UnRecipe: Ride the Snake, 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Well, it's not Chinese New Year's yet, but I'm still ready to party like it's 1999 with some favorite Szechuan style dishes and turn the heat up on this upcoming 2013 Year of the Snake! I'm okay with leaving the Year of the Dragon behind -- it was "my year" and I'm more than happy to pass along the mantle to the Mister and many other Year of the Snake-people. So let's get this year started off right with some dishes to spice up our lives!

Getting my Szechwan-on with tasty food from Spiced - Photo by Wasabi Prime

As the clock struck midnight on Dec 31st, I did indulge in a moment to contemplate the Year that Was, which was a tricksy-Hobbit of a 2012. They say when it's your zodiac year, the universe sure knows how to let you know you're special, given that this year brought me a garage door caved-in by a wayward industrial lawn mower, an ice storm that pretty much froze us solid for a few days, and it topped off the year with our attic being infested by rats/squirrels/whatever the hell continues to claw the walls between 12 midnight and 3am. But I ain't mad. It was also full of very good things as well -- design and illustration projects with very cool food and wine clients, illustrating a children's book (Yo, Bucky!), and most importantly, plenty of awesome times with incredible friends and family. Mayan Apocalypse, you ain't gonna rain hellfire on my parade, no sir -- at the end of any year, I feel so very blessed to be surrounded by such good, kind people. Even the folks I've never met in person, but we talk over Twitter and Facebook -- thank you! I'm constantly reminded how small the world is, and that is a good thing, because it just brings us closer.

Okay, okay, enough maudlin Auld Lang Syne! Get to the good stuff, which is eating amazing food that you don't even have to cook! The best meals are the ones you don't have to cook -- no dishes, no fuss, just pure enjoyment. And and I'm not talking fancy, fussy, expensive restaurants! A couple of my favorite places that I've enjoyed through 2012 and will continue to enjoy in the new year are Spiced in Bellevue and Spicy Talk in Redmond. Szechuan food is so popular in this area and there are a lot of great places, these are just two of many that happen to be along my regular errand routes. I crave the spicy stir fried lamb at Spiced -- intense spices, almost a mix of Mediterranean and Indian, that works well with the heavier lamb taste, and so tender. Their green onion pancakes are wonderful as well. I tend to get my orders to go, so I haven't explored many of their soups, nor their impressive chilled/pickled options, but that's on my list of to-do's in the new year. When I hit Spicy Talk, I'm pretty much a slave to three dishes: their fish in spicy gravy (melt in your mouth good), dan dan mein (hand shaved noodles in a peanut soup/broth), and their crispy-amazing chong qing chicken. The chicken is popular at most Szechuan style places -- basically spicy fried chicken -- but I like the little dry-fried bite-sized pieces mixed with green beans at Spicy Talk.

Trying to recreate spicy chicken goodness at home - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I've tried to recreate the spicy chong qing chicken dish at home, but to mixed results -- I do a pan-fry of small chicken bits coated in cornstarch, which tends to give a more crispy shell. I don't skimp on the Szechuan peppercorns, but quick pan-sear doesn't have that great dry-fry mouth feel that restaurants know how to do when food is quickly immersed in hot fry oil. So anymore now, if I crave this dish, I happily go out or put in a to-go order if I know I'm passing by Spicy Talk on the way home.

I can make my own version of dan dan noodles at home, but it's not as good as the hand-shaven noodles in that marvelous peanut soup/stew broth at Spicy Talk. Again, another reason to just call in an order and Treat Yo Self to something that someone else has made. But that leads me to something to consider for this brand-spankin' new year: shopping with reckless abandon at the local Asian grocer and test driving some new new ingredients.

Inspired by restaurant food, but don't be afraid to shop like crazy at the Asian grocer - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I've said this before -- I live out in Duvall-BFE, we don't have an Asian grocery store, so I stock up periodically at one giant store over in Bellevue, The Asian Food Center, which probably has the most generic name in the world, but hey, you don't doubt what they're selling. I like going to Uwajimaya, but around the holidays their parking lot is extra crazy, heavy on the murderball-sauce, so I tend to avoid it during prime visiting hours. For most supply runs, I've been hitting up the Asian Food Center. My basics include the biggest package of Szechuan peppercorns I can find, bulk pre-ground white pepper (because I use it for everything and it's usually cheaper at the Asian markets), various chili sauces, preserved greens, fermented black bean paste, and the largest bottles of rice wine vinegar, black vinegar and sesame oil I can manage.

Crazy "Everything" Noodles - Photos by Wasabi Prime

If you've never cooked with any of those items, give them a try -- don't be afraid to experiment with unusual vinegars or if a jar says "fermented." When you're doing even the most basic of stir fry dishes, they really enhance the flavor and make the dish feel more robust in flavor. They also make me giddy in the kitchen because after a big Asian market spree, I go crazy with the wok, throwing everything together for crazy "everything" noodle dishes, trying different combinations of chili and/or black bean pastes, fermented vegetables and vinegars.

