Cooking – Page 39

The Turkey Has Landed

November 20, 2005 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Cookbooks, Cooking, yoso-silly

I woke up this morning with a smile on my face! Today was our early Thanksgiving, and I had an 11am pick-up time for our turkey from Sam Woo. This November has been alot warmer then I remember, and I snapped this photo as I was out walking the "Boyz":

That’s Fiesta Island, Mission Bay, and the Mission Bay Bridge; such a good reminder of why we live here.

I left for Sam Woo at about 1045, while the Missus started on her Dan Bing – Mandarin Pancakes; we’d decided on making this for the turkey. It is classically served with Peking Duck, minced squab, roast duck, and such. We were also aware that turkey can be a little dry, especially since this turkey would be roasted "duck-style." The recipe we used as the based on the one in Pei Mei’s Chinese Cookbook Volume1:

We have always had good results from recipes in Pei Mei’s Books. We did have to make several changes, and we’ll note those. But as complicated as it may seem; these pancakes have only 4 ingredients!

Dan Bing

3Cups White Enriched High Gluten Flour (The English translation says Wheat Flour, but the Chinese version says High Gluten White, in cases like this we always go with the original.)
1Cup Boiling Water
1/3 Cup Cold Water
1Tb Sesame Oil

1 – Add 1 Cup of boiling water to the flour and mix well. Slowly add 1/3 Cup cold water to "dough", you may not need all of the water. Today the Missus only needed a few tablespoons. Knead dough until smooth. Cover and let rest for at least 30 minutes (the recipe says 15, but this was not nearly enough).

2 – Working on a lightly floured board, divide dough into 2 parts and roll each into rolls 15 inches long and 2 inches round. Cut and pinch dough into 1 inch pieces. Flatten each piece with your hand.

3 – Lightly oil the whole top surface of one of the flattened pieces with sesame oil.

4 – Lay a second the second piece of dough on top of the oiled surface of dough. Pat down and, then roll the dough out, until both layers are very thin, to about 5 inch "pancakes".

5 – Cook pancake(s) in an unoiled pan using medium heat, until you see bubbles rise. (This will take anywhere from 10 – 30 seconds) Turn and cook until second side is slightly brown.

6 – Remove and separate the two pancakes. (Believe me, it does work!!!)

You can stack these pancakes and cover with a dry towel. Pei Mei also notes that you can make this in advance, stack, covered, and refrigerated. You then heat them in a steamer.

Oh, what about the turkey you may ask?

I arrived at Sam Woo, turned in my receipt, and the bird was brought out on a hook, just like the duck and chicken. It was then wrapped in foil, placed in a bag, and I was on my way. The entire car smelled of roast duck. And indeed the skin tasted like that of roast duck, though the texture was a little tougher.

The white meat was dry as anticipated, the dark meat had much more flavor. The white meat, with a piece of skin, green onion brushes, hoisin sauce, in a pancake:

Altogether delici-yoso!!! BTW, I received a quart of the duck "jus, sauce", or whatever it’s called; but it’s pretty heinous stuff. You’d be better off with hoisin. Altogether not bad, for a $20 Turkey. I also made some Gailan with Oyster Sauce, in addition to the other side dishes I had made earlier. We somehow managed to finish off half of the ~~duck~~ turkey, and the Boyz got a healthy share.

Tonight, I’ll have a night of blissful Tryptophan sleep!

Getting Ready for the “Bird”.

November 19, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking

In preparation for the Sam Woo Turkey, we had to think up some side dishes. So after giving some thought as to what to serve with Chinese Roast Turkey, we decided on a few sides. And since some of those dishes could be prepared ahead of time, I thought I’d make a few of them this evening. After all, since we won’t be have to wait for "bird", we really don’t want to be waiting for our side dishes.

To start, the Missus thought Scallop and Corn Soup, would be a sweet, rich, and "oceany" beginning:

This soup is a mix between classic Chinese Dried Scallop Soup and Crab and Corn Soup. And pretty easy to make; though it does take up a bit of time.

4oz or 1 Cup Dried Scallops
6-8 Cups Water
4 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Cans Creamed Corn
6 Eggs Whites Lightly Beaten
1/4 Cup Corn Starch dissolved in 1/4 Cup water
White Pepper to Taste
Salt To Taste
1-2 oz Whiskey or XiaoTsing(optional)
Chopped Green Onion for Garnish

1 – Rinse the Dried Scallops rubbing gently with fingers to remove grit and any substances that sometime coat the scallops.

