Growing up in Chinatown the standard plate of cookies found on our table was not Chocolate Chip Cookies, but Almond Cookies. Found in every Chinese Bakery, these were my favorite cookie, well except for the almond in the center, which I ate around, kids, what do you do.
Phoenix Bakery
Last Roadtrip
One of my favorite Almond Cookies comes from Phoenix Bakery in Los Angeles Chinatown. It’s been there a long time, three generations of the Chan family (hopefully there is a fourth generation) cranking out cookies and cakes. Theirs is the quintessential Almond Cookie, crumbly not crisp, nutty, dense but not tough, and distinctly almond-flavored. Growing up, every family trip to Los Angeles included the prerequisite stop at Phoenix Bakery for those pink boxes filled with almond cookies and sweet, sticky butterfly cookies. Right before COVID hit, I drove down to LA for my favorite auntie’s birthday and of course, I stopped at Phoenix Bakery.
An Homage
Every Christmas my brother-in-law’s mother baked boxes and boxes (pink cake boxes of course) of cookies. We were one of the lucky recipients. My favorite, her almond cookie. With that first bite, I was transported back to the Chinatown of my childhood.
As a testament to how much I like Almond Cookies, I have multiple almond cookies on 3Jamigos. The first time I wrote about Mrs. F’s Almond Cookies, I actually included the Almond Cookie recipe from B’s Patisserie in San Francisco. It’s a luscious almond cookie, buttery, crispy, filled with almond flavor, delicious in its own right, but texturally different from the classic Chinatown Almond Cookie.
Finally, Mrs. F’s Almond Cookies
Why didn’t I make Mrs. F’s cookies from the get-go? Embarrassingly, I had misplaced her recipe. After an all-out hunt, I finally found it (or did I ask my brother-in-law?). Well, bottom line, I have it now my little duckies.
After the first batch, I tinkered with the recipe just a little. The cookies texturally were spot on. Here is the secret, the texture comes from using lard or shortening. Yep, no butter in these bad boys. Hmmm…butter-flavored shortening? Why not. This was my inaugural use of butter-flavored Crisco in place of regular shortening. Judging by the response to these cookies, it worked! If you have an aversion to butter-flavored shortening, use regular shortening. If and when I try lard I will report back. I have no problems using lard, it’s more of an access issue. I prefer leaf lard which is less processed than the stuff in supermarkets.
Shortening is easy to work with and inherently a little softer than butter. I keep my shortening in the fridge. Beat the dough until light and fluffy 2-3 minutes before adding dry ingredients.
Let’s Go Nutty
The other tweak MORE almond flavor. I upped the amount of almond extract cause in my book, you can never have too much almond flavor. JK, but I did think the cookies benefitted from a smidge more.
Year of the Tiger
Don’t think cookie season is over! Chinese New Year is right around the corner and these would be purr-fect in an assortment of goodies to ring in the Year of the Tiger!
This recipe was generously shared with me by my brother-in-law's family. Made with lard or shortening, these are the quintessential Chinese Almond Cookies found in Chinatown bakeries and restaurants. Crumbly, almond-forward, delicious
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Chinatown Almond Cookies
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
5cupssifted flour
1tspbaking soda
1/4tspsalt
Wet Ingredients
2 1/2cupsShortening, either reg or butter-flavored40T (35 T will do)
1 1/2cupssugar
1largeegglightly beaten
1.5tspalmond extractUse up to 2 tsp
1/4tsppotassium carbonate liquid or 1/4 t baking soda
Finishing Touches
1eggbeaten for egg wash
almond halves or sesame seedsgarnish
Instructions
Combine flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.
Cream shortening and sugar till fluffy. Add egg and blend thoroughly. Add almond extract and k+Co3 and blend well.
Gradually add flour and stir until well combined. Form round balls (size of small walnut, I use a 1 tablespoon+ ice cream scoop to portion out the dough. At this point, if the dough seems a little soft, chill in fridge for 30-60 minutes.
Using a flat bottom glass, dip in a little bit of flour and press dough flat on a cookie sheet to about 1/2 inch thickness. Leave about 1.5 inches between cookies. Brush each cookie with egg wash. Place almond or sesame seeds centered on top.
Bake 350 degrees 15 minutes or until slightly golden in color.
Notes
The recipe is easily halved. A large beaten egg is approximately 3.25 tablespoons, use half for the dough and half for the egg wash. You have some play with the amount of egg in the dough. I have used a whole large egg in a half recipe and it turns out fine, the cookie is just a bit more fragile. I'd use a small egg in a half recipe.I like the butter-flavored Crisco in the cookie. Gives a bit more flavor without sacrificing the texture of the cookie.
Crispy Pan-Fried Shrimp With Cabbage Slaw & Gochujang Mayo-Shrimply the Best
I came home from work the other day and ANNOYINGLY, with a couple of kids home and the hubster, no one had even thought about dinner. I mean really, I’m bringing home the “bacon”, the least someone could do is start dinner. But then I remembered we had some raw shrimp left from our hotpot celebration and a head of red cabbage, time for Joy Cho’s recipe for Pan-fried Crispy Shrimp with a Red Cabbage Slaw and Gochujang Mayo. I have been itching to try it for a while. It sounded very doable (even after working the whole day) and looked stunning. If it’s anywhere close to as delicious as her Gochujang Pasta, we’d have another winner.
Shred cabbage thinner than this!
Make the spicy mayo first, which is just Kewpie Mayo, Gochujang, Gochugaro, honey, and sesame, so simple, so good. The slaw comes next which means slicing the cabbage and making a quick vinegar dressing. Use a mandolin to shred the cabbage if you have one. If not, slice as thin as possible. I took a shortcut (hey, I worked ALL day peeps) and grabbed a bag of Trader Joe’s 10-minute Farro. My Anson Mills Farro would have to wait for another day. We cooked the farro in dashi which added a nice briny punch that complements the shrimp. Boom, umami boost.
