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tofu gyoza

Published on August 29, 2013August 28, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach18 Comments

you guys,
the time is drawing closer
so close i can almost
touch it

i will warn you:
in the coming weeks
this space will vomit
love stuff

no fear,
i’ll still have recipes,
a few crafty things,
hopefully pretty
pictures
but my stories
will be mainly
about the last two
years
to the culmination of
you know:
Ball & Chain Time y’all!

i guess i should start
with how we met
but before that,
i do want to acknowledge the
almost 1 year i was Single
i took deliberate time off
from serious dating
i fostered relationships
and god bless,
i confronted being alone
i also reveled in being
Cantankerous

from the moment i left home
i began dating in earnest
i’m what you would call a
Serial Monogamist
and so when i found myself
not being attached
it was daunting

fast forward to the moment i
decided that wading into
the dating pool was something
i wanted to do again
(i was in spain at the time)
it was like a new year’s resolution of sorts

and like how i conduct
the majority of my days,
how my everyday life is,
i met the love of my life
online

in the swimming pool of
Online Dating
i pretty much dove into the
deep end
i gave myself 3 months
and should nothing happen
i was going to take another
break
lo & behold
3 weeks in,
4 guys later,
dw emailed me
and that was that

Tofu Gyoza
*note: i purposefully made the filling bland. my favorite part of eating dumplings/dimsum/wontons/gyoza is the various dipping sauces i can choose from. drowning these little gems in sauce is fun. for this particular meal, i kept it simple with 1:1 of soy sauce & rice wine vinegar, a healthy pinch of sugar & a light drizzle of sesame oil. you can certainly dip in plum/hoisin sauce, peanut sauce, whatever.

1 packet round wonton wrappers
1 container of firm tofu
half an onion, diced
1 knob of ginger, minced
1 garlic glove, minced
1/4 cup of sliced wood ear mushrooms, reconstituted in warm water
2 oz somen noodles, cooked according to package instructions
2 tbl soy sauce
1 tbl rice vinegar
1 tbl sesame oil
1 tsp sugar

except for the wonton wrappers, in a bowl, mix everything together. you want the mixture to be clumpy, not a wet mess. the cooked somen noodles will act as a binder

with the wonton wrappers, put a small amount, about a tsp in the middle. wet the edges with water, fold over. and if you’re feeling fancy, pleat them. you want the gyoza to sit up so shape them to be able to sit up but make sure the seams stick

heat up a pan with a bit of sesame oil. put the gyoza in a fan-like pattern in the pan, fry them until the bottoms are nice and crispy. pour in 1/4 cup of water and cover, being careful of splatters. steam for about 5 minutes and remove lid, making sure all the water has evaporated

other dumplings/wontons/gyozas:
angry asian creations – wonton soup
angry asian creations – wonton noodle soup
delicious shots – vegetable potstickers
wandering chopsticks – a variety of dumpling recipes
the little kitchen – (who completely influenced me by via her instagram) chinese potstickers

vietnamese vermicelli noodle bowl

Published on August 15, 2013August 11, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach24 Comments

dw & i participated in our
local neighborhood
trivia night recently
we summarily got our
asses kicked
never mind that we are
devoted Jeopardy viewers,
our collective knowledge of
randomosity be damned,
the floor was wiped
with our asses

for staunch introverts
it’s something short of a miracle
to get us out of the house
if it’s not an actual
gathering with dear friends,
or a private 1:1 meal,
but there we were,
admittedly on the fringe,
right at the edge of the crowd,
quietly observing other trivia-buffs
i suppose we could’ve
responded more warmly to others
who attempted conversation with us
(do you really think we should
name our team elephantitis??)
i could’ve been wittier
(i have nothing witty to say
between these parenthesis)
we could’ve mingled
gawd, we are so awkward!

in the end, we came in
second to last
i take comfort in knowing that we were
the lone 2 person team,
everyone else being 3+ or more,
one team totaling about A DOZEN

i also take comfort in knowing
that our illegal rooftop
herb garden has been fruitful
not having to rush home with store-bought
basil or mint
trimming the stems & dunking it
into water to stave off wilting
now i can just turn to dw to
harvest a handful
and 10 minutes later
our meal is all the better tasting
we can’t be victorious in everything we do
i’ll take a victory at home herbage
over trivia anytime

Vietnamese Vermicelli Noodle Bowl
{bun thit ga nuong}

for the marinade:
2.5 TBL fish sauce (use the red boat brand)
1.5 TBL sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 stalks of green scallions, diced
1 whole organic chicken, chopped up

for the dressing (nuoc mam cham):
3 TBL fish sauce
3 TBL rice vinegar
2 TBL sugar
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 TBL freshly squeezed lime juice
1 bird’s eye chili

mix all completely, can keep in clean jar in fridge for weeks.

extras & garnishes:
vermicelli noodles, cooked according to package instructions
cucumber, sliced
handful of washed & dried mint and basil leaves
pickled carrots/daikon (do chua)
crushed roasted peanuts
green scallions/onions chopped & mildly cooked in a bit of olive oil
spring rolls (which i always buy, ain’t nobody got time to make these from scratch)

treat this like a salad. in a bowl add in however much noodles and vegs you want. top with the grilled meat, garnish with green scallions oil and finish with the crushed peanuts. season with the dressing. you’re aiming for a sweet, sour, salty and spicy mix in your mouth.

other vermicelli noodle bowls:
angry asian creations – with grilled lamb
wandering chopsticks – with pork + shrimp

coconut egg curry

Published on July 8, 2013July 6, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach17 Comments

incidentally when i think of Indian food
i think of Ethiopia.
when we lived in addis ababa
there were only two restaurants
we frequented:
an italian cafe that boasted
the most impeccable service
and an Indian place
where i had my first ever taste of
goat.

