Snack House Soup – Hong Kong Meets Vietnam
Hong Kong meets Vietnam in this snack house inspired soup that you can do at home with a couple tomatoes and a few leftovers. This is easy home cooking and you’ll be More »
Gazpacho Recipe
by Jay del Corro Gazpacho is a refreshing tomato soup that is served ice cold during the hot summer months. It comes from southern Spain in the region of Andalucia and is More »
Halibut with Spicy Mango Salad – Thai Cooking
Today, we’re making a Thai style spicy mango salad. To go with it, I’m cooking up a mouth-watering pan-fried halibut from my friends at Dor-Bel Fine Foods. Dor-Bel is the only retailer More »
Goat Cheese Scrambled Eggs with Basil Pesto Toast
Eggs are awesome. They are so versatile and incredibly useful that I can never be without them. The tragic thing about them is that they are often treated badly (slaughtered) in many, many recipes. How many times have you been to a hotel breakfast bar and seen the ubiquitous eggs benedict with overcooked poached egg, dry English muffin and powdered Hollandaise? Or the dry slab of ‘scrambled’ eggs that’s been in the steam tray forever? Or even worse, the dreaded scrambled egg that’s been ‘slain’. An overcooked mass lying lifeless in a pool of its own runny liquid. Tragic.
Today I’m gonna show you how to make a beautifully executed scrambled egg with delicious farm-fresh goat cheese and chopped chives on a toasted slice of Banuka Bakery’s own Basil Pesto Bread. These are scrambled eggs the way they are supposed to be enjoyed. Consistently smooth, silky and custard-like, the texture is simply sublime. I truly know you’re in for something special.
You will need:
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoons goat cheese feta, crumbled
- salt to taste
- 2 pieces Basil Pesto bread (available at Banuka Bakery)
- some butter
Slice the Basil Pesto bread on a bias and toast. Spread butter on each slice and set on the plate.
Start with a small skillet with a tablespoon of butter on medium heat. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, goat cheese and half of the chives. Pour the mixture into the heated skillet and stir with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Keep stirring over the steady heat and keep it moving. If the eggs cook too fast, simply take it off the burner for a few moments, still stirring. Continue to cook and stir until your eggs reach an even custard-like consistency. Salt to taste and get ready to plate.
*Eggs are very delicate and it takes control and precision to cook them well. They also hold residual heat, so take them off the heat early. The eggs will continue to cook and set on the plate when you serve.
Spoon the eggs on each slice and top with fresh chives. Serve up with sliced fresh tomato and enjoy!
Sotanghon soup
If you’re asking if I’ve done it, the answer is yes. Check the recipes page in the Filipino section. Thanks!
St. Patrick’s Day Recipe – Lamb Stew with Colcannon
This St. Patrick’s Day lamb stew with colcannon recipe is hearty, rich and unbelievably delicious. The tender lamb is seared off and caramelized, creating a wonderful sauce that brings all the elements together. This stew is served with an Irish favourite called Colcannon. Rich and creamy mashed potatoes with sauteed kale and leeks, broiled to a golden finish. This is a recipe you must have in your regular arsenal.
for the stew:
- 2 lb lamb shoulder, cubed
- 4 large carrots, chopped
- 2 leeks, bottom part only sliced
- 1 large onion, cut into wedges
- 1 litre chicken or lamb stock
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- salt and pepper
for the colcannon:
- 3 large potatoes
- 100g fresh kale
- 2 leeks (bottom part) sliced
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 large egg yolks
- ½ cup milk
- salt
Start with a hot heavy bottom dutch oven or large pot over high heat with a couple tablespoons of oil and add the lamb in a single layer. Working in small batches, sear the lamb until golden brown all both sides then set aside.
Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions. Saute and stir frequently until the onions start to turn translucent. When that’s done, add the carrots and leeks and continue to cook for a couple minutes to get them started then deglaze the bottom of the pot with the stock. Turn the heat back up to high, stir the pot to get the fond from the bottom and toss in the thyme and rosemary. When the pot comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium, put the lamb back on top of the mixture, and let simmer uncovered til the vegetables are tender and the broth has thickened.
Once the veg is done remove the herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add some fresh or frozen peas to finish and you’re done! Now let’s make some colcannon.
Peel and cut the potatoes into rough chunks, put into a medium pot and cover with water. Boil until fork tender, strain and return to the pot. Toss the potatoes over the heat in a dry pot until the potatoes start to look fluffy on the outside. Put the potatoes in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Heat a large frying pan on medium high heat with a ¼ cup of butter. As the butter melts, add the leeks, kale and a touch of salt and start to gently saute, stirring frequently. When the vegetables are wilted and tender, remove from the heat and set aside.
Back to the potatoes. Add the ¼ cup of butter to the potatoes and mash until smooth. As you mash, add the milk and the egg yolks. The eggs yolks serve one purpose. When you broil the potatoes (like making a shepherd’s pie), they help give the golden brown finish. If you’re not broiling the potatoes, you can omit the egg yolks. When the potatoes are smooth, add the sauteed vegetables and combine.
Now scoop some of the colcannon onto a baking sheet and pop under a broiler for a few minutes until golden brown (you see what I meant about the egg yolks?). When finished, take out and gently take the colcannon off the baking sheet with a large spatula and put on a large plate. Make a nice indent in the center of the pile and ladle on some of the finished lamb stew. Garnish with fresh parsley. Marvel at your masterpiece, grab some cutlery and enjoy!
The Aimless Blog – Korean food, shout outs and Adobo class
We haven’t talked in a while, just you and me. I hope you’re having a great week so far. It’s Friday and it looks like it’s gonna be a great weekend. If not, re-adjust your thinking and make it good. You’re the only one steering the ship.
The Japchae episode:
As you know, the Japchae episode is now live and the comments have been great. Just in case you’re wondering, yes, I do read each and every comment on the videos and I try to answer everyone that has questions. I live for this engagement and love the conversations, ideas and recommendations. Keep sending me your food porn as well as I will be sharing a lot of it on the show in future episodes.
One thing that did come up after the Japchae vid went up was the fact that the recipe is time consuming. Normally, when I shoot an episode of The Aimless Cook, I have to set up the shots, prep the ingredients for easy retrieval, adjust the lighting, etc. It takes probably twice as long to cook a dish versus if I was just making dinner.
I will admit though, that shoot seemed to take forever. Cooking each ingredient and seasoning separately takes a long time. At the end of the whole thing, I dirtied enough dishes to fill the dishwasher…twice. I think that the japchae purists believe that you should do this because the dish is intended to be served at room temperature. In that case, the reasoning would make sense since each ingredient would have a separate flavour profile to be savoured as you eat it. That’s my guess.
If you are truly pressed for time though, I would see no problem in prepping the vegetables together. The seasonings for the different elements are so similar, I see no issue. The only thing I do see is preserving the colour and texture of the softer elements like the spinach. Cook it last. Problem solved.
If you do take the classical route, here’s a tip: make more than you need so you can store each ingredient in the fridge. You can use them to make bibimbap, a quick bowl of whatever on rice or as toppings for ramen. Fry (or even better, poach) an egg and pop it on top and you have a quick meal.
Sharing the Calgary love:
I do this all the time on Twitter and Facebook, but I want to take the time to give you a little more background on my shout outs for this month.
Gabriel Hall – www.levoyagegourmand.com, @voyagegourmand
I met Gabe at a sake tasting event a few weeks ago in the beloved community of Inglewood in Calgary Alberta. He is a proud Calgarian and a lover of food. Check out this great article on The Death of the Cooking Show.
Elise Gee – www.vancouversake.com, @seishu
Elise is a certified sake educator and consultant. Her passion for sake is immense and her beautiful photos and vast knowledge on the subject are something to behold. I am very lucky to know her.
Kevin Kent – www.knifewear.com, @KnifeNerd
I met Kevin at Mount Royal University in a Japanese class. He is the owner of the coolest Japanese knife shop in the country. A former chef turned entrepreneur/father/rockstar, Kevin has a love for Japan, organ meat and all things obscenely sharp.
Teddy – www.newcontent.ca, @newcontentyyc
I also met Teddy at the sake event. He was making a short film of the evening and we got to talking about what we love: food and making great content. We are now cooking up ways to take over the world.
Adobo class:
Just in case you haven’t heard, my first live class via chefhangout.com begins on March 15th at 6-7pm Central. To honour this special event, I will be making the classic Chicken Adobo version 2. If you have seen the show, this is the one with coconut milk. It should be a great class and I hope to see you there. Register now and don’t be late!
So that’s what’s new with me. Thanks for your continued support and will talk to you again soon. Have a great weekend!
Question of the day: What would you like to learn in a cooking class?
Korean Stirfried Noodle Recipe – Japchae
Japchae is a delicious Korean stirfried noodle dish made with tender slivers of marinated beef and an assortment of healthy colourful vegetables all mixed together with a signature chewy sweet potato noodle called dangmyun. This dish is typically served at room temperature as a side, but can also be enjoyed as a main. This recipe is perfect for potlucks… just sayin.
You will need:
- 10 oz (300g) glass noodles (당면,dang-myun)
- 1/3 lb lean sirloin, cut into 1/4” thick sticks
- 1 bunch spinach, trimmed & cleaned
- 1 medium carrot, julienned
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 1 leek, julienned (just the white part)
- ¼ lb oyster and crimini mushrooms, sliced (you can use shiitake or whatever you have)
for the beef :
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sake
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
for the mushrooms:
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
for the spinach:
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
for the noodles:
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Mix beef in the marinade then set aside for at least 30 minutes.
In a large pot of boiling water, blanch mushrooms for about 30 seconds. Take them out, rinse in cold water, squeeze out excess water and set aside.
In the same boiling water add spinach, blanch for 30 seconds til wilted. Take them out, rinse in cold water, squeeze out excess water and set aside.
Add your noodles to the pot and boil until tender. Rinse them under cold water. Drain and set aside.
Season mushrooms and spinach each with their seasoning ingredients separately.
Saute onions, carrots and leek and season with salt and sugar to taste over medium heat. Set aside.
Saute beef and cook until done. Remove the beef and deglaze the pan with a splash of sake.
Add the noodles to the pan and gently stirfry until the juices are absorbed then set aside.
Now grab a huge mixing bowl and add the noodles. Add the noodle seasoning and toss them well. Let all the ingredients to cool down to room temperature.
Finally, toss noodles with the rest of the ingredients until combined. Season to taste and serve at room temperature. Enjoy!
J’s Century Egg Salad Recipe
More than a year ago, I uploaded a vlog about my favourite ‘exotic’ foods. Now this vlog included items such as chicken feet, dinaguan (a Pinoy pork blood stew) and the infamous Balut. Of these wonderful acquired tastes, I also talked about Chinese century eggs. These are duck eggs that have been preserved in a mixture of clay, wood ash, quicklime, salt and rolled in rice husks. They are then left to ‘cure’ for several weeks resulting in a transformation of colour, texture and flavour that is truly unique.
Now I usually love century eggs in my congee with pork, a little ginger and green onion, but today I’m gonna show you how to enjoy these wonderful flavour-bombs in popular Asian tomato salad that’s healthy, colourful and easy to make. The high notes of the cilantro, fish sauce and citrus compliment the earthy complexity of the century eggs. You’re gonna love this so let’s cook!
You will need:
- 4 century eggs
- 2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1/2 large red onion, sliced thinly
- 1 Thai red chile
- 1 handful fresh cilantro
- the juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
Let’s start by peeling the century eggs and blanching them in boiling water very briefly. This is to get rid of the alkaline smell usually associated with century eggs. Cut into wedges and set aside.
Next let’s prepare the elements of our salad by taking the tomatoes and cut them into wedges. Take the red onion and soak in cold water to mellow out the raw bite. Finally, chop the chile and get ready to assemble.
Now grab yourself a large bowl and let’s start making the dressing. We’re gonna begin by drizzling in about a teaspoon of canola oil followed by about 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and the juice of 1 lemon. From here, add the red onion, the century eggs and a handful of chopped cilantro. Mix well to combine and give it a taste. Add salt to season and any of the other ingredients from the dressing to balance it out. Southeast Asian flavours are always a balancing act and a little fine tuning to our personal taste always makes every batch unique.
I like to let salads like this sit in the fridge for awhile to let the flavour come together. Alternatively, you can also make the dressing ahead of time so that it’s ready to rock come assembly time. Enjoy this recipe and have fun in the kitchen!
Thai Inspired Beef Salad with Rice Noodle Recipe
Southeast Asian flavour is a playful balance of sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter. Using ingredients like fresh lime juice, red Thai chiles and fish sauce, you can create something pretty incredible. This Thai-inspired beef salad uses some simple ingredients brought together with amazing results.
for the dressing, you will need:
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon chile garlic paste (sambal oelek)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- salt to season
the rest:
- 1 lb baby bok choy, trimmed and rinsed
- 225g thick rice noodles (banh pho)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 lb flank steak
- salt & pepper
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- crushed peanuts
- fresh lime wedges, for garnish
In a small bowl, mix all of the dressing ingredients together, salt to taste then set aside. Boil the rice noodles until tender, rinse in cold water, strain then set aside.
Blanch the baby bok choy in the boiling water for about 1 minute. Take out and rinse in cold water then set on a baking tray lined with kitchen paper to dry. Set aside.
Drizzle the flank steak with olive oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Ensure your steak is room temperature before you grill. Sear the steak on an oiled cast iron skillet on high heat or on a grill on high for about 3 minutes per side. You want a nice brown crust, but don’t let it cook too long. Once the steak is seared, set aside for at least 10 minutes to let the juices re-distribute through the meat.
After the 10 minutes, slice the steak into 2 inch strips along the grain then across the grain into thin slices. Now we’re ready to assemble.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice noodle, bok choy, the dressing and the beef and toss until combined. Add the chopped cilantro and get ready to plate.
*the cilantro bonus dressing
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 handful cilantro leaves
- juice of 1 lime
- salt
- wasabi to taste
In a blender start with the liquids, then add the rest of the ingredients. Pulse til well blended. This is a great dressing that you can use for a lot of different things. You can also add different ingredients depending on the dish.
Plate the salad on a small plate or small bowl. Drizzle the cilantro dressing over the top and garnish with chopped Thai chiles. This recipe makes a great lunch for the next day since you don’t have to heat it. The beef is juicy, lean and hearty. Of course, if you want to omit the meat, you can. Make this recipe yours and have fun in the kitchen!
Umi no Oyakodon – Salmon Chirashi Sushi
Chirashi sushi is a casual style of sushi that is often made at home by arranging fresh fish on top of a bowl of seasoned sushi rice. Oyakodon is a dish more generally known as having chicken and egg, ‘oyako’ meaning ‘mother and child’. In this case, our oyakodon comes from the sea (umi), so we’re using salmon and salmon roe. This is a glorious sushi dish you are going to enjoy immensely if you love the essence of the sea. Enjoy!
You will need:
- 500g of sushi rice*
- 1 lb sushi grade fresh salmon
- ½ cup ikura (salmon roe)
- 1 sheet nori, shredded
- soy sauce and wasabi
the rice:
Start by prepping the sushi rice. Washing and rinsing is a very important step in the preparation of Japanese rice. The easiest way to do this is by using a mesh strainer inside a large mixing bowl. You want to thoroughly rinse the rice until the water is clear. This will take about 3 or 4 rinsing cycles. After rinsing, soak the rice for about 30 minutes.
If you’re using a rice cooker, simply follow the instructions for your particular model. If you are cooking on the stovetop, put the rice in a small saucepan and add the water. There are a lot of methods to determine the water to rice ratio when cooking rice. One of them includes putting your index finger in the water until your finger touches the rice. It should go up to your first knuckle. If you want to be more precise, grab a kitchen scale and measure the weight of the rice. You want the exact same weight of water, so in this recipe you will need 380g of water.
Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil. When the water starts to boil, bring the heat down to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes. After that, remove from the heat and let sit covered for another 10-15 minutes.
Take the steamed rice and put into a large mixing bowl. Add about 4 Tablespoons of the sushi vinegar to the rice by trickling on a rice paddle, distributing evenly all over. Mix completely by gently folding and mixing with a chopping motion. Spread the rice evenly in the bowl and set aside to cool. A small fan works nicely for this.
*sushi taro is a commercially available sushi rice seasoning that is portioned ahead of time for 2 x 500g of cooked rice. It has a colourful selection of vegetables, rice vinegar and seasoning that adds colour and flavour to your rice. They’re very convenient and available at many Asian grocery stores.
Now that you have the rice seasoned, set aside and let cool to room temp. Now, slice the salmon into delicate ¼ inch slices and get ready to assemble your chirashi sushi.
Get a nice hand-sized bowl and put in the rice, being careful not to pack it in too tightly. Like the hands of a clock, start to arrange the salmon slices around the top of the rice until it’s covered by the salmon. Make a dent in the center of the salmon pile where the ends of the slices meet and pile on a generous spoonful of ikura. Each one of these amber jewels pops with the intense flavour of the sea. Complimented with the slices of fresh salmon and delicately seasoned rice, you are sure to love this dish. Finally, garnish with shredded nori and serve with soy sauce and wasabi.
Banana Bread Recipe – National Banana Bread Day
Did you know there was a national day for banana bread? Well, there is and it’s February 23. Good thing I have just the recipe to celebrate this totally obscure day dedicated to this delicious loaf of goodness.
You will need:
- 2 cups Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs, Beaten
- 2 1/3 cups Mashed Bananas (approx 5-6)
Combine dry ingredients, in separate bowl cream butter & sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed banana until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Pour into a greased loaf pan and pop into a preheated 350F oven for about an hour. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before attempting to slice it, or you’re gonna make a royal mess. Be patient…
Enjoy with butter and Happy Banana Bread Day!
Japanese Sea Urchin Spaghetti – Uni Spaghetti Recipe
It’s amazing what can be done when you have the right ingredients. This Japanese spaghetti recipe uses uni. Uni is the delicious roe of the sea urchin. To be precise, it’s the gonads of the male and female sea urchin. In any case, it’s really really good. Whenever I go to the sushi bar, I have to order some to satisfy my craving for this incredible delicacy.
In the sushi bars, uni is pricey. Normally, it’s about $5 per piece. If you’re gonna spend your hard earned money on uni, just make sure it’s a place you trust with really fresh seafood. Uni should be bright orange, tender, taste creamy and slightly sweet. If it looks dark orange to brown and smells like socks (no kidding) keep your money and walk away.
Occasionally, the local Asian grocery has fresh uni for a decent price. I can usually get a whole tray for $13… and I have eaten the whole tray by myself on occasion.
This uni pasta is a lot like making mentaiko pasta. It requires butter, uni, a splash of cream and a bit of salt and pepper. That’s it. I topped my pasta with shredded nori and some masago to compliment the subtle flavour of the uni with some saltiness of the sea. It’s magical. Really.
You will need:
- 250g spaghetti
- 125g fresh uni
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- some fresh cream (about 250ml)
- salt and pepper to taste
- masago and shredded nori, to garnish
Start by dropping your pasta into a large pot of boiling salted water. Meanwhile, on medium heat, melt the butter and add the uni. Cook the uni gently while stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon. There are some recipes that ask you to puree the uni to get a smoother texture. You can do this prior to this step if you like, but I like the rustic texture. When you have cooked for a couple minutes and it starts to smell delicious, add some cream to the pan (enough to just cover the bottom). Turn up the heat slightly and let the sauce reduce, but just a little.
By this time, the pasta should be almost done (al dente). Take the pasta out of the water and put directly into the pan. Don’t strain the pasta (never strain pasta). You need the residual starchy water to thicken the sauce and help it stick. Toss the pasta in the sauce until everything is evenly coated and combined. Give a final taste and season with salt and pepper. Plate up and garnish with masago and shredded nori. Enjoy!
