Recipe: Tantanmen - Spicy sesame ramen

Recipe: Tantanmen - Spicy sesame pork ramen (Serves 2)

Pork mince

• 250 g pork mince
• Sesame oil for frying
• Mirin to taste
• 2 tbspn soy sauce
• 2 tbspn Doubanjiang
• Optional: 1 tspn Shiro miso

Soup

• 3 tbspn Chimajyan sesame paste
• 1 tbspn Rayu Japanese chili oil
• 1 tbspn Black Zhenjiang Vinegar (Optional)
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup chicken or pork bone broth

Noodle and toppings

• 2 serves ramen noodle
• Wilted greens (bok choy / spinach / mustard greens) 
• 1 cup corn
• Soft boiled egg 
• Diced scallion
• 1 tspn Beni Shoga red pickled ginger
• Other toppings of choice: Menma bamboo shoots, cubed tofu, bean sprouts

Method : Pork

• Heat the sesame oil in a pan and add the minced pork, fry until brown
• Add the doubanjiang and soy and stir fry. 
• Doubanjiang is a Chinese spicy miso / black bean sauce with a killer spicy umami richness, I recommend Lao Gan Ma "Chili Oil with Fermented Soy Beans" which should be available at all Asian supermarkets. 
• Add Mirin 1 tbspn at a time until desired sweetness is reached
• If desired add white (shiro) miso at this point to add even more umami
• Turn the pork off the heat and set asside

Method : Soup

I cheat and start with a tonkatsu soup base because roasting bones is not my idea of a good time, however if you feel strongly about this please refer to this recipe for tonkotsu broth from Serious Eats and prepare 4 cups of liquid.

• I am aiming for 1.5 - 2 cups of broth per person you can adjust the liquid levels to your tastes
• Prepare your tonkotsu broth, if using a base then add 3 cups of water and 1 cup of bone broth per 2 people
• Heat the broth while you prepare the sesame paste
• In a small bowl combine the rayu hot sesame oil and roasted sesame paste, then add to the soup
• Stir until well integrated and the soup has reached serving temperature
• If desired more rayu or sesame paste can be added to taste or black (Zhenjiang) vinegar used to balance

Method: Noodle and toppings

• Pre-boil eggs while preparing soup or earlier in the day, if desired season with tea or soy. Eggs can be set aside and served at room temperature as they will warm with the soup
• Boil the noodles and greens until al dente then drain, spoon per person servings into ramen bowls
• Cook corn and set asside
• Cut or cube any other toppings into bite sized pieces that can be collected with a spoon and chopsticks
• Spoon soup over the noodles until the noodles are almost covered (~1.5 - 2 cups)
• Top the soup with pork, egg cut in half, vegetables and remaining toppings in a circle
• Top the pork with scallions and / or beni shoga 
• Remember ramen is designed to be customisable, add or remove toppings if my defaults are not to your taste
• Serve with your favourite noodle bowls and anime =^.^=

One variation is to top with fried pork belly or chashu in place of the seasoned minced pork.

Recipe: Australian Sausage Rolls

Ingredients

Filling 

2 cloves garlic
1 brown onion
1 celery stalk
5 oz / 150g bacon
1 lb / 500g pork mince (ground pork)
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
pinch black pepper

Pastry

3 sheets puff pastry
1 egg

1 oz / 30 ml milk

Sesame seeds (black and natural)
Ketchup / tomato sauce

Instructions

• Heat oil in a non stick fry pan over medium high heat. Fry onion and celery until the onion is transparent
• Add diced bacon to the pan and fry until the bacon is browned, then add garlic and fry until all vegetables are cooked. 
• Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and allow to cool while you  prepare the other filling ingredients. If necessary cool the bowl in the freezer while you prepare the meat

• Preheat oven to 350F / 180C while you prepare the sausage rolls 
• Add meat, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper to a mixing bowl and combine
• Once the vegetables are cool add to the bowl and then need the ingredients until well mixed
• Lay out the pastry and cut in half, allow to thaw until pliable 
• Whisk the egg and milk in a bowl and place a pastry brush in the egg wash mix
• Brush one edge of the pastry with the egg wash, taking up around 1/3 of the pastry
• Then create a log of pork filling that takes up around another 1/3 of the pastry
• Stretch out the unwashed piece of pastry and then roll over the meat, then place the egg washed section over the unwashed pastry acting like a glue

