Spaghetti Bolognese

Oi! Is spaghetti bolognese one of your favorite pasta dishes? It sure was my favorite growing up! "I mean, what's not to like?" (Yes, I'm quoting from Friends ;)) But seriously. Tomato sauce, good. Beef, good. Pasta, good! This particular spaghetti bolognese recipe is closer to what you'd be able to find at a cha chaan teng in Hong Kong. It's a pretty straightforward pasta dish that's quite simple to make.

3 small vine tomatoes, half of an onion, 5-6 cloves of garlic, half of a box of spaghetti. (A few other things: 1 small can of tomato paste, some worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper, and a little bit of flour.)

I've tried bolognese sauce with other kinds of pasta before but spaghetti is the perfect pair in my book. I love twirling the pasta and the sauce at once. It just feels more cohesive as a bite than eating bolognese sauce with small pieces of pasta.

If you got some grated parmesan (and a glass of wine), you're set! It's a perfect dinner to make during the week because it's super simple and doesn't take long.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Bolognese

Serves: 3-4

You'll need:

• 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 3 small vine tomatoes, diced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 6-oz can of tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp all-purposed flour
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/2 lb of spaghetti

Approach:

1. Prep your ingredients by mincing the garlic, and dicing the onion and tomatoes. In a medium bowl, mix together tomato paste and 1/2 cup of water, set aside. In another small bowl, mix flour and 1tbsp of water, set aside. Boil a pot of water for the spaghetti.

2. In medium heat, cook minced garlic with 1 tbsp of olive oil until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Then add diced onion, and cook until onion becomes transparent. Transfer mixture to a bowl and set aside.

3. When hot water is ready, drop your spaghetti with some salt (I like to break the spaghetti in half). Let it cook until al dente, then drain.

4. Brown the ground beef, and spoon out the excess fat so the sauce doesn’t get too greasy.

5.  Return the onion mixture to the pan with the beef, and season with salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar.

6. Add the diced tomatoes, and the water-downed tomato paste. Cook for another 5 minutes.

7. Lastly, stir in the flour mixture which would act as a binder for the sauce. Toss in the spaghetti (after it’s drained) and give it a good stir using a pair of tongs.

8. Plate, and sprinkle some grated parmesan if you have.

Buffalo Chicken Dumplings

Well, here's something you don't see everyday – Buffalo Chicken Dumplings! Good to snack on, better to share. These dumplings can be cooked in soup or pan-fried. Make a whole bunch, and store some in the freezer using my tip on how to freeze dumplings at the end of the post.

Making dumplings is quite fun, and can be done as a group activity. There're 3 things that are very important here: 1) over-stuffing your dumplings would make it difficult to close and that could get messy; 2) use water to seal the edges; 3) you're not selling dumplings for a living so not every single one needs to be perfectly wrapped. Have fun! If it's your first time making dumplings, watch this how-to video by Julie Deily over at The Little Kitchen.

So in the process of writing this post, I found out that Buffalo Chicken Dumplings aren't as original as I thought (I totally had a "that was MY idea!" moment). I love the fact that dumplings are so easy to make, and you can be as creative as you want with the filling. Every time I make dumplings, I always freeze at least half of what I make, and they freeze very well.

The trick to freezing dumplings is to freeze them right after they are wrapped. Make some room in your freezer, and make sure you can fit a small baking sheet in there (anything flat and non-stick really). You want to line them up, and freeze them in batches as you're wrapping. DO NOT let them touch one another otherwise they'd stick together while freezing. You want a bunch of single dumplings and not a dumpling cluster. 20 minutes or so should be good for the initial freeze, then you can throw them in a big ziplock bag or container. If you do it this way, you won't need to use any flour at all.

Buffalo Chicken Dumplings

Serves: 60

You'll need:

• about 60 dumpling wrappers (white, round ones – Not thin wonton wrappers)
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 8 tbsp hot sauce (I used Frank’s Original)
• 4 tbsp sour cream
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots

Approach:

1. Mix together ingredients for the filling.

2. Prepare a small bowl of water for sealing the dumpling edges, and a damped paper towel to cover the wrappers whenever you‘re not using them.

3. Using a spoon, scoop about 1 tbsp of filling onto the wrapper. Dip your finger in the water, and run it around the wrapper creating a “glue” for the edges. Lift one side of the wrapper and pinch it to the opposite side without closing the dumpling all the way. Then, make 2-3 pleats on each left and right side.

4. For pan-fried dumplings, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Place dumplings on its bottoms and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Turn dumplings on its “back” sides, add a little more oil and cook for another minute or two until golden brown again. Drop 3 tbsp of water in the pan, cover and let water evaporate. The steam would soften the outside of the dumplings just a bit making it tender but crispy at the same time.

Notes:

If you’re freezing dumplings, make sure your freezer has room for a baking sheet or something that’s flat and non-stick.

Freeze the wrapped dumplings in batches, and leave enough room in between each one so they’re not touching one another for the initial 20 minutes. When you feel like the dumplings are hard enough to the touch, place them all in a big ziplock bag or container.

