Tag: Asian

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Oyakodon (Chicken & Egg Bowl)

Oyakodon (Chicken & Egg Bowl) 親子丼 | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com
Print
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course: Main Course
Servings: 2
Ingredients
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • ½ onion
  • 2 large eggs
Seasonings (ample amount – do not need to use all): (I used all)
To serve:
Instructions
  1. Gather all the ingredients.
    Oyakodon Ingredients
  2. Combine dashi, mirin, sake, soy sauce in a bowl or a liquid measuring cup.
    Oyakodon 1
  3. Add sugar and mix all together until sugar is dissolved.
    Oyakodon 2
  4. Thinly slice the onion and chop mitsuba (or green onion). Beat one egg in a small bowl (you will need to beat another egg when you work on the second batch).
    Oyakodon 3
  5. Slice the chicken thigh diagonally and cut into 1.5″ (4 cm) pieces. I recommend using “sogigiri” cutting technique so the chicken will be equal thickness and create more surface area for fast cooking.
    Oyakodon 4
  6. We make one serving at a time using a small frying pan. Divide all the ingredients in half. Add half of the onion in a single layer.  Pour roughly 1/3 to ½ of the seasonings mixture (depending on the size of your frying pan, the amount may vary). You will need just enough sauce to cover the onion and chicken.
    Oyakodon 5

  7. Add half of the chicken on top of the onion. Make sure the onion and chicken are evenly distributed.  Turn on the heat to medium heat and bring to a boil.

    Oyakodon 6

  8. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium low heat. Skim off any foam or scum if you see any. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

    Oyakodon 7

  9. Slowly and evenly drizzle the beaten egg over the chicken and onion. Cook covered on medium low heat until the egg is done to your liking. Usually Oyakdon in Japan is served with almost set but runny egg.

    Oyakodon 8
  10. Add the mitsuba (or green onion) right before removing from the heat. Pour the chicken and egg on top of steamed rice and drizzle desired amount of remaining sauce.
    Oyakodon 9

 

Posted on » by Dino » Theme:

Soba-Cha Pudding (Roasted-Buckwheat Custard)

These egg custards are rich and dense, with a silky-smooth texture. The secret ingredient is Japanese roasted-buckwheat tea (called soba-cha). Somewhat similar to chestnuts, the buckwheat adds a deeply nutty, toasted flavor that pairs beautifully with the lightly sweet dairy in the custards.

Recipe courtesy of Serious Eats.

Yield: Serves 4
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 5 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces heavy cream (1 ½ cups; 355ml), plus more as needed
  • 1 ½ ounces soba-cha, or roasted-buckwheat tea (¼cup; 45g), plus more for garnish (see note)
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 6 large egg yolks (about 4 ounces; 115g)
  • 3 ounces sugar (7 tablespoons; 85g)
  • Whipped cream, for garnish

Special Tools

  • 4 (4- or 6-ounce) ramekins
  • fine-mesh strainer
  • flexible rubber or silicone spatula
  • instant-read thermometer

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Bring a kettle of water to a boil. In a medium saucier or saucepan, combine cream with soba-cha and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat, stirring and scraping the bottom and sides frequently with a rubber or silicone spatula to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and let steep for 5 minutes.
  2. Fine-strain infused cream into a heatproof measuring cup, pressing down on soba-cha to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard soba-cha. Add enough fresh cream to infused cream to top it up to 1 1/2 cups total. Season with a scant pinch of salt.
  3. In a clean medium saucier or saucepan (you can also use the same one from step 1, as long as it has cooled sufficiently that it won’t cook the yolks), whisk egg yolks with sugar, then pour hot infused cream into egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly. Set over medium-low heat and cook, stirring and scraping bottom and sides of pot with a rubber or silicone spatula, until custard registers 140°F (60°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from heat.
  4. Fine-strain custard, then divide into ramekins and set ramekins in a baking dish. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil, leaving a small opening in the foil, and transfer to oven. Pour prepared boiling water into baking dish, being careful not to splash it into ramekins, until water comes about 3/4 of the way up the ramekin sides. Seal foil and bake custards until just set, 30 to 45 minutes.
  5. Carefully remove baking dish from oven, making sure not to slosh water, and let custards cool in water bath for about 1 hour. Remove ramekins from water bath, cover with plastic, and refrigerate until fully chilled, at least 3 hours.
  6. Custards can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. To serve, top with whipped cream and garnish with a few stray roasted buckwheat seeds.
Posted on » by Dino » Theme:

