Wonder Noodle Fettuccine in Peanut Sauce

get in mah behleh...

a.k.a. Lazy Pad Thai. Can it even be called that? 

Sure. My food, my rules.

Going full steam with the noodle switch. Shirataki is something to get used to, but I don't know if I  could eat it with a tomato sauce. It doesn't seem right. 

Asian foods, no problem. It goes. For this, I sauteed the noodles in beef fat, and doused it in peanut sauce. Sesame, hemp hearts, chili flakes.

Gone in an instant. And yay timing... I've got more noodles coming in tomorrow. Thanks Thrive Market!

What 31 Dollars Got Me at Picnic Garden

The plan originally was to just order some fried rice. Because it was on my mind and I didn't really feel like cooking. Okay, maybe order some white rice too (because you mix them together and have more rice... duh). And maybe soup. But that's it.

This was on Monday. And I forgot that my go-to Chinese take out place is closed on Mondays.

Sure, I could have just went home and rummaged though the fridge for something. But no... stubborn me needed fried rice. So I hit up Picnic Garden. It was okay the last time I was there. And I wanted the most basic of food items - fried rice. Fried freakin rice.

But then I looked at the menu. And my eyes glazed over. And the next thing I knew, the lady walked out of the kitchen and handed me my order. A $31 dinner for just me.

Here's the breakdown - 

Thai fried rice with pork - $9.95

Quart white rice - $3.25 

Quart hot & sour soup - $3.95

Quart wonton soup - $3.95

Fried squid - $7.95

Fried rice was pretty good, with even bigger cuts of pork than usually found in pork fried rice. The squid was tough and tasted more like the oil it was fried in, and just a bit of pepper. Wonton soup broth was good, the wontons tasted pasty. The hot & sour soup was no good. I could barely get though half of it.

Lesson learned - should have gone to Lucky Corner. Not saying I'm going to swear off Picnic Garden, I decide on that after I try the hot pot.

Day 4: National Spaghetti Day

Last year when I thought about doing this food holiday year, I was adamant I plan things ahead. 

Ha. Plan. Me. Ha.

I am a fly by the seat of my pants person through and through. Such as today's holiday.

It's national spaghetti day today, and I wanted to make spaghetti and meatballs. But I wanted to make Jolibee style spaghetti and make meatballs with the same filling as lumpia shanghai. Perfect spin, right? But when I checked the kitchen, I had none of the ingredients to make any of this. Not even the spaghetti. Pretty hilarious, considering the fridge is packed with a ton of stuff. Same goes with the pantry.

So my compromise was sesame noodles and stir fried wonton meatballs. The recipe for the noodles can be found on Rasa Malaysia. The meatballs are from Nom Nom Paleo.

Once... Twice... Three Times A Kimchi

 

Of course I had to make some traditional kimchi. I've tried a few times in the past, and of course failed. The first time I used some packet, the other I tried to follow a video on Youtube. Both times I was very heavy handed with the salt - I just wanted to make sure I got all that excess water out!

 

Another kimchi, but instead of the usual Napa cabbage, I used daikon radish and scallions. Lots of ginger.

Not as salty as previous versions, but not bad! I'd probably stick to buying it. Save me the headache.

Unless someone teaches me the right way. Any takers?

Vegetarian Pho

 

 

It's official - M and I are both sick. It's been making the rounds at work and for the most part I've been able to avoid it, but Sunday and Monday were pretty tough. Exhausted, sinus pressure, nausea, everything. The only thing that could make it all better was a big bowl of hot slurpy noodles.

 

I used a recipe from The Kitchn this time round, and it was pretty good. I didn't add star anise (it's lost somewhere in the house), but the Thai basil made up for that. At first I just chopped up the mushrooms and choy and added it to the bowls raw, but it was a little too raw for my liking, so I dumped the rest into the broth. Sure it ended up disclolored and overcooked, but it seemed more like a soup vegetable that way.

 

I did better on frying the tofu, although the centers were still a little soft. Should have done a better job on pressing the water out. I came across this piece on Herbivoracious which says soaking the tofu in hot salty water will create an even crispier slice of tofu. How, I have no idea... does it draw more water out? Does it mix with the tofu surface and make some coating that fries better? Well, I guess I'll just have to try that next time.

This Meatless Lent: Misua

The Lenten season is up and running, and I am doing my best to keep with it. Mind you, I’m really not a practicing Catholic anymore, but I do follow certain practices. Such as giving up something for the forty days (although technically it’s forty-six) leading up to Easter. Looking back, I have been in the habit of choosing to give up things that are food related – I gave up eating out last year… which did not end well.

This year, I’m giving up meat.

Yeah.

No beef, no chicken, no pork. No goat, no ducks… basically anything that walks or flies. And what does that leave?

