Welcome

  • I cook as a hobby, and I maintain this blog primarily to keep track of recipes that my family has enjoyed over the years. I started blogging back in 2015, in response to requests from friends for recipes they had seen me post on Facebook (but that I couldn’t easily catalog). My original blog was on another platform that became less user-friendly over time. I migrated my blog to WordPress earlier this year, and I’ve spent more time than expected reformatting the migrated posts.

    This blog is and always will be a work in progress. For example, I currently provide Tags for posts, but I have not coded for Categories. I also generally try to share the recipes themselves in my posts, but in cases where the recipe is not available online, I try to identify the source (e.g., the cookbook title and author) as needed. In some cases, such as where a family has shared their recipe with me but hasn’t authorized me to share it widely, I post a photo of the dish with that proviso.

    I recently added a Search widget to this blog. On the desktop version, the Search bar appears prominently on the left hand side. But for some reason, it is hidden on the mobile app. If you’re on your phone, tap on the SHOW tab at the top left of the home page. That will reveal another screen with the Search bar.

    I hope you enjoy exploring my blog and find some recipes to try.

  • First, combine 2 ¾ tsp each turmeric and black pepper, 1 ¾ tsp salt, and 1 ¼ tsp cayenne in a small bowl. Second, wash and trim 1 lb okra. Carefully cut a slit into each okra pod, then using a teaspoon, gently stuff each okra pod with the seasoning mix (about 1/8 tsp per pod) and set aside. Third, heat a large wok with 5 Tbsp oil, then when heated, add the stuffed okra. Sauté on high for 10 mins, then reduce heat, cover, and let cook until tender (about 5 mins). Remove okra and place in a serving dish. Add 1 more Tbsp of oil in the wok, then add a small onion (here, a shallot), sliced crosswise. Sauté until browned, then place on top of the okra and serve. Recipe from Healthy Vegetarian Indian Cooking by Shubhra Rahimeni (Aug. 2015)

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  • Peel a butternut squash (about 2 lbs), then cut into 1-inch chunks and set aside. Heat 4 Tbsp oil in a Dutch oven, then add ½ tsp cumin seeds. When seeds start to pop, add the squash chunks, ½ tsp salt, and a ¼ tsp each turmeric, cayenne, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to coat, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 25 mins, stirring occasionally, and when squash is soft enough, roughly mash with a wooden spoon. Recipe from Healthy Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Shubhra Ramineni. (Aug. 2015)

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  • This is a simple salad of various fruits cut into bite-sized pieces (here, 3 small guavas, a red delicious apple, a red pear, a plum, 1 cup red grapes, and 1 banana) tossed with the juice of one lime, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp each cayenne and black pepper.  The addition of savory spices enhances the fruit flavors.  Recipe from Healthy Vegetarian Indian Cooking by Shubhra Ramineni. 

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  • Recipe from: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/04/tutorial-how-to-make-hawaiian-spam-musubi-sushi.html. In terms of spam seasoning, I combined ½ tsp sugar with 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce and 1 Tbsp mirin, but used only about half of it. I also used Spam Lite, and I couldn’t tell the difference from the original version (at least in this preparation). If you tightly wrap each finished musubi with saran wrap, it makes a handy snack on the go. Special thanks to my friends Keli and Derrick for the musubi mold! (Aug. 2015)

    Note: The recipe calls for 3 cups uncooked rice. We found it sufficient for 8-9 (but not 10) musubi. So we recommend dividing the can of Spam no more than 9 even slices to be safe. (Sept. 2020)

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  • Using a blender, mix 2 eggs, ½ cup milk, ¾ tsp cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 ½ ripe bananas (reserve the remaining half-banana for garnish).  Pour mixture into a shallow dish, then dip a slice of bread (here, thinly sliced ciabatta) into the mixture, coating each side (the recipe calls for 6 slices, but you have enough mixture for 8-10).  Place in a hot skillet with some melted butter, then brown on each side.  Garnish with remaining banana slices and serve with maple syrup. This recipe was based on a Banana french toast recipe that is no longer available on Food.com. (Apr. 2014)

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  • I replaced red wine with pomegranate molasses. Keep a close eye on the dish so that it does not reduce too much (as it did here). Details here: http://www.eatthelove.com/2011/04/slow-roasted-spicy-strawberries-in-balsamic-vinegar-and-red-wine/ (Aug. 2015)

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  • This is one of my favorite dishes, but I haven’t had it in years. This is my first time making the recipe at home. Recipe from Maangchi: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/dak-kalguksu (Aug. 2015)

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  • This dish brings back many childhood memories of eating at Korean-Chinese restaurants with my family. My family’s recipe never tasted like the restaurant version. Thanks to Maangchi, I finally found the restaurant version that I loved so much: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/jjajangmyun (Aug. 2015)

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  • Recipe here: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/bukkumi. This was my first attempt using sweet rice flour. (July 2015)

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  • This brings back a lot of happy childhood memories for me. We used a recipe from Maangchi’s Real Korean Cooking. I had only tiny anchovies, so I used about 40 tiny ones rather than 12 large ones (about ½ cup). We also have used 1 potato (instead of 2) and replaced the second potato with a medium zucchini, cut into ¾” wedges (four quarters per slice); we add the zucchini at the same time as the soup soy sauce, fish sauce, and sliced kombu. The same recipe is here: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/sujebi (July 2015)

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