Decadent Dishes for Draining Days
Written by: Katelyn Higashiya
After a long day, a home-cooked meal is the best way to soothe a stressed soul. Here are five decadent dishes to relax the mind and satisfy the cravings.
Recently, post-graduation job applications, upcoming finals due dates, and the ever-growing pile of expenses keep my mind racing on a day-to-day basis. Constant reminders and internal self-doubt never fail to leave my side. Cooking has become my way of escaping my chaotic mind. Spending hours at a time in the kitchen, I found comfort in recreating personal favorites and experimenting with new recipes from Instagram or food bloggers. I also experienced relief as I placed my focus and energy into producing something delicious. If you also need a break from reality, I recommend these recipes to relax the mind and satiate the cravings.
LA Style Kalbi with Kimchi Fried Rice
Inspired by one of my favorite restaurants on Oahu, this kalbi dish excites the taste buds with an overarching soy sauce flavor followed by hints of sweetness and a small kick of spice.
Preparation Time 12+ hours
Cook Time: 30 – 45 minutes
Skill Level: Intermediate
Kalbi Marinade Ingredients:
2 lbs. LA style kalbi (bone-in short rib with a 1 -2 in. thickness)
½ cup soy sauce (Kikkoman or Yamasa Brand Preferably)
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 tbsp. mirin
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. roasted sesame seeds
1 small yellow onion, peeled & finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2-inch piece of ginger, grated
Table salt and pepper to season
*Note: If you do not have dark brown sugar, substitute with white sugar and add 1 grated Asian pear or apple (Fuji, Honeycrisp, Gala, or Honeybee).
Kimchi Fried Rice Ingredients:
3 cups cooked white rice, cooked preferably the day before to 3 hours prior
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 green onion, finely chopped
¼ - ½ cup kimchi (Adjust measurement based on your spice tolerance.), diced
2 eggs
¾ cup of pork products (For this dish, I used Spam as my pork product; however, this can be substituted for bacon, Chinese sausage, ham, char Siu, etc.), small cubes
1-3 tbsp. soy sauce (Kikkoman or Yamasa brand preferably)
1-3 tbsp. oyster sauce (Lee Kum Kee brand preferably)
1 tbsp. oil (canola or vegetable)
Kalbi Directions:
In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, dark brown sugar, mirin, sesame oil, sesame seeds, onion, green onion, garlic, and ginger together.
Lay the kalbi ribs flat on a cutting board and lightly season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the kalbi into a one-gallon zip lock bag and pour in the sauce mixture covering the kalbi ribs. Close the zip loc bag and move the sauce around the bag fully submerging the ribs and set aside in the refrigerator for a minimum of 12 hours prior to baking and broiling.
Pre-heat the oven for 375 degree (Fahrenheit) and place the marinated kalbi on a baking sheet lined with foiled.
Bake the ribs for 16 minutes turning after 8 minutes of cooking.
Finally, broil meat for 1-3 minutes and remove from the oven to rest.
Fried Rice Directions:
In a large pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Turn the stove to medium and heat up the oil.
Once the oil reduces in viscosity, add meat products.
Once the cubed meats are thoroughly cooked, add onions. Continuously stir meat and onions together until onions are more transparent.
Once onions soften and are more transparent, add kimchi. Continuously stir meat, onions, and kimchi together.
After a 2 -3 minutes, push meat, onions, and kimchi to the edges of the pan leaving a small empty circle of exposed pan. Add two beaten eggs in the circle.
Stir eggs in the circle until partially cooked before moving meat, onions, and kimchi back to the center.
Once the eggs are partially scrambled, add the eggs into the rice mixture. As you add the eggs, mix in the meat, eggs, onions, and kimchi so the rice absorbs the flavor.
Add the soy sauce and oyster sauce. Start with 1 tbsp. of soy sauce and 1 tbsp. of oyster sauce and mix it into the rice.
After the first tablespoon, taste the rice. If more seasoning is needed add ½ tbsp. of soy sauce or oyster sauce. *Note: Depending on the type of kimchi and your meat products, this will determine how much soy sauce and oyster sauce to add to your fried rice mixture.
Keep adding soy sauce and oyster sauce until it has reached your desired taste. Be careful not to add too much as it will make the rice very salty and unpalatable.
Turn off the heat. Incorporate the green onion into the fried rice before serving.
Ten-don (Tempura Bowl with Sauce Poured on Top)
One of my newest cooking ventures, this tempura bowl combines classic shrimp tempura, vegetable tempura, and my grandmother’s signature kakiage tempura. Filled with vegetables, shrimp, and rice, this dish will warm the soul.
Preparation: 1.5 -2 hours
Cook Time: 30 – 45 minutes
Skill Level: Intermediate
Tempura Ingredients:
1 lb. tiger shrimp (20/25 shrimp also works.)
