Soba Noodles For Lunch

This is one of my favorite meals for lunch, and I prepare it entirely at home.

I cooked two bundles of soba noodles and then set it aside.

Then I make the broth. I added to simmering water a packet of instant dashi mix. Then I added a tablespoon of miso paste. That's the broth, and by itself, it makes a good accompaniment to the noodles. But of course I didn't stop there.

I added cut daikon radish, shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage, tofu, and wakame (sea weed). The whole broth mixture was then ladled onto the bowls of soba noodles. I garnished it with roasted seaweed on the side.

It may not look much, but it was a very satisfying, cheap, and nutritious meal to have for lunch.

Zz.

Miss Daisy's Beef and Cabbage Casserole

It is no secret that "A Chef's Life" is one of my most favorite TV shows. It is the reason why we have made a trek to Kinston, NC twice to dine at Chef and the Farmer restaurant.

Still, I have not attempted any dishes shown on the show...... until last night. I finally made the beef and cabbage casserole that was shown by Miss Daisy on the episode titled "A Casserole Says Plenty" (Season 3, Episode 7). This episode also happens to be one of my favorite episodes of "A Chef's Life".

Anyway, I've always wanted to try out this dish, because it looks relatively simple, and it was also a casserole dish that Chef Vivian Howard really liked. I'm not going to post the recipe since you can find it at the link above. However, since I can never leave things well-enough alone (just like Chef Howard), I did some modification to the recipe to suit my taste. In addition to all the ingredients listed in the recipe, I added 1/2 teaspoon of pepper flakes and 4 to 5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce. I added these after mixing the beef with the rest of the ingredients.

So how did it turned out. FABULOUS!

I garnished it with green onions before serving. It added some nice, green color to the casserole (I used red peppers instead of green peppers in the dish itself).

And here we were, going at it. There were only 3 of us for dinner, but we still managed to consume almost half of it. We definitely have enough for lunch and dinner for the next day or two.

Is there anything that I would do differently next time? Sure. I think I'll slice the potatoes thinner, since the potatoes in the middle didn't cook through enough. They probably required maybe another 10 minutes in the oven. Slicing them thinner might just do it.

I also think that I might add grated Pecorino-Romano cheese on top of the beef before putting it into the oven.  This might just push it over the top! 😄

This was a very good casserole, and will feed a lot of people. I will be making this again.

Thanks, Miss Daisy!

Zz.

Turmeric Chicken

I made another dish based on a S.E. Asian's "turmeric chicken" dish that I remember. I think I had to wing it and adjust the ingredients a bit until it matches my memory. It turned out fine, even though I think I under-seasoned it a bit, and toned down the spicy heat to almost nothing.

In any case, the one interesting ingredient that it requires is fresh turmeric. While turmeric powder is commonly available here in the US, the fresh turmeric root is significantly less common. I'm lucky that there are two grocery stores within a 10-minute drive from where I live that carry these fresh turmeric root. This is what they look like unpeeled, and peeled. They are about 2 inches long.

They are quite fragrant with the aroma of turmeric, and you can use a lot more of these without "over-yellowing" your dish.

So in this turmeric chicken dish, I blended the turmeric roots with shallots, garlic, and ginger until they become a smooth paste. I saute the paste in oil until fragrant, and then add chicken pieces. I prefer bone-in chicken thighs and legs, because they will make the dish tastier.

I then add 2 cups of water to 2 tablespoons of tamarind pulp, and extract the juice/flavor from the pulp. I strain the mixture into the post with the chicken pieces. Then I added 4 smashed stalks of lemongrass. Salt and pepper to taste, and 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Let it simmer for about 15 minutes, and then add large chunks of carrots, and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes. Adjust seasoning once more.

When done, best to let it stand for about 10 minutes with the lid off. The dish should not be soupy, but it also should not be completely dry.

This is what it looks like while cooking, before adding the carrots.

Serve over rice.

If only you can smell the fragrant aroma of it during cooking. Ah!

Zz.

