Miso Asparagus

I really enjoy Jaden Hair's Steamy Kitchen blog, I first met her on twitter years ago - before anyone knew what twitter was. I was able to chat with her via twitter and have always wanted to meet her in person (she lives in the area), and she would do some interviews in restaurants and out and about would ask her twitter followers what questions we wanted her to ask, she was good at promoting twitter like that. Maybe one day I'll run into her around town.
I have been on a miso kick lately, and always like ginger so this was perfect for me to try. I have been oven roasting asparagus for awhile now and it was nice to find a different way to season it. Usually I go with herbs, parmeasan (or feta) and sliced almonds. Here is the recipe from Steamy Kitchen:

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
1 teaspoon cooking oil (olive, canola or vegetable)
2 teaspoons Miso & Easy (or 1 teaspoon miso paste + 1 teaspoon hot water)
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Place asparagus on baking sheet and drizzle with cooking oil. Toss to coat. Roast asparagus for 8-10 minutes or until pierces easily with fork. Timing depends on how thick the asparagus spears are.

2. While the asparagus is roasting, prepare the ginger miso sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until smooth.

3. Pour over asparagus and serve.


I did it a little different...I poured it over the asparagus before roasting. I used miso paste instead of the Miso & Easy product, ginger garlic paste and a little soy sauce -not too much because the miso is a little salty...oops I forgot the sesame seeds!


...but I did scoop up the sauce and added it on top. Miso adds that nice depth of flavor needed in some dishes, slightly salty, and so good in salads, pasta, potatoes, veggies and of course miso soup.
How do you use miso?

Soba Noodles with Garlic Chives

I change my blog address to a dot com, so I hope this doesn't mess you up in google reader or however else you might follow my blog! Thanks for sticking with me on this.
I found some of these flowering chives at the Vietnamese store near my husbands work. I like to get the different vegetables that I see there and don't see in the supermarket, and then try them out in a dish. Lately I have seen flowering chives, also called garlic chives on a few different blogs, so I got some ideas and was all set to go. Of course I usually would just end up using most of the with noodles or a stir fry.

From this store they came in a good size bunch, but it does seem to hold up well in the fridge. I like the mild garlic flavor and have been adding them to scrambled eggs, potatoes, and chicken salad so far...
...for this dish I used some cooked chicken and a few other veggies that I had little bits left in the fridge.

Ingredients:
8 oz cooked chicken
a small bunch of garlic chives
2 packets soba noodles cooked
4 oz snow peas
4 oz bok choy or carrots, or whatever other vegetables you might have
1-2 cloves garlic chopped
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic-chili sauce
1-2 teaspoons sesame oil

Prepare the vegetables, by washing and chopping into uniform sizes..cut the chives in about 2"-3" size pieces...use the buds, but get rid of the tough ends. Remove the strings in the snow peas, you can cut them or leave them whole. If using carrots julienne cut them about the size of the chives.

In a heated wok or skillet add a little oil then toss in the veggies that take the longest to cook first, add a little water if needed to help steam them...add the garlic and chives, then the rest of the seasoning. You could add the garlic first in the heated oil for about 30 seconds, but I'm always afraid it's going to burn...and you know how bad burnt garlic tastes. Since the meat I was using was already cooked you are just...

...heating it through. If you are using greens that are bitter add a splash of Chinese black vinegar or Chinese cooking wine.

Place a serving of the noodles in a bowl (I like to add a little toasted sesame oil to the noodles)...then the chicken veggies on top. You could toss it all together in the pan first if it works better for you.

As with many of the dishes that I make they are so versatile and you can adjust the seasoning and additions to suit your family. I just want you to get out there and try some new-to-you ingredients and have some fun in the kitchen! Then of course those of you who use these all the time can give me some more tips and ideas!!

