mmm-yoso!!!

Chicken Hekka (with one modification)

I'm guessing that not too many folks here on the mainland have heard of Chicken Hekka......

So what is Chicken Hekka? Well, most folks I know, and my Mom called it "Chicken Sukiyaki", though I thought it was a bit different than the Sukiyaki I know. There's also a Chinese influence, the addition of bean thread and ginger, and the use of white pepper for flavoring. So I'm not quite sure........

 I can say that it was a nice post-Thanksgiving meal, and really hit the spot on a very rainy day....the first one in over 160 days here in San Diego.

About fifteen years ago, I modified my recipe after seeing a version in Sam Choy's cookbook, With Sam Choy. I did make a couple of changes, including ratios, and not including cornstarch in the marinade.The one thing I took from that recipe was first creating a marinade for the chicken, in addition to the "warishita". That was the last bunch of changes I made, the last time I made this, maybe thirteen of so years ago.

There's one thing you'll quickly notice when looking at the photos of the Chicken Hekka:

Where the tofu??? To be perfectly frank, I forgot to buy tofu....sigh. Call it Karma for kidding Kayako of Umamimart for running out of rice. Since it was raining pretty hard, I decided to try to improvise. What I did have was some aburaage in the freezer, so I thawed that out, and quickly poured some boiling water over it remove the oil from the exterior. I cut the pieces crosswise into triangles and used that in place of tofu. And to be honest, I loved the fried tofu flavor and the aburaage also soaked up all the wonderful flavor of the sauce, so this might be the permanent change.....I'm thinking even thawed frozen tofu, which would soak up liquid like a sponge would work well too.

I also pour some boiling water over the bamboo shoot to remove the smell, which some find unpleasant. Again this is a pretty simple recipe........

 
 Chicken Hekka

1 - 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into cubes

Chicken Marinade:
1/2 Soy Sauce (I use Aloha Shoyu - old habits die hard)
2 Tb Mirin
2 Tb Dark Brown Sugar
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 Tb ginger grated
Dash of white pepper
1/3 Cup Canola Oil

Sauce:
3/4 Cup Soy sauce
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Mirin
1/3 Cup Water

2-3 Tb Canola Oil
1-2 packages of Long Rice (bean thread)
1 15 oz can of Bamboo Shoots sliced
8 oz Shiitake Mushrooms sliced
1 medium onion sliced
1 cup julienned carrot
2 stalks celery sliced
1-2 bunches watercress cut into 1" lengths
5-6 stalks green onion, green part only sliced in 1" lengths
1 2" piece of ginger crushed
1 Block of Tofu cubed or 4oz Aburaage cut into triangles

- Combine marinade items and marinate chicken for 30 minutes
- Combine sauce ingredients
- After marinating for 30 minutes or so. Heat a pot or wok over medium heat.
- Add 2-3 Tb of Canola Oil. Drain chicken and saute with crushed ginger until chicken starts to brown.
- Add the remaining marnade and bring to a boil
- Add onion, carrots, bamboo shoots, and celery and saute for a minute.
- Add the sauce, shiitake mushroom, aburaage(if using) and bean thread, mix, and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Add watercress and tofu (if using), mix gently, bring back to a simmer, and turn off heat.
- Add green onions before removing from heat.

And yes, you'll need rice for this dish....

A Chicken Hekka Story:

Yes, just like my Portuguese Bean Soup, I've got a Chicken Hekka story. The first time I recall having Chicken Hekka was in a garage in Lahaina, Maui. My Mom was from Maui, and we had to return for a funeral. Being just a "Keiki" (this was over 35 years ago), I was quite overwhelmed by all the folks...."uncles" and "aunties" that I had never met, and have never seen since.  There was a gathering, and in the garage there was a large cast iron pan of "Chicken Hekka" being made.  This was "Uncle's" special Chicken Hekka, and he held court, a bottle of Primo in hand. I distinctly remember being mesmerized by the bubbling pan of Hekka. "Uncle" noticed and squatted down.....I instantly caught the scent of pomade, Old Spice, and Primo..... In a whisper, "Uncle" asked me, "you wanna know da' secret of da' hekka?" It was not a question to be answered..... "Uncle" pointed to his bottle of Primo, "it's dis'.......da' secret." Fascinated, I watched "Uncle" making his Hekka and never noticed Primo being added. But the thing that I was most amazed by was that no matter how much Primo he drank, that bottle always seemed full. Hmmmm, the mystery of the unending bottle of Primo.......

