Great Chef
"There is always a great woman behind every successful man."
Well, in the household, you can also rephrase that as:
"There is always a great man behind every wonderful chef."
Which means, you cook, I clean. You cook all the wonderful, delicious food, while splashing water on yourself, dropping chunks of food on the floor, holding the lid upside down and letting the water dripping down to the counter......and I will clean after you on every move... Together, we create a kingdom of glorious food and speckless kitchen (well, at least not as messy as it could be)
The ultimate defense is: cooking is a battle! Ever seen American Chef? Do you know how many things he needs to be planing and checking at the same time? If you nag behind the chef and tell him to clean up on every move, he will, without doubt, use his big fry pan to knock you out of the way.
Chinese food in California
Mei Long Village in 301 W. Valley Blvd, Monterey Park, CA. There are several other Chinese restaurants in that shopping center, including a bubble tea shop. (I had one, it was very good)
马兰头豆腐干(ma lan tou and tou fu) ，醉鸡(drunk chicken) ， 红烧甩水(fish tail in red source)。Ma Lan tou needs to have more ma lan tou. The chicken was not the best I ever had (the best I had the skin was almost crispy) but it was pretty good. The fish was a little blend. 
S.W Barbecue (三和烧腊) in the Ranch 99 shopping center near Walnut and Jeffery street, Irvine, CA。
烤鸭(Roasted Duck)，清炒豆苗(Stir fry bean sprout)，西湖牛肉羹(Minced beef and egg soup)。
The duck was really oily. Unfortunately, it didn't have a nice source to go with it, I had to use those generate soy source. The bean sprout was good. The soup was very good too. 
三家村, 14121 Jeffrey Rd, Irvine, CA 92620
I should say I was kind disappointed by the small menu they had. The new year special Shanghai Duck looked pretty good but I just had duck the day before so I didn't get one.
荠菜炒山药（shepherd's purse and Chinese Yam) (14.99) ，葱爆羊肉 (stir fry lamb) $7.99. The Yam was supprisingly good though they could have added more greens. The lamb was super oily and fatty and not so flavorful. I didn't like it at all.
半苗园, across the street from the Ranch 99 shopping center on Jeffrey and Walnut, Irvine, CA
牛肉煎饼 (beef bun) $1.5 each. Very very good! They had lots of home style dishes that are under $5, very good deal.
弘城（China Garden) seafood restaurant. That day was 2/7, the Chinese new year. So many many people. I was lucky that I got there early.
蟹粉西洋菜（Crab meat and green, about $14) 茄子牛排煲 （slow-cooked steak and egg-plant, about $16)
The crab meat and green was very good. The steak and egg-plant pot was just awesome!! I was never a fan of egg plant. But the way the cooked it with the meat combines the two flavor so well! The meat must also be very fresh. When you take a bite, the rich meat flavor (not flavor from a source or seasoning, just the original meat flavor) filled your whole mouth!! I did wish the texture of the steak be more real (it was a little too tender to be real, they might have used some meat tendering powder)
馥园 Chef Chen (located in the same Ranch 99 shopping plaza in Irvine). There were lots of people waiting in line for this place but I thought the menu and food was just alright.
笋尖炒干丝（bamboo shoot and tou fu), 清蒸鲈鱼(steamed Japanese Sea Perch)
The bamboo shoot and tou fu could have more bamboo shoot. The taste wasn't bad but I didn't expect it to be soy-source flavored. The steamed fish surprisingly had soy source and lots of oil. The owner said they didn't put any oil in the dish, I kind of doubt it. The taste was good but it had been over-steamed a little bit.
避风磄(Seafood Valley) Cantonese style food. 639 W Garvey Ave. Monterey Park, CA 91754 . Parking was difficult, I had to park across the street. The place was packed too. The price was good for most items, you can find lots of decent dishes for 9.99 or 10.99.
鱼圆苋菜煲 （fish ball and green, about $10.99)， 避风磄炒蟹(house special stir-fried crabs) (market price $5.99/lb * 2.75)
The vegetable was mild but good. Fish starch balls are quite flavorful. The crabs wasn't as good as people recommended . The shell was soft so it was easy to eat but the crab was deeply fried and not much flavor inside. If you put some salty garlic on the meat it wasn't bad but I didn't like it. It was also a huge amount , about 3 or 4 people can share this easily. 
Fish
One benefit of having a cold with no workout or meeting with people is that you are forced to stay at home during dinner time. Well, then you can have a good dinner. I had a big dinner tonight with 4 dishes.
Now, here is a true invention. It's called Somebody-wants-something-new-therefore-the-cook-pulls-random-things-out-and-give-it-a-hunch. Of course, the cook is talented so things usually turn out OK. 
1. 2 Tilapia fillet. Washed. Dried with paper-towel.
2. 1 or 2 tea spoon of Olive oil. Keep the fire on medium high. You don't want to burn the fish. Wait till the oil is hot, place the fish side by side on the oil.
3. Wait one side to be cooked for 20 seconds. Flip the fish. Add seasonings to the surface. I used Chervil (personally, I like dried Thyme better but I am out. hei hei ), lemon peel, rice seasoning (Seto Fumi Furikake, see picture, containing bonito, seaweed, sesame seed--good texture for the fish, sugar, salt, soy sauce).
