Khantoke

My first Khantoke feast was humble and romantic I remembered– under the cool Chiang Rai mountain weather, in a brisk December evening with stars and breeze. And I was green and ambitious, ready to conquer the world.

Fast forward 7 years– ambition rounded, and the world remained unconquered.  I am back in Chiang Rai. Thank goodness the Khantoke feast is still humble and romantic as I remembered.

Spicy Cilantro & Peanut Sauce — heaven’s food

The non-vegetarian version: crispy pork skin, Sai Oua (Northern Thai Sausage), Fried Chicken, Northern Thai Pork Curry, Vegetables, and sticky rice in bamboo basket

While eating bamboo rice on the mountain trail, I talk to Ming from Mae Salong. He tells me about his school days in Taipei; my thoughts drift to that painful history of the lonely, defeated KMT army who took refuge in Mae Salong. “It is really beautiful.” Ming says, showing me pictures of breath-taking scenery from his iPhone.

The scent of bamboo rice lingers. I reminisce about the years in between the two visits. I think I finally arrive at a state of mind that allows me to slow down and appreciate the serene temples and the water of Golden Triangle.

慢煮羊肩 / 12-hour Shoulder of Lamb ● Trio of Summer

低溫烹調當初會被發展出來, ㄧ邊是為了利用牛肉比較便宜的部位, 一邊是為了在烹煮過程中多留住一些昂貴的鵝肝. 我最近喜歡鑽研“便宜肉”的這一塊. 羊腿sous vide 12小時後煎香,再配上自製的綠莎莎醬,酪梨起司沙拉,烤櫛瓜與馬郁蘭番茄. 雖說羊肉需要花點時間, 但是過程完全不費力. 至於配菜…. 非常簡單！基本上就是橄欖油, 檸檬汁, 海鹽與胡椒搞定所有的調味; 是一道適合夏天的菜.

There’s one fun fact about sous vide: it was developed as a solution to both expensive and cheap ingredients. Recently, I’ve been playing sous vide on cheap(er) cuts of meat and couldn’t be happier.

I pair the 12-hour shoulder of lamb with home-made salsa verde, grilled zucchini, avocado & feta salad and marjoram cherry tomatoes. It takes some time to prepare the lamb but no sweat at all. As for the garnishes… well, pretty much just olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and black pepper all the way. Great summertime dish.

TO PREPARE

• 羊肩排/ Shoulder of lamb
• 香料: 孜然, 海鹽, 黑胡椒, 薑黃粉, 肉豆蔻, 辣椒粉/ Spices: cumin, sea salt, black pepper, turmeric, nutmeg, chili flakes
• 百里香/ thyme
• 大蒜/ garlic
• 櫛瓜, 黃綠各一/ zucchini：yellow and green
• 菲達起司/ feta cheese, 150~200 g
• 2顆酪梨/ 2 avocados
• 馬郁蘭草/ marjoram
• 小蕃茄/ cherry tomatoes
• 綠莎莎醬: 2瓣大蒜, 半根紅辣椒, 香菜, 西洋芹, 羅勒, 薄荷, 2顆檸檬, 橄欖油/ Salsa Verde: 2 cloves of garlic, half fresh chili pod, cilantro, parsley, basil, mint, 2 lemons, olive oil
• 橄欖油/ olive oil
• 2顆檸檬/ 2 lemons
• 奶油/ butter

TO MAKE

• 在羊肩排上淋上些許橄欖油並抹上香料後, 放入冰箱一個晚上.
• 把醃好的羊肩排與百里香, 大蒜(約2~4瓣)一起真空包裝後, 放入63度的水浴中煮12個小時.
• 綠莎莎: 把所有的香草只取葉子部分, 與大蒜, 辣椒一起放入食物處理器或果汁機中. 加入約2茶匙的海鹽, 黑胡椒, 檸檬汁後開始攪拌. 一邊攪拌一邊加入橄欖油 (每一次約ㄧ大匙的量). 注意要間歇性地攪拌才能留住香草的口感, 切勿打成泥.
• 烤櫛瓜: 把櫛瓜切成長方形片狀後淋上橄欖油, 海鹽與胡椒; 以華氏375度烤15分鐘.
• 酪梨沙拉: 把酪梨與菲達起司切成一口的方塊後與橄欖油, 檸檬汁, 鹽與胡椒拌勻即可.
• 馬郁蘭蕃茄: 把小蕃茄切對半以後加入馬郁蘭的葉子, 與橄欖油, 胡椒, 海鹽與檸檬汁拌勻備用.
• 裝盤: 用奶油把sous vide好的羊肩排煎至焦香後, 與綠莎莎, 烤櫛瓜, 酪梨沙拉和馬郁蘭蕃茄一起裝盤就可以了.

