NuM NuM

Add the cilantro, mint, red onion, garlic, ginger, and salt, and pepper, to taste, to a food processor or blender. Puree on high until smooth. With the processor running, add about 1/4 cup broth, and blend until the mixture is the consistency of a thick paste, a.k.a. “masala”. Set aside.

In a large pot or deep skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until golden brown.

Add the spices and cook for 30 seconds. Pour the masala mixture into skillet and cook, stirring often until it deepens in color and aroma. You’ll know it’s ready when it looks shiny, little droplets of oil will appear on the surface, and the masala will hold together as a cohesive mass.

Add the chicken, coating every piece in the masala and stirring often. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, so that the masala really adheres to the chicken. Add about 1 1/4 cups broth, just enough to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is tender and sauce has thickened slightly, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat and stir in the yogurt. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and serve over rice or with warm naan bread.

*I started with 1/4 tsp of cayenne then added more once I added the yogurt

Short ribs are the perfect meal to entertain with when hosting a dinner party. They can be prepared well in advance and are very forgiving when it comes to time constraints. As you know, the longer it sits the better it gets, and overnight is always best. The ribs roast in the oven for hours in a pool of sweet and salty umami flavorings, producing fall off the bone meat which have absorbed all those delicious seasonings. Serve them over a bed of mashed potatoes and your guests will swoon! When you prepare these, you'll want to cook a larger serving then required - since they'll make the ultimate short rib sandwich the next day. I'm envisioning layers of shredded meat and caramelized onions, topped with melted gruyere cheese. Leftovers never had it so good. Enjoy!


David Chang's Braised Short Ribs
Recipe from NY Times
Photo from Food Network

1½ cups pear or apple juice
1 cup sake (Ozeki Sake Dry)
1 cup mirin
½ cup sugar
1 cup Lite soy sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
10 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons neutral oil, like corn or grapeseed
4 to 5 pounds short ribs, trim any visible fat on top of the meat
2 large onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons butter
8 to 12 small potatoes, preferably fingerlings, trimmed or the little round potatoes mom gets
½ cup chopped scallions
4 cups cooked white rice.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, combine juice, sake, mirin, sugar, soy sauce, about 20 grinds of pepper, both forms of garlic, sesame oil and 1½ cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer.

2. Put corn or grapeseed oil in a large ovenproof braising pan or skillet over medium-high heat and add ribs, seasoning them liberally with salt and pepper. Brown well on one side, moving them around to promote even browning. Turn, add onions and half the carrots, and brown other side, stirring vegetables occasionally.

3. Carefully pour braising liquid over meat and bake, bone-side up and submerged in liquid (add water or juice if necessary), for 3 to 4 hours, until meat falls from bones. Cool ribs in liquid for 1 hour remove bones from meat, then remove meat to a separate dish; strain liquid in pot. (I did not strain the veggies since I like to eat them along with the meat) At this point, place ribs in pot with liquid and refrigerate overnight if making ahead.

4. If you have refrigerated the ribs, remove fat from top of liquid. Heat to a boil then simmer, reducing liquid until syrupy. If it seems too thick, thin with a bit of water. (I did not reduce my liquid to a syrup consistency since I was afraid the sauce may get too salty due to the soy sauce. I only reheated the ribs and served)

5. About ½ hour before you are ready to serve, put butter in a skillet and add potatoes and remaining carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally and seasoning with salt and pepper, until browned and nearly tender, about 20 minutes. Add to meat. Taste mixture and adjust seasonings if necessary, then garnish with scallions and serve on rice.

For 4th of July lobster and I celebrated with a glutinous weekend full of eating. We celebrated with C.G.W.M. and the rug rats fam. C.G.W.M., formerly known as G.W.M. has now been re-named since he fed us a fabulous chili. So now it stands for Chili, Gumbo, White Man :) He made some good Texas grub with all the fixins and we ate like piggies. We had a "healthy" turkey chili, fall off the bone ribs, a delicious no stir cobbler (I'll be stealing the recipe and post about it soon) and sister-in-law made a yummy queso dip. I made some cornbread that I was less then pleased with but it was great when eaten the following way. Warning: this combination is highly addictive and not for the faint hearted. You take the sweet cornbread, smother it with the spicy chili, then dip it in the cool queso to balance out the heat and it is just.....YUMMMM-MAY!! That can't be bad for you, could it? Who knew how good that combo was! I'm surprised none of us bust a gut.

