taste and season generously with salt, pepper and more lemon juice as needed; it should taste bright and lively. Serve, topping each bowl with more Parmesan, mint and a drizzle of olive oil.
2 Alaskan, organic or ASC-certified Scottish salmon fillets
2 spring onions (trimmed)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2½ teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons Maldon sea salt flakes
FOR THE SALAD
3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
100 grams watercress
1 teaspoon organic cloudy apple cider vinegar
1 small ripe avocado
1 tablespoon cold-pressed rapeseed oil or extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes or to taste
Put the salmon fillets in a small frying pan (I use one with a 20cm / 8in diameter) and cover with cold water from the tap. Add the whole spring onions and peppercorns, squeeze in the lime juice and sprinkle in the salt, then bring to the boil, uncovered. When the pan is bubbling, turn the fillets over, then remove the pan from the heat and leave to stand for 7 minutes. Then take the fillets out of the liquid and leave to cool completely, which could take up to 1 hour. Once cool, the salmon will be cooked through, with its flesh desirably tender and coral inside.
While the salmon’s cooling, make a start on the salad. Toast the pumpkin seeds by tossing them in a dry, heavy-based frying pan on the hob. They will start jumping a little, and will darken and get a smokier taste. It doesn’t take long to toast them, so don’t leave the pan and, indeed, keep giving it a quick swirl. Then transfer to a cold plate.
When you’re ready to unite salmon with salad, put the watercress into a large shallow bowl (or split between 2 bowls), sprinkle with the vinegar, and toss. Now add the salmon, removing the skin and tearing the fish into bite-sized pieces or shreddy bits, as you wish.
Halve the avocado and remove the stone, then spoon the flesh out onto the salmon and watercress, or cut it into slices if you prefer. Drizzle the oil over the salad, sprinkle with the salt and half of the toasted pumpkin seeds, and toss gently to mix. Scatter the remaining pumpkin seeds on top, and eat.
Clean and pat dry the shrimp. Cut shrimp into smaller pieces, if desired. Add 1 teaspoon cornstarch and coat the shrimp.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together ingredients for the egg mixture until well combined. Set aside.
Heat a large cast iron, wok or non-stick pan on medium high and add 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Add shrimp and cook until 80-90% done.
Add the cooked shrimp to the egg mixture. Add another tablespoon oil to the pan and pour in the egg mixture. Tilt the pan and start moving the cooked egg to the centre while letting the uncooked egg cook around it. Turn the heat off and let it cook in the residual heat until the egg is cooked to your liking.
Remove onto a serving platter. Drizzle with soy sauce, sesame oil and sprinkle ground white pepper.
Whisk the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger (if using) together in a medium bowl. You will use half for the marinade in step 2 and half for cooking the shrimp in step 3.
Place shrimp in a large sealable container or zipped-top bag. Pour 1/2 of the marinade/sauce mixture on top, give it all a shake or stir, then allow shrimp to marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or for up to 8-12 hours. Cover and refrigerate the rest of the marinade for step 3. (Time-saving tip: while the shrimp is marinating, we usually steam broccoli and microwave some quick brown rice.)
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place shrimp in the skillet. (Discard used marinade.) Cook shrimp on one side until pink, about 45 seconds, then flip shrimp over. Pour in remaining marinade/sauce and cook it all until shrimp is cooked through, about 1-2 more minutes.
Serve shrimp with cooked marinade sauce and a garnish of green onion. The sauce is excellent on brown rice and steamed vegetables on the side.
⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce 5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced 2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces, plus more thinly sliced scallions for garnish 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as safflower or canola 2 tablespoons turbinado or light brown sugar ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 (14- to 16-ounce) block firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes 6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced into ½-inch-thick pieces Salt Steamed rice and kimchi (optional), for serving
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, combine soy sauce, garlic, ginger, scallions, oil, sugar, pepper and ¼ cup water; mix well. Add tofu and mushrooms, season with salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, carefully turning tofu and stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens into a glaze and coats the mixture, about 15 minutes.
