Beer belly or Pork belley???

It's only Mid Sept, but chitown is already getting windy again....o summer why are you leaving so early?Please stay for 1 more month.... But one good thing about mid Sept is - Oktoberfest ale comes out on the shelf again!ummmm hahahah evil wilson says "beer = good". So anyways, Pork belly and Oktoberfest?? How can you say no to them? It's like a match from heaven, just like adam and eve, Ari and Lloyd, Asian and rice. they meant to be with each other >_- anyways here's today's dish-

Oktoberfest braised pork belly
ingredients

• DA MEAT
  
  • Pork belly
    
  • salt
    
  • freshly grind black pepper
    
  • paprika
    
  • cayenne pepper
  
  
• Da sauce
  
  • half bottle of Oktoberfest(don' waste the beer, drink the other half yourself)
    
  • 1/4 cup of soy sauce
    
  • 1/2 tps of Brown sugar
    
  • 1 tps of honey
    
  • shallots chopped
    
  • 2 carrots chopped
    
  • ginger(cut into thin slices, about 2-3 pcs)
    
  • 2 clove of garlic(cut into 1/4, so about 8 pcs)

STEP 1 - Mclovin the pork belly

Cross cut square on the surface of the skin first, then rub the seasoning evenly on the meat. Let the meat sit aside for an hr.
Sear the pork belly(skin face down) till it look turn brown and crispy looking. for those who have a small kitchen or studio apt, MAKE SURE YOU OPEN THE WINDOW or TURN THE FAN ON!!but on the other hand if you want to smell like bacon and grease, be my guest and leave the window close....



STEP 1.5 - You can do 2 things at once

While searing the pork belly, bring a sauce pan on the burner, add bit butter and saute the shallots for 3 mins. Add the carrots and brown sugar into the sauce pan, mix the vegetables and sugar for another 3 mins. Add the ale, soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic, turn the burner to low, and cover the lid up, let it sit till the sauce starts to boil.

step 2- I have no idea

Pre-heat the oven @ 275f. Pour the sauce in to the pork belly(the skin side face up) or vice versa. Cover the top with Tin-foil, and put it in to the oven for 2 hrs. Make sure your cookware can take high heat. Melting plastic does not go well with pork belly......
PS: While the pork belly in the oven, make sure you take it out every 30 mins, and glaze the meat with the sauce, so the meat won't be too dry after the cooking.

step 3 - I'm bit lazy to type out how to garnish


As title....so see the Pics for your reference......

To prove that I'm a real Asian.....

So some of my friends have been asking "Wilson how come you only write about western food in your blog, we thought you are Asian, what happen to Fried rice, Egg rolls, Crab rangoon and egg fu yang??(I think I should slap them for mentioning those dishes!!!)But the truth is, it's not I hate cooking Asian food, it's just I've ate , cooked, or watched my mom cooking Asian food for most of my life..... why can't I just do something else here......Speaking of my mom, she's coming in Oct!!!! I'm really looking fwd to that !!! But I'm also hoping she wont give me a curfew when she's here ........anyways, today I'm making one of my mom's favorite dish - stir fry rice-glass noddles( o man..she made it soooo many times when i was a kid.....)

MAMA HAN'S favorite dish-
BBQ pork stir fry rice-glass noodles

Ingredients

• Rice-glass noddles
  
• Red onions(chopped)
  
• Shiitake Mushrooms (chopped)
  
• BBQ pork - You can find them at major Chinese restaurants
  
• Broccoli (chopped)
  
• Soy sauce
  
• XO paste ( it's a paste made with scallops, hot chili pepper, and shiitake mushroom, can be sub for hot chili paste)
  
• chicken broth
  
• salt and pepper

Step 1: Oodles of Noddles

Boil a pot of water, with pinch of salt. And toss the noddles in once the water start to boil. By adding salt, it will give noddles bit extra flavor. drain the water out once noddle is about 80% done.



