Sooji Dhokla (Steamed Semolina Bread)

Dhokla is an irresistible Guajarati Indian snack that is essentially a fluffy, steamed savory bread or cake. They are often made with chana dal, ground chickpeas. But there are dhoklas made with other dried legumes, with rice and with corn, even with semolina (sooji), as in this version. Dhokla has a marvelous light, spongy texture. The batter is spicy with ginger and green chile; more flavors are added by popping mustard seed and curry leaves in oil for the final flourish.
Featured in: Next Stop, India: Full Steam Ahead.

 

Ingredients

For the dhokla

• 2 tablespoons/30 milliliters vegetable oil, such as untoasted sesame or grapeseed oil, plus more for greasing pan
• One-inch piece peeled ginger, finely chopped
• 1 or 2 small green chiles, chopped
• ¾ teaspoon/6 grams kosher salt, plus a pinch
• 1 cup/160 grams fine semolina
• 1 teaspoon/8 grams baking soda
• 1 teaspoon/8 grams baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ cup/120 milliliters plain whole milk yogurt
• 1 handful fluffy cilantro sprigs, for garnish
• ¼ cup/30 grams freshly grated coconut (or use frozen shredded coconut, defrosted), for garnish
• Minty yogurt chutney, for serving (see recipe)

For the sizzled topping (tarka)

• 2 tablespoons/30 milliliters vegetable oil
• 2 or 3 small green chiles, slit lengthwise
• 1 teaspoon/10 grams black mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 8 to 10 fresh curry leaves
• Pinch of asafetida, a.k.a. hing (optional)

Preparation

1. Set up a steamer large enough to hold an 8-inch cake pan on a rack, with sufficient room above and below. (If you don’t have a steamer, improvise with a soup pot.) Add water to just below rack. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a brisk simmer. Grease an 8-inch cake pan with a little oil and set aside.
2. Make the dhokla: Put the ginger and chiles in a mortar with a pinch of salt and pound them to a rough paste (or just chop them very finely). Put the ginger-chile paste in a mixing bowl. Add semolina, salt, baking soda, baking powder and turmeric and mix together with wooden spoon. Add yogurt, 2 tablespoons oil and 1/2 cup water, stirring vigorously, to make a smooth lump-free batter. Gradually thin with up to 1/4 cup more water, as necessary, until mixture resembles thick pancake batter.
3. Beat well, then pour batter into oiled cake pan. Put pan in steamer and cover pot with a clean dish towel, then place a lid on top. Steam for 20 minutes, until a skewer, inserted, emerges dry. Carefully remove pan from steamer. Let dhokla cool in pan for a few minutes, run a knife along sides of pan, then invert bread onto a serving plate. When completely cool, cut into squares or diamonds.
4. Make the tarka: Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add chiles and sizzle for a minute, then add mustard seeds and cook, stirring, until they begin to pop. Add cumin seeds and curry leaves and lightly toast in oil mixture, then stir in asafetida (if using) and turn off heat. Pour contents of pan over entire surface of dhokla, spreading seeds and oil with spoon.
5. To garnish, sprinkle with cilantro sprigs and freshly grated coconut. May be served warm or at room temperature. Serve with yogurt chutney for dipping.

Note

• To make dhokla with chickpea flour, use 1 cup/105 grams chickpea flour but only 1/2 cup water in the batter. (Chickpea flour, by the way, is gluten-free.)

Red-Cooked Beef Short Ribs With Daikon

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless beef short ribs or chuck, cut in 1/2-inch strips
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Chinese sweet wine or sherry
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise
• ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 small strips orange peel
• 4 dry red chiles, available in Asian markets
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons potato starch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water (optional)
• 1 pound daikon radish, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Cilantro sprigs
• ¼ cup slivered scallions

This technique, called red cooking, involves simmering meat with soy sauce, sugar and sweet aromatics like star anise and cinnamon. It happens in a wok, but instead of a quick high-heat stir-fry, it is a slow braise, more like a savory stew. Once the stew is assembled and simmering, it’s mostly a matter of waiting. Top off the liquid from time to time, but add only enough to barely cover the meat. The final step of cooking down the sauce intensifies the seasoning, accentuating the pungency of ginger and orange.

