66 posts Posts by julie

taiwanese beef noodle soup (niu rou mian)

by on July 15, 2011, 0 comments

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband!

He is in Istanbul today, probably stuck in meetings. I hope they are at least feeding him well!

I figured he probably wouldn’t be able to enjoy the day as much being on the job, so I made him an early birthday meal this week to celebrate before he left. After his comment a few days ago about needing more meat, I decided to do something meat-inspired for the occasion. Grilling is not so much of an option where we live. And given that our schedules were pretty tight this week, I wanted to try and make do with what I already had on hand. I had been saving this beef shank in the freezer, so I thought I’d try to make Taiwanese beef noodle soup with it. Despite his earlier comment, lucky for him it takes a SE Asian not to balk at the idea of making a hot noodle soup in the middle of a DC summer. I think he didn’t mind eating it either. :)

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
Adapted from Viet World Kitchen
Serves 3

Normally I’d make this in a Dutch oven or stock pot, but to cut down on some of the heat from the stove in the summer, I browned the meat and pan-fried the aromatics and spices in a skillet before transferring everything to a thermal cooker to slowly stew. Ideally I’d let it sit overnight, but since I didn’t start this until the day of, I just waited a few hours. The meat could have been more tender, but it was still flavorful. I’ve kept the recipe’s original instructions for cooking in a pot here but incorporated a few of the modifications I made. Next time I would use chicken or beef stock instead of water for fuller flavor.

Soup
1.5 lb bone-in beef shank
Salt
1 Tbsp canola oil
5 garlic cloves, bruised
1-inch fresh ginger, cut into 3 slices, each one bruised
2 scallions, halved crosswise
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
2 star anise
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
1 Thai bird chili, split lengthwise (seeds and ribs removed if you want less spice)
2 Tbsp chili bean sauce (doubanjiang)
1/3 cup Shaoxing rice wine
1 oz yellow Chinese rock sugar
3 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
5 cups water or chicken or beef stock

1/2 lb broccolini, broccoli, or baby bok choy, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 lb Chinese wheat noodles
1 Tbsp coarsely chopped cilantro

1. Pat the beef dry and then season all over with salt. In a 5- or 6-quart pot, heat the oil over high heat. Sear the beef on both sides until there is some browning, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.

2. To the same pot, add the garlic, ginger, five-spice, star anise, peppercorns, chili, and bean sauce. Stir for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the rice wine. Scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pot. Add 1 teaspoon salt, rock sugar, both soy sauces, and water.

3. Bring to a boil, skim off the scum that floats to the top. Lower the heat to medium-low to gently simmer. Cover and cook for about 2 hours, until the beef is tender. The broth will simmer under cover.

4. Turn off the heat and move the lid askance so that there’s about a 1/2-inch opening. Let the soup cool. The beef will finish cooking to fork tenderness as the broth cools and concentrates in flavor. (If you make the soup in the evening, let it sit overnight.)

5. Remove the meat and set aside. Strain the broth into another pot. Discard the solids. Skim off the fat if desired. Reheat the broth over high heat.

6. Meanwhile, cook the vegetable and noodles in a large pot of water. Divide among soup bowls.

7. Cut the meat into 1/2-inch-thick pieces; if it the beef is cold, use a mesh strainer or skimmer to warm it in the hot broth. Divide it among the bowls.

7. Bring the broth to a boil, taste and adjust the flavors. Ladle the broth into the bowls. Top with cilantro and serve.

southeast-asian mango salad

by on July 14, 2011, 0 comments

We bought a case of mangoes this week and have been eating them every which way. The other night, I decided to make an improvised Thai-style mango salad to go with some Burmese fish (post up coming up), the combination of which prompted a confession from my husband. “You know,” he said, “I don’t really like Southeast Asian food as much as you… It would be convenient if you were German, so we could have more meat.”

Seriously?

I could understand if he’d said Italian or Mexican or Brazilian or something just a tiny bit more exciting. But then, I am biased to begin with. (I’ve had good German food, but it’s just not what immediately comes to mind as one’s cuisine of choice, especially if one has no connection to Germany in the first place.)

But, yes, that he’s not a huge fan of the spicy, sweet, sour flavors of SE Asia is not news to me. Nevertheless, I think he enjoyed this mango salad, though he probably could’ve done without the chili peppers. :P

Southeast Asian Mango Salad
Serves 2 as a side dish

A Thai-style mango salad is usually made with green mangoes. This improvised version I made with a less-ripe regular mango, which is a little more crisp but still sweet. It’s inspired by a green apple and mango salad I had at Malaysia Kopitiam in DC.