On to the shrimp, a coat of cornstarch before frying gives it a nice crunchy finish. Hit the shrimp with a generous amount of S & P or Momofuku Savory Salt before frying.
Finish dish with green onions and roasted black or white sesame seeds. I placed the mayo in a squirt bottle so I could liberally squeeze it all over the top, looks good amirite? Voila’ a stunning dinner in minutes!
Pan-fried Crispy Shrimp with a Red Cabbage Slaw and Gochujang Mayo
A Pan-fried Crispy Shrimp with a Red Cabbage Slaw and Gochujang Mayo from Joy Cho. Delicious, easy to prepare, absolutley stunning dish!
Course Main Course, one bowl meal
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword farro, gochujang, red cabbage, shrimp, spicy mayo
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Servings 4servings
Ingredients
Da Grain
1/4tsp. kosher saltplus more
1cupsemi-pearled farro or wheat berries, rinsedI used TJ's 10 min farroand cooked it in dashi,substitute any grain you like, brown rice, bulgur or even cauliflower rice
Da Mayo Sauce
1/3cupKewpie mayonnaise
4tsp.gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)Gochujang comes in varying levels of heat, mild, med, hot-picked the one you like
1/2tsphoneyor more to taste
1tsp.or more gochugaru (coarse Korean red pepper powder)
1/2tspunseasoned rice vinegar
1/2tspmirin
1/2tsptoasted sesame oilor more to taste
1/4 tspKosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Da Slaw
1/2small headred cabbage1 1⁄2 lb. about 4 generous cups
3Tbspunseasoned rice vinegar
2 TbspMirin
2 tsp honey
S&P to taste
Da Shrimp
1lb.large shrimppeeled, deveined, tails removed
1/3cupcornstarch
2scallionssliced on the diagonal
Toasted sesame seedsfor serving
Instructions
Grains
Cook 1 cup semi-pearled farro or wheat berries, rinsed, in a medium pot of boiling salted water, maintaining a simmer and stirring occasionally, until tender but not mushy, 20–35 minutes, depending on grain. Drain well and set aside. (Alternatively, skip the cooking and use 2 cups leftover cooked grains.)
I cheated, I used 10 min farro from TJ's . Feel free to sub any grain of choice, brown rice or cauliflower rice would be yummy. To enhance the farro I used my favorite dashi mix to flavor the cooking water.
Gochujang Mayo
Mix mayonnaise, 4 tsp. gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste), 1⁄2 tsp. honey, 1 tsp. gochugaru, 1⁄2 tsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, 1⁄2 tsp. mirin, 1⁄2 tsp. pure or toasted sesame oil, 1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt, and several cranks of freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl to combine. Taste and add more gochujang and gochugaru for a spicier sauce or more honey and sesame oil for a milder version.
Cabbage Slaw
Whisk remaining 3 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp. mirin, 2 tsp. honey, and a few pinches of salt and pepper in a large bowl until smooth.
Thinly slice 1⁄2 small head of red cabbage (about 1 1⁄2 lb)(about 4 heaping cups.) Add to bowl with dressing and massage cabbage with your hands until softened and evenly coated, about 30 seconds. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Set aside.
Da Shrimp
Spread 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed, out onto a small rimmed baking sheet or large plate. Season liberally with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Return shrimp to a single layer.
Sprinkle cup cornstarch evenly over shrimp. Using your hands, press cornstarch into each shrimp so that they’re evenly and fully coated.
Heat 1⁄4 cup vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over high. Once oil is hot, reduce heat to medium-high and, using tongs, carefully arrange shrimp in a single layer in pan (you may need to work in batches and add more oil). Cook, adjusting heat if needed and turning once, until barely golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer shrimp to a wire rack.
Bringing It to the Table
Thinly slice 2 scallions; set aside for serving.
Divide farro among shallow bowls, top with cabbage, leaving any juices from cabbage behind, then scatter shrimp over. Finish with gochujang mayo, toasted sesame seeds, and reserved scallions. Extra mayo can be served on the side.
Notes
Do ahead: Farro can be cooked and gochujang mayo and cabbage slaw can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill separately.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower Takoyaki Style-Ahead of the Game
So, you drew the short straw, didn’t you? Yep, the proverbial boring Thanksgiving dish. Vegetables, sheesh. Auntie has drawn dessert, ugh, means lime green jello mold with pineapple. Which is not dessert actually but it’s ok, she’s your Aunt.
Could be worse, you could have drawn salad. Really, who goes for salad first on Thanksgiving? Sure I take the customary 2 lettuce leaves and a crouton to make my plate look balanced. It’s all for show I don’t actually eat it. At least we can salvage the veggie dilemma.
I am here to make you the belle of the ball, a prince among paupers. Along the way, we are demystifying the twenty-dollar whole roasted cauliflower. Yeah, fess up, you have paid that much and didn’t even blink an eye when you did.
You will never order whole roasted cauliflower again.
Well, at the least, you won’t pay twenty bucks for it.
You don’t have to core it this much, I was a bit overzealous
Start with a nice looking head of cauliflower, Wash it, trim off the outer leaves, (here is my hack) core the center stem with a melon baller if you have one. If not use a paring knife. Coring shortens cooking time.
Slather the cauliflower top and bottom with olive oil. I use a squirt bottle, a brush would work also. Season with salt and pepper, again, top and bottom. Place on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet.
That’s it. Your work is done. Your oven does the rest of the heavy-lifting. Roast for about 45-50 minutes. Pierce it with a knife, if it goes through fairly easy, it’s done. Out comes a beautiful toasty, crispy edged, soft- centered, delicious, cauliflower canvas, ready to be painted.
