High Quality Beef Trimmings - Seared Beef, Kimchi, and Egg Yolk Donburi

Found a pack of Snake River Farms American Kobe beef trimmings for a bargain price. The meat is about twice or three times thicker than usual beef slices, just perfect for my simple donburi (rice bowl) recipe.

Seared beef, kimchi, and egg yolk donburi -

Ingredients (for two)?

• 0.7 lb/320 grams thick beef slices
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Tiny bit olive oil
• Some kimchi
• Some steamed white rice
• Some toasted white sesame seeds
• Some salt
• Some freshly ground black pepper

How?

Prepare steamed white rice for two. 

Remove the beef from the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before cooking. Season both sides with some salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Drizzle just tiny bit of olive to evenly coat the bottom of the pan and turn to medium high heat. Once the pan reaches high temperature, add in the beef slices. Sear both sides till desired doneness. Slightly rare center is fine because we are using high quality beef here.

Remove the meat from heat. Continue to use the same pan and leave the heat on. Drizzle some soy sauce from the side of the pan so the direct contact of the heat can further bring out the soy sauce aroma. Add in butter and sugar then mix a little. Cook till the sauce gets slightly thicker, should take less than 30 seconds with such small amount of liquid. 

Scoop some steamed white rice to two serving bowls. Arrange the beef slices around the edge and drizzle the sauce throughout. Add store bought kimchi in the center and sprinkle some toasted white sesame seeds. Carefully transfer an egg yolk in the very center on top of kimchi.

Little trick here, make a shallow hole in the center of the kimchi pile so the yolk can stay in place without sliding down. 

I'm eating like a queen here.


Other rice bowl recipes:

• Quick fix but still kind of a self indulgence meal - simple Hawaiian poke bowl
• Self-indulgence - SRF ribeye steak with daikon oroshi donburi
• Festive Japanese food at home - colorful chirashi as easy as 1 2 3!

Pomelo is In Season Now - A Nice Addition to Seared Chicken Leg Rice

Chinese Moon Festival just passed a few days ago and many of us Asian people had quite a feast that night. Barbecue and moon cakes are two of the most common food associate with this holiday. A healthier but still tasty autumn related option is pomelo, a type of large citrus well known among Asian countries. 

A good pomelo carries a light citrusy aroma, sweet to a point without much sourness in the back note. Its taste can be a good addition to seared chicken and grilled fish. Thought it would be a good idea utilizing what's abundant now to brighten up this rice meal, and of course healthier option always follows after a big festive meal. 

Seared chicken leg rice with Chinese chive flowers stir fry and pomelo pulps -

Ingredients (for two portions)?

Side dish:

• 1 small onion
• 1 small bundle Chinese chives or chive flowers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Small pinch black pepper

Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon black soy bean paste 醬油膏
• 3 garlic cloves (optional)

Others:

• 1 deboned chicken leg
• 2 bowls steamed white rice
• 2 sprigs cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Some Sriracha sauce
• Some fresh pomelo pulps

How?

Cook some white rice, at least enough for two people. 

Cut the deboned chicken leg into large bite size pieces. Mix all the marinade ingredients inside a bowl. Add in the chicken piece and massage the meat a little. Set aside while preparing other ingredients. The meat doesn't need to be marinated for long since we'll "cook in" the sauce afterwards. Add 3 peeled garlic cloves to the marinade if desired, but not necessary.

Peel away the thick skin from the pomelo and carefully pick out the flesh in between membranes. Store in a sealed container and transfer to the fridge first. This recipe only needs a small portion of the pomelo flesh, you can enjoy the rest maybe as a after meal treat.

Peel and slice the onion. Chop the Chinese chives or Chinese chive flowers in to shorter strips. 

Drizzle some oil to the pan and turn to medium high heat. Add in the onion slices along with some salt and pepper. Cook till the onion turns translucent then add in the chives. Cook till the chives reach desired texture, transfer onto a plate first. 

Wipe the pan with paper towel if needed. Use the same pan and turn to medium heat. Pour in the chicken along with the marinade. Don't stir too often, just once a while to prevent the sides from burning. Cook till no more marinade juice presents then add in 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Quick mix and cook till the chicken appears medium/dark brown color.

Time to plate the dish, bravely splash some Sriracha sauce on a white plate. Do it at the kitchen sink if possible in case the red sauce flew everywhere -

Scoop steamed white rice to the center of the plate and add some stir fry chives over the over -

Place some chicken on top, don't let it fall onto the plate -

Sprinkle some chopped cilantro and pomelo pulps right before serving -

The best part about using chicken leg is that this part of the meat can withstand extended period of searing without turning into jerky-like texture. Pomelo and chopped cilantro add a refreshing note. If you can't find pomelo, a mixture of grapefruit and orange pulps should work as well.  

Happy belated Chinese Moon Festival!


Other rice bowl/donburi recipes:

• High quality beef trimmings - seared beef, kimchi, and egg yolk donburi
• Quick fix but still kind of self indulgence meal - simple Hawaiian poke bowl
• Self indulgence - SRF rib eye steak with daikon oroshi donburi
• Salmon donburi two ways - straight up sashimi and torched aburi style
• Festive Japanese food at home - colorful chirashi as easy as 1 2 3!

Self Indulgence - SRF Rib Eye Steak with Daikon Oroshi Donburi

One more Snake River Farms steak hiding in the freezer and it was meant for my dad. Oops..sorry.

SRF rib eye steak with daikon oroshi donburi -

Ingredients?
(Recipe for one, but use more rice and two eggs instead if cooking for two)

• 1 rib eye steak
• 1 tablespoon of chopped scallion
• 1 poached egg
• Some steamed white rice
• Some sea salt
• Some freshly ground black pepper
• Some olive oil

Sauce:

• 2 lemon wedges
• 1 tablespoon of grated daikon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of Japanese tsuyu (or light soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon of hot water
• 2 red chilies

How?

If the steak was stored in the freezer, make sure it has been fully defrosted in the fridge overnight. Let the steak rest in room temperature for about 10~15 minutes before cooking. 

Season both sides of the steak with a little bit of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper -

Brush a little bit of olive oil to the grill pan and turn to medium high heat. Transfer the steak over after the temperature has risen. Do not move the steak around before the bottom part has turned slightly browned. Flip to the other side and cook till desired rareness. Once ready, remove from heat and let the steak rest for 10 minutes before slicing into bite size cubes.

Grate the middle part of the daikon and mix with freshly squeezed juice from two lemon wedges, 1 1/2 tablespoons of Japanese tsuyu, 1 tablespoon of hot water, and 2 finely chopped red chilies. 

You can make a poached egg by using the traditional stirring the hot water/rice vinegar mixture way. However, if not too familiar with this technique, perhaps an egg poaching tool or with the help of cling foil might be two better options. 

To assemble the donburi, scoop some steamed white rice to a serving bowl, top with steak cubes, pour the daikon oroshi sauce, carefully transfer the poached egg to the center, and lastly garnish with some chopped scallion -

You can always substitute poached egg with easier to make sunny side up. However, I think the softer texture from the poached egg white works better for this recipe.

Dad, if you ever come across this post in the future, I hope the fridge has already been restocked with quality steaks and perhaps a bottle of whisky on the side to express my sincere apologies. 

Other steak recipe:

• Grilled steak with punchy Asian sauce
• Seared steak with spicy sacha sauce
• Enjoying steak in a less guilty way - served with arugula salad
• Sirloin fried rice with crisp red onions and a hint of Japanese seasonings
• Grilled steak oyakodon style 

Red Miso Ground Beef Rice Bowl (月見味噌牛肉丼)

Red miso is the key savory component for this rice bowl recipe. The red miso not only boosts up the saltiness and also creates a umami punch. However, this fermented ingredient can be too powerful at times, and that's when the egg yolks come into the picture, providing a smooth touch and degrees of comfort. 

Red miso ground beef rice bowl/donburi -

Ingredients (for 3 to 4 portions)?

• 3 to 4 portions steamed white rice
• 1.2 lb ground beef
• 8 to 10 okra
• 3 to 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup peeled and chopped shallots
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 stalk scallion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red miso
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

How?

Peel and finely chop the shallots. Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves. Trim off scallion stem and chop the remaining. Trim off the okra stems and slice the remaining. If not using Sriracha sauce, chop up two fresh chilies instead.

Drizzle some olive oil to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Turn to medium high heat. Add in shallots, salt, and pepper. Give it a quick stir and cook till the shallots turn translucent.

Add in garlic and most of the chopped scallion, save some for garnish later on. Add in the chilies if needed. Cook till garlicky aroma comes out but not burnt.

Add the ground beef and stir-fry till all the pieces are separated, meaning no lumps or big chunks present.

Add red miso, soy sauce, mirin, and Sriracha. Stir occasionally and cook till the juice has been reduced and almost completely dried.

Mix in okra and cook for another 30 seconds or so.

