Japchae

From Maangchi

Ingredients:
4 ounces beef, filet mignon (or pork shoulder), cut into ¼ inch wide and 2½ inch long strips
2 large dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 2 to 3 hours, cut into thin strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 large egg
4 ounces spinach, washed and drained
4 ounces of dangmyeon (sweet potato starch noodles)
2 to 3 green onions, cut crosswise into 2 inch long pieces
1 medium onion (1 cup), sliced thinly
4 to 5 white mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 medium carrot (¾ cup), cut into matchsticks
½ red bell pepper, cut into thin strips (optional)
ground black pepper
kosher salt
vegetable oil

Directions:

Marinate the beef and mushrooms

1. Put the beef and shiitake mushrooms into a bowl and mix with 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil with a wooden spoon or by hand. Cover and keep it in the fridge.

Make the egg garnish (jidan):

1. Crack the egg and separate the egg yolk from the egg white. Remove the white stringy stuff (chalaza) from the yolk. Beat in a pinch of salt with a fork.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil to a heated nonstick pan. Swirl the oil around so it covers the pan, and then wipe off the excess heated oil with a kitchen towel so only a thin layer remains on the pan.
3. To keep the jidan as yellow as possible, turn off the heat and pour the egg yolk mixture into the pan. Tilt it around so the mixture spreads thinly. Let it cook using the remaining heat in the pan for about 1 minute. Flip it over and let it sit on the pan for 1 more minute.
4. Let it cool and slice it into thin strips.

Prepare the noodles and vegetables:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and blanch for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then take it out with a slotted spoon or strainer. Let the water keep boiling to cook the noodles.
2. Rinse the spinach in cold water to stop it from cooking. Squeeze it with your hands to remove any excess water. Cut it a few times and put it into a bowl. Mix with 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil. Put it into a large mixing bowl.
3. Put the noodles into the boiling water, cover and cook for 1 minute. Stir them with a wooden spoon so they don’t stick together. Cover and keep cooking for another 7 minutes until the noodles are soft and chewy.
4. Strain and cut them a few times with kitchen scissors. Put the noodles into the large bowl next to the spinach. Add 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Mix well by hand or a wooden spoon. This process will season the noodles and also keep the noodles from sticking to each other.
5. Heat up a skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil with the onion, the green onion, and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry about 2 minutes until the onion looks a little translucent. Transfer to the noodle bowl.
6. Heat up the skillet again and add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. Add the white mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until softened and a little juicy. Transfer to the noodle bowl.
7. Heat up the skillet and add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Add the carrot and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Add the red bell pepper strips and stir-fry another 20 seconds. Transfer to the noodle bowl.
8. Heat up the skillet and add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. Add the beef and mushroom mixture and stir fry for a few minutes until the beef is no longer pink and the mushrooms are softened and shiny. Transfer to the noodle bowl.

Mix and serve:

1. Add 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil to the mixing bowl full of ingredients. Mix all together by hand.
2. Add the egg garnish and 1 tablespoon sesame seeds. Mix it and transfer it to a large plate and serve.

Steamed Chinese Eggplant

Adapted from The Woks of Life

Notes: I bought 4 eggplants and it took 2 batches to steam it all. When steaming multiple batches, don't let the eggplant sit out of the vinegar solution for too long because otherwise it will not stay purple after steaming. I modified the black vinegar to soy sauce ratio, where I like more black vinegar than soy sauce (~1.5-2:1 ratio?); adjust sauce ingredient amounts as necessary.

Ingredients:
1 pound Japanese or Chinese eggplant (450g, about 3 eggplants), cut into approximately 0.5x0.5x2in strips
1/4 cup white vinegar
1.5 Tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
1 Tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2-1 teaspoon sugar
1/2-1 Tablespoon Lao Gan Ma chili sauce

Directions:

1. Fill a large container with about 2 quarts (8 cups) of water and 1/4 cup white vinegar. Soak the eggplant in the vinegar water for 3 minutes. Then remove the eggplant and squeeze as much liquid out as possible. Arrange them on a heat-proof rimmed dish.
2. Place a steamer rack in the center of a wok. Add enough boiled water so that it just barely covers the entire steamer rack.
3. Carefully lower eggplant dish into the steamer. Cover and turn the heat on high. Steam the eggplant for 8-10 minutes.
4. Now make the sauce by combining the Chinese black vinegar, light soy sauce, sugar, and chili sauce.
5. Remove the eggplant from the steamer (no need to pour out the liquid in the dish), and evenly pour the sauce over the eggplant. Serve hot.

Kit's Steamed Spare Ribs with Black Beans (豉汁蒸排骨)

From Kit; Adapted from Made with Lau

Notes: I made this with 4 lbs of spare ribs and it took 4 batches of steaming.

Ingredients:
Main Ingredients

• 1 lb pork spare ribs (cut across the bone by the butcher)
• 1 Tbsp dried fermented black bean (Brand: Yang Jiang Preserved Black Beans With Ginger)
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch (for rinsing ribs)
• 3-4 cups boiling water

Marinade (see steps below)

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, minced
• 2 pieces green onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch (for marinade)

Directions:

1. Wash and rehydrate black beans
   Place our fermented black beans (1 tbsp) in a bowl, and rinse them under running water for 15-20 seconds. Gently massage the beans as you do this. Drain the water, and set the bowl aside to let the beans rehydrate.
2. Cut spare ribs
   Cut the spare ribs (1 lb) between the bones into small pieces (about 1 to 1.5 inches), and place them into a bowl.
3. Rinse and dry ribs
   Add cornstarch (1 Tbsp) to the ribs, and massage the ribs around to evenly mix the cornstarch around the surface of each rib. The cornstarch helps bind to the myoglobin and juices that we're looking to cleanse out. Rinse the ribs in running water for 1 to 2 minutes, massaging the ribs as you go. Pour out all of the water, and squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the ribs before placing the ribs in a new bowl.
4. Marinate ribs
   Prepare the marinade by mixing salt, sugar, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic, and ginger in a separate bowl. Add marinade to the ribs, and mix and massage the bowl of ribs for 45-60 seconds to distribute all of the flavors. Squish the black bean with your fingers, then add the black beans to the ribs and mix / massage the ribs for 20-30 seconds. Add the sesame oil and cornstarch (2 Tbsp; or until liquid is gone), and mix/massage the ribs around for another 60 seconds to evenly coat each rib with cornstarch. Massaging the ribs, i.e. applying a little bit of pressure, helps the meat absorb the flavors and tenderizes the meat a bit. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge to marinate for 6 hours to overnight.
5. Prepare to steam ribs
   Place a steamer rack in the center of a wok. Add enough boiled water so that it just barely covers the entire steamer rack. Transfer the ribs into the plate you'll be steaming with, being careful not to let any ribs be covered by one another.
6. Cover wok & steam
   Carefully place the plate of ribs on top of the steamer rack. Double check to make sure that there's a little bit of water touching the bottom surface of the plate. Cover the wok, set the stove to its highest heat setting, and steam the spare ribs for 25 minutes.
7. Garnish & enjoy!
   After 25 minutes, turn the heat off, uncover the wok, garnish with the green onions, and carefully remove the plate from the wok. Enjoy!