Three Cup Mushrooms

 

Every time I get take-out pho now (cause we're still in this pandemic, guys - get vaccinated please), I always have a bunch of basil left over. But now, I just use it to make three cup mushrooms! It's a great way to use up the extra herb instead of throwing it away. And Thai basil is key; the Italian basil just doesn't give the same punch/effect.

I tried making this in a cast iron Staub and the sauce was thick and reduced, but when I tried making it in a regular pot, it just wasn't the same. The mushrooms leeched a lot of liquid - but that may also depend on the type of mushroom used? In any case, if that happens, boil vigorously at the end over medium-high until the liquid reduces.

Three Cup Mushrooms
Adapted from Rasa Malaysia

2 lbs assorted mushrooms (I've used sliced king oyster plus shimeji and baby king oyster plus shimeji - but the sliced king oyster was the one that had a lot of liquid with the pot. Must experiment)
2 Tbps dark or toasted sesame oil
1 inch chunk of sliced ginger
6 cloves peel ginger, left whole
1 Tbps soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbps dark sweet soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbps Shaoxing wine
Handful of Thai basil leaves

Heat sesame oil in a heavy bottom cast iron pot (or clay pot, ideally) over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic, cook until lightly golden and aromatic. Add mushrooms and mix thoroughly.

Add the rest of the liquids and mix again to comvine. Cover the lid, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Once cooked, add the basil leaves and stir well. Serve hot with rice.

Notes: You can substitute the 2 lbs mushrooms with 1.5 lbs dark meat chicken. Cut into bite sized pieces and rub them with 1/2 tsp baking soda. Marinade for 10 minutes and then rinse off completely. Pat the chicken dry and then continue the recipe method above.

Blueberry Bundt Cake

This is a bit of a late post but behold my first bake of the year! Melissa Clark's blueberry bundt cake from the New York times. The cake was pretty dense but moist and the glaze was awesome. I felt like I was glazing a donut/doughnut (not that I've done that before).

It's a great cake if you have blueberries that are just getting a little too ripe because you cook them down for the glaze. In a pinch, you can always use frozen berries. And it's a huge cake so it'll last you the entire week! Make sure you use a bundt pan that's large enough, or use two loaf pans.

Blueberry Bundt Cake

From Melissa Clark

Serves 10-12

3 1/2 cups (450g) all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract or bourbon or brandy

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 tsp nutmeg (optional)

1 tsp lemon zest (optional)

1/2 cup (120mil) sour cream

1/2 cup (120 mil) whole milk

2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup blueberries

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 cups (245g) confectioners/powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly brush the bundt pan with butter and then sprinkle sugar throughout, tapping out the access.

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. 

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, thoroughly mixing between eggs. Beat in the extracts/alcohol/nutmeg/zest in whatever increments you are using them in.

Add half the flour mixture, then the sour cream, then half the flour mixture and then the milk. Make sure you don't over beat. Remove bowl and use a spatula to fold in blueberries. Scrape into pan(s).

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs clinging - just make sure it's not wet. Take care not to overbake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then unmold carefully and cool completely.

In the meantime, cook berries with lemon juice until berries burst. Use a fork to smush into a jam. At this point, you can strain it for a perfectly smooth glaze but I like it "rustic" with some of the skin. Stir in the sugar to make a thick but pour-able glaze. If it seems too thick, stir in a bit more lemon juice or some milk.

Pour glaze over cake and let set 30 minutes before serving.

Optional replacements: any increment of vanilla extract, almond extract, bourbon and brandy to make 2.5 tsp total. Yogurt or buttermilk to replace sour cream or whole milk.

Chirashi & Sushi Rice

 

I don't know why it's been so long since I've made sushi rice. Like 12+ years. I remember making it once with my ex and it was SO CUMBERSOME. Maybe I was just younger and a more inexperienced cook back then. Or maybe we were trying to make it too authentically ... as opposed to this time, where I didn't care if a few grains of my rice were broken.

We had gotten amazing scallops from Lux Seafood so I went to the Japanese market and also got a block of chutoro and yellowtail (from Japan). Assembling our own chirashi bowls was super quick!

Sushi Rice

From Just One Cookbook

Makes 2 "rice cooker cups" (enough for approx 2-3 people)

2 "rice cooker cups" short grain rice

4 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

I use a Tatung rice cooker (the best rice cooker ever IMHO). Measure two rice cooker cups of rice, add water to the 2-line in the rice pot and add water to the rice cooker at the 2-measure on the rice cooker cup. If you're making regular rice, just make sure it's a bit drier than usual since you will be adding liquid to the rice ... more of a 1:1 ratio of water to rice. Soak for 30 minutes before cooking.

While the rice is cooking, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a measuring cup. Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Set aside to cool.

When the rice is steamed, spread it out while hot on a parchment lined baking sheet. Pour the sushi vinegar all over the rice and then use a paddle to "cut through and flip" the rice in order to even distribute the sushi vinegar. Fan the rice simultaneously to cool it down and encourage the rice to soak up the sushi vinegar but not get mushy - you may want to get someone to assist you with the fanning. Stop when the sushi vinegar is soaked up and the rice looks shiny.

Definitely click on the Just One Cookbook link to get a more thorough photo-demonstration. It's also more authentic to add konbu to the rice but we didn't have the time for that.

Ssamjang

 

Instead of going out for Korean BBQ (which is not do-able right now anyways, because COVID), consider making your own Korean BBQ at home! There's definitely convenience to going out because of all the banchan (the side dishes, my favorite part) ... but at home it's a fraction of the price.

All you need is steamed rice, romaine lettuce or red leaf lettuce, sliced green onions and some roasted sesame oil with sea salt mixed in. Your choice of meat - in the refrigerated section of Asian markets, you'll find a lot of sliced meats, mainly for shabu. Look for thicker sliced pieces meant for grilling, about 1/8" thick. The above photo is pork jowl (my favorite cut) but you can also use short rib, which is common at KBBQ. If you go to a Korean market, you'll also find marinated meats and bulgogi, which also work with the above.

As for banchan, you'll also find them readily available at Korean markets. I made the steamed egg custard above when I made the rice, but you can buy a ton of items pre-made. And of course kimchi (we were out and M didn't like the brands at the market we went to).

And you'll want ssamjang - this is totally optional but it ties everything together.

Eat in any combination you like but I like bites with a bit of everything on it - lettuce topped with rice, ssamjang, green onion, meat and maybe a bit of banchan. It's totally up to you!

Ssamjang

Approx 1 cup

1 green onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated

1/3 cup dwengjang (Korean soybean paste - NOT miso)

3.5 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)

2.25 Tbsp mirin

2.5 tsp roasted sesame oil

2 Tbsp white sesame seeds

Mix everything together thoroughly. Use to taste, it's salty and full of flavor!