Thursday, May 9, 2013

Korean BBQ Beef with rice




Beef and Marinade:
1 lb of top round / London Broil steak sliced very thin
OR 1lb. of beef tenderloin cut into chunks
1 cup soy sauce
3 T brown sugar
1 T ginger paste or 1/2 T fresh mashed ginger
3 cloves chopped garlic
3 T your favorite BBQ sauce (I like to use the darker, molasses ones for this)
1/ T crushed red pepper flakes or 1 T thai chili garlic sauce
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 scallions, chopped
Sesame seeds for garnish

***Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade for after the beef is cooked. Set aside.

Optional Garnish:
Chopped scallions, diced cucumber, shredded carrots, cilantro

Freeze top round for 1-2 hours until almost firm.
Slice thinly across the grain.

Combine marinade ingredients and whisk together.
Add beef to the marinade and make sure all of the beef is fully covered.
Marinate for 2 hours to 24 hours.

On a very hot grill or grill pan, sear or BBQ the beef for 2-3 mins per side.
Or, sometimes I broil the meat in the oven broiler.

Serve with rice and steamed broccoli. Pour remaining marinade over beef before serving.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Kung Pao Chicken


 I just recently learned how to make Kung Pao Chicken and bought a Wok from ikea.  :)

1 lb. chicken breast cut into cubes
Broccoli florets
3-4 green onions, chopped
2 spoonfuls of crushed red pepper flakes or  garlic chili sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
Dash rice vinegar
2 large cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 sweet onion diced finely
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Canola oil
Salt/pepper
1/2 cup peanuts
1 tsp. corn starch mixed with 1/8 cup cold water (make into a slurry)

In a sauce pan, sweat the onions and garlic with a little salt/pepper and the cayenne pepper in about 1 T oil.  Allow to cook on medium heat, stirring often until soft.  Add in the soy sauce, sugar, crushed red pepper or garlic chili sauce, and vinegar and stir well.  Let simmer for 5-7 minutes and then turn off the heat. Taste and re-season.

Separately, in a wok (or large skillet) saute the chunks of chicken until they are almost cooked through, in a touch of oil.

Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for about 3-4 minutes then chill in cold water to retain the green color.  Drain.

Add the broccoli to the chicken and stir over high heat.  Add in the peanuts and half of the green onions and continue to stir, sauteeing for another 2-3 minutes.

To the kung pao sauce, stir in the corn starch slurry and heat to a boil, stirring often.  Add the sauce to your wok of chicken and broccoli and let heat through.

Serve with rice.