Kimchi Fried Rice

The last week of December is my favorite time of the year.  Besides Christmas and the New Year, we also have a mandatory shutdown at work, as part of my company's required time-off.  An entire week of no work makes me a happy girl!

I had some smokies left over from our Christmas brunch so I decided to make fried rice.  I also had some kimchi in my fridge (always a good thing to have in one's fridge) so came up with the idea to make kimchi fried rice.  We finished all of the rice by the next day.  Yum!

Kimchi Fried Rice

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup of cooked rice (preferably Korean, Japanese or jasmine rice), about 1-2 days old
- 3 large eggs
- about 10-15 smokies, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
- 1 cup kimchi, thinly sliced
- 1 stalk green onions, chopped
- 2 tsp olive oil + 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp butter

Tools
- wok

Steps
1. Heat 2 tsp of olive oil the wok on medium to high heat. In the meantime, beat 3 eggs in a bowl until well mixed.  Once the oil is heated, add beaten eggs and stir until cooked.  Place scrambled eggs in a bowl and set aside.

2. In the same wok (no need to clean it), heat 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium to high heat.  Add in cooked rice and stir until rice is halfway cooked (rice should be softer), for about 5 minutes.  Add in smokies, frozen peas and carrots, and soy sauce.  Stir until well incorporated, for about 8 minutes.

3. Once the smokies, peas, and carrots are cooked, add in sliced kimchi, green onions, and scrambled eggs.  Stir all the ingredients together and cook for another 8 minutes.  Right before the fried rice is done, add in the 1/2 Tbsp of butter and stir until butter is melted.

Serves 4.

Mapo Tofu... Hmm Hmm Spicy!

On a cold and rainy day, which is what we've been experience as of late, a nice hot and spicy dish on top of white rice or noodles is a great way to end the day.  I loved the fact that I used soft tofu in this dish (you can choose between soft or medium-firm) because the tofu melted in my mouth much like M&Ms.  I cooked egg noodles to pair with the dish and the thick salty and spicy sauce mixed quite well with the egg noodles.  Gosh, I am drooling as I talk about it!

Mapo Tofu
from Appetite for China

A few tips (and variations)...
...I used soft tofu for this dish... it was perfect!  When cutting the tofu, slice it horizontally across first to yield two layers of tofu, and then cut into cubes.
...I substituted pork with ground turkey.  Equally delicious (and healthier too!).
...I used the black bean garlic sauce instead of fermented black beans, pictured here:

...the chili bean paste (make sure to get the spicy kind) is the same as the ones you would use for Za Zang Mien, pictured here:


...I didn't have any leeks so I used green onions instead.
...I left out the sherry/rice wine and ground Sichuan pepper since I didn't have any... the peppers may have made for a spicier dish.
...I added cremini mushrooms since I had to get rid of them soon.

Barbeque Pork, Chinese Style

Char Siu, which literally means "fork roast", is a staple item throughout the world of Asian food.  This bad boy chunk of meat can be placed on top of anything, from white rice to noodle soups and porridge, and in buns such as "char siu bao", a popular dimsum item, or sandwiched in between bread.  When Bubba from Forest Gump started naming out all the different types of shrimp, "There's shrimp kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried.  There's pineapple shrimp and lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp...", this is exactly what char siu is like for Chinese cuisine.  You can put char siu on everything and pair it with anything!  It is also quite delicious all by itself.

Char Siu (Chinese Barbeque Pork)

Ingredients
- 1 lb pork shoulder (aka pork butt)
- 4 Tbsp Char Siu sauce
I use this brand:

- 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar

Steps
1. Marinate the pork shoulder with char siu sauce, garlic, and black pepper overnight.  At first the sauce is very sticky and hard to manage, but check on the pork a few hours later and the sauce becomes more watery.  At this point, ensure all of the pork gets covered in the garlic char siu marinade.

2. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees.  Take out the marinated pork and let it sit at room temperature while the oven heats.  Place pork in oven for 20-25 minutes.  In the last 5 minutes, spread 1 tsp of sugar on top of pork pieces and place it back in the oven until done.

3. Once the pork is done, let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes.  Thinly slice pork and serve.

Serves 3-4.

