Ribs, The Pinoy Way

Hello there my blogging friends, it has been awhile, my apologies for not visiting.  I hope to catch up soon.   Life has been busy after going back to full time employment.  Hats off to my friends who are working full time yet find time to blog constantly and beautifully while i am struggle to find a right rhythm!

Asian Food Fest blogging event moves on to the Philippines this month and I am quite glad that i managed to complete my 'homework' early but yet i am rushing to post this unfortunately  :(

Don't know much about Pinoy cuisine and have not had much opportunity to savour them except those had during a brief trip to the beautiful Cebu island a few years back.

The only Pinoy dish that i can claim i know how to make would be the Adobo which they say is the unofficial national dish.  I learned how to make this a few years back and i make it occasionally ever since.  It's easy to make (no. 1 criteria to make it into my house menu)  and it's delicious, can't be better...

Adobo is a simple stew like meat dish made by braising the meat in essentially soy sauce, vinegar and garlic. One can make it with chicken, pork or even seafood (i read) but i chose pork of course since i wanted to add this into my collection of Asian Pork Ribs dish :)  Apart from the variation in the choice of meat, other extras like potatoes and eggs can be added into the dish too.  I tried with potatoes since they can never go wrong in stews.

The meat is tender with a unique mix of savoury, sweet and tangy flavors.  Flavors are more intense if left to marinade longer (i left it overnight and made it for lunch).  I like mine with a little sweetnes hence the addition of  a little brown sugar.  A comforting dish that goes well with rice.

Recipe
Source: Pansalang Pinoy

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork belly (850g) 
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced or crushed (4 tbsp)
• 5 pieces dried bay leaves (3 pieces)
• 4 tbsp vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (1/3 cup)
• 1 tbsp whole pepper corn
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 2 russet potatoes skinned and cut into quarters
• salt to taste

Method

1. Combine the pork belly, soy sauce, and garlic then marinade for at least 1 hour (I left it the fridge overnight and made it for lunch the next day)
2. Heat a heavy based pot and put-in the marinated pork belly to brown the meat.
3. Add water, whole pepper corn, and dried bay leaves then bring to a boil. 
4. Simmer for 20 minutes.  
5. Add in vinegar and simmer for another 10 minutes or until meat is tender.
6. Add in potatoes and simmer for another 15 minutes or until potatoes is soft.
7. Add sugar and salt to taste.

Notes: My variation in blue

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest – Philippines hosted by The Sweet Spot.

This post is linked to the event Little Thumbs Up (July 2014 Event: Potato) - organised by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids) and Mui Mui (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Jasline (Foodie Baker) 

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Ribs the Vietnamese Way

Yes, that's pork ribs you are staring at in case you can't make out what it is!  Unfortunately that is the best photo that i can find for this dish even after changing plates, with garnish, without garnish, this angle, that angle etc, etc, etc and yet this is what i got.  I am sure fellow bloggers can relate to this.  Must have been my bad photo day.  Sometimes it's just so hard to get one nice photo.  I was contemplating whether to post it.   The good thing is it tasted delicious, it's just the photo that isn't doing it justice.  So, since i did do my homework, I will add it to my Asian Pork Ribs collection (if you have been following me on this) for good or for bad :)

This is really another simple recipe to add to the other 2  equally simple Vietnamese recipes (not that all Vietnamese dishes are simple, difficult ones are just not within my territory).  I think grilling is the more popular method with ribs but i am not doing the grill in this hot weather.  This recipe requires the meat to be marinated then pan fried for awhile before adding in water to braised the dish for the meat to be tender.

The addition of lemon grass and ginger made it really fragrant, good enough to  pique hubs' interest to  ask what was for dinner.

Recipe
Adapted from: Wandering Chopsticks

Ingredients

• 800g pork ribs
• 2 stalks lemongrass, finely minced
• 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1-inch knob ginger, finely minced
• 1 chili pepper, finely minced (omitted)
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese Fish Sauce)
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp salt  
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup water 

Steps

1. Combine lemongrass, garlic, ginger and chili pepper and finely mince everything in a food processor until a rough paste is formed.
2. Add honey, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, salt and ground black pepper to the paste. Then slather the marinade all over the pork ribs.  
3. Leave the ribs in the fridge to season for 1-2 hours.
4. In a large sauce pan on high heat, drizzle a bit of oil and quickly sear the ribs. Add 1 cup of water, cover the pan, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes.
5. Check from time to time and make sure nothing's burning, stirring occasionally and make taste adjustments or add water if necessary. The marinade will gradually thicken into a rich sauce.

Notes:

1. The original recipes calls for pork chops which i substituted with pork ribs.
2. I reduced the amount of water from 2 cups to 1 cup and adding about another 1/4 cup when the gravy starts to thicken.
3. I used Thai fish sauce instead since it was on hand.

"I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest - Indochina hosted by Kelly Siew Cooks."

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Pork Corn Anyone?

This is another very simple Vietnamese recipe.  After looking at quite a few recipes, i realised that Fish Sauce is a common ingredient in many Vietnamese dishes and it is quite amazing how this sauce brings out the umami flavor.

I decided to give this dish a try because i find this combination of pork and corn quite unique.  The contributor of the recipe mentioned that the inspiration for this dish came from a trend to include sweet corn in steamed rice.  All it takes is to marinade thin meat slices with some salt and pepper then stir fry it with corn kernels and some seasoning.  The contributor also suggested that the dish will go well with prawn crackers but i didn't have any on hand to try out unfortunately.