2 – Place scallops in a saucepan and add 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and skim off surface foam. Reduce heat and simmer scallops for 1 1/2-2 hours until scallops are plump and tender. If water level is reduced too far; add more water.

3 – Once scallops are done transfer the scallops to a bowl. Shred scallops with a fork, or by hand. Discard any "hard" parts(like the muscle). I usually do it by hand.

4 – Add chicken stock to to saucepan and and bring to a boil. Add whiskey, if desired. Add shredded scallop back to pan. I usually do this by hand and make sure that the scallop is well shredded. Taste and add salt and pepper.

5 – While soup is boiling add dissolved Corn Starch to soup and mix. Lower heat and cook until soup thickens.

6 – Reduce heat to low and stir in one direction, Mix in egg pouring in the opposite direction.

Garnish Soup with Green Onion

I had thought that the "stuffing" would be somewhat problematic, until I saw a link on Reid’s site ‘Ono Kine Grindz to a recipe from the Honolulu Star Bulletin, for Mochi (Glutinous) Rice Stuffing.

You can follow this link for the recipe. Once I found that it had bacon, mushroom, and Lup Cheong, I knew I had to make it. Just a few comments on the recipe. I doubled the soy sauce and the sugar; I added 1/3 cup of the "Mushroom Water" to help flavor the rice. Use a "rice paddle" to mix the sweet rice; it’s alot easier then a spoon.

Braised Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms:

I first had something similar in an ABCDE (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) in of all places Atlanta. Can’t remember the restaurant, but I recall the taste. This is really not a braise in the classic sense; but more of a dry braise. I could tell that the version I ate, had been cooked in a ton of oil, but I’ve cut down the amount of oil. These mushrooms are a "snap" to make!

1 lb Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
2 Tb Vegetable Oil
2 Tb XiaoTsing
2 Tb Soy Sauce
1 Tb Sugar
1-2 Tb Oyster Sauce
3 Tb Green Onions Sliced
1/2 Cup Water

1 – Rinse or wipe saw dust and other particles off mushrooms.

2 – Heat Wok over high heat, until hot. Add oil and stir fry mushrooms until fully coated with oil. Lower heat to medium. When the pan is "dry" add XiaoTsing and keep stirring.

3 – When XiaoTsing evaporates add 1/4 Cup Water, stir, and cover. If water immediately evaporates add another 1/4 cup.

4 – When the mushroom are slightly tender add soy sauce and sugar. When mushroom look fully cooked, add Oyster Sauce and stir to fully coat. When mushrooms are fully coated(20-30 seconds), turn off heat, stir in Green Onions and serve.

By using the water and other fluids to "dry-braise" , less oil is necessary.

So looks like we’re almost ready for the Turkey. Hold on though, there are a few more dishes! But you’ll just have to wait for those. Stay tuned…….

A Nimono Kind of Night

November 14, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

"You know that I know how to make that stuff, don’t you?"

"Well why don’t you make me some then?"

A typical conversation over the prepared food case at Nijiya. I usually would just go ahead and buy the stuff, but for some strange reason today I was overcome with bravado; and of course the Missus called me on it. I haven’t really made any of this stuff in years. Well I decided to dig out some recipes, and some books and actually cook some of this. So instead of eating out this past Sunday, I had a "nimono(simmered food)-fest"! All these recipes are modifications of those found in various cookbooks I have.

Kiriboshi Daikon when rehydrated has a somewhat nutty taste, and a nice crunchy texture.

Kiriboshi-Daikon Ni
(Simmered Kiriboshi Daikon)

2 oz Kiriboshi Daikon
(Dried White Radish Strips)
3 Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
3 Chikuwa (Broiled Fishcake)
1 Tb Toasted Sesame Seeds
1-2Tb Vegetable Oil
1/4 Tsp Dashi No-Moto (optional)
1/2 Cup water used for soaking Kiriboshi Daikon
1 Cup Water
2 Tb Sake
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce(not Kikkoman)
3-4 Tb Sugar
2 Tb Mirin

1 – Rinse the Kiriboshi-Daikon in cold water. Squeeze out excess water, and place in a bowl. Add water to just cover radish strips. Soak for 30-40 minutes

2 – Slice Shiitake Mushroom and Chikuwa into thin (1/8") slices.

3 – When Kiriboshi-Daikon is reconstituted squeeze out water, and cut into bite size strips if necessary.Set aside 1/2 cup of strained soaking liquid.

