A Stewed Meat Sauce Dear to Heart!

Ru Lou Fan (Ragu Rice)

This is a very special recipe for a meat sauce that is dear to my heart and for people dear to me. It's a wildly popular indigenous local dish or condiment in Taiwan (called Lu Rou sauce). Think of it as a type of Ragu but with a different set of ingredients.

The sauce can turn anything plain into a heaven in mouth, no matter it's on steamed rice (Lu Rou rice), boiled noodle, vegetables, tofu, savory rice cakes, meat, seafood, even for sandwiches. It tastes even better the next day in terms of mouthfeel and flavor, when the collagen in the meat has completely broken down.

The key ingredient is "fried shallots" (what?) and to be authentic, this can not be substituted. (No, not even with fried onions, sorry.) If you can't find it, you can use fresh shallots, thinly slice them and deep fry, low and slow, until they turn golden brown (Homemade Fried Shallots).

The next important ingredients are dried shiitake mushrooms (what?) and dried shrimp (what?). If you really can't find these,  you could try fresh shiitake mushrooms but the flavor won't be as good and intense. Without the complex briny and fishy expression from dried shrimp, you can supplement with granulated seafood flavor powder or chicken broth powder, and replace water with chicken broth. However, the result won't be close. Natural flavors from real food are irreplaceable and unbeatable.

There are two key steps in the method. First is the browning process that employs caramelization and Maillard reaction to build up a good complex flavor foundation (more). Second is the low and slow, long cooking process that breaks down the collagen in the meat.

Remember this is not just a dish or entree, it is also used as a flavoring sauce so it is okay to err on the salty side. Use it on top of boiled leafy vegetables or blanched meat slices and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Left to right: Dried shiitake, Dried shrimp skin, Fried Shallots,
Soaked dry shiitake mushrooms (diced), Soaked Dried Shrimp (chopped), Sliced fresh shallots, 

Ingredients (yield 8 servings):

• 2 pounds of ground pork
• 1/2 pound of ground beef (80% lean)
• 1 cup fried shallots
• 2 tablespoons dried shrimp, hydrated and minced (what?)
• 5 dried shiitake mushrooms, hydrated and diced (what?)
• two large shallots, finely chopped or sliced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• dried shrimp skins 
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 4 cups of water, or less, including soaking water from dried shiitake and dried shrimp
• 1/2 cups of Shaoxing rice wine or regular rice wine
• 30g Chinese rock sugar (what?) or 2 tablespoons of Turbinado sugar or granulated brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of white pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder, optional 
• 3 star anise or 1 teaspoon ground star anise powder, optional

Directions:

1. Add 1/2 cup water to dried shiitake mushrooms to hydrate them for 1 hour until they soften. Cut into dices.
2. Add 1/4 cup water to dried shrimps to hydrate them for at 10 min. Chop finely.
3. Slice fresh shallots if you use them. 
4. Put a heavy-bottom pot on medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add fresh shallots and cook 7-8 min until you see the edges start to turn golden brown.

Step #4	Step #5

5. Add chopped dried shiitake and dried shrimp. Cook them on medium-high for 5-10 min until they start to turn brown, but don't let them burn.
6. Add minced garlic and cook 1 min until fragrant. Don't let it burn as burnt garlic is bitter.
7. Add ground pork and beef and brown the meat. Break up the meat into small pieces. You do not have to keep turning the meat. Let it sit and cook for 5 min so it can be browned. Then flip the bottom up and let other part hit the hot bottom to brown. Break up the meat as you go through this browning process.

Step #6	Step #7

8. Add 1 cup of fried shallots. Add the five-spice powder and ground star anise powder, if you use them. Stir in to make sure it is coated with the hot oil, and let it cook 5 min. 
9. Add rice wine and keep stirring the meat, let it bubble and sizzle on medium high heat for 1-2 min. 

Step #8	Step #9 and #10

10. Then add soy sauce. If your heat is right, it should bubble and sizzle. Stir the soy sauce in with the meat. You want the soy sauce to coat the meat evenly and keep browning them together. Let it sit at the bottom for 4-5 min before turning, and toss up to brown everything evenly.

