Pastrami Hash

Pastrami Hash with a Fried Egg

I love breakfast foods.  When I come home to visit for the weekend, I know that my sister and mother are eagerly anticipating the next morning when I whip up breakfast.  Usually its my buttermilk pancakes that I've customized to each of our likings.  I like mine with bananas cooked right in.  Darian likes hers with lots of chocolate chips.  My mom's will be bananas with a sprinkling of frozen blueberries as well as bananas for extra antioxidants.  Darson, when he is there, likes an both bananas and chocolate chips in the pancakes, as well as on top.  And we all like a lot of whipped cream.

Those are our sweet tooth mornings though, when we are all together and enjoying each other's companies.  On the lazy days when it's just me at my apartment and I happen to have some left over baby potatoes, its Pastrami Hash.  Yep, pastrami and NOT corned beef.  Although I will order corned beef hash when I'm out, at home I use pastrami.  Growing up in a Jewish community, I've learned to appreciate a good pastrami sandwich and honestly, corned beef kinda grosses me out when it's not in a hash form.

And this recipe is great for another reason, you don't have to have leftover roasted potatoes or boil any potatoes beforehand!  Being Asian, we rarely have potatoes for dinner and when we do, they're aren't ever any left over so this is perfect for when I just have a hankering for some breakfast hash.  Also, I find that when I use leftover potatoes, the potatoes get too mushy for my taste.  It's also great because it helps me use up any veggies that might be going bad soon.  So do what I do and customize it to what you have left in the fridge.  I've had it with broccoli and even spinach and its comes out great.  For some reason the white wine just makes all the veggies taste even better!

- Darin

Pastrami Hash

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Pastrami Hash

For 2 servings

4 Baby Potatoes or 1 regular potato, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 Sweet Onion, diced
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried Thyme
1/2 tsp dried Rosemary
4oz. Pastrami (the thicker cut, the better), diced
1 - 1 1/2 cups White Wine
2 Tbsp. Vegetable or Canola Oil
2 eggs

1) Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan to medium high and add the potatoes, peppers and onion once the pan is hot.  Season with pepper and salt and let all the veggies meld together and the potatoes get a bit crispy, about 5 mins.

2) Once the potatoes are a bit browned and crispy and the pepper and onions are soft, add in 1/2 cup of the white wine along with the thyme and rosemary and cover, letting the potatoes steam and cook.  About 7-10 mins.

3) When all the white wine has been absorbed, add the pastrami and garlic (with a bit more oil if necessary) and sauté everything together.  Let the pastrami brown.

4) Add another 1/4 cup of white wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and cover.  Lower the heat to medium.  We're trying to steam the potatoes to a soft, but not mushy texture.  About 5 mins.

6) In another frying pan, fry 2 eggs, sunny side up.  You want the yolk to still be runny.

7) Check the potatoes, if they are still not fork tender or a bit crunchy when you try them, add another 1/4 cup of white wine and cover for another 5 mins.  Season again if necessary.

8) Once the potatoes are done, add in another splash of white wine, scraping up any browned bits left in the pan.  Serve with an egg on top.  Enjoy!

Yum!

Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup/PHỞ GÀ

Recently I have been sick for so long, so I thought, when people got sick or their children got sick what  kind of dinner which will easy to eat and you still feel that you are trying some new and authentic cuisine just like your family are out dating, right?

Vietnamese usually comes with a lot of vegetable. This recipe is so easy and so pungent, onion is to kill all the germs and virus, on top of that lime juice is vitamin C, will be the last to put in the bowl.

Since my friends are so hungry with Rice Noodle so much, I decided to made this dish for them. And boy! They cannot stop eating. I heard that the real Vietnamese they serve really big bowl. I mean REALLY BIG BOWL. May be x3 our size! So, if any could eat more than one, do not question yourself! You are fine!

- Daisy

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I hadn't tried Pho until very recently.  I grew up having delicious Thai noodle soups so I never felt the need to expand my noodle soup repertoire until maybe 3 years ago when the bahn mi craze hit NYC.  Suddenly there were Vietnamese restaurants popping up left and right.  And even then I was reluctant to try it.  I mostly stuck to the wonderful bahn mi sandwiches that were so great.  

Then the day came when I felt miserable but it was during midterms so I couldn't sulk off back to my mom's place for her to nurse me back to life like she usually did.  I was living on St. Marks then and was just down the street from Baoguette so I hauled my ass down and got some Pho.  At first I was skeptical of the basil and the abundance of lime.  Thai noodle soups usually didn't contain any basil and although we added lime, it is nothing near the amount most Viets put into their noodle soups.  

But then I tried it.  And it was awesome.  

I will always love my Thai noodle soups but the flavor profile of Pho is definitely out of this world.  The beef broth.  The lime.  The basil.  GLORIOUS.  The Vietnamese sausage that's on the menu at Baoguette is also crazy good with lots of mint.  

