Pork Bone Seaweed Soup

[zhemao]

This is another experimental Chinese/Japanese fusion recipe of my own creation. It's a light, savory soup that works great as an appetizer or side dish.

Ingredients:

• Pork bones


• (optional) Chicken bones


• Kombu (dried kelp)


• Scallion stems


• Firm tofu


• Salt


• Sugar

Directions:

1. If you can't buy pork bones or chicken bones directly, you can get them by de-boning pork loin and chicken thigh. I usually do this and reserve the meat for other dishes. You don't necessarily need the chicken, but I like the extra flavor.


2. The first step is to blanch the bones. Fill a pot with water and put on medium-high heat. Once the water starts to get hot (but before it starts boiling) add in the bones.


3. Let the water slowly come up to boil around the bones. Flip them over every now and then to make sure they are heated evenly. The blanching is finished once the water starts to boil, the outside has completely turned color, and any blood has solidified.


4. Drain the water out and rinse the bones under cold water to get rid of any remaining clotted blood. Set aside.


5. Fill the pot with cold water again and add the kombu. Let it soak for 10 min.


6. Meanwhile, chop the scallion stems and cut the tofu into small cubes. Set aside separately.


7. Turn the heat on again and let the water come up to boil (with the kombu still in it). Once it starts boiling, remove the kombu and add the bones back in.


8. Add salt, turn the heat to low, and then cover.


9. Let the broth simmer for 15-20 minutes. Use a hand strainer to occasionally skim off any foam.


10. Add the scallions and let simmer for another 5 minutes.


11. Add any additional salt if necessary and some sugar for balance


12. Add the tofu and let simmer until it absorbs the flavor of the broth. This should only take a few minutes.


13. Turn off the heat and pick out the bones. Let them cool and then pick off the excess meat. Add the meat back to the soup and discard the bones.

And there you have it. If you have miso paste, you can use that instead of salt. You can save the kombu to make another batch of broth, although it won't be as strong. You can also cut it into strips and cook it in a stir-fry, but I personally don't care for the thick, rubbery texture.

---

An Asian Market Shopping Guide: Pt. II - Roots, Tubers, and Gourds

[zhemao]

Welcome to part two of our Asian market adventure. In this installment, we're sticking to the produce aisle and investigating the other kinds of vegetables that the orient has to offer.

Winter Melon (冬瓜)

This fruit is a relative of the honeydew. It has a waxy coating and the flesh has a slightly sweet but also musky flavor. It's a great addition to soups, as it smooths out the flavor. One common dish that uses it is pork sparerib soup.

Bitter Melon / Goya (苦瓜)

This fruit has an elongated shape much like a squash or zucchini. It's a very common ingredient in Okinawan cuisine, and the name Goya comes from the Okinawan language. The most famous dish that includes it is Goya Chanpuru. As the name suggests, it has a very strong bitter flavor. You can reduce the bitterness using the method shown in the video. Salt it, let it sit, and then rinse thoroughly with water. It's a difficult taste to get used to. Personally, I don't really like it.

Daikon / Asian Radish (大根/萝卜)

This is a variety of radish with a white color and a long fat root (the Japanese name literally means "big root"). It is usually used in soups and is very good at absorbing flavor from the surrounding broth. It also has a bitter flavor that can be quite strong. I usually parboil it for a bit in order to reduce the bitterness.

Taro (芋艿)

This is a starchy tuber much like a potato. However, it has a more complex, meaty flavor and texture. It can be cooked in much the same way as a potato: fried, baked, boiled, etc. It's often used in Japanese cuisine as an addition to soups (and it absorbs flavor wonderfully). In Cantonese cuisine, it's often steamed or pan fried. One tasty preparation is to pan-fry a taro cake made from mashed taro and rice flour. The one thing you can't do is eat it raw, because it's slightly poisonous.

Lotus Root (藕)

You've likely seen lotus flowers floating on a pond before, but did you know that its root is edible? The root is starchy but crisp. Like taro, lotus root can either be pan-fried/stir-fried or added as an ingredient to soups.

Bamboo Shoots (竹子)

It's not just for pandas. Adding bamboo shoots to a dish can really impart a great savory texture. You can buy it canned or fresh. If the latter, make sure to boil it before you cook it, since it is poisonous.

---