Recipes »Hamburgers with Lemon and Soy Sauce

photo-5from Real Simple

It may not look like much, but for the first time in a long time Van gobbled every single bite of a meal Jim and I were having. No last minute peanut butter and jelly, just this Hamburger with Lemon and Soy Sauce. You don’t know what a big deal this is.

I cooked his all the way through and broke up the meat while leaving the medium rare, added caramelized onions and a touch of Sriracha to the adults.

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Posted on July 10, 2013

Recipes »Citrus Soy Glazed Black Cod

photo-1from Martha Stewart

Seafood in Seattle is great. I’ve never enjoyed so many simply prepared fish dishes before. When something’s fresh in the market, I just look up an easy prep and enjoy.

One such quick meal is Martha’s Citrus Soy Glazed Black Cod. Lime gives the glaze a unique and delicious tang.

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Posted on June 12, 2013

Recipes »Thai Steamed Mussels

From Epicurious

The original recipe is called “Spicy” Thai Steamed Mussels, but this is completely mild. Not bland, mind you, just not spicy.

It is flavorful and super easy once you’re past the tedious de-bearding and cleaning stage.

Don’t forget bread to mop up the fragrant broth.

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Posted on June 15, 2012

Recipes »Pork Ssam

Momofuku Specialty

This pork ssam may very well be the best meal I’ve ever made.

Easy too, you just need to set aside 12 hours (only 6 of which you even need to be awake for).

Chang might be a culinary great but I prefer myself as chef. I won’t get all dicky about taking photos of the food and the cost was a fraction of what I’d spend in the restaurant.

Thanks to Mike for the special sauce ingredients and buns.

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Posted on March 5, 2012

Recipes »Three Tea Cup Chicken

from Simply Recipes

I know, I make a lot of these Asian ground chicken recipes. What can I say? It’s my thing.

This Three Tea Cup Chicken is subtle and a little sweet. And if you don’t share my crazy enthusiasm for ground chicken, the original recipe calls for sliced anyway.

Easy, mild and sophisticated.

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Posted on February 15, 2012

Recipes »Shaking Beef with Pea Shoot Salad

from Food and Wine

Shaking beef is something I always jump to order the rare times I find it on a menu so finding a easy tasty recipe was excellent luck.

The pea shoot salad adds much needed green to a meaty dish.

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Posted on January 12, 2012

Recipes »Roast Chicken with Spicy Hoisin Glaze

from Serious Eats

I’m very wimpy when it comes to anything labor intensive in the kitchen.

So a roasted whole cut up chicken sounded daunting but, really this Roast Chicken with Spicy Hoisin Glaze is one of the simplest things we’ve made.

You just need to allow about 30-40 minutes for cooking.

We enjoyed the first round with a baked yam (big and delicious this time of year) and I used the left over meat atop some ramen with scallions. Yum.

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Posted on December 9, 2011

Recipes »Chicken Papaya Stir Fry

from Food and Wine

I make a lot of stir frys so finding this Chicken Papaya Stir Fry recipe was exciting for the list of unusual ingredients.

I wasn’t sure of the papaya and orange juice would make for a far too sweet dish, but with the salty seasonings and poblanos, they were mellow and delicious.

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Posted on May 22, 2011

Recipes »Gai Pad Krapow

from Serious Eats

This excellent and affordable recipe for Gai Pad Krapow, also known as Thai Basil Chicken is totally superb!

The rice, the fish sauce, the basil and the fried egg combines to create a very complex but well balanced dish.

No one would believe how easily it all comes together. This is one I’ll bookmark to make over and over in the future.

Thanks again, Serious Eats.

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Posted on April 30, 2011

Recipes »Crab Fried Rice

from Serious Eats

I love crab, I love fried rice, so this Crab Fried Rice recipe was a guaranteed hit in my house.

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Posted on April 6, 2011

Restaurants »Nyonya

199 Grand Street

Nyonya is kind of universally liked due to it’s massive Malaysian menu. Trick is to order the right thing – I think Stacy and I fared about 50/50.The shrimp puff proved to be, not surprisingly,  too heavy to finish (ground shrimp surrounded by bacon, fried with mayonnaise!) but the roti canai appetizer is a classic and a must with it’s flaky warm crepe and flavorful curry sauce. Stacy’s Wonton Mee soup entree, though, lacked in flavor.

I did better with the Chow Kueh Teow, a rich noodle that, while not nearly as spicy as the little pepper on the menu warned, was a nice, easy to eat dish and a welcome change in flavor to the usual pad thais and lo meins.

The service is pushy to say the least. Within three seconds of sitting down we were asked for our order. Once you do order and get your food, you are promptly forgotten and will have better luck hailing a cab in the rain to Brooklyn than getting water or another Singha. But, it’s the unique flavors, not pampered service one comes for. And the brisk pace does mean you’ll rarely have to wait for a table even on a busy night.

While the environment’s not conducive to lingering, we had lots to catch up on a did so anyways over a yummy but sort of odd looking fried green tea ice cream.

Click here for the rest of Nyonya

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Posted on March 10, 2011

Restaurants »Korilla BBQ

Various Locations

Jim and his co-wokers lucked out when they discovered the Korilla mobile Korean BBQ truck outside their office one afternoon.

The line moved rapidly and everyone opted for bowls (there are also tacos and burritos on the menu), but I guess when you’re used to eating at least one Chipotle burrito bowl per week, tacos and burritos just don’t do it any more…

Jim got the spicy pork with the bacon fried kimchi rice (his workers unilaterally went for beef), kimchi slaw salsa, cheese, vegetables and the smoky/mayonnaise Korilla sauce.  It must have been pretty good, because he ate all of it (which is surprising, considering it included a healthy dose of vegetables) in about 10 minutes.

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Posted on January 7, 2011

Recipes »Broiled Fluke Fillets with Sesame Asparagus

from Emeril

I honestly wasn’t even going to snap a photo of this Broiled Fluke with Sesame Asparagus – it looks so unexceptional – but after one bite, I grabbed the camera because I wanted to be sure to share this deceptively flavorful and healthy dish with you!

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Posted on December 13, 2010

Spend a Couple Minutes »Malaysian Night Market

A Crowded Celebration of Flavors

The organizers of the Malaysian Night Market in Chelsea grossly underestimated the crowds that would flock to sample the varied flavors of region. Of course, by cramming in many vendors, live entertainment and Jeremy Piven (who I sadly, did not see) into a tiny triangle block, without any streets getting blocked off, it would seem that they expected a crowd of about ten. It was jam packed, shoulder to shoulder making the pungent laksa (spicy noodle soup with fried little fish) from Fatty Crab one of the least wise picks for eating ease, but it was the winner taste wise of the night. They never shy away from flavor at Fatty Crab and this dish was exquisitely bold. The other tasty treat was a chicken sandwich (sorry, not sure which booth it came from). I was less impressed with other bites (fish balls, fried rice, and filled crepe) but Jim was happy with the milder flavors.

The crowded event has the dubious distinction of possibly being my last major outing – the tradition of offering a seat to a very pregnant woman doesn’t apply to the rough streets of the Meatpacking District – in fact, several ladies held empty spots with purses… but I knew the day would come when my stamina for long outings would end temporarily, and at least it included tiny fried fishes, really spicy chiles, and a glimpse of a dapper Lewis Dodley (who Mike recognized first from his baritone, silky voice).

Click here for the rest of Malaysian Night Market

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Posted on September 18, 2010

Restaurants »Bonchon Chicken

325 5th Ave and Various Locations

Korean fried chicken has been on my to eat list for ages and I finally managed to meet up with a friend for lunch at the newly opened Bonchon on 5th ave st only just days ago. While this particular location still seemed to be working out some kinks (three irate to-go men where fuming for over 30 minutes before their orders arrived) we fared better seated in the unfashionable black leather booths. The timelessness of the ambiance –  in a karaoke joint kind of way – was further enhanced by a large screen that played videos from the past few decades from solo Nick Lashay to Lady Gaga to Sarah McLaughlan. All of this matters not to the food though, and who goes out for fried chicken to be surrounded in sophisticated elegance anyway?

The chicken is great – must be that “secret taste” they brag about on their site. We split a medium (plenty for two people with normal appetites, small for those that want to pig out) platter, white meat, half and half soy garlic and sweet spicy glaze. The difference to KFC or similar is significant. This is crispy, almost light (at least by fried food standards), with non of that face shining greasiness. This is because they remove the fatty skin before frying.

The glazes, which I worried would be sticky and overwhelming are sparingly applied and quite good – not gooey or too saccharine. I preferred what we believe was the garlic glaze and the kimchee coleslaw makes for a nice side – and that’s coming from someone who does not count herself a fan of the  cold (usually bland) picnic staple.

I plan to try and compare with Kyochon, the space agey place up the street which I’ve been told does Korean fried chicken in a totally different way. While I may be very late to this culinary trend, I am happily won over by it.

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Posted on August 22, 2010

Recipes »Spicy Pork Stir-Fry with Coconut Scallion Rice

from Emeril

Another ground pork asian dish with a kick and another winner. This time, Emeril’s Spicy Pork Stir-Fry with Coconut Scallion Rice adds toothsome eggplant. The inclusion of ground pork versus slices is my input. I just bought ready made coconut rice from Fresh Direct for ease. For some reason, I have never made rice well from scratch – it ends up either hard in the middle or mushy.

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Posted on August 15, 2010

Albums »Dengue Fever

by Dengue Fever (2003)

We’re big fans of the psychedelic Cambodian pop band Dengue Fever and I have previously recommended their slightly more modern release Venus on Earth. Their exploration of authentic classic Cambodian pop – the fun, danceable and energetic tracks make this debut album, Dengue Fever remarkably enjoyable. Not only are Los Angelians Zac and Ethan Holtzman bringing a genre that was sadly demolished with the rise of Pol Pot back to audiences, the incomparable Chhom Nimol (aside from giving Jim hot pants) brings the classic songs to vivid life. I love when songs from this album come up randomly on my ipod, they add a bit of the 1960’s cinematics to your day. Many of the songs make me feel like I should be in a wild set piece for a Seijun Suzuki movie (which is a great way to feel). They are also pretty spectacular to see live and do so in California often for those that live on the West Coast.

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Posted on July 25, 2010