Featured in: For Cool Autumn Days, Warm Red Cooked Flavors. 

 

Preparation

1. Put meat in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, skimming off any foam. Drain meat in colander, discarding liquid.
2. Transfer meat to medium bowl and season lightly with salt. Add soy sauce, wine, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, orange peel and chiles. Mix to coat and marinate 15 minutes.
3. Put 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add sugar and stir until beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add marinated meat and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add 2 cups water and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until meat is tender, 40 minutes to an hour, adding water occasionally to keep meat barely covered.
4. To prevent meat from overcooking, remove and set aside, then bring remaining cooking liquid to a rapid simmer over high heat and reduce to intensify color and flavor. (Or thicken sauce with potato starch.) Return meat to wok and coat with reduced sauce.
5. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a separate pan over medium-high heat. Add daikon, season with salt and pepper, and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
6. Put beef in a serving dish and arrange daikon on a platter. Drizzle both with sesame oil and garnish with cilantro sprigs and scallions.

Pork Chops With Apples and Cider

Ingredients

 

For the spiced salt

• ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
• 3 cloves
• 4 allspice berries
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped sage
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

For the pork and sauce

• 6 boneless pork chops, 4 ounces each, about 1/2-inch thick
• 2 large apples
• 2 tablespoons butter
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• ½ cup hard cider, plus 2 tablespoons
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons potato starch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water
• 3 tablespoons crème fraîche
• 1 tablespoon Calvados, apple brandy or Cognac, optional
• 2 tablespoons finely cut chives
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preparation

1. Make the spice salt: Put peppercorns, cloves, allspice and sage in a spice mill or mortar and grind to a powder. Remove to a bowl and stir in salt. Season pork chops on both sides with salt mixture. (There will be some salt mixture remaining; use it to season the sauce, Step 4.) Cover and leave chops at room temperature to absorb seasonings for at least 30 minutes.
2. Peel, quarter and core apples, then cut each apple into 12 wedges. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a wide skillet and raise heat to medium-high. Add apple wedges in one layer and brown gently on one side, about 2 minutes. Brown on the other side and cook for 2 minutes more, or until apples are cooked through but still firm. Remove apples from pan and keep warm.
3. Add 1 tablespoon butter to pan and swirl to melt. Dust pork chops with flour, and place in pan and brown gently for about 4 minutes per side. Adjust heat if necessary to keep pork from cooking too quickly. Remove chops and keep warm on a platter in a low oven. Discard remaining butter.
4. Add ½ cup cider to pan, raise heat to high and cook down to a syrup. Add mustard and chicken broth, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add potato starch and stir with a wire whisk as the sauce thickens. Stir in crème fraîche. Season to taste with remaining spiced salt. Add 2 tablespoons cider and the Calvados, if using. Cook for 1 minute more.
5. Spoon sauce over the chops, then spoon the apples around the platter. Sprinkle with chives and parsley.

Fried Chicken Wings in Fish Sauce

Fried Chicken Wings in Fish Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

• 10 chicken wings
• 2 tablespoons tapioca/corn starch
• 3 hot chilli peppers
• 1 large clove garlic
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• vegetable oil

PROCESS:

Step 1: Cut the chicken wings at elbow joint, break at the knuckle and cut through the cartilage. Pat dry with kitchen towel. Season lightly both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Pound garlic, chilli and sugar in a mortar and pestle finely. Add fish sauce, water and lime juice. Stir well to dissolve.

Step 3: In a ziplock bag, add 2 tablespoons tapioca/corn starch and the wings. Shake well to coat. Remove the chicken wings and shake off the excess starch.