• Rub all spices on the lamb with some olive oil. Let is rest in the fridge to marinate overnight.
• Vacuum pack the lamb with few cloves of garlic and thyme. 63℃, 12 hours
• Salsa Verde: put all herbs with chili in a food processor or blender, add in some sea salt (about 2 teaspoon), black pepper and lemon juice. Pour in olive oil as you pulse until all leaves are moderately chopped. Do not puree the salsa.
• Grill zucchini: cut zucchini into rectangles. Grill with olive oil, sea salt and pepper in 375℉, 15 minutes.
• Avocado salad: cut avocado and feta cheese into cubes. Mix lightly with salt and pepper, olive oil and lemon juice (about 1 lemon).
• Marjoram cherry tomatoes: cut cherry tomatoes into halves. Mix with marjoram leaves, salt and pepper, olive oil and one lemon of lemon juice.
• To assemble: melt some butter in a pan. Pan fried the sous vide shoulder of lamb till it’s golden brown. Plate all elements and enjoy.

開心的白蘆筍季 White Asparagus! White Asparagus! White Asparagus!

白蘆筍季又到了. 我一向認為要是可以拿到大又肥美的白蘆筍, 就該大肆慶祝！而最好的慶祝方式當然就是找群好朋友們來吃吃喝喝. 在計畫菜單的時候, 我希望可以原味地呈現白蘆筍同時還有時間可以“加入”派對 (而不是一直卡在廚房裡), 所以就先sous vide了一批白蘆筍, 然後做出三道變化穿插在其他的菜中.

So it’s the white asparagus season again! My motto is, if you can get a hold of these beautiful babies, you do something with them. And what else is better than throwing a party?

When putting together the menu, I wanted to showcase the juiciness and the delicate flavor of white asparagus without having to be stuck in the kitchen and miss out on all these conversations and fun. So I sous vide a batch and did a white asparagus three-way.

Sous Vide White Asparagus 

• 清洗, 去掉底部太硬的部份以及削掉纖維粗的外皮/ Clean and peel. Snap off the tough bottom part.
• 把處理好的蘆筍放入真空袋裡, 淋上橄欖油後密封/ vacuum pack with drizzle of olive oil.
• 82℃, 40 ~ 60 分/ minutes.

White Asparagus . Proscuitto . Parmigiano 

• 把白蘆筍裝盤, 先淋上一些橄欖油, 放上帕馬火腿, 削幾片帕馬森起司, 然後撒上少許的鹽之花或海鹽以及新鮮黑胡椒就可以了.
• Take white asparagus out from the bag, plate with drizzle of olive oil, slices of proscuitto, parmigiano, then a pinch of fleur de sel (sea salt will be just fine as well) and some freshly ground black pepper. That’s it! (Could be served chilled or hot, it depends on your preference).

 

Salad . White Asparagus . Grapefruit . Serrano Ham .  Dijon Vinaigrette 

這道食譜的靈感來自於在柏林時造訪的 Kochhaus . 因為買不到嫩芝麻葉, 所以就用芝麻葉混上frisee (捲鬚萵苣)做底去中和 芝麻葉的味道.

This recipe is inspired by Kochhaus in Germany. I couldn’t somehow get any baby arugula, so I mixed arugula and frisee as the salad base.

PREPARE 

• 芝麻葉/ Arugula 
• 捲鬚萵苣/ Frisee 
• 5-6支sous vide過的白蘆筍切小段/ 5-6 sous vide white asparagus, cut into 3cm pieces  
• 2顆葡萄柚(只取果肉) 2 grapefruit, sectioned 
• 1顆檸檬的汁/ 1 lemon, juiced
• 西班牙serrano火腿/ serrano ham 
• 海鹽及黑胡椒/ sea salt & black pepper 
• 牛至少許/ oregano 
• 2大匙的第戎芥末/ 2 tablespoon dijon mustard 
• 橄欖油/ olive oil 
• sous vide蘆筍的湯汁/ juice from sous vide asparagus 

MAKE

• 將生菜洗淨後徹底濾乾
• 第戎芥末沙拉醬: 在大碗內加入橄欖油, 芥末醬, 檸檬汁, 蘆筍湯汁與鹽和胡椒後拌勻直到醬汁變得有一點濃稠
• 將沙拉, 蘆筍, 葡萄柚果肉與切碎的牛至葉與沙拉醬拌勻後裝盤, 最後再放上西班牙火腿即完成將生菜洗淨後徹底濾乾
  • Clean and dry the arugula and frisee thoroughly. 
  • Dijon Vinaigrette:  in a mixing bowl add in olive oil, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper, juice of asparagus. Mix well until it reaches a good consistency. 
  • Combine the salad base with white asparagus, chopped oregano, grapefruit sections, vinaigrette and salt & pepper. Plate with serrano ham on top of the salad. 

