Tag: East Asian
Xinjiang Lamb Skewers
Xinjiang Lamb Skewers
While these lamb skewers are a popular street vendor food in Beijing, they originated from Xinjiang region, which is China’s largest autonomous province. Xinjiang borders India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan; highly influencing this particular style of Chinese cuisine. Xinjiang is populated by over 11 million ethnically native Uyghur, indigenous to Central Asia.With Xinjiang being dominantly Muslim, lamb is a popular protein in their cuisine. I recommend using boneless leg of lamb for the skewers. It is very tender and inexpensive. The lamb needs to marinate for at least 4 hours. Overnight is always better. The use of cumin and chili powder in the marinade highlights the influence from it’s neighboring Central Asian countries. When ready to broil or grill, skewer up 4-5 pieces of lamb on a skewer. Sprinkle whole cumin seeds over the skewers. They will only need to broil or grill for 6 minutes a side. Let them rest for a few minutes before serving. The metal skewers will be hot.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- metal skewers
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1/2 medium white onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sichuan peppercorns ground
Lamb Skewers
- 2.5-3 lbs boneless leg of lamb cut into 1.5” cubes
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients together.
- Marinate the lamb for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Turn on your oven’s broiler. Place 5 pieces of lamb on metal skewers. Place the skewers on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil. Sprinkle the whole cumin seeds over the lamb skewers.
- Broil for 6 minutes a side.
Dak Bulgogi
Dak Bulgogi
Dak bulgogi is chicken marinated in a bulgogi marinade that you typically see used with beef. You can use either breast or thighs. Your choice. I used thighs in this recipe. There are a couple of methods you can use for cooking the chicken. Most people don’t have an indoor grill that you’d use to cook the chicken like at a Korean bbq restaurant. You can simply pan fry the chicken with a little vegetable oil. If using this method, cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces before you marinade. The other method of cooking would be to either broil or grill the chicken. If preparing the chicken this way, I recommend keeping the chicken thighs whole. They will only take 7-8 minutes a side.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 6 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 tsp ginger minced
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients together.
- Marinate the chicken thighs for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Turn on your oven’s broiler. Place the thighs on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil.
- Broil for 7-8 minutes a side.
Authentic Moo Shu Pork
Authentic Moo Shu Pork
I love moo shu pork, but I must admit tha I’ve never had the authentic version. If you are American, you are used to eating the Chinese take out version with pork, cabbage, and wood ear mushrooms served in steamed pancakes with hoisin sauce. The real version isn’t eaten with steamed pancakes and hoisin sauce, but with just steamed rice as a stir fry. The preparation is very similar. A few of the ingredients are different. Once you prep all of the ingredients, the moo shu only takes 5 minutes to make.
Ingredients
Marinade
- 8 oz pork sirloin sliced into strips
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Sauce
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp Chinkiang vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Stir Fry
- 1/2 cup dried wood ear mushrooms
- 1/4 cup dried lily flower
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 small white onion sliced
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 1/2 cucumber sliced
- 3 tbsp vegetable
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients together. Coat the pork in the marinade. Set aside.
- Soak the dried wood ear mushrooms and lily flower in boiling water for 30 minutes.
- Mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- Heat up cooking oil in a wok or a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the pork. Cook for 30 seconds a side. Remove from the pan.
- Add the beaten egg. Scramble and cook for a minute. Remove from the pan.
- Add the onion, cucumber, and ginger. Sauté for a minute.
- Add in the rehydrated mushrooms and lily flower.
- Pour in the sauce. Let thicken for 30 seconds. Add back in the pork and eggs. Cook for 1 more minute.
