Mom left for Taiwan today. Had to get up early (4:30am) to take her to the airport. The large number of people at the airport at 5:30 in the morning, and the 5-minute queue in front of the "Departure" ramp at the terminal really took me by surprise. Though, on hindsight, seeing that I live on the east coast and it is the day after labor day, perhaps it is not so surprising that many businessmen/women will stay home Monday night and fly out to work on Tuesday morning.
Did a bit of studying today. Nothing much came out of it. I am still stuck on the "divisibility of 7" problem that I saw while I am in Boston. Will write more about it in another post once I got it settled.
Dinner today has two dishes: Stir-fried Chinese water spinach (空心菜) and stir-fried chicken of interesting flavoring.
- Chinese water spinach, stir-fried
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- Chinese water spinach (空心菜), for one person
- Salt, small amounts
- Chinese fried garlic (油蒜酥)
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- Cut the water spinach to 2-3 inch long segments, wash.
- Heat up frying pan (optionally add oil). Turn heat to medium.
- Put in water spinach, stir quickly and constantly for about 1 minute, before fully cooked.
- Add the friend garlic and salt. Season to preference.
- Stir for another 30 seconds to a minute.
- Add small amounts of water (a few tbsp).
- Cover, turn heat down to low, let sit for 2 - 3 minutes.
- Uncover and serve.
- Chicken of interesting flavor, stir-fried
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- Chicken breast cutlets, approximately 8 ounces
- Old bay seasoning 1 tbsp
- Garlic, 1 clove
- Soy sauce, 1 cup
- Sugar, 1 tsp
- Sesame oil, 1-2 tbsp
- Vinegar, 1-2 tbsp
- White sesame seeds, to liking
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- Cut chicken into small bite-sized pieces.
- Marinade for 15 minutes to half hour in soy sauce, Old Bay, minced garlic, sugar, sesame oil, vinegar, and sesame seeds (i.e., mix everything up and let sit).
- Heat pan up with a dash of olive oil. Turn heat to medium.
- Add the mixture to pan. Stir occasionally (not too much).
- When mostly done, add 1 tbsp water and cover for 2 minutes.
- Uncover and serve.
The water spinach tastes wonderful, like always. The chicken on the other hand, tastes interesting. It is neither American nor Chinese, nor any flavor that I can really pin down, a fact that I dislike, but the flavor is pleasant and enjoyable. That's about all I can comment on my dinner today.