Home Alooooone. The boys headed out to Minneapolis to visit Jamie and take in the Sharks-Wild game so it was me and Sammy hanging out at home. I decided to pamper myself and make a nice dinner for one. A nice piece of salmon, some brown rice, pickled veggies, and pea sprouts I bought at the Farmer’s Market. Love, love, pea sprouts, especially when prepared Chinese-style, stir-fried with ginger and garlic over high heat. Quick, easy, and delicious.
Eat Your Greens
Pea sprouts can be found in Asian markets, and often at farmer’s markets. Two varieties are available, one looks like small tendrils and the other looks a bit larger and resembles spinach. In fact, you could substitute baby spinach for this dish and it wouldn’t miss a beat.
The key is don’t overcook the pea sprouts. Have all the ingredients ready to go before you start cooking. It will only take a couple of minutes to stir-fry. It’s all about the prep. If you get the larger pea sprouts or use spinach, increase the cooking time by 1-2 minutes or just until the greens wilt and are tender.
The aromatics include garlic and ginger. Like more punch? Increase the ginger or garlic or add a dash of chili flakes to spice it up. I like finely chopping garlic and ginger as opposed to mincing. You get a hit of toasty garlic or ginger which I love. Paradoxically, The flavors seem brighter when you chop the aromatics as oppose to putting either through a garlic press, Don’t ask me why.
Salt can be used in place of soy sauce and oyster sauce. Start with 1/2 tsp salt and season to taste.
Kid factor, by the way, my kids LOVE this dish. Yep, kid-tested, kid-approved.
Another cold and rainy day in normally sunny California. To combat the soggy blues I pulled out my favorite therapy tools. A pot, a bowl, and a package of NOODLES. When you think comfort food, don’t tell me a fork, a knife, and a plate pop up in your mind. Me? A bowl, a big spoon, and a pair of chopsticks, that’s what I reach for.
The plan was to make a bowl of yummylicious noodles, curl up on the sofa and watch the new episode of Romance is a Bonus Book on Netflix. Yes, my current favorite Korean series.
I had a hankering for Zha Jiang Mian for my “TV dinner” which got me thinking why not a mash-up of the Korean & Chinese versions of Zha Jiang Mian? I started with my recipe for Zha Jiang Mian, I didn’t want to re-invent the wheel, I just wanted to tweak it. The sauce for my original recipe contains pork, aromatics, and the bean pastes. Veggies are julienned and added to the finished dish. I love the play on textures, the crunch of the cucumbers and carrots with the soft noodles and flavor-packed sauce filled with chunks of ground pork, it’s delicious.
Contrast this with the Korean version 짜장면where a variety of veggies are cooked in the sauce. The play on textures is much more subtle but just as yummy. A variety of veggies went into my K-bowl version. I used diced zucchini, carrots, and potatoes. The carrots added some bite, the zucchini added moisture and that characteristic melt-y center and crispness from the skin. But my favorite addition is the diced potatoes (Yukon, don’t use Russets, too starchy). Potatoes have a characteristic dense, yet creamy feel, so good-like the center of perfectly cooked potato wedges. I used ground pork in my K-version, but often the pork is diced like the vegetables. Your choice.
Try both versions and tell me which one you like best although I think you’ll find both are equally delicious!
Zha Jiang Mian Korean style and Chinese Style, both delicious!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Zha Jiang Mian
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Ingredients
6oz.ground pork
¼teaspoonsalt
1teaspooncornstarch
½teaspoonoilplus 1 tablespoon
⅛teaspoonwhite pepper
3slicesgingerminced finely
4clovesgarlicminced
2tablespoonssweet bean sauceI used 2 T Hoisin/1 T Sweet Ben Sauce
3tablespoonsground bean pasteReduce to 2 T
1tablespoondark soy sauce
1cupwater
8oz.fresh noodles flour-based noodle. Fresh or dry. I've used udon and a combination of spinach and plain
Additional Chinese Ingredients
4-6fresh shiitake mushrooms*finely chopped
1cupjulienned carrots
1cupjulienned cucumbers
½cupjulienned scallionsgarnish
Additional Korean Ingredients
3fresh shiitake mushroomsdiced
1mediumYukon Gold Potato*1/2 inch dice for Korean version
1smallzucchini1/2 inch dice for Korean version
1/2cupcarrots1/2 inch dice for Korean version
1/2small yellow oniondiced
1/4 headcabbageshredded, optional
1/2cupgreen onionschopped
1/2cupcucumbersdiced
Instructions
Marinade the pork with the following for 15 minutes: ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon oil, ⅛ teaspoon white pepper.