Thanks for reading......no worries, a post of San Diego restaurants is coming up tomorrow!

Local Kine Portuguese Bean Soup

Overall, I think these are more cooking notes than a true recipe, as every version of this dish I've had has been different. I also call it "Local Kine" simply because, as with many dishes in Hawaii, it has been mixed with many "local" influences.

According to the timeline on Hawaiian-roots.com, the first large groups of Portuguese arrived in Hawaii in 1878. When the Portuguese arrived on the shores of Hawaii, they brought with them a variety of "food stuffs" that reflected the influences of a cuisine that had been traveling between the Old and New World for over 400 years. Even though at first glance, it would seem that the Portuguese is rather under-represented when compared to other cuisines in Hawaii, a closer look shows a large influence. For example, malsadas, or how's this, that King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread..... is a version of Pao Doce. And the real winna' as we would say, is what we call "Portuguese Sausage", a local version of Linguica. A simple breakfast trip to McDonald's when in the islands will quickly reveal how deeply embedded Portuguese Sausage is....... McDonald's serves Portuguese Sausage, Eggs, and Rice for breakfast. Or if you're really hungry, you can get the "Local Deluxe Breakfast". Portuguese Sausage, Spam®,  Eggs, and Rice. 

Of course this version bears no resemblance to the two, so called "real" versions of Portuguese Bean Soup I had, one of which had collard greens and no linguica, and the other had chayote. Also, the first version had a pretty intense anise and clove flavor. And I'm also guessing it may not resemble versions you've had of this soup in Hawaii, many of which will use chopped smoked ham, cabbage, and other stuffs. My soup is also bit more hearty, and perhaps uses a bit less kidney beans, mainly because part of the target audience really doesn't care for beans.

Instead of ham hocks, I really like the smoked pork shanks that Siesel's and Iowa Meat Farms carry. They have some heft. Also, since the phrase "Purity Brand is the only Portuguese sausage...." has been branded into my grey matter, that's what I use as well. I've posted about folks from Hawaii and brand loyalty before.

And then there's the elbow macaroni. The first Portuguese Bean Soup I had (see story at the end) had elbow macaroni in it. My Mom always made her's with elbow macaroni. These days I make maybe 8 ounces of macaroni, very al dente, and place in the soup bowl right before serving if desired. I've kinda lost my taste for mushy macaroni, especially since, like most soups, this tastes better the next day. At that point, the macaroni will have soaked up a lot of the broth, and become mush. As to the "why macaroni?" question. I'm guessing, that perhaps in the beginning it was used as filler.....

Another problem I used to run into was that all the flavor of the Portuguese Sausage would leach out into the broth. Great for the broth, but this leaves behind flavorless sausage. Also if you just add sliced raw onions, they would melt away pretty quickly as well. So a few years back, I added a step where I lightly saute the sausage. I then remove the sausage from the pan, and add the onions, which I also lightly saute. I deglaze the pan in the end with red wine vinegar, and reserve everything to add to the soup later on.

In the end, if you like more carrots, add carrots......more potatoes....you get it, right?

Local Kine Portuguese Bean Soup:

2-3 Smoked Pork Shanks or Ham Hocks
2 10oz Portuguese Sausages
2 large onions
1 bunch cilantro rinsed
5 cloves garlic
2 dried bay leaves
2 Tb Black Peppercorns
2 dried red chilies sliced in half and deseeded

1 16 oz can tomato puree
2 6 oz cans tomato paste
2 15oz cans of Kidney Beans
2-3 Tb Paprika
2+1-2 Tb Red wine Vinegar

4 Stalks of celery, plus 2-3 stalks of the leafy celery "heart"
3-4 carrots, plus 1 carrot chopped into four pieces
4 potatoes

Tabasco Sauce to taste
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Olive Oil
Water

- In one pot place the ham hocks and cover with water. I use anywhere from 8-12 cups. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, and red chilies.
- Quarter one onion and add to the pot, along with the celery "hearts" torn in half and the one chopped carrot.
- Chop off the stems of the cilantro, and chop about 3-4 tablespoons worth. Add this to the pot.
- Smash the garlic and also add to the pot.
- Bring to a slow simmer and cover.

