Belated chinese new year: crispy pork belly w/ bao and beef broccoli cake noodle

Crispy Pork Belly

braised pork belly (see recipe below)
bao buns
hoisin sauce
siracha
cilantro, rough chopped
green onions, sliced
assorted condiments: kim chee, namasu (cucumber/carrots), takuan

– Once pork belly is chilled, trim ends and slice into desired thickness. Brown slices on all sides in a pan until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels
– Set up a build-your-own-bao bar and get creative with your condiments!

Braised Pork Belly
1 piece pork belly, 2-5 lbs

• if you’re getting your pork belly from a butcher ask for a thicker cut

2 bay leaves
1/2 tbsp whole peppercorns
1 onion, cut into large sections
10 whole cloves
3 star anise
1/2 cup soy sauce
water

– Combine pork belly with all spices and onions in a large heavy-duty pot. Add enough water to cover pork belly
– Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat down to low/medium-low, cover, and simmer pork belly for 2 hours

• Keep the pork belly in 1-2 pieces; it shrinks a lot when cooked. If you have to, cut the pork belly in half so it will fit in the pot. If you don’t have a pot large enough to hold the pork belly you can cook it in a roasting pan in the oven at 350 for 3-4 hours till tender.

– Remove pork belly from the liquid and place onto a baking sheet lined w/ foil or parchment paper. Cover pork belly with another sheet of foil and a baking sheet. Place a heavy weight (the pot filled with liquid would work) on top of the pork belly and chill overnight, or at least 5-6 hours for the pork belly to flatten out and firm up

• If you use the pot as a weight, once the liquid is chilled you can easily skim off the fat, strain out the spices, and use the broth as a soup or stew base

Beef Broccoli Cake Noodle

~17 oz fresh egg noodle (or 3 pkgs of noodles) I used yakisoba noodles
sesame oil
canola oil
3 heads broccoli, cut into ~1/2″ wide florets, and stems thinly sliced
1/2 lb beef, thinly sliced into ~1″ pieces

• I used frozen tenderloin scraps I had, but you could use virtually any cut of beef you like
• Also, I did not make this dish a meat heavy dish, but you could easily increase the amount of meat if you wanted it to be

1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp sambal
2 tbsp vegetable or oyster stir fry
1/2 tbsp cornstarch

– Boil egg noodles for 2-3 minutes. Drain and lightly toss with sesame oil
– Heat enough canola oil to evenly coat the bottom of a large non-stick saute pan (or cast iron pan) over medium-high heat
– Add enough noodles to the pan so they cover the bottom of the pan and use a spatula to flatten out. Cook until browned, 3-5 minutes, then remove noodles from pan, add more oil, and brown other side. (WARNING: cake noodle is not a diet friendly dish)
– Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, or wok, heat ~1 tbsp oil canola oil over high. Wash broccoli before cooking and then dump into pan; the oil will SPLATTER, so be careful, but the extra moisture will help the broccoli cook without burning
– Cook broccoli for 2-3 minutes. Season beef with salt and pepper and then add to pan with ginger and garlic
– Cook beef for 2 minutes and then add remaining ingredients, except for cornstarch
– Once broccoli is tender and beef is cooked, mix cornstarch with water and slowly add to liquid in the pan till desired thickness is reached
– Pour beef broccoli over cake noodle and ENJOY!

 belated GUNG HEE FAT CHOY!

cheesy spinach and artichoke dip

A super easy, delicious appetizer to serve at dinner parties or casual get togethers without all the added guilt of indulging!

cheesy spinach artichoke dip

1/2 yellow onion, small diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes

• if you like your dip spicier feel free to add more! 1/2 tbsp gives you a little kick you’ll notice, but won’t scare away folks that don’t like heat

1 lbs frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
2 lbs artichoke hearts (frozen, canned, or jarred) roughly chopped
8 oz light cream cheese (you don’t even notice the missing fat)
3/4- 1 cup light mayonnaise

• if you want your dip to be more ooey-gooey, increase the amount of mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup+ 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

• depending on how cheesy you want your dip to be, increase/decrease the amount of cheese

salt and pepper to taste

– Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook till onions are translucent
– Add chopped spinach, artichoke hearts, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper.
– Turn heat down to medium and continue cooking for 10 minutes so spices and juices can blend.
– Remove from heat. Mix in the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, and parmesan cheese. Spoon dip into an oven-safe serving dish, sprinkle remaining parmesan over the top and broil in the oven till the cheese is bubbly and brown.

• If you’re going to serve the dip later, allow the spinach-artichoke mixture to cool to almost room temperature before mixing in the remaining ingredients. Put the dip into an oven-safe container, chill it and re-heat it later. Top it with cheese and put it in the oven at 425 till the dip is hot and bubbly and the cheese on top starts to brown.