 White asparagus . Soft Boiled Egg . Sprinkle of Spring

• 先sous vide蛋 (64度, 40分鐘). 因為蛋的味道會完全展現, 強烈建議使用品質較好的蛋. 裝盤時先擺上蛋, 然後淋上橄欖油, 鹽之花或海鹽, 新鮮黑胡椒, 少許七味辣椒粉, 最後是在Kochhaus發現的乾燥花瓣.
• Sous vide egg: 64℃, 40 minutes (you will really taste the egg, so high quality egg is highly recommended). Plate white asparagus with the soft boiled egg, drizzle on top some olive oil, pinch of sea salt/fleur de sel, freshly ground black pepper, some Japanese 7-pepper spice then sprinkle of dried flower petals. Another easy one.

煙燻火雞肉三明治+羅勒烤薯條：Frank Bruni Inspired Turkey Sandwich + Lemonade Wannabe

雖說都已經三月了, 台北還是灰暗陰冷. 沒有春暖花開, 夏天感覺更加遙遠. 默默肖想可以在游泳匙畔戴著大墨鏡吃火雞肉三明治喝檸檬水~ 只是這樣不親和的天氣, 窩在家裡似乎是比較實際的想法; 索性看完手上Frank Bruni從紐約時報餐廳評論家退下以後寫的 “Born Round”

紐約時報的餐廳評論比米其林評鑑有趣多了, 除了叉子星星的數量外以外, 還有毒舌描述. Bruni的風格尤其獨特, 而且有時毒得令人拍案叫絕. 雖說這些評論家都會用化名, 假電話甚至變裝來掩蓋身分, 但是其實在意自己評鑑的餐廳都默默地知道進門的是誰, 還會同業間互相通風報信. 我之前工作的紐約上東城餐廳裡, 衣帽間就釘著一張Bruni的照片. 

當紐約時報要二度評鑑我們餐廳的時候, 據說當時是非常緊張的一段時期. 怎知在其中一次(紐約時報都謹慎地不會ㄧ次定生死), 一個非常緊張的busser竟然把整個tray的酒杯砸到Bruni旁邊的冰桶裡. “他嚇死了!” 告訴我這個故事的老牌法國Maitre D’笑到都要摔下椅子. “但我們還是四顆星”

這就是徫大餐廳獨有的自信和幽默感.

Bruni在這本自傳體的書裡寫了自己, 寫了家庭, 寫了他與食物之間幾經拉扯後終於達到的平衡. 也寫他和母親深厚的情感. 書裡一段寫母親為他做火雞肉三明治的文字很深刻; 所以就照著Bruni太太的堅持做了個三明治, 配上酥脆又沒油煙的薯條和帶有夏日檸檬水風格的調酒. 

And if she were indeed home and turkey sandwiches were what we wanted, she’d make them for us. Not because she was some meek, doting servant: Mom drew too much attention to her exertions and was too transparent in her bid for plaudits to be taken for  meek, doting servile. She made the sandwiches for us because she knew we wouldn’t slice the turkey as strategically as she did, in narrow but meaty slivers. we wouldn’t arrange those strategically sliced slivers on the bread so that each bite of the sandwich pulled out some but not all of the meat. we might not take the time to clean and dry a leaf of lettuce for the sandwich, and we might not remember to spread the mayonnaise on the meat, not the bread, because bread too readily sponged it up, lessening its rich, fatty say. 

She made the sandwiches, in short, because she was better at it. but she also made them because doing that, and presenting them to us, was her shorthand for telling us that she was rooting for, and watching over us. that she was rooting for, and watching over, me. 

Frank Bruni, Born Round 

It’s almost mid-March, and it’s still gloomy cold in Taipei. No sign of Spring, and I long for a sneak peak of Summer: Turkey Sandwich and lemonade by the pool. And shades- the larger the merrier.

Too bad umbrella is the only option of accessory, so I retreat back to Frank Bruni’s secret history of a full-time eater. Bruni is probably my favorite Times restaurant critic; his whimsical, bitchy and sometimes cruel style just suites me perfectly. I’ve missed him so since he retired from the post, and the dining section is never the same. Oh the Times restaurant critics. Yes we all hear about their camouflage attempt. Yes back in the coat room of a Upper East side star restaurant that I used to work for, there was a picture of Bruni pinned on the wall. Yes if Bruni is in the house, it’s code red alert.

But I can never get tired of the story, told by one of the greatest Maitre D’s in the City, in his French accent. When Bruni was in to review us for the second time, of course everybody knew who’s sitting at Table 56. The nervous bus-boy lost his balance and dropped the entire tray of glasses down into the ice bucket- right next to him. “Oh boy, Bruni’s face says horror!!” The Maitre D’ laughed so hard then continued, “but the dinner went well, and we were again a four-star.” Remarkable sense of humor and confidence.