Most times, having a wide range of ingredients to play with is an encouraging way to go through extra vegetables you've got languishing in the fridge. Right now I'm living Kale City, but it goes great in a stir fry with other vegetables, some chicken and black bean paste. I was using a lot of fermented black beans over the late summer months when Japanese eggplant was in season, because I love nothing more than spicy eggplant in an earthy, chili-heavy sauce. 

Veggies, noodles, throw it all together and see what happens - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Not a typical New Year's post full of resolutions, too much champagne, fussy feasts and funny hats, this post is all about indulging in favorite flavors, restaurants and also throwing a bit of caution to the wind, buying ingredients you wouldn't normally pick up from the shelves, but ones you won't regret trying. So consider all these things as as we enter a new year -- Ride the Snake in 2013!

Don't fear the Fermented - black bean paste is your friend - Photos by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Hot Wok Culture Shock - a Tale of Two Noodles

With food, as is with life, it's so much about presentation and context. We all have our set ways and expectations, but we're never beyond making adjustments. I don't mind the idea of both savory and sweet crepes, but I still can't quite wrap my head around the notion of a "dessert pizza," where it's usually smothered in marshmallows, chocolate and a hefty serving of Just Plain Awful. While I'll never be a fan of sugary pizza, I do think there's something to be said for the versatility of ingredients and even the kitchen tools we use to prepare them. For example, take something as simple and homey as a plate of spaghetti and meatballs -- would it totally blow your mindgrape to know it was all cooked in a wok?

Spaghetti cooked in a wok, dogs and cats living together - MASS HYSTERIA - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I think my wok had a Liz Lemon/30 Rock moment of, "What the WHAT?!" when I was simmering an Italian style red sauce in it. I'm certainly no purist, I've thrown Sriracha or Tabasco sauce in pasta sauces if I'm out of red pepper flakes, and nobody died from an acute case of culture shock, but yes, even the Mister, aka the Whitest Kid You Know, had to do a double take to see red sauce with meatballs simmering in a wok. I think he was worried the Asian Police would finally serve out that longstanding bench warrant against me for sucking at math and never learning to play the violin. 

I was inspired by Lorna Yee's new book, The Everyday Wok Cookbook, which the cover alone had me dead-set on making her Spaghetti and Bison Meatball recipe from the get-go. I don't need much arm twisting to make spaghetti and meatballs, but I was intrigued at the thought of using bison meat and even more intrigued at the weird juxtaposition of a marinara sauce throwing my anthropomorphized wok's brain for a loopty-loop.

Wokked spaghetti and meatballs - weirdly wonderful - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Using a wok as an all purpose cooking vessel isn't so crazy. I'm pretty sure billions of Chinese people can attest to its versatility and use. Granted, they're probably not making French toast in it, but really -- why the hell not? It's got a sizeable surface area with varying temperature zones that are fairly predictable (center = screamin' hot, away from the center = less screamin' hot) and the amount it can hold makes it ideal for soups and stews. Many people prefer woks as their stovetop deep fryer, convinced it's better than the typical Dutch oven. I use it as a one-pot wonder when I make things like Pad Thai at home -- it's great for getting the noodles partly cooked, then a quick wipedown and it's ready to cook the rest of the dish. Everything fits back in the wok for when it comes time for the final ingredient combination, and that's kind of how this spaghetti and bison meatball dish worked out.

I thought the bison meat would be tough to find. It's not something I normally shop for, so I immediately assumed I'd have to get it from a specialty grocer. And of course as Murphy's Law would have it -- no fancy butcher seemed to be carrying it. The holiday season doesn't help, as it's all festive meats taking up precious shelf space, and rightly so. I had my sad No Bison Meat face on (it looks much like this) until I happened to be at the grocery store where we live and there was a whole flippin' row of ground bison meat! At the Safeway, of all flippin' places. Apparently, it's not as exotic as one would think, so don't skimp on using bison meat for this dish. It's very tender, has a good flavor and not gamey since most bison are likely farmed/grazed like cows.

Tis the season, and Lorna's cookbook would make for a great holiday gift, especially if you want to up the ante and give the book with a new wok for someone who may not cook a lot, but wishes to learn. The recipes are very user-friendly and the book is beautifully photographed, which inspires you to get into the kitchen. The food is enticing and it covers multicultural menus. There's macaroni and cheese, breakfast omelets and scrambles, paella, several traditional Asian dishes like pockmarked tofu and dumplings, and even a dessert section. It's a nice reminder that just because you have a wok, it doesn't mean you only have to cook Asian-sounding dishes in it. It was a refreshing exercise for me to consider the wok as just another team player in our kitchen full of cooking vessels, and it's as much of an A-Game player as a basic skillet.

