Tastes like Thanksgiving

I had the day off after a very exhausting work event on Sunday so I hibernated in bed and felt warm and toasty all morning. By 3PM I figured I couldn't be lazy all day so I would make dinner, which I hoped would be a pleasant surprise for Andrew since he didn't actually know I had the day off.

I decided on a casserole, which felt very fitting with this onslaught of cold weather. Casseroles have always been something of a mystery to me. I think I've mentioned it here before, but growing up Chinese-American, it was rare for us to have just one dish as a meal. Even if that one dish was a mixture of a whole bunch of other things, it just wasn't seen at our table often, unless it was something like curry or stew or a big bowl of noodles. So whenever I heard about or saw other American kids eat a casserole or something of the like for a meal, it amazed me.

I couldn't understand their function or why or how or anything ... it wasn't until I got older and began to explore foods that I realized just how awesome a casserole can be. You can make it in advance. You can freeze it. You can supply Babe's farmer a whole week's worth of foods with a freezer full of casseroles (remember that scene in "Babe?") labeled with permanent marker and masking tape! You can add all kinds of crazy things that you love like mashed potatoes or ground beef or noodles or cheese. Everything fits neatly into one dish and if you get a nice Pyrex, it even comes with a lid!

So anyway, I went "All-American" with my casserole and even served dinner with pink lemonade. (That too always amazed me as a kid -- any beverage besides water or tea at dinner was like, Whaaaat? Milk?? Soda?? Lemonade? Juice?!) I decided to make a tuna casserole but added brussels sprouts for taste, nutrition, and bulk. Andrew seemed to like it and exclaimed that it "tastes like Thanksgiving!" Always a compliment. I got most of my research from this recipe I found online (especially the roux part) but as always, tweaked it to my own tastes.

Tuna-brussels sprouts noodle casserole

Ingredients:

For the mixture:
Baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
Brussels sprouts, quartered
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Curly egg noodles, cooked al dente
2 cans tuna in water
Soy sauce
Butter
Flour
Chicken broth
Milk
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes

For the breadcrumbs:
Corn flakes, crushed
Cajun spice
Cheddar cheese
Olive oil spray


1. Cook onions & garlic until soft/translucent in 2 tablespoons of butter
2. Add mushrooms, cook until water is released from mushrooms
3. Add brussels sprouts and soy sauce, salt, and pepper to taste
4. Cook until water is evaporated
5. Remove mixture from heat
6. Heat 3 tablespoons butter in sauce pan
7. Add 1/4 cup of flour, whisk quickly
8. Whisk in 2 cups chicken broth and 1 cup milk to make a thick sauce
9. Remove from heat and add mushroom and brussels sprouts mixture into the sauce; add lime juice
10. Drain tuna and add to mixture
11. Add egg noodles and mix
12. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
12. Oil a casserole dish and add the mixture
13. Top the casserole mix with the breadcrumb mix (breadcrumbs, spray with olive oil, add spices and cheddar cheese, and mix)
14. Put the casserole in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes until the sauce is bubbling through the golden crust of breadcrumbs
15. Serve with lemonade/milk/soda/any other very American drink

Every now and then

For a while I used to think that I was the only one who did this: buy instant ramen and then add an egg and veggies for an almost instant meal. I kept this meal a secret because as someone who believes in a) the beauty of real cooking, b) fresh, healthy ingredients void of corn syrup and things I could not pronounce, and c) never eating a meal that comes out of a box/packaging (unless you're an astronaut), here I was buying ramen that is 3 for a dollar (!!!) and actually eating that for a meal. There was always a lot of guilt and secrecy when I snuck into the neighborhood Foodtown and picked up the ramen.

However, I think one night I tipsily let it slip to my friends that this is what I was eating during a week or two dry spell of cooking. To my amazement, I was NOT the only one who was and has done this. Apparently everybody knew about "fancy ramen" and my shame began to dissipiate. However, I did recognize that the 3 for a dollar ramens you buy in the grocery store are packed with MSG and lots of other unknowns so I decided to head to the HMart in Ktown and look for a ramen that was perhaps slightly more authentic and a little bit more made for the Asian palette.

