Christmas with the six

December 27, 2011 § Leave a comment

A little late, I know, but here’s a glimpse of how our family, just the six of us, celebrated Christmas this year. It was the first time in a long time that we were able to relax and enjoy the holiday together, and I hope it’s only the first of many fun, family-filled Christmases to come.

Christmas Eve Eve dinner

Empty stockings on Christmas Eve

Our Christmas tree aglow

Window decoration

Our Christmas Eve spread

Cheers

Chinatown, NYC

Dim sum at Oriental Garden

Four sisters in Central Park

Family photo at Bethesda Fountain

Inside St. Patrick's on Christmas Day

Ssam bar and a stop at the Bergdorf windows

December 22, 2011 § Leave a comment

Few things are lovelier and richer than a pork belly bun from Momofuku. I don’t care if they’ve been hyped to death, they’re still a well-executed morsel of fat and savoriness and that’s what Laura and I wanted last night. I could probably just have two orders of these and go home a ridiculously happy person.

Pork belly buns

We also love the spicy pork sausage and fried rice cake dish, with lots of sliced and stir-fried chinese broccoli. Spicy, chewy, meaty, and crunchy, the dish has so many different textures and tastes that a couple bites will satisfy. I especially love the little hit of Sichuan peppercorn.

Spicy pork sausage and crispy rice cakes

This time, we also tried a new dish of poached chicken, sticky rice, maitake mushrooms, and spring onion. It was a richer version of my mother’s chicken noodle soup, with a very milky and flavorful broth and sweet, almost creamy rice enveloping a tender piece of chicken. Comforting, but not too heavy either.

Poached chicken

Even though it was a bit rainy, we spent the rest of the evening oohing and aahing at the beautiful windows at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Tiffany, and the weather actually worked in our favor since there were less people congesting the sidewalks. Our family used to visit the window displays every year, but for whatever reason, stopped the tradition in recent years, and it felt great to spend time in the city with my sister again before the holidays.

Gowns galore

Golden birdcages

Aquatic fantasy

Black and white luxury

Polar party

A tiny pop-up book style window

Gorgeous ring display at Tiffany

Dress courtesy of Olivier Theyskens

Quans #1 and #3 at Rockefeller

 

Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
http://www.momofuku.com/restaurants/ssam-bar/

Christmas dinner

December 30, 2008 § Leave a comment

Last year, winter break was fairly mellow and unchaotic. It mainly consisted of hanging out with high school friends and then spending time with family at home, but all of a sudden this year, I feel like we’ve been going to family friend gathering after family friend gathering. I’m never really too enthusiastic about these huge reunions where the parents spend hours reminiscing and chatting while the offspring has to watch movies, but the food is always pretty good. And if there’s good food, I’m content.

A couple nights ago, we hosted one such potluck get-together at our house, something we haven’t done in a really long time. It was a blend between American comfort food and Chinese home-cooked dishes, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much food eaten in such a short period of time. Favorites [though all were delicious] were the pork belly with mushrooms that my mom made, the giant baby back ribs slathered in a spicy bbq sauce, and even though no one made this, the Godiva double chocolate cheesecake that had a layer of mousse on top. I woke up the next morning and I was still full.

One dish that I did throw together another day was the brussel sprouts. We didn’t have any veg for dinner, so I looked in the fridge and pulled out those three ingredients, thinking the pepperoni was close enough to bacon [which is what most people would usually use] that it would crisp up nicely if browned beforehand. Success!

I don’t really know the measurements I used but it was incredibly easy. I diced one onion, quartered a couple giant handfuls of pepperoni and then quartered one of those tubs of brussel sprouts from the grocery store. Dunk the sprouts in boiling water until they become bright green and take them out immediately and put them in an ice bath. I think boiled brussel sprouts taste absolutely awful.

In the meantime, heat a tiny eensy weensy bit of olive oil in a sautee pan, add the pepperoni and let it crisp. When that’s done, add the onions and sautee them until they start to sweat. Add the brussel sprouts and sautee them til they start to brown a little. Salt and pepper to taste and you’re done!

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