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Rad Na with Pork

Rad Na

It’s about time I updated “The List” that you see in the upper right corner of the page. I’ve since added quite a few new recipes and I should really reflect those up there. Getting close to that 100 number! And it’s almost been a year…about how long I thought it might take.

But anyway, another day, more noodles =)

Access to fresh rice noodles is something that should never go unused. I have a couple packets of dried rice noodles in the cupboard but I don’t think I’ve used them in the year or so I’ve had them since fresh ones are so close at hand at Hong Kong Supermarket in Allston. Just walk up, buy them and let them sit on the counter while you prep the rest of the dish. Makes for a 15-20 minute meal most times because the noodles only take a minute or two to soften and soak up all the tasty sauces in the pan.

Every time I pick up the fresh rice noodles, I almost always cook Beef Chow Fun or Pad See Ew, two of my favorites (and go-to dishes whenever I have guests). But I do have to admit, it’s nice to branch out and try something new every once in a while (Especially since I cook fresh noodles around twice a month these days…)

One of my favorite dishes while growing up was Beef Chow Fun but with a soupy gravy poured over top along with some carrots and sugar peas. I think I could still eat that almost every day. The one problem I did have with it was that it did not refrigerate well. If bought at a restaurant, leftovers would be a soupy/soggy mess the next day. The best thing would be when ordering takeout, to have the restaurant separate the gravy and the noodles, that way you only need to prepare a little bit at a time for a meal.

Unfortunately, being the smart college-educated guy I am, I cooked Rad Na (the Thai version of “wet” beef chow fun) and just drenched all the noodles (close to 2 pounds!) with the gravy. And in an attempt to remedy the situation, ended up spilling a portion of it on the floor. Serves me right I guess.

Special thanks to Appon of Appon’s Thai Food for a wonderful recipe to work off of.

Rad Na with Pork

Serves 4
Time : 20 minutes

Recipe adaped from Appon’s Thai Food

Ingredients:
- 1.5 – 2 lbs fresh wide rice noodles
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 4 tbsp canola oil
- 1 lb Pork butt, sliced thin
- 2 cups water + 1/2 chicken bouillon cube (or 2 cups light chicken broth)
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 4 tbsp corn starch mixed with 4 tbsp water
- Chinese broccoli
NOTE: I used a full bouillon cube the first time…way too salty.

Method:
1. Add the water/broth to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When boiling, add bouillon cube (if using), fish sauce, and light soy sauce. Bring to a simmer.
2. Add in the sliced pork. Let cook for a minute or two.
3. Add in the starch and water mix, stir well so that the starch doesn’t coagulate.
4. Add in the Chinese Broccoli.
5. In a frying pan, heat 4 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add in the dark soy sauce and sugar mix, give a quick stir and then toss in the fresh rice noodles. Stir fry until the noodles are starting to get soft, then remove to a deep plate.
6. Finally, pour the sauce over the noodles and serve!
NOTE: If preparing leftovers, separate the noodles and the gravy in different containers. Heat them separately and then mix them together when having your meal

Santa Barbara Eats

Santa Barbara Shellfish Company

As promised, I’m writing about a few of the places (well, the ones I have pictures of) that I ended up at during the course of vacation. Since there was so much planned, I didn’t have a ton of time to hit all of the places around (There’s quite a few restaurants I’ll just have to try the next time I’m over there). But that doesn’t mean I didn’t get any good food. In fact, the meals just progressively got better, not a bad thing at all!

I got to Santa Barbara around 1:30pm PST after a 7am flight out of Boston. So at about 2:30-3ish, a few of us wandered over to Stearn’s Wharf to grab some dinner (dinner to us east coasters anyway). A couple of the places looked a bit touristy but after eyeing the menus and consulting our local guide, the Internet, we settled on the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, the absolute last building on the wharf before the Pacific Ocean.

