Quintessential Garlic Oil

I don't know why it took me so long to come up with this, and I don't know why it took me so long to post this. It is imperative you have this at all times in your fridge!

So Pan and I are fans of garlic. I use it often, and there is a garlicky, peppery pork rib soup that we love to have which uses about 60 cloves at one go, so it's a no-brainer that we purchase lots of garlic. But peeling every single bulb is sometimes very trying on my nerves, especially when those papery skins go flying.. Sure there are little culinary tricks to help, but when i've got my wok to smoking point on the stove, and need to add the garlic quickly! quickly!, i don't want no fuss at all, ma'am.

So we buy garlic in bulk, and peeled. When we say bulk, we mean 3 pounds of no-fuss garlicky goodness. We give some away, but more often than not some of the garlic start to grow mould in the bag. Never thought it was possible, but trust me. It's not a pleasant sight.

Instead of letting it go to waste, or frantically try to incorporate it in EVERY dish, I decided one day to make a whole pot full of garlic oil. It's so simple, and it will change your life forever.

Start with smashing bulbs of garlic. You can work with as much or as little garlic as you'd like, but honestly if you're going to get into it, you might as well make a bigger portion. They keep well both in the fridge and freezer, and is so easy to use, you'll find yourself drizzling it over just about anything.

I've smashed them both using the flat side of a butcher's knife, and using a motar and pestle. No preference over either. You can do a coarse or fine smash, or a mixture. Frankly, I don't really care and neither should you. There are many other things to worry about, such as making sure your little fur baby doesn't pee on the carpet again, or that you remember to take the garbage out for pickup.

Go for a proportion of about 1 part garlic to 1.5 parts oil. You can play around as much as you like, but i've found that this ratio allows for a very aromatic and flavorful oil that isn't too pungent or weak. Just make sure that there is sufficient oil to cover the garlic as you heat it gently.

As mentioned, heat it gently, stirring occasionally. I let it sit on the stove for 1/2 hour, sometimes more. Make sure it does not burn. Don't go over an hour though, I did it once and somehow it didn't taste quite right.

Store in airtight container in the fridge. You can opt to strain out the garlic, or leave it in. I leave it in. Why waste? Mine is about a month old in the fridge and still going strong.

USES

1) Stir-frys
2) Vegetable soups
3) Salad dressing
4) Condiments (heat the oil with the garlic up until the garlic turns medium brown color-- you probably want a finer mash for this)
5) Dipping crusty bread
6) Making pasta sauces, both tomato-based and oil-based (eg aglio olio, anchovies etc)
7) Drizzling over home-made pizza
8) Drizzling over hummus and other creamy dips

go bananas with it!



PS: don't freak out if some garlic turn green. It's a harmless chemical process called oxidation. Proceed to eat.

My Bell Pepper (and pasta sauce) Soup

Yeah.. so I'm shameless. But don't you hate how pasta recipes just seem to always call for one and three quarters of a jar of tomato sauce? Not two, but one and three quarters. You'd almost always find a jar of pasta sauce in my fridge, poor babe.

This was my cure for the poor quarter cup of pasta sauce languishing away..


Red Bell Pepper and Pasta Sauce Soup

And actually, I'm not ashamed, because it is so, sooooo damned good. I used to think that celery was the vegetable of choice (I've had 6 bowls of that stuff in the past two weeks. Just thinking of it should make any normal person shudder, but I'd gladly dig into some right now!) but guess what? This takes the cake. A rich, decadent cake..


Recipe


1 red bell pepper (red>orange>yellow, NO green!)
1/2 vidalia onion, coarsely diced
1/2 russet baking potato, skinned and coarsely diced
1.5 tbs butter
2 tbs garlic oil
1/2 cup good chicken stock
1.5 cups water
Leftover tomato-based pasta sauce (marinara's the best)-- up to 1/3 cup.
salt, pepper to taste


There is only one additional step to this recipe, other than that, it's basically the same Mother Vegetable Soup recipe-- and that is to blanch the pepper in hot water so that the skin peels right off. You could char it so the skin blisters, but hey, too much work.

Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Score the skin of the pepper at the ends and top and around the sides. Once the water comes to a rapid boil, lower the pepper in, and let it boil away for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally so that all sides are boiled thoroughly.

Pour the hot water away and fill the pot with cold water to cool the pepper down. When cool enough to handle, peel the skin off. If you can't get it all off, it's ok.

Roughly dice, and you're ready to rock and roll!

In the same pot (wiped down of course), add the butter and garlic oil and let it sizzle at medium heat. Add your diced onion AND the bell pepper so that the pepper gets some of that hot action.

Stir fry for about 5 minutes-- you'll see the onion turning translucent, then add your diced potato. Season with salt and coarse black pepper, add in your pasta sauce. Fry until the edges are slightly brown (about 5 more minutes(, then add in the chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil, and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and let it cool before attempting to blitz it in the blender.

You're basically following the same Mother Vegetable Soup Recipe.. except that this time, the liquids are altered to make way for the pasta sauce. Also, the serving size is smaller. It might be because I couldn't stop spooning the stuff from the blender straight to my watering mouth?

I can imagine this being an excellent side to a grilled cheese sandwich, or if you were to crack an egg into the pot while reheating/bowl before zapping in the microwave or, oh! meatballs! this soup could be a super hearty meal on its own. 

Looking forward to lunch tomorrow! PS: I have the worst lighting ever.

The Mother Vegetable Soup

I've been obsessing over veggie soups a little.. You know, the creamy, comforting, luscious kind. The kind that sticks to your soup spoon and makes you scrape off the sides and bottoms of the bowl to get one last half spoonful.

So I went to look for a couple of ideas, and I thought about it a lot. And guess what? There are TONS of recipes, all just a LITTLE different from one another.. by an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, by the proportions of ingredients, by the cook time and the prep time.. all silly differences, in my opinion, cuz when you read the commenters' take on the original recipe, their alterations actually make the recipe someone else's recipe. You know what I mean?

I figured it's about time we put an end to all these cross-referencing how to make a bowl of pea soup, or edamame soup, or carrot soup, or whatnot. With a bit of common kitchen sense, taste sense, and a sense of adventure-- oh and sensibility haha-- you can make your own damn recipe.

So instead of just giving you yet another recipe (I lie-- there are recipes at the end of this post),  I thought the most sensible thing would be to dissect it and explain why these ingredients, why this step. I must warn you gravely that the measurements will be absolutely imprecise, but that's the whole point. Wouldn't it be lovely to waltz around the kitchen stirring away here, adding a sprinkling of salt there, with the music on and no freakin' STRESS? Yepp, it's possible. But you need to tune in to your senses of smell, taste, and intuition. And you start building it up here.

BASICS 

You need at least item from each class:

FAT

vegetable oil (olive, canola, sunflower. Neutral tasting, it will allow the taste of the vegetable to shine)
butter (salted/unsalted. If salted, obviously taste before adding more salt when seasoning! Adds oomph)
flavored oil EG: garlic oil (my favorite, it adds tons of flavor and for this reason will also go under seasoning)

reason: you will need some fat to add some richness to the soup, and the fat will add depth to the flavor profile when sautee-ing the vegetables, thus resulting in a more robust, full-tasting soup.


VEGETABLE

edamame (try mixing in a teaspoon of miso. It's fantastic)
carrot
asparagus
pea
corn
celery
cabbage (yes! even cabbage!)
etc

AND
onion (I recommend vidalias over yellows)
AND
potato

reason: you MUST have the onion to add depth of flavor. The onion, caramalized in the fat, will set the outline to the soup. The potato adds the backbone, the heartiness and calorific oomph that your tastebuds and stomach will appreciate, and together, these two humble vegetables will allow your chosen vegetables to shine through the soup. Some will say that the potato is not mandatory, but I say it is. Just choose to put in less if you are wary of super thick, rib-sticking soups (as I am).