Yorkshire Gingerbread

This is one of my most favorite cakes to have with my afternoon tea. It is Yorkshire Gingerbread, and it is popular in the British Isles. It is not a cookie, which is what most Americans are familiar with during the holidays (gingerbread cookies). The taste has spices that gives a 'warmth" that one usually does not get eating a cake.

This recipe is adapted from the Two Fat Ladies, and I modified it slightly to my liking. the biggest difference is adding fresh ginger, which I think makes a significant difference. You may chop the fresh ginger till very fine, but I prefer to pound it in a mortal and pestle. This breaks down the fiber and allows for the ginger juice to come out.

1 2/3 cups flour
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, pounded till pulverized (you may also mince it into very fine pieces)
1 Tbsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift the dry ingredients together .

Cream butter and brown sugar till soft and color become lighter.

Beat eggs and add one at a time to the butter mixture. The mix in the molasses and vanilla extract.

Fold in gently the dry ingredients. Do not overmix. Stop when you no longer see any flour streaks.

Pour mixture into a greased and parchment-lined 8-inch square pan. Place in preheated 325 F oven.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then take it out, remove the parchment paper, and let it cool on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour.

Cut into squares (I usually do 16 squares), and then lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar. You may serve it slightly warm, and it goes quite well with a shmear of salted butter and a nice hot cup of good tea.

This is preparing to pound fresh ginger in my mortar and pestle.

The gingerbread has just come out of the oven, and it is cooling in the pan.

It is now out of the pan and cooling on the rack. I will wait for at least an hour, or two, before I cut it into 16 squares (8x8) and then sprinkle it with powdered sugar.

It will make for a good dessert with coffee after Easter dinner today.

Zz.

Roast Chicken On A Weeknight?

Why not?

I made this 2 weeks ago on a Monday, or all days. Had the chicken fully thawed, made sure the chicken is dry by mopping the outside and inside with paper towels.

Then I made an oil rub which consisted of olive oil, fresh rosemary, lemon zest, paprika, salt and pepper. I loosened the skin from the flesh on the breast and the thighs/drumsticks. Carefully, without tearing the skin, I rubbed the meat with the oil rub, basically covering the flesh underneath the skin. You may have to use the handle of a wooden spoon to reach the far crevices of the legs.

Then I put two springs of rosemary and the two halves of the lemon that I used for the zest into the chicken cavity.

I roasted the chicken on a rack in a preheated oven at 425 F for the first 10 minutes, and then reduced it to 3:50 for the remainder of the cooking, about 50 more minutes. But all ovens are different and your chicken will be of a different size than mine, so check carefully after 45 minutes total cooking time for temperature in the thickest part of the chicken for 165 F.

Once it has hit that internal temperature, remove from oven and the pan, and let the chicken rest for 15-20 minutes. If you leave the chicken uncovered, the skin will remain crispy.

After that, it is just a matter of carving it out, or simply pull it apart, and enjoy!

Zz.

Malaysian Satay

Satay is a rather common menu items at Thai restaurants here in the US. And unfortunately, it has been thought of as being a "Thai food" when in reality, satay is a common and popular item throughout South East Asia. Each country and each region has its own version of this food, and the variation can be significant.

Having sampled many different types of satay throughout the region, I'd say that my most favorite satay is the Malaysian/Indonesian satay. While the satay you find in most Thai restaurant are flavored with nothing more than just turmeric, Malaysian satay has a lot more species, herbs, and flavors. This includes the peanut satay sauce that accompanies the satay. The flavor is significantly more complex and interesting.

Having moaned to my friends about the satay that we often got at Thai restaurants, I decided to put my money where my mouth was and actually made Malaysian satay at home and invited many of my friends to sample it. I basically started with a basic recipe, and then I adjusted it until the flavor that I get matched what I remember how it should be. Making satay at home isn't easy, and it is tedious. Satay is often eaten at food stalls or restaurants because of this. This is very seldom done at home. So I certainly was aware of what I was undertaking.

First, let me give you the basic recipe that I used to make satay. The meat used in the recipe is chicken (boneless dark meat) or beef (flank steak). But in Malaysia/Indonesia, you may find tripe, chicken liver, beef liver, etc. skewered as the satay meat.

Satay Recipe

2 boneless chicken thighs and 2 boneless chicken legs, cut into half-inch pieces. If using flank steaks, cut into thin strips (no more than 1/4 inch) about 3/4 inch long

5 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric power

Satay Spice Paste

6 shallots
3 stalks lemongrass
1 inch galangal root
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons oil

Toast coriander and cumin seeds in a pan until fragrant. Combine all the ingredients for the Spice Paste into a blender or food processor and process until you get a fine paste. Add more oil if necessary to get a smooth paste.

Combine the Spice Paste with the chicken pieces, sugar, salt, and turmeric. Mix thoroughly. Let marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Satay Sauce

2 cups dry roasted peanuts, skinned (may substitute with 2 cups of chunky peanut butter)
1/3 cup oil
1 heaping tablespoon tamarind paste, soaked in 1 cup warm water.
1 cup water
4 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt

Satay Sauce Spice Paste

1 dried ancho pepper, soaked in warm water until soft
6 cloves of garlic
3 shalots
4 stalks lemongrass
1 inch galangal root
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds

Toast coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant. If using dry roasted peanuts, chopped in food processor coarsely and set aside.

Blend Satay Sauce Spice Paste ingredients in a food process until smooth. Add cooking oil if necessary to obtain a smooth paste.

Heat oil and fry spice paste. Once fragrant, add tamarind water, water, sugar, salt, and peanut/peanut butter. Slowly simmer for about 15 minutes. Set aside and serve at room temperature or slightly warm.

Back to the satay. The next day, thread 4-5 pieces of meat per skewer.

In preparation for grilling, pour a cup of cooking oil into a bowel. Use another stalk of lemongrass, and lightly bruise the stalk end. Dip this end into the oil and let it steep for 1/2 hour. This will be the basting brush.

Grill the satay skewers over coal or on a grill at high heat. Brush the meat with the oil-infused lemongrass. Flank steaks should take no more than one minute on each side, while chicken may take 1-2 minutes per side, depending on how thick the pieces are. There should be slight charring of the meat for flavor.

Serve with satay sauce, sliced cucumbers, and red onions.

So, want to see what I did and how my satay party turned out?

These are the coriander and cumin seeds being dry toasted in a pan.

Preparing the satay spice paste. I couldn't find galangal root, so I substitute ginger root instead.

Frying the spice paste for the peanut sauce. I was making a large amount.

The lemongrass basting brush soaking in oil.

Grilling the satay. I made both chicken and beef.

Malaysian satay is served. I also made "pressed rice" to serve with the satay and peanut sauce, along with the sliced cucumber and red onions. Traditionally, the rice is "ketupat", which is rice cooked in a weaved basket made of coconut leaves. But hey, I can only do so much!

It was yummy, if I may say so myself, and it was definitely a success. I managed to give an idea to my friends what "satay" is supposed to taste like, at least from what I remember.

I may have to do this again next summer if I can find people to help me skewer the meat.

Zz.

Sinigang

"Sinigang" is a popular Filipino dish but it also shares similarities with dishes found in southern Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.  It is a tamarind-based soup broth and one can almost put anything into it. Common ingredients in it can be green beans, daikon radish, okra, bitter melon, etc... The protein can be chicken, beef, fish, shrimp, etc.

The one that I often make is with those veggies and either with chicken or beef. I admit that I often take shortcuts. Instead of making the broth from scratch, I often make this on a weeknight using a pre-made package for the broth.

Of course, I just don't pour it in. I doctor it a bit. What I normally do is I have 4 or 5 thick pieces of ginger, and smash 3 cloves of garlic. I fry the smashed garlic (you don't even have to chop 'em) in a couple of tablespoon of oil in a large pot until you get the garlic aroma. Then I add the appropriate amount of water. Add the ginger and the sinigang package, stir, and let it come to a boil.

Once it is boiling, cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes so that the flavor develops, especially with the ginger.

