This recipe checks off a couple of culinary boxes for me: one looking for new and interesting side dishes to prepare and another looking to prepare more Korean food. I have prepared some Korean dishes in the past, and even included South Korea as part of my Around the World in 80 Dishes challenge. (That was, in fact, my first foray into Korean cuisine.) And, ever since then, I have been wanting to prepare more Korean food. My only problem was fitting it in amongst all of the other cuisines that I want to prepare as well.
This particular dish, gamja bokkeum, goes all the way back to the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled from 1392 to 1910. It was a dish of peasants, simple faire made from the relatively few ingredients that they may have in their kitchens or on hand. The very basic versions were prepared with potatoes, soy sauce and little else. Some "fancier" versions may have included vegetables, like carrots and scallions. And, while this dish evolved over time and by region, I wanted to pay tribute to its humble origins. Hence, this recipe.
In the end, this recipe serves as yet another reminder that the simplest of dishes could rival the most complex of dishes. The combination of soy sauce and sesame oil provide the earthy flavors that complement the starchy texture of the potatoes. Those earthy flavors are balanced by the sweetness of the sugar, and enhanced by the umami of fish sauce (as it always does). This recipe might become a go-to in the kitchen whenever I need a quick, starchy side dish.
10 ounces small Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced in half
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, water, sugar, fish sauce, and garlic until sugar is dissolved, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
2. Cook the potatoes. Pour oil into a 3 quart saucier or saucepan. Add potatoes, arranging them cut side down in a single layer. Set saucier over medium high heat and cook, uncovered, until potatoes are light golden brown on cut-side, 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Continue cooking the potatoes. Lower heat to medium-low, add soy sauce mixture and stir to combine with potatoes. Cover saucier with a lid and cook until potatoes are completely tender and offer no resistence when pierced with a cake tester or paring knife, about 10 minutes.
4. Create the glaze. Remove the lid and increase the heat to high. Cook, uncovered, stirring constgantly with a heat-resistant rubber spatula, until the liquid has reduced and thickened to a sticky caramel consistency that fully glazes the potatoes, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Finish the dish. Remove from heat, and transfer potatoes to serving bowl. Drizzle with sesame oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
There are two atolls, consisting of more than two dozen coral islands, in the Indian Ocean that lie far from any major land mass. It is 1,683 kilometers (or 1,013 miles) from these islands to the nearest point in Australia (Exmouth). It is slightly shorter -- 1,270 kilometers (or 789 miles) from the islands to Indonesia (Jakarta). While not the most isolated places on Earth, these islands -- known as the Cocos Islands or the Keeling Islands -- are truly isolated.
The islands are formally a part of Australia, the result of the expansion of colonialism and the British empire, which formally annexed the islands in 1857. Yet, the inhabitants of the Cocos Islands have stronger cultural connections to southeastern Asia than anywhere in the United Kingdom or even Australia, which took control over the islands after a transfer of power from the U.K. in 1955. And, it is this connection that I wanted to explore, to learn more about the people and their cuisine.
The history of the people, known as the Cocos Malay, goes back to at least 1825, when they were brought to the islands by a British trader, Alexander Hare. Soon thereafter, another British trader, John Clunies-Ross, took control of the island. Clunies Ross forced the slaves and indentured servants to work on coconut plantations to produce copra, the dried white flesh of the coconut. The workers all toiled for the Clunies-Ross family under a basically feudal system for generations. The system ended in the late 1970s, when Australia forced the family to sell the islands to the government. The coconut and copra production was taken over by the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society, LTD., but ultimately ceased in the late 1980s.
The Cocos Malay people.
The Cocos Malay -- who number about 600 -- are predominantly Malay in ancestry, but their ancestors were brought in from not just British Malaya (now Malaysia and Singapore), but also the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), New Guinea (now Papua New Guinea), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and even as far away as South Africa. The Cocos Malay are united by their language, a distinct dialect known as Basa Pulu Kokosand their Muslim religion.
Drawing from that heritage, the cuisine of the Coco Malay draws its influences from Malaysian, Indonesian and Sri Lankan cuisines. Yet, the Cocos Malay cuisine is distinct. There are dishes such as vegetarian rice noodles, sweet and sour fish, and ayam payang (chili chicken).
This particular recipe reflects the Indonesian influences upon Cocos Malay cooking. The dish, nasi goreng, is the Indonesian version of Chinese fried rice. As the story goes, Chinese traders and migrants brought the dish to the East Indies, where the locals made it their own. The recipe serves an very good purpose, as it was a way to make use of leftover rice and other ingredients. In fact, the best rice to use is day-old rice, as its drier texture makes it easier to fry.
Just as the Indonesian people took fried rice and made it their own through nasi goreng, the Cocos Malay have taken nasi goreng and, in turn, made it their own. However, given the Cocos Islands are relatively isolated, if it does not come from the sea or could be cultivated from small personal gardens, then it is to be imported. There is one exception ... the coconut. And it is coconut flakes that help the Cocos Malays make the nasi goreng their own.
1. Saute the garlic and onion. Heat the oil and saute the garlic with the onion, shallots, and Sambal. When fragrant, add the rice and mix well. Add the soy sauce and Maggie powder. Stir until well incorporated, then add the mustard greens, coconut, and sliced chiles.
2. Finish the dish. Drizzle a little sesame oil over the rice and serve with shredded chicken.
Chinese dishes always catch my attention, especially when they involve the use of unusual ingredients or give nods to regional cuisine. This particular dish -- Lamb Stir-Fry with Potatoes and Pine Nuts -- checks off both boxes.
First, there are the pine nuts. That happens to be an ingredient that I do not use very often in my cooking. It is also an ingredient that I did not associate with Chinese cuisine. I was wrong on that point. There are quite a few dishes across trhe various Chinese regions that incorporate pine nuts, including dishes from my favorite region, culinarily speaking, Sichuan.
That brings me to the other ingredients featured in this lamb recipe, namely, Chinese chile oil and red Sichuan pepper oil. The reason why I love Sichuan cuisine is the use of peppers to create spicy dishes. Most of the Sichuan dishes that I have made to date -- from Qiatou Yi Nen to Jiaoma Jipian -- feature chicken. So, cooking with lamb was a nice change of pace.
The oils presented some challenge, at least when it came to acquiring them. I had some difficulty finding in them in Asian markets, although the difficulty was greater when it came to the red Sichuan pepper oil. I also spent some time looking online; however, my relative unfamiliarity with a lot of the websites and products made me a little reluctant to try to the oils. Eventually, I took a risk and I think the dish turned out well.
In the end, this dish got me thinking about going back to some of my cookbooks, especially the one by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, Beyond the Great Wall. There may be more of those recipes to come. Only time will tell ....
9 ounces boneless lamb leg, cut into 1 1/2inch by 1/4 inch strips
1 Yukon Gold potato, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons red Sichuan pepper oil
1 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2 scallions, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons Chinese chile oil (optional)
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Chopped cilantro, for serving
Directions:
1. Prepare the lamb. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 teaspoons of vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, the Shaoxing wine, 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar and corn starch. Add the lamb and turn to coat, then cover and refrigerate for 40 minutes or up to 24 hours.
2. Prepare the potato. In a medium pot, cook the potato until tender yet firm, about 2-3 minutes, then drain and set aside.
3. Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, stir together half of the Sichuan pepper oil, 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, the oyster sauce, sesame oil and the remaining soy sauce and sugar. Set aside.
4. Cook the dish. Place a large wok or skillet over high heat. When it is hot, add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and add the lamb and stir-fry until browned, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. To the empty wok, add the remaining vegetable oil, the garlic, ginger, and scallions and stir-fry until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add the onion and cook until tender 3-4 minutes. Add the reserve potato and continue stir-frying until browned at the edges, about 3 minutes. Add the reserved lamb, leaving any juices in the bowl, and the Sichuan oil mixture and stir-fry to coat, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chile oil (if using), then transfer to a platter.
5. Finish the dish. Top with the remaining Sichuan pepper oil, pine nuts and cilantro. Serve hot with white rice.
The Mississippi delta has been described as a "haunted landscape," a beautiful backdrop of alluvial plains and coastal wetlands, marred by the brutal legacies of slavery and segregation. The history has been recorded in both the black and white of history books, but also in the colorful, yet melancholy, notes of delta blues musicians such as Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton and Son House. These musicians not only recorded the daily oppression, poverty and strugle of African Americans lives, but they also documented the resilience and strength of both the people and their communities.
Yet, there are chapters of the delta's history that until, relatively recently, went largely untold. One such chapter revolves around the Chinese immigrants who settled in the Mississippi delta in the aftermath of the Civil War. These immigrants left their homes (primarily in the Guangdong and Canton provinces) in search of the Gam Sahn ("golden mountain"), akin to what we would call the "American dream." These Chinese immigrants ended up on the same cotton plantations previously worked by African-American slaves. They performed the same back-breaking work. The only difference was that the white owners had to pay the Chinese immigrants for their labor. But, the pay was not enough to justify the hard work, let alone support a family either in the United States or back home in China.
Consequently, many Chinese laborers left the cotton fields, looking for work elsewhere. They made their way to nearby cities, where they established themselves in the community by opening grocery stores. The first such stores began to appear in the 1870s. The work continued to be hard, with early mornings and late nights, but these Chinese-Americans took control of their economic lives. They also relied upon hui, their relatives, to open additional grocery stores. Soon, Chinese-owned grocery stores proliferated across the Mississippi Delta. In the city of Greenville, Mississippi -- an important transit point for transportation between New Orleans, Louisiana and points north -- had 40,000 residents and 50 Chinese-owned grocery stores.
