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A New Kind of Fried Chicken - Bon Chon Chicken

When I moved to the Falls Church area a little over 3 years ago, I was introduced to the concept of Korean Fried Chicken! It first started with a place in Annandale called Cheogajip Chicken (or I like to refer to it as Pizza and Chicken Love Letter) and then we eventually stumbled onto Bon Chon Chicken on Little River Turnpike. And man, we have been hooked ever since. This is not your typical southern fried chicken. Instead, the double fried process and the spicy coating brings this chicken to a whole new level. The cooking process creates the most crispy shell -- a very savory and spicy coating -- and a super moist interior. There is no real batter for the chicken, so when you bite into it, all your get are the delicious spices and incredibly crispy skin. And since it's deep fried in olive oil, you can feel good about eating a "semi-healthy" dinner. And instead of being served with sides of biscuits and gravy, you get pickled radishes and a coleslaw with a sweet ginger sauce. And trust me, after eating a few pieces of the spicy flavored chicken, your taste buds will want some relief and cool down with the radishes and coleslaw.

So for dinner tonight, we were craving some Bon Chon. We normally go to the location in Annandale, but had heard of a new one opening in Fairfax, so we went to check it out. For those of you who have never been to Bon Chon, here are a few best practices to follow:
- If dining at the restaurant, call in your order before hand since it takes the chicken 30-45 minutes to cook.
- There are only two flavors offered -- soy garlic and spicy -- and the spicy is very spicy, so I'd recommend getting an order of each so you can switch between the sweet and savory and spicy flavors.

So back to the subject at hand, the chicken from the Fairfax location. With the first few bites, it tasted like the same Bon Chon we were obsessed with, but not quite. We got two orders of the large spicy chicken. And I must say, on first impression, I felt that that chicken was spicy, but also had a really good soy garlic undertone as well. The spiciness wasn't overpowering, so I could eat a few pieces of chicken without taking a pickled radish break. But it dawned on me that the chicken wasn't completely the same as the location in Annandale. I kept noticing that the meat was a little bit drier and the skin was a tad overcooked. But I wasn't completely disappointed. It still had the same crispiness that I've come to enjoy with Korean fried chicken and the spicy and savory flavors were on point. But I don't think I'll order the chicken from the Fairfax location again, especially since the Annandale location is only 10 minutes from me. However, looking over the menu, the Fairfax location had some really delicious looking tacos, so I definitely want to go back and give those a try. After what feels like a long hiatus from Korean Fried Chicken, I was satisfied with dinner, and even have some left over for a snack tomorrow!

Embracing the Flavors of India at Rasika Restaurant

Our good friends were celebrating their 4 year wedding anniversary yesterday and asked us if we wanted to join them for dinner. I can't pass up a dinner invitation, especially if it's to a place I haven't been before, but have heard really amazing things about. So we were all set, dinner for a party of 4 at Rasika Restaurant in Penn Quarter.

As soon as you walk in through the glass doors, your senses get enveloped in the tantalizing smells of the various spices and curry combinations. And since I like to do my research in advance before going to a new place, most of the reviews about the decor were spot on. The atmosphere is very chic and hip, and definitely a good combo of upscale and modern. As we were seated at our table, looking around, the place was buzzing, and we had a pretty late dinner reservation. So I was pleasantly surprised at how packed it was for a Thursday night. Our waiter was super friendly and gave us some amazing appetizer and dinner recommendations. And since none of us had dined here before, we ordered based of his suggestions.

First up were the calamari and deep fried baby spinach. The calamari was cooked in a concoction of onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies and the perfect amount of lemon juice. I think the sauce was what made this appetizer so appealing to all of us. It was a great mixture of mildly tangy, herby and spiciness. And what really impressed me was how clean and really fresh the dish tasted. Our waiter had also said that their baby spinach dish -- palak chaat -- was a sure crowd favorite, and he was not kidding! The dish was baby spinach coated in a light cornmeal type batter, deep fried and served with a sweet yogurt sauce, tomato and date chutney over top. Let me tell you, it did not taste like any ordinary spinach! The combination of the fried spinach and sauce made it taste completely different, but oh so savory and delicious! We enjoyed it so much that we had to order another serving for the table!

For the entrees, I wanted to go with a dish that I've always loved, lamb masala. And then we also ordered the chicken green masala. The lamb masala had all the familiar flavors I have come to enjoy when eating Indian cuisine, it was the perfect balance of smoky and hint of sweet from the caramelized onions and tomatoes in the broth. But I think the sure fire winner from dinner was the chicken green masala. It was an amazingly new flavor that I don't think I've come across before. The sauce was super spicy, but worked really well with the undertones of really fresh mint, coriander, and a few other spices that tasted familiar but I couldn't figure out the combination. It reminded me of a typical Indian dish, but somehow just seemed different, but in a good way.

And since we were celebrating an anniversary after all, we had to order dessert! So we ended an absolutely amazing dinner with the chai creme brulee. Now, I've had creme brulee before with some interesting flavors -- green tea and black bean are two combinations that come to mind-- so I was a little hesitant to try another fusion type dessert. However, somehow, the chai combination worked! The flavors were very rich yet the spices were subtle at the same time, so there was nothing overpowering the traditional creme taste.

I am definitely coming back, there were so many things that looked like winners on the menu. If I were to pick one thing that I did not enjoy, it had to be the serving size of the naan. Each order only came with two pieces of naan.  How could I enjoy my savory sauces with just two pieces? Luckily our waiter told us we would need extra orders. And I have to concur with the many reviews I read before my visit, this one was of the best Indian dining experiences I've had. The food was amazing, the wait staff were really friendly and completely helpful and overall, it was a great culinary adventure.

Holy Smokey, it's Guacamole!!

I've never really been a fan of avocados, except if they were a part of my sushi roll. So it's been quite a challenge for me to really enjoy it, even though I know it's packed with nutrition and really good for you. But as of late, I've been having salads with slices of avocado mixed in and slowly, I've come to the conclusion that I don't completely hate them. I'm still acclimating to the taste and texture, but think that after a few more attempts, I just might acquire a taste for them. So I was having a Mexican themed dinner tonight -- main entree were chilli chipotle shrimp tacos with avocado salsa verde. And I, for some strange reason, really had an itch to make guacamole. Now mind you, I've only had this dip twice before, but felt compelled to try and make it in my own kitchen! The end result actually turned out surprisingly delicious. I was enjoying the creamy and smooth flavors of the dip. And one thing that really impressed me was how fresh it tasted! However, I couldn't eat too much, like I said, it's a taste that I'm trying to acquire. I wanted to share this recipe today cause I was super proud of my culinary first!

Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados
juice from half a lemon
6 dashes of hot pepper sauce
1/3 cup of finely chopped yellow onions
1 large garlic clove, mashed and finely diced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small ripe tomato, seeded and finely diced

Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and using a spoon, scoop the flesh out of their shells and cut into large chunks and place into a bowl. Immediately add the lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a potato masher, roughly mash the mixture. I wanted to retain some texture in my dip, so I didn't mash it up too much. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Taste the dip for salt and pepper and add more if needed. Serve with your favorite corn chips and enjoy a super healthy snack!

Is there a benefit to eating Organic?

Tuan and I have tweaked our diet for almost 2 years now by eating organically and using all natural ingredients whenever possible. What really spurred this movement was watching the movie Food Inc. It just sparked something in me to become more aware of what I'm actually consuming and be more aware of what I'm introducing into my body. Now if we flash back just 5 years ago, I was totally on the other end of the spectrum, eating junk food like it was critical to my survival and stocking my fridge full of pre-made loaded with preservative type meals. I was more focused on convenience and wanted instant gratification from the vending machines. I do see the folly in my past ways, and thankfully, my health has not suffered from it.

I'm really happy with this conscious choice we made to be more aware of what we put into our bodies and to support the local farmers in our area. What are the exact reasons for this change? To be honest with you, it's a little bit selfish. It never occurred to me that eating organically and supporting the organic farms would help to promote more humane treatment of animals or to help save the environment. I just wanted to only put necessary and good things in my body. So that actually got me thinking, are there really any advantages and benefits to going the organic route?

Let's start with what I love most -- meat! The living conditions of the animals in industrialized farms can make anyone queasy.  I'd like to have happy thoughts and hope that the animals, even though they are being raised strictly for food, enjoy a life (no matter how short) that is relatively stress-free, free-grazing on the land and not being manufactured in crowded and sometimes deplorable living conditions. Happy animals make happy meat right? Placing the animals in crowded living conditions, not allowing them the freedom of movement, pumping them full of enriched grains and additives to promote quick growth are all for what? All for greed and to fill the pockets of the mass food manufacturers.I'd rather have my hard earned money go to the local farmers who are just trying to earn an honest living. Organic farms are free of pesticides and toxins. They do not clutter up the landfills with toxic waste or pollute the water source with pesticides. It is a conscious choice on their part and I'm happy to support them.

When most people consume fruits and veggies, they do it for the good nutrients and vitamins. But do you really want to ingest the toxins and pesticides as well? Do you really care if your apple has a few blemishes on it? Eliminating the use of these toxins that could potentially pollute the water source and harm the environment should be enough of a reason to pay that extra $0.50 for that apple.And don't you want to taste what an apple should taste like? Instead of eating one that's been prematurely plucked but should ripen just in time before it hits the grocery shelves thanks to the chemicals. One of the things that really surprised us was apple juice. Now I know what apple juice should taste like, but after we got a bottle of organic apple juice, we were startled at the taste -- it tasted just like apples picked from an orchard!

Organic food is costly, but in my eyes, it is cost effective. Think of the expenses you have to incur on doctors and medicine when you’re ill. Now I'm not saying that eating organically will mean no more colds or no more doctor's visits. But healthy eating practices can lead to a healthier life. Precaution is always better and it certainly helps to be conscious about your health. And it is certainly good practice to be cautious and aware of what you are eating, what's in it and where it's from. So all I'm saying is just read labels of the items you throw into your shopping cart and ask yourself is all that stuff you can't pronounce really necessary? And visit the farmer's market every once in a while and just get to know your food source. There are some great ones in our area -- Old Town Alexandria, Falls Church, Clarendon Metro Station, and Dupont Circle just to name a few, so go check one out on a nice day and feel good about what you eat.

Banh Ja’neuk - Sweet Mung Bean Dumplings for Cambodian New Year

We were in Richmond this past weekend to celebrate Cambodian New Year with my family. Technically this year, the New Year begins April 14-16, but the Richmond community celebrated a weekend early. So what does this mean, my mom cooks up a storm in her kitchen! On the car ride down, my brother and I were actually craving the same dessert, the sweet and coconut infused mung bean dumplings. It's actually a glutinous rice flour that has the similar consistency of tapioca and the filling is a sweet mung bean paste. It totally brought me back to our childhood. And my mom was more than happy to make a big pot for us to ring in the new year right!

Ingredients:
3 oz split mung beans (can be found at the Asian market)
1 can sweet coconut milk
2 oz pure palm sugar
1/2 cup glutinous rice flour (can be found at the Asian market)
1/3 cup of water
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon toasted black sesame seed, grounded into a powder for garnish

Soak the mung beans in warm water for at least 3-4 hours -- it's best to soak overnight. Rinse and drain the mung beans. Wrap in a cheesecloth and gently apply pressure to remove any excess water. Place the cheesecloth in a steamer and steam for about 20-25 minutes to soften the beans. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer a small amount of the mung beans at a time to a mortar & pestle and mash to a paste. Reserve 1 cup of coconut milk and pour the remainder in a medium pot over low heat. Add palm sugar, a pinch of salt and 1/3 cup of water to the pot. Stir until the palm sugar dissolves and then turn off the heat and set aside.

In a large glass bowl, pour a little warm water with the glutinous rice flour -- it's best to pour a little water at a time and mix to start forming a dough. You should not use more than 1/3 cup of water for the dough. As you form the dough use your hands and palm to knead the dough until soften. Once the dough is formed, divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll each portion into a long roll with the palms of your hand. Then using a knife, for each of the rolls, make a mark about every 1/2 inch a part; this serves as a guide so your dumplings are of equal size.
 
Now comes the fun part! Separate the dough by the marking and start forming a quarter size ball. If the dough cracks you can dip your fingers in warm water and press it. Flatten out the ball in the palm of your hand and add about 1/3 teaspoon of the cooled mung bean paste. Then reform the ball around the paste. In a pot of boiling water,  drop the dumplings in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pot. The dumplings will float to the top when it's cooked. Remove them from the boiling water and add to the pot of coconut syrup. This will help prevent the dumplings from sticking together. Once all dumplings are in the syrup, add the reserved 1 cup of coconut milk and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and mix well. Turn the heat to medium low and bring to a slow simmer for 2-3 minutes. then simmer for 2-3. Wait until cool before serving. When ready to serve, scoop a few dumplings and coconut sauce into a small bowl. Sprinkle with some powdered toasted black sesame seeds for the finishing touch.