4 – Heat oil in a pot, add in order; the Chikuwa, Shiitake Mushroom, and the Kiriboshi Daikon, stir fry briefly using medium heat.

5 – Add Soaking Liquid and Water, and bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached add sake, mirin, and sugar, and simmer for 5 minutes.

6 – Add soy sauce and simmer until the liquid is almost completely absorbed.

7 – Sprinkle Sesame Seeds before serving.

Hijiki is the black colored dried seaweed that is often seen stuffed into Onigiri (Rice Balls), and is often used as garnish or as a side dish at "Asian-Fusion" restaurants. It is high in vegetable protein, calcium, and iron.

Hijiki Nimono
(Simmered Hijiki Seaweed)

1 oz Dried Hijiki Seaweed
1/3 Carrot sliced into thin "sticks"
1 Sheet Aburage (Thin Fried Tofu Sheets)
1-2 Tb Vegetable Oil
3/4 Cup Water
2 Tb Sake
2-3 Tb Mirin
3-4 Tb Sugar
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
Salt to taste

1 – Place Hijiki in a bowl, and rinse several times in cold water. Soak in cold water for 20-30 minutes until soft.

2 – Pour boiling water over Aburage to remove excess oil, and cut into thin slices.

3 – Drain Hijiki.

4 – Heat oil in a pot using medium heat. Add in the following order Carrot, Aburage, and Hijiki, and fry for 1-2 minutes.

5 – Add water and bring to a boil. Add sake, mirin, and sugar. Lower to a low simmer. When the liquid is almost absorbed add soy sauce and salt, stirring until almost absorbed.

Some notes; many times you’ll find this dish with Soybeans (Edamame), or cooked black beans, or topped with sesame seeds. You can also add Shimichi Togarashi (Japanese Chili Pepper Powder – actually "seven spice"…) for some zing. This dish tastes better the next day after flavors have had time to meld.

Niku tofu is a real homestyle dish. This version features Shirataki, often called "yam noodles", the noodle form of Konnyaku.

Niku Tofu
(Simmered Beef and Tofu)

1/2 Lb thinly sliced beef – sliced into bite sized slices
1 Block soft tofu
1 medium onion sliced
1-2 packages Shirataki (Yam noodles)
1 bunch green onions green part only sliced
1 Cup water
4 Tb Sugar
3 Tb Sake
3 Tb Mirin
1/4 Cup Soy sauce
Salt
1-2 Tb vegetable oil

1 – Rinse Shirataki under cold water. Then pour boiling water over shirataki to remove bitterness and smell (Shirataki has a very strong and unpleasant odor), rinse under cold water, and drain.

2 – Heat vegetable oil in a sauce pan or wok over medium heat. Fry the beef until slightly browned. Add the Shirataki and onion and fry.

3 – When ingredients are heated through add Water and bring to a boil. Add Sake, Mirin, Sugar, and Soy Sauce. Reduce to a simmer.

4 – Add tofu and mix in, being careful not to mash tofu. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

5 – Top with green onions before serving.

I had a blast juggling three "active" pots. I haven’t had so much fun since I worked as a cook in a drive-in as a teenager! In fact I decided to make me a bento, so I made my "Mama’s Eggs", basically a "rustic" Dashi-Maki Tamago (Rolled Egg Omelette):

I scramble three eggs, add green onion, furikake, and 1 Tb Kikkoman Soy sauce.

Made a pretty good bento with all of this:

Tomorrow it’s back to restaurants……

Fry-Day Miscellaniea

November 4, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking

I thought I’d just post some of what we ate this past week, when we didn’t go out. Back in September I picked up a bag of "Korean Pancake Mix" from Hannam Chain Market World in Diamond Bar. This past week I decided to actually make an attempt to make this.

So when I finally read the instructions, I was a bit surprised. It was truly, just add water and mix! Here’s the first one I made; Shrimp and Green Onion:

It was pretty good, though a little "gummy" in the middle. What ended up happening is that I increased the amount of water, and it turned out great. Though there’s no picture, my favorite, is thinly sliced onion, bean sprouts, furikake, and…..Spam! It tasted great, and Furikake adds a nice saltyness, the onions and sprouts added nice texture. I hope I didn’t insult anyone with my choice of ingredients. I was so amazed how easy this was. Oh, and why did I pick this brand? Well, it was the only package with English instructions. If there are any recommendations out there, please let me know! BTW, my next one is going to be Portuguese Sausage……

I finally had the Okahara Saimin that I purchased from Orient Bowl/First Korean Market.

