Braised Baby Bok Choy

Braised Baby Bok Choy, originally uploaded by essgee51.

Quick, light and oh so good - the crunchy stems and light, gingery tang contrasted nicely with the richness of leftover (and getting tastier by the night!) lamb and beans. Mostly eyeballed the ingredients, but a rough recipe is below.

• 4 baby bok choy, cleaned and halved
• 1-2 tbsp. oil (used peanut)
• 1 heaping tbsp. garlic, minced (3 cloves)
• 1-2 tbsp. ginger, julienned
• 1-2 tbsp. soy sauce, to taste

Over medium heat, saute ginger and garlic in the oil till fragrant and beginning to soften, 2-3 minutes.

Add the bok choy, cut side down. Saute, turning once or twice to coat with oil, till the leaves begin to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. If you don't have enough room in your pan (I didn't), do them in batches.

Return all the bok choy to the pan. Add some water (3-4 tbsp. in my case) and the soy sauce. Stir, then cover and cook till the bok choy stems are tender but still crisp, about 4-7 minutes.

Adjust seasoning.

Tonight's Fried Rice

After a two-day hiatus, I decided to close out the work week with another Mr. Bento and get rid of some leftovers. Recipe's vague and of course proportions and ingredients can be not just tweaked but turned topsy-turvy. Love how the scapes add green bean texture and a subtle, garlicky tang to it.

• 3 tbsp. neutral oil (peanut this time)
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1 small carrot, peeled and diced
• 4 garlic scapes, bulbs and ends removed, chopped
• 3-4 cups old, cold rice, de-clumpified with a fork or your hands
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce, plus more to taste

Put a skillet or wok on medium-high heat; add the oil and wait till it makes things sizzle.

Add onion; cook, stirring, till beginning to turn translucent, about 1-2 min.

Add carrot and scapes; cook, stirring, till they begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes.

Add rice. Cook, stirring, till it's heated through. Add soy sauce and stir to mix.

Adjust seasonings, remove from heat and serve (or pack for lunch).

Caldereta

The dish so nice I packed it twice - pictured here with the rest of today's bento: rice and a spinach-red onion salad with homemade red wine-Dijon mustard vinaigrette.

I was hankering for some home cooking, and so created a riff on this recipe. Alas, the butcher stand was out of goat, but I made do with what was left of the stew lamb and some beef to make up the difference. Turned out wonderfully - rich and umami-filled from the long-simmered meat and soy sauce, tangy from the vinegar and tomato sauce, and just a tad sweet from the vegetables. Next time, I'll probably add another bell pepper, more peas and carrot; I'll also add some garlic during the vegetable sauteing process and remember to use either liver pate or the liverwurst we had in the fridge.

• 2 lbs. stew meat, cubed  (I used 1-1/2 lb. lamb and 1/2 lb. lean beef and cut it into 1 to 1-1/2 in. pieces)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 heaping cup garlic, minced (most of a plump head)
• 2-3 tbsp. oil (I used peanut)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 heaping cup)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups water or broth
• 1-1/2 medium carrots, chunked (about 1-1/2 to 2 cups)
• 1-1-1/2 lbs. potatoes, chunked (about 3 heaping cups)
• 1 cup peas (frozen were fine)
• 1 small can liver pate (couldn't find any, alas, so skipped this)

Marinate the meat in the soy, vinegar and garlic for at least an hour. Pat the meat dry (forgot to do this) and put in a bowl; reserve the marinade.

Put the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat briefly, in batches (got about halfway through this and raised a decent amount of fond despite the added moisture from the marinade). Remove from pot and set aside.

Add more oil if necessary. Saute the onion and bell pepper till onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce and simmer till slightly reduced, about 3-5 minutes.

Return meat to pot. Add reserved marinade and water or broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, till meat is tender, about 30-40 minutes.

Add carrots, potatoes and peas. Simmer till vegetables are tender, about 30-45 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir pate (next time!) into dish. Adjust seasoning and serve over white rice.

Today's Lunch - Fried Rice and Sardines

 Had a full pic of last night's dinner, which was the same thing plus some salad greens, but they didn't pass even my lax standards. This shot, taken from lunch today, fared a bit better.

Basically I followed the Bittman basic fried rice recipe with the dried-out remains of my mushroom broth and stewed garlic rice, not including the egg, adding a diced carrot and increasing the ginger, garlic and scallion proportions. Turned out wonderfully - also went well with a handful of baby spinach and a couple of sardines.

