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Mom’s Cucumber Pickles, Cooling for Spicy Foods

November 25, 2020 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

My mom’s cucumber pickles is such a cooling dish that complements spicy foods like curries. Sometimes, it’s fun to serve both the pickles and curry street style on newspapers and banana leaves so it’s like I’m taking my friends on a trip to Malaysia. I made a video to show you how to make this easy cucumber pickles in 5 minutes and share a secret, see below.

It’s another one of my mom’s simple dishes that’s become a staple and only has three ingredients: cucumber, tomatoes and onion and two seasonings: salt and vinegar, (lime or lemon but not necessary)! Optionals are cilantro and scallions.

5 minute pickle: cucumber, tomatoes and onion and two seasonings: salt and vinegar (lime or lemon but not necessary)!
Optionals are cilantro and scallions.

Best part? You can start eating them after only a few hours, not days or weeks like most pickles. This is not like dill pickles in a jar, it’s made fresh on the day you eat it. It has a sweetness and is not sour but there’s NO added sugar involved.

What goes with these Cucumber Pickles?
Goes perfectly with my mom’s Malaysian Chicken Curry (blog) or if you prefer, watch Malaysian Chicken Curry video.

or Spicy Hoisin Spare Ribs

How are Cucumber Pickles cooling?
Cucumber is yin (cool) and curry is yang (hot, energizing). The cold cucumber pickle helps to cool your body temperature down when you are on fire from the curry. Many countries have something like this, in India, they have raita which is a cooling cucumber yoghurt.

There’s an interesting site explaining Yin and Yang here.

How to make Cucumber Pickles in 5 minutes?
As usual, I cheat by skipping the step of adding salt to the cucumbers to draw out the moisture which make them more crunchy. Definitely do this step if you have time. Just squeeze the cucumbers and drain out all the liquid before adding to the onion and tomatoes. It’s not a good idea to make this day prior because it becomes soft and soggy.

Make Cucumber Pickle on the morning of your dinner party.

Here’s HOW…

Chop everything into cubes so they can absorb the flavors better!

Put into nice serving bowl, add salt to taste and rice vinegar a 1/3 way up the bowl.
If you have a lime or lemon, a small squirt, then toss, toss, toss! That’s it.
Cover with plate or cling film and put in fridge and take out an hour before serving.

Eleanor Hoh shares secret in Youtube video. — Click for YOUTUBE link. I share how to make this 5 minute pickle and a secret!

By adding fruits like pineapple and mango, the pickle turns into a salsa! It’s very refreshing and everyone loves this version.

Mango, Pineapple Salsa — It doesn’t matter proportion, whatever fruit you like most, add that

More interesting things about pickles…
While researching for cucumber pickles like my mom’s, the closest one I came to was this one.

Check out this super site listing 10 countries, 10 pickles.

What about 3 Easy Pickling Options?

To this day, my sisters and I make this all the time and adore it. Every time I serve these 5 Minute Pickles at dinner parties, guests beg me for the recipe, ha, ha.

If you try this 5 minute pickle, let me know how you like it in comment below.

Even better, share on Instagram and tag @wokstar #wokstarway

Slow Cooker Pork Rib Stew, Served 3 Ways

September 18, 2020 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

This Slow Cooker Pork Rib Stew, served 3 ways means you don’t have to cook from scratch for 3 nights. I’m a huge fan of using a Slow Cooker, I cannot get used to the Instant Pot mentality, more about this later. A Slow Cooker is so practical and efficient in getting dinner on the table. It’s a huge time saver, locks in the flavors and keeps meat moist and tender.

Pork Ribs, Stir Fry Mixed Veggies, homemade Kimchi

Instead of ‘recipes’, I like to focus on Flavors, Textures and Colors. So, here’s how to tackle the Slow Cooker Pork Rib Stew.

About Ingredients…
1 Onion, chopped or half moons
4-6 cloves garlic, thwacked
Thumb size ginger, thwacked
1- 2 carrots, chopped biggish chunks
4-6 dried shiitakes (from Earthy Delights in your Wok Star Kit) directions how to rehydrate is on the label.
Chicken Broth, halfway up the meat

About Pork Ribs…
3-4 lbs. of pork ribs.
They will be your favorite cut of meat, it’s juicy, meaty and so versatile. I get them cut across the bones so they are smaller and easier to handle and they’re called riblets. Available from Costco or Asian markets. Cut the riblets into individual pieces, see photo below. Fill slow cooker half way.

About Flavorings…
Basic Seasonings: TSPC. Wok Stars, you know what these are. Newbies, it’s Tamari, Sherry, Pepper, Cornstarch
2 tsp. each of Brown Bean Sauce (from Koon Chun in your Wok Star Kit) and Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce.

