Braised Duck Necks in Spicy Soy Sauce

中文菜谱： 辣卤鸭脖

For the foodies who have culinary adventurous spirits, I recommend soy sauce braised duck necks as a meaty, healthy and very satisfying snack when watching Super Bowl on this coming Sunday.  For those who think it is too bizarre, all I can say is that you have no idea what you are missing O(∩_∩)O~  

A lot of Asian countries have long history of eating ducks.  I mean like all parts of ducks.  When food was scarce, nothing edible would go waste.  At first, people eat duck necks because they couldn’t afford expensive meat.  And now people are still eating it because of it is so tasty and flavorful.

Ingredients：

2 lbs duck necks (sold in Asian grocery stores)  
3 to 4 tablespoons Pixian chili paste
a handful dried chili peppers
1/4 to 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 to 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons rice cooking wine
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
3 to 4 star anises
1 small piece cinnamon bark
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper corns
3 to 4  pieces dried sand ginger
5 to 6 cloves
1 black cardamom pod
2 cloves of garlic
1 small piece of fresh ginger root, sliced
salt to taste  
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil for cooking
water
1 cup of *“old soy sauce” (opitonal)

(* old soy sauce is the remaining braised sauce that has been boiled, drained and preserved in freezer.  Add old soy sauce to the broth can enrich its flavor, improve the braised meat texture and give everything a better taste.  Think about the old dough used in the bakery.  They pretty much work the same way. *)

Directions：

Gather all the needed spices in a small plate.  Don’t they look pretty together?

Clean and rinse duck necks under running water.  Trim any extra surrounding fat or tissues.

Blanch duck necks in boiling water for about 5 minutes.

Rinse them with hot water.  Set aside.

Heat a cast iron wok over medium heat.  Add vegetable oil along with all the spices.

Sautee for several minutes until you can smell intense aroma from the spices.

Add Pixian chili paste.

Add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice cooking wine, sugar, and old soy sauce.  Continue to sauté for a couple minutes.

Add water.  Turn up the heat to high.  When it comes to boil, add duck necks.

Wait for the broth to boil again.  Cover with lid and reduce the heat to simmer for about 1 hour.  Extend the simmering time if you prefer softer meat texture. 

15 minutes before simmering time is up, do a quick sample taste.  Add salt to taste.  

When the hour is up, turn off the heat.  For maximum flavor, leave the duck necks soaking in broth for another hour or so.

When the duck necks cool down, dice them with a sharp cleaver. 

They are best when served cold beer together! O(∩_∩)O~

Short Pork Ribs Braised in Soy Sauce

中文菜谱： 不用油的红烧排骨，一样软糯鲜香

Recently I have been more enthusiastic about pork ribs than before. 

Asian grocery stores in Houston area are very customer-friendly.  They sell pre-cut pork ribs in the shape of long thin strips so that you don’t have to go through all the trouble to cut them yourself.  They also help to custom cut the meat of your choice.  Such a life saver! O(∩_∩)O~

I always bring back a few rib strips from my trip to Asian grocery stores.  What I am cooking today is short pork ribs braised in soy sauce. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 strips of pork ribs (baby back /spare ribs cut into long thick strips.  Two weigh about 1lb.  )
1 small piece of ginger root, sliced
1/4 low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon crushed rock sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons rice cooking wine
2 to 3 star anises
3 to 4 cloves
2 bay leaves
boiling water
salt to taste

Directions：

star anises are really amazingly beautiful.

With a sharp kitchen knife, cut the ribs into one by one inch pieces.  Soak in cold water for 4 to 5 hours.  Change the water a few times in between.  

Heat a cast iron wok over medium heat.  Add ribs, with the fatty side down.  Flip over when they are golden brown. 

Add crushed rock sugar.  Sauté the sugar with ribs together.  The sugar will melt quickly and coat the ribs with amber color syrup.

Rock sugar is an essential ingredient in Asian cooking.  It is always available in Asian grocery store.  When unavailable, it can be substituted with regular cane sugar.

