Hot Pot/Shabu Shabu - Flora's Birthday II

Ginger Chicken with Lemongrass

'Texas' Style Chili

Mapo Tofu

From Fusion Meals

Mapo Tofu over white rice

Ingredients:

• 1 small zucchini - diced
• 1 onion - diced
• 3-4 cloves garlic - minced
• 2-3 pods of dried chili
• 2 stalks scallions - chopped
• 1/4 cup frozen lima beans or mixed vegetables
• 1 lb ground pork
• 2-3 TB Mapo Tofu sauce (can substitute with chili sauce in a pinch)
• 2 TS corn starch
• 1 TS salt
• 1 TB soy sauce
• 1 TB Chinese "black" vinegar

For more information on this dish, see the Wikipedia article on Mapo Tofu.

Soy and Ginger Braised Ribs or "12345" (Video)

From Fusion Meals

For full recipe, go to this previous post.

Easy Fried Rice

From Fusion Meals

Fried Rice

Background:

I was debating whether to order in or cook tonight.  Laziness and convenience won out - I decided to whip up some fried rice from leftover ingredients in the fridge.  The entire prep and cooking process took roughly 15 minutes and was definitely quicker than running to the neighborhood restaurant for a sandwich or to pick up takeout.

Ingredients:

• 1 Egg
• 1/4 cup diced ham or spam
• 2 stalks of finely diced celery
• 2 stalks of diced scallions
• 1 large slice of finely diced ginger
• 3 cloves of finely diced garlic
• 2 pods of dried chili
• 1 TB soy sauce
• 1-2 TS salt (to taste)
• 1/2 TS "5 spice" powder
• 2-3 TB oil
• 1 cup leftover rice

Batten Ramen

From Fusion Meals

Miso Ramen

From Fusion Meals

Batten Ramen

From Fusion Meals

Fried Squid

Background:

Flora and I had lunch at one of our favorite ramen restaurants in the area.  The restaurant is Batten Ramen in Fort Lee, NJ.  She had the miso ramen, and I had the signature dish - Batten ramen.  

While the dishes are similar, there are important differences to the ramen aficionado.  

Both noodle dishes have the slices of braised pork, bamboo shoots, thinly sliced seaweed and 1/2 soy braised egg.  I prefer the Batten ramen as it has a shoyu (soy sauce) based soup and the noodles are the straight "hand-pulled" variety.

This time around, the sliced braised pork was a bit "off".  It was as if someone had left it in the fridge a day too long past its due date.  While still edible, the pork had a funky taste.  It was just within the acceptable limits though, and we didn't bother to send it back.

I enjoyed the fried squid tentacles though Flora thought that they were too tough/chewy.

All-in-all, it was a rather mediocre meal due to the slow service and issue noted with the freshness of the sliced braised pork.  I hope that this is a rare lapse in quality on Batten ramen's behalf or we'll soon have to patronize other ramen restaurants - however reluctantly.

Banana Bread

From Fusion Meals

Banana Bread

Prep:

• 2 extremely ripe bananas - peeled and mashed (roughly 1 cup)
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 stick of butter softened/melted
• 1 TS vanilla
• 2/3 cup of sugar, light brown sugar or brown sugar (each imparts a different flavor)
• 1 TS salt
• 1 TS baking powder
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour

Flora Birthday Cake (Strawberry Shortcake)

Strawberry Shortcake

Beef Noodle Soup (牛肉麵)

From Fusion Meals

Beef Noodle Soup (牛肉麵)

Beef Noodle Soup (牛肉麵)

• 1 lb Beef flank (cut to chunks)
• 1 cup diced turnip
• 2-3 large slices ginger
• 2 pods star anise
• 4-5 pods dried chili
• 2 TS salt
• 4 TB soy sauce
• 2-3 TB rice wine
• 1 TB rice wine vinegar
• 3 cups water
• 2 stalks of scallion (for garnish)

Egg Salad Sandwich

Egg salad sandwich - with endorsement by Flora

Flora's Birthday Cake

From Fusion Meals

Green Tea Cake from Parisienne Bakery, Fort Lee, NJ

From Fusion Meals

From Fusion Meals

Green Tea Cake from Parisienne Bakery in Fort Lee, NJ

Pan Seared Porterhouse Steak, Sauteed Asparagus and Potato Salad

From Fusion Meals

From Fusion Meals

Background:

I had a simple yet delicious meal of pan seared Porterhouse steak, asparagus sauteed in butter and potato salad (from yesterday - see previous post) tonight.  The steak tonight was cooked medium rare and was quite tasty - flavorful and tender.  This meal was paired with a South African Cabernet Sauvignon - also very decent.