Scoop some rice to a bowl and top with the red miso ground beef. Make a shallow hole in the middle to better nesting the egg yolk. Carefully add the yolk to the center then garnish with reserved scallion. Serve immediately.

If you can't find red miso, regular white miso works too just the flavor won't be as expansive. Also use more white miso for this recipe, since it's not as salty as its red counterpart. 


Other rice bowl recipes:

• Japanese comfort food - gyudon (beef and rice bowl) for two
• High quality beef trimmings - seared beef, kimchi, and egg yolk donburi 
• Self indulgence - SRF rib eye steak with daikon oroshi donburi

Fried Sushi Grade Sashimi Donbori

August 8th was Chinese Father's Day,
My family decided to stay home for dinner instead of getting ripped off by restaurants that night - which was indeed a clever idea.

For a lesser price, we got sashimi, mom's signature fried chicken, seafood soup, my favorite honey cake, etc, on the table,
Eating like a king.

However, I guess my greediness for food is inherited from my dad,
He bought way too much sashimi and there were like 20 pieces fish untouched on the table,
To make a good use of it, frying them might be a good alternate for leftover fish.

Then I have this,
Fried sushi grade sashimi donburi -

Ingredients (for 1 big large portion or 2 smaller portions)?

20 slices of sashimi
4 tablespoons of sweet potato powder
2 tablespoons of corn starch
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon of white pepper powder
1 stalk of scallion
Some rice
Some vegetable oil
Some olive oil
Some daikon (radish)
Some ponzu sauce
Some Japanese soup base (or light soy sauce)
Optional - dried seaweed and toasted sesame seeds

How?

Most common problem of making grated daikon at home is that it doesn't taste as smooth and sweet like the ones from the restaurant,
Instead, it usually comes with unpleasant spicy taste that overpowers the main flavor of the dish.

The reason is due to some kind of enzyme from the daikon itself,
Some said you can soak the daikon in cold water before grating,
As for me, my suggestion is to try to use the topper, inner part of the daikon instead of lower, outer part,
The reason is that there are less enzyme around the top, inner area that can create the spicy taste from grated daikon,
One other suggestion is only grate the daikon right before serving and try to finish it within 5 minutes.

In a small flat plate,
Mix together salt, white pepper power, sweet potato powder, and corn starch,
Simply coat the fish slices with the mixture and set aside -

Combine some olive oil and vegetable oil in a frying pan,
If possible, try to use olive oil only, but it gets expensive so I mixed in some vegetable oil to save some $$.

Turn to high heat,
Once the oil gets hot, or semi bubbly, fry the fish slices in two batches,
About 5 minutes or less for each batch,
Since it was sushi grade fish, I didn't bother much making sure the center is fully cooked through, however, 5 minutes is definitely more than enough to make the fish well done.

Line the paper towel on a plate and transfer the fried fish over,
It'll help soaking up excess oil from the coating.

To serve the donburi,
Scoop some rice to a bowl,
Lay the fried fish slices on top, add a spoonful of grated daikon and sprinkle chopped scallion all over,
Mix ponzu sauce and soup base in 2-to-1 ratio then pour it all over the donburi,
You can also add some shredded dried seaweed or toasted sesame seeds to add more nutritional value, or make you feel better eating fried food.

This recipe supposes to yield for 2 servings..
But looking at the pictures...
You know I actually ate all 20 slices by myself...
Like father like son (daughter..)...

Cindy's Rating: 7
*Next time I'll try to fry shrimps panko style!

Japanese Comfort Food - Gyudon (Beef and Rice Bowl) for Two

If you ever had Yoshinoya, a Japanese fast food chain that can also be spotted in some locations in the United States, especially CA and NV, then you'll know what gyudon is. Steamed white rice topped with tender beef and onion slices. While the soy sauce provides the saltiness, you can also taste a combination of sweetness from the mirin, onion, and beef fat. 

The best way to serve it, in my opinion, is to top the gyudon with a raw egg yolk. The creaminess of the yolk rounds up all the sweet and savory flavors. Besides, kind of like bacon, egg yolk also makes things better.

Gyudon with egg yolk - 

Ingredients (for two)?

• 20 t0 24 beef slices
• 1 onion
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons Japanese rice cooking wine 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped scallion
• 2 to 3 teaspoons granulated sugar
• Small pinch salt
• Small pinch black pepper
• Some steamed white rice
• Some toasted white sesame seeds
• Some mizuna as garnish (optional)

How?

Peel and slice the onion.

Drizzle some olive oil to the pan and turn to medium high heat. Add in salt and pepper.

