Category: Cooking

"Honeeeyyyy……Honeeeyyyy!" So sayeth, or screameth, the Missus one evening while I was right in the middle of one of my posts. I already know that nothing particularly good can come out of this. But the Missus is not to be denied. So what prompted the "3 alarm" call? Well, the Missus is watching some show on the Food Network, I’m not quite sure which. I’ve kind of stopped watching Food Network since reality shows have taken over. The Missus is pointing to the screen, and tells me, "I want that." So just what is "that"? Seared Foie Gras? Wagyu beef Ishiyaki(don’t laugh…I’ve been thinking about it)? No, it was Red Beans and Rice! Huh? Talk about a "Latkes moment".

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, even though I haven’t been to New Orleans(yet) in the late 90’s, I spent a year and a half working in places like Atlanta, Columbus(Georgia), Fort Smith(Arkansas), Lawton(Oklahoma), and such. And I really enjoyed the food, though I never developed a taste for Chitlins. Still, I’ve never tried to make Red Beans and Rice. And of course, knowing the Missus, there were certain requests demands to be followed, "ummm, no bacon fat, and I don’t want it to be too fatty." Talk about spoiling all of my fun. Luckily, this request came during the July 4th weekend, and I was already set on going to Iowa Meat Farms. I really like the Ham Hocks they sell, they have a decent amount of meat, and are really nice and smokey.

So what’s with the Red Beans and Rice on Monday thing? From what I’ve read, Monday was traditionally wash day. So using the left over ham bone from Sunday supper, and slow cooking it with beans would be meal that could be left simmering, while you were busy doing the wash.

So this is what I came up with…it is probably different from any of other 1 million or so versions of Red Beans and Rice, but the Missus enjoyed it.

Red Beans and Rice

1 lb Red Beans, picked over, rinsed, and soaked overnight
1 good sized ham hock – or large meaty ham bone
Water
2 (about 1/2lb) Andouille Sausage
1 onion chopped fine
1 bell pepper chopped fine
1/2 Cup celery chopped fine
3-4 garlic cloves minced
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Cayenne
2 Bay leaves
2 Roma tomatoes seeded and chopped
3-4 Tb(or more) Hot Sauce – I used Crystal Hot Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Chopped scallions for garnish

1 – Drain beans, and place into a pot with the Ham Hock, and bring to a boil. Skim off foam. Reduce to a simmer and cover.

2 – Prick the andouille sausage, and cook over medium heat in a skillet. Turn and brown, and allow  for the fat to be released from the sausage(no bacon fat, eh? Thanks for the tip Mark Bittman!). When the sausage is browned remove from pan, and cut into chunks(it doesn’t have to be fully cooked).

3 – Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper in the pan, and cook in the sausage fat. When the trinity starts getting translucent, add chunks of sausage back into the pan, along with the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes break down.

4 – When the ham hock is tender(this was about 2 hours) remove the ham hock, strip off all the meat, chop, and return to pot. Add all the spices and garlic, simmer for 15 minutes, taste, and adjust salt and pepper.

5 – Add the sausage and vegetable mixture, and cook until the texture of the beans are to your preference.

6 – Just before finishing, I removed bout 1/4 of the beans with a slotted spoon and mashed them up to thicken the mixture.

7 – Garnish with chopped scallions, and add hot sauce to taste.

A couple of things; remember to crush the dry herbs before adding them. The andouille sausage from Iowa Meat Farms tasted a bit different from what I was used to, more like linguica, but I don’t think it affected the dish much.

What about the other ham hock?

Well, the Missus also wanted some collard greens, so that’s what ended up happening. Lots of rinsing, trimming’ and slicing.

There were a couple of problems with this…..the Missus decided to start in on the collard greens  before I thought they were ready. And She finished all of them….I used 3 bunches of collard greens. I don’t think I’ll include a recipe, since it’s really not much at all. But I will add a little equation for you:

Red Beans + Collard Greens = you get the picture, right?

Sammy, you better stay upwind from Momma tonight!