A few tips...
...if you desire the "barbeque-crisp-burning" type of barbeque pork, then about 10 minutes before the pork is finished, take out the pork and place it on a hot grill (medium heat) until done.
...pork shoulder is the best piece of meat for this, so don't substitute!  The shoulder contains fat sections that gives the barbeque meat its flavor while cooking.
...this barbeque pork will go well with a previous post of mine: Vietnamese BBQ Pork Vermicelli.  It also went well with a lunch meal I made for my nephew recently, BBQ Pork and Dry Tossed Egg Noodles (adapted from 3 Hungry Tummies.  To note: I only used the noodles dressing recipe and substituted caramel sauce with Hoisin sauce).

sweet and savory pork, tangy eggy noodles, and refreshing stir-fry cabbage with shiitake mushrooms

Saucy Dish - Japanese Hayashi Sauce

I took a risk one day at the Japanese supermarket and bought this brown-looking sauce that was on sale.  I actually never tried hayashi sauce until this year!  It's thick like curry but without the spices.  It's salty enough that you have to eat it with rice or noodles.  It's definintely something new that I've never tasted before.  I love the fact that it's really simple and quick to make (nothing beats cooking directions right off the box), and you can add any type of chopped meat (even ground!) and vegetables to the sauce.

Egg-Wrapped Rice and Hayashi Sauce

Ingredients
Hayashi Sauce:
- 1/2 lb shoulder pork, cut into cubes
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 1 1/2 cups of water
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup mushroom, sliced
- 4 blocks of hayashi sauce (half of the box)

Eggs and rice:
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 stalk of green onion, finely diced
- dash of salt
- 2 tsp olive oil (per egg pancake)
- 2 cups of Japanese rice, cooked according to packaging label

Tools
- cast iron pot
- small frying pan
- football-shaped rice mold

Steps
Hayashi Sauce (directly from back of the box):
1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and saute onions and celery until light brown.  Add in meat and cook until brown.

2. Add water, carrots, peas, and mushroom and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.

3. Remove from heat. Break 4 blocks of hayashi sauce (half of the box contents) into the water mixture and stir until completely melted. Bring the pot back to the stove and let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve when ready.

Eggs and rice:
1. Once the rice is cooked, scoop rice into mold and carefully place onto a plate.

2. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a small frying pan.  Beat up eggs and add in green onions and dash of salt.  Add in a quarter of the egg liquids and spread the egg mix around until the pan is covered.  Carefully flip to the other side and cook for about 10 seconds.  Take egg pancake out of the pan and place egg over rice mold. Repeat for the 3 other egg pancakes.

5. Pour a big spoonful of hayashi sauce over egg and rice.

Serves 4.

Vietnamese BBQ Pork Vermicelli (The Cheating Way)

I am calling this recipe "the cheating way" is because of two reasons... one, I already had Chinese barbequed pork courtesy of my parents as part of their take-home items from our Sunday dinners, and two, not all of the items for a typical Vietnamese vermicelli dish were used because I did not have them in my fridge.  This hodgepodge of food ended up to be equally delicious!

Vietnamese Barbecued Pork Vermicelli
Adapted from Barbecued Lemongrass Beef, Steamy Kitchen

Ingredients
- 10 oz narrow flat rice sticks (same as the ones I used for pho)
- 2 large Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, thinly sliced
- 4 iceberg lettuce leaves, thinly sliced
- ready-to-go Chinese barbequed pork, sliced

Fish Sauce:
- 2 chilies, sliced and deseeded for desired spiciness (I was excited to use my own-grown Fresno chilies!)

- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- sliced carrots (optional)
- chili-garlic sauce (optional)

Tools
- mortar or food processor

Steps
1. Soak the rick sticks in water for about an hour prior to cooking.

2. In the meantime, make the fish sauce by mashing chilies and garlic together with a mortar or food processor. Then add all of the other ingredients (except carrots and chili-garlic sauce) until sugar is dissolved.  Add sliced carrots for decoration, and if the sauce is not spicy enough, add chili-garlic sauce until desired spiciness is reached.

3. Slice all the vegetables (cucumbers, carrots, and lettuce) and the barbequed pork.

4. Cook the soaked rice sticks in hot boiling water for about 1-2 minutes (and not any longer!).  Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse with cold water.

5. Place all the ingredients together - noodles at the bottom, then vegetables and pork, then pour about 1 to 1.5 Tbsp fish sauce over the noodles.  Mix and enjoy!

Serves 4.

