Tag: Quick and Easy

Sichuan-Style Cold Sesame Noodles

Posted on

This is one of the earliest recipes I learned to cook and more than fifteen years later, it still remains one of my favorites. This spicy, peanuty noodle salad is easy to make and is perfect for picnics or lunches on the go. It’s worth seeking out Sichuan peppercorns for this dish, as they add a unique, tingly spice that can’t be replicated.

Sichuan-style cold sesame noodles

Ingredients:

1 package (about 12 ounces) fresh Chinese egg noodles
4 teaspoons sesame oil
1 Persian cucumber, julienned
1/4 pound fresh mung bean sprouts
2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground, toasted Sichuan peppercorns

1. Cook noodles in a pot of boiling water according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Place noodles in a bowl and add two teaspoons of sesame oil and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

2. In the meantime, prepare the dressing: in another bowl, combine broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, remaining sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, sugar, and whisk until blended.

3. Add cucumber, mung bean sprouts, chicken, and dressing over noodles and mix well. Serve cold.

Korean Zucchini Pancake

Posted on

If you’ve been reading my blog for more than, say, five minutes, then you know I love Korean food. When my parents’ garden produced a giant bounty of zucchini last year, I turned to my favorite Korean food blog, maangchi.com, for inspiration. It was from there that I adapted a recipe for hobakjeon, or zucchini pancakes, served with a delicious dipping sauce. So easy and so delicious, these pancakes have become one of my favorite recipes ever since.

Korean zucchini pancake

Ingredients:

2 zucchini, julienned
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or more as needed)
1 tablespoon sesame oil (or more as needed)
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 chili pepper, sliced

1. Combine zucchini, flour, salt, and water in a bowl and mix well.

2. Heat the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat and place 1 cup of the batter in the pan, spreading evenly and thinly to make a large pancake. After two minutes, add 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil on the pan, along the edge of the pancake. Tilt and shake the pan so that the sesame oil spreads underneath the pancake. Cook another couple of minutes until the bottom turns light golden brown and crispy.

3. Carefully flip the pancake with a spatula and add another tablespoon of vegetable oil, if needed. Cook for another three to four minutes, until crispy. Transfer the pancake to a large serving plate and serve with dipping sauce.

4. To make the dipping sauce: In a small bowl mix the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and chili pepper. Serve alongside the warm pancake.

Nori-Crusted Sirloin with Shiitake Mushrooms

Posted on

I first made this dish several years ago, adapted from a recipe in the now defunct Gourmet Magazine. Since then, it’s become my most-requested meat entree, and even though it takes a some work to pull off, it’s worth it. Make sure to serve this with plenty of steamed rice to soak up the sauce.

Nori-crusted steak with shiitake mushrooms

Ingredients:

2 bunches green onions
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded
salt and pepper
1 pound sirloin steak
2 square sheets of nori seaweed, torn into small pieces
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small saucepan of boiling water, blanch the green onions for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set a rack on a baking sheet and arrange the shiitake mushroom caps on the rack, gill sides down. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

2. Season the steak with salt. In a food processor or spice grinder, coarsely grind the nori with the sesame seeds, red pepper and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Spread the nori mixture on a plate and dredge the steak in it.

3. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the steak and cook over high heat until the nori is toasted, about 4 minutes per side. Place the steak over the mushrooms and roast for about 15 minutes, until the meat is medium rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, quarter the mushroom caps. In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce with the mirin, lemon juice and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil.

5. Slice the steak 1/4 inch thick and arrange it on plates with the shiitake mushrooms and scallions. Drizzle the soy mixture over the steak and serve.

Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Posted on

Brace yourselves, Internet. I’ve found a cookie recipe so simple that even I, perennial great-chef-bad-baker, have managed to produce a chewy, perfect cookie. Ever since the Great Cornbread Disaster of 2007 where I tried my hand at “fluffy” cornbread only to produce cardboard-like tack, I’d doubted myself when it came to anything flour-based. These cookies gave me my groove back.

Oatmeal raisin cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Beat butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla, then flour mixture. Mix in oats, then raisins.

2. Using a tablespoon, scoop 1 tablespoon of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing each scoop about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool on a wire rack.

Maple-Bourbon Smash

Posted on

Part Canadian, part American, I came up with this drink when I was visiting Calgary. It’s the perfect cocktail to warm up with and as fall approaches, it’s time to break out the maple syrup and return to this citrusy recipe.

Maple-bourbon smash

Ingredients:

1/2 ounce pure maple syrup
1/2 ounce fresh orange juice
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 orange wheel
1/2 lemon wheel
2 ounces bourbon whiskey
Ice
1 1/2 ounces seltzer

1. In a glass, combine the maple syrup with the orange juice and lemon juice. Add the orange wheel and lemon wheel and lightly muddle. Add the bourbon and stir. Fill the glass with ice and top with the seltzer.