Page 4C
EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE
East Oregonian
These melt-in-your-mouth pork
belly steamed buns will vanish
By THE CULINARY
INSTITUTE OF AMERICA
Associated Press
Steamed pork buns are
popping up on menus across
the country, and it’s no
wonder. With their pillow-y
softness, rich fillings, and
salty-sweet sauces, they
represent everything that
makes Asian cuisines so
craveable.
Chinese-style steamed
buns, known commonly as
bao, are our most familiar
representation of the dish,
though you can find versions
across Korean, Japanese,
and southeast Asian cuisines.
Sometimes the fillings,
which can be sweet or
savory, are fully encased
in the bun. But we like this
version, where the dough is
folded around the filling like
a sandwich.
When it comes to fillings,
there are no limits. Sticky
braised pork is a crowd-
pleaser, and variations on
the theme can be found on
menus around the world.
But chefs are pushing the
limits now, filling their bao
buns with anything from
fried chicken to braised
beef tongue to bold, mouth-
numbing curries.
The best part of this
recipe is eating it, but as a
dinner host, you will most
appreciate the make-ahead
quality of each component.
With only a few side dishes
— like simple vegetables or
a cold noodle salad — this
dinner will come together
in a flash. Because the pork
is so rich, a little bit goes a
long way.
While pork belly may
not be a part of your typical
dinner rotation, don’t be
intimidated. It’s the cut we
use to make bacon, and is
characterized by layers of
meat and unctuous fat. When
cooked properly, the meat
is soft and tender, almost
melting in your mouth.
You may choose to
purchase the belly with or
without skin. Even after a
long braise, the skin will
retain some chew, so if that
sounds unpleasant, skin-off
might be for you.
Braised items are the
ultimate make-ahead item,
since they just get better over
time. The key to preparing
this pork belly the day ahead
is in the braising liquid.
You’ll submerge the finished
pork in some of the liquid
to help keep it moist in the
refrigerator. You’ll reduce
the rest to make a glossy
sauce.
Though you may be
tempted to prepare your
own steamed buns, there
are excellent store-bought
varieties available at your
local Asian market. Since
you’ll probably have to stop
there anyway for some other
ingredients, do yourself
a favor and buy the buns
(you’ll find them in the
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Black beans and
mango combine in a
delicious, filling salad
By MELISSA D’ARABIAN
Associated Press
Phil Mansfield/The Culinary Institute of America via AP
Pork belly steamed buns.
PORK BELLY STEAMED BUNS
Servings: 12
Start to finish: 4 hours (1 hour active)
• ½ cup light soy sauce
• ½ cup dark soy sauce (see note)
• ¼ cup Korean soy bean paste
(doenjang)
• One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
and sliced
• 1 scallion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 whole star anise
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ cup brown sugar, divided use
• 2 pounds pork belly, with or without
skin
• 12 frozen steamed buns, steamed
until soft
• Cucumber Salad (recipe below)
In a large Dutch oven, combine the
light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, bean
paste, ginger, scallion, star anise, pepper,
and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar.
Stir to combine. Add the pork belly and
enough water to cover about halfway up
the side of the meat (about 1 ½ cups).
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce to a gentle simmer and cover with
a tight-fitting lid. Simmer for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Remove
Dutch oven from the heat and set aside to
cool slightly. Transfer the pork to a cutting
pork and slice into 12 even slices, about ¼
inch by 3 inches. Return the slices to the
Dutch oven and transfer, covered, to the
oven and roast until the meat is tender, but
not falling apart, about 1 hour.
CUCUMBER SALAD
Servings: 12
• 1 cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, julienned or shredded
• ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
frozen section).
You’ll need to steam the
buns just before serving,
but they only take a few
minutes. They can be a
bit sticky, so cut strips of
Transfer the pork belly to a shallow
baking dish or container. Add enough of
the braising liquid to cover the meat and
set aside or cover and refrigerate until
use. Bring the remaining braising liquid
to a boil over medium-high heat. Add
the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar
and simmer until the mixture has reduced
enough to coat the back of a spoon, about
40 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh
strainer, then cool slightly if using right
away, or transfer to a covered container
and refrigerate until needed.
Just before serving, preheat the broiler
to high. Remove the pork belly from the
braising liquid and discard the liquid.
Dip each slice of pork belly into the
reduced sauce and arrange in one layer
on a foil-lined baking pan. Transfer to the
oven and broil until the sauce begins to
caramelize around the edges of the pork,
about 4 minutes.
