GardenFork – Eclectic DIY

Tag: Tony Limuaco

How to make Fried Rice: The Basics
Pork Fried Rice Topped with a Fried Egg

“Fried rice” is a misnomer, it’s actually pan-seared and you don’t use much of oil. I love fried rice for late breakfast, but there’s nothing worse than when it’s made either dry or too soppy. Here are a few tips for making the perfect fried rice. It all starts with a hot pan and left-overs.

It’s all about the rice. In our age of healthy eating, white rice still works best. Brown rice becomes very gummy and tends to stick and burn… and wild rice is not rice at all. Rice works best when it’s made the day before — sugars have settled near the surface of the grain and the moisture is evenly distributed. So if you have one of those take-out containers of rice from last night, keep it tightly sealed at room temperature and use it the next day.

There aren’t too many tricks to how to make fried rice. Here’s a simple recipe. Rice, as it sears, will shrink down so use a large flat pan. Don’t use a lot of oil, a non-stick pan is not a bad idea. All ingredients should be cooked separately then combined later. Vegetables and meat should be cut relatively to the same size for even cooking. Delicate things like scallion, chives, basil, or fresh peas are added last.

You’ll need:
- a large frying pan or a flat bottom wok
- a flat spatula
- a bowl for preparing the rice
- 1/4 cup peanut or canola oil
- 2 tsp of course salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 1/2 cups cooked rice (packed)
- 1/2 tsp white vinegar
- 1 egg
- 1/8 cup leek greens, or kale
- 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1/2 white onion, sliced thinly
- 1/4 cup diced left-over pork, or dark meat chicken
- 1 tbs ketchup
- 1/8 cup chopped scallions
Step 1: Place cooked rice in a bowl and add salt and garlic powder. Add vinegar then wet you hands. Run your hands through the rice to break up clumps. The vinegar keeps the rice from sticking.

Step 2: In a hot pan add a little oil. Scramble one egg. Put egg aside and slice it into small pieces. Add more oil to the pan if needed. Sear the left-over diced pork or chicken with ketchup then set aside. Now pan fry the all the vegetables except of the scallions, and set them aside.

Step 3: Rinse the pan. Make sure the pan is very hot before you add the remaining oil, then put the rice into the pan. With a flat spatula, press it into the pan — it should make a sizzling sound. Don’t stir it up yet, let is sear for two minutes then break it up and flatten it into the pan again. Repeat until the volume of rice has reduced to about 85% of it’s original size. Now, add meat and vegetables and stir it up. Be sure to taste and add more salt if it needed. Before your ready to serve, stir in the scrambled egg and chopped scallion and give it one last press into the pan. If you have cooked fresh peas, this is when you throw them in.

Keep it covered and warm until you’re ready to serve, no ones likes cold soggy fried rice. Top it with a fried egg, ham, or steamed vegetables like collards or kale. I prefer fried chicken myself.
February 6, 2011
Kimchi-licious! Make Your Own Kimchi
At $4 per half-pint container, I found I could conceivably go broke buying my favorite pickle from my local Korean food market — Kimchi, the spicy banchan (side dish) that is quintessential to every Korean table. There are many varieties of kimchi that are defined by season and region. Most people are familiar with Baechu Kimchi — Napa cabbage that’s been deeply fermented with ground Korean chili, garlic, and freshly grated ginger. Baek Kimchi (white kimchi) on the other hand is made without ground chili, but the chili is sliced into fine “hair.” This type of kimchi has a clean, mild flavor and crunchy texture. It can be made then served the following day.

