Delishytown

Sweet and Spicy Korean Pancake 

I was reading about Japanese street food yesterday and I really wanted to try Okonomiyaki In Korea they call a similar dish Pajeon. Today I went to my favorite Korean / Asian grocery store where I bought Organic Korean Pancake mix and vegetables. The illustration of the vegetable pancake was on the package, so even though it was all written in Korean, I knew I had the right product. This savory pancake is street food and is a popular dish in Korea and Japan. I can see why, this was the tastiest lunch ever. 

I don't usually buy mixes. I guess you could make it yourself. But then you don't get to see all the cool packaging at the Asian market. This pancake mix contains organic wheat flour, rice flour, corn flour, soybean extract, vitamin B2, and onion powder.

I'm not sure I made it exactly the way they do in Japan or Korea. I read that they garnish with crunchy dried shrimp, and cracklings from tempura. I was too hungry to make tempura cracklings, and I haven't acquired a taste for dried shrimp yet. So I just made it my way. Here's how I made this:

Saute your favorite vegetables. I used shiitake mushrooms, onions, carrots, red jalapeños, and kale, torn cilantro and crispy mung bean sprouts, (which I did not saute because I wanted them as crunchy as possible).

Mix 1/4 cup per serving of the Korean pancake mix with a little water, 1 egg and add the sauteed veggies.

Heat a skillet with a couple tblsp of high heat oil like Sunflower or Vegetable oil.

Pour the vegetable pancake batter into the center of the hot skillet. Scoot the stuff into a circle and even it out. You could add cooked shrimp to this. That's probably the way I'll make it for my Husband for dinner because I can't wait to have this again. Let it cook on the bottom and flip. Cook on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

The sauce on top is Sambaal Oelek mixed with home made plum jam. I finished with a little organic soy Sauce and a few drops of sesame oil to make it extra savory.

Yum. 

Delicious Veggie Fried Rice

This is a delicious way to use leftover rice, yum! It's easy to make, just chop up whatever vegetables you have on hand. I start with chopped onions in a hot skillet with a little coconut oil, chop and add the densest vegetables first. I used a bunch of fresh veggies from my spring garden including shallots, rainbow carrots, peas, and cilantro. I also used store bought sweet onion, garlic and asparagus. Season with 1 tblsp organic soy sauce, a little sesame oil, and some Chinese Five Spice, a little red chili flake or cayenne, and coriander powder. Add the rice along with a little stock once the veggies are most of the way cooked. Yum! 

Chinese Omelette

Before I get to the recipe for this photo, here's a wonderful blog post about a similar recipe, with a story about Snow in China. This is written so beautifully, and it makes me miss the snow in the Midwest. She describes it exactly as I remember. I'm jealous, because it's so hot here right now. I wish it was Winter.

http://cookingsimplechinesefoodathome.com/2011/12/95-healthy-recipe-bitter-gourd-omelet-v.html

This is a delicious way to use up any cabbage, carrots and veggies from the crisper drawer. I made this for breakfast this morning and I want it again right now. It was crunchy and delicious, seasoned with black sesame oil, black sesame seeds, Chinese five spice, and organic soy sauce. I garnished it with a spoonful of spicy hot sambal oelek. You can use any vegetables you like in this dish, green beans, mushrooms, napa cabbage, bok choy, peppers, peas, and water chestnuts would all be great in this. You can also add any tofu, seared shrimp, or cooked meat to this if you like.

Here's how to make this delicious dish:

In a skillet, toast some sesame seeds until fragrant, about 1 minute. I used black sesame seeds. Set aside the seeds and add 1 tsp peanut oil to the pan. Saute 1 small onion, slivered, 1 small chopped carrot, chopped broccoli, and one or two stalks of chopped celery. Cook these together for a few minutes and then add a few purple cabbage leaves, slivered and some mung bean sprouts, about 1/2 cup. Season with fresh ground black pepper and a sprinkle of Chinese five spice.

