Asian Ribs and Stir Fried Veg

I'm leaving town again for a couple of days, so I wanted to make a meal that would produce plenty of leftovers. I found a recipe for slow cooking Asian BBQ spare ribs that sounded good, but had a hard time finding spare ribs around here, so I got short ribs. The marinade/ sauce/ whatever in this recipe is really good, and I think next time I would use a chuck or shoulder roast-- I wasn't super impressed with the short ribs.

Asian BBQ in the Slow Cooker
4- 41/2 lb. short ribs or a pot roast
1/3 c. beef broth
1/3 c. soy sauce
3 green onions, sliced thin
1 T. brown sugar
2 T. garlic, chopped
2 T. fresh ginger, chopped
black pepper
a jalapeno, sliced (more, if you like it hot)
1 T. cornstarch (possibly)
1 t. sesame oil
2 t. sesame seeds, toasted

Put the meat in the slow cooker, mix broth, soy sauce, onions, sugar, garlic, ginger, pepper, and jalapeno and pour over the meat. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 3 1/2-4 hours. When done, remove meat from sauce, and if the meat has bones, remove bones. Keep meat warm. Pour sauce into a sauce pan and boil to thicken, add cornstarch water (take 1 T. cornstarch and add 2 T. water to create thickening agent) if needed. When thickening the sauce, add the sesame oil. When sauce is desired consistency, pour over meat, and top with toasted sesame seeds. Serve over rice, because the sauce is great with rice.


Stir Fry Broccoli and Red Pepper
1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
1 red pepper, sliced
2 T. cooking oil
4 T. stir fry sauce
2 t. toasted sesame seeds

Heat oil over medium-high, add vegetables. Cook 5 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning. Add sauce, keep stirring for about 2 minutes. Top with extra toasted sesame seeds.


Toasted Sesame Seeds
Pour some sesame seeds in a skillet. Heat on medium, shaking the pan often to move the seeds around. When they're fragrant, they're done. It takes 5-7 minutes. Sesame seeds, like nuts, are way better when toasted.