Growing up, in a very, very lower class family, with a need to keep down food costs as much as possible, we always had some food on the table, although today I'd be hard-pressed to define it as food as I now understand the definition. Gosh, that sounded unbelievably snobbish and insensitive to those who struggle to put something in the bellies of their children. But I can say, we were, at one time, without the benefit of those social services food parcels, almost there.
Dad made the best potato soup. It was so simple: water, some milk, onions and potatoes, a little butter. And so good.
A real treat on a modest budget was Pork N Beans night. Plain old Campbell's Pork N Beans, but Dad would put in Colonel Mustard (the condiment, not the man!), some molasses, some ketchup and probably garlic powder, at which addition Mom was probably running around screaming "Too much flavor, too much flavor!" My Nut of the love of good-tasting food didn't fall far from the Dad Tree, at a time when Mom was nowhere to be seen in the yard. He'd also dice hot dogs to throw into it and we girls thought that was the niftiest trick of all!
Don't worry. That's not we're on about tonight.
Hoisin sauce is so darned good. Sweet, a little savory,
total umami bomb. That’s the same with miso, only not the sweet part. Pure umami
bliss, as well as salty bliss (post-hypertension diagnosis, use with caution).
I always have miso in the fridge, usually white miso.
 |
| Look at these beauties! |
I stopped by a roadside veg stand I like on one of my
numerous trips up and down the damned 215 these days. Beautiful yellow and
purple beans, and some lovely radishes as well! Purple beans? Think green beans
but in purple gay Tele-Tubby colors. The purple look so rich and lovely, but they do
lose their unique hue during cooking and look rather like ordinary green beans.
Still yummy though!
This is a really simple stir fry dish, where you stir fry
the vegetable dish separate from the pork and add a side of a cool crunchy slaw
with lots of sesame flavor. Serve with rice.
No real Asian movie mood this week's culinary trip,
although with Unbroken hitting the screens in a week, I might be in the mood
for Paradise Road, a movie about an international coterie of ex-pat women held
in a Japanese prison camp, and the choices they make to survive, preserve their
integrity and/or at times despair. And manage to keep their spirits up forming
a transcendent A Capella choir, under the tutelage of the fabulous Glenn Close.
Mangia!
For the Hoisin Pork:
1 lb. boneless pork loin chops, sliced ¼” thick
Marinade:
4 tbsp. hoisin sauce
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. sriracha
1 ½ tbsp.. rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Combine marinade ingredients and toss with pork, set aside.
For the Slaw:
½ head Napa cabbage, chopped
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
Good handful chopped cilantro
¼ cup mayo
1 tbsp. miso
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. sesame seeds
Put the veggies in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the mayo,
miso and sesame oil, stir well to combine. Add to the veggies and toss well.
Sprinkle in the seeds and give it another good toss. Refrigerate until supper
time.
For the Stir Fried Garlic Beans:
½ lb. yellow beans, snapped in half
½ lb. purple or green beans, snapped in half (you can top and tail the
beans, or even just top them. I don’t bother unless the top has a piece of
actual stem)
3 leeks, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1” piece of fresh ginger, minced
½ cup chopped kimchi (if your store doesn't have kimchi, use sauerkraut mixed with sriracha. I use 1 tbsp. sriracha for each cup of sauerkraut. Try to find Bubbies brand. It blows Clausson out of the water)
2 tbsp. peanut oil
1 tbsp. sesame oil
Heat wok or heavy skillet over high heat until nearly smoking. Add the
oils and then the leeks. Stir fry a few minutes to soften and release aroma.
Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a minute. Add the beans and keep tossing
for a few minutes until beans are crisp-tender. Add kimchi at the end and toss
just to heat through. Remove from wok. Salt and pepper to taste, or you could finish with a bit of Tamari or soy sauce.
Don’t bother to wipe the wok, good stuff there. Lay in another
tablespoon of peanut oil, let it heat a moment and add the pork, lifting it
from the marinade so it doesn’t go into the wok dripping wet. Stir fry for 4 or so minutes or until cooked. Do not dry out pork! It’s a myth that you have to eat
dried out, well done pork. Leave it with just a hint of rosiness and you’ll be
rewarded with juicy tenderness. Suey!
Serve pork and beans with the rice and the side of slaw.
No comments:
Post a Comment