LIQUID

water (neutral tasting, very important when thinning in the end)
chicken stock
vegetable stock


THICKENING INGREDIENT

milk (will definitely get you closer to the "cream of xxx" taste)
creme fraiche (can only imagine good things this will do to your soup!)
potato (it truly is the thickening ingredient, and enables the meal to be vegan or vegetarian. Like I mentioned earlier, play with the amount of potato to get to the right consistency)

reason: you need this to bind the soup together, or else the taste of the soup will not come together and it will just be a thin-tasting, insipid, oliver-twist-eque-"please, may I have some more"- mess.

SEASONING

salt (sea, kosher, smoked (eh,) pink, etc)
cracked black pepper
garlic oil (I recommend)
miso paste (for vegans or vegetarians who need more umami than what water or veggie stock can offer)
broken up sour cream and onion lays potato chips (my guilty pleasure)
ground cayenne pepper
a spritz of lemon juice (for brightness)


so pick at least one from each class, or mix around to find your favorite balance. Personally, for FATS I like a combination of garlic oil and butter.. Very delicious. For VEGETABLES, I have had great success with frozen peas, a carrot and corn blend, and edamame. I have always also used a mix of chicken stock and water as the LIQUID. The chicken stock adds great flavor, and I top it off with water to prevent the chicken taste from being too overwhelming.  Potato has always been my choice for thickening ingredient. I am not particularly fond of milk, and have my fair share quantity wise in the form of ice cream and yoghurt. For SEASONING, always salt and pepper and garlic oil. I've found that miso paste is particularly good in the edamame soup. It just taste so.. right. Like they belong together.

METHOD

Heat up fat in a medium sized pot. If you are using butter, take care not to let it brown. 
Add diced onions first, sweat over medium heat. 
reason: releases the sweetness.

Add the diced potatoes. When the potatoes start to brown along the sides, add in the vegetables, continue to sweat until softened, mixing often. Season with a little salt, and some pepper. 
reason: releases the sweetness, allows flavor profile to develop. Mixing prevents the veggies from steaming instead of sweating.

Add in your liquid, bring to boil, simmer until vegetables are tender. 
reason: you want soup, right! not a stir fry?? Also, make sure the vegetables are tender by tasting it. How long it will take to simmer depends on the size of the diced veggies, etc. Estimate about 20 minutes. Add just enough liquid to cover all your vegetables and simmer away, topping up with water if necessary. Do not add too much, as you will need to go through trouble-shooting steps to re-thicken. But you can always thin your soup out at the end with more water. There will be minimal if no more cooking after it reaches the blender. This is because the thick soup will bubble and burst in the pan, and can scald you. Very dangerous. So make sure everything is tender so you get a smooth soup, and not a soup full of unpleasant hard grains.

Cool mixture down before pouring into the blender. (I use ice cubes since I am terrible at waiting)You might need to do this is several batches if your total volume is large. This prevents hot liquids from spitting out from the blender, which can scald you badly.

Season to taste, add hot water if soup is too thick (I find through all my soup making that this is most probably so).

Measurements, did you say? WHAT? Even after such a thorough explanation of how things work? You big baby.

 A rough measurement would look like this. It depends entirely on how thick you want your soup to be, how hearty, how salty, how rich, and what types of vegetables you use. Naturally, legumes such as peas and edamames will require much less potato, and if you are using a sweet potato as your chosen vegetable, you probably don't need very much potato at all, unless you are hoping to lighten the taste of the sweet potato (not a bad idea). If you are using milk or creme fraiche as your thickener, you obviously will need MUCH LESS total liquids to cook with, duh. Don't get it? IT'S BECAUSE IT'S A LIQUID TOO.


My Edamame Soup

~1 cup edamame (I shelled it from 16 oz of edamame-in-shell)
1/2 russet potato (about 1 cup)
1/2 vidalia onion (about 1 cup)
1.5 cups chicken stock
1 cup water (1 additional cup of water to thin it out after blending)
salt, pepper, and hoba miso (a sweet miso)
1tbs garlic oil
1.5 tbs butter


My Carrot and Corn Soup

~1.5 cups fresh corn kernels (from 1 ear of corn)
2 cups carrots (chopped or diced so that it cooks faster)
1/2 russet potato (about 1 cup)
1/2 vidalia onion (about 1 cup)
2 cups chicken stock
1 cups water (additional for thinning)
salt, pepper to taste
1 tbs garlic oil
1.5 tbs butter

NEW! -- I just made this yesterday and I have to say, this was absolutely delicious. Use a longer simmer time to ensure that the celery is entirely tender.

