Pumpkin and Millet Porridge

中文菜谱： 南瓜糯小米粥

Porridge, also known as congee, has a long history in China.  It was invented when the food was scarce and very limited.  People added a lot of water to the pot with very little grains like rice, barleys, or millets.  The porridge cooked this way was thin, bland and tasteless.  But it fed a lot of hungry bellies when time was hard.  

Nowadays, people continue to cook porridge for its health benefits.  By adding different ingredients, porridges can be quite nutritious and tasty too!  And the combinations are endless.  You can put pretty much anything into porridge to make it sweet or savory.  If you like dim sum, that is a great chance you have already tried some porridge or congee already. 

I recently discover that millets and pumpkin can be a really combination for porridge too!

Ingredients：

1 cup of glutinous millets (sold in most Asian grocery stores)
1 small Kabocha
water as needed

Glutinous millets are different from regular millets.  They are, well, more glutinous /sticky when cooked.  O(∩_∩)O~

Kabocha is also known as “Japanese pumkin / squash”.  They are usually small, round and dark green with beautiful stripes and dots across the whole squash.  

And kabocha usually taste sweeter, more tender and starchy than regular squash.  It is on the top of my favorite squash list.

Directions：

Rinse the kabocha thoroughly under running water.  Put in on top of a steamer in an instant pot.  Fill the pot with 2 to 3 cups of water.   set on high pressure for 8 to 12 minutes depending on the size of kabocha. 

When cooked, remove kabocha’s skin and inner seed mixture.  

Use a fork to finely smash the kabocha flesh.

Meanwhile, soak the glutinous millets for 30 minutes.  Drain well. 

In a cast iron pot, add about 1 gallon of water.  Cook on high heat until the water boils.  I am using a Le Creuset 4 quarts Dutch oven here.  It heats more evenly; can be served with pot and looks so good on the table.

Add soaked glutinous millets. 

Continue to cook on high heat until the millet mixture boils again.  Cover with lid and reduce the heat to simmer.  Do not cover the lid tight.  Leave some space on the edge so that extra moisture from the pot can evaporate. 

Stir with a wooden spoon from time to time.

The porridge would be done in about 45 minutes. 

Fold in kabocha puree with a wooden spoon.   Turn the heat back to high until the porridge boils again. 

Remove from heat and serve hot immediately.

The porridge has a silky and smooth texture.  Kabocha puree adds extra flavors to it. 

It is a bowl of sweet,  silky, and comforting porridge; just like a hug in a bowl! O(∩_∩)O~

Stewed Diced Beef Rough Flank with Daikon

中文菜谱：清汤牛腩炖萝卜

Whenever the weather gets cold, or when we are being hit by a winter storm, I make stew or soup.  That is a tradition I learn from my grandma’s kitchen.  I also learn how to stew beef rough flank from her.

Unlike regular beef flank, rough flank consists of tendon and tough tissues.  They are usually very tough and take a long time to cook.  I assume the slightly unpleasant look and long cooking time prohibit its popularity in America.  You can only find them in most Asian grocery stores but not in American ones.  You may also find beef flank in Vietnamese pho too.

Don’t try to substitute with regular flank.  After proper long cooking time, beef rough flank can be very tasty.  Its attaching tendon will become soft and tender but still a little bit al-dente.  That is why I like it so much.  The texture and beefy flavor are very charming and additive.  

Ingredients：

1 large piece of beef rough flank（weighs about 2 pounds, sold in most Asian grocery stores）
1 piece of ginger root, smashed
1 to 2 bay leaves
1 star anise
2 tablespoons rice cooking wine
1 daikon
about 3 quarts water
salt to taste
chopped green onion
chopped cilantro

Directions：

Clean and trim extra fat away from beef rough flank.  Soak it in cold water for 2 hours.  Change the water twice in between.

With a sharp knife, cut the flank into 1 by 2 inches size

Peel and cut the daikon into the same size

Fill a cast iron with water.  Add beef flank, ginger and rice cooking wine.  Cook over high heat until it boils.  During this process, you need to skim off any impurities and dark bubbles that come to the top. 

Cover with lid.  Reduce the heat to simmer for 4 to 5 hours.  The though tissues will break down after long simmer time and become soft and tender.

This Le Creuset 4 1/4 quarts soup pot is one of my favorite pots in the kitchen.  It does great job in stewing and making soup. 

2 hours into simmering, add star anise and bay leaves

4 to 5 hours later, the broth becomes beautiful golden color.  That is how you know it is a good pot of stew.  Pressure cooker can’t do that for you.  Only time and slow simmering can make it happen.

Turn up the heat; add daikon and salt to taste.

Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes.  It is time to enjoy!

Sprinkle with chopped green onion and cilantro.  Serve hot immediately.

Bon appetite!