Dubu with Scallops

My love affair with Korean food started when my sister moved to Toronto. She took me to Korean BBQ and I was in love. The sweet and savory melt-in-your-mouth meat...When I learned that Montreal had opened a Korean restaurant, I tried it with a friend and discovered Bi Bim Kook Soo...it was so good. In the last couple of years, Korean cuisine has been popping up everywhere in Montreal.

I discovered Maangchi's food blog when i googled for the potato banchan. I can't say I've tried a whole lot of recipes from her blog, but a lot of them look delicious.

I was originally going to make Tofu Scallops that Kevin likes so much, but i find the recipe to be just OK. I remembered I had saved one of maangchi's recipes in my favorites. Dubu (dooboo) is a popular Korean dish of sliced and/or pan fried tofu served with kimchi or sliced pork. I decided to use the scallops I bought.

1 package of tofu, sliced into rectangles
Vegetable oil for pan frying

1 clove of garlic, minced
1 green onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic chili sauce (more if needed) can be subbed with pepper flakes
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil

1. Slice the tofu into bite size pieces (¼ inch thick rectangles). Blot each piece with a paper towel.
2. Heat a pan with vegetable oil. Add the tofu. Cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes or until tofu is golden. Flip the tofu and brown the other side.
3. Transfer the cooked tofu to a serving plate.
4. Make your sauce in a small bowl by mixing the rest of the ingredients.
5. If using scallops, stir-fry scallops with salt and pepper until opaque. Do not overcook.
6. Spoon the sauce evenly over the tofu, and sprinkle some roasted sesame seeds just before serving. Serve with rice.

This was a very simple dish. The tofu frying on the stove smells a little weird, but the dish is very good. Kevin said the sauce was strong, but gobbled up everything anyway. I had no idea the dish was so quick to make. I had dinner on the table in 25 min. We did not have leftovers.

Lobster Bisque

In December, Kev and I went to this fancy French restaurant to celebrate 3 wonderful years as a couple. The restaurant had a fabulous tasting menu. It was about 15 courses! Our favorite was the restaurants signature dish, the lobster bisque. It was light and fragrant.

The following months, whenever we had lobster, i'd keep the lobster shells in the freezer to eventually make lobster broth for a bisque.

1 cup chicken broth or homemade lobster broth
2 medium slices onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups cream or milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound cooked and cubed lobster meat
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2-3 tbs tomato paste
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper

1. if making homemade lobster stock, boil lobster shell in water and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
2. In a small frying pan place 1/4 cup stock and the onion. Cook over a low heat for 5 to 7 minutes.
3. In a medium size pot over medium heat melt the butter. Slowly whisk in flour. Whisk until a creamy mixture is created.
4. Gradually pour in stock, whisking constantly. Whisk in milk, salt, onion, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper. Heat until soup is almost boiling. Do not boil the soup as the milk will curdle when boiled. Simmer at low heat for about an hour. Add cooked lobster meat into bisque before serving.

The bisque was thick, creamy, and heavy, not what we had at the restaurant. But this was still good. More like a meal soup than an appetizer soup. I used heavy cream for this recipe, which I thought was too much. Next time i'd suggest using light cream or do 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream. The recipes takes quite a bit of time to make, but i'd make it again...if only it didn't make my house smell like lobster for 2 weeks.

Giant Scallop Pasta with White wine sauce

Recently, Kevin signed up for a costco membership. I love costco...I think it might be because of the free tastings. Most of the time, we don't end up buying a lot. We never really end up buying too much since we're just two people.

While walking through the frozen aisles, we discovered a bag of frozen "dry" giant scallops. Dry scallops mean they haven't been soaked in sodium tripolyphosphate (STP) to prolong their life. When soaked in STP, it causes the scallops to absorb water and get heavier. It means you are partly paying for water. However, does this still apply to frozen scallops?

So anyway, we bought a bag of these giant scallops. I originally wanted to bake them in a buttery white wine sauce with bread crumbs to soak up the sauce, but got too lazy to think of a side dish to go with it. So I made pasta with it.

1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
1 pound sea scallops
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup Heavy cream (optional) or milk
Spinach
Spaghetti pasta

1. Cook your choice of pasta al dente.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, mix the chicken broth, wine, lemon juice, shallot, butter, and garlic.
3. When the sauce is gently boiling, put scallops into the sauce to cook. About 1-2 minutes each side (depending on how cooked you like them). Usually I like them just opaque. Remove them when cooked to your preferred doneness.
4. Add heavy cream (if using) into the sauce and boil until slightly reduced.
5. Optional step (if using heavy cream): you can use cornstarch mixed with a little bit of water to thicken the sauce quickly.
6. Add spinach. Toss pasta in the sauce. Add peppers and salt to taste.
7. Enjoy pasta with scallop on top.