Step #11	Step #12

11. When you see the edges of the meat turn dark brown, should you add in the water and start the stewing process.
12. Add water to cover the meat and stew for 1 hour. The sauce will get better and better as you reheat and cook even further. Tastes better the next day.
13. Enjoy it on the rice and noodle and everything I've told you or not.

Notes:

• Simplified key ingredient list:
• ground pork
• fried shallots
• dried shiitake mushrooms
• dried shrimp
• soy sauce 
• sugar (just a tad but could do without)
• The browning process is important. Spend some time to do it well. 
• Rock sugar can be found in Asian market. You could also substitute it with Turbinado sugar.
• You can use 1-2 table of molasses to deepen the color and flavor.
• Use Tamari soy sauce if you want it gluten free.
• Serve with plain food will be the best way to let this sauce shine. Pair with pickled vegetable as a side dish to make it pop.
• You can also add bean curds, tofu, boiled eggs into the sauce to stew. They will pick up the wonderful flavor. 
• The white pepper powder has a herbal earthiness that is different form black pepper. If you don't have it, you can skip it but using black pepper isn't going to cut it. Instead, use chili pepper powder or cayenne.
• You can add some red chili pepper flakes or dried chili pepper for the heat.
• Top the sauce with white pepper and thinly chopped green onions when you serve.
• You can mix in chili sauce for the kick when you serve.
• You can use less water and make it dense and salty, freeze them and add water to thin it down when you re-heat it. 

My Mapo Tofu!

This is my go-to dish when I don't know what to cook for dinner. I love having this with steamed rice. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound of ground pork or beef (I use equal parts of pork and beef)
• 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth or water
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 scallions chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 box of soft tofu or medium firm tofu, drained and diced
• 2 tablespoons of Fermented broad bean paste (dou-ban-jiang) (I use the plain version, no heat. Check here if you need help.)
• 2 teaspoons of hot chili sauce, or 1 teaspoon chopped dried red chili pepper
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine or mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine).
• 2-3 teaspoons sugar



Sichuan Pepper

• 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce (or replace by another tablespoon of soy sauce)
• 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper 
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Slurry: 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and 1 1/2 tablespoon of water
• one tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Mince garlic, ginger and scallions. Drain and dice tofu block (Tofu Types).
2. Heat up a heavy bottom skillet with one tablespoon of oil and put the ground meat (pork and/or beef) to brown on medium-high heat. Cook about 7-10 minutes. 
3. Add minced ginger, garlic and half of scallions. Toast until they are aromatic. Cook about 5-7 minutes.
4. Turn the heat to medium and add fermented bean paste (Dou-ban-jiang) and chili sauce. Saute fro 5 minutes until it is almost dried up and almost begin to stick to pan. 
5. Add soy sauce. Cook another 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the cooking wine or mirin. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add oyster sauce and sugar. Stir to mix in. Add 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth or water, Sichuan pepper and red chili flakes. Bring to a simmer.
8. Add tofu dices and gentle stir in to submerge the tofu in the liquid. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
9. Mix cornstarch and water to make slurry. Add it to the liquid to thicken the sauce. Bring to boil again and turn the heat off. Add the rest of chopped scallions, white pepper and sesame oil. Mix up.
10. Transfer to plate or deep dish. Garnish with chopped green part of scallions. Serve with steamed rice.

Note: 

• Even if you don't have all the items, you can still make it. 
• Simplified key ingredients:
• Ground pork or beef
• Tofu (duh...)
• Garlic (if you really don't have ginger or green onions on hand, you can skip those)
• Fermented bean paste
• Soy sauce
• Sugar
• When you have fewer ingredients, you have to work a tad harder to pump up the flavor base. (We're talking about 5-10 more minutes effort, not so bad.) I will tell you more about it later.
• Skip the hot chili sauce if you can't take heat or if you use the spicy version of the bean paste (La-dou-ban-jiang).

