Tag: Asian

Kimchi Sundubu Jjigae

Posted on

This Korean tofu and kimchi stew is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. Of all the jjigaes (Korean stews), this one is my favorite. Briny, spicy, and deeply savory, there’s a reason why it’s one of the most popular dishes at Korean restaurants. This was my go-to order at Pyeong Chang Tofu House in Oakland for ages. These days, I’ve learned to make it at home.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sour, aged kimchi with juice
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 6 green onions, cut into 1-inch segments, green and white sections separated
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons gochujang
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 3 teaspoons gochugaru
  • 1 quart dashi
  • 1 1/2 pounds soft tofu
  • 1 egg per serving (4, depending on serving size)
  • Cooked rice, for serving
  1. Drain the kimchi in a strainer set over a small bowl, squeezing to remove liquid. Roughly chop the kimchi and reserve the kimchi and juice seperately.
  2. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan (or similar) over medium-high heat. Add the whites of the green onions, garlic, and chopped kimchi. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  3. Add the kimchi juice, gochujang, and soy sauce. Cook until the vegetables are coated in an even layer of sauce. Add the gochugaru and dashi, bring to a simmer and cook about 10 to 15 minutes. (Optional step: add a handful of cubed daikon radish, enoki mushrooms, or beech mushrooms before simmering at this stage. You could also add a handful of shellfish in the last few minutes of cooking.)
  4. Add the tofu and green tops of the green onions, stir gently, and heat until boiling. Break the eggs directly into the simmering broth. Stir the egg in to make a richer soup, or let them loosely poach int the broth. Serve with rice.

Thai-Style Jok with Chicken Meatballs

Posted on

I visited Thailand nine years ago and have been missing it ever since. Bangkok was brimming with delicious food and I was so excited to try it all. But on my third day there, I got sick. This jok (or congee) nursed me back to health within a couple of days. Sick or not, this jok is delicious and I find myself craving it whenever the weather gets cold. It’s savory, salty, spicy, and super comforting.

Ingredients:
  • 1 lemongrass stalk
  • 1/2 cup jasmine rice
  • 5 cups chicken stock (or water)
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • Fish sauce

For the meatballs:

  • 8 ounces ground chicken
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

For the prik nam som:

  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Two garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced serrano or Thai bird chiles

To serve:

  • 2 cups roughly chopped greens such as kale or spinach
  • 4 eggs
  • Cilantro, minced
  • Green onions, thinly sliced
  • Sweet Thai preserved radish, minced
  • Fried shallots
  • Prik nam som
  1. Make the prik nam som: Combine all the ingredients in a jar. Allow to cool and set aside.
  2. Make the jok: Smash the lemongrass a few times using the back of a knife to bruise it up and help release flavor. Combine the rice, lemongrass, and stock in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and the water has thickened into a porridge, about 1 hour total. Discard the lemongrass when the congee is done. Season with pepper and fish sauce to taste, and set aside, keeping the congee at a bare simmer on the stove, stirring occasionally and thinning it with water if it gets too thick.
  3. Make the meatballs: Combine the chicken, pepper, fish sauce, salt, soy sauce, garlic, and sugar in a small bowl. Mix with your fingers until the mixture is homogenous and sticky, about 30 seconds. Wash your hands and using wet hands, pinch off teaspoon-sized pieces of the chicken mixture and form into small balls. Drop the balls directly into the simmering congee. Cover and continue to simmer until the meatballs have firmed up, about 3 minutes.
  4. To serve: stir in the greens and continue cooking until greens are wilted and the meatballs are cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.
  5. Ladle some hot congee into the bottom of each of 4 serving bowls, then crack a raw egg on top. Divide remaining congee among the bowls. Let them rest for a couple of minutes before serving to allow the egg to cook partially. Garnish each bowl with cilantro, green onions, preserved radish, and fried shallots. Serve, passing prik nam som to the table to be added as desired.

Charred Cabbage with Garlic and Chili Crisp

Posted on

I don’t know if it’s ye olde age or what, but I’m really into cabbage lately. And chili crisp is an absolutely goated condiment; no such thing as too much. This side dish, adapted from Food & Wine, brings a ton of flavor to an otherwise mild-mannered vegetable. Don’t be put off by the amount of garlic: it mellows out and tastes spectacularly savory-sweet.