To get the dumplings back to life, thaw them for about 20-25 minutes before cooking.

Sweet and Sour Pork (咕嚕肉)

Ah... Sweet and Sour Pork or gu lou juk in Cantonese. Who would ever want to turn down such sweet, tangy, crunchy, and succulent dish? Even if you're vegan, I'm sure there're vegan versions of a sweet and sour dish out there. Another dish in Hong Kong that's just like sweet and sour pork is called 生炒排骨. It uses spare ribs instead of the leaner pork tenderloin. An authentic sweet and sour pork dish serves with green and red bell peppers, onions, and chucks of pineapples. Other places and cultures may cook it differently – where have you had your favorite sweet and sour pork or any other sweet and sour dishes?

Almost every sweet and sour pork recipe I came across has their own "secret" ingredients for the sauce. There're also many versions of the marinate, frying batter, or breading - light coating to heavy coating – really depends on how you like it. So after going through a bunch of sweet and sour pork recipes, I came up with this one. I threw in a tiny bit of Huy Fong's chili garlic sauce to the sweet and sour sauce in hopes that it'll add a tiny kick to the bite. And it did just that. Now, let's talk about the pineapple for a second here. Although, 99.9% of the time you'll find canned pineapple in sweet and sour pork, you're more than welcome to use fresh pineapple (which I love).

There are many ways to tenderize pork, and what I like to do is to use a little bit of whole milk to marinate the meat. Lactic acid in milk tenderize the meat without toughening (like when using vinegar or citrus juices). The calcium activates enzymes in the meat to break down the protein. You don't need a whole lot of milk, using 1/3 cup of it for every pound of meat would do the job. For best result, you can let it marinate over night but 2 hours should be enough.

Sweet and Sour Pork (咕嚕肉)

Serves: 3-4 as a main dish, 6-8 as a multicourse (Chinese) meal

You'll need:

• 1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper powder
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 medium onion
• 3 rings of canned pineapple (juice reserved)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• cooked jasmine rice

Batter:

• 4 tbsp flour
• 4 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup water

Sauce:

• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 3 tbsp pineapple juice
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp plum sauce
• 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp Huy Fong’s chili garlic sauce (optional)

Approach:

1. Place pork tenderloin cubes in a medium mixing bowl. Add milk, salt, and white pepper powder. Stir well, cover, and let it sit in the fridge and marinate for 2 hours (or overnight for best result).
2. Remove pork from the fridge, and let it return to room temperature while you get the frying batter, vegetable, and sauce ready; about 15-20 minutes.
3. Prep the bell peppers and onion by cutting them into small pieces. Cut each pineapple ring into 6 small pieces. Mince the garlic. Set aside.
4. Mix together ingredients for the sauce (chili garlic sauce optional). In another mixing bowl, mix together ingredients for the batter.
   *To avoid getting lumps of corn starch when mixing it in sauces, always dilute it with a liquid first then combine with all the other ingredients.
5. Heat 2 cups of vegetable or canola oil in a wok or a sauce pan to 350°F. Use a cooking thermometer to maintain the temperature throughout the frying process.
6. Stir pork cubes in the batter and coat well. Working in batches, fry pork cubes until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove pork cubes with a slotted spoon or a long pair of chopsticks onto a plate lined with paper towel. (Cut the first couple pieces to see how cooked the meat is, that should give you a better idea of how long exactly each batch needs based on the cookware you have.)
7. Using another wok or frying pan, in medium-high heat, cook the minced garlic with 1 tbsp of oil for 15 seconds until fragrant. Stir in bell peppers and onions, pineapples, and cook for about 2 minutes. Pour in the sweet and sour sauce, continue to cook for another 30 seconds. Place fried pork cubes in the pan, and stir gently until everything is well-coated.
8. Serve with hot jasmine rice.

Corn Cakes

I love corn. I mean, who doesn't? Fresh sweet corn, canned corn kernels, popcorn. I love them all! Corn is very versatile, and can be served many ways as appetizers, sides, and part of a dish in a meal. My other favorite corn dish is the Corn Bread Pudding which is packed with soft and warm bites of corn goodness that would take you to the moon and back. So for the love of corn, I whipped out these Corn Cakes that are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Dunk them in some sour cream, it might just take you into the outer space pass the moon and back.

Also for the love of broccoli, I threw in some of that in the batter as well. I think they go well together like peas and carrots. (Okay, peas and carrots are not my thing, I'm just using it as a comparison.) But what about you? What is your favorite veggie combo?

Corn Cakes

Prep time: 10 mins  Cook time: 10 mins  Total time: 20 mins  

Serves: about 15, 2-inch cakes

You'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 5 eggs
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 cup small broccoli florets
• 2 1/2 cups canned corn kernels (or cooked corn kernels from the cob)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Sour cream to dip

Approach:

1. Using a stand (or hand) mixer, mix together flour, baking powder, eggs, and oil.
2. Fold in the rest of the ingredients until well-combined.
3. Set a frying pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 tbsp of oil and twirl the pan to spread.
4. Use a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop batter onto the pan. Cook each side until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Add more oil before cooking each batch. if you're fitting multiple cakes on the pan, make sure you leave enough room in between them so they're not touching on the edges.
5. Serve hot with sour cream.

