1 medium leek, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick
4 garlic cloves
1 celery stalk, sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick
1 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 cup orzo
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1.5 lemons, squeezed
Instructions:
Step One: Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add leek and celery and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft, 5-8 minutes. Add chicken and broth; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 15-20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Let cool, then shred chicken into bite-size pieces
Step Two: Meanwhile, return broth to a boil. Add orzo and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes
Step Three: Remove pot from heat. Stir in chicken and dill. Serve with lemon halves for squeezing over
Notes: Use leftover rotisserie chicken instead of chicken thighs, also add Better than Chicken Bouillon Cube. Add lemon zest to make the soup more lemon forward
Step One: Set a 6-qt. Instant Pot to high sauté. Toast star anise, cinnamon stick, and cloves, stirring, until fragrant and crackling slightly, about 2 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp. oil and work around to coat bottom of pot. Reduce heat to medium, add onions, cut sides down, and ginger, and cook, undisturbed, until deep brown in spots, 5–7 minutes
Step Two: Pour in 1 cup water, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, then add beef bones, brisket, fish sauce, sugar, 2½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and another 6 cups water (or just up to your max fill line). Lock lid and turn venting knob to sealing position. Cook on high pressure 1 hour (it will take about 20 minutes to come to pressure before the cook time begins). Naturally release pressure 30 minutes
Step Three: While the broth is cooking, place noodles in a large bowl and pour in cold water to cover. Let soak 30 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse to remove excess starch
Step Four: Freeze beef eye of round until firm, 20–30 minutes. Thinly slice against the grain, then chill in refrigerator until ready to serve
Step Five: Once pressure on pot has released 30 minutes, place a kitchen towel loosely over vent to prevent splattering. Using a wooden spoon, gradually open venting knob. As soon as floating pin drops, carefully open lid. Using tongs, transfer bones to a large bowl
Step Six: Place brisket in another large bowl and pour cool water over to cool down and keep from drying out. Using a fine-mesh sieve, scoop out solids from broth; discard aromatics and reserve any meat and bones for serving if desired. (Leftover meat and bones can also be reserved for another use; add to fried rice or bibimbap or scoop out marrow and slather it over slices of grilled toast.) Skim fat from surface with a ladle and discard. Taste broth and season with more fish sauce or salt if needed. Set to low sauté and simmer gently while you cook the noodles
Step Seven: Fill a large pot one third of the way with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add noodles and cook, using chopsticks or a wooden spoon to stir, until just al dente, about 15 seconds. Drain noodles in a colander and rinse well under cold water to stop cooking. Drizzle a little oil over and toss to coat (this will keep them from sticking together)
Step Eight: Remove brisket from water and thinly against the grain. Divide noodles among deep bowls. (Pro tip: Before adding noodles, swirl hot water inside bowls to warm up, then discard.) Top each bowl with a few slices of brisket, sliced beef eye of round, and any reserved meat and bones (if using) and top with sliced onion, scallions, and cilantro (if using); season with pepper. Ladle hot broth over raw beef to cook
Step Nine: Arrange Thai basil leaves, mint leaves, mung bean sprouts, chiles, and lime wedges on a platter for topping pho as desired and serve with Sriracha and hoisin sauce in small bowls for dipping
Notes:
Broth can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill. The fat will solidify on the surface, making it easier to skim and the flavors will deepen. Strained and skimmed broth can be made 3 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill, or freeze for up to 3 months
Yellow rock sugar can be found in Asian supermarkets. It’s a honey-hued sugar that is mildly sweet and rounds out the flavors in pho broth. Break down into large pieces with a mallet to use. It is used in Asian drinks, desserts, and soups
4 tsp. unseasoned rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
½ tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. Aleppo-style pepper or ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for serving if desired
2 oz. shiitake or crimini mushrooms, trimmed, thinly sliced
1 cup mixed peas (such as baby and/or trimmed snow and/or sugar snap, halved if large)
1 large egg, lightly beaten, or 8 oz. silken tofu or 2.5 oz. yuba sheets
Kosher salt
Optional – squeeze of lime, udon noodles, cilantro, switch out water for chicken broth
Instructions:
Step One: Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium. Cook garlic and ginger, stirring often, until softened and very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add 3 cups water. Combine miso and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl and stir to dissolve miso. Whisk into aromatics, then add soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and ½ tsp. Aleppo-style pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat as needed to maintain a simmer and cook until flavors come together, about 10 minutes
Step Two: Add mushrooms and peas and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Gently stir in the egg (a few turns of a spoon will be enough to set it into ribbons without blasting it apart) and cook until just set, about 30 seconds. Or, if using tofu, drop in by spoonfuls, or if using yuba, thinly slice before adding, and cook just until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt
Step Three: Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with more Aleppo-style pepper if desired
Notes: For a hardier soup, serve over cooked udon noodles. If the soup is too bland, add a squeeze of lime and chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons honey (or maltose or barley malt syrup or fancy molasses (not blackstrap molasses))
1-2 cubes red fermented tofu (add an additional 4 teaspoons of the sauce, mashed together – this is also known as red bean curd) (Substitute gochujang, find GF version)
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (check for wheat as a thickening agent to keep GF)
1 tablespoon Korean pepper flakes (optional, for additional color and a mild spiciness. It will also give it an earthier flavor)
2-3 lbs pork shoulder (cut into long strips, 3 inch wide)
Instructions
Cutting and Marinating the Meat
Cut the pork shoulder into long strips, that are roughly 3 inch thick. Mine are usually sized around 3 inches wide, and 5-7 inches long
Combine the ingredients in the marinade section into a ziplock or a big bowl and combine it with the pork
Marinate it in the fridge for 24 hours
Preparing the Glaze
Remove the meat from the marinade and let it sit for an hour at room temperature before cooking
Add all the marinade to a small pot including the chunks of garlic and ginger. Cooking the glaze with the ginger and garlic will make it more flavourful.
