Tag: Winter

Spicy Beef and Kimchi with Noodles

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We’re on what feels like the hundredth straight day of rain here in the Bay Area, but at least it’s noodle soup season. Anthony Bourdain infamously said “Anytime I’m eating spicy noodles in a bowl, I’m happy,” and I’m not sure I’ve ever disagreed with him.

This hearty soup is packed with kimchi and aromatics, and the end result is a brothy bowl of warming, chewy noodles. Try to seek out fresh noodles for this recipe, as it makes a big difference.

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound fresh noodles, preferably Korean-style wheat noodles
  • 2 teaspoons avocado oil
  • 8 ounces ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 1/2 cups drained ripe kimchi, chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 1 tablespoon gochujang
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  1. Heat avocado oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat. Add ground beef and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread meat out and cook, undisturbed, until a light crust forms underneath, about 2 minutes. Using a wooden spoon break up meat and continue to cook, stirring and breaking meat up, until brown all of the way through, about 2 minutes more. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Mix in kimchi along with any juices, then add the gochujang. Pour in 6-7 cups cold water (depending on how brothy you want your noodles) and stir well. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot partially with a lid, and simmer, decreasing heat to low if needed, until kimchi is softened, 15–20 minutes. (If soup has reduced too much, add up to another 1 cup water and return to a simmer over medium-low heat.)
  2. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
  3. Unravel and gently add noodles into the simmering soup, and cook according to package instructions, stirring occasionally, until cooked through (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat; drizzle in sesame oil and stir in 3/4 of the green onions.
  4. Ladle soup into bowls and top with remaining green onions.

Cabbage and White Beans with Kimchi Dressing

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Yeah, I know. No one gets excited at the thought of cabbage. But hear me out. What if the cabbage was charred to a caramelized goodness and tossed with a tangy kimchi sauce and butter beans for heft? I never thought I’d say this about cabbage, but I could eat this every day. Adapted from Bon Appetit, I recommend jarred butter beans for this recipe as the quality makes all the difference.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 small head of cabbage, cored and cut into 3-inch pieces
  • 1 15-ounce jar or can butter beans or other large white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/3 cup olive oil, divided
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped drained kimchi, plus 2 tablespoons kimchi juice
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 5 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 1 jalapeno, sliced
  • 1/4 cup chopped dill
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  1. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 450F degrees. Toss cabbage, beans, 1/4 oil, and 2 teaspoons salt on a rimmed baking sheet until cabbage leaves are separated and coated with oil. Roast until cabbage is tender and charred in spots, 30-35 minutes.
  2. Whisk kimchi, kimchi juice, sugar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl to combine. Set kimchi dressing aside.
  3. Whisk tahini, remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/3 cup water in a medium bowl until light and creamy. Set tahini sauce aside.
  4. Spoon half of reserved kimchi dressing over roasted cabbage and beans and toss gently to coat. Spread reserved tahini sauce over a platter and drizzle remaining kimchi dressing over. Pile cabbage and beans on top, and garnish with jalapeno, dill, and parsley on top.

California Crab Rice Bowls

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If you’ve known me for more than five minutes, you know I absolutely lose it for Dungeness crab. I will prepare and eat it in all its permutations, and one of my favorites is this rice bowl, which is basically an elevated California roll in bowl format. It’s healthy and delicious, so eat to your heart’s content.

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups cold water, divided
  • 1 (5 by 3-inch) piece kombu
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
  • 1/4 cup chopped peeled ginger plus 1 teaspoon grated peeled ginger, divided
  • 2 cups uncooked sushi rice, rinsed
  • 1/2 cup sake
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 2 cups Dungeness crab meat
  • 1 avocado, thinly sliced
  • 1 Persian or 1/2 English cucumber, seeded and diced
  • Smelt roe or tobiko, thinly sliced nori, and toasted sesame seeds, for serving
  1. Place 1 1/2 cups cold water and kombu in a small saucepan; heat over high until steaming. Remove from heat; sprinkle katsuobushi over broth, and steep 3 minutes. Strain dashi into a bowl; discard solids. (Alternatively, make 1 cup dashi using instant dashi granules.)
  2. Process remaining 1/2 cup water and chopped ginger in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour ginger water through a fine wire-mesh strainer; discard solids.
  3. Prepare a rice cooker: combine rinsed rice, 1 cup dashi, ginger water, sake, and salt, and cover. Cook rice according to rice cooker instructions and set aside, keeping rice warm.
  4. Meanwhile, bring brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and grated ginger to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-low. Boil until sauce thickens to a syrup consistency, about 5 minutes. Let cool, and reserve.
  5. Divide rice among four serving bowls, and top with crab and avocado. Top evenly with cucumber, roe, nori, and sesame seeds, and serve immediately with sweet soy glaze.

Garlic Noodles with Dungeness Crab

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If you’ve spent time in San Francisco then you know the city’s garlic noodles are iconic. They’re on countless menus but the original lies with Thanh Long, a classic Vietnamese restaurant in the Sunset District, that I lived near to many moons ago.

This dish is a love letter to Thanh Long’s infamous noodles. It’s absolutely worth seeking out fresh Dungeness crab for the best flavor.

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound fresh wheat noodles or spaghetti pasta
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 onion, sliced
  • 8 ounces lump crabmeat, preferably Dungeness
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
  • Black pepper
  • 1 green onion, sliced, for serving
  1. Cook the noodles to al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse well with cold water.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and 1 tablespoon water to blend. Set sauce aside.
  3. In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon each of the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add one-third of the garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the onion and stir-fry until the garlic just begins to brown, about another minute. Add the crab, Cajun seasoning, paprika, and pepper to taste. Cook for another minute, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  4. Return the skillet to medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon each olive oil and butter. Add the remaining minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute or two. Add the sauce, let it warm up, then add the cooked noodles. Mix well to coat the noodles with the sauce, then add about 1/4 of the crab mixture and stir for another minute to warm through.
  5. Transfer the noodles to a serving platter and top with the remaining crab mixture, garnish with the green onions and pepper, and serve.

Roasted Squash Curry

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‘Tis the season for pumpkin and all manner of squash. And yeah, I know, squash isn’t the most exciting vegetable, but I promise you that this comforting coconutty Sri Lankan curry will change your mind. You can use any kind of pumpkin or orange squash here, but I like to use butternut squash (delicata works well too). Don’t skip the roasting step — it adds a ton of flavor.

Ingredients:

For the squash curry:

  • 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sri Lankan curry powder (recipe follows)
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 20 curry leaves, divided
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 cardamom pods, lightly smashed in a mortar and pestle
  • 1/2 of a 14 ounce can coconut milk (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1 1/2 inches ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 lime

For the Sri Lankan curry powder:

  • 6 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 3 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 3 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • 3 teaspoons black peppercorns
  • 10 curry leaves
  • 3 teaspoons dried Kashmiri chiles
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
  1. Make the Sri Lankan curry powder: In a dry pan over medium-low heat, toast the coriander, cumin, fennel, and black peppercorns for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, until they’re fragrant, and pour them into a bowl. Add the curry leaves and dried chiles to the pan and toast for about 3 minutes, stirring often until the curry leaves are completely dried (make sure the chiles don’t burn). Remove from the heat and when cool, grind in a spice grinder until fine. Stir in the turmeric and store in a jar. Curry powder will keep in a cool, dry place for months.
  2. Make the curry: Roast the pumpkin: Preheat the oven to 425F degrees. Place butternut squash on a baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon coconut oil and season with salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the curry powder. Roast squash for 25 minutes, until tender and golden and beginning to brown at the edges. Remove from oven and set aside.
  3. Heat a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon coconut oil and when hot, fry the onion until beginning to brown. Add 10 curry leaves and garlic for one minute, then add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and cardamom. Fry for 1 minute.
  4. Pour in the coconut milk and add the turmeric and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and the roasted squash. Cook at a gentle simmer for 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat.
  5. In the meantime, heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a small pan and add the remaining 10 curry leaves, letting them crisp up.
  6. Plate the roasted squash curry in a serving bowl, top with the tempered curry leaves, the fresh ginger, and squeeze the lime juice over. Serve with rice.