Bulgogi Beef Stroganoff-Fusion Sept/Oct 2009

It took me a little bit of time to settle on this dish. I was pretty certain I wanted to make the Bulgogi Beef, but wasn’t quite sure what to fuse to it. If you’re unfamiliar with Bulgogi you’re probably not alone. It’s a Korean dish, but on the more mild spectrum of Korean dishes. Some Korean dishes will just blow your head off with spiciness from the get go. Bulgogi is kind of like a spicy teriyaki dish, but not nearly as sweet. My original inclination was to make bulgogi fajitas. Which I still think would be good. However, while toying around with the idea I thought a wasabi sour cream would go well with the fajitas. Then I thought sour cream + beef = Swedish meatballs. So, obviously I thought of that famous Swedish/sour cream dish Beef Stroganoff.

OK, I now know that Stroganoff is not a Swedish dish, but Russian (should have guessed that). AND that traditional Stroganoff is served with a rice pilaf instead of egg noodles. Nevertheless, most of us in the US probably think of Stroganoff over noodles. That’s what I made. It was a three step process. First off the: Bulgogi Marinade.

Bulgogi Marinade
1cup soy sauce
1 cup dry white wine
2TBSP sugar
2TBSP onion paste
2TBSP Black Bean paste
2TBSP Garlic Chili Paste
2TBSP Ginger Paste
2TBSP Garlic Paste
2TBSP Sesame oil
1lb of beef

Pretty simple add all ingredients and let the beef marinate for about five hours.


In the past I’ve let this marinate for too long and you lose all of the beef flavor. This way it was just right. You can see from the photo how far the marinade had penetrated.


Next was the noodles.

Noodles
2 eggs
2 cups flour

I used the Sly technique, 1 egg per cup of flour and then wet your hands to form it into a ball. You’re looking for a leathery dough.



Knead for a few minutes, let rest for awhile, roll into desired thickness, and then cut with a fancy pasta wheel.
Boil for about four minutes just before serving.

Lastly was the Stroganoff.

Stroganoff Sauce
1 cup sour cream
½ minced onion
1 TBSP Garlic
1 cup beef broth
1 cup Bulgogi marinade
2TBSP flour

Sautee the minced onions in some butter until carmelized.






Then add your garlic and beef.


The photo of ingredients shows ketchup. I didn’t add this as I thought it would make the dish too sweet. Sautee until beef is Med- Med Well. Add beef broth and marinade. Simmer for about ten minutes. Add sour cream and thicken with a flour slurry.



Serve over noodles.


This dish exceeded every expectation I had for it. Each bite had a little heat from the bulgogi, but the sour cream would mollify this as you finished each bite. There was the just the right mix of sweet and savory in sauce. The addition of soy sauce gave some extra umami which was balanced by the noodles. We absolutely demolished this dinner.



We will definitely make this again and I highly recommend that you do as well.

Bulgogi Beef Stroganoff-Fusion Sept/Oct 2009

It took me a little bit of time to settle on this dish. I was pretty certain I wanted to make the Bulgogi Beef, but wasn’t quite sure what to fuse to it. If you’re unfamiliar with Bulgogi you’re probably not alone. It’s a Korean dish, but on the more mild spectrum of Korean dishes. Some Korean dishes will just blow your head off with spiciness from the get go. Bulgogi is kind of like a spicy teriyaki dish, but not nearly as sweet. My original inclination was to make bulgogi fajitas. Which I still think would be good. However, while toying around with the idea I thought a wasabi sour cream would go well with the fajitas. Then I thought sour cream + beef = Swedish meatballs. So, obviously I thought of that famous Swedish/sour cream dish Beef Stroganoff.

OK, I now know that Stroganoff is not a Swedish dish, but Russian (should have guessed that). AND that traditional Stroganoff is served with a rice pilaf instead of egg noodles. Nevertheless, most of us in the US probably think of Stroganoff over noodles. That’s what I made. It was a three step process. First off the: Bulgogi Marinade.