I tried a variation of this recipe. I made this recipe twice. The first time is as written, the second time I tried a "healthier" version. I substituted the heavy cream with milk, and used margarine instead of butter. I preferred using butter over margarine. But liked using milk instead of heavy cream. I'm usually not a big fan of tossed pastas. I like having sauce, but this was good. It would be even better if I had bread to sop up some of the sauce. This was a heavy but satisfying meal.

Cold Noodles with Snap Peas

Cooking is enjoyable only when it's not 35C degrees out. When it's hot, I just want to avoid turning on any kitchen appliance. I originally wanted to make cold soba noodles, but didn't have time to get soba noodles at an Asian market. So I decided to get some vermicelli at Loblaws. I got this recipe from a cookbook I have at home. The recipe in the book is the one with the smoked salmon, but I knew Kev would find this combination weird. So I made his with Shrimp instead.






1 pack of vermicelli, prepared as indicated

Sugar snap peas, blanched

Shrimp or Smoked Salmon

Sweet and Spicy Thai sauce (I used PC Memories of Thailand)

1. Cook everything, then rinse in cold water.


2. Mix all ingredients with the sauce.


3. Eat.

The combination of smoked salmon and Thai sauce was a strange mix of flavors. I didn't hate it, but it was definitely strange. The shrimp version was a bit better, but i think maybe a scallop version would be even better. I liked how easy it was to make, but I wouldn't recommend leftovers.

Crab Ceviche

I know, I have been lazy with the blog. After starting my new job, I'm just usually too tired to blog after work...and I'm too busy to blog at work. lol

A few weeks ago, my old friend Wynn invited us over for a BBQ get together at her place. I remember adding a recipe for crab ceviche in my favorites a while ago, but just never got a chance to make it at home. This was an easy recipe and fast recipe to prepare. It's great for the summer.

I couldn't quite make up my mind about whether it should be called crab salad or crab ceviche. Ceviche is basically marinating in a citrus-based mixture. The reason why it confuses me is that usually ceviche marinates raw foods...like scallop or fish, but I'm using imitation crab.

1 package of imitation meat, chopped or flaked.

tomatoes

red onion finely chopped

cilantro leaves, chopped

Lime juice

red bell peppers (yellow or orange works too)

Olive oil

salt and pepper

sugar

*Important: Use a glass bowl. Do not use metal or plastic.

1. Mix crab meat with olive oil until well coated. Add all the veggies. Add lime juice , salt and pepper, and a bit of sugar to balance the dish. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

These were gone in 5 minutes at the BBQ. I liked them a lot too and was planning on making them again with the leftover cilantro. But my cilantro went bad after only a few days. Why???

I actually did some research since I got so sick of my cilantro going bad. The bad guy here is the plastic bag and moisture/water. Cilantro can apparently be kept for 2 weeks if you store them correctly. For starters, ditch the plastic bag and dry the cilantro with a paper towel before storing them in the fridge. The water on the leaves makes them rot more quickly. So this is why my mom wraps some of her veggies in paper towels in the fridge. Another way to have cilantro is to freeze into ice cubes to be used in stew or curry, but not useful if you want to use it in a salad...

Singapore Noodles

One of my favorite noodle dish to have in a Chinese restaurant is Singapore Noodles. I'm usually someone who likes saucy dishes...but i guess the spicy curry in this dish made up for it. Kevin's not a huge curry fan. Most of the time he's just afraid to bring strong smelling food for lunch at work. Me...I don't care too much.

