Pa Jun (Korean Pancakes)

Dipping Sauce Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
• Pinch of hot red pepper flakes

Pancake Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup all-purpose flour or rice flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup very finely chopped vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, green beans, scallions, etc.) or chopped cooked leftover meat (chicken, beef, pork, whatever)

Instructions:

1. Warm oven to 200 degrees and place an oven safe plate on the middle rack.
2. To make the dipping sauce, combine soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Mix them and set aside.
3. Fill a bowl or glass with ice and ~1/2 cold water.  Put a small skillet over medium-low heat, add oil, and heat it up.
4. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl.  Whisk in flour and salt.  Stir in vegetables or meat.  Mix in 1/2 cup ice water.
5. Fill a 1/2-cup measuring cup with batter; pour into hot pan. Allow to sit until browned and crispy on bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip pancake and cook another 2 minutes. Repeat, and place the pancakes on the plate in the oven as you make them. Serve with dipping sauce, tearing or cutting off pieces of pancake to dip in sauce with fingers or chopsticks.

 

Kombu Dashi

Kombu Dashi is a flavorful japanese sea stock, and can be used as a savory base for many japanese dishes.  It is easily made and can be kept in the freezer indefinitely, or in the refrigerator for a week or so.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups cold water
• 1 oz kombu (dried kelp), about 20 square inches
• 1 cup katsuo bushi (dried bonito flakes)

Preparation:

Place kombu in cold water, and bring to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat immediately after the water comes to a boil, and discard kombu (or save for other applications if desired). Add katsuo bushi to the resulting liquid and let it steep for 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally to submerge the flakes. Pour the stock through a cheesecloth-lined sieve or a coffee filter. Discard katsuo bushi, or if desired, save it for rice with soy-glazed bonito flakes and sesame seeds.  The bonito flakes can also be reused for a somewhat less flavorful dashi stock for more delicate dishes.

Char siu

Char siu – Chinese BBQ sauce – does not contain tomatoes, but hoisin instead. This recipe substitutes oyster sauce for hoisin, and the addition of mushroom soy sauce and gives food a very dark color. In addition to cinnamon, other spices can be added, such as cloves, fennel, anise, and pepper. But, there’s enough going on in this sauce that you only need one of the ingredients of traditional Chinese five spice powder.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup of low sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup of dark, mushroom soy sauce
• 1/3 cup of oyster sauce
• 3 tbs sesame oil
• 2 tbs rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbs honey
• 2 tbs flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp garlic powder (or fresh garlic)
• 2 tsp ginger powder (or fresh ginger)

Wide Rice Noodles

Wide rice noodles are nearly impossible to find in stores, even in asian markets, because they need to be consumed the day they are made. But, they are not difficult to make and require few ingredients. There are many recipes for fresh rice noodles available, though this one has been adapted from ImportFoods.com.

Ingredients

• 2 cups rice flour
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• 2.5 cups water
• oil or cooking spray for greasing the pan noodles

Instructions

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until you have a smooth batter with no lumps that is slightly thicker than crêpe batter.
2. In a pan or steamer, heat water until it boils and inside, place a well greased glass or metal pan that is small enough to fit.
3. Pour enough batter to fill the greased pan with enough batter to create a pancake an 1/8 inch, and cover the steamer or pan. When the batter is cooked, the thin pancake will begin to pull away from the sides of the greased pan. The length of time this takes will vary depending on your steamer, though could take as little as 2-3 minutes.
4. Coat the top of the cooked pancake with oil, either using a spray or a brush, and carefully remove it using a rubber spatula.
5. Cut pancake into noodles of desired thickness, and repeat steps 3 & 4 until all of the batter is used.

Maida Heatter’s Budapest Coffee Cake

This recipe comes from renowned pastry chef Maida Heatter, and is a delicious, old fashioned, bundt style coffee cake. The cake itself is super moist because of sour cream in the batter, and the cinnamon-chocolate-current filling is absolutely delicious. The original recipe calls for a glaze for the finished cake but, in truth, it really does not need one.

Ingredients

Filling

• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• 3 tablespoons currants
• 1 cup walnuts

Cake Batter

• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups sour cream (16 ounces), room temperature

Instructions

1. Mix all of the filling ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. You can increase the amounts of each ingredients according to taste, if desired, for additional filling in the cake.

2. In a medium sized bowl, mix the dry ingredients for the batter – flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt.

3. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla. When the sweet cream is light and fluffy, add eggs one at a time and then sour cream.

4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, in three separate additions to ensure that the dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

5. In a well greased bundt pant, spread 1/3 of the fully mixed cake batter into the pan. Top with half of the filling ingredients, follow with an additional 1/3 of the batter, the second half of the filling, and finish with the final third of the batter.

