spicy

Mongolian Beef

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Fact: Mongolian Beef is not Chinese food.
Fact: Mongolian Beef is not Mongolian food.
Fact: Mongolian Beef is an American creation from the 40’s.
Fact: Mongolian Beef can be pretty awful.
Fact: Mongolian Beef can be pretty good.
Fact: Mongolian Beef has a million and one recipes – different beef cuts, different vegetables, different sauce, etc.
Fact: Mongolian Beef should contain beef strips and scallions stir fried in peanut oil and finished in a savory, spicy brown sauce.
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Fact: THIS Mongolian Beef recipe is super delicious 🙂
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Mongolian Beef

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Preparation :
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: make a sauce by mixing 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup oyster sauce, 1/3 cup hoi sin sauce, 1 tsp garlic paste, grated ginger and chili flakes to taste

: slice 5 stalks of scallions on the bias

: cut 16 oz flank steak into 1/4 inch thick slices

: season beef with 2 tblsp cornstarch, 2 tblsp soy sauce, white pepper to taste

: mix well and let rest for at least 30 minutes (this cooking method is called velveting)

: add garlic oil to a very hot pan or wok

: stirfry the beef until well browned but still rare

: add scallions

: add the sauce

: bring to a simmer once, remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning, serve with rice or noodles; serves 2

: Mongolian Beef

: Mongolian Beef

: Mongolian Beef

: Mongolian Beef

: Mongolian Beef

: Mongolian Beef

: 飯 – Fan (Chinese Steamed Rice)

: garlic confit for garlic confit paste in progress……unrelated to the mongolian beef, except that I used some of the oil for stirfrying…..

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Tostadas Al Pescado (Fish Tostadas)

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When you decide to make tostadas, the biggest decision will be if you want to prepare your own tortillas and fry them to a flat crisp or buy packaged tostada shells, which you can buy in any supermarket nowadays’, most of excellent quality. After that, the most sensible thing is to put the tostadas on a platter in the center of the table, arrange all the toppings in bowls around them and let everybody assemble their own favorite. Traditionally, refried beans, cotija cheese, a simple salsa and sometimes seafood are the main ingredients/toppings.
But, as you can imagine, tostadas, like most other dishes with a long culinary history, have evolved and advanced to be more adventurous and varied. Anything you fancy is allowed to grace your tostada, as long as it is delicious and makes you smile 🙂
Refried beans, shredded lettuce, sour cream, any cheese, any seafood, sausage, meat, grilled vegetables, any salsa, guacamole, etc, etc.
I happened to have some fresh Swai fillets at hand as well as white cabbage for a tasty cabbage slaw. Added some guacamole, salsa Mexicana and a bit of sour cream and BINGO ! – exiting lunch served in a snap 🙂
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Salsa Mexicana Recipe:
2 medium tomatoes- diced; 1 med white onion- diced, 3 jalapeños- chopped, 1/3 cup cilantro- chopped; lime juice and kosher salt- to taste; combine, check/adjust seasoning.
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Tostadas Al Pescado (Fish Tostadas)

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Preparation :
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: combine 3 cups finely sliced white cabbage, 1/2 cup sliced red onion, 1/4 cup sliced scallion, sliced red chillies to taste with1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tblsp lemon juice, 1 tsp garlic paste, kosher salt to taste

: cabbage slaw

: cut 2 swai filets into 3 or 4 strip’s each (depending on size of fillets), season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: dredge fillets in A/P flour

: saute fillets in vegetable oil until golden and cooked through

: ahhhh…..

: Tostadas Al Pescado (Fish Tostadas)

: ready to assemble…..

