// wonton soup //

These cold/rainy days make me crave more soupy dishes. I suddenly got a craving for homemade wonton soup, so I made my 1st attempt the other week. Came out pretty good (pats self on back) for my purst time! I added fresh egg noodles from the refrigerated section at the Asian market (only takes 2-3 minutes to cook in boiling water). I didn't make the chicken stock myself, just used chicken broth. Make sure that when you boil the wontons (and noodles), to do it seperate or else it'll soak up most of the chicken broth. Also, I think that chicken bouillon cubes have better flavor than chicken broth bought in the box or can. I added baby bok choy in the mix as well. Here's a basic recipe using shrimp and ground pork. I actually reheated this for breakfast the next day, but was running really late and threw it in some tupperware. Ended up digging into it in my car while stuck in traffic. I must've looked REALLY Asian eating noodles and wontons in the car vs. other ppl eating breakfast sandwiches and poptarts.

// Black Cod w/Miso //

My boss recommended this recipe to me awhile back. I left out the sake and used regular cod b/c they didn't have any at the market that I happened to be shopping in that day. The end result came out a lil sweeter than I would've liked, so DEF try and use all ingredients listed in the recipe for the best results. This is from Chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa. On the side I made miso soup and used soba noodles instead of rice. My boss eats it pretty much by itself b/c he loves it so much...so ninja.

// Lemon-Garlic Broiled Halibut //

I literally just finished eating this. Soooo buttery delicious! Very simple, too...as are most fish recipes. I basically wanted to try something other than salmon for a fish dish. Catfish and tilapia aren't really on the top of my list, taste-wise, so thought I would try something new. I've only had halibut in restaurants, but after trying this recipe, I'm definitely going to be making it at home more often. I splurged and went to Whole Foods (8.99/fillet) instead of the usual Asian supermarket or farmer's market, so it might be cheaper elsewhere. Also, I substituted herbs de provence for the parsley used in the recipe b/c I found the recipe once I got home and didn't have all ingredients (after I had bought the fish). It only takes about 15 minutes to prep AND cook. After seeing what I was making for dinner, my friend remarked, "I like to cook things in lemon and garlic...just for the halibut!"

Thai Waterfall Beef Salad / Viet Spring Rolls

Sooooooo. Haven't posted up anything in a LONG minute. That doesn't mean I haven't been cooking...just kinda been busy and lazy w/taking pictures while I cook. For those of you who know me, I do a weekly FAM DIN at my apt. Basically, I pick a night where I'm off work early or am off for the day, then I choose a new recipe to make for my friends. It's usually the same group of ppl, but sometimes we get new guests. Luckily, I haven't had any food disasters...yet. Everyone seems to be happy w/my cooking. Maybe the 2-3 bottles of wine we drink before the meal seem to help w/that, too. ^_^

Anyway, here's last night's FAM DIN meal. I made Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Goi Cuon) and Thai Waterfall Beef Salad. Just a small note for the beef salad recipe, it ended up being really limey, so I added sugar to balance it out. You should be able to tell, just add gradually.

caramelized ginger chicken

A simple and delicious meal EVERY time. Another comfort food dish. You can use other types of meat/seafood with this recipe, but chicken is my favorite. Especially with the way the economy is now, you can get chicken thighs/drumsticks for really cheap at the Asian farmer's markets grocery stores. It's easy and affordable to make for dinner parties as well as have enough for leftovers if you're cooking at home for just you. To change serving sizes click here.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 lbs chicken, any part, chopped into about 2-inch pieces, I prefer thighs bone in and skin, I chop each thigh into smaller pieces
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (peeled and coarsely chopped)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon scallion (green part only, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces) (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a heavy saucepan on medium high for about a minute until pan is hot, add sugar and turn heat down to medium. Carmelize sugar for about 1 minute. Keep a close watch to make sure sugar is brown, but not burnt.
   
   
2. Add ginger and stir for about 10 seconds.
   
   
3. Add remaining ingredients except scallions. Turn the pieces and brown the chicken for about 2 minutes.
   
   
4. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until liquid in the pan is reduced to half. Sauce should be brown and thick. About 10 minutes if you're using boned in whole thighs. If you're using boneless, skinless chicken the cooking time is reduced to about 6 minutes. Over cooking will make the meat tough.
   
