My favorite granola recipe, Jule’s Granola was given to me by a friend also coworker, years ago. She brought a bag to work one day, and being a granola hater, I passed on trying it. She offered again and added, “This ain’t your Quaker Oats guy in the funny hat-boxed granola”. To appease her, I grabbed a handful, tossed it in my mouth, and BAM! So good, crunchy, flavorful, filled with nuts and dried fruit, and sweetened with maple syrup. Nutty, buttery, sweet, chewy, crunchy-in a nutshell, damn delicious. Instantly, I became a GRANOLA CONVERT.
I just wanted to include this photo of my Granola Queen. It’s a blast from the past: her beautiful wedding in Hawaii.
Go-To Granola
I immediately asked her for the recipe and since then I have cranked out batches of granola for family and friends. Every Christmas we buy cute canning jars to fill with granola which we then gift. Each person dutifully returns their jar for more granola next year.
Who Knew?
Very happy with Jule’s Granola recipe I never thought of trying another recipe until now. The powers of social media strike again. A notification on my phone titled “Genius Granola has a Cult Following” popped up. This caught my eye. I quickly scanned the recipe. It called for olive oil, various seeds, pecans, coconut chips, maple syrup, and brown sugar. I compared it to my gold-standard granola. Hmm, no dried fruit, definitely more seeds, less oats, more maple syrup and sugar. The olive oil in place of veggie oil caught my eye.
Recipe Breakdown
Oatmeal- Use Old Fashioned not quick or instant. I added an extra cup of oatmeal (comments on the original as being too sweet), plus the amount of sweeteners compared to my fav recipe was significantly more.
Olive Oil– I happened to have a bottle of vanilla olive oil, so I used it. Mild, floral, citrusy olive oils
Adds- Add whatever mix-ins you like. I didn’t have sunflower seeds so I used almonds and sesame seeds so what the heck that’s what I added. Coconut chips from TJ are preferred but you could use large coconut flakes.
Dried Fruit- I love sweet & tart dried fruits in my granola. I added a blend of raisins, cranberries, and blueberries. Leave it out, add some in…your choice. Pistachios and either apricots or dried cherries would be smashing.
Sweeteners- The recipe calls for a combination of maple syrup and light brown sugar. There were quite a few comments about the granola being too sweet. So do I decrease the sweeteners (which many did by omitting the brown sugar) or add more oatmeal?
Spices- Change the flavor profile by adding cinnamon or even cardamon. (start with 1 tsp of cinnamon) or a Chai tea spice.
Baking: The original recipe is on Food52 by Nekisia Davis of Early Bird. Directions say to spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet. My advice is to divide the mixture in half and use two cookie sheets. The layer of granola in one pan is too thick and will not dry and crisp very well. You should still mix it every 10-15 minutes.
This granola is loose, not clumpy, and is perfect for ice cream or yogurt topping. Use it in Natasha Picowicz’s Nubby Granola Shortbread. If you like chunks of granola, make Jule’s Granola, which is still our family favorite (yes, we voted). This is a close second, though.
Now go and make a batch of my 2nd favorite granola,
Keyword granola, maple syrup, oats, olive oil, pecans
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 45 minutesminutes
Ingredients
4cupsold-fashioned rolled oatsOriginal recipe calls for 3 cups
1 1/4cupsraw pecanscoarsely chopped, although I was lazy and left them as halves
1cupcoconut chips or flakes (large)
1/2cuphulled raw pumpkin seeds
1/2cuphulled raw sunflower seedssub slivered almonds
Sweeteners
3/4cuppure maple syrup
1/2cupextra-virgin olive oil
1/2cuppacked light brown sugar
1teaspoonkosher saltplus more to taste
Optional
1-2cupsdried fruit such as raisins, cranberries, diced apricots, or dried cherries
Instructions
Heat the oven to 300°F. In a large bowl, mix the oats, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, syrup, oil, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt until well combined. Add optional spices if using.
Spread the mixture in an even layer split between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, for about 45 minutes total, until the granola is toasted. Halfway through baking, rotate sheets from top to bottom and turn each back to front.
