Peanut oil

Congee With Smoked Pig’s Tails & Vegetables

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Rice Porridge.
First thing that comes to mind is probably baby food or hospital gruff. Most folk’s would never think of ordering it from a menu in a restaurant, much less wake up and crave it for breakfast, if they hadn’t tasted or at least seen it before.

Now, let’s try again :
Congee. Lúgaw. Chok. Xifan. Juk. Okayu.
OK, that’s better 🙂

Sounds more interesting and exotic? These are just a few names given to rice porridge around the world. If there is a country or region which traditionally eats rice, then there is some form of rice porridge eaten.

Congee can be enjoyed as breakfast, snack, lunch or dinner. Congee most often contains rice, but other grains can be used. Ideally it is made with strong, tasty stock that infuses great taste and debt into the dish. But from there on, let your fantasy run wild. Congee can be made with seafood, meat, vegetables or a combination thereof. Then there are the toppings. Pickled vegetables, fried shallots, sliced scallions, pulled mushroom stems, crisp fried garlic, dried shrimps, 100 year eggs, cilantro, etc, etc. If you like it, put it on.
Below is a version I made on sunday for breakfast. The texture is more like a filipino Lugaw, with the rice VERY soft but still keeping it’s shape. At first I was not so sure about the smoked pigstails. I was worried they might be too overpowering. But not to worry. The taste was very rich with only a hint of smokiness. Another slightly unusual ingredient (served as condiment) was the freshly grated horseradish, although when you think of the japanese version Okayu, wasaby seems to be a fitting condiment. I prepare congee at home often, this version is definitely special and a great addition to my congee repertoire.
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All about CONGEE
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Previous CONGEE posts : 1 2 3
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Ingredient’s :

Jasmin rice,
Smoked pig’s feet,
Corn on the cob, cut into thick slices
Chinese unsmoked sausages, thinly sliced
Bell peppers, diced
Ginger, grated
Garlic, paste
Cilantro, chopped
Scallions, sliced
Salt,
Soy sauce,
Horseradish, freshly grated
Sesame oil,
Chili oil,
Peanut oil, to saute

Method :

Saute garlic and ginger in peanut oil until fragrant. Add water and pigstails. Simmer pigstails in unseasoned water for about an hour or until starting to become tender. Taste stock and if necessary season with salt and pepper. (Some smoked meats can be overly salted, so don’t season at first) Add rice and very slowly simmer for another hour or until the rice is close to the texture you desire. Now add the corn, diced peppers and sausages. Simmer for another fifteen minute. At this point, adjust texture and seasoning if necessary. If the congee is too thick for your liking, add some hot stock. If it is too thin, simmer longer or strain some of the liquid.
To serve, sprinkle with scallions and cilantro. Drizzle with chili oil.
Serve with horseradish and soy sauce. Acompanied by Oolong tea.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Pork Medallion “Almondine”

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Yesterday’s late lunch, pork medallion in almonds, creamed spinach, sauteed grapes.
I knew it was turkey for dinner at my friend’s house, so no turkey at home. I did make and take the sidings though, creamed spinach, mashed sweet potatoes, gravy and walnut-cranberry stuffing.
Anyway, here is lunch. Enjoy 🙂

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Ingredients :

Pork medallion,
Almond‘s, slivered
Bread crumbs, fine
Egg, whole, whisked
AP flour,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Peanut oil, to saute

Spinach, washed, stems removed, chopped
Onions, diced
Garlic, paste
Heavy cream,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Nutmeg, grated
Butter, to saute

Grapes,
Butter, to saute

Season pork with salt and pepper. Dipp in flour,
egg and mixture of half breadcrumbs, half almonds.
Saute slowly to make sure almonds don’t get to dark
and bitter. However, oil must be hot enough to prevent
Breading to get soggy.

Saute onion and garlic until translucent, add cream
and reduce until thickened. Add spinach and seasoning,
cover with more cream and simmer until cream has reduced
again and texture is creamy.

