tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13936954942957935962024-03-14T00:47:30.860-07:00My Friendship with FoodChristine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-20068231734614311072013-01-02T16:54:00.003-08:002013-01-02T16:54:57.793-08:00New Year, New JobAfter a long week of contemplating, browsing for a new job that suits my needs better, I finally found one. But with only 7 days in a week, all are occupied with working my butt off, I need to quit one of my jobs. I'd be lying if I said I'm totally happy at my previous job. I like the people I worked with and the job itself is really easy. And THAT'S the problem. It's so easy, I didn't learn anything. I crave to learn more than what I already know (which is not much). And this job didn't involve a lot of cooking. <div>
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So after numerous working interviews I went to, there is this one kitchen crew where I feel that I belong. They're opening a new dive bar on Capitol Hill. I finally find a mentor and a group of people I enjoy working with. No matter how crass our banter can be, when it comes to working, no one makes me feel stupid for asking how a savory herb looks like. No one laughs at me when I told them I'd never portioned cod before. No one treats me like a dumb-ass, even though they've worked in the kitchen of Seattle's top restaurants before.</div>
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I still work as prep cook for one of the famous food trucks of Seattle. And I love this job, too. I love how the people that work in this company, have so much love, passion and energy to share their love of food with customers. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fried assorted mushrooms</td></tr>
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Good news too, both my jobs are within walking distance! :D I only have to walk 7 minutes to the dive-bar-job and walk 20 minutes to the taco place.</div>
Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-91860274187543267782012-02-28T20:36:00.000-08:002012-02-28T20:36:42.386-08:00Rotiboy, One of Our New-found Lo(a)ves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've heard so many good things about rotiboy, but had never had one until my recent trip to Jakarta. As someone who's so crazy about coffee and butter, this bread is like a perfect marriage between them two. The strong coffee coat, soft and fluff bun, with the oozing salted butter in the center, is to die for. I've been trying to describe it without sounding like an intro of a porn video, but fail miserably. Hence, the lame description above. One thing for sure, it's still not better than sex.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vOGu1rBq9Jc/T02mOqU9SUI/AAAAAAAABE4/55rw99EfxFg/s1600/DSC01336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vOGu1rBq9Jc/T02mOqU9SUI/AAAAAAAABE4/55rw99EfxFg/s320/DSC01336.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After days of jet-lag, both Samu and I were craving for rotiboy. Unlike Jakarta (where you find rotiboy quite ubiquitous), we can't find any in Seattle. We can't just go to the counter, give the guy Rp 7,500 and grab the warm bag of rotiboy. That means we have to make it! So I went to google and found few recipes. <a href="http://www.houseofannie.com/rotiboy-mexican-coffee-bun-recipe/" target="_blank">This</a> was the one I ended up using. The only change I made was using salted butter for the filling. The result is awesome, although I still think the real rotiboy is far superior than this version.</div><br />
Elle ate one and a half in one sitting (mind you, she's a 16-month old little girl), and Samu ate two. I guess, they think it's better than storebought rotiboy.<br />
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Does anyone know why it's called rotiboy? Why not rotigirl? My theory is, because it's filled with oozing white, salty, buttery fluid.. But hey, that also applies to girl! Okay, sorry.<br />
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Once again, if you want to try the recipe, click <a href="http://www.houseofannie.com/rotiboy-mexican-coffee-bun-recipe/" target="_blank">here</a>.Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-2185342028507981162012-01-19T22:14:00.000-08:002012-01-19T22:15:23.569-08:00It's Been AwhileIt's been awhile since I last posted. Too many events, both good and bad, had happened since then. We had to make an emergency trip to Indonesia, due to my dad's poor health condition. I am so glad we visited on time, my dad got to play and had tremendous time with his grandchildren, he had 2 weeks with them before he was wheeled in into the hospital. When we lost him, it felt like I've lost a part of me. Without him, we won't be who we are today. He taught me to love food. Although he didn't cook, he knew what good food is. I remember those days when he would literally dragged all of us in the middle of the night to try some new food. Or brought us to the restaurants he enjoyed when he was still courting my mom. It was he, who told me to go for it, to pursue my passion, whether it's a "money-maker" kind of career or not. He was supportive, never shot down our ideas when presented to him. He might not be the greatest person in the world, but he was our dad. Instead of us being sad, I bet he would want me to talk about nice things, and food. That was his fave topic, second to music.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elle, shopping for vegetables.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dimsum with my dad.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meatball within meatball.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QBvV1_3_dHM/TxkD6PYoRWI/AAAAAAAABDc/miezDbD1IoI/s1600/378569_191423414284238_100002497411384_373495_44679902_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QBvV1_3_dHM/TxkD6PYoRWI/AAAAAAAABDc/miezDbD1IoI/s320/378569_191423414284238_100002497411384_373495_44679902_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mom's kiosk.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bakmi Acang, lunch date with my dad.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QfuEHc33czI/TxkD-Ls9WnI/AAAAAAAABD0/zCu0lGaJ7Qc/s1600/381125_211235712303008_100002497411384_420531_1466415794_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QfuEHc33czI/TxkD-Ls9WnI/AAAAAAAABD0/zCu0lGaJ7Qc/s320/381125_211235712303008_100002497411384_420531_1466415794_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My old school cafeteria. All fancied up now.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Y01byhmSMo/TxkD-wlSnRI/AAAAAAAABD8/ag4P3XGwkcE/s1600/381912_191560437603869_100002497411384_373892_330394865_a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Y01byhmSMo/TxkD-wlSnRI/AAAAAAAABD8/ag4P3XGwkcE/s1600/381912_191560437603869_100002497411384_373892_330394865_a.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kue pukis.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_yh7t5NBNMY/TxkEAaGmbgI/AAAAAAAABEE/zJnLetee9hg/s1600/384638_197118907048022_100002497411384_388116_1607477741_a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_yh7t5NBNMY/TxkEAaGmbgI/AAAAAAAABEE/zJnLetee9hg/s1600/384638_197118907048022_100002497411384_388116_1607477741_a.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate martabak.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LvxXh3JHC58/TxkEDPOC5-I/AAAAAAAABEM/TbiCRRQF8lE/s1600/385871_177924918967421_100002497411384_344327_507415317_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LvxXh3JHC58/TxkEDPOC5-I/AAAAAAAABEM/TbiCRRQF8lE/s320/385871_177924918967421_100002497411384_344327_507415317_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sate Padang, my dad's fave.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kol nenek.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samu, fooling around with his grandpa.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My fave snack as a kid.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I choose not to write too much, because even after more than a month, it's still tear-inducing. Can't believe we will be back to Seattle in less than 2 weeks.Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-39057858964176024422011-09-21T12:54:00.000-07:002011-09-21T12:54:27.576-07:00Rendang Padang, and My Rant...I feel so lucky sometimes, to find out what I want to do with my life. People ask me, why do I love to cook, and to be honest, I can't answer that. Do I cook stuff so I can post it on the blog? Not necessarily. My reason to cook goes way beyond that. My blog is just one of so many ways to kill boredom. Do I cook because I have to? Not really. I'm at the point where what I cook at home, doesn't satisfy my passion anymore. I want to do something more. Something beyond my knowledge. Something totally new. If I get to choose what I want to do with my life, I want to be in the kitchen 24/7, with several potty breaks when needed. (Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point) I cook, simply because I like it. Strange, I know. But I'm the kind of person who does shit <i>just because</i>. I wish the question "what inspires you to cook?" could stay unanswered. If you want something that resembles an answer, how about this, I'm blinded by love.<br />
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I've been talking about going back to school a lot, up to the time it feels like I'm just bluffing. Well, it's quite hard for middle-class family like us who are still improving our life. It's just sad that we're too poor to afford childcare, but yet we make too much to get childcare benefit. This has been worrying me for the past couple years, I've decided to stop overthinking shit and make a move. So I applied to culinary school and applied for the financial aid. Just wish me luck.<br />
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With so many instant spices available, what I could've done was bought the rendang instant spice package and cook it. But I hate shortcut. Not because, "Ooh, shortcut is for loser blahblah. I'm fancy. I'm cool, that's why I make things from scratch. Shortcut doesn't taste as good as homemade." Nope. It's just because I like making things from scratch, it's for personal satisfaction. I just love the act of cooking. It makes me feel good. This is my vice.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>This lovely spicy Padang beef stew might not look sleek or sexy or classy. But who cares? Back in Jakarta when my parents got Padang take-out, they always jokingly said "THIS MUST HAVE CRACK IN IT!", it's quite addictive. My dad said they might put a bit of opium in it (I think he's joking. He MUST be joking...) Don't worry, you can make this without having to harvest some illegal ingredients...<br />
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Rendang Padang<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
<ul><li>1 kg beef brisket </li>
<li>2 liters thick coconut milk</li>
<li>450 gr red base sauce (recipe included at the end of the post)</li>
<li>5 kaffir lime leaves</li>
<li>5 bay leaves</li>
<li>5 tbsp tamarind water</li>
<li>3 lemongrass, bruised</li>
<li>2 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted</li>