Heat a tablespoon oil in your wok over medium heat, add the marinated ground pork to the wok. Cook for a minute to brown it, and then add the ginger, garlic, and mushrooms* Stir fry everything together for another 2-3 minutes.
**Add the Hoisin, sweet bean sauce, bean paste, dark soy sauce, and water, stirring everything together well. Lower the heat and cover the wok. Simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the package directions.
Top noodles with the sauce and garnish with the julienned carrots, cucumbers, and scallions.
Korean Style*
Stir fry pork, ginger, and garlic for 30 seconds add diced vegetables. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Continue with recipe**
If you like, add shredded cabbage in the last couple of minutes of cooking.
Place a mound of noodles in your bowl, top with sauce and garnish with cucumber and green onions. Plop yourself down in front of the telly and enjoy!
Egga-licious Down Home Cooking (Steamed Egg with Shiitake Mushrooms)
There are dishes that with the first bite I am instantly transported back to the dinner table of my childhood. My dad clanging pots and pans, putting the finishing touches on our meal. Me or my brother setting the table and my mom cleaning up in my dad’s “kitchen wake” (big job, trust me). A typical meal would be corn soup, stir-fried greens with oyster sauce and ginger, soy sauce chicken from our favorite Chinese deli, and a steamed dish. The steamed dish might be minced pork patty with salted duck eggs or steamed eggs with clams. These are the dishes of my childhood, my soul food.
Asian Soul Food
So, this past month, Food 52 featured Fuscia Dunlop’s Every Grain of Rice in their cookbook club. Listed is a recipe for steamed eggs. Bam, I’m 10 years old again watching my dad cook, hoping he will give me a morsel to “taste-test”. I flipped to the page with the recipe and hmmm, honestly, her egg dish didn’t look that great. (In her defense I tried a couple of the other recipes in the book and they are delicious). It looked a bit overcooked and bubbly on the top. My dad’s steamed eggs were silky smooth and soft, kind of like silken tofu or Japanese Chawan Mushi. Both are savory custards with tidbits of shrimp, bbq pork, or clams, indescribably delicious.
Guess what, I have never made this simple, homey, delightful dish and I’m not sure why. I love it. My kids love it. My niece Marisa REALLY loves it. Hello, what was I waiting for? I reached out to my bro for tips on how to make dad’s steamed eggs, he’s smart, he makes it all the time.
There is some wiggle room to the ratio of egg to liquid in this dish. Four eggs to one and a quarter to one-half cups of water. I replaced the water with low sodium chicken stock to amp up the flavor. The TRICK to mind-boggling silky, smooth custard is to steam the eggs over very low heat. Low and slow so you don’t get bubbles or overcooked eggs.
Add-Ins
Following Fuscia’s recipe, I added shiitake mushrooms and opted for diced Chinese sausage (lop cheung) instead of ground pork. The mushrooms add a nice earthiness and the sweet & salty sausage provides both flavor and texture. My dad liked dried shrimp or bbq pork. Ham or ground chicken or pork would work well. I mixed the ‘shrooms and sausage into the egg mixture before pouring it into the bowl. Next time I will scatter them on the bottom of the steaming bowl and pour the eggs over so they don’t float to the top as much. But really, NBD it will still be delicious.
Remember LOW AND SLOW, the key to a silky, smooth, damn that’s delish, egg custard. WORD.
