LtDan'sKitchen.com

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Bean Sprouts Stir Fry

One of my favorite side dish is stir fried bean sprouts especially when I'm eating "Anything" Teriyaki. I did not make teriyaki this weekend but I had bean sprouts so I decided to make this dish for dinner. I will have to find the time to make teriyaki but for now, I'll concentrate on the dish that pairs well with it.

I first tasted this dish when I was a college student living in a boarding house in Manila sharing a room with four other guys. We used to request that this dish with beef or chicken teriyaki be served for dinner and it became my favorite until I realized that the secret ingredient to teriyaki and this dish is the sesame oil. That is what made all the difference. My love for this dish was relived when I went into graduate school at Michigan and we frequented this little Japanese restaurant where they serve teriyaki dishes with stir fried bean sprouts. It was only after a few tries that I was finally satisfied with my simplified version of this healthy dish.

Bean Sprouts Stir Fry

1/2 lb bean sprouts
2 stalks green onions
toasted sesame seeds
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
1 tbsp oyster sauce

1. Heat the oil and butter over medium heat in a stir fry pan. Add the
garlic and cook until golden brown.

2. Add the sprouts and season with the oyster sauce and mix well just
to coat and heated through. Check for flavor and adjust with salt
and pepper.

3. If it gets a bit watery, take the sprouts out of the pan and cook the
sauce until it thickens. Drizzle over the sprouts and top with the
sesame oil, roasted sesame seeds and green onions.

Chopsuey

Chop-suey is a Chinese dish that is very common back home and is served in most family celebrations. This dish is basically a smorgasbord of ingredients that you are partial to in terms of vegetables and meat. My personal preference for this dish is pork although chicken is quite popularly used for this dish as well. When it comes to the choice of vegetables, I say take your pick. There are some required choices though and those include, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, baby corn, chayotes, green and/or red bell peppers, and snow peas. I don't really like snow peas that much so I seldom add it to the dish. My choice for mushrooms will include dried shitake and straw mushrooms depending on what is available but button mushrooms are also a good choice, just not as flavorful. Another ingredient I love is quail eggs. Back home, they are available fresh but the canned variety are also equally good. If quail eggs are not available, hard boiled regular eggs will do but as a topping, not a part of the dish, along with chopped green onions. The seasoning for this dish is fairly simple and the way to cook this dish is a cross between stir frying and poaching. Go easy on the vegetables though, you want it tender but crisp.

Chop-Suey

1 lb pork, sliced into small pieces
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
2 red or green bell peppers, diced
1 can whole baby corn, drained
1 can straw mushrooms, drained
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
1 lb mushrooms
2 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper
2 tbsp canola oil
sesame oil
1/3 cup oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
3 tbsp corn starch
water or broth

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large deep pan. Add the garlic and
saute for a few seconds until fragrant. Add the pork and season with salt
and pepper and cook until slightly browned. Add the soy sauce and broth
and simmer for about 5 minutes. Check for flavor and adjust accordingly
with salt and pepper.

2. Spoon out the meat and set aside in a bowl. Add the carrots to the broth
and simmer for 5 minutes or until tender crisp. Spoon carrots out and set
aside together with the pork.

3. Do the same for the rest of the vegetables making sure it is cooked to a
tender crisp stage (just a tad over par-cooked). If you need to add more
liquid, add little bits of hot water or broth. You just want enough liquid
to cook the vegetables without drowning them.

4. When the vegetables have been cooked, return the cooked ingredients
back into the broth. Add the corn starch dissolved in 1/3 cup water or
broth and mix well until thickened. Finish the dish by adding the oyster
sauce and keep mixing until the sauce is thick and coats every vegetable
and meat with a silken sauce. Add more water if the sauce is too thick or
add more corn starch if the sauce is too soupy. Check for flavor and
adjust accordingly with salt and pepper and even more oyster sauce.