Simple Two Ingredients Soup!

Well, to make a soup, you can make it as complicated as Pork and Daikon Soup, or you can make it quick and easy like this.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Pork Spareribs
• 1/2 pound of daikon or turnip, peel and cut into chunks. 
• 5 cups of water
• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Cut the ribs into smaller pieces between the bones.
2. Wash them thoroughly. If you have time, blanch (what??) them in boiling water so the end result soup will be clear without too much scums.
3. In soup pot, add all ingredients including the blanched ribs and cook for 30 to 45 min, depending on how tender you like your daikon to be. 
4. Salt to season and serve.

Note:

1. Blanch means to cook an ingredient in boiling water for a short period of time and fish out to rinse in cold water. 

Options:

• Serve with sesame oil.
• Serve with white pepper.
• Serve with chopped scallion (green onion) or chives.
• Replace pork ribs of other pork portions, preferably with bones because the bones are more flavorsome than the meat. However, it's okay to use boneless lean pork, such as top loin or even tenderloin. 
• Replace daikon and cook ribs with tomatoes (cut into 8 wedges).
• Replace daikon with cauliflowers  (cut into big pieces) or cook both with ribs.
• Replace daikon with English cucumbers (peel and remove seeds, cut into thick slices) or cook both with ribs.
• Replace daikon with Chinese yam (peel and cut into chunks) or cook both with ribs.
• Add carrots (peel and cut into chunks) so it will be ribs, daikon and carrot soup.
• Add celery (cut into chunks) so it will be ribs, daikon and celery soup.
• Add 2 slices of ginger in the very beginning. Boil water with ginger and ribs for 15 min before adding the rest to cook 30 min more.
• Add one green onion, cut into long sticks. Add with the daikon (or replacement vegetable).
• Add 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine together when you add ribs.
• Add 1 to 2 table spoon of Goji berries, rinsed. Add them in the last 5 min of cooking process.
• and on and on...  

Secret Weapon:

• Add 1/4 teaspoon dashi (What?).

Pork and Daikon Soup.

The burdock root can be found in Asian grocery stores and is optional if you can't find it. It is a great source of fibers. 

Ingredients (yield 6 servings): 

• 1 lb of lean pork or spareribs
• 1lb of burdock root (or gobo), peel and cut into chunks.
• 1 lb of daikon (or turnip), peel and cut into chunks.
• ½ lb of carrot, peel and cut into slices.
• 3 slices of ginger root
• 2 tsp cooking wine
• ½ tsp salt 
• ½ tsp white pepper
• 8 cups of water

Directions:

1. Cut the lean pork to ¼ inch slices. Marinate with cooking 1 tsp of wine, salt and white pepper for 15 min. If you use the spareribs, cut into small pieces between the bones.
2. Bring up a pot of water to boil and blanch the pork for 1 min. Drain and set aside.
3. Boil 8 cups of water with ginger. Add pork, burdock, daikon, carrot and 1 tsp of cooking wine. Bring to boil and turn to low heat. Cover to simmer for 30 min. 
4. Add salt to season and cook for 10 more min.
5. Serve with cilantro if desired.

Note:

1. The carrot can be added later if you like it with a bit crunch.

2. Using spareribs will make the soup richer in flavor.

Best Chili Recipe.

Ingredients (yield 6 servings): 

• 2 pounds ground beef
• One 15-ounce can pinto beans or white beans, drained and rinsed, or homemade beans.
• One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup masa harina (corn flour or corn meal)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Shredded Cheddar
• Chopped onions
• 6 Lemon wedges

Directions:

1. Heat up the large pot on medium and add a tablespoon olive oil. Cook garlic for 1 min. Put the ground beef in and cook over medium heat until browned. 
2. Drain off the excess fat, and then pour in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne. Stir together well, cover, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 2 hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes overly dry, add a ladle or 100ml water at a time to prevent burning.
3. After two hour, place the corn flour in a small bowl and mix with 1/2 cup water. Dump the corn meal mixture into the chili for more corn flavor. Stir together well, and adjust the seasonings. 
4. Add more corn meal mixture or water to adjust the consistency.
5. Add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes. 
6. Serve with shredded Cheddar, chopped onions, tortilla chips and lime wedges.