 

 A sweet and savory combination that went well with rice.  

Recipe-Fried Pork Belly with Sweet Corn Recipe (Thịt Ba Chỉ Xào Bắp)

Source: Vietnamese Food

Ingredients

• 1 – 2 sweet corns (1 cup corn kernels)
• 200g pork belly (160g pork belly)
• Fish sauce,  (2 tbsp)
• Spring onion (omitted)
• Purple onion (3 shallots, sliced thinly)
• Maggie Seasoning Powder (omitted) 
• Onion (omitted)
• Chili powder (omitted)
• Salt 

Steps

1. Remove kernels from corn cob or use readily available kernels.
2. Clean pork belly, slice thinly then marinade with ½ teaspoon salt and a some freshly ground black pepper.  Set aside for 15 minutes.
3. Heat a little oil, stir fry shallots until fragrant.
4. Add in pork belly slices and fry quickly over medium heat.
5. Add some chili powder if favoured.
6. When meat is cooked, add in corn kernel and fry for another 5-7 minutes or until corn is cooked.  
7. Season with fish sauce and salt to suit preference.  It is ready when it smells fragrant.
8. Garnish with sliced spring onion.
9. Serve hot.

Note: 

The addition of cherry tomatoes was a personal touch from me to use up some that i had on hand, making it healthier and to brighten up the dish a little.  If used add in after sweet corn is cooked and just give it a quick mix.

"I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest - Indochina hosted by Kelly Siew Cooks."

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Now Everyone Can Cook Vietnamese!

Asian Food Fest blogging event is featuring Indochina this month. It is a path that i have never treaded on, both real land and in the kitchen except for one Vietnamese style chicken dish that was really popular in the blogsphere some time back.  I found this really simple and homey type of chicken dish to start rolling out some vietnamese flavor for this month.  This is something everyone can make, i assure you :)

Easy peasy stuff, just throw everything in a pot and you are in for a delicious chicken dish in 30 minutes.  Just make sure you keep an eye on it and not burn the dish.   I find the taste quite similar to the chinese version of chicken braised with ginger.  Tasty, went well with rice.

Recipe-Ga Kho Gung (Vietnamese Braised Chicken with Ginger)

Source: Wandering Chopsticks

Ingredients

• Nuoc Mau (Vietnamese Caramel Sauce) - Replaced with 3 tbsp Indonesian Kecap Manis
• 4 pieces of chicken, preferably thighs, cut into two-inch chunks if you wish - half a medium size chicken
• 2 shallots or 1 small onion, diced small
• 4 to 6 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 2-inch knob of ginger, sliced
• 1 tbsp Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese Fish Sauce), or more according to taste - 2 tbsp 
• 3 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup water

Steps

1. Put all the ingredients in a pot and mix everything up.
2. Cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked, the liquid starts reducing and a thick caramel sauce is formed.
3. Serve hot!

Note: 

I did not make Nuoc Mau which is essentially a thick caramel sauce and said to be a basic ingredient for many Vietnamese braised dishes.   I chose the option of using Kecap Manis since i have it on hand.  Here's the link for making Nuoc Mau if you would like to make the dish more authentic.

"I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest - Indochina hosted by Kelly Siew Cooks."

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From Incredible India

Asia Food Festival blogging event moves on from Korea to India this month.   My family and I are more familiar with the spicy side of Indian cuisine although there's a whole kaleidoscope of diversity that we have yet to experience.  Very limited exposure i must say but we have always enjoyed this side of it.  Breakfast items like the various indian breads are almost a weekly event too. 

Although hubs and i love Indian food, i seldom make it at home for two reasons.  Firstly, my son's heat level tolerance is relatively low compared to us and secondly i am intimidated by the many types of spices used.    I tend to forget and get confused about which is which.   Cumin and fennel for example, they look very similar and it does not help that their Malay names are very close, Jintan Putih for Cumin and Jintan Manis for Fennel, now how's that to add to the confusion?

So, i set out to look for Indian recipes that would be simple enough for me to tackle.  Simple as in not too long list of ingredients and most importantly spices that are not foreign to me.  I was glad to find Swapna's Cuisine.  She had this pork recipe named Nadan Panniyearchi Ularthiyathu/Kerala Style Pork Fry.  I thought I could try this with pork ribs instead to add to my collection of pork ribs dishes from the various Asian countries alongside this event.  If you like pork ribs, you may want to check out these delicious ribs recipes from Thailand, Japan and Korea too.

This Kerala version turned out delicious and i am now convinced that one doesn't actually need coconut milk to make it so.  Our localized version of curries almost always have coconut milk in them turning them into something that is not the healthiest food to take often.

The other thing that i like about her recipe is that she included a recipe to make a meat masala from scratch which were a combination of some spices that i had on hand, so instead of running to the store to get a bottle of meat masala (which does not come cheap), i could just put it together myself.

When the meat dish was successful, i got more confident and started looking for more on Swapna's blog to make it a complete Indian meal.   And this was the Indian meal we ended up with on that day.   Best eaten with hands!  Garlic Naan bread to go with spicy ribs and a yogurt based salad to balance the meal and cool down the heat :)

I find this naan recipe quite unique, credits to Swapna again for the recipe.  Yogurt and honey was in its ingredient list and based on my experience so far, even when used separately yogurt and honey are ingredients that gives us soft fluffy bread.  I couldn't wait to try the results when both of them are put together.  It was crisp on the outer layer but fluffy soft inside when eaten hot.  I could just eat them like that :).

