Stir-fried Shredded Pork with Green Chiles and Cilantro

JS:
We had a stir-fried pork dish with peppers at a couple of restaurants around town. I like the flavours in the dish so much that I thought I'd replicate the dish at home. It's really a very simple, home-style dish.

The hardest part of the whole thing is deseeding the jalapeño peppers. Now, of course, one can just leave and cook with the seeds, but I'm afraid that would make it inedibly spicy for some of our family members.

TS:
(Pssst! I was surprised JS actually had the patience to deseed so many jalapeños. The labor-intensiveness of it all!)



JS:
I used pork tenderloin for this dish, and having tried it with pork shoulder, I must say I prefer the tenderloin. While the fattiness of the pork shoulder was welcome, the pork shoulder also added too much sweetness that threw off the flavour balance in the dish for me.



JS:
I marinate the pork tenderloin strips in a bit of Shaoxing wine and soy sauce. I didn't bother with the cornstarch as I'm a bit partial to the juices not being glazy or thick.

Once all the ingredients are prepped, it's a matter of stir-frying like crazy.

Of course, look at the size of our wok and the amount of ingredients that we have there, and it's a guarantee that I'm not going to get any sort of wok-hei. I can live with no wok-hei, though -- it's good enough although I admit the smokiness would add another dimension to the dish.




Cook aromatics, then pork strips. Add the jalapeño, salt, Shaoxing wine, Chinkiang vinegar, a dash of white pepper, and finally, the cilantro.

JS:
Throw in a generous amount of cilantro (stems are okay), towards the end, just to wilt it a bit, and it's quite a satisfying dish.

There's some heat from the jalapeños, but the heat is pushed to the background, letting that unique slightly bitter, slightly sweet, all vegetal-fruitiness, of the peppers shine.



eatingclub Chinese

Recipe
Stir-Fried Shredded Pork with Green Chiles and Cilantro

1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, for marinating pork
1 tbsp soy sauce, for marinating pork

1/2 lb jalapeño peppers, deseeded and cut into strips
1/2 inch ginger, cut into slivers
1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, for stir-frying
salt to season
dash of white pepper
1 tsp Chinkiang vinegar

a handful or two of cilantro

Marinate pork with Shaoxing and soy sauce while you prep the other ingredients.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok. Add ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add pork strips. When pork strips are halfway cooked through, add jalapeño pepper strips. Add Shaoxing wine. Season with salt and pepper and add Chinkiang vinegar towards the end. Toss in cilantro.

Serve with plain white rice.

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Minatamis na Saba (Philippine Boiled Saba Banana)

TS:
Some of you may remember the tragic failure of our previous boiled saba banana attempt.

What? Boiled saba banana? "What is that?", you ask.

Saba is a type of banana or plantain in the Philippines that is commonly eaten as a snack or dessert. Sometimes it's fried with sugar, or wrapped up in a wrapper and fried (see Turon (Philippine Banana Spring Roll)), or, simply boiled.

Boiling is something that tugs at our lazy heartstrings, so that's the way to go for us.

Market Manila: Saba or Cooking Bananas
Wikipedia: Banana-cue, Turon and Arroz a la Cubana



TS:
Ah yes, the tragic failure.

The previous time we attempted this, we bought burro bananas from the store, thinking that they could be saba. But, I think perhaps not.


FAIL! weird boiled burro bananas

TS:
As you can see, they turned a funky red color! That was too weird. Also, the banana itself wasn't sweet at all! Very disappointing.


real saba

TS:
This time, success was sure as someone had brought these saba all the way from the Philippines. What's more, someone else much more knowledgeable was also responsible for boiling them.



TS:
Oh! You keep them in their skins while boiling! That's useful to know. They were simmered over low heat for several hours. I'm thinking that one can't really overcook them.

Afterwards, they turn brown like so.



TS:
One can serve them in a light syrup (brown sugar melted in water). In fact, that is what Minatamis na Saba is.

But, making syrup means doing some work. So, I simply popped open a can of condensed milk. I love condensed milk anyway.



TS:
Although, even to my condensed milk-loving self, the boiled saba were very good eaten as is without adornment.

