RECIPE: BAKED TUNA IN SOY HONEY

Fish out of water

In the last few decades, tuna has been touted as a health food being a good source for protein and Omega 3 fatty acid, the good fat you need to normalise your body's metabolism. I love tuna when it's served fresh as sashimi or when it's grilled and served hot. But since grilling is not something you can do in a small kitchen without making the whole house smell like, well, grilled fish, I tried my hand at baking tuna.

Here's a quick and easy recipe using a simple Japanese marinade that you might want to try.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cuts of Tuna  (steak cut, approx. 150 g. each)
• 3 tbsp. mirin (rice wine)
• 1 tbsp. Japanese soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey

TO MAKE
Mix the soy sauce, honey and mirin and marinate the tuna for at least 15 minutes or a maximum of 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to  450 degrees Farenheit. Grease the baking pan. Place the tuna and bake.

Bake the tuna for 12- 15 minutes. Make sure you don't leave it in the oven too long or it will dry up and turn flaky.

Serve hot with a slice of lemon.

 

How did your baked tuna turn out?

KITCHEN QUICKIE: SESAME-SOY SPINACH

Do you remember Popeye the Sailor Man?

Image courtesy of comicvine.com

This cartoon character, invented by Ezie Crisler Segar,  was originally indestructible. When the brothers Max and Dave Fleischer when they made Popeye The Sailorman theatrical cartoon shorts for Paramount Pictures in the 1930s, they gave him the power of awesome strength everytime he chowed down spinach which they believed to have a huge amount of Iron (which made Popeye strong). 

Eventually, scientists figured out that, although spinach is rich in Iron (According to the USDA Nutrient Database, a180-g serving of boiled spinach contains 6.43 mg of iron versus the  4.42 mg. Iron content of a  a 170-g ground hamburger patty), it is also rich in Vitamin A and other nutrients that are good for you. 

Not many people, kids especially, like eating spinach, though, because of its slimy texture and tends to have a bitterness when overcooked. Here's a recipe that you can serve with chicken or pork  and make as fast as Popeye can beat Bluto.

SESAME-SOY SPINACH

INGREDIENTS:
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 small shallot, diced
1/2 lb fresh spinach
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Pepper to taste

TO MAKE
Prepare the spinach by soaking in cold water, drain and squeeze out the excess water. Separate the leaves from the stems. Set aside.

Toast the sesame seeds on a non-stick pan over high heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon so you don't burn the seeds. Set aside.

In the same pan, heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the shallots and garlic. Add the spinach and stir until the spinach has changed color and has wilted.

Stir in the brown sugar into the soy sauce and add to the pan. Add more soy sauce  and pepper to taste.

Top with the toasted sesame seeds before serving.

COOKING FOR TWO: LEMON-SOY PORK STEAK

Simple as it may sound, cooking for two is hard.

You have to scale down all ingredients to portions that can be shared by two, and most of the time you end up over seasoning the dish or you have too much leftovers.

For me, pork steak is one of the easiest things to cook for two.

 

Here's my tried and tested recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
2 pcs. pork chops (Skin off)
3 tablespoons cooking oil
Juice from 1/2 lime (or 5 large calamansi)
5 to 6 tablespoons light soy sauce
½ cup pork broth (or plain water)
1 onion, peeled and sliced into rings
A dash of honey (or brown sugar)
Salt and pepper to taste

TO MAKE:

Heat the oil in a pan big enough for the two pork chop slices.

In high heat, brown both sides of the pork chop for 3 minutes (or more, if it's a really thick cut.)

I like the chops with big bits of fat on it as it helps keep the meat moist.

Pour-in soy sauce, lemon juice and a dash of honey. Add the broth. Once it boils, turn down the heat to medium and let it simmer for about 30 minutes or until the pork becomes more tender. Add in small amounts of broth or water as needed.

Add the onion rings and cook for about 5-7 minutes more. 

You can choose to remove the oil before serving. But if you're Pinoy, you'd probably like to put the oil and soy on your rice.

Serve hot.

Bonchon Chicken at the Ayala Triangle Gardens

 When  A. and I  stepped into the Ayala Triangle compound, I had no idea that I was looking for this non-descript chicken joint with a signage that looks like  it belongs to a bank. The BonChon Chicken was recommended to me by co-workers and fellow foodies V. and R.

The modest space seats about a dozen or so tables and when we got there on a Saturday afternoon, half the place was occupied. Upon the recommendation of the service staff, I ordered the Chicken Combo with chicken wings and drumsticks, the ginger and tofu salad, rice and two cokes.

While we waited for our food, I took the time to snap a few photos of  the Ayala Triangle Gardens, a haven for me in my corporate work years. This was where I snuck off to whenever  needed a quiet moment to absorb of all the figures and strategies trapped in my head. The trees and quiet provided the perfect respite from the concrete high rise cages of the country's central business district.

The view from the restaurant

The trees now share space with metal sculptures by National Artist Arturo Luz,  and the quiet has been replaced by the steadt  murmur of pedestrians milling around looking for a place to eat.

This Christmas season, at night the spectacular view is even made more breathtaking with the Symphony of Parols, a lights and sound show designed by Voltaire de Jesus. Here's a link to one of the YouTube uploads of the said show.

 

YouTube link posted by Directionsonweb

After my moment of corporate recollection, the food arrived.

And we dug in to the small chicken pieces and the rice. After a few bites, we decided to get rid of the spoons and forks and as we say, galit galit na (ignore the company so you can focus on the food).

The chicken skin was crispy and moderately flavored with garlic and soy while the meat was tender. Since our taste buds tend to favor salty flavors, we felt it could still kick up the soy flavor a notch but just the same, it got our nod of approval.

The salad was nothing exceptional but we realized we came here for the chicken, anyway.

It was tempting to ask for more rice, but we decided we'd come back to check out the Hot & Spicy chicken combo next time.