Stir once a while and cook till the edges of the onion slices turned slightly browned.

Pour in soy sauce, mirin, Japanese rice cooking wine, and sugar. Stir a little. Bring to a boil then lower to medium heat, keep it at a simmer for couple more minutes.

Add in the beef slices one by one, do not dump all the beef slices at once. Cook till about 90% doneness, taste and adjust the flavor with soy sauce if needed.

To serve the gyudon, scoop some steamed rice to a serving bowl then pour in the beef mixture. Create a shallow center by pushing the toppings outward. Sprinkle some toasted white sesame seeds and chopped scallions first then finish the dish with a raw egg yolk in the center.

Garnish with mizuna or other fresh leafy greens on the side if preferred. 

This might not sound as a classic combination but adding some pickled daikon on the side pairs nicely with this beef and rice bowl. 


Other donburi/rice bowl recipes:

• High quality beef trimmings - seared beef, kimchi, and egg yolk donburi 
• Self indulgence - SRF rib eye steak with daikon oroshi donburi

Clay Pot Chicken Rice with 20 Days Old Pickled Daikon (Goodies from Kyoto, Japan)

Japanese makes really good pickles and its ancient capital Kyoto, is especially famous for a wide variety of light and refreshing tsukemono. Among all the pickles, these 20 days old pinkish daikon drew my attention -

Of course I had to bring some of these cute little tsukemono back. Usually small daikon is served as a whole or cut into strips. However, I think it would be quite delicious to serve with clay pot rice.

Clay pot chicken rice with 20 days old pickled daikon - 

Ingredients (3 to 4 portions)?

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice (but I changed 1/2 cup to brown rice for the texture)
• 1 small pack maitake
• 1 small pack shimeji mushroom
• 1 deboned chicken leg
• 1/2 onion
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin 
• Some scallion
• Some Japanese 20 days pickled daikon (or other types of Japanese light pickles)

Dashi/stock:

• 1 medium strip kombu (dried kelp)
• 6 cups water
• Bones from the deboned chicken leg

How?

Chop the chicken into large bite size pieces and marinate with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of mirin. This doesn't take long, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Pour 6 cups of water to a pot and add in the chicken bone. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and skim away any brown bits floating on top. 

Gently wipe the kombu clean but not removing the white powder, that's the fragrant umami essence. Soak the kombu inside the stock for 10 minutes. Drain well and sift if needed. This recipe doesn't need that much stock, simply freeze the leftover dashi for future use. 

Chop some pickled daikon into smaller cubes, another good alternative is yuzu daikon, the kind usually served at a sushi restaurant. Discard the scallion stem and finely chop the remaining. Peel and slice the onion. Hand-tear the mushrooms into smaller strips. 

Prepare a pan and sear the chicken, skin side down first. No need to drizzle oil. Once the skin fat has rendered and browned a little, add in the mushrooms and give it a quick stir. Add in onion slices and cook till translucent. Turn off the heat.

Take the clay pot and add in uncooked rice. Top with stir-fried ingredients including the juice. Pour 2 cups of stock and cover with lid but use only 1 1/2 cups of stock for a drier texture. Drier version yields some crunchy rice on the bottom too. Use medium high heat till boiling then lower to a light simmer for 22 to 24 minutes. After that, turn off the heat and keep the lid on for another 5 minutes.

If very uncertain about the cooking time, it's ok to open up the lid and quickly take a peek. The key is rather keeping the rice on the moist side than burning it.

Once ready, open up the lid, mix and fold the ingredients together with cooked rice. Top with chopped daikon and scallion before serving. 

You can also scoop some rice to the serving bowl and garnish with one cute little pickled daikon -

Other Asian rice recipes:

• Uni and crab fried rice, pampered with extra fresh uni on top
• Pomelo is in season now - a nice addition to seared chicken leg rice
• A new type of Japanese rice balls, not onigiri, but "onigirazu"(おにぎらず)
• High quality beef trimmings - seared beef, kimchi, and egg yolk donburi
• Quick fix but still kind of a self indulgence meal - simple Hawaiian poke bowl
• Light version: smoked salmon fried rice 煙燻鮭魚炒飯
• Self indulgence - SRF rib eye steak with daikon oroshi donburi
• Kimchi and shirasu fried rice with a hint of shiso, and of course the sinful egg yolk
• Salmon donburi two ways - straight up sashimi and torched aburi style
• This time, no chicken eggs, but salted duck eggs for Chinese fried rice 鹹鴨蛋秋葵炒飯
• Sirloin fried rice with crisp red onions and a hint of Japanese seasonings (蒜香味噌牛排炒飯)
• Festive Japanese food at home - colorful chirashi as easy as 1 2 3!

