Category: Asian Dishes
Mille-Feuille Nabe Blooming Delish!

Mille-Feuille Nabe Blooming Delish!

By | | Comments 0 Comment

I’m sure I saw this on TikTok or an IG Reel.  It looked so delicious I knew I was going to make it, if not today, definitely tomorrow.  Jackpot, making it today, why?  As most of you know I stop at grocery stores so often I should be classified as a professional food shopper.  The beauty of being a “pro”, I generally have the ingredients for any dish found on the internet, lol. This is a perfect example, a quick perusal of my kitchen and I was in business.

Thinly sliced pork – check. From Asian Market. I always keep some in the freezer, ALWAYS.

Napa Cabbage – check. Picked up a head at the Hankook Market last weekend, cause you never know when you might need some cabbage…

Mushrooms – check. My fridge qualifies as a certified mushroom farm most days.

Dashi or Broth – check. I pulled my bottle of Shiro Dashi from the fridge. Literally concentrated dashi that you dilute with water, VERY good, stupid easy. For a detailed run down check out Guide to Shiro Dashi

OR I can make Dashi with packets from Japan that I keep squirreled away in my pantry.  Again, VERY good,  a bit more work than Shiro Dashi, still super easy.

I won’t go into making my own Dashi cause that would defeat the dinner in a few minutes mantra.

Korean radish – check.  You don’t need it, I just happen to have some so why not?

Staples – check.  Green onions, sesame seeds, soy sauce S&P…Hello? Would not be caught dead without any of these.

Pot- check. Y’all know I didn’t have to list this but I wanted to mention the tiny Donabe I bought at the MANRESA fire sale.  It gives me JOY.  I also used my gorgeous Staub pot for the family-sized version.

So that’s it, all you need to make this scrumptious, perfect when it is cold and wet outside, quick and easy dish.

Let’s Goooooo!

This is super easy, TRUST ME.  Have I ever steered you wrong?  Start with your Napa Cabbage, wash and separate the leaves.  You only need 1 head of cabbage and you won’t use all of it, unless you are feeding a cast of thousands, then you’re on your own.

Take out your thinly sliced pork, I’m sure this would work with beef also. Use any protein cut for Shabu Shabu or Hot Pot.  I know you are thinking, 🤔, can I use bacon?  My inclination is no, as much as I love bacon, the flavor may be too much and too salty for this Nabe.  But if you are feeling bold, try it.  Definitely REPORT BACK to me!

Layer the pork on the Napa Cabbage, covering most of the leaf. Continue layering until you have a stack of 3-4 leaves.  Cut crosswise into 3-4 sections, and try to match it up with your pot.  Each section should be about 2-2.5 inches in height. Definitely not taller as you will need to cover the pot when cooking.  Continue circling the pot with the sections until you reach the center.  I finished with slices of Korean radish surrounding a bouquet of mushrooms smack dab in the middle, totally optional.  But so good.

To finish, add dashi to barely cover the cabbage, cover, and cook.  Cook for 10-15 minutes, the beauty of thinly sliced meats and veggies.  Dinner is served! BACK to the dashi.  Dashi is a fish-based stock, used in many yummy Japanese dishes.  There are ka-zillions of ways to make dashi.  Skip the traditional and time-consuming options.  I use Shiro-dashi alot.  It is a seasoned concentrated fish stock that comes in a bottle.  Dilute Shiro-dashi 10-12 fold for soups and casseroles, EASY PEASY.  The other way is using dashi packets, kind of like tea bags.  Drop it into the water, let it sit to infuse the flavor from the packets, and presto dunzo.

CAVEAT: The Shiro Dashi is seasoned with salt and sugar while the dashi packets just impart the fish flavor.  You will need to add salt or soy if using the dashi packets.

That’s it!  Serve it up with bowls of hot, steaming rice, maybe fry an egg or if you have Mayak Eggs or Ramen Eggs yum. So damn delicious it is criminal.  Or use the flavorful broth on a lovely bowl of noodles, udon noodles would be delicious.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words…check out my Instagram for a reel on Mille-Feuille Nabe!

Print

Mille-Feuille Nabe

Japanese Hotpot with Napa Cabbage and thinly sliced pork belly arranged in layers in a donabe of casserole. Dashi serves as the cooking broth that turns this into a lovely dish perfect for cold weather.
Course dinner, Main Course, One dish meals
Cuisine Asian, Japanese
Keyword Mille-feuille, napa cabbage, Pork Belly, soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 donabe If you have one, but any casserole type pot will do.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

  • 1 napa cabbage medium size should do
  • 1-1½ lb Thinly sliced pork belly smaller the pot the less you will need
  • 1 bunch of mushrooms like enoki or shiimeji optional
  • Korean Radish or Daikon, thinly sliced optional

Dashi

  • 1 knob ginger 1 inch, 2.5 cm
  • 5 cups dashi See post for dashi options!
  • 2 Tbsp sake cut in half or omit if using Shiro Dashi
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce cut in half or omit if using Shiro Dashi
  • ½ tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt

Finishing Touches

  • green onions, diced for garnish
  • Chili oil or Shichim Togarashi at the table
  • Rice to serve with hot pot or boil some noodles to have with the flavorful broth!
  • Any kind of eggs-Ramen, Mayak or raw that you crack and cook in the broth

