Daily Archives: August 21, 2015

Recipe = Japanese Miso Salmon

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jap miso salmon

jap miso salmon

i do a very good nobu miso cod.

after some experimenting, i came up with a good recipe also for oven grilled miso salmon belly.

some months back, wife bought japanese miso salmon (some with mentaiko) at isetan hokkaido fair. at the time i decided to try to replicate the japanese styled miso salmon.

& so i made a miso salmon, the best i have made..after a few tries, it’s now nearly perfected. wife said same as those bought from japan & from isetan..almost, i guess..^^

the key about the japanese marinated salmon (which i really like) & are often included in bentos at railway stations in japan, is that it is dry, texture is firm & very flavourful! 🙂

miso salmon

miso salmon

to recreate this, i marinated 300g salmon with 1 tbsp (heap) miso, 1tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sake, 1 tbsp brown sugar. then put on a rack in the fridge (or chiller compartment) for 2days. then i put in 55degC oven for 3hrs.  then 20mins in aluminium foil tabletop oven 250degC (include 5mins open foil to grill skin),

the idea was to dry out the salmon & marinade. this is only major difference from my usual miso salmon preparation. because i see the miso salmon or mentaiko salmon in Japan were all dryer preparation.

with this preparation, my miso salmon was almost same as those we bought in Japan. a lot cheaper, haha!^^

lunch

lunch

we had this for a simple family lunch at the time (apr2015).

and also at a 19pax homecooked dinner for my RI friends on 24.4.2015.

it is different style from the miso salmon belly which is also very good. i like both, and both can be taken with japanese gohan (rice).

c.h.e.f andy

Very Nice Char Siew

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char siew

char siew

i have tried char siew quite a few times using different meats & preparations.

a rather successful one was almost 2 years ago using belly pork & an oven “sous vide” method at 60degC or 70degC over 4 hrs to 6hrs.

i used the same method for miso belly pork which was very nice too.

i must say while the miso belly pork is a more unique dish the char siew by the “sous vide” method is a bit more tedious & not really my favourite as one can buy cheap & good char siew easily outside.

char siew

char siew

but now i think now i found the right combination to reproduce easily very flavourful & tender, moist char siew, like so. a really excellent char siew. ^^

char siew

char siew

the key is (a) the marinade to produce the right flavour (b) the meat & preparation to produce a tasty, tender, moist meat.

so far, pork collar is the best choice. i tried the same recipe on belly pork but it was quite inferior by comparison.

char siew

char siew

i marinated the meat for 3 days in the chiller.

then i placed the meat on a rack in a preheated 250degC oven for 20mins.

it was as easy as that.

char siew

char siew

& the result was just perfect!

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

  • 400g pork collar (i used frozen pork collar from sheng shiong S$9.90/kg)

marinade

  • 2 tbsp dark sauce
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp heap sugar
  • 1 cinnamon bark
  • 2 star anise
  • 2 cloves chopped garlic
  • 2 chopped shallots

Directions:

  1. scald the pork collar & wash under slow running water to remove scum.
  2. add the marinade & transfer to a ziploc bag & place in the chiller for 2 or 3 days.
  3. bring out of chiller for 1/2 to bring to room temperature.
  4. place on a rack over a aluminium foil lined tray & place in a preheated 250degC oven for 20mins.

Spanish Omelette – simple & great tapas!

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#1 spanish omelette

spanish omelette

first made spanish omelette more than 2 years ago when i was doing the slow-braised spanish beef ribs, spanish seafood paella & a spanish seafood broth. ^^

it was pretty good, but i have not done it for a rather long time since.

recently i was doing a 10-course vegetarian dinner for 8pax at home my niece’s birthday, and decided to include spanish omelette when i was planning the 10 dishes. 🙂

#1 spanish omelette

spanish omelette

when i first made it, i looked at some internet recipes at the time, like the one here.

in any case it was just egg, onions & potatoes.

i sliced the 1/2 yellow onion & 1 .5 large potatoes. i fried in olive oil over medium to low heat the onions till softened & just starting to caramelise, and the potatoes till it breaks easily when pressed with the spatula (then it won’t be overcooked & mushy but still have the bite). i sprinkled sea salt on the pan. 🙂

i beat 2 eggs & added 2 teaspoon fish sauce (or light soy sauce if making vegetarian) & white pepper. then i added the potato & onions.

6" omelette pan

6″ omelette pan

i used a small 6″ omelette pan & added 1.5 tablespoon oil, & added in the the egg mixture when hot, & lowered fire to medium. i then flipped over a flat plate & eased the other side of the omelette back to the pan.

#1 spanish omelette4

spanish omelette

it is really a very simple dish to make. ^^

and nice & tasty! one omelette was good for serving 8pax as a tapas item, and it’s easy to make another omelette if required. 🙂

#1 spanish omelette

spanish omelette

it was crispy outside, and very important, the potatoes were not mushy & had a good bite, & tasty with the onions & egg.

#1 spanish omelette

spanish omelette

a very easy to do dish that delivers great satisfaction! ^^

c.h.e.f andy