Muah Chee - with Chai Spice

I first saw Muah Chee 麻糍 on Anncoo's Journal and of course as I am with anything new I was curious about it and had to try it. Apparently it is a popular street food found in roadside food stalls in Singapore and Malaysia. A glutinous or sticky rice ball rolled in sugar and crushed peanuts...similar to mochi but with the filling on the outside rather than inside. Then I saw Biren make some and post it on her blog Roti n Rice, apparently she missed having this treat a childhood favorite. I already had some glutinous rice flour in the cupboard (I was going to use it for another recipe) and it didn't take much more ingredients, so I was excited to give it a try for myself. I didn't have peanuts or the fragrant oil, but I could use almonds right? I figured since I have never had the original in the countries known for making it I could use a different nut...would it still be muah chee? :D

Then the next day I saw Jeannie post her muah chee on Baking Diary and she used almonds so I was good to go...but I had to change things up and do a few things different just because that's what I do, but that's why you like me right?Makes you want to see how I would do it...to do things my way of course.heheh...

So I tried the microwave way...

Ingredients for the dough:
li>1 cup of glutinous rice flour (easily found in your Asian market)
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cooking oil (normally you use shallot oil, but I didn't have that)


Topping:
1/2 cup chopped nuts I used almonds
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 -2 teaspoons chai spice mix*


*Chai Spice Mix:
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons cardamom
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

All spices are in powdered form for this one. Mix all together and store in a spice jar. Add it to tea, coffee, cookies, granola and much more.

For the muah chee mix all the ingredients for the dough mixture in a microwave safe glass bowl. Microwave for 3 minutes...I covered mine with a glass plate but I don't think you have to do this.

Remove from microwave and spoon out in bite size pieces. Then drop them into the topping mixture, it was just sticky enough to grab onto some of the nuts, sugar and spice and everything nice...couldn't resist. Some will dip the dough balls in shallot oil first then stick it in the topping mix, but this way worked good for me.

There you have it...muah chee my way :D I still have to make it to Singapore or Malaysia to try it the right way!


I really liked it a lot, I think better than I thought I would, just because of the texture thing...

I enjoyed the cardamom, cinnamony flavors with the nuts. I think toasted, desiccated coconut with peanuts would be good on it too.


The texture was soft, chewy and didn't stick to your teeth...really nice. I enjoyed it with some Vietnamese coffee, it went well together...mmm so good. I had some for breakfast the next morning and it was okay, but I liked it better fresh made.

I will definitely make this again, especially since it was so easy and good! Thanks girls it was a lot of fun!!

Fried Rice with Japanese Seven Spice

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time...then you know how I like to try different spices. The last time I was visiting my parents I picked up some Sansho Seven Spice Blend. To find out it is known as Japanese Seven Spice, Shichimi togarashi, and it apparently has been around for a long time. There are a a few different versions as do many spice blends, but this one has sansho pepper and poppy seeds in it, along with red chili, seaweed,orange peel, white and black sesame seeds. It is used as a table seasoning to enhance Japanese noodle dishes and grilled fish.


Of course it would be good on rice, and I have used it on chicken. Then I noticed a simple fried rice with Japanese seven spice on Vegan Yum Yum .... you also know how much I love fried rice, and how perfect to try out this spice blend. Now fried rice you don't really need a recipe for, and it is a good way to use up what you have on hand and throw together a great tasting quick meal. I find it's best to use day old or cold cooked rice, so the next time you make rice just throw a little extra in and save the rest for your next meal of fried rice! :D



I love this spice, it has just a nice amount of heat and the orange peel gives it a nice citrus flavor without being too much. I know my daughter loves it because of the seaweed in it...reminds her of furikake on rice.

For this fried rice: adapted from Vegan Yum Yum

2 cups cold cooked rice

1 tablespoon oil

1 shallot chopped

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon garlic paste or clove of garlic chopped

2 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons Japanese seven spice

shiitake mushrooms

shrimp (I used frozen little ones)

1-2 carrots chopped

1 egg

I have made a few fried rice here on my blog but I will do a quick run down on how to ...In a large pan or wok heat the oil and cook the shallots and carrots until soft, then add the mushrooms and cook around 3 minutes, add ginger, garlic, and shrimp and cook a few more minutes until shrimp are pink. Add the rice, you can hear it sizzle when the cold rice hits the hot pan, cook a bit to warm it through. Separate all the ingredients to add the egg in the middle and scramble it until cooked, add the soy sauce and mix everything up good. Sprinkle it with the Japanese seven spice.

