Author Archives: admin

Pet Photography: Random

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This is Oscar, a country dog who has to deal with the stresses of New York City.
Doesn’t stop him from looking good.

This is Portia, whose looks may be deceiving.
She is a devious cat who was an inch away from stabbing her Pitbull cousin with a kitchen knife.
True story!
This is Toblerone, a princess from Los Angeles.
This is Jasper, Greta‘s littermate. They don’t look similar at all. 

Kimchi Restaurant’s "Korean Beef"

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One of the treats I had growing up in Manila in the late 80s was to visit a restaurant called Kimchi, a Korean restaurant similar to the California fast food chain Yoshinoya. They had two main specialties: BBQ Chicken and “Korean Beef,” a stew of the most tender short ribs swimming in the rich thin sauce that was dark, sweet, and slightly hot, topped with chopped scallions and sesame seeds.

It was my favorite but was twice as expensive as the barbecued chicken I often settled for. The chicken was good in its own right but did not provide the same kind of close-your-eyes flavor explosion as the sesame short rib stew.  The Korean Beef’s sauce was good enough to fight for and drizzle on unlimited bowls of rice. It was so delicious and multi-faceted that never in my wildest dreams did I think it could ever be replicated in any home kitchen,  much less in mine.


Fast forward to a couple of decades and a whole continent later, I made my first attempt based on an old recipe I found online, and after years of trial-and-error revisions, now I get to share my version with you! Enjoy!

We begin by placing the short ribs meat-side down in a good pot.

Add all the other ingredients: one whole sliced onion, one head peeled garlic, one chili pepper, bay leaves, and peppercorns.
 Add the sugar. Don’t be shy.
Add equal parts soy sauce and water. Simmer on low heat covered for about 2 hours.
 After thirty minutes.
 
After one hour.
 And done. The meat is falling off the bone and has achieved an almost gelatinous texture.
Roast some sesame seeds in a pan until brown. This releases the flavor of the seeds and gives it a nice roasted flavor when you bite on them. Try it!
The secret of this stew is the slow cooking time. Keeping it in a low simmer allows the meat to soften without falling apart or burning, meshing with the flavors of the sauce. Here it is served with a topping of roasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions.
Serve with rice. This sauce, I swear to God, is worth fighting for.
I use the leftover sauce and pieces of meat in a noodle dish I like. Enjoy!

Kimchi Restaurant’s “Korean Beef” Stew

1-2 lbs beef short ribs, cut crosswise (not flanken)
1 part dark soy sauce (Filipino brand preferred, Chinese variety is okay. Do not use Kikkoman!)
1 part water
1 part white or brown sugar
1 head garlic, peeled
1 onion, cut in half
1 piece ginger, the size of two thumbs, quartered
4 bay leaves
1 large Korean or Jalapeno pepper cut in half
10 peppercorns
1 tablespoon sesame seeds,  roasted in a pan until brown

In a good pot, combine all the ingredients except for the sesame seeds and the scallions. Simmer on low heat for two hours or until the meat is tender. Top with roasted sesame seeds and scallions and serve with rice.

You can add some vegetables on the side at the last minute.
Here I added broccolini, but choy sum and bokchoy would also work.

 Here are the leftovers served over vermicelli and a side of sauteed bokchoy.
Recipe here.

Incidentally, upon searching for the original source of this recipe to credit, I stumbled across a distant cousin of mine who actually obsessed about the same dish too! Here is her version.

Favorite Things: Sweet Fire Pickles and Peppers

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I was on a Labor Day Weekend fishing trip in Delaware and was spending an afternoon in town looking for a present to bring home for my significant other. Not being a fan of anything touristy or souvenir-like, I had difficulty finding anything at the Boardwalk, which was packed with stores selling the usual variety of t-shirts, hoodies, flipflops and fridge magnets. I gave up after a few minutes.
On a chance stop for gas, I gazed upon a gourmet shop and decided to try my luck. I found this jar of pickles and peppers I was sure would be just your run-of-the-mill jar of salty green things, plain and forgettable. Upon opening the jar at home however, we were greeted with the most wonderful combination of sweet and heat I haven’t encountered in any other bottle of pickles or peppers to date.
 

