I struggled with what to cook for this week’s menu. Both because everyone has those weeks, those weeks where the brain is just stuck, where you can’t get past the first sentence of what you’re writing, or where you’re sure you left your wallet on the dresser, but you’ve looked all over the house and can’t find it (it’s on the dresser). But also those of us in the US, and those of us elsewhere who celebrate Thanksgiving this week, will be buried in leftovers, tired of turkey and stuffing, and looking for anything new. So, I wanted to offer something that is both the anti-Thanksgiving (not in opposition, but in contrast), but also a meal that is fairly simple to prepare.
I settled on a ham sandwich. Then I decided that was dumb because that’s not a recipe, I don’t have any ham in the house, and also, we’re all gonna be eating turkey sandwiches from Friday on because that’s pretty much the best thing about Thanksgiving. That or Stuffing Waffles. Stuffing waffles might actually be the best thing about Thanksgiving.
Instead of a ham sandwich, I made this Chinese-inspired roast pork dish, dumplings, and a simple steamed vegetables side that – with some good steamed rice – almost is the opposite of the turkey with all the fixings.
A note on rice. I’m not including a recipe for steamed rice because that recipe would essentially be “steam some good rice.” But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t things you can do to make your rice really tasty.
One, buy decent rice - the cheapest grocery store rice is old and tastes old.
Two, wash it well. Rinse, stir, and re-rinse your rice with cold water until the water runs clear.
Third and finally, while you can definitely make great rice on the stove top, I highly recommend a good rice cooker. We use this Zojirushi rice cooker at least twice a week. It makes great, incredibly consistent rice, it frees up a burner, and it is really easy to clean.
Quick Boiled Dumplings with Chili Oil
On one trip to New York City years ago, my wife and I spent hours walking around the Chinatown area in search of dumplings. We went to four places in one afternoon. Long story short, I like dumplings. All kinds. Here in Columbus, we’re lucky to have the fabulous Momo Gahr – a tiny Nepalese dumpling place originally tucked into an international supermarket we frequented in the before times – but now also with an outlet in Columbus’ historic North Market (which is within walking distance if you’re a carless weirdo like us).
The recipe below is great. Not because it makes the best most fabulous perfect authentic dumplings. It doesn’t. It makes serviceable, tasty, fast dumplings using (mostly) ingredients you can probably get at your local grocery. The one exception to that availability may be the Chili Crisp. If you’re not familiar with this wonder, you should familiarize yourself. Made from chilis, peanuts, garlic, spices, and apparently magic, all fried together into a crunchy spicy rich oily topping – the stuff is amazing. I’ve made my own in the past, but Lao Gan Ma brand (available on Amazon or in Asian markets) is far superior to mine and doesn’t require you to spend hours meticulously slicing and frying bits of shallot, garlic, peanuts and your fingertips.
Serves 4 as an appetizer, 30 minutes
½ lbs ground pork
Chili Oil or Chili Crisp
1 finely chopped green onion plus more for garnish
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp fresh ground white pepper
Fresh Won Ton wrappers
Add pork, ginger, garlic, salt, soy, and white pepper to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well combined.
Remove from the food processor and chill at least 1 hour before using.
To fill the dumplings, run a wet finger around the edges of the wrapper, place a small ball of filling in the center, and gather all the corners together in the center – pinching the edges together.
The filled dumplings can be kept refrigerated on a lightly greased sheet pan or plate covered with plastic wrap until just before serving.
To finish, boil the dumplings for 3 minutes in lightly salted water.
Drain, and top with chili oil or chili crisp and thinly sliced green onion.
Steamed Baby Bok Choy with Garlic Ginger Sauce
I’m not always the biggest green vegetable fan. Repeated childhood encounters with way overdone green (is it still green?) microwave steamed broccoli left a lasting impression, and sometimes it’s something I still have a little difficulty getting over. I do like bok choy, and young tender green bok choy in particular. Something about the crunch and sweetness. It’s almost like the good part of that childhood broccoli (oddly, the stems), but more tender and actually tasty.
