Category: Proteins

beef, pork, poultry, fish
Soy Sauce Chicken (See Yao Gai-s Soon)

Soy Sauce Chicken (See Yao Gai-s Soon)

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Growing up in Chinatown I took for granted that everyone had access to fresh vegetables, fish, poultry and meat.  If only I had an iPhone back in the day to capture the pictures of daily life in my Chinatown.  I’d have pictures of crates filled with live chickens sitting on the sidewalk, tanks filled with live fish and crabs, and baskets filled with just picked greens.

Many of the markets had delis, their counters loaded with trays of fried noodles, stir-fried vegetables, and stews. Storefront windows filled with roasted ducks, chickens and different sausages hung to entice passersby.   Whole roasted pig hanging on a hook with its skin roasted to a crispy rich caramel brown. Shoppers clamored in line while the butcher sliced off chunks to dole out. 

Fifteen minutes before my parents closed their office for the day, Dad would hurry down to the shops to buy fixings for that night’s dinner.  What he cooked was always predicated on what was fresh in the markets.

Our dinners consisted of my Dad’s dishes-squash soup, stir fried beef and greens or steamed fish with green onions and ginger and pre-made dishes bought from one of the many delis in Chinatown.  Dad would survey the window at Ping Yuen Market and select a roast duck or chicken, or pick a piece of Crispy Skin Pork or bbq pork .  Luckily many of these deli delights like Whole Poached Chicken and bbq pork, even crispy skin roasted pork can be made at home.  I gave it a try with a small piece of pork belly, and was surprised by the results.  Now I can make it at home.

Soy Sauce Chicken

It never occurred to me to make Soy Sauce Chicken at home, it was too easy to head to my favorite Chinese deli and pick one up.  Staying at home has made me rethink “what can I make at home?” Time to tackle Soy Sauce Chicken.  The good news is it’s easy!  I googled Soy Sauce Chicken and found a recipe on The Woks of Life (an amazing Asian family cooking blog).  A few tweaks to their recipe and boom, no need to head to that Chinese deli anymore.  Delicious homemade Soy Sauce Chicken made by yours truly

Here’s the hard part.  Ingredients

The seasonings include dark and regular soy sauce, star anise, sugar, cinnamon, rice wine.  Dark soy sauce has molasses which makes it sweeter than regular soy sauce.  Pictured in the left, back is rock sugar which I used along with granulated sugar.  You could use just granulated sugar or a combination of white and brown sugar.   Star anise is not my favorite so I cut back to 1-2 pieces and added half of a cinnamon stick instead.  Next time I will throw in 1-2 cloves in the poaching liquid.  Feel free to play around with the spices to make it your own, although stick to the spices in Five Spice Powder as a guide -Cinnamon, Star Anise, Fennel, Clove, Sichuan Peppercorns.  Keep in mind that all of these spices are pretty assertive, a little goes a long way.

The dark soy adds not only sweetness but color.  The skin turns a beautiful mahogany brown.  The regular soy sauce adds saltiness and flavor.  The original recipe calls for green onions, I didn’t have any, so I used shallots instead.  You definitely need a member of the allium family.

The result is tender, juicy, chicken that is sweet, salty, and spicy from the star anise and cinnamon.  It’s delicious.  Serve the chicken with simply prepared greens and either rice or noodles.  Drizzle with the poaching liquid and BOOM dinner is served.  Enjoy!

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Soy Sauce Chicken (See Yau Gai)

Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Soy Sauce Chicken
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken ~4 pounds; fresh
  • 1 T oil
  • 7 slices ginger smash lightly to release flavor
  • 2 scallions cut into 3-inch pieces and smashed flat
  • 3 star anise I use 1-2 only
  • 1 ½ cups Chinese Rice Wine aka shaoxing wine
  • 1 ½ cups soy sauce reg Kikkoman would work
  • 1 1/4 cup dark soy sauce or dark mushroom soy sauce
  • 1 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons Can substitute rock sugar or brown sugar for 1/2 of amount
  • 2 teaspoons salt Kosher salt, if using diamond increase to 1 T
  • 10 cups water
  • 1-2 cloves optional

Optional spices

  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
  • 1/2 stick cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp fennel seeds reduce star anise to 1 piece if using
  • 1-2 large shallots, sliced in place of green onions and garlic, sheltering in place-mother of invention!

