Soy sauce

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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Stir Fried Chicken, Mandarins, Walnuts & Bok Choy

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Usually I am not a big fan of fruit in my savory dishes,
but here it just seemed to be the right thing to add, and
it made the taste so much more rounded.
The mandarins were a bit on the acidic side, not very sweet,
I think that’s what made it at the end. Very enjoyable dish 🙂
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Ingredient’s :

Chicken Breast, wing separated, cut into large strips
Bok choy, cut on the bias
Mandarines, peeled, segmented
Walnuts, shelled, halved
Chilies, finely sliced
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Sesame seeds, toasted,
Chicken stock,
Kosher salt,
Corn starch,
Garlic paste,
Ginger, grated
Soy sauce,
Sriracha,
Oyster sauce,
White wine,
Sesame oil,
Peanut oil, to saute

Method :

Silken chicken by mixing corn starch,
egg white and water with seasoning and chicken.
Saute chicken wings until almost done, add breast
strips and cook until golden and 3/4 cooked.
Remove chicken, set aside. Sautee bok choy,
add garlic, ginger, chilies, walnuts and mandarines.
Deglaze with a bit of chicken stock and white wine,
simmer for one minute only. Remove from heat,
add the chicken, sprinkle with sesame seeds and
serve with soy sauce and chili sauce.

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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” Naan, Veal Ribs & Other Stuff “

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Last night’s dinner made me realize that I eat a lot of comfort food which does
not necessarily fall into a specific group or cuisine. Sometimes, just raiding the
fridge without a grand plan and simply putting some stuff together on the fly
does produce some great dishes. This was one of them :
” Naan with ribs, chilies, onions and yoghurt ”
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Ingredients :

Veal ribs, simmered, bones removed
Naan, Generously buttered and sprinkled with sea salt
Greek yoghurt,
Chilies, finely diced
Lime, juiced
Garlic, paste
Scallion, sliced
Onions, rings
Sesame seeds,
Oyster sauce,
Sriracha,
Soy sauce,
Teriyaki sauce,
Kosher salt,

Water,

Method :

Blend all ingredients except ribs and half of the chilies.
Put a bit of water into a small, rimmed pan, into which
the ribs just fit, one layer only. Add the ribs.
Cover ribs with the sauce, (the sauce should be very watery
at this point) cover airtight and bake in
a low heat oven until very tender, about 3.5 hours.
When the ribs are tender, the sauce should have thickened
and cling nicely to the ribs.
Arrange rib meat on hot naan, drizzle with yoghurt, add onion rings,
sprinkle with chilies, sesame seeds and scallions and serve with a
garnish of spinach salad and sliced lime.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

” Imperial Chow Mein “

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A Dish I created a few years ago for a chinese restaurant in Bogota, Columbia
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Image by : Hans Susser

Ingredients :

Shrimp, shelled and deveined, tail on, dusted in cornsatarch
Scallops, dusted in cornsatarch
Squid, sliced, dusted in cornsatarch
Egg noodles, cooked and drained
Cooked ham diced
Lap Cheong (chorizo) sliced
Bell pepper, red diced
Bell pepper, green diced
Bell pepper, yellow diced
Green peas, frozen
Onion diced
Scallions, finely sliced
Ginger, shaved
Garlic, paste
Salt, to taste
Lime juice, to taste
Cayenne, to taste
Soy sauce, to taste
Sesame oil, to taste
Sherry wine,
Peanut oil, to fry

Method :

Saute shrimp, scallops and squid in very hot pan until halfway cooked.
Remove and set aside.
Saute all vegetables except scallions, deglaze with sherry.
Add noodles, seafood, ham and seasoning,
saute until well combined, adjust seasoning if necessary .
To serve, sprinkle with scallions.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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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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” 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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” Braised Pork Ribs With Fermented Black Bean Sauce “

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Today I wanted to use my newly purchased glass cooking vessel, “guaranteed stove top save”
Well, it might have been be save from talking or painting or other such mundane undertakings, but it certainly was not save from exploding into a thousand pieces.
So much for ” guaranteed warranties ” . ( Kind of like the promises of our politician’s ).
Any way, after I cleaned up the mess and calmed Bella down, I proceeded to cook dinner the old fashion way, on the stove top in a rigged metal steamer.
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Braised pork ribs with fermented black bean sauce & rice.
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Ingredients :

Pork ribs,
Scallion,
Onion
Chilis,
Ginger,
Garlic
Cilantro
Soy sauce,
Fermented black bean sauce
Scotch bonnet hot sauce
Sesame oil
Water or unsalted stock

Method :

In a steamer (or makeshift steamer)put all ingredients except
half the cilantro you are using in the bottom of the steamer.
Add a wire rack, place ribs on top and cover air tight.
Steam for one hour or until ribs are tender.
Remove ribs and set aside. Strain sauce and brush both sides of ribs.
Put ribs back on rack on a clean baking tray and bake in oven until
nicely glazed, repeatedly adding more sauce as needed.
To serve, nape with remaining sauce and sprinkle with
cilantro and some more chilis.