• 3 tbsp. peanut oil
• 1-1/2 tbsp. ginger, minced
• 1-1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
• 2 heaping tbsp. scallions, minced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 4 or so cups old rice
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• more minced scallions for garnish

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large pan or wok. When hot, add ginger, garlic and scallions. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Add carrots and cook for a few minutes, till they just begin to soften.

Add rice and cook, stirring often, till hot. Add soy sauce, mixing it thoroughly into the rice. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with scallions and enjoy.

Today's Bento

Between doing laundry and watching the Phillies dismantle the Dodgers last night, I managed to put together a good little lunch:

• boiled sausage (with spicy suka - Filipino cane vinegar infused with garlic and chiles - on the side, of course!)
  
• double garlic fried rice (about 2 cups of leftover garlic steamed rice fried in peanut oil with another tbsp. or so of chopped garlic, 3 chopped scallions and soy sauce to taste)
  
• sauteed spinach (cook a heaping tbsp of chopped garlic and 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. Add a 10-oz. bag of spinach, roughly chopped, and cook, stirring often, till greens are wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with lemon juice just before nomming)
• an orange, a bit of Laughing Cow cheese and some garlic-flavored cracker nuts for snacks

Even hours after everything was packed away, the apartment smelled like the paradise where all good garlic cloves go when they die - a rich, warming aroma for a cold autumn weekend. Though I'm getting home late tonight, I'll hopefully have the energy and inclination to cook the leftover leeks and pickle the cute little cukes I got at EM yesterday.

Pesang Manok (Boiled Chicken Soup)

Had a couple of inches of ginger and some softening celery to use up, so I figured I'd order a cabbage and some chicken thighs and make some boiled chicken soup, Filipino-style. Now, I've almost eaten all the soup, but I still have more cabbage than I know what to do with - this monster weighed over seven pounds! (See what can happen when you order produce, sight unseen, from Peapod?) This can result in a dish that's fairly bland on its own, but comforting and delicious when served with a dish of fish sauce on the side. Took Market Manila's suggestion and browned the chicken first, which helped deepen the broth a wee bit.

• 1 tbsp. or so peanut or vegetable oil
• 2"-3" in. ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2-3 lbs. chicken (I used thighs)
• 5 cups water
• 1 tsp. peppercorns (next time, I'll use more)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 stalk celery, cut into 3-4" lengths (used more as I had a bag to get rid of)
• 1 small cabbage, roughly chopped (about 1/4 of that monstrous head)

In a pot large enough to hold all the soup ingredients, saute the ginger and onion till they release their aromas, about 1-3 mins.

Add the chicken. Brown slightly on both sides, about 3-5 minutes/side.

Add the water, peppercorns and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and cook till chicken's almost tender, 20 or so mins.

Add the celery, wait a few minutes, then add the cabbage. Cook till the veggies are tender - another 5-10 minutes.

Serve over white rice with patis and sriracha on the side.

Hainanese Chicken with Rice, Bittman Style

Followed the recipe for the most part - variations in italics, though I didn't include the alternate pan-cooking of the rice and just went straight to the cooker. Decided to not halve the broth recipe because I'm doing close enough to the full measure of rice (in the cooker) and want the delicious chicken juices for other recipes. My variations in parentheses and italics, just cos that's the way I roll. Apropos of nothing, I'm having way too much fun watching Colbert and listening to John and Bradley debate the fine points of ambush journalism as I type this.

• one 3-4 lb. chicken, cut into pieces (2 lbs. of thighs, which is 4 of them)
• 3 tbsp. garlic, roughly chopped and divided (4 tbsp.)
• 5 slices fresh ginger, smashed (10)
• 1/4 cup peanut oil (1/8)
• 2 cups rice (a scant 2c.)
• 2 tbsp. dark sesame oil
• 1/2 cup ginger-scallion sauce (recipe follows below)
• 2 cups peeled, seeded and diced cucumber
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• chopped fresh scallion and/or cilantro

Rub the chicken with the salt and half of the garlic and ginger (I also slipped some garlic and ginger underneath the skin). Meanwhile, boil 4 cups of water in a large pot. When the water boils, put the chicken in the pot; it should be barely submerged (add or subtract more water as necessary, then make sure it's boiling). Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 10 minutes (I cooked for 15, but those thighs were fat). Turn off the heat and keep the chicken in the water for at least 1 hour, covered. The meat should be opaque all the way to the bone - if it isn't, return to a boil and cook for another 5 minutes.

Leave the chicken be, or remove it from the stock, whichever you prefer.