You can top your cauliflower with just about anything. I have served it with roasted tomatoes, or brushed with a garlic and herb butter, it’s your cauliflower, go crazy.
My latest razzle dazzle topping was inspired by a recipe I found in a little book called Emily the Cookbook. Emily is a pizza joint in Brooklyn that is on my bucket list of places to try. They serve a roasted broccoli dish that is based on the toppings for Takoyaki, a popular Japanese seafood-filled round pancake. So simple, yet so good. In fact, it’s so simple I’m using pics to show you how to make it.
All you need is Okonomi Sauce (preferred) or Tonkatsu Sauce (think Worchestershire/Steak Sauce but better), Kewpie Mayonnaise (Japanese mayo), Bonita Flakes (fish flakes) and green onions.
Squirt a bunch of the mayo (it even comes in a squirt bottle-how easy is that?) all over the top.
Then squirt a bunch of Okonomi Sauce on top.
Finish with a flurry of bonita flakes, green onions and some sesame seeds if you like. Want to keep it vegetarian? Instead of bonita flakes, TJ’s has a fish-free furikake.
Wash and trim cauliflower. Remove leaves and cut stem even with the bottom of the cauliflower. Using a melon baller or paring knife, core cauliflower stem. Take care not to cut too much, you want to leave the stalks connected to the stem.
Brush or squirt olive oil all over the top and bottom of the cauliflower. Season with salt and pepper and a little garlic salt (optional). I have used Momofuku Savory Salt for a bit more punch. The sauce will give it alot of flavor though.
Roast for about 45-50 minutes. Pierce it with a knife, if it goes through fairly easy, it's done.
Takoyaki Sauce
Can I call this a recipe? Basically squirt copious amounts of Kewpie mayo and Okonomi Sauce in zig zag lines all over the cauliflower. Sprinkle Bonita Flakes or Furikake all over and hit it with green onions and tossed sesame seeds let.
Done. Bring it to the table in all it's whole roasted glory!
Notes
From the Japanese cookbook, Just One Cookbook. Kewpie imposter recipe!For 1 cup of American mayonnaise (like Best Foods), add 2 Tbsp rice vinegar and 1 Tbsp sugar. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. For 1 Tbsp of American mayonnaise, add 1/2 tsp rice vinegar and 1/8 tsp sugar.
From a historical perspective, who was the OG that took a hunka meat and decided to grind it up?
It was GENIUS
I mean, think of all the foods you love that start with ground meat? Top of the list, duh, BURGERS. Followed by Italian SAUSAGES, Spaghetti and MEATBALLS, Sloppy Joes, ragú, chili, and meatloaf… In Asian cuisine you have, Steamed Pork Patty, Japanese Soboro, potstickers, momos…toppings for rice bowls, quick soups, dumplings…I could grind on but you get the meat of it.
Dinners were always delicious at my Auntie Lil and Uncle Stan’s house. A blend of Korean and Hawaiian dishes that made my mouth water. My favorite dish was Auntie Lil’s Beef and Tofu Patties, her version of Wanja-jeon, 완자전. Kind of like bite-sized flattened meatballs she called mini-burgers. Add tofu and carrots to make the jeon moist and tender. Then season with sesame, onions, garlic, and soy sauce and finally dip in flour and egg then fry to a light golden color. Freakin’ delicious.
Ultimately, consumed at a torrid pace by…me. Unfortunately, I never asked her for the recipe so to re-create Auntie Lil’s Wanj-jeon, I turned to a couple of my favorite Korean food sites, Korean Bapsang and Maanchi.
Where’s the Beef…Patty
Wanja-jeon can be made with beef or a combination of beef and pork. I might try some ground chicken in place of the pork, but for now let’s stick to the OG version, BEEF. I did try 50:50 beef: pork and didn’t feel there was a big difference. Finely dice or mince the carrots, onions, garlic, and scallions. Drain and press the excess water from the tofu (very important, no soggy patties for us) and smoosh it up. Add soy sauce and sesame seeds and oil. Lightly mix the ingredients together.
Set aside two bowls, fill one with the flour and the other for the eggs. Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl and set them aside. Use a two-tablespoon ice cream scoop to make balls and lightly flatten each. Dip each patty into the flour and place it on a pan or platter. When you have floured all of the patties, it’s fry time. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and add the oil. Place your bowl of beaten eggs near the pan. When the pan is hot, dip each patty into the egg mixture and carefully place it in the pan.
Fry over medium-low heat, the patties should be a light golden brown and firm to touch.
Serve Wanja-jeon warm or room temperature. I like to serve the patties with a dipping sauce that has a little sweetness and kick. Enjoy!
Korean Beef and Tofu Patties, known as Wanja-jeon are delicious two bite morsels that are delicious as an appetizer, and perfect for Bento box lunches. Kids love them!
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Asian
Keyword beef and tofu patties, Korean Snack, wanjajeon
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Servings 4servings
Ingredients
The Patty
½poundground beefor mixture of pork and beef
4ouncesof tofusqueeze out excess water and smoosh
3tablespoonschopped onion, yellow or white~1/4 of an onion
1-2garlic cloves (1 tsp)minced
1green onionfinely chopped
2tablespoonschopped carrotminced or finely chopped
1largeeggslightly beatened
The Patty Seasonings
1tspkosher salt
½teaspoonsoy sauce
¼teaspoonground black pepper
1½teaspoonstoasted sesame oil
The Dredge & Fry
2eggs
2 to 3tablespoonsall purpose flour
3tablespoonsvegetable oil
1tsproasted white sesame seeds, crushedoptional
Dipping Sauce
2 tbspsoy sauce
1tbsprice vinegar
1tspgranulated sugar
1/2-1tspGochugaru or crushed chili flakes
1tspsesame oil
1tspgreen onions, finely diced
1/2 tspgarlic, minced
1tsptoasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Patties
Combine ground beef, pressed tofu, onion, garlic, green onion, carrot, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, soy sauce, ground black pepper, sesame oil, sesame seeds if using, and 1 egg in a bowl.
Mix well by hand until the mixture gets a little sticky.
Divide the mixture into ~16 equal pieces. A 2-tablespoon ice cream scoop makes easy work of this. Shape each into a ball between your palms, then flatten into 2-inch patty about ¼ inch thick.
Dip each patty into flour, coat well but shake off the excess. Set each aside on a platter. Dredge all the patties at once and place on a platter or tray.
Fry Time
In a bowl beat 2 eggs, add a pinch of salt.
Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Add some oil and tilt the pan to spread it around.
Working in batches, dip each patty in the beaten egg, making sure to coat all of the patty, and place in the hot pan, one by one.
Cook for about 1-2 minute until the bottom part turns light golden brown. Flip it over and cook for a few more minutes until the bottom part turns a little crunchy and light golden brown.
Patties should be firm to touch when done. I cook the patties in two batches in a 12-inch pan. Clean the pan between batches. Serve the patties warm or at room temperature. Leftover patties are perfect in bento boxes.
Dipping Sauce
Combine all ingredients, stir well.
This is an all-purpose dipping sauce that can be used with dumplings, meat patties, Korean pancakes and jeon.
I created 3jamigos to chronicle our family’s food adventures, recipes, and stories, for my kids. In college, I often called home to ask my dad how to make homestyle Cantonese dishes I grew up eating. Dishes like fuzzy melon soup, congee, and steamed pork patty, were the connection to my family, a sure-fire remedy to my homesickness. Things have come full circle, I’m now on the receiving end of the “how do you make…?”. When I come across a simple and delicious dish, and I think the kids would like it, I make a mental note to put it on 3jamigos.
Soul food for my family is Cantonese food (Roots, Baby), but over the years has expanded to other Asian cuisines. Nowadays, you are just as likely to find Bulgogi, Japchae, and Teriyakion our dinner table. My latest find is the cookbook, A Common Table by Cynthia McTernan, it speaks to the melting pot we are. Absolutely one of my favorites. It’s beautifully written, gorgeously photographed, and filled with delicious user-friendly recipes. I have also come to depend on blogs and websites for Korean, Vietnamese, and Japanese recipes that are now part of the family meal rotation.
This quick and easy, Stir-Fried Pork Belly with Bean Sprouts has become a family favorite. Adapted from the blog, Korean Bapsang, it is a quick meal on a busy weeknight. A couple of minutes of prepping and cooking is all it takes. Before you know it you’ll be sitting down to a bowl of steaming hot rice topped with a generous scoop of yummy pork and sprouts…yep, bowl food is soul food.
Check It Out Now-Sprout Soul Sistah
Slivers of pork belly stir-fried with bean sprouts, onions, and scallions seasoned with soy sauce and oyster sauce, it’s simple and delicious. Use thinly sliced pork butt or shoulder instead of pork belly if you like. Thinly sliced beef is also an option. IN A PINCH, use regular thick-sliced bacon. This would add that characteristic smoky flavor of bacon, which would be okay in my book 😉.
Sprouts
The only thing you need to know about the bean sprouts for this recipe…don’t overcook them! Keep them crunchy! That’s it, folks. Make sure you pick sprouts that are white and shiny, with a nice yellow tip. I also threw in a thinly sliced, de-seeded Serrano or Thai pepper, for a little spice.
Stir-fried pork belly and bean sprouts-Samgyupsal sukju bokkeum
A quick and easy stir fry of pork belly and bean sprouts.
Course Meat, One dish meals, Vegetable
Cuisine Asian, Korean
Keyword Pork Belly
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Ingredients
8ouncesthinly sliced/shaved pork bellyor other thinly sliced pork or beef
1tbspsesame oil
10ouncesbean sprouts
1/4medium onionthinly sliced
2teaspoonsminced garlic or 2 -3 plump garlic cloves
2-3 scallions or 2 ounces garlic chivescut into 1 inch segments, if they are large, cut in half lengthwise first
2tablespoonssoy sauce or oyster sauceUse 1 T of each
1teaspoonsugar
salt and pepper to taste
1fresh red chili pepper, deseeded and sliced thinly
Instructions
If you are using pork belly, cut each slice into 1 inch segments, for other meats thinly sliced into bite sized pieces
Give the bean sprouts a quick rinse, and drain. Thinly slice the onion, and cut the scallions (or garlic chives) into 2-inch pieces.
Heat a large pan over high heat. Add the sesame oil to the pan and then the pork, stir-fry quickly until no longer pink.
Add the onion and stir fry briefly 30 seconds. Add bean sprouts chili pepper (if using) and scallions, continue to stir fry until the bean sprouts have wilted slightly but are still crunchy.
Add the soy sauce and/or oyster sauce, garlic, sugar and pepper to taste. Stir-fry quickly. Season with salt to taste if necessary. Serve with a big bowl of rice (although this would go well with noods too). Enjoy!
Notes
You can find a variety of extra thin cut meats in your local Korean/Asian markets. If you want to thinly slice the meat yourself, freeze the meat until it's firm, but still sliceable. With a sharp knife, slice the meat as thin as you can.
I appreciate our backyard now more than ever as it has served as an escape during the quarantine. While it’s not very big and there aren’t any bells and whistles, we do have an umbrella, a table, and a grill. The essentials. The hubs strung lights for those warm summer evenings, and this has really added to the evening ambiance, it’s a nice escape. It’s amazing how just a mere 5 feet beyond my backdoor makes a world of difference. This refuge has made COVID quarantine a little easier to handle and I feel very fortunate.
Let’s Start At the Very Beginning
Banh Mi go time. We start by grilling some Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken, the recipe can be found here. Chicken marinated in lemongrass, fish sauce, shallots, garlic, and ginger, an explosion of flavors, delicious on its own and perfect for Banh Mi.