1 pound dry vermicelli pasta
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips
2 butterfly pork chops, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1/2 (12 ounce) package frozen shrimp, thawed
1 cup bean sprouts
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons curry powder
1/4 cup water

sesame oil

fish sauce

cayenne pepper

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add vermicelli and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. In a deep skillet or fry pan, brown chicken, pork and garlic in the oil over medium-high heat.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the onion, carrots and water; cover and steam for 5 minutes. Stir in celery and shrimp. Cover and steam for 2 minutes.
4. Mix in the bean sprouts, curry powder and soy sauce; stir together until blended and hot, 4 to 5 minutes. Toss with noodles, and serve with the option of hot pepper sauce and soy sauce as condiments

Make sure you have a giant wok to make this, because my poor little one was over flowing with ingredients. I ended up with vermicelli pieces all over my stove. The measurements can be more or less depending on your taste. I used a bit more curry and soy sauce. Fish sauce and sesame oil was not in the original recipe, but i added it for the extra flavor. I also added some cayenne pepper for that extra spiciness. For the meat part of this recipe, I only used shrimp. I was too lazy and cheap to add pork and chicken too. But if you happen to have leftover pork and/or chicken that would work. For veggies, I used only green onions (shallots), onion, and red pepper. I couldn't justify buying a whole bag of carrots and a whole stalk of celery just for one recipe. We don't eat those veggies very often. The results ended up pretty good. It tastes better the next day when the dish has absorbed all the flavours. Kevin told me he liked it too. Although he took something else to work for lunch. My one complain was that the vermicelli I had was a bit too thin. I would have preferred a slightly thicker vermicelli.

Sweet and Spicy Thai Shrimp with Coconut Rice

Over the winter time, Kevin and I went to visit his family in Ottawa. We often try to visit his family once every 2 or so months. That time, his dad made him honey water...which is basically honey mixed with boiled water. I was never a big fan of honey...especially the natural smell of it...I remember when my uncle suggested I sweeten my coffee with honey. He told me that it was the trend in Vancouver...i'm not too sure it was, but I did it anyway. I ended up chucking my coffee in the nearest trash.

What I didn't know was that I love cooking with honey. So when Kevin's parents gave us a bag of shrimps, I looked up for a recipe and found this. I added coriander to the recipe, just because I thought it sounded like it needed it. I also had leftover coconut milk in my fridge, so I made coconut rice to go with it, and loosely called my dish Thai.

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp

1 pound of shrimp, deveined and deshelled
1 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger
1 cup coriander, chopped
2-3 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp oil
pepper and salt to taste
dash of lime juice

1. Heat the olive oil and red pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and honey; cook and stir until fragrant. Add the shrimp, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring as needed, until shrimp are pink and opaque. Serve immediately over coconut rice.

Coconut Rice (2 servings)

2 cups Minute Rice, long grain (I know...my ancestors are turning in their grave)

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 water

crushed peanuts

chopped coriander

1. Mix rice and all liquids in a pot and cook/ simmer for 15-20 minutes until liquid is almost gone.
2. Once done, mix crushed peanuts and chopped coriander into the rice. Serve hot.

I was a big fan of this. I loved that the sweetness of the coconut milk made the underside burn just a little bit and gave the rice a nice aroma. Kevin called my coconut rice weird, and didn't like it. He's also not a huge fan of coriander and picked them out. Other than that, he ate quietly and finished his plate. Good boy!

Shrimp Jambalaya

Jambalaya is a Louisiana Creole dish of Spanish and French influence. The dish is a New World version of the Old World dish paella. A Cajun version, loosely related to paella, was adopted after absorption of white French Creoles into the Cajun population following their fall from power in New Orleans after the Civil War. (Source: Wikipedia)

Every time I read the word Jambalaya, I hear Newman from Seinfeld in my head. I haven't had jambalaya anything in a really long time. I was looking in my recipe book for a shrimp recipe and found this. I used to love spicy foods, but have had a bland palate lately. Maybe it comes with age.


3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups of onions, chopped
2 cups diced bell peppers, preferrably red or yellow
Salt and pepper
4 cups chicken, beef, vegetable, or shrimp stock, or water
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne or to taste
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried thyme
2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes, or a can of diced tomatoes, drained.
2 cups long grain rice
2 pounds shrimp
minced fresh parsley or cilantro leaves for garnish

1. Place oil in a large skillet and turn the heat to med-high. Add onions, bell peppers, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until onions soften and begin to brwon, about 10 min. Warm stock in a small saucepan over med heat.
2. Stir garlic, cayenne, and thyme to the vegetables. Add tomatoes and turn heat to med-high. Cook for a few minutes.
3. Add rice and hot stock and bring to boil. Once boiling, lower to med heat. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, untilt he rice is tender and the liquid is just absorbed, about 20-30 minutes. Add shrimp and stir. Cook 2 or 3 minutes, then raise heat if necessary to cook off the remaining liquid. Garnish and serve.

