Pork Carnitas

This dish highly inspired by the neighborhood Mexican market that runs a small Taqueria like stall at the back of the market. I remember the first time we went there to get some food, the food operators that day spoke only Spanish, and English was little to none. The husband and I ended up ordering tacos with a bit of sign language/pointing and the little Spanish we know. And we watched other customers order other delicious items to go.

The language barrier did not stop us from going back, and back, and back for yummy carnitas (braised pork) and chicarron (pork rind) tacos and/or combination plates. The husband and I are usually the odd ones out in line, but we don't care coz we love the food! However, during my last visit to the taquiera, I found that our regular food was not as good. For some reason, even though the pork was just swimming in lucious gravy a few minutes ago, it felt dry. Honestly, I was disappointed!

Since then, I was determined to replicate this dish. I gathered all the ingredients I think I needed and decided to make it for dinner tonight. Since I've planned ahead, I marinated the meat overnight before cooking it the next day. In this recipe, I added a packet of Sazon Goya to enhance the flavors. This seasoning is something like those chicken bouillon used in cooking. I happened to have a box of the seasoning from cooking a Guatemalan dish my friend taught it and decided to use it in today's pork carnitas.

I love the end product of the dish. The husband and I thought it was flavor of the pork carnitas was pretty close to the ones we get from the taquiera. Ok, if there were some chicarron in there, it would have been perfect! I served the carnitas as a taco (corn tortillas - my favorite!) and topped it off with some homemade Apple & Peach Salsa (I will share the salsa recipe tomorrow!). The husband and I enjoyed the different taste and texture from the savory pork carnitas filling and the fresh salsa topping.

Till then, here's the recipe for the Pork Carnitas. Please excuse my pictures, I had some trouble with the tortilla and plating the dish!

PORK CARNITAS RECIPE 
**Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 lb Boneless Ribs (Pork Shoulders), Cut into large strips 
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Oil
• 1/2 Medium Onion, Chopped
• 1 Green Pepper, Chopped
• 2 Clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 Canned (14.05 Oz) Tomatoes (Wedges or Diced)
• 2 Cups (Reduced Sodium) Chicken Broth
• 1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce 
• 1 Pkt Sazon Goya (Coriander & Annato)

Method: 

Mix salt, smoked paprika, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle the mixed seasoning over the pork and let it marinate over night. 

In a heavy pot, heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, sear the pork for about 4 minutes on each side. Once the pork is golden brown on both sides, remove from the pot. Stir in onion, green pepper, and garlic and cook until the onions are slightly soft. Then, add canned tomatoes, chicken broth, worcestershire sauce, the sazon goya seasoning and the seared pork. Ensure that the pork is submerged as much as possible in the broth mixture (add slightly more chicken broth if required to achieve this). Reduce heat to medium low, cover and let the pork cook for about 1 hour. Check on the pork, turning it every 20 minutes or so. 

Once the 1hour is up, using a thong, gently twist the pork to check the tenderness. If chunks of pork can be shredded with the thong, then turn off the heat. If not, add a little more broth (about 1/4 cup, if the broth has become too thick) cover and continue cooking about another 15 minutes or so or until the desired tenderness is reached. 

Let the pork rolled a little before serving. Shred the pork in the pot using a fork. Alternately, chop the pork on a chopping board together with some of the gravy mixture. Serve this as a taco or over some warm rice. 

Serve it as a Taco: You can make about 10-12 pieces of tacos with the shredded/chopped carnitas. Serve the carnitas with some warm (dry toast on a pan) tortilla of your choice. Line the tortilla with a bit of shredded lettuce, then the shredded pork carnitas, cilantro and top if off with your favorite salsa.

Serve it over Rice: Serve some of the carnitas with some Spanish rice or your favorite rice dish. Add some refried beans and salsa (or a simple slaw) to complete the meal. This should be enough to feed 3-4 people. 

June's Comments: I do not need to cut the pork; they came pre-cut from the store and was perfect size for braising. Cutting the meat into smaller pieces will just shorten the cooking time. 

Even though I marinated the pork overnight (since I had time), I think you can just season the pork just before cooking. Since it's braising in liquid, the flavors will still be yummy. I braised my pork in a dutch oven (Le Creuset). Any large pot should work well to braise the pork. 

Depending on how much gravy you want at the end, feel free to add as much or as little more broth at the very end of the cooking time. If you're eating this over rice, more gravy would be yummy. If you're eating this over tacos, you don't need as much gravy. 

I found the level of saltiness perfect; if you prefer more salt in the pork carnitas, sprinkle as much or as little about 10-15 minutes before the end of cooking time. 

Enjoy! 

Simply June 

Easy Grilled Pork Chop

With my new purchase of a grill pan from Amazon.com, I knew I needed to find a recipe so that I have an excuse to try my new toy. The picture is not the greatest, but the piece of meat was delicious. Lesson learnt, use a boneless piece of meat next time. I only had bone-in pork chops in my freezer and was lazy to get a boneless one from the store. It was definitely a bad idea coz it took a long time to cook the meat.

The recipe called for cumin in the marinate and as much as I like cumin, I at a first glance of the recipe thought it might taste funky. However, the reviews were great....so I decided to go with the recipe anyway. To my surprise, the pork chop was delicious. The cumin was not very overpowering and all the seasoning was just right! I think the apple cider in the recipe helps to tenderize the meat too. 

Here's the recipe with my slight changes. Original recipe by Sunny Anderson can be found HERE.

 

EASY GRILLED PORK CHOPS RECIPE
*Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 Boneless (1/2" Thick) Pork Chops
• 2 Tbsp Honey
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tsp Ground Cumin
• 1/8 Tsp Cayenne Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
• Pinch of Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a resealable zip lock bag (large enough to fit the pork chops). Add in pork chops into the marinade, seal and give it a quick rub/massage. Let it rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Heat a grill pan (or a grill) over medium heat. Remove the pork chops from the bag and slightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and cook the pork chops until they release from the grill (about 4 minutes). Flip and cook on the other side for another 3 minutes. Once the pork chops are cooked through, remove and serve with optional grilled vegetables of your choice of sides.

June's Notes: I sliced up some zucchini and par boiled some mini potatoes, tossed them in a bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt & pepper to taste and cook them on the grill pan since I have some room on the side.

Enjoy!