Classics
The marinade is a mash-up of recipes found in Mai Pham’s The Best of Vietnamese & Thai Cooking, and Nicole Routhier’s Foods of Vietnam. Nicole Routhier’s classic book was probably one of the first books published on Vietnamese cooking way back in the early ’90s, it’s a classic.
All the fixins’ for Banh Mi
The Bread: Light and crispy on the outside, soft and airy on the inside defines the French rolls used for Banh Mi . A crunchy exterior is imperative. A crusty baguette might be your best option or a 12″ hero sammie roll. Bake it in the oven for a couple of minutes to get the outside nice and crisp. Or if you are like me, you will drive to the Vietnamese Grocery store to buy the rolls.
Mayonnaise: Best Foods of course or for a sweeter mayo, Japanese Kewpie mayo. Slather both sides of the roll. Not a mayo fan? Use BUTTER, which is the OG spread for these sammies.
Hot Sauce: Don’t have Jalapenos? Want additional heat? Squirt some Siracha on your roll.
Maggi Sauce: According to Andrea Nguyen, this is a must-have on a Bahn Mi. Sprinkle on both sides of the roll. In a pinch, you could use soy sauce.
Grilled Chicken: Sliced and layered on bread. You could use pork (traditional), meatballs, ham, char siu, whatever protein you like. It’s your sammie.
Pickled Daikon (radish) and Carrots: I love the pickled veggies! Sweet, tart, and refreshing. I adapted a quick pickle recipe from NYT and Melissa Clark. The classic ratio of carrots to daikon is 2:1, adjust to your liking. The recipe is below.
Cucumbers: Sliced, added crunch and so refreshing, crazy for cucumbers.
Herbs: Pile on the aromatics, basil, mint, cilantro, sliced jalapenos, thinly sliced red onions.
The veggies and herbs really take this sandwich to another level. My first Banh Mi was a revelation, been eating them ever since. Enjoy!
Options: If you gotta have it, choose a mild Pate, chicken, or pork and spreadable. A recommended pate’ is by Flower, Pork Liver Pate in a can from Canada.
From Munchies: Andrea Nguyen making her version of Banh Mi
In a bowl, toss together the carrots, daikon, vinegar, sugar and salt and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Notes
Melissa Clark's original recipe calls for 3/4 cup carrots, 1/2 cup daikon (radish) and 3/4 cup thinly sliced cucumbers. I increased the carrots and daikon to pickle and used fresh-cut cucumbers on the Banh Mi. Your choice.
Right before the pandemic hit we capped off a year of traveling by going to Maui. A celebration for the hubster’s birthday and his early retirement was our excuse to pack our bags and head out for some sun, fun, and food. Little did we know it would be our last trip for quite a while.
Hawaiian Delights
I am a sucker for Hawaiian food. A fusion of Native, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese, Korean and all of it tweaked so it taste great and is easy to eat while sitting on a beach! Our bucket list of food included Spam Musubi, a hunk of rice topped with a fried slice of SPAM and wrapped in seaweed, Poke’ (seasoned raw fish in a bowl with rice), island style bbq, Huli, Huli Chicken. YUM.
Then there are the sweets, Malasadas (best damn donuts), Haupia (coconut jello) and my favorite, Butter Mochi. Hawaiian Butter Mochi is the island’s answer to Blondies or Brownies but better (I know, them is fighting words). Buttery, gooey, sweet and so satisfying. Like our Spam Musubi quest, we went out of our way to find all things mochi.
This isn’t my first mochi rodeo, I posted a Butter Mochi Muffin recipe a while back that peeps really like (so says Google analytics, lol). Since then it has been off to the “rices” trying recipes with Koda Farms Sweet Rice (glutinous rice flour). Mochi now merits its own category in my recipe index. These muffins started it all, dense, chewy, with a touch of familiar cakiness, and the perfect amount of sugar. They are a great introduction to mochi-based desserts. BONUS: Mochi is gluten-free!
The Muffins that started it all!
Mochi Mania-Island Style
Hawaiian Butter Mochi takes mochi back closer to its Japanese roots, lighter, springier, and less cakey. The recipe calls for coconut milk and regular milk. The regular milk and less mochi flour are the “denseness” buster and gives the mochi its characteristic texture. Butter adds flavor. It is usually baked in a pan and then cut into squares but I decided to bake them in muffin tins. All for the edges folks. Each person ends up with their own gooeylicious mini-cake highlighted by a crispy, buttery edge, and finished with toasty shredded coconut and a sprinkle of Fleur de Sel, soooooo yummy.
Inspired by Aloha Kitchen and the website Catherine Zhang, these Butter Mochi Mini-Cakes are onolicious. I hope you will try them!
The two key ingredients you can find at most Asian stores, sweet rice flour and coconut milk. My go-to brands are Koda Farms Mochiko and Chaokoh or Arroy-D for coconut milk.
The batter will be very pourable due to the use of milk as part of the liquid and less mochi flour.
Don’t be afraid to fill the cups to 7/8. The mini-cakes will puff up but will fall as they are cooling. You will end up with a flat top or sometimes even a slight depression, it’s all good.
This muffin is a mash-up of Hawaiian Butter Mochi and Butter Mochi Muffins! Gooier and less cake-like than my butter mochi muffins. Baked as muffins they have crispy edges and a soft center-onolicious!
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Asian, Fusion
Keyword butter mochi, hawaiian, Mochi, muffin
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 45 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour
Ingredients
Da Wet Stuff
1/4 cupUnsalted butter55gm
3/4 cupCoconut milk170gm
1 cupWhole milk240gm
2Eggs
Da Dry Stuff
1 3/4 cupGlutinous rice flour225gm
1 cupGranulated sugar200gm
1tspBaking powder
Flaked or shredded coconut for garnish, preferably unsweetened but use what you like
Prep Yo Pan
Butter
Rice flouroptional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Generously grease 12-cup muffin tin with butter and dust with rice flour, if you don't have rice flour, skip it. The flour does help the batter rise in the pan and getting crispy edges.
In a large, microwave safe bowl combine the coconut milk and butter, heat in the microwave for 1 minute
Add the milk and 2 eggs, whisk until combined. I like whole milk but you can use 2% milk or alternative milk like oat milk.
In a medium sized bowl combine the glutinous rice flour, sugar and baking powder
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth
Pour the batter evenly into the 12 muffin cups
Sprinkle with coconut and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown
Remove and cool. Muffins will keep for a couple of days on the counter. Pop them in a toaster oven to re-crisp edges. They also freeze pretty well.
I am the happy owner of Anyday Cookware, a set of bowls designed for the microwave. A podcast junkie, I am hooked on “All Things Chang”. That is Dave Chang, chef, restauranteur, face, and creator of the Momofuku Empire. He has waxed poetically about microwave cooking and I figure if it is good enough for him…why not?
What I really wanted to do was adapt well-loved dishes to the microwave. Lucky me, dishes that I normally steam, microwave beautifully. Bonus, not only is the cooking time shortened, but the process is simplified. No messing with steamer racks, or a large wok or pan to steam in. You cook in the same bowl you use to prep the dish. How cool is that? If you hate washing dishes like me, this is a HUGE.
I adapted a recipe from the site Made with Lau. Inspired to archive his chef father’s cooking, Randy Lau created Made with Lau featuring videos of his chef-father cooking classic Chinese dishes, in particular Cantonese dishes.
The Lowedown on Lau
His are the dishes of my childhood. The videos are easy to follow and more importantly, the recipes work. His father speaks in Cantonese, so I get to brush up on my Chinese skills, while learning how to make a great dish, win-win! My family is from the same region in China and listening to him feels like being home with my grandparents, aunties, and uncles. Randy does a yeoman’s job translating his Dad’s cooking wisdom and his recipes into English.
The Wrap
After each cooking session, the family gathers around the table to enjoy the fruits of Daddy Lau’s labor. They give the background and history of the dish and additional cooking tips. It is the perfect way to round out each segment. Made with Lau is a gem and I hope you check out their site.
The Dish
Black Bean Spareribs is a family favorite which until now, we only have when we are out for Dim Sum. The spareribs are steamed with chilis, fermented black beans, which have lots of umami, and seasonings. As soon as Made with Lau posted the video recipe I jumped at the chance to try it. My biggest deviation was cooking it in the microwave instead of steaming. Worked like a charm.
Use pork spareribs cut into bite-size pieces or you can cheat and use boneless pieces of pork. Both are equally tasty. Chinese markets carry ribs cut into 1-inch segments so if you are close to an Asian market go for it…don’t cut them yourself. It’s a lot of trouble and invariably you will have shards of bone in the cut ribs-no fun. For boneless, use pork belly or pork butt for this dish. It shouldn’t be too lean, the fat contributes both flavor and tenderness to the dish.
Fermented black beans can be found in Chinese grocery stores. Salted and fermented black soybeans are pungent and full of umami. A little goes a long way but it does keep well in the fridge. There is a black bean sauce in a jar that might be a suitable sub, you would need to adjust for salt and some of the seasonings. I haven’t tried it yet.
This is Cantonese soul food. Serve with steaming bowls of rice and a green veggie dish like stir-fried pea sprouts.
Cantonese dish generally served at teahouse for Dim Sum. Microwaved instead of steamed! Fast, easy and delicious.
Course dim sum, Main Course, Muffins
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Black beans spareribs, Cantonese cooking, dim sum, steamed pork with black beans
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Ingredients
1lbspare ribs (baby back ribs)cut into 1-1.5 inch pieces or sub 1 lb. pork belly or pork butt cut into bite-sized pieces.
1tbspcornstarchfor rinsing ribs
Bowl 1
0.50tbsplight soy sauce
1tbspoyster sauce
1/2tbspShaoxing wine
1/4tspsalt
1tspsugar
1-2 tbspwater or low sodium chicken stockAdd if using microwave to cook
Bowl 2
1tspdried mandarin orange peeloptional, small thumbnail sized piece
1clovegarlicminced
1tspgingerminced
Bowl-3
1tbspfermented dried black beansrinsed and dried, smooshed
1tspsesame oil
1tbspcornstarchfor pork
0.50tspvegetable oil
Garnish
red chili pepper, deseeded and deveineda few slices, optional
2green onionssliced
Instructions
Place our fermented black beans in a bowl, and rinse them under running water for 15-20 seconds. Gently massage the beans as you do this. Drain the water, and set the bowl aside to let the beans rehydrate for a couple of minutes then smoosh them with the back of a spoon. Set asideSoak orange peel in warm water, set aside for 10-15 min. Once soft, dice.
Slice red chili pepper and green onions. Set aside
Rinse and dry ribs and place in bowl. Add cornstarch to the ribs, and massage the ribs around to evenly mix the cornstarch around the surface of each rib.
Rinse the ribs in running water for 1 to 2 minutes, massaging the ribs as you go. Pour out all of the water, and press and squeeze the ribs against a colander to get rid of excess water.
Wrap the ribs in a thick paper towel, pressing and patting to absorb moisture.
Place ribs in a large microwavable bowl. Make marinade.
Combine salt, sugar, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine in a small bowl. Mince garlic, ginger, orange peel, and add to a second bowl.
Add soy mixture and ginger-garlic mixture to bowl of ribs. Mix and massage the bowl of ribs well. Approximately 45-60 seconds to blend.
Add black beans to the bowl of ribs, mix well.