One of the first Chinese-owned grocery stores in Greenville, MS, at the corner of Washington Avenue and Walnut Street, photo taken in 1939 by Farm Security Admin. photographer Marion Post Wolcott, available at the Library of Congress (Source: KPBS)
The successful exertion by Chinese-Americans of their economic independence had its limits in the racially structured, white supremacist society. The Chinese were not "White" or "Colored," falling into a third category. The Chinese-Americans did not suffer the extreme violence suffered by African-Americans, but they nevertheless suffered from discrimination and segregation. It was in this space that the Delta Chinese soon found that they too had limited opportunities. the only employment available to them involved owning or working in these grocery stores.
Chinese-Americans navigated within this space. And they did so in a very historically significant way. The Chinese-American owned grocery stores served as critical lifelines for the most oppressed people in the Mississippi delta: the African-American community. The same white supremacist racial and economic order that confined the Chinese to owning and/or working in grocery stores made it difficult, if not impossible for African-Americans to go to white-owned grocery stores.
Chinese store owners purchased goods from white-owned wholesalers. They then stocked the shelves with foodstuffs (like flour, sugar, canned goods), clothing, farms tools, and much more. However, these grocery stores provided more than a place for African-Americans to purchase what they needed. The stores provided a social environment where African Americans were respected: they could walk through the front door of a store (rather than through the back door) and would be treated with civility. The Chinese-American grocery store owners would offer lower prices and were the only ones to extend credit to African-American sharecroppers, who were paid only once or twice per year. The two communities -- Chinese and African-American -- worked together in solidarity as they struggled to survive the racist economy, government and society that operated violently along the Mississippi River and across the delta.
(As an aside, immigrant communities in other cities -- like the Italians in Birmingham, Alabama and New Orleans, Louisiana -- also operated grocery stores that served the African-American community.)
Picture exhibited in 2023 at the Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum, located at the Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi
The grocery stores were not only the business of the Chinese-American communities, they were also their homes. Because of the racist Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese-Americans could not own land. They usually lived in the back of their stores or in adjacent structures. Many of the memories of Chinese-American children revolve around food, which also served as the focal point of gatherings among their community.
After learning about the Chinese-American community in the Mississippi delta, as well as their relationship with their African-American neighbors, I wanted to prepare a dish in recognitionof and to honor that history. I found a recipe for Chinese Grocery Roast Pork. This recipe was perfect: it took a traditional Chinese recipe -- Char Siu, which is usually prepared with pork belly -- but used a cut of pork that is synonymous with the iconic southern barbecue: the pork butt.
CHINESE GROCERY ROAST PORK (MISSISSIPPI STYLE CHAR SIU)
1. Prepare the sauce. Heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large Dutch oven or roasting pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the soy sauce, sherry, vinegar, honey, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, anise, cinnamon and five-spice powder. Simmer for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat under the pan so that the mixture simmers.
2. Roast the pork. Loosen the skin from the meat in several places, but do not remove it. Place the meat in the liquid, turning several times to coat it with the sauce. Transfer the pot to the oven. Cook for 30 minutes undisturbed, then baste with the cooking liquid and continue to baste every 20 minutes until the internal temperature of the meat is between 170 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit, about 4 to 4 1/2 hours.
3. Finish the dish. Remove the pork to a cutting board or serving platter and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice thinly and pour the pan juices over the meat, removing the star anise and cinnamon.
* * *
Postscript:To learn more about the experience of Chinese-Americans in the Mississippi Delta, I recommend watching The Untold Story of America's Southern Chinese. Part 2 of the series focuses upon the Chinese in the Mississippi Delta and their history in the region.
I also recommend the movie, Far East Deep South. Written and directed by Larissa, Lam, the movie follows the story of the Chiu family as they learn more about their family's history and roots in the Mississippi delta. It is availalbe on Tubi. I watrched the movie. Not only is it very informative, it was truly moving to watch and learn alongside the family.
A fried pork chop served on a buttered Portuguese roll. One of the most favorite foods of Anthony Bourdain, which is a point that he clearly made during his visit to Macau back in 2011. It is, as Anthony says, a "distinctly Macanese creation, which will live in history." That history is said to have begun at Tai Lei Loi Kei, which is known for having created the Pork Chop Bun and been the place to eat it for more than fifty years. Although I am unable to make my way down the non-descript alley in Taipa Village to sample the original, I can try to make an adequate substitute in my own kitchen.
To get a better understanding of what we are working with, it is best to start with the original. Tai Lei Loi Kei uses a "Brazilian pork chop," which they claim to be more tender and flavorful than other pork cuts. With some marinade and manual pounding, the end result is a pork chop that is, in their words, "flavor and tenderful." Once fried, the pork chop is placed on a marraqueta bun.
