cia – Page 137 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Grand Sichuan St. Marks

21 Saint Marks Place between 2nd and 3rd Avenues
212/529.4805
$25 each for three, with three beers, with tip
♥ ♥ ♥

The Chipotle opened along St. Marks opened first and then the vending-machine store BAM! made headlines. When I saw the Grand Sichuan open, I only thought, Great, I don’t have to go to Chelsea for Sichuan Chinese food. The neighborhood is truly changing and now tattoo and piercing parlors co-exist with restaurants catering to both college students and punk kids. I wasn’t about to pass by the area without trying some spicy Chinese food. Because I am used to the Grand Sichuan menu, I also ordered the same dishes from the St. Marks branch.

The Dan Dan noodles is always good, almost swimming in oil and red, chili sauce. I don’t think I ever go to any Sichuan restaurant without ordering these noodles first. The double-cooked pork was a little bit cold and chewy served with scallions and green peppers but still a good dish with rice. My favorite is the kung pao chicken. Every person who insist on ordering Chinese food from the take-out stores should order the real Sichuan version of kung pao chicken so that they can change their minds about how hit-or-miss Chinese food can be. The smoked tofu with celery dish is also a choice of mine for its texture and earthy taste. The celery becomes a palate cleanser while the tofu tames my tongue from all the spicy taste it’s been getting. With all those dishes, we can’t say no to the vegetables. Peashoot leaves are always expensive but a big plate of them always finishes first. They’re sautÃ©ed in hot oil and garlic and balances out the whole array of plates on your table.

The St. Marks is sparkling new and it’s definitely less of a zoo than the Chelsea branch so if you’re craving Chinese food and don’t want to keep walking downtown, Grand Sichuan is the way to go.

Related post/s:
Grand Sichuan in Chelsea

Green Tea Noodle Soup with Tofu

Dashi is fundamental to Japanese cooking. Kelp and bonito are boiled down to make the dashi broth that’s most popularly known as the base for miso soup. With soy sauce, or soyu, and rice wine vinegar, or mirin, you can make the simplest yet most satisfying Japanese soup perfect for a last course after a heavy meal.

Ingredients:
green-tea noodles, half of the 7-ounce packet
1 quart vegetable stock
2 tsps dashi granules
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
firm tofu, drained, sliced into squares
1 small sheet of dried seaweed, torn
2 tbsps sesame seeds, toasted

1. Cook the noodles in a large saucepan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.
2. Combine the dashi granules with the stock in another large pot. Stir over medium heat until the granules are dissolved. Bring to a boil and stir in mirin and soy sauce.
3. Divide the noodles and tofu cubes in serving bowls. Ladle hot soup and garnish with nori and sesame seeds.

Somen Noodle Soup with Roasted Five-Spice Duck

The Chinese use five-spice powder to create a blend of different flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, pungent and salty. You can easily buy them from any grocery store with a well-stocked spice aisle but I prefer to make my own. With one star anise, I used the heart of my palm to measure the other four ingredients and grind them using a mortar and pestle. If you have a Filipino dad, he should be able to grind them for you. You can make a salad from your leftovers by adding some sugar snap peas and chopped red bell peppers. Just whisk together some fish sauce and lime juice in a small bowl and pour over the noodles for dressing.

Ingredients:
2 duck legs, excess fat trimmed but skin left on
2 small bundles of somen noodles
4 cups chicken broth
1 star anise
scallions, finely chopped
cilantro, finely chopped
peanut oil
1 tbsp red chili sauce

For the five-spice powder:
1 star anise
1/2-inch cinnamon stick
fennel seeds
whole cloves
black peppercorns

1. Preheat the oven to 400Âº. In the meantime, lightly coat the duck legs with the five-spice powder and set aside. Heat some oil in a frying pan and brown the duck legs, skin-side down first, about 5 minutes each side. Transfer to a baking dish and cook for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them rest on the chopping board.
2. In a small pot, boil some water and cook the somen noodles for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water while separating noodles with a fork to avoid sticking.
3. In another small pot, let the chicken broth boil with the other star anise. Then simmer for a few minutes with the scallions and cilantro.
4. To serve, divide noodles and ladle broth in bowls and top with sliced duck meat.

Chicken and Galangal Soup

What’s up with me and the spicy cravings?

Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken thighs
1 knob of galangal, peeled and cut into thin slices
2 cups of coconut milk
2 cups chicken stock
1 red onion, finely chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves
1 lemongrass stalk, pounded
red chilies
cilantro, finely chopped
2 tbsps fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
lime juice
peanut oil

1. Heat a large pot with peanut oil. Brown the chicken on both sides. Remove to a plate.
2. In the same pot, sautÃ© onions, lime leaves, lemongrass and chilies. Add the stock, coconut milk and cilantro. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer, stirring ocassionally. Add the chicken and simmer for 10 more minutes, until the chicken is cooked.
3. In a small bowl, dissolve brown sugar in the fish sauce and lime juice. Add to the pot. Adjust according to taste.

Vermicelli Vegetable Soup

I adjusted this from a vegetable ramen recipe using rice and potato vermicelli. This may seem to require a lot of ingredients but it’s easier than you think–just put all the vegetables in the pot and boil. Any vegetables will do, really, and I’ve tried this with baby bok choy, Napa cabbage and carrots.

Ingredients:
1 pack each of rice and potato vermicelli
a quart of vegetable stock
1 packaged firm tofu, sliced in small squares
zucchini, chopped in half moons
snow peas, destringed and sliced in half
leeks, white parts only, chopped
shiitake mushrooms, dusted off dirt, halved
a small knob of ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
garlic, crushed
1 packet of white miso powder
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsps soy sauce
sesame oil

1. SautÃ© ginger and the garlic in a stock pot first then add the vegetables, stirring for 5 minutes. Add stock and let boil. Turn down the heat and simmer. Stir in miso powder, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. Adjust to taste.
2. In a separate pot, cook noodles in boiling water for 4 minutes. Stir with a fork to avoid sticking. Drain with cold running water. When cool enough to handle, use your hands to separate noodles and drain some more.
3. Put a handful of noodles in a bowl and ladle in soup. Add a drop or two of sesame oil.

Related post/s:
Where to get white miso powder