Remove the granola from the oven; season with salt to taste. Let cool completely before serving.
Add dried fruit, after granola cools. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Do Ahead: The granola can be made 1 month ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature.
Wes’s Tuna Dip (Thrill of Victory & the Agony of Defeat, Tempered by Food)
I have been meaning to put the Hubster’s Tuna Dip recipe on 3jamigos for a long time. Tuna Dip is mandatory for every birthday party, impromptu gathering, and of course, every 49ers football game. Yep, Sunday is not Sunday unless there is a game on, a bowl of tuna dip and a giant bag of ridged potato chips.
By a stroke of good fortune, we are staying in New York for February. It is no secret that I am a city girl. I grew up in San Francisco and LOVE urban life. To spend a month in New York is a dream. I’m convinced that NYC is one of the world’s great cities (after San Francisco of course, lol) and we are taking full advantage of our time here. Added bonus, my kid lives here so we have been spending time with her, Sam, and Moose.
The High Line, NYC
Super Bowl Sunday in Manhattan
The Super Bowl table has to have Spam Sushi, and PIZZA!
It’s nice to be in a city that doesn’t have a team in the Super Bowl. We escaped the 2 weeks of constant hype over the game by being in a city that frankly didn’t give a damn (no vested interest) and has been perpetually beaten down. They were doing their darn-dest to forget about the Jets and the Giants and the last season. Being diehard 49ers fans, of course, we were going to watch. Sam & Jamie hosted a Super Bowl Party, and we made Tuna Dip, Spam Musubi, and Butter Mochi Muffins, cause you can’t watch a game without munchies. Sadly, the game did not turn out as we would have liked (damn Patrick Mahones) …at least we had yummy finger food and great NY-style Pizza from Uncle Sam’s. Besides, there’s always next year. 😭
This is hands down the fam’s favorite football food, chips and tuna dip. It also makes great tuna sammies when you run out of chips and crackers. It’s stupid easy. It is the perfect dip. If you’re feeling extravagant or have leftover salmon…BOSS substitute for the tuna.
A family favorite, Tuna Dip, mandatory and any picnic, football game, just about any family gathering!
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword tuna dip, chips
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 13 minutesminutes
Ingredients
Ingredients
12ouncecan water pack tuna, well drainedbetter to get light tuna instead of albacore, less mercury
4Tsweet relish
2hard-boiled eggscoarsely mashed
4Tred onion, diced
1stalkgreen onion, chopped
Dressing
1/2cup+ 1T mayonnaiseregular or light
1tspFrench’s yellow mustard
couple of grinds of black pepper to taste
Instructions
Drain tuna well and place in medium sized bowl.
Add relish, hard-boiled eggs and red onion to bowl.
Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl, stir to combine. Add to bowl with tuna. Stir to combine well. Adjust seasonings to taste. If it seems a little dry, add mayonnaise. Not tart enough, add mustard.
Serve with chips, crackers or veggies like cucumber, carrots or radishes
You can also use this for sandwiches!
Notes
For a little tang substitute a couple of tablespoons of sour cream for mayonnaise
Right up there with Hummus, this eggplant dip is made with Tahini, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, and olive oil, and seasoned with cumin and smoked paprika. Eggplant contributes a lightness and creaminess different than chickpeas. The smoked paprika and cumin add another level of smokiness, so delicious. I adapted the recipe from Cookie + Kate, a wonderful blog filled with tips and great user-friendly veggie recipes. This is definitely one of them.
Start with 2 medium globe eggplants and roast them, halved on a sheet pan until soft and charred. The char gives the dip that nice smokey flavor. This is by far the most timing consuming part of the recipe. Luckily, there’s a hack for this below🧑🏻🍳. Finishing the Baba Ghanoush is just a matter of stirring Tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and seasonings into the eggplant-easy peasy. Tahini, a sesame seed paste, is a mainstay in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Cuisine. You can find Tahini in most supermarkets, TJ’s, or online. Add a touch of cumin for earthiness and sprinkle it with either smoked paprika or sumac before serving.
