We are Asian food fanatics!

 

Yes, we've been on a kick lately.  It happens.  Japanese- everything from the hibachi joints to sushi. Thai- making it ourselves and stocking up various curry pastes from our favorite Asian market.  Chinese- digging dumplings, which we prefer our own homemade versions!

Viv is a dumpling devotee.  But it's only been this week that she wanted me to show/teach her to make them from scratch.  She's really been getting into cooking recently, which makes me so happy, of course.  We found round Hong Kong style dumpling wrappers at our favorite market, Asian Market on Dutch Square Blvd. I just gave Viv the basic run-down verbally, and while I was out working, she whipped up the filling herself.

We got the butcher at Publix to grind some pork for us. Then, Vivian used that, some chopped serrano pepper, finely chopped carrot, green onion, ginger, garlic, an egg, and some soy sauce to create the dumpling filling.  We wrapped them up, and off to the races.  If you've never made your own, it's quite simple.  The most challenging part is learning the various methods to folding and crimping the dumpling. But, simply folding and sealing is ok; no need to be fancy. 

You heat a very thin layer of oil in a skillet. Place dumplings bottom (flattened) side down to fry and get golden crispy. Then, you (carefully) add about a 1/3 cup water and smack a lid on that baby. Crisping up the bottoms before adding water keeps them from sticking; skip this step, and you have a stuck on mess (thus the name potstickers.) Turn the heat down to med-low and let them steam about 3-4 minutes. Then, remove lid, turn heat up a bit to cook out any remaining liquid and to make sure dumpling bottoms stay crisp. Now, get your chopsticks and get ready to have (IMHO) better than restaurant dumplings.

I like mixing up a simple dipping sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, thin slices of ginger and sliced green onion.  

Tonight, we wrapped them all up, cooked a few, served with some sauteed baby bok choy and put the rest of the dumplings in the freezer for another day!

Alley Street Eats in Rosewood

Everyone in the neighborhood has eagerly awaited the opening of Alley Street Eats. I read an article about these folks and their concept.  Asian street food, of different styles.  The decor is cool and modern. The menu is extensive without being overbearing and features the variety we so desperately need in our area.

Viv and I shared shrimp and zucchini tempura to start.  Their tempura is light and crispy, just as it should be.  Next, we had an order of the Sichuan wontons. 

These are delicious.  Pork wontons with soy, scallion, cilantro and garlic. I was expecting them to be spicy, given "Sichuan" but they were actually pretty mild, but very flavorful.  I bet next time I can just ask for them to be spicy and they would oblige. 

Next, we had the Yaki Udon Noodle with shrimp.  This was also quite delicious. Soft, pillowy Udon noodles in a soy based sauce with red bell pepper, scallion and mushroom.  The shrimp were nicely cooked, which as we all know, can be a 50-50 shot in some restaurants.

Viv and I are excited about this place.  We've often lamented the fact that almost every Chinese place we know of has a zillion dishes on their menu, yet they all taste the same.  We love, love, love Mai Thai but sometimes the trip to W.C. just isn't in the cards. And, our Korean and Japanese choices are limited.  Now that we have Alley Street Eats right here in the neighborhood, we can get our Asian food fix much more readily!  Here's the link to their MENU. Support our locals!

Passionate about Panang!

I LOVE THAI FOOD. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.

 Panang Curry is one of my all-time favorites.  Recently, I saw Jet Tila making Chicken Panang on his show.  I found his recipe online, modified a bit, and made a fantastic dinner tonight.  Panang is rich and deeply flavored with coconut, basil and fish sauce.  One thing I changed about Jet's recipe is that I had to omit tamarind paste because our lame ass grocery stores act like this is an ingredient that I made up.  Not having the time or energy to go across town for it, I omitted it. He calls for the ever-exotic (NOT) bamboo shoots. My Publix, which has been sucking tailpipe lately, had no bamboo shoots at all.  I broke down and had a little "Come to Jesus" meeting with the manager over this. I also had no makrut lime leaves, so I subbed in basil, in chiffonade. 

