Cue the Kinks: Avocado Toast and a bit about eggs

Hi everyone. Today's entry is unplanned, mostly because one of the most important ingredients isn't where I want it yet. On the other hand, it's a fine breakfast, so why not share?

I am not what you'd ever call a dedicated follower of fashion, but I do like variations of avocado toast. My version for breakfast this morning:

• One ramen egg (soft boiled, marinated in soy, mirin, dashi, sake, rice vinegar) (comments about the egg below)
• Chopped 1/2 of a ripe (ha!)* avocado
• Soy sauce
• Hot sauce
• Toasted slice of your favorite bread (optional)

It's a damn fine breakfast if you ask me. It's filling, it's flavorful, and there's a mix of textures so it's interesting to eat. I don't always bother with the toast--that depends on how hungry I am. I've also considered putting this over a small amount of rice, but I haven't tried it yet.

About the egg:

I love ramen and I've tried it multiple ways in multiple places. Several of my friends get an invitation once a month for a Ramen night and we always have a great time. This has been going on (minus lockdown, of course) since 2014. The members of the group have changed, and it's not always the same group at the same time, but there's always fun, food, and drinks.

Ramen eggs, if you haven't experienced them, are unique and fabulous. The correct name is ajitsuke tamago and they are soft-boiled and marinated. I have seen recipes for all kinds of marinades and I haven't found one or improvised one that I am completely happy with.

The texture, where you have a solid, but soft white without a trace of a rubbery feeling, and a yolk with a texture that you could describe as feeling like a rich custard or your favorite jam, I do have down. That is thanks to Ivan Orkin, who is an interesting human and has a chain of restaurants. My birthday has been spent at Ivan Ramen more than once. If you have a big appetite, I recommend the triple-pork-triple-garlic, which is hugely delicious, but I can't finish even if I fast for two days prior.

Anyway I was searching with various terms for the recipe and several pages into the search engine I found this blog entry from Rowley's Whiskey Forge. While I didn't love the marinade recipe when I tried it, boiling the eggs for six minutes and ten seconds is pretty much perfect! When I have a marinade I like, I'll post a full entry.

Happy noshing!

*Yeah, I know. It is really hard to find that 15 minutes when an avocado is perfectly ripe.

My Knives Need Sharpening: Pork Belly Adobo

It seems like forever ago, but I Kickstarted a cast-iron Dutch oven. I needed an (affordable) enameled one because I have ceramic cooktop on my electric stove and it came at last on 8/31.

If you're not familiar with chicken or pork adobo, you are missing out. It's a zing of soy sauce and vinegar with earthy undercurrents of bay leaves and pepper. Since I first tried adobo at Bilao, a Filipino restaurant about a mile and a half from me, I've been testing and searching for recipes. I've tried several, making them with chicken thighs, but it was my friend Scott who found this one. 

I'll get right to the ingredients, but do read the whole story at the link.

Serves 4 to 6

• .25 c. neutral oil
• 2 lbs. pork belly, skin removed, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 3 tbsp. minced garlic (about 10 cloves) (I think I used 12 or 13)
• .25 c. shoyu (soy sauce) (I bought a dark, Filipino soy sauce brand called Da Puti from Amazon)
• 2 tbsp. oyster sauce
• .25 c. cane vinegar (This was the Da Puti again. This has a softer taste to it and I really like it)
• .25 c. apple cider vinegar (Extra zing!)
• 3 bay leaves
• .25 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 c. halved cherry tomatoes (about 1 pound), for serving (This is the first time I've seen tomatoes added to the serving of adobo even after looking at multiple recipes. More on that later)
• Cooked rice, for serving

In a large, deep skillet, wok, or Dutch oven, heat the oil over high heat until shimmering-hot. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Sear it in the hot oil, turning, until evenly browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the shoyu, oyster sauce, both vinegars, the bay leaves, and pepper and toss to coat the pork belly. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the pork has started to soften and most the fat has rendered, 40 to 50 minutes. What you’re going for is not a melt-in-your-mouth bite, but rendered fat and meat with some texture to it, like spareribs almost.

Once the pork is cooked, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside. If desired, skim off some of the rendered fat and discard (I usually keep it) (I did too). Increase the heat to medium and reduce the sauce, stirring constantly, until a sticky glaze starts to form. Return the pork belly to the sauce and toss to coat.

Serve with tomatoes and cooked rice.