I'm a little sad I missed my mom making this, especially knowing how good her regular noodle soups are.  I'm sure this dish was fantastic, especially in light of all of this Hurricane business.  So jealous of my sister right now.

- Darin

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Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

PHỞ GÀ

For 4-5 Servings

For the Noodles and Broth:
3 1/2 Lbs Chicken, preferable Organic
3" Ginger
2 1/2 Tbsp Salt
3 Tbsp Rock Sugar (kinda hard to find if you don't have an Asian Super near you so just substitute equal amounts of sugar)
2 1/2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 1/2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1 Large Yellow Onions, quartered
1 package of Dry Rice Noodle, soak in hot water for at least 20 mins before you're ready to eat.
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup Salt

The Spices:
1 Tbsp Coriander Seeds
1 Tbsp Black Peppercorn
1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
5 Star Anise
1 Whole Cinnamon Stick
7 Cloves

The Garnishes:
1 Onion, peeled and sliced very thin
1 Lb. Bean Sprouts, 3/4 to be blanched and leave 1/4 raw
4-5 Jalapeño Peppers, seeded and chopped
Lime Wedges
3 -5 Tbsp chopped Green Onion
2-4 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped
2 cups Thai Basil, leaves only
Thai Sriracha Sauce and Hoisin Sauce

1) Rub the chicken with salt and rinse well.

2) Cut out the thick oily yellow skin at the neck of the chicken and the bottom of the chicken (my mom means the butt).

3) Get a big pot of water boiling and boil the chicken for 3 minutes.  Make sure that there is enough water to completely submerge the chicken by an inch.

4) In the same pot, boil another 18-20 cups of water and put the chicken back in along the quartered onion and bring to a simmer (this means low and slow people!). At the same time toast the spices until it fragrant, about 7 minutes.  Add to the pot and continue simmer the broth until everything incorporates, about 45mins to an hour.

5) Take out the chicken and let it cool before slicing into pieces.  If you like some chicken in big pieces, like the drumstick, you may leave them individual.

6) Boil the noodles according to package directions, usually only 2 mins.  This process is much easier if you use a Chinese Colander and boil the noodles in single servings.  Make sure to have soaked the noodles in hot water for at least 20mins before.

7) In another pot, boiled water and add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and 1/4 cup salt.  Blanch the bean sprouts for 2 minutes, then the sliced onions for 2 minutes.

8) Assemble the dish.  Add in the noodles first and top with the blanched bean sprouts, chicken slices, onion, hoisin sauce and Sriracha sauce, cilantro and green onion, all to your liking.  Then pour in the broth and squeeze a wedge of lime over the entire dish.  Add the Thai basil, some fresh raw bean sprouts and jalapeño pepper.  Enjoy!

Moo Yang with Nam Jim Jaew (หมูย่าง น้ำจิ้มแจ่ว)/Thai BBQ Pork with Jaew Dipping Sauce

Moo Yang with Nam Jim Jaew is another food in Thailand that people consumed a lot. It is popular either big restaurant or street vendor. With the dipping sauce hot and sweet and sour, you will feel you want it more and more with your rice or you can steam some glutinous rice that will be make it more traditional. Good for on the go. Thai people eat it in the morning,too.

This Nam Jim Jaew น้ำจิ้มแจ่ว recipe is the best dipping sauce for all Thai BBQ food. Delicious with beef, pork, chicken and squid. I say this is a condiment or dipping sauce. Absolutely not a dressing or marinade!

Moo Yang with Nam Jim Jaew (หมูย่าง น้ำจิ้มแจ่ว) or Thai BBQ Pork with Jaew Dipping Sauce

There are some harder-to-find ingredients in this recipe that can be found in Asian Supermarkets, including the Tamarind Paste and Palm Sugar.

My mom told me that if we ever tried to roast the Thai Chili Pepper (Prik Kee Noo) ourselves, the smokey flavor would burn the house down. The smell of the smoke may be more than some people can stand. It is most suitable for all kinds of Thai salads like Yum, Laab, and Num Tok. Num Tok is another kind of spicy salad dish where you bring out a half cooked dish with some blood to be cooked in the dishware when served. How? With Thai Chili Pepper or Prik Kee Noo and lime juice. This is why in some dishes they do not throw away the lime after they squeeze the juice, they just put it back in the dish when it is ready to serve.

For the Ground Roasted Rice--yeah, this is another thing that we 20th century Thai (lazy) people, found a substitute for----I use Instant Grits. I always use one package for both my Laab and a little bit for my Num Jim Jaew and heat it on a low heat pan on the stove. Keep on stirring until it fragrant while you are working on something else. It will turn a bit brown in around 20-30 mins. Please put it very carefully into the Num Jim, because it will absorb all the juice and the Num Jim will get lumpy. Try to balance it out so you will have a nice and delicious (non-lumpy) dipping sauce.