My Celery Soup

5-6 stalks of celery, strings removed and diced (at least 3 cups)
1/2 russet potato (about 1 cup)
1/2 vidalia potato (about 1 cup)
1.5 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
salt, pepper to taste
1 tbs garlic oil
1.5 tbs butter


My Cabbage and Jalapeño Soup

shit-- I forgot to take photos.. or else this could go up as an independent post. This is what happens when I'm too motivated to eat what I cook, asap.

4 cups chopped cabbage (i used a green cabbage, but i'm sure you could use fancier ones like savoy, maybe even a red cabbage!)
1/2 Jalapeño (it could use up to one whole), diced, seeds and stem removed
1/2 russet potato (about 1 cup)
1/2 vidalia onion (about 1 cup)
2 tbs garlic oil
1.5 tbs butter
2 cups chicken stock (unlike other veggies, cabbage is rather bland, so I upped the chicken stock)
1.5 cups water
salt, pepper to taste

Same method, just make sure to put in the Jalapeño before the cabbage so it can blister and lend its flavor.




I hope this helps! Honestly, a lot of cooking involves trial and error. Your preferences will certainly differ from another's, and you will have to use your own intuition and imagination to come up with a bowl of hot, savory soup that you will be proud of serving.

photo credit:tvrage

trouble-shooting tips #1: if your soup is too thin (what did i tell you about not adding too much liquid??) simmer half a diced potato in lightly salted water, drain and mash with a fork in a bowl, then add it to the soup, and whizz in the blender OR add some more creme fraiche. I don't recommend more milk, can't imagine how that could help much since it is in itself so liquid-y.

I did it!! Spring Pea Soup

YES. We finally had soup and sandwich for lunch today. HURRAH! I feel very triumphant. You should know-- Pan is very picky, and he leans towards asian style meals all the time. All. The. Time. But today was different-- oh yes indeed-- i woke up early, fed the dog, embarked on a challenging task of making and drinking a kale smoothie, drank said kale smoothie and survived (I cheated and used naked juice to sweeten the deal) and went grocery shopping. Fuelled with a buzz that I had never felt before (I attribute it to the kale in the juice), I shopped for what I would have wanted to see for lunch. That meant turkey sandwiches and a light, smooth pea soup.

No pictures or even an appropriate recipe, because I was so high on life I didn't even measure anything. This girl is on fire!


Well, by the time Julian was up I had already cooked my soup and taste-tested some turkey and smoked salmon sandwiches (individually, obviously)  heh heh heh, and when he asked what was for lunch, i said

(nonchalantly, somewhat earnestly and willing-to-please): "oh I made some pea soup and was planning for us to have that with some sandwiches.. But I know you hate peas so if you really want I have an alternative menu I can cook up?"

Pan: "Oh well, I suppose we could eat that for lunch..."

Me cutting in: "Super! That would make me sooo happy. Are you sure? You are such a dear!"

HO HO HO! Reverse psychology FTW!


So we had pea soup and sandwiches for lunch. Unprecedented. I have been together with this man for over 4 years, and never had we had soup and sandwiches for lunch. What's more, he LIKED the soup! He actually LIKED it! In his words "Mmmm, this is good soup!" SCORE! For a man who has not eaten a SINGLE pea since he was 10 years old, and who turns his nose up on mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin (and similarly, peas) because of their "mushy" texture. Good Lord I thank thee.

Here's my rough recipe. I had some beautiful chicken stock that came from steaming chicken drumsticks, so it was very concentrated and full of chickeny goodness. I am sure that a good (not swansons for this please), possibly organic store-bought chicken stock will stand in nicely.