Cheaters Sometimes Win
I have a confession, I don’t always have time to roast eggplants to make Baba Ghanoush. Nope, sometimes I skip this and reach for the jar of grilled eggplant by Sadaf or Sera that I always keep on hand. If you are in the South Bay (San Jose-Campbell area) a great store for Middle Eastern groceries is International Food Bazaaron Union. It’s just grilled eggplant so it has the smokiness from the char and some citric acid for preserving. Use approximately 1-1/2 cups, which is roughly equivalent to the roasted fresh eggplant. Place the eggplant in a strainer for 15-30 minutes to drain the excess liquid. It’s convenient and pretty darn yummy. The jarred eggplant is pretty chunky so I use a food processor to make it. Pulse ingredients, you don’t want to end up with a puree, pulsing allows for textural contrast. Additionally, the dip can be made by hand, use a whisk or a fork to whip the ingredients to break up the larger pieces of eggplant.
1-1/2cupsJarred Grilled EggplantI have used the brand Sadaf, available and most Middle Eastern stores.
Seasoning
2medium cloves of garlicpressed or minced
2tablespoonslemon juicemore if necessary
¼cuptahini
¼cupextra-virgin olive oilplus more for brushing the eggplant and garnish
2tablespoonschopped fresh flat-leaf parsleyplus extra for garnish
¾teaspoonsaltto taste
1/4-1/2teaspoonground cuminI LOVE Cumin, use to taste
Pinchof smoked paprikafor garnish, or Sumac which will give it a touch of tartness
Instructions
Raw Eggplant Recipe
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the eggplant from sticking to the pan. Halve the eggplants lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil. Place them in the prepared pan with the halved sides down.
Roast the eggplant until the interior is very tender throughout and the skin is collapsing, about 35 to 40 minutes (this might take longer if you are using 1 large eggplant). Set the eggplant aside to cool for a few minutes. Flip the eggplants over and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon, leaving the skin behind.
Place a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl, then transfer the flesh to the strainer and discard the skins. Pick out any stray bits of eggplant skin and discard. You want to remove as much moisture from the eggplant here as possible, so let the eggplant rest for a 15-30 minutes and shake/stir the eggplant to release some more moisture.
Discard all of the eggplant drippings, drain and wipe out the bowl, and dump the eggplant into the bowl.
Jarred Eggplant
I cannot tell a lie, I will use jarred grilled eggplant in a pinch (or not) available in Middle Eastern stores. (In San Jose-International Bazaar) Use approximately 1-1/2 cups of the jarred eggplant. Drain eggplant just like the roasted eggplant and proceed.
Directions for both roasted eggplant or jarred
Add the garlic and lemon juice to the eggplant and stir vigorously with a fork until the eggplant breaks down. Add the tahini to the bowl and stir until it’s incorporated. While stirring, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue stirring until the mixture is pale and creamy, and use your fork to break up any particularly long strings of eggplant. Once again, I take the path of least resistance and add ingredients to a food processor and PULSE to blend. You don't want to puree but leave a bit of chunkiness.
Stir in the parsley, salt and cumin. Season to taste with more salt (I usually add another ¼ teaspoon) and more lemon juice, if you’d like a more tart flavor.
Transfer the baba ganoush to a serving bowl and lightly drizzle olive oil on top. Lastly, sprinkle parsley and smoked paprika on top. Serve with accompaniments of your choice such as pita bread, carrots and cucumbers. It’s also great on sandwiches!
Notes
Serving suggestions: warmed or toasted pita wedges, carrot sticks, bell pepper strips, cucumber slices, etc.
Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark
I am always on the lookout for mochi recipes. Aside from being downright delicious, it is nice to have gluten-free options in your arsenal. The blog, Little Fat Boy caught my attention with a recipe for Cinnamon Toast Crunch Butter Mochi. Holy moly, dessert with not just one but TWO of my favorite foods, mochi and cereal, I am all in.
Bad, Bad Mom
I’m going to admit, I was one of those crazy militant moms about snacks and cereals. The only cereals that graced our table included Special K, Honey Bunches of Oats, and Rice Krispies. BORING. The grams of sugar had to be in single digits for any box to make the cut. Hostess was not part of our family’s vernacular. To this day, I’m not sure if my kids have had a Hostess Twinkie.