I flip over the last page of Born Round, happy with the fun and personal journey he again took me through, and decide to make some turkey sandwiches, following Mrs. Bruni’s tips, served with crispy baked potato wedges and a lemonade wannabe. Maybe summer isn’t too far away after all.

準備/Prepare (兩人份/Serves 2)

火雞肉三明治與烤薯條/ Turkey Sandwich & Baked Potato Wedges

• 4片土司 (白吐司或全麥都可以, 不過經驗是感覺奶油,牛奶越多的烤起來越好吃）                                   4 slices of toast (White or whole wheat, depending on your preference. But the buttery ones turn out great after toasting!)
• 1顆番茄, 切片                                                                                                                                                                 1 beef or large vine tomato, slice
• 1條小黃瓜切成長方型片狀 (我就是Bruni媽媽口中懶得去清洗生菜還一片片擦乾的人,但是小黃瓜不但省事,而且口感味道都很好)                                                                                                                                          1 English cucumber, cut into rectangle slices  (too lazy to dry the lettuce but definitely love the crunchiness and freshness)
• 美乃滋/Mayonnaise
• 含籽帝戎芥末醬/Whole grain Dijion mustard
• 火雞胸肉(一人大約2-3片)/Several slices of turkey breast (2-3 slices per person)
• 切片起司數片                                                                                                                                                      Several slices of semi-hard, creamy cheese of your choice (Cheddar,Emmental, Montary Jack, Provolone will all be great. I use Tomme de Savoie for a change)
• 海鹽及黑胡椒/ Sea salt & freshly crushed pepper
• 2顆馬鈴薯,切塊/2 potatoes, cut into wedges
• 2大匙鵝油/2 tablespoon goose fat
• 紅椒粉少許/Paprika
• 10-15片羅勒葉/10-15 basil leaves
• 辣椒片少許/Chili flakes
• 1茶匙赤楊木煙燻屑/1 teaspoon Alder wood chips

開始/Cooking

• Sous Vide溫度設定到85度, 將切好的馬鈴薯淋上少許橄欖油後密封(中高壓力), 煮90分鐘.                                    Set water bath to 85℃, drizzle some olive oil over the potato wedges and vacuum seal them on medium to high, then cook for 90 minutes.
• 在等馬鈴薯的同時, 把火雞肉與起司放進可密封的容器裡, 以赤楊木煙燻後放入冰箱裡入味.        While waiting for the potato wedges, put turkey breast and slices of cheese in a container, pipe in enough smoke, cover the container tightly then let it smoke away in the fridge.
• 把薯條從袋中拿出後平鋪在烤盤上, 加上鵝油, 海鹽, 胡椒, 紅椒粉跟辣椒. 以攝氏400度烤20分鐘, 或直到表面呈金黃色為止. 出爐前, 撒上切成絲的羅勒葉再烤1分鐘; 上桌前可以再撒上一些海鹽跟胡椒. 這樣做出來的薯條可以媲美有費工地先水煮, 然後過兩道油溫的薯條！                                                   Take potato wedges out from the bag and lay the them on a sheet pan, add goose fat, sea salt and pepper, sprinkle with paprika and chili flakes, into the oven of 400 ℉ for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Before serving, shred the basil leaves, sprinkle them on top of the potato wedges and bake for another minute. Pinch of extra sea salt and pepper to taste. The result- almost as good as the double or triple cooked fries! 
• 把吐司烤到表面金黃                                                                                                                                            Toast your toasts.
• 組合三明治: 要記得Bruni媽媽說的, 美乃滋不能抹在麵包上！我的順序是: 火雞肉, 起司, 美乃滋, 芥末, 小黃瓜, 然後番茄. 蓋上麵包前再撒上一些海鹽跟胡椒. 這樣出來的三明治可以從第一口吃到最後一口都不會散掉.                                                                                                                                            Assemble the sandwich: gotta follow Mrs. Bruni’s tip- mayo and mustard on the turkey, not the toast! I start with turkey breast, cheese, mayo and mustard, then cucumber and tomato, pinch of sea salt and some black pepper to finish.
• 與烤薯條一起裝盤就可以享用了！                                                                                                                  Serve with baked potato wedges and maybe some extra cucumber sticks on the side.

Bali Inspired Duck Breast 香料鴨胸

我一直都很想去岜里島卻一直都沒能成行. 看Anthony Bourdain的No Reservation與聽朋友對當地乳豬的讚不絕口都不停地在提醒我該是時候了. 今年中秋連假本來要到新加坡去看看過去的戰友以及恭賀前老闆的新店開張, 無奈一位難求. 瞪著東南亞地圖, 還沒弄清楚發生甚麼, 已經在前往岜里島的路上.

當然第一餐是馳名的烏布烤乳豬. 這種交雜當地人與觀光客的人氣小店一直都很有魅力. 而最後一餐, 我決定聽取飯店的建議去試試“岜里島傳統名菜”脆皮鴨.