Simply June 

Marmite Honey Wings

The husband and I love wings; fried, grilled, roasted, etc! With some pieces of wings in the freezer, I decided to make some wings for dinner. As I don't want to start up the grill or fill up a pot of oil just to cook a few pieces of chicken, I opted to just pan fry them over the stove.

I decided to use some marmite to marinate the wings. Growing up I remember eating marmite in congee but never really had it as a sauce in a dish.  Marmite is a yeast extract, by product of making beer. It's dark, syrupy, salty and does have a slight bitter taste too. Not everyone like it distinct (and weird?) taste. Since I grew up with it, I was fine with the taste.  In the US, you can usually find it in the British Food aisle and it'll cost about $6-8 for a small jar.

In this recipe, I added some sweet and tangy elements to slightly mask the strong flavor of marmite. Here's the recipe! I bet it will be as tasty if cooked over charcoal grill as well.

MARMITE HONEY WINGS
*Serves 3-4 

Ingredients

• 12 Chicken Wing Segments
• 1 Tbsp Marmite
• 2 Tbsp Honey
• 1 Tbsp Ketchup
• 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
• Freshly Cracked Black Pepper to taste
• 2 Tsp Oil 
• 2 Tbsp Water
• 1/4 Tsp Toasted Sesame Seeds (Optional)

Method

Mix marmite, honey, ketchup and oyster sauce in a bowl. Add chicken wings and marinate for about 1 hour. 

Heat a frying pan with 2 tsp of oil over medium heat. Add marinated chicken (do not pour in the marinade juice) into the pan, season with fresh cracked black pepper and fry each side for about 1-2 minutes until you get a nice caramelization on the skin. 

Then add all the marinade juice and 2 tbsp of water into the pan and lower heat to medium low. Cover and let the wings cook for about 25-30 minutes turning them 1-2 times. Once the wings are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle with optional sesame seeds and serve immediately with or without warm rice.

Enjoy!

Simply June 

Woo Tau Kau Yoke (Steamed Pork Belly & Taro)

Stocked with some taro and a piece of pork belly at home, I knew I had to attempt to make "Woo Tau Kau Yoke" (Steamed Pork Belly & Taro). I've had this dish a couple times and remembered mom making it at home too many years ago. It seems like a dish that requires quite a few different steps to achieve the final delicious dish.

I never knew that this is a Hakka dish until after some googling around, I realized that references were made that this dish is of Hakka origin. Anyway,  I decided to use Lily Wai Sek Hong's recipe for the "Woo Tau Kau Yoke" with minor changes. The verdict  - the dish was delicious... tasted almost like how my mom used to make it! Yums! Lily used a pressure cooker to steam the pork; I used the good old steamer and it worked out just great! Here's the recipe of the "Woo Tau Kau Yoke" with my changes:

WOO TAU KAU YOKE (STEAMED PORK BELLY & TARO) RECIPE
*Serves 2-3

Ingredients (A)

• 1/2 lb Pork Belly 
• 1/2 lb Taro (Cut to the size of the pork belly slab, and cut 7-8 slices)
• 1 Tsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 1/4 Tsp 5 Spice Powder
• 2 Tbsp Corn Flour
• Oil for deep frying

Sauce Ingredients (B)

• 2 Shallots, Peeled and Minced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, Peeled and Minced
• 1/2 Tbsp Sugar
• 2 Tsp Oyster Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1-1/2 Cube of Fermented Red Bean Curd (Nam Yue)
• 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
• 2 Tsp Sesame Oil
• 1-1/2 Cup Water
• Slurry Mixture (Mixture of 2 Tsp Corn Flour  & 2 Tsp Water)

Method

Boil a pot of water (enough to submerge pork belly). Clean pork belly and par boil the pork for about 10 minutes. In a bowl, mix together dark soy sauce and 5 spice powder from Ingredients A. Remove the boiled pork belly and place in the soy sauce mixture. Coat the pork in the mixture and set aside.

Heat enough oil (medium heat) for deep frying and deep fry taro pieces until slightly golden. Remove and place on paper towel to drain access oil. Then, deep fry pork belly (skin side down) for about 7-8 minutes. Remove and soak pork belly for about 15 minutes in cold water to wash oil oil and regain moisture lost in deep frying. Then remove the pork, pat dry and slice pork into 1/2 inch pieces. 

Place 2 tbsp of corn flour in a bowl, and lightly toss the fried taro in some corn flour; ensuring both sides are coated. Remove the taro pieces and set aside and repeat with the sliced pork belly. Then using a deep dish/bowl, arrange the pork & taro slices, alternating each piece. Ensure that they are packed snuggly in the dish. Set aside. 

Heat wok with 1 Tbsp of oil. Add shallots, garlic and sauté until they are slightly brown. Add in Nam Yue and the rest of the sauce ingredients (B) except the slurry mixture. Let the mixture come to a boil, then stir in the slurry mixture and let the sauce thicken. Pour sauce over the assembled pork and taro dish. 

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in a steamer or a pot to let the pork and taro steam (over medium heat) for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours; until pork and taro are tender. Remember to check the water level of the steamer occasionally and add more hot water if needed. Carefully removed the steamed dish, place a serving platter over it and invert the dish. Be very careful as the dish is hot! Serve immediately with some warm rice.

June's Notes: Alternatively, instead of preparing the pork belly yourself.....save the work and buy a piece of Roasted Pork Belly (Siew Yoke) and cut them to size for this dish! It will taste equally the same, if not better!

I had to go through a couple different bowls to find one the fits perfect so that I can fit the pork and yam snuggly. I ended up arranging the pork and yam in my korean clay pot, covered it with foil and then the clay pot cover before steaming. 

Enjoy!

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013

hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

Simply June 

Bak Kwa (Asian Pork Jerky)

Updated Sept 26, 2013

Bak Kwa (Asian Pork Jerky) is a very popular snack during Chinese New Year. In Malaysia, the bak kwa shops will be fully packed with customers lining up and paying quite a bit of money for this delicious seasoned smoked meat, quite similar to the American Beef Jerky.... but so much better and flavorful!

In the US, it's almost impossible to get this snack here and many of us have resorted to making our own bak kwas to satisfy the cravings. I've made this snack many years ago and have not made it for many years. So, I decided to make it this year again and give my friends and neighbors a treat during our Chinese New Year potluck lunch. I must say, the bak kwa was a big hit with our guests. 2 lbs of bak kwas seemed so little and I could have definitely made more.

