Kouji Pork and Shiso Spaghettini, Looks Light but Packed With Flavors

Sometimes I would have a "pouch" of Japanese kouji/koji stored in the fridge. It's like cooked rice that has been going through some sort of fermentation. It is also essential for making sake, more so the prerequisite of sake. No kouji no delicious Japanese rice wine (don't drink and drive).

And Japanese knows exactly how good and nutritious kouji can be, so it's also been widely used in Japanese households. Usually as a flavoring ingredients, and commonly used as a marinade for both meat and vegetables.

So I'm going to use kouji and make a wafu pasta this time. The end result might look plain, but trust me, the spaghettini is packed with flavors plus an elegant shiso leaf aroma.

Kouji pork and shiso spaghettini - 

Ingredients (about 2 to 3 portions)?

• 200 grams matsusaka pork
• 4 tablespoons kouji
• 1 Japanese long green onion or 2 regular stalks scallion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 pack/120 grams brown beech mushroom
• 20 slices shiso leaves
• Half pack/250 grams spaghettini
• Some pasta cooking water
• Some salt
• Some black pepper
• Some olive oil

How?

Matsusaka pork is our top choice, it's like the neck area of the pig and will not turn dry and chewy at all after extended cooking time. However, if you can't find it just substitute with what you'd normally enjoy instead.

Slice the pork to about 1mm thick pieces. Massage with 2 tablespoons of kouji. Cover with cling foil or a lid then let the meat marinate in the fridge for at least one hour. Mine was marinated for 2.5 hours.

Japanese long green onion is preferred also, but that comes with hefty price. So even myself decided to switch to a much more bargained regular scallion. Destem and chop the scallion. Try to use the white part first. Only mix in the green part if not enough white part to use.

Peel and slice the garlic cloves. Julienne the shiso leaves. Destem and separate the beech mushroom.

Bring out a big pot and filled with water. Add some salt over, a few good pinches at least. Bring to a boil then cook the spaghettini or other similar pasta till almost al dente. Remember to save some pasta cooking water towards the end. Once ready, drain out the rest.

Use a pan and drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Switch to medium heat. Add in chopped scallion, need about 1/2 cup here. Also add in the garlic slices along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Sear till aromatic but not burn the garlic bits.

Push these ingredients aside and add in the pork together with the marinade to the center. Sear till cooked through, slightly browned on the edges is good too. 

Add in the mushroom and stir-fry all the ingredients inside the pan, cook for about 30 seconds.

Transfer drained pasta over. Also pour in 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water and 2 additional tablespoons of kouji. Change to medium high heat. Toss and swirl the pasta in order to mix in some air to the sauce. It might appear slightly bubbling, which is good. We are working on some emulsification chemistry here.

Taste and adjust with salt or kouji if needed. I actually added 1/2 teaspoon more salt here. Mix in half of the julienned shiso. Toss till evenly blended. 

Plate and garnish the remaining shiso leaves on top.

If you never had kouji marinated meat before, you might imagine something strong and perhaps slightly bitter taste as an association of Japanese sake. However, it's nothing like that.

When used in cooking, kouji actually only adds a delicate touch of umami per my opinion. Like some sort of savory note to the food. It's not overly strong at all, and definitely much lighter compared to other common Japanese seasoning ingredients such as tsuyu, soy sauce, or miso.

Give it a try if you ever find kouji in the market. It can be found at the fridge section. That being said, remember to store kouji in the fridge before and after use. 

Extended reading:

• Shio koji flavored vegetable pork rolls (鹽麴豬肉捲)

Tuna and Olive Linguine for Two

Usually I would just cook big portions of food, like finishing the entire pasta package at once. So there must be a reason why I only made linguine for two here. Well, it's because the price for sashimi grade tuna is $$$$.

You know, unlike back in the states, I think it's how people used to cook their fish here in Taiwan, so it's a bit hard for me to simply find tuna "steak" at the supermarket. The only whole chunky tuna that I can find is sashimi grade tuna. And it'll come in either sliced version or sometimes they'll have a box or two uncut pieces on the side.

That's why instead of making tuna pasta for six plates, I think this time a lovely meal for two will do.

Tuna and olive linguine - 

Ingredients (for two servings)?

• 220 grams sashimi grade tuna or tuna steak
• 2 servings linguine pasta
• Some extra virgin olive oil
• 4 green olives
• 2 anchovies in oil
• Small bundle of parsley
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 bundle shallots (about 2 tablespoons peeled and chopped)
• Some salt
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup pasta water 

 

How?

