Spicy Pork & Vegetable Tofu – Probably Not Mapo Tofu

This might look like I was trying to make a version of a famous Chinese dish called mapo tofu, but that's not the case, and in fact, I'm pretty sure I was making this before I knew what mapo tofu was. And now that I’ve addressed the people that were going to complain this isn’t authentic, we can continue.

I'm assuming that whatever I did get this idea from was most likely a version of mapo, but that's as far as it goes. Which reminds me, this is a great recipe to adapt to your own tastes, not only with the sauce ingredients, but also in regards to what vegetables you include.

Zucchini is our favorite, especially if you take the extra 15 minutes to salt it, but pretty much any dice-able seasonal vegetables will shine. So, please keep this one in mind as you browse the farmers market, but no matter what you put in, I really do hope you a give this delicious tofu dish a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Portions:

1 1/4 pounds ground pork

1 pound firm tofu, cubed (my package was 14 ounces)

handful of sliced green onions

minced hot chili peppers, as much as you like

3 small zucchini, cubed, toss with 1 tablespoon kosher salt (rinse after 15 minutes)

freshly chopped cilantro to finish

sliced green onions for the top

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons Korean chili paste aka Gochujang, or other chili paste product to taste (click here to read a little more about Gochujang)

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon sesame oil

4 cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon finely grated ginger

Steamed Barbecue Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao) – Sweet, Steamy Memories

In younger, leaner times, I’d often rely on the delicious, inexpensive calorie bomb that is the steamed barbecue pork bun. They were twice the size, and for a few bucks you could get very full…for about 30 minutes, and then you were starving again. Nothing a Mission-style burrito couldn’t fix.

Anyway, the filling was chopped Chinese-style barbecue pork mixed with some kind of mysterious, gelatinous red sauce, which was significantly sweeter than what I’m doing here. 

That’s probably why they don’t seem to come out quite the same as I remember. I probably need a lot more sugar, as well as copious amounts of MSG. Having said that, I was pretty pleased with my insides, but as usual I encourage you to freestyle. 

Here’s a link to a fairly classic pork bun filling recipe, in case you want something slightly more authentic, and since it looks just like the stuff I mentioned above, I might give it a try next time. But, regardless what you fill yours with, I really do hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 Steamed Barbecue Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao):

For the dough:

3/4 cups warm water

1 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoon white sugar

2 cups *self-rising flour

For the filling (this made more than I needed):

2 cups chopped Chinese-style barbecue pork, or other barbecued pork product

1/4 cup finely sliced green onions

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/4 cup hoisin sauce, or as needed

salt (soy sauce) and cayenne to taste

2 teaspoons white sugar, optional

*If you don't have self-rising flour, you can use 2 cups all-purpose flour sifted with 3 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon fine table salt.

Korean Barbecued Rack of Lamb – That Other Rack of Ribs

While less popular than beef and pork, lamb was the original barbecued meat (Google barbacoa for details), and may be the best suited for cooking over smoky coals. That’s especially true when paired with this very simple Korean-inspired marinade. This really did taste every bit as good as it looked, and that’s saying something.

Lamb has a slight, subtly sweet gaminess, which works perfectly with the funky goodness of our gochujang chili paste, and if you let it soak overnight, you’ll be rewarded with a juicy interior as well. I love using rack for this, since it’s more tender, and easier to work with than leg, and a little more user friendly than chops.

You should find gochujang at any grocery store where the cool kids shop, but if not, it’s available online. Here is the one I used, just in case that matters. If you do happen to splurge for a jar, trust me, you’ll use it all by the end of summer.

By the way, the ingredient amounts below will only allow for a few tablespoons of sauce, once reduced. If you want more, just double the amounts, and save half to add to your reduction. A little more sauce probably isn’t a bad idea, especially if there’s going to be rice around. Either way, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Portions:

2 trimmed racks of lamb (about 1 pound each)

2 tablespoons gochujang chili paste

6 cloves crushed garlic

1/4 cup finely minced green onions

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Miso Honey Chicken – Because Honey Miso Chicken Didn’t Have the Same Ring to It

It’s not hard to make a great marinade with just a few ingredients, as long as one of those ingredients is the magical miso. This super savory paste, made from fermented rice, barley, and soybeans, isn’t that hard to find, but what can be a challenge is understanding the different varieties available.

