Spicy Beef Kimchi Stew

This recipe reminds me of the Beef Kenchi at the old SM Makati Food Court in the Philippines.  I love dishes that are a bit salty & sweet and this hits the spot. I can hardly find hind shanks here in the Michigan and veal shanks are very expensive.  My alternative is using beef cheeks. The only place I have seen it is in Walmart.  It is a little fatty so you have to trim off some of the fat.    

This recipe usually calls for cabbage kimchi but if it is not available where you are you can instead use chili powder to spice up your dish.  But if you really want to make you own, here is a recipe for cabbage kimchi.  Now back to our dish …

Ingredients

1 1/2  lbs. beef hind shank  (kenchi) cubed

2 garlic cloves (chopped)

1 tablespoon ginger (grated)

3/4 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups cabbage kimchi (or chili pepper)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon sesame seed

2 tablespoons green onions (chopped)

1 head napa cabbage (cut in quarters)

Directions

1. In a hot skillet brown beef, turning to brown all sides.

2. Remove from skillet. Turn heat to medium.

3. In same skillet add garlic and ginger. Cook until garlic browns a bit, about 2 minutes.

4. Add water, soy sauce and sugar. Cook till bubbly.

5. Add meat back into skillet and simmer for 50 minutes or until tender

6. Add cabbage kimchi and cook another 10 minutes.

7.Put the quartered napa cabbage on top of the meat and cover.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

Serve over rice and garnish with sesame oil, sesame seeds and green onions.

Baby Bokchoy with Cashews

I try to make a trip to the Asian store almost every week.  On every  visit I always see Bokchoy on the shelves.  My only reference to Bokchoy is with “Nilaga” a Filipino Dish of slowly simmered meat with potatoes and cabbage or bokchoy. Lucky for me, there is a restaurant with an open kitchen inside the store and since I go there a lot, I have become friends with cook.  One problem though, he doesn’t speak English.  So I ordered a dish with Bokchoy and here is how I saw him fix it.  His version did not have the roasted cashews.  I just added that for texture.  

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 stalks green onions chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

1 pound (1/2 kilo) baby bokchoy

1 tsp sesame oil

salt

roasted cashews

Directions

Heat oil in a large saute pan on medium heat. Add green onions and garlic. Cook for until garlic is slightly grown. Put the baby bokchoy and cook until slightly wilted. Add sesame oil. Cook for another 2 minutes. Top with roasted cashews and serve.

Stuffed Tofu

I had this dish a very, very long time ago. Our helper fixed it for dinner one time.  She has long left and I have always wondered how it was prepared.  About all the recipes I found online did not look like the one I tasted way back.  So here I go again trying my luck in recreating this dish with the flavors I can still remember.  This could be a vegetarian if you skip the ground meat. The most unusual ingredient in this dish is the Szechuan Mustard  that is available in most Chinese stores.

Ingredients

1 tbsp canned Szechuan Mustard (also called preserved vegetable)

1/2 cup mushrooms, minced

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 cups ground pork, chicken or turkey (optional)

4 pieces extra firm tofu (6 if you not are adding ground meat)

Directions

Rinse the Szechuan mustard very well and pat dry with paper towels. Chop in very small pieces.

Wipe the mushrooms with a damp towel and minced very fine.

Wipe out all the excess moisture in the tofu with paper towels.  Scoop out some tofu from the center of each square tofu.  With a fork, mash the scooped out tofu and set aside.

In a bowl mix all the ingredients together. Put a tablespoon of the mixture in the hollowed out tofu. Pat the filling down carefully.

Arrange the stuffed tofu in a steamer and steam for 10 minutes.

This is an extra step I did to give the dish some color.  After I steamed the stuffed tofu, I removed the excess moisture and pan fried it.  You can stop at steaming but this extra step gives the tofu some crunch and browns the filling.

© 2011 kiddiesplay

Bibimbap

Today I had to go to the Asian store to purchase an ingredient for my Fried Meatballs. We were not lucky to find it in the store but the trip to the Korean store inspired me to cook one of my favorite dishes, Bibimbap
Bibimbap is a signature Korean dish. It literally means "Mixed Meal". This is a perfect dish for Spring since the ingredients are any vegetable available during the spring time. But don't be mistaken, I fix this dish any time of the year. I just change the vegetables.

The Korean name of this dish is DolSot Bibimbap. Dolsot is the stone bowl this dish is served in. I do not have a Dolsot and as alternative I used my Japanese Hotpot (Nabe). You can also use a cast iron skillet.
Here is my version of BiBimbap.

Ingredients
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup minced garlic
20 ounces rib-eye steak, sliced thin
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound fresh spinach, washed and chopped
1 cup carrots, julienned
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 cup fernbrake
4 tbsps sesame oil
1 cup radish, julienned
1 tsp chili bean paste (Kochujang)
extra sesame oil to coat bottom of pot and to drizzle before serving
eggs (number depending on how many are eating)
4 cups piping hot steamed rice
1/4 cup chili bean paste (Kochujang)
toasted sesame seeds for topping (optional)
Nori strips for topping (optional)

Directions
In a bowl, mix together beef in soy sauce, white sugar, brown sugar and garlic and marinate for at least 20 minutes. Heat a shallow non stick pan stir fry the beef until slightly brown. Set aside.
Cook the vegetables separately in 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil and season with salt except for the radish. Set aside all the cooked vegetables separately. Mix the julienned radish with 1 teaspoon chili bean paste until fully coated.
To assemble:
Place a pot (I used a Japanese Nabe) on medium heat and add 2 tbsp sesame oil and swirl the pot until the bottom of the pot is coated with the oil. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes. Arrange the vegetables and beef on top of the rice leaving the center open. Crack the egg (or eggs) in the center and cover it until the eggs top cover of the yolk turns opaque. Drizzle with sesame oil and top with Nori strips. If you are putting together a single serve portion, adjust the amount of sesame oil. Serve with a side of chili bean paste (if you can't find this at the Asian stores, here is a recipe I found for homemade Kochujang )


Enjoy!