Knowing that my guests would appreciate this snack, I made it at night the day before (after coming home late from a wonderful dinner at Providence and was quite tired) as I knew there'll be no way I have the time to make it in the morning of our CNY lunch. I was totally right, as I was scrambling the whole morning till my guests arrived. Anyway, I baked the bak kwas the night before and the husband put it on the grill the morning off the party. I'm glad I stayed up and slaved over making bak kwas as it definitely put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces on Sunday! Here's the recipe.

BAK KWA (ASIAN PORK JERKY) RECIPE

Meat Ingredients

• 2 Lb Ground Pork (Not too lean - Around 20% fat)
• 2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Rice Wine
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
• A few Dashes of black pepper
• 1 Tsp 5 Spice Powder
• 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

Glaze Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 2 Tbsp Water

Method
Preheat oven at 325F. Add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat (using a stand mixer; paddle attachment) ingredients until mushy and "gluey". Line baking pans with foil paper (if using foil paper; lightly spray with some baking spray) or oven safe silicon pads; this is for easy cleanup. Scoop about 1/2 Cup of pork mixture and place in the middle of the baking pan (half sheet size). Place a piece of plastic wrap (the size of the baking pan) on top of the meat mixture. With a rolling pin, roll the meat mixture flat until desired thickness then remove the plastic wrap and let the mixture bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. The meat will look like a rubber mat once it's cooked. Remove and cut to desired size and repeat the process again until all the meat mixture is used up. Set aside the baked meat.

Mix the glaze ingredients together and lightly glaze the meat before putting them over a charcoal grill for a few seconds and turn them occasionally to give them the smokey bak kwa flavor. Alternatively, you can use a gas grill, or even pan fry it if you do not have a charcoal grill. Please note that the bak kwa will lack a bit of the smokey flavor by doing so.

June's Notes: When rolling the meat mixture, DO NOT roll it out too thin (i.e. until it's almost translucent) as you may have problems removing it from the foil. Use a cake spatula to help remove the cooked bak kwa from the pan. 

As the bak kwa has quite a bit of sugar in it, it will burn easily on the grill. So, it's important to make sure the fire is very low and keep a close eye on the bak kwa to prevent them from being burnt! Let the edges caramelized a little if you want! Gas grill should be ok, but I don't think it will give you the smokey flavor. 

Enjoy!

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013

hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

Simply June 

MIL's Garlic & Goji Chicken

When my MIL was here, she cooked up this delicious chinese style braised chicken with spices, garlic and goji berries. I've never had this before and thought it was really good and the big plus; very easy to cook. I don't have her exact recipe but I knew what went into that pot of braised chicken.  So, a couple weeks after the inlaws flew back home, I decided to replicate her dish.

In this recipe, I added a little more goji berries (wolf berries) than my MIL did...since the Chinese believe that Goji Berries are good for you. I found a link here that gives you the benefits of these red berries. Here's the recipe to this very simple Garlic & Goji Chicken dish.

GARLIC & GOJI BERRY CHICKEN RECIPE
*Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken Thighs, Cut into 3-4 pieces
• 1-1/2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Rice Wine
• 2 Tbsp (dried) Goji Berries/Wolfberries
• 8 Cloves Garlic, Skin on & smashed
• 2-3 Inch Cinnamon Stick
• 4 Star Anise
• 2 Cups Water
• 1 Tbsp Oil

Method

In a medium pot, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add garlic, star anise and cinnamon stick and stir fry until fragrant. Add chicken, turn heat to medium high and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauce, rice wine, goji berries and water. Reduce heat to medium. Cover the chicken and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the "white scum" and as much oil layer as possible. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and continue cooking for another 20-25 minutes. The chicken will be very tender by then.

Serve immediately with some steamed white rice.

Simply June 

Must Love SPAM - Hawaiian Inspired Loco Moco, My Version

I've never had Loco Moco until I moved to California. And in the 5 months, we've been here... I've eaten/tasted it 3 times and fairly enjoyed it. The first time I tasted it was at a Japanese restaurant in LA, when the husband ordered a Hamburg Curry Loco Moco Style. It thought it was a weird name and dish...but it was interestingly good.  A couple weeks after that, we scored tickets to the LA Food and Wine festival and one of the best dishes I ate was Sam Choy's Loco Moco. Honestly, I did not know what I ate (at first) but I knew it was SOOOO GOOD.. my friends agreed with me too.... That Loco Moco, came with fried rice, delicious hamburger patty, sunny side up egg with luscious runny yolk and to die to sauce. We tried to go for seconds, and they ran out already. Boo! If only Mr. Sam has a restaurant in the LA area! Anyway, the third time I tried some Loco Moco was at a Hawaiian food chain restaurant; L&L Hawaiian Barbecue. That one looked a bit greasy and tasted ok.

If you are new to Loco Moco, I guess it's basically, rice with burger patties, sunny side up eggs and gravy. It's sort of a Hawaiian comfort food. Not sure what Loco Moco meant, but  don't mind eating more Loco Mocos!

Anyway, with a package of ground pork in the freezer and some SPAM meat (get over it, I love SPAM!) in the fridge, I decided to make my own version of loco moco. There weren't enough SPAM for me to just pan fry it for the husband and I, so I decided to incorporate it into the burger patties. If I had more SPAM, I would have added more. Lol!

Here's my version of Loco Moco... don't be afraid of SPAM!  The recipe is just for the burger patty and gravy. Prepare about 5 servings of steamed white rice and sunny side up eggs (1 or 2  eggs per serving) to go with the burger and gravy! Can't get more Hawaiian that this, Spam & Loco Moco! All I need is my hula skirt and ukelele!

SPAM (PORK) BURGER PATTIES & GRAVY RECIPE
*Makes 10 patties (5 servings)

Spam Burger Patties Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground Pork (not too lean)
• 3-4 Oz Spam, Finely Chopped
• 1 Stalk Green Onion, Finely Chopped
• 1/2 Medium Onion, Grated
• 2 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/4 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 1-1/2 Tbsp Oil

Gravy Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Stock (or More if needed )
• 4 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 Tsp Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Ketchup
• Ground Pepper

Method

Mix all the ingredients except the oil in a bowl. Divide the mixture into about 10 portions and shape them into a ball then slightly flatten them in a 2" diameter disc, keeping the edges smooth. Make a little dent in the middle of the patties so that the burgers will cook evenly.

