Even before I open my eyes in the morning, when senses are at their dullest, the first thing I’ve been noticing lately is the pungency of ramps. I’m not sure whether it’s my breath, clothes, or skin pores, but I’m guessing that pouring a boiling red pepper broth over wild leeks is enough to trump Febreze freshness.

Did it sound like I was complaining? I’d pickle a truckload of ramps in this way if I could. The smell isn’t anything that Axe and Listerine can’t fix anyway.

The sweet, sour, and spicy pickling brine retains the crispness of the ramps from leaves to bulb. Most of the heat comes from shichimi togarashi, an aromatic Japanese seasoning comprised of seven ingredients. The particular blend I used, one of many variations, had orange peel, black and white sesame seeds, red peppers, sansho (better known as Sichuan peppercorns), ginger, and seaweed.

As fiery as the Korean crushed red pepper (gochugaru) looks, it’s actually rather sweet. It gives the pickling brine a menacing kimchi-red hue even if it barely adds any heat. Any of the milder ground red peppers, such as unsmoked Spanish paprika, will do in a pinch.

recipe adapted from David Chang
Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Mele Cotte

David Chang’s Pickled Ramps
with Japanese and Korean Seasonings

A 9 x 13-inch baking dish is not the best container to use. I had to double the pickling brine.

Ingredients:

1 pound ramps, trimmed and cleaned

For the Pickling Brine:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon Japanese seven spice (shichimi togarashi)
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons Korean crushed red pepper (gochugaru)

What’s that smell?

Directions:

1. Place the trimmed and cleaned ramps in a large nonreactive container (such as stainless steel or glass).
2. Combine all the pickling brine ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Immediately pour over the ramps.
3. Let the ramps and pickling brine cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate at least overnight before serving.

Tsukemono or kimchi?

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Pickled Ramps, Japanese and Korean Flavors

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1. Sautéed Ramps in Guanciale
2. Gamja Jeon – Korean Potato Pancakes
3. Hobakjuk – Korean Pumpkin Porridge
4. Asparagus the Japanese Way
5. Gyung Dan – Korean Sweet Rice Balls
6. Japanese Vinegared Cucumber

Realizing that I’ve been using the oven almost exclusively lately, turning to other kitchen appliances seems to be in order. I hear that stove tops get heavy use in other kitchens so I’m dusting off the skillets and cooking with (gasp) fire instead of hot air.

Gamja jeon are savory skillet-crisped pancakes made with grated potatoes. In this version, diced peppers and pyogo (shiitake) mushrooms are added to the potato batter for added flavor and texture. A vinegar soy sauce dip, cho ganjang, is typically served with the lightly seasoned pancakes.

recipe adapted from Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall’s Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen
A Worldly Epicurean’s Delight: Korean hosted by PJ

감자전 – Gamja Jeon
Korean Potato Pancakes

makes 4 to 6 servings, about 12 to 16 pancakes

Ingredients:

1 egg
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1 hot red Korean pepper OR 1/4 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 hot green Korean pepper OR 1/4 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
4 pyogo (shiitake) mushrooms, finely diced
2 scallions, white and pale green parts only, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
pinch of salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Crack the egg into a large bowl and beat lightly. Add the cornstarch and mix until thick and smooth.
2. Add the red and green peppers, mushrooms, scallions, and garlic and mix well.
3. Using a box grater or food processor, grate the peeled potatoes. Add the grated potatoes to the peppers and mushrooms. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold together all of the ingredients only until evenly distributed.
   
4. In a cast iron or nonstick skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat just until a wisp of smoke appears.
5. Use a spoon to drop mounds of batter on the skillet, about four at a time. Gently flatten each mound into rounds about 3 to 4 inches wide. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter and oil.
6. Serve the potato pancakes as a side dish or appetizer with a bowl of cho ganjang (vinegar soy sauce dip, recipe follows) .