Transfer the jorim to a serving bowl or platter and garnish with thinly sliced scallions. Serve with rice and kimchi, if using.
8 scallions, dark green parts and white parts separated
1 Tbsp. finely grated peeled ginger (from about one 1” piece)
3 Tbsp. neutral oil, divided
1½ lb. skinless, boneless cod, cut into 2” pieces
1 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into piece
Rinse rice in several changes of cold water in a medium bowl until water runs clear. Drain well, then transfer to a small saucepan. Pour in 1¼ cups cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Give rice a stir so grains don’t stick to the bottom. Cover pot and reduce heat to lowest setting. Cook, undisturbed, until water is evaporated and rice is tender, 18–20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, still covered, 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, thinly slice dark green scallion parts into rounds. Thinly slice white parts on a steep diagonal. Keep separated.
Mix ginger and 2 Tbsp. oil in a medium bowl. Add cod; season with salt and plenty of pepper (about 2 tsp.). Toss to coat.
Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add cod and cook, undisturbed, until golden underneath, about 2 minutes. Turn fish pieces, then scatter white scallion parts over. Cook, shaking the pan a bit, until fish is cooked through and some scallions are caramelized and some are just slightly softened, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
Stir vinegar and sugar in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Stir into rice. Add butter and sliced scallion greens; gently stir until butter melts. Season with salt.
Transfer rice to a platter and top with fish; pour any pan juices over.
2.5 T soy sauce
1.5 T honey
1 T unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp sriracha or chili paste
3 T water
1 scallion, thinly sliced
In a bowl, combine all ingredients, making sure to stir until honey is dissolved.
Servings: ½ CUP Time: 3 MINUTES
This is really good served on baby bok choy
12 ounces large, shell-on headless shrimp (15 to 20 size)
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, divided
7 slices fresh ginger, cut ⅛-inch thick
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 scallions, cut at an angle into 2-inch pieces, with the white and green parts separated
¼ cup tomato ketchup
1teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Rinse your shrimp under running water, and thaw if frozen. Pat dry with a paper towel. If desired, you can peel the shells off for easy eating, but do leave the tails on, as they add extra flavor when seared in the wok. (Note: We cooked and photographed this ketchup shrimp with the shells on like my mom used to do, but I have to admit, this dish may be better if the shrimp are peeled with only the tails left on.)
Heat 1 tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil in your wok until it just starts to smoke. Fry the shrimp on both sides for 20 seconds on each side (15 seconds if you peeled the shells off), and set aside. The shrimp should be 80% cooked.
Turn the heat down to low, and add another tablespoon of oil to your wok. Add a slice of ginger, and let it infuse the oil for 15 seconds. Add sliced garlic and the white parts of the scallions. Turn the heat up to medium high and stir-fry everything for 10 seconds.
Add ¼ cup ketchup and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce if using. Stir into the oil and fry for 15 seconds. Next, stir in the shrimp and any juices on the plate, and add ⅛ teaspoon white pepper, ½ teaspoon sugar, and 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine.
Stir for 10 seconds, and add 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Continue to stir-fry until the sauce begins the reduce and coats the shrimp. Finally, add the rest of the scallions (the green parts).
Stir for another 10 seconds and transfer to a dish. Serve this ketchup shrimp dish with white rice and a side of veggies. This ketchup shrimp is good hot out of the wok or at room temperature so keep this in mind if you are making multiple dishes in your wok for the table.
1 cup mixed frozen vegetables (e.g. green peas, carrots and corn)
2 green onion, chopped
1 large piece ginger
4 cup chopped kale
1 tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten-free alternative)
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Serving options
Poached or boiled eggs
Chopped cilantro and chopped green onion for garnish
Pickled vegetables (zha cai) and fermented tofu
Homemade Chili Oil or Sriracha
Notes: 1. For wheat noodles, you can use chuka soba, udon noodles, somen noodles, and any other wheat noodles that only contain wheat flour and water (and maybe some salt). For gluten-free noodle soup, use rice noodles, Vermicelli or Shirataki noodles.
2. Alternatively, you can dust the tofu with 2 tablespoons cornstarch — it will create an even crispier crust.