I guess this is actually just plain ol' nilagang saba (boiled saba), not minatamis.



TS:
Now, all we need is another good Samaritan from the Philippines to bring us more saba!

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eatingclub banana
Boiled Saba (Burro Banana) with Condensed Milk
Caribbean "Fish n' (Banana) Chips"
Turon (Philippine Banana Spring Roll)
Minatamis na Saba (Philippine Boiled Saba Banana)

Cuttlefish Ink Pasta with Crab and Bell Peppers

TS:
It's time for another "we-have-to-use-these-things-up" dish.



TS:
We've had this cuttlefish ink pasta in the pantry for quite a while now. Actually, these were from the old house! We had bought these way, way back and used them for a party. We decided to "save" some for ourselves and never did find the right time to cook them.



TS:
The time is now!



TS:
In one hand, we had some cuttlefish ink pasta, and in another, some crabmeat (which I believe was bought to make our Supreme Lion's Head Meatballs with Crabmeat).

As is always the case, something simple and not fussy was the rule of the day.



TS:
While the water was boiling and the pasta was cooking, I proceeded to make the "sauce".



TS:
I chopped some garlic and chile peppers, diced some tomatoes and bell peppers, zested a lemon and chopped some parsley.



TS:
I started by sautéing the garlic and chile peppers in olive oil, then added the bell peppers. After a bit of cooking, the tomatoes went in, followed by the crabmeat.



TS:
The cooked cuttlefish ink pasta went in next, then some butter and the lemon zest. A squeeze of lemon juice, some parsley, and the dish was done.

Quick, light, and satisfying. Perfect for lazy summer days.

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Recipe
Cuttlefish Ink Pasta with Crab and Bell Peppers


cuttlefish ink or squid ink pasta

cooked crabmeat

garlic, chopped
chile peppers, chopped
tomato, seeded and diced
bell peppers, seeded and diced

butter
lemon, zested and juiced
parsley, chopped

Adjust quantities to suit your needs and taste.

Bring water to a boil, making sure to add a generous amount of salt. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente (not overcooked). Drain. Reserve some of the cooking water.

In a sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and chile peppers and cook for a few seconds until fragrant. Add bell peppers and cook until softened slightly.

Add tomatoes. Do not cook tomatoes for too long to retain their fresh quality.

Add the crabmeat, then the cooked pasta. Add butter and toss well.

If pasta is too dry, add olive oil, or more butter, or some pasta water. Add lemon zest and some lemon juice. Toss well. Adjust seasoning of needed.

Add parsley last and serve.

Hong Kong-style Curry Beef Brisket (咖喱牛腩), 1st Attempt

TS:
HK-style Curry Beef Brisket is one of the dishes that we get "on the outside".

But, we were feeling a tad ambitious one day and decided to take on this project. Having made a Hong Kong-style curry with baby cuttlefish before, we thought we could successfully recreate the beef brisket version.

I believe we did the first thing right: we braised the beef brisket in a standard soy sauce, cinnamon, star anise, ginger mixture -- the usual Chinese suspects -- first.



TS:
There it is the next day. We proceeded to slice them into big chunks, then prepped the onions and bell peppers. We also chopped some garlic and made our curry powder and sesame oil paste, as per the recipe we used for our cuttlefish version.



TS:
We proceeded to cook the aromatics and the vegetables, then added the curry-sesame paste, as well as some of the braising liquid, some water, some evaporated milk, some turmeric, salt and sugar...



TS:
...but it doesn't really matter because our dish wasn't very HK Curry-ish at all!

It wasn't bad, but it really wasn't what I consider HK Curry. I'm thinking that perhaps I overdid the curry? Look at its odd color. I really don't know for sure, though. What is that magical mélange of curry and stuff that Cantonese cooks use?

The best I could do was to plate our dish the way we see them in HK-style cafés: the curry in a dish like so, and a mound of rice.



