Vietnamese Pickled Daikon and Carrots (Do Chua)

First of all, I have to thank my dear friend Diane, who shared this recipe with me.  Her Do Chua is the best I have ever had (so I must share this with you), and the easiest recipe to remember!  (1:1:1).  With a little extra effort of salting and rinsing the vegetables first, you are left with flavorful, crisp, and pungent Vietnamese Pickled Daikon and Carrots that are a must for Vietnamese Sandwiches (stay tuned for that recipe).


Eat HappiLee!

Pickled Carrots (Do Chua)

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

1 cup white vinegar

1 daikon radish

1-2 carrots (enough to have almost a 1:1 ratio to the daikon)

salt

Hardware:
vegetable peeler

colander

mandolin

salad spinner

Directions:

• Using a vegetable peeler, peel the skin from the daikon and carrots.
• Using a mandolin (or julienne slicer), shred the vegetables and place in a colander.
• Sprinkle shredded vegetables lightly with salt. Fold and mix with your hands and sprinkle more salt to ensure everything is thoroughly lightly salted. This will help leach out moisture from the vegetables and add flavor.
• Meanwhile, as vegetables are marinating, pour 1 cup water, 1 cup white sugar, and 1 cup vinegar into a large jar to dissolve sugar. (I like to reuse a jar of Costco size marinated artichokes, which they no longer sell that size anymore, but you get the picture)
• While sugar is dissolving, by now much of the liquid from the shredded vegetables should be leaching.  Rinse the vegetables in thoroughly in cold water and drain.
• Squeeze out as much liquid as you can with your hands and/or use a salad spinner lined with a cheesecloth or paper towels to get the majority of the liquid out.
• By now the brine should be completely uniform, if not give it a few shakes to evenly distribute solution.
• Place drained vegetables in jar of brine and ensure the vegetables are all submerged in brine.
• The pickled carrots are ready to use in as little as a few hours and can be kept in the refrigerator for a few weeks. 
• They are commonly added to Vietnamese Sandwiches to add a pungent bite. They are also great as a side with Vietnamese Cold Rice Noodle Salads, or Rice Plates.

Sweet and Spicy Wingettes

I was drooling for chicken wings after watching all the Superbowl party snacks on TV.  I had to get my wing fix, but didn't want the standard buffalo wing. Then, the hubby suggested the caramelized chicken wings (canh ga chien) from Pho Van Vietnamese Restaurant in Portland. Served hot and crispy, it has a moist and garlicky interior and is smothered with a sweet and spicy glaze that's finger licking good. For my ode to Pho Van, I marinated the chicken wings in grated onion to help retain the moisture in the chicken, along with garlic powder. The glaze is lightly sweet, spicy with a hint of savory from the fish sauce, and nutty from the sesame seed oil. Great as an appetizer or a whole bunch of wings served with rice for a devilishly good meal. Eat HappiLee!

Ingredients

Wings

chicken wing wingettes (flats)

1 onion grated

garlic powder

kosher salt

oil for deep frying

Glaze

1/2 cup thai sweet chili sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon sesame seed oil

1-2 tablespoons water

Directions

• Rinse the wings in cold water and pat dry with paper towels
• Lay out the wings and lightly sprinkle garlic powder and salt on both sides of the wings
• Place wings and grated onion in resealable bag.
• Squeeze out air and seal bag to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
• Remove bag of wings from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before frying.
• Heat up about 3 inches of oil in a large 8 quart pot (taller pot will prevent more splattering)

Meanwhile, work on the glaze.

• Combine all glaze ingredients together to be used to drizzle on the wings.

• When the oil is ready, it should sizzle if a chopstick is dipped in the hot oil.
• Place wings in the oil, 6 at a time to prevent crowding. 
• Fry till they float golden, about 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the size of the wing. 
• Drain on a paper towel. If making a large batch, you may have to refry just before serving to ensure hot and crispy skin. 
• Drizzle with glaze and serve immediately.

Easy Oven Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips

If you're like me, you can't pass up a good deal. I ended up buying a big stack of corn tortillas because it was not that much more expensive to buy a larger stack than the smaller stack. But after I got home I absolutely knew I wouldn't be able to eat them all. I tossed them in the freezer until I could figure out what to do with them...


After watching countless Superbowl snack specials on TV, I started to crave nachos. While I'm still working on my nacho recipe, I did however figure out how to make Easy Oven Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips! No need for a fryer, so its less fat and all the crispy crunchy goodness you crave.


