Category Archives: Asian Recipes

Meaty Memories

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My Dad taught me to love this unconventional cut of beef.

Oxtails.

The name alone may make some people blanch.

But to me, the tail never fails to get me in the heart.

You see, oxtails were the very last dish that I cooked for my Dad before he passed away. And so, they always make me think of him.

He’s the one who taught me true appreciation for this once-shunned, once-inexpensive cut that has such brazen beefiness.

If you like short ribs, you’re sure to go crazy for oxtails, which cook up even more tender with even more profound flavor. You can find them easily in the butcher case of Asian markets.

Sure, there’s more cartilage and bone in oxtails. But that’s what adds to their flavor and makes eating them such messy fun.

My Dad would cook up a cavernous pot on weekends, simmering the cut-up oxtails with star anise, soy sauce and ginger in a brothy cross between a soup and a stew. He’d throw in carrots and turnips, then let the pot simmer for hours until the meat was as tender as can be.

Then, he’d ladle big scoops of it into flat bowls filled with fluffy steamed rice, with the grains absorbing the aromatic broth so perfectly.

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Wing-ing It

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Asian-style chicken wings from a talented Basque chef.

They are sticky, sweet and just a little spicy.

They’re everything you want in a finger-licking good chicken wing.

And would you believe these Asian-influenced wings were created by a Basque chef?

That would be the talented Gerald Hirigoyen of Piperade and Bocadillos restaurants, both in San Francisco. With both of his establishments within walking distance of Chinatown, he’ll often head to a nearby Chinese restaurant when he’s craving something different than his own food.

This dish, from his cookbook, “Pintxos” (Ten Speed Press), has become a favorite staff meal with rice at his restaurants.

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For the Year of the Rabbit, Roast a Chicken with Soy and Whiskey

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A refined version of a Chinatown classic.

Are you pleasant, affectionate, gentle, artistic, sophisticated and cautious, and think you have just so much in common with Francis Ford Coppola, Jet Li and Brad Pitt that it’s uncanny?

Then, you my friend, were born under the Year of the Rabbit, as were those celebs, according to Bay Area writer Rosemary Gong’s educational “Good Luck Life, The Essential Guide to Chinese American Celebrations and Culture” (Harper Paperbacks).

Those of us not lucky enough to be born under that fortuitious sign can still celebrate the start of the Lunar New Year on Feb. 3 in a glam way with this “Roast Chicken with Ginger and Soy-Whiskey Glaze.”

The recipe is from revered Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s “Simple to Spectacular” (Clarkson Potter).

A whole chicken is always a dramatic centerpiece, but even more so on Chinese New Year, because whole poultry is a symbol of health and unity of family.

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No Dill-y-Dallying to This Dish

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Turmeric adds color, while dill or curry leaves add the pow.

Dill is like cilantro’s twin brother — either people hate the poor guy or adore him. There’s no in-between.

The feathery-leafed herb with the assertive flavor is all too often forgotten, too. Unless we’re making gravlax or pickling veggies, it’s not often an herb we have on hand.

That’s a shame because dill’s distinctiveness can lend a dish real punch.

See for yourself by making “Malaysian-Style Stir-Fried Turmeric Shrimp.”

The recipe is from “Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge” (Simon & Schuster) by Chinese cooking authority, Grace Young.

The dish was created by Mei Chau, a former restaurateur in New York, who was born in Malaysia and is of Hakka descent.

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A Daring Pairing with Clam Udon

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What would you pair with this warming bowl of clam udon?

San Francisco’s Evan Goldstein knows his wine.

After all, he was only the eighth American — and the youngest ever at the time — to pass the rigorous Master Sommelier certification back in 1987.

Now, he wants you to know your wine, too — particularly the more daring varietals.

After all, we probably are way too accustomed to reaching for Chardonnay and Cabarnet Sauvignon. But when’s the last time you had the nerve to uncork an Albariño, Tempranillo, Carmenere or Touriga Nacional?

In his newest book, “Daring Pairings” (University of California Press), Goldstein spotlights 36 edgy varietals to get to know. Then, he assigned one of them to each of 36 chef friends to come up with a homecook-friendly dish.

With the chilly, drizzly weather of late, I decided to try making “Steamed Manila Clams with Udon” from Larry Tse of The House in San Francisco. The dish is paired with Albariño, a medium-bodied, crisp, dry white with plenty of citrusy acid.

An easy dashi stock is made with dried kelp, instant dashi granules, soy sauce, leek and dried bonito flakes. Udon noodles are cooked in boiling water till toothsome. And fresh clams — one of the most sustainable seafood around — are cooked until their shells open.

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