Tag Archives: asian

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

October 15, 2016

Posted under

Fish, Recipes

Comments

Leave a comment

Poke Bowl

_dsc8361

Hi everyone! Seriously, long time no talk/update, but that is most definitely on me. I keep meaning to update this thing or post something, and every time I thought about it, something came up, or I forgot, or I’m not sure really. Well as life update, I moved back to the Bay area for work and started about a month ago. It’s been crazy readjusting to life here and to the prices of everything…. But one thing I noticed was that there were TON of poke bowl places…basically Chipotle for us Asian people. So, I saw that ahi tuna was on sale at the market and decided to try and make a bowl for myself. Most of these ingredients are completely optional and you can make it however you want. It ended up being a really filling and refreshing/somewhat light meal.

Ingredients:

  • Ahi tuna, cut into small cubes
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • green onion, finely chopped
  • Brown rice
  • Cilantro
  • Radishes, sliced
  • Cucumber, sliced
  • Avocado, sliced
  • Lettuce (I used spring mix)
  • Nori, cut into strips
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp chili paste (to taste)

_dsc8355

Directions:

  • Mix tuna, onion, green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili paste in a bowl and let sit in the refrigerator for ~1 hour
  • In a large bowl, arrange the brown rice, radishes, cucumbers, and avocados (or whatever ingredients you are using)
  • Put some of the poke into the bowl and sprinkle with chopped cilantro and nori strips
  • Enjoy a super easy and delicious meal!

 

Advertisement
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 7, 2015

Posted under

Meat

Comments

Leave a comment

Hawaiian Hoisin Spare Ribs and Pineapple Slaw

_DSC6743

Hey, so it’s been awhile (2 months) since I have last posted, which when I think about it is a really long time. It’s not like I haven’t cooked in 2 months, but I guess nothing worthwhile?  This is a recipe I did awhile back and it turned out really well.  I got the recipe for the ribs here and made both the ribs and the slaw.  They complement each other nicely with the citrus and crispness of the slaw to contrast the sweet and savory of the ribs.  However, for the slaw, the recipe requires a lot of ingredients so I left a lot of things out, which didn’t detract from it at all IMO. Also, this requires a lot of stereotypical Asian ingredients, so thankfully I have most of this at home. But if you don’t, it does require a lot.

_DSC6739

Ingredients:

Ribs:

  • 5 lbs spareribs/baby back ribs
  • 1 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp minced ginger
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 cup chicken broth

_DSC6745

Slaw:

  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onion/scallion
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 cups diced pineapple
  • 1 cup julienned red pepper
  • red and green cabbage shredded (I used the premade slaw mix from the market)

Directions:

  • In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the hoisin, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes
  • Bring to a boil and let simmer until a thick glaze. Remove from heat and let cool
  • @ 275 degrees, place a wire rack in a large baking dish and pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the dish
  • salt and pepper the ribs on both sides, wrap in foil, and place on baking rack
  • Wrap the whole pan in foil and bake for 1-1.5 hours
  • Let the ribs cool for ~15 min and then drizzle/coat the ribs with the glaze
  • Broil for ~5 min making sure not to burn the glaze
  • After removing the ribs and letting stand, drizzle a little more glaze
  • For the slaw, whisk together the honey, vinegar, and soy sauce
  • Slowly add the oils while whisking, and then add the cilantro, peppers, and green onions
  • Add salt and pepper to taste
  • In a bowl, mix the cabbage (or premade mix) and the pineapples
  • Toss in the dressing and refrigerate until ready to serve
  • Enjoy!

_DSC6738

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

June 3, 2015

Posted under

Fish, Recipes

Comments

1 Comment

Black Bean Fish

_DSC6721

Hi everyone. So it has been awhile again. I actually didn’t realize how long it has been since I last posted. The other day I made a Chinese style black bean fish that came out pretty good.  It’s a dish I have never made and rarely order when I go out to a restaurant due to the usually awful ratio of onions and bell peppers to fish.  But, when you make it, you get to control things like that so it all works out.  I got the recipe from here.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb sole fish fillet cut into pieces and marinate with 1/2 tablespoon corn starch (I used Swai fillets)
  • 2 tablespoon Lee Kam Kee black bean sauce
  • 1 small onion (quartered)
  • 1 small green bell pepper (cut into small pieces)
  • 2 green onions chopped
  • 5 slices fresh ginger
  • 1/8 tsp fish sauce
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/8 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/4 tbsp corn starch mixed with 3 tbsp water

_DSC6722

Instructions:

  • In a wok, add some cooking oil over medium heat
  • Add the onion, bell pepper, and ginger and fry until cooked and aromatic
  • Add the fish, fish sauce, sesame oil and black bean sauce and stir-fry until fish is cooked
  • Add the corn starch to thicken the sauce and stir in the green onions
  • Serve with rice
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

