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Spicy Octopus And Rice Noodles In Peanut Sauce

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Yesterday, on my way home from work , I told myself that under no circumstance will I cook and clean up the kitchen, I was just too tired and a bit under the weather.
So, while driving along university drive and contemplating where to stop for a bite or some take out, evaluating the choices a I checked out the restaurants along the way, I crossed off one after the other, knowing that none of them would be able to satisfy my craving for real, good, tasty food for a decent price. Eventually, as I drove by my favorite Asian Market, I made a quick stop to buy some octopus sashimi. I was not sure at this point what I would prepare with it, but I usually have enough stuff at home to fix a couple of good meals. When I got home, rice noodles, peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic paste, grated ginger, chili oil, sesame oil, red chilies, green peppers and onions were the usual suspects. Together with the octopus they became a great and perfect dinner.
As usual, more often than not, if I want to eat exactly what I want, I have to prep it myself (and clean up the kitchen afterward 😦 ).
But as always, it was well worth the time and effort and I’ve saved a bunch of good dollars doing it 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Spicy Octopus And Rice Noodles In Peanut Sauce

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Preparation :
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mix soy sauce, water, peanut butter, sriracha, sesame oil, lime juice, chili oil, simmer for one minute, if too thick, add water, if too thin, add peanut butter

season octopus with kosher salt and chili oil, saute in VERY HOT pan with garlic oil for about 3 seconds, remove from pan, set aside

saute onion, green peppers and red chilies in garlic oil

add rice noodles which you had soaked in warm water for 10 minutes then drained, add a small amount of soy sauce and water, cook until liquid has evaporated

add rice noodles which were soaked in warm water for 10 minutes, then drained, add a small amount of soy sauce and water, cook until liquid has evaporated

put noodles to one side of the pan, add some more garlic oil, add whisked eggs, scramble, cook until eggs are dry

add peanut sauce, mix well

stir fry for another minute, check / adjust seasoning

plate noodles on serving dish, top with octopus, sprinkle with chives and sesame seeds

Spicy Octopus And Rice Noodles In Peanut Sauce

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Morcilla And Garbanzos

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Friday night I had my good friend Curtis over for dinner. I made a dish which one usually would not think of serving to friends for dinner, unless they are Latino, Swabian, Austrian (or in any other way weird) 🙂
But honestly, serving Morcilla (Blutwurst, Blood pudding, Blood Sausage, Boudin Noir) to guests requires that you either know their taste in food very well or that you are silly and take a great risk and probably end up ordering take-out pizza:-)
However, Curtis was happy with the dish and so were Bella and I. I actually thought it was wonderful and very special.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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For the 1907 Movie “La Course A La Saucisse”, click here
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Morcilla And Garbanzos

Morcilla
Image property of :
La Course à la Saucisse

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Preparation :
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saute dice onions in garlic oil, add morcilla, saute until sausages disolve, add garlic paste and heavy cream, simmer for one minute, add garbanzos, grape tomatoes, chilies and scallions, simmer until heted through, remove from heat, check / adjust seasoning (if necessary add some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

saute dice onions in garlic oil, add morcilla, saute until sausages dissolve, add garlic paste and heavy cream, simmer for one minute, add garbanzos, grape tomatoes, chilies and scallions, simmer until heated through, remove from heat, check / adjust seasoning (if necessary add some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

saute blanched small potatoes in olive oil, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

add two generous slices of avocado to hot serving plate

top with morcilla ragout

top with sauteed potatoes, top potatoes with crispy onions and scallions

top with sauteed potatoes, top potatoes with caramelized onions and sliced scallions

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Cherry Tomato And Cheese “Crumble”

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The problem with cherry tomatoes is usually that their flavors do not match up with their pretty appearance. So, in order to have a satisfying cherry tomato dish, one must add a lot of flavor and texture. Here now is a recipe which does that and might just become your next tomato go-to recipe. It is easy, economic, looks great and packs a ton of flavor 🙂 It is equally suited as a side dish with a main course, (served here with a small rib eye steak with my home made buffalo sauce), or as a snack or appetizer, served cold or warm on bread (I used Wasa Light Rye Crisp Bread, which is a permanent ingredient in my cupboard)
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Cherry Tomato “Crumble”

