Lemon-Ginger-Soy Stir Fry

Mmmmmmm!  This dish was a pure improvisation tonight!!   You will not be disappointed. 
You'll need a wok or a decent sized skillet/saute pan for this preparation and a hungry stomach!! The trick to stir frying is a very hot pan, a good oil with a high smoking point, and your ingredients in approximately the same sizes.


The Players:
2 Boneless Chicken Breasts please use organic, hormone/antibiotic free, free range chicken or just go veggie... seriously people... cut these into 1 inch cubes. Soy Sauce low sodium, about 1/4 cup.  Fresh Ginger  about a 2 inch piece cut into chunks. Fresh Garlic 10 cloves.  Lemon Juice from two organic lemons.  Five Spice 1 tablespoon.  White Rice Wine Vinegar 1/4 cup. 1 large Red Onion  cut into 1 inch cubes.  1 bunch Green Onions organic, white and green parts cut into one inch pieces 1 Green Bell Pepper cut into 1 inch pieces. Snow Peas  about a good handful left whole. Sesame Oil

Preparation:
1.  Prepare ingredients as instructed above.
2.  In a food processor add ginger, soy sauce, garlic, lemon juice, five spice, and rice wine vinegar and process on high til well blended and fairly smooth.
3.  Pour this mixture over chicken in a plastic container, cover, and allow to marinate at least 1 hour or more.
4.  When ready to cook, heat wok over high heat til it begins to smoke. 
5.  Add about 4 tablespoons of sesame oil to hot wok.  Don't worry if it smokes.  You want it to smoke.  Turn on your fan! :)  Let the oil smoke a minute or two until it starts to turn.
6.  Add cubes of chicken to the hot wok reserving the marinade for later.
7.  Brown chicken in wok stirring occasionally for even cooking.
8.  Remove from wok and return to the marinade.
9.  Add 3 tablespoons more oil to the pan.
10.  Allow to come to a smoking point again.
11.  Add remaining vegetables and stir fry just til the colors brighten and they start to get gentle caramelization.
12.  Add chicken and marinade to the wok at this point and toss together.  Allow to cook another 4 minutes, occasionally tossing and stirring.

13.  Serve with steamed rice.

YUM YUM!!!

Hot Wings Mexicana! Ole!

Alright, no picture for this one, but let me just tell you, this was an absolute improvised meal this evening.  Marinated and grilled chicken wings drenched in the combined flavor of lime, tequila, cilantro, and salsa verde.  You will LOVE these wings if you love hot wings, and my wings are healthier, made from fresh, flavorful, organic ingredients.  You may never feel the same about traditional hot wings once you try these, spicy, tart, finger licking good wings.  

The Players

2 pounds of organic, free range, vegetarian fed, hormone free Chicken Wings.  The juice of 4 Limes.  5 cloves of fresh Garlic. 1 bunch of fresh Cilantro (about 1 cup chopped coarsely, stems discarded).  4 tbsps of Olive Oil.  1/2 cup of Tequila.  1 16 oz container of fresh Salsa Verde (from the refrigerator deli section of your local grocer... I like to get it from a latino foods store such as Vallarta if possible.) 1/3 cup organic, raw Honey.  1 tbsp. spicy Mexican Hot Sauce (such as Cholula, Pico Pica, etc... NO TABASCO!)

Instructions:

Wash wings well, and allow to drain on paper towels.

Add lime juice, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, tequila and salsa verde together in a food processor and process til well blended and the cilantro is finely minced and incorporated.

Place the wings in a container and pour the marinade over them.  

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.  

Grill wings over medium to low heat, basting occasionally with the retained marinade, until skins are nice and brown and crispy, and the meat begins to pull away from the end of the bone on the drummettes.

Remove wings to a platter or shallow ad wide serving bowl.  

In a medium sauce pan, bring remaining marinade to a boil over medium heat. 

Add honey, vinegar, and hot sauce, simmer over low heat for 5 minutes longer. 

Pour this sauce over the wings and serve!!

If you find these to be too spicy, you can serve these with a cooling dip made from equal parts ranch dressing mixed to equal parts sour cream.

Enjoy!!

Garlic Lemon Chicken, Wilted Spinach, and Ravioli w/Alfredo Sauce

Sorry, there are no pictures of this.  The natives gobbled it up before I could take the pictures.  When I make it again, I will be sure to get a couple and add them here. 

You'll need the following.

3 Lemons, 4 Chicken Breasts, 2 packages of fresh Spinach (10 oz...), Dijon Mustard, 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil, 1 sprig of fresh Rosemary, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 small carton of Heavy Cream, 1/2 cup of grated Parmesano Reggiano cheese, 2 tablespoons of butter, two packages of fresh Ravioli such as Buitoni brand.