Add 2 tablespoons of honey into the marinade and mix well
Cook it on low heat on a stove for 5 minutes or when the sauce starts to boil.
Set it aside for later, we will use this for glazing at the end
Grilling the Pork on the BBQ
Heat up BBQ to 325F (162C)
Cook the char siu for 15 mins on one side, then flip it for another 10 mins. Check the meat thermometer. The temperature should be around 145F (62C). If it’s not, keep the meat on longer until it reaches that internal temperature
Once it hits an internal temperature of 145F (62C), we will use the glaze and glaze it 4-5 times, flipping the meat every minute to prevent burning
When the meat looks red, sticky and slightly burnt, remove it from the BBQ and let it rest for 20 mins on a plate before cutting into it
Step One: Preheat a pan with 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Cut tortillas into thin strips and fry them in batches in the hot oil until crisp. Remove from the pan and allow them to drain on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining tortilla strips, adding more oil as needed then set aside
Step Two: Preheat a pot with oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, garlic and chopped jalapeño and sauté until veggies soften
Step Three: Add whole chicken breasts, corn, beans, chilli powder, cumin, crushed tomatoes, salt, ¼ cup of cilantro and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and let simmer for at least 25 minutes
Step Four: Remove chicken from the pot and shred it using 2 forks. Add shredded chicken back to the soup and simmer another 5 minutes then add lime juice
Step Five: Serve the soup with some tortilla strips, pieces of avocado, fresh cilantro and lime wedges
Instructions: Step One: For the pork skewers, start by cutting the pork loin into very thin, around 2mm-thick (1/16 inch) slices – you almost want to be able to see through it. Transfer the slices to a large bowl. Next, take your strip of back fat and cut it into slightly thicker slices than you did with the pork loin. Transfer to a small bowl
Step Two: To make the marinade, add the garlic cloves, coriander roots, coriander seeds and peppercorns to a mortar. Use a pestle to pound the ingredients into a rough paste. Transfer to the pork loin, followed by the palm sugar, fish sauce, Thai black soy sauce or kecap manis, vegetable oil, salt, cornflour and coconut milk. Using clean hands, mix everything together until the palm sugar has dissolved into the marinade and the meat is evenly coated. Set aside for 1 hour to allow all the flavours to make friends with one another
Step Three: In the meantime, soak your bamboo skewers in water to prevent them from burning on the grill later. Once your pork has marinated, add a piece of pork fat to the skewer, then concertina a couple of slices of pork on. Repeat with another piece of pork fat and two more pork slices. Continue on in this way with the remaining skewers, pork slices and pork fat
Step Four: To cook the skewers, you could use a charcoal grill like I did, or a frying pan, grill plate or a barbecue. Cook the skewers for around 2-3 minutes on one side until you’ve got some nice colour, then flip and baste with some coconut milk. Cook for another 2–3 minutes or until the pork is cooked through and everything is looking nice and golden brown. Serve with the sticky rice
Step One: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and set it in the refrigerator to air dry overnight
Step Two: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and set it in the refrigerator to air dry overnight
Step Three: Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and pat dry some more with paper towels including the cavity
Step Four: Preheat your oven to 450”F. Meanwhile rub the chicken all over with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and season with the truffle salt and paprika all over. Stuff the cavity with the thyme and sage sprigs, garlic cloves and bay leaves
Step Five: Thinly slice 6 slices of the black truffle. Without tearing the skin make sure to stuff them underneath the skin of the chicken breast
Step Six: Make a slit in the fat hanging from the back of the chicken and insert the end of each chicken leg through the slit in the opposite direction, having the legs cross each other
Step Seven: Very lightly oil the bottom of a large roasting pan and set a roasting rack in the middle. Make sure to oil the roasting rack before placing the chicken on top breast side up. Make sure to tuck in the wing tips as well
Step Eight: Allow the chicken to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before roasting. While the chicken is resting, scrub and cut the potatoes into large but equal pieces. Transfer to a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer, add a good pinch of sea salt and boil for 7 minutes
