Category: Cooking and Recipes

Classic Fried Rice

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I love fried rice in almost all its permutations: crab fried rice, kimchi fried rice, Thai fried rice, you get the pictures. Cold rice, hot pan, a handful of basics from the fridge somehow turning into something better than the sum of its parts. This classic version is fast, comforting, a little smoky around the edges, and exactly the kind of dinner that saves a weeknight without feeling like a compromise.

Ingredients:
  • 2 to 3 cups cooked white rice
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 4 ounces ground chicken
  • 2 ounces shrimp, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons minced ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 small onion, chopped
  • 1 small carrot, peeled and diced
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 3/4 cup frozen peas
  • Salt, to taste
  1. Combine the chicken, shrimp, white pepper, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, cornstarch, and baking soda in a bowl and mix vigorously with your fingers until the mixture feels slightly tacky, about 1 minute. Set aside. (Mixture can be made up to two days ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.)
  2. Heat a wok over high heat and add 2 tablespoons avocado oil and swirl to coat. Reduce the heat to medium and add eggs into the center of the wok and cook, lightly swirling the work, until the eggs are puffy, about 30 seconds. Using a spatula, carefully flip the eggs and cook for another 20 seconds, then transfer the eggs to a bowl and set aside.
  3. Return the empty wok to high heat and add one tablespoon oil, then add the chicken mixture and cook, stirring, until the meat is starting to cook through, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring, until lightly softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl with the eggs.
  4. Return the wok to high heat and add the rice and cook, stirring and tossing, until the rice is starting to turn pale brown and toasted, about 3 minutes. Add the green onions and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  5. Return the chicken mixture, vegetables, and egg to the wok, using the spatula to break up the egg into small pieces as you mix everything together. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peas, and toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Lasagna Soup

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Lasagna soup feels like the kind of thing that shouldn’t work, but absolutely does. It has all the comfort of a baked lasagna: the rich tomato broth, melted cheese, noodles soaking up flavor, but without the ceremony of layering and baking. Just one pot, a big spoon, and the kind of dinner that makes a spring California evening feel a little cozier.

Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 pound Italian sausage
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 jar marinara sauce
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup basil, chopped
  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and saute for one minute. Add beef, sausage, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Break up meat and cook until cooked through, about 7 minutes.
  2. Stir in marinara sauce. Add chicken broth and heavy cream and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, add the lasagna noodles and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, until melted. Garnish with basil and serve.

Sri Lankan Beef Patties

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These Sri Lankan beef patties are only nominally authentic, but they’re an ode to the beloved “short eats” or snacks that are ubiquitous throughout the island. Think fish cutlets, spicy rolls, and crispy vadai. These beef patties traditionally employ a more labor-intensive, handmade dough and are deep-fried, but I use buttery puff pastry and bake the patties here for results that are just as indulgent and aromatic. Serve these as an appetizer with chili sauce or even cooling yogurt and chutney.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 10 curry leaves
  • 3-inch piece of pandan leaf
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder or Madras curry powder
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 lime
  • 1 package puff pastry dough
  1. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Fry the onion until starting to brown, then add the curry leaves and pandan leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden brown. Add the ground beef, curry powder, and enough water to just cover the ingredients. Reduce the heat to a simmer and with the lid ajar, cook for about 20 minutes.
  2. Add the coconut milk and cook for 4 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and mix through a squeeze of lime juice. Set aside.
  3. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut out 4-inch squares with a pizza cutter. You should have about 12 to 16 squares. Spoon a tablespoon of the filling onto the center of each square and fold in half diagonally. Secure the border by pressing the tines of a fork alongside the edges.
  4. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes until golden, rotating the tray halfway.

Cumin Lamb

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I already have a cumin beef recipe on my blog, and it’s delicious. The problem is I love all iterations of the famous Xinjiang speciality and I can’t say no to any version, ever since I first tried it at Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant in San Francisco decades ago.

This version uses celery in place of bell peppers and lamb in place of the beef. Try both and see which version you prefer. (Spoiler alert: I can’t choose.)

Ingredients:

For the lamb:

  • 1 pound boneless lamb leg or shoulder, trimmed and sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the marinade:

  • 3 tablespoons cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
  • 12 small dried red Chinese chiles
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

For the stir-fry:

  • 4 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges or slices
  • 3 celery stalks, sliced lengthwise into thirds and crosswise into 2-inch pieces
  • salt
  • 1/4 bunch of cilantro, leaves and thin stems only
  1. Prepare the lamb: Place the lamb in a medium bowl, cover with cold water, and vigorously agitate it. Drain through a fine-mesh strainer set in the sink and press on the lamb with your hands to remove excess water. Return the lamb to the bowl, add the baking soda, and vigorously massage the baking soda into the meat, lifting the meat, throwing it down, and squeezing it for 30 seconds.
  2. Prepare the marinade: Heat the cumin seeds, peppercorns, and chiles in a skillet over medium-high heat, tossing until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle. Pick out the chiles and set them aside. Grind the cumin and peppercorns until roughly crushed but pieces still remain. Stir. in the soy sauce and scrape the mixture into the bowl with the lamb. Work the marinade into the meat for 30 seconds and set aside.
  3. Prepare the stir-fry: Heat a wok over high heat until lightly smoking. Add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring and tossing occasionally until lightly charred and tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
  4. Wipe out the wok and return it to high heat until lightly smoking. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil and swirl to coat. Add half the lamb and cook without moving for 1 minute. Continue cooking while stirring and tossing until lightly cooked but still pink in spots, about 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl with the onions and celery. Repeat with the remaining oil and lamb, adding the cooked lamb to the same bowl.
  5. Return the wok to high heat until lightly smoking. Add the chiles and immediately return the cooked lamb and vegetables. Cooking, stirring and tossing occasionally until the lamb develops a medium crust, about 2 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt, add the cilantro, and give it another toss to combine. Transfer to a platter and serve with rice.

Dashi Deviled Eggs

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I didn’t realize I love deviled eggs until I was almost thirty but man, have I made up for lost time. Red pepper and gouda deviled eggs? Check. Spanish deviled eggs? Check. These deviled eggs, adapted from The Wok and made with Japanese instant dashi and topped with ethereal katsuobushi, are my new favorite. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, you’ve done it again.

Ingredients:

  • 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon instant dashi granules
  • Salt
  • Thinly sliced green onions, to garnish
  • Shichimi togarashi, to garnish
  • Katsuobushi shavings, to garnish
  1. Cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Place the yolks in the bowl of a food processor and set the egg white halves aside on a serving platter. Add the vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, and instant dashi to the food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt to taste.
  2. Transfer the yolk mixture to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip (or a ziplock bag).
  3. Pipe a small dollop of filling into each egg white, distributing evenly. Top with green onions, shichimi togarashi, katsuobushi, and serve.