Teriyaki Steak With Buckwheat and Yam Noodles Dressed in Scallion Sesame Sauce

I love experimenting with new ingredients.  

Whenever I come across a product that I am not familiar with, 

I pretend that I am in Iron Chef's kitchen 

stadium and that it was my secret ingredient. 

Today's secret ingredient...

  

"BUCKWHEAT and YAM SOOOOObaaa!!"

"OOOhhhh, Aaahhhh" the crowd coos. 

"Let the Battle Begin!!"

Since I'm not competing against anyone and this event was a figment of my imagination, I'm sure you can easily guess who won. 

Teriyaki Steak With Buckwheat and Sweet Potato Noodles Dressed in Scallion Sesame Sauce

For this dish, I combined three recipes into one dish! Why? Well, why not? 

Serves 4

Steak Teriyaki 

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes

1/3 cup mirin rice wine

1/3 cup sake

1/3 cup soy sauce (if cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free soy sauce)

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger

1 1/2 to 2 lb flank steak or skirt steak

Olive oil or grapeseed oil

Garnish
1 carrot, shredded 

1/2 bunch cilantro, julienne

1 package of Soba with Yam noodles

Scallion Sesame Sauce

2 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions, approx two large bunches

1/2 cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger

1/4 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil

1 1/2 tsp usukuchi (light soy sauce)

3/4 tsp sherry vinegar

3/4 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste

2 tbls dark sesame oil

1. Combine the mirin, sake, soy sauce, sugar, and grated ginger in a large, shallow bowl. 

2. Place the steak in the marinade and let marinate for at least an hour, and up to 48 hours. 

3. If marinating for more than an hour, keep chilled until an hour before you plan to cook.

4. Make the sauce.  Mix together the scallions, ginger, oil, sesame oil, soy, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Taste and check for salt, adding more if needed. Set aside.  You can make this for up to two days in advance. 

5. When ready to cook, remove steak from marinade. Reserving the marinade. 

6. Place steak on a plate and set aside. 

7. Place marinade in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, or until the marinade has reduced to a thin glaze, becoming your teriyaki sauce.

8. If grilling the steak, prepare your grill for high, direct heat. 

9. If you're using a grill pan, heat a large cast iron grill pan on high heat. 

10. If grilling oil the grill grates. Pat dry the steak. Rub a little olive oil or grapeseed oil all over it. 

11. Place the steak on the hot grill or pan. Sear for 3-5 minutes on one side, or until the side is well browned, and turn the steak over and sear the other side. I'm not going to instruct you how to cook a well done steak because you are an adult now, and know better than to eat overcooked steak! 

12. Set a large pot of water on high heat for noodles. Unlike Italian pasta, you do not need to salt the water. 

13. Baste the steak with teriyaki sauce. When the steak is well seared on both sides, remove from the heat and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

13. Once the water is boiling, hold the noodles above the water and sprinkle them in strand by strand. 

14. Once the noodles are in, stir gently until the noodles are submersed. 

15. Cook for about 7 to 8 minutes, or when the noodles are cooked through. 

16. Once the noodles are cooked, rinse with cold water and set aside. 

17.  Slice your steak against the grain.   

18.  Toss your noodles in your sesame scallion sauce and top with your sliced steak.  Garnish with shredded carrot and cilantro.  Enjoy!! 

Bobby Flay's Miso-Ginger Salmon with Arugula and Grapefruit Salad and Miso Dressing

I love burnt toast.  

The crunchy black burnt bits always 
brings a smile to my stomach. 

I adore grilled food because it gives 
EVERYTHING the crunchy burnt bits that I adore so dearly.

Unfortunately, I live in a city where only 
a lucky few are graced with access to outdoor space.  
That's not to say I am completely void of one, but I'm almost certain that it's illegal to grill on my fire escape. 

I had to come up with an alternative.

So I bought a snazzy grill pan!

Of course, a grill pan will not replicate the delectable charcoal flavor, but you WILL achieve a crisp black beautiful char.  

I recommend using this bad mamma jamma right here: 

Circulon Contempo Nonstick 12" Round Grill Pan
  
My kitchen has an electric stove (I know, I know) with round 
ranges, so the circular shape of the pan is 
perfect for even heat distribution.  The result? 
Beautiful solid Sharpie black grill marks on
your favorite roasted pepper or steak.     

Now why did I bring up this char jibber jabber? 
Oh, yeah. Bobby Flay.  Mr. Big Red Rico Suave a Grill. 

I found this recipe online and as soon as 
I saw that it was a Bobby Flay dish, 
I knew that it was time for 
my grill pan to come out and play. 

I must warn you, searing your food indoors using 
a scorching pan will most likely smoke up your apartment like  
a bad 80's video set.  The taste, however, that you will achieve 
with this technique will make you 
wanna dance like you're Tawny Kitaen.  

Bobby Flay's Miso-Ginger Salmon

Serves 4

1/4 cup white miso (fermented soybean paste)

1/4 cup mirin

2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons minced green onions

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

4 salmon fillets, 8 ounces each

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Yuzu juice, for drizzling, optional

1. Whisk together the miso, mirin, vinegar, soy sauce, green onions, ginger, and sesame oil in a small bowl. 

2. Reserve a small portion to use as your dressing. 

3. Place the salmon in a baking dish, pour the marinade over, and turn to coat. 

4 Cover and marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

5. Heat grill to high. Remove the fish from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. 

6. Grill the salmon, skin side down, with the cover closed, until golden brown and a crust has formed, about 3 to 4 minutes. 

7 Turn the salmon over and continue grilling for 3 to 4 minutes for medium doneness. 

8. Drizzle with a little yuzu juice, if desired, and serve.

Momofuku Inspired Lettuce Wraps, Cambodian Family Edition

Large family meals can be a bit intimidating to organize. 

Whenever I'm asked to do a dinner party with more than 5 patrons, 

family style is always the way to go. 

Family style forces interaction because,

let's face it, if you don't speak up, 

you're going to miss out on  

half the meal on the other end of the table.  

When my own family asked me to throw a 

dinner party while in town, 

a few things popped into my head.

1. Why are they always asking me to cook when I'm in town??

2. Definitely doing family style. Keep it simple.

3. Definitely doing Momofuku inspired lettuce wraps. 

I had the Pork Butt dinner a few months back at 

Momofuku Ssam bar and 

it was pure genius. 

The concept of pairing perfectly cooked and seasoned protein with lettuce leaves, amazing sauce and crunchy veggies seemed like something I could easily duplicate at home. 

With my own spin, of course. 

On the menu?

Meat

Red Snapper

Tamarind Lime Pork Tenderloins

Garlic Sirloin Steaks 

Sauce

Momofuku Octo vin  

Momofuku Scallion Ginger 

Kim Chee

Quick Pickled Summer Beef Steak Tomatoes with 

Cambodian Anchovies

Crunchy

Red Leaf Lettuce

Red, Green, Yellow Peppers

Cucumber

Bean Sprout

Garlic Ginger Jasmine Rice

Feel free to contact me if you're in the NYC area and you and 

your family want to give this meal a try! 

lany@dinnerbylany.com

Season your meat! 

Here's a tip, scallions are better than regular onion in salads because they add a more gentle onion flavor. 

Sauce numero uno! 

Sauce numero DOS! 

Red Snapper's firm sweet flesh makes it perfect for roasting. 

Dancing, there is always dancing. 

My favorite meat to cook, PORK!

I told you... I love Red Snapper! 

Mmmmmm....

He made a burrito with the leftovers!
Basically, he piled several layers of pork and steak and formed a sushi like roll.  Next, he wrapped it tightly in aluminum foil. I can post the recipe, but honestly, I think that was the only step. 

Momofuku Octo Vin Sauce 

I love this sauce.  This sauce is great with any meat, but it's especially delicious with Fried Chicken! Also, don't be lazy and use a food processor to finely chop your garlic and ginger.  Let your knife skills shine and try chopping with a chef's knife! 

2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thai-bird chili pepper or pepper of your choice

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup light soy sauce

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or other oil)

1/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Mix ingredients together. 

Tamarind Cooking Class in Luang Prabang

I took a lot of cooking classes while in Asia,
but the most memorable class is without a doubt the one I took with the instructors at Tamarind restaurant in Luang Prabang.

I am not the biggest fan of Laotian food,
but the unique experience that Tamarind's cooking class offered
was as delicious as a meaty slab of ribs!

Before we headed out to the kitchen site, 
we made a quick stop to the town's center market. 

Refrigeration is almost nonexistent in Southeast Asia, 
so the inventory consisted of only produce and 
protein harvested earlier that morning.    


I'm sure you can imagine my excitement 
when the instructor informed us that we were 
allowed to select one unusual item 
to cook during class.  

My ears immediately perked up.

The opportunity to pick something from a market  
that would have made Whole Foods feel not so whole
just tickled me silly.  

Vats of stinky, fishy, intensely flavored fermented fish. MmmmMMmm...

Giddy, I knew exactly what I wanted to cook. I've seen this ingredient plenty of times while strolling the streets of Chinatown, but I had no clue how to use it.

Ribbet.

"Are you sure?"

"Yup."

"Mmmmmk."

After I handed him my toad, I began to roam the 
market with wide eyeballs and inflamed 
nostrils taking in the vibrant colors and  
inhaling unappreciated smells. 

We then regrouped, gathered the rest of the 

ingredients needed and hopped onto the back of a pickup truck. 

After spending 45 minutes turning and swerving down   

bumpy nameless dirt roads, 

we parked near a desolate open area 

in the middle of a jungle.

Alongside swaying banana trees and giggling monkeys 

sat our kitchen. 

 And our oven!

Before we started cooking, the instructor 

asked me if I wanted to butcher my own LIVE frog.  

I have YET to kill any other animal at this point, 

so I lowered my head in shame and declined.

Seriously, though. 

The job of butchering a live frog seemed a bit daunting.

Here's another picture of my lonely frog.

One more. 

I really need to learn not play with my food.

The frog meat was used in the Laotian version of Amok.  

The difference between Cambodian Amok and Laos Amok 

is that the Laotian curry does not include 

the addition of coconut milk.

Other dishes that we made that day 

included a Chicken Lemongrass pop...

and of course dessert! 

Black rice steamed in coconut milk served 

with tropical fruit.  

Because of my raging sweet tooth, 

this was my favorite of all.

Chicken Lemongrass Pops

I chose to feature this recipe because I'm fairly certain people  are not into buying live frogs to cook and eat.  However, if you are feeling adventurous, give me a holler and I will gladly send you the recipe! 

12 stalks of lemongrass

5 cloves of garlic

4-6 spring onions

1/2 – 3/4 cup of fresh coriander

1 kaffir lime leaf

teaspoon of salt

1/2 pound of minced chicken

Preparing the Lemongrass

1. Using a small sharp knife, start cutting about 1cm from the base of the lemongrass stem. Make cuts lengthwise through the stalk about 4-5cm in length – without letting the cuts reach either the base or the cut top end of the stalk.  

2. Rotate the lemongrass and repeat the cuts at small intervals, until the outer stalk are separated – basket-like – creating a central hole for the filling.

Stuffing

1. All of these ingredients except the minced chicken are pounded in a mortar and pestle, then the minced chicken is added and mixed well.

2. The next step is to push a spoonful of the mixture into the central core of each stalk, then shape and smooth it out with your hands.

3. Dip the stuffed lemongrass in beaten egg (you’ll need two eggs) and fry them in a wok (stalks protruding and resting on the side so they can be easily withdrawn) until the meat is browned and cooked.

Momofuku Fried Chicken and Spicy Tamarind Dipping Sauce with Roasted GARLIC Caesar Salad "Steak"

I'm not going to lie.

This fried chicken took a long time to make.

If you don't love and enjoy the process of cooking,

skip this recipe.

BUT! If you are willing to leap over metaphorical mountains inorder to sink your teeth into one of the moistest (I hate that word, moist. Eck.) chickens you'll ever eat, please accept the challenge and begin the fried chicken journey.

I'm not going to post Momofuku's recipe, because it can be found here. BUT! I will warn you that this chicken will require

brining, steaming, AND frying.

Yeah.

Make sure you love the process.

I will, however, post the GARLIC caesar dressing and tamarind recipe. Please see below. Best. Lany :)

Roasted GARLIC Caesar Dressing

Please note that there is a lot of garlic in this recipe (hence the all caps). If you're not a huge fan of garlic, you can reduce the amount used and please use lowercase letters.

P.S. I call it a "steak" because the romaine was left whole.

1 head of garlic
1 1/2 cups of olive oil
6 anchovies, minced (oh, just add it and stop being a wuss!)
1/4 cup of dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. 

3. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic

4. Place the garlic head on a sheet of foil and drizzle half of the olive oil on top, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Wrap the foil up tightly and place wrapped bulb on baking sheet.  

5. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

6. Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. 

7. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. 

8. Remove the cloves from the oil, reserving the oil, and in a medium bowl, mash until smooth.

9. Stir in the anchovies and mustard. While stirring, add the lemon juice, vinegar. Continue stirring and add the reserved roasted garlic oil and additional oil in a slow steady stream.

10. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

11. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate until needed.


Tamarind Dipping Sauce

I eat this sauce like how I ate mayo in highschool (thank goodness I got over THAT phase). I eat it with everything - fish, chicken, pork, steak, a nice platter of crudite, whatever needs a little kick.


2 tablespoons of tamarind paste
2 limes, juiced
1 red thai chili pepper, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with 1 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

Mix the first 5 ingredients until well blended. Top with chopped cilantro.

Cambodian Curry Paste and Lemongrass Tea

Curry paste is something one should make
when one is very angry. Curry paste is something you should make when you've missed an arm sculpting class because your afternoon meeting runneth over. Curry paste is ALSO something you should make...well, just because it's much more delicious
than the canned stuff.

I get it, sometimes you don't have the time to dedicate a lot of energy into something you can easily get in a can... but, why not give it a go when you want
to hit something harder than a pillow?

All you need is...

Before you begin, deseed dried red pepper

and allow to soak in water (Note: if you want to make green curry paste, skip the dried red pepper and double up on the kaffir lime leaf). I like to mash in stages. Start with the lemongrass, remove. Add the kaffir lime leaves. Mash, remove. Add the finger root, garlic, galangal and mash, baby, mash.  Remove. Remove the red pepper from the water and throw in the mortar and mash.  After you've mashed all the components separately, combine, and? You guessed it! Mash again.  Once thoroughly mashed, keep paste in a tightly sealed container and throw it in the fridge.  The curry paste will keep for atleast two weeks.  When you're ready to use it, add two heaping tablespoons of paste to boiling coconut milk.  Next add your chicken, veggies, pork, frog, alligator...

Don't forget the fish sauce!

Yes, you can use a food processor or blender, but trust me, the texture will be far more superior if you use a mortar and pestle. I like to use a guacamole mortar and pestle my sis got for me for Christmas last year. I like the short pestle for easy handling and it's just so dang pretty. 

Vasconia 4-Cup Granite Molcajete Mortar and Pestle

Do not, I repeat DO NOT throw away the top stems of the lemongrass.

 Bring lemongrass pieces, sugar, and 2 cups water to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat and let steep, partially covered, 20 minutes.  Strain lemongrass tea into a large pitcher.

Allow to cool and serve over ice.

It will taste like the islands off of Southerm Thailand.

It's a Crab Boil Ya'll!

My fiance has never been to a crab boil before. I was shocked that I let the love of my life walk this earth without ever tasting the beauty of a crab boil.  I knew immediately that I had to throw him and my family a good ole fashion low country boil for the fourth of July. Since I was home, I knew good seafood was not going to be hard to find.  Mayport not only has THE BEST shrimp but also amazing seafood.  So, let the boil begin!

Every good boil needs some veggies to soak up all of the excess flavors of the broth.  Not pictured include corn on the cob and spicy andouille sausage. 

Of course, you must not forget the crab!

...And a few of their friends!

Whether you like it or not, the shell and head of shrimps are packed with flavor and it would be a waste to not include both in your boil.  However, even though I am an eater of all things, I do not think shrimp poop is at all appetizing.  So how does one remove the poo out of shrimp and still leave the shell and head intact?

 Prepare to be amazed!

All you do is cut a slit in the body and carefully slip your toothpick under a vein and slowly pull it out. Genuis, I know.

Next step.

All the spices you need is a really big cannister of Old Bay Seasoning.

Probably needs more Old Bay...

Once the broth is spicy and full of flavor... in goes the crab!

Julia Child moment

This is a family twist... two lime dips! One with lost of garlic, pepper, salt and lime juice.  The other dip has several chopped chillies with garlic, sugar, lime juice and minced ginger. 

I've never seen a pretty low country boil.  Usually it looks like a big trash heap. That being said, isn't that the beauty of these things?  Unprententious flavor packed chunks of seafood bliss.

Low Country Seafood Boil

Serves 6

Adapted from Paula Deen's recipe.  Even though it just says shrimp, you can add any kind of seafood you desire!

  Crab boil, 2 teaspoons per quart of water

  12 red new potatoes

  6 (4-inch) smoked sausage link sausage

  6 ears corn

  3 pounds fresh shrimp, unpeeled

1. Fill a large pot with enough water to cover all of the   ingredients. Add the crab boil and bring to a boil.

2. Adjust the crab boil to suit your taste.

3. When the water boils, add the potatoes and sausage.

4. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. A

5. Add corn and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

6. Add shrimp and cook for no more than 3 minutes.

7. Drain and serve with warm bread.