Acadiana Restaurant - a little Cajun inspiration in Chinatown

Last night, my good friend Magda and I went to Acadiana Restaurant to celebrate her new job. She had never been there before so I was super ecstatic to share with her one of my favorite places. I love Cajun cooking, probably due to my love of all things salty and savory! There were a few items on the menu that were a little unusual for Magda, so we steered clear away from those. They actually had a prix fixe menu for dinner, $35 for a 3 course meal, how could you go wrong with that? And we ordered a bottle of wine and got settled in for a delicious dinner.

I started with the trio of deviled eggs and Magda got the spring mix salad. I don't know what it is with deviled eggs, but I have an insane attraction to them, maybe it's cause I grew up in the south? But my trio did not disappoint! Starting from the left, I had the crabmeat ravigote -- superb pieces of crabmeat on top of the creamy and buttery filling; cheddar cheese bacon -- when something comes presented with a piece of bacon on top, there's no criticism to be found; and caviar deviled egg -- which I think happens to be my favorite, the salty caviar works so well with the creamy egg mixture and gives it that extra punch of flavor.

For our main courses, I got the New Orleans style BBQ shrimp and Magda got the cornmeal crusted catfish. The catfish was deep fried to perfection, and it's even inspired me to try and make some deep fried fish at home using a cornmeal coating. It was served in a tomato bouillon sauce with a generous helping of house made bacon.

I was in New Orleans earlier this year and got to devour some of the best BBQ shrimp at Brennan's Restaurant while I was down there. Magda warned me not to compare this BBQ shrimp to the one I ate at Brennan's. When the dish came out, there was no  need to compare, this dish was equally just as delicious! The BBQ sauce is a little bit of a misnomer since it's not the traditional sweet and thick BBQ sauce used for grilling. Instead, it's a lighter flavor full of intoxicating spices that's perfect to dip some crusty bread in. And one of the bonuses of this dish, the shrimp was already peeled, so I wasn't at the table licking the juicy sauce off my fingers, not that I mind doing that at all.

To continue with my theme of going down memory lane to New Orleans, I had to get the beignets for dessert. Magda got the bread pudding for dessert, minus the vanilla ice cream. I'm not a huge fan of bread pudding, but it did look really delicious, and it was apparently served with spiced pralines for that extra kick of flavor. My beignets were as pillowy and soft as I remembered and served with a generous dusting of powdered sugar. It was the perfect end to a great meal. 

Vietnamese food at Present Restaurant

Present opened up a few years ago and I've known a lot of people who have dined there and the reviews for the restaurant have been quite good. With it being only a few minutes from us, it was one of the places that I've wanted to try for a long time. We finally went there for dinner last night and I did have some pretty high expectations, mainly because I've been so spoiled at having Tuan's mom make us really delicious Vietnamese cuisine at home, so I wanted to see how it compared to home cooking. The restaurant itself was not what you expect from the outside. You walk in and the decor is a really neat combo of modern and traditional. And I loved the wood work on the wall and the orchids everywhere. One thing I found really amusing were the names of all the entrees, I've never seen such naming conventions like "Fish Swimming in Spring Water" or "Blue Paradise Summer Roll" but found it really neat.

So we ordered 2 appetizers and 2 fish entrees. When the waiter was running through their daily specials, he had mentioned this fried rock fish and we both salivated over that. As for the appetizers, we got banh beo (steamed rice cake with dried shrimp) and cha gio (a crispy spring roll with a pork and shrimp mixture). Our waiter talked us out of getting the normal cha gio and told us to get their special cha gio wrapped in rice thread paper instead.

The presentation of the spring roll was really cool and it was recommended that we roll up the spring roll in a lettuce leaf and add a mint leaf. I love cha gio and the crispiness of it and the delicious pork and shrimp mixture on the inside. I think the one we ordered with the rice thread paper had a little too much going on; the rice paper was a little too intricate and I felt that it was taking a lot away from the flavor of the meat mixture on the inside. Wrapping it in the lettuce with the mint leaf and dipping in the sauce did give it some flavor, but I kinda regretted letting the waiter talk us out of ordering the normal cha gio.

Next up was the banh beo. Again, I was very impressed with the presentation. I think I made the mistake of trying to compare this to the version Tuan's mom makes. It was good, but not what I was used to and it was a little difficult to eat since the rice cake was clinging to the little bowl it was served in. But all the similar flavors were still there.

For my entree, I ordered the Fish in Shallow Water - caramelized fish in a clay pot. When it came out, the waiter warned me to not over do it with the sauce since it was salty. I love salt, so I didn't heed his warning and scoop a lot of sauce and slathered my rice with it. And man, it was salty. The fish itself was cooked very well, but the caramelized flavor was a little over powered by the saltiness of the sauce.

Tuan got one of the specials as his entree, fried rock fish fillet with a ginger sauce. That entree was enough for 2 people, it was a huge fillet! And fried to perfection. The chef had filleted it from tail to head and all we were left with was a huge piece of delicious fish! The sauce that accompanied the dish was really good too, it was a light soy sauce with ginger, onions and shallots. I think this entree was my favorite, how can you go wrong with a classic - fried fish and rice!

Overall consensus, the food was good, but I think my tastes are a little biased. The rock fish was really really good and I enjoyed every bite of it. I think though that we should have tried a few different items. But all in all, I did enjoy my dinner and the prices were super reasonable. I had heard the desserts there were really good, but we actually had a pretty big dinner, so didn't really plan well and save room for dessert. Oh well, there's always next time!

An Amazing Chicken Curry recipe!!!

This is the second time I've made this curry dish on my own and I feel like I've finally mastered it! The combination of the habanera pepper simmering away in the broth gives this curry a really nice punch of heat but it's packed full of flavor as well. We normally eat our curry with either crusty french bread for dipping, rice or a bowl of rice noodles, but we tried it with naan last night and it was delicious!

Just a caution, this dish is really spicy, so if you want to dial back the heat, I'd recommend only using half the measurements of the curry pastes below. But if you want to be adventurous, your taste buds will definitely be tantalized.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, skin removed, de-boned and cut into 2-3 inch pieces
1 bottle of yellow curry paste
1 can of red curry paste
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 stalk of lemongrass, cut into 3 pieces
1 bay leaf
1 habanera pepper, left whole
1 lb of small potatoes, peeled and left whole
1 can coconut milk
1 qt half and half
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
6 cups water

Wash the chicken pieces under cold water and thoroughly pat dry. In a small bowl, mix together the oil from the top of the yellow curry paste, the whole can of red curry paste, shallots, garlic, salt and sugar. Pour the marinade over the chicken and mix well to make sure all the pieces are coated, let the chicken marinade for 30-45 minutes.

