The Rice Bowl Saga Continues

I have a bunch of ground pork and napa cabbage left over from the dumplings I made yesterday. I also had a bunch of jellied sauce left over from this chicken with fermented black beans and basil I had made last week for a departing friend. Browning the pork with some onions and deglazing with that chicken sauce and some dry sherry turned out to be fabulous over some rice. For the napa, I toasted up the usual ginger/garlic/scallions on the pan, but this time I added some small dried shrimp (it's a Chinese thing) before adding the vegetables. Tossed it around, added a little water and covered it to pan-steam. And that's an early lunch.

Bitter Melon + Pork + Fermented Black Beans

Bitter melon (bitter gourd) isn't one of those ethnic foods I see crossing over into the American mainstream. It's not only bitter, it's also ugly. The green surface is described as "undulating and warty." We're more likely to see bitter melon featured as a television cook-off challenge than a serious component of a meal.

bitter melon

But I grew up eating the stuff. My parents would hail the medicinal qualities of the melon and insist that we eat at least five pieces before leaving the dinner table. From reading the Wikipedia article, you would think that it was a drug and not something to be enjoyed. I did hate it as a kid, but over time the aromatic combination of the pork and fermented black beans began to feel natural, almost heightened, with the bitterness of the bitter melon. One extreme brought out another.

fermented black beans, minced ginger, minced garlic

Even so, the bitterness needs to be alleviated somewhat. The typical method is to salt the melon slices to draw out the water and some of the bitterness. Adding sugar to the salt will help as well. When I first began to prepare bitter melon on my own, I would add a lot of sugar, but I've found myself adding less and less with each preparation. Chinese fermented black beans (actually soy beans that have been salted and fermented), minced ginger and minced garlic provide the stage for the meat and melon.

bitter melon with pork in fermented black bean sauce

Every time I see bitter melon at the Dekalb Farmer's Market, I want to buy some, but it takes a special craving to legitimize the purchase without the risk of forgetting them in the fridge. That craving happens maybe once a year, haha.

FAIL: Braised Beef Ribs with Fermented Black Beans

Tonight's dinner wasn't such a success- not bad, but not what I was hoping.  I usually use a jarred garlic black bean sauce from Lee Kum Kee when I braise beef ribs, adding ginger and some chicken stock to round out the flavors.  This time around I was hoping to emulate the flavors of the jarred sauce on my own because I can't help but be suspicious of the MSG content in there.

No success = no recipe, but I'll detail the process none-the-less.  Chopped onion; about a quarter cup Chinese fermented black beans; six garlic cloves, minced; two thai chili peppers, finely chopped...

chopped onions, minced garlic, fermented black beans, thai chili peppers

Deglaze the pan with a half a cup of dry sherry and a quarter cup of tamari soy sauce.  Add ribs and then add stock to cover.  I think there was my fatal flaw- I used water and not stock.  Stupid me.  I could have just added salt to remedy the problem, but I always feel like that's just cheating.  Ugh.  Whatever.  Braise for 2-3 hours.  It was super tender and the flavors were alllllmost right.  I also didn't have any ginger.  Next time... next time...

braised beef rib fail, garlic brussel sprouts and carrots

Noodle Bowls Made With Leftovers

Here's an improvised variation on what to do with that ramen stock.  I had some leftover chicken thighs in the fridge that I had braised in a fermented black bean and rice wine sauce.  In addition to the noodles I have pre-cooked in the fridge, I sliced up the meat, cooked the sauce with the stock, poached an egg in it, and voila, breakfast (yes, breakfast).

improvised noodle bowl breakfast