We can cook..

..because we can read. These aren't original nor are they my mother's home cooked recipes (mum only cooks chinese food) but it is a collection of my favorite recipes I've found scoured over the internet - somehow they turned into really delicious dishes even though I'm a noob at cooking. As a fellow foodie, I'd like to share with you these simple recipes that are scrumdiddlyumptious! var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-19802070-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[wecancook]

Delicious Deviled Eggs

I love eggs. The hard boiled, soft boiled, sunny side up kind more so than the scrambled or poached kind. I needed an appetizer for a girls night in, and came across this Deviled Eggs recipe from Serious Eats. No lack of compliments for this one!

Ingredients:

12 large eggs 2 tbsp mayo 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (up to) 1 tbsp white wine vinegar 1/2 - 1 tsp (or more!) of hot sauce 1/4 c of olive oil (divided, see instructions) salt and pepper 3 tbsp thinly sliced chives crushed red pepper or hot paprika sea salt

Directions:

Add 1 tray of ice cubes to a large bowl,  fill with water, and set aside. Boil or steam eggs for about 12 minutes. Immediately place eggs in bowl of ice water and allow to cool before peeling under cool running water. Slice each egg in half lengthwise.

Place all yolks in the bowl of a food processor (optional.. I just mixed everything by hand). Select 16 of the best-looking egg white halves and set aside; reserve remaining 8 for another use. Add mayonnaise, mustard, most of the vinegar, and hot sauce to food processor and process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.

With machine running, slowly drizzle in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season mixture to taste with salt and remaining vinegar (if desired). Transfer to a zipper-lock bag. Filling and egg white halves can be stored in the refrigerator up to overnight before eggs are filled and served.

Cut off a corner of zipper-lock bag and pipe filling mixture into egg whites, overstuffing each (I probably should have done this.. instead I just scooped with a spoon). Drizzle with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with black pepper, chives, crushed red pepper or paprika, and sea salt. Serve immediately.

[wecancook]

Chicken Curry with Gravy Sauce

Another burmese gem! It’s delicious, I promise, but does get a bit messy when you use your fingers to get between the chicken wing bones :P

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 lbs chicken wings (about 7 to 10 pieces) 1 small pieces (1/2 in) fresh ginger 2 to 3 medium onions, quartered 5 cloves garlic 2 large and long red chilies 4 tsp fish sauce 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp sweet paprika 4 tbsp sesame oil 3 curry leaves (optional)

Directions:

Cut the chicken wing from the joint. Wash each piece and drain well. In a blender, combine ginger, onions, garlic, and chilies and blend smooth. 

Combine fish sauce, salt, turmeric, paprika, oil and the onion mixture in a bowl. Add chicken to the marinade and let stand for about 15 minutes. To produce a thicker gravy sauce, use the hand to marinate the chicken for 2 minutes.

Pour chicken in a saucepan and brown well over medium heat for 15 minutes until you can smell the nice aroma of the chicken. Add 1 cup water to cover the chicken pieces and cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Uncover and cook for 5 minutes over low heat until most of the water is evaporated. Stir the chicken mixture occasionally to avoid burning. Serve with plain boiled rice.

[wecancook]

Egg Curry with Dried Shrimp

This is likely my favorite recipe in Susan Chan’s Flavors of Burma book.  The scorched version smells amazing and the egg is crispier. In the last three months, I’ve made this dish at least three times.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp dried tamarind (you can try using tamarind powder or paste, or even sinigang powder if you can’t find tamarind) 6 large eggs, hard boiled and shells removed 2 1/2 tbsp sesame oil 2 medium onions, blended 3 cloves garlic, blended 2 fresh chiles 2 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges 2 tbsp dried shrimps, pounded or blended 1 tsp sweet paprika 1/2 tsp tumeric powder 4 tsp fish sauce parsley or cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Soak the tamarind in a 1/4 cup warm water for about 15 minutes. Squeeze or press tamarind to get the juice and mix well with the water. (Skip this if you are using tamarind powder or paste).

Option 1 (scorched eggs): If the eggs are to be fried, do not cut the eggs. Heat oil in a frying pan and add the eggs and scorch them over low heat for 5 minutes. Turn eggs to different sides and continue to scorch them evenly. Remove eggs from the saucepan and drain on a paper towel. Add onions, garlic, and chilies and fry over medium heat for about 3 minutes until onions are transparent. Add tomatoes and dried shrimps and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked thoroughly. Add paprika, turmeric powder, fish sauce, 2 tbsp tamarind juice (do not put the tamarind pieces in), and 1/3 cup water and simmer over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until a nice tomato sauce is formed. Add the fried eggs and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Adjust taste accordingly. Add a little more tamarind juice if a more source taste is preferred. Garnish with parsley for added flavor.

Option 2 (unscorched eggs): Cut the eggs in half. Add oil to the saucepan or wok. Add onions, garlic, and chilies and fry over medium heat for about 3 minutes until onions are transparent. Add tomatoes and dried shrimps and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked thoroughly. Add paprika, turmeric powder, fish sauce, 2 tbsp tamarind juice (do not put the tamarind pieces in), and 1/3 cup water and simmer over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until a nice tomato sauce is formed. Add the eggs to the saucepan with the egg yolks facing down the pan. When scooping the eggs out of the saucepan, be careful not to drop or separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Garnish with parsley.

Serve with plain boiled rice.

[wecancook]

Tajik Pilaf (Plov)

My friend Sara (who has an incredible garden in Honolulu) made this one evening pau hana and I just had to replicate it. This is her recipe.

Ingredients:

2-2.5 pounds of either pork (say, pork shoulder and some pork belly if it’s on a lean side) or lamb pieces 4 - 5 large carrots (can do more, there’s never too much carrots) 1 1/2 large onions 5 cups of long grain rice (or even quinoa), adjust according to your pot size 1 head of garlic  spices* salt 1/2 cup of vegetable oil (depending on how oily you want the pilaf, adjust amount accordingly)

*My friend used a “pilaf mix” which contains red sweet pepper, barberries, cumin, turmeric, coriander, salvia, laurel leaves, chili, savory; at the supermarket I was able to find a similar substitute spice mix - Rachael Ray 24/7 Everyday Seasoning Grinder which includes sea salt, coriander seeds, garlic, black peppercorns, red bell peppers, chili and cumin seeds. It’s ok if you can’t find all of these spices, but to get the typical yellow color you’d want some cumin.

Directions:

You’ll need a thick-walled pot (for better heat distribution). Put the pot on med/high heat, pour the oil in. Cut meat into small pieces, dump into the oil, keep on mixing it every once in a while, in the meantime, chop the onions finely and dump into the meat once the oil is again transparent (may take five-seven minutes or so), keep on mixing, make sure the onions don’t burn.

Clean the carrots, cut in half if they are too long, use mandoline to cut carrots into thin long pieces (not too thin or they’ll disintegrate). If don’t have a mandoline just cut the carrots however you like but not too finely.  Once the oil becomes transparent again as the onions are cooked (water evaporates), dump the carrots in. Add salt to taste (I like it to be rather salty at that point, it won’t be that salty in the end), spices, mix everything up and keep mixing up every now and then until again the oil becomes clear or the carrots are softish.

Wash the rice until the water is clear, spread it on top of the mix in the pot, don’t mix. Carefully add water (I like boiling it first to speed up the process) so that you have a couple of fingers over the rice. With heat on high wait until water disappears from the surface. Make a few holes with a chopstick.

Chop off the bottom part of the garlic head; try not to break the head while doing that, do not clean off the layers, it’ll help keeping it together; put the garlic in the middle of the pot, burying it in the rice until you can’t see it. Make a bit of a “mound” with rice at the center of the pot, make some holes around it with chop stick. Reduce heat to small, cover the pot, wait maybe 20 mins. Open the pot, mix everything up, rice should be almost cooked at this point (one on top may not be yet). Let it sit there on low heat for another 20 mins Mix it up before serving. Serve in bowls.

Optional: The salad that goes with plov, make it just before the plov is done.

Tomatoes Onions Black pepper Olive oil

Cut tomatoes thin (so more juice comes out) chop onions, also thin (can wash cut onions to cut on smell), mix it up, add salt and grind some black pepper on top, optionally a pinch of paprika. Serve separately but put on top of plov when eating.

[wecancook]

Lamb Curry with Split Peas

Two years ago we were fortunate enough to go to Myanmar for Christmas. I loved and love Burmese food - for me, the flavors make the perfect mix of Chinese and Thai. Their curry isn’t exactly spicy, but definitely has a flavor kick. I even bought an old school Burmese cookbook while in Yangon but forgetful me left it on the airplane on the departing flight :( I recently bought Flavors of Burma, Myanmar by Susan Chan, and I love it! Have been making many of her recipes so you’ll see more to come in the coming weeks. They’re simple recipes - some staples are required and then you can make dishes with just a few fresh veggies and meat/fish.

I love the Burmese flavor of this soup, although using lamb shank was a bit more difficult than lamb cubes. Would love to try this again sometime with another protein source, perhaps shrimp.

Ingredients:

3/4 c yellow split pea 1 lb lam cubes 4 tsp white vinegar juice of 1/2 small lemon 1 medium piece (1/2 inch) fresh ginger, blended or pounded to make juice 2 medium onions, quartered 5 cloves garlic 1 fresh long chili (or two) 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only (I went without) 4 1/2 tbsp oil 1 tsp tumeric powder 1 tsp sweet paprika 2 1/2 tsp curry powder 4 tsp fish sauce 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Soak the yellow split peas in water for at least 4 hours. Wash and drain. 

Marinate the lamb cubes with vinegar, lemon juice, and ginger for about 15 minutes. In a blender, combine onions, garlic, chili, and lemongrass and blend well.

Heat oil in a sauce pan. Add onion mixture and saute for 5 to 8 minutes over low-medium heat until the onion is transparent. Add tumeric powder, paprika, and curry powder and continue to saute for 1 minute. Add lamb pieces and cook well on medium heat for about 5 minutes until the meat turns brown.

Add drained peas, fish sauce, 4 cups water, and salt and cook on medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes until lamb and peas are tender. Avoid stirring the lamb and pea mixture to prevent peas from breaking. Just hold the pot off the stove and shake it gently to prevent the meat and peas from getting burned while cooking. Serve with rice.

[wecancook]

Scrambled Eggs with Fresh Corn, Goat Cheese & Tomatoes

I realize I haven’t posted in 7 months, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking. 6 months ago I moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. I’m living for the first time by myself, without roommates or SO, so I go for periods of cooking a lot and then not cooking at all. It’s not very fun to cook for yourself and eat leftovers for 2 more meals, so cooking for friends makes the cooking and eating experience more pleasurable, as my some of my favorite refrains are:

Sharing is caring.

Happiness only real when shared.

Found this receipt when we were at our Airbnb in Flagstaff during our recent holiday. We had tomatoes and only a breakfast meal left so I wanted a more “interesting” breakfast. So happy to have found this recipe from thekitchn.com - it’s quick and delicious! 

Ingredients:

4 thick slices of tomato (1/4- to 1/2-inch thick) Olive oil Salt and pepper 1 medium ear of corn, with the husk still on (canned corn works too!) 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter (or olive oil to be healthier) 4 large eggs, beaten 2 ounces goat cheese

Directions:

Set your oven's broiler on high with a rack a few inches below the broiler element. Drizzle the tomato slices with a bit of olive oil, coating both sides, and season with salt and pepper. Put them on a baking sheet and broil in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until beginning to caramelize on top.While the tomatoes are cooking, microwave the corn (in its husk) for 3 minutes on high. Remove from the microwave and let cool for a few minutes, then strip off the husk and cut the kernels from the cob.Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the corn, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute. Add the eggs and scramble — this shouldn't take more than a minute, although if you like your eggs creamy, you may want to lower the heat and cook them more slowly. Once the eggs are scrambled to your liking, turn off the heat and crumble in the goat cheese.Use a spatula to transfer the tomato slices to a plate, then top with the eggs. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

[wecancook]

Beef Noodle Soup

In celebration of my trip next week to Taipei, the city of the great 牛肉面 (beef noodle soup), here is Eddie Huang’s beef noodle soup recipe!

Ingredients:

Beef (shank or other) with bone Peanut oil or soybean oil, no fat Rice wine Dark and light soy Cilantro Anise

Aromatics: Ginger, scallions, garlic, chili peppers, dried red chili peppers, and Szchechuan peppercorns.

Directions:

“Boil off the first.” Flash boil/blanch the beef and bones (30 seconds) - boil the water, drop in the beef, cook off the musk, and take out the beef and set aside, throw out the water, and restart the stew. The beef will be gray.

In a large pot or the same pot, bring a gallon or two of water depending on how much beef you have. Bring beef back to boiling. Add rice wine into this pot. Put a little dark soy, a little light soy, and let it cook (on low!) for an hour or hour and half to make the beef tender.

In a separate pot, pour oil and make it is medium high before adding next ingredients. First saute the ginger, then add garlic. Then come with chilies and peppercorns, and lastly the scallions. Turn your heat to medium (or off). Let the oil get infused with the flavor.

Then turn heat back up to medium high for the rice wine (Xiao xing jiou). Put a little bit of soy sauce and put some water and anise. Bring the stock to a boil. Let it boil for 45 minutes or so until it gets a good flavor that you like. Strain out the stock.

Once the beef is done cooking, pour the aromatic stock into the pot that the beef was cooking in. If it tastes good, let it go. If it needs adjustment, you can add some soy, add some wine, etc.

Take sliced tomatoes and put them into pot for about 15 minutes so they’re soft and give off their flavor into the soup but they’re not beaten up.

Let it sit for a good 45 minutes and let all the flavors come together. Don't forget to skim off excess oil on top (you can buy a skimming spatula at a Chinese supermarket). Boil some noodles and eat it!

If you want to freak it out, top it with picked mustard greens, cilantro, and maybe a slurry of sesame paste, peanut butter and hot water.

[wecancook]

Erwtensoep - Dutch Pea Soup

We haven’t had legit Erwtensoep since we lived in Amsterdam, but for my 30th birthday weekend spent in a farmhouse in Woodstock, NY with my close friends, this dish seemed like a great one to share. Recipe from food.com.

Perfect warm, filling soup for a cold day (or a hungover afternoon). It’s more meaty than the title suggests. Serves 4 - 8, perfect for our party of 8 supplemented with a tomato mozzarella and basil salad. The broth is definitely not as thick as the Dutch like it (where in the wooden spoon could stick straight up) but being Canto, I’m more fond of clear broth soups.

Ingredients:

3 1⁄2 cups dried split green peas or 1 1⁄2 lbs dried split green peas (we used frozen peas) 3 liters water 1 lb spareribs 1/2 lb bacon, one thick slice, cubed* 2 leeks, washed and chopped, also use the green part 1 medium celeriac, diced (celery root or bulb) or 3 cups of chopped celery (but the flavor will be weaker) 1 smoked dutch sausage or 3 - 4 thick frankfurters, left whole or cut up in slices (we use Polish kielbasa) salt and pepper 1 - 2 bouillon cube (optional) chopped celery leaves fresh parsley leaves

*The healthier option would be turkey bacon, which I cooked for my parents for Thanksgiving - still delicious!

Directions:

Wash the peas and soak them overnight in the amount of water given (if not frozen). Next day bring them to the boil together with the spareribs and the bacon; simmer on very low heat for approx 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add the leeks and the celeriac; cook for another hour or until the soup becomes thick - with the lid off. Lift out the spareribs, remove the meat from the bones, and return the meat to the pan. If your peas haven’t split yet, use your wooden spoon to squash some against the side of the pot, to get the broth greener and pea-y. Add the sausage, let it warm through and season the soup to taste and maybe add bouillion cube(s), add the chopped celery leaves and parsley just before serving.

[wecancook]

Chinese Cucumber Salad

We made some Hainanese Chicken using a box set from a Singaporean grocery store, and my god, it was delicious.

As a refreshing supplement, I found this Cucumber Salad recipe on the Food Network. It’s really great and simple. We killed both dishes almost instantaneously.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp soy sauce 1/4 c rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp vegetable oil dash of sesame oil 1 tsp red pepper flakes 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, oils and pepper flakes. Mix in the cucumbers and red bell pepper. Chill before serving.

[wecancook]

Zucchini Chili Cornbread

When I was making Pisto con Huevos, the recipe originator had some delicious looking pictures of her homemade cornbread, which convinced me to give it a try. And I’m glad I did.

Wet Ingredients: 

220 ml (1 cup) milk  100 gr (1 cup) grated courgette/zucchini  2 eggs  1/2 large onion, finely chopped  55 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil  2 chilies/jalapenos, finely chopped 

Dry Ingredients: 

190 gr (1 1/4 cups) cornflour (arepa flour) or polenta/cornmeal  150 gr plain flour  1 tbsp sugar  4 tsp baking powder  1 tsp salt  1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes  1/2 tsp turmeric (for color) not necessary if you are using polenta/cornmeal  1 few sprigs of fresh thyme leaves removed  60 gr (1 cup) grated cheese plus extra for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 C. Put all the wet ingredients in one bowl and whisk together well. Sieve the 2 flours into another bowl and add the rest of the dry ingredients to that bowl, mix well. 

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined, do not over mix or it will be tough. 

Oil and flour a loaf tin or baking dish (or line with baking paper). Tip the batter into the loaf tin/baking dish and even out the top. 

Bake for 30 minutes then remove from the oven and sprinkle over a thin layer of grated cheese. Return to the oven for 5 minutes or until a cocktail stick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin. 

Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

[wecancook]

Pisto con Huevos

Pisto con huevos - the Spanish (and better?) version of ratatouille. This was always my go-to vegetarian dish in Madrid when I was tired of eating jamón and tortilla all the time (so not often), but this slightly spicy version with gooey egg to dip bread into is maybe the best I’ve had! I made it with zucchini-chili cornbread, also from the same website: Cook Eat Live Vegetarian.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil 1 large red onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional) 1 medium aubergine, 1 cm diced 1 medium courgette, 1 cm diced 1 large red pepper, deseeded 1 cm diced 3 or 4 small green (bell) peppers, deseeded 1 cm diced 3 -5 plum tomatoes (depending on size), chopped salt & black pepper a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed from stem 1 tsp paprika 3 tbsp tomate frito (tomato passata/puree) or a small can of tomato sauce a handful of fresh parsley, chopped plus extra for garnish 1 large egg per person finely grated manchego (or other hard cured cheese), for garnish

Directions: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat then add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes until softened then add the garlic and chilli and cook for another 2 minutes.

Throw in all of the diced vegetables, season well with salt and black pepper and add in the thyme leaves, paprika and tomate frito/passata/puree. Stir everything together well and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until all the vegetables are cooked and fairly soft, about 20-25 minutes.

Stir through the chopped parsley and taste for seasoning, add more salt if necesssary. You can keep it now until you are ready to serve.

To serve, preheat oven to 190 C. Divide the pisto between 2 or 3 ovenproof serving dishes, spread it out in an even layer and make a little dip in the centre for the egg. Crack the egg into the dip and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the white of the egg is just set but the yolk is still runny.

Remove from the oven, season the egg with a little salt, pepper & paprika then sprinkle over the fresh parsley and grated cheese.

Serve with good bread for dipping in the pisto and egg yolk.

[wecancook]

Suam na Mais

Those who know me know that I can eat corn, like, anytime. A favorite snack of mine is canned corn - heating it up (not in the can, of course) and chomping away. Someone recently told me to heat it with some butter and salt for a less healthy version.

Since I love corn, and I love clear broth soup, this dish has been at the top of my to-cook list. The other day I bought 5 cobs of Japanese sweet corn for under $3 and finally got to try it. Found on Recipes for Disaster.

Ingredients:

3 cobs of corn, grated by knife, cheese grater, or in a blender  1/4 kg Chicken filet (optional) Tomato, chopped  Garlic, minced  Onion, chopped  Bunch of sili (chili pepper) leaves  1 - 3 Green finger chilis  Hibi (small dried shrimps)  Patis (fish sauce)  Salt and Pepper Vegetable broth (optional)

Directions:

Brown the chicken filet pieces in a little coconut oil (I skipped the chicken). 

Sautee the onions, garlic, tomatoes, finger chilis, and hibi. Add the grated corn. Add water or vegetable broth or mix of both, and let simmer. 

Season with patis, salt and freshly-ground pepper. Finally, add the sili leaves.

[wecancook]

Crazy Good Sautéed Mushrooms with Fresh Herbs

Also found on the Yummly app and originally from skinnyms., we’ve become huge fans of this dish. Try it as a quick, simple and pretty crazy good side dish.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb mixed mushrooms of your choice, sliced  1 tsp olive oil  2 tsp pure butter  1 clove garlic, minced  1 tbsp balsamic vinegar  1 tsp freshly chopped thyme (or dried) 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary (or dried) Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste 

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter. When the butter is melted, add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms until they are brown and fragrant, approximately 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and add the garlic. Cook for 1 more minute. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir. Mix in the fresh herbs and serve. 

[wecancook]

Chinese Steamed Spareribs with Black Beans

I saw a friend on Facebook post her rendition of this dish and it immediately made me crave for some homemade Chinese-styled spare ribs. I googled and found this on SteamyKitchen and the flavor is super legit! I love steaming meat too, keeps it tender.

Ingredients:

1 lb pork spare ribs (rib tips) 2 tbsp salted, fermented black beans or black bean sauce 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry) 2 tsp corn starch 1/2 tsp grated ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 tsp ground pepper 1 tsp cooking oil 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp sugar

Directions:

Cut the spareribs crosswise into 1" - 2" sections. Combine the rest of the ingredients. Transfer spareribs and sauce into a shallow, heatproof pan that will fit inside your wok (a pie plate or 9” cake pan works great.) Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. 

Set steaming rack inside of wok and fill with water almost up to height of rack. Turn heat to high and when water is boiling, turn heat to medium-high. Set pan with spareribs on top of a steaming rack in wok. Steam on med-high heat for 18-20 minutes until ribs are no longer pink. Make sure that when you are steaming that you don't run out of water in the wok. Replenish with additional water, if needed.

[wecancook]

Spicy Kale Salad with Miso-Mushroom Omelet

We bought Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook by Joe Yonan. While the recipes are creative, some don't really work well. This one, however, is worth sharing fosho.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp unsalted raw pecan halves 1 tsp white miso 1 tsp water 1 egg 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed 1 c chopped cremini, oyster, hen of the woods, or other meaty mushroom 1 c lacinato or other kale leaves, stripped from their stems, thinly sliced and massaged 2 tbsp Lemon Chile Vinaigrette (see below) 1 oz coarsely grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

*I used enoki, which is always yummy, though it didn't stay in the omelet well.

Directions:

Sprinkle the pecans into a small skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, shaking the pan frequently, until the nuts start to brown and become fragrant, a few minutes. Immediately transfer them to a plate to cool; if you leave them to cool in the pan, they can burn. Once they are cool, chop them.

Whisk together the miso and water in a small bowl, then whisk in the egg until well combined. 

Heat the olive oil in a small, preferably nonstick, skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they collapse. Spoon the mushrooms onto a plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as you can.

Return the skillet to the heat and reduce the heat to medium. Add a little more oil if the pan seems dry. Pour in the miso-egg mixture; cook briefly, just until it sets on the bottom; lift the edges of the set egg on one side and tilt the pan toward that side so that the uncooked egg runs underneath, and do this a time or two more until the egg isn't runny on top. Spoon the mushrooms down the middle and fold the eggs over the mushrooms to form an omelet. Cook briefly on each side, until the omelet is cooked through. Transfer it to a cutting board to cool.