Eventually, I came clean to my kids, and the flood gates opened. They rolled their eyes with righteous indignation as I rattled off my favorite childhood snacks and cereals-Captain Crunch, Lucky Charms, HoHos, Milk Duds, BigHunks…lol. Hey, I was a latch-key kid…unlike them…so lucky to have a mom to constantly police, I mean, watch over them!
Welcome to Adulthood
The perks of growing up, my days of being their sugar police are long over. In fact, during their college days, care packages with Dad’s Good Cookies, Brownies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and candies were sent on a regular basis. We made up for years of deprivation.
All Things Mochi
Ground Zero for mochi recipes is Butter Mochi Muffin,adapted from Snixy Kitchen (a gorgeous blog featuring gluten-free recipes), and still the most popular recipe posted on 3Jamigos. Variations followed, Mango Mochi Muffins, Chocolate Mochi Donutsand Brownies, and Misugaru Mochi Muffins…in fact mochi has its own category on 3Jamigos. This is the latest in my mochi mania recipes, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Butter Mochi. Remember the cereal milk at the bottom of your bowl you savored when you were a kid? Yep, use it to make your mochi.
Soak the cereal for a minimum of an hour in one and a quarter cups of milk, stirring occasionally. The recipe calls for 1 cup of milk and half a can (200ml) of coconut milk. The cereal will absorb some of the milk, after soaking, if there is less than 1 cup of milk, add extra coconut milk to bring it to 1 cup.
For the first batch, I followed Little Fat Boy, made them in a pan, and cut them into squares. For the second batch, I made muffins because everyone deserves their own sweet treat.
To further crisp the Cinnamon Toast Crunch topping, I used Christina Tosi’s method to make cereal crunch. Toast crushed cereal bathed in butter in the oven.
Delicious, sweet, with cinnamon and caramel undertones and the characteristic gooey, springy texture of mochi, this is a keeper. Add this to your bucket list.
1.25cupsmilk, I like whole but lowfat, skim and alternative milks will workto soak Cinnamon Toast Crunch
1/2can of coconut milk200ml I prefer full fat coconut milk
1/4cupunsalted butter melted
1Tbspmaple syrup or Golden Syrup
1teaspoonvanilla extract
The Dry Stuff
1/2box Mochiko sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour)254 g
1cupbrown sugarpreferably dark brown
1/4teaspoonkosher salt
1tspbaking powder
1-1.25cupsCinnamon Toast Crunch Cerealto soak in milk
Topping
1cupCinnamon Toast Crunch Cerealfor topping
2tbspunsalted butter, melted
unsalted butter to grease pans
Instructions
Soak 1.25-1.5 cups of milk with Cinnamon Toast Crunch for at least an hour or overnight. Strain milk into a measuring cup. You should have 1 cup. If it is less than this, use extra coconut milk to make up the difference,
Preheat an oven to 350° F. Generously butter an 8x8 baking pan. For muffins, butter a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a separate mixing bowl, mix together rice flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients in large bowl, 2 large eggs, 1 cup milk (soaked in Cinnamon Toast Crunch), coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth.
Slowly pour dry ingredients into a bowl of wet ingredients, whisking as you pour until it becomes a smooth batter. Mix in melted butter into the batter until incorporated, then pour batter into the buttered pan. If making muffins, pour batter into each muffin tin approximately 7/8 full. Should fill 12 cups. Tap pans on the counter to release air bubbles.
Topping
Crush the extra Cinnamon Toast Crunch in a small bowl and add melted butter. Stir to coat cereal with butter. Pour onto a small baking sheet and bake at 275 degrees for 20 minutes or until toasty and fragrant. Remove and cool.
Sprinkle toasted cereal on batter just before baking. You can forego the toasting of the cereal but you lose some of the crispiness.
Da Finish
Cake pan mochi: Bake for approximately 60 minutes until golden brown and set. Stick a toothpick or bamboo skewer in, it should go in smoothly and come out without any sticky stuff. If you like your mochi a little more set bake a bit longer. The less time you bake the gooey-ier your mochi will be.For muffins bake approximately 40-45 minutes.