• You should have rolled up sausage logs ready for cutting, I like to make these small bites by cutting the log into 6 pieces so that you can control portions
• If you have a baker's blade use this, otherwise a sharp knife will do. Cut the log in half and then cut each half into 1/3s
• Place the pieces well spaced on a baking tray lined with a silicon mat or baking paper 

• Brush the top of each pastry with more egg wash and then sprinkle with sesame seeds
• This recipe should fill 3 sheets of pastry and make around 36 snack sized sausage rolls
• Bake for 30 mins (or until the pastry is golden brown), turning the tray around minute 18

• Let cool on baking racks before serving so that they are warm but not painful to touch
• Serve on a party tray with a bowl of tomato sauce and enjoy!

Review: Nana Ramen, Brooklyn

Well it's been snowing up a serious storm in NYC this week so we were happy to hear the latest chapter in the Brooklyn gentrification odyssey is an authentic ramen restaurant in Bed Stuy.



Nana Ramen lovingly blends authentic fresh noodles and tonkotsu broth with Brooklyn filament bulbs and hipster beards with great results and I'm pretty sure we'll be regulars from here on out.

Chicken Karaage $7USD 

This is an excellent rendition of a ramen house staple. The chicken is juicy and the batter is light and lacks any trace of oil. The pieces are well sized to really maximise on the delicious sesame karaage batter as well. Served simply with a spicy mayo sauce and lemon slice. The serving size is actually a little larger than pictured, we couldn't help ourselves on arrival and ate two pieces before we remembered to take photos. 

Agedashi Tofu $7USD 

I really liked the presentation of 4 squares each with traditional agedashi toppings on them (ginger and daikon, scallions, seaweed and katsuoboshi), you could easily combine on a single piece if that was more to your style. The coating was light and the frying didn't make the dish too heavy, the real star though is the broth which is a fantastic sweet soy broth. My only wish is that this had been silken tofu rather than cotton tofu but well ... you can't have everything for $7 in the back streets of Brooklyn!

Spicy Miso Ramen $13USD

Built on a tonkotsu base with thinner style noodles this dish comes with egg, scallion corn and chashu pork. The spicy mix is interesting and deviates slightly from a traditional Japanese mix but is nonetheless delicious particularly with the creamy tonkotsu. The chashu is particularly excellent tightly rolled and well seasoned. 

Black Tonkotsu $13USD

Black garlic oil tonkotsu is an unusual ramen to appear on menus particularly in the US so I was very intrigued and boy did they deliver. Thick fresh chewy noodles are in a super creamy tonkotsu broth topped with a healthy splash of roasted garlic oil. I ordered mine with extra egg and fresh bamboo shoots. This was the perfect dose of warm soup belly in the NY winter weather. My only complaint is that the bowl could have used more soup, but since this is an option for ordering then I will just get a larger serving in the future. 

I'm super excited by the arrival of this business in walking distance of my house and will be definitely eating my way through the menu. They have a tan-tan-men which is my all time favourite and a curry ramen as well as a Tokyo style shoyu with tsukune that has me intrigued. For appetizers there are home made gyoza and takoyaki amongst others to explore. 

Like any new food business in Brooklyn Nana Ramen is currently being loved to death by the local hipsters so expect to wait for a while or go at unusual times. Our plan of going for a walk in the snow when most people were hiding inside paid off and we immediately got a table. Service is friendly but basic, cash only so stock up on the way. 

Nana Ramen

https://www.facebook.com/nanaramen/

330 Malcolm X Blvd

Brooklyn, New York 11211

Authentic ramen in Brooklyn, simple but definitely worth a stop

Review: Xi'an Famous Foods, East Village NYC

One surprise that hit us when we moved to  the Bay Area was how Americanised a lot of the Asian food was. After moving to NYC we found a heavenly array of very authentic and reasonably priced Asian foods. Xi'an Famous Foods offers one of the things I missed most about home - reasonably priced hand pulled noodles. 

Xi'an Famous Foods has several restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn but I tend to favour their restaurant in the East Village since it's close to a number of businesses I frequent and around the corner from a delightful Italian cake shop (more on that later).

The food is decidedly cheap and cheerful but delicious spicy Western Chinese food. The noodles are all made on site and if you're lucky you can catch glimpses of the cooks making them. 