Indian food also makes me think
of a Bangladeshi boy who used to leave
me love poems in my locker.
we always ran into him and his family
when we dined at the Indian joint.

since africa
(a place i still dream of)
my experience with Indian food
has been a love/hate battle.
the harmony between spices
and ingredients
perfectly balanced with
rice or
naan
but is just havoc on my system,
particularly if butter or cheese
plays heavily in the dish.

this dish, for me,
is a godsend
i love eggs,
in any form
and while it does play a
minor role against the heavy
punches of cardamon and even cinnamon
i am appeased
because hello
Indian food at home is the best

just a note,
i have attempted two different
recipes,
one from the beautiful Journey Kitchen
that was lovely
but the one i feature today is from playful cooking
which really satiated my cravings

also, the recipe calls for
unsweetened coconut flakes
yeah, i couldn’t find the unsweetened
stuff in my pantry
so sweetened went in
it wasn’t cloyingly saccharine
but i would imagine the
dish could do without the
added sugar

last,
just so you know,
again, we lived in Africa for just under
two years, i was only in
8th & 9th grade,
and always heavily chaperoned
on the rare occasions i would
venture out of the compound
i barely remember my time there,
i can only recall the
loveliness of the landscape
the cold climate living in Mt. Entoto‘s shadows
injera
the quiet dignity of ethiopians

lamb larb

Published on June 3, 2013June 12, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach16 Comments

many many (and many) years
ago
i lived in thailand.
it was during my
formative years
so please know
i will not be able to provide
any kind of reference for
the best street food
but i can tell you that
they really are the
land of smiles.

we have plans to honeymoon
there
with the goal of
this
until then, i console myself
with this salad

this really simple thai salad
can be prepared ahead of time
be served hot
or at room temp
any ground meat will do
and other than the random
cleaning of herbs
very simple to put together

what’s your favorite thai dish?

lamb larb

1 lb organic ground lamb
1/4 white onion (red would be better) thinly sliced
1/4 cup water
2 stalks of green scallions/onions, diced
handful of kale, washed & rough chopped (sooooo optional, omit if authenticity is your thing)
3 TBL lime juice
3 TBL fish sauce
dried red pepper flakes
1 thai chili
cilantro leaves and mint, washed & dried, amount according to preference
1/8 cup of toasted rice powder (recipe/instructions follow)

toasted rice powder

1/8 cup of rice or gluttonous rice

dry roast in pan over medium heat until turns a light brown. grind in spice grinder until powder-ized.

cook ground lamb in skillet with no oil, with a wooden spoon be sure to separate the big chunks. go for medium heat, if you go too high it’ll caramelize the meat and that’s not the goal. cook through. at this point, i usually strain the meat of any excess oil/fat. the dish is supposed to be juicy so i add water, it’s up to you. return the meat back to the pan, add in the green onions and kale (this is just *my* addition because i had an excess of the stuff in the fridge, this is very optional) and cook until wilted.

take off heat, add in the onion slices, mix it through. allow to cool and then season with lime juice and fish sauce. season according to taste, i went with 3 TBL of each but you can certainly add more or less. i also added a dash of red pepper flakes and diced thai chili for pretty color. right before serving i add in the mint and cilantro leaves and top with rice powder.

this dish can be served at room temp or hot, with lettuce leaves or sticky rice.

others who’ve made this:
shesimmers
wandering chopsticks

Portuguese Chicken Curry with Chorizo + Olives

Published on May 20, 2013June 2, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach18 Comments

i received an email from a dear blog friend recently.
the usual words:
catching up
swooning
lamentations
a song

and she ended the note with colors:
Mint green, coral, raspberry describe my days…
how lovely

lately, my days have been burnt yellow:
bright
warm
promising

it’s been a mild spring,
some days venture below the 50s
i made this curry some weeks ago,
when summer was just a tease,
winter was still fresh
and i needed some
burnt yellow

what color would you describe your days right now?

Portuguese Chicken Curry with Chorizo + Olives
loosely adapted from Tasting Table’s Chef’s Recipe, which was adapted from Abraham Conlon, Fat Rice, Chicago

1 lb package of chicken, breast or thighs, though i recommend thighs as it’s got more flavor
kosher salt/black pepper
3 TBL cornstarch
3 TBL olive oil, divided
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 1″ piece of ginger, finely minced
1 TBL curry powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cans coconut milk
handful of baby red potatoes, scrubbed cleaned. if you want, peel but i kept the skins on (be sure they’re organic)
handful or two of dried tomatoes (original recipe calls for fresh cherry tomatoes, sliced)
4 ounces chorizo, sliced
12 oil-cured kalamata olives, pitted (original recipe calls for black morroccan olives)
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
steamed white rice, for serving

on a plate or cutting board, season chicken pieces with salt/pepper. sprinkle with cornstarch on both side, coat evenly. in a large pot or dutch oven set over med-high heat, add in a bit of oil and brown chicken. do this in batches. once you place the chicken in the oil, try not to move it until it’s ready to be flipped. transfer pieces back to plate or cutting board.

in the same pot or dutch oven, add the rest of the oil, onion + ginger, sauteeing until onion is soft and translucent. add in the curry powder and cayenne pepper, stirring often. pour in the coconut milk, add the potatoes & browned chicken pieces. bring liquid to a simmer. reduce heat to low & cover. continue to cook until chicken and potatoes are cooked through, and the sauce has thickened, 45 min – 1 hour.

remove lid, throw in the dried tomatoes, chorizo and olives. cook until warmed through. garnish with chopped parsley, serve with steamed white rice.