In a large saute pan, add some olive oil over high heat. Fry the chicken pieces until they are brown on each side, save the marinade in the bowl. Remove the chicken and place in a large stock pot. In the same saute pan used to fry the chicken, scoop in the remaining marinade mix from the bowl, add in all the yellow curry paste, the lemon grass pieces and 2 cups of water. Bring to a good boil. Then pour all of the sauce into the stock pot with the chicken pieces.

Add in the remaining 4 cups of water, potatoes, bay leave and habenero pepper to the pot. Cook covered over low heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and scooping out any fat and oil that surfaces.

Add in the whole can of coconut milk and half and half. Mix well and continue simmering for 15 minutes. When you taste the broth, there should be a good balance of sweet and salty from the coconut milk and curry pastes. Add salt to taste. Add in the onions and continue simmering for 10 minutes, until the onions are soft.

And since this ends up being a huge pot of curry, the broth freezes really well, so you can have dinner for another night during the week!

Chicken and Rice Soup

Tuan is feeling a little under the weather this weekend and I wanted to make something to help him feel better. He had asked for some store bought chicken noodle soup. Well, I wanted to do one better than that and make some home made soup! So I found this really simple and easy chicken and rice soup that looked delicious enough that even I wanted a bowl. And I was super excited about the different herb combinations listed in the ingredients, it sounded like a really hearty and rustic soup that could be served with a gigantic chunk of crusty bread.

Ingredients:
1 large whole organic free range chicken (as with my previous post, I prefer organic chicken to make the broth)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, add more to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 stalks of celery, trimmed and diced
2 medium leeks, light green and white part only diced
2 medium carrots, diced
10 sprigs fresh leave parsley
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leave
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup white rice, cooked per the instructions on the package

Cut the chicken into 8 pieces, rinse well under cold water and thoroughly pat dry. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the chicken and saute until well browned, about 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and pour out any fat left in the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the celery, leeks, and carrots, saute for 10 minutes until soft.

Tie the parsley sprigs, thyme and bay leaf with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot. Add in the cooked chicken and the chicken broth. Bring the soup to a boil and then adjust the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer, cook covered for 25 minutes. Remove the chicken and herb bundle. Skim any excess fat from the surface of the soup and continue to simmer on low heat. When the chicken is cool enough to handle remove the meat from the bones and cut into 1-inch chunks. Add the meat back to the soup and add the cooked rice. Cook until the meat and rice are heated through. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Pho at my house!

 

One of my favorite dishes of all time has to be chicken pho and I'm super excited that I can make it at home now. I've made this dish so many times now that I think I know the recipe like the back of my hand. And one of the great things about making chicken pho at home is that I can totally tailor the flavors to exactly how I like it! I love my broth to be a good mix of sweet and salty, so you can adjust the sugar and salt below to your own taste. I had my brother and a friend over for lunch today, and we went through the entire pot of pho, each person devouring about 2 bowls each! This may seem like an intimidating dish at first, but it's relatively easy compared to the normal beef pho recipe. 

One thing I do want to call out is that I recommend using organic chicken for this recipe. The broth will turn out a lot less oily and fatty and there will be barely any chicken residue to scoop out of the broth.

Ingredients:

1 large whole chicken

1 large yellow onion, left whole with skin on
1 large shallot, left whole with skin on
3 inch piece of ginger, coarsely peeled
8 cubes of chicken bouillon
palm full of rock sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole star anise
2 teaspoon sea salt
1 package of rice noodles
1 large yellow onion sliced into thin slices
4 green onions, finely chopped

Rinse the chicken under cold water and thoroughly pat dry. Place the onion, shallot and ginger under the broiler for approximately 5 minutes to char. In a large stock pot, place the chicken and add enough cold water to cover the entire chicken and cook on medium high heat. Add the charred onion, shallot and ginger. Bring to a boil and remove any white foam/residue that surfaces. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 45 minutes, checking the broth frequently and removing any foam from the surface.

Remove the chicken and continue simmering the broth on low heat. Once the chicken is cool to handle, remove the meat and shred the meat; return the bones to the broth. Add the chicken  bouillon, rock sugar and salt to the broth and continue to watch over the broth and remove any foam/residue that surfaces. Occasionally taste the broth for a good balance between salty and sweet.  Continue simmering the broth for another 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken bones, onion, shallot and ginger and discard. Strain the broth into a new large stock pot. The final broth should be clear of all residue and should now be a savory combination of salty and sweet. In a small pan, lightly toast the cinnamon stick and star anise. Add to the broth and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and star anise from the broth right before serving.

Cook the rice noodles per the instructions on the package. To prepare the final dish, add some cooked rice noodles to a bowl, add in some shredded chicken, sliced onions and chopped green onions. Ladle a generous amount of broth to the bowl. Some additional optional toppings are bean sprouts, thai basil, fresh squeezed lime, hoisin sauce and siracha sauce.

And if you don't have a group of people to help go through the broth with you, the broth freezes really well so you can have multiple servings of chicken pho later in the week!

Getting fat and happy at Honey Pig Gooldaegee

Korean BBQ has been quite trendy lately. I mean come on, who doesn't love a ton of meat cooked up right in front of you? And I feel like there are places popping up left and right all over Annandale. On our way home last night, we really weren't sure what to do for dinner. So as we're driving down Columbia Pike, trying to figure out where to go, we slowly make our way to Honey Pig and just had to turn in. It would be blasphemous to drive past right?

And normally we just get two platters of meat, but Tuan was super hungry and we both wanted to see if we could knock out 3 platters. So we ordered the bulgolgi, spicy pork belly (and asked for the chili paste) and marinated beef short ribs.

I happen to be sitting in the direct line of the steam, so I was getting a total meat facial. I didn't really care, I was going straight home afterwards, so smelling like meat didn't phase me at all. I always ask for extra kim chi, I love that stuff. I'm hoping to get my hands on Tuan's aunt's recipe soon so I can makes jars full of it for myself!

A really tasty way to eat is to get a piece of lettuce, pile on some meat, sauteed onions, roll it up and dip in the sauce. Or you can enjoy with a bowl of rice as well. The bulgolgi we ordered is one of my favorites, tender meat just marinating in a sweet and savory sauce. The spicy pork is amazing, especially as they're cooking it on the grill, they slather on more of the chili paste over top. So as the pork cooks, you get this caramelized sweet and super spicy flavor, absolutely delicious! And we normally order the galbi - beef short ribs, but they had a poster up of the marinated version, so we ordered that. It did not disappoint at all. The flavors were on point! One of the things I really love about Korean BBQ is just how simple it all is. It's straight up just meat cooked on a grill, served with a wide variety of picked veggies and sauces. The price is super reasonable and it's open 24/7, so you can get your meat fix any time, day or night.

