The top 3 recipes I want to pass down to my kids

Cookbook Chronicles #001 - Out of the 1000+ recipes my dad knows, these 3 will always stand out

When I started Made With Lau, it didn’t take much of a brainstorm to know that I’d be sharing these 3 recipes at some point in time.

Similarly, when we started writing our Cantonese cookbook proposal (which I’ll be sharing in a future post), I knew without a doubt we’d be including these recipes in the book.

My dad knows thousands of recipes, but these 3 dishes are my all-time favorites and ones I will force want my kids to know once they start cooking for themselves.

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#1 - Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork) 叉燒

Why is this in the top 3? Ever since I was a kid, my dad always made this for his 9-course Chinese New Year feasts. Even now, my dad often makes this for my kids for our weekly dinners. As picky as my kids can be sometimes, they never turn down my dad’s char siu.

Ingredients

The Meat

• 3 pounds pork shoulder

The Marinade

• Core Ingredients

  • 1.5 tablespoons garlic salt

  • 6 tablespoons brown sugar

  • 3 tablespoons oyster sauce

  • 3 tablespoons light soy sauce

• Highly Recommended Ingredients - these are potentially harder to find but impart much more depth and aroma.

  • 1.5 tablespoons hoisin sauce

  • 1.5 cubes of red fermented bean curd

  • 1.5 teaspoons five spice powder

  • For acidity, it doesn’t have to be this specific combo, but use about 3-4 tablespoons of some sort of acidic cooking wine

    • 3 tablespoons red wine (optional, for additional redness)

    • 1.5 tablespoons Shaoxing wine

Basting

• 3 tablespoons honey

• 1 tablespoon water

• 0.5 teaspoon red food coloring (optional, see our comparison)

Step 1: Prepare pork

Cut the pork shoulder (3 lb) into long slices, roughly about 1 inch thick. We'll aim to cut each slice with uniform thickness so they cook at the same rate.

Afterwards, we'll repeatedly poke each side of each slice with a fork to help the pork absorb our marinade more effectively.

Step 2: Prepare marinade

To a bowl, we'll add:

• garlic salt (1.5 tablespoons)​

• brown sugar (6 tablespoons)​

• oyster sauce (3 tablespoons)​

• light soy sauce (3 tablespoons)​

• hoisin sauce (1.5 tablespoons)​

• red wine (3 tablespoons)

• Shaoxing wine (1.5 tablespoons)

• red fermented bean curd (1.5 cubes)

• five spice powder (1.5 teaspoons)

Mix the marinade until it's evenly distributed and smooth. If you'd like a more rich, red color, you can add a few drops of red food coloring (1/2 teaspoon).

Step 3: Marinate pork

Place the meat into a zip-top bag, pour the sauce in, and massage the pork for about 2 minutes so that the sauce is able to finesse its way into the meat. Afterwards, we’ll push all the air out of the bag and seal it.

Place the bag in the refrigerator, and let the pork marinate overnight, or at least for around 6 to 8 hours.

Chef’s Tip: My dad says to not let it marinate for over 24 hours, or else it will affect the tenderness of the meat. If you refrigerate the pork, let it sit for about 1 hour to bring it to room temperature before starting to cook it.

Step 4: Prepare char siu for oven

Preheat the oven to 425° F or 218° C.

Set up the baking pan by lining the bottom with aluminum foil (so it's easier to clean!), and place the baking rack on top of the foil.

Using tongs, start laying out the pork on the baking rack and pan.

Add 1 to 2 tbsp of water to the bottom of the pan to help generate some steam as the char siu cooks, and to help prevent the drippings from burning and smoking.

Carefully place it in the oven.

Step 5: Roast and baste char siu

Now, we’ll be removing the char siu periodically to baste it again with either our leftover pork marinade, or honey (3 tablespoons) diluted with water (1 tablespoon).

Here’s how my dad split up the cooking time:

• Cook for 15 minutes and baste both sides with the pork marinade

• Cook for another 15 minutes and baste both sides with pork marinade again

• Cook for 10 minutes and baste both sides with the diluted honey

• And finally, we’ll turn the heat up to 450° F, cook for another 5 minutes, baste both sides with honey, and let it cool for a few minutes before cutting into it.

