Xiao Wan's BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Confucius said, "it's time to make Xiao Wan's BBQ Baby Back Ribs but don't forget to record the full recipe next time!"

... Nevertheless, I will still introduce the main ingredients... especially Xiao Wan's BBQ sauce. First, I make the sauce, and marinate the ribs, using organic ketchup, worchestershire sauce, Cholula Hot Sauce, organic honey, soy sauce, a fresh squeezed orange (grate the entire orange's rind to sprinkle on the ribs,) raw brown sugar, white & black pepper, salt, chopped onion, minced garlic, chopped scallions, red wine, sesame seeds, and sriracha sauce.

I sincerely apologize for this unclear recipe, without concise ratios/directions, but it is important for me to document the ingredients as a reminder for future reference... i.e. I will make it again, soon, with a full record of the process, or you can be adventurous and give it a try with these loose guidelines. Mine turned out exceptionally well!!

Xiao Wan's Mid-Spring Salad

The watercress in the Chinese market was so evilly and irresistibly fresh that fresh ingredient obsessed chef Xiao Wan had to bring some home.

As you can see in the photo above, the main ingredients for Xiao Wan's Mid-Spring Salad consists of a plateful of fresh watercress, topped with blackberries, sliced strawberries, sliced pear, and tangerine. Drizzle with Truffle Balsamic Glaze (Xiao Wan's new discovery) and olive oil. Squeeze some fresh tangerine juice to finish it off. You can adjust the ratio of the ingredients to your liking. Enjoy your mid-spring!

Xiao Wan's Beef Noodle Soup (Niu Rou Main)

I documented the process this time but I can't recall how much time it took. I suggest you find a book or a film to entertain yourself while waiting for the beef to be fully cooked (ie soft and tender.) It's sort of time-consuming but the result is really worth it if done right.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lb Beef Shank, sliced into 1" cubes
• 2 medium-sized Tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 4 Scallions, chopped (save a handful of green part for garnish)
  
• 1/2 of a large white onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 Shallots, coarsely chopped
• 5 cloves of Garlic, crushed
• 3 small Thai Chilies, halved
• 4 thin slices of Ginger root
  
• 1 Red Cubanelle Pepper, chopped
• Fresh Spinach, or Watercress
• 4 cups of water
• 1/3 cup Shao Xing Cooking Wine
• 3 tsp Red Wine
• 1/2 cup of Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Sriracha Sauce
• Bottled Red Chili sauce
• 1 tsp Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Star Anise Powder, or 5 Star Anise Seeds
• 3 tsp Spicy Chili Crisp paste (easily found in Chinese markets)
• 1 tsp, each, Black & White Ground Pepper
• 1 tsp Whole Black Peppercorns
• Sea Salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp ground Cloves
• 5 oz Dry Noodles

Instructions:

In a large skillet, over high heat, add olive oil. Sauté garlic, ginger, onions, shallots, Thai chilies, and chopped scallions until onions are slightly translucent and the mixture is fragrant. Stir in beef shank until the meat is slightly seared. Transfer ingredients to a large pot and keep burner on high. Immediately add water, red wine, Shao Xing cooking wine, soy sauce, peppers (ground & peppercorns,) brown sugar, star anise, tomato, spicy chili crisp paste, and sriracha sauce. Stir well and let the soup come to a light boil. Reduce heat to low (2 or 3) and cover until it comes to a rolling boil. Stir well, reduce to simmer, and cover again. Cook until beef has become soft and tender. Add salt if necessary, but the soy sauce should provide most, if not all, of the salty taste you need.

Serve with Asian noodles.

For a single serving:

Cook noodles in a pot until tender (to your liking) or according to package directions, and turn burner off. Add in chopped spinach/watercress (pieces should be chopped into about 3 inch pieces.) Wait a few seconds and strain well. Transfer the noodles and greens to a serving bowl. Ladle broth over noodles and top with meat. Garnish with finely chopped scallion. Add some bottled Red Chili sauce for a more intense favor.

Xiao Wan's Seared Black Cod

I thought I was going to fix something else, but some fresh, enticing looking, Black Cod in the market seduced me to make this...

Ingredients:

• Fresh sliced lemon
  
• 1 Tbsp, Olive oil
• Fresh Black Cod fish fillets, sliced
  
• 1 Fresh scallion, remove white and julienne green part
  
• Daikon radish, julienne less than a handful
• Sesame seeds
• Sea Salt
• ground black/white pepper, just a pinch (or enough to coat skillet)
  
• ground paprika (optional)

Xiao Wan's Spicy Mayo:

• 2 tbsp Mayonnaise
• 4 tsp Sriracha Sauce
• A few drops of Sesame Oil
• A pinch of ground Black/white Pepper

Directions:
In a skillet, on high heat, add olive oil. Once the oil is hot, sprinkle the salt & pepper evenly over the skillet and turn the heat off. Immediately place the black cod pieces into the skillet and quickly flip each piece so they are lightly seared on each side. Transfer the fish to a serving plate, over some fresh lemon slices. Top with scallions, daikon radish, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and paprika (optional.) Finally, squeeze some lemon juice and drizzle with Xiao Wan's Spicy Mayo. Bon Appetit!

If you'd like, serve with pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce.

Xiao Wan's Salmon Sashimi

I was craving sashimi.....


Make sure you get the freshest Salmon possible. You can be creative with the cuts... There are no strict rules in Xiao Wan's Kitchen. Top with finely chopped, or julienned, scallion and daikon. Sprinkle with Seto Fumi Furikake rice seasoning (optional) and drizzle with Xiao Wan's Spicy Mayo to finish it off.

Serve with pickled ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi. Enjoy!

Xiao Wan's Spicy Mayo:

• 2 tbsp Mayonnaise
• 4 tsp Sriracha Sauce
• A few drops of Sesame Oil
• A pinch of ground Black/white Pepper

-- Mix Spicy Mayo ingredients together in a bowl. You can apply it by placing in a plastic sandwich bag and cutting a tiny piece of the bottom corner off.

Xiao Wan's Niu Rou Main (Beef Noodle Soup)

Unfortunately, I forgot to document the process of this traditional Chinese noodle dish. I will record it in the near future.

Xiao Wan's Ground Pork Stew

This homey dish is designed to complement rice and noodles.

DanDan Noodle Soup, with Xiao Wan's Pork Stew (above)

Xiao Wan's Pork Stew with Rice (above)*

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground pork
• 3 Thai chili peppers, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  
• 1 tsp ginger, minced
• Half of 1 medium sized onion, chopped
  
• Half of 1 red or green Cubanelle pepper, chopped
  
• 3 scallions, chopped
  
• 1/2 cup dry fried scallions (easily found in any Chinese market)
  
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Shao Xing cooking wine or Sake
  
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp raw brown sugar
• 3 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp Szechuan style chili sauce
• 1 tsp sweet potato starch or potato starch mix with 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp (each) ground black & white pepper

Directions:
Heat a medium sized pot over high heat, add vegetable oil and sesame oil. Stir in garlic, ginger, Thai chili peppers, Cubanelle pepper, scallions, and onion for about 2 mins or until the garlic turns light brown. Add cooking wine and pork. Stir-fry the pork with the other ingredients, until the pork is partially cooked.

Add fried scallions, soy sauce, ground white pepper/black pepper, Szechuan chili sauce, and sugar. Stir, reduce heat and add water. Cover and bring to a light boil or until the pork is well cooked (approximately 5-minutes)

Drizzle the starch mixture, mix well until the stew is lightly thickened. Let simmer for about 2-3 minutes and set aside. This is enough for 4 - 5 servings over rice or noodles.

Instructions on how to use the pork stew for 1 serving of DanDan Noodle soup.

In a pot bring 2 and 3/4 cups of water to a boil, add approximately 3-4 oz of dry noodles (or any Asian noodles will do) and cook to your personal preference for firmness or according to package instructions. Transfer the noodle to a one serving bowl with the same water. Top the noodle soup with approximately 3/4 cup of the pork stew. Sprinkle with cilantro, scallions, sesame seeds and drizzle a few drop of sesame oil over the top. Serve immediately.

* This rice dish is a great match for Xiao Wan's Light Kimchee .

Xiao Wan's Light Kimchee

I made a similar dish, Xiao Wan's Kimchee, a while ago. It occurred to me that I should share the recipe... one of my all-time favorites. This light appetizer is quite a refreshing compliment to Xiao Wan's Pork Stew with rice.


Ingredients:

• 5 pickling cucumbers
  
• 1/3 of a medium sized carrot, cut into think coins and halve the coins
  
• 1/4 of a large Daikon radish (about 1 cup) peeled and julienned
  
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 6 slices of fresh ginger (a little more than 1 tbsp)

Dressing:

• 1 1/4 cup Sushi vinegar
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp of Szechuan chili sauce, bottled
• 2 tsp sesame oil

Directions:

A: First, remove both ends from each cucumber, cut them into thirds and lightly crush each piece. Cut each piece into 4 strips. Place the cucumbers, carrots, and Daikon radish into a bowl.

B: In a separate larger bowl, place garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, chili sauce, black/white pepper, and ginger. Mix well.

Transfer A into B, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and toss thoroughly until everything is well coated with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Serve as an appetizer or with main course.

Xiao Wan's Hot & Sour Soup

Today, I made Hot and Sour Soup with shrimp. This is great as an accompaniment or stand-alone meal. Leave the shrimp out if you are vegetarian.

Ingredients:

• 8-9 cups of water (or chicken broth)
• 3-4 fresh Chinese Black Mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 12-15 fresh peeled shrimps, halved (optional)
  
• 1 fresh bamboo shoot, remove outer layers, thinly julienned
• 4 small Thai Chili Peppers, finely chopped
• 1 red Cubanelle Pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 of a medium size carrot, thinly julienned
• 1/2 cup + 3 tsp of sweet potato or potato starch, mix with 1/2 cup of water*
• 3/4 cup of Shao Xing cooking wine
• salt, to taste
• 1 tsp raw brown sugar
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• 3 fresh scallions, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground white and black pepper, season to taste
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar (add more/less to your personal taste)
• 1/3 cup black vinegar (ditto)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 lb of fresh firm tofu, cut into thin strips
  
• 3/4 cup soy sauce

* Xiao Wan strongly recommends sweet potato/potato starch over corn starch. They are easy to find in any Asian/Chinese market.


Directions:

Heat a medium sized pot over high heat. Add 3 tsp of sesame oil to the pot and quickly stir in Thai Chili Peppers, red Cubanelle Pepper, ginger, garlic and half of the scallions for about 1 minute then add water. Cover and bring to a light boil.

Add bamboo shoots, Chinese Black Mushrooms, carrots, and tofu. Mix well, cover and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes longer, or until the mixture is cooked (you can tell it's done if the bitter taste of the bamboo is removed.)

Add soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, Shao Xing cooking wine, salt, ground black and white pepper. Cook for about 1 minute longer or until it comes to a boil again. Add the shrimp, stir well, and add sweet potato starch mixture and stir until soup thickens and shrimp is pink.

Gently drizzle the beaten eggs in a thin stream and stir slowly. Mix in the remaining scallions and drizzle in about 1 tsp sesame oil. The soup is ready for about 6+ servings. Garnish with finely chopped scallions or cilantro. You can add more dark vinegar if you prefer a more intense flavor.

Enjoy!

Xiao Wan's Grapefruit Mojito

Ingredients for one drink:

• 3-4 tbsp rum*
• 1 fresh lime
• 1 fresh sweet grapefruit
  
• 1 tbsp honey or raw brown sugar**
  
• 4-5 mint sprigs
  
• A glass of ice cubes

* I can't find my shot glass so I measured it with a tablespoon
** ditto

Directions:

Squeeze the lime and grapefruit into a glass and add the honey/sugar and rum. Either mix or blend the ingredients together until the honey/sugar is dissolved. Crush or grind the mint and add to the drink. Pour over ice, shake well, garnish with a mint sprig, or a wedge of lime, and serve.