Kimchi and Tofu Fried Rice/Ginger Pork Cabbage Wraps

Taco night happens once a week at Chez Gourmess, and now we've added Asian food night to the round-up as well. I love cooking with all of the Asian spices and sauces -- they really give you the freedom to use as much or as little as you want, and I love putting a bit of this and a pinch of that together until the flavors meld into something that tastes out of this world.

Here are a couple easy and satisfying dishes I've made recently:

Kimchi and Tofu Fried Rice

We had kimchi (fermented cabbage mix) left over from making Khao Soi (Curry Noodle Soup) and I had a package of cubed, firm tofu in the fridge, so I thought fried rice would be a quick and tasty way to use them up.  I heated about a TBS of vegetable oil in a large wok-style pan, and when it was hot, I added the tofu (which I had marinated in soy sauce for a few minutes and then drained) to the pan, sautéing until browned and a bit crispy.  I removed the tofu with a slotted spoon and set aside. Back into the pan went another TBS of oil, about 1 1/2 cups of roughly chopped kimchi, a minced clove of garlic and two teaspoons of red chili paste. Once the cabbage was heated through, I added in about 2 TBS of soy sauce and a couple teaspoons of hoisin and then stirred in about 4 cups of cooked brown rice (I love the frozen bags--they take 4 minutes in the microwave!) and let cook for a few minutes.  I moved the rice mixture over to one side of the pan, then added two eggs, which I had lightly whisked beforehand. I stirred the eggs gently until they were almost set (about 2-3 mins) then mixed them into the rice.  I added the tofu and a TBS each of sesame oil and fresh lime juice, then stirred one more time before plating.

I served with crushed peanuts a wedge of lime and Thai peanut sauce on the side. It was really tasty and I made a mental note to cook with tofu more often.

Ginger Pork Cabbage Wraps

I received a huge head of green cabbage in my latest organic box, so I thought perhaps cabbage wraps were in order. But, I couldn't make my Cabbage Wraps with Ground Turkey and Mango Salsa because I didn't have any ground turkey or chicken.  I did have a pork loin, so I thought I'd throw it in the crock pot with some spices and sauces (a few pieces of fresh ginger root, a couple cloves of garlic, a large piece of candied ginger, 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1/2 cup of rice wine vinegar, 1/4 cup of sesame oil, 2 TBS each of brown sugar and chili paste) and then use the shredded meat in the wraps.  I put the pork in the slow cooker at 8 p.m. and set it on the 10 hour setting. It was torture smelling it cook all night...but I was rewarded with a lovely, moist piece of pork that was falling apart even as turned it over in the pot.

I poured the pot juices over the meat and let marinate in the fridge all day. When I got home, I took the meat out and shredded it into bite-sized pieces, then tossed in a pan with some julienned cabbage and carrots (a great way to use bagged, undressed "coleslaw mix"), 2 TBS each of sesame oil, mirin, and soy sauce, 1 TBS of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of minced ginger and chili paste and cooked until coated and warmed through.  I placed a spoonful of meat inside a cabbage leaf, topped it with cilantro and crushed peanuts and some mango salsa. I think it might be even better than the turkey version. Delish.

Chris and I ate the wraps standing in a mini-assembly line in the kitchen.  We had bowls of cilantro, crushed peanuts, chow mein noodles, cabbage and carrots to choose from, and a choice of soy sauce, sriracha, peanut sauce and the mango salsa for the topper.  Chris made some summer rolls with rice paper, sautéed shrimp, cilantro, chow mein noodles and cabbage--his were so neat and tidy compared to mine.

We drank a cocktail made of gin, lime juice and ginger-infused club soda (I put some water and ginger root in the blender and then used our new soda maker to get it all bubbly) with our wraps and rolls. What a fun night!

And, now I've found two more great ways to enjoy Asian cuisine.
xoxo

Cabbage Wraps with Ground Turkey and Mango Salsa

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate.  --Julia Child

I was thinking something simple but fun for dinner. I had some ground turkey in the freezer (yes, I checked to make sure it wasn't the kind included in the recent salmonella recall) and two heads of cabbage (one red, one white) left from my barley salad, so I decided to make cabbage wraps. 

I'd make a yummy, Asian-inspired ground meat (or turkey) mixture just like I would for lettuce wraps, but I'd use cabbage leaves instead. I figured the cabbage would add a nice tangy bite to the sweet/salty turkey mixture.

I peeled off the first few leaves of each cabbage and washed them, then chopped into small pieces and set aside.  Then, I cut off any excess stem and gently peeled off about six leaves from each, then rinsed them and set on a clean towel to dry.

In the meantime, I added about 1 TBS of sesame oil to a large skillet and put the stove on medium heat. I crumbled the entire package of ground turkey (about 1 lb.) into the pan and stirred until it was no longer pink. Then, in went 1 TBS of soy sauce, 1 TBS of minced garlic, 1 TBS of minced ginger, 4 TBS of hoisin sauce, 3 tsp. of fish sauce, 1 TBS of rice wine vinegar, and 3 tsp. of red chili paste. I stirred this into the turkey and continued to cook it until it was lightly browned and the sauce had thickened a bit.  Then, I added in a handful of chopped unsalted peanuts, a handful of pine nuts, the chopped cabbage, and 1/2 cup of diced carrot. You could also add some onion, but we all know how Chris feels about onion, so I didn't include.

Once the veggies had become slightly tender and the turkey was fully cooked, I took a taste and adjusted the seasonings as needed. You shouldn't need to add salt since the soy sauce adds enough of that, but mine was a bit too sweet at first (the hoisin poured out of the bottle too quickly), so I added in a wee bit of water and a dab of butter to tame it a bit. I also wanted a bit more heat, so I added a few splashes of sriracha (hot chili sauce). 

Then, I took the cleaned cabbage leaves and stacked them on a plate, alternating the red with the white and transferred the turkey mixture to a bowl via a slotted spoon. (You don't want to take any extra liquid with you or it will make eating the wraps a messy experience.) I took a cabbage leaf, added a few spoonfuls of the meat mixture, topped it with thin slices of cucumber (cilantro would be a nice add, too, but I didn't have any fresh) and took a bite.  Sweet, salty, spicy and crunchy...yum!  

It still needed something though...and if I recall, lettuce wraps usually come with some kind of special sauce. I had just the thing! My super cool mother-in-law brought us a goody basket full of their local (Western NY) homemade treats when visiting last week, including a luscious mango salsa. I put a wee dollop on top of the mixture before rolling...delish!

Chris was a bit skeptical about me choosing to use cabbage instead of lettuce for the wraps, but he came around pretty quickly.  After the third bite, he proclaimed himself a fan.   

Score!

xoxoxo