Pork and Shrimp Wontons in Chili Oil (紅油炒手)

This Sichuan preparation of savory, tantalizing wontons tossed in a spicy fragrant chili oil sauce is delicious & warming on a cold day. Super simple recipe with extremely affordable ingredients!

Recipe:

1. For the filling, mix together ½ lb ground pork (not too lean), ¼ lb shrimp (peeled, deveined, coarsely chopped), 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp sweet rice wine, 1 tsp freshly ground ginger, 1 tsp brown sugar, and ½ cup chopped green onion. Season with white pepper and sea salt.

2. Add pork mixture to the center of each wonton wrapper, dip your finger into cold water and run along edges of wrapper, fold into a triangle, and seal (making sure to remove any trapped air). Take the 2 ends of the triangle, bring together gently, and seal together.

3. Boil wontons in a pot of lightly seasoned water for 4-5 minutes over medium heat.

4. For the sauce, combine together 2 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp chili oil, ½ tsp sugar, 1 tsp Chinese black vinegar, a small handful of finely sliced green onions, and 1 clove of garlic (finely minced).

   • Note: I used premade chili oil, but you can definitely make a large batch on your own with vegetable oil, Sichuan peppercorns, red pepper flakes, star anise, etc. It’s too much work for me, so I just visit my local Asian market for pre-made chili oil.

5. Spoon over wontons or lightly toss. Garnish the dish with green onions (sliced length-wise and shocked in ice cold water) and a few sprigs of cilantro.

Braised Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs (糖醋排骨)

Here’s one of my favorite classic Chinese dishes that my mother made for our family growing up! The succulent meat is covered in a rich, sweet & savory, and tangy sauce. This version adds shiitake mushrooms for extra umami and pineapples to tenderize the meat and add a nice tartness!

Recipe:

1. Boil about 1-1.5 lb spareribs (cut into 1.5”-2” pieces) in a pot for about 5 min; skim and then drain.

2. Add in the braise/marinade ingredients, which consists of the following: 1 tbsp (Shaoxing wine or Brandy): 2 tbsp (soy sauce): 3 tbsp (rice vinegar) (as long as you follow the 1:2:3 ratio, you should be fine)! Add about 3 tbsp of brown sugar, 6 cloves of garlic, sliced pineapple, a few pieces of dried shiitake mushrooms (whole), and a splash of pineapple juice.

3. Cook on high for about 5 minutes, stirring to coat all the pieces of meat.

4. Add in enough water to just cover the meat, cover with lid, and cook on low/medium for 1 hour.

5. Then, remove lid, turn to high heat and reduce until sauce is thick and syrupy.

6. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds!

Stuffed Chicken Wings w/ Sticky Chili and Ginger Marinade (aka “Wing Gyoza”)

What’s better than fried dumplings? How about replacing that dumpling skin with chicken skin?! 😏 These chicken wings are carefully deboned and then stuffed with a dumpling/gyoza mixture of ground pork, shiitake mushrooms, and shrimp! It’s finished off with a delicious sticky chili & ginger glaze! There’s something satisfying about biting straight into a wing without any worry of hitting a bone! Prep work takes time but it’s SO worth it!

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. De-boning: With a knife, carefully de-bone chicken wings by severing the joint & sliding the knife along the underside of the skin (the bones should cleanly come out after twisting at the joint).

3. Marinade chicken for 10+ min. The sticky chili & ginger marinade I used is an Asian steakhouse marinade from @marionskitchen and is made from all-natural, gluten-free ingredients with no added MSG! 👌 It provides the perfect blend of heat and sweet, as well as a nice stickiness & char to your wings! Give it a try!! It’s delicious! Here’s a link: https://www.marionskitchen.com

4. Filling: In a separate bowl, combine ½ lb ground pork, ¼ lb shrimp (coarsely chopped), 1 stem of green onion, 2 shiitake mushrooms (large, chopped), 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp soy sauce, and a splash of fish sauce. Mix thoroughly.

5. Assembly: Carefully stuff each chicken wing with the filling mixture.

6. Bake: Bake for 30 minutes at 400°F (or until cooked through), glazing with marinade every 10 minutes.

7. Garnish with chives and roasted sesame seeds.

Sapporo Ramen w/ Chashu and Black Garlic Oil

Sapporo Ramen w/ Chashu and Black Garlic Oil: This ramen dish is topped with succulent chashu pork, buttered sweet corn, tender bok choy greens, menma (bamboo shoots), crunchy bean sprouts, and of course, the quintessential marinated soft-boiled egg. It’s garnished with fresh scallions and a light drizzle of aromatic black garlic oil. Of course, supporting all these different elements is the insanely rich flavor of the pork-based miso broth from Mike’s Mighty Good Ramen. Their savory soup bases and organic ramen noodles help to make home-made ramen achievable without the laborious task of creating a stock from scratch. Highly recommend you give it a try!