When pork is done, remove onto absorbent paper.
Add a bit of butter and grapes to the pan, saute a few seconds
until grapes are warm. Spoon butter and grapes over pork.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Spicy Squid & Vegetables

This recipe work’s as well with other seafood, such as shrimp, mussels, lobster, cuttlefish, octopus, etc. Even chicken, beef, pork, or all vegetables for a vegetarian version, you name it. But here, squid it is. The secret to a successful squid dish is to not overcook the squid. Sauteing a few seconds in a very hot pan, then removing them and adding back to the dish at the very end of the dishes cooking process, making sure they don’t simmer or boil anymore, will do the trick.
Enjoy 🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Squid, cleaned, cut into squares
Potatoes, peeled, cut into thick slices, cooked
Corn on the cob, sliced, cooked
Cauliflower, rosettes, blanched
Tomatoes, diced
Onions, diced
Garlic, paste
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Kosher salt,
Hoisin sauce,
Scotch bonnet hot sauce,
Soy sauce,
Ketchup,
Peanut oil, to saute,

Method :

Saute squid on high heat until opaque, 3-4 seconds, remove, reserve.
Saute garlic and onions until fragrant, add all other ingredients
and saute until heated through. Remove from heat, mix with squid.
To serve, sprinkle with fair amount of cilantro.

Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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Vegetables In Fermented Black Bean Sauce

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By now my readers will have discovered that I am not exactly a vegetarian.
I love my meat and seafood and can’t imagine how one can miss this exciting
part of our culinary world.
However, once in a while, I have a sudden urge for rice and vegetables.
The first thing that usually comes to my mind during such a rare moment is
soup or fried rice of some sort. What usually makes me especially look forward
to a vegetable dish is the inclusion of fermented bean paste.
It gives the food such a special flavor that it is, in my opinion at least, the one
seasoning which can bring a vegetable dish to a whole other level of goodness 🙂

Here is what I have concocted for dinner today :
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Ingredients :

Asparagus, blanched
Snow peas, blanched
Mushroom, sliced thick
Grape tomatoes, whole
Onion, sliced
Scotch bonnet, thinly sliced –
( Careful !!! Extremely spicy ! Omit if you can’t stand the heat )
Mini Peppers, thinly sliced
Scallion, thinly sliced
Ginger, grated
Garlic, paste
Bean paste,
Oyster sauce,
Soy sauce,
Kosher Salt,
Vegetable stock,
Corn starch, slurry
Peanut oil,

Method :

Saute onion, garlic and ginger until fragrant,
deglaze with stock, add seasoning, add slurry.
Simmer for one minute, add all vegetables and heat through.
To serve, sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallion.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Flank Steak & Veggies “

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I have done a few variations of this dish lately and I have become a real fan of it.
Cutting the flank in finger sized pieces, dusting it with corn starch and sauteing
at high heat gives a very pleasant texture and taste. And of course, mixing it with
great vegetables, lots of garlic and then deglazing the pan with red wine or
white wine, depending on the type of veggies – what could be better, once all
these flavors and textures come together in a simple, hearty, flavorful dish 🙂

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Ingredient’s :

Flank steak, cut into large strips
Corn starch, to dust beef
Onions, diced
Grape tomatoes, whole
Artichoke hearts, whole, canned
Butter beans, canned
Garlic, paste
Scallions, sliced large
Oyster sauce, to taste
Sriracha, to taste
Teriyaki sauce, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
Cayenne, to taste
Peanut oil, to saute

Method :

Season beef with salt and pepper, dust with corn starch and saute
in very hot oil until nicely browned at the outside, rare on the inside.
Transfer to a rack with a plate underneath to catch the juices.
Saute all vegetables and garlic. except scallions, until fragrant.
Add a bit of white wine and the collected beef juices to deglaze,
add sriracha, oyster sauce and teriyaki sauce, blend well.
Add the beef, adjust seasoning if necessary .
To serve, sprinkle with the sliced scallions.