While in Phnom Penh, when not checking things out, or eating, the Missus was glues to the television…..and the 3 Taiwanese channels!!! Beyond the various soap operas, there were a few Taiwanese cooking shows; and one of them featured Fresh Bamboo Shoots. Needless to say, the Missus was smitten, and upon returning home, She requested a dish using Fresh Bamboo Shoots. Fresh Bamboo was pretty rare when I was growing up, and quite expensive as well. We had a neighbor, whose son would, on occasion, return from "hiking" with Fresh Shoots. These were usually eaten raw, as "sashimi", or after a few days, simmered in the water left from rinsing rice. I've read that rice bran is also used instead of the rinse water to cook Bamboo Shoots. Needless to say, the shoots we bought weren't what I would call super fresh, but they would pass muster in a stir fry.

It just so happened that we had a ton of leftover rice, and we really don't keep rice bran in the house…..so remembering the cooking show, I used 1/8 of a cup of rice instead. I cut off about 2 inches of the top of the shoot at an angle, and also about a half inch of the bottom, which had become hard. Brought the bamboo shoot to a boil, reduced the heat to a mild simmer, covered, and simmered for about an hour and a half. I knew it was cooked when I could pass a skewer rather easily into the shoot. I left it to cool in the water. Although most recipes recommend adding a few chilies to the liquid to reduce bitterness, I didn't do that. After the shoot is cool, you proceed to peel the thing. I cut off the tender tip, and gave it to the Missus as a snack. She thought it was fairly sweet, and loved the "crunch".

So what to do with the beast? Having left over Hunan Smoked Pork from another recipe, we decided that a simple stir-fry with the smoked pork and leeks on the Big Kahuna would do fine.

This is so easy, it's kind of embarrassing…..but it just shows that the simpler the better. You can do a number of things with the recipe…add chilies, other veggies, and so forth.

Hunan Smoked Pork and Fresh Bamboo Shoots.

1/4 Sliced Hunan Smoked Pork
1 Bamboo Shoot sliced
1 Leek Sliced
2 Tb Good Quality Light Soy Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 – In a hot wok stir fry pork until it releases some fat.

2 – Add Bamboo Shoots and stir fry, until fragrant, and it starts getting tender.

3 – Add soy sauce, and leek, and stir fry until leek is tender, but not soft and mushy.

4 – Reduce heat, taste, and adjust flavoring.

It’s really nice when Independence Day falls either on a Friday or Monday. You really get to enjoy a nice long weekend. I usually do double duty on the first weekend in July….both to celebrate the 4th, and to celebrate Sammy and Frankie’s Birthday. This year, instead of grilling, I decided to stay indoors. I dropped by Iowa Meat Farms and grabbed a 2lb Beef Tenderloin. If anything, I’ve always gotten pretty good service at IMF, they cut and tied a tenderloin while I waited. I also picked up some beef rib bones for Da’ Boyz. At home I sliced off  about one-fourth of the tenderloin, this was their share. I seasoned the tenderloin well, and seared it in my cast iron skillet, and finished in the oven. No rocket science, here.

While waiting for the tenderloin to finish, I smoked some corn in my stovetop smoker.

I had also browned the Da’ Boyz share of meat and bones, thrown that in the oven as well. Sammy, who really doesn’t care much for all the chopping, hacking, and pounding in the kitchen, going against character, kept hanging around. I think he knew something was up.

As much as I love Beef Tenderloin, I enjoy Beef Tenderloin sandwiches even more! So while I’m waiting for the beef to finish off, I prepped some Roasted Mushrooms. This time, I just used some white button and criminis. After mixing, I dumped it on a large piece of foil, made s double layer of mushrooms:

I folded up the foil into a little pouch. I also sliced 4 bulbs of garlic crosswise, topped with sea salt and olive oil, and wrapped in aluminum foil.

