Beef Bulgogi 불고기

Homey Korean Dish

The popular bulgogi dish is super easy – chop, marinate and sauté! My recipe is probably a cutting-corner version…since I do not wish to spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen…and it is too hot to go out to eat…actually, I’m anxious to see the next episode of Korean drama…which I’m addicted to. I love ‘romantic/comedy’ genre. My all –time favorite drama is Secret Garden…Rooftop Prince is really cute too…

Anyway, I just want to say this is 정말 맛있는 (really good), 진짜! (really).

Ingredients and Instruction for 4 servings (Print Recipe Here)

• 1 pound (about) thinly sliced beef, chopped for easy consumption  Note: I used some a little thicker than sukiyaki beef for texture.
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1-2 stalks of green onion minced
• 3 cloves of garlics minced
• 1 Tablespoon of ginger juice (grate ginger root then squeeze the pulp to get juice).
• 4 Tablespoons sake
• 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon (less or more) cayenne pepper powder
• 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/2 of large onion, 1/2 inch sliced
• 6-10 stalks of garlic chives cut in 3 inches length.
• 1 package shimeji mushroom, cut off 1/2 inch of bottom end and separate in small sections  Note: I used seafood  mushroom which looks like large enoki mushroom.
• 1 Tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds

1. Combine beef and sugar. This is supposed to tenderize the meat. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix well green onion, garlic, ginger juice, sake, soy sauce, cayenne pepper powder and sesame oil. Add sugared meat and massage to coat, marinate for at least 30 minutes. Add one teaspoon of sugar or honey for intensified sweetness if you like.
3. Add onion and mushroom to the beef bowl and combine well with your gloved hand. Marinate for an additional 20 minutes.
4. Heat skillet at low-medium heat. Dump the whole contents of the bowl from #3 in and sauté until meat changes color and the onion is tender. Add garlic chives and continue to sauté until garlic chives are wilted a little. Lastly, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and combine quickly. Serve hot with cooked rice. 맛있게 드세요! (bon appétit).
   
   

Following Day….I made Yakisoba with  bulgogi sauce left in the pan.

Chocolate covered strawberries are an Independence Day TAPAS instagram post (#todaystapas).  Cute , right?

Some tapas posts are sensible low-calorie, vegan, gluten free…the bean thread noodle salad (春雨のサラダ) with myoga(Japanese ginger), sweet bell pepper, cucumber, tangy soy –vinaigrette dressing. Loving the bowl!

Crown of the garden….just one so far…compact but nice! The artichoke is finally ready for us to enjoy!

What! July already? June must have made a giant leap away…

Steak Irish Pie

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

My part Irish husband and I celebrate this day by wearing green outfits, maybe listen to his favorite Irish music from Enya, Gaelic Storm, Corrs, Great Big Sea…while having dinner consisting of corned beef, cabbage and potato. Perhaps do River Dance afterward…just kidding!

But this year, out of normalcy, I bought a bottle of beer to made the Irish pie! It seems there is no good substitute for beer…Oh heck!  Standing in front of a specialty beer refrigerator for several minutes at a super market, I was totally lost.

Luckily, a gentleman beside me pointed me in the right direction…you need stout beer? Stout means dark beer…let me see… yep, that’ll work.

Whew…that was awkward. Next year, we’re having corn beef, cabbage and potatoes.

Ingredients and Instruction for 1 deep dish pie (Print Recipe Here)

Recommend equipment: Electric pressure cooker

• 2 pounds steak, cut into chunks
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
• 8 slices bacon  chopped
• 2 large onions minced
• 10-12 fresh mushrooms sliced
• 12 ounce Irish stout beer
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 package double-crust frozen pie pastry, thawed – I made from scratch using Barefoot Contessa/ Ina Garten’s pie crust recipe.
  First step - chilling all the ingredients in refrigerator – Perfect!

