Jan 12, 2012: Daring Cooks December - Char Sui and Buns

Our Daring Cooks’ December 2011 hostess is Sara from Belly Rumbles! Sara chose awesome Char Sui Bao as our challenge, where we made the buns, Char Sui, and filling from scratch – delicious!

[Eat4Fun - Posting a month late on this one. I made all three recipes.]

Recipe Source: I looked at quite a few blogs and various websites as well as referring to various cook books. Through trial and error my recipes are a slight variation. Sara's recipe for marinade using maltose was based on Blue Apocalypse's recipe.

Mandatory Items:
Prepare char sui and then make char sui bao.

[Char Sui served with Spicy Mustard. Dijon can be used as a substitute, but you don't get the kick.]


Char Sui (Cantonese BBQ Pork)

Ingredients

1 pork fillet/tenderloin (roughly 1-1.5 pounds)
4 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon (3 gm) ginger, grated
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 ½ tablespoons maltose (you can substitute honey)
1 ½ tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon shaoxing cooking wine
½ teaspoon (2 gm) ground white pepper
pinch of salt
½ teaspoon (2 gm) five spice powder
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon pillar box red food colouring [I left out the food coloring.]
(1 tablespoon=15 ml, 1 teaspoon=5 ml)

Directions:

1) Trim the pork loin to remove fat and tendon and slice lengthways so you have two long pieces, then cut in half. By cutting the pork in to smaller pieces to marinate you will end up with more flavoursome char sui. If you want to leave the pork in one piece you can do this as well. Place in container that you will be marinating them in.

2) Combine all the other ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine. I placed my maltose in the microwave for a few seconds to make it easier to work with. Maltose is quite a solid hard sticky substance.

3) Cover pork well with ⅔ of the marinade mixture. Marinate for a minimum of 4 hours, I find it is best left to marinate overnight. Place the reserved ⅓ portion of the marinade covered in the fridge. You will use this as a baste when cooking the pork.

Cooking Method in the oven

4) Pre-heat oven to moderate 180˚C/350°F/gas mark 4.

5) Cover a baking tray with foil or baking paper. Place on top of this a rack on which to cook the pork.

6) Place pork on the rack and place in oven.

7) Bake for approximately 10 minutes, basting and turning.

8) Turn the heat up to moderately hot 200˚C/400°F/gas mark 6 for the final 20 minutes as this will aid the charring. Cook until cooked through.



Baked Char Sui Bao (Cantonese BBQ Pork Bun)

Filling
350 gm (12 oz) char sui (finely diced)
2 green onions/spring onions (finely sliced)
1 tablespoon hoisin
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
¼ cup (60 ml) chicken stock
1 teaspoon (2 gm) cornflour
½ tablespoon vegetable oil
(1 tablespoon=15 ml, 1 teaspoon=5 ml)

Dough Ingredients

2½ teaspoons (8 gm/1 satchel) of dried yeast
¼ cup (55 gm/2 oz) sugar
½ cup warm water
2 cups (280 gm/10 oz) plain flour
1 egg (medium size - slightly beaten)
3 tablespoons oil
½ teaspoon (3 gm) salt
Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with a dash of water
(1 cup=240 ml, 1 tablespoon=15 ml, 1 teaspoon=5 ml)

Filling Directions:

1) Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or pan.

2) Add diced char sui to the wok/pan and stir then add spring onions, cook for 1 minute.

3) Add hoisin, dark soy sauce and sesame oil to the pork mixture, stir fry for one minute.

4) Mix cornflour and stock together and then add to the pork mixture.

5) Stir well and keep cooking until the mixture thickens, 1 or 2 minutes.

6) Remove mixture from wok/pan and place in a bowl to cool. Set aside until ready to use.

Bun Directions:

1) Place the sugar and warm water in a bowl, mix until the sugar has dissolved. Add yeast and leave it for 10 - 15 minutes until it becomes all frothy.

