Deep Asian Flavors (without the calories!)

We all know about the obesity epidemic in the US.
I think it's a huge problem - no doubt. The rising cost of healthcare, the rising death toll... a lot of it because of the poor eating and active habits of this culture. I mean, take say Paula Deen and her cooking which represents southern cooking. Hello! No wonder there's such a huge obese population in the south!

But the thing is, food is a wonderful thing. Really. It draws people, friends and families, together. It nourishes. It energizes. It comforts. And it's beautiful - captivates all of the senses. Seriously - sight, taste, touch, hearing, smell... what is not excited by food and cooking? Walking into a room filled with the aroma of a childhood favorite... hearing the searing or simmering of dinner...

I really think it's the presentation and structure of food consumption that needs to be changed... now, what I exactly mean by that, I'll save for another post.


Right now, I want to talk about my stocks. I think more people really need to try this out. It is so so easy... and the rewards are so great, hardly any consequences!

Steps:

Chop up some garlic, ginger, onions/scallions - or whatever you have, actually!
Buy some cheap cuts of boned meat (neck... feet... whatever!! cheaper the better!!)
Throw it all in a slow cooker and press "ON"
Leave it alone and go about your day. Don't eeeeven worry about it.

At the end of the day, just dump the content through a sieve and into a tupper ware. This is probably the most time-consuming part, if you consider it time-consuming.
Put the stock in the fridge overnight.
The next day, you'll see that the fat has risen to the top and solidified.
Just get rid of that fat!! Low-fat, No fat! Immediate lift of guilt and calories! Plus - all of the delicious flavors are in the gelatinous bottom layer, full of collagen and flavor.
Now, whenever you're cooking a soup or sautee or stirfry, just boil down that stock and i am telling you - you will get extremely meaty and deep flavors. Like you got the dish at a street market in a small Asian town. But this time, you KNOW that animal fat - which is often the most problematic part about animal meat - has been removed.


Please, try my stock method. You will be amazed.

Crazy Dinner Series

I've had several of these crazy dinner series... where I spend 3-4 hours making a full course menu of things for the BF.

Yesterday, I made him a flavorful dinner series inspired by Asian and SE Asian flavors in celebration of the end of his Master's Program year 1 and also in apology for my post-medical-school-prom-inebriated behavior. Heh.

The menu:

Balsamic Fennel Sautee
Crab and Avocado salad with cucumber and cilantro in a fish sauce base dressing
Cucumber yogurt with mint
Lemon and mint cous-cous
Eggplant curry (Baingan Bharta-esque)
Chicken and chickpea curry (Tikka Masala ish)
Thai-inspired tilapia and bell pepper curry


I think he enjoyed it. : ) And I definitely enjoyed preparing it.

Beef tendon and tofu braise

In an attempt to entertain myself in the midst of exam studying, I decided to experiment with some beef tendon and tripe.
I ended up creating an assortment of dishes, as usual.

Here's one that was particularly successful.

Beef tendon and tofu braise

1) Prepare the tendon

Ingredients:
Beef tendon (can be frozen)
Lots of salt/other flavorings

- wash wish warm water
- place in a big tub with water and plenty of salt/other flavors you would like to tendon to absorb. I think it's really important to not go lightly with the seasoning here, as you want your tendon to taste of something
- bring to boil then reduce to simmer, getting rid of the scum and oil that rise.
- keep simmering for 3-4 hours or until the edges of the tendon are tender enough. Inside may still be a bit firm, but it'll finish cooking in the stew

2) The Braise!

Ingredients:
Minced garlic and ginger
oil
stock/water
dark miso
soy sauce, mirin, rice wine
sugar or kepap manis (optional, if you like the sauce a little sweeter.)
XO sauce, to taste. I used about 2-3 teaspoons
tofu
tendon
Fish or meat balls, the frozen kind you can find in Asian grocery stores, often used for Oden (おでん）
cilantro or green onion

- Stir-fry some minced garlic and ginger in oil in a big wok or pot for a few seconds
- Add some cut tofu, letting it warm through and brown a little bit (I personally like that color on my tofu)
- Add some water or salt-less beef stock. I actually used the stock from the tripe that I'd been cooking in my slow cooker.
- Let things come to a boil
- Add a table spoon of dark miso and mix well
- Add a good glug of sake, soy sauce, mirin. I honestly don't know how much I put... I just make sure there's some color, then taste, and add according to what I think tastes good.
- Add some XO sauce. This really is key - takes the dish from tasting really Japanese to a nice Chinese/Japanese fusion dish
- Cut the tendon up into nice chunks and throw into the soup
- Throw your fish/meat balls into the pot. These are really added for extra depth of flavor in the sauce.
- Let everything simmer for a while until you tendon is almost melting away. Really, the tendon in this dish should melt in your mouth.
- In the end, add some cilantro or scallion for some freshness

Delicious~~

Soy Beans Pastes

This post is a dedication to the Japanese versions of three types of lesser known(?) soy bean pastes beyond the widely used japanese "miso" or fermented soybean paste. These sauces/condiments originally are from Chinese and Korean cuisine, but Japanese have to take the idea and create their own version, as always. I'm also more familiar with these products than actual Chinese or Korean ones.

1. To Ban Jan/Dou Ban Jiang （豆板醤）
wiki English
wiki Japan

This is a spicy soybean paste often sold in the Japanese product lane like this :

Shisen ToBanJan, Youki (asianfoodgrocer.com)

My grandmother used this in a variety of chinese-inspired dishes to add a spicy kick, especially Mao Bo Dofu　(麻婆豆腐、マーボー豆腐）
I have several Japanese recipes of this that I can translate and post later, but there are tons of recipes out there.

My Chinese/Taiwanese friends always eat this noodle dish, za jiang mien (炸醤麺), which I think of as the Chinese version of spaghetti with meat marinara sauce. Found a recipe for that from recipetin here.


Other classic dishes using To Ban Jan include:

Hui Guo Rou, 回鍋肉（ホイコーロー）: Often called twice-cooked pork at Chinese restaurants.
Ban Ban Ji, 棒棒鶏（バンバンジー) : Szechuan style beaten chicken
Dan Dan Mien, 担担麺（タンタンメン）: Spicy noodle soup


2. Ten Men Jan/Tien Mien Jiang（甜面醤）
wiki English
wiki Japan

This is a sweet soy bean paste (very distinct flavor in my opinion... I often think it tastes like what people call XO jiang) that is sold in the Japanese food aisle like this:

Ten Men Jan, Youki (marukaistore.com)

Mao Bo Dofu and Ten Mien Jiang often use this ingredient.
I often mix it into hot pot dipping sauces as well.


3. Ko Chu Jan（고추장、苦椒醤）
wiki English
wiki Japan:

And finally we have the traditional Korean spicy chili paste, sold Japanified as a chili pepper miso paste:

Ko Chu (chi) Jan, Youki (asianfoodgrocer.com)

 I unfortunately don't know much about this ingredient and don't use it that often since I don't make spicy dishes too often。Wanted to include it for thoroughness purposes.



 

XO Jiang

XO Jiang（XO醤）

This Chinese sauce has been called the "Caviar of the Orient." I'm not quite sure the actual history of this sauce - maybe legends and myths about who invented it using what ingredients... But I feel it's one of those sauces that any cook who enjoys experimenting with Asian flavors should have in her pantry. It can be quite expensive if bought at the store - a little bottle can cost $10-$15 when other sauces are in the $2 range. You can, of course, try to make your own using various online recipes. But I believe XO sauce is one of those vague sauces where core ingredients may be the same, but it varies depending on who's the chef, who are the eaters, where you're from, etc. etc.

Here is one recipe, on saveur.com via LA chef Sang Yoon:

**********
1 1/4 oz. dried scallops
1/2 oz. dried octopus
1/4 oz. dried shrimp
1/8 oz. dried mackerel
5 cloves garlic cloves
1 stalk lemongrass, stemmed, tough outer leaves discarded, inner core chopped
1 shallot
3 tbsp. Chinese cooking wine
1 1/2 tbsp. dark brown sugar or palm sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. fermented bean paste (dou ban jiang)
1 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup dark Asian sesame oil

Combine dried seafood in a medium bowl and cover with warm water; let soak until soft, about 1 hour. Drain seafood and transfer to a food processor along with the garlic, lemongrass, and shallot. Process into a coarse paste. Add wine, sugar, bean paste, and soy sauce and pulse to combine.

Heat peanut oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Add seafood mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and cook, stirring, until evaporated, about 5 minutes more. Stir in sesame oil and transfer mixture to a clean jar; let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
*************


It's hard to describe the taste of this...
It definitely has a strong taste of dried fish and shrimp. I was raised with those flavors, so it doesn't gross me out at all. But, I also feel these aren't flavors that are too OUT THERE and really requires an acquired taste. Used with other condiments and flavors, XO sauce really blends well in a lot of stir-fries, stews, meat dishes, etc. My take: just try it. Even just a teaspoon in an Asian stir-fry you're trying will make a big difference. You can even try it - mixed with maybe some stock, vinegar, soy sauce, scallions - as a dipping sauce for hot pot.

Top Five Asian Ingredients

I was reading yesterday's 5@5 article on eatocracy (top 5 Asian Ingredients)
And I thought I'd add my own personal ingredients I always keep in stock.

I guess a more accurate term for this list would be 調味料 (choumiryou) - flavoring, seasoning.

1. Must start with the traditional Japanese flavors: soy sauce, mirin (sweet rice wine), and sake.

Adjusting the ratios of these three (with minor additions of some salt or sugar), you can create a wide variety of traditional, home-style Japanese dishes. The nice thing about these three ingredients is, in my opinion, their simplicity. They can really highlight the natural flavors of ingredients - kind of like the salt and pepper of Western cuisine. You can also begin to create layers of flavor with these base ingredients.

For example:
you can try adding some ginger (one of my favorite ingredients to work with).
Butter and soy sauce work surprisingly well
Addition of sesame oil for taste and the aroma
And of course, with the proper use of dashi (Japanese stock... many various kinds that I am not even close to mastering... for the easy way out, just use Hondashi) and right ratios, you can marry these simple seasonings with fresh ingredients and create a dish with flavors of subtlety and depth.

2. Secret ingredient for some delicious Chinese flavors: Wei Pa (味覇 ウェイ・パァー）

Wei Pa : Chinese soup stock (condensed paste form)

This ingredient here is a life-saver. Just stir-fry some garlic, ginger, vegetables, and add a spoonful of this magic (careful! can be salty!) and you'll really get some tasty and light "Chinese" flavor. You can stiir in a a bit of potato starch/hot water to thicken the sauce. Mix things up a bit by adding a little bit of oyster sauce, maybe some XO sauce, or add some chinese five spice - really, just experiment!

You can also put this in hot water for some soup - maybe add some chicken or pork belly. I added some chicken wings and shiitake mushrooms in my last soup.

3. Citrus-vinegar infused soy sauce: Ponzu
It's light, refreshing, and has endless possibilities. Mix with some spicy sesame oil for a dumpling sauce. Use as a light dipping sauce for hot pot or tofu. My mother covers chicken wings with this and maybe some extra salt on top then grills or throws the meat in the oven for a quick and easy dish. I like to boil and cut some okra then top it with bonito flakes and ponzu. You can even buy some yuzu-flavored ponzu. Also delicious

4. Sesame oil
The aroma of garlic and ginger sizzling in some sesame oil - yum. Also, drop some sesame oil on a dish after it's done cooking (any stir-fry, fried rice) for some rich aroma.

5. Cilantro
Japanese surprisingly don't cook with a lot of herbs, but I feel that most other Asian/Southeast Asian dishes go so well with cilantro. Seriously, I love cilantro so much that I can just eat it plain, even. I feel bad for the population of people that have an aversion to this wonderful herb.
But yes, anything with a hint of Chinese flavor, I'll throw in some cilantro if I have any. 



I have a wide variety of other seasonings with which I like to experiments: fish sauce, XOjan (Youki's XO sauce), to ban jan (spicy miso sauce), oyster and mushroom sauce, black and yellow bean sauce, hoisin sauce, kepap manis. Perhaps I'll dedicate another post to these.

My beautiful cats - RIP Kabo

Flavors of Asia: Pork Bone Stock

This is a pork bone stock I've been making and using in a lot of experimental dishes since college.
It is extremely easy to make and in my opinion, quite versatile.
I don't have an exact recipe - just eyeball everything. It's never gone wrong.

Ingredients:
- A package of pork bones (neck, back, wherever. You can probably use other sources of meat as well)
- Garlic (a ton... how much I add always depends on my mood. Maybe half a bulb on average)
   Smash with knife and and put in whole or slice. 
- Ginger (1-2 square inch chunk), cut into slices
- Water and Sake or rice wine (maybe 1:5 ish ratio)
- 1 onion
- Scallions if you want
- Leeks if you want
- Some salt and white pepper

For a more Japanese twist:
- Use less garlic
- Add a square of Konbu (Japanese stock kelp)
- Dried shiitake mushroom
- optional: Hondashi

Don't add soy sauce or any other sauce at this point.
It could overcook and give a subtle burnt flavor, which is NG


Directions:
- Add everything to a stock pot
- Press on and let cook for 6-8 hours
- Strain stock and store in tupper-ware in the fridge
- The stock should congeal and become gelatinous and delicious smelling.
- The unnecessary fat from the pork should rise and solidify on top
   *I usually remove this fat... but you can use it for some creaminess in dishes or perhaps render it.


(Pictures to come soon... next time I make it)


Successful recipes using this stock to come soon as well

Examples:
- Stir-fried flat noodles with cilantro and whatever-vegetables-in-the-fridge
- Risotto-style porridge with ginger and sesame oil
- Soon dubu-inspired tofu soup
- Vegetable stir-fry with pork belly


Current Culinary Goal:
- Making a delicious Tonkotsu (Ton=Pork, Kotsu=Bone) Ramen (豚骨ラーメン)

The flavors of this stock, especially once you start simmering it, adding various spices/salts/sauces, can become really deep and complex; has a lot of body コクがある (Koku = body).
TIP: Definitely needs some herbs (like cilantro) or even just some, uncooked sliced scallions on top in whatever dish you make in order to cut some of the richness/depth of body

 

Flat noodle flavored with the pork stock. Picture courtesy of bf.