SPRING PEA SOUP

Serves 4
prep time: 5 minutes 
total cooking time: 40 minutes 

(Image credits: http://www.velavanstores.com/green-peas.asp)









Ingredients

2 tbs butter
1 tbs garlic oil (recipe to come soon. YOU MUST MAKE THIS. IT IS IMPERATIVE.)  1 large russet potato, peeled and coarsely diced
1/4 vidalia onion, sliced (i'm sure a yellow onion would have been ok too.. I chose vidalia because I conveniently had a quarter in my fridge, and I like the soft, sweet texture) 
4 cups of shelled, frozen peas (obviously fresh would have been better)
pinch of salt and black pepper
1.5 cups chicken broth/stock 


Method:

Heat butter and oil up in a medium-sized pot on medium heat, add onions to sweat (5 minutes), then the potatoes (10 minutes), stirring often to prevent from sticking.
When the potatoes start to brown, add your peas, and season with some salt and black pepper. Try not to keep on tasting the mixture, or else you'd find that your end recipe only serves 3!

One recipe I found suggested putting some ascorbic acid in the soup at this point to keep the vibrant green of the peas from discoloring as it cooks. It suggested that you crush up a vit c pill if you did not have ascorbic acid on hand (well I don't, do you?) 
So just to report back, I tried this trick with some apprehension.. The color looked.. fine, taste wise it did not make the soup taste like citrus, so.. try it maybe?

Once all your peas are soft, cool your mixture down (I cheated and used 5 ice cubes to cool it down rapidly) and transfer everything to the blender. Make sure that the peas are entirely soft here-- there will be little to no more cooking after this step, and tough pea coverings are a let down to this creamy delight).
Whizz it in your blender, starting from the lowest setting to the highest, and keep your hand securely on the lid (cover the lid with a kitchen towel if you are afraid of hot liquid projectiles!), until the mixture is smooth.
 Pour it back into the pot, adding some more water to the blender to capture all your precious pea soup, and use it to thin the soup if you find it too thick.
 Reheat to simmer, taste for seasonings (salt, black pepper and garlic oil) if needed and texture (add more water or chicken broth), serve.


I don't like soups that are too thick with potato. A couple of months back I wasted two cans of artichoke hearts on a terrible recipe that called for too much potato, and i was left with a gummy mess. It broke my artichoke heart, so I always err on the side of using less potato in such creamy soups than too much.

Play around with this recipe! It is cheap and easy to make; you might as well tweak it to your liking ;) hopefully your partner will be as receptive to this soup as mine was. 


Edit: I tasted this soup cold (I had leftovers in the fridge). AMAZING!!!

Quiet Bundle of Crazy in the Kitchen

hi ya'll. I'm currently writing a new post on another recipe I know you will I love, but it's rather difficult to do, see.. because of this little bundle of joy we just welcomed into our household.

say hello to Poppy Thunderpaws Pan. Yes, she's taken on Pan's last name. That's how we know she's one of us. We love her to bits, but she's a freakin' handful and then some!

It's been close to impossible trying to write my post on the Mrs Lee Spaghetti, because I write some, then run after her to make sure she pees in the right spot, then come back to finish my thought, then run after her to stop her from chewing the table leg off.. and then when she's done aggravating me to my core and goes off for a nap, I come back to my post only to discover to my horror.. what the heck happened here? why am i writing in two voices? Why do i sound so snarky, then stupid, then downright like.. Martha Steward? (no offense, Pan just bought me a year's subscription of her magazine).

But I love my Poppy Pan. She's a doll who wants to please. She's my baby who goes into her crate to nap (when the doggy bed is being washed), she's my baby who wouldn't finish her food unless it's delicately soaked in water.. She's a beautiful BLUE, for heaven's sake! And have you seen her eyes? I need a close-up of her eyes. They are the lightest, bluest blue eyes. Who ever thought I'd have a blue-eyed baby? Genetics be damned. I bought my sexy baby.

So to all of you with a bun in the oven/a pet in a crate/a boyfriend on the bench/a mistress on the side.. congratulations, honey. You've just earned yourself a quiet, rewarding bundle of crazy.




Edit: FINE! PICTURES!

 Poppy's first night home. Yes we lavished her immediately with presents and toys galore. Lucky girl. 