I really like these one-pot dishes. I don't need to make the rice seperate or make a veggie sidedish. Everything just goes in. The shrimp jambalaya was good, but a tad spicy. I might consider reducing the cayenne next time. Other than that, it was a tasty meal. I think there's something about canned tomatoes that we're kind of sick of...when Kev and I started dating, we liked making this crockpot sausage dish that required canned diced tomatoes. And we made i t quite often. So now, everytime I make a recipe with canned tomatoes, it just doesn't taste as great for us. Perhaps next time, I will make this with fresh tomatoes instead.

Japanese Style Simmered Mackerel

My first attempt at making mackerel didn't turn out the way I thought it would. I had made Mackerel with Sweet Soy a few months ago and it ended up being way too salty. So i continued to look in the recipe book and found a Japanese style simmered fish recipe. So I decided to try it.

6 medium-small mackerel fillets

2 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp minced garlic

5 slices fresh ginger

2 Tbs mirin (sweet cooking wine) or 1 Tbsp honey thinned with water

1/4 tsp cayenne

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup water

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to the skillet, when hot, add garlic. Stir once or twice and add fillets. Raise the heat to high and sear about a minute each side.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Turn the fish once or twice in the liquid, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook until done, about 6 minutes.
3. Serve on white rice and drizzle remaining sauce on top.

This turned out really well. Much better than the sweet soy sauce from the other mackerel dish I made. The sauce in this one is sweet and savory. I drizzled some of the sauce on my rice as well. It was delicious. My only complaint for this is that I didn't make enough. Kevin liked this a lot and has requested I make it again. :) I added a some chopped green onions to the sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds to garnish.

Thai Green Curry Salmon

Salmon is possibly my favorite fish to eat...with Mackerel a close second. I used to only like eating salmon raw; sashimi. I usually don't like cooked salmon because I don't like the texture...I know...usually people don't like the texture of raw fish. lol Cooked salmon is often overcooked in restaurants and I hate that, especially when it's grilled.

New Years Eve 2007, Kev and I were invited to a dinner/ count down party at a friend's place. They served salmon and it was delicious!!! I couldn't believe it. The salmon was baked in this mavrelous Thai green curry sauce. It was a bit spicy. We emailed our hosts the nest day and also to ask for the recipe. I'm always looking for shortcuts and we found canned Thai green curry, instead of buying everything seperately. This also ended up being cheaper. I will also post my shortcut version of the recipe.

1 Salmon, filletted
3 Cans coconut milk
1 Tin green thai curry paste
1/4 cup clear maple syrup
pinch salt

1. Heat coconut milk, fold in green paste, maple syrup and salt. Cool sauce in fridge for 30 minutes or until cold.
2. Cut fillets into person-sized pieces and marinate in sauce for 9 hrs in fridge or 3 on table.
3. Preheat oven to 450 F.
4. When ready to cook, drain off sauce into saucepan, bring to a boil and reduce for 30 minutes on medium heat.
5. Place filet strips on cookie sheets, sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 minutes approx. Serve with sauce on the side.

Shortcut Version

1 can of Thai green curry (make sure it is green curry and contains coconut milk/cream in it)

Salmon filets

1. Cut Salmon into individual portions. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with a napkin.
2. Preheat oven to 450F. Place fish in a baking dish. Open the can of green curry and pour on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until done.

The canned green curry we buy had bamboo pieces and basil leaf in it. We used to buy another brand that did not have bamboo pieces and basil, it was good, but I think the extra stuff is better. You can always buy your own and add it if you want. I usually serve this with boiled vegetables and white rice to soak up the sauce.

Simple Steamed Mussels

I like mussels. I especially started loving them when I had the baked mussels from Kanda, an all-you-can-eat sushi place Kev and I like to go often. I know a lot of people who don't like seafood in general. They say it's the texture. I guess that part of my mind is not functional because I don't mind it at all. Other people don't like mussels just because they are filter feeders and are considered dirty. I personally think i've eaten worse things.



My mom makes her mussels Chinese-style; with our favorite black bean sauce. I believe she buys her mussels frozen. They are usually twice the size of the unfrozen/fresh kind that Kev and I buy. She once told me to buy Nova Scotian mussels, because they are usually bigger. I can't remember where the mussels we get originate from, but they are small.

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup shallots, minced
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 pounds mussels, cleaned and debearded
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
ground black pepper to taste

1. In a medium stock pot, heat butter over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until translucent.
2. Pour in wine and mussels. Raise heat to medium/high and steam mussels until shells open, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour mussels and cooking liquid into a serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

I believe this was the first time I ever cooked with wine. I don't drink alcohol, so I was a bit hesitant. But the alcohol evaporates and the sauce tastes so good. The only downside is that a night of mussels produces a lot of garbage...and smelly too.

