Tag: main course
Japanese Cabbage Rolls
Japanese Cabbage Rolls
Cabbage rolls are a popular Japanese dish that has been influenced from Western cuisine. Unlike most westernized cabbage rolls that are simmered in a tomato soup base, Japanese cabbage rolls are simmered in chicken stock and topped with pieces of bacon. They can be filled with pork, beef, or a combination of the two. To make the filling, the onions need to be lightly sautéed. This will bring out the sweetness in the onions and add more flavor to the filling. The cabbage leaves will need to be boiled for 3 minutes to soften them for rolling. Place a 1/2 cup of the filling in the cabbage leaf and roll in up. Place them seam side down in a saucepan with the chicken stock and bacon. Simmer for 40 minutes until the stock has reduced by half. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8 large cabbage leaves
- 4 strips bacon chopped
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- salt to taste
Cabbage Roll Filling
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 1/2 lbs ground pork
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
Garnish
- parsley chopped
Instructions
- Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes until translucent. Take off the heat and let cool.
- Mix together all of the filling ingredients. Let rest in the refrigerator until ready for use.
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Boil the cabbage leaves for 3 minutes, just enough to soften them.
- Shock the leaves in ice water to stop the cooking process.
- When ready to roll, place a cabbage leaf flat on the surface with the rib side facing towards you. Place a 1/2 cup of the filling across the bottom center of the leaf.
- Fold up the bottom of the leaf over the top of the filling. Fold in the sides and roll it up.
- Place all of the cabbage rolls in a large saucepan. Top the rolls with chopped bacon. Pour in the chicken stock. Bring the stock to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to medium low.
- Simmer the cabbage rolls for 40 minutes until the stock has reduced by half.
Lu Rou Fan (Braised Pork Belly and Rice)
Lu Rou Fan (Braised Pork Belly and Rice)
Lu Rou Fan is Taiwanese style pork belly with shiitake mushrooms, crispy fried shallots, and hard boiled eggs in a soy sauce based braising liquid; served with a blanched green veggie, pickled shallots or mustard greens, and steamed rice. This is a heavy dish, so the pickled shallots help cut through the richness. If pork belly is too fatty for your taste, you can substitute pork shoulder and still receive great results.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Meat and Marinade
- 1 lb pork belly sliced into small pieces
- 1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 1/2 tbsp mushroom dark soy sauce
Crispy Shallots
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups shallots thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
Braising Liquid
- 2 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mushroom dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rock sugar
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
Other Ingredients and Toppings
- 8 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- your favorite green vegetable blanched
- pickled shallots or pickled mustard greens
- steamed rice for serving
Instructions
- Marinate the pork belly with the shaoxing cooking wine and mushroom dark soy sauce gor 30 minutes. Set aside.
- Rehydrate the dried mushrooms with 2 cups of boiling water for 20 minutes. Thinly slice the mushrooms. Save the liquid.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the shallots for 8 minutes until they start to slightly change color.
- Add in the garlic and cook for 3-4 more minutes until crispy. Drain grease on paper towel and set aside.
- In the same pan, sauté the pork belly until browned for 5-6 minutes.
- Pour in the shaoxing cooking wine and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Then add in the soy sauces, star anise, cinnamon stick, rock sugar, and crispy fried shallots. Cook for a minute.
- Pour in the saved mushroom liquid. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for an hour.
- Add in the hard boiled eggs. Place the cover back on and continue to braise for 30 more minutes.
Pickled Shallots
Pickled shallots are the candy of pickling. They add a sweet and sourness to whatever they accompany. They are great to serve with rich pork dishes such as lu rou fan; on top of banh mi sandwiches and gua bao, and many more Asian dishes. The pickled shallots will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shallots thinly sliced
- 1/4 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Add the Sichuan peppercorns to a cold small pot. Turn the heat to medium and dry toast for 1 minute.
- Pour in the rice vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Once it starts to boil, take the pot off the heat.
- Placd the shallots in a small jar and pour the hot brine over them. Let cool at room temp, then place in the refrigerator to cool completely. They will then be ready to serve.
Taiwanese Meat Sauce over Rice
Taiwanese Meat Sauce over Rice
Lo bah png is simply a Taiwanese meat sauce that is served over steamed rice. Ground pork is sautéed with shallots and wood ear mushrooms, then simmered in a salty and sweet soy based sauce for an hour. Classic Taiwanese home cooking.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 dried woodear mushrooms rehydrated; chopped
- 5 shallots chopped
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp 5 spice powder
Garnish
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Heat up 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the shallots for 3 minutes.
- Add in the ground pork and the wood ear mushrooms. Sauté until the pork id cooked through; about 8 minutes.
- Pour in the water, soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, and 5 spice powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour.