Then I started up on some mirin caramelized onions. Real easy stuff:

Mirin Caramelized Onions

2 medium sweet onions sliced
4-6 Tb Mirin
2-3 Tb White Sugar
2 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Cracked Pepper to Taste

1 – Place onions is a cool dry pan.
2 – Turn heat to medium. Stir onions every few minutes.
3 – After about 5 minutes, when onions start to soften, add Olive Oil, 2 Tb Sugar, Salt and pepper, and stir.
4 – When onions have started getting translucent add 3 Tb mirin, stir turn heat down to low, and cover.
5 – Check onions and stir about every 5 minutes or so. When onions start getting "sticky" taste, and adjust flavoring.
6 – When onions are golden, soft, and "sticky" they are ready.

You can adjust the recipe for any number of uses…add garlic, butter, rosemary, oregano, balsamic vinegar, crushed red pepper, etc, etc… I gave "ballpark" amounts, because they’ll have to be adjusted based on the sweetness of the onions.

So, even though I had a nice Beef Tenderloin Salad.

I was thinking ahead to today’s sandwich:

Some prepared Horseradish mixed with roasted garlic, a layer of beef tenderloin, a layer of mirin caramelized onions, some roasted mushrooms….

On Ciabatta I got from Bread and Cie. Topped with local tomatoes(from the Fruit Stand), onion sprouts, and arugula.

Of course while eating the sandwich, I was already thinking ahead. Hmmm, maybe a nice pasta with the roasted mushrooms and garlic?

We hope everyone is having a fun, safe, and delici-yoso long weekend!

How many times have I gone shopping and just threw something in my basket for absolutely no reason at all. Sigh. Of course, eventually you must go home, unload your groceries, and stare at that randomly chosen item, and wonder why you bought it. Buyer’s remorse rears its ugly head. Such was the situation with a recent purchase; a rack of St Louis Style Ribs(aka Spareribs), a cut from the lower portion of the of the pig. I cleaned the ribs up a bit, removing the rear membrane, the meat flap(Da Boyz lucked out on this one), though I left the rib tips on. Though I really didn’t do a very detailed job like this. And in the end, I still didn’t know what the heck I was going to do with these. No smoker at my disposal, and I really wanted to do something "Asian".

So this is what I came up with:

It’s sort of Char Siu-ish, except I used whatever I had on hand(sorry no red bean curd), and I got to play with red food coloring…muah-ha-ha-ha. In retrospect, I could have left the ribs in the oven to caramelize for a few more minutes…..but the smell, oh the smell! You can do without the food coloring…..but there something about the combination of those burnt bits and the red color that sets my stomach off. You may want to bake in foil for several hours before starting the regular cooking to tenderize, but I was too lazy. So here you go…another recipe from you friendly neighborhood hack cook.

Chinese Style Barbecue Ribs

Marinade
1/3 Cup Hoisin
1/3 Cup Light Soy Sauce
2 Tb Sugar
3 Tb Honey
2 Tb Shaoxing Wine
1 Tb Oyster Sauce
1/2 Tsp Five Spice Powder
2 Cloves Garlic finely minced
1/2 Tsp Red Food Coloring(optional)

Finishing Glaze:
3 Tb Honey
1 Tb Water
1 Tb Oyster Sauce

2-3 1/2 Lbs St Louis Style(spareribs) cut into individual ribs

1 – Mix the marinade.

2 – Mix together with ribs in a large ziplock bag

3 – Marinate over night

4 – Preheat oven to 350.

5 – Arrange ribs on a rack above a roasting pan filled halfway with water.

6 – Bake for 40 minutes. Turn ribs and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Baste with remaining marinade after turning. Remember to check your water.

7 – Mix "finishing glaze". I added water because the honey I had was so hard and thick.

8 – Turn oven up to 450. Turn ribs and bake for 10 minutes. Turn ribs and baste with glaze and bake  until desired color is achieved (10-15) more minutes.

9 – Remove ribs from oven and baste with glaze one more time.

Serve with rice. It is nice to use the oven, you can have the Big Kahuna reserved for other stuff. In this case, some nice Black Bean Chicken.

And our 30 second green vegetable…that’s all the time it takes on the Big Kahuna. With only salt, slices of garlic, and dried shrimp. High heat does the rest.