This is probably the simplest preparation of those I commonly make. The vegetable is blanched – you could skip this step, but it really makes the end result better – steamed, and drenched in a simple garlic and ginger sauce. The produce really shines though, and you can mess about with the sauce if you want. Sometimes I add a pinch of white pepper or a dash of fish sauce.
Serves 4, 20 minutes
4 large or 8 small baby bok choy
¼ cup Asian style chicken stock or water
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
½ tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
1 tsp corn starch
Trim off any yellowing leaves, and cut the bok choy into quarters end to end.
Prepare a blanching pot by bringing heavily salted water to a rolling boil and preparing an ice water bath. Blanch the bok choy, in batches, for 30 seconds before shocking in the ice bath.
Drain well.
To serve, steam the bok choy until soft, about 10 minutes.
Prepare the sauce by adding ginger, garlic, salt, and lemon juice to the stock or water and bringing to a simmer. Allow to simmer 5 minutes.
Add salt and taste.
The sauce should be fairly salty as there is no additional salt on the vegetable.
Add the cornstarch to 1 tbsp of water to form a slurry. Mix into the stock and aromatic mixture to thicken.
Pour over steamed bok choy.
Simple Egg Drop Soup
This soup is so simple that I’m not really going to write anything about it. It’s fast, warming, and almost feels fancy if you’re a kid from small Ohio who only had it when he went to Toronto every summer.
Serves 4, 10 minutes
4 cups Asian style chicken stock
2 eggs
Salt and white pepper to taste
Bring the chicken stock to a low simmer.
Beat the eggs well.
Turn off the stock, drizzle the egg mixture into the soup, let rest undisturbed 1 minute, then stir.
Keep warm until serving and top with finely sliced green onions.
Char Siu Style Roast Pork
When I first moved to San Francisco, now more than 20 years ago, it was at the height of the first Dot.com boom. I lived in in a tiny, windowless basement studio in the Richmond neighborhood just a couple blocks from Golden Gate Park. I’m pretty sure the apartment was illegal, since there wasn’t a kitchen per-se, just a stove and a cold water sink outside the door under the stairs.
Because of that apartment, I spent a lot of time walking around – anything to be outside. One of my usual weekend routes was to cut down a few blocks to Clement Street and follow it out to Lands End, the Pacific Ocean, and one of the more stunning views of the Golden Gate. The park was nice, but the little places I discovered along Clement Street were even better. Green Apple books, a Chinese bakery whose name I never knew that introduced me to pork buns, and a tiny store front with huge slabs of red glistening Cantonese style barbeque – Char Siu – pork hanging in the window. They sold it by the pound, sliced, and I discovered loved the stuff. I’d buy a bit and have it as a picnic lunch overlooking the ocean or pick some up on the way back to have for lunches. I can’t take that walk today, and I can’t buy that perfect pork. But I can, and do, make something sort of close.
This recipe is my take on Char Siu. It’s not authentic, but it replicates some of the flavors and it’s something you can make yourself at home. You can use almost any pork roast cut, but I prefer shoulder. Pork loin – which is actually what I used in the photos here – makes a satisfactory substitute, but will be a little drier just because of the nature of the muscle.
Serves 4 with leftovers
1 tied pork shoulder roast or pork loin
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp finely minced garlic
½ tsp five spice powder
4 drops red food coloring (optional)
Mix hoisin, soy, honey, vinegar, garlic five spice, and food coloring well, ensuring that the honey is fully incorporated.
Pour into a large zip lock bag with the roast. Press out as much air as possible and seal the bag.
Allow to marinade in the refrigerator for at least 2 days and up to 4 days, turning occasionally to make sure the marinade is in even contact with the meat.
Preheat your oven to 350° F.
Place the meat on a rack set on a foil lined sheet pan.
Roast until the internal temperature reaches 155° F
Allow to rest 10 minutes at room temperature before slicing, or allow to cool completely, slice, and reheat.