And yes, that’s Spam again. After all I didn’t want to waste what was leftover from the pancakes, right? I hadn’t had Okahara’s for at least 5 or 6 years, and found that the "dashi" flavor was alot more pronounced then I remember. Probably due to several years of eating Ramen. I really enjoyed the flavor, I’ve probably missed this on some sub-conscious level. The noodles were firm, and the broth very flavorful.

The change in weather always wears me down a bit. I just felt a bit lethargic, and really just wanted some "comfort food". And that little craving voice in my head was requesting a BBQ Beef Sandwich from Rainbow Drive In. It really wasn’t realistic to make a marinade, etc…. So what to do? I drove down to Zion Market, and bought some "10 up" Bulgogi from the Meat Department, at $4.99/lb, I thought it was a bargain. And in about 10 minutes I had my own BBQ Beef Sandwich:

Now I could’ve gotten "8 up" Bulgogi for $3.99/lb, but I thought a buck really wouldn’t make much difference, for a better quality meat. I could make 3 sandwiches for a pound of meat. Other then perhaps being too heavy on the sesame oil, the meat was so very tender and flavorful. I thought it was pretty delici-yoso!! Who knows, maybe I’ll start seeing Bulgogi Sandwiches on menus soon?

So just some really simple food for Friday……

Oh, and did you read the BBC article on what could ‘cure bird flu?’

Have good weekend!

Wow, Laulau! And why Reid has Become a Legend

October 26, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Hawaiian Food, yoso-silly

I was really thrilled this past Saturday; I received a package from Reid of 'Ono Kine Grindz. In that little box were gel packs and 3 wonderful Laulau from Young's Fishmarket:

For those who don't know what Lau Lau is, it is cubes of pork, usually shoulder and a cube of fat, sometimes a small piece of salt fish wrapped in lu'au (young taro leaves), finally wrapped in Ti leaves, in sort of a neat bundle. The Laulau are then steamed for 4 hours or more. After heating them up this is what they look like when you open them up:

The aroma of Laulau is amazing! The leaves are moist and have a slightly "al dente" texture, the taste is close to say, collard greens without the bitterness. The pork is moist, and has absorbed the taste of the lu'au leaf – delici-yoso! This taste of home really made my weekend!

Reid you are an amazing guy, thanks so much!

I'm so amazed at how Reid managed to send this to me through the mail. And that's how Reid's become a sort of legend in our household. The Mother of a good friend of ours is also pretty much a Legend in our home. For the sake of this story let's call her "Lola". When visiting "home" we'd have a meal with our good friends, their two wonderful Boys, all made by Lola. Lola absolutely adored the Missus, basically because the Missus adored Lola's cooking. Whether it was Kare Kare (Filipino Ox Tail Stew), Lumpia, or Her Adobo, Lola would watch my little 100lb Chinese Wife chow like a Longshoreman. Lola, like most "Lola's" are consumed with a desire to give and provide. So we'd be back home in Los Angeles, and receive one of those flat "shirt boxes" in the mail, and be totally amazed when there would be a pristine Bibingka(Sweet Rice Cake) all wrapped up in the box. Or the most amazing thing of all, we once received a small box. When we opened the box amid the crumpled up newspapers was a round ball of tape(???), after several minutes of unwrapping the tape, there was a little bottle of home made Bagoong Alamang(Shrimp Paste), Lola had remembered how much the Missus enjoyed her Bagoong in the Kare Kare, and sent us some! We always considered Lola to be the "Legend of Postal Dexterity"; but now with Reid's feat of sending me the Park's Brand Kim Chee Sauce, and now Laulau from Young's Fishmarket, he's joined Lola as a "Legend"…..

Since I had some chicken thawing I made a little Chicken Katsu, Laulau, mixed plate:

I even made my own Tonkatsu Sauce for the Chicken:

1/2C Worcestershire Sauce
1/4C Sugar
1/4C Soy Sauce
1/3C Ketchup
Dash of 5 Spice Powder
1Tb Dijon Mustard mixed with 1Tb Water
Pepper

In a small pot combine first 5 ingredients. Reduce over low-medium heat, until reduced by 1/3. After reduced add mustard and pepper, mix well. Remove from heat, and let sauce cool. Will keep up to 2 weeks in a well sealed bottle.
Makes about 1 cup.

Oven Kalua Pork

October 24, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

A few weeks ago Reid from Ono Kine Grindz, and I exchanged a few Emails about Kalua Pork. Reid, it seems had planned to do a few "theme" posts, and asked if I’d like to participate….and viola’ another "joint cooking post" is born. Here’s Reid’s photgenic version.

