Thai-Style Pumpkin Carrot Coconut Curry Soup

Tony of SinoSoul gave me two pumpkins from his garden and I knew just what to do with them. (Actually, they're much closer-looking on the outside to butternut squash, but redder on the inside like pumpkins. And since I already titled the pictures and this post as pumpkin, so they will remain!) I couldn't wait for colder temperatures so that I could indulge in some creamy soups. Not that I couldn't do so at any other time, except that if I wanted to use fresh squash, those were only available in the fall and winter.

While pumpkin is already slighty sweet, the addition of a few carrots and coconut milk also boosted the natural sweetness of this soup. I simmered the vegetables in chicken broth to soak in the flavor and then pureed it all. Then I added a few spoonfuls of Thai red curry paste and fish sauce for some savoriness and complexity. You can easily substitute with vegetable broth and just salt for seasoning if you wanted to make this vegetarian. Save some coconut milk for swirly designs at the end if you wish.

Thai-Style Pumpkin Carrot Coconut Curry Soup, a lightened up and reinvented version of this cold weather favorite.

Tokyo Fried Chicken Co. - Monterey Park

While eating at Hot Pot, Hot Pot! - Monterey Park, I noticed a crowd of people waiting in front of The Open Door, a Japanese fusion izakaya located in the same corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Garvey Avenue. I made a mental note to check it out, but wasn't in any hurry because there was a no photo policy and well, no photos means no point in going, right?

Then in August 2013, The Open Door shuttered and reopened as Tokyo Fried Chicken Co. Same owner, different menu. Apparently, the rebranding also meant a loosening of the no photo policy. While the menu now focused on fried chicken, that didn't mean the Japanese fusion dishes were gone completely.

On a quiet weeknight, lil' sis and I finally got around to checking out Tokyo Fried Chicken Co.

Hawaiian Spicy Tuna Poke

I wanted to stick to a pretty typical Hawaiian poke for the sashimi-grade tuna that I picked up from Yama Seafood - San Gabriel. So it was the usual seasonings of soy sauce and sesame oil, with the addition of chili sambal and Sriracha to kick it up a notch.

I looove spicy tuna, and while cheaper cuts are often used in the rolls, I can't stress enough that you should really splurge on sashimi-grade tuna for poke. Freshness makes a big difference, especially when you're eating raw fish.

Hawaiian Salmon Poke

While catching up with my friend Ivan at Snow Monster - Westminster (Little Saigon), I asked him what foods he'll miss in SoCal after he leaves. He mentioned North Shore Poke Co. - Huntington Beach, specifically that he could get poke made with salmon instead of the usual tuna poke. Mmm. Poke. I haven't had poke in forever and the Hawaiian places around me usually just have the typical cooked dishes.

The next day, I couldn't get poke out of my mind. I bought half a pound of sashimi-grade salmon from Yama Seafood - San Gabriel. Since salmon is more delicate than tuna, taste-wise I mean, I opted to use Korean chili flakes for the spice portion instead of Sriracha. A little bit of grated ginger seemed appropriate. And a small tomato, diced, to make it more salad-like and add a little color.

Totally satisfied my craving. I even sent a photo to my friend to show him what he started. Was it really only two years ago that he moved here? And while saying our good-byes, we realized it's been 10 years since we met that long-ago summer in Wisconsin. Time flies when you're old!

One last word about poke, since you're eating the fish raw, it really is worth the splurge to buy sashimi-grade salmon. Pick up some ready-made seaweed salad to add to the mix and the dish comes together as quick as you can chop the ingredients.

General Tso's Chicken

In May, while waiting for an oil change, I offered my seat to the little old Asian lady coming towards me with a walker. She opted to sit next to me instead. She remarked about the weather (98 degrees that day, 100+ for the next three days) and mentioned that she'd take the heat over the tornadoes she had growing up in the Midwest.

Which led to fascinating stories about her father opening a Chinese restaurant in 1920 (!!!) in Omaha, Nebraska. All the decor was imported from China, which made eating at the restaurant quite an adventure for many people back then. Her family was one of only two Chinese families in town.

She came out to Los Angeles before WWII to work for the Air Force (which was still part of the Army at the time and didn't become a separate service until 1947). She talked about encountering racism when she tried to rent an apartment as a newlywed. A landlord said he decided to rent to his nephew instead and another landlord said the apartments were all taken but if there was an opening he'd call her. She credited Miiko Taka's 1957 appearance on the Ed Sullivan show to promote "Sayonara" that changed one landlord's mind about renting to Asians. Immediately after the show, she got a call saying the spoken-for tenant decided not to take the apartment and it was available after all.

And then my car was ready and I had to go.

Lobster Roll with Sriracha Butter

A while back, Albertson's had a sale on lobster tails for $3.99 apiece. Granted, they were pretty small, but I couldn't pass up that price and purchased three of them. I froze the lobster until I could come up with a good recipe. Not that lobster needs a good recipe. I like lobster plain, grilled or boiled, and dipped in butter sauce or even, mayonnaise.

Which then got me thinking. If I'm perfectly happy with plain lobster and butter, then I might as well keep it simple and make a lobster roll. I'm always tempted to order one when I see it on the menu, but at upwards of $12, I haven't been able to justify spending that much for a sandwich. Even though my version cost the same, I got two lobster rolls for that price. And because lil' sis doesn't like lobster (I know!), she only had one bite and the rest was all for me.

The recipe is really simple. Baked lobster tails lightly sprinkled with salt, tossed in Sriracha butter, served on toasted hot dog buns. So if you love lobster and Sriracha, this recipe showcases both ingredients wonderfully.

Sriracha Buffalo Roast Chicken

Considering that my Sriracha Buffalo Wings recipe is one of my older recipes on the blog, and considering how many roast chicken recipes I've already featured, I'm surprised I hadn't made the leap to this Sriracha Buffalo Roast Chicken recipe sooner.

I mean, I dip chicken in Sriracha all the time, but using it as a marinade is different. I used half a cup of Sriracha for a 5-lb chicken; obviously, you'll want to use less if you can't handle the heat. But as the Sriracha is mixed with butter and vinegar and sugar, and will mingle with the chicken juices as it cooks, the chicken actually won't be very hot, if at all, after it's done.

Like traditional Buffalo wings, I served the chicken with celery and carrot sticks and ranch dressing, although Blue Cheese Dressing is preferred. I also experimented with a Jicama Slaw with Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette, but that recipe's for another post.

Umami Burger - Anaheim

After finishing the Disneyland Half Marathon, I was staaarving. While racing, I teased Valerie Chinn and her husband about taking them to Quan Hy Vietnamese Restaurant - Westminster for the best banh beo (Vietnamese steamed rice discs with dried shrimp) in town. But Little Saigon was too far away when they still needed to get back to their hotel to get ready before check-out.

Then I remembered that Umami Burger opened in Anaheim last year and a bit of Googling turned up that it was only 1.1 miles away. The clincher was when I told them that the burgers were made with Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese Fish Sauce) and that people waited for three hours for tables when Umami Burger opened this summer in New York City.

Pho Burger with Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup Spices

After Keizo of Go Ramen moved to Japan to pursue his ramen dream, he apprenticed at several ramen shops before moving back to the United States and inventing the ramenburger. The ramenburger! Seasoned meat sandwiched between ramen noodle "buns." Needless to say, the ramenburger instantly caught the country by storm. I haven't been to New York City to taste the ramenburger from Keizo himself, but it got me thinking...

What if, instead of a ramenburger, I made a Pho Burger with Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup Spices? I could grind star anise, cinnamon, and cloves, add some minced garlic and ginger, to ground beef. The pho noodle "buns" would be a bit of a challenge, but as rice noodles tend to clump anyway, I could use that to my advantage. Topped with basil, cilantro, scallions, and bean sprouts and a couple of squirts of sriracha and hoisin sauce. It was literally Pho Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup) in a burger.

The only problem was that while I got the rice noodles to clump into "buns," they fell apart when holding them to eat like a burger. Pan-frying the noodle "buns" held them together, but was greasy. My brother and his wife and kids came over to test my experiment. They liked it! They liked it! My brother said I was overthinking. I already had good flavors, why didn't I just do the obvious and put the pho-spiced meat in a hamburger bun? Of course! I had also spiced some sliced beef, to see if ground beef or sliced beef was better, and he suggested making a Banh Mi Pho Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup-Spiced Sandwich), but that's saved for another post.

I've included directions for making the pho noodle "buns," but ordinary hamburger buns work just fine for this recipe.

Candied Okinawan Purple Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow Topping

Four years after making Mashed Okinawan Purple Sweet Potato, it finally occurred to me to use the Okinawan purple sweet potatoes in a more traditional Thanksgiving recipe -- Candied Okinawan Purple Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow Topping. Actually, it came about when Gourmet Pigs requested candied yams, which I dismