Chinese Wonton soup

I don't find that stories of my childhood relating to food are as extravagant as other cooks. I am honored to stem from a traditional southern family and specifically my great grandmother who was an awesome cook. Other then that, my most vivid memory relating to food was constantly craving Chinese. When my father asked where I wanted to eat on my birthdays or other random occasions I always replied enthusiastically "Chinese food!" I was satisfied with a cheap Americanized buffet of egg rolls, fried rice, cashew chicken...and especially Wonton Soup. However, we sometimes went to substantially nice sit down restaurants in the heart of Arlington, Texas that made awesome Wonton Soup. I was lucky enough to go back a couple of years ago to the same restaurant and eat the same wonton soup. They make it just as delicious. So simple, the broth producing clean flavors, the wontons stuffed with delicious pork.

When my mother moved me to Denver for a year in high school there was a restaurant on Broadway called 'Imperial', just right by my house. I would constantly order take out, even if it was just there shrimp wonton soup that I found amazing and like nothing I've eaten.

I started cooking wonton soup a few years ago. My view is that it is a gourmet peasants dish: meaning it is cheap, easy to make, but fit for a king. Gourmet has a wonderful wonton soup recipe w/boy choy: Here.
I still use this recipe as a guideline though I have it in memory. When I cooked it a few days ago I used the broth I had left over from steaming the duck in my previous post. The recipe is fairly simple but maybe a little time consuming if you aren't used to making wontons. I've actually heard someone say that this was just too much work for a soup, which almost offends me because any soup that takes less then an hour is probably not worth its salt. It is also so easy to experiment with the stuffing in the wontons. I have used chunks of shrimp or prawns before instead of ground pork.

A word about the ingredients: You should be able to find wonton wrappers in your local supermarket. I have not yet been adventurous enough to make my own, but maybe one day. I also found bok choy in my very small rural supermarket. This is literally a Chinese cabbage. It was studied by the Ming dynasty for its medicinal qualities. The Koreans picked it up and started using it as a main ingredient in kimchi. It adds a needed crisp texture to soups, but be careful because after a day of being cooked it is very soggy and chewy.

Crispy duck

More fried goodness!!!! I was stoked to learn that my local butcher carried duck. It is only shipped from somewhere else, frozen, but you can't ask for the whole world in rural Utah. I have done this recipe twice now, and I must say it is completely delicious but I kind of a pain in the but....kinda.

I took a day trip to the town over and went to a small little Oriental store. I stocked up on soy sauce, red bean paste, eel sauce, egg noodles...the list goes on. Most exciting of all, I treated myself to a new Wok! Along with the crispy duck I served fried rice from my new beauty, which did not make a final photo shoot because we were too busy eating it while it was hot.

This recipe is taken from The Food of China by Deh-Ta Hsiung and Nina Simonds. This was an thrift store find, just packed with recipes and beautiful photos.

Crispy Duck:

4-5 lb duck
8 scallions, ends trimmed, smashed with flat cleaver
8 slices ginger, smashed
3 T rice wine vinegar
2 T salt
2 t sichuan peppercorns
1 star anise, smashed
2 T soy sauce
1 C corn starch
oil for deep frying (I used part peanut oil part vegie oil)
condiment of choice such as hoisin sauce (I used Eal sauce and it was delicious)

Combine scallions, ginger, rice wine, salt, peppercorns, and star anise. Rub all over duck and let the duck sit face down into the marinade in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, but I let sit overnight. Put the duck into a steamer and let it steam over simmering water for 1 1/2 hours or until it reaches 160 degrees. I used a stock pot that has a separate steaming basket to place the duck in. You might have to add more water in the process.

Remove the duck and let it cool. Rub the corn starch all over the duck, pressing firmly into the skin. Let the duck dry for a couple of hours uncovered in the fridge.

Fill a wok or large pot 1/4 full of oil. Heat the oil to 350-375 degrees then lower duck into. Ladle oil onto the top of duck and flip the duck over when the bottom is getting golden and crispy. Drain the duck onto a plate, serve with condiment and in my case fried rice.

Veggies for my fried rice

Dak Kang Jung

Despite my self-lessons in the french language and memoir on top of memoir of Paris, I've been kinda obsessed with Asian cuisine lately. Well, I shouldn't say lately, because I've always been a little obsessed and find myself cooking and craving various regions constantly.

A close friend of mine, who happens to be part Korean, made this dish for my son's 2nd birthday party when I invited friends and family to a potluck in his honor. It was a major hit, and though very rich and almost too intense I couldn't stop eating. She had fried some chicken and tossed it in some kind of delicious sweet soy sauce. This opened my horizons of fried chicken, since being from the south I've never known it much other way then being fried and served with gravy and mash potatoes.

The first few times I made this at home I followed my friend's simple directions: fry some chicken (dipping in milk + egg then dredging in flour with some spices), then bringing part soy sauce part brown sugar to a simmer until it reduces and becomes very thick. After that you of course put the chicken right into the sauce so it is heavenly coated.