Whole wheat spaghetti for dan dan noodles? Fantastic - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Since this post is about multipurpose things, I'd also like to wave the banner of versatility for the simple spaghetti noodle. My wok was back in its Happy Place making a heaping pile of Szechuanese Dan Dan Noodles one night. I had everything I needed from the Asian grocery store -- black vinegar, preserved mustard greens, an industrial sized bottle of sesame oil, sesame paste, and enough Szechuan peppercorns to last me for when the Year of the Dragon gets chased out by the Year of the Snake. Since I live out in BFE-Duvall, I only make periodic trips to a big Asian grocery store in Bellevue to stock up for a few months at a time. Most of the things I get are dried, canned and preserved, so it's got great shelf life, but I always neglect the noodles. Curse my feeble brain! I forgot to get more udon noodles and Chinese style egg noodles, both of which are great for making dan dan, with their thickness and wider surface area to hold more sauce. The local grocery stores have some Asian noodles, but they're typically chow mein style or flat rice noodles which are great for some things, but just mehhhh.... for what I wanted.

Enter the Dragon: whole wheat spaghetti noodles, for the win. I don't typically love whole wheat noodles for traditional pasta dishes. Regardless of the health benefit, I find them tough and depending on the sauce you're making, they can make the finished dish ruddy-looking and less appealing to the eye. But for a noodle dish like dan dan, where it's rich and nutty from the sesame paste and oil, and a mix of textures from the ground, fried meat and freshly sliced scallions, having a hearty noodle works well. You don't want something turning into mush, and that extra toughness of the whole wheat spaghetti has a satisfying mouth feel.

Dan dan noodles is one of those dishes with a million and one ways to make it. I've had versions as a soup and most in this stir-fry method, all flavored with the smokiness of the Szechuan peppercorn and rich sesame taste. The recipe I work from is thanks to Appetite for China's, available here. This recipe's style isn't as oily as some -- the most traditional has the noodles sitting in an orange bath of chili oil, which is plenty good, but if that's not your thing, this less oily version is a great dish. If you love the idea of peanut butter spicy noodles, that's one way of describing dan dan noodles in familiar terms. It's quick, and I've even substituted ground turkey for the ground pork -- the seasonings are strong enough and there's plenty of fat from the sesame paste and cooking oil.

So, cheers to versatility, in both ingredients and cooking vessels. Food and recipes constantly evolve in the way we prepare them, so throw away the rule book now and then and don't be afraid to free your mind and make spaghetti in a wok.

UnRecipe: General Tsort-of's Chicken

Don't deny it. You have an illicit love for Americanized Chinese food. For as much food-snobbery you have over knowing the origins of obscure ethnic cuisine and how ingredients were introduced to different cultures, when you're in a typical American-style Chinese restaurant, your eyes glaze over with junkie-like glee for the dishes that have never set foot in the Asian Motherland. You even get excited when the fortune cookie shows up, because you love saying, "...in bed" after everyone reads their fortune aloud.

Team Americanized Chinese Food, Eff Yeah! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

My favorites have always been the following: Orange Chicken with its alarmingly traffic cone orange-colored glaze, Mongolian Beef that's so spicy that it makes me sweat until I weep blood, and of course, General Tso's Chicken. None of these dishes have ever seen the shores of China, and while they may have distant cousin-once-removed connections to meals from the homeland, the food we eat at restaurants with a combination of "panda," "bamboo" and "garden" in the name are pretty much as American as "Honey Boo Boo." I can't quite bring myself to buy the premade sauce that you can drizzle over fried chicken, instantly making it Orange Chicken, and every time I make a version of it at home, it's dull, given my lack of weird-ass preservatives and dyes that make that sauce so fantastic and disturbing. I can do a version of Mongolian Beef at home, which is basically beef + crazy spices = Bring on the Hurt. But General Tso's Chicken is a marvelously complex mixture of sweet, savory seasonings and textures, with the crispy fried chicken pieces and a mixture of vegetables. Most places don't even bother with the vegetables, it's just crispy chicken tossed with a spicy sweet sauce, but for an at-home version, I upped the produce level.

I cheat on what would arguably be the most important part, which is the fried chicken. I do a light coating of seasoned cornstarch and then do a pan-fry in a wok, just searing the outside of bite-sized chicken chunks until they're browned and crispy. But mixed in with a bunch of vegetables like carrots, onions and green beans, the lack of crispy chicken texture is negligible, plus I add in chopped peanuts at the end, to give it extra crunch. My focus is the sauce, which has to have that right balance of sweet-savory with a little bit of sour. I don't like General Tso sauces that are all sweet, like a sugary teriyaki sauce -- way too one-note. I made a sauce that was a mix of soy sauce, Korean kochujang (red pepper paste), rice wine vinegar, a little sugar, and chopped ginger and garlic. UnRecipe strikes again because I mixed the sauce and just tasted as I went, adding as I mixed to get the balance I wanted, but those were the ingredients to push-pull and design your own General Tso-Tasty sauce. A little cornstarch whisked in at the end, and into the wok-sizzling vegetables and meat it went to coat and tighten up from the heat.