Heat 1-1/2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Once oil is hot, place the burger patties onto the pan and let the patties cook for about 3-4 minutes then flip to continue cooking the other side for another 3-4 minutes or until patties are brown and cooked through. The patties should feel somewhat firm when done. Remove the patties and set aside. Do not discard the oil/drippings as you'll use it for the gravy. 

Sieve the oil/drippings into a sauce pan over medium heat. Add flour and stir to let mixture combine. Then whisk in 3/4 Cup of chicken stock, soy sauce, ketchup and sugar. Whisk and let the gravy simmer over medium heat. If the gravy is too thick, add a little more chicken stock or water. Ground some black pepper and the sauce is ready.

Assemble your Loco Moco

Prepare 5 servings of steamed white rice and 5 (or 10) sunny side up eggs. Place 2 spam burger patties and desired amount of eggs on each serving of rice. Drizzle with the gravy and enjoy immediately!

Enjoy!

Simply June 

Baked Eggs & Roti Canai = Pretty Awesome Combination!

I was in the mood for baked eggs a couple days ago after I saw a recipe from a cookbook I bought from Williams Sonoma. I made a couple changes to the recipe including adding more eggs coz I used a pretty huge ramekin. Those extra eggs was probably one of the mistake of the day, as it took longer to bake. I got impatient (mistake number 2) and hungry (since Hubby's simple 3 eggs sunny side up was already done), and decided to pull the eggs out of the oven. The eggs were quite uncooked overall, so I decided to stick them in the microwave (mistake number 3). I forgot how long I stuck it in for (probably a couple seconds), but it was a couple second too long for the fragile eggs. My baked eggs were very over done. I was anticipating luscious runny yolks, and was left staring at overly done yolks and a extremely messy looking ramekin. The baked eggs were still good..... but it was not what I had anticipated good. I ate it all up anyway as I liked the different elements I pulled together.

With this runny yolk craving that I've been having, I decided to make bake eggs again. Learning from the mistakes I made a few days ago, I scaled down a little by using 2 eggs instead of one, waited patiently and let the oven work it's magic. This time, I got delicious runny eggs and absolute satisfaction. The baked eggs was delicious! As I don't have bread at home, I decided to reheat a frozen roti canai/roti prata and dip my "roti" into the runny yolk, catching pieces of spinach and sausages in between dips. Mmmm..... this combination is pretty awesome!!! I paired my lunch with a Vietnamese Ice Coffee and for a couple seconds, it felt like I was transported to somewhere exotic and not my living room. You could certainly pair with with some toast, baguettes or whatever bread you have!

Here's the recipe for baked eggs, adapted from Georgeann Brennan's Brunch cookbook with my changes.

FRENCH BAKED EGGS WITH SPINACH AND SAUSAGE RECIPE
*Serves 2

Ingredients

• 4 Large Eggs
• 1 Fresh Bratwurst (or fresh sausage of choice), casing removed
• 2 Cups Fresh (Young) Spinach Leaves, Packed
• 2 Tsp Heavy Cream
• 1 Tsp Oil
• 1-1/2 Tsp Butter
• Ground Black Pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 2 (4 oz) ramekins with butter. Prepare a ice bath; bowl of cold water with ice. Boil a pot of water and once the water starts to boil, add spinach leaves. Blanch the leaves for about 1 minute and quickly remove and place into the ice bath for about 1 minute. Remove blanched spinach leaves from ice bath, squeeze the spinach firmly to remove water. Coarsely chop the spinach and divide the chop spinach into the 2 ramekins. Spread the chop spinach evenly. 

Heat 1 Tsp of oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Add the fresh bratwurst and cook it while breaking it into pieces. Continue to cook the bratwurst until they are slightly brown. Remove cooked bratwurst and evenly divide them into the ramekins over the chopped spinach. 

Break 2 eggs into each ramekin and drizzle with 1 tsp of heavy cream each. Place ramekins onto a baking sheet and bake the eggs for about 15-17 minutes or until the egg whites are firm and the egg yolks are still runny. Remove the ramekins from the oven, crack some black pepper onto the eggs and serve immediately with your favorite toast.

Enjoy!

Simply June 

Pork Burger Tuesdays & a Mini Pork Burger Recipe

A friend of mine is always excited come Tuesday as it's her Pork Burger Tuesday and I can always see her excitement through her FB post every Tuesday or even the night before. To be honest, I'm jealous that I'm thousand of miles away and is not able to try this spectacular pork burger which I suspect is only sold once a week at a night market or something.

Pork burger is not something that you can get very easily at restaurants even in the US; unlike hamburgers. So, I decided to satisfy my curiosity, subdue my jealousy and make my own version of pork burger. I had just chopped up some pork to make my own ground pork so I'm all set with the main ingredient. Making my own ground pork is not something I do often, but the 2 grocery stores nearest to me do not have them. Well, one of them do have ground pork but it's extra lean ground pork which I've tried in the past and did not appreciate the leanness and thought it lacked flavors. With the pork at the grocery store going on sale, I decided to grab a package and chopped them up to make my own ground pork! Anyway, rummaging through the fridge and the pantry to see what I can do; I decided to make cute mini pork burgers. I didn't have any mini burger buns, so I cut out some english muffins and improvised. I found a bag of baby spinach and avocado (love avocados in sandwiches!!) in the fridge, and added those as condiments to my burger. A slice of tomato for color (not a big fan of raw tomato but it gives great color to food...) and voila; a pretty delicious mini pork burger! Here's the recipe!

MINI PORK BURGER / SLIDER RECIPE
*Makes 2 mini burgers

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Ground Pork
• 1/2 Small Yellow Onion, Chopped ( About 3 Tbsp)
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped (About 2 Tsp)
• 1/8 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 1/8 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/8 Tsp Salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin 
• 1 Stalk Green Onions, Chopped
• 2 Slider Buns / Mini Burger Buns, Toasted
• 2 Tbsp Oil
• 1/2 Tbsp Butter (Optional)
• Spinach Leaves (Condiments for burger, optional)
• Sliced Tomatoes (Condiments for burger, optional)
• Thinly Sliced Avocado (Condiments for burger, optional)

Method
Heat about 1 tbsp of boil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Sautee chopped onions until soft, then add chop garlic. Continue sautéing until the onions are brown. Transfer entire mixture into a bowl and add the ground pork, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, cumin and green onions. Combine the mixture and ensure that the ingredients are well mixed. Divide the pork mixture into 2 and shape them into a ball. Then slightly flatten them into a disc (roughly the size of your buns), keeping the edges smooth. Make a little dent in the middle of the burger patties so that the burgers cook evenly.