The traditional method of making kimchi is not very practical for the urban kitchen. It can be an onerous and odorous task that your family and neighbors may not fully appreciate. A Korean friend told me that her parents have a second Kimichi refrigerator to avoid influencing other foods — the “Kim-cheese cake” was quite a surprise. With a little experimenting I came up with a solution that works for my tiny Brooklyn kitchen. Salt is an essential ingredient in this Asian pickling process. It conditions the cabbage, allowing it to absorb spices. Be sure to use non-iodized salt, it blackens the cabbage. Instead of the traditional salting process, I found that brining is more practical and less smelly. The spices on the other hand are very pungent. Korean chili is not as spicy as the South American variety. It’s mildly sweet and fragrant much like Hungarian paprika. Nuk mon (fermented fish sauce) is optional, but it serves as a catalyst to fermentation. It’s very potent, so buy a small bottle.

You’ll need:
- a large non-reactive pot (enough to hold 2 1/2 gallons of stuff)
- a mixing bowl
- a deep non-reactive storage containers with an air-tight lids (mason jars, Glad 48 oz containers, Tupperware, … etc.)
- brine (2 cups sea salt to 2 gallons of water)
- 1 large head of Napa cabbage
- 1/2 medium size white onion cut into thin strips
- 8 small scallion greens cut into 1 1/2″ strips
- Asian white radish cut into short, wide strips
Gochujang (Korean Chili Paste)
- 2 packed cups Korean chili (dried and powdered)
- 2 tbs sea salt
- 1 1/2 tbs unrefined sugar
- 1/4 cup minced garlic
- 1/4 cup grated ginger root
- 1 cup water
- optional: 2 tbs nuk mon (fish sauce)
Step 1: Slice the white radish into short wide strips and dust lightly with salt. Place strips in a colander and allow them to release liquid and drain for an hour. Make a brine in a large non-reactive pot. Cut cabbage into 2″ x 2″ squares, and place in brine. Now add the salted radish strips and weigh everything down with a heavy plate. The brine should cover everything completely. It should brine for at least 6 to 8 hours in the fridge, but brining for a day yields the best result.

Step 2: Make your own gochujang. Korean chili paste can be expensive, and you will need a lot of it, so make your own. In a mixing bowl, add all the spices and dry ingredients with water to make a chili paste. If you don’t have a ginger grater, slice ginger root into 1/2″ thick medallions and pulverize them with a mallet. Stir until the texture is consistently smooth and thick, adjust sugar or salt to taste.

Step 3: Drain the cabbage and radish and let it air-dry slightly for roughly an hour. Be sure to reserve the brine. The cabbage should feel a bit leathery. Mix cabbage, white radish, sliced onion, and scallions into the chili paste. Use your hands and be sure to coat everything thoroughly, wear rubber gloves if you need. Warning: If you must use the bathroom, do so before this step.

Step 4: Transfer everything into a deep air-tight container, cover and seal well and let it rest for a day at room temperature — this activates fermentation. Day two, add enough of the reserved brine to cover contents, mix well, tamp the bottom of the container to remove air bubbles. Seal tightly and store in the refrigerator. It should be ready to serve in 1 to 2 weeks, but for a deeper flavor let it ferment for about a month. When your kimchi is ready, you can re-package them in jars as gifts. Give it a shot and share with friends.

When kimchi is served at the table most of the liquid should be drained. A good Korean grocery store sells kimchi in grades of fermentation. The older kimchi is more acrid and pungent and is used as a soup base, or even a meat tenderizer. The younger grade of kimchi is suitable for the table. If you plan to make kimchi on a regular basis, save some of the old brine to use for the next batch. This will shorten the fermentation process.

Try other vegetables. You can make kimchi with leeks, fiddle head ferns, long cucumber strips, or watermelon rinds. Some vegetables such as green beans, whole garlic cloves, and Brussels sprouts must be blanched in boiling water first. You can also flavor your kimchi by adding other fragrant spices such as green pepper corns, smoked Hungarian paprika, perilla seed, or roasted black sesame seed.
February 5, 2011
Gnocchi Made with Yam Recipe

Gnocchi is an Italian dumpling made with wheat flour, egg, and potato (nocchio means “knot”). Although this hearty dumpling was a military staple during the early Roman Empire, the potato was introduced into European cuisine only since the 16th century. Making your own Gnocchi is a minor task but it’s absolutely worth all the effort. The real challenge is to create a dumpling that is light, firm, and velvety soft — not dense like NYPD grade rubber bullets. These instructions are guidelines as to how the dough should feel before and after cooking.