초간장 – Cho Ganjang
Vinegar Soy Sauce Dip

makes 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cheongju (Korean rice wine) OR vermouth
2 tablespoons rice vinegar OR apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
a pinch of salt

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped pine nuts OR toasted sesame seeds
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Mix together the soy sauce, wine, vinegar, sesame oil, lemon juice, and salt.
2. Add the pine nuts or sesame seeds and ground black pepper just before serving. Store leftover sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Gamja Jeon – Korean Potato Pancakes

Similar Posts:

1. Pickled Ramps, Japanese and Korean Flavors
2. Potato and Orange Salad – Ensalada Valenciana
3. Gyung Dan – Korean Sweet Rice Balls
4. Hobakjuk – Korean Pumpkin Porridge
5. Rosemary Potato Bread
6. Thai Wild Mushroom Salad

Green tea and red rice add more than color and an East Asian twist to this soft bread loaf. Lightly enriched with sugar, butter, and an egg yolk, the subtle tastes of both ingredients pull through along with their many nutritional benefits.

The health benefits of green tea are well-documented, but red rice may be a bit unusual depending on your location. It is mainly used as a natural coloring agent in Chinese cuisine and as a dietary supplement known to control cholesterol. I consider this bread a tasty way to recover from sugar and chocolate eating sprees.

I meant to join Boaz’s Bread Baking Day for colorful breads but it got buried under a ton of unfinished posts. All three of them. I’m blaming all that sugar I’ve been having lately.

recipe adapted from Youko Yamane (in Japanese)
Yeastspotting at Wild Yeast Blog

Green Tea and Red Rice Swirl Bread

makes one 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf

Dough Formula:

Ingredients                  Volume          Ounces          Grams
all-purpose or bread flour    2 1/3 cups         10.6          300
instant yeast                 1 1/2 tsp            .2            5
granulated sugar                  2 tbsp + 1 tsp  1.1           30
kosher salt                       1 tsp            .1            4
egg yolk                          1                .7           20
water, lukewarm                 2/3 cup           5.6          160
unsalted butter, melted           2 tbsp           .8           24

For the Green Tea and Red Rice Pastes:

1 tablespoon powdered or finely ground green tea leaves + 2 teaspoons hot water
1 tablespoon ground red rice + 2 teaspoons hot water

Instructions:

Mix             Mix all of the ingredients except the green tea and
                red rice pastes until a shaggy ball of dough is formed.

Knead           5 to 6 minutes

Divide          2 pieces

Knead           Smear the green tea and red rice paste to each of the
                two pieces of dough. Continue kneading each piece of
                dough separately until a smooth and pliable ball of
                dough is formed and the pastes are thoroughly
                incorporated, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Bulk Ferment    1 hour at room temperature

Shape           Stretch each piece of dough into a rectangular shape
                and place one on top of the other. Roll tightly
                beginning from the short edge of the rectangle, as
                illustrated in this recipe for Frisian sugar bread.

Preheat Oven    350ºF/175ºC

Final Proof     60 to 90 minutes at room temperature, or until
                almost doubled in size

Bake            Bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 350ºF/175ºC, rotating the
                loaf halfway through baking if necessary.

Cool            At least 30 minutes

Green tea and red rice swirl bread crust.

You are relaxed. You are getting very relaxed.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Green Tea and Red Rice Swirl Bread

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5. Anadama Bread
6. Five-Grain Walnut Bread

White-cut chicken is a traditional Chinese preparation that calls for poaching, cutting on the bone, chilling, and serving with a flavorful dipping sauce. Chicken doesn’t have to be fried, crisp, or golden brown to be delicious. When it comes to Chinese dishes, “traditional” usually implies “old as hell” and “bajillions served,” so they must be eating something right. If you’re still not convinced after trying this recipe (highly unlikely), here’s another example of pale but tasty steamed chicken.

recipe adapted from Eileen Yin-fei Lo’s The Chinese Kitchen and The Chinese Chicken Cookbook

白切雞 (Bai Qie Ji)
White Cut Chicken
With Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce

makes 4 to 6 servings

3 1/2-pound chicken
1/4 cup kosher salt

For the Poaching Liquid:

10 cups water
6 scallions, trimmed and cut in thirds
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, smashed (optional)
1/2 cup fresh coriander / cilantro, stalks cut in half (optional)
1/4 cup Chinese white rice wine (optional)

For the Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons chicken stock or reserved poaching liquid
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions, white parts only
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar

Equipment:

• A heavy pot, preferably a dutch oven

Notes:

• This recipe is based on two versions from the same author. The list of optional ingredients is the difference between the two.
• Also try this ginger-scallion dipping sauce recipe.