Preparing the ramen and broth, per package instructions, only takes about 3-5 minutes! What you decide to add on top to assemble your ultimate ramen bowl will obviously vary your prep/cook time considerably. I decided to just go for it all (haha), so the toppings took a bit of time to prepare. Anyway, I broke down the different component recipes in the comments sections, in case you were interested! Happy slurpin’!

🥚 Recipe for Marinated Egg:

1. Combine 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp brown sugar, and 6 tbsp water in a ziplock bag; mix by shaking and set aside.

2. In a medium sauce pan, boil water over medium-high heat (just enough water to cover eggs about 1”). Using a slotted spoon or ladle, lower eggs into water and cook for exactly 6½ min (for runny egg yolk or 7½-8 min for custard-like egg yolk), maintaining a gentle boil.

3. Remove eggs and transfer directly into an ice bath to stop the cooking process and leave for approximately 10 min.

4. Carefully crack the entire surface and peel off the egg shell. Place cooled eggs in sauce bag and seal tightly.

5. Marinate overnight (or up to 48 hours). Bring to room temp before serving.

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🍖 Recipe for Chashu Pork Shoulder (sous vide):

1. Obtain boneless pork shoulder (aka pork butt) (request your butcher to cut a “shoulder roast” from the “money muscle,” located just opposite the bone end).

2. Combine 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp Kosher salt in a bowl and mix. Place pork shoulder in a ziplock bag and massage the salt/sugar mixture evenly into the meat (Note: add more salt/sugar depending on the size of meat, keeping it at a 50/50 ratio). Leave to cure in the fridge for 24 hours.

3. Remove roast from bag and toss the remaining liquid. With a paper towel, blot dry. Using twine, tie the pork roast at ½” intervals to form a nice cylinder.

4. In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine ¼ cup mirin, a 2” piece of fresh ginger thinly sliced, 2 cloves garlic (smashed), 2 green onions (white parts only, cut into ½” length), 1 tbsp sugar, and bring to boil. Remove from heat and add in ¼ cup soy sauce. Allow mixture to return to room temp.

5. Set up an immersion circulator and preheat sous vide water bath to 63°C (145°F).

6. Place the roast back into the ziplock bag and add the marinade mixture. Seal bag using the “water-displacement method.” Place in water bath and cook for 20-24 hours (depending on how soft you want your meat). Place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process, remove pork from bag, and dry with paper towels. Cut off the twine.

7. If textural contrast is desired, arrange pork on a sheet pan and broil for 1-2 min until edges are crisp and have nice brown color. Alternatively, if you wanna go pyro, use a handheld torch on all sides of the roast.

8. Slice the roast into ¼”-thick pieces and serve immediately (or store for later use).

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Recipe for Black Garlic Oil (Mayu):

1. Mince about 8-10 large garlic cloves.

2. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, cook garlic in vegetable oil until it starts to brown, stirring frequently. Reduce to low heat once brown and continue stirring, until the garlic turns black (and quite sticky).

3. Add in ¼ cup sesame oil. Place mixture in blender and blend for about 1 min.

4. Strain the oil mixture through a fine mesh. Place in a glass jar to store.

Salmon Florentine en Croûte (Salmon Wellington)

The aquatic cousin of the Beef Wellington! 🐟 A great way to get all your food groups in one bite! Inside the buttery pastry is a flavorful combination of rich, flaky salmon, a creamy shallot spinach mixture, and tender asparagus. Serve with your favorite veggies or crispy potatoes and a side of lemon dill sauce.

Recipe:

1. Spinach-Cheese Mixture: In a pan, sauté 1 clove garlic (minced) and 1 shallot (chopped) in olive oil. Turn off heat, and add in about 5 oz baby spinach. Once wilted, gently mix in 4 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, and 1 tbsp dill. Season with salt/pepper and the zest of 1 lemon. Set aside.

2. Asparagus: Poach asparagus spears (tips cut off) until tender (3-5 minutes). Shock in ice water to retain color, and set aside.

3. Assembly: Roll out puff pastry dough (thawed in advance). Place the spinach cheese mixture down first, followed by a row of the asparagus spears, and finally the salmon filet (skin off, pin-boned). Season with salt and pepper. Egg wash around the layered salmon. Fold puff pastry over and seal, making sure all air pockets are gone. Cut 2-3 small slits to act as vent holes

4. [Optional]: With a thin layer of puff pastry, score to make a lattice; alternatively cross-hatch with the back-end of a knife.

5. Bake: With a brush, place egg wash and finish with coarse sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and thyme. Place onto parchment paper or a silicone mat, and bake at 425°F for 35-40 min (internal temp 145°F) (Note: Don’t worry about it being too dry, because it’s encased inside the pastry dough and stays pretty moist).

6. Lemon-Dill Sauce: Combine 1 cup dry white wine and 2 tbsp shallots (finely chopped) in a saucepan and cook over high heat for about 5-8 minutes, until reduced which should have a glazed appearance. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter (cut into small cubes), a few cubes at a time until sauce mixture is creamy thick. Stir in 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (more to taste), 3 tbsp chopped dill. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Rest for 5 minutes and cut with a bread knife.