Non-fried chicken and whatever vegetables you have on-hand. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

It wasn't the exact version of the beloved Americanized Chinese restaurant dish we all hate to admit we love, but it was a fair replica for at-home enjoyment. For as much at-home versions of food that's already been bastardized plenty enough, I never want to make a perfect version at home. Why rob myself of that perfect experience of eating all those culturally co-opted delicacies in an overly-decorated restaurant of bamboo and gold dragons, and the joy of saying, "...in bed" after everyone reads their fortune? I'm not going to deny my love for what is essentially American food -- I'm going to get my fluorescent day-glow orange chicken and fried spicy goodness that General Tso never once laid eyes on, and I'm going to enjoy every damn bite.

UnRecipe: ERMAHGURRRRD - French Fries!!

Happy Meatless Monday, which I would consider it the Post-Thanksgiving/Meat Hangover, given our glutton-filled weekend of turkey-turkey-everything. So to cleanse our roadblocked intestines and overworked filter organs, how about something simple with delightful sweet potatoes? Oh, who am I kidding -- it's the holidays, and the checkered flag was waved as of Thanksgiving, so it's time to Unleash the Kraken for rich, delicious food that we'll have all of 2013 to regret stuffing our faces with.

Sweet Potato Buffalo Fries... because, yeah, that's a thing - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I'll be the first to admit that I make unreasonable bargains with myself when it comes to food. I'll say "no" to Yukon gold potatoes because they're so starchy, and "yes" to sweet potatoes and yams because they have more nutrients and a little lower starch content... and then douse those slightly more nutritious sweet potatoes and yams with sauces, cheese and whatever else that negates that little extra bit of health they offered. I've never made myself out to be a Health Saint, that's for sure, but when I crave French fries -- which is fairly often -- I'll do what I can to try and squeeze out whatever little bit of nutritional value I can. Enter: Buffalo Wing Yam Fries.

Thanksgiving sort of ruined yams, in my opinion. How they got to become synonymous with being in a casserole dish, covered with marshmallows is beyond me. I blame the South, the Midwest, and the Flyover States in general for ruining a perfectly delicious spud, giving it the false beard of "appetizer" when it's really some unholy dessert in that terrible guise. So I thought I'd ruin yams in my own, special Wasabi-way, dousing it in Frank's Hot Sauce and sprinkled with crumbles of blue cheese. Totally unrelated to Thanksgiving, I just really wanted Buffalo Wings. Which, really, who doesn't? I also thought this would be a great Meatless Monday/Junk Food Binge meal. Who says vegetarianism doesn't have a naughty side? Nothing with a face went into this heaping pile of indulgence, so let this spicy, cheesy flavor-fest rock your vegetarian socks off.

Cheesy spicy potato goodness - Photos by Wasabi Prime

If you decide to make this beast of a meatless feast, take some yams -- peeled or unpeeled, the skins are fine if you leave them on -- and cut into fry-shaped wedges. Yams really are the best for this because of their intense bright orange color -- it really plays into the Buffalo Wings theme, and as they say, we eat with our eyes first. Toss with vegetable oil and some salt and pepper, and spread out on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, to keep them from sticking. Put the tray in a preheated 420-degree oven. High heat is good, it will roast the potatoes, pull out all that moisture, and help dry them out a bit. You can fry them, this would make them true fries, but deep frying is a pain in the rear, and this works in a pinch. I usually run the tray under the broiler for a minute or two, just to give it a little crisp, but they'll burn fast, so keep an eye on them. While they're still hot, toss the yams with your favorite hot sauce (Frank's is my favorite), and then sprinkle crumbles of blue cheese over it before eating with abandon. Baked fries aren't as crisp as deep-fried ones, but once they've got sauce and cheese on them, you'll eat them with a fork, so that's why I feel the baked vs deep-fried option is negligible.

My second Fry Binge was with sweet potatoes. I told you, I crave French fries A LOT, so I like having some options to make those unreasonable food bargains with myself to pretend the food isn't as rich and naughty as it truly is. This fry-binge was inspired by that fabulous creation from Canada, poutine. If you've never had poutine, it's Mana from Heaven -- crispy fries doused with gravy and topped with squeaky cheese curds. I don't know the backstory over how poutine was invented. I'm guessing it was probably the result of a very drunk beer-soaked night, but much like our own US-equivalent of pile o' drunk food -- nachos -- it's a cure for what ails when there's too many ales. This version is meatless -- no gravy -- just a basic bechamel sauce. I added spice by seasoning the sweet potatoes with a mix of extra pepper and cayenne before they were baked. While the spiced sweet potato fries are roasting in the oven -- same temperature as the yam fries -- I use the stovetop to make the bechamel, which just a basic white sauce that I add a mixture of cheeses to towards the end. I added white cheddar and parmesan, but you can add whatever cheeses you like.

How sweet it is - sweet potato fries with cheese sauce - Photo by Wasabi Prime

This of course results in yet another messy pile o' gooey food, but who cares, as it was delicious. Cheesy, spicy sweet potato goodness. The nice thing about sweet potatoes and yams is that they have a noticeable and distinctive flavor -- they're not neutral like a typical plain potato. The natural sweetness takes the addition of spice really nicely, the richness of a sauce and strong cheese doesn't drown out the potato. For the cheesy sweet potato fries, adding a healthy sprinkle of paprika before serving helps keep it from being pale, white food, and it reminds your eyes that you're eating something with a little kick.

