I believe many people love eating smoked chicken wings. Actually, making them DIY-style at home is not difficult at all. By preparing the chicken wings with a sous-vide-like method, the smoked final product will still be incredibly juicy~
I believe smoked braised snacks are a daily favorite for many people, but buying them can be quite expensive—often costing hundreds of dollars for just a small amount. Since I love this flavor so much, I got the idea to make it myself. To my surprise, I succeeded on my first try! So I'm sharing it with everyone here.
⚠️ Friendly Reminder: If you live in an apartment building or have smoke detectors installed at home, remember to do the smoking step outdoors or in a well-ventilated balcony to avoid setting off the fire alarm!
水煮鴨翅:鍋內燒水 2 公升,加入鹽巴 2 大匙及 1 小匙味精。接著將鴨翅放進去,等水燒開。等水燒開後蓋上鍋蓋,轉小火讓鴨翅悶煮 25 分鐘。 (Boil 2 liters of water in a pot, add 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of MSG. Put the duck wings in and wait for it to boil. Once boiling, cover the pot, turn to low heat, and simmer the duck wings for 25 minutes.)
加入鹽水煮開蓋鍋小火悶煮 25 分鐘
水煮雞翅腿:開蓋之後將雞翅腿丟進鍋內,將火關掉蓋上鍋蓋續悶 10 分鐘。(雞肉較快熟,用悶的即可) (Open the lid, drop the chicken drumettes into the pot, turn off the heat, cover the pot again, and let it steep for 10 minutes.)
吹涼定型:10 分鐘後將鴨翅及雞翅腿取出放涼,建議可以用電扇吹加速冷卻,以免肉繼續因為起鍋餘溫熟成而變得過爛。 (After 10 minutes, remove the duck wings and chicken drumettes and let them cool. It is recommended to use a fan to speed up the cooling process so the residual heat doesn't overcook the meat.)
雞肉快熟,關火用悶的即可吹電風扇迅速降溫
自製煙燻架:接下來進入煙燻程序。找一個舊鍋,裡頭鋪上鋁箔紙,放入煙燻料(糖),再架上烤網即可成為煙燻台。將煮好晾乾的鹽水鴨翅/雞翅擺在烤網上,以盡量「不交疊」為原則。 (Now for the smoking process. Find an old pot, line the bottom with aluminum foil, add the smoking ingredients (sugar), and place a wire rack over it to make a smoker. Place the cooked and cooled wings on the rack, making sure they don't overlap.)
開火煙燻:蓋上鍋蓋開大火,等到出煙後,約燻製 5~7 分鐘上色即可。煙燻程度可以視個人喜好做時間上的調整,但不宜過久以免變苦。 (Cover the pot and turn the heat to high. Once it starts smoking, smoke for about 5 to 7 minutes until colored. Adjust the time to your preference, but avoid smoking for too long, or it will become bitter.)
Making smoked duck wings yourself is not only delicious but also incredibly rewarding! The same goes for smoked chicken drumettes. Just remember that chicken cooks faster than duck, so don't overcook it, or it will become mushy~
In Taiwan, "Rou Geng" (Meat Thick Soup) is a highly representative and popular street food. Making it at home is actually not very difficult. Once you cook a large pot, it's incredibly convenient to eat it on its own, pour it over rice, or mix it with noodles.
The best cut of meat for making this is pork shoulder (胛心肉), which has a bit of sinew, giving it a crisp and chewy texture. After removing the skin, use a meat mallet to pound the meat. This breaks down the muscle fibers, making the meat much more tender. Finally, slice the pounded meat into thick strips—this will form the base of our meat chunks.
準備材料 (Ingredients)
🛒 主要食材
胛心肉絲 (Pork Shoulder Strips): 1 碗
魚漿 (Fish Paste): 1 碗
筍絲 (Bamboo Shoot Shreds): 1 碗
紅蘿蔔絲 (Shredded Carrots): 1/2 碗
乾香菇 (Dried Shiitake Mushrooms): 6 朵 (泡發切絲)
雞蛋 (Egg): 1 顆
蒜末 (Minced Garlic): 2 大匙
香菜 (Cilantro): 適量
🧂 調味料與勾芡
醃料: 五香粉、米酒
湯底調味: 醬油、糖、鹽巴、烏醋、香油、胡椒粉
勾芡料: 番薯粉 (Sweet Potato Starch) 加水調勻
作法步驟 (Instructions)
醃製肉條:在調理碗內放入肉絲及蒜末,灑進少許五香粉,淋上 1 大匙米酒後,將所有材料拌勻略醃 15 分鐘。 (Place the pork strips and minced garlic in a bowl. Add a little five-spice powder and 1 tbsp of rice wine. Mix well and marinate for 15 minutes.)
均勻裹漿:放入魚漿,比例約為肉與魚漿 1:1。接著用手拌勻,確保每根肉條都有均勻沾到魚漿。 (Add the fish paste at about a 1:1 ratio with the meat. Mix well by hand to ensure every pork strip is evenly coated with fish paste.)
水煮成型:燒一鍋水約保持 80 度左右的水溫(不要大滾),然後將肉羹捏成適當大小下鍋。等到肉羹都浮到水面上時,代表這塊羹粒已經熟了。此時可以用網子將已熟肉羹撈起。 (Heat a pot of water to around 80°C (do not let it boil vigorously). Drop bite-sized pieces of the coated meat into the water. When they float to the surface, they are cooked. Scoop them out with a strainer.)
