Seaweed Salad

Nothing more delicious and refreshing then seaweed salad on a humid summer day. Bought some seaweed at the market a few weeks ago and had them frozen in the freezer, decided to make something tasty with it and ta-da...



Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup fresh seaweed cut into smaller pieces
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1 cup sanyao (japanese white sticky looking yam) thinly sliced
1/2 cup of your favorite japanese salad dressing

Procedure:
1. In a medium salad bowl toss the ingredients and drizzle the dressing over it
2. Ta-da one step and its ready to be served

Veggie Quesadilla

Ok, so I did not take a fabulous picture of this since we were in a rush to serve it to our guests. But, let me assure you that the inside is very colorful and with the toasty tortilla this appetizer was tasty.

Ingredients:

1 cup black bean

1 1-inch kombu

1 minced garlic

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp fresh lime juice

2 tbs chopped cilantro

2 large mushrooms (preferably portobello) thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper thinly sliced

1 tbs olive oil

sea salt

ground pepper

2 12-inch whole wheat tortilla

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Procedure:

1. Prepare the puree by rinsing the beans and putting them in a bowl with a piece of kombu, add enough water to cover by about 2 inches and let it it soak overnight

2. Drain beans and reserve the kombu and transfer them both to a soup pot and bowl. Let the water simmer for about an hour until just tender. Drain and set aside...instead of slow cooking the beans in a pot I steamed them (much faster)

3. Transfer the beans to a food processor and blend, add the garlic, sea salt, lime juice, and cilantro, a bit of cooking oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning, the puree can be made a few days before hand and refrigerate

4. Preheat the oven to 350F

5. Toss the mushrooms and pepper in olive oil and salt, place on baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 30-45 min, set aside

6. Spread a thing layer of the bean puree onto a tortilla, top with half roasted mushroom-pepper mix and half the onion slices. Fold the tortilla in half and bake for about 15 min or until warm

THAI FOOD!!!

I love Thailand and I love Thai food. Of course when I go out to Thai restaurants I have my usual favorites. These include chicken satay, fish cakes, phad thai, chicken curry (preferably in green curry), and pineapple fried rice! Yum. The other night I made three Thai dishes and to my surprise it was a success! I always thought Thai food was difficult to make but actually if you have the right spices it's not that bad at all. The guests received the dishes well and here are the recipes for the dishes I made. 

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

(Satay Gai)

Ingredients:

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast cut into cubes

3 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs cornstarch

2 garlic cloves

1 tbs fresh ginger peeled and chopped

cucumber chopped

12 bamboo skewers

Peanut Sauce:

2 tbs peanut oil

1/2 medium onion finely chopped

1 garlic clove finely chopped

4 tbs peanut butter

5 tbs water

Procedure:

1. Marinate the chicken in soy sauce, cornstarch, garlic, and ginger and refrigerate for 2 hrs

2. Soak twelve bamboo skewers in cold water for at least 30 min

3. Preheat the oven to 375F, divide the chicken cubes between the bamboo skewers, place the skewers on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 min, make sure you flip it after 5 min

4. For the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan, then add the onion, garlic, and stir for about 3 min

5. Add the peanut butter, and water and simmer for 3 min, if needed add more water to make it more saucy

6. Serve the skewers with the peanut sauce and the cucumber

Stir Fried Shrimp

(Guan ga tiem)

Ingredients:

2 tbs grapeseed oil

2 garlic cloves

1/2 medium onion chopped

2 scallions roughly chopped

pinch of salt

1 pound raw jumbo shrimp

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs fish sauce

handful of cilantro

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a wok add the garlic, scallions, then stir fry over medium heat until golden brown

2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir fry until the shrimp has turned pink

Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad

(Yum dokralam metmamuang)

Ingredients:

2 tbs grapeseed oil

2 red onions, cut into wedges

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 small head broccoli, cut into florets

2 tbs yellow curry paste or red curry paste

1 3/4 cups canned coconut milk

1 tsp Thai fish sauce

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted cashews

Procedure:

1. Heat the oil in a wok, add the onions and stir fry until golden brown

2. Add the cauliflower and broccoli and curry paste and stir fry for about 2 min

3. Pour the coconut milk, fish sauce, and salt and gently bring to a boil stirring occasionally, let it simmer until vegetables are tender

4. Top the dish off with the cashews (you can toast the cashews if you desire)

got guac?

Globalization has supposedly allowed us to have access to all sorts of produce, products, knowledge etc. So, why is it so difficult for me to find avocado in Taiwan? When I was in NYC I could buy tons of avocados whenever I wanted and make guacamole at any given time. Mm...but of course I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing since I am pretty sure avocados aren't produced in NYC, they probably traveled thousands of miles from Mexico or wherever to reach the local store down the street of my apartment. Regardless, I have to say that when I moved back to Taipei I was so sad I couldn't find avocados in any supermarket or our Asian version farmers markets. These kind farmers usually get confused when I ask about avocados since they are supposedly a fruit not a vegetable....and I was informed that currently its not the season and when it is they usually only last a few weeks. But, I'm happy to say that they are finally coming in!!! I used to hate avocados as a kid but maybe my diet has changed or something because I absolutely love them now. I got so excited that I was able to make guacamole again...haha...yay! I'm going to enjoy these avocados while the season lasts in Taiwan.....

Got Guac?

Ingredients:

2 riped avocados

1 medium tomato diced

1/2 medium onion (red or green) diced

2 tsp lemon juice

* Add one jalapeno diced for more kick if needed

Procedure: 

1. Place all the ingredients into a bowl and mash until it turns into a puree texture

2. Serve with chips!