<li>1 tsp whole black pepper</li>
<li>4 cm ginger</li>
<li>4 cm galangal</li>
<li>1 tbsp salt</li>
</ul><ol><li>Grind the coriander seeds, whole black pepper, ginger, galangal and salt into a paste (or use mortar and pestle).</li>
<li>Soften the piece of beef, using a mallet (good for taking out your frustration). Cut into 10x10x1 cm pieces.</li>
<li>Combine coconut milk with red base sauce, ground spices, lime leaves, bay leaves, tamarind water and lemongrass in a pot. Bring it to noil.</li>
<li>Put in the beef, give it a stir and cook until the beef softens and the liquid thickens.</li>
<li>Lower the heat to simmer, and keep cooking. Stir it often until the liquid dries out and it'll be oily. Ready to serve. </li>
<li>Or you can toss everything into the slow cooker (low or medium setting)..... cook until the beef is soft enough to be cut with fork, then turn your slow cooker to high and let it cook til it dries out.</li>
</ol> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0R_TUD2HYSA/Tno7YKGe-OI/AAAAAAAABCM/Hif32BIb3Lk/s1600/DSC09339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0R_TUD2HYSA/Tno7YKGe-OI/AAAAAAAABCM/Hif32BIb3Lk/s320/DSC09339.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Red base sauce:<br />
<ul><li>5 tbsp vegetable oil</li>
<li>100 ml water</li>
<li>150 gr red chilies, discard the seeds (I didn't discard them, but it'll be super spicy)</li>
<li>40 gr shallots</li>
<li>35 gr garlic</li>
<li>5 candlenuts, fried and sliced thinly</li>
<li>10 gr galangal, sliced</li>
<li>10 gr ginger, sliced</li>
</ul><ol><li>Grind the chilies, shallots, garlic, candlenuts, galangal and ginger (or use mortar and pestle).</li>
<li> Heat oil on low heat, stir fry the ground spices until fragrant.</li>
<li>Add the water until the whole thing thickens. Pour into a heatproof jar/bowl. Once it cools down, cover and store in the refrigerator. Ready to be used. </li>
</ol>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-20945680567986518662011-08-05T00:23:00.000-07:002011-08-05T00:23:55.374-07:00Lemon Bars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvdoTWowHRQ/TjsiYCvThII/AAAAAAAABAo/O2eoviajDNE/s1600/DSC09842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvdoTWowHRQ/TjsiYCvThII/AAAAAAAABAo/O2eoviajDNE/s320/DSC09842.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The weather has been lovely. The kiddie pool is out, actually used as a pool with "real water" instead of a makeshift tent with blankets and pillows. Time to ditch the jackets and the boy is so happy he can finally wear sleeveless shirts. Somehow, summer days make me think of lemon bars. Perhaps it's the lemon, with its yellow, sunshine-y color, resembles an oval sun. Or it's just me trying to find an excuse to share this lemon bars with you through my blog...<br />
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I'd never thought I would love fruity baked goods. But lemon bars are different. To me, it's like eating sour brownies with shortbread base. Darn it, you know what? I'll just be honest with you. I love the shortbread base so much, sometimes I scrape off the lemon curd, save it for later, and just eat the cookie part. Not that the curd isn't tasty, I'm just that kind of a weirdo. I will also say, that the curd is so chewy, I wanna marry it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4zqshKm8pc/TjshhnbgVPI/AAAAAAAABAg/ucoMdskJqxY/s1600/DSC09830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4zqshKm8pc/TjshhnbgVPI/AAAAAAAABAg/ucoMdskJqxY/s320/DSC09830.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><br />
<a name='more'></a>Lemon bars (recipe courtesy of How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman)<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
<ul><li>1 stick unsalted butter, softened</li>
<li>1 1/4 cups sugar</li>
<li>1 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tbsp </li>
<li>2 eggs</li>
<li>2 tbsp lemon juice (I use 4 tbsp because I want it more sour)</li>
<li>1/2 tsp baking soda </li>
<li>Grated zest of 1 lemon</li>
<li>Confectioners' sugar</li>
</ul> Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with either foil or parchment paper and grease it.<br />
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Cream the butter with the 1/4 cup of sugar. Stir in one cup of flour. Press the mixture into the greased pan and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly.<br />
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Beat together the eggs, lemon juice, baking soda, remaining sugar and flour, and the zest. Pour over the crust and bake until firm on the edges but still a little soft in the middle for another 20 minutes. Let cool, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and cut into squares.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GMd_JeweT7k/Tjsh9Ro30EI/AAAAAAAABAk/NsnKOqxBJKo/s1600/DSC09834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GMd_JeweT7k/Tjsh9Ro30EI/AAAAAAAABAk/NsnKOqxBJKo/s320/DSC09834.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-21126563812238849432011-07-26T14:06:00.000-07:002011-07-26T14:07:21.602-07:00Rhubarb CurryI've seen rhubarb in both farmer's market and grocery store but honestly, I wouldn't know what to do with this red, celery-lookalike vegetable. The first time I tasted it, it was at the rhubarb potluck <a href="http://www.learntopreserve.com/">Brook from Learn to Preserve</a> invited me to (thanks, Brook!). While I'd had never cooked with rhubarb before, I offered to bring some pandan cake. They had this spread of all rhubarb goodies, and my favorite were the rhubarb ketchup and rhubarb jelly. Enjoying rhubarb with some of the nicest people in Seattle was a blast. I went as a rhubarb virgin and came home as a rhubarb lover.<br />
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Then out of nowhere, I started to imagine how good it would be to have strips of rhubarb in red curry, instead of bamboo shoots. Went home with one mission, to try this brilliant idea of mine (most ideas are brilliant until proven silly). Well, lucky for me, I liked it. The tartness of the rhubarb, spicy curry and cubed chicken complements each other so well.<br />
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Rhubarb Curry<br />
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6 tbsp <a href="http://withabowlofrice.blogspot.com/2011/03/red-curry-we-had-poor-mans-curry.html">red curry</a><br />
3 1/2 cups coconut milk<br />
1 tbsp fish sauce<br />
2 stalks rhubarb, cut into strips then blanched for 2 minutes (just to soften it a little)<br />
1 halve chicken breast, cubed<br />
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Stir fry the curry paste in a bit of oil until fragrant. Pour in the coconut milk and fish sauce. Once it's starting to boil, dump in the cubed chicken breast. Once the chicken breast is cooked, add the rhubarb strips. <br />
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While I realize my husband likes the rhubarb strips a bit softer, I like it with a bit of crunch. So it all depends on the eater. But I think it's a good rhubarb curry, if not delicious.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gKYKw4o1ix4/Tiz31f5rY5I/AAAAAAAABAc/47yIFAis5j0/s1600/DSC09440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gKYKw4o1ix4/Tiz31f5rY5I/AAAAAAAABAc/47yIFAis5j0/s320/DSC09440.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-34760547149989149722011-07-14T21:19:00.000-07:002011-07-14T21:21:56.382-07:00Fun with PhoWhen we used to live in Beacon Hill, we went out for pho at least once every 2 weeks. One of the perks of living in south Seattle is the abundance of Asian grocery stores and eateries. Actually, I still shop for groceries there. I don't know what stop us from going out for pho, but we haven't been out for pho in the longest time. The joy of eating pho at home is we get to choose whatever we want. While I like less noodles and more herbs, my husband is the otherwise. I think that could be the reason why we haven't been going to pho restaurant.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gsWCFWCAW7M/Th-01taYa6I/AAAAAAAAA_U/h8K2-w6ih18/s1600/DSC09476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gsWCFWCAW7M/Th-01taYa6I/AAAAAAAAA_U/h8K2-w6ih18/s1600/DSC09476.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gsWCFWCAW7M/Th-01taYa6I/AAAAAAAAA_U/h8K2-w6ih18/s320/DSC09476.JPG" width="214" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Most people associate chicken soup with being sick and needing nourishment. That's how we look at pho. When Seattle's weather isn't being kind to us, we like to have a bowl of pho. The cinnamon scented broth and the noodles cooked just right, with slightly cooked beef slices and crunchy beansprouts, that must be better than medicine, yes?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i2ucupIWRIo/Th-_K-kfhsI/AAAAAAAAA_c/1kUcxJG7kb4/s1600/415459572240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i2ucupIWRIo/Th-_K-kfhsI/AAAAAAAAA_c/1kUcxJG7kb4/s320/415459572240.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We love pho so much, we even made this pho cake, made out of cake and fondant.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>It's time consuming to make, but really easy and simple.<br />
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<b>For the broth</b><br />
Ingredients:<br />
<ul><li>4 cm ginger, peeled and thinly sliced</li>
<li>1 medium yellow onion, sliced</li>
<li>3 1/2 lbs beef bones</li>
<li>1 cinnamon stick</li>
<li>5 star anise</li>
<li>1 tbsp salt</li>
<li>1/2 tbsp soy sauce</li>
</ul>Saute ginger and onion until fragrant. Add and cook the beef bones until no longer pink. Cover with water, about 3 quarts. Bring to a boil, skim the broth. Add cinnamon stick, star anise, salt and soy sauce. Season to taste. Turn down the heat and let simmer for 3-4 hours.<br />
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Cook rice noodles and set aside.<br />