2) Sift flour in to a large bowl.

3) Add yeast mixture, egg, oil and salt and stir. Bring the flour mixture together with your hands.

4) Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for approximately 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and slightly elastic.

5) Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave to rise until it is double in size. This will take from 1 - 2 hours depending on weather conditions.

6) Once dough has doubled in size knock back and divide in to 12 portions and shape in to round balls.

7) Place a good sized tablespoon of filling on the dough circle. Then gather the edges and seal your bun.

8) Place the bun seal side down on your baking tray. Continue with rest of dough.

9) Once all buns are complete brush surface with egg wash.

10) Place in oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.


[Steamed bun - The buns look a little off - bubbly exterior. It should be smooth. Flavor was good.]


Steamed Char Sui Bao (Cantonese BBQ Pork Bun)

Filling
350 gm (12 oz) char sui (finely diced)
2 shallots (finely diced)
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
¼ cup (60 ml) chicken stock
1 teaspoon (3 gm) cornflour
½ tablespoon vegetable oil

Bun Ingredients
1 cup milk, scalded
¼ cup (60 gm/2 oz) sugar
1 tablespoon oil
¼ teaspoon (2 gm) salt
2½ teaspoons (8 gm/1 satchel) of dried yeast
3 cups (420 gm/15 oz) plain flour
(1 cup=240 ml, 1 tablespoon=15 ml, 1 teaspoon=5 ml)

Filling Directions:

1) Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or pan. Sauté the shallots for one or two minutes until soft.

2) Add diced char sui to the wok/pan and stir.

3) Add oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and sesame oil to the pork mixture, stir fry for one minute.

4) Mix cornflour and stock together and then add to the pork mixture.

5) Stir well and keep cooking until the mixture thickens, 1 or 2 minutes.

6) Remove mixture from wok/pan and place in a bowl to cool. Set aside until ready to use.

Bun Directions:

1) Scald milk and then stir in sugar, oil and salt, leave to cool until it is lukewarm. Once it is the right temperature add yeast, leave until yeast is activated and it becomes frothy, about 10 - 15 minutes. [I used quick yeast so this step was skipped - proofing the yeast]

2) Sift flour in to a large bowl.

3) Add milk/yeast mixture to the flour. Bring the flour mixture together with your hands.

4) Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for approximately 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and slightly elastic.

5) Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave to rise until it is double in size. This will take from 1 - 2 hours depending on weather conditions.

6) Punch down dough and divide in to 20 equal portions.

7) Roll each dough portion in to a 7 – 8cm (2¾ - 3 ¼ inches) round.

8) Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the centre of the round, gather the edges together at the top and place on a 8cm (3 inch) square of baking paper. Repeat until all dough has been used.

9) Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.

10) Place buns in bamboo steamer, leaving space between the buns.

11) Heat water in a wok until it is simmering and place steamers one on top of each other in the wok.

12) Place lid on top bamboo steamer and steam for approximately 12 minutes.

Results
I thought the char sui wasn't bad and the buns were only okay.

The texture on them was a little off. Maybe it was how I made the dough in the food processor where the dough was more bread like. The buns should be fluffy and soft, but still have a little density to them. The baked buns came out a little dry. The steamed buns came out a little airy.

Nov 14, 2011: Darking Cooks cooking with Tea

Sarah from Simply Cooked was our November Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to create something truly unique in both taste and technique! We learned how to cook using tea with recipes from Tea Cookbook by Tonia George and The New Tea Book by Sara Perry.

Mandatory Items: Prepare at least one savory recipe made with tea.

Variations allowed: Variations are encouraged. Feel free to use black, green, or white tea. Herbal teas (which are actually infusions, since they contain no tea leaves) are also allowed.

Eat4Fun - For this challenge, I used my own recipe.

Over the years, I've been working on my own Chinese BBQ sauce recipe. The following are pork spare ribs cooked in the sauce with the addition of tea.