4. Flip the fish over and apply the seasonings to the other side of the fish.
5。 Flip the fish over again. Add some Chinese chicken salad sauce (containing sesame seed past, rice vinegar, soy sauce and others) . Then add rice wine and some soy sauce.
6. Cook the fish thoroughly. Flip the fish over once or twice to prevent the fish from sticking to the pan. Also make sure all the sauce and seasonings have a good contact with the fish. I've discovered that you cannot really overcook tilapia as long as you keep it moist. When the fish becomes flaky all around, then it is done.
7. Find a pretty plate and dish the fish out. The ornament I used was actually kind of strong eating it raw, so it is just for decoration this time. 
1. 两片 罗非鱼（或其他味道淡的没什么骨头的鱼）。表面用纸巾吸干。
2。一两勺橄榄油。油热后放鱼进去煎。中火。
3。一面煎了20秒后翻。加调料： chervil (雪维菜) or thyme (麝香草), 柠檬皮，海苔拌饭料（见图)
4. 把鱼翻个身, 加上述调料.5. 加凉拌鸡丝酱(内含芝麻酱, 醋,酱油等) . 加料酒,酱油.
6. 慢火直到鱼烧透了. 尽量让酱汁覆盖鱼的全部表面. 注意不要让酱汁烧干了. 鱼也要翻几次以防沾锅.
7. 起锅. 加装饰.
今天的晚饭还有: 培根肉青菜, 丝瓜毛豆炒肉片, 蒸的虾沾鸡尾酱(番茄酱+ horse radish sauce 辣根酱) , 米饭. 不错的一顿.
Seafood rice
This is an experiment because somebody doesn't like the "normal mild food". So I try to kick up one notch.
1. Bag of frozen seafood, cooked rice (about 2 cup), chopped up Chinese cabbage (napa) (1/3 of the average full size napa).
2. Stir fry the seafood and cabbage with olive oil. (I didn't defrost the seafood first. If you could defrost it first and get rid of the excess water, it will be better. ) Wait till they are cooked down quite bit, then add the sauce.
3. The sauce I use is a mixture of: ketchup (about 1/2 - 1 cup), soy souce (1/3 cup), Tandoori sauce. I really like the Tandoori sauce. It boosts the seafood flavor and adds just a touch of spiciness. I also added about 1 or 2 table-spoons of salt.
4. Add rice in once the cabbage is fully cooked down. (You can add more rice or less , depending on your own preference)
5. Wait till the rice soak up the excess juice. Add a table-spoon of rice vinegar if you wish to add a little sour taste. Add some sugar (one or two tablespoon) also.
6. Find a pretty plate and add some greens .
Pork chop
Since 504 Laoda keeps asking me for my mom's recipe for pork chop, I had to send one to her. And I thought I might as well try it out my self.
Turned out pretty good. I liked it
1. Tenderize the meat. If you have a meat tenderizer (the little cube headed hammer), you can use that. Otherwise, use the back side of your butcher knife to hit the pork several times then use the flat side of the blade to hit the meat several times. Also, slice open the fat part.
2. Marinate the pork with: wine, starch, soy souce and a little water. You can add a little egg white too if you have it. The egg white and the starch will keep the meat moist and tender.
3. Lightly fry the meat (one slice at a time) until the surface hardens a little. Don't make the oil too hot when you fry the meat.
4. After frying all the chops, put them back to the pan. Add water and soy sauce. Turn fire on low. Cook until the meat is done in the center.
5. Add green onions and sugar. Wait till the juice thickens some, then find a pretty plate and dish the pork chop out.
6. Add some garnish if you wish.
Sweet and Sour Pork Rib (Tang2 Cu4 Pai2 Gu3)
All right, this is not the sweet and sour pork they sell in the Chinese restaurants in U.S. It is more a traditional Chinese way using dark rice vinegar and sugar to create the sour and sweet taste. I learned this from my mom.
- Get the pork ribs (the ones that are already cut into 1 inch width, not the full rack....) then cut them into 1 inch squares. (If you can get the fresh/never frozen ones, the taste will be better)
- You can marinate them using wine and soy source. I didn't do it this time. Usually it is a good idea to marinate though.
- Heat up some vegetable oils in your frying pan. Keep the fire on medium-high. When it is sizzling hot, put the pork in.
- Stir the pork until the surface is lightly golden.
- Add about 1/4 cup dark rice wine (you should immediately smell that nice meaty smell, Ah~~) and some soy source. I used 3/4 light soy source and 1/4 dark soy source. And please, get the Chinese soy source if you want a Chinese taste.
- Add a little water. Turn the fire on low to cook the pork until they are about done.
- Add sugar (about 1/6 cup) and vinegar (about 1/6 cup) now. If you add the vinegar too early, it will evaporate and you won't get the nice smell and taste. If you add the sugar too early, it might make your pork stick to the pan. Now, you just need to keep stirring the pork until the juice gets thicker and almost disappears. This is very important. It is how you can get that nice glaze over the meat. Also, the meat can absorb all the flavor that way.
- Get your favorite pair of chop sticks and some rice and ENJOY!