- Slice the Portuguese Sausage into 1/2 - 3/4" rounds. Or, you could cube the sausage. At this point you'll have 4 end slices, which many folks don't like to eat. I throw this in the pot with the ham hocks to add flavor to the broth.

- Slice the other onion crosswise into slices.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium low heat. Add the olive oil to coat the pan, and lightly saute the sausage until partially cooked and firm. Remove and reserve sausage in a large bowl.
- Add onion slices and saute for a minute or two until slight soft.Deglaze with 2 tablespoons of red win vinegar. Remove onions and remaining "liquid" to the bowl with the sausage slices.

- Check on the Ham Hocks after about 2 hours. If the meat is soft and will come off the bone remove the hock to a plate.

- Strain the liquid through a colander, and discard the pieces of celery, bay leaf, etc....
- Pour the liquid back into the pot and place back over the low simmer.
- Place the ham hocks on a cutting board and chop to desired size, and set aside.
- Open the two cans of kidney beans a drain through a colander over a bowl. Reserve the liquid.
- Add the tomato puree, tomato paste, kidney beans, and paprika, and bring back to a simmer.
- when broth comes back to a simmer add the ham hocks back to the broth, along with the Portuguese Sausage and onions. Don't forget all of the liquid in the bottom of the bowl!
- Simmer for about 15 minutes, until sausage is heated through.

- Mean while chop, slice, or dice the celery, carrots, and potatoes as desired.
- Add the vegetables and simmer for 15 more minutes.

- After the 15 minutes, add 1/2 of the reserved liquid from the canned beans.
- Taste. If the flavor of the beans does not faintly come through add more liquid.
- Add salt and pepper, red wine vinegar, and tabasco, if desired to taste.

- At this point you can simmer until vegetables are cooked to the desired doneness, or simmer until vegetables are just a step before desired doneness if serving the next day.

You can serve garnished with cilantro, over some elbow macaroni, rice, or with bread (Pao Doce). Folks I know usually add a bit more Tabasco.

This recipe may seem pretty long, but it's mostly just letting things simmer. I actually made this while watching the Chargers beat the Eagles last weekend.

 If after this super long, but easy recipe, you're still up for a little story read on........

Portuguese Bean Soup and Cilantro.

Strangely enough, I remember the first time I had Portuguese Bean Soup. I must've been about four, since we were still living on Date street, and hadn't moved to Palolo yet. In the apartment across the way, lived a couple, and the husband was, at least to me at the time, a hulking man of Portuguese-Chinese decent. And as large as he seemed, his booming voice made him seem even larger. One day, "Uncle Henry" as I called him called my Mom and I over....... while my Mom and his wife chatted, "Henry" stood hunched over a large cauldron, slowly stirring and tasting. After awhile Henry declared, "it's ready, time to eat." And along with the "adult bowls", I was even given a "Keiki bowl" of soup. My Mother quickly told Henry, "I don't think he's going to like this....." But Henry shrugged her off and declared (he never really spoke, he declared), "Da' boy's hea' he eats...." To my Mother's surprise, and Henry's delight, I ate a couple of bowls..... it was three or four according to Mom. I remember that the flavors exploded in my mouth, and the soup went down wrapping me in a nice warm cloud of satisfaction. My Mother was curious about I enjoyed about the soup since it had Tabasco and Portuguese Sausage, and kids usually don't like spicy. So when she asked, I pointed to the sausage....and to her surprise, the cilantro, which we called Chinese Parsley. It was such a new a remarkable flavor, that I remember it to this day. Today, perhaps I'm able to duplicate the flavor of that bowl, but have seldom been able to capture the wonderful feeling of discovering new flavors.......

Hmmm.... I think someone's waiting for a Ham Hock bone.... And maybe a haircut after that????

Fish Sauce Glazed Grilled Chicken Wings

This recipe was born when FOY (Friend of Yoso) and regular commenter "Billy" mentioned that he makes his Nuoc Mam Cham on the stovetop, using heat to help dissolve the sugar. I thought about using that method to create a glaze for chicken wings, and this recipe was born.