The dish is done when the center is just set and does not jiggle too much. Garnish with green onions (mandatory) and cilantro (optional). Heat the peanut or vegetable oil until you see wisps of smoke, then immediately pour it over the green onions. This brings out the flavor of the aromatics and gives the eggs a nice sheen. Drizzle with soy sauce and/or oyster sauce on top. Ready, set, EAT.
Get out the bowls of rice and then follow my kids’ lead. Stir the eggs into your rice so it’s all smooshed together and goopy, grab a spoon and start shoveling.
Microwave Magic
Now you can make steamed eggs in the microwave! I recently bought Cook Anyday microwave cookware and whaddya know, the microwave works well for dishes that are steamed!!!
Put your ingredients all in one bowl, zap it, bring it to the table, off chance you don’t eat it all….toss the bowl in the fridge. Truly one-bowl cooking! I cooked at 300 watts or 50% power (I have a teeny 600w microwave) for 8 minutes, or until the custard is barely set in the middle, and jiggles gently if shaken. If it’s too runny, add time at 50% power in 30-second increments. Let rest with the lid on for 1-2 minutes to let the egg gently finish steaming.
1.5cupswarm watersubstitute all or part with chicken stock. Liquid should be lukewarm
2dried shiitake mushroomssoften in warm water and diced
1lop cheung (Chinese sausage)diced, substitutions include ham, little clams, fresh or dried shrimp
2tsprice wine
1/4tspsalt
1pinch of each white pepper and sugar
Optional (for garnish)
2tbsppeanut or vegetable oil
1green onionfinely chopped
cilantrofor garnish
2teaspoonslight soy sauce
2drops toasted sesame oiloptional
2 tspoyster sauceoptional
Instructions
Heat water in a wok or large saute pan with a steamer insert. Combine eggs, water or stock, salt, rice wine, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Add mushrooms and Chinese sausage to egg mixture. Pour mixture into a shallow heatproof bowl or pyrex pie plate. Place in steamer and cover. Steam over low heat for 20-25 minutes. The eggs should look set and not jiggle in the middle but not look dry. Heat peanut oil in a small saucepan until wisps of smoke form. Garnish eggs with green onions and pour hot oil over the green onions and egg.Drizzle with soy sauce and/or oyster sauce over top.Serve immediately with rice.
MIcrowave Cook It!
Put your ingredients all in one bowl, zap it, bring it to the table, off chance you don't eat it all....toss the covered bowl in the fridge. Truly one-bowl cooking! I cooked at 300 watts or 50% power (I have a teeny 600w microwave) for 8 minutes, or until the custard is barely set in the middle, and jiggles gently if shaken. If it’s too runny, add time at 50% power in 30-second increments. Let rest with the lid on for 1-2 minutes to let the egg gently finish steaming.
NO Bake Peanut Butter Cookies, Pssst….You Got 5 Minutes?
This past weekend we had a retreat for our political action group. I know what you are thinking. This is a fun, food, foto, blog. You promised NO politics Deb. Not to worry. I only mention it because I was once again tasked with bringing desserts including a vegan one to the retreat.
First, I made the butter, sugar, and flour dessert, a delicious Tunisian Orange Cake (next post) from Zingerman’s. Which did not leave me with much time to crank out a vegan dessert. What to do, what to do. I went straight to the blog site Minimalist Baker, an amazing site filled with simple, quick, plant-based food to find a recipe . The last time I looked there, I found a yummy Banana Pecan Shortbread that knocked my socks off.
Second, I found another gem. 3 Ingredient-No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies. 5-10 minutes is all you need to put these bad boys together. Yep, from the pantry to your mouth, 5-10 minutes. In fact, it will probably take you longer to read this post than to make these cookies. You will find this recipe in the STUPID EASY category. I almost feel like creating a new tag, INCREDIBLY STUPID EASY or STUPID SQUARED-stupid easy and stupid delicious.
The first step, whirl the oatmeal in your food processor or blender until it resembles coarse flour. Add (PITTED-ya never know) dates, make sure your dates are soft and moist. It will help keep the cookies together. Pulse to combine, add the peanut butter and let her rip.