Then add your protein (chicken or beef). Let it come to a boil and then simmer slowly until done.

Adjust seasoning. It should have a slightly sour taste from the tamarind. Optionally, you can add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce.

Then add the veggies. I always have bitter melon, daikon radish, and green beans. Cook until veggies are done. I often serve this alongside rice and kimchee.

If you like it hot, you can add whole Serrano peppers at the same time that you add the veggies. Then whoever wants it with a kick can serve it him/herself and break the pepper in the broth. It will add quite a kick to the soup.

Zz.

Buttermilk Biscuits

The name "biscuit" can bring a lot of confusion and means different things to different people from various parts of the world. Outside of the US, and especially in the United Kingdom, "biscuits" are what most Americans referred to as cookies and/or crackers. However, in the US, it is normally referred to as a quick bread, made with flour, butter/shortening, and leavened with baking power and/or baking soda. Since I am in the US, I will use the latter meaning of the word "biscuits".

Most people do not make biscuits at home for some reason or another, which is strange because this is one of the simplest quick breads. The problem comes in with making sure that (i) the butter or shortening is incorporated properly, and (ii) to not over mix it. In fact, the less it is mixed, the lumpier the dough is, the softer, more tender it becomes.

This is my recipe for a very simple buttermilk biscuit. The amount of flour and buttermilk listed is approximate, because it depends on the weather, humidity, etc. The dough in the end should still be soft and slightly wet. After you make this a few times, you'll get a feel for how the dough should feel like for the type of biscuit that you prefer, so feel free to adjust those amounts.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled in the freezer
• 1 cup cold buttermilk

Optional: 4 tablespoons melted butter to brush over baked biscuits after you pull them out of the oven.

Heat oven to 425 F.

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. If you are using a food-processor, pulse it a 4-5 times to mix the dry ingredients.

Cut the cold butter into chunks and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingers. Do this quickly to make sure the butter doesn't melt. You may also use a dough cutter to cut the butter into the flour. Do this until you either have flakes of flour-coated butter, or small, course meal. If you are doing this in a food-processor, pulse it until you see small pebbles of butter.

Pour into a mixing bowl, and add buttermilk. Stir gently until everything is just combined into a dough, no more than 20 seconds of stirring. It will look lumpy and under-mix. Dough should feel soft and slightly wet/sticky. Use additional flour if it is too wet.

Liberally sprinkle flour onto a flat surface and turn the dough onto it. Flatten it gently with your hands until it is about 1/2 an inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter to cut rounds of biscuits. Use scraps to form into a dough ball and flatten it again to make more biscuits.

Alternatively, you can shape the biscuits by hand. Pinch a ball of dough, about 1 1/2" in diameter, and flatten it gently until it becomes a disk about 1/2 inch thick.

Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes.

As soon as the biscuits is baked and out of the oven, brush the top with the melted butter. Serve immediately.

I made these by shaping them with my hands, since I don't have a biscuit cutter. But I like my biscuits this way. It looks more rustic and definitely the unevenness makes it more home-made.

This is as quick of a quick bread as it gets. Depending on your oven, if you start heating it and start making the dough at the same time, you may be done with it even before your oven reaches its set temperature. Yet, it is so delicious, you'll never buy those frozen stuff in the supermarket refrigerator again.

Zz.

Chimichurri

I Love Chimichurri.

Chimichurri is an Argentinian parsley "sauce", and usually eaten as an accompaniment to meats. And it is ridiculously easy to prepare and very versatile.

Here is my version of this recipe:

• 10-20 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
• half of a small onion
• 2 cloves of garlic (use less if you're not as into garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
• 2-4 tablespoons of red or white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the parsley, you may substitute with curly parsley, but make sure for either type, use mainly the leaves. A bit of stem is OK but try not to use the main stalk of the parsley.

Put parsley, onion, garlic, red paper flakes, oregano, salt, black pepper, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil into a food processor or blender. Then pulse it 10-15 times. You do not want a puree. You still want to see small chunks. This is not a smooth sauce.

When done, pour content into a large ceramic bowl. Add the remaining 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and mix thoroughly. Give it a taste. It should taste like fresh parsley, with a bit of acidity from the vinegar. Add additional tablespoons of vinegar if needed. Adjust seasoning to your liking. The sauce should not be too thick or too runny. If it is too thick, add a bit more olive oil.

This is the version that I made yesterday:

I served it with a roast leg of lamb, and it was delicious. Chimichurri should be served at room temperature, although you may store it in a tightly-closed containing in the fridge. Make it at least an hour before serving so that the flavor has time to "bloom".

It goes very well with lamb, steaks, grilled chicken, prime rib, and grilled fish. I've also seen people used this to dress cold pasta salad. Like I said, this is a very versatile sauce.

Zz.

Leftover Corned Beef

While St. Patrick's Day is this coming Friday, we already had our corned beef and cabbage dinner this past weekend/week. So now I have leftover corned beef.

If I have the time, I often will use leftovers and turn it into something else. This time, I decided to make my version of corned beef hash, but with homefries. I already had some red potatoes that I roasted with rosemary, and I diced an onion and half of a red pepper. I took the leftover corned beef and diced them into smaller pieces.

I then fried all of them in a pan. And just like the traditional corned beef hash, I want some crusty surfaces on this, so I pressed the down onto the pan and let is sit for a couple of minutes under medium-high heat to develop that crust. Then I roughly flip various parts of it and try to get more of this crusty surface. If you have made the English's "Bubble and Squeak", then this is a similar thing.

Once done, I serve this with perfectly-fried eggs. By perfectly, I mean sunnyside up but with crispy edges. That's how I like my eggs.

Sprinkle with parsley and a touch of Tabasco, and this was a very nice lunch of leftovers.

Zz.

Uncomplicated Lunch

So yeah, I like a few exotic food and a tastes of many cultures. But sometime, I do like something simple and uncomplicated. This is one such lunch that I often enjoy, and it is easy to fix.

It is a selection of mixed greens, half of an avocado, boiled fingerling potatoes, and perfectly hard-boiled eggs. I dressed the greens and potatoes with my homemade balsamic vinaigrette, and finished it off with a sprinkle of freshly-ground black pepper.

I'm sure this is quite healthy as well, but it tastes great, and that is what is important. It is simple and very satisfying.

Zz.

Malaysian Chicken Soup

OK, I'm having people over for dinner, and I'm going to serve Malaysian Chicken Noodle soup. I've started this morning to make the soup.

Unlike the standard, American chicken soup, the Malaysian version has a lot more spices to flavor the broth. I'm starting everything from scratch. I'm not using even any pre-made chicken broth.

I bought a whole hen (not chicken, so the name of the dish is misleading), and this is what I'm using not only to make the broth, but also later on serve the meat as part of the dish. The reason why I'm using a hen is because I want to simmer the broth for a long time. A typical supermarket chicken will simply fall apart and turn to mush if I simmer them for as long as I intend to. A hen is older, and frankly, has a lot more chicken flavor.

But what makes this different than the standard broth are all the whole spices that I added. The spices are: cinnamon sticks, whole cardamom, whole cloves, whole star anise, and pepper corns. I also put 3 sticks of lemon grass, 3 stalks of celery, one large onion, 5 cloves of garlic, and 5 thick slices of ginger root.

It is simmering slowly right now and the whole house smells wonderful! I'm going to simmer this for about a couple of hours, and then I'll fish out the chicken.. excuse me, the hen pieces and let them cool down. Then I'll shred the meat, and put the bones back into the pot and let then simmer for another hour.

When that is done, I'll strain the broth and I'll end up with the most flavorful soup base for my noodle soup. I'll post some more on how things progress, including the final dish.

Zz.

Leg of Lamb

Sometime, some of the best food I've had are just something not so complicated.

I often roast a boneless leg of lamb. I rub it with salt, pepper, and rosemary, and then shove it into the oven at 250 F and let it roast for 90 mins to hour and a half, depending on the size, just to get it to medium rare.

Then I serve it with something simple: sliced cucumber, radishes, boiled potatoes, and chimichurri. The chimichurri is quite simple: a handful of flat-leaf parsley, 1/4 of an onion, a clove of garlic, 1/4 cup white or red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil, a tablespoon of oregano, half teaspoon of pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Whiz everything in a food processor. Do not over-process, it is not supposed to be smooth. And voila! You have a delicious "sauce" to accompany the meat.

It is simple but oh-so-satisfying!

Zz.

Chap Chye

OK, this is one of those unsung dishes where it is typically served only at home (if you lived in a South East Asian household), and it probably has a million different variations for each household. I don't even know if this is the correct name, where it originated, or if this was the result of people simply adding things together and then calling it a dish.

I found a similar dish online, where it is called a Nyonya vegetable stew or Chap Chye. "Nyonya" is a word used in SE Asia that indicates a Chinese woman or mother, and Nyonya dishes are typically Chinese dishes that may have undergone a few local additions.

The version that I'm familiar with is not exactly this, but it is close enough. Interestingly enough, I think I've only made it, at most, 4 or 5 times in my life. And each time I made it, I didn't go by any recipe. I simply put things together from memory, and then adjusted the flavors until I think it match what I remember, or at least, as close as I could remember. It isn't that it is difficult to make, since you simply dump everything into a pot. It is just that there are a lot of ingredients, and most of the ingredients are not what you would normally find in a typical American supermarket, to say the least.

I'm not going to list a recipe (you can look it up on that link). Rather, I'll show the ingredients that I used to make this dish this past weekend.

This is cellophane noodles. This might be easier to find since I've seen them in regular supermarkets. Here, it is soaking to soften it before I add it to the stew.

There are two ingredients in the picture below, both are soaking in water. The first one towards the left of the picture is dried tofu skins. The second one, the thinner strands, are dried lily flowers. Both need to be soaked for about an hour before adding them to the stew.

These are dried wood ear fungus or mushrooms. They also will be soaked for an hour before cutting them up into bite size pieces and adding them to the soup. Interestingly enough, the flavor of these mushrooms is quite subtle. What I like the most is the texture. They become soft but crunch. If you have had seaweed salad, you'll find the texture to be similar.

Fish balls. I happen to have this brand, but any fishballs will do. I was making a large pot of stew, so I used the entire bag.

These are dried Shiitake mushroom. Also need to be soaked for about an hour, and then sliced.

This is one of the flavor base. This is fermented, salted soy bean. I used about 2-3 tablespoons of this. I mash it lightly and then added to the broth. The broth is just water and light soy sauce, with salt and pepper to taste.

I first make the broth. Once I get a rolling boil and after adding all the seasonings, I first add the wood ear fungus. I let this boil for about 10 to 15 minutes, then I add all the rest of the ingredients at once. Cook this again for another 10 minutes and then add green onions. It is then ready to serve. The stew should be a bit more soupy than a regular stew.

This is what it looks like when it is done. 

I serve this with rice. In fact, I've often ladle this into a bowl of rice and turn it into a rice soup or stew. You can also break a raw egg into the boiling stew and poach it. Serve a poach egg with the rest of the stew for each guest.

It is a very satisfying soup or stew during the cold months, which is interesting because I grew up eating this in the tropics where the weather is always hot and humid.

Zz.

Sukiyaki At Home

Had a great time last night having the Japanese favorite Sukiyaki at home. This a popular dish, and often prepared tableside. In this case, we prepared it right on the dinning room table as we sit around having wine, pleasant conversation, and preparing the food.

The prep work started earlier in the afternoon. There were lots of ingredients.

Yam noodles and Inoki mushrooms.

 

Tofu, bamboo shoots, Inoki mushrooms, Mung bean sprouts, green onions, white onions, and the yam noodles out of the package. The other ingredients not shown here are the sliced beef and the fresh spinach.

All the ingredients are cut into proper sizes and, when ready, brought to the table.

Now the fun begins. Cooking them. We had two separate pots to prepare them. First, the beef.

Then most of the ingredients are added.