Step 4: In a large pan, add cooking oil just enough to cover the base of the pan. Place the wings into the oil when it is still cool. Turn on the heat to medium high. Increasing temperature of the oil will cook the wings inside out, making it crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Fry for about 10 minutes or until the edges turn golden, turn them over and fry for another 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

Step 5: Drain the oil, put the chicken wings back to the pan, pour the sauce over and simmer on low heat for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Finally, transfer to a plate. Garnish with tomato slices and coriander leaves. Serve with rice or as finger food. Hope you will love it.

Vietnamese Shrimp Cakes

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 ounces of peeled raw baby shrimp
• 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 medium shallot, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 tablespoons rice flour

DIRECTIONS:

1. Blitz the garlic and shallots in a food processor and then add the shrimp, sugar, salt, pepper and rice flour and pulse until it becomes a paste.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan on high heat and scoop the shrimp paste directly into the hot oil.
3. Flatten each scoop of shrimp paste with a spatula.
4. Pan fry both sides until golden brown, about three minutes per side.
5. Serve with fish sauce and enjoy!

Note: Originally I coated the shrimp cakes in a light dusting of rice flour when before pan-frying, but I found this didn’t improve the texture, so I left that out of the recipe. The only photos taken however, are of the rice flour covered cakes.

Vietnamese Pancake

Vietnamese Pancake

 

No need to go anywhere to enjoy this dish. You also can make Vietnamese Pancake (Bánh Xèo Việt Nam) at home. It is not only tasty, but also really easy. If you are a gourmet about Vietnamese Food, I think you should not miss it. Weekend is arrived, making and enjoy it with family and friends is a great idea.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 kg pork neck or fillet, sliced
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 20 prawns, cooked
• 100g mushrooms, sliced
• 250g beansprouts
• 50g dried onion

Pancake

• 340g rice flour
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 560 ml coconut milk
• 560 ml water
• ½ cup chop spring onion
• oil for friying
• Dipping sauce (nuoc mam cham)
• 4 limes, peeled and quartered
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup fish sauce
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• sugar; chilli, sliced; garlic, finely diced

DIRECTIONS:

To make the filling, marinate the sliced pork in the hoisin sauce, fish sauce, sugar and seasoning for about 10–15 minutes.

In a wok or large frying pan, heat oil and fry onion until translucent. Add garlic and fry until onion begins to brown. Add pork and cook on high heat for about 5 minutes.

To make the pancakes, place flour and turmeric in a large bowl. Add coconut milk and water and mix well to form a thick pancake batter. Add spring onions and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Heat about 1 tbsp of oil in a small frying pan and ladle in enough batter to cover pan.

Place cooked pork, prawns, mushroom, beansprouts and dried onion over half the pancake, while still in the pan.
When pancake has cooked, fold uncovered pancake half over filling.

To make nuoc mam cham, combine the lime, water, fish sauce and carrot in a food processor. Add sugar, chilli and garlic to taste.

Serve pancakes with dipping sauce (nuoc cham), and lettuce and mint leaves.

Vietnamese Sour Soup

Vietnamese Sour Soup

 

This soup is one of the favorite soup of Vietnamese people in southern Vietnam. The sour taste of the tamarind combined with the sweet pineapple balanced with the shrimp and fresh vegetable.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 elephant ear stem, cut into ½ inch slices on an angel (if not easily accessible, substitute with 3 – 5 stalks of celery sliced)
• 5 cup of bean sprouts
• 8 – 10 sprigs of rice paddy herb, roughly chopped with stems
• 2 large ripe vine tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 ½ cups of fresh ripe pineapple chunks
• 100g large shrimp with shell
• 800ml chicken broth
• 200g tamarind paste
• 6 cup of water
• 65g Chinese solid brown sugar
• fish sauce or salt to taste
• fried shallots

PROCESS:

Step 1: Prepare the tamarind soup base by dissolving the tamarind pulp in 3 ½ cups of hot water in a pot. Heat the mixture on medium high heat for 8 – 10 minutes, breaking down the tamarind with a spoon or folk while its is heating. Once dissolved, the tamarind will turn into a thick dark paste. With a sieve, strain the seed and pulp to extract the tamarind water. Use a spoon to press the pulp to get more tamarind water.

