Pots and Pins

Jook...

Jook is also known as Congee, or rice porridge, but at The Slaughterhouse, it's known as Chinese Risotto.   Risotto is a slow cooked, creamy rice, it's definitely Italian comfort food...and Jook is made the same way, making it Asian comfort food...to the umptht degree!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you've ever had congee, then you're probably rolling your eyes and thinking I'm crazy...but when I tell you this recipe comes via Mark Bittman (author of more than 20 cookbooks, food writer for the New York Times, among others) then you have to know this recipe for Jook is not your ordinary bland rice porridge that all of Asia eats, morning, noon and night.  Let me spell it out for you, it's as opposite from bland as you can get.  Thanks to ginger, this bowl full of comfort is full of flavor with bacon lending a smoky essence.  Right before serving, crispy bacon is sprinkled over top, along with roasted peanuts and chopped green onions and it's finished with a drizzle of sesame oil.  Oh.  My.  Stars.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like Risotto, Jook cooks slowly - but don't let the 2 hours or so it takes to make keep you from making it - it's worth the time!  And here's the good news, you don't have to babysit Jook, just stir it occasionally and add water if needed until it is creamy and soupy and ends up with the consistency of loose oatmeal.  When I placed the mister's bowl in front of him, he looked at it and asked, "What is this crap?"  His command for the English language never ceases to amaze me.  I told him it was Chinese Risotto and he said, "That'll work!"  And it does.  On every level.   

 

Jook - Adapted From Mark Bittman, The Best Recipes In The World

1 cup short-grain rice (I used brown rice)

2 to cups chicken stock, preferably homemade, or water

1  3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

1/4 pound slab of bacon

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup crispy cooked bacon, minced, for serving

1/4 cup minced green onions, for serving

1/2 cup roasted peanuts, for serving

sesame oil for drizzling when served

Wash rice and put it in a stock pot with chicken stock or water.  Place over high heat until stock boils, then add about 4 cups water.  Bring to a boil, and turn heat to low.  Partly cover pot, simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water as necessary (probably about 2 cups more).

Add ginger and slab bacon, and simmer for an hour more or so.  Jook should be soupy, if it becomes thick, add more water.  After an hour, remove bacon and serve Jook in individual bowls.  Season with salt as needed and garnish with minced bacon, green onions, peanuts and finish off with a drizzle of sesame oil. Serves 6.

 

Sweet and Sour Chicken...

We woke to snow again this morning.  Snow is Seattle is rare...like the mister being in a good mood.  He winched about the weather all morning, how sick he is of the cold and gray and how he needs a vacation.  Thinking this was somehow an invitation to suggest going someplace sunny and warm, I did, "How about we fly to San Diego for the weekend?"  Silly me, how could I have known those would be fighting words?!?  The mister responded with, "Are you crazy?  I've got our taxes to finish, do you think they will finish themselves???  Do you have any idea how much YOUR medical bills were last year?  It took me three hours just to go through all the receipts!"  Oy vey.  One day I will learn...the mister is the master at bait and switch.  You see, the mister baits me with something, today it was his weather complaints.  Then I respond, as in I offered up a solution but the minute I did, he flipped his switch!  That's what bait and switch means around here!  The only thing we have agreed on lately has been this Sweet and Sour Chicken.  The recipe is from our friend Erik, who got the recipe when he was in Taiwan.  It has everything you want in a sweet and sour dish...pineapple-sugar sweetness pared with onions and peppers in a rich vinegar-sugary sauce - you'll be lickin' your lips with every bite. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a Chinese Cooking night a while back and this was one of the dishes we made, along with spring rolls and steamed pork buns.  At our class, not only were we lucky to have great things to eat, but we had a wonderful show-and-tell with Aileen Slawson.  Aileen is from Beijing and she brought so many interesting things for us to see, smell and taste...weird-to-us fruits and veggies available in Asian markets.  If I had been smart I would have written everything down.  But we've already established I'm not and I didn't.  We tasted everything from dragonfruit to mushrooms to radishes, lychees, rambutans and longans!  All very good, in an interesting-but-I'll-never-buy-them kind of way.  Except for dragonfruit, I'll buy that again - so good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet and Sour Chicken - Adapted slightly from Erik Lustig

(Erik’s original recipe did not include garlic or onion.  Also, Eric’s recipe called for water in the sauce, pineapple juice was substituted and while Erik’s recipe didn’t specify what type of vinegar, rice wine vinegar was used.)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons corn starch

3 large carrots, cut into thin rounds

2 red bell peppers, cut into bite-size pieces

2 green bell peppers, cut into bite-size pieces

1 large onion, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 can (20 oz.) pineapple tidbits (reserve the juice)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

For the Sauce:

½ cup rice wine vinegar

½ cup sugar

½ cup of the reserved pineapple juice

½ cup ketchup

1 tablespoon corn starch (this is optional but will make sauce thicker)

Salt and pepper to taste

Make the sauce:  In a medium bowl combine rice wine vinegar, sugar, reserved pineapple juice, ketchup, cornstarch if using.  Mix well, season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. 

In a zip-lock style bag, combine soy sauce and egg yolks.  Add chicken pieces and mix well to coat.  Open bag, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cornstarch over chicken pieces, seal bag and mix until combined. 

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat ¼ cup vegetable oil.  When oil is hot add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until done, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove chicken to a plate.  Add carrots, bell peppers and onion to the hot oil (add more oil if necessary) and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic and pineapple pieces, mix to combine and cook for additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.   When vegetables are done, pour sauce over all and add chicken back into skillet.  Toss to coat.  Bring mixture to a full boil, so sauce will thicken, and cook until heated through.  Remove from heat and serve over rice.  Serves 6 to 8.

Pretty colors and delicious taste - make this one, it's worth the time and calories and your family will love it!  Thank you Erik for sharing your recipe with us!