The entire mixture is seasoned with beef broth, soy sauce, Mirin, and sugar. It is seasoned to taste, so you need to have a reference point of knowing what it should taste like.

After this has cooked for a couple of minutes, add the spinach.

Once the spinach has wilted, the dish is done and ready to be eaten. We each served ourselves in individual bowls.

While it is good as is, we accompanied this with a side dish of rice and pickled Daikon radish. The rice here was cooked with kombu, and then served sprinkled with rice seasonings and shredded Nori.

The meal was oishi! It was definitely the perfect dish to have on a cold, winter evening. It goes perfectly well with a slightly sweet Chardonnay.

Zz.

How To Boil An Egg

OK, confession time. I'm a food snob!

{shock rings through the room!}

Now, let me explain. It is not that I turn up my nose at some food. What I meant by being a food snob is that I like something to be the best that it can be, and hate settling for less, even though in many cases, I do.

Take a hard-boiled egg, for example. I mean, how difficult can it be? It is a hard-boiled egg!

Ah, but that is where you are wrong. Even boiling a hard boiled egg can be an art and a science. I once was staying at a hotel in Berkeley, CA that provided breakfast, and the hard-boiled eggs were boiled for so long and so overcooked that you can almost bounce the egg off the floor! In fact, many of these breakfast places simply abused the egg, turning it into a rubber ball!

Here's the thing. Overcooked hard-boiled egg is less tasty, and once you get that dark ring around the yolk, that is when you get the acrid, sulfuric taste one associates with smelly egg.

But I go even a step closer. I way prefer a hard-boiled egg where the yolk still has a patch of darker, almost orange color where it is slight moist (see photo). Not only is the egg white nice and soft, the yolk is also tastier without the strong egg smell.

Trust me, you can tell the difference between these eggs, and the ones that are overcooked and rubbery.

So how do you get such "perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs"? Put the eggs inside a heavy-bottom saucepan, and filled it with water will the water level is about 1/2 inch above the eggs.

Put it on the stove on medium-high heat. Let the water comes to a rolling boil.

Put up the lid onto the saucepan, and kill the heat.

Let the eggs sit in the saucepan for 5-6 minutes.

Remove the eggs and immerse them in cold, ice water. Let it sit in the water for 3-5 minutes.

Peel the eggs. Do this even if you don't intend to eat the eggs. You may store the eggs in air-tight container till you are ready to eat them. Do not cut or slice them till they are ready to be eaten.

After you get used to these eggs, you'll never be satisfied with badly-cooked hard-boiled eggs.

Zz.

Pasta With Broccoli Rabe

Often times, the simplest of usually the best.

This is my frequent standby, either for a quick lunch, or a weeknight dinner. It requires only a few ingredients.

I use linguini for this, but you can use any long pasta. As soon as the salted water boils, add about half pound of pasta. While that is cooking, start the "sauce".

Saute 2 cloves of garlic that has been roughly sliced and a pinch of pepper flakes in some olive oil. Add 1 strip of anchovy that has been roughly chopped. Stir until the anchovies has melted.

Add broccoli rabe (5 or 6 stalks that have been cleaned. You may cut the bottom 1 inch if it is too thick). Saute in the oil. Add 1/4 cup of white wine or chicken stock. Lower heat and let it gently cook until the pasta is done.

Use tongs and fish out the pasta out of the water and directly into the saute pan. Toss. If it is too dry, add pasta water, one ladle at a time. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle some good parmesian cheese if you have some. Toss thoroughly.

And there you have it, a quick and easy meal that is delicious and nutritious.

Note: some people are squimish about anchovies. Don't be, at least, not in this dish. You will not taste it. The anchovies simply add a background flavor to the dish. If I don't tell you that there's anchovies in here, you would not have guessed.

Zz.

Blueberry Pound Cake

OK, so I've promised several people to give the recipe for my blueberry pound cake, and I keep forgetting. Now that I have a food blog, I might as well put it on here so that I can refer to it and give the link to people if they ask for it again.

