People. Something very wonderful has happened. No, many wonderful things have happened.
It was Thursday night, and I was out with some friends testing some ramen at Saiwaii. The ramen odyssey in Japan last September pretty much ruined me for ramen, and I had been desperately trying to find a place to get my noodle fix. I was really enjoying my bowl of chicken broth ramen with a perfectly cooked soy sauce egg when I got a call from my mom announcing that my brother and his wife gave birth to Raidin Jack Woolley!
8 lbs. 2 oz. of pure cuteness. I skyped with them all weekend, in between feedings and naps.
On Friday, I bolted out of work to squeeze in an hour of kickboxing before spending dinner amongst friends. For the record, Elianna + Jesse + Jason + Doctor James + Chris + Eric + Neil+ Emily make for the very best dinner company. And a glaring sign that Doctor James and I are the only people left in the world who are not connected to Twitter accounts.
On Saturday, I went to the Berkeley Farmer's Market and discovered pretzel croissants made by the wonderful Bavarian joint called Oktoberfest Bakery in downtown Berkeley. It's pretzel-y aroma and salty twang made my mouth water as I sank my teeth through folds and folds of buttery croissant. I also purchased a cherimoya that was grown locally in Ventura County. You don't find these beauties often in the grocery store. This fruit has a tender creamy white flesh that tastes like a cross between a papaya, apple, and pear.
Then, I headed to Berkeley Bowl West and found some popped quinoa! Perfect to add to popped amaranth. I've been hooked on this breakfast for awhile now. Quinoa + Amaranth with some flaked coconut and a spoonful of nut butter and almond milk keeps me full for nearly 4 hours!
Sunday morning I woke up early and headed to the gym. I jogged for 3 miles on the elliptical and then swam laps for a solid 30 minutes. I am glad I got a nice workout in before I tested my chocolate limits at the San Francisco Chocolate Salon. Turns out, my limit is about forty pieces of chocolate, toffee and truffles. While there were some excellent highlights, notably some fantastic toffee from Toffee Talk, I am not sure it was worth the stomach ache and sugar daze that ensued.
I came home to rest my tummy and zone out watching Koyaanisqatsi.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Welcome to the World
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Homemade SPAM Hits the Streets
You people are amazing, you know that?! Thank you for coming out to support my crazy endeavors. Thank you for appreciating the wonderful rice sandwich that is musubi. I had no idea you would profess such love for my homemade SPAM musubi. One woman said she could not believe that I am a practicing attorney by day and slinging Hawaiian food by night.
I think over 1700 people came to the night portion of the SF Underground Market this past Saturday. I'm sorry we didn't make eye contact or get to talk much. I had no idea I would be so busy that I a) did not even do a single lap around the place to check out the other vendors, b) did not get to go make silly faces at the photobooth at Sidesaddle Kitchen or eat one of her amazing raw lavender tortes, c) forgot to go to the bathroom as six hours quickly passed, and d) forgot to eat dinner (unless you count forkfuls of rice and a spoon dipped in gravy to test the temperatures).
Did you see the New York Times article on the Underground Market?! There's a photo of Neil diligently cooking his way through 120 (!) eggs made-to-order for loco moco.
I had made 86 (um, eighty-six?!!) musubi and they sold out faster than you can imagine. Sorry if you missed it! But don't fret, the homemade "SPAM" will make an appearance again in the near future. I was so excited about learning how to make it that you probably heard me shout "I made the SPAM myself!" even if you were just trying to order some hibiscus iced tea.
Many of you wanted to know how I made the spam, so I thought I would elaborate a little bit here. First, there was absolutely zero instruction online (and Hormel is quite secretive about what goes into their products). Enter Neil and his extensive experience making charcuterie. We talked about the flavors and textures we wanted to ultimately create and then crafted a way to acheive that (read: trial and error). Sometimes, you gotta go with your gut and see what happens (and cross your fingers that it will turn out the way you had hoped).
And, this is exactly how I hoped it would turn out.