Prepare a pot of water and season with few pinches of salt. Bring to a boil and toss in enough pasta for two servings. Cook till almost al dente. Save some pasta water first then drain the rest.

Meanwhile, cube the tuna. Depit the green olives then give it a rough chop. Peel and chop the shallots. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Finely chop the parsley.

Have a pan ready and drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I simply used extra virgin olive oil throughout. Use medium heat and add in chopped shallots and garlic. Sear till aromatic but not burnt. Add in anchovies, sear and break the anchovies apart with a spatula.

Add in olives and continue to cook for about 30 seconds.

Add in cubed tuna. Stir-fry till about half cooked through.

Pour in 1/3 cup of dry white wine and bring to a boil. Let it boil for a little bit longer than pour in 1/3 cup of pasta water we saved earlier. Bring to a boil again and add in drained pasta. 

Let the pasta cook in the liquid for about a minute while stirring the ingredients in order to mix in some air. Still bubbling too.

Taste and season with salt. I used 1 teaspoon of salt myself. When all checked and set, drizzle some more extra virgin olive oil over. Toss then plate. Garnish with chopped parsley.

If you prefer a stronger savory taste, use more anchovies in the beginning. Perhaps up to 4 slices instead. It's like umami packed in these little fish fillets and will highly enhance the flavor of the final pasta. 

Other recipes using sashimi grade tuna:

• Sashimi grade tuna otsumami served with nori sheet
• Paccheri with tuna in red bell pepper sauce (portion for two)
• Tuna tataki coated with double roasted white sesame seeds

Pesto Orzo with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Do you know that orzo is not rice, but a type of pasta shaped like bigger and plump rice grains? As much as I love risotto, but the skills and price involved have swapped me from cooking orzo instead of risotto. 

I know I know you can't really compare these two just because they share similar appearance, but it is actually what's happening in my kitchen. So this time I'm making a pesto-themed orzo meal, supposedly the flavors and seasonings both work with risotto too. But like what's being said, let's stick with orzo this time.

Pesto orzo with chicken and sun-dried tomatoes - 

Ingredients (about 5 to 6 portions)?

• 500 grams orzo
• 375 grams chicken (I used chicken tenders)
• 1 bundle/about 250 grams spinach
• 3/4 cup peas
• 135 grams pesto sauce
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Some salt
• Some black pepper
• 1 teaspoon mixed dried Italian herbs
• Some sun-dried tomatoes and oil

How?

Cut the chicken to medium bite size pieces. Destem and section the spinach to shorter length. Peek and chop the garlic cloves.

Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, I used a Dutch oven. Switch to medium heat and add in chopped garlic. Sear till aromatic but not burnt.

Add in orzo and give it a quick mix, making sure every grain has been coated with the oil. Add 1 teaspoon of mixed dried Italian herbs. Continue to stir and cook for 10 seconds.

Pour in 5 cups of vegetable stock. Cook the orzo till half way done, about 6 minutes.

Add in chicken and mix a little, cook for couple more minutes. Add in spinach and peas, mix and cook for about a minute. Spoon in the pesto sauce. Mix and cook till orzo reaches desired texture. 

Taste and adjust with salt if needed. I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt here. However, the amount of salt used depends, especially we might be using different vegetable stock and pesto sauce here.

Once all checked, plate and dot the orzo with some sun-dried tomatoes. Perhaps drizzle some of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes for a gentle flavor boost. Crack some black pepper on top then ready to go.

You don't have to use such big pieces of sun-dried tomatoes like I did here. Use smaller ones or give the sun-dried tomatoes a few chops all work great.

Other orzo recipes:

• Dairy-free chorizo and colorful bell pepper orzo
• Big big servings of chicken orzo soup

Pork and Chinese Chives Glass Noodles 豆瓣韭菜豬肉粉絲

Time to indulge this heavy-tasting and strong-scented glass noodles all by myself!

The thing is Mister doesn't like the taste of Chinese chives. On top of that, he can't really take much heat. So I made this slightly spicy glass noodles with lots of Chinese chives with one person in mind, me!

Pork and Chinese chives glass noodles 豆瓣韭菜豬肉粉絲 - 

Ingredients (about 2 portions)?

• 320 grams ground pork
• 2 stalks Chinese chives
• 1 baby Chinese cabbage
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 small chunk ginger
• 2 servings glass noodles
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon spicy fermented bean paste
• Some corn starch and water mixture
• Some chili sauce (optional)
• Some rice vinegar (optional)

How?

Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Scrape then chop the ginger. Destem then cut the Chinese chives to shorter sections. Destem and slice the baby Chinese cabbage to thinner strips.

Have a pot ready, drizzle 2 tablespoons of preferred cooking oil, I used olive oil here. Also add in garlic and ginger. Switch to medium heat and cook till aromatic but not burning the garlic bits.

Add in ground pork and stir-fry till color changes to white-ish. Add in 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of spicy fermented bean paste. Mix and cook till aromatic and the sauce has been slightly reduced.

Pour in 2 cups of chicken stock plus 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Taste and season with more soy sauce if preferred. Also add in 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. Cook for one or two more minutes.

Add in baby Chinese cabbage strips and most of the Chinese chives. Bring to a boil again. Skim-off any foamy bits on top during this step.

Add in glass noodles and cook till the texture is ready. I used 100% rice glass noodles so it'll soften rather quickly. Just give it a bite test if unsure.

Once ready, add in the remaining Chinese chives. Use low heat and wait for one more minute. Have some corn starch and water mixture ready. Pour in the mixture while stirring the soup at the same time to prevent lumps. We are aiming for slightly thickened consistency but not not gooey in the end.

It should be ready to serve. You can add more chili sauce or rice vinegar to boost up the taste. I personally added tons of rice vinegar, making it almost or even more sourish than the sour and spicy soup, super satisfying. 

Man was I happy about this glass noodles. I get to enjoy such a hearty meal tailored solely to my own preference. Let's just call it happy tummy happy wife.

Wait, so what does Mister get to eat for lunch when I'm having glass noodles? I guess he was happy with some hamburger and fries, an occasional break from all the healthy homemade meals. We all get what we crave once a while, a secret to a somewhat satisfying marriage.    

Other recipes using glass noodles:

• Hot and sour glass noodles for one (the less fiery looking kind)
• Vietnamese steamed egg meatloaf 

Japanese Fried Tofu Pouch and Beef Udon 日式豆皮牛肉烏龍麵

Usually I would call it "kitsune udon," basically udon in Japanese stock with fried tofu pouch and fish cake on top. However, my version here doesn't have that essential ingredient, the fish cake. Instead, I put marinated beef slices for a more satisfying portion. 

So to prevent any confusion, let's just call it Japanese fried tofu pouch and beef udon. To better that recipe, I even made the stock from scratch using katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and kombu (kelp).

Japanese fried tofu pouch and beef udon 日式豆皮牛肉烏龍麵 - 

Ingredients (about 4 servings)?

• 4 medium fried tofu pouch 油揚げ
• 4 servings instant udon
• 1 stalk scallion
• Some Japanese tsuyu
• Some toasted white sesame seeds

Stock:

• 1 medium piece kombu (dried kelp)
• 35 grams katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
• 8 cups water

Beef:

• 240 grams beef slices
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

How?

Use a big pot and pour in about 8 cups of water. Add in kombu first then switch to medium heat. Break the kombu in half if the length is too long for the pot. Also, if you find some white powder-like substance on the kombu, don't wipe it out. That's where the umami resides, good stuff. 

Bring the water to just about boiling. Sustain such heat and continue to gently draw out that umami from the kombu for five more minutes. 

Once ready, remove the kombu then add in the katsuobushi. Soak in warm stock for 3 minutes. 

Again, we are drawing out the flavors in a very gentle way for Japanese style stock. Once ready, drain and store the stock in another pot. There it is, our basic Japanese stock from scratch.

As for the beef slices, marinate the meat with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of mirin, and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Massage and let it marinate for 10 minutes.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add in the beef slices. Cook till just about cooked through, I'd say 90% doneness. Scoop out and set aside for later use.

Start the pot with fresh set of water and bring to a boil again. This time add in the fried tofu pouches and cook for couple minutes. Main goal is to draw out excess oil. Once done, drain and set the fried tofu pouches aside for later use.

One last time, start the pot with fresh water again and bring to a boil. Cook the instant udon till separated. Meanwhile, prepare serving bowls by scooping some stock and season with some Japanese tsuyu.

Drain and transfer the udon to these serving bowls. Taste and see if need more stock or tsuyu.

Add one prepped fried tofu pouch to each serving bowl. Also arrange some beef slices next to the fried tofu pouch. Destem and chop the scallion then garnish the udon with some chopped scallion greens. Dust some toasted white sesame seeds throughout for a aroma pop.

