Shanghai 'Zha Jiang' Noodles (炸醬麵)

Shanghai 'Zha Jiang' Noodles (炸醬麵)
Recipe adapted from Almostbourdain
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 500 g Shanghai noodle (I cooked 450 gm)
• 2 tbsp sweet bean sauce (more if you prefer stronger taste)
• 500 g minced pork (I added marinade, see below)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water (I used Campbell’s salt-reduced chicken stock)
• 1 carrot, thinly shredded
• 1 cucumber, thinly shredded
• chopped spring onions for garnish

Marinade:

• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
• pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Heat a wok or frying pan with oil. Add pork mince (Note: I mixed it with marinade for 15 minutes before stir frying.) and stir fry until brown. Add ginger and garlic and stir fry together with the pork mince until fragrant.
2. Add sweet bean sauce, dark soy sauce and mix until combined.
3. Add 1/2 cup of water/chicken stock, bring to a boil and then lower heat to a slow simmer until sauce is thicken. Add sugar to taste.
4. Cook the noodle according to packet instructions. Drain and put into four individual serving bowls.
5. Divide pork mince into 4 equal portions and pour on the noodle.
6. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions and garnish with shredded carrots and cucumber.
7. Serve immediately.

Read more: http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2010/11/shanghai-zha-jiang-noodles.html#ixzz2GXhbpT00

Gyoza (Japanese Pan-fried Dumplings)

Gyoza Recipe (Japanese Pan-fried Dumplings)

Ingredients:
Store-bought gyoza wrapper
Oil, for pan-frying
Water, for steaming

Filling:

 

8 oz ground pork
2 oz cabbage, shredded and cut into small pieces
1 thumb-sized ginger, peeled and grated
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons Mizkan (Bonito Flavored) Soup Base
1/2 tablespoon sake
3 dashes white pepper
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon chopped scallion, green part only
Pinch of salt

Ponzu Dipping Sauce:
4 tablespoons Mizkan AJIPON® Ponzu
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil




Method:

1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients in the Filling and blend well. The Filling should be sticky and cohesive.
2. In a dipping bowl, combine the Mizkan AJIPON® Ponzu with the sesame oil. Stir to blend well.
3. To assemble the gyoza, place a piece of the gyoza wrapper on your palm or a flat surface. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the Filling onto the center of the wrapper. Dip your index finger into some water and moisten the outer edges of the dumpling wrapper.
4. Fold the gyoza over, press and seal the left end.
5. Use your thumb and index finger to make a pleat. Pinch to secure tightly.
6. Repeat the same to make the pleats. (Start with 3-4 pleats if you are a beginner). A nicely wrapped gyoza should have a crescent shape.
7. Heat up the oil in a skillet or stir-fry pan over medium heat. Arrange the gyoza and cover with the lid. Pan-fry the gyoza until the bottoms turn golden brown and become crispy.
8. Add about 1/4-inch water into the skillet or stir-fry pan and cover the lid immediately. The water should evaporate after a few minutes. Continue to cook the gyoza for a couple of minutes to crisp up the bottoms.
9. Remove the gyoza from the skillet or stir-fry pan and serve immediately with the Ponzu dipping sauce.

Cooking Tips for Gyoza:

1. To grate the ginger and garlic, you can use a Japanese grater (oroshigane) or Microplane.
2. Get a good gyoza wrapper. Gyoza wrapper is generally thicker compared to other dumpling wrapper. Most of them are round in shape, but some are oval-shaped. For easier assembling, I suggest the round-shaped gyoza wrapper. If you can’t find gyoza wrapper, you can always use pot sticker wrapper, or Chinese jiaozi wrapper.
3. Traditionally, Japanese home cooks use their hands to mix the gyoza filling for the best texture.
4. You can adapt this recipe and make vegetarian gyoza.

http://rasamalaysia.com/gyoza-recipe/2/

Bulgogi

Bulgogi Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound thinly sliced pork belly (or pork shoulder)
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 – 3 scallions, roughly chopped

Marinade:
3 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper paste* (gochujang)
1 tablespoon Korean red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine (or mirin)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Method:
Mix all marinade ingredients well.


Cut the pork belly into bite size pieces (about 2-inch long).


Combine the meat, onion, and scallions with the marinade and mix well. Marinate for at least an hour.


Heat a grill pan or a skillet over medium high heat and add the pork slices. Cook until the pork is cooked through and slightly caramelized, turning over once.

*Note: The quality and taste of commercially available gochujang (고추장) varies, depending on brands. Some of the major brand names available in the U.S. are Chungjungwon (청정원), Haechandeul (해찬들), and Sampio (샘표). Each brand makes different types of gochujang, depending on the types or origin of ingredients used. Chungjungwon (청정원) is known for its Sunchang (순창) gochujang. Sunchang (순창) is a town that’s famous for making the best gochujang. Some brands note the level of spice on the package, e.g., no. 3 is medium hot and no. 4 is very hot.


http://rasamalaysia.com/bulgogi-recipe/2/

 

Steamed Egg with Minced Pork

Ingredients
(Serves 2-4)
- 150g minced pork
- 1/2 tsp vegetable/olive oil
- 1 carrot (but you’ll be only using some of it)
A) For the egg custard mixture
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup water or stock
- 1/2 tsp Chinese cooking wine
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp light soy sauce (for seasoning the egg mixture, exclude or use less soy sauce if using stock)
B) Marinade for the minced pork
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp Chinese cooking wine
- a bit of Chinese white pepper
- 1/2 stalk spring onions, finely chopped (use the green upper part) 

Directions
1) Using a vegetable peeler, shave some carrot slices, then stack the slices vertically, cut them to thin strips and then chop to smaller pieces to get finely chopped carrots.
2) Preparing the egg custard mixture

i) Break the eggs into the bowl. To minimize bubbles, do not beat the eggs but gently stir the eggs with a pair of chopsticks using a cutting action.
ii) Add the rest of the ingredients from (A) to the eggs mixture. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve.

3) Preparing the minced pork

i) Combine marinade (B) with minced pork and mix well. Leave for at least 10 minutes.
ii) Heat wok with a bit of oil, then stir fry the minced pork till they are no longer pink, breaking them to smaller bits using your spatula. Do not overcook.
iii) Arrange the stir-fried minced pork in a thin layer on a shallow dish. Then pour the stained egg mixture over gently. Top with some chopped carrots prepared in step 1. If you see any bubbles, “flatten” the surface gently with the back of a spoon.

4) Cover the dish with transparent food wrap or aluminum foil.
5) Steam the egg custard over high heat for about 15 mins. To test if the egg mixture is cooked, insert a bamboo stick into the mixture: if a little clear liquid comes out, it is cooked. Serve with warm rice.

Steamed Egg with Minced Pork – Inside
Cooking Notes:
1. Straining the mixture through a fine sieve minimize bubbles from forming on the surface of the custard.
2. Use a ceramic material for steaming the egg custard. Plastic material will melt during steaming.
3. Use a wide, shallow dish for steaming so that you get a thin custard, and also the cooking will be more even.
4. If you happen to be cooking Chinese soups (clear, light coloured type) on the day you are making this, you can use the soup as the stock base for the egg custard.
5. When steaming the egg custard, make sure the dish is sealed, other wise the evaporating droplets will land on the custard during steaming and cause unsightly bubbles.


http://www.noobcook.com/steamed-egg-with-minced-pork/