½ - 1 carrot, finely sliced
½ small yellow onion, finely sliced
1 purple sweet potato, finely sliced
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup ice-cold water
1 large egg
2-3 cups of canola or vegetable oil
Tempura Sauce:
2/5 cup soy sauce (Kikkoman or Yamasa brand preferably)
2/5 cup mirin
1 ¾ cup dashi (Hon dashi or Katsuo dashi works)
Shrimp Tempura Preparation:
Peel the shrimp, leaving the tail.
Remove the telson, which is the last segment of the shrimp abdomen in between the tail.
Make a 1/8 -1/4-inch incision on the back of the shrimp removing the sand vein (poop). If there is no vein, that is less work for you.
With the edge of the knife, scrape the tail, removing any debris before washing the shrimp in water.
Place the shrimp on the cutting board with its belly up. Create five ¼ inch incisions along the belly of the shrimp.
With your thumb, press down on the incisions. At this point, you should hear a popping or crunching noise. Press along the belly of shrimp until no sounds are heard.
With a paper towel, dry the shrimp thoroughly.
Vegetable Tempura and Kakiage Tempura Preparation Process:
Make sure all sliced vegetables are dry thoroughly along with the shrimp bits.
Batter Directions:
In a large bowl, add ¾ cup of ice-cold water and a large egg. Beat the egg and water together until fully combined.
Slowly add your flour into the egg and water mixture, a little at a time.
With a whisk, tap the flour into the water until fully submerged. Repeat the process until all flour is added into the bowl. The consistency of the batter should be watery.
With the remaining ¼ cup of flour, lightly flour shrimp and vegetables before fully submerging it into the batter.
Sauce Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, dashi, and mirin. Turn the heat to high and wait until you hear the sauce boil.
Once the sauce starts boiling, turn down the heat to low. Let the sauce simmer for 3-4 minutes before turning off the heat,
Let the sauce cool before pouring it over the tempura.
Frying Directions:
In a saucepan, add 2 -3 cups of oil and turn the heat to medium.
Test the oil temperature by dropping a dot of batter into the hot oil. For vegetable tempura, you want the batter to come to the surface within 2 seconds. For shrimp and kakiage tempura, you want the batter to come immediately to the surface.
Once the oil is ready, batter your vegetable and place gently into the oil. After a few seconds, place a few batter drops into the oil and move the batter towards the vegetable. This creates a light and crispy exterior texture. After 3-4 minutes, remove the vegetable from the oil and place on a cooling rack.
For shrimp tempura, batter the shrimp and place the shrimp belly down into the oil. After a few seconds, place a few batter drop into the oil. If your shrimp starts to curl, this is a result of not crushing all the muscles from the preparation process. It’s okay just keep going. After 4 minutes, remove the shrimp from the oil and place on a cooling rack.
For the kakiage tempura (rounded combination tempura), take a few onion slices, carrot slices, sweet potato slices, and a shrimp bit and place them in a handheld strainer or a ladle to batter the ingredients. Place the ingredients in a circular shape as you drop them into oil. With a pair of chopsticks, separate the ingredients so it cooks internally. Place drops of batter on top of the vegetables as you meld them back together. Flip and cook evenly on both sides before placing on cooling rack.
Soba Salad with a Soy Sauce Vinaigrette
Memories of volleyball tournaments and softball games come to mind whenever I make this dish. Refreshing and hearty, this is the perfect salad for a hot summer day.
Preparation: 1 hour
Cook Time: 10 -12 minutes
Skill Level: Beginner
Salad Ingredients:
2 bunches of dried soba noodles
2 cups washed baby spinach
½ - 1 carrot, finely sliced
½ onion, finely sliced
2 tbsp. dried wakame (dried packaged kelp)
2 tbsp. dried hijiki (dried brown seaweed)
Optional: 1 tsp. sesame seeds
Salad Dressing:
¼ cup soy sauce (Kikkoman or Yamasa brand preferably)
¼ cup oil
¼ cup sugar
1 1/3 tbsp. Japanese rice vinegar
2 tbsp. lemon juice (Lime juice also works)
Salad Preparation Directions:
In a deep pot, pour in 4 to 5 cups of water and turn the heat to high.
Once the water starts boiling, add in the two bunches of dried soba noodles. Let it boil for five minutes before checking the texture. The perfect texture is slightly firm.
After its finished boiling, drain the noodle and wash under cold water. Set it to the side.
In two bowls, pour in ice cold water. In one bowl, add the dried hijiki, and in the other, add dried wakame.
Wait for thirty minutes for both seaweeds to rehydrate and proceed to drain.
In a bowl, place the ingredients in this order (bottom to top): soba noodles, spinach, carrots, onions, seaweed, hijiki, and sesame seeds.
Salad Dressing Directions:
In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, oil, sugar, rice vinegar, and lemon juice. Whisk until fully combined.
When you are ready to eat, whisk or shake the dressing as the oil separates from the other ingredients.