Instead of baking, I use a method I call "braise-glaze". The ribs are braised for about an hour. As the sauce evaporates, it thickens to coat the coat the ribs.

The end result is a falling off the bone rib coated with a sweet Chinese bbq sauce.



Chinese Spare Ribs
1 Slab Spare Ribs, cleaned and trimmed to individual ribs.
1/2 C Ketchup
1/4 C Honey
1/4 C Maltose (or just use more honey)
1/4 C Hoisin Sauce
1/4 C Soy Sauce
1/4 C Onion, chopped
1/4 C Water
1 T Rice Wine
1 T Rice Wine Vinegar
1 T Brown Sugar
1 t Five Spice Powder
1 t Toasted Sesame Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, sliced
Optional: 2 to 6 tea bags (I used Jasmine Green Tea and an English Breakfast Tea)

Directions
1) Clean and trim the ribs.
2) Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large pot and heat.
Note: With the tea, you can add more or less depending upon how much tea flavor you want.
3) When the sauce has combined, add the ribs and stir to coat.
4) Simmer ribs, with the lid ajar, over low to medium low heat for about an hour - stir occasionally to ensure even coverage.
5) After an hour, you can turn up the heat to thicken the sauce, about 5 minutes. The ribs can be taken out for this step (if you feel the ribs are soft enough) or just leave in the pot to cook longer.

Oct 15, 2011: Daring Cooks' Challenge - Moo Shu Pork

The October Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.

Eat4Fun: My YouTube Video of the Challenge:


Shelley selected the recipe for this challenge because it is both accessible and adaptable to a variety of dietary requirements, while maintaining authenticity to what Moo Shu is supposed to be.

Deh-Ta Hsiung, a renowned authority on Chinese cuisine, published a beautiful book called The Chinese Kitchen. The book is a wonderful and encyclopedic volume containing a wealth of information about all aspects of Chinese cooking, from ingredients to process to history. The recipes are accessible, flavorful, and clearly written. His recipe for Moo Shu, like the others, is straightforward and delicious, and is what I am sharing with you for our challenge.

In preparation for this challenge, Shelly contacted Mr. Deh-Ta Hsiung, who is pleased to have his recipe as our challenge. Mr. Hsiung is widely considered an international expert on Chinese cooking, though his original work was in the arts and film-making. Chinese cooking was his passion, though, and he proceeded to take lessons from top Chinese chefs and work in professional kitchens around the world. Having written numerous books and articles, Mr. Hsiung is a respected authority in the world of Chinese cooking.

About this dish, specifically, Mr. Hsiung offered us a brief anecdote from his earliest work, regarding the origins of this dish's name. In The Home Book of CHINESE COOKERY, Mr. Hsiung discusses the dish as follows:

PORK LAUREL (MU-HSU PORK)
Some explanation is needed for the name of this dish. In China, we have a tree called kwei; according to my dictionary, kwei is called laurel in English, and it is a shrub rather than a tree; but the laurels we have in the garden of our London home never seem to flower at all, while the Chinese laurel is a large tree which produces bright yellow, fragrant flowers in the autumn. The pork in this recipe is cooked with eggs, which give a yellow colour to the dish – hence the name. But to add to the confusion, the Chinese name of this dish is mu-hsu pork, mu hsu being the classical name for laurel (are you still with me?). So you might say that calling it pork laurel is taking a poetic license.



Simply put, Moo Shu is a stir fry, containing thinly sliced or shredded vegetables, meat (traditionally) and scrambled egg. It is usually served on flat, thin, steamed pancakes, and is accompanied by a complementary sauce.

Moo Shu pork (the protein most commonly used in Moo Shu dishes) originates in Northern China (commonly attributed to the Shandong province, though sometimes attributed to Beijing), rising in popularity in Chinese restaurants in the West in the 1960's and 70's. As the dish became more popular, different restaurants adapted the recipe to meet their own styles, or to accommodate for expensive or hard-to find ingredients, so there is a lot of variation among recipes. Common among them, though, is a basis of cabbage and the inclusion of scrambled eggs.

