Shoyu ramen

Active: 1 hour 15 minutes; Total: 6 hours 30 minutes; Serves: 4

Broth, chicken, low-sodium	8 cups
Mushrooms, shiitake, dried	16
Kombu	30 grams
Bonito flakes	20 grams
Mirin	1 ¼ cups
Soy sauce	1 ¼ cups
Sake	½ cup
Sugar, granulated	¼ cup
Ginger, sliced	2-inch piece
Scallions, halved	3
Garlic, peeled	3 cloves smashed + 8 cloves sliced
Sugar, brown	2 packed tablespoons
Water	1 ½ cups + 6 cups + 6 cups + 6 cups
Pork belly, skin-on	1 pound
Eggs, cold	4 large
Oil, canola	½ cup
Cayenne	1 tablespoon
Sesame seeds	2 teaspoons
Wheat noodles, fresh	4 ounces

Chicken dashi 

1. In a medium pot over medium heat, bring the broth to a bare simmer; remove from heat and let cool for 2 minutes. 
2. Add the mushrooms and kombu, and let steep for 5 minutes. 
3. Add bonito flakes, and let steep 5 minutes more. 
4. Strain the dashi; reserve solids. 

Tare & chashu 

1. In a large pot over medium heat, bring the mirin, soy sauce, sake, sugars, ginger, scallions, smashed garlic, and 1 ½-cups water to a low simmer, then reduce heat to low. 
2. Meanwhile, in a medium pot over medium heat, bring the pork and 6-cups water to a bare simmer; immediately drain, and gently rinse the pork. 
3. Transfer the pork to the pot with the tare, and bring to a simmer. 
4. Cover and cook over low heat until tender, about 1 hour 20 minutes. 
5. Let cool 20 minutes, then strain and reserve the tare liquid. 
6. Refrigerate the pork and tare separately. 

Nitamago 

1. In a medium pot over medium heat, bring 6-cups water to a boil. 
2. Prink the bottom of the eggs with a pin. 
3. Gently lower the eggs into the pot with a spoon, and simmer for 6 minutes; drain. 
4. Transfer the eggs to an ice bath, and let cool 5 minutes. 
5. Thoroughly and gently crack the eggshells, then return to the ice bath to cool for 10 minutes more. 
6. Carefully peel the eggs, and transfer to a medium bowl. 
7. Pour tare over; weigh down the eggs with the reserved spent kombu to fully immerse in liquid. 
8. Let marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours, and up to 12. 

Garlic la-yu 

1. In a small pot over very low heat, simmer the garlic in canola oil, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 15 minutes. 
2. Remove from heat, stir in the cayenne, then the seeds; let cool. 

Serving 

1. Slice the chashu into 2-inch-wide slices; torch lightly, if desired. 
2. In a pot of boiling water, cook the noodles, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 1 to 2 minutes; drain. 
3. In a small pot over medium heat, bring the dashi and mushrooms to a simmer; cook 1 minute. 
4. Transfer the dashi to a serving bowl, then add tare and noodles. 
5. Top with mushrooms, chashu, nitamago, scallion, and a drizzle of la-yu. 

Recipe from Delish magazine by June Xie.

Chicken mole

Active: 1 hour 15 minutes; Total: 2 hours 5 minutes; Serves: 8

Water	8 cups
Salt, kosher	½ tablespoon + ½ tablespoon + 1 tablespoon
Chicken quarters, skin-on, bone-in	3 ¼ pounds
Oil, vegetable	¼ cup + 3 cups + ½ cup
Garlic	8 cloves + 4 cloves
Tomatoes, plum, diced	4 ½ cups
Onion, yellow, diced	3 ½ cups
Chiles, guajillo, dried stemmed	1 3/4 ounces
Chiles, árbol, dried, stemmed	1/8 ounce
Chiles, ancho, dried, stemmed	2 ½ ounces
Chiles, pasilla negro, dried, stemmed	3/4 ounces
Chiles, mulato, dried, stemmed	1 ounce
Sesame seeds	½ cup +
Pepitas	½ cup
Tortillas, corn, 6-inch	3 + more for serving
Baguette, bolillo or demi, torn into pieces	5 ½ cups
Chocolate, Mexican (Dandelion or Ibarra)	2 disks (6 ounces)
Rice, long grain, cooked

