Split Pea Dessert (馬豆糕)

This is a traditional Chinese Cantonese dessert that you might have tried at dim sum places. It tastes a bit like coconut panna cotta with a more solid texture, a bit like pudding + jello, not too sweet and light enough to consume after a big dinner. Ok, it's hard to describe so just try it. I might try to experiment with different flavors next... stay tuned!

Before...

and After!

Split Pea Dessert (馬豆糕)

Serves 12

Ingredients:
Split Pea - 3 oz or 3/8 cup
Evaporated Milk - 1 can (12 fluid oz)
Coconut Milk - 1 can 
Sugar - 8 to 9 oz
Corn Starch - 5 to 6 oz (6 oz for more solid texture)

Directions:
1. Cook split pea in boiling water until soft, approximately 35-40 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large pot, heat up 1.5 cups of water and melt sugar in medium heat.
3. In a separate bowl, mix 1.5 cups of water with corn starch.
4. When the sugar is thoroughly melted, add evaporated milk and coconut milk. When ti's hot, turn heat down to low, stir and slowly mix in starch water. 
5. Before the mixture boils, mix in the cooked split pea. Continue to stir; as the mixture boils, it will start to turn white. Let it boil for a few minutes while stirring.
6. Turn off heat. Pour the mixture into a desired container* and let cool. 
7. Cover and refrigerate. Serve cold.

* I prefer to use large deep glass plates for pour. The dessert will form into a cake-like shape and you can cut into cake slices or cubes for serving.

This is what it should look like after it's poured and cooling.

Creamed Chicken and Corn Soup (Instant)

I usually like to make things from scratch but I also enjoy an instant recipe now and then for those lazy days. This tastes like egg drop soup and is perfect as an appetizer or snack. Enjoy!

Before...

and After!

In my opinion, the brand of canned food makes or breaks the dish (taste-wise) so try to be brand specific.

Creamed Chicken and Corn Soup (Instant)

Ingredients:
Chicken Broth - 1 can (Swanson)
Cream Style Sweet Corn - 1 can (Green Giant)
Egg - 1
[optional] Cilantro, Salt, White Pepper, Sesame Oil and Sugar to taste

Directions:
1. Combine chicken broth and corn in pot and heat.
2. Beat egg and season with salt, white peper and sesame oil.
3. When soup comes to a boil, drop in egg mixture. Wait 5 second, then stir very gently. The egg will cook better this way.
4. Taste and season soup with salt and white pepper and/or sugar and sesame oil. 
5. Top with chopped cilantro to serve. For more cilantro taste, you can also added some cilantro stalks in soup before it boils.

Best Kitchen Tools: Garlic Twist

I can't afford to keep a lot of tools in my kitchen because it's so small, but the one tool that I absolutely cannot live without is the Garlic Twist. If you haven't tried it, I urge that you check out the website.  There is a video and everything. You can also buy on Amazon. You can thank me later!

Garlic Twist: the best kitchen tool ever

Image source: www.garlictwist.com

Technique: Egg Separating Tip

Just came across this video (youtube) and I have to share. Apparently, this is a trick that even chefs don't know and it's so simple. Now I just need to find a recipe that requires me to do this because it actually looks fun!

Guacamole

If you need to feed a bunch of party people, there is nothing better than guac & chips. I made this for my friend’s Mexican themed party and was told that it was “so awesome” and “the best.” Yes, they were drunk, but I’ll take it.

Before...

and After!

You don’t need any special tools but a few tricks to note:

• Avocado oxidizes (turns brown once it’s cut), so guacamole is best made and consumed on the same day. If you must store it overnight, keep the container air tight and refrigerate.

• Use ripe avocados. They are not always readily available at stores, so you can buy 1-2 days early and store in room temperature in a brown paper bag.

• Make sure you de-seed the tomatoes. Otherwise, the dip gets runny.

• The below recipe is not spicy at all. Feel free to double or triple the chilies if you want a kick.