Instructions

  • Take your chicken out of the refrigerator before you plan to cook, let it come to room temperature. Remove the giblets, and thoroughly rinse the chicken inside and out.
  • In a tall, narrow stock pot, that will just fit the chicken, (the chicken should be totally submerged in the cooking liquid) Heat pot over medium low heat add the oil. Add ginger when the oil is hot.
  • Fry ginger for about 30 seconds until it begins to brown. Then add the scallions and cook another 30 seconds. Add the star anise and rice wine, and bring to a simmer to let some of the alcohol cook off. Add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, salt, and water. Bring to a simmer again and cook on low heat for another 20 minutes.
  • Increase the heat to bring the liquid to a slow boil (i.e. a little stronger than a simmer, but not a rolling boil). Lower the chicken slowly into the pot breast side up. Make sure any air pockets in the cavity fill up completely with liquid. The chicken should be entirely submerged at this point.
  • Bring the cooking liquid back to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes at medium heat, a nice rolling simmer. Next, carefully with tongs or a serving fork, lift the chicken out of the water and empty the liquid inside the cavity, which will be cooler than the liquid surrounding the chicken. Lower the chicken back into the pot, making sure once again to fill the cavity. If the chicken is not completely submerged, periodically baste the exposed area with cooking liquid.
  • Bring the liquid back up to a simmer, which should take about 10 minutes. Keep it at this slow simmer (the liquid will be about 210 degrees F) for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the chicken sit in the pot for another 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. You can test the chicken, should be about 165 degrees F.
  • Use the sauce from the pot to occasionally baste the chicken and keep the skin moist as it cools. Serve over rice with some sauce from the pot!

Chicken Pieces

  • Don't want to poach an entire chicken?
  • This is enough poaching liquid to poach 4 chicken breast or 4 whole legs or 6 thighs. Follow directions up until putting the chicken into the liquid. Place chicken pieces in liquid. Bring it back to a boil. Lower heat so you have a nice energetic simmer going.. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn heat off and allow the chicken to sit covered for 20-25 minutes depending on size of pieces.
    That's it, enjoy!

Notes

Once you're done cooking the chicken, you can actually freeze the sauce/cooking liquid for use again later (though you may have to re-season the sauce)
Hit Me With Your Bo Ssam, Fire Away (Momofuku’s Bo Ssam Slow Roasted Pork)

Hit Me With Your Bo Ssam, Fire Away (Momofuku’s Bo Ssam Slow Roasted Pork)

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Need a dish to feed a big crowd?  A dish that is easy to make and requires little attention?  I have just the dish!

Bo Ssam

Whaat?  The best description I can give you is Korean Pulled Pork.

I have been meaning to try David Chang’s (Da Momofuku Man) recipe for Bo Ssam.  His Momofuku Cookbook is hands down one of my favorites. I actually like curling up in a chair and reading his cookbook.  Great narrative and I can relate to his use of “colorful” vernacular in the book.  When I had my kids I FORCED myself to limit the expletives that normally flowed through my lips.  I did a pretty darn good job until they were all ensconced in high school (or was it middle school?).  Then the flood gates reopened.  Am I proud of this? No, but for me, a verbal flurry of choice words is very cathartic.  I like to think of them as adjectives with emphasis NOT directed verbs.

Back to Bossam.  Actually, traditional Bossam is pork belly boiled not roasted.  The Momofuku twist?  Slow roasting the pork.  Start with a nice FATTY Pork Butt roast (aka Boston butt or shoulder).  Make a rub of Kosher salt and sugar and rub this all over the roast. Discard any excess rub.  Let the roast sit for 6-24 hours in the fridge. Use coarse Kosher Salt Coarse made by Diamond.  Don’t use regular table salt or sea salt, it will be way too salty.  Morton’s also has a Kosher salt but it is actually saltier than Diamond.

Remove the pork from the brine, put it in a pan and roast for oh…SIX HOURS.  I know a long time, but that’s what gives you tender, melt in your mouth bites of pork that you eat with all the trimmings-kimchi, rice, Momofuku’s ginger scallion sauce or ssamjang, and raw oysters (optional) wrapped in lettuce.  A brown sugar, salt and vinegar paste is painted on the roast and broiled for a caramelized, crispy, crust.  Yum.  Its a fun and incredibly delicious.  Perfect to share with family and friends.

I tweaked the Ginger Scallion Sauce a bit.  I actually heated the oil before adding it to the sliced scallions and minced ginger and rounded the soy sauce to 2 teaspoons.  I took the lazy way out and used commercial Ssamjang Sauce and added some sesame oil and seeds.  Ssamjang is made with of doenjang, gochujang, sesame oil, onion, garlic, green onions, and optionally brown sugar.  Packs a flavor punch and is perfect with grilled foods.

Set everything on the table, condiments, veggies and that big beautiful pork butt.  Let everyone make their own wraps.  Take a piece of lettuce add a bite of rice, a dollop of sauce (ginger-scallion or ssamjang or both), a bit of kimchi and of course a nice little chunk of the meltingly tender, pork.

Serve with banchan on the side-cucumbers, potatoes, seaweed, whichever ones you prefer even a nice simple green salad would be wonderful.

Enjoy.

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MOMOFUKU BO SSAM

Delicious slow-roasted pork served with traditional Korean sides, kimchi, ssamjang, rice, and wrapped in lettuce leaves
Course Main Course
Cuisine Fusion, Korean
Keyword Bo Ssam, Slow Roasted Pork
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours

Ingredients

Pork Roast

  • 8 to 10 pounds 1 piece pork butt, ideally bone-in with some fat ok lots of fat
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup coarse Kosher salt preferably Diamond

Topping

  • 1 Tbsp coarse kosher salt
  • 7 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Sides:

  • 1 dozen raw oysters shucked optional
  • 1 cup Napa Cabbage Kimchi plus 1 cup puréed
  • 1 cup Ginger Scallion Sauce see link in post
  • Ssämjang
  • Cooked Short-Grain Rice Count on a bowl of cooked rice per person
  • 3 to 4 heads Bibb lettuce leaves separated, well washed, and spun dry
  • Maldon or other high-quality coarse sea salt

Instructions

  • Place the pork in a roasting pan or baking dish. It should fit snugly. Combine 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of the salt in a bowl and mix them well. Rub the mixture all over the meat. Cover it with plastic wrap then refrigerate it at least 6 hours or overnight. discard an excess sugar salt mix.
  • Heat the oven to 300 F. Cover the roasting pan with cooking foil. Wrap it around at least twice covering all the gaps. Remove the pork from the fridge and discard any juice. Leave the rub on the pork.
  • Place the pork in a roasting pan (fatty side up), set in the oven and cook it for about 6 hours. (This can vary depending on the size of the pork. See note below) Once cooked, the pork should be very easy to pull apart with tongs and forks. Remove the pork from the oven.
  • Combine the remaining salt, brown sugar and vinegar in a small bowl. Mix well. Gently rub the mixture all over the cooked pork (mainly the top of the pork). Use the back of a spoon to rub paste on pork since the roast will be pretty hot.
  • Turn the oven to 500 F. Place the pork in the oven and cook it until a dark caramel crust develops on the meat. It takes 5 to 10 mins. Serve hot, with the accompaniments.
  • When you first pull off the pork, it’s very moist and tender, but it dries out fairly fast (like within 20 mins)! So serve immediately and eat up. It still tastes good though!
  • For an easy ssam sauce, buy the ssamjang tub instead of making it from scratch. Add a couple of drops of sesame oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds to the ssamjang if you like.

Notes

If you’re using a smaller piece of pork, reduce the rub ingredients (e.g. sugar, salt) and the cooking time. As a guideline it takes about 4 hours to 4.5 hours to roast 2 kg / 4.4 pounds bone-in pork shoulder.

 

 

 
Goblin-g Up Some Delicious Short Ribs

Goblin-g Up Some Delicious Short Ribs

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Greetings from rainy Quebec City!  Hubby and I decided to take a quick trip to Montreal and Quebec City.  Our last trip to the eastern side of Canada was for a hockey tournament for Jeffrey quite a few years ago.  We made it as far as Toronto that time.  This time we were off to Montreal.  W (the hubs) has decided that his criteria for traveling is “what sporting event can I go to”.  The Sharks versus the Montreal Canadians met this criteria.  Hmmm, would I go along?  I am a sports junkie too, but maybe not to the same extent.  BUT, (picture me looking very sheepish as I type this), I am a HUGE Korean drama fan.  It’s my escape. Even though their political dramas do hit a little too close to home, I am hooked.  Every politician in the K-Drama World is corrupt, all the way up to the top banana (or should I say orange?). Imagine that.

So, besides going to a hockey game in Montreal, I bartered for a couple of days in Quebec City.  My favorite K-Drama, Goblin-The Great and Lonely God, features this beautiful city.  So, like a drama groupie, I wanted to visit the different sites featured in Goblin. Think I’m crazy?  At least I’m not alone, check this out Asian Tourism to Quebec City.  Curious about the door?  Wait for my Quebec City post!

Just before heading to Canada, I went to my favorite little cookbook store in the City, Omnivore Books for a book signing event.  Ivan Orkin and Chris Ying stopped by to introduce their new book, The Gaijin Cookbook-Japanese Recipes from a Chef, Eater, Father, and Lifelong Outsider.

While his ramen book can be intimidating, this book is very user friendly and kid friendly, win-win.  Food you feed your family everyday, from classic Japanese recipes to off-beat recipes that are definitely mash-ups from his life in New York and Japan.

I pulled Korean style short ribs out of the fridge and decided to marinade half in my go-to Kalbi recipe and for the other half, I made the Teriyaki Sauce recipe from Ivan Orkin’s book.  Incredibly easy with just 5 ingredients (so user friendly-amirite?).  His tweak is genius, he adds oyster sauce to his recipe, so good.  Yep, short rib, two ways, perfect for the Goblin who only eats meat, and perfect for the rest of us who love Teriyaki.

The Teriyaki Sauce can be made ahead of time and keeps in the fridge.  It is delicious on not just beef, but chicken, salmon or pork.  I mean, really, what isn’t tasty with Teriyaki sauce on it.

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Teriyaki Sauce from Ivan Orkin

A stupid easy, incredibly tasty Teriyaki Sauce that goes well with beef, chicken, fish and pork. From Ivan Orkin‘s new book, The Gaijin Cookbook.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword beef, ivan orkin, japanese food, teriyaki sauce
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 Cup Sake
  • 1/4 Cup Mirin Sweet cooking wine
  • 1/4 Cup Soy sauce Kikkoman is perfect, but any all-purpose soy sauce will work
  • 1/4 Cup Oyster Sauce Repeat after me Lee Kum Kee, woman and little boy in a boat on the label
  • 1 Tbsp sugar Granulated or raw

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk together until sugar dissolves. Store in refrigerator. Keeps for min of a couple of weeks.
  • This sauce is not a marinade. Cook protein by your method of choice. Cook your steak or chicken using your favorite method.
  • Pour teriyaki sauce until a small skillet. Over medium heat cook sauce until it reduces and seems syrupy. Approximately 4-5 minutes.
  • Drizzle sauce over your main and enjoy! Serve sauce on the side for anyone who needs to help.

Thinking about checking out Montreal and Quebec City?  My post on these two fabulous cities is coming soon!
Fall Into the Porkfect Meal

Fall Into the Porkfect Meal

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I walked out this morning and for the first time, there was a slight chill in the air. Is Fall finally here? Hmmm. Let me check.  That crisp feeling in the air, apples instead of stone fruit at the farmer’s market (I found both last weekend) and PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES in every Starbucks.

Fall is coming.

With my postcard posse coming over, I didn’t want something light.  I had a hankering for all things homey and satisfying.  A little chill in the air will do that to you.  I dug through my recipes and found the perfect dish, a Roasted Pork Loin with Garlic and Rosemary from Epicurious.  Yum.  Doing the happy dance, making an easy, delicious pork roast for dinner with friends.

The dish starts with a simple rub of finely chopped fresh rosemary, minced garlic, coarse salt and a couple of grinds of pepper.  I like to smash my garlic and finely chop it but by all means, use a press if you like.  My mom and dad insisted on mincing herbs and meat by hand using their trusty Chinese cleaver.  I have adopted that practice.  Maybe it’s a way to feel connected to them although I do think it improves the texture and flavor of a dish.  Use coarse kosher salt but (I’m gritting my teeth as I write this) in a pinch you could use regular salt.  Make sure to reduce the amount by half if you make the switch.  I add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to help bind the mixture and adhere to the pork roast.

Time to rub a dub-dub the spice mix onto the pork.

Don’t you love a beat-up looking well-used pan?  This pan is hubby’s and dates back to his single days.  Still going strong after all these years.

Like the Big Fig Newton, here’s the tricky part.  Don’t overcook it!  Pork is pretty lean nowadays so it can end up being dry if it is cooked too long.  The original recipe calls for over an hour of cooking time…which is fine, IF YOU LIKE JERKY.  Back in the day, the final temp for pork was around 160.  The new recommendation is 145 with a 3 minute rest time. A little pink is A-OK.  So, please, invest in an instant thermometer and don’t overcook your pork.  If you come across an older recipe, use the new guidelines or your pork will be like the Sahara Desert.

Roast the pork loin, fat side down, for 25 minutes.  Then flip and roast an additional 10-15 minutes.  Start checking the meat temperature at 10 minutes!  The roast will continue to cook as it rests, so if the temp is around 140, take it out and let it rest.

The tasty bits left in the pan make for a nice au jus so don’t toss it!  Just pour them into a bowl and serve alongside the roast.  You could gussy it up by deglazing the pan with some white wine and throwing in a bit of butter.  Hmmm-killer.

Leftovers?  Grab a loaf of ciabatta and make yourself one b*tchin sammie.

To finish off the meal with a Fall theme, I have a bushel of just-picked pears and apples from my friend Shannon.  Her pears and apples worked perfectly in my go-to apple crisp recipe.  Top with vanilla ice cream for a delicious sweet finale.

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Roast Pork with Garlic and Rosemary

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword easy recipe, garlic, pork roast, roast pork loin, roast pork with garlic and rosemary, rosemary
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 187kcal
Author Adapted from Epicurious

Equipment

  • roasting or baking pan

Ingredients

  • 4 large garlic cloves pressed or chopped finely
  • 4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 2 1/2-pound boneless pork loin roast well trimmed
  • Fresh rosemary sprigs optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°Line 13 x 9 x 2-inch roasting pan with foil.
  • Mix first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Rub garlic mixture all over pork.
  • Place pork, fat side down, in a roasting pan. Roast pork 25 minutes. Turn roast fat side up. Roast until thermometer inserted into the center of pork registers 140-145°F., about 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.
  • Pour any juices from roasting pan into small saucepan; set over low heat to keep warm. Cut pork crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange pork slices on a platter. Pour pan juices over. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.

 

 
Summer Madness #1: Too Hot (Miso Sesame Chicken Salad to Keep the Gang Kool)

Summer Madness #1: Too Hot (Miso Sesame Chicken Salad to Keep the Gang Kool)

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The weather has been pretty darn warm.  Actually, I’d say damn hot lately.  I grew up in San Francisco, a warm day meant temps in the ’70s. Growing up we spent most of July and August in a blanket of fog.  My first car had an all-black interior and NO AIR CONDITIONING.  NBD.

But now I live in Silicon Valley, 50 miles south of San Francisco.  My cars have AC, my house has AC (a non-negotiable requirement of the Hubster who grew up in Sacramento).  I once scoffed at folks who succumbed to installing air conditioning.  No more.

I will say we do try to keep usage to a minimum, preferring to leave windows and doors open so the evening breeze cools down the house.  We keep oven baking and cooking on the stove to a minimum by eating lots of sushi, salads, and bbq.  We fire up the grill in the backyard and enjoy our meals outside. Summer alfresco dining, what could be better?

I subscribe to NYT Cooking and each week Sam Sifton pops up with a What to Cook This Week column.  This week’s newsletter included a Miso Sesame Chicken Salad from David Tanis.  That caught my eye.

MIso Sesame Chicken Salad

Silky poached chicken, crunchy cucumbers, scallions on a bed of Bibb lettuce topped with a creamy Miso-Sesame dressing.  Karma, I had chicken in the fridge, cucumbers from a friend’s garden and Aedan Miso I had just bought at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market.

The only cooking required is poaching the chicken.  I decided to make half the recipe so  I opted to poach chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken which took less time and works perfectly for this dish.

No brainer method for the best damn poached chicken.

Like Whole Poached Chicken, this cooking method results in juicy, tender, delicious poached chicken breasts, perfect for salads, sandwiches, or morsels for your favorite doggy…

Fill a saucepan large enough to hold 1 whole chicken breast (split in half) with water. You don’t need to add much to the water except for a good pinch salt.  I cheat and add a tablespoon of Better Than Bouillion Chicken Base just to intensify the flavor, totally optional.  Bring the water to a boil and add the chicken.  Bring it back to a boil, lower the heat so that it is barely simmering.  Cover the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to sit for 15-20 minutes (do this by size, smaller breasts-15 minutes, larger-20 minutes).  Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool until it is easy to handle.  Ta-da, perfect chicken for salads, sandwiches, or Hainanese Chicken and Rice.

Back to the salad.  I love the textures in this salad.  Tender, silky chicken and crisp cold cucumbers.  You can use romaine or iceberg but I like using Bibb.  Instead of slicing the cucumbers I rolled-cut them and lightly smashed them. The Miso and Sesame Sauce has a touch of lemon zest which adds a hint of citrus.  I used Gochugaro, a Korean chili powder instead of cayenne to add some spice.

This is a tasty addition to the summer salad rotation.  Enjoy!

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Miso Sesame Chicken Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Asian sesame paste or tahini
  • 4 tablespoons white shiro miso I used Aedan Mild White Miso
  • 3 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • ½ teaspoon roasted sesame oil
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Small pinch of cayenne optional, I used Gochugaro Powder instead
  • 1 3-poundchicken, cooked poach chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken as directed in post
  • 2 heads small Bibb or Boston lettuce can use Little Gems or romaine hearts
  • 2 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick, lightly salted I prefer Persian or English cucumbers
  • 3 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions or chives
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon toasted black sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

  • Put sesame paste, miso, vinegar, mirin, ginger, sugar and lemon zest in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined. Whisk in sesame and vegetable oils. Check seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper and cayenne, if using. You should have about 2/3 cup dressing. If it seems too thick, thin with a tablespoon or 2 of water.
  • Remove skin from chicken and pull all the meat from the carcass. Shred chicken meat into 1-inch strips and put in a medium mixing bowl. (Refrigerate or freeze any remaining skin, fat, bones and cartilage for making broth.) You should have about 4 cups shredded chicken.
  • Separate the lettuce leaves and arrange on a large platter, leaving space for the chicken at the center, then scatter with cucumber slices.
  • Gently toss the shredded chicken with salt and pepper. Pour all but a few tablespoons of dressing over the chicken and gently toss to coat. Transfer dressed chicken to center of platter and nap with remaining dressing. Sprinkle scallions and sesame seeds on top and serve.