The history and etymology of the dish are widely disputed, as indicated by Mr. Hsiung's anecdote above. There are two primary theories as to the origin of the name. Many, including the author of our challenge recipe, suggest that the Chinese characters, read as mu xi, refer to a tree that blooms with small, fragrant blossoms. They suggest that the scrambled egg in this dish is reminiscent of these blossoms, and thus a variety of egg dishes are referred to as mu xi. An alternative suggestion uses the Chinese characters reading mu xu, roughly translating to wood whiskers or wood shavings. The dish is thus named, it is said, due to the appearance of the shredded vegetables and meat, resembling wooden whiskers, or wooden shavings that were used as packing materials.

Recipe Source: The challenge recipe provided for the Moo Shu filling comes from The Chinese Kitchen by Deh-Ta Hsiung. The pancake recipe comes from the same source, though we have also provided an alternate method for preparing them, adapted from a variety of online demonstrations. The sauce recipe provided is from epicurian.com.

Mandatory Items:
You must make Moo Shu pancakes using the provided recipe, a stir fry, and a complementary sauce.

Moo Shu Pork:

Ingredients
2/3 cup (1 oz) (30 gm) Dried black fungus ('wood ears')
½ lb (450 gm) pork loin or butt
¾ cup (3½ oz) (100 gm) bamboo shoots, thinly cut
3 cups (6 oz) (170 gm) Chinese cabbage (Napa cabbage), thinly cut
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt
4 tablespoons (60 ml) vegetable oil
2 scallions
1 tablespoon (15 ml) light soy sauce
2 teaspoons (10 ml) rice wine
A few drops sesame oil
12 thin pancakes to serve

Directions:

1. Soak the fungus in warm water for 10-15 minutes, rinse and drain. Discard any hard stalks, then thinly shred.

2. Thinly cut the pork, bamboo shoots and Chinese cabbage into matchstick-sized shreds.

3. Lightly beat the eggs with a pinch of salt.

4. Heat about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil in a preheated wok and scramble the eggs until set, but not too hard. Remove and keep to one side.

5. Heat the remaining oil. Stir-fry the shredded pork for about 1 minute or until the color changes. Add the fungus, bamboo shoots, Chinese cabbage and scallions. Stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes, then add the remaining salt, soy sauce and wine. Blend well and continue stirring for another 2 minutes. Add the scrambled eggs, stirring to break them into small bits. Add the sesame oil and blend well.

To serve: place about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of hot Moo Shu in the center of a warm pancake, rolling it into a parcel with the bottom end turned up to prevent the contents from falling out. Eat with your fingers. (See Final Preparation and Serving section below for more complete details.)

Thin Pancakes:

Ingredients
4 cups (960 ml) (560 gm) (19¾ oz) all purpose flour
About 1½ cup (300ml) (10 fl oz) boiling water
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vegetable oil
Dry flour for dusting

Directions:

1. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Gently pour in the water, stirring as you pour, then stir in the oil. Knead the mixture into a soft but firm dough. If your dough is dry, add more water, one tablespoon at a time, to reach the right consistency. Cover with a damp towel and let stand for about 30 minutes.

2. Lightly dust the surface of a worktop with dry flour. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes or until smooth, then divide into 3 equal portions. Roll out each portion into a long sausage and cut each sausage into 8-10 pieces. Keep the dough that you are not actively working with covered with a lightly damp dish cloth to keep it from drying out.

3. Roll each piece into a ball, then, using the palm of your hand, press each piece into a flat pancake. Dust the worktop with more dry flour. Flatten each pancake into a 6 to 8 inch (15 cm to 20 cm) circle with a rolling pin, rolling gently on both sides.

4. Place an un-greased frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, lower the heat to low and place the pancakes, one at a time, in the pan. Remove when little light-brown spots appear on the underside. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to serve.

Alternate method for preparing the pancakes:
Once the dough has rested and been kneaded again, divide it into an even number of small pieces, rolling each into a ball. Working with two balls of dough at a time, dip the bottom of one ball lightly into sesame oil and press it onto the top of the second ball. Press the double layer flat, then roll the doubled pancake layers into 6 to 8 inch circles. In a dry pan, cook on each side until dry and lightly blistered (but without browning). Separate pancakes after cooking.

Alternately (I know, an alternate to the alternate...), if you would prefer not to dip the dough in the sesame oil, you can achieve a similar result with a slight modification. Again working two pieces at a time, roll each piece into a three inch pancake. Using a pastry brush, brush sesame oil onto the top of one of the pancakes, and top it with the other pancake. Further roll the doubled pancake into a 6 to 8 inch circle and cook as the above alternate method. This method was actually our favorite of the three, and yielded the best results – very thin pancakes that held up a little better and had the most authentic texture. We had the best luck brushing a bit of sesame oil on both circles of dough, then sandwiching them together. Just be careful separating the pancakes after cooking them on both sides – heat (steam) does get caught between them, so don't burn your fingers!

Hoisin Sauce:
(source: http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/13249/hoisin-sauce.html)

Ingredients
4 tablespoons (60 ml) soy sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) peanut butter OR black bean paste
1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey OR molasses
2 teaspoons (10 ml) white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml) garlic powder
2 teaspoons (10 ml) sesame seed oil
20 drops (¼ teaspoon) Chinese style hot sauce (optional, depending on how hot you want your hoisin sauce)
1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml) black pepper

Directions:
1. Simply mix all of the ingredients together by hand using a sturdy spoon.
2. At first it does not appear like it will mix, but keep at it just a bit longer and your sauce will come together.

Final Preparation and Serving:

Each of the three components that comprise the complete Moo Shu dish are served separately, and the diner prepares each serving on his or her own plate. Most restaurants provide four pancakes, a serving of Moo-Shu and a small dish of hoisin sauce as a single serving. To prepare each pancake for eating, the following is the most common process: a small amount of hoisin sauce is spread onto the pancake, on top of which a spoonful of the stir-fry is placed. In order to prevent (or, realistically, minimize) the filling from spilling out while eating, the bottom of the pancake is folded up, then the pancake is rolled, similarly to a soft taco. Once rolled, the prepared pancake is eaten immediately.

Eat4Fun's Closing Comments:
1. I suggest using 1/2 the salt called out in the filling recipe.

2. The pancakes is a bit of work. I suggest finding soft flour tortillas or premade thin pancakes at the Asian market, usually found in the freezer.

3. The Hoisin sauce is more like a peanut dipping sauce, but not as sweet as Hoisin.

Dec 25, 2010: Merry Christmas!

Today we're having dinner with my brother's.

My contribution is red-cooked (or red-braised) spare ribs.

Red cooking is basically braising meats in a soy sauce based liquid. The soy sauce colors the meat which gives the meat it's "red" color.

Typical recipes call for fresh soy sauce (light soy sauce - not to be confused with the light, low sodium soy sauces) and aged soy sauce (dark soy sauce). The aged soy sauce is what provides a majority of the coloring.

This recipe is adapted from Fuchsia Dunlop's, "Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook."
What caught my eye with this recipe is the use of caramelized sugar instead of aged soy sauce.

Braising Liquid Ingredients
1 slab Pork Spare Ribs (about 2 to 3 lbs)
2 T Brown Sugar
2 T Oil
Ginger (about 5 to 6 quarter size slices)
1/4 t ground cinnamon (or 1 stick)
1 Star Anise
1 Green Onion
1 Clove Garlic
Water or Broth (enough to almost cover the ribs)

The rest is on YouTube.

Enjoy! :-)

Aug 18, 2010: Cold Pork in Hot and Garlicky Sauce

It's been record breaking hot here in Seattle. The heat discourages a person to cook.

While thumbing through Fuchsia Dunlop's "Land of Plenty", I came across a recipe that looked like a good one for a hot day.

Cold Pork in Hot and Garlicky Sauce
1 lb Pork Tenderloin
1.5 in Ginger, left whole, but smashed
2 Green Onions, white part - smashed

1/2 lb Bean Sprouts [I also added some slivered Nappa Cabbage. Both were blanched and cooled before serving.]

Sauce:
4 T Aromatic Soy Sauce
2 T Chili Oil
1 T Garlic, crushed
2 t Sesame Oil

Garnish:
Cilantro (or Green Onion tops)

1) Water, enough to cover the tenderloin, was heated to a boil with ginger and green onion.
After a couple minutes, to allow the ginger and green onion to flavor the water, the pork tenderloin is added. When the water came to a boil, the heat was lowered to a bare simmer. The pork is poached for about 30 minutes.


While the pork is simmering, the Aromatic Soy Sauce is made.

Aromatic Soy Sauce
1/3 C Dark Soy Sauce [Dark soy sauce is also known as "old" or "aged" soy sauce. It's typically thicker with the consistency of balsamic vinegar.]
2/3 C Water
6 T Brown Sugar
1/3 Stick of Cinnamon
1/2 t Fennel Seeds [Omitted - none in my pantry]
1/2 Star Anise
1/2 t Sichuan Pepper
Small Piece of Garlic, Crushed

Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes. Strain before using.

For the brown sugar, I used a brown sugar candy stick. The weight was equivalent to about 3.5 T of brown sugar.


With the pork cooked and the Aromatic Soy Sauce finished, both were refrigerated (separately) overnight.

The Next Day...
Making the sauce - Well I can't read Chinese, so when I go shopping I read ingredients or look for English words. This chili oil contains peanuts. Interesting.

Garlic and Chili oil shown, the rest of the ingredients for the sauce were added and mixed.


The vegetables were blanched for one minute and cooled. The veggies should retain some crispness to contrast the texture of the cooked pork and contrast the spicy sauce.

The veggies (bean sprouts and Nappa cabbage) were mounded onto the center of the plate.
Thin slices of the cooked pork were arranged around the blanched vegetables. Sauce was drizzled around the pork. Cilantro was used as garnish.


Digging in - Pork, vegetables and cilantro.
Extra sauce was off to the side for dipping or drizzling onto one's plate.


Another seemingly simple dish. The flavors are complex and not overpoweringly hot. Just a slight tingle. As I mentioned in previous post about Sichuan cooking, I'm not sure if the heat (spiciness) is supposed to knock you for a loop or just tingle your taste buds. My taste buds are happy :-)

May 20, 2010: Stacked Enchilada Again!

I decided to redo this month's Daring Cook challenge, Stacked Enchilada . I wasn't keen on the mushy results so I wanted to see if frying the tortillas more, until crispy would make a difference. Also, I had enchilada sauce leftover from last night.

Red Stacked Enchiladas.

Ingredients
12 Corn Tortillas
2 C Chorizo and Potato
2 C Enchilada Sauce
4 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded (my last bit)

Directions:
1. Fry the tortillas about 1 to 2 minutes per side until brownish and stiff.


2. Coat with enchilada sauce.


3. Add half the potato mixture... followed by another layer of tortillas, potato and a final layer of tortillas.


4. Bake 425 F for 20 minutes. For the last 5 minutes, add the shredded cheese to melt.


5. Let rest about 5 minutes before serving... nice, melted cheese! :-)


6. Served with avocado, lettuce and salsa.


Flavors were good. The center wasn't as mushy as last time, but still soft.
I think I'm just not a stacked enchilada type of person. My preference is for rolled enchiladas. :-)

May 19, 2010: Chile Rellenos

Quick quiz:
What do you do when you have roasted pepper, cheese, eggs and chorizo/potato filling?

