Turning a new leaf
April 14, 2011 § Leave a comment
I’m not a big fan of salads or raw vegetables. I think it partly has to do with growing up in a Chinese-American family, where all vegetables were stir-fried, steamed, or cooked in some other way. However, I’ve always been a sucker for the ubiquitous carrot-miso-ginger dressing you see at Japanese restaurants, where they toss some grated carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and romaine together and present it as a throwaway appetizer with the miso soup before your bento box.
Last week, the Ithaca Farmers’ Market opened for the spring season, and aside from the usual baked goods (chocolate brioche oh mah gah), the produce was still pretty sad looking – just some leeks, spinach, greens, and root vegetables here and there. But I remembered the salad dressing from Goop and Smitten Kitchen and I knew that I already had the other Asian ingredients in my pantry, so I figured I’d grab some shallots and carrots, break out the blender, and give this a whirl.
It comes surprisingly close to those restaurant dressings. I threw in a pinch of sugar to balance the bite of ginger and tossed it with some organic mixed greens that I also picked up at the market. And even though I paired this with yet another grilled Brie sandwich, the salad still made it one of the most virtuous meals I’ve had in a while.
Carrot-ginger dressing
Carrot-ginger dressing (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small shallot, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons freshly chopped ginger
2 tablespoons sweet white miso
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dark toasted sesame oil
pinch of sugar (optional)
1/4 cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed
2 tablespoons water
Blend the carrots, shallot, and ginger until finely chopped. Then add the miso, vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar (if using). While blending, add the neutral oil and water until you reach the desired consistency (I tend to like a smoother consistency for this particular dressing). Serve and toss with your favorite greens and vegetables.
Coming home
March 26, 2011 § Leave a comment
Living in Edison has spoiled me when it comes to sushi. In fact, there are so many Japanese restaurants in the Edison area offering good quality, low-priced nigiri, sashimi, and maki rolls that I refuse to eat sushi elsewhere. Case in point: Tonia and I recently went to U-Yee Sushi in nearby Iselin where I went a little insane and ordered four different rolls – Dragon (eel and avocado with avocado and sauce on top), Volcano (fried calamari and cucumber with roe and spicy mayo), Dynamite (crunchy spicy yellow tail and avocado with fish roe) and Mexican (crunchy spicy salmon) – without batting an eyelash.
U-Yee Sushi
Tonia also ordered a large bowl of udon soup, and while I was perfectly happy with my maki rolls, I had to admit that the giant piece of shrimp tempura and golden yolk oozing into the broth looked mighty tempting.
Udon at U-Yee
So while our town isn’t necessarily known for its gorgeous scenery or quaint store-lined Main Street, Edison is really worth a visit simply for the vast number of its different ethnic restaurants, a cultural attraction in itself.
U-Yee Sushi
675 U.S. Hwy 1 South
Iselin, NJ 08830
732.283.7888
Raging heat and a golden moon
March 20, 2011 § Leave a comment
I first had drunken noodles (pad kee mao) at a place called Bangkok Bistro in Georgetown. The wide rice noodles reminded me of Chinese chow fun, especially when stir-fried with veggies and thinly sliced beef, but the flavors tasted so much brighter. I think it was the first time I understood that a dish was capable of being savory, sweet, and spicy all at the same time. The dish has become somewhat of a personal barometer for any new Thai restaurants that I try. When I still thought I was going to Washington University in St. Louis for law school and visited last spring, I was so disappointed with the local version of drunken noodles that I actually began to doubt my school of choice. Luckily, it worked out that I ended up somewhere with an excellent offering of Thai cuisine.
drunken noodles
Here in NJ, we’re blessed with a wide variety of Asian restaurants, and Four Seasons is probably one of my favorites. It’s small and sparsely decorated, with only a couple photos of Thai royalty here and there, but the owners are friendly, the service is snappy, and the food…oh the food. Granted I only ever get one dish, but it’s so damn good that you’d never need anything else. The noodles are coated in a spicy and sweet red ambrosia and the combination of chicken, barbecue pork, shrimp, and egg keeps each mouthful interesting. There’s a healthy amount of fresh Thai basil thrown in there, the strong anise flavor of which I’ve really learned to love over the years, and a sweet crunch from all the red peppers. Although I always get mild level, this dish is anything but. Throughout our meal, and despite the fact that we were sucking down Thai iced teas, Tonia, Jiawen and I were all crying from happiness and heat, a good place to be.