The juice was good enough to drink, which I did until I was stopped by the gift’s recipient. Was she trying to save me or to save some for herself? I’ll never know. But these pickles and peppers have been such a crowd-pleaser that anyone we’ve served them to has fallen ravenously in love with them and insists on ordering their own batch. I ordered a dozen bottles and split it amongst friends. Sweet Fire Bread & Butter Pickles and Peppers are available for purchase here. 
The pickles and peppers come in a regular mason jar and might look ordinary, but don’t be fooled. It’s a taste experience like no other. It is great with sandwiches, as an appetizer with cocktails, or served alongside meatloaf and other hearty dishes.
As for the contents, they lack the crunch of regular jarred pickles but that’s because the heat and flavor have seeped all the way through each piece. Incidentally, these are awesome threaded through a long toothpick in Bloody Marys along with some olives. This is a fantastic product from Delaware. No wonder it’s a National Champion!
 Sweet Fire Pickles and Peppers with DopamineJunkie’s Quinoa Meatloaf.
Photo by Kanako Shimura.

Chicken with Nasi Goreng Paste

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My cooking is greatly influenced by Filipino cuisine, in which meats are stewed for hours and vegetables are frequently overcooked to a soft mush. A lot of it is done the previous night and reheated, finished or broiled the following day, a practice that requires a lot of planning and makes spontaneous meal options impossible, and cooking small batches a waste of my time.
 
For quick meals we have relied on the quickness of fish and salads, tacos and wraps, protein sources that need only a little cooking and some assembly for a tasty meal.

Chicken with Nasi Goreng Paste, Sauteed bokchoy on the side.

So I’m very happy to be recently leaning towards a happy medium in my cooking, one that is not too slow or too fast (i.e., often cold), which focuses on simple flavors and limited ingredients, with a preparation time of thirty minutes or so.

I wanted to make something similar to my simple chicken curry, but didn’t want to bend over backwards buying ingredients I didn’t already have. Then I remembered that I had a jar of Nasi Goreng Paste lying around. It is a mix of peppers, tomatoes and spices used to flavor fried rice in Indonesian cooking. I’ve had it for a while but never found the time to learn how to make Nasi Goreng. So I decided to experiment and see how the paste would fare as a flavor base for another quick chicken stew.

 I began by smothering four chicken pieces in two tablespoons of nasi goreng paste.

I seared them on both sides in a hot pan.

Then I added a whole sliced onion.

Poured in a quarter cup of water, juice from one lemon, and and simmered it covered for 30 minutes. 
The sauce becomes rich and thick as the chicken cooks.
I mixed in a handful of cilantro leaves.
And served it with some sautéed bokchoy.

I enjoyed the heat and boldness of this dish, which complemented the crunch and simplicity of the bokchoy. The trick to cooking meats without marinating often lies in serving it with a flavorful sauce. The chicken turned out soft, moist and flavorful. The onions were a good texture companion to the dish.
Chicken with Nasi Goreng Paste
4 chicken pieces
2 tablespoons Nasi Goreng paste (available at Asian food stores)
juice of one lemon
1 whole onion, sliced into rings
1 handful washed cilantro leaves
Smother chicken in paste then sear in a hot pan with oil. Add onions, 1/4 cup water and lemon juice and cover, simmering for 30 minutes on low heat. Add cilantro leaves and mix well. Serve with a vegetable side and rice. 

Fried Shishito Peppers

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It was in Barcelona that I first had fried peppers. The smoky bar called Bar Rodrigo served them sizzling on a plate, and we chewed on their crunchy salty bodies chased with gulps of wine. I fell in love.
 
I’ve always enjoyed fried peppers in tapas bars because they are sweet and have the right kind of heat along with crisp skins and the bite of rock salt. Pimentos de Padrons are commonly used in Spanish cuisine, but in Asian restaurants (and recently in modern bars), shishito peppers are the pepper of choice. They aren’t normally available in supermarkets yet but Farmer’s Markets seem to be picking them up. In New York, Union Square Market  reportedly carries them, as do Asian supermarkets like Han Ah Rheum and Sunrise Mart.
Fried shishito peppers, better made by a Japanese friend in Woodside.

I picked up some shishito peppers (in the middle) from Sunrise Mart in the East Village.
We fried them in a hot pan with some olive oil and tossed in some rock salt.
Voila! Simple, sweet, spicy, salty and full of surprises. This is great as an appetizer with wine and cocktails. Watch out for the hot ones! This one is definitely not for the faint of heart.
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