Look at these beautiful ingredients!  I thinly sliced the chicken at a bias, so it cooks in no time.  Basil from my dad's giant plant. Jet Tila calls for red bell pepper, onion, zucchini and basil.  I used all that, but added pea pods and carrots. 

Before I tell you how I put all this together, here's an important detail I learned from Jet. When you are using coconut milk, DO NOT SHAKE IT UP first. Open the can and scoop off the cream that rises to the top. You'll use this to start your curry sauce, or "roux" if you will, then stir up the milk in the can.

Chicken Panang Curry

• 2 boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 2 cans full fat coconut milk, 3 TBS cream set aside
• 4 TBS Panang curry paste (see your Asian market)
• 6 large basil leaves (or lime leaf if you can get it) cut into ribbons (chiffonade)
• 1/2 c. onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 zucchini, sliced
• 1/2 c. bamboo shoots
• 1/2 c. pea pods
• 1/2 c. sliced carrots
• 1/2 c. chopped basil

1. In a heavy bottomed pot, heat coconut cream over med-high. When it starts to sizzle, stir in the curry paste, like you're building a roux.  Add in the onion and half of the lime leaf, or basil ribbons. Stir fry the paste until it starts to thicken, dry out and becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. If it starts to sputter, add a small amt of coconut milk to keep the paste moving. Cook until it's about the consistency of peanut butter.
2. Stir in remaining coconut milk. Increase heat a little (don't walk away from it!) and bring to a good boil. Allow the curry to boil until it reduces by about 25%, or coats the back of a wooden spoon, 10-15 minutes.
3. Reduce to a simmer. Add chicken, fish sauce, sugar. Let chicken cook a couple minutes, then add the pea pods, bell pepper and carrots and cook another 3 minutes or so. Then add in your zucchini and bamboo shoots. Stir in the chopped basil. Serve over jasmine rice and garnish with the remaining basil ribbons. 

At first, I worried that the curry was going to be too spicy for Vivian, so we had milk at the ready, but after getting all our vegetables and chicken in the sauce, it all leveled out and she didn't need the milk after all. It still had a little punch to it, but in a good, balanced, level way. This is one of the best Thai curries, in my opinion. It's got all the elements that Thai cooking is known for: sweetness, spiciness, protein and veggies all together in harmony. And, it takes practically no time to make this dish. You'll be so happy with yourself when you make it. 

Pizza Night

 Viv and I have always loved making pizza at home.  Sort of like our version(s) of fried rice, pizza is often a "clean out the fridge" type of concoction.

Often, I make dough in my bread machine, but this time, I bought the dough that you can buy in the Publix bakery.  One thing I've found about their dough, though, is I let it sit out at room temp for hours.  Otherwise, it's practically impossible to roll, stretch, pat out, etc.  It just doesn't cooperate if it's too cold/cool.

Tonight, we wanted to use up some of the vegetables that we have on hand. We went with onion, roasted red pepper, olives, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, garlic, bacon bits and some blue cheese crumbles (on my side.)

Pizza Pre-Bake

Get in our bellies!

One thing I do when I make pizza at home is, as you can see, I pat the dough out onto a jelly roll pan. I spray it well with either PAM or sprayable olive oil, pat the dough out, then pre-bake it at 500 degrees for about 5 minutes. It's good to poke some holes in the dough with a fork or knife.  This helps get the underside of the crust crisp, as well as, firming up the top side before you start with your toppings.  Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, and there you have it.  I'm not pretending that this is just like a pizzeria, but for home pizza, it is pretty damn good!  

General Tso's Chicken

 We've been on a bit of an Asian kick lately.  Yesterday, Viv came up with a by-the-seat-of-the-pants chicken stir-fry with mung bean noodles, which was very, very tasty. I was impressed with her use of the Shao Xing wine.  It makes such a significant difference and gives everything that distinctive Chinese flavor.

We've been planning this dish and finally got it made today.  General Tso's Chicken!  

