Category: Soul Food
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.

 

 

 
Jack Mac and the Cheese Attack (Crazy Good Mac & Cheese)

Jack Mac and the Cheese Attack (Crazy Good Mac & Cheese)

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Happy National Cheese Day!  Any excuse to make a family favorite, mac and cheese.  I love mac and cheese. I unabashedly admit as a kid, I looked forward to the blue box of Kraft’s “Cheese and Macaroni”.  Pure marketing genius, neon yellow orange sauce. As I got older, my taste grew more sophisticated, the blue box was cast aside in favor of Stouffer’s Mac and Cheese from the freezer section of my supermarket, student life-student food. Come on, you can tell me, your college self loved Stouffer’s too.

When I had kids, my mac and cheese world expanded.  Being one of those crazy moms, I vowed to keep, processed foods and fast foods to a minimum.  I made macaroni and cheese from scratch and avoided my childhood favorites like Twinkies and Ho Hos.   I look back and think maybe I went a little overboard. But I’m pretty sure their time in college more than made up for the lack of processed and fast foods when they were little.

So I spent a lot of years making Mac and cheese from scratch.  I tweaked it to try to make it a little healthier by using 2% cheddar cheese, 2% milk, and substituted broth for some of the dairy. It was perfectly…

Adequate.

Now that the kids are adults, pasta all day everyday is a thing of the past.  Mac and cheese has moved to occasional status-holidays, first day of winter, bowl of comfort day, or of course, National Cheese Day.

You know what that means…

Calorie laden, luscious, ooey-gooey, make you wanna slap your momma, no holds barred, damn delicious mac and cheese.

I adapted a recipe I found on the blog site, Chunky Chef, it’s BEASTLY GOOD.  Soft macaroni, (no al dente noods please), super cheesy (6 cups of cheese in this bad boy), gooey (one of those cheeses is mozzarella), rich (no 2% cheese or milk was involved in the making of this), porkalicious (bacon makes everything better), and just because I can, a crispy, topping of butter toasted Ritz crackers crumbs.  Yes, I went there.

Expect to run a marathon after eating this mac and cheese.  Immediately after.

Start with making a classic bechamel by melting butter, adding flour for a roux and then gradually adding half and half and milk.  You will end up with a sauce that is kind of thick but still pourable.  Add copious amounts of hand-shredded cheese to this and season generously with salt and pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.  Catch the hand shredded?  Yes, don’t start with pre-shredded cheese which has “stuff” added to it so it doesn’t stick together.

Add the macaroni to the sauce, give it a good stir and layer half of the pasta in a buttered 9×13 casserole.  Spread half of the remaining cheese on it and make another layer. Top with remaining cheese and buttery toasted crumbled Ritz crackers.  Bake 15 minutes so the cheese gets all melty and amazing. Serve as soon as possible.

Let’s go crazy…

Infinite possibilities to add your own stamp to this:

To the sauce:

Cayenne or smoked paprika

Mustard for a tangy hit

To the dish before baking:

Add diced chilis to spice it up

Crumbled bacon or pulled pork would be awesome

Shellfish- crab, lobster, shrimp so decadent

For the macaroni:

Substitute blanched or roasted cauliflower for some of the pasta or all of it if you want

Or add your favorite veggie, I like broccoli or mushrooms

File this recipe in the not so back of your mind for the next time you have a hankering for mac and cheese.

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Creamy Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese

Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Crazy good mac and cheese
Calories 657kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. dried elbow pasta
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 2 1/2 cups half and half
  • 4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese measured after grating
  • 1 cup mozzarella shredded Measured after grating
  • 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese measured after grating
  • 1/2 Tbsp. salt Or T Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. paprika or smoked paprika
  • 1/2-1 Tsp Cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 3 qt baking dish (9x13"). Set aside.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add dried pasta and cook 1 minute less than the package directs for al dente. Drain and toss with a bit of butter to keep from sticking.
  • Grate cheeses and toss together to mix, then divide into three piles. Approximately 3 cups for the sauce, 1 1/2 cups for the inner layer, and 1 1/2 cups for the topping.
  • Melt butter in a large saucepan over MED heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Cook for approximately 1-2 minutes, whisking often. Slowly pour in about 2 cups of the milk/half and half, while whisking constantly, until smooth. Slowly pour in the remaining milk/half and half, while whisking constantly, until combined and smooth.
  • Continue to cook over MED heat, whisking constantly, until thickened.
  • Stir in spices and 1 1/2 cups of the cheeses, stirring to melt and combine. Stir in another 1 1/2 cups of cheese, and stir until completely melted and smooth.
  • In a large bowl, combine drained pasta with cheese sauce, stirring to combine fully. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with 1 1/2 cups of grated cheeses, then top that with the remaining pasta mixture.
  • Coarsely crush Ritz crackers. Set aside. Melt 1 T butter in a pan. Add cracker crumbs and saute until toasty brown. Kinda optional.
  • Sprinkle the top with the last 1 1/2 cups of cheese and cracker crumbs.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, until cheesy is bubbly and lightly golden brown.

Notes

See comments in post.
Mac and Cheese can be made ahead:
Make as directed (but do not bake), transfer to baking dish and cool completely. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate 1-2 days ahead.
Before baking, let dish sit on counter for 30 minutes.
Bake at recipe temperature for 25-35 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Cheesy White Bean Tomato Bake

What to do with all that leftover cheese from your scrumptious mac and cheese.  Note to self, never buy your cheese from Costco, New York Times Cooking to the rescue.  Easy-check. Quick-check. Uses up some of that extra cheese-check. Delicious-check. A riff on Korean Cheesy Corn, this is great dish for a happy hour, lunch paired with a green salad or late night munchie attack. 

This dish is as easy as beans from a can.  Really.  

Taking my cue from NYT Cooking I tweaked the recipe, a lot.  Not as much as everyone else judging from the comments, but enough to make it my own.  I doubled the tomato paste, threw in a sprig of rosemary, sautéed shallots and diced red bell pepper along with the garlic and last but not least, added some bacon. You don’t have to.

Make it your own-add nothing, add everything-sausage, spinach, kale (never me), or use different beans.

Yum.
The Rice Stuff-Sticking with Tradition (Gnaw Mai Fan)

The Rice Stuff-Sticking with Tradition (Gnaw Mai Fan)

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My favorite dish at Thanksgiving, excluding dessert, is dressing.  I adore bread stuffing.  My Mom’s version is delicious.  It’s a pretty traditional bread dressing with the one Asian tweak of dried oysters added to it.  I asked my mom to write her recipe down…and she did!  Thank goodness, since she rarely cooked from recipes and relied on the look, taste, adjust method.

As much as I love her bread stuffing, I never get to make it!  I am immediately “voted off the island” if I suggest anything but the Chinese contribution to Turkey Day-Sweet Rice Stuffing or Gnaw Mai Fan.  My fam LOVES Sweet Rice Stuffing and it just wouldn’t feel right if it were missing from the Thanksgiving table.

My oldest lives in the city and has started his own tradition of having Friendsgiving with his co-workers.  I made a batch of Sticky Rice (recipe here!), walked him through roasting the turkey and the rest was up to him.

TWEAKS

I’m not a big fan of super sticky rice so I use a combination of 50% long grain rice and 50% glutinous sweet (sticky) rice.  But if you like sticky rice change the proportions to 3 cups glutinous rice and 1 cup long grain.

If you are feeling ambitious, here is a quick and easy recipe for the char siu (bbq pork)  It adds a touch of sweetness to the rice.

This would be a perfect gluten-free choice for bread stuffing.  The “Rice” Stuff.  There are gluten-free soy sauces and substitutes for oyster sauce, gluten-free mushroom soy or fish sauce would work well.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Kindness of Strangers: Three Amigos Soup (Beef and Vegetable Soup)

Kindness of Strangers: Three Amigos Soup (Beef and Vegetable Soup)

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Last week I headed up to the City to run some errands, check on my mom’s house and visit her at the assisted-living home.  We moved mom to a care facility after a couple of health emergencies and declining cognitive ability, sadly she could no longer live independently.