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Assemble your bowl with meat of your choice, noodles, herbs and beansprouts. Pour the hot boiling broth over it. If you are squeamish about eating raw meat, I suggest you cook the meat first. We like to let the hot broth cook the meat for us, so it's only rarely cooked.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qV3l5gAsguM/Th-zS3a-y8I/AAAAAAAAA-w/iaN8z8ORMIY/s1600/DSC09448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qV3l5gAsguM/Th-zS3a-y8I/AAAAAAAAA-w/iaN8z8ORMIY/s320/DSC09448.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Ngo gai (culantro?)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P3MEgXOy91A/Th-zezrrF3I/AAAAAAAAA-0/xT5ygAcXniM/s1600/DSC09451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P3MEgXOy91A/Th-zezrrF3I/AAAAAAAAA-0/xT5ygAcXniM/s320/DSC09451.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Thai basil</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YAWUVCzhBMc/Th-zpaBaR0I/AAAAAAAAA-4/kHzNi30B-3Q/s1600/DSC09452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YAWUVCzhBMc/Th-zpaBaR0I/AAAAAAAAA-4/kHzNi30B-3Q/s320/DSC09452.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Scallions</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zPHwl57Wfz0/Th-z1Zyh_LI/AAAAAAAAA-8/n-adjtwmCxw/s1600/DSC09453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zPHwl57Wfz0/Th-z1Zyh_LI/AAAAAAAAA-8/n-adjtwmCxw/s320/DSC09453.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Beansprouts</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sfKr9EE71W0/Th-0J8b5pdI/AAAAAAAAA_E/AEuWdfrlneM/s1600/DSC09458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sfKr9EE71W0/Th-0J8b5pdI/AAAAAAAAA_E/AEuWdfrlneM/s320/DSC09458.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Jalapenos</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7uByw9vWthg/Th-0ATuiklI/AAAAAAAAA_A/WZezpWUNDdU/s1600/DSC09457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7uByw9vWthg/Th-0ATuiklI/AAAAAAAAA_A/WZezpWUNDdU/s320/DSC09457.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Cilantro</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uDG3s-urIlY/Th-0T9rTJUI/AAAAAAAAA_I/hyCOpoJqN6k/s1600/DSC09469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uDG3s-urIlY/Th-0T9rTJUI/AAAAAAAAA_I/hyCOpoJqN6k/s320/DSC09469.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Sliced beef, tripe and noodles</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ax_Kv_4D0R4/Th-0fQ-Z1uI/AAAAAAAAA_M/HsK7uVir-Kc/s1600/DSC09470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ax_Kv_4D0R4/Th-0fQ-Z1uI/AAAAAAAAA_M/HsK7uVir-Kc/s320/DSC09470.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Clockwise: tripe, beef, noodles</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nTWYZTosHVY/Th-0qRSUDDI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/ZIHiy8ZAOVU/s1600/DSC09471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nTWYZTosHVY/Th-0qRSUDDI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/ZIHiy8ZAOVU/s320/DSC09471.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gsWCFWCAW7M/Th-01taYa6I/AAAAAAAAA_U/h8K2-w6ih18/s1600/DSC09476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-48699010638673277072011-07-05T12:07:00.000-07:002011-07-07T10:57:12.063-07:00Baked Pork Buns, My BUNdle of JoyI have a confession to make. My favorite meat to cook with is pork. As boring as it sounds, I make pork stewed in soy sauce at least once every 2 weeks. For variation, sometimes pork belly is used or pork feet for that gelatinous texture. I don't know why, the first day of pork stew, it's still good just eaten with steamed rice. The second day, I started to get the itching to make something else out of it. And most of the time, I relented and make pork buns using the leftovers.<br />
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Instead of steaming them as usual, I baked them.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tAp1ycBuAxw/ThFQPXG-gaI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/2EhtV7cA11E/s1600/DSC09272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tAp1ycBuAxw/ThFQPXG-gaI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/2EhtV7cA11E/s320/DSC09272.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><br />
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Pork stewed soy sauce, it sounds simple and yes, it is. Normally, I just put pork (usually 50% pork belly and 50% pork shoulder) in the pot, covered with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/ABC-Kecap-Manis-Sweet-Sauce/dp/B000EINWCQ">sweet soy sauce</a>, salt and pepper and cook it on low heat until tender (could take 6 hours, depends on the cut, or you can use slow cooker too). When I'm feeling fancy, I add mashed garlic and five spice powder. Then you can use the leftovers, chop them up, stir fry with minced garlic, for the filling.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9lr00sXfV60/ThFQ93wMBXI/AAAAAAAAA-g/V_AEIrEFUTc/s1600/DSC09279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9lr00sXfV60/ThFQ93wMBXI/AAAAAAAAA-g/V_AEIrEFUTc/s320/DSC09279.JPG" width="286" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the dough:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Ingredients:<br />
<ul><li>2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour</li>
<li>3 1/2 tsp baking powder</li>
<li>3 tbsp granulated sugar</li>
<li>2 tbsp softened butter</li>
<li>1/2 cup lukewarm water</li>
<li>1/2 tsp white vinegar</li>
</ul>Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.<br />
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Sift flour & baking powder into a bowl, stir in sugar and rub in the butter with fingertips until evenly distributed. Add water & vinegar, knead until the dough is soft and supple. Shape into a smooth ball, cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes.<br />
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Divide the dough into 8 to 10 even portions. Roll out on a floured board to a circle approximately 4 inches in diameter. Put the filling in the middle, gather edges together, fold and pleat to make a neat joint. Twist dough to seal. Put each bun, pleat downwards on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown (mine is not so golden brown, because I forget the wash..)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1p0F8_kVT-4/ThFQqgh5d5I/AAAAAAAAA-c/S1fm5y1Ubyg/s1600/DSC09274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1p0F8_kVT-4/ThFQqgh5d5I/AAAAAAAAA-c/S1fm5y1Ubyg/s320/DSC09274.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>True meaning of bundle of joy..Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-50355125017689961542011-06-27T21:07:00.000-07:002011-06-27T21:07:49.709-07:00Updated Corn Fritters, Crispier and BetterIs there any food that you loathe as a child, but grow to love? I have a lot. One of them is corn fritter. Growing up, corn fritter made by my mom's helper wasn't the best. While she is a great cook (she's still working for my mom until today, that makes it 16 years!), her corn fritter is always soggy, oily and whenever you eat them, it leaves this unpleasant oily film inside your mouth. Being the most loyal member of clean-your-plate club, it always perturbed when I had to leave this lumpy disk of doughy corn on my plate.<br />
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A decade later, I'm so far away from home. Yet, I crave the food that I used to hate. Sometimes, the homesickness is so strong, I even miss food that I've never had. Last year, the corn fritter came to me in my dream. No, I'm not being funny, it sure did. After calling my mom for the recipe, she just told me the ingredients, with no details of the measurement at all. So there I was in the kitchen, guessing how much each ingredient I need to make this corn fritter. The first try came out too familiar, soggy and oily. So I decide to put more corn in the mixture. While most people looooove the doughy fritter, I adore crispy fritter. And the fact that I cheated and used frozen corn paid off. The corn kernels stay crunchy, while the fresh corn kernels turn mushy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EX_tz2TSYoY/TglMLLoJwkI/AAAAAAAAA-M/9YYhd7yWveg/s1600/DSC09387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EX_tz2TSYoY/TglMLLoJwkI/AAAAAAAAA-M/9YYhd7yWveg/s320/DSC09387.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><br />
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Ingredients:<br />
<ul><li>2 cups corn kernels </li>
<li>150gr all-purpose flour</li>
<li>1 large egg</li>
<li>100ml water</li>
<li>Enough oil for deep frying</li>
<li>Grind together: 4 red chilies, 5 shallots, 4 cloves garlic, salt & pepper</li>
</ul>Combine all ingredients together and mix thoroughly. Heat the oil and deep fry by the tablespoon (as big or as small as you want). Fry until it's golden brown, drain on paper towel. Don't eat it right away or it'll burn the inside of your mouth. Believe me, I know.<br />
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It makes a great snack, or side dish. I could not stop eating them. This, unlike the doughy, greasy corn fritter of my childhood, is crispy.Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-18511434327064899202011-06-20T20:22:00.001-07:002011-06-20T20:23:43.588-07:00Simple Sambal, but It Will Burn Your MouthMy love of spicy food can be dated back to when I was a 2-yr-old. I'm not talking about Sriracha-spicy. I'm talking about real, fiery, burn-your-mouth kind of spicy. My mom used to joke, it's because I'm a tiger, to maintain my fierceness, I have to consume copious amount of spicy chilies. She also said that is why I'm so impatient, bold, crude and barbaric yet ambitious. And she thinks all that qualities, if I polish myself quite nicely, it will actually help me to get further in life (yeah, hopefully..)<br />
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My son also loves spicy food. He can handle his chilies better than most adults I know. We make <i>sambal</i> once a month, and it'll last us exactly that long. While he likes <i>sambal oelek</i>, nothing compares to the homemade one. We can tinker with it, make it as spicy as we like. I don't know how he gets this way. All I remember was he wanted to try some <i>sambal </i>when he was 1.5 years old. Let him try a dab, since then, he's hooked. Of course I make sure to throw away the chili seeds. That's the culprit to the burning sensation in your mouth. After awhile, no-seeds <i>sambal </i>is too weak for him. So I leave just enough seeds in our <i>sambal</i>.<br />
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<i>Sambal </i>to us is like pesto to most people. You can slather it on any protein you have. Or slow cooked eggplants in it. We do lots of things with it. Very versatile. Sometimes I just want to bathe in it (uh, not a good idea, of course, it will sting you like no other!) The neat thing about homemade <i>sambal</i> is, you can control the heat. <br />
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It makes me miss home, where you can just fold your legs up, with a plate of hot steaming rice in front of you. At this point, who needs eating utensils? As barbaric as it sounds, it does taste better that way. You can feel each grain of rice between your fingertips. The burning sensation of the chili seeds against your skin. You're using all five senses to eat. Just don't rub your eyes.......<br />
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Super simple <i>sambal</i> (enough to cook 4 chicken thighs in, even a little bit more):<br />
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Using mortar and pestle (or a blender, magic bullet, food processor), ground 4 shallots, 4 cloves of garlic, 2 steamed tomatoes (diced) and 10 chilies (discard the seeds if you wish). Season with salt and pepper. Stir fry the grind mixture until it's cooked and fragrant. Add in a dash of brown sugar. Ready to be used for whatever you want.<br />
