Food

Vietnamese Meatballs

mike — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:49:06 +0000

These meatballs came from a Bon Appetit recipe for meatball banh mi. We’ve made the banh mi, but also had them in soup and other dishes, not to mention snacking on them straight out of the fridge. We originally made them with pork, but they were just as good with ground turkey.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground turkey
1/4 c finely chopped fresh basil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sriracha
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp coarse kosher salt
1 tbsp sesame oil

Directions

Combine all ingredients except sesame oil in a bowl. Form into 1-inch meatballs and place on a lined baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Add half the meatballs and saute until cooked through, turning frequently, about 15 minutes. Repeat with rest of meatballs.

Com Thit Nuong Heo Canh (Vietnamese Rice and Grilled Pork Soup)

mike — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:38:36 +0000

This recipe arose out of leftover pho and kalbi. Rather than make the usual pho with rice noodles and thin-sliced beef, we used rice and kalbi along with the usual ingredients. The result was very good — the grilled pork adds a nice depth to the flavor, and using leftover rice it’s faster to prepare and easier to eat than with noodles. We’ve had it several times since, with white and brown rice, and it’s been satisfying every time.

Ingredients

pho broth
kalbi or other grilled meat
1/4 white onion, sliced thin
2 green onions, chopped
rice, white or brown, fresh or left over
thai basil, cilantro, or mint
lime, hoisin, sriracha

Directions

Heat the broth in a saucepan. Meanwhile, arrange rice, sliced meat, onions, and green onions in deep bowls. Serve with herbs, lime, and sauces to taste.

Dry Sauteed Long Beans with Ground Turkey

mike — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:40:25 +0000

This dish was modeled on the dry sauteed green beans found at some Chinese restaurants (e.g. Chiang’s in north Seattle), which is composed mainly of the beans and fine pieces of spicy ground pork. I looked at a few recipes (e.g. this one) but I was surprised to find that the beans weren’t as dry sauteed as I thought — the basic procedure is basically to deep fry them in oil, then dry sautee them with the pork. Instead, I wanted to use my dry charred approach (though I ended up with a second step that was not dry sauteed). So I took a few ideas from the recipes I found, but basically made up my own. I also substituted turkey for the pork, to keep it marginally healthier and long beans for the green beans, because I like them. Either should do fine. The end result came out about perfect, just what I was going for — a flavorful dish focused on the beans but complemented by flavorful meat.

One note: I’ve done the beans in the past in a nonstick skillet, which worked pretty well. This time I tried a non-nonstick pan and don’t think it worked as well. I’m still not sure the best pan for this.

Ingredients

Long beans cut in 2-3″ lengths, about 3 cups worth
1/2 lb ground turkey
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, chopped
chili paste, ideally with seeds (e.g. sambal olek), or sriracha otherwise
sambal olek or other chili sauce or paste
soy sauce, shao hsing wine, sugar, corn starch, vegetable oil

Directions

Combine the ground turkey with about 1 tsp salt, 1tsp pepper, and 1 tsp corn starch. Mix it with fingers and let it stand. Meanwhile, heat a 12″ nonstick skillet on medium for 2-3 minutes. Mix 1 tbsp soy, 1 tbsp shao hsing wine, 2 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp corn starch and set aside.

Add the long beans (no oil!) and a pinch of salt and pepper. The beans may not all fit in the pan without being piled up too much, so you may need to do this in two batches. Stir the beans occasionally for about 5 minutes, adding a little more salt and pepper as you like. The beans should start to wrinkle and shrink a little. Push the beans to one side of the skillet and add a tiny amount of soy sauce; let it burn off for a few seconds, and then stir the beans through the soy. Keep the beans moving for 2-3 more minutes, adding a little more black pepper. The beans should char a bit and continue to wrinkle and darken. Remove them from the pan.

Heat some oil in the skillet at medium-high heat. Add the turkey and brown, breaking it up with the spatula so it’s in small pieces. After 2-3 minutes, clear a space in the skillet and add some soy sauce and 1/2 to 1 tsp chili paste to taste. Let it sautee for a few seconds then mix the turkey through it. Stir the turkey only occasionally, to let it char against the bottom of the pan a little. Remove from the pan.

Turn the heat to medium and add a little oil to the pan. Add the garlic and sautee until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add about 1/3 of the soy mixture and sautee for another 30 seconds or so. Add the meat back followed by the long beans. Stir fry for a few minutes, adding the soy mixture a little at a time, along with chili paste to taste. When everything is hot and mixed thoroughly, turn off the heat. Add the green onions and mix. Serve over rice.

Pork Country Ribs Kalbi

mike — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:44:20 +0000

I wanted to try making kalbi, but with something a little less fatty than short ribs. I started with this recipe and decided to try it with boneless pork country ribs. Other than that, I left the recipe alone. They came out pretty good. The country ribs are a lot thicker than short ribs, and I felt like marinade didn’t really penetrate, so I’d cut the pieces thinner next time. The ribs were good served over rice with green onions and sesame seeds, but they were really good in pho broth with rice, onions, and hoisin sauce.

Ingredients

3 lb boneless pork country ribs
1/2 c soy sauce
1 Korean pear or Asian pear, grated with juices
2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 small white onion, grated or sliced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp korean red pepper flakes or ground red pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 (20-ounce) bottle lemon-lime soda, optional (recommended: Sprite or 7-Up)

Directions

Combine all the ingredients other than the pork in a bowl or large plastic container. Add the pork, making sure it’s well submerged. Marinate overnight.

Heat grill to hot and grill with lid closed, about 4-5 minutes per side (country ribs are usually squarish in cross-section, so this is for 4 sides). Serve over rice with sliced green onion, toasted sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes. Or serve in ramen or other soup.

Carnitas

mike — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:37:06 +0000

This recipe was adapted from the one in David Lebovitz’s The Sweet Life in Paris (this version is similar) for pressure cooker. The book is not explicit about braising with the lid off, like the online version is, and so I assumed it was lid on and would translate easily to the pressure cooker. It may be that what I ended up with is fairly different from his, but whatever. It came out very good. I let the pork get really crispy in the last step and it’s really good — crispy meat is far better than you might think at first. We had it with beans, rice, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and green onions. They would be great in soft tacos though. We also put the leftovers in posole, which was tasty.

Ingredients

4 lb boneless pork shoulder
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp chili powder
2 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
kosher salt

Directions

Cut the pork in large flat pieces, about 1″ thick and 4″ square. Rub all over with salt. Heat the oil on medium high in the pressure cooker and brown the pieces of meat thoroughly, in two batches if necessary. Remove the meat and blot any excess oil. Add a cup of water to the pressure cooker, scraping the bottom to remove the brown bits. Add the pork back to the cooker, along with another cup of water and the garlic, chili powder, bay leaves, cumin, and cinnamon stick. Seal the pressure cooker, turn the heat to high, and bring the pressure up to 15 lbs psi (second red line on kuhn rikon cookers). Turn the heat down to maintain the pressure and cook for an hour. Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure dissipate. Remove the meat from the cooker and let it cool. Strain the liquid remaining in the cooker.

Heat the oven to 350. When the meat is cool, shred it into two-inch pieces (the smaller the pieces, the crispier they’ll get, so make them small if you like your carnitas crispy). Spread the meat out in a large baking tray (or two) in a single layer. Pour some of the strained liquid over the meat, enough to cover the meat about halfway. Put it in the oven and bake it until the liquid evaporates and the meat begins to turn crispy. Take it out when it’s how you like it (I left it in the oven about 1:45 for extra crispy meat). Blot with paper towels to get rid of any extra oil. Enjoy!

Lemongrass Pho Ga

mike — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:34:23 +0000

After the pressure cooker pho experiment, I decided to try making chicken (pho ga) but wanted to try different flavors. This one uses lemongrass in place of ginger but is otherwise similar. The result was not bad but could have used a little more intensity. Also, the lemongrass didn’t really come through; I will probably try smashing the lemongrass if I try this again. Weirdly, the fat didn’t solidify the way it always does with beef pho, so it was more difficult to skim it off and I didn’t get all of it. I do like using chicken for the meat though, just because it’s easier for leftovers, not to mention cheaper and healthier.

Ingredients

Broth
1 whole chicken, cut into parts, bone in and skin on
2 lbs miscellaneous chicken parts (I used 1 lb necks and 1 lb backs)
1 large yellow onion, quartered, skin still on
2 thick lemongrass stalks, cut into 2-3″ lengths
2 star anise pods
3 whole cloves

1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp whole white peppercorns
3 quarts water
1/4 c fish sauce

To serve
medium-wide dried rice stick noodles
cilantro, basil, thai basil, and/or mint
lime wedges

thin slices of white onion, halved
mung bean sprouts (I personally don’t add these)
hoisin sauce
sriracha or other chile sauce
fish sauce

Directions

Making the broth
Grill or bake the chicken pieces until done. When cool, remove the meat from the bones; preserve the bones for the broth and the meat for serving. Toast the spices in a hot skillet for a few minutes. Remove and toast the onion and lemongrass, browning on all sides.

Put all broth ingredients except fish sauce in the pressure cooker. Bring to a boil on high heat and seal the pressure cooker. Bring the cooker up to 8 lbs psi (first red ring on Kuhn Rikon pressure cookers) and lower the heat. Cook for 1 hour, monitoring the heat to maintain a constant pressure. Strain everything from the broth. At this point either skim the fat or refrigerate the broth overnight and remove the solid lump of fat from the top the next day. Add the fish sauce to taste.

To serve
Boil the rice noodles until tender, about six minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. In each serving bowl, place noodles, reserved shredded chicken, and sliced onions. Bring the broth to a rolling boil in a saucepan and add enough to each bowl to cover the noodles, meat, and onions. Serve with limes, herbs, and sauces.

Posole

mike — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:16:49 +0000

E adapted this recipe to her liking, using canned hominy and adding chicken. It came out great, and we’ve made it about three times already. It can be made with or without the chicken — it’s good vegetarian too.

Ingredients

Soup
1 28 oz can hominy, drained
1 small white onion, diced
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
3 dried red New Mexican chile peppers, stems removed (not too spicy)
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into chunks
3 1/2 quarts water

Colorado sauce
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp finely diced white
2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup ground red chile
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
2 1/2 c water
a quarter of one lime

Garnishes
tortilla strips, crumbled queso fresco or feta, toasted dried Mexican oregano

Directions

Place hominy in a large heavy pot, 3 1/2 quarts of water, the chicken, the onion, garlic, chile peppers, and oregano. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the hominy is tender, and many of the kernels have flowered into popcorn shapes. This can take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 hours. Season with a couple teaspoons of salt roughly halfway through the cooking process. Season again once the posole is fully cooked.

In the meantime, make the red sauce by combining the olive oil, onion, garlic, and oregano in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until the onion takes on a bit of color, a few minutes. Add the flour and cumin, and stir for a minute or two or until the flour browns a bit. Whisk the chile into 2 1/2 cups and pour it into the saucepan, whisking all the while. Stir until the sauce thickens a bit, dial down the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for fifteen minutes or so. Stir in a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and season with the salt, adding more to taste if necessary. Set aside until the posole has finished cooking.

Stir 1/2 cup of the red sauce into the pot of posole, and add more to taste. Spoon the posole into bowls and top with tortilla strips, cheese, and oregano.

Turkey Chili in a Pressure Cooker

mike — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:23:40 +0000

I started with this alton brown chili recipe but modified and adapted. It came out pretty good. Hot but not too hot, a fair amount of flavor. The chipotles in adobo add a nice smokiness which I wouldn’t having a little more of. When I first opened the pressure cooker, there was a little too much liquid, but after standing for 10 minutes or so, it was about right. Next time, I might try masa in place of the corn tortillas. I’d also add some vegetables and perhaps replace the salsa with some canned tomatoes and more spices.

Ingredients
2 lb ground turkey
1 tsp kosher salt
1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer, preferably a medium ale
1 (16-ounce) container medium salsa
1 14.5 oz can “chili beans” (mixed black, pinto, and kidney beans), drained
4 small corn tortillas, cut into 1″ pieces
2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tbsp adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers in adobo)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
vegetable oil

Directions
Mix the salt and 2 tsp oil with the meat. Brown in batches in the pressure cooker pan on medium-high, using additional oil if needed. Remove each batch to a clean bowl. With the heat on medium, add the beer to the pan and deglaze, scraping any browned bits of meat off the bottom of the pan. Add the meat and the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Turn the meat to high and seal the pressure cooker. When it reaches 8 lbs psi pressure (first red ring on Kuhn Rikon cookers), reduce heat and maintain that pressure for 25 minutes. Remove from heat, keep closed, and allow pressure to dissipate. Open, let stand for a few minutes, and serve with toppings of choice.

Pho in a Pressure Cooker

mike — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:53:39 +0000

The first project for my new chanukkah pressure cooker: pho. I started with this recipe with a few changes. The end result was pretty good. The flavor overall could have been a little more intense, but the balance of beef and spices was about right (in the past I’ve made broths that were too star anisey). Of course, with a bit of fish sauce, lime, hoisin, and chili sauce, it was great. Aside from lacking a little intensity, it was probably the best pho broth I’ve made yet. Next time I will probably increase the amount of bones I use and not bother with the shank meat — it fell apart in the broth and was hard to retrieve to put into the bowls, and was not that tasty besides.

Ingredients
Broth
1 lb beef bones
1.5 lb beef shank bones (mostly bone with a little meat)
1 lb beef shank meat, sliced as for osso bucco with bone in the center
1 large yellow onion, quartered, skin still on
1 2″ piece of fresh ginger
3 star anise pods
3 whole cloves
1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
3 quarts water
1/4 c fish sauce
To serve
1/2 lb beef sirloin
medium-wide dried rice stick noodles
cilantro, basil, thai basil, and/or mint
lime wedges
thin slices of white onion, halved
mung bean sprouts (I personally don’t add these)
hoisin sauce
sriracha or other chile sauce

Directions
Making the broth
Put all the beef bones in the pressure cooker and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 5-10 minutes. Remove, rinse the bones thoroughly, and clean out the pressure cooker. While waiting for the bones to boil, toast the spices in a hot skillet for a few minutes. Remove and toast the onion and ginger, browning on all sides.
Put all broth ingredients except fish sauce in the pressure cooker. Bring to a boil on high heat and seal the pressure cooker. Bring the cooker up to 8 lbs psi (first red ring on Kuhn Rikon pressure cookers) and lower the heat. Cook for 45 minutes, monitoring the heat to maintain a constant pressure. Strain everything from the broth. At this point either skim the fat or refrigerate the broth overnight and remove the solid lump of fat from the top the next day. Add the fish sauce to taste.
To serve
Cut the sirloin very thin, across the grain; I like to freeze it for 45 minutes or so to make it easier to slice. Boil the rice noodles until tender, about six minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. In each serving bowl, place noodles, sirloin, and sliced onions. Bring the broth to a rolling boil in a saucepan and add enough to each bowl to cover the noodles, meat, and onions. Serve with limes, herbs, and sauces.

Rosemary Mushroom Chicken

mike — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:09:38 +0000

E tires of asianish stir fries long before I do, and my repertoire kind of depends on them heavily, so tonight I decided to do something more frenchy or something. I’m not very skilled with sauce and I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do when I started, but this is what happened. It was actually pretty good. It didn’t look very magnificent but tasted good.

Ingredients
one boneless chicken breast, halved into two thin filets
one stalk celery, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
6 medium-large crimini mushrooms, halved and sliced thick
1 pepperoncini, seeded, deribbed, and chopped
chicken broth
white wine
1 tsp corn starch
2 tsp flour
2 green onions, sliced
1 sprig rosemary, de-stemmed and chopped
olive oil, butter, salt, black pepper

Directions
Heat olive oil in a 12″ skillet on medium high. Sear the chicken filets for a minute or so on each side. Remove. Add a little more oil and heat on medium. Add the garlic and saute for about a minute. Add the shallots and saute another minute. Add enough chicken broth to fill the pan 1-2cm, and a few dashes of wine. Add a pat of butter, mushrooms, celery, and peppers and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken filets, laying them on the bottom of the pan. Let it all cook on medium until the chicken is just done. Meanwhile, mix some of the broth with the corn starch and flour and add to the mix, along with another pat of butter. Add wine, salt, and black pepper to taste. 1-2 minutes before the chicken is done, add the green onion and rosemary and mix everything up. Remove the filets and plate them, pouring the sauce and vegetables over the top. Serve with salad or fresh vegetables and thick, soft bread good for sopping up sauce.