Gnocchi varies by region — with cheese, without egg, with breadcrumbs… etc. Shapes vary as well, they can be crenellated, rolled into small balls, or cut into pillows. In this recipe I use yam for a slightly sweet nutty flavor, a soft salmon color, and a silken texture. Yam, the sweet potato’s close cousin, has a higher sugar content by nature which makes it very starchy and sticky. This also makes it a bit challenging to work into a smooth dough. Gnocchi works best when made on a large cool surface like a stainless steel or marble counter — I have neither. But after much exploration I found a few steps that work for the small urban kitchen. You’ll need two large cutting boards and a clean space in the refrigerator. You’ll also be dusting with flour a lot. Would it kill you to wear an apron, Mr. Big Shot?

Yield: 6 servings

You’ll need:
1 medium size yam
2 medium size potatoes
1/2 a large carrot
2 tbsp sea salt
1 small egg, beaten
1 1/4 cup white flour
1/2 cup flour, for dusting

1 ricer
1 sharp knife
2 large plastic cutting board
2 medium size mixing bowl
1 rubber spatula
1 slotted spoon
1 stock pot with lid
1 colander
1 dinner fork (optional)

The mushroom sauce recipe is at the end of these instructions.

Add 1 tbsp of salt to a boiling stock pot of water. Peel yam, potatoes, and carrot then cut them into slices of equal size. Peeling before boiling removes some of the starch. Lower heat, add everything to the boiling water, and cover. When you can push a fork easily through the thicker pieces, remove contents to a colander to cool and drain. Carrots will take longer, they should be absolutely “smooshy” when they’re ready. After everything has cooled, remove any bruised or blemished parts. Reserve the water, you’ll use it to boil these dumplings — then later make a quick mushroom sauce.

YOU DON’T OWN A RICER?
A ricer makes the perfect texture for this type of dough. I think it’s a must-have tool in the kitchen. It extrudes dense tubers into a light, smooth starch while removing any extra fiber. Don’t skimp, go out and buy a good one. Rice yam, carrot, and potato slices in alternate layers into a mixing bowl. Discard any fiber that remains in the ricer. The texture should be a little dry and airy.

DOH!
The trick is to not overwork the dough — it’s a common mistake that makes it hard and rubbery. Mixing aside, this dough is kneaded only once. Add 1 tbsp salt, a beaten egg, and half the amount of flour to the bowl. Mix it with a rubber spatula from the bottom back to the top. Dust with the remaining flour in small amounts and mix until the dough takes on an even salmon color, and it no longer sticks to the bowl. Feel the dough, it should be very soft and smooth and it should not stick to your hands. Flour your hands and knead the dough for two minutes. If you need more flour don’t use more than a 1/4 cup — there’s more flouring ahead.

Plunk the dough onto a lightly floured cutting board to flatten it out. Do not knead. Dust it with flour and cut it into four pieces. It’s easier to work with smaller portions. Place each piece into small well-floured containers and place them and the cutting board in the fridge for 20 minutes. Check your email, text a friend, get your cat to talk, fold laundry… etc.

PILLOW TALK
Take one portion of dough and the cutting board from the fridge. Lightly flour the board and roll the dough into a ball. Flour the top of the ball and flatten it with the palm of your hand to a depth of 1″. With the broad side of a knife, form the dough into a square by pushing the sides in. Cut 1″ wide strips and roll them into long cords that are about 5/8″ in diameter. Be sure to roll from the center of the cord out. Cut the cord into 3/4″ pillows and dust them lightly with flour. Place them on a freshly floured cutting board and let them rest in the fridge for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile back at the range, bring the water back to a boil.

FORKIN’ AROUND
Here are some instructions for crenellating your Gnocchi with a fork. I prefer this type of treatment, it holds more sauce and it makes a better presentation. Make sure your hands are absolutely dry, flour your fingers.