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Suggestion: cooked with previously fried chicken, eggplants, hard boiled eggs. Sometimes I use it to cook fried rice. Play with it. And tell me how you like it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wvMckXgovKY/Tf_PfUjzjVI/AAAAAAAAA-A/cNMkJqHXaqo/s1600/DSC09233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wvMckXgovKY/Tf_PfUjzjVI/AAAAAAAAA-A/cNMkJqHXaqo/s320/DSC09233.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-30368976061563547022011-06-14T00:46:00.000-07:002011-06-14T00:47:23.092-07:00Crispy Chow Mian, a Feel-Good DinnerAt times when we don't know what to cook for dinner, we always settle for the easiest dish. The one that everyone enjoys. While it's not always healthy, it's homecooked. We rarely eat out, only occasionally when there's the urge to splurge. I always feel so accomplished whenever I successfully cook dinner using only leftover ingredients. 1/4 of the chicken breast, half of the capsicum. While it is perhaps just me, I do feel like I'm some frugal goddess when that happens.<br />
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Tired of fried rice, the ultimate vessel to use up leftover ingredients, crispy chow mein or chow mian (I prefer to call it the latter) is also a good way to channel my inner frugal goddess. Of course, the name of my blog gives it away, we eat it with rice. It's the Chinese in us, without rice, it somehow doesn't feel like a meal. We treat the crispy chow mian not as our main carb. It's more like an extra crunch to complement the vegetables & meat. <br />
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I rarely cook with a real recipe, unless it's a new dish that I've never cooked before. This one is pretty easy. It all depends on what you have in your refrigerator. I use leftover roasted chicken from the day before, half capsicum, some mushrooms, green onions and peanuts. The noodles was boiled and deep fried until crisp, it was crunchy, but soft where the sauce from the stir fry soaked into the noodles.<br />
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The seasonings are mostly a dash of this and a pinch of that. But sweet soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper are strongly recommended. Sometimes when I feel cheeky, I also use spicy bean paste to season the stir fry. Fast and easy dinner.<br />
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I bet it's good to cure hangover too, yes?Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-13457309647366730892011-05-30T14:59:00.000-07:002011-05-30T14:59:06.108-07:00Point Defiance Zoo & Cake That Reminds Us of The TripAfter months of sun deprivation, of course we were ecstatic to know that we would be having a sun-filled weekend. We went to the zoo on Saturday. While we love the Woodland Park Zoo, we were just there few months ago, so we decided to visit Point Defiance Zoo. Yes, it's quite a drive to Tacoma from where we live. But it's worth the trip. What I love about this zoo is, the animals are more active and easier to spot. <br />
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The kids were well-behaved, no one complained about being tired or hungry or sleepy or bored. That classifies as a good day. We saw all the animals (except the red wolf), soaked up all the sunshine and went home happy.<br />
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He loves the sandbox, telling me how it feels like sugar. My reaction? "<i>He better NOT put it in his mouth</i>".<br />
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The next day (Sunday), we made a cake that will remind us of our trip to the zoo. We practically toss things into the mixing bowl, without any recipe. But we did jot down the measuring of the ingredients, in case we want to make it again next time. Lucky for us, it did turn out well. The butter reminds us of the bright, yellow sun. Brown sugar resembles the sand in the sandbox. And the chocolate.. uh.. let's not elaborate.<br />
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Chocolate-y Almond Cake<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
<ul><li>1 stick unsalted butter, softened </li>
<li>1 cup brown sugar</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>1 tsp pure vanilla extract</li>
<li>1/8 tsp salt</li>
<li>1 cup all-purpose flour</li>
<li>1 cup sliced almond</li>
<li>8oz semisweet chocolate, chopped</li>
<li>5 tbsp milk</li>
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Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil and grease it.<br />
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Melt butter and beat in the brown sugar until smooth, then beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the salt. Stir in the flour and almond. Pour into the prepared pan.<br />
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Warm the chocolate and milk together, until the chocolate is melted. Stir until smooth. Pour on top of the cake batter.<br />
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Bake for 25 minutes, until the cake is done. Cool on a rack and cut into squares. For easy cutting, put in the freezer for about 20 minutes before cutting.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vj4bT0z4mZQ/TeQEp2LNYjI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/5cgDEmVWHEs/s1600/DSC08592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vj4bT0z4mZQ/TeQEp2LNYjI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/5cgDEmVWHEs/s320/DSC08592.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>You got yourself a lovely, crunchy yet soft almond cake.Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-43738730095966796862011-05-19T16:52:00.000-07:002011-05-19T17:00:35.615-07:00Ghetto Soto AyamSeattle's weather has been so beautiful lately. The sun is out, which makes me want to go out more often (this is so rare.. I'm usually a homebody). Unfortunately, I've been feeling under the weather. Stuffy nose, clogged up ears, and sore throat. Hell no. So instead of taking a walk to playground, today we made soto ayam. It's Indonesian clear chicken broth (well, slightly yellow to be exact). <br />
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While they do sell the instant spice sachets, I find it superfluous to use. It's not that hard. If you own a mortar and pestle, you can make any Indonesian dishes (and of course you need a pantry full of Indonesian spices). Heck, I don't own mortar and pestle, but magic bullet could also doubled as spice grinder.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Today, we just had a simple soto ayam. Without the usual condiments and toppings. My son was slightly disappointed, he's used to the whole spread of potato fritters, tomato, Chinese celery, lime and fried shallots. Good thing he understood "because we used the potatoes for the jo-jos". Okay, let's not be cheeky here and cut the chase, I need to do some grocery shopping..... :)<br />
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<b>Soto ayam (chicken soto)</b><br />
<ul><li>1 whole chicken</li>
<li>3 shallots (depends on the size, I used 3 pingpong-sized shallots)</li>
<li>6 cloves garlic</li>
<li>1/2 tbsp turmeric powder </li>
<li>1 tsp white pepper</li>
<li>1 1/2 tbsp salt</li>
<li>3 tbsp peanut oil </li>
<li>1 inch ginger</li>
<li>1 stick cinnamon</li>
<li>3 kaffir lime leaves</li>
<li>1 lemongrass</li>
</ul>Boil the chicken, ginger, cinnamon, kaffir lime leaves and lemograss in 1.5L water. Once the chicken is cooked, let it cool and cut into bite sized pieces. Set aside. Reserve the water.<br />
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Grind together the shallots, garlic, turmeric powder, salt and white pepper. Stir fry the ground spices with the oil. Add in to the water used for boiling the chicken. Dump in the chicken pieces.<br />
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Serve with glass noodles, hard boiled eggs, potato fritters, diced tomatoes, squeeze of lime, shrimp crackers, whatever floats your bowl. Sambal oelek is also recommended.<br />
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This is why I love Indonesian food, it's like a DIY dish where you can put whatever you want without being judged.Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-48784222299898917012011-04-28T18:57:00.000-07:002011-04-28T19:02:22.682-07:00Spicy Fried Tempeh, and How I Miss My Mom<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">I haven't written for quite awhile. Had a moment where I find it hard to process my thoughts into words. I miss having my mom around, so there's an adult to talk to during the day when my husband is at work. Ironically, I didn't have a good relationship with my mom as a child. We rarely talked, except when I was talking back. I didn't know why she was so.. bitter and unloving. I'm not going to elaborate, but I discovered something when I was 16. She's been holding so much burden by hiding someone else's secrets just so we, her children, won't lose respect for that "someone". To make long story short, since then, I see her in different light.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uPQ0gwkoPC4/Tbn0MFS_jPI/AAAAAAAAA7M/pmF627kDwLA/s1600/DSC08513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">Funny how my mom lives thousand miles away from me, but her voice is always in my head. Making comments. Sometimes it's a nice one, sometimes it's mocking me. When I was playing puzzles with my son, her voice in my head said "<i>Start with the sides first, then you just fill in the middle parts</i>". After how many years, the memories just flooded back. Like that one time she told me how God would punish me in the future, by making me marry the boy I socked in kindergarten "<i>so watch out, don't hurt people</i>". </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QU10MIaNZVw/Tbn1RfiBfJI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/kcQlpNJnLQg/s1600/DSC08527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QU10MIaNZVw/Tbn1RfiBfJI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/kcQlpNJnLQg/s320/DSC08527.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">While driving to my grandmother's house, we would pass a river. A really dirty one. There were people brushing their teeth there, taking a dump, taking a bath, using the water to cook their meals. I was (and still am) grateful that we have proper plumbing, so using the dirty water wasn;t necessary. Then I saw something else, I'm sure they've been there forever, but didn't notice til that day. There were two men, in their underpants and wifebeaters, stomping <i>something</i> inside a barrel with their sweats dripping down. Undoubtedly using the dirty water, too. My mom noticed me looking at them, said nonchalantly "<i>Oh, they're just stomping on the soy beans that they'll turn into tempeh</i>". My 8-year-old self, who love tempeh so very much, got so disgusted and wouldn't touch it for the next 5 years. While my mom swore she never said that, I'm sure it was her selective memories playing tricks on her. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">Oddly, in Indonesia, tempeh is the poor man's protein choice. Meat costs much more than tempeh. You want a cheap protein? Cook some tempeh. I was quite surprised when I found out that tempeh costs way more than meat ($3.79 for an 8oz pack, are you fucking kidding me?) When I told my mom, she blamed the vegetarian/vegan who made tempeh sounds so "hip", hence the higher demand. (Sorry for vegetarian/vegan out there, my mom is.. my mom)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uPQ0gwkoPC4/Tbn0MFS_jPI/AAAAAAAAA7M/pmF627kDwLA/s1600/DSC08513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uPQ0gwkoPC4/Tbn0MFS_jPI/AAAAAAAAA7M/pmF627kDwLA/s320/DSC08513.JPG" width="319" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">But sometimes I splurge, and buy it without even thinking. My mom laughs at me whenever I tell her I buy tempeh, and makes comment about how my younger self must be laughing too and said "<i>This is your punishment for being a spoiled brat who denied tempeh because it was cheap and dirty!</i>" Oh it's true.. my bratty younger self will DEFINITELY say that. The whole time I was prepping, with all these memories flooded into my brains, I couldn't help but wish she was here with us. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">Here for you guys, who have read my non-sense ramblings and make it this far (I just miss my mom, that is all). My favorite way to eat tempeh.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">Ingredients:</div><ul style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><li>8oz pack of tempeh, cut into cubes</li>