Notes

I made a half recipe which was plenty for the two of us.  
Banchan
(Grilled Pork Belly) It’s Gettin’ Hot Out Herre, So Take Out All Your BBQ Toys

(Grilled Pork Belly) It’s Gettin’ Hot Out Herre, So Take Out All Your BBQ Toys

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On our trip to South Korea, we spent a lot of time roaming around the various street markets in Seoul.  Rows of stalls filled with hand-cut noodles in light flavorful anchovy broth, crispy mung bean cakes, fishcake, mountains of pickled vegetables and banchan (side dishes), and skewers of chicken, beef, shrimp, and pork grilled to order.  This is the tip of the iceberg for all things yummy.  Leading to sensory overload on all fronts, smell, sight, touch, and taste.

At Gwanjang Market we stopped for Mandu and delicious noodles at the very stall featured in Netflix’s Street Food.  If you ever visit Seoul, put this on your gotta-visit list, Gwanjang Market is the Disneyland of street food.

Grillin and Chillin

Summer has arrived in California, and with temps rising it is time to take cookin’ outside.  Inspired by the street food on our recent trip.  I head to the Korean market to grab some sliced pork belly and banchan, the perfect antidote for the heat.

Thick-cut pork belly is readily available in Asian markets.  If you can’t find it, opt for pork shoulder or butt, sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces.  The marinade is a mash-up of two recipes, one from A Common Table (current fan fav!) for Pork Bulgogi, and the other from the blog, Spice the Plate, for Korean Pan-Fried Pork Belly.

Stir together Gochujang (Korean Pepper Paste), soy, fish sauce, honey, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic.  Voila, a spicy, sweet, salty marinade that compliments the pork wonderfully. Finally, pour the marinade on the pork and let it sit for 30 minutes.

marinaded pork belly

Marinade for 30 minutes and fire up the grill.  Cook over direct heat for 4-5 minutes a side.  Garnish with green onions or cilantro and serve.  Serve with a bowl of rice or with lettuce/cabbage leaves to make wraps.  Don’t forget side dishes like cucumber salad, and kimchi.

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Korean Style Grilled Pork Belly

Course Main Course, Meat, protein
Cuisine Asian, Korean
Keyword Grilled Pork Belly, Pork Belly
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pork belly with or without skin
  • cilantro or green onions for topping optional

Pork belly Marinade

  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 stalk green onion chopped, substitute 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup grated Asian pear substitute pineapple juice
  • 2 tablespoon Korean hot pepper paste Gochujang
  • 2 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds save 1/2 T for garnish

Pork Belly Marinade Quick and Dirty

  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 2 tablespoon Korean hot pepper paste
  • 2 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 2 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Combine ingredients for marinade, add pork and set aside for approximately 30 minutes.
  • While pork marinades, preheat grill, adjust to medium-high heat before grilling.
  • Grill over direct heat 4-5 minutes per side.
  • Garnish with cilantro or green onions and a sprinkling of sesame seeds
  • Serve immediately
Bowled Over, Udon Want to Miss My Newest Obsession (Udon)

Bowled Over, Udon Want to Miss My Newest Obsession (Udon)

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Hang on to your hats, imagine Times Square, with all its neon signs and flashing lights dedicated solely to FOOD.  Yep, that’s the only way I can describe the Dotonbori area of Osaka.  Swarms of people, whose sole purpose is to find all things delicious to eat.  A giant 3-D crab, or shrimp or potsticker over the door of a dining establishment making it easy to figure out their specialty.  The delicious aromas swirling around, changing with every step as they walk by tempura houses, ramen joints, crab feasts and yakitori vendors.

Welcome to Crazy Town for food

Yep, we bit.  Drawn by the people, hypnotized by the lights, we ate our way down the street.  We tasted Takoyaki, octopus cakes, (not really cakes, I just couldn’t bring myself to call them balls).  Think Ebelskiver with octopus bits.  We munched on skewers of yakitori, sampled matcha and black sesame soft serve and found taiyakis, fish-shaped cakes filled with red beans.