You can vary the ingredients to what you have or what you like...that's the nice thing about fried rice. I will make this again with the Japanese seven spice for sure!! When I run out I might have to figure out how to get the ingredients to make my own!



Edited to add the spice photos...the ingredients listed on the back of the package - red chili, seaweed, sansho pepper, orange peel, poppy seeds, white & black sesame seeds.




Hope this helps!

Pork Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce

There is just something about eating meat on a stick! It is fun and casual and always tastes better eating something from a stick! The dipping sauce doesn't dampen the fun either. The other day I found some thin sliced center cut boneless pork loin chops on sale. I figured slice that thin it would be a quick meal. Then when I got them home they were extremely thin so I decided to make satay and just sliced each one in half lengthwise, I loved how easy it was to prepare the strips.

For the marinade I used a combination of several recipes that I have run across over the years.

Marinade ingredients:

1 shallot (or you can use onion)

3 cloves garlic - smashed and chopped

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon mirin (or any sweet wine you might have)

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon chili oil

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

dash of paprika and chipotle chili powder (optional)


I didn't use any sugar in the marinade...just my personal preference. I just used the mirin to sweeten it just a touch. I also didn't use peppers...my husband's preference. So if you like it spicy you can add some peppers or cayenne to spice it up.

Place the meat in the marinade and let it set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours. Soak the bamboo skewers in water so they won't burn when grilling or broiling the skewers.

Run the skewers through the strips of meat weaving in and out. Place on a broil pan, and broil for 3 minutes per side, until done.

I don't have a gas grill so I figured it would be better to broil them, instead of waiting for the charcoal to be ready when they are on the grill for such a short time.

For the peanut dipping sauce you can make it several ways, but this is what I did.

Peanut dipping sauce:

1/2 cup organic natural peanut butter (homemade or store-bought)

1 small shallot chopped fine

1 clove garlic chopped fine

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/3 cup coconut milk

1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce (a spicy sweet sauce) I was able to sneak in a little heat :D

fresh chopped cilantro

With a little vegetable oil or sesame oil in a sauce pan and saute shallot and garlic until soft about 4 minutes. Add peanut butter and the other ingredients and heat through. Add some fresh chopped cilantro after removed from heat just before serving.

You can adjust the liquids depending how thick you like the sauce.

Enjoy as a meal or snack.




On Mother's Day we just enjoyed the morning at Sarasota Bayfront, where we had breakfast sitting outside enjoying the beautiful weather. We were back again today with my husband's brother and girlfriend that came down for a visit.

Tucker always like it because we can take him along with us when we go. Everyone treats him so nice and makes an old dog like him feel so special.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day and enjoyed it as much as I did...I know it's late. So if it's too late I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend this week!

My last post was dropped and I had a few comments that were lost as well. I might try to re-post it, but I know with the last weeks of school I am just looking forward to the summer! I'll have a lot more time to play around here!

Okonomiyaki - My first Attempt

Okay this is a fun thing to try over the weekend. As the title states this is my first attempt at making okonomiyaki, a savory pancake, also known as Japanese pizza. In Japan they have many restaurants that serve this and there are many ingredients and toppings that you can choose from...of course depending on what you like. I made it the way I would like it, but it's not as pretty as I'm sure you would get it in Japan.

Batter:

1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/3 cup water or dashi(broth)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper

Whisk together ingredients to make the batter.



Filling:
1 1/2 cup cabbage - shredded
1 carrot - shredded
2 scallions - chopped
1 tsp ginger (grated) or 1 T pickled ginger
1/2 cup shrimp - small or chopped (I had frozen so I used that)
3/4 cup crab sticks - chopped


I didn't measure, I just dumped what looked like a good amount in the bowl.


