Roasted Black Cod with Bok Choy and Soy Caramel Sauce

Fish always seem to be my go-to dish when I'm time constrained. In this case, we needed a quick meal before heading to the airport. This one creates a complete meal with minimal effort and dirty dishes. You can make the soy caramel sauce while the vegetables are roasting (and use the extra time to pack your bags). The book recommends serving with rice which I omitted but would be a good addition.

One year ago: Fennel and Feta with Pomegranate Seeds and Sumac
Two years ago: Pot Roast Studded with Almonds and Bacon
Three years ago: Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
Four years ago: Blue Cheese and Red Potato Tart
Five years ago: Asparagus, Oka, Pine Nuts, and Lemon Pasta

Roasted Black Cod with Bok Choy and Soy Caramel Sauce (from Good Fish)

Ingredients
5 ounces red cabbage, thinly sliced (2 cups)
2 large bulbs boy choy, halved
2 small tomatoes, halved
4 green onions, white and green parts cut into 3" lengths
4 tsp toasted sesame oil
4 tsp rice wine vinegar
4 slices lime
1 serrano chile, sliced
1 lb black cod fillet, cut into 4 equal portions
Soy Caramel Sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup sake
3 tbsp mirin
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup butter, cut into tablespoons

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a pan with aluminum foil.
2. Make 4 piles on the foil with each pile having 1/2 cup cabbage, a bok choy half, a tomato half sprinkled with a little salt, and a quarter of the green onions.
3. Drizzle each pile with 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp rice wine vinegar.
4. Top each pile with a lime slice and sprinkle with chile slices.
5. Roast vegetables in the oven for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make soy caramel sauce. In a small saucepan add everything but butter and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, 5 - 7 minutes. Turn heat to lowest setting and whisk in butter 1 tbsp at a time.
7. Place one piece of black cod skin side down on each pile and drizzle with 1 tbsp soy caramel sauce. Roast for 8 - 10 more minutes or until fish is cooked.
8. Serve with rice and remaining caramel sauce.

Chili and Basil Scallops

This recipe is a winner for weeknight dinners. It's quick and easy, but packs a lot of flavour.

One year ago: Egg Drop Soup (my go-to soup when I'm feeling under the weather)
Two years ago: Rosemary Popovers

Chili and Basil Scallops (from Mighty Spice)

Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 red chilies, finely chopped
1 red onion, thinly sliced
500g scallops
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
2 large handfuls basil leaves, roughly chopped

1. Heat oil in a large wok over high heat. Add garlic and red chilies and stir fry 30 seconds or until fragrant.
2. Add onion and stir-fry 1 minute.
3. Add scallops and stir-fry 1 - 2 minutes longer or until they start to turn golden.
4. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and black pepper. Stir-fry until scallops are cooked through.
5. Stir in basil and serve.

Chile-Coconut Braised Beef

I noticed this recipe a couple of weeks ago when we were in a warm spell. I mentally filed it away for a cold, rainy weekend when I needed a pick-me-up. Unhappily, such a weekend occurred, but happily I did have this dish to cheer me up. This is a satisfying, flavourful dish. I soaked up the very last bit of sauce with bread and may have briefly considered licking the bowl. The original recipes calls for boneless short ribs, but I couldn't find any relied on regular beef stewing meat instead. I reduced the cooking time slightly as well. I also had a bag of spinach that needed to be used up, so I added that to the dish. It gave the dish an extra bit of colour and saved me the trouble of cooking up a side. The recipe below is my modification with slightly reduced meat to make sure there's enough sauce for the spinach addition.

