Baked Pork Chop with Fried Rice

Baked Pork Chop with Fried Rice (焗豬扒飯) is a classic in Hong Kong cafe. Who wouldn’t like pork chop with fried rice in tomato sauce and top with melted cheese? It is everyone’s favorite. It is a all-in-one casserole dish.

If you ask the people who have left Hong Kong for a while, what food they miss the most in Hong Kong, many of them would tell you cafe style food. Many Hong Kong cafe dishes are influenced by the west, like the use of tomato sauce, cream, cheese, and pasta. With the combination of Chinese ingredients and cooking style, these dishes are unique and special. They are definitely not too easy to find in the US, especially with that kind of fusion flavors. Therefore I tried to make them at home. After a few tries, I am very happy with this baked pork chop with fried rice recipe. It was good and it tasted very close to the flavors that I remember.

Give this a try and get a taste of Hong Kong!

P.S. I have to thank my Hong Kong friends, Iris and Tony for giving me this cook book. Without it, I won’t be able to recreate many delicious Hong Kong food at home.

Creamed Corn with Pork and Rice

Creamed corn with pork and rice (粟米肉粒飯) is one of those classic simple dishes that you can find in Hong Kong. It is very basic, tasty and affordable that people love to get this for lunch. The sweet creamed corn was cooked down and turned into a sauce along with the savory and tender pork cubes. Then, scooped that over a plate of steamed hot rice. This is definitely my kind of comfort meal. Hope you will like this too!

Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl

It has been hot in the past two weeks. When it is hot, it is not very pleasant to cook in my apartment. It gets really hot in the kitchen, especially when I have the oven on. It is like a sauna. I would sweat like a pig. To prevent this, I tried to cook something fast and easy or not “cook” at all. This spicy tuna rice bowl is the perfect no-cook meal. It tasted light and delicious. After you have tried this, you will never need to buy spicy tuna bowl from outside. Have fun making it and enjoy!

Ddukbokki (Korean Stir Fry Rice Cake)

Rice cake! Rice cake! I love rice cake! Rice cake always has a special place in my heart. It is something really unique and different. Nothing I have ever eaten has a texture like rice cake. It is chewy with a bite. There is not much flavor to rice cake itself. The sauce is the secret to a good rice cake dish. I have grown up with Chinese rice cake, which is usually thinly sliced and cook with pork and soy sauce. Not only until recent years, I found out about Korean rice cake which is usually in a shape of long tube. However, most Korean rice cakes that I saw were cooked with a spicy sauce. I don’t eat spicy food, so I have never tried it. This recipe is just perfect, because it is not spicy! The sauce was delicious with tons of beef flavors and a hint of sweet. The cucumber was refreshing, and the carrot gave some crunch. I really love this dish that I think I can cook this every week. I hope you will like it too.

Smoked Salmon Linguine with Lemon Cream Sauce

Bryan and I bought a few cans of smoked salmon from Salmon Etc. in Ketchikan, Alaska. I just couldn’t resist not to get anything from Alaska. Salmon seems to be the perfect thing. These canned salmon are pretty good. Very smokey. After getting the salmon, I was thinking how to cook with them. Salmon Etc. gave us a few recipe. I picked this pasta one with lemon cream sauce. This recipe may look heavy, but the lemon juice and zest definitely lightened it up. The sauce was creamy and smokey. Good to eat with a side salad. The most important is that this dish reminded me of the good times in Alaska.

Mushroom Risotto

Risotto? After watching a few seasons of Hell’s Kitchen, risotto seems to be a must-try at home. So far, this mushroom risotto is the only risotto that I made. I love the earthy flavors and the salty prosciutto. It is hard to give this up and make something else. My risotto may not be perfect, but it is delicious! I just hope Wolfgang Puck won’t yell at me or something (If you have watched season 7 Food Network Star, you will know what I mean.). And for those of you who are meat eaters, this is not a vegetarian dish. You get your prosciutto! That’s why Bryan has no complain at all! He likes the dish!

Japchae (Korean Sweet Potato Noodles)

I discovered japchae probably two years ago. Even though it was only from food court and it was not authentic, I still liked the dish a lot. The texture of the noodles was the most memorable. It was chewy and bouncy. And, I like the hint of sweetness. Recently, I have tried it again in a Korean restaurant. I loved it and I knew that I would love to make it at home. Last night, I made the noodles. It was good. Bryan and I both like how it tasted. It was like the one from restaurant. Although there are many steps to this recipe, it is worth the work and time for sure. Give this a try!

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice with Shrimp

Bryan and I like to go to Thai restaurant. Our favorite is yellow curry, but pineapple fried rice also comes very close. When I came across something I really like in restaurant, I like to try to make it at home if I can. This pineapple fried rice is pretty good, and it is very easy to make. I used canned pineapple because it is a lot more convenient, but I am sure fresh pineapple would be better.

Creamy Pasta with Peas and Carrots

This pasta is absolutely delicious! The sauce was the secret. It was made with mascarpone cheese and cream cheese. I actually like this sauce more than a simple bechamel. The cheeses made the sauce very creamy and flavorful. With a tons of vegetables and some shrimps, this pasta is a good balance meal. And, it is very easy to make. Hmmm…… Yummy!

Creamy Taco Macaroni

A few months ago, I saw this recipe on Annie’s Eats. I tried the recipe and it was amazing. The flavor was exactly like a taco, but it was in a form of pasta. The most important was that this pasta was easier to make than a taco. Minimum dicing work is perfect for a fast weeknight meal. The pasta was creamy and flavorful. Bryan and I liked this a lot! If you want the taco flavors, but you didn’t feel like cutting all the toppings. Then, this is your recipe!