Answer: Make chili rellenos (battered stuffed chile peppers)!

I was trying to decide what to do with the leftover roasted chiles. While watching a Mexican cooking show. I don't remember which one. There was a segment on chile rellenos where they showed a cook making the batter with beaten egg whites and egg yolk.

Hey! I can do that! I've always wanted to make chile rellenos, but I that the batter was a big deal, but whipped egg whites and egg yolks I can do.

I just improvised on this recipe.

Chile Rellenos
Ingredients

4 Pobalano Chiles, roasted (not too soft since you will be stuffing), skinned and seeded
1 1/2 C Chorizo and Potato filling
4 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded - that's all I had left.
2 eggs, separated (egg whites whipped to soft peaks before adding egg yolks)
1/2 t salt
Flour for dusting
Enchilada Sauce [I used canned sauce]

Seeding the Peppers
1. Since the intent is to stuff the pepper, make 1 slit into the pepper so you can remove the seeds and vein. Use a paring knife to cut the seeds away from the stem.


2. I found that using a spoon helps with skinning and scooping out the seeds.


3. Mix the cheese into the potato mixture.


4. Stuff the pepper. You don't want to overstuff it since you want the pepper to trap the ingredients. You can gently cradle the pepper as you fill. Use toothpicks as needed to suture the pepper.


5. Making the batter - eggs whipped to soft peaks. Egg yolks and salt added and mixed in.


6. Lightly coat each pepper with flour and dip into the batter. The stem makes for a nice handle. :-)


7. Coat thoroughly and off to the fryer.


8. Fry in 350F oil. Cook each side about 2 to 3 minutes.


9. Drain before serving
Remember to remove the toothpicks!


10. Served with enchilada sauce, queso blanco, shredded lettuce and salsa.
Remind your guest to watch for toothpicks! :-)


11. Ready for a bite. Potatoes and surprisingly cheesy. :-) The lettuce adds a nice crunchy contrast to the stuffed chile.

May 18, 2010: Chorizo and Potato

The thing about grinding your own and using fresh ingredients is that meat can go off a little quicker.

I cooked the chorizo with potatoes so that I can use for other dishes without having to worry about the pork going off.

Ingredients
1 lb Green Chorizo
5 Potatoes, 1/2" dice (about 3 to 4 C)
1 C Broth
1 t Dried Parsley
1 Clove Garlic, minced
Salt, Pepper and hot sauce to taste

Directions:
1. Pan fry the chorizo about 5 to 7 minutes.
[Note: Steam is giving the photo a blurry appearance.]


2. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer... about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Since I planed to use in other dishes, I tried not to overcook the potatoes.
[Note: Steam is giving the photo a blurry appearance.]


The key to this week is quick and simple. Can't go wrong with meat and potatoes. :-)

May 17, 2010: Green Chorizo Torta

The chorizo has melded overnight. I decided to make a simple, quick meat with it. A green chorizo torta. A torta is a Mexican sandwich served on a round roll.

Two 4 oz patties.


Cooked about 7 minutes on the GFG.


While the patty was cooking, I made a Serrano chile mayo. It's not a normal tartar sauce as it would appear. :-)


The rest of the toppings - shredded lettuce, salsa, avocado and sliced tomatoes.


The finished sandwich - dressed.


Ready for a big bite!


That sandwich was good, but I expected the chorizo to pack a little more punch. I'll have to double up on the peppers and make sure I puree all that stuff before mixing with the pork.

May 16, 2010: Green Chorizo

I have roasted green chiles leftover from the Daring Cooks' challenge so I looked for a simple recipe.