As for the salad, it was just a simple recipe that i made up inspired by the cucumber salad that is frequently served as a side dish for banana leaf rice at Indian restaurants.   

Recipe - Kerala Style Spicy Pork Ribs

Source: Swapna's Cuisine

Ingredients

• Pork – 1 kg, cut in to cubes and cleaned (800g pork ribs)
• Coconut slices / Thengakothu – ½ cup (omitted)
• Onion-2 big, sliced (used only 1 since the onion was quite big)
• Pearl onions / Chumannulli – ½ cup sliced (omitted)
• Ginger, minced – 1 ½ tbsp 
• Garlic minced – 1 ½ tbsp
• Green chillies -3 or 4 sliced (omitted)
• Homemade Erachipodi / Meatmasala -3 to 4 tbsp (OR you can add 1 ½ tbsp chilly powder, 1 ½ tbsp Coriander powder, ½ tsp- Turmeric powder, 2 tsp- Pepper powder, 6 cardamoms, 6 cloves, 3 x 1” piece cinnamon sticks all powdered together) (1 tbsp chilly powder, 1tbsp Coriander powder, ½ tsp- Turmeric powder, 1 tsp- Pepper powder, 4 cardamoms, 4 cloves)
• Curry leaves – few
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp (1 tsp mixed spice with combination of mustard seeds, fenugreek, cumin, fennel) 
• 1 2” piece cinnamon stick
• 1 medium size tomato, cubed
• Oil- 2 to 3 tbsp
• Salt to taste 

Method

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker and splutter mustard seeds.
2. Add coconut pieces / thengakothu and stir fry until coconut pieces are light brown (omitted)
3. Add sliced onion, pearl onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves; stir fry until onions become limp.
4. Add in tomatoes, mix well and stir fry until tomatoes soften.
5. Reduce flame and add erachi podi / meat masala and sauté making sure not to burn the powder.
6. Add cleaned pork pieces and continue stirring until masala coat pork pieces and meat turns opaque and smell fragrant.  
7. Add ¼ cup of hot water and pressure cook the pork for 3-4 whistles on low flame or until the meat is cooked well. (3/4 cup of water and pressure cook for 10 minutes)
8. Once the steam vents out open the lid and check if the pork is cooked well.
9. Now on medium heat, cook the meat pieces until the oozed out water is completely dry, stirring in between. Turn off the flame. (As we prefered some gravy to it, i didn't  cook until it was completely dry)
10. Serve hot or you can cool the pork and store it in the fridge and stir fry it when required. You can store this up to 1 week.
11. For stir frying, heat remaining oil in a non-stick pan add cooked pork pieces and stir fry well until pork is browned. If needed drizzle oil while stir frying. (I would reheat by adding some water to it)

Note:

1.  My variations in blue.  Variations were made mainly to adjust to taste and heat level tolerance.
2. The assumption made for this recipe is that a pressure cooker is used for to cook the dish.  Although it is possible to cook it over a stove i am not sure if the taste will be diluted as more water will be required due to a longer time to get the meat to be tender, more so if ribs is used.  Perhaps it advisable to stick to meat or add another 10% to the amount of ingredients.

Recipe - Garlic Naan

Source: Swapna's Cuisine

Ingredients

• 280 gm/10 oz/1¼ cups Strong white flour plus extra for dusting (can use All purpose flour/ Maida) (All Purpose)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2-3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
• 1 tsp easy-blend dried yeast
• 2 tsp Honey
• 100ml/3½ fl oz lukewarm water
• 4 tbsp Yogurt
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing (I used Ghee) (Canola oil)

Method

1. Sift the flour and salt together into a bowl and stir in the garlic and yeast. Make a well in the center and pour in the honey, water, yogurt and oil. Stir well with a wooden spoon until the dough begins to come together, and then knead with your hands until it leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead well for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
2. Brush a bowl with oil. Shape the dough into a ball, put it in the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave to rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours, until the dough has doubled in volume.
3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knock back with your fist. Divide the dough into 6-8 equal sized balls. Cover the balls with a cling film for 5-10 minutes.
4. Roll out each ball into a teardrop shape.
5. Heat grilling tawa / skillet and cook both sides of Naan on a medium heat. Brush with butter / ghee and serve with your favorite side dish. (I used a frying pan brushed with a little canola oil during frying as i didn't have a tawa/skillet.  I omitted the step to brush with butter/ghee before serving since oil was already used during the frying)

Note: 

1. I sifted the flour then let my breadmaker handle steps 1 and 2 using the Dough programme.  I then left the dough in the breadmaker until the it doubled in volume.
2. I made 8 pieces out of it.

Recipe - Cucumber Chickpea Salad

Source: LiteHomeBake

Ingredients

• 1 medium size japanese cucumber
• 6 tablespoons of canned chickpeas 
• A handful cherry tomatoes
• 3 tablespoon plain thick yogurt
• Salt
• Black pepper 

Method

1. Cut cucumber into thin half slices.
2. Half the tomatoes.
3. Mix cucumber, tomatoes and chickpeas in a bowl then top with yogurt, a dash of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.

"I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest - Indian Subcontinent hosted by Chef and Sommelier."

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Hansik-Dwaeji Kalbi

Koreans are popular for their kalbi/galbi dishes.  Kalbi literally means ribs but the term kalbi is also commonly used to refer to grilled beef ribs.  When it's Dwaeji Kalbi, it's grilled pork ribs as dwaeji means pig.

