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So, I celebrated another birthday recently.   Yep, 25.  Again.  What?  I’m good at 25, I’ve got several years experience, and I’m sticking with it. ;)  But that is totally not what I wanted to talk about.  What I *did* want to share with you is this recipe I recreated  from the (awesome) restaurant we went to to celebrate for sushi…My Gawd, you guys…this place was just incredible…top floor of the Reina Isabel Hotel, panoramic views of the ocean and beach and islet and all of it’s twinkling glittery lights at night.  The place is called La Parrilla (click here for pics and stuff), and the food was just out of this world.  Fusion is probably the best way to describe the menu…Asian flavors combine with Peruvian and Italian influences to create some of the most fantastic flavor combinations…they also offer local dishes, and fresh fish selections according to season.  To start, we decided upon the tuna sushi, and both of us just went nuts.  I knew this one would be gracing our table at home pronto.  I even kind of impressed my own self with how close I was able to come to the original. heh If you like tuna sushi, you are going to love this one, folks.  It is dayumed good.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sweet soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Mirin
sesame oil to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon or so)
2 cups prepared sushi rice
3/4 pound (300 grams) sushi grade tuna
1 ripe avocado
sesame seeds to garnish
chopped cilantro to garnish (I didn’t have any, so I skipped it, but it really does go great with this, so I recommend adding it if you have some)

Preparation:

Prepare your rice and let cool.
Be sure that you specify to your fish monger that you will be eating the fish raw, you’ll want only premium sushi grade tuna for this.
Prepare the sauce.
Mix soy, vinegar, Mirin and sesame oil.
Prepare each sushi plate, chopped avodado on one side, tuna slices in the center, rice at the other side.
Drizzle sauce over tuna.
Garnish with sesame seeds (and cilantro if using).
Eat!

Ingredientes:

4 cucharadas de salsa de soja dulce
4 cucharadas de vinagre de arroz
1 cucharada Mirin
aceite de sésamo al gusto (utilicé una cucharadita de café aproximadamente)
2 vasos arroz de sushi ya preparado
300 gramos de atún para sushi
1 aguacate maduro
semillas de sésamo para adornar
cilantro picado para adornar (no tenía en casa, pero si tienes, te lo recomiendo, el sabor es fantástico)

Elaboración:

Preparar el arroz y dejar enfriar.
Asegúrate de que avisas al pescadero sepa que vas a comer el atún crudo–solo quieres máxima frescura para el sushi.
Preparar la salsa.
Mezclar la soja, vinagre, Mirin y aceite de sésamo.
Preparar cada plato de sushi, aguacate picado por un lado, atún en tiras por el centro, y arroz al atro lado.
Rociar el atún con la salsa.
Adornar con semillas de sésamo y cilantro
A comer!

A recipe!  Can you believe it?  The last couple of posts were just chatting chatting chatting.  What happened to the food on this food blog?  It is here.  Waiting.  Screaming to be posted. 

I must warn you…they are coming for my ghetto computer today.  Coming to take it away, to cart it off to mainland Spain, Madrid to be exact, to be fixed.  What the hell kind of lame service is that?  I have to send my computer to Madrid, *without* parental supervision (dammit!).  I may not see it again for up to 2 months say the customer service representatives.  I have begged and pleaded with Alvaro (da hubs) to see if he will use his wondertech powers to fix the pc in the meantime, because OH. MY. FREAKING. GAWD! I can’t be without a computer for 2 months! *eyes twitching* *feeling woozy*  Wish me luck, folks.  Wish. Me. Luck.

Ok, enough bitching and moaning.  The recipe I am posting for you today is General Tso’s Chicken.   Crispy bites of chicken dancing around in a delightfully sticky, sweet and spicy, with just a hint of tang sauce, and some freshly steamed broccoli on the side.   This lovely stuff is then served with perfectly fluffy steamed rice and some fresh spring onion for contrast.  Are you hungry yet? 