Oxtail Soup

This is a classic dish my mom used to make all the time. It's a very simple dish to prepare and cook. I just love the aroma of the soup that fills the air, and kindly reminds me of my mom's cooking.

There are many styles of Oxtail Soup – Korean, Hawaiian, Chinese, German, Polish, etc... And there're also oxtail stews that are usually richer and more flavorful. But what I love about this Oxtail Soup, that I have inherited from my mom, is that you can really appreciate the simple, natural taste of the wholesome ingredients. And since this is a brothy soup, I often like to add something that's more substantial to it to make it more of a full meal – potatoes or pasta (something like fusilli or rotini) would do just fine.

When you're cooking oxtail or any kind of stew meat in soups, the cook time is usually long because you want the collagens of the meat to break down slowly in very slow heat. If for some reason the oxtail meat did not turn out to be as tender as you thought, there might be a few explanations. And one would be that the meat was simply from an older ox/cow. And how can you tell if the meat is good when you're shopping at the grocery store? Well, that I'm afraid it's something that I haven't learned so I can't offer you a solution. From what I've read, searing the meats first before simmering might help to make it more tender. I gotta give that a try next time!

So beside the meat in this Oxtail Soup, the ingredients are really basic – cabbage, carrots, onion, and tomatoes.

Roughly chop up the cabbage.

Aren't these vine tomatoes gorgeous just to look at? :)

Use a BIG pot, something that holds at least a gallon.

Here's a little tip. Tomato paste is thick. If you drop a tablespoon of it into the pot, it's just gonna get lost in between all the vegetable. Instead, when adding the tomato paste, mix it up first in the ladle.

See how much easier this is?

Get ready to dig into a bowl of veggie goodness with some real tender beef!

Oxtail Soup

Makes: about 4 quarts Cook Time: 3 1/2 hour

You'll need:

• 2 lbs of oxtail
• 1 head of cabbage, chopped
• 1 16oz-bag of baby carrots (or 3-4 regular carrots)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 vine tomatoes, quartered
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp salt

Approach:

1. Heat 4 quarts of water in a big pot until boiled, add the oxtail. Reduce the heat to very low, and cook for 2 hours.
2. While the oxtail is cooking, chop up all the vegetable.
3. After 2 hours, add the bay leaves and all the veggies. Add the cabbage first (bottom), and tomatoes (top). Let it cook for 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes, give everything a big stir. Then, add the tomato paste by mixing it in the ladle first.
5. Add the dried basil, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
6. Let it simmer for 1 more hour.

Notes:

I like to cook the pasta separately, and add them into the soup later. This way I can make sure it won't be overcooked.

Chocolate Cherry Walnut Bread

If you get a sweet treat from me around Christmas time, that means I like you :) Did you get one of these popcorn mix last year? Or one of these bite-size holiday cookie mix the year before that?

What inspired me to make this year's Chocolate Cherry Walnut bread? Well, when I bought my marble pastry board from Sur la Table, I needed a little something to fulfill the order's free shipping minimum (Don't lie, I know you've done that before!) That's when I saw these paper loaf molds, and I knew right away I wanted them for making this year's holiday baking. Chocolate, cherry, and walnut just make sense together as a holiday bread. Don't you think?

Gobble Gobble! Thanksgiving 2013

I love planning a big meal, cooking, and sharing good food with good company. What more can one ask for on Turkey Day? Last year, I did this. This year, I fed 7 people including myself, and I was really happy with what I came up with :) Thanks Adam for handling the turkey from start to finish - it was one of the best I've ever had. And thanks everyone for bringing dessert - they were all so amazing!

Now, feast your eyes!

It's a Thanksgiving tradition for us to start with some cheese and crackers, some good Italian cured meats and olives from Alleva which is our favorite Italian store in the city.

(The lighting was pretty bad where we set up the serving table so the photos turned out pretty sad - sorry about that! I also didn't want to fuss around with my photos while my guests were waiting to dig in!)

Alex was so creative and made these amazing cupcakes in jars! She really went all out with the packaging too! DEE-LISH!

There was also the Crack Pie from Momofuka Milk Bar, and Petra's homemade apple pie!

Our landlord upstairs was so kind and gave us a homemade cheesecake that everyone enjoyed.

After dessert, we all sat on the couch and needed a rest from consuming all the good food. While a few decided that it was time to head home, other stayed and we played a couple of games and had a few more drinks before the night ended. It was a great Thanksgiving, and I was so blessed and happy that I was able to celebrate this day with some of my favorite people. Hope your Thanksgiving was just as amazing as mine was :)

Until next time!

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

There’s a secret ingredient in this peanut butter banana smoothie. An ingredient that isn’t very popular in the States, and it’s something I grew up eating. If you’ve had Ovaltine before, you’d like this secret ingredient.