I've usually mentioned my Mother In Law in cooking posts. She carries on the family's Jiaozi tradition. But I thought I'd give my Father In Law some equal time. The Missus's Father is from Hunan Province, which has its own great culinary tradition. My FIL is a pretty quiet and reserved gentleman. And he'll defer to my MIL when it comes to food. There were a few times when I've seen and learned about the foods he grew up eating. His family's business in the highly agricultural Hunan province was growing and drying Lily Bud. With no refrigeration, smoking was the main means of preserving meats. In fact "La Rou", Hunan smoked pork/ham is quite well known.

I first got a hint as to what He considered home style Hunan flavors when I bought some of the wonderful Smoked Marlin that is available at all the poke and fish counters back home. I had also purchased some Shishito Peppers, I really don't recall why, perhaps I had some tempura in mind. The peppers ended up in a stir fry, along with a good amount of the smoked fish.

Thus began my introduction to Hunan food, not a very traditional dish, but I started understanding the flavors. I'm still a neophyte when it comes to Hunan cuisine, but I'm learning. The biggest problem for us has been finding a decent brand of Hunan La Rou. Most  of them are terrible, too much camphor, too much salt, too many additives, which many times adds up to a mothball-plastic flavor. Not good eats. But recently, we found a decent brand, pictured above. It is still not top notch, a bit too hard and nitrite laden, but the texture when cooked is pretty good, and most of all it doesn't taste like plastic.

I've always noticed Shishito Peppers at Zion Market, usually at a pretty inexpensive(for Shishito) $1.99/lb. The peppers are usually on the "old" side, and not suitable for tempura. You can tell by how hard and brittle the pepper is. The Missus is a stickler for "correct cuts", and over time I've developed a way of slicing the peppers that keep the shape, and yet allows you to remove the slightly bitter seeds, which can be really hard in older peppers.

I slice the top off the peppers, and make an incision along three-quarters of the pepper.

I remove the vein and hard seeds. You can tell by how brown the seeds are, that these peppers are on the "older" side.

Once you are done, the pepper retains a reasonable facsimile of its shape.

Yes, it is a pain, which is why I don't make this very often. You can substitute green and red bell peppers.

The recipe itself is, as all of the stuff I make very simple. The real wildcard in the mix, is that I used the Big Kahuna to make this. There ain't nothing like high heat for these dishes. Plus, I get to channel my inner pyro….

Hunan Smoked Pork with Shishito Peppers

1/4 lb Sliced Hunan Smoked Pork
1/2 lb Shishito Peppers seeds removed, and sliced
5 Dried Chilies
2 Serrano or Jalapeno Chilies seeds removed, and sliced
2-3 Tb Light Soy Sauce
3 Tb Canola Oil
Salt(if necessary) to taste

1 – Heat wok until smoking.

2 – Add canola oil and swirl to season wok.

3 – Tear dried chilies in half and scald.(Wear protective gear, i.e. haz-mat suit, if necessary)

4 – Add Smoked pork and stir fry until pork has released some fat, and is starting to caramelize.

5 – Add Serrano or Jalapenos and quickly stir to mix.

6 – Push ingredients to the side of the wok, and add Shishito Peppers. Stir fry until fragrant and peppers have softened, but is not mushy, nor burnt.

7 – Add Soy sauce and mix. Taste and adjust flavor.

In the comments of my post on Peng’s Homestyle Bean Curd, KevinK asked if I’d make some Ma Po Dou Fu, Chongqing-style. Now I’m not sure if this is Chongqing style, but I think it turned out fairly good. According to the Missus; "hey, this is not too bad." Translation: "This is one of the best things you’ve made in a while. You better be able to duplicate it!"

First, let’s clarify a few things. First, there must be thousands of different versions of this dish; I’ve seen it in everything from Muslim Chinese to Japanese Restaurants. In fact, Chopstix has a version they call Mabo Ramen, a very sweet, soy laden ground meat dish. But if I’m having the real deal, there are 2 things I always look for; a nice layer of red, spicy oil, and this:

The legend regarding this dish is well known, though I’ve read at least 3 variations. For me, the "Ma" stands for "numbing", which can only be provided by Sichuan Peppercorns. And for me, any place serving a classic rendition of this dish must use Sichuan Peppercorns.