I’ve always wanted to visit Bali; Especially so after I heard about their amazing sucking pig (testified by friends and Anthony Bourdain)Extremely tempted; but other travel plans always got in the way.

So this year, thanks to the casinos and the new Universal Studio, Singapore was hotter than ever. I was then forced to drop my plan to go back there to visit the team and to congratulate Chef’s new restaurant. A couple of emails later,  before I knew it, I was headed to Bali!!

Of course my very first meal in Ubud gotta be the legendary suckling pig– always a big fan of those semi-local mom & pop touristy super hits. Then for my last dinner in Bali, after a lovely walking tour, I decided to take our butler’s advice and try the “Dirty Duck.”

姑且不論這道菜是不是傳統, 簡單的烹調與豪邁的吃法(當然是用手), 完全是我追求的完美結尾. 回家以後, 我帶著當時的心情做了這道鴨胸. 第一次亮相是在我們藉百年國慶之名行酒肉之實的”慶祝建國百年紅肉Party” . 但這道菜的濃濃肉桂香, 配上加了大量奶油的南瓜也可以是感恩節或是聖誕節的良伴！

According to our butler, crispy duck is one of Bali’s traditional delicacy. I didn’t really find too much reference  on that, so am just going to focus on the food. I loved how  the  duck itself and the side dishes  were all prepared in a  very simple  manner. No fancy culinary terms,  just food  meant to be enjoyed  with your fingers.

I took home the inspiration and  created this dish. Duck Breast’s  debut was at my “Happy 100th  Birthday ROC  Party” (Wonderful  excuse to go crazy on meat and  wine).  But I feel the lovely cinnamon aroma would make this recipe a great choice for the holidays as well (with some  butternut squash or pumpkin sous vide with a lot of butter  of course).

Prepare/準備

• 3 duck breast, 3片鴨胸 (用的是豪野鴨）
• 3 cloves of garlic, 3瓣大蒜
• 3 stalks rosemary, 3株迷迭香
• Spices: cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg, black pepper, paprika, chili flakes             香料：肉桂, 薑黃粉, 肉豆蔻, 黑胡椒, 紅椒粉, 辣椒粉
• Sweet peas (as many as you prefer), 甜豆適量
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter , ㄧ大匙花生醬
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce , 一茶匙醬油
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil , 一茶匙麻油
• a handful peanuts, 花生適量

1. 在鴨皮上抹上大量的鹽
2. 翻到鴨肉的那一面, 再一層層抹上所有香料. 然後在每一片鴨胸上放上一支迷迭香與一瓣大蒜, 進冰箱醃漬一個晚上.
3. 封入真空袋前, 先用沾溼的廚房紙巾把鴨皮上的鹽盡可能地擦掉. 然後把肉與迷迭香, 大蒜一起封入真空袋.
4. 以攝氏64度煮40分鐘
5. 花生沾醬：在花生醬中慢慢地對入熱水稀釋. 花生醬會一度變得很黏稠, 再繼續加入熱水直到稀釋完成為止. 達到需要的質地後加入醬油與麻油便完成.
6. 以熱水川燙甜豆後冰鎮. 上桌前用廚房紙巾去除多餘水分並撒上花生
7. 熱鍋後將鴨胸皮朝下用中大火煎至金黃 (約五分鐘), 翻面將鴨肉煎約30秒即可.
8. 靜置鴨胸3-5分然後切片, 與甜豆, 花生沾醬一起擺盤

1. Rub salt generously on the skin
2. Dry rub all other spices onto the duck meat. Place one stalk of rosemary and one clove of garlic on each duck breast. Let them marinate in the fridge overnight.
3. Before sealing duck breast in the vacuum bag, use a damp kitchen towel to wipe off excessive salt on the skin. Don’t forget to seal rosemary and garlic with the meat as well.
4. 64°C, 40 minutes
5. To prepare the peanut sauce: add hot water little by little to dilute the peanut butter. The peanut butter would become sticky half way, but it’s okay. Just continue adding hot water until the sauce reaches a smooth consistency. Then add in soy sauce and sesame oil to finish.
6. Blanch the sweet peas then shock them in iced water. Dry them with a kitchen towel and sprinkle peanuts on top before serving.
7. Use a very hot pan and sear the duck breast skin side down for around 5 minutes (skin must be golden brown and crispy). Then flip the meat for another 30 seconds.
8. Allow the duck breast to rest for 3-5 minutes. Slice then serve with sweet peas and peanut sauce on the side.