Wednesday Wings Day

It's the middle of the work week, and what does this mean?? Wings at Hooters for lunch. I went with some co-workers today for the Wednesday wing platter special - $5.99 for a plate of boneless chicken wings with french fries - and just fell compelled to blog about it. Now Hooters by no means is known for their food, but the thrifty side of me can't resist a good deal, lunch for under $10 is amazing in my book!

So I ordered the wing platter in the samurai sauce and then slatered it in hot sauce. I actually do like the sauce a lot, it's a combo of sweet, tangy and spicy. And the chicken itself are bite size portions of white meat. It's definitely not gourmet, and I'm sure there are many other options within walking distance for a healthier lunch, but for the price that you pay, it's not all that bad. The fried pickles were actually very tasty, just the way it should be made in the south. I'm actually inspired to try some fried pickles at home, so there will definitiely be a future blog post about that. But all in all, it was a cheap lunch that was very filling and great company!

Moules, Frites and Libations at Brasserie Beck

This is my second time dining at Brasserie Beck and man, dinner last night lived up to my every expectation! We didn't have reservations, but went there straight after work and only had to wait a few minutes for a table. The bar was hopping with happy hour drinkers, so the dining room wasn't really crowded. As a bonus, I never realized how close this place is to where I work! I already knew I was going to devour some delicious mussels and fries, but also wanted to try something else off their menu.

To start, we got the crispy veal sweetbread. Now let me begin and say that I've only had veal once before. It's a taste that I'm trying to get acclimated to. But this dish was amazingly delicious! It's served on top of squash risotto with sage butter that was cooked to perfection, absolutely creamy and full of flavor. As for the sweetbread, it was super crispy and light and as you bite into it, you get this burst of salty goodness! I couldn't believe I was actually enjoying every bite.

Next up, I ordered a full portion of the spicy red thai curry mussels. The mussels came out with a heaping bowl of delicious crispy french fries with sprinkled parsley and three dipping sauces. The presentation of the mussels is kind of interesting too. If everyone at the table orders it, the wait staff comes out with a huge covered pot and then open all the lids at once at the table. It's like "ta da, here's your dinner!" My mussels were cooked to perfection in this amazing sauce that was sweet, salty and spicy, all my favorite flavor combinations. There was also a generous portion of crusty bread to use to soak up the saucy goodness. Tuan got the mussels that were cooked in a mushroom broth. It tasted very hearty and you could taste the mushroom flavor with just a hint of herbs. Not your traditional type of mussels, but still finger licking good!

After polishing off everything in front of us, there really wasn't much room left for dessert. I couldn't believe how full I was, but that could have been the effects of the wine as well. They have a very impressive wine and beer selection and our waiter told us last night that they were having a special with half off bottles of select wine.

I really did enjoy everything about dinner last night and was so happy to come and try it out again. As we were sitting at our table, I drooled over some of the other entrees that the tables close to us were eating. So needless to say, I see future trips so I can try more food.

A Healthy Cake Recipe?!

Since I've started my whole baking adventure, I have yet to try and tackle baking a cake, until tonight that is! I challenged myself to finally make a cake. And I didn't just want to bake any cake, but I wanted something healthy that I could feel good about after having more than one slice. So, I found this amazing orange walnut cake recipe on Martha Stewart's Whole Living site and tried it tonight. It's full of vitamin C, folate and omega 3 fatty acids, so I felt that this was a perfect recipe to try, I get a delicious dessert and some much needed nutrients. I was very impressed with the end result and having a slice of cake with a hot cup of green tea was the perfect ending to a Monday!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 large eggs
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
Confectioners' sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the orange zest, flour, baking powder, salt, and ground walnuts. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and stir in the eggs, brown sugar, orange juice, and oil until well mixed and just moistened.

Brush a 9" cake pan with olive oil and line the bottom with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean,  about 35 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. When ready to serve, dust generously with confectioners' sugar and enjoy with a cup of hot green tea!

A Very Special Oatmeal Cookie

 Catherine turned the big 3-0  this weekend and she doesn't have a huge sweet tooth (anymore), but I still wanted to bake some goodies for her to help commemorate the milestone. So I went through my normal cupcake and cookie recipes, and felt that everything I've made so far would be a little too rich for Catherine. But I do remember these amazing oatmeal cookies Theresa had made a while ago, and I loved them. I remember even having a few cookies for breakfast cause they felt super healthy! So she shared with me the recipe and I was super excited to try them out!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup cane sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, until toasty. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, brown sugar and cane sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla. 

In a separate bowl, sift the flower, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix well. Add the oats, raisins, cranberries, chocolate chips and pecans and mix just until combined. 

Using a tablespoon, drop 2-inch mounds of the cookie dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.

Risotto with Mushrooms and Scallops

One of my favorite restaurants is Chef Geoff's, they have the most amazing scallop risotto and I'm in love with it. It's cooked to perfection, firm and creamy. So I wanted to recreate the same experience at home and try making my own risotto! I was super excited at how it turned out and dinner last night was a huge success.

Ingredients:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 pounds sea scallops, remove and discard the tough muscle
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, minced
2 garlic gloves, minced
1 pound of mixed mushrooms, such as portabella, cremini and shitake, stemmed and sliced
leaves from a handful of fresh thyme sprigs
2 tbsp of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, reserve a little for garnish
2 bay leaves
2 cups of Arborio rice, or any short grain plump rice
1/2 cup of Pinot Grigrio
6 cups of chicken stock, heated
2 tbsp of unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Place a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle with about 2 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot, sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper and brown well on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm while you prepare the risotto.

Reduce the heat to medium. Drizzle in another 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Add in the mushrooms, thyme, parsley and bay leaves, season with salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil, season again with salt and pepper. Stir in the wine and cook about 1 minute to evaporate the alcohol.

Now, pour in 1 cup of the warm chicken stock and stir until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid. Add another cup of stock and stir.  Continue this way, stirring constantly and adding the warm stock 1 cup at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid before adding more. You want the final consistency to be slightly firm and creamy. When the risotto is cooked, fold in the butter and cheese and stir well. Add in the scallops to warm them back up. Serve warm and garnish with the reserved parsley.

The Best Peking Duck in Town!

