Perfect Cold Weather Meal
I don't know why i'm such a wimpling these days. It's not really THAT cold but lately i've been fucking freezing. And when i'm cold i want two things (in addition to blankets, knee hi socks and snuggly cats): fried foods and soupy foods.This has meant deep fried mini spring rolls (premade, we just deep fry), grilled cheese sandwiches with Red Leichester, mustard and black pepper; and pan fried Trader Joe's bean & cheese taquitos.
For the soupy side, i've made 2 pots of jook (rice porridge or "congee") and they sure hit the spot. It's a good way to use up some greens, PLUS i like to eat it with deep fried bread aka yu ja gue, thus fulfilling both the FRIED and the SOUPY at the same time!
Jook 707
1/2 cup white rice
1/4 cup shelled raw peanuts with skins on
6-7 cups water
1 t sea salt
1 scallion, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 handful cilantro, chopped
2 thin slices ginger, cut into thin shreds
some jarred pickled chile Chinese mustard greens or other vegetable
1 T veg oil
1 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb choi sum
2 thick slices fake ham, cut into thin slabs
a few dashes of soy sauce
store bought yu ja gue
1) Put the rice, peanuts, 6 cups of water and salt into a heavy 3-4 qt pot. Heat on medium high until boiling. Stir occasionally and let boil for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to low, partially cover and let simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occasionally, especially near the end of the cook time. The rice should be broken up and have the consistency of loose oatmeal/porridge. You can use a whisk to break the rice up even more. If it's too thick, add 1 cup of water.
2) Meanwhile, wash the choi sum well in 3 changes of cold water. Slice off the very end of the stalks, then cut the stalks into 1.5" lengths and set aside. Cut the greens into 2" pieces and keep separate from the stalks. Heat up the oil over medium high in a stainless steel pan or wok. When hot, add the garlic and the stalks. Stir around until they start to turn bright green and get a little charred. Add the greens and stir around until slightly wilted. Add 2-3 T water and quickly cover. After a minute or two, life the cover and stir. Check the greens for doneness (if a fork goes in with a little bit of resistance, and the stalks are still crisp). Add the fake ham and flavor with a few dashes of soy sauce.
3) When the jook is almost done, preheat the oven to 350. Heat up the yu ja gue (frozen or refrigerated) for a few minutes until hot and crispy. It's pretty oily so use a baking sheet. Each person should get 1 stick, 2 if very hungry. Usually the package contains 3 double sticks, which you can separate into 6.
4) Once the jook is done, add the scallions, cilantro, ginger and pickled vegetables to the pot. Stir around for a minute. Remove from heat.
5) In each serving bowl, place a scoop of the choi sum & fake fam. Ladle on the jook. Each person should have a stick of yu ja gue in one hand, and a Chinese soup spoon in the other. Dip the yu ja gue into the jook and eat some alone with the spoon.
Serves 4-6 depending on how large the bowls are!
I know most people eat jook kind of plainish, but this is how i like it. Usually it's served very plain and each person chooses which additions they want in their bowl. I think the peanuts are imperative, as are the cilantro and ginger. It would still be good without the choi sum but note the fake ham adds a nice saltiness.
posted by beXn @ 11:21 PM
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