Chili with Beans Recipe

I'm a sucker for a good bowl of hearty chili, and this one definitely fits the bill! The beef shank in this recipe really sets it apart from other chili recipes. Obviously, you can use whichever cut of beef that you'd like, but if you can find beef shank, make sure you give it a try--you will not be disappointed!

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 pounds of beef shank cut into bite sized pieces

1 pound of ground beef

1/2 of an onion, chopped

4 cloves of chopped garlic

3-4 ounces of tomato sauce

1 (14.5 ounce) can of fire roasted tomatoes

2 cups of dried kidney beans soaked overnight (may sub for 2 cans, drained)

30 ounces of water

1 beef bouillon cube

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup of masa harina (corn flour) mixed with 1/2 cup of cold water

soy sauce

salt

brown sugar

extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE DUMPS YOU WILL NEED:

3 Tablespoons of ancho chili powder (may use chili powder)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

1/4 teaspoon of oregano

1 Tablespoon of brown sugar

3 teaspoons of ground cumin


INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Into a large pot, add in your beans and water to cover. Cook your beans (at a rolling boil), uncovered for about an hour. You may need to keep adding additional water while cooking, so make sure you check on it, periodically. Check for doneness, and drain well.
2. In a small bowl, add in your ancho chili powder, salt, white pepper, oregano, and brown sugar. DO NOT ADD IN YOUR CUMIN, YET. Mix well.
3. Evenly divide your spices into 3 separate "dumps." Add in your ground cumin into one of your dumps (you will add this dump, during the last 15 minutes of cooking time). Set aside.
4. In a non stick pot, on medium high heat, add in some olive oil and brown your ground beef. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
5. Wipe down your pot with a clean paper towel to remove any excess oil. Drizzle in some olive oil, and add in your cubed beef shank. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until browned, and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
6. Wipe down your pot again, and add in some olive oil. On medium heat, add in your chopped onions. Add a pinch of salt and cook until softened. Add in your chopped garlic, and cook until fragrant.
7. Add your beef shank back into the pot, along with your tomato paste, fire roasted tomatoes, water, beef bouillon cube, bay leaf, and your first dump. Let this all come up to a quick rolling boil, turn the heat down to medium low, put a lid on the pot, and cook for 1 hour, stirring once or twice during cooking.
8. After 1 hour, stir the pot, and add in your second dump. Cover, and cook for 1 more hour.
9. Add in your last dump (which contains the cumin), ground beef, and cooked beans. Mix well.
10. In a small bowl, mix together your masa harina and water. Add this mixture into your pot, and stir until chili has slightly thickened.
11. Taste check for seasoning, and add any additional flavoring like soy sauce, salt, and brown sugar, as needed.

NOTES:

-I've read that a good sub for masa harina are corn tortilla chips! Just add some corn tortilla chips and water into a blender, and puree! Now, you have your thickening mixture!

-When purchasing beef shank, make sure you purchase it bone-in. Boneless beef shank is very hard to cut into cubes, because it is naturally a very tough piece of meat. Look for a bone-in beef shank that is about 2.5 pounds, because by the time you cut around it, it will leave you with less meat. You may also try to see if your butcher can cut your beef shank for you, instead. And don't toss that bone in the garbage! Keep it in your freezer and use it to make a delicious beef stock! :)

-Chili tastes even better the next day!

Bo Kho (Asian Beef Stew)

My beef stew is literally FINGER LICKIN' GOOD!!

Make it.

Smell it.

Taste it.

Love it.

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds of beef shank

1/2 pound of tendon

a couple of carrots cut into large chunks(maybe 1/2 pound to 1 pd)

1 stalk of lemongrass trimmed, bruised, and cut in half

4 cloves of chopped garlic

half of an onion(chopped)

2 tomatoes(I used tomatoes still on the vine)

2 cups of coconut juice/soda(no pulp)

2 T of ketchup

2 cubes of Bo Kho Seasoning

1/2 T of sugar

1 tsp of salt

1/4 cup of fish sauce

8 cups of water (or you may use all fresh coconut juice or mix in some of the broth used to simmer your beef shanks and tendon)

olive oil

For the red food coloring:

1 T of annatto seeds cooked on very low heat in a few Tbsp of vegetable oil(you may omit this step and use paprika instead)

