Simplicity

Baby Bak Choy Stir Fry - my father has told me long ago that it is usually such basic stir-fry vegetables that are hard to get it right. He is right. It took me years to get it remotely right - learning to use the right amount of vegetable oil, salt, and most important of all, timing. The greens are so sensitive to heat that even the slightest delay in the pan could rob them of the freshness and sweetness. I pay a lot of attention to the change of color, texture and smell when I stir fry them. I turn off the stove the moment I saw leaves turning soft, then I add the salt and give them a give stir with the remaining heat on the pan. Then comes the plating - everything happens within one and half minutes. And to fully savor the juiciness and unique taste of the different green vegetables, you need to eat it as soon as it is done, otherwise the water inside the leave won't hold.

Scrambled Eggs with Tomato - this is one of the first dish every Chinese learns. It is simple, yet can be deeply satisfying. The acidity and fruitiness in the tomato bring out the flavor in the egg. The residue juicy in the dish goes so well with rice that sometimes I will intentionally add more water into this dish. There are different ways to do it depending on which part of China one is from. People in the North tend to add sugar into it, which I find disgusting. Also the timing when eggs are cooked differs - some parts of China will scramble the egg first and then add in the tomato, while other parts put them in the pan at the same time. The final garnish of a bit green onion in my version will kill the vague gamy smell in the egg. As one last tip: always, always use free ranch eggs.