Simply the best is how I describe Japanese cuisine. Back in Summer last year, my very good friend (who is Japanese) introduced me to this wonderful dish “Miso Chicken”. When she gave me the recipe, I was so surprised because there are only 5 ingredients for this Miso chicken recipe. She recommended me to give a few days to marinate the chicken so the flavor from Sake, Mirin, Miso and sugar are all soaked into the chicken meat. Also this recipe goes so perfectly with fish especially black cod.

Recipe for 2 people (and leftover for the next day)

3/4 cup of Sake

3/4 cup of Mirin (cooking sake)

4 tablespoons of white miso paste

3 tablespoons of sugar (white or brown)

3 tablespoons of canola oil or vegetable oil

Directions

1. Heat the pan in low heat.

2. Add sake and Mirin and let the alcohol gets evaporated about 5 minutes

3. Add white miso paste and whisk.

4. Add Sugar and give it a good whisk.

5. Once the ingredients are all cooperated, let the marinade gets cool down and pour it over the chicken. Marinate the chicken meat for a few days.

6. Turn the heat on medium heat and add the oil in the pan.

7. Add the chicken in the pan and shallow fry the chicken about 2 minutes on each side or until it turns brown.

8. Finish Miso in the oven for 350 F about 12 minutes.

                                                            Photos by William R. Greenblatt

                                                                               Edited by Alan Finn

Ireland is the country where I have always dreamt of going to visit. I am very happy to announce that I finally made it there AND it was during the holiday season of last year. My trip to Ireland made me feel like a kid who is about to go to Disneyland for the very first time. The very first place I was brought was to the farmers market that takes place in the grounds of Farmliegh House.  Farmliegh House is the ancestral home of the Guinness family.  Yes THAT Guinness.  As I walked around the farmer’s market I felt a wonderfully warm vibe from the Irish farmers and various food vendors who have their stalls at the market. I have to say I loved the very genuine and super friendly attitude that I experienced from the people there.  It was such a freezing cold day when I went to the market but the famous Irish hospitality warmed my hearth and soul. 

Irish people go to Farmliegh farmer’s market for super fresh, straight from the farm produce and also to support the local farms, handmade cheeses, homemade breads, homemade jams and etc.. First stop was the fresh vegetables.  Irish people prefer their seasonal vegetables.  If you ask for summer vegetable in winter, you are in the wrong place.

Bags of “dirty” carrots (as seen in the photo below).  I questioned the farmer as to why she names them dirty carrots and why she doesn’t rinse the dirt off the carrots. She told me that dirt keeps carrots fresh longer. If the carrots are all washed, they will go bad  quicker.

My next stop got me very excited.  Cheese!  There are a wonderful variety of cheeses in Ireland and one of my favorites is Coolattin Cheddar, handmade by cheesemaker Thomas Burgess. The cheese is made from fresh milk from his family farm in the Wicklow hills not far from Dublin.

The cheddar cheese which I bought from Thomas’s stall has a rich flavor coupled with some sharp characteristics.  When I checked out his website for Coolattin Cheddar what I found interesting is that Thomas chooses to use what he describes as early morning milk. The early morning milk, which is high in melatonin, helps aid relaxation and sleep. It is pumped directly to the cheese-vat, not stored or pasteurized, thus the natural goodness & flavor is preserved by his traditional cheese-making process.

Fenugreek seed cheese is my second favorite from Thomas’s stall. Fenugreek seeds gives the cheese a unique nutty flavor and is quite mild.  Fenugreek seeds are usually one of the ingredients for making curry.

My favorite bread vendor was  Soul Bakery which had so many selections I had to sample every single one before I made my decision.  Surprisingly, Soul Bakery has bread which contains no sugar, no egg and no dairy and it still tastes divine.

Here are the rest of the other food vendors I enjoyed visiting at the market and sampling their goods. I have to say that the food in Ireland is not plain and boring as lots of people say it is. Irish fresh vegetables, fruits and meats are of a very hig quality and that is the key for delicious food. I had an amazing time at Farmliegh farmer’s market and I can’t wait to come back here again. Sláinte (Cheers) and Go raibh maith agat (Thank you).

