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Chef Ming Tsai's Soy Sauce and Preserved Lemons Recipes

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Chef Ming Tsai is one of the most accomplished celebrity chefs in the world -- and we've got his cooking show on KCET. Each episode uses the same ingredient in four different recipes, all to equally great effect. In "Soy Sauce and Preserved Lemons," Tsai takes two somewhat-exotic ingredients to create a whole dinner's worth of delicious, simple dishes: edamame tapenade, halibut, vegetable saute, and pork belly. We've got the recipes here. Enjoy!

soytap

Preserved Lemon-Edamame Tapenade
Serves 4
1 cup edamame, rough chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/3 cup minced, preserved lemons
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 whole wheat pitas, split in half, cut into triangles, lightly brushed with extra virgin olive oil and baked crisp at 200 degrees

Combine all tapenade ingredients in a large bowl, check for flavor and season. Serve with pita chips.

soyfish

Pan Roasted Line Caught Halibut with Soy-Lemon Sauce
Serves 4
4 6-ounce center-cut halibut fillets, skin off
2 large minced shallots
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped preserved lemons
1/4 cup chopped chives
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil to cook

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large saute pan or cast iron skillet, coated lightly with olive oil, season the halibut and sear until brown on top side, about 2 minutes. Flip halibut and add shallots and tomatoes in between the pieces of fish, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil place in oven. Roast for about 12-14 minutes until cooked through. Transfer the fish to a plate and place pan on high heat. Deglaze with wine and add preserved lemons and soy sauce. Reduce by half and add naturally brewed soy sauce. Check for seasoning. Plate fish and encircle with sauce. Garnish with chives.

soybroc

Lemon Broccolini-Shiitake Saute with Garlic Chips
Serves 4
1/4 cup Wanjashan low sodium organic soy sauce, plus 1 tablespoon
2 bunches broccolini, broken into 2 inch pieces
1/3 cup thinly sliced garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups sliced shiitakes
1/2 teaspoon korean chile flake (or red chile)
1/3 cup chopped preserved lemon

In a stock pot with 1 quart of water, add the soy sauce and bring to a boil. Prepare an ice bath. Shock the broccolini until tender crisp, about 3 minutes and shock in ice bath. In the same pot, dry out and add the extra virgin olive oil on med-high heat. Add the garlic and keep stirring until golden brown. Drain the garlic leaving a little oil and saute the shiitakes, season and add chile flake. Add back garlic to stock pot with the chile flake, the preserved lemon and blanched broccolini. Heat through, check for seasoning and serve.

soypork

Ken Oringer's Lacquered Pork Belly With Preserved Lemon, Soy Sake Glaze
Serves 4
1 12-inch x 8-inch piece pork belly
1 cup preserved lemon
1 cup soy sauce
2 cups sake
2 cups Coca Cola
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons fennel seed
Steamed white rice, for serving

Place all ingredients in large saucepot. Bring to boil and simmer gently for 3 hours until pork belly is soft when poked with meat fork. Remove the belly and reduce sauce to a light glaze. Glaze top of belly. Serve with steamed white rice.

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