Instructions

  • Remove leaves carefully from the base, wash and drain well. Don’t throw away any leaves that naturally came off while rinsing. We’ll use these leaves later on. If you happen to get a ginormous cabbage cut in half or quarters lengthwise. I usually buy small ones so I use the whole leaf. Pat them dry before next step.
  • Layer the pork belly and napa cabbage by placing one slice between each of the leaves. Cover leaves with pork belly, trim if necessary to fit. Repeat 3-4 times depending on size of pot.
  • Cut each napa cabbage wedge into 3-4 pieces each about 2 to 2½ inches (5-6 cm) long. Each section should not be taller than your cooking pot. Try to keep the layers of napa cabbage and pork belly neatly stacked as you slice.
  • Next, start stacking the ingredients in a donabe, hot pot, or regular 10-inch pot. I used a shallow Staub pot with the grill top. Turn the stacks on their side as you pack them so the pink and green layers are visible. Start from the outer edges of the pot and work your way toward the center. Place the thicker cabbage leaves near the outside edge and the tender leaves in the center. Make sure that you pack the pot tightly as the layers will become loose once the ingredients start to cook.
  • If you don’t have enough layers to pack the pot tightly, consider using a smaller pot or place other ingredients in the center. I Like to stuff enoki mushrooms or shimeji mushrooms in the center. Or use slices of radish to surround the mushrooms.
  • Make you dashi. Don’t reduce the salt If you are using dashi from packets since the napa cabbage will release liquid during cooking and dilute the soup. If using Shiro Dashi that is seasoned omit half the soy sauce and sake. Taste your broth, it should not be too salty.
  • Pour the broth into the pot with the napa cabbage and pork belly. Start cooking on high heat. Once boiling, skim off the foam and fat on the surface using a fine-mesh skimmer. Then, reduce the heat to medium low and cook covered until the napa cabbage is tender and the pork belly is cooked through, roughly 8-10 minutes.

Garnish

  • Garnish with chopped green onion/scallion, have shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) on table or sprinkle on top of dish. Serve while hot with rice or boil up some noodles to serve in the delicious broth!
    I like adding a ramen egg or a Mayak egg t round it out.
Chewy Black Sesame Rice Cake #CakeforTimmy

Chewy Black Sesame Rice Cake #CakeforTimmy

By | | Comments 1 comment

I first made Eric Kim’s Chewy Black Sesame Mochi Cake after a “Bake-a-long” with him, a perk for purchasing his book, Korean American. I was on a “mochi-bender”, if a recipe called for sweet or glutinous rice, I made it.  His cake is not only made with mochi, it has black sesame seeds.  I LOVE sesame seeds in any form, game on.

Bake-A-long

For those of you who #1 Have read this far down, #2  Pretty darn observant…yes, the Bake-A-Long was quite a while ago.  While I loved the sesame flavor and texture of the cake, not gonna lie, the cake was pretty sweet.  Eric seems to have a pretty high sugar barometer.  I made a mental note to file it away in my brain to try again with a smidge less sugar.

52 Reasons To Try It Again

For all the evils of social media (I say this with a half chuckle) the best thing about it has been finding my peeps.  Finding folks with similar interests that I would never in a million years have connected with if not for Facebook or Instagram. A virtual community that shares a common interest.  Groups like Food52’s Cookbook Club on Facebook (yep, you need to use FB) where folks like you and I can share recipes, reviews, and kitchen adventures.

Each month features a new (or old) cookbook, which, if you are like me, a cookbook addict, probably have or are in the process of getting.  It gives me that little shove to open up that cookbook and try it.  It’s also a great resource for tips and reviews for many of the recipes.

This month the selected cookbook is Korean American by Eric Kim.  Which reminded me that I haven’t made anything from it in a while.  Time to tweak that Chewy Black Sesame Rice Cake again.

Oops, I Did It Again.  But as Muffins

I decreased the amount of sugar in the recipe and made muffins instead of a cake.  Kinda like having my own personal dessert.

Sweet or glutinous rice flour is not to be confused with rice flour.  Sweet rice is much stickier than rice flour.  They are not interchangeable.  Koda Farms sweet rice is known as Mochiko and is pretty easy to find especially at Asian grocery stores.

Black sesame seeds can be found at most grocery stores in the spice section.  Asian grocery stores will also carry sesame seeds in larger quantities and not quite as expensive.  You

To reduce the sweetness cut sugar by 1/4 to 1/2 cup.  I cut it by 1/2 and it was still sweet enough for my taste. You may have to play with a little.  The time between making the original recipe (full sugar load) and when I made the muffins with half sugar taxes my memory as to whether the texture was different

The batter is fairly runny and pourable.  Very doable as a cake or muffins.  Shorten baking time to 20-25 minutes if making muffins.

Looking for something just a little different, gluten-free, and delicious, look no more, it’s right here.