Put the neutral oil in a skillet over medim heat. When it's hot, add the remaining garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, till the garlic begins to brown (3-4 minutes).

Pour the oil-garlic-ginger mixture into your rice cooker. Add the rice and enough broth from the chicken (it was about 3-1/4 cups for me), and start cooking.

Carve the chicken however you wish (with or without bones), then rub with dark sesame oil. Serve as you choose - Bittman advocates drizzling some of the sauce over the chicken and serving it over the rice with the tomato and cucumber, while I am probably going to pack it straight into my Bento and keep the sauce in tiny Tupperwares on the side.

Ginger-Scallion Sauce (again from Bittman, with variations in italics)

While this sauce is lovely on its own, the accidental addition of some red pepper flakes worked well.

• 1/4 cup minced ginger
• 1/2 cup scallions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup neutral oil (I used peanut)

Mix the first five ingredients together in a heatproof bowl.

In a pan, heat the oil over high till it smokes. Pour the oil over the ginger-scallion mixture, mix well, and serve or store.

Tonight's Dinner - The Fried Rice Chronicles, Vol. 3

Leftovers, ho! While, sadly, I ate the green beans before remembering that fried rice was an option, the tuna and a nearly-dead shallot were welcome additions. Skipped the egg this time.

• 2 tbsp. peanut oil
• 1 heaping tsp. garlic, chopped
• 1 heaping tsp. ginger, minced
• 2 heaping tbsp. scallion, chopped, plus some minced scallion for garnish
• 1 tsp. shallot, chopped
• 1-1/2-2 cups day-old rice, mashed and de-clumpified (a fork works well)
• 3 or so oz. leftover seared tuna, chopped
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Place oil in a skillet or pan, preferably nonstick, then turn the heat to high. Wait a minute or so, then add garlic, ginger, scallions and shallots. Cook, stirring almost constantly, for about a minute.

Turn the heat down to medium-high. Add the rice, de-clumping with your hands if you haven't already. Stir often for 1-2 minutes.

Add the chopped tuna and stir until no longer red. Add the soy sauce and stir till it's incorporated into the rice. Correct seasoning.

Garnish with scallions and serve.

Now that that's all in my belly, let's see if I actually get around to cooking my chicken or succumb to satiation and/or food coma.

Chicken Thighs with Soy Sauce and Lemon

Yesterday was the first time I'd cooked since my cat died (R.I.P. Bunnicat, 1995-2009). As do most braises, it tasted good the night of, even better the day after - and it will taste even better tomorrow. It will also always remind me of Bun. Despite the still-unfamiliar silence (no more soft splash of her fountain; no more querulous meows), I had to remind myself not to set aside a little portion of chicken for her each time I packed my lunch. Alas, my mise en place/condiment bowls are now merely those again; they no longer double as amuse bouche plates for my furry food critic. I miss you, anak.

This recipe's based on one in the first edition of Bittman; any deviations from the original are in italics.

• 1 tbsp. peanut oil
• 1.5 lbs. chicken thighs (orig. 2 lbs.)
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic (orig. 1 tsp.)
• 1 scant tbsp. grated lemon zest (orig. 1 tbsp.)
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne powder
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar (omitted this)
• 1/3 cup water
• juice of 1 lemon (about 3-1/2 tbsp.)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the oil, swirl, then add the chicken. Brown quickly - about 2-3 minutes per side.

Turn off the heat. Remove the chicken and all but one tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Let the pan cool for a minute or two, then turn the heat to medium and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, till it softens, about 1-2 minutes.

Add everything else but the lemon juice; stir. Return the chicken to the skillet; turn it once or twice in the liquid. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, turning once or twice, till chicken is done (anywhere from 20-40 minutes, though admittedly I went long because a new episode of "No Reservations" was on).

Add the lemon juice to the broth and stir. Serve with white rice.

You Say Puchero, I Say Pochero (Filipino Beef Stew)

This took quite a bit longer than I had anticipated, and was a bit more complicated than I wanted dinner to be, but turned out wonderfully. And, as it's a stew (albeit a very soupy one, as I used all the delicious broth), I expect it will taste even better tomorrow. It's based on two recipes - one from Filipino Cooking Here and Abroad, and the other from this website - and the usual impulse to use up the greatest number of perishables. Would have rather gotten shanks instead of supermarket-style stew beef cubes, but EM was closed, alas.