Chile-Coconut Braised Beef (slightly adapted from Cook This Now)

Ingredients
750g boneless beef short ribs or stewing meat, cut into 2" chunks
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapenos, minced
2" ginger, grated
1 shallot, minced
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 can coconut milk
juice and zest of 2 limes
250g spinach, roughly chopped
chopped cilantro and scallions for serving

1. Preheat oven to 300F.
2. Season beef with salt, chili powder, and pepper.
3. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat and brown beef. You may need to do this in batches.
4. Add garlic, jalapenos, ginger, shallot, and cumin seeds, stirring until fragrant and golden, 2 minutes.
5. Stir in coconut milk, lime zest and juice, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to simmer.
6. Cover and transfer pot to oven. Cook until beef is very tender, 2 - 2.5 hours.
7. Remove pot from oven and heat over low heat, add spinach in handfuls and stir in until spinach is wilted into the dish.
8. Serve garnished with cilantro and scallions with something to soak up the sauce.

Southeast Asian Tomato Salad

This salad is a great way to mix up the usual tomato and basil summer salad.

Southeast Asian Tomato Salad (from Cook This Now)

Ingredients
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp light brown sugar
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, sliced 1/4" thick
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 tbsp chopped Thai or regular basil
2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1. In small bowl, whisk together fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, scallions, garlic, and jalapeno.
2. Arrange tomato and cucumber slices on a plate. Spoon dressing over tomatoes and let stand 10 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with basil and cilantro and serve.

Spicy Greens Salad (or Side)

To me, cooked vegetables make this more of a side than a salad, but whatever you want to call it, this is a nice quick and easy accompaniment to an Asian meal.

One year ago: Bagel Breakfast Deliciousness ... healthier than the bagel-egg
Two years ago: Roasted Acorn Squash and Gorgonzola Pizza

Spicy Greens Salad/Side (from Seductions of Rice)

Ingredients
450g bok choy, cut into 3" lengths
1 tsp minced ginger
2 to 3 scallions, sliced lengthwise into 1" slivers
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp chile pepper flakes
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp roasted sesame oil

1. In large pot, bring 8 cups of water to boil over high heat. Toss in greens and stir to press down in water. Cook 4 minutes and drain.
2. In large bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Add greens and toss to coat. Serve hot or room temperature.

Tamarind and Lemongrass Chicken Stir-Fry

This is probably my favourite recipe that I've made out of Mighty Spice so far! It's rich in flavour, but still quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal. I scaled back on the chicken but left everything else the same.

One year ago: Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Tamarind and Lemongrass Chicken Stir-Fry (from Mighty Spice)

Ingredients
2 lemongrass stalks, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
500g boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp chili flakes
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tbsp soy sauce

1. Puree lemongrass slices and garlic in FP.
2. In bowl, combine puree, chicken, chili flakes, coriander, sugar, and fish sauce. Marinate 30 min - overnight.
3. Put tamarind paste in small bowl with 1/2 cup water. Mix, let stand 5 min until paste dissolves. Remove any lumps.
4. Heat oil in wok over high heat. Add chicken and bell pepper and stir-fry until golden brown, 3 - 4 minutes.
5. Add tamarind water and soy sauce, stir-fry 3 - 4 min or until cooked through and sauce reduced. Serve.

Stir-Fried Shrimp Sambal

This dish is quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal, but tasty enough to serve at a dinner party. I was out of dried shrimp paste and just omitted it. I would recommend including it if you have it, but it didn't seem worth an hour trip to pick up on an otherwise busy day! The recipe calls for serving in the shell, preferably with the heads intact, but I shelled in favour of making the dish easier for people to eat neatly.

One year ago: Pork and Sweet Potato Stew
Two years ago: Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

Stir-Fried Shrimp Sambal (from Cradle of Flavor)

Ingredients
3 tbsp peanut oil
455g medium-sized shrimp in shell (see notes), preferably with heads intact
Flavoring Paste
1 tsp dried shrimp paste, toasted
70g shallots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
5 - 10 Holland chiles or other long red chiles
3 candlenuts or unsalted macadamia nuts
1 tsp palm sugar (or dark brown)
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. Place toasted shrimp paste, shallots, garlic, chiles, candlenuts, sugar, and salt in small food processor. Pulse until chunky-smooth.
2. Heat oil in a wok or 12" skillet over medium-low heat. Add paste and saute, stirring, until shallots and garlic no longer smell raw and paste separates from oil, 5 - 7 minutes.
3. Add shrimp, raise heat to medium-high. Stir-fry until shrimp are cooked through, 3 - 5 minutes. Serve.