Peking Gourmet Inn in Falls Church has to be hands down my favorite place for peking duck. And for the price, it's a great meal for 2! Whenever my husband and I try to find a casual place to go eat, we always apply the "duck rule". If we decide to go to a mediocre place and it will end up costing more than a duck, then to us, it's not worth it and we might as well have duck instead. So on our way home from work last night, we applied the rule and decided that we should get a duck!

So what exactly is peking duck? It originated in the city of Beijing, China during the imperial era and is now thought to be one of China's signature foods. It's a type of roast duck that is known especially for it's skin, which has to be kept thin, crispy and dark brown in color. And the presentation of the duck is also important, there seems to be an exact art from to the way it's prepared.

And for those who have never been to Peking Gourmet Inn, it does get pretty packed during peak dinner hours, so make reservations whenever you can. One of the things that you'll first notice inside the restaurant as you get seated are all the pictures of people from Capitol Hill. It's pretty neat to look at all the different people who have dined here.

We don't even bother looking at the menu anymore, we normally each order an appetizer and then a duck to share. There are a few other dishes that are super delicious -- peking style lamb chops (New Zealand lamb chops cooked in a concoction of spices) and Jae Yon shrimp (huge jumbo shrimp battered and fried). But last night, we were on a mission and just wanted duck.

The duck comes out whole and is carved perfectly table side. They use some super sharp knife and manage to slice pieces of the extremely crispy skin and cut away all the fat so all you're left with are crispy skin and delicate duck meat. The carver proceeds with this process until the entire duck is carved and you're left with about 2 plates of delicious meat and skin!








Along with the duck, there is a spread of hand made pancakes, hoisin sauce, strips of sliced green onions and sliced green chili peppers in soy sauce. You can also ask for sliced cucumbers, which I do recommend.

There is a little bit of a technique to eating this. But you pretty much just prepare it like a burrito -- place a pancake on your plate, spread some hoisin sauce, add in a few slices of the crispy skin and the meat, add veggies if you want some and if you want to kick it up a notch, add some chili peppers. Then roll it up and enjoy!

KitchenAid Stand Mixer review

I think the driving factor for my recent affair with baking is because I have a totally awesome mixer. The KitchenAid brand has been synonymous with professional quality and durability, so the thought of owning one really made me happy! I got the Ultra Power model, and not only is the one sitting in my kitchen easy on the eyes -- with a gorgeous gray color -- but it works like a charm.

Here are just a few feature highlights:
- 300 watts of power and 10 speeds
- metal attachments and a hub that accepts a wide variety of attachments
- 4.5 qt bowl
- makes cooking and baking super simple

The bowl itself is hand wash only, but it cleans easily. And it comes with three attachments: a balloon whisk, flat beater and dough hook. The price can be a bit of a sticker shock, but I feel that it's worth it's weight in gold and I am thrilled to finally own one! And with the Ultra Power model, it's perfect for making bread  flour at very low speeds to allow the gluten to form properly and at a higher speed, it whips up egg whites for the perfect meringue consistancy! The only caution I have is to be aware of the power of this mixer and  make sure to turn down the speed to low as you're adding ingredients.

I can honestly say that this mixer has me craving to make things just so that I can use it. It's super simple to operate and really easy to clean. And if you're like me and tend to get flour and sugar everywhere, just wipe down the mixer with a damp towel, soak the bowl in hot water for a few minutes and ta da, it's clean! I'm actually really excited to get the meat grinder attachment and ice cream making bowl. If I were to ever fall in love with an appliance, my KitchenAid has to be it!

Going Organic at Elevation Burger

So while at work today, I had a huge craving for a burger and really wanted to go to Elevation Burger in Arlington. We normally go to the location in Falls Church but had heard about the new one opening up in Arlington, so why not go check it out. One of the best things about this place is that their beef is all organic, grass fed and ground on site; also, they make fresh hand cut french fries cooked in olive oil! How could you go wrong with that! Ordering is super fun here cause you can choose how many beef patties you want, how many slices of cheese and a wide variety of fresh toppings. And their milk shakes are amazingly delicious, so it's a dessert you shouldn't pass up. And for vegetarians, they do offer two different veggie burgers.

So for dinner tonight, I decided to go with the elevation burger -- two beef patties and two slices of real cheddar cheese. And for some reason, this burger tastes super healthy to me. I feel like I could eat two or three more burgers and not feel like a gluttonous pig. The fries are cooked to perfection and all you need to do is sprinkle a little salt and then devour away. The restaurant itself is all about being green, they use energy efficient appliances and the tables and chairs are made from sustainable products. And it always makes me smile when I see a place promoting recycling.

Now I know burger joints tend to have a cult following and many people are very loyal to their favorite place, but if you're up for giving a new place a try and want to get some amazing grass fed beef, do try out Elevation Burger.

Sponge cupcakes with real jam!!

My new years resolution this year is to give up corn syrup. I figured it'd be pretty easy to accomplish since I try to eat organically and naturally as much as possible. And since I have a  huge sweet tooth, I've been able to give up the daily trips to the vending machine and stopped walking down the candy aisle at the grocery store. However, one love of mine that's been tough giving up is jam!! I love that sweet ooey gooey goodness and especially with my crazy travel schedule and ordering room service when I'm on the road, I have to just look at those cute little packets of jam with dismay since I can't have it.

But yet again, Trader Joe's saves the day. They carry a line of organic jam made with real cane sugar. Imagine my excitement when I bought a big ole jar. So to celebrate, I decided to make some sponge cupcakes with a surprise jam center!

  

Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
1 cup cane sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 tablespoon warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup strawberry jam (make sure to get one that is firm)
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and fill a 12-cup muffin tin with the cupcake liner.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Starting and ending with an egg, alternate adding eggs and flour, beating until each is thoroughly incorporated. Beat in the water and vanilla until well mixed .

Spoon two heaping tablespoons of batter into each muffin cup followed by 1 teaspoon of jam -- do not stir jam to loosen. Top with 1 heaping tablespoon of batter, spreading to ensure jam is fully covered. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, let cupcakes stand a couple of minutes and then move onto a wire rack to cool. When ready to serve, dust with powdered sugar. Serve with cup of green tea and enjoy with friends!

Roast Pork and Shrimp Noodle Soup

If you can't tell by now, I love Asian foods. I think the complexity of the flavors and the sweet and savory combinations are what get me everytime and always tantalizes my taste buds! And since I've journeyed out to try and become an aspiring chef, one of my goals has been to learn how to make a few of my favorite Asian dishes.

The one I'm sharing today is known as Hu Tieu -- roast pork and shrimp noodle soup. And I just want to say that this is a very labor intensive recipe and time consuming recipe. But, the end result is definitely worth it to me! And the recipe can feed a large group, so it's a great meal to serve for a dinner party. So if you've got a few hours on hand and want to take a stab at something new, I'd definitely recommend giving this a shot if you're feeling adventurous.