In a container large enough to hold your 4 chicken breasts use a zesting plane to grate the zest of all three lemons

Squeeze the 3 lemons and add juice w/out the seeds to the container.

Add 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, oil, the rosemary chopped fine, the 4 cloves of garlic crushed.  
Mix well and coat the chicken breasts well, and leave covered in the refrigerator, for at least half an hour.

Bring chicken back to room temperature out of the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes. 

Heat water for boiling your pasta, use amount of water suggested on package.

Heat a large saute pan and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

When the oil sizzles add your chicken breasts smooth side down.  Save the marinade.

Cook for 7 minutes or until golden brown then turn over.

When your water is boiling add a couple tablespoons of oil and add your ravioli.

Cook chicken on the other side for at least 8 minutes.  It's almost done when it becomes firm when you press it. 
Add  the lemon juice marinade to the pan and 1/4 cup of water.
Move the chicken breasts to the outside perimeter of the pan and pile the spinach in the middle on top of the liquid. 
Turn off the fire immmediately and put a lid on the pan.
You are not cooking the spinach, just wilting it. 
After 5 minutes remove breasts from the pan and cut each one into four pieces, return to pan with spinach and lemon juice and toss together.  Replace lid.

When pasta is cooked, drain immediately and discard water.

In the same pan the pasta was cooked in, warm over medium heat, cream, parmesan, butter, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, and about 1 tablespoon of fresh ground pepper, stirring until well blended and bubbly.

Turn off fire, and add ravioli to alfredo sauce and toss together.

To serve, put a few ravioli on the plate, then spoon a few pieces of the chicken and spinach in lemon sauce on top of the pasta.

DEElish.
:)

Portuguese Chicken and Linguica

The Austrian's Most Sincere Form of Endorsement.

 

The fragrance of smoked sweet Spanish paprika permeates every room of our house this evening.  It is all that is left to remind us of a most delicious meal.  About 14 years ago I visited the beautiful seaside town of Lisboa where the people are like something out of a charming old world fisherman's tale.   The food is to die for, and the ocean breezes most lovely.

Although this dish is not truly a traditional Portuguese meal, its ingredients pay homage to the flavors I still hold dear in my memories of that place.   Salty olives, roasted peppers, smoked sweet pimiento (paprika), sea salt, and madeira wine.  

I cooked this in a cast iron dutch oven, because I really like the heat conduction it provides.  The ingredients in my pot were at a full boil even with the fire turned down to its lowest setting.  It was my first time using the dutch oven.  It was a wedding present.  (Thanks Tambela) If you don't have a cast iron dutch oven such as this one, you can use any heavy pot large enough to hold about a gallon of liquid, with a tight fitting lid.  You can also make this in a slow cooker if you first brown your chicken, sausage, and onions in a saute pan before adding to the slow cooker. 

I cook this with chicken thighs because they stay moist.  You can use other parts if you like.  I prefer to cook this with the chicken on the bone, to maintain the moisture.  You can use boneless chicken if you like.  You can also remove the skin from the chicken before cooking it for reduced fat content.  Another thing you will be glad to hear, this is a very adaptable recipe.  You may, if you like, add some fresh unpeeled shrimp, scallops, clams, or mussels (or all of the above!!) to the pot about 12 minutes prior to serving.   I cannot eat seafood (much to the boys chagrin) so I didn't add it to ours. 

THE PLAYERS: (your grocery list)

 Chicken Thighs (you know my song... for this recipe, you'll need 6 thighs... organic, free range, vegetarian fed, hormone free please... )  Portuguese Linguica Sausages (these usually come 2 in a pack.  you'll cut them up into 1 inch diagonal pieces.  they are easily found in your grocery store, in the section where the pepperoni, salami, and other dry sausages are found... near the high end cheeses...) Onion (you'll need 1 onion, cut into large pieces... eighths perhaps)  Carrots (you'll need 2 carrots cut into large diagonal chunks... about 1 inch thick) Celery (You'll need 4 stalks cut into 1 inch chunks) Tomatoes (4 roma tomatoes cut into eighths) Garlic (4 cloves coarsely chopped) Red and Yellow Bell Pepper (1 of each cut into 1 inch chunks) Crushed Peeled Tomatoes (in the can... 16 oz)  Broth (2 cups of chicken broth) Piquillo Peppers  ( 1 jar. These roasted Spanish peppers are used widely in Spanish cooking.  I threw them in for a little extra flavor. Find them in most larger groceries with international products, or purchase them online from the link below. ) Manzanilla Olives  (Spanish green olives can be found in the section where the pickles are.  Don't get the ones with the pimentos in the middle. Get whole ones with the pits in. You'll need about 1/2 cup of olives) Pimenton Dulce (This smoked SWEET Spanish paprika is an essential part of this dish.)  You can find it at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and other stores that carry a wide variety of spices from around the world.  You can also order it online below) Madeira  (pretty much any wine department will carry this.)