Serving suggestions:

Thick Rice Noodles(follow cooking directions according to packaging)

Over Rice

Freshly baked french bread

Garnishes:

cilantro

parsley

chili peppers

 

DIRECTIONS:


1. Clean and rinse off your beef shanks. Cut your beef shanks into large pieces(about 1 1/2 inches wide). Beef shanks are really tough so you need to boil it for some time to help make it more tender.
2. Put your beef shank and tendon into a pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium to medium high heat and continue to keep at a rolling boil for 1-1 1/2 hrs. Make sure to keep enough water in the pot to cover the meat and tendon, so you may need to add more water while it's boiling away.
3. While the meat and tendon are cooking, chop up your garlic and onion and set aside.
4. Chop up your tomatoes and place them in a bowl. Starting with clean hands, start squeezing and smashing the crap out of them! You want to bring all that juice out of them but don't throw it away. Later, you will add in the tomatoes along with their juices into the soup.
5. After the 1 1/2 hrs, turn the heat off , remove the tendon, and cut into medium size chunks and set aside along with the beef shanks. You may choose to reserve some of the water used to boil your beef shanks and add it into your soup stock later.
6. On medium-medium high heat, put some oil into a skillet and throw in your chopped onions and bruised lemongrass. After 2 minutes or so, add in your beef shank and just before completely browned, throw in your chopped garlic.
7. Once your meat has browned, add in the coconut juice. Add in the tomatoes in their juices, ketchup, salt, and sugar. Continue to cook on medium low heat for 20 minutes.
8. Add in your tendon, large chunks of carrot, 8 cups of water, fish sauce, and the bo kho seasoning cubes. Turn the heat up just to bring it to a quick rolling boil and turn heat down again to medium low. Put a lid on it but do not cover completely. Leave a little space so that the steam has somewhere to escape.
9. Continue to cook for an additional 2 hrs until the meat and tendon are deliciously tender and finger licking good, baby!! Remove bruised lemongrass once cooking is complete. Taste for additional seasonings if needed. I ended up adding a tad bit more salt to mine but that's just my own personal preference.

Notes: This stew tastes great spooned over some thick rice noodles, with rice, or some freshly baked french bread too! The possibilities are endless with this tasty dish. Usually, when my mother in law buys this stew from a Vietnamese deli, they tend to be more on the sweeter side, so if you want, you may omit the sugar at first and then gradually add some in as you go along.

Also you can find bo kho seasoning boxes in most Asian markets. The ones I buy come in these tiny small packaged boxes that contain 4 cubes of bo kho seasoning. If I had to guess, I would probably say that I used anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 T of the seasoning.

Okay, so enough reading already...GET YOUR LAZY BUTT UP, log off of Facebook, and get crackin' in that kitchen!! :)



Oh, and don't laugh at the video guys. It's old and I'm kind of embarrassed to watch it. LOL.

Wonton Soup

It's cold here in Washington and this wonton soup is EXACTLY what I needed to warm up today. It's light and filling at the same time, and you know what??? You won't feel like a complete COW after you've devoured and slurped each and every tiny drop of that delicious broth. Give this soup a try...you won't be sorry. :)


For the broth you will need:

(3) 32 oz boxes of low sodium chicken broth plus 2 more cups of water(3.5 quarts total)
2 T of sugar
1/2 tsp of freshly grated ginger
1 1/2 tsp of salt
3 packets of wonton soup base mix( I use the brand dynasty)
1/8 tsp of white pepper(or more if you like spicy)
1 tsp of sesame oil

For the filling you will need:

1/2 pound of finely chopped shrimp(peeled and deveined)
1/4 of a pound(or 4 oz) of ground pork(give your pork a few quick chops on cutting board before mixing w/ shrimp)
3 T of finely chopped green bartlett pear(or water chestnut/celery if you wish)
1 green onion finely chopped
1 tsp of sugar
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of white pepper
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
some freshly grated ginger

You will also need:

chopped green onion for garnish
1 to 2 pkg's of wonton wrappers
1 egg lightly beaten

To make the broth:

Bring your chicken broth and water to a boil. Grate in your ginger. Add your salt and sugar. Add in your wonton soup mix. Stir to combine. Turn heat down(or off) and add in your white pepper and sesame oil last. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Don't make the broth too salty. You don't want it to overpower the taste of the wonton.

