Dining In: NYC 2011 - Japanese Food Excursions

The Husband and I had our first amazing bowl of ramen at Samurai Noodle in the International District in Seattle. That was when we realized that similar to our unending search for the perfect pizza, we would be embarking on the unending search for the perfect ramen.

Naturally, we sought to continue this search in NYC. First, we and several (very patient) friends waited almost 2-3 hours for a table at Ippudo, one of the more famous ramen joints in NYC. We figured if we made the trip all the way out here we would need to give this place a try.

 Pork Belly Bun

 Akamaru Modern Ramen

Overall thoughts on Ippudo are that I am very glad we tried it, but I will not be returning again. The ramen is quite over-priced at $15 a bowl and while the flavors are quite amazing, they don't justify the price or the insanely long wait. Further, the pork belly bun is simply what I grew up eating at home with my momma's cooking. So while I am glad we tried it to see what the hype was about, I will likely head over to Totto Ramen on our next trip to NYC. 

The second location for our ramen search was at Mitsua, which is a Japanese supermarket in Fort Lee, NJ. Once entering the store, we saw a long line for a ramen stall in which they claimed to have flown in a ramen chef from Japan for "this weekend only." We of course bought into the marketing and had to try it.

Shio Ramen

Super clean, yet flavorful broth. Chewy noodles and great meat and egg pairings. I actually enjoyed this more than my bowl of ramen at Ippudo. 

Tonkatsu Ramen

From another ramen stall inside Mitsua. Compared to the shio ramen this broth was super enriched with fat and meaty flavor. The pork belly was a plus! 

Finally, The Husband chose over $30 worth of sashimi, which we devoured in less than 30 minutes. It was one of the most satisfying meals that we had on this trip. Fresh sashimi is nearly impossible to find in our area so we had to get our fill. 

Our ramen adventures will continue on as we try new places. I'd love to hear from you about the ramen places that you have enjoyed in different cities so we can start compiling a growing list of places to test out. 

Have a enjoyable Wednesday! 

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops

The Husband makes a killer Asian-style tonkatsu or fried marinated pork chop, but the process of frying and the smell of oil hanging in the house for days keeps us from making it often. One of the best parts of frying pork chops is that they are juicy and have great texture. 

Well America's Test Kitchen recently posted a recipe (and video) for crunchy baked pork chops. Baked alternatives to the foods that we love are often not very satisfying and make us run back to the unhealthier versions. However, this recipe was quite good with juicy brined meat and great crunchy crust. 

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops no thicker than 1 inch and no less than 3/4 inch

1/4 cup table salt

1 quart water

4 slices good quality sandwich bread

3 garlic cloves, minced/garlic pressed

1/4 tsp of salt and pepper

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 shallot, minced

2 tbsp grated parmesan

2 tbsp parsley

Pinch of fresh thyme

A plate of all purpose flour

3 egg whites

3 tbsp dijon mustard

6 tbsp flour

Directions

1. Brine pork chops in salt and water. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

2. Break bread into 1-inch pieces and pulse in food processor for 5-8 pulses for 1 second each.

3. Mix minced garlic with bread crumbs. Add 1/4 tsp salt and pepper, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, and 1 minced shallot. Toss breadcrumb mixture and spread across baking sheet.

4. Toast breadcrumbs in oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let cool.

5. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. 

6. Prepare 3 plates for breading:

A. 1 plate of all purpose flour.

B. 1 plate combining egg whites, dijon mustard, and 6 tbsp flour.

C. 1 plate for toasted breadcrumbs. 

7. Add grated parmesan, parsley, and thyme with the cooled, toasted breadcrumb mixture. 

8. Remove pork from brine and rise with water. Pat dry with paper towel and sprinkle with pepper. 

9. Bread in A, B, C order from the prepared breading dishes. 

10. Bake on wired rack sprayed with vegetable spray for 20 minutes until internal temperature is 150 degrees. 

Moist and tender meat with a crunchy flavorful crust. Brining actually does work! This will certainly be something I turn to when we are looking for a healthy, yet savory dinner. Served with roasted root vegetables or other sides and you have a complete meal. 

Have a (hopefully) swift pre-Thanksgiving Tuesday! 

