Tag: side dish
Snow Fungus Salad
Snow Fungus Salad
Snow fungus are a type of white fungus that grows on trees in the winter. They come dried in packs that can be found in every Asian market. The snow fungus can be turned into the ultimate salad of flavors and textures. In addition to the fungus, the salad contains shallots, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, Chinese celery, mint, and cilantro. The salad also has 3 types of protein: Vietnamese ham roll, fermented sour pork sausage, and shrimp. While nothing is very difficult in making this salad, it has a large amount of prep work.
Ingredients
Snow Fungus Salad
- 4 dried white fungus soaked in water for 30 minutes; boiled for 5 minutes
- 1/2 English cucumber sliced
- 1 small carrot grated
- 2 shallots thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup mint
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1/2 Vietnamese ham roll julienned
- 1 fermented sour pork sausage sliced
- 1 cup small cooked shrimp
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup Chinese celery chopped
Dressing
- 1 cup water
- 2 oz palm sugar crushed
- 1/3 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 head pickled garlic sliced
- 2 tbsp pickled garlic juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp sambal
- 1/4 cup tamarind concentrate
- 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 1 tsp mushroom seasoning
- 2 tsp chili flakes
Instructions
- Place the crushed palm sugar in a small pot with a cup of water. Dissolve the sugar over medium heat, then turn off the heat.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Set aside.
- Prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix all of the salad ingredients together. Pour over the dressing and toss.
Angel Hair Rice (Arroz con Fideos)
Angel Hair Rice (Arroz con Fideos)
This treat isn’t from San Francisco, but Colombia. This rice has little broken pieces of angel hair pasta that adds a nice texture that you wouldn’t have with plain rice. For the price of a box of rice a roni, you can make 4 times the amount in the same amount of time.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2/3 cup broken angel hair pasta
- 1 cup basmati rice washed
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the rice and sauté for a minute.
- Pour in the stock. Season with salt and parsley. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.
Frijoles Antioquenos
Frijoles Antioquenos
Frijoles antioquenos is a Colombian bean soup that’s bursting with flavor. Pinto or cranberry beans are simmered with pork hocks, plantains, and carrots. After simmering, the carrots are scooped out, puréed in a food processor, then stirred back into the soup to thicken. But the main source of the flavor of this soup comes from the alinos and hogao sauce, which I’ve attached the recipes for below.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried pinto beans soaked overnight
- 3 smoked pork hocks
- 1 plantain cubed
- 2 large carrots each cut into 3 pieces
- 1/2 cup alinos sauce
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 9 cups water
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 cup hogao sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the beans and smoked hocks to a pot of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the cumin, alinos, carrots, and plantains. Simmer for 1 hour.
- Add in the hogao, cilantro, salt and pepper. Continue simmering for 30 minutes.
- Scoop out the carrots along with 1 cup of the bean broth.
- Purée until smooth.
- Add the purée back into the beans. Scoop out the hocks. Cut off any meat and return to the pot. Simmer for 10 more minutes.
Aliños Colombianos
Aliños Columbianos is a seasoning paste used in Colombian cuisine. It is a similar in concept to a sofrito that’s used in Puerto Rico and Cuba. It can be used as a base to soups and stews such as sancocho and as a marinade for meat and poultry. This paste keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1/2 medium white onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 4 green onion
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 packet Goya Sazón with azafran
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor.
- Pulse until a paste if formed.
Hogao Sauce
Hogao sauce is the Colombian version of a creole sauce. It is used as a base in many Colombian dishes as well as a dipping sauce and a topping for arepas. This is extremely simple to make. The most important thing to do in preparation is to occasionally give the sauce a stir to prevent any burning. Hogao stores in your refrigerator for up to a week.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cups tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 cup green onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil over medium high heat in a sauté pan. Add all of the ingredients except the salt. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the salt. Reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
