Zha Jiang Mian

During my trail (work at a restaurant to see how it runs) at Annisa, Danny the sous chef made Zha Jiang Mian for family meal. I've never had zha jiang mian before and so I was inspired by him to make it at home!

I already had ground pork, carrots, cucumber and shanghai flour noodles in my fridge..all I was lacking was the main ingredient!! sweet fermented bean paste. I went to chinatown early this morning to gather pandan leaves for the family meal I'll be making tomorrow! I'm kinda nervous but I know I just have to deliver.

Anyways..its actually relatively easy to make this dish..and trust me.. it takes as fast as preparing indomie.. and the best thing about it is ..they're all fresh ingredients! As I waited for the water to boil, I sauteed garlic and asian shallots in a pan..once fragrant add in the ground pork and get it nice and brown. Add in the bean paste, a splash of water, a little sugar, and sesame oil. I let it simmer for about 7 minutes just so the meat can absorb all the wonderful flavors. By this time my water has boiled and my noodles took about 4 minutes to hit the al dente stage..I poured it into a colander, ran some cold running water to stop the cooking, and then seasoned it with sesame oil so it won't stick! I julienned the carrots and cucumbers, just throw out the cucumber seeds because it holds too much water. I don't know about you but sometimes I really dislike the canny taste of fresh raw carrots.. So I blanched them in hot oil for about 1 minute. The carrots and cucumber really add a lovely texture to the dish and also an added sweetness.

Now, all the components are complete! Just plate it up nicely and dig in with your chopsticks!

Lady M...who?

I think I really just outdid myself...I don't How I can possibly top anything off after what I have just made....like seeriously...

Can you guess from the title what it can possibly beee?? .....Here are a couple hints for those who...don't have much of a sweet tooth.. The boutique is in NYC... somewhere on Madison (upper east side...) ..a lot of Asians (especially greedy indo girls must go there at least once every visit..hahha....yes..like myself) ....Okay.. I think I just gave the answer....

I can't really tell you why I decided to make this but everything that I make just magically ponders into my mind at any place and at any time...I guess I decided when I was at whole foods a couple hours earlier as I was buying my thanksgiving ingredients.. I was at the dairy and eggs section and thought..hrmm I want a crepe..Nonono.. I want a Mille Crepe.. which is just a vanilla cream layered upon layers of thin crepes..and to top it off.. a brulee top....nomnomnom

Please...beware, the photos that you are about to feast your eyes on may cause: anxiety, depression, hunger, major cravings, and possibly got you famished.

ohh..so beautiful...

i used a vanilla pod (see the vanila seeds) very important!
exceptional ingredients = a great product all the time

a little messy..yes..but who's watching anyway?

...it was delicious

Boon Tong Kee got Nothing on Me

Move aside Five Star..Wee Nam Kee, Boon Tong Kee, Sin Swee Kee, Tian Tian... and so many more of you Hainanese chicken rice institutions...because mine can possibly be in the running.

I have been assigned to do family meal every tuesday at the restaurant..this means a HUMONGOUS responsibility to feed 17 people (including the boss) and making sure I don't poison them and trust me..you don't wanna disappoint. If you think that a classroom full of kids are hungry during lunchtime!? Boy...you haven't seen nothing yet.. let me tell you..the staff at the restaurant are like wild voracious water buffalo's, even before 4:30 (our dinner time) they have set the table, laid the plates but instead of sitting quietly like a church choir they walk in and out of the kitchen clearly trying to make a statement. This coming Tuesday will be my very first family meal experience and what better than to make them chicken rice?! ...they don't know how lucky they are...Oh by the way we have an aeshian kitchin (asian kitchen) exec chef and owner is Malaysian Chinese, the sous chefs are both taiwanese, theres an American born Hongky on garde manger, theres me, and a korean intern...

