Braised Beef Rice 滷牛肉燥飯

There's braised pork rice, so of course there's braised beef rice too. In fact, sometimes you can find braised "beef" rice in Taiwan as a special item. It's not hard to make at all, basically exactly the same way as making braised pork rice. Just the cost for the main beefy ingredient is much higher.

Braised beef rice 滷牛肉燥飯 - 

Ingredients (about 3 to 4 portions)?

• 550 grams beef 
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 stalks scallion
• 2 big bulbs shallots
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Some salt
• Some black pepper
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 big star anises
• 1 tablespoon crystal sugar
• 3 to 4 servings steamed rice

Pickled cucumber:

• 220 grams/about 3 skinny cucumbers
• Some salt
• 1 big garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon white sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

How?

Let's make the pickled cucumbers first. Trim-off both ends for the cucumbers then slice to thin pieces. Use some salt, mine was about 1/2 teaspoon to "massage" into the cucumber slices. Let it sit for 15 minute while the salt helps drawing out some moisture from the cucumber.

Meanwhile peel and grate one garlic clove. And when that quick marinating time is up, rinse the cucumber with drinkable water to wash away the salt. Drain and squeeze really dry. Season with grated garlic, 1 teaspoon of white sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. 

Mix till evenly blended. Taste and see if you need any extra seasonings. Some prefer it sweeter and some like it on the sourish side, so adjust according to your preference. Once all checked, store in a container and into the fridge till our braised beef rice is ready.

Now it's time to handle the beef part. By the way, remember to precook the rice to serve alongside the braised meat.

Slice the beef to medium small chunks. I got the part with some tendons, not the ideal cut but since that's what's left in my fridge, I'll just use it. Otherwise beef shank, brisket, or even the pricey sirloin are all great options.

Peel and slice the shallots. Peel and chop 4 garlic cloves. Destem the scallion and just tie the whole stalks to a knot if possible, otherwise cut into longer sections is fine too. It's just easier to pick out the knotted scallion towards the end of braising.

Have a big pot ready, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil and switch to medium heat. Add in shallots and scallion. Sear till aromatic and slightly browned on some sides.

Then add in chopped garlic along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook for about a minute.

Transfer beef chunks over and sear a bit, at least till the meat changes color. Pour in 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1 1/2 cups of hot water, 2 bay leaves, and 2 star anises. Bring to a boil then adjust the heat to keep it at a medium bubbling stage. Continue to braise for 45 to 60 minutes or till the sauce has been reduced. Like a bit condensed juice left but not saucy.

Towards the end, pick out bay leaves, star anises, and scallion. If the scallion has almost melted into the sauce, it's fine to just leave it there. Add 1 tablespoon of crystal sugar, which will help balance out the saltiness and give the sauce a little shine. Cook till all the sugar has been dissolved.

Serve the braised beef with rice and remember to add some of that pickled cucumber stored in the fridge. 

You know what? The actual time of braising can be reduced maybe by around 15 minutes if you use more expensive and more tender cut. However, it's totally up to you. Just like braised pork rice, some will use chunkier meat for a fuller bite, but that requires more time and usually cost a bit more to make.

And some will use finer ground meat, which takes less time to cook and will result in a smoother bite instead. As for me, I'll always go with the chunkier route. 

Extended reading:

• Braised soy sauce chicken over rice
• Spicy gochujang chicken rice bowls

Stuffed Pepper Soup Precooked Basmati Rice Version

Have you noticed the main difference between a western soup and a Chinese soup? I was surprised that how thick and stuffed for some of the western soups, especially from the states. It's almost like a full-on meal to me, the actual soupy part was just like a wee bit extra juice inside the bowl.

As for the Chinese soup, it's really focus on the liquid part. The ingredients inside are the supporting roles instead. I guess that's why in Chinese we call it "drink" the soup instead of western's "eat" the soup.

Stuffed pepper soup precooked basmati rice version - 

Ingredients (about 5 portions)?

• 2 rice measuring cups/about 1 1/2 regular cups basmati rice
• 500 grams ground beef
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 medium onion
• 2 big garlic cloves
• 1 small bundle flat leaf parsley
• 1 box/about 400ml beef stock
• 1 can/about 400ml total but 200ml solids whole tomatoes
• 2 medium fresh tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Some salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried onion powder
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard

How?

