Taiwanese Burrito (aka Taiwanese Spring Rolls)

I know I've grossly neglected this blog to the point of abandonment, but I have returned with one of my favorite family dishes that can't be found in any restaurant in So Cal, at least to my knowledge and believe me, I've searched.  My family would make these Taiwanese burritos a few times a year during special occasions or family gatherings because it's really more fun to eat in a group with everyone taking turns at the ingredients bar.  All of us would try and see who can make the biggest burrito without breaking the delicate wrap, Grandpa is the champ!  It's super healthy and quite simple, but it does take a bit of work and knife skills.  Just like a burrito or lasagna, this is a dish that can be altered and you can make many different versions.  This is the basic veggie version, but feel free to add tofu, various meats, or other veggies to the mix.

Ingredients:

* Some of the Asian specific ingredients can be found at a specialty market, the ethnic section of your local market, or a 99 Ranch supermarket

Spring roll wrappers, don't need to be cooked, but they do dry out easily, so take them out of the packaging at the last minute and cover with a clean damp kitchen towel or wet paper towel.

Sweet chili sauce is the glue that holds the wrap together and tastes sweeter than spicy but adds just the right amount of tang and kick!

Egg & Beancurd: This is where the work starts to happen, each item needs to be prepared and finely sliced.  Beat a couple eggs and poor it in a nonstick pan with a little cooking oil over medium heat.  Let the egg mixture cook on one side and become a sheet, similar to an omelette, flip it over carefully and let the other side cook.  Add salt and pepper remove from heat and slice into strips.  Now let's talk about beancurd.  What is it? It's an Asian product, specifically Chinese/Taiwanese and is basically a tofu cake made from soy beans.  I often use it as a meat substitute, it's a great source of protein with a mild flavor, and can be used in a variety of ways.  For this particular dish, you slice the beancurd into strips and blanche in boiling water for a few minutes, drain, and stir fry in a non stick pan with a little cooking oil, salt, and pepper.  

Pickled radish: very salty and you can buy already prepared, but I like to chop even finer and toast slightly in a pan.  One of my friends call them little crunchy flavor bombs!

Peanut powder: I'd choose to have this over peanut butter any day and its bascially the same ingredients just in a different texture.  Finely ground roasted peanuts tossed with sugar.  It's a must! Adds just the right amount of a little sweetness and it helps to absorb the moisture from the veggies so that the spring roll wrapper doesn't break as easily.

Celery, carrots, and cilantro: shredded and slices extra fine

Shredded cabbage, the main veggie.  I like to julianne everything myself with a knife, I like that texture better and each veggie can still hold it's own character.  If you shred it with a grater, I feel that everything becomes too mushy.

Snow peas: clean, trim, and definitely chop into strips by hand

Stir fry all the veggies together in a large wok or pan, the veggies will cook down so you might have to do separate batches

Instructions:

Pretty much all the ingredient prep is most of the work, after you finish prepping all the ingredients, lay it all out on the kitchen table with the wrappers and each person can build their own burrito.  There are some basic guidelines, always start with the dry ingredients and end with the sweet chili sauce.  This way the dry ingredients absorb all the veggie juices and the wrappers will break more easily when wet.  See how big you can build your burrito without it breaking, though if it does break, just eat with a fork, no need to panic =)  Here's how I do it, step by step...

Bite into that!

Sitr fried gobo root with beef

Gobo root, also known as burdock, is a common ingredient in many Asian cuisines. It is low in calorie and high in fiber, calcium and potassium. Gobo root stir fried with beef is a popular dish in Japanese izakaya. Compared to burger and fries, this is probably one of the healthiest beer food.

Ingredients:

1 gobo root (can be found in Asian market, Japanese market with the highest chance)
4 oz of beef, thinly sliced and cut into strips
1 tablespoon of white sesame seeds

Seasonings:

1 tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon of mirin
2 dried red chili
1 teaspoon of sesame oil

Marinade:

1 tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 teaspoon of potato starch

Steps:

1. mix beef with all the marinade ingredients
2. clean bogo roots with a piece of crumbled tin foil and rinse with water
3. toast sesame seeds on a flat pan till fragrant, remove and set aside
4. use a shredder to shred gobo roots into 2"-3" strips, keep the shredded gobo in cold salted water to avoid oxidation
5. heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and cook beef till medium, remove and set aside
6. use the remaining oil to cook shredded gobo, add all seasonings except sesame oil
7. cook till gobo is soft, then add beef to the pan. add some water if the mixture needs moist
8. cook till beef is well done, mix in the sesame seeds and sesame oil before serving

Beef Stew

I'm not a chef or an expert on cooking by any means.  I am a homecook and I take my Asian roots with my American roots to mesh and create what is delicious to me.  With that said, this beef stew is another concoction that I created from the familiar flavors of my childhood without any formal training for a traditional authentic Chinese beef stew.  Although I would argue that this is authentic to me.

