Garlicky Chicken 'Steak'

I usually don't add chili to this dish but this time I did and thought "why didn't I?!"  Salt-n-peppered boneless chicken thighs are pan seared crisped then sliced garlic and chili are added.  Simple but so very tasty. 

Echigo Denemon Junmai Dai Ginjyo 越後伝衛門純米大吟醸

I was so happy to find this bottle in the back of the wine fridge.  Bought a few about 3 years ago and thought I had drunk them all.  This got to be one my of favourite amongst sakes available here one time or another.  It is dry but not thin or sharp, plenty of rice, fruit and floral fragrance. The mouth feel is full but nowhere near heavy.  The tail is long and smooth with sweet rice and peaches carrying through.  It is open and generous, nothing boring or austere about it, very gregarious and happy.  Too bad this is the last bottle.

Curry Beef 咖哩牛腩

This is about the heaviest curry I make.  The cut is brisket, quite fat and with a fair amount of tendons.  Combine that with coconut milk, it is heavy.  I make the curry powder myself by toasting and grinding some cumin, coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, black poppy seeds, chili flakes and black pepper then  blend it with turmeric powder and hot chili powder.  Since I like to use the pressure cooker for the moist texture, I marinate the meat with this mixture for a couple of days before cooking so the flavours penetrate without long cooking.  For the cooking part, garlic, ginger and onion are first sautéed first before the meat is added, chunks of carrot, lime leaves and salt are next.  After a couple of minutes, water is added to cover and then cook under pressure for half an hour.   The meat is now just the other side of completely tender.  Big pieces of potatoes and coconut milk join the pot and then under pressure for 10 more minutes.  I like peas, so frozen peas go in to just warm through.  Certainly not a dish to eat too much or the heart may stop, but since it is so rich, a little on rice goes a long long way.  I ain't so bad after all, I hope...

Lione's Head 蝦籽獅子頭

Lion's head is what Chinese call meatballs because the way they look.  The most famous is made with the precious fresh water crab roes in the fall.  Chinese crabs are not imported to Canada and it is still spring so I made these with shrimp roes instead.  The roes are dried and look like reddish brown poppy seeds.  I toasted the roes light first.  The trick of making a good lion's head is in the mixing.  Seasonings are simply and basic, just scallion, ginger, sugar and soy sauce.  The technical part is to mix the meat in the same direction while adding water until it is saturated but not overflowing with water yet holds together well.  Shaped and fried before slowing cooking them in water, sugar, soy sauce, shaoxing  wine, for a couple of hours.  Since I was using shrimp roes already, I figured why not use some dry shrimps and shiitake mushroom too?  In they went also.  The result is even better then expected.  What they like to say in hip restaurants these days...?  Oh, yeah, umami bombs, and those they are.

Unchop

Seems like I still can't get out of the pork world yet.  I was lazy and didn't want to go shopping today.  While staring at the fridge, I found only some ground pork.  To be quick, I made some zhajiang 炸醬 for noodles to calm the hunger.  Zhajiang is one of those things that is all over East Asia, no matter if you are in different parts of China, Korea or Japan, you find this sauce made with pork and the local favourite bean sauces, Korean uses black bean sauce chunjang 춘장, in Beijing they use huangjiang 黃醬 or sweat bean sauce 甜麵醬, in Guangdong we use hoisin sauce 海鮮醬...  For this one, I lightly sautéed some ginger and garlic then lightly brown some ground pork; carrot dices, sweet bean sauce and hot bean sauce 辣豆瓣醬　went it for half a minute or so before water was added.  Simmer for 15 minutes to make a thick meat sauce.  That is my zhajiang mian of the day.

Yet More Chops

I sliced the thick chop in halves this time and simply salt-n-peppered them before dusting them with seasoned flour.  Quickly seared in a hot pan and that's it.  It is a little boring, particularly with rice, so I made a smoky and slightly spicy carrot and kelp salad to go with it.  The salad is dressed with black mustard seeds popped in hot oil, rice vinegar, sugar, salt and hot chili powder.  Despite the meat, it feels light and refreshing because of the salad.

Meated, This Time

Last week I made a similar tofu dish without meat and, for variety sake, I have some small cubed pork.  With it I added yellow back wood ears 黃背耳 for crunch.  Seasonings are Sichuan hot bean paste 郫縣豆瓣, Shaoxing liquor 紹興酒, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil.  Inhaled it quickly with rice. 

More Chops

I wanted a sandwich but found that I am out of sandwich meats so I sautéed a salt-n-peppered pork chop then fit it in between my own bread, lettuce and Dijon mustard.  Very simple, passable for a quick lunch. 

Pork Chop

I found out that this preparation is best with thin chops.  These thicker chops are salt-n-peppered then brown with garlic and cumin added towards the end.  This works well with thin chops and chicken thighs but with thick chops, the flavour doesn't penetrate enough  The garlic though work well with mash potato and giant mustard green. 

Mushroom Silky Chicken Rice in a Pot 北菇滑雞煲仔飯

This is quick and simply and a Cantonese favourite.  Chicken pieces, sliced reconstituted shiitake mushroom, salt preserved radish 沖菜 and red dates are marinated with sugar, salt, cornstarch and soy sauce for half an hour.  Cook rice and water in a clay pot until the water has been absorbed and drop below the top of the rice then add the chicken and cook at medium heat for 15 or so minutes until the chicken is cook.  

No Knead Pizza

Haven't made pizza for a while so I thought "why not try to make one with the NY Times no knead bread dough?"  It turns out good, a little bread-y but light and tender still.  For the sauce I just drained some chopped canned tomato with salt, crushed pepper, oregano, chopped garlic and black pepper.  Toppings are Parmigiano Reggiano, mozzarella, maple smoked bacon and onion.  I have never made pizza with bacon before so the result is a little unusual to me. It feel more like a Flammekueche then pizza to me, strange. 

Beef Stew Soup...?

To most Chinese Euro-American soup is a bit of a mystery.  To Chinese a soup is rather watery, more like a consommé.  These days, most of the soup you find in restaurants out here in North America at least tends to be of the thicker kinds--beef barley, pumpkin...and the like.  To a Chinese, these are more stew than soup.  Here I have a beef stew that is slight more saucy than usually, so you tell me, is it a soup or a stew?

No Meat

I decided not to put meat into this dish because, well, I did not have any handy.  Tofu and eggplant need seasoning so in goes garlic chives, garlic, ginger, hot bean sauce 辣豆瓣醬, sugar and soy sauce.  A little sesame oil to finish and I don't miss the meat a bit.

Pork Chop and Lentil

I realize by looking at this picture that this combination is not providing very good colour combination,all different shades of brown.  It is good eating though.  The chop is simply salt-and-peppered and then pan seared with some fennel seeds.  The lentil is cooked with onion, carrot, garlic, green bell pepper, tomato paste and chicken stock.  Taste-wise, it is an excellent combination, I have to work on the colour scheme.