Strawberry Bing Tang Hu Lu
This is an easy sweets recipe from my childhood in Taiwan–Bing Tang Hu Lu. Of the memories that I could see in my mind’s eye, my dad coming home with a skewer of hawberry tang hu lu sticks is one of the most vivid of …
Blog
Eggshell Sprouts
When I was little, I had this big book of arts and crafts suitable for kids and one of the things I always wanted to do was sprouts growing in an empty egg shell and then draw faces on them so that when the seeds …
Perfect Microwave Eggs
In an effort to not use as much oil or have to wash pots and pans as often, I ventured into the world of microwaving eggs. And I’m never going back.
It’s quite simple–a round bottomed bowl, a light wipe of oil, covered and zapped a couple of seconds and I got anything from scrambled eggs to over easy to sunnyside up! Sometimes, depending on the type of bowl you’re using, you don’t even need oil (but I can’t do without some butter). The egg comes out tender, without crisped edges–almost poached.
For reference, my microwave is 1000 watts–so you may need to adjust cooking times depending on your microwave. You may also need to adjust for other types of poultry eggs. This cooking time is for chicken.
You can get cute shaped ramakins or microwave safe molds and make lovely shapes as well!
Ingredients
- 1 bowl, rounded on the bottom
- Stick of butter, chilled (or regular cooking oil/canola spray)
- 1 chicken egg
- Microwave safe cover for the bowl (can be a wet paper towel)
1. Oil the bowl by rubbing butter on the interior (or wipe down with cooking oil/canola spray).
2. Crack egg into bowl. Cover bowl with microwave safe cover.
3. Place in microwave and heat on high for 27 seconds (sunnyside up), 29 seconds (over easy.) Allow to sit for 1 minute so that the egg doesn’t pop.
Antipasto Salad Supreme
This particular dish involves a lot of chopping. A lot. But it’s my husband’s favorite style of antipasto. I first learned of this particular style at a Thanksgiving dinner hosted my my in-laws–it’s the husband-unit’s Italian grandmother’s recipe. I prefer this style because every bite …
Spicy Hiyashi Chuka (Chilled Noodles)
I was, for some reason, craving cold noodles. I usually make it during the summer, when the heat dulls our appetite and the tangy sauce stimulates my palette. I’m not a stickler for ingredients, and often interchange the noodles. Traditionally, it uses ramen noodles but …
Chili Miso Roasted Eggplant Dip
I had some leftover eggplant from making tempura and I haven’t roasted anything in my woodstove recently (which is pretty much roaring 24/7), so I decided to do a roasted eggplant dip. If you don’t have a wood stove to impart the delicious smokey flavor–a grill over wood and hot coals is second best. Lacking that, you can do this in the oven.
I have been obsessively creating recipes around Abokichi’s Chili Miso Oil and this is one that the whole family (including my insane children) enjoys.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Pinch of salt, to taste
- Pinch of pepper, to taste
- 1 eggplant, quartered lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons Abokichi Chili Miso Oil
- Olive oil crackers (recipe found here)
- Optionally garnish with kaiware or cress sprouts
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (or damper down your wood stove to glowing coals).
2. Coat eggplant with olive oil and place skin side down onto a metal baking tray.
3. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until golden and soft, slightly charred on the edges. Or roast in your wood burning stove for about 15 minutes directly over the embers until soft and skin is blistered.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cooled, peel off skin and place eggplant flesh into blender.
5. Add pinch of salt, pepper, and two tablespoons olive oil. Pulse until desired consistency (I like it slightly courser.)
6. Top with Abokichi Chili Miso Oil and serve with olive oil crackers.
Banana Rum Bread Pudding
I was panicking about the ungodly amount of baguette I had leftover, which of course, after a day becomes a stale and nearly inedible piece of rock. I could have spent all my energy turning it into panzanella, but my wrist was telling it it …
Ahi Tuna “Pizza”
A staple of modern Japanese restaurants, this tasty appetizer can be made right at home if you, like me, always keep ahi tuna steaks in the freezer. I implore you to try growing your own sprouts for your kitchen as a way to not only …
Beef Carpaccio Two Ways
If someone were to ask me what I would eat as my last meal, beef carpaccio would be a contender. It’s no secret that I love eating meat and seafood as raw as possible, and beef carpaccio, if offered on the menu, is usually my go to. You can also make it at home, if you have access to fresh beef from a reputable butcher which thankfully, is but a five minute drive for me. If you can get Wagyu or Kobe, by all means do it!
This would be a wonderful Valentines Day appetizer as well.
The secret to getting the beef so thin is to freeze it–two hours for every inch thickness of meat.
I offered two ways of preparing beef carpaccio–the traditional, Italian version, and a fusion Asian version which can probably be called beef sashimi rather than a capaccio. I’ve been experimenting with Abokichi’s Chili Miso Oil and you’ll find that keeping a jar of it handy means you can wow your dinner guests with flavors they may not have previously had the fortune to enjoy.
I grow my own sprouts and always have a few different types on hand (including cress, daikon radish, and alfalfa). If you’re curious about how to grow your own sprouts for your kitchen culinary adventures, head over to my sprout growing page here. I also grow my own shiso so if you’re curious about how to grow this herb, click here.
If you are still wary of using beef fully raw, you can quickly sear it over high heat after freezing so the outside will be sterilized.
Traditional Beef Carpaccio
- 8 – 9 thin slices of semi-frozen, fresh raw beef (I used a thick short rib for the intense marbling it offers, a nice ribeye is a close second)
- 1 teaspoon capers
- 2 tablespoons worth of thinly sliced red onion
- Small handful of cress, arugula, or mustard sprouts/Microgreens
- Optional: Shredded lovage
- Pinch of course sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
- Pinch of cracked black pepper
- Drizzle of a fine finishing olive oil
1. Remove fresh beef from freezer (1 hour for every inch of meat), and with a VERY SHARP KNIFE, slice the beef into very thin pieces (1/8 inch).
2. Arrange carpaccio on the platter and garnish with red onions, capers, and greens. Sprinkle salt and pepper over it and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Can be served with toast points or eaten as is.
Chili Miso Beef Carpaccio
- 8 – 9 thin slices of semi-frozen, fresh raw beef (I used a thick short rib for the intense marbling it offers, a nice ribeye is a close second)
- 1 teaspoon minced pickled ginger (Beni-shoga)
- 2 tablespoons worth of thinly sliced red onion
- Small handful of Daikon sprouts
- Shiso leaves, shredded or whole
- Pinch of course sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
- Pinch of cracked black pepper
- Generous tablespoon of Abokichi Chili Miso Oil
1. Remove fresh beef from freezer (1 hour for every inch of meat), and with a VERY SHARP KNIFE, slice the beef into very thin pieces (1/8 inch).
2. Arrange carpaccio on the platter and garnish with red onions, minced pickle ginger, daikon radish sprouts, and shiso. Sprinkle salt and pepper over it and top with a generous tablespoon of Abokichi Chili Miso Oil.
3. Can be served with toast points or eaten as is.
Ten-Don Recipe (Tempura Donburi)
I don’t usually like fried foods–the greasiness is sometimes overpowering and turns my stomach. However, there’s a special place in my heart for tempura donburi, also called Ten Don, which are fried vegetable and shrimp morsels placed lovingly on top of steamy hot rice, doused …