As you can see, we paired our chicken with jasmine rice and some edamame blanched in water and soy sauce.  Viv found the dish rather spicy, which surprised me since I only used 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes.  But, she got herself a glass of milk and pressed on.

Because I'm pretty brain tired tonight, I'm just leaving this here.  If you are interested in the recipe I used, just let me know.  I am always happy to share. 

Teriyaki Chicken Bowl

Driving along today, I was having a familiar internal monologue, "What do I do with freakin' chicken today?"  As most of you know, I can get into my "I hate chicken and am so bored to death with chicken" mindset very easily.  As I ran through past recipes in my mind, I had a thought of something else.  Thank God!

Teriyaki chicken rice bowls! 

I mixed up a simple marinade of lemon, soy sauce, hot sauce, oil, garlic and ginger. I scored my chicken breasts and got them marinating for a few hours.  Next step was preparing the teriyaki sauce.  In a small saucepan, I combined the following and brought to a boil.  Once boiling, turn off the heat and let it boil by itself for 1 minute.  Strain it (easier to do this while it's still hot) and set aside to cool.  

• 1/4 c. water
• 3 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 Tbs cornstarch (or flour)
• 1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 1/8 c. apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbs honey

Next, I marinated some edamame in Mirin and prepared some scallions with a  light coat of oil.

Now, I will admit to one short-cut here. I used a pre-made, frozen vegetable fried rice by Innovasian as the base.  Grilled the scallions and chicken, glazing the chicken with the teriyaki.  Then, Viv and I built the bowls with rice, grilled/charred scallion, sliced grilled teriyaki chicken, edamame and toasted sesame seeds, all drizzled with a sriracha mayo we mixed up.  Such a great change for our lowly chicken!  The crunch of the sesame was a fantastic textural element and I must say, the sriracha mayo was just perfect. I hope you may decide to give this a try. Definitely helped us with the chicken doldrums!

I'm a Chowder-Head

And proud of it.  One of my all-time favorites is corn chowder.  I have many variations that I like, so it can be a little different each time.  The last batch was a pretty standard recipe, which is delicious and easy.  There is some prep, but if you enjoy cooking with real ingredients, you have to prep them.  We're all on the same page there, right?

This recipe came from another book in my extensive collection: Cook's Country 2009.  I have modified it a little from time to time, but I use this recipe because of the fact it has been tested by their kitchens and I like having a guide for measurements.

Here's what you do:

• 6 ears of fresh corn
• 2 cans canned corn
• 5 c. chicken broth
• 4 slices Canadian bacon (diced)
• 1 onion, chopped/diced
• 1 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 cup 1% milk 
• 4 scallions (green onion) sliced
• salt, pepper & cayenne to taste

Shuck corn and cut kernels from cobs.  Set cobs aside. Puree canned corn in blender with 2 c. broth. 

Saute onion, Canadian bacon, corn kernels and salt/pepper in a little canola oil.  When onion begins to soften, add potatoes, corn puree, the rest of the broth, and the corn cobs.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes become tender. 

Discard the corn cobs and stir in the milk.  **Now, here, you can be a purist and use cream. Or, half & half, any form of milk you choose.** Taste and season with salt and pepper.  I really love polishing it off with some cayenne to keep it interesting.  

With this batch, I happened to have some crab meat in the fridge, so I sauteed some in a little butter to warm it and topped my soup with that.  I've also topped it in the past with shrimp.  Another wonderful addition is to roast, peel and chop some poblano peppers to mix into the soup.  Green chilis and jalapenos can liven things up as well. Of course, you can also use regular bacon,  or no bacon, but no bacon is just crazy talk.  Don't doubt me about the pureed canned corn. The test kitchens experimented with this, using fresh, frozen and canned corn with the goal of creating a nice, smooth and silky base to the soup.  Canned won out.  And, then of course, the fresh corn gives you all the fresh, crunchiness and sweetness that corn always brings to the party.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

 

Baby Got Knack

 A knack for cooking, that is!