Tiger’s Beef Shin 老虎哥的滷牛腱

低溫真空烹調的美好之處就是許多不討喜或難煮的部位都可以重獲新生. 雖說許多西方料理敬而遠之的部位在中菜裡是稀鬆平常的珍饈, 但我還是要來一探經典中菜經過低溫真空烹調的成果. 第一個要探索的就是 “滷”

之前已經常聽愛美麗吹噓老虎哥的滷牛腱. 我知道老虎哥曾經做過舞者打過籃球, 創過業還很容易跟麵店老闆變成好朋友. 我本來以為他拿手的老兵料理是這樣來的, 後來才知道原來老虎媽自己就是牛肉麵店的老闆. 有家學淵源的滷牛腱就成了這一次的主題：大同電鍋對上高科技電湯匙 (許多人在聽完低溫真空烹調的解釋後都會恍然大悟地替circulator下一個這樣的結論)

One beautiful thing about sous vide is that even cheap cuts are granted new life. And Chinese are, without doubt, one of the best in the world who know how to take full advantage of offals. I then march on to find out how some classic Taiwanese/Chinese recipes would behave in sous vide.

So I consulted Tiger. I know that Tiger’s been a dancer, an entrepreneur, even a basketball player. I also know that it’s extremely easy for him to become buddies with owners of noodle shops that he frequents. I thought maybe that’s why he’s so good at this type of cuisine. What I did not know was, Tiger’s mother runs a successful beef noodle shop. Mystery solved; it runs in the family.

I had heard Emily bragging about Tiger’s beef shin recipe for quite some time, and they were kind enough to invite me for a beef shin cook-off. Not exactly a cook-off actually since Tiger’s doing all the cooking; all I had to do is seal the pre-cooked beef in a vacuum bag and drop it in my sous vide bath. So it’s Tatung rice cooker/steamer vs sous vide.

For those who didn’t grow up with Tatung, here’s a brief introduction. Tatung is more than just a rice cooker; thousands of moms also serve beautiful stews, soups, steamed fish or spareribs out of it. It is also one things that a lot of Taiwanese students pack when they are about to set out for overseas studies. Well, it’s almost a culinary term for many in Taiwan.

準備/ Prepare

• 2 條牛腱 / 2 beef shins
• 8-10瓣的大蒜, 去皮稍微用刀背拍過備用 / 8-10 cloves of garlic. Remove the skin and beat roughly with the back of a knife.
• 3 支蔥, 切段 / 3 spring onions, cut into 5 cm
• 薑少許 (約20g), 去皮切段備用 / around 20g of ginger, peeled.
• 2 顆新鮮番茄切塊備用 / 2 fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 米酒 250 cc / 250 cc of cooking rice wine
• 醬油 500 cc / 500 cc of fine soy sauce
• 冰糖一大匙 / 1 tablespoon rock sugar
• 雞粉三大匙 / 3 tablespoons chicken powder
• 滷包或是紅茶包一個 / 1 “chinese spice mix in a pouch” (you could often find it in Asian supermarkets. or feel free to substitute with one black tea bag.

1. 將約三公升的水煮開. 在煮水的同時用叉子在牛腱上戳洞, 如此在燉煮的時候會比較入味.
2. 水滾之後將牛腱下鍋煮約5-7分鐘, 然後濾除表面的雜質.
3. 把蔥薑蒜和番茄下鍋一起煮.
4. 等滾了之後再加入米酒, 醬油, 糖和滷包.
5. 轉中火煮20分鐘後加入雞粉調味. 再煮20分鐘完成
6. 大同電鍋版：將牛腱連湯汁放入大同電鍋中煮兩個半小時.
7. 低溫烹調版：等溫度降到室溫以後放入冰箱隔夜冷卻. 冷卻之後封入真空袋, 用70度煮4個小時. 從水浴中拿起之後, 放入冰水中降溫, 然後在冰箱裡放12個小時以上, 讓醬汁繼續浸漬入味.

1. Boil a pot of water (around 3 liters). While waiting, poke the beef shins with a fork to produce some holes. These holes will help sauce to penetrate the meat during cooking.
2. After the water comes to a boil, add the beef shins. Let it cook for a good 5-7 minutes then skim the broth.
3. Add all the garlic, ginger, spring onions and tomatoes in.
4. After the mixture comes to a boil again, add in the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and the spice mix.
5. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 20 minutes. Then season with chicken powder, medium heat for another 20 minutes.
6. For the traditional method, the beef shin is moved into Tatung for 2.5 hours.
7. For sous vide: wait until the pot is cool enough to be moved into the fridge, then chill it overnight before sealing the beef shins along with the broth in a vacuum bag. 70°C for 4 hours. Afterwards, chill the bag in an ice bath, then into the fridge for at least 12 hours so the meat could be marinated in the broth.

傳統方法燉煮的牛腱因為肉質會變得很軟, 所以容易一切就碎. 老虎哥的祕方是將煮好的牛腱放到冷凍庫裡凍到表面變硬以後再切. 而低溫烹調因為可以讓肉質軟嫩的同時又保持肉質地的完整, 所以可以輕鬆切片.