The Best General Tso’s Chicken Recipe

Recipe by J. Kenji López-Alt, courtesy of Serious Eats

Notes

For this event my initial thought was to make Kung Pao chicken. I mentioned this to a friend of mine from Hong Kong who replied with, “WHAT? Of all the dishes, you’re going to make Kung Pao? Boo! I’m disappointed.” So with that, I felt I had to up my game.

This dish was time consuming, not very difficult, but I was quite pleased with the result feel that it was well worth the effort. Did it have anything to do with Chinese New Year? Probably not, it’s technically an American dish.

Apparently I did not follow the directions too closely with regards to the green onions, so we didn’t have any segments mixed in. That would have been nice. I suppose I’ll have to make this one all over again sometime. I doubled this recipe for the group.

Ingredients

For the Marinade

  • 1 egg white
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (substitute with dry sherry or other dry cooking wine)
  • 2 tablespoons 80-proof vodka
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch chunks

For the Dry Coating

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine* (see note above)
  • 2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seed oil
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 2 teaspoons peanut, vegetable, or canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 medium cloves)
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (about one 1-inch piece)
  • 2 teaspoons minced scallion bottoms (about 1 scallion), plus 6 to 8 scallions, white parts only, cut into 1-inch lengths
  • 8 small dried red Chinese or Arbol chilies

To Finish

  • 1 1/2 quarts peanut or other high smoke-point oil for deep frying
  • Steamed white rice for serving

Directions

For the Marinade

  1. Beat egg whites in a large bowl until broken down and lightly foamy.
  2. Add soy sauce, wine, and vodka and whisk to combine. Set aside half of marinade in a small bowl.
  3. Add baking soda and corn starch to the large bowl and whisk to combine.
  4. Add chicken to large bowl and turn with fingers to coat thoroughly.
  5. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

For the Dry Coat

  1. Combine flour, corn starch, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk until homogeneous.
  2. Add reserved marinade and whisk until mixture has coarse, mealy clumps. Set aside.

For the Sauce

  1. Combine soy sauce, wine, vinegar, chicken stock, sugar, sesame seed oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir with a fork until cornstarch is dissolved and no lumps remain. Set aside.
  2. Combine oil, garlic, ginger, minced scallions, and red chilies in a large skillet and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are aromatic and soft, but not browned, about 3 minutes.
  3. Stir sauce mixture and add to skillet, making sure to scrape out and sugar or starch that has sunk to the bottom. Cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens, about 1 minute.
  4. Add scallion segments.
  5. Transfer sauce to a bowl to stop cooking, but don’t wipe out skillet.

To Finish

  1. Heat 1 1/2 quarts peanut, vegetable, or canola oil in a large wok or Dutch oven to 350°F and adjust flame to maintain temperature.
  2. Working one piece at a time, transfer chicken from marinade to dry coat mixture, tossing in between each addition to coat chicken. When all chicken is added to dry coat, toss with hands, pressing dry mixture onto chicken so it adheres, and making sure that every piece is coated thoroughly.
  3. Lift chicken one piece at a time, shake off excess coating, and carefully lower into hot oil (do not drop it). Once all chicken is added, cook, agitating with long chopsticks or a metal spider, and adjusting flame to maintain a temperature of 325 to 375°F, until chicken is cooked through and very crispy, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a paper towel-lined bowl to drain.
  4. Add chicken to empty skillet and return sauce to skillet. Toss chicken, folding it with a rubber spatula until all pieces are thoroughly coated. Serve immediately with white rice.