Tag: main course
Kimbap
Kimbap
Kimbap is one of the most popular foods in Korea. Resembling sushi, these rice rolls of multi layered complexity are fairly time consuming to make, but are very addicting. Each of the ingredients have a few steps in preparation. The classic ingredients in kimbap are beef, carrots, fish cakes, pickled radish, spinach, and julienned omelette; rolled in nori with steamed rice seasoned with sesame oil. These are best eaten the day they are made, but can be slightly warmed up in the microwave. Since there is so much going on with kimbap, they are served without sauce.
Equipment
- sushi rolling mat
- serrated knife
Ingredients
Rice
- 3 cups steamed short grain rice
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp salt
Beef
- 8 oz ground beef or thinly julienned sirloin
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice wine
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
Fish Cakes
- 1 sheet fish cake cut into 3/4” strips
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Spinach
- 8 oz baby spinach
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
Eggs
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
Carrots
- 1 large carrots julienned
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
Other Ingredients
- 4 strips pickled radish
- 4 sheets nori
Instructions
Ingredient Prep
- Brown the beef in a sauté pan over medium high heat.
- Season with soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, sesame oil, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Set aside.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch the spinach for 1 minute.
- Shock in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Squeeze out the water. Season with sesame oil and salt. Set aside.
- Heat up vegetable oil in a small sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the carrots for 2 minutes. Season with salt. Set aside.
- Add cooking oil to the pan. Pour in the beaten eggs.
- Cook for 1 minute a side. Cut into 3/4” thick strips. Set aside.
- Add cooking oil to the pan. Add in the fish cakes. Season with soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar. Sauté for 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Finally, stir in the sesame oil and salt to the steamed rice. Let cool slightly.
Kimbap Assembly
- Gather all of the kimbap ingredients together.
- Lay a sheet of nori on a bamboo sushi rolling mat; shiny side down. Place 3/4 cup of the rice in a thin layer on the nori sheet.
- Leave a 1/2” of rice uncovered across the bottom of the sheet. Then place thin layers of each ingredient starting from the bottom in the specific order: beef, carrots, fish cakes, pickled radish, and egg. You should use no more than 2/3 of the sheet to layer your ingredients, with the top 1/3 just rice. It is very important to not overstuff the nori.
- Using the bottom of the rolling mat, roll over the top. Press it tightly.
- Unroll the mat. Bring the roll back to the bottom and roll it tightly again, making sur the bottom is sealed.
- Using a serrated knife, slice 1” thick pieces of the kimbap roll.
Smoked Chimichurri Spareribs
Smoked Chimichurri Spareribs
I love ribs like there’s no tomorrow. I’m always trying to come up with new ways of preparation. I’ve been on this Argentinian kick and felt that it was time to smoke some ribs and introduce chimichurri sauce to them. The ribs marinated for a day in a garlic and onion base marinade, then smoked with hickory wood for 3 hours. For the last hour of smoking, I brushed on a layer of chimichurri sauce. The ribs turned out absolutely phenomenal. Tender enough to cut in between the bones with a butter knife. I served them with my chimichurri green bean salad and some smoked provoleta in a cast iron skillet with some crusty bread.
Equipment
- food processor
- Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- 4 lb spare ribs
- chimichurri sauce
Rib Marinade
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
Wood Chips
- hickory
Instructions
- Blend all of the marinade ingredients together in a food processor.
- Marinate the spareribs for 24 hours in a gallon sized storage bag.
- Take the ribs out of the marinade and place on a rack on a baking sheet. Let dry out in the refrigerator for a day. Then let rest at room temperature for an hour before smoking.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Place the ribs in the smoker and smoke for 3 hours.
- Brush a liberal amount of chimichurri sauce on the ribs. Smoke for 1 more hour.
- Let the ribs sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Nepali Chicken Momo
Nepali Chicken Momo
Momos are steamed dumplings found in various forms all over South Asia in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, and the Himalayan region of India. The dumpling are typically made out of a basic flour dough, filled with ground meat (lamb, chicken, beef, and even yak), herbs, and spices. They get steamed in a bamboo steamer and served with harissa and a tomato pickle relish. They require a little work, but are still fairly simple to make. I recommend making a large batch, freeze down in a single layer on a baking sheet, then store in a gallon sized freezer bag. That way, you can have momos anytime you want.
Equipment
- rolling pin
- bamboo steamer
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 lb ground chicken thigh
- 1 cup white onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup green onions finely chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 dried red chili grohnd
Wrapper Dough
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix all of the filling ingredients together. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before filling the momos.
- Mix all of the dough ingredients together. Knead for 5 minutes. Cover with a wet paper towel and let sit for 30 minutes.
Assembly
- Portion out 1” dough balls on a well floured surface.
- Using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough balls into a 4” disc. Place a tbsp of the filling in the center.
- Crimp over the edges to seal.
- You should yield at least 30 momos.
Cooking
- Bring 2” of water to a boil in a pot. Rub oil on the grates of the bamboo steamer. This will keep the momos from sticking. Place the momos in the steamer, making sure that they don’t touch one another.
- Steam for 15-20 minutes.
