Today’s edition of Things I Have Made That I Would Eat Again features architectural fruit structures held together by goat cheese and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
My boyfriend thinks I need to be forcibly removed from the kitchen.
My first time eating popiah, a crepe-like roll of savory goodness originating in Fujian and Chaozhou :)
Satay may have been my favorite thing about Malaysia :)
Taken at the Lot 10 Hutong Food Court in Bukit Bintang. Came with the recommendation of our hotel concierge and after trying several food courts, gotta say this was my favorite so far of the trip!
Fried Mantou With Sweet Condensed Milk And Peanuts
This is basically what you would get at a state fair … if the state fair took place in Taiwan. Trust me, this is SO much better than deep-fried Twinkies, Snickers, or any of those atrocious concoctions. And I’m going to teach you how to make ‘em!
- First, steam the mantou buns (available in the freezer or fridges of Asian groceries/bakeries) in a pot of boiling water. I bought bamboo steamers just so I could start making this dessert at home, but you can also set the buns in a bowl or plate. You may want to use a metal rack so that the container doesn’t touch the water. (Water on your mantou makes it soggy and gross!) Some mantou can also be microwaved, but I find this method to be highly dubious. Just follow the instructions on the package you buy.
- Heat up a flavorless oil like canola. When the oil is close to the smoking point, drop in the buns. Once they are golden brown on all sides, transfer them to a paper towel and dab off the excess oil. (Careful — it’ll be hot!)
- Top the mantou with dribbles of sweet condensed milk. Don’t be stingy; this makes it delicious! I also highly recommend not skipping the peanut step. Ground peanuts with brown sugar if you’ve got a blender. Otherwise, just toss in those babies whole.
A note on mantou:
Mantou come in different sizes and shapes but most commonly look like this. The one in the photo above has these ridges, which I like because they add more crunch. Sometimes, mantou will be labeled mandarin rolls. I’m not really sure on the specifics of mantou varieties, but here’s a recipe (and some interesting history) if you dare to make some from scratch.
Mantou is typically eaten plain for breakfast (no toppings, no frying) and is fairly mainstream. Sort of like the Chinese equivalent of the bagel! I always thought they were quite boring when I was growing up, but now I crave them all the time. Though my mother would totally disapprove of my habit of deep-frying them.
Photo Credit: Lena Chen
More food porn from my kitchen: Pan-Seared Flank Steak with Roasted Carrots and Crispy Polenta Cakes. The sheer memory of this meal makes my heart pound a little faster.
I went a little nuts yesterday, jogged over to Allston, and spent $100 on groceries at Hong Kong Supermarket (the former Super 88). At American chains in the Back Bay, there’s really limited selection, and the Asian store closest to me (the Cherry Mart on Newbury Street) is fairly well-stocked but has super marked-up prices. So, I decided that I would fill my pantry with enough supplies to last me the rest of the year … which is how I wound up with jumbo-sized bottles of rice vinegar, mirin, and fish sauce, in addition to three different kinds of noodles, seven pounds of pork, and a crapload of canned fruit.
Thankfully, the Bestie offered me a ride (so I wouldn’t have to jog back), and I had him and his dude carry my groceries up to my fourth-floor walk-up. As a sign of my gratitude, I made them a favorite Vietnamese dish of mine: charbroiled pork with vermicelli rice noodles. Though there’s meat in the recipe, it plays a rather minor role (and I imagine you can substitute with tofu). The best part of this meal, in my opinion, is the use of fresh, raw produce which comprise the majority of the dish.
This is only the second time that I’ve attempted to make this at home. (The photos above are actually from my first attempt last month.) I can already tell it’s going to become a staple in my house, because it’s really hard to screw up. That said, it’ll be difficult to approximate the flavors if you don’t have some Asian pantry basics. And fish sauce is CRUCIAL - don’t you even consider skipping it, because its absence will ruin the entire dish.
