LalalaRamen

A friend of mine sent me a link that at first looked like a phishing email.  I had to text her to ask her if she sent me an email about ramen.  I am glad I checked instead of just deleting the email, because I love ramen (and all noodle soups).   I am gladly sharing this deal with you.

http://www.lalalausa.com/en/ramenpass/

Ramen shops up and down California are participating in LalalaRamen from 12/1-12/14 (check fine print for exceptions).  Buy a $2 Ramen pass and get a variety of ramen at a 50% reduced price!
Stay slurpy, my friend.

How to Prepare Live Sea Urchin

I scored a live sea urchin at HMart the other day and decided that it was time for me to rise up to the challenge of preparing live sea urchin.  I have seen the guy at the farmer's market do it, it seemed doable.  Turns out, it's very doable.

Step 1: Pick out a live sea urchin.

Step 2: Don a pair of gloves and find a pair of sturdy kitchen shears with a sharp point.

Step 3: Flip the sea urchin so that the closed opening side is up. That is the mouth.

Step 4: Carefully make a small crack near the mouth.  The shell will be hard, but is just about twice the thickness of an eggshell.  It won't take much to crack.  Cut a circle around the mouth to remove it.  

Step 5: Cut a slit in between each of the sections of golden uni tongues.

Step 6: Carefully peel off/cut away what if left of the top of the shell without nicking the uni tongues.

Step 7: Drain away the liquid inside.

Step 8: Carefully remove as much of the slimy black membrane as you could without nicking the uni tongues.  I tried using chopsticks for this, but it was too slippery.  Bare fingers work better.  Though it stains your fingers, a good scrubbing with some dish soap got most of it off.

Step 9: Use a spoon to carefully remove the uni tongues from the shell and peel away any remaining black membrane still stuck on the tongues. rinse under a gentle stream of cold water.

Step 10: Enjoy immediately.

Stuff this good is best treated with simplicity.

I opted for draping two tongues over sushi rice with strips of nori, a small Uni Don as my appetizer.  

The rest of the tongues, I made a simple Uni Pasta as my main course.

Uni Don

Uni Don

1/4 cup cooked sushi rice, slightly cooled

1 tbsp rice vinegar

pinch of sugar

2 tongues of uni

4 strips of nori

Mix the rice vinegar with the sugar in a bowl until dissolved.  Mix in sushi rice.  Top with uni and nori strips.

Uni Pasta

Uni Pasta

3 tongues of uni

1 tbsp olive oil

1 serving of hot, cooked linguine, fettuccine or spaghetti

1 tbsp of flat leaf parsley

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

sea salt, to taste

Whisk uni and olive oil together in a bowl until liquified and blended.  Toss in pasta, parsley, lemon juice and sea salt.

Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna Rollatini

Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna Rollatini baked after frozen

I love dishes with white sauce and lots of ricotta.  I will opt for the often vegetarian white pizzas or lasagna dishes, ignoring my carnivorous bloodlust for animal protein in exchange for the delectable combination of  ricotta, cream and mushrooms.  Sometimes these dishes include chicken.  I do not find that it does anything to enhance the overall flavor or texture of the dish.  In fact, I prefer not having the addition of the usually dried out chicken pieces.  I'll order a side of wings or something to satisfy my need for meat.  Or preferably add a fried egg to whatever white pizza or pasta dish (I call that reason for leftovers).
Rollatini requires a bit more effort, but I find that it is much easier to serve.  My lasagna slices always fall apart when I scoop them onto a plate.  Can't have sloppily plated food, now can we?
However, if you are not in the habit of photographing your food, you can just use this recipe to build a regular lasagna.
This recipe can be divided into smaller portion sizes and freezes beautifully.

Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna Rollatini
9 oz dried lasagna noodles
2 lbs spinach leaves, lightly chopped
2 lbs white button or crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp butter
Avocado oil (or any cooking oil)
2 cups heavy cream
1 lb mozzarella

1 16 oz tub ricotta

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp dried tarragon (double if fresh)

Cook the lasagna noodles in boiling salted water for time specified on package.  Strain and lay flat to cool once cooked.
While lasagna noodles are cooking, shred the mozzarella with a grater.  Divide into 2 Set aside.
Lightly blanch the spinach leaves by dunking them in boiling water for a minute and then quickly straining.  Set aside to cool.
Add just enough oil to a large and heavy sauce pan to cover the bottom.  Heat over medium heat for 1 minute.  Add sliced mushrooms and spread evenly.  Do not disturb the mushrooms until all the liquid has evaporated and browned on one side.  Stir and cook for another 5 minutes.  Place mushrooms in a bowl and set aside.  Do not clean the pan.
In the same pan that you cooked the mushrooms, add butter and onions.  Cook over medium heat until translucent, stirring occasionally.  Add heavy cream to the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the cream coats the back of a metal spoon.  Add 2 tbsp of the browned mushroom to the cream sauce.
Mix ricotta, tarragon (rub the tarragon between your palms to release the aroma) and beaten egg together until well combined.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a 9x13 inch baking dish, spread a thin layer of the mushroom cream sauce evenly on the bottom.
On a flat surface, lay out one sheet of lasagna noodle.  Spread an even layer (doesn't have to be too thick) of each in the following order:

• ricotta mixture 
• shredded mozzarella (from first half of mozzarella)
• browned mushrooms
• blanched spinach

Carefully roll up the noodle and place in the baking dish.
Repeat with rest of lasagna noodles.  Evenly sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella over the top of the stuffed noodles.  Spoon the rest of the cream sauce over the top of the dish.*  Cover loosely with foil.  Bake for about 40 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is browned at the edges.