Guacamole (courtesy of Dos Caminos)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Avocados, preferably California Haas – 2 large

Tomato, Roma/plum – 1 small

Onion, White/Red – ¼, for 2 teaspoons chopped

Chilies, Jalapeno/Serrano – 1-2, for 2 teaspoons chopped

Lime – 1, for 2 teaspoons of lime juice

Cilantro – 2 tablespoons chopped

Directions:

1. Chop up everything: finely chop the onion, chilies and cilantro. Remove chili seeds if you don’t like spicy. De-seed the tomatoes and chop. Do avocado last because it oxidizes: peel, de-seed, and cut up in small cubes.

2. In medium size bowl, use the back of a spoon to mash up half the onion, chilies and cilantro with a dash of salt. This will help release the oil and flavor.

3. Add avocados and mash. Mix in the remaining onion, chilies and cilantro. Lastly, gently fold in tomatoes and add lime juice. Season with salt and serve with tortilla chips.

Steamed Mussels in White Wine Sauce

I am sure there are a million different ways to make this, but this is likely one of the simplest ways. I can't believe I waited so long to try to make this even though I always order it at restaurants! The sauce is really yummy and you can use it to dip bread or add pasta to make this a full meal. Enjoy!

Before...

and After!

If you didn't know this already, when choosing between curly or flat parsley, always choose flat parsley for cooking. Curly is for garnish and has less/no flavor.

Steamed Mussels in White Wine Sauce

Serves: 1-4

Ingredients:
Mussels - 1 bag (~2lb), cleaned
White Wine - 1/2 bottle
Shallot* - 1 small, chopped
Tomato* - 1 small, de-seeded and chopped
Parsley - handful, chopped (flat parsley)
Butter - 2 teapoons

*Adjust proportion of tomato and shallot depending on your preference for red or white wine sauce. Can also add chopped jalapeño/serrano peppers or onions.

Directions:
1. Sautee chopped shallot with butter until it's aromatic. Add chopped tomatoes and mix.
2. After the tomatoes are hot, add some of the chopped parsley and pour in half a bottle of white wine (doesn't have to be nice wine). Turn down the heat, cover and reduce the sauce by half.
3. Season the reduced sauce with salt, pepper and a little bit of sugar to taste. Note that the sauce will taste much better after the mussels are cooked in it.
4. Add the mussels to the sauce pan, cover and cook until shells are completely open. Toss out ones that remain close (which means they were dead).
5. Turn off the heat, mix in the rest of the chopped parsley and it's ready to serve. 

Peppers: Shishito & Pimientos de Padron

Peppers: Shishito & Pimientos de Padron

Looking for a healthy snack or easy appetizer? Look no further than Shishito and Pimientos de Padron peppers! Although from different regions (Shishito is Japanese and Pimientos de Padron is Spanish), these peppers are very similar. They are finger-sized, have thin skin and are slightly sweet, although about every 1 in 10 is spicy. From my experience, the spicy Pimiento de Padron was much spicier than the spicy Shishito... so consider yourself warned!

Pimientos de Padron Pepper Before...

and After!

Shishito Pepper Before...

and After!

The hardest part of the recipe is actually finding these peppers. I will try to keep and update the list as I see them in NYC. I have ordered Shishito from Fresh Direct but they were too large and not very sweet. 

Location:

- Union Square Farmer's Market (Lani's Farm): both

- H Mart in Koreatown (website): Shishito only

- Sunrise Mart in St Marks (yelp): Shishito only

Sautee Shishito / Pimientos de Padron Peppers

Directions: Heat grapeseed* oil in pan until hot, toss in peppers and cook until peppers are blistered, charred and soft (about 1-5 min). Sprinkle salt and serve. You can also let the cooked peppers sit in a paper towel to blot off the excess oil before serving. Enjoy!

* grape seed oil has a higher heating point but oliver oil works too.