PREPARATIONS:

Heat 4 tablespoons of Olive Oil in a dutch oven, or large heavy pot.

Season chicken with sea salt and pepper and when oil is hot add to pot, skin side down.  

Cook over medium heat until chicken is brown on one side.  Turn over. 

Cook until golden brown on other side. 

Add onions, carrots, celery, Linguica, 4 tablespoons of pimenton, chopped garlic, bell peppers.  

Cook until onions are transparent. 

Add tomatoes, piquillo peppers, olives, crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of Madeira, and 1 cup of broth.

Mix everything together, and put a lid on.

Simmer for 40 minutes with the lid on... until chicken is tender and pulls easily from the bone. 

Meanwhile steam up a nice pot of rice to go with your chicken and sausages.  

Serve chicken, sausage, and vegetables over rice, with a glass of  red wine to accompany it! 

Sunday Farmer's Market Brunch for Ten... Part Four: Herb-Infused Breakfast Meats

 Potato Leek Gratin, Farmer's Market Quiche, Almondberry Tarte, Nectarine/Plum Pound Cake, Herb Infused Breakfast Meats.  Served on vintage, hand-painted, artistan signed plates from the Tonalo region of Mexico, 1940' s green Seneca Driftwood glasses, vintage Coorsite ball pitchers, crystal cake pedestals all from my collection.  All vintage wares come from my spelunking on ebay and in flea markets for a fraction of their worth. Shall I blog about my spelunking???(Ikea flutes bought on sale for less than $1 each... I have about 50 stored away for parties.)

This is a quick tip more than it is a recipe.  You can use this technique with any kind of meat you might be cooking in a pan.  You'll want a selection of fresh herbs.   You'll want to cut them up right before you add them to the pan so that the cut edges don't dry in the air and their flavor infuses with the oils in the pan and absorbs into the meat.  So, wash your herbs, set aside, get the meat into the hot pan to start cooking, then chop your herbs and add to the pan.

We used regular and spicy Jimmy Dean bulk pork sausage  that I formed into patties, uncured bacon  (surprisingly you can now find that a great number of even the larger companies that sell bacon have an uncured version, just note that it will NOT last long in the refrigerator so don't buy more than you'll use within a couple of day after opening it.), and chicken apple and habanero & green chile assortments of chicken sausages from Aidells.  While it's cooking on one side, chop your herbs and sprinkle over the top, then turn and cook for remaining time without moving it around too much so that the herbs will stick into the carmelizing meat.

That's pretty much it.

I told you it was simple.  The Austrian did this part as well for our brunch.  So you know it must be easy!

We used rosemary, thyme, and oregano.  But sage, tarragon, basil,  and marjoram are also great.

BBQ Korean Style!!!

This meal was so good, we had it two nights in a row!!!  Fresh fixin's cooked right at the table, just like in your favorite Korean BBQ restaurant!!!  You can do this with or without meat, and almost all of the other players in this symphony of flavor are readily available in any grocery store. 

So, this week has not gone as planned.  First of all, let me apologize for the badly lit photos, not only did we have a short in the light fixture over the kitchen table, but my camera was trippin' as well....
I may have bit off more than I could chew thinking I'd cover more than one asian culture's cuisine.  I was ambitiously planning a Chinese, a Japanese, and an Indian dish as well this week, but, that was a ridiculous notion!  So far, we covered the Korean Hot Pot (go here to see that recipe).  That was fun, and tasty.  I bought the smallest tub of Gochujang I could find.  That tub of Gochujang, however, would last me a year, if I don't use it, and for sure I knew I wanted  to do some Korean BBQ because it's one of my faves... I love to eat at places where you the food is cooked right on your table.   Korean BBQ steps it up a notch, with it's sweet, spicy, smokey flavors.  Everything tastes fresher than fresh.  Quick cooked to seal in the nutrients.  Fresh food just tastes different.  The molecules have not been completely destroyed.  The textures are more vivid.   So I recommend this sincerely!

There are two things you will need.  One is a table-top gas burner.  I bought ours at the asian grocer for about $19.

You can use it for doing a more traditional Hot Pot at the table, Shabu Shabu , Fajitas, and many other table prepared foods you'll find in many different cultures.  They use gas canisters the size of a spray paint can, and these are easy to load and replace.  I bought a pack of 3 canisters for about $8.  Between the Hot Pot, and two nights of Korean BBQ, we finished off one can of gas.

You'll also need a grill for this dish.  A traditional Korean grill will be round and has a stone center, and will fit neatly over your burner.  We purchased a rectangular grill top.