I

• Egg wash (1 egg and 1 Tablespoon water, beat well)

1. Place meat on a large plate and sprinkle with flour or put meat and flour in a zip-lock bag bag, close tight and shake to coat. Set aside.
2. Set pressure cooker on brown mode then pour in oil, add bacon and sauté until bacon starts to sizzle. Add steak and continue to sauté till browned.
3. Transfer bacon and steak with slotted ladle to a same plate (#1), leaving juice and fat in the pan.
4. Put onion and mushroom in the pressure cooker, cook and stir occasionally until onions are lightly browned and mushrooms are tender.
5. Put meat and bacon back in the pressure cooker. Pour in the beer, add parsley. Set the pressure cooker on low pressure mode and cook for 30 minutes then switch to simmer and cook for 2 hours until gravy has thickened.
6. Heat oven to 400F.Line a deep-dish 9 inch pie plate with a pie crust and bake in the preheated oven until crust is partially cooked and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. ( I poked several holes then lined with aluminum foil and put pie weights in then bake for 10 minutes first. Remove pie weights and bake for additional 3-5 minutes). Remove it from oven. Keep the oven on.
7. Spoon cooked steak filling into the baked pie crust. Cover with another crust. Press the top crust and *bottom crust to seal tightly.* bottom crust is hot so handle with care.
    
8. Brush top with egg wash. Place pie pan on the rimmed cookie sheet to prevent spillage and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Serve with sour cream if you like. Variation: Add 1-2 Tablespoons of raisins for little sweetness.

My husband made beer bread using the rest. It resembles brioche.

As you know March 14th 2015 (3-14-15) was Pie Day.

Today’s TAPAS (#todaystapas) also I posted pies made with left over pie dough.  Happy Birthday Einstein!

3 more days to official Spring!

Beef Soboro

Spicy Minced Meat

One of my resolutions is to have a plan (meal plan that is ) but here I was in front of an open freezer with no clear idea… It the freezer could talk, it might have said ‘What will it be tonight?’ Quick! …I’m loosing air…my cold air!
Oh my word…maybe I will open a can of soup? Dang it, that was last night. I’m so not good with pressure!

It resembles beef taco, ground meats cooked in seasoning sauce until all the liquid is evaporated and has dry appearance and is called soboro (そぼろ). Not very complicated, homey, low fat…good gracious, I have every ingredient!
I minced un oignon, I mean onion while microwave was Auto-Defrost-ING the beef. I was overwhelmed with joy, started to sob…more like over powered by onion but whatever!

This soboro recipe (adapted from Today’s Cooking Magazine) is extra ordinary! Low fat and a little punch of red pepper and curry make it spicy yet mild with yogurt ….mmm Japanese food with international flair!…
So lovely on pasta! And perhaps in tacos? Or stuffed into dumplings?

Ingredients and Instruction for 4 servings (Print Recipe Here)

• 400g Ground Beef
• 1-2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil divided
• 3-4 cloves of garlic minced
• Adult thumb size ginger peeled and minced
• 1 medium size onion minced

I recommend that the following 8 ingredients be measured and put in small bowls for hassle free, smooth transition.

• 2 Tablespoons curry powder
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoons (more or less) red chili powder
• 1/3 cup red wine
• 4 Tablespoons Worcestershire  sauce
• 4 Tablespoons Tomato ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 Tablespoons parmesan cheese

Optional condiments –shiso leaves, green onion,
                                           Japanese ginger/myoga(みょうが)

• Toasted sesame seeds
• Salt and pepper

1. Prepare 4-5 cups hot water in large bowl. submerge ground beef for 30 seconds (this removes excess fat). Drain through strainer. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in large skillet at low heat. Add minced garlic sauté until fragrant then add minced onion and ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Keep sautéing and pour 1 Tablespoon of water every time it gets dry, repeat sauté/water sequence until the onion is cooked and no liquid is present.
   
3. Add drained ground beef and sauté. Sprinkle curry powder into the pan. then follow by yogurt, honey, chili powder and mix well.
4. Add next 4 ingredients (red wine, Worcestershire sauce, tomato ketchup, soy sauce) cook for 15 minutes or until liquids are evaporated.
5. Finish with salt and pepper to taste, parmesan cheese, drizzled with 1 teaspoon of extra olive oil cook for 1 minute. Serve with thinly sliced shiso leaves, chopped green onion or thinly sliced Japanese ginger/myoga (see picture below) soaked in ice cold water for a few minutes to crisp (myoga is optional though, very fitting with this dish). Lastly, sprinkle with toasted sesame and coarsely ground black pepper. Mix well to eat.
   

