For those who LOVE Cilantro!

For dinner today I had a light zucchini and cilantro pancake. I know that not everyone loves cilantro, but variations of this recipe can be made (ie. substitute green onion for cilantro or adding some seafood in the mix). Growing up I would have it sweet instead of salty... tasted sorta like a crepe. Anyway, its a great base recipe for you to experiment with and its perfect for days when you just want something simple and light! 

Zucchini and Cilantro Pancake

Serving Size 1

Ingredients:

1 egg

1/4 cup of flour

1/3 cup of water

1 tsp salt

half zucchini shredded

handful of cilantro chopped

olive oil

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl and beat the mixture for around a minute. It should look like cake batter or... thick clam chowder ( I had lots of that this past weekend).
2. Heat oil in a non stick flat pan on high
3. Pour mixture in the center of the pan. After 30 seconds, using a rubber spatula slowly spread the mixture outwards in an attempt to cover the entire pan with a thin layer. (careful not to make holes)
4. After about a minute, shake the pan to ensure the pancake did not stick then flip it to cook/toast the other side. ** sometimes I slip it onto a plate and then cover the plate with the frying pan and flip it that way... 

Minced Pork Rice

I apologize for the blogging hiatus. I blame part of it on my trip to asia! I understand that only explains one month of absence... and I probably could have posted all the "sees"to balance out the taste aspect of this blog. I BLAME HUNGER GAMES for the rest! Anyway, I'm back now and I'm going to give blogging another shot!

So today I have my own recipe for Lu Rou Fan (Minced Pork Rice) for you.  This is one of my FAVORITE things to eat in Taiwan and I had lots and lots of it during my two week there. I think the reason why I like it so much is that I hardly let myself have it... I rarely order it at restaurants in the states because... well the meat is usually REALLY fatty and the sauce makes it extremely hard not to down an entire bowl of white rice... Anyway, this is a low fat version of the traditional lu rou fan! And the best part about this recipe is that you keep it in your fridge for roughly 2-3 weeks and use it as topping on rice, noodles and/or sautéed/boiled veggies!

Low Fat Lu Ruo Fan (Minced Pork Rice)
serves 8

Ingredients:
2 Shallots Minced
8 Shitake Mushrooms Minced (I used dried because it gives a great mushroom flavor)**
Olive Oil
1 lb 97% fat free Ground Pork
3 tsp Michiu (rice wine)
2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Dashi
6 oz Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 1/2 tsp Sugar
2 cups of Water (I used the water from my boiled mushrooms)

**boil dried mushrooms in 2 cups of water until soft, keep the boiled water for later use**

Directions:

1. Season pork with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp of michiu then set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a non-stick saucer and add minced shallots and cook using medium heat until shallots are caramelized and brown. Then switch to low heat and add mushrooms.
3. Add ground pork and turn the heat to medium high to brown the meat.
4. After most of the pork is browned add the soy sauce,  michiu, salt, dashi and sugar, stir well. 
5. Then add the mushroom water half cup at a time to reduce. Then cook on low heat for 2 hours... or garnish with cilantro and eat right away :) (the sauce gets better with time)
6. I added hard boiled eggs after step 5