To Wash the Chicken:

1. Wash the chicken under cold running water. Remove any excess fat and rub with about 1/4 cup of kosher salt. Rinse again under cold running water and drain.

To Poach the Chicken:

1. In a heavy pot or dutch oven, add all of the poaching liquid ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes.
2. Place the chicken in the pot and add just enough water to cover the chicken. Return to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook while covered for about 30 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and let the chicken cool to room temperature in the poaching liquid.
4. Remove the chicken from the pot, drain well, and cut into bite-sized pieces. The chicken can also be chilled — refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving. Reserve at least 2 tablespoons of the poaching liquid for the ginger-soy dipping sauce if chicken stock isn’t available.

To Serve:

Mix all of the ginger-soy dipping sauce ingredients and spoon into individual small dishes. Serve the sliced chicken slightly chilled or at room temperature.

Links about Chinese White Cut Chicken:

• Kits Chow
• Sunday Nite Dinner

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Chinese White Cut Chicken

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Do you try and remember the first things you learned to cook? My memory is a bit hazy, but here’s my list so far:

• Rice, because some Filipino kids are forced to cook as soon as they can lift a pot.
• Eggs, sunny-side up.
• Hot dogs, cut with a butter knife to resemble octopi.

And of course, this crab and corn soup. From a packet, mind you, in its full natural and artificial flavoring glory. In case you were wondering, the neon-red crab product highlighted on the packaging falls under the synthetic category. It could’ve been anything from fish-flavored bathmat bits to dessicated denture adhesive and I wouldn’t have cared. Stirring with a blackened wooden spoon in one hand and an egg in the other,  I felt like a rockstar grade-schooler while preparing instant soup.

I had almost forgotten about this soup so I was glad to find this recipe in my favorite Chinese cookbook. It eschews the cornstarch to keep it light, and more importantly, it’s all natural, as long as you stay away from krab.

recipe adapted from Eileen Yin-fei Lo’s The Chinese Kitchen

Chinese Crab and Corn Soup

makes 6 to 8 servings

4 cups (about 1 1/4 pounds) corn kernels, fresh or frozen
6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1/4 pound crabmeat
5 large egg whites or 3 whole eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

Equipment:

• A blender
• A heavy pot

Notes:

• Change the amount of corn that is pureed with the chicken stock to get the desired consistency. I used about a quarter of the corn kernels for a thinner soup.

Instructions:

1. Place about half of the corn kernels and 1 cup of the stock in a blender. Pulse to a coarse puree.
2. In a heavy pot, heat the remaining 5 cups of chicken stock with the grated ginger, ground pepper, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Add the whole corn kernels and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Increase the heat to high and immediately add the pureed corn. Bring to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes while stirring.
5. Add the crabmeat and return to a boil.
6. Pour a thin stream of beaten egg in a spiral pattern over the soup and stir well. Turn off the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

To Serve:

Sprinkle with the sliced scallions and serve immediately.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Chinese Crab and Corn Soup

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Since the Japanese have high life expectancy, it follows that this braised pork belly recipe is health food, doesn’t it? Green vegetables are also involved and a hefty portion of the fat is melted away through slow cooking, so the corollary holds true so far.

A few glasses of Japanese green tea or red wine can help negate the unsavory effects of rich foods anyway, so there’s absolutely no reason to worry. Right?

pork belly braising instructions adapted from Tom Colicchio’s Think Like A Chef
adapted from the Nagasaki-Style Braised Pork recipe in Shizuo Tsuji’s Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art

Pork Belly Braised in Soy and Dashi
Served with Simmered Snow Peas and Pearl Onions

makes 4 servings

Snow peas and pearl onions.

For the Braised Pork Belly:

2 pounds skin-on pork belly, preferably including the ribs, cut into 4 square pieces
kosher salt
vegetable oil

3 1/2 cups dashi
1 cup sake
2 tablespoons mirin
6 tablespoons dark or regular soy sauce
6 tablespoons sugar
6-inch knob of ginger, peeled and crushed

For the Simmered Vegetables:

a handful of pearl onions, peeled
a handful of snow peas, trimmed

1 1/4 cups dashi
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons light or regular soy sauce

For Serving:

2 tablespoons Japanese or Dijon mustard

Notes:

• If using bone-in pork belly, have your butcher cut the pork belly into square serving pieces, unless you like wielding huge meat cleavers.
• Use instant dashi granules, also known as dashi-no-moto or hon-dashi, for convenience. It takes about 1 teaspoon of instant dashi for every 3 cups of water.