Broth Ingredients -- Most of these ingredients can be found at the Asian stores
2 packs of pork knuckle
2 packs of chicken neck bones
3 pieces of dried squid
1 large yellow onion
4 large shallots
6 tbsp of black pepper
1 daikon
5 tbsp of rock sugar
4 tbsp of salt
1 tbsp of msg

In a large pot, bring water to boil and add the pork knuckles to the boiling water for a few minutes. Drain. In a 12 qt pot, add the pork bones, chicken necks and squid. Add water till about 2/3 full. Cook over medium heat for about 1 hour.

Place the onion and shallots under the broiler for a few minutes to roast and char. Then add to the broth mixture. Peel and cut the daikon into 4 chunks. Add to the broth. Add the pepper and cook on low heat for 6 hours.

Remove all the ingredients from the broth and strain the broth to remove all the particles. Place the broth in back in the pot over low heat. Add the rock sugar, salt and msg. Continue simmering on low heat for 1 hour. While the broth is simmering, prepare the other ingredients below.

Ground Pork Recipe:
1.5lbs of ground pork
1 bag of dried shrimp
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper
2 large shallots, sliced
8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Soak 1/3 of the bag of dried shrimp in hot water and rinse. After thoroughly drying, chop up finely. In a pan, add a little bit of oil, add the chopped up dried shrimp and 1 tsp of salt. Once the shrimp is a toasted brown color, remove from heat and set aside.

In a separate pan, add the sliced shallots and finely chopped garlic. Add in ground pork. Make sure to completely separate the pork. Add in black pepper. As the pork cooks, continue mixing to make sure the pork pieces remain separated. If the mixture is too dry, add in a few tablespoons of water at a time to keep the mixture moist. After the pork is cooked, add in the toasted shrimp mixture and mix well. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.

BBQ Pork recipe:
2lbs boneless pork shoulder
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp of sugar
1 package of asian bbq pork seasoning (preferred brand is NOH)
1/2 tsp of black pepper
pork marinade (recipe below)

pork marinade recipe:
4 tbsp of oyster sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 pieces of star anise
1/4 tsp of chinese five spice powder
1/2 tsp of msg
2 tbsp asian bbq pork seasoning
Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and set aside.

In a pot, boil water and add the boneless pork shoulder and cook for a few minutes. Drain and cut into 3 pieces. In a pan, add the garlic and add the pork marinade. Add in a few tablespoons of water to thin out the mix. Add in sugar and pepper. Once the sauce is well mixed, add in the 3 pieces of pork to the pan and coat well. Add in enough water to cover the pork and cook on low heat until the pork is done. Remove pork once it's cooked and slice into thin pieces.

In the same pan used to cook the pork, add 2 tbsp ketchup to that pan and simmer the sauce until it thickens. (This is the dark sauce that you use to add to the hu tieu on the side)

And here are the instructions on how to make a few additional toppings:
Ingredients:
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 packs of egg noodles

In a small pot, add chopped garlic and enough oil to cover the garlic. Cook the garlic until golden brown. Strain the garlic and set aside, this will be used as a topping for the hu tieu.

Cook the egg noodles per the instructions on the package. When you are ready to serve, assemble per the instructions below:

In each bowl, add egg noodles, add the ground pork and shrimp mixture, then top with the sliced pork and sprinkle the cooked garlic on top. You can also add a few springs of cilantro for garnish.
In a separate small bowl, ladle in the broth. Add sliced yellow onions and green onions to flavor the broth. In another small bowl, ladle in some of the dark ketchup sauce. You can serve with bean sprouts, chinese celery and lime slices on the table.

Rack of Lamb!!

One of my favorite meats of all time has to be lamb. And I actually think it was a recent discovery, cause I certainly don't remember eating lamb so frequently a few years ago. But I think it's one of the perfect meats to throw on the grill and it doesn't require a lot of work, a few ingredients go a long way with enhancing the flavor of the meat. So tonight, in honor of the warm weather we're getting, we decided to cook up some rack of lamb with a side of sauteed brocollini. The rack of lamb is best cooked on a grill, especially a charcoal one, but you can also cook it in the oven.

Ingredients:
1 rack of lamb
2 tbsp dried rosemary
2 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp of sea salt
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, thyme, sea salt, black pepper, garlic and olive oil and mix well. Pat the lamb dry on both sides and then rub the mixture all over the lamb. Cover the lamb and let it marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Place the lamb in a baking pan and cover with aluminum foil, cook for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes for a medium pink center. Place the lamb under the broiler for 5 minutes to char. Remove the rack of lamb from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with a side of your favorite veggies!

Cambodian Hot Pot (Yah Hawn)

One of the dishes that always reminds me of home and brings me so much comfort is the hot pot dish my mom always makes! Every time I go down to visit, I always ask her to make it. I just assumed it was this really labor intensive and tedious process and just figured I'd never be able to master it. But lo and behold, once I got my hands on the recipe, I realized pretty quickly it's an easy meal that I can whip up in no time!

This dish is perfect for a big group and is served fondue style -- you can have an array of veggies, meats, and seafood to add in and the broth goes really well with rice or noodles, so whatever you have handy. The most important aspect to this dish is getting the broth just perfect and since most of the ingredients are pre-made sauces, it's super quick and easy! But imagine to my horror though when what I had always pictured was my mom slaving in the kitchen mixing the perfect spices and sauces to the broth, when in all actuality it just ended up being pre made stuff off the store counter. It's ok, I still love this dish nonetheless and am super excited to share!

Broth Ingredients:

8 heaping tbsp of Asian style BBQ Sauce -- can be found at the Asian store, I prefer using the one in the silver labeled jar with red chinese letters and make sure to drain out the oil layer sitting at the top of the BBQ sauce

3 tbsp of Thai chili garlic sauce -- add more if you want it to be spicier

2 14oz cans chicken stock

8 cups of water

1 cup of Coco Rico soda

3 tsp of fish sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Additional ingredients:

1/2 lb of beef sirloin, thinly sliced

1/2 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 bunches of watercress

baby bok choy

fish balls -- can be found in the frozen section of the Asian store

white button mushrooms, sliced

crushed peanuts

In a large pot, add the BBQ Sauce and chili garlic sauce and saute for a few minutes over medium heat to break down. Add in the chicken stock, water and Coco Rico soda. Reduce heat and let the broth simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the fish sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. The broth should be a combination of spicy and savory.

