Making Kimchi is like Making Beer...

...there are no shortcuts.

I found this stellar recipe for Traditional Napa Cabbage Kimchi in the December 2011 issue of Food and Wine. This recipe is adapted from the hostess of Kimchi Chronicles, Marja Vongerichten. I'll have to check out that TV series. I was on the interview trail and finally gave in and bought a magazine.  It was full of great articles and recipes; and I held onto it as I trekked around the Midwest.  I even created a "bucket list" of some sorts just from the one issue alone.  So far I've attempted the kimchi. I'd like to try making the Sweet and Sour Pork Shoulder.

Back to the Kimchi. I tried making Cucumber Kimchi about a year ago but found no direction on how to perfect it.  The cucumber soggified by the time it tasted right.  I tried this recipe for the more common cabagge kimchi, and it came out almost perfect. I felt I could work with it.

Attempt #1 (as pictured in previous post):

• Came out almost perfect.  I followed the recipe almost exactly....
• My only variation that day (as I was juggling another new recipe for dinner that night) was I let the kimchi soak in the salt a lot longer than the suggested 45 minutes x 2. And I just rinsed it in the bowls they soaked in.
• Result: Perfect bite. Not spicy enough!

Attempt #2 (My Christmas Kimchi):

• ~doubled the amount of Korean red pepper powder to 1 1/4 cups.
• Had all my ingredients in the fridge for a few days before I made it. (In retrospect, the cabbage was a little soggy to begin with.)
• Used warm water to rinse the salt from my cabbage.
• Salt soak exactly 45 minutes x 2.
• Result: No bite.  Adequately spicy. A bit too sweet. Dry.

Attempt #3 (Practice makes perfect?!):

• Used fresh ingredients.
• Stuck with the 1 1/4 cups of Korean red pepper powder.
• Used cold water only. Rinsed about 3 times in the bowl they soaked in.
• Salt soak 1 hour x 2.
• Result: ... will update in 2 days! I hope this one is it! 

Attempt #4 (This is it!):

• Used fresh ingredients.
• 1 1/4 cups of Korean red pepper powder.
• Used cold water only. Rinsed about 3 times in the bowl they soaked in.
• Salt soak 45 min x 2.
• Result: Perfect bite and heat!
• The key was buying quality Korean red pepper powder (Gochugaru).  Look for the kind that is Made in Korea!

INGREDIENTS:

6 1/2 lbs napa cabbage: halved, cored and cut into 2 inch pieces

2/3 cup of kosher salt

10 garlic cloves, halved

1/2 small onion, chopped

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup + 3 tbsp of fish sauce

1/2 lb of daikon, peeled and cut into matchsticks

2 bunches of scallions, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 1/4 cup gochugaru (Korean coarse red pepper powder)

DIRECTIONS:

1) In two large bowls (or a massively large bowl), create layers of the cabbage and salt. Let stand for 45 minutes.  Toss cabbage well and let stand for another 45 minutes. The salt will draw out the water from the cabbage and you should be left with cabbage that looks like about half the amount you started with.

2) Rinse salt from cabbage under cold water, about 3 times. Drain the cabbage in a colander and transfer back into the bowl you used or a larger bowl (if you have one).

3) In a mini food processor (I used my magic bullet), puree the garlic, onion, ginger, and sugar.

4) Add the fish sauce and pulse a few times.

5) Add the daikon and green onion to your cabbage.

6) Mix the puree and red pepper powder into the cabbage mixture. (It gets messy! Use gloves)

7) Lightly pack the kimchi into three 1-quart jars (found mine at walmart).

8) Press plastic wrap to the surface of the kimchi and put the caps on loosely.

9) Let stand at room temperature for 3 days. Kimchi should have a good bite and smell of wonderful garlic.

10) Store in refrigerator tightly sealed (or everything in your fridge will be kimchi-efied)

Almost Kimchi!

My first attempt at making the classic napa cabbage kimchi.  I've tried the cucumber kimichi; that turned out ok but not perfect. It lost it's bite/crunchiness.
Was inspired by the recent Food and Wine that I picked up at the airport. We'll see if this recipe works and I'll post it if...when I succeed!

Omaha Steak Night!

No matter what the temperature is outside (22 F tonight in Salt Lake), the only way to cook a steak is to grill it!

Steak is such a simple and quick dinner.  Since it is so quick, you should start your sides first. I balance out the meal with healthy sides (and of course a glass of cabernet sauvignon):

Roasted Red Potatoes and Onion:

3 red potatoes thinly sliced (about 1/4" thick)

1 small yellow onion sliced (1/4" as well)

1 tbsp of olive oil

Pinch of salt, pepper, and rosemary

1) Preheat oven to 350 F

2) Toss the potatoes in the olive oil and spice mixture until well coated.

