Japanese-Style Crispy Pork

We had some pork chops in the fridge, and I found this recipe for them. I served them with cucumber spears and edamame. The sauce that is included in the recipe is absolutely delicious and perfect for this pork dish. The pork turned out so flavorful, tender and crispy. I added a little Sriracha to the sauce to add some heat!

Here's the recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:

• 1 pound thin-cut boneless pork chops or cutlets, trimmed
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine, sake or sherry
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated peeled ginger
• 1 medium English cucumber
• 1 bag of frozen Edamame
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• Canola oil, for frying (or peanut oil if you have it)
• 1/4 cup tonkatsu sauce (a sweet-spicy Japanese dipping sauce, sold near the soy sauce; or make your own by mixing 3 tablespoons each ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and sugar with 1 1/2 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon Sriracha.)
• 
  
• Directions:
• 1. Start boiling a pot of water for the edamame. Season the pork with salt. Mix the rice wine and 1 teaspoon ginger and spread on the pork. Stack the pork and set aside.
  2. Peel, and quarter the cucumber; cut into 4-inch spears. Toss with the sugar and vinegar. Toast the pepper flakes with 1 tablespoon salt in a skillet over medium heat, about 4 minutes; set aside.
  3. Pour edamame into boiling water. Cook according to package directions. When finished cooking, drain.
  4. Beat the eggs with 1/2 cup water in a shallow bowl. Put the panko and cornstarch in 2 separate shallow bowls. Dredge each piece of pork in cornstarch, dip in egg, then coat with the panko. Heat 1/4 inch of peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat. Fry the pork in batches until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
  5. Sprinkle the cucumbers and edamame with some of the spiced salt. Mix the tonkatsu sauce and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon ginger in a bowl. Serve the pork with the edamame, cucumbers and sauce.

San Francisco Food Tour, Part 2: Food Truck Edition!

Hello everyone! Welcome to my 100th post! This is a very special one, and one of my favorites. Food trucks! I have been on a recent food truck quest, and my hometown doesn't really have many food trucks, i.e. 2 : ( So, I went to visit B, and we decided to take public transit from his house, to San Francisco (about a 30 min drive normally) and try a bunch of local food trucks. It was so fun! I scoured through Twitter, and found some of the best ones, and we discovered some along the way that were big hits as well. The first we tried was the Chairman Bao truck. This is one the most popular trucks in the city, with 2 trucks roaming all over the Bay Area, and over 10,000 followers on Twitter. We had decided beforehand to get a bunch of food from varying trucks, and share it so we each got to try everything. Here's the truck:

We settled on the baked Spicy Chicken with Toasted Sesame Puree, Pickled Carrots-Cucumber and Cilanro bun....

...The baked Coca-Cola Braised Pork with Savoy Cabbage, Yellow Mustard Seeds and Kewpie Mayo bun...

...and the steamed Tender Pork Belly with Tumeric Pickled Daikon and Green Shiso bun.

I was kind of sad to hear they sometimes have a duck bun, that wasn't on the menu when we visited, but I'll save it for another time! The food was amazing! So flavorful, and thoughtful when it came to the ingredient combinations. We tried everything, but I sort of kept the pork belly bun and the braised pork for myself. They were too good to give up! It was so nice out that we decided to sit on the grass in the mid-day sun and eat our food, so sorry for the photo quality. It was kind of windy too, and I almost decided to move to the car, but we had already started eating. There was no way we were moving until we finished eating!

I was really glad the Chairman truck was my first food truck experience, because it was such wonderful food. The buns were so soft, and the baked ones were perfect if you wanted a big sandwich, and the steamed were perfect for trying everything on the menu. 

We then roamed around the city for a while, to get our appetites up again, and we were waiting for Off The Grid to start. Pretty much everyday of the week, lunch and dinner, Off The Grid organizes several trucks to get together at a certain place in and near the city and serve food for a few hours. It's a great way to be able to sample several trucks at once, and you can compare menus and decide what you want to try the most. I highly recommend bringing a friend, so you can get a bunch of different items and share. It's also nice to be able to have each of you get in different lines, so you get all the food at about the same time. That's what I B and I did, and it worked out beautifully.

The next truck we tried was the Hapa SF truck. I ordered the lumpia, which I've had homemade before that was hard to beat. The lumpia at the Hapa SF truck, was delicious and it came with the right sauce for it. B and I scarfed those down in a minute flat! Here's the truck:

Here's the wonderfully flavorful, crispy lumpia! They were kind of small, so don't share with too many people!