Fill each steamed bun with a slice of
pork and a spoonful of cucumber salad.
Serve with the sauce on the side.
Chef’s note: There are many varieties
of soy sauce, most of which can be easily
purchased at your local Asian market.
Light soy sauce should not be mistaken
for “low sodium,” but will instead be
specially labeled as “light.” Dark soy
sauce might also be labeled as “thick.”
Nutrition information per serving of
pork buns: 556 calories; 378 calories
from fat; 42 g fat (15 g saturated; 0 g
trans fats); 54 mg cholesterol; 1486 mg
sodium; 29 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber;
9 g sugar; 14 g protein.
In a medium bowl, combine the
cucumber, carrot, onion, and garlic. Stir
to combine. Add the vinegar, sugar, salt,
pepper, and sesame seeds, and toss to
coat the vegetables. Refrigerate for at
least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
Nutrition information per serving of
cucumber salad: 9 calories; 1 calories
from fat; 0 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans
fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 164 mg sodium; 2
g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 0 g
protein.
parchment paper to wrap
around the outside of the
buns, to keep them from
sticking together in your
serving dish. Then sit back
and watch them disappear.
———
This article was provided
to The Associated Press by
The Culinary Institute of
America in Hyde Park, New
York.
Canned beans are
fantastic convenience food.
For a little over a buck, you
can stock your pantry with
a shelf-stable protein source
that works in main dishes
or in side dishes.
You can even use
cooked canned beans as an
inexpensive way to stretch
pricier proteins: Serve
seared salmon on a bed
of sauteed creamy white
beans, and you’ll only need
a few ounces of fish to
make the meal feel hearty.
Boost the filling factor in
pasta dishes by adding a
cup of rinsed canned beans
to your family’s recipes.
Or, let beans turn a ho-hum
salad into a filling comfort
dish. In this week’s recipe,
I pair black beans with
fresh mango and the result
is spectacular, especially
given how quickly this
recipe comes together.
The hardest part about
this salad is cutting the
mango, navigating around
its long, flat seed. You can
easily purchase mango
already cut in the packaged
produce section, but you
can save several dollars for
about 3 minutes of work if
you are willing.
To slice or cube
a mango, first cut it
lengthwise just a little
off-center, parallel to the
seed, removing two large
“cheeks.” Score (or slice)
the mango flesh right in the
cheek with the skin intact,
and then scoop out the
recipe-ready cubes or slices
with a spoon, scraping
against the skin. Slice the
remaining mango flesh
from the edges of the seed,
and either cube or just eat
them. (Because you deserve
a little treat after all that
slicing, right?)
Mango is an excellent
source of vitamin C and
vitamin A, and it makes
the salad feel bright and
tropical. I add yellow
pepper and corn (straight
from the freezer; it thaws
quickly) which make it
pretty. Texture (and niacin!)
comes from a light sprinkle
of cashews and just a few
smashed corn tortilla chips,
which you can buy or make
by roasting corn tortillas in
the oven until crisp, about
15 minutes at 350 F. The
tasty dressing is a result of a
simple weeknight dressing
hack: I add fresh lime juice
and a little olive oil to
prepared salsa.
Melissa d’Arabian via AP
BLACK BEAN AND MANGO SALAD
Start to finish: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
• 6 cups shredded kale, or other dark leafy greens
• 1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
if canned
• 1 ½ cup cubed fresh mango
• 1 cup organic frozen corn, thawed
• 1 cup chopped tomato, about 2 roma tomatoes
• ½ yellow bell pepper, chopped
• ½ large avocado, cubed
• 2 green onions, chopped
• ¼ cup cashews, chopped
• 8 baked organic corn chips, lightly crushed
• chopped cilantro or parsley, for garnish
For the dressing:
• ¼ cup prepared tomato (or tomatillo) salsa
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Lay the greens on a platter or individual plates.
Place on top of the greens: beans, mango, corn,
tomato, bell pepper, and avocado. Sprinkle on
the green onions, cashews, crushed corn chips
and cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk together the
dressing ingredients and pour on the salad. Serve.
Nutrition information per serving: 296 calories;
114 calories from fat; 13 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g
trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 393 mg sodium; 42 g
carbohydrate; 11 g fiber; 13 g sugar; 9 g protein.
Brazil’s Ilha Grande has what Rio does not — clean beaches
By PETER PRENGAMAN
Associated Press
VILA DO ABRAAO, Brazil —
One of the first things visitors will
notice about Ilha Grande, or Big
Island, is that there are no vehicles.