While the pork chop bun is definitely Macanese, its inspiration is unquestionably Portuguese. The island of Macau was a Portuguese colony from 1557 until 1999. Over 440 years of colonization left its mark on the island. That can be seen in the cuisine, which is perhaps one of the most cosmopolitan cuisines in the world. (I have previously posted on this subject when I prepared Galinha a Africana or African Chicken, a Macanese dish that pulls together influences from around the world.) It can also be seen in the Pork Chop Bun, which follows in the culinary footsteps of the Portuguese bifana, a pork on a bun sandwich that is said to have originated in Vendas Novas, a city southeast of Lisbon. The bifana takes on many forms across Portugal, but none of them are the Pork Chop Bun. The Chinese influences can be found in the use of Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and five-spice powder.
The Pork Chop Bun does not have any standard toppings. One can add tomato, onions, lettuce, or sauces, but none are required to complete the experience. In some respects, just the pork chop and the bun are enough.
4 thin sliced, bone-in or boneless pork rib chops, 1 cm or 1/2 inch thick
2 tablespoons light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or Japanese sake)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon five-spice powder
4 Portuguese bread rolls
2 tablespoons butter
1 tomato, sliced
1 onion sliced
Lettuce leaves
Mayonnaise, ketchup or mustard, optional
Directions:
1. Marinate the pork. Combine the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic, sugar, black pepper, salt adn five-spice powder. Place pork chops in a large Ziploc bag. Pour in marinade. Squeeze as much air out as possible and seal. Massage the bag so that both sides of the pork are coated with the marinade. Marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
2. Prepare the buns. Right before cooking, slice the Portuguese bread rolls.
3. Cook the bun and pork. Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat until hot. Cook the cut sides of the Portuguese bun until browned. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towel and lightly season with sea salt. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the same cast iron pan. Place a pork chop into the pan and press with a spatula so the chop will stay flat during cooking. When the first pork chop has cooked for about a minute, place another chop and press it with the spatula, repeating the process for each chop. Cook until both sides are evenly browned and the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Finish the dish. Place the pork chop on the bottom part of the roll. Add lettuce and tomato, if desired, place top part of roll on top. Skip the condiments and eat immediately.
Mala sauce originates in China's Sichuan province,which is known for its spicy cuisine. The name, mala, means numbing and spicy; and, in the context of this sauce, it refers to the use of chiles and Sichuan peppercorns. The sauce is typically prepared by combining those ingredients, along with tobanjiang, ginger, garlic, shallots, sesame oil, and other spices. Once completed, mala is typically served alongside other dishes, as a condiment or dipping sauce.
This rather unique sauce inspired me, as part of my Wings Around the World project, to create a mala wing sauce. This required more research, because the typical sauce would not work very well. It is more of a brothy type of sauce, which would have a hard time holding itself to the chicken wings. Moreover, some versions use oil, which, in my humble opinion, would not provide a very pleasant wing-eating experience. I am not a big fan of wing dripping in oil, even if that oil is so spicy that I would not know it because the Sichuan peppercorns had numbed my tongue.
I eventually found a recipe for a mala barbecue sauce, which was served in connection with pork spare ribs (mala paigu). Obviously, barbecue sauces have the great texture for wings. Most restaurants that serve wings usually offer a barbecue sauce option. Yet, unlike a standard barbecue sauce, this mala barbecue sauce balances the five elements: salty (or han in the Sichuan dialect), sweet (tian), sour (suan), hot or pungent (la) and bitter (ku). (For more about the balance of flavors, check out my Laozi Iniative, which is part of The Mindfulness Foodways.) The sweet comes from the sugar and sweet wheat paste, the bitter comes from the black vinegar, while the hot or pungent comes and Sichuan peppercorns and the doubanjiang, and the salt comes from the hoisin sauce and a little from the Shaoxing wine.
I prepared the sauce (a picture of it is to the right). I placed the wings in a ziploc bag, added about 2/3 of the sauce and mixed the wings to ensure that they were covered. I allowed the wings to marinate for about 15 minutes or so (you can obviously go longer if you would like, but put the wings in the refrigerator if you do so). I then broiled/roasted the wings in the oven for about 30 minutes. Once they were done, I moved the wings to the bowl and tossed them with the remaining 1/3 of the mala sauce.
In the end, I have to say that this sauce was not as spicy or as numbing as I had expected after reading many articles about Mala sauce. That is probably a good thing for everyone else, given my love for really spicy foods means that, if I found it spicy, it would probably be too hot for everyone else. It could also be the result of the balance of flavors that I mentioned above. This allowed the sweet and bitter, to shine as much as the spicy/numbing. These wings were very good. I count them as a success in my efforts to globalize buffalo wings. Until next time ....