To Braise the Pork Belly:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 177ºC. Pat the pork belly dry with paper towels and season lightly with kosher salt.
2. In a large container, mix together the dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a heavy ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Brown the pork belly pieces, skin side down, until well-browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the pork belly pieces from the skillet.
4. Add half of the dashi-soy mixture to the skillet. Stir and scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon or spatula.
5. Return the pork belly pieces to the skillet, skin side up. Add the necessary amount of the leftover dashi-soy mixture to immerse about two-thirds of the pork belly. Add the peeled and crushed ginger.
6. Bring to a boil over high heat. Place the skillet in the 350ºF / 177ºC oven and braise while uncovered for about 2 hours.
7. Allow the pork belly to cool in the braising liquid. Alternatively, you can also cool the pork belly to room temperature and refrigerate overnight.

How to give the impression that you know what you’re doing: use an old cast-iron skillet.

To Serve:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF / 205ºC.
2. Using a small knife, remove the skin by lifting it gently from the layers of fat underneath. Score the fat with a cross-hatch pattern and transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook until the pork is heated through and the fat is browned, about 20 minutes.
3. While the pork belly is in the oven, simmer the vegetables.

Scored fat on the braised pork belly.

To Simmer the Vegetables:

1. Mix together the dashi, mirin, and soy sauce for simmering the vegetables.
2. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
3. Parboil the snow peas in the lightly salted water for about 2 to 3 minutes. Wash the snow peas with cold water to stop the cooking.
4. Parboil the pearl onions in the lightly salted water until slightly translucent. Wash the pearl onions with cold water to stop the cooking.
5. Discard the lightly salted water and replace with the dashi, mirin, and soy sauce mixture. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.
6. Simmer the snow peas and pearl onions until heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Discard the simmering liquid.

Place the snow peas and pearl onions in a shallow bowl. Place the heated pork belly on top with a few tablespoons of the braising liquid. The braising liquid will be strongly flavored — a little goes a long way.

Serve with a dab of Japanese or Dijon mustard.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Pork Belly Recipe – Braised in Soy and Dashi

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5. Baby-Back Pork Ribs Adobo
6. Feed a Crowd: Red Cooked Pork Shoulder

This version of hobakjuk, a Korean porridge made with pumpkins or squashes, is all about texture. Velvety pumpkin puree is mixed with tender azuki beans, chewy sweet rice balls, and crunchy pine nuts. And because everyone knows that pumpkins and spices go hand-in-hand, a light dusting of ground cinnamon ties everything together.

I’m just a bit confused whether hobakjuk should be served as a dessert or as a savory soup. At first glance, it seems like a dessert because it is lightly sweetened. The author then suggests serving the porridge with canisters of salt and pepper, tilting the porridge back to the middle of the sweet-savory scale.

In any case, you don’t have to be Korean to like hobakjuk. Unlike kimchi, this pumpkin porridge will seem instantly familiar even to the most unadventurous of palates. It may necessitate a visit to an Asian grocery store, risking life and limb because the possibility of slipping on errant grains of rice on aisle 7 exists, but try this recipe while pumpkins are in season and you’ll end up saving the pie for later. Much later.

recipe adapted from Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall’s Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen
A Worldly Epicurean’s Delight: Korean hosted by PJ

호박죽 (Hobakjuk)
Korean Pumpkin / Winter Squash Porridge

makes 4 to 5 servings

Roasted pumpkin halves.

1/2 cup dried azuki / red beans
1 pumpkin, about 2 to 3 pounds, about the size of a cantaloupe
3/4 cups granulated sugar or honey
2 tablespoons sweet rice flour
16 sweet rice balls
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon pine nuts
salt and pepper, to taste (optional)

Notes:

• Use any winter squash varietal in place of the pumpkin. You can’t go wrong with butternut squash, so watch Maangchi make it with a pink wig.
• The original recipe calls for boiling the pumpkin but I prefer oven-roasting — the dry heat will give the pumpkin a much deeper flavor.
• Sweet rice flour is also known as glutinous rice flour or mochiko.
• Not recommended, but substitute 2 to 3 cups of canned pumpkin puree if you’re feeling lazy.