So a few weeks ago, I took a trip down to the local 99 Ranch Market, and picked up a nice Pork Shoulder:

I picked up a good size roast that came in at a bit over 5 pounds. It’s also good to get one with a good amount of fat on it. The main items I use for seasoning on my Kalua Pork is Hawaiian (Sea) Salt, and Wright’s Liquid Smoke. The only ingredients listed on the liquid smoke bottle should be smoke and water. I usually get a bit of flack whenever I mention using liquid smoke; but look through Alan Wong’s New Wave Luau and you’ll notice that he uses Natural Liquid Smoke as well.

Oven Kalua Pork

3-5 lb Pork semi fatty piece pork butt/shoulder. If pork is very lean, get a piece of fatty pork belly to add.
3-5 Tb Sea Salt – I use Alaea & "Hawaiian Salt"
6 Tb Liquid smoke (check the bottle – the only ingredients are smoke & Water)
Pepper(optional)
4 cloves garlic(optional)
water

Score the pork deeply on all sides – rub with 3Tb salt and 3 Tb liquid smoke. Add a few turns of black pepper if you desire.

Wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Pour 1/4-1/3" of water into a roasting pan with 1Tb Liquid Smoke – you can add cloves of garlic into the cooking liquid if you want.

Place wrapped pork into pan and cover pan with foil, seal well, and leave a little "tent space" at the top. Place into preheated 325 degree oven – 4hours for 3lb roast – add 1/2 hour for each additional pound. No, there will be no burying in the ground(imu) cooking for me!

When roast is done remove pork "package" to another pan.

Pour off about 1-2 cups of fatty liquid from roasting pan into a bowl.

Open pork package and shred with a fork. At this point taste the pork. It should be a bit on the "bland" side. Add additional salt and liquid smoke to the drained fat and liquid in bowl and mix until salt is completely dissolved.

Add liquid back slowly to pork and shred until desired taste is achieved.

A few notes; when I’m "home" I use Ti leaves to wrap the pork before wrapping in foil, but I’ve had two bad experiences with Ti leaves here on the mainland, so I’ve stopped doing that. People don’t seem to notice, even those Ex-Pat Kama’aina’s I’ve given this to!

Now why do I make this? Well I’ve found that a couple of the people at work love this! So I’ll make this once or twice a year, and I’ll send out an Email letting the "pork-lovers" know that I’ll be making this. One of the guys (Bruce…) will then send out an Email changing the date, to select people, so that they won’t attend the pork-fest, leaving more for him….. I’ve even learned of a new Kalua Pork combination, that’s Kalua Pork in a toasted Pan De Sal(Filipino Rolls); it’s delici-yoso!!!

I really don’t eat much of the pork myself, I’ll do something like make a macaroni salad, and on this day I also made those Chicken Alice Wings. So I ended up having a nice "plate lunch"

Chicken, Like Alice used to make? The Great Chicken Alice Recipe

October 18, 2005 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Cooking, Recipes

*** I've revised my recipe a bit. You can find that post here.

Looking back, life was pretty simple and easy for me during the Mid-Late Eighties through the Mid Nineties. Four times a week, I'd get off work and work-out with my Buddies, first at World Gym on the Ala Wai, later at The Gym in Kakaako. And at least once (and as many as four) times a week we'd grab dinner at Chicken Alice on Kapiolani Blvd, right outside of Ala Moana Center. Many a good "pau hana" started at "Alice", over her crunchy, slightly spicy wings, and ended up in my Buddies drive way, with jokes and conversations, after more than a few cold ones.

Then rather suddenly, Alice closed her Restaurants, and seemed to have disappeared. And a piece of me evaporated along with those wings….

Flash forward a decade later, and I've been periodically checking the Internet to see if anybody has a reasonable facsimile of Alice's chicken recipe. Well there it was, in black and white; written up in the Honolulu Star Bulletin. And along with the story of Chicken Alice, was the recipe for those awesome wings! I was so thrilled, but then something brought me crashing to Earth:

You see, according to the article "The key ingredient is Parks brand kim chee sauce — made locally and used primarily as the base for kim chee." This is something that you pretty much won't find on the Mainland; I was crushed; so close, yet still thousands of miles away! Enter Reid, of 'Ono Kine Grindz. I had made a passing comment to him about the sauce, and before you knew it, he had sent me two bottles of Parks brand Kim Chee sauce in a styrofoam cooler, and kept it cold using freezer gel packs! Talk about resourceful!