Heat remaining 1 tbsp of oil and the optional 1/2 Tbsp of butter in the same pan over medium heat. Once oil is hot, place the patties onto the frying pan and let the patties cook for about 3 minutes then flip to continue cooking the other side for another 3 minutes or until the patties are brown and are cooked through. The patties should feel somewhat firm when done.

Sandwich the patties with the toasted mini burger buns and accompany with the optional condiments. Serve immediately!

June's Comments: Some chopped fried bacon in the burger patties would also be yummilicious! Bacon makes everything better!!

Simply June 

Fried Belacan Chicken

I've always relied on instant belacan mix like the ones from Hup Loong and I've never made belacan chicken from scratch until recently. With a bottle of roasted belacan powder in my pantry, I was itching to fry up some belacan chicken. Oh my poor neighbors! Even though we live in a single family house, I think the whole neighborhood was probably overwhelmed by that yummy pungent fishy smell that Malaysians love.....and westerners probably loathe. The smell of belacan can be quite strong especially if you're not familiar with it and it probably didn't help my poor neighbors when I turn on the kitchen vent to circulate the air from the kitchen out into the open! No wonder my neighbors always have their windows and doors closed, and their AC turned on all the time... Hah!

Anyway, with the inlaws in town, I've been cringing on what to cook! It's hard when you need to cook for 2 more people.....and these few days with more family members visiting..... this means cooking for 6 adults in the house. Having to cook for a party seems so much easier! Cooking for the inlaws is giving me slight grief as I want to impress them and want to cook something that they will enjoy eating whole heartedly! There're so many stuff that I want to try to make but this means risking feeding my inlaws something that's not up to my expectation.... in a not so good way. They are not very picky... but I guess I just want the meal to be perfect.. or close to perfect!

Anyway, after a bit of googling around to get a rough idea on what to do... I told my MIL, I'll be cooking Belacan chicken for dinner...... tomorrow! Today.. I'm just going to prep and marinate. I want to marinate the chicken in some fragrant belacan powder overnight to ensure that the belacan goodness gets into every nook and cranny of the chicken! The result was pretty good! Chicken was light and slightly crisp and very very belacan-y (Yes, that's a word!) with very subtle hint of spiciness. The inlaws gave 2 thumbs up and the family devoured the whole plate of fried chicken rather quickly. Who doesn't like fried chicken????? Here's the recipe... and a little piece of advice..... if you live in an apartment and want to be in good terms with your neighbors.........don't cook this dish... or make sure everyone on the floor is out and away... and have the air freshener handy! =p

FRIED BELACAN CHICKEN RECIPE
Ingredients

• 4 Chicken Thighs (Deboned and Cut into 4 pieces)
• 1 Tbsp Rice Wine
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Dark (Sweet) Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 2-1/2 Tbsp Roasted Belacan Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper 
• 1 Egg, Beaten
• Oil (For Deep Frying)
• 1 Tbsp Chopped Green Onion (Optional Garnish)

Method
In a bowl, add all in the ingredients except the oil for deep frying and green onions. Let the chicken marinate overnight for flavor to infuse.

When ready for cooking, heat enough oil for deep frying over medium heat. Once oil is hot, place a few pieces of the marinated chicken into the oil to deep fry. Do not overcrowd the pan, and turn the chicken occasionally. Fry until chicken is golden brown and place on a paper towel to soak excess oil. Serve with you favorite stir fry vegetables and warm rice!

Enjoy!!

Simply June 

Samgyetang (Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup)

Ever since the husband tasted Samgyetang in Korea a couple years ago, he fell in love with this hot nutritious soup. According to the husband, Koreans will drink this soup in the summer to replace the nutrients lost.  He talks about it constantly and is always tempted to order it at Korean restaurants whenever he sees it on the menu. However, due to many other delicious Korean dishes on the menu.. he never really got a chance to order them. He decided to look up the recipe and hey why not make it at home. The recipe seems easy enough and we can get all the ingredients at the local Korean grocery stores. We've made this soup a couple times, and the last after we move to Thousand Oaks. As we happen to have a stash of fresh ginseng in the fridge from our recent Asian grocery store raid and with the inlaws in town... it was a perfect time to make this dish and for the inlaws to taste their son's favorite dish. All we needed to get was cornish hen from the grocery store which was just around the corner. This dish was "In-Law" approved! =)

For this batch of Samgyetang, we cooked in a small traditional Korean clay pot (in fact, I think my clay pots is a size too small.. =P) . If you do not have the claypot, a regular small pot will work just fine. We used Mangchi's recipe this time. On out previous attempts, we used some fresh chestnuts but didn't think that those make too much of a difference in the taste of the soup. Here's the recipe by Mangchi with just a bit of tweaking in the amount of certain ingredients used. Check out her site for an excellent video on the recipe.

SAMGYETANG (KOREAN GINSENG CHICKEN SOUP)

*Serves 1-2

Ingredients

• 1 Cornish Hen
• 1/4 Cup Korean Sweet Rice
• 6-8 Cloves of Garlic
• 6 Jujubes / Dried (Chinese) Red Dates
• 2 Small Ginseng Root
• 1 Stalk Green Onion, Chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp Kosher Salt
• Equal parts of salt and grounded white pepper (for dipping)

Method

Soak the sweet rice in water for about 1 hour. Place 1-2 tbsp of kosher salt on the cornish hen and rub the outer skin for a couple seconds, then rinse the salt off with cold running water. Stuff the cornish hen, by placing half of the jujubes, garlic and ginseng first. Then all of the soaked sweet rice. Continue with the remaining ginseng, jujubes and garlic. You can use a toothpick to partially close the cavity so that the stuffing remain inside. 

Place the stuff chicken in a pot.  If you cannot fit all the jujube, garlic, ginseng in the chicken, you can place it in the pot later.  Pour just enough water into the pot to cover the cornish hen, cover the pot and let it boil for 20 minutes over high heat. When it starts boiling, skim off the white foam and fat that rises to the top. Pour in more water if needed to ensure that the cornish hen is slightly submerged in water. Boil for 40 minutes over medium heat. Once it's cooked properly, the cornish hen can be easily pulled apart with chopsticks. 

Serve with the salt and pepper dipping condiment.