Precook 2 rice measuring cups of basmati rice, should be around 1 1/2 regular measuring cups if you don't have the smaller rice measuring cups on hand. Better to cook the rice the day before and use a bit less water than usual in order to get a more suitable dryer result for this recipe.

Peel and dice the onion. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Cube the fresh tomatoes. Destem, remove the seeds and pith, and dice all the bell peppers. Chop the leafy part of the parsley.

Bring out a Dutch oven or a big pot, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil then switch to medium heat. Wait till a bit warm then add in the ground beef. Cook and mix a bit till the meat changes to a whiter color.

Drain out excess fat if needed then add in diced onion. Cook for couple minutes. Add in garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Continue to cook for two more minutes.

Add in all the bell peppers and stir-fry for about a minute. Drain the canned tomatoes then pour into the pot. Also transfer diced fresh tomatoes to the mixture too.

There we add 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon of dried onion powder, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of yellow mustard. Mix and let it cook for couple minutes. 

Pour in the beef stock then bring the whole thing to a boil, then lower the heat to keep it at a medium bubbling stage. Just leave it there and cook for around 20 minutes. Stir once a while to prevent sticking on the bottom. 

It's time to add the cooked rice, you can bring the rice out straight from the fridge and add to the soup. Mix and cook for couple minutes should be enough. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. I actually added a little more salt here.

Mix in chopped flat leaf parsley and let it cook for 30 more seconds. Scoop and serve.

Some also like to add some shredded cheese to the stuffed pepper soup, but I intended to keep it as "lactose-free" version. However, you can definitely mix in some cheese towards the end for a more "luscious and mouthful" type of comfort. 

Other western soup recipes:

• Chicken orzo soup
• Minnesota wild rice soup
• Ham and potato soup
• Caldo de albóndigas (Mexican meatball soup)
• Sopa de estrellitas

Salmon and Dashi Takikomi Gohan Using Brown Rice 炊き込みご飯

No fuss rice cooker recipe, especially hassle-free for people who doesn't want to deal with greasy kitchen in the end.

This time I'm using brown rice and homemade Japanese stock. However, if you would like to skip the stock making process, simply add some Japanese dashi powder instead, can't be easier than that.

Salmon and dashi takikomi gohan using brown rice -

Ingredients (about 6 portions)?

• 4 rice measuring cups brown rice
• 2 or about 440 grams salmon fillets
• 700ml Japanese dashi (or use some dashi powder instead)
• 1 medium fried bean curd skin 油豆腐皮
• 1/4 cup hijiki
• 1 small bundle or about 250 grams Japanese mustard spinach コマツナ
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 pack or about 100 grams brown beech mushroom
• 2 tablespoons Japanese tsuyu

How?

Rinse the brown rice, basically just like how you would prepare the rice usually. Once ready, drain and set aside first. 

You can make the Japanese dashi from scratch by soaking the kombu and katsuobushi in water. I have an old post Japanese fried tofu pouch and beef udon, from there you will find more details on how to make Japanese dashi.

However, if it seems too troublesome, simply add some Japanese dashi powder to warm water instead, or use any sort of already made Japanese stock.

Add 2 tablespoons of Japanese tsuyu to the rice then pour in dashi till it reaches about 3.5 cups measurement inside the rice cooker pot. Mine was about 700ml. Give it a quick mix. Set aside while prepping other ingredients.

It's important to soak the rice first especially we are using brown rice. Otherwise the grains can be too tough or not fully cooked through in the end if skipping the soaking time.

Double making sure there are no bones hidden somewhere inside the salmon. Remove the skin before use.

Either use hot water to rinse the fried bean curd skin or soak in hot water for a short moment. This will help drawing out excess oil from the tofu skin. Once ready, squeeze out the liquid then cut into strips.

Peel and cut the carrot to strips, like julienne the carrot, but it doesn't have to be too thin. Trim-off the mushroom ends then separate to individual pieces. Destem the Japanese mustard spinach and cut to shorter sections. You can use bok choy instead or other similar Asian leafy greens.

Transfer prepped ingredients to the rice cooker. I would add the carrot first then leafy greens last, putting bean curd strips, hijiki, and mushroom in between.

There is no need to mix the ingredients with rice. Mostly because we are using brown rice, so I prefer to keep the rice on the bottom, suppose to get fully cooked-through more easily that way.