This is the recipe that I first found online many years ago, and have fiddled with it since to suit my taste (which you're welcome to do when you make this).

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

 DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan or a standard loaf pan. For added crunchiness, you may lightly coat the pan with granulated sugar instead of flour.
2. Take 1/4 cup of the flour, and mix it with the blueberries, making sure that all the fruits are well-coated with the flour.
3. Sift the flour with the baking powder.
4. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Add one egg at a time and mix well in between the eggs.
6. Stir in the lemon zest, vanilla extract, and milk until well combined.
7. Combine the flour+baking powder into the batter and stir by hand to prevent over-mixing.
8. As soon as the flour is well-incorporated, fold in the blueberries until it is well-mixed and no trace of un-mixed flour can be seen.
9. Spoon the batter into the baking pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
10. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove cake from the pan and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.

Best served with a dollop of lemon whipped cream. Enjoy!

Zz.

Caramelized Shallots

I use caramelized shallots as a garnish in many dishes. We especially love it when we sprinkle some on soups, stews, or even just plain white rice. It adds a bit of complexities and "exotic" flavors that one do not find regularly. Using caramelized shallots as a garnish is quite common in many cuisines of South East Asia.

I made some over the weekend for the dinner party that we hosted. In fact, I made a rather huge batch, which I intend to store in an airtight container and use it for the next few weeks to sprinkle over many dishes.

To make this, you need to thinly slice shallots, as many as you want. For this one, I had 10 shallots. Then, using a heavy skillet (better heat distribution so that your shallots caramelize evenly), heat about a 1/3 cup oil (yes, you will use quite a bit of oil, but read on) for that much shallots. If you drop a piece of shallots and it sizzles, then the oil is hot enough and you can pour all of the shallots into the pan.

Sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon salt, and saute the shallots over medium heat. You don't have to saute it constantly, maybe every minute or so, but you do need to monitor it closely. This is how it usually look in the beginning.

It may look a bit wet and soggy, but just continue on. Eventually, you'll start seeing caramelized bits and pieces.

Lower the heat just a bit if it is browning too fast, but it is not necessary if you are diligent in stirring it. Eventually, it will become caramelized.

I like it this color, or even slightly more.

When it is caramelized, drain it on a paper towel, but save as much as the oil in the pan as possible.

Let it cool down and then using your fingers, or with forks, separate them out (like shredding meat) if they become a clump. The shallots should be light and crispy after it has cooled down.

Now, for any leftover oil in the pan, I usually save that. It is very flavorful, and I usually use it to cook fried or scrambled eggs, saute vegetables, etc. So don't throw out that flavorful oil.

I'll post a few dishes some time soon where I use these caramelized shallots as a garnish.

Zz.

Chinese 5-Spice Powder

I have lots of whole spices. I use them frequently in my cooking, so I buy them in bulk. This actually saves a lot of money because I buy them at ethnic food market where they cost a fraction of what you pay for in those little jars that you find in a supermarket.

One of the flavoring spices that I use often is the Chinese 5-Spice powder. I've used pre-made ones when I rubbed chicken pieces before grilling them and then glazed them with a Chinese BBQ sauce. But one day, I looked up the ingredients for the 5-Spice powder, and realized that I could it myself since I practically had all of the ingredients except for the Szechuan pepper corns, which I promptly bought at a nearby Asian grocery store. And I can tell you that the one I make my own is waaaaay more fragrant than the one I bought pre-made. It is worth the extra effort to make this from scratch.

So here is the receipe for the Chinese 5-Spice powder.

• 1 tablespoon Szechuan pepper corns
• 6 star anise
• 1 1/2 teaspoon whole  cloves
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds

I dry roast them in a pan for a few minutes until I can smell the fragrant aroma from the spices. Then I pour the spices into a coffee grinder and pulverize them into fine powder. Keep in an air-tight container, and it'll keep for weeks or months. It won't go bad, but the fragrance and punch will certainly taper off after a couple of months.

I'll post some time soon a recipe for a glaze that you can use with the 5-Spice powder that will be perfect for summer grilling.

Zz.