Potato Rendang

I've made beef rendang and a chicken rendang, so it seemed only fair that I finely try a vegetarian rendang. Of the three, the beef probably remains my favourite, but each of them are delicious. This one can get surprisingly spicy, so be careful.

One year ago: Whole Wheat Goldfish Crackers (If you like cheese and haven't tried this, you need to!)
Two years ago: Simple Tomato Sauce

Potato Rendang (from Cradle of Flavor)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups coconut milk
Flavoring Paste
1 lemongrass stalk, ends and outer layers removed, thinly sliced
85g shallots, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
5 - 10 Holland chiles or other long red chiles, stemmed and coarsely chopped
5 - 15 fresh green Thai chiles, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp galangal, peeled and thinly sliced (optional)
Rest
3 stems fresh lemon basil, Thai basil, or Italian basil
3 whole daun salam leaves (optional)
680g very small potatoes, no more than 1" in diameter
3/4 tsp kosher salt
peanut oil if needed

1. Pour coconut milk in 12" skillet and bring to low boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook uncovered 15 minutes.
2. Place lemongrass, shallots, garlic, chiles, turmeric, ginger, and galangal in small food processor. Process until smooth paste.
3. Add flavoring paste, basil, and daun salam leaves to simmering coconut milk and stir to combine. Simmer, uncovered, stirring until reduced by half, about 45 minutes.
4. While coconut milk simmers, scrub potatoes (but don't peel), slit halfway through with sharp knife.
5. Add potatoes and salt to pan. Continue simmering, stirring until liquid has become thick and pastelike and fats have separated, 30 - 45 minutes longer. Add peanut oil to pan if needed so there are 2 tbsp oil in pan.
6. Reduce heat to low and saute potatoes until cooked through and medium dark brown, 25 - 30 minutes.
7. Transfer potatoes and paste to serving dish. Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Cabbage with Coconut Milk

The original recipe for this calls for green beans, but the author suggests that cabbage works quite well. Given the overabundance of cabbage, it seemed like a better option! The sauce is quite mild for an Indonesian dish, but it compliments spicier dishes quite well. Depending on how soupy you want it, you can use 1/3 - 2/3 cups each coconut milk and water.

One year ago: West African Peanut Soup (I need to revisit this idea)
Two years ago: Mango and Avocado Salad

Cabbage with Coconut Milk (from Cradle of Flavor)

Ingredients
2 tbsp peanut oil
85g shallots, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 - 4 red Holland chiles or other long red chiles, stemmed and thinly sliced
1" piece galangal, peeled and bruised (optional)
2 whole daun salam leaves (optional)
455g cabbage cut into 1" cubes (or green beans cut into 1" pieces)
1 medium tomato, cored and cut into 10 wedges
1/3 - 2/3 cup coconut milk
1/3 - 2/3 cup water
1 tsp palm sugar (or brown)
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallots, garlic, chiles, galangal, and daun salam leaves. Saute, stirring, until garlic and shallots are limp and slightly golden, 5 - 7 minutes.
2. Increase heat to medium, add cabbage and tomatoes and stir to combine. Saute, stirring until beginning to soften, 2 minutes.
3. Add coconut milk, water, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer stirring occasionally until cabbage is tender, 15 - 20 minutes.
4. Transfer to serving dish, discarding galangal and daun salam. Allow to rest and cool before eating.

Warm Sesame Noodles with Ginger and Snow Peas

I made this as a quick lunch, omitting the snow peas because I didn't have them on hand. This was remarkably good. The sauce is light, peanutty with a hint of sesame. As another plus, it uses ingredients that are usually kept on hand. Best of all though, the entire thing only takes as long as it takes for you to cook the pasta.