Scoop up approximately 2 tablespoons of dough and form into balls. Press with a fork, just like classic peanut butter cookies, and…DUNZO. That’s it. Well, not quite done, take it to the next level. Melt chocolate chips and dip these babies into it to cover half the cookie. Then you’re done. Too much work to melt chocolate? Add 1/4-1/3 cup mini chocolate chips to the dough right before shaping the cookies.
Chill the cookies and serve to everyone…not just your Vegan friends. Think of these as a cross between peanut butter cups and an oatmeal cookie. Delish.
Delicious peanut butter cookies made with just 3 ingredients! No baking required, stupid easy to make, cross between a cookie and a peanut butter cup! Vegan!
Course cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword NO Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Total Time 10 minutesminutes
Servings 12cookies
Author Adapted from Minimalist Baker
Ingredients
1cuprolled oatsold fashioned gluten-free
1Pinchsea saltoptional
3/4cupmedjool datespitted // measured after pitting
1/2cupnatural salted peanut buttercreamy or crunchy
CHOCOLATE GLAZE optional
1/2cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips"accidental" vegan chips
1tspvegetable oil
Instructions
Add oats and salt (optional) to a food processor and blend into a flour. Add dates and blend for 30 seconds more or until finely chopped.
Add peanut butter and blend until a dough forms.
Scoop out 2-Tbsp amounts of dough and carefully form into mounds. Place on a parchment-lined pan or tray.
Use the back of a fork to create a cross hatch on the top of the cookies
Place chips and oil in a heatproof bowl. Melt chocolate chips in microwave at 50% power, stirring occasionally until it is melted and has a sauce-like consistency
Dip the cookies in (about halfway), let excess drip off, and place on a parchment-lined pan or tray. Freeze 10 minutes or place in fridge until chocolate hardens,
Cookies can be kept in the refrigerator up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 1 month.
Optional: Instead of glaze, add 1/4-1/3 cup mini-chocolate chips to dough right before shaping.
Muffin been the Mochi that Caught My Eye (Butter Mochi Muffins)
Always searching for new and different treats, I came across an article that spotlighted Third Culture Bakery in Berkeley. The baker is an alum of Cal (Go Bears) who chose food over toxicology (good choice) and thus Mochi Muffins made with sweet rice flour were put on the map. Though I haven’t made it to Berkeley to try one, I found a couple of recipes online that sounded scrumptious, so it was off to the rices! Update: I just posted a new mochi muffin recipe, Mango Mochi Muffins made with mango tea and freeze-dried mangos! It’s small-batch baking, only 8 regular size delicious muffins.
My Sweet Rice, Oh My Rice
For the uninitiated, mochi (sweet rice flour) is a cornerstone of Asian treats. Sweet rice is PULVERIZED into flour to which water and flavorings are added. It ends up looking like the BLOB, really. It can be flavored, baked, steamed, fried and made into countless delicious treats both sweet and savory. During New Year’s, Japanese families gather to pound mochi in a tradition called Mochitsuki. Just for your viewing pleasure here is Mitsuo Nakatani, Japanese Mochi Master.Enjoy.
Traditional mochi starts with steamed rice and is pounded and shaped into sweet or savory rice cakes. Mochi muffins and Hawaiian Butter Mochi start with sweet rice flour, mixed with liquids, and baked. Since I don’t foresee any of us pounding mochi, let’s make muffins and Hawaiian Mochi. Infinitely easier and pretty darn tasty.
Back on the Muffin Trail
If you have ever had Manju from Shuei-Do Sweet Shop in Japantown in San Jose, or Butter Mochi from Hawaii and liked it…you’re going to love these. If you haven’t had mochi, this is a good introduction. Not quite as gooey as Manju and definitely not cakey like a muffin, it’s a delicious hybrid of the two. A touch of sweetness, crispy on the outside, dense and chewy on the inside, and crunchy from the generous sprinkle of sesame seeds on top. It’s different but delicious. If that wasn’t enough, they are GLUTEN-FREE. You’re welcome.