3) Toss the onions in the mixture separately

4) Roast the potatoes for 15 minutes on both sides

5) Throw the onions in for the last 15 minutes

Garlic Corn and Spinach:

Adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe; but I substitute the cream for milk and use either canned/frozen veggies.

2 tbsp of butter

1 can of corn (or fresh corn)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Pinch of salt, pepper, and a very small pinch of nutmeg

1/4 c of milk (or cream)

1 package of spinach (frozen or fresh)

1) In a medium heat pan, melt the 2 tbsp of butter

2) Add the drained can of corn and cook for about 5 minutes

3) Add the garlic and other spices and cook for about 3 minutes

4) Add the milk and cook on low-medium heat for about 10 minutes (until most of the liquid has evaporated away)

5) Add your spinach and cook for the last few minutes. (note: if using frozen spinach, try to thaw it first and remove as much liquid as you can)

Once your sides are done, you can go out and grill your steaks! (Beware of Alaskan Malamute...she may try to take 'em off the grill!)

Grill your steaks on low-medium heat for about 3-5 min each on each side. (Depends how your like your steaks)



An Early Thanksgiving Dinner

The holidays are AWESOME... it means time with family and great food!  Even though my parent's did not grow up in the US. They still held to the tradition of gathering as a family (and family friends...who we just call family anyways) and had a big feast.  I remember one Thanksgiving when it was at my house; my cousin, Suda (who loves to bake and makes amazing desserts), asked my dad if we had any butter. We had to go to the grocery store, and he told me to go grab some butter and some cups.  We get home and I hand the cups and the butter to Suda.  She says..."what are the cups for? I just asked for a cup of butter." Anyways, we laugh about that night to this day.

Back to the food blog... It is the Sunday before Thanksgiving... why in the world is this girl making a turkey dinner?  The answer is simple: I love to cook. And, with our nifty little convection oven, I can cook at 12 lb turkey in a little over 2 hours.  Turkey dinners are also in the rotation and we've nailed it down to just 3-4 hours to throw together a thanksgiving dinner (as long as the turkey is thawed). 

The must have sides that we have with our turkey these days are:

Homemade Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Cornbread Stuffing

Corn

Homemade Chunky Cranberry Sauce

Homemade Turkey Gravy

Someday, I will venture into other sides; but these work well so far.  We might have to add our garlic spinach and corn that we've made before.

And, maybe someday I'll do a less traditional turkey like my mom's curry turkey or my brother's Peking turkey.

***The key to a tender and moist turkey is the rub, the butter, and cooking it breast side down until the last 30 minutes.***

The "Stuffing" and the Rub:

1 tbsp kosher salt

1/2 tbsp of fresh ground pepper

1/2 tbsp of thyme

3/4 stick of butter (sliced into 1/8" pieces)

1 carrot, cut into 1" pieces

1 celery stalk, cut into 1" pieces

1 small onion ,quartered

2 bay leaves

3 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp of olive oil



1) In small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, and thyme.

2) In another bowl, combine the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves, a big pinch of your spices above and olive oil.

Prepping and Cooking the Turkey:

Preheat your convection oven to 325 F or regular oven to 350 F

1) Take the neck out of the abdominal cavity and the bag of giblets out of the neck pouch of your 10-12 lb turkey.

2) Rinse the turkey well (You can thaw it in cold water for about 3 hrs or thaw in the fridge for a few days)

3) Drain any excess water from your turkey and pat dry the outside and inside the abdominal cavity.

4) Place your turkey on your roasting pan with the breast side up.

5) Gently run your fingers/hand to separate the skin from the breast meat. This will be a great reservoir for your rub and pats of butter.

6) Take a big pinch of your salt, pepper, and thyme (let's just call it SPT) and rub it directly on the meat (under the skin) on both sides.

7) Place the pats of butter under the skin all along the breast meat.

8) Rub another big pinch of your SPT on the outside of the bird.

9) Insert the carrots, celery, onions, and bay leaves inside the abdominal cavity.

10) Close the opening with a bamboo skewer

11) Flip the bird over and used the rest of the rub on the backside.

12) Place the turkey into your oven and set for 1 1/2 hrs.

13) After 1 1/2 hrs flip the turkey so it is now breast side up, cook the turkey for another 30-45 minutes. Basting optional.

14) Remove the turkey from the roasting pan onto your serving plate.

