Archive for July 4th, 2010

René Liu

René LiuRené LiuRené Liu

 

René Liu

René Liu

René Liu

René Liu

 

René Liu

Pinyin liu2 ruo4 ying1 (Mandarin)
Ancestry Hunan
Origin Republic of China (Taiwan)
Born June 1, 1969 (1969-06-01) (age 41)
Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan)
Other name(s) 奶茶 (pinyin: nǎi chá; milk tea)
Occupation Actress, singer
Genre(s) Mandopop
Instrument(s) Guitar
Label(s) Rock Records, AsiaMuse
Years active 1994-present
   

She is the first to win Best Actress awards at the Asia Pacific Movie Festival in both television and film productions. She has several albums out including “I’m Fine” (wo hen hao)

Lin Chi-ling

Lin Chi-lingLin Chi-lingLin Chi-ling

Lin Chi-ling

Lin Chi-lingLin Chi-ling

 
 
 

Lin Chi-ling

Lin Chi-ling

  

 Lin Chi-ling

Date of birth November 29, 1974 (1974-11-29) (age 35)
Place of birth Taipei, Taiwan
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8+12 in)
Hair color Black
Eye color Black
Measurements 34″-23½”-35″ (US)
86-60-89
Weight 53kg (117 lbs)
Dress size 6 (US)
36 (EU)
Agency Catwalk Production House
Early lifeLin attended Taipei Municipal Zhongzheng Junior High School and Bishop Strachan School in Toronto. She studied at the University of Toronto where she majored in Western Art History and Economics.

Modeling career

Currently Managed by Catwalk Modeling Agency, Lin is one of the most recognized models in Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China.

Lin attended the Chanel International Show in 1999.

China Airlines produced Lin Chi-ling figures.She also worked as a spokesperson for Shiatzy Chen.

Television career

Lin has had numerous roles in television over her time as a model, being the host of TVBS-G LA Mode News, TVBS-G Fashion Track, and the Golden Melody Awards in 2005.

She has stated that in the future she wants to be a TV news anchor.

Lin is currently starring as one of the three female leads in the 2010 Japanese television drama Tsuki no Koibito. The male lead is popular actor Takuya Kimura. As of May 10, 2010, the drama airs on Monday at 9:00pm on Fuji TV. Film career

Lin has made her film début role in a historical epic directed by John Woo entitled Red Cliff. Playing the role of Xiaoqiao, it was her first time acting ever. In 2009, she starred together with Jay Chou in the action-adventure film The Treasure Hunter.

 

Hot and sour soup

“Hot and sour soup” is a Chinese soup claimed variously by the regional cuisines of Beijing and Sichuan as a regional dish. The Chinese hot and sour soup is usually meat-based, and often contains ingredients such as day lily buds, wood ear fungus, bamboo shoots, and tofu, in a broth that is sometimes flavored with pork blood.[2] It is typically made hot (spicy) by red peppers or white pepper, and sour by vinegar.

Hot and sour soup is reputed to be good for colds. To increase the health benefits, feel free to add 2 or 3 teaspoons of finely chopped ginger.

For a vegetarian version of Hot and Sour Soup, leave out the pork.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 cake tofu (fresh, if possible)
  • 2 ounces pork tenderloin
  • Marinade:
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
  • Other:
  • 1/2 cup bamboo shoots
  • 2 tablespoons black fungus (Wood Ear) or Cloud Ear fungus
  • (or 3 – 4 Chinese dried black mushrooms or fresh mushrooms)
  • 1 small handful dried lily buds
  • 6 cups water (or 6 cups water and 1 cup Campbell’s chicken broth)*
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons red rice vinegar, white rice vinegar, or red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 green onion, finely chopped
  • White pepper to taste (no more than 1 tablespoon)
  • Hot chili oil, to taste, optional

Preparation:

Hot and Sour Soup Directions:
Shred pork. Mix marinade ingredients and marinate pork for 20 minutes.