So what's in the Kim Chee sauce? According to the bottle, it's Chili Pepper, Garlic, Fish Sauce, Salt, Sugar, MSG, Paprika, and Ginger. What a combo! I got down to cooking right away, using the recipe from the article; right here.

So how did it turn out? Well I found it to be a bit on the mild side, and not salty enough, though the crispy stickiness was still there; and the color looked right. Also, the flavoring was just a bit "off".

So, armed with that experience, I made my adjustments, and came up with this recipe:

5 pounds chicken wings
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Batter:
1/2 cup Parks brand kim chee sauce
3 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons salt
2-1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups water

Combine kim chee sauce, garlic, salt and flour. Add water gradually, enough to make a thick batter, about the consistency of pancake batter.

Add chicken pieces to batter, mix well and marinate in refrigerator overnight.

Heat oil to 350 degrees.Deep-fry chicken pieces until chicken rises to surface and coating is deep brown.It's important to keep the oil at this temperature in order to assure the perfect crisp coating.

So you're wondering what it looks like, right?

I was amazed at how the color turned out; just a tad "lighter" than I remember, but close enough. The crunchy, slight stickiness was there. And the taste was nice and a mild-medium spicy. The changes I made; more garlic; more salt; a bit more water; and especially marinating overnight, instead of the 2-3 hours in the recipe did the trick. The chicken was still tasty and a bit crunchy 4 hours later, just like it used to be. Though it seemed the batter was thicker than I remembered, even though I added a bit more H2O.

My tastes had changed over the last decade; I'm now used to really spicy Sichuan Food, among other things, and though Alice's Chicken doesn't thrill me like it used to, it's still darn good. But the memories are what this was really all about. Sitting down, munching on wonderful memories, my mind was a thousand miles away to a place and time when things were alot simpler, and time seemed to pass at a less frenetic pace, even if just for a few moments, made the decade long quest worth while.

Mahalo Reid, I'm forever in your debt!

Niu Rou Mian

October 12, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking

Here's a nice bowl of Niu Rou Mein(Chinese Beef Noodle Soup) I had on Saturday:

Guess which restaurant I got it from? It's from restaurant Mi Casa. Actually, Dylan from Eat, drink & be merry, and I decided to do a joint cooking post. In which we'll both make a dish and post. Today, it's Niu Rou Mein. Initially, I had intended to make my usual version, which used a prepared "base" to which I added flavorings to create my soup. But Howie from A Foodie's-Eye View provided his Grandmother's recipe, and even more graciously, gave me permission to reprint here! Thanks Howie!!!!

Niu Rou Mein (Chinese Beef Noodle Soup)

Ingredients
—————-

3 lbs. beef shank, cut into 1 1/2" cubes

(Wrap the following 5 in cheesecloth and tie it up)
4 star anise
1 T peppercorn (they used regular, not szechuan at the
time, but you could try it, and maybe
reduce the amount)
10 cloves garlic smashed
6 slices of ginger
5 dried red chili peppers chopped

3 T chili paste with garlic
2 T rice wine

1 1/2 T salt
2 T soy sauce
1 T sugar

Instructions
—————–

1. Get a large, heavy skillet very, very hot, add 1 T oil and enough
beef to not crowd the pan. Repeat until all beef is browned.
The pan should be pretty dry, if not, it probably means the
pan isn't hot enough or isn't retaining heat enough.

2. Remove beef from pan, add 1 T oil to pan, and add chili
paste. Add the beef to pan and coat with chili paste & oil.
Add rice wine, and deglaze pan.

3. Pour contents of pan into a soup pot. Deglaze pan with water
if there's more good stuff left in there. Add the cheesecloth,
cover with water (about 6-7 cups). Add salt, soy sauce, and sugar
to taste. Bring to boil, and simmer for 3 hours.

You probably know the rest of the drill, make some noodles and
serve with broth and meat, and cilantro and green onion garnish.

This is a great recipe; but having made Niu Rou Mein from a base over the last few years; and knowing I'd want to eat it right away, not letting it "cure" over-night I made some adjustments. So here's what "shook out".

