Just Pictures: Kushiyaki Goodies

Yaki Onigiri (grilled rice ball)

Non-Grilled Items:

Fresh Chicken Spring Rolls

Sumika Salad

Tsukune-Don (ground chicken & egg over rice)

Sumika // Los Altos, CA

(photos courtesy of EH)

Green Curry, Thai Style

One of my favorite items to order at a Thai restaurant is the curry.  No matter if it's red, yellow, or green, Thai-style curry, which is basically curry with the addition of coconut milk, is delicious when poured over a bed of white rice.  The curry paste is easy to buy, and is available at all Asian supermarkets.  No longer do you have to frequent a Thai restaurant for the curry, you can make it yourself at home!  Give it a try!

Thai Green Curry with Pork

Ingredients
- 2 boneless pork chop pieces, cut into cubes
- 2 Tbsp green curry paste
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1 can of 13.5 oz coconut milk (shake well before using)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 yellow onion, quartered
- 1 large red pepper, cut into cubes
- 1 large zucchini, cut into cubes
- 1/3 cup frozen peas

The important ingredients for this dish...

Tools
- iron cast pot

Steps
1. Saute the green curry paste in oil over medium heat in a crock pot until fragrant.  Reduce the heat and gradually add 1/2 can of the coconut milk a little at a time.  Stir frequently until a film of green oil surfaces.

2.  Add the pork and continue cooking until pork is halfway cooked through.  Add the remaining coconut milk and season with sugar and fish sauce.

3. When the mixture returns to a boil, add the chopped onions and red peppers.

4.  Cook the vegetables for 10 minutes and add the chopped zucchini and frozen peas.  Cook until the all the vegetables are done, about another 5 minutes.

Serves 4.

A few tips...
...add any kind of "stewing" type of vegetables as desired, such as other type of peppers (green, orange, yellow, etc.) or potatoes (since potatoes take longer to cook, chop into cubes and you can either (1) cook the potatoes separately in hot water for 10 minutes prior to adding it in with the vegetables, or (2) cook in the curry mixture for about 10 minutes prior to adding the remaining vegetables)
...to make your dish prettier, garnish with sweet basil leaves and red chilies before serving.
...the original recipe asked for 2 torn kaffir lime leaves, but I didn't have that available so I didn't add it in.  The curry still turned out good!
...if there are leftovers, I want to warn that the more times you heat it, the spicier it will get!  Don't say I didn't warn you!

Pulled Pork Burrito

On a meat-shopping trip one day to the local supermarket, I saw pork shoulder pieces on sale so I grabbed it.  I was being purely spontaneous, since I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with it.  A light shed upon me as I came across a pulled pork sandwich recipe on my favorite food blog.  Making pulled pork seemed like a long and complicated process (shows always feature restaurants that would grill and boil and cook big hunk of pork meat and it would take hours and hours), but as I read through the ingredients and method, it seemed pretty simple!  I was amazed.  I just had to make it.

Pulled Pork Burrito
adapted from Pulled Pork Sandwich, Simply Recipes

Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce (plus a little bit of adobo sauce)
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4 Tbsp light brown sugar

- 1 1/2 pounds of pork shoulder
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups of water
- Salt
- 4 flour tortilla
- 1 heirloom tomato, diced
- 2 lettuce leaves, thinly sliced
- optional: shredded cheese, Spanish rice, beans, onions

Tools
- food processor or blender
- large pot or iron cast pot

Steps
1. Purée all of the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. If you have extra time, marinate the pork in the sauce overnight or for several hours before cooking.

2. Put sauce, bay leaf, and pork into a large pot (or crock pot) and add 2 cups of water. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, covered, turning frequently, for 1.5 hours or until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork.

3. Remove the pork from the pot.  When cool, shred pork into small pieces. Set aside.

4. When the pork is cooling, reduce the sauce by two-thirds. Add the pork back to the sauce. Salt to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving.

5. Heat the flour tortilla by placing it in a hot pan for 1-2 minutes.  Assemble the burrito with pork, diced tomatoes, and lettuce (add additional topping as desired). 

Serves 2.

Spicy Orange Chicken (No, Not Panda Express-like!)

Whenever I see the words "orange chicken" I imagine these bright orange-looking chicken pieces sitting in a heavy sweet sauce at the Panda Express in the nearby mall.  I know I don't make it sound appetizing, but I actually like it.  Who doesn't like chicken-like meat deep fried and smothered in a sweet tangy sauce?  And on top of a big mountain of greasy chow mien?  Yum!  It's the ultimate fast food!

Last night I made these spicy orange chicken thighs as to keep up with the orange-themed recipes.  I still have so many oranges left, even though many have been shared already.  Maybe I need to stop picking them... but it's oh so fun :P.  I didn't have many expectations as to what they would taste (I just hoped it would be edible), but it was surprisingly delicious!  The must-have ingredient of this dish is the chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce (do not substitute or skip it!).  I actually googled this ingredient because I had no idea what I should be looking for in the market.  Working with new ingredients is adventurous and fun at the same time.  The chicken was filled with sweet yet spicy flavors of the peppers and it worked well with the oranges.  I paired the meal with a fresh spinach salad of strawberries, pieces of pomelo (yes, individually handpicked by moi, hard work man!), and chopped pimento olives mixed with store-bought red wine vinaigrette dressing.

Spicy Orange Chicken
adapted from Orange Marinated Chicken, Simply Recipes

Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs or drums, skin on
- 3 oranges, peeled and seeded, coarsely chopped (or 1-1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice)
- 1/4 onion, chopped
- 2 whole chipotle chili peppers (in adobo sauce)
- 2 small cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- about 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried)
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
- 2 tsp fresh marjoram leaves (or oregano, or 1/2 tsp dried of either)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp butter, melted

Tools
- food processor or blender
- gallon-size freezer bag or large container with lid

Steps
1. In a food processor or blender, combine the chopped oranges, onion, chipotle in adobo, garlic, cilantro, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and salt. Pulse a few times to make a coarse purée.

2. Combine chicken thighs and the orange marinade together either in a ziplock freezer bag or container. Refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight).

3. Preheat oven to 425°F.  Remove marinated chicken thighs and wipe off excess (but not all) and place in a baking pan.  Melt butter and pour butter over chicken pieces.

4. Bake for a total of 50-55 minutes, until the skins are crispy brown, and the chicken is cooked through, juices running clear (thighs have an internal temperature of 175°F).  Let rest, covered in foil, for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 2-3.