Warm Sesame Noodles with Ginger and Snow Peas (from Radically Simple)

Ingredients
225g dried linguine
170g snow peas
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp chopped ginger
1/4 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 tsp Sriracha
3 tbsp julienned fresh cilantro or mint or both

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding snow peas for the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, combine peanut butter, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, oil, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, Sriracha, and 2 tbsp water in a food processor. Process until very smooth.
3. Transfer pasta and snow peas to bowl. Add sauce and toss. Top with herbs and serve.

Vietnamese Star Anise and Lemongrass Chicken Claypot

This is a great quick and easy weeknight dinner. I had a bit less meat and cup back slightly on the amount of stock, but left the amount of the seasonings the same. Next time, I might be tempted to double the anise and chili just to give the dish a bit more of a kick. The flavours as is are quite subtle but clean.

Vietnamese Star Anise and Lemongrass Chicken Claypot (from Mighty Spice)

Ingredients
3 lemonstalks, trimmed and bashed a bit
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 star anise
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g chicken thighs, roughly chopped
1 red chili, finely sliced
1 tbsp fish sauce
pinch of sugar
juice of 1/2 lime
2 1/2 cups hot chicken stock
rice, to serve

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add star anise and cook briefly until fragrant.
2. Add onion and stir-fry 5 - 6 minutes until soft.
3. Add garlic, stirring occasionally, 1 minute.
4. Add chicken, lemongrass, red chili, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and chicken stock. Stir and bring to a boil.
5. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.
6. Remove lid, increase heat to medium and cook 5 minutes.
7. Remove lemongrass and star anise and serve with rice.

Chicken Rendang with Cinnamon and Star Anise

There are few things better on a cold weekend than hibernating at home while a rich, flavourful dish simmers away on the stove. The smell of this dish is amazing. I found the dish surprisingly mild when it was done (especially given that I'd put in the full amount of the chiles), but the taste was deeply satisfying. Perfect for a cold day. I scaled the recipe in half and used only drumsticks and thighs (original below), but next time I think I'll go with the full amount!

One year ago: Stir-Fried Orange Beef

Chicken Rendang with Cinnamon and Star Anise (from Cradle of Flavor)

Ingredients
Flavoring Paste
3 stalks fresh lemongrass
110g shallots, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 piece galangal, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 tbsp, optional)
2 - 10 small dried red chiles such as arbol, stemmed
Rest
1 chicken (1.4 - 1.6 kg)
3 tbsp peanut oil
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole star anise
6 green cardamom pods, cracked open
2 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 piece asam gelugor (optional, I omitted)
1 tsp sugar
4 whole kaffir lime leaves
3/4 tsp kosher salt

1. Cut off the ends of the lemongrass and remove the tough outer layers. Slice.
2. Place lemongrass, shallots, garlic, turmeric, galangal, and chiles in small food processor. Pulse until chunky smooth adding up to 2 tbsp water if necessary.
3. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Cut into 16 pieces and set aside (thighs and drumsticks cut in half, 6 pieces of breast, and wings whole).
4. Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-low heat. Add cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
5. Add paste and saute until it begins to separate from the oil, 5 - 7 minutes.
6. Add coconut milk, asam gelugor, sugar, lime leaves, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring every 5 minutes until liquid has reduced by 1/4, about 20 minutes.
7. Add chicken to coconut milk and stir to combine. Simmer gently, uncovered, stirring every 10 minutes until liquid has reduced by about 95%, 1 - 1.5 hours. Remove any excess oil if desired.
8. Reduce heat to low and allow chicken to brown, stirring every 5 minutes, until chicken is medium golden brown, about 25 minutes.
9. Transfer chicken to a serving dish and let rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

Pot-Sticker Dumplings with Chicken Stock

In honor of the Chinese new year, I decided to try my hand at something new ... pot stickers! I decided to go all in and make the dough myself and was pleased with the results. It takes a bit of time, but the results seemed to be worth (if like me, you can sometimes find the enjoyable side of rolling out 27 dumplings). My dumplings may've been a bit misshapen, but the taste was great.

