Witchy Kitchen

Tag: Asian

  • Tough Guy Future Noodles

    As reality and dystopian fiction become closer to indistinguishable, it’s no surprise that it is #DISHTOPIA Month: Eat Like It’s the End of the World, Fandom Foodies theme hosted by the lovely Catherine at The Gluttonous Geek – check out the linkup for more foodpocalypse!

    Blade Runner (1982) gives us the most charming retro-futuristic world, where Turing Test-passing AI and flying cars exist but people are still using noir tropes and pay phones. As we learned during the Blade Runner episode of our Fiction Kitchen podcast, the future has heavy Asian undertones, food is nonperishable, and as Cracked claims: tough guys eat noodles.

    This dish inspired by the film was really an excuse to try out Momofuku Ginger Scallion Sauce which I’ve had my eye on for awhile – and it did not disappoint! – so I made a bowl of ramen to be tossed with that and other goodies.

    Blade Runner Tough Guy Future Noodles

    For the ginger scallion sauce

    • 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions (greens and whites; from 1 to 2 large bunches)
    • 1/2 cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger
    • 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
    • 3/4 teaspoon sherry vinegar
    • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste

    Toss all ingredients together, let sit 15 minutes.

    For the carrot kinpiri
    Recipe from Just Bento

    • 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
    • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
    • pinch red pepper flakes
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

    Heat oil, and saute carrots until soft, about 8 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and soy sauce, cook another few minutes until liquid evaporates. Toss with sesame seeds.

    For the mushrooms
    Clean and slice 8oz cremini mushrooms. Heat a tablespoon oil and 1 grate clove garlic, then saute mushrooms until liquid evaporates, add a 1 tablespoon splash soy sauce, cook another minute or two.

    For the cucumbers
    Peel and slice two large cucumbers, toss with 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste) and let sit 10-15 minutes.

    For the boiled eggs
    Put 6 eggs in a saucepan and just cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and sit, covered for 7 minutes (10 for fully hard eggs). Dunk eggs in an ice bath, peel and slice.

    For the noodle bowl
    Boil and drain 9oz ramen, toss with other goodies!

    This dish was first posted for Fiction Kitchen Episode 37: BLADE RUNNER in which Carrie and Diana discuss the 1982 cyberpunk neo-noir film, eat some tough guy noodles, make some edible origami, and cry into their peaches.

  • Orc Rock Mushroom Soup with Corn and Coconut Cream

    Better late than never for #BattleChefBuffet, Fandom Foodies theme of the (last) month, hosted by the awesome Victoria at Pixelated Provisions – that’s right it’s Battle Chef Brigade!

    I haven’t gotten a chance to play the Trinket Studio developed/Adult Swim published game yet, although the kids got a Switch for Christmas so we plan to in the near future – just as soon as our Zelda: Breath of the Wild obsession quells! However, the game looks delightful and innovative and full of intriguing dishes…and…oh, what’s this???

    Onion Chopping Ninja Chef has challenged me to a Quarry Cap cook off! Orc smash!! Weird orc horn!! Pew pew pew pew!!

    We both received pics of the dishes; she made Mina (the human’s) Quarry Cap dish, which you can find on her site – and full disclosure, it looks delicious and I fully plan on trying her recipe with the leftover wood ear mushrooms I have from my dish.

    Her choice to use wood ear mushrooms (or, as I got mine at the Korean market, they are labeled somewhat less charmingly as “black fungus”) was a smart choice to acheive the striking color of the dish, so I decided to use them in mine as well. My dish is Thrash (the orc’s) Quarry Cap soup. I regularly make a sherried cream of mushroom soup, Western style, but decided to try the same dish with a more Asian profile, and was happy with the kickass punch-you-in-the-mouth result!

