Vietnamese pork chops

Chicago

Guys, I have a confession.  I have a love affair with Chicago (don't tell Mikey).  I've been to Chicago a bunch in the past, but the last time I was there, I could actually picture myself living in the city.

Bun Bo Hue (Beef and lemongrass noodle soup)

Hallo-weenie

Hello my friends!!!  Oh how I've missed you.  I sincerely apologize for being a bit of a weenie lately, last month was a real "b" (I'm sure you can guess what that letter b stands for). To make a long story short, the month in Dayton was not exactly relaxing, and I had no time to do any of the things that I planned on doing (blog, cook, sew, make jewelry, etc).  Nope, it was never ending work.  And the worst part was all of the crap that I had to see.  Literally.  I worked with a gastroenterologist.  I can handle gross stuff - I want to touch people's eyes for a living - but last month was just icky.

Cha trung hap (Vietnamese steamed egg with pork)

Leftover remix #2

Welcome to my second installation of recipe remixes.

Bun thit nuong (Vietnamese grilled pork with noodles)

Welcome back

Here comes the recipe you've all been waiting for!  Mikey finally came back from Chicago, so I cooked his favorite Vietnamese dish.  A Vietnamese meal from his Vietnamese girlfriend :). Suffice it to say, Mikey enjoyed his welcome back meal.  The way to a man's heart really is through his stomach.

Fried rice

Leftover remake #1

Good evening, my lovelies.  Remember when I said that I would spice this blog up by having themes and challenges?  Well, here's theme number one.  Every two weeks, I will post a recipe remaking leftovers.  I constantly have leftovers, and sometimes it is fun to change it into something else.  It's like I'm tricking myself into eating something new.  Yes, I am like a child and I need to trick myself into eating food.

Banh xeo (Vietnamese crepes)

Moving

It's been a crazy busy two weeks, but I'm finally back.  I've missed you guys! In the past two weeks, I moved, completely unpacked, intubated several patients, visited my momma, and visited Mikey in Chicago (pictures to come!).  It was the most stressful move EVER.  I won't go into details, but let's just say there were so many trips to and from my third floor apartment that my legs felt like jelly by the end of the two days it took me to move.  And the next day, I felt like I had run a marathon.  Did I tell you that I HATE MOVING?  This is the eighth time I've moved in eight years.  And I have to move in 10 months when I graduate. Boo. Note to self: hire movers next time. Or buy an elevator. Or make friends with some big burly men (but Mikey probably wouldn't like that :))

Ghetto lo mein

If ramen is wrong, then I don't want to be right

I know what you're thinking - "Ghetto lo mein?  What the H does that mean?  Is it from the hood?  Is Nhu-Y from the hood?"


Well let me answer those questions for you, my friends.  Ghetto lo mein is a concoction dreamt up by my kitchen-illiterate cuz.  I love her dearly, but she's no Julia Child.  So it is not from the hood, it's from a little asian girl from the 'burbs.  And no, I'm not from the hood either, but I lived pretty close to some not-so-reputable places when I was a kid (one time, I even wore my hair in cornrows - and that's hood).

Let me preface this recipe by saying that it is not lo mein. It's just what my cousin calls this dish.  In no way does this resemble lo mein, with the exception that it is composed of noodles and grease.  So if you are looking for something that you can get from your favorite Chinese restaurant, check back later.  But if you are looking for cheap eats, read on.  


Now, don't judge.  I know ramen is the fare of a college freshman.  But hey, I am a medical student in lotsa debt.  I can't always afford to eat foie gras, truffles and gold.  Besides, I haven't cooked in about a week, and I feel guilty not posting something that I didn't cook.  That's how much I like you guys - I feel guilty when I eat things like burgers, ice cream, and deep fried Snickers bars that I can't share with you :)

When my cousin makes this dish, it consists only of ground beef, ramen noodles, and ramen seasoning.  Yes, only 3 ingredients. Really, only 2 ingredients because the noodles and the seasoning come together. But surprisingly, it tastes good.  Maybe it's the pound of grease they pack into each tiny bag of ramen noodles.  Or maybe I can taste the memories from my good ol' college days, I'm not sure.  I did decide that this recipe was a little too ghetto for me, so I added some greenage in the form of scallions and broccoli. 