In total, this is about 50 minutes in the oven.

Step 6: Final touches, let cool, cut and enjoy!

Once the char siu has finished its last cycle in the oven, we'll baste each side with our diluted honey.

Let the char siu cool for about 5 minutes before cutting into it.

And finally... enjoy!

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#2 - Chicken Congee 鷄粥

Why is this in the top 3? My parents used to make this chicken congee recipe as breakfast for my sister and I as we got ready for school, and they'd always have a week's worth of congee for us whenever we got sick.

Even though it’s a very simple dish, for so many of us, jook is one that brings both comfort and nostalgia.

What is congee?

Jook is a porridge made from rice that’s cooked down with a large amount of water. It’s simmered for a long time to get a nice, velvety texture. Depending on personal preference, it can be thick and creamy or a thinner, more watery consistency.

How to make congee is actually quite simple. Any type of congee will use the same congee base, so follow our rice porridge recipe to get the silkiest, smoothest basic white congee. Then, when the recipe says to add marinated chicken, you can swap it for beef, pork, sliced fish, shrimp, or other seafood. That's how restaurants do it when they serve jook!

Ingredients

Congee

• 1 rice cup white rice

  (a "rice cup" is about 3/4 of a standard US cup. Jasmine rice is preferred but any white rice will work!)

• 8 cups water

Chicken Marinade

• 12 ounce chicken breast (use any type of meat or amount you want)

• 2 teaspoon cornstarch

• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Seasonings (just before finishing)

• 1/2 ounce ginger, cut into strips

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon

Garnishes (right before serving)

• 2 pieces green onion

• 1 piece cilantro (to taste)

Step 1: Wash rice

We'll start by washing our rice (1 rice cup) in a bowl:

• Fill the bowl with some water

• Massage and mix the rice around with your hands

• Drain the water

• My dad prefers to repeat this 3 times, for good measure

It may seem counterintuitive to rinse rice that’s just going to be cooked down in water, but this is an essential step! Washing the grains not only removes dirt, but also excess starch that can lead to gummy, sticky congee.

Step 2: Boil water, chop veggies

To save some time, we'll start boiling some water (8 cups) for later. For jook / congee recipes, the water-to-rice ratio is usually very high. In my dad's recipe, it's 8-to-1.

Next, we'll chop our ginger (1/2 oz) into thin slices, and then into thin strips. Chop a few strands of cilantro (1 piece) and green onion (2 pieces) into small pieces.

Step 3: Prepare chicken

Cut the chicken (12 oz) into thin slices and place it in a bowl to marinate.

Add oyster sauce (1 tbsp), cornstarch (2 tsp), chicken bouillon (1/2 tsp), and water (2 tbsp). Mix and massage the chicken and the marinade together for 30 seconds until there's no liquid left. Then, add vegetable oil (2 tbsp) to the bowl and mix it around with chopsticks for another 20 to 30 seconds.

The cornstarch helps glue the flavors to the chicken, and lock the juices inside the meat. The oil helps prevent the chicken from clumping together, and also helps seal the juices inside the chicken as well.

Chef’s Tip: Before cutting, place a towel underneath your board to increase its stability, and decrease the chances that you'll accidentally cut yourself.

Step 4: Start boiling rice

Pour the boiled water (8 cup) from earlier into a pot, set on high heat, and wait for the pot to boil before adding the rice (1 rice cup). It's important not to add the rice before the pot starts boiling.

Once the pot (water only) is boiling, add the rice and stir it around a bit. Another important tip: Don't stir the rice once the pot is boiling yet again, otherwise it will be more likely to stick to the bottom of the pot.

We'll cover the pot (water and rice) and wait until it's boiling again.

Step 5: Cover pot and wait

Once the pot is boiling again, we'll partially cover the pot and let it cook at medium heat for 25-30 minutes, until the rice grains have softened and expanded.

Even though this step is fairly passive, it's an important one. My dad explains that Cantonese people are very proud and particular about the quality of their "jūk dái," or the congee base.

Step 6: Whisk rice

Once we've hit 25 minutes, we can either proceed with this step or cook it for longer.

