Ling Cod and More...

We're trying hard to cook more Asian food, meaning no more being lazy and cooking one dish meals. It's time consuming, but tastes so good.

The star of the meal tonight was ling cod. I found a huge steak at 99 Ranch for $6. Here's how I cooked it:

• 3 tablespoons yellow miso
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine
• 1 tablespoon sugar (or 2, to taste)
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1/4 cup chicken stock

Whisk everything together, cover the cod steak with the marinade, and let sit in the fridge for at least four hours. I'm guessing up to 10 hours would be fine, and after that it might get too salty. Wipe the marinade off the cod before you start cooking, but save the rest of the marinade.

When you're ready to cook, heat up a skillet with a tablespoon of oil and brown the cod over medium heat for five minutes on both sides, or until golden brown.

Add some daikon that's already been cooked through, the rest of the marinade, and half a can of chicken stock or water. Cover and simmer for ten minutes for a two inch thick, 1.5 pound fish steak.

Watercress soup is just pork bones simmered until they start to fall apart, then daikon added until it's tender, and watercress thrown in during the last five minutes after the soup has been brought up to a boil. Salt to taste. I love watercress, and this could be a meal all by itself.

My first try at green rice! A little mushy, but I decided I'd rather have it a bit too soft than too hard my first try. I soaked my usual two cups of medium grain (Japanese) rice for a few hours, then drained the rice and set it aside. In a blender, I pureed a tablespoon of oil, a quarter cup of chicken stock, one small onion, a cup of frozen spinach, and a big handful of cilantro. I added enough chicken stock to make two cups of liquid, and used that to cook my rice instead of water. What a great way to sneak vegetables into empty carbs!