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.

  • For our first outdoor grilling event this sunmer, we decided to make white sangria. We discovered a wide range of recipes, and we loosely followed this one: https://www.thespruceeats.com/simple-white-wine-sangria-recipe-3511043

    We combined the following: 1 standard bottle (750 ml) Spanish white wine, 1/4 cup brandy, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup superfine sugar, and 3.5 cups fresh fruit. We first dissolved the sugar in the liquid before adding the fruit.

    For the fruit, we used 1 lime (sliced on a mandolin), 1 navel orange (same), 1 ripe nectarine (pitted and thinly sliced), 5 strawberries (sliced), 6 Mt. Ranier cherries (pitted and quartered), and about 10 seedless black grapes (halved).

    We let this mixture sit overnight so that the flavors could meld (although due to our pantry, we added the brandy the next day). When serving, we added 1.5 to 2 Tbsp seltzer to each glass. This was tasty and refreshing. Surprisingly, this amount of white sangria yielded only about 4 servings. (June 2023)

    , , ,

  • We tried this recipe for 1.9 lb salmon filet: https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/grilled-salmon/ We followed the recipe verbatim in terms of ingredient proportions, but we purposely left the herbs intact instead of mincing them (see Outdoor grilling notes below). We also cut our filet in half to make it easier to flip on the grill (and to create more surface area for the marinade to penetrate).

    This was delicious. The marinade was flavorful without being heavy-handed. We served this with another protein (Vietnamese garlicky roast chicken), brown jasmine rice, grilled Italian marinated vegetables. (June 2023)

    Outdoor grilling notes: first, to make it easier to pick out the herbs before grilling, we left the fresh parsley in relatively large (2 inch) pieces, the thyme on its sprig, and the garlic in visible slices (not minced). We shook the marinade off, patted the skin dry, and lightly oiled the skin (about 1 Tbsp canola) before placing on the hot grill. Second, with excellent hands-on guidance from our friend Mary, we followed these grilling tips: https://www.foodiecrush.com/best-grilled-salmon/

    , , , ,

  • We tried this recipe for a quick lunch: https://moribyan.com/ful-medames-vegetarian-fava-bean-stew/ We followed the instructions, except we used 1 tsp smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. This was a mistake because the smokiness overpowered the dish. The next time we will use regular paprika and may reduce to 1/2 tsp. (June 2023)

    , , , , , ,

  • We made this recipe from Hsaba Burmese cookbook, except we tripled the proportions and used US measurements. Combine the following in a medium Dutch oven: 3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced; 1 bottle gourd (medium-small) – peeled, seeds removed, and sliced into 1/2″ thick bite sized pieces; 1 Tbsp dried shrimp; 6 cups water; 3 Tbsp fish sauce; and 1.5 tsp black pepper.

    Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer (covered) until squash pieces are tender, about 15 mins. Season to taste if needed (we added about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp sugar). Garnish with cilantro. (June 2023)

    , , , , ,

  • I love masala dosa, and this weekend I had a craving for sambhar (the soup that accompanies the crispy dosa). We used MTR sambhar mix as a shortcut, but this recipe ended up still being quite involved and multistep. https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/andhra-sambar-recipe-how-to-make-south-indian-sambar/

    Our modifications: First, we made the mistake of buying tamarind concentrate and tamarind powder instead of whole dried tamarind pods. Neither the concentrate nor the powder provided the requisite tangy zip of actual tamarind. We ended up supplementing with about 1 Tbsp Filipino tamarind soup powder (Mama Sita sinigang sa sampalok) and juice from 1/2 of a lemon. Second, as much as I craved dosas, I was too drained from making the sambhar to try making dosas at home. So we enjoyed this sambhar with frozen idli that we heated in the microwave. (June 2023)

    , , , , , ,

  • This is one of my favorite dishes from Nirvana, a local vegetarian Indian restaurant that closed many years ago. At Nirvana, they called it bisi bele huli ana. After consulting a few online recipes, we tried this recipe: https://hebbarskitchen.com/bisi-bele-bath-recipe-bisibelabath-rice/

