Watercress With A Fried Egg And Black Sesame Sauce Food

STIR-FRIED WATERCRESS: A HEALTHY LEAFY GREEN VEGETABLE

Steps:

• Place your wok over medium high heat, and add the oil, spreading it around to coat the surface of the wok.
• Add the ginger, letting it caramelize and infuse the oil. Take care not to let it burn. Add the minced garlic, and give it a stir. Immediately add the watercress (if you wait too long, your garlic could burn). Turn the heat up to high.
• Stir-fry the watercress for 20 seconds to evenly distribute the ginger, garlic and oil. Once mixed, move all of the watercress to the center of the wok in a small pile, and cover the wok.
• After 45 seconds, uncover the wok. There should be plenty of steam at this point. Use a circular stirring motion to drag the pile of watercress and some of the liquid around the sides of the superheated wok. Stirring the watercress against the hottest and driest part of the wok will generate that wok hay flavor. Gather the watercress back in the middle of the wok. To give you an idea of the cooking time, this step should take no more than 20 seconds.
• While you wait for the sides of the wok to reheat, add the white pepper, sugar, salt, sesame oil and MSG, if using. (A quick note on the spices: we list MSG as optional because many people shy away from it, but it's a tasty addition to leafy green vegetables that really gives you that restaurant flavor. Use it per your own tastes and perspectives!)
• Stir-fry the mixture again to mix in the seasonings, once more stirring the watercress and the liquid so it hits the sides of the wok to generate more wok hay.
• Use your wok spatula to scoop the watercress onto a shallow rimmed bowl, making sure to get the remaining liquid, as it's super-infused with garlic, ginger, and those vitamins from the watercress. Serve as a side dish or just with some white rice as a super light vegan meal.

FARM EGGS WITH WATERCRESS AND PARSLEY SAUCE

Steps:

• Place eggs in single layer in large saucepan. Pour enough water over eggs to cover by 1 1/2 inches. Add 2 tablespoons coarse salt and bring to boil over high heat. Remove from heat; cover saucepan tightly and let stand 8 minutes. Drain. Return eggs to pan; cover with lid and shake pan to crack egg shells. Place eggs in large bowl of ice water and cool 5 minutes. Peel eggs and set aside.
• Place garlic in small ramekin; pour 2 tablespoons boiling water over and let stand 2 minutes. Transfer garlic with garlic liquid to blender. Add watercress, parsley, cayenne, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. With blender running, add olive oil in thin stream and blend until mixture is smooth. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. do ahead Eggs and watercress-parsley sauce can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover separately and chill. Bring sauce to room temperature before using.
• Cut eggs lengthwise into halves or quarters. If desired, cut off very thin slice from rounded side of each half or quarter so that eggs can stand upright. Arrange eggs on platter. Sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper. Spoon watercress-parsley sauce over and around eggs and serve.

BLACK SESAME NOODLE BOWL

Steps:

• Place the sesame seeds in a dry skillet and set over medium-low heat. Toast, swirling the pan frequently, until fragrant-90 seconds to 2 minutes. Watch and smell carefully so that they don't burn. Transfer to a mortar and coarsely grind, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, wasabi, and salt, and whisk until thoroughly combined.
• Bring a saucepan of salted water to a gentle boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, usually 4 to 7 minutes or according to the package instructions. Drain, rinse thoroughly under cold running water, then drain again thoroughly.
• Add the noodles and shallots to the bowl with the sauce and toss well, until the noodles are thoroughly coated. At this stage, the noodles can be transferred to an airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• Quarter the avocado around the pit. Remove and peel the segments, then slice into thin strips. Peel the eggs and grate them using the large holes of a box grater. Slice the radishes into thin rounds. Stack the rounds on top of each other and slice into thin matchsticks.
• Divide the greens among four bowls, then top with the dressed noodles. Fan the avocado over the noodles in each bowl, then add a pile of the shredded egg, radishes, and scallions to each serving. Drizzle a bit of kecap manis over the avocado and serve.