I saw this beautiful piece of beef shank suprisingly at our local downtown LA Ralphs supermarket.  Now, beef shank is tricky because being the leg of the cow, it has many tendons and needs to cook slowly for a long time to break down and tenderize otherwise it can be very tough and chewy.  Perfect for stew and incidentally its a cheaper cut of meat, which is always a plus!  

Ingredients (rough estimates):

1-2 Beef shanks

1 Package of seaweed

1 Package of Soy Bean Curd cubed

2 Carrots chopped

3 Red Jalepeno Chilis chopped

Rice Wine (Michiu)

Soy Sauce

3 Cloves of Garlic

3 Slices of Ginger

3 pieces of Star Anise

 Directions:

Cube the shank into one inch size pieces

 Throw all the ingredients in a pot with a generous splash of Michiu rice wine and about 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce, then add water until the liquid just covers the ingredients.

Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and let simmer for about 45 - 60 minutes.  Enjoy the tender yumminess over rice or add some more water and cook some noodles in the mix for some beef noodle soup...mmmmmm....

Heart of Green

I LOVE avocados!  The natural creamy goodness, the subtle yet intoxicating flavor, and something about cutting open the rough unattractive outer shell to find such beautiful green flesh never ceases to amaze me.  The Chinese term for avocado literally translates to "butter fruit".  Avocados are nature's butter.  Give me a piece of toast with half an avocado sliced on top with a little salt and pepper and I'm content with life. =)

This Green Goddess Breakfast is my perfect way to start the day...

Ingredients:

1 Egg

1/2 Avocado

A few Basil leaves

1 piece of Toast

Salt and Pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Toast a piece of bread in the toaster or oven.  Pan fry an egg gently in olive oil to medium doneness (cooked on both sides but the yolk is still slightly runny, salt and pepper).  Cut half an avocado into slices.  Arrange the toast on bottom, then add the egg, then the avocado slices, and lastly the washed and dried basil leaves.  Drizzle with a little more extra virgine olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Simple green goddess goodness

Soy Butter King Oyster Mushroom

Mushroom is one of my favorite veggies. Recently I find many Asian groceries carry very good quality king oyster mushroom at very affordable price. Some American supermarkets also carry them in the produce section. The flavor of this dish also makes it a great snack when having beer - izakaya style!

1 pack of king oyster mushroom
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of soy sauce (I use reduced sodium soy sauce for this dish, you can use regular soy sauce if desired)
1 teaspoon of butter

Cut mushroom lengthwise into same size pieces
Finely mince garlic cloves
Heat up vegetable oil in a pan and sweat minced garlic in low heat till fragrant but not brown
Add soy sauce in the pan and turn heat to medium
Add mushroom in the pan after soy sauce start boiling. (bubbles up in the pan)
Stir in butter and cook till mushroom become tender

The purpose of butter here is to add richness. Simply skip this step to make it a vegan dish.

Cauliflower & Green Onion

Cauliflower & Green Onion

Ingredients:

1             Head of Cauliflower

2            Stalks of Green Onion

Salt & Pepper

1. Cut the head of cauliflower into similar size florets
2. Slice the green onion and add to a hot wok or sauté pan over medium high heat with about a tablespoon of vegetable cooking oil.
3. Add the cauliflower florets, salt and pepper to taste, then add about ¼ cup to ½ cup of water and cover for a few minutes.
4. Check for doneness by piercing the cauliflower with a chopstick or fork, which should go through the cauliflower easily without any resistance.
5. Remove from heat and serve.

Stir-Fry Bok Choy & Mushrooms

Stir Fry Bok Choy & Mushrooms

Ingredients:

A Few Bunches of Bok Choy

A Few Ounces of Mushroom (I used King Oyster here, but you can use almost any other meaty mushroom like Shitake or Portebello sliced)

2-3            Cloves of Garlic

Salt & Pepper

• When stir-frying any veggie dish, you generally want to slice or chop your ingredients into similar shapes and sizes so that it’s visually pleasing and cooks evenly.

1. Wash all the veggies and slice the bok choy and mushrooms into 1-inch pieces.
2. Add a tablespoon of cooking vegetable oil to a hot wok or large sauté pan over medium high heat.
3. Mince the garlic and add to the pan, once you see the garlic sizzle and smell the garlic aroma add the mushrooms and let the mushrooms cook until slightly brown, a few minutes.
4. Add the bok choy, salt and pepper to taste, toss with the mushrooms and sauté for a couple minutes until leaves wilt.  Remove from heat and serve.

