New Year Do Overs.

The end of January is almost here, and I bet you’re wondering where did the first month of the new year go.  Well, depending on what country you live in, you might just have the opportunity to do a “Happy New Year!” do over.  This is also your chance to become more open-minded, and learn about new year celebrations in other countries.  Remember, the true meaning of life is to learn something new every day.

Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) is celebrated in China and East Asia (Vietnam, Korea) between late January and mid-February, based on the lunar calendar.  2026 is the Year of the Horse, or more specifically, the Fire Horse, and begins February 17, 2026 until February 5, 2027. The horse is the 7^th animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac.  It represents energy, freedom, speed, action, a dynamic time for new ventures, bold moves, social connections, and traits of honesty and independence.  The fire horse adds passion, intensity, and transformation aka "purification by fire”, and “trials by fire”.

Thailand celebrates New Year twice, officially on January 1st (International New Year) with fireworks and parties, and traditionally for Songkran in mid-April (April 13-15), which is the culturally significant Thai New Year with water festivals and family rituals. While January 1st is a national public holiday for the global New Year, Songkran is the major traditional festival.

Hindu/Buddhist New Years: Various regional festivals (like Songkran in Thailand, Vaisakhi in India) occur around mid-April, often linked to spring equinoxes.

Islamic New Year (Hijri New Year): Marks the start of Muharram in the lunar Hijri calendar, so the Gregorian date shifts yearly, observed by Muslim populations globally.

Nowruz (Persian New Year): Celebrated in Iran and parts of Central Asia on the spring equinox (March 20 or 21).

Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash): Falls on Meskerem 1 (around September 11) in the Ethiopian solar calendar.

From the many food articles I have written, it is well known that Roy and I simply love to indulge in Asian cuisines.  Recently we celebrated New Year’s Eve at Ja-Roen Thai & Sushi here in Monticello.  Not only did we have the best in food to dine on, but spent the last day of 2025 with some of our favorite people, the staff at Ja-Roen.  I did ask if, in April, the restaurant would do a Thailand New Year’s celebration menu, and the manager, Palm, liked the idea of that.  I hope owner Waen and Robert go for the idea too, as we’re looking forward to see what kind of dishes are served at that time.

For Chinese New Year, in the past, making a delicious concoction of seafoods and vegetables, in a savory broth, was our honor towards the culture.  Typically known as Asian Seafood Soup or Seafood Hot Pot, this versatile recipe allows you to use various combinations of seafood and vegetables to create different types of Asian soups, such as a spicy Korean Jjampong or a tangy Thai Tom Yum.  In other words, when the new year celebrations come around for those countries, you’ll have a recipe to do them honor as well.

 

Not everyone is lucky to live in an area where fresh seafood is available, so frozen needs to be used.  To tell if frozen seafood is good to buy, check the packaging for no tears or frost, ensure the fish is solidly frozen without ice crystals or liquid, and look for uniform color and no freezer burn (white/dry spots); this indicates proper freezing, minimal temperature fluctuations, and better quality, with Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) shrimp being a good choice.  Many frozen seafoods come from Asian countries, like China, and should be avoided due to use of chemicals and poor-quality control.  Look for country labels such as: United States, Canada, Iceland, Norway, New Zealand, Scotland, Indonesia, Argentina, Ecuador, Honduras.  Yes, they may be pricier, but safer to eat and better quality.

Don’t be discouraged if the local market does not have the vegetables or seasonings needed; larger supermarkets are more diverse, so will more than likely have what’s needed.  Then again, from what I have been seeing, local markets are bringing more versatile products in, to keep the customers satisfied with needs and wants.  If you cannot find a fish listed, yes, you can substitute, but make sure it’s a firm fish; delicate fish will simply fall apart when cooking in the broth.

 

Asian Seafood Soup

 

Ingredients:

4 quarts Asian fish broth

½ lb. pollack, cut into bite sized pieces

1 lb. cod, cut into bite sized pieces

1 lb. medium sized raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb. whole baby clams, previously removed from shells (canned is acceptable)

½ lb. each chopped boy choy and shredded Chinese (Napa) cabbage

¾ lb. snow pea pods, strings removed

2 cups straw mushrooms

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. minced ginger root

3 Tbsp. oyster sauce

 

 

 

 

Preparation:

In a 6-quart pot, on high heat, bring the fish broth to a boil.  Reduce to medium-high heat, add in pollack and cod; cook for 10 minutes.