How about now? lol

Ingredients:

2 pounds (1kilo) boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite sized cubes
2 eggs
1/4 cup cornstarch (or a little more)
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup soy sauce
5 cloves garlic, minced
a generous knob of ginger, minced (about 2-3 tablespoons or so, to taste)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin or sherry or white wine (whatever you have on hand)
1 cup cornstarch
thai birds’ eye chilies to taste
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 head broccoli florets, steamed
6 cups steamed rice (more or less)

Preparation:

Beat the egg with the salt and pepper and cornstarch until thoroughly combined.
Pour over chicken and mix through.
Let this rest for about 15 minutes or so, while you chop what needs to be chopped, mince what needs to be minced and mix up the sauce.
Whisk together the soy, garlic, ginger, hoisin, sugar, vinegar and wine and set aside.
Dredge the chicken pieces in cornstarch, shaking off excess. I like to use the ziplock bag trick (place cornstarch and chicken in a large ziplock bag and shake it like you mean it) for this, because it’s faster, less messy, and a nice little aerobic workout for my flabby arms. lmfao
Heat about 3 cups of oil (I like to use sunflower, but peanut or soy work too) in your wok to just below the smoking point.
CAREFULLY add chicken, piece by piece (so they don’t stick together). Use tongs to do this, so you don’t burn yourself.
Fry chicken until just cooked through (it doesn’t need to be really browned, just cooked), then remove with a spider or slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. You’ll probably have to do a few batches.
When all the chicken is cooked and being drained of excess oil, drain out most of the oil from the wok. Leave just a bit to coat the bottom, not too much.
Add the sauce ingredients and chilies and stir around (still over high heat) until it thickens into a glaze like consistency.
Add in the chicken and toss it around to coat.
Add green onion and toss again.
It’s done!
Serve over rice with steamed broccoli.

Pollo al estilo “General Tso”

Ingredientes:

1kilo pechuga de pollo, en daditos
2 huevos
4 cucharadas de Maicena
sal y pimienta al gusto
1/3 vaso salsa de soja
5 dientes de ajo, majados
jengibre fresco, unos 3-4 cucharadas ralladas
1/4 vaso salsa hoisin
2 cucharadas azúcar
2 cucharadas vinagre de arroz
1 cucharada mirin, jerez o vino blanco, lo que tengas a mano
1 vaso Maicena
pimientas piconas al gusto
1 manojo de cebolletas, picadas
1 cabeza de brécol, en ramitos
6 vasos arroz cocido al vapor (mas o menos)

Elaboración:

Batir los huevos junto a la sal, pimienta y maicena hasta que esté homogéneo.
Verter sobre el pollo y mezclar bien.
Dejar unos 15 minutos, mientras picas lo que tienes que picar, majes lo que tienes que majar y prepares la salsa.
Con las varillas, mezclar la salsa de soja con el ajo, jengibre, hoisin, azúcar, vinagre y vino.
Reservar.
Pasar el pollo por la Maicena, sacudiendo el exceso. A mi me gusta utilizar un método super técnico para esto…el de meter todo dentro de una bolsa y moverlo como una loca hasta que esté combinado… porque es más rápido, ensucia menos, y me ahorra un poquito de aerobic para estos brazos.
Calentar unos 3 vasos de aceite (me gusta de girasol, pero de cacahuete o soja también están bien) en el wok hasta casi el punto de humo.
CON MUCHO CUIDADO añadir el pollo, pieza por pieza (para que no se peguen). Utilizar las pinzas para hacerlo, para que no te quemes.
Freir el pollo hasta que esté cocinado (no tiene que estar muy dorado, solamente cocinado), y a continuación retirar con una espumadera y escurrir sobre papel de cocina. Probablemente, vas a tener que hacer un par de tandas.
Cuando esté todo esto hecho, retirar la mayoría del aceite del wok. Dejar solo un poco para cubrir el fondo, no demasiado.
Añadir la salsa y las pimientas piconas y mezclar bien sobre fuego fuerte, removiendo hasta que se espese.
Añadir el pollo y darle unas vueltas para cubrirlo con la salsa.
Añadir la cebolleta y darle unas vueltas mas.
Ya está!
Servir sobre arroz al vapor con una guarnición de brécol al vapor.

 

The other day I posted an entry for Mochachocolatarita’s Chinese Take-Out Party…(if you guys haven’t checked out her party yet, get over there!  There are tons of delicious dishes to be had!)…Of course, once the round-up was posted, my fingers couldn’t click the mouse fast enough to get to her site.  There are main dishes, rices, noodles, appies, soups and desserts.  There were a couple (ok, ok *more* than a couple!) of dishes that really caught my eye.  The Kung Pao Chicken entries were especially insistent with the powers that be within my grumbling stomach.  Kung Pao Chicken is basically chicken and peanuts, stirfried in a delicious brown sauce.  But take this simple dish and add a bunch of ginger and vegetables, and you have elevated it to something sublime.  The entries on Rita’s page inspired me to go out and make some Kung Pao, go and see what inspires you!