Print

Chewy Black Sesame Rice Cake

A delicious, dense, chewy, sesame flavored cake from Eric Kim
Course Dessert
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword Black Sesame Seed, cake, chewy, ERic KIm, Mochi
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour

Equipment

  • 1 9 inch cake pan or
  • 1 12-cup std muffin pan

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray or butter and flour with plain rice flour

Eggs and Tings'

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup sugar (it's pretty sweet, I use 1/2 cup)
  • ¼ cup honey mild
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

The Wet Stuff

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract yes, 1 TABLESPOON
  • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

The Crunch

  • 4 tablespoons toasted black sesame seeds divided equally in half

The Dry Stuff

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 8 ounces (227g) glutinous rice flour aka mochiko or sweet rice flour NOT plain rice flour

The Finish

  • Powdered sugar for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mist an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray or buttered and dusted with rice flour.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, honey, and salt until fluffy and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, vanilla, melted butter, and sesame oil until combined. Ain't gonna lie, I use my mixer on medium speed.
  • Using a mortar and pestle (or a coffee/spice grinder), pulverize 2 tablespoons of the black sesame seeds into a rough powder. It should smell very fragrant. Add this sesame powder, along with the remaining 2 tablespoons of whole black sesame seeds, to the bowl with the egg mixture, followed by the baking powder and rice flour. Whisk to combine, then carefully pour the batter into the greased cake pan. This part you can do by hand or machine.
  • Bake until the top is nicely browned and cracked slightly (this is a good sign), 50 to 60 minutes. You can also insert a chopstick or toothpick into the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, then it’s done.
    For muffins, fill a 12-cup muffin tin that has been buttered to 7/8 full. Bake for approximately 25 minutes.
  • Cool completely before dusting with the powdered sugar and slicing into wedges to serve. The cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Back to My Lotus ROOTS (Renkon No Kinpira)


Back to My Lotus ROOTS (Renkon No Kinpira)


By | | Comments 0 Comment

We are always looking for ways to increase our veggie intake.  Part of the problem is our everyday veggies are BORING.  Let me clarify, Veggies aren’t boring, it’s our method of prep.  We should be arrested for vegetable prep neglect and indifference.  We often find ourselves nuking frozen corn or mixed veggies as we sit down to eat. Veggies are a sad afterthought.

No More

Expanding our veggie-verse has become a priority.  What we have discovered are the veggie-centric dishes such as Chinese Cucumbers, Indian Dal, Aloo Gobi, Korean Banchan,  or Japanese Tsukemono.  Make batches ahead of time so dinner on a busy night means pulling out the Tupperware from the fridge.  Win-win!

One of my favorites is Kinpira Renkon or Stir-fry lotus root.  Make a batch and store it in the fridge.  Super simple to make and a delicious accompaniment to rice.  I tweaked the recipe to include carrots and cloud ears (black cloud mushrooms).  Look for fresh lotus root in Asian supermarkets, it is mild in flavor, crunchy, and delish.   It also comes vacuum-packed, sliced, and ready to use.  If you can’t find it, Jicama might work.

Slice the lotus root and place it in water with a touch of vinegar.  Julienne the carrots, and soften the cloud ear mushrooms in warm water.  That’s it. The veggies are then sauteed’ in soy sauce, Mirin (cooking wine), and sesame oil.  Easy peasy.

Enjoy!

Print

Simmered Lotus Root (Renkon no kinpira)


An easy Japanese stir fry veggie dish
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian, Asian-American, Japanese
Keyword black fungus, Carrots, Kimpira, lotus root
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

The Star

  • 2-2.5 cups lotus root peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 Cups water or enough water to cover lotus root
  • 2 Tsp vinegar

The Supporting Cast

  • 1/2 cup carrots julienned
  • 1 T dried cloud ear mushrooms Once soaked will yield about 1/3 cup
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

To Finish:

  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
  • dash of chili flakes or 1 small fresh chili pepper, thinly sliced, for milder version de-seed and de-vein pepper optional (shichimi togarashi is recommended)
  • 1 stalk green onion, diced optional

Instructions

  • Soak the lotus slices in cold water and vinegar for 10 minutes and drain and rinse a couple of times.
  • In a large saucepan over high heat, warm both oils. Once hot, add the lotus root slices and cook until they become soft, 4-5 minutes. Add carrots halfway through cooking time. Stir in the mirin, soy sauce/tamari and reduce heat to low. Add cloud ears when you add the sauce ingredients to pan.
  • Simmer until the marinade has almost disappeared.
  • Remove from heat, sprinkle with sesame seeds and shichimi togarashi prior to serving.

Notes

Print

Simmered Lotus Root (Renkon no kimpira)

Alternate recipe

Instructions

  • Peel and rinse the lotus root. Cut it in half and then thinly slice about 4-6mm thickness. Add the vinegar to the water and soak the lotus root in the vinegary water for about 3 minutes.
  • Julienned carrots and black fungus. Set aside.
  • De-seed and finely chop the chili pepper or slice into thin rings.
  • Heat sesame oil over medium heat and stir fry the lotus root. Once almost finished cooking (about 75% and starting to look more translucent), add the sake, mirin and sugar. Cook for about 2 minutes or until liquid is mostly evaporated. Add the soy sauce and fry for 1 minute, or until most of the sauce is soaked up. Lastly toss in the chili pepper and sesame seeds. Remove from burner, serve and enjoy!
Easy as 123 Spareribs

Easy as 123 Spareribs

By | | Comments 0 Comment

As I was driving home the other day I called the Hubster and asked “What’s for dinner?”.  The retired guy replied, “I thought you were making dinner”.  Excuse me? Moi?  The person driving home after a full day at WORK?

Fine, I’ll make dinner but you are on cleanup…

A pack of spareribs, cut crosswise into thirds (thanks Asian market), a knob of ginger and bunch of scallions in the fridge-time to make Irene Kuo’s 12345 Spare Ribs from Food52.  The rest of the ingredients are in my pantry, soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine and sugar, that’s all I need. Oh, and my trusty Instant Pot.

I added the step of browning the ribs with ginger and scallions just to give it a flavor boost. Feel free to skip this step and start by putting the ribs and braising liquid in the instant pot without frying. Add a couple of minutes to the cooking time.