April 3, 2015

Posted under

Pasta & Noodles, Sides

Comments

4 Comments

Glass Noodles with Pork

_DSC6576

I have been posting a lot of meat recently, well it seems that way anyway. So today I made a simple Chinese dish that my mom showed me how to make – glass noodles with minced pork. They are also referred to as cellophane noodles and are usually made of starch or beans and water.  I had a package of these glass noodles laying around from before and I know you can get them at most Asian markets, but I don’t know about regular grocery stores. I have never actually looked, but I assume they would be cheaper at Asian markets anyways. So this recipe comes courtesy of my mom and she gave me ingredients but no measurements, so nothing is exact as I am purely guessing/approximating what I used. But all in all, its fairly fast and easy and makes a nice side dish.

Ingredients

  • 8oz pkg of glass noodles
  • 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp chili paste/chili oil or to taste
  • 3/4 cup dark soy sauce, separated
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 4 cups of water or until softened
  • 3 green onions, chopped

Recipe:

  • Marinate the ground pork in 1/2 cup of dark soy sauce
  • Saute the pork with the garlic and chili paste in a wok or large sauce pan over medium heat
  • Add the glass noodles to the wok and add ~3 cups of water, 1/4 cup soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and sesame oil
  • Add more water if the noodles are still absorbing it (they soak up a lot)
  • Top with green onions and enjoy

_DSC6578

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

December 4, 2014

Posted under

Pasta & Noodles

Comments

2 Comments

Sesame Peanut Noodles

_DSC5727

So it has been FOREVER since I last posted, and by forever I mean 2 months.  That doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking, but these past 2 months have been crazy.  So here is a simple vegetarian asian noodle dish I made a little while ago.  I actually got the recipe from the comments section of this Yahoo! Food article.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb noodles (I used a thin Chinese noodle)
  • 1 red bell pepper, slice
  • 1 cucumber, julienned
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 Garlic Cloves
  • 1 green onion, chopped

_DSC5721

Directions

  • Boil the noodles and drain
  • Slice the bell pepper and chop the green onion and set aside
  • In a food processor, blend the peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and garlic together
  • Add the water and blend again
  • Add over the noodles and mix thoroughly
  • Add the bell pepper and green onions

_DSC5733

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

September 19, 2014

Posted under

Fish, Recipes

Comments

2 Comments

Pan Fried Cod Over Bok Choy

_DSC5698

My sister reminded me the other day that I needed to use our bok choy soon, otherwise it was going to go bad. Instead of being a normal person and using what I had in the fridge to make a meal, I went out and bought some fish in order to not waste $2 worth of bok choy lol. Anyways, I bought cod since that seemed easiest at the moment. This was a pretty fast meal that you can make in about the time it takes your pot of rice to cook, so everything will be ready at the same time, which is always a good feeling.

Ingredients:

  • Cod fillets
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • Dash of white pepper
  • Bok Choy, halved
  • Jasmine rice

Directions

  • Place the cod fillets, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and white powder and let marinate for 30 min
  • In a skillet, over med heat, fry the bok choy halves (turn sparingly) in 1 tbsp of oil
  • In a large frying pan, over med-high heat, heat the oil until smoking
  • Add the cod fillets and cook thoroughly and there’s a nice, crisp to the outside (~3 min on each side)
  • Place the fish and bok choy over a bed of rice and eat

All in all a quick, healthy, and flavorful Asian meal. Hope you enjoy it!

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

September 12, 2014

Posted under

Appetizers, Recipes, Salads

Comments

6 Comments

Seared Tuna with Asian Vinaigrette Salad

_DSC5647

My uncle loves to go deep sea fishing, and recently went out for tuna. He caught some yellowtail and some yellowfin. Every time he goes I always ask for some, and this time, he delivered! Tuna is pretty expensive to buy, so getting it fresh for free is pretty awesome. I seared the tuna and served it over a salad with an asian vinaigrette. The salad was made from a spring mix and napa cabbage cut into strips like a slaw.

Ingredients

  • Tuna loin
  • Spring salad mix
  • Napa cabbage
  • Grape tomatoes
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • Some chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

_DSC5644

Directions for tuna and salad

  • Rinse the tuna and pat dry with paper towels
  • Grind black peppercorns onto a plate and roll the tuna loin in the pepper
  • Pour a little canola oil into a pan on high heat
  • Sear the tuna for a few seconds on each side, place on a plate and put it in the freezer for a few minutes to stop the cooking process
  • Cut the napa cabbage into strips, halve the tomatoes, and thinly slice the red onion

Directions for vinaigrette

  • Heat the vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat, then mix the sugar in until it dissolves
  • Combine the oil, soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, ginger, and cilantro
  • Pour in the vinegar and sugar mix
  • Mix the dressing and chill in the refrigerator for ~20 minutes

Slice the tuna into ~ 1/4 inch slices and serve over the salad. This was my first time making an asian vinaigrette, and I really liked it. I was getting tired of balsamic dressings, so this was a nice alternative. The napa also added a different flavor and textural element which was nice. Overall, the salad was really good and I used the leftover dressing again the next day. And then there’s the tuna, which is always delicious. Hope you enjoy!