Ingredients:

2 pounds (1 kilo) chicken breast, small dice
1/4 cup cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons sunflower or peanut oil
1 knob of ginger (about 1-2 inches), minced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1/4 head of cabbage, chopped or sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1-2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
other veggies at will
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
a good splash of sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar (more or less to taste)
1/2 cup water or chicken broth
1 cup peanuts (more or less to taste)
2-3 thai chilis, sliced (optional)

Preparation:

It’s best to prep everything before you get started, so here’s what I’d recommend.
Combine the chicken, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a bowl and reserve.
Chop and mince all vegetables according to the ingredients list.
Whisk sauce ingredients (soy through broth/water) in a small bowl and reserve.
Heat oil in a larger wok over high heat.
When the oil comes to just below smoking point, add the ginger and garlic and stirfry until golden.
Add chicken and toss around until cooked through.
Add vegetables and continue to toss around until desired doneness.
Add sauce mixture and stirfry until sauce thickens.
Add peanuts and serve over steamed rice.

Pollo al estilo Kung Pao

Ingredientes:

1 kilo pechuga de pollo, en daditos
4 cucharadas de Maicena
sal y pimienta al gusto
2-3 cucharadas aceite de semilla o de cacahuete
1 pieza de jengibre (2-3 cm), picada
4-5 dientes de ajo, majados
1 cebolla grande, picada
1/4 col, picada
1/2 pimiento amarillo, troceado
1/2 pimiento rojo, troceado
1-2 tallos de apio, picado
otras verduras que te gusten
1/2 vaso salsa de soja
1/2 vaso vinagre de arroz
un buen rocío de aceite de sésamo
1 cucharada de azúcar (mas o menos, al gusto)
1/2 vaso agua o caldo de pollo
1 vaso cacahuetes, mas o menos
2-3 gindillas, picadas (opcional)

Elaboración:

Es mejor tenerlo todo listo para freir antes de empezar, así que esto es lo que recomiendo.
Mezclar el pollo con la maicena, sal y pimienta y reservar.
Picar todos las verduras según la lista de ingredientes.
Mezclar todos los ingredientes de la salsa (desde la soja hasta el agua/caldo), y reservar.
Calentar aceite en un wok sobre fuego fuerte.
Cuando llega a casi el punto de humo, sofreir jengibre y ajo hasta que estén dorados.
Añadir el pollo y saltear hasta que esté hecho.
Ahora, añadir las verduras y saltear hasta que estén en su punto.
Añadir la mezcla de la salsa y cocinar hasta que se espese un poco.
Añadir los cacahuetes y servir sobre arroz al vapor.

Doing my morning blog rounds I was over at Peter’s site (Kalofagas) longingly looking at his Eggs Benedict recipe (by the way, go and check that out you guys…it is seriously killing me I want it so badly), and realized there was a post just below that one that I hadn’t seen!  WHAT?  He had posted a delicious Chinese Take-out menu, and mentioned that it was part of a round up to be found at Mochachocolatarita’s Website.  I am SO glad he posted that, because her website is fantastic!  It’s so cool how we bloggers network and find each other through others’ blog posts.  I had never seen Mochachocolatarita’s site before.  That is a sin right there…her site is awesome.  No, more like AWESOME!  And Right now she’s hosting an event celebrating her 88th post, called, “Chinese Take-Out Party,” where each entrant submits their take on Chinese take-out. 

I think that this might be sheer luck on my part, because I had planned to post this anyway, but to come in just under the wire like this and be able to participate in a fun event?  Even better!

This recipe was something I came up with after having taken out a loin roast, and began wondering what to do with it.  The weather has been pretty warm, so regular roast with mashed potatoes didn’t really seem to fit the bill.  Avocados are currently at over 11 euros a kilo (that’s like $8-9 a pound), so Tex-Mex was out (you know it’s illegal to eat Tex-Mex without guacamole, don’t you? )…what to do?  Hmmm.  Why not go Asian with it?  Yes!  That was the answer I was looking for. 

 

Ingredients:

2 pounds (1 kilo) pork loin roast
1 cup mango juice
1/2 cup sweet soy sauce
1/4 cup regular soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 tablespoons grated garlic
4 spring onions, white bulbs only (we’ll use the greens later)
pepper to taste

Preparation:

Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a roaster with a lid.
Coat loin roast completely and allow to marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge, turning occasionally.
Heat oven to 375ºF/160ºC.
Roast loin (covered) for about 4 hours.
Shred meat and toss with the juices/sauce that became of the marinade while roasting.