6. Bake in a 350 oven for 50-60 minutes, allowing the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out. Allow to cool for an additional 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.

 

Flammkuchen Dough

Flammkuchen, topped with crème fraîche, onion, and bacon, is an excellent alternative to pizza. This dough recipe yields two 14 inch crusts and is very similar to a pizza dough. Dough for Flammkuchen, however, requires less yeast, only takes about 30 minutes to rise, and results in a more cracker-like crust – so it can be made a bit more quickly. You can easily replace bacon – a traditional topping for Flammkuchen – with arugula for a vegetarian version of this dish.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/4 cup of all purpose flour + extra for rolling

Instructions

1. Mix the first four ingredients in a measuring cup and allow them to rest for at least one minute.
2. In a large bowl, place the entire amount of flour and add the wet ingredients.
3. Mix until a shaggy dough is formed, then turn out onto a clean surface and knead for at least five minutes. Do not add additional flour if at all possible at this stage.
4. Divide the dough into two portions, cover, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
5. When ready to use, dust the dough balls with additional flour, and roll into circles approximately 14 inches in diameter.
6. Top very lightly, and bake in a 500 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, until the top of the crust just starts to brown in a few spots.

Chicken Pot Pie Crêpes

Chicken pot pie is classic comfort food, but in crêpe form, the dish is less caloric. This recipe for chicken pot pie filling is enough to make eight generously-stuffed 8-9 inch crêpes.

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked, loosely shredded chicken
• 1 1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms
• 1 cup of finely diced potato (in pieces about the size of a pea)
• 1/2 cup of diced onions, the same size
• 3/4 cup of chopped carrots, the same size
• 3/4 cup of peas
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 1 cup of water
• 3 tbs butter
• 1 / 4 cup of flour
• 1.5 tsp salt (plus more, to taste)
• 2 tsp pepper (plus more, to taste)

Instructions

1. In a large skillet set to medium high head, place 3 tbs of butter and finely diced potatoes, cooking for two minutes.
2. While potatoes cook in butter briefly, toss onions with flour, and add mixture to skillet, cooking for an additional 3 minutes.
3. Add stock, water, carrots, mushrooms, salt, and pepper.
4. Simmering, stirring throughout, for 15 minutes on medium high heat, adding additional salt and pepper as necessary.
5. Add chicken and peas, and simmer for an addition 5-7 minutes until the starch from the flour and potatoes has thickened the mixture to the consistency of a thick stew and about 1/2 cup of water has evaporated.

Tomatillo Sauce

If you have access to tomatillos, this simple enchilada sauce is a welcome alternative to the standard red sauce typically used for enchiladas. While you can adjust the heat with the addition of more peppers, this sauce is flavorful without being too spicy.

Ingredients

• 10 tomatillos
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium onion
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1 cup of cilantro
• 2 tsp of salt
• 2 tsp of oil
• 1/2 cup of broth or water*

Instructions

1. In a small pan, place tomatillos, garlic, onion, and jalapeño and drizzle them with salt and oil.
2. Roast at 400° F for 40 minutes, turning each item half way through to ensure even roasting.
3. When everything has roasted and become slightly soft, remove from the oven and transfer items to a blender, food processor, or container to blend with an immersion blender.
4. Process until smooth, adding cilantro, as well as broth or water to thin sauce out to desired consistency.

*If using water instead of broth, add additional salt to the sauce once it has been pureed.

 

 

 

Honey Oat Dinner Rolls

Igrendients

• ½ cup milk, warm
• 1/2 cup water, warm
• 2 tbs butter, melted
• 2 tbs honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 tsp yeast
• 2 1/4 – 3 1/4 cups flour
• 2 egg (1 for glaze)
• 1/4 cup of oats

Instructions

1. Combine the first six ingredients in a small bowl, mixing thoroughly until yeast is dissolved.
2. In a large bowl, place 2 1/4 cups flour. Making a well into the center of the flour, into which add the liquid ingredients and 1 egg.
3. Mix together and knead for several minutes, adding additional flour by the tbs until an elastic, but still slightly tacky dough has formed.
4. Allow dough to rise until doubled in bulk, then divide into fourteen equal portions, approximately 50 grams each.
5. Roll portions of dough into smooth balls, coat with beaten egg, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment, and sprinkle with oats.
6. Allow rolls to rise for an additional 30 minutes.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10-12 minutes, or until a golden brown.

Basil Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe has been borrowed from Sugar Dish Me and is a convenient way to use up extra basil in a delicious and unexpected way.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup finely chopped basil leaves
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a small sauce pan set to medium heat, simmer basil in heavy cream for 20-30 minutes, stirring constantly to insure the cream does not boil, and adding a few tsps of water if necessary, to prevent the mixture from burning, as most of the liquid will evaporate.
2. In a food processor, blend the basil-cream mixture, butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth.