Roasted Eggplant with Miso Lime Dressing

Here's a recipe similar to what I tried a few weeks ago.

Dressing inspired by Bon Appetit
Serves 4

1 large eggplant
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons white miso
-
chopped fresh cilantro
togaroshi, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare the dressing. Whisk together rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, lime juice and zest and water. Next, blend miso with the ingredients, using a fork to mash and then form into a paste.

Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise. Pierce the surface with a fork. Spoon the dressing liberally over the eggplant.

Roast until eggplant is falling-apart tender, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle with cilantro and togaroshi, if desired.

When eating, it’s best to mix together the miso dressing with the tender eggplant beneath to distribute the salty miso flavors.

Buckwheat (Soba) Noodles with Green Beans & Toasted Sesame-Lime Vinaigrette

I have a thing about green beans, so I'm not sure if I will make this recipe, but the dressing I might try.

1 package buckwheat soba noodles, cooked to al dente, drained and rinsed

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 1″ lengths and blanched

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2″ pieces

1 c. cherry tomatopes, cut in half

1-2 spring onions, cut into paper thin slices

1 c. cooked chicken or tofu, cut into 1/2″ pieces

small handful cilantro leaves

1/3 c. roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Dressing:

1/3 c. freshly squeezed lime juice

3 Tbs. fish sauce

2 Tbs. “rooster” chile sauce or siracha (to taste)

1 Tbs. sugar

2 Tbs. tamari sauce

3 Tbs. toasted sesame oil

Make dressing.  Place lime juice, fish sauce, chile sauce, sugar and tamari in a small bowl.  Whisk in sesame oil until well blended.

Place all salad ingredients together in a large bowl, reserving a small amount of peanuts and cilantro for garnish.  Add dressing, toss well, garnish and serve.

Tofu with Kimchi (Dubu Kimchi)

We had a similar dish last week at a Japanese restaurant that was serving fusion dishes. Delicious!

Kimchi tofu, a traditional Korean appetizer, got a modern update from chef Andrew Ahn from the SSAM Contemporary Korean Cuisine restaurant. To make it more stylish give it a richer taste, he used bacon instead of pork and added rice wine and other seasonings. On SSAM's menu, this appetizer is officially called "sautéed kimchi with bacon and seared tofu."

"This is a very popular and traditional appetizer going with Soju, in the old times, when the Korean peasants get tired after work, they would get together with friends, get a drink and taste this appetizer together as a way to relax themselves," Ahn said.

In the summer, if it's not too hot and sweaty in the kitchen, this easily prepared dish is a good appetizer to go with some alcoholic drinks and whet the appetite with a bit of sour, a bit of sweet, a bit of salt, and a bit of rich taste infused into the healthy and light tofu.

Ingredients (serves two):

100g crispy bacon, minced

10g garlic, minced

20g onion, chopped

120g kimchi, preferably aged

1T rice wine, preferably Korean-style

250 ml chicken or beef broth

10g scallion, minced

1/2t sesame oil 

200g tofu

Two slices crispy bacon

1. Stir-fry the minced crispy bacon, garlic and onion all together for about one minute add the kimchi, stir fry for a moment, then add the rice wine. Add the chicken or beef broth and keep stir-frying for about five minutes to remove the acidity and water from the kimchi until it tastes a little sweet. Turn off the heat, then add the minced scallion and a few drops of sesame oil and mix.

2. Spread a few pinches of salt on tofu to let it dehydrate for about three minutes, then boil for one minute so it will be a little firmer

3. Pan fry one slice of bacon until it gets crispy, then put it on a paper towel to drain. Cut it into three pieces.

4. Spread half the stir-fried kimchi and bacon from step one as the base layer under the. Cut tofu with three knife cuts, and insert the pieced crispy bacon made from step three vertically. Add one more layer of the mix of stir-fried kimchi and bacon on top of tofu. Garnish with something green, like basil leaves.

Here's another version.

Ingredients for 2 servings

1 package of tofu
1 cup of kimchi (preferably more aged (sour) kimchi)
1/2 cup of samgyupsal (pork belly) or bacon
1/2 small onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 green onion
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
soy sauce (optional)
sugar (optional)

* The amount of each ingredient is subject to personal taste. If your kimchi is already salty or you use bacon, you can probably skip soy sauce.
** You can easily skip pork belly, onions, spring onions or sesame seeds if you don’t have.

Directions
1. Tofu: there are three options to prepare the tofu.
(a) Steam or boil the tofu for about three minutes. (b) You can slice the tofu into pieces, and pan-fry them with olive oil for more flavor. It usually takes about four to five minutes to cook each side over medium-high heat. (c) Use raw tofu.
I usually boil it because I like it cooked and boiling is the simplest!
When it’s cooled down from boiling or pan-frying, cut the tofu in half lengthwise. Then, cut each into 1/2 inch pieces.

2. Kimchi Bokkeum
Slice the samgyupsal 1 1/2 inches long.
Chop the kimchi into smaller pieces.
Mince the garlic.
Chop the onion and spring onion.
Over a pan, add the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the pan is ready, add the minced garlic, onions and samgyupsal. Stir-fry until they’re almost cooked.
Add the kimchi. Add soy sauce and /or sugar if you’d like. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
Add sesame oil and spring onions and cook for one more minute.
Turn off the heat and place the kimchi bokkeum in the center of a big dish.
Place the tofu slices around the kimchi.
Garnish the kimchi bokkeum with the sesame seeds.

How to eat
Place some kimchi bokkeum on top of a slice of tofu, and eat them together.

Sauces and Marinades

STEEPED IN FLAVOR

Easy Marinade Recipes from Around the World

After mixing the marinade, set aside a portion for basting during cooking. Pour the rest into a glass or stainless-steel dish just big enough to hold the meat or fish. The food need not be completely submerged in the marinade, but it should be turned several times to ensure even flavoring. Always keep food refrigerated while marinating.

Fish needs only 30 minutes to an hour of marinating; chicken can be marinated anywhere from 2-8 hours, depending on the intensity of flavor you are looking for; red meat is usually marinated overnight. Do not marinate meat too long or it will become mushy.

Be sure to drain or blot excess marinade from the food before grilling or broiling. (Wet food tends to steam rather than brown.) Once the surface is seared, you can baste it with the reserved marinade.

TERIYAKI MARINADE

The traditional sweetener for teriyaki is mirin (sweet rice wine), but if it is unavailable, use sake, sherry or white wine and increase the sugar slightly.

3 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced peeled gingerroot

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup mirin

2 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar

1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil

Combine scallions, garlic and ginger in a bowl. Whisk in soy sauce, mirin, maple syrup or brown sugar and sesame oil. Use with beef, lamb, poultry or seafood.

Makes 1 cup of marinade.

25 calories per tablespoon: 0g protein, 1g fat, 2g carbo; 142mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol.

VIETNAMESE LEMONGRASS MARINADE

4-6 stalks fresh lemongrass or ¼ cup dried lemongrass

3 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 shallots, minced

1 jalapeno chilies, seeded and minced

3 tablespoons fish sauce (patis)

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons brown sugar, or to taste

1 teaspoon hot sauce, chili oil or Tabasco

If using fresh lemongrass, cut off the top 2/3 of each stalk and discard. Trim off the outside layer and root end, and slice thinly. If using dried lemongrass, soak in water for 30 minutes, then drain. Put all the ingredients in a blender and process to a coarse paste. Use with poultry or seafood.

Makes ¾ cup.

10 calories per tablespoon: 0g protein, 0g fat, 2g carbo; 43mg sodium; 1 mg choles.

(From Eating Well, Jan-Feb 1993)

GARLIC BUTTER

Makes 4-8 servings

Time: 10 minutes

Essential. Make this once, and it will become a friend forever. Use it on broiled or grilled fish or meats, on baked potatoes, rice or on noodles.

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon minced garlic

½ stick butter, at room temperature

Salt and pepper to taste

Freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over low heat; add the garlic and cook just until the garlic softens, 2 or 3 minutes. Let cool.
2. Cream with softened butter; add salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Slow Cooker Meals

15 Splendid Meals from the Slow Cooker from Kitchn

Nin's cake icing

melt chocolate (I'm assuming unsweetened chocolate) with butter and a little milk and  add   cream cheese to thicken it to desired consistency. 

Miso Mashed Potatoes

From Steamy Kitchen

You can use either Miso & Easy (ready made miso in convenient bottle) or regular miso paste that you can find at grocery stores (usually in refrigerated section near tofu) or health food stores (like Whole Foods).

ingredients:

2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed2 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons Miso & Easy (or 1 tablespoon regular miso paste)2 tablespoons milk2 teaspoons minced fresh chives, parsley or green onion

directions:

In a large pot, add the potatoes and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium and let cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

Drain the water, leaving the potatoes in the pot. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Taste and season with additional miso (needs more flavor) or milk (too thick) if needed.

Miso Ginger Asparagus

Try this with steamed or roasted broccoli, cauliflower or grilled eggplant slices.

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
1 teaspoon cooking oil (olive, canola or vegetable)
2 teaspoons Miso &; Easy (or 1 teaspoon miso paste + 1 teaspoon hot water)
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 375f.  Place asparagus on baking sheet and drizzle with cooking oil. Toss to coat. Roast asparagus for 8-10 minutes or until pierces easily with fork. Timing depends on how thick the asparagus spears are.

2. While the asparagus is roasting, prepare the ginger miso sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until smooth.

3. Pour over asparagus and serve.

Pomelo Salad

Summer is almost here. Time for Pomelo Salad!

Vietnamese Pomelo Salad

Serves 6

1 medium pomelo 
1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
2 to 3 teaspoons salt
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup mint leaves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped, roasted peanuts

Dressing
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce

With a large knife slice through the rind and go around with the knife until you can pull the two sides apart. With your fingers, peel the pith away from the white-covered flesh. Then, peel away the white skin away from the flesh (use scissors or a small knife is skin is too hard.) Separate the flesh into bite-size pieces and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss cucumber strips with salt. Set aside for 20 minutes to allow the salt to draw out excess water.

Mix together the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.

In a wok or sauté pan, cook the shallots and garlic until shallots are caramelized, about 3 minutes. Allow the shallots and garlic to cool for a few minutes, then toss with the carrots.  After the cucumber has been sitting for 20 minutes, drain away excess water and add cucumbers to carrots. Add the mint, chopped peanuts, and dressing and toss well. Transfer to a plate or large bowl and serve.

Thai Pomelo Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

One 1.5- to –lb pomelo, peeled and separated into segments
1 lb 21-26 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
¾ cup desiccated coconut flakes (unsweetened)
½  cup coconut milk
Dried red chile flakes, to taste (I use whole Mexican chile pequin as they are very easy to crumble up with your fingertips and taste just like dried bird’s eye chiles. They’re also very, very cute.)
4 tablespoons finely-minced shallots or onion
2 tablespoon finely-minced garlic
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup plain roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
Fresh lime juice, to taste
Fish sauce, to taste
A handful of Fresh cilantro leaves

Method:

1. In a small saucepan, sauté together the vegetable oil, shallots, garlic, and dried pepper flakes over medium heat until the mixture releases its wonderful aroma and becomes confit-like in consistency. Add the coconut milk into the shallot mixture and heat through; remove from heat and set aside to cool.
2. In a skillet over medium-low heat, dry toast the desiccated coconut flakes until they turn medium brown color. Be careful not to leave the skillet unattended; coconut burns very easily. Set the toasted coconut aside to cool.
3. Poach the shrimp, drain, and set it aside.
4. Gently break up the pomelo segments into roughly ½-inch pieces and put them in a large mixing bowl.
5. Add the poached shrimp, shallot-coconut mixture, toasted coconut flakes, peanuts, and cilantro leaves to the pomelo bowl.
6. Add to the mixing bowl 2 tablespoons each of the lime juice and fish sauce and toss everything together as gently as you can with your hands. Adjust the seasoning with more lime juice or fish sauce as needed. (If your pomelo is on the tart side, you may want to add just a tiny bit of sugar to counteract the acidity. But usually the subtle, natural sweetness of the toasted coconut and coconut milk is sufficient.)
7. Serve immediately with additional roasted peanuts and toasted coconut on top, if desired.

Notes:

1. Though quite a few recipe authors suggest grapefruit as a substitute for pomelo, I encourage you to seek out pomelo in Hispanic or Asian stores in your area first. Then, if you absolutely cannot find it, use grapefruit segments, blotted dry with a clean kitchen towel to remove as much juice as possible. (Grapefruit releases a lot of juice and I don’t like a salad that swims in juices.) Navel orange segments can also be used. (But then you can’t really call it Yam Som-O since the Som-O is absent.)
2. Make sure that the roasted peanuts are fresh. Nothing ruins an otherwise good dish like rancid peanuts.
3. The best way to poach shrimp is in simmering, not furiously boiling, water at the temperature of 160° and 180°F (71–82°C). Be sure to not overcook the shrimp.
4. Do not substitute lemon juice for lime juice, soy sauce for fish sauce, or sweet coconut flakes for plain desiccated coconut.
5. To kick it up a notch, add to the mix 2-3 tablespoons of crispy-fried shallots, commercial or homemade.

Sweet Corn Polenta with Eggplant Sauce

I've always been curious about polenta. Here's another recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi's "Plenty".

Ingredients

Eggplant Sauce
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 medium eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch dice
2 tsp tomato paste
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup chopped peeled tomatoes (fresh or canned)
6 1/2 tbsp water
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped oregano

Polenta
6 ears of corn
2 1/4 cups water
3 tbsp butter, diced
7 oz feta, crumbled
1/4 tsp salt
black pepper

Method

Eggplant Sauce
Heat up oil in a large saucepan and fry the eggplant on medium heat for about 15minutes, or until nicely brown. Drain off as much oil as you can and discard it. Add the tomato paste to the pan and stir with the eggplant. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the wine and cook for 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, water, salt, sugar, oregano and cook for a further 5 minutes to get a deep-flavored sauce. Set aside; warm it up when needed.

Polenta
Remove the leaves and silk from each ear of corn, then chop off the pointed top and stalk. Stand each ear upright on its base and use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels. You want to have 1 1/4 lbs of kernels.

Place the kernels in a medium saucepan and cover them with the 2 1/4 cups water. Cook for 12 minutes on a low simmer. Use a slotted spoon to lift the kernels from the water and into a food processor (or just use an immersion blender to save space and time) and reserve the cooking liquid. Process/Blend them for quite a few minutes, to break as much of the kernel case as possible. Add some of the cooking liquid if the mixture becomes too dry to process.

Now return the corn paste to the pan with the cooking liquid and cook, while stirring, on low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture thickens to a mashed potato consistency. Fold in the butter, the feta, salt, and some pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Divide the polenta among shallow bowls and spoon some warm eggplant sauce in the center.

Soba Noodles with Eggplant and Mango

Here's a recipe I would like to try the next time I buy mangoes.

Serves 6
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 fresh red chile, finely chopped
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 cup sunflower oil
2 eggplants, cut into 3/4-inch dice
8 to 9 ounces soba noodles
1 large ripe mango, cut into 3/8-inch dice or into 1/4-inch-thick strips
1 2/3 cup basil leaves, chopped (if you can get some use Thai basil, but much less of it)
2 1/2 cups cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

In a small saucepan gently warm the vinegar, sugar and salt for up to 1 minute, just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the garlic, chile and sesame oil. Allow to cool, then add the lime zest and juice.

Heat up the sunflower oil in a large pan and shallow-fry the eggplant in three or four batches. Once golden brown remove to a colander, sprinkle liberally with salt and leave there to drain.

Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally. They should take 5 to 8 minutes to become tender but still al dente. Drain and rise well under running cold water. Shake off as much of the excess water as possible, then leave to dry on a dish towel.

In a mixing bowl toss the noodles with the dressing, mango, eggplant, half of the herbs and the onion. You can now leave this aside for 1 to 2 hours. When ready to serve add the rest of the herbs and mix well, then pile on a plate or in a bowl.

Bibingka

Here's another version of the bibingka recipe.

n a medium sized bowl, beat 3 large eggs until light and creamy. Instead of using a mixer, I actually used a whisk and beat these by hand. In another bowl, place ½ a cup of coconut milk wherein ¾ cup of white sugar should be dissolved. Sift together 2 cups of all purpose flour and 4 teaspoons of good baking powder. Add the flour to the coconut milk and sugar mixture and add another cup of coconut milk. Add about 2 tablespoons of melted butter and mix. Add the beaten eggs and mix until well-combined. Let this sit for 10-15 minutes before baking. Line your bibingka pan with a banana leaf cut into a circle and pour in some of the batter. Top with sliced red egg and cook until the top is brown, about 10 minutes or less if the fire is hot

Cassava Cake

I found a much simpler version of this cake than my aunt's version below and tweaked it a bit so I will make this again next time.

Cake:
1 pack frozen grated cassava (454g/1 lb), thawed, rinsed and squeezed dry
1/2 of 395g can condensed milk
1/2 of 14 oz can coconut milk
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar (or less)
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1/2 of 395g can condensed milk
1/2 of 14 oz can coconut milk

1. Preheat ove to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix all cake ingredients thoroughly then pour into a lightly greased 8x8 square pan. Bake for 45 mins or until almost cooked.
3. While cake is cooking, mix topping ingredients in a small bowl.
4. Take pan out of oven and pour topping over cake. Bake for 15-20 minutes more or until browned and bubbly.
5. Serve warm or cold.

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Everyone has their own version of this cake. This is my aunt's version.

Cake:
4 cups grated cassava (kamoteng kahoy) or 2 packs of frozen grated cassava, 454g each
2 cups coconut milk
4 tbsp butter, melted
2 cups sugar

Topping:
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
4 tbsp grated cheese
1/2 cup pure coconut milk
1 cup condensed milk
1 cup evaporated milk

Optional:
1 cup macapuno or 1 cup grated young coconut (buko)

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a bowl, mix 2 cups coconut milk, 2 cups sugar, 3 tbsp melted butter and mix the grated cassava. Add 1 cup evaporated milk and optional ingredients (macapuno or buko). Mix well and pour in baking pan or pyrex. Bake till almost done, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

In a double boiler, mix 3 egg yolks with 1 tbsp butter, 1 cup condensed milk, 1/2 cup pure coconut milk (cream). Thicken and pour on almost done transparent cassava cake. Top with 4 tbsp grated cheese. Bake till golden brown.

Here's a variation from a friend:

2 packs grated cassava
1 can coconut milk
1 bottle macapuno strings
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2/3 can condensed milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar

Topping:
1/3 can condensed milk
1 egg + macapuno strings.

Spread topping and broil for 5 minutes.

Mango Freeze Cake

This is my friend's verbatim recipe for one of the best and simplest no-bake, frozen mango cake:

slices of fresh mangoes, crushed Sunflower crackers, mixed Milkmaid condensed milk and Nestle or all-purpose cream.  Use pyrex dish to  line - cream first, then crushed crackers, then cream again topped by the fresh mango slices,  Repeat procedure depending on how many lines you would like to have. The last topping should be the crushed crackers.  The cream should be enough to make the crushed crackers firm.  Chill the pyrex after so everything will be set.  

Yogurt Cake

I still have a tub of Greek yogurt in the fridge, so I will make one of these this weekend. I should use some of the limoncello, too!

From Kitchn
serves 8 or more

1 1/2 cups full-fat yogurt
2/3 cup olive oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly ground nutmeg

Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan lightly with baking spray or oil, and line the bottom with parchment.

Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and nutmeg right into the liquids and stir just until no lumps remain.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, covering with foil at the end if the top is browning. When a tester comes out clean, transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Serve the cake warm or at room temperature. When well-wrapped, this keeps very well for several days.

From Orangette

Gâteau au Citron,
or, French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon

This type of cake is an old classic in France, the sort of humble treat that a grandmother would make. Traditionally, the ingredients are measured in a yogurt jar, a small glass cylinder that holds about 125 ml. Because most American yogurts don't come in such smart packaging, you'll want to know that 1 jar equals about 1/2 cup.

For the cake:
1 jar plain yogurt
2 jars granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3 jars unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 jar canola oil

For the glaze:
Juice from 2 lemons
1/2 jar powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs, stirring until well blended. Add the flour, baking powder, and zest, mixing to just combine. Add the oil and stir to incorporate. At first, it will look like a horrible, oily mess, but keep stirring, and it will come together into a smooth batter. Pour and scrape the batter into a buttered 9-inch round cake pan (after buttering, I sometimes line the bottom with a round of wax or parchment paper, and then I butter that too).

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan to cool completely.

When the cake is thoroughly cooled, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and spoon it gently over the cake. The glaze will be thin and will soak in like a syrup.
Serve.


Variations: This type of yogurt-based cake is a terrific base for many improvisations. For a basic yogurt cake, simply leave out the lemon zest, and do not use the lemon juice glaze. For an almond version, try replacing 1 jar of flour with 1 jar of finely ground almonds. You can also play with adding various fruits (if frozen, do NOT thaw before adding) or nuts, if you like. When I add fruit, I generally pour half the cake batter into the prepared pan, top it with a layer of fruit, and then pour in the other half of the batter, sometimes adding more fruit on the very top.


From Chocolate & Zucchini

Gâteau au Yaourt

- 2 eggs
- 250ml (1 cup) whole milk plain unsweetened yogurt (if you use two 125ml or 4oz tubs, you can use them to measure out the rest of the ingredients)
- 200g (1 cup) sugar (you can use an empty tub of yogurt and measure the equivalent of 2 yogurt tubs if you used the 125ml or 4oz kind)
- 80ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil (or a bit less than 1 yogurt tub)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (or 4 yogurt tubs)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- a good pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla paste/extract
- 1 tablespoon light rum

Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F), line the bottom of a round 25-cm (10-inch) cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. In a large mixing-bowl, gently combine the yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil, and rum. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, and blend together -- don't overwork the dough. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Let stand for ten minutes, and transfer onto a rack to cool.

Potatoes with Onion Soup Mix

I have leftover onion soup mix that I don't know what to do with. I hope to try this recipe soon.


5-6 med. size potatoes
One package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix (I use store brand)
Enough vegetable oil to coat potatoes


Directions:


Cut potatoes into cubes leaving the skin on if you prefer. Put them into a bowl large enough to mix all of this in. Put one package of dry soup mix in with potatoes. Pour about 1/2 cup of vegetable oil over this and mix together very well. Pour this into a casserole dish 11 by 13 works well. And cover with foil. Bake for about 30-35 minutes until potatoes are done. Goes great with pinto beans and cornbread.

Mushroom Gambas

This is one of my recent go-to recipes as I usually buy mushrooms every week.

1/2 kilo mushrooms
2 heads garlic, minced
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
few drops of Knorr seasoning
2 tbsp bread crumbs
2 tsp vinegar
1 tbsp parsley flakes

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Here's a simpler version of the recipe from Mark Bittman.

Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 whole (3- to 4-pound) chicken, trimmed of excess fat
Several cloves smashed garlic, plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic
Several slices fresh ginger, plus 1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 cup peanut oil, or neutral oil, like corn or canola
3 shallots, roughly chopped, or a small onion
2 cups long-grain rice
1/2 cup minced scallions
2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons sesame oil.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add chicken to pot along with smashed garlic and sliced ginger. Bird should be completely submerged, but only just. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let bird remain in water for 45 minutes to an hour, covered, or until it is cooked through.

2. Remove chicken from pot, reserve stock, and let bird cool to room temperature. Put half the peanut oil in a skillet over medium heat; you may add trimmed chicken fat to this also. When oil is hot, add remaining garlic, along with shallots; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, until glossy. Add 4 cups reserved chicken stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover; cook for about 20 minutes, until rice has absorbed all liquid. Stir in salt and pepper to taste.

3. Make a dipping sauce of remaining oil, ginger, half the scallions and a large pinch of salt.

4. Shred or chop chicken, discarding skin. Put rice on a large platter and mound chicken on top of it; decorate platter with cucumbers, tomatoes, remaining scallions and cilantro. Sprinkle sesame oil over all and serve with dipping sauce.

Yield: 4 to 8 servings.

Notes from Kitchn:

Process: This is not a difficult recipe, but it is relatively time-consuming, since you need to poach the chicken, then cook the rice and assemble the final dish. Overall, it took about 2 hours to poach the chicken, let it cool, cook the rice, and pull everything else together. But the time is absolutely worth it, and you get several different components of a meal left over for later eating. It's also very hands-off; I did most of the cooking in between some strenuous bouts of household spring cleaning!