First, I ground up a large quantity of pork, duck, and chicken (thigh meat) in a meat grinder. Then I stuck some pre-cooked ham into a food processor and blended it with the ground meat. I added smoked salt, sugar, a bit of curing salt and freshly minced garlic. Then, in small batches, I whizzed it all up in a food processor with some pork fat until it emulsified. Then I pressed the mixture into a baking pan, covered it with foil and put it in a water bath to cook in the oven at 300 degrees for about 3 hours until it reaches an internal temperature of 155 Fahrenheit. The water bath essentially poaches it and I rotated the pans every half hour to ensure even heating. The cooking process causes it to shrink down and the texture changes from a paste to a much more solid block. I let it cool for a few minutes and then I pressed it down with something heavy and let it chill and solidify overnight. This compacts the meat together and pushes out any air bubbles. In the morning, it was a solid brick that could be cut into slices and put into a frying pan to crisp up just like you would cook SPAM.
Voila!
I can't even tell you how exciting it felt to see the process working. I was beside myself when I saw that it looked, smelled and tasted like real SPAM, but I had the satisfaction on knowing exactly what went into it (nothing scary!). I kept saying "It's working! It's WORKING!". Now Neil and I can work on perfecting and developing an actual recipe and serving it up to you!
Keep your eyes out for its reappearance! You gotta try it to believe it.
**I also made some amazing vegan tofu-takuan musubi. I sauteed some extra-firm tofu in a sweet soy glaze and then put it together with takuan (Japanese pickled daikon radish) and seaweed seasoning.
Using a musubi press, I layered it all in between some freshly steamed calrose rice and wrapped it with a sheet of nori seaweed.
I was really pleased with the texture and flavor of this musubi and glad to provide a vegan option (where else can you get vegan musubi?).
I was planning on bringing more musubi to the New Taste Marketplace on April 2, but some circumstances take me away to Minnesota for the weekend. However, I promise to do my best to convince Jason to carry the musubi torch and bring more musubi for you!
Friday, March 25, 2011
March 2011 SF Underground Market
There have been a few milestones going on around here. In March 2010, Elianna and I decided to take part in the local foodie community by making some pickled grapes to sell at the SF Underground Market. Since then, Elianna has branched out to become the Executive Director for New Taste Marketplace and I have continued to share some food from the islands with the local community. I have even got a couple of reviews!
If you come by, I will be slinging the best "ono kine grindz" (read: most delicious food) you can find in the bay area. Just don't ask me to "talk pidgin". I have enlisted the generous help of my friend Neil of Mission Gastroclub to help me create some impressive dishes:
Homemade “SPAM” Musubi
Special blend of pork, duck and chicken! That's right. Neil and I have figured out how to make homemade spam so we know exactly what went it in and it is De-LISH! I am really excited about learning how to finally make this in a respectable manner that puts Hormel to shame.
Soy-Glazed Tofu-Takuan Musubi
VEGAN musubi with glazed tofu, pickled radish and seaweed seasoning.
Loco-Moco
Homemade Beef Patty, Fried Egg & Miso Gravy served on a bed of Nori-Scallion Rice
Hibiscus Tea
Sweet-sour hibiscus steeped with a hint of cinnamon and island love.
I'd love to see you. Come on, pretend you're an islander, even if only for a day.
Quinn Walker Makes an Entrance
Exactly one month ago, on February 25, 2011, our dear friends, Heather & Matt, brought a little boy named Quinn Jae-Hwa Walker into this world. And they haven’t slept a wink since.
Quinn is gorgeous. Especially when he flutters open his tiny little eyes and wrinkles up his lips into a perfect little “o” shape.
Swoon.
My brother, Mark, will testify that his memory of the first three months of his daughter's life is one blurry, sleepy haze. My other brother, Chad, and his wife are having a baby in April, and I'm betting that Chad is savouring his sleep now while Hiromi is stock piling food in her freezer. It’s amazing, I'm told, how fast time flies when every drop of attention and energy is spent on making sure a baby is warm, happy and comfortable. When do you sleep? Never. When do you eat? When you remember that you haven’t eaten anything in sixteen hours.
So, Elianna and I decided to cook up a feast fit for new parents. There was even a shared google document titled "Operation Feed the New Parents". We wanted to stock their fridge and freezer with the kind of comforting food that sleep-deprived friends can reheat in seconds when they don't even have the energy to order take-out.
Spicy Veggie Thai Yellow Curry with Steamed Jasmine Rice
It's not the best photo, but you get the idea. We were in too much of a rush to play with lighting and our friends were hungry!
