Background: If you’re looking for a great party snack that is simple and delicious to make, you should definitely consider boiled peanuts! You’ll have to find a place that sells “green” peanuts, however. No, this isn’t the color, but refers to them being fresh or raw.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of green peanuts
- 1/4 cup of kosher salt
- 5 pieces of star anise
- 2 Tsps of 5-spice powder
- 4 cups of water
Cooking Instructions:
- Soak the peanuts in cold water for about 15 minutes and then scrub to make sure that the dirt is washed away.
- Add peanuts, salt, star anise, 5-spice powder, and water into a pot and stir while reaching boiling point.
- Simmer for 2~3 hours.
- Drain water and serve chilled or at room temperature.
Background: This is a super yummy dish that goes well with a bowl of rice or in a steamed bun “mantou” (饅頭) with crushed peanuts and cilantro. It’s super easy to make, and you can make it on the stove or in your crock pot.
Ingredients:
- 1 pork belly slab (about 2 lbs)
- 2 whole star anise
- 4 tablespoons of sugar (or 1 medium chunk of rock sugar)
- 1/4 cup of Shao Shing wine or Mi Jiu (rice wine)
- 3 to 4 Tablespoons of dark soy bean sauce (老抽)
- 1/2 cup of dried mustard greens (梅菜) that have been soaked and chopped (Note: sometimes these can be sandy, so make sure that they are properly cleaned prior using in the dish).
- 2 cups of water
- 1 bunch of scallions (chopped in 4 pieces)
Preparation:
- Slice pork belly in pieces and brown in deep pot (about 1 minute a side)
- Add star anise, rock sugar, scallions and saute for about 2 minutes.
- Add water and bring to boil.
- Once boiled, keep on low heat and add dark soy sauce, wine and mustard greens.
- Cook for about 2 hours on the low heat.
- May add additional sugar or soy sauce for color/taste
Enjoy!
“Insider’s gift” – 6 bottles from brix26.com
Having been born and raised in Philadelphia, and working overseas in Asia for most of my career, I never really came to appreciate fine wines until I moved out here to San Francisco. The reason is really quite simple, actually. Back in Philly, wine and other hard liquors are only for sale in government-run “state liquor stores.” The main types of wine readily available are sold by the jug or in a box. It’s no surprise that it was only later in life that I developed my appreciation.
Brix26.com is a local San Francisco wine company that ships delicious California wines all over the United States. They came highly recommended by the President of the Wharton Club of Northern California, and I figured these would be the perfect wedding gifts for one of my Wharton classmates in New York and one of my business partners living in San Francisco. I chose the “Insider’s Delight – 6 bottle” package, and my friends totally loved them!
Peter and Valerie (who run brix26.com) were a delight to work with, and they were able to provide me with a lot of help when I didn’t know what to order. I highly recommend them, and will definitely use their services again.
When you order, tell them that “Chef Liu” sent you and the will take good care of you. Peter’s e-mail is: peter[@]brix26.com. Valerie’s e-mail is: valerie[@]brix26.com.