I used a combination of Beef Shank w/bone 2lbs & regular Stew Meat 2 lbs.
(Wrap the following 3 in cheesecloth and tie it up)
4 star anise
1 T peppercorn
2 Slices of ginger smashed

15Cloves of Garlic Chopped
4 Green Onions – Whites Only
8 Dried Chilies – seeds and all, torn
8 T Chili Paste
1/4 cup Shao Tsing
1/3 Cup Light Soy Sauce
2 T Dark Soy Sauce
2 T Sugar
4 Cups Beef Broth
6 Cups Water
2 T Ice Water
4 T Corn Starch
3 T Vegetable/Canola Oil

White and Black Pepper to taste
Spinach
Cilantro
Green Onions

1 – Chop beef shank into approx 1×1 cubes. Mix beef with corn starch and ice water – an old Chinese restaurant trick to help tenderize. And let sit for 15 minutes.
2 – While waiting, place pot on high heat.
3 – Add 1T Oil to Pot and start to brown meat over high heat – brown shank first as it;s more tender and doesn't need as much time to tenderize. Add 1T Chili paste for every 2 pounds of meat while browning. Brown in batches and remove meat once done

4 – Add 2 T oil to pot and add torn dried peppers and brown. Once oil and peppers are browned, add the rest of the chili paste and garlic and fry, add shank bones. Deglaze with Shao Tsing, scrapping "fond" off of the bottom of the pot.
5 – Add Beef Broth and seasonings in cheesecloth. Add beef. Bring to a boil and add 6 cups water. Bring to an active boil and lower heat to mild simmer.
6 – Simmer for 2 hours, and taste. Add additional seasoning as necessary and 2T Dark Soy for color.
7 – Slow simmer for another 2 hours, until beef is tender. You can tell by "fork-checking" stew meat.

8 – Garnish with Spinach, Green Onion, and Cilantro.

So what to do while waiting? Maybe try your hand at "modern art?"

So what's the verdict? Well after 6 hours, I liked the spice, and liked the taste, nice, rich, and beefy. But the Missus had Her own opinion. First, the Bad:

1 – Too much anise, she thought it over-powered everything.

2 – Too sweet, didn't like the sugar

3 – She needed salt, too mild

4 – She hated the noodles. I bought some great looking "Hand-made" Shanghai style noodles from 99 Ranch. But in spite of the way they looked they were brittle and didn't have the right pull and resistance.

What she liked:

1 – The beef was not only fork tender, it was "plastic-fork" tender.

2 – The broth was rich and "hearty"

3 -Spice level was perfect.

4 – Perfect ginger flavor.

As a whole better than most restaurants, but not "perfect".

The next day, we had the Niu Rou Mein, as well as the leftover dumplings.

By the next day, all the "edges" had been taken care of. And we had a smooth, beefy, spicy, rich, broth. Though the noodles still sucked……but still delici-yoso!!! The Missus finished up the rest of the meat and soup. The key is the addition of Beef Broth. Unless you have alot of bones and other "savory" parts, making a true stock will be difficult.

Some notes; I don't worry about the chopped garlic and green onion stalks because after 6 hours they start to disintegrate. The cornstarch/ice water mix creates very tender meat – if you want to keep the "soup" longer than 2 days, remove the meat and store separately. Because I used beef broth, I didn't add any salt.

Make sure you check out Dylan's version Here.

At the SDAFF: 20:30:40, Saving Face, and Dumplings

October 1, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Movies, Recipes, yoso-silly

Ah yes, another wonderful day at the San Diego Film Festival. Today we went early and saw Alice Wu’s fantastic film; Saving Face. Alice Wu’s Directorial debut is a wonderfully funny, yet an a amazingly perceptive and complex tale, one that is both light, and yet reveals very deep social and cultural issues that are put at the forefront.

At the heart of the movie is the question; at what length and what price is one willing to pay to "save face". Saving Face is of the best most polished Asian American Films I’ve ever seen. After the film, Director Alice Wu, and the three lovely Leading Ladies, Joan Chen, Michelle Krusiec, and Lynn Chen were very generous with their time during a Q&A session. What I was really amazed to find out was that the film was completed in 27 days, all single takes! If I’m being a bit vague with the plot details, it is with good reason. The film takes some really fun twists and turns, and keeps you guessing til the end. If you’re interested in a movie that’s like a cross between The Wedding Banquet and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, this is for you. By the way, I never knew Joan Chen could be so funny!

On Thursday Night we saw 20:30:40, a funny, yet very interesting and revealing Taiwanese/Chinese film Directed by, and starring Sylvia Chang. 20:30:40 portrays the life of 3 Women. Xiao Jie (Lee Sin-Jie), is a 20 year old, who has come to Taipei to become a pop star. Suddenly free, and learning about life with no responsibility, she starts learning and experimenting in her journey to find out about life and who she is. Xiang (Rene Liu), is a thirty-something Flight Attendant, attempting to find love by juggling two men, a married Dentist, and a possessive somewhat unstable Music Producer. Forty-something Lily (Sylvia Chang) is the owner of a Flower Shop. Her world is turned upside down when she finds out that her Husband has a second family.