Easy Barbecue Baby Back Ribs.

You can bake this in the oven or cook it on the grill.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 full racks baby back pork ribs (about 5 to 6 pounds)
• 2~3 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce or (Check my barbecue sauce)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except the ribs in a mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels. Remove the thin membrane on the bony side of the ribs. You can flip to bone-side up and start from the end. Slip the tip of boning knife (or small paring knife) between the white tissue and the bone and cut through to the other end. If it's slippery, use the paper towel to help grip the membrane. Pull it towards the other end to remove it.
3. Cut 1 rack in 2 or 3 pieces crosswise and place the pieces on a sheet of foil.
4. Spread the dry rub and press the spice in. Pick up the foil ends and make a enclosed pouch to
   
   wrap up the ribs. Place all the pouches in a container and cover tightly with more foils. Put in the refrigerator and let the spice infuse overnight, up to 2 days for best flavor and texture.
5. Preheat the oven to 325~350F. Place the rack in the middle position.
6. Take the ribs out of the refrigerator and sit 20-40 min at room temperature.
7. Bake the ribs in the oven for 2 hours until fork-tender. 
8. Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce.

My Barbecue Sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup light or dark molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.Whisk occasionally. 
2. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer. Cook until the flavors have melded and the sauce has reduced to about 2 cups, about 30 to 40 minutes. Whisk occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn.
3. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.

Grilled Barbecued Spareribs.

Ingredients:

For Dry Rub

• 1-2 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoon paprika ( I like sweet paprika, you may like smoked paprika.)
• 2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt (or 1 tablespoon table salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1-2 teaspoon chili powder (depends on your heat level preference!)

For Ribs

• 1 cup hickory wood chips
• 2 racks St. Louis-style spareribs (about 2-3 pounds each)
• 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 cup apple juice

Directions:

1. Trim the fat and thin membrane off the ribs. 
2. Combine the ingredients in dry rub in a mixing bowl and sprinkle the rub on both sides of each rib. Rub and press into the ribs. Put in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours.
3. Soak the wood chips in water for 30 mins and drain.
4. Combine the vinegar and apple juice in a bowl and set aside.
5. Prepare the grill. Put the charcoal briquettes on one side and place a disposable aluminum pan with 1 inch of water on the other side of the grill. Light up the coals in chimney starter and allow them to burn until they are coated with ash. About 10-20 min. 
6. Transfer the hot coals into the grill on top of the unlit briquettes. Sprinkle the soaked wood chips over the coals (or place them in an aluminum pouch and poke holes all over.)
7. Set the cooking grate and cover the grill to heat up the grate, about 5 min. Scrape the grate clean.
8. Place the ribs, meat side down on the hot grate, on the side over the water pan. Cover the grill and open the top vent to draw smoke through the grill. Cook for 45-50 min. Adjust the vents to keep the grill at around 250-275F. Flip the ribs meat side up and turn 180F to cook evenly. Switch rib positions too. Brush each rib with 3 tablespoon of the apple juice mixture. 
9. Cover the grill and cook another 40-45 min. 
10. Preheat oven to 300F. The oven rack should be in the middle position.
11. Transfer the ribs to a wire rack on a baking sheet wth meat side up. Pour 2 cups water into bottom of the baking sheet. 
12. Brush the top of each rack (meaty side) with 3 tablespoon apple juice mixture and roast in the 300F oven for 1 hour. 
13. Brush the ribs with remaining apple juice mixture and continue to roast until it's tender (but not falling off the bone). The thicker part of the rib should register around 195-200F on a thermometer.
14. Transfer the ribs to a carving board, tent with foil to keep warm. Let it rest for 15-20 min.
15. Cut the ribs between the bones and serve.

Enjoy!