I used the following recipe which was adapted from one I found online (at The Meal Planner):
Vietnamese Charbroiled Pork with Vermicelli Noodles
For the pork:
1 ½ lb pork shoulder, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, grated
2 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp sugar (I recommend brown sugar or a dollop of molasses, if you’re using white)
4 tbsp rice vinegar (in a pinch, you can substitute lime juice)
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp Chinese chilli oil
3 tbsp sesame oil
For the noodles and toppings:
400g vermicelli rice noodles
1 cup each of lettuce (thinly sliced), bean sprouts, carrots (shredded), and cucumbers (cut into matchsticks)
Chopped peanuts
Cilantro
Spring onions
Fried red onion flakes
For the fish sauce:
3 ½ tbsp sugar
3/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp lime juice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
5 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp chili-garlic sauce or ½ tsp minced chili (yes, Sriracha will do in a pinch)
Mix pork marinade ingredients, thinly slice the pork, toss in the marinade, and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. After marinating, turn your oven to broil and place the strips of pork underneath the broiler for 6-10 minutes, depending on how far from the broiler the pork is and how thickly you’ve sliced your pork. (Typically, the outer edges should brown and become crispy when the pork is done.)
Prepare vermicelli noodles according to instructions. (Usually, this involves heating a pot of water to a boil, turning off the heat, then placing the noodles in the pot, and covering it with a lid for 3-4 minutes before draining and rinsing with cool water.)
In a resealable jar, add all the Vietnamese dipping sauce ingredients, shake well, and refrigerate.
To assemble your bowl, place raw vegetables at the bottom. (I don’t tend to use all the vegetables and prefer carrots and cucumbers to lettuce or beansprouts.) Top with the cooled noodles and strips of pork. Garnish with peanuts, cilantro, spring onions, red onion flakes, etc. to your liking. Pour fish sauce over noodles immediately before eating. (We used plates in the above photos, but I recommend bowls, which are much easier for holding the liquid that accumulates at the bottom.)
Photo credit: Patrick Hamm
Despite the fact that I cook for my friends at least once a week (sometimes, more!), they will never quite forgive me for the fact that I don’t have a microwave. So far, I’ve done fine with my conventional oven … I can’t be the only one!
(The picture above shows a teensy glimpse of my Chilled Cucumber and Corn Soup, a flavorful dish that’s perfect when you’re craving a not-too-heavy meal on those hot summer nights. More photos and a recipe here.)
Photo Credit: Patrick Hamm
Remember my attempt at crostini? I made them again for a barbeque I hosted earlier this summer, and this time, they featured caramelized onions, garlic and pear (right) as well as a goat cheese and tomato version (left). I haven’t made it back to the Prudential Center farmer’s market in recent weeks, but I’m dying to get some more of that bread from the When Pigs Fly stand. (They also make for fabulous croutons.)
The above was my attempt at making Asian-ish chicken nuggets. I breaded breast tenders in panko (Japanese bread crumbs), fried onion flakes, and herbs, then made a spicy mayo out of Kewpie and Sriracha. I also did a honey dijon mustard juuuust in case :)
Photo Credit: Patrick Hamm
Crostini & Open-Faced Sandwiches
This was a recent lunch — so easy, so quick, and with delicious results! I also didn’t break the bank, despite obtaining some of the toppings at the Prudential Center and Copley Square farmers markets. I started with a stop by the When Pigs Fly stand at the Prudential market (open Thursdays) for onion bread. Don’t remember the exact price, but an entire loaf couldn’t have been much more than $5 and provided more than enough for a meal for 2.
For the Balsamic Drizzled Crostini, I popped into the oven some thin slices of onion bread seasoned with balsamic vinegar and a bit of olive oil, since the bread was pretty freakin’ yummy on its own as it was. Then I sliced up the rest of the loaf and made a couple varieties of open-faced sandwiches:
- Roasted Red Peppers and Portobello Mushrooms (Just stuck the vegetables whole into the oven with some olive oil)
- Roasted Red Pepper & Eggplant (Used a Trader Joe’s spread)
- Goat Cheese & Fresh Thyme (Fresh herbs jazz up even supermarket cheese, but I got both from the Copley Square farmer’s market, which is open Tuesdays and Fridays.)
Bon appetit!
Photo Credit: Patrick Hamm