<li>2 tbsp tamarind water</li>
<li>2 shallots, sliced</li>
<li>1/2 tbsp brown sugar </li>
<li>Chilies, (up to you, I used 8), sliced</li>
<li>Salt and pepper</li>
<li>Half of lemongrass stalk, or just use 1 tsp lemongrass powder</li>
<li>Oil </li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">Deep fried the cubed tempeh until golden brown, dry on paper towel.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">In a frying pan, saute the shallots and chilies in oil, then add in the tamarind water, lemongrass and brown sugar. Taste, season with salt and pepper. Cook until thickens, if you want to dilute it with a bit of water, go ahead. The liquid mixture must be just enough to coat the fried tempeh. Not too much or it'll be tempeh soup :)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">Toss in the fried tempeh, cook a little bit until the tempeh cubes are all coated. Serve with rice.</div>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-47921822434069554652011-04-19T09:42:00.000-07:002011-04-19T09:45:01.331-07:00Dark Chocolate Truffle Shortbread Bars<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've been feeling down lately, due to the weather and delay in schooling. I try not to whine about it, but sadly, I have to wait until next year to go back to school. While I'm disappointed, our decision is the best for our family. Talking about, isn't it spring already? Why does the fall/winter weather linger around, I do not know. Whenever the weather is icky, I feel icky too. I'm much happier during summer time. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We, human, have no control over Mother Nature. If only we could prevent natural disaster, if only we could change the weather. Sadly, we can't. Don't be discouraged. One thing we can control is ourselves. So to cheer us up in this gloomy weather, and trying to cope with news of natural disaster, something as simple as chocolate shortbread bars could help. I won't say that it'll cure our heartaches or make us forget all calamities. But it does help. It makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ezEdOlCsFQk/Ta2vwrLSB2I/AAAAAAAAA6s/AC7N8uhvOB4/s1600/DSC08411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ezEdOlCsFQk/Ta2vwrLSB2I/AAAAAAAAA6s/AC7N8uhvOB4/s320/DSC08411.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Dark chocolate truffle shortbread bars</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For the shortbread:</div><ol style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li>Line a 9x9 square pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400F.</li>
<li>Whisk together <b>1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour</b>,<b> 1/3 cup sugar </b>and <b>1/4 tsp salt</b>. Add in <b>1 stick unsalted butter</b>, <b>softened</b>. Mash with fork until it resembles bread crumbs. Add in <b>1 large egg yolk</b> and mix until the dough comes together. </li>
<li>Press the dough into the prepared pan. Prick it with fork and bake for 18 minutes or until it's golden brown.</li>
<li>Let it cool before you pour the chocolate truffle (recipe followed)</li>
</ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RK7H8Kq6I4w/Ta2wIDY_90I/AAAAAAAAA60/9QLPCDnF3vQ/s1600/DSC08416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RK7H8Kq6I4w/Ta2wIDY_90I/AAAAAAAAA60/9QLPCDnF3vQ/s320/DSC08416.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
For the dark chocolate truffle:</div><ol style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li>Heat in a double boiler, <b>12oz chopped dark chocolate</b> and <b>1 1/4 cups heavy cream</b>. Stir gently until the mixture is smooth and glossy.</li>
<li>Once it has cooled to room temperature, pour the dark chocolate truffle on top of the shortbread. </li>
<li>Put in the refrigerator until it firms up a bit, take it out and using heated knife, slice into bars.</li>
</ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nK1DqXvrTAo/Ta2u_y75aOI/AAAAAAAAA6k/c5YlwAwqlBM/s1600/DSC08408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nK1DqXvrTAo/Ta2u_y75aOI/AAAAAAAAA6k/c5YlwAwqlBM/s320/DSC08408.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It won't erase all the tribulations away, but it stops my whiny ass from complaining and be thankful for once. :)</div>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-63041648322093107162011-04-15T10:31:00.000-07:002011-04-15T10:31:45.528-07:00Collard Greens, The Indonesian Way<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yesterday, I experienced an impulsive longing for home. Yes, even after 7 years of living here in Seattle, the home to my guts is still Indonesia. I miss street vendors selling snacks, while it might be unhygienic, it was cheap and satisfying. My dad used to say, whatever food that is sold in a <i><a href="http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=kaki+lima&cp=7&qe=a2FraSBsaQ&qesig=wK7pwZUT64Ya_oy6dDjs4Q&pkc=AFgZ2tmUzCLf-lii0DOrbusXzywdwFbxVQlxR3IcwZQHOSLmRXoBHDVdgg02iS5bogkDVGgAArx7nSKmuE7hCt0O0eHLMmAllw&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1440&bih=779">kaki lima</a>, </i>it's gotta be good. It's like the fast food of Indonesia, minus the trans fat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I especially miss <a href="http://warungfiksi.net/the-famous-padang-cuisine/">Padang food</a>, where they'd take out several dishes at once upon your arrival. So you just pick which dishes you want. You don't even have to wait to order. There's a saying, hit the ground running. This is "hit the chair eating". Or if you decide to get a take-out, they'll wrap your food in banana leaves. Hot food + banana leaves = heaven. I think the hot food helps permeate its fragrance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I usually like their rendang, cooked brains and cassava leaves in coconut broth. But since it was an impromptu lunch, and I didn't have cassava leaves in hands, I tried using collard green. It has the pleasant bitterness that cassava leaves offer, I didn't expect it to work this well. Served over hot rice, it felt <i>almost </i>like home. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fAwFW1ozNGQ/Tah2H0skkFI/AAAAAAAAA6E/hZuFZZ9rB6o/s320/DSC08469.JPG" width="214" /></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ingredients:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 bunch collard greens, cut into 1-inch strips and boiled until softens</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 can coconut milk (I use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chaokoh-Coconut-Milk-13-5-Fl/dp/B0002YB404">Chaokoh coconut milk</a>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1/4 cup chicken stock </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">3 cloves garlic</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">5 shallots</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 inch ginger </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">5 candlenuts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 tbsp coriander seeds </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tbsp trasi</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 tsp turmeric powder </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Chilies, as much as you can handle</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 stalk lemongrass</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Salt and pepper </span></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jlYCCoDTmUI/Tah18R5K17I/AAAAAAAAA6A/T2ilxxW-zRg/s1600/DSC08461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jlYCCoDTmUI/Tah18R5K17I/AAAAAAAAA6A/T2ilxxW-zRg/s320/DSC08461.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><ol><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Crush garlic, shallots, ginger, coriander seeds, candlenuts, chilies and trasi together.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Saute the ground mixture until fragrant, add in the coconut milk, chicken stock and the turmeric powder. Once it's boiling, stir in collard greens. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Add the lemongrass, then season with salt and pepper.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cook until the collard greens is really soft. Serve over hot rice.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></li>
</ol><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now I wonder if I open a Padang hut in Seattle, would people come? </span>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-9405354006817976102011-04-11T17:05:00.001-07:002011-04-11T17:06:28.977-07:00Puffy, Chewy and Delicious Scallions Pancakes.<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Most of my girl friends' weakness is always desserts. When choosing snacks, sweets will always be the number one choice. As much as I love chocolate, I find myself craving for salty, savory snacks almost every day. Sometimes the snacking urge is so sudden, I need a quick fix. Opening a bag of chips isn't it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The other day, my son and I were reading the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dim-Sum-Art-Chinese-Lunch/dp/0609608878/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302565417&sr=8-1">dimsum book</a>, with beautiful illustration that never fails to whet our appetite. We stopped at the scallion pancakes recipe. Last time we had it, it was about 3 months ago. He wanted it, I wanted it. The decision was made, "scallion pancakes for brunch!", we cheered. Beside being so delicious, it is fun to make, too! </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">These puffy golden pillows would make a great appetizer. Cut into smaller wedges and serve with toothpicks if you're feeling fancy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fU3am2cVSdY/TaORAuyVjSI/AAAAAAAAA5c/Us9mm1e4zdI/s1600/DSC08361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fU3am2cVSdY/TaORAuyVjSI/AAAAAAAAA5c/Us9mm1e4zdI/s320/DSC08361.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Scallion Pancakes (tsung yu bing)</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ingredients:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1/2 cup boiling water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 tbsp cold water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">6 scallions, using both white and green parts, thinly sliced</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sesame oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Vegetable oil</span></li>