One thing to note though, we sat outside and quickly realized how cool it could get. It was around 70 degrees but getting progressively windier…lesson learned =P

Santa Barbara Shellfish Company
Cioppino

Santa Barbara Shellfish Company
Crab Salad

The next day, I ended up further down Cabrillo Blvd at the harbor. I did some research that morning and came up with a destination…Brophy Brothers. They have a rotating fish menu (the freshest stuff of the day I guess) that hit a wide range of flavors. Everything was delicious and I washed it all down with beer from Firestone brewery (I’ve yet to find this out in Boston sadly).

The biggest hit was the Thresher shark and fixings. The dish was very well put together, well cooked without being tough, and the flavors worked really well together.

Brophy Brothers
Brophy Brothers

Brophy Brothers
Oysters on the Half Shell (From Long Island…I was bummed they weren’t local!)

Brophy Brothers
Thresher Shark

Brophy Brothers
Sea Bass

And then for the kicker. After a day long wine tour, I scored standby dinner reservations at a French restaurant right in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, Bouchon. I read nothing but fantastic reviews and ravings and had to experience this for myself.

A little side note, but we accidentally walked into the “auxiliary” dining room where the bathrooms are, thinking that was where the main restaurant was. Oops.

From the beginning until the very last bites, Bouchon was top notch. Service was prompt, the staff was very knowledgeable and above all, helpful without sounding pretentious. They really made a good night into a fantastic night out. Add the service to the great food and an awesome wine from Fiddlehead Cellars (2006 Fiddlehead 728 Pinot Noir) and…well, should I go on? =)

I ended up with a fresh heirloom tomato salad and a rack of lamb. The heirloom tomatoes were juicy and the salad felt lighter and refreshing, a good thing! And the lamb? Best lamb I’ve ever had (so far). Every bite was juicy and well seasoned. I got no hints of any burnt bits and savored every single bite (I made it a point to clean off the bones…I have witnesses!).

Bouchon
Heirloom Tomato Stack

Bouchon
Lamb

Bouchon
For the life of me, I can’t remember the name of this dessert

So there you have it, my entire trip to Santa Barbara in two posts. I really wish that I spent more time out there, there was so much more to do but I guess that’ll have to wait until next time!

Trip to Santa Barbara

Bridlewood
Bridlewood Winery

As I’ve probably mentioned a couple times, I was recently vacationing in Santa Barbara. It was a short one though, 4 days in all but I wish I could have made it just a couple days longer. I was there for a wedding, the marriage of two amazing people I know (the groom especially with his stylish collection of hats) and they really made everyone feel at home. Yes, you two are WONDERFUL. From the welcoming party to the wedding and reception on the beach, the wine tour, and the beachside BBQ…it was definitely one of the best vacations I’ve ever been on. Truth!

I mean, seriously, when every day looks like this, how can you be unhappy?

Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, by the East beach

I even ran a couple mornings. I never run. I hate running. Yet I felt oddly at ease just jogging down the beach path. And you know what? I enjoyed it…a lot!

Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara from Stearns Wharf

Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara from Stearns Wharf

Santa Barbara
Stearn’s Wharf

I arrived at about 10am local time (after being up at 4am EST to catch the flight) and then spent the rest of the day wandering the beach and then down to State Street. I think I ended up with 5 meals total (it was a long day). I got to catch the sights at Stearn’s Wharf (and observe a seal napping in someone’s boat) and then walked up State Street a ways (stopped in a board game store while I was at it) before ending the night at the welcome party. By the way, Firestone Brewery serves up some amazing beer, the Firestone DBA being my favorite (I ordered something else to start and then after watching about 20 DBA’s get poured in a row, decided I’d be the 21st). Also enjoyed some fine meals around the area, I’ll post about this next time.

The day after the wedding, we were all loaded up onto a bus headed for the Santa Ynez Valley, as the newlywed couple put it, “The Sideways inspired wine tour” (I loaned them the DVD by the way…gotta take credit wherever I can =P ). We ended up at Gainey Winery, Bridlewood, and then finally a town I can’t seem to remember that well (Los Olivos maybe?). The highlights definitely were the Gainey Riesling, the Bridlewood Blue Roan Syrah, and the cries of anguish/agony as the bus drove past Firestone Brewery on the way back.