When you are ready to serve, transfer the broth to a hot pot and bring to a boil. Add your meats and veggies to the hot pot to cook fondue style and then ladle them along with the broth into a bowl of rice or noodles and sprinkle with peanuts.

Eating Greek Food, Mezze Style

So after hearing some great things about Cava from a co-worker,  who happens to be a big foodie, I decided to check it out last night with Catherine. We are both big fans of greek food and needed a new place to try. Apparently, this place started in Rockville, and then made it's way to Capital Hill and will be opening up a third location in Clarendon early Spring.

When you walk in, the atmosphere will totally take you back. It isn't really remininscent of a traditonal Greek eatery. Instead, the lights are dim and you'll notice really cool brick interior walls. It looks very modern and trendy. The staff are super friendly and more than willing to give you suggestions on what to get. The meal itself is served mezze style - which is similar to Spanish tapas. The dishes may be small, but the portions are definitely enough to share! And after looking over the menu, you'll have a hard time deciding what to get, so it works out in the end cause you can order multiple things and not feel guilty. I like that they don't bring everything out to you at once. The dishes are brought out one at a time as they are prepared, so this gives you ample time to enjoy the wine, the great company and the delictible dish.

One of the dishes I tried that really stood out to me was the Bolognese. It was a yummy and rich meat sauce with what tasted like home made pasta! And I'm not normally a cheese person, but I didn't mind at all the greek cheese that was sprinkled over top. And for being a small dish, I definitely felt like I was getting a pretty hardy meal.

So all in all, it was a successful dinner at Cava! I only had to loop around the block once and found parking on the same block as the restaurant and ended up have a really great meal.

Cambodian Stir Fried Crabs

The weather is getting warmer and Spring is just right around the corner. So what does that mean, it's almost crabbing season! I love picking the delicious and oh so sweet meat from the Maryland blue crabs. And I know I'm pretty partial when I say this, but my mom makes the best stir fried crabs - it's a fantastic combo of salty, peppery and oh so savory! And one of the reasons I'm in love with this recipe is that it's a good change from just steaming the crabs, not there's there's anything wrong with steamed crabs and lots of old bay seasoning.

Ingredients:

1 dozen Maryland blue crabs -- parboiled, cleaned and broken in half

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

8 garlic gloves, minced

2 inches of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

2 shallots, minced

2 tsp sea salt

1.5 tsp sugar

2 tsp low sodium soy sauce

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

3 scallions, finely chopped

a handful of fresh cilantro leaves

Heat the olive oil in a wok over high heat. When it becomes hot, add in the garlic, ginger and shallots. Stir quickly and cook for a 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add in the salt, sugar, soy sauce, black pepper. Mix well. Reduce heat to medium high and add in the crabs. Stir fry until the crabs are evenly coated and the meat is opaque. Toss in the scallions and cook for about 3 minutes. Transfer the crab to a large bowl and garnish with the cilantro leaves.

Neapolitan Style Pizza on Wilson Blvd

For this month's edition of family food adventure, we went to Pupatella neapolitan pizzeria & friggitoria. Rick had been there before and thought it was worthy for FFA. One thing I would like to call out, you may want to check out their website for the operating hours, and they are closed on Sunday and Monday -- which we learned after driving there on Monday night and sitting in the parking lot trying to figure out where else to go for dinner since Plan A didn't pan out! We were hoping for a sneak preview before the official FFA event.

I thought we were gonna go towards the tail end of the lunch rush, but when we got there on Saturday, the place was packed. They do not take reservations and it's a seat yourself type of place. After grabbing a menu and waiting around for a table to free up, we decided on 2 orders of fried risotto balls, 3 pizzas and a calzone.

So let's back track a little bit before I get to the good stuff. How is this place different from any other pizza joint? Well for starters, they are a certified neapolitan pizza place. There are certain standards and high quality ingredients that you must use to be certified. And I love that their pizzas are made from simple ingredients -- San Marzano tomatoes, sea salt and fresh mozzarella! And they have one pizza maker, Enzo. You can't miss him, as soon as you walk through the door, he's the dude wearing the fedora and orange sunglasses.

Now back to the topic at hand, the food! Their  pizzas are made super quick, they only cook for 1 minute in the 1,000 degree wood oven and this makes the crust a super light and pillowy texture. Rick actually did time them and it was a legit minute. You can taste the freshness in the pizza, and even though the ingredients are simple and few, there's no skimping out on the flavor. .

The SIMPLE MARGHERITA pizza is actually one of their true and authentic neapolitan pizzas made with fresh mozzarella, basil and olive oil. And then we made our own pizza with mozzarella and pepperoni just so we could have a good old classic.

Next up was the SAUSAGE pizza - grilled sausage, sauteed onions and smoked mozzarella. For those of you not used to this style of pizza, because the crust is not super crispy and they use a lot of mozzarella, you'll notice that towards the center of the pizza, it has a soggy consistency. Best way to tackle, use a knife and fork to devour the pizza, or fold the slice in half and enjoy the gooey cheese!

The fried calzone had us all raving, how can you go wrong with fried dough stuffed with fresh mozzarella, ricotta and prosciutto. It was definitely a crowd pleaser. Don't know how they did it, but the crust was perfection.





So overall consensus, this is a winner. And the prices were super reasonable. I'm not sure how long they've been open, but since they are literally 10 minutes away from where we live, I can see future trips down the road for some delicious pizza. And as a cherry on top, they have fresh gelato, which was a great way to end another successful FFA!

Deep Fried Oreos!!!

This is one of my favorite go to food items at the fair -- along with gigantic turkey legs, corn dogs on steroids and an array of other deep fried goodness that will harden your arteries. I've toyed with the idea of making this at home for a while, and finally talked myself into making it last night! Most of my justification came from the fact that I'm using all organic ingredients and Oreo substitutes from Trader Joes -- so the cookies themselves were all natural and made with real vanilla and sugar! I told myself I would only make a few so I don't overdo it, I  managed to make 15 and stopped there.The key with this recipe is watching over the Oreos as they cook, since they brown up quickly. And they're best served warm with a ton of powdered sugar sprinkled on top.

Ingredients
1 (20 ounce) package of Oreos
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp cane sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
dash of kosher salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
3 tsp vegetable oil
enough vegetable oil for the deep fryer
powdered sugar

Blend the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Mix in the eggs, milk and vegetable oil until smooth.

Preheat the deep fryer to 375.

Dip the cookies in the batter mixture until totally covered and then place in the hot oil, the cookies will float. Keep an eye on the cookies and turn them over once the bottom side gets brown. Remove the finished cookies and drain on a paper towel. Serve them warm with a generous dusting of powdered sugar.