                                                                  Photos by Sarinya Rattana

                                                                  Edited by Alan Finn

Last week, I had a great opportunity to visit Mendocino county for the very first time for my friend’s beautiful wedding. One of their wedding weekend fun was to visit Toulouse Vineyards. Most of people are only familiar with Napa Valley and Sonoma wineries. If you have a chance, Mendocino, California is a great place to visit for Redwoods, wine, mushrooms festival, and amazing view of the coast while driving on the pacific coast highway.

                                                                      Photos By Sarinya Rattana

Satay is one of the most popular street food dishes in South East Asian countries. It is marinated meat (beef, pork of chicken) that is skewered and grilled. In Bangkok, Thailand where I grew up, I remember so vividly being able to see the long lines from far away at every Satay cart or vendor. You can smell grilled Satay from far away and it’s well worth waiting for. The Satay meat is so tender and it tastes so divine when dipped in Thai peanut sauce (which adds more sweet and richness to it). The seasoning and the spices also play significant roles for this delicious dish.

For this blog, I want to make my Satay slightly different. I am making “Shrimp Satay” which is rare in Thailand. This Shrimp Satay recipe is very easy. I find some people can be overwhelmed when they read the recipes where there are so many spices, especially Asian spices, that they are not familiar with. Also, the Thai peanut sauce recipe will only take you less than 10 minutes to make. It is not just a dipping sauce for Satay but  can also be used as a salad dressing or sauce for stir frying with noodles.

Recipe for 2 people.

1 lbs. of shrimp (take heads and tails off. Also please peel and devein the shrimps)

1 table spoon of coconut milk

a pinch of salt

1/2 of sugar

1/4 teaspoon of curry powder

1/4 teaspoon of tumeric

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon of coriander powder

For Thai peanut sauce.

a half cup of coconut Milk

1 tablespoon of peanut butter

1 teaspoon of Thai red curry paste. You can find Thai red curry in Asian markets or if you want to make it from scratch, you can follow the recipe from Temple of Thai website.

a half tablespoon of sugar

a pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of white vinegar

Instructions.

1. Marinade shrimp with salt, coconut milk, sugar, curry powder, tumeric, garlic powder, coriander powder and mix altogether. Leave it in the fridge for at least half and hour.

2. Making Thai peanut sauce, turn on the low heat and add coconut milk.

3. Add peanut butter and stir until it is nicely incorporated with the coconut milk and it starts getting thicker. Then add Thai red curry, sugar, salt and white vinegar. Stir all the ingredients together.

4. Once the Thai peanut sauce is finished, turn the heat on the grill to medium. Add shrimp and grill until they are cooked (but not  overcooked).

5. Serve Satay shrimp with Thai peanut sauce.

                                                                               Photos by William R. Greenblatt

                                                                               Edited by Alan Finn

A lot of my friends ask me how can I cook dinner everyday after coming back from work. They all think cooking takes so much work and preparation. Cooking at home sounds very difficult for those of us who have 8-5 job plus feeling frustrated from the commute home (if you live in a city like I do - LA!). It is my belief that good food can be made very easily and takes much less time than you may think. Beef Broccoli is one of my quickest meals. I can make this dish in 15 minutes or less.

Recipe for 2 people (and leftovers for the next day)

1 lbs. and 1/2 of broccoli and cut into bite size pieces

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 yellow onion, sliced

1/2 lbs. of beef, thin sliced

4 tablespoons of light soy sauce

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

Directions

1. Heat the wok or pan in the medium high heat.

2. Add vegetable oil and chopped garlic, stir until it turns light golden brown.

3. Add slices of yellow onion and stir occasionally until onion starts to get translucent.

4. Add slices of beef, add soy sauce, and sesame oil. Give it a good stir until beef is cooked.

5. Put broccoli and stir about 5 minutes or less, depends on how crunchy of broccoli you would like.

                                                                               Photos by William R. Greenblatt

                                                                               Edited by Alan Finn

Today I am so proud to present Thai fast food called “Phad Ka Prow Kai”. Please do not get me wrong!! This dish has no chemicals, no preservatives or any artificial ingredients as the fast foods here in America do. I call this dish Thai fast food because Phad Ka Prow or Stir Fried Chicken (or any kind of meat) with Thai holy basil and Thai chilies is served at every street corner in Thailand. I remembered how I used to have this dish all the time. I mean almost everyday as breakfast (seriously!!for breakfast), lunch, dinner, or late night dinner.

