Tagged with pork …

Feb 12 2013
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Asian Inspired, Local Eateries, Recker-mendation, We Eat Well

Recker-mendation: Ma Hnin Asian Restaurant

Variety

Jon mentioned this little restaurant a long time ago and then it fell off our radar for years until tonight. His dad is in town and we wanted to try something new. Ma Hnin is located at South Calhoun and Pontiac in a former gas/service station. The interior isn’t fancy, but it’s comfortable and appropriate for the type of food served. We arrived a little after 7 and had the restaurant to ourselves, which allowed us to bend our server’s ear about her recommendations. The menu is fairly small, with a handful of appetizers, noodle dishes, and thai special dishes, but offers a nice variety.

Samosas $4.50

Samosas $4.50

We started with Samosas, a wonton filled with potatoes, onions, lentils, coriander, and spices, and they were delicious. I loved the thin and crunchy pastry shell. And talk about savory spices! So much yum packed into these little triangles. A word of advice: let them cool. Those suckers are hotter than molten lava when first served.

Koa Pad Kra Prao $6.50

Koa Pad Kra Prao $6.50

Jon chose Koa Pad Kra Prao, which is stir fried basil with choice of meat (he chose pork), served over rice with 2 eggs over easy. He ordered it medium spicy, which was plenty hot for his taste. Be sure to use the peanuts on the table with this dish- they temper the spices nicely and bring out the flavors of the ground pork and fresh basil.

Fried Noodle $6.50

Fried Noodle $6.50

Jon’s dad opted for a two dishes: Rice Noodle and Fried Noodle. Fried Noodle is stir fried noodles with seafood and served Burmese Style (which means SPICY!). We were floored with the amount and variety of seafood included with this dish; shrimp, oysters, and calamari to name a few. It also contained bok choy, red peppers and water chestnuts. It came with a small bowl of broth and a spicy salad. Yummy. I am ordering this the next time we go back. The Rice Noodle is one of the traditional Burmese dishes on the menu and is served in a large bowl in broth. It contains rice noodles, cabbage, fried beans and spices. I had only a bite of this dish, but I can’t wait to go back and order it for myself. It’s like a traditional Thai Soup I’ve had at other places, but with spices I couldn’t identify. A bit sweet, a little salty, but definitely tasty.

Rice Noodle $5.95

Rice Noodle $5.95

I ordered the Yum Talay, a hot and spicy seafood salad mixed with green onion, lime juice, and fish sauce.  It wasn’t quite what I expected, but it was good. It’s a cold dish loaded with shrimp, squid, oysters, and mushrooms. I don’t care for mushrooms, so I picked those out, but the seafood was great. You can’t get that much seafood for the price anywhere in town. The tangy combination of lime juice and fish sauce was just perfect.

Yum Talay $7.50

Yum Talay $7.50

The portion sizes are HUGE, so we were all full when we left and took quite a bit home with us too, but I am really looking forward to our next trip.

Mahnin Asian Restaurant on Urbanspoon

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Jan 09 2012
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We Eat Well

Black-eyed Peas and Cornbread

Happy New Year! Yes, I realize it’s the 9th, but it’s taken me awhile to get into the swing of 2012. The holidays wiped me out. We did, however, enjoy a lovely New Year’s Day meal that Jon says was full of symbolism. The black-eyed peas represent coins (presumably wealth) and the cornbread and pork represent an awareness of people who have less than we do. Sounds fancy, huh? I just shook my head and went with it.

This meal exceeded my expectations. I am fairly certain the secret to its success is the smoked pork neck. Sounds gross, I know. Believe me, it looks gross too, but the resulting flavor is a rich, smoky, savory undertone to the entire dish. Combined with the texture of the beans and rice, I am apt to say this is one of my favorite meals. I say that a lot. I am sure it’s getting old. Perhaps I am easily pleased. Or perhaps, Jon is the greatest cook of all time. I will let you decide.

Black-eyed peas ingredients:

  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 1 medium carrot, halved and sliced thin
  • 2 tbsp butter, divided
  • 4 smoked pork neck bones
  • 32 oz organic chicken broth
  • 2 15 oz cans of black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
  • ¾ cup brown rice
Cornbread ingredients:
  • 1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 can corn, drained and rinsed

Preparation: 

Begin broth:  Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large sauce pan and sauté the onion and carrots to soften. Lay the neck bones on top of the vegetables and cover with the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours to break down collagen in the meat and season the broth with the bones. Remove the neck bones from the sock and pull off the meat. The meat should release easily. Reserve ¾ cup broth to use for rice.

Make cornbread:  While meat is simmering, in a bowl, beat egg. Add milk and sour cream and mix. Add cornbread mix and corn. Pour into greased 8×8 pan. Increase cooking time on box by 5 mins. Toothpick in center should come out clean. If not, bake a little longer.

Make Rice:  Melt 1 tbsp butter in small sauce pan add rice and stir rice until it just begins to brown. Since brown rice is made with a 2:1 ratio liquid to rice, dilute broth with ¾ cup water and add to rice. The broth should boil quickly then cover and lower heat. The rice will take 45-50 mins.

Meanwhile, place the meat back in the broth and add black-eyed peas.  Simmer uncovered to help reduce some of the broth.

When everything is complete, serve together.  The cornbread is very moist and somewhat sticky.  I suggest serving it layered (cornbread, rice, black-eyed peas) and with some greens or cabbage on the side.  The next day it is even better.

 

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Dec 01 2010
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We Eat Well

The Best Chili for the First Snow

Today, we received our first snow of the season. While it’s cold and blustery outside, Jon and I were warm and toasty inside thanks to his adaptation of Havana Moon Chili from epicurious.com. Don’t let the ingredients scare you away, this chili is a keeper.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 pound ground chuck
  • one 14 1/2-ounce can beef broth
  • one 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, halved
  • 1/4 cup slivered blanched almonds
  • 2 cups cooked black beans
  • 2 cups cooked white rice

    • Preparation

    Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add the pork and beef, and cook until browned. Drain off the excess fat.

    Add the beef broth and tomatoes, squashing each tomato by hand before adding it. Stir in the vinegar, raisins, spices, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and cook 30 minutes, partially covered. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes more. Add the olives and almonds and cook an additional 5 minutes.

    To serve, place a mound of beans and a mound of rice in each bowl. Ladle the chili on top.

    Adaptations

    Jon used golden raisins in place of “regular” raisins, and diced chicken, pork and beef in place of ground pork and ground chuck. He reduced the rice to 1 cup, and we mixed the black beans and rice into the mixture while it cooked, instead of pouring it over the beans and rice afterward. We topped ours off with sour cream. Delish.
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