Step 2: stirrrrr fry

dazzle some EVOO in a wok, toss the red onions in once the wok heat up, then the broccoli , shiitake mushrooms and pork, pinch of salt n pepper for taste. Add bit more EVOO, and toss the noddles in the wok, code the noddles evenly with other ingredients, and then add chicken broth and cover the wok up till most the liquid are gone.Add the chili paste(xo paste), soy-sauce and salt/peppers for the final taste.

LogO!!!!!!!

All I gotta to say is getting old Sucks a big time, I can't believe I'm 26 already and will be in 30s in 4 years...bit scary just to think about that.... but I guess this year my bday is soooo important, everyone in the states got a day off lol(Sept 07 2009= labor day !!!!)so you are very welcome everyone!!! Anyways took some pics for the blog this weekend!! quite excited about them!!! all I gotta do now is write a html code for the Blog's background........(it's gonna be sooo much of work...god damn it !!!) But it would be a nice project for me to do during my 9-6 job hahahah!!! Special thanks to Louis Huang for helping out w/ his awesome camera n mad skills, and also special thanks to Deanna for pouring an awesome latte!!

LogO #1

LogO #2

The cafe'

The Barista:Deanna(she's behind the espresso machine)

Hope you all like the pic!!! happy trails guys !!! and see ya soon

How do you like them apples???

First I want to say thank you all for the support! Esp my Friends and families whom helped me to spread the words out!!!And second I really appreciate everyone whom spent their times to take a look at my blog!!!If one day I open a real restaurant you all get a VIP card !!! O wait does that mean I'll have to give out 500+ VIPs....damn!!!!maybe it's not a good idea for me to open a restaurant.... Anyways Here's today's special:

Pinot, dijon marinated Salmon serve with Rosemary Apple

(YES!!! APPLE!!!)
lovely Julie Lao(she's currently looking for freinds please contact me for further details >_-) ====>
(PS the Fish is dedicate to her, It's a really really easy & simple recipe, you won't even need to turn the stove on!But somehow I think she'll still be too lazy to try to make it....)

Ingredients :

• Sleeping with The Fish
  
  
  
  • Salmon Fillet - 2 pcs
    
  • dazzle of EVOO
    
  • 4 Table Spoon Dijon Mustard
    
  • 1/4 cup of Pinot Grigio
    
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
    
  • Pinch of lemon zest
    
  • Salt & Pepper
    

• How you like them Apples??
  
  
  
  • 1 whole sweet apple(cut into slices)
    
  • Fresh Rosemary(DO NOT USE THE STEM!!)
    
  • Butter
    
  • 1/4 cup Smirnoff apple vodka.( or other white wine)
    
  • salt & pepper

Step 1 -Sleeping W/ da fish
You might be thinking "Wait a second, I thought we suppose to use fillet why does the pic looks like a strip???" Well here's the answer " Wilson is broke as hell, so he can only afford the salmon strip instead of fillet.......but ideally fillet is a better fit for this dish." Anyways let us start the marinate. Mix EVOO, Dijon Mustard, Pinot Grigio and lemon juice in a bowl, season it with salt and pepper with own preference. Place the fish on a shallow dish and spread the marinate evenly on the fish, cover the fish up and let it sit for 30 mins to a hr. Tick Tack Tick Tack ...... times up!! Pre-heat the oven and then set it to 300 F. Place the fish into the oven, since I hate overcook salmon I would say you should only leave the fish in about 20-25 mins. Whooooray DONE!!! EASY ENOUGH right?

Step 2-How you like them Apples??
Cut apple into slices( about 1.5 inch thick)set them aside and chopped up the rosemary finely for the later use. Melt butter in a saute pan, and throw the apples in make sure code them with the butter evenly, set fire to med and toss chopped rosemary in and cover the lid for 5 mins. then add liquor, cook till fork tender and season it with salt(to own preference).



Step 3 - The Final Touch
I'm a Virgo therefore I'm pretty annal bout certain stuff, plating is definitely one of them. I'll do the plating even when I'm the only one eating ...ha, as far as I concern visual definitely will help the taste bud, anyways, see pic for the final touch!!!