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Preparation :
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saute onions, scallions, garlic paste (lot’s of it) and ham in olive oil (replace the ham with mushrooms for a vegetarian version)

add tomatoes, season liberally with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

add half diced swiss cheese and half diced brie cheese

add 50% diced swiss cheese and 50% diced brie cheese

add diced rustic, dry bread (I used 50% sour dough bread and 50% jalapeno/cheese bread)

mix all ingredients

sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and grated asiago cheese, bake at 390 F for 45 minutes or until top is golden and crispy

sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, grated asiago cheese and scallions, bake at 390 F for 45 minutes or until top is golden and crispy

Cherry Tomato “Crumble”

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Lamb Meat Balls In Harissa/Tomato Sauce, With Garlicky Pearl Pasta And Feta Cheese

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Last month my friend Curtis introduced me to a store which I have been missing all my cooking life. It’s the “Foodtown Supermarket” in Davie, corner sterling/dairy rd extension. Here I can find EVERYTHING my culinary cravings will ever desire as far as Asian and Latino food ingredients are concerned. EVERYTHING !!! 🙂 – Live frogs, live crabs, live shrimps, fresh fish heads, intestines, you get the idea.
(You can check it out online by clicking this link, especially read the comments) 🙂
Although Merguez sausage is neither Asian nor Latino, Foodtown has a great quality one on offer, as well as a small selection of other African/Mediterranean items.
So yesterday after work I stopped by there for a few goodies and amongst other stuff I got merguez sausage, harissa and pearl pasta (Piombi)
So here is what I had for lunch today :

Click here for more on MERGUEZ SAUSAGE

Click here for more on LAMB MEAT BALLS

Click here for more on HARISSA
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Lamb Meat Balls In Harissa / Tomato Sauce With Garlicky Pearl Pasta And Feta Cheese

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Preparation :
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cook pearl pasta in salted water, strain, reserve some of the cooking liquid in case you need to thinnen the sauce

cut mild chilies, onion and blanched carrots into triangels

cut mild chilies, onion and blanched carrots into triangles

saute carrots and onions in a generous amount of herb / garlic butter and olive oil until starting to caramelize

add chilies and sliced scallions

add pearl pasta, mix well, check / adjust seasoning

add pearl pasta, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, mix well, check / adjust seasoning

remove merguez sausage from casing, form into small balls, saute in olive oil until medium, add 1/3 of harissa and 2/3 of tomato sauce. If too thick, add some of the pasta liquid, simmer for one minute, check / adjust seasoning

plate pasta, leaving a well in the center

add lamb meatballs and harissa / tomato sauce

sprinkle with finely crumbled feta cheese and sliced scallions

Lamb Meat Balls In Harissa / Tomato Sauce With Garlicky Pearl Pasta And Feta Cheese

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Potato And Carrot Cream With Spicy Octopus

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This started out with the plan to make a simple potato cream soup with bacon. Soon I realized that I had no bacon in the house, so I tried to figure out another approach. Checking the cupboard revealed Spanish octopus in virgin olive oil. I also had a bunch of nice, sweet carrots. This might at first seems like an odd combination, but when you think about it – seafood, potatoes and root vegetables – surely a match made in heaven 🙂 The result was even more delicious and balanced as I had expected, so this dish will definitely be a new standby for me, either as a substantial main course or a small appetizer 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Potato And Carrot Cream With Spicy Octopus

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Potato And Carrot Cream With Spicy Octopus

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Preparation :
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saute onions and garlic paste in olive oil

add carrots, saute until starting to caramelize, but just lightly so that the soup does not get too dark

add the potatoes

add white wine and chicken stock, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

simmer until carrots and potatoes are soft

blend until very smooth

add heavy cream

add sriracha and maggi seasoning, check / adjust taste

season drained octopus pieces with kosher with garlic paste, salt and cayenne pepper, saute in olive oil until heated, add finely sliced scallion

season drained octopus pieces with kosher with garlic paste, salt and a good amount of cayenne pepper, saute in olive oil until heated, add finely sliced scallion

plate potato / carrot cream

garnish the soup with octopus

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Potato And Carrot Cream With Spicy Octopus

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Potato And Carrot Cream With Spicy Octopus

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Jamaican Black Bean Soup With Smoked Ham Hocks And Spinners