But now starts a new day of eating and it's time to bust out the healthy recipes. This was a quick 30-minute meal that was easy, low in calories and best of all you don't feel heavy in the belly after eating it. All the ingredients are probably things you already have in your pantry so it's relatively inexpensive as well. This is my kind of recipe - light, healthy, fast and full of flavor. From now on I promise, only healthy recipes on the blog.......maybe :P hopefully? :\


Asian-Style Steamed Snapper with Baby Bok Choy
Adapted from Wolfgang Puck
2 servings

Steaming liquid:

* 1 quart water
* 1 (3-inch) piece ginger, sliced
* 1 (1 by 3-inch) piece lime peel
* 1 (1 by 3-inch) piece lemon peel
* 4 sprigs cilantro, plus more for garnish
* 3 scallions
* 1 cup white wine
* 1 jalapeno, cut into large pieces
* 2 tablespoons peanut oil
* Salt
* 4 (4-ounce) pieces red snapper fillet
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 6 baby bok choy, slice in half, then slice each half in half

Sauce:

* 1 tablespoons peanut oil
* 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
* 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
* 1/2 jalapeno, thinly sliced or substitute pinch of red pepper flakes
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 2 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias, white and green parts kept separate
* Cooked jasmine rice, accompaniment
* Special Equipment: 2-layer bamboo or regular steamer

Directions

In a shallow pot that a bamboo steamer fits over or in a wok, add the water and bring to a boil. You can also use a traditional steamer that has 2 layers. Add the ginger, citrus zest, cilantro, scallions, white wine, jalapeno, and peanut oil. Season well with salt. Bring back to a boil and cook for 10 minutes for the flavors to combine.

Season the fish with salt and pepper. Place the first layer of the bamboo steamer over the pot. Lay the fish, on the steamer. Cover and steam for 1 minute.

Uncover the steamer and place the bok choy layer on top of the fish. Cover and steam for about 5 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through and the bok choy is tender, but still has some crispness. Check the fish for doneness by gently inserting a fork into it. If the fork slides easily in, the fish is done. If the fork resists sliding in, it is not quite done. Remove the fish and bok choy and keep warm while you make the sauce.

Heat a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the peanut oil and heat. When the oil is hot, add the ginger, garlic, and jalapeno or red pepper flakes and saute until just translucent, about 3 minutes. Do not allow the vegetables to brown. Add 1/2 cup of the steaming liquid and the soy sauce and boil for 2 minutes. Do not season with salt as the soy sauce is salty. Add the sugar to taste and boil for 1 minute, or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the scallion whites, stir, and remove from the heat.

Place some jasmine rice on a platter. Top with the steamed bok choy. Top the bok choy with the snapper. Spoon the sauce over the fish. Garnish with the scallion greens and cilantro sprigs.

Tonight's meal was inspired from a potluck lunch I had with my girlfriends a few weeks ago. I love having a themed potluck meal since it's always so fun to see what everyone brings. Friend #1 made these mouth watering bacon wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese. I helped myself to about four, five, six...I stopped counting after six. Friend #2 brought noodles and the portable stove for the meal and friend #3 made the shabu shabu. I was assigned the dessert course and got lazy and bought red velvet cupcakes from a bakery...GASP...didn't make anything homemade.

I've always had shabu shabu at restaurants and didn't realize how fun it is to make it at home - especially if you have your own portable stove. Since everyone participates in making their own meal it's nice to just veg and chat. I highly recommend having a shabu shabu theme night for your next potluck :D

As for the meal, there's no exact recipe but more of a method. For the broth I pretty much followed this recipe but just added a bit more ingredients since I needed more water. After you make the broth, the rest is up to you. The choices are endless. I made mine with five baby bok choys cut into 2-inch pieces, 16 oz firm tofu, and 2 packages of enoki mushrooms. As for the sauce, I grated one korean radish (daikon), thinly sliced one green onion, and poured 3/4 cup of store bought ponzu sauce and put them in three separate bowls. That way, lobster and I could create our own dipping bowls. We also added some "La-Yu" chili oil to our bowls for some extra kick. Light, healthy and num num.

I played Iron Chef tonight and rummaged through the fridge to see what I could throw together and this dish was born. I bring you a simple, flavorful, quick weeknight meal that will be on the table in less then thirty minutes. Well, I take that back. The tofu takes the longest to cook so it may take a little longer, but you cannot skip this step b/c it's the best part of the dish. Using this cooking method results in a crispy exterior with a soft middle which makes it taste DEEP FRIED...NuM! The sauce is also quite tasty and will definetely be a "go-to" recipe when it's the middle of the week and I can't wait for the weekend.

Tofu, Broccoli, Asparagus Stir-Fry - 2 servings
Adapted from here

12 oz extra-firm tofu
8 ounces broccoli florets
8 ounces asparagus
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 garlic clove, minced
1 slice fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/4 cup (60 ml) chicken broth
1 teaspoon of cornstarch

Preparation
1. Drain tofu, pat it dry and slice into one inch squares. Toast in a dry non-stick skillet and brown on all sides. After tofu is done browning, set aside on a plate. This will take about fifteen minutes.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Mix chicken broth, soy sauce, cornstarch and oyster sauce in a small bowl.
3. Prepare an ice bath. Fill a mixing bowl halfway with ice and enough water to cover it and set aside.
4. Cut broccoli into 1 1/2 inch florets and 1/4 inch thick slices. Cut asparagus into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place veggies in boiling water and cook for about three minutes so they still retain their crunch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to ice bath.
5. In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat for about a minute. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant. (At this point, you can add a pinch of dried re pepper flakes if you like it hot and spicy) Add the tofu and stir-fry until it is just heated through. Add the broccoli, asparagus, and chicken broth mixture and stir fry until sauce has thickened and vegetables are heated through. At this point, taste the vegetables for seasoning. Mine were a little under seasoned so I drizzled the dish with more oyster sauce.
6. Serve with rice.

The picture of the salmon did not come out very good so I decided to post the photo of the otsu instead. This salmon is a great "go-to" meal during the week. It's easy prep, flavorful and takes minimal effort. Since it comes together so quickly I think I'll be making it again when I'm having one of my lazy cooking days.

I served the salmon with the highly blogged "otsu" dish that is surfing around the Internet. I wanted to see/taste what all the hype was about. It's definitely different then the "traditional" Japanese soba dish we're accustomed to. There's a lot of flavors going on in this dish and it hits your palette in many different places. You get a salty, tangy, spicy kick all in one bite. Lobster didn't care for it too much but I didn't mind it and think it would be refreshing to eat on a hot day. Perhaps not so much in February on a rainy night :)

I did however pick up a new trick from making this dish. I cooked the tofu on a non-stick dry skillet and it literally took me about half an hour to brown it on all four sides. But the end result was a firm and bouncy piece of tofu that tasted fried, and it's always nice to eat healthy "fried" food. So was the otsu worth all the hype? Nay. It wasn't bad, just not spectacular but it was fun to finally make it. If you would like to try it for yourself, you can find it here.

Asian grilled salmon – 4 servings
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons good soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 lbs salmon

Light charcoal briquettes in a grill and brush the grilling rack with oil to keep the salmon from sticking.
While the grill is heating, lay the salmon skin side down on a cutting board and cut it crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Whisk together the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Drizzle half of the marinade onto the salmon and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
Place the salmon skin side down on the hot grill; discard the marinade the fish was sitting in. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Turn carefully with a wide spatula and grill for another 4 to 5 minutes. The salmon will be slightly raw in the center, but don't worry; it will keep cooking as it sits.
Transfer the fish to a flat plate, skin side down, and spoon the reserved marinade on top. Allow the fish to rest for 10 minutes. Remove the skin and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled

**I only made half the marinade and it was enough for the entire dish. Definitely brush the marinade over the salmon when it's done b/c it gives it lots of flavor.

Tonight's meal was a comforting pot of curry. I'm sure everyone has had curry out of a box. Even since I was a little girl I always thought my mom made THE BEST curry. Little did I know, it was instant curry out of a box. Now that's just cheating. But then again, it's easy, yummy and gets dinner on the table in a flash so I don't blame her. I think I'll always use this boxed curry when I'm craving it and don't want to deal with the hassle of making it from scratch, but I think my next venture will be a home made one.

Golden Box Sauce Mix by S&B - 5 servings
Cube 1 ½ lb of lean beef, chicken, lamb or shrimp and finely chop 1 onion. Brown the meat and onion in a pan for 3 minutes. When onions have browned add a selection of other desired vegetables such as carrots, celery and green pepper.

Add just enough water to barely cover all the ingredients. Remember, you can always add more water if your curry is too thick. If you add too much water-like I did, you can boil it down to your desired consistency. After you add the water, bring the ingredients to a boil. Simmer until the meat is tender (maybe 10 minutes) When the meat is tender, add Golden Curry Sauce Mix to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with rice.