Monday, March 31, 2014

Braised Chicken Wings... with Bamboo Shoots


Who doesn't love chicken wings?

Not my family. It's practically a staple here. When I'm scratching my head on dinner ideas, I always turn to good old trusted chicken wings because they are cheap, there's so many different marinades you can use on them and the kids love their finger-licking portability. Whole chicken wings are much cheaper than buying them separated at the joints. I would cut them up at home myself if need be. My usual takes are Asian-style. Throwing a few ingredients together such as chopped garlic, ginger, cilantro and green onions combined into honey, chili sauce and soy sauce you get a slightly sweet, savoury oven-baked batch of glazed wings with a hint of spiciness. Or I do a dry-rub on the wings for Five-Spiced Chicken Wings using five-spice powder, garlic salt and ground pepper. Boy, does the kitchen always smell so-O good!

Tonight, I cooked it entirely different in a braise rather than a bake. My inspiration? Leftover bamboo shoots  from a can. It wouldn't have worked in the other dishes for the night. I knew I wanted to make wings and thought a braise could really tie them together nicely. Here is what I did:

1) Coarsely chop two garlic cloves, slice two green onions into 1-1/2 inch pieces, two mild green chili peppers and three whole bamboo shoots.


2) Toss ten chicken wings in the chopped garlic, 1 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder, 3 Tbsp. light soy sauce, 1 tsp. dark soy sauce, 3 Tbsp. Chinese rice wine and 2 Tbsp. brown sugar. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for one hour. I kept most of them whole for the braise as a preference, but taken off the wing tips on a few for the kids.


TIP: Cut whole chicken wings at the joints to separate wing tip, flat and drummette (from left to right). This is easier for the children to eat. Keep the wing tips if you don't plan to eat them and save or freeze for making soup broth.


3) Heat a skillet or wok over high heat with 2 Tbsp. peanut oil. Add the green onions and stir-fry for one minute. Drain the wings, reserve the marinade and add wings to the skillet to cook for five minutes.


4) Turn heat down to medium, stir-in the bamboo shoots and green peppers. Cook for another five minutes until wings are browned on all sides. Pour in the reserved marinade and add 3/4 cup hot chicken stock and braise for ten minutes, stirring occasionally until tender and cooked through.



5) Stir 1 Tbsp. cornstarch in 2 Tbsp. cold water and add to sauce; stir until thickened. 



The resulting dish was delicious with a nice overtone of five-spice. Although bamboo shoots generally has a strong root taste, cooking it in this style really mellows it and compliments the wings by transferring each other's flavours in the sauce. One of the twins really enjoyed the soy-marinated flavour of the shoots and its tender but crunchy texture. 


TIP: Wrap the end of the drummette with tin foil to make it easier to hold and less messy for the young ones to eat. 


YUM! Chicken lollipop!


If chicken wings are your thing, you may also like Vietnamese Curry Chicken Wings, Five-Spice Chicken Wings and Double Soy Sauce Chicken Wings (scroll down in recipe for tip for chicken wings).



Sunday, March 30, 2014

Plan Your Groceries For a Week's Worth of Dinners...


Every Sunday I would sit down with supermarket flyers and plan out my grocery list for the week.

There would be mainly two trips- one foremost to an Asian supermarket and the second to a Canadian chain such as Loblaws or No Frills. I would scour the sales and deals before deciding on one local store from each to visit. I would also open all my cupboards, pantry, fridge and freezer to see what needs stocking up, and what needs to be used before expiry so I could plan for complementary recipe items to purchase. It's good to check on seasoning and spices too because often than not when I assumed I had something as simple and always available such as canola oil or ground white pepper, they were actually close to depletion. A good tip is to have a magnetic writing board on your fridge or a running list you can easily access to jot those ingredients down right when you discover things are getting low. I would generally get a sense of what I want to make for two or three nights then let the rest of the week's meals pick up from each other be it leftovers or extra ingredients such as fresh herbs or Chinese greens that are more delicate and should be used in the next few nights.

I often get inspired during my visits, so menu ideas are created along the way. If you know the general lay-out of your store, you can create your list in the order of your browsing to make shopping faster. Otherwise, this is a great template to quickly see what your week's menu looks like so far and to organize your items by categories so you don't forget something that's way back at the other end of the store. In an Asian supermarket, Bread/Cereal becomes Bread/Noodles and Misc. becomes Misc./Dried Goods.


On Monday mornings after dropping off the older kids to school and my husband to work, my youngest and I would head over to the Asian grocers to do most of the "heavy-lifting" on the list since you save so much more money that way- especially on produce, meats and seafood, but more importantly you tend to make healthier choices and cook from scratch since there's a lot less processed foods. If a particular meat is on sale I buy more than I need for the meal and portion the rest out to freeze. Typically, mid-week is when I visit a Canadian store and pick up everything else on my list that either cannot be found at the former or it's cheaper or they are non-Asian condiments. I also like to leave all my canned goods such as tomatoes, tuna and soup for the latter because you get a much wider brand and flavour selection.

Weekend meals are more flexible due to my kids activities, or we go to my parents or eat out. But planning ahead doesn't hurt in case you are cooking and for whatever reason just can't get to the store, you'll have things in-house to come up with something meal-worthy.

And most importantly, never go grocery shopping hungry... you'll end up spending more than you bargained for....



Friday, March 28, 2014

Creative Leftovers.... Salmon Patties


How wonderful it is to even have leftovers from a dish of salmon trimmings from yesterday. It so happened to be a nice portion of pure salmon meat, a lucky find in the package, and that is what I've used tonight to make a crispy flavourful batch of salmon patties, doubled up on protein with the addition of tofu.

1) Pick through the salmon piece to make sure there are no bones. Slice up one green onion.


2) Mash the salmon with a fork in a bowl until flaky (about 1/3 cup).


3) Crumble 1/2- 420g package of medium firm tofu into bowl. Season with salt, white ground pepper, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard and 1/2 tsp. of fish sauce. Beat in half one egg and add the green onion. Mix until well-blended with fork. 


4) Add 3/4 cup of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) and mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes to set and firm up.


5) Set up a breading station with three plates in the order of 2 Tbsp. cornstarch, egg wash (use remainder of egg from filling mixed with 1 Tbsp. water) and 1 cup panko. Form 2-inch diameter patties with your palms.  While you bread in the order of above, to keep your hands from getting messy from touching wet and the dry ingredients, use one hand only for dredging patties in the egg and the other for dipping into cornstarch and panko. Place the breaded patties onto a plate. Yields about 10. 

  

6) Heat 2 Tbsp. oil on medium heat in a fry pan or skillet and cook patties until golden brown and crispy on both sides for five minutes each.


Serve with Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise for dipping. Regular mayonnaise is fine, but Japanese mayonnaise has an elevated taste that can be described as satisfyingly rich umami with a sweetness to it. It complements the crispy coating and light fish flavour of the patties.  



The tofu was perfect in extending the texture and flavour of the small amount of salmon in it. Crispy, succulent and delectable, these pan-fried patties were an instant hit with the family!


Oh and that remaining half of medium-firm tofu... I sliced it up, pan-fried both sides and served it Korean-style with one minced garlic and green onion mixed in soy sauce, a little brown sugar and Korean red pepper flakes, garnished with toasted sesame seeds. Actually, this was the dish that was wiped clean by the twins.  



Thursday, March 27, 2014

Salmon Trimmings with Garlic... and Get Your Kids to Eat it too....


Want to get a quick and easy dish on the table in a flash, that's cheap, delicious and healthy too? I find this is my most favourite way to get the kids to eat fish.

Pick up a package of salmon trimmings at your local Asian supermarket. Browse the seafood and fish area, and you will find them stored alongside containers of fresh oysters and other prepared fish cuts. If you're lucky, you can sometimes find generous hunks of meat still attached to the bones and lots of skin that pan-fries up crispy and delectable! Always look for the packed on date and make sure you have the most freshest package of the bunch. Salmon should be bright and even in colour; avoid if the skin also looks grey and discoloured.

From the health perspective, the skin provides collagen, protein and omega-3 fatty acids which the layer of fat just underneath the skin also has the nutritional benefits of the latter.


Lay the pieces of salmon on a plate; lightly season both sides with a little kosher/sea salt and ground white pepper.

 

Heat pan on medium high and place salmon in a large non-stick pan or skillet. Pan fry both sides for four minutes each or until crispy golden. For odd shaped pieces, make sure the skin side gets fried until it crisps-up. Sprinkle two coarsely chopped garlic on top; turn over and cook for two minutes more until garlic-fragrant. 


Lastly, sprinkle one chopped green onion over top, let sizzle for one more minute, then remove onto paper towel-lined plate to remove the excess oil. Your pan will be coated with a thin layer of salmon oil. Best to wipe up with a paper towel or two, and discard it into your organic bin.


Fish trimmings prepared this way can be appetizing for young children for its crispy texture and aromatic flavour. Trimmings are cheap and the meaty parts next to the bone and skin tend to be more tender.

Make sure the salmon gets picked through for its bones before serving to the children. I usually give them the meatier parts after thorough inspection and my husband and I savour on the bony and fatty pieces. And of course we all share what crispy skin is offered- the kids love their crispy slightly salty garlicky crunch!





Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Instant Ramen Noodles... with a Vietnamese Twist...


Ramen noodle has been a craze over the last two years in Toronto with Japanese noodle joints popping up everywhere. The four primary soup bases are shoyu (soy sauce), shio (sea salt), miso and tonkotsu (pork bone). My favourite is tonkotsu and shoyu and some restaurants actually combine the two flavours in one bowl making it even more delightful. This is a whole other topic for a separate post which I will surely cover, but today I want to share with you some inspiration to customizing instant noodles cooked at home. It's not just adding a few interesting ingredients, but looking at instant noodle from a totally different lens and making a cheap quick staple a culinary taste adventure.

My bowl of noodle soup is inspired by a simple yet intricate dish called
Cơm Hến in Vietnam. This dish combines a variety of flavours from cooked clams, tart green apple, fresh herbs such as mint and Vietnamese cilantro, banana flower, fried pork fat or rind, fried shallots, and roasted peanuts.  Shredded napa cabbage was added for a bit of vegetables. Traditionally served over rice,  Nong Shim's brand of Korean noodles provide the perfect twist on the base with its’ chewy thick noodles to hold all the hearty toppings. The seasoning package lends its’ gourmet salty and spicy flavourings to match well with the finishing drizzle of fermented shrimp sauce. The result culminates a distinctive taste of saltiness, sweet, sour and spiciness with a whole lot of crunch and textures for a unique gourmet Ramen taste experience with a nod to the Southeast!


Recipe for One

Total Time: 20 minutes
1 tsp. canola oil
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ can (184 g) chopped clams in juice, drained and juice reserved
1 Nong Shim Shin Ramyun noodles seasoning package, a pinch
1 leaf napa cabbage, shredded
½ Granny Smith apple, cut into matchsticks
2 to 3 sprigs each mint and cilantro with leaves removed
¼ cup prepared banana blossom, store-bought in produce section
5 pieces of fried pork rind, broken into small pieces, store-bought
½ Tbsp. fried shallots, store-bought
2 Tbsp. of roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 package Nong Shim Shin Ramyun noodles and its’ dried vegetable pouch
Red chili slices and lime wedges


Sauce:
½ Tbsp. fermented shrimp sauce
1 tsp. Korean hot pepper paste
1 Tbsp. reserved clam juice
Banana blossom is a banana flower with purplish husks that needs to be stripped away to reveal its tender white leaves inside which is typically sliced into strips and used in Southeast Asian dishes such as soups and salads.

Prepared strips can be found in Asian supermarkets. Soak them in water with some lemon juice to prevent browning. 

1)  Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté shallot and garlic until golden about 1 min. Add clams and cook another two minutes. Sprinkle with seasoning, stir and remove from heat.
2)  Prepare all the ingredients up to the peanuts and set aside.
3)  Mix shrimp sauce, hot pepper paste and clam juice until well blended. Set aside.
4)  Cook noodles with the dried vegetables in 2-1/4 cups of water for four to five minutes until done. Drain.
5)  Pour 1-1/4 cups boiling water in a single serving bowl. Add 1/2 package of seasoning package and mix well. Add the noodles. Next, top with the ingredients in the order of the recipe.
6)  Drizzle with shrimp sauce mixture. Mix and serve with chilies and a squirt of fresh lime juice.

Next time you reach for the instant noodle pack, think how your leftovers or other ingredients in your fridge such as salad greens, cabbage or fresh Asian herbs and condiments can turn your dinner into a new noodle taste sensation!




Monday, March 24, 2014

Comfort Food... Korean Rice Porridge with Clams


My oldest son was diagnosed with tonsillitis today. His throat began bothering him over the weekend when he swallowed and upon peering in, we knew something was not right. In Asian culture, rice porridge or congee is the best meal remedy when you're sick. I've been craving the Korean-style clam congee for a while and it was surely the perfect occasion to make it. The classic way is to include Korean chives, but I'm leaving that out tonight.

Makes 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Rice Porridge with Clams

1-1/2 cups uncooked short-grain rice
8-10 dried anchovies (in frozen fish section of an Asian supermarket)
3 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 cup clam meat, fresh, frozen or canned, coarsely chopped
2 eggs, slightly beaten
toasted sesame seeds for garnish

1) Soak rice in a bowl of hot water for 30 minutes; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, remove and discard the head and gut portion of the anchovies and rinse their bodies to remove excess skin and debris. Place them into a pot of boiling water about 8 cups. Add 1 tsp. salt and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.



2) Heat the sesame oil over medium-high heat in a large pot until hot. Add the rice and continue to stir with a wooden spoon for 10 minutes to toast the kernels.


3) Remove the cooked fish, and skim the broth surface. Pour it into the rice pot. Give it a stir; bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often until the rice becomes very tender.



4) Add in the clams and simmer for 10 minutes while stirring constantly.



 5) Drizzle the egg onto the porridge, while stirring to blend in and cook. Cover for 5 minutes to let everything meld.

6) Serve with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Add a little sesame oil on top if you wish. 

My son ate most of his bowl; he said the rice was soft and it was easy on his throat. I made extras for lunch tomorrow since he'll be home. I hope my big guy gets well soon!




Sunday, March 23, 2014

Lost in Life?


Society assumes those who wander are wasting their time and life away. I believe incredible opportunities can be discovered along those aimless paths, and can lead to greater things. Things we never thought we could be capable of but feels so natural once we put some effort into it. I've been a culinary professional and jumped on that ship from my background in housing and real estate fifteen years ago. It's been a heck of a ride and I loved every minute of it! Leaving my corporate job after being a mom was the best decision but it leaves me wondering what I will do in the next fifteen now that the kids are a little older. I too have been wandering while treading close to culinary waters and I've been discovering a new stream here and a new stream there. Exploring them more deeply has allowed me to see a whole sea of opportunities to dip my toes and hopefully to nose dive into when everything is right.  

As J.R.R. Tolkien puts it, "Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost?" You are capable of great things at any stage of your life and inspiring others to dream...

Thanks to my friend Bobby Umar, a world-class transformational speaker for posting this on linkedin and inspiring me to share this with others:

Saturday, March 22, 2014

10 Ingredients to Always Have On Hand.... Aside from Rice


Thinking back on how I survived the past week by rummaging and raiding my way through the freezer and cupboards to get dinner on the table, I came up with a list of ingredients I always have on hand to save you a trip to the grocery store whether it be on a rainy day, a snow day, a lazy day, and to still come up with a reasonable meal. It was a straight seven nights for us and I couldn't have done it without these stocked must-haves.

1)  Garlic and onions. These dual essentials are regularly used to start your cooking. Nothing beats the incredible aroma created when these two are dancing in oil in your pan. They add a ton of flavour and have a host of health benefits.

2)  Pasta and dried Asian noodles. Buy different pasta shapes and sizes that will accommodate a variety of recipes. Dried Asian noodles range from thin or thick vermicelli, flat rice noodles, egg noodles and chow mein to Korean noodles made from sweet potato to Japanese buckwheat and somen .

3) Canned tomato sauce. Whether it be whole, diced or crushed, it often serves as the base for a myriad of dishes and can be easily thrown in to make a simple sauce.

4)  Frozen vegetables. With such a wide range on the market, from single vegetables to blends, these are picked at their freshest and conveniently packaged in plastic bags that are easy to store even in the most crowded of freezers.

5) Frozen ground meats. There's so much you can do with ground meat, and they are cheap and accessible. Buy it in bulk and portion it out in freezer bags with meat type and date labelled, so you can track what to use first.

6) Frozen meat bones. Super cheap to purchase, especially at Asian stores where they abound, keep a few bags of these for making broth for soups. Bag enough pork neck bones and a chicken carcass or bones for one pot of soup and freeze them together. I like to look for fresh hunky meat bones so you can take off the meat and eat it too.

7) Frozen dumplings. The brands and variety are plentiful in Asian supermarkets. When I make a fresh batch I always make sure I have leftovers to freeze. You simply pan-fry, steam or boil them which makes dinner a snap.

8) Lemons. Store lemons in a plastic bag in the crisper in your fridge set on low humidity. They will last longer (about a month) and that means you can count on them up to their last drop. It's juice, rind and zest offer a myriad of uses in cooking for its fresh citrus notes whether during cooking or splashing at the end.

9) Dehydrated shiitake mushrooms. These come in a plastic package and can be stored in the cupboard for a long time. When I need a few for Asian soup and dishes, I hydrate them in water for several hours. They smell delicious and imparts the most wonderful flavour! Use these in braised dishes, soups and stir-fry noodles.

10) Eggs. When in doubt, there's always eggs! Delicious, high in protein and versatile, you don't need a recipe to make them. Simple scrambled eggs or a plain omelet is worthy of a quick dinner.


Thursday, March 20, 2014

The Unassuming Stir-Fried Cabbage...


How could something so simple taste so good?

This is the case for cabbage stir-fried with Szechuan chilies and Szechuan peppercorns. I had first tried this dish with a wonderful friend of mine Eve at a Northern Chinese restaurant in Scarborough. She's been introducing me to a host of Northern-style Chinese dishes, and I am forever grateful because I would have overlooked so many incredible restaurant and menu options. It was this one particular dish upon taking that first bite, had me hooked and almost finishing the large portion by myself. I would have never ordered what seemed to be such a typical and boring dish. It was served in a small hot wok over a burner at the table. And as it continued to heat and sizzle, the aromatics and flavour became more intense and insanely delicious! As I was devouring and savouring, I was trying to break the flavouring down- Szechuan chilies and peppercorns for the tongue-numbing spicy sensation and lemony overtones, sliced garlic for the aromatics and sweetness, all doused and sizzling in a mouth-watering oil-slicked brown sauce of some sort.  It took me a couple more times ordering it on other occasions as it became Eve and Susan's it spot that I came to decipher the components of the sauce. The magic aside from the spices was black vinegar! It dawned on me when I realized just how much black vinegar was used in Szechuan dishes for its savoury, tart but sweet flavour. I just knew I had to experiment at home, and now it shows up regularly as a quick-to-make vegetable dish in my Chinese dinners. I tone down the chilies to make it palatable for my older boys.

Here is the version I cook at home:

Spicy Stir-Fried Cabbage with Dried Shrimp

1 Tbsp. peanut oil (I prefer using peanut in Chinese cooking for it's nutty taste)
2 Szechuan chilies
1 tsp. Szechuan peppercorns
2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped garlic
1/2 -1 lb. Taiwanese cabbage, cut into 2-inch thick strips (I like this type for it's sweet, tender leaves)
2 Tbsp. dried shrimps, soaked in 1/4 cup water for 1 hour
2 Tbsp. Chinese cooking wine
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. Chinkiang black vinegar
1 tsp. soy sauce
 

Szechuan chilies are also known as Facing Heaven Pepper because the fruit grows upwards instead of down. Szechuan peppercorns are also known as prickly ash. Despite it's name, it not related to either the black pepper or chili pepper. 

 

1) Heat a large wok or pan over high heat until it is very hot. Add the oil, then chilies and peppercorns. Stir until slightly smoking, and add the garlic to cook for 30 seconds. Then add the cabbage and stir-fry for two minutes.  


2) Add the dried shrimp and 2 Tbsp. of its water and cook for five minutes.


3) Next, add the cooking wine and sugar, stir in the black vinegar and soy sauce. Continue to cook for eight to ten minutes or until the cabbage is tender. Serve immediately.



Cabbage has been known for ages as cheap, food for the poor. Despite its humble roots, they are high in vitamin C and dietary fibre. Taking something seemingly boring and making it exciting so simply, is just magical. I take my hat off to you cabbage for showing me that ordinary can be truly extraordinary!