How to make the filling:

Place all of your ingredients into a mixing bowl and thoroughly mix it with clean hands. Once mixed, cover and let refrigerate for 1 hr to overnight.

How to assemble wontons:

Place 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of filling onto the middle of wonton wrapper. Using a pastry brush, lightly dab on some egg wash on all four sides of wonton wrapper. Fold over to create a triangle. Press the sides down gently and fold using technique shown in my video. Remember to have a damp cloth over filled wontons and wonton wrappers at all times to prevent drying out.

Place filled wontons in boiling water and cook for 5 minutes or until they all float to the surface. I recommend cooking ONE WONTON FIRST to taste for seasoning. Sometimes, I end up adding a touch more salt, sometimes more sugar. Once all cooked, using a slotted spoon, place in colander to drain excess water. Place wontons in pretty serving bowl, ladle on some warm broth, and garnish with chopped green onion.

Notes:
You may freeze any leftover filling that you don't use. You may also cut the broth recipe in half. If using baby bok choy and mushrooms, I recommend boiling them separately(not with the broth), drain them, and add them into individual bowls as needed. Pouring broth over some noodles is also optional.

Watch the video here on how to fold the wontons. Don't laugh at the video guys, it's old and was probably my 3rd video that I posted on my channel! LOL.

Homemade Pho

I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty sure that all I need to survive is my hair straightener and pho. I can assure you that even in 90 degree weather, you can catch me in my kitchen hovering over my stove cooking up a big pot of pho. Since I married into a Vietnamese family, I figured that it would probably be a good idea to teach myself how to make it. This recipe feeds my family of 5 for 2-3 days depending on how often we eat it. Remember, that you may cut recipe in half or just use it as a reference. I actually used 3 pounds or so of beef bone in this recipe along w/ one whole foster farm chicken. If you think it's weird to make a broth with that mix, you don't have to do it. You can use all beef bones if you'd like, or all chicken. Whatever your preference, I assure you that it will all come out delicious!

You will need:

1 whole 3-4 pd skinned foster farm chicken(cut up chicken into large manageable pieces)or you may use all beef bone/knuckle for this recipe as well

3 pds of beef bone and/or beef knuckle

3 pound pkg of beef bottom round roast(use only if you want cooked beef slices)or you may sub w/oxtail

2 pkgs of beef meatballs

1 4 inch piece of ginger split in half

2 large onions cut in half(DO NO PEEL SKIN)

1 1/2 T. of coriander

1 tsp. whole cloves

2 cardamom pods split

2 cinnamon sticks

1 handful of star anise

2/3 cup of fish sauce

1 1/2 T. salt

3 oz. of palm sugar or 1/4 cp of sugar

1/2 tsp of msg(optional)

3 pkgs of fresh rice noodle

2 cheese cloths for straining broth

12 qt. stainless steel pot and an extra pot to parboil your bones

26 cups of water(or fill up halfway but remember you may cut recipe in half)

1 Stainless steel tea balls or mesh vegetable bags to hold all the spices for easier clean up

Garnishes:

Bean sprout

Mint

Lime wedges

Thinly sliced onion(soak onion in ice water for 30 min and drain)

Lime wedges

Chopped green onion

You want to roast your onion and ginger in the oven. Bake @ 400 degrees for 30 minutes. If you have an open burner, then you should preferably char the onion and ginger over an open flame, turning occasionally until slightly blackened.

Take a pot big enough for all your meat,(except for bottom round roast)add enough water to cover and bring them to a boil for about 8-10 minutes or so. This step is for cleaning your bones and it will help you to get a clearer broth. While that pot is coming to a boil, get your other 12 qt pot ready and fill it half way(about 26 cps). Unless, you want to wait FOREVER AND A DAY for a big stock pot of water packed with meat and bones to boil, then you can skip this part. Otherwise having two pots going at a time will save you a butt load of pho'cken time(pun intended).

Once chicken and/or beef bone is done parboiling, dump it into a large colander in sink and lightly rinse off bones under cool water.