It has a larger surface area so we could cook more.  But in retrospect it probably would have been better to use the traditional one because the marinades and sauces used in Korean BBQ are sweet and will easily burn if they have nowhere to go.  The traditional Korean BBQ grill has a resevoir underneath to catch juices where they can't burn instead of them collecting on the hot grill and charring. 

If you've already got a George Forman grill or something similar to that, it will work.  But you still wanna be able to use it at the table and there needs to be enough surface area to cook meats and vegetables simultaneously.  These Korean grill tops run about $10-15 depending on where you look for them.  Asian grocery is the best place to look. 

I also had to adjust on the second night what grain we used.  The first night we used brown rice.  It wasn't sticky enough to take the sauce and be picked up with bbq via chopstick.  So the second night, I used a Japanese Sweet Rice which is highly glutinous (meaning sticky like glue...not high in gluten).  YUMMY.

Most of your prep time will be spent cutting up veggies, which shouldn't take more than half an hour, and then the food is actually cooked at the table where everyone sort of participates in adding, turning, removing, dipping, and gobbling it all up.

You'll want to set your table up prior to anything else so it's out of the way.  Each place setting will need a plate, with two smallish bowls.

One bowl will be for each person's portion of rice, the other will be for their sauce.  You'll also want to have some Gochujang at the table so that folks can mix in extra spice into their sauce.

So here we go.  That's all I have to say.  Let's get to it!!



 THE PLAYERS:  (your grocery list)

 Japanese Sweet Rice  (get this in any asian grocery store, and in some normal supermarkets in the asian foods section where the rice is shelved.)  Mirin Style Sweet Cooking Rice Wine (This is not Korean.  But I added it to the marinade anyway because it tastes good.  It's basically a cooking sake... basically... Just look in your asian grocer for this in the same aisle where the soy sauces and marinades are... Just get the one attached in the link above.  Make it easy on yerself!)  Soy Sauce  (Child, if you can't find a bottle of soy sauce.... you got issues... any store, probably even your neighborhood quicky mart has soy sauce...)  Garlic  (fresh by the head....)  Fresh Ginger (Get a decent sized root section from the produce section in the grocery store.  It should be firm and not easily bent in your hands.  If it's floppy, it's old and its flavor will be flat. Save the leftovers to make tea!  Fresh Whole Black Peppercorns (you'll be crushing these yourself, preferably with a mortar and pestle, however, if you don't have one, a grinder works well, and as a last resort you and smash them with the backside of a spoon.) Light Brown Sugar (Find organic brown sugar, instead of the typical brown sugar you find everywhere, because it's just white sugar with molasses added... organic sugar is brown because of its natural molasses content.  why buy sugar that's been processed to remove that, then artificially replace it.  that's silly to me, and even though I don't have the science to back me up, sounds like there has to be something wrong with that picture...) Veggies (Bok Choy, Broccoli, Soy Bean Sprouts, Zucchini, Green Onions, Red Bell Peppers)  Proteins (In asian grocers they will have thinly sliced meats and fresh tofu: Take your pick:  Firm Tofu, Thinly Sliced Chicken Breasts,  Shrimp, Thinly Sliced Beef,, Korean BBQ Style Sliced Beef Ribs).  Sesame Oil



PREPARATON:
Make your Sweet Soy Base Sauce (Jomi Ganjang) the day before.  
In a medium saucepan combine:
1/2 Cup water, 4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced, 6 slices peeled fresh ginger
 Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 
Add:
1 cup of soy sauce... low sodium please, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of Mirin Style Sweet Cooking Rice Wine (can be substituted with a cold sake, or a sweet white wine like zinfandel)
Turn the heat to high and boil for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.  
Strain the sauce through a sieve, into a container that has an airtight lid.  
Store in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Two hours before dinner time, marinade your meat in 1/2 cup of your soy base sauce. 
(we did both beef and chicken)

Cook your rice in a rice cooker according to the instructions on the package, allowing plenty of rice, because it will go very fast... 

Set your table.  Place the stove and grill in the middle of the table.

Divide remaining sauce between the sauce bowls at each place setting.

Cut up your veggies into 3 inch long julienne sticks, arrange them on a platter.  

Slice your broccoli on the thin side, so that it has flat surfaces to cook on the the grill. 

Turn the table top stove fire on, and place the grill over it.  If you're using the round Korean grill make sure to add water in the reservoir so that drippings won't stick and burn.  
While the grill heats up, call everyone to dinner.  
Invite them to add a bit of Gochujang to their sauce for extra spice.