Miso is sold by “color,” and I’m recommending the white one here, except when you open the container, it’s not white, it’s sort of a golden yellow. They also sell a yellow miso, which is a slightly darker golden yellow, as well as a red miso, which is also a golden yellow. I’m just kidding…it’s actually dark brown.

The point is, the colors don’t refer to the actual color, but rather the processing method, and ratio of ingredients. And that’s basically the extent of my expertise. I choose the white, since it’s the most mild, but I encourage you to do some more research, as well as some experimentation.

After marinating overnight if possible, you’ll definitely want to cook your chicken with indirect heat. Otherwise, it will get too dark – as in black. Roasting in a 375 F. oven would be great, but if you use a charcoal grill, be sure to push your coals all the way over to one side of your grill, and place your chicken on the opposite site. Keep and eye on it, and turn/rotate the pieces as needed.

You can add many other things to this marinade, but maybe try the minimalist version first. I used to tell my students that the older you get, the fewer ingredients you use, so that’s my excuse, but I really want the clean flavors of the miso and honey coming through. Either way, I really hope you find some miso paste, and give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for enough marinade for one whole chicken:

3 tablespoons white miso

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 teaspoons hot sauce

1 tablespoon kosher salt (about 2 teaspoon fine salt)

lemon wedges and pepper flakes to garnish

- Let marinate overnight before roasting or grilling until the internal temp in the middle of the thigh is 165 F.

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Corned Beef & Kimchi Fried Rice – Just Like Your Irish-American-Korean Grandmother Used to Make

After too many requests to count, I’m finally posting my recipe for kimchi fried rice, and by “my recipe,” I mean everyone’s recipe, since give or take a handful of meat, they’re all pretty much the same. 

Having said that, I’ll give a shout out to the lovely and talented, Maanchi, since I checked her channel to make sure I wasn’t missing any key elements, as well as learn how to say, “gochujang.”

I’m not sure how close I got to the later, but except for the seaweed, I did get all the ingredients right. Of course, the diced corned beef is optional, but if you do have some leftover from your St. Patrick’s Day, I highly recommend you give it a try. Bacon is another fine choice, as is almost any other diced meat I can think of.

The egg is also technically optional, but not for me. The way the runny yolk mixes into, and moistens the rice takes this to a whole other level. The poached egg also paired quite nicely with my “landweed” garnish, as it does with the much more traditional shredded seaweed. But, no matter how you accessorize, I really hope you give this corned beef and kimchi fried rice a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large portions:

1 generous cup chopped drained kimchi

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups diced corned beef or other meat

3 generous cooked rice, (I find cold works best for crustification)

1/4 cup kimchi juice

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons gochujang chili paste

1/2 cup sliced green onion

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

2 teaspoons sesame oil, or to taste

2 poached or fried eggs

shredded seaweed to garnish, optional

Kimchi Corned Beef – Adding Some Seoul to St. Patrick’s Day

I’ve always loved St. Patrick’s Day, since apparently that’s the only day of the year I get to eat corned beef and cabbage. Besides the copious amounts of salt, nitrates, and fat, I have no idea way we’re not eating this stuff a couple times a week. Anyway, because this is usually an annual thing, most folks make it the same way, year after year, but that’s never been my M.O. I like to think of ways to creatively tweak the recipe, so that while I’m enjoying my new creation, I can think about how much I’d wished I just boiled it in water, with that little packet. 

What I’m trying to say is, not every attempt has been a homerun. Or whatever a homerun in Irish hurling is. This, however, was a success. The spicy, fermented cabbage, added a lot of extra savoriness, and not only to the meat, but even more so to the vegetables.  The potatoes especially soaked up a surprising amount of flavor, and may have been my favorite part of the whole dish.