    Orc Rock Mushroom Soup with Corn and Coconut Cream

    For the mushroom soup

    • x ounces dried wood ear mushrooms
    • 4 ounces fresh button mushrooms, sliced
    • 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
    • Vegetable oil
    • 1 small bunch green onions, whites and greens divided, sliced
    • 3 garlic cloves, grated
    • 1 inch ginger, grated
    • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 1/4 cup shaoxing wine (substitute dry sherry or white wine)
    • 4 cups vegetable broth
    • Salt to taste

    To rehydrate the wood ear mushrooms, pour a cup of boiling water over them and let them steep for at least 30 minutes.

    Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil in a wok, and stir fry mushrooms until they release their water and start to color. Add the whites of the green onions, garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Add white pepper and soy sauce and shoaxing wine and cook, stirring, until almost dry. Add vegetable broth.

    Drain and slice wood ear mushrooms (reserving some for garnish, optional), and add to the wok. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree in a blender and return to the hot pot to heat through. Check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.

    For the corn and coconut cream

    • 1 can coconut milk
    • 2 ears white corn (reserve some kernels for garnish)
    • Pinch salt

    In a small sauce pan, heat coconut milk and add ears of corn. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove ears, slice of kernels and place in a blender with the coconut milk. Puree and return to the pot to heat through.

    To serve, pour soup into bowls and drizzle with a generous swirl of the coconut corn cream. Garnish with mushrooms, corn kernels, and reserved green onion.

    Check out #BattleChefBuffet or the Battle Chef linkup at Pixelated Provisions for everyone’s amazing dishes!

  • Gollum Stew

    Gollum Stew

    It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,
    Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
    It lies behind stars and under hills,
    And empty holes it fills.
    It comes first, and follows after,
    Ends life, kills laughter.

    In honor of Hobbit Day (September 22), the Fandom Foodies theme of the month is The Hobbit, hosted by In Literature. Use #HobbitMonth to find lots of Hobbit-themed dishes this month!

    My favorite vignette from The Hobbit is Riddles in the Dark, where Bilbo encounters the precioussss, slimy Gollum and they play a game of riddles, during which Gollum decides whether or not he wants to eat the little hobbit that has wandered into his lair. It’s a delightfully creepy scene, and as I was also an obnoxious, smartypants kid, the cleverness of it was fun for me.

    Though it’s said that Gollum subsists on fishes and the odd goblin that gets lost in his cave, I started dreaming of what other slimy, swampy food might be available. I put together this stew, seaweed steeped in a lovely broth rich with sweetness and umami, with earthy mushrooms and watery lotus root. Lest it veer too far into Asian territory, I flavored it with ginger, peppercorns, and clove reminiscent of Medieval Europe’s ubiquitous savory spice mix poudre fort. If Gollum gets hungry and tired of fishes, this stew is a slurpy alternative.

    Gollum Stew

    For the broth

    Slightly adapted from Bon Appetit’s Vegan Umami Broth

    • 3 tablespoons white miso
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 2 onions, thinly sliced, skins reserved
    • 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
    • 1 celery stalk, thinkly sliced
    • 1 head garlic, halved
    • 8 dried shitake mushrooms
    • 4 6×4 pieces kombu
    • 1 tablespoon peppercorns
    • 6 cloves
    • 2 slices ginger

    Heat oven to 300° Whisk together miso, vegetable oil, and 2 tablespoons water. On a baking sheet, toss onions, carrots, celery, garlic, shitake mushrooms, and kombu with the miso mixture and arrange in a single layer. Bake for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours until caramelized.

    Transfer vegetables to a pot with 4 quarts cold water, peppercorns, cloves, and ginger. Simmer for about an hour and strain.

    For the stew

    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
    • 6 ounces lotus root (about half a lotus root, I used a package of slices), peeled, halved, and sliced
    • 2 green onions, whites and greens divided and sliced
    • 1 ounce dried wakame seaweed, cut or broken into long strips
    • vegetable broth (see above)
    • salt and white pepper to taste

    In a pot, heat the vegetable oil, and cook the mushrooms until liquid is released but before they brown. Add lotus root, green onions, and white pepper and cook until onions are wilted. Add seaweed and about 3 cups vegetable broth (more if you’d like a soupier consistency). Cook on a low simmer for about 15 minutes, check seasoning, and serve hot or warm garnished with green onion.