Braised pork belly with dark soy sauce, sake, and cane sugar

Salmon with leeks (pan fried)

1. Saute 1 large diced leek in olive oil in a non-stick. Stir occasionally.
2. Cut salmon into bite sized size , rub salt, cumin-coriander powder  and low sodium soy sauce (or any other spices you prefer). Add to pan.
3. You may add julienne ginger and minced green chili here. Drizzle some more soy sauce. Some herbs like dill and tarragon also go well with this recipe.

This is a pan fried recipe, you may also bake the fish and add sauteed leeks to it.

Made a side of Romano beans with poppy seeds.

Also making Peach Sangria for some guests on Sunday.

Pan fried salmon with lime and fresh thyme

1. Remove scales, clean, and pat dry a salmon fillet. Cut into serving size. ( I use a pair of scissors for cutting the skin ).
2. Drizzle evenly :  freshly squeezed lime,  garlic salt, low-sodium soy sauce, chopped Thai chilies, and freshly ground pepper.
3. Heat olive oil in a pan, place the salmon with skin facing down. Cover and cook. Flip.
4. Flip one more time, raise the heat to make the skin crispy if you prefer.  Serve with your favorite sides.

Eggplant in garlic sauce

1. Clean and cut Chinese eggplant into serving size (Halved along the length first, then cut into half moon or strips). 
2. Heat oil in a wok, stir fry the eggplant with minced garlic, salt and chili flakes (or minced dry red chilis) until soft but not mushy.
3. Add low-sodium soy sauce and oyster sauce in a cup with water. Mix well and pour on the wok evenly and simmer to reduce the sauce.
4. You may add 1 tsp sugar. The Chinese variation I had in a restaurant was a little sweet and they added wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots and bell pepper to the braised eggplant.

You may also add a bit of chili oil for flavor.

***

Bonus recipe: Eggplant sauteed with mini heirloom tomatoes, green peas, cilantro stem and fennel bulb with salt, turmeric (optional) and Thai chili.

Whole carp pan-fried and baked

1. Clean the fish, remove entails. Make shallow diagonal cuts on the skin. Sprinkle salt evenly. You may sprinkle some ground cumin, coriander and pepper too.
2. Thinly slice onions, chilis and make matchstick ginger. 
3. In a non-stick, shallow fry the fish on both side and then the onions and chilis.
4. Transfer to an aluminium foil, add soy sauce and ginger(inside the cavity too). 
5. Seal and bake for 40 mins at 350 F. Add cilantro.

You might also like : Steamed halibut

Masala Pomfret with soy sauce (pan-fried)

1. Clean 3 mid-sized pomfrets, remove fins, score with a knife, remove the heads. Rub lemon juice and spice rub (I used dry roasted and ground cumin-coriander-red chili). Fry in olive oil, keep aside.
   
2. Dice onions, ginger, garlic and  slit Thai chilis. Fry them in the oil used for frying  the fish. Add the fish. Drizzle soy sauce.
   
3. Cook covered in low heat until done, turning twice.
4. You may add cilantro or green onions or both. Even leeks go well with this recipe. You may add diced tomatoes too.
   

Steamed halibut with ginger, soy sauce and scallions

This is a recipe I got from a guy we met while shopping for fish at Ranch 99. He even took us to the aisle where the right soy sauce was. I already had regular Kikkoman, but he insisted we should try the one specially meant for steamed fish.

       VS

 I added jalapenos to his recipe . You can bake or steam it.. I like it both ways.

Before 

After

1. Take steaks of white fish (I used halibut for this one), clean and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Add soy sauce, ginger, diced jalapeno to the fish and wrap it in aluminium foil . Bake at 350 F for 40 mins or steam, until the fish turns flaky. (You can add wine too)
3. Add scallions and/or cilantro generously. 

You might also like this Malaysian recipe of Red Snapper grilled in Banana Leaf

I tried this recipe with whole carp. I shallow fried the fish and sauteed the onions first.

Black bean chicken

Link 1 [food.com]


Shortcut:

1. Marinate chicken pieces in 1-2 tsp each of  soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, black bean sauce, vinegar, tomato ketchup.
2. Fry onions in sesame/peanut/vegetable oil, add chicken. Fry well.
3. Add minced ginger and garlic- fry at medium heat and then low heat. You can add hot water if you are using bony chicken and want to cook it thoroughly.
4. When the oil separates(very imp), add chopped green onions.
5. Serve with steamed rice.

Can add bell pepper too.

Roasted duck legs

Honey-braised roast duck leg with shiitake mushrooms

1. For marinade: Make shallow cuts on the legs with a sharp knife and marinade in 4-5 tbsp soya sauce, freshly grated ginger, garlic, ground cinnamon, cloves, (green cardamoms optional) anise seed, and honey in a ziplock overnight.
2. Bake for about 2 - 3 hrs in a preheated oven at 375 F. Turn sides when necessary and braise honey and soya sauce to keep the skin from drying completely.
3. You can broil the last 5 minutes or at 500 F to brown the skin.
4. Slice oranges into thin round slices and place the roast legs with sprigs of your favorite herb.
5. You can serve with your favorite dipping or orange sauce

You can also add your favorite duck sauce to the baste or marinade. Sometimes, packaged Peking sauce can be added to enhance the natural flavors. Don't overkill.

If you have a whole duck and want to use the giblets, you can look up some suggestions here