Once cool, sprinkle powdered sugar on mochi before serving. Slice cake into squares like brownies and serve.
Will keep a couple of days at room temp. Do not refrigerate. Mochi is freezable.
My best description/translation of a favorite Chinese pastry, 叉燒酥 (Char Siu Sou) is Chinese bbq pork hand pie. Flaky, tender pastry surrounding a sweet-salty filling of bbq pork, and onions. Char Siu Sou can be found in tea houses serving dim sum and in Chinese bakeries.
Surprisingly, there is quite a selection of pastries made with the Chinese version of puff pastry. More often than not, they are savory. Traditional Chinese pastry is made with two doughs, wet dough and a short dough, laminated together. Folks used lard back in the day which made for a very flaky and flavorful crust.
E-pie-phany
One of my favorite recipes from King Arthur Baking is their Blueberry Hand Pies. The dough made with sour cream is easy to work with and makes a tender, super flaky, buttery shell. When I make hand pies this is my go-to pastry recipe. I’ve used fresh peaches, strawberries, and preserves for the blueberry filling. “Hands” down, a winner.
Char Siu Soul- I Did It My Way
Instead of the traditional Chinese pastry dough, I decided to make the hand pie dough recipe. It’s fewer steps and WORKED like a charm, flaky, buttery goodness, callin’ it Char Siu Soul. Visions of the possibilities like curry beef, Bulgogi, or Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Pork as fillings danced in my head. Yum.
Good Things Come in Pastry Packages
The dough comes together easily. If you are a novice, check out King Arthur Baking’s Martin and Arlo videoon making hand pies. The keys to success are cold butter, working quickly, not overmixing, and letting it rest. The crust can be made by hand, by pinching the butter with the flour mixture. You’ll end up with butter flakes coated with flour, a key to creating the flaky layers.
If using your hands to mix the butter and flour, cut the butter into slices instead of cubes. Much easier to pinch. If using a pastry blender cubes are fine.Add sour cream and stir until mixture is shaggy. Don’t overmix! Pour onto a counter or flat surface to press the dough into a rectangle. Roll out to form an 8×10 rectangle.Fold the dough in thirds, like an envelope. Helps to use a pastry or bench scraper to gather, fold and square off the dough.
Fold the dough a couple of times and then CHILL the dough until set or firm. If you are making the dough early, take it out of the fridge and allow it to soften just enough to make it easy to roll out.
Make any shape you want. Rectangles, squares or triangles work well, no leftover scraps of dough. Cutting out circles will leave scraps of dough that can be re-rolled (more work). Place approximately 1 heaping teaspoon of filling, egg wash the edge, fold one side over and crimp the edges.
Cha Cha Char Siu
Trust me, you don’t have to make your own char siu or bbq pork. Plenty of Chinese delis make delicious bbq pork. But it’s not hard to make, I have 2 versions to make your own, oven-roasted or braised BBQ Pork. Make a batch, you’ll have plenty for Char Siu Soul and for Pork Buns, Fried Rice, sammies, scrambled or steamed eggs. It freezes well, so make a big batch.
The filling is easy to make. Make sure it is cool before filling the pastry. Dice the char siu small, don’t mince. You don’t want a mushy filling. You can use either yellow or white onions or shallots for the filling.
Use a handy dandy fork to crimp the sides. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
I’m Okay, It’s Okay (A Nod to the K-Drama)
Need these delightful pastries in a hurry or on short notice? Feel free to start with frozen, pre-made puff pastry or pie crust (won’t be quite as flaky) for the pastry. Finally, buy Char Siu, Chinese delis make fantastic bbq pork, a huge time saver. It’s okay!
Classic dim sum or tea house dish, bbq pork filling encased in a tender, buttery, flaky pastry.