Scramble two eggs and pour them over the vegetables. Scoot the egg in toward the vegetables with a spatula and form the edges into a circle. Wait until the bottom firms up, and then flip the whole thing over. Cook until the egg is cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. 

Place on a serving platter and season with a small drizzle of black sesame oil, a couple dashes of organic soy sauce and a spoonful of red chili paste, garnish with the toasted sesame seeds. Yum! 

Spicy Shrimp Rolls

I'm taking an editing class near a Korean grocery store, so after class I like to go grocery shopping and find new things. I bought my husband Choco Boy and Lucky Stick cookie snacks. He was very happy.

I also bought a bunch of veggies, a natural cleaning brush for pots and pans, and a sharp paring knife that I already managed to cut myself with. They had an assortment of dumpling and spring roll wrappers near the eggs, so I decided to make egg rolls. Yum! I love home made egg rolls! 

 These egg rolls are delicious and easy. In a food processor (or by hand) chop 4 or 5 shiitake mushrooms, 2 carrots, 1/2 small cabbage, 1 drained can water chestnuts, & a small bunch of cilantro. Cut 1 cup mung bean sprouts into smaller bits. Slice 3 green onions. Clean shrimp and chop into small bits.

 Saute 2 minced garlic cloves and 1/2 inch of grated ginger in a little sesame oil on low heat. Once fragrant, take it off the heat & let cool.   

In a bowl, mix 1 tsp peanut butter with 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp fish sauce and 1/2 tsp red chili paste. Mix in the sautéed garlic and ginger. Season with salt & pepper and a you decide amount of red chili flakes, I use about 1/4 tsp. Toss in the chopped veggies & shrimp. If the shrimp you're using is raw, roll the egg rolls sorta skinny, & the shrimp pieces will cook as you fry your rolls. You can substitute cooked shrimp, or pop the fried egg rolls in a 350 oven to continue cooking for a minute if you have any doubts as to the shrimps doneness. 

When you roll your rolls, try to drain off excess liquid from the mixture so they don't get soggy. Start with the egg roll wrapper on a diagonal, put a heaping tblsp of the mixture at the bottom of the diamond, fold the bottom up, fold in the sides, and continue rolling, sealing with scrambled egg. Set aside on a plate dusted with corn starch before frying.

I fry mine in batches of 4 or 5 at a time. Heat 1 or 2 inches of canola oil in a cast iron skillet. Place 4 egg rolls in the hot oil, cook until golden then carefully turn them over. A metal fish spatula and fork are my preferred tools for pan frying. Tongs are good too.  

Serve with chinese mustard and sweet chili sauce. Yum!!

Garlic Ginger Beef with Shiitakes & Forbidden Rice

Forbidden rice, black rice, or Emperors rice is delicious! It's  so good that the awful old Emperor wouldn't let the regular folks eat it. That selfish old bastard. We showed him by having it readily available in grocery stores. He's probably turning over in his grave. Take that Fancy Boy! That's what you get for not sharing. I digress...

Anyway, black rice! It's really good for you, full of antioxidants, flavinoids and such. In fact, this whole dish is full of things that are good for you, ginger, garlic, organic broccoli, black rice, shiitake mushrooms and sass. 

We made this from leftover steak. You can use steak, chicken, tempeh or tofu.

In a pan, boil water and cook black rice according to package directions, adding a chunk of ginger and a few smashed garlic cloves to the water, along with a splash of soy sauce and fresh ground pepper. If you're intimidated by cooking rice, just do it the way I do, cook it like pasta in plenty of water until just cooked, drain in a mesh strainer, add it back to the pot, cover & let steam. It's easy this way and it comes out perfect every time.

For the ginger garlic beef: In a cast iron skillet or wok, add 1tblsp grape seed oil, throw in a few slices of ginger and a sliced and smashed garlic clove to flavor the oil. Once those are caramelized, take them out. You can discard them, but I ate mine as a spicy snack while I cooked the rest of this. 