   
5. Garnish with scallion and serve with steamed rice.

(Vietnamese Shaken) Beef. It's what's for dinner.

Nellie's Bo Luc Lac

Restaurant's Bo Luc Lac

A Vietnamese favorite, I found this recipe on www.recipezaar.com. Click here to adjust portion size (and for definitions on any of the ingredients). Just serve with white rice. So simple, yet soooo good!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 lb lean sirloin steaks, cubed
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 dash black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups watercress leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix together garlic, fish sauce, sugar, salt, and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag.
   
   
2. Add beef and allow to marinate for 30 minutes or more.
   
   
3. Mix together black pepper and vinegar and marinate onion in this mixture for 10-15 minutes.
   
   
4. Then combine onion mixture with the oil and toss.
   
   
5. Arrange watercress on a plate and spread onion on top.
   
   
6. Heat remaining oil in a pan and stir-fry marinated beef until seared to desired doneness, being careful not to overcook.
   
   
7. Spread beef over onions on watercress and serve with rice.

Note: I like to sautee the onion so it becomes sweeter. I really can't stand raw onions and it leaves you with REALLY bad breath. So, just add the onion into step 6 for a minute or two until it is more transparents.

Also, if watercress is too bitter for you, you may also use Boston lettuce.

Com Ga Ro Ti w/ ketchup rice & peas tease...

Sorry, but I can't really give out the recipe to this one b/c it's a family recipe and my cuzs would kill me. Just wanted to post my dinner for last night. One of my favorite comfort foods from my childhood...

**UPDATE: Here's a similar recipe I found online**

Vietnamese Roasted Chicken Recipe (Ga Ro Ti)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2.5 pounds of chicken thighs
• 2.5 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1.5 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil plus additional for frying
• .5 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Trim excess skin and visible fat from chicken thighs using kitchen shears; set aside.
   
   
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce and oil until well combined. Stir in garlic. Add the chicken thighs and evenly distribute the marinade between the thighs. For extra flavor, stuff a little garlic and marinade under the skin. Cover and marinate for 12 to 24 hours in the fridge.
   
   
3. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350°F. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick, oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet skin side down, reduce heat to medium and fry until the skin is deep golden brown, about 6 - 8 minutes. Flip chicken and brown other side for 2-3 minutes; set chicken aside. Don’t overcrowd chicken during browning; work in batches if necessary.
   
   
4. Drain rendered fat from pan and remove any burnt garlic; leaving a thin film of oil in the skillet. Return chicken to skillet, skin side up and place into oven. Roast chicken for 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the thighs. To check for doneness, poke the chicken with a knife; the juices should run clear (bone-in thighs 170°F internal temp, boneless thighs 165°F internal temp). Remove chicken from skillet and serve with dirty sticky rice.

Dirty Sticky Rice with Scallions Recipe

Note: After roasting the chicken, the skillet should be full of tasty brown bits and caramelized marinade. By de-glazing the pan with the scallions and chicken stock, a lot of wonderful flavor is added to the sticky rice.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups cooked sweet/glutinous rice (3 cups uncooked rice)
• 10-12 green onions/scallions (white and green parts), sliced
• 1-2 tablespoons chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. After roasting the chicken, drain rendered fat from the skillet, leaving a thin coating of grease. Place skillet on burner over medium heat. Add green onions and sauté until softened, about 3-4 minutes. De-glaze skillet by adding a splash of chicken stock and heat through, about 30 seconds. Add salt and pepper to taste.
   
   
2. Add cooked sticky rice to pan. Using two wooden spoons, fold the scallions evenly into rice. The rice should be a light brown color filled with scallions and de-glazed chicken and garlic bits.

Makes 4-6 servings

nellie's panko salmon

Just wanted to post pictures of my outcome when I tried Christine's easy recipe (available here). It literally took less than 3 minutes to prep and then just around 15 minutes to broil/bake in the convention oven. For my vegetables, I just used baby bok choy or Shanghai bok choy. I sauteed with a lil bit of oyster sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, black pepper and then after about 2 minutes I add in some minced garlic. Then keep simmering until it's to your liking. I'm pretty much able to eyeball the measurements now since it's my staple recipe for all Asian green vegetables.