Set time for 15 minutes and let your IP do it’s thing. Meanwhile make some rice and veggies, any greens will do nicely.  Give it a couple of minutes before releasing the pressure on your IP. Remove ribs. switch to sauté and reduce sauce until it thickens to a syrupy consistency.  Add the ribs back in and stir to heat and coat them with sauce.

Scoop rice into a bowl, top with the ribs and greens, and garnish with green onions.  Enjoy!

Epilogue

Me? I headed to the couch, turned on the telly, and relaxed while the hubs did the dishes!

The ingredients for these ribs can be found in most Asian markets.  Use Shaoxing Wine (Chinese Sherry) or dry sherry.  Dark soy sauce has added molasses, don’t substitute regular soy sauce which is actually saltier than dark soy.  Favorite brands include Koon Chun or Lee Kum Kee.

Print

Sweet & Sticky Chinese Ribs

Adaptation of Irene Kuo's 1-2-3-4-5 Spare Ribs. Sweet, savory braised ribs, delicious with a bowl of rice. Using a pressure cooker will keep ribs moist and shorten the cooking time.
Course Drinks, Main Course, Meat
Cuisine Asian, Asian-American, Chinese
Keyword Instant Pot, spareribs
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 Pressure Cooker I use an Instant Pot

Ingredients

Fry It Up

  • 1 1/2 pounds pork spareribs ask the butcher to cut the slab of ribs crosswise into 3 pieces. You can cut them into individual ribs at home
  • 1 stalk scallion, cut into 3 inch lengths optional
  • 2 slices fresh ginger, smashed optional

Braising Liquid

  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry preferably Shao Xing Wine
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 5 tablespoons water

Garnish

  • 1-2 stalks green onions, sliced diagonally in 1/8-1/4" pieces

Instructions

Instant Pot Directions

  • Set Instant Pot on saute'. Once heated add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Toss in ginger and scallions and saute' briefly (30 sec) then add spareribs. Fry until the ribs lose their pinkness.
  • Add braising liquid ingredients. When the liquid comes to a boil, stir well to coat the ribs, turn off saute function, and place lid on Instant Pot.
  • Set IP on high pressure (use Meat setting) and adjust time to 15 minutes. When it is done, wait a couple of minutes before CAREFULLY releasing pressure to your Instant Pot.
  • Remove ribs from pot. Set Instant Pot to saute' and reduce remaining liquid to a thick syrupy sauce. Turn it off and add ribs back into pot, stir to coat the ribs. Spoon ribs onto a serving plate.
  • Garnish with scallions. Serve immediately with rice.

Stovetop Directions

  • Put the ribs in a skillet or saucepan and set it over high heat; add the rest of the ingredients and stir to mingle. When the liquid comes to a boil, adjust heat to maintain a very gentle simmering, and cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Stir and turn the spareribs from time to time.
  • Uncover and turn heat high to bring the sauce to a sizzling boil; stir rapidly until the sauce is all but evaporated. Garnish with scallions. Serve hot with rice.

Notes

Using a pressure cooker not only shortens the cooking time but ensures tender and moist ribs.
Cold Noodles with Tomatoes (Tomato Triple Play)

Cold Noodles with Tomatoes (Tomato Triple Play)

By | | Comments 0 Comment

I have taken over tomato duties from the hubby who has given up on becoming an urban farmer.  We just haven’t had any luck with turning our garden into a summer veggie paradise.  My bounty from 5 tomato plants so far has been a grand total of 4 tiny red orbs 🤦🏻‍♀️

FORTUNATELY, we have a wonderful farmer’s market in town.

My haul from last week’s farmer’s market included a variety of cherry tomatoes including Bronze Torch Cherry Tomatoes (pictured on the right above) from Live Earth Farm in Watsonville. We have been buying Live Earth produce since my kids were toddlers and they’re in their twenties now!  The Bronze Torch Cherry Tomatoes are simply AH-MAZING.  Sweet, tomatoey, delicious.

Tomato Trifecta

I am a big fan of Eric Kim.  He writes regularly for New York Times Cooking and just published a wonderful cookbook, Korean American.  It is hands down one of my favorite books. His recipes are easy and delicious and his writing is even better.  You can also find him on YouTube making many of his recipes, he’s funny, personable, and charming.  I went to his book signing at Omnivore Books in SF, fun, I’m such a food groupie.

I love his Grape Tomato Quick Kimchi which I make all the time.  Serve as Banchan (side dish-pictured on the right above) one day and as a sauce over noods the next day.  It is downright delicious.  As soon as I saw his Cold Noodle with Tomatoes recipe I jotted it down on my MAKE ASAP list.  It is so easy and incredibly delicious.  It should go on your list too.

Start with cherry tomatoes, slice them in half, and sprinkle with salt.  Let the tomatoes sit in the bowl while you put together the rest of the dish.  No need to use a strainer as the juices from the salted tomatoes become part of the broth.  Mince garlic, get out the rice vinegar, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, and sesame oil, and toss it all in a bowl along with the tomatoes.  Next, add cold-filtered or bottled water to the bowl (use water that tastes good).  Add diced scallions, and slices of radishes (the little red ones) or cucumbers to the broth. Set the broth aside.

