Mapo Tofu

Ingredients (Serve 4 people) :

• 1/4 pound ground pork
• 1 pound regular tofu (medium firmness)
• 1 leek or 3 green onions (chopped)
• 3 cloves grated garlic
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 tsp chili bean paste
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sake (if available)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup chicken broth (can be substitute by water)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water (can be substitute potato stretch or tapioca stretch)
• pepper
• sesame oil 

Directions:

1. Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch square cubes, and blanch (drop into boiling water) for 2 - 3 minutes.
2. Remove tofu from boiling water and drain.
3. Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, stir fry grated garlic.
4. Add ground pork to the wok, and stir fry until the color darkens. 
5. Add chili bean paste to the wok and stir fry until you can smell the aroma.
6. Add soy sauce and sake, and ginger, and stir fry.
7. Add chicken soup, sugar, pepper, and oyster sauce.
8. Add tofu. Bring to boil, and keep boiling for a few minutes.(stir occasionally for avoiding burn) 
9. Add water dissolved cornstarch to the wok little by little and mix well.
10. Add chopped green onion and sesame oil.

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TOPOKKI (Korean Spicy Rice Cake)

Ingredients (Serve 4 people) :

• 2/3 lb Korean rice cakes
• 1 Big piece of thin fish cakes, cut into small triangles
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbs gochujang (Korean chili paste)
• 2 tbs sugar
• chopped green onion (option)

Direction :

1. Boil Water, add gochujang and sugar, and mix well.
2. Add rice cakes and fish cakes.
3. Simmer until rice cake become soft and the sauce gets a little thick.
4. Add green onion.

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Tori Gobo Salada (Chicken and burdock salada)

Ingredients (Serve 4 people) :

• 1/4lb gobo (burdock root):  peeled and cut into 2 inch long and thin strips 
• 1/4 red pepper: cut into thin strips
• 2 chicken tender (1/4 lb chicken breast is OK too)
• 2 tbsp sesame dressing (creamy type)
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise (Japanese mayonnaise is proffered)
• salt 
• pepper

Direction :

1. Soak the gobo strips in cold water for a few minutes to eliminate bitterness and drain well.
2. Boil chicken in the boiling water for 3 minutes, or until fully cooked.
3. Take chicken out from the water and cool. 
4. Boil gobo for 1 minute.
5. Strain gobo, then cool.
6. Tear chicken into thin strips.
7. Mix gobo, chicken, red pepper, mayonnaise, sesame dressing in a bowl.  
8. Add some salt and pepper if you like, and mix well.

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Miso Marinated Chicken Steak

Ingredients (Serve 2 people) :

3/4 lb chicken thighs with skin*

2 Tbsp miso paste (soy bean paste) 

2 Tbsp sake

1 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp mirin (Japanese Sweet sake)

2 Tsp sugar

1 clove grated garlic

1 tsp grated ginger

Directions:

1. Poke chicken from skin side with a fork.
2. Mix miso paste, soy sauce, sake, milin, sugar, garlic, and ginger together.
3. Put chicken and sauce mixture in a ziploc type plastic bag and place in the fridge for at least a half day.
4. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan.
5. Fry the skin side of the chicken on medium heat until the skin  become crispy. 
6. Turn the chicken over to fry the other side on low heat. 
7. Cover the pan and cook the chicken on low heat until dchicken is fully cooked.
8.  Slice the chicken and serve with your choice of vegetable on a plate.  

*If you prefer helthy dish, use chicken breasts without skin.

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Easy Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients (Serve 4 people) :

1 lbs ground round beef

1 onion chopped

1 cup vegetables - chopped carrots, corn, peas

1 lbs potatoes 

4 tbsp butter (1/2 stick)

1 cup milk

6 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice

 Direction : 

1.  Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).
2. Sauté onions and carrot in a pan until tender over medium heat.
3. In a large bowl, mix ground beef, sautéed onion and carrot, corn, peas, ketchup, and worcesterchire sauce well. 
4. Mash potatoes in another bowl with butter and milk, season to taste.
5. Place beef mixture in baking dish. Put mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. 
6. Cook in 450 degree oven for 25 minutes.

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Ga Pao Rice (Thai Style Basil and Chicken rice)

Ingredients (Serve 2 people) :

1/2 lb ground chicken

1 dozen basil leaves

1 red paprika 

1/2 onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 tbsp nam pla sauce (Thai fish sauce)

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

2 eggs

vegetable oil 

steamed rice for 2 portions

 Direction : 

1. In a pan, heat one spoon of vegetable oil and minced garlic until garlic become smell.
2. Add ground chicken and stir fry well until color turned to white.
3. Add nan pla sauce, sugar, oyster souce, and soy souce to the chicken and mix well.
4. Add thickly sliced red pepper and onion, and keep stir fry.
5. After vegetable is cooked, add basil and stir fry.
6. In another pan, heat vegetable oil and cook sunny-side up egg. 
7. Serve chicken and egg on top of steamed rice.

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Homemade Chicken Ham

Ingredients :

• 4 pcs - chicken breast
• 4 tsp salt (1 tsp each pcs)
• 4 tsp honey (1 tsp each pcs)
• pepper
• 4 cloves grated garlic (option)
  ziplock bag
  cling film

Direction :

1. Season chicken breast with honey, salt, pepper (and garlic if you like), and put into ziplock bag.
2. Place in fridge for 2 days
3. Wash out chicken once and wipe all water
4. Wrap each peace tightly with cling film and strings both side (shape like a candy)
5. Put them into source pan and pour water.
6. Put the source pan on the stove top and start boiling. 
7. Once water is boiled, turn off the heat, cover the source pan with lid, and leave it for an hour.

*Keep it in a refrigerator, and it is good for about a week.
*You can make delicious sandwich with this ham!!!
*You can put your favorite herbs (such as rosemary, basil, bay leaf etc...) while seasoning chicken.

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