Tag: main course
Japchae
Japchae
Japchae is a popular Korean dish using glass noodles, which are made out of sweet potato starch. The noodles are stir fried and tossed with beef, vegetables, and egg in a sweet and salty sauce. All of the ingredients are cooked separately instead of stir frying together.
Ingredients
- 8 oz sweet potato starch noodles
- 1 carrot julienned
- 1/2 medium onion sliced
- 2 green onions chopped
- 4 oz sirloin julienned
- 4 oz oyster mushrooms sliced
- 6 oz spinach
- vegetable oil for frying
Sauce
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Garnish
- 2 large eggs beaten
Instructions
- Mix together the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Add on the noodles. Boil for 8 minutes. You will want these noodles cooked through, not al dente.
- Drain the noodles. Shock in cold water to stop the cooking process. Place in a large bowl and toss with 2 tbsp of the sauce.
- In the same pot, blanch the spinach for 1 minute. Shock in cold water. Squeeze out any excess water and give the spinach a rough chop. Set aside.
- Heat up 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan or wok over medium high heat. Stir fry the noodles for 4 minutes. Return the noodles to the bowl.
- Heat up another tbsp of vegetable oil. Stir fry the carrots for a minute. Add in the onion and green onion. Stir fry for another minute. Place on top of the noodles.
- Heat up another tbsp of oil. Stir fry the mushrooms and beef for 1 minute with 2 tbsp of the sauce. Place on top of the noodles.
- Heat up a tbsp of oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Pour in the eggs. Let firm up for a minute or two, then flip.
- Roll the omelette and cut thin ribbons. Add 2/3 of the egg to the noodles.
- Add the spinach and the rest of the sauce to the bowl. Gently toss all of the ingredients together.
Tokwa’t Baboy with Tausi (Pork Belly and Tofu with Salted Black Beans)
Tokwa’t Baboy with Tausi (Pork Belly and Tofu with Salted Black Beans)
Tokwa’t baboy is a classic Filipino dish consisting of simmered, sautéed, and braised pork belly with fried tofu. Traditionally this dish also has diced parts of the pig's head, including ears and snout. But for lack of availability, I just stuck with pork belly. You will see tokwa’t baboy served as an appetizer or on top of congee, but with tausi(salted black beans) and tomatoes added into the mix, you create a gravy. This will be best served with steamed rice.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 2 lbs pork belly cut into 1” cubes
- 1 head garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 3 small roma tomatoes chopped
- 1/4 cup salted black beans rinsed
- 1 package extra firm tofu pressed; cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Place the water, vinegar, and pork belly in a pot over medium high heat. Bring the pork belly to a boil without stirring. Skim any floating scum off the top.
- Add in the garlic, bay leaf, 1 tsp of salt, and 1/4 tsp,of black pepper. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes.
- While the pork belly is simmering, toss and coat the cubed tofu in cornstarch.
- Heat up a 1/4” of vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Fry the tofu on a sides for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Drain the grease on paper towel and set aside.
- Strain and reserve the liquid from the pork belly.
- Heat up 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the onions and garlic for 3 minutes.
- Add the pork belly back into the pan. Brown the pork belly on all sides for 8-10 minutes.
- Add in the tomatoes. Sauté for 5 minutes, crushing the tomatoes with the back of a spoon to release the juices and cook down.
- Pour in 1 cup of the reserved liquid that the pork belly simmered in. Add in the fried tofu and salted black beans. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
Sweet and Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Bites
Sweet and Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Bites
Dakgangjeong is the ever so popular Korean fried chicken. Dredged in potato starch, fried, then tossed in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce, this chicken will be a regular on your menu after trying it for the first time. This recipe uses bite sized pieces of boneless chicken, making it easier to fry, using a fraction amount of oil. You can definitely use bone in chicken pieces, but that will require a lot of oil and a little more time to fry. While some say that the chicken is best serve with cold beer, I prefer my chicken with a big doobie.
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs cut into 1 1/2” cubes
- 1 tbsp rice wine
- 1 tsp garlic grated
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup potato starch or cornstarch
- vegetable oil for frying
Sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp rice wine
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp gochujang paste
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp ginger minced
Garnish
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken with the rice wine, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper for 15 minutes.
- Evenly coat the chicken in potato starch.
- Heat up 1” of cooking oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Drop the chicken into the oil, making sure to not overcrowd the pan. Cook in a couple of batches.
- Fry for 3-4 minutes a side. Drain the grease on a wire rack.
- In a small pot, mix together the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 4 minutes.
- Toss the chicken in the sauce.