I have yet to find an instant ramen that lacks MSG but I did discover Shirakiki Japanese Style Noodle which has less MSG than others and all the ingredients I can pronounce and know what they are. And to top that, it tastes awesome and in the directions encourages that you add vegetables and other things to amplify the taste of the noodles! Packaging that alleviates guilt! Amazing.

So here it is, a confession: I eat meals out of packages. Sometimes I'm just too tired, too hungry, too lazy, or too annoyed to actually get out the cutting board, knives, pans, and ingredients to make myself a meal. And now that I've worn my stomach on my sleeve about it, I discover that thousands of others are doing the same too! So right now I'm enjoying a big bowl of this instant ramen that I made when I got back from my run. I had come home and was shaking out of hunger and had begun to start the task of making a meal and then decided, what the hell, every now and then it's okay to eat this junk and it's not even entirely junk when you add an egg, two handfuls of spinach, and top it with some kimchi.

A remedy for travel and/or colds

It's officially soup season and I've made this fish soup twice in the past two weeks.

The first time was on my last day in Ann Arbor, when I visited my sister at the University of Michigan. We had originally planned to make this soup for dinner but got lazy and had it for the late lunch/early dinner I had before I boarded my flight. Maybe it's the Asian in me, but noodle soups always make me feel nice and homey and safe. It was a good pre-flight/last meal until Thanksgiving with my sister meal with a Mission St Pale Ale. Considering that my 1 hour flight turned out to be almost 3, it kept me well satiated throughout the ordeal.

The second time was yesterday, after waking up with a terrible head cold and gross nasal drip. Throughout a delirious nap I couldn't think of anything but this fish soup so when I finally woke up, I dragged myself to Whole Foods on 97th (the best Whole Foods in Manhattan by far) just to get the ingredients for the soup. I made enough for me, Andrew, and the next few days. Andrew and I had this soup with a bottle of Orleans Hill Cote Zero 2009 (not bad, not great, good with fish, organic, "sulfite-free," but most importantly, $8.99 at Whole Foods).

The best part about this soup is that it is fast, cheap, and of course healthy (always the shining benefit of a meal). All kinds of variations can be made to it and I'm still working on perfecting the details and ingredients since this is one of my newer dishes. This is a good soup for pre or post travel, a bad head cold, or just change-of-weather-scuffed-boots blues.

Ingredients:
1 carton vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic
1 stalk green onion
A small nubbin (about 2 cents worth) of ginger
Noodles -- the first time we used Chinese wheat noodles, the second time I used rice vermicelli (although I had really wanted the mung bean variety)
1 filet of white fish (tilapia works well)
Leafy greens -- napa cabbage is preferred but it's out of season right now so the first time we used iceberg lettuce and the second time, I used romaine lettuce
Salt
Black pepper
White pepper
Soy sauce
Rice vinegar
Sesame oil

1) Pour vegetable broth into a large pot and set on high heat to boil
2) Add 2-3 cups water
3) Add a few pinches of salt and black pepper
4) Slice garlic cloves, add to broth
5) Mince ginger, add to broth
6) Cube the fish, add to broth
7) Chop or julienne green onion, add to broth
8) Pour in 2-3 capfuls of soy sauce, 2-3 capfuls of rice vinegar, and a dash of sesame oil
9) Let the soup heat to a boil; in the meantime prepare noodles
10) The soup is pretty much ready after it hits a rolling boil and you've lowered the heat and let it simmer for at least 5 minutes. The longer the soup is heated, the more the flavors are unlocked but note that the fish will break down more over time. It is up to you when you want to eat.
11) A few minutes before serving, throw in the leafy greens. Napa cabbage would need 5-10 minutes, iceberg lettuce needs about 5, and romaine lettuce needs 1 minute.
12) Serve with noodles
13) Add white pepper to taste
14) Tastes super good (and great for the sinuses) with Sriracha hot sauce!