: top fried tortilla with slaw

: top with fish fillet, drizzle with lime juice

: top with guacamole

: top with salsa Mexicana

: top with sour cream and chili (chili optional)

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Pork, Cabbage & Chili Noodles

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Ahhh, the refreshing, liberating, exciting, sinus-clearing effect of eating a dish as spicy as one can handle.
The key here is –
“as spicy as one can handle” ! (Hot as hell in my case)
To season something beyond a level of spiciness which is comfortable and enjoyable would not make sense – but to stay just below, on a level that hurts but feels good at the same time can be very addictive. While not all the food I eat at home is spicy, once in a while I need the rush which comes from a healthy dose of chili.
If you plan to re-create this dish, simply and sensibly adjust the amount of chili you use to your personal preference.
Like I said on other occasions concerning spicy food –
“It should kick like a lady, not like a mule” 🙂
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Pork, Cabbage & Chili Noodles

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Preparation :
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: prepare a sauce of 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup bean sauce, 1/4 cup hoi sin sauce and 1 tblsp sesame oil

: season 1 lb ground pork with chili paste, kosher salt and granulated garlic to taste, add 2 tblsp peanut oil

: mix well

: stir fry in 2 tblsp peanut oil until pork starts to brown, add 1 medium sliced red onion

: stir fry until onion is translucent

: add 1 lb diced white cabbage

: add the sauce and 1 cup water

: simmer until cabbage starts to wilt, check/adjust seasoning

: meanwhile, cook and drain 1 lb Chinese egg noodles, add 2 tblsp sesame oil and 3 tblsp peanut oil, mix

: plate noodles on serving dish

: top with the pork / cabbage stew, sprinkle with scallions and pickled chilies

: Pork, Cabbage & Chili Noodles

: Pork, Cabbage & Chili Noodles

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Braised Pork Belly In Ginger, Garlic & Soy

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Braised pork belly – one of the finest culinary blessings God has bestowed upon us 🙂
I like to prepare pork belly in many different versions, both Western style and Asian style (one of them being the famous Hong Shao Rou), but one of my most-loved variation is the one featured here. It resembles Hong Shao Rou a bit, but I keep the sauce more liquid and spicy, without adding rock sugar, red coloring, shaoxing wine or tofu puffs. The outcome is a much lighter, less complex version which I sometimes enjoy better than the more complicated and heavy Hong Shao Rou, especially when pairing with rice. On the other hand, if I forgo starch and pair the pork belly with vegetables such as bok choy, cabbage or broccoli only, I prefer to accompany it with Hong Shao Rou, since it’s thicker sauce is more suitable. Aren’t we fortunate that we can choose? 🙂
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Braised Pork Belly In Ginger, Garlic & Soy

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Preparation :
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: 2 lbs pork belly cut into cubes, 1 stick cinnamon, star anis to taste, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1/3 tsp grated ginger, 2 cup water, 3 ea sliced scallion (plus more for garnish), kosher salt and chili sauce to taste

: bring all ingredients to a slow simmer

: simmer until pork is tender but not falling apart and there is about 1/2 cup cooking liquid left (you might have to add more water during cooking); check / adjust seasoning

: to serve, sprinkle with finely sliced scallions and accompany with steamed rice (Fan) ( P.S. – if you serve to guests and/or children, you might want to remove the star anis and cinnamon stick before serving)

: Braised Pork Belly In Ginger, Garlic & Soy

: Braised Pork Belly In Ginger, Garlic & Soy

: Steamed Rice (Fan)

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Shrimp And Potato Salad In Honey/Yogurt Dressing

Raw Organic Honey With Comb

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Once in a while my friends honor me with gift’s of food 🙂
The gift of choice used to be booze, but nowadays I don’t drink alcohol, so the generosity now manifests itself with gifts of special, sometimes hard to come-by food 🙂
Last week Dieter brought me two bags with original German-made weisswurst and bratwurst.
Yesterday, Rubelio and his wife Maria gave me fresh organic raw honey from their own bee hives, honey comb and all.
So, thinking like any normal person, the first dish to prepare with fresh honey that came to my mind was shrimp/potato salad 🙂
Maybe a bit unusual, I admit – but I like to make this great dressing with mayo, yogurt and honey, so there it was – my honey-segway.
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Shrimp And Potato Salad In Honey/Yogurt Dressing

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Preparation :
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: The Good Stuff…..