For the Sesame Slaw:

Ingredients:

1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped green onion (the ones we used the white parts from before)
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup sweet soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
pepper to taste

Preparation:

Toss all ingredients together.
Yep, that’s it. lol

To make the wraps, you’ll need:

12 flour tortillas
3 cups steamed rice
1 recipe of sesame slaw (posted above)
fresh vegetables and herbs to garnish…I used italian pepper, spring onion, fresh cayennes, cucumber and cilantro

Preparation:

Fill each wrap with some rice, pork, slaw and vegetables.
Slap some hot sauce on that sucker, too.
Have lots of napkins handy, this is better to be eaten with your hands.
 

Now, onto the dumplings.

I have posted this recipe before, so I will direct you to this post for the ingredients and instructions on how to form the dumplings. However, I have prepared them a little differently today, and changed up the sauce just a little.

To make the sauce:

1/2 cup sweet soy sauce
2 tablespoons regular soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
**just whisk all this together and your sauce is ready. Garnish with green onion if you like

Preparation of dumplings:

Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a saute pan.
Saute raw dumplings until golden on the bottom, then add enough water to come about halfway up the dumplings.
Cover and steam for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through.
Serve with sauce.

Y en español (*nota* 1 vaso = 1 vaso de nocilla):

Ingredientes:

1 kilo cinta de cerdo en una pieza
1 vaso zumo de mango
1/2 vaso salsa de soja dulce
1/4 vaso salsa de soja normal
2-3 cucharadas vinagre de arroz
1/4 vaso salsa hoisin
1/4 vaso miel
2 cucharadas de jengibre recién rallado
2 cucharadas de ajo rallado
4 cebolletas, solo la parte blanca (la parte verde se utiliza después)
pimienta negra al gusto

Elaboración:

Mezclar todos los ingredientes excepto la carne en un recipiente de horno con tapa.
Cubrir la carne con la salsa y dejar macerar en la nevera durante unas horas.
Calentar el horno a 375ºF/160ºC.
Hornear la carne (tapada) durante unas 4 horas.
Desmenuzar la carne y mezclar con la salsa que se ha formado.

Para la Ensalada de Sésamo:

Ingredientes:

1/2 col rallada
1/2 vaso cebolleta (la parte verde que reservamos antes)
1/4 vaso semillas de sésamo tostadas
1/4 vaso salsa de soja dulce
3 cucharadas de vinagre de arroz
pimienta al gusto

Elaboración:

Mezclarlo todo.
Sí. Solo eso. jiji

Para hacer los “wraps” necesitarás:

12 tortillas de harina (obleas)
3 vasos arroz cocinado al vapor
1 receta de la ensalada de sésamo
verduritas y hierbas para adornar…Yo le puse pimienta italiana, cebolleta, pepino, guindilla fresca y cilantro

Elaboración:

Rellenar cada “wrap” con arroz, cerdo, ensalada y verduritas/hierbas.
Ponerle algo de picante también.
Tener muchas servietas a mano, porque esto se come con las manos.

Ahora las empanadillas.

Ya he puesto esta receta antes, así que les dirijo a este post para los ingredientes e instrucciones para formar las empanadillas. Sin embargo, las he preparado un poquillo diferente hoy, y he hecho una salsa distinta.

Para hacer la salsa:

1/2 vaso salsa de soja dulce
2 cucharadas de salsa de soja normal
1/4 vinagre de arroz
**Mezclar todo esto y la salsa está lista. Adornar con cebolleta si te parece.

Elaboración de las empanadillas:

Calentar un poquito de aceite en una sartén.
Freirlas hasta que estén doraditas, y a continuación añadir agua suficiente para llegar a la mitad de las empanadillas.
Tapar y dejar cocinar durante unos 10 minutos o hasta que estén cocinadas.
Servir con la salsa.