Just two weeks ago I stumbled across a new food blog (new to me), Notions & Notations of a Novice Cook, that escalated dak-kang jung even further. The dish is still so simple to make and yields amazing flavors. You can find her recipe at the link provided. I made a few simple changed, such as a little more brown sugar and soy sauce to the sauce recipe. I also served it on top of jasmine rice which is a nice balance to all the sauce.

Texan BBQ

I went all out this Christmas, baking several different treats including calzones as well as spending quite a bit of time on presents. I bought a pack of mason jars and decided to do some of those corny "brownie mix in a jar" recipes. I also wanted to make something to go along with my present to my Father, an electric smoker. As my family is from Texas i went along with a  mop sauce with traditional tex-mex flavors.
It makes a very thin sauce. It soaks through the meat instead of sitting on top. Traditional pit masters in the south use these mop sauces to regulate the temperature of the meat during the cooking process. Home cooks usually do not use this process but can be used as sauce after the meat is cooked by dipping the meat, coating it with the mop.

1 T paprika
2 t black pepper
2 t chili powder
1 1/2 t cumin powder
1 T bacon fat
1 medium onion-chopped
4 cloves garlic-minced
1 cup stout beer (i would have used a traditional texan beer called a shiner, but had none)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
4 T Worcestershire
4 T brown sugar
2 cups beef stock

  Melt bacon fat and cook onions at medium low until translucent. Add the first four ingredients as well the garlic, stir and cook for a few minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool and transfer to a jar. 

  I also make a spice rub by using the first four ingredients and doubling them, then mixing it before i put it in a small jar. Some people prefer to use a dry rub on their BBQ. 

Salsa Barracha

Salsa Borracha, a.k.a. drunk salsa-is fabulous with Tacos Asada. Let me just point out that it pisses me off when my computers spell check tells me that Spanish words do not exist. Anyways, i had the pleasure of learning a few salsa recipes from a coworker's brother who is Hispanic. I was a little edgy about posting the recipe out of respect and have tweaked it a little, and also realized how many similar salsa borracha recipes there are across the internet.

It's all very simple.
4 romas
1 small yellow onion
4 jalapenos
Handful of cilantro
cumin
T lime juice
Mexican beer (1 cup of so)

Cut the tops off the jalapenos and tomatoes and place them in a skillet with half a cup of water. Add half of the yellow onion and cook on medium until everything is mostly tender. Drain most of the water out (reserving about 1/4 cup), and put all into a food processor. Add about 3/4 of the cilantro, lime, tsp cumin, salt, and pepper. Pulse the ingredients and slowly add the Mexican beer to consistency (you don't want it too watered down). If the color is pale you might need more cilantro, or if the taste is too bland more jalapenos. Take the rest of the cilantro and onion and chop it, using it as a garnish for the salsa.

Tacos Asada

I have yet to discover the authentic art of making homemade tortillas. If you are lucky enough to live near a place that sells fresh handmade tortillas then you are lucky! However i live in the middle of nowhere, and ready to use tortillas from the grocery store is as good as it gets until i venture more into the unknown.

4-5 steaks (petite sirloin is what i used)
5 medium chipotle peppers
4 cloves garlic
1 shallot
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt pepper
2 T cilantro

1. slice peppers lengthwise, getting most of the seeds out. Simmer them in water until they are tender. (Unless they are canned and already cooked).
2. put all the ingredients (besides steaks) in a food processor and blend. Cover the steaks in the marinade and let them sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Tacos:

marinated steak
1/2 red onion
1 Large Anaheim or Priscilla Pepper
grated Mexican cheese
salsa (Salsa Borracha recipe follows)
chopped cilantro for garnish
white corn tortillas

1. Grill the pepper until completely charred and you can peel the skin off. Grill the steaks, meanwhile julienne slice the pepper and the red onion. Wrap the red onion in foil and also throw on the grill.
2. Fill a skillet with an inch deep of oil. Heat on medium.
3. Once the steaks are done, cut them into thin slices. Put the tortillas in the oil for 5 seconds on each side. Sprinkle with cheese immediately, and then top with the rest of the ingredients. Enjoy!!!

Thai Tea

Thai Iced Tea

I'll tell you right off the bat, I'm more into savory drinks rather than sweet. I don't drink soda and store bought juice is just too sugary. However, originating from the south has caused me to drool over sweet teas, and when i discovered Thai Iced Tea about 4 years ago i was hooked!
This glass of yummy can easily be made, but requires a couple of supplies you can order off the internet or possibly buy at an Asian market. You will need the imported tea, as well as a a tea filter bag. You can find various Thai teas on Amazon or at Thai Tea Set. Of course there are many choices, different spices added to certain teas, etc. Honestly, i don't think it makes a damn big enough difference.
The the last thing you will need is half and half. WARNING: You will already add about a cup of sugar after brewing, so you don't need much cream.