This recipe is based on the version in Fuchsia Dunlop’s Land of Plenty. I’ve made a few changes. Since the Missus wanted this vegetarian, I eschewed the ground meat. In most cases, the meat is ground pork, but in Land of Plenty, Ms. Dunlop notes that in Sichuan, the traditional recipe calls for Ground Beef, which is pretty unique. No stock, meant increasing a few ingredients, and adding a few. I added Chinkiang Black Vinegar, minced garlic, and grated ginger, all of which added depth to the dish. I wasn’t able to find any Pixian Chili Bean Paste, or Chili Bean Paste made with Broad Beans, which has a much better flavor than the stuff made with soy beans. I ended up adding twice the amount of bean paste to adjust. I also used scallions instead of leeks. One last thing, I knew we had tofu in the frig, I just didn’t realize that it was firm bean curd, I’d have preferredsoft tofu. So here it is:

Ma Po Dou Fu (The Pock-marked Old Woman’s Bean Curd)

1 Block Bean Curd
2-3 Scallions cut in "Horse Ear" slices
2/3 Cup Canola Oil
4 Tb Sichuan Chili Bean Paste
1 Tb Fermented Black Beans, rinsed
2 Tb Ground Red Chilies
1 1/2 Cup Water
2-3 Tb Sugar
3 Tb Light Soy Sauce
2 Cloves Garlic minced
2 Tsp Grated Ginger
Salt to taste
Chili Oil to Taste
3 Tb Cornstarch mixed in 4 Tb Cold Water
1 Tsp Ground Roasted Sichuan Peppercorn

1 – Cut bean curd in to 1" by 1" cubes, and steep in simmering water.

2 – Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. When oil shimmers add bean paste and ground chilies and stir fry until oil turns red in color. Add Fermented Black Beans, Ginger, and Garlic and stir fry for about 30 seconds, until oil is fragrant.

3 – Pour in stock and stir well.

4 – When mixture is simmering, drain bean curd and add to mixture. Mix carefully, using the back of your wok scoop to push bean curd.

5 – Add 2Tb sugar, vinegar and soy sauce. Mix carefully, and taste. Add salt, chili oil(if desired), and more sugar if necessary.

6 – Simmer until the bean curd is well coated in the sauce, and has absorbed the flavor.

7 – Add scallions

8 – With mixture simmering add cornstarch mixture a little at a time until the sauce has thickened  to the desired texture.

9 – Serve in a bowl, topped with ground Sichuan Peppercorns.

There you go Kevin, I hope it meets with your approval!

You may be asking, "who the heck is Peng, and why is this bean curd dish named after him?" Well, Peng Chang-Kuei(彭長貴) is a famous Hunan Chef who fled to Taiwan when the Nationalists were on the verge of defeat to the Communists in 1949. He is credited with creating what could possibly be the most well known "Hunan" dish in the Western world, which in fact was not a product of China; General Tso’s Chicken. Fuchsia Dunlop tells the story here. Or even better for more stories, as well as the commentary on this recipe get a copy of her book on Hunan cooking; Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province. I found most of the recipes in this book to be easier than those in Land of Plenty.

Just like Barbara Fisher, who made a version of this dish, and documented it on her wonderful blog  Tigers & Strawberries, we love the simplicity of this dish. I took a few liberties with the published recipe. For some reason the Missus wanted a vegetarian dish, so I excluded the sliced pork and stock. Because of this, I increased the amount of garlic and dark soy sauce. Also, after cooking a few dishes from the cookbook, and reading Fuchsia Dunlop’s commentary, I added a touch of sugar to the recipe. According to the book, Hunan tastebuds are not fond of combining sweet and savory in their dishes. Adding just a bit of sugar seemed to open up the flavors a bit. I use only enough Sesame Oil to add a faint fragrance, and not over-power the dish. One more thing, if you’ve ever eaten in a good Sichuan or Hunan restaurant, you’ll notice that black beans(do not soak) are never crushed, but cooked whole. This explains what seems like the huge amount of black beans in the dish.