So, as most of you already know, yesterday was Chinese New Year.  While I’m not Chinese, I must admit I’ll look for any excuse to celebrate! LOL  So, I made some Asian treats in honor of this special day.  Chuck over at Sunday Night Dinner posted his mom’s top secret recipes for Nuoc Cham (dipping sauce) and recently, and I just couldn’t go another day without making some of my own…my Gawd that stuff is good!  It’s also been a while since I’ve made fried rice, and my dear hubs really loves a chicken curry version that I do, so it was set…spring rolls and fried rice would be our menu for the day.  I realize that my menu doesn’t have all of he traditional elements of a Chinese New Year menu, but heck, it’s the sentiment that counts, right? lol  I decided to do a step by step for the spring rolls, like Chuck (sheesh I’m such a total copycat!), for those of you who might not have rolled them before…I know that before I tried to make them the first time I was a little intimidated by the idea.  But, it’s really very simple, as you’ll soon see.

First of all, the Curry Chicken Fried Rice:

Ingredients:

I should note that most of these amounts are approximate…this is one of those dishes that I just sort of eyeball the stuff and throw it in there.

4 cups cooked jasmine rice, cooled
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced
3 tablespoons minced ginger
1 pound diced chicken breast
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons curry powder
a generous splash of soy sauce
a few drops of sesame oil
2-3 cups mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, sprouts, green onions)

Preparation:
Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat.
Coat the bottom with a bit of sunflower oil.
Saute garlic first, then add onion and ginger and saute a minute or so.
Add in chicken and season with salt and pepper.
Stirfry until cooked through and beginning to brown.
Add in curry, soy and sesame oil and toss to combine.
Add in rice and toss around, with the help of a paddle or large spoon, working the chicken mixture into the rice to coat.
If the rice is sticky, you might want to toss in another splash of oil.
When rice has a nice yellow color, add in vegetables and serve.

And now the Spring Rolls (Cha Gio)….I was much inspired by , though I just had to make some changes (you know me!)…I sort of morphed his mom’s recipe with mine, and the resulting roll was just fab.

Ingredients:

1 small bunch cellophane noodles (about 3 cups after soaking)
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 large carrot, shredded
1 bunch green onions, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and minced
1 pound ground pork
3 tablespoons soy sauce
a splash or two of sesame oil
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
18-20 spring roll wrappers (I used the frozen ones this time)
oil for frying

Preparation:

Before anything else, put the cellophane noodles in a large bowl of cold water to soften.
Now, mix all spring roll ingredients except wrappers and oil in a large bowl.  I find it’s best to get your hands in there and mush it all up using manual labor…a spoon just won’t cut it for spring roll filling.

Now, place a wrapper on your cutting board and add about 3-4 tablespoons of filling at the center, like this:

Now fold the sides in towards the center, and moisten edges with a bit of water.

Carefully fold the bottom portion of the roll up over the filling, pressing tightly:

Now, tightly roll up the spring roll and place seam side down.  Cover with plastic wrap and repeat with remaining rolls.

Now, heat oil to moderate heat…I like to use my deep fryer for this, but you could also use a deep pan.  You’ll want the oil to come at least half way up the roll.  Carefully fry rolls in hot oil about 5 minutes per side, or until golden and cooked through.

Serve with lettuce leaves wrapped around the roll and Nuoc Cham (dipping sauce).

Not long ago while making my blog “rounds” I was struck by a post by Kevin at Closet Cooking.  As you may recall, I have been trying to come up with a recipe similar to my old boss’, but to no avail.  The sesame chicken dishes I’ve made are good, but not Cam’s.  With Kevin’s help, I think I’m getting a little closer!  WOOHOO!  Kevin added pineapple juice and honey to his recipe…and that is what was missing from my other attempts, I think.  I didn’t follow his recipe exactly, but this recipe was definitely inspired by his. :)  And while it’s still not quite there yet?  I’m one step closer to cracking that sesame chicken code, baby.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup light soy sauce (for gf, be sure to check the bottle to be sure it’s certified gf!)
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons ginger (grated)
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
cayenne pepper to taste
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, plus a little more for garnish
3 tablespoons ketchup (yes, I did go there lmao)
a few drops of sesame oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 pounds (1 kilo) chicken breast, diced fairly small
1 tablespoon sunflower oil

Preparation:

Whisk all marinade ingredients in a bowl, and toss in chicken.
Stir to coat all chicken and marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a very hot wok (or large saute pan).
Carefully add in chicken, and stir and flip constantly to avoid sticking.
Cook chicken about 15 minutes, until sauce begins to thicken.
Serve over a bed of white rice, garnished with sesame seeds. (I would have garnished with green onion as well, but the veggie vendor didn’t have them that day, so we had to go without.)