Cut tofu into small squares. Cut bamboo shoots into thin strips and then into fine slices. To reconstitute the fungus, soak in warm water for 20 minutes. Rinse, and cut into thin pieces. (If substituting Chinese dried mushrooms, soak to soften, then cut off the stems and cut into thin strips. If using fresh mushrooms, wipe clean with a damp cloth and slice.)

To reconstitute the dried lily buds, soak in hot water for 20 minutes or until softened. Cut off the hard ends.

Bring the water to a boil. When it is boiling, add the bamboo shoots, fungus or mushrooms, and the lily buds. Stir. Add the tofu. Bring back to a boil and add the marinated pork.
Stir in the salt, sugar, soy sauce and vinegar and sesame oil.
Test the broth and adjust the taste if desired. (If using chicken broth, you may want to add a bit more rice vinegar).

Mix the cornstarch and water. Slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the soup, stirring while it is being added. Let the broth come back to a boil. As soon as it is boiling, remove the broth from the stove.

Slowly drop in the beaten egg, stirring in one direction at the same time. Add the green onion and the white pepper to taste. Drizzle with chili oil if desired. Serve hot.

(Hot and Sour Soup can be prepared ahead of time and frozen. When making the soup, leave out the tofu. When ready to serve, thaw, add the tofu and bring to boiling. When the soup is boiling, add the egg.)

*Adjust the ratio of water to chicken stock as desired.

Kung Pao Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb. boned, skinned chicken breasts – cubed
3 Tbls. soy sauce – divided
1 1/2 Tbls. cornstarch mixed with 1 1/2 Tbls. cold water
1 Tbls. dry sherry
1 Tbls. granulated sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sesame oil
3 1/2 Tbls. vegetable oil – divided
1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
4-8 dried red chili peppers – chopped
1 slice peeled, fresh ginger – chopped
1 clove garlic – sliced

 

Directions:

 

Combine chicken, 1 Tbls. soy sauce, and cornstarch/water mixture; allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

Combine 2 Tbls. soy sauce, sherry, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and sesame oil; set aside.

In a hot wok, stir-fry the peanuts in 1 1/2 Tbls. vegetable oil until golden brown, remove peanuts from wok, and set aside.

Fill wok with vegetable oil for frying and heat to 350 degrees. Carefully slide the chicken into the wok, piece by piece, and fry for 1 minute.

Remove chicken from oil and drain on a brown paper bag. Remove oil from wok.

In hot wok, stir-fry the red peppers in 2 Tbls. vegetable oil until they turn dark. Add ginger, garlic, and chicken to the wok and fry, stirring constantly. Stir the prepared sauce and add to the wok. Stir and cook wok contents until the sauce is thickened. Stir in peanuts and serve.

Spicy  tofu

Now that I’ve finally gotten around to explaining how to make tofu, I can share one of my favorite tofu recipes with you. It’s particularly good with fresh, homemade tofu, but you can easily use store-bought instead. One of the reasons I make my own tofu is I make it so firm that I can stir-fry it in a wok without it breaking up, which I can’t do with even extra-firm tofu that I’ve pressed. If you buy tofu instead of making it, buy the firmest you can get, wrap it in a tea towel, and press it under a heavy weight or book for half an hour.

Spicy Tofu

1 lb extra-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
6 cloves garlic, pressed
3-6 dried chili peppers, or red pepper flakes to taste
4 scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds, divided
3 Tbsp cornstarch

Mix the chili sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and one tablespoon of the sesame seeds together in a small bowl. If you are using dried chili peppers, rip the stems off and pour the seeds into the sauce, then toss the peppers into the sauce; otherwise, add the red pepper flakes to taste. Set aside.

Chop the tofu into 1″ blocks. Place the cornstarch into a flat-bottomed bowl and add the tofu cubes, tossing them to coat. You may find it easier to do this in two batches. (The tofu cubes are not entirely coated in the photo.)

Heat 1-2 Tbsp oil in a wok over medium-high heat. When hot, add the tofu cubes:

Stir-fry until golden on all sides, then add half the scallions and stir-fry for one minute. Add the sauce to the wok:

Let the sauce simmer down for a minute or two, then stir in the additional scallions and sesame seeds