Tag: Year-Round

Shiitake Mushroom and Five-Spice Tofu Bun Noodle Bowls

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Vietnamese-style bun is the quintessential warm weather dish: fresh, light, and full of greens. There’s a lot of chopping involved to make this noodle bowl, but you can save yourself some time by chopping everything ahead of time and assembling the bowls at the last minute.

Ingredients:

For the quick pickles:
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1 3/4 cups peeled and shredded daikon
1 2/3 cups peeled and shredded carrots

For the mushrooms:
3 garlic cloves
2 serrano chiles
2 inches ginger root, peeled
2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed
3 teaspoons coconut sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
12 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and halved (or quartered if large)
7 ounces firm tofu, cubed
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
Salt
2 tablespoons avocado oil

For the noodle bowls:
8 ounces dried thin rice noodles
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cucumber, sliced
Handful each of mint and Thai basil leaves
1 small head lettuce, thinly sliced
3/4 cup roasted peanuts, crushed

1. Make the pickles: combine the sugar, salt, and vinegar with 1/2 cup water in a bowl, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the vegetables and set aside for 2 hours. Drain and serve, or chill them for up to 2 weeks.

2. Make the mushrooms: finely chop the garlic, chiles, ginger, and lemongrass in a mini food processor. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the sugar and fish sauce. Remove half of this mixture to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

3. To the original large bowl, add the mushrooms, tofu, and five-spice, gently mixing to coat. Leave for 20 minutes to 1 hour.

4. Meanwhile, add the rice vinegar and the juice of 1 lime to the small bowl of reserved sauce along with 1 tablespoon of warm water. Stir, taste, and adjust with more lime juice, salt, or sugar to taste. Cover and set aside.

5. Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions and drain under cold water. Blanch the bean sprouts in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain again.

6. Divide the bean sprouts, noodles, cucumber, herbs, lettuce, and pickles between 4 large serving bowls, and set aside.

7. Set a large frying pan over high heat and add the oil. Add the tofu and mushroom mixture (leaving the liquid behind the bowl). Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until well browned. Add the liquid and cook until liquid is reduced and mushrooms and tofu are glazed, about 2 or 3 minutes.

8. Divide the tofu and mushroom mixture between the serving bowls. Scatter with the crushed peanuts and serve with the dipping sauce alongside each bowl to add to noodles.

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.