Takana Chahan (Japanese Pickled Mustard Fried Rice)

This dish was very popular in the restaurant where I used to work.  Most of our customers visit the place just for this dish.  I myself love this dish.  The slightly salty taste of the pickled mustard give this dish a different kick. I actually like it the crusty rice that sticks to the pan. My mom calls it "tutong".

Do not get intimidated by the pickled mustard.  It is not too sour.  Some brands have it a bit sweet.  When you see it in the Asian aisle of your supermarket it comes as chopped leaves or whole.  I usually buy the chopped leaves variety.  I squeeze out all the liquid before adding it to the dish.  Otherwise you fried rice will be too wet.

You have to try this recipe because it is so different from your usual fried rice. My husband avoids rice at all costs but would eat this dish.

Ingredients

2 c steamed rice (I used day old brown rice)

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsps vegetable oil

1 egg beaten

4 oz peeled and de-veined shrimp

1 tbsp pickled mustard (Takana)

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp sake or rice wine or sherry wine

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 stalk green onions chopped

shredded Nori for garnish

Directions

In a bowl combine rice, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.

Heat frying pan and pour in the vegetable oil.

Cook the beaten egg until halfway cooked.

Add the shrimps and cook until it turn pink.

Add the rice and the pickled mustard.

Add soy sauce, sake and sesame oil and mix thoroughly.

Lastly, add the green onions.

Serve while still warm topped with shredded Nori.

Itadakimasu!!!!!

Braised Pork (Patatim)

I have been missing home a lot so I've been cooking dishes that are my family's favorite.  This dish is my youngest sister's favorite.  I made a trip to an Asian store (which was almost an hour away from our house) and found neatly cut pork hock that was not too fatty.  My husband loves pork hock too, he thought I was cooking his favorite which is "Crispy Pata".  He loved this dish nonetheless. Other version or this dish are TianFuHao and Hong Ba.

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 lb pork hock, cut into 3-4 pieces (you can use pork belly or pork shoulder)

1/2 cup vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

2-3 bay leaf

2-3 pcs. 5-star anise

4-5 Shiitake Mushrooms, soaked (optional)

1 cup of water (more if needed)

1/2 cup dried banana blossom, soaked in water to soften (optional)

1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions

Wash pork hock very well, and dry it with paper towels.

In a Dutch oven or pot, heat the oil and sear the pork until it is brown on all sides.

If you are using a slow cooker, transfer the pork and add the rest of the ingredients except for the sugar and add the banana blossom last.

Cook on medium for 2 hours, or until the pork is tender.

Sprinkle the sugar and stir the sauce so that the sugar dissolves in the liquid.

Cook for another 3 minutes.

Serve steamed with rice.

Kid's Play: Tantanmen (Spicy Sesame Ramen)

Kid's Play: Tantanmen (Spicy Sesame Ramen): When I used to work in a Japanese restaurant, this noodle soup was one of the more popular ones. Apparently, a lot of Japanese love sp...

Tantanmen (Spicy Sesame Ramen)

When I used to work in a Japanese restaurant, this noodle soup was one of the more popular ones. Apparently, a lot of Japanese love spicy ramen.  I don't have a high tolerance for spicy food so I never really prepared it. But since my husband loves spicy food, I try to fix something to make him happy. He does go on a diet with me anyway, so it's just right to let him have something he likes.

TanTanMen is a Japanese version of the Sichuan DanDan Mian. DanDan Mian is served with preserved vegetable but the Japanese version that I have seen is just ground meat.

This dish is one of the simple ones I have fixed.  I have cooked some that are very labor intensive and has a lot of ingredients ( I have built my Japanese pantry so the ingredients are a kitchen staple for me).  Since I am cooking for just two people, sometimes it's not worth the trouble.

What makes this dish delicious is browning the meat and the addition of ground sesame seeds.

Just a warning though, since this dish is spicy, you might need an extra glass of beverage and tissue.  It will make your nose run (sorry for giving too much information).

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tsp chili oil

1 large clove of garlic, grated

1 tbsp ginger, grated

1 tbsp chili paste (Korean GoChuJang)

1/2 lb lean ground pork

5 cups unsalted stock

1 tbsp ground sesame seeds

1 tbsp sweet miso (substitute with regular miso plus mirin or sugar)

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

chopped green onions for garnish

2 packs fresh egg noodles

Directions

In a pot on medium high, heat the chili oil. Add ginger and cook until slightly brown.  Add garlic and chili paste. Cook until fragrant.

Add pork and cook until brown.  Set aside 2 spoonfuls of cooked meat for topping later.

Add the chicken stock, ground sesame seeds and sweet miso paste. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat to medium low.

In a separate pot, cook ramen noodles according to the packet instructions. Remember to undercook the noodles since it will continue cooking after it is mixed with the broth.

Transfer noodles to separate bowls.  Pour the broth over the noodles and top it with the reserved browned meat and garnish with chopped green onions. 

Kid's Play: Short Rib Stew with Caramelized Kimchi

Kid's Play: Short Rib Stew with Caramelized Kimchi: My husband "loves" stews.  Anything that is slow cooked is his favorite.  The rich taste of something that is cooked for a long ...

Short Rib Stew with Caramelized Kimchi

My husband "loves" stews.  Anything that is slow cooked is his favorite.  The rich taste of something that is cooked for a long time just triggers his taste buds. This dish just fits that description. Another thing he loves about this dish is the caramelized kimchi (but he would rather have it spicy than caramelized) because it adds a different flavor profile.  For some reason, he also loves the daikon, so I tossed in some extra in there.  This stew is perfect for the cold weather (it is starting to get a tad chilly here in the Midwest).  You can either have it as is, with steamed rice (I would do brown rice), or with ramen noodles.

Ingredients

Marinade

1/2 c low-sodium soy sauce

3 tbsps. chopped garlic

1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced

1 small Asian Pear, grated

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 c. toasted sesame oil

6 lbs. beef short ribs (trim off fat)

For Broth

2 tbsps. vegetable oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 quart low-sodium chicken broth

1 large daikon, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 c Napa cabbage kimchi

4 radishes, sliced thinly

Directions

In a bowl, stir together the marinade mix. Add the ribs and toss making sure that the ribs are evenly coated.  Marinate for 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.

In a heavy pot or a Dutch Oven, heat the vegetable oil.  Remove the ribs from the marinade and sear until brown on all sides. Set aside and repeat with the remaining ribs.  Do not discard the marinade.

Saute the onions. Add back the ribs, the remaining marinade, 1 quart of chicken broth and 6 cups of water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer in low heat for 1 hour. Remove the scum occasionally. After 1 hour, remove cover and continue to simmer for another hour.

When the ribs are fork tender, add the daikon, potatoes and carrots.  Cook until the vegetables are tender, between 20-30 minutes.

In a separate pan, heat the sesame oil in medium heat.  Add the kimchi and cook until it is caramelized.

Serve the stew topped with the caramelized kimchi, sliced radishes and sliced scallions.

*Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine February 2013

Cassava Cake

A childhood friend just sent me a message asking for the recipe for Cassava cake we made when we were growing up.  This cake brings a lot of lovely childhood memories.  I remember fixing it with my girlfriends Joy, Gigi and Maita.  We had fun grating the cassava and making all kinds of mistakes in putting this recipe together.  

In the Philippines, we make everything from scratch.  You grate the cassava, squeeze the excess liquid and just use the cassava flesh. This is a very easy recipe (except for the grating part).  It is also gluten free.

This is also my brother's favorite dessert, along with another sweet dessert, Leche Flan.

Ingredients

Cake

4 c grated cassava (squeeze out all the liquid after grating )

2 eggs, beaten

2/3 c sugar

1 c evaporated milk

1 c fresh milk

1 can coconut cream (if using fresh coconut, this is the first extraction or “kakang gata”)

¼ c melted butter

1 cup coconut milk (second extraction), optional – only add if you want a less dense cake.

Topping/Custard

1 can condensed milk

2 tbsp corn starch

1 cup coconut cream

2 eggyolks, beaten

Grated cheese, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.

Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan (some people just line it with aluminum foil).  Pour the mixture and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted (in the middle, or thickest part of the cake) comes out clean.

Prepare the custard topping.

In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the condensed milk and set aside.

Combine condensed milk with cornstarch and coconut cream in a saucepan.  Bring to boil in medium low fire, stirring constantly.

Place beaten egg yolks in a small ball.  Slowly add custard mixture (one tablespoon at a time) to temper the eggs and not curdle it.  Add egg yolk mixture back to the saucepan stirring constantly.  Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the custard after the cake is done baking. You can add grated cheese on top if you desire.  Put it back in the oven and set the oven on “broil”.  Bake for another 10 minutes or until the custard turns slightly brown.

Let the cake cool down before slicing.

Tips

If you are using fresh cassava, make sure that you do not grate the hard stem in the middle.  Grate around it.

Squeeze out the liquid and discard it.  The liquid that is extracted is bitter and we don’t want it to affect the taste of our cake.

When you broil the custard, make sure you watch your oven.  Some ovens are too hot and it can burn your cake.  I leave my oven slightly open every time I set it on broil.