Bulgogi Marinade
1cup soy sauce
1 cup dry white wine
2TBSP sugar
2TBSP onion paste
2TBSP Black Bean paste
2TBSP Garlic Chili Paste
2TBSP Ginger Paste
2TBSP Garlic Paste
2TBSP Sesame oil
1lb of beef

Pretty simple add all ingredients and let the beef marinate for about five hours.


In the past I’ve let this marinate for too long and you lose all of the beef flavor. This way it was just right. You can see from the photo how far the marinade had penetrated.


Next was the noodles.

Noodles
2 eggs
2 cups flour

I used the Sly technique, 1 egg per cup of flour and then wet your hands to form it into a ball. You’re looking for a leathery dough.



Knead for a few minutes, let rest for awhile, roll into desired thickness, and then cut with a fancy pasta wheel.
Boil for about four minutes just before serving.

Lastly was the Stroganoff.

Stroganoff Sauce
1 cup sour cream
½ minced onion
1 TBSP Garlic
1 cup beef broth
1 cup Bulgogi marinade
2TBSP flour

Sautee the minced onions in some butter until carmelized.






Then add your garlic and beef.


The photo of ingredients shows ketchup. I didn’t add this as I thought it would make the dish too sweet. Sautee until beef is Med- Med Well. Add beef broth and marinade. Simmer for about ten minutes. Add sour cream and thicken with a flour slurry.



Serve over noodles.


This dish exceeded every expectation I had for it. Each bite had a little heat from the bulgogi, but the sour cream would mollify this as you finished each bite. There was the just the right mix of sweet and savory in sauce. The addition of soy sauce gave some extra umami which was balanced by the noodles. We absolutely demolished this dinner.



We will definitely make this again and I highly recommend that you do as well.

Fusion: Beginners Luck

Challenge: Fusion

Challenger: Cindy Houck

Recipe: Italian beef stuffed Steamed dumplings with dipping sauce

Cultural fusion: Americanized East meets Americanized Italian

Preparation Time: With pre-prepared beef 35 minutes prep/cooking time.

Ok folks...I got my inspiration from this recipe found on Tasty Kitchen

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/siopao-with-sassy-sauce/

which described the tasty treat as a meat filled filipino snack with a dipping sauce.

I had just made a delicious italian pulled beef recipe and determined that it could conceivably be used as a filling for a similar treat.

Italian Pulled Beef

• 1 ( 5 lb) beef roast (english roast works well...anything that's not very fatty)
• 1 jar pepperonchini peppers
• 2 packets good seasoning italian dressing packet
• 2 packets Au Jus dry sauce packet

Place beef roast butchered of most visible fat into a medium crock pot. Pour italian dressing packets and Au Jus packets into pot. Pour Pepperonchini pepper liquid into pot plus enough water to almost cover the roast. Turn on high for 5-8 hours. The last hour of cooking, de-stem pepperonchini peppers and add to the pot. (This is excellent served on a crusty roll with provolone cheese.)

Steamed Dumplings with Dipping Sauce

This is the host of characters:

Italian pulled beef ( I used about a cup)

El-cheapo buttermilk biscuits

Grape jelly

Hot chili garlic sauce (Sriracha)

Ginger

Step 1:

The biscuits were rolled into a reasonable 1/4 inch thick round. A heaping tablespoon of pulled beef was place in the middle.

Step 2:

2 sides were brought together and pinched (e.g. the left and right side) and the 2 remaining sides were brought together and pinched (e.g. the top and bottom side) to form a happy little package. Complete process with all 10 biscuits.

(don't they look cute)

Step 4: Place all dumplings seam side down in a veggie steamer lined with parchment paper. Have 2 cups of water boiling away prior to placement. Steam dumplings for 20 minutes.

