Tag: East Asian
Hong Shao Rou
Hong Shao Rou
This is my favorite way to prepare pork belly. Hong Shao Rou is a Shanghai Chinese classic dish. The belly is seared in melted sugar, then braised with light and dark soy sauces, shaoxing cooking wine, and aromatics, resulting in a reddish glossy melt in your mouth porky goodness. Serve the pork belly with steamed rice and a vegetable.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb pork belly 1/2” thick; cut into 2” pieces
- 2 green onions cut in half
- 4 slices ginger
- water
Braising Liquid
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/3 cup shaoxing cooking wine
- 2 cups blanching liquid saved from the pork
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 6 slices ginger
- 3 green onions cut into 2” pieces
- 2 star anise pods
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Add in the pork belly, green onions, and ginger. Boil for 5 minutes. Skim off any of the scum that floats to the top.
- Drain the water, reserving 2 cups of the liquid. Rinse the pork belly under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Heat up cooking oil and sugar in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
- Watch the sugar. It will slowly turn an amber color. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Add the pork belly in a single layer to the pan.
- Cook the pork belly for 1 minute a side, making sure the sugar doesn’t burn.
- Add in the ginger and green onions. Cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the soy sauces and cooking wine. Cook for a minute, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add in the recesrved 2 cups of the blanching liquid. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 90 minutes.
Xinjiang Lamb Burger
Xinjiang Lamb Burger
The seasonings in this lamb burger are the exact same as the Xinjiang lamb skewers eaten by the Uyghur population of Northwestern China. With middle eastern influences in the flavor, the burgers are heavily cumin based. I recommend cooking the burgers to medium-well. They will still be quite juicy. The lamb burgers are topped with lettuce, tomato, and a simple yogurt sauce that cuts through this heavy comfort food of goodness.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- burger buns
- tomatoes sliced
- lettuce
Sauce
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 cup onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Mix together all of the sauce ingredients. Keep in the refrigerator until ready for use.
- Mix together the lamb, cumin, garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
- Patty up the lamb to your desired size: 4-1/4lb, 3-1/3lb, or 2-1/2lb.
- Heat up cooking oil on a griddle over medium high heat. Place the patties on the pan.
- Depending on the size of the patties, cook for 5-7 minutes per side. You do want the burgers cooked all of the way through.
- Place the burgers on a bun with lettuce, tomato, and the sauce.
Snake Beans with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Snake Beans with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Snake beans, aka yard long beans, long beans, etc., are similar to green beans in flavor. The difference is that they are thinner and about 18” long. They also have more of a crunch. The snake beans are boiled for just 5 minutes and then tossed in chili oil and a peanut sauce.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb snake beans washed and cut into 2” pieces
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp chili oil
Garnish
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix together the peanut butter, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar. Set aside.
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Boil the snake beans for 5 minutes. Drain. Run under cold water until cooled.
- Heat up the chili oil in a pan just for a minute over medium high heat. Turn off the heat.
- Add in the snake beans. Coat in the oil.
- Stir in the peanut sauce.