My daughter is a sucker for a crab rangoon.  My issue with this little morsel, is that pretty much every restaurant on Earth uses "krab" with a K.  Here, in my little coastal state, we spell "crab" with a C, as it is so. Red-dyed surimi (Krab) is fish. Not crab of any sort. It's fake ass Krab.  So, due to my seething loathing for this stuff, I informed the wunderkind that I'd much rather make rangoons at home so I know she's getting the real deal.

We made our inaugural batch together yesterday and were quite pleased with our results.  Today, she decided she wanted to make more, but as a solo mission.  She used the cookbook she gave me last Christmas, The Woks of Life. After our first batch yesterday, the one change she decided on, and it was the right decision, was to increase the crab meat by one ounce. They turned out great and we've decided that using 3 oz. of crab will be our standard.  

She had a few as a little snack and still has about 20 more that we will store in the freezer for next time.  I'm very proud of her and more importantly, she's proud of herself and her efforts. This may become the signature dish of the Vivver!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

 You know that feeling when you make something to eat and you love it so much that you're just really impressed with yourself?  Yeah, that's where I am right now. 

 

I made some Asian-inspired chicken lettuce wraps tonight. Not only am I really happy about this dinner, but there is plenty left for later in the week for lunches or more dinner.  Takes a little prep work, but hey, we're talking about cooking.  Comes with the territory.

Sauce:

• 3 Tbs soy sauce
• 3 Tbs hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbs sesame oil
• 1 Tbs rice vinegar
• 1 Tbs peanut butter
• 1 Tbs honey
• 2 tsp Sriracha
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger (powdered)

Mix all this stuff up with a whisk until smooth.

Filling:

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 Tbs oil
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 c. chopped/minced red bell pepper
• 3/4 c. chopped/minced carrot
• 8 oz can water chestnuts, minced

Heat your oil until hot, then add the chicken. Brown it like you would with hamburger. Add onions and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes until onions start getting translucent and carrots are softening. 

Add the peppers and water chestnuts and cook about another 4-5 minutes until peppers are softening. Add sauce and simmer to heat everything through and get meat and veggies nicely coated with the sauce. 

Serve in lettuce leaves with chopped peanuts on top, if you like.  I like tender lettuces for this, like Bibb or butter lettuce, but you can use iceberg, romaine or green leaf, whatever you prefer. 

Keep any leftover filling in the fridge in a ziplock or tupperware type container for the next 5 days or so. Easy to heat up and make an instant lunch or dinner, no effort at all. And, be prepared for one really nice side-effect: your house is going to smell divine!

Roasted Red Pepper Soup...Yummmm...

 

Despite what many think, soup IS NOT just for winter time.  Soup can be the most filling, comforting, nutritious and simple to whip up. For a long time, I couldn't stand tomatoes. Cooked, like in sauces (spaghetti, pizza, etc.) was fine, but raw or in your face tomato dishes like tomato soup, nope.  I was always jealous though, seeing others with a hot bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. If you are one of those people, then this roasted red pepper may just be the ticket for you.  If you aren't one of those people, then this roasted red pepper may just be the ticket for you too.  

We have a cafe/wine shop/market here called The Gourmet Shop. Great chicken salad, beautiful sandwiches on fresh baguette, cheese plates and homemade soups. One of their periodic soups is a roasted red pepper bisque.  My daughter loves it paired with a half avocado for a light lunch. I've sought out and tried many recipes trying to duplicate that soup at home.  I have finally landed on one, with a few tweaks, that I think is the sure thing. And, insanely easy to make in your kitchen with not a lot of time on your hands. 

I credit this to a person named Judi who posted this to AllRecipes.com some years back.  I've changed a few things, but I still use her recipe for measurements.  She calls for roasting fresh red bell peppers, which I have done.  It's not hard, but it does take some time.  Her recipe calls for roasting and peeling 4 peppers.  I usually default to jarred, already-roasted peppers for time's sake and ease. Rather than using heavy cream, I turn to half & half, mainly because I rarely have whole cream on hand, but since I use half & half in my coffee, it's always in the fridge.  I also like to jazz the soup up at the end with a bit of cayenne pepper and chopped chives.  Once you make it, you'll discover all kinds of little details you may want to play with.