Step Nine: Drain the potatoes in a collander and allow them to dry in their steam for a few minutes. Meanwhile transfer the truffle chicken to the preheated oven and roast for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes have past carefully open the oven door and add the potatoes in the bottom of the roasting dish together with the sage leaves. Gently toss them to coat a little in the drippings from the bottom
Step 10: Roast everything together for another 25 minutes and carefully using a spatula try to turn the give the potatoes a gentle toss
Step 11: Very carefully add the truffle butter on top of the chicken. It will immediately melt from the heat and drip down onto the sage potatoes to coat them
Step 12: Roast everything together for another 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165”F
Step 13: Remove the truffle chicken from the oven and carefully transfer it to a serving dish. Taste the sage potatoes and give them a final sprinkling of truffle salt if necessary. Then scoop them out and place them on the serving dish surrounding the truffle chicken
Step 14: Thinly slice the remaining black truffle and sprinkle it over the top of the chicken together with the thyme leaves and whatever edible flowers you might have around
Notes: Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before slicing
Step One: Place the miso paste, sesame oil and mirin in a large bowl. Mix until well combined
Step Two: Cut the chicken in half, then cut the thick end of the breast in half lengthways. Add the chicken pieces to the miso paste mixture and toss until well combined
Step Three: Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Place the chicken pieces into the pan and cover with baking paper. Then place a lid or heavy pan on top of the baking paper to weigh down the chicken, making it cook faster and more evenly. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side, then remove the lid and baking paper. Turn the chicken over and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side or until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a chopping board to rest for a minute or so before slicing
Step Four: To assemble the salad, toss the salad leaves with Japanese Ginger & Sesame Salad Dressing. Divide among serving bowls. Scatter over the cherry tomatoes, corn and edamame beans. Top with chicken slices. Drizzle with extra dressing and serve
Step One: Slice the beef across the grain into slices no more than 3mm thick. Place the beef and the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined. Set aside for 5 minutes
Step Two: In the meantime, combine the stir-fry sauce ingredients in a small bowl
Step Three: Place a cast iron pan onto high heat and allow to heat while you make the stir-fry
Step Four: Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for another 10 seconds. Add the beef and spread it out in the pan so there’s maximum surface area coming into contact with the hot pan. Allow to sear for 1 minute, then toss and stir-fry. Spread out the beef again and allow it to sear again for another minute. Then toss and stir-fry until the beef is almost cooked. Add the spring onions and the stir-fry sauce and stir-fry again for another 10 seconds. Add the Shaoxing wine and stir-fry for another minute or until the sauce thickens slightly
Step Five: Carefully place your pre-heated cast iron pan onto a heat-proof trivet or chopping board at your table. Bring your stir-fry to the table in your wok and then tip it onto the hot plate (being careful because there may be hot sauce splattering). Serve immediately
Notes: If you can’t find Shaoxing wine, substitute with Mirin
Step One: Wrap the beef in cling film and place in the freezer for 30 minutes then cut into 5mm thick slices. Use your fingers to press and flatten each piece of beef to about 2.5mm
Step Two: In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, nashi pear, mirin, sesame oil, sesame seeds and pepper. Add beef slices and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate for 20-30 minutes
Step Three: Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and add the beef. Cook on one side until liquid evaporates and beef caramelises. Turn beef slices over and cook for a further minute. Transfer beef to a serving platter and top with spring onion
Step Four: To serve, place the beef, lettuce leaves, cabbage, perilla or mint leaves, bean shoots and kimchi in the middle of the table for everyone to make their own lettuce wraps
Notes: Mirin is a Japanese rice wine. Perilla is a herb with a minty, anise flavour but it can be difficult to find so use mint instead if it’s unavailable. Mirin, perilla leaves and kimchi are available from Asian supermarkets.
Tips & Tricks: Putting the beef in the freezer makes it firmer, which means it’s easier to slice thinly. If you’ve got a tabletop grill you can have your guests cook their own beef just like in a Korean BBQ restaurant. Slices of chicken or pork can be used instead of beef
