Tag: Year-Round

Yuzu Kosho Pesto Rice

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This is a simple dish, but it’s much greater than the sum of its parts. I love anything with pesto, but would have never thought to add spicy, citrusy yuzu kosho to it. Adapted from Donabe, I usually serve this with good-quality tinned sardines.

Yuzu kosho pesto rice

Ingredients:

  • 2 rice cups (1 1/2 cups) short-grain white rice, rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 cups basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon yuzu kosho
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  1. Cook the rice in a rice cooker according to directions.
  2. Meanwhile, make the pesto: in a small saucepan, toast the pine nuts over medium-low heat, stirring and watching carefully until pine nuts are lightly golden, about five minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. In a food processor, combine 1 tablespoon of the pine nuts with the garlic, basil, olive oil, yuzu kosho, soy sauce, and lemon juice.
  3. Once the rice has finished cooking, uncover and add the pesto, the remaining pine nuts, and the Parmesan cheese. Gently mix to combine and serve.

Herbed Shrimp Skewers

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These lightly breaded herby shrimp are so versatile. Want an easy appetizer? Check. A main dish for a vaguely Mediterranean dinner? You got it. These broil fast, so pay attention.

Herbed shrimp skewers
Ingredients:
  • 2 pounds shrimp, peeled
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  1. Put the olive and avocado oils in a large bowl and add the shrimp, mixing them to coat. Add the bread crumbs, garlic, and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Toss the shrimp to give them an even coating of bread crumbs. Cover and let marinate for at least one hour.
  2. Thread the shrimp onto skewers, curling them as you do so that the tail is skewered in the middle. Arrange the skewered shrimp on a baking sheet fitted with a grill.
  3. Preheat the broiler. Place the baking sheet with the shrimp about six inches from the broiler and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until shrimp are cooked through.

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.

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.