This quick and easy vegetarian miso ramen is perfect when you have just 25 minutes.
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It's ramp season in New York! Earlier yesterday, my neighborhood co-op tweeted that they just got a shipment of ramps in stock, which my friend Barb relayed to me via text. I was working on taxes at the time and wading through a mountain of receipts, so I was more than happy for an excuse to escape spreadsheets for a while and stroll (okay, powerwalk) to the store.
Ramps, also known as wild leeks, are pretty much in season for about 3 weeks here, making them highly sought after by chefs and anyone crazy enough about food to follow farmers markets and co-ops on Twitter. They're grown only in the eastern part of the US and Canada, so the year I spent in San Francisco, land of copious farmers markets, was sadly ramp-free. The flavor of ramps is a like a combination of garlic and onion, with a mellow earthy flavor. You can use it in anything you would normally use onions, scallions, leeks, and garlic in, such as omelets, savory tarts, pasta dishes, and pizza.
Today I decided to make dumplings with ramps and an especially pretty bunch of Swiss chard that was also in the store.
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Stir-fried eggs and tomatoes is a classic Chinese dish that takes just 10 minutes to prep and cook.
Read MoreI 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.
Read MoreHappy Leap Day!
This morning, I had planned get up and to try cooking something totally new. I mean, isn't this supposed to be the magical day for trying things you normally wouldn't do? (Or maybe, just maybe, I watch too much TV.) I racked my brain. Haggis? Squab? Jello mold? Croquembouche? By the time I had gone through a list of possibilities, it was that iffy time between breakfast and lunch. I was getting hungry, and finally settled on adding a twist to something I make about 10 times a month.
Fried eggs. Or more specifically, fried eggs with oyster sauce. It's pure comfort food, and something I've raved about periodically on this blog but have never formalized into a recipe. I fry up the eggs until the whites are all set but the yolks are still runny, transfer them to a bowl with rice or noodles, add an oyster sauce/soy sauce combo, and mix everything up. It's incredibly addictive, either as a slightly hedonistic weekday breakfast or a super-fast lunch or dinner.
Read MoreOne 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.
Read MoreA couple of weeks ago, I had the hardest time finding chicken wings in supermarkets. It seemed that stores around here just couldn't keep enough in stock for the Super Bowl. So I had to wait...and wait...until almost a week later, to make these black bean chicken wings that I had been craving.
We tend to think of chicken wings as appetizers, but they're almost always served as entrees in Chinese homes. See, for example, the soy sauce chicken or Coca-Cola chicken wings I wrote about last year. (Coke may have only been in China for a few decades, but is already a popular cooking ingredient.) Black bean chicken wings is another popular dish, with a deep earthy flavor from either fermented black beans or jarred Chinese black bean sauce. The wings are first seared until golden on each side, then braised for 15 to 20 minutes in a covered wok or pan. I added a bit of cayenne pepper for a mild smokiness, but you can always double the portions for more of a kick.
So even though chicken wing fever has died down from a week ago, this still made a tasty meal for a cold, gray Saturday, when 20 minutes in front of the stove was just long enough to not interrupt a Netflix marathon.
Read MoreYou know those steamed pork belly buns that seem to be everywhere in New York now, from the Momofuku restaurants to Baohaus to your neighborhood ramen place? The ones that more or less descended from Taiwanese gua bao and Japanese kakuni buns? I can practically live off these perfectly portable and juicy specimens. But in the interest of having normal cholesterol levels, I don't.
I had some leftover buns from making pork belly buns last week for my cookbook, so I decided to try a vegetarian alternative that won't leave me in a food coma after a weekday lunch. Portobello mushrooms make excellent burger fillings, so why wouldn't the meaty mushrooms be equally fine as with Chinese buns? Another bonus over pork belly is that they take about 1/5 the cooking time, just 6 or 7 minutes in the pan. I used a simpler braising liquid than I would normally use for pork belly — rice wine, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce — and topped it off with shredded scallions and peanuts, like I do for Taiwanese-style pork belly buns.
