Tuscan-style sautéed Swiss chard with bacon and chick peas

This is an easy recipe with surprisingly complex flavors: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-swiss-chard-with-garbanzo-beans-249801. The crunch of the Swiss chard steps reminded us of celery without the sharp flavor. Our modifications: first, based on our pantry, we used bacon instead of pancetta. Specifically, we cut frozen, center-cut bacon into matchsticks (3 cross sectional slabs). Second, towards the end of…… Continue reading Tuscan-style sautéed Swiss chard with bacon and chick peas

Italian-style sausage and barley soup with kale

This is an easy recipe that makes a nice, hearty soup: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026506-sausage-and-barley-soup-with-greens?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. Our modifications: first, we used two links of raw spicy Italian chicken sausage from Whole Foods. Second, for the greens, we found that half a bunch of curly kale was about 6 dry cups. Third, we added a parmesan rind along with the…… Continue reading Italian-style sausage and barley soup with kale

Simple chicken rice soup with homemade broth

After having the most delicious chicken rice soup at Nick’s Sandwich Shop (Saddle Brook, NJ), we searched online for a recipe that had similar characteristics. Nick’s scratch version featured a clear broth with a golden yellow hue, dotted with diced carrots and lightly poached, diced chicken breast. The soup was flavorful yet uncluttered, and the…… Continue reading Simple chicken rice soup with homemade broth

Quasi-sticky rice with Chinese sausage and mushroom

I love Chinese sticky rice, and I have had a craving for it ever since I stumbled upon this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014807-savory-sticky-rice-bowls-or-stir-fried-sticky-rice?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. Unfortunately, we don’t have sweet rice in our pantry, so we tried this recipe using jasmine rice. In addition to not using sweet rice, we made a few other modifications: first, we halved…… Continue reading Quasi-sticky rice with Chinese sausage and mushroom

Korean curry with minced chicken and vegetables

We make Japanese or Korean curry rice quite often, but this time decided to try some new techniques, including cutting the vegetables into large chunks. The results turned out well, so I wanted to document this while fresh in my mind. Our ingredients: 1 to 1.5 tsp unsalted butter; 1 medium onion, cut into 1”…… Continue reading Korean curry with minced chicken and vegetables

Filipino sauteed bean thread noodles with vegetables and smoked tofu (pancit)

I first had pancit during college, when a Filipina-American friend made a huge batch for a potluck. Today we had a craving for a plant-forward version, so we decided to try this recipe: https://www.lifesambrosia.com/grandmas-pancit-recipe/ Unfortunately, we found the seasoning (1 Tbsp soy sauce, salt and pepper) too one-note, so we also took some seasoning tips…… Continue reading Filipino sauteed bean thread noodles with vegetables and smoked tofu (pancit)

Peruvian-Chinese fried rice with asparagus and egg whites (arroz chaufa blanco)

We first encountered a dish called chaufa blanco at Pisco y Nazca Peruvian restaurant, and we were blown away. Also called arroz chaufa blanco, it refers to fried rice seasoned without soy sauce. The Pisco y Nazca version featured only asparagus and egg whites, and it was not heavily seasoned except for toasted sesame oil.…… Continue reading Peruvian-Chinese fried rice with asparagus and egg whites (arroz chaufa blanco)

Filipino fried rice with smoked fish (tinapa fried rice)

Today we decided to try this Filipino fried rice recipe with smoked fish we had on hand: https://www.kawalingpinoy.com/tinapa-fried-rice/. According to this Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinapa), tinapa means smoked fish in Tagalog, and the most common fish are milkfish and scags. We closely followed the recipe except for the following modifications: first, in lieu of 4 whole smoked…… Continue reading Filipino fried rice with smoked fish (tinapa fried rice)

Filipino sour soup with minced pork and vegetables (sinigang na baboy)

We have been in search of recipes to help us clean out our fridge, freezer, and pantry. We followed this recipe, but adjusted the meat and vegetables: https://www.thekitchn.com/sinigang-recipe-23687279. Our modifications: first, instead of 1.5 lb bone-in pork, we used 1/2 lb minced pork. Second, for the tomatoes we used 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, each cut…… Continue reading Filipino sour soup with minced pork and vegetables (sinigang na baboy)