A few tips...
...if you don't have parents that can supply you with BBQ pork, run out to the nearest Chinese supermarket and look for the hot foods counter to purchase pork!
...after the rick sticks are rinsed with cold water and is resting, it can quickly clump into big balls of noodles.  Don't worry (as I did...) because as soon as you pour the magical fish sauce on it, the noodles will once again loosen up.

Wontons, I Want A Ton!

On a rainy and cold day like this, I crave anything soup!  The past few days I have been consuming a lot of warm liquidy type of food, starting the past weekend with cheese fondue, to Mongolian hot pot, and then Japanese ramen.  This wonton recipe is a perfect "gloomy weather" comfort food when you just want to stay in on a lazy Sunday.  It's easy to make and quick to cook.  The only part you have to be patient with is the wonton-wrapping process.  If you can trick someone into helping you along during the wrapping process, if it's a loved one, friends, or capable kids, it can be turn into a fun activity!

Wontons (餛飩)

Ingredients
Wonton:
- 1 pound ground pork (or ground turkey for a healthier option, or a mix of both)
- ~10 medium sized shrimp, peel and ground
- 2 stalks scallion, finely minced
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 pound wonton wrappers, medium thickness (1 packet from Asian supermaket)
- 1/2 cup cold water

Soup:
- 3 cups of meat broth (pork, chicken, or beef - it's up to you!)
- 2 stalks of celery, sliced (Chinese celery is the best for this soup, so if you can get them, use about 2-3 stalks)
- salt to taste
- dash of white pepper (optional)

Tools
- food processor
- large pot for boiling
- large plates/trays for holding wrapped wontons

Steps
1. In a big bowl, mix together ground pork, ground shrimp (best to use a food processor), scalion, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sugar, and sesame oil.

2. Bring the bowl of mixed wonton filling, wonton wrappers, and 1/2 cup of cold water, large plates, and a couple of small spoons to a large area (eg. dining table or large counter) for the wrapping process.  Follow the pictures and instructions below on how to wrap a wonton:

(a) Using the small spoon, scoop filling on the wonton wrapper.  Note - don't scoop too much, or else it will be difficult to close the wonton and it may break open during the cooking process.




(b) Using your finger, dip in the cold water and line all 4 sides of the wonton wrapper with water.  Fold the wonton in half to form a triangle.





(c) Roate the triangle so that the top corner is facing down.  Dab water on both corners of the wonton (left corner and right corner only).






(d) Push down the middle of the wonton with your finger and form a small crease.






(e) Stick the two corners together (that's why we dabbed water on those corners) to form a wonton!  Make sure to press hard to ensure the corners are sticking to each other.

3. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Once the water is boiling, drop in desired number of wontons to cook (per person, ranges around 6-8 wontons).  When the water comes to a boil again, add 1/2 cup of water to the pot.  Once the water comes to a boil again and the wontons are plump and floating on top of the boiling water, it is ready.

4. Bring the broth to a boil in another pot.  Once boiling, add in celery and cook for about 3-4 minutes.  Add salt to taste.

5. Place broth in a bowl and add the cooked wontons.  Add white pepper (optional).

Serves many.

A few tips...
...this recipe will make lots of wontons and it may not be possible to eat them all in one sitting, so you can freeze these for next time.  To freeze fresh wontons, stick them in the freezer individually (meaning that each wonton should have their own space and no wontons are touching each other).  I typically stick the plate I placed the wontons on in the freezer.  After the wontons are frozen, you can move them into a ziplock bag or container.
...when cooking frozen wontons, make sure you place wontons in boiling water.  When the water comes to a boil again, add 1/2 cup of water to the pot.  Do this for 2 more times to ensure the filling is thoroughly cooked.  When the wontons are plump and float to the top of boiling water, this means they are ready!

Slow Roasted Pork with Carrots and Winter Melon

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I felt adventurous during the Thanksgiving weekend and whipped up a couple of items I never tried cooking before.  This is a typical Chinese slow roasted meat dish that I love, from it's tender "melt in your mouth" meat to the combination of spices that makes the drippings a "must-spread" on a pile of hot white rice.  I was inspired to make this dish while doing some winter cleaning of my kitchen cabinets when I found packets of spices received from my dad awhile back on his trip from Taiwan.  At the time, I just took whatever he tossed my way, not knowing what it was or what to do with it.  I gave a call to my mom to ask what I can do with these packets, and she informed me that I can use it to slow cook any kind of meat!  "Well, why not!" I said, since I have a whole Sunday to myself.  And thanks to my green-thumbed friend EH, I was able to add winter melon freshly picked from her garden just the day before.  The melon made the dish that much more delicious. 