Anyway... (I needed to refresh my memory and brush up before the big day..) So It's clear that I haven't had the pleasure of eating chicken rice here in New York.. I did hear that a restaurant called Penang in ctown makes it but..why go there when I can make it on my own!? And so I went on yet another adventure to the back alleys of canal streets chinatown. The main ingredients are of course pandan leaves, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, cilantro, rice and a chicken! It is really very simple guys but it is the technique that makes the whole dish. I have made chicken rice ..or at least attempted to do so in the past however this time around the rice was perfectly al dente, well seasoned and the chicken was Oh my god...tender and succulent. unbelievable...

plump and juicy

see? the rice isn't mushy..ohh i am so proud

think it's comparable to the big names?? I think so!!

OMG! Pop Rocks Lollipops...with Nutella

For my culinary graduation I wanted to go big...I wanted people to remember a night they can't forget, unless they wanted to.. i kind of wanted to (but we're not going there) anyway......

So!...how does one manage to do that?! oh..well..that's easy..

Numero uno.. Make homemade nutella.. Why? because I don't like the plasticky processed kinds you can find in your neighborhood duane and reade..yuck.

Numero dos... Add freshly made nutella to chocolate...ohh yeah. Sinful isnt it? But all the better

If 1 and 2 arn't like awesome together already I just had to go the extra mile and add something else.. something to really make it POP...literally.

Numero tres... Add pop rocks to nutella chocolate mixture... (i am salivating as i write this)
(as you can see..my spanish is improving as I attempt to speak with the ecuadorian workers at the restaurant)..they laugh at me ):

(on my grad night)....I watched with glee as people started coming towards the desert table.. I actually stood there hoping they would take my lollipops..and if they didn't I stepped in and told them that they better take one!! I was nice..I promise... I told them that they weren't "normal" lollipops.. they were extra extra special..I think they took it hesitantly and skillfully disappeared out of my sight. Sigh..they probably thought I was a little loco, but hey everybody is..right?.. It paid off alright..and next thing you know they were tapping on my shoulder with big eyes and irritable excitedness to tell me how unbelievably awesome they were.. Ohh yeah..

At first glance they seem like innocent chocolate disks on a stick.. then you take the first bite...its hazelnutty..chocoaltey then its PoPPPpPOPpPOpPpOp.... mmmm

I'm gonna let the lollipops speak for themselves...but boy
i really am sorry you can't just grab it off the screen...

Gingery Fizzy Gooodness: homemade ginger ale!

As much as I love my diet coke...ginger ale is some pretty good stuff. C'mon...you gotta like it too!? well you know what..oh nevermind. Anyways! I was surfing through the many many food sites and came across a few brewy pages....brew like beer making, wine making etcetera.. I was obviously intrigued by the many homekits that have been created for your pleasure of brewing at home! I didnt buy any homekits if that's what your thinking..but I did do something similar.

During my semester at culinary school I took up a management class as well. One of my colleagues in class just so happened to be a beer brewer! He actually created Sixpoint beer here in NY...according to him it was born in his little apartment (Obviously many many years ago). It was pretty awesome to hear his passion with beer but gosh, hearing him talk about it every week?!! Oh no..no.. noo.. The rest of us are like.. Oh no, here Andrew goes again.. Anyway, I must admit..from all the talk I did pick up a few tips and am grateful for it..Thanks Andrew!!

Thus I have created my own ginger ale! It's very simple actually...all you need is ginger, lemon, sugar, yeast, and water! Oh and a 2 liter plastic bottle. Just mix everything together, let it sit in the bottle for about 2 days in a warm area..then once the bottle has slightly expanded and is hard to squeeze put it in the fridge! Once cooled, just drink up! I am serious guys.. homemade ginger ale is so much better than like the commercial kind..now I think I'll stick to diet coke when I go out.. until I try and make coke that is...but I dont think that'll happen..no..

see the fizz??

mm gingery and zesty

Try it out!! You'll be surprised how good and how simple it really is (:

DIY: Kaya ...Oh yes I did..

Oh my god!! STOP what you're doing! Even if you're out shopping at Barneys or lying naked with your significant other.. You should..nono..you Need to make Kaya now!

Super decadent, extremely rich, creamy and custardy...it beats all jams ever made...hands down! Just one whiff and it's like foreplay before the whole 4 minutes is over. And since it is this good, I am going to share it with you. Is that a woohoo! i hear? yea okay..