Ingredients:
fresh corn tortillas
non stick cooking spray
salt
chili powder (optional)


Hardware:
cookie sheet


Directions:

• Preheat your oven to the highest setting. Mine goes to 450 degrees. 
• Cut your corn tortillas into triangles. I usually cut mine into sixths. 
• Lay the triangles on a cookie sheet.
• Lightly spray the triangles with non stick cooking spray.
• Flip over the triangles and repeat spraying to other side.
• Place in preheated oven and bake until crispy and golden. Depending on your oven, you may need to rotate the cookie sheet for more even baking.
• Allow to cool and sprinkle with salt and/or chili powder for extra kick.
• Enjoy!!

Store in resealable bag, but they'll most likely be devoured before then. 

1-Minute Egg MugMuffin Sandwich

Nothing like a hot breakfast to start the day off right. This 1-Minute Egg MugMuffin Sandwich was one of my breakfast staples when I was pregnant, so that I would have the energy to make it through the day waddling around everywhere. And now with a pre-toddler, this is still my fail safe way to get a hearty breakfast that I can make in less time to pick one up at the drive-thru window! This is so easy and so much healthier than any fast food breakfast sandwich. The egg comes out perfect and fluffy in only a minute! I hope you try this recipe out to make different combinations with fresh and healthy ingredients to create endless breakfast options. Start your day off right and Eat HappiLee!!


P.S. For this inspiration, I give all the credit to Heather F. who shared this easy egg mug method with me. While we were both pregnant, we exchanged our good times and bad, despite being hundreds of miles away from each other. She was the world's greatest preggo buddy, and world's greatest Momma to Lela (my future daughter-in-law! haha). Heather, this one's for you babe! Hope to see you and Lela (and yes, Papa "Frech" too) in Hawaii one day!


1-Minute Egg MugMuffin Sandwich


Ingredients:

1 english muffin, or any other bread (croissant, biscuit, pancakes, whole wheat bread)

1 egg

1 tablespoon of milk

nonstick cooking spray

Optional extras:

slice of cheese, bacon, sausage, Canadian bacon, baby spinach, tomatoes, avocado, hot sauce...you get the idea

Hardware:

1 large mug, or any microwavable container

microwave

Directions:

• Cook your sausage or bacon and set aside for assembly.
• Have your other ingredients ready to assemble.
• Toast your english muffin or other sandwich bread.
• Spray the inside of your largest mug (I use my favorite Maggi soup mug) with nonstick cooking spray.
• Crack one egg into the mug and scramble with 1 tablespoon of milk which helps for a fluffier egg.

Note: At this point you can place a slice of cheese on top of the egg mixture. As the egg cooks the cheese will melt with the egg perfectly.

• Place mug in the microwave and heat on high for 1 minute, until the omelet sets.
• Slide your omelet onto your muffin and top with anything else you please.

And there you have the 1-Minute Egg MugMuffin Sandwich! Great on the go, or just to have on an easy going Saturday morning. I hope you'll take a little time out of your day to enjoy one of these homemade, or office-made sandwiches. Eat HappiLee!


Update:

Courtesy of Jill Boyd

01/25/2011: Thanks Jill for trying out this recipe!Your 1-Minute Egg MugMuffin Sandwich looks like a taste of Summer with the vine ripened tomato slice and fresh basil on top. And that was brilliant of you to use a Pyrex container to make it thicker. What is even more amazing is that you didn't even use any oil or cooking spray and it still slid right out! I see you used the whole wheat english muffin too! I hope you enjoyed the rest of your morning after having such a hearty and healthy breakfast!

Chinese Green Onion Pancakes (Choong Yau Beng)

Whenever I see Green Onions Pancakes on the menu at a Chinese restaurant, I just have to order them. There's something about these thin pancakes that make me all happy inside. A little crispy, a little chewy, and fragrant with green onions, Chinese Green Onion Pancakes, or Choong Yau Beng, are my favorite snack. Tired of buying the pre-made frozen kind to have at home, I was determined to make some of my own and save some to freeze for later consumption. I like to make a double batch sometimes so that I can enjoy twice as much! I hope you'll like these as much as I do.  Eat HappiLee!