I used a corned beef made from the round, instead of the traditional brisket, which worked out much better than I thought it would. If you do decide to go this lower fat option, be sure not to cook it too long. The fork should pierce the meat without too much force, but we do not want to meat falling apart, as it will become dry and chalky. Chances are you’re going to use a brisket anyway, which is much more forgiving, but something to keep in mind if you do go with the round. Either way, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions:

1 ready to cook corned beef (mine was about 3 1/2 pounds)

4 cups kimchi, not drained

1 cup cold water or as needed

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered

3 large carrots, cut in large chunks

2 ribs celery, cut in large chunks

green onions to garnish

Chinese Scallion Pancakes – Happy New Year, Dog!

Happy Chinese New Year! It’s the Year of the Dog (and not the Manatee), and to celebrate I thought I’d show you my take on Chinese scallion pancakes. These fun-to-make flatbreads are a common fixture on menus around here, and while they all feature the same few ingredients, they come in a variety of thicknesses, which really affects the texture.

The thinner you make these, the crispier they’ll be, but you won’t get that nice, layered, oniony inside. On the other hand, if you make them too thick, they can be a little doughy inside, so I try to shoot for something in between. Speaking of inside, feel free to add pepper flakes or other appropriate embellishments before you roll these up.

Ideally, you leave the dough overnight before using, but I’ve always had great results with just a couple hours rest on the counter. If you do leave overnight, you’ll probably get a better flavor, and maybe texture, but the dough will be more elastic, and slightly more difficult to work with.

As far as the dipping sauce goes, I like to mix equal parts seasoned rice vinegar, and soy sauce, flavored with a shot of hot sauce, and maybe grating of fresh ginger. Toss in a few sliced green onions, and you’ll have yourself a very basic, but perfect condiment for these savory pancakes. Regardless of how you serve them, I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy, and gung hay fat choy!

Ingredients for 2 Chinese Scallion Pancakes:

one bunch green onions, mostly green parts, sliced thinly

For the dough:

2 cups bread or all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup hot water

- adjust with more flour or water to form a smooth, but sticky dough

For the oil mixture:

3 tablespoon veg oil

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon flour

- serve with dipping sauce, as described in the blog post

Creole Crab Noodles – Mardi Gras Fusion

I’m calling this Creole crab noodles recipe an “experiment,” but it didn’t really feel like one, since I was sure it was going to come out really well, which it did. Crab, and its old friends, the Holy Trinity, are a classic combo, and so it was no surprise they worked so well in an Asian-style, rice noodle dish.

If you can get fresh crab meat, by all means use that, but if not, pretty much every large grocery chain carries pasteurized crab in 8-ounce plastic tubs, which works perfectly fine for this. And if shellfish isn’t your thing, I’ve got some great news. This exact same dish can be made with literally any other other meat and/or vegetable.

You can also do this with your favorite pasta, but like I said in the video, there are few foods as addictive, and fun to eat as rice noodles, so I’d advise against it. Besides, you can finally have that gluten-free friend of yours over to make up for all those pizza-night invites. So, whether you make this for Mardi Gras or not, I really do hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large portions:

8 ounces crab meat

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/3 cup finely diced green onions, plus more for garnish

1/3 cup finely diced celery

1/3 cup finely diced hot and/or sweet peppers

8 ounces rice noodles, soaked, drained

For the sauce:

3 cloves crushed garlic

3 tablespoons ketchup

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Sticky Garlic Pork Chops – What Do You Think, About Slightly Pink?

This sticky garlic pork chop recipe seems too good to be true. It only takes a few minutes of prep work, requires no tricky techniques, and doesn’t call for any hard-to-find ingredients.

And for the last time, Asian fish sauce is not hard to find. It used to be, but it’s now carried in every major grocery store, and I consider it a must-have in anyone’s kitchen.

Above and beyond the sauce, which is also our marinade, the other key to this recipe is finding some nice, thick, bone-in pork chops. While this will theoretically work with thin, boneless “chops,” we give ourselves much more room for error when it comes to achieving the perfect doneness.

Speaking of which, I shoot for about 140 to 145 F. internal temperature, which will produce a very juicy, tender piece of meat. Sure, you may see a subtle, pale pink hue, but it’s still perfectly safe to eat, and you’ll be amazed at how much nicer the texture is, especially after sitting in the brine-like marinade.