To Cook the Azuki / Red Beans:

Add the azuki beans to a pot filled with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Strain the beans and discard the boiling liquid. Return the beans to the pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

Cook the azuki beans for about 45 minutes, or until tender. The beans should still be firm but thoroughly cooked.

To Roast the Pumpkin:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Roast the pumpkin halves for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until tender.

To Cook the Pumpkin Porridge:

Scoop out the roasted pumpkin and mash with a fork. Dissolve the sweet rice flour in about 1/2 cup of water. In a medium saucepan, mix together the roasted pumpkin flesh and sweet rice flour mixture. Stir frequently over low heat for about 15 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Adjust the pumpkin porridge to the desired consistency by adding water or reducing over low heat.

Too thick? Too thin? Just right?

To Serve:

Serve warm in shallow bowls. Top with sweet rice balls, cooked azuki beans, pine nuts, and ground cinnamon. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper if desired.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Hobakjuk – Korean Pumpkin Porridge

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Dongpo Pork is a minimalist recipe for braised pork belly that needs only a few Chinese pantry staples — ginger, scallions, soy sauce, and Shaoxing rice wine. Ever ordered anything “drunken” at your local Chinese restaurant? Odds are you’ve had Shaoxing. It is the most widely used rice wine in Chinese cookery so invest in a good quality bottle if you plan to fire up the wok often.

Hangzhou braised pork belly shamelessly celebrates fat as the main ingredient. There is no browning or searing in this version, a step usually called for when braising meats, presumably to prevent the fat and skin from taking on any texture other than gelatinous. As the meat simmers underneath the ebony liquid to produce a rich broth, the fat on top steams into wobbly silkiness that is neither solid nor liquid.

I realize that wasn’t the most appetizing description for something you’re supposed to put in your mouth. This is one of those “try it, you’ll like it” recipes.

It takes at least 4 hours to get the best results when making Dongpo Pork. Throw the ingredients in a pot, run errands, do laundry, work out, and come home to a kitchen redolent of ginger and soy sauce. It’s done when the fat, skin, and meat are easily pierced with blunt chopsticks.

recipe adapted from Eileen Yin-fei Lo’s The Chinese Kitchen

東坡肉 (Dong Po Rou)
Hangzhou Braised Pork Belly

makes 8 servings

3 pounds skin-on pork belly, preferably including the ribs
1/4 pound dark brown sugar (about 1/2 cup firmly packed)
7 cups cold water
1/2 cup Shaoxing wine
1-inch piece of ginger, smashed
6 scallions, trimmed and cut into 3 to 4-inch segments
2/3 cup dark soy sauce

Equipment:

• Food-safe string (or banana leaves if you’re a resourceful Filipino)

Notes:

• It’s perfectly fine to braise the pork belly in one piece but where’s the fun in that? Tying up the small pieces keeps the pork belly from falling apart while braising.
• Seek out the more refined Shaoxing wine marked “Hua Tiao Chiew” or “Hua Diao Jiu.” it will have an alcohol content of 16 to 20 percent. Avoid bottles labeled “Shaoxing wine for cooking” — it is low quality, laced with salt, and jarring to the palate.

Instructions:

Politely ask your butcher to cut the pork belly into 2 1/2-inch squares, especially if it still has the ribs intact. Tell your butcher to go easy on the nipple.

Tie each piece of pork belly as tightly as possible with your binding implement of choice. The pork belly will shrink considerably while cooking as its fat is rendered.

In a pan wide enough to hold the pork belly pieces in one layer, mix the dark brown sugar, cold water, Shaoxing wine, smashed ginger, scallions, and soy sauce. Add the pork belly, skin side down, and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover the pan, and braise for 30 minutes.

Porky parcels.

Turn the pork belly pieces so that the skin side is up, cover, and braise for another 3 hours. The pork should be immersed about halfway. The liquid will be reduced by about half towards the end of cooking.

To Serve:

Serve with plain rice or steamed buns. Since the banana leaves don’t count, do yourself a favor and serve the pork belly with simply-cooked vegetables. It’s always a good idea to have some greens on the table, but in this case, it’s mandatory.