1. Bring the water and ½-tablespoon salt to a boil in a large stockpot over high heat. 
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the chicken. 
3. Cook until the chicken is tender and a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of meat registers 155°F, about 30 minutes. 
4. Remove the chicken; set aside on a large plate. 
5. Reserve 4 cups of the cooking liquid in a large heatproof bowl; discard remaining cooking liquid. 
6. Heat ¼-cup oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. 
7. Add eight garlic cloves; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
8. Add the tomatoes, onions, and ½-tablespoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and softened, about 8 minutes. 
9. Transfer the mixture to a blender. 
10. Secure a lid on the blender, remove the center piece to allow steam to escape. 
11. Place a kitchen towel over the opening in the lid; process until smooth, about 1 minute. 
12. Transfer to a large bowl; set aside. 
13. Wipe the skillet clean; heat 3-cups oil over medium-high heat. 
14. Working with a few different types of chiles at a time, place in a spider, and submerge in hot oil for 2 seconds per a batch. 
15. Remove from oil using spider, and place in a large heatproof bowl; repeat with remaining chiles and 4 cloves of garlic. 
16. Place sesame seeds and pepitas in a medium metal strainer; submerge in hot oil in skillet over medium-high. 
17. Cook, stirring the mixture inside the strainer and shaking occasionally, until seeds are golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes. 
18. Transfer the seed mixture to the bowl with the chile mixture. 
19. Working with one tortilla at a time, add to hot oil in skillet over medium-high. 
20. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. 
21. Transfer fried tortillas to a plate lined with paper towels; let cool 5 minutes. 
22. Break into 2-inch pieces. (Strained and cooled oil may be reused for frying.) 
23. Add chile mixture, tortilla pieces, and bolillo pieces to reserved 4-cups cooking liquid. 
24. Let stand until the liquid is almost absorbed and bolillo is softened, about 10 minutes. 
25. Transfer the mixture to a blender; process until smooth, about 1 minute. 
26. Heat remaining ½-cup oil in a large pot over medium heat. 
27. Add tomato mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 1 minute. 
28. Add blended chile mixture and chocolate disk; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. 
29. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is well combined, about 20 minutes. 
30. Add cooked chicken and remaining 1-tablespoon salt; stir to submerge in mole. 
31. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until the chicken is heated through, about 10 to 15 minutes. 
32. Serve with rice and tortillas; garnish with additional sesame seeds. 

Recipe adapted from Food&Wine Magazine, March 2021.

Shrimp toast with scallion-chili sauce

Total: 35 minutes; Makes 4 dozen toasts

Shrimp, large, shelled & deveined	8 ounces
Egg	1 large
Salt, kosher	1 teaspoon
Butter, unsalted, cold, cut into cubes	2 tablespoons
Sesame seeds, toasted	2 teaspoons + 1 ½ teaspoons
Bread, white, crusts removed	6 slices
Oil, canola	For frying
Scallion, finely chopped	½ + Garnish
Soy sauce	1 tablespoon
Vinegar, rice	1 tablespoon
Sambal oelek sauce	1 ½ teaspoons

1. Combine the shrimp, egg, and salt in a food processor; process until smooth, about 15 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. 
2. Add butter and 2-teaspoons sesame seeds, and pulse until smooth with flecks of butter remaining, about 7 pulses. 
3. Spread ¼-cup shrimp mousse on each bread slice. 
4. Pour oil to a depth of 1/8 inch in a large nonstick skillet; heat over medium until shimmering. 
5. Working in batches, add bread slices, mousse-side down, and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. 
6. Flip the toasts; cook until browned and mousse is firm to touch, about 1 minute. 
7. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. 
8. Stir together 1 ½-teaspoons scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, samba oelek, and remaining 1 ½-teaspoons sesame seeds in a small bowl. 
9. Cut each toast into eight triangles; transfer to a platter or board. 
10. Garnish with slice scallions; serve soy sauce mixture with toasts. 

Recipe from Food & Wine Holiday Recipes.

Miso-sriracha deviled eggs

Mayonnaise	1/3 cup
Mustard, Dijon	1 tablespoon
Vinegar, white wine	1 teaspoon
Soy sauce, low-sodium	1 teaspoon
Miso paste	4 teaspoons
Sriracha	1 teaspoon
Sesame seeds, black	Garnish

1. In a medium saucepan, cover the eggs with 1 inch of water; bring to a boil. 
2. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 12 minutes. 
3. Drain the eggs; run under cold water until cool enough to handle. 
4. Peel and halve the eggs lengthwise; transfer the yolks to a small bowl. 
5. Mash the yolks with a folk; mix in the mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar. 
6. Press through a sieve to make smooth. 
7. Stir in the soy sauce, miso paste, and sriracha; press through the sieve again. 
8. Using a pastry bag fitted with the desired tip, pipe the yolk mixture into the whites. 
9. Garnish with the sesame seeds. 
10. Serve immediately, or chill up to 2 hours. 

Recipe from MarthaStewart.com.

Zucchini noodles with chicken & ginger dressing

Oil, canola	6 tablespoons
Lemon juice, fresh	3 tablespoons
Ginger, peeled, freshly grated	¼ cup
Garlic, finely grated	½ teaspoon
Scallions, chopped	2 tablespoons +
Sesame seeds, toasted	2 tablespoons +
Salt, kosher
Pepper, freshly ground
Zucchini, julienne cut	1 ¾ pounds
Mâche	8 cups
Chicken, rotisserie, shredded	2 cups

1. In a large bowl, whisk the oil with the juice, ginger, garlic, scallions, and sesame seeds; season with salt and pepper. 
2. Fill a bowl with iced water. 
3. In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, blanch the zucchini for 30 seconds. 
4. Drain, then transfer to the ice water to cool. 
5. Drain well and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. 
6. Add the zucchini, mâche, and chicken to the bowl with the dressing; toss to coat, and adjust seasonings. 
7. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds, and serve. 

Recipe mildly adapted from Food&Wine Magazine, March 2016