Potato, Spinach, and Salmon Patties with Garlic Dill Cream

I can't remember who sent me the recipe for this, but it was a recipe in the NY Times. I've never made any type of patties before, but the potato, salmon, and spinach mixture sounded great and the sauce sounded even better. I love dill! So when Rachelle came over to our place for dinner, I decided to try it. The last couple of times she came over I made salmon fillets, since she doesn't eat red meat. I wanted to make somethign different. I had to alter the original recipe because I didn't like having to fry it in oil. I wanted to bake it for a healthier version. So here's the recipe and the changes I made.






FOR THE POTATO SALMON PATTIES:
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 cups mashed potatoes, chilled
8 ounces cooked salmon fillet, flaked To save time, I used canned salmon
2 1/2 cups 1 cup panko or bread crumbs to put in patties, and more for coating
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Note: For the first 3 ingredients, you don't have to use the amounts exactly. You can use whatever amounts you like.

FOR THE GARLICKY DILL CREAM:
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Olive or vegetable oil for frying.

1. Preheat oven to 350. Squeeze as much water from spinach as possible. Place in a bowl and add potatoes, salmon, 1 cup panko, 2 eggs, salt and pepper; mix well to combine.
2. Place remaining bread crumbs in a wide, shallow bowl. Place remaining eggs in a second bowl and beat lightly. Place flour in a third bowl.
3. Form spinach mixture into 3-inch patties, about 3/4-inch thick. Dip each patty into flour, tapping off excess, then the egg, letting excess drip into bowl. Coat evenly with panko crumbs. Transfer patties to a large baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. Bake in oven for 15 min or until browned.
4. Meanwhile, make dill cream: In a mortar and pestle or with the back of a knife, mash garlic and salt together to make a paste. Stir it into the sour cream or yogurt. Add dill and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Chill until ready to serve.
5. Heat 1/4-inch oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; if using olive oil, you don’t need to use good extra virgin oil. Cook patties in batches, turning once halfway through, until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes a side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Serve hot, with a dollop of dill cream.

Rachelle and I enjoyed this a lot. The recipe made about 18 patties. Kev was a bit indifferent about it since he's not crazy about dill. These patties may be small, but they sure are filling. I froze half of it because I didn't want them to go bad and it was just too much. I think a person can eat maybe 3 patties + a sidedish. 4 patties if eaten alone. When I made the frozen leftovers, the defrosted patties were a mess. They tasted fine, but were much harder to handle. I'd suggest making these as appetizers if you're having a lot of guests.

Mackerel with Sweet Soy

I've been learning to cook and bake a lot more things in the last couple of months. I'm still a beginner cook and I still panick a bit when i'm trying something new. During this time, Kevin is also learning to take risks and be my guinea pig. I'm sure my friends now know that I like to cook, because I received 2 dictionnary-sized cookbooks for X'mas/birthday. I've already mentioned the one I received from Rachelle for X'mas. The second one I received was from Anh Thu for my Birthday; How to cook Everything by Mark Bittman. I usually like my cookbooks with food porn, but after studying the book a little, this is a pretty impressive cookbook. One fo the things I like is how they give you a recipe and then follow it with variations of the same recipe. This mackerel recipe is an Asian twist to a basic grilled mackerel in the book.


4 Mackerel Fillet or any fish Fillet
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1/4 soy sauce
1 tbs minced garlic
1/4 scallion, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbs white wine or water
1 tbs honey or sugar

1. Mix all ingrdients, except fish. Marinate the fish for 5 minutes or more.
2. Cook in a skillet for 5-10 minutes on medium-high heat or until fish is cooked. The sauce will reduce and caramelize.
3. Serve with white rice.
   

I think the brand of soy sauce i have is way too salty for the measurements given in this recipe. My mackerel dish ended up being too salty, but I could really see the potential of the recipe if only I had tasted my sauce before reducing it to a glaze, which probably enhanced the saltiness. Next time i'll cut the soy sauce in half and dilute with water and/or add more sugar/honey. I love mackerel, so i'd definitely try this recipe again. This took no time to cook. When I was done with the fish, my rice cooker was still working hard at cooking our rice.

