Japanese Beef Bowl with Broccoli

I was thinking about describing this meal simply as a Japanese version of beef and broccoli, but connecting it in any way to the common Chinese takeout dish of soggy, over-sauced broccoli and greasy beef does it a great disservice. Very little oil is used in cooking the beef, which is simmered with the onions in its sauce until tender.  The broccoli is cooked separately so you don't end up with beef flavored broccoli.  The end result is a hearty, but light meal that is packed with flavor.  The takeout menu will have to wait for another night!

This meal also gave me the opportunity to try out the Rakkyo that I made a few weeks ago.  Pickles are a important part of Japanese cuisine, and in addition to these we also had some Takuan (pickles daikon) and Shoga (pickled ginger).  The Rakkyo turned out quite good.  The scallions had softened some, but retained a nice crunch with a slightly sweet vinegar flavor.  I'm sure they'll continue to improve as they age longer.

The broccoli we cooked very simply.  A quick dip in boiling water until crisp tender then drained and dressed with ponzu and sesame seeds.  Ponzu is a slightly lemony tasting sauce made from mirin, rice vinegar, fish flakes, seaweed and the juice of a lemon (or other similar citrus juice).  Often used as a dip for meat or sushi, it adds a nice bit of flavor that complimented the fresh broccoli without covering up the taste.

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Broccoli

Ingredients (for the beef dish)
1/3 lb of beef round, thinly sliced
½ of a small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp vegetable or canola oil
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs mirin
½ tbs sugar
1 tbs cooking sake
½ tsp dashi
5 tbs water

Preparation
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan until hot, then add the beef and saute until browned. Add the onion and add all the other ingredients.  Stir to combine then cover and cook until onion is tender, 10-15 minutes.  Serve hot over white rice.  Garnish with chipped scallion and pickled ginger.

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

Not too much to say here, except no more boiled broccoli!  Yay!  It didn't take much extra effort to put together this delicious side dish.  Roasting the broccoli in the oven gives it a different flavor compared to boiling, with a slight charred taste from the tips of the florets browning in the heat.

Recipe courtesy of the Food Network.  Modified below for less broccoli.

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Broccoli

Ingredients
1 pound broccoli
1 garlic clove, peeled and thinly sliced
Olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tbs julienned fresh basil leaves

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets. Peel the thick stalks and slice into 1/4 inch disks. Cut the larger florets through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. Place the broccoli on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 tsp olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

Stir Fry with Bok Choy and Chicken

Have you ever looked into your refrigerator and had 3 or 4 different vegetables stare back at you, and none of them alone are enough for a meal, or even a side dish?  One carrot, half a bell pepper, the middle of a celery, they all somehow escaped your cutting board.  Until now! Stir fry is my go to meal to deal with the lonely remains of the produce drawer.

Stir fry is a wonderfully versatile way of cooking.  Just about any vegetable or protein can be used, and the options for sauce and other flavorings are seemingly unlimited.  Below is what went into tonight's recipe, but other times you might find mushrooms, bell pepper, eggplant (the small Italian variety), onions or spinach in the mix.  Beef, pork, tofu or shrimp might stand in for the chicken.  I do recommend that you limit yourself to 4 vegetables and only 1 protein.  Otherwise the flavors tend to get all muddled together, and not in a good way.  Also, you may not have a big enough pan!

Thanks to my wife for handling the cooking!

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Bok Choy
Scallions

Ingredients
1 tbs canola or vegetable oil
1 tsp grated ginger
Pinch of crushed red pepper (or more to taste)
1 lb Bok Choy, stems and leafs separated,  both cut into 1/4" sticks.
4 scallions, cut into 1" peices
1 chicken breast, cut in to 1/4" x 2" strips
4 cups broccoli florets
1 large carrot (or a handful of baby carrots)
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs mirin
1 tbs cooking sake
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp sesame oil

Preparation
Stir fry cooking moves fast, so clean, chop or otherwise prep all your ingredients before you start cooking.

Cook the broccoli ahead of time by boiling it for 3-5 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.

Made the sauce by mixing together the soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, brown sugar and corn starch in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Heat the oil in your wok (or a large skillet) over high heat until very hot, but not quite smoking.  Season the chicken strips with salt and add to the wok.  Cook, stirring frequently until the chicken is just cooked through, then remove from the wok to a small bowl.  Add the ginger and red pepper flakes to the wok and stir for 10 seconds, then add all the vegetables except the broccoli. Cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are just starting to soften.  Timing on this will depend on what you are using and how thick your slices are, so start tasting after about 3 minutes.  You want them to be just slightly under-cooked before moving to the next step. Add the broccoli, chicken and sauce mixture to the wok and cook for another minute, stirring to combine everything.  Taste to ensure the vegetables are cooked to your liking, I try to shoot for keeping them still crisp, though this is easier said than done.  Turn off the heat.  Mix in the sesame oil and serve immediately over rice.