First of all, dedicate at least 2 hours to make this good, and make it right. If you were lazy and skipped the gym today...it's okay! making this will burn off more than you would sweating it out. All the arm work whisking will do the job. OK! les get down to bizzness.

ingredients:
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups of sugar
a few pinches of salt
a can of coconut milk
3-4 pandan (screwpine) leaves

start with a bain marie...

nice and ribbony (yolks and sugar) = GOOD

this is what Makes the kaya Pandan Leaves!!!
they smell so goooood

pandan (check), coconut milk (check) pinch of salt (check)
Whisk whisk whisk!!!!

ohh so beautiful

The procedure is simple, just keep on whisking. You can rest for 5 minute intervals and make sure the water is always at a simmer for the first hour or so.. then once most of the sugar has dissolved slowly bring the heat up. Don't stop whisking at this point! You don't want the egg to curdle on you! The finished kaya should be silky smooth and ribbony.

Spread it over toasted bread...dip your finger in it (no double dipping allowed) Just be glad you made this because I did...

Mini Rosewater Macarons

The macarons that we consume today are pretty large...why don't they make little petite ones? I had leftover egg whites in the fridge so I decided to put them to good use. On my way home after the greenmarket I passed by Fishs Eddy (a plateware, dinnerware etc store) they have a lot of nifty stuff and they're pretty cool in general...lots of colors and variety. I picked up a few oak slabs for plating and other odd shaped bowls to add to my collection. After spending too much time at Fishs Eddy I passed by my local baking store, it's like a sur la table on steroids but just filled with all your baking needs instead! I picked up a few different essences for my macarons such as, orange blossom, rose water, almond etc..

Rose water is so delicately fragrant, its very elegant and smells so sweet. Hope you like em!

eenie meenie minee moe....

....i really did mean petite

Nostalgia: Sop Buntut (Oxtail Soup)

For all the indonesian kids out there who grew up eating sop buntut...tell me...isn't it soo damn good!? I can remember fondly the number of times I would request sop buntut when my mba (housekeeper) would ask what I'd like for dinner. I think she came to a realization where asking wasn't even necessary anymore. It was sop buntut, emping, and a steaming bowl of jasmine rice...Mmmm. So what's a girl gotta do to get what she's craving for? Well, I just have to make it myself.

I learned how make sop buntut when I was 11. The ingredients are easy to find and its a soup...all you have to do is pretty much throw everything into the pot and let it do its magic. You need oxtails, nutmeg, cloves, garlic, mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery) ginger, peppercorns, salt and a little sugar. I let everything simmer for 3-4 hours on very low heat. A little trick I picked up from my mom is to put chinese ceramic spoons (the more the better) into the pot too! Ceramic absorbs a lot of heat and so it'll bring up the temperature in the pot even faster thus cooking it faster and making the meat a lot more tender.

This is my version of sop buntut...I jazzed it up a little with celery leaves and drops of extra virgin olive oil. I bet my mba would be proud (:

all its missing is emping (belinjo nut cracker)

Greenmarket: How I love thee

So it's pretty clear that I do have a lot of free time and the best way to occupy this precious time is heading over to Union Squares Greenmarket! They are there on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Saturdays have the largest turnout since its the weekend and there's just an abundance of fresh and local produce as well as baked goods, ostrich and emu eggs, an assortment of meats and a bunch of other things. Trust me...you will not leave empty handed! So be ready with lots of moolah as they take cash only but I've seen some transactions go on but I think those are for the more $$$ items.
Anywhoo, I decided to head over to the market after lunch with a friend earlier today. I didn't think I was going to buy anything but I couldn't help buying just a few things.

Here are just the few that I couldn't bare to leave without...

romanesco cauliflower

aren't they amazing or what? Just treat them like you
would a normal cauliflower or brocolli, you can eat them
raw too...its quite sweet.

pretty awesome carrots i must say...i just love
these heirloom varieties. Did you know red carrots are
red because they were grown in soil that red beets were grown in?

I'm still deciding what to do with the romanesco cauliflowers but as for the carrots...I think i'll be sous vide-ing them. I'll let you know how it turns out!