Thai iced tea
Also, on our way home, the moon was absolutely stunning! There’s apparently some scientific explanation for its appearance tonight (full moon phase coinciding with perigee), but it was so huge and golden that the effect was somewhat disconcerting – as if the world was about to end. The photo below really doesn’t do it justice. An hour later, though, it was normal-sized again and the moment was gone.
super-moon
Four Seasons (cash only)
1353 Stelton Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854
732.819.8787
http://www.pad-thai.com/
Macarons and sushi
January 8, 2011 § Leave a comment
On Monday, Murphy, Anne and I met for sushi at Westfield favorite, Fujiyama Mama. The volcano (fried squid, cucumber, and avocado inside topped with spicy sauce and caviar), dragon roll (eel and cucumber inside topped with avocado), and crunchy spicy salmon roll (spicy salmon with tempura flakes inside) were as good as they’ve always been. And of course, because everything was half-off, paying only about $11 for all three regular-sized rolls made the sushi taste even better. Only after moving to Ithaca for law school did I realize how spoiled we are in terms of high-quality but cheap sushi.
However, nothing could really compare to dessert. Murphy had just returned from a trip to Paris and brought back French-style macarons from none other than Pierre Hermé, pastry-making extraordinaire. Flavors included were white truffle with hazelnuts (my favorite), chocolate and passionfruit, olive oil and mandarin, rose, salted caramel, peach saffron, and classic chocolate. Although they suffered a little from sitting in the box for several days, these macarons were definitely the best I’ve had in a very, very long time, with only La Maison du Chocolat’s version coming in a far-off second.
Then yesterday, Phil, Jiawen, Murphy, and I braved the still-falling snow and headed to Sushi Palace for the all-you-can-eat sushi buffet. Luckily, because of the weather, we were basically the only ones in the restaurant, so even though that meant we could hear the super-cheesy 80’s music loud and clear, the service was very quick and friendly. Considering the amount of food we ate, $23 for each of us including tax and tip was still a helluva deal.
Fujiyama Mama
341 South Ave E
Westfield, NJ 07090
908.232.6598
www.fujiyamamama.net
Sushi Palace
1089 Inman Ave
Edison, NJ 08820
908.822.8886
http://sushipalace.net/home
NYC: Tacos, Soft Serve, and Big Bambu
July 23, 2010 § Leave a comment
Last week, Laura and I took our annual trip to see the rooftop and Costume Institute exhibits at the Met. This year, they’re featuring Big Bambu by Doug and Mike Starn and a display on the fashion evolution of the American woman.
But first, of course, we had to get some lunch. We decided to stop by Dos Toros (because I had a serious craving for Mexican food) and Momofuku Milk Bar (mainly because it’s only a couple blocks away from the Union Square station).
Dos Toros is a tiny restaurant with a set-up that’s very similar to the Chipotles and Qdobas in this world. You wait in a quick-moving line, choose your tortilla size, meat, and whatever toppings you want. In this case, we got two carne asada tacos with guacamole, salsa, and their green hot sauce as well as their carnitas quesadilla.
And while its appearance resembles Chipotle, the food Dos Toros offers is infinitely better. Far from bland, the tortillas themselves had a ton of corn-masa-y flavor and the carne asada was much more tender than I expected. However, I think what impressed me the most was the generous amount of meat they put in each taco. Normally, similar places would be stingy, but not here. Everything else, the salsa, the guacamole, was super fresh and well seasoned, adding even more layers of flavor. The quesadilla, though a bit on the thick side (I confess I’m used to those flattened ones from Taco Bell) was a little messy and incredibly satisfying, and I especially loved the extra browned bits of fresh tortilla. Considering that Dos Toros’ prices are almost identical to Chipotle’s, I’d much rather spend my money here than on a sodium-laden burrito from the latter.
Afterwards, even though we were already pretty full, Laura and I walked a couple blocks over to Momofuku, where we indulged in more porkiness and some sweets. The pork buns were still as fatty and delicious as always, and this time, since we were hankering for dessert, we got a cup of the bright fuschia raspberry lemonade soft serve (wonderfully tart and refreshing on such a hot day) as well as a couple cookies to take home for family…blueberry and cream, compost, and cornmeal.