_DSC5650

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

June 9, 2014

Posted under

Pasta & Noodles, Recipes, Salads

Comments

16 Comments

Somen Salad

_DSC2833

Today was really hot, so I decided to make a salad for lunch. Now when I say salad, don’t think lettuce with this one. This is more of a “pasta salad” with somen noodles, a really thin Japanese noodle. I got this recipe from my mom because I loved it as a kid growing up. She always loathed making it because of all the cutting, but did it anyways because she knew how much I liked it. The recipe itself is super easy, its just slightly labor intensive when it comes to adding stuff, due to chopping and julienning. But if you have a peeler that juliennes like I do, then its pretty quick. I should get my mom one so that she can keep making this for me lol. Anyways, here it is.

_DSC2819

Ingredients

  • 5 tbsp Rice Vinegar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Dash of ground ginger
  • 5-8 slices of deli ham, chopped (or some other kind of meat)
  • 2 eggs, fried, chopped
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 1 Cucumber, julienned
  • ~1 lb of somen noodles (the package I bought was 14oz)

_DSC2820

Instructions

  • Mix the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and ginger in a bowl and refrigerate
  • Boil the somen noodles until cooked (be aware, they cook fast), and then rinse with cold water (you want the noodles to be fairly cold when you eat)
  • Fry the 2 eggs
  • Chop/julienne the cucumbers, eggs, green onions, and ham
  • Add them to the noodles, pour the sauce over it, mix, and enjoy!

_DSC2826

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

June 8, 2014

Posted under

Appetizers, Appetizers, Fish, Recipes

Comments

16 Comments

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

_DSC2798

Tonight I decided to make some shrimp lettuce wraps in order to use some left over vegetables from other meals.  I got the recipe from the Food Network and pretty much followed it all the way. This is a simple, tasty, and light dish, which makes for a good appetizer. I just wish they photographed better, but maybe the photography fail lies with me. Either way, here goes.

_DSC2783

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 lb medium fresh shrimp, chopped and deveined
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 green onions, diced
  • 5 oz water chestnuts, drained and chopped
  • 1 head iceberg lettuce, cored, cut in 1/2

Instructions

  • In a bowl, mix the lime juice, 2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp soy sauce, ginger, and garlic
  • Add the shrimp and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 min (I ended up doing all of this in a ziploc bag. Less dishes)
  • In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil over med-high heat and then add the bell peppers, green onions, and water chestnuts stirring occasionally
  • Add the shrimp and the marinade and cook thoroughly until the shrimp are pink (~3 min)
  • Stir in the last 1tbsp of soy sauce
  • Spoon into the lettuce leaves and enjoy (I used a slotted spoon because the mix can get very watery and messy)
Before Shrimp

Before Shrimp

With Shrimp

With Shrimp

_DSC2801

Overall, it was pretty good and I would definitely make it again. Hope you like it too!

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

June 4, 2014

Posted under

Appetizers, Fish, Recipes

Comments

17 Comments

Hawaiian Poke Salad with Wonton Chips

_DSC2771

So last week Jenn asks me if I have ever had Poke Salad. Being Asian and a sushi/sashimi lover, I thought that was a weird question, because of course I have. And my awesome reaction was “Yeah, hasn’t everyone?”. Apparently not….awkward… Anyways, she said she wanted to try it, and I told her to order it whenever she goes out again. But then we figured it would be better if I just made it and we put it up on here, so here it is.

_DSC2753

Ingredients

  • Ahi Tuna (1-2lbs)
  • 3 Green Onions chopped
  • 1 White/Red Onion julienned
  • 1/4 tsp Fresh Ginger grated
  • 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
  • 1 tsp Sesame Oil
  • Chili Flakes to taste
  • Wonton Skins (thick)

_DSC2757

_DSC2761

Instructions

  • Cut the Ahi into small cubes (1/2 inch), put in bowl, and refrigerate for ~30 min
  • Mix the onions, green onions, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili flakes in a bowl
  • Refrigerate the mix for ~30 min
  • Deep fry the wonton skins until crisp and golden brown
  • Take the 2 bowls out of the refrigerator and mix the tuna into the sauce
  • Serve with the fried wonton skins

_DSC2773

I topped it with a seaweed salad I got from a local Asian market for color.