tonight i hate cooking

sometimes the stars are misaligned and things just don't go well. or sometimes you're just so freakin' hungry and weak from the hunger that cooking is the most daunting task and once you lose your focus, everything goes reeling out of control.

i'm sitting here trying to eat this bowl of peanut butter sesame noodles with carrots, cucumbers, and eggs but the cooking experience was just so irritating that i've lost my appetite.

after work i went for a run and during the entire run all i could think about was food and how hungry i was because i really didn't have much to eat today (coffee, soup, granola bar). at around 96th street i decided that i was done and was set on making these noodles, so i headed back to 62nd and forced myself to do some long-procrastinated errands before i stopped by whole foods for the few ingredients i needed to make dinner.

when i got to the columbus circle whole foods, it was -- as always -- swarming with people and i began to feel weaker and weaker as the run and the low caloric intake caught up with me. i circled around and around looking for cucumbers until i finally gave up and asked. i was pointed in the right direction but they were buried under a whole bunch of eggplants and when i finally got to them (having first knocked over three or four eggplants and bumped into people with my gym bag, bags from the pharmacy, and dry cleaning) they were sad and wrinkled and old. i finally found the best of the worst and then went in search of bean sprouts but for the life of me could not find them. i finally gave up my search even though i had a deep hankering for them and proceeded to get a bottle of sparkling water, scallions, and eggs. then i stood in line for 20 minutes just to buy these 4 damn ingredients. i was already feeling annoyed.

when i got home, the third floor walk up seemed to be equal to everest and when i finally got inside i practically collapsed. at this point i really should have just eaten the leftover pizza in the fridge (trust me, i don't always cook) but i was on this weird psycho mission to cook dinner. when i finally set some water to boil i got started but then my phone kept on ringing and dropping calls and making beeps and clicks at me -- sometimes i feel too connected to the world and hate that my phone has to remind me every time i have a call, text message, BBM, instant message, Facebook message, etc. i also hate that i don't know how to ignore it and i allow it to drive me batty.

as i progressed in my cooking, i just got more and more irritated as my foot started to itch and i couldn't unitch it and then i remembered that i don't have a vegetable peeler (how have i survived without one for so long??). i couldn't julienne fine enough and i kept dropping things and then i scalded the eggs. the peanut butter wouldn't thin and my foot kept on itching. i mean, it couldn't be THIS DIFFICULT when this is supposed to be a fast and easy meal!!!! by the time i finally finished cooking i hated my life and food and everything and that's when i started writing this. but then my hunger took over my hate and i scarfed it down and while the veggies are a bit on the large side, it's not bad.

well, that's that and i'm feeling better now and if the starts were aligned and my foot wasn't so damn itchy, this is how you would do it:

ingredients:
chinese style noodles (by this i mean the thick, "homemade" style kind)
organic, pure crunchy peanut butter (no added sugar)
eggs
cucumber
bean sprouts
carrots
scallions
1 clove of garlic
rice vinegar
soy sauce
sesame oil

1) boil water for noodles. cook noodles according to package. when noodles are cooked, drain and toss with a generous amount of sesame oil.
2) peel and julienne carrots and cucumbers. be sure to de-seed the cucumbers before julienning (i like to cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon). set aside.
3) use some of the boiling water to thin the peanut butter. stir the peanut butter until it reaches a thin, creamy consistency.
4) mince garlic. add to peanut butter.
5) heat a medium skillet and bring the heat to low. crack the eggs, beat, and pour onto the skillet, spreading it out thin and evenly on the skillet. pop any bubbles that form and let the egg run through the holes to create a fluffy egg pancake. remove from heat and cut into strips.
6) put the noodles into a large bowl and add peanut butter sauce. add a few capfuls of rice vinegar (according to taste) and a few dashes of soy sauce. toss the noodles.
7) top the noodles with the carrots, cucumbers, and eggs.
8) chop up the scallion and add to the noodles.
9) serve with a dollop of sriracha on the side, according to preference.

if you don't drop anything and scald the eggs and fail in every single way possible, this should take no more than 20 minutes to do. fast and easy and healthy -- especially if you use peanut butter with no added sugar. i like the bits of peanut in the crunchy peanut butter but if you don't like that texture, using creamy peanut butter would serve better. in the past i've also included slices of golden mushroom and boiled chicken but that's under ambitious circumstances and clearly, today, just making dinner was an ambitious goal in and of itself. yeesh.