Chop 1 shallot, mince 3 garlic cloves, finely grate about 1/2 inch ginger, slice steak, slice mushrooms, peel and chop broccoli. Add your ingredients to the hot pan in order of their cooking time, starting with the stalks of the broccoli, then the shallot, ginger, , mushrooms, sliced steak, and finally the broccoli florets. Season with 1/2 tsp chinese five spice, 1/4 tsp ginger powder, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder, and fresh ground black pepper. Toss in the cooked black rice and stir it all together. Season with a bit of soy sauce and a few dashes of sesame oil.

yum!

Vegetarian Egg Rolls with Spicy Apricot Dipping Sauce

These are delicious! Chop the veggies as small as you can because the small pieces make the egg rolls easier to roll.

Using a food processor, box grater or knife, chop 1/2 head organic green cabbage, 1 large carrot, 1 cup sugar snap peas, 10 shitake mushrooms, 1 can water chestnuts, half of a red jalapeno pepper, (seeds removed) and add them to a bowl.

  Slice 1/2 sweet onion very thinly, chop up the thin slices & add them to the bowl.  Add 1 cup bean sprouts, and a bunch of fresh cilantro , chopped.

In a small bowl combine 2 tblsp peanut butter, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 inch of fresh ginger, grated, 1/2 tsp oyster sauce, and 1 tsp fish sauce. Mix it all together till the peanut butter dissolves.

Add the peanut butter mixture to the veggie mixture. Season the mixed veggies with black pepper. You don’t need salt because of the soy sauce and fish sauce.

Roll up the egg rolls sealing the ends with scrambled egg. You can roll these small or large. Place each egg roll on a plate that’s been dusted with flour till you're ready to fry.

Heat 1 inch of canola or vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet till it’s hot but not smoking. They should bubble right away. Cook on both sides for about 1 1/2 mins till crispy and golden brown.

To do them in the oven, spray a cookie sheet with canola spray, place the egg rolls on, sprits with canola spray & bake at 400 for 15 minutes till crispy. They come out much crispier in the fryer, but are healthier in the oven.  

Serve with apricot dipping sauce:

Mix 2 tablespoons apricot jelly, the other half of the red jalapeno, minced, 1 tsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp (or 2) sesame oil, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger

Moo Shu Style Chinese Crepes

I grew the Swiss Chard in this dish! Yay to my little veggie garden.

I've seen this kind of simple Chinese crepe on cooking shows, and the chef always makes it look so quick and easy. It really is. 

For appx 3 crepes: Mix 3 or 4 tblsp rice flour with 2 tblsp water and then beat in 2 eggs. Pour a thin layer (about 1/4 cup or less of the batter) in a hot skillet, sprayed with vegetable spray. (One of mine came out mangled when it stuck to the pan, so make sure to spritz a bit of veg oil between each one.) Let the crepe set, then flip once. Done.

That's the basic recipe, you can double triple or quadruple it depending on how many people you're cooking crepes for. I love the rice flour cause it's so nice and light. (And it's gluten free.)

The ones I made in the photo are filled with mixed veggies and shredded chicken. You can use any type of veggie or meat filling you like. Pork would be great, so would shrimp and some bean sprouts.  For a great Chinese flavor don't leave out the ginger, garlic, soy sauce and cilantro.

 Here's how I made the mixed veggies: In a medium /hot skillet (or wok), add 1 tblsp canola, veggie oil or coconut oil, 2 crushed garlic cloves and about an inch of fresh grated ginger.  Let those cook for a few seconds and then add some chopped shitake mushrooms, chopped swiss chard stalks and thinly sliced zuchini, or any veggies you like. Once those are cooked a bit,  add the chopped leaves of the Swiss chard and some shredded cooked chicken. Season with fresh ground black pepper, 1 tblsp light soy sauce and some fresh chopped cilantro.