I arrived at her place around lunchtime and it was such a beautiful day, I decided to take her to Los Trinos, a little hole-in-the-wall down the block that serves delicious El Salvadorean food.  Using the walker to steady herself, we slowly made our way to Los Trinos.  The most difficult part of the walk is the Mission Street crossing.  She made it across like a real trooper.

A Hole in the Wall but Not in My Soul

Los Trinos, a tiny unassuming place with about 10 tables, serves the surrounding neighborhood.  It’s down-home cooking-Pupusas, Tacos, Churrasco, Sopa de Res, all made in a tiny family-run kitchen.  We settled on Carne Asada Tacos, pupusas filled with cheese and chicken, and a bowl of their Sopa de Res (beef and vegetable soup).  The soup is the epitome of comfort food, filled with carrots, chayote, zucchini, corn on the cob, and chunks of beef, it nourishes the body and the soul.  Beef shank is part of the leg, the meat is tough, sinewy, and lean (it does a lot of work after all) but with long slow cooking, morphs into tender and flavorful morsels and develops into a tasty stock.  Oxtails would be a good (but pricey) substitute for both flavor and texture.

On the way back, mom’s legs gave out and she collapsed crossing the street (Mission is a big fast street). I frantically tried to pick her up while grabbing her walker.  Immediately 3 guys came running to help us, literally carrying mom to the corner out of harm’s way. Luckily there is a bus stop there with seats. I told her I would run and grab a wheelchair.  One of the guys immediately said he would stay with her until I got back. I was so grateful to them. With all the craziness going on right now its acts of kindness and decency that restore your faith in people. They probably won’t see this but I wanted to thank the three of them who without hesitation jumped in to help us.

I got mom back and settled her in, told her she almost gave me a heart attack, she laughed.  She Was OK

In appreciation of the three guys who helped us, I have named my version of Caldo or Sopa de Res, Three Amigos Soup. It is soul food.  Comfort food made with love and made to be shared with family and friends.  My mom, notorious for not being a great cook (she left the cooking to my dad), somehow could fill a pot with water and like magic turn it into the most delicious soups.  Her beef and veggie soup, one of my favorites, starts like Three Amigos soup with beef shanks but veers Asian with the addition of ginger and shiitake mushrooms.

Inspired by the three gentlemen who helped me it felt right to make a pot of soup.  I made the soup in a pressure cooker and it takes half the amount of time.  If you have a 6-quart pressure cooker like me, half the recipe.  If you have the big Kahuna of Instant Pots, you can make the full recipe.

Confession time, I cheat by adding a heaping tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon Base, totally optional.  Or start with beef broth or stock instead of water for a richer flavor.

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Three Amigos Soup (Caldo de Res)

Food for the soul, this beef and vegetable soup is nourishing, comforting, and just plain delicious. Filled with a variety of vegetables, including, carrots, potatoes, chayote and onions it makes a wonderful meal in a bowl.
Course Soup
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword Beef and Vegetable Soup, Beef shank, Caldo de Res, Carrots, chayote, comfort food, food for the soul, onions, potatoes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Instant Pot 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 10

Equipment

  • Instant Pot

Ingredients

The Stock

  • 10 cups water divided, for a richer stock, use beef stock instead of water or 1:1 water:stock
  • 2 pounds bone-in beef shank Substitute 2-2.5 pounds of oxtails, or a mix of both, chuck roast cut into 2-3 inch chunks would also work
  • 4 cloves garlic peeled
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1.5 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
  • 1-2 Tbsp Better than Bouillon Beef Base optional, not necessary if using beef stock

The Veggies

  • 1 white or yellow onion Diced
  • 2 potatoes cut into eighths (Idaho, Russet or Yukon Gold)
  • 2-3 medium ears of corn shucked and cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 2 zucchini cut into thick chunks
  • 4 carrots sliced into thick coins
  • 1/2 head cabbage cut into eighths, leave the center stalk to keep cabbage together
  • 2 fresh tomatoes, cut in wedges optional but recommended, adds sweetness

Garnishes

  • 1 cup chopped cilantro for serving
  • 4 limes cut into wedges for serving
  • diced jalapenos, optional for serving