Add a couple of tablespoons of sesame oil to the grill surface, then add some of your items that take longer to cook... a few broccoli slices, peppers, some chicken breast

Stagger adding ingredients so something is always cooking and something is always ready to eat.  
Chicken takes longer than beef.
The first round will seem like it's taking forever... 
Talk among yourselves, and just be patient. That's part of the charm... it forces you to commune with your people in a way you might not in your everyday dining.

Be sure not to eat everything that's ready and forget to put more on.  As soon as there's an empty area, add more veggies, meats, tofu, etc... 

One person can be in charge of that if you like.

Add more sesame oil if needed.

People can use their chopsticks to take food from the grill, dip it in their sauce bowl, then place it on their rice bowl.  
Delish-Delish!!!
 



 Afternote: If you have leftovers, put them away and stirfry everything that was left together in a wok the next day, drizzle with a bit of your soy base sauce,  and serve over ramen noodles. 

Delicious Korean Hot Pot

(asian grocery sources at the end of this post)
Child, don't look so skeptical now... This is gonna be a winner!  Nothing beats a nice hot bowl of broth, veggies, and noodles on a cold day.  We have noodles similar to this at least twice a month or more often.  I buy the broth in those resealable cartons and keep it in the fridge so the Pyrate can make himself a bowl of this instead of those disgusting instant ramen soups he loves so much.  He'll sometimes just have the broth with the staple items, sometimes just the noodles, onions, and a bit of chinese or thai chili paste.  He actually doesn't mind making this either because it's so much more satisfying and easy to make.  This version is like the royal version, with lots of delicious goodies to enjoy... 

A bowl of goodies from our Korean Hot Pot

This is sooooo easy you can do it in a flash.  There's almost nothing to cook.  The hardest work will be finding yourself a local asian grocery to adopt as your official source for ingredients we'll be using for this week's recipes.  But that's a good thing!  Venture out a bit!  Explore!  Broaden your horizons!
I'm being silly, but seriously, I picked up the pyrate from school today, stopped by our local asian grocer and grabbed up some ingredients for this Korean version of comfort food.   Why Korean?
Well, first of all, I was watching a show on the cooking network where they were using an ingredient called Gochujang in a competition.  3 chefs had to use it in their appetizer, main course, and dessert.  I missed the beginning so I was left frustratedly asking the tv screen over and over again, "What the heck is this ko-joo-ching???"  (there was no visible text so all I could do was assume based on the phonetics I could hear...) Would you believe I went online and, thanks to Google's intelligent search engine's spell correct feature which promptly replied to my search, "did you mean gochujang?" and within a matter of less than 2 minutes I was schooled.

Gochujang

Gochujang is a smokey, sweet, spicy red pepper paste used quite commonly in Korean cooking.   It is a must have in your arsenal if you do any kind of Korean cooking.
So we'll be doing a couple of recipes this week that call for this yummy chili paste and I can't wait to share!
The Austrian's been fighting off a sore throat the last two days.  He could really use some fresh, nutrient packed vegetables to fortify his system for the fight. 
What I like about asian foods, is they are usually super-fresh cooked, super-fast, therefore they retain much of their nutrients.    This hot pot, for example could not be any simpler or quicker.  Broth is basically heated up to a boil then ingredients are added in order of length of time it takes to cook them and the ingredients are cut in a way that they cook in a few seconds so once everything is in the broth the fire is turned off and voila!  Dinner is served.  Hot pots are crazy versatile as well.   You can add or subtract ingredients to your heart's desire. 
If you really like this recipe, you might want to consider investing in a Korean cookbook.  I recommend these books that can be found at most booksellers:

The first book, has a photo of a version of this hot pot dish we're making right there on the cover!  They both have excellent ingredient glossaries.  Ingredient glossaries are the thing you really will rely on when learning to cook foods from cultures other than your own.  Ingredient glossaries in cookbooks will save you time, money, and in some cases, your life!  lol.    I may have said it before, but I'll say it again, knowing your ingredients will help you to put them together in ways that actually work!

Here are ingredients that can be used in this dish.  I have divided them into to categories.  Staples (what should always go in) and Options (what you can add to it)

Korean Rice Cakes

THE PLAYERS: (Your Grocery List)

