Char Siu pork ribs and riblets

I decided to buy spare ribs instead of the normal baby back ribs I usually smoke. One of the reasons is that I planned on trimming them St Louis Style and then using the off cuts to make Char Siu riblets.

 I had experimented with Char Siu on a recent Chinese-food-making foray, but wanted to refine the recipe.

Refine nothing! I found the recipe I'll use from now on, thanks to Jessica Gavin on her Test Kitchen site. While I substituted some of the ingredients I didn't have (Sherry for the Mirin Wine and a bit of sesame oil in the marinade instead of Sesame Paste or Tahini) and a different cut of meat, this recipe turned out sticky, savory and sweet and as good as I have had in any restaurant. I have reproduced the recipe below, but I'd encourage you to follow the link above or below, read her tips and definitions and give her a thumbs up.

CHAR SIU RECIPE

(CHINESE BARBEQUE PORK)

http://www.jessicagavin.com/test-kitchen/seafood-meats/cantonese-char-siu-recipe/

Traditional Cantonese style barbeque pork recipe (Char siu). Roasted to perfection with savory and sweet Chinese spices and flavors.

Cook time: 50 mins
Total time: 1 hour 50 mins
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ pounds pork loin or shoulder (trimmed weight) 
• ¼ cup honey 
• 2 tablespoons mirin wine (Aji-Mirin sweet cooking rice seasoning) 
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil 

MARINADE

• ¼ cup dry sherry (Shaoxing or sake if sherry not available) 
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce 
• 1 tablespoon sesame paste (Tahini may be substituted) 
• 1 tablespoons black bean paste (or black bean and garlic sauce) 
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• ½ teaspoon five-spice powder 
• ¼ cup granulated sugar 

DIRECTIONS

1. Use off cuts from the spare ribs or trim fat and silver skin from your chosen meat and cut into 2 X 2 X 10 inch strips.

2. Combine all marinade ingredients; mix well. Add pork and toss to cover with the marinade. Cover and set a room temperature for at least 1 hour or refrigerate 3 hours, or overnight. Either use a ziploc bag or turn every 30 minutes or so.

3. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place a roasting rack on top of a sheet pan lined with foil. Place the pork on top of the roasting rack. Roast the meat in the center rack of the oven for (40 minutes).

4. Turn oven to 450°F. Mix the honey and mirin. Brush the strips of pork with the honey mixture, then sesame oil. Roast 5 minutes, then turn the strips over, brush the other side of the meat. Roast additional 5 minutes.

5. The meat should be cooked until an internal temperature of at least 135-140°F is reached.

6. Serve the char siu with your favorite vegetables and white rice.

Korean BBQ Beef - (Pulgogi)

Almost 30 years ago my wife and I visited Korea, and we still have the memories of two well known fares: Kimchi and Bulgogi. I had a Jones for pulgogi and decided to use the steak I had in the freezer to fulfill my craving. I found a few recipes that were very authentic, and combined the features into a marinade that made me very happy. I have reproduced my recipe below, along with a couple of the different background explanations from each recipe I used for inspiration. I have had this best served over simple and sticky white rice...

Korean barbecued beef (pulgogi) 

Next to kimchi, pulgogi may be Korea's best-known dish. Thin strips of spicy beef are cooked over a pulgogi, a dome-shaped charcoal grill. The beef is flavored with a complex, sweet and salty marinade - made with minced pear or kiwi, garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds and rice wine - which tenderizes and flavors the beef. Garlic is a key, and be sure to toast those sesame seeds!


Although it is often eaten during the summer as picnic fare, this dish is good any time. Thinly sliced pork loin or tofu can be substituted for the beef, and can be grilled with optional mushrooms and onions for an authentic Korean dish.


This version was cooked on a charcoal grill with hickory.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound beef top sirloin, thinly sliced
• 5 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pear - peeled, cored, and minced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted)
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

Chefs note (optional): for a little extra spice, I added a bit of Asian chili-garlic sauce, which added to the complexity with some heat at the back end; you could also simply add freshly ground black pepper to taste 

Directions to make korean barbecued beef (pulgogi)
In a large bowl or ziploc bag, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, black pepper, garlic, green onions, and sesame seeds.

