Cauliflower & Broccoli with Bread Crumbs, Capers, and Chopped Egg

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

चिकन टिक्का मसाला

Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com.

serves 2
Ingredients
1/2 cup yogurt
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1-1/2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1-1/2 teaspoons butter
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/2 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce + 1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

1) In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.  

2) Cook the marinated chicken over high heat for 5-6 minutes.  (Use a grill pan, if you have one.)

3) Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt.

4) Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro. (I hate cilantro with a passion!)

Mini Cheesecakes

Recipe from Martha Stewart Cupcakes

Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
1 cup finely ground graham crackers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 3/4 cups sugar
6 ounces raspberries
32 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
Pinch of salt

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap exterior of a 9-inch springform pan (including base) in a double layer of foil; set aside.

2) Stir together cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom of pan. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

3) Process raspberries in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pass puree through a fine sieve into a small bowl; discard solids. Whisk in 2 tablespoons sugar, and set aside.

4) Put cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar in a slow, steady stream. Add salt and vanilla; mix until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing each until just combined (do not overmix). Pour cream cheese filling over crust.

5) Drop raspberry sauce by the teaspoon on top. With a wooden skewer or toothpick, swirl sauce into filling.

6)Set cake pan inside a large, shallow roasting pan. Transfer to oven. Carefully ladle boiling water into roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake until cake is set but still slightly wobbly in center, 60 to 65 minutes.

7) Transfer cake pan to rack; let cake cool completely. Refrigerate, uncovered, 6 hours or overnight. Before unmolding, run a knife around edge of cake.

Spicy Fish with Daikon (생선조림)

Ingredients
9 oz tilapia fillet, sliced into 3-4 smaller fillets
Japanese daikon, 8 circles
1 jalepeno pepper, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
2 scallions, chopped
sauce:
1 tablespoon gochujang
1 tablespoon dwenjang (miso)
2 tablespoons gochugaru
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin or sake
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Prepare the veggies. 

Make the sauce - combine all ingredients listed above in a small bowl. 

In a small pot, add ingredients in the following order.  Daikon cirles - fish - onion - scallions and jalepeno peppers - sauce.  Add 1 cup of water and cook for 30 minutes over medium-high heat.

Guinness

Kimchi soup with brown rice.  I so needed this meal after I inhaled a pint of guinness. 

Orange Roughy

Pickled Asparagus

Recipe from  Momofuku Vinegar Pickles

Ingredients:

For brine:
•1 cup very hot tap water
•1/2 cup rice-wine vinegar
•6 tbsp sugar
•2 1/4 tsp kosher salt
•I added 1 bay leaf and about 10 peppercorns
For veggies:
•2 lbs asparagus, trimmed

Instructions:
Pack asparagus into mason jars or 1-qt plastic containers, cover with brine, close lid, and refrigerate. They'll be ready in four days. Most will keep for up to a month.

Thursday Bapsang

Happy Wednesday

How was your Wednesday?   (Lovin' my new Heath Ceramics plate!)

Heath Ceramics

Finally visited the Heath Ceramics factory store in Saulsalito over the weekend.  Everything there seemed so pristine and organic. Got myself (slightly damaged) plates for $10 each.  Awesome deal.  Can't wait to go back for their factory tour.

March 2011

...sharing some photos from my trip to Korea back in March.

Boiled Pork Shoulder with Kimchi

Boiled Pork Shoulder served with Kimchi

Let the pork shoulder (1.25 lbs) rest in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. 

In a clean pot with fresh water, add the following ingredients and bring

it to a boil.  Cook for about 50-60 minutes.

Pork shoulder (1.25lbs, good for 2 ppl), 1/2 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1 inch knob of ginger, 1 cinnamon stick, 10 peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, 2 TB miso paste, 1 green onion, 1 TB

salt, and 1 TB ground coffee.

 Came out too pale, so I brushed my sexy looking pork with some soy sauce to give it a tan.

Slice the meat into thick slices.  Serve it with kimchi. :-)

Soy Milk Tofu - Attempt #1...failed!

Here's is the link to the recipe I used : How to make tofu at home

5 cups of soy milk = 1 SHEET of tofu. :(

Doesn't this look really sad?