Marinated Pork Slices Donburi - Hearty and Comforting

Post Thanksgiving shout out:
Are you tired of bird related dishes?
No more turkeys?

I'll never get tired of eating turkey. If the dish is good enough, I can munch on the same thing for up to one week, one whole week! Sadly though, I couldn't find any place that sell turkey before the holiday.

So what are we having tonight since no birds are involved?
How about marinated pork slices donburi?

Ingredients (2 to 3 portion)?

Marinade:
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of mirin
2 teaspoons of Sriracha sauce or other types of chili sauce
Few drops of sesame oil

Other:
20 pork slices
1/2 onion
3 garlic cloves
3 fresh chili pepper
3 eggs
1 to 2 tablespoons of Japanese Tsuyu (soup base)
1 tablespoon of black bean soy sauce
Some olive oil
Some sea salt
Some freshly ground black pepper
Some steamed white rice
Some toasted sesame seeds
Some dried seaweed flakes

How?

Combine all the marinade ingredients and mix well with pork slices,
Let it sit in room temperature for about 15 minutes -

Beat the eggs and set aside.

Peel the garlic and remove the stems from the fresh chilies,
Finely chop them together -  

Remove the outer brown layer from the onion and cut into thin slices,
Toss to the pan, drizzle some olive oil and turn to medium high heat,
Sprinkle some salt and pepper, cook till the onion turns translucent or even slighted browned on the edges.

Add in chopped garlic and chili pepper, cook till the aroma comes out but not burning the garlic.

Add in pork slices and give it a quick stir,
Cook till almost cooked through, pour in one tablespoon of tsuyu first along with one tablespoon of black bean soy sauce,
Mix well, taste the mixture see if one more tablespoon of tsuyu is needed,
It should be on the salty side since we gonna pour in beaten eggs and serve with rice later on.

Turn to high heat, almost to a boil,
Evenly pour in beaten eggs and turn off the heat immediately,
Gently stir up the mixture just a few times so that all the ingredients are coated with silky eggs.

Pour the sauce over steam white rice,
Sprinkle some sesame seeds and seaweed flakes before serving.

Such a hearty and comforting dish,
I'm very happy even without a turkey this year,
On a side note, this recipe was supposed for two people...but...but I ate them all in one hour...

*I have committed a sin*

Cindy's Rating: 8

Western Chicken Donburi 洋風雞肉丼

Need some kind of stimulant to brighten up my gloomy days. Food-wise, besides spiciness, perhaps a little change of regular rice bowl can bring some fun to the night. 

Similar to Asian style rice bowls, but this time with a slight western twist. 

Western chicken donburi -

Ingredients (for two portions)?

• 2 servings cooked basmati rice
• 2 chicken breasts (or some chicken tenders)
• 2 medium large or 3 small colorful bell peppers
• 15 to 20 button mushrooms
• 1 broccoli
• 1 small onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

How?

Cook the rice beforehand. 

Thickly slice the chicken. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Peel and slice the onion. Trim the mushroom stems and cut in half if needed. Break the broccoli into smaller pieces, save the stem, trim off fibrous layer and cut into thick slices. Pit and slice the bell peppers.

Drizzle some olive oil to the pot, also add in onion, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook till the onion turns translucent then add in chopped garlic.

Wait about 30 seconds then add in broccoli and bell pepper.

Sear the chicken with a grill pan brushed with olive oil if not too troublesome, otherwise simply add the chicken to the mixture and sear till slightly colored.

Add in 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Cook for about another minute then transfer button mushrooms over. Cook for another 30 seconds or so.

Scoop some rice to serving bowls then transfer the toppings over.

By the way, talking about spice things up in life, behind the scenes for Avengers was on TV. Is it just me or does anyone out there also adores the new look of Jeremy Renner? Sizzling hot.

Anyways, back to my dinner. 


Other rice recipes:

• Salt cure fish and chicken fried rice 鹹魚雞粒炒飯
• Ground pork and Chinese basil AKA da pao fried rice 打拋豬肉風炒飯
• Butter and soy sauce fried rice (奶油醬油炒飯)
• Philadelphia roll...almost (with salmon, cream cheese, and avocado)
• Shaoxing pork rice bowls 紹興豬肉丼
• Rice and braised ground pork and shiitake mushrooms (香菇肉燥飯)