Though the women never actually meet, they pass each other, and their lives are intertwined through associations with other characters in the film. Featuring some very funny moments, this is a showcase for the actresses and in the end a very honest and entertaining effort.

What about the food? Among the many food scenes in these two films were two that got our attention; in 20:30:40, Lily (Sylvia Chang) is having dinner with would be "Romeo", Jeff (Tony Leung Ka-Fai), as he teaches her to eat her dumplings by first eating an entire clove of garlic, he tells her; "what do you care, we’re both sleeping alone tonight…", one of the funniest lines in the film. In Saving Face, Joan Chen is making dumplings for a "mah-jong party".

So this evening, the Missus decided to end her self imposed Dumpling retirement, by saying, "hey, let’s make some shrimp and chive dumplings…" So even though it was after 6pm, I jumped into action and ran up to 99 Ranch Market to pick-up some shrimp and chive, while the Missus made the dough for the wrappers:

Sorry that there is no set recipe for this. I will go through the ingredients, though. Dumplings have been a way of life for the Missus. She was raised in Qingdao in the Shandong province in China. Dumplings, handmade noodles, and various breads are a way of life. This dough was made with flour and room temperature water. While kneading she knows at what point the dough is "ready". My job is easy; shell and devein 1 1/2 lbs of shrimp, which is then chopped to desired texture.

The chives are chopped to desired texture. Here’s a very "rough" recipe for the filling for these dumplings:

1 1/2 lbs shrimp chopped
1 bunch chives chopped
2-4 Tbs Sesame Oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp Shao-Tsing Wine
2 eggs
Ginger Juice(everybody wonders what the garlic press is for)
Mix together and start filling them dumplings:

Here’s a hint; before mixing the dumpling filling, start boiling a small pot of water. When the mix is ready make a "test dumpling" and cook – it’ll be pretty quick since the dough is fresh. You can taste the filling and make adjustments. For me, the only way to eat these freshly made dumplings is to boil them. You get the full range of flavor and most of all the wonderful slightly doughy wrapper, that should have a bit of pull. Of course you can pan fry if you must:

This is one of the things that I am able to contribute to the whole process! Also making the sauce:

Chinkiang Vinegar
Soy Sauce
Garlic
Green Onions
Optional – Chili Paste, Sugar, etc….

The belief is that boiled dumplings are the true test, fried dumplings are for later. Even though she declared a "second retirement" after making these, I still love and appreciate the fact that she knew after watching all these "dumplings on film", that I’d be wanting some. Also, I know we’ve now got a few dozen in the freezer! he-he-he….. Need to find more dumpling movies!

Kabocha Nimono

August 14, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

I had promised Milly from Some Like it Hot a recipe using Kabocha a while back. So here’s a recipe for simmered (Nimono) Kabocha. Kabocha can be found in most Asian markets, and is a type of winter squash. Uncut, it can be stored for a pretty long time before using.

The skin of this squash is very tough, hard, and thick. You need a very heavy knife, and possibly a hammer – jack-hammer, hand grenade, or maybe power saw (just joking…); to cut the Kabocha in Half:

Any type of pumpkin can be used for this recipe, though the Kabocha, whose flesh is very sweet and creamy when cooked is probably best for this recipe.

Simmered Pumpkin (Kabocha Nimono, Kabocha No Fukumeni)

1 Medium Kabocha (choose one that is firm and heavy for it’s size) cut into chunks and discard seeds and tough fibers. You may cut off the hard skin if you feel ambitious.
2 cups dashi
4-5 Tb Mirin
2-3 tsp sugar
1-2 Tb Shoyu
1/2 tsp salt

Place pumpkin pieces skin side down in the bottom of a pot (I do mine in half batches) in a single layer.
Pour dashi into pot until it comes two-thirds of the way up the pumpkin.
Add 3Tb Mirin, 1Tb shoyu, and salt. Sprinkle 2 tsp sugar on top of the Kabocha.
Cover and bring to a boil.
Once a boil is achieved reduce to a simmer.
Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Taste liquid and make adjustments as necessary.
Simmer until tender, turn off heat and let steep in the liquid.

I’ve also heard of a version of this dish, where the Kabocha pieces are first deep fried, than poached as above (Kabocha Age-Ni).