Here’s the Hard Part

How to cook your somen.  DO NOT COOK YOUR SOMEN while you are getting the other components together. Make the broth and set it aside.  Focus on the noods so you don’t overcook them.  For somen (thin Japanese wheat noodles), start with plenty of unsalted water.  Somen has salt in it. If you use too little water, the noods will absorb too much water because of the salinity. Watch them like a hawk, and stir them with chopsticks or tongs while cooking to separate the noodles, this takes 3-4 minutes TOPS.  Remove from heat, rinse thoroughly under cold water and drain well.

Before serving, twirl noodles into a bundle and place them in a bowl.  Add crushed ice to the tomatoes and pour it over your noodles.  Garnish with additional scallions and sesame seeds.  It’s so refreshing, the perfect summer meal.  Carnivores, feel free to add shrimp or chicken or half of a hard-boiled egg.   Serve asap on a hot summer day.  Sooooooo good.

BONUS,  Ottolenghi’s Charred Tomatoes and Cold Yogurt.  Yes, my trifecta of tomato recipes.  Tomatoes, roasted with thyme, cumin seeds, lemon, and garlic,  served over yogurt or Labneh. It’s my go-to party appetizer, especially in the summer.  It’s “lick the bowl clean” good.  A showstopping, easy dish.  Make it, you’ll thank me.

Print

Cold Noodles with Tomatoes

Refreshing, delicious, and easy to prepare, Eric Kim's Cold Noodles with Tomatoes
Course noodles, one bowl meal, pasta, Soup
Cuisine Asian, Asian-American, Korean
Keyword cherry tomatoes, Cold noodles, Cold Noodles with Tomatoes, soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

The Star

  • 2 pints ripe cherry tomatoes halved
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

The Noods

  • 12 to 14 ounces somyeon somen, capellini or other thin wheat noodle

Soup and Seasonings

  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce Kikkoman, Sempio 501 or 701 or LKK Premium Soy
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 large garlic clove finely grated
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 cups cold filtered water or bottled water of your choice.
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

The Garnishes

  • 2 radishes thinly sliced, or cucumbers work in a pinch
  • 2 scallions thinly sliced at an angle
  • 2 cups crushed or cubed ice

Omnivore Options

  • cooked shrimp or shredded chicken
  • hard boiled eggs, but not too hard-boiled lol

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes and salt. Let sit until juicy, about 10 minutes.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions, drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside. See post for how to cook somen noodles.
  • Add the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, mustard and sesame oil to the tomatoes, and toss with a spoon until well combined. Stir water into the tomatoes and sprinkle the surface of the broth with the sesame seeds, radishes and scallions.
  • Right before serving, add the ice to the broth. Divide the noodles among bowls, and ladle in the broth and any unmelted ice, making sure each serving gets a nice sprinkling of tomatoes, radishes, scallions and sesame seeds.
BBQ Pork Hand Pies (叉燒酥) Char Siu Soul

BBQ Pork Hand Pies (叉燒酥) Char Siu Soul

By | | Comments 2 comments

My best description/translation of a favorite Chinese pastry, 叉燒酥 (Char Siu Sou) is Chinese bbq pork hand pie.  Flaky, tender pastry surrounding a sweet-salty filling of bbq pork, and onions. Char Siu Sou can be found in tea houses serving dim sum and in Chinese bakeries.

Surprisingly, there is quite a selection of pastries made with the Chinese version of puff pastry.  More often than not, they are savory.  Traditional Chinese pastry is made with two doughs, wet dough and a short dough, laminated together.  Folks used lard back in the day which made for a very flaky and flavorful crust.

E-pie-phany

One of my favorite recipes from King Arthur Baking is their Blueberry Hand Pies.  The dough made with sour cream is easy to work with and makes a tender, super flaky, buttery shell.  When I make hand pies this is my go-to pastry recipe. I’ve used fresh peaches, strawberries, and preserves for the blueberry filling.  “Hands” down, a winner.

Char Siu Soul-  I Did It My Way

Instead of the traditional Chinese pastry dough, I decided to make the hand pie dough recipe.  It’s fewer steps and WORKED like a charm, flaky, buttery goodness, callin’ it Char Siu Soul.  Visions of the possibilities like curry beef, Bulgogi, or Vietnamese Caramelized  Ground Pork as fillings danced in my head.  Yum.

Good Things Come in Pastry Packages

The dough comes together easily.  If you are a novice, check out King Arthur Baking’s Martin and Arlo video on making hand pies.  The keys to success are cold butter, working quickly, not overmixing, and letting it rest. The crust can be made by hand, by pinching the butter with the flour mixture.  You’ll end up with butter flakes coated with flour, a key to creating the flaky layers.

If using your hands to mix the butter and flour, cut the butter into slices instead of cubes. Much easier to pinch. If using a pastry blender cubes are fine.
Add sour cream and stir until mixture is shaggy. Don’t overmix! Pour onto a counter or flat surface to press the dough into a rectangle.  Roll out to form an 8×10 rectangle.
Fold the dough in thirds, like an envelope.  Helps to use a pastry or bench scraper to gather, fold and square off the dough.

Fold the dough a couple of times and then CHILL the dough until set or firm. If you are making the dough early, take it out of the fridge and allow it to soften just enough to make it easy to roll out.

Make any shape you want. Rectangles, squares or triangles work well, no leftover scraps of dough. Cutting out circles will leave scraps of dough that can be re-rolled (more work).  Place approximately 1 heaping teaspoon of filling, egg wash the edge, fold one side over and crimp the edges.