: wash, peel and dice 2 lbs potatoes

: simmer potatoes in salted water until done, drain, let cool to room temperature

: grill or toast bread of your choice

: 1 lb cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp

: remove tails

: dice 1/2 bunch scallions, 2 med-size tomatoes, 1 med- size cucumber

: for the dressing, mix1/3 cup mayo, 1/3 cup yogurt, 1 tblsp honey, kosher salt and cayenne pepper; stir until smootth, check/adjust seasoning, add all other ingredients, mix

: Shrimp And Potato Salad In Honey/Yogurt Dressing

: Shrimp And Potato Salad In Honey/Yogurt Dressing

: Shrimp And Potato Salad In Honey/Yogurt Dressing

: Shrimp And Potato Salad In Honey/Yogurt Dressing

: Raw Organic Honey

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Stir Fried Squid, Udon Noodles And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce ( Yakiudon)

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There are few dishes more comforting and satisfying than a bowl of noodles with a rich sauce or in a tasty soup – either by itself or with other “stuff” thrown in, such as any kind of vegetables, mushrooms, eggs and any protein such as pork, chicken, duck or seafood. While for me, any noodle is a good noodle, udon noodles rank on top of my favorite list – the plumper the better.
Lately, I’ve been buying the vacuum packaged “fresh” udon noodles from my neighborhood Asian market, but I also have had good experiences with the frozen type more readily available around here. As for the sauce, I like to prep it as simple as possible – soy sauce, oyster sauce or hoi sin sauce, chili paste, honey or sugar, ginger and garlic, sesame oil, chicken-, vegetable- or pork-stock. For a bit of variation in the sauce, I sometimes add a bit of peanut butter or fermented bean sauce, but that’s it – simple comfort food quickly and easily prepared and always just hitting the right spot 🙂
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Stir Fried Squid, Udon And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce (Yaki Udon)

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Preparation :
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: for the sauce, mix 1/2 cup oyster sauce, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1 cup chicken stock or water, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp grated ginger, 1/2 tsp garlic paste, i/2 tsp chili paste, i tsp sesame oil

: simmer udon in salted water until cooked but still chewy, drain

: Clean squid tubes, remove “sine” and if you prefer, black skin

: cut in half

: incise half-way through in a criss-cross manner

: cut into bite-size pieces

: season with kosher salt, cayenne pepper and granulated garlic

: stir fry squid with peanut oil in VERY hot pan for no more than 30 seconds, remove from pan, reserve

: add blanched bok choy, green peppers and red chilis to pan, stir fry 1 minute

: add sauce mix

: add udon and squid, check / adjust seasoning

: Stir Fried Squid, Udon And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce (Yaki Udon)

: Stir Fried Squid, Udon And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce (Yaki Udon)

: Stir Fried Squid, Udon And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce (Yaki Udon)

: Stir Fried Squid, Udon And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce (Yaki Udon)

: Stir Fried Squid, Udon And Bok Choy In Oyster Sauce (Yaki Udon)

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Tomato Spaghetti With Broccolini, Crispy Fried Eggs And Pangrattato (Spaghetti alla Soupi)

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This pasta-concoction deserves to be named after the cook who dreamed it up – ME 🙂
It has many of the “foodstuff’s” I love in one simple dish – pasta, pangrattato, cheese, butter, olive oil, basil, crispy fried eggs and lots of garlic confit.
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Tomato Spaghetti With Broccolini, Crispy Fried Eggs And Pangrattato

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Preparation :
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: saute breadcrumbs in butter

: saute until golden and crispy

: saute garlic paste in butter until fragrant

: add blanched broccolini

: add tomato spaghetti, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, check/adjust seasoning