Try it, you'll like it.  And if you don't, you've spent a dollar - you probably have more money lost in your couch. 


Ghetto Lo Mein
Serves 4
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Ingredients
4 packages of beef flavored ramen noodles
1 pound of ground beef
1 tablespoon oil (optional)
If you want it fancy, add:
2 scallions, cut on the bias
1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets


Directions
1. Boil 2-3 quarts of water.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, brown the beef in the oil on medium-high heat (if you use a nonstick pan, some nonstick spray should do).  Break the beef up as well as you can. Drain the beef once it is cooked through.
3. Stir one package of the ramen seasoning into the beef and add the whites of the scallions.  Cook for an additional minute or two. Reduce heat to medium-low.
4. Once water boils, cook the broccoli for 3-5 minutes, depending on how crisp you like your broccoli.  Remove the broccoli from the water with tongs or a slotted spoon and add to the meat (leave water in the pot for the noodles).
5. Bring the water back up to a boil and cook noodles for 4 minutes (or 1 minute less than the directions on the package).  When noodles are cooked, drain and add to the beef and broccoli mixture.  Turn heat back up to medium-high and stir in 1.5 - 2 packages of ramen seasoning to taste.
6. Top with the greens of the scallions. 
7. Eat with a your hat cocked to the side, an oversize white tee, and some gold teeth.  


I promise a sophisticated recipe next time. Until then -- 


Peace out homies. 


xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

Me and my lovely cousin

Fettuccine Alfredo

Let's spice it up!!!

Good morning! I have the morning off so I decided to get a quick post in :)  I spoke to a friend from college a few days ago, who has a great food blog of her own.  She has tons of great recipes and I asked her where she finds the time to cook so often.  And what she said -- when cooking is a hobby you enjoy, it's not work -- really made me think about this blog.  I don't want it to turn into work. I love cooking so much and I want you all to know how much I love it!  I delayed the start of this blog because I was so busy with school. But medical school is not an excuse anymore!  I'm telling you now - I will make the time to cook most of the week, and I will try a new recipe at least twice a week.  Accountability!  And I'll cook even more when Mikey gets back in town, because it's way better to cook for two :)


I've also been thinking about ways to spice up this blog.  Here are some ideas: Posting weekly menus (planning makes cooking so much easier!), weekly themes, and some sort of challenge.  I read a lot of fashion blogs and I often read about "remix challenges", "color challenges", and even "no-repeat challenges".  I think that I can translate those challenges to food.. eek, I'm so excited now!  More details to come.. 


Ok, here's a quickie recipe for you all.  Fettuccine alfredo.  It's not the typical Americanized fettuccine that you have in the restaurant with thick and goopy (is that a word?) sauce.  Folks, this is the real deal. It's how fettuccine alfredo started in Italy.  That's right, Italy, not America. Here's a really interesting post on the original fettuccine alfredo. The ingredients are simple: pasta, butter, cheese.  What could be bad about pasta, butter and cheese?  Oh right, the fact that it's pasta, butter, and cheese :) But who cares?  We all need to indulge every so often. This isn't as heavy as restaurant fettuccine, but it is definitely rich - and absolutely delicious. 


I've said this before, and I will say it again because it is of utmost importance - since this recipe is so simple, it is important to use quality ingredients.  Parmigiano Reggiano, real butter, freshly ground black pepper.  You can use fresh or dry pasta, but I think that fresh pasta holds on to the sauce better. This recipe does have an option to add cream - for those of you who can't quite say goodbye to cream :). Bon appetit!

Fettuccine Alfredo (adapted from Simply Recipes)

Serves 4
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Ingredients

1/2 pound fettuccine noodles

3-4 Tbsp unsalted butter

2/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Black pepper

Additional, for creamy version:

1/2 cup cream

Nutmeg

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil and drop in your fettuccine.

2a. Plain version Melt the butter in a large sauté pan set over low heat. Once the butter has melted, turn the heat off.

2b. Creamy version Melt the butter in a large sauté pan set over low heat. Add the cream to the butter as it melts. Stir often to combine the two, do not turn off the heat, but keep the heat at its lowest setting while the pasta cooks.

