Color coded
Yes, this was one of the most wonderful things ever. No, I did not follow my own advice about not being too “matchy”. I used the leftover red cabbage from last week’s meal to make kimchi, which l may or […]
Red, white, and stew
Although cumin lamb is associated with Sichuan province, there is an unmistakable Muslim influence in it, a testament to the diverse cultures that have left their imprint on China’s foodways. This version, however, adapted from Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese […]
Sacrilicious
Leftover broth from the braised chicken was used to create a soup for this ramen, which includes homemade noodles and roast pork loin. The distinctive red hue comes from the addition of lots of chili bean paste. My roommate pointed out […]
A WALK IN THE WOODS
Udon with mushrooms J. Kenji López-Alt has been posting some wonderful vegan recipes over at Serious Eats, the sort written for those of us with tastebuds. I don’t mean that as a dig at my vegan and vegetarian friends. But really, every time I see…
ON A SOUR NOTE
Laksa asam – Penang hot and sour noodles After a truly hectic end to my first semester in grad school, I finally have some time to get back to cooking and other important things in life, like marathoning episodes of Breaking Bad and reading all of…
A-MAIZE-ING
Corn and miso ramen with vegetables and ground pork Yes, even I will stoop to terrible puns sometimes. I still have some corn flour left over from making the corn cookies, which I’ve already tried using in pancakes. For some reason, corn and miso …
IDENTITY CRISIS
Khao soi – curry noodles with chicken, pickled mustard, shallots, crispy noodles, cilantro, and lime Recently I’ve been reading a lot about matters of authenticity and what it means in the food experience. Since about ninety nine percent of the fo…
THE LAST SUPPER
Linguine with meatballs In the last few months my cooking has leant towards spice and flavor heavy dishes – a lot of Thai and Chinese. Of course I love these sorts of foods, but I also had a practical motive in making them: to get rid of as much o…
MYSTERY MEAL
Niu Rou Mian – egg noodles with beef and Chinese broccoli Last week, after four years in DC, I finally made it out to Eden Center, a mega strip mall for Vietnamese businesses just over the river in Virginia. All the talk I’d head about it being a …
REPEAT PERFORMANCE
Som tam and pad thai I’ve already explained my love/hate relationship with pad thai. Right now, I’m trying to focus on the love, which is that it’s great for cleaning out my pantry. I’m guessing that in Thailand it’s not typically served with som …
TOTALLY MOD
Drunken noodles, revised / Stir-fried broccoli tips This past weekend I had set out to make Yotam Ottolenghi’s Malaysian duck curry. However, upon getting to the grocery and experiencing a bit of sticker shock at the price of duck ($15 for one bre…
FROM THE SOURCE
Cha ca la vong – Rice noodles with hake, herbs, peanuts and fried shallots Another recipe that is a copy of a copy of a copy. Even if far removed from the source, the abundance of herbs picked straight from my own and from neighbors’ yards made th…
DO IT LIKE NO ONE ELSE
Dan dan noodles I love being able to roll out of bed on Sunday mornings, literally walk about 30 paces to the west, and then in a half-asleep haze stumble my way through the Bloomingdale Farmer’s Market. For a fairly small market, it packs an incr…
A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Homemade linguine with basil pesto, trumpet mushrooms, pecorino romano, and pine nuts I had never heard of pesto until I got to college. During my freshman year I had a crummy work-study job ladling food at the cafeteria. On my first day I was ass…
BEING BORING
Pad Thai I never order Pad Thai when I’m eating at a Thai restaurant. It’s like ordering a hamburger at a high end steak house — incredibly pointless and lacking in all the real action. Why order noodles that have likely been adulterated with sic…
CUCINA POVERA
Tagliatelle with asparagus and clams A riff on the ubiquitous linguine with clams using leftover bacon and konbu dashi from shrimp and grits combined with sherry, soy sauce, and a seafood broth made using the shrimp shells.
IN DEFENSE OF PROCESSED CRAP
A sea of sunny yellow / Mac ‘n cheese making fun of side dish raw, macerated kale Here is how I normally prepare mac ‘n cheese: Take one box of Velveeta with shells (the kind that comes with a silver pouch of liquid cheese). Boil approximately thr…
DINNER IS SERVED…
Pan-fried noodles with tofu and peppers I’ve been posting photos of my creations in the kitchen to Facebook for almost a year. When I started, I had no intention other than to document the activity that brings me the most consistent joy and sense …