Miso-Ginger Salmon

Earlier this afternoon, I was running on the treadmill when a cooking show came on. The hosts included Michael Symon, that guy from What Not to Wear, that crazy (but endearing) chick from Top Chef, and a bunch of other people.

They were making doughnuts. 

And they were hilarious.

I had this stupid grin on my face. Then I started running all lopsided and almost fell off the treadmill. So I slowed it down to a speed-walking pace, and kept marveling at the doughnuts and laughing out loud. 

If you were my gym buddy, you would probably disown me right then and there. Luckily, Mr. Bear can't do that. 

So I ditched the treadmill and came home for some salmon.

What? You thought I was going to make doughnuts? Oh silly, you know I don't do deep-frying around here. 

Plus, I already had 2 nice fat pieces of salmon waiting for me in this marinade:

To simplify what's going on in that bowl, let's call it a miso-ginger sauce. So the end product is called, well, miso-ginger salmon. I kind of borrowed that from Bobby Flay. 

The sauce turned out to be very good with rice or quinoa.

P.s. After doing a little bit of research, I found out that the show is called The Chew. 

Miso-Ginger Salmon

Recipe adapted from Bobby Flay on the Food Network

2 salmon steaks, 1 1/2 - 2 pounds total

1/4 cup miso paste
1/4 cup mirin
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp minced cilantro stems or green onions
1 1/2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp sesame oil (I used a spicy sesame oil)

2 tsp white sugar 

A little bit of water
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Before applying it to salmon, taste to see if it needs adjustments. Different types of miso paste will affect the final taste of the marinade. Mine turned out very intense and salty, so I added a little more sugar and water to dilute it.

2. Add the marinade to the salmon and let sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes (no more than an hour).

3. Preheat oven to 400F. 

4. Bring a skillet to medium heat. Add olive oil to the skillet. Take the salmon steak out of the marinade and shake off excess. Lay the salmon steak flat on the skillet and sear until it is nicely browned, about 1 minute on each side. 

5. Transfer salmon to baking dish. Add all the marinade to the dish, and bake for about 15 minutes or until meat is flaky.  Serve immediately.

Japanese-style Crispy Pork Chops

I am a huge fan of the Hunger Games books. I can go on and on about why I love them so much. They were crazily irresistible.

But after I finished all 3 books on my Kindle Fire, the Amazon store suggested that I buy this:

Urm, I'm not going to roast some random frog legs and shit in my apartment? And I am not hunting anything, ever?

Seriously people.

(Ok, I know it includes recipes inspired by meals served in The Capitol, but still.)

I don't know about you, but I usually just use something called Google to find recipes. And then I tweak the recipes to my liking.

For example, this was supposed to be a Japanese dish- deep fried pork cutlets. I didn't have bento boxes at home. I didn't have white rice. I didn't have Tonkatsu sauce or the ingredients to make Tonkatsu sauce from scratch. Oh, and I don't ever deep fry anything.

So. Here's what I did instead.

I tenderized the chops (very important step).

Then I prepared my breading station. It is important to make sure that the flour and panko crumbs are seasoned properly.

Here's the best part. I had some barbecue sauce left over from the summer. So into the pot it went!

Fusion at its finest.

Then I fried them on a pan and sliced them at an angle to make them look pretty. I also made some brown rice to go with it. Looks decent, right? So yeah, I totally did not buy the Hunger Games cookbook.

Japanese-style Crispy Pork Chops


4 pieces of boneless pork chops
1/2 cup white all-purpose flour
Pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper (less if you are sensitive to spicy food)
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
Good dash of ground black pepper
Prepared BBQ sauce
Olive oil

1. Tenderize pork chops with meat pounder.
2. You will need 3 plates to set up the breading station. The first plate should have all purpose flour mixed with kosher salt and black pepper. The second plate should have 2 eggs well beaten. The third plate should have the panko crumbs, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
3. Lightly season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Take one piece of pork chop, dip into the flour station first, then egg station and then the panko station. Repeat for all the pork chops.
4. Bring a frying pan to medium-high heat with good dash of olive oil. Fry the pork chops for about 4 minutes on each side, checking periodically to make sure the crumbs are not burning. If they are burning, turn down the heat.
Note: if you notice that the crumbs are turning white instead of golden brown, that means there's not enough oil on the pan. Add a little at a time to make sure there's enough oil to brown the chops.
5. In the meantime, add BBQ sauce to a small saucepan on medium heat. Add water if necessary. The key is to achieve a consistency as a dipping sauce. Once it starts bubbling, turn the heat to low to keep warm until ready to serve.
6. When pork chops are cooked through (they should be hard to the pinch instead of being limp and soft), put them on a chopping board and slice at an angle. Serve with BBQ sauce immediately.