</ul><ol><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sift flour into a large bowl, then stir in boiling water until well blended. Add the cold water. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until dough is elastic and firm. Form dough into a ball, wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Divide dough and scallions into 6 equal portions. Roll out the dough into a 7 1/2-inch circle. Spread some sesame oil and salt, then scatter the scallions on top. Lightly press the salt and scallions into the dough. Fold the dough in thirds, pinch ends closed and roll the dough up from one short end. Flatten it with your hand, then roll it into a 5-inch circle. (We didn't roll it too thin, because we love the slightly thick, chewy texture)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat, add enough oil. When it's hot, cook the pancake for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Add a bit of oil when you turn the pancake. Once it's done, drain on paper towel. Add more oil for each pancake so it'll have even browned color. Cut each pancakes into 4 wedges.</span></li>
</ol><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TG3K612ww1k/TaORIw7PBVI/AAAAAAAAA5g/v4eo51ZaZ3s/s1600/DSC08374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TG3K612ww1k/TaORIw7PBVI/AAAAAAAAA5g/v4eo51ZaZ3s/s320/DSC08374.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Somehow I always think of a bird's head with the beak and all</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We got to the last piece, and he argued "Mommy, I'm smaller so I get the last piece". Who cannot say no to that?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-11423289067690452702011-04-06T09:33:00.000-07:002011-04-06T09:39:33.644-07:00His Favorite Cinnamon Buns<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Between March and April, we've been to IKEA for copious amount of time. With each visit, my 4-yr-old son would ask for their $1.25 cinnamon bun. He loves it so much, sometimes waking up, the first thing he asks is "did you make cinnamon bun today?" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">He loves helping me in the kitchen, but the only thing he helps me with from start to finish is cinnamon bun. When making other treats, halfway through, he'll announce that he's bored and would rather do something else. Eminently, when it comes to this puffy sweet bun, he waits for the dough to rise, even reminds me to check on it every 30 minutes. Roll the dough up with his tiny hands and tell me whether I cut them too thick or too thin. He wants to make sure it comes out perfect. While he prefers savory food, dark chocolate and anything-cinnamon-flavored top his favorite snack list.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DcLNGGCLdyQ/TZv-ZZeI2pI/AAAAAAAAA44/zrpTSDvFmwY/s1600/197456_10150144099767241_504327240_6463435_7292261_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DcLNGGCLdyQ/TZv-ZZeI2pI/AAAAAAAAA44/zrpTSDvFmwY/s320/197456_10150144099767241_504327240_6463435_7292261_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We've been using the recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Apprentice-Mastering-Extraordinary/dp/1580082688/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1302107304&sr=1-1">The Bread Baker's Apprentice</a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, and he loves it so. "It's better than IKEA's cinnamon bun", he says.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ingredients:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">6 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tsp salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">5 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 large egg</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tsp grated lemon zest</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 tsp instant yeast</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 1/8 cups whole milk, room temperature</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (6 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar mixed with 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon powder)</span></li>
</ul><ol><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cream to</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">gether the sugar, salt and butter on medium high with a paddle attachment. Whip in egg and lemon zest until smooth. Then add flour, yeast and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. Switch to dough hook and mix on medium speed for 10 minutes until dough is silky. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer dough into it. Flip it to cover the dough with oil and cover the bowl with saran wrap.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Let it rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, until the dough doubles in size.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Oil the counter and transfer the dough to it. Roll out the dough with rolling pin into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick, 14 inches wide and 12 inches long. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the dough and roll it up.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">With seam side down, cut dough into 12 even pieces about 1 1/2 inches thick. Place the buns 1/2 inch apart of each other on a lined baking sheet. And let rise for 90 minutes until the buns have doubled in size.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Preheat oven to 350F.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Bake cinnamon buns for about 20-30 minutes on the middle rack until golden brown.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cool buns in the baking sheet until slightly cooled but still warm. Add the white fondant (recipe followed) on top</span>.</li>
</ol><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For the white fondant:</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sift 2 cups of powdered sugar into a bowl, add about 3 tbsp of warm milk until sugar is dissolved. Add milk slowly and only enough to make a thick, smooth paste.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-91203531630522435272011-03-28T07:46:00.000-07:002011-03-28T07:46:58.170-07:00Chicken Noodles, Comfort Me Please?<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was a drizzly, cold morning when I was waiting for the bus. As crazy as it sounds, for the past five years, I rarely go out by myself, without my kid(s). It feels liberating, yet nerve-wrecking. When I left the house, the kids were still sleeping, the boy tucked next to his dad and the girl slept soundly, the only noise was their snore.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was going to an open house for a culinary school. About 6 years ago, I applied to this same school but due to financial and immigration problem, I had no choice but to back out. Now the latter is settled, so we decided it's time to go back. Despite my worry about being socially inept, I made small talks without turning red (major improvement, I dare say). And heck, I like this school. There was another school that I was considering but it doesn't fit my needs and it's quite a distance from where I live, while this one is just a 10-min drive away.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i54jLTCJ_L4/TZCTVp0STKI/AAAAAAAAA4w/oLItTouB4Xc/s1600/DSC08191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i54jLTCJ_L4/TZCTVp0STKI/AAAAAAAAA4w/oLItTouB4Xc/s320/DSC08191.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spinach soup</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">When I got home, I could not stop yapping about how excited I was to go back to school. Then my husband, the ever logical man, asked me "but what about the kids?". See, I was so fucking happy, I didn't even think! Sadly, we're in between. While we're not eligible to get subsidized childcare, at the same time, we cannot afford childcare. So this week task is to call around, to find a nice, friendly, loving, caring and affordable childcare. Just wish us luck... I know that when there's a will, there will be a way.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Meanwhile, with all that out, this bowl of noodles would be great to comfort me. Keeps me sated for awhile. I call it feel-better noodles. Corny, but yes! It does make us feel better. Last week, my son did mischievous stuff (I can't remember what it was, but bad enough that I had to make him go sit in the laundry room), he felt so guilty and worried that I've stopped loving him. I presented him with this bowl of noodles, then with his eyes beaming with relief he said "You love me because you give me noodles! I love slurping noodles!" </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UALCSr2fi6U/TZCTtLqhfcI/AAAAAAAAA40/IfEsv32BOvI/s1600/DSC08201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UALCSr2fi6U/TZCTtLqhfcI/AAAAAAAAA40/IfEsv32BOvI/s320/DSC08201.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Chicken Noodles</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ingredients:</div><ul><li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 box of mushrooms, quartered</li>
<li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">4 chicken thighs (we like skin-on, but feel free to use skinless), boiled then cut into bite-sized pieces</li>
<li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">3 cloves garlic</li>
<li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> 2 tsp fish sauce</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Salt and white pepper to taste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A dash oil (I use peanut oil)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 package (500gr) dried Chinese noodles, cook according to instruction on the package</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></li>
</ul><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Saute garlic in the oil until fragrant, add in the chicken and mushrooms. Season with fish sauce, salt and pepper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Serve atop of noodles and garnish with sliced green onions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Simple, yes? I love having spinach soup to go with it too.</span><br />