(From my experience - When my wife and I recreated this recipe using my dad's instructions, I had to cook it for another 10 minutes longer because my "medium heat" wasn't hot enough. Our grains of rice were still fairly solid. It really depends on your stove, and a bit of trial and error.)

Anyway, if you're happy with where your rice is at, start whisking the pot rapidly and constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. This helps speed up our cooking time, and helps break down the rice into smaller, fluffier pieces.

If you don't have a whisk, you'll need to cook for another 10 to 20 minutes.

You can repeat the whisk/cooking several times until you’re happy with the texture.

Step 7: Cook chicken

Set the stove to high heat, and slowly add the chicken over the course of 30 to 60 seconds, stirring constantly as you go. If you add it all at once, it will clump up.

Stir the chicken around for another 1 to 2 minutes. Once the pot is boiling again, check to see that the chicken is cooked through.

Step 8: Add seasonings, ginger

Before turning the heat off, add the strips of ginger, as well as salt (1 teaspoon) and chicken bouillon (1 teaspoon). Stir everything around for 20 to 30 seconds.

Step 9: Plate, garnish, enjoy!

Turn off the heat, and pour the jook into your favorite bowl. Garnish with the green onions and cilantro.

Call your loved ones over - it's time to eat!

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#3 - Savory Rice Ball Soup (Tong Yoon) 鹹湯圓

Why is this in the top 3? Tong Jyun (also spelled Tangyuan) is my favorite dish of all time! There is a sweet version of this, but what I grew up eating is the classic savory Toisanese version, where the rice balls feel like warm hugs in your mouth and the soup is packed with flavor and textures from fresh & dried shrimp, Chinese sausage, chicken, daikon, cabbage and more.

Tong Jyun was the single dish that made me want to start Made With Lau because I always wanted to make sure that I preserved my dad's recipe to pass down through the generations.

(It actually took me over a year to feel confident enough in my YouTube skills to publish this recipe, since it means so much to me.)

Ingredients

At first glance, this might look like a long, intimidating recipe. Certainly, it’s more prep than your typical recipe.

My dad views this more like a complete family-style meal or feast, for which he’s usually preparing multiple dishes at once. Through that lens, this soup takes less time than prepping a simple family-style meal with multiple dishes.

Feel free to simplify this or make this your own with your own swaps and substitutions.

Main Ingredients

• 2 pounds glutinous rice flour

  • (If you are serving 3-4 people, 1 lb is enough. You may need extra depending on softness/dryness later on.)

  • mixed with 16 oz hot water and 8 oz cold water

• 1 ounce dried shrimp, rehydrated

• 1 to 2 ounces dried shiitake mushroom, rehydrated

• 5 ounces fresh/thawed shrimp

  • 2 teaspoon cornstarch (for shrimp marinade)

• 8 ounces fish balls (optional, store-bought is fine)

• 2 pieces Chinese sausage

• 1 fillet chicken breast

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch (for chicken marinade)

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (for chicken marinade)

  • 2 tablespoon water (for chicken marinade)

• 4 ounces king oyster mushroom

• 2 pounds white radish

• 1 pound napa cabbage

• 3 ounces carrot

• 1 handful cilantro

• 1 handful spring onion

• 1 piece ginger

• 2 clove garlic

Soup Base

• 6 cup water (for soup base)

• 14 ounce chicken broth (1 can)

Soup Seasoning

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon fish sauce

Step 1: Prepare ingredients

• Wash and soak dried shrimps (1 oz) for 10 mins and dried shiitake mushrooms (1 to 2 oz) for 15 mins in warm water.

  • Once the shiitake mushrooms are fully hydrated, cut them into slices.

• Devein fresh shrimps (5 oz) and marinate with cornstarch (2 tsp). This will make the shrimp much more tender.

• Cut the Chinese sausages (2 piece) into slices.

• Cut the chicken breast (1 fillet) in half length-wise then into thin slices. Marinate with cornstarch (1 tbsp), salt (1/2 tsp), and water (2 tbsp).

• Peel and wash the white radish (2 lb). Cut diagonally in 1/4" slices. Lay the slices down, overlapping slightly, and chop them into strips.

• Cut the end off of the napa cabbage (1 lb), separate the leaves and wash thoroughly. Cut the stems into 1/2" pieces and continue to chop the rest of the cabbage at 1" pieces.