Rice, Rice, Baby
The most important item in the pic is the Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour by Koda Farms. This is the go-to brand. You can definitely find it in any Asian store (along with the sesame seeds), and if you’re lucky, at some of your larger local markets. Take a walk down the international/ethnic food aisle.
I found quite a few recipes for Mochi Muffins online and finally settled on one from a beautiful blog called Snixy Kitchen. Her batch made 12 muffins, which made her recipe the frontrunner as most made 24. As yummy as they are, what am I going to do with 24 muffins?!
The batter comes together in a snap: melted butter, coconut milk, egg, brown sugar, and rice flour. Stir together and pour into a muffin tin. Boom, done. My batter was thicker than some of the posts I’ve seen. This may account for the slight dome mine had. I also found a recipe from Saimin Noshrat in the NYT. I think I may try a couple of her tweaks the next time I make these. Trust me, there will be a next time. I will use light brown sugar, substitute evaporated milk for some of the coconut milk, and brown my butter. Not to worry, a full report will follow. Hmmm, can’t wait to make another batch.
The longer you leave these in the oven, the less gooey and more cake-like they will be. The first batch was baked for 60 minutes. I think I should have pulled them out sooner, I like gooey. Now I check at 40 minutes and pull them out around 45 minutes. To test them, use a knife to poke the center of a muffin. It should come out fairly clean with a bit of crumb.
More Mochi Madness
After making these muffins if you like the chewiness, definitely try the Hawaiian Butter Mochi Muffins, inspired by Aloha Kitchen by Alana Kysar. A little less flour and a bit more liquid kick up the gooey, buttery, lusciousness of these bites. Bake them in a muffin tin for crispy edges. I ADORE both of these muffins.
These are soooo good, a little more squishy, very buttery, topped with shredded coconut.
Also check out Peanut Butter Mochifrom A Common Table by Cynthia Chen McTernan. Delish! LOVE, love, LOVE
If you would like to try traditional Japanese Mochi, here are my recommendations: Fugetsu-Do in Little Tokyo in LA, the oldest family-owned Japanese Shop in the US, Shuei Do Manju Shop in San Jose, and in my hometown of SF, Benkyodo Companyin Japantown (now closed😢😢😢 ). All family-owned artisan shops.
1cup(200 grams) organic dark brown sugar*light or dark brown sugar will work
2teaspoonsbaking powder
1/2teaspoonkosher salt1/4 tsp sea salt
1 13 ouncecan full-fat coconut milkSub evaporated milk, half to all
2large eggsroom temperature
1½teaspoonsvanilla extract
1teaspoonmolassesoptional, added for flavor or use Golden Syrup or honey
1½tablespoonseachblack and toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
Grease the sides and top of a 12-cup muffin tin well with soft butter.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweet rice flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, coconut milk, eggs, vanilla, and molasses.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until completely combined.
Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup all the way to the top.
Sprinkle the tops with black and white sesame seeds.
Bake 45-50 minutes until the top is brown and crispy and the muffin springs back when poked with a finger. Bake for less time. for muffins that are chewier and less cakey. Muffins are done when a skewer comes out relatively clean and the tops are brown.
Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Can be frozen and thawed at room temp.
Notes
Organic dark brown sugar is richer and more caramel-y than conventional, but you can use regular brown sugar.Any muffin tin will do, but for ultimate crispy exterior, use a dark non-stick muffin tin.If using a light muffin tin, you may have to bake the muffins a little bit longer.If keeping them for longer, they'll lose their crispiness after a day or two in storage, put them in the oven for a few minutes to crisp again before eating.
Oyako Donburi Hmmm, Maybe the Chicken and the Egg Came Together?
I am soooo excited! We are adding a new category to 3Jamigos! The kids have flown the coop and are making their own way, Jeff in the City close by (yippee), Jorge in Korea teaching (so far away) and Jams currently working and freezing her tush off in Minneapolis (half of so far away). Luckily we have FaceTime, phones, texting and when that just won’t do, flights. Just an airplane ride away.
