Posts in Blog
Mango Summer Rolls

You can feel it in the air. Summer's almost over. Don't get me wrong — I'm going to miss the laid-back summer vibe of the city more than the weather itself. And I'd take a cool, crisp fall day over a sticky, 90-degree summer day anytime. I just hate to think about what comes after fall.

I've been trying to keep summer going by making as many light, refreshing meals as possible. Last week I got a serious craving for Vietnamese summer rolls but didn't want to head out to a restaurant just for 2 or 3 appetizer-sized orders (or endure the funny looks I'd receive.) So I decided to make them at home instead, using some recently-purchased mangoes and fresh mint from the market.

To make the filling for mango summer rolls, you'll need mangoes, mint, and fresh vegetables that can be cut into strips such as carrots and cucumbers. (Lettuce works too.) You'll also need rice paper wrappers and some rice vermicelli, both available in any large Asian market. The rice vermicelli noodles get soaked in boiled water to soften, then are laid on top of the soaked rice wrapper along with the fresh ingredients.

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Blog, RecipesDiana KuanAppetizers, Healthy, Mango, Recipes, Vegetarian Comments
Peanut and Lime Soba Noodles

Is it just me, or has August been a little hectic for you too?  Sure, this is supposed to be the month when most of Western civilization takes long vacations and work a little bit less, if they work at all. But I've found myself thrown into weeks of teaching classes, more recipe testing, dealing with website issues, and working on potential business partnerships. All of this is very exciting (well, except for the web issues, which are a pain in the ___), but frankly, I'm exhausted!

Which is why cold summery noodles have been a life saver this month. I make a big batch just before the days I know I'll be swamped with work, store it in the fridge, and for the next 2 to 3 days just eat it cold come meal time. My standbys lately have been cold sesame noodles, kale and sesame soba, and zucchini noodles, but this week I made a big batch of peanut and lime soba noodles.

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BlogDiana KuanHealthy, Noodles, Recipes, Vegetarian Comments
Mai Tais & Thoughts on Turning 30

I turn 30 tomorrow. It feels funny to say this. For the past month or so, I've been trying to shrug it off whenever someone mentions what a milestone birthday it's going to be. "Oh, um, it's just a number..." I say. "I'm sure it's not going to feel much different than 29." And it's partly true. I'm pretty certain I'm not going to wake up tomorrow with a head of gray hair, 25 extra pounds, and a sudden urge to shake my fist at all the young'uns playing music loudly in my neighborhood.

But I'm actually kind of excited to be exiting my 20s. Sure, there's always that feeling of "well, there goes another year...", compounded with "well, there goes another decade" for this particular birthday. But the later part of my 20s were pretty challenging, particularly the last year, and I'm happy to have moved beyond that.

I have quite a bit to be excited for. My book comes out this December. I have a new blog I'm eager to work more on. I'm collaborating with good friends on an exciting food-related venture. I have a brand new passport with blank pages just waiting to be stamped, as well as two old passports with reminders of all the places I've been.

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BlogDiana KuanCocktails, Drinks Comments
Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry

It's tempting to make only salads for lunch and dinner during the summer. When the temperatures are so high that the mere thought of turning on the stove makes you break out into a sweat, salads just sound so darn easy. Wash some salad greens, toss in some nuts and olives and cheese, whisk together some vinaigrette, and you're good to go. Add some bread and cold cuts to the side and you've got a complete meal.

Of course, there's that monotony thing. As much as I like routine, it's hard to go months or even weeks eating the same things at home. So that's why I also have a list of quick stir-fry dishes in my summer cooking arsenal too. All these main dishes require minimal prep time and less than 10 minutes in front of the stove. 

And what are some of these dishes? Shellfish, which takes mere minutes to cook, is always a winner. One of the easiest and fastest dishes I like to make is Shrimp with Spicy Garlic Sauce, which takes about 5 minutes. If you're not into spicy dishes, there's also Sake-Steamed Clams and Shrimp Lo Mein. In the chicken category there's Kung Pao Chicken, Almond Chicken, and Vinegar-Glazed Chicken.

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Blog, RecipesDiana KuanBeef, Chinese, Recipes Comments
Asparagus and Radishes with Sesame-Miso Dressing

After seeing most of May in cooler temperatures and sporadic downpours, it feels like New York has been suddenly thrown into the middle of summer. It's been in the high 80s and low 90s for the past few days, and even hotter in my apartment. I'm refilling the ice cube trays about 5 times a day. I fantasize about seeing some blockbuster in the theater just to spend 2 hours in a cool room. I'm trying to hold off on turning on the AC for as long as possible, but it's likely my resolve will break soon.

A few days ago I had bought a bunch of asparagus and radishes, fully intent on roasting them for a nice spring side dish. But it was way too hot to turn on the oven. Instead, I decided to do something similar to a Japanese dish of blanched green beans with sesame-miso dressing.  The asparagus was easy enough, since you just blanch it for 2 minutes or less. As for the radishes, I'm used to eating them raw, but sautéing them on the stove with butter for a mere 5 minutes gives them a nice tenderness without being overly softened.

For the dressing, I just mixed some red miso paste with mirin and sugar and heated the dressing up just until thickened. (You can also use sake and add about 1/2 teaspoon more sugar to match for the sweetness in the mirin.) The total time in front of the stove was about 10 minutes. So if it's already super hot where you live, and you're still trying to hold on to spring and want a new way to cook asparagus and radishes, try out this recipe and let me know how it goes!