On the very top, transfer salmon fillets over.

Press that button on the rice cooker and simply cook away. If you have a specific setting for takikomi gohan, choose that instead.

Once ready, remove the inner pot from the rice cooker.

Remove the fish fillets. Fluff the rice and make sure all the ingredients are evenly blended together.

Roughly break the salmon into large chunks then add back to the rice mixture. Just give it a few gentle mix again. The salmon rice should be ready to serve.

Remember not to over-mix the rice once adding back the fish. We are aiming for chunky salmon texture, so over-mixing can cause the salmon to break into tiny pieces instead, not good.

Other takikomi gohan recipes:

• Pork bamboo shoot and shiitake takikomi gohan
• Chicken and gobo takikomi gohan (鶏ごぼうの炊き込みご飯)
• Japanese hijiki no takikomi gohan ひじきの炊き込みご飯

Chinese Spicy Sausage and Shrimp Rice Using Rice Cooker

Imgur, the image sharing and hosting service that I've been using for years, just decided to stop letting IPs from Taiwan to upload any more images. What a bummer. 

So all my recent posts images were either uploaded to Imgur before their "execution" date, uploaded directly through Blogger, or uploaded when I was traveling abroad. Not sure why Imgur stopped their service to Taiwan, but I highly suspect it was due to some sort of political reason. 

Oh well, if you have any good alternatives, please kindly drop a message and let me know. I'm not sure how long or how big of the files Blogger will hold.

Chinese spicy sausage and shrimp rice using rice cooker - 

Ingredients (about 4 servings)?

• 2 1/2 rice measuring cups white rice (I used basmati rice)
• 2 links Chinese spicy sausage
• 14 to 15 shrimp
• 6 medium spiced dried bean curd 五香豆乾
• 6 dried shiitake mushroom
• 1 medium bell pepper
• 120 grams lettuce salad
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce

How?

Quickly rinse the dried shiitake mushrooms and soak in room temperature water. I used filtered drinkable water. Soak till softened.

Once ready, save the water and remove the mushrooms. Destem then slice the cap.

Peel and devein the shrimps. Destem, pitted, and slice the bell pepper to strips. Cube the spiced dried bean curd. Destem then slice the lettuce to strips.

Use the Asian rice measuring cup, the smaller kind to measure the rice, not the usual measuring cups. Add to the inner pot of rice cooker, gently wash the rice like you'd usually do.

Drain out the liquid. Mix in shiitake mushrooms, bell pepper, and bean curd.

Season with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce. Place two Chinese spicy sausages on top then arrange shrimps around. Pour in 1 cup of shiitake water, the one used in soaking the mushroom. Then add enough of water until it reaches the "2 cups" indication mark on the pot.

Shut the lid and simply press that cooking button. Just wait till it's ready, can't be easier than that.

Once ready, remove the sausages. Slice then mix back to the pot. Gently fold in lettuce strips while the rice is still hot.

I used Asian spicy sausages from Hunan province. It was smoked and got that Asian style spicy note. Such sausage is like a magic ingredient, making everything with it extra delicious.

However, if you're having trouble finding such particular ingredient, I think Cajun spiced sausages will somewhat do the trick too.  

Other recipes using rice cooker:

• Pork bamboo shoot and shiitake takikomo gohan 炊き込みご飯
• Chicken and gobo takikomi gohan (鶏ごぼうの炊き込みご飯)
• Japanese hijiki no takikomi gohan ひじきの炊き込みご飯
• Mama Yu's cabbage rice 余媽媽高麗菜飯
• Aromatic magao chicken soup prepared with Tatung steam rice cooker

Braised Soy Sauce Chicken Over Rice

Two ways to enjoy this chicken over rice meal, one you can leave the chicken leg as it is and dive into chewing the meat off the bones. Then there's a more elegant way but of course leaving most of the deboning work to the person who's cooking it.

Being a nice cook here, I've decided to pick out all the bones after braising the chicken legs, so whoever's eating it can save the hassles and enjoy mouthful of meat all the way through.

Braised soy sauce chicken over rice -

Ingredients (about 4 to 6 bowls)?