Step 5:

While waiting for dumplings to steam create the dipping sauce:

In a small sauce pan place 6 tablespoons grape jelly (roughly 1/2 the jar) with 1 tablespoon hot chili garlic sauce (add more if you like things hot, much less if you don't). Add several slices peeled chopped fresh garlic. Cook on low heat until jelly is melted and sauce begins to thicken.

The dumplings plump up during the steaming process and firm up also. The dough is cooked through and surprisingly tasty.

I rolled my dough too thin, so they are not as pretty as they should be (2 were OK for pretty presentation) but damn they were good.

Here they are swimming in sauce and ready for consumption! My official taste testers found them to be quite tasty...and I found them very easy all in all to make.

Fusion: Beginners Luck

Challenge: Fusion

Challenger: Cindy Houck

Recipe: Italian beef stuffed Steamed dumplings with dipping sauce

Cultural fusion: Americanized East meets Americanized Italian

Preparation Time: With pre-prepared beef 35 minutes prep/cooking time.

Ok folks...I got my inspiration from this recipe found on Tasty Kitchen

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/siopao-with-sassy-sauce/

which described the tasty treat as a meat filled filipino snack with a dipping sauce.

I had just made a delicious italian pulled beef recipe and determined that it could conceivably be used as a filling for a similar treat.

Italian Pulled Beef

• 1 ( 5 lb) beef roast (english roast works well...anything that's not very fatty)
• 1 jar pepperonchini peppers
• 2 packets good seasoning italian dressing packet
• 2 packets Au Jus dry sauce packet

Place beef roast butchered of most visible fat into a medium crock pot. Pour italian dressing packets and Au Jus packets into pot. Pour Pepperonchini pepper liquid into pot plus enough water to almost cover the roast. Turn on high for 5-8 hours. The last hour of cooking, de-stem pepperonchini peppers and add to the pot. (This is excellent served on a crusty roll with provolone cheese.)

Steamed Dumplings with Dipping Sauce

This is the host of characters:

Italian pulled beef ( I used about a cup)

El-cheapo buttermilk biscuits

Grape jelly

Hot chili garlic sauce (Sriracha)

Ginger

Step 1:

The biscuits were rolled into a reasonable 1/4 inch thick round. A heaping tablespoon of pulled beef was place in the middle.

Step 2:

2 sides were brought together and pinched (e.g. the left and right side) and the 2 remaining sides were brought together and pinched (e.g. the top and bottom side) to form a happy little package. Complete process with all 10 biscuits.

(don't they look cute)

Step 4: Place all dumplings seam side down in a veggie steamer lined with parchment paper. Have 2 cups of water boiling away prior to placement. Steam dumplings for 20 minutes.

Step 5:

While waiting for dumplings to steam create the dipping sauce:

In a small sauce pan place 6 tablespoons grape jelly (roughly 1/2 the jar) with 1 tablespoon hot chili garlic sauce (add more if you like things hot, much less if you don't). Add several slices peeled chopped fresh garlic. Cook on low heat until jelly is melted and sauce begins to thicken.

The dumplings plump up during the steaming process and firm up also. The dough is cooked through and surprisingly tasty.

I rolled my dough too thin, so they are not as pretty as they should be (2 were OK for pretty presentation) but damn they were good.

Here they are swimming in sauce and ready for consumption! My official taste testers found them to be quite tasty...and I found them very easy all in all to make.

Pumpnickers Bar

I love roasted pumpkin seeds. They're best when picked straight out of pumpkin goo and slow-roasted in the oven, smothered in parmesan/garlic or cinnamon/sugar. YUM! And so I began to wonder: could pumpkin seeds be enjoyed another way, say in bar form? The fusion challenge provided inspiration. Roasted pumpkin seeds could be fused with the Snickers bar, already infused with caramely, nutty goodness.

(Photo: my bucket o' pumpkin seeds.)

Ingredients/supplies: Fresh pumpkin seeds, sugar, salt, butter, Snickers bar, vegetable oil, wax paper. Quantities of some ingredients may vary; read on.