Step 2: In a large pot, combine 2 cups of the tamarind water, chicken broth and 2 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Add the solid brown sugar and mix until completely dissolve. Add the shrimp and let it boil until it is just cooked. Take out the shrimp and set aside so they don’t over cook. Turn off the heat. Your soup base in now ready. At this point, depending on your taste, you may want to add a bit more sour taste. Everyone likes it slightly different.

Step 3: This soup is meant to be enjoyed fresh and you only prepare it when you are read to serve. For 1 individual bowl, in a pot, combine 1 cup of the tamarind soup base, 3 pineapple chunks, 3 tomato chunks, 5 slices if elephant ear stem, and bring the soup to a boil. Add a handful of the bean sprouts, 3 – 4 cooked shrimp and let it boil for another minutes Turn off the heat and pour the soup into a soup bowl. Garnish with rice paddy herbs and fried shallots. Enjoy the soup hot, plain or boiled rice.

Finally for extra flavor, you can prepare a small bowl of fish sauce mixed with sliced red Thai chilies and dip your shrimp into it. If you don’t like shrimp, you can substitute it with white fish or chicken. Do not use beef. It will alter the taste of the soup. Hope you love it. Good luck to your cooking.

Stir-fried Water Spinach

Stir-fried Water Spinach

 

Take part in Vietnamese Cooking Class and cooking your Stir-fried Water Spinach is one of the most amazing dishes of Vietnamese foods. It is not only tasty but also quite easy for cooking. You can save your time by making this dish. It is very fresh that can be served with rice. That’s why it is really suitable for the hot days.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 bunch water spinach (water spinach has long, arrow-shaped leaves). The stem has segments just remove the bottom few inches of stem. Separate the rest into 3-4 inches segments.
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced (more garlic more better)
• 1 tablespoons fish sauce
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1 fresh red bird’s eye chili, minced

PROCESS:

Step 1: Wash and set aside. In a large pan fill about 5 cups of water and bring to boil. Add water spinach and stemmed for 1 minute, remove and blanched in ice water bath. Squeeze gently to remove the access water, set aside.

Step 2: In a work, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot and stir-fry the garlic and chili for about 1 minute for until fragrant. Add the water spinach, fish sauce, sugar and stir-fry for 1 minute. Toss constantly, using chopsticks, keeping the leaves and garlic moving to prevent the garlic from burning. Continue stir-frying for 1 – 2 minutes.

The leaves will give off quite a bit of liquid. Taste for seasoning. Transfer to a serving that’s it. Serve with rice.

Cumin Lamb Stir-Fry

 

Fragrant, intense and full of fiery chile, this lamb stir-fry isn’t for the timid eater. For the most authentic flavor, it’s worth your while to seek out Sichuan peppercorns, which have a woodsy, tongue-numbing, camphor quality. (They are available at specialty spice markets, in Chinatown, or online.) You can substitute regular black peppercorns, but you won’t get the same punch. If you’re not a lamb-lover, you can also try this with lean beef. Serve this over white or brown rice to cut the heat, with a side of sliced cucumbers dressed with sesame oil and salt for freshness.

Featured in: Lamb At Play In A Field Of Cumin.  