 My beautiful baby hanging out in her crate. She loved her crate! Made it so much easier for us to crate train her whew! 

 "Did I hear you call me sexy? I'm too young for that shit!"

nice try, Michelle

One thing I do pride myself on is my ability to be a resourceful cook. I love scavenging, saving money, being thrifty, and dressing like a hobo. I would love nothing more than for someone to take me foraging for food in a forest.. or to teach me how to dress a deer, roadkill or game--to be able to utilize everything from the various cuts of meat, to the bones and tendons and offals.. OOOOH! i do relish the thought.

though that will not probably happen in the near future (to Pan's relief and my dismay), one thing I am licensed to do is forage around our kitchen looking for things to put together for a meal. Since Pan is away, I was tasked this afternoon with preparing lunch for one. I think it's close to insanity to try preparing asian communal meals-- you know the 3 dishes 1 soup and rice-- every day for one person, so I try to avoid that and eat simply when he's not around. One thing I found in our freezer was some cheap sausage meat we bought in bulk in Sam's Club. Should not have bought it. No offense to sausage lovers (of every kind), we utilize sausage in various means, from cooking pastas to stir frying with potato and kale (dead good, btw, if you caramelize the onions good) and the like, but home-made is waaay better than store bought, especially when it's cheap industrial crap sold in bulk. No fault of Sam's Club, which we dearly love; I can only blame our piggish appetites and greed for purchasing it.

So.. for lunch today, I found some leftover rice in our fridge (a common sight), half an anaheim pepper leftover from a penang assam laksa dish I made for friends yesterday, (notes to come another time) and said bulk sausages languishing in our freezer for over 4 months. Gross.

So what did I do? I popped the sausages in the toaster oven for 10 minutes, on low first to defrost then then broiled them on foil, chopped the pepper up, mixed it with some rice, and popped it in the microwave for a minute twenty. After which i sliced the sausage up and mixed it into my rice.

Mmmmm.. That be some yummy shit, said my mouth after 2 bites of hot steaming rice, rich, juicy sausage and fresh, mild pepper. Then, it became a struggle to finish the dish. The greasiness of the sausage, the oldness of the meat.. Too much. I wrapped up lunch (ate it all, of course, no waste) and had to remedy the situation with a fresh orange ¡pronto! at the sink. You know when you have to rush and get some fresh fruit into your system, it means that you just had a very greasy, unhealthy lunch. It's kinda like throwing up in the sink, but instead of letting food out, you put more food in. Yep.

That fateful dish spurred me on to document this soup, which I know you will I love dearly. It's light, full of umami, and so so good for you.

It's very rare for Cantonese to cook with pumpkin; in fact, I don't think I've ever seen my mom deal with this gourd-like squash. I found this soup online and tweaked it, especially the cooking times, and I've been making it repeatedly (to Pan's dismay; he hates eating the same food over and over again). Please try it, it's fantastic.

Kabocha, Pork and Dried Scallop Soup

Dead simple soup; I've memorized the ingredients, and here is Michelle Lee to walk you through the steps!

" Hi folks! You need 3 classes of ingredients:

1) your dried ingredients, which today will comprise of dried scallops, North and South Almonds (nam hung, buck hung), and a dried octopus.

2) Pork; I like meaty pork bones. They are cheap, and very flavorful. Take care to blanch them in boiling water though, to get rid of excess grease and blood. (I boiled them for a good 5 minutes with lots of water)

3) Your kabocha pumpkin. Find one that is heavy for its size, and with a dark green rind. The rind is edible, so wash it clean before preparing it.

That's it! Season with salt and sugar at the end if you must, but I have never found the need to do so, since the ingredients provide all the savory-ness and sweetness necessary.

Method; quick, simple-like.

Blanched, cleaned pork bones, dried ingredients, cold water, bring to rapid boil.

Lower heat to a simmer, simmer away for 1.5-2hours.
The stock should turn cloudy, and your whole house will smell soooooo yummy. It's the dried seafood at work.