Slow Roasted Pork with Carrots and Winter Melon

Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. of pork shoulder pieces, cut into 1-2 inch cubes
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp rice wine (can use sake)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 cups of water
- 1 packet of "spice pouch" (contains cinnamon, star anise, fennel, clove, and zanthoxylum. Although this packet was brought back from Taiwan, I am pretty sure you can find it at a Chinese supermarket here in the States.)

- 2 carrots, peeled, roughly cut into cubes
- Half of a winter melon, peeled, roughly cut into cubes

Tools
- iron cast pot

Steps
1. Heat olive oil in the crock pot and toss in pork shoulder pieces.  Saute for 5 minutes until meat is lightly browned on the outside.  Add both soy sauces, rice wine, salt, and sugar and saute for a couple of more minutes.

2. Add in water and the spice pouch.  Bring the pot to boil and then simmer for an hour.  Stir meat once in awhile during this time.

3. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add in carrots and winter melon.  Stir meat and vegetables until all vegetables are covered in sauce.  Cook for another 15 minutes, or until the carrots and winter melon are semi-soft.  If needed, salt to taste.

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.

By Request: Za Zang Mien (炸醬麵)

A friend requested the recipe of the Za Zang Mien I make (which I really stole from my mom), so thought I'd make a post out of it with pictures.  For you HL.

Za Zang Mien (炸醬麵), IKE Style

Za Zang Mien contains three different "sauces" all mixed together in noodles - a meat sauce, a tomato sauce, and refreshing sliced cucumbers (I know, not really a sauce but something that stands on its own).  This mix of meat, hot veggies, and cold veggies in hot boiling Chinese noodles is great any time of the day, and any season!  The hubby can kill a big bowl of Za Zang Mien in minutes.

Ingredients
Meat sauce -
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 3/4 lb. ground pork (can use turkey too)
- 1/2 can Bean Sauce, comes in plain or spicy (豆瓣酱, I get the Szechuan brand, blue can in picture below)
- 1/3 jar Sweet Flour Sauce (甜麵醬, I get the Lian How brand, the white cap jar in picture below)
- Water, if needed
Tomato sauce -
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 4 roma tomatoes (or 2 large heirlooms), roughly diced
- 1 stalk scallion, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- Water, if needed
- 2 Cucumbers, thinly sliced (Japanese cucumbers are highly recommended, or Persian cucumbers.  Not recommended are regular big American cucumbers as it gets too watery when thinly sliced)
- 1 pack of fresh Shanghai noodles (I like this noodle especially for Za Zang Mien because it's thick and hearty, which is a good type of noodle to mix the thick sauces with)

Steps
1. Boil a pot of water for the noodles.  Once the water is boiling, put in the noodles and cook until ready, about 10-15 minutes.

2. Slice the Japanese cucumbers with the slicer.  Put in a bowl for serving.

3. Cook the meat sauce first - heat 1 TBSP of olive oil.

4. Fry the Bean Sauce and Sweet Flour Sauce (fry sauces?  I know... sounds strange, but this is what my mom told me by mixing the two sauces together with hot frying oil) for about 2 minutes.

5. Once the two sauces are mixed well together, put in the ground meat of your choice and cook for 5 minutes, or until the ground meat is cooked.  It may be hard to see if the meat is cooked due to the dark sauces, so I would recommend cooking this for 5+ minutes to make sure.  If the sauce is becoming dry, add a bit of water.

6. Once cooked, remove meat sauce to a bowl for serving.

The two sauces mixing together... noodles cooking in the background.

7. Cook the tomato sauce next - heat 1 TBSP of olive oil.

8. Put in the diced tomatoes, chopped scallions, and salt until the tomatoes have been cooked throughly. The tomatoes should be smushed (liking my technical cooking term?), soft, and juicy. Again, if the sauce seems dry, add a bit of water.

9. Remove the tomato sauce to a bowl for serving.

10. Put the cooked noodles into a noodle bowl for serving.  Add about 2 spoonfuls of the meat and tomato sauce to the noodles.  Add as much cucumber slices as you desire.

11. Now mix mix mix! Enjoy!