Meet Milo. A chocolate malt powder that can be mixed with water or milk. You can drink it hot or cold (usually by simply adding ice). It’s a drink that was originally developed in Columbia in the 1930′s and since then the drink has been consumed from around the world. You may have seen Milo cereal or Milo chocolate bar outside of the United States. According to Wikipedia “the name [Milo] was derived from the famous Ancient Greek athlete Milo of Crotona, after his legendary strength.” So it’s no surprise that Milo is often tied to soccer in Colombia.

Like Ovaltine, Milo’s malt chocolate taste is what I prefer when I’m craving for a cup of hot chocolate. You can find both Ovaltine and Milo at any Chinese/Asian supermarket. While you’re there, you may even see another Hong Kong cafe favorite – Horlicks. When we were in Thailand last month, we saw Milo at a local supermarket so we just got some there. It came in a green bag with about 20 individual packets. I’m pretty sure they also sell them in tins and jars.

The other day I was wanting a peanut butter banana smoothie, and I was thinking of using something to substitute for cow’s milk. My thought immediately went to almond milk just because I really like the taste of it. Then I thought of Ovaltine, and all in a sudden I remember the Milo that’s in my pantry. That was my light bulb moment.

To make this smoothie, I wanted some good peanut butter. (I’m not gonna lie. My first choice would have been Justin’s but I couldn’t pass the over-$10 a jar at my local store.) I’ve had Peanut Butter & Co. PB before and I really really liked it, and on top of that it only costs almost half less than Justin’s. I still yet have to go experience the Peanut Butter & Co. Sandwich Shop on Sullivan Street! Doesn’t their menu just sound so OMG? And let’s talk about their branding for a second. Nicely done! I dig. After browsing all the products on their site, I had made a mental note that I need to try all 10 of their PB flavors (AND the jams, AND the snacks).

Anyway, I need stop talking about PB right now or I’m gonna lose control and run to the store to get some more PB! What I ended up doing with Milo and the almond milk was just mixing the two together as the liquid for the smoothie. I warmed up 1 cup of almond milk in the microwave (lukewarm but not hot), then stir in the powder. You should probably let the Milo cool off completely before making your smoothie (unless you like to drink your smoothie warm…) Stick it in the freezer and that’d speed things up. I was planning on adding honey to the smoothie but the PB i got already had honey so that was perfect. After blending everything together, garnish with some quick oats on top. Voilà! You just got yourself a breakfast treat.

Milo Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

You'll need:

• 1 cup of almond milk (homemade or store bought)
• 1 packet of Milo powder (or 3 tbsp)
• 2 ripe bananas
• 3 tbsp of Peanut Butter & Co.’s The Bee’s Knees
• 4 ice cubes some quick oats, enough for garnish

Approach: 

1. Warm up almond milk on the stove or microwave, and stir in Milo. Lukewarm is fine, doesn’t need to be hot.
2. Let Milo cool off completely.
3. Peel and cut bananas into the blender.
4. Spoon in peanut butter, then add the Milo mix and the ice cubes.
5. Hit the button and let the blender do its job. (Add a little more almond milk if it’s too thick for your taste.)
6. Top with some quick oats as garnish.

Notes: 

No Milo? No worries. Sub with regular hot coco instead!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

I love oatmeal raisin cookies. I love oatmeal raisin cookies. I love oatmeal raisin cookies. Wait, did I mention that I love oatmeal raisin cookies? I love them even more when they are soft and warm, just right out of the oven. Did you see the Six Spice Oatmeal Raisin Cookies I posted a while back? They are phenomenal! You get a big kick from the spices. And how could one not think about making ice-cream sandwiches out of them?

Instead of buying the ice-cream, I decided to make it from scratch since I have an ice-cream maker. So I turned to Jeni's recipes because I LOVE her ice-cream. Jeni opened Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in 2002 in Columbus, Ohio. Her company now operates 10 shops (9 in Ohio and 1 in Tennessee). Her goods are also sold from coast to coast at 700+ local grocery stores. Read more about Jeni here on the company's website.

I've used her recipe last time and whipped out this Lemon Frozen Yogurt with Blueberry Sauce. I brought it to work, and everyone loved it! Making ice-cream at home isn't that difficult but it definitely takes some tryouts and errors which I'm still working on. My advise to the ones who are adventurous to try... plan ahead and follow the steps thoroughly! (oh, and don't give up trying!)

Now I got these spicy and flavorful cookies, trying to pair them up with an ice-cream flavor was a no-brainer – vanilla fits the bill just right!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Cookies: See Six Spice Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for the recipe!

Ice cream: Buy Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home, $18.46 on Amazon!

Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast Casseroles are great. If you're willing to spend 30 minutes to prep before going to bed, then all you have to do is to pop it in the oven when you wake up. I love that it's so hearty, it cures a rumbling belly right away. I also like to think of it as an omelette cake. So yes, have cake for breakfast!

For this breakfast casserole, I used red and green peppers, mushroom, sausage, on a bed of hash brown. Simple and quick to prep. Before assembling the casserole, I had cooked the sausage fully. And I had sauté the mushroom and peppers half way through with some garlic just to bring out the flavor.

Coat a baking dish with a thin layer of olive oil, then lay down some hash brown, and sprinkle some salt and pepper on top.

Put down the cooked sausage.

