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Apr 16

Jook or porridge deserves another post. Here is one that I made.  Ingredients: 1 boneless skinless chicken breast 4 cups of white rice 1 can of chicken broth cilantro 1) Marinate the chicken breast with your favorite spices. I use a few simple items around my kitchen, soy sauce, salt & pepper, olive oil and honey. 2) Leave it soaked in for 2-3 hours and then cut the chicken up into 1-2 inch cubes. Once cut, cook the chicken briefly for about 5 mins on the frying pan. 3) Cook the rice - if you don’t have a rice cooker, I would recommend buying one. It’s worth it. 4) Toss the rice and chicken in a pot and add a can of chicken broth. The broth should be about an inch above your mixed rice & chicken, but if you need more liquid, you can just add a little bit of water to get it there. 5) Bring it to a boil and turn the stove to low and let it simmer for 20 mins or so. Be careful not to let the chicken broth evaporate entirely. Stir the jook every few minutes to prevent it from sticking to the pan. If you see that the chicken broth is evaporating too much, then you can add more water. At this point the jook is ready for you to serve, but depending on how soft or sticky you want your jook to be, you can either cook it longer to get it more sticky and softer or you can take it off the stove early to get a harder and more watery jook.

Jook or porridge deserves another post. Here is one that I made. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 4 cups of white rice
  • 1 can of chicken broth
  • cilantro

1) Marinate the chicken breast with your favorite spices. I use a few simple items around my kitchen, soy sauce, salt & pepper, olive oil and honey.

2) Leave it soaked in for 2-3 hours and then cut the chicken up into 1-2 inch cubes. Once cut, cook the chicken briefly for about 5 mins on the frying pan.

3) Cook the rice - if you don’t have a rice cooker, I would recommend buying one. It’s worth it.

4) Toss the rice and chicken in a pot and add a can of chicken broth. The broth should be about an inch above your mixed rice & chicken, but if you need more liquid, you can just add a little bit of water to get it there.

5) Bring it to a boil and turn the stove to low and let it simmer for 20 mins or so. Be careful not to let the chicken broth evaporate entirely. Stir the jook every few minutes to prevent it from sticking to the pan. If you see that the chicken broth is evaporating too much, then you can add more water. At this point the jook is ready for you to serve, but depending on how soft or sticky you want your jook to be, you can either cook it longer to get it more sticky and softer or you can take it off the stove early to get a harder and more watery jook.

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May 28

Zongzi is typically enjoyed by East Asian cultures during the Duanwu Festival (aka Dragon Boat Festival). The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese Calendar. This year its on May 28th, 2009 (today!). There are many variations, both in fillings and wrapper material. Below is a common Shanghai style Zongzi receipe.Ingredients:20 large bamboo leaves20 pieces of string (about 6 inches each)2lb uncooked glutinous rice4lb fatty pork1 cup soy sauce2 tablespoons sugarPreparation:- Soak bamboo leaves in hot water until soft and pliable- Cut pork into 1 inch cubes- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar across the pork- Let the pork marinate for two hours in a bowl with 1/2 cup of soy sauce- Rinse the rice thoroughly in cold water, be sure to drain all the water when finished.- Mix the pork with the uncooked rice in a large bowl, pour an additional 1/2 cup of soy sauce into the mixtureWrapping the Zongzi:Grab one bamboo leaf, and cut off the stem. Make a cone out of the bottom third of the leaf. Make sure the tip of the cone is closed. Spoon rice and pork into the cone until full. Fold the remaining leaf over the top of the cone, then wrap tightly around the Zongzi. You should aim for a pyramid shape with four points. This part takes some practice to get perfect. Once wrapped, tie a piece of string tightly around the Zongzi, in order to keep it from unraveling.Cooking:Fill a large pot with water and place as many Zongzi in as you can while keeping them all submerged. Boil the pot on medium heat for approximately one hour. Remember, this needs to cook the rice and the pork inside. Once cooked, unwrap individually and enjoy!

Zongzi is typically enjoyed by East Asian cultures during the Duanwu Festival (aka Dragon Boat Festival). The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese Calendar. This year its on May 28th, 2009 (today!).

There are many variations, both in fillings and wrapper material. Below is a common Shanghai style Zongzi receipe.

Ingredients:
20 large bamboo leaves
20 pieces of string (about 6 inches each)
2lb uncooked glutinous rice
4lb fatty pork
1 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar

Preparation:
- Soak bamboo leaves in hot water until soft and pliable
- Cut pork into 1 inch cubes
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar across the pork
- Let the pork marinate for two hours in a bowl with 1/2 cup of soy sauce
- Rinse the rice thoroughly in cold water, be sure to drain all the water when finished.
- Mix the pork with the uncooked rice in a large bowl, pour an additional 1/2 cup of soy sauce into the mixture

Wrapping the Zongzi:
Grab one bamboo leaf, and cut off the stem. Make a cone out of the bottom third of the leaf. Make sure the tip of the cone is closed. Spoon rice and pork into the cone until full. Fold the remaining leaf over the top of the cone, then wrap tightly around the Zongzi. You should aim for a pyramid shape with four points. This part takes some practice to get perfect. Once wrapped, tie a piece of string tightly around the Zongzi, in order to keep it from unraveling.

Cooking:
Fill a large pot with water and place as many Zongzi in as you can while keeping them all submerged. Boil the pot on medium heat for approximately one hour. Remember, this needs to cook the rice and the pork inside. Once cooked, unwrap individually and enjoy!