STAPLES:  Broth  (You can use Vegetable, Chicken, or Beef Broth.  Get organic, low-sodium if you can find it.  Or you can also make a dashi type broth by taking a sheet of Laver Seaweed and dropping it into your boiling water a few minutes before adding your soup ingredients.) Gochujang  (Korean red chili pepper paste.  Gotta get this at the asian grocer.  You won't find it anywhere else, and nothing else will do.  If you live in a big city, and can't find an asian grocer you're not looking hard enough.  If you're not in a big city, or you live somewhere where there isn't much of an asian community, then try online for the asian ingredients.  I'll add some links after the recipe for shopping for asian ingredients online. If you're looking online, sometimes gochujang will simply be called hot pepper paste.  It comes in rectangular plastic tubs....pretty much always, and a popular brand is Sempio. Don't buy the stuff in the jars.  Get the stuff in the tubs...) Korean Noodles (these can be substituted with udon or ramen noodles as a last resort...but try to get the real deal, dried noodles from the asian grocer. they'll have two kinds: Korean vermicelli and Korean Noodles.  I like the noodles better than the vermicelli.)Carrots  (Those long orange things that grow underground.) Green Onions (also self explanatory... can be substituted with leaks)  Leafy Greens (I used Bok Choy, but spinach, savoy cabbage, napa cabbage, or regular cabbage are also very good.) Bean Sprouts (These can be found in most grocery store produce sections.  They are the sprouts from soy beans...full of nutrients!)

OPTIONS: Mushrooms (I used ordinary brown mushrooms, but you can get as exotic as you like.  But if you use dried ones keep in mind that you'll need to reconstitute them in hot water before you can use them.) Dumplings (Oh boy! For me, this would be in the "staples" set of ingredients, but that's just me... lol... In the version I made tonight they were included.  You can find these in stores like Trader Joes in the frozen section, but the best ones you'll find in the freezer of the asian grocer.   Get Korean ones, but in a pinch, japanese or chinese will also work quite nicely.  They come filled with chicken, pork and beef, or veggies.  Take your pick!) Korean Sliced Rice Cakes (These chewy, doughy bits of yumminess also went into the hot pot we made tonight.  They are slices of Korean rice cake sticks... which can only be explained as doughy pasta type things that maybe akin to gnocchi... I don't know.  But all I can tell you is that the texture and the flavor is delicious.  And yes, we had these in our soup tonight as well.  They can be found in the freezer section of the asian grocery store near the dumplings.)  Meats(You MUST use thinly cut quality meats should you decide to include them in your hotpot.  If they are not cut thin enough they won't cook fast enough.  In asian groceries, the butcher section will usually sell meats already cut like this... They flash freeze the meats, then slice them on a mechanical slicer, wafer thin so they literally cook in seconds when in contact with heat.  If you have trouble finding pre-sliced meats, you can slice your own, but guess what?  any supermarket butcher department will do it for you as well.  They just don't advertise it.  You'll want to use chicken breasts, rib eye, filet mignon, or pork loin, sliced across the grain.  This is very important... You can also do this with fish, but I don't recommend it because it's tricky to get the right consistancy.  However shrimp works very well. ) Snow Peas (known in some places as chinese peas.  They sort of look like sweet peas, but they are very flat)  Bell Peppers (red are best for their sweetness) Sweet Asian Yam (These are also found in asian grocers. they are not sweet potatoes.  they are more purple than sweet potatoes, and they are not orange inside.  they are cream colored inside.) Broccoli

 

 

 PREPARATION:

Here's the fun part!   This is an eyeball kinda meal so use your discretion with amounts.  Things are quick cooked so you won't be deceived by quantity and size, what you see is what you'll get when it's done.  A handful of this and a handful of that will do just fine, and if you're adding meat, use just enough to flavor your pot.  One chicken breast half worth of slices, one steak's worth of slices is more than enough for a hot pot to feed 4.   If you buy a lot, just plan to have hot pots a few times during the week, and switch up the participating players to make variety.  Tonight, we put everything in our hot pot except for the broccoli.  

Put a large pot of broth (or water with a sheet of dried smoked laver/seaweed)on the stove to boil.  (Depending on how many you will feed.)

While your broth's heating up,  you want to prep all of your ingredients.

As you cut these items, place them in separate prep bowls. 

Cut carrot in this manner, on the diagonal, cut one 1/2 inch slice off the end of the carrot.  Turn it 1/4 turn and repeat with a diagonal 1/2 inch cut.  Turn again 1/4 turn and so on...

Cut 2 green onions Remove the root end and the soft parts of the green end, and then cut green onions into thirds.  Then lengthwise cut these thirds into thin slivers.

Roll Bok Choy or other greens and cut into inch wide course shreds.

Slice mushrooms then cut in the opposite direction to make little strips.

Cut Snow Peas into thin slivers similar to the green onions.

Cut the Bell Pepper into thin strips.

Peel the yam then with the peeler, slice the yam into thin sliver strips. 

Cut broccoli into thin slices (about 1/4 inch thick)

If you're using meat, stack the thinly sliced meat and cut into strips 1/2 inch wide.

Now your pot of water should be boiling.

Add carrots to your boiling pot.

Wait 2 minutes.

Add broccoli if you're using it.

Add mushrooms.

Add yams.

Add shrimp if you're using it.

Add bell pepper.

Add bok choy.

Add noodles.

Add meat if you're using it.