Then the peppers and mushroom.

Pour in the eggs evenly. (NOW, at this point, you may leave the casserole in the fridge overnight and just pop it in the oven when you wake up in the morning. If not, just continue to the next step!)

Then finally top with some cheddar cheese, and let the oven do the work for 30 minutes.

When it's cooked, sprinkle a pinch of dried thyme on top, and there you go :)

Breakfast Casserole

You'll need:

• 10oz hash brown
• 2 sausages, casing removed and crumbled
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup mushroom, chopped
• 1/2 cup red and green peppers, chopped salt and pepper
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cheddar cheese, shredded a pinch of dried thyme

Approach:

1. Remove casing of the sausages, and roughly break the meat apart.
2. Cook sausage all the way through, about 15 minutes. Break up the meat more if needed with a spatula. Let cool and have the cooked sausage sit on a paper towel to drain the excess fat.
3. Chop mushroom, red and green peppers to smaller pieces. Then mince the garlic. (I love my garlic mincer by Joseph Joseph)
4. Heat a saute pan with some olive oil, drop the garlic until it gets fragrant (just a few minutes) then toss in the veggies, season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes just to bring out the flavor.
5. Now, you can start assembling the casserole.
6. Coat a baking dish with a thin layer of olive oil, then lay down some hash brown, and sprinkle some salt and pepper on top.
7. Put down the cooked sausage and the veggies, then pour in the eggs.
8. **At this point, you can choose to refrigerate overnight.
9. Finally top with some shredded cheddar cheese before putting it in the oven.
10. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. Then let cool for 10 minute before serving, and sprinkle a pinch of dried thyme on top.

Wasabi Potato Salad

Here is a potato salad with a twist (and a kick)! Bring this wasabi potato salad to your next summer barbecue and people are gonna love you. It's super easy to make and will only set you back 30 minutes.

I first encountered wasabi potato salad from lunch one day at AsiaDog. I was hooked as soon as the spoon entered my mouth. I've had potato salad that's made with mustard before but potato salad made with wasabi? IT JUST MAKES SENSE.

I've always been a fan of potato salad, and the variations are endless! It's the perfect summer side dish to go along with a pulled pork sandwich or any barbecued meats. Agree? For potato salads, I always go for red potatoes but feel free to use white or Yukon Gold. Russet potatoes are just too starchy for me for making potato salads.

Wasabi Potato Salad

You'll need:

• 1 lb red potatoes (about 4-5, medium size), cut into 1" pieces
• 4 stalks of celery
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise juice from half of a lemon
• 1 tbsp wasabi
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Approach:

1. Wash (peel if you like) and cut potatoes into 1 inch pieces.
2. Boil them for 10-15 minutes until they are just soft enough for a toothpick to go through smoothly.
3. While the potatoes are cooking, prep the rest of the ingredients. Juice half of a lemon, chop 4 stalks of celery and a small red onion into small pieces.
4. Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, wasabi, salt, and pepper together until well-mixed.
5. Drain potatoes once they're cooked, and run them under cold water for a few minutes until they are cool.
6. In a large mixing bowl, combine everything together and stir with a spatula.
7. Refrigerate until serving, cold or at room temperature.

Scallion Pancakes (蔥油餅)

If you don't like scallion pancakes, you're crazy. What's not to like about scallion pancakes? It's flaky, chewy, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The fact is, it only takes a few ingredients to make this scrumptious snack/appetizer. I must admit the rest might get tricky and time-consuming if this is your first time making scallion pancakes.

For first time scallion pancake makers, there are two very important pieces of information you should know (and master, over time). One is the water temperature that you're using for the dough, the other is the roll-and-coil method. I picked up TONS of tips from the Serious Eats Food Lab: How to Make Scallion Pancakes. If you're interested in knowing the scientific side of making scallion pancakes, I highly recommend you stopping by that article and reading it (twice)!

First, mix 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of boiling water. Dusk your working surface with some flour and knead the dough several times to form a smooth ball.

Brush some (olive) oil on the inside of a mixing bowl, then place the dough in it to rest for about 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, chop up about 1 cup of scallion.

Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Dusk your working surface with flour, and start rolling out one of those pieces by flattening it with a rolling pin. Once it's flattened, brush some oil on top. Then roll up the disk from the bottom towards the top, and coil the rolled-up dough. Repeat this process 3 more times. (The more times this step is repeated, the more "layers" of the pancake would have. It also means that it'd be flakier.)

After that, you're going to flatten the dough again. This time, after brushing oil, sprinkle sesame seeds and chopped-up scallion on top as well. Then repeat the roll-and-coil method a couple more times.

