Classic Spring Rolls

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These are my OG, been-making-them-since-I-was-thirteen, classic spring rolls. Adapted from the legend himself (Martin Yan, obv), this is the spring roll recipe I still find myself going back to. They’re a bit of work but oh-so-worth it. I recommend Menlo brand spring roll wrappers for the crunchiest exterior.

Classic spring rolls
Ingredients:

Filling:

  • 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 4 ounces dried bean thread noodles
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
  • 3 green onions, sliced
  • 3/4 pound boneless chicken

Marinade:

  • 2 tablespoons chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 20 spring roll wrappers
  • Avocado oil for shallow-frying
  1. Soak mushrooms in warm water to cover until softened, about 15 minutes; drain. Trim stems and thinly slice caps. Soak bean threads in warm water to cover until softened, about 15 minutes; drain. Cut bean thread noodles into 4-inch lengths. Combine mushrooms and bean thread noodles in a large bowl and add remaining filling ingredients; mix well.
  2. Cut chicken into thin slices, about 2 inches long. Combine marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add chicken and stir to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.
  3. Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon oil, swirling to coat sides. Add chicken and stir-fry for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the chicken mixture and add to the bowl with the filling and mix.
  4. To make each spring roll, place a wrapper on work surface with one side facing you. Place 3 tablespoons filling in a band along base of wrapper. Fold bottom over filling, then fold in left and right sides. Tightly roll up to completely enclose filling.
  5. Heat oil (enough to be 1-inch deep) in a wok or frying pan to medium-high. Shallow-fry spring rolls, a few at a time, and cook, turning carefully occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Hawaiian Butter Mochi

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I’ve been making this Hawaiian butter mochi since I was a teenager. Adapted from a decades-old recipe from the now-defunct (endless sob) Gourmet Magazine, it’s the best (and easiset) butter mochi I’ve had to this day. Go ahead, try it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups (1 pound) mochiko (sweet rice flour)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 (14 oz) cans coconut milk
  • 5 eggs
  • 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350F degrees.
  2. Whisk together mochiko, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together coconut milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla in another bowl. Add coconut mixture to flour mixture, whisking until batter is combined.
  3. Pour batter into an ungreased 13- by 9-inch baking pan, smoothing top, and bake until top is golden and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan, about 1 1/2 hours. Cook cake completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours. Cut mochi into 24 squares before serving.

Curried Egg Tartines

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It may seem like endless winter in California this year, but technically, spring is finally here. Here’s the perfect dish, adapted from Bon Appetit — toasted sourdough, creamy curried eggs, and crisp radishes — to celebrate our hypothetical spring. Enjoy your twentieth atmospheric river of the season! 

Ingredients:

8 eggs
3 radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
1 cup coarsely chopped tender herbs (such as parsley and/or chives)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon
3 green onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 thick slices sourdough bread
1 1/2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1/2 cup Kewpie mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Maldon sea salt
Aleppo-style pepper

1. Using a slotted spoon, lower eggs into a large saucepan of gently boiling water. Cook, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a gentle boil, 9 minutes. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and let cool, about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place radishes, herbs, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add lemon juice and toss to combine; set herb salad aside.

3. Separate dark green tops from green onions and thinly slice; set aside. Thinly slice remaining white and pale green parts; set aside separately.

4. Gently peel eggs and coarsely chop (keep pieces large). Toast slices of bread until golden.

5. Heat oil in a small skillet and cook curry powder and reserved green onion white and pale green parts, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer green onions to a large bowl, add mayonnaise, mustard, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and mix to combine. Add eggs and reserved green onion tops and gently fold to envelop eggs in dressing. (This egg salad can be made a day ahead of time.)

6. To serve, top toasted bread with egg salad and herb salad. Sprinkle with sea salt and Aleppo-style pepper.

Dry-Fried Shrimp and Green Beans

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This classic shrimp and green bean stir-fry has a surprise ingredient: pickled ginger. Tossed with a healthy dose of garlic and fish sauce and served with rice, it’s hard to stop eating this easy entree.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound peeled and deveined raw large shrimp, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
12 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces  
1/4 teaspoon salt  
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions  
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce  
1 1/2 tablespoons yellow pickled ginger, minced
3/4 teaspoon sugar

1. Heat a wok over high and add 1 tablespoon oil. Add beans, and sprinkle with salt; reduce heat to medium so that beans are barely sizzling. Cook, making quick scooping motions with a spatula, constantly stir-frying the beans until they just begin to blister and brown in spots and are almost tender, 3 to 6 minutes. Transfer beans to a plate.

2. Increase heat under wok to high, and swirl in remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add garlic; cook, stir-frying constantly, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add chopped shrimp, and break up any clumps using a spatula; cook, stir-frying constantly, until shrimp are just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Return beans to wok, and add green onions, fish sauce, pickled ginger, and sugar; cook, stir-frying constantly, about 1 minute.

Turkey Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Burritos

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Everyone needs a solid breakfast burrito recipe. This one has it all: hearty black beans, creamy avocado, savory turkey chorizo, and a generous dollop of salsa to cut through it all.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
4 ounces fresh turkey or chicken chorizo
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion, plus more for serving
1 cup drained and rinsed canned black beans
2 teaspoons finely chopped unseeded jalapeno, plus thin jalapeno slices, for serving
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus cilantro leaves, for serving
Salt
Pepper
6 eggs
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups), divided
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 avocado, cut into 8 wedges
Tomatillo salsa

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add chorizo; cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until fat has rendered, about 2 minutes. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until chorizo is cooked, about 5 minutes. Stir in beans, jalapeño, and cilantro; remove from heat. Transfer mixture to a bowl; season with salt and black pepper to taste. Wipe skillet clean.

2. Whisk together eggs and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until combined. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add eggs; cook, gently stirring with a rubber spatula, until just scrambled, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer eggs to a bowl; cover with foil to keep warm. Wipe skillet clean.

3. Off heat, sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese in a 7-inch circle in skillet. Heat over medium until cheese is sizzling and almost completely melted, 30 seconds to 1 minute and 30 seconds. Heat skillet to medium-high and place 1 tortilla in skillet. Carefully sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese on tortilla. Once cheese begins to melt (about 1 minute, spread tortilla with one-fourth each of chorizo mixture, eggs, and avocado. Slide onto a plate. Let cool 1 minute; roll up burrito, leaving ends open. Wipe skillet clean. Repeat 3 times with remaining tortillas, and fillings. Cut burritos in half; serve with onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and salsa.