The beef shins cooked with traditional method are meltingly soft which makes it very difficult to slice (the meat’d crumble as you go). Tiger offered a tip here: freeze the beef shin until the surface is hardened. Then slice the beef. Sous vide beef shins? Not at all. The meat is pink, tender tasty and very easy to slice.

上方的是大同電鍋版的滷牛腱, 下方的則是低溫烹調版. 大同電鍋滷出來的牛腱有的是經典的醬油色, 而質地則是非常的軟爛 (尤其加熱之後). 低溫烹調出來的牛腱讓大家嚷著是一種沒有過的口感：肉質粉紅柔軟卻保有咬勁. 而經過高溫燉煮後縮水的膠質在低溫烹調裡被保留了下來– 脆脆的口感會令人上癮！

Let’s compare the results! The picture on the top is a Tatung version, and the lower one is sous vide. The traditional version has a classic soy-sauce color lots people are crazy about. The meat is melt-in-your-mouth kind of soft, especially after being reheated. The sous vide version– a brand new experience！ The meat is pink, tender but with texture (not mushy). What I love the most is the crunchy gelatin that is usually sacrificed in high-heat braising/stewing.

哪一種比較好吃？ 其實見仁見智. 牛肉肉質硬的部位通常需要長時間的燉煮來軟化肉質, 但是有人認為肉在過程中會失去口感甚至變得乾澀. 低溫烹調當初被發明的起源之一就是為了要充分利用這類的部位並且創造出不同的口感. 雖說傳統版有懷舊的味道, 我常在打開啤酒的同時卻會偷偷地想念軟中帶脆的低溫烹調版….

Which one is better? Well, it really depends on what kind of result you are looking for. Sous vide is great in handling tough cuts; after all, sous vide was partially invented to handle tough cuts. Tough cuts require long cooking time to break down the tissue. However, juice and texture are compromised in the process. The traditional version is nostalgic, but I always secretly crave the tender yet crunchy piece of beef every time I pop open a bottle of beer….

Kimchi Chicken Pasta Sauce 泡菜雞胸義大利麵醬

看英國美女主廚Nigella Lawson做菜很有趣– 輕鬆優雅地簡直不可思議. 她有一集 “蕩婦義大利麵” 尤其讓我印象深刻. 鏡頭裡, 她下床後還穿著睡衣就抱著義大利麵, 酸豆, 罐頭番茄, 鯷魚與香料到廚房, 轉眼間她就又抱著整鍋做好的麵回到床上了……..  

這道義大利的經典食譜取了如此有意思的名字, 似乎是在取笑那些只用罐頭做菜, 而不上市場採買新鮮食材的人. 但是我必須要說單靠新鮮食材是做不出這道菜的味道的. 就像泡菜和新鮮大白菜就是不一樣. 河馬從韓國回來的時候帶給我一包還在發酵中的泡菜, 袋子鼓得似乎隨時就要炸開一樣！一打開, 泡菜的香味馬上滿溢空氣中….. 我卻莫名地聞到酸豆與番茄的綜合. 拿出櫃子裡常備的罐頭番茄與義大利麵, 或許學學Nigella Lawson抱著義大利麵在床上吃也不錯！

There’s just something about Nigella Lawson; the way she cooks I guess. Very easy breezy, dreamy almost. And there’s one episode of hers that particularly sticks: The Slut’s Pasta (her take on Pasta alla Puttanesca). Nigella pretty much just rolls off bed, goes to the kitchen, cooks and then brings that entire pan of pasta back to bed. Liberating!

I always try to keep can tomatoes and bags of pasta at home; they are to me better than instant noodles and definitely more sane than pre-made pasta sauce trapped in a jar.

When Lucas came back from Korea he brought back some pouches full of Korean magic: kimchi so fresh that the fermentation was still going on in the bag… as soon as  I  cut open the foil (otherwise the bag might just explode any minute), the tangy kimchi smell quickly bursts out of the bag and into my nasal. I smell caper, tomato and chili for some reason. I reckon it’s a perfect day to be Nigella Lawson.

準備/Prepare

• 1 罐番茄罐頭(整顆或切丁的都可以)/ 1 can of whole or chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 顆韓國泡菜切塊備用 / quarter of whole kimchi, roughly chopped.
• 2片雞胸肉(去皮去骨) / 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2顆你喜歡的新鮮番茄, 切塊 / 2 fresh tomatoes of your choice, cut into wedges
• 2瓣大蒜, 切碎/ 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 8大匙泡菜汁 / 8 tablespoons kimchi juice
• 2片薑 / 2 slices of ginger
• 1小匙乾羅勒 / 1 teaspoon dry basil

