We recently hosted a brunch featuring heavily seasoned dishes (kedgeree and Jamaican jerk chicken). We wanted a refreshing, minimally seasoned healthy side dish to complement these flavors, so we made this: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cucumber_salad/. We used 6 Persian cucumbers (diced, skin on), 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill, 3 Tbsp Marukan rice vinegar (green label), and a dash…… Continue reading Cucumber dill salad
Tag: asian
Korean spicy shiitake mushroom and daikon soup
This is a plant-forward riff on a Korean spicy beef and daikon soup that had been a family favorite. You will need two pots for this recipe: one for the mushroom-kombu stock, and another for the soup. First, in a medium soup pot, heat 10 cups of water with 10 dried shiitake mushrooms and an… Continue reading Korean spicy shiitake mushroom and daikon soup
Ma po tofu with minced chicken
I grew up eating the pork version of this dish at Chinese restaurants, and every once in a while my mother made this at home from a ma po seasoning packet. Back in 2014, I decided to try a scratch recipe from Andrea Nguyen's Asian Tofu cookbook. Over time, I tweaked her ma po tofu… Continue reading Ma po tofu with minced chicken
Chinese seaweed salad
I tried this recipe to repurpose kombu seaweed that we had simmered to flavor a vegetarian Korean soup base: https://omnivorescookbook.com/chinese-seaweed-salad/ Our modifications: for the hot chili oil, we used 1.5 Tbsp corn oil and 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns (which we ground by hand). We garnished with part of a chopped Thai bird's eye chili. This… Continue reading Chinese seaweed salad
Chinese chicken and asparagus in brown sauce
We were intrigued by a chicken and asparagus stirfry recipe that didn't feature white sauce: https://thewoksoflife.com/chicken-asparagus-stir-fry/ For the chicken breast, we used 1 1/4 medium boneless breast, sliced across the grain as thin as possible. We found this sauce delicious and satisfying. (Aug. 2022)
Chinese-style chicken meatball soup with napa cabbage
We found this soup very frustrating to make, even if it ultimately came out well: https://omnivorescookbook.com/napa-cabbage-soup/ This recipe called for only 3 cups of liquid. We ultimately had to increase to 9 cups of liquid (8 cups unsalted chicken stock plus 1 cup water). We sauteed about 2 Tbsp bacon, then added 4 cups broth.… Continue reading Chinese-style chicken meatball soup with napa cabbage
Korean braised mackerel and daikon radish
We had 2 lb daikon and 2 fresh whole mackerel, and we made this recipe: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/godeungeo-jorim I haven't had this dish since childhood. (June 2022)
How to blanch kabocha squash
This is not a recipe, but a method for blanching winter squash including kabocha. We followed this for 1/2 kabocha. Because kabocha is more delicate than other winter squash, we blanched for 2 mins (not 3 mins). We plan to use this blanched squash for a sabzi or Japanese curry recipe next week. (June 2022).
Japanese savory simmered kabocha
We had 1/4 kabocha squash, so we halved the ingredients in this simple but tasty recipe: https://onolicioushawaii.com/simmered-kabocha/ We used chicken broth, but if you use vegetable or kombu stock, it can easily be vegetarian. (June 2022)
Simple fried rice with roasted cauliflower
We had 1.5 cups of leftover rice and a 1/2 head of cauliflower, so we loosely followed this recipe: https://redhousespice.com/egg-fried-rice/ Our modifications: first, we supplemented the rice with oven-roasted cauliflower (cut into 3/4" dice, tossed in 1 tsp canola, and roasted at 425 for 10 mins). We folded in the cauliflower as the same time… Continue reading Simple fried rice with roasted cauliflower
Cooking Adventures 