Jalapeño Cilantro Lime Rice - Even Better When Serving Together With Grilled Meat

Potatoes or salad both work great with grilled meat, but I'm all for the rice. Especially when enjoying grilled or roasted meat, let it be steak or kebab, together with rice can be so satisfying. In the case of any meat juice escaping, the rice can also catch all that and turn into even more flavorful grains.

Plain rice on its own is good enough, but this time let's spice it up with some Mexican flair. Adding jalapeño, onion, and tomatoes when cooking the rice. Lastly finish it up with a bright refreshing lime juice. Definitely a wonderful choice when serving chunky grilled meat.

Jalapeño cilantro lime rice - 

Ingredients (about 5 portions)?

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2 tablespoons light tasting oil
• 1/2 lime
• Some chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 cup chicken stock or some chicken bouillon
• 2 cups hot water
• Some salt (optional)
• Some black pepper (optional)

Sauce:

• 2 tomatoes 
• 1 garlic clove 
• 1/4 red onion 
• 2 jalapeño pepper 
• 1 small bundle cilantro stem part
• 1 lime (juice)

How?

Start with the sauce first. Destem and roughly chop the tomatoes. Peel the garlic clove. Peel and roughly chop the red onion. Destem the jalapeño peppers. 

Roughly chop the stem section of the cilantro. We will need about 1 loosely packed cup of chopped cilantro. If not enough, of course the leafy section is more than welcomed. 

Add all these ingredients to a food processor. Also squeeze in juice of one lime. Blend till smooth.

Use a big pan or a pot, drizzle 2 tablespoons of preferred cooking oil and switch to medium heat. Wait till the oil gets warm then pour in the basmati rice. Use regular measuring cup to measure the rice, not the Asian rice cups.

Start stir-frying the rice till most of the grains turn slightly golden color. It'll take a few minutes.

Pour the blended sauce to the rice. Mix and cook for couple minutes.

Pour in 1 cup of chicken stock plus 2 cups of hot water. If you don't have chicken stock, use 3 cups of hot water instead plus some help from the chicken bouillon. 

Mix and adjust the heat. Put the lid on and let it cook under low heat for 20 minutes. No peeking nor stirring during this time frame. Also don't open the lid.

Once 20 minutes has passed, open the lid and you'll see a circle of tomato pulp on the side. That's a good sign, all the yummy bits are there.

Check the rice and see if it needs to cook longer, otherwise squeeze in half of the lime juice and add some chopped cilantro leaves. Fluffy the rice and give it a quick taste.

I didn't use any, but do add some salt and black pepper if preferred.

The rice is a wee bit spicy, but just the right amount of kick per my taste. If you can't handle too much heat, use one jalapeño instead of two, but you have to use jalapeño no matter what. It'll give a grassy herbal aroma to the grains, which is the key to this recipe.

Other Mexican recipes:

• Caldo de albóndigas (Mexican meatball soup)
• Sopa de estrellitas

Shiso and Cheese Stuffed Tofu in Japanese Seasonings

Mister saw a recipe online and made a request to me. It was like a beer food, or so called otsumami made with tofu stuffed with cheese and shiso. I glanced through the recipe and seemed pretty doable, therefore wish granted.

Shiso and cheese stuffed tofu in Japanese seasonings -

Ingredients?

• 2 big pieces fried tofu (soft skin kind)
• 10 shiso leaves
• 125 grams mixed shredded cheese (mozzarella and Cheddar)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1 teaspoon sugar

How?

I remember the original recipe uses fried tofu, the soft yellow skin kind. That works too, but for my version, I started off with fried tofu too, but with extra step by storing the tofu in the freezer first.

So remember to defrost the tofu the day before cooking if using the frozen kind. Also carefully squeeze out all the thawed liquid without tearing the delicate tofu apart. The reason why I chose to use frozen tofu is that the freeze and thaw texture will be able to suck in even more sauce compared to the regular tofu, which means a more satisfying and juicy bite as a result.

Roll up the shiso leaves and give it a fine chop. Transfer chopped shiso to a mixing bowl. Add in shredded mix cheese. Use a fork and mix till about evenly blended.

Add all the ingredients under the "sauce" section. Mix and make sure the sugar has been fully dissolved. Set aside for later use.

If using fresh tofu, simply slice to big triangular shaped pieces. If using freeze and defrost kind, make sure to really squeeze out the liquid as prep work then slice to triangular shaped pieces too.

Make a slit in the center on the sliced side of the triangular tofu. Avoid cutting all the way down and break the shape, more so just to create a pocket space for the filling.

Stuff the shiso and cheese mixture inside the tofu. Try to squeeze in as much as you can but not poking through the tofu skin.

