Tag: main course
Crying Tiger Beef
Crying Tiger Beef
How did crying tiger beef gets it’s name? The legend says that the dish is so good that it could make a tiger cry. The slices of beef are supposed to represent the tears of the tiger. The steak itself is simply seasoned with salt and pepper, cooked medium rare. What stands out in this dish is the dipping sauce. It is harmoniously sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy. It also has a unique texture from the toasted rice powder. The dish is always served with sliced of cucumber and steamed rice.
Ingredients
- 1 lb strip steak, flank, or top sirloin
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cucumber thinly sliced
Dipping Sauce
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp palm sugar
- 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 2 tbsp shallots chopped
- 2 tbsp toasted rice powder
- 1 green onion chopped
- 1 tsp chili flakes
Instructions
- Mix together the dipping sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Let your steak sit out at room temperature for an hour. Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper.
- Heat up the cooking oil in a small sauté pan over high heat. Add your steak to the pan.
- Cook for 4 minutes a side for medium rare.
- Let the steak rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Afghani Chicken Kabobs
Afghani Chicken Kabobs
Afghani cuisine is influenced by Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisines. The people of Afghanistan are big meat eaters and love to barbecue. Kabobs are a staple of their cuisine. Instead of cooking them in a tandoor like their neighbors in Pakistan and India, kabobs are grilled over an open flame.
Servings: 2
Equipment
- food processor
- metal skewers
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs cut into 2” pieces
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 large red bell pepper
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Purée all of the marinade ingredients in a food processor.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 8 hours.
- Turn on your oven’s broiler. Place 4 pieces of the marinated chicken on metal skewers. Place the chicken kabobs on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil.
- Broil the chicken for 6 minutes a side. They will cook for the same amount of time if using a grill. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Chinese Gravy Noodles
Chinese Gravy Noodles
Da lu mian, also known as Chinese gravy noodles, is northern Chinese comfort food that is unfamiliar to most people outside of China. The gravy sauce is tomato based, using dried ingredients such as lily flowers, shiitake, and wood ear mushrooms to add an unami flavor. The original recipe had little pork and no shrimp, since the concept was to use the cheapest ingredients that you had in your pantry. This version is a little more suped-up and luxurious with the copious amounts of protein. You can also make this dish vegan by omitting the pork and shrimp. Lastly, the gravy is served over shanxi noodles, which is the Chinese equivalent of fettuccine.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs shanxi flat noodles prepared according to package directions
- 1 cup dried lily flower
- 1/2 cup dried wood ear mushrooms
- 10 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 lb pork sirloin thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
Gravy
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 4 green onions chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Rehydrate the mushrooms and lily flowers in hot water for 60 minutes. Save 2 cups of the water from the lily flowers. Drain the water from the mushrooms and slice.
- Marinate the shrimp and the sliced pork in the cooking wine, cornstarch, and salt for 30 minutes.
- Heat up the cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the mushrooms and lily flowers for 1 minute.
- Add in the ginger and green onions. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Add in the canned tomato. Sauté for 1 minute,
- Pour in the chicken stock, lily flower water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and pork. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water. Whisk the slurry into the gravy to thicken. Drizzle the sesame oil over the gravy.