熬煮羹湯與勾芡:煮肉羹的水不要倒掉,因為這本身就是一鍋非常有味的高湯。煮滾之後加入筍絲、紅蘿蔔絲、泡發後的乾香菇絲一起滾煮,煮到筍絲熟透即可。
最後加入醬油、鹽、糖等調味到適當的味道,然後放進適量肉羹粒,打入蛋花,最後用番薯粉兌水勾芡即可。 (Do not discard the water used to boil the meat; it's now a flavorful broth! Bring it to a boil and add the bamboo shoots, carrots, and soaked shiitake mushrooms. Cook until the bamboo shoots are tender. Season with soy sauce, salt, and sugar. Add the cooked meat chunks back in, drizzle in a beaten egg, and finally thicken the soup with sweet potato starch slurry.)
When serving, I personally highly recommend adding a splash of black vinegar, sesame oil, cilantro, and a dash of white pepper for the best flavor. Of course, some people like to add dried flatfish or fried shallots to the broth, which are also great options depending on your preference. Taiwanese street food is very flexible; the most important thing is that you enjoy what you eat!
When it comes to pork loin, most people think of pan-frying or deep-frying. However, I personally prefer roasting the whole chunk in the oven!
First, roasted pork stores very well in the fridge, so you don't need to finish it all at once. Because pork loin is quite lean, it tastes absolutely delicious even when served cold and thinly sliced. Most importantly, roasting pork loin is incredibly easy—basically, if you know how to turn on an oven and set a timer, you can make this dish!
醃製入味:將里肌肉塊均勻抹上海鹽及粗粒(或現磨)黑胡椒,蓋上保鮮膜,在冰箱裡面放置隔夜使其入味。 (Rub the pork loin evenly with sea salt and coarse black pepper. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight.)
表面煎香:將烤箱以 180°C 預熱 10 分鐘。同時起油鍋,以大火將肉塊表面均勻煎過鎖住肉汁。 (Preheat the oven to 180°C for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a pan with oil and sear the surface of the pork loin over high heat to lock in the juices.)
均勻抹上海鹽與黑胡椒大火將表面煎過鎖住肉汁
鋪底蔬菜:煎肉的同時利用等待空檔,把各類時蔬切片或切段,然後平舖在烤盤底部,撒上海鹽跟大量橄欖油備用。 (While searing the meat, slice or chop the vegetables. Spread them evenly at the bottom of a baking tray, and sprinkle with sea salt and a generous amount of olive oil.)
入烤箱燒烤:將表面煎好的肉塊,直接放到蔬菜上面。接著以 180°C 的溫度,烤約 40 分鐘,再續悶 10 分鐘後從烤箱取出。 (Place the seared pork loin directly on top of the vegetables. Roast in the oven at 180°C for about 40 minutes, then let it rest inside the oven for another 10 minutes before taking it out.)
The roasted pork loin is enough for 2 to 4 people. If you have leftover vegetables, you can chop them up and roast them again. This tray can easily cover more than two meals for one person.
Besides serving it sliced with the roasted vegetables like a steak meal, you can thinly slice the cold pork and make a fantastic sandwich with tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions. You can even top your instant ramen with a few slices to use it like Chashu pork. It's incredibly versatile—it just depends on your creativity!
Cast iron pots are perfect for making stews because they conduct heat quickly and retain it extremely well. This makes them ideal for stewing meats like beef, which can easily become tough and dry in regular pots.
I bought this 20-inch white cherry blossom Le Creuset pot on sale during my trip to Busan. Things are meant to be used, and I finally witnessed its true power. Today, I'll use this pot to make a classic beef stew that often fails in standard pots.
番茄去皮切丁:將番茄屁股劃十字,下滾水煮 30 秒後沖冷水去皮。接著將番茄切成適當大小的番茄丁備用。 (Score the bottom of the tomatoes with a cross, boil in hot water for 30 seconds, then plunge into cold water to peel. Dice the peeled tomatoes into chunks.)
熱水汆燙後去皮切成適當大小的番茄丁
乾煎牛肋條:鑄鐵鍋預熱加入少許油,然後將切好的牛肋條下鍋乾煎。煎到表面變色、血水不再滲出後,先取出備用。 (Preheat the cast iron pot with a little oil, and sear the beef ribs until the surface is browned and no more blood seeps out. Remove and set aside.)
牛肋條下鍋乾煎煎至表面變色後取出備用
爆香與炒料:利用鍋內餘油爆香蒜末,然後將洋蔥下鍋翻炒。等到洋蔥稍微變半透明,將番茄下鍋續炒。 (Use the remaining oil to sauté the minced garlic and onion. Once the onion becomes translucent, add the diced tomatoes and continue to stir-fry.)
餘油爆香蒜末與洋蔥洋蔥半透明後加入番茄
加肉調味:接著放入剛剛煎過的牛肋條,放入所有調味品拌勻。 (Return the seared beef ribs to the pot, add all the seasonings, and mix well.)
加水燉煮:加水淹過食材後,轉大火將鍋內湯汁燒滾。 (Add enough water to cover the ingredients, and turn to high heat until the soup boils.)
轉小火與利用餘溫悶煮:接著轉小火,蓋上蓋子續煮 30 分鐘,然後關火利用鑄鐵鍋餘溫再悶煮 30 分鐘左右即可。 (Turn to low heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit for another 30 minutes to cook with the residual heat.)
The finished dish can be enjoyed directly as a soup due to its balanced seasoning. If you want to serve it over rice or noodles, you can adjust the flavor with a bit more soy sauce, salt, or chicken bouillon powder to your liking.
The stewed beef ribs are incredibly tender and chewy. Cooking with a cast iron pot truly saves time, effort, and gas. Even though a high-quality pot can be quite an investment, once you use it, you can never go back to regular pots!