Tag: Entree

Bulgogi Japchae

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What’s better than bulgogi or japchae? Bulgogi and japchae at the same time, of course. I’ve published a similar japchae recipe here before, but this one is different in that the seasonings are more like bulgogi and there’s the addition of spinach. Try both versions out and see which one your prefer.

Ingredients:

For the japchae:

  • Scant 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 bunch spinach
  • 8 ounces Korean sweet potato noodles
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 carrot, cut into 2-inch matchsticks
  • 1/2 to 1 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 3 green onions (green parts only), chopped into 3-inch pieces
  • 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
  • 4 to 6 shiitake mushrooms, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

For the bulgogi:

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound ribeye or sirloin steak, very thinly sliced
  • 1/2 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil
  1. Make the bulgogi: in a large bowl, mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, honey, and garlic. Add the beef, onion, and sesame seeds and stir until all the beef is coated. Cover the bowl and marinate, refrigerated, 1 to 5 hours.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons of the oil, then add half of the meat and onion mixture and cook, stirring occassionally, until the meat is cooked through and the onion has softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl and repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and meat and onion mixture. Set aside.
  3. Make the japchae: in a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil to blend. Set aside.
  4. Fill a medium bowl with an ice bath. Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add the spinach to the boiling water, let cook for 15 seconds, then transfer the spinach to the ice water. (Keep the boiling water in the pot.) Let the spinach cool, then drain. Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach, roughly chop the spinach, and set aside.
  5. Add the sweet potato noodles to the boiling water and cook until soft, about 5 minutes or according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
  6. Heat a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the avocado oil, then the carrot, bell pepper, green onion, yellow onion, mushrooms, and garlic, and stir to mix. Stir-fry until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and noodles and stir for about a minute, then add the soy sauce mixture and toss with tongs to coat all the ingredients. Add the bulgogi and mix again until the meat is distributed. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Japchae can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated.)

Thai-Style “Sausage” Lettuce Wraps

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This dish is very (emphasis on very) loosely based on the herby, spicy sausages that are ubiquitous in northern Thailand. These were everywhere when I visited Chiang Mai years ago: in the markets, at our hotel, and street vendors. And they were delicious.

This lighter, humbler version is adapted for a weeknight meal at home but it nevertheless satiates my craving for northern Thai food. Sometimes a piece of lettuce, some rice, and a bit of meat is all you need.

Ingredients:

For the chili dip:

  • 2 shallots, unpeeled
  • 1 head of garlic, unpeeled
  • 4 Anaheim chiles
  • 1 serrano or Thai chile
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt, to taste

For the “sausages”:

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 makrut lime leaves, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons red curry paste
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
  • Salt, to taste
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • Butter lettuce or similar, thinly sliced daikon, and cooked sticky or jasmine rice, for serving
  1. Make the chili dip: heat the broiler. Broil shallots, garlic, and Anaheim and serrano chiles on a rimmed baking sheet, turning halfway through, until charred in most spots, 5-8 minutes.
  2. Peel shallots, garlic, and chile, then coarsely chop. Transfer to a food processor and pulse to a coarse paste. Mix in lime juice, cilantro, fish sauce, and sugar; season with salt.
  3. Make the “sausage”: Combine chicken, shallot, lime leaves, curry paste, fish sauce, coconut milk, sugar, and cilantro in a medium bowl; season with salt. Using your hands, mix well until chicken is sticking to itself and mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes. Using wet hands, form about 2 tablespoon-sized scoops of chicken mixture into 1-inch thick patties.
  4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook patties until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
  5. Serve patties with chile dip, lettuce, daikon, and rice.

Soy-Butter Beef with Shishito Peppers

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This easy one-pan dish is all about capturing the last bit of summer before the season’s peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and stone fruit are gone for another year. Tossed with seared steak and a buttery umami-bomb sauce, these shishito peppers steal the show. Serve with rice for a super satisfying meal.

Ingredients:

For the beef:

  • 1 pound boneless New York strip steak or sirloin, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons avocado oil

For the sauce:

  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup oyster sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
  • 6 green onions, white and pale green parts and dark green parts separated, sliced on a diagonal into 1-inch pieces
  • 12 ounces shishito peppers, stems removed, sliced in half on a diagonal
  • 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces
  • Steamed rice, for serving
  1. Marinate the beef: Toss beef, cornstarch, soy sauce, and oil in a medium bowl until meat is evenly coated. Let sit at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill (no need to bring to room temperature before cooking).
  2. Make the sauce: Whisk soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, vinegar, cornstarch, black pepper, and 2/3 cup water in a small bowl to combine; set sauce aside.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high. Add half of beef in a single layer, separating clumps as much as possible. Cook, undisturbed, until deep golden brown underneath (meat will be pale on the other side), about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate, Repeat process with another 1 tablespoon oil and remaining beef.
  4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same pan over medium-high. Cook white and pale green onion parts, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred in spots, about 2 minutes. Add shishito peppers, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring often, until garlic is fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add beef and reserved sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add dark green onion parts and butter. Stir vigorously until butter is melted.
  5. Serve beef and shishito peppers alongside rice.

Marinated Portobello Mushroom and Pesto Sandwich

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I’m not a huge sandwich person, and I rarely seek them out, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this flavor bomb of a sandwich I made recently. Garlicy pesto, meaty mushrooms, tangy sourdough, vinegary peppers, creamy mozzarella — this sandwich has it all.

Maybe I’m a sandwich person after all.

Ingredients:
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons prepared pesto
  • 1 pound portobello mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons avocado oil
  • Salt
  • 1 12-inch wide sourdough baguette or boule, halved lengthwise, toasted
  • 1 garlic clove, halved crosswise
  • 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup sliced pickled cherry peppers
  • 1/4 cup basil leaves
  1. Place pesto in a large bowl. Remove stems and gills from portobello mushrooms. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium heavy skillet over medium-high. Arrange half of mushrooms in a single layer in skilled and cook until they start to sizzle, then wrap the bottom of a second heavy skillet that is small enough to nestle into the first with foil and use it to press down on mushrooms evenly. Cook, pressing down, until mushrooms shrink and are deeply browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Remove top skillet; season mushrooms with salt. Turn mushrooms over, add 1 teaspoon oil to pan, and re-cover with foil-lined skillet. Cook, pressing, until second sides of mushrooms are well-browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with pesto. Repeat process with remaining mushrooms and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oil. Toss mushrooms in pesto to coat.
  2. Rub cut sides of baguette with garlic. Arrange mushrooms on bottom half of bread, then layer mozzarella on top. Top with cherry peppers and basil. Close and cut in quarters to make 4 sandwiches.

Ponzu-Salmon Avocado Toast

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We’re continuing this summer’s basic millennial avocado toast theme with ponzu-salmon avocado toast. Adapted from Bon Appetit, this simple meal is as if sushi met avocado toast and became dinner. It’s easy, it’s delicious, it’s genius.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice, plus more
  • 1 Armenian or 3 Persian cucumbers, chopped
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped pickled ginger
  • Salt
  • 4 ounces cold-smoked salmon, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 4 slices sourdough bread, toasted
  • Toasted sesame seeds and toasted nori seaweed snacks, for serving
  1. Mix mayonnaise and chili-garlic sauce in a small bowl; set aside.
  2. Mix soy sauce, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in another small bowl; set ponzu sauce aside.
  3. Place cucumbers, avocado, and pickled ginger in a medium bowl; season with salt. Squeeze a little lemon juice and toss gently to combine.
  4. Dip each piece of reserved salmon in ponzu sauce and add to bowl with cucumber mixture; toss gently until just distributed.
  5. Spread some spicy mayonnaise over each piece of toast. Top with salmon mixture and drizzle a small amount of remaining ponzu over. Sprinkle toast with sesame seeds, then crumble seaweed snacks on top.