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” Lion’s Head Soup ” ( Shr Za Tou )

>Today I made a soup for dinner which is traditionally eaten during the cooler months of the year. But I figured it is cold somewhere in the world, even if it isn’t so in Miami, so what the heck, bring it on. Besides, I turned the a/c down a bit so all was fine 🙂
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All about LION’s HEAD SOUP
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Ingredients :1 pound ground pork
1/2 pound mung bean noodles, soaked
1 whole egg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
5 chinese black mushroom
1 red radish, finely sliced
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon ginger root, paste
2 scallions, sliced
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 head napa cabbage, sliced coarsely
2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoons sesame oil
salt. to taste
cayenne, to tasteMethod :
1. Mix the ground pork, egg, cornstarch, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, salt, cayenne and half of the scallions together in a bowl.
  Use your hands to mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat.
  When the oil is hot, saute the napa cabbage and mushrooms until cabbage begins to wilt, about one minute.
  Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
3. Shape the pork mixture into tennis ball size balls.
  Add them into the boiling stock. When the last ball has been added, cover with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes, depending on size of dumplings .
  When dumplings are done, (at this point, they should be very light and delicate in texture) remove from heat and add noodles and seasoning to the soup.
  To serve, garnish with remaining scallions and cilantro, drizzle with sesame oil and chili oil..Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Sauteed Chicken, Potatoes & Vegetables “

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Today’s lunch 🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Chicken, boneless, diced
Asparagus, blanched, halved
Potatoes, turned, blanched
Red peppers, cut into triangles
Onions, diced
Garlic, paste
Scallions, sliced
Peanut oil, to saute
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, freshly ground

Method :

Saute chicken until golden brown but still juicy.
Remove to absorbent paper, reserve. Saute potatoes
until lightly browned, add garlic, onions, peppers and
scallions and saute until garlic becomes fragrant.
Remove from heat, add chicken and seasoning, mix well.
To serve, sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Stirfried Chicken, Asparagus & Cashew Nuts “

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After a couple of heavy hitter meals during the past few day’s,
I decided to go a bit lighter today with this old asian standby,
chicken with cashew nuts. Light, tasty and delicious. I did not
add any starch, but it pairs equally well with noodles or rice.
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Ingredients :

Chicken leg, deboned & diced
Asparagus, blanched
Cashews,
Onions, coarsely sliced
Garlic, paste
Ginger, grated
Soy sauce, to taste
Oyster sauce, to taste
Chili sauce, to taste
Chili oil, to taste
Sesame oil, to taste
Peanut oil, to stir fry

Method :

Stir fry chicken until golden, remove to absorbent paper, reserve.
Sautee onion, garlic and ginger until fragrant, add asparagus,and seasoning.
Simmer for one minute, add chicken and any accumulated juices, mix well.
To serve, pour over noodles or serve with Chinese steamed rice (fan)

吃个饱 ! Life is Good !
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” Teriayki Salmon & Garlic Noodles With Straw Mushrooms In Oyster Sauce “

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Garlic noodles with anything ! What’s not to like ?
For yesterday’s dinner, I added teriyaki glazed salmon, which
made for a great, healthy (the salmon :-), good looking dinner .
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Ingredient‘s

Salmon :
Salmon filet, trimmed, skinless
Teriyaki sauce, to taste
Salt, to taste
Cayenne, to taste
Peanut oil, for sauteeing

Noodles :
Rice noodles, cooked, drained
Straw mushrooms, canned, drained
Ginger, grated
Garlic, paste
Onions, julienned
Chilies, sliced
Scallions, sliced
Sesame oil,   to taste
Soy sauce,   to taste
Chili oil, to taste
Oyster sauce,   to taste
Sriracha,   to taste
Peanut oil, for sauteeing

Method :
Salmon :

Season salmon with salt and pepper and sautee on skin side until golden.
Brush bottom side with teriyaki sauce, turn and brush skin side.
Put into 375 degree oven and cook for two minutes.
Brush again with teriaki sauce and return to oven.
Repeat until salmon has reached your preferred temperature and a shiny
glaze has formed.

Noodles :

Sautee onions, garlic and mushrooms until garlic starts to turn color .
Add all other ingredient’s and continue to sautee (stir fry) until all
ingredient’s are well incorporated.
To serve, top noodles with salmon and juices which might have formed
while the salmon was resting. Garnish with lemon or lime and cilantro.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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