Korean Soybean Sprouts Salad

By Grace Niwa, New Asian Cuisine

This is a very easy and simple side dish usually served as “banchan” at Korean restaurants. I like making it at home to accompany Korean bbq or just to eat on its own. You can usually find soybean sprouts at the Korean or Asian market. The nutty taste and the crunchy texture of the soybeans make it fun to eat plus it’s good for you!

Serves 4

1/2 lb or 1 bag of soybean sprouts (remove tail ends)
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon gochugaru (red pepper chili flakes)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
salt and pepper

1. Cook soybean sprouts in boiling salted water until the yellow heads of the soybeans are cooked. Drain.

2. Add crushed garlic and combine with soybean sprouts, gochugaru, sesame oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Mango Refrigerator Cake

Courtesy of Quick & Easy Asian Desserts

Serves 4–5
Preparation time: 40 mins
Chilling time: 4–5 hours

6 large ripe mangoes (about 61/2 lbs/3 kg)
Two and half packets (75 sticks) lady finger biscuits (61/2 oz/200 g per packet)
2 cups (500 ml) canned mango juice
Three x 8-oz (250-g) pack cream cheese
2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream
3 cups (375 g) confectioner’s (icing) sugar

1. Peel the mangoes and slice the flesh away from the pits, then slice the flesh thinly. Divide into three equal portions and set aside.

2. Divide the biscuits into 3 portions. Work with one portion at a time. Dip the biscuits, one at a time, into the mango juice. Arrange the biscuits in a 12 x 8 x 2 in (30 x 20 x 5 cm) baking pan, with the tops of the biscuits facing down.

3. Beat together the cream cheese and heavy cream in an electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is smooth. Divide the cream cheese mixture into three equal portions.

4. Spread 1 portion of the cream cheese mixture over the biscuits. Arrange one portion of the mango wedges over the cream cheese mixture.

5. Dip the second portion of biscuits, one at a time, in the mango juice and layer over the mangoes. Spread one portion of the cream cheese mixture on the biscuits and arrange one portion of the mangoes on top.

6. Dip the remaining biscuits in the mango juice, one at a time, and arrange on top of the mangoes. Spread the remaining cream cheese mixture on the biscuits. Arrange the remaining mango wedges on top. Chill for 4–5 hours, or until firm, before serving.

Lady finger biscuits are sweet, crumbly biscuits sold in packets in supermarkets. Graham crackers may be substituted if lady finger biscuits are not available. There are 27 sheets in each box (14 oz/408 g) of graham crackers. Each sheet can be broken down into 4 pieces. One other substitute for finger biscuits will be the “broas” sold at Filipino specialty stores.

Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing, a member of the Periplus Publishing Group.

Plum Sauce Chicken Wing Baked in a Flash

By Carol Selva Rajah, Malaysian Cooking: A Master Cook Reveals Her Best Recipes

This is an interactive recipe where you can have fun. If some of the sauces are unavailable, clean out your refrigerator and create your own sensual combination by adding a cocktail of sauces for fragrance and taste. The wings make a great finger food when served with a delicate dipping sauce. For a really fragrant alternative, tie strips of pandanus leaf around the chicken wings; the leaf will brown but the flavour remains.

makes: 20
preparation time: 20 mins
cooking time: 25 mins

20 chicken wings, mid-portion only
125 g (1 cup) rice flour or crushed corn flakes
1 pandanus leaf, torn lengthwise into long strips (optional)
Plum Sauce Marinade
2 tablespoons bottled sweet chilli sauce
4 tablespoons plum sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Tangy Lime Ginger Dip
Fresh juice of 2 limes
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek Chilli Paste or other sweet chilli paste
2 teaspoons ginger juice (pressed from grated fresh ginger)

Combine the Plum Sauce Marinade ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Add the chicken wings and mix until well coated. Allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).

Roll the marinated wings in the rice flour or corn flakes to coat on all sides, shaking off the excess flour or flakes. Tie a pandanus leaf strip around each coated wing (if using). Place the chicken wings on a large greased baking pan and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then turn over and bake for another 10 minutes until done. If preferred, grill the chicken wings on a preheated pan grill or under a broiler for 5–10 minutes on each side, checking often to make sure the chicken does not burn.

Combine the Tangy Lime Ginger Dip ingredients in a serving bowl and mix well. Arrange the baked chicken wings on a serving platter and serve with the dip on the side.

Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing, a member of the Periplus Publishing Group.

Daikon Radish Kimchi (Kkakdugi)

By Taekyung Chung & Debra Samuels, Co-Authors, The Korean Table

Makes approximately 4 cups (1.25 kg)

2 large daikon radishes with leaves (about 2 lbs/1.5 kg total)
2 tablespoons coarse salt
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup (125 ml) Kimchi Paste
4 green onions (scallions), cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) lengths
1/2 apple
Two 1-gallon (3.75-liter) plastic zippered bags

Remove the leaves from the daikon, rinse them and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces. Cut the daikon into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes.

Place the daikon and leaves in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt and sugar. Set aside, at room temperature, for 2 hours.