Once again, I was kind of disappointed that I didn't get a chance to try their other menu items. Next time! If you've never had lumpia, I recommend finding an authentic Filipino place and try them. I think they're better than even great egg rolls, when done right. You definitely need that sweet-spicy chili sauce to dip them in.

The truck that B was waiting in line for, while I was getting lumpia, was Señor Sisig. A little side note: B and I had a huge love for what are called carne asada fries in San Diego. Our favorite place was Cotixan's (warning, Flash site) and they are a huge portion of french fries, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, pico de gallo and carne asada. The key to them though is that they make their own hot sauce, and you add a couple of those all over the fries and stir it up, and eat with a fork. It's definitely a two person affair trying to finish this huge serving, but it's the perfect drunk food, especially since mexican food is mostly open 24 hours in San Diego. Back to the food trucks: We zeroed in on these because we have been crazily missing carne asada fries. The item we ordered from Señor Sisig, was the Sisig Fries. They were kind of similar to carne asada fries, not quite as good, but still delicious and they were consumed within minutes. Here's the truck:

Here are the fries:

The fries consisted of french fries, nacho cheese, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, jalapeños, and pork. These are not made to be "mexican food", they are Filipino food. I did enjoy the nacho cheese sauce (it's one of my guilty pleasures) and the jalapeños were a nice touch. It was missing the hot sauce that I used to get with carne asada fries, but these were very tasty! I would definitely order them again.

B had ordered his own main dish much earlier in the night, and I was still trying to decide on what my main dish of the night would be. The truck I decided on was still kind of setting up, when many of the others had already opened and started serving. I was so glad I waited because I discovered this gem: Koja Kitchen. It was the highlight of the night. I still couldn't tell you if it was better than Chairman Bao, but they were so close. I had never tried kimchi before, but Koja Kitchen introduced it in a way that was so amazing, and my preferential way, on fries! They had a few delicious looking menu items, but I noticed they have something called the Kamikaze Combo, which was a combination of their Koja BBQ Beef and Rice Patty sandwich, and their Kamikaze Fries, and a drink. I ordered the combo, because everything looked so good! Here's the truck:

I upgraded my Koja, to the Korean BBQ Short Rib Koja. So good! The rice patty "buns" tend to crumble a little, but they are kind of crispy, and I just used a fork and ate the koja right in the wrapper.

Kamikaze Fries: Crisscut fries topped with Korean BBQ Beef, sauteed onions, kimchi, green onions, and drizzled with their signature sauce and Japanese mayo. These were amazing, and I can still taste them every time I look at this photo. They haunt my food dreams...in a good way : D

B and I sat and decided we needed dessert before we were done with our food truck tour. I had taken a mental note of what each truck had while I was deciding on dinner. I noticed Koja Kitchen had a wonderful looking dessert called the Mochimisu. It was tiramisu using mochi for the chocolate part.

The thing I loved about the Koja Kitchen truck, besides the amazing food, was their truck. They had some great ideas about promoting their food right on the truck itself, that really drew people in to order from them. They had a few LCD TVs on the side of the truck, 2 with a photo of the menu on them, and the other TV had a photo slideshow of the menu items. It was great, because you got to see the food, not just read the menu description. They had nice professional photos taken of their food items, and it really made me want to order from them. More food trucks should take note and do this where possible. Or at least have photos on their site. Either way, works for me. I'm more likely to order from a truck if I can get a visual sense of the food. If I imagine it looks good, I'll order it. Also, sauces. If you have an original looking sauce on your food, I will probably try it. I love sauces. Anyways, I digress.

Overall, the day was successful! We had some amazing food, and I would try any of these trucks again. Go track down your local food trucks and do a tour! You won't be sorry! Some of the most original cuisine is no longer in a restaurant, it's on a truck.

Pasta Carbonara

I have made some form of pasta carbonara many times before, but so far this is my favorite recipe. It's made even better with fresh pasta, which I highly recommend getting if you're going to attempt this recipe. This is also great with some sliced sausage or vegetables added. Serve with some toasted French bread!