Udon want to miss the noodles

Our last stop was the perfect cap for the evening.  Walking back to our hotel we found a local shop in Namba with a trio of old cooks serving up delicious udon noodles.  We decided what toppings we wanted on our noodles, slipped our yens (=TWO DOLLARS A BOWL) into the machine, and handed the tickets to the chef.  Minutes later 3 hot steaming bowls of udon were placed in front of us.

Unlike ramen, the noodles are much thicker with a definite chew.  The broth is flavorful but clear and light, fish-based, different than the rich, heavy broth that you find with ramen.  Toppings are simple-fried tofu (abura-age), a raw egg that cooks in the steaming hot broth, a single tempura shrimp, or a clump of shredded seasoned beef and a sprinkling of green onion.  We slurped our noodles and tipped the bowls to spoon out the last drops of broth.  You’d think we hadn’t eaten all day.  Ha!

 

Oyako-Udon combo set

Thus My Obsession with Udon Began…

As soon as I got home plus 12 hours of catch-up sleep, I pulled out my copy of Japanese Soul Cooking by Tadashi Ono.  A gem of a book on homey Japanese comfort food.  I flipped to the udon section and then I was off to the market to look for ingredients.  I had purchased a delicious Dashi base in Tsujiki Market in Tokyo, perfect for my udon.  To make your own Dashi here is a great primer from Just One Cookbook. OR, Kikkoman makes a soup base Hon Tsuyu that makes a pretty good dashi broth base.

Working down my list, next the udon noodles. Udon comes fresh, frozen, and (if you can’t find fresh or frozen udon) dried.  Sigh, just not the same.  I also found abura-age or fried tofu skin which is used to make Kitsune Udon. The fried tofu skins are flattened and seasoned with soy sauce and placed on top of the udon.  Really delicious, and substantial enough for a satisfying vegetarian bowl of udon. It can be difficult to find abura-age though and in that case, Inari-age, seasoned deep-fried tofu pouches used to make Sushi Rice balls, is a convenient and easy substitute.  No need to season, just plop them on top of the cooked noodles.  Confused about tofu? Serious Eats’s Tofu primer is your ticket.  The carnivore in me though, bought some thinly sliced beef (sukiyaki beef is perfect) to make Niku Udon, yummo.

Making udon is very approachable.  It’s perfectly acceptable to start with a broth made from Dashi bags and pre-made noodles.

Udon Ingredients

Travel to Eat

People travel to buy clothes and souvenirs, I buy food, Dashi, Furikake’, Soba Boro cookies…yep, travel driven by food.

Studying up, here’s the scoop, on udon.

I used Dashi packets to make the Tsuyu.  This is your base,  add soy sauce and mirin to flavor the Tsuyu.

Optimally, use Sanukiya noodles, most likely found in the frozen section of your favorite Asian market.  The noodles are a bit firmer and hold up well.  The pre-cooked noodles only take a couple of minutes to separate and heat in hot water, presto-dunzo.  There are Korean versions of Udon noodles too, and they are very good.

Toppings for udon can be as simple as an egg, gently poached for the raw egg-squeamish, Abura-age, tempura, fishcake, or really ANYTHING you feel like putting on your noodles!

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Kitsune Udon

Simple, satisfying, soulful, best describes a bowl of Udon, thick, slurpable, noodles, in a clear broth.
Course noodles, one bowl meal, One dish meals
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Kitsune, Udon
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

Abura-age (Tofu)

  • 1 package Abura-age or 4 Abura-age

For Simmering Abura-age:

  • 3/4 cup dashi soup stock
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. mirin

For Soup:

  • 5 cup dashi soup stock
  • 3 Tbsp. mirin
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • Salt adjusting the amount of salt to your preference

Noods and Garnishes

  • 4 packages pre-boiled udon noodles
  • Optional: 4 slices kamaboko fish cake for topping
  • green onions, sliced

Instructions

  • Heat dashi, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce in a medium pan and bring to a boil. Adjust the flavor with salt as you like.
  • Simmer aburaage in the soup on low heat until the liquid is almost gone. Set aside.
  • Boil water in a large pan and heat udon noodles as indicated in the package.
  • Drain the udon and divide into four bowls.
  • Pour the hot soup over udon noodles.
  • Top with seasoned aburaage and kamaboko slices.
  • Garnish with green onions

OR buy the more readily available Inari age or seasoned tofu pouches and just plop those straight into your bowl. Inari age is the fried tofu pouches used to make Inari Sushi

    Or the carnivore delight…

    udon
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    Niku Udon

    Udon Noodles topped with stir fried seasoned beef and onions.
    Course Soup
    Cuisine Asian
    Keyword japanese, Noodle, soup, Udon
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Servings 4 servings
    Author Adapted from Japanese Soul Food

    Ingredients

    Niku Ingredients

    • 1/4 cup sake
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1/4 cup soy sauce
    • 1 pound sukiyaki beef or thinly sliced flank steak, ribeye
    • 1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced optional

    Soup

    • 6 cups udon tsuyu*
    • 4 bricks fresh or frozen udon noodles can substitute dried Sanuki Udon
    • 1-2 green onion thinly sliced
    • Shichimi togarashi

    Udon Tsuyu

    • 6 cups dashi
    • 1/2 cup mirin
    • 1/2 cup Usukuchi soy sauce light soy sauce
    • 1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

    Instructions

    Tsuyu

    • Prepare broth and keep warm.

    Beef

    • Combine sake, sugar and soy sauce in a bowl and stir well. Add beef and mix together, coating meat well. Marinade beef for 10 minutes.
    • Preheat dry non-stick skillet or well seasoned wok/iron skillet. If including onion, saute onion slices just until soft before adding the beef. Add beef and marinade to skillet. Spread beef in skillet to cook evenly. Cook over high heat until beef has lost its pinkness and most of liquid has evaporated, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

    Udon Noodles

    • Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add each packet of noodles. gently spread noodles out. When water comes back to a boil, the noodles are done. Drain well and divide among bowls.
    • Pour hot broth over noodles. Divide beef among bowls, garnish with green onions and shichimi togarashi. Serve immediately.
    Bacon Up Some Candied Bacon Bites

    Bacon Up Some Candied Bacon Bites

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    Looking for something sweet and salty to round out a cheese board for a weekday meeting, I thought of the Bloody Mary I had at a happy hour in Minneapolis with Jamie. I don’t remember much about the Bloody Mary but the CANDIED BACON swizzle stick that served as a stirrer and edible garnish was delicious.

    Candied bacon would be perfect for my cheese board but in bite-size pieces to go along with the cheese and crackers.  In its simplest form, coat thick cut bacon pieces with brown sugar and bake, but no one leaves well enough alone.  For this batch, I used brown sugar and chili powder.  Next time I might use cayenne for spice, or smoked paprika for smokiness, chili pepper or black pepper…really whatever you like.  Another riff, combine Siracha Sauce and brown sugar, coat the bacon with the sauce and bake as directed.

    Note: Line the pan with foil before placing the metal rack on the pan for the bacon.  You only need to spread the brown sugar and spices on one side.

    20 minutes later-ta-da, candied bacon for breakfast, drinks, happy hour munchies, salads…anything and everything is better with bacon.

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    Candied Bacon

    Bacon Candy!
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine American
    Keyword Candied bacon
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
    • 1-11/2 teaspoon chili powder or 1 teaspoon black pepper, or smoked paprika, or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 20 slices of thick-cut bacon 1 pound

    Instructions

    • Step Preheat the oven to 400°. Line large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack over the foil.
    • In a small bowl, whisk the brown sugar with the chili powder.
    • Cut bacon into approximately 2-inch pieces.  Arrange the bacon pieces on the rack and coat the tops with the chili sugar.
    • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until caramelized and almost crisp.
    • Allow bacon to cool completely on rack; remove from rack and serve.  If bacon is made early, leave at room temperature before serving.

    Notes

    A spicy twist, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup Siracha Sauce.  Coat the bacon and bake as directed.
     

     

     

     

    Hong Kong Ave of the Stars
    Bok Bok, Batch…of Three Cup Chicken

    Bok Bok, Batch…of Three Cup Chicken

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    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!
    Hong Kong Ave of the Stars
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    San Bei Ji(三杯鷄), or Three Cup Chicken

    Taiwanese dish made by cooking chicken with sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine.
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Asian
    Keyword 3 Cup Chicken
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 25 minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 460kcal

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
    • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
    • 1 inch piece ginger sliced then julienned
    • 6-8 cloves of garlic lightly crushed, but left whole
    • 1 thai chili seeded and sliced crosswise optional
    • 1.25 pounds boneless skin-on chicken thighs sub: 1.5 pounds chicken wings
    • 1/4 cup Chinese rice wine mijiu or shaoxing
    • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
    • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
    • 1 cup loosely packed Thai basil leaves only
    • 1-2 green onions thinly sliced

    Instructions

    • Heat a large pan or wok until hot. Add the peanut oil then ginger and garlic (and chili if using).  Fry until fragrant, but don't let it brown.
    • Add the chicken in a single layer, skin-side down and fry until the skin is well browned.
    • Flip the chicken over, and then add the rice wine, dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar.
    • Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is tender, flipping the chicken over a few times as it cooks.
    • Remove the lid and turn up the heat. Reduce the liquid into a thick sauce.
    • Add the Thai basil leaves and toss to coat.
    • Serve with rice.