So let the celebration of the holidays begin -- we can happily swaddle ourselves in heavy winter coats and Snuggies as we dig into all our favorite foods. At least until January first comes around and we can make all those pesky resolutions to eat carrot sticks for every meal.

OMG a Recipe: Salt n' Peppa Pork Chops

Not that it's news to anyone, but when I have delicious Chinese food, I'm always reminded that they can take something so basic and just make it better. Curse you Asians, and your overachieving ways!! *Pause, to look at oneself in mirror, then slap palm to face* It seems like strange thing to go to a Chinese restaurant and order pork chops, but it's not just pork chops, it's something far better and more magical than the rubber-bouncy-ball version of overcooked pork chops you grew up with -- behold, Salt and Pepper Pork Chops Made Better by Asians.

My at-home version of Salt and Pepper Pork Chops - Photo by Wasabi Prime

This is by no means a statement that I make amazing salt and pepper pork chops. I'm actually a total n00b at making it at home, I was just tired of waiting to go out to where I can get good salt and pepper pork chops and wanted a Good Enough for Government Work version for at-home dining. I worked off a recipe I modified from Chowhound for their Salt and Pepper Pork Chop. My recipe-mods were adding toasted, ground red Hawaiian salt (just because I had it, Kosher salt would be fine, too) and Szechuan peppercorns to the dry coating -- I've heard the toasting is good, even for the salt -- and I didn't do a full deep fry, more like a pan-fry, where each side sizzles away in a smaller amount of oil, but all in a heavy wok. I have no issue with deep fried foods, I do have issue with my house being coated in a thin, sticky layer of cooking grease, because that's what happens when you fry with a crappy stove hood.

But back to the original point -- why is this version of a pork chop superior to the typical Sunday night dinner Mom used to make? For one thing, it's cooked just perfectly, not overcooked by the fear of trichinosis. My own Wasabi Mom admits she erred on the side of caution and rubbery meats when preparing the swine, so Pork Chop Night was never one of my personal favorites. And food is so often under-seasoned, but a really good salt and pepper pork is savory and a little sweet from the marinade, peppery of course, and it has that extra warming heat of the Szechuan peppercorns, which linger on the palate. It's good all on its own with rice, and it's just a basic, simple meal, but the preparation of the meat is what really delivers it as something you truly crave. And a crispy outer coating certainly adds to its charm.

Toasted salt and Szechuan peppercorns are pure magic - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Corn starch is the bomb-diggety. Salt n' Peppa should cut out Spinderella and find a performer named Corn Starch, because that is what really gives salt and pepper pork chops, along with a lot of other fried Asian foods that nice, dry-crunch coating. It's super absorbent for liquid -- I remember doing the DIY Silly Putty science experiment, adding just a little water to plain corn starch and it would soak it up and form that crazy elastic goo without releasing any of the liquid you added. I'm sure there's an Alton Brown Science explanation for all that, but the bottom line is, if you're making a dry coating on meats that you want to get crisp in a pan-fry, corn starch is your wingman.

Pan-fried crispy goodness - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I can never leave well enough alone, plus I knew a plain, abeit crispy-good pork chop sitting on a plate would look boring in a photo, so I made a funky mix of wokked vegetables and peanuts, seasoned with the leftover salt and Szechuan peppercorn mixture. It's not a typical thing to add to the crispy pork, but it added a little more color to the photo, and as we all know, that's all that matters when it comes to a food blog.

Things I learned from this experience -- I need a spice-dedicated coffee grinder or spice mill, as doing the mortar-pestle thing with toasted whole spices just sucks. It never gets milled as finely or evenly as you want, and you inevitably wind up with a surprise bite of a too-large piece of whole spice. So, on my Note To Self, save that 20% Bed Bath and Beyond coupon that they keep sending every month and I keep throwing away -- I can probably find a basic grinder there. Another thing -- get the giant box of corn starch in the baking aisle, as it's proving its worth beyond a little sprinkle now and then to tighten up sauces.

Mmm... CHOMP! Can't wait for pork chop night again  - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Salt n' Peppa (No Spinderella) Pork Chops

Ingredients:
4 bone-in pork chops (boneless is fine, the ones I used still had the bones in 'em)
3-4 tablespoons  of peanut or vegetable oil, just enough to coat the bottom of a wok, and pan-fry

for the marinade:
2 tablespoons rice wine
1 tablespoon black vinegar (can use balsamic as a substitute)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon white pepper 
1 teaspoon sesame oil
 
for the dry coating:
1 cup of cornstarch
¼ cup of flour
2 teaspoons of finely-ground toasted Szechuan peppercorns and salt

Toss the pork chops in the marinade and let it soak in the refrigerator for at least 4-6 hours. When ready to cook, remove the marinated pork chops from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to take the chill off. 