Finally, after all that eating, we made our way uptown to the Met. When our elevator opened onto the rooftop, the view in front of us was jaw-dropping. The Starn brothers were not lying when they called their exhibit “Big Bambu.” There were even elevated walkways made of bamboo stalks that climbed 30-40 feet in the air. If you have time, I highly suggest that you get out to NYC before the exhibits ends, especially since people continue to work on the installation every day, making it a living and growing sculpture.
And while you’re there, also check out the American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity exhibit. We weren’t allowed to take photos, but the display is essentially a look at different periods in American fashion…from the “heiress” and the “Gibson girl” all the way to the “flappers” (the dresses in this part were exquisite) and “screen sirens.” There were gorgeous dresses by Liberty, Molyneux, and even Poiret and Lanvin, as well as some head-turning shoes and accessories in each section. So far, every Costume Institute exhibit I’ve seen has never disappointed, and this one is as good as the rest.
A visit to Ithaca
June 16, 2010 § Leave a comment
Highlights: beautiful campus with pretty gorges, the Ithaca Farmers’ Market near Cayuga Lake, Macro Mamas’ lime peanut noodles, fresh, organic strawberries, flatbread pizza from a portable brick oven, New Orleans food at Maxie’s Supper Club, including the giant “piggy platter” that almost made my stomach explode, addictive Cajun fries with spicy remoulade, and an insane amount of walking uphill and downhill.
Thanks so much to Cathy for letting me stay at her apartment and showing me around town. Looking forward to the fall!
Ithaca Farmers’ Market
Steamboat Landing
Ithaca, New York
Saturdays and Sundays, 10-3 PM
Maxie’s Supper Club
635 W. State Street
Ithaca, New York
607.272.4136
www.maxies.com
Penang and The Bent Spoon
May 25, 2010 § Leave a comment
Before graduation, Tiff, Murphy and I went to Penang for lunch before going to The Bent Spoon in Princeton for some frozen goodness with Rob and Tonia.
I don’t go to Penang often at all, but one thing I never fail to order is the roti canai. Warm flaky pita-ish bread dipped in rich savory curry is a match made in heaven. My shrimp and pork noodle soup fell a little bit flat – pork was really dry and the noodles were slightly gummy, but I didn’t really care since I knew we’d be in for a treat later.
The Bent Spoon is a cute little ice cream/baked goods shop located in Palmer Square right across from Princeton University’s campus. Everything about it is tiny and adorable, but the ice cream is SERIOUS. Deep Sicilian blood orange, the nuttiest hazelnut, creamy coconut, and tart raspberry sorbet. On a day that was pretty warm but not quite humid, it was the perfect indulgence as we sat outside and sampled each of the flavors. I think I may have had too much of Rob’s hazelnut because he was bitter about it later, but I never let anything get between me and whatever I want to eat, I didn’t really care.
Bent Spoon also has a pretty good assortment of huge, soft cookies (the triple chocolate chunk was, of course, my favorite) and mini cupcakes, which I have yet to try. I guess that just means we’ll have to go back sometime soon.
The Bent Spoon
35 Palmer Square West
Princeton, NJ
609.924.2368
Something else I realized and have to fix this summer: I’ve been super lazy about categorizing entries and including addresses of all the places I’ve visited (which I’d imagine would be useful information)…so the goal is to finish organizing all of that by the end of the summer. Hah!
Dinner at Hunan House with Em and Jayme
April 5, 2010 § Leave a comment
As mentioned earlier, my roommate Em and her friend Jayme stayed with us over Easter. For our last dinner together, our family brought them to an authentic Chinese meal at one of our favorite restaurants near Edison called Hunan House.
Initially, we were a bit worried whether Em and Jayme would be able to eat everything since Hunanese food is traditionally extremely spicy, almost burn-your-tongue-off spicy, so we tried to balance all the searing stir fry and fish dishes with a lot of cool greens, like dry-fried string beans and sauteed pea shoots (so sweet!).
Surprisingly, they were able to handle everything we put in front of them, including the steamed bass drowning in chilis and the super hot lamb and parsley stir fry (my personal favorite).