Mark Bittman's version of this was quite easy to follow, although some of his instructions were a little sparse (what size skillet should we use for the rice, Mark?). It's OK though — this is a simple recipe, and very straightforward.

What you get, when you make this recipe, is the chicken itself, which is tender, mild, and very yummy. I shredded between 3 and 4 cups of meat off the chicken. Then there is the chicken broth, flavored with ginger and garlic. It's wonderfully spicy and delicious! You only use 4 cups in the rice, so you have some leftover broth for sipping or for soups. And finally you have this scrumptious rice — slippery with oil, and fragrant with shallots and garlic.

What I skipped: I did skip the dipping sauce, however, opting instead for a drizzle of soy sauce and sesame oil over a pile of chicken and rice. Oh, and a dab of chili-garlic sauce, too! I also skipped the tomatoes specified in the recipe, since decent tomatoes can't be had for love or money here in the Midwest right now. But I did slip in slices of crunchy, juicy cucumbers, and plenty of fresh cilantro and scallions.
End result: This is just a fabulous meal — it's a classic for a reason. It's simple, delicious, fresh, and easy. It's warm and homey enough for the chilly first weeks of spring, but the bright flavors of herbs, ginger, garlic, and chili paste bring this straight into the sunshine. It's light eating for springtime, and boy is it good.

It's such a great way to create good lunch leftovers, too; the rice, chicken, and broth can be combined with many other things for easy followup meals.

Other notes:

I found the original sauce a bit too oily for my taste, so instead I blend equal amounts of sweet mirin, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce and then top with a dash or two of sesame oil.

you’re a fan of sriracha chili sauce, this will knock your socks off. Jess puts sriracha, lime, sugar, salt, couple tablespoons of that lovely chicken broth, garlic and ginger into a blender and wheeeeeee:

1 tablespoon lime juice2 tablespoon reserved chicken poaching broth2 teaspoon sugar4 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce4 cloves garlic1'' gingera generous pinch of salt, to tast

Steamy Kitchen version:

1 whole chicken (3.5 lbs, 1.8kg), preferably organickosher salt4'' section of fresh ginger, in 1/4'' slices2 stalks green onions, cut into 1" sections (both the green and white parts)1 teaspoon sesame oilFOR THE RICE2 tablespoon chicken fat or 2 tbsp vegetable oil3 cloves garlic, finely minced1'' section of ginger, finely minced2 cups long-grain uncooked rice, washed and soaked in cool water for 10 min or longer2 cups reserved chicken poaching broth1/2 teaspoon sesame oil1 teaspoon kosher saltFOR THE CHILI SAUCE1 tablespoon lime juice2 tablespoon reserved chicken poaching broth2 teaspoon sugar4 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce4 cloves garlic1'' gingera generous pinch of salt, to tasteFOR THE TABLE1/4 cup dark soy sauceFew sprigs cilantro1 cucumber, thinly sliced or cut into bite-sized chunks

directions:

1. To clean the chicken, with a small handful of kosher salt, rub the chicken all over, getting rid of any loose skin and dirt. Rinse chicken well, inside and outside. Season generously with salt inside and outside. Stuff the chicken with the ginger slices and the green onion. Place the chicken in a large stockpot and fill with cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then immediately turn the heat to low to keep a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes more (less if you're using a smaller chicken). Check for doneness by sticking a chopstick into the flesh under the leg and see if the juices run clear or insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh not touching bone. It should read 170F.

2. When the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. Immediately lift and transfer the chicken into a bath of ice water to cool and discard the ginger and green onion. Don't forget to reserve the poaching broth for your rice, your sauce, and the accompanying soup. The quick cooling will stop the cooking process, keeping the meat soft and tender, and giving the skin a lovely firm texture.

3. To cook the rice: Drain the rice. In a wok or sauce pan (use a medium sauce pan if you plan on cooking the rice on the stove top), heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the ginger and the garlic and fry until your kitchen smells like heaven. Be careful not to burn the aromatics! Add in your drained rice and stir to coat, cook for 2 minutes. Add the sesame oil, mix well.

To make the rice on the stove: In the same sauce pan, add 2 cups of your reserved poaching broth, add salt and bring to a boil. Immediately turn the heat down to low, cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit (with lid still on) for 5-10 minutes more.