The local government prohibits
private cars, maintaining the laid-
back rhythms that islanders say are
central to their identity.
Dirt and sand paths that run
parallel to the many beaches,
however, often do have travelers:
scores of crabs scurrying across at a
leisurely pace that only picks up if a
human approaches.
“Life here is simple,” said Rodison
Marcos, a 48-year-old boat operator
born and raised here. “We don’t need
a watch, or a tie or cars.”
For foreign and Brazilian tourists
alike, that slowed development means
this tropical island can offer some-
thing Rio de Janeiro and surrounding
areas have not been able to for years:
clean beaches. Ultimately it was a
search for unsullied ocean, where my
wife and I would feel comfortable
letting our three young sons swim,
that attracted us.
The island is a three-hour trip
from Rio, but no highway or bridge
connects it to the mainland. Several
boats a day traverse a small stretch
of sea from three different ports. The
relative isolation means cell phone
service is spotty, and Internet often
feels nonexistent. In short, it’s a place
to disconnect while feeling strong
AP Photo/Peter Prengaman
In this Feb. 12 photo, men play paddle ball on one of the many
beaches of Ilha Grande, Brazil. The tropical island remains pristine
in large because of an unusual history that includes being a pirate
refuge, leper colony and site of a major prison.
connections because everybody
appears to know everybody.
Our Airbnb bungalow was another
10 minutes away by wobbly motor-
boat. Then we climbed the equivalent
of six flights of stairs on a steep path
through lush tropical forest. All the
huffing and puffing and sweating felt
worth it once there. Looking down,
we saw blue ocean waters while
monkeys jumped between trees.
The island, about 77 square miles,
is pristine in large part because of an
unusual history going back to the
16th century Portuguese coloniza-
tion. It has been a pirates’ lair, a leper
colony and most recently, home to a
maximum security penitentiary that
housed some of Brazil’s most violent
criminals, along with political pris-
oners during part of the 1964-1985
dictatorship.
Various rebellions and head-
line-grabbing
escapes
created
headaches for islanders and kept
investors away. In 1994, however, the
Candido Mendes prison was closed
and demolished. A few years later,
the State University of Rio de Janeiro
opened a research center to study
the environment and sustainable
development.
Today, there are numerous
pousadas, or guest houses, in Vila do
Abraao, which has about 3,000 resi-
dents. There are also offbeat places to
stay, from beachfront villas to isolated
jungle dwellings. Companies offer
excursions that range from some of
Brazil’s best snorkeling and scuba-
diving to walking tours through rain-
forests teeming with life. Then there
are the dozens and dozens of beaches
that are both postcard-worthy and
often empty.
“Look at this water,” said Felipe
Ricardo Brito, who sells caipirinhas,
a mix of the national alcohol cachaca
and limes, on Feiticeira Beach. “It’s
totally clean. There is no sewage. You
can breathe pure air.”
That is not the case on most
beaches in and around Rio de Janeiro,
the city that hosted the 2016 Summer
Games. An 18-month investigation
by The Associated Press during the
run up to the Olympics found danger-
ously high levels of bacteria and
viruses in Rio beaches. Only a little
more than half of the sewage in Rio is
treated, meaning that each day tons of
fecal matter ends up in the Guanabara
Bay and surrounding beaches.
Still, while Ilha Grande doesn’t
have a sewage problem, it’s far
from an environmental paradise.
For example, amid a deep economic
crisis in the country, the island has
struggled with garbage collection.
Earlier this year, the island
captured national headlines when
hundreds of bags of garbage were
strewn throughout Vila do Abraao.
The local government switched
garbage providers and has promised
to regularize service. Still, the
problem periodically pops up, irking
islanders and creating eyesores.
When we visited in February, crabs
could be seen among the garbage.
There are also worries about
overdevelopment. Much of the
island is protected wildland, but
Brazil has a history of big money
interests winning out against envi-
ronmental protections. Last year, the
environmental secretary of the state
government invited Ilha Grande
residents to present ideas about the
future, from development projects to
environmental issues. While billed
as a way to build consensus, many
residents were suspicious that it was
really just a precursor to ramming
through big changes.
As the island opens up, its indus-
tries and demographics are changing.
While fishing is still a central industry
for many residents, increasingly
fishing and crab boats are used to
ferry around tourists. And some
tourists like it so much that they are
finding ways to stay.
“Now there are Argentines,
Brazilians from other states and
hippies living here,” said Selma dos
Santos Garcia, a 34-year-old Ilha
Grande native who sells snacks on
the beaches. “And we are at the
mercy of tourists.”