Use a non-stick pan and drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Switch to medium heat and wait till the oil turns warm.

Gently transfer the tofu pieces over. I try to sear all sides except for the side that I stuffed in the filling.

Once more sides are seared and got a slightly brown color, lay down the tofu and pour in the sauce mixture. Let the sauce boil and cook for a bit. Carefully flip to the other side and continue to cook till the sauce has been reduced a little.

One little trick here, when laying down the big triangular tofu pieces, you can try to arrange the tofu with cut side facing one another. That way we can kind of closing the slit, preventing oozing cheese to flow out.

Plate the tofu cut side up when plating and serving, showing the most delicious part to diners.

Even though frozen tofu won't hold up the shape as well as fresh tofu, but the sogginess is due to all the sauce being absorbed within. Don't know about you, but I do prefer a spongy sauce-filled tofu over looks.

Put the appearance aside, I successfully fulfilled the request. Mister got what he wanted, and hopefully the actual result turned out better than what he imagined.

Other otsumami recipes:

• Spicy Korean cucumber salad
• Seared corn and seaweed fritters
• Salted seaweed flavored Chinese yam fries

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup - I Need to Find Lactose Free Butter in Taipei

To make the Minnesota wild rice soup, you'll need a little bit of butter and some milk. I was lucky to find lactose-free milk at a grocery store. Why I used the word lucky? Interesting fact, it's estimated that at least 70% of Asians are actually lactose-intolerant, but somehow lactose-free dairy products are not common at all in Taiwan. Only a few selected stores carry lactose-free milk, and so far I haven't found any lactose-free butter.

I'm lactose intolerant too, but for the entire pot of wild rice soup, I've only used 4 tablespoons of regular butter. I think the symptoms should be weakened at least by half? But lactose intolerant or not, I'm so gonna dig into this soup once done. 

Minnesota wild rice soup - 

Ingredients (about 5 to 6 bowls)?

• 1 cup wild rice
• 4 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 carrot
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Some salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 

How?

Trim the ends then cube the celery. I can only find the skinny variety when I went to the grocery store, not the best choice but it'll do. Peel and cube the carrot. Also peel and cube the onion. Peel and chop the garlic cloves.

Bring out a big Dutch oven, add 4 tablespoons of unsalted butte and switch to medium heat. Once the butter almost all melted, add in chopped celery, carrot, and onion. Also add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper.

Give it a quick mix and cook till the veggies soften a bit. Then it's time to add the chopped garlic. Mix and continue to cook 1 or 2 more minutes.

Add the wild rice along with 4 1/2 cups of chicken stock, 1 cup of water, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano. You can use other types of herbs, mixed Italian herbs sounds like a good alternative.

Bring the entire thing to a boil then adjust the heat to keep it at a light bubbling stage. Put on the lid but do open, check, and stir once a while, especially the bottom. Make sure nothing is burning or sticking onto the pot. Cook for 40 minutes.

Remove the lid and keep the soup at a simmer. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of milk.

Taste and see if need more salt or even add more water, stock, or milk to dilute the soup. Also continue to cook it until the wild rice reaches your desired texture. Once all checked, scoop to serving bowls and enjoy.

I like to crack even more black pepper right before serving. Just love that spicy aroma with hearty soup at the same time.

And now let's just wait and see if that 4 tablespoons of butter will do any damage to my lactose intolerant body. But before that, my tummy seems pretty content after a big bowl of Minnesota wild rice soup.

Extended reading:

• Ham and potato soup
• Caldo de albóndigas (Mexican meatball soup)
• Sopa de estrellitas 

Apple and Honey Black Tea (The Blender Way)

What do you use when making juice? Blender or fancy cold press juicer? I've only got my old blender here so I had to add some water when making apple juice. However, if you're using juicer, lucky you to have a more condensed and sweeter apple juice to incorporate to the final drink.

Apple and honey black tea - 

Ingredients (for 3 portions)?

• 1 to 2 tablespoons black tea leaves (or tea bags)
• 1200ml hot water 
• 4 medium apples
• 2 to 3 teaspoons honey
• 2 cups icy cold water
• Some ice cubes (optional)

How?

Let's start with brewing the black tea. Simply follow the instruction for the tea leaves or tea bags using and make two big glasses of tea. 

I used 1200ml hot water for the tea and used about 2 tablespoons of tea leaves. The brewing time varies too. Also if you prefer a stronger tea flavor, try to brew for extra one minute.

Strain out the tea leaves or remove teabags once done. Transfer the hot tea to the fridge and wait till completely cool-off. You can use the leftover tea leaves or tea bags to brew more tea to drink along the way if the flavor still holds.