If preferred, you can also sprinkle some ichimi spice for a slightly spicy kick.

Beef slices might appear more attractive at first. But once you really digging into the udon, you'll know that the fried tofu pouch is in fact the best from the bunch. Especially after soaking in all the flavorful stock, the feeling of biting into the fried tofu pouch is unbeatable. 

Other udon recipes:

• Nagasagi champon style yakiudonちゃんぽん風焼きうどん
• Sukiyaki style nabeyaki udon すき焼き風鍋焼きうどん

Gnocchi in Broccoli and Spinach Sauce

My initial experience with frozen gnocchi was great. It was used in roasted red bell pepper sauce and the result was delicious. The frozen version yielded almost the same soft and comforting bite like the fresh made version. So I bought the product again and this time used in broccoli and spinach sauce.

Gnocchi in broccoli and spinach sauce - 

Ingredients (about 3 portions)?

• 400 grams gnocchi
• 1 small broccoli 
• 1 tightly packed cup spinach
• 2 pieces anchovies
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 chunk aged Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon caper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Some extra virgin olive oil
• Some salt

How?

Trim the broccoli stem and remove the fibrous part. Cut the trimmed stem to smaller chunks, break the florets to smaller pieces too. Aim for using the leafy part for the spinach only, I actually used the stem for other stir-fry dishes. If you can find baby spinach in a pack that's even better.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add in the broccoli stem first. Cook for one minute then add in the florets, cook for another minute. Add in the spinach in the end and quickly cook for 10 seconds or so, just enough time till the leaves wilted. Drain but not like over-drain it, we need some moisture there still. Transfer to food processor.

Also add to the food processor, aged Parmigiano Reggiano that's been cut into smaller chunks. I used about a total of two little finger sized of Parmigiano Reggiano. I didn't weigh the cheese but a bit more or less shouldn't be an issue.

On top of cheese, also add zest of one lemon, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of capers, 2 pieces of anchovies, 1 peeled garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Blend till smooth.

Add some water if the sauce appears too dry. Also if you prefer a more "saucy" consistency in the end, use 5 tablespoons of olive oil here instead of 4.

Pour the sauce to a pan and use medium heat to warm it up. 

When the sauce comes to a light bubbling stage, add in cooked or defrosted gnocchi. Toss till incorporated with the sauce. Taste and adjust with additional seasonings or olive oil if needed.

Plate and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over. Also grate some more aged Parmigiano Reggiano on top.

The sauce can be made ahead of time and store in the fridge waiting for assembling, I suppose within two days should be fine.

If you have frozen gnocchi on hand, great! If not, it's even better with freshly made version. Just need to precook the fresh gnocchi then drain before mixing with the sauce here.

Also it doesn't have to be gnocchi, any other type of short pasta like penne or even orecchiette should match just as good.

Extended reading:

• Seafood gnocchi in roasted red bell pepper sauce

Cooking for One - Oyster and Shiso Peperoncino

Just realized that my cooking portion can be quite extreme. It's either big servings, like enough for five to six full meals at once, or just a tiny amount to sustain a light lunch for one.

That means most of the time I'll use up the entire pack of pasta at once, usually 500 grams. But this time around, since I only have 6 oysters in the fridge, it's either one serving takes all, or 5 to 6 servings and each get only one oyster. The later sounds a bit sad, so it's been decided. Let's have a well-fed recipe for single person only, all 6 oysters for the winner.

Oyster and shiso peperoncino - 

Ingredients (one serving)?

• 6 oysters
• 2 shiso leaves
• 100 grams pasta (I used linguine) 
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 dried red chili
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Some salt
• Some oyster cooking water

How?

Peel and slice the garlic clove. Slice the chili into rings if possible. Mine actually broke into tiny pieces instead. Roll up the shiso leaves and slice to thin strips.

Add some water to a medium large pot and bring to almost boiling temperature. Add in the oysters and cook till about 80% cooked through. Save some of that oyster-cooking water then scoop out the oysters. Don't discard the water, we'll continue to use that to cook the pasta.

So add more water so we'll have enough liquid to cook the pasta. Season with few pinches of salt. Bring to a boil then cook the pasta. We're fully utilizing the oyster-cooking water here and hopefully the pasta will be a bit more flavorful in the end.

Cook the pasta till almost al dente. Once ready, drain and set aside. Or if timing is right, drain and transfer to the pan with oil and aromatics.

