While I was in Indonesia, the Mrs. taught me a very simple dish–easy to eat and fast to make…or is it the other way around? She calls it 부추 (puchu) 삼겹살 (samgyupsal), which translates to chives and pork belly. This dish only calls for five ingredients. Not a lot of seasoning is involved; however, it helps that the pork belly contains the bulk of the dish’s flavor! (Note: the serving size is on a smaller scale as this dish is to be served with other side dishes; however, you can double up the recipe for a more filling entree)

/yields 2 servings/

0.5 lbs of pork belly, sliced into 1cm thick strips
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
grapeseed oil or vegetable oil for the pan

1. Massage the soy sauce into the pork for a couple of seconds, ensuring that each strip gets its share of sodium. Add black pepper and massage. Let it sit for about 5 minutes.

2. Over medium high heat, place oil in pan. Once you lift the pan and the oil is running across the pan, you can toss the pork in.**Note: To brown your meat and give it nice crust, let the meat sit in the pan for about 2 minutes before tossing/moving it**

3. Once the pork is done or has reached a golden hue on both sides (you may also want to peek into a strip for doneness), add the garlic and chives to the pan. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes until the chives start to wilt.

A couple of days ago, Fox aired Master Chef’s season finale. Still in disbelief how beautiful Josh’s lamb turned out! I felt inspired and rushed to the kitchen. I couldn’t make anything as fancy as that lamb as it was about 10PM at this point, but had to pretend that I, too, had Gordan Ramsay watching over me. Had some figs and Haagen Diaz ice cream…and threw in a couple of other ingredients I had at hand. It was quick and refreshing. (Note: measurements may not be accurate; did this on a whim)

/yields 2 servings/

6 fresh figs, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon
2 pieces of star anise
1 tbs of lemon juice
1 tbs of butter
your choice of ice cream (I opted for vanilla)

1. Toss the figs in brown sugar and cinnamon
2. Heat the pan on medium, then place the butter. The pan should be hot enough so that you see the butter skidding across the pan.
3. Add the fig-sugar mixture, star anise, and lemon juice. Do a quick stir to get a good mix.
4. Let it sit on the pan over medium/med low heat until caramelization occurs. The figs are caramelized until you see the juices of the figs, lemon, sugar, and etc. combine to form a thick consistency.
5. Once it is done, grab a scoop or two of your favorite ice cream. Top it off the figs and its juices; garnish with basil leaves and star anise.