Posts in Recipes
Baked Eggs with Saffron and Cumin

I first made these baked eggs with cumin and saffron when I lived in Shanghai a few years ago. I had recently become obsessed with cumin, after eating at many Muslim Chinese restaurants in Shanghai and Beijing that specialized in cumin lamb dishes. Of course, at home, I wanted to use cumin as much as possible, and worked the spice into this breakfast dish.

So here's a short, revised recipe, since I recently made this again and it was every bit as good as I remembered. The process is  a piece of cake. You just sauté some shallots or onions in a pan, add the tomatoes, cumin, salt, and pepper, then transfer the mixture to ramekins. Then you crack an egg into each ramekin and sprinkle a bit of saffron on top. It looks really nice coming out of the oven with specks of bright red from the saffron and the egg still bubbling on top.

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RecipesDiana KuanEggs, Healthy, Recipes, Tomatoes, Vegetarian Comments
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
Pork Belly and Kimchi Stir-fry

Along with butter, ketchup, and chili sauce, one of the key items I have in my fridge at all times is a jar of kimchi. This addiction started a few years ago. I had been a casual fan for a while, eating it periodically in Korean restaurants. But after a one-week trip to Seoul in 2008, where kimchi and an assortment of other banchan (side dishes) are given to you with every restaurant entree, I became hooked.

Since then, other than during periods of moving and lengthy traveling, a jar of kimchi has been a kitchen staple. I top off noodle dishes with it. Serve it on the side with Korean braised short ribs and other beef dishes. Top off fried eggs with it. Or just eat it straight from the jar as a (very healthy!) snack. 

Another favorite dish I like to use kimchi in is a stir-fry with pork belly or thickly-cut bacon. (My version is very similar to the Korean buta kimchi but uses regular chili sauce instead of gochujang, or sweetened Korean chili sauce.)  To make it, you simply stir-fry the pork until it's nice and crispy, then cook the onions, garlic, scallions, and kimchi before adding the spicy sesame-scented sauce. It's easy to prepare but will look very impressive when you set it on the dinner table. It also tastes incredible, like the pork, kimchi, and sauce were just meant to go together.

 
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RecipesDiana KuanBacon, Kimchi, Korean, Pork, Recipes, Spicy Comments
Kung Pao Shrimp

When I teach cooking classes, one of the questions students ask most frequently is what is my favorite dish to cook again and again. Talk about hard questions! I'm constantly testing so many new recipes for this blog and other projects that  I don't get to go back to old favorites as often as I should.

But of course, there are recipes I frequently crave and try to work in on nights when I'm not testing out new recipes. One is buttermilk roast chicken, a delicious standby for when friends come by for dinner. Another is chicken adobo and its coconut variation, which I frequently daydream about and could make in my sleep. And yet another is anything kung pao.

Kung pao chicken is such a standby in my kitchen because of both its mouthwatering sauce and its ease of preparation. But from time to time, I also make kung pao shrimp as a variation. The prep time is roughly the same, or even faster if you buy your shrimp already cleaned and deveined.

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RecipesDiana KuanChinese, Recipes, Seafood, Shrimp, Spicy Comments
Thai Eggplant Curry

I went food shopping last week fully intending to make a hearty Thai chicken or pork curry for dinner. Then I saw all these eggplants and my intentions went out the window.

I realized I didn't cook with eggplants often enough. There were only two dishes in my repertoire that utilized eggplants, ratatouille and Sichuan "Fish-Fragrant" Eggplant. It was about time to add a third, especially when sitting inches away from the eggplants was a bin of gorgeous Thai basil bunches.

This recipe is so quick and easy to throw together that it can become a weeknight standby. The eggplant takes only about 9 or 10 minutes to cook, and it acts as a sponge for the tasty sauce of red curry paste, garlic, ginger, coconut milk, fish sauce and brown sugar. You can also make the dish fully vegetarian by substituting soy sauce for the fish sauce, but I love the earthiness that the fish sauce adds. The Thai basil goes in towards the end, but lends a great deep flavor to the rest of the dish.

 

 

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RecipesDiana KuanRecipes, Thai, Vegetarian Comments
Sriracha Garlic Wings

It's hard to get enough of chicken wings, especially in the summer, and especially when there's some major sporting event on. For as long as I can remember I've followed the Olympics religiously. Swimming, track, gymnastics, tennis, diving, you name it. I'll follow prelims as well as finals and ooh and aah over all the heartwarming background stories of athletes I had never heard of two weeks prior.

(And being in Beijing for the 2008 games, in the center of all the action, was such a fun experience!)

This time around I'm watching everything from my couch in Brooklyn. And for watching any kind of sports action from your couch, spicy chicken wings is practically a must-have. It's an easy and filling appetizer or, depending on portion size, full on-dinner. And they're downright delicious.

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RecipesDiana KuanChicken, Recipes, Spicy, Sriracha Comments
General Tso's Tofu

Every once in a while I get a huge craving for General Tso's chicken but want a slightly lighter option. Recently I've also gotten a few emails from readers who were curious about how to make vegetarian versions of their favorite takeout dishes. So I got inspired to do a vegetarian General Tso's using tofu.

One of the benefits of using tofu is that it's quicker and a bit easier than preparing the chicken. Instead of shallow-frying the chicken, you just pan-fry the tofu cubes in a large skillet with a couple tablespoons of oil to get it nice and crispy on the outside. And you don't even have to worry about searing all the sides. Just use a spatula to get about 1/2 or 3/4 of the sides to a nice golden color; this way, the tofu is crisp on the outside but still soft on the inside.

For this recipe, I adjusted the quantity of the sauce that I usually use for General Tso's chicken, and a couple of ingredients in it, to compensate for the protein not being marinated.  A few readers have noted in the comments of General Tso's chicken that they used ketchup instead of tomato paste with great results, so I added it as a substitute; it's great if you prefer a sweeter sauce in your General Tso's.


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RecipesDiana KuanChinese, Chinese-American, Tofu, Vegetarian 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
Zucchini Noodles with Pan-fried Tofu

I'm going to come clean about a recent addiction.

Don't worry, it's not drugs or smoking or cheap vodka. But my doctor still might not approve. You see, a few months ago I discovered my local co-op got fresh almond croissants delivered everyday from Cannelle Patisserie, easily one of the best pastry shops in New York. They are big and filled with almond paste and flakey in the best way possible. I can't get enough of them.

On a good week, I'd get one or two for breakfast and be done with it. During weaker periods, I'd succomb to three or four in a week. Self control, at least when it comes to croissants, is not my strongest quality.

In an effort to prevent my diet from being way too carb-heavy, I've been experimenting with some healthy lunches that aren't rice- or noodle-based. Or rather, wheat-noodle-based. I still like the thought of having noodles, so why not just make them out of vegetables instead?

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RecipesDiana KuanHealthy, Noodles, Recipes, Tofu, Vegetarian, Zucchini, Gluten-Free, Vegan, vegetarian 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