A while ago I read a story from my friend Jackie’s blog, it is like this: on one rainy day during her childhood, she encountered a very young chicken. It was shivering in the chilly rain. She took the baby chicken home, tried to warm it and fed it, but it wouldn’t eat anything, it just trembled. Jackie's mom told her she couldn’t have it at home, there was no space, plus there was nobody to take care of it. So my friend had to take it to the nearest hen she could find, but the hen refused to accept the baby chicken. In the end, Jackie had to take the baby chicken back home and try to help it, but her efforts were in vein, and she had to watch it die.

After many years she still remembers this incident. Even though she is not a vegetarian, this prompts her to ponder the meaning of life and its fairness. She said this becomes the scream of the lamb in her heart, I think you know what she means, if you have seen the movie The Silence of the Lambs.

Today I am gonna work out a dish from the Chinese dining table that usually features lamb. For people who love animals but also love meat, this is an excellent compromise. It’s chewy and tasty, and not a drop of blood is shed. Maybe there will always be the scream of the lambs as long as human beings exist. But as more and more of us hear it, less and less lambs have to scream for life. I hope I am not the only one dreaming. 😉

Kitchen Gadgets: Frying Pan or Wok

Ingredients

• 50g soy protein pieces
• 1 stalk of Chinese leek (If using big European one, use 1/3 including both green and white parts)
• ½ red onion
• 6 stalks of cilantro (4 for cooking, 2 for decoration)
• 1 green pepper
• 2 tsp corn starch
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp chilli oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp white sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Soak the soy protein in the water for 10 to 15 minutes, then squeeze out the excess water, and add 1tsp of corn starch. Toss to mix well and set aside.
2. Remove and discard the green part of leek and slice the rest. Slice the onion. Shred the green pepper. Chop 4 stalks of cilantro.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining 1 tsp corn starch, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and chilli oil together.
4. Preheat the stainless pan for 2 minutes, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Keep the high heat, then add the onion, leek, green pepper and cilantro and stir fry for 4 minutes.
5. Add the soy protein pieces and continue to stir fry for 2 minutes.
6. Add the soy sauce mixture to the pan, mix and stir fry for 1 minute more.
7. Turn off the heat and continue to stir fry for 1 minute.
8. Transfer the food to a plate, decorate with white sesame seeds and the two remaining 2 stalks of fresh cilantro.