Peng’s Home-style Bean Curd

1 Block Firm Bean Curd, Drained
1 Tb Shaoxing Wine
3 Scallions – Green parts only
1 Red Serrano Pepper
3-4 Dried Red Chilies
3 Tb Minced Garlic
3-4 Tb Chinese Fermented Black Beans
1 Tb Dark Soy Sauce
1 1/2 Cup Water
Salt to taste
Sugar(if desired) to taste
A light drizzle of Sesame Oil to taste
Chili Oil to taste.
1 Tsp Potato Starch mixed with 1 Tb cold water
1 1/2 cup Canola Oil for Frying

1.Cut the block of bean curd in half diagonally, than lengthwise. Place bean curd on a folded paper towel, place another paper towel on top of the bean curd. Place a plate on top of bean curd with and top off with a few cans. I do this to remove excess water out of the bean curd.

2.Rinse the Black Beans(do not soak) and set aside.

3.Thinly slice the scallions and seed then thinly slice the Serrano Chilies. Tear the Dried Chilies and remove seeds.

4.Remove the bean curd from plate and paper towels and cut into 1/2" by 1" cubes. (The Missus found that She enjoyed this "size", more than the oblong cuts)

5.Heat Canola Oil in a wok to approximately 375 degrees. Fry bean curd in batches until golden  brown. (And form your own little "Dofu Xi’an Army")

6.Drain bean curd and set aside.

7.Drain oil from wok, reserving 3-4Tb. Clean wok, dry, and reheat over high heat until smoking.

8.Add the dry chilies and scald. Add garlic, black beans, and Serrano Chilies and cook until fragrant.

9.Add water, bean curd, and dark soy sauce, and bring to a boil.

10.Reduce heat to a simmer, taste, and adjust flavor – add salt and sugar if desired.

11.Add potato starch mixture a little at a time, until the desired thickness is reached.

12.Remove from heat and stir in Sesame Oil and Chili Oil. Top with scallions, and have at it.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Just a few Saturday Stuffs:

Oven Shoyu Chicken:

This is one of the first things I made after our return from vacation. It is an easy dish that everyone cooks "back home" in Hawaii. Though most times it’s simmered on the stove top, and the sauce thickened with cornstarch to make a gravy after the chicken is cooked. Being kinda lazy, I did the oven version. The origin is without a doubt; Chinese, but the addition of more sugar, and the "shoyu"(the Japanese word for Soy Sauce) indicates the Japanese influence of the dish. And to make things even more confusing, I threw in a coupla tablespoons "Kochujang" to add a Korean flavor to the whole mess.

2-3 Lbs Chicken Thighs(Whole with skin)
1/4 Cup Shoyu(Soy Sauce)
1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Chicken Broth (or water if this seems too salty for you)
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
2 TB Sake or Shiaoxing
2 Tsp Finely Minced Garlic
1 Tsp Grated Ginger
Other flavors as desired – in this case I added 2 Tb Kochujang, but I’ve often added 5 spice powder, star anise, more garlic, chili paste, more ginger, miso, and whatever I feel like…

1 – Preheat Oven to 350
2 – Combine Marinade
3 – Line a baking pan with foil
4 – Pour Marinade into pan
5 – Place thighs skin side down into pan
6 – Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until juices run clear, turning the chicken 3 times.(End with skin side  up)
You may also turn the oven up to 450 and bake the chicken skin side up for the last 5-10 minutes.

You can make it "fancy" by adding sesame seeds, some finely chopped scallions, whateva’……

"Fresh" Mangosteen in San Diego:

I apologize for deleting and misplacing the email asking me about the availability of Fresh Mangosteen in San Diego.  

You can read the New York Times Article here.

*** And an even more updated article here (Thanks "user").

The specimens to the right were seen at Lucky Seafood in Mira Mesa, I found it in the front portion of the market, right when you enter. I can’t vouch for the flavor, as the price of $6.99/lb was a bit steep for me. But there you go, fresh Mangosteen in San Diego.

Lucky Seafood Supermarket
9326 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

After doing several days of our vacation posts, I kinda feel like an over-enthusiastic Dad showing off picture after picture of his kids…..so I thought we’d give it a break for a bit…..

Santouka opens in San Diego:

I enjoy the ramen at Santouka, and have been wishing they would open here in San Diego. In fact, about the time that Kayaba had opened, I had heard that Santouka was to open in the spot next door. But time passed, and I had pretty much given up; until I saw the sign that announced Santouka’s Grand Opening on Friday April 18th. So yesterday(April 18th), I thought I’d wander in at about 11am to check things out, and possibly grab a bowl……and was met with this loooong line of people.

It stretched from the order window….around the dining area…into Mitsuwa! Being that I’m not quite the "Rameniac" as the Rameniac, and not even as dedicated to my noodle as Jeni who waited in line when Santouka opened on Centinela, I just didn’t have the 2 hours to wait in line, place my order, wait for my order, and probably eat on the floor since I don’t think the dining area has enough seating. But, I think you need to know; I was told that Santouka was giving away coupons for a free bowl with a purchase through today(April 19th). Me? I’ll wait till next week some time.

Santouka – Now open in the Mitsuwa Marketplace

4240 Kearny Mesa Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Now here’s the scary part: By coincidence, The Delicious Life has a post on Santouka dated April 17th. If you scroll down to the bottom of the post, there’s a section with links……and there’s a link to my post on Santouka. Now that would be a nice coincidence, but read what it says:

"~ Kirk of mmm-yoso wants a Santouka in San Diego (Feb 2007)"

Scary….very scary……….

My Fourth Grade Beef Teriyaki:

Since returning from vacation we’ve been eating at home a lot….nothing fancy; lots of stir-fried vegetables on the Big Kahuna. But I’ve been craving some really weird stuff…things I haven’t even thought about in a while…..for some reason, I just wanted the BBQ Beef(teriyaki beef) from Rainbow Drive-In. I ignored it, until the "want", became a "need". So I decided to just make some reasonable facsimile.

While shopping for the meat at Zion Market (#3 sliced Rib Eye), I realized that I’d been making this for the better part of my life…..in fact it is one of the first things I learned to make…right around the Fourth grade or so.

So, I decided to make it just the way I remember…….down to the "grated garlic" – no knives for a 9 year old, better some grated knuckles, than lopping a finger off. No mirin, which I use now, quite rare, and very expensive in those days, just good old Dark Brown Sugar. Not quite as sweet, with nice ginger overtones. Much of which, Food Historian Rachel Laudan attributes in her wonderful book The Food of Paradise, to several factors; Japanese "teriyaki"(or course), the Chinese influenced ginger and garlic, and of course, "King Sugar". I think every family has a recipe like this….in fact, if you wonder what Hawaiian BBQ really is…….

So without further ado……my Fourth Grade Teriyaki(BBQ) Beef – don’t blink, you’ll miss this uber-easy recipe:

3/4 Cup Shoyu(soy sauce)
3/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1-2 cloves garlic grated
1-2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 – 2 lbs sliced rib eye

– Combine ingredients.
– Combine with meat, coating well. Marinate overnight
– Over medium heat fry/saute in a skillet

Like a said, don’t blink or you’ll miss it.

A few other things:

– If you over marinate, the meat will end up being mushy. Depending on the meat, you can get away with a little as 4-6 hours.

– Great on the grill, this’ll cook really fast.

– After thinking about it…yes, this is very Bulgogi-ish, so throw that in as a point of reference as well!

– Great as a sandwich! I love the BBQ Beef Sandwich at Rainbow Drive-In, though they tend to slather on too much mayo. Leftovers in the pita for me….

– My current recipe uses mirin, sake, and sometimes something to give a bit more zip.

– And yes, this is soooo easy, that you may be wondering why you’re wasting your valuable time reading this!

One more thing:

I didn’t know Rachel Laudan has her own Blog, She now lives in Mexico, and her posts are always entertaining, so check it out!

Hope you’re having a great weekend!