Prep:

• 1 Porterhouse steak ~ approx. 1 lb. (medium to thick cut)
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Butter

Cooking:

Steak

• Bring steak up to room temperature by taking steak from fridge at least 1/2 hour or 1 hour before cooking -- Very Important!  If steak is not brought up to room temperature prior to cooking, it will cook unevenly resulting in nearly raw center and overcooked surface
• Season both sides liberally with freshly cracked black pepper and salt
• Add oil to pan and heat pan on high until nearly smoking
• Sear steak ~ 3-4 minutes on each side (turn only once)
• Remove steak from pan and let rest ~ 5-10 min. before serving

Asparagus

• In the same pan, add 1 TB butter
• Add asparagus
• Season lightly with salt (remember, the pan already has residual seasoning from the steak)
• Cook at medium heat for ~ 5 min. or until cooked through

Broccoli Stir-Fry, BLT Sandwich and "German-Style" Potato Salad

From Fusion Meals

Broccoli Stir-Fry

From Fusion Meals

From Fusion Meals

BLT Sandwich

From Fusion Meals

Chopped parsley for the "German-Style" Potato Salad

From Fusion Meals

Sauteeing onions, garlic, dried chili pods, salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar for the "German-Style" Potato Salad

From Fusion Meals

"German-Style" Potato Salad

Background:

I'm in FL this week and as a result have a more disorganized dining schedule and dishes...

These are some of the dishes I've cooked so far this week.

Steamed Red Snapper with Ginger and Scallions

From Fusion Meals

Red snapper - prior to cooking

From Fusion Meals

Steamed red snapper - ready to serve

From Fusion Meals

Chicken curry

Background:

Had the steamed red snapper tonight - was very tasty.  When possible, buy whole fish to get that extra bit of flavor.  Fillets tend to lose a bit of its essence during the cooking process.

Prepped the curry chicken in advance so there would be ready-made meals for Flora to eat next week.

For recipes on steaming fish and making curry chicken, please refer to previous posts.

Soy and Ginger Braised Ribs or "12345"

From Fusion Meals

Pork ribs - prepping stage

From Fusion Meals

Ribs with dry ingredients in pan

From Fusion Meals

Ribs with ingredients and braising liquid in pan

From Fusion Meals

Cooked ribs - ready to serve

From Fusion Meals

Side of stir-fried Chinese cabbage and carrots

Background:

This dish is inspired by a recipe that my mom got many years ago from a friend at church.  It's based on a simple concept of proportional ingredients or "12345".

The proportions are as follows:

• 1 part sugar
  
• 2 parts vinegar
• 3 parts rice wine
• 4 parts soy sauce
• 5 parts water

However, I've slightly modified this recipe to include other spices and ingredients to put a different twist on its flavor profile.  On a personal note, this is probably one of my favorite pork dishes when executed correctly.

Prep:

• 2-3 lbs of pork ribs (approximately 1/2 rack)
• 1 TB brown sugar
• 1 TS salt
• 3-4 TB soy sauce
• 2-3 TB rice wine (may substitute with dry white wine)
• 1 TB vinegar (Chinese "black" vinegar preferred)
• 2-3 pods of dried chili
• 1-2 pods of star anise
• 2-3 large slices of ginger
• 1/2 cup water or enough so that ribs are just covered in liquid

Cooking:

• Prep ribs by cutting into serving size segments
• Season ribs with salt
• Heat pan with cooking oil (I use canola) to high but not smoking
• Sear ribs on each side until browned (I cheat sometimes by just searing the "meatier" side)
• Add dry ingredients
• Add liquid condiments
• Add water until ribs are just covered (~ 1/2 cup)
• Bring to a boil
• Once boiling, bring to simmer and cover pan
• Cook for ~ 40 min or until liquid is nearly evaporated (At this point, you'll notice that the remaining liquid has turned into a glaze.  You have to keep a close eye on the cooking process to prevent the ribs from burning as the sugar in the braising liquid will burn rather quickly.  The goal in this step is to reduce the remaining liquid to a delicious glaze that will coat the ribs and give it a nice sheen.)
• Remove from pan and serve

Home-made/Hand-made Chinese Pork and Mushroom Dumplings (Jiaozi)

From Fusion Meals

Finely chopped mixture of scallions, re-hydrated shitake mushrooms, ginger and garlic

From Fusion Meals

Ground pork mixed with finely chopped mixture from above picture along with dashes of soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, sugar and "5-spice" powder

From Fusion Meals

Dumpling dough

From Fusion Meals

Prepping the dough to make dumpling skins

From Fusion Meals

Dumplings skins and "coins"

From Fusion Meals

Freshly made dumplings ready for their "hot water bath"

From Fusion Meals

Cooked dumplings with soy/chili sauce

From Fusion Meals

Cooked dumplings with soy/chili sauce - alternate shot

Background:

Dumplings are one of my favorite dishes in Chinese cuisine.  I like them boiled, pan-fried or steamed -- pretty much all of the common ways of cooking them.  The best dumplings I've had were ones that I sampled in a small Taiwanese restaurant.  These dumplings were thin-skinned, long and relatively skinny.  As I recall, you can buy ~ 10 for the equivalent of 20 TWD (新台幣) or about 60-70 cents USD - a ridiculously cheap price for a tasty and filling meal. 