*At this point, you can wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap and again with a layer of foil to freeze for up to 3 months.  To bake from frozen, remove the plastic wrap and loosely cover top of dish with foil.  Bake in a preheated to 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 1 1/2 hours.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Hectic Days - Kimchi Noodle Soup

It has been so crazy at work lately that I have barely had time to eat away from my desk.  By the time I drag my shell of a body home, I am in no mood to spend much time cooking.  Good thing I have always had a generously stocked kitchen to come up with crazy combinations of lazy meals.  Here is one of them.

Fish Nuggets

Kimchi

Chili Garlic Sauce

Kimchi Noodle Soup

Kimchi Noodle Soup

1 serving of egg noodles (can substitute w/ any type of noodles)

2 cups water

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup napa cabbage kimchi

1 tsp chili garlic sauce

*Optional: egg, fish nuggets w/ roe, any vegetable, leftover meat, Spam, tofu, cooked dumplings, etc.

Cook noodles according to package instructions.  Drain and set aside.  Bring water, salt, kimchi and chili garlic sauce to a boil.  If adding any of the optional add-ons that need to be cooked, add to the soup and boil until cooked.  If adding dumplings, cook the dumplings separately or with the noodles to prevent the soup from becoming starchy.  Ladle everything into a large bowl and enjoy.

I love cooking the fish nuggets in my soup.  It imparts a sweetness that makes me slurp up every last drop.  This particular brand does not have the roe filling center like this one.  This variation is shaped like a nugget and has the roe mixed in.  There is a nice little "pop" every time I bite down on the nugget.
P.S. The yolk from my poached eggs created a nice addition to the broth, making it rich and glorious.

Juicy Italian Meatballs and Umami Spring Angel Hair Pasta

I had a lot of ground beef and ground pork in the freezer.  I decided to use half for italian meatballs and use half for swedish meatballs.  I'll get to the swedish meatballs in another post.  For now, I'll just share my recipe for italian meatballs.  The milk soaked breadcrumbs really kept the meatballs moist and helped hold their shape.

Italian Meatballs
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup minced onions
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp oregano
3 tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tbsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp pepper
Oil

Soak the breadcrumbs in milk.   Saute onions until soft and translucent.  Set aside to cool.
Mix together ground beef, pork, soaked breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, egg, oregano, salt and pepper.  Once onions are cool to the touch, combine onions with meat mixture.
2 heaping tablespoons at a time, form the meatballs by lightly patting with the palms of your hands.
Heat a large frying pan w/ enough oil to just cover the surface.  Pan-fry the meatballs over med-low heat until brown on all sides, carefully turning once on each side, about 1 1/2 min each side.

I didn't feel like a saucy pasta dish, so decided to do a light spring angel hair pasta dish and topped it with a few meatballs.  The umami flavor of the pasta was sensational.

Umami Spring Angel Hair Pasta
16 oz. dried angel hair pasta
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
2 anchovy fillets
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
2 cups baby spinach
2 cups parsley leaves
1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp garlic, minced
Any other vegetables you have around, julienned
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste
White pepper, to taste

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente (see package instructions).  Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside.  In a large saute pan (I used the meatball pan with all the pan drippings), saute the anchovy fillets and onions over med-low heat.  Cook until fillets are melted and onions are translucent.
Add garlic to onion mixture.  Stir for 30 seconds.
Add parsley, spinach, tomatoes and other vegetables.  Cook until spinach and parsley are just wilted.
Take pan off heat and toss in pasta.  Stir in reserved pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time to make a light sauce.  Be careful not to add too much, the sauce should not be too watery.
Mix in parmesan cheese and pepper to taste.  I strongly advise tasting before adding the cheese.  The anchovy fillets make up half the salt element in this dish.
Serve with meatballs.

No Boil Sun-dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta Bake

I was craving sun-dried tomato alfredo pasta the other day, but didn't have any cream or read-made alfredo sauce from a jar on hand.  I was also too cozy in my little apartment to make a trip to the grocery store.  I also didn't want to stand over the stove or wash a pot.  

I rummaged through my kitchen to see if I had anything else and decided that I had nothing good to eat.  How was that possible when I just went to Costco and at least 2 groceries stores in the last 2 weeks???

I felt like I just agreed to a spur of the moment girls' night out and had nothing in my closet to wear to go dancing.  I have nothing to eat like I have nothing to wear!

