Author Archives: Ducks Mahal

Nikujaga

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Just when you didn’t think there was any other way to make a meat and potato stew, look here at the Japanese Nikujaga. There are actually 2 versions of this that I make. V1 is cooked in a Dutch oven. V2 is cooked in a Crockpot.

Meat
V1 1 lb. beef (marinade 1 hour in 4 Tbsp. soy sauce and 1 Tbsp. brown sugar)
V2 1 lb. beef (marinade over night in 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. sake, 1 Tbsp. marsala, 1 chopped green onion, 1 garlic clove sliced into small coins)

Mirepoix
1 onion – chopped
3 carrots – chopped 1 inch by ¼ inch
3 cloves garlic minced
½ Lb. Small potatoes cut – chopped into bite size pieces

Vegetables
V1 ½ cup snow peas
V2 1 cup or more chopped kale
V2 ½ onion sliced
5 chopped green onions (scallions)
1 cup mushrooms (shitake)

V1 Sauce
1 dash white wine
2 cups water (or stock)

V2 Sauce
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sake
2 Tbsp. Marsala or sherry or mirin
2 cups Dashi stock (2 Tbsp. hon dashi [dried bonito] and 2 leaves dashi kombu [dried seaweed]).  In small sauce pan bring 2 cups of water to boil add dashi ingredient, let cook for 5 minutes, turn off heat, strain into the Crockpot.

Seasoning/Herbs/Oil
Salt and Pepper
Chu Chow Chili Oil
Peanut oil (couple of Tbsp.)

V1 Cooking instructions:

  1. Cook snow peas in boiling water for a minute. Let them cool and cut diagonally into 2-3 pieces.
  2. Cut thin beef into 2″ width pieces.
  3. In a large pot, heat oil at medium high temperature and cook beef until the color changes.
  4. Add potatoes, onions, and carrot, potatoes.
  5. Add water, cover, and cook it at low medium heat about 20 minutes or until potatoes get tender.
  6. Season with sugar, soy sauce, white wine, scallions, mushrooms and salt. Cook 15 minutes longer.
  7. Remove from heat and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then add snow peas.
  8. Serve as is or reheat.
  9. I like to add a dollop of Chu Chow Chili Oil on my dish

V2 Cooking instructions:

  1. Cut thin beef into 2″ width pieces.
  2. Brown meat somewhat in a pan with peanut oil, transfer to Crockpot
  3. Add the veggies, the sauce and the Dashi stock and cook on medium ~6 hours

Red Wine Sauce

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The object of this sauce is reduction. When the red wine and beef stock have reduced, then you will strain all the rosemary, peppercorns and shallots/onions. Return the sauce, and seasoning, thicken with corn starch and let cool. When you are ready to serve you can warm it a little. This sauce is ideal from preparing it in advance of plating.

2 TBSP Butter
3 Shallot, or ½ onion, chopped
1 sprig Fresh Rosemary
1 TBSP Peppercorns
1 ½ cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine
1 ½ cup Beef Stock
2 TBSP Corn Starch
1 TBSP Worcestershire

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  1. In a small sauce pan sauté shallots in butter, medium heat
  2. Add Rosemary and peppercorns and red wine, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes
  3. Add beef stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes
  4. Remove from heat, strain, clean sauce pan, and place wine sauce back in the small sauce pan.  It should yield 1 1/2 cups of reduction.
  5. Heat sauce just a little; add salt and pepper, Worcestershire, add corn starch and whisk, set aside when you are ready to use.
  6. When you have ready to serve, lightly heat sauce, spoon over meat

Steamed Salmon and Mushrooms

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Meat
½ lb. or more wild caught salmon

Mirepoix
1 onion – chopped

Vegetables
1 small bunch (2 cups) Napa cabbage – chopped
1 clove garlic – minced
1 bunch mushrooms (any kind) sliced

Sauce
½ cup dry white wine
1 cups chicken stock
1 TBSP corn starch – mix first in two TBSP of cold water then add to the pot

Seasoning and Herbs, Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 TBSP olive oil
3 or 4 lemon slices
3 or 4 fresh basil leaves
1 tsp. cappers w/juice

Serve over rice

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Sauté onions in olive oil. Add the cabbage and mushrooms. Cook for about five minutes. Add the corn starch and cook another five minutes. Add the wine and chicken stock. Place the salmon on top and add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook on a low flame for 40 minutes. Serve over rice.

Pollo Mole and Pipian Sauce

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This is the Little Woman’s dish.  She makes this once a week we love it so much.

There is this very big process in making mole sauce and in making pipian sauce. The sad part is no one will make this dish if they had to go through that process each time. So we made it easy on our self and bought Dona Maria mole and pipian sauce from the store.  It is really, really good.

As you know mole is made with dried guajillo, ancho and chipotle peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, peanuts, raisins, cinnamon, garlic, cumin, allspice, thyme, sugar, dark chocolate, salt and chicken broth – oh my lambs, I’m worn out thinking about it.

Pipián Rojo sauce has the same ingredients but leaves out the chocolates and adds ground pumpkin seeds. Like I said, this is way too much work for the average person cooker.

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Brown chicken and remove.

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Add one TBSP olive oil, sauté onions and sliced mushrooms.

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Add
4 TBSP Dona Maria Mole sauce
2 TBSP Dona Maria Pipian Rojo

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Add chicken stock and cook slow 15 minutes.

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Return chicken and add carrots and cook covered 30 minutes

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Serve in a bowl with cilantro topping over a bed of couscous.

Kale and Kielbasa w/baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes

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One of the many things we found real fast about living near Wisconsin and Iowa is there is no shortage of sausage and cheese. I also found no shortage of kale (one of my favorites) even during the winter. It has 133% of the daily values of Vitamin A and 134% of Vitamin C. Since I like a good soup or gravy, I put together this dish.

Meat
½ lb. sliced kielbasa (pork or turkey)

Mirepoix
1 onion – chopped
2 carrots – peeled and sliced ¼”

Vegetables
1 bunch kale – chopped
8 small baby Dutch yellow potatoes – rinsed with skin and chopped into bite-size squares
1 clove garlic – minced

Sauce
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 TBSP corn starch – mix first in two TBSP of cold water then add to the pot

Seasoning and Herbs, Oil
Salt and Pepper
3 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
1 TBSP dry mustard
1 tsp. marjoram

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In a large 5 quart sauce pan add meat and one TBSP oil and brown. Remove the meat. Add the potatoes and a dash of sea salt and fry to a point where there is a little crisp on the skin. Make sure to fry the potatoes real good as the flavor adds a lot to the pot.  Remove the potatoes. Add a little more olive oil and sauté the onions and carrots. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Return everything to the pot and add the kale and one cup of chicken stock. Cover and cook down the kale about 5 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients, stir in the corn starch, herbs, mustard and seasonings and cook covered on warm for 30 minutes. Serve.