• Cut the carrot (3 oz) into thin strips.

• Smash and cut ginger (1 piece) and garlic (2 cloves).

• Wash and roughly chop the spring onions (1 handful) and cilantro (1 handful).

• Slice the king oyster mushroom (6 oz) into 1/2" slices and cut again into 1/4" strips.

Set all ingredients to the side.

Step 2: Make dough

In a large bowl, add rice flour (2 lb), stirring slowly with chopsticks as you drizzle in hot water (16 oz). What you are making is a half-cooked dough.

When it is safe to mix with your hands, do so and knead slowly until all the hot water has been mixed in. Add in cold water (8 oz).

(You could use only hot water for the dough. However, it will be harder to knead at first. When we use both hot and cold water, the dough is easier to work with.)

Knead the dough until well combined and becomes smooth. If the dough feels too soft, add more rice flour.

Or if you notice that the dough keeps sticking to your hands in clumps after kneading for a while, add some more rice flour to keep it from sticking to your hands. You can add about 1 oz of rice flour to the bowl with the dough and knead a bit more to make sure that it's dry enough to not stick to your hands but still maintains a slightly sticky consistency.

Step 3: Create rice balls

Dust your working surface with a bit of rice flour. Take the dough into smaller pieces and roll them into long tubes on the working surface.

Cut them into your preferred size with a knife or cutter. We suggest you make them about an inch or an inch and a half in diameter.

Take a cut piece of dough and place it between your flattened palms. The top palm should push onto the dough and roll it around until it takes the form of a ball.

Step 4: Boil rice balls

In a large wok, bring water to a boil. Add your rice balls and cook them with the lid on until they float. Make sure to stir occasionally so they don't stick to the wok. You know they're done when they float to the top. This takes about 7-8 minutes.

Remove rice balls and place them into a bowl of cold water. This prevents them from being too soft to be put back into the soup. It hardens and shrinks the balls. This also prevents the glutinous rice balls from sticking and, most importantly, it helps to keep the broth of the soup clear.

Set aside.

Step 5: Stir-fry ingredients

Pre-heat the wok on high heat and add oil (2 tbsp). Heat the oil for 30 seconds before adding the ginger (1 piece) and garlic (2 clove).

Add dried shrimp (1 oz) and let the oil bloom its flavor. Cook for 30 seconds until it becomes fragrant. Add Chinese sausage (2 piece) and cook for 30 seconds to render out the fat.

Add white radish (2 lb) and stir-fry for 40-50 seconds, then add the shiitake mushroom (1.5 oz) and carrots (3 oz). Stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Step 6: Add broth & cook ingredients

Add chicken broth (14 oz) and let simmer for about a minute. Add water (6 cup).

Note that our measurements for water here is based on the size of our wok and what we taste we prefer. Adjust accordingly.

Let the soup come to a boil with the lid on the wok for about 2.5 to 3 minutes. In the meantime, drain rice balls. Once the soup is boiling, add the napa cabbage (1 lb) and king oyster mushrooms (4 oz).

Put the lid back on and bring the soup to a boil again. This will take about 2 minutes.

Turn the heat down to medium and add the chicken. Make sure to spread the pieces around the wok and submerge them in the hot soup so they cook evenly. Cook for about 40-50 seconds.

Add the marinated shrimps (5 oz) in the same manner as the chicken. Spread out in the wok and submerge it in the soup. Cook for one minute.

Step 7: Add flavors & cooked ingredients

To season the soup, add salt (2 tsp), sugar (1 tsp), white pepper (0.25 tsp), sesame oil (1 tsp), soy sauce (1 tsp), and fish sauce (1 tsp). Mix and add spring onions (1 handful) and cilantro (1 handful).

Turn off heat, stir gently, add fish balls (8 oz). Let them warm up in the soup and add the cooked glutinous rice balls.

Step 8: Taste test & serve

Finally, taste to adjust the flavors of the soup. Turn the heat back to high heat to bring the soup to a boil. Serve the soup piping hot. Serve once it's to your taste! This is usually served in a large serving pot or bowl and everyone can take the amount they want in smaller individual bowls.