Toss the massaged kale with the vinaigrette in a serving bowl. Once the omelet has cooled, chop it into bite-sized pieces. Add the omelet pieces and Pecorino to the kale and toss to combine, then grind a generous amount of pepper on top. Sprinkle on the pecans, and eat.

LEMON CHILE VINAIGRETTE

(Makes about 1 cup.)

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste 1/3 c lemon juice (from 2 to 3 large lemons) 1/4 c chile oil 1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil 2 tsp Dijon mustard 2 tsp honey Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Smash the garlic with the side of a chef's knife, sprinkle with the sale, and finely chop the two together. Smear it with the side of the knife to create a paste, and transfer it to a small glass jar. 

Add the lemon juice, chile oil, olive oil, mustard, honey, and several grinds of black pepper. Screw on the jar's lid and shake to combine. Taste and add more salt as needed. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Note: When I refrigerated it, the next time I wanted to use the vinaigrette the oil solidified. So take it out about 30 minutes prior to using it to thaw a bit in room temperature.

[wecancook]

Asian-Marinated Baked Chicken

Baked chicken keeps the chicken tender, though we did cheat a bit by using chicken thighs instead of breasts. Quick and full of taste, this recipe is a healthier version of chicken teriyaki. This recipe is from Chow.com.

Ingredients: 

1/2 c soy sauce 1/4 c packed dark brown sugar 3 tbsp peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger (from 1 [3- to 4-inch] piece) 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic (from about 5 medium cloves) 2 tsp toasted sesame oil 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, drumsticks, or breasts, or a combo 

Directions:

Spending a few minutes preparing a handful of ingredients for a marinade gives this dish tons of flavor, plus the bonus of a built-in sauce after the chicken is cooked. Just combine soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and a little brown sugar in a baking dish, add the chicken, and let it marinate in the fridge overnight. 

When you’re ready to cook it, put the whole dish in the oven, and in 40 minutes you’ll have crispy, saucy, flavorful chicken. 

(Note: If you’re using a glass or ceramic baking dish, do not skip step 3 where you bring it up to room temperature before baking, or else your dish could crack!) 

Serve with rice and a quick vegetable side dish.

[wecancook]

Egg Drop Soup

Another for the vegetarian stockpile. I especially like how this recipe adds flavoring extras such as anise and cloves and cinnamon - provides a nice, subtle accent. This is the first time I'm using a recipe from the kitchn, and it won't be the last.

Base Ingredients:

4 cups (32 oz) chicken or vegetable stock 1 tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch 2 to 4 large eggs Salt or soy sauce

Flavoring Extras - Use one or all:

1/2" fresh ginger, peeled and cut into rounds 1 stem lemongrass, bruised 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns 2 star anise 6-8 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp miso

Soup Extras - Use one or all:

1/2 block (7-8 oz) extra-firm tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces 8 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 bunch baby bok choy, thinly sliced 4 spring onions, thinly sliced

Directions:

Pour the stock into a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Put the smaller flavoring extras you're using into a tea ball or spice bag. Add all your flavoring extras to the saucepan with the stock. Turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Scoop out all the flavoring extras with a slotted spoon. Taste and add salt or soy sauce as needed.

Add any soup extras to the stock and simmer for five minutes. Save some scallions for sprinkling on top of the soup at the end.

Scoop out 1/4 cup or so of the stock and whisk it with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk this back into the stock and let it simmer for a minute or two until the broth no longer tastes starchy.

Whisk together the eggs in a small bowl with the remaining teaspoon of cornstarch. Make sure your soup is at a bare simmer. Holding a fork over the bowl (see photo), pour the eggs slowly through the tines. Whisk the broth gently with your other hand as you pour. Let the soup stand for a few seconds to finish cooking the eggs.

Serve immediately, topped with thinly sliced scallions.