Directions: Start by roasting seeds. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pumpkin seeds with melted butter in a large bowl. (Amount of butter depends on amount of seeds- about a tablespoon per 3 cups of seeds.) Sprinkle in sugar and salt in equal amounts to taste (Again, amount depends on seeds, but you want them coated.) Spread mixture on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Roast until seeds are browned and crispy. At minimum, it will take 45 minutes. I roast mine for 2 hours because I like them very crispy.


When seeds are done, prepare bar. Carefully unwrap the Snickers bar (save wrapper) and place it in a large cup or bowl. Microwave it until melted, checking and stirring every 30 seconds to make sure it doesn't burn-- chocolate burns easily. When melted, add a tiny amount of vegetable oil (less than 1/4 tsp.) to make it more stir-able. This is a chocolate-molding trick my mom taught me.

Now fuse! Mix a small handful of seeds-- I'd say 20 if they're small or 10 if they're large-- into the Snickers mixture. Stir thoroughly. Lay a piece of wax paper on top of a plate. Spoon mixture onto wax paper, then use your fingers to mold it into the shape of a bar. Wrap wax paper tightly around it and quickly place in the freezer. Freeze 15 minutes to set shape, then move to refrigerator for 1 hour. Carefully re-wrap your bar in the Snickers wrapper, just for fun.

Results: I was apprehensive at first, but the Pumpnickers bar was DELICIOUS!!! A candy bar fusion revolution! Lee had to ask me to pose for the thumbs-up photo, because I just wanted to chow down. It had just a hint of pumpkin flavor, good texture, smooth chocolatey aftertaste. It seriously made me want to try mixing other stuff into candy bars... sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, candied oranges, beef jerky...

Pumpnickers Bar

I love roasted pumpkin seeds. They're best when picked straight out of pumpkin goo and slow-roasted in the oven, smothered in parmesan/garlic or cinnamon/sugar. YUM! And so I began to wonder: could pumpkin seeds be enjoyed another way, say in bar form? The fusion challenge provided inspiration. Roasted pumpkin seeds could be fused with the Snickers bar, already infused with caramely, nutty goodness.

(Photo: my bucket o' pumpkin seeds.)

Ingredients/supplies: Fresh pumpkin seeds, sugar, salt, butter, Snickers bar, vegetable oil, wax paper. Quantities of some ingredients may vary; read on.

Directions: Start by roasting seeds. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pumpkin seeds with melted butter in a large bowl. (Amount of butter depends on amount of seeds- about a tablespoon per 3 cups of seeds.) Sprinkle in sugar and salt in equal amounts to taste (Again, amount depends on seeds, but you want them coated.) Spread mixture on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Roast until seeds are browned and crispy. At minimum, it will take 45 minutes. I roast mine for 2 hours because I like them very crispy.


When seeds are done, prepare bar. Carefully unwrap the Snickers bar (save wrapper) and place it in a large cup or bowl. Microwave it until melted, checking and stirring every 30 seconds to make sure it doesn't burn-- chocolate burns easily. When melted, add a tiny amount of vegetable oil (less than 1/4 tsp.) to make it more stir-able. This is a chocolate-molding trick my mom taught me.

Now fuse! Mix a small handful of seeds-- I'd say 20 if they're small or 10 if they're large-- into the Snickers mixture. Stir thoroughly. Lay a piece of wax paper on top of a plate. Spoon mixture onto wax paper, then use your fingers to mold it into the shape of a bar. Wrap wax paper tightly around it and quickly place in the freezer. Freeze 15 minutes to set shape, then move to refrigerator for 1 hour. Carefully re-wrap your bar in the Snickers wrapper, just for fun.

Results: I was apprehensive at first, but the Pumpnickers bar was DELICIOUS!!! A candy bar fusion revolution! Lee had to ask me to pose for the thumbs-up photo, because I just wanted to chow down. It had just a hint of pumpkin flavor, good texture, smooth chocolatey aftertaste. It seriously made me want to try mixing other stuff into candy bars... sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, candied oranges, beef jerky...