 

Next, add in shrimp, clams, bok choy, cabbage, snow pea pods, straw mushrooms; cook for 10 minutes (shrimp will turn pink). 

Reduce heat to low, stir into pot the garlic, ginger root and oyster sauce; cook for 10 minutes.

Serve in bowls; if desired a sprinkle of chopped chives or green onions is a sense-sational garnish.

Makes 8-10 generous servings.

The key to making a simple Asian fish broth is to use the bones from non-oily fish like snapper, cod or bass. 

 

Ingredients:

 1 lb.  fish bones and head, gills removed (don’t worry over meat stuck to the bones, only adds to the flavor of the broth)

2 Tbsp. canola oil

1 Tbsp. minced ginger

¼ cup diced white onion

4 cups boiling hot water

1 Tbsp. Chinese Shaoxing wine  

 ¼ tsp. white pepper

Preparation:

Rinse the fish bones and head thoroughly under cold water, washing away any blood near the spine. Pat them dry with paper towels to prevent oil splattering during frying.

In a 3-quart pot, heat oil, medium-high heat; add ginger and white onion, sauté for 2 minutes. Add fish bones to the pot and pan-fry until they are lightly browned on all sides.  

Add boiling water and Shaoxing wine; bring mixture to a boil, and reduce heat to medium. Cover pot and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the liquid turns a creamy white color; do not go over 30 minutes or broth could turn bitter.

Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer to remove all solid bits, including small bones. Discard the solids, leaving a clear, flavorful broth.  Broth can be frozen up to 6 months.

Makes one quart. 

Mary Cokenour 

 

Celebrating Korean Cuisine.

According to another “National Food Days” calendar I found, January 13^th is National Korean-American Day.  Which, of course, got me to thinking about my experiences with Korean cuisine, and how few they were.  It was not till the middle to later 2000s that Korean food began to make an appearance in the food truck scene.  Korean “tacos” became all the rage, and suddenly restaurants began opening offering Korean style “barbecue”. 

Korean barbecue is called Bulgogi which translates to “fire meat”, and, originally, it was only a beef dish.  Pork and chicken are now included as folks wanted more of a variety.  The marinade used for beef is also used for pork, and chicken has a more subtle type. Let’s take a step backwards, in time, and see how this recipe originated.

A quote, from an article in Smithsonian Magazine, about Bulgogi, sums up its historical background, “According to the peer-reviewed Korea Journal, the dish’s origins stretch back to the Goguryeo era (37 B.C. to 668 A.D.), the evolution of a kabob-like skewered meat preparation called maekjeok. Over time, maekjeok became seoryamyeok, a brothy dish of marinated beef soaked in cold water, which by the early 20th century gave way to neobiani, a luxurious dish of thinly-sliced, marinated and charbroiled beef favored by Korean royalty.”  In other words, the recipe began with grilling, turned into a sort of soup, and then returned to being grilled.

 

               Kimchi, Savory Korean Pancakes with Grilled Salmon and Chopped Vegetables.

Bulgogi Beef, Bulgogi Inside Egg Roll Wraps and Deep Fried, Bulgogi Chicken Lettuce Wraps, 

 

I have tried all three meats, in various forms, which gives a variety of taste, texture and scent.  Beef wrapped in egg roll wrappers and deep fried adds crunch to the tender beef while an explosion of sauce bursts forth.  Thinly sliced pork plus the addition of thinly sliced raw, and crunchy, vegetables, wrapped in lettuce leaves has a fresher flavor combination.  Pieces of marinated and grilled chicken, topped over steamed rice, has more of a comfort food aura surrounding it.  If doing the lettuce wrap sounds enticing, use a type of butter lettuce such as Bibb or Boston.  The leaves are smaller than iceberg or romaine, sweeter in taste and more pliable for wrapping around ingredients.

There are various methods to making Bulgogi:

Grills

Tabletop grill or small barbecue is the traditional method.

Wood chip barbecue grill gives a smokier flavor addition to the meats.

Charcoal grill: The marinade, juices, and fats drip onto the coals, burn, and then come back to “smoke” the meats.

Pans

Cast iron pan: Retains heat well which allows for even cooking and a better sear.

Griddle: Can be used on the stovetop or on a grill

Skillet: Can be used to cook thin slices of meat 

 

Bulgogi Beef and Deep Fried Inside Egg Roll Wrappers

 

Now for the marinades, for beef and pork (using 2 lbs. of meat), the ingredients are:

6 Tbsp. soy sauce (low salt is fine too)  

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. Japanese rice wine aka Mirin

1 cup of peeled and diced red apple, Asian pear or pineapple.