Enjoy!

June's Notes: If you don't like the traditional salt and pepper condiment for dipping, feel free to use some soy sauce. As the pot I used was a little too small for the cornish hen, I needed to flip the chicken every now and then to let it cook properly. This soup does not need additional seasoning; the garlic, and the sweetness from the jujube, chicken and rice flavors the broth perfectly. But if you like sodium in your broth, a little dash of salt would be ok.

Simply June 

Kung Pao Chicken

Do you know that Kung Pao chicken has some black vinegar in the sauce? Maybe you already do... but I never knew.  I was craving for some kung pao chicken and decided to google for some recipes to refer to. After googling around, I noticed a common ingredient in the recipe that I never expected, Chinese Black Vinegar. As I happen to have a bottle of ChinKiang Black Vinegar handy, this dish was  just perfect to try out. Plus, I have a stash of sichuan peppercorn and I was dying to use it somewhere.

Using this recipe by Terri of A Daily Obsession and this recipe by Bee Yinn or Rasa Malaysia as references, I proudly cooked up a pretty yummy Kung Pao chicken for the husband and I! I made it a second time this week with a slight change, and preferred the version I made the first time. Here's the recipe I made the first time and enjoyed it very much. The use of yellow pepper in the recipe is totally optional........ again, I like the pop of color it gives the dish!

KUNG PAO CHICKEN RECIPE
*Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 4 Pieces Boneless & Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cut into Bite Size Pieces
• 6-8 Pieces Dried Chili, Cut into Half and Deseeded ( Keep some seeds for spicier chicken)
• 3 Inch Ginger, Cut & Smashed
• 2 -3 Cloves Garlic, Smashed
• 1 Stalk Green Onion, Cut into 1 Inch
• 2-3 Tsp Sichuan Peppercorns
• 1/2 Yellow Pepper (Optional)
• 2-3 Tbsp Roasted Peanuts
• 1/2 Cup Oil

Marinade Ingredients:

• 2 Tsp Soy Sauce
• 2 Tsp Rice Wine
• 1 Tsp Dark Sweet Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Corn Starch

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Chin Kiang Black Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Sweet Dark Soy Sauce
• 1-1/2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 2 Tsp Sugar
• 4 Tsp Corn Flour
• 1/4 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Stock
• 2 Tbsp Water

Method
Mix the marinade ingredients with the chicken and set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Mix all the ingredients in the sauce and set aside.  Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. Fry the marinated chicken until slightly golden brown and remove the chicken and set aside. Remove the oil from the pan and keep only about 2 tbsp of oil.

Stir fry dried chili, ginger and garlic until fragrant. Then stir in cooked chicken, options yellow pepper,  and sichuan peppercorn. Next pour in the sauce mixture and stir fry until the sauce thickens. Add green onions, roasted peanuts and transfer dish to a plate. Serve immediately with warm rice. Enjoy!

Simply June 

Asian Cola Chicken Wings

During one of our food escapades outside of Thousand Oaks, we ventured into Monterey Park to meet up with friends over dim sum. While the wait for a table of 14 people was horrendous (even though I was assured the wait won't be bad.. we waited for over an 1 hour, only to be split up into 2 tables) the good food made up for it.

One of the dishes that we had was "Cola" Chicken. I've never heard of it and was told that the chicken was cooked in (Coca?) Cola. I couldn't taste the soda in the sauce and thought it was ok. One of my friend though, thought that it was delicious and ordered 2 plates of it. I was determined to see if I can enhance the cola flavor in the sauce. I got some wings from the grocer, and looked up some recipe for the chicken. As I cook down the cola sauce, I find that the soda taste is no longer there... What was left was a nice sweet and salty syrupy sauce that coats the very tender wings ( the soda must have helped in tenderizing the chicken) so nicely. The chicken was very addictive. I made 12 pieces of wings and wished I made a little more! Here's the recipe!

ASIAN (PEPSI) COLA WINGS RECIPE
Ingredients

• 12 Chicken Wing Segments
• 1 Tsp Oil
• 1 Tbsp Chopped Green Onions (Optional)

Marinade Ingredients

• 2 Tsp Rice Wine
• 2 Tsp Light Soy Sauce
• 2 Tsp Sweet Dark Soy Sauce
• 2 Tsp Sesame Oil

Sauce Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1 Cup (Pepsi) Cola or Coca Cola

Method
Mix all the marinate ingredients and chicken wings in a bowl and set aside for 30 minutes. Then, heat 2 tsp oil in a non stick frying pan over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, place the marinated chicken (do not pour in the marinade juice yet) into the pan and fry each side for about 1-2 minutes until you get a nice caramelization on the skin. Then add all the marinade juice, light soy sauce and the cola into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium, and cover the chicken. Let the chicken cook until the sauce becomes thick and syrupy. This should take about 25-30 minutes. Remove cover, quickly turn to coat the chicken in the syrupy sauce and transfer to a plate. Garnish with optional chopped green onions and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Simply June 

Sausage and Mushroom Pinwheels

We were invited to celebrate A's surprise (belated) birthday at an art studio.  A's wife, C had planned and arranged for the few of us to gather at the art studio and do some painting. The owner of the studio allowed us to bring in some of our own food and drinks to enjoy while we painted. We had a lot of fun, the birthday boy was truly surprised and food was plentiful! I'll blog on that wonderful party in another post.

Anyway, as I hate going to parties empty handed and always try to make sure I have something in hand. I told C that I'll make some mushroom tartlets for the party even though she said we don't need to bring anything. On the day of the party (being a little disorganized),  I realized that I forgot a crucial ingredient for the tartlets; green onions. Not wanting to head out to the store again, I decided to go with making something else. Looking at what I had in the freezer and keeping in mind that I wanted to bring finger food... I decided to make some pinwheels. I'm glad I came out with this last minute idea as the birthday boy said it was delicious! Yay! The sprinkles of tomato in the pinwheel gave it a little pop of color. Here's the recipe.

SAUSAGE & MUSHROOM PINWHEELS RECIPE
*Makes 15 pieces

Ingredients

• 1 Sheet Puff Pastry
• 1 Fresh Sausage/Bratwurst, Casing Removed
• 10 Oz Mushroom, Sliced
• 1 Clove Garlic, Minced
• Dash (or two) Black Pepper
• 1/2 Tomato, Rib removed, Diced
• 1 Tsp Fresh Chopped Parsley
• 1/3 Cup Shredded Cheddar
• 1/2 Tbsp Butter
• 1-2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour

Method
Preheat oven to 400F. In a pan over medium high heat, add bratwurst and butter. Break bratwurst apart into tiny pieces, then add mushroom slices and garlic. Sitr fry mixture until mushroom and sausage turns slightly golden brown. Remove from heat and add chopped parsley.