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons Sichuan or regular peppercorns
• 1 pound boneless lamb
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 to 8 dried red chiles (or substitute 1/2 teaspoon or more crushed red pepper)
• 1 large white onion
• 1 bunch (about 8) scallions, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 ½ tablespoons Chinese cooking sherry (Shaoxing rice wine) or dry sherry
• 2 cups fresh cilantro, leaves and stems
• Rice, for serving

Preparation

1. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast cumin seeds and peppercorns until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush lightly.
2. Slice meat across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick strips. Toss meat with crushed spices, ground cumin, salt and dried chiles.
3. Peel onion and halve it through the root end. Trim the ends and cut each half lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut white and light green parts of scallions into 2-inch lengths. Thinly slice scallion greens; keep separate.
4. Heat a very large skillet or wok over high heat until screaming hot, about 5 minutes. Add oil. Toss in onion and the scallion bottoms. Cook, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are lightly charred but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
5. Add lamb and chiles to skillet. Cook, tossing quickly, until meat begins to brown. Add garlic, soy sauce and sherry. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and lamb is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Toss in onions and scallion bottoms. Remove from heat and mix in cilantro and scallion greens. Serve hot, over rice.

BEEF NOODLE SOUP – Phở bò

Ingredients:

- 2kg beef bones ( shank)
- 1 kg beef tender
- 0,5 kg beef fillet
- 300g onion
- 200g shallots
- 100g ginger
- 6 liters of fresh water
- 0.5 kg flat rice noodle
- chopped spring onion and coriander
- hoisin sauce + chilies  sauce
- mint leaf+ sweet basil+ bean sprout
- Mixture of lemon juice and fish sauce
- Spices (cinnamon, cardamon, star anise, cloves)
- 3 tablespoons salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar ( rock sugar)
- 2 tablespoons chicken powder (Knorr)

Preparation:

- Soak beef bone and beef meet in warm water with 2 tablespoons of salt or lemon juice from 15 – 20 minutes to clean the blood inside. Then clean them by cold water.
- Stew beef bone and meet in hot water from 4 – 6 hours with the low heat. Sometimes, skim off to clean the stock.
- Ginger, onion and shallot: grill them until they turn to golden brown, wash and clean it. Then add them into the stock.
- When the meat done, take it out and soak in cold water about 15 minutes and slice it.
- Cinnamon, star anise, cloves: stir them in a pan about 5 minutes with the low heat. Remove them from the heat and put into a material bag.

Practice:

- When the stock finish, season with salt, chicken powder and sugar, then add the spices bag into the stock and take it out after 15 minutes
- Slice white onion.
- Blanch rice noodle, bean sprouts in boiling water and put them into the bowl, add raw beef, sliced beef meet, white onion, chopped spring onion, coriander and a pinch of pepper on the surface. Then add stock into the bowl.
- Serve hot with sweet basil, lemon juice, soya paste and chili sauce.

BANANA FLOWER SALAD WITH PORK AND SHRIMPS – Gỏi hoa chuối tôm thịt

Ingredients:

- 100g – 150g banana flower
- 100g pork tenderloin
- 100g shrimps
- ¼ onion (slice)
- 10g rau ram (replaced by sweet basil)
- A big chilli (sliced)
- 1-2 teaspoons of fried sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon of sesame oil
- 1-2 teaspoons of fried shallot
- 2 tablespoons of dipping fish sauce
- 1 ea chilli flower
Dressing:

- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of white vinegar
- A pinch of pepper
- ½ teaspoon of salt
-> Mix all of them until sugar is dissolved completely

Preparation:

- Pork tenderloin: Boil over medium heat about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; soak it in fresh water until cool enough to handle (5 – 10 minutes). Thinly slice it.
- Shrimps: Boil over high heat with fresh water and a little white vinegar or wine until opaque about 3 – 5 minutes. Remove from heat and rinse quickly them under running water. Then shell them.

Practice:

1. Marinate boiled shrimps and pork with 1 tablespoon of marinated sauce and 1 tablespoon of dipping fish sauce. Let it stand about 1 – 3 minutes.
2. Marinate banana flower, fried shallot, white onion, rau ram or mint, chillies and ½ teaspoon of sesami oil with the rest of marinated sauce. Then add marinated shrimps and pork and 1 and half tablespoon of dipping fish sauce. Toss them together until well combined. Let it stand about 1 – 3 minutes.
3. Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle sesami seeds for garnish. Then put a chilli flower on the top of the salad. To be served with “nuoc mam cham” dipping fish sauce and shrimp cake.