3. When the fettuccine is al dente (cooked, but still a little firm) lift it out of the pot with tongs and move the pasta to the sauté pan. Do not drain the pasta. You want it dripping wet with the cooking water. Turn on the heat under the sauté pan to medium and swirl the pasta and butter together to combine. Add half the cheese, then swirl and toss the pasta until it has incorporated into the sauce. If needed, add a few spoonfuls more of the pasta cooking water. Add the rest of the cheese and repeat.

4. Serve at once with either a little black pepper (for classic version) or nutmeg (for creamy version) ground over the pasta.

I ate this as a side dish, but if you add some meat and veggies, it would be a (very filling) entree. 

That is all.

xoxo <3

Nhu-Y

Ginger-Soy Salmon

Atlantic goodness

Hello everyone!  Hope that you had a wonderful weekend.  Last night my roommate and I went out to eat for her last night in Ohio (she flew to Florida for a week this morning) and we had chicken wings, pizza, and french fries.  And I didn't regret it one bit.  It feels nice to pig out every so often :)  But since I ate out yesterday, I decided that I HAD to cook tonight.  I only cooked one of the three recipes that I proposed last week, so I will be cooking the rest them this week.


I started with the salmon recipe because I have been craving it all week.  I try to eat fish once a week but I had so much lasagna from last week, I didn't eat much else.  This recipe is a conglomeration of at least 3 recipes - Mike's dad makes a great salmon with soy sauce, olive oil, and scallions; my parents make a marinade with soy sauce, limes, and sugar; and I've had dishes that combine soy and ginger at many restaurants. 

I loooove this recipe.  I think that it tastes complex enough to come from a restaurant, but it is still very comforting.  It's not heavy, and if paired with brown rice and a veggie, it's a very balanced meal. It's a home run.

Even though there are a lot of ingredients, it only takes a few minutes to throw the marinade together, and 5 minutes or so to crisp the skin.  The rest of the time is spent on letting the fish marinate and on baking the fish.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.. I had a hard time keeping myself from eating two servings (I promise, I saved some for tomorrow).


P.S. You can skip crisping the skin in the frying pan, but I recommend that you try it at least once.  It is well worth the extra 5 minutes.  You'll thank me once you try it.  Promise.


Ginger-Soy Salmon
Serves 4
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Ingredients
4 6-oz pieces of skin-on salmon
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons water 
6 cloves of garlic
1-inch section ginger
Juice of 1 lime
2 scallions
finely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
a few drops of dark sesame oil
cilantro, to garnish
toasted black and white sesame seeds, to garnish


Directions
1. To make the marinade: In a dish large enough to place the salmon in a single layer, combine soy sauce, sugar, olive oil, lime juice, water, and black pepper. Grate in garlic and ginger. Finely slice the scallions and add the whites to the marinade (reserve the greens to garnish). At this point, taste the marinade and adjust seasonings.  Set aside 1/3 cup of marinade for later. 
2. Place salmon into marinade and turn to coat both sides. Marinate for at least 1 hour, flesh side down. 
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  While the oven is preheating, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on high heat in a stainless steel frying pan.  
4. Remove fish from marinade and dry the skin with a paper towel.  When the oil is hot, place the salmon skin side down into the pan.  Press the fish down with a spatula to ensure that the skin has good contact with the pan.  Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the skin becomes crispy.  You'll know when it is ready when the fish easily releases from the pan.  Don't try to pry it off!*
5. Transfer the salmon to a sheet pan with a cooling rack (to elevate the fish and keep the skin crispy).  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the thickest portion of the salmon begins to firm up.  Be very careful not to overcook!!
6. While the fish is cooking, discard the oil from the frying pan, and heat the marinade that was set aside earlier.  Simmer until it reduces by a third to a half.  Take it off the heat and add a few drops of sesame oil, if desired.  
7. Top the fish with a small amount of the reduced marinade and garnish with sesame seeds, cilantro, and scallions. Serve with rice. 


*If you do not care for crispy skin, you can just bake for 20-25 minutes. I would still bake it on the cooling rack, just so the skin doesn't get soggy. 