Combine the dry coating ingredients in a shallow tray to make it easier to coat each pork chop and transfer to wok or pan. Heat up a wok or heavy-bottomed pan to medium-high. Add oil to vessel and let it come to cooking temperature. Dredge each pork chop in the dry coating, making sure it's evenly covered, shaking off excess. Carefully place dredged pork chops into pan, being careful not to overcrowd -- two at a time is enough, depending on the size of your cooking vessel. 

Keep the heat at medium-high or medium, just enough to brown the meat evenly, but not burn. Keeping the bone in the pork will increase cook time, so it will need more time in the pan. When the meat is cooked through (use a thermometer if you're not sure), set each pork chop on a plate lined with paper towels to drain and rest. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper to finish  before serving.

UnRecipe: Kimchee Soup? That's Hot.

Despite the goodly merits of common sense, I've been on a spice-capade all summer long. Even on the days when we were sweltering in the hot, heavy air of 90-plus degrees in our own living room, my mind would still wander to things like, "I'm miserable but hey... a spicy ramen would be really tasty right about now." I even ventured out into the 100-degree hellfire that is Nevada in July to get -- what else -- kimchee saimin. So that's what the season has left me reduced to: a puddle of flopsweat, slowly inching towards a spicy bowl of kimchee soup.

Sweating summer away - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Why? Why?! WHY?? Maybe the addictive qualities of spicy food in summer is like how the Love in Janet Jackson song goes, like a moth to the flame, burned by the fire... but not really any of the rest of it. I've heard there's an evaporative cooling element in sweating over hot food and letting nature turn your body into a giant swamp cooler. Nice in theory but rather unpleasant, and like most swamp coolers, inefficient as all get-out. There's no way to Spock-logic this one, when the Spicy Bug bites you, the heat is on and it's never turning off.  

Which is why it's always number one on my list to visit Aloha Specialties to get their amazing kimchee saimin, on the second floor of the California Hotel in downtown Las Vegas.  Their menu is all local Hawaii food prepared the way people like it -- ono kine grindz with immense portions. Their kimchee saimin is no different, you could easily jump into the bowl and swim a few laps before the spicy heat reduced you to a withered nub. I had the benefit of getting there earlier in the day, so there were more tasty slices of beef, tofu and kimchee chunks swimming about, plus the broth just tasted more hearty with that peppery beef flavor -- it was probably the best bowl yet. I sweated off a layer of skin and smiled with delight at the vanquishing of this spicy hellbeast. It's an adventure to brave that part of Ye Olde Vegas. About the only thing Downtown has over the semi-gentrified Strip is the quotient of scary drunks and cracked-out bums, aka, The Real Las Vegas, but I did notice a new zipline "ride" that you can take which spans the length of the covered Fremont Street. No thanks, I'll take my deep fried Twinkies and creep away with what's left of my dignity. However, I'm not going to lie, I was disappointed I missed Night Ranger.

The heat is on, as is Night Ranger - Photos by Wasabi Prime

To drown my missing-Night Ranger-sorrows upon returning to the not so hellfire-hot land of Washington, I made a spicy kimchee soup of my own. In typical UnRecipe fashion, it was made with pretty much whatever vegetables were left that didn't get prepared before I left on my trip. Which is to say, it was a lot of veggies; so much so that I didn't add any noodles to the soup. I defrosted about two quarts of chicken broth, but any broth would do. I seared some thin slices of pork in a super-hot wok and got a good sizzle going on a mix of vegetables like strips of carrot, onion and even slices of sweet potato. Yeah, everything was going into the soup-pool. Right before I added the broth to deglaze the wok, I added some broccoli, bok choi and mushrooms. Then a whole jar of kimchee, pickling brine and all. Don't be scared, it's what makes this whole soup worthwhile. The broth was flavored with an extra dose of pepper/chili Korean kochujang sauce and soy sauce. I threw in dashes of rice wine vinegar to give it the tartness of a hot and sour soup. Large pieces of firm tofu were added last, right before serving, so they wouldn't get broken apart.

I was making this soup quite literally by the seat of my pants, as I'd never made kimchee soup before. I'd had versions of it as a stew, fried rice or saimin, but not like this. The devil-may-care attitude towards cooking was rewarded, as the soup turned out totally delicious, getting better like a stew as the flavors concentrated every day. Sweet potatoes added a slight sugary bite to combat the salty spiced broth. Even if it wasn't exactly like the saimin at Aloha Specialties, it curbed a major craving. Asian cuisine is actually quite basic and the strong flavored sauces tend to rely on the same ingredients like vinegar, soy, garlic and ginger to really punch those tastebuds in the kisser. If loving spicy food in the middle of summer is wrong, I don't want to be right. I also know it'll probably be Instant Rainy Season soon enough, and something like this will totally hit the spot.

UnRecipe: The Lost Weekend

This is what should have happened -- an action-packed weekend of attending this year's Emerald City ComicCon and then an evening of liver-pummelling at the annual Cask Festival. But, no. Thwarted. Defeated. Left a smouldering husk of a superhero that once was... burning through one tissue box a day and a really chapped nose from the Evil Sinus Infection from the Phantom Zone. It was a rare day when the Powers of Evil and Mucus reigned supreme. Bummer.