To cook rice in a rice cooker: Pour aromatics and rice (after frying) into your rice cooker, add 2 1/2 cups of your reserved poaching broth and salt. Follow the instructions for your model (usually this will just mean "turn it on!")

4. While your rice is cooking, remove the chicken from the ice bath and rub the outside of the chicken with the sesame oil. Carve the chicken for serving.

5. To make the chili sauce: Blend your chili sauce ingredients in a blender until smooth and bright red.

6. To make the soup: You should have six or seven cups of the reserved poaching broth left over to serve as soup. Just before serving, heat up the soup, taste and season with salt as necessary.

Serve the chicken rice with chili sauce, dark soy sauce, cucumber slices, and a bowl of hot broth garnished with cilantro or scallions.

Too complicated for me to make, so I just go to a restaurant if I crave it.

Here's a recipe, if I decide to make it one day.

Another version posted earlier.

Chicken
1 very fresh chicken (preferably free range)
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 tbsp light soy sauce
6 slices fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, slightly bruised
2 shallots, chopped in a few pieces
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp light soy sauce
½ tsp salt

Chicken Stock
Chicken bones, such as whole chicken carcass, or a kilo of chicken wings or legs
3 pieces of ginger
2 shallots

Chicken Rice
3 cups long grain rice
2 tbsp chicken or pork fat (this tastes great, but peanut oil can be used instead)
2-3cm ginger, grated
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped very finely or grated
1-2 tsp salt (to taste)
3 ½ cups chicken stock according to rice instructions (or more, reserved from boiled chicken)
2 pandan leaves (optional)

Chilli Sauce
10 fresh red chillies, seeds removed
1-2 cloves garlic
5cm fresh ginger
2 tsp chicken stock (from the boiled chicken)
Juice from kaffir limes to taste
Salt to taste

Ginger Sauce for Dipping
75g ginger
6 garlic cloves
½ tsp salt
2 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp chicken stock (from the boiled chicken)

Chicken Soup 
Chicken stock (from the boiled chicken)
Chopped shallots or small amount of chopped cabbage

 View conversion table

Bring a pot of water to the boil, the pot being large enough to fit the whole chicken. While the water is heating, rub chicken inside with rice wine and soy sauce. Roughly chop three pieces of ginger, garlic and one shallot and then blend in a food processor. Place mixture inside chicken. 

When the water boils, turn heat off and place the chicken, remaining three pieces of ginger and shallot in the water. Leave the chicken to stand in the water for one hour. After the first five minutes of standing, lift up the chicken, drain the water from the stomach cavity and put chicken back in the pot. Repeat this process two or three times during the cooking period to make sure the chicken cooks inside as well as outside.

After 30 minutes, turn on the heat to bring the water back to almost boiling point, then turn heat off. The chicken, never being allowed to boil, will be very tender and juicy. At the end of the hour, remove chicken and rub with remaining soy sauce combined with sesame oil and salt, and then cut into bite-sized pieces.

For chicken stock, add extra chicken bones or pieces, three slices of ginger and two shallots to the water in which the chicken was cooked. Boil for one to two hours until stock has a strong chicken flavour. Discard chicken bones/pieces and strain the stock through a muslin cloth.

For chicken rice, wash the rice and drain well (the more water in the rice, the less chicken flavour! Some recommend drying the rice in a tea towel). In a wok, fry chicken fat until oil is released and then add the ginger and garlic and fry well.

Remove from heat and discard the chicken fat and skin. Add the rice and salt and stir fry briskly for about 1-2 minutes. Transfer rice into an electric rice cooker or pot. Add in chicken stock and pandan leaves. Follow normal instructions for cooking rice.

For chilli sauce, roughly chop chillies, garlic and ginger and then blend in a food processor. Add chicken stock, lime juice and salt to taste. Will keep in covered container in the refrigerator for a few days, but is best served fresh.

For ginger sauce, roughly chop ginger and garlic and then blend in a food processor. Add chicken stock, lime juice and salt to taste.

For chicken soup, ladle a small amount of hot strained stock into serving bowls. Add finely chopped shallot. If serving with cabbage, you will need to cook the cabbage in the stock for a short while before serving.