Gainey
Gainey Vineyard

Bridlewood
Bridlewood Vineyard

Bridlewood
Bridlewood Vineyard

Last but not least, the Ledbetter beach BBQ. Festivities started at 10am and closed at 6pm…making this pretty much a full day of work for everyone involved. And I can’t forget kudos to the newlyweds for setting this all up and managing not to go insane in the process! The California tri-tip highlighted a great day of BBQ and fun!

Beach BBQ

Gyudon (Stir fried beef bowl)

Gyu don

Things are finally getting back to normal here so that means more cooking and updates (I hope)! I’ve had to resort (not that it’s a bad thing) to cooking even quicker weeknight meals than normal (read: 20 minutes instead of an hour) for the better part of two weeks (with a vacation mixed in) but I’m hoping that’s going to change soon.

In line with the 20 minute meals, I’ve been cooking up a popular Japanese homestyle dish, Gyu-don (stir-fried beef bowl). Thin slices of beef with scallions, onions, and a tasty sauce make this one of my favorite dishes to make. And I’m not alone. Yoshinoya, a chain in Japan, makes this one of their signature dishes. It’s also delicious locally at Cafe Mami, an old haunt back in my college days (I still wind up there now and then, just not as often…well, less than twice a week).

I’m still working on getting this just the way I like it (spicier with a slightly thicker sauce) but it’s working out pretty well so far. I compiled a recipe after consulting Marc Matsumoto’s version at No Recipes and Shizuo Tsuji’s A Simple Art, one of the best cookbooks on the whole range of Japanese cooking available. Both are resources I’ve been depending on for a bunch of different dishes. It never ceases to amaze me how people can whip up dishes on the fly, it’s something I’ve never been able to do.

Gyudon

Time: 20 minutes
Serves : 2-3

Adapted from Marc Matsumoto at No Recipes and Shizuo Tsuji’s A Simple Art

Ingredients:
– 2 tsp canola oil
– 1 medium onion, sliced
– 1 lb marbled beef (I use short rib or steak tips), thinly sliced
– 4 tbsp mirin
– 4 tbsp sake
– 2 tbsp soy sauce
– 1 tbsp Gochujang or Sriracha
– 1/4 tsp grated ginger
– 2 stalks scallions, chopped
– Cooked rice
– Optional: 1/2c dashi stock w/ 2 tbsp soy sauce

Method:
1. Mix together the mirin, sake, and 2 tbsp soy sauce.
2. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil and onions. Stir fry until somewhat soft.
3. Add the thinly sliced beef and brown. Then add the ginger and mirin/sake/soy sauce mix (plus the dashi stock if you made it). Simmer until most of the sauce is gone.
4. Serve over hot rice, garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

Soboro don

Soboro Don

Short post today again, sorry! Just got back in yesterday from Santa Barbara (More on this next week! Vacation was a blast!) and I’m still trying to get life sorted out (Backed up work, a broken HVAC, and warping floorboards will do that to you).

But anyway, a few weeks back I ended up in a Japanese one-bowl/bento lunch kick and found a couple recipes on No Recipes that did the trick! And with a little bit of experimentation, they came out great! Mostly it was a few changes in the amount of spice in the dish and then trying to see what a little bit of dashi would do as well. Hopefully I didn’t ruin the authenticity of the dish too much!

Soboro don

Time: 15 minutes
Serves : 3 – 4

Recipe adapted from Marc at No Recipes

Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground chicken, dark meat
- 1/2 tsp ginger, grated
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp mirin
- 3 scallions
- 2 eggs

- 1/2c dashi broth
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tb sugar
- 1 tsp gochujang chili paste

Method:
1. Add 1 tbsp canola oil to a frying pan over medium high heat. Add in the ginger and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in the chicken and use a spatula to break apart the chunks.
2. When the chicken is just done, add in the mirin and sugar. Stir well to coat and then add in the dashi broth, soy sauce, sugar, and gochujang mix. Cook until the liquid is mostly gone.
3. Fill a bowl with hot rice, top with scallions and scoop in some chicken and sauce. Top with a fried egg and serve.