· Slice beef thinly into 1/2 x 2-inch pieces. (It helps in the beef is partially frozen when you slice it) Add meat to soy sauce mixture in bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.

· Grill meat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until brown.

· Serve with vegetable side dishes, such as the onions and mushrooms, broccoli, or zucchini or spinach, and rice. (*)

(*) Barbecued beef or pork also works well as a finger food. Place several slices of beef on a leaf of romaine lettuce and top it with 2 teaspoons of hot cooked rice and a dash of cayenne pepper. Roll up the leaf and enjoy.

Preparation time: 25 to 25 minutes
(plus chilling time of 1 to 2 hours)
Cooking time: 4 to 6 minutes
Serves 6

Thai Peanut Chicken Stir Fry

Sometimes being lazy works out pretty well.

I would normally make my own sauce, but trader joes has a real nice "Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinigairette". It is spiced real well for me, so I added it to a couple of pounds of chicken tenders and marinated it for about 8 hours. I then grilled the tenders over charcoal with maple smoke for about 15 minutes. Remove from grill and set aside with peanuts and chopped cilantro sprinkled over the top.

For the vegetables, julienned carrot, julienned Jicama (had it in the fridge so what the heck), celery, julienned Red Pepper, rough chopped green onion, and fresh cilantro. Stir fry with peanut oil if you have it, add a clove of fresh minced garlic and salt and pepper; add the carrots and jicama first, add the peppers and celery after about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and stir in the green onion and cilantro.

Serve over rice place on a bed of fresh baby spinach and sliced tomatoes, drizzle extra Peanut vinigiarette over the top.

Thai Peanut Chicken with Coconut Vegatables and Black Rice

For the chicken, cut the chicken into thin strips, and simply marinate with some Thai peanut dressing (I found a good Thai Peanut vinagairette at Trader Joes)

For the Vegetables:

Oliver Oil

1 large onion, Diced ginger, Lemon Zest, Carrots, Celery, Red Pepper, Sugar Snap Peas or green beans, Coconut Milk, Vegatable (or chicken) broth, cumin, sweet chili sauce, Fresh cilantro.

julienne celery, carrots, red pepper, onion, and set aside along with sugar snap peas or green beans.

Heat oil in wok or skillet and add onion and 1 tsp cumin, stir fry until golden. Add carrots, chopped ginger and Lemon Zest,and stir fry with onion for a couple of minutes till firm. Add celery and pepper till they have just begun to soften. Add 1/2 C of coconut milk and 1/2 C of stock along with 1 tbs sweet chili sauce and simmer uncovered until sauce reduces. Add peas or beans with the clantro and cook until beans are tender...

As vegetables are finishing, in a large skillet or Wok, stir fry the chicken at fairly high heat until done to your liking... add peanuts at the end and set aside with some extra peanut sauce. Top with chopped green onion.

I added some of the Lemon Zest and Chopped ginger to the Black rice also to tie the flavors together a little bit.

Asian Chicken Salad with Pecans and Almonds

The key ingredient on this salad is the preparation of the chicken...

3 chicken breasts were julienned, and coated with egg and cornstarch, and then stir fried in sesame oil. When just about done, I added some General Tsao's stir fry sauce I had purchased at Trader Joe's... this gave it just a bit of spicy/sweet flavor. Set the chicken aside to cool. With the remainder of the oil, stir fry some chopped nuts till browned... I had pecans and almonds but walnuts or anything else would work well.

While all that is cooling, the salad was made up of baby spinach, romaine, and cilantro. To this I added julienned carrots, and tri color sweet peppers, and then tomatoes. Pile the chicken on when cool and top with the nuts, chopped green onion, and mandarin oranges. I found a great dressing for this... called Brianna's, Mandarin Ginger.

Five Spice Chicken W/ Black Rice and Broccoli Stir Fry

I Found this recipe at Epicurious.com... Really good flavor... the dipping sauce makes it!

We will make this one again.

Five Spice Chicken

by Mai Pham

Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table
Ga Ngu Vi Huong
The best five-spice chicken I have had in Vietnam was made by a street food vendor in the port town of Hoi An in the central region. The vendor used a spice mix of freshly toasted star anise and turmeric. When she grilled the chicken, the whole neighborhood was perfumed with the most enticing fragrance. This is my version of that dish.

Yield: Makes 4 servings
Marinade

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons minced ginger

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

1/2 tablespoon sea salt

4 whole star anise, lightly toasted in a dry pan for 3 minutes, pounded or ground into a fine powder

1/2 cup Soy-Lime Dipping Sauce (See recipe below)

1 Whole Chicken, cut up; or 4 bnls sknls Chicken breasts

Marinate the chicken for 1 to 2 hours

Grill with woodsmoke

(I used Hickory and a little bit of Mesquite for stronger smoke flavor)

Soy-Lime Dipping Sauce

Nuoc Tuong Pha
This vegetarian dipping sauce can be made with any soy sauce, including the Japanese-style Kikkoman, although the Vietnamese prefer the lighter-bodied Chinese-style products marketed under the brands Kim Lan, Bo De, and Pearl River Bridge. Like dipping sauces made with fish sauce, you can embellish this with different aromatics such as ginger and cilantro.

Yield: Makes about 1 cup

1 clove garlic

2 fresh Thai bird chilies

(Note: I substituted 1/2 jalpano chili because that is what was on hand)

2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce, preferably Chinese style

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice with pulp

1/4 cup water, or to taste

1. Place the garlic, chilies and sugar in a mortar and pound into a paste.

(You can also chop the garlic and chilies by hand, or use a small food processor.)

Transfer to a small bowl and add the soy sauce, lime juice and water. Stir until well blended.

This sauce will keep up to 3 weeks if stored in the refrigerator in a tight-lidded jar.
Source Information

Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table

HarperCollins

Asian Broccoli Stir Fry

This broccoli goes great with Five Spice Chicken.
Ingredients:

· 1 bunch broccoli - cut into florets, stem peeled and chopped

White mushrooms, sliced (optional, pictured above)

· 1 Tbs oil
· 2 cloves garlic, minced, grated, or pressed
· 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

· 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
· 1 Tablespoon dry sherry
· 2 teaspoons sesame oil
· 1 teaspoon equivalent artificial sweetener

· 3 Tablespoons toasted slivered almonds

Note: this was a bit sweet for us... I will leave out the sweetner next time. Also, I added the almonds to the stir fry so they would take on some of the flavor of the stir fry sauce.

Preparation:
1) Lightly steam broccoli,

2) While that is happening, if the almonds aren't toasted, you can do that in the skillet you're going to use for the broccoli - either in a dry pan or a small amount of oil.

3) Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, sherry, and sweetener.

4) Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet.

5) Stir-fry the broccoli and mushrooms in hot oil for 1-2 minutes, until almost tender.

Push to the edges of the pan.

6) Put ginger and garlic in the center of the pan (add a little more oil if need be), and saute 30-60 seconds, until fragrant.

7) Put sauce in the pan, and toss all ingredients together. Top with almonds.

Chinese Medley

Earlier this year I made the rash statement to my wife that I wouldn't cook the same meal twice this year. Well, aiming high dosen't hurt, and though I've already broken that promise (at her request!) it is fun to explore so many variations!

I took a couple of hours after INVESTING in some Chinese sauces and spices like Hoisin Sauce, Black Bean sauce, Garlic and Chili paste, Five Spice Powder, and so on. If you have a decent wok, or even just a large non-stick pan, it is easier than you think... although there are a few steps in each recipe.

Pictured above is a medley of dishes... and they make GREAT leftovers!

We have (from top left):

Pecan Chicken in Bean sauce, stir fried fresh vegatables, Imperial Shrimp, some stir fried sugar snap peas, General Tsao's beef (not pictured), and Lemon Chicken.

Valerie says I'm in trouble now because we aren't ordering Chinese anymore... I'm cooking it!

Recipes on request!