• 1.75 lbs. stew beef, cut into inch-square cubes
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 medium onions - 1 sliced,1 chopped
• 7 cloves garlic - 4 crushed, 3 minced
• 3 celery stems - 2 cut into 4 in. lengths, one chopped (will probably leave out the chopped portion next time)
  
• 2 chorizos or 4 oz. spicy pepperoni (used the latter since I didn't have any chorizo handy)
• 1 14-oz. can of tomatoes
• 1 14-oz. can of chickpeas
• 2 tbsp. peanut oil
• 1/2 head medium cabbage, quartered
• 1 medium potato, cut into 1-2 in. chunks
• 6 scallions, cut into 2-in. lengths

Place the beef, peppercorns, salt, sliced onion, crushed garlic and 2 celery stems in a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water (about 4 cups in this case). Bring to a boil then simmer till the beef is tender - anywhere from 1-1/2 to 2 hours. (The recipe to this point makes a nice, tasty beef broth that I'll be using as a base in the future, especially for nilagang baka [beef soup].) Add the chorizo or pepperoni 30 min. before you finish cooking this part.

Place the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the chopped onion and garlic for a few minutes, till the onion turns translucent. Add the tomatoes - crushing or chopping them, as is your preference - and cook till the mixture turns saucy for about 5 minutes (if you're more patient than I was at this point, you can cook them for another 5-10 minutes or so, till they break down and turn saucy). Add the chickpeas and cook for another 5 minutes.

Once the beef is tender and the chorizo/pepperoni has cooked, add the potatoes, chopped carrots and chopped celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the cabbage. Cook for about 10 minutes more or till the vegetables are tender but still have bite to them.

Add the tomato mixture to the large pot. Stir to combine and cook for another minute or two. Correct seasoning.

Remove from heat, add the scallions and cover. Wait 5 minutes, then serve over white rice.

Poached Catfish with Ginger and Soy Sauce

This is one of my go-to recipes for catfish (which, as the tag cloud informs me, I eat more of than I thought): simple, quick and delicious. I can't recall if it's in the revised Bittman, but it's certainly in the first. Original recipe below, with my changes in italics:

• 2 tbsp. peanut oil
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced (original: 1)
• 5 tbsp. minced or grated ginger
• 1/2 cup water (broth works, too)
• 1/4 cup slightly diluted dry vermouth (didn't have any white wine, as per the original)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
• 1 to 1-1/2 lbs. catfish fillets
• 2 scallions, chopped, for garnish

In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium. Add the garlic and ginger and saute till the garlic begins to color. (NOTE: Bittman reserves 1 tbsp. of ginger for garnish at the end. I didn't.)

Add the liquid and turn the heat to high. Boil till the liquid's been reduced by about half - this should only take a couple of minutes. Season to taste.

Turn the heat back to medium and add the catfish. Cover and cook till fillets are no longer translucent - about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Garnish with scallions and serve.

Asadong Manok (Tangy Chicken Stew)

Last night, I was looking for a low-maintenance chicken recipe that would minimize prep and at-stove time while maximizing flavor and Fallout 3: The Pitt-playing. We had everything needed for this simple but flavorful chicken stew (original recipe from Filipino Cooking Here and Abroad; my version - which increases the amount of garlic, tomatoes and vinegar relative to the amount of chicken - below):

• 1-1/2-2 lbs. chicken thighs or other assorted parts
• 1/4 cup vinegar (prefer cane, used plain white since that's all I had)
• 4-6 plump cloves garlic, minced
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. cooking oil (I used peanut oil in this case)
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 1 14. oz. can tomatoes, drained and crushed
• 1 cup water - produces lots and lots of sauce (original recipe has 1 cup of water for 3-4 lbs. of chicken)
  
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp. paprika

Marinade the chicken with the vinegar and garlic for at least 30 minutes.

Place the oil in a skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and onions, then saute till the former are mushy (4-7 minutes).

Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade, and add it to the pot. Saute, turning the chicken pieces now and then, till the meat colors slightly (5-10 minutes).

Add the reserved marinade, water, bay leaf and paprika to the pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 30 minutes, until chicken is tender.

Correct seasoning and serve over white rice.

Bistek (Steak with Onions and Citrus-Soy Sauce)

While poking through my Gchat logs for old recipes, I came across this one, courtesy of the wonderful and funny Burnt Lumpia. Though I haven't made the dish since Oct. 30, 2008, I seem to have found it yummy. The version below incorporates my modifications.

• 1 lb. sirloin beef, sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup kalamansi juice (or lemon juice)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 5-7 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 tbsp. oil (I used peanut)
• 1 large onion, sliced into thin rings
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Marinade the beef in the citrus juice, soy sauce and garlic for at least 30 minutes.