See you after Thanksgiving when I update you all on how my first attempt with duck goes. Thanks for reading! 

Dining In: Washington, DC - Founding Farmers

To round out the week with dining in DC, last but not least Founding Farmers. A chic yet rustic restaurant that feels like country farm meets posh urban dining. We had brunch there and I am so glad we ordered the French press coffee (so smooth and delicious).  

Pretty suspended bird lights.

The piping hot doughnut holes were simply divine with chocolate, caramel, and raspberry dipping sauces. 

I had the Benedict Arnold with Sausage and Black Pepper Cream Gravy. Quite a heavy breakfast, but I love sausage and eggs. The leek hash browns were also quite good. 

The Husband had the Pastrami Hash, which he was also quite pleased with. 

I imagine that in most large cities, Sunday brunch is a time when most of the city is out looking for somewhere comforting to eat. This is certainly that kind of place, cosy and nourishing. I'm glad we tried it and next time we'll probably try to return for dinner or lunch to try some of their more complex dishes. *Note, this is definitely the kind of place you want to make reservations for. 

Have a fun-filled weekend!

Dining In: Washington, DC - Kushi

Dinner in DC was at Kushi. This is an izakaya-style Japanese restaurant, which I've never tried before. Imagine Japanese tapas with beer or sake = Izakaya cuisine. Everything was made right before our eyes from the frying, grilling, and basting. 

Delicious yellowtail. The first of our sashimi indulgences on this trip. 

Tender grilled pork belly. YUM. 

Grilled whole fish. Juicy, sweet, and super fresh. 

I can see how this would be a fabulous happy hour into dinner option as you eat and drink over several hours. All of these little dishes pack good punches of flavor and texture. The Husband loves Japanese cuisine and with its simplicity of presentation and refined flavors I can see why. We were able to get a corner end of the bar, which made chatting, watching, and eating all the more fun.

Have a great Wednesday! More east coast trip great eats to come. 

Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs 糖醋排骨

Continuing on with the nostalgic recipes from my mother's archives, this one is one of my favorites. If you can imagine candy in meat form, this would be it. With combinations of sweet, salty, and a tinge of sour, this dish has been one of the most often requested dishes throughout my college, grad, and post-grad years.

One of my favorite parts of this recipe is that it is SO easy to remember the proportions. My mother used to recite this recipe in Chinese in a sing-song voice and it has been imprinted in my mind forever. I hope one day my kids will have the recipe stuck in their heads forever too so they can enjoy this delicious treat.

Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs 糖醋排骨

Ingredients
1.5-2 lbs of pork ribs or baby back ribs (cut lengthwise into approx. 1 inch strips by your butcher)
1 tbsp cooking wine
2 tbsp white vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp sugar
10 tbsp + water

* Notice how the proportions are consecutive (1, 2, 3, 4), which means if you make more or less meat just use a larger or smaller spoon to measure out the ingredients.

Directions
1. Cut the long strips of ribs into bite sized pieces by cutting between each of the rib bones.

2. Boil a stockpot of water and blanch the pork ribs to clean and remove impurities just until the pork has turned gray. Strain and set aside.

3. In the stockpot, combine cooking wine, vinegar, sugar, and water. Turn pork ribs into the stockpot and turn on high heat.

4. This is the part that requires continued attention: As the soy sauce mixture cooks with the ribs, you must keep an eye on this because the sugar will caramelize quickly. You'll want to continue to stir and coat the ribs with the sauce that will be bubbling quickly.

5.  Once you are sure the pork is cooked, you can remove a piece and test the texture. If the meat is a little too tough, add more water as the longer the pork cooks in the mixture it will become more tender. If you are needing more salt, sugar, or vinegar flavor feel free to add more at this step.

6. When you are happy with the texture of the pork, allow the sauce to thicken to your desired consistency. It should resemble a sweet, burgundy glaze over the ribs.

7. Serve with hot white rice and enjoy!

Be ready to see these ribs disappear quickly from the plate. Might as well overestimate the number of servings just in case.

Hoping to dive into some more recipes this weekend (fingers crossed). Have a great one! 

Shredded Pork and Pickled Mustard Noodle Soup 榨菜肉絲麵

This is one of my mother's classic noodle soup dishes. It is something you can find on most Chinese casual dining menus and it is great on a winter night. Everything can be pre-made and then you just boil the noodles and toss everything together. 

The key ingredient to this dish is the pickled mustard "tuber." Since I always refer to this vegetable with its chinese name, it had a hard time finding a good picture of this online. It should look like this and not this. You can find these at local Asian stores in the preserved vegetable aisle, as these are not refrigerated. They often have several flavors and I usually buy the spicy for some extra kick. 

Shredded Pork and Pickled Mustard Noodle Soup 榨菜肉絲麵

Ingredients

1/4 lb pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips

2 tbsp cooking wine

1 pinch of salt 

1 tbsp corn starch

3 cloves garlic

2 small packages of pickled mustard tuber

Noodles of your choice

2-3 cups of water or chicken broth

* If using water, add some salt and hondashi to flavor the soup

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

Directions

1. Marinate the pork strips with cooking wine, salt, and corn starch. 

2. Saute garlic until fragrant and cook pork until no longer pink. 

3. Add pickled mustard strips and saute until flavor is even throughout. 

4. Boil noodles.

5. In a stockpot, either use 1/2 proportion of water and 1/2 chicken broth to = 2-3 cups of soup or use all water and add salt and hondashi for some mild flavor in the soup. The amount of soup can vary based on preference and amount of noodles. Stir in ground white pepper.

6. Combine noodles with soup broth and top with pork and pickled mustard.  Serve when hot. 

The topping is easy to prepare and you can refrigerate the topping for up to 1 week. That way, you don't have an excuse when you need to prepare dinner in 15 minutes because you can boil noodles and mix up the soup broth in probably less than 15 minutes. 

Hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy some down time! 

Hot and Sour Noodles 酸辣麵

Asian noodles have a special place in my heart. Be it flat noodles with creamy sauce or thin rice noodles cooked with shiitake mushrooms and veggies. This recipe was recently shared with me by my mother and to top it all off we made homemade asian noodles, which were super al dente.

These noodles are what I would call a toss-it-all-together kind of noodle dish such as cold noodles with peanut sauce, dan dan mein, or ja jiang mein. Essentially these noodles are comprised of 3 components: al dente noodles, toppings, and a sauce. Once the toppings and sauce are placed on the noodles, you simply stir stir stir and voila delicious noodles in a jiffy.

Hot and Sour Noodles

Ingredients
Homemade noodles
250 grams of bread flour
250 grams of all purpose flour
230 grams of water
*Mix ingredients by hand or in stand mixer until a dough ball forms and gluten is activated (translation: there is a bounce back in the dough = chewy noodles). Let dough ball rest covered for 15 minutes. Flatten and cut, see this for details.

Toppings
1/2 lb ground pork
2 tbsp garlic or more
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cucumber, cored, peeled and julienned
2-3 tsp sugar or 3 small pieces of rock sugar

Noodle Sauce
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon chili oil
2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 1/2 sesame oil
1 tbsp cilantro

Directions
1. Saute garlic until fragrant, but do not burn. Add ground pork and saute.

2. Add soy sauce and rock sugar. If sauce is too salty, add some water. Cook ground pork completely. Set aside.

3. Boil salted water and cook noodles to al dente texture.

4. In a separate sauce pan, add all noodle sauce ingredients and a few tablespoons of previously prepared ground pork. If necessary, add salt and sugar to taste. Add remaining pork for desired meat-to-noodle ratio.

5. Add cooked noodles into the noodle sauce ingredients and toss with cucumbers. Serve with cilantro and additional minced garlic for garnishes.

This is one incredibly satisfying and delicious noodle dish that is easily prepared in advance for any meal. Of course you don't need to make homemade noodles, but I definitely have a bias towards freshly made noodles for these toss-it-all-together noodle dishes. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Taiwanese Meat Rounds 肉圓

This is the first of a series of Taiwanese food posts, as I was lucky enough to have my parents in town for the week. Given that The Husband and I are both Taiwanese and feel strongly that our children be immersed in the culture, it has always been top priority for me to learn how to cook Taiwanese cuisine.

For people who have no experience with Taiwanese food, these posts will hopefully tempt you to expand your palate or at least inspire you to try something new. For those who have had these dishes before, you can now add these recipes to your family cookbooks.

Taiwanese meat rounds are typically eaten as a Taiwanese street food aka 台灣小吃, but often can be incorporated as a lunch or dinner item as well. This dish consists of a filling and then an outer layer of rice wrapping. Please keep in mind that these recipes are estimates and every Taiwanese momma has her own recipe that they swear by - so go and test several out!

Taiwanese Meat Rounds
yields approximately 18-20 servings

For Rice Wrapping (yes, Taiwan is on the metric system - you can use a food scale to measure)

150 g Rice flour

1500 g cold water

410 g Tapioca flour

410 g Sweet potato flour

1. Combine rice flour and cold water and cook at medium high heat until thickened (similar texture to a roux). Allow to cool until body temperature to touch.

2. Once cooled, include the tapioca and sweet potato flours in small sections and whisk into rice flour and water "roux" mixture until smooth. 

3. Set aside until filling is ready. 

For Filling (approximate amounts, * indicates amount based on taste preference)

2 Bamboo shoots, thinly sliced

10 Dried shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

2-3 Shallots, chopped

1 lb+ Pork tenderloin, thinly sliced – marinated with garlic, 5 spice, soy sauce, white pepper, rice wine (in advance)

*Vegetable hoisin

*Soy sauce

*White pepper

Fried shallots

Pinch of salt

1. Sauté shallots until fragrant. Add pork slices. Add mushrooms and then bamboo shoots.

2. Add the vegetable hoisin, soy sauce, salt, and white pepper to taste. At the end, add a sprinkle of fried shallots. 

Note: The rice wrappings have no salt or flavor. The majority of the flavor will come from the filling, which should be well-seasoned, but not overly salted. 

To Combine

There are actual meat circle platters that you can purchase in Taiwan or (if you are lucky) your local Asian store. Instead, we used some metal saucer-looking things that we typically use to make our mise en place. 

1. Prior to combining the rice wrapping and filling, lightly oil the surface of the metal saucer with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. 

2. Fill the saucers with a 1 cm layer of the rice wrapping and then add the filling in the middle. Top off with more of the rice wrapping. 

3.  Bring a steamer pot to a full boil and then steam the meat circles for 15 minutes. The rice wrapping should become almost translucent or clear rather than the original white. 

4. Let cool for a few minutes as the rice wrapping will at first be sticky and then become more firm. Once firmed, remove meat rounds from platters gently with your fingers. 

5. Serve with sweet chili sauce and garnish with cilantro. 

The great thing about these meat rounds is that they can be kept in the fridge or frozen. If reheated from the fridge, they can simply be microwaved or re-steamed. Otherwise from the freezer, you can re-steam them and they will be back to their original texture and flavor. 

I'd like to dedicate these next several posts to my momma. The best Taiwanese chef I know! 

May you have an adventurous Wednesday. :) 

Dining In: Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico provided much-needed R&R before I started the next phase of my professional life (no, the next phase is not full-time food blogging, which The Husband likes to helpfully remind me). The trip had absolutely no itinerary aside from reading on the beach and eating good food.

On our first night, we had dinner at the resort since it was too late to venture out for local food. Not bad for a resort burger - super juicy.

However, we vowed to avoid resort food for the rest of the trip since there were much tastier options available. Such as the local fare at Raices in Old San Juan: Shrimp Medley, Flank Steak Mofongo, Chicken Stew, and the Kan Kan Pork Chop.

  

  

Guava breakfast pastry at Isamar Bakery. 

Guava colada at Guava's in Luquillo, PR. 

Ceviche. This was yummy, but not as good as The Ceviche Hut along a strip of kiosks on Highway 3. 

Fried calamari. 

Conch with rice and beans. 

Octopus with mofongo.

Whole red snapper with mofongo and tangy sauce. 

Fish (chapin) Arepas Rellenos and Crab (jueyes) wrapped in fried plantains. 

Coco Frio! 

Overall, Puerto Rico was a gorgeous, lush island with tasty food and great beaches. I'd highly recommend taking a ferry or flying to Culebra for Flamenco Beach. It was beautiful! 

Hope you have a great Monday!