Pot-Sticker Dumplings with Chicken Stock (from Land of Plenty)

Ingredients
lard or peanut oil
pastry
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
stuffing
1" piece of ginger, unpeeled
1 scallion, white part only
150g ground pork
1/4 cup chicken stock (not hot)
1 1/2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
6 - 8 twists black pepper
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil

1. Crush ginger and scallion and soak for 5 - 10 minutes in 1/4 cup cold water.
2. Place pork in a bowl. Add soaking water and mix well until it has been absorbed. Pour in stock. Add remaining seasonings and mix well.
3. Combine flour and salt in large mixing bowl and make well in center. Bring water to a boil and pour onto flour. Mix with handle of a wooden spoon. Knead until smooth.
4. On a lightly floured surface, break dough into 3 pieces. Roll into 1" thick sausages. Break off teaspoon sized pieces, flatten, and roll out into circles at least 2.5" in diameter.
5. Place 1 tsp of stuffing in center of dumpling skin. Fold in half and join sides together with pinches. Give it a flat base.
6. Heat a heavy, flat-bottomed frying pan over a medium flame. Pour in enough lard or oil to coat the surface. When oil is hot, arrange dumplings in pan in neat rows. Drizzle with warm water (2 - 3 tbsp for every 5 dumplings). Cover pan with lid and steam for 4 - 5 minutes.
7. Remove lid and drizzle dumplings with oil (1/2 tbsp for every 5 dumplings). Replace lid and fry 2 - 3 minutes more, until bottoms are toasty and golden brown.
8. Remove with a spatula and serve.

Spicy Cucumber Salad

If you exclude the draining time, this recipe is ridiculously quick and easy. It's also surprisingly good. The cucumber absorbs a bit of the heat from the chiles and the numbing sensation from the peppers to cream a refreshing dish that's not overly spicy (as long as you don't eat the chiles).

Spicy Cucumber Salad (from Land of Plenty)

Ingredients
2 cucumbers
3 tsp salt
2 tbsp peanut oil
8 long dried chiles or 16 small Sichuanese chiles snipped into 1.5" sections
2 tsp whole Sichuan pepper
3 tsp sesame oil

1. Cut cucumber into 2.5" sections. Quarter lengthwise, scrape out seeds, and cut into batons. Sprinkle with salt, mix well, and set aside for at least 30 minutes, preferably 2 hours or more to draw out juices. Drain well and pat dry with towels.
2. Heat a work over high heat. Add peanut oil and swirl to coat. Reduce heat to medium. Add chiles and pepper. Stir for a few seconds until spicy. Don't burn!
3. Add cucumber pieces and stir and toss for about 10 seconds to coat with oil. Remove from heat, add sesame oil, and tip onto a serving dish. Let cool before serving.

Carrot and Apple Salad

The boy had decided to try his hand at cooking octopus over the weekend, so I made it my mission to come up with the sides while using up some of the vegetable box bounty. Out of lettuce and salad greens, I searched for a salad that didn't need them. My efforts were rewarded with this recipe. Originally, it's paired with some spiced seared tuna, but it's perfect on its own with other Thai or Asia flavoured dishes. I was a bit suspicious that it would come together, but the crisp, clean flavours work well together. Best of all, it uses ingredients that I tend to receive in overabundance from the CSA box!

Carrot and Apple Salad (from Mighty Spice)

Ingredients
1/3 cup unsalted peanuts
2 tomatoes, seeded and thinly sliced
2 apples, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
4 large carrots, peeled and grated
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 red chilies, seeded and thinly sliced
1 handful mint leaves, finely chopped
1 large handful cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Dressing
juice of 2 limes
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add peanuts and gently toast. Transfer to plate to cool, then blitz in food processor until coarsely ground.
2. Whisk dressing ingredients together in large bowl.
3. Add remaining ingredients to bowl with peanuts. Toss to coat.

Red Pine Chicken

With ground pork and chicken breasts sitting in the freezer and some chard in the CSA box, this recipe jumped out as an obvious choice. This dish was a little bit salty to me, but rich in flavour and surprisingly different. I kept mentally expecting it to be a rolled dish and when it finally clicked that it wasn't, I expected a major headache with pork filling going everywhere. Somehow, though, the filling stayed in place easily and everything came together.