1. Prepare the sauce. Place the chile bean paste on a cutting board and mince it with a knife to break down any whole beans. Add it to a small bowl with the sweet wheat paste, vinegar, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, hoisin, sesame oil and ground Sichuan pepper and stir to combine. You could add all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth as an alternative.
2. Prepare the wings. Place the wings in a ziplock bag. Add about 2/3 of the sauce to the bag and mix so that the wings are covered with the sauce. Allow the wings to rest for about 15 minutes, if you want to marinate them longer, place them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
3. Cook the chicken wings. Heat a grill on medium high heat or the broiler of an oven. Rinse the chicken wings and pat them dry. Season with salt and pepper. Oil the grates of the grill (if using) and place the chicken wings on the grill. Grill or roast for about seven minutes and then flip the wings, grilling them for about seven minutes more.
4. Finish the dish. Once the wings reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, remove them from the grill. Add the wings to a large bowl and pour the rest of the sauce over the wings. Toss the wings to ensure that the sauce covers all of the wings.
The Chamorro people have inhabited what are now known as the Marianas islands for thousands of years. Those islands are currently divided politically between Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, both of which are part of the United States. Yet, most of those who live in the continental United States probably have never heard of the Chamorro, let alone know of their history, their culture, and their perspectives.
I have known about the Chamorro people, although I have to admit that, until recently, I knew very little about them other than where they lived. It was my search for hot sauces to make that opened a door into learning more about the Chamorro people. And, this post serves as an opportunity for me to speak what is valuable.
The Chamorro people are believed to have come to the Mariana Islands from what is now known as the Philippines or Indonesia. At their height, there was believed to have been anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 Chamorro living on the islands ... until Spanish colonialism arrived. Disease and violence reduced the numbers of Chamorro to as little as 1,000, who were forcibly relocated to Guam. After the Spanish, others ruled over the islands, including the Germans, Japanese and ultimately, the Americans, who have controlled Guam since 1899 (as a result of the Treaty of Paris) and the Northern Mariana Islands since the end of World War II. Today, there are over 160,000 people who identify as Chamorro.
As one would expect a history of colonization would leave imprints upon modern day Chamorro culture and cuisine. Those prints reflect influences from Spanish, Filipino, Japanese and American cultures. Yet, there remains something uniquely Chamorro - inafa'maolek or "doing good for each other." This concept reflects six traditional values: (1) respectu, respect for the elderly and other significant individuals within the family and community; (2) manginge, an expression of respect for elders or person so authority; (3) mamahlao, to be shamefaced, embarassed or ashamed; (4) chenchule, to give or donate without relationship to any event; (5) che'lu, relationships with siblings; and (6) patgon, valuing children and acknowledging that raising them is everyone's responsibility. Taken together, these values recognize the interdependence and respect of every part of society, from young and old. Values like these build communities, developing and reinforcing the bonds between one another.
Yet, there is also a less positive aspect: where one does not contribute according to their means or ability, then they should expect resistance to that person. Take, for instance, the United States' occupation and control of much of where the Chamorro live, namely those Marianas islands. Inafa'maolek provides the conceptual framework through which resistance to the U.S. presence in Guam. When the Chamorro believed that the U.S. was not fulfilling its duties and responsibilities to their community, then political resistance, such as in the 1970s with respect to the U.S. presence in Guam and elsewhere, became the means by which the Chamorro could seek to restore the balance within the community.
These are principles that have helped the Chamorro overcome collective challenges, and they can serve as valuable lessons for others. An important starting point for further exploration into Chamorro cuisine and culture.
As part of this journey, I prepared Fina'Denne, which is a very spicy condiment that is a staple of Chamorro cuisine. It reflects foreign influences, with the use of soy sauce and chiles. (Indeed, Fina'Denne translates to "made with chile pepper"). Yet, this dish predates the Spanish. The earliest versions were simple preparations using salt and pepper. The Spanish introduced vinegar, which the Japanese later supplanted with soy sauce. Other ingredients, such as the Thai bird-eye chiles (or "boonie peppers"), were added later to create the condiment that is known today.
Once prepared, it is usually drizzled over meat or rice. Fina'Denne can be prepared with more soy sauce than lemon juice for red meat, chicken or pork dishes. Alternatively, one can use more lemon juice than soy sauce to prepare a Fina'Denne that could work well with fish or seafood. This particular recipe uses an even split between soy sauce and lemon juice. That seemed like an appropriate start for the first time preparing this sauce.
"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without."
-- Siddhartha Gautama
Those words came to mind as I stared down at this bowl of soup. A warm broth, infused with miso and sesame flavors, full of mushrooms and garnished with cilantro leaves.
In the hours that led to this bowl of soup, I had a conflict. I was standing in the aisle of my local supermarket, staring down at a bottle of miso. That bottle cost $12.99. That was a lot of money for one bottle of an ingredient that I do not normally use in my cooking. Truth be told, I am not even much of a fan for miso soup, which I often skip if it is served as part of a meal at a Japanese restaurant.