1 unripe mango (or green mango)
1 green apple (optional)
1/8 red onion, cut into thin slices
1-2 Thai bird chilies, sliced (remove seeds if you like it less spicy)
1 scallion, cut into 2 inch pieces and thinly sliced lengthwise
handful of cilantro, torn or chopped
1 Tbsp of fried shallots
3 Tbsp nuoc cham sauce
1 lime wedge (optional)

1. Slice the mango into strips of desired thickness. (I like mine in small wedges, mostly because I’m lazy, but you can also julienne it.) If using the green apple, slice that similarly.

2. Mix the strips of mango and apple (if using) with the sliced onion. Garnish with Thai bird chilies, scallions, cilantro, and shallots.

3. Right before serving, add the nuoc cham sauce to the salad and toss everything together. If desired, add an extra squeeze of lime.

fried shallots and fried shallot oil

by on July 14, 2011, 0 comments

Fried shallots are something I like to always have on hand. True, I could go to the store and pick up a container of fried red onion, which seems to have a never-ending shelf life, but it’s not hard to fry your own. I think you get something crisper, fresher, and also end up with flavored oil you can drizzle over dishes. It keeps well in the fridge too (I tend to keep mine for months… I have yet to find it’s gone bad, but you should probably use your own good judgment. :)

What do I use fried shallots for? (What do I not use them for…) They lend a nice depth of flavor, as well as a crispy texture (so long as you don’t let them sit too long and get soggy), to soups, congee, stir-fries, salads, noodle soups, meat dishes… I also like to drizzle fried shallot oil over soups or, well, practically anything.  Though I tend to use fried shallots more in Asian dishes, you can use them in Western-style casseroles, sauces, salads, or over steak too.

Fried Shallots and Fried Shallot Oil

I make this in large batches and store the fried shallots and the fried shallot oil separately so that the shallots retain their crisp. I’ve found they keep for a month or longer in the fridge.

shallots
oil (I usually use canola or vegetable, though another neutral-flavored oil would work as well)

1. Peel and thinly slice the shallots. The thinner you slice them, the more airy and light they will be once fried.

2. Lay the sliced shallots out onto a paper towel to rid them of excess moisture and to prevent clumping. Lay another pice of paper towel on top and gently dab to soak up moisture. Getting rid of the moisture results in more crispiness.

3. Pour just enough oil into the pan to coat the entire bottom of the pan. (The size of the pan doesn’t matter so long as you don’t overcrowd the pan when frying; it’s more an issue of how much oil you want to use up to fill a whole pan. I tend to use a smaller pan and fry in batches.) Heat oil over medium heat.

4. Add the shallots in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Spread them out in the oil to keep them from clumping. Shallots can turn from golden to brown very quickly, so keep an eye on them to prevent them from burning.

5. Once the shallots turn golden, lift them out of the oil with a slotted spoon or chopsticks and set on a plate lined with paper towel to drain off the excess oil. Repeat in batches until all shallots are fried.

6. Store fried shallots and fried shallot oil in separate containers in the fridge.

[Photo and recipe updated 8/12/14.]

a durian story

by on July 13, 2011, 4 comments

Remember the trip I made to Malaysia back in August of last year? Well, it kind of started with my fascination with durian and all the folklore, culture, and controversy that surrounds it. You can read more about my adventures in my Washington Post story today, which includes an encounter with a farmer named Durian himself. [You can also submit questions now for the live chat today at noon. Chat closed.]

Durians at Chow Rasta Market in George Town, Penang, Malaysia.

On that same trip, I also stopped in Singapore, where durian season was just winding down, and I was able to get a taste of the famous Mau San Wang and Butter Durian. My friend Greg took me to his favorite durian seller who shows up a few times a year in front of the red Pek Kong Temple in Geylang Balestier. The only thing better about eating fresh durian is eating it with people who love it as much (or more than!) you, and I felt lucky to get to share in the festivities with Greg and his family.

Sadly, when I have a craving for durian these days, I end up getting a durian sinh to (smoothie) at the Eden Center out in Falls Church, VA, or getting a whole one (previously frozen, unfortunately) at Grand Mart. It will just have to tide me over until my next trip to Southeast Asia…