On a slightly floured surface, slightly roll out puff pastry with the short side closest to you. Spread the sausage and mushroom filling evenly. Start about 1 inch from the edge closest to you and stop about 2 inches from the edge furthest away from you. On both sides, make sure you leave about 1/3 inch "filling free". Then sprinkle chopped tomato and cheese adhering to the same guidelines for the sausage & mushroom spread.

Carefully using both hands, lift and roll the edge closest to you; making sure the roll is tight. Once you finished rolling, pinch both edges to keep the filling in. Then, cut the roll into about 15 pieces and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or foil).  Bake the pinwheels for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy it warm or at room temperature!

Simply June 

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Updated December 14, 2013

Hainanese Chicken Rice is one of the best Malaysian comfort food, and most ingredients are easily obtainable in the US. Hainanese Chicken Rice is very popular in Malaysian and Singapore and it is usually served with some cucumber, soy sauce, chili sauce and complimentary soup. To make it your own, it's pretty easy although there are many optional parts to make up the delicious comfort food.

Since the husband chose to have Hainanese Chicken Rice for dinner 2 days ago, I've decided it's the perfect time to note down the ingredients, method and all of how I make my Hainanese Chicken Rice.  I usually like to use chicken thigh instead of whole chicken, but in this recipe I'll be using chicken legs (thigh + drumsticks) as that was what I had in the freezer. I usually make the fragrant/flavored rice in a rice cooker, so if you do not have one.. it's ok.. you'll just need to adjust your cooking method a little. I don't have the instructions for cooking rice in a regular pot, as I'm pretty bad at it. =( I believe there are 2 ways to prepare the chicken; by steaming it or by boiling it. I've always cooked mine the latter.

I make chicken rice (via boiling method) very often but I've never written down the recipe and exact measurements. However, due to some requests for the recipe lately, I know that I needed to put everything down on paper...and after posting a picture of the HCR on Facebook and getting an overwhelming response of "likes" and comments, I was glad I took the time to write the ingredients and steps on paper that day. My friends have requested for the recipe and I have to say I had a success story when my friend was very thrilled with the way her HCR turned out based on my over the Facebook rough instructions. I can't take all the credit as she did the cooking and made the adjustments... I just told her what to do and what to use!

The Hainanese Chicken Rice in Malaysia does not come with the ginger garlic/scallion sauce.  I first fell in love with this sauce when I ate a steamed chicken from a Chinese restaurant in Chicago. This sauce is quite commonly served with steamed chicken in Asian restaurants. So, I now always make this dipping sauce every time I make Hainanese Chicken Rice and the husband loves it! For a guy who likes spicy food, he prefers the ginger garlic sauce over chili sauce when he eats his chicken rice. As for the chili dipping sauce, I've always just gotten them from the store; most bottled chili sauce (typically from Indonesia/Malaysia or Thailand) works for me.

Here's the lengthy instruction to make some Hainanese Chicken Rice. The list will look tremendously long and tedious, but it's really not that bad...and will be oh-so-worth it once you sit down and enjoy your meal. Here's the recipe!

HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE RECIPE
*Serves 3-4

Part (A) - Hainanese Chicken 
Ingredients

• 6-8 Chicken Thighs
• 2-3 Inch Ginger, Sliced
• 10 Cup Water
• 1-1/2 Tsp Salt
• Ice Water Bath

Method

In a large pot, let 10 cups of water and ginger come to a boil over medium high heat. Trim the chicken to remove access chicken fat and skin. Gently score the meat closest to the bone to slightly detach it to ensure shorter cooking time. Do not completely remove the bone.

Once water is boiling slowly add chicken thighs and salt. Make sure water covers the chicken, if not add a little more water. Let the chicken boil for about 15 minutes over medium high heat. Using a ladle, gently remove as much of the "white foamy scum" and as much fat from the soup. Then, reduce heat to medium low and let chicken legs simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until chicken legs are cooked. To test wether the chicken is cooked, careful remove a piece of chicken, and poke the chicken (nearest to the bone). If the liquid runs clear, that means the chicken is cooked. If pink juice flows out, continue cooking for a few more minutes.

Once cooked, remove from heat and place immediately in a ice water bath for about 5-10 minutes. Then, remove from ice water bath, let it drain, slice chicken thighs (bone in or out) and set aside.

Do not discard the chicken broth from boiling the chicken as it will be used multiple times throughout the recipe.

Part (B) - (Chicken) Flavored Rice

Ingredients

• 10 Cloves Garlic, Chopped (About 3 Tbsp)
• 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 2 Cups Uncooked Jasmine Rice, Washed
• 2 Inch Ginger, Sliced
• Chicken Broth (from Part A) sufficient to cook your rice.
• 2-3 Pandan Leaves, Knotted
• Pinch of Salt

Method

In a frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp of Sesame Oil and 1 Tbsp of Vegetable Oil over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and sauté until garlic is golden brown. Remove fried garlic and set aside. Do not wash frying pan. 

Over medium high heat, add 2 tbsp of the fried garlic (and some garlic oil) into the same frying pan. Add sliced ginger and rice and stir fry the rice for about 5 minutes. Transfer "fried" rice into a rice cooker and add leftover chicken broth from Part A. Add pandan leaves, a pinch (or two) of salt, and turn on the rice cooker and let it work its magic. 

The remainder of the fried garlic (and oil) will be used in Part C for the Soy Dipping Sauce to go with the chicken rice.

June's Comments: Add sufficient liquid to the rice, as how you would usually cook plain rice. Don't make the rice too al dente, though. It needs to be soft, fluffy and fragrant. I've been using the pressure cooker to make my rice, and do not use as much liquid. Adding the extra chicken fat and skin from the broth when cooking the rice makes it extra fragrant!

Part (C) - Soy Dipping Sauce (for rice and chicken)

Ingredients

• Fried Garlic + oil from (Part B)
• 2 Tbsp Dark Sweet Soy Sauce
• 3 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce 
• 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 4 - 6 Tbsp Chicken Broth (from Part A)

Method

Mix all ingredients listed above in a bowl and set aside till serving time. 