1. 將大約500 cc 的水加熱後加入薑片和新鮮番茄來製作番茄清湯.
2. 在平底鍋內加入約兩大匙的橄欖油 (當然也可以使用你習慣的植物油, 不過請避免使用花生油) , 油熱了以後加入切碎的大蒜爆香
3. 大蒜爆到呈現金黃以後加入切塊的泡菜拌炒約3分鐘. 這時候可以加入一些黑胡椒增加香氣. 然後再加入罐頭番茄和乾羅勒, 充分拌炒.
4. 用中火將醬汁煮到微微冒泡以後, 加入番茄清湯 (薑片要移除, 新鮮番茄也一起倒入）再繼續用中火煮20-30分鐘, 或直到醬汁變濃稠為止. 最後再以一點胡椒和鹽調味. 泡菜已經具有足夠的鹹度, 所以鹽不用加太多
5. 醬汁稍微冷卻後放入冰箱隔夜, 以確保徹底降溫
6. 雞胸肉清洗後徹底擦乾
7. 將雞胸肉與醬汁一起裝入真空袋裡後密封, 以64度煮45分鐘
8. 依照包裝袋上的指示煮義大利麵 (每一個廠牌需要的時間都不大一樣). 燙麵用的水要充足, 也別忘記加入大量的鹽.
9. 在平底鍋裡放入些許的橄欖油, 然後加入濾乾的義大利麵和醬汁充分拌炒3分鐘左右. 如果太乾的話可以加入一些燙義大利麵的水. 雞肉放在一邊備用, 不要加入鍋子裡一起炒.
10. 上桌前將雞胸肉切片, 與義大利麵一起擺盤就完成了！

1. Put one cup or around 500 c.c. of water on to boil, then add the ginger slices and fresh tomatoes to make a light tomato broth.
2. Heat up about 2 tablespoons of olive oil (or your preferred vegetable oil, but no peanut oil please) in a pan, then add the minced garlic. Cook until garlic is lightly browned.
3. Add the roughly chopped kimchi and some black pepper to taste. Stir fry for about 3 minutes, then add the basil and can tomatoes in. Mix well and bring the sauce to a simmer.
4. Take out the ginger slices and pour in the tomato broth (along with the fresh tomatoes).
5. Cook the sauce over medium heat for around 20-30 minutes, or until it’s reduced down to a good consistency. Season the sauce with just a pinch of salt and some black pepper. (Kimchi already adds enough saltiness to the dish)
6. Cool the sauce in fridge overnight
7. Clean the chicken breasts and dry them thoroughly
8. Put the sauce and chicken breast in a vacuum bag, 64 degree celsius, 45 minutes
9. Boil a big pot of water, salt it generously, then cook spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet.
10. Mix spaghetti and the sauce in a pan (not the chicken) over some olive oil. Add some pasta water if needed. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
11. Slice the chicken breast, plate the pasta, then combine the two.

這個醬汁除了可以搭配義大利麵以外, 跟年糕, 義大利餃, 甚至是水餃都很合. 如果醬汁煮好後沒有要馬上使用, 請依照以下步驟降溫儲存：

1. 將袋子從水浴裡拿出來以後靜置在室溫約15-20分鐘
2. 然後再將袋子放入冰水(一半冰一半水)中徹底降溫之後就可以收到冰箱裡了
3. 雞胸肉的加熱方法: 烤箱預熱到華氏300度或攝氏150度, 將雞胸肉用烤盤紙包好以後烤10分鐘就可以了.

This sauce goes very well not just with pasta, but also with korean/chinese rice cakes, raviolis or even Chinese dumplings. If you are not using the sauce right away, follow the steps below:

1. Take the bag out of the water bath, leave it in room temperature for 15-20 minutes.

2. Cool the bag thoroughly in an ice bath (half water, half ice).

3. Store in refrigerator

4. To reheat the chicken breast: wrap it in parchment paper, then into a 300°F/150°C          oven for 10 minutes. Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing it.

用真空低溫烹調煮出來的雞胸肉柔嫩又多汁, 任何過高的溫度都會輕易地破壞雞肉的口感. 所以加熱的時候要注意不要用過高的溫度, 也不建議把雞胸肉加到義大利麵裡一起炒.

Chicken breasts cooked sous vide are tender and juicy, and extra heat could easily spoil that happiness. So when you reheat the chicken, do not apply high heat. I don’t particularly recommend that you stir-fry the chicken with the pasta, either. You know why… the heat again.

雖然我始終沒有鼓起勇氣抱著整鍋的義大利麵到床上吃, 但是有一天當我又累又挫折地回到家又發現冰箱裡的這包醬汁時, 心情竟然雀躍了起來. 十五分鐘就可以做出一道拯救自己的晚餐～

One day I came home all frustrated and exhausted and saw this bag of pasta sauce in the fridge. Fifteen minutes later, as I cuddled my bowl of kimchi chicken pasta with the company of TV (I have to admit that I really am not liberal enough to eat a pot of pasta in bed….. TV it is then)…. happy day….