L IFESTYLE /C ULTURE
Dinner with a Nod to China
F OO D
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
THIS DINNER CAME
together rather nicely last week.

I had some salmon, bok choy,
left over brown rice and left over
roasted kabocha squash.

A Chinese fl avor palate
suggested itself, but I wanted to
do something more than spritz
soy on the salmon.

Th e sauce I created was
a corker — I was practically
licking the plate when we
finished. Repurposing the
rice and roasted squash was a
good move; I loathe waste, but
I equally detest the boredom
of reheated leftovers. By
mixing them up and infusing
them with toasted garlic, the
two items were completely
reinvented, and there was not
a hint of monotony in the air.

Here’s what I did:
sauce is reduced and thickened
into a syrup, about 15 minutes.

Heat your oven to 300
degrees F.

Line a baking dish with a
piece of parchment large enough
to loosely wrap the salmon. Place
the salmon on the parchment,
and spoon a bit of the sauce
over each fi llet. Wrap the salmon
with the parchment, and bake
20-25 minutes until done. Note:
If you do not have parchment,
use a baking dish with a lid, or
cover it tightly with foil.

When the salmon is done,
remove it from the parchment
and pour the remaining sauce
over the fi sh.

TOASTED GARLIC RICE AND
KABOCHA Serves 4
Don’t roast squash just for
this dish — the idea is that
SALMON WITH CARAMELIZED you can repurpose left over
SOY SAUCE
cooked veggies into something
Serves 4
delicious and unique with
this preparation. Cabbage,
Th is sauce was easy to make, broccoli, carrots, greens, etc.

and it delivered complexity and can all be used to great eff ect in
depth beyond the sum of its this manner.

parts. By essentially caramel-
izing the sauce, the fl avors
4 large garlic cloves, sliced
concentrated and melded in
very thinly
a way that was pretty darn
2 cups cooked rice
amazing. I had intended it for
2 cups cooked kabocha
the fi sh, but when that was
squash or another
gone, I found myself pouring
vegetable, cut into bite-
it out of the dish onto my rice
sized pieces
… always a sign that the recipe
2 tablespoons vegetable or
was a success.

canola oil
For the sauce:
¼ ¼
¼ ½
cup brown sugar
cup soy sauce
cup white wine
cup water
For the salmon:
4 salmon fi llets
2 teaspoons of the sauce
In a small saucepan, mix all
the ingredients and bring them
to a boil. Lower the heat, and
continue simmering until the
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Pinch of salt
Place the garlic, oils and salt
in a large skillet and heat to
toast the garlic, stirring and
watching it carefully. When
the garlic is golden brown and
crispy, remove it from the oil
and set it aside.

Add the rice and vegetables
to the seasoned oil, and stir fry
to allow the fl avor to infuse
and to let some of the rice and
veggies crisp a bit.

Toasted garlic rice and kabocha
Salmon with caramelized soy
sauce Photos by Keri White
Taste and add salt, if needed.

Before serving, sprinkle the
toasted garlic over the dish.

BOK CHOY WITH GINGER
AND GARLIC
Serves 4
Th e addition of a small amount
of honey to this dish tamped
down the bitterness; I am not
sure if my batch was partic-
ularly strong, or whether a
sharper fl avor is common for
bok choy at this point in the
season. www.jewishexponent.com
2 large bunches bok choy,
rinsed well and chopped
coarsely 2 teaspoons grated fresh
ginger 2 cloves garlic crushed
Sprinkle of red pepper fl akes
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vegetable or
canola oil
1 teaspoon honey,
if needed
In a large skillet, heat the oil
and sauté the garlic, ginger, salt
and pepper fl akes until fragrant.

Add bok choy and turn over
frequently until wilted and soft ,
about 6 minutes.

Taste it; if the greens are
bitter, add the honey and mix
well. If not, omit the honey and
serve. ●
JEWISH EXPONENT
FEBRUARY 24, 2022
25