Heat some olive oil (about 3-4 tbsp) in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Carefully place your scallion pancake onto the pan. Cook each side for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

Scallion Pancakes

Makes: 4

You'll need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting work surface
• 1 cup boiling water Olive oil
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup chopped scallion

Dipping Sauce:

• 2 tbsp (low-sodium) soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp chopped scallion
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 2 tsp thinly-cut ginger strips

Approach:

1. First, mix 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of boiling water. Dusk your working surface with some flour and knead the dough a few times to form a smooth ball.
2. Brush some (olive) oil on the inside of a mixing bowl, then place the dough in it to rest for about 30 minutes.
3. While the dough is resting, chop up about 1 cup of scallion.
4. Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Dusk your working surface with flour, and start rolling out one of those pieces by flattening it with a rolling pin. Once it's flattened, brush some oil on top. Then roll up the disk from the bottom towards the top, and coil the rolled-up dough. Repeat this process 3 more times. (The more times this step is repeated, the more "layers" of the pancake would have. It also means that it'd be flakier.)
5. After that, you're going to flatten the dough again. This time, after brushing oil, sprinkle sesame seeds and the chopped-up scallion on top as well. Then repeat the roll-and-coil method a couple more times.
6. Heat some olive oil (about 3-4 tbsp) in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Carefully place your scallion pancake onto the pan. Cook each side for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Free feel to rest and cool pancakes on a paper towel, then cut each pancake into six pieces.

Baked Buffalo Cauliflower

These buffalo cauliflower bites are so addicting! Okay, to be honest, I kinda have a love-hate relationship with cauliflower. It's just not a vegetable I grew up eating a whole lot. When I was a kid, my mom cooked more broccoli than cauliflower, and she'd always call them "tiny trees" :) Cauliflower always gives me an impression that it's a very bland vegetable, and I'd need a lot of seasoning when cooking it. But over the years, I've come to appreciate this white, soft, and comforting food.

Break (cut) them into small bite pieces.

Then coat each one with batter.

Line them on a baking sheet.

You'll basically bake these buffalo cauliflower bites twice – once to cook the breading, and once to add more flavor and color to them. It's really as simple as 123, eh?

Now, the next time you're needing to make a finger food that's healthy, tasty and flavorful, you know what to do ;)

Baked Buffalo Cauliflower

You'll need:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1½ cup flour
• 1½ cup water
• 4 tbsp of hot sauce
• salt and pepper
•  

Buffalo sauce:

• 3 tbsp of hot sauce
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• salt and pepper
•  

Yogurt dipping sauce:

• 4 oz plain Greek yogurt
• ½ tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp Italian seasoning
• *you may also use fresh dill/basi

Approach:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, and brush some olive oil on top lightly.
3. Break cauliflower into small pieces (bite sizes).
4. Mix batter by combining the flour, water, hot sauce, and salt and pepper.
5. Mix the buffalo sauce by combining hot sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper, then set aside.
6. Coat each piece of the cauliflower with batter, then lay them on the baking sheet and bake for about 15 mins.
7. *Consider using chopsticks for coating and transferring from bowl to baking sheet.
8. Let them cool for 5 minutes, then transfer them into a mixing bowl.
9. Drizzle the buffalo sauce and toss lightly.
10. Transfer them back on the baking sheet, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
11. For dipping sauce, combine all ingredients and mix well.

Easy Salsa

I normally like to cook with fresh ingredients, and try to avoid things that come in a can. Making salsa during the non-summer days is tricky though since tomatoes aren't in season. If you are craving for homemade salsa and the tomatoes aren't looking good at the store, no worries! Dig into this easy salsa and you'll be very pleased.

Whenever I buy any can foods, I always make sure I get the ones with no added salt or has low sodium. For this salsa, I also added mango and agave nectar just to add some sweetness to it.

Perfect way to use your food processor or blender.

Easy Salsa

You'll need:

• 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)
• 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeño, seeded
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 mango, roughly chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• Handful of cilantro

Approach:

1. Chop onion and mango. Cut jalapeño in halves (keep the seeds if you like).
2. Juice the lime into a bowl, set aside.
3. Depends on how big your food processor is, you might want to divid the recipe in halves when loading everything in the container.
4. Chop for about 8 seconds and you're done!

New York Choice Eats 2013

HOLY EATS. I just want to say "All you can eat. All you can drink. Stuff that face with some damn good food from 50+ restaurants."

A couple friends and I went to New York Choice Eats 2013 over at the Lexington Armory last week. I was so seriously stuffed with a ridiculously amount of good food. All those small bites really did add up after tasting from a dozen of places. Going into this for the first time, I didn't really have an idea what it is all about. Let me just tell you, YOU need to go experience this amazing event (next year) and you won't be leaving that place disappointed.

Check out this line that wrapped around the entire block to get in!

First stop! The Meatball Shop! They had these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs. Yes, you read that right. Give me a big bowl of it, please.

Yunnan Kitchen had these Tofu Ribbons. They were good but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary for me. It's very similar to the tofu skin you can buy at the Asian grocery store. The kind that is used for some of the dim sum rolls.

Yes. PORCHETTA. And their Porchetta Crostini. I felt like the toast was a little bit too hard but the meat was AMAZING.

Fanny had this Chilled Lobster Bisque which I found... bland, and waterdown.

Next, Joe Dough. Joe Doe. Joe Dough. Joe Doe. HEEEELLO, Buttermilk Biscuits with Honey-Butter and House Breakfast Style Sausage! Everything about this goodness was made in heaven, probably by one of the angels with fluffy white wings. That was some serious eats and serious flavor!

