Category: Recipes

I had bought a pound of lump crab meat to make something relatively quick on Wednesday. A frittata, or even some quesadillas. When the Missus found out about the Crab meat, She put in Her two cents. She wanted Crab Cakes. Crab Cakes? I didn't even think She liked Crab Cakes, and She hadn't requested that before. I still pushed the fritatta issue, but in the end, you know what happened, right? She got Her Crab Cakes. And it took me less than 20 minutes to put together and get to the table. Not the prettiest Crab Cakes, but the Missus really enjoyed them:

I also knew that I needed a sauce, so looking through the fridge, I came up with a Wasabi Mayonnaise, it's so simple, I don't dare call it an aioli. It really turned out to be easy, and I used only items I had on hand. I placed the Crab Cakes on Purple Perilla leaves I had leftover from the Missus's Bun we had two days earlier. I first made the Wasabi Mayo, mixed the ingredients, and placed it in the refrigerator to allow the flavors bind. Not wanting to wrack my brains with too many measurements I kept things simple as you'll see. I think you can stretch the recipe by adding more panko, and even put other filler/flavoring items, smoked corn, minced jalapeno, and celery come to mind.

Quick MidWeek Crab Cakes:

1 lb lump crab meat
1 cup Panko
1/2 cup Mayonnaise (Hellman's or Best Foods)
1 Egg slightly beaten
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Malt Vinegar
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
Canola Oil

– Gently combine ingredients.
– Gently form the mixture into about 6 patties
– Heat 1/2 cup Canola oil over medium heat.
– Fry the crab cakes about 2-3 minutes each side.

Wasabi Mayonnaise:
1 cup Mayonnaise
2 Tb Wasabi Paste
1 clove garlic finely minced with some salt into a fine paste
a squeeze of lemon juice

– Combine ingredients and place in the refrigerator to set.

Funny thing, the Missus and I eat a pretty good variety of foods. But since we usually stick to the Asian end of things, we found the Crab Cakes to be delicious, but very rich. I could only eat 1, so perhaps I'll need to cut the mayo and increase the panko next time.

Well, summer has just left out the door, and we decided to make the best of Labor Day by doing a bit of grilling. The Missus wanted some Bun (rice vermicelli) for dinner with grilled shrimp. She wasn't quite sure how She wanted the shrimp prepared, and just told me "try not to make it suck", which is better translated into "I'm craving this, so whatever you make better not suck……" So when I offered two possibilities, either Tamarind Shrimp or Lemongrass Shrimp, the Missus said to make them both.

I was kinda glad She chose the Tamarind Shrimp, as I had this bottle of Tamarind concentrate lying dormant in the cupboard waiting to be tried out. It had been an impulse buy God knows how many months ago. I usually will do the tamarind pulp thing, reconstitute in hot water into a paste, and strain out the pulp, and I really wondered how this would measure up. It actually did pretty well. It is perhaps a bit weaker than the stuff I make from scratch, but it worked perfectly fine on the shrimp.

The Tamarind Glazed Shrimp is a riff of Alan Wong's Tamarind Glazed Shrimp Tacos recipe in his book, Alan Wong's New Wave Luau. I added fish sauce and sriracha to give it a more savory and spicy kick. BTW, for those who think that Kalbi Tacos is something new, Alan Wong's been serving that stuff up since the late 90's, and there's a recipe in his book.

The Lemongrass Shrimp was based on a recipe from Mai Pham's Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table but has been modified to our taste, more garlic, fish sauce, and chili paste.

I realized when the shrimp were done that although they taste very different, it's hard to tell them apart:

The Tamarind Shrimp (on the left) have a nice shiny sheen from the basting, while the Lemongrass Shrimp (on the right) looks a bit drier. In the end, the Missus preferred the flavors of the Tamarind Shrimp. If you're using wooden skewers, don't forget to soak in water for about a half hour before using.