Here's another simple recipe from Mexico - One Plate at a Time, hosted by Chef Rick Bayless

Green Chile Chorizo (Link: http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=236)
Chorizo Verde
Makes about 1 1/2 pounds (3 generous cups)

Ingredients

1 large fresh poblano chile [I had roasted]
1 or 2 fresh serrano chiles, stemmed and roughly chopped [I had 1 roasted serrano and 1 roasted jalapeno]
1 medium bunch of cilantro, tough lower stems cut off, the leafy part roughly chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground pork (you’ll need pork that’s a little fatty - 25 to 30% - and preferably coarsely ground) [I used country style ribs with the intent of using a food processor.]
3 tablespoons spinach powder (available on the internet) [I was debating whether I should make my own spinach powder by drying my own, but did not have the time... I left this ingredient out.]
2 teaspoons salt

Directions

1. Roast, skin and seed the peppers.


2. Mix and pulse in a food processor.


3. Hand mix to ensure complete mixing. Cover and refrigerate for several hours before frying.


Note: I should have pureed the chiles, cilantro and salt first to make a paste, before adding the meat. As you can see, there are still large leaves of cilantro in the final blend.

Mar 16, 2010: Tofu Tuesday Allium Pork

Guess what today is? Tuesday!
What do we do on Tuesday? Cook some tofu!

I did a little pre-spring cleaning where I cleaned out the pantry and the refrigerator.
My discoveries my refrigerator had a selection of allium. Leeks, Chinese Chives, Green Onions and Garlic.

Also found was an assortment of Chinese bean sauces. Hoisin sauce, Szechuan Hot Bean Paste and plain Bean Paste.

Not one for wasting ingredients, I improvised a recipe using a portion of fresh ham and, of course, tofu.

Allium Braised Pork with Tofu
2 C Leek, coarse chop and cleaned
1 C Chinese Chives, coarse chop
1/2 C Green Onion, coarse chop
3 Cloves Garlic, smacked with a knife
4 or 5 Ginger slices
2 T Szechuan Hot Bean Paste
1 T Bean Paste
1 T Hoisin Sauce
1 Piece of Rock Sugar
1/2 C Soy Sauce, Regular
1 lb Firm Tofu, cubed
1 to 2 C of stock or water

My mise en place.
The allium. The garlic is in there somewhere hiding.


The bean sauces. The Szechuan hot bean paste (aka Chile Bean Sauce) has a pleasant level of heat with a miso-like aftertaste. This is my first time using this stuff.


Cuved Tofu... ready to go!


Directions:
1) As with a beef pot roast, I browned the pork on all sides in the dutch oven.
Remove when browned.


2) Another find in my refrigerator, about 1/2 C of diced pancetta.
Lightly cooked to release it's fat. Added the allium to sweat.


3) After sweating the alliums, the rest of the ingredients go in to mix.


4) The pork and soy sauce is added. Additional stock is used to raise the liquid level about 1/2 to 3/4 the way up the pork.


5) Finally the tofu cubes are added.


6) There are many ways to cook this dish, but the objective is to slowly simmer the mixture for a few hours. This can be done on the stove top or in the oven.

I went the oven route. The entire pot was placed in the 250F oven for 3 hours.

The results after 3 hours. The pork is falling off the bone and the tofu absorbed the flavors of the braising liquid.



Serving:
The braised pork is pulled off the bone and shredded.

Instead of rice... I'm a little burned out on rice, especially after the Risotto challenge.

I opted to serve over noodles.
The noodles are cooked and drained.
While still hot, shredded cabbage and carrots are added plus a 1/2 t of toasted sesame oil.
The residual heat will cook the shredded veggies.


The mixture is spooned over the noodles and served family style.


Bean paste has a miso-like flavoring. The hot bean paste mellowed but still had a little kick. The tofu absorbed a lot of the flavorful liquids.

This all made for a delicious meal.

Changes I would make the next time around... a little less soy sauce and more sugar.