Taiwanese Spicy Noodle Soup With Sweet BBQ Pork Ribs

This aromatic, spicy, and superb soup is my favorite noodle soup. The broth is pretty simple to make, you just need to be patient to cook it on a low heat, it will take about 3 hours to simmer to develop the deep fragrant flavor. Once you manage to make the broth, you can add any kind of vegetable and meat you are most fond of. I used BBQ pork ribs that I actually bought from Chinese market. For me, it is quite delicious enough, and somehow I never really tempted of making my own. You can say that I am cheating on this one, that's alright...., I always believe that there are something I can easily duplicate at home, and something I just have to leave it to the professional master to make it.

Taiwanese Spicy Noodle Soup With Sweet BBQ Pork

~elra~

serve 4 to 6

The Broth

1½ pounds pork spare ribs

1 large onion, peeled

5 cloves garlic

2 whole star anise

5 whole Szechuan peppercorn (I didn't use any, I ran out of this)

7 whole red peppercorn

1 whole clove

2 slices of ginger

1 tbs chili pepper flakes

5 whole dried chilies

10 dried Shitake mushroom, soak with hot water to soften (reserve the water to add to your broth)

¼ cup Shaoxing cooking wine

¼ cup reduce sodium tamari or soy sauce

12 cups water

salt to taste

• Place all ingredient in a soup pot, simmer on low for 2 to 3 hours. Skim the foam that rises to the surface from time time. Strain the broth, and discard the ribs, onion, garlic and the spices, but leave the Shitake mushroom for garnish. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed

To serve

14 oz fresh egg noodle

1½ pounds Chinese sweet BBQ pork ribs, cut into small pieces

cilantro & green scallion, optional

hot chili sauce, if you like it spicier

• Add water to a large pot, place the pot on the stove over set over high heat, bring water to a boil, add fresh noodle, cook according to package direction. Divide the noodle among prepared bowls. Add BBQ pork ribs, and garnish with cilantro and green scallion, pour some of the broth and serve immediately.

Lamb Biriani (Lamb Biryani)

So far, the best Lamb Biriani I have ever tasted was at a friend's house when they invited my husband and I for a birthday party. They gave us some leftover to bring home for our son, he just loved it, and kept on asking me to make it. Since I haven't had any chance to get the recipe, I made it using ingredients listed from this two cookbooks: Charmaine Solomon's Encyclopedia of Asian Food, and Madhur Jaffrey's Curry to kebab cookbook. But, I reduced, changed, omitted, and added the ingredients to suit my own taste. The end result was pretty delicious and fragrant dish, it was close enough to the one that my friend made.

Lamb Biriani (Lamb Biryani)

Serve 12

The Lamb Curry

Marinate Ingredients:
5 cloves garlic, peeled-chopped
2 slices peeled fresh ginger, about ¼ inch thick per slice, or use less if you don't want it too gingery

5 whole cardamoms
5 whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon
1 cup plain yogurt
3½ to 4 lbs lamb shoulder with some bone, cut into big chunks

salt to taste

• Place chopped garlic and ginger in a mortar and pestle, crush into fine paste, transfer into a large bowl where you are going to marinate the lamb. Add the rest of ingredients including the lamb, season with salt, mix well. Cover the bowl with cling plastic wrap, let the lamb marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

The Curry:
2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tsp cayenne powder (I like it spicy, you can use less, or completely omit it)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbs ground cumin
8 medium size tomatoes, chopped (I used juice, ripe in the vine type of tomatoes)
1 whole star anise

2 - 3 tbs canola oil

salt, if needed

The marinated lamb

• In a large pot, fry chopped onion with canola oil over medium heat until soft, add garlic, fry another minute. Add the rest of ingredients, stir for a few second to release the aroma of the spices. Add marinated lamb including the marinate. Cover the pot, then turn the heat to low, continue to cook until lamb is tender, about 2 to 3 hours, check and stir from time to time. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

The Rice

4 cups basmati rice

1 large onion, chopped

2 tbs canola oil, or butter, or combination of both

2 cardamoms

1 star anise

1 small cinnamon stick

1 tsp saffron strand (or as much or as little as like it)

4 tbs rose water

6½ cups water

salt and pepper to taste

• Wash the rice in several changes of water, drain, then soak in a clean water for 30 minutes - drain.
• Toast the saffron in a small pan over low heat, stirring continuously for a few seconds. Transfer the saffron into small bowl, crush into powder using the back of a spoon, add about 2 tablespoon hot water, stir until to dissolve. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, add chopped onion and fry until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the drained rice, cardamoms and star anise, cinnamon stick, stir for couple of minutes to coat the rice. Add saffron water, rose water, and 6½ cups water, season with salt and pepper, stir well. Cover the pot with its lid, turn the heat to low, and cook the rice until fully cook and fluffy.

To Serve

fried crispy shallots (store bought from Asian Market)

raisins or sultanas

fried cashew nuts

butter or oil to coat a (9x13-inch) ceramic dish

• Brush a 9x13-inch oven proof ceramic dish with butter or oil, place half of the rice to cover the bottom of the dish, add all of the lamb curry, cover with the rest of the rice. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, crumple it tightly. Bake in the preheated 350⁰F for 20 minutes. Mix before serving, garnish with crispy shallots, raisins or sultanas, and cashew nuts.

Feta, Dill, and Green Onion Böreği

This is the easiest and fastest Böreks that I've ever made, unless if you are planning to make your own yufka which will take a lot of practice and pretty time consuming to make, especially when it times to roll the dough to achieve the thinness of yufka dough. For now, I am quite happy with the store bought yufka dough. One day when I have enough energy and time, I will try to make my own yufka dough.

The filling of this Böreks is very simple and easy to make. I like to used French feta cheese which is less sodium. If you find this still too salty, you can soak the feta to each out some of the salt before using it. If you like the meat filling, I made once with leftover Turkey from Thanksgiving dinner last year. It was really delicious. So, if you have leftover meat or poultry, you can make this Sigara Böreği. It really is superb snacks.

Feta, Dill, and Green Onion Böreği

This recipe make about 12 to 24 Böreks

~elra~

12 - 24 sheets Yufka dough

12 oz feta cheese

1 bunch scallions, chopped

½ cup chopped fresh dill

1 egg

1 egg white

canola oil for frying

• crumble feta cheese and place it into a bowl with chopped scallions, dill, and 1 egg. Mix well.
• lay one sheet of yufka dough on working surface, add feta cheese filling about 2 tablespoon for each Börek, brush the edge of the pasty with egg white, roll it like you would roll Chinese spring roll. Fry in hot oil until brown and crispy. Serve immediately.