• 4 or about 1200 grams chicken legs
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 stalks scallion

Actual cooking:

• 2 to 3 tablespoons preferred cooking oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 bulbs shallots (about 1/3 cup peeled and chopped)
• 2 slices ginger
• 2 stalks scallion
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup dark soy sauce
• 1/4 cup aged Shaoxing wine
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 star anises
• 1 aged tangerine peel
• 1 teaspoon rock sugar
• 4 to 6 portions cooked rice
• 1 pack bok choy
• 1 pinch salt 

 

How?

Marinate the chicken legs with 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 6 peeled garlic cloves, and 2 stalks of destemed and sectioned scallion. Massage the sauce into the meat then let it marinate in the fridge overnight.

Remember to flip the chicken legs to the other side half way through.

Cook the rice when close to serving time, I prepped some quinoa white rice for extra nutrition boost.

For the braising part, peel 2 extra garlic cloves, destem and section 2 more stalks of scallion. However, do chop or slice some scallion greens diagonally for garnish in the end. Scrape the skin off the ginger then slice to about 2mm thickness pieces, we need 2 slices here. Peel and chop the shallots.

Bring out a big pot, drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of preferred cooking oil and switch to medium heat. Add in garlic, shallot, ginger, and scallion sections. Sear till aromatic but not burnt.

Move the aromatics aside and transfer marinated chicken legs over skin side down first. Just the chicken legs, in which we will add the marinade later. Once the skin gets that slightly browned sear, flip and cook the other side till colored again.

Pour in all the remaining marinade along with the ingredients inside. Also add additional seasonings over, that means 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of dark soy sauce, 1/4 cup of aged Shaoxing wine, 2 star anises, 1 aged tangerine peel, and 1 1/2 cups of water.

Bring to a boil then adjust the heat to keep it at a medium bubbling stage. Continue to braise for about 20 minutes. Remember to flip the chicken half way through.

Towards the end, add 1 teaspoon of rock sugar and cook till all melted and blended evenly with the sauce.

While braising the chicken, let's prep the veggies. Have a medium pot filled with water. Bring to a boil then add in one pinch of salt. Add in trimmed bok choy and cook for just about one minute. Drain and set aside for later use.

If you want to be more professional or looking for that perfect way of prepping the bok choy, go ahead and dump the cooked leafy greens in icy cold drinkable water. Quickly cool down the temperature in order to better keeping that vibrant green color. As for me? Nah.

So when the chicken is ready, remove the chicken and set side to cool off. When cool enough to handle by hand, pick out the meat and tear to threads. I actually chew on the leftover bones as my reward for cooking this meal. Some might not know, but the meat close to the bones tastes really delicious.

As for the remaining braise, drain and keep the sauce. You'll use it to drizzle all over the rice bowls. And if there's any leftover sauce, use it for future meals such as base sauce for dry noodles.

Scoop some rice to serving bowls, arrange bok choy around it, then add shredded chicken in the center. Drizzle braised sauce all over and garnish with scallion greens we saved earlier.

I didn't realize how much meat I can get from 4 big chicken legs. Thought that skin and bones occupy a huge portion of it. But ended up I got so much meat, more than enough for 4 to 6 portions.

Of course you can braise 2 chicken legs instead, but considering all the work and time involved, if let me choose again I'll still go for bigger portion. The most I'll just store cooked meat in the freezer right?

Extended reading:

• Spicy gochujang chicken rice bowls

Dried Anchovies and Pea Shoots Congee 小魚乾大豆苗鹹粥

I wouldn't have thought that the congee or the stock used here can be so umami-packed. Well, I did add the entire pack of dried anchovies plus 4 cups of chicken stock, but still surprised by its flavor. Yet the entire congee looks so healthy, indeed it is nutritous with all the veggies used. I can't ask for more, a healthy and balanced meal packed with flavors.

Dried anchovies and pea shoots congee 小魚乾大豆苗鹹粥 - 

Ingredients (about 5 to 6 portions)?

• 2 loosely packed cups dried anchovies 小魚乾
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice (about 2 rice-measuring cups)
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 6 cups water
• 1 bundle pea shoots
• 1 medium carrot
• 6 shiitake mushrooms
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Some salt
• Some white pepper powder

How?

Rinse the uncooked white rice to wash away excess starch then set aside for later use.