Add boiling water, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice cooking wine, sliced ginger root, star anises, cloves and bay leaves. 

Cook over high heat until the broth boils.  Cover with lid and reduce the heat to simmer for about 40 minutes. 

Turn the heat back to high.  Add salt to taste. 

As the broth evaporates, the ribs are getting more and more beautifully golden brown.

Remove from the heat when there is no extra liquid in the wok. 

Serve hot immediately.

The ribs have been simmered and braised for almost an hour.  So they are tender and juicy; sweet and savory all at the same time.  It is full of comfort food flavors. 

Roasted Chicken Hocks Braised in Soy Sauce

中文菜谱：

香糯Q弹的烤卤鸡脚杆

Chicken hock is the part between drumstick and foot, also known as “ankle joint”.  It has very unique texture because it is mostly just skin, tendon and bone.  After being stewed or braised for a while, chicken hock could be tender and soft.  Just like pork and beef hock, chicken hock has gelatinous texture once properly cooked. 

As for the flavor, it is just pretty mild chicken flavor.  It is all about the texture in this dish. 

Bizarre food? Maybe.  Delicious? Definitely!

Ingredients：

1 package of chicken hocks (weighs about 2 lbs)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons rice cooking  wine
1 to 2 tablespoons rock sugar
1 piece of ginger root, smashed  
1/2  teaspoon oyster sauce
1 spice & herb bag, recipe followed
water for cooking and simmering
salt to taste
cayenne pepper powder
ground cumin
roasted white sesame seeds
chopped green onion

Ingredients for spice & herb bag：

3 to 4 star anises
1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper corns
1 black cardamom pod, smashed
4 to 5 cloves
3 to 4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried ginger
a handful of dried red chili peppers, cut into pieces
1 small piece of cinnamon bark
1 clove of garlic

Directions：

Add star anises, Sichuan peppercorns, cardamom, dried ginger, cloves, bay leaves, chili peppers to a piece of coffee filter paper.  Wrap and tie it up to be a spice bag.

Rinse the chicken hocks under running water.  Cook in boiling water for 5 minutes.  Discard the water and fill the pot with fresh clean water and add the chicken hocks along with spice bag, rice cooking wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rock sugar, oyster sauce and ginger. 

Cook over high heat until water boils.

Cover with lid.  Reduce the heat to simmer for 40 to 50 minutes.  And cooking time may be adjusted according to personal preferences of chewyness.

This Le Creuset 4 3/4 quarts soup pot is perfect for braising.  More importantly it is a beautiful pot too. O(∩_∩)O~

Season with salt and continue to cook over high heat until there is no extra liquid in the pot. Stir with wooden spoon from time to time.

Preheat a toaster oven to 425F/218C.  Transfer chicken hocks to a cast iron pan lined with parchment paper

Roast for about 15 to 20 minutes.  The golden brown color darkens a bit.  The meaty flavor is more intense. 

Continue to roast for another 10 to 20 minutes or until the meat is golden brown.

Sprinkle with cayenne powder, ground cumin, roasted sesame seeds and chopped onion.

Roasted Pork Shank Braised in Soy Sauce

中文菜谱： 软糯柔韧好吃的烤卤肘子

Pork shank is a tasty part that has been overlooked by most people.  Just like lamb shank, pork shank is consisted of tough tissues and muscles.  It takes a long braising & simmering time to finally break them down.

There is not much meat on pork shank and hock compared to other parts from pigs.  But once cooked properly, pork shank become soft and tender with a slight gelatinous texture.  I take it further by roasting pork hock after it is done braising in soy sauce for a couple hours. 

Roasting under high temperature tightens the pork skin and meat under.  Pork shank and hock get more gelatinous and a bit chewy, in a good way of course.  That great meaty flavor is intensified.  Wow, I just like it so much!

I posted how to braise pork hock before.  It is one of the most traditional ways to cook pork hocks in China. 