Course Biscuits and scones, dim sum
Cuisine Asian, Asian-American
Keyword Bbq Pork Pastry, Char Siu Sou
Prep Time 45 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Chilling time for dough (min) 30 minutesminutes
Ingredients
Pastry
2cupsAll-Purpose Flour (8-1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached
1/2teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonsugar
1/2teaspoonbaking powder
1cupcold unsalted butter16 tablespoons
1/2cupcold sour cream
Char Siu Filling:
2tablespoonswater
1tablespoonsugar
1tablespoonhoisin sauce
1teaspoonoyster sauce
½teaspoonsoy sauce
1teaspoonhoney or agave syrup
½teaspoontoasted sesame oil
2teaspoonspeanut or vegetable oil
¼cupfinely chopped yellow onionor shallots
1teaspooncornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
4ounceschar siuChinese BBQ pork finely diced (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
To make the pastry:
Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter, working it in to make a coarse/crumbly mixture. Leave most of the butter in large, pea-sized pieces.
Add the sour cream, and stir until the mixture starts to come together in chunks. Turn it out onto a floured work surface, and bring it together with a few quick kneads.
Pat the dough into a rough log, and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle. Dust both sides of the dough with flour, and starting with a shorter end, fold it in three like a business letter.
Flip the dough over, give it a 90° turn on your work surface, and roll it again into an 8" x 10" rectangle. Fold it in three again.
Wrap the dough, and chill for at least 30 minutes before using.
Char Siu Filling:
In a small bowl, stir together the water, sugar, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and set aside.
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until translucent. Stir the flavoring sauce into the onion and heat for 30 seconds or until bubbly.
Give the cornstarch mixture a final stir and add to the skillet. Cook for 30 seconds longer, or until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the char siu and remove from the heat. Cool to room temperature.
To Assemble and Bake:
To assemble and bake: Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the prepared dough into approximately 14-inch square.
Using a ruler, trim off the uneven edges to make a 12-inch square, then cut the dough in thirds crosswise and quarters lengthwise to make 12 (3-by-4-inch) rectangles.
Place 1 tablespoon* of the char siu filling across the center of each square leaving about ½-inch border on either side for sealing. Overlap the dough over the filling (like enclosing a photo in a letter). Press down to seal in the filling on all sides. If the dough isn't sticking together easily you may dab the inside edges of the pastry with water before folding it closed.
Flip the pastry over so the seal is on the bottom, and use the tines of a fork to seal the short edges. Place on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough and filling, spacing pastries 1-inch apart on the baking sheet.
Brush the pastries with egg wash, then sprinkle them with sesame seeds. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool briefly on a wire rack. These are best served warm, but are good at room temperature.
Reheat in a toaster oven at 350 for approximately 5 minutes.
Notes
The pictured pastries are approximately 2 x 3 inches. Use a generous teaspoon of filling for this size.
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.
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.
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!
Yes, on the Mochi treat trail once again. Aside from being delicious, Mochi is pretty darn easy to make thanks to Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour. I have been playing around with recipes that find their roots in Hawaiian Butter Mochi. Sweet Rice flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and different liquids (milk, coconut milk, fruit nectars….) combined and baked into delightful bars or muffins. A bit cakey, a bit chewy yet forgiving, sweet but not cloyingly so, and maddingly addictive. The Butter Mochi Muffins is by far the most popular recipe on 3jamigos. But…
There Is A New Kid In Town
A recipe for Butter Mochi on No Recipes had me running to my kitchen. Whaddya know, these little gems are made in a microwave. Unlike baked Hawaiian Butter Mochi treats, this one is texturally similar to classic mochi found in Japanese Manju Shops. (Worth a visit! Shuei-Do in San Jose or Benkyodo in San Francisco). The riff of adding butter, sugar, and milk is genius. You end up with a soft, chewy, smooth, slightly sweet, buttery, insanely delicious treat.
Shortcuts: Momofuku, Microwave, and Mochiko
The microwave makes this a quick and easy treat. I’ve been playing around with cooking in the microwave ever since I bought a set of Cook Anyday Microwave cookware. Yes I know, I could have used the pyrex glass dish I have but…damn, that Dave Chang of Momofuku is really good at getting you to buy stuff, lol. And really, you can never have too many bowls. I listen to his podcastand its offshoot, Recipe Club. and I find myself laughing A LOT. A good thing during these crazy times.