A California-Texas kinda gal, winter in Minneapolis is a new experience for Jamie. Down jackets, scarves and gloves are now a part of her wardrobe vernacular, as is staying indoors. The winter weather has her looking for activities inside to keep her busy. For Christmas, we gave her knitting needles, yarn and starter lessons from Wes on how to knit. Big hit, knitting up a storm haha.
Jamie has always loved to bake and cook. She’s a natural, and with this weather, she has been doing alot more cooking and baking.
A recent call went like this:
Mui (her nickname): Mom, can you send me your Oyako Donburi recipe? Is it easy to make?
Me: Sure. Yep, it’s pretty easy. One pan, a couple of eggs, chicken, and onions.
Mui: That sounds good, I love rice bowls and I can bring the leftovers to work.
LIGHTBULB MOMENT: Hey, why don’t we both make Oyako Donburi and then post about it? You have done spots before on 3Jamigos. We’ll alternate picking recipes to make and blog about!
THUS a new 3jamigos category was born, M&M which stands for Mom and Mui. Mui means little sister. We have been calling Jamie Mui since Day One.
Oyako Donburi is the perfect dish to launch M&M. Chicken, sliced shiitake mushrooms, onions are cooked in a savory-sweet sauce of soy sauce, sake, dashi. Lightly beaten eggs are then poured on top of the chicken and sauce and simmered until just cooked through, then the chicken and egg mixture is placed on top of hot rice. Watch your kids, hubby, neighbors, everybody gobble it up. So delicious, classic Japanese soul food.
So without further adieu, our inaugural M&M post by Jamie on making Oyako Donburi in cold & snowy Minneapolis.
HELLOOOO WORLD/readers of 3jamigos.com. It’s ME. J A M I E. Ya know, that crazy girl who moved to Minneapolis to live in -30 DEGREE WEATHER. Nope, that wasn’t a typo. It really was NEGATIVE 30 on my drive into work last week. GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL PEOPLE. (I know that doesn’t really make sense, but global warming is causing polar vortexes normally over THE NORTH POLE to break apart and dip down to lower parts of the globe). It’s so cold that you can’t stand outside with exposed skin for more than 5 minutes without getting frostbite. FROSTBITE. Schools were closed. The roads were empty. But I still had to go to work. Once I got over that, it really wasn’t bad. They are GREAT about paving and salting the roads, so it was actually a breeze getting to and from work.
BUT enough about me. Let’s talk about the fact that my mom and I decided to start a mother-daughter blog where we cook the same dish separately and talk about it, AND THE FIRST DISH WE PICKED JUST HAPPENED TO TRANSLATE TO “Parent (chicken) and child (egg).” Damn, we are GOOD, people. You couldn’t even make this stuff up. I mean, I guess you could. It would make a great lifetime/hallmark movie. Ok. Enough interruptions. Let’s get down to the food.
Okayo Donburi. The ultimate comfort food. It’s a mix of chicken and eggs (parent and child) with a sweet/salty/chickeny sauce and sautéed onions. Pour it over some rice, and all the stresses of your day melt away. The best part? It is SO easy to make.
Chop up some onions, slice some mushrooms, toss it into the pan with some chicken broth, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar, and top it off with some eggs and chicken. E A S Y and so foolproof even my mom could make it and she suuuuckkss at cooking (if you couldn’t tell). I like to add in extra mushrooms and chicken. Sometimes extra onions. Pretty much extra everything. It is that good. Mom used to make it all the time when I was little, and it was one of my favorite dishes then too. So far, I’ve made it 3 times since winter started. That’s how good it is.
So now, for lack of a better conclusion, stop reading this post and go make it. Go!
Gung hay fat choy! Happy Lunar New Year! This is the Year of the Pig and in celebration of this, I spent the last week in Hong Kong with my boys-PIGGIN’ out. It has been years since I have been in Hong Kong and with Jordan living in nearby Korea, we decided a rendezvous was in order.