Being Manhattan the restaurant is reasonably small and New Yorkers have no patience for those who lose them a New York Minute. Be prepared to order if you step in line, don't take a seat until you get your food, clean up your own station and be prepared to get up as soon as you've finished. Those who do not follow the unwritten rules will get passive aggressive interruptions by people waiting to eat. 

Spicy and Tingly Beef Hand Ripped Noodles $7.50USD

Chewy delicious hand ripped noodles are stir fried in a numbing chili spicy oil that is not for the feint hearted. Try the mild first before attempting hotter! The noodles are served with vegetables and fatty meat.

Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand Ripped Noodles $8.25USD

Spicy Cumin Lamb Burger $4

Both the lamb noodles and the lamb burger contain a cumin drenched dry lamb with vegetables. The burger is on a mantou style bun grilled on a flat top until crispy. The noodles are stir fried with more of the cumin, vegetables and chili oil. 

Mount Qi Pork Hand Pulled Noodles $7.00USD

Pork Zha Jiang Hand Ripped Noodles $7.00USD

Spicy and Sour Lamb Dumpings $7.00USD

The Mount Qi pork is cubes of pork belly grilled with noodles and a slightly less spicy sauce. The Zha Jiang noodles feature ground pork fried in an umame soy bean sauce, deeelicious! The spicy and sour lamb dumplings are stuffed with a ground lamb filling and served with vinegar and soy.

Close up of Pork Zha Jiang Hand Ripped Noodles $7.00USD

This is easily my favourite dish on their menu and reminds me of a dry tantanmen without the sesame. 

Go in expecting exactly what it is - a cheap limited menu of food made extraordinarily well. Not pictured are the noodle soup versions of each dish. Everything they make is excellent. Make sure to eat in, the delicate nature of the noodles does not survive delivery or a walk home. Cold drinks are available like Chinese teas and Coke products. 

I really rather wished they offered condiments,, I keep wanting black vinegar to cut through the oil. Also the chopsticks they use leave a lot to be desired and if you're willing to endure the odd looks of your fellow diners I would recommend bringing some of your own from another restaurant or home. Still this is one of my favourite cheap food desinations in NYC, try it out.

Xi’an Famous Foods

http://xianfoods.com/menu/

81 St Marks Pl

New York, NY 10003

Ph: (212) 786-2068

Cheap and cheerful artisan noodles, good for the spicy food lover

Review: South City Kitchen, Atlanta

It's January and that means a lot of us are eating healthy and trying to take off Christmas weight; but at least I get to look at some of the reasons why that's necessary!

South City Kitchen is a high end Southern restaurant in Atlanta offering traditional local dishes with a flourish. We went in a large group and had a set menu but it meant I got to see what everyone had to eat. The food in Atlanta is definitely "hearty" and harks back to days when Georgia was an agricultural center of the South. It's sticky gooey comfort food as far as the eye can see and while I might need to run a few extra miles this month it sure was worth it!

Pimento Cheese with pickles and crackers $7USD

Pimento cheese is one of those American things I don't understand. Sharp cheese is mixed with bell peppers and mayonnaise. This is a good rendition of the dish but I think this requires a little nostalgia. The pickles and benne seed crackers were very good though. 

Fried Green Tomatoes $10USD

Stuffed with goat cheese and served with a sweet red pepper coulis this is a morish vegetarian delight that pairs great with cold beer or white wine. 

Salad $8USD

All the fried food in Atlanta really needs some greens to cut through it. This was a good simple side salad with fresh vegetables and a light vinaigrette.

Buttermilk fried chicken with potatoes and beans $19USD

Boy do they know how to make fried chicken in these parts. Brined in a buttermilk bath overnight and then dipped in a slightly spicy batter then fried. The chicken was crisp and the oil not too heavy, great with mash and beans for a simple Southern delight.

Shrimp and Grits $21USD

Shrimp and grits is another very American traditional dish that was unknowns to me before moving to the US. Grits are a corn based porridge similar in taste and texture to polenta made by boiling ground corn. Some grits is made with "hominy" which are corn kernels treated with alkali and give a slightly chewy texture. Shrimp and grits comes with grilled or fried prawns and a gravy often made with pork belly or porcetta. 

Southern Pork Chop with succotash and fried onions $27USD

A very hearty double thick pork chop was basted with a Georgia peach relish and grilled to perfection served over a succotash of corn and beans. The sweet glaze was to die for and this dish was just amazing but we could have easily shared one between two people.