I have chosen this recipe to try out as i hope to try out pork rib dishes from the selected countries alongside the Asian Food Fest blogging event.  The event is in its fifth country now and I have tried 2 so far, one from Thailand and Japan respectively and this is the third one.  I have missed out 2 where pork is not largely served as these are dominantly muslim countries.  Still, i am pretty sure there some dishes made with pork ribs by the non Muslims there, maybe, just maybe i will continue searching to complete the series.

The spicy version was my choice from a recipe found here.  It's a treasure chest there, lots of authentic Korean recipes, do hop over to check it out.  I like that there are apples added into the marinade. The results were very good, finger licking i must say (yes it's better to eat them with your fingers)!  So, if you are planning a surprise treat for your loved ones or having guest for dinner over a weekend, why not consider making this, it's pretty easy to make and you can work on other dishes when these ribs hit the oven. Pretty sure your guest will be impressed!

Doesn't it look good, looking at these pictures make me drool and want to make them again!

Recipe

Source: Korean Bapsang

Ingredients

• 5-7 pounds (2.25-3.18 kg) whole slab of baby back ribs (whole slab of pork ribs weighing around 2 kg)

Marinade

• 1/2 cup soy sauce (use 1/4 cup soy sauce for spicy version)
• 2/3 cup water (replace with 2/3 cup gojuchang for spicy version - i used 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup rice wine (or mirin)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar (preferably dark brown)
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons grated ginger
• 1/2 medium onion, grated
• 1/2 medium sweet apple (Fuji, Gala, or Golden Delicious), grated
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Method

1. Prepare the ingredients for the marinade.  Mix all of the ingredients well.
2. Cut each slab of the ribs into two pieces for easier handling. Rinse the ribs and drain. Coat the ribs well with the marinade, and marinate them for at least six hours (preferably overnight). Turn them over once after half of the marinating time has passed. (I got the butcher's help to do the cutting)
3. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).  Line a baking pan with aluminium foil. Arrange the ribs, meat side down, in a baking pan.  Cover the baking pan tightly with aluminium foil. Bake them for 1.5 hours. (you can bake them 30 additional minutes if you want fall off the bones tenderness).  Remove the foil cover.
4. At this point, you can finish off the ribs by one of the following two steps:
1. Change the oven setting to broil and preheat for a few minutes. Then broil the ribs for 4 - 6 minutes on each side, or until the ribs are slightly charred, and the sauce is caramelized. Baste the ribs with the sauce while broiling.
2. Preheat the grill and grill the ribs over medium heat for 5 - 8 minutes on each side, or until the ribs are slightly charred and the sauce is caramelized. Baste the ribs with the sauce while grilling.

Note:

1. The ribs were tender enough for me after 1.5 hours
2. For step no. 4, i chose option 1.

As they say in Korean, Mashikeh-mogo (Bon Appetit)!

Watching Korean dramas, have taught me a thing or two about their table etiquettes and dining language, thanks to the English subtitles :)  Now, i am not sure how real is this practised but I particularly like this pair:

Credits to The Korean Way

Before Eating:
잘 먹겠습니다 - Jal moke get sum nida
Literally this means “I will eat very well,” but it implies “Thank you for preparing the food. I appreciate you preparing this food.”

After eating:      
잘 먹었습니다 - Jal moke got sum nida (The “got” is pronounced more like “go” with a “t.”)
Literally this means “I ate very well,” but again it implies “It was really good. Thank you so much for the food.”

Sweet ain't it?  Makes all the toiling in the kitchen worthy!

On a side note, let's keep the victims of the South Korean ferry tragedy, their loved ones and all those involved in the recovery mission in our prayers.  The sorrow of their loved ones are just beyond my imagination.  This year has not been too good huh, one big tragedy after another, sigh....

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: Korea, hosted by Sharon of Feats of Feasts

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Hansik ~ Dakdoritang

It all started somewhere around the early 2000s and it's getting stronger by the day sweeping across the globe, so strong that most of us must have been hit one way or another...Hallyu or Korean wave that is what i am talking about.

Initially it was about the dramas, dramas like Winter Sonata then Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace) were so popular that you hear people talking about them all the time.   It's amazing how these dramas triggered the curiosity for many other aspects of the Korean culture, people wanted to try Korean food, follow Korean fashion, use Korean cosmetics, learn the Korean language, see the beautiful sceneries they saw in the dramas with their own eyes etc, etc, etc.  Even if the entertainment bit missed you, at one point or another you must have considered some Korean technology.

So which bit of the Korean wave hit you?   I didn't watch the 2 popular dramas but all the talk about it triggered enough curiosity to 'have' my own Winter Sonata there, we visited in winter and it was beautiful :)  It was also through this trip that we became more appreciative of their cuisine (known as Hansik in korean).  I always make it a point never to bring along our local food during holidays to foreign countries.  No instant noodles or sambal belacan to the rescue, this leaves us with no choice but to eat the local food there and learn to appreciate them.  It works and i have never regretted it so far :)

Then hubs got caught in the craze for Samsung smartphones after playing with 3 generations of Iphone.  Korea is fast becoming world leaders in cutting edge electronic products, the achievements that they have made are just amazing.