X marks the spot.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Braised Pork Belly – Hangzhou Dongpo Pork

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5. Feed a Crowd: Red Cooked Pork Shoulder
6. Baby-Back Pork Ribs Adobo

If you have a nagging need to apply heat to apples before enjoying it, try steaming for a change. Cooking and baking cultivars such as Granny Smith Apples can be steamed with good results, changing its distinctive crispness into a spoonable consistency. Steaming also intensifies the flavor of apples while retaining much of its fresh taste, and more importantly, its nutrients. There has to be some truth to that old saying, right?

Sweet red bean paste complements the tartness of Granny Smiths in this traditional Shanghai recipe for stuffed and steamed apples. Unlike steamed peaches with honey dates, in which the ingredients combine into a syrupy whole, the apples and red bean paste stay separate because of the firmer fruit. Enjoy the apples with a bit of the sweet filling in each spoonful.

recipe adapted from Eileen Yin-fei Lo’s The Chinese Kitchen

Apples Steamed with Sweet Azuki (Red Bean) Paste

makes 4 servings

4 firm Granny Smith apples
8 tablespoons azuki (red bean) paste

Equipment:

• a large bowl containing 6 cups of cold water and 3 tablespoons of vinegar
• a melon baller
• 4 ramekins

Notes:

• Replace the azuki bean paste with mashed dried or fresh fruits, jams or preserves, or other sweet purees.

Slice off the tops of the apples about a quarter of the way from the top. Place the apples in the bowl of vinegar water as each is sliced.

Using a melon baller, scoop out the core of the apple to remove all of the seeds and create a cavity for the azuki bean paste. Place the apples in the vinegar water as each is cored.

Place the apples in ramekins or steam-proof bowls with high sides. Fill the cored apples with the azuki bean paste, about 2 tablespoons for each apple. Replace the apple tops to cover.

Steam the apples in an aluminum or bamboo steamer over medium heat for about 30 minutes, until slightly soft to the touch.

Serve warm or chilled.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Apples Steamed with Red Bean Paste

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This light Korean snack highlights the chewiness and natural sweetness of sweet rice flour. Boiled until floating, sweet rice balls are really easy to prepare and has endless variations. Dry coatings such as sesame seeds, roasted soybean powder, and cinnamon sugar cling readily to its surface. Gyung dan can also be stuffed with sweet fillings such as red bean paste, as demonstrated in this excellent video by Maangchi.

Plain uncoated rice balls are also extensively used in several sweet and savory applications from all over Asia. My preference by way of heritage is a warm bowl of Filipino ginataan, rice balls and fruits cooked in sweetened coconut milk.

Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Valentina of Trembom

recipe adapted from Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall’s Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen

Gyung Dan
Korean Sweet Rice Balls

makes 16 hazelnut-sized rice balls

Don’t let your parole officer see this.

1 cup sweet rice flour (approximately 160 grams / 5.65 ounces)
a pinch of salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup boiling water

Coatings:

• Black or white sesame seeds, toasted until fragrant and popping (whole or ground)
• Roasted soybean powder
• Cinnamon sugar

Notes:

• Sweet rice flour is also known as glutinous rice flour or mochiko, its Japanese moniker.
• I prefer to use the smaller amount (1/3 cup) of boiling water to make a sandy and crumbly dough. It will be a bit harder to form the balls but the resulting texture is more to my liking — the outside will be soft and gets progressively chewier towards the center.

Instructions:

Mix the sweet rice flour and salt in a bowl. Add the boiling water one tablespoon at time while stirring vigorously. Depending on the texture desired, adjust the amount of water to create either a crumbly or soft dough (see Notes).

Crumbly sweet rice flour dough.

Divide the dough into 16 portions and shape into hazelnut-sized balls.

Bring at least 8 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Prepare a large bowl filled with iced water. The iced water will be used to instantly chill the cooked rice balls and stop the cooking.

Drop the sweet rice balls into the boiling water one at a time. Boil over high heat until the balls float to the surface. It will take about 6 to 10 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to gather the sweet rice balls as they float to the surface and place in the bowl of iced water.

Place the rice balls on paper towels and let dry briefly for a few minutes. Roll in the toppings of your choice and serve.

Black and blue balls of sweet rice flour.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Gyung Dan – Korean Sweet Rice Balls

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