Ingredients:
  • 15 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1/3 cup avocado oil
  • 2 tablespoons coconut or granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce 
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 (2 1/4-pound) head green cabbage, cut through core into 8 wedges
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk 
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chili crisp
  1. Cook garlic and oil in a small saucepan over low, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden and semi-softened, about 12 minutes. Drain garlic-infused oil into a small bowl. Transfer garlic cloves to another small bowl. Mash cloves using a fork; stir in sugar, fish sauce, and pepper. Set aside garlic chutney and reserved oil.
  2. Set a steamer rack inside a large pot filled with 1 inch of water; bring to a boil over high. Place cabbage on steamer rack; cover with lid, and cook until bright green and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove cabbage; pat dry.
  3. Preheat a large cast-iron skillet over high. Whisk together coconut milk and 1/4 cup reserved garlic oil in a small bowl. Brush cut sides of each cabbage wedge with 1 tablespoon coconut milk mixture; sprinkle wedges evenly with salt. Working in 2 batches, cook cabbage wedges in skillet until charred, 2 minutes per side.
  4. To serve, spread 1 1/2 teaspoons reserved garlic chutney over charred sides of each cabbage wedge; drizzle each wedge with 2 teaspoons chili crisp.

Ma Po Tofu, Version Two

Posted on

I’m a fiend for ma po tofu. It’s easily one of my favorite Chinese dishes of all time. Actually, it’s one of my favorite dishes, period. My original version isn’t particularly authentic but is loosely adapted from one of the OGs of Chinese-American cooking, Bay Area legend Martin Yan himself.

This version, however, tastes closer to something you might find in a Sichuanese restaurant. Both are spicy, comforting, and perfect over a bowl of rice.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
  • 4 ounces ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons zha cai (preserved radish), minced
  • 2 tablespoons doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste)
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • 1 16-ounce package silken tofu, diced into large bite-size pieces
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
  • Steamed rice, for serving
  1. Heat the avocado oil in a wok over high heat. When the oil is smoking hot, add the Sichuan peppercorns. Stir-fry for 5 seconds, until fragrant, then add the ground beef. Stir-fry and brown the beef, about 3 minutes, then add the ginger, garlic, and preserved radish to the wok.
  2. After about 1 minute, add the doubanjiang and Shaoxing wine and stir, then add the chicken stock; mixture should be saucy, like a ragu. Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for 3 minutes. Add the tofu to the wok and gently stir to not break up the tofu pieces. After 4 minutes, add the green onions to the wok, gently mix, and serve warm with rice.

Nasi Lemak (the Easy Version)

Posted on

Nasi lemak is a Malaysian breakfast staple but I love it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I already have a knockout nasi lemak recipe but it’s time-consuming, and sometimes I want a shortcut without sacrificing flavor. This version saves you the trouble from making your sambal ikan bilis base from scratch, and you can make many of the components ahead of time, too.

Ingredients:

For the coconut rice:

  • 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt

For the sambal ikan bilis:

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1/2 cup dried anchovies
  • 1/2 cup sliced shallot
  • 1/4 cup chili garlic sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons lime juice
  • Salt

To serve:

  • 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
  • 2 cucumbers, sliced on an angle
  • Dry-roasted peanuts
  1. Make the coconut rice: combine the rice, water, coconut milk, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt in a rice cooker and cook according to rice cooker instructions. Let stand 10 minutes, then fluff the rice and keep warm.
  2. Make the sambal ikan bilis: heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the anchovies and let them sizzle in the oil, stirring until they are golden and crisp, about 3 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary so the fish does not burn. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon. Add the shallot to the pan, return the heat to medium, and cook the shallot in the oil until lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
  3. Return the anchovies to the pan and stir in the chili garlic sauce. Stir in the sugar and lime juice. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Season with salt if needed.
  4. Assemble the dish: pack a small bowl with coconut rice and invert onto a plate. Garnish with quartered eggs, a scoop of sambal ikan bilis, cucumber slices, and peanuts.