My Chashu sauce

I decided to make chashu bao (aka pork buns) this week. I looked at several different recipes for the sauce and decided to make my own.

4 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
2 Tbsp Mijui rice wine
4 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp Red Miso paste
2 Tbsp Osyter sauce
2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
1 Tsp gochugaru korean chili flakes
1/2 Tsp five spice
1 Tbsp Mirin vinegar
2 Tbsp natural honey
1 Tbsp rock sugar - enough to fit on a Tbsp without falling off
1/4" Galangacut into slices
1/4" ginger cut into slices
3 cloves garlic

Put everything in a pot and bring it to a light boil. Stir until rock sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat and let it steep for an hour. Put it on pork or chicken.

Pie crust for pot pie

Here's my easy recipe for pot pie crust

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 salt
1 stick butter
4 tbsp cold water

Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter and mix with the flour until it looks like bread crumbs. Add 1 tbsp of cold water at a time and mix until it forms a dough ball. Refrigerate for 3-5 hours.

Lamb Miso Cabbage Stew

This morning I took out some meat from the freezer thinking it was boneless pork rib, but it was actually boneless leg of lamb. I decided to make a miso flavored stew and it turned out way better than I expected.

1-2 lbs of leg of lamb cut thin
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 inch of ginger minced
4 large potatoes cubed
half a cabbage chop 2x2 inch pieces
3 carrots cubed
1/4 cup shaoxing rice wine
2 tb mirin vinegar
2 boxes of chicken broth or stock
1/2 cup red miso
salt to taste 1-2 tsp

I used about 2 lbs of boneless leg of lamb and sliced it thin. It's best if the lamb is slightly frozen and firm, makes it easier to cut. Heat oil in a pan for 30 seconds, add the garlic, ginger and add lamb when the garlic is slightly brown. Fry the lamb for about 1 min or until the lamb is lightly browned. Since it's thin it won't take long. Add the carrots, 1/4 cup shaoxing rice wine and mirin. Let it cook for 30 seconds, then add the chicken stock and bring it to a boil.

When the soup is boiling, add the potatoes and cabbage and bring it back up to a boil. In s separate boil mix the miso with a little bit of water to make it thinner. Add the miso to the soup and boil for 2 minutes and then turn it down to a simmer for 45min.

Another kimchi

I've been experimenting with quick kimchi for quick dinner side dishes and snacks for the day. This one I especially like and it tastes great. Cut about 2 cups of fresh veggies of your choice. I usually do 2 cups of diced cucumbers, 1 large carrot and 1 bell pepper. Dice the veggies so they are all about the same size.

Combine 1 tablespoon of salt with the dice veggies, mix and let it rest for 60-90 minutes. Rinse it three times. Gently squeeze out any excess water.

Sauce
3 tbsp fish sauch - Nuoc Mom
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp whisky - I used Canadian whisky, but any good drinking whisky will work
1 tbsp honey
3-5 tbsp gochugaru korean chili powder

Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl and combine with the veggies. You can eat it right away or let it sit on the counter over night to ferment a little. If you prefer the fresh flavor, put it in the fridge instead of letting it sit on the counter over night.

1 batch usually lasts me 1-1.5 days. I've been eating it for snacks instead of bread or other carbs.

Easy cucumber kimchi

I've been thinking about how to make some delicious veggies for my daughter's lunch and decided to play around with kimchi. Tonight I came up with the recipe that turned out nice.

1 cup chopped cucumber
1 tbsp Gochujang
1 tbsp Nouc Mom fish sauce
1 tsp mirin
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp honey
1 tsp salt

Start by washing and cutting the cucumber into bite size pieces. I like quarter circles about 1/2" thick. Sprinkle 1 tsp of salt on the cucumber and mix it thoroughly. Set it aside for 30 minutes. In the mean time combine gochujang, fish sauce, mirin, soy sauce and honey in a bowl and stir until well mixed. If you want it more spicy, add gochugaru chili pepper.

When 30min is up, rise the cucumber twice with cool water and shake off excess water. Mix the sauce with the cucumbers and it's ready to serve. It goes nicely with rice, noodles or just as a nice snack.

I'm going to try this recipe with zuchinni and daikon to see how that tastes!

Umami Scones - Parmesan Cheddar scones take 2

I loved the scones I made last time, but thought it could use a little tweak. My wife said it could use less salt. Last time I only had pre-shredded Sargento cheddar. It's not bad, but aged cheddar has a better flavor. I also felt it didn't need as much sugar, so I reduced it to 1 tbsp from 2.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup grated dry parmesan - use good stuff, not the pre-grated powder
1/2 cup aged cheddar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk or lactaid
8 tbsp cold butter

Preheat oven at 425F

Start by combining flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Cut the cold butter into slices and combine with the flour. Mix it until it looks like bread crumbs, don't over work it. Add the milk and form a dough. Knead it for 1 min and then divide into 12-15 pieces. I like smaller scones, so I divided them into 4"x4" squares. If you like big scones, divide them into 10-12 pieces.

Bake for 14 min. Take it out and let it cool for 10min.

How does it compare to the first time? The aged cheddar is definitely richer with a deeper umami flavor.

Parmesan cheddar scones smell like Doritos

Since the cheddar scones worked out so well last time, I decided to experiment a bit. I looked at the ingredients for Doritos to see what kind of cheese they use and saw parmesan, cheddar and romano. In the list near the top was MSG.

I thought to myself, what if I added some dry aged parmesan to the scones, would it taste like Doritos? Now I know the answer, YES it smells like Doritos. Here is my recipe

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup grated dry parmesan - use good stuff, not the pre-grated powder
1/2 cup cheddar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk or lactaid
8 tbsp cold butter

Preheat oven at 425F

Start by combining flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Cut the cold butter into slices and combine with the flour. Mix it until it looks like bread crumbs, don't over work it. Add the milk and form a dough. Knead it for 1 min and then divide into 12-15 pieces. I like smaller scones, so I divided them into 4"x4" squares. If you like big scones, divide them into 10-12 pieces.

Bake for 14 min. Take it out and let it cool for 10min. It also tastes like Doritos