Mom's Beef and Vegetable soup

Omit bay leaves, chayote, lime and jalapeños

  • 4-6 dried Shiitake Mushrooms, Cleaned and soaked in warm water for 10-15 minutes. reserve soaking liquid to use as stock for soup
  • 4 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger Smashed Or cut into slices, in place of bay leaves
  • 1/4 Cup Rice wine or Shaoxing Wine Add with beef
  • 1-2 Fuzzy melons or piece of winter melon (1.5 pounds) Daikon or Korean radish would also work In place of zucchini and chayote,
  • 1 Tbsp Light soy sauce Just before serving, stir into soup
  • 1-2 Green onions sliced, to add when serving

Instructions

  • In a large dutch oven or soup pot, add 10 cups of water, beef shanks, garlic, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a low simmer and continue cooking for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat Is tender.
  • Skim off and discard any white or brown foam floating at the top of the pot as well as the bay leaves and garlic cloves. Transfer the cooked bone-in beef shank to a medium bowl and set aside to cool slightly.
  • Add the onions, potatoes, corn, zucchini, carrots, cabbage and remaining 2 cups of water to the pot.
  • Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer and continue cooking until all the vegetables are tender and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
  • While the vegetables are cooking, remove the bones and any tough sinewy parts from the beef shank and discard. Cut the tender meat into small bite-sized chunks. When the vegetables are fully cooked, add the meat.
  • Stir everything together and taste. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
  • Ladle soup into large bowls, each bowl should have bit of everything. Garnish each bowl with cilantro, freshly squeezed lime juice and diced jalapeño peppers or a few dashes of Tobasco hot sauce (optional).

Instant Pot Version

  • Place beef, shiitake, garlic, salt and 1/2 of diced onions in pot. Fill pot to 10 cup line.
  • Seal pot and set to cook at high pressure for 35-40 minutes. NPR for 10 minutes
  • While soup is cooking, prep vegetables. Remove meat from stock and add vegetables to Instant Pot, you might have to leave some out, it’s a lot of veggies. Seal and set cooktime for 15 minutes.
  • Quick release, season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup and goodies into large bowls. Garnish with cilantro and green onions and serve. Enjoy!
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!
Cool Hand Cuke (Cucumber Salad from A Common Table)

Cool Hand Cuke (Cucumber Salad from A Common Table)

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This summer I have been the lucky recipient of what seems like a bushel of cucumbers from the gardens of friends and neighbors.  Luckily, I LOVE cucumbers.  I saute’ julienned strips of cucumbers for Bi Bim Bap, put crispy slices in sandwiches in place of lettuce, and thrown every salad I toss together.  What’s a cheeseboard with an array of dips without cucumbers to serve as a “dip-stick” (lol) for them?  So much better than celery if you ask me.

But what is my favorite way to serve cucumbers?  As a refreshing cold dish.  I posted a simple Korean Cucumber Banchan (side dish) recently that is flavored with soy sauce, chilis, and sesame oil and sprinkled with green onions and Korean chili powder.  It’s incredibly easy and TASTEE!

I also love the Smashed Cucumber Salad from A Common Table cookbook (love, love, love).  A classic Chinese dish that is perfect on a hot summer day.  Cukes, crisp and refreshing are dressed in a blend of soy sauce, vinegar, and chilis. The secret is to lightly smash the cut pieces of cucumber and salt them.  The added surface area allows the salt to extract more moisture and the cucumbers to then absorb the dressing.   It’s so simple, comes together in minutes, and makes a lovely side dish.  I use English or Persian cucumbers, fewer seeds and the skin is much thinner, no peeling necessary!  American cucumbers, on the other hand, have a thick waxy skin, which means peeling.  They also have more seeds and higher water content. Stick to the English or Persian cucumbers, trust me.

As summer comes to an end and you fire up the barbecue for the last time, this would be a perfect, refreshing side dish.