Trim the soft leafy greens of your choice. I used pea shoots here so I also tear some thicker stems to thinner strips. Peel and juilienne the carrot. Destem then slice the shiitake mushrooms.

Bring out a big pot, drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of preferred cooking oil then switch to medium heat. Once warmed up, add in dried anchovies and cook till slightly browned and aromatic.

Pour in 4 cups of chicken stock along with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil then keep the entire thing at a light bubbling stage for five more minutes. Skim-off any foamy bits on top throughout the cooking process.

Add in rinsed rice, also add in the carrot and shiitake mushrooms.

Keep cooking till the rice reaches desired texture, also until the congee reaches desired soupy consistency. Mine took about 20 minutes.

Add in leafy greens and continue to cook till just wilted.

Taste and season with salt if needed. I didn't use any for my pot of congee here. But do add a few pinches of white pepper powder for a gentle hint of aroma. The congee is now ready to serve. 

I was going to use other soft leafy greens for this congee recipe, such as amaranth, some also call it Chinese spinach. However the vendor told me amaranth wasn't in season, so I changed to pea shoots instead. Ended up pea shoots work even better I think.

But don't let the choice of vegetable bothers you too much. As long as it's tender, I think even baby salad greens can be used here. Just remember don't cook the congee too long once you added the leafy greens. Try to preserve that vibrant green color even after plating. The longer you cook, the darker and "smushier" the vegetables will be.

Extended reading:

• Savoury Chinese congee using Jinhua ham and vegetables 金華火腿鹹味臘八粥
• Soy milk zosui
• Tomato bamboo shoot and pork zosui 番茄竹筍豬肉雜炊
• Minced beef and vegetable congee 蔬菜牛肉粥

Salmon and Quinoa Rice Stuffed Fried Tofu Pouches

Inari age, the "age" part is pronounced as "aa geh" instead of age like talking about how old you are. This Japanese ingredient is basically fried tofu pouches.

I usually use the inari age like a thick sheet of tofu, mostly sliced to strips then add to my dishes. However, to fully utilize its "pouchy" character, it's extra fun when you actually stuff something inside. The pouch can be closed or opened depending on the style of food you're making. As per my recipe here, it's an opened fried tofu pouch stuffed with quinoa rice and roasted salmon.

Salmon and quinoa rice stuffed fried tofu pouches - 

Ingredients (for six pouches)?

• 6 pieces inari age いなり揚げ
• 220 grams salmon
• 2 strings scallion
• Some cooked quinoa rice (or simply white rice)
• Some salt 
• Some black pepper

How? 

Precook the white rice. I added some quinoa mainly for its nutritional value. Destem and chop the scallion. 

Transfer salmon to a baking sheet lined with foil. Season both sides of the salmon fillet with some salt and black pepper. Use more salt and pepper than usual because this will be the main source of saltiness.

Let the salmon rest for five minutes, meanwhile preheat the oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit/200 degrees Celsius. Once ready, transfer salmon to the oven and bake till fully cooked, mine took about 25 minutes.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil then add in the fried tofu pouches.

Cook for no longer than a minute, just to soften the pouches a bit while drawing out some oil at the same time. Drain and pat dry with paper towel. Bring out just one chopstick. Use it like a rolling pin to roll the pouches to further flatten them. However, make sure not to cause any opening holes.

Use a scissor and cut a slit on on side, that way you'll get a pouch with one opening.

By now the salmon should be fully cooked, remove the salmon from the oven and peel-off the skin if any. Tear the fish to smaller pieces and mix with chopped scallion. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Stuff some rice to the fried tofu pouches, about half way through. Then fold in the openings inward, that way you'll get a smoother rounded openings on top.

Stuff in more rice, about 80% full then top the rice with generous amount of salmon and scallion mixture. 

I like the simple taste of it, especially when very good salmon was used. Also this dish doesn't have be to served hot. As long as the quality holds, eating it under room temperature is delicious too. In fact, I think that way you get to enjoy bouncier bite of the rice.

If you prefer something heavier or saltier, you can drizzle some sauce all over, I think Japanese mayonnaise or Sriracha would be two good options, or if teriyaki sauce is available, that would be great too. 

Other recipes using inari age いなり揚げ:

• Pork bamboo shoot and shiitake takikomi gohan 炊き込みご飯
• Hijiki and inari age onigiri 羊栖菜豆皮飯糰