15) Pour your drippings into a bowl.

16) Place your roasting pan on medium heat and pour a few tablespoons of the drippings in the pan.

17) Add 2 tablespoons of flour and constantly stir until full incorporated.

18) Stir in a cup of chicken stock.

19) Pour gravy through a strainer into a bowl.





I Love Paella

I love to eat paella! I remember the first time I made paella; my friends and I were waiting forever for it to finish.  I made a few rookie mistakes (added my stock all at once...and used a stock pot) and have learned that the pan you use can make all the difference! 

My recipe is adapted from one of Emeril's paella recipes.  I've pretty much cut the recipe in half because it would always make too much.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces

about 4 chicken wings

pinch of salt and pepper

3 tbsp of olive oil

1 c chopped onions

1/2 c chopped red bell pepper

1/2 c chopped celery

4 tbsp of minced garlic

1/2 lb of chorizo (vegetarian works just fine)

1 1/2 c of rice, uncooked (arborio is traditional...but I just use what I have: jasmine)

1 can of diced tomatoes, drained

4 bay leaves

1 tbsp of Emeril's Essence (I just make a batch of essence and keep it in my spice cabinet)

a pinch of saffron threads (very expensive spice...but makes a big difference)

2-3 cups of chicken stock
1/4 cup of peas (optional)

mussels and shrimp (if you want some seafood in it)

lemon wedges for garnish

Directions:

1) Add olive oil to a large saute pan or skillet on medium heat.

2) Salt and pepper the chicken.

3) Brown on all sides for about 4 minutes.

4) Remove the chicken pieces and put it to the side.

5) In the same pan with the remaining olive oil, add the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; and saute for about 2 minutes.

6) Make a well in the middle of the veggies and saute the chorizo.

7) Mix well and add the uncooked rice and stir until rice is well coated.

8) Stir in the tomatoes, chicken, bay leaves, essence, and saffron and simmer for about a minute.

9) Add about 1 cup of the stock and bring to a boil.

10) Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes.

11) Add an additional cup of stock, cover, and simmer again for about 5-10 minutes. (You can add the peas here if you choose to go with the green peas)

12) If the rice still isn't cooked, slowly add more stock 1/4 cup at a time. And continue simmering. (It usually only takes 2 cups for me)

13) Add the shrimp and mussels and cook for 3-5 minutes.

14) Garnish with lemon wedges and enjoy!

Steamed Red Snapper in a Red Curry Mousse

Better known in Thai as "Hor Mok".  It was one of my dad's favorites.  I remember having it at my Uncle Ken's house a few times growing up.  I don't think my parents ever made it in our house.  And, I can see why after making it myself.  When it comes to custard like preparations, it always takes a few attempts before it turns out right.  I remember a few Christmas' ago I made a Thai pumpkin custard and I literally went through 5 pumpkins before I got it right.  Too bad I didn't have this blog back then because my sister in law would really like to know how I did it.

Anyways back to Hor Mok.  It is red snapper/rockfish in red curry sauce that is steamed in individual banana leaf bowls and served with jasmine rice.

The ingredients can all be found at an asian market (Southeast Market here in SLC has had everything I've needed so far).

From upper left ->clockwise: Fish sauce; 3 cans of coconut milk (I had 3 different brands on my shelf); banana leaves; red curry paste; rice flour; 3 eggs; kaffir lime leaves, red jalapenos, Thai basil, palm sugar; and red snapper.

 I'll present the recipe in my usual chunks of steps. Veggie prep/Sauce/Protein Prep/Cooking (in this case: Steaming).

Vegetables:

about 1/2 c of Thai Basil (separate the leaves and leave whole)

Red or Green Jalapenos (wash and rinse seeds out; thinly slice)

Kaffir Lime Leaves (thinly slice) 

 

Sauce:

3 cans of Coconut Milk

(use the cream portion (will need 4 cups) of the coconut milk; see photo below)

5 tablespoons of red curry paste

Fish sauce

Palm Sugar

1) Take the separated and almost solid cream off the top of the can of coconut milk and use that to start your sauce. I found it easier after refrigerating my cans of coconut milk. Try to get about 4 cups and save the coconut juice for later.

2) Take 2/3 c of that cream and add to a medium saucepan on medium heat and continue cooking until cream is melted down to a liquid.

3) Add 5 tbsp of red curry paste and cook until paste is well incorporated into coconut cream.

4) Add the remaining cream.

5) Add about 1-2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 4 tsp of palm sugar (you can melt a chunk of palm sugar in the microwave to make it easier to use, and simmer until mixture is well blended.

