Tag: East Asian
Carbonara Toast
Carbonara Toast
When you think of carbonara, you definetily don’t think of Korea or Japan. Carbonara toast happens to be really popular in these two countries. Instead of having these ingredients on noodles, it’s topped on bread and broiled. The honey butter adds a nice sweetness to the toast. The Japanese mayo comes in a tube, which is a really important factor in the preparation. Squirt the mayo around the perimeter of the toast creates a barrier, holding the cracked egg in the center. It also bakes into the bread, creating a richness to the toast. Broil the carbonara toast for 5 minutes. Turn the broiler off, but allow the toast to finish cooking in the oven for 2 more minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley and more cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 slices bread
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp honey
- Japanese mayo
- 2 large eggs
- cracked black pepper
- 2 strips bacon crumbled
- 2 tbsp parmesan or mozzarella cheese
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
Instructions
- Place the bread on a rack on a baking sheet. Mix together the butter and honey. Spread the honey butter on both sides of the bread. Squirt the Japanese mayo around the perimeter of the bread.
- Crack an egg into the center of the bread. Season with cracked black pepper.
- Top the eggs with crumbled bacon and cheese.
- Place the pan on the middle rack in a cold oven. Turn on the broiler. Broil for 5 minutes. Turn off the broiler, but allow the toast to cook for 2 more minutes in the oven. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Silkie Chicken Soup
Silkie Chicken Soup
I’ve been wanting to make this soup for a very long time. The wait is now over. Silkie chickens are a breed from China with white fluffy feathers and black skin and meat. They’ve been and for thousands of years; eaten and also raised as pets. You can find these chickens at any Asian market, usually in the frozen section. They will come with the feet and head attached, weighing about 1 1/2lbs. ‘Silkie chicken soup is very popular in China, eaten typically for it‘s health benefits. Ginger is naturally an anti-inflammatory. Jujubes, also known as red dates, regulate blood pressure, are good for the digestive system, and are high in vitamin C. Goji berries are full of antioxidants and nutrients, help regulate blood sugar, and are said to promote fertility. Shiitake mushrooms are good for cardiovascular health, helping boost immunity and are high in vitamin D. This soup is extremely easy to make. Throw all of the ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer on medium low for 2 hours. You will know the chicken is done when you can easily pull a whole leg from the body. One of the whole chickens is enough for 2 large servings. The broth that the chicken makes is darker than your typical chicken broth. It is very rich and is honestly the best chicken broth that I’ve ever eaten. Once the broth and it’s contents are portion out into bowls, give it a taste. Add salt to your liking. Then add the chicken to the bowl, followed by another ladle of stock.
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 Silkie chicken left whole
- 8 shiitake mushrooms stems removed, left whole
- 2 ears corn cut into 4
- 1/3 cup jujubes
- 1 tbsp goji berries
- 1 thumb ginger sliced
- 6-8 cups water
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the silkie chicken.
- Add all of the ingredients except the salt to a large Dutch oven.
- Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for 2 hours.
- You will know when the chicken is done when you can easily pull the leg from the body.
- Ladle out 4 pieces of corn, shiitake mushrooms, jujubes, and broth into a bowl. Taste the broth and season with salt to your liking. Place 1/2 of the chicken into a bowl and ladle on another scoop of 2 of broth.
Ojingeo Bokkeum (Spicy Stir Fried Squid)
Ojingeo Bokkeum (Stir Fried Spicy Squid)
In Korean, ojingeo is squid and bokkeum is stir fried. So this is stir fried squid in a spicy gochujang sauce. This dish takes only 5 minutes to prepare and is rather healthy. I purchased my squid heads at my local Asian market frozen for $3lb. Squid is that inexpensive. You can purchase just the head, or the whole squid. They come already cleaned. The trick to cooking squid is to only cook it for 2 minutes. Any more will make it tough. This whole dish cost a little over $5 to make for 2 large servings.
Ingredients
- 16 oz squid heads
- 1/4 cup white onion sliced
- 1 medium carrot sliced
- 1/2 zucchini sliced
- 3 green onions chopped into 2” pieces
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Sauce
- 2 tbsp gochujang pepper paste
- 1 tbsp gochugaru pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp corn syrup
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- Wash the squid tubes in cold water.
- Slice into 1/2” thick rings.
- Marinate the squid in the sauce for 15 minutes.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add in all of the vegetables. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the squid and sauce. Cook for no more than 2 minutes or the squid will become tough.