We ended our meal with a real treat, sugared taro. I’d only had this twice before (both times in China) and I’d never seen it at Chinese restaurants in the U.S. The cook takes cubes of taro (a purple root that sort of resembles sweet potato in texture) and deep fries them in near-boiling caramelized sugar. To eat the dish, you take a golden, sticky cube of taro and dunk it in ice cold water so the sugar instantly freezes and hardens and take a bite while at the same time praying that your mouth isn’t singed by the still scalding taro inside.
Hunan House’s version was delicious; you could tell from how quickly we ate every piece. By the end, there was a net of caramelized sugar all over the table, since it tends to stretch from piece to piece as it starts to cool.
Making our own dumplings
February 25, 2010 § Leave a comment
When I was younger, I used to help my parents make dumplings. About twice a month, they’d take out the huge wooden board, dumpling wrappers, home-made pork filling, and methodically wrap them, each one looking exactly like the one before it. I remember for our elementary cultural carnivals, where each student would bring food from their country of origin, our dumplings would be the first to go.
Making dumplings is definitely a communal or family activity. Usually, we’d set up little stations. Since I was the most useless, I’d always end up being the one lining the dumpling wrappers with water so they’d stick when my mom or dad wrapped them. Once in a while, I was allowed to try my hand at wrapping one, but it’d always come out so ugly that I’d give up and go back to my original station.
This past Chinese New Year, I was especially homesick and decided that I’d not only make dumplings, but I’d go further than my parents ever did and make them completely from scratch, skins and all. The process was surprisingly simple, just flour and water with a little salt mixed together, and rolling out the individual skins became quite meditative, even though I’d occasionally freak out about the Chinese BBQ ribs in the oven.
I stuck with the filling that I’ve been eating since I was a kid – pork and leek. Except I didn’t have any leeks so I used scallions instead, and they still turned out great. Until recently, we always used to boil dumplings at home, but lately, my dad (maybe it’s a regional thing? He’s from southern China and my mom’s from northern) likes to pan-fry them. And I’m a huge fan of anything with golden crusty bottoms.
Pork and Leek Dumplings
2 lb flour
1 1/2 cups cold water
pinch of salt
1 lb ground pork
4-5 stalks of green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon minced ginger
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
Mix flour, water and pinch of salt and knead to make a soft dough. Cover for 20 minutes with a damp paper towel.
Marinate ground pork with soy sauce, salt, chopped ginger, and sesame oil. Add the sliced scallions, vegetable oil, eggs and mix thoroughly. This is your pork filling
Knead dough on a floured cutting board and form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 2 inches wide. Shape each strip into a round log, and cut into 3/4 in. pieces. Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle, and with a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper. Line the outer edges with water using your finger. Take 1 tablespoon of filling and put into the center of the wrapper, fold in half, and pinch.
Place dumplings in a fry-pan with 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Heat on high and fry for a few minutes until the bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup of water and cover. Cook until the water has boiled away, uncover, and reduce heat to medium or low. Let dumplings cook another 2 minutes and then serve.
I like to serve my dumplings with a dipping sauce – soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, rice wine vinegar, minced ginger, scallions.
Chinese BBQ Ribs
February 17, 2010 § 1 Comment
And here’s the ribs recipe that I made for Chinese New Year. With really tender meat just coming off the bone and a great, sticky caramelized crust, these were a big hit that day. The recipe was adapted from RasaMalaysia.
Chinese BBQ Ribs (adapted from Rasa Malaysia)
Marinade – For the marinade, the measurements of the ingredients do not have to be exact. Instead, make sure that you taste and season according to your personal preference.
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
salt to taste
1 rack baby back pork ribs
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Add all the marinade ingredients in a sauce pan on med-high heat and stir until blended. Cool.
Rub the ribs on both sides with the chopped garlic and then marinate the ribs with 2/3 of the sauce, preferably overnight, though 6 hours should be enough.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheet with foil and place the ribs on top. Cover with another sheet of foil and roast for 2 hours.
Afterwards, take the top sheet of foil off, coat the ribs with the rest of the marinade, and set the ribs under the broiler for 5 minutes, so the crust gets slightly charred and crusty. (This is where I set off the fire alarm in my apartment). Let the meat rest for about 10 minutes, and then dig in.
Notes on Food 