Here’s HOW…

Set slow cooker on LOW before prepping. This will give it a head start. Set your timer for 3 1/2 hours.
Add pork riblets at bottom then veggies, garlic & ginger and broth into slow cooker.
In a bowl, mix TSPC and extra flavorings. Add into slow cooker. I LOVE the smells wafting through my apartment. This is what the Insta Pot doesn’t allow, no smells and you cannot peek in there for tasting and adjusting flavors. For me, cooking is about LAYERING flavors. You can’t do anything until you’ve released the pressure which takes another half an hour.
When time is up, test a piece of pork riblet and adjust flavorings, to see if it’s the texture you like, if you like softer, let it cook for another half hour.

Add pork riblets, then onions, garlic & ginger, carrots, mushrooms. Then chicken broth, flavorings.

Serving suggestions…
You’ll just need to serve reheated pork riblet stew and stir fry or blanche some veggies. So easy, dinner in about 15 minutes or less.

Allocate about 3-5 pieces of pork riblets per person. Spoon onions, carrots and sauce over the riblets.

I like to add some homemade kimchi and garnish with chili threads, chopped scallions and cilantro, they just give a pop of color and adds freshness to the finished dish.

Don’t you love the 3 ways I served this Slow Cooker Pork Rib Stew?
If you try this Slow Cooker Pork Rib Stew, please take a photo and tag @wokstar on Instagram,
I would love to see how you present yours.

First night: Pork Ribs, Stir Fry Mixed Veggies, homemade Kimchi

2nd night: added mustard greens when reheating pork rib stew

3rd night: Blanched Brussels Sprouts and displayed carrots, mushrooms separately for a different look and presented pork ribs on bed of quinoa.

Grilled Korean Style Kalbi Short Ribs, Wok Star Way

May 4, 2020 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

If you’re craving ribs with Asian flavors and you want it fast, I’ve got the PERFECT ANSWER – Grilled Korean Kalbi Short Ribs, done Wok Star Way.

Kalbi, beech mushrooms, baby bok choy and grilled zoodles. — Sprinkle sesame seeds & Chili threads on Kalbi.
Served with beech mushrooms, baby bok choy and grilled zoodles.

My goal is always about the shortest way to achieve 3 things when cooking. Get authentic flavors by simplify long lists of ingredients and shorten the cooking process.

I got all excited when I found flanken beef short ribs at Costco recently. They cut the beef ribs across the ribs, the Asian way, so they are thinner, smaller to handle and cooks much faster. They also do this for pork ribs.

The traditional Kalbi recipe calls for Asian pears, but the Wok Star way is to improvise and substitute or do away with if not in season or difficult to find. I left out this ingredient all together. You won’t miss it, especially if you’ve never had it before.

Or you can just use any pear, it’s the sweetness you’re after. I personally don’t care for additional sugar of any kind because it masks the flavor of the actual ingredient, so you’re just tasting sugar.

I’ve prepared Kalbi two ways so far.

Here are guidelines for making Kalbi, as you know, I don’t use precise measurements for cooking!

While Kalbi is grilling, stir fry your vegetables, cook quinoa. Choose platter to serve. Lay your table.

Stir Fry Bok Choy in cast iron wok, Iwatani gas stove.

Allow 2 strips of Kalbi per person with extra strips for seconds.

Zing broiler on high. I think there’s only one setting, ON or OFF.

Place Kalbi on grilling rack on top rack, closest to broiler.

Flip Kalbi as soon as you smell yummy aromas on first side, don’t overcook.

Let Kalbi crisp up a little, again don’t overcook because it’ll dry out.

One last tip, I like to grill just the first strip for everyone and serve. While we eat the first round, I grill the second strip.

1) San-J Tamari, garlic and ginger marinade
In a glass bowl, submerge ribs in a mix of tamari, scallions, ginger and garlic overnight in the fridge as instructed by most recipes. Then I had to pat the ribs dry. Some recipes said to throw away the marinade? So wasteful and I didn’t find the flavor was worth the effort.

Tamari, Garlic and Ginger marinaded Beef Short Ribs overnight.

Kalbi, curry quinoa and stir fried baby bok choy — Sprinkle sesame seeds and chopped scallions on Kalbi.
Put small bowls of sesame seeds, chili threads, salt to give guests option to add more.
Serve with Stir Fried Bok Choy and Curry Quinoa.

2) Dry spice rub
This is my preferred method for grilling meat. It does away with long marinade times, ribs are not wet making them tough when grilled and yields BETTER FLAVORS than the overnight marinade. I literally sprinkle dry spice rub on both sides of Kalbi and grill, that’s it.