Tom Kha Talay

I had about a cup of coconut milk in my fridge and I didn't know what to do with it. I thought about making coconut rice to serve with pork chops, or maybe make Sai Mai Lo ( a Chinese coconut tapioca dessert)...while browsing food blogs, i fell upon Noob Cook's Tom Yum Seafood recipe. I remembered I had Tom Yum Paste in the fridge as well and some frozen shrimp. All I needed was French green beans and some kind of white fish. I finally decided on mackerel. I love mackerel. During my search online, i found that the recipe with coconut milk, lemon grass, and seafood is not Tom Yum, but Tom Kha Talay. Tom Yum is usually a clear broth with no coconut milk.


2Tbs Tom Yum Paste (or more if needed)
2 cups + 1/4 cup (575ml) Vegetable broth
1 cup coconut milk
12-14 large shrimps/prawns
2 Mackerel fillets
Approx 15 green beans, ends trimmed, cut to about 2" lengths
1/3 hot chili pepper (green and very spicy)
1/2 Onion, chopped

1. Boil Vegetable broth and Tom Yum Paste.
2. Add mackerel, beans, hot chili pepper, and onions. Simmer 5 minutes.
3. Add shrimps. When boiling, add coconut milk. Remove from stove when it starts boiling again.

Unless you like your Tom Yum soup to be spicy, i think i'd omit the chili pepper. The soup tasted just right when I had just made it, but I guess overnight, it got really spicy. Not so spicy that you won't feel your tongue or anything crazy like that, but enough to make your nose runny. I also think I want to put some bamboo shoots and basil leaf in it next time. The shrimps were a little overcooked and chewy. I have to find out how restaurants always have their shrimp so good in the soup. hey probably only add the shrimp right before serving. I'd make this soup again with those changes. It was really tasty and a great winter soup. Not a soup for sissies.

Part III: Rainbow Trout with Coconut Curry Beurre Blanc

The star of our Indian-inspired dinner was the main course. With Rachelle as my guest, I couldn't cook meat, she's a vegetarian who eats fish. So I searched for an Indian-inspired fish recipe. I have been in love with cooked salmon/fish ever since I had the fish dish my friends served at their New Year's Eve dinner party in 2007. They served Maple-Green-Curry Salmon. So I knew curry would taste yum on fish.



3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
kosher salt to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil
8 (6 ounce) fillets Alaskan king salmon (we used Rainbow trout)
2 tablespoons garam masala
kosher salt to taste

1. Pour white wine, cream, and coconut milk into a saucepan; season with curry powder. Bring to a light boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the liquid has reduced to 1/2 cup, about 10-20 minutes.
2. When the liquid has reduced, turn heat to low, and whisk in the butter, a few cubes at a time, until all of the butter has incorporated. Do not allow the mixture to boil or else it will separate. When the butter has incorporated, season to taste with salt and set aside to keep warm.
3. Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. While the oil is heating, lightly season both sides of the salmon with garam masala and salt.
4. Sear the salmon in the hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes on one side, then turn over, and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes until done. Briefly drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil, then serve immediately with the curry butter sauce.
   

I actually forgot to season my fish before cooking. We also skipped searing the fish with oil...I always prefer baking my fish...less oily. Once baked, I poured some of the sauce on top of the fish. I also did not have unsalted butter. I had semi-salted. I had to add some sugar in the sauce to balance the taste. The sauce took a long time to prepare, but it was absolutely sinful, and worth the prep time.

Rachelle tip: The leftover sauce seperates. When heated, discard the oily film on top and you're left with yummy thick sauce that you can have on fish, meat, vegetables, or with bread.

Chinese Oyster Stir-Fry and Black bean Oysters

I was looking in the freezer and found a bag of frozen large oysters I had bought a few months ago. I had completely forgotten about it. Hoping that the oysters weren't freezer burned, I cooked them. I remember having a conversation with my mom about how to cook them. My mom usually serves them battered and they are oh-so-good. But I really despise the smell of oil in the house when you fry stuff. So instead, I decided to do a simple stir-fry and another with a garlic black bean sauce.

1 cup raw Oysters

1/4 cup Flour

2 Tbsp Peanut, Vegetable, or Corn Oil

1 piece fresh Ginger Root, (2-inch) peeled and cut into fine shreds

5 Scallions, trimmed and cut in 2-inch lengths

1 tsp light Soy Sauce

1 tsp Sesame Oil

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste

1 1/2 Tbsp Cornstarch

1 1/2 Tbsp cold Water

1. Place oysters in mixing bowl; add flour and enough water to cover. Stir oysters in the liquid. Drain well, run under several changes of cold water and drain well again. (Flour will cleanse and plump oysters).
2. Drop oysters into barely simmering water. Turn off heat. Let stand 1 minute and drain. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in wok or skillet over high heat. Add ginger and scallions. Cook while stirring for 5 seconds. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste, stirring constantly.
4. Blend cornstarch into cold water; stir into the wok or skillet. Cook 10 seconds. Serve at once.