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</span>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-1167854617470836892011-03-23T14:10:00.000-07:002011-03-23T18:10:39.986-07:00First Dinner in Our New Place<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The thought of moving out of our old apartment was exciting and relieving. No more loud noises at 3am. No more cigarette stank seeping through our windows. No more petty fights that we could not help but overhear. But the process of moving is a pain in the ass. While I can't really help my husband move the bigger stuff, I can't stand the mess that's sitting in the middle of the living room right now. Our dresser isn't built yet, and with my habit of collecting books, we definitely need another bookshelf. My son loves our current condition, as he uses the piles of books and bags of clothes as his obstacle course.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7u4qbP-Wi7Y/TYpTxPRybBI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/qDMUpgVFgeo/s1600/DSC07003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7u4qbP-Wi7Y/TYpTxPRybBI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/qDMUpgVFgeo/s320/DSC07003.JPG" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roast chicken</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><a name='more'></a><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> We moved to our Northgate apartment last year with nothing but necessities. Now we move to a bigger place with a little more things and a new baby. I just realized how our little family sticks together through thick and thin. Looking back, we are ever so grateful. Some people, even those who are related to me by blood (not by choice), told me to leave my husband when he was unemployed. Thanks to that situation (of my husband being unemployed for awhile), I know their true colors.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It seems really petty and stupid to be stressed out over the mess in the living room. Eventually I will clean up the mess even though I know my son won't be too happy about me taking away his obstacle course.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> I mean, I should be thankful for the wonderful friends that I have, wonderful parents & siblings, wonderful husband & kids. Thankful that we have roof above our heads, food in the refrigerator that'll last us at least a week and that we're still alive, together and happy.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> I'm apprehensive by nature but slowly I'm trying to be better. And this blogging thing is helping a lot. It helps me reflects how lucky I am despite what those assholes said. </span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">With all this rant and moving, one might think I'll be too lazy to cook. Hey, you're right! But there are mouths to feed. So we had simply roasted chicken the first night in our new place. Just a rub of butter on the skin and stuff the cavity with lemon, onion and cilantro. For the first time in years, I didn't truss the chicken! We're dark meat lovers, so the chicken breasts ended up being tossed into herbal soup cooked with daikon.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm so thankful for having a wonderful husband who doesn't complain about moving though I bet he's sore as heck from lifting boxes of our junk. And he still goes to work the next day like a champ. If you tell me two years ago, that we'll be living in a bigger place, in a great neighborhood and have another baby, I wouldn't believe you. </div>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-54476834628142557822011-03-15T13:24:00.000-07:002011-03-16T21:45:12.410-07:00Pandan Cake: No, It's Not Kryptonite<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As a rule of thumb, when there is a choice, I won't consume food that's artificially colored. Ironically, my number one weakness is chiffon pandan cake. To my defense, it's a quite difficult task to find <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandanus">fresh pandan leaves</a> (otherwise known as screwpine leaves) here in Seattle. Awhile back I found fresh pandan leaves at the Asian grocery store I frequent, but the next week I was shit out of luck. It's so much easier to stock up on pandan extract. I have 2 kinds; one without added coloring and the other one looks like it's loaded with kryptonite. Guess which one I ended up using?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nq6pA7sOh3Y/TX-17zomexI/AAAAAAAAA3A/8pIY8FH2dLE/s1600/DSC03531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nq6pA7sOh3Y/TX-17zomexI/AAAAAAAAA3A/8pIY8FH2dLE/s320/DSC03531.JPG" width="320" /><a name='more'></a></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> No matter what I tell my husband, he refuses to eat it (perhaps he secretly thinks he's Superman) but my son loves this green cake. I craved for this certain cake during my last pregnancy, it's a quite surprise my daughter didn't come out smelling like pandan or having green complexion like Incredible Hulk. Last year, 8 out of 12 months, I made this cake. Hence the abstinence of this cake since October of 2010. While this cake is a Southeast Asian thing (I believe Indonesian and Malaysian), I don't see why we can't have it to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. And try telling Clark Kent there's no kryptonite involved in making this cake.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Pandan Cake</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ingredients:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">50ml water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">125ml coconut milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">50gr unsalted butter, melted</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 tsp pandan extract (I use Koepoe brand)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">6 large eggs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">225gr granulated sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">250gr all-purpose flour</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tsp baking powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> 1/2 tsp baking soda</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">45gr toasted coconut flakes (optional)</span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Preheat oven to 350F. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mix together water, coconut milk, melted butter and pandan extract.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In another bowl, whip sugar and eggs until it fluffs up. Gradually add in the wet mixture and flour mixture alternately (I do wet-flour-wet-flour-wet). If using, stir in the toasted coconut flakes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Pour into ungreased angel cake pan and bake for 45 minutes until the cake is done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Flip the cake pan upside down, using a bottle to prop it. Wait until cool to serve. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And now you have green cake! It's fluffy and soft, almost like really really soft bread. The brown outer crust is the part I like best. Now, don't pinch. </span><br />
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</span>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-67076504889758226712011-03-11T10:30:00.000-08:002011-03-11T16:24:04.562-08:00Bread-That-Was-Supposed-to-be-Ciabatta with Shredded Pork<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Couple days ago, <a href="http://runs-with-spatulas.blogspot.com/">Danielle from Runs with Spatula</a> gave me an award, thanks Danielle! It sounds like a fun thing to write but to be honest with you, I don't know what to write when it comes to 7 things about myself. I will try...</span><br />
<ol><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm a bookwhore. My husband hates how I leave books all around. Trip to bookstore is always filled with temptation.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My yearly new year resolution is to be less profane, somehow I haven't succeeded yet. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I get all happy and excited when I go grocery shopping, and spend less than I expected. Then I will show the receipt to my husband and yap about it for a good 15 minutes til he tells me that "I don't really care how much you save". Ouch.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Socially inept. It's really hard for me to start a conversation. But after 5 minutes of talking, usually things go smoothly. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I cannot live without chilli sauce. Or chilli itself. We buy the 136oz huge jar and it'll be gone by the end of the month.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My husband is 11 years older than me, but sometimes I look 5 years older than him. Life. is. not. fair.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My right thumb nail is deformed, has been that way since I was 14. Don't know what's wrong with it. Anyone?</span></li>
</ol><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6J85DWNkqZg/TXpbuXNbSAI/AAAAAAAAA2E/BZ0IkTS_5pI/s1600/DSC08006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6J85DWNkqZg/TXpbuXNbSAI/AAAAAAAAA2E/BZ0IkTS_5pI/s320/DSC08006.JPG" width="319" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Back to food, last week I made two huge loaves of ciabatta from Peter Reinhart's book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Apprentice-Mastering-Extraordinary/dp/1580082688/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299866737&sr=8-1">Bread Baker's Apprentice</a>. It was good but definitely <i>not </i>ciabatta. It doesn't have huge airpockets as it should be. I love eating ciabatta just as is, without any adornments. Unfortunately, this bread-that-was-supposed-to-be-ciabatta (BTWSTBC) is too dense to eat as is. So I decided to slowcook a piece of pork shoulder butt with ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, paprika, garlic and dried chilli flakes. And shredded it by hands and top the BTWSTBC with the shredded pork. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2jsLJMcY3IA/TXpb__DY3mI/AAAAAAAAA2I/AhdF1XjlGWM/s1600/DSC08019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2jsLJMcY3IA/TXpb__DY3mI/AAAAAAAAA2I/AhdF1XjlGWM/s320/DSC08019.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The crunchy, rustic-looking crust with the soft bread and the juicy, tangy pork, without a doubt, is delicious. If that bread was a pillow, I'd love to sleep on it. But the thought of having bread crumbs on my hair snapped me out of it. And pork is such a versatile ingredient. No matter how you prepare it, it will turn out edible if not tasty. And I believe pig's sole purpose in this world is to be eaten. Cow/cattle serves multiple purposes, chicken too. But not pig. Where is pig's destination other than the butcher shop? Oh pork, how I love you.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">BTWSTBC is just a vessel for the awesome pork. The inside was scooped so it could be used as a shovel, for transferring the pork from plate to mouth. Eating utensils aren't needed. </span>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-9846768507137963122011-03-07T17:08:00.000-08:002011-03-07T23:26:50.220-08:00Banana Sundae, If Only Babies Stay Babies Forever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The habit of cooking/baking then take pictures of the end product, has definitely affected my son. The other day he was so freaking bored, he told me he wanted to make banana sundae. And he specifically told me "then we will take a picture!", so we did that. Oh and he wanted to listen to Beatles while taking pics?! He's been this way since he was small. I always say he is an old soul inside a 4-year-old body, except when he's throwing hissy fit (never mind, I've seen adults throw hissy fit).