MMMmmmm pork chops. They're so delicious - if they're cooked right. Many people I know don't really like pork chops and I don't think it's because Jules says they're "filthy animals." I think it's more likely because they've had dry dry dry pork chops hailing from the days of E.Coli scares where everyone overcooked their pork to make sure they were "safe".
Banh mi or Vietnamese subs are one of my favorite sandwiches to eat. It isn't like any other sub that you would find at a Subway or another North American sub store. First, the bread is a crusty French baguette, slathered with mayonnaise and pate (hailing from the days of French colonization of Indochina) and then filled with various types of meat, pickled carrots and daikon (do chua), cucumber, cilantro, onions and chili (the Vietnamese side of the sub).
The first time I ever had Bo Luc Lac (Vietnamese Shaking Beef) was at the Vietnam Restaurant on 12 Ave in Calgary where I live. My friend's Vietnamese boyfriend had taken us there and warned me not to order any pho as he said he only ate there for their Bo Luc Lac (he didn't think their pho was that good) or as it's written in the menu "beef cubes."
Tofu...the word usually drums up thoughts of blandness and veggie burgers. In fact, in my household, tofu is something I usually have a hard time convincing my husband to eat. I love it - so many of my favorite Chinese dishes are made with tofu - Ma Po Tofu for example - the classic spicy silken tofu and ground pork is well loved by Chinese people and one of my favorites. Unfortunately, trying to convince my husband is another matter.
The definition of "risotto" by any of the dictionaries I can find is "...a dish of rice cooked with broth and flavored with grated cheese and other ingredients." Hm...this is true, it describes the traditional risotto made with Italian arborio rice. But these days, you can order all sorts of risotto - barley risotto, Israeli couscous risotto etc. so is the definition wrong?
If you've never had East Indian food, Chicken Tikka Masala is a great introduction. The curry is a bit lighter but still has the distinct East Indian flavours. Funny thing is...I'm not 100% sure this dish really is from India! It's kind of like a ginger beef thing - it's not really Chinese. Just something concocted from the famous Silver Inn in Calgary, AB. With Chicken Tikka Masala, it's origins may be traced back to Glasgow of all places!
It's been a rough few days being sick, but thankfully I seem to finally be on the mend. But being sick didn't stop me from being able to serve a delicious dinner to some really great friends of ours.
There is a baby boom going on around here and I've had upwards of 10 or more friends have babies or are due in the next 3 months. I know, it's crazy - something in the water! To help out some of the new moms, I'll bring over a meal because as a new mom myself this past year, I know cooking was the last thing on my mind those first few weeks!
Fried rice is great - you can pretty much toss in ANYTHING you want and come out with a tasty dish. OK, maybe that's not entirely true, but fried rice is quite versatile. With some basic ingredients - rice (duh), egg, veggies and some sort of protein as well as some basic seasoning (soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, white pepper) - you can make a very tasty fried rice.
Mushrooms, mushrooms and more mushrooms - if you love mushrooms, this soup is for you! Chock full of Chinese mushrooms (similar to shiitake), enoki (or golden mushrooms) and wood ear mushrooms (aka black fungus - tastes better than it sounds) with soft, grated carrot in a savoury chicken broth, this soup is a huge favorite in my household!
Man, I am so sick. I caught some horrible cold this past week and I'm feeling terrible. In fact, I haven't been this sick in quite a long time. It's times like this that cooking is certainly not on my agenda. But I'm hungry. I still need to eat...and I have a husband that still needs to eat. What to do? What to do?
Mmmm...potstickers. I love them. Made properly, you get beautiful pleats, and a wrapper that is both delicate yet tough enough to hold in the moist filling inside. Cooked properly, you get a soft skin with a little bit of crispiness and if you're lucky, a squirt from the juicy cooked filling.
Today, I want to welcome my sister Melissa, to Tummy Juice. Like me, my sister loves eating and cooking. This weekend, she came down to Calgary to visit me (...ok, ok, it was really to visit her baby nephew), but before she left, she made a delicious oven roasted chicken with soy sauce and onions. I finished it off with some baby bok choy.
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