I steamed the buns in the microwave, so the total time, including prep, was about 20 minutes. They make a quick lunch or dinner, but I imagine they would also be impressive little appetizers for a dinner party.
Read MoreRemember my Thai Basil Sangria post from a couple months ago, in which I became excited by the prospect of being able to grow herbs indoors during the winter? Well, that excitement might have been premature.
In early November sun was still streaming in through the windows for 8+ hours a day. It was still warm enough that I was able to crack open the window to let in fresh air. Not anymore, on both accounts. And my window plants, consequently, have been fading, even with religious watering.
All my herbs, including the Thai basil plant that was so lively before, are nearing the end. So for lunch one day, I decided to use up as much of it as possible while it was still somewhat healthy. I didn't want to trek to the store to pick up curry paste, so this Thai basil chicken fried rice was the answer. And it made me wonder why I didn't make fried rice with Thai basil more often. I used up not only most of the basil but also some leftover chicken in the fridge. Best of all, I spent only 5 minutes in front of the stove for a very tasty lunch.
Read MoreHappy Chinese New Year! Over the weekend, I celebrated by guest chef-ing at Ted and Amy Supper Club in Brooklyn. We served a four-course meal for 14 people: shrimp and chive dumplings, watercress and mushroom noodle soup, red-cooked chicken with chestnuts, and for dessert, homemade black sesame ice cream with almond cookie crumble. Even I left in a food coma, and I had spent most of the day running around.
It has been a while since I've featured a dumpling recipe on this site, so on Saturday afternoon, in the midst of preparing for the dinner, I pan-fried some extra dumplings for lunch and snapped a few photos.
The beauty of shrimp dumplings, other than being delicious, is that they take about half the cooking time of the standard pork dumplings, only about 3 minutes in the pan instead of 5 or 6. Chives add a refreshing crispness without overwhelming the delicate flavor of the shrimp, as scallions or leeks might. So if you're a huge dumpling fan, try out this recipe below, for Chinese New Year or just a fun weekend project. The most challenging part is the folding. But once you get comfortable and crank out all 50, you can freeze extras for later. (And if you're in New York, I also offer entire classes on dumpling making.)
Read MoreMonday, January 23 marks the beginning of Chinese New Year. Which means celebrations start this weekend, including traditional New Year's Eve feasts on Sunday night. As for me, I'll be cooking up a 4-course meal Saturday night at Ted and Amy Supper Club, complete with wine and gin cocktails (not traditional, but nonetheless festive!)
If you're looking for recipe ideas, take a peek at the round-up below of favorite dishes for Chinese New Year, both traditional and creative. And if you're looking for some good info on Chinese New Year food and ingredients, check out this AP story on cooking with ginger that I was recently interviewed for, as well as this article on Asian tofu in Martha Stewart Living featuring the wonderful Andrea Nguyen.
Read MoreSometimes 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.
Read MoreI don't know what it is about chicken and nuts, but they seem to go perfectly together. Other than pork with peanuts, no other meat gets the same natural pairing, at least with whole nuts. There's a well-known chicken dish for just about every kind of nut out there, from Kung Pao chicken to chicken with cashews, all with different sauces and slightly different preparation methods.
Almond Chicken is another winner to add to that list. It was a pretty popular dish starting around a century ago, served alongside egg foo young and chop suey at Chinese restaurants in the U.S. From the 1940s through the 1960s, cookbooks aimed at American housewives printed recipes to allow them to recreate the popular dish at home. Why its popularity waned (at least on the East Coast!), when cashew chicken and walnut chicken are still Chinese menu standbys, is a mystery for the ages.
This recipe for almond chicken is adapted from Ken Hom's Easy Family Recipes from a Chinese-American Childhood. He writes that the more old school Chinese-American restaurants serve the dish with a "dark-brown sauce, a sort of ready-made gravy that is artificially colored to make our American customers more comfortable with Chinese dishes."
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