Chinese Green Onion Pancakes (Choong Yau Beng)

Ingredients:
2 cups flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tablespoon lard/or shortening

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking powder

1 cup hot water

1 bunch of green onions (about 6-7) chopped

4-5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds


Hardware:
mixer with dough hook, or food processor with dough blade, or good old fashioned hands
rolling pin


Directions:

• Place the flour, lard/shortening, salt, and baking powder in the mixer with the dough hook. 
• Run the mixer and pour the hot water in until incorporated.
• Knead the dough until it forms a ball that is uniform and smooth, scraping the sides occasionally during the process. The dough should be silky and smooth to the touch and not sticky.

Note: If the dough is too moist or sticky, then incorporate a little flour at a time to get to the right consistency.

• Remove the dough ball from the mixer and set on plastic wrap. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap sealing around the sides and allow to rest for at 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, work on the filling:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a medium pan. When the pan is hot, add the green onions, making sure to coat the onions with the oil. 
• Saute the green onions for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant and set aside.
• Put the sesame seeds in a small dry pan. Toast on medium heat until golden brown. Watch carefully as they can burn quickly.
• Transfer the sesame seeds to a small bowl to prevent burning.

Back to the dough:

• Flatten the dough a little and cut into 8 equal pieces. 
• Roll each of the 8 sections into balls and cover with plastic wrap.
• On a lightly floured surface, use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out the dough into a circle until you reach 1/8 inch thickness.
• Spoon one tablespoon of green onions onto the circle and spread from the center outwards, leaving about 1/2 inch from the edge.
• Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds onto the circle.
• Starting from one edge of the circle, gently roll the circle onto itself like a rug.
• Starting from one end of the roll, curl the roll in a spiral like a cinnamon bun, tucking the end under itself so its stays.
• Repeat for the remaining 7 dough balls until you have 8 green onion buns.
• With the palm of your hand, flatten out one of the green onion buns.
• With a lightly floured rolling pin, gently roll from the center-out until your reach 1/8 inch thickness.
• Place on plastic wrap to rest and cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Repeat for the remaining green onion buns until you have 8 pancakes.

Note: At this point you can either cook all of them or freeze them in a resealable freezer bag for later consumption.
Time to cook!

• Heat one tablespoon of oil on a medium to large nonstick pan over medium heat until hot.
• Place one pancake in the pan and fry till golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Flip and repeat on other side for another 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat, and cook as many as you like.
• Slice into wedges and serve. You can eat them by itself, or serve it with soup or rice porridge.

Something Spaetzle (German Dumplings)

One of the best things about traveling is tasting new foods. Germany for instance, is a land of comfort food. Tasty meats with gluttonous carbs. What else can you ask for? Me and my husband visited Munich where he had studied abroad for six months. We visited the university, his old hangouts, went sightseeing, and best of all ate tons of fantastic food. One of our favorites is weisswurst or bockwurst translated as white sausage. Tender pork and veal create a smooth yet bouncy sausage encased in natural casings for a crispy, bursting bite. Served on a fresh mini baguette with a little mustard...I could eat one almost everyday! In fact my husband did when he lived there.

My first weisswurst at 
Marienplatz in Munich

Back in the US, we were on a mad hunt for authentic weisswurst. As luck should have it, I was able to find a place at Seattle's Pike Place Market called Bavarian Meats Delicatessan. This place is filled with all the authentic German meats and condiments that could make me giddy. My favorite part about the place is the cute little old German lady who would ask you "vould you like a viener?" "Why, Thank You," I'd reply as she hands me what looks like a hot dog but waaaaay better. I would usually buy a few of those for the ride back home, and about a dozen of their bockwursts along with some speck, a cured bacon much like prosciutto.

I like to serve up the weisswursts with spaetzle which I would describe as a cross between pasta and a dumpling. With a chewy al dente texture, it has the soft fluffiness of a dumpling. A hint of nutmeg adds a warm comforting flavor. For added yumminess, I saute it with some lardons of bacon or speck, minced onions, and toss in some Parmesan cheese and parsley. Served with a side of peas and a little Bavarian sweet mustard, and you have yourself a fast and easy German dinner.

Spaetzle (German Dumplings)


Ingredients:
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of whole wheat flour (can use all purpose flour but thought this would make it a little healthier)
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp white pepper
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
4-5 slices bacon or speck cut into matchsticks/lardons (optional but extra yummy)
1/2 onion minced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/4 cup parsley chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Bavarian sweet mustard

Hardware:

spaetzle maker (I improvised used a metal straining ladle and a spatula. You can get away with using a flat cheese grater or a pie tin with holes punched in it.)

rubber tipped spatula

Directions:

• Boil a large pot (4 quart or larger) of salted water.
• In a large pan, saute the bacon over medium heat till crispy. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel and set aside.
• Add the onions to the remaining fat in the pan and saute over medium heat. 
• Mix the flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and white pepper together in a large bowl. 
• Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and mix in the milk.
• Combine the egg and milk mixture slowly into the dry mixture until uniform and smooth. The dough should be the consistency of pancake batter.
• Fill your spaetzle maker with the dough and dispense directly into the boiling water

Note: If you don't have a spaetzle maker, fill your makeshift spaetzle maker with some dough and using a spatula, push the dough through the holes directly into the boiling water.

• Boil the spaetzle for about 3-4 minutes, stirring often, till they float.
• Drain thoroughly.
• Add spaetzle to the pan with the onions.
• Add the Parmesan cheese, bacon, and parsley.
• Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve with weisswursts and peas (or sauerkraut not shown) and Bavarian sweet mustard (not shown)

Now there's a little Something Spaetzle! Eat HappiLee!

Chinese Crispy Roasted Pork Belly

This dish brings back so many memories. Most kids would cringe at the sight of an entire pig hanging from a hook, but for me, in San Francisco's Chinatown, the sight and smell of a whole crispy roasted pig was above all treats. The savory and juicy flesh, combined with the crispy crunchy texture of the crackling skin became my standard for all crispy pigs.  

My niece and nephew beside the Wedding Pig
(the pig is the one in the middle)

Flash forward about 25 years later and I get to have my very own pig at my wedding! Yes, one of the luxuries of having a traditional Chinese wedding. I recall my 7 year old niece asking her mother, "Can I have a roasted pig when I get married?" I don't know if I can wait that long for her to get married, so I was determined to make my own. A good friend of mine, Jenny H, said that her mother, makes it at home. What?! Seriously?! At home?! So after careful research and three tries at home with various methods to get the crispiest skin, I am proud to introduce my first recipe post: 


Chinese Crispy Roasted Pork Belly. 

Ingredients:

1 slab of lean pork belly with skin on (check your local Asian food store or butcher)

Salt Bake Chicken Spice Mix (can also be found in most Asian food stores)

kosher salt


Hardware:
large pot
knife
icepick or something very sharp and pointy
roasting rack and drip tray or aluminium foil
household fan

Directions:

• Boil 4 quarts of water in a pot or enough to cover the pork belly. Rinse the pork belly in cold water and when the water is boiling, place pork in boiling water for at least 3-5 minutes. This will help render some of the fat and prepare the skin for the next step. 
• Drain water and remove pork from pot. Rinse with cold water for easier handling. Using a sharp knife, scrape the surface of the skin to remove any scum or hairs (yes, there might be some still there). Now's the fun part!
• Using an icepick or something very sharp and pointy, stab the pork rind right down to the fatty layer but being careful not to pierce the meat. This will allow the skin to fry itself with its own fat. Now go "Psycho" on it!
• Dry off the entire slab with a paper towel. 
• Sprinkle the spice mix on the meat side of the pork and rub it in making sure you get it on all sides except the skin. Repeat this step once more.
• Sprinkle the skin side of the pork with kosher salt and rub it in. Repeat this step once more. The salt will help the skin crackle during the cooking process.
• Elevate the slab and cover loosely with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator anywhere from overnight to 4 days. The longer the better so that the fat will shrink as the salt draws out the moisture from the fat which results in crispier skin along with thin layers of fat in between the juicy meat.

4 days later....

• Remove pork from refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, so at least 1-2 hours. Preheat the oven at 450 on roast or bake. If you have a convection oven, even better as this will help circulate the heat better. Place slab on roasting rack (with drip tray underneath) to allow heat to circulate, and place on the middle rack in the oven. Cook for 30-45 minutes until skin starts getting bubbly. 

Note: Your oven will sound like its raining inside from the oil splattering around (thus the drip tray/foil comes in handy!). If you have a household fan or vent hood, turn it on now to help prevent your smoke detectors from going off. I learned my lesson the hard way.

• When the skin is evenly golden and bubbly, your masterpiece is done!

Note: If there are any spots that are uneven, broil it on the top rack for a few minutes, keep your eyes on it to prevent a pig disaster. The more even you can get the skin bubbly, the more crispy the entire layer of skin will be. If some parts of the skin gets a little bit charred, don't worry, you can use a serrated knife to scrape off the excess char.

• Let it rest for 10-15 minutes to allow all the savory juices to settle. Slice and serve with a big bowl of rice and Eat HappiLee!