¼ cup diced onion

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. minced ginger

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

 

Bulgogi Chicken Lettuce Wraps

The marinade ingredients for chicken (using 1 lb.) are:

3 Tbsp. soy sauce (low salt is fine too)

1 and ½ Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. Japanese rice wine aka Mirin

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. minced ginger

1 tsp. sesame oil

Pinch of ground black pepper

Preparation is similar for all meats:

Thinly slice beef or pork; cut up, into 1-inch pieces, the chicken; place in sealable container. 

Place all ingredients for marinade into blender and blend until smooth.  Pour over meat in container, mix to coat, seal and refrigerate for four hours.  Remove meat from marinade and grill on medium-high heat.

The excess marinade can be put into a small pan, high heat, and reduce to a thicker sauce for the grilled meat.

 

Kimchi

 

A traditional Korean side dish is Kimchi which is a salted and fermented vegetable, usually Napa cabbage or Koran radish.  The seasonings added are Korean chili powder, spring onions, garlic, ginger, and jeotgal (a salted seafood).  Korean chili powder is called gochutgaru which has a vibrant red color, the texture may vary from fine powder to flakes, and the heat level from mildly hot to very hot.  In Northern Korean, kimchi is on the milder side of hot, while in Southern Korean, they like it hot-hot-hot.  Kimchi is eaten on a global scale, and can often be found at Asian restaurants offering a buffet menu.  Kimchi is similar to sauerkraut, since they both are typically made within ceramic containers.  However, the kimchi process is shorter in time and is spicy in nature, while sauerkraut is sour.

 

 

Savory Korean Pancakes with Grilled Salmon and Chopped Vegetables.

Leftover bulgogi, if there is any, and kimchi can be used to make Korean pancakes.  These pancakes are of a more savory nature than the typical breakfast pancake we eat in the USA.

A batter of flour and egg is pan-fried with chopped vegetables, meats and seasonings having been added to the batter, and is similar to a fritter.  The dipping sauce for the pancakes is a combination of soy sauce, Japanese rice wine and red pepper flakes.

Pancake Batter with Added Ingredients

 

Fry One Side.

Flip and Fry Other Side

If you are lucky, and happen to live in an area which has Korean restaurants or food trucks, and stores to buy ingredients, do yourself the favor and try this cuisine.  If not, online shopping will provide the ingredients, and making it at home can be a great experience in learning something new.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

Just Another Stir-Fry Recipe.

Not too much to say about this new recipe.  Roy and I simply enjoy delving into Asian cuisines, and this was another opportunity to play.  I think the most creative thing was coming up with a way to flavor the rice without a lot of ingredients.  Using jasmine green tea bags did the job with any mess.  Just place them in the water being used to make the rice, bring to a boil, remove the bags, and wallah, the water is infused with the flavorful tea.

The entire recipe, including rice, makes eight servings, and the leftovers simply got more flavorful over time.

 Order Up, and You're Welcome! 

 

Sweet Chili Stir-Fry

(Over Jasmine Green Tea Rice)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. raw, peeled and deveined large shrimp (or chunks of chicken breasts or pork tenderloin)

1 cup chopped red bell peppers

1 (15 oz.) can straw mushrooms, drained

½ cup julienned purple (also called red) onions

½ tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground lemon grass

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

½ cup sweet chili sauce (aka Thai sweet chili sauce)

8 cups jasmine green tea infused rice **

Preparation:

In a sealable plastic container, mix together protein, peppers, mushrooms, onions, black pepper, ginger and lemon grass.  Place in refrigerator for one hour, but begin making rice in a half hour.

 

** To make rice, in a 3-quart pan, place 8 cups of cold water, ½ tsp. salt, 2 teabags of jasmine green tea.  Set heat to high and bring to a boil.  Remove tea bags and add 4 cups uncooked, medium grain, white rice; stir, reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for 20 minutes.  Remove lid, let rice rest for 5 minutes before fluffing up with a fork.

 

 

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat; spread out contents from plastic container in skillet and sauté’ until protein in thoroughly cooked (shrimp will turn pinkish/red, and no longer be translucent).  Add sweet chili sauce, mix in thoroughly, remove skillet from heat, and serve.

 

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Frying Up Rice in a Wok.

When I wrote up my article about Hoisin sauce, I promised to also share a recipe for making Fried Rice.  Fried rice is exactly as named, the rice, whether cooked or raw, is “toasted” or fried up in oil before mixing in additional ingredients.  The rich brown color though comes from the addition of soy sauce which flavors as well.