: plate pasta on serving dish

: sprinkle with pangrattato

: fry eggs in very hot garlic oil until crisp

: remove eggs to cutting board, cut into small pieces

: top pasta with the fried eggs

: sprinkle with grated asiago cheese and fresh basil leaves

: Tomato Spaghetti With Broccolini, Crispy Fried Eggs And Pangrattato

: Tomato Spaghetti With Broccolini, Crispy Fried Eggs And Pangrattato

: Tomato Spaghetti With Broccolini, Crispy Fried Eggs And Pangrattato

: Tomato Spaghetti With Broccolini, Crispy Fried Eggs And Pangrattato

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Shrimp, Egg & Vegetable Salad In Yogurt/Honey Dressing With Grilled Jalapeno/Garlic bread

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Today’s early lunch was a dish I could eat on a daily basis – fresh, tasty, colorful and light.
Although it contained mayonnaise, it seemed to be healthy enough to leave me feeling as if I ate something that is actually beneficiary to my well-being 🙂
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Shrimp, Egg & Vegetable Salad In Yogurt/Honey Dressing With Grilled Jalapeno/Garlic Bread

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Preparation :
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: shrimp, cucumbers, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, hard-boiled eggs

: for the dressing, mix mayo, greek yogurt, honey, kosher salt, cayenne pepper and chopped cilantro

: add dressing to other salad-ingredients, mix carefully

: slice sour dough/jalapeno bread thinly, brush with garlic paste, grill an both sides

: Shrimp, Egg & Vegetable Salad In Yogurt/Honey Dressing With Grilled Jalapeno/Garlic Bread

: Shrimp, Egg & Vegetable Salad In Yogurt/Honey Dressing With Grilled Jalapeno/Garlic Bread

: Shrimp, Egg & Vegetable Salad In Yogurt/Honey Dressing With Grilled Jalapeno/Garlic Bread

: Shrimp, Egg & Vegetable Salad In Yogurt/Honey Dressing With Grilled Jalapeno/Garlic Bread

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Chili-Shrimp Waffles

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Chili-Shrimp Waffles might just have become both my favorite waffle- and my favorite shrimp-recipe.
It is the best thing I have eaten for some time and as you know, I usually eat good 🙂
The key to the success of this dish is the balance between sweet and spicy.
The chili must not overpower the slight sweetness of the waffles, but it should deliver a kick of heat and flavor (the kick of a lady – not the kick of a mule), to support the shrimp in providing a balance of flavor and texture to the waffles.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Waffle Batter :
Ingredients :
1. 1/3 cup flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp sugar, salt to taste, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1. 3/4 cup buttermilk, two egg yolks (whisk the two egg whites to stiff peaks)
Method :
Mix dry ingredients well, add buttermilk, egg yolks and melted butter, fold-in whisked egg whites
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Chili-Shrimp Waffles

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Preparation :
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: blend 3 tblsp honey with 1 tblsp chili oil and a dash of kosher salt

: mix well, add chopped cilantro

: chili-honey

: melt 1/2 stick of butter with 1 tsp chili oil

: add peeled, deveined shrimp, season with kosher salt, saute until heated through, remove 2/3 of the shrimp and chili-butter, set aside, remove tails from remaining shrimp, chop coarsely

: add chopped shrimp and chopped cilantro to waffle batter

: cook waffles until golden

: to serve, arrange waffles-wedges on plate, drizzle with chili-honey and top with reserved whole shrimp and chili-butter

: Chili-Shrimp Waffles

: Chili-Shrimp Waffles

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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 54 – Cheese Polenta With Spicy Italian Sausage And Poached Egg

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When I got up early today, the plan was to do some cleaning and shopping and otherwise just hang and enjoy a quiet Easter Sunday, having a couple of sandwiches and some fruit.
I opened the fridge with the sole intention to get two apples as breakfast and wait for lunch to have a sandwich or something else which does not require more than five minutes in the kitchen. Well, such was the plan – until I saw the spicy Italian sausage and figured that it would help me to a more enjoyable start of the day. The sausage was quickly joined by some eggs and – what the heck – cheese polenta.
Looking at the pictures now and remembering this tasty dish, I must say it was a wise decision to over-rule the two apple-breakfast and go with this beauty instead.
(Later on, there was a great lunch and even greater dinner; – so much for good intentions and not spending much time in the kitchen)
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