That's all folks. Night!


xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

Parmesan-herb crusted chicken

Deliciously resourceful

Sorry I haven't been around for a while!  I've finished my research rotation and now I am on a "real" rotation - Radiology.  Last month I didn't have to go in until 9:00 and I left around 2:30 (it was great).  Radiology actually has pretty good hours, but I do have to wake up around 6:00 so I can get in by 7:45 and my sleep schedule is alllll messed up from last month.  I haven't been asleep before midnight all week, so I am pretty tired.  It doesn't make it any better that my rotation calls for sitting in a dark room for hours at a time.  Radiologists are some of the smartest doctors I've met, but boy, this rotation is soooooooo boring!  It feels like time stops when I am at work. It's sorta miserable. 

Anyways, I haven't been cooking much this week just because I feel sort of crappy, but I do have this recipe saved up.  I cooked this for Mike last Friday before he left for Indianapolis.  I wanted to cook one of my staples, lemon-herb chicken (which will be posted in the near future!).  But... we didn't have any lemon and it would have been ridiculous for me to run to the grocery store for just one lemon.  So I looked around the kitchen and I saw that I had a block of Parmigiano Reggiano and half of a stale baguette leftover from Bruschetta, which lead me to this recipe!  I was actually looking for breadcrumbs, but Mikey didn't have any so I made them from the baguette - and it was the best idea ever.  It made the chicken so crispy.  Sometimes I think that packaged breadcrumbs can be kind of dense and they can absorb more oil than I would like.  Quick story - over our 3 years together, I have slowly transformed his kitchen from a typical man kitchen (beer, mismatched plates, and a Foreman grill) to a somewhat usable kitchen by bringing a chef's knife and lots of utensils and tools, but I haven't come around to bringing a blender or a food processor. So I was a little ghetto when I made the breadcrumbs because I had to pound them with a meat mallet! You gotta do what you gotta do when you're hungry :)

In addition to making fresh breadcrumbs, I like to grate my own cheese with a Microplane.  The Microplane is one of my favorite kitchen instruments! You should pick one up if you love to cook. It makes a wonderful fluffy cloud of cheese that will keep the coating light.


This recipe is pretty versatile. You could probably use panko breadcrumbs. Or mix up the herbs (I used thyme).  Or even use some other kind of cheese.  I'm all about adjusting recipes depending on what's around the house - we Vietnamese are resourceful!   Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the recipe. 


P.S. This isn't the most healthy recipe (it's pan fried in olive oil) since I wanted to treat Mikey before he left, but you can easily cut down on the fat by baking the chicken.  I guess I would cook at 350-375 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink when cut. 

Parmesan-herb crusted chicken

Serves 4

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Ingredients

1/4 cup flour

2 eggs

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs*

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded 1/4-inch thick

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

 1. Season chicken cutlets with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Use about half of the salt that you would usually use, since you will be coating with Parmigiano Reggiano later.

 2. Gather 3 shallow dishes.  In the first dish, place the flour.  In the second dish, beat 2 eggs. In the third dish, combine the thyme, rosemary, breadcrumbs, garlic, and cheese.

 3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat.  While oil is heating up, coat chicken - first in flour, then in egg, finally in breadcrumb-herb-cheese mixture.  Between each step, make sure you shake the cutlets off so they are not over-coated.

 4. Cook the cutlets, two at a time, for about 3-4 minutes per side (or until golden brown).  Repeat with the remaining olive oil and cutlets. 

*Fresh breadcrumbs can be replaced by dried breadcrumbs, but they can be dense. Here's an easy way to make fresh breadcrumbs that only takes 10 minutes!  Take about a quarter of a day old baguette and slice into very thin (1/4 inch or less if you can) slices.  Place in a 250 degree oven for 10 minutes, or until the slices are crisp all the way though. Try not to brown them too much. The thinner you slice the baguette, the faster it will crisp.  Cool for a minute or so and then pulse in a food processor.  Voila! Fresh breadcrumbs :)

Here's the entire meal we had that night. I'll post the rest of the recipes soon.  Sorry the pictures aren't great but we were hungry and it smelled so good so I took the pictures in a hurry.   Goodbye for now, loves!

xoxo <3

Nhu-Y

Chicken Adobo

Good enough to be called the Philippines' national dish!

Image from myrecipes.com

I've got a lot of Filipino love :)  Lots of Filipino friends, involvement in the Pilipino Student Association (by proxy - my roommate was the president), one of my favorite mentors is a Filipina physician, and of course, Mikey is Filipino.  Not only do I love Filipinos, I love Filipino food.  First time I had a bite, was love at first taste.  It was home cooking at its finest - not very complex, but so good you have to come back for seconds and thirds. 

A few days ago, Mike and I decided that we needed some comfort food so Mike cooked chicken adobo for me.  Adobo refers to a method of cooking where meat is browned and simmered in a marinade.  There are many different ways to prepare adobo and it is different depending on where you are in the Philippines. Some places add coconut milk, some use pork or seafood, and some use a lot of vinegar. Classically though, adobo is slowly cooked in vinegar, crushed garlic, bay leaf, black peppercorns, and soy sauce then often browned in the oven or pan-fried afterward to get the desirable crisped edges.  Here's Mike's take on chicken adobo: 

 Image from somewhereintheworldtoday.com

Chicken Adobo
Serves 4 
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Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 lbs chicken thighs and drumsticks

5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

1/3 cup white vinegar (or you can use apple cider vinegar)

2/3 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

Directions

1. Heat oil in a medium dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, then turn over and cook an additional 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic and cook for approximately 5 more minutes. Stir to avoid burning the garlic.  Spread chicken so it makes one even layer in the bottom of the dutch oven. Add remaining ingredients and stir to incorporate. The sauce should come halfway up the chicken Cook on medium heat, covered, for 20 minutes.  Gently stir every 5-10 minutes to ensure that all of the chicken has some time to cook in the sauce.

3. Uncover, decrease heat to medium-low and cook 15 to 20 minutes more, occasionally spooning sauce over chicken, until sauce thickens a bit and chicken is tender and nicely glazed with sauce. Remove bay leaf before eating.

4. Serve with rice.  My favorite part of the adobo is the sauce.  Spoon it over your rice and you're set :)

Since Mike is is not one to write down recipes or take pictures, the images and the recipe are from myrecipes.com. I modified the recipe a bit.

Hopefully I will learn how to make some other Filipino dishes so I can share them with you!

Bon appetit!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Home Cookin'

Mike, my boyfriend, is also a fourth year med student.  He wants to do urology and he’s doing his sub-internship this month.  It is super hard on him because he works for at least 12 hours a day and he still has to study when he comes home.  A few days ago, he worked for 19 hours!  So, being the good girlfriend that I am ;), I decided to cook for him this week.  Earlier this week I made maple-pecan pork chops, mashed sweet potatoes, and roasted broccoli.  Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures, so next time I make that meal, I will be sure to post!  Last night, I made spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs.  Nice, comforting, home food.  I don’t have a lot of time to make my own marinara sauce, so I took a little help from the store and used a jarred sauce. But I added some meat, herbs, and spices so it wouldn’t taste like it came from a jar.  I usually make my sauce with ground turkey, but Mike can always tell, so last night I made it with beef.  The meatballs can be made with turkey as well, but they won’t be as moist as beef meatballs. It's really good and you can't even tell that jarred sauce was used after you add the meat, herbs and spices.  I hope you enjoy!

Meat sauce

Serves 4
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Ingredients

1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

½ medium onion, diced

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp sugar

½ lb ground beef (or turkey)

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp basil, chopped

Directions

1. On medium heat, heat onions and garlic in olive oil until onion begins to become transparent, about 5-7 minutes.

2. Turn heat to medium high. Add ground beef (or turkey) and break up well. When meat is broken up, add 1 tsp of sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings when meat is fully cooked

3. Add jar of sauce and turn down to medium.  Add 1 tsp of sugar and any additional salt and pepper to taste.

4. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add basil. Enjoy!

Meatballs

Serves 8 (I halved the recipe)
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Ingredients

¾ lb ground beef

¼ lb ground sausage

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp salt

1 egg

scant ½ Italian breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Combine all ingredients (be careful not to overmix!) and form into 1.5 inch balls.

3. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until meatballs are firm. 

4. Toss into sauce if desired.

I just served this with 1/2 lb of spaghetti noodles and I will have enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow!  The sauce is versatile and can be used for baked ziti, lasagna, or any other pasta. This recipe can be pretty healthy too!  Just make it with turkey and serve on whole wheat pasta. Yum!