I walked off the plane and took a deep breath and instantly knew I was back in Asia. The scent that wafted through the air and surrounded me immediately transported me back to my first visit to Hong Kong so many years ago. An amalgam of daily life, food, incense, years of humanity all rolled into one.
Before I regale you with our travels in Hong Kong…let me tell you about our flight. It’s been a while since I have been on a flight that lasts 14 hours. AUUUGH! I don’t care if you are in First Class, Business, or Economy…it’s a LONG time to be cooped up in a plane. I did manage to catch 40 winks, watch a couple of movies, and pick through multiple cafeteria-like meals. The highlight was a bowl of instant ramen on the last leg of our journey. By then even the K-Movie I was watching knew how I felt.
One of the meal selections was Three Cup Chicken. I knew of this classic Taiwanese dish but have never had it. This peaked my curiosity so I made a mental note to try this dish when I got home.
A day of vegging out to get over my jet lag and I was ready to hunt down the recipe for Three Cup Chicken. The first thing I noticed was, though called 3 cup chicken, most recipes did not use those proportions. Thank goodness since that is a lot of sesame oil.
I decided on a mash-up from two of my go-to blogs, The Woks of Life and No Recipes. You can use bone-in pieces like chicken wings but the next time I think I will try boneless thighs. This dish is easy to prepare and lands on the dinner table in minutes…my kind of dish.
The soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine form the braising liquid but the addition of garlic, ginger and Thai basil really sets this dish apart. No wonder it’s a classic that has stood the test of time. One recipe called for a touch of sugar, sounded good, so I included it. If you like spice, throw in 1-2 Thai chili peppers for good measure.
The aromatics are heated in oil before adding the chicken. Brown the chicken and add the braising sauce. Simmer, turning the pieces occasionally. The sauce will reduce and coat the chicken creating a deep caramel color. Can you say yum? Finish with the basil and green onions. Be generous with your basil it adds a ton of flavor to the dish.
The chicken is browned in the ginger, garlic infused oil.Isn’t that a lovely color? Serve with steamed rice and veggies. The perfect meal.So delicious. Don’t tell Cathay Pacific, but this version of 3 Cup Chicken is so much better than theirs!
I love Potato Leek Soup. If you dig into the 3jamigos archive this soup pops up a couple of times. This is my go-to soup. In the winter, I make a hearty, rustic version with lots of potatoes, smokey bacon, and heavy cream, perfect for a chilly evening. The summer version is lightened with a bit more stock and light cream, pureed so it is silky smooth, and served at room temperature. Both are crazy delicious and proof of the “Versatility of Vichyssoise”.
The hubs called me at work one afternoon last week with that age old question, “What’s for dinner?”. With my long commute, I knew it had to something quick and easy. A salad? stir fry? Quick pasta dish? As ideas popped up in my brain (including restaurant names), I heard Wes say, how about potato leek soup?
Crusty French bread, glass of wine, bowl of soup..I was all in. But, silly, soup takes awhile…wait, hmmm.
Enter the Instant Pot. I have made other soups in my IP. Why not? A quick Google search landed on quite a few recipes for Potato Leek in an Instant Pot. Why didn’t I think of this before?
Dinner is served
I saute’ the vegetables in the Instant Pot, added the stock, set the timer to 7 minutes and forgot about it until I heard the beep-beep-beep. Finish with cream and garnish…DONE. How easy is that? Ahhh dinner on the table in less than an hour and only 1 pot to clean. Perfect.
A delicious, quick and easy recipe for Potato Leek Soup made in your pressure cooker
Course Soup
Cuisine French
Keyword Instant Pot, Potato Leek Soup
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Resting time 10 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Calories 244kcal
Ingredients
1TbspOlive Oil
2TbspButter
3large Leekswhite part only, cleaned and sliced into rounds(1/8")
1yellow oniondiced
2clovesGarlicminced
2TbspFlour
5-6cupsChicken Broth
1Bay Leaf
1tspSalt
1/4tspWhite Pepper
1lbGold Potatoes(4-5 spuds if using Yukon Gold, 3 russets) peeled and diced
1/2cupheavy cream or half and half
Garnish
Chopped Chives
Sour Cream
Anything your little heart desires
Instructions
Press the Sauté button on the Instant Pot. When hot, add the oil and butter.