Of course, if you’re one of these people who always cooks pork well done, because your grandparents told you about the horrors of trichinosis when you were a kid, then fine. Go ahead and cook it all the way through, until it’s nice and dry, but you really are missing out. You’re still not convinced? Either way, I really do hope you give these sticky garlic pork chops a try soon. Enjoy!

For the marinade/sauce mixture (would probably be enough for 4 chops):

1/3 cup light brown sugar

6 to 8 cloves crushed or very finely minced garlic

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 thick-cut pork chops, bone in (about 10 to 12-ounce each)

Potstickers – For When You Can’t Decide Between Fried and Steamed Dumplings

Potstickers (or Pot Stickers, depending on which style guide you’re using) are very fast and easy to make, unless you only do them once or twice a year, in which case they’re going to take a little bit of time to fold and shape. 

Just for fun, find a video that shows professionals doing these, and marvel at how they come together in seconds. That's what happens when you do hundreds each day, for years.

Having said that, every second spent producing these, is a second well spent. The play between the crispy, crusty bottom, and the tender parts, makes for a truly unique dumpling. They’re also very versatile, since you can fill them with anything you want. No matter what you use, you’ll know exactly what you’re biting into, which is not always the case when you get these out.

Don’t get me wrong; I love the occasional take-out binge, and its associated mysteries. But, it’s nice being able to control the contents, as well as the generosity of the filling. There is nothing worse than biting into one of these, and realizing it’s only half-full. So, for all those reasons, and more, I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

One production note: While I’ve made these many times, I’ve never actually measured the ingredients before, so I ended up with extra filling. So, I’ve increased the dough amounts from what I used in the video. Instead of getting 24 wrappers, you should get more like 32 (cutting each quarter dough into 8, instead of 6 portions), which should be a better match. Of course this depends on exactly how much you fill, but it should be close.

Ingredients:

For the filling:

1 pound ground pork

4 cloves minced garlic

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

3 tablespoons very finely minced ginger

2 tablespoons soy sauce plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

pinch cayenne

1 1/2 cups finely chopped green cabbage

For the dough:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup hot water (about 130-150 F.)

For the dipping sauce:

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

Optional: You can spike dipping sauce with things like hot sauce, garlic, minced green onions, ginger, etc.

Spicy Chicken Noodles – It’s The Rice That Makes It Nice

The only downside to this beautiful, spicy chicken noodles recipe is that I’m now going to get even more requests for Pad Thai that I usually do. Which is understandable, since no matter what recipe they’re used in, rice noodles are a proven crowd-pleaser.

By the way, I’ll post a recipe for pad Thai just as soon as my version comes out at least as well as the worst restaurant example in town. I’m not quite there yet. In the meantime, we can all practice our rice noodle soaking technique. As I mentioned, check the package of noodles you buy, as the time will vary depending on the size of the noodle.

I think this dish is perfect for using up leftover chicken, assuming it wasn’t horribly overcooked in the first place. If you did want to use raw chicken, go ahead and chop it up, and stir-fry it for a minute or two, before adding your vegetables. Either way, I really hope you give this spicy chicken noodles recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large or 4 small portions:

8 ounces dry rice noodles, soaked in 6 cups of boiling, lightly salted water (drain and rinse before using)

8 ounces cooked chicken breast, torn

1 tablespoon sesame oil

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons hoisin

1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus more to taste

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 or 2 tablespoons Sriracha, or other hot sauce

1 teaspoon hot chili flakes

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1/2 cup chicken broth

For the vegetables:

1 large carrot, finely sliced or shredded

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced

2 cups finely sliced green cabbage

1/2 cup chopped green onions

3 cloves garlic, finely crushed

1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro

Chinese Barbecue Pork (Char Siu) – Take That, Take Out!

There are many unforgettable sights and sounds you experience walking through Chinatown for the first time, but I think it was seeing all those hanging chunks of florescent red meat that made the biggest impression. 

Sure, the Peking ducks were cool, but they actually sort of looked like roasted duck, where as the char siu looked looked like nothing I’d ever seen before.