What you see is the second try at the making these wings. The first time I tried making these, I was on call, and just as I placed the wings on the grill, I was paged and had to leave my wings. I turned everything over to the Missus, who is unfamiliar with two tiered grilling.... setting up the grill for direct and indirect heat. She left the wings on direct heat, basting with a sugar based sauce! By the time I resolved the problem, the Missus had the black as coal wings on a plate on the dining table. I gotta leave it to the Missus, She really accomplished something special here...... creating something on the grill that was charred black on the outside, and still totally raw on the inside! I was so grossed out that I decided to not try to make this again. Until.........

A couple of weeks ago, the Missus told me that She wanted some grilled Tamarind Shrimp. While buying shrimp, I saw some chicken wings, and bought a couple of pounds. I returned home with nothing particular in mind. After a bit I decided to give Fish Sauce Wings another shot. A couple of things; I use the two tiered grilling method; half of the grill is set-up for direct heat, the other half for indirect heat. The sugar and fat will mean that the wings will burn really quickly (as in the previous try), so I crisp up the chicken over direct heat, and baste with the sauce when I move the wings to indirect heat.

I grilled using a combination of half Kiawe Charcoal, half hardwood charcoal. If you were to taste the glaze, you'd think I was crazy, it seems too salty(no water in this one), and sweet. But because it's a glaze, it works out quite well. And yes, it is yet another super simple recipe........ and of course, please make adjustments to taste....

Fish Sauce Glazed Grilled Chicken Wings:

2 1/2 - 3 lbs of chicken wings
2 Tb Sea Salt
2 Tb Fish Sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
Fish Sauce Glaze (see below)

- Set up grill for two tiered grilling - half the grill set-up for direct heat, the other for indirect heat.
- Combine chicken wings, salt, fish sauce, and canola oil in a large bowl. Mix wings to coat well.
- Grill wings over direct heat for one turn to brown and crisp up the skin.
- Move wings to indirect heat portion of the grill and baste several times.
- Baste one last time before removing from the grill.

Fish Sauce Glaze:

1/2 Cup Fish Sauce
1/2 Cup white sugar
2-3 Thai Chilies sliced
4-5 cloves garlic finely minced
Lime juice to taste

- Combine fish sauce and sugar in a small pot.
- Heat over medium heat until sugar is dissolved
- Add garlic and chilies
- Bring to a light simmer and remove from heat

Spicy Chinese Steamed Eggplant with Sizzling Soy Sauce

Do you remember the Steamed Eggplant dish from Hunan Chilli King ? Well apparently it's been on the Missus's mind. Because of work, and our just plain busy schedules, it doesn't seem like we'll be able to get to the SGV for a while. So the Missus ordered requested that I try my hand at making the dish. It's really not that difficult, this is just your basic Chinese steamed fish dish, using eggplant instead of the fish. There are some nuances, but you'll spend most of your time waiting for the eggplant to finish steaming.

  

I made this twice over the past week, and what follows are mostly notes, and guidelines.

First off, I used four Japanese Eggplants, the main reason being I don't have a very large steamer, and I could arrange the eggplants in the shape of the plate. Making the first recipe, I added five whole cloves of garlic, one thumb size piece of ginger sliced into a thin julienne, and 2 tablespoons of fermented black bean that had been rinsed. I found that the ginger pretty much got lost in the whole steaming process. So making the second recipe, I placed the eggplant into the steamer with just the black bean and garlic. The garlic becomes soft and tender, and really tastes very sweet eaten whole.

 

So what of the ginger? I end up adding the ginger during the last ten minutes of steaming, along with 4 sliced serrano chilies. I tried adding the serranos at the end, but they tasted a bit too "green". The ten minutes of steam time softens them, and makes them sweeter. Those red chilies are added after steaming. I bought them frozen at Lucky Seafood..... they are pretty spicy.

The eggplant was first sliced in half lengthwise, than half again. They steam for about forty minutes.

 

While the eggplants are steaming, you can make the sauce. I start with a basic recipe of 1/4 cup superior or premium soy sauce to 1-1/2 tablespoon of white sugar. In this case, I did a double recipe. After mixing well to dissolve the sugar, I tasted and adjusted the sweetness. To finish, I drizzled in about 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil. Add the sauce to the eggplant during the end of the steaming process.