Add the onion. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally, approximately 5 minutes. Try not to let it brown. Add leeks, cook for additional 3-4 minutes until the leeks are soft.
Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, stirring frequently.
Sprinkle the flour over the onion-leeks mixture and stir. Cook for a minute to get the raw taste out of the flour.
Stir in the broth. Be sure to dissolve the flour and scrape the bottom of the pot. The Instant Pot senses particles on the bottom and will shut off to prevent burning.
Add the bay leaf, salt, pepper, and the potatoes. Stir.
Put the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
Press the Manual (or Pressure Cook) button, and the + or - button to choose 7 minutes. then forget about it until the timer goes off.
When the cooking cycle has ended, let the pot naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. Then manually release the remaining steam.
10. When the pin in the lid drops, open it and stir the soup. Remove the bay leaf. Then use an immersion blender to puree it. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a blender, pureeing the soup in small batches very carefully.
11. Stir in the cream or half and half.
12. Taste and adjust salt, if needed.
Garnish with chopped chives, sour cream, bacon...just about anything you like, corn, shrimp, crab.
Notes
Blend soup just a bit leaving chunks of potatoes for a more rustic soup. Blend until completely smooth for a classic version. Reserve part of the soup, before adding the cream, to freeze for a rainy day. Rainy day instructions-heat soup slowly and add cream once it is warmed. This soup serves as a wonderful base for a vegetable soup. Add chopped spinach at the end and heat and stir occasionally until spinach wilts. Use clam juice as part of the stock for a seafood twist. Garnish with shrimp or crab. yummos.
Cool as a Cucumber Banchan (Simple Asian Cucumber Salad)
Are you like me? I hate making salads. I love salads, but prepping veggies, not so much. I only have enough bandwidth to prep maybe 1-2 fixings for a salad. Which means my salads are pretty darn boring. Helloooo, Banchan. Banchan are little appetizers plates that come with every Korean meal. Banchan can include seafood like fishcake but are generally comprised of vegetables such as soybeans, radishes, potatoes or CUCUMBERS (my favorite). It’s my veggie salvation. Instead of a salad, I pull out my jar of kimchi or pickled radishes, slice some cucumbers and splash a soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onion dressing on the cucumbers. So refreshing and delicious. Yep, rockin’ the banchan.
One of my favorite kitchen gadgets is the Japanese Behringer mandoline. I purchased mine when I was in school in Los Angeles a long time ago, and I mean a LONG time ago. Thirty years later it’s still going strong, it’s a great option if you don’t have a mandoline. It is sturdy, inexpensive and apparently very durable (I can vouch for that), find it here.
I love this little salad. It is stupid easy to make and delicious. I use soy dashi, (a combination of soy sauce and dashi, a fish-based stock) when I want a smokey, slightly briny taste to the cucumbers. Would be a lovely side dish with the Gochujang-Lime Salmon or the Braised Pork Belly rice bowl.
1cucumberJapanese, English, Persian about 1 1/2 cup sliced for 1 cucumber
Dressing
1Tbssoy sauce or Soy Dashi
2Tbsrice vinegar
1Tbssugar
1/2tspKorean red chili powder
1tspsesame oil
Garnish
1/4tspsesame seeds
2green onionschopped
Instructions
Slice cucumbers into thin slices. Around 1/8 inch (3 mm).
Mix soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and sugar in a bowl. Pour soy vinegar into the bowl with cucumbers.
Then, add 1/2 tsp chili powder and sesame seeds. Mix and taste. Add more chili powder if you want. Doing it in this order allows you to taste and control the amount of chili powder based on how spicy you want it.
Add chopped green onions and mix again.
YOU ARE DONE!! Serve immediately for the freshest and crunchiest cucumbers. You can also let it sit for 10-15 minutes for the cucumbers to absorb the dressing before serving.