Step one: Rest a dinner fork, face-up, at a slight angle on the board (about 10°).

Step two: Place a pillow of dough at the top of the tines and with your thumb make an indent into the dough while dragging your thumb to the end of the fork. The dough should curl away from the fork.

Step three: With your other fingers roll the dough into itself so that the crenellated side faces out. Set it aside on floured board and make more.

If the dough sticks clean the fork with a paper towel and dust it in flour. Place them on a freshly floured board and let them rest in the fridge for another 10 minutes (uncovered). Was that really so hard? Give it a shot.

BOILING MAD
You’ll need two mixing bowls — one with plain tap water and another with ice water. These two baths stop the Gnocchi from cooking further. Gnocchi will collapse into mush if it’s overcooked. Carefully place Gnocchi into the boiling water, 10 or 15 at a time. When the they rise to the top wait for another 15 seconds. Transfer them to a bowl of tap water with slotted spoon. When they sink to the bottom transfer them into the ice-water bath. Repeat. When everything has been boiled and cooled, drain everything into a colander.

Taste a few but resist from eating everything. They should be firm, light, and slightly sweet. Now you can store the Gnocchi away in the fridge for another night, or sauce them up and eat them right away. You can use a basic red sauce, sauté them in butter and garlic, or make a quick mushroom sauce.

GET SAUCY
Wait! Don’t throw out that pasta water! Reserve 1 cup to make this mushroom sauce.

You’ll need:
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
6 large cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of pasta water from the stock pot
fresh parsley
Parmesan cheese
1 sauce pan with a lid

In a non-stick sauce pan heat up olive oil and butter, add mushroom slices and salt, cover and reduce heat. When mushrooms release a little liquid, stir in garlic and shallots. When shallots have clarified add spices and pasta water. When liquid reduces by one-third add the Gnocchi into the pan, salt and pepper to taste. Let the Gnocchi sit in the sauce until they are properly heated. Carefully transfer to a bowl and top with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Impress your spouse. Take a photo and brag to your FaceBook friends. Eat ’em up and enjoy.

October 18, 2010
Chili Corn Chowder with Fennel: A Blender Soup Recipe

Warm up a cold rainy day with a hot bowl of Chili Corn Chowder with Fennel. Corn and chili are classic South Western companions, fennel ads a slight sweet anisette flavor and a rich body to this soup. I made this with the last of the summer’s fresh sweet corn, but frozen corn works just fine. Corn, like green beans, improves in flavor after freezing. It’s an easy soup to make, but you’ll need a blender. Turmeric (aka, “curcumin”) is a spice powder made from a dried South Asian root, it’s the prime ingredient in commercial curry powder. It also adds a warm yellow color to food. Tumeric touts some wellness claims such anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, … yadda, yadda, yadda, let’s get cooking.

Yield: 6 servings

You’ll Need:
1 good blender with puree setting
1 stock pot with lid
1 skillet

4 ears of sweet corn (3 cups)
Half of fennel bulb, shopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 cups chicken broth
1 pint Half & Half, or milk
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup first-press olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp powdered chili
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp dried thyme
scallions, minced
bacon (optional)

If you’re lucky enough to get sweet ears of corn, first the cut kernels from the cob. With a sharp knife hold an ear of corn diagonally on a cutting board. Slice one side with the knife going “away” from you (otherwise keep 911 on auto-dial). Turn corn and repeat until all kernels are cut. Be sure not to cut too deep into the cob, you just want the kernels.

In a stock pot bring stock to a boil. Add corn, sugar, and onion powder. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. If you’re using frozen corn, simmer for 5, but makes sure it’s thawed out completely before adding to the boiling stock. Meanwhile, in a hot skillet (cast iron preferred) melt 3 tbsp of butter. Throw in chopped onion, fennel, garlic, and salt. Cook until fennel and onion have clarified (4 minutes). Add everything from the skillet into the stock pot and simmer for another 10 minutes.