Meanwhile heat peanut oil until smoking. Bring the steamed eggplants to the table a pour the hot oil over the eggplant. You'll have some nice "sizzle-vision" going on.....

 

 

I noticed that the skin on the Japanese Eggplants are very soft and tender, the eggplant is creamy..... you'll need to good amount of rice as well.

Quick Midweek Crab Cakes

I had bought a pound of lump crab meat to make something relatively quick on Wednesday. A frittata, or even some quesadillas. When the Missus found out about the Crab meat, She put in Her two cents. She wanted Crab Cakes. Crab Cakes? I didn't even think She liked Crab Cakes, and She hadn't requested that before. I still pushed the fritatta issue, but in the end, you know what happened, right? She got Her Crab Cakes. And it took me less than 20 minutes to put together and get to the table. Not the prettiest Crab Cakes, but the Missus really enjoyed them:

 

I also knew that I needed a sauce, so looking through the fridge, I came up with a Wasabi Mayonnaise, it's so simple, I don't dare call it an aioli. It really turned out to be easy, and I used only items I had on hand. I placed the Crab Cakes on Purple Perilla leaves I had leftover from the Missus's Bun we had two days earlier. I first made the Wasabi Mayo, mixed the ingredients, and placed it in the refrigerator to allow the flavors bind. Not wanting to wrack my brains with too many measurements I kept things simple as you'll see. I think you can stretch the recipe by adding more panko, and even put other filler/flavoring items, smoked corn, minced jalapeno, and celery come to mind.

Quick MidWeek Crab Cakes:

1 lb lump crab meat
1 cup Panko
1/2 cup Mayonnaise (Hellman's or Best Foods)
1 Egg slightly beaten
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Malt Vinegar
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
Canola Oil

- Gently combine ingredients.
- Gently form the mixture into about 6 patties
- Heat 1/2 cup Canola oil over medium heat.
- Fry the crab cakes about 2-3 minutes each side.

Wasabi Mayonnaise:
1 cup Mayonnaise
2 Tb Wasabi Paste
1 clove garlic finely minced with some salt into a fine paste
a squeeze of lemon juice

- Combine ingredients and place in the refrigerator to set.

Funny thing, the Missus and I eat a pretty good variety of foods. But since we usually stick to the Asian end of things, we found the Crab Cakes to be delicious, but very rich. I could only eat 1, so perhaps I'll need to cut the mayo and increase the panko next time.

Grilled Shrimp two ways - Tamarind Glazed Shrimp & Lemongrass Shrimp

Well, summer has just left out the door, and we decided to make the best of Labor Day by doing a bit of grilling. The Missus wanted some Bun (rice vermicelli) for dinner with grilled shrimp. She wasn't quite sure how She wanted the shrimp prepared, and just told me "try not to make it suck", which is better translated into "I'm craving this, so whatever you make better not suck......" So when I offered two possibilities, either Tamarind Shrimp or Lemongrass Shrimp, the Missus said to make them both.

 

I was kinda glad She chose the Tamarind Shrimp, as I had this bottle of Tamarind concentrate lying dormant in the cupboard waiting to be tried out. It had been an impulse buy God knows how many months ago. I usually will do the tamarind pulp thing, reconstitute in hot water into a paste, and strain out the pulp, and I really wondered how this would measure up. It actually did pretty well. It is perhaps a bit weaker than the stuff I make from scratch, but it worked perfectly fine on the shrimp.

The Tamarind Glazed Shrimp is a riff of Alan Wong's Tamarind Glazed Shrimp Tacos recipe in his book, Alan Wong's New Wave Luau. I added fish sauce and sriracha to give it a more savory and spicy kick. BTW, for those who think that Kalbi Tacos is something new, Alan Wong's been serving that stuff up since the late 90's, and there's a recipe in his book.

The Lemongrass Shrimp was based on a recipe from Mai Pham's Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table but has been modified to our taste, more garlic, fish sauce, and chili paste.

I realized when the shrimp were done that although they taste very different, it's hard to tell them apart:

The Tamarind Shrimp (on the left) have a nice shiny sheen from the basting, while the Lemongrass Shrimp (on the right) looks a bit drier. In the end, the Missus preferred the flavors of the Tamarind Shrimp. If you're using wooden skewers, don't forget to soak in water for about a half hour before using.

Tamarind Glazed Grilled Shrimp

1/2 Cup Tamarind Concentrate or Tamarind Paste
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
2 Tb Honey
2-3 Tb Sriracha
3 Tb Fish Sauce
Sea Salt
1 lb 16-20 Shrimp, shelled, deveined, tail left on - skewered

- Combine all ingredients except salt and shrimp until sugar has dissolved.
- Lightly salt shrimp with sea salt.
- Place shrimp on the grill over direct heat (I use combo hardwood and Kiawe charcoal), and brush with Tamarind Glaze.I was surpised at the amount of basting liquid, but did use it all up with constant basting.
- Grill for about two minutes on each side. Baste one final time with glaze just before removing from grill.

Lemongrass Shrimp

4 Stalks of Lemongrass outer layers removed, pounded with the knife to release oils, and minced (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup).
3 Cloves of Garlic minced finely
1 Tb Soy Sauce
2 Tb Fish Sauce
1 Tb Chili Paste
2 Tb Sugar
2 Tb Canola Oil
1 lb 16-20 Shrimp, shelled, deveined, tail left on

- Combine all ingredients except shrimp in a bowl until sugar has dissolved.
- Add shrimp and gently mix until all the shrimp are coated with marinade.
- Place in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to let shrimp lightly marinate.
- Thread shrimp onto skewers.
- Grill over direct heat for about two minutes each side.

 

You really don't have to do the "Bun thing", but the Missus really enjoyed it.......

Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Puree

We've been grilling like crazy the last couple of weekends. The Missus' has been craving grilled mushrooms and roasted red peppers. She'd usually make sandwiches during the week of roasted red peppers, a roasted medium-mild, yellow chili, sometimes called a Santa Fe Chili Pepper. She's drizzle on some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and some feta cheese and be good to go. On one of our grilling sessions I roasted a few extra red peppers, which I put aside to puree, which is quite versatile. You can use the puree as a sauce, or in a vinaigrette, or even as the Missus used it....as a spread for bread. Check out Judy's wonderful Food Blog Tinker with Food, for another great idea.  

 

There are a couple of ways you can roast bell peppers, you can read a bit about it here. I usually rub some olive oil on the peppers and roast them on the grill until charred, softened, and looking a bit "deflated". I place in a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. I also will often wrap a couple of bulbs of garlic, excess "skin" removed, tops chopped to reveal the cloves, covered with a bit of olive oil, in aluminum foil, and place in the "indirect heat" portion of my grill to roast. Conversely, you can roast garlic in the oven. Anyway, I've already typed in too many words for something so easy to make.

Roasted Garlic and Red Bell Pepper Puree:

 

3-4 large roasted bell peppers, charred skin removed, cut into sections.
1 bulb of roasted garlic
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (more as necessary)
Salt to Taste.

- Remove the roasted garlic cloves from the bulb by holding the bottom of the bulb, and squeezing.
- Place roasted bell peppers, roasted garlic, and olive oil in a blender and puree to desired thickness. Drizzle in more olive oil if necessary.
- Remove puree, taste, add salt, and stir briefly by hand to mix.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups. I also let the puree sit about 1 hour to "set".

On this night, I threw together a quick meal. Inexpensive sashimi grade scallops from Nijiya were seared, and plated on a good amount of the puree.

 

I topped off the scallops with wasabi tobiko, and sprinkled crushed oregano and ground red chili powder to garnish.......

To make a vinaigrette, simply replace the usual amount of mustard, or whatever emulsifier) with the red pepper puree.

Grilled Cumin and Sichuan Peppercorn Lamb Loin Chops

Today was another grill day, it is still kinda hot here, so the prospect of grilling was quite attractive. I try to do something a bit different during every grill session. Today, I had some Lamb Loin Chops. I really didn't have anything in mind when I purchased the chops. Returning home, I still had no idea of what to make. I was replying to some comments on my Shao Kao 818 postwhen it came to me. We were very disappointed with the Yang Rou Chuan, and I wondered, how hard is it to get the wonderful salty-cumin flavor of good Yang Rou Chuan...... Rummaging through my pantry, I managed to put together the ingredients for this dish.

 

The Sichuan Peppercorn heightened the saltiness of the dish, and really didn't hit you right away. You felt a numbing "buzz" a few seconds after eating the chops, it was quite interesting. Much like my Cumin Lamb recipe, I do a short marinade before grilling. Make sure to toast those cumin seeds until the wonderful smell of "BO" floats around your kitchen.

Grilled Cumin and Sichuan Peppercorn Lamb Loin Chops:

Spice Mix:
4 Tb toasted Cumin Seeds
2 Tb roasted and ground Sichuan Peppercorn
2 Tb sea salt
1 Tb ground coriander
Ground red chili to taste

Marinade:
1/4 cup Premium Light Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Canola Oil
2-3 Tb Shaoxing Wine
2 Tb Dark Soy sauce
4 cloves Garlic finely minced

- Mix marinade and pour or brush marinade over lamb chops. Make sure to coat lamb chops well.
- Let lamb chops marinate for 20-30 minutes
- Sprinkle on a generous amount of the spice mix, making sure to getting some on the sides of the chop.
- Let chops sit for at least 10 minutes before grilling.

- Grill to desired doneness. As a whole, most Chinese are used to eating their lamb well done. Make sure to turn the chops and grill on the edges and sides as well.
 

I've been grilling a lot of Shishamo (sm elt) for the Missus. Recently, the Missus found that She really enjoys grilled Urume Maruboshi (dried round herring):

  

For some reason, the grilled fish always catches my attention. I wasn't quite sure why....until today. Doesn't this look really familiar?

 

 

What do you think?

 

(BTW, The Scream by Edvard Munch is in the public domain in the United States because it was first published more than 95 years ago.)

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

More Grilling - Revised Kalbi Recipe & Ono Kiawe Charcoal

Was it hot enough for you today? Sheesh...... Of course, the Missus decided that She wanted some grilling done this weekend, so why not?

I originally posted a Kalbi recipe over four years ago, and the recipe has changed a bit since then, so I thought I'd post an update. Since we often use our posts as references, I hope that you don't mind if I do this post. We'll be back with another restaurant tomorrow.

  

You'll notice that these aren't the usual crosscut short ribs that you see in most places. Nowadays, if I'm going to put out the effort ot make Kalbi, I'll always go for the thick cut ribs, and slice them myself. I can go anywhere and get cheapo "LA Kalbi" which is what they call the perpendicular cross-cut ribs. So I'll always go with good quality thick cut ribs.

 

You can see how I cut these in this post, though I've gotten a bit better at it.

 

I've also noticed that higher grade ribs are saved for the thick cut ribs at Zion Market. These were really good, perhaps even good enough for Saeng Kalbi (unmarinated ribs).

 

Another standard when it comes to making the sauce I use is "Mulyeot" - Malt Syrup. Along with adding a nice sheen to the ribs, it adds a more interesting flavor, and is not as sweet. If you have time search out a Barley Malt Syrup, it has better flavor. I was dodging shopping carts and crowds at Zion Market and was in a rush when I bought this. I also tend to add some fruit, usually Asian Pear to my marinade, but in this case settled for some Kiwi. I've stopped using papaya, not because it's not effective, but because it works a bit too well, and can turn your meat to mush. Be aware that my Kalbi is not on the sweet side, so you may want to adjust the sugar level. You may also want to cut the amount in half for smaller quantities. Remember to taste your marinade. Also, the sesame oil is optional, sometimes I use it, sometimes not. I've pared down my recipe over the last couple of years, of course I kinda like things simple.......

Kalbi Marinade

Marinade - enough for 4-5 pounds of ribs
1 Cup Soy Sauce
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Malt Syrup
1/4 Cup Rice Wine - I used Sake
4 Cloves of Garlic
4 Stalks Green Onion
1 Kiwi or 1/3 Asian Pear
1-2 Tb Sesame Oil

- Roughly chop garlic, fruit, and green onion and place in a blender.
- Add soy sauce, sugar, and malt syrup and blend.
- Add rice wine and sesame oil, and briefly blend.
- Taste and adjust flavor.
- Marinade ribs at least 6 hours, but no more than 16.

The Missus' grilled mushroom of the day was Eryngii (King Mushrooms). Simply seasoned with sea salt and olive oil, thse were really good. I chose mushrooms that weren't too large, large one's might be attractive, but for grilling I've found them tough and dry.

  

Ono Kiawe Charcoal.

While just taking a quick look at Barbeques Galore.....where I just like to kinda look around, but had never bought anything, I saw this bag:

 

Wow, Kiawe Charcoal! Man, I haven't even heard the word Kiawe for who knows how long. As I inspected the bag, a salesman swooped in to make a sale. I quickly noticed the "Product of Mexico" on the bag, which is not a big deal since Kiawe is a species of Mesquite . I was more concerned about this being sold as "A Hawaiian tradition". Of course, it was quickly pointed out that it also said "Created in Hawaii", and was told that the wood comes from Hawaii, but is made into Charcoal in Mexico. I wasn't fully sold on that, but what the heck......

Now, I'm not a charcoal expert, nor an expert on anything really, but this tasted pretty close to what I remembered. It also popped and crackled like crazy, and ashed(makes a good bit of ash) up just like Kiawe. Good flavor though. Also, some of the chunks were more like stumps....they were huge and unwieldy, and needed to be broken down. It lights quickly and burns fast, I'd recommend mixing with another hardwood charcoal.

As you can see, Sammy's still not quite sold...though he did think the rib bones were mighty tasty.

  

I hope you managed to keep cool over this hot weekend!

A Grillin' Fourth - An updated Lebanese Garlic Paste Recipe, and a simple Greek Marinade

Happy Fourth Everyone!

This year, just like millions of households across the US we decided to do some grillin' for the Fourth of July. We just kept things simple. I do have one bad habit....I'm notorious for trying to squeeze every single last spark from my charcoal, so a morning of grilling usually encompasses at least several different preparations.

 

This year, along with roasting peppers for future use in sandwiches and salads, I found that the Missus loves simple grilled oyster mushrooms. The mushrooms are simply coated with Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and seasoned with sea salt and oregano. The char was removed from the peppers, and it was topped with Greek Feta from North Park Produce and roasted in a pan.

 

The Missus also wanted some grilled sardines, and I found some fresh local sardines(Iwashi) at Nijiya.

 

I also bought some Lamb Shoulder from NPP, cut it into cubes, and used my general purpose Greek Marinade for the meat. It is so easy that I'm kinda embarrassed to share:

Greek style Marinade for Lamb or Chicken:

1/2 Cup Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
6-8 cloves of garlic minced
1-2 Tb dried oregano
1 Tb Kosher Salt

- Mix ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Marinade 1-2 lbs of meat overnight.

I used the meat for kabobs:

 

The marinade did a great job tenderizing the meat. I ate these wrapped in a pita with a nice smear of Garlic Sauce.

Speaking of Garlic Sauce, here's an update of the recipe I posted back in 2006. Going for the "Zankou" effect, I added mashed potato to give the sauce body.

Lebanese Garlic Sauce:
2 Bulbs of Garlic peeled and separated
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Russet Potato, boiled and mashed
2 Tsp Kosher Salt

- Combine garlic, lemon juice, and salt in a blender.
- Blend until a smooth "paste" is achieved
- While blender is running, slowly add olive oil into the blender in a thin stream until the mixture thickens.
- After mixture thickens, stop the blender and add 2-3 Tb mashed potato, and blend. Keep adding mashed potato until desired thickness is reached.
- Refrigerate overnight. 

Be aware that your breath will probably be politically incorrect for a while after consuming this.

 

The last item for the grill were some chicken wings. I had eight wings total, so I seasoned four of the wings with sea salt and canola oil. In need of some variety, I took a few tablespoons of the garlic sauce, and a few tablespoons of canola oil, added a touch of salt and rubbed the other four wings down with the mixture. I let the wings sit for about 20 minutes or so.

The garlic wings are on the left, the salt only wings are on the right:

 

I think I'll use my "old" garlic sauce recipe and marinate some wings overnight next time. I do enjoy hardwood charcoal grilled wings seasoned with just salt.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Fourth of July!