TS:
So, at least for now, we'll continue getting our HK curry on the outside, as there are numerous acceptable and more-than-acceptable places to get them. In fact, the version I like is available not more than 5 minutes away from home.


eatingclub Hong Kong/Cantonese
Chicken Chow Mein
Cantonese Braised Beef Brisket, Two Ways
Lobster Congee from a Lobster Feast
Chinese Roast Pork Belly
Gailan (Chinese Broccoli) with Oyster Sauce, Two Ways
Chinese Pork Bone Soup with Carrots and Water Chestnuts
Hong Kong-style Curry Cuttlefish
Dimsum Seafood Trio: Black Pearl Prawn Toast, Scallop in Nest, Jewelled Rice Cup
Hong Kong-style Singapore Noodles (星洲炒米)
Hong Kong-style Stir-fried Water Spinach with Shrimp Paste (蝦醬通菜)
Hong Kong-style Stir-fried Rice Noodle with Beef (乾炒牛河)
Sweet and Sour Pork
Hong Kong-style Curry Beef Brisket (咖喱牛腩), 1st Attempt

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Sweet and Sour Pork

TS:
Ah, sweet and sour pork, that Cantonese delight!

The problem is that good sweet and sour pork is extremely hard to find. When one does though... dreamy look

We'd like to get it on the outside, but often, there would be problems with the pork (too lean, too fatty), problems with the batter (too thick), problems with the sauce (too thick, too gloopy, too sweet, not sour enough, too sour)... sigh

In our house, CSC is the resident sweet and sour pork expert. The reason? She actually follows the recipe and the way the dish is supposed to be made, instead of taking shortcuts. This dish is way too labor-intensive for me! =)


JS' "rogue" version of sweet and sour pork

TS:
Don't believe me? Here's how one does it. And yes, it was CSC who did the work below. These procedural pictures were taken two years ago, by the way. This is procrastination at its best.



TS:
First, the prep. If you look at the recipe below, there are mixtures #1, #2, and #3. One needs to mix these mixtures beforehand and have them ready before proceeding. Of course, CSC also cut up all the vegetables at this time.



TS:
There are multiple steps to prepare the pork component.

First, slicing the pork.
Second, tendering the pork with the blunt end of a cleaver.
Third, marinating the meat (with egg yolk!).
Fourth, dredging the marinated pork in cornstarch.
Fifth, frying the pork at medium heat to cook.
Sixth, frying the pork a second time over high heat to brown.

I don't know about you, but that seems like a lot of work to me. ;)



TS:
But, the results are worth it! Of course, this assumes that someone else is doing all this work.



TS:
Next, the garlic, onion and bell peppers are stir-fried and cooked. CSC didn't put pineapples in this version, but Mama, CSC and I all love the pineapple in sweet and sour pork, so subsequent versions have always had them.

The sauce is added and thickened, then the amazingly crispy and delicious deep-fried pork pieces are added. Everything is mixed together, and you have deliciousness for dinner!



TS:
Ah yes, JS made the rogue version of the dish just so we can photograph the dish in better lighting. Her dish is "rogue" because she didn't follow all the steps for making the dish... of course. ;)



eatingclub Hong Kong/Cantonese
Chicken Chow Mein
Cantonese Braised Beef Brisket, Two Ways
Lobster Congee from a Lobster Feast
Chinese Roast Pork Belly
Gailan (Chinese Broccoli) with Oyster Sauce, Two Ways
Chinese Pork Bone Soup with Carrots and Water Chestnuts
Hong Kong-style Curry Cuttlefish
Dimsum Seafood Trio: Black Pearl Prawn Toast, Scallop in Nest, Jewelled Rice Cup
Hong Kong-style Singapore Noodles (星洲炒米)
Hong Kong-style Stir-fried Water Spinach with Shrimp Paste (蝦醬通菜)
Hong Kong-style Stir-fried Rice Noodle with Beef (乾炒牛河)
Sweet and Sour Pork
Hong Kong-style Curry Beef Brisket (咖喱牛腩), 1st Attempt

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Recipe
Sweet and Sour Pork
adapted from Pei Mei's recipe

Note:
Pei Mei's recipe calls for using a "pickled vegetable salad". We simply used bell peppers and onions as is, without pickling them first. We have also added pineapple chunks.