One year ago: Double-Shot Mocha Cupcakes
Two years ago: Chocolate Souffle

Red Pine Chicken (from All About Braising)

Ingredients
Filling
170g ground pork
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp coarse salt
3/4 tsp sugar
Braise
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 680g total)
cornstarch
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark mushroom soy sauce
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
1 tbsp sugar
4 whole star anise
1 tbsp peanut oil
Spinach
1 tbsp peanut oil
680g spinach (I used swiss chard)
salt and pepper

1. In medium bowl, combine filling ingredients. Set aside.
2. Pound out chicken breasts to 1/2" thick (or if you have giant breasts, slice in half). Dust top of breasts with cornstarch.
3. Scoop one quarter of pork filling onto rough side of each breast, spreading to edge. Sprinkle with cornstarch and pat down filling lightly.
4. In small bowl, combine soy sauces, ginger, stock, wine, sugar, and star anise.
5. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Lower chicken breasts chicken side down into pan. Sear until lightly golden on bottom, about 4 - 5 minutes. Turn breasts filling side down and cook for 1 - 2 minutes to set pork filling.
6. Reduce heat to very low and pour in braising sauce. Baste every few minutes by splashing sauce on top of each breast until chicken and pork are cooked trhough, about 35 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach a handful at a time and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper, set aside, and keep warm.
8. Serve chicken on bed of spinach with braising liquid on top.

Spiced Braised Nyonya Pork

I returned from the holidays with a bit of a head cold, but thankfully some days off before I needed to return to work. With a cold and the temperature hovering around -20C, leaving the confines of my apartment was not high on my list of things to do. Luckily, I left a well-stocked freezer before leaving for vacation. Digging around, I found a thick slice of pork shoulder and a recipe that didn't require a trip to the grocery store. It was a bit difficult to cook because I couldn't exactly tell when the ingredients became fragrant, but the end result seemed rich and satisfying. Perfect for a cold winter day. I substituted kecap manise for the double black soy sauce and sugar, but included the original below.

One year ago: Greek Style Penne with Lamb and Parsnips
Two years ago: Spinach and Cheese Strata

Spiced Braised Nyonya Pork (from Cradle of Flavor)

Ingredients
12 shallots (285g), coarsely chopped
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 piece galangal, 3" long, cut into matchsticks
2 pieces cinnamon stick, 4" long
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
900g boneless nonlean pork, cut into 1.5 - 2" cubes
1 cup water
3 tbsp cider or rice vinegar
2 tbsp double-black soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2 fresh Holland chiles, cut into find matchsticks (optional, for garnish)

1. Place shallots in a small food processor and pulse until you have a smooth paste.
2. Heat oil in a 3 or 4 quart saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add galangal and cook, stirring frequently until golden and fragrant, 2 - 3 minutes.
3. Add shallot paste and saute, stirring until paste no longer smells raw and is lightly golden, 3 - 4 minutes.
4. Add cinnamon, cloves, and star anise and saute until fragrances waft up.
5. Add pork cubes and saute on all sides until they begin to brown, 5 - 10 minutes.
6. Add water, vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar and stir well to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.
7. Cover partially and cook at a steady, gentle simmer, stirring occasionally until 3/4 of the liquid has evaporated and meat offers little resistance when poked, about 2 hours.
8. Remove lid and raise heat to medium. Bring to a rapid simmer, stirring often but gently. Cook until liquid has simmered away, about 30 minutes.
9. Transfer pork to a serving dish and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes. Garnish with chiles if desired.

Babi Kecap

I bookmarked this recipe a while back, but had it on the back burner due to never seeing kecap manis (Indonesian soy sauce) in Montreal (not that I had looked very hard). Imagine my surprise when a friend led me into a tiny Dutch convenience store outside of Ottawa and I found some sitting on the shelf. Of course there was no question as to whether or not I was buying the tiny bottle. The sauce on this recipe was fantastic. I should've listened to my inner voice, though, that told me to cover the pork while it simmered as the pork turned out a bit dry and the sauce reduced more quickly than I wanted it to. Despite the amount of chiles in the recipe, I didn't find it to be spicy.