Cha Cha Char Siu

Trust me, you don’t have to make your own char siu or bbq pork.  Plenty of Chinese delis make delicious bbq pork.  But it’s not hard to make, I have 2 versions to make your own, oven-roasted or braised BBQ Pork.  Make a batch, you’ll have plenty for Char Siu Soul and for Pork Buns, Fried Rice, sammies, scrambled or steamed eggs.  It freezes well, so make a big batch.

The filling is easy to make.  Make sure it is cool before filling the pastry. Dice the char siu small, don’t mince.  You don’t want a mushy filling. You can use either yellow or white onions or shallots for the filling.

Use a handy dandy fork to crimp the sides. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

I’m Okay, It’s Okay (A Nod to the K-Drama)

Need these delightful pastries in a hurry or on short notice?  Feel free to start with frozen, pre-made puff pastry or pie crust (won’t be quite as flaky) for the pastry.  Finally, buy Char Siu, Chinese delis make fantastic bbq pork, a huge time saver.  It’s okay!

Print

Char Siu Soul (BBQ Pork Pastry)

Classic dim sum or tea house dish, bbq pork filling encased in a tender, buttery, flaky pastry.
Course Biscuits and scones, dim sum
Cuisine Asian, Asian-American
Keyword Bbq Pork Pastry, Char Siu Sou
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Chilling time for dough (min) 30 minutes

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour (8-1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter 16 tablespoons
  • 1/2 cup cold sour cream

Char Siu Filling:

  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
  • ½ teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon honey or agave syrup
  • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons peanut or vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion or shallots
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
  • 4 ounces char siu Chinese BBQ pork finely diced (homemade or store-bought)

Instructions

To make the pastry: 

  • Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter, working it in to make a coarse/crumbly mixture. Leave most of the butter in large, pea-sized pieces.
  • Add the sour cream, and stir until the mixture starts to come together in chunks. Turn it out onto a floured work surface, and bring it together with a few quick kneads.
  • Pat the dough into a rough log, and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle. Dust both sides of the dough with flour, and starting with a shorter end, fold it in three like a business letter.
  • Flip the dough over, give it a 90° turn on your work surface, and roll it again into an 8" x 10" rectangle. Fold it in three again.
  • Wrap the dough, and chill for at least 30 minutes before using.

Char Siu Filling:

  • In a small bowl, stir together the water, sugar, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and set aside.
  • Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until translucent. Stir the flavoring sauce into the onion and heat for 30 seconds or until bubbly.
  • Give the cornstarch mixture a final stir and add to the skillet. Cook for 30 seconds longer, or until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the char siu and remove from the heat. Cool to room temperature.

To Assemble and Bake:

  • To assemble and bake: Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the prepared dough into approximately 14-inch square.
  • Using a ruler, trim off the uneven edges to make a 12-inch square, then cut the dough in thirds crosswise and quarters lengthwise to make 12 (3-by-4-inch) rectangles.
  • Place 1 tablespoon* of the char siu filling across the center of each square leaving about ½-inch border on either side for sealing. Overlap the dough over the filling (like enclosing a photo in a letter). Press down to seal in the filling on all sides. If the dough isn't sticking together easily you may dab the inside edges of the pastry with water before folding it closed.
  • Flip the pastry over so the seal is on the bottom, and use the tines of a fork to seal the short edges. Place on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough and filling, spacing pastries 1-inch apart on the baking sheet.
  • Brush the pastries with egg wash, then sprinkle them with sesame seeds. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool briefly on a wire rack. These are best served warm, but are good at room temperature.
  • Reheat in a toaster oven at 350 for approximately 5 minutes.

Notes

The pictured pastries are approximately 2 x 3 inches.  Use a generous teaspoon of filling for this size.
Jangjorim (Soy Braised Beef 장조림)

Jangjorim (Soy Braised Beef 장조림)

By | | Comments 0 Comment

I have a total backlog of recipes I want to share with you and this one is top of the list.  I have made this as many times as I have made Eric Kim’s Quick Grape Tomato Banchan or Ottolenghi’s Charred Tomato and Cold Yogurt (so good) and that is saying a lot.

Do You Banchan?

Jangjorim or Soy Braised Beef can be served as banchan (those yummy little dishes that come with every Korean meal) or as a topping to a rice bowl or in a bento box.

I’m not a salad lover. Well, let me rephrase that, I’m not a salad maker…so much trouble.  But banchan? Worth the trouble, I’ll make a batch of each, keep them in the fridge and pull ’em out for lunch and/or dinner.  They go with everything, rice, noodles, or sammies.  Want a little funkiness in your grill cheese, add kimchi (김치).  Want crunch and spice in your noodles, add spicy cucumbers (오이무침).  Pickled or braised veggies go so well with rice, maybe that’s why I like them.

Koreanbapsang’s recipe for Jangjorim is my starting point.  First step, make the stock to cook the meat.  The stock includes onions, scallions, garlic and Korean radish (mu,무).  The radish gives the dish sweetness, I save the radish to serve with the Jangjorim.  It’s delicious.

Shank-alicious

Next, cut beef into cubes and simmer in the stock.  Use brisket, flank, chuck, or my favorite, shank.  Shank is both flavorful and economical, win-win.  For those not familiar with shank, it comes cut crosswise into pieces with the bone in the center.  Remove the meat from the bone and cut it into pieces. Throw the bones into the cooking broth for extra flavor.  I’ve also used pork shoulder or butt as a substitute with nods of approval from the fam.  After simmering, remove the meat and place it in another pot along with 2.5 cups of the original stock and add the seasonings.  Reserve the radish.  Cook meat on medium heat for approximately 20 minutes.  Then add shishito peppers, boiled, peeled eggs, kelp (optional), and the reserved radish. Cook for another 10 minutes or until meat is tender.