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Chinese Cucumber Salad

A cool and refreshing cucumber salad which has its roots in Chinese cuisine.
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword cucumber salad
Prep Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Persian or Kirby cucumbers unpeeled (2 to 3 small cucumbers if using Persian)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons rice vinegar I use 1 teaspoon
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon or more to taste, substitute Ponzu, Soy Dashi or Yuzu Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes to taste or use Korean chili powder, Gochugaru

Instructions

  • Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise, then into 1-inch pieces or cut at a diagonal and rotate cucumber 1/4 turn, cutting angled 1-inch pieces.
  • Place the pieces cut-side down on a cutting board. Working with a few pieces at a time, lay the broad side of a wide chef's knife or cleaver on top of the cucumbers, and carefully use the palm of your free hand to smash down lightly on the blade.
  • Place the smashed cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle them evenly with the salt. Set aside until cucumbers release water, 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Stir 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and red pepper flakes together and add to drained cucumbers. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired. Let sit at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour (*note: the salad will taste better with more time, so if time allows, refrigerate and marinate for 6 hours or longer to let the flavors develop.

Notes

The key for crispy cucumbers is to smash and salt the cukes!
(Hiyashi Chuka – Ramen Salad) Swept Away By A Summer Ramence Summer Madness #2

(Hiyashi Chuka – Ramen Salad) Swept Away By A Summer Ramence Summer Madness #2

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TAs temps edged upward this past week, I began thinking about cold noodle dishes to counter the heat. One of our favorite ramen joints in San Jose features a summer noodle salad that the hubster loves. This prompted me to think it was time to add a cold ramen dish to my repertoire.  I perused one of my favorite sites, Just One Cookbook, and found a classic Japanese cold ramen dish, Hiyashi Chuka.  Bingo, I was off to the races.  At first glance, it seemed very similar to my Somen Salad.  The dressing has soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and rice vinegar, for instance.  A big difference is Hiyashi Chuka starts with a thicker, more substantial ramen noodle.

Summer Ramence

The dish is eye-candy, the noodles are hidden by a colorful palette of toppings including julienned pale green cucumbers, orange-tinged crab leg, slivers of green onions, pink honey ham and shreds of fried egg.  Cold noodle salads like this refreshing and delicious Hiyashi Chuka are perfect for summer potlucks, picnics and pool parties.  I hope you will add it to your summer rotation.

The Skinny on Noods

Both fresh or dried noodles work in this dish.  I like using fresh ramen or lo mein. If you can get a hold of ramen noodles by Sun Co. from Hawaii, get it. This brand supplies the bulk of ramen houses in the US. and has a really nice chew or consistency.  In a pinch, you could use linguine or spaghetti but my first choice would be an Asian noodle. If you are gluten-free, rice or yam noodles would be a good substitute.  Confused about the multitude of Asian noodles out there? Here is a great Asian noodle primer from Serious Eats.

Dressing It Up

The dressing is on the sweet side so I would start with two tablespoons of sugar, taste and add more if desired.  You can use Ponzu, a citrus soy sauce, instead of soy sauce. Toppings can be ANYTHING you like or have on hand.  Keep in mind you want the play between sweet and salty, crunchy and soft. I like cucumbers, honey ham, imitation crab, egg, corn, and tomatoes. Don’t like imitation crab?  Use bay shrimp or splurge on real crab.  You can substitute honey turkey, shredded chicken (leftover soy sauce chicken would work really well) or char sir (bbq pork) for the ham. I leave out the lettuce sometimes or substitute shredded cabbage.  I love a good sprinkling of chopped scallions and cilantro.  Oishii!

Ramen Salad
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HIYASHI CHUKA (COLD RAMEN)

A delicious, refreshing cold noodle salad that is perfect for summer!
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine Asian
Keyword japanese, Noodle, Ramen, Salad, sesame
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 6 Tbsp soy sauce Any all purpose soy like Kikkoman will work, or substitute half with Ponzu for a hint of citrus
  • 4 Tbsp sugar Adjust to taste! Start with 2 tablespoons
  • 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 1 Tbsp white sesame seeds roasted/toasted
  • ¼ tsp ginger grated
  • ½-1 tsp la-yu, optional Japanese chili oil

Egg crepe, shredded

  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt
  • neutral flavor oil vegetable, canola, etc

Toppings

  • 1/4-1/2 pound Bay shrimp
  • 1 Persian/Japanese cucumbers or 1/3 English cucumber, julienned
  • 1 iceberg lettuce shredded, or use romaine lettuce
  • ½ Tomato cut into wedges, or cherry tomatoes quartered
  • 3-4 slices Honey Ham Sub bbq pork, or honey turkey, Canadian bacon, julienned
  • 4-6 imitation crab meat kanikam or splurge and use real crab, or fish cake, shredded or julienned
  • 1/2 cup Kaiware radish sprouts or green onions, chopped

Other toppings

  • Poached chicken or leftover soy sauce chicken shredded, in place of ham
  • Julienned carrots
  • dried wakame seaweed
  • shredded nori seaweed kizami nori

Noodles

  • 2 package fresh ramen noodles 12 ounces each substitute dry ramen noodles, or Lo-mien

Garnish

  • 1 Tbsp white sesame seeds roasted/toasted
  • Japanese karashi hot mustard optional
  • pickled red ginger beni shoga or kizami beni shoga, optional

Instructions

  • Combine dressing ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together. Set aside or if made in advance, store in fridge.
  • For eggs, make thin egg crepes and cut it into thin strips. Heat oil in non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, tilt & swirl pan to distribute egg. Like making a crepe. Cook until set and flip egg over. You will have a few brown spots, but should be predominantly yellow. Slide crepe onto a plate and reserve. When it is cool enough you can roll the egg crepe up and cut it into thin strips.
  • You can use large prawns if you like, but I like using bay shrimp which generally come precooked. Easy peasy.
  • Cut all the topping ingredients as directed.
  • For the noodles, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the noodles. Separate the noodles before dropping into water. Cook according to package directions. Drain the water and rinse the noodles to remove starch. Allow noodles to cool completely. Chill in fridge if desire. Place noodles in a serving bowl and mix half of dressing into noodles.
  • Place all the toppings and pour the remaining dressing on salad before serving. Serve with karashi hot mustard and pickled ginger on the side, if desired. Refer to pics, ingredients are usually arranged in a radial pattern on top of the noodles.
Bi Bim Bap It! Homecoming in Seoul

Bi Bim Bap It! Homecoming in Seoul

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Off to see Jorge in Korea!

Do you have a bucket list of things to do when traveling, if so, what’s yours? I’d love to know.  Here’s ours when we travel:

FIRST DAY- a tour of the city on bikes.  It’s a great way to get an overview of the city you are visiting and get a bit of exercise (guilt-free eating for the day, yay!)  It does have it’s heartbeat quickening moments when you ride in traffic and every big city in the world has traffic.  But we have biked in Rome, London, Boston, DC, Paris, and Seoul without mishap, just a couple of choice words from drivers.  But hey, I get that here too.

SPORTS:  We have watched rowing on the Thames, soccer in Italy, and now baseball in Korea and Japan.  BOSS, so much fun and gives you a taste of the folks that live there.

EATS:  Street food, hole-in-the-walls, local joints, my kinda food.  Ok, occasionally, a meal that breaks the bank.

I push the envelope sometimes with my search for local food.  I have waited in line for 90 minutes for Egg Tarts in Macau, meandered down small alleys looking for Won Ton Soup in Hong Kong or Okonomiyaki in Osaka.  Unfortunately, the combination of spotty maps and my non-existent sense of direction means a lot of wandering around and spewing expletives at my phone when looking for those food gems. Good thing my family loves me, or at least I think they do.

HOME COOKING:  Do you get tired of eating in restaurants?  Miss your kitchen? Take a cooking class!  We have made pasta and gelato in Florence and now homemade kimchi, seafood pancake-pajeon and Bi Bim Bap in Seoul.

Early morning at a local street market

Our cooking class with Joungy began with a visit to the market to buy ingredients, a Korean Veggie primer!

I was mesmerized watching this gentleman grind chili peppers into Gochugaro powder.

We made Seafood Pancakes or Pajeon, fresh kimchi, and my favorite bowl meal, Bi Bim Bap.  Bi Bim Bap starts with a pile of fluffy, warm rice and topped with julienned carrots, cucumbers, squash, spinach, mushrooms, yesterday’s banchan, seasoned beef or chicken.  You get the picture, you can use anything you desire for toppings.  For Joungy’s class, we had a wonderful array of veggies, carrots, cucumbers, daikon, shiitake mushrooms, shredded beef and a chiffonade of Perilla leaves.  Delicious!

The secret to her Bi Bim Bap is the extra attention given to the sauce.  Her Gochujang paste included corn syrup, a bit of soy sauce, and chopped garlic, stir-fried briefly. This brought the sauce to a new level.

Season each component, stir-fry, and place on top of the rice in neat little separate piles-kid-friendly, lol.  Top your masterpiece with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and a dollop of sauce.  It’s colorful, delicious, easy to prepare, flexible…what more could you ask for?  If you can’t find Perilla leaves, garnish with chopped green onions are good too.

A great primer for Bi Bim Bap can be found at My Korean Kitchen which has instructions to season the blanched bean sprouts and spinach.

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Bi Bim Bap (Korean Mixed Rice)

Korean Rice Bowl, Easy to Make and Delicious!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Bi Bim Bap, Korean, Rice Bowl
Prep Time 20 days
Cook Time 45 days
Servings 1 serving

Ingredients

Bi Bim Bap Rice (proportions for 1 bowl)

  • 50 gm thinly sliced beef
  • 1 clove garlic finely chopped
  • 1/2 t brown sugar
  • 1 t corn syrup
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1/2 t sesame oil
  • 2 fresh shiitake mushroomes, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 carrot, julienned
  • 1/4 c daikon, julienned or bean sprouts
  • 1/8 t pepper powder Gochugaru
  • 1 handful spinach leaves or sub 1/4 cup thinly sliced zuchinni or Persian cucumber
  • 5 perilla leaves aka sesame leaves can sub shiso leaves, julienned
  • vegetable oil for frying, 1/2 T for each vegetable
  • 2 cups Cooked white rice I use a rice cooker, its your call how to cook the rice!

Ingredients for Sauce for servings

  • 5 T Gochujang chili paste
  • 2 T Corn syrup light
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 T brown sugar
  • 1/2 T vegetable oil

Instructions

For Sauce

  • In a nonstick skillet, add oil and chopped garlic. Turn heat onto medium high. Saute until garlic is brown color, don't burn!
  • Add remaining ingredients for sauce and stir over medium low heat for approximately 5 minutes. Set aside.

For Vegetables and Rice

  • Cooked medium grain white rice
  • In a small bowl combine soy sauce, brown sugar, corn syrup, pepper powder and chopped garlic. Add beef and stir to combine.
  • Stir fry each vegetable-mushroom, carrot, daikon, separately until tender crisp. Season with salt to taste. Place each vegetable on a platter, keep separate. Stir fry mushrooms in 1/2 T sesame oil, remaining vegetables can be saute in 1/2 T vegetable oil or a blend of sesame oil and vegetable oil
  • If using bean sprouts or spinach, blanch in hot water until tender crisp about 1 minute
  • Stir fry beef until cooked through.

Building Your Bowl

  • Divide hot rice between 3-4 bowls
  • Place vegetables in bundles around the bowl in a radial pattern. Place beef in the center.
  • Garnish with sesame seeds and perilla leaves and approximately 1 T sauce for each bowl. Place extra sauce in a bowl and serve along side bowls.
  • Optional (mandatory for me): Fry an egg for each serving, sunnyside up, and place on top of beef

Notes

Bi Bim Bap and creative expression.  The only absolutes for Bi Bim Bap is the rice and the sauce.  You could sub brown rice in place of white rice, but you need rice. The recipe from Joungy's class goes the extra mile by sautéing the red pepper paste with garlic and seasonings.  You could use Gochujang straight out of the jar, but the cooked sauce is really tasty.
Use whatever vegetables your little heart desires.  Great way to use extra Banchan you boxed from K-bbq the night before.  Why not? 

So good!  Bowled over by Bi Bim Bap!
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.