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Here is another hearty recipe of wonderful comfort food.
Many folks are familiar with Jamaican dumplings and some have become addicted to them like I have. Although in their most basic form they are made of just flour, water and salt, as part of a soup or stew they can be mind-boggling great because of their unique texture. As for the taste, I usually add garlic paste and cayenne pepper to give them a bit of extra umph 🙂
The traditional shape of Jamaican dumplings is a thick disk shape with an indention in the center. Spinners are made of the same dough, but they are “spinned” between your hands to shape them into tapered tubes, which is the shape I prefer.
As for the protein in the bean soup, use whatever you like and/or have at hand. Chicken, pork, salt beef, fresh beef, even seafood or just root vegetables. Of course, smoked ham hocks are the price in today’s lunch’ version, which could not have been more tasty and delicious.
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Bon Appetit ! Irie, Mon !
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Jamaican Black Bean Soup With Smoked Ham Hocks And Spinners

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Jamaican Black Bean Soup With Smoked Ham Hocks And Spinners

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Preparation :
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simmer ham hocks in generously seasoned water (kosher salt, garlic paste, scotch bonnet hot sauce) until tender but NOT falling apart

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when ham hocks are tender, remove from stock, reserve

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smoked ham hocks

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remove bones from ham hocks, give one each to your dog and his/her friends 🙂

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dice meat and skin into bite size cubes

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add canned, strained black beans, quartered onions, a small amount of curry powder and turmeric and coconut milk to stock, simmer for another 45 minutes

add canned, strained black beans, quartered onions, a small amount of curry powder, turmeric and coconut milk to stock, simmer for another 45 minutes

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blend in electric blender until smooth, check / adjust seasoning

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make a dough of a/p flour, water and salt, knead until the dough looks like this

make a dough of a/p flour, water, garlic paste, hot sauce and salt, knead until the dough is smooth

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roll individual pieces into small tubes like this, simmer in salt water until cooked through, 25 to 45 minutes, depending on the size you prefer

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almost………..

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add meat to soup to heat through

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plate soup in serving dish

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top with spinners

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sprinkle with scallions and/or herbs of your choice

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Jamaican Black Bean Soup With Smoked Ham Hocks And Spinners

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Jamaican Black Bean Soup With Smoked Ham Hocks And Spinners

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Stir Fried Sea Bass In Black Bean Sauce

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This particular fish, Corvina Sea Bass, is, according to the seller, legally caught fish, in contrast to Chilean Sea Bass (Patagonian Tooth Fish).
I have enjoyed Chilean Sea Bass many times while I was living in Argentina in the 90’s, when the fish was still abundant and cheap. Unfortunately, due to overfishing, the fish is now rare and endangered and should only be bought from sources which can proof that their fish was legally harvested .
When properly cooked, sea bass is wonderfully moist and flaky, which lends itself to a variety of cooking methods and recipes.
Following is one of my all time favorites 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for Chinese Steamed Rice (Fan) recipe
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Stir Fried Sea Bass In Black Bean Sauce

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Stir Fried Sea Bass In Black Bean Sauce

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Preparation :
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cut sea bass into large cubes, marinade with five spice powder, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, dust with rice flour, mix well

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saute whole chilies for a second or two, remove, reserve

saute whole chilies for a second or two in sesame oil to flavor, remove chilies, reserve

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saute onions until translucent

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add peppers and scallions, saute for two minutes, add garlic paste and grated ginger, saute until fragrant, remove, reserve

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reserved sauted onions, peppers, scallions and chilies

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saute sea bass in peanut oil until golden, remove from wok, reserve

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add soy sauce, black bean sauce, chili sauce and rice wine to wok, simmer for one minute

add soy sauce, black bean sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil and rice wine to wok, simmer for one minute

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return fish to wok, simmer until fish is almost cooked through, about one minute

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remove from heat, return vegetables to sauce, mix well, check/adjust seasoning

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Stir Fried Sea Bass In Black Bean Sauce With Fan

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Stir Fried Sea Bass In Black Bean Sauce

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Stir Fried Sea Bass In Black Bean Sauce

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Fan & Black Sesame Seeds

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Polpi In Umido – Italian Style Octopus Stewed In Wine And Tomatoes