Drain the excess liquid from the daikon radish and leaves. Discard the liquid and thoroughly dry the bowl.

Return the daikon cubes and leaves to the bowl and add the Kimchi Paste. Put on a pair of rubber or disposable plastic gloves (to protect from skin irritation) on your hands and rub the Kimchi Paste into the cubes and leaves until thoroughly coated.

Add the green onion. Grate the apple directly into the bowl and mix well.

Divide the mixture into the 2 plastic bags, leaving the tops open. Carefully roll the vegetables forward pressing the air out of the bag, as you go. When you get to the top and the air has been released, zip the bag closed. Leave the bags at room temperature overnight.

On the next day transfer the daikon kimchi to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. It will last about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Cucumber Kimchi(Oi kimchi)

By Taekyung Chung & Debra Samuels, The Korean Table

Makes 8 logs

8 mini cucumbers
1 tablespoon sea salt

Filling
7 oz (200 g) daikon radish, cut into 2-in (5-cm) matchstick strips
1/4 onion, cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) matchstick strips
2 green onions (scallions), cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) matchstick strips
2 tablespoons Kimchi Paste

Lay the cucumber on its side and starting at the top make a vertical cut to within 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the bottom. Make a second vertical cut in the opposite direction from the first and follow to the same ending point. The cucumber will have 4 strips attached at the bottom. Repeat with remaining cucumbers.

Lay the cucumbers in the bottom of a bowl and sprinkle the salt on top and inside the flesh of the cucumber. Let sit for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Remove the cucumbers from the bowl and discard the liquid.

In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients for the filling. Mix well.

Divide the vegetable mixture into 8 portions. Lay a cucumber on a plate and stuff with one portion of the vegetables. Close the cucumber strips around the mixture.

Closely pack (stacking them is fine) the stuffed cucumbers in a plastic container, cover and store in the refrigerator. They will be ready to eat the next day and will keep for 3 days. To serve, cut the cucumbers in half and arrange in a shallow bowl.

Rice Soup with Chicken, Seafood and Mushroom (Chao Boi)

By Andrea Nguyen, Author, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors

Serves 8 to 10 as a starter, or 4 to 6 as a one- bowl meal

1 boneless skinless chicken breast (about 1/4 pound)
1 cup of long-grain white rice
3 quarts (12 cups) chicken stock
4 or 5 dried wood ear mushrooms, reconstituted, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and halved horizontally
1/3 cup of freshly picked or thawed crabmeat
1/4 cup small tapioca pearls (about 1/8 inch in diameter)
1/3 cup chopped scallion, white and green parts
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt

1. Fill a 5-quart saucepan half full with water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat and add the chicken breast. Remove from the heat and cover tightly. Let stand for 20 minutes. The chicken should be firm to the touch yet still yield a bit. Remove the chicken from the pan. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it by hand and set aside.

2. Return the water to a boil and add the rice. Parboil for 8 minutes, or wait until tender but still firm. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

3. In the same pan, bring the stock to a boil over high heat. Add the rice, chicken, and mushrooms, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the rice expands.

4. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes, or until fragrant and soft. Add the shrimp and sauté for about 2 minutes, until they curl into corkscrews. Add the crabmeat and stir to distribute. Remove from the heat and set aside.

5. To prevent the tapioca pearls from clumping on contact with the hot soup, put them into a sieve and rinse briefly under cold water. When the rice has expanded in the soup, add the tapioca pearls and cook for another 10 minutes. The opaque pearls will expand and become translucent. At that point, add the shrimp mixture, heat through, and adjust with salt, if necessary. Ladle into individual bowls or a large serving bowl and sprinkle with the scallion and cilantro.  Serve immediately.

Reprinted with permission from Into The Vietnamese Kitchen by Andrea Nguyen, copyright (c) 2006 Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. www.tenspeed.com

Sho-Zen Cocktail

By Paul Tanquay, Beverage Director, Sushi Samba

serves 1

2 ounces soju
1 ounce Zen green tea liqueur
½ ounce pineapple juice
½ ounce lime juice
2 shiso leaves
1 flat bar spoon sugar
1 slice star fruit for garnish

Muddle sugar and shiso. Add remaining ingredients. Shake. Serve in a rock glass with star fruit garnish.

Kimchi Hot Pot (Kimchi Chigae)

By Taekyung Chung & Debra Samuels, The Korean Table

Serves 4

4 pork ribs (about 1 lb/500 g total)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons garlic paste
1 1/2 cup (300 g) ready-made Chinese cabbage (Napa) kimchi, cut into 2-in (5-cm) pieces
2 1/2 cups (625 ml) Vegetable Stock or water
1 block (450 g) firm tofu, cut into 8 pieces
1 green onion (scallion), cut into 2-in (5-cm) pieces

With a sharp knife, make several cuts along the meaty side of the ribs. In a large pot, add the sesame oil and place over low heat. Add the ribs, garlic and kimchi and stir-fry for 10 minutes. Add the stock and tofu and simmer for 20 minutes. Sprinkle on the green onion. Serve in large soup bowls.