Seafood & French Beans With XO Sauce

 

As much as I love spending a lot of time in the kitchen cooking all kinds of dishes, there are just some busy days when I have to come up with something really quick & simple so I can do all the house chores in time. Well, today is one of those days. So without further ado, this is a really simple dish that I could fix in less than 15 minutes.. Served with steamed jasmine rice, my tummy is happy.

 

Ingredients:

- 200g French beans, cut into half

- 200g large shrimp, peeled & deveined

- 150g bay scallops

- 4 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 heaping tbsp. XO sauce

- 2 tbsp. Shao Xing Wine

 

Directions:

1. Heat up a saucepan till very hot. Add 1 heaping tbsp. of XO sauce, with the oil in it and all. Stir fry for about 30 seconds till fragrant.

2. Add the minced garlic, stir fry until fragrant.

3. Add the French beans, cook till they start to turn to a darker green.

4. Add the Shao Xing wine and continue to stir fry. When the beans are 70% cooked, add the shrimp & scallops.

5. Toss well together in the saucepan, and then cover and let it simmer for about 30 seconds.

6. When the shrimp has turned pink and the beans have turned a dark green shade & softened, the dish is done. Garnish with sliced chili & serve with steamed white rice. 



Kimchi-Bokkeumbap (Kimchi Fried Rice)

 

Kimchi is a traditional fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables with a variety seasonings. For some people, it may take some time to actually enjoy it due to its strong flavors. It's sour and spicy, but it's really, really good. So today I was in the mood for some Kimchi and finally decided to make this Kimchi-Bokkeumbap (Kimchi Fried Rice).. and man it took me right back to that moment when I was in Seoul many years ago. Now while I'm walking down the memory lane over here, why don't you give this a try and let me know if you like it!

 

Ingredients:

- 3 bowls steamed rice

- 1 cup chopped kimchi

- 1/4 cup kimchi juice

- 1/4 cup water

- 3 tbsp. Gochujang

- 3 tsp sesame oil

- 1 tsp vegetable oil

- 1 green onion, chopped

- 1 tbsp. roasted sesame seeds

- 1 sheet of roasted seaweed, shredded

- Fried eggs, sunny side up

 

Directions:

1.   Heat up a pan. Add the vegetable oil.

2. Add the kimchi and stir fry for 1 minute.

3. Add rice, kimchi juice, water, and Gochujang. Stir all the ingredients together for about 7 minutes with a wooden spoon.

4. Add sesame oil and remove from the heat.

5. Sprinkle with chopped green onion, roasted gim, and sesame seeds. Serve with fried eggs.



Takoyaki

 

Takoyaki is a famous Japanese snack in the shape of little round balls containing pieces of octopus; and it is my absolute favorite! The Japanese normally use octopus, but if you are not a big fan of it, you can also substitute it with veggies, cheese, or anything you like... choices are endless! 

 

Ingredients:

 

- 3.5 - 5 oz (100 - 145g) pre-boiled octopus

- 1/4 cup (4g) katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and more for garnish

- 1 cup (5.3 oz/150g) all-purpose flour

- 2 tsp. baking powder

- 1 tsp konbucha (or 1/2 tsp. salt)

- 2 large eggs

- 1 tsp. soy sauce

- 1 2/3 cup dashi stock

- 1/2 cup finely chopped green onion

- 1/3 cup Tenkasu (tempura scraps)

- Dried green seaweed (Aonori) for garnish

- Pickled ginger for garnish

- Takoyaki sauce or Tonkatsu sauce

- Japanese mayonnaise

 

Directions:

 

1. Cut octopus into bite size pieces

2. Grind katsuobushi (bonito flakes) into fine powder.

3. Add dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and konbucha/salt) in a large mixing bowl. Whisk a few times to combine all together.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and soy sauce together.

5. Add egg mixture to the dry ingredients, and then slowly add dashi stock while you whisk all together.

6. Heat the takoyaki pan over medium to medium high heat (on my stove, it’s medium high). Using a brush, generously oil the takoyaki pan including the raise parts in between bowls.

7. When you see smoke coming rising from the pan, pour the batter to fill the bowls. It’s okay for the batter to slightly overflow the holes. If you have a measuring cup with a handle, pour the batter in the measuring cup first so that it’s easier to pour. After you fill the holes, set timer for 3 minutes.

8. Add 1-3 octopus pieces (depends on the size of octopus – I put 2-3 pieces) in each hole and sprinkle on the green onion.

9. Then sprinkle tenkasu and powdered katsuobushi.

10. After 3 minutes or so, when the bottom of the balls has hardened, break the connected batter in between each bowl with takoyaki picks (or skewers). Then turn each piece a 180 degree, stuffing in the edges as you are turning. The batter flows out from the inside of each bowl and creates the other side of the takoyaki ball. After you finish flipping, set timer for 4 minutes.

11. Keep turning constantly so each piece will have nice round shape and will be evenly browned.

12. Transfer takoyaki balls onto a plate and pour takoyaki sauce, mayonnaise. Finish off with sprinkling green dried seaweed and katsuobushi. Serve immediately (but be careful – inside is VERY hot!).



Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan) Beef Noodle Stir Fry

It's been really gloomy and raining here in Jersey. At times like these, I would usually go for a bowl of hot and spicy soup... but not today, I had been craving some stir fry noodles! Not that I haven't had noodles in a long time, I just can never get enough of them! So here's the noodle dish that I fixed today. You can practically use any kind of dried noodles you have on hands and if you can't find Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan), baby Bok Choy will work well too. So go ahead give it a try, I think you may just like it! 

Ingredients:

- 3 tablespoons soy sauce

- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce

- 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, sake or dry white wine

- 1 tablespoon sugar

- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch or cornstarch

- 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

- 1 pound beef sirloin, thinly sliced

- 1 pound fresh or 10 ounces dried noodles

- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

- 3 large garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped

- 1.25 cups chicken or vegetable stock

- 1 pound Chinese broccoli or regular common broccoli, cut into bite-size chunks or florets

- Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon each soy sauce, oyster sauce and rice wine. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until completely dissolved. Stir in the tapioca starch and continue stirring until smooth. Add the sesame oil and beef, and mix well. Marinate for 20 minutes. Drain and discard the excess marinade.

- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles until 1 minute shy of done and drain. (We'll finish cooking the noodles at the end)

- Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a skillet or wok over high heat and stir-fry the garlic until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the beef and stir-fry until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and when hot, add the Chinese broccoli, stir frying so that the oil coats the Chinese broccoli. Pour in the 1/4 cup of the stock, turn the heat to medium-low and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook the Chinese broccoli until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the Chinese broccoli to the same plate.

- Add the remaining cup of stock and the remaining 2 tablespoons each of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and rice wine to the same skillet and bring to a boil over high heat.

- Add the noodles and cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, leaving the noodles lightly moistened,2 to 3 minutes. Return the beef and broccoli to the skillet and toss to mix the ingredients thoroughly. Season with pepper to taste and serve.