Busy Nothings

Why don’t I just get to the point:  Jade Dragon has seriously good Vietnamese and Chinese food.  I was there for lunch today and I was supremely satisfied with my entire dining experience.  The service was quick and attentive, the food was excellently prepared and generously portioned, and the bill was very inexpensive.  I really can’t wait to back again.

My sister Jessy and I ordered 3 dishes:  Steamed Pork Dumplings, Sesame Chicken, and Phở.  Let’s start with the dumplings.  Here’s a picture:

The dumplings were perfectly steamed, by which I mean the wonton skins were not cooked to the point where there was any gumminess on the surface.  That was very pleasant.  The filling was a mixture of pork, cabbage, and spices.  It was served with a slightly spicy soy-based dipping sauce that had a hint of citrus.  It was excellent.  The filling was meaty and flavorful.  The sauce accentuated all of the flavors in the dumpling.  It was elegantly done. 

I also ate the Phở.  (My sister Jessy ordered the Sesame Chicken.  It tasted and it was very good-crispy with a slightly spicy, orange flavored sauce.)  Here’s a picture:

I ordered the Phở with meatballs, brisket, and (I think) round steak.  It was #23 on the menu and, unbeknownst to me, it was the specialty Phở of the kitchen.  Phở, of course, is bánh phở noodles in a spiced beef broth.  And that is precisely what I got:  A very flavorful broth with tender noodles surrounded by substantial bits of beef.  It was garnished with green onions and cilantro.  On the side, there was bean sprouts, a lime wedge, Sriracha, and hoisin sauce.  It was unbelievably good and unbelievably large.  I think there was about 1 1/2 quarts of Phở in my serving. 

The broth was wonderful.  There was deep beefiness with notes of cinnamon.  The beef was tender and flavorful.  It was perfect by itself but was also good when dipped in the Sriracha and hoisin sauce.  The green onions and cilantro added a lightness and brightness to the dish.  The bean sprouts added a nice crunch.  And the noodles were simply satisfying.  They were a perfect base for all of the other flavors. 

As you can tell, I really enjoyed my dining experience at Jade Dragon.  I hope you can find time to enjoy it as well.

Jade Dragon can be found at:  1015 Main Ave., Fargo.  The phone number is:  (701) 293-0152

This is my favorite carrot recipe of all time.  These Asian infused carrots come out slightly sweet and just a hair under crisp-tender.  They’re really lovely when paired with meat with some Asian flavorings.  Here’s the recipe:

Glazed Carrots (original recipe can be found here)

1 pound carrots, approximately 7 medium, peeled and cut on the bias 1/4-inch thick

1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

Heavy pinch kosher salt

1 cup good-quality ginger ale

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

In a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat, combine the carrots, butter, salt and ginger ale. Cover and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, remove the lid, stir, and reduce the heat to low. Cover again and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, add the chili powder and increase the heat to high. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the ginger ale is reduced to a glaze, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Pour into a serving dish and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately.

A picture of the carrots can be found here.  A few notes:  1)  Use a ginger beer or a very strongly flavored ginger ale.  Schweppe’s or Canada Dry are not acceptable.  There’s just not enough ginger flavor in them to properly flavor the carrots.  Reed’s Ginger Beer is an excellent choice.  2)  Be careful to make the carrot slices as uniform as possible so they cook evenly.  3)  Feel free to leave out the chili powder.  I usually do. 

I thought it strange that I, being Asian, a Thai-food lover, a foodie, and a fairly adventurous cook, had never made a homemade curry sauce before.  I’m not really sure why this was the case.  I like curry and curry sauces.  Nevertheless, I tried it tonight and the results were fantastic.  The sauce was creamy, exceptionally full-flavored, and just a little bit spicy.  It went fabulously with the meaty piece of Sockeye salmon I put it on as well as the rice I made.  And it was so easy to make.  With just a little bit of knifework and a well-stocked spice cabinet, this curry sauce can be whipped up in a jiffy.  Here the recipe:

Salmon with Thai Curry Sauce, based on this recipe

1 1/8 tsp minced peeled fresh gingerroot

1 1/8 tsp minced garlic

2 1/4 tsp peanut oil

3/4 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 1/2 tsp curry powder

1 1/2 tsp Thai red curry paste

1 1/2 tsp paprika

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1 1/4 cups well-stirred unsweetened coconut milk

3 T tomato purée

1 T soy sauce

1 1/2 T packed dark brown sugar

Enough salmon fillets to serve the number of guests; there is enough sauce for 4.

In a heavy saucepan sauté gingerroot and garlic in oil over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden. Add coriander, curry powder, curry paste, paprika, and cumin and sauté, stirring, 1 minute, or until fragrant. Whisk in coconut milk, tomato purée, soy sauce, and brown sugar and bring just to a boil. Remove pan from heat and keep warm.

Prepare salmon as desired.  Pan sauteing or grilling would work very well.  Plate cooked salmon and pour sauce over.  Serve immediately. 

Here’s how my dish turned out:

I served it with rice and Alton Brown’s Glazed Carrots.  It was a perfectly balanced dish and meal.  It’s highly recommended.  Enjoy!

You can see it here. 

It really doesn’t get much easier than this recipe:

Pork Shoulder with Assorted Hot Peppers

1 4 lb pork shoulder

5-10 assorted hot peppers, split and seeded

Kosher salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Place a little bit of olive oil in a Dutch Oven or a heavy pan large enough to hold the pork shoulder.  Heat the pan over medium-low heat.  Add the pork shoulder and season with the salt and pepper.  Place the peppers on top of and around the pork shoulder.  Cover and cook for about 4 hours, turning occasionally, or until tender. 