The origin of this dish dates back to the Sui dynasty (589–618 CE), of course being cooked in a traditional Chinese cooking pot, or the Wok.  There are many advantages of cooking with a Wok, and the primary ones are: #1 – Quick, #2 – Easy.  The Wok is a deep pan with a rounded bottom and slanted sides; usually made of stainless steel, aluminum or cast iron.  The metal, while hot, is continuously rolled and pounded out to the desired depth, width and shape.  The shape of this pan allows one to cook food at high, evenly distributed, heat with very little oil.  Besides the traditional stir fry method, Woks can be used to stew, braise, steam or deep fry.  Depending on the dishes you intend to create, a meal can be prepped and cooked in about 30 minutes if using a Wok.

Back to fried rice’s origin which was a simple question of, “What to do with leftovers?”  Leftover rice, meat and vegetables from the day before are still edible, have lost some flavor, but are too good to throw away, or feed to livestock.  Wok-ing them up, adding soy sauce, garlic, ginger, scallions reawakens those flavors, and creates an entirely new meal to enjoy.

Do you need to purchase a Wok to create Asian cuisine?  Of course not; a standard skillet will work just as well; as will everyday kitchen utensils.  However, if you are feeling the creativity bug bite, well, scratch the itch, and get yourself a complete Wok set.  When I said Asian cuisine, I meant it!  Woks can be used to create Japanese dishes, such as tempura (to die for!), Thai, Indonesian, Korean, and even Indian recipes such as curry; it is not just for Chinese recipes.

 

Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. canola oil if using Wok; 4 Tbsp. for skillet

3 cups uncooked long grain rice

¼ cups each diced onion, bell peppers (red, green, yellow combined)

1 (12 oz.) package frozen peas and carrots, thawed

1 cup soy sauce

5 cups water

½ tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp ground ginger

Preparation:

Heat oil, on high heat, in Wok or skillet; add rice, onion and bell peppers and “toast” the rice for 5 minutes.

Saute' Chicken; Set Aside to Add Later.

 

Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.   Turn off heat, uncover, and allow to rest for 5 minutes before fluffing up with a fork.  If adding any cooked, chopped protein (2 lbs.), carefully add in to not make clumps, or serve rice as a side to the protein.  Want a complete vegetarian meal; add grilled vegetables or tofu.

Completed Fried Rice; Chicken Added In.

 

Makes 6-8 servings

Note:  2 eggs, cooked scrambled, can be mixed in after rice has completely cooked.

Now this is a simplified recipe and can be adjusted to include other seasonings, such as chili flakes and/or garlic.  If adding a protein, season up the pieces that are being precooked, and their flavoring will meld with, and enhance, the fried rice.  For example, when I use chicken, I season the pieces with a little sea salt, ground black pepper and paprika.  It turns the chicken from bland to wow, and the paprika will give a little smokiness to the flavor, like hoisin sauce would do.  Mix in chopped and steamed, or grilled, broccoli and it is a whole new view of a favorite take-out dish, chicken and broccoli.

If using precooked rice, the water part, plus half the soy sauce, will be skipped.  Instead of letting the rice cook for 20 minutes, first add the rice (6 cups cooked), onion and bell peppers to the oil and keep it moving around the Wok, or skillet.  The rice and vegetables will begin to fry up, but you do not want to burn any of it.  5-7 minutes until the oil is absorbed, and the rice looks like it will begin to dry out.  Add in the peas and carrots, ½ cup soy sauce, black pepper and ginger, and keep it moving for another 5-7 minutes, or until the rice and vegetables are uniformly hot.  If you want the color of the rice to be darker, add, one tablespoon at a time, more soy sauce until it is the color you desire.  But keep it moving, as burnt rice is bitter!

Mary Cokenour

Barbeque - Asian Style.

The first time I had ever experienced Hoisin sauce, or should I say knowingly had it, was at a Chinese restaurant in New York City's Chinatown.  Ever seen a photo of a huge round table, with a, almost as huge, turn table in the center?  The many platters and bowls of food set upon it, and as it is turned, diners take a portion of each delicacy offered. I had been asked to a celebration dinner which consisted of such a set up, and one delicacy served was Peking Duck.  There was a thick, dark sauce served with the duck; smearing just a small amount onto a Chinese pancake, a few slivers of duck and scallion were then wrapped within the pancake.  The first bite was a surprise, but the continuing bites lead to ecstasy; such a rich, heady flavor came from the sauce.