Combine the filling and batter and lightly mix, not working it too much.



On a lightly oiled griddle over medium heat pour batter to about 1" thick. Cook about 5 minutes or until the edges crisp up a little. Now most recipes will call for a few slices of bacon to lay on top before you flip it, but I didn't have any on hand to do that...maybe next time. It looked nice and round...until I flipped it.



Gently flip it...probably best to use two flippers if you can. Cook the other side until center is stable and it becomes a nice golden brown on both sides. I slid it onto a plate like I would an omelet.

Top with:

tonkatsu sauce: which you can buy ready made in an Asian market or make your own...usually made with ketchup, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and sometimes onion juice, and mustard (that's the one I used) some will add sugar or corn starch to thicken it.( Or you could use oyster sauce, or worcestershire sauce)

Japanese mayonnaise: Kewpie mayo - I didn't try this because it was described as a little sweet, and I didn't want to pay the $5.99 for it until I knew what it tasted like. So Hellman's it was!



green nori flakes: or seaweed, I used a little furikake, my nori was it sheets used for sushi.



bonito flakes:


You can top with scallions, caramelized shallots or onions...or ...I don't know go crazy! What would you come up with to fill it or top it with?


The bacon would of been good on it if it crisped up when you lay it on top and flip it. I think the texture was a little heavy, or different than I am used to, but tasty. I think next time I will make small ones, and it would be neater looking and easier to flip when cooking.


...it was very filling...I tried to make it look pretty, but I didn't have any squeesy things to squeeze the sauce and mayo on with.


...again, good for a snack or meal, lunch or brunch!


...or next time I'll try this mix for Korean seafood pancake! The veggies look good in there!

Korean Sushi

> I tried my hand at making my own Korean Sushi. It tasted great but I still need to work on the presentation.


I have been trying all sorts of sushi, even made some with short grain brown rice. I am getting a little better at rolling it since I made these.


This is what I used:

pickled daikon
carrots
eggs
rice sticks (seasoned)
crab sticks
fresh spinach leaves
Thai basil

There are many ways to fill it...what are some of your favorites?

My dear daughter did this to our dog, and took this photo. Do you think he likes it? He is so mistreated around here, :D but his is old...she thought he might be chilly!

Sweet Soy Ginger Sauce

This is a simple sauce that is very versatile. You can add any grilled meats or seafood. If you prefer tofu or vegetables, that would work great too. In my opinion any noodles would be good like this...even cold.

I first saw this on White on Rice Couple which they adapted from Takashi's Noodles Cookbook. Of course theirs look beautiful and elegant, mine is something I just threw together for a good quick meal! I like using this base recipe for that reason (quick and so versatile) and sometime use less mirin so it's not as sweet. As always it's adjustable to your tastes.

Cook noodles according to package. They used somen noodles, I used a flat rice noodle (my daughter's choice) Drain and set aside.
Combine:
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. mirin
1/2 t. grated or minced garlic
1 t. grated ginger
2 t. sesame oil
1 t. chili paste, chili garlic sauce or chili flakes
add a little water if it's too salty
Steamed/stir-fried veggies (optional)
Grilled/stir-fried meat (optional)

Garnish with green onions if desired or whatever else you like, or not...

Oops... I forgot the garnish! Too much going on I guess.

One of my last posts I mentioned my daughter's birthday outing on the boat. Well I am sharing the dolphin that joined us for a bit...

We often see dolphins when we are out on or near the water here in Sarasota. I always seem to catch a picture of their backs, fins, tails or the swirl of water.

This one swam right up with us for a little while so at least I could get a close up of a face when he popped up to say "hello"...okay yeah he was probably looking for a handout!

It was still difficult getting a good shot with the boat and dolphin moving! It was fun though, and I never get tired of seeing dolphins...or any other water wild life we come across!