Since you should have another pot of water almost coming to boil, carefully add the bones/meat into the pot of water. This is also the time where you would add in the bottom round roast. When making this pot of pho, I didn't quite measure how much water I added, just make sure that after you've added all the meat in, that the pot is pretty much filled with water 3/4 way up. Feel free to take some water out if there is too much. Add in the char broiled ginger and onion. Add in fish sauce, palm sugar,salt(and msg if you're opting to use it), cinnamon sticks, and a big handful of star anise.

Put the other spices listed, into 1 stainless steel tea ball or mesh bags and drop them into the the pot. Make sure you remove that chain that comes along with the tea ball.

Now all that's left is leaving it all to simmer on low heat for 3 hrs. You know you've done it right when the pot looks disgusting and greasy.

Skim off fat as you go along trying to only take out what you need. Sometimes, if I feel like I'm taking out too much water along with the fat, then I will add more water to compensate.

After the broth has been simmering for 2 hrs I then taste the broth to see if I need to add any additional seasonings. Remove your beef bottom roast(if using) and allow to rest on cutting board before slicing against the grain. Keep in mind that this recipe uses chicken instead of all beef bone which means less fat, so if you decide to use more beef bone and/or oxtail, your broth will be very greasy at first, so make sure you use your ladle to skim off any fat that rises to the surface and add more water to pot if necessary. Also note, that you want the broth slightly stronger tasting cause once you add the noodles and garnishes it will bring down the flavor a tad bit. I usually make a small bowl for myself to taste check before serving to guests.

Once it's seasoned to your liking and has been simmering for at least 3 hrs, remove all bones and meat and place into colander over a large bowl.

Place two cheese cloths over a mesh strainer fitted on top of a pot and slowly strain the broth until done.

Now that your broth is pretty again and smells FANTASTIC, you can add in the beef meatballs if you opted for them and bring to a slight boil until the balls are cooked through(they will puff up when they are almost ready).

Using a very sharp knife, thinly slice your bottom round roast against the grain. Also don't forget to shred the meat off of the chicken that you had set aside. This is a very crucial step when using beef bone with tons of meat on it and ESPECIALLY OXTAIL! Right before you pour the broth into your bowl, is when you would toss in a couple of pieces of this delicious and tender meat!

You can also use raw, thinly sliced sirloin steak if you wish. To make slicing easier and to ensure thin cuts of meat, put meat in freezer for 30 min. and then slice.

Assembling the bowls: Place blanched rice noodles(or if using dry noodles, follow directions on package)in individual bowls and top with thinly cooked beef slices. If you are adding raw beef slices, the broth must be boiling to cook it through before you ladle the soup into the bowl. If the broth is not quite boiling but VERY HOT, than you can cook the meat by quickly dipping it into the pho broth using the ladle(it should take seconds). Once you've added the broth into the bowl, top with the garnishes of your choice and....VOILA!!!

Notes: The spices used in pho can get pretty pricey if you purchase them at your local Safeway, Fred Meyers or wherever you shop. If you know of a local Asian market or know someone that can get to one, I would highly recommend you go there cause it is waaaaay more inexpensive BELIEVE ME!
Also the type of fish sauce you use matters!! Don't use the ones that come in the plastic bottles...YUCKY! Use the ones that come in the glass bottles instead. There are various brands and most of them are very similar in taste.
Lastly, if you're using all beef bones and oxtails, the longer you simmer the broth the better! But I wouldn't recommend simmering chicken for longer then 3 to 4 hrs cause it will get VERY GELATINOUS after cooled and it will not look too appetizing when you're trying to reheat it. Feel free to add in any fixings to satisfy your taste buds! You can add all kinds of stuff to pho...tripe,shrimp,flank stank(I mean steak):),or even beef tendon. Whatever your palette, pho is always a real crowd pleaser!

I posted this recipe on my blog MONTHS before I started my Youtube channel so it differs slightly than the video. The spices, and the amount of meat I used DID NOT CHANGE, so feel free to use and follow the recipe listed w/ a few minor adjustments as stated in the video! If you want a healthier alternative than follow the written recipe for pho using chicken as the base but if you want a full bodied and tastier pho experience, than follow my video where I use all beef bones/oxtails and let it simmer for up to 8 hrs! ENJOY AND HAPPY EATING!! :)