I found Fletcher's Brooklyn Barbecue decent. The pork slider was GREAT. A lot of flavor and a perfect bite.

The next three images PACKED with desserts? Who else but Carlo's? I really wanted to take one of each but my body told me I really shouldn't. So I chose the Chocolate-Dipped Cannoli, and didn't look back. It was a perfectly fine decision because the cannoli was too good to miss.

Right next to Carlo's was Ample Hills Creamery. My friend, Lisa, swore that they are one of the best ice-cream places in NY. I thought their ice-cream was okay but we did go by there twice! I had the Ooey Gooey Butter Cake and the Mexican Hot Chocolate, and both were delicious.

La Morada:

Ditch Plains had these Ditch Dogs which are Hot Dogs topped with Mac n' Cheese. I just wasn't that impressed by it.

OOOOOOOOOHH. John Brown Smokehouse, I love you (and your Pastrami Sliders). That was one of my favorites and highlights of the night. I don't eat Pastrami often but I always liked the texture of the meat. And gosh, JBS makes mean Pastrami Sliders for sure. They're in Long Island City but I would definitely consider going there all the way from Brooklyn because they're JUST THAT GOOD.

Telepan:

What is a Kolache? I'm still not quite sure but they're reeeeally good. Brooklyn Kolache set their hearts out to spread the pastry love, and offered many different types on their table. It's fluffy, comforting, and real tasty!

Oh my god. I think I might have just found another Gin that I truly adore. Thank you, Bulldog!

Please move over and let me eat a dozen of these little sandwich slices. In fact, I will just take the WHOLE sandwich before you cut it. Thank you. Holy Cow, Xe May, you did it. The "Hog" Sandwich. How did you make this so damn delicious? HOW?? That was my favorite thing to eat at Choice Eats. It was unforgettable. That's how good it was.

ScratchBread:

Dirt Candy. I like that name, and I liked what they had. Their Cherry Tomato Tart with Smoked Feta tasted fresh, classy, and flavorful.

Pete Zaaz:

Ommegang. One of my favs served in the little tasting glass. How adorbs!

Last but not least, Del Posto. I was too full by this point, so I didn't have their Farro-Walnut Burgers. I did have one of their Almond Joy Bastoncini which was surprising good but I couldn't describe what it was exactly.

Finally, we grabbed our goodie bags, and ended the night with our minds and bodies stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey.

It was a huge successful experience for me and I enjoyed it a whole lot. Thanks Lisa, Lauren, and Christine for the company! Until next time, step out of your comfort zone and try something new today!

Also check out Choice Streets, set for May 7th!

Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup

Last weekend, I had dinner at Lola BKLYN with a couple of friends. I had a heavy lunch that day so I wanted something light, and that's when I had this Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup for the first time. Lola BKLYN is restaurant in Fort Greene mainly focuses on American cuisine. It's got a sister restaurant close by called Chez Oskar, which offers great French dishes. Both restaurants have a causal atmosphere, and the food is just phenomenal.

Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup. It's super easy to make and you really don't need a whole lot of ingredients (hint the name of the soup). Besides the ingredients, you will need a blender. That will do the second half of the cooking for you. You also don't need a whole lot of cooking skills either, as long as you know how to chop and make sure you don't forget to put the lid on the blender. Everything else would be simple to handle with one eye closed.

Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup

Servings: 2-3 quarts

You'll need:

• 1 medium onion a few cloves of garlic
• 1 butternut squash
• 6 carrots
• 6 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth (chicken broth works too)
• 3 tbsp of grated ginger salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1-2 tsp of dried or fresh thyme
• optional: 1 block of medium firm tofu, 14 oz

Approach:

1. Chop onion, butternut squash, and carrots. Then mince garlic, and grate ginger.
2. Pour some olive oil in a dutch oven or stock pot. Add onion and garlic, cook until onions are soft.
3. Add chopped butternut squash, and carrots, cook until everything is tender or when you're able to poke through the squash with a toothpick.
4. Add broth and seasoning, and bring that up to a boil.
5. Let the soup sit for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, set up your blender.
6. In parts, blend the soup until smooth. *You'll need another big pot or container to pour the puréed soup.
7. Take tofu block out of the plastic container. Use a couple paper towels, gently squeezed out some of the water.
8. Cut the tofu block in small cubes, then add to soup and stir gently.

Irish Cream Cookies

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Baileys. "Mmmm, creamy beige" – Old Gregg from the Mighty Boosh. Irish whiskey and cream, what's not to like? And in a cookie form? YES, PLEASE.

After much looking and searching for what to bake for St. Patty's Day, I decided to make these Irish Cream Cookies. Other goodies I thought about making were these Green Velvet Cupcakes, Key Lime Cake, or these Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies. But the Irish Cream Cookies won because I don't bake with booze often, and come on, it's St. Patty's Day.

These warm, just-out-of-the-oven, Irish Cream Cookies blew my mind. They really are Baileys in a cookie form. The cakieness of the cookie will make you feel all fuzzy inside. I even drizzled Baileys icing on top! SO. GOOD.