Add dumplings, soy bean sprouts, rice cake slices, and snow peas.

Boil 1 minute ONLY and remove from heat and put a lid on for at least 2 minutes before serving.

To serve,

Put some noodles from your pot in the bottom of a soup bowl.

Ladle broth, and veggies over the noodles.

Pile a couple of dumplings, rice cake slices and meat on top of that.

Take a pinch of raw green onion slivers and pile on top of that.

Add a small dollop (size of a dime for the faint of heart, a bit more for heat lovers) of Gochujang like a cherry on top.

And dinner is served!!!!  Your grateful eaters will need both chopsticks and a tablespoon if they are to get every last drop.  Right before they eat this they swish it around to mix in the fresh green onions, and the gochujang so that it colors the broth. 

You'll need nothing more than a tall glass of iced green tea and a napkin for slurping noodles!!!


a list of korean grocers in the US



ONLINE ASIAN GROCERS:
www.koamart.com
www.hmart.com
www.asianfoodgrocer.com

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Related News
Seoul food - Boston Herald
Korean food festival and exhibition opens in Hanoi - Nhan Dan
Cooks Focus on Globalizing Korean Food - Korea Times
'Identity is Key in Globalizing Korean Food' - 동아일보

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How different between Korean food and Japanese food?
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Mache Salad with Avocado, Persimmon, Zucchini, and Anaheim Chiles

This quick but delicious meal was an improvisation tonight!  It's not exactly Mexican, but the flavors are.  A California girl like myself should for sure know their way around the Mexican flavor palette well enough to improvise don't you think?   So even though this salad is very loosely related to Mexican Cuisine, it will not disappoint!  I promise you!  You will eat it once and your taste buds will be craving it on a date in the not-too-distant future.  The combination of mache (for munchability), chiles (for mild heat), avocado (protein and creamy texture) , lime (for tang), persimmon (for sweetness), and zucchini (for added substance) must be a match made in heaven, because they made a symphony of flavor in our mouths this evening at the dinner table! Make it with or without the chicken.  It will not disappoint!  Allow about 45 minutes leisurely prep time, most of which is spent at the cutting board. This is a low fat, low sodium, flavor packed meal under $20 serving 4.  What?

Avocado adds enough creaminess to this salad so that dressing is almost unnecessary!

THE PLAYERS: (your grocery list)

Mache (Mache, also known as Lamb's Lettuce, field salad/lettuce, or in some countries it's called Corn Salad, has a tender, nutty flavor that works well in salads.  It can also be served steamed or sauteed as a vegetable. You'll find it in most larger groceries, and in almost every international grocery's produce section. Of course, I recommend your local farmers market....) Avocados  (Make sure the avocados you purchase are ripe, but not mushy.  They should give ever so slightly when gently pressed.  I usually by them before they are ripe... around two or three days before I want to use them.  If you find they are not ripe the day before you want to use them, put them in a brown paper bag with an apple and close the bag tight and leave for 24 hours.  Apples emit a gas that will speed up the ripening process.) Fresh Garlic (Can't beat garlic in the mix!!) Red Onion (Red Onions are closer to purple than red, but that's not so important.  They have a milder, less acid flavor than their brown counterparts, making them great for milder dishes where you don't want the onions to overwhelm.) Zucchini (Also known in some countries as Italian Squash, Zucchini is tasty and found in every grocery store. and farmer's markets.)  Anaheim Chiles  (Anaheim chiles, named after the California city, are generally mild and sweet with just a hint of bite.  They are not offensively spicy, but are a faint hint more heat than a sweet Italian pepper. They can be found pretty easily in all American grocery stores and farmer's markets.  In other countries, you can substitute sweet Italian style peppers, or in a pinch, red or yellow bell peppers.  Green bell peppers in this recipe will add a slight bitterness we don't want.) Fuji Persimmons  (If persimmons are not in season, you will not find them, simple as that.  There are, I believe, late fall, early winter fruits.  They are in season NOW!  (as of november 13) Now, I have to warn you of something very important here.   Fuji or Fuyu Persimmons are bright orange in color and look sort of like a squat tomato.  Their flavor is sort of a mild apple taste.  They  will be fully orange, but DO NOT soften when they are ripe.  They stay firm similar to the texture of an apple or pear.  BUT....There are more than one sort of Persimmon.  There is the Japanese Hachiya variety which is more elongated and has a pointed bottom.  This variety is inedible when it is not ripe.  When it is ripe it becomes soft.  THIS IS NOT THE KIND YOU NEED FOR THIS RECIPE. Be sure to get the Fuji/Fuyu Persimmons, or you will be sorry...) Limes (Look for medium sized fruits with smoother skins, even color, and a tiny bit of give when you squeeze them.  Also, as a general rule when I buy produce, I put my nose to the item and inhale deeply.  If it doesn't smell like lime, it's either old, picked too soon, or just not very good crop.  If you can't find good limes, get lemons instead for this recipe and only use half the amount.) Extra-Virgin Olive Oil  (Yes, this time you want extra virgin... the best you have.  For salads, I like to get olive oil that... well... taste the most like oil from olives.  My fave?  My favorite comes from the Santa Barbara Olive Co. local local local!  Means similar quality to those expensive imported ones but at a lower price if you buy it in L.A. You can find it in some L.A. stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joes, and it's also online. Olive Oil for use on salads should be first press extra-virgin so you get the unfiltered flavor on your salads.  You won't use much so don't panic about the price. It will last you a very long time  It's like wine.  You kinda get what you pay for...) Chipotle Powder (This smokey chili powder is found in the dried spice section of most grocery stores.  If you have trouble finding it you may substitute normal chili powder which is more common. DO NOT substitute paprika.  That's Spain.  Although related, it is not right for this dish.) Cumin  (ground cumin is found in your dried spice section of the grocery store.   It is the dried seed of a plant in the parsley family.  Not to be confused with coriander which is the dried seed of the cilantro plant.. also in the parsley family... speaking of which...) Fresh Cilantro  (Like I said... in the parsley family, you'll find this usually right next to the Italian parsley, to my chagrin.  Because grocers do this, you'll want to do the nose test... put your nose in the leaves and inhale deeply to make sure you have the Cilantro and not the parsley. Cilantro leaves do, however look silently different upon closer scrutiny.  Cilantro leaves are rounder than Italian Parsley, and usually has shorter stems.  Normal Parsley can be further differentiated by its slightly curly state.) Cherry or Grape Tomatoes (self-explanatory...)  Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast (optional...)