Shishito peppers can be a bit spicy, so if you have little kids or big kids that are spice averse, use bell peppers or Anaheim peppers, and cut into manageable bite-sized pieces.  Cook eggs as you would six-minute ramen eggs.  Chill eggs thoroughly before final braising to avoid overcooking the eggs.  Normally, the eggs are hard-boiled but jammy eggs are my jam.

Jangjorim can be served at room temperature to warm as banchan or over rice.  The meat can be shredded or sliced.  It’s so flavorful, a little bit goes a long way.

I love this dish and hope you will try it!

Print Pin

Jangjorim (Soy braised Beef)

Jangjorim or Soy braised Beef, adapted from Korean Bapsang, is a delicious Korean side dish that works well in a bento box too!
Course Meat, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian, Korean
Keyword Banchan, Korean, shishito peppers
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients

Da Stars

  • 1.5 pounds shank meat or beef brisket you can sub pork shoulder or butt
  • 10 to 12 Shishito peppers or other fresh green peppers Use less and cut into halves if using large peppers
  • 3 boiled eggs* peeled

Da Stock

  • 1/2 medium yellow onion
  • 2 stalks scallions white part only save green parts for garnish
  • 6 ounces Korean radish (about 1/4-1/3 of one radish) mu, cut into big chunks
  • 7 cloves garlic
  • 3 slices thin ginger about 1-inch round
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppers or ground peppers to taste

Da Sauce

  • 5 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soup soy sauce guk ganjang, 국간장 (or use more regular soy sauce)
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons rice wine or mirin
  • 1 piece 3-inch square dried kelp substitute a bay leaf

Instructions

  • Cut the beef into 2-inch chunks. This recipe is very flexible. You use brisket or flank. I love beef beef shank which is very economical. It has great flavor and texture. You could even use pork shoulder or butt. Delicious!
  • In a medium pot, bring 8 cups of water and Da Stock ingredients to a boil. Cover and continue to boil for 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
  • Drop the meat into the pot. Bring it to a gentle boil, and remove the scum. Reduce the heat to medium. Boil, covered, for about 30 minutes.
  • Remove the meat. Strain the cooking liquid into a large bowl, and then add 2.5 cups of the liquid back to the pot. (You can save the remaining broth to make a soup or stew later.)
  • Add the meat and sauce ingredients to the pot. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, and boil, covered, until the meat is tender and the sauce is reduced to about ⅓, about 20 minutes. You can cook longer if the meat is still not tender enough.
  • Add the optional dried kelp, peppers and eggs and continue to boil for about 10 minutes. Discard the kelp, and transfer everything else to an airtight container for storage. Cool before storing in the fridge. Shred the meat and pour some sauce over to serve.
  • Optional: Serve the radish and onions with this dish! Normally, the meat is shredded, and served with shishito peppers and eggs.

Notes

Refrigerate in an airtight container. It will keep for a week. If you want to keep it longer, boil the meat and sauce again after a few days.
The meat will become hard in the fridge. You can soften it by leaving the shredded beef out at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes, or microwave for about 20 seconds to soften.
Eggplant Unagi Don

Eggplant Unagi Don

By | | Comments 0 Comment

From one of my favorite sites, Two Plaid Aprons, a vegetarian version of Unagi Don!  Eel grilled with a sweet and savory sauce or “tare” is called unagi.  Don is short for donburi, which refers to the bowl and rice that serves as the landing spot for toppings like unagi.  Rice bowls, in my humble opinion, scream comfort food and this riff is no exception. If you are looking for some protein try a fam fav like Oyako Donburi, a Chicken and Egg Donburi.

Grilled and sauced unagi yields a smoky, savory-sweet, melt-in-your-mouth bite of deliciousness.  Eggplant braised in the same fashion makes a great stand-in for the unagi.  According to the hubster, the resident carnivore in my house, this will satisfy any meat-eater.  The tare is made with soy sauce, Mirin (sweet sake), sake, and sugar; ingredients found in most Asian grocery stores.  I like substituting dashi soy for the soy sauce which is a blend of soy sauce and fish stock that gives the eggplant a hint of brininess.

Anyway You Slice It

Leave the skin on the eggplant if you like. The other thing you can do is score the eggplant crosswise to mimic the striations on unagi.  Fry the eggplant until nicely charred, lower the heat and pour in unagi sauce and green onions. Cover and let the eggplant braise for 5 minutes or until tender but not mushy.  As the eggplant braises, it picks up the flavor of the sauce and becomes tender and soft like…eel. YUMMO.

Take the eggplant out and place it over your rice.  Garnish with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.  Serve immediately.  OR, take it over the top with a runny, sunny-side-up egg.  Enjoy!

