Crayfish Creamed Corn Soup

I had enough crayfish meat and crayfish broth leftover from the crayfish rice that I decided to make soup. At first, I was just going to use the broth and add some vegetables, but after tasting it, I knew something was short. My mother said she imagined the soup to be thicker because the crayfish taste was so concentrated. So I put on my coat, braved the winter weather with pajamas on and ran to the corner deli and bought a can of corn and a pint of milk. Using a blender, I made my own creamed corn. I wanted to test it first before I used the rest of the broth so in a smaller pot, I simmered a small dollop of the corn with some of the broth. When the mother hen approved, I made a bigger batch good enough for four people at work the next day.

Ingredients:
2 pounds crayfish, washed
bacon
1 can of kernel corn
1 cup of milk
2 ribs of celery, cut in smaller pieces
1 red onion, halved
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 chayote, peeled and diced
salt, pepper, oil

1. Make crayfish broth. Separate the crayfish heads from the tails. Put the heads in a big soup pot with some water and let it boil. Add onion and celery ribs with some salt. Simmer until ready to use. Peel tails and devein. Chop in smaller pieces.
2. In a skillet, render fat off bacon until crisp. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel. When cool enough to handle, finely chop bacon. Set aside.
3. In a blender, purée corn while adding a little bit of milk slowly. The consistency should be creamy without being too thick.
4. In a soup pot, transfer the crayfish broth without the solids. Simmer and add the vegetables. Cook until the chayote is soft. Add a little bit of the creamed corn slowly until desired consistency. Season with bacon bits and pepper. Serve with country bread.

Related post/s:
How to cook your rice with crayfish

Homemade Shiso Oil

I’ve never seen Ming Tsai on TV before so when I happened to flip to PBS and saw that his ingredient of the day was shiso leaf, I tuned in. Perilla, or shiso leaf to the Japanese, is a member of the mint family. There’s no mistaking that after you take a bite. It has a nice kick to it that’s why it’s perfect as a palate cleanser after a few pieces of sushi. What I like to do when I’m at a Japanese restaurant is to ask the sushi chef to make me a small shiso leaf maki after my omakase meal. It ends the night with a piece of rice and a bright taste in my mouth.

Ingredients:
about 30 pieces of shiso leaves
grapeseed oil
1 tbsp ginger, peeled, minced
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

1. Prepare an ice bath in a small bowl in the sink. Boil some water in a pot with a lot of salt. Blanch shiso leaves in boiling water for 1 minute and immediately remove to the ice bath. Squeeze in a ball and cut in smaller pieces.
2. Put shiso leaves in a blender with the ginger, sugar and a little bit of salt and pepper. Blend while slowly drizzling a little bit of grapeseed oil into the mix. Season to taste. Use for shiso-wrapped tempura prawns or shiso-marinated beef stir-fry.

Related post/s:
Where to buy fresh shiso leaves
Shiso-wrapped tempura prawns
Shiso-marinated beef stir-fry

Green Tea Noodle Soup with Tofu

Dashi is fundamental to Japanese cooking. Kelp and bonito are boiled down to make the dashi broth that’s most popularly known as the base for miso soup. With soy sauce, or soyu, and rice wine vinegar, or mirin, you can make the simplest yet most satisfying Japanese soup perfect for a last course after a heavy meal.

Ingredients:
green-tea noodles, half of the 7-ounce packet
1 quart vegetable stock
2 tsps dashi granules
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
firm tofu, drained, sliced into squares
1 small sheet of dried seaweed, torn
2 tbsps sesame seeds, toasted

1. Cook the noodles in a large saucepan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.
2. Combine the dashi granules with the stock in another large pot. Stir over medium heat until the granules are dissolved. Bring to a boil and stir in mirin and soy sauce.
3. Divide the noodles and tofu cubes in serving bowls. Ladle hot soup and garnish with nori and sesame seeds.

Related post/s:
Where to get dashi granules, rice wine vinegar and nori

Somen Noodle Soup with Roasted Five-Spice Duck

The Chinese use five-spice powder to create a blend of different flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, pungent and salty. You can easily buy them from any grocery store with a well-stocked spice aisle but I prefer to make my own. With one star anise, I used the heart of my palm to measure the other four ingredients and grind them using a mortar and pestle. If you have a Filipino dad, he should be able to grind them for you. You can make a salad from your leftovers by adding some sugar snap peas and chopped red bell peppers. Just whisk together some fish sauce and lime juice in a small bowl and pour over the noodles for dressing.

Ingredients:
2 duck legs, excess fat trimmed but skin left on
2 small bundles of somen noodles
4 cups chicken broth
1 star anise
scallions, finely chopped
cilantro, finely chopped
peanut oil
1 tbsp red chili sauce

For the five-spice powder:
1 star anise
1/2-inch cinnamon stick
fennel seeds
whole cloves
black peppercorns

1. Preheat the oven to 400º. In the meantime, lightly coat the duck legs with the five-spice powder and set aside. Heat some oil in a frying pan and brown the duck legs, skin-side down first, about 5 minutes each side. Transfer to a baking dish and cook for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them rest on the chopping board.
2. In a small pot, boil some water and cook the somen noodles for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water while separating noodles with a fork to avoid sticking.
3. In another small pot, let the chicken broth boil with the other star anise. Then simmer for a few minutes with the scallions and cilantro.
4. To serve, divide noodles and ladle broth in bowls and top with sliced duck meat.

Chicken and Galangal Soup

What’s up with me and the spicy cravings?

Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken thighs
1 knob of galangal, peeled and cut into thin slices
2 cups of coconut milk
2 cups chicken stock
1 red onion, finely chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves
1 lemongrass stalk, pounded
red chilies
cilantro, finely chopped
2 tbsps fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
lime juice
peanut oil

1. Heat a large pot with peanut oil. Brown the chicken on both sides. Remove to a plate.
2. In the same pot, sauté onions, lime leaves, lemongrass and chilies. Add the stock, coconut milk and cilantro. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer, stirring ocassionally. Add the chicken and simmer for 10 more minutes, until the chicken is cooked.
3. In a small bowl, dissolve brown sugar in the fish sauce and lime juice. Add to the pot. Adjust according to taste.