Cha Cha Bowl Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• For the sauce: Place tomatillos, onions, and garlic in a large heavy skillet. Heat over medium-high heat, turning often, until charred all over but still firm, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a food processor and add cumin, cayenne, hot sauce, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Process to a coarse puree. Return mixture to skillet and keep warm while preparing the stuffed chilies.
• For the chilies: Place poblanos on a baking sheet and broil, turning a few times until all sides are charred. Place in a paper bag and seal. Let steam about 10 minutes to loosen the skin.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the goat cheese, Monterey Jack and crabmeat. Set aside.
• Peel poblanos, then cut a slit lengthwise down 1 side only, and carefully remove seeds. Stuff each with cheese mixture and place them cut side up on a baking sheet, gently pressing to seal. Broil until cheese is melted and poblanos are heated through, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to serving plates and spoon sauce around the stuffed chilies.

Steps:

• Cut the ling fillet into 1 1/2-inch/4 cm pieces, place in a bowl and set aside.
• Put the white heads of the spring onions (reserving the stalks) and garlic in a mortar and pound to a paste. Add the turmeric, curry powder, yogurt, fish sauce, sugar, 2 tablespoons oil, and a 1/3 of the dill, roughly chopped, to the fish and mix well.
• Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Thinly slice 4 of the green spring onion stalks.
• Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, add the remaining oil, then fry the fish fillets on one side for 30 seconds.
• Turn the fillets over, add the fish stock and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. Remove the fish and squeeze over the juice from the lemon.
• Mix the bean sprouts, sliced spring onion, remaining dill and vermicelli together.
• Place into bowls and spoon over the fish fillets and sauce.

Steps:

• In a 12-inch pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.
• For the tomatillo and orange tomato sauce:
• In a food processor, pulse ingredients for tomatillo sauce for 15 seconds. Do the same for the orange tomato sauce.
• For the tortilla chips:
• Cut the tortillas in half and cut each half into 4 triangles. Deep-fry in hot oil until golden crispy. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt while hot.
• Add the salt, pepper, cumin and sauces to the pan. When sauce is hot, add the chips and the eggs and stir. Add the cheese just before serving. Garnish with cilantro.

Steps:

• For the grilled pork patties and pork belly: Turn on a kitchen exhaust fan or open a nearby window. Things are about to get smoky! Combine the sugar and 1 tablespoon of water in a medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Stir gently until the sugar dissolves. Cook until the sugar mixture darkens to a deep, dark brown hue similar to soy sauce and the mixture is smoking, 5 to 7 minutes; swirl the pan as needed to ensure even cooking.
• Immediately turn off the heat and remove the saucepan from the hot stovetop. Carefully add 2 tablespoons of water to the saucepan (the mixture may sputter). Use a heat-safe rubber spatula to stir the caramel until completely smooth. Transfer the caramel to a medium heat-safe bowl and allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. It will thicken as it cools.
• Meanwhile, put the ground pork and the pork belly into 2 separate medium bowls.
• Stir the fish sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, bouillon and black pepper into the caramel until well combined. Add 6 tablespoons of the sauce to the ground pork then add the remaining sauce to the pork belly. Use your hands to mix each meat with the sauce until well combined. Refrigerate each for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. (Do not refrigerate overnight or the meat will get too salty.)
• Scoop the marinated ground pork into 18 portions (about a scant 1/4 cup each), placing each on a large baking sheet. Roll each portion into a ball then flatten into a 1/2-inch-thick patty about 2 inches wide.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 250 degrees F. Preheat an outdoor grill or a large 2-burner cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly grease the grill grates or grill pan with oil. Working in batches if needed, cook the pork patties until charred and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side, rotating the meat as needed to ensure even cooking. Transfer the cooked patties to a clean baking sheet.
• Reduce the heat slightly (between medium and medium-high). Working in batches if needed, cook the pork belly until charred and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side, rotating the meat as needed to ensure even cooking. Place the cooked pork belly to the same baking sheet as the pork patties and place in the oven to keep warm while you make the dipping sauce.
• For the dipping sauce: Combine the sugar and 1 1/4 cups water in a medium saucepan. Set over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot and starts to steam, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and add 1/2 cup cold water, the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, carrot, green papaya and chiles. Stir to combine.
• For serving: Divide the vermicelli among 6 individual serving bowls. Place the lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumber, cilantro and mint on a platter.
• Divide the pork patties and pork belly between 6 medium serving bowls or plates. Pour 1/2 cup of the warm sauce over the meat in each bowl. Serve each diner a bowl of pork and a small bowl of noodles. Pass the platter of vegetables and herbs. To eat, dip the noodles, herbs and vegetables into the warm sauce. Alternatively, you can hand tear the lettuce and herbs and add them to the sauce along with the other vegetables before dipping in the noodles, or enjoy the dish anyway you like.

Steps:

• In a large pot, combine the vegetable stock, thyme, bay leaf, and some salt and pepper. With the back of a bench scraper, scrape the "milk" from the cobs into the pot. Then add the cobs to the pot as well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the cobs, bay leaf and thyme. This is your corn stock.
• In another large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the poblanos and onions, and sweat until soft, about 15 minutes. Slowly add the corn stock, then the corn kernels and the potatoes, and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Check the seasoning and adjust.
• Transfer half of the soup to a blender and carefully blend until smooth. Pour this back into the pot and add the half-and-half. Thin the soup with additional water, if desired.
• Garnish with a couple pinches of smoked paprika and some chopped cilantro. Serve with two spoons, cuz IT'S DAT GOOD.

Steps:

• Pineapple and Zucchini Salsa:.
• Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Season with salt, to taste. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. Bring to room temperature just before serving.
• Black Beans:.
• Place beans in a saucepot. Cover with water and cook at a low simmer until tender but not mushy. Add garlic and salt, to taste.
• White Rice:.
• Heat oil in a 4-quart pot. Add rice and cook approximately 3 minutes or until rice starts turning light brown. Then add water, garlic, and salt. Simmer until the water is absorbed, then cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Fluff just before serving.
• Al Pastor Adobo Marinade:.
• Place chiles in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until softened. Transfer softened chiles to a food processor. Add all remaining ingredients, except pork or chicken, and puree until smooth. Cover pork tenderloin in marinade for 30 minutes.
• Preheat a grill.
• Grill pork tenderloin, turning as needed, until it reaches 150 degrees F when measured with an instant-read meat thermometer. Let rest for 10 minutes before dicing into cubes.
• To serve:.
• In 4 or 6 serving bowls, layer rice, beans, and pork. Top with pineapple and zucchini salsa.