Here's the recipe adapted from Food Network

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, diced
• 1 teaspoon diced garlic
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 9 ounces fresh fettuccine
• 1 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano (Original recipe calls for Pecorino Romano. I like the Parmesan better, but either will taste great. Or you could do half and half of each)
• 2 egg yolks
• Fresh chopped parsley
• 
  
• Directions:
• 1. Put the water in a large pasta pot and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
  2. Add the oil and bacon to a large saute pan over low heat. Cook the bacon until crisp, being careful not to burn it, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 5 seconds. Add the wine, cream and black pepper. Cook until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Drop the fresh fettuccine into water and stir to separate strands. When pasta is just undercooked remove it from the water and add it to the pan with the sauce. Gently stir for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat, add 1/2 the cheese and the egg yolks and stir, being careful not to break the noodles. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl or platter and garnish with the remaining cheese and parsley.

Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings

I have been on a chicken wing bender as of late, and I didn't have any more regular hot sauce, so I found a great looking recipe using Sriracha! Who doesn't love Sriracha? This actually turned out way better than the regular buffalo wings, and it's one of my favorite new combos! I highly recommend making these wings in lieu of buffalo wings. They are a nice combination of spicy, sweet, crispy, goodness. They are also, a little healthier, because they're not fried, and instead baked. I promise it is just as delicious, if not crispier than they would be if they were fried.

Here's the recipe adapted from Food Network

Ingredients:

For the Wings:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for the pan
• 2 pounds chicken wings, split at the joints, tips removed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• For the Sauce:
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup honey, plus more for drizzling
• 1/4 cup Sriracha (Asian chile sauce)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (or if you are like me, and sometimes run out of limes, substitute with orange juice)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a large rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil. Dry the chicken wings with paper towels and place in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, the melted butter, granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Pour the mixture over the wings and toss well to coat. Spread the wings in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

2. Bake the wings until browned and crisp, 45 to 55 minutes. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add the honey, Sriracha, soy sauce and lime juice and stir until the mixture bubbles gently. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Carefully remove the wings from the baking sheet and transfer to a large bowl. Pour the warm sauce over the wings and gently toss to coat. Transfer the wings to a serving platter and drizzle with more honey; serve with lime wedges.

Bistro 33 Happy Hour

I had never checked out Bistro 33, until I noticed they had a wonderful looking Happy Hour appetizer menu. Everything is $4 each, and each menu item looked interesting and original. So, B and I ventured there for Happy Hour and we tried almost all the non-fish items (B doesn't like fish). I loved the presentation of the dishes, they were all very clean, and photographable, lol. The first thing we ordered were the Mini BBQ Pork Sliders and the Chicken Wings. The sliders were very tender and the wings were quite delicious. 

Mini BBQ Pork Sliders 

Chicken Wings

The next appetizers we ordered were the Bistro Corn Dogs and the Taco Spring Rolls. We didn't care too much for the corn dogs, they weren't crispy and the sauces were just OK. I was surprised by the spring rolls, I wasn't really sure what to expect when we ordered them, but they were crispy, and the avocado cream sauce that was served with them was a perfect addition.

Mini Corn Dogs 

Taco Spring Rolls

Finally, we ordered 2 Kobe Sliders, one for each of us. I had a good feeling about it, and we didn't really want to share! It was the highlight of all the items! It was buttery, and the goat cheese was tangy and a perfect complement to the burger. The fried onions added a much needed crunch, and the baby greens were the right veggie for it. I highly recommend this appetizer, it is a must-try!

We had a great time eating our way through their Happy Hour appetizer menu, and for $4 each, it's hard to beat. You can try a bunch of different dishes, and get a drink and it won't break the wallet. I've already decided to go back with my mom to try all the wonderful looking fish appetizers. If you haven't been to Bistro 33, check it out! Especially for Happy Hour!

Super Bowl Snacks

I really couldn't care less about the Super Bowl, I'm not even one of those people who watches it for the commercials. But, the idea of making all the tasty snacks that go with watching football, sounded wonderful! So, I made Buffalo Hot Wings, Pico de Gallo to be mixed into Guacamole, Ranch, and Tex-Mex Potato Skins. I actually did end up watching the game, mostly because my dad had it on, so it ended up being a nice family get-together time. Everything was delicious, and the wings were great. I fried them first, and then tossed them in the buffalo sauce and then baked them for a little bit. They were very crispy and they ended up being better tasting than wings at any bar I've tried. I also made homemade ranch dressing, and served it with a bunch of veggies.