And the latest craze must have been this insanely popular Korean drama, My Love from the Star.  I couldn't help checking it out, some delicious eye candy they have there ;-D

Ok, now let's get to the food!  Asian Food Fest blogging event moves to Korea this month after Indonesia last month, so that's what all the Korean fuss was all about earlier on :)  I look around for a simple dish, something the ajummas (term used to address middle age married women) would make for their families.  Yup, i can see some of you smiling and i hear you saying 'This ajumma is looking for ajumma dishes to make lol!  And i found this chicken with potatoes stew dish.  Isn't it interesting that chicken and potatoes in a stew like dish is such a universal dish?  People around the world make them in their own unique ways, the Chinese makes them with oyster sauce, the Indians make curries out of them and in the West they are made with some herbs added into it.   For the Korean version it's the fermented hot pepper paste known as Gochujang that gave the stew it's unique taste.

There's an interesting story to this dish.  It is traditionally known as Dakdoritang which when translated means Chicken Chicken Stew.   Yes, you read it right, it's Chicken with an emphasis :)  Apparently Dak is Chicken in Korean and Dori or Tori is also Chicken but in Japanese.  This name is a lingering evidence of the Japanese occupation era there.   It is said this dish was renamed Dakbokkeumtang (where bokkeum means braised) to correct the misnomer and shed the Japanese influence in its name.

The recipe below is roughly half of the original recipe with some adaptation to suit our taste preference and slight changes in the cooking method.   Please click on the link for the original one.   You can either use the slow cook method or do it over the stove.  I did it over the stove as i didn't have enough time to allow slow cooking.

A comforting dish that goes very well with rice if you like spicy flavors.  I have reduced the amount of pepper paste to the level of intensity that is acceptable for the family.  So, the next time you are craving for chicken and potatoes, why not give this Korean version a try instead?

Recipe
Reference: Korean Bapsang

Ingredients

• 600g bone-in chicken parts, cut into small pieces (excess fat removed)
• 2 potatoes, cut into big chunks
• 1 carrot, cut into big chunks
• 1/4 large onion, cut into big chunks
• 3 plump garlic cloves, minced
• 2 - 3 thinly sliced ginger pieces
• 1 scallion, cut into 2-inch lengths

Sauce

• 1 tsp Korean red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru)
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine
• 1/2 tablespoon honey or corn syrup
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper paste (gochujang)
• Pinch of pepper

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil (omitted) 
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Slow cooker method

1. Place everything (except scallions, sesame oil and sesame seeds) into the slow cooker.  Mix well.
2. Cook on high heat for 4 hours.  Cook until chicken is tender.
3. Stir in scallions, sesame oil (if using) and sesame seeds before serving.

Over the stove method

1. Marinade chicken with sauce ingredients for 30 minutes.
2. Heat pot with a tablespoon of oil.  Add in garlic and ginger, stir fry until fragrant.
3. Add in chicken pieces and pan fry it until chicken turns opaque.  Add in potatoes and carrot and continue frying for 2-3 minutes.  
4. Pour in remaining marinade and add in 1 cup of water (enough to cover chicken).  Mix well and bring it to a boil.
5. Turn to low heat and allow it to simmer until chicken is tender and sauce is slightly thickened.
6. Stir in scallions and sesame seeds before serving.

As they say in Korean, Mashikeh-mogo (Bon Appetit)!

I leave you with some Korean Table Etiquette that I find interesting and vastly different from the Chinese.   Something good to know, as they say in Rome do like the Romans do?

First off, a little bit on the Korean set of eating utensils which i find unique.  A set of chopsticks and spoon, they are collectively known as Sujeo in Korean.  Sujeo is the portmanteau of the word sutgarak (숟가락, "spoon") and jeotgarak (젓가락, "chopsticks"). 

Unlike the Japanese and Chinese chopsticks which are mostly made of wood and bamboo (and plastic nowadays), the Korean ones are made of stainless steel.  Apart from that theirs are flat and rectangular while the others are cylindrical.  In terms of length the Korean ones are in between the Chinese and the Japanese with Chinese being the longest. Even the spoon looks very different from the ones the Chinese or Japanese use with their chopsticks, the Korean ones are long like the Western ones.  Ever wondered why?  Apparently the use of metal (and mostly stainless steel these days) started from the time when commoners wanted to emulate their kings who used  pure silver chopsticks as silver would tarnish if anyone attempted to poison the king’s food.  The other reason is that the Koreans find metal chopsticks more practical since they are more durable and easier to clean hence more hygienic when reuse.

And 3 Korean Chopstick Etiquette that are vastly different from what we Chinese practise.

#1 - The spoon is to be used for soups and rice.  Yes, eat rice with the spoon not chopsticks.

#2 - Never lift the rice bowl off the table!

#3 - Do not use both spoon and chopsticks simultaneously.  When you need to use your chopsticks, leave the spoon on the table

More in the next post maybe? ;-)

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: Korea, hosted by Sharon of Feats of Feasts

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Selamat Makan~Ayam Masak Habang

Many of you would have heard about the tragedy of flight MH370 by now.  My heart is heavy, i can't imagine the sadness and grief felt by victims' loved ones.   Before you read on, may i ask that you keep the victims and their loved ones in your prayers...

Spanning across an archipelago of 18,000 thousand islands with 6,000 populated ones, Indonesian cuisine reflects the diverse culture and traditions of its people.  Each region has its own specialities influenced by local and foreign culture in that particular region.  As an example the Padang style food from the people of West Sumatra is very spicy and rich in coconut milk while Javanese food from the island of Java is simpler, not as spicy and tend to have some sweetness in them. Pork is not widely served in Indonesia except in the mystical islands of Bali.  I guess their national motto "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" which means “Unity in Diversity” is reflected in their cuisines too.  However, despite the diversity,  Indonesian dishes are generally rich in spice.

I decided to try out this dish named Ayam Masak Habang which means Chicken cooked in Red Chilli Sauce.   I had a feeling that it will be something that will not be too far from the family's tastebuds judging from the list of ingredients.  I am quite afraid of that 'What's this you are feeding us?' which i get occasionally when i try to be a little adventurous!  This is a dish by the Banjar people in South Kalimantan.  Although this  an everyday dish it also served during festive occasions.  During celebrations, it is served with Nasi Kuning (i.e. Yellow Rice), rice cooked with herbs and coconut milk.   

This dish went very well with the fragrant herb rice, spicy but not overpowering and has a combination of sweet sourish taste.   I served it with some fresh tomato and cucumber slices plus taking a cue from how the Indonesians love serving egg omelette as a side dish, i added my chinese style crabstick omelette to complete this meal :)

There is one thing i must confess though, I am not too sure if i understood one of the ingredients correctly, recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of ground red chilli pepper to be soaked in some water. I assumed that it was chilli powder since it was measured in tablespoons.  

Selamat Makan!

Recipe - Ayam Masak Habang
Source: Indonesia Eats

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken pieces (thighs, drumstick, breast bone in and skin on) - (5 thighs)
• 1 lime
• 5 salam (Indonesian bay) leaves
• 4 cm cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 300ml boiled water
• 100ml cooking oil (70ml)

Spices to be ground

• 3 cm ginger, peeled
• 125 grams shallots
• 100 grams garlics
• 3 tablespoons ground red chili pepper, soaked in a small amount of hot water (2 tbsp)
• 4 tablespoons coconut sugar - (3 tbsp)
• 1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste (terasi), roasted - (belacan)
• 2 tablespoons tamarind, dissolved in small amount of water
• seasalt

Method

1. Drizzle lime juice over chicken pieces.  Leave in the fridge while preparing spices for grinding.
2. Soak the roasted dried shrimp paste in tamarind liquid. 
3. Grind all the spices that are to be ground with a food processor.
4. Heat up your wok, add the cooking oil then stir fry the ground spices, salam leaves, cinnamon and cloves. Add coconut sugar. You can add more if you want a darker colour.
5. Toss in the chicken pieces, keep stirring until chicken turns colour. Add the boiled water. Cook until the sauce thickens and reduce the heat to low. Once the sauce is oily and drier, remove from the heat. 
6. Ready to serve with nasi kuning.

Note: 

1. My variations in blue.
2. I used the traditional pestle and mortar to pound the spice since my old blender that i used for spices chose to gave up on me at just the time i wanted to use it for this. 
3. Mine has a lighter shade compared to the original recipe, i suspect it's probably due to lesser amount of chilli and coconut sugar used.

Recipe - Nasi Kuning

Source: Indonesia Eats

Ingredients

• 2 cups jasmine rice, washed and drained
• 2 1/4 cups coconut milk (50ml coconut milk plus water as per stated on rice cooker)
• 3/4 cup chicken stock(or vegetable stock for vegetarian) (1 tsp chicken stock powder)
• 1 salam (Indonesian bay) leaf
• 2 lime kaffir leaves
• 1 pandan/screwpine leaf (or few drops pandan essence) (1 pandan leaf)
• 1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
• 3/4 – 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 cm galangal, cut in 4 lengthwise slices salt as desired (omitted salt)

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a rice cooker or heavy stock pot and simmer, covered, until done.
2. Discard lemongrass, galangal, salam and kaffir lime leaves before serving.

Note:

1. I used a rice cooker to cook it hence i am not too sure about the amount of water to be used when a pot is used instead.
2. Hint from source for cooking with a pot- Cook the rice in a pot over high heat until the liquid starts to a boil. Turn down the heat and continue to cook gently to avoid scorching on bottom of the pot. 

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: Indonesia, hosted by Alice from I Love. I Cook. I Bake

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A Turkish Affair

The one food that left a very lasting impression of our holidays in Turkey was rice pilaf.    My son was still very young back then and every time he hit the buffet table, the first thing he would look out for would be rice pilaf, those plain classic ones with orzo.   That alone made him a happy boy for the entire trip.  His love for it was hardly surprising, firstly being Asians we eat a lot of rice and pilaf being rice cooked in seasoned broth brought it a level higher. 

So i decided on a pilaf to lend my support to the Asian Food Fest blogging event which is featuring West Asian food this month.   I chose to make the eggplant pilaf (Patlıcanlı Iç Pilav),  a dish said to have originated from Ottoman palace kitchens.  A hearty and healthy vegan dish that can be eaten on its own.  The soft and creamy eggplants paired very well with the aromatic rice (if you love eggplants that is).   The addition of some Turkish dried apricots (my own twigging since i had some on hand) gave a hint of sweetness to the dish and an added Turkish identity to the dish, if i may say :)

Although the dish can be eaten on its own though, i made a Turkish style grilled chicken dish to accompany it.  A tangy marinade made from a combination of yogurt, lemon juice and spices was used to season the chicken.

So, it was a Turkish affair for my family that night.  I will remember their reactions for sometime now, they were taken by surprise :)  But i would be honest to say i was the only who enjoyed it the most, my boys don't like aubergines/eggplants/brinjal or whatever name you call them and in whatever way you make them, unfortunately!   Actually it was quite funny when they started picking them out from the rice.  But for those who love aubergine, i am pretty sure you will like this dish, so as they say in Turkish,  Afiyet olsun!  

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest : West Asia hosted by Shannon of Just As Delish

Signing off for the year with wishes for a very Happy New Year to all my friends out there and 
some memories from my holidays in Turkey for viewing pleasure.  It's a beautiful country, enjoy!

The Blue Mosque

The Ephesus

Cotton Castle 

Fairy Chimneys' Mountains

Recipe - Eggplant Pilaf
Source: Food Thought For who adapted from Ghillie Basan 

Ingredients

• 1large aubergine/eggplant (3 medium size ones)
• 1 cup of rice. Long grain is better (2 cups)
• 1 small onion. Sliced (2 small onions)
• 2 cloves of garlic. Slivered (4 cloves)
• 1/2 tsp of sugar (1 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp of whole cumin (1 tsp cumin powder)
• 1/2 tsp of whole coriander (1 tsp coriander powder)
• 2 small tomatoes,  diced (1 large tomato, seeds removed)
• 2 tsp of tomato paste or puree ( 1 1/2 tbsp tomato puree)
• 2 cups of water. Lukewarm or at least room temperature. You can use stock as well (Water, as per noted on rice cooker)
• 6-8 tbsf olive oil. Not extra virgin 
• Salt and pepper
• Parsley for garnish, optional 
• 10 pieces of dried apricot, diced
• 1/2 cup raisins

Steps

1. Soak aubergine/eggplant in salted water for at least an hour but no more than three. Drain, squeeze the pieces and dry with paper towels.  Heat  5 tbsf olive oil ( do not sear the oil as the smoke point for olive oil is low) and  gently add the aubergine pieces. After adding in the aubergine, reduce heat, add a tsp or so of olive oil from the top, mix and cover as they fry gently. Check often.    Drain on paper towel and set aside.
2. Wash and soak rice (if you have the time), skipped. Soften onion and garlic in olive oil. Stir in the sugar, cumin, coriander cooking for a couple of mins. Add the tomato puree and tomatoes. Cook for 3-4 mins. Add the rice. Coat everything. 
3. Add the water or stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer. About 20 min. Keep an eye.
4. When rice is done, mix in the aubergine, apricot and raisins. Leave aside for around 15 minutes for aubergine and fruits to soften slightly.
5. Garnish with parsley and cubed tomatoes. Serve warm. 

Note: 

1. My variations are in blue.
2. The original recipe recommended toasting the spices (cumin/coriander) then ground for best results if used in whole.
3. I used a rice cooker for step 3.  Simply transfer everything into a rice cooker after step 2 and add in water as per manufacturer's recommendation.

Recipe - Turkish Style Grilled Chicken

Source: About Home Cooking with source from The Mediterranean Kitchen by Joyce Goldstein (Wm Morrow & Co)

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons cumin seeds (1 tbsp cumin powder)
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped 
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely minced (4 cloves garlic)
• 1 Tablespoon paprika (1/2 tbsp chilli powder)
• Juice of 1 lemon (1/3 lemon)
• 1 cup plain yogurt (1/2 cup yogurt)
• 12 boneless chicken thighs, about 2 to 2-1/2 pounds, or 4 half broilers (8 drumettes) 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon wedges for serving

Steps

1. Toast the cumin seeds in a small saute pan over medium heat until the seeds are fragrant and start to pop in the pan. Remove from the heat and grind in a spice grinder. 
2. Place the cumin, onion, garlic, paprika, and lemon juice in a food processor or blender and pulse to liquify. Add the yogurt and pulse just until blended. 
3. Put the chicken thighs in a shallow non-aluminum baking dish or bowl. Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss well to coat. Let stand at room temperature at least 2 hours or cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard marinade). 
5. Place the chicken on a broiler rack and broil until browned on top, about 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F(205°C) and bake until the chicken is juicy and just cooked through, about 15 minutes longer. (Thigh meat will appear dark pink, even when cooked through.) 
6. Serve immediately.

Note:

1. My variations in blue.
2. Skipped step 1 since i substituted with cumin powder.
3. The chicken pieces didn't turn out pinkish in color, probably because i replaced paprika with chili powder and the amount added was not much to suit my son's acceptance level.

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Let's Cook Thai - Southern Style Pork Ribs

Some of you might have noticed that I love pork ribs and most of the time i will choose to braise them, easy peasy.   I am lazy like that, easy preparation methods are always my way to go. Braising (if done well) results in very tender and succulent ribs, i love how the ribs end up with a taste that commingles with the braising liquid. Besides, it also provides a nice stew that goes very well with rice, our staple.   

With Asian Food Fest (AFF) blogging event, i have been curious if people from the featured country like pork ribs and how they make (preferably braise) them.  I have been looking out for their recipes and have been successful thus far.  I have done the Japanese style for last month's AFF here and moving on to Thailand for this month.  Hopefully my interest won't die out and will continue along with the AFF journey.  Looking forward to a collection of Asian Pork Ribs recipes!

The name of this dish is Gar Doog Mu Hung Le (Southern Thai Pork Ribs) which like in its name a typical Southern Thailand pork ribs dish.   Not much of a background on the dish?  That's about all i manage to find, my apologies if it is not enough to satisfy :)

So, how did this taste?  In one word, delicious! Very flavorful, just a hint of spiciness (which probably  would have been a lot more if not because i had to tone it down to suit my son), very fragrant from the herbs and a lot of sweetness from the onions.   We loved it although i didn't follow the recipe to a T.  I guess we have to play by ear (a little not too much lest the original flavors disappear with the playing) when trying out recipes from a different culture, some tuning maybe in need to make it to more acceptable for our taste buds.

Like i said earlier on, easy peasy, a 5 steps recipe!

Recipe

Reference: Appon's Thai Food

Ingredients 1 

• 60 gms Big Dried Red Chillies (1 tbsp prepared dried chili paste)
• 60 gms Small Red Onion
• 60 gms Garlic
• 60 gms Lemon Grass
• 60 gms Coriander Root (Roots from 2 plants)
• 1 Teaspoon Salt

Ingredients 2 

• 600-800 gms Pork Ribs
• 2 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
• 400 ml Water
• 4 Tablespoons Oil (omitted)
• 4 Tablespoons Sugar (2 tbsp)

Steps

1. Chop all the ingredients from the first list, pound together to form a paste. (I used a blender)
2. Mix into the second lot of ingredients and leave for 30 minutes. (100ml water of water and left it for 1 hour) 
3. Put pork into a medium size pot.  Add in remaining water and stir to mix well. Water should be just enough to cover ribs.
4. Bring the pork and sauce to boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 1-2 hours. Add a little water if it dries out. (Ribs were tender within 1 hour)
5. For best results, leave it overnight and recook it the following day. (Was good enough for us after 3 hours or so)

Note: 

1. The recipe above is doubled of the original recipe for my easy reference.  I normally make around 600-650g of pork ribs for 1 meal.
2. My variations are noted in blue.  
3. The biggest variation would be the amount of chili which i had to reduce to suit my son's accepted level of spiciness.  If  you have readily prepared chili paste on hand, it would be easier to control the spiciness by starting of with a smaller amount and increasing it to preference at a later stage.

I leave you with some sights around the iconic floating markets of Thailand.  This particular one here is in Bangkok at the Taling Chan District and on the Khlong Chak Phra canal.  One that is much smaller, popular with the locals (i.e. less touristy), personally it is one that is good enough for me to sample a flavor of the floating market.

Scenes along the canal taken during a long tail boat ride

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest (Thailand) - November Month hosted by Lena of Frozen Wings

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Let's Cook Thai - Steamed Snapper with Lime Sauce

Konbu, miso, sake and mirin are making ways for chili, lemongrass, lime and fish sauce in my kitchen this month.   After Japan, Thailand, the land of a thousand smiles is the featured country of the month for Asian Food Fest (AFF) blogging event. Love this event, it's inspiring home cooks to expand their repertoires, turning their humble kitchens into one with an international feel.  Pretty sure, it's not only interesting for the one cooking, family members must be enjoying it too!

It's a tantalizing play of flavours whenever Thai food comes to mind.  A clever combination of sweet, sour, salty and spicy tastes all into one dish.

This dish Plah Kah Pung Neung Manow (Steamed Snapper with Lime Sauce) is no. 23 on CNN Travel's list of 40 Thai Food We Can't Do Without.  Take this list with a pinch of salt but no doubt it's a very popular steamed fish dish in Thailand and it's normally served over a portable furnace of smoking embers in a fish shaped metal serving platter.  If you love that uniquely Thai flavor and steamed fish, i think you will like this.  

On a fish shaped platter no doubt but without smoking embers below it :))

'

A simple dish to make with just a few ingredients. Practically no fuss.  So, if you are bored of steamed fish in soy sauce why not give this a try.

Recipe
Reference: Temple of Thai and Amporn's Thai Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 - 1 1/2 lb very fresh whole fish (for example red snapper, trout, perch or bass), cleaned and gutted (red snapper)
• 2 stalks lemongrass (bottom portion only, smashed)
• 5 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
• 1 inch ginger, sliced
• 8 - 12 cloves (200 grams) garlic, chopped (10 cloves)
• 10 - 12 Thai chili peppers (prik kee noo), sliced (2 only)
• 2 - 3 red chili peppers (fresno), sliced (omitted)
• 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro root or 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped cilantro stems (root, stems and leaves from 2 plants)
• 3 Tbsp fish sauce 
• 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 tsp white sugar (1 tbsp)
• 1/4 cup chicken broth (or 1/2 cube Knorr Chicken Bouillon mixed with 1/4 cup water) (Water)
• Banana leaf (optional) or aluminium foil (Aluminium Foil)

Preparation

1. Cut 3 - 5 diagonal slashes across the fish, about 1 1/2 inches apart on both sides, using a very sharp knife.
2. Line dish with banana leaf or foil.
3. Divide lemongrass, ginger and kaffir lime leaves into 2 portions.  Used 1 portion to line steaming dish and stuff the other portion into cavity of the fish.  Place fish on steaming dish.
4. Bring water to boil over high heat in the bottom of the steamer. Reduce the heat to medium before removing the lid from the steamer, lifting the lid away from you and allowing the steam to dissipate before placing the plated fish onto the top rack of the steamer. Cover and steam for 10 - 12 minutes. If you plan to use the heated platter, undercook the fish somewhat but if you are serving it directly on a plate, then steam until cooked through.
5. While the fish is steaming, in a bowl mix chopped garlic, chili peppers, cilantro, chicken broth, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Taste to adjust seasoning - the taste should be a balance of spicy, salty and sour. Set aside.
6. When the fish is cooked to the desired degree, remove the steamer from the heat and transfer the hot fish to a thai style fish shaped serving platter or any serving plate. The fish-shaped platter can be heated with either hot charcoals or more conveniently with a Sterno that can be placed in the lower chamber of the platter.

Bangkok from my eyes to yours...

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest (Thailand) - November Month hosted by Lena of Frozen Wings

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