Stirfry Noodles

It has been so hot lately and cooking for long periods of time has become almost unbearable! Here is a dish that is super quick to make so you can get out of that hot kitchen. My good friend YC created it right before my eyes all in the time that we were having a chat and a cup of tea.

I stopped by my friend's house not too long ago unexpectedly because I was in the area. I just popped in for a quick chat and did not plan on staying long as I needed to get home to make dinner for my Husband. While we were sitting in her kitchen sharing a cup of tea, she received a phone call from her boyfriend, saying that he was going to be coming over very shortly for dinner. She was not expecting to make him dinner that night, but she did not seem to fret. She simply pulled out a pack of yaki soba noodles, some lean pork, and some veggies. She kept chatting with me and before I knew it, she had this delicious dinner all ready to go. It was so quick and simple, I hardly even knew she was making a meal.

 Instructions:
1. Prepare these noodles per the instructions on the packaging.
2. In a separate wok or pan, heat up some oil and garlic.
3. Add in the meat. Pork or chicken goes nicely.
4. Add in whatever veggies you like.
5. Add in the cooked noodles and mix everything together.
6. Add in a little soy sauce.
**I toss out the included seasoning packet.

Summer! - Part 2

As the weather cools down and we approach October, I thought that summer was coming to a close here in LA. This summer has actually been pretty mild compared to the last few summers that had us in the 90s way into November. I love summers in LA and I was beginning to feel a little sad that it was coming to an end. However, this weekend, the temps were close to 100 degrees and with a little relief, I welcomed summer back! Here are a few pictures of my summer thus far. As you can see we had a lot of BBQs and pool time!

 

 

 

Birthday/Chuseok Extravaganza!

 Today was Chuseok, which is the Korean version of Thanksgiving. It is held every year around the Autumn Equinox and it is also known as the Harvest Festival or Moon Festival. Traditionally, it is a time where you give thanks, pay respects to your ancestors and feast on a big dinner or traditional foods. My family is not that traditional, but we will take any opportunity to get together and eat!

This year Chuseok happened to land on my dad's birthday. My parents have been traveling a lot lately, and tomorrow they are off again to visit my sister out of town, so I told them not to worry about anything and that I would host my dad's birthday dinner this year. I am proud to say that I made everything from scratch all by myself! Yay me!

For tonight's menu, I wanted it to be mainly a birthday dinner with just hints of Chuseok. So of course we had miyuk guk (seaweed soup) which is a traditional Korean birthday dish. Someone must make it for you on your birthday. I also made him spicy chicken wings, because he LOVES wings. I made kalbi jeem (braised short ribs) which I generally think of as a celebratory/special occasion dish. I also made a bunch of different little banchan (Korean side dishes).

For dessert, we had a strawberry chiffon cake and an assortment of macarons. And to add a Chuseok flavor, I included the "harvest" aka the fruit and dduk (rice cakes).

I would love to include more description, but I am exhausted and have a mountain of dishes waiting for me. So here are some pictures instead!

Happy Harvest and more importantly Happy Birthday Daddy!

Eggplant - Pasta Alla Norma

My Mother brought over a bunch of little organic eggplants and I was excited to cook with them. I have to admit (rather sheepishly) that I actually am not that crazy about eggplant. The reason I'm a little embarrassed to admit this is because I feel like eggplant is one of those things that all girls like. AND unfortunately, I do not. Same goes for artichoke. Everyone oohs and ahhs about artichoke, but not this gal. I sorta also feel this way about dark chocolate (gasp!). Nevertheless, I wanted to experiment and make something that I would begin to like. I asked Joanne, my favorite food blogger, for eggplant suggestions and she quickly replied that this pasta dish was one of her favorites. It sounded amazing and it did not disappoint. This dish will become a regular in my home for sure!

 Pasta Alla Norma
(by Joanne from Week of Menus)
Ingredients
2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 medium onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce (homemade or use 24 to 26 ounce bottled sauce)
1 pound dried rigatoni or penne pasta
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions
Toss eggplant with 2 teaspoon salt in a colander. Drain 30 minutes. Rinse, then squeeze out excess liquid and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry eggplant in 3 batches, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Spinkle and toss warm eggplant with dried oregano.

Discard all but 2 tablespoons oil from skillet, then sauté onion with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper until golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in sauce and eggplant and simmer 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook rigatoni in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 6 quart water) until al dente, then drain. (basically cook pasta for 1 minute less than you would normally in order that it doesn't turn into total mush during baking.)

Stir together pasta, sauce, and half of mozzarella in pot.

Transfer to a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and golden in spots, about 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

**I wish I used more mozzarella or maybe even burrata next time!

Chinese Stir-Fry with Fish Fillets

The Husband and I were recently in Toronto to visit with his family. While we were there we had so much good homemade Chinese food and also some really good restaurant Chinese food. I often feel bad to my Husband, because we often eat Korean food because my family is here with us in LA and that is what I usually cook. Don't get me wrong, he loves Korean food, but I know he misses some of his favorite Chinese dishes. Although LA is so diverse, we are definitely lacking in good Cantonese food in the city. Of course we could drive out to Alhambra, but we usually don't because it is out of the way.

Now that we are back, I have decided to make more of an effort to make the dishes that he finds most comfort in. I made a basic fish fillet with broccoli and I have to say, although the picture above is not very pretty, it was really spot on in taste! I've been trying to achieve that saucy Chinese flavor for a long time, and it was actually really simple all along! Next time, I'll be trying the same recipe with different seafood and more veggies.

Stir Fry Fish Fillets (adapted by Rhonda Parkinson)
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless fish fillets

Marinade:
1 tablespoon rice wine, dry sherry or white wine
a few drops sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg white
1 - 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Other:
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 slices ginger, shredded
1/2 red onion, sliced
Sauce:
1/2 cup fish stock, chicken broth, or water
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed in 1 tablespoon water
Other:
Other vegetables as desired (celery, bean sprouts, snow peas, mushrooms or bok choy)
2 teaspoons ground coriander, or as desired

Directions:
1. Cut fish into pieces approximately 1 1/2 inches by 1/2 inch (be sure the pieces aren't too small). Add the marinade ingredients, adding each ingredient separately and the cornstarch last. Mix well and let the fish marinate for 10 minutes.

2. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the first 3 sauce ingredients and set aside. In a second bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and set aside.

3. Heat the wok. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the heated wok. Add the fish fillets and sear until lightly browned. Remove the fish from the wok.

4. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the wok. Add the garlic, ginger, and onion and cook until the onion is lightly browned. Add the remaining vegetables and stir-fry. Add the sauce, heat to bubbling, and add the cornstarch and water, stirring quickly to thicken. Add the fish back into the wok. Mix everything through. Sprinkle the cooked fish and vegetables with the ground coriander before serving.