Hiyayakko! Cold Tofu with Scallions

Quick, cool, and fresh! Hiyayakko is a cold Japanese tofu appetizer which literally takes only a minute or two to make. Ideally, its made with fresh tofu - I'm just going with the soft kind in the plastic box from Chinatown :) Feel free to mix up the seasonings and experiment!

Hiyayakko - Cold Tofu Salad
Serves one as a small entree or two as an appetizer

1/4th of a tofu block, soft or silken preferred (makes 6 2x2 inch slices)
1.5 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp grated ginger
dash of sriracha or paprika
1 scallion/green onion, white only, thinly sliced
sesame seeds

1. Drain and slice tofu and scallions.
2. Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and sriracha in a small dish. Spoon over the tofu.
3. Top with scallions and sesame seeds. TADA!

Breakfast Egg Burger

Weekend mornings are always such a treat. You get to wake up late, see the sun, and enjoy a leisurely breakfast rather than scarf down the fastest thing available. Today's recipe uses my old breakfast standbys - egg, spinach, mushroom, and bacon - and develops it into a new portable food that is sure to please.

Breakfast Egg Burger
Serves 1

1/2 strip (1 tablespoon) of diced bacon
One handful frozen chopped spinach
3 mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg, beaten
1 bagel thin, or 2 slices thick toast

Optional condiments: Guacamole, sriracha, mayo, hollandaise, ketchup

1. Prep ingredients as directed.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick pan. Saute garlic until fragrant, then the bacon.
3. When bacon has rendered fat and is mostly cooked, add spinach and mushroom. 
4. When spinach and mushroom have released most of their water and is fully cooked, heap into a patty sized pile in the pan. If you have one, take a metallic round cookie cutter or mold and place around the patty. Lower the heat to medium low.
5. Pour about 1/3rd of the scrambled egg into the mold, or in the middle of the vegetable heap. Scrape any escaping egg back into the heap. Repeat and add another 1/3rd of the egg.
6. When the egg is mostly solid, take a spatula and flip the whole thing over. Poke a hole in the middle of the heap and add the last of the egg. When set, flip one more time until egg is fully cooked.
7. Toast the bagel, top with condiments, lettuce, tomato, whatever, and consume.

Caprese Salad

Caprese Salad is a tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad, drizzled usually with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The only thing that makes this salad amazing is the quality of your ingredients. Today's is extra special because most of my items were free! My friend/coworker grows tomatoes (and everyone knows New Jersey tomatoes are the BEST), the basil was fresh from the plant I just bought, and the greens and olive oil were from a free sample Barilla is marketing for in NYC.

Asian Cucumber Salad

Cucumber salad is a great no frills side dish for hot summer days. I think it goes best with spicy and saucy foods (like yesterday's garlic eggplant or a plate of ribs).

Today's recipe is borrowed from A Sweet Pea Chef, who added sesame seeds, grated ginger, and rice wine vinegar to spice up a typical cucumber salad. She has a ton of great photos and recipes on her site - you should totally check it out!

I opted to replace the rice wine vinegar for cider vinegar (simply because I have one and not the other. I'm a terrible Asian, don't judge. haha). They have very different flavors, so I used a bit less than she does. I also added a teaspoon of sesame oil but forgot to sprinkle the sesame seeds for the photo... but you get the idea.

Garlic Eggplant

Garlic Eggplant is one of my staple Chinese dishes. I order it when I try new Chinese take out joints and my family makes it often for dinner. I love the texture, the rich flavors, and the versatility - this dish can be made with or without meat for the vegetarians.

I prefer using Chinese eggplant, which is long, narrow, and has less seeds. The narrow shape helps the eggplant hold its texture better in the dish. When you chop the eggplant, slice in half lengthwise, then make half moon shapes. Or, "roll cut" to get wedges. You can substitute for Italian eggplant, which is your typical bulb shaped kind, which you would cube instead. Today I also added a zucchini because I had an extra guest coming and I had to beef up my dish in a snap!

Now, when you order it at a restaurant, they flash fry the eggplant first, then top it with sauce. This helps the eggplant retain its shape and bright purple color - bit obviously adds extra oil. My version is more of a vegetable stew, rather than a stir fry, so the ingredients all mush together. Its the looks vs calories debate. I choose to top with fresh herbs and plate creatively in lieu of frying.

Garlic Eggplant
Serves 4

3 Chinese eggplant, chopped into 1-1.5 inch wedges/semi circles
1 red pepper, chopped into 1 inch squares
2 plum tomatoes, diced
7 cloves garlic, chopped fine
4 thin coins ginger
1 pound ground pork (optional)
1 tsp tomato paste
1 large pinch red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar (brown or white is fine)
1.5 tsp cornstarch (mix with water to make a slurry)
1 tablespoon oyster or hoisin sauce (optional. I substituted saamjang and more sugar today)
3 scallions, sliced fine
3 sprigs cilantro (optional)
Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

1. Prep all ingredients as specified
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saute pan or wok.
3. Saute the ginger, then garlic in the pan. Add the tomato paste and red chili flakes and the pork, if you're using it.
4. When the pork is mostly cooked, add the soy sauce, eggplant, red pepper, and tomatoes. If the pan is really dry when you add the eggplant, add 1/4 cup of water or cooking wine to help the eggplant start cooking. Cover.
5. Stir the eggplant ever 3-5 minutes. Add a teaspoon of salt (to taste). The eggplant will start to let out a lot of water and soften. Make a well in the pan and add the sugar and oyster sauce. Stir well to incorporate.
6. When the eggplant is thoroughly cooked (it should be mushy!) add the whites of the scallion. Create another well in the pan and stir in the cornstarch slurry a teaspoon at a time. Continue to add the slurry to "wet" spots in the pan until you achieve your desired sauciness.
7. Serve over rice and top with scallion greens and cilantro.

Korean Zucchini Pasta

My mother has recently become obsessed with our new local supermarket - H-Mart. Its a large Korean supermarket chain and we love exploring the different ingredients, sampling their innovative products, and bringing new things home to eat. (Our instant noodle collection has tripled.)

Today's dinner incorporates a new ingredient: Ssamjang. It is fermented soybean paste (like miso) mixed with a red pepper paste that is mildly spicy but carries a huge flavor punch (called gochujang, which would come in a red box.)

Korean Zucchini Pasta
Serves 1

1/2 cup dry pasta (I used macaroni!)
1 zucchini cut into 1 cm cubes
1 small carrot cut into slices or cubes
2 cloves garlic sliced
1 coin ginger
1/2 red onion
1.5 tsp ssamjang
1 tsp ketchup
1 sprig of cilantro, minced
1 poached egg

1. Prepare pasta to directions. Make it al dente. Drain and allow to cool.
2. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan. When hot, cook the ginger, onion and garlic until fragrant.
3. Add the carrots, zucchini, ssamjang, and ketchup. Saute until zucchini is tender and flavors have incorporated.
4. Poach an egg.
5. Add the pasta into the saute pan and allow it to pick up the flavors on the bottom of the pan. 
6. Top with cilantro and serve in a bowl. Top with the poached egg. Mix vigorously and consume.

Mushroom Chicken Fajitas

My dear friend Steve loves mushrooms and avocados. In a dish that I hoped would please him, I combined the two for a hearty, flavorful, and fun meal. Its not hard - the toughest part is getting the fajita flavors just right, which requires a mix of every red spice you own.

Mushroom Chicken Fajitas
Serves 3, about 30-40 minutes

Filling:
3 large portabella mushrooms or one large tray button mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 large chicken breast, diced
1 red pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 small onion sliced
1 jalapeno, without ribs or seeds, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 generous squirt ketchup (for sugar)
pinch cayenne (taste it first!)
2 tsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tsp water in a slurry

Toppings:
4 leaves romaine lettuce, sliced into thin ribbons
2 small plum tomatoes, diced
1/2 lime
1 avocado, diced or mashed
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup cheese (I used mozz but cheddar would be yum)
4 sprigs cilantro, minced stems, leaves roughly chopped

1. Prep all your ingredients as specified
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saute pan or skillet. When hot and shimmery, add the garlic and onions. Add the chicken when fragrant.
3. Add all spices except the cornstarch.
4. When chicken is mostly cooked, add the red pepper. Wait another minute or two and add the mushrooms. You'll see lots of water collect from the veggies, which is normal -that's what the cornstarch is for.
5. Stir the cornstarch slurry to make sure its even. Create a well in your fajita filling - move the chicken and veggies away from the middle of the pan so you see all the water at the bottom. Add a few teaspoons  and mix thoroughly at a time, until water is absorbed into a thicker sauce and there is no more pooling.
6. Warm your tortillas (filling should be enough for 8-10 medium tortillas). 
7. Serve filling in the warmed tortillas, cover with desired toppings, and consume rapidamente!

Strawberry Cilantro Vinaigrette

Because I'm a single young adult, paying off exorbitant college loans while working ridiculous hours, I have opted for financial reasons to live in an apartment that cannot support air conditioning. It is my penance for choosing instead to eat socially and travelling three to five weeks of the year. Oh how I suffer so.

Therefore, it is preferable to eat meals that require little to no interaction with heated instruments. Tonight was a lovely garden salad, with pear, tomato, carrot, mozzarella, almonds and a hard boiled egg. Anyone can make a salad - toss fresh ingredients into bite sized pieces. The piece de resistance, however, is the dressing.

In lieu of pouring on processed salad dressing purchased from aisle 8, I tend to make my own. Why? Because I make my salad dressing fresh and unique to the salad of the day. It keeps the preservatives out and the novelty constant. And making dressing is surprisingly easy. The only equipment you need is a jar with a screw top lid. Add all ingredients, shake vigorously, and pour.


Strawberry Cilantro Vinaigrette
1.5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp strawberry jam or preserves
2 tsp cilantro leaves, minced finely
2 tsp olive oil
1 squirt mustard (probably 1/2 a tsp)

Add more jam, or honey for more sweetness. Add more vinegar for more of a bite.