Momofuku's Bo Ssam

This is a recipe to win the dinner party sweepstakes, and at very low stakes: slow-roasted pork shoulder served with lettuce, rice and a raft of condiments. The chef David Chang serves the dish, known by its Korean name, bo ssam, at his Momofuku restaurant in the East Village and elsewhere. He shared the recipe with The Times in 2012. Mr. Chang is known as a kitchen innovator, but his bo ssam is a remarkably straightforward way to achieve high-level excellence with little more than ingredients and time. Simply cure the pork overnight beneath a shower of salt and some sugar, then roast it in a low oven until it collapses. Apply some brown sugar and a little more salt, then roast the skin a while longer until it takes on the quality of glistening bark. Meanwhile, make condiments – hot sauces and kimchi, rice, some oysters if you wish. Then tear meat off the bone and wrap it in lettuce, and keep at that until everything’s gone.

Featured in: The Bo Ssam Miracle. 

 

Ingredients

Pork Butt:

• 1 whole bone-in pork butt or picnic ham (8 to 10 pounds)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 7 tablespoons brown sugar

Ginger-Scallion Sauce:

• 2 ½ cups thinly sliced scallions, both green and white parts
• ½ cup peeled, minced fresh ginger
• ¼ cup neutral oil (like grapeseed)
• 1 ½ teaspoons light soy sauce
• 1 scant teaspoon sherry vinegar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Ssam Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons fermented bean-and-chili paste (ssamjang, available in many Asian markets, and online)
• 1 tablespoon chili paste (kochujang, available in many Asian markets, and online)
• ½ cup sherry vinegar
• ½ cup neutral oil (like grapeseed)

Accompaniments:

• 2 cups plain white rice, cooked
• 3 heads bibb lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried
• 1 dozen or more fresh oysters (optional)
• Kimchi (available in many Asian markets, and online)

Preparation

1. Place the pork in a large, shallow bowl. Mix the white sugar and 1 cup of the salt together in another bowl, then rub the mixture all over the meat. Cover it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
2. When you're ready to cook, heat oven to 300. Remove pork from refrigerator and discard any juices. Place the pork in a roasting pan and set in the oven and cook for approximately 6 hours, or until it collapses, yielding easily to the tines of a fork. (After the first hour, baste hourly with pan juices.) At this point, you may remove the meat from the oven and allow it to rest for up to an hour.
3. Meanwhile, make the ginger-scallion sauce. In a large bowl, combine the scallions with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and taste, adding salt if needed.
4. Make the ssam sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the chili pastes with the vinegar and oil, and mix well.
5. Prepare rice, wash lettuce and, if using, shuck the oysters. Put kimchi and sauces into serving bowls.
6. When your accompaniments are prepared and you are ready to serve the food, turn oven to 500. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining tablespoon of salt with the brown sugar. Rub this mixture all over the cooked pork. Place in oven for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, or until a dark caramel crust has developed on the meat. Serve hot, with the accompaniments.

Pork Loin With Grapes

 

Ingredients

• 1 3-pound boneless center-cut pork loin
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme, plus 6 whole sprigs
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• 1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped rosemary, plus 3 whole sprigs
• 1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped sage, plus 3 whole sprigs
• ½ cup Dijon mustard
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 pound fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
• 6 shallots, peeled and halved through the root
• 1 pound red seedless grapes, snipped into 6 small bunches
• ½ cup port
• ½ cup chicken stock