I munched on a pickle to regroup and then tried again.

Tomato basil bisque in a can, frozen chicken thighs, american cheese, sundried tomatoes, bread crumbs (from the Potato Bread that I made), parmesan cheese and roma tomatoes = No Boil Sun-dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta Bake.  Tada!

The first batch was burnt on the surface because turned the oven onto BROIL.  I scraped off the burnt top layer.  The rest of it was okay.  At least I got the flavors right.
I tried again a few days later.

Round 2 was a success, I adjusted the oven temperature and made it a point to set the timer on my microwave. 

No Boil Sun-dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta Bake

8 oz dried pasta (any shape)

1 can tomato basil bisque

1/2 can water

2 slices american cheese

3 tbsp sundried tomatoes, finely diced

1 roma tomato, diced

2 skinless boneless chicken thighs

Topping

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup bread crumbs

3 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp olive oil

1 roma tomato, sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In a baking dish (or a pie dish), combine dried pasta, diced tomato, sundried tomatoes, tomato basil bisque and water together.  Tear the american cheese up into little pieces.  Mix in the pieces of american cheese.  Place the chicken thighs on top of the pasta mixture.  Bake for about 30 minutes.

Take the pasta and chicken out of the oven.  Take the chicken and cut up into bite-sized pieces (I used kitchen shears which made it easier).  Mix the chicken into the pasta mixture.  Arrange the tomato slices on top.

Combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder and olive oil.  Sprinkle evenly over the top of the pasta & chicken mixture.  Sprinkle more parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for another 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

No Bake Sundried Tomato & Chicken Pasta Bake

I actually heard it bubbling as when I pulled the dish out of the oven.  It was literally bubbling!

Bun Rieu Tom with Fried Tofu

Growing up, my mom always had a big pot of jook (rice congee or porridge), bun (round rice noodles) or chicken pho (flat rice noodles) simmering on the stove on the weekends.  The components were always made ready to be on hand for the perfect steaming bowl of breakfast and/or even lunch.  She'd wake up before everyone else to start the broth. 

I always buy whole shell on shrimp so that I can save the heads and shells for shrimp stock.  Once I saved up enough for a nice shrimp stock, I decided to make Bun Rieu Tom with Fried Tofu.

There are many variations of Bun Rieu.  The traditional Bun Rieu Cua is made with blue crab.  Bun Rieu Tom is made with shrimp.  Bun Rieu Cua Tom Oc is made with crab, shrimp and snail meat.

The fried tofu soaks up the savory, tangy flavors of the broth.  The delicious egg mixture has a light, pillowy texture.

Broth for Bun Rieu Tom

5 cups shrimp heads & shells, packed

1 lb pork bones
10 cups water

1 tsp oil
1 cup tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp fermented shrimp paste

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 onion, halved

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread the onion halves, pork bones, shrimp heads and shells on a baking sheet.  Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.  Transfer the pork bones, shrimp heads and shells in a stock pot.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Place lid on pot, slightly propped up.  Reduce heat to a low simmer.  Simmer for 3-4 hours or overnight.  Remove pork bones, shrimp heads and shells.  Skim broth.
Heat a small frying pan with oil.  Sautee chopped tomatoes for 30 seconds.
Add onion, sauteed tomatoes, tomato paste, shrimp paste and fish sauce to broth.  Stir well and simmer for at 2 hours.  Makes about 9-10 cups broth.

Bun Rieu Tom (per serving)

2 cups broth for Bun Rieu Tom

1 tbsp crab paste

1 egg, slightly beaten

6 pieces fried tofu

4 shrimp

1 cup cooked bun noodles

wedge of lime

2-3 sprigs mint (garnish)
1/4 cup finely shredded cabbage (garnish)

Bring broth to a simmer.  Add fried tofu and shrimp.  Mix crab paste and egg together.  Slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the simmering broth.  Ladle on top of bun noodles in serving bowl.  Add juice from a wedge of lime.  Add more shrimp paste and/or fish sauce to taste.  Mix in mint leaves and shredded cabbage.

Spaghetti Carbonara with Crispy Mushrooms

I love pasta carbonara.  It is actually a really simple dish to make.  The original recipe contains no cream, and that is the version that I prefer.  I think the addition of cream takes away from the egginess of the dish, which is what I love most about carbonara.

I still basterdized the dish with mushrooms though.  Cause I love crispy browned mushrooms and the earthiness goes nicely with this rustic pasta dish.

Fresh eggs are essential for this recipe.  I dish up the pasta and then mix in the egg yolk with each serving.  The hot pasta and pasta water semi-cooks the egg yolk.
I sanitize each egg by washing the uncracked eggs with dish detergent and make sure that I get the freshest eggs possible.  Organic, cage-free eggs have the best tasting yolks.

Mushroom Spaghetti Carbonara

1 lb dried spaghetti

Sautéed Mushrooms

4 oz guanciale (or pancetta or bacon), chopped

black pepper

pecorino Romano, freshly grated

1 egg yolk for each serving

Cook spaghetti according to directions on package.  Reserve 2 cups pasta water and keep hot.  