Ingredients：

1 small pork shank  (weighs about 3 pounds)
1/3 cup of soy sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 to 3 tablespoon rock sugar
1/4 cup rice cooking wine
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 piece of ginger root, smashed
1 spice & herb bag, recipe followed
water for cooking and simmering
salt to taste
cayenne pepper powder
ground cumin
roasted white sesame seeds
chopped green onion

Ingredients for spice & herb bag：

3 to 4 star anises
1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper corns
1 black cardamom pod, smashed
4 to 5 cloves
3 to 4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried ginger
a handful of dried red chili peppers, cut into pieces
1 small piece of cinnamon bark
1 clove of garlic

Directions：

Add star anises, Sichuan peppercorns, cardamom, dried ginger, cloves, bay leaves, chili peppers to a piece of coffee filter paper.  Wrap and tie it up to be a spice bag.

I always buy pork shank/ hock from Asian grocery stores.  There is a bigger selection there.  And you can even get extra help from meat department to make custom cuts. 

Rinse the pork shank under running water.  Cook in boiling water for 10 minutes.  Discard the water and fill the pot with fresh clean water and add the shank along with spice bag, rice cooking wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rock sugar, oyster sauce and ginger. 

Cook over high heat until water boils.

Cover with lid.  Reduce the heat to simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  And cooking time may be adjusted according to pork shank’s size and personal preferences.

This Le Creuset 4 3/4 quarts soup pot is perfect for brasing.  More importantly it is a beautiful pot too. O(∩_∩)O~

Season with salt and continue to cook over high heat until there is no extra liquid in the pot. Stir with wooden spoon from time to time.

Preheat a toaster oven to 425F/218C.  Transfer pork shank to a cast iron pan lined with parchment paper

Roast for about 20 minutes.  The golden brown color darkens a bit.  The meaty flavor is more intense. 

Continue roasting for another 10 to 20 minutes.

Carefully take the whole pan out of oven.

Sprinkle with cayenne powder, ground cumin, roasted sesame seeds and chopped onion.

And now go grab yourself a cold beer and then dig in! O(∩_∩)O~

Pickled Peanuts with Vinegar and Onion

中文菜谱：

简单好滋味的老醋花生

Pickled peanut is a dish, well, an appetizer to be exact, very popular during hot summer time across mainland China.  It is extremely simple and easy to make.  Just toss roasted peanuts and chopped onion, along with vinegar and some other seasonings.  And then wah-lah… you have a refreshing and crunchy peanut appetizer!

It sounds easy.  But it will take a few tries to achieve great flavors.  And the variations are limitless.  You can add celery, cilantro, chili peppers…  And every family has its own seasoning recipe too. All they have in common are peanuts, good vinegar and chopped onion.  

Ingredients：

1 cup raw peanuts
3 to 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (go with aged vinegar if you have one on hand )
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 to 2 tablespoons honey (or use more or less to taste)
3 to 4 tablespoons soy sauce
chopped cilantro
1 medium sized onion, peeled and chopped
salt to taste

Directions：

I love peanuts with that red thin layer of skin on.  The ones without it will taste just fine too.

Preheat oven to 350F/177C

Spread peanuts on a baking sheet.  Bake in the oven for 8 minutes.  When time is up, turn off oven heat.  Leave the peanuts in the oven until they are cooled down. 

Peanuts will be very crunchy when they cool down.

I have been using this vinegar for years.  The aged version tastes better.  Whenever I see them on shelves, I would stock up O(∩_∩)O~

Add peanuts, along with chopped onion, cilantro and all the seasonings to a large bowl.

Mix well.

It can be served right after everything is mixed together.  But the flavor would be so much better if you let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

A few hours later, color has dulled a little bit, but all seasoning s and flavors combine better and the taste is smoother and more harmonious. 

Peanuts are still crunchy.  The contrast between crunchy peanut and juicy onion is well balanced and interesting.   I just can’t get enough of it O(∩_∩)O~