However, I really wanted to make a particular soup -- White Mushroom & Cilantro Soup -- which I found on the website of the International Buddhist Society. I had all the ingredients that I needed -- white mushrooms, cilantro, soy sauce, sesame seed oil and even Korean barbecue sauce (which was far cheaper per bottle) -- but the miso. I searched up and down the shelves, looking for any other bottle of miso that was less than $12.99. I had to have searched at least two or three times, but to no avail. I was on the verge of returning those ingredients and giving up with preparing the soup.
Then my eyes trained on something else ... a $2.99 package of red miso soup mix. That package had more than just red miso. It had dried bits of tofu and seaweed (the usual ingredients one would expect in a miso soup). I thought that if I could sift those bits out, I could have dried red miso, which I could make into a paste with a little water. I bought the package and headed home.
I prepared the soup, using the sifted and picked through red miso powder, which I made into a paste. The end result was an absolutely delicious soup that was stunning in its presentation. (And, presentation is one of my weaker qualities as a cook.)
Once I finished the preparing and eating the soup, I realized that the struggle I found myself was not going to be answered by anything on a grocery store shelf. It would only be answered by myself, relying upon my own ability and creativity to come up with a solution. To find the peace that I needed to prepare this recipe.
1. Prepare the mushrooms. Heat a wok over medium high heat. Add the oil. Add the sliced mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms for a couple of minutes. Set aside.
2. Prepare the broth. Bring 8 bowls of water to a boil. Add the miso, black soy sauce and barbecue sauce. Stir well. Add the mushrooms. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Finish the dish. Stir in the sesame oil and cilantro. Remove from heat. Serve immediately.
One thing has become increasingly clear as I cook my way around the world: namely, that I have become a huge fan of fish sauce and recipes that incorporate that ingredient into a dish. My growing interest in this sauce made from fermented fish and salt has led me to prepare a variety of dishes from southeast Asia.
Many of those dishes incorporate a Vietnamese sauce known as nuoc cham. It is typically served as a condiment, served alongside something else. For example, I prepared and served it as a dipping sauce for raw oysters. I also prepared nuoc cham as an unconventional sauce for a New Year's Eve fondue.
These efforts have elevated nuoc cham, increasing its presence in my mind. For this reason, when I happened to stumble across a recipe for Nuoc Cham Marinated Steak, I immediately added it to my "to-do" list. Unlike many recipes on my to-do list, which languish for long periods of time before I get around to making them, this recipe was made within just a few days.
There are three regional variations of nuoc cham - northern, central and southern. The northern Vietnamese version uses a broth made from pork and shrimp. The central Vietnamese version uses recipes that incorporate the same amounts of fish sauce, lime juice and sugar, but also with fresh chiles. The southern version uses palm sugar and coconut water.
This particular recipe seemingly draws from the central Vietnamese variation, because of the balance of ingredients and the incorporation of chiles. If the Thai chiles are too spicy for you, you can substitute a less spicy chile, such as a serrano chile or jalapeno chile.
1. Prepare the marinade. Whisk together the fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic and chiles in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Prick steak all over with a fork and place in a ziploc plastic freezer bag. Pour nuoc cham all over steak in bag. Seal bag and shake to ensure that steak is evenly coated. Chill for 4 hours.
2. Prepare the steak. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the steak from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. Heat oil in large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Pat steak dry with a paper towel and sprinkle both sides with salt.
3. Cook the steak. Add the steak to the skillet and cook, undisturbed, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to preheated oven and bake until a thermometer inserted in the thickest steak registers 125 degrees Fahrenheit, 12 to 15 minutes, turning half way through.
4. Finish the dish. Transfer steak to cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut steak against the grain into thin slices and serve with lime wedges.
Although I have been cooking for years, I find that I still have a lot to learn. This observation rings especially true as I explore the cuisines of different cultures around the world. My explorations take me back to one of my favorite regional cuisines, at least in China. That cuisine can be found in the Sichuan province. The cuisine has a special place for me because it caters to my love of spicy food. Yet, the spice does not always come from the use of hot chiles, such as the Tien Tsin. In the Sichuan province, "spice" does not always equate to "heat."
There is a different kind of "spice," namely numbness, which comes from the Sichuan peppercorn. That is not actually a pepper; instead, it is the berry from the prickly ash tree. I previously explored this ingredient when I made Qiatou Ni Yen, which is a hot chicken dish from Sichuan province. The recipe came from Fuschia Dunlop's The Food of Sichuan. Dunlop's book provides a fascinating look at the region's cuisine, and, I have quite a few recipes that I have wanted to make from the book.
This recipe represents a return to that book and the cuisine, but with a twist. I chose to prepare Jiaoma Jipian. The word, jiaoma, refers to the Sichuan peppercorn; and, this dish features that ingredient in the sauce. The sauce combines a modest amount of the peppercorns with a lot of scallion greens and some salt. These ingredients are then combined with a mixture of sesame oil, soy sauce and cold chicken broth or stock.