  The dipping sauce is 1 tblsp apricot preserves, 1/2 tblsp sambal oelek (or more depending on how hot you like it), 1/2 tsp sesame oil, and 1 tblsp hoisin sauce. Place the cooked veggies on one end of the crepe, roll it up and serve with the sweet hot sauce.

yum !

Vegetarian Egg Rolls with Spicy Apricot Dipping Sauce

These are delicious! Chop the veggies as small as you can so they are in long skinny shreds and smallish pieces. You still want them recognizable, but the small pieces make the egg rolls easier to roll.

Using a food processor, box grater or a good old knife, chop 1/2 of a small head organic green cabbage, 1 large carrot, 1 cup sugar snap peas or snow peas, 10 shitake mushrooms, 1 can water chestnuts, half of a red jalapeno pepper, (seeds removed) and add them to a big mixing bowl.

  Slice 1/2 sweet onion very thinly, chop up the thin slices & add them to the bowl.  Add 1/2 bag or package bean sprouts, (the big white kind that you see in egg rolls.) and a big bunch of fresh cilantro , chopped.

In a small bowl combine 1 tsp peanut butter, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 inch of fresh ginger, grated, 1/2 tsp oyster sauce, and 1 tsp fish sauce. Mix it all together till the peanut butter dissolves.

Add the peanut butter mixture to the chopped veggie mixture. Season the bowl of mixed veggies with some black pepper, you don't really need salt because of the soy sauce and fish sauce.

Roll up the egg rolls sealing the end with some scrambled egg wash. You can roll these as small appetizer using those little won ton wrappers, or as large egg rolls using the larger wrappers. Place each egg roll on a plate that's been dusted with flour till you are ready to fry them up.

Heat 1 inch of canola or vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet till it's pretty hot but not smoking. Your egg rolls should bubble tight away when you put them in. Fry for a minute and flip them over. Cook for about 1 1/2 mins till crispy and golden brown.

You can also do these in the oven. Spray the cookie sheet with canola spray, place all the egg rolls about an inch or so apart, sprits with canola spray & bake at 400 for 15 minutes or so till crispy. They come out much crispier in the cast iron skillet, but are healthier done in the oven.  

Serve with apricot dipping sauce:

Mix 2 tablespoons apricot jelly, the other half of the red jalapeno, minced, 1 tsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp (or 2) sesame oil, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger

Organic Chicken & Veggie Lettuce Wraps

These wraps are so yum-a-riffic! I love the wraps they serve at restaurants, but they're usually so salty and I'm pretty sure they're full of fat calories.

These homemade ones taste just as great, but are much healthier because of all the fresh, organic veggies added to the mix. I also used low sodium soy, just a touch of honey (instead of sugar) and organic chicken.

This is the first time I've ground chicken breast in the food processor and it wasn't as complicated or messy as I thought it would be.

Ingredients:

2 organic boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 small onion

1/2 cup shredded cabbage

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1/4 cup or about 10 green beans finely chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons finely chopped or grated ginger

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon sesame oil

canola oil spray

fresh lettuce leaves

cooked rice

First thing I do is process the veggies in the food processor, onions first since you start them before the other stuff.  In a skillet, saute the onion in 1 tablespoon canola oil till translucent and fragrant. Add the chopped veggies and ginger and saute for a few more minutes till softened, but still crisp.

Season with a bit of soy sauce, a couple shakes of sesame oil, 1 tsp oyster sauce and a drizzle of honey and set aside in a dish. Keep the same skillet on the stove.

Grind up the raw chicken breasts in the food processor. Add a spray of the canola oil to the skillet and add the meat. Season with fresh ground pepper and let the meat sear before you crumble it around. The little bit of color will add a lot of flavor. Once the chicken is cooked through, (no more pink) add back the veggies to the skillet and combine. Let the two cook together for a few minutes to combine the flavors.

If it doesn't taste just right at this point, add a tiny bit more soy sauce and sesame oil.

Serve with fresh lettuce leaves and rice.

Yum!