Tonight, I decided to take the the plunge and spend some time making dumplings from scratch.  That's right, everything -- from scratch.  I made the dumpling dough, rolled out the skin, chopped up the vegetable components and made my own ground pork from a piece of center cut.  All-in-all, it was surprisingly easy - not to mention therapeutic.  The results were above my expectations and quite tasty.

Prep:

Filling

• 4 stalks scallions
• 3-4 slices ginger
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4-5 caps of re-hydrated dried shitake mushrooms
• 1/2 lb. ground pork
• 3-4 TB soy sauce
• 1 TS sesame oil
• 1 TS sugar
• 1/2 TS "5-spice" powder

Dumpling Skin

• 1 and 1/2 cup flour to start - add more as needed to gain correct consistency (i.e. not sticky yet pliable)
• 1/2 cut of water
• 1 TS salt

Cooking:

Filling

• Rough chop the vegetable ingredients for the filling and add to food processor.  Pulse until finely chopped.
• Rough chop the pork (if using whole piece of pork - if not, ignore this step) and add to food processor.  Pulse until finely chopped
• Mix the remaining ingredients together with chopped components until incorporated thoroughly
• Set aside

Dumpling Skin

• Add flour, water and salt to mixer with dough hook
• Use mixer to knead dough for ~ 20-30 min on slow until "elastic" and "silky" - this long kneading processes is crucial in releasing the gluten that renders the cooked dumpling skin pliable and "chewy" (in a good way)
• Set dough aside, cover with damp towel and let rest for 30 min.
• To make the dumpling skin, roll out dough into a long rope ~ 1/2" in diameter
• Cut 1/2" pieces from this "rope"
• Mash the pieces into coin-shaped pieces with your hand
• Proceed to use a rolling pin to roll out the pieces until roughly round in shape and ~ 5 " in diameter
• Skin should be relatively thin ~ 1/16" thick - though not "paper-thin"

Wrapping the Dumpling

• Add TS sized dollops of filling onto the center of the skin
• Coat 1/2 of the edge of the skin with cold water using your finger (this allows the edges to adhere when you press to seal the dumpling)
• Repeat

Cooking the Dumpling

• Bring large pot of water to a roiling boil
• Carefully add dumpling into water and cook for ~ 5 min.
• When the dumplings float, they are done
• Drain and place on place
• Let cool 5 min until the excess water evaporates from dumpling skin
• Dip in sauce of choice (I like a chili/soy - see below) sauce
• Enjoy

Dipping sauce

• 4 TB soy sauce
• 1 TB chili sauce
• 1 TS sesame oil
• 1 TB vinegar
• 1 TS sugar
• Mix well

Note:  One of the reasons making these dumplings from scratch was relatively easy for me is that I "cheated" by using a food processor (to chop the ingredients for the filling) as well as a KitchenAid mixer (to knead the dough).

Sausage and Mushroom Lasagna (with Bechamel Sauce)

From Fusion Meals

Chopped mushrooms, onion, celery, garlic, carrots

From Fusion Meals

Sausage (casing removed sectioned into pieces) browning in pan

From Fusion Meals

Sauteing ingredients

From Fusion Meals

Finished sauce

From Fusion Meals

Cooking the roux for the bechamel

From Fusion Meals

Bechamel sauce

From Fusion Meals

Building the layers for the lasagna

From Fusion Meals

Lasagna - piping hot from the oven

From Fusion Meals

Lasagna - piping hot from the oven

Background:

I usually make lasagna the "American/Southern Italian" way with Ricotta cheese.  However, I decided to try making it the "Northern Italian" way or with Bechamel sauce (milk based cream sauce).  It seems that there's decidedly less flavor than what I'm used to (probably due to the substitution of Bechamel for Ricotta).  However, the texture is much creamier than the Ricotta version.  Perhaps next time I will try cooking a "hybrid" with 1/2 ricotta and 1/2 bechamel.