Once the sauce is prepared, it is poured over some pre-cooked chicken that has been cut into bite-sized pieces. The recipes typically leave it to the cook as to how to prepare the chicken. However, I decided to poach the chicken because I could use the liquid in the preparation of the sauce. So, I used some bone-in chicken thighs, as both the bone and the skin would help to flavor the broth as the chicken cooked.
This recipe represents a departure from what I generally make. As I think about it, I usually make hot dishes, whether meat or vegetable, appetizer or main course. It is relatively rare for me to prepare a cold dish. However, this dish was very easy to prepare. A simple poaching of the chicken (which Fuschia Dunlop provides instructions for in her book) and an equally simple combination of the sauce ingredients.
In the end, this dish is very delicious. The only change that I might make is to add some more Sichuan peppercorns because I did not get as much of the numbing effect as I expected. It works just like chiles: the amount can be adjusted if you want more of the heat (or numbing feeling) or reduced if you want less of that effect. Something to try the next time that I prepare this dish.
JIOMA JIPIAN
(Chicken in Sichuan Pepper and Scallion Sauce)
Recipe from Fuschia Dunlop, The Food of Sichuan, page 71
Serves 4
Ingredients:
14 ounces cold poached chicken meat, off the bone
1/2 teaspoon whole Sichuan pepper
1 3/4 ounces scallion greens
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
2 Teaspoons sesame oil
7-8 tablespoons cold chicken stock
Salt
Directions:
1. Prepare the chicken. Cut the chicken into bite-size slices. Place in a serving dish.
2. Prepare the sauce. Cover the Sichuan pepper with a little warm water and let soak for about 20 minutes. Wash the scallion greens thoroughly, shake dry, and then slice thinly. Place on a chopping board with the drained Sichuan peppercorns and a pinch of salt, then use a sharp knife or mezzaluna to chop them together extremely finely.
3. Finish the sauce. Transfer the chopped ingredients to a small bowl, then add the soy sauce, if using, along with the sesame oil and 7 tablespoons of stock and mix well. If you are not using soy sauce, add an extra tablespoon of stock and season with salt to taste.
4. Finish the dish. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Mix well before eating.
In my humble opinion, Cambodian cuisine has mastered the pairing of ginger to seafood. I don't know how they did or even when they did it. Yet, whenever I come across a Cambodian seafood recipe that incorporates a ginger sauce or dressing, that recipe is amazing.
I learned that first hand more than four years ago, when my beautiful Angel and I hosted a New Year's Eve party. I prepared a bunch of dishes that symbolized good luck in the new year. The most popular dish that I prepared was a Cambodian Ginger Catfish recipe. That catfish was in more demand from the guests than anything else in the spread.
So, when I got my hands on some top neck clams that I planned on grilling, it seemed only appropriate that I return to the cuisine of Srok Khmer (how the Cambodians refer to their country) and its cuisine for inspiration. Sure enough, I found a few recipes that were worth a try. The only question is which one to use.
I ultimately chose a recipe from Theo Cooks, but I decided to make a few modifications. The original recipe called for four tablespoons of grated ginger and four tablespoons of olive oil. I halved the grated ginger because I got a little impatient and I thought that, given its relatively strong flavor profile, a lot of ginger might cause an imbalance in the dressing. I also substituted vegetable oil for olive oil because, as far as I know, olive oil does not feature prominently in Cambodian cuisine. The last modification is that I did not shake the ingredients in a jar. Instead, I used a whisk to create an emulsion. I thought that would better mix the ingredients as well as improve the texture of the dressing.
In the end, this recipe was very good. The ginger still shined in the dressing, but the sweetness from the honey and the slight tartness of the lime juice were also present in the flavor of the dressing. Not only does the dressing work well on clams, but it would also be a good condiment for grilled fish. That will be another post for another day.
GRILLED CLAMS WITH CAMBODIAN GINGER DRESSING
Recipe adapted from Theo Cooks
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
2 pounds of top neck clams (about 8 to 12)
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1 clove garlic, grated
1 lime juiced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Pinch dried chile flakes
Handful of finely chopped cilantro
Directions:
1. Prepare the dressing. Combine all of the ingredients, except the cilantro, together in a bowl. Whisk until the ingredients are well combined. Add the cilantro and stir to combine.
2. Grill the clams. Heat a grill on high heat. Place the clams on the grate. Close the grill and cook the clams until they open, at most 5 minutes. Remove the clams from the grill.
3. Finish the dish. Remove the top shells from the clams. Spoon some of the dressing over the clams and serve immediately.