Waimanalo Style Burger with Oven Baked French Fries
A classic staple for Sunday family dinners, my uncle’s burger recipe surpasses the classic with an infusion of Korean bulgogi sauce. Served with a side of French fries, this recipe will surely impress your friends and family.
Preparation: 2.5 to 3 hrs.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Burger Ingredients:
1 lb. 80% / 20% ground beef
½ tsp. ground black pepper
2 stalks of green onion, finely chopped
½ yellow onion, finely chopped
1 ½ tbsp. soy sauce (Kikkoman, Yamasa, or Sempio preferred)
1 tbsp. white sugar
½ tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. mirin
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
*Note: If you have bulgogi sauce (Korean BBQ sauce), omit the soy sauce, white sugar, honey, mirin, and garlic. Instead, add 1/8 cup of bulgogi sauce.
6 Hawaiian burger buns (Brioche and potato buns also work.)
1-2 tbsp. of canola oil (Vegetable and olive oil works.)
Optional Add-On Ingredients:
Iceberg Lettuce
Cheddar Cheese
Tomato
Grilled Onions
Pickles
Burger Sauce:
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 – 2 tbsp. sriracha
French Fries:
2 Russet Potatoes
2 tbsp. olive oil
½ -1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. kosher salt
Burger Preparation Directions:
In one bowl, add soy sauce, sugar, honey, mirin, and garlic, Mix until it is well incorporated.
In a large bowl, add your ground beef, green onion, and yellow onion. Knead the ingredients until they are well incorporated.
Finally, add your bulgogi sauce mixture into your beef mixture and knead well.
Take roughly ½ of a palm size of beef mixture and roll it into a small ball. Flatten the ball until it is slightly larger than the palm of your hand.
Continue this step until you created 5 – 7 burger patties.
On your stovetop, place a medium size pan, add 1 tbsp oil, and turn the heat to medium.
Once it is hot enough, place 3-4 burger patties in the pan. Wait 3-4 minutes before flipping.
After flipping, wait another 4 minutes before taking it off the stove to rest. *The timing is for medium cooked. If you wish for the burger to be closer to rare or well done, adjust the time by adding or subtracting 2 -3 minutes.
Repeat steps 7 & 8 for the remaining burger patties. Add oil to the pan if the burgers begin to stick to the pan.
French Fries Preparation Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wash the potatoes and slice the ends and a part of the side. *You can either leave the skin on or remove.
Slice the potato in 3/8 to ½ in. fries. Place the fries in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes.
Drain the fries and dry with paper towels.
In a dry bowl, add the dried, uncooked French fries, olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. Toss until it is well incorporated.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread your French fries so that they aren’t touching each other.
Bake the fries for 20 minutes.
After the 20 minutes, remove the fries from the oven and flip each fry. Place back in the oven for an additional 8-10 minutes or until they are crispy and golden brown.
Once your burger and fries are done, assemble your burger with your choice of toppings. For the burger sauce, combine the mayonnaise and sriracha in a small bowl and add to your burger bun.
Granny’s Famous Chili Pepper Chicken
Iconic and better than Bonchon, this simple chili pepper chicken is the perfect dish for any occasion. Sweet with a little kick of heat, this chicken recipe will become your new favorite.
Preparation: 2 to 3 hrs.
Skill Level: Beginner
Chicken Ingredients:
1.5 lbs. chicken wings & drumsticks (approximately 10 total)
1 cup flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 ½ to 2 ½ cups canola oil (Vegetable oil works.)
Chili Pepper Sauce Marinade
½ cup. soy sauce (Kikkoman or Yamasa brand preferably)
6 tbsp. white sugar
1 ¼ tsp. garlic powder
1 chili pepper (no seeds)
*If you do not have small chili peppers, substitute for 1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes.
Chicken Preparation Directions:
In a gallon plastic bag, add your flour, salt, and black pepper.
Proceed to add chicken wings and drumsticks into the bag.
Once added, close the bag and shake the bag until the flour covers the chicken.
Leave the bag of floured chicken in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours. If you don’t have the time, you can cook immediately.
After letting the chicken rest in the fridge, it is time to fry. In a pan, add the oil and set the heat to medium on your stove top.
Once the oil is heated, add the chicken. The temperature is ready when the chicken crackles upon touching the oil.
Leave the chicken in the oil for 10-12 minutes. Flip the chicken every 4-5 minutes.
The chicken is ready when it has a light golden to golden brown color. Remove from the oil and place on a drying rack to rest.
Marinade Directions:
In a saucepan, add the soy sauce, white sugar, garlic powder, and chili pepper (or red pepper flakes).
Whisk the ingredient together until it is well incorporated.
Place the saucepan on your stovetop and set the heat to medium.
Once the sauce starts to boil, turn off the heat and set to the side to cool.
While the sauce is warm, completely submerge the chicken into the sauce covering both sides.