About that pan, while cooking the pasta, bring out a pan and drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Use medium heat and add in the garlic and red chili. Sear till aromatic but not burn the garlic.

Pour in some oyster cooking water we saved earlier. I used about 1/3 cup. Swirl the pan to draw some air in. Let the oil and water boil a little till the they start to fuse together. The liquid will thicken a bit too, more so slightly creamy looking, that means emulsification has been achieved. 

Add in the pasta, and if you timed it right, the pasta will just about ready and you can drain and transfer that right to the pan. Continue to swirl the mixture and cook for about one more minute.

Transfer almost all the shiso to the pan. Mix till evenly blended then adjust with some salt. I used close to 1/2 teaspoon of salt here.

Lastly, add the oysters and give it a few tosses. 

Plate and garnish with the remaining shiso.

Some people prefer to remove the red chili seeds before cooking, but it doesn't really bother me as much. I simply shook off some seeds but careless about the seeds that prefer to stay.

By the way, since I've been cooking either the entire pack of pasta at once or just one single serving from time to time, I have to admit that cooking smaller portion is much easier to achieve that perfect emulsified consistency. 

That's why I tend to cook smaller amount when it comes to finer ingredients. As for hearty type of pasta recipes, like pasta bake or more Americanized pasta, I'll just use the whole pack. Different methods for different results. Both delicious per my opinion. 

Other pasta recipes:

• Paccheri with tuna in red bell pepper sauce (portion for two)
• Zucchini and squash pasta with parsley and mint sauce
• Creamy mussels and seaweed pasta

Negi Shio Yakisoba With a Touch of Lemon (ねぎ塩焼きそば)

Naga negi, the Japanese long spring onion would be my best choice for this recipe. But sometimes you just have to improvise when particular ingredient is lacking. So my second best option is regular scallion. With the help of lemon and beni shoga (red pickled ginger), the negi shio yakisoba still tastes quite "Japanese," and delicious for sure. 

Negi shio yakisoba with a touch of lemon (ねぎ塩焼きそば) - 

Ingredients (about 6 to 8 portions)?

• 400 grams yakisoba noodles (presteamed)
• 450 grams pork slices (with some fats)
• 3 stalks scallion
• 1/2 small cabbage
• 1 bundle mizuna
• 1 lemon
• 1 small red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons quadruple condensed tsuyu
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sake or Chinese rice cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Some beni shoga (red pickled ginger)

How?

Destem and chop the scallion, separate the white and the green part. For searing, we're aiming to use all the white part, but sometimes there won't be enough scallion white to use, it's ok to add some greens if that's the case.

Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Peel and slice the onion. Remove the tough center for the cabbage then tear the leafy part to medium size pieces. Destem and section the mizuna. Roll the lemon with some force pressing down first then slice in half. Cut the meat slices to shorter sections if needed. 

To save some troubles during cooking, you can premix the sauce first. Take a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of quadruple condensed tsuyu, 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of mirin, 1 teaspoon of sake or rice cooking wine, and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil.

Bring out a big pan, I used a wok instead, drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil and switch to medium or medium high heat. Add in about 1 1/3 cups of chopped scallion white, use scallion greens if not enough. Also add in onion slices along with 2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of coarse black pepper. Stir-fry till aromatic and the edge of the onion slices turn slightly golden.

Add the pork and chopped garlic, stir-fry till the meat almost cooked through.

Transfer the cabbage over and let it cook for couple minutes, or till it wilts a bit. Add in the mizuna and cook for a quick 30 seconds. 

Spread in the noodles and give it a few tosses. Pour in the sauce mixture, toss and mix till evenly blended. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.

Once checked, scoop the noodles to serving plate and garnish with good amount of chopped scallion greens. Don't forget to serve with beni shoga on the side.

If you can't find beni shoga, of course it's totally ok to skip it. Just that the acidity from the red pickled ginger really adds layers of flavors to the negi shio yakisoba. Looking at the picture, you'll see that I got really greedy with the beni shoga for my plate of yakisoba there.

On a side note, usually you won't find tsuyu being added in yakisoba recipes, but I purposely used it instead of the other common ingredient chicken powder. It's up to you if you would do the same or even use both. Just be careful not to heavily darken the noodles in the end since we are aiming for a lighter-looking stir-fry noodles for the negi shio themed dishes. 

Extended reading:

• Japanese Stir-Fry Noodles Yakisoba (焼きそば)