Peel the apples and slice some fine cubes on the side. The rest cut into chunks and add to the blender. 

We are using about 4 cups of apple cubes. Also pour in 2 cups of cold water to the blender and blend till smooth. Strain the juice and leave the pulp aside. Try to press down the pulp to draw out more juice. 

The portion is about 600ml of cold black tea plus 1 cup of apple juice plus 1 to 2 teaspoons of honey if using. Add that to the clean blender and blend till evenly incorporated.

Add about 1 to 2 spoonful of tiny apple cubes to the serving glass then pour over the prepped fruity tea. It's up to you if you would like to serve with ice cubes or not.

So what to do with the leftover pulp? I actually saved them and stored in the fridge. Sometimes I would just take a spoon and eat the pulp plain like a healthy snack. But you know what? The best way to utilize the pulp is to either marinade the pork with it or use in pork braise. 

Apple pairs really well with pork, so when use in a marinade, it'll not only provide flavors but also slightly tenderize the meat. If use in a stew or braise, the pulp will act like a minimal sweetening agent, especially good when used in an Asian soy sauce based stew. 

Other drinks recipes:

• Cucumber and pineapple juice with a touch of mint leaves
• Blueberry and mint lemonade (using lemon sparkling water)

Paccheri with Tuna in Red Bell Pepper Sauce (Portion for Two)

Half way through my cooking I suddenly realized that the vendor forgot to put fresh dill in my grocery bag. This dish wouldn't be complete without a touch of any herbal note, so I started searching the fridge to see if there's any leftover herbs, let it be parsley or chives, both will do.

Guess what? Of course there weren't any left in my fridge. I tend to use up all the ingredients I bought whenever possible every time I cook. And I got scared of growing my own herbs here in Taiwan, too many bugs especially caterpillars always seemed to favor my plants for some reason.

Good thing is that I have plenty of dried herbs in the pantry to choose from, so I picked dried thyme instead. In fact, I'm quite happy with the result switching to dried thyme, giving this pasta dish a new set of aroma different from what I first imagined. A good and delightful twist in the end.

Paccheri with tuna in red bell pepper sauce - 

Ingredients (about two portions)?

• 240 grams tuna 
• 200 grams paccheri pasta 
• 1 medium red bell pepper
• Few shallots
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 cup drinkable hot water
• Some olive oil
• Some salt

How?

Destem and remove the pits from the red bell pepper then give it a rough chop. Peel and rough chop the garlic clove and shallots. We will need about 1/4 cup of chopped shallots in the end.

If using fresh herb, give it a fine chop and set aside. Zest one lemon and save for later. Halve the lemon or slice into wedges so it'll be easier to squeeze out the juice shortly after.

Cube the tuna, I actually used sashimi grade tuna because that's the only chunky piece of tuna I can find in the market. 

Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and switch to medium heat. Add in chopped shallots and garlic, cook till aromatic.

There is no need to finely chop the shallots nor the garlic because we are going to blend them into a smooth paste after cooking.

Add the chopped red bell pepper to the pan and stir-fry for couple minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup of drinkable hot water and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Let it boil for a little bit.

Pour the whole thing to a food processor. Perhaps wait a few minutes for the temperature to drop a little. Then blend till it forms smooth sauce. You can also use hand held blender to finish the task.

Bring out a big pot and add in good amount of water to cook the pasta. Add few good pinches of salt to the water and bring to a boil. Add in the paccheri pasta and cook till al dente. I usually would cook the pasta till "almost" al dente, but the paccheri I used here has a tougher bite so cook a little longer should be fine. You can adjust the cooking time based on your ingredients and preference instead.

So back to the sauce, pour it to the pan and use medium heat to bring the temperature up again. When the pasta is done cooking, drain and transfer to the pan here. Toss and mix.

Add in diced tuna and give it a good toss. 

Continue to cook for 30 seconds to about a minute. Add in the lemon zest and squeeze some lemon juice, about 1 tablespoon. Also mix in the herbs and give the pasta a few tosses again.

Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Otherwise drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and give it a few last tosses. Plate and serve. 

If you can't get a hold of tuna, swordfish or mahi mahi are two good alternatives for this recipe. 

Mister had it for dinner and thought the pasta was tomato based sauce just because of the red color. It's fun to see the surprise showing on his face when I told him there's no tomato involved. 

 

Other pasta recipes:

• Zucchini and squash pasta with parsley and mint sauce
• Creamy mussels and seaweed pasta
• Vegetable and meatballs pasta bake
• Seafood gnocchi in roasted red bell pepper sauce 
• Dairy-free chorizo and colorful bell pepper orzo