Irish Cream Cookies

Servings: about 40, 2" cookies

You'll need:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, soften
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 8 tbsp of Baileys
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup white chocolate chips (or chopped up white chocolate baking bar)

Icing:

• 2 tbsp of Baileys 8 tbsp of powdered sugar

Approach:

1. Line parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Set aside.
2. Beat butter and sugar together. Add eggs, then Baileys.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add the dry to the wet mixture in parts.
5. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Scoop cookie dough onto cookie sheet, and place them 2" apart. (These cookies will spread out)
7. Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes.

For icing:

1. In a medium bowl, mix Baileys and powdered sugar together. It should be thick like honey.

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette is pretty much my go-to salad dressing when I don't use the store-bought stuff. Yes, there are quite a few variations of Balsamic Vinaigrette out there but I usually like it simple. The dressing really doesn't take long to mix at all, and you only need a few ingredients.

Woooops!! Oh well, this is kinda cool looking.

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

You'll need:

• 3/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup of olive oil
• optional: 1 tbsp of Italian blend herbs

Approach:

1. In low heat, pour balsamic vinegar into a sauce pan. Add Dijon mustard and brown sugar.
2. Stir with a whisk until sugar is melted. Then add salt and pepper.
3. In a slow and thin stream, add olive oil. Whisk rapidly where oil hits the vinegar.
4. As your vinaigrette thickens, taste to see if you need to either add more vinegar or oil.
5. It's normal if the vinegar and oil separate. You may stir it again just before serving.

TIP: Bottle the dressing and store in the fridge. A few shakes should help vinegar and oil blend together more.

Asian Chicken Burgers

I got a brand new food processor. I know, I know. How could I live and cook without one for so long? What I got isn't very big which is exactly why I chose it. I live in New York City, using my countertop space efficiently while I'm cooking can be challenging sometimes. I figured a 4-cup food processor would do, and I still want to keep my knife skill sharp (no pun intended ;)

So to test out the new toy, I chose to make these Asian Chicken Burgers because i've been meaning to. Using the food processor to ground up chicken breasts takes like 8 seconds. But if you want, you might be able to find ground chicken at your local grocery store.

This is a great beef burger alternative. Here are some of the ingredients:

I got this mini grater a while ago, it's perfect for grating ginger.

Mix it all up along with soy sauce, sesame oil, and sriracha.

Then it should look like this:

Perfectly fine if you wanna cook these on the pan.

If you like pickles, go for it! And sweet chili sauce is highly recommended. (Try this low-sodium version by Ginger People)

Asian Chicken Burgers

You'll need:

• 1.5 lb of chicken breast (or ground chicken)
• 2 tbsp of soy sauce
• 2 tbsp of sriracha
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic
• 1 tbsp of grated ginger
• 2 chopped scallions
• 4 oz of water chestnuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro
• optionals: pickles sweet chili sauce

Approach: 

1. Cut chicken breasts into smaller pieces, then ground with a food processor.
2. Put the ground chicken in a mixing bowl, add soy sauce, sriracha, and sesame oil. Set aside.
3. Mice garlic, grate ginger; chop scallions, water chestnuts, and cilantro.
4. Combine all ingredients, form 1/2" patties if preferred.
5. In medium heat, pour some olive oil onto the pan. Add chicken burgers and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then flip and cook the other side, until golden brown.
6. Serve on a sesame bun with pickles, spring mix salad, and sweet chili sauce.

Kimchi Fried Rice

Total comfort food – Kimchi Fried Rice / Kimchi Bokkeumbap (김치볶음밥). I can just eat kimchi with a big bowl of rice – lunch or dinner – and I'd be perfectly happy. Good kimchi is never hard to find (at least in New York). Unless you are Korean, then your home will always have homemade (and unique) kimchi. I usually get a jar of it from the store and that works for me just fine.

I honestly don't know a whole lot about kimchi. I'm not sure if there's much more to know about other than the fact that it is: fermented napa cabbage, other vegetables, and LOTS of seasonings; can be paired or made with other Korean dishes; a staple to have in a home; something that every Korean mom can make very well; and yes, spicy.

Kimchi fried rice is just too darn easy to make and enjoy. I don't know why I haven't been making it more often. Have you tried kimchi fried rice? or kimchi pancake? or kimchi sushi?

Kimchi Fried Rice

Prep time: 10 mins  Cook time: 12 mins  Total time: 22 mins

You'll need:

• 3 cups of day-old rice
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 3 scallions, chopped, white and green parts separated
• 1 1/2 cups of kimchi, chopped roughly
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 egg
• some shredded nori

Approach:

1. In a large mixing bowl, drizzle olive oil on the rice and stir.
2. Chop scallions, separate the white and the green parts.
3. Chop kimchi roughly, or use a pair of scissors and cut the kimchi in a bowl.
4. In medium heat, fry the egg, sunny side up. Set aside.
5. Pour some olive oil onto the same pan, toss in the white scallion. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
6. Add the kimchi and cook for about 3 minutes, then add the rice. Stir to combine.
7. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, and the green scallion. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
8. Serve with the sunny side-up-egg, and top with some shredded nori.