Dim Sum A Very Sociable Way To Dine

A coworker of mine has been trying to get me to go for  a Dim Sum lunch for a very long time. We finally got it together and went to Chinatown for what I have to tell you was a wonderful meal. I love small tasting plates so this was such a great experience. My friend who is Hong Kong Chinese took us to a place not frequented by tourists so it was a truly authentic experience. Jing Star is an Hong Kong style restaurants that seems to be very well regarded. Our little group turned heads a little with two Asian woman an Irish guy and an African American.

The food was incredibly good but I did not take many photos as the conversation was even more incredible. I know feel I could go without a guide and try even more dishes..
And usual a wander around Chinatown is always interesting.

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I have had a lot going on of late and have very little energy for blogging. I have some time of this week and am hoping to get back in the groove. 

Curried Vegetable Fritters: A Versatile Recipe

This is my reworking of the recipe I found on Smitten Kitchen for Zucchini Fritters. She describes her process as basically making Potato Latkes which is the perfect way to explain this. I decided to move away from using Zucchini alone and added Carrot and Yellow Squash which gave these a beautiful color. I also used a madras curry powder in the seasoning which added an wonderful layer of flavor. I tried making these both with and without the baking powder she suggests using. The baking powder version is much better it really lightens them up.

Vegetable Fritter Recipe

• 1 Shredded Medium Zucchini
• 1 Shredded Medium Yellow Squash
• 2 Shredded Medium Carrots
• 1 Teaspoon of Kosher Salt + Extra to Taste
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 Cup Of Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon of Madras Curry Powder or Garam Masala
• Oil For Frying

Although as you will see I changed quite a few of the ingredients the recipe is basically Smitten Kitchen’s so click over there for the directions.

I served mine with Greek  yogurt and warm pita bread.

You can use this basic idea using almost any shredded vegetable and suitable seasoning. Sliced scallions or chopped cilantro would be very good in this particular version. Also you could easily make mini versions of these to use for Hors D’Oeuvres.

 

Pleas remember there are only two days left in the Linkup and Giveaway. Check out the post and either add a link or leave a comment to be entered. There are two cool gift baskets up for grabs.

http://www.theculinarylens.com/2012/04/muir-glen-sweet-springtime-link-up-and.html

Union Square Market and My Favorite Low Cost Thai Food in NYC

Sometimes a photograph of the aftermath of a meal is every bit as representative of how good the food was as a beautifully composed photo of the meal itself.

I have written before about Tue Thai on Greenwich Ave. in the West Village before but decided it was time to update my thoughts on the place as I feel this collection of photos are an improvement over my previous post. I do not pretend to be an expert on Thai food so I can not speak to how authentic the cuisine is but it certainly delicious. The lunch comes in at just under $10 so by NYC standards it is really a steal.

      

The lunch consists of a small appetizer  and salad with an entrée and a soda or Thai iced tea. The above photo is tamarind chicken and crab Rangoon.

                 

The other selection we had was Garlic Pork and Thai Dumplings.

The staff are a young and very friendly crew and the space has a very cool vibe.

Another of my favorite places to spend some time when in downtown is Union Square Market. Obviously the market is not quite in full swing yet as it is a little early in the year but there was an incredible variety of potatoes available. And the organic meat stands were doing a brisk trade.

The photos below were taken during the summer and are probably more representative of what the market is like.

Chinese Tea Eggs For The Year Of The Dragon

Some time ago Veronica at mycatholickitchen.com had a post with Chinese Tea Eggs and they have been on my to do list for some time and with the upcoming year Chinese New Year I thought I would finally take the plunge.

Chinese tea eggs or marbled eggs are a savory snack often served as street food. While they are called tea eggs tea is not really the main flavor. These were quite delicious and I am sure they would improve if left to marinade for even longer in the liquor.

I made very little change from Veronica’s recipe with the exception of the amount of time I cooked the eggs. I think I went a more traditional route and cooked them longer.

Chinese Marbled Tea Eggs

6 eggs
1 /12 cups water
3/4 cup soy sauce
2 black tea bags
I tea spoon of five spice powder (I made a teabag of this in a piece of muslin)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

• Place the eggs in a medium pot and fill with water. (make sure the eggs are covered by about 1 inch of water)
• Bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 2 minute.
• Remove eggs from water and add all ingredients to water after three minutes remove teabags.
• Meanwhile gently tap egg in several places to crack the shell in several places.
• Return eggs to liquid and simmer gently for 1 hour

Allow to cool peel eggs and enjoy.

I thought I would take the opportunity to share some of my photos from San Francisco’s Chinatown.

I am also linking this up to the Weekend Potluck over at The Country Cook

Hoisin Glazed Sesame Chicken Lollipops

This could probably go under the heading of a day (or two) late and a dollar short as it is such a good party food item and would have been perfect for New Years Eve. You can also make smaller chicken lollipops using the drumette  part of the chicken wing.

12 Chicken Drumsticks
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp seasoned rice-wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp sesame oil
Black and White Sesame Seeds (Optional To Garnish)
The lollipops are made by cutting of the knuckle of the drumstick and then pushing the meat down to form a ball. You will expose the bone which will act as the stick.
The glaze is made by combining all the remaining ingredients. Brush the glaze on to your drumsticks and roast at 350 C till cooked through.

    

While these are not exactly sophisticated eating they really are quite delicious and would be really good Super Bowl food.

 
You can of course use any glaze you like. If you find the bone to be too unsightly you could top it with a cutlet frill.

Indian-Style Split Pea Fritters From NY Times

I am a big fan of Mark Bittman and his food philosophy. Last week was the NY Times magazine’s annual food issue and I actually spent the $5 for the paper and enjoyed reading it through the week. So his food was very much on my mind. This recipe was not in the magazine but had  been in the back of my mind for some time after I had seen it in his book “How To Cook Everything”.

Indian-Style Split Pea Fritters

1 cup yellow or green split peas, washed and picked over
Peanut or other oil as needed
1 jalapeño or other hot fresh or dried chili, stemmed, seeded and minced, or to taste
1 half-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup cilantro (some stems are O.K.)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons flour, if necessary
Check out the full recipe at the NY Times

I realize Baba Ganoush is not Indian but I served it along side these with some pita bread the whole plate worked so well together and I can’t recommend this enough. The fritters would make really good party food.
One more thing if you haven’t already added a comment or link to my Muir Glen Organics Giveaway you have a few days left to do so. There are some great links added already so be sure to check them out.

Chinatown, NYC. A Little Lunch and Exploration

If you are visiting New York City and have even the slightest interest in food you have to visit Chinatown. Before writing this post did a little research so I could get the geography right. Much to my amazement on some of the tourist sites people complained about the smell, how crowded it was and even being harassed by the vendors. I do have to warn you this is not a Disneyfied  version of Chinatown and you can expect to be confronted by smells, crowds and harassing vendors but in my opinion that is a huge part of the attraction.

There are plenty of places to eat from expensive to very cheap. I urge you to muster up your courage and go into a place with mostly Asian customers I know that is somewhat clichéd but it really is the best way to go.

We went into  Yee Li restaurant and because of the camera we looked very touristy  and were handed “dinner menus” luckily the lunch menus were sitting on the table and the prices were considerably lower so do what the locals.  We chose  Roast Pork with Duck and Bok Choi topped with a  Fried Egg over Rice and the second dish was a Roast Duck Noodle Soup. Served with a pot of tea the check was $10.50 for both which will buy you very little anywhere else in Manhattan. Now be warned a P.F Changs at the mall this is not but a much more authentic experience.

The best thing to do is just walk around to experience all the great vegetable and seafood stores. The prices are really great and there is just an amazing selection.

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Please stay tuned I have a link party planned..

Thai Red Curry Mussels With Coconut Milk

Browsing around  I had seen variations of this dish and wanted to create it or at least something similar with what I had on hand. This is one of those dishes which surprises you at how well all the ingredients come together. Not wanting to blow my own trumpet too much but I urge you to try this it is delicious.

Once you have your preparation in place this dish cooks so quickly. In France mussels are quite often served with Pomme Frites (French Fries to the rest of us). I decided it might be fun and colorful to serve this with prawn cracker.

Thai Red Curry Mussels Recipe

• 2lbs Cleaned and Bearded Mussels
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion finely chopped onion
• 1/2 medium red pepper chopped
• 1/2 medium green pepper chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Red Curry Paste
• 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
• 8oz Coconut Milk
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)

Scrub mussels and remove beards also pick through to make sure mussels are alive and discard any which are not. If any are open rap them with the back of a knife if they do not close discard them.
Start by heating olive oil in a large pan and sautéing onions and garlic till they begin to brown then add in peppers and cook till soft. Add in curry paste and fish sauce and stir in. Pour in coconut milk and bring to boil next add in mussels and put a tight fitting lid on. Allow to cook for three minutes or so. Believe me when you lift the lid you will like the aroma. Serve in a large bowl  be sure to mix well and share the saucy goodness and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
There was enough here for two good main courses or you’d get four appetizers. I actually used a wok because you need plenty of room.

Irene’s Asian Meatball and Sesame Noodles

Normally I post on a Sunday morning but thought I would post a little early to try get the best of Irene.

As I write this a thought came to me I should have bought some clams to cook a dish just so I could have a post called “The Clam Before The Storm”.I know, a sad attempt at humor but I try.

With hurricane Irene barreling towards us I cooked up this meal figuring if the power goes out this would not be particularly bad served at room temperature.

For the meatballs:

For the meatballs:

• 2 tablespoons of canola oil
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 2 teaspoons of minced ginger
• 2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon sesame oil

• 1lb of Lean Ground Chicken or Turkey
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup of Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1/2 bunch of scallions sliced finely sliced
• salt and pepper
• Oil for cooking

Heat oil in a pan and add in garlic and ginger and sauté till they sizzle. Turn off heat and add in soy sauce and sesame oil, remove ingredients from pan and set aside to cool. When cool mix all ingredients together. Form into a meatball size of your liking. I shallow fried these and finished cooking the in a moderate oven.

Glaze

• 1 tablespoons of Soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of hoi sin sauce                    

Mix these together and either pour directly into pan or brushing on top of meatballs.

I basically used this Cold Sesame Noodle Recipe at Epicurious,com I added sesame seeds and a very fine julienne of red peppers,

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On another note the voting is complete and here are the winners of my Thinking Man’s Link Contest

Mia over at Mia’s Domain and her  Roasted Tenderloin of Pork with Caramel Lime Sauce  
                                                                                         
And Heather at  Basilmomma  and her Sausage Risotto

And the randomly drawn name from the comments section was
Jamie at The Unseasoned Wok
I have mailed the prints already and  Mia has already received hers so with any luck the other two winners should be getting their envelopes very soon.

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