6) Set aside to cool.

  Protein:

1 lb of Red Snapper/Rock Fish or Salmon (cut into bite size pieces)

Banana Leaf Bowls:

Banana Leaves

6" bowl

Toothpicks or a stapler

1) Take a 6" diameter bowl and cut out about 20 circles. (or just buy the banana leaves that are already cut into circles)

2) Each banana bowl will consists of 2 circles stacked onto each other. Orient them so the flat sides face each other and the leaf ribs are perpendicular to each other.

3) Fold the edges to form a corner and secure with either a toothpick or a staple. Repeat it in a square pattern.

I used a food safe stapler (j/k there isn't such a thing...but I didn't have toothpicks so I had to improvise)

Mix it all together!

Fish

Sauce

Thai Basil

Sliced kaffir lime leaves

4 egg yolks beaten

1.) Fold your fish, lime leaves, basil, and egg yolks into your sauce.

2) Fill each banana leaf bowl with plenty of fish and red curry sauce.

3) Top each bowl with coconut juice/rice flour mixture (will detail in next step); Thai basil; red jalapenos; and kaffir lime leaves.

4) Take that remaining coconut juice about 2/3 cups and add a tablespoon of rice flour and cook until thick on low/medium heat. let cool before using.

5) Steam the bowls for about 15 minutes. Serve with jasmine rice and enjoy! (Also surprisingly heats up well for leftovers)

Pad Thai

Pad Thai....

I probably started helping out in the kitchen as 2nd or 3rd grader.  I'm sure my parents know when I started cooking on my own...because the kitchen was always a mess after I was through. I remember making oatmeal cookies one time and there was flour and cookie dough everywhere!  I think the recipe made about 4 dozen cookies...of which only a few were eaten...what Thai family eats oatmeal cookies?! Apparently, I was the only family member that did. 

Anyways, I digress.  The point is you would think I grew up making Pad Thai...the most basic Thai dish that is a staple of any Thai restaurant in America.  Quite frankly, I think the only time my mom made Pad Thai was for Heritage Day at school.  Growing up, the only time I really ate Pad Thai was at restaurants. 

 

However, recently, Pad Thai has been fully (re)introduced to my pallete thanks to my brother.  The past 3 summers I've enjoyed my brother's Pad Thai that he makes at his farmer's market booth. The complex flavors of tamarind (tangy), fish sauce (salty), lime, and sugar of the pad Thai sauce are soaked up by the rice noodles.

Even though my brother inspired my Pad Thai cravings, the recipe I follow isn't his recipe.  Mostly because I enjoy tasting the subtle differences in our styles of Pad Thai.  

The 3 main components to Pad Thai is the Sauce, the Proteins, the StirFry.

Many of these ingredients can be found at the local asian market (I go to Southeast Market here in SLC)

The very 1st step is to soak the Rice Stick Noodles (5 mm wide noodles) in a large bowl of water.

The Sauce:

1/4 c of Tamarind Sauce

1/4 c of warm water

2-3 tbsp of white sugar (or palm sugar if you want to be really authentic)

2 tbsp of fresh lime juice (about 3/4 of a lime)

2 tbsp of fish sauce

pinch of salt

1) Combine all the ingredients above and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.

2) Adjust to taste (I like it sweeter and add about a tsp more of sugar)

The Proteins:

1 Chicken Breast, thinly sliced

"Savory" Baked Tofu (its firm tofu soaked in five-spice), 1/8" thick slices

2 eggs

Shrimp (optional)

1) Prep your proteins and set aside for the Stir Fry.

Stir Fry!

2 tbsp of vegetable oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

chicken

tofu

eggs

noodles

bean sprouts

green onion

1) Heat up 2 tbsp of oil in a wok-like pan.

2) Add minced garlic and cook until light yellow.

3) Add chicken breast and cook about 2 minutes on each side.

4) Add sliced tofu and continue cooking about 2 minutes.

5) Add 2 eggs and let sit to cook without stirring for about 2 minutes until egg whites start to cook.

6) Drain your rice noodles (that have been soaking this whole time you've been prepping) and add it on top of the proteins.
7) Don't stir too much. Rice noodles can become soggy if you move it around too much.
8) Let the noodles cook for about 2 minutes before stirring. At this point I'd switch to using tongs to toss the noddles.
9) Gently stir in the sauce.
10) Cover the pan and let sit for about 2 minutes so the rice noodles can absorb all the liquid.

11) Fold in the bean sprouts and green onion and let sit on low-medium heat for a few more minutes.