It is very difficult to find holy basil (Ka Prow leaves) in the US. Most Thai markets in Los Angeles have Thai basil which is a great substitute for holy basil. I am sure it gives different tastes and different aromas for Thai people (including me). The difference between Holy basil and Thai basil is that Holy basil gives you spice but it does not give you the taste of sweetness in the way Thai basil does. I guarantee the flavor of this dish is still divine with or without Holy basil.

Recipe for 2 people (and leftovers for the next day)

2 lbs. of ground chicken (or any kind of meat you would like)

Big handful of Holy basil or Thai basil

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

3 (or more) of Thai Chilies, chopped

3 tablespoon of oyster sauce

3 tablespoon of fish sauce

1 and 1/2 tablespoon of light soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoon of brown sugar (or white sugar)

3 tablespoon of vegetable oil or canola oil

Directions

1. Heat the wok on medium high heat.

2. Add vegetable oil in the wok.

3. Add chopped garlic and saute until it turns light golden brown and until you smell garlic all over in your kitchen. Then add the crushed Thai chilies.

4. Add ground chicken and stir occasionally. then add oyster sauce, fish sauce, light soy sauce and sugar and give it a good stir.

5. Taste it and add more fish sauce or sugar if needed. Add some water if it is dry. Then turn the heat off and add basil leaves and stir.

Thai people love this dish on top of steamed white rice (Jasmine rice) with fried egg.

This is what I call fast food and the taste is incredibly divine.

                                        Photos by William R. Greenblatt

                                        Edited by Alan Finn

After the large amount of alcohol consumption over St Patrick’s Day, “Hangover” is something I hate to deal with. I wake up with a  horrible headache, a sore body and very dehydrated. “Chicken Noodle Soup”, for me,  is the best ever hangover cure. 

When I pull myself together and check in the refrigerator what do I find??  The left over roasted chicken I had made. This will save my life completely from all the alcohol I’ve had AND it’s not going to take more than 10 minutes.

What I really love is the broth of this soup. Can you imagine all the flavor and aroma from the herbs, onions, carrots, celery, etc? Plus the texture of the chicken as it falls off the bones. This is what I call Feel So Good Chicken Noodle Soup and it really helps cure me from a hangover…indeed.

Recipe for 2 people (and left overs for the next day)

Roasted Chicken

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 stalks of celery, diced

3 carrots, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

a pinch of fresh thyme leaves

2/3 of cup of Vermouth (It’s optional)

Salt

Pepper

16oz of egg noodle or one package of egg noodle

1 liter or about 5 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth

3 cup of filtered water

Directions.

1. Heat the big pot on medium high heat and add 4 tablespoon of olive oil.

2. Add chopped garlic and saute until it turns to light golden brown.

3. Add chopped onion and saute until it turns translucent.

4. Put a pinch of fresh thyme and give it a good stir until you smell aroma of thyme.

5. Add chopped carrot and chopped celery and stir about 2 minutes.

6. Put a pinch of salt and pepper in it and stir.

7. Pour 2/3 cup of Vermouth and stir. Let is sit until there’s no alcohol taste (about 3 minutes)

8. Add the leftover roasted chicken.

9. Add 1 liter of broth and 3 cups of filtered water and close the lid until it’s boiling.

10. While you are waiting for the chicken soup to boil, starting cooking the egg noodle by boiling egg noodle until it’s cooked.

11. Once the chicken noodle soup is boiling, taste it and add more salt if needed.

YUMMY and it  feels good….

                                                                           Photo by William R. Greenblatt

                                                                           Edited by Alan Finn

Every time I have Carbonara I always close my eyes with the first bite and let my tongue enjoys all the flavors. Yes it is!! This is what some people call “Food Orgasm”. It’s a flavor filled with pleasure. The sweet flavor from the onions, the salt from the prosciutto mixed with the al dente pasta and nutty, slightly sweet peas.

My recipe of Carbonara is not too rich. I don’t use too much of the cream sauce. I like to make the sauce slightly coated with the spaghetti noodle. And it’s less guilty when you make it with Prosciutto instead of Bacon. It goes really well with Irish Bacon or Canadian Bacon as well. The perfect combination of sweetness from chopped onion and peas, and saltiness from prosciutto are undeniably  satisfying. When you make it with my recipe I can guarantee that you won’t be able to stop eating it.

Recipe for 2 people (and the leftover for the next day)

- 1 package of Spaghetti or Linguine (16OZ.)

- Prosciutto : The more the marrier!!

- 2 cloves of Garlic, chopped

- 1 yellow onion, chopped

- 1 cup of frozen peas

- 3 tablespoons of olive oil

- 2 Eggs

- 2/3 cup of cream

- 4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan

- salt

- pepper

Directions

1. Boil the water and cook the spaghetti until al dente.

2. Heat the pan on a low heat. Add olive oil and wait for a minute until olive oil starts getting hot.

3. Add prosciutto and saute until it is crisp. Put the finished crisp prosciutto on the paper towel to drain the oil.

4. Make the sauce for Carbonara. Crack 2 eggs and add 2/3 cup of cream and 3 tablespoon of grated Parmesan. Then whisk everything together. Add salt & pepper to taste

5. Use the same pan you cooked the prosciutto in. Turn the heat to a medium high heat. No need to add more olive oil.

6. Add chopped garlic and saute until it’s a light golden brown then add the chopped onion and saute until it’s translucent.

7. Add 1 cup of frozen peas and give it a good stir.

8. Turn the heat to a very low heat. Then pour the sauce on the pan.

9. During the meantime, when spaghetti is al dente, drain it and add to the sauce.

10. Stir well until the noodles are coated with cream sauce then turn the heat off. Add prosciutto at the end.

11. Taste it. Put more salt if needed. And add fresh ground pepper.

                                                                               Photos by William R. Greenblatt

                                                                               Edited by Alan Finn

This is one of my favorite Thai dishes. In Thai we call it “Kuay Tiew Pad Kee Mao”:

“Kuay Tiew” means noodle;

“Pad” means stir fried;

“Kee Mao” means someone who loves to get drunk.

I don’t know how this dish got its name but I do know that you can find it on every corner in Thailand.

Most Thai restaurants here in Los Angeles call it “Drunken Noodle”. Sounds funny, doesn’t it? Believe me, this dish gets people hooked!.

Usually, we use flat rice noodles for this, but outside of my own country it’s difficult to get real Thai ingredients. I find spaghetti noodles are a great substitute for rice noodles and they complement the spices.

Recipe for 2 people (and leftovers for the next day):

Ingredients:

- 1 package of Spaghetti (16 oz)

- 1/4 lb. of ground chicken (or any kind of meat). For a vegetarian alternative, you can use tofu.

- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped

- 1 yellow onion, sliced

- One big hand full of Thai basil (you can substitute with Italian basil)

- 1 red or green bell pepper, sliced

- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil

- 4 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce, or fish sauce if you prefer

- 2 fresh chilies (or more if you like it spicy), finely chopped

- 2 tablespoons of sugar

Directions:

1. Boil the water and cook the spaghetti until al dente

2. Heat the wok or pan over a high heat. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil or canola oil or light olive oil.

3. Add chopped garlic and stir until it starts turning light golden brown.

4. Add slices of onion and stir until it turns translucent.

5. Add Slices of bell pepper and give it a good stir.

6. Add ground chili, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar and stir all together, then taste.

(you can add more soy sauce or sugar if needed)

7. Add cooked spaghetti and have a good stir. Add a little water if it’s dry

8. Turn the heat off, then add basil and stir again.

9. Put on plates and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

                                         Photos by William R. Greenblatt

                                             Edited by Doreen Finn