Tag: pork

Char Siu Banh Mi

Char Siu Banh Mi

BBQ Pork Banh Mi

Seriously one of my favorite sandwich’s ever. There are many variations of this sandwich. All will be on a French baguette with mayo, liver spread, cucumber, pickled carrots and daikon, jalapeños, cilantro, and sriracha. The protein is up to you. I made some char siu(recipe posted below) because bbq pork is my absolute favorite. You can make these with canned luncheon loaf, chicken, meatballs, or an extra thick layer of pate. Make sure to use a baguette that is crusty on the outside but soft on the inside. I like to buy my baguettes from Trung Nam Vietnamese/French bakery in Saint Paul. None better.
Prep Time10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: main course, Pork, Vietnamese
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • char siu bbq pork
  • liver spread
  • mayonnaise
  • sriracha
  • cucumber long thin slices
  • cilantro sprigs
  • pickled carrot and daikon
  • fresh jalapeños
  • baguettes

Instructions

  • Spread mayonnaise on the top side of the baguette. Spread liver spread on the bottom side of the baguette. Put a generous layer of bbq pork on top of the liver spread. Top the pork with cucumber, jalapeños, pickled carrots and daikon, and a couple of sprigs of cilantro. Squirt some sriracha across the top of the mayo side.
    Vietnamese, main course, pork
  • Enjoy this sandwich. Try not to eat 3 at once.
    Vietnamese, main course, pork

Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

If I was put on death row and asked what the last thing on Earth that I'd like to eat, my final meal, char siu would be on the top of the list. I have loved this bbq pork ever since I was a little kid. My family would order everything with bbq pork in it from the Chinese restaurant that we got take out from. I love this pork so much, I snuck some of the pork in the picture into the movie theatre in a ziplock bag.
Char siu is typically made out of pork shoulder. It can be made out of pork sirloin, pork loin, or tenderloin; but they tend to be less juicy than pork shoulder. Fat is a good thing here. You will want a 3lbs. piece of boneless pork shoulder. I purchased a whole bone in shoulder and processed out the coppa roast and the flat iron, If the coppa roast was a beef cut, you'd know it as a chuck eye roast. You don't have to go to this extreme. You can use any part of the shoulder. I just happen to know how to cut these muscles out of the shoulder and use them. Cut the pork shoulder into 2" in diameter chunks with the grain. 
The char siu gets its color from the red bean curd. If you've ever seen this pork really red, the color will be coming from red food coloring. But I want to avoid food coloring as much as possible. The red color in the bean curd comes from a natural fungus. This pork needs to marinate for at least 3 days.
When ready to cook the pork, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Yes, 400 degrees. Normally when you think of cooking pork shoulder, you cook it low and slow. Not here. It will be tender. Trust me. I was skeptical the first time I tried making this. Roast this for 15 minutes. Pull it out of the oven and brush on the glaze. Roast for 7 minutes. You want to do this for 3 times total. The honey will caramelize the outside while the bean curd juice will give it a nice red color. Once done roasting, let sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Marinating Time3 days
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: appetizer, Chinese, East Asian, main course, Pork
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs boneless pork shoulder
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 3 red bean curd cubes + 2 tbsp liquid
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Chinese 5 spice powder
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
  • 3/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 3 garlic cloves minced

Pork Glaze

  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp red bean curd liquid
  • 1 tbsp cooked marinade

Instructions

  • Take a 3lb. piece of pork shoulder and cut it into a few long chunks with the grain. Each piece should be around 2″ in diameter. In this picture, I cut out the coppa roast and the flat iron. The coppa roast is the center muscle of the shoulder. If this was beef, you’d know it as a chuck eye roast.
    Chinese, main course, appetizer, pork
  • Mix together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, red bean curd cubes and liquid, 5 spice powder, honey, cooking, wine, white pepper, sesame, oil, and garlic cloves. Mash the bean curds into a paste. Mix everything thoroughly.
    Chinese, main course, appetizer, pork
  • Add the pork shoulder pieces and the marinade to a gallon sized ziplock bag. Marinate for 72 hours. Turn the bag over every 12 hours.
    Chinese, main course, appetizer, pork
  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lay the pork shoulder pieces on a rack onto of a foil covered baking sheet. Add a couple cups of water to the baking sheet to prevent smoking. Roast the pork for 15 minutes.
    Chinese, appetizer, pork
  • While the pork is roasting, mix together honey, red bean curd liquid, and some of the marinade. Make sure to cook the marinade in the microwave for a few seconds before mixing in. Now you have your pork glaze.
    Chinese, main course, appetizer, pork
  • After the first 15 minutes of roasting, take the pork out of the oven and brush on the pork glaze. Don’t worry about getting the bottom. Put the pork back in the oven and roast for 7 minutes. Repeat this step 2 more times, for a total of 3 glazes.
  • After the final glazing and roasting, let the pork rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
    Chinese, main course, pork

Pickled Carrots and Daikon

These pickled carrots and daikon are used as a topping for banh mi sandwiches. Sweet and vinegary with a nice crunch. These are good in your refrigerator for up to a month.
Prep Time10 minutes
Course: ingredient
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: how to make, ingredient, Vietnamese
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 6 oz carrots cut into large matchstick sized pieces
  • 6 oz daikon cut into large matchstick sized pieces
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 6 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Cut your carrots and daikon into large matchstick sized pieces.
    Vietnamese, ingredients, how to make
  • Place them in a bowl with 2 tsp of sugar and 1 tsp salt. Let sit for 5 minutes. Liquid will start to pool at the bottom. Rinse in cold water and pat dry.
    Vietnamese, ingredients, how to make
  • Mix together the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar until dissolved.
    Vietnamese, ingredient, how to make
  • Place the carrots and Daikon in a mason jar. Pour in the brine. Let pickle for a day before use.
    Vietnamese, ingredients, how to make
Pork Belly Rice Bowl

Pork Belly Rice Bowl

Pork Belly Rice Bowl

If you live on a tight budget and but don’t want to sacrifice eating a quality meal, have I got the recipe for you. The pork belly is marinated in a Korean soybean paste based marinade for only a half an hour, then grilled and eaten over steamed rice with a soft boiled egg. This couldn’t be simpler to make.
Let’s talk about the price points of this recipe of the main ingredients:
– The pork belly that I bought is $3.99lb. Costing $3 for 12 oz.
– The rice cost $1.49 for a 1lb bag. I used half of it. $.75.
– I bought a dozen eggs on sale for $.49, costing $.04 an egg = $.08
– The green onion cost $.50 a bunch. Needing only 1, it cost $.10.
All the other ingredients are something that I always have on hand because I eat this type of food for every meal almost everyday. So, for 2 large servings of this rice bowl, it cost around $4 to make. You can’t find food of this quality for this price eating out anywhere.
With very minimal investment needed, buy some of these ingredients that you might not normally use like rice cooking wine, soy sauce, soy bean paste, and sesame oil. This particular marinade works on pretty much any type of meat. If you want to add in more vegetables, please do. Carrot, onion, cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms, would all be great additions.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: Korean, main course, Pork, rice
Servings: 2
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 3/4 lb skin on pork belly 1/4” thick
  • 1 1/2 tbsp doenjang soy bean paste
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice cooking wine
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp grated onion
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp minced ginger
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 2 soft boiled eggs
  • 1 green onion finely chopped
  • 4 cups steamed rice 2 cups per serving

Instructions

  • Mix all of the marinade ingredients together.
    Korean, main course, pork, rice
  • Add in the pork belly pieces. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
    Korean, main course, pork, rice
  • While the pork belly is marinating, bring a pot of water up to boil. Add in 2 eggs. Boil for 6 minutes. Remove from the water and put in an ice bath. Set aside.
    Korean, main course, pork, rice
  • Heat up cooking oil in a grill pan or a griddle over medium high heat. Shake off the excess marinade from each pork belly slice, add them to the griddle in a single layer.
    Korean, main course, pork, rice
  • Cook the pork belly slices for 4-5 minutes a side, until they are almost crispy.
    Korean, main course, pork, rice
  • Add 1 cup of steamed rice to a bowl. Fan out slices of the pork belly around the edges of bowl. Carefully slice the soft boiled egg in half and place in the center. Garnish with green onions.
    Korean, main course, pork, rice
Toyomansi Pork Spareribs with Calamansi Banana Ketchup Glaze

Toyomansi Pork Spareribs with Calamansi Banana Ketchup Glaze

Toyomansi Pork Spareribs with Calamansi Banana Ketchup Glaze

Seriously, one of the best rib recipes I’ve ever made. I’ve been obsessed with toyomansi marinade for a couple of weeks now. I was thinking to myself that this would be amazing on ribs with the calamansi/banana ketchup glaze that I put on some chicken thighs. Was I right.
I am always partial to spare ribs over baby back ribs, but both will turn out delicious whichever ones you choose. Cook baby backs for 2 hours instead of 2.5 hours before you broil them. These ribs are also great on the grill. Cook them indirectly first, wrapped in foil. Take them out of the foil when you are ready to char them, cooking directly over the flames. Then move them back to the side cooking indirectly. Brush on several layers of the glaze every 10 minutes.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time3 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Filipino
Keyword: Filipino, main course, Pork
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

Toyomansi Marinade

  • 2 cups calamansi juice
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 6 garil cloves minced
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 3-4 lb rack of spareribs

Calamansi Banana Ketchup Glaze

  • 1/2 cup calamansi juice
  • 1/2 cup banana ketchup

Instructions

Toyomansi Marinade

  • Mix together all of the marinade ingredients.
    Filipino, main course, pork
  • Cut your rack of ribs in half. It will be easier to manage this way.
    Filipino, main course, pork
  • Place your ribs and the marinade ina gallon sized ziplock bag. Marinate for 24 hours.
    Filipino, main course, pork

Toyomansi Pork Spareribs

  • Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a couple layers of foil. Place the ribs on the foil like so, making sure to not overlap.
    Filipino, main course, pork
  • Wrap the ribs up in the foil like a package. Bake for 2 1/2 hours.
    Filipino, main course, pork
  • Take the ribs out of the oven. Open up the foil package.
    Filipino, main course, pork
  • Turn on your oven’s broiler. Move the oven rack 6” away from the broiler. Broil your ribs for 8-10 minutes until they get a slight char.
    Filipino, main course, pork
  • While the ribs are broiling, mix together the calamansi juice and banana ketchup to make your glaze.
    Filipino, appetizer, main course, seafood
  • Turn your oven back down to 300 degrees, putting the oven rack back in the center of the oven. Brush on a thick layer of the glaze. Bake for 10 minutes. Glaze the ribs again and bake for another 10 minutes.
    Filipino, main course, pork
  • Take the ribs out of the oven and brush with one more layer of glaze. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
    Filipino, main course, pork
  • Cut in between the bones. Serve with garlic fried rice.
    Filipino, main course, pork