12) Garnish with cilantro (optional) and sriracha sauce (as spicy as you want it)

Hawaiian Haysticks

Hawaiian haysticks are my rendition of bbq chicken kabobs.  They aren't necessarily Hawaiian at all...it has pineapple and teriyaki sauce in it; but not an original Hawaiin recipe...that I know of.  The recipe was inspired by one of my friend's buddies who made these kabobs at a party one time. 

Hawaiian Haysticks & Steaks

The key to a good kabob is to marinate them overnight.  However, I crave these at the last minute and only get an hour or two of marination in.

The Marinade

kc masterpiece Honey Teriyaki

1/4 cup of pineapple juice (from the can of pineapples you will use later)

Siracha Sauce

4 cloves of garlic

1 lemon

1 red onion

salt

1) In a small blender or food processor,  add 1 cup of honey teriyaki sauce, 1/4 cup of pineapple juice, ~1 1/2 tablespoons of siracha sauce, 4 crushed cloves of garlic, a pinch of salt, and the juice of a lemon.

2) Blend for about 2 minutes.

3) Pour 2/3 of the mix into a 1 quart zip lock bag

4) Pour the other 1/3 into another 1 quart zip lock bag

Kabob Prep:

1) Soak 10" wood skewers in water.

2) Cut up 3 chicken breast into bite sized pieces.

3) Cut red onion into ~ 1 inch squares (I pick the more squat looking onions (seen in the background) as these tend to have a thicker skin that is great for grilling)

4) Add the can of pineapple chunks and red onion squares into ziploc bag of the smaller portion of marinade.

5) Add the chicken to the other ziploc bag of marinade.

6) Refrigerate for up to 24 hours

7) When ready to grill, skewer the kabobs...I usually do it in the following order:

onion-pineapple-onion-chicken-onion-pineapple-onion-chicken-onion-pineapple-onion-chicken

8) Grill on medium-high heat.

Basil Chicken Chicago-Style Pizza

It has been a while since my last blog.  August flew by while I was on my subinternship...time flies when your having fun!  Haven't had time to try a new recipe till this past week :) 

(Bought some new plates too :)

This recipe is inspired by Zachary's Pizza in Berkeley specifically their "Chicken Special" Pizza. The last time I had this pizza was probably five years ago; and I've been searching for it since (...I've moved to the SLC).  So, I decided to just make it in my new quiche pan.

I like to start off with the dough.  This dough recipe is just off the back of the package.   It is nice and quick and doesn't require an hour to rise or anything.  I just let it sit while I do the rest of the prep.

The Dough:

~ 1 3/4 c of flour (start with 1 cup then add 1/2 cups at a time till dough forms a soft ball)

1 packet of Fleischmann's Pizza Dough Yeast

1 1/2 tsp of sugar

3/4 tsp of salt

2/3 c warm/hot water

3 tbsp of olive oil

1) In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, 1 packet of yeast, sugar, and salt.

2) Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture and add the warm water and olive oil.

3) Mix well and add rest of the flour 1/2 a cup at a time till it forms a somewhat sticky ball of dough.

4) Let it sit in bowl while you prepare the pizza sauce. Also, preheat the oven at 425 F (convection if you have it)

The Sauce:

1 tbsp of olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, minced

Roma tomatoes, sliced and halved

1 small can of Tomato Paste (Italian style - with basil and oregano)

about 1 cup of water

big pinch of salt

small pinch of brown sugar

fresh Thyme (about 5 sprigs)

fresh Basil (a small handful)

chicken breast tenders

black pepper

garlic powder

1) On medium heat, add olive oil.  When heated, but not smoking, add onions and garlic and cook for about 8 minutes.

2) Add the tomatoes, paste, water, salt, brown sugar, thyme and basil and simmer for 15 minutes.  Salt to taste.

3) In a separate saute pan, add enough olive oil to barely coat the pan.

4) Season chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and slice into bite size pieces.

5) Cook on medium heat till lightly browned on both sides.

Constructing the Deep Dish:

1) Divide your dough into 1:5 portions (as seen in the picture in "the dough" section)

2) Roll out the larger portion of dough and line your oiled quiche pan.

3) Cover with foil and then pie weights

4) Bake pie crust for 12 minutes in your preheated 425 F oven

5) Remove foil and pie weights

6) Add 3/4 of the sauce and add a layer of blend of pizza cheese or just mozzarella.

7) Roll out your smaller portion of dough very thin.

8) Layer it on top of your sauce and cheese.

9) Add the rest of the sauce and cheese on top of that thin layer of dough.

10) Bake for 15-20 minutes.