Print

Eggplant Unagi Don

Eggplant Unagi Don, a delicious, easy prep, vegetarian version of Unagi Don
Course dinner, lunch, one bowl meal
Cuisine Asian, Asian-American, vegetarian
Keyword eggplant, mirin, Rice Bowl, soy sauce, vegetarian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

Da Stars

  • 2 Japanese eggplant or Chinese eggplant washed, sliced in half lengthwise and crosswise if they are long.
  • 4 cups cooked white rice Feel free to use whatever grain you like, brown rice, farley, quinoa (not my choice but hey)

Da Sauce

  • 4 tbsp sake
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce regular or low sodium or Dashi Soy
  • 4 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 2 stalks Green onion, sliced
  • 1/8 tsp dashi powder or granules optional use with low sodium soy sauce

Da Garnish

  • Toasted white sesame seed, sliced green onions

Instructions

Unagi sauce:

  • In a small bowl, mix together sake, soy sauce, sugar, mirin and dashi if using. If you use Soy Dashi, skip the powder. Set aside until needed.

Eggplant Prep

  • Cut off stem of the eggplant and peel the skin with a vegetable peeler, this is optional, if you like skin, save yourself a step. Cut the eggplant in half crosswise, then slice each half evenly lengthwise. Lightly score eggplant crosswise every 1/8-1/4 inch, don't cut thru! This makes it look more like unagi.

Cookin' It

  • In a 10-inch shallow pan over medium high heat, add a couple tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, place eggplant flat side down and sear until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip eggplant and sear the other side for a minute or two until golden brown.
  • Stir the prepared unagi sauce and pour it into the pan. Reduce heat to medium/medium-low to keep the sauce at a simmer. Place a lid on the pan and cook eggplant slices for 5 minutes.
  • After 5 minutes, remove the lid and flip eggplant slices to their flat side. Add half of the sliced green onions to the sauce and continue simmering for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the eggplant slices are tender and the sauce is reduced to a thick glaze. Remove pan from heat.

To Serve:

  • Scoop a serving of hot rice into each bowl.
  • Place two slices of eggplant unagi flat side up on each bowl of rice. Garnish with the remaining green onion and sesame seeds. Bowl food is soul food!
Scrambled Eggs and Beef over Rice (The Slippery Slope of Waat Dan Fan)

Scrambled Eggs and Beef over Rice (The Slippery Slope of Waat Dan Fan)

By | | Comments 2 comments

Waat Dan Fan (滑蛋飯) is one of my absolute all-time favorite down-home Cantonese dishes.  The literal translation is Slippery Egg Rice.  This version includes beef so it’s called Waat Dan Gnow Yuk Fan (滑蛋牛肉飯).  Although it comes together quickly, it can be a little tricky to get the texture of the eggs right.  Don’t let that put you off though, it is well worth it.  It may take a couple of tries, as it did with me, but the return is HUGE.  You will be rewarded with a homey, satisfying, tasty dish of stir-fried beef nestled in a pool of silky, scrambled-swirled eggs flavored with scallions and ginger.  Soooooo good!  真好吃!

Don’t Slip Up on the Mise on Place

  • Everyone thinks stir-frying is quick and easy, although the cooking portion is quick, it’s the prep that takes time. Everything has to be ready for the stir-frying to look effortless.  This dish is no egg-ception.
  • Slice and marinate your beef and put it in a bowl to the side.  Note, the oil in the marinade goes in last AFTER the beef has sat for 15-20 minutes and absorbed the marinade.
  • Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk them with a pinch of salt.  Set it near the beef and close to the stove.
  • Slice your green onions and set them aside.
  • Have your 1/2 cup of stock to which you have added the sugar and salt along with the slurry of cornstarch and water ready.
  • Place the prepped ingredients next to the stove.

You’ll thank me

This is a classic Cantonese dish, the epitome of soul food.  I love serving it in a bowl with a spoon. Looking for a vegetarian rift? Try Tomato & Egg Rice.  Enjoy!

Print
5 from 1 vote

Hong Kong Style Slippery Eggs and Beef on Rice

Classic Cantonese dish that comes together in minutes, Slippery Egg and Stir Fried Beef Over Rice
Course homestyle, Main Course, soul food
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Cantonese cooking, egg, plate rice, Slippery beef
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces Flank steak, flat iron or sirloin, thinly sliced
  • 2 large eggs can use extra large or jumbo
  • 1/2 cup water or chicken stock (low sodium)
  • 2 tbsp sliced green onions
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • peanut oil
  • 1 tsp cornstarch + 3 tbsp water MIx in a small bowl and set aside

Mainade for Beef

  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1-2 slices fresh ginger, julienned
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • dash of white pepper
  • 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp water

Serve over hot rice or rice noodles

  • 2-3 cups of steamed white rice

Instructions

  • Slice the beef to 0.2 mm thick, add the marinade ingredients except for the oil, marinade for 20 minutes. As the beef sits it will absorb alot of the water. Add oil after the beef has sat. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, beat eggs with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
  • Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add beef, stir-fry until it is no longer pink. Remove the beef and set aside. If beef has a lot of liquid, pour it into a strainer placed over a bowl to drain.
  • Pour the broth or water into the pan used to stir-fry the beef, add salt and sugar, and bring it to a boil.
  • Add the cornstarch water mix, and bring to a boil again. The mixture will thicken to a thin sauce consistency. Lower the heat to medium-low.
  • Pour the eggs into the sauce in a stream moving around the pan. Let it set a bit and then stir gently to allow eggs to continue to cook and set a bit more. It will still be very loose and the stock slurry will still be visible.
  • Add the beef and sliced scallions and cook for 30 seconds to one minute, stirring gently to blend the sauce and eggs. The mixture will be saucy.
  • Spoon cooked hot rice into shallow bowls large enough to hold 1-2 cups of rice. Pour the beef and egg mixture over the rice. Garnish with additional sliced scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately.