So Many Recipes, So Little Time
My taste for cumin scented everything probably comes from -Stan cuisines of Soviet Union’s Central Asia. When I was little, in snowy potato-cabbage-black pepper-centric Moscow, cumin did not exist. Its flavor seemed exotic, otherworldly, thus, desirable. A little more South East of -Stan countries, in China, Uighur people of Xinjiang — with their laghmans, polo,…
This pasta is a compilation of various recipes and techniques. Saving it here in case my housemates want me to do it again. It came out pretty good. To accommodate my Russian mind craving stories and movies, I organize my mise en place for this Italianish dish the way my first Chinese cookbook taught me:…
These days, it seems like mashed potatoes are everywhere. It is cold. And has been snowing. Couldn’t hold it and made my own mash. With Chicken and Pork Meatballs. The idea for the meatball mix stems from Ina Garten’s Italian Wedding soup recipe in Back to Basics. I substituted sausage for plain pork because that’s…
My go to at Xi’an Famous Foods have always been B2 and L1 if you know their efficient menu system — Cumin Lamb Burger and Tiger Salad. For some reason, L1 is no longer on the menu but it doesn’t matter — I now have the book and make it at home in unreasonable quantities…
Some like it hot? Another legitimate Sichuan find in the city on West 37th Street — spacious two story Cafe China. Featured here are: Braised Beef in Red Soup. Slices of boiled beef, wood ear mushrooms, napa cabbage, glass noodles, chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns in oily heat hot and spicy hot broth hit all…
One certain thing I can say about my two weeks in China — I did not have enough Chinese food. But I have a couple of Chinese cookbooks now — about two shelves. Almost three? And this trip helped me understand this food a little better so there will be more Chinese food here. Here’s…
Cauliflower is my favorite vegetable and definitely don’t make it often enough. It’s great just steamed with a little salt or dressed up like in this slightly upscale stir-fried version. Karifurore variety with its long open stems, airy florets, and a chewy texture seemed to suite better for this treatment. WHAT WENT IN— olive oil—…
This is it! The burger. From Louis’ Lunch in New Haven, CT. It is here, in 1900, Louis Lassen invented the hamburger sandwich as we know it. Today, the place is run by the grandson of the original owner. Make a note — over the centuries, the dining experience has not changed. You are served…
I love ground meat everything — burgers, meatballs, meatloaves, sausages. You name it. That goes back to my mom’s kitchen. Cooking on empty, she would put all available meat scraps through the meat grinder, pump up the flavor with whatever was on hand — salt, pepper, mustard, horseradish, garlic, onions — pump up the quantity…
Here’s an interesting way to take velveting to the next level and create that particular silky slippery texture so characteristic of Cantonese dishes. This chicken with fermented black beans was prepared in a steamer which produced especially tender and not greasy texture. For the side, I stir fried some water spinach with garlic and hot…