While the spaghetti is cooking, prepare the sautéed mushrooms and set aside.  In the same pan, add guanciale and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes, stirring.  Add the mushrooms back into the pan. Toss in hot spaghetti.  Add black pepper to taste.  I like lots and lots of pepper.  Mound the pasta into warmed serving bowls.  Mix in freshly grated pecorino Romano and 1 egg yolk to each bowl of hot pasta.  Mix in 1 tbsp of hot pasta water to each bowl.  Add more cheese and black pepper.  Serve.  Makes about 6 servings.

• Leftover pasta can be reheated and then add the eggs, cheese and black pepper at serving.
• Egg whites can be frozen in ice cube trays and then stored in a container in the freezer for next time you make omelets, meringues, scrambles, etc.

Beef Stroganoff

Back in college, my group of friends and I would combine all of our culinary knowledge (which consisted of "my mom does this...") and pocket change together to scrape up enough ingredients to make a meal.  The results were usually good.  Surprisingly good.  Especially when our group was a brazillian-filipino-chinese-persian-bosnian-newyorker-midwest-cali mix.  No, none of use were exchange students.  Some immigrants and first generation Americans though.

One meal that I store in my memory bank is when the first of our group got their first apartment.  After 9 months of dorm living, that was something worth celebrating.  

We started off the celebration with browned ground beef and caramelized onions with some steamed rice.  One guy in the group added a huge dollop of sour cream to his bowl and mixed it all together.

"This is what we ate in Europe all the time!" Or something like that.  It was years ago and we were drinking alot.

Another guy in our group puts sour cream on everything, so he did the same.

The rest of us were intrigued, so we followed in suit.

Only years later did I realize that it was beef stroganoff sans the mushrooms.  Most beef stroganoff recipes cook the creamy sauce right into the beef mixture, but then how do you reheat the leftovers without breaking the sauce?  I love mixing in the sour cream at serving so that I never have to worry about how to reheat my lunchtime leftovers at work the next day.  If the beef mixture is extra hot, then the cold sour cream will bring down the temperature of the food to just right.

Beef Stroganoff
1 lb ground beef
2 tsp oil
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 onion, diced
3 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper
8 oz sour cream
chives or parsley for garnish (optional)
cooked egg noodles or steamed rice

Brown the mushrooms in a heavy frying pan.  Or even better, use a cast iron pan if you got one.  Once the mushrooms start to brown, add the onions.  Stir and cook until the onions are caramelized.  Add the ground beef.  Add garlic powder and worcestershire sauce.  Add salt and pepper.  Once the beef is completely cooked through, taste and add more salt, pepper or garlic powder if needed.  The sour cream will mute some of the flavors, so don't be afraid of strong flavors.

Fill bowls halfway with cooked egg noodles or steamed rice.  Fill the bowls almost the rest of the way with the beef mixture. 

Stir a large dollop of sour cream into each bowl.  Garnish with minced chives or parsley.

Fish Ball with Roe Filling

On one of my recent asian grocery shopping trips, I spent some extra time browsing through the frozen dumplings section.  I discovered these little gems.

I usually buy the regular fish balls, which are fish meatballs made from cod or haddock. They are great additions to asian noodle soups.  They are usually boiled in a spicy curry sauce and sold on skewers in Hong Kong.  In Sweden, they are called fiskbullar and usually sold in cans.

I keep a constant supply of homemade chicken stock in the freezer.  There are always  either egg or rice noodles in my cupboards for those lazy meal days.  Add some green onions, fried shallots, protein and veggies.  Voilà.  Instant meal. 

I cooked the fish ball with roe in the stock for my noodle soup.  The roe imparted a slight sweetness into the soup.  The fish ball had a mild flavor with a firm texture that is nice to bite into.  

I was back at the store the very next day to get more.  That's when I discovered these:

Savory Garden

I noticed that 168, the Taiwanese cafe in the space at the front of 99 Ranch had been replaced by Savory Garden a while ago.  I decided to give them some time to work out the kinks before trying them out.  I finally did last week.

One of my "aunts" is Taiwanese and I always enjoyed going to her house for dinner when I was growing up.  Either she or her grandmother would make delicious taiwanese dishes for dinner parties and get togethers.  I loved it so much that I (mostly) didn't mind that all the dishes were vegetarian.  

The restaurant health inspection rating at 168 kept me from braving the threshold.  Especially since it was always mostly empty.  It's one thing if the food is so good that everyone disregards the letter taped to the door.

The food at Savory Garden didn't knock my socks off, but it's decent enough that I would stop by whenever I need to stock up at 99 Ranch.

I first went in for a really early lunch by myself.  It wasn't even 11am yet, so the restaurant was pretty empty.  There was an older couple and a 20-something year old waitress who started to speak to me in Taiwanese until I responded back in English.  The older couple retreated behind the counter while the waitress seated me.  

The place had definitely been through a make over.  That and the "A" rating made me feel better.  I ordered the House Beef Noodle Soup and a hot milk tea.  There was only one other customer, so my food came out pretty quickly.

I expected a mug for my milk tea, but I got an entire tea pot and a chinese tea cup instead.  

Each cup was nice and hot.  

The House Beef Noodle Soup came with just 4 pieces small pieces beef, but they were flavorful,  tender and juicy.   Since the June gloom weather made me a little chilly, I dumped a big spoonful of chili paste on top.  The bok choy wasn't overcooked, but I still prefer my vegetables to be more on the al dente side.  The broth and noodles were ok, nothing to write home about.  When I tasted each component of this dish on its own, it was nothing special.  

Then I started to mix the tiny bits of finely chopped fresh chinese celery that were floating in the broth into each spoonful of swirled noodle and broth.  That tiny burst of celery flavor and crunch was really pleasant.  Mmmm.  What a great idea. 

When I paid for my bill, the older lady noticed that I still had some milk tea left in the tea pot.  She brought over a plastic cup with a lid and straw.  

A few days later, a friend and I were out and about.  I talked her into getting lunch at Savory Garden so that I could try out some other items on the menu.

We split an order of Green Bean kabobs (2), Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings (6), and Steamed Pork Bun Dumplings (10).  I got an order of Chicken Heart Kabobs (2) for myself as well.

The waitress set down a little shaker of paprika when she delivered our kabobs.  I didn't ask which dish it was for, so I just sprinkled it on both the green beans and chicken hearts.

Ever since I tried them on the streets of Bangkok, I have always liked grilled chicken hearts more than any other offal.  They have a nice firm texture and do not taste metallic or gamey like other organ meats such as liver.

My skewer of green beans still had a little crunch to them.  That satisfied my need for a vegetable to go with the rest of our meal.  Food grilled on a stick is always a good idea.  Always.

The Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings did not have a salt and pepper taste to it.  It was still nicely seasoned, big and juicy.  The cornstarch batter was light and crunchy, not overpowering the wings.  I really liked these, even though they should just be listed as plain "Chicken Wings" on the menu.

Eyeing the little container of rice vinegar on every table, I ordered the "Steamed Pork Bun Dumplings" hoping that it was code for Xiao Long Bao

and I was right! The huge steamer came out piping hot.  The waitress forgot to bring us spoons, but I scarfed them down before I even had a chance to flag her down again.  The wrappers were not too thick and there was a good amount of broth left in them.  Of course, the broth was mostly absorbed into the wrapper by the time I got down to my 4th dumpling.

That is just what happens with Xiao Long Bao.  It's one of those dishes that needs to be inhaled as soon as it is made.  There is no time for politely-waiting-for-someone-else-to-take-the-first-piece table manners.  They need to be scarfed down before the soup inside disappears into the wrapper.  The filling was nicely seasoned.  The gingery pork tasted just right with a bit of vinegar.  Ahhh.   Not the best I've ever had, but definitely decent and satisfied my craving.  I was not disappointed.

My friend was not too happy with our waitress for bringing her a regular Iced Thai Tea when she specifically asked for no milk, but I was pretty happy with my cold Milk Tea.  Can you get Thai Tea without the condensed milk or is there evaporated milk already in the mix?

I sure hope business picks up so this place stays open.  I want to try out the rest of their menu.

Savory Garden

7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

($20 minimum for credit card purchases)

Hot Pot Made Easy

I decided to do a hot pot dinner on Thanksgiving this year.  No turkey, no mashed potatoes, no cranberry sauce and no pumpkin pie.  So it's not the most traditional Thanksgiving meal, but at least it was stress-free.  I just wanted to drink wine and enjoy a great meal with good company without having to spend two days prepping and cooking and fretting over how the bird will turn out.

Hot pot, shabu shabu, lẩu, suki, sukiyaki, steamboat, fondue or huǒ guō is a social event.  Each part of the world has a different version, but it is basically everyone dipping and cooking the pre-sliced ingredients in pot of hot soup base, cheese or chocolate that simmers in the middle of the table.  I have many memories of family meals with everyone spending hours surrounding a pot of simmering broth chatting and eating.

Zion market was our first stop to pick up some ginger, lotus roots, pea sprouts, orange and thinly pre-sliced pork belly, beef tongue, ribeye and brisket.

99 Ranch had the portable camping stoves and cans of butane.  We also got some cuttle fish balls, herbal soup mix, rice noodles, moqua and napa cabbage.   There are lots more items that would be great hot pot additions such as tofu, fish fillets, shrimp, dumplings, any thinly sliced meat, noodles, taro, potatoes, veggies and etc.

At both stores, there were a plethora of induction and electric hot pot sets.  However, I wanted the portable gas version so that I could have the option of doing an outdoor hot pot as well.  Funny how both Zion and 99 Ranch had the portable gas stove, but neither had the pot nor little scoops to go with it.  SF (Thuan Fat) Supermarket had the pot and all the little scoops I needed to complete my hot pot kit.

Thanksgiving day: I spent about an hour or so rinsing and slicing up the veggies and preparing the soup bases.  Depending on the region, the soup bases also vary.  Since I got a half and half hot pot, I did one regular herbal soup base and one spicy herbal soup base,  which didn't take long at all.  To save time, I prepared the soup on my kitchen stove and then transferred to the portable hot pot setup.

Half and Half Herbal Soup Bases:
1 packet of assorted herbs
1 finger of ginger (peeled and chopped into large chunks)
6 cans of chicken broth or homemade broth
6 dried chili peppers
3 dried chrysanthemum flowers (optional)
Pour chicken broth, ginger and half of each herb from the assorted herb packet into a large pot.  Bring to a boil.  Transfer half of the broth to one side of the hot pot.  Add the dried chili peppers to the remaining half of the broth and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Transfer to other half of hot pot.  Put the chrysanthemum flowers in a tea ball and add to the spicy side of the hot pot.  In chinese medicine, chrysanthemum flowers are "cooling" and will balance out the "heatiness" of the spicy hot pot.  The tea ball will help keep the flowers from disintegrating into the hot pot.  Keep hot pot on a low simmer.  

Rinse and strain the pea sprouts and napa cabbage.  Moqua has a texture and taste just like winter melon.  I prefer it to winter melon because it has a much thinner skin and is easier to prep.  It soaks up the flavors of the soup like a sponge.  Peel and slice the moqua into about 1 inch pieces.   Peel and thinly slice the lotus root.  My handy mandolin slicer really made a big difference with the lotus root.  Parboil, rinse and drain the rice noodles.

 Cut half-way into each cuttle fish ball with 3 horizontal slices.  

Turn over to the other side and make one perpendicular slice half-way into each ball.  

That way, there are slices on each side of the cuttle fish ball, while keeping the whole thing intact.  This would help any meat balls cook quickly and evenly in the hot pot.

I laid everything out and we pigged out.  To keep the soup from evaporating away thru out the meal, I add hot water as needed.  The leftovers also made for a delicious noodle soup the next morning.

What about the orange?  That was for my azuki dessert soup.  More on that next time....

Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo Pasta

Pasta is almost always my default ingredient when I don't know what I want to eat for dinner.  It can be a really dressed up or simply tossed with olive oil, chili pepper flakes, parsley and parm.  Sometimes I like to make an in-between effort.  I made this sun-dried alfredo pasta for a friend of mine who was visiting.  I started to make plain chicken alfredo but then spied a jar of sun-dried tomatoes.  I've used the Classico Sun-Dried Alfredo sauce before and really loved the flavor that the sun-dried tomatoes gave to the sauce.     I figured that creating a similar recipe from scratch wouldn't be too difficult. 

Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo Pasta

8 oz of your favorite pasta

1 boneless skinless chicken breast

1 cup broccoli, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1 tsp minced garlic

1 roma tomato, diced

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

1 pint heavy cream

1 tsp olive oil 

Boil a large pot of water.   Add chicken breast to water and boil until cooked.  Remove chicken from water.  Slice the chicken and set aside.  

Add pasta to the chicken water and cook according to directions on package.  In the last 3 minutes of the pasta cooking, add the broccoli to the pot.  Drain, but do not rinse.  

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.

In a large sauce pan, sautée the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil over low heat for about 1 minute.  Blend the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic with the heavy cream until smooth.  Add the cream mixture back to the pan and turn heat up to medium.  Stir frequently until sauce barely starts to simmer, about 10-15 minutes.  Turn off heat.  Add the pasta, broccoli, diced tomatoes and chicken to the sauce and stir.  Add parmesan and toss thoroughly.  Serves 3-4.

Not exactly as quick and easy as the Classico sauce, but close enough and it was yummies.

Woking - Soy Sauce Noodles w/ Stir-fried Pea Sprouts

Soy Sauce Noodles with Stir-fried Pea Sprouts

My cast iron wok from the Wok Shop in San Francisco arrived last week.  I followed the instructions for seasoning before use.  I wiped the entire surface down with vegetable oil and 'baked' it in the oven at 250 and let it cool.  I repeated that process three times before I actually used the wok, just in case.  To test out my handy work, I decided to make stir-fried pea sprouts and soy sauce wok fried noodles.  Success!  No sticking whatsoever :o)

The wok kit came with a lid and wok ring.  The people at the Wok Shop decided to include a little recipe book and some accessories as well.  The metal spatula, bamboo spoons and wok cleaning brush are great extras.  But can anyone tell me what that little back scratcher-like thing is for?

Soy Sauce Noodles
2 rounds of dried egg noodles
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup minced green onions, green parts only
Cook noodles in boiling water for about 3 minutes, or until the noodles loosen from the 'nest' form.  Strain the noodles and rinse in cold water.  Leave the noodles in the strainer, we want all the excess water to drain away.

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and vinegar together until the sugar dissolves.  In a big bowl, toss the noodles and the sauce mixture together.
Heat wok.  Add oil once wok is hot.  Add the noodles and stir-fry for about 5 minutes.  Add the green onions and stir-fry for another minute.  Serve.  This is a common breakfast item in Hong Kong.

Stir-fried Pea Sprouts
1 bunch pea sprouts
1 tbsp garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
Heat wok. Add oil once wok is hot.  Stir-fry garlic and pea sprouts over med heat until sprouts are wilted.  Add salt to taste.  Serve.

What's Better Than Ramen?

Like many students, I survived my college days by stocking up on ramen noodles ($$ I saved meant more $$ for drinking!) I would gussie up a bowl of ramen by adding eggs, veggies and whatever meat I could find for a well-balanced meal. Rachel Ray has that travel show called $40 a Day, well I could've hosted $5 a Day! However, I wouldn't be going on such exotic adventures. It would just be me digging through the cupboards and leftovers for ingredients to add to my ramen. Not as exciting.
Last time I went grocery shopping, I got a value pack of chicken thighs, napa cabbage, spinach, fish balls, shrimp balls, and package of dried scallop egg noodles (the thin kind). With the exception of the vegetables, everything could be stored either in the freezer or cupboards for a quick and easy noodle bowl.

Ghetto Fab Noodle Bowl (enough for 2 bowls of noodles)
1 chicken thigh ($0.50 from the family value pack that was on sale)
4 fish or shrimp balls (about $0.30)
napa cabbage or spinach (about $0.10)
2 bunches dried scallop egg noodles (about $0.40)
fish sauce or salt to taste (have on hand)

Boil chicken thigh and fish/shrimp balls until chicken is cooked all the way through. It helps to make cuts on the fish/shrimp balls to speed up the process. The chicken water will be the base for your broth. Add napa cabbage/spinach and noodles when the chicken is done cooking. Stir a little to loosen up the noodles. Shred the chicken and divide between two bowls. Season the broth with either fish sauce or salt. I personally prefer fish sauce, it adds more depth to the broth. I have Squid brand fish sauce, which is MSG free and all natural. Divide everything up between the two bowls. Not bad for $0.65 a meal, eh? A smidgen more than a pack of ramen, but ya gotta class it up and treat yourself once in a while.

Mom's Chicken Broth Recipe

A couple weeks ago, it seemed that everyone around me was getting sick. I depleted my supply of Airborne and still got the sniffles. So I called up my mommy and got the recipe for her homemade chicken broth. This simple broth is the most effective way to "chase" away a cold.

Mom's Chicken Broth Recipe
1 pound chicken (wings, thighs, drumsticks, or leftover roast chicken w/ bones)
1/8 cup Shaoxing wine
1 big thing of ginger, peeled (about the size of 3 thumbs)
2 stalks green onion, green parts minced and white parts left whole
salt to taste
1 bay leaf

Macaroni Chicken Soup with Mom's Chicken Broth

In a large pot/crockpot, combine the chicken parts, Shaoxing wine, white parts of the green onions and bay leaf. Slightly char the ginger over an open flame (matches, lighter, stovetop...). Throw the ginger into the pot. Add enough water to cover the ingredients. If not using a crockpot, prop the lid up w/ chopsticks so that the pot is not completely sealed off. Simmer on low for at least 2 hours.
I generally make a big batch and freeze them so that I'd always have chicken broth in stock.


Whenever I'm feeling sick (or starting to), I like to make Macaroni Chicken Soup. It's filling and nutritious comfort food.

Macaroni Chicken Soup
2 1/2 cups Mom's Homemade Chicken Broth
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup cooked macaroni (or any other shell-type/hollow-shaped pasta)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup cubed or shredded cooked chicken

Bring chicken broth to a boil. Throw in spinach. Lower heat. Slowly drizzle beaten egg into
broth, much like how you would make Egg-Drop Soup. Add everything else. Ladle into big soup bowls. Consume.

Linguine w/ spicy seafood

Pasta and rice have always been staples in my kitchen. I hate that I can't finish a loaf of bread before it expires, so I rarely buy it. I like my bread to be soft with that slight fluffiness that is lost when kept in the refrigerator. Could anyone tell me where they sell half loaves of bread? Anywho, I love carbs. As much as I like meat, I thought the Atkins diet was absurd. Give up pasta, bread and rice? I'm not saying that you won't lose weight on the Atkins, I've known people who have lost a lot of inches on that diet in a short amount of time. I just never thought it was a particularly healthy option, especially for your colon. Is getting there faster really worth the sacrifice on your health?
I've noticed that most diets that are becoming more popular these days (i.e. Weight Watchers, South Beach diet) are more geared towards eating healthy while losing weight. I commend those of you who are paying more attention to you overall health than the scale, for doing it the right way and not taking short cuts with fad diets.
I may not be on a diet, but I do recognize that healthier alternatives are just as great tasting. This post will also include a healthier version of my Linguine w/ Spicy Seafood recipe.

Healthy version (nutritional info from here):
1 tsp olive oil (44 calories)
1/8 box of Barilla linguine (200 calories)
1 clove garlic, minced (5 calories)
1/2 small onion, chopped (15 calories)
3 tbsp dried parsley (11 calories)
3 cups Fresh Express Organic Baby Spinach (35 calories)
3 oz Surimi or imitation crab meat, chopped (84 calories)
8 oz Organic Low Sodium chicken broth (15 calories)
4 tbsp crushed red peppers (0 calories)
salt & pepper to taste

Boil linguine in chicken broth. If needed, add just enough water to cover pasta. Stir occasionally. While pasta is cooking, saute onions and garlic in olive oil over low heat. When onions are translucent, add crushed red peppers, parsley and spinach. Add a bit of the chicken broth from the pasta water to the spinach mixture. Cook spinach until wilted. Turn off heat. Toss pasta, surimi and spinach mixture together. Add just enough chicken broth/pasta water to coat the linguine. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 2.


Original version:
2 tsp olive oil (80 calories)
3 tbsp butter (306 calories)
1/8 box of Barilla linguine (200 calories)
Water to boil pasta
1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (22 calories)
1 clove garlic, minced (4 calories)
1/2 small onion, chopped (14 calories)
3 cups Fresh Express Organic Baby Spinach (35 calories)
3 oz Surimi or imitation crab meat, chopped (84 calories)
4 tbsp crushed red peppers (0 calories)
4 tbsp grated parmesan (88 calories)

Boil pasta. Stir occasionally. While pasta is cooking, saute onions and garlic in olive oil and butter over low heat. When onions are translucent, add crushed red peppers, parsley and spinach. Cook spinach until wilted. Turn off heat. Toss pasta, surimi and spinach mixture together. Sprinkle parmesan on top. Serves 2.

Presto Pesto!

I love pesto. It's one of the easiest things for me to make since the sauce does not require cooking. It is basically a bunch of fresh herb, nuts, and olive oil in a blender. Doesn't that just make it a liquid version of an herb salad? Though I did boil the linguine and make some turkey meatballs from scratch, so some cooking was involved. I had some leftover Asagio cheese spread that I decided to throw in. So I hit all four food groups with this one dish, that's always a plus.

Zesty Parsley-Walnut Pesto
1 bunch of fresh parsley
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
5 tbsp Asagio cheese spread
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp roasted garlic
zest of 1 lemon
juice from 1/2 lemon
Salt 'n Pepper to taste

Dump everything into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Also freezes beautifully. I divided up the pesto into individual portions and froze them in plastic containers, along w/ the turkey meatballs and some slightly under cooked linguine. Talk about creating your own TV dinners.

Turkey Meatballs
1 pound of ground turkey
1/4 cup fine bread/cracker crumbs
3 tbsp garlic powder
3 tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp olive oil

Blend the crumbs, garlic powder, dried parsley, salt and pepper in your handy dandy blender. In a med sized bowl, mix the turkey, egg, olive oil and crumb mixture together. Preheat oven to 350. Form meatballs and place on baking sheet. Bake for about 20 min, depending on how big you make your meatballs.

Oyster Sauce Pasta???

What to do when you have a cupboard full of pasta that was on sale last week but no tomato sauce? I thought about pasta carbonara, but I gots no bacon. So I just pulled some chicken thighs out of the freezer, poached them in salted water. The poaching liquid created a nice broth. The pasta shells gets added. This is my new favorite way to cook pasta. It absorbs all the chicken flavory goodness. Add some chopped up cauliflower (that was the last of my supply) and stirred in 2 tbsp. oyster sauce (which, btw, tastes nothing like oysters). The starch from the cooking liquid made the sauce nice and thick.
Yep, this is one of my ghetto meets gourmet shining moments. When it's the end of my grocery cycle and I have odds and ends to work with. The chicken was flavorful and moist. I really liked the combination of oyster sauce with cauliflower. The flavor is savory with just a hint of sweetness. This is great comfort food.
There are a couple things that I would do differently the next time I make this. I'd try to add the cauliflower in a bit earlier so that the pasta doesn't get too soft. I would also add some color to it. What is it with me and beige food lately? Maybe a sprinkle of green onions at the end, or some colorful veggies like carrots.

Oyster Sauce Pasta
1 cup uncooked pasta shells
2 chicken thighs
1 cup cauliflower, chopped
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 quart water
4 tbsp salt

Combine salt and water in large pot.  Bring to a boil.  Add chicken thighs.  Bring water back to a rolling boil  Lower heat to simmer. Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes or until chicken thighs are
cooked through.  Remove chicken thighs and set aside.
Bring liquid back to a boil.  Add pasta shells and cook for time indicated on package.
Once chicken thighs are cool enough to handle, chop into cubes.  Set aside.
About 3 minutes before pasta is done cooking, add cauliflower.
Drain cooked pasta and cauliflower.
Combine pasta, cauliflower, chicken and oyster sauce together.  Mix well and serve.