So here we go:  my version of Roasted Red Pepper Soup.

• 1 1/2 or 2 jars roasted red peppers (in the pickle section)
• 2 Tbs butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 c. chicken or vegetable broth **
• 1/2 cream or half & half
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• salt to taste

**It's a good idea to keep bouillon cubes on hand in case you get into a recipe and realize you're out of broth; you can use these to make your own.  

Over medium, saute onions, garlic and peppers in butter until onions are getting tender. Pour in the broth, stirring well and reduce heat to low.  Simmer about 30 minutes.  Transfer to a blender (be careful; open the vent) and puree until nice and smooth. Return to saucepan and add your cream, pepper, salt and cayenne. Heat through for about 5 minutes or so. I top mine off with chives. A dollop of sour cream or Mexican crema is nice too.

We made this just a few days ago and served it with baked potatoes for our little supper.  The soup is delicious right off the bat, but it tastes even more awesome next day. 

Even if you are skeptical about bell peppers, I urge you to try this recipe.  It is smooth and satisfying, like a tomato soup, but a little more mellow because the peppers aren't quite as acidic as tomatoes. Even if you are a tomato lover, try this one too. You may be glad to have it in your repertoire for those days when you just need to shake it up.  Who knows?  Maybe you'll like this one even more than the usual!  

Mexican Street Corn: my latest addiction/obsession

 We all go through faves phases, right?  My latest food I think about all the time is Mexican Street Corn.  I like it on the cob, grilled and slathered with that delicious seasoned crema. But, I also like it off the cob, in the form of a salad. Certain restaurants around town offer their versions and many are quite good, but as is usually the case, I like it best when I make it myself.

A recent, super-quick dinner we made was lime shrimp and Street corn salad. I realize my photo is all yellow up in your face, but I've never claimed to be a master photographer. 

 Vivian was responsible for the salad and used a Weight Watchers recipe as a base.  If you've ever made this before, you know that you can vary it in all kinds of ways.  In this version, she used:

• 2 1/2 c. frozen corn (thawed, duh!)
• 2 Tbs light mayo (or Mexican crema, or a combo of them both)
• zest of 1 lime
• juice of that lime
• 3/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 c. sliced scallions (green onion)
• 2 Tbs chopped cilantro
• 1 med jalapeno, chopped
• 1/4 Cotija cheese, grated   

You mix it all up and that's all she wrote.  Obviously, you can use fresh corn.  Sometimes we grill it and give it a light char, sometimes we just use it raw.  Same thing with frozen. You can thaw it and then "grill" in a pan to give it that little bit of char too. Or, use it raw.  Corn is so naturally sweet that it really doesn't even need to be cooked. It's all up to you.

A word about Cotija. It's ridiculous how difficult it can be to find this stuff in a grocery store. If you do, most often, it's a solid block and being a hard, crumbly cheese, grating it can be messy.  Here's the shocker: I will actually force myself to enter a Wal-Mart because of this. 

It's a one pound bag of grated Cotija cheese.  Wal-Mart, God-forsaken Wal-Mart, is the only place I've ever seen this. Having it already grated makes it super convenient to work with, obviously. It's slightly salty, kind of like a version of Parmesan.  It's good sprinkled on just about anything.

Now, about the shrimp.  Shrimp is one my favorites things to have in my freezer for two reasons:  A) I love it. B) It is ridiculously easy to prepare and cook.  I can't remember where I came across this recipe, but I've been making it for years.  You can't ask for something quicker and easier and it's just simply delicious.

• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined, patted dry
• 4 Tbs butter, divided
• 1/4 chopped shallots (NOT green onions, shallots)
• 1/4 c. lime juice
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/3 c. chopped cilantro

Season your shrimp with salt & pepper. Heat a large skillet to med-high; add 1/2 Tbs butter and shrimp. Cook about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side and transfer to a plate. 

