Tag: main course
Hong Shao Rou
Hong Shao Rou
This is my favorite way to prepare pork belly. Hong Shao Rou is a Shanghai Chinese classic dish. The belly is seared in melted sugar, then braised with light and dark soy sauces, shaoxing cooking wine, and aromatics, resulting in a reddish glossy melt in your mouth porky goodness. Serve the pork belly with steamed rice and a vegetable.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb pork belly 1/2” thick; cut into 2” pieces
- 2 green onions cut in half
- 4 slices ginger
- water
Braising Liquid
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/3 cup shaoxing cooking wine
- 2 cups blanching liquid saved from the pork
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 6 slices ginger
- 3 green onions cut into 2” pieces
- 2 star anise pods
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Add in the pork belly, green onions, and ginger. Boil for 5 minutes. Skim off any of the scum that floats to the top.
- Drain the water, reserving 2 cups of the liquid. Rinse the pork belly under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Heat up cooking oil and sugar in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
- Watch the sugar. It will slowly turn an amber color. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Add the pork belly in a single layer to the pan.
- Cook the pork belly for 1 minute a side, making sure the sugar doesn’t burn.
- Add in the ginger and green onions. Cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the soy sauces and cooking wine. Cook for a minute, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add in the recesrved 2 cups of the blanching liquid. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 90 minutes.
Gorditas
Gorditas
Gorditas are a popular Mexican street food. Gorditas are a tortilla that is thicker than a normal. The name actually translates from Spanish to “small fatty”. The dough is similar to a regular tortilla, arepa, or huaraches; except it also contains butter. Instead of pressing to a thin tortilla, it is pressed to about 1/2” thick. They are then fried until they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They are then sliced open, much like pita for a gyro, and stuffed with pretty much anything you want. The ones in the picture are stuffed with chicken, avocado, cheese, chipotle peppers, and mixed greens.Stop eating Taco Bell.
Equipment
- tortilla press
Ingredients
- 1 cup masa harina flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp butter melted
- 1 cup hot water plus more
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Mix together all of the ingredients. Form into 2 dough balls.
- Place a dough ball in between wax paper on a tortilla press.
- Press down until it is just under 1/2” thick.
- Heat up the cooking oil on a griddle over medium heat. Place the gorditas on the griddle.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes a side.
- Take a sharp knife and slice in half.
Karaage Chicken
Karaage Chicken
Karaage fried chicken is one of the most popular Japanese dishes inside, as well as outside, of Japan. Unlike the fried chicken you might be used to, karaage chicken is boneless and cut into bite sized pieces. What makes this chicken special is that it’s fried twice. This helps seal in the juices, keeping the chicken moist while keeping the outside nice and crispy.
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh cut into 2” cubes
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sake
- 1/2 tsp mirin
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Marinte the chicken in the soy sauce, sake, mirin, and ginger for 1 hour.
- Mix together the flour and cornstarch.
- Toss the chicken in the flour, making sure that it is evenly coated.
- Heat up 2” of cooking oil in a pot over medium high heat. Fry the chicken for 5 minutes until golden brown. You will have to cook the chicken in batches.
- Drain the chicken on paper towels.
- Turn up the heat on the oil a little bit. Fry the chicken for a second time for 2 more minutes. Drain the grease again.