Prep:

Tomato sauce

• 2 small carrots
• 2 ribs of celery
• 5-6 large button mushrooms
• 1 large onion
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 3 sausages
• 1 TS Italian seasoning
• Salt to taste
• Add pasta water to sauce as necessary (if it gets too thick)
• 16 oz tomato sauce
• Note: I prefer Cento, Tuttorossa or Scalafani for the tomato sauce - try not to use the Hunts or other generic brands as they tend to be too acidic - if you are using the Hunts/generics, you'll probably want to add ~ 1 TS of sugar to take off the edge
  

Bechamel sauce:

• 3-4 TB butter (~ 1/3 stick)
• 3 TB flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 TS salt

Lasagna:

• 1 package dried lasagna noodles (I used Barilla this time - though don't use the non-boil version)

Cooking:

Preheat oven to 375 deg. F

Tomato Sauce

• Chop/dice the vegetables and set aside
• Remove sausage meat from casing and saute in oil until browned (while sauteing,  chop up the sausage into smaller pieces with your utensil)
• Add vegetables and saute until softened
• Season with salt and Italian seasoning
• Add 1 16 oz. can of tomato sauce 
• Bring to a boil
• Lower to a simmer and cook for ~ 15 min to 1/2 hour depending on your desired consistency for the sauce
• Note:  I usually add the mushrooms during the last 5 min of cooking to prevent them from "wilting" into unidentifiable pieces

Bechamel Sauce

• Melt butter in sauce pan
• Add flour and stir - cook until fully incorporated and mixture is "golden brown" in color (this mixture is commonly referred to as a "roux")
• Add salt
• Heat milk (I heat it in the microwave) until hot but not boiling
• Add hot milk to roux and stir while cooking
• Cook until consistency turns to that of a thick cream (should coat the back of your utensil)
• Turn off heat and set aside

Lasagna

• Boil lasagna in salted water until "al dente" (e.g. cooked but just a bit hard when you bite down)
• Cool pasta in cold water until it's cool enough to handle

Assembly

• Add thin layer of tomato sauce to bottom of pan
• layer the lasagna noodles on top with minimal overlap
• Add layer of bechamel
• Add more tomato sauce
• Add Parmesan cheese/mozzarella cheese
• Construct alternate layers of lasagna noodle, tomato sauce and bechamel and cheese
• Top with remaining sauce and cheese
• Cover pan with foil
• Bake at 375 deg. F for 15-20 min.
• Remove from oven and cool for ~ 10 min prior to serving

Hainanese Chicken with Chili Dipping Sauce

From Fusion Meals

Scallions and ginger for the broth

From Fusion Meals

Chicken, scallions, ginger and sale + ~4-6 cups of water prior to cooking

From Fusion Meals

Cooked chicken cooling on plate

From Fusion Meals

Julienned carrots and cucumbers added to broth - transformed into "vegetable soup"

From Fusion Meals

Chili dipping sauce for chicken - consists of chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and sugar

Background:

I had a 1/2 chicken in the freezer that would conveniently serve as Hainanese Chicken for 2 tonight.  This is a really simple, yet tasty dish.  We devoured the chicken in short order -- "Should have cooked more", Flora said.

Prep:

• 3-4 stalks of scallion (separate stem from "green" part and use stem for soup)
• 4-5 slices ginger
• 1/2 to whole chicken
• 4-6 cups of water (enough to cover chicken)
• 1 TB salt

Sauce:

• 1 TB chili sauce
• 1 TB soy sauce
• 1 TS sesame oil
• 1 TS vinegar
• 1 TS sugar

Cooking:

• Combine ingredients for Hainanese Chicken into pot
• Bring to a boil
• Turn heat down to low to maintain simmer
• Cook for ~40 min
• Remove chicken from broth and set aside to cool
• Lightly sprinkle some salt over the cooling chicken
• Once cooled to room temperature, cut into pieces and serve

Sauce:

• Combine ingredients and whisk together
• You're done!

Flounder Steamed with Scallion and Ginger

From Fusion Meals

Julienned scallions

From Fusion Meals

Flounder, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine and salt.

From Fusion Meals

Steamed flounder - ready to serve (a bit over-cooked at 5 min on high in my microwave)

From Fusion Meals

Side dish of asparagus sauteed in canola oil, butter with salt and pepper as seasoning (Flora made this)

Background:

I bought this beautiful piece of fish at the local Korean market and decided to prepare it simply by steaming it with ginger, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine and salt.

Prep:

• 1 piece of flounder ~ 1 - 2 lb (May substitute with other neutral flavored fish such as cod, haddock, sea bass...etc.) 
• 2 stalks of scallions - julienned
• 3-4 slices of ginger - finely chopped into strips
• 2 TB soy sauce
• 1 TS sesame oil
• 2 TB rice wine
• Salt to taste (e.g. use your judgement)

Cooking:

• In microwave-safe container combine fish with all ingredients (Tip: layer some scallions/ginger on both bottom of pan and top of fish to allow steam/liquid to freely circulate)
• Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes
• Turn fish over in container
• Microwave for additional 2 min. on high
• Serve with garnish of chopped fresh scallions on top