2/3 lb pork loin

#1
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cornstarch

6 tablespoon cornstarch
6 cups oil (for frying)

1 small green bell pepper (or half pepper)
1 small red bell pepper (or half pepper)
1 small onion (or half onion)
pineapple chunks
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

#2
3 tablespoons vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/3 teaspoon salt

#3
1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoon water

Cut pork into slices 2/3-inch thick. Using blunt edge of cleaver, lightly pound slices to tenderize; cut meat into bite-size pieces; mix with mixture #1 and let sit for 20 minutes.

Before deep-frying meat, mix with the 6 tablespoons of cornstarch.

Heat oil for deep-frying. Deep-fry pork pieces over medium heat for 3 minutes. Remove pork pieces and set aside.

Reheat oil until very hot. Re-fry pork pieces for another 30 seconds. Remove and drain.

Prepare vegetables: remove seeds from bell peppers and cut into bite-size pieces. Chop onion into bite-size pieces. If using canned pineapple chunks, drain well.

Reheat pan and 3 tablespoons oil. Add chopped garlic briefly (a few seconds), then add onions and bell peppers. Stir-fry briefly to cook. Add pineapple chunks.

Add mixture #2 to the pan. When boiling, add mixture #3 to thicken. Add fried pork pieces and toss lightly to mix everything together.

Remove to serving platter and serve immediately with white rice.

Hot Dog Party: Oroshi, Terimayo, Chili Cheese, Pineapple Madras

JS:
We have been really, really lazy to cook for the past couple of months so not much to report from here, unfortunately.

We did have a hot dog party a couple of months ago, but we did make the job easier by buying -- well, hot dogs, of course, from the store.

We had three different types of dogs: all-beef frankfurters, bratwursts, and jalapeño cheese smokies. These are all standard issue dogs from any mainstream superstore.

I know, I know, I got my meat grinder already but I haven't opened the box yet. The grinder attachment and stuffer have been sharing space with my computer here on my desk.

The Fixin's
JS:
We did try to dress up the party by having different toppings for the dogs. It's mix and match to get the dog you want.


left: JS' Homemade Teriyaki Sauce; right: Teriyaki Mayo


left: Grated Daikon; right: Shredded Nori (Seaweed)


left: Green Onions; right: Sautéed Cabbage


left: Pineapple Madras Curry Mayo; right: Sautéed Onions


left: Chili; right: Grated Cheddar



TS:
We also had regular ol' condiments available, as well as lightly pickled Japanese cucumbers, just because Mama and CSC love them.

On the Grill


All-beef frankfurters, bratwursts, and jalapeño cheese smokies.

Look at Them Dogs!
TS:
Of course, everyone was free to mix-and-match toppings as they saw fit, but here are four dogs we made as "suggestions" to the guests. ;)

Chili Cheese Dog


All-beef Frank or Jalapeño Cheese Smokie + Chili + Sautéed Onions + Grated Cheddar

TS:
I am a chili cheese dog gal myself. Drool.

Terimayo


Any dog, brushed with teriyaki while grilling + Teriyaki Mayo + Nori (Seaweed)

TS:
What's a Vancouver hot dog party without ripping-off some Japadogs? ;)

(Yes, I know I could've shredded the nori more finely, but I was feeling lazy, as usual.)

Oroshi


Try a brat here (although all-beef frank is pictured).
Brat + Sautéed Cabbgae + Grated Daikon + Teriyaki + Green Onions

TS:
The other Japadog rip-off, except we added sautéed cabbage and used teriyaki sauce instead of their "special soy sauce" that was too, too salty.

Pineapple Madras

Brat + Pineapple Madras Curry Mayo + Sautéed Onions + Green Onions

TS:
Here we are trying to be creative. ;)

JS:
I certainly had fun mixin' and matchin' dogs. My father, not big fan of dogs, even said, "Wow, I never knew hot dogs could be a meal in itself."

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Dogs featured on eatingclub vancouver
Aree's Dawg House (March 2008)
Grilled Brats à la Japadog
DougieDog (March 2010)
A Tale of Two Dogs: Grey's Papaya and Papaya King (New York, NY)
Hot Dog Party: Oroshi, Terimayo, Chili Cheese, Pineapple Madras