Sushi

Remember how I said I needed to get creative with using up all that sashimi from the Korean market?  Well I decided I would try and make sushi.  I always see those "how to make sushi" kits at like Borders, so I figured it couldn't be that difficult if this skill was offered in a convenient, almost kid-friendly package.  I didn't actually buy a kit, but did my own piecemeal version.  All in all, it wasn't difficult to make, but it was definitely time-consuming and required a sense of precision I wasn't expecting.

I started by just googling a couple how-to websites because I really didn't know where to start.  Here's a good one I found that showed step-by-step how to make sushi and explained some very basic concepts:  http://www.imakesushi.com/index.html.  The visuals were pretty key for me too.  It explained things like how to make the sushi vinegar for the rice, how to start with "cheap filling" so you don't waste expensive fish, and even how to make your wasabi look decorative! 

So I had all my equipment and ingredients in front of me (this required a lot more space than I realized, and I quickly ran out of room in my kitchen which lacks counter space).  I made the sushi rice and laid out the nori on my bamboo mat.  After spreading on the rice, I reached for my sushi filling (essentially all the leftover vegetables from the hwe dup bap).  This was the fun part!...carrots, cucumbers, avocados, sesame leaves, lettuce, roe, sesame seeds, a squeeze of wasabi, and of course the sashimi.  The first roll was highly unsuccessful.  I used way too much rice and it turned out fat and loose.  The second roll was much better~ tighter and neatly packed.  I even attempted an inside-out roll.  Man that one was tough for me.  I used the saran-wrap method and just got a little turned around with that whole thing.  I did a hand roll as well but it got a little out of control and just turned into something that looked like a giant Japanese burrito.  Edwin enjoyed that one a lot. :)  After a couple more rolls, I sliced up the rest of the sashimi and called it a day. 

Here are a few pictures from my endeavors:

Mix of regular and inside-out rolls.  I think the end pieces look the coolest!






I also tried to make nigri (the salmon on rice)...that was hard for me, and the rice was rather misshapen...but I usually just peel the sashimi off anyway and leave the rice! 





Here's the jumbo hand roll (aka Japanese burrito).  Notice the filling and rice tumbling out.

Hwe Dup Bap

I discovered hwedupbap or as some know better, sashimi salad, when I went to Baltimore. This Korean dish is cold, fresh and simply delicious. It’s similar to bibimbap but rather than using beef, you use raw fish. I was inspired to make it myself, so after much research and youtube stalking of a Korean lady named "Maangchi," (I swear I had her video memorized and could picture her julienning the veggies when I closed my eyes), I made my way to the Korean market in Austin to pick up the ingredients for the dish. I found everything I needed, but the tricky part was going to be the sashimi grade fish. I didn't know how trustful I could be with the Korean Market, so I timidly asked the lady in charge if they carried sashimi grade salmon and tuna. I also didn't know how good her English would be, so I spoke plainly and slowly, emphasizing "sashimi" in case she was confused. Feeling like a fool, she responded back quickly with, “Yea we have tuna and salmon. Both are sashimi.” After showcasing her solid command of the English language, she told me the salmon only came in large packs because it was from the restaurant side of the store. After some deliberation, I decided to get it, and she barked out, "Freddy, go get me a salmon from the back!…the smallest one you can find!" Freddy appeared with a 2.5 pack of frozen salmon filet. Wow, I thought, I've gotta get creative with how I'm gonna use this!

I went home and followed the video exactly. Here’s a link to it if you’d like to see her in action: (http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/hwedupbap). I layered the rice, veggies (used sesame leaves for the first time!), sesame seeds, roe, nori, and sashimi. There’s a great sauce that is prepared along with the dish and you use it to spice up the dish to your liking. I also made a side of miso soup (also one of her recommendations).

Both Edwin and I gave it two thumbs up!

Holiday Cookies

I picked up a Real Simple magazine and found a few good holiday cookie recipes.  The recipes all called for the same basic sugar cookie dough and had different variations to change the type of cookie.  I decided to go with the Nutella sandwich cookie and basic sugar cookie with sprinkles.  What did I learn?  Even though they tasted pretty good, making cookies from scratch is uber time-consuming and using cookie cutters is even more so.  Too bad the recipe wouldn't allow for pre-made dough.  Pre-made cookie dough/break and bake is an ingenious idea!

Linguine with Mussels & Kale

I got to visit a few girlfriends from college in the DC area one weekend in December.  I had lots of fun catching up with them, seeing old friends who happened to be in the area, and eating lots of good food!