So... yeah. The last few weeks have been a rip-roaring good time of battling a chest-rattling cough and other sickly sundries -- and I know I'm  not the only one. It seems like everyone is suffering from the same bug. I feel your pain. Literally. Let's share sick stories -- add your horrific tales of pestilence below in the comments section, it'll be theraputic. Maybe it's the change of seasons, perhaps the sudden spike in pollen causing massive irritants leading to a mass outbreak of sinus-related problems. Whatever. It sucked. What sucks even more is how dull and bland food becomes. Granted, you're so zapped for energy, you don't want to do much, but on the early end of being sick, I immediately craved one thing: spice, and lots of it. So I cooked what I considered to be My Last Supper, knowing things would get worse before it was going to get better.

The spice must flow... into my belly - Photos by Wasabi Prime

We had some fresh green beans in our CSA delivery and all I could think of was dousing them in spicy chili sauce and giving them a quick pan-fry. I marinated sliced pork in chili paste, some sugar and soy sauce, and cooked that into a kind of curry-type dish with carrots, chickpeas and onions. I don't even know what it was. I just threw in every strong-flavored spice I had, like cumin, coriander, the works. Not quite as sweet as Japanese-style curry, not quite as heavily-spiced as Indian curry -- at least, not that my fading tastebuds could tell. But it was delicious and this combination literally blew my socks off, they were so spicy and satisfying. I finished off the last of some pickled cucumbers, to add some chilled spice to the mix. Oh, my poor insides, trying to digest this onslaught of heat, but I don't care, when you're feeling sick, you're like a tragic comic book hero, deadened by the prospect of a doomed future -- you do anything just to feel aliiiiiiiiiive.

Food packed with flavor... keep it coming, I'm only getting sicker - Photos by Wasabi Prime

One bright note, I was glad to sprinkle in some fresh garlic greens. I saw we had a fresh batch of green shoots from some garlic cloves that thankfully overwintered and returned this spring. Yet another nice way to use oddball kitchen scraps. I used to plant green onions, but shoving the too-small garlic cloves from the center of a bulb right into the dirt has been an even better, lazier way to get something similar to green onions. They taste similar to scallions, with a mild garlic flavor. Bugs tend to avoid them, so yet another bonus for lazy gardeners like myself.

More flavor, less effort, the I'm So Freakin' Sick Diet continues... - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Like some Outbreak-style Patient Zero study, my progression into Congestion City only worsened, so I cooked up a beef broth. Getting caught up on the latest episodes of The Walking Dead felt like a promise of things to come. Zombie-fication -- engaged. I had some beef bones in the freezer and pulled some goodies from the frozen scrap bag like leek trimmings, ginger, plenty of onion tops and bottoms. I added whole dry spices like star anise and peppercorns, as well as a little packet of dried kombu, or seaweed. It's typically in sheet forms, and you add it when you're making a traditional Japanese dashi or broth, for that uniquely savory umami. Which of course is a fancy way of saying, "MSG High." I had little dried seasoning packets from Uwajimaya, so I threw some of that in towards the end of the simmer. I strained all the solid chunks, added a spoonful of chili sauce to sweat my sinuses open, and drank it up with somen noodles. Very simple dinners for the next several days of feeling too tired to do anything.

Soup is good food - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Highlight: I had some awesome fever dreams of solid food. A very clear vision of soft bread filled with creamy, gooey Brie cheese. And possibly honey or pear slices. I followed my Food Vision Quest, and while waiting for my prescription of Action-Packed Antibiotics, I found some soft bread rolls and a big ol' wheel of Brie. Let's make this dream a reality, people. I hadn't used the grill pan in a while, and it was good practice getting the heat just-right. Medium-low is just enough to melt the cheese, but not enough to char the bread into a lump of coal, as cast iron can have that effect on things.

Do you dream in cheese? Apparently, I do - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Somewhere between all this, I toasted some almonds with more spicy seasonings because I needed something to snack on that wasn't an orange. At this point, things were looking up. I appreciate all the very kind well-wishes over email, Twitter, Facebook, and even a nice e-card, to boot. You are all awesome people and deserve SuperLotto-like fortunes, but all I can offer is Super-Lotto-sized Thanks. Indy was a good nursemaid, staying on the bed, not judging the fact that I was an absolute wreck. I was popping pills like Valley of the Dolls, eating ibuprofen like candy to stay propped up for work (probably didn't help things, but there's no such thing as sick days when you're self-employed), and taking fever-dream-fantastic decongestants that left me in Bat Country most nights.