DIY: Everything you need to know about UNI ✹

I bow to the high heavens to whoever was the first brave soul to devour the prickly creature...that person must've been pretty hungry. Sea urchins are dioecious, having separate male and female sexes...so interesting...anyway...I've always had a spot for uni in my belly, and it's been a while since I had the taste of sweet, creamy, and briny guts on my tastebuds.

I went on a search to buy my own live urchins online. I found two places that have them one was far in greenwich village and the other was at the Chelsea Market. I ended up at Eataly which is just across the street from where I live, well...isn't that just darned convenient? I didn't even knew they had them till I decided to give 'em a call beforehand and sure enough they did. As I walked into the doors of Eataly I saw an orange haired, robust man wearing orange crocs...wait a minute... It's Mario Batali!!! He was with his son grabbing a few things, I wonder what it's like for him to grab things and go, it's like his own personal walk-in fridge.

I have compiled for you a "How To" for Uni virgins who wish to attempt creating dishes too beautiful to eat. This is the ultimate food porn guys...but beware there are some disturbing images, ...not for the squeamish.

first you start with one or two uni's....

get a pair of kitchen shears and begin cutting through the topside

the uni's mouth (the white thing) has now been detached!

see the roe?? (the golden eggs) the black stuff are
innards and such

i used chopsticks to carefully remove everything out in one piece
just wash off the black goop under light running water

nice and clean!

i knew that these two single uni's wouldn't yield much roe
so i went and bought a pack of fresh uni roe

The uni is sitting on top of some kosher salt (just so it wont move around)
I filled the uni with konbu (dried seaweed which I softened in water)
the leaf that you see sticking out is actually a pandan leaf which i conveniently
had in my fridge (: the fronds that is next to the pandan is a sweet pea tendril. I was
lacking another color to contrast the uni and gratefully I had some leftover pickled
cucumbers and radishes which I made a few days ago.

So...there you go guys. Oh and all in all, I spent about 24 bucks for this whole dish. Surprisingly the live uni's were only about 2 bucks each, the pack of uni I bought was 19ish dollars. Now I don't need to go to Sushi of Gari to have this anymore!

a simple single temptation: homemade nutella macarons

However you make it whether it be the french or italian method...or any other method for that matter they all turn out dee-lish. It takes 4 ingredients, yes...4 ingredients. Almond meal, icing sugar, caster sugar and egg whites. I happened to have hazelnuts and decided to make my own nutella because its just better than a plain chocolate ganache.

You can make nutella with your eyes closed...serious! Toast the nuts until they are hot and toasty, run them in a robocoop until it is as smooth as silk. Meanwhile melt dark and milk chocolate in a bain marie and add it to the robocoop with the hazelnuts. Blend until smooth. Add a pinch of salt, a dash of sugar and there you go...your very own nutella.

These macarons were fun to make, even better to eat! Sprinkle a little fleur de sel to give the macarons a little sweet salty edge.

straight out of the oven

little d trying to woo me with his "puppy eyes"

fleur de sel, nutella macarons

Sundays with J: Yum-O

This is how I'll be spending my sundays, hopefully from now on. My childhood friend J has always enjoyed food though he complains about the frustration of chewing....what?? Whatever it is that J is trying to whine about he doesn't mind the process of cooking exceptional food.

I went to wholefoods yesterday and as soon I stepped in it felt like home. I love everything about this place, it's so beautiful...I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to grocery stores and this place is like the mecca of it all. So I let my eyes do the wandering and then it came...the inspiration. I laid my eyes on some seedless cucumbers, loose golden beets, a bunch of radishes, a head of red cabbage and a whole heck of a lot more. I knew as I walked in I wanted to make pasta for lunch, so I grabbed 4 different types of mushrooms; enoki, oyster, cremini, and button. Since J wanted to learn a few techniques in the kitchen I decided to throw in a few extra additions of poached eggs, watercress salad and a 3 potato roast. Quick, simple, and doable.

j rummaging through the bounty of shrooms

pan roasted garlicky potatoes

sweet italian sausage, wild mushroom rigatoni, poached egg and parmesan

pickled cucumber, radish and watercress salad

...mmm... ..J did an outstanding job