So why cast iron? I find it heats up much more quickly and evenly than other types of pans. Care is simpler than non-stick pans, and when it has been properly seasoned it is virtually non-stick. It is also a good nutritional source of iron in your diet. Mostly of all it looks really cool in a photo.

And now for the blender — this thing is so handy, I should have two. Don’t be a hero, let the stock pot cool a bit and carefully pour 80% of the contents it into the blender (otherwise keep 911 on auto-dial). Puree until everything has a smooth consistent texture. It works best if you blend in smaller batches. Returns the blended soup into same stockpot heat up Half & Half (or milk), then add remaining butter, olive oil, thyme, chili, and turmeric. Turmeric adds a warm color and deep flavor to the soup. Now add the blended corn to the stock pot and heat for 5 more minutes. Done. Serve it in a deep bowl, top with minced scallions or crumbled bacon, grab a spoon, kick back and turn on the Netflix.

October 4, 2010
Creamy Potato Leek Soup: A Blender Soup Recipe

Served hot or cold, Creamed Potato and Leek Soup is the perfect fall meal.

The growing season has come to an end here on the East Coast. One of my favorite harvest meals is potato and leek soup made with heavy cream — a very humble yet satisfying meal. This soup is perfect for fall’s fickle weather. The soup base can be kept in the fridge for up to a week and then served as a hot hearty meal, or served as refreshing, chilled Vichyssoise (pronounced vee-shee-swaz). Despite its French trappings, Julia Child called Vichyssoise “an American creation,” invented by Louis Diat, a French chef who worked at the Ritz-Carlton (c. 1917)

Leeks are mild-mannered cousin of the onion, they tend to be gritty since they grow in sandy soil. They require much washing before cooking. They have a very mild onion flavor and a subtle sweetness. Give it a shot, it’s not that hard to make and you probably have everything in your kitchen, but you will need a blender.

You’ll need:
1 medium size stock pot with lid
a blender
1 large bowl for rinsing leeks, or a salad spinner
1 large colander

4 large leeks, sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 large cloves of garlic
3 medium Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbl sea salt
1 tbl sugar, or honey
heavy cream

WASH LEEKS
No one likes sand in their soup. Here are some instruction on cleaning and washing leeks. Discard the roots and any part of the leeks that are too fibrous and stringy, usually it’s just the top outer portion of the “greens.” With a sharp knife cut leeks into rings that are about 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick and put them into a large bowl (or pot) of water with a 1/4 cup of vinegar. Break up the rings with your hands and rub the leeks vigorously. Vinegar is the key, when the pH factor is adjusted dirt and grit are attracted to the water, as the leeks float to the top dirt settles at the bottom. It also gets rid of any unwanted garden visitors. Rinse under tap, drain in a colander and repeat until all grit it removed. If you have one, a salad spinner is real time saver. So… why don’t you have one yet?

MAKE THE SOUP BASE
In a large stock pot melt butter, then add roughly chopped onion and salt. When the onions have clarified add the cleaned leeks, garlic, and olive oil. Cover and reduce heat to medium and sweat everything for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add peeled potatoes and sugar then reduce heat. Make sure the potatoes are cut into smaller pieces of even size. Return cover and simmer until potatoes are fork friendly (40 minutes or so) then set aside to cool. Next, dust off that blender — ladle soup into the blender and puree. There you have it, the soup base. You can store this away in the fridge for up to a week, but don’t freeze it. For a vegetarian version use mushroom or vegetable bullion.

SERVE IT UP HOT
In a smaller pot heat up a cup of milk, add about three cups of the soup base and little cream (4 tbl). Salt and pepper to taste. Optional: Top soup with more heavy cream before serving. This goes well with a toasted crusty bread.

SERVE IT UP COLD
On one of those weird hot fall afternoons, serve up some Vichyssoise. Add cold milk and cream to the soup base and mix it well. The only thing that can make this better is light topping of crumbled bacon or fried onions.

September 10, 2010