    Our modifications: first, based on tips from https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/bisi-bele-bath/, as a shortcut we used MTR brand bisibele bhath [sic] masala instead of making our own masala. Second, we used 2 tsp tamarind concentrate (a dark brown viscous liquid), 2 tsp tamarind powder, and 1 tsp Filipino tamarind soup (Mama Sita sinigang sa sampalok) in lieu of 1/2 cup soaking liquid from dried tamarind pods. Third, we learned from https://eatingexpired.com/what-are-two-whistles-instant-pot/ that two whistles equals approximately 6 mins at high pressure on the stovetop or instant pot.

    Finally, we found the recipe slightly frustrating in that the final result seemed less viscous than expected – it was a little watery even when we reduced the final portion of water to 1.5 cups (instead of 2 cups), which also made the spices more concentrated than intended. At the end of cooking, we folded in about 2 cups fresh baby spinach to thicken. We also balanced out the flavors with 1/2 tsp white sugar and juice in from half a lemon. For the hot oil topping, we doubled the amount of whole cashews (for a total of 1/4 cup cashews), used 1 Tbsp ghee, and added 1/4 tsp kashmiri chili powder for color. (June 2023)

    , , , , , , , ,

  • We love Padma Lakshmi, and we will miss seeing her as host of Top Chef. We decided to try her dal recipe: https://www.padmalakshmi.com/dal-recipe It was delicious and comforting.

    In her video demonstration of this recipe on Instagram, she mentioned adding amchoor (green mango) powder for tartness at the end. We substituted with about 1 tsp (or more) tamarind powder (Mama Sita sinigang sa sampalok), and it completed the dish. (June 2023)

    , , , , ,

  • We made this simple recipe: https://www.koreanbapsang.com/korean-radish-soup-mu-gukmoo-guk/

    For our ingredients, we used 8 oz beef flank, which we thinly sliced and cut into bite-sized pieces. For the radish, we used daikon. At the end of cooking, we found the soup underseasoned (based on 2 Tbsp soup soy sauce and 2 tsp minced garlic), so we supplemented with more garlic (about 2 more cloves garlic), 1.5 tsp fish sauce, 1.5 tsp yondu (Korean vegetarian soup sauce), about 2 tsp kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp sugar. (June 2023)

    , , , ,

  • We had boneless chicken thighs on hand and tried out Andrea Nguyen’s 30 min, one pot recipe: https://www.latimes.com/recipe/chicken-and-ginger-in-caramel-sauce-ga-kho

    In case the link leads to a paywall, the ingredients are: 1:5 lb boneless chicken thighs (trimmed of fat and cut into 1″ chunks), 3 Tbsp bittersweet caramel sauce, 2 Tbsp fish sauce, 2 Tbsp water, a 2-inch piece of ginger (sliced into coins and lightlu smashed), and 1/4 tsp salt. You place all ingredients in one pot (we used a large All-Clad nonstick Dutch oven), cover and cook on medium for 10 mins (stirring occasionally), then remove cover and cook until sauce has reduced (about 5 mins). Leave on burner but cover pot and let sit for 5 additional mins. Garnish with chopped scallion greens and serve with rice. We found this dish a bit flat and too ginger-forward. (May 2023)

    , , , , , ,

  • It’s been a while since we made this dish: https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/caramelized-catfish-sand-pot

    Our modifications: first, we used 1.25 lb salmon filet, skin removed and sliced into 2×1″ pieces. Second, instead of a clay pot, we used a large All-clad nonstick Dutch oven (which enabled us to spread the salmon in a single layer). Third, we sauteed 1″ wide center cut bacon, cut into matchsticks. Once we rendered the bacon, we added 2 scallions (including whites and greens), 1 shallot, and 2 large garlic cloves (sliced).

    The wider pot enabled us to cook the salmon more evenly and to accurately assess how it was doing at each stage. Because we used filet instead of salmon steaks, we found that the 30 min cooking could be reduced to 15 mins. (May 2023)

    , , ,