Part (D) - Ginger Garlic Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• 8-10 Garlic Cloves, Finely Minced (About 3 Tbsp)
• 2 Stalk Green Onions/Scallion, Finely Chopped (About 3 Tbsp)
• 2 Inch Ginger, Peeled & Finely Minced (About 3 Tbsp)
• 8 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 1-1/2 Tsp Salt

Method

Mix all ingredients listed above in a bowl and set aside till serving time.

June's Comments: Must use fresh garlic. Do not use pre minced ones from the store. 

Part (E) - Optional Soup

Ingredients

• Remaining chicken broth from Part (A)
• 8-10 Fish Balls
• Dash of pepper
• 1 Stalk Green Onion/Scallion, Chopped
• Salt to tast

Method

Heat remaining chicken broth from Part A over medium high heat. Add fish balls and let them cook until they are "floating" and slightly "bloated". Season with pepper and salt if needed and garnish with chopped green onion before serving.

TO SERVE

Ahh... finally the serving and eating part. Community style would be easiest, that way everyone can take as much as they want. Drizzle some soy dipping sauce over the chicken thigh platter and serve with some sliced cucumbers. Serve rice warm, don't forget to bring out the tasty dipping sauces and simple soup! Enjoy!

*Sorry for the crappy picture. This was an older picture taken with my phone.

Simply June 

Braised Chicken & Mushroom

I made a huge pot of delicious hot and sour Chai Boey (literally translates to leftover) soup yesterday. I guess in the olden days and perhaps till today, the soup is partly made using left overs. Even though I know the husband and I can devour the soup with a bowl of rice, I had to cook a protein dish partly so that the husband has something to bring to work for lunch the next day. Soup is little messy to bring in a container, so a chicken dish it is!

I make dinner almost every weeknight and will usually cook a little more for the next day's lunch. It's a habit that I've been doing even when I'm working. It's nice to save a little bit of lunch money and I guess know what goes into your tummy. =) The money we save on weekday dinner/lunchs goes into out eating out escapades on the weekends.

Using whatever I had in the pantry and the fridge, I made a braised chicken and mushroom dish. The recipe might differ sometimes depending on what I have on hand. I usually do not add the snow peas to this dish, but couldn't help to add a pop of color into the dish. Plus mommy said I must eat my vege! Here's the recipe of the braised chicken and mushroom we had last night.

BRAISED CHICKEN & MUSHROOM RECIPE

Ingredients

• 4 Pieces Chicken Thigh, Cut into Pieces
• 1 Can Straw Mushroom, Drained
• 2 Inch Carrots, Sliced Thick
• 2-3 Oz Snow Peas
• 1/2 Medium Red Onion, Cut into wedges
• 2 Inch Ginger, Sliced
• 2-3 Garlic Cloves, Smashed
• 4-6 Pcs Dried Chili (for more heat, cut chili into pieces)
• 1 Stalk Green Onion, Cut into 1 inch 
• 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Dark (Sweet) Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Chinese Rice Wine
• 1/2 Cup Water 
• 3 Tsp Cornflour + 2 Tbsp Water Mixture

Method

Heat sesame oil in a wok over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add dried chili, ginger, garlic and sautee till slightly golden. Add chicken thigh, mushroom, onion, carrot, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce. Stir fry chicken until the meat is no longer pink, add rice wine and 1/2 cup water. Reduce heat to medium, and let chicken simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Add in snow peas and green onion. Stir in cornflour mixture and cook until sauce thickens. Serve immediately with warm rice.

Simply June 

Italian Wedding Soup

I saw this yummy Italian Wedding Soup recipe from my Ina Garten cook book and I’ve been wanting to attempt it for the longest time but never did until one snowy day. This was also sort of semi spontaneous as I only thought of making the soup while shopping for some groceries a day before the big snow storm (we were greeted by more than 19” of fresh powdery snow!!) Having to just know the key ingredients; ground meat, sausage, spinach, pasta and chicken stock, I guessed my way through the rest of the ingredients!
I’ve never tried Italian Wedding Soups before though I’ve seen it plentiful on menus. Most of the time, the meatballs are beef and if you know me well enough, I can get very picky when it comes to beef. I never knew what were the origins of the Italian Wedding Soup either. My best guess was it might be a soup served often at an Italian Wedding? After some Googling and yes the help of Wikipedia, I found out that it’s just a soup that consist of vegetables and meat and it’s very common in Italian restaurants in US. I guess, I was totally wrong about this being a typical soup being served at a Italian wedding! Extracted from Wikipedia, “The term "wedding soup" is a mistranslation of the Italian language, minestra maritata ("married soup"), which is a reference to the fact that green vegetables and meat go well together. Some form of minestra maritata was long popular in Toledo, Spain before pasta became an affordable commodity to most Spaniards, though the modern wedding soup is quite a bit lighter than the old Spanish form, which contained a large variety of meat, rather than just the meatballs of modern Italian-American versions”
Long story short, I modified and came up with my version of Italian Wedding soup very much inspired by Ina Garten. Her Italian Wedding Soup recipe can be found HERE. This soup is a perfect for lunch (or dinner) during one of those cold wintery days!

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP RECIPE
Ingredients:
Part A (Meatballs)

• 3 Hot/Spicy (Fresh) Italian Sausage (about 9 oz), Squeeze the meat from the casing
• 6 oz ground pork
• 1/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
• 1 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Parsley
• 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1 Tbsp Milk
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 Pinch of salt
• 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper

Part B (Soup)

• 2 Tbsp Oil
• 2 Stalk Celery, Finely Chopped (About 1 Cup)
• 2 Medium Onion, Finely Chopped (About 1 Cup)
• 3-4 Cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped
• 1 Cup Macaroni Elbows
• 10 Cups Chicken Stock
• 6 - 8 Oz Spinach
• Black Pepper
• Salt

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix Part A (meatballs), place the ground pork, sausage, bread crumbs, parsley, cilantro, Parmesan cheese, milk, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, measure about 1tsp of meatballs, roll them and drop them onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 80 x 1 tsp size meatballs).  Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, prepare part B (soup). In a pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1-2 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook until the spinach is just wilted. Serve immediately.
June’s comments: Feel free to omit the cilantro if you’re not a big fan of it. I love cilantro very much and try to include them in my meals whenever possible! This recipe serves 4-6.


Simply June