Kale over Chinese style noodles topped with a fried egg

The other night, my mom and my sister came to visit me in Harlem. My sister -- who is also my best friend -- is about to move to Ann Arbor to get her Ph.D at the University of Michigan. We are so proud of her and this was our last gathering as the Kang women for a while and of course, I wanted to feed them. I decided to go with a dish that my mother taught me when I first started cooking -- kale sauteed with onions, garlic, and soy sauce served over Chinese style noodles, topped with a fried egg.

I chose this dish because it is a comfort food, both in the sense that it always makes me happy and also in the sense that it is a safe dish for me -- I’ve made it more times than I can count. But mostly, the kale and noodles remind me of my mother’s love and evenings spent around our round kitchen table in the house of my childhood. What better dinner to make on my last night with my sister?

I started out by opening a Corona with lime for me and my sister. Then I set a large pot of salted water to boil for the noodles. I also set some low-sodium organic chicken broth to heat. I cut the kale into sizeable strips, chopped half a bulb of garlic, and minced 1/3 of a red onion.

I then sliced some organic beef round eye steaks into thin (though not thin enough to my mother’s standards -- her one complaint!) strips and marinated it in soy sauce paste with half of the chopped garlic. I set that aside to marinate for a little.

To prepare enough broth for three, I chopped three stalks of green onion and put that at the bottom of the bowl. I added a sizeable glob of soy sauce paste, two capfuls of Marukan rice vinegar, a generous dash of sesame oil, and white pepper.

To cook the kale, I heated olive oil and when it was hot, threw in the onions. After a minute or two I then added the garlic. When the air was heavy with the intoxicating smell of onions and garlic, I added the beef along with its marinade. After cooking that for about three minutes, I added the kale. Kale reduces greatly so it’s always a battle of leaves spilling out of the pan and it seeming like you’re going to have way too much and then being disappointed with how scant it seems in the end. A lid was placed over the kale to let it reduce in size and then sauteed. I added some soy sauce (not paste) and a pinch of white pepper.

At this point the water is boiling so the noodles can be prepared while the kale is cooking. I haven’t advanced to handmade noodles yet so I just follow the instructions on the box. Thankfully, Leanne (my sister) was helping me out so she took care of the noodles. When the noodles are done, I usually toss them in sesame oil for flavor and to make sure they don’t stick. The broth was hot at this point too so I asked Leanne to pour that into the bowls and then add the noodles. Hot water is added to the bowls to reduce the heaviness of the broth, especially if the broth is not low-sodium (it happens).

While this was occurring, I fried three eggs in olive oil and dribbled soy sauce on top. The point is to break the yolk over the noodles so I didn’t fry them for long. When the eggs were done, I placed one over the noodles in each bowl. The kale was served in a bowl so that one can help herself and put them on top of the noodles as well. Of course this is eaten with chopsticks and Chinese soup spoons.

Thankfully the hot weather that had been plaguing New York for a few weeks had broken and there was a cool rain and wind in the air so the broth and noodles didn’t make us uncomfortably hot. The effect was exactly what I wanted -- sitting around a table with my mother and sister eating something familiar and nutritious while we talked about our lives, hopes, dreams, and struggles. At the same time, this was something I hadn't made for my mother before so she was thrilled to see how it was translated down to her daughter. We laughed and chatted and slurped down our noodles and ate till our bellies were warm and full. This was comfort and it was delicious.