Seafood. The aquatics. I figured I’d give myself some leeway, and anyways when I tell people about M being vegetarian, the first question they usually ask is, “so, does he eat fish?” It's a meat... it isn't a meat. That discussion could go on and on. Whatevs. The leeway is there, and other than some dried shrimp, I’ve been living the veggie life. On Ash Wednesday, I made myself some misua and started the countdown to meaty delights.

Misua is a type of Chinese noodle that is found in a lot of Asian cooking. In the Philippines, it’s often used in soups. Growing up, my parents would cook up a big pot of misua with shrimp and a green vegetable that they called patola. I didn’t know what that was, but it looked like a cucumber. I wasn’t a fan of the stuff when I was younger, but I sure do like it now.

Patola also goes by the name luffa, Chinese okra, or silk gourd. I don’t know how it looks like okra, but let’s just go with it, shall we? You can buy it at the Asian market, just look for the really long green vegetable, slightly shriveled with prominent spines. If you go to the market on Colvin Avenue, it’s on the far end of the produce… middle shelf.

Misua with Shrimp and Patola

1 medium onion, small dice
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup dried shrimp (fresh can also be used, how much is up to you)
1/2 package misua
Patola, peeled and cut into half pieces, ~2 cups
~6 cups vegetable broth
fried garlic
fish sauce
salt, pepper

Saute onion and garlic until soft. Add the shrimp and cook a few minutes more. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and turn heat down to simmer, stirring occasionally. Add the sliced patola and cook for another five minutes. Season with salt or fish sauce and black pepper. Serve with plenty of fried garlic and fish sauce.

Chinese New Year Dim Sum

For those of you that celebrate the Lunar New Year, gung hay fat choy! M and I decided to head over to Ala Shanghai for a light lunch and welcome in the year of the snake. And just as expected, the place was packed. Most people made reservations, but luckily there was an open table for us.

The meal was primarily vegetarian, but I had to get the pork soup dumplings. I mean, come on… soup dumplings. Delicious as they should be. I didn’t realize it before, but one of the little dishes of sauce was on the sour side. Perhaps it’s a dark vinegar? Better on the spring rolls than on the dumplings.

 

Soupy dumplings aside, the rest of the dim sum consisted of scallion pancakes, spring rolls, and these vegetable dumplings. I may have had them before, but I can’t remember. I didn’t like these at all. The filling is minced, which is fine, but it was a bit on the mushy side and too mushroom heavy. It tasted like they used reconstituted shitake mushrooms, which unless really drained, has a weird taste to it. The spring rolls were crispy as they should be, but the inside was mush. And it’s mostly cabbage in there… and mushy tasteless cabbage is the worst.

I didn’t think the dim sum would be enough, so I ordered some vegetable lo mein. A safe enough option for a picky eater, but it was pretty underwhelming. It reminded me of pancit canton (which basically that is) only it needed more seasoning. Maybe if I had some chili oil or chili paste I would have sung a different tune.

When I asked M what he thought of the place, he said he really liked the scallion pancakes and that was it. He also said if we were to go out again for dim sum, we should go somewhere else. And as much as I hate to admit it… I agree with him.

Sorry all you AS lovers out there, it’s just not our thing.

Chili Garlic Noodles

After making the Chili Pockets, I had half a pound of ground beef that needed to be used. I also had a fridge full of vegetables I bought from the Asian Market the week before. Well, I still do have a fridge full of vegetables, but not as much now. Filipinos make a sweet spaghetti, so what about a spicy one?

Chili Garlic Noodles

1/2 pound ground beef
8 leaves Napa cabbage, rinsed and shredded
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce (adjust to your heat preference)
lo mein noodles
Sesame seed oil

1. Heat a pan to medium and add oil. You can use a non-stick spray if you want to cut fat. Add the meat and brown. When the meat is no longer pink, add the sauce and cabbage. Stir to combine and cook for a few more minutes before taking it off the heat.

2. Prepare noodles according to package directions. Drain and add to the meat mixture. Toss to combine.

PHOTO ESSAY: 555 Supermarket (Jersey City, NJ)

If you ever find yourself on Tonnelle Avenue in Jersey City, I suggest you stop in at the 555 Supermarket. It’s the place my grandparents do the majority of their shopping at, so it’s gotta be good… right? On their website they claim to be the “most convenient Asian supermarket.” I’m not too sure about that – it seems like a pain to me.

The following are photos I took on my recent visit. You can’t really compare it to the Asian markets we have up here, but I like 555’s layout better.

But some thoughts before the photo onslaught:

1. I’ll admit, I’ve been guilty in the past of sampling at the store. But it was a grape, and I wasn’t really thinking about pesticides, just if they were sweet. But apples? Who samples apples… at a store no less? And that sign is in both English and Tagalog. As for the doubling in price if you break ginger… what if I didn’t break that ginger, and it was in fact already broken? Do I pay the price for someone else’s ginger breaking tendencies? I didn’t take a look at the receipt, but I’m sure it was fine.