Preparation

1. Tie the pork loin with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. In a shallow dish large enough to hold the pork, whisk together the chopped herbs, mustard, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, teaspoon salt and teaspoon pepper. Add the pork and coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
2. One hour before cooking, bring the pork to room temperature. Scrape off and reserve the marinade, then season the meat with salt and pepper.
3. Place a roasting pan in the oven and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Place a large saute pan over high heat. Add 2 more tablespoons of the oil and heat until smoking. Add the pork and sear about 4 minutes on each side, until well browned. Transfer fat side down to the roasting pan. Set the saute pan aside. Rub the reserved marinade over the pork and top with half the butter and the herb sprigs. Place the pan in the oven and cook the meat for 75 minutes, or until the center reaches 125 degrees.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the potatoes, shallots and grapes with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. After the pork has cooked for 15 minutes, place the potatoes cut side down around the pork. Lay the grapes and shallots over the potatoes.
5. Drain the saute pan of fat and return to medium-high heat. When hot, add the port and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan. When nearly evaporated, add the chicken stock and return to a boil. Whisk in the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve set over a serving bowl. Cover and keep warm.
6. When the pork is done, transfer to a cutting board. Cover lightly with foil and let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve on a platter over the grapes, potatoes and shallots, accompanied by the sauce.

Sweet and Spicy Roast Chicken

 A chile-flecked, honey-imbued marinade spiked with fresh citrus juice gives this chicken its fiery, syrupy character. Dates and carrots give the sauce texture and additional sweetness while a garnish of fresh herbs and pistachio nuts lends freshness and crunch. It’s dinner party food at its most flavorful and convenient; its honey marinade makes it a particularly wonderful main course for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. The ingredients can be assembled up to 24 hours in advance, then all you need to do is pop it in the oven just before your guests arrive, and garnish it at the last minute. Serve it with couscous, polenta, rice or another soft grain to soak up the sauce.

 

Ingredients

• 1 lemon, plus 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more for pot
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 3 cups sliced carrots (1/4-inch thick)
• 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
• ⅔ cup sliced dates
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro or parsley, for garnish
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
• ¼ cup chopped toasted pistachio nuts, for garnish

Preparation

1. Quarter the lemon lengthwise, removing any seeds. Thinly slice crosswise into small wedges and add to small pot of boiling, salted water. Blanch for 2 minutes and drain. Reserve slices.
2. In a saucepan, whisk together lemon juice, orange juice, oil, mustard, honey, salt, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool.
3. Put chicken in a bowl and add honey mixture. Add carrots, onion, dates, thyme and blanched lemon slices. Turn mixture several times to coat. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, but preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
4. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Transfer all ingredients, including marinade, to a sheet pan with a rim. Chicken should be skin side up. Roast until chicken is browned and cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes for breasts and 30 to 40 for legs and wings (remove the pieces as they are done cooking). When the chicken is done, give the carrot mixture in the pan a stir; if the pan looks dry add 2 to 3 tablespoons water. Continue roasting the carrots until they are tender, about 7 to 12 minutes longer.
5. Spoon carrots over chicken and top with cilantro, scallions and pistachio nuts.

Maple Pecan Pancakes

Instead of using only wheat flour in these pancakes, I’ve combined whole-wheat flour and almond flour. The almond flour makes for a very moist and delicate pancake. Almond flour is high in vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and copper.

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup (140 grams) whole-wheat flour
• ½ cup (60 grams) almond flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup (60 grams) chopped pecans
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• Butter or oil as needed for cooking

Preparation

1. Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in the maple syrup, buttermilk, canola oil and vanilla. Quickly whisk in the flour mix. Fold in the pecans and the cranberries. Do not overwork the batter
3. Heat a griddle or a large skillet, either nonstick or seasoned cast iron, over medium-high heat. Brush with butter or oil. Use a 1/4-cup ladle or cup measure to drop 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter per pancake onto your heated pan or griddle. When bubbles break through the pancakes, carefully slide a spatula under them (they are delicate), flip them over and cook for another minute, until they are brown on the other side. Serve right away, or allow to cool and wrap individual servings in plastic, then place in a freezer bag and freeze

Note

• Advance preparation: The pancakes can be frozen for a few months. You can make them a day ahead and reheat in a low oven or in a microwave.