Pico de Gallo, before I made it into guacamole

Wings right out the fryer

Veggie plate

Wings, after they had been sauced and baked

Tex-Mex Potato Skins, with chorizo, refried beans, jalapeños, and cheese

Guacamole and Pico de Gallo
Here's the recipe adapted from Ree Drummond

Ingredients:
2 Avocados
Salt
1 Red Onion
3-4 Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro
1-2 Jalapeños
1 Lime
Tortilla Chips, for serving

Directions:

1. Halve the avocados lengthwise. Remove the pit and dice the flesh inside the shell. Squeeze the diced avocado into a bowl.

2. Next, sprinkle on some salt and mash away with a fork until you get the avocado to the consistency you want.

3. Now throw on a big pile of Pico de Gallo and stir together gently. Always test the guacamole with tortilla chips so you'll get a more accurate gauge of the salt content.

4. Dice up equal quantities of onion and tomato. Roughly chop the cilantro.

5. Now, slice 1 or 2 jalapenos in half. With a spoon, scrape out the seeds. (If you like things spicy, leave in some of the white membranes.) Dice the jalapenos very finely; you want a hint of heat and jalapeno flavor, but you don't want to cause any fires. Now dump the four ingredients into a bowl.

6. Slice the lime in half and squeeze the juice from half a lime the bowl. Sprinkle with salt, and stir together until combined. Be sure to taste the pico de gallo and adjust the seasonings, adding salt or more diced jalapeno if needed.

7. Mix the mashed avocado and pico de gallo together. Serve with tortilla chips.

Classic Hot Wings
Here's the recipe adapted from Ree Drummond

Ingredients:

• Canola oil, for frying
• 24 chicken wing parts (12 wings separated into 2 pieces)
• One 12-ounce bottle cayenne hot pepper sauce, such as Frank's
• 1 stick butter
• Several dashes Worcestershire sauce
• Several dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco
• Blue cheese dip, for serving
• Celery sticks, for serving
• 
  
• Directions:
• 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat 3 inches of canola oil in a heavy pot to 375 degrees F.
  2. Add half the chicken wing parts to the oil and fry them until they're golden brown and fully cooked, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the other half of the wing parts.
  3. In a saucepan, heat the cayenne sauce and butter over medium-low heat. Add the Worcestershire and hot sauce. Let it bubble up, and then turn off the heat.
  4. Place the wings in an ovenproof dish and pour the hot sauce over the top. Toss to coat, and then bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
  5. Serve with blue cheese dip, and celery sticks.
  
  
  Tex-Mex Potato Skins
  Here's the recipe adapted from Food Network
  Ingredients:
  Refried beans, crumbled chorizo, shredded monterey jack, hot sauce and pickled jalapeños
  Directions:
  1. Pierce 3 large russet potatoes with a fork. Bake directly on the oven rack at 350 degrees until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool, then quarter (or halve, depending on how large your potatoes are) lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Brush both sides with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Bake, skin-side up, at 450 degrees until crisp, about 20 minutes. Add your favorite team toppings. (For cheesy skins, flip the baked shells over before topping, sprinkle with 1 cup grated cheddar cheese and bake an extra 5 minutes.)

Ravioli With Fried Sage, Asparagus And Walnuts

This recipe is extremely versatile. I have made it twice now, with almost completely different ingredients, and both were amazingly delicious! The recipe below is the original recipe, and I'll note the varying ingredients I added to one version I made. The photo is from the first version I made, which differed from the original recipe quite a bit, including cauliflower and pistachios, and topped with some grated parmesan cheese. 

Here's the recipe adapted from The Sacramento Bee

Ingredients:*
10-ounce Package Fresh Cheese Ravioli
3 Tbsp Ghee
Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
5 large Fresh Sage Leaves (Left Whole)
1 Bunch Asparagus, bottoms trimmed, cut into 2-inch lengths
⅓ cup Toasted Walnuts, lightly chopped
Salt And Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the ravioli and asparagus and cook according to package directions, then drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the ghee. Add the red pepper flakes, walnuts and sage leaves, then fry until the sage is crisp.

3. Remove the sage from the pan and set aside. Return the pan to the heat and add the asparagus. Sauté until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

4. Toss well, then add the drained ravioli and asparagus and toss again. Crumble the fried sage leaves into the dish, then season with salt and pepper.

*Note: For the other version I made, which I actually liked a little bit better, I used regular butter instead of ghee, left out the sage, used half a bunch of asparagus and 1/4 of a head of cauliflower, and substituted half of the amount of walnuts for pistachios. Top with some grated parmesan cheese. This version was tastier, in my opinion, but both were quite good.