BBQ pork with scallion "hoecake" and horseradish slaw $9USD

This was a main meal sized version of what is usually an appetiser so the serving size may vary. The hoe cake is rather like a vegetable tortilla that soaks up the juices from the meat. Served with a sticky BBQ sauce and cut through with the tangy slaw. Yum.

Dessert platter - Peacan pie, banana pudding and buttermilk chocolate cake ($8USD each for full serves)

We got a sampler plate of tiny versions of these desserts but I'm not going to lie after smothered chops and fried chicken most of us could not eat dessert and a lot of the plate went lonely. Sticky and very sweet desserts seem to be common in the south but I love the user of Buttermilk and custards which give a surprising lightness and destract from all the sugar.

South City Kitchen came well recommended by many and to get a good sample of Southern cuisine it was a great choice. The restaurant was buzzing but the service was excellent. I would definitely avoid eating lunch before hand though. 

 South City Kitchen

http://midtown.southcitykitchen.com/

1144 Crescent Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
Phone:(404) 873-7358

Recipe: Katsu Sando (Spicy Japanese pork cutlet sandwich)

This is definitely a cheat day treat but to me a katsu sando is the best sandwich in the world. It hits all the major indulgence food groups - fried meat, fluffy bread, spicy morish sauce and rich Japanese egg mayonnaise.

Tonkatsu is the Japanese version of schnitzel - breaded and fried pork or chicken cutlet. After watching one of the contestants make this favoured dish on Food Network Star recently I just had to make one!

Katsu Sando

Tonkatsu cutlet

• 4 pork cutlets
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 cups breadcrumbs
• Oil for frying

Sandwich fillings 

• 8 tbspn Tonkatsu sauce 
• 4 tbpsn Whole egg mayonnaise
• 1 cup Cabbage or 4 lettuce leaves
• 8 slices White sandwich bread

Method

• Start by preparing your cutlet preparation station - get 3 flat bowls, a tray for the breaded cutlet and a chopping board to trim and pound the meat
• Pound the pork cutlet using a meat tenderiser, the cutlet should be about 1cm thick 
• Into one bowl plate the flour, if desired you can season the flour using salt and pepper
• Into the second bowl beat the eggs and milk
• In the third bowl pour the breadcrumbs - if you can buy Japanese Panko but normal breadcrumbs will also do the trick

• To bread the cutlet we want to complete a 1 - 2 - 3 process using the flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs
• The flour and egg will form a glue to stick the breadcrumbs to the meat

• Place the cutlet in the flour and then using a fork push the flour up into the sides of the cutlet, turn over and repeat. The meat should be completely covered in the flour. 
• Then move the floured cutlet into the egg and dip again using a fork to ensure the mixture covers the sides of the culet then turn over
• Once the cutlet is completely covered in egg mixture use the fork to lift the cutlet and drain off excess egg before placing in the breadcrumbs.

• Cover the cutlet completely in bread crumbs and then turn over, ensure that all the meat and egg mixture is covered in the crumb.
• Once you are satisfied with the coverage move the breaded cutlet to a tray while you complete the other cutlets

• Your completed schnitzels should look like so. If you want to make less than 4 sandwiches move the excess fillets to the freezer and use them later - tonkatsu is great with rice, salad or vegetables!

• Heat a pan on medium heat and add a high temperature fry oil like grape seed oil. 
• Use tongs to transfer the cutlets to the hot oil, the bread should sizzle when you add it to the pan. If it doesn't your oil is not hot enough and your sandwich may turn out greasy.
• You can deep fry the cutlet but this is not required, a pool of oil about the size of a pancake should be enough to shallow fry the cutlet. 
• Fry until the crumb turns golden and then flip. If desired you can add more oil in when you turn the cutlet to ensure that there is enough oil for even frying. 