Over med-low heat, melt another Tbs butter and add shallots, lime juice and crushed red pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add remaining butter, zest, shrimp and cilantro and toss all together.  

This shrimp is fantastic because it's just different.  And, since some people find themselves intimidated by cooking seafood, this recipe demonstrates that it is quick and easy, just pay attention to your temps and timing.  If you don't already do this, have all your stuff measured out and waiting by the stove so you don't get distracted with ingredients and lose track of what you're doing. 😉  Buen provecho!

Thai Food: Simple and Quick

 Funny how so many of us think "ethnic" cooking must be difficult.  But, it's really not.  I think people can easily become overwhelmed when they see a long list of spices/herbs, but think about it.  We're talking about taking some small bottles out of the cabinet and employing a measuring spoon.  Piece of cake, right?

Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines of the world.  I have a fantastic cookbook entitled Quick and Easy Thai. 

Its author spent 3 years in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer.  Her book features an array of true Thai dishes but easy for American cooks.  One of my new favorites from her book is simply called "Chicken with fresh basil."  

Check how easy this is to prepare:

You saute some chopped onion and garlic in a bit of oil. As soon as it all starts smelling good, add in some chicken cut into bite sized pieces. I usually use about 12 oz of chicken breast. Get your meat browned then add some fish sauce, soy sauce, a bit of water and sugar, and a chopped up serrano or two.  Stir in about a cup of fresh basil leaves to wilt, then serve. Not sure, but I'd be willing to bet my vegetarian friends could do all this with firm tofu. 

It's great on its own, or over some jasmine rice.  In the photo above, you'll see that I accompanied mine with marinated edamame.  I warmed the edamame in some boiling water for a few minutes, then added it to a mixture of garlic and soy sauce to marinate for about an hour. 

Obviously, I had some prep work: chopping onion and garlic, cutting up chicken and chopping the pepper, but actual time to cook the dish was probably about 12 minutes.  If you want rice, remember to start it first, since you need to give it about 20 minutes to do its thing. 

If you're a fan of Thai food, go seek out this cookbook.  I freaking love it!  The recipes are literally quick and easy so that you can whip up great tasting Thai on the proverbial weeknight.  Here are a few of my other favorite recipes from this book: Pad Thai, Red Curry Shrimp with Pineapple, Mussamun Curry Beef with potatoes & peanut, Green Curry Chicken with zucchini, and Chiang Mai Curry Noodles. I could go on and on...

I hope you will seek out this book. It can give your everyday cooking repertoire a nice shot in the arm! 

Chicken and Waffles, My Way

 I've been away for quite some time.  Life since the pandemic has been hectic, chaotic, and sometimes just a pain in the ass. In the last year, we lost my mom, I've gotten divorced and my baby is now 18. There are too many adjustments to even count.  Through all this, I've never stopped cooking though. One major adjustment, along those lines, is learning to cook for two, or more often than not, just for myself. Now, I'm making the effort to commit to writing about my favorite subject again:  FOOD.

With it just being me and the kiddo most nights, we've gotten to where we just split meat. We share a chicken breast, tuna steak, a big ribeye; it's just enough for us.  Yesterday, I had some beautiful chicken thawed (I'll tell you another time about my newest meat source) and also had come Canadian bacon on hand. Time to work with what we've got.  

I still use, and love, my old GE waffle iron. My parents received this exact model as a wedding present in 1966. Thanks to thrift stores, I have two of them. They have removeable plates: waffle side and flip it over to flat side for killer grilled cheese or pressed sandwiches!  I made a simple waffle mix but added a bunch of cheddar.  Used a simple herbed, seasoned flour and fried up chicken breast, which I sliced into strips, of course.  Layered Canadian bacon on my hot, crispy waffle, chicken, a sprinkle of salt and then a drizzle of maple syrup.  What the what??  

Simple, easy and so yummy and most of this stuff, you probably already have.  If you're not a Canadian bacon person, use regular bacon, or sausage, or whatever you like.