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Octopus is one of my favorite seafood. Unfortunately, fresh octopus is not usually available around here. I sometimes order it online, but for the spur of the moment, I usually fall back to canned octopus. I have tried many different brands over the years and my favorite is the Vigo brand in garlic/olive oil. I usually prepare a salad by mixing it with peppers, herbs, potatoes and vinaigrette. Once in a while I mix it in a mixed seafood stew. However, for the dish at hand it was the perfect taste and texture. I even added the garlic oil from the can since it has a strong taste of the sea. A quick, easy and very affordable seafood recipe. If you are not a fan of octopus, replace it with shrimp, just simmer the shrimp and sauce for less time in order to keep the shrimp succulent and moist.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more about Octopus
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Polpi In Umido – Italian Style Octopus Stewed In Wine And Tomatoes

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Polpi In Umido – Italian Style Octopus Stewed In Wine And Tomatoes

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Preparation :
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saute finely diced onions and garlic paste in olive oil

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when onions are translucent add tomato paste, saute another minute

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deglaze with red wine, add octopus with it's canned oil, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, simmer fr three minutes, check/adjust seasoning

deglaze with red wine, add octopus with its canned oil, finely chopped tomatoes, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, simmer for three more minutes, check/adjust seasoning

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meanwhile, cook bucatini al dente, strain, mix with olive oil

meanwhile, cook bucatini al dente, strain, add some olive oil

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plate bucatoni, top with octopus ragout, sprinkle with italian parsley and basil leaves

plate bucatini, top with octopus ragout, sprinkle with italian parsley and basil leaves

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Polpi In Umido – Italian Style Octopus Stewed In Wine And Tomatoes

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Polpi In Umido – Italian Style Octopus Stewed In Wine And Tomatoes

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Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog,
please be so kind and click on the video below. Thank you 🙂
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Korean Dinner – Bulgogi, Gamjajorim, Kimchee & Sukju Namul

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Tonight (Tuesday) my fridge and cupboard were nearly empty and the best thing I had at hand was a great looking rib eye steak. I did not feel like having just a plain old steak from the grill, so when I saw the mung bean sprouts and the cooked potatoes, first some Asian, then some Korean recipes started to dance around my head and I decided on this menu, which turned out to be just the flavors and textures I craved and they sure hit a home run with my tastebuds 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for Kimchi (Kimchee) recipe

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Bulgogi, Kimchi, Sukyu Namul & Gamjajorim

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Bulgogi

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Preparation :
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rib eye steak

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rib eye steak most fat removed (leave some on for better taste and texture)

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sliced rib eye steak

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sliced beef, scallions, onions

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pineapple, (for tenderizing purpose, (traditionally use asian pear), onion, ginger, garlic, blend until smooth

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season with kosher salt, black pepper, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, blended pinepple mix, mix well, marinade for 30 minutes (for a tough cut of beef such as top round, marinade up to 8 hours)

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Meanwhile, blanch mong bean sprouts in salted, boiling water for 20 seconds, drain, shock in ice water, drain again

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add sliced scallions, season with kosher salt, cayenne pepper, soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil

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Sukja namul

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heat sliced potatoes with honey, soy sauce, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, when heated through check/adjust seasoning, add white sesame seeds

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sukju namul

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grilling bulgogi

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Bulgogi, Kimchi, Sukyu Namul,

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Bulgogi

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Pig’s Tail Souse

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How many folks have actually tried pig’s tails? Not many in this part of the world I assume. In my opinion, pigs tails are one of the best parts of the pig, but sadly underutilized in the “civilized world”, were we tend to discard secondary cuts or feed them to the animals (lucky dogs 🙂 ).
Thankfully, lately some of these special cuts have found new fans and pigs tails are now widely available again at your favorite butcher and even in supermarkets.
Buy them fresh, smoked or salted (dry or in brine) for a variety of wonderful dishes. For the following dish I used pigs tails in brine.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Pig’s Tail Souse

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Preparation :
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remove tails from brine, rinse under running water for 15 minutes, cover with cold water, season with cider vinegar, garlic paste and hot sauce, simmer until tender but not falling apart, about two hours

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cooked, tender pigs tails

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for the dresing, slice onions, cucumbers and radishes into fine julienne, add kosher salt, cayenne pepper, garlic paste, cider vinegarand a few drops of olive oil

for the dressing, slice onions, cucumbers and radishes into fine julienne, add finely sliced chives, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, garlic paste, cider vinegar and a few drops of olive oil

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