Ground dried mushrooms also make a good coating for seared tuna.
Marinate in soyvay veri veri teriyaki overnight. I am out in the west coast but I think they are now big enough that you can find it at a lot of places.
Short ribs is usually a tough cut of meat. Since you got it at an Asian market, I assume you got the Korean cut which are thin slices across the bone. The traditional way is to use high heat to quickly grill a couple minutes each side. You need sugars in your marinate if you grill. I have done it sous vide in soyvay, then a quick sear. Unbelievable.
Do come back with stuff where you go WTF is this. I am sure many here can provide suggestions.
Great stuff. Thanks all. Welcome to the board Gary!
I can only find it at one of the local Asian markets – but I love Lan Chi Chili Garlic sauce. hot hot hot and very full of flavor. Kind of a fluorescent green label. Lan = orchid, like Mu-lan. Girl’s name, Lan-chi, belonging to Lan, Lan’s sauce. She also has a “salad dressing” of ground sesame seeds and a couple of other products. Kind of a squatty little jar.
It is killer in Chinese style stir-fries, and I love it in fusion stuff – like on dehydrated kale chips. Like the “nasty hot” Brad’s chips you can buy in health food stores.
I like the meaty texture of Japanese Udon noodles, and I bought an entire Asian pantry when I discovered Korean and Japanese foods. But the wife is not a noodle person and I’ve had to do other things instead.
For Japanese rice (incredible texture) you want a Koshihikari rice and ideally an Asian rice cooker, plus some Kombu (dried kelp) to slip into the rice in the cooker and make the flavor more interesting. I buy Tamaki Gold which is grown in California, packed in nitrogen and sealed in foil. Freshness is good.
Koshihikari rice is cooked with a 1:1 ratio of rice to water, and once again you get that meaty texture. The Japanese frown on using soy sauce on “real” rice. The stickiness makes it easier to eat with chopsticks, and there is enough flavor without the sauce. But there are dry powdery things you can season your rice with – sesame seeds with salt, ground up dry shiso, etc. Furikake comes in several flavors, you buy a jar and you sprinkle it on your rice.
To make sushi you just mix seasoned sushi vinegar (with sugar etc.) into your rice and then add whatever other ingredients. If you don’t want to bother rolling, make chirashi sushi, just scatter things on top of the rice. And if you don’t want to risk raw fish you can get BBQ eel (frozen) or Lox, and some other things.
Anyway. Good step in a very fascinating direction. Enjoy, Mike!!
First ‘official’ dish of the thread: Garlicy Hoisin Shortribs
I browned the ribs and sauteed some garlic and onions. I lined the bottom of the braiser with carrots and added about 1 cup beef stock and 4 tablespoons soy sauce. 2 hours at 300. Uncovered and lathered the ribs with the hoisin garlic sauce I prepared earlier and into the 400 degree oven for another 30 minutes. I have to admit, it was very good. I am loving this stuff. BTW, those ribs are stupendous. I’ve NEVER seen anything like them in an American market and really do not have local access to a good butcher. Wow
The only thing I wish I had was some scallions.
That looks great, Mike.
Thanks for the welcome Mike! Been reading for a long time and finally decided to participate.
I look forward to your endeavers.
Might give this a try!! I have been doing this with Salmon with good results.
Cheers!!
MIke you might need to try chicken feet in blackbean sauce…Ive done it and you cant believe how many bones are in chicken feet… 
I realize that the technique of letting the ribs sit atop the carrots keep them dry and are more akin to French influenced chicken in a pot recipe I do often. Covered, the protein is allowed to baste itself and becomes influenced by what’s below it, in this case the carrots, beef broth and soy sauce. In the chicken dish I use carrots, onions and celery-- no liquid whatsoever. If there is a fancy name for this technique, I do not know it.
I say all of this because the ribs were pull apart tender.
My french influenced cooking vessel:
Tonight: Shrimp in Spicy Thai Green Curry Sauce on Rice Noodles
Sauteed shrimp in sunflower oil, garlic, cherry peppers & cilantro with green curry sauce (green curry paste, coconut milk, serrano peppers, brown sugar, salt) and green onions.
My wok-work is improving.
Linda, this is fun—and delicious.
Problem is the Cabernet, Mike.
But, given that, tonight I have stir-fried beef with red and green peppers, onions, garlic, scallions, hoisin, rice vinegar, rice wine, soy, chile-garlic paste. With rice. Tomorrow would be Cab night, as I have a Berserker guest joining me late in the day.
I was in Wegmans the other day and picked up a bottle of Soy Vay on Gary’s recommendation. If one Wegmans has it, probably all of them do.
BTW the Japanese stuff I recommended is a bit austere and I can see you are going for “lush” which is great. Maybe I’ll try that for a while too…
Frank, I appreciate your adding to this thread. I especially was interested in the rice & sushi sections of your recos. I realize the sauces are all over the place and trying to actually find my way with likes and dislikes right now. Strangely, I have never been able to even drink wine on the same night that I have had sushi or Chinese foods— something about the viscosity; Thai slightly less so. I have never had issue with Peking duck though. Probably has something to do with those sauces. Thanks for the recommendations, all.
Mike,
Everything looks great! Appetizing and beautifully photographed. How are you shooting these pictures?
Low budget. I have a Panasonic Lumix pocket camera with great macro capability— and available light.
I think being a career photographer with most of my career (30 years) behind me helps. I miss the available light the summer affords me.
I am thinking of a creative lighting setup; probably just need to look in my closet…
Maybe I gotta go all Toyo 4x5 on it? ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Thanks!
That is great for available light. I lack the skill and will have to compensate with tools at some point.
Thanks, Patrick!
I was rereading what I wrote about the Toyo 4x5 camera option and smiled to myself: I guess I have more interest in actually eating what I make than photographing it or else that option would be awesome! It would be a setup of many minutes and who likes to eat cold food?