Add the cut up kabocha pumpkin (seeds and strings removed), and return to simmer for 20 minutes tops. The pumpkin should be firm at the center, and fully cooked. Remove unsightly octopus that has already served its purpose. Season with salt and sugar if necessary. Serve up!

 

I say twenty minutes because the kabocha will have a tendency to dissolve into the soup, turning it into a halloween-orange liquid. Some people like it, others (Pan) don't. I think it's nice when there is a slight tinge in the broth, but any more than that and it's like eating a pureed pumpkin soup, which this is not. One thing I do do (not doo doo.. whatever) is slice off the pointy tips that tend to dissolve ultra quickly into the soup, since the surface area exposed to hot liquid is very high, hence rate of dissolution is very high. Should I draw a graph to explain this? Do I have to? Please say no.

 Just some artistic shots. Here, some pieces of pumpkin, along with its innards, delicately tossed on its deathbed. It is called "Abstract Art: Kabocha, Loved, Dissected, and Revealed.".

'But what about the proportions?' Do I hear you say? Indeed. I think a ratio of

# of servings	Water (litres)	Dried Scallop (pieces)	North Almonds (heaped tsp)	South Almonds (heaped tsp)	Dried octopus (piece)	Meaty Pork Bones (oz)	Kabocha (oz)
2	1	6	1	1	0.5	8	6
4	2	12	2	2	1	16	12
6	3	18	3	3	1.5	24	18
8	4	24	4	4	2	32	24

is a good approximation. Approximation I say, because I'm not very sure. I mean, the size of your dried scallop or the quality is probably different from mine. How meaty your pork bones are different from mine. What if you decide to use ribs? Some like to add lots of those fried almond anyway, other don't. Fuck. Isn't this post useless? Heck, just try it anyway!

As you can see, the kabocha I bought weighed in at a staggering 1lb 13 ounces. I did not use all (I followed the guide above); I cut myself a nice wedge and steamed it for a snack. "

I'm back with more food ideas!

a long hiatus..

so many things have happened..

1) Pan's father passed away after a long struggle against lung cancer. We were all there during his passing, which was, without going into too much detail, blessedly short but also very painful for all of us. We miss him every day.

2) we have been shuttling back and forth between bloomington and ann arbor, trying to move forwards with a deal with UM hospital. Pan's working hard on this, and he's currently not in town trying to structure a deal. Cryptic? let's just say nothing state-secret-esque, but I'd do best to leave business to business, unlike this person.. I do feel sorry for him.. Haha not really..

3) I'm effin' twenty five. TWO FIVE. what the heck just happened here? My birthday was great, spent with friends in ann arbor, hard cider, good old patron silver tequila shots, and monopoly deal. I loved it. But honestly, where the bleep did my life go? I'm twenty five! -sob-

And although I've been silently suffering from having to apply for jobs and be denied the opportunity to work in the field I would love best, I have been secretly amassing a variety of easy, quick meal ideas for you; I mean this website.

Ideas like.. Lacinto kale salad with a peppery, garlicky, mango dressing! Savory, entirely accommodating and easy tung oh soup! How about a selection of steamed toufu dishes that appeals to everyone?

Thank God for simple Chinese meals, or else this crazy energy in the kitchen would just grow and radiate and kill everyone around me. Everyone else but me, cuz i'd turn into a crazy, frothing-at-the-mouth monster welding a chopper. Yikes!



so let's start with the latest yummy little thing.. this beautiful veggie that all MUST spring to get. and "spring" indeed heh heh, because this delicate vegetable is seasonal and also survives in the cold (not like this cold weather is ever going to end..).

TUNG OH SOUP

Tung-oh, or shingaku in Japanese, is a wonderful veggie that you ought to try. A member of the crystanthemum plant, you'll be able to spot them in the Asian veggie isle by the characteristic leaves. Don't go plucking them off the flowers from the floral department though, you little hipster. That be different!

I've gotta warn ya though, it's a little of an acquired taste, but once you've learnt to appreciate it, it's delicious and will leave an indelible mark on your heart. How does it taste like? A delicate, subtle, herbal taste that I feel tastes closest to wild celery (not that I've ever tasted wild celery.. but.. JUST BELIEVE ME ON THIS.)  Recipes for Tom has a lovely write up on shingaku and also provides several Japanese recipes for it, which I highly encourage you to take a look at.