5. Drizzle with sesame oil before serving and top with chopped green onions
or chopped hard boiled eggs. Best eaten with steamed rice.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Fuddrucker's Buffalo Burger

In a rare treat, I went with friends to Fuddrucker's, a burger joint where they play 50s diner music. The catch though is how good their burgers are. They also serve game meat which is what I had for this outing. With choices not only for meat patty size but for how they are cooked as well, I settled for a third of a pound of buffalo meat cooked medium rare. The condiments and fillers are also by choice and are displayed buffet style so sky is the limit for your burger. I also got a side of fries cut in wedges and a blue Powerade drink.

This burger is definitely better than your usual burger and the leaner buffalo patty is also another advantage. It is a bit pricey with my dinner coming in at 12$. Well, come to think of it, it is not too bad. Oh, and just to show you where the meat came from, I'm enclosing a picture of the buffalo they use to make this burger. No worries, they are raised like cattle for the sole purpose of providing meat. Hunting them in protected areas are illegal so they are bred and fed whole grain meal to ensure their quality. Elk and wild boar meat are also available. I believe they also have ostrich meat.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

German Chocolate Cake

After my cake fiasco last week, I needed to reassure myself that I have not lost it. To prove a point, I made this cake and I have to say, it is pretty tasty. Adapted from David Levobitz German chocolate cake recipe, I made a few changes to make it my own.

This cake makes 16 servings so go easy on the slices. It might seem overly sweet but the cake is actually just perfectly flavored. Not too sweet yet sweet enough to satisfy any chocolate or sugar lovers alike.

German Chocolate Cake - Adapted*

Cake:
2 oz semisweet chocolate chopped
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 tbsp hot coffee
8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cup + ¼ cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
3 oz butter, cut into small pieces (6 tbsp)
½ tsp salt
1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1 1/3 cups unsweetened coconut, toasted
1 condensed milk, caramelized

Syrup:
1 cup water
¾ cup sugar
2 tbsp dark rum

Chocolate ganache:
8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 tsp espresso coffee
1 ½ ounces unsalted butter (3 tbsp)
1 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans, then line the
bottoms with rounds of parchment or wax paper.

2. Melt the chocolates together with the 6 tablespoons of coffee in a a
double-boiler or a microwave. Stir until smooth, then set aside until at
room temperature.

3. Beat the butter and 1 ¼ cup of the sugar until light and fluffy, about 5
minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate. Add the egg yolks, one at a time.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

5. Mix in half of the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture, then
the sour cream and the vanilla extract, then end with the rest of the dry
ingredients.

6. In a separate metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft,
droopy peaks. Beat in the ¼ cup of sugar until stiff.

7. Fold about one-third of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it,
then fold in the remaining egg whites just until mixed.

8. Divide the batter into the 2 prepared cake pans, smooth the tops, and
bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center
comes out clean.

9. Cool cake layers completely. While the cakes are baking and cooling,
make the filling, syrup, and ganache.

To make the filling:

1. Mix the cream, sugar, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Put the
butter, salt, toasted coconut, and pecan pieces in a large bowl.

2. Heat the cream mixture and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture
begins to thicken and coats the spoon and an instant-read thermometer
registers 170°F.

3. Pour the hot custard immediately into the pecan and coconut mixture and
stir until the butter is melted. Add the caramel and cool completely to
room temperature.

To make the syrup:

1. In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water until the sugar has melted.
Let it boil for a minute and remove from heat. Cool and stir in the dark
rum.

To make the ganache:

1. Place the chopped chocolates in a bowl with the butter.

2. Heat the cream until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour
over the chocolate. Let stand one minute, then stir until smooth. Let sit
until room temperature and thick enough to spread.

To assemble the cake:

Remove the cake layers from the pans and cut both cake layers in half horizontally, using a serrated bread knife. Set the first cake layer on a cake plate. Brush well with syrup. Spread ¼ of the coconut filling over the cake layer, making sure to reach to the edges. Set another cake layer on top.Repeat, using the syrup to brush each cake layer, then spreading ¼ cup of the coconut filling over each layer, including the top. Ice the sides with the chocolate icing, then pipe a decorative border of chocolate icing around the top, encircling the coconut topping.

* David Levobitz: My Life in Paris Blog

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Checkerboard Cake

This is one of those instances when the appearance of the cake is better than the actual taste. I've never tasted this cake before but the design of the cake was very intriguing to me so I decided to give it a try. I have a recipe from one of my baking cookbooks and although most of the the recipes in the said book have resulted to spectacular cakes, this one failed to even sizzle. It was in a word, disappointing. Those who tried it though said they liked it but as I am ever the critical baker, this cake did not pass my muster.

Overall, the cake is beautiful, I just wish it was a lot moister. The texture was a cross between a pound cake and a biscotti which can choke you when not eaten with a hot cup of coffee. Thank goodness we did, so it was somehow palatable. Even the copious amounts of syrup and jam used to soak the cake did not seem to have any effect on it. I guess, I can keep going on and on disliking the cake but here it is to enjoy visually, at least, because it is a beautiful cake, sadly.

Lentils and Summer Squash Soup

With the fall season just around the corner, a good bowl of hot soup is always a good thing. With the abundance of summer squash from this season's bounty still available in most stores, I figured this would be the chance to take advantage of their affordable price which is in this case, free from my friends vegetable garden.

A take on the traditional sauteed mung bean soup from back home, I used green lentils instead. The main reason for the switch is the price. Mung bean retails 4$/lb which is ridiculous if you think about it. Lentils on the other hand costs about 89c. This recipe also works with most summer squashes but I prefer acorn squash for this dish if you can find them. The final touch is a pack of fresh spinach leaves which adds a touch of green to an otherwise dreary looking soup. Very simple in terms of ingredients and taste but definitely very satisfying on those really cold days that will soon be making their entrance.

Lentils and Summer Squash Soup

1 lb green lentils
water
4 cups chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
salt and pepper
1 acorn squash, about 1 lb
olive oil

1. In a pot with water, add the lentils and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Keep cooking the lentils until they are soft. Add more water as needed
but not too much or it will be too watery. Let it cool until you end up
with perfectly cooked lentils and barely any water.

2. While the lentils are cooking, peel the squash and scoop out the seeds
and cut into large pieces. Set aside.

3. In a second pot, saute the onion and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil
until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the squash and the broth
and cook until the squash is tender. Do not overcook the squash.

4. Add the lentils and cook for about 10 minutes. Adjust the flavor with salt
and pepper. Add the spinach leaves and cook until just softened and it
turns bright green.

5. Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil.

Lechon Kawali (Pan-Roasted Pork)

Okay, this is what you would consider as guilty pleasure. Equally bad as eating a bag of pork skin rinds soaked in a vinegar dip. Lechon means roasted in the Filipino language. Kawali on the other hand means wok or a deep frying pan. Put together, it means roasted pig cooked in a frying pan. These are usually sold almost everywhere back home. They fry the pork in a deep pot just like the ones used to deep fry turkey during thanksgiving. There is a reason for that and it has to do with safety. Frying pork pieces in a hot oil almost always results to the oil splattering a whole lot. So if you plan to cook this, be prepared and take the necessary precautions. The pork used for this dish requires that the skin and fat is intact and as they cook in the oil, they expel the moisture out to create this crunchy texture which is what you want but is also the reason why it splatters a lot.

Lechon Kawali

2 lb pork with fat and skin
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic
water
3 cups canola oil for frying

1. Over medium heat, boil the pork with enough water to cover it.
Season with about a tablespoon of salt and a good amount of
black pepper. Add the bay leaves and garlic and bring to a boil.

2. Simmer the pork for about 30-40 minutes until tender. Cool.

3. Remove the pork pieces and pat dry with a paper towel. Season
with more salt, about a tablespoon.

4. In a deep fryer, heat the oil to medium low and fry the pork
pieces until browned and the skin is crunchy. Sprinkle with more
salt once you fish them out of the oil. Chop into smaller pieces
and serve immediately.

This is usually served with a liver sauce but a good substitute is vinegar seasoned with salt and pepper and a hot Thai chili if you can take the heat.

Recipes

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Saturday, October 1, 2011