My next conscious experience with Hoisin was having Mhu Shu (also written as Moo Shu or Mu Shu) Pork; a pork and vegetable mixture which is eaten inside, again, a pancake smeared with Hoisin. A most excellent dish and if pork is not to your liking, it can be prepared with shrimp, chicken, beef or a combination.  Be careful though, while these pancakes with filling are small, do not be surprised that you ate several more than you ever intended to.

Hoisin sauce is the Chinese version of barbecue sauce which, besides grilling, can be used in stir fries, marinades, as a condiment or a thickener. It is a soy based sauce having the components of salty, sweet and spicy due to the additional ingredients of garlic, vinegar, sweeteners and chilies. The texture of the sauce is usually thick, but can be thinned with the addition of sesame oil or water until the desired consistency is achieved.

While Hoisin can be purchased in a store, it can just as easily be made at home. Having a mortar and pestle handy in the kitchen is an asset for creating the paste quality of some of the ingredients. Patience is also necessary as it needs a good amount of mixing to help the ingredients meet and marry together; using a blender is quite useful for this and easier on the wrist.

Hoisin Sauce

Ingredients:

6 Tbsps. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. each creamy peanut butter and black bean paste

1 Tbsp. each honey and dark molasses

2 tsps. white vinegar

¼ tsp. each garlic and onion paste

2 tsps. sesame oil

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Hot sauce – dependent upon how mild, medium or hot is desired, or add pieces of chopped chilies to the garlic and onion when creating the paste.

Preparation:

Add all ingredients into a medium bowl, or into a blender, and mix until smooth. The texture will be thick; if a thinner consistency is desired, add a teaspoon of sesame oil or water until achieved.

Makes ½ cup.

One item I like to use Hoisin on is salmon; giving the fish a rich, smoky flavor from the sauce and a mild sweetness and spice from the glaze it creates. As a side dish, cook up a package of ramen, adding oriental style vegetables such as snow pea pods, bamboo shoots, shitake mushrooms, and red bell peppers for colors; substitute ½ cup soy sauce for the equivalent of the water needed.

 

The salmon has the skin and bones removed and cut into 4 to 6 ounce portions; depending on how large the side of salmon is. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Use a pastry brush to spread a half cup of Hoisin sauce over the foil, wherever the salmon will be lying. Place the salmon on the foil and brush it liberally with sauce; sprinkle a little ground ginger over all. Bake the salmon for 20 minutes; test for doneness in the thickest part of the filets. While the salmon is baking, the side dish can be made.

Simple and quite delicious!

But if you would rather have a nice bit o’ beef…

Fresh brisket, a lovely red color to the meat, just a 1/4 inch fat cap on top; and just at the two pound mark.  Too small for the smoker; too pretty to cut up for use in a recipe; what to do is a good question!

I saw the bottle of Hoisin sauce (yes, I keep a bottle on hand) on the refrigerator door shelf.  Hmmm, a smoky sauce with a multitude of flavors on a pretty cut of brisket; and the brain kicked in with an idea.  Have not had good fried rice in a while either, so I knew that would be my side dish; a dash of Hoisin would give it a little smokiness as well.

Hoisin Beef (Brisket)

 Ingredients:

2 lb. beef brisket, trimmed of fat

3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar (or white vinegar)

½ tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 cup Hoisin sauce

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 Tbsps. diced red onion

Preparation:

Two hours before roasting the brisket; rub the vinegar over all sides of the meat, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 325F; line roasting pan with aluminum foil.  Score top and bottom of meat with diagonal cuts, creating one inch diamond marks.  Mix together the ginger, white pepper and salt; rub on both sides of meat.  Place meat in pan and roast for 15 minutes.

 

Mix together sauce, garlic and onion; turn meat over in pan, baste top and sides of meat with sauce mixture making sure to get sauce into score marks.  Return to oven for 30 minutes; turn over meat, baste and roast for another 30 minutes for medium-rare.  For medium; repeat turn and baste process, roast for 30 minutes more.  For medium-well; repeat turn and baste process, roast for 30 minutes more.

 

Remove meat to cutting board; rest for 5 minutes before slicing; spoon sauce from roasting pan over meat.  Serve with fried rice; when making rice, add one teaspoon of Hoisin sauce for every three servings to boost the flavor.

Makes 6 servings.

 

Oh, the recipe for fried rice?  Don’t worry, that will be coming soon enough.  If I gave you all the recipes, all at once, whatever else would I write about?

Mary Cokenour