WATERCRESS WITH A FRIED EGG AND BLACK SESAME SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the lime juice, a big pinch of salt, and the oil with a fork or a whisk. Add the watercress and toss gently to lightly coat. Divide the dressed watercress among four salad plates and set aside.
• Heat a cast-iron or other heavy skillet that you like to use for eggs over medium-high heat. When it is hot, swirl a small amount of vegetable oil in the pan and crack in the eggs, in batches if necessary. When the edges of the eggs are a bit crispy, the whites are completely set, and the yolks are still runny, transfer an egg to each plate so that it slightly overlaps the watercress. Season the eggs with salt, and drizzle about a tablespoon of the sesame sauce over each portion.
• Toast the sesame seeds in a small sauté pan over medium heat, tossing frequently, until the seeds become fragrant and begin to pop. Transfer them to a plate and let them cool completely. Grind in 10-second increments in a spice mill or clean coffee grinder to a very fine paste, stirring the mixture, then grinding again, and repeating this process until the paste is completely smooth and glistening from the oil that has been released. This will take 3 to 5 minutes. (If the seeds are not ground into a very smooth paste, the sauce will be gray rather than deep black.) Transfer the paste to a small bowl, add the salt, and gradually whisk in the oil, sake, mirin, and dashi until smooth.

WATERCRESS & CHICKEN STIR-FRY

Steps:

• To make the sauce, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until completely blended. Heat the oil in a frying pan until very hot. Throw in the chicken, cashew nuts, pepper and onion, then stir-fry for about 4-5 mins until the chicken is cooked and the nuts are toasted. Pour over the sauce and simmer with a splash of water. Remove the pan from the heat, then stir through the watercress just before serving with boiled rice.

WATERCRESS SALAD WITH SOY-SESAME DRESSING

Steps:

• Trim the stalks from the watercress. Wash and spin dry the leaves. Rinse the endive and slice it lengthwise into thin slivers. Place the endive in a salad bowl with the watercress.
• Remove the pith from the orange segments and cut them into small pieces.
• In a small bowl, combine the garlic with the soy sauce, the vinegar and the sesame and olive oils. Crush the garlic into the dressing with a fork, and then remove it. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
• Toss the salad in the dressing and serve.

BLACK SESAME SAUCE

Steps:

• Toast the sesame seeds in a small sauté pan over medium heat, tossing frequently, until the seeds become fragrant and begin to pop. Transfer them to a plate and let them cool completely. Grind in 10-second increments in a spice mill or clean coffee grinder to a very fine paste, stirring the mixture, then grinding again, and repeating this process until the paste is completely smooth and glistening from the oil that has been released. This will take 3 to 5 minutes. (If the seeds are not ground into a very smooth paste, the sauce will be gray rather than deep black.) Transfer the paste to a small bowl, add the salt, and gradually whisk in the oil, sake, mirin, and dashi until smooth.
• Dashi
• Put 3 cups water and the mushrooms in a nonreactive saucepan and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low, cover, and cook at a very gentle simmer for 10 minutes. Add the kombu and simmer very gently for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the bonito flakes. Let steep, covered, for 8 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the solids and use the broth as you would stock.

PANFRIED TOFU ON SESAME WATERCRESS WITH SOY-ORANGE DRESSING

Steps:

• Pat tofu dry. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté tofu until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate.
• Heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil in skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook watercress, turning with tongs, until just wilted. Stir in sesame seeds. Transfer watercress to a platter and arrange tofu on top.
• Simmer remaining ingredients in skillet 1 minute and drizzle sauce over tofu.

STIR-FRIED WATERCRESS WITH CHILIES AND SESAME OIL

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Lightly salt the water, add the watercress and blanch for 30 seconds. Quickly drain and rinse under cold running water. Pat the watercress dry.
• Heat the canola oil in a large heavy skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and jalapenos and saute until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the watercress and stir for 1 minute. Place in a bowl and toss with the sesame oil and soy sauce. Divide among 4 plates and serve immediately.