2. The produce is pretty much in own building, and the perishables are in a walk in cooler of sorts. Clean, organized, and the complete opposite of the markets in Chinatown. Signs are clearly marked and some of them even have a picture so you know which vegetable its referring to. Very smart! I wish the stores up here had their varieties…

3. One of the freezer cases is dedicated to frozen fish balls. A mix and match of sorts, which is both crazy and awesome. I didn’t really get a good look at the signs, but I distinctly remember saying to my sister, “are… you… serious?!?” The new things you find at this store, I tell ya.

4. There was no offending odors coming from the seafood or meat sections. Take note, Asian Supermarket.

5. Their “food court” is this tiny thing, but the foods that come from it are pretty darn good.

6. They sell apples that are as big as pomelos, I kid you not.

7. Emulate, upstate. EMULATE.

Ice Cold Tofu

Here's the thing with posting pictures from my phone via email - I can send a picture and give the post a title, but I can't put content. So that means having to pull it up on my computer/tablet and working on it... when I get the chance to do so. And lately that has been a trickle.

But comments help. And Jon, thanks to your comment, here's the update.

Not too long ago, tofu was on sale at Chopper. Two for four, something along those lines, so I grabbed a bunch. This is the silken tofu, which I have only seen used for this. You can cut it up to look pretty, or you can be in nom nom mode and just cut it loose from its container and plop it on a plate. A splash of soy sauce, a little dribble of sesame seed oil, and a grind of pepper and you are set. This was M's vegetarian version, to mine I added some minced scallion and a generous helping of bonito flakes. 

Extremely easy to make, and perhaps the perfect snack when the weather is like this.

Go. Try it. You can thank me later.

Expansion is Good

So the dark and sketchy back corner of the Asian Food Market is gone. I'm not sure when, but they've opened it up and now it's bright and open. I can't believe it took them this long to do this. 

Engrish Foods

This seasoning that causes fish to make delicious is something I absolutely need to have. But one question - why have a picture of a school of fish, and then a picture of the seasoning... which looks like fish food? Am I just buying fish food? Whack.

Spread the Word, My Dears

Saturday, June 16th - (Semi)National Lumpia Day
"Semi" meaning, of course, this little corner lot of ours.

Tell your friends, tell your family.. Tell R. We'll provide the wraps, deep fryer, and intimate backdrop.  All you need to bring are your pretty little faces, beer, any complementing sides you'd like, and whatever it is you want to stuff into a crispy fried roll. We will also have a professional asian on staff to help assist in your lumpia endeavors.

Sri Siam (East Greenbush, NY)

Did you know there’s a new Thai restaurant in the Capital Region?

Did you also know that you don’t have to cross the river to get to it? Unless, you’re coming from Albany and points west of the Hudson… then yes, you’ll have to cross the river to get to it.

Taiwan Noodle (Albany, NY)

Is it just me, or is Central Avenue trying to Asia-fy itself?

Shortcut Wonton Soup

With all the food we had last night, I'm surprised I wanted to consume more, let alone think about cooking.

DINNER: Buffalo Chicken Stir Fry

Remember that buffalo chicken I made last week? Well I used the leftover chicken as part of my dinner tonight.

I originally envision my dinner to be buffalo chicken fried rice, but I had just bought a bunch of vegetables from the Asian market, and including them would make for a more well rounded dish.

Meat from 4 drumsticks
1/2 pound baby bok choy, washed and chopped
1/2 pound bean sprouts, rinsed
1 small onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped roughly
Sesame oil

Add sesame oil to a hot wok. After about a minute, add the onions and garlic. Sautee until they begin to soften. Add the chicken and cook for another three minutes. Add the chopped bok choy and bean sprouts, cooking until the bok choy becomes bright green. Season to taste, eat with plenty of rice.

Banh Mi Dissection

Oh happy day… I scored the last banh mi at the Asian Food Market! Normally when I get my hands on one, I just eat it. However, this time I decided to take a deconstructed look… and if you were ever curious what it looked like on the inside, keep reading.

Saigon Spring (Halfmoon, NY)

There’s a new Vietnamese restaurant in the Capital Region.

It’s about time.

DINNER: Bok Choy & Sprouts Stir Fry

1 pound baby bok choy, washed and ends trimmed
0.5 pound bean sprouts, rinsed
good pinch of red pepper flakes
sprinkle of ground black pepper
sesame seed oil
oyster sauce

Heat up a big enough pan and add the oil. Add the bok choy and cook on medium high heat until it becomes darker in color, about 3 minutes. Add the sprouts and cook for another 2 minutes. Add oyster sauce to taste and pepper.