Option: The effort is same so double the recipe and keep some in refrigerator for an another use. In the picture below I topped soboro on the cooked hot rice.

Everyday posting of my Today’s TAPAS pic on Instgram is a learning experience of composition, food styling, how to use filter app, etc. Today’s TAPAS is my lunch. Hopefully the bite size potion help shed some pounds which I found over the holidays…then again sometimes I feel like I need ten of those.

Here are some of my posting – from left clockwise, white radish sprouts & lox salmon with wasabi sauce, roasted red beets and mozzarella cheese stack, vegan salad rolls, crab salad wrapped in savory crepe. A mini hamburger with fries.

The bun used in mini hamburger was made with a small amount of dough stole from my husband’s French baguette. .  

Freedom Curry

Pork Curry

Go big when you are making curry as if you have a family of ten. Consider the three ‘T” benefits of cooking a large portion. The first benefit is taste, although fresh made curry is good, everybody knows that the next day is much better like some magic happened over night. The second T is for time. when you make enough for 3-4 days worth of curry (and taste is still good the third day) it frees up your time for other million things on my to-do list before Christmas. The third T is for… Thank goodness for the supper, just microwave-minutes away! Phew! Christmas super sale is over rated you’d think?

What an awesome store name! Jiyuken (自由軒/Freedom House) curry restaurant in Osaka, Japan since 1910. They serve curry with signature style which combines curry sauce and rice mix together and drops an egg yolk on top. The restaurant scene is as if stuck in Showa era, not at all fancy…I can go there with my comfy sweat on…homey and nostalgic.  I used their original house blend curry powder (photo below) to made super tasty curry sauce…what a difference it makes when you use the right stuff.

I referred to Yoshiharu Doi a celebrity food researcher in Japan, his no -nonsense recipe I applaud. 

Ingredients and Instruction for 4 to 6 servings (Print Recipe Here)

• 400g pork bone in spare lib cut in big chunks
• 300g pork shoulder cut in 1 inch cube
• 2 teaspoons salt plus
• 30g butter
• 2 Tablespoons divided
• 2 medium size onion sliced thin
• 2-3 cloves of garlic grated
• 20g ginger grated
• 4 Tablespoons flour
• 2 Tablespoons curry powder I used close to 3 Tablespoons
• 1 teaspoon red pepper
• 50g tomato ketchup
• 5 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or more

1. Place all cut meat in large bowl and massage with 2 teaspoons of salt and let rest for 30 minutes
    
2. Melt butter and 1Tablespoon oil in heavy pot at medium heat and put in the sliced onion, garlic and ginger. Sauté  until golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. Note: onion may stick to the bottom of the pan so scrape off with a wooden spatula as you go, this slightly burnt stuff gives onion a nice color.
   
3. Turn heat to low, put flour in and continue to sauté . Scrape off thin film that develops at the bottom of the pan occasionally. Add curry and red pepper. Add ketchup, sauté well with each addition. about 5 minutes. Set aside
   .
4. In a  large skillet, heat 1Tablespoon oil . Blot dry the meat with paper towel and place in the skillet. Brown meats then add to the pot (#3) and sauté for 2-3 minutes at medium heat. Pour water 1 cup at times, turning the meat frequently. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer at low heat until sauce thickens and meat is tender, and the bone starts to separate from meat.about 1-2 hours. Add more salt if necessary.
   
5. Serve hot over cooked rice. Garnish with sliced almond or parsley (optional).Reheating instruction – you may need to add more water to loosen and  may need to adjust seasoning.

My homemade kabocha / Japanese pumpkin puree was not quite enough to make pumpkin pie… but we had a equally fabulous pumpkin chiffon roll cake.

I was eager to try the donuts muffin I spied on two great bloggers – Bake for Happy kids and Anncoo Journal. Mine with homemade Quincy jam.

My husband’s co-worker handed him some persimmons last week…firm, sweet, zero fat, and no seeds (this variety has transparent seeds?), a perfect snack! 
I read an interesting article about Hashimoto Farm who grows persimmon extensively in Hawaii.

Happy December!