Put oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Remove meat from marinade, reserving the liquid. Sear the meat on all sides (4-5 minutes or so).
Remove meat from pan, place in a bowl, and set aside. Add the onion rings to the pan and saute for 3 minutes, adding more oil if necessary.

Pour the reserved marinade into the pan with the onions. Be sure to deglaze and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the black pepper to the sauce and correct seasoning. If the sauce is too salty, or too sour - or if you just want more sauce - add 1/2 cup of water. (Mine turned out a tad salty, but a few more squeezes of lemon fixed that.)

Return the meat to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes. You can also thicken the sauce with cornstarch if you like.

Serve over white rice.

The Fried Rice Chronicles, Vol. 2: The Meh Lab [MEH]

Time to clear out the sundries and dispose of excess day-old rice again. The final product turned out...alright, I guess. Lessons learned? More garlic. More anchovies. Frozen peas instead of canned, because khaki is a color that should be worn, not eaten.

Ah well. At least I got the idea for a new tag out of it.

• 3 tbsp. peanut oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small carrot (about 1/2 cup), diced
• 4 anchovy fillets, minced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped (about 1 tbsp.)
• 1 cup peas
• 3-4 cups day-old rice, well-crumbled
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
• 3-4 scallions, chopped

Beat the eggs and set them aside (NOTE: The 2nd egg I cracked was my first-ever double yolker!).

Put the oil in the Dutch oven on high heat. When hot, add the onion and carrots. Cook for a minute or two, then add the anchovies. Turn down the heat if necessary and stir relentlessly for a minute or two more, till the anchovies are evenly distributed and at the point of disintegration; the vegetables should be soft, but not brown.

Add peas; stir around till warmed.

Add garlic. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or so (as Bittman advised, I wanted to keep the garlic flavor strong).

Add rice, stirring to coat it thoroughly with oil and distribute the vegetables. Cook for a few minutes, till rice is heated through.

Dig a well in the middle of the rice, and pour the egg into it. Belay the stirring and cook for a minute or so, until some of the eggs begin to solidify at the bottom, but the rest is still liquidy (maybe a minute?). Then, rapidly stir the egg into the rice mixture. (Bittman likes to scramble them fairly thoroughly before incorporating them into the rest of the dish, but I like the creamy, faux-risotto-y texture this method produces).

Season with salt and pepper; correct seasonings if necessary. Remove from heat.

Garnish with scallions and serve.

The Fried Rice Chronicles, Vol. 1: Allium Uber Alles

Fried rice is an easy and often delicious way to use up leftovers or near-spoiling sundries. This time, we had a sad little carrot and various softening members of the allium family (the only reason there weren't any leeks was because I never leave any uncooked - witness the previous entry. This was the first time I'd tried making it in my Le Creuset dutch oven (thanks, Tita Tessie!) instead of in the nonstick one (R.I.P., my friend) I was used to (yes, I bought a wok years ago; no, I haven't gotten around to unpacking and seasoning it yet). It turned out well - both taste testers were very complimentary, though John wondered if I should add the egg even later in the cooking process. Anyway....

• 4 cups day-old rice, crumbled
• 3 tbsp. peanut oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic (about 1 heaping tbsp.), chopped
• 2 eggs
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
• 1-1/2 to 2 tbsp. soy sauce or more, to taste
• 5 scallions, chopped

Beat the eggs and set them aside.

Put the oil in the Dutch oven on high heat. When hot, add the onion and carrots. Cook for a few minutes, turning the heat down if necessary, till vegetables are soft but not browned.

Add shallot. Cook, stirring, for a minute or so more.

Add garlic. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or so (as Bittman advised, I wanted to keep the garlic flavor strong).

Add rice, stirring to coat it thoroughly with oil and distribute the vegetables. Cook for a few minutes, till rice is heated through.

Dig a well in the middle of the rice, and pour the egg into it. Belay the stirring and cook for a minute or so, until some of the eggs begin to solidify at the bottom, but the rest is still liquidy (maybe a minute?). Then, rapidly stir the egg into the rice mixture. (Bittman likes to scramble them fairly thoroughly before incorporating them into the rest of the dish, but I like the creamy, faux-risotto-y texture this method produces).

Add soy sauce; mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste; correct seasonings.

Remove from heat; stir in scallions - or leave them on top as a garnish, if you prefer. I like some of them ever so slightly cooked.