Add sesame oil and cornstarch. Mix the ribs to evenly coat each rib with cornstarch. Spread out evenly in bowl. Sprinkle chilis on top and drizzle with remaining 1/2 tbsp of oil. Cover with lid, open the vent on lid if it has one, or leave lid slightly ajar on bowl.
Microwave on full strength for 5 minutes. Remove, careful it's hot and stir mixture. If it seems dry or the sauce is too thick add 1-2 tablespoons of water or stock. Scatter green onions on top. Place lid back on and microwave for anouther4-5 minutes.
Remove from microwave and allow to stand for 30-60 seconds. Serve with lots of rice.
Notes
Heat wok on stove, placing a steamer rack in the center of the wok. Add enough boiled water so that it just barely covers the entire steamer rack. Transfer the ribs into the plate you'll be steaming with, being careful not to let any ribs be covered by one another. Add the chili pepper slices, and pour vegetable oil on the ribs.Cover the wok, set the stove to its highest heat setting, and steam the spare ribs for 20 minutes.After 20 minutes, turn the heat off, uncover the wok, garnish with the green onions and serve.
One of our favorite lunch outings is going for Dim Sum or Yum Cha. Dim Sum refers to the dazzling array of bite-size dumplings and morsels while Yum Cha means to drink tea. Yum Cha is a uniquely Chinese experience. In the good old days (pre-COVID), after being seated (after an interminable wait), a procession of carts appear and snake their way around the tables. Each cart holds steamer baskets of dumplings, plates of fried dumplings and egg tarts, chicken feet, black bean spareribs, noodles, and greens.
Let the games begin.
Start by waving your hand to get their attention and then point to the dishes you want. A running tab is kept, stamped for each dish placed on the table. Which, if you have hearty eaters, can run as much as going out for sushi!
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong
In the sweepstakes of little dishes that end up on our table when we go for Dim Sum, Cheung Fun or Rice Noodle Roll is an automatic ticket punch. The noodles have a soft, silky, smooth, texture and are neutral in flavor. This lends itself well to a variety of fillings like shrimp, bbq pork, or minced beef, and sauces. Filled noodle rolls are topped with a sweet, salty soy sauce while rice rolls without fillings are topped with sesame or Hoisin-based sauce (my favorite). These are known as Chee Cheung Fun (猪肠粉). (Funny story, the literal translation is Pig Intestine Noodle owing to their resemblance to said pork anatomy).
Never in a zillion years would I have thought of making Cheung Fun at home UNTIL I came across a recipe to make the noodles in the microwave. I was sold.
Game ON
The first hurdle is the ingredients. The rice noodle batter is a combination of:
Rice flour-plain rice flour NOT glutinous or sweet rice flour! Bob’s Red Mill at Whole Foods or Asian stores will have rice flour
Tapioca starch– also known as tapioca flour (I know, confusing!), derived from the starchy pulp of the cassava root. Used as a thickening agent like cornstarch.
Potato starch– is made from just the starch grains of potato and is NOT the same as potato flour which is cooked whole potatoes, that are dried and ground into flour. Potato starch is used as a thickener like cornstarch. It is used in gluten-free flour blends to provide texture and structure (straight from Bob’s Red Mill site, lol). Bob’s Red Mill sells potato starch as does most Asian markets.
No wheat products…gluten-free, ta-da!
This is How We Roll
Having Some “FUN”
Combine the flour and starches in a mixing bowl, add liquid, stir…dunzo. How easy is that?
The batter has a thin consistency and the starch and water will separate as it sits. Stir or whisk the batter well before pouring it into the cooking dish. I used two microwavable dishes to make the noods. A rectangular 9×6 glass pyrex dish and the shallow round Cook Anyday Microwave-ware bowl. The rectangular dish is the perfect shape to make rolls but doesn’t have a vented lid. You can use the plastic lid but keep it ajar when cooking to allow moisture to escape.
Lightly oil the bottom and 1/4 inch up the sides of your dish to prevent sticking. Brush the dish as needed, you may need to each time you make a roll. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the 9×6 dish ( a little less for the round bowl) to create a thin layer on the bottom. The round bowl needed only a generous 1/4 cup to cover the bottom of the bowl.
Microwave Magic
Place vented lid on top and microwave at full strength for 2 min and 10 seconds. My microwave is small and rated at 700 watts, you will need to find your microwave wattage and adjust accordingly either reducing the power or shortening the cooking time on a more powerful microwave. If your microwave has a turntable, use it. I found the noodles cooked more evenly when using the turntable. The noodle is done when it looks translucent and has some bubbles. Cracks in the cooked noodle are caused by either overcooking or using too much batter. Remove from the microwave and place in a cold water bath to cool. It will only need a couple of minutes but makes it much easier to roll.
Using a spatula or dough scraper, start on one edge and lift and roll the sheet to make a roll. For filled rolls, scatter filling on one side of noodle, lift noodle, and roll to cover the filling. The noodle is pretty forgiving so just push, roll. Don’t worry, the rolling hides a lot of imperfections. A bench scraper is the perfect size for the rectangular Pyrex dish, score another point for the Pyrex pan.
The Bling, Fillings and Toppings
Rice noodles are neutral in flavor so it is the perfect foil for lots of different fillings and sauces. Favorite fillings include barbecue pork, shrimp, or a medley of fried egg, Chinese pickles, green onions, cilantro, and bbq pork. Use your imagination, leftover roast duck, roast pork, or go vegetarian, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, corn, the possibilities are unlimited. I have added SPAM in a pinch! Top rolls with a sweet soy sauce, don’t skip it, you could add some chili oil, that’s copasetic. For a little crunch, I top the rolls with fried shallots or onions, totally optional.