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Blog, RecipesDiana KuanAsparagus, Healthy, Recipes, Vegetarian Comments
Thanh Da in Sunset Park

In the year and a half I had been working on my cookbook, I ate out much less than usual. Recipe-testing during the day meant that I always had leftovers for dinner, which piled up in the fridge, and I didn't like food going to waste. When I did eat out, it was usually for big events like friends' birthdays or just grabbing a bite in the neighborhood. This meant that for quite a while, I contributed much less to conversations about new restaurants, chefs, and talked-about dishes than a person in the food biz ought to.

As much as I love cooking at home, dining out has a big appeal. Being inspired by new dishes and new flavors is the biggest reason. I've had fabulous meals recently at Talde in Park Slope and Lotus Blue in Tribeca (opened by my friend Kian of Red Cook); the restaurants both had creative modern takes on Asian cooking and proved you don't have to rely on traditional recipes to serve up great Filipino, Chinese, and other Asian food.

The second biggest draw of dining out for me is nostalgia, for foods I've eaten while traveling abroad. Last night I went to the opening of Pok Pok NY, the New York branch of the popular Portland restaurant, and upon sitting down was immediately reminded of being in a night market in Thailand. Likewise, I was happy to eat lunch at Thanh Da in Sunset Park last weekend because it had been a while since I had a really good Vietnamese meal. (For some reason, good Vietnamese and Mexican food is very had to find in NY.)

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BlogDiana KuanBrooklyn, Restaurants Comment
Lemongrass Chicken Wings

I finally joined the Park Slope Co-op after two years of living in the neighborhood. And it's been kind of life-changing. Not because I'm suddenly exposed to organic and seasonal food, since I've been buying both for years, but because I no longer have to trek out to Chinatown for ingredients like lemongrass, curry leaves, etc. And having so much lemongrass close by has made me use regularly in the kitchen again, such as for making Vietnamese chicken curry and Thai lemongrass and ginger iced tea.

Earlier this week I decided to make lemongrass chicken wings. As some of you might have guessed by now, I love wings and will try to find any excuse to make them, whether it's for a summer cookout, mid-winter tiki party, Chinese-Caribbean party, or just reviving a homestyle Chinese dish that involves Coca-Cola.

The best way to extract full flavor from lemongrass, as I once learned from the ex-boyfriend of an old roommate who was a pastry chef, is to bruise the white ends of the lemongrass stalk with the blunt edge of your knife's knife before slicing. This releases the lemongrass flavor much better than simply chopping. The marinade for these wings is plenty flavorful, with fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger, and shallots. To get some nice browning in the oven, I baste the wings with a honey and soy sauce mixture during the roasting.

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BlogDiana KuanAppetizers, Chicken Comments
Spicy Hunan Beef with Cumin

 One of the best parts about revisiting recipes from previous years is seeing how little changes can make a big difference. Take, for example, this Spicy Hunan Beef with Cumin dish. The version from June 2010 involved fresh red chilis with crushed red pepper flakes. Over the weekend, I tweaked the recipe with dried red chilis with chili oil and a bit of chili sauce. The result was an even better dish, with a hint of smokiness from the dried red chilis and chili oil that the first version didn't have. It'll be my go-to version from now on.

When I moved into my new apartment a few months ago, the first thing I did was take inventory of the cupboards. (The previous tenants had left a decent supply of spices, oils, and condiments.) The second thing I did, even though it was almost 10pm by the time I was done unpacking, was march over the Trader Joe's and buy ground cumin. I had not planned on cooking that night. It just made me sleep better, knowing my kitchen was no longer egregiously understocked.

Other than sea salt, cumin is the spice that I cannot with without. If I were only allowed two spices on a deserted island (with an otherwise fully-stocked kitchen), and had to choose between cumin and a pepper grinder, the former might win out. Just a whiff of toasted cumin seeds brings back a flood of memories of the best foods I have ever eaten: melty lamb shoulder from a Yemeni restaurant in Brooklyn, late night beef kebabs from a street vendor in Beijing, or pilau from an Afghani restaurant near Boston.

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Blog, RecipesDiana KuanBeef, Chinese, Hunan, Recipes, Spicy Comments
Earl Grey Shortbread

Sometimes I bake late at night as a way to wind down after a long day of work in front of the computer. Mostly chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies, but sometimes pies, if I'm feeling a bit ambitious. (We're talking 10:30 or 11pm, after all.) Yes, there are countless nutritionists who'll tell you that late-night eating is bad for you. But I'll go out on a limb and claim that smelling freshly baked cookies close to bedtime and even eating one or two has the same soothing effect that a glass of milk before bed does.

Lately, though, I've been switching gears and baking shortbread instead. I don't know why shortbread hasn't been on the regular rotation until now. It's such a simple thing to whip up, and pretty quick, even with the time it takes to chill the dough. Laurie Colwin called it "the essence of butter". Yet, it doesn't feel as heavy as a cookie loaded with chocolate chips. Whether that is a good or bad thing is up to you.

Last week for a blogger potluck at Gojee's headquarters in Soho, I made a batch of Earl Grey Shortbread with bits of Earl Grey tea spotting throughout. Like the other great blogger dishes - Kian's Yunnan-style shrimp fried rice, Veronica's Goan shrimp curry, Chitra 's curried and creamed kale, Cathy's vegetarian chili, and Paul and Steve's cheddar-blue fricos, Barb's tiramisu, and a handful of others - it was gone by the end of the night, except for a few crumbs.

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BlogDiana KuanCookies, Dessert, Recipes, Tea Comments