Traditionally, Mochi starts with glutinous rice that is soaked, steamed, and laboriously POUNDED into a sticky mass that is used to form those cute little balls and squares you take for granted at the Manju Shop. Luckily, we can start with Mochiko or Sweet Rice Flour-no soaking or pounding. Just put everything in a bowl and stir. How easy is that? Along with the microwave, you will be cranking out batches of Butter Mochi in minutes.
Combine Mochiko flour and sugar in a large glass bowl (or microwavable bowl). Add one-third of the milk, stir to make a smooth paste, gradually add the rest of the milk, and stir well for a lump-free batter. Place bowl in the microwave and nuke for two and a half minutes. The mochi will look thicker and form some lumps. Remove the bowl and add the butter. Stir until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth again. The recipe calls for cultured butter which has a slight tang. I used Trader Joe’s French Cultured Butter. You could probably use European-style butter like Kerrygold Irish Butter. I also used salted butter which I think enhances the flavor.
Put it back in the microwave for another three and a half minutes. Carefully (it’s hot!) remove the bowl from the microwave and knead the dough with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula NOT your hands. This helps create that translucent, elastic texture.
If it doesn’t get that translucent look or isn’t very elastic, try microwaving it another minute. Transfer the Mochi into a small square pan lined with parchment. The recipe calls for a five-by-five-inch pan. Hmmm, not a size I have so I improvised. Place pan (box in my case) in the fridge to chill.
The final step is cutting the Butter Mochi. It will be really sticky. To keep the pieces from sticking dust with potato starch or cornstarch. Sorry folks, powdered sugar will not work as it will absorb moisture from the mochi and turn gummy. Serve. Mochi can be stored at room temperature for a day or in the fridge for longer. Bring to room temp before serving.
And one mor-chi tip
I made a second batch using coconut milk. For folks that are milk intolerant, this would work well. Win-win. Reduce the first microwave time to 2 minutes. It solidified a little quicker than the regular milk version which made stirring in the butter a little harder. You do lose a bit of the pure butter flavor but the coconut milk is a nice complement. Play around with the microwave times for your machine. For the second microwave session, I’d go 3 minutes first and check before zapping it further.
Butter Mochi made in the microwave! Soft, chewy, buttery, a hint of sweetness, this Japanese treat is easy to make and delicious!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Asian
Keyword brown butter, butter mochi, Dessert, mochiko, sweet rice flour
Prep Time 7 minutesminutes
Cook Time 7 minutesminutes
Ingredients
100gramsmochiko
90gramsgranulated sugar a little less than 1/2 cup
1cupwhole milk or coconut milk
3tablespoonsCultured Butter (45 grams)TJ's French Cultured Butter or Kerrygold Salted Irish Butter. I like the bit of salt.
Potato starch or cornstarch for dusting
Instructions
Line a 5-inch square pan with parchment paper. Use any small pan, 4x6 (lol, does anyone have a pan this size?)
Add the mochiko and sugar to a large microwave-safe bowl, and then add about 1/3 of the milk. Stir the mixture together until there are no lumps. Add the remaining milk and continue stirring until it is smooth.
Put the bowl, uncovered, in the microwave and set it to cook for 2:30. If you have a 600 watt microwave, use full power. Adjust accordingly.
Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir the mixture until it's mostly smooth.
Add the butter and stir until fully melted and incorporated.
Microwave uncovered for another 3:00-3:30. Get to know your microwave!
Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave. Use a silicone spatula to knead the mochi together. The mochi is very hot, do not get it on your hands as you stir. The mixture will get very sticky and turn a translucent yellowish-white color as you knead it. If this doesn't happen, microwave it for another minute or two.
Transfer it to the prepared parchment-lined pan and press the butter mochi into the corners and flatten off the top.
Chill the mochi in the refrigerator for a few hours to firm it up. Unmold the butter mochi and peel off the parchment paper. Use a sharp knife to cut it into approximately 1" squares and then dust each piece liberally with potato starch. Brush the excess starch off and serve.
Microwave Magic