Ji Cheung Fun is my favorite rice noodle roll. Roll the noodle into a cylinder since Ji Cheung Fun does not have a filling. Top with sauces, Peanut Sauce, and Hoisin Sauce, a play on sweet and salty flavors. Sprinkle peanuts or sesame seeds on top to add a nice crunch. I also hit it with Chili Crunch Oil…BAM, straight to Yumsville.
Comfort Finale
I rolled my last noodles intending to make a plate of Ji Cheung Fun but I really wasn’t in the mood for it. Instead, I had soup noodles on the brain, so I cut each roll into 1/2 inch wide noodles, placed them in a bowl, and turned my attention to the soup. Luckily, I had heirloom tomatoes from the market, a little bit of beef, and a couple of eggs in the fridge. A warm bowl of Tomato Egg Drop Soupwith Rice Noodles was ready in minutes and hit the spot.
A favorite dim sum dish, steamed rice noodles filled with bbq pork, shrimp or minced beef, served with sweet soy sauce. Made easy in the microwave!
Course Appetizer, dim sum, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Cantonese cooking, Cheung fun, dim sum, ji cheung fun, microwave, rice noodles
Prep Time 45 minutesminutes
Cook Time 3 minutesminutes
Ingredients
Batter
1cuprice flour140g
1/2cuppotato starch90g
1/2cuptapioca starch/flour70g
1tablespoonsugar
1/2teaspoonsalt
1tablespooncanola or vegetable oilplus more for brushing
2cupsroom temperature water470ml
2cupsjust boiled water470ml
Adds-ins
3tablespoonsthinly sliced scallions
3tablespoonschopped cilantro
Toppings
red pepper flakes
toasted sesame seeds
chili oil
Sweetened Cheung Fun Soy Sauce
2-2.5Tbsp light soy sauce adjust to taste
1/4cupwater
1½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp chicken powder
¼ tsp sesame oil
Hoisin Sauce
0.5Tregular soy sauce or dark soyreduce agave to 1/2 t if using dark soy
1.5THoisin Sauce
0.5TSesame oil
1-2Twater
1tAgave syrup or sugar
Peanut Sauce
1tbsppeanut butter1 generous tablespoon
2Twater
1/2tagave or sugar
1/2tsesame oil or chili sesame oil
Cheong Fun Sauce Simplified (variation of Sweetened Cheung Fun Soy Sauce)
1/2cuphot water
2tablespoonssugar
3tablespoonssoy sauce
1/2teaspoonsesame oil.
Instructions
Batter
Whisk together all the flours, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and 2 cups of room temperature water to the batter and stir to combine. Some of the flour will clump up. Don’t worry–keep stirring and the flour will loosen eventually.
Gradually add the boiled water to the batter. Pour the water in a steady stream with one hand and stir the batter with the other hand. Place a towel underneath the bowl to steady it while you pour and stir.
Set the batter aside. The flour will settle to the bottom in just a few minutes. Make sure to stir the batter before each time you are ready to pour a sheet of cheung fun.
MIcrowave directions:
1 9x6 or 8x8 glass pyrex dish
Rectangular Pyrex ~9x6 glass container, 8x8 glass container or Large shallow Cook Anyday Bowl
Brush bottom and 1/4 inch up sides of glass container or pan with vegetable oil. Stir batter and pour approximately 1/3 cup of batter into Pyrex pan. Loosely cover with lid. Place in microwave and set time for 2 minutes and 10 seconds, full power. (For reference microwave I have is ~700 watts, the low end of power for a microwave)
Set up a pan with cold water large enough to fit Pyrex container you are using to microwave.
When cooking is complete, remove from microwave and immediately place in pan of cold water. Allow pan to sit for a couple of minutes to cool. The rice noodle sheet should look transparent with a couple of bubbles. If there are opaque spots where it still looks white, microwave for additional 15-20 seconds.
Remove container from water bath. Using a bench scraper, run it around the edge of the noodle to loosen. Starting from the edge (short or long) nearest to you, use a bench scraper or spatula, lift and roll the rice noodle away from you. Keep lifting and rolling. Divide the rice noodle roll in to the length desired. For Ji Cheung Fun the pieces are approximately 2 to 2.5 inches in length.
For filled Cheung Fun: Pour batter into dish, scatter a line of filling at about 1/3 line of batter in the pan , from the edge you will begin to roll. See video.
Fillings
Go crazy, rice noodles are very neutral and will compliment almost anything you pair with it.
Have approximately 1/2 pound of filling for this recipe. But if you come up short, make non-filled noods, cut them up for nice big bowl soup.
Shrimp
Use medium sized shrimp, peel and deveined. Toss the cleaned shrimp with 2 tablespoons water, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon baking soda. After the shrimp have been coated, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. After 2 hours, rinse the shrimp under a gentle stream of cold running water for 5 minutes to wash away the sugar and baking soda and pat thoroughly dry with a paper towel. This step is sort of optional. The texture is greatly improved but your prep time is increased. But, if you want snappy shrimp-just do it. This is from Woks of Life, boss site.
Marinate the shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil, a pinch of salt, 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper. Cover and return to the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Pre-cook your shrimp so they will be ready when you make your noods. Lay the shrimp out in a single layer in a microwaveble dish, the shallow Anyday Bowl works, cover and microwave on full power for 4 - 5 minutes until the shrimp are opague, pink and cooked through. AS always, adjust time for your microwave. These numbers are for my 700 watt Spacesaver, adjust accordingly.
Other stuff
BBQ Pork- Dice or julienne. You can mix in green onions if you like.
Dried Shrimp, found in Asian grocery stores, soak to soften before using.
Shiitake mushrooms Use dried or fresh. Rehydrate dried and dice. Fresh shiitakes should be seasoned sitr fried.
Egg-Straight from wathching the Joe's Rice Roll Video. Scramble an egg and use with the batter. Add 1 -2 tablespoons of egg after pouring batter into pan. Nice effect and great with bbq pork and green onions!
Microwave Magic
