Korean Beef with Spicy Chinese Cabbage

For ten years, a group of us prepared dinners for the terminally ill with AIDS.  They loved spicy foods and one Sunday, we were asked if we could prepare Korean food.  Doing some research, I found this recipe and made some adjustment to "Americanize" it and it turned out better than we had hoped.

Beef w/Marinade:

1 1/2lbs sirloin (cut in 3/4in thick)

1 tblsp sesame seed

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 scallions (finely chopped)

1 tblsp sugar

1 tblsp dark sesame oil

1 tblsp fresh ginger (minced)

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Chinese Cabbage:
1 medium (1 1/2lb) Chinese/napa cabbage
1 tblsp vegetable oil
3 scallions (chopped)
1 tblsp ginger (minced)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp ground hot pepper
2 medium carrots (shredded)
2 tblsp rice vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

To make the marinade, heat a small skillet.  Add the sesame seeds and stir constantly until toasted and brown.  Do not allow it to burn. Remove and place on a plate to allow to cool.  Crush the sesame seed and place in a bowl.   Add the remaining marinate ingredients into the bowl. Add the steak and rub the marinade into the steak. Cover and allow to marinade as long as possible at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

For the spicy cabbage, cut the cabbage in half and cut into strips. Do not include the core. Heat the oil until very hot. Add the scallions, ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Do not let garlic burn. Add the cabbage, continue to stir fry.  Add chicken broth, salt and hot pepper. Cook stirring constantly.  Add carrots and continue to stir until cabbage is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, stir and cover; remove from heat and keep warm.

Preheat broiler. Remove the meat form the marinade. Reserve the marinade.  Place meat on a broiler rack and broil turning once until cooked to desired doneness (7 minutes for medium rare).

Pour marinade into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for approximately 2 minutes. Set aside.

Remove meat from broiler allow to sit and rest.  Spoon rice into a shallow bowl, top with the spicey cabbage and the sliced meat.  Drizzle some of the heated marinade on top.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Curried Rice Salad

There are days you don't want hot rice to go with your meal. A cold salad is what you are looking for. The first time I made this I thought "what a wonderful find". I made it for a holiday lunch that included my two best friends Nita and Vera and their husbands. Since Nita and her husband were vegetarians, I wanted to fix something really nice. This was it! They absolutely loved it.  I tried it with ham at another time, but I really like the vegetarian version best. But,  feel free to add 2-3 oz of chopped ham and make it into your one dish meal for a light lunch or dinner with a lovely glass of white wine. This is great served at room temperature.

Ingredients:
1 cup long grain or basmati rice
2 1/2 cups water
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp of grated lemon zest
1/2 lb sugar snap peas
1 red bellpepper (diced)
1/2 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
2/3 cup plain yogurt
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp mayonnaise
3tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp of ground ginger
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (cut in half optional)
1/2 cup dark raisins
2 tbsp sliced almonds
salt to taste

In a large sauce pan or rice cooker, combine rice, water, garlic, lemon and salt. Rice cooker: cook rice according to cooker instruction. Sauce Pan: bring to a boil in high heat, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until rice is done (15-17 minutes). Remove from heat and stir to allow rice to cool.

In a large pot, boil water and blanch snap peas, bell pepper, and peas for approximately 30 seconds. Drain and submerge in cold water or ice bath to stop cooking process.  This allows the vegetables hold its bright color.

In a large bowl, whisk yogurt, lemon juice, mayonnaise, curry powder, ginger and season with salt. When blended. When rice is cool, add to the yogurt mixture with snap peas, bell pepper and peas. Stir and combine well.  Before serving stir in raisins, almonds and cherry tomatoes.

Stuffed Eggplant - India Style

My husband and I both love eggplant and I try to find as many ways to prepare it.  I found several recipes for stuffed eggplant, but I found them to be very un-interesting till I found this one.  Of course, had to make it my own by making some adjustments to the ingredients and cooking method. This is really great with rice.  I tried with ground lamb and it was fabulous.  It is also great with ground beef.  So try it both ways and see which one you like the best. 

Remember, nothing is set in stone. Try this recipe and adjust to suit your own taste.

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants
2 tbsp of olive oil
3 tbsp of canola or vegetable oil
1 medium onion (minced)
1 1/2 tsp ginger pulp/paste (or minced)
2 tsp chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
3 tsp garlic pulp (or minced)
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 large tomato (finely chopped)
1 lb of ground lamb or beef
1 medium green bellpepper (chopped)
1 medium red bellpepper (chopped)
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh (save for future use or discard). Make sure you do not remove too close to the bottom skin or the eggplant will trear when you fill it.  Heat the canola oil in a pan and lightly fry the eggplant pieces on both sides.  When the skin is starting to brown (2-3 minutes), remove and place in an ovenproof baking dish.

In a saucepan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and fry the onion until golden brown  Add the ginger, chilli powder, garlic, tumeric, and ground coriander. Stir continuously for approximately 1 minute, do not let spices burn.  Add tomatoes and continue to stir and fry for another 4-5 minutes.  Add ground lamb/beef, season with salt and pepper; continue to stir until meat is brown.  Add the chopped peppers and cilantro. Stir until well mixed.  Remove from heat. 

Spoon mixture into each eggplant shell. Do not worry about overfilling or creating a mound.  Brush the edges and outside of eggplant shell with remaining olive oil.   Cover loosely with foil and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.  During the last 10 minutes of cooking, remove the foil to allow the top to brown. Serve with basmati rice.

Kashmiri Style Chops

The cooking method to this is pretty interesting...so I had to try. It came out really great! I paired it up with the wild rice and mushroom pilaf and it was dinner. So simple.  I know it sounds very different, but I recommend it, you will not be disappointed.

Ingredients:
6 pork chops or lamb chops
1 piece cinnamon bark
1 bay leaf
1 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp peppercorns
4 green cardamon pods (pierced)
3 1/2 cups of milk (use whole)
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp of ginger pullp
1 tsp garlic pulp
1 tsp garam masala
salt and pepper
enough oil to fry chops

In a large sauce pan, place chops with milk, cinnamon bark, bay leaf, fennel seeds, peppercorns, cardamom pods, and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and continue to cook for another 15 minutes or until chops are cooked through.

In a bowl, mix yogurt, flour, chilli powder, ginger pulp, garlic pulp, garam masala, salt and pepper. Mix until well blended.  Remove the chops from the milk and coat with the spicy yogurt mixture.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Make sure oil is not smoking or very hot. Use medium to low heat. Add the chops, fry until one side is golden brown, turn them over and brown the other side. When done, transfer to a serving dish and serve with lime quarter and your favorite rice.

NOTE: To make it spicier, just increase the chilli powder, garlic and ginger pulp, and garam masala in the spicy yogurt mixture to suit your taste.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Pilaf

If you are looking for something that is healthy and watching your glycemic index, this dish is for you.  Oh....and even better, it is delicious!  I combined it with the Kashmiri pork chops and yummmm! I've made it with and without the wild rice and it is still delicious.  I did a mix of wild mushrooms, but if that is not available, any mushroom mix (cremini, white button, etc.) works great as well.
Again, save time and use your trusty rice cooker, if you don't have one, I recommend investing in one if you fix rice at least twice a week. Check out the ones that are on my google ads.

Ingredients:

2/3 cups wild rice
11/2 cups vegetable stock
2 tblsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 onion (minced)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1 1/4 cups basmati rice
10 1/2 oz mixed mushrooms (sliced)
1 1/2 tbs chopped thyme
1 bay leaf
toasted pine nuts for garnish
minced parsley for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

In a sauce pan cook wild rice in plenty of boiling water for 25 minutes. Drain. Add wild rice and vegetable stock to rice cooker.

Heat butter and olive oil in a frying pan, add onion, bay leaf and garlic. Cook until onions have softened, but not brown (approximately 3-4 minutes).  Add the basmati rice and stir until rice is well coated; add the mushroom and continue to stir for approximately 1 minute. Transfer contents of pan to the rice cooker. Stir to mix well and turn rice cooker on to finish the cooking process.

When rice is done, salt and pepper to taste, then toss with pine nuts and parsley.

NOTE: If you do not have a rice cooker, combine everything in a pot on top of the stove and bring to a boil. Stir the contents and cover tightly. Reduce the heat to simmer and continue to cook for another 15 minutes or until stock has been completely absorbed and rice is tender.

Eggplant and Red Bell Pepper Stir Fry

We love eggplant at my house. In London, my husband got really tickled that every where we went, this wonderful vegetable was called aubergine.  There are so many different versions: large, baby, Japanese, Indian, and white, just to name a few. I could probably do a blog on eggplants alone. I try to find just as many ways to prepare eggplants.  I found this in an old Chinese cookbook and revised to fit the American palate. This is really great and so easy to prepare.  It goes great with Chinese barbeque or fried pork chops and of course rice.

Another really pretty dish to make.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive or canola oil
3 garlic cloves (minced)
2 regular eggplants or 3 Japanese eggplants (cut diagonally)
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 red bell pepper sliced into strips
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in a deep pan. Add garlic and stir fry for approximately 1 minute. Add the eggplant, continue to stir fry for another 30-45 seconds until the eggplant is coated with oil and garlic.  Add the bell pepper strips and continue to stirring.  When the eggplant pieces appear softened, add soy sauce, vinegar and sugar.  Continue stirring and allow to cook for another 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  When done, remove from heat, toss lightly with cilantro.

Sweet-Spicy Mexican Meatballs

This is a great recipe! I've made this for special ocassions and those potluck lunches at the office.  This is really a very easy dish, but it does take some time since you make your own meatballs.  I have made it with pre-made meatballs and it does work if you want to do that.  The homemade meatballs have more flavor since you add some wonderful spices and raisins.

This is not your everyday Tex-Mex dish. This gives you a glimpse of another part of the Mexican culture.  Serve it with the Cilantro Lime Rice and fried plantains and you have an authentic south of the border menu. 

Ingredients:
1/2 lb of ground beef
1/2 lb of ground pork
1/4 cup finely crushed tortilla chips
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 onion (minced)
6 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 14oz can of tomatoes  (drained and finely chopped)
1 1/4 cup beef bouillon
1-2 tbsp chili powder (if you use 1tbsp, increase paprika by 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
1 tbsp mint (chopped)
2 tbsp of olive or canola oil (plus additional for frying meatballs)
2 sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped in bite-size pieces)
salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl mix the pork, beef, tortilla chips, egg, half the onion, half the garlic, cumin, cinnamon and raisins. Mix ingredients well. Using a spoon, separate even amounts of the meat mixture and create into meatballs. In a pan, add enough oil to fry the meatballs.  When the oil is heated, fry the meatballs. Avoid overcrowding as you cook.  Once the meatballs are brown, set them aside.

In a food processor or blender, combine brown sugar, vinegar, tomatoes, bouillon, chilli powder, paprika, and the rest of the onions and garlic. Process until well blended. then add the cilantro and mint.

You can use the same skillet that you fried the meatballs. Use 2 tbsp of oil (remove excess) from the pan. Once the oil is heated, add the chopped sweet potatoes and cook until tender and light golden brown. Add the sauce from the food processor and meatballs.  Cook for approximately 10 minutes until the sauce is hot and the meatballs are heated  through. This gives the flavors a chance to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.