The last couple nights of my visit, I went back to Baltimore and stayed with my friend Corinna.  I got a taste of the horrific schedule of a medical resident.  While I slept warmly and soundly in her bed (the girl made me!), I heard her getting ready for work at 4am, preparing herself to save the lives of many.  Contrastly, 6 hours later, I pulled myself out of bed and thought about what I was going to eat.  She suggested going to Lexington Market to pick up world-renowned crab cakes from Faidley's.  I strolled a couple blocks over to the market and found myself in a different world.  Let's just say if you were standing in the middle of the market, all you would see within a quarter mile radius were fried chicken vendors run by Asians and mountains of fresh collard greens.  I managed to finally find Faidley's in the back of the market and ordered myself a jumbo lump crab cake and cup of gumbo.  This crab cake was literally the size of a softball, and there was no extra batter to mask the taste or spare expenses.  It was delicious.  The gumbo was equally good.  Anyway I know this isn't an eating blog, but I will explain what I cooked that day.  

After lunch I proceeded to walk amongst the vendors and decided I would cook dinner that night.  I was in the perfect place to make a particular dish that Edwin actually makes a lot: Linguine w/ Mussels and Kale.  He found the recipe on a food blog he absolutely loves called seriouseats.com.  It's kind of an Alton Brown-ish blog written by Asians.  So anyway this linguine dish is our signature go-to dish when we have guests over because it looks really fancy but is super simple, feeds a lot of people, and is pretty economical.  So I bought a couple pounds of fresh mussels, a large bunch of kale, a few other things and headed home.  When I was getting ready to cook I realized that I had never actually made the dish completely myself; Edwin had always been the one to "debeard" and clean the mussels.  So I learned how to scrub and pull the strings out of those little guys, proud that I was way ahead of schedule.  Then Corinna calls me on her way home to announce we're going out to eat Korean food.    Ok, I was totally fine with that, thinking I was getting a little tired of the dish anyway. :)  So after returning from dinner that night, I cooked everything up, so that she could have something to eat all week.  Here's a picture of the final product.  Thanks Julie, Jennifer, and Corinna for the great weekend with y'all!

Under the Sea with Sebastian…oh wait, he was a crab…

Growing up Red Lobster was one of my favorite restaurants.  Not sure why- maybe it was the applesauce appetizer that came with the kids’ meals or the popcorn shrimp I loved or perhaps it was just the image of the classic lobster draped over the words of the restaurant that brought a sense of familiarity.  Of course we never ordered the lobster because it was very likely the most expensive thing on the menu.
Luckily times have changes and lobster tails have become incredibly inexpensive lately.  I discovered Sun Harvest, a local grocery store with ridiculous bargains (think Trader Joe’s meets GNC and add in clientele no younger than 60).  Anytime they have a deal on lobster tails, I buy in bulk ($3.99 each!).  They’re fast and easy to cook and who doesn’t like lobster?  This particular meal was pretty simple: broiled lobster tail with butter and spices, angel hair pasta with tomatoes/garlic/olive oil, and green beans/baby bella mushrooms.  I’m still trying to get the timing right in cooking the lobster because often they cook so quickly that it becomes overdone.  Any tips?

Let Us Eat Lettuce Wraps...and Bacon Biscuits!

My friend Janie gave me a really neat cookbook for my birthday called Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.  It's written by Jaden Hair, an Asian author, who creates simple Asian dishes.  Right away I decided to try one of them- Lettuce Wraps!  I love Lettuce Wraps because they're healthy and delicious.  For the filling, I used ground turkey, water chestnuts, shiitake mushrooms, dried tofu, carrots, rice, and mandarin oranges.  The beauty of the filling is you can use anything you want- she recommended even apples or pears which can provide that extra crunch. For the lettuce, I choose Butter Lettuce which to me is worth the extra cost because it lasts so much longer in the fridge.  Below is a picture of an assembled lettuce wrap with some hoisin sauce drizzled on top. 

Knowing that Edwin is always appreciative of my cooking but also knowing that he enjoys hot foods for dinner, I knew that I better supplement with something warm.   I actually discovered his preference for hot foods at dinner one day while we were engaged.  I had been happily making Tuna Salad only to find him in the kitchen later that night cooking something else for himself.  There was some confusion, a lot of tears, and a lot of growth since that night.  I think I've gotten tougher!  :)  But nonetheless I decided to also make some biscuits stuffed with green onion and turkey bacon (see, bacon can be healthy!).  This is one of my mom's signature dishes, and I remember her always making this when we had guests over or we needed something quick to bring to a potluck dinner.   The Chinese name for them is "Xie Ke Huang."  I never learned pinyin, so I'm probably totally off.  Anyway, I just used Pillsbury biscuits (don't be too impressed), brushed on some eggwash, and sprinkled it with sesame seeds.  Edwin liked both the lettuce wraps and the biscuits, but I could tell he favored the biscuits after his third, or was it fourth one?    

 *Just a note: I know I haven't posted anything in awhile, but that doesn't mean I've been slacking in the kitchen!  I've actually been experimenting quite a bit and am excited to share some of my new things.  Hopefully I'll post a little bit all week so stay-tuned!