For the Black Bean Oysters, I just added Lee Kum Kee Black Bean Garlic sauce and a bit of white sugar to dial down the saltiness.

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimps were on sale a few weeks ago, so I found a shrimp scampi recipe. Before this, I always thought of scampi as a species of lobster, but after searching it on wikipedia, I discovered that it is often known as a cooking method in the US. Scampi is often the menu name of a shrimp dish in Italian-American cuisine. It is a dish of shrimp served in garlic butter and dry white wine served with bread and/or pasta. The word "scampi" is often construed as that style of preparation rather than an ingredient, with that preparation being called "shrimp scampi", and with variants such as "chicken scampi".




1 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta
1/2 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, sliced (more if you like it)
1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup white wine
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Parsley flakes for garnish

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add angel hair pasta and return pot to boil. Cook until al dente. Drain well.


2. In a large saucepan, melt butter, saute garlic until tender, remove garlic and discard or keep if you prefer. Add shrimp and cook until colored pink. Stir in white wine. The bread crumbs are used as thickening, so stir in a little at a time until desired thickness is reached.


3. Serve shrimp over angel hair pasta, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Man! This stuff was yummy, but so heavy. I scaled down the recipe to serve only myself, since Kev was at work when I made this for lunch at home. I put in extra garlic with a dash of garlic powder too. I also kept the garlic slices in the dish instead of discarding them. I love garlic. If you don't have dry white wine, some people recommend using chicken broth. I used plain breadcrumbs, but i've read reviews where people used italian seasoned breadcrumbs, but I didn't want to mix flavors.

New Year's Eve Dinner: Honey-Ginger Salmon with Japanese-Style Sesame Green Beans and and Roasted Sweet Peppers & Potatoes *phew*

For New Years Eve, Kev and I decided to stay home for dinner. We've just been busy with friends and family for Christmas that we feel tired and neglected. I know we're physically together all the time, but it's not the same. For NYE, I really wanted to make something new, but still simple. I didn't want to slave in the kitchen all evening. With all the turkey we've been having, I was craving fish or seafood...and of course, a lot of veggies. So I looked up recipes on my favorite recipe site; allrecipes.com. I love it because I like reading the reviews. There's always tips on how to improve recipes. I'm constantly on that website, even when i'm not really looking for something to make within the week. I took a look at my recipe book today and found a salmon recipe that I had never tried, but saved. I really liked using honey as a marinade on the chicken I had made before, so why not on salmon?




1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
1 green onion, chopped
1 (1 1/2-pound) salmon fillet

1. In a large self-closing plastic bag, combine ginger, garlic, soy sauce, orange juice, honey, and green onion; mix well. Place salmon in bag and seal tightly. Turn bag gently to distribute marinade. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes (I marinated overnight).
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil grate.
3. Remove salmon from marinade, shake off excess, and discard remaining marinade. Grill for 12 to 15 minutes per inch of thickness, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

I'll admit, I wasn't too sure aboutt he salmon, but it came out nicely. It tasted very nice. However, I think I might use a bit less orange juice the next time I make it. I also added some dehydrated garlic slices, along with the garlic powder. I forgot to buy fresh garlic, I thought I had some in the fridge. Reviews recommended using fresh garlic.

For the side dish, I really wanted vegetables. Not just for me, but for Kevin too. He refuses to eat veggies. It's impossible! In one of the reviews from the salmon recipe, someone said they served their salmon with Japanese-Style Sesame Green Beans. I'm not quite sure why they are Japanese style...just because of the sesame? Really?!? Well...anyway...I decided to give it a try. This is the original recipe.

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 pound fresh green beans, washed
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1. Warm a large skillet or wok over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, pour in canola and sesame oils, then place whole green beans into the skillet. Stir the beans to coat with oil. Cook until the beans are bright green and slightly browned in spots, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in soy sauce; cover, and let sit about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

I didn't have any sesame seeds at home, so I just omitted it. I want to say that the recipeis asking for a lot of oil. I'd cut down on it. I also added a bit of sugar and probably cooked it longer, which is why it looks burned, but it might just be the suagr caramelizing. These were reallly good, despite their appearance.