So, it was a little disappointing to eventually find out that it was from copious amounts of red food coloring, which I’m pretty sure was toxic back then, and not from some ancient Chinese secret cooking method. Anyway, enough with the nostalgia; the important thing to remember is that in addition to its impressive, high-gloss appearance, and savory taste, this Chinese barbecue pork is quite easy to make at home, even if you don’t have a fancy ceramic grill.

If you happen to be using your standard, backyard kettle-shaped grill, push all your coals to one side, and place your meat on the other. To add an extra layer of protection, you can also put it in a roasting pan, and place that on the grill. Or, forget the great outdoors, and simply roast it in the oven. The only catch is, you’ll need to place it under the broiler at the end, to simulate the caramelization we get on the barbecue.

As long as you roast it between 275 F. and 300 F., and do so until you reach an internal temperature of between 185-190 F., the cooking method really does not matter, and you should have something that rivals the finest take-out in town. So, I really do hope you give this Chinese-style barbecue pork a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for six portions:

3 pounds boneless pork butt, cut into 4 sections lengthwise

2/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup hoisin sauce

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup Chinese rice wine (can sub sake, or dry sherry)

1/3 cup ketchup

4  garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon five-spice powder

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/8 teaspoon pink curing salt, optional

1 or 2 teaspoons red food coloring, optional

Kosher salt to season pork before grilling

Smashed Cucumber Salad – I Crushed This

Your cooking skills might not be the best, but the word on the street is that you’re pretty good at smashing things, sometimes even on purpose. If that’s the case, this refreshing, and very addictive smashed cucumber salad is going to be perfect for you. Above and beyond whisking up an extremely simple dressing, the success of this recipe comes down to you being able to flatten a cucumber with something heavy.

It really is as easy as it sounds, and by crushing our cucumber before we cut it, we produce flavors that un-smashed cucs can’t. When you crush the cells in a vegetable, as opposed to cutting cleanly through them, certain compounds get mixed together, which can result in a significantly different flavor. 

This is not always a good thing, and onions are the perfect example. Use a sharp knife, and they’re sweet and mild. Use a dull knife, or that thing you ordered after seeing the infomercial at 2 AM, and you’ll get something much harsher. In fact, it’s no joke that most people who don’t like onions, grew up in a kitchen with dull knives.

However, when it comes to cucumber, these ruptured cells produce a more desirable flavor, and texture. The only decision you’re going to have to make, is how long to let the cucumbers marinate in the dressing, if at all. Many chefs will toss and serve immediately, while others like to let the cucumbers chill in the dressing for a little while in the fridge, which is the method I prefer.

You’ll just have to do some tests to see what you prefer, but either way, this is one of my all-time favorite cold summer side dishes, and one I really hope you try very soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 6 portions:
2 English cucumbers (about 1 1/2 pounds total weight)

1 teaspoon granulated white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed

2 garlic cloves, finely crushed

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

(or regular rice vinegar with an extra pinch of salt and sugar)

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

red pepper flakes, to taste

toasted sesame seeds to garnish

Grilled Hoisin Beef – Not Necessarily Mongolian

While this grilled hoisin beef features a very similar marinade to the one in our Mongolian pork chop video, I decided against calling it, "Mongolian beef," since I realized I’m not exactly sure what that is. Same goes for the chop, but since Mustard’s Grill coined the name, we're Grandfathered in.

Hoisin sauce is an underrated, and possibly underused ingredient. That's probably due to the fact that people aren’t exactly sure what it is. Far as I can tell, it's a thickened, fermented soy-sauce-like substance, flavored with chilies, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and, of course, exotic spices. That’s really all I feel like I need to know, but if you happen to do some more research, and find out something interesting, please pass it along.

Like I said in the video, besides a decent marinade recipe, I hope this serves as a reminder for just how great a cut of beef skirt steak is. Unless you horribly overcook it, it’s always juicy, and tender, as long as you slice it across the grain. So, whether you serve it with coconut rice or not, I really hope you give this grilled hoisin beef a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes two portions:
* as with all marinades, feel free to add more of everything!

1 beef skirt steak, about a pound

1/3 cup hoisin sauce

3 tablespoons Chinese vinegar, or sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons hot sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

4 cloves finely minced garlic

1 packed tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 green onion, light parts, minced

toasted sesame seeds