Originally this recipe is made using Northern Thai Style Fish Sauce or Pla Ra, which is a fermented fish sauce made in Northern Thailand. This also means it might not have been pasteurized before selling to the market, unlike the regular fish sauce that we have seen in the supermarket. But also sometimes we can find a trust worthy Pla Ra from our relatives or usually people who knows where to find it.

- Daisy

The Ground Dried Thai Chili or Prik Kee Noo

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Moo Yang with Nam Jim Jaew (หมูย่าง น้ำจิ้มแจ่ว)

Thai BBQ Pork with Jaew Dipping Sauce

For the Nam Jim Jaew:

1 tsp Dried Ground Thai Chili or Prik Kee Noo (or you can use Smoky Mexican Red Chili)
1/4 cup Liquid Tamarind Paste
2 tsp Palm Sugar
1/2 Salt
1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp Ground Roasted Rice
1/2 cup Coriander Stem or Pak Chee
1 Shallot, sliced
Coriander leaves

1) Combine and the ingredients and taste to your liking.

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For the Thai BBQ Pork:
2 lbs. Pork Neck/Shoulder, sliced into big pieces, about 1" thick

1/4 tsp Roasted and Grounded Coriander seeds
2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 Tbsp Palm Sugar
1Tbsp Sweet Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Cilantro Root
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 cup Garlic
1 1/2 cups Coconut Milk

1) Wash and dry the pork.

2) Combine the rest of the ingredients together. 

3) Put the pork into the marinade piece by piece so the pork becomes completely immersed. Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour to overnight.

4) Heat your grill pan to high and grill pork slices both sides.  Make sure not overcrowd. 

5)  Let it rest for 10mins and then cut each slice into bite sized pieces. 

6) Enjoy with Num Jim Jaew and some Sticky Rice!

Plum and Blue Cheese Gallette

This recipe has blue cheese in it so you know it's definitely not from my mom.  Most Thais do not like cheese and even less a stinky blue cheese like the one I'm using in this recipe.  My father and I are one of the few exceptions and as far as we're concerned, the stinkier, the better!

Cheese is something he and I really bond over while my mother, older brother and little sister look away in disgust.  It just really isn't their thing.  Some of the best memories I have with my father is when he takes the entire family out for brunch at the famous Cafe Lalo in the Upper West Side.  Yep, the very same one that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan filmed in for You've Got Mail.  It's the scene where they were supposed to meet for the first time and Tom Hanks' character realizes that he's been anonymously corresponding with the woman whose life he just ruined.  Queue the dramatic background music!

Anyways, whenever my dad takes us there for brunch, the two of us would pour over the cheese menu and pick a couple to try.  And the fact that the cheese plate comes with quince paste, fresh olive oil and rosemary toast and a tiny glass of fruit wine (raspberry was always my favorite) made it THAT much more awesome.  It was here that my dad taught me that fruit and cheese is a match made in heaven.

So this Plum and Blue Cheese Gallette goes out to you, Dad!

- Darin

Photo courtesy of Alan Hsu, who really needs to do all of our food photography from now, seeing as how my mom and I completely SUCK compared to him!  Thanks Alan!

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Plum and Blue Cheese Gallette

1 Pate Brisee (the best recipe I've tried is Elise's from Simply Recipes with one slight change.  I substitute the water with vodka, a neat trick from America's Test Kitchen!)
5-10 Plums (depending on the size of the plums and how thinly you manage to slice them.  I'd try for 1/2" but you can go up to 1" if you're feeling lazy but I wouldn't recommend any bigger than that)
2 tsp. Lemon Juice (if your Plums are tart/not very ripe like mine were, you can feel free to skip this)
1/3 cup Sugar
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 cup Blue Cheese (you can go cheap for this)

1) Preheat the oven to 400F.  Take the pate brisee out of the fridge and let it sit for 5 mins to get to room temp.

2) In a large bowl, combine the plum slices and sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon.  GENTLY toss and let it macerate while you roll out your dough.

3) Roll out the dough into a 10" circle.  Feel free to be liberal with the flour as it will thicken the plum juice up into a nice sauce.

4) Starting from at least 1" in from the edge, arrange the plum slices in a circle, working from the outside in.

5) Gently fold over the edge of the dough over the first row of plums to create a nice rustic crust.

6)  Drizzle the macerated plum juice over the pie, just enough so that it will stay moist while baking, but not make the gallette soggy.  I know that is a really vague instruction but it will really depend on how ripe your plums are as the more ripe they are, the more juice there will be from macerating.

7)  Crumble the blue cheese over top followed by a sprinkle of sugar to finish.

8) Bake for 20 minutes (but start checking at 15).  Let it cool and enjoy!