The meat turns out tender and just a tiny bit spicy with a wonderful “gravy” in the bottom of the pan.  It’s wonderful in a tortilla shell with avocado, salsa, and some of the cooked peppers from the pan. 

Here’s pictures of the uncooked pork shoulder, the cooked pork, and how I served it:

Enjoy!

It is my sister Jessy’s birthday and we celebrated at the family home this past weekend.  Here’s a few pictures. . .

The first one his Jessy making a face:

And here’s Jessy with her sister Sadie:

We played a bit of bingo:

And here’s the cutest picture of the night:

For reasons that I really don’t understand, the small hamburgers, named Slyders (yes, that’s the correct spelling) by the corporation, from White Castle have somewhat of a cult following.  So what are they?  Here’s a partial decsription from Wikipedia:

“small, frozen square patties (originally supplied by Swift & Co.) which are cooked atop a bed of dehydrated onions laid out on a grill. The heat and steam rises up from the grill, through the onions. In 1949, five holes in the patty were added to facilitate quick and thorough cooking. The very thin patties are not flipped throughout this process.”

The meat and onions are then placed on a small bun.  There is some cultural significance to the chain as it is America’s oldest fast-food restaurant.  It was founded in 1921.  I suppose that sort of longevity would inevitably manifiest itself in popular culture and it has.  White Castle has been featured in a number of movies and songs-most notably the Beastie Boy’s Licensed to Ill and the film Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.  Here’s a clip from the latter [Warning: contains profanity]:

Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (part 9)

I admit to having the “Crave” (another corporate moniker) after watching this movie a few years back even though I had never eaten a Slyder before in my life.  And I went to White Castle to satisfy that crave.  I was not impressed.  From what I can recall, the fries were soggy and the burgers, while heavily seasoned, mostly tasted like fat.  It was probably the worst dining experience I have ever had in my life.  I really don’t see the appeal of the place.  From what I have heard (urban legend style), a thin layer of lard is placed on each bun under the hamburger. 

Nevertheless, I was undettered in making Alton Brown’s Mini Man Burgers after seeing “The Man Food Show” episode of Good Eats.  After all, I like hamburgers.  Here’s his recipe:

Mini Man Burgers

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1 lb ground beef

8 small buns

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Preheat a griddle to 350 degrees F. Combine the onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

Line a jellyroll or sheet pan with parchment paper, and place the ground chuck in the middle of the pan. Cover the meat with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Roll meat with a rolling pin until it covers the surface of the pan; it should be very thin. Remove the plastic wrap, and sprinkle the meat with the seasoning mixture. Fold the meat in half, from side to side, using the parchment paper. Use a pizza wheel to cut the meat into 8 even squares.

Wrap the buns in foil and place in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place the burgers on the griddle and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Remove the buns from the oven. Spread a small amount of mayonnaise on each bun and top with the burger and any other condiments, as desired. Serve immediately.

This is the result I had (I added some caramelized onions):

They were absolutely delicious.  The meat was full-flavored and juicy with just the right amount of fat.  The onions added a beautiful sweetness and had a bit of a lightening effect on the dish.  The only thing I want to emphasize is that you really should use a small amount of mayonnaise.  Less is really more in this case as it can overpower the rather small amount of meat that you’ve put on the bun.  I really can’t wait to make these again. 

You can read it here. 

I pretty much winged this recipe as I went along.  The idea, of course, was to use my homemade Pancetta to add some heartiness and flavor to my favorite marinara sauce recipe (albeit modified).  I really had no idea how it was going to turn out but I was really pleased with the result.  Here’s what I did. 

Pancetta Tomato Sauce over Linguine

4 oz Pancetta, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

Water, if needed

Kosher salt and pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Put a bit of olive oil in a large saute pan or a saucepan along with the Pancetta.  Turn the heat on the medium low and let it cook for about 20 minutes, or until the Pancetta just begins to turn crisp.  (No need to have all sides crisp.)  Add the onions and continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes, or until the onions are deeply caramelized.

In the meantime, drain the tomatoes in a strainer over a bowl, reserving the liquid.  When the onions is caramelized, add the tomatoes, the tomato paste, and the herbs.  Increase the heat to medium, and cook until the tomatoes begin to leave brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  Then add the reserved tomato juice and use it to deglaze the pan.  Cook for another 10-15 minutes to let the flavors meld.  Now, depending on how much your tomatoes broke down during cooking (or how chunky you like your sauce) you may need to put the sauce in a blender or use a stick blender on it.  Also, depending on numerous factors, the sauce might be a bit thick.  Add some warm water to thin, if needed.  Finally, taste the sauce and adjust any seasoning.  Serve over cooked linguine. 

Here’s a picture:

What I really liked about this recipe was the meatiness I got from just 4 ounces of Pancetta.  It infused the whole dish with it’s porky goodness.  Bacon, I suppose, could be substituted but I think the smokiness of the bacon would actually detract from the floral qualities of the tomatoes and be too aggressive of a flavor in the dish.  I also liked how it added this meatiness while really regressing into the background.  Especially if you blend the sauce, it’s not easy to pick out the Pancetta.  It sort of just hides and hangs out in the background.  Yet, it made the sauce unimaginably better. 

One last note.  I used the model of my favorite marinara sauce but made two related changes to it.  First, I didn’t use wine.  The reason for this is that my Lenten sacrifice is to not consume alcohol so while wine in dishes is OK with me, I just didn’t want to have an almost full bottle of wine hanging around.  So, the second change of the addition of tomato paste was needed to replace the flavor the wine would have given to the dish.  To be absolutely honest, I’m not sure if this isn’t the better way to go anyway.