• Remember to keep cooking time in mind, whatever will need more time to cook should be added to the pan first.
• You can also use any other green veggie, such as broccoli, chayote, or spinach.  The mushrooms are sort of like a yummy meat substitute. =)  Below is spinach with beech mushrooms and also a little sliced red chili for an additonal spice.

Chunky Salsa

Chunky Salsa

Ingredients:

2            Tomatoes

½           Bunch Cilantro

1            Sweet Onion

1            Jalapeno (2 if you want it spicier)

2            Cloves of Garlic

½           Lime Juiced

Salt & Pepper

1. Dice tomatoes, sweet onion, jalapeno, chop cilantro, and mince garlic.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, add the lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Green Guacamole

Green Guacamole

Ingredients:

2            Avocados

1            Bunch Cilantro

2            Tomatillos

½            Sweet Onion

2            Cloves Garlic

1            Lime Juiced

½             Teaspoon Cumin

Salt & Pepper

1. Half the avocados and carefully remove the seeds.  Score the flesh of the avocados by cutting vertical and then horizontal lines without cutting through the skin then scoop out into a bowl with a spoon.
2. Dice the tomatillos and sweet onion then add to the bowl.
3. Chop the cilantro and add to the bowl.
4. Mince the garlic then add to the bowl along with the lime juice, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Mix everything together and serve

            *To keep avocados from browning, keep one of the avocado seeds in the guacamole.

Pumpkin Panang Curry Pot Pie

Pumpkin Panang Curry Pot Pie

I love flaky buttery breads, like the top of a pot pie.  Pot pies are really the quintessential comfort food.  Its warm and creamy paired perfectly with the crust, mmmmm….and it’s so hearty!  But oftentimes I find the white cream sauce typically used in pot pies to be too rich and lacking in kick, the kinda punch and kick you get from spice.  So I came up with a curry pot pie that has more than enough flavorful sweat inducing spices along with all the sweet, savory, and sour notes that hit every part of my palette, while also having the creamy and crusty textural qualities of a pot pie.

Cook Time: 45 Minutes            Yields: 4 – 6 Servings

Ingredients:

o      Squash or Pumpkin, Chopped into bite size pieces

o      2 Tablespoons Panang Curry Paste*

o      1 Medium Can (about 14oz) Coconut Milk*

o      2 Shallots or 1 Brown Onion, Chopped

o      4 Sweet Peppers or 1 Red & 1 Green Bell Peppers, Chopped

o      A Handful of Mushrooms (Button or Baby Bella), Quartered - Optional

o      2 Stalks Green Onions, Chopped

o      3 Slices Fresh Ginger

o      1 Lime and Lime Leaf

o      Protein of your choice, shown here chicken thigh meat, cubed

o      Store Bought Frozen Puff Pastry Sheet

o      Cooking Oil

o      Michiu (cooking rice wine)*

o      Salt & Pepper

* Available in most Asian grocery stores or in the ethnic/Asian aisle at a local supermarket

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Marinate cubed protein with salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of Michiu.
• Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the squash or pumpkin for about 5 minutes.  Use a chopstick or toothpick to stick through a piece, if it goes through then it's done.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a pan and cook the protein of your choice. Chicken or pork: brown over medium high heat. Shrimp: sauté until slightly pink over medium heat. Beef: sear over high heat.  Remove from pan and set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in an oven safe saucepot and sauté the onion, ginger, and peppers until fragrant (a few min).  Add the mushrooms and sauté until slightly brown.  Then push everything to the edge of the pot making space in the middle, add a little bit more oil if necessary and add the curry paste with a few tablespoons of the coconut milk and mix while heating through.  Add the rest of the coconut milk and lime leaf, mix everything in the pan together and bring to a simmer, reduce to low heat.  Salt and pepper to taste

• Take the puff pastry out of the freezer and let it defrost for about 10-15 min while the curry simmers.  Meanwhile prepare a egg wash by beating an egg in a bowl.
• Add the protein and squash/pumpkin to the curry mixture, turn off the heat and quickly place the puff pastry sheet over the top of the pot like a lid and brush quickly with egg wash then place in oven for about 10 – 15 minutes or when the puff pastry puffs up and browns.  Remove from oven and serve with rice if desired.  When you break through the crust, squeeze some lime in the curry to add a hint of sour and brighten up the dish.

Tip: You can also serve as individual portions by pouring the curry into individual ramekins or oven safe bowls and cutting the puff pastry into circles that fit over each ramekin. Then continue with egg wash and put in oven.