• Once the crumb is golden press the center of the cutlet with your tongs - if the meat is cooked it should be firm and the tongs should not spring to the touch. 
• If your crumb is golden but the meat is not fully cooked then turn the pan to a lower heat to cook for a further 2 mins 
• Using your tongs move the cutlet to oil absorbing paper or paper towel to soak up the excess oil.
• You can serve the cutlet hot, or prepare the fried meat then leave till the following day - it is just as delicious cold 

• Tonkatsu sauce can be bought at any Asian supermarket or on Amazon. I like this Bull Dog brand which can be bought in most good Asian stores. 
• Kewpie Brand Japanese mayonnaise is best for authenticity but just about any rich whole egg mayonnaise will do - I like Hellman's or Best Foods mayonnaise when I can't find Kewpie
• Any soft white sandwich bread will do but I love this thick cut Japanese Hotel Bread to really add to the "wish you were in Tokyo" taste

• You can toast the bread if desired but I find this works best with untoasted bread
• On one side of the bread spread the mayonnaise and 1/4 cup of cabbage or if preferred a single lettuce leaf
• On the other side of the bread liberally cover with Tonkatsu sauce. If you like a lot of sauce then pour it directly onto the breadcrumb coating of the meat rather than onto the bread. This takes some of the crispness out of the cutlet but gives you a rich oozy sandwich.
• Add the fillet to the sandwich, you may need to cut it into pieces to fit evenly onto the bread
• Cut the sandwich in half and serve cut side up to your diners. You can cut the sandwich into 3 or 4 slimmer slices if you want to fit it into a bento.
• Rinse and repeat for each diner - recipe makes 4 sandwiches
• To get in the spirit of Japanese bistros serve with a creamy dressed side like potato salad or cheese and corn
• Delicious!

Review: Stone Korean Kitchen, San Francisco

There's nothing quite like dinner and a movie for a date right? The Landmark at Embarcadero is one of my favourite cinemas in San Francisco, all documentaries and indie films and reminiscent of the Dendy in Australia. I'm always on the look out for good food nearby little theatres like this and so we stumbled upon Stone housed in a small back building near the tourist district of San Francisco. 

Like many business dristricts this area is quiet at night but the restaurant has mostly Korean diners and is packed by the time we're served dinner so this is always a good sign.

Korean alcohol like Cass & Hite beer are available. Most Korean beer is very light in flavour and designed to be drunk ice cold with steaming hot spicy food.

Banchan - free with meal

Small plates of pickles, vegetables and small fish are provided before the meal and refills are available. 

Spicy pork belly $21USD

A healthy serving of pork belly is marinated in gochujang chilli and vegetables. This isn't the best spicy pork I've ever had as the fat hasn't been rendered enough out of the pork. I'd skip this and get more beef or a bipimbap bowl.

Kalbi $21USD 

Beef short ribs are cut across the bone and marinated in a sweet soy and sesame dressing then grilled hot with brown onions. I prefer it when they leave the meat strips along the rib ready to be rolled out, but you can't have it all this is still a solid redition. The meat quality is fairly good and the marinade is not overpowering. 

Ssam for 2 $52

If you're going to get barbecue I definitely recommend this as the way to go. Two barbecue proteins with lettuce wraps, chilli, miso, sesame oil and salts and a serving of bowl of tofu kimchi stew. 

Ssam means "to wrap" and this is how you should eat Korean barbecue, take a piece of lettuce then spread with some chilli and/or miso. Top with hot vegetables and meat and then wrap the lettuce and eat whole like a taco. Delicious!

Cheese corn $7USD

In Japan this kind of food is known as yoshoku but I don't know the Korean name for it - essentially it  is "Western Food" but it is generally unrecognisable outside Asia. Gratin is a common form of yoshoku and corn served with mayonnaise and cheese is a fairly common side dish or topping. It's delicious though and a good accompaniment to all the meat. 

Soon doobu $16USD (or included with Ssam set meal)

Soon doobu - soft tofu stew - is one of my all time favourite dishes. Soft fresh silken tofu is cooked with vegetables and meat in a tomato, malt and chilli stew and topped with a raw egg. Served in a sizzling hot pot the egg cooks in the steaming stew. This is a very good rendition rich and spicy but not overpowering. Various levels of hotness are available, this dish comes default with seafood but we request it vegetarian. 

The service is fairly quick and the food is decent but not amazing. The Korean food in Japantown is definitely better quality but the soon doobu is excellent and I intend to return for some of their other homelier dishes rather than barbecue. They have various options of dolsot bipimbap - sizzling rice topped with meat, egg and vegetables that beg a return.

Stone Korean Kitchen

http://www.stonekoreankitchen.com/

Embarcadero Center

4 Embarcadero Center

San Francisco, CA 94111