This soup I am dying to share with you make records for myself to remember is simple in that there are only 3 main points to remember

1) You need a meat to flavor the soup. This can be a delicate white, non-oily fish (like tilapia or flounder), chicken (breast is more ideal), a lean cut of pork (minced, loin, picnic or.. you get this right?) or beef balls-- the frozen, Vietnamese type. Pan and I go crazy for these. Umami-ballzzzz to the max.
2) Chosen meat needs to be seasoned with with sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce. salt and sugar optional. The quantities of which depends on how salty/sweet/savory/bland you prefer your soup.
3) Ginger. Ginger. Ginger. Use a generous, healthy knob of ginger, sliced, in this dish. Like the seasonings, if you are crazy for ginger, use a very generous knob, if not, scale it down a little. but this dish definitely needs ginger to balance the astringent taste of the tung oh. A very generous knob would be the size of my thumb, for a two-to-three person serving.

Oh, sorry make that 4 points

4) Don't use too much water for this soup. Think of it as a very brothy veggie dish. Too much water and you'll be diluting the awesome flavor of this veggie. So start off with enough water to simmer the ginger and meat pieces in it, then adjust as you go.
 

OK! So, now that that's out of the way, this part is simple-dimple. Of which i have none. :C no dimples on my sweet cheeks.. on my face???  Here are two examples for two tung oh soups I've cooked recently. They both feed two or three, depending on how many side dishes you are serving, and whether you're feeding a big hungry lad. Like Pan.

Example #1 : Tung Oh with Pork Soup 

Marinate 300g of lean pork (I used butt), sliced thin, with 1 tbs of oyster sauce, 1 tbs of soy, and 1/2 tbs of sesame oil. Let it sit. 
Slice ginger.
Bring pot with 2 cups of water to boil, add sliced ginger, let it boil rapidly for 5 minutes, add marinated meat. 
While that cooks, clean and prepare veggies. (About 250g; or 12 big stems worth, is enough for 2 people) Slice off bottom 1/2 inch, trim off yellowing or unhealthy leaves. There are two ways to prepare this veggie-- the easy way, and the more traditional way. The easy way dictates that you chop the stems in 1-2 inch pieces, then chop the remaining length of leaves in half, while the traditional method requires you to strip the leaves off each stem, and then snap the stems into desired length. 

I'd say each has it's benefits. The first method is quick and fuss free, but then the veggies might result in a not-so-easy-to-eat tangle. The second ensures that each bite of veggie is more enjoyable. If I were you, I'd decide based on how much time you have, and your energy level for that day. There are times when I! NEED! TO! GET! THIS! SHIT! DONE! NOW! and days when I'm like.. oh tung oh. I would like to write a haiku about you. and rhyme it at the same time..  

Don't forget to rinse the prepared tung oh at least 3 times though. This veggie, like many other asian vegetables, can be quite gritty, which is not nice when you're enjoying the broth and want to write a ditty.

Where were we.. oh yes, once the meat broth comes to a boil, let it simmer for about 10 minutes while you prepare the veggies, and once you're good to go, toss the whole colander of rinsed tung oh in, close the lid, and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring to make sure all the veggies get to simmer in the broth. Add more water if you'd like, season to taste, and serve. 

I like my tung oh stems soft; some like them crunchy. I would rhyme this but it's lame, and I'm too cool for that. Seriously, though. Cook it for as long as you want.  

 

Example #2 : Tung Oh with Beef Balls and a Tomato


 Now that you've gotten the hang of it, here's the recipe, quick-style

1) Boil ginger, beef balls, seasonings, 1 tomato sliced, in water, 5-10 minutes. 

2) veggies, trimmed, add in, 10 minutes. 

done. 

try them both. The tomato adds a delicious tang and umami to it. Fish is also very commonly used; the sesame oil marinade and tung oh helps mask the taste of any fishy-ness, so this is a very common Cantonese soup. Enjoy! Spring's almost here!