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-BEwUCgrDanI/TXVrqL6mOKI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/fhEY3b0fsBk/s1600/DSC07701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-InH64q28yDU/TXXKOnvf2gI/AAAAAAAAAuY/OTr47YQmYrU/s1600/DSC07696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-InH64q28yDU/TXXKOnvf2gI/AAAAAAAAAuY/OTr47YQmYrU/s320/DSC07696.JPG" width="319" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a name='more'></a>He cut up the banana with a plastic knife, then complained about how dull the knife is. He tried to scoop out the ice cream but somehow failed to get a nice round scoop. After the fifth tries, he asked me to help him. Melted some chocolate with a bit of heavy cream to drizzle on top of the ice cream.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I borrowed <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cakewalk-Memoir-Kate-Moses/dp/0385342985/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299545861&sr=8-1">Cakewalk</a> by Kate Moses from the library. From my understanding, seems like the author's mother was depending way too much on her even when she was still a little child. Having her tell her dad that the family didn't want him anymore is beyond awkward. And overall, expecting the child to act like an adult. (Please correct me if I'm wrong) It hits me hard because sometimes, when the going gets tough, I wish the kids would just turn 18 already. There was this one line that I remember, the author's feeling about her mother "You are completely selfish and this is your punishment for not taking care of us". While I'm nothing like the author's mom, but seriously, that might take the cake for being the scariest line ever if it comes out of my children's mouth. It makes me feel guilty, for wanting my children to grow up fast (although I only wish so when shit hits the fan at the brink of frustration).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This picture reminds me to savor the moment. Savor their childhood. Before I know it, they will be 18. And I will be wishing that I could just turn back the time. Seeing their little, innocent faces I just want to freeze the time. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I cannot imagine them <i>not </i>being my babies.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Thank goodness for camera, so precious moments can be captured. As excited as I am to go back to culinary school next year, I dread leaving them with someone else. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jlokDpivZ7I/TXVr0ChE1PI/AAAAAAAAAuU/INHqfUvhIZU/s1600/DSC07702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jlokDpivZ7I/TXVr0ChE1PI/AAAAAAAAAuU/INHqfUvhIZU/s320/DSC07702.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's nice to have someone this cute serve you ice cream. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What's not so nice? Cleaning up after his mess. </span>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-86892484767500658292011-03-03T21:05:00.000-08:002011-03-03T21:10:28.372-08:00Red Curry, We Had Poor Man's Curry Yesterday<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Seattle's weather is pretty interesting. You can get sunshine, wind, hail and snow all in one day. I like to joke how Mother Nature is PMSing, and when she's in shitty mood like this, I'd love a bowl of comfort, please. What can you make from 2 baking potatoes, and half of chicken breast? Well, if your pantry is like mine, you can make Thai curry! While I can't say it is authentic, but it's better than most Thai places we've been to. Spicier and has more flavors than the bland-ish curry they serve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Usually when our fridge is fully stocked, we'll put kabocha and bamboo shoots into the curry too. But because I wasn't well prepared this time, it was just potato and chicken breast. But what important is the curry paste. As long as you have good curry paste, you're good to go. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This is my trusted red curry paste recipe. It has never fail me. Ever.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S2Fh7OT67V8/TXB0FK1Cq9I/AAAAAAAAAuM/cYpJfoN2rcU/s1600/DSC08002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S2Fh7OT67V8/TXB0FK1Cq9I/AAAAAAAAAuM/cYpJfoN2rcU/s320/DSC08002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ingredients:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">6 red chilies, remove the stems, chopped (I use 10, because I'm nuts)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 shallots, minced</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tsp black peppercorns</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 tsp ground cumin</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tbsp ground coriander</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tsp turmeric</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 tsp paprika</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tsp salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tsp lemongrass powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tsp minced galangal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tbsp minced garlic</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 tsp dried shrimp paste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tbsp oil </span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's up to you to either keep the chilies seeds or discard them. I keep them because I like spicy stuff. Put everything in a blender (or in my case, magic bullet), then process them until it turns into smooth paste.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For one recipe, I use 5 tablespoons of red curry paste to 3 1/2 cups coconut milk and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. But I usually eyeball it depends on my mood that day. Some days I like my curry a bit less spicy but when I need the extra heat, I go crazy. It was good for cold weather, gives you warmth and save your electricity (hey, who needs heater if you're eating curry?) My son could have 2 bowls of rice with it if I allow him.<br />
</span>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1393695494295793596.post-17501215361961500592011-02-28T23:14:00.000-08:002011-03-01T16:19:58.809-08:00If It Wasn't for Harold Crick, I'd Never Have Tried Cookies and Milk<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There are lots of cookies in this world, and having overactive imagination, I sometimes like to ponder, how would A taste paired with B, hence me concocting this <a href="http://withabowlofrice.blogspot.com/2011/02/happy-belated-valentines-day.html">weird cookies</a>. But if I die tomorrow and have to choose my last cookies, without a doubt, I'll pick the ol' chocolate chip cookies. Back then, when I wasn't allowed to use the oven (ehm, actually I was too scared to go into my parents' kitchen, lots of rats!), my favorite chocolate chip cookies was Chips Ahoy.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Believe it or not, I'd never had cookies with its loyal companion of all time, milk, until I watched <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420223/">Stranger than Fiction</a>. Harold Crick, the IRS agent, fell in love with the baker he's auditing. I don't recall the whole detail, but there was this one scene where Ana Pascal offered him a plate of cookies and told him to dip em in milk. I used to think it was just a cutesy thing to do, that serves no real purpose whatsoever. It wasn't bad, and actually I'm liking it. This means a lot, coming from someone who cannot drink milk as is (don't like how it tastes, somehow it induces vomit). I think that's why I'm so short.... The milk lends buttery taste to the cookies. The icy cold milk and warm cookies create the hot-and-cold sensation. Sometimes if you leave the cookies long enough in the milk, it absorbs the liquid, filling the airy holes in the cookies with it. And kinda like it. I drink milk as an excuse to eat cookies. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-75s25srQuIY/TWx2-yTz6DI/AAAAAAAAAt8/moZK283sVMQ/s1600/DSC07562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4CKyH3PCK-E/TWx2h1fEYBI/AAAAAAAAAt4/KDJD4DhGEqk/s1600/DSC07546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4CKyH3PCK-E/TWx2h1fEYBI/AAAAAAAAAt4/KDJD4DhGEqk/s320/DSC07546.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This recipe is by far my favorite. I got it from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ad-Hoc-Home-Thomas-Keller/dp/1579653774/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298962099&sr=1-1">Ad Hoc at Home</a> by Thomas Keller. And the fact that it uses kosher salt instead of table salt, makes the sweet-and-salty flavor combo more conspicuous.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Chocolate Chip Cookies</div><ul style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li>2 1/2 cups plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour</li>
<li>3/4 tsp baking soda</li>
<li>1 tsp kosher salt</li>
<li>5 oz 55% chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces</li>
<li>5 oz 72% chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces</li>
<li>2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces</li>
<li>1 cup packed dark brown sugar</li>
<li>3/4 cup granulated sugar</li>
<li>2 large eggs</li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">With the oven racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven, preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper/Silpat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, and baking soda. Stir in the kosher salt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Beat half of the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle on medium speed until somewhat smooth. Add both sugars and the remaining butter, beat until well combined and mixture is light and creamy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Add eggs one at a time, making sure that the first one is well incorporated before adding the second egg. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed to combine. Stir in the chocolate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Shape 2 tbsp of cookies into balls and arrange them so they're 2 inches apart from each other (to be safe, I put 8 cookies on each pan). Bake for 12 minutes or until the top is no longer shiny. Rotating and switching position of the pans halfway through baking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cool cookies on the pan so they can firm up for a minute or two. Then transfer cookies to cooling rack. Bake the remaining cookies. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-75s25srQuIY/TWx2-yTz6DI/AAAAAAAAAt8/moZK283sVMQ/s1600/DSC07562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-75s25srQuIY/TWx2-yTz6DI/AAAAAAAAAt8/moZK283sVMQ/s320/DSC07562.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Christine Wuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12249586752790702429noreply@blogger.com11