All remedies aside... drugs are best - Photos by Wasabi Prime

At least the Mister was able to enjoy Cask Festival this year. He sent me a nice photo of a friend face-down from drunken fury and everyone returned in one piece, so that's a successful beer festival if I've ever heard one. While I'm still disappointed at missing all the fun at Emerald City ComicCon, thank heavens for Local Independent Superhero Web Series! Is that a thing? I think that's a thing. Friend and Brock's fellow workmate at Runictown, Wonder Russell, is blessed with superhuman abilities and Top Pot doughnuts in this funny web series that kicked off at ECCC - meet The Collectibles!  Think Superfriends Meets The Office, which I think we can all dig, because even with special powers, you're still fighting The Man. It got a great live kickoff at the Con, and since it's a web series, you can be anywhere on the planet with the interwebs and watch it (except maybe China and likely North Korea). It's been a nice diversion, along with big breakfasts and Star Wars marathons as I continue to get better and pop more pills. So please check out The Collectibles!

All the things that will truly cure what ails you - bottom pics by Wasabi, top from The Collectibles

UnRecipe: The Heat is ON - a Tale of Two Spicy Dishes

Baby, when it's cold outside, all I want to do is eat something warm, cozy and spicy-hot. I recently went through a spicy food craving, but it's funny how "spicy food" isn't a catch-all when it comes to different cuisines. There's specific combinations of foods and heat that enhance the flavor of foods in different ways. Bring on the spice, because it's oh-so-nice!

Who says tofu can't have attitude? - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Mapo tofu is like making chicken noodle soup or meat loaf -- everyone's got a different recipe or method of making it, and there's no absolute correct way of doing it. It's basically ground pork, finely-chopped vegetables that could include onions, mushrooms, carrots or whatever you've got, little cubes of tofu, and a spicy hellfire broth of garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, dried peppers or chile paste, simmered in a bit of stock. Sprinkle with green onions to garnish and prepare to sweat it out, baby. It's an easy one-pot meal and it's usually served over rice. My version tends to use ground turkey, just to give my arteries a break, and I go heavy on the vinegar because I like that tangy sourness. I've also done version of this that has chopped up kimchee. You really can put anything in this, as it's a very forgiving dish -- the hearty stews often are. I'm used to having it bright orange, due to the heavy hand of "rooster sauce" sriracha. My latest batch didn't quite turn the alarming orange I'm used to, but a few dashes of extra chili sauce makes it all better and I can always cry in the bathroom later.

Rich and spicy enchiladas - Photo by Wasabi Prime

My other favorite heat is from chipotle in adobo sauce. I don't make these from scratch, I just buy them from the store, and I just love, love, love them. There's usually a can at the ready in my pantry because they're like the spicy little red Swiss Army knife that always saves MacGyver's bacon -- they're great for (almost) everything, yo! The stewed, saucy peppers provide so much rich, deep, smoky heat -- almost sweet at times. They make spicy dishes less knock-your-socks-off hot and more of that satisfying roundness of flavor sensation, like something's been slowly simmered to perfection.

I made enchiladas with the help of the slow cooker, throwing a big, sinewy hunk of pork shoulder into a mix of canned tomatoes and the chipotle peppers and sauce. The pork was covered in a dry spice rub before wading into the slow cooker hot tub time machine and Shazam - when it got to Futuretown, it was shreddable-tender and seasoned in the saucy flavors. The pork was set aside while the tomato/chile sauce was buzzed down in the blender until smooth. I tossed the shredded pork with some cooked down onions and black beans and this was the filling for enchiladas.

When the weather turns cold, these are definitely the things that helps keep me warm from the inside-out. What's your favorite spicy food?

UnRecipe: Creamy Eggplant Curry and Tofu

The welcome change in weather has inspired the making of soups, stews, and in this case, curry. We're still on Vacation Countdown at Wasabi HQ, but that doesn't keep the kitchen from continuing to crank out home-cooked goodness. A recent trip to the Redmond Farmer's Market yielded some colorful items like brightly-colored peppers and adorable little purple and white eggplants. I was inspired by a recent visit to my favorite Thai restaurant, Chantanee, and decided to make a Creamy Eggplant and Tofu Curry.

The heat is ON for spicy eggplant curry - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I particularly enjoy the combination of Thai flavors; it's always a satisfying mix of sweetness, complex spices, some heat, and a little bitterness. I took the chopped peppers and eggplant, cooked them down, and mixed in a dollop of store-bought red curry paste with some fresh lemongrass stalks. A can of coconut milk was added, then tofu, chopped Thai basil, and fresh spinach at the end. Everything simmered for a bit, letting the flavors combine and melt down the vegetables before ladling it over some basmati rice. I often speak of our low-carb household, but for curries and stews, I can't just eat them on their own -- sometimes I need my rice, dammit. Don't get between an Asian girl and a bowl of rice. You won't win, so just forget it, Atkins.

Something else to note, if you have a local farmer's market, now is the perfect time to search out some really nice vegetables. We're seeing a lot of unique squash and those eggplants we found were so adorable, I almost didn't want to cook them. I say almost because while I gave them a pause for admiration of their cuteness, I still hacked them up and threw them into a searing hot wok. In the rock-paper-scissors politics of food, cuteness is beat by hunger. Tummy satisfaction agrees with this choice. *burp*

Cute vegetables preserved for posterity before being om nommed - photos by Wasabi Prime