 Preparation:

Get all of your ingredients washed and prepped before you start any assembly or cooking.

Wash Mache and Tomatoes and put in a wide and shallow salad serving bowl. Set aside until the rest of the ingredients are prepared.

Cut Avocado into cubes This is easy.  Cut them in half, then slice lengthwise without cutting through the skin, and then crosswise without cutting through the skin. Add to the mache and tomatoes in the salad bowl and set aside.

Cut Zucchini lengthwise in 1/2 inch thick slices (remove stem ends), two or three slices at a time, lay them flat on cutting board and cut lengthwise again into 1/2 inch strips so now you've got 1/2 x 1/2 inch strips.  Stack those together and starting at one end cut into 1/2 inch cubes.  This is called a large dice.  Remember that.  You've been schooled! Set aside in a bowl.

Cut 1 Anaheim Chile across so that you have little rings of peppers.  Add to bowl w/zucchini.

Cut Persimmons also in a 1/2 inch  large dice, place in bowl with zucchini.  (cut off stem top)

Cut Onions also in a 1/2 inch dice.  Easiest way to achieve this is to cut a pattern of lines in one direction and then again in the other, making sure not to cut all the way through to the bottom of the fruit.  Then turn the onion on its side and cut slices across to make a dice.  Place in bowl with the Zucchini and Persimmons.

Flatten Chicken If you're not using chicken, skip to the Garlic.

Use your tenderizing mallet's smooth side (if you made the lemony vienna style chicken titties, you've got mallet, and you know how to use it),  flatten the chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap, til they are spread about double their size. Remove top plastic and grind a bit of fresh black pepper over it, and squeeze the juice from 1/2 lime over it.

Grill the chicken in a large, hot saute pan with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 cloves of crushed garlic.  While it's cooking on one side....(Turn chicken when breasts are golden on one side.  Only turn them once...When chicken is firm, golden, it is done. Squeeze juice from 1 1/2 limes over meant then... Remove to non-porous cutting surface to cool. If making vegetarian version skip the chicken and see below.)

 Crush 2 Cloves of Garlic add to the hot pan (with 2 tbsp. olive oil if you haven't already added with chicken). 

Add diced veggies to hot pan.

Add Cumin and Chipotle Powder and stir occasionally while the veggies cook just til they brighten in color and get a slight golden caramelization at the edges.

Don't cook til soft.  Everything should still have a bit of bite to it. 

At this point, remove pan from heat, and...

Squeeze juice from 1 1/2 limes over the veggies and toss.

Remove from pan and spread on a plate to cool off for at least 10 minutes.

Once your chicken and your veggies are not steaming hot, it's time to assemble your salad.

Cut chicken into 1/2 inch pieces and mix with the persimmon and zucchini mixture.

Arrange your veggies (or your chicken and veggies) over your mache, tomato, and avocado mixture.

Drizzle with 1 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil and toss.

What are you waiting for?  EAT!!!!!