Spiced Beef Puffs

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I’d never had sujuk, or Palestinian-style spiced beef puffs, until I adapted this recipe from my Baladi cookbook. They reminded me of southern Iranian sambuseh, which, as the name suggests, taste a lot like Ethiopian and Eritrean sambusa and South Asian lamb samosas. Basically what I’m trying to say is (a) I love observing patterns of migration and travel through food and (b) meat encased in puff pastry is always delicious. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 sheet of store-bought puff pastry
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • Handful of sesame seeds, to sprinkle
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
  • 1 pound ground beef or lamb
  1. Combine paprika, coriander, cumin, red pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, garlic, onion, pomegranate molasses, and ground beef in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Lay the pastry flat so that you have one large rectangle, with the long side closest to you. Place some of the meat in a sausage shape along one long edge of the rectangle. Carefully roll the pastry over the sausage, just until the meat is covered. Brush the edge with egg to seal it, brush the top with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds, the cut the roll away from the rest of the pastry. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Continue filling, rolling, sealing, brushing, sprinkling, and cutting until you have used up all of the filling and pastry. You should have 3-4 long longs of pastry-covered meat. Place the logs in the fridge to firm up for 20 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 425F degrees. Remove the logs from the refrigerator and bake them for 25-35 minutes until the meat is cooked and the pastry is golden. Slice into 12-14 pieces and serve.

Garlic-Butter Grilled Shrimp

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There’s something about the roasted garlic, bottled Italian dressing (please don’t judge) and lime juice that turns this grilled shrimp into a sublime dish. Call it alchemy. Call it anything you want, just know that it’s absolutely delicious.

Hawaiian style garlic butter shrimp
Ingredients:

For the roasted garlic butter:

  • 1/2 cup avocado oil
  • 1/4 cup peeled garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup salted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the shrimp:

  • 1/2 cup bottled Italian dressing
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 pounds peeled tail-on large raw shrimp
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  1. Make the roasted garlic butter: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Place oil and garlic in a small baking pan, cover with aluminum foil. Roast garlic in oven until soft and light golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool 45 minutes. Remove garlic from oil; place garlic in small bowl. (Reserve garlic oil for another use.) Add butter to bowl with garlic and smash with a fork until smooth. Stir in salt. Let butter mixture stand until ready to use.
  2. Make the shrimp: While garlic cools, stir together Italian dressing, mayonnaise, lime juice, and salt. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  3. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high. Remove shrimp from marinade and discard marinade. Grill shrimp until cooked through, 2 minutes per side. Transfer shrimp to a large bowl and add roasted garlic butter, tossing until butter is melted and shrimp are coated. Sprinkle with green onions, parsley, and paprika; toss to combine. Transfer to a serving plate.

Korean-Style Mixed Rice with Raw Fish

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This is one of my favorite things I made this summer, hands down. Think poke bowl vibes but with the flavor amped up to 1000%. A spicy, garlicy sauce brings everything together, from the bracing perilla leaves to the crunchy tobiko. Don’t let the long ingredient list put you off — this is unequivocally worth it.

Korean style mixed rice with raw fish

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

  • 1/3 cup gochujang
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons minced peeled ginger

For the mixed rice:

  • 4 cups mixed salad greens
  • 2 green Korean chili peppers (or similar), chopped
  • 10-12 perilla (shiso) leaves, cut into thin strips
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
  • 2 cups peeled Persian or English cucumber matchsticks
  • 1 cup radish sprouts
  • 1 avocado, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 4 cups freshly cooked white rice
  • 1 1/2 pounds sushi grade fish, such as tuna, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
  • 1/2 cup flying fish roe (tobiko)
  • Toasted sesame seeds, for serving
  • 2 sheets nori, sliced into thin strips
  • Toasted sesame oil, for serving
  1. Make the sauce: combine all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
  2. Assemble the mixed rice: Arrange the greens, chili peppers, perilla leaves, onion, cucumber, sprouts, and avocado in the bottom of a large shallow bowl. Spoon the rice on top. Arrange the fish and roe on top of the rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and seaweed. Serve with the sauce and sesame oil on the side.

Noodles with Tofu, Cucumber, and Chili Crisp

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I know I’m basic but I cannot get enough of chili crisp. I slather it on everything these days — eggs, avocado toast, soup, and my favorite addition: noodles. Adapted from Bon Appetit, these ramen noodles have all of my favorite additions: crispy-chewy tofu and shiitakes, nutty tahini, lots of garlic, and a generous drizzle of chili crisp, ofc.

Saucy tofu noodles with cucumbers and chili crisp
Ingredients:
  • 1/4 soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dark sugar
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons black (Chinkiang) vinegar or balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chili crisp, plus more for serving
  • 4 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
  • 1 14-ounce block extra firm tofu, drained
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 4 teaspoons avocado oil, divided
  • 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 10 ounces fresh ramen noodles or similar
  1. Whisk soy sauce, brown sugar, tahini, sesame oil, black vinegar, 1 tablespoon chili crisp, and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
  2. Mix cucumbers, rice vinegar, and salt in a medium bowl to coat. Let sit, mixing once or twice, until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain and set pickled cucumbers aside.
  3. Wrap tofu in a clean thin kitchen towel or cheesecloth. Gather ends of towel together and squeeze with your hands over sink to extract as much liquid as possible. (It’s fine if the tofu breaks apart.)
  4. Crumble tofu into a medium bowl (it should look like ground meat with some larger pieces). Sprinkle with cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss with your hands to evenly coat tofu.
  5. Heat 2 teaspoons avocado oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Arrange tofu crumbles in a single layer in pan; reserve bowl. Cook tofu, undisturbed, until golden brown underneath, about 5 minutes. Toss and continue cooking, tossing occasionally, until tofu is golden brown and crisp all over, about 4 minutes more. Transfer tofu to reserved bowl.
  6. Add remaining 2 teaspoons avocado oil to same skillet and reduce heat to medium-high. Add mushrooms and shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned and shallot is translucent, about 5 minutes; season with salt. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Return tofu to pan and add reserved sauce; bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce is slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
  7. Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Drain and place in a large serving bowl. Ladle saucy tofu over noodles and top with reserved pickled cucumbers and more chili crisp.

Tofu and Corn Rice

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Have a rice cooker? This easy summer dish couldn’t possibly be easier. Adapted from Donabe, a little bit of quinoa adds extra nutrition to this sweet and savory side.

Tofu and corn rice
Ingredients:
  • 2 rice cups jasmine rice, rinsed
  • 1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 3/4 cups water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sake
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 7 ounces firm tofu, drained and pressed
  • Kernels from 1 ear of corn
  • 1/2 cup rehydrated wood ear mushrooms, sliced into small pieces
  1. Place the rice, quinoa, and water in a rice cooker and cook according to rice cooker instructions.
  2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: in a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sake, chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper, and set aside.
  3. Heat the sesame oil in a saute pan and saute the garlic for 1 minute over medium heat. Crumble the tofu into small pieces and add to the pan. Stir, continuing to break up the tofu with a wooden spoon and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the tofu is lightly browned. Add the corn and wood ear mushrooms and saute for 3 more minutes, until cooked through.
  4. Add the sauce to the pan and turn the heat to medium-high. Saute until the liquid is almost absorbed, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
  5. Once the rice has finished cooking, uncover and gently fold in the corn and tofu mixture. Serve warm.