Tamarind Glazed Grilled Shrimp

1/2 Cup Tamarind Concentrate or Tamarind Paste
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
2 Tb Honey
2-3 Tb Sriracha
3 Tb Fish Sauce
Sea Salt
1 lb 16-20 Shrimp, shelled, deveined, tail left on – skewered

– Combine all ingredients except salt and shrimp until sugar has dissolved.
– Lightly salt shrimp with sea salt.
– Place shrimp on the grill over direct heat (I use combo hardwood and Kiawe charcoal), and brush with Tamarind Glaze.I was surpised at the amount of basting liquid, but did use it all up with constant basting.
– Grill for about two minutes on each side. Baste one final time with glaze just before removing from grill.

Lemongrass Shrimp

4 Stalks of Lemongrass outer layers removed, pounded with the knife to release oils, and minced (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup).
3 Cloves of Garlic minced finely
1 Tb Soy Sauce
2 Tb Fish Sauce
1 Tb Chili Paste
2 Tb Sugar
2 Tb Canola Oil
1 lb 16-20 Shrimp, shelled, deveined, tail left on

– Combine all ingredients except shrimp in a bowl until sugar has dissolved.
– Add shrimp and gently mix until all the shrimp are coated with marinade.
– Place in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to let shrimp lightly marinate.
– Thread shrimp onto skewers.
– Grill over direct heat for about two minutes each side.

You really don't have to do the "Bun thing", but the Missus really enjoyed it…….

We've been grilling like crazy the last couple of weekends. The Missus' has been craving grilled mushrooms and roasted red peppers. She'd usually make sandwiches during the week of roasted red peppers, a roasted medium-mild, yellow chili, sometimes called a Santa Fe Chili Pepper. She's drizzle on some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and some feta cheese and be good to go. On one of our grilling sessions I roasted a few extra red peppers, which I put aside to puree, which is quite versatile. You can use the puree as a sauce, or in a vinaigrette, or even as the Missus used it….as a spread for bread. Check out Judy's wonderful Food Blog Tinker with Food, for another great idea.  

There are a couple of ways you can roast bell peppers, you can read a bit about it here. I usually rub some olive oil on the peppers and roast them on the grill until charred, softened, and looking a bit "deflated". I place in a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. I also will often wrap a couple of bulbs of garlic, excess "skin" removed, tops chopped to reveal the cloves, covered with a bit of olive oil, in aluminum foil, and place in the "indirect heat" portion of my grill to roast. Conversely, you can roast garlic in the oven. Anyway, I've already typed in too many words for something so easy to make.

Roasted Garlic and Red Bell Pepper Puree:

3-4 large roasted bell peppers, charred skin removed, cut into sections.
1 bulb of roasted garlic
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (more as necessary)
Salt to Taste.

– Remove the roasted garlic cloves from the bulb by holding the bottom of the bulb, and squeezing.
– Place roasted bell peppers, roasted garlic, and olive oil in a blender and puree to desired thickness. Drizzle in more olive oil if necessary.
– Remove puree, taste, add salt, and stir briefly by hand to mix.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups. I also let the puree sit about 1 hour to "set".

On this night, I threw together a quick meal. Inexpensive sashimi grade scallops from Nijiya were seared, and plated on a good amount of the puree.

I topped off the scallops with wasabi tobiko, and sprinkled crushed oregano and ground red chili powder to garnish…….

To make a vinaigrette, simply replace the usual amount of mustard, or whatever emulsifier) with the red pepper puree.

Today was another grill day, it is still kinda hot here, so the prospect of grilling was quite attractive. I try to do something a bit different during every grill session. Today, I had some Lamb Loin Chops. I really didn't have anything in mind when I purchased the chops. Returning home, I still had no idea of what to make. I was replying to some comments on my Shao Kao 818 postwhen it came to me. We were very disappointed with the Yang Rou Chuan, and I wondered, how hard is it to get the wonderful salty-cumin flavor of good Yang Rou Chuan…… Rummaging through my pantry, I managed to put together the ingredients for this dish.

The Sichuan Peppercorn heightened the saltiness of the dish, and really didn't hit you right away. You felt a numbing "buzz" a few seconds after eating the chops, it was quite interesting. Much like my Cumin Lamb recipe, I do a short marinade before grilling. Make sure to toast those cumin seeds until the wonderful smell of "BO" floats around your kitchen.