One can trace the origin of this recipe -- Crying Tiger (Suea Rong Hai) -- to its principal range, which extends from northeastern Thailand into Laos. One could find cuts of beef, usually brisket, marinating in a mixture of herbs and spices that balances sweet, spicy, sour, and savory. Cooks then grill the marinated meat over charcoal. Once the meat is grilled, the cooks slice it thinly and serve it with a dipping sauce.
There is a lot to learn about Crying Tiger, but some of it is shrouded in mystery, like the name. There are at least three different versions of where this recipe got its name. The first one focuses on the meat itself. It is said that cooks used cuts of beef that were so tough that they would make tigers cry when they chewed them. The second focuses on a farmer's cow. A tiger came out of the jungle and stole the cow. The tiger then proceeded to eat most of the cow. The tiger eventually was too stuffed to eat the brisket. The tiger looked at the juicy piece of meat and began to cry because it could not finish it. Finally, there is the story that the fat marbling on a brisket looked like tiger stripes and, when the brisket was grilled, the fat dripping off the meat looked like a tiger's tears.
Whatever the origin of the name, this dish represents some of the best qualities of Thai cuisine, especially given the balance of flavors that I mentioned above. That balance is reinforced with the jaew sauce, which is one of many nam jim (or sauces) that are served alongside Thai dishes. The jaew sauce comes from Isan, the northeastern Thai region that borders Laos. The one ingredient that sets jaew sauce apart from other nam jin is the use of toasted rice powder. The powder adds an element of toastiness to the sauce, as well as serves as a thickener. The other ingredients -- lime juice (bitter), tamarind (sweet), chile pepper (spice), and fish sauce (sour or umame) -- provide a level of balance to the entire dish.
In the end, Suea Rong Hai with Nam Jim Jaew provides a multi-dimensional balance of flavors that makes one of the best beef dishes that I have made or had recently. It gets me to thinking about what other recipes are lurking out there, waiting to be discovered.
CRYING TIGER (SUEA RONG HAI) WITH JAEW SAUCE
Recipe from Thai Caliente & The Wanderlust Kitchen
Serves 4
Ingredients (for the steak)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon palm sugar (or brown sugar)
1 pound of beef (such as rib eye, sirloin or strip steak)
1 lime, juiced
Ingredients (for the Jaew Sauce):
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/3 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
1 teaspoon ground toasted rice
2 teaspoons ground Thai chile peppers
2 teaspoon coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon water, if needed
Directions:
1. Marinate the beef. Combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Whisk the ingredients. Add the beef and allow it to marinate for 30 minutes to 45 minutes at room temperature.
2. Prepare the Jaew Sauce. Combine fish sauce, lime juice, tamarind, toasted rice powder, chile peppers, sugar, cilantro green onion and, if necessary, water. Adjust the sauce by adding water to dilute it or lime juice, sugar, or fish sauce to balance the flavors.
3. Grill the beef. Heat a grill or cast iron skillet over the stove to hot. Pat steaks dry, season with salt and pepper, and place steaks on grill or skillet. Cook for a couple minutes on each side until desired temperature (medium rare) is reached. Allow the steaks to rest for 10 minutes.
4. Finish the dish. Slice the steak and serve immediately with the Jaew sauce and condiments such as lettuce leaves, cucumber slices and rice.
My intense dislike of broccoli is not a secret. I have previously blogged about it. To quote myself: "I hate broccoli. I really hate broccoli." Yet, for some reason, I keep finding myself buying broccoli at the grocery store and searching the Internet for some way to make the green vegetable appealing to my palate.
Despite my feelings about broccoli, I know deep down that I need to eat more vegetables. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, broccoli contains antioxidants (like Vitamins A, C and K) and glucosinolates, which a body can convert into substances that fight cancer. Broccoli also contains compounds such as indol-3-carbinol and diindolylmethane, both of which help to regulate the immune response and reduce excessive inflammation.
Recently, I just grabbed a few ingredients from the pantry and my steam basket. I decided that I would steam the vegetable and then toss it in a dressing made from soy sauce, mirin, black vinegar, and sesame oil. I then would garnish the broccoli with a mixture of toasted sesame seeds, toasted black sesame seeds and salt. The end result was decent, but not enough to change my position with respect to broccoli.
I guess some more purchases and surfing for recipes will be required.
STEAMED BROCCOLI WITH SESAME SOY DRESSING
A Chef Bolek Original
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 large broccoli crown, florets trimmed and large ones halved
2 tablespoons Tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon Mirin
1 tablespoon black vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons toasted black sesame seeds
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Directions:
1. Prepare the dressing and the sesame seeds.Combine the sesame seeds and salt in a small bowl. Combine the soy sauce, mirin, black vinegar and sesame oil another bowl.
2. Steam the broccoli.Add water to a steam pot with a plate and bring the water to a boil and steam. Add the broccoli and steam until cooked, about five minutes. Remove from heat and remove broccoli to a bowl. Add the dressing and toss. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
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