Steak burritos

I really, really, REALLY love steak burritos. I like them with black beans, rice, the spiciest salsa, cheese, a little bit of sour cream, guacamole, and lettuce. In that order please, because that's how the Chipotle assembly line is set up.

When I go to Chipotle, I hoard the Tabasco sauce like it's my job. No sir, you can't take it because I will need it until I'm done. See, I add hot sauce after every single bite to get maximum spiciness. Get it? Now go away.

I never order burrito bowls. That defeats the purpose of eating a burrito. I also never take anything to go. Because who wouldn't finish such a delicious burrito in one sitting? Taking anything to go, especially at Chipotle, is for wimps.

This obsession doesn't end at Chipotle. I have extended it to my home kitchen...

So I can find good marinades for steak.

AND enjoy a delicious burrito (or two) right in the comfort of my apartment after a long workout.

I also improvised and added this onion relish, which was ah-mazing.

And of course, a very spicy salsa.

And when you start putting everything together, you will start to face the harsh reality that no matter how good your homemade burrito taste, you will never be able to wrap it around neatly like Chipotle does.

So I just ate it like it was a big ass taco. Worked for me!

Steak Burritos
Makes about 4 medium sized burritos

1 piece of flank steak or rib eye steak, around 1lb
1 can of black beans
4 whole wheat tortillas

For steak marinade:
2 tbsp white vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
For onion relish:
1 white or yellow onion, chopped
2 tbsp white vinegar or lime juice
Dash of sugar
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
Mix well and let sit until other components are ready.

For salsa:
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
Few sprigs of cilantro, finely chopped (including stems)
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Pinch of white sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Marinade steak for an hour up to overnight.
2. Prepare salsa and onion relish. Heat up black beans in a small pot.
3. Heat a skillet to medium high. Cut steak into cubes and pan fry until desired doneness is achieved. Set aside.
4. In a separate, clean skillet (or the one used above but cleaned), heat tortillas on both sides until slightly charred.
5. Assemble all the ingredients together and serve immediately.

White bean dip

I know, this is not exactly a main course. But I eat it as dinner and call it a night. Because really, when you need to decompress (read: having a whole bottle of wine to yourself), this is all you need to eat (along with crackers or veggies, of course).  Sometimes, I am literally a couch potato at its finest. 

Speaking of couch, what fall TV shows are you obsessed with right now? I'm not entirely sure how to survive one whole year without Eric and Alcide and desperately need a few rebounds to fill my time... 

White Bean Dip 
Makes about 3-4 servings as appetizer
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis for Food Network

1 can of cannellini beans, half drained

1 small clove of garlic

Juice of half a lemon

A few sprigs of parsley, stems removed

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Pour beans and some of the liquid into blender. Add lemon juice, garlic, parsley, a little bit of salt and pepper. Pulse and blend, adding olive oil 1 tsp at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Let sit for an hour to let flavors develop. Serve with chips, veggies, or pita bread. 

Yogurt Marinated Roast Cornish Hen

One of my favorite quotes of all times:

Not sure if I would put lemons in my Tanquery, but lemons and limes are definitely best friends with cocktails, beer, and food.

No, this post is not about cocktails. I had long given up on mixing fancy concoctions and pouring them into tall swanky martini glasses. These days, I just throw a couple of rocks into a short class, fill 1/3 of the glass with Tanquery or whatever I can get my hands on, and top that off with, again, whatever I can get my hands on. Yeah, I'm kinda a sloppy drinker.

What I am about to give you, however, is an amazing anything-but-sloppy marinade recipe for chicken. This marinade is my favorite by far, needs a couple of hours to soak into the meat, and gives you the best, juiciest, tastiest chicken you will ever eat. You can use it on a cornish hen (as shown below), or chicken pieces with or without bones. It's very flexible and you can easily adjust the amount to suit your needs. Seriously, try it now. You will not regret it!

Yogurt Marinated Roast Cornish Hen

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp sesame oil (I used the spicy kind)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder (optional)

1 tsp brown sugar 

1 tsp ground fresh ginger

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

1. Rinse cornish hen and pat dry. 

2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix all the above ingredients together. Rub it all over the cornish hen, leave hen in the bowl and refrigerate for a few hours, up to over night. 

3. Preheat oven at 375.

4. Place cornish hen on a baking tray and roast for an hour, or until juices run clear.

5. When there's 15 mins of roasting time left, braise chicken with its own juices to make sure the skin stays moist. 

6. Serve immediately.