One year ago: Chicken with Lemongrass
Two years ago: Espresso Chiffon Cupcakes with Fudge Frosting (which I recently remade!)

Babi Kecap (from Almost Bourdain, originally Rick Stein)

Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
100 g shallots, thinly sliced
50 g garlic, minced
25 g peeled ginger, finely grated
1.25 kg lean pork shoulder, cut into 3cm chunks
4 tbsp kecap manis
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp Tamarind water
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3-4 medium-hot chillies, seeded and chopped
4 red bird's eye chillies, left whole
500 ml Asian chicken stock (~2 cups)
Crisp fried shallots, to garnish (I omitted)

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat.
2. Add the shallots and fry until they are soft and richly golden.
3. Add the garlic, ginger and 1/2 tsp salt and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the pork to the pan and fry for 2 minutes until lightly coloured.
5. Add the kecap manis, dark soy sauce, tamarind water, pepper, chopped and whole chillies and stock.
6. Leave to simmer, uncovered [I recommend ignoring and covering], for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring now and then towards the end of cooking, until the pork is tender.
7. Lift the pork out of the sauce with a slotted spoon onto a plate.
8. Boil the cooking liquid until it has reduced to a well-flavoured, slightly thicken, shiny, dark brown sauce.
9. Season to taste with salt, return the pork to the pan and stir in. Spoon the pork onto a warmed serving plate, scatter with the crisp fried shallots and serve.

Quick and Easy Chinese Greens

My one complaint with the CSA box of late is they don't seem to understand that bok choy cooks down. They insist on giving us only a 1/4 lb or so of bok choy, which when making this recipe really only leaves you with a brief taste of this dish and wishing that they'd given a reasonable portion. One day, I will get a full serving ...

One year ago: Goat Cheese and Asparagus Risotto (how seasonal of me!)
Two years ago: Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

Quick and Easy Chinese Greens (from Seductions of Rice)

Ingredients
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 scallions, cut into 1" lengths
1/2" ginger, peeled and minced
450g choi sum (or bok choy), cut into 3" lengths and thickest stalks cut lengthwise in half
2 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tbsp cold water.

1. In a small bowl, mix together stock, oyster sauce, wine, soy sauce, and sugar.
2. Place a wok over high heat. When hot, add oil and let heat for 20 seconds.
3. Toss in garlic, scallions, and ginger and stir-free for 30 seconds.
4. Add greens. Stir fry for 1.5 - 2 minutes.
5. Add sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes.
6. Stir in cornstarch mixture and stir-fry until sauce thickens, about 15 seconds.

Stir-Fried Potato Slivers with Chiles and Sichuan Pepper

This recipe cooks surprisingly quickly for potatoes, thanks to the fine slicing. I expected it to have a bit of heat, but you don't notice it until you get a bit of the numbing aftertaste from the peppers and then the warmth of the chiles.

Stir-Fried Potato Slivers with Chiles and Sichuan Pepper (from Land of Plenty)

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs potatoes
peanut oil
6 dried chiles, preferably Sichuanese
1 tsp whole Sichuan pepper
salt
sugar
1 - 2 tsp sesame oil

1. Peel potatoes and cut them into very fine matchstick slivers (you can use a mandoline or coarse grater on a food processor).
2. Soak potatoes for a few minutes in cold, lightly salted water to remove excess starch.
3. Drain potatoes.
4. Season a wok, then add 2 tbsp of peanut oil and swirl over medium flame until hot but not smoking. Add chiles and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry until oil is fragrant and spicy.
5. Add potatoes, turn heat up and stir-fry vigorously for 4 - 5 minutes, seasoning with salt and a pinch of sugar to taste.
6. When potatoes are hot and cooked but still al dente, remove from heat, stir in sesame oil, and serve.