Friday, February 18, 2011
SF Beer Week 2011
Well. Despite a diligent regimen of daily Emergen-C vitamins, green juice and avoiding anyone who looked even remotely sneezy on the train, I got a cold right smack dab in the middle of SF Beer Week. Last year was excellent fun, and I had really been looking forward to this. Jason has been busy writing extensive beer coverage of the events around the city. I have been busy parking it on a couch for the last four days.
Things started off well. I made it to the Opening Gala. Between events at Triple Rock and The Jug Shop, I sampled over 30 sour beers. In. A. Single. Day. I even made it to a beer dinner on Valentine's Day.
And then. Sick! And I have been feverishly shivering and coughing since. Unless you count scrambled eggs, a batch of soup and some infamous no-knead bread, I have cooked absolutely nothing in the past week. On the upside, however, I think things are on the mend and I expect to be better by the weekend. Three-day weekend.
With all this beer talk going on, I was motivated to round up my "beer cellar". It's kind of funny to even call it a cellar; it's more of a small collection that I inevitably gathered in the last six years of dating the beer geek, whose real cellar actually contains over 500 bottles. I have come around to really appreciating beer in those six years. And i've learned a lot about various styles and flavor profiles. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that I like 1) really rare beer, 2) sour beer (with heavy fruit content), 3) beer that is never going to be bottled and can only be found on tap in one spot on one day, 4) beer with really high alcohol or 5) really expensive beer. And so, my collection reflects just that: ten highly-coveted sour beers!
So, in honor of SF Beer Week, here it is. My cellar, from left to right.
Russian River Consecration (10% abv)
Russian River Toronado 20th Anniversary (10.4% abv)
Alpine Chez Monieux Belgian Kriek (5.8% abv)
Lost Abbey Framboise de Ambrosa (7% abv)
New Glarus Cran-bic (6% abv)
Russian River Framboise for a Cure (5.9%)
Lost Abbey Veritas 006 (8% abv)
Cascade Vlad the Impaler (8% abv)
Lost Abbey Cable Car (7% abv)
Russian River Supplication (7% abv)
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Vegetarian French Onion Soup
You don't need me to tell you its cold out. And it's been raining for days. I don't know how I feel about this winter thing. Actually, I do know. I feel like eating soup. I want to stock my freezer with eight different kinds that I can choose from on a whim. I'd even make nice labels for the tupperware containers.
The way I see it, everyone should have soup to choose from. Ready at your beckoning. February might sneak on by in four short weeks, but you might notice that you've made good use of your ladles, bowls and soup spoons. Carry on, carry on, soup spoons!
I have always loved french onion soup and have really wanted to make a vegetarian version that still carried some heft and dignity. Some people like to add soy sauce or a dash of Worcestershire to offer some "meaty" flavor and darker color, but I like to bolster my broth with a solid dose of red wine. And, between you and me, if you happen to have an open bottle of red wine, you could use it here even if it is a little bit oxidized. I mean, ahem, I don't find myself in this situation because I finish the bottle right away, but I hear that leftover wine can add a little vinegary tang here.
The thing about this soup is that it takes time. You want to start up some onions in a pot in the mid-Sunday afternoon and then forget about them while you are folding laundry and mailing out bills. Since the onions are the true base and foundation of the soup, You have to give these onions some love and let them slip into a nice coma submerged in the depths of butter and olive oil. It just can't be rushed.
But, rest assured, love and tenderness always pays out handsomely in the end. After the onions melt down and you build up a rich stock base, you add in some flecks of thyme for an earthy boost. Toss a hunk of bread on the top with some grated gruyere cheese and pop it under the broiler for just a minute or two until the cheese bubbles and browns lightly.
INGREDIENTS:
* 5 cups good-quality vegetable broth (homemade if you have it, or I used Trader Joe's organic vegetable broth)
* 2 cubes of vegetable boullion (or "not beef" bouillion if you have it)
* 1 cup red wine
* 4 onions, sliced thinly
* 4 Tbsp. butter
* 2 Tbsp. olive oil
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1 tsp. sugar
* 1/2 tsp. dried thyme (or 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme)
* 1 bay leaf
* bread (ciabatta or country bread is best; day old is even better)
* gruyere cheese for topping
DIRECTIONS:
Heat a large dutch oven on medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil. Add in the sliced onions and lower the heat a little to medium-low. You can stir occasionally, but give them lots and lots of time to melt down. About 20-30 minutes. They will begin to relax and soft into a sticky mess, but you don't want them to brown so resist cranking up the heat.
After the onions have softened, you can deglaze the pan with the wine and stir. Add in the salt, sugar, thyme and bay leaf. And then the stock--I like to heat my stock and melt in the bouillion cubes and then add it all to the pot. Let this simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes.
Ladle the soup into oven proof bowls. Top with a slice of bread and shredded cheese and pop under the broiler for just a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Nem Khao: Laotian Crispy Rice Salad
You know what I miss about the cities I have traveled to? The. Food.
I've often dreamed about flying back to Sydney (where I lived for nearly a year) for a plate of hand-pulled noodles from Chinese Noodle Restaurant. Perhaps flying home to Maui for some Sam Sato's Dry Mein Noodles would be a lot cheaper. But, believe you me, not a day goes by when I don't crave my San Diego comfort food of choice: a thali plate complete with rice, perfectly bubbled naan smeared with ghee, smoky murgh makhani and mushroom masala from Punjabi Tandoor. Most of these dishes sink into my memory and become the elusive stuff that dreams are made of. But, occasionally, I work up the nerve to trust my palate, memory and photographs and re-create a dish. And sometimes, it actually works.
And, tonight, a wonderful Laotian classic called Nem Khao made its way to the dinner table.
Some time ago, my dear friends and trustworthy foodies, Ali and John, recommended a tiny little Laotian mom-and-pop place in San Diego called Asia Cafe. You might notice that all the yelpers said to order the one thing that is inexplicably not on the menu: Nem Khao. I love secret menus!
Nem Khao is essentially a salad composed of fried rice balls that have been mashed up and tossed with generous amounts of scallions, cilantro, and peanuts. Like any regional specialty, the recipes vary widely. Some might have lemongrass and ginger; some use seasoned patties with spices and egg. This dish generally contains some sort of pork and is almost always served with red chili peppers (as noted in photo above) and doused with fish sauce and lime juice.
I omitted the pork and chillies because I wanted to focus on recreating the foundation of the dish, which is the rice salad. Now, this is all speculation, but I believe Asia cafe keeps it simple. Besides some key ingredients, this dish is all about texture. You use cooked jasmine rice that has been chilled to get rid of excess moisture. You could use broken jasmine rice (cheaper) or regular jasmine rice. Or you could gently pulse some jasmine rice in your food processor to break up the grains just a little bit, but I don't think this step is necessary. You fry up some rice patties until they form a nice, crispy golden brown crust, but still maintain a fluffy interior.
Then you chop it up into rugged chunks and toss it with lots of scallions, cilantro, shallots and peanuts. A winning combination, really. Kind of like the Asian version of Panzanella, but rice replaces bread and cilantro steps in for basil.
A dose of salty fish sauce is the cornerstone of this dish, but it livens up into something so nice and bright when it tag teams with fresh cilantro, lime and scallions. Some peanuts join the green party for some added crunch.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups jasmine rice (cooked and chilled)
1.5 to 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
4 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. lime zest
pinch of sugar
* 2 tsp. garlic, crushed
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
small pinch of kosher salt (optional)
canola oil for frying
DIRECTIONS:
* Cook the rice as directed and let it cool and then chill. You do not want to fry wet hot rice, so this step is important.
* Form the rice into 6 large patties (at least one-inch thick).
* In a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven, pour about 2 cups of oil for the shallow fry and heat on medium-high.
* Fry the patties for about 5-7 minutes on each side. You want to allow it to become golden brown before flipping the patties, but be careful not to burn them.
* Place patties on a paper towel to drain excess oil and cool for a few minutes.
* Roughly chop up the patties and place in large mixing bowl.
* In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, garlic, sugar, lime juice and zest and add this mixture to the rice.
* Add in the scallions, peanuts, shallot and cilantro and mix everything together.
* If necessary, add a pinch of kosher salt to adjust seasoning to taste.
Veggie note: If you want to make this vegetarian/vegan, you can make some Fishless Fish Sauce. I'd love to know how it turns out!