In addition to the green beans, I had a craving for some sweet potato. So I just roasted them with the sad looking orange pepper in my fridge and some onions. Originally I wanted to make it the same way as I did with the roasted regular potatoes & carrots from previous post, but wasn't sure if Thyme and Rosemary spice would be too strong. I wanted the salmon to be center stage. So I kept the roasted dish simple.

• 1 1/2 Orange sweet Pepper, chopped
• 1 Yellow Onion, chopped
• 2 Sweet Potatoes, cubed
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat to 400F. Mix all ingredients. Pour everything on a baking sheet (with foil or parchment paper) or greased casserole dish. Bake for 20 min. Take out, move them around. Add a bit more olive oil if needed. Bake for another 20 min. Peppers and onions will shrivel, but don't let it burn.

These were yummy, except i used a little too much olive oil. Next time i'll be careful.

The dinner didn't turn out 100% like I wanted it to, but it was still quite good. We had enough salmon and roasted sweet pepper & potatoes for lunch the next day.

Salmon with a Lemon and Herb top crust

Two Fridays ago, Rachelle and I had both taken the day off. So she trekked over to the West Island in the cold to join me at the day spa. We both got a massage, then had a nice hearty brunch. I had originally planned on making Curried Honey Dijon Chicken, a recipe I found on Closet Cooking, which I posted about previously (i know my blogs are all over the place). But Rachelle doesn't eat meat, except fish. So we went to the grocery store and bought a piece of salmon. I decided to try out a recipe I had seen online. I made it without the recipe, I vaguely remembered what went into it. Now I remember where I saw the recipe. It's from Soy and Pepper .


Since I was making it without a recipe, I didn't really pay attention to the measurements, but it's pretty foolproof.



Salmon Fillet
Panko breadcrumbs (japanese breadcrumbs, or regular breadcrumbs)
dried chives
dried parsley
dehydrated onion
garlic powder
salt & Pepper
Lemon juice
Olive Oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix breadcrumbs and all other dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix in Olive oil and lemon juices to just moisten the dry mixture. Place the mixture on top of the salmon fillets, press to make sure it stays on the salmon. Cook the salmon in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the breadcrumbs are crisp and golden.

In the original recipe, the temperature was lower and baked longer. I don't quite know how long or what temperature is ideal for cooking salmon. When I took my salmon out, the middle was a medium rare, but the fish continues to cook a bit after you take it out. So by the time it got to the table the salmon was just perfect for me. I hate overcooked salmon. I served this with roasted potatoes and carrots, which I will post later on.

Creamy Cajun Risotto and Smoked Salmon

Since we had half a pack of smoked salmon left in the fridge from the other day, we wanted to use it up before it dries out. I looked up online for a recipe with smoked salmon, but I kept coming up with pasta, chowder, or hors d'oeuvres. On the train ride home, I remembered I have one of those fast sidekick-type risotto mix in my cupboard. So I ditched the parmesan seasoning mix (with dehydrated milk products) and used the aborio rice that came in it. I used whatever I had in the fridge to make it. Here's my improv meal:



1 cup of cream
3/4 cup of milk
1 cup water
1tbsp of cajun spice*
1 cup of aborio rice (approx)
dehydrated garlic or 1 garlic bulb
1 tsp of butter

* Make your own cajun spice (makes 1 tbsp)

1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Dried basil
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper

1. On medium heat, melt butter in a pan, add aborio rice and coat with butter.
2. Add liquids (cream, milk, water), stir.
3. Add Cajun spice and garlic. Turn up to high heat until it boils.
4. Once boiling, lower to low-medium on a slow simmer. Let it simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. If liquids evaporate before rice is done, add more liquids (I added water). Stir constantly.
5. once done, let it sit for 5 minutes and serve with smoked salmon on the side.

The amount of liquids you use really depends on how much rice you have. I based my liquid on how much was required on the box. It asked for 2 1/2 cups of liquid, but I guess cream counts a bit less. I had to add 1/2 cup of water midway through. I made my own cajun spice and I think i'll use less cayenne pepper next time. It was quite spicy. Other than that, i think it went well. Kev had no comment because he didn't have any. He thinks it's too fancy and weird, so he had cream cheese and smoked salmon on bread. lol

Risotto is actually a lot easier to make than i thought. The only thing is that it requires a lot of attention. You need to constantly stir it.