Pork and Chinese Cabbage Simmered Udon Soup

This soup was surprisingly good. It had a very mild flavor and was exactly what I needed tonight.

Pork and Chinese Cabbage Simmered Udon Soup
豚肉と白菜の煮込みうどん
オレンジページCooking　冬レシピ２００９　(Orange Page Cooking - Winter Recipes 2009)

2 packs of precooked udon noodles
150g shaved pork (しょうが焼き用肉)
4 Chinese Cabbage leaves
2/3 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cooking sake
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
dash of black pepper
4 cups water

Cut the chinese cabbage leaves into 3-4cm squares. Add chinese cabbage, pork, water and sake to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 10 minutes, skimming of any scum that forms on top. Add the udon noodles and simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off heat, add sesame oil, salt and pepper. Serve.

Simmered Stuffed Cabbage Wedges

I had wanted to try this recipe for the last three weeks and I finally made it this week. The meat inside was incredibly soft and the flavor was great. I accidentally doubled the meat as I mixed up the price per 100g and the weight of the meat inside. Both were clearly marked...

Simmered Stuffed Cabbage Wedges

オレンジページCooking – 冬レシピ２００９

(Orange Page Cooking – Winter Recipes 2009

Ingredients

1/4 Cabbage, stalk in tact – try to get one that is loose inside, not super tight

1/2 Carrot

180g ground pork (I used 300g)

3-4 bacon strips

Dash dried parsley (optional, I didn’t use it)

1/2 cube bullion cube of your choice (I used a whole vegetable cube)

1/4 onion, diced finely

1/2 beaten egg (I used a whole one)

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Wash the cabbage and place in a bowl with one of the cut sides down, cover and microwave for 1min 30sec. Flip over so the other cut side is down, recover and microwave for a further minute.

Peel the carrot and cut into 3-4cm long, thick wedges. Cut the bacon strips in half.

Mix the ground pork, onion, egg and bread crumbs and mix well.

Layer some of the pork mix and bacon between the leaves of the cabbage. Try to have three leaves between each layer.

Place the cabbage, cut side down, in a pot and arrange the carrots around it. Add 1 1/2 cups water, the bullion cube and a dash of salt and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Flip over to the other cut side and simmer for a further ten minutes.

Cut in half and serve with carrots and simmering liquid.

Tappuri Chinese Cabbage Nabe

たっぷり白菜鍋 (Tappuri Chinese Cabbage Nabe)
Kyou no Ryouri Beginners Magazine p. 49, Jan 2008

Ingredients
150g shaved pork
1/4 Chinese cabbage
1/2 leek (ねぎ）
1 small piece ginger
1/2 cup cooking sake
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Wash the Chinese cabbage and chop into 2” pieces. Do the same with the leek. Wash the ginger and slice very thinly.
Put 1/3 of the Chinese cabbage in the bottom of the nabe pot. Add half of the leek and ginger. Layer half of the pork on top of the other ingredients. Repeat the above steps. Put the last third of the Chinese cabbage on top.

Add one cup of water and the sake. Heat over medium flame. When it comes to a boil, lower the heat and add the soy sauce. Simmer for fifteen minutes.

Stewed Potatoes and Meat

じゃがいものそぼろ煮　(Stewed Potatoes and Meat)

3 potatoes (~300g)

1 onion

150g ground meat of your choice (I used pork)

1 1/2 tbsp salad oil

2 tbsp cooking sake

3/4 cup water

2 tbsp mirin

1/2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

Peel the potatoes and cut into halves or quarters depending on the size. Soak in water for ten minutes. Peel and cut the onion into 6-8 wedges.

In a frying pan, heat oil over a medium flame. Fry the meat. Once the meat changes color, add the potato and sauté. Add the sake and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the mirin and sugar. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the potato is cooked. Add the onion and soy sauce, cover and simmer for another ten minutes. When the liquid starts to reduce, it’s ready.