Grilled Cumin and Sichuan Peppercorn Lamb Loin Chops:

Spice Mix:
4 Tb toasted Cumin Seeds
2 Tb roasted and ground Sichuan Peppercorn
2 Tb sea salt
1 Tb ground coriander
Ground red chili to taste

Marinade:
1/4 cup Premium Light Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Canola Oil
2-3 Tb Shaoxing Wine
2 Tb Dark Soy sauce
4 cloves Garlic finely minced

– Mix marinade and pour or brush marinade over lamb chops. Make sure to coat lamb chops well.
– Let lamb chops marinate for 20-30 minutes
– Sprinkle on a generous amount of the spice mix, making sure to getting some on the sides of the chop.
– Let chops sit for at least 10 minutes before grilling.

– Grill to desired doneness. As a whole, most Chinese are used to eating their lamb well done. Make sure to turn the chops and grill on the edges and sides as well.
 

I've been grilling a lot of Shishamo (sm elt) for the Missus. Recently, the Missus found that She really enjoys grilled Urume Maruboshi (dried round herring):

For some reason, the grilled fish always catches my attention. I wasn't quite sure why….until today. Doesn't this look really familiar?

What do you think?

(BTW, The Scream by Edvard Munch is in the public domain in the United States because it was first published more than 95 years ago.)

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

*** I've got a bit of an update here. This is still one of my favorite things to make! 

If you're familiar with my posts, you know that I'm unable to resist the temptation of ordering Cumin Lamb once I see it on the menu. Years ago, if you mentioned cumin and Chinese Food in the same sentence, I would have given you a puzzled look. That was of course, before spending those years living and eating in the San Gabriel Valley, and being exposed to the variety of regional Chinese food found in the area. Still, if one has a conversation about Chinese seasonings, I don't think cumin would come up in the conversation.

I find humor in the fact that the Missus loves this dish as well; She is not a big fan of the distinct "B. O." -ish smell of cumin. The dish itself is based on the dishes of the Uyghur people (Turkic) , most of whom live in Xinjiang, one of the Autonomous regions of China. The dish reflects the "big three seasonings" used in Xinjiang cuisine, salt, red chilies, and of course cumin (孜然). The recipe reflects the combination of three attempts at making this dish. All of which, with the help of the Big Kahuna, came out real well. Funny thing is, I didn't take photos of the last try, which came out the best. What I found is using garlic that's been minced along with slices, sliced onions, and cilantro do it for me. Also, in the last recipe, I used some dark soy which helped to add color, something my original version lacked. I used "shabu shabu" slices of lamb, which can be found at 99 Ranch Market and Zion Market. The best lamb I got was from 99 Ranch Market in San Gabriel, it was very gamey, which just made everything come together well. Make sure to toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan. Using high heat prevents the dish from coming too "watery".

This was so easy that it caused the Missus to exclaim; "you know, there's no reason for any restaurant to screw up this dish". As always, my recipe is just a basic outline, and I'm sure stuff like fresh chilies, and other ingredients will make this dish shine.

Cumin Lamb

2/3 – 3/4 lb lamb sliced into strips

Marinade:
1 Tb Shaoxing Wine
2 Tb Premium Light Soy Sauce
1 Tb Dark Soy Sauce
3 Tb Cumin toasted in a dry pan until fragrant
1/2 tsp Sea or Kosher Salt
1 clove garlic minced fine
red pepper flakes to taste

3-4 Tb Canola Oil
3-4 dried red chilies minus seeds
1/2 medium onion sliced
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
Cilantro

– Combine lamb and marinade ingredients. Mix and set aside for 15 – 30 minutes
– Before heating wok, add onion slices to marinade and meat.
– Heat a wok over very high heat.
– Add oil and swirl. Add red chilies and briefly scald.
– Add garlic, stir quickly, than add meat. Stir fry over high heat.
– When lamb is cooked, remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Taste and adjust salt.

After being married for a while, you kind of develop a sixth sense when talking to your spouse. When you take a step back, and take time to think about it, sometimes it just doesn't make sense. I can understand deciphering that when the Missus said "Leo-hay-mans" She means Loehmann's, and of course there are times when I (thankfully) have no clue.  But often, things just kinda click. Like when the Missus told me, out of the blue, "I want the porridge………" I don't know how I knew She was referring to Jeonbokjuk, but I just knew. It must have been fate, live abalone was on sale at Zion Market for $4.99 each.

I once asked someone how to make this, and was given the basic outline of a recipe. I also checked online, and one of my cookbooks. The recipe you see below is a mish-mash of what I gleaned. Like many recipes, there are more than few variations on the recipe. I'll list some of them in case your thinking about making this. Some recipes include chopped carrots, in the basic recipe I was given, I was told to blend the soaked rice with 5 cups of water for 10 seconds to "break the rice". One variation of Jeonbokjuk is green in color and includes the abalone innards. What's with the fish sauce, etc? I was kinda wondering the same thing when I saw the inclusion of fish sauce in a few of the recipes online. But after tasting the porridge, I knew. Farm raised Abalone, like the type I purchased is pretty mild in flavor, and need just a bit of "help". The meat has good flavor, but it just didn't impart enough of it to the porridge. Instead of fish sauce, I added a teaspoon of Dashi-no-moto to the porridge at the end. I know this is akin to adding MSG to a dish, but it really added a nice umami to the dish. If I had White Tamari, I would have tried that instead. I also used a good quality Sesame Oil, and would suggest putting that ubiquitous bottle of Kagoya away for this. Remember to scrub the abalone well, to remove all the black pigment and slimy "stuff".

Jeonbokjuk

1 – 1 1/2 Cup Fresh Abalone(approx 2) washed, cleaned, and diced
2 Cups Short Grain Rice
7 Cups water
2-3 Tb Sesame Oil
1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
3 cloves garlic minced

Fish Sauce, White Tamari, or Hondashi (optional)

Nori cut into thin strips
Scallions, green part only sliced

– Place rice in a bowl and cover with 3-4 cups water, and soak for 30 minutes.
– Drain rice in a colander
– In a pot or wok, heat sesame oil over medium-low heat. Saute garlic and abalone for about a minute.
– Add drained rice and mix with abalone for a minute or two.
– Add water, and turn heat to high, stirring occasionally.
– Bring porridge to a boil, uncovered for about 5 minutes, or until the porridge starts to thicken.
– Turn heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the desired thickness is reached. About 15 to 30 minutes.
– Taste the porridge, and add sea salt, and other flavorings if desired.
– Serve topped with Nori Strips and scallions.

It's a nice luxurious dish…..

Of course one doesn't live on Jeonbokjuk alone, do they?

Dishes with raw vegetables are pretty rare in Chinese Cuisine, I haven't seen very many of them. So when I saw this recipe in Fuchsia Dunlop's Land of Plenty(I know, yet another recipe from that book), I was intrigued. In addition, it used Daikon, one of my favorite ingredients. And yet, I bookmarked the page, and pretty much forgot about it. For some reason, I bought some Daikon before our trip to Vegas, and never hada chance to use it. I still am not sure what my intentions were with regards to that radish..…and when we returned, it was sitting on our dining table staring at me. I didn't want to waste it, but what to do, it was too hot to make a nimono(simmered dish). And suddenly I recalled, the recipe from Land of Plenty.

There was one big adjustment I had to make, I didn't have any Chinese pickled chili paste on hand, so I improvised using Sambal Olek and some additional vinegar. It turned out surprisingly good, and was very easy (as all my recipes are) to make. I've made this a few times since, once for the In-Laws who enjoyed it. A nice refreshing dish………

So here goes:

Spicy Daikon Salad

1 Lb Daikon thinly sliced
2 tsp salt
4 tsp white sugar
1-2 Tb Sambal Olek or similar chili paste
4 Tb Chinkiang Vinegar
2 cloves of garlic finely minced or grated
2-3 tsp chili oil
2 scallions green parts only finely sliced
Cilantro leaves

– Sprinkle the daikon slivers with salt, mix, and spread out in a colander. Let the daikon sit for 30 minutes to an hour.
– Before serving, combine the sugar and vinegar, whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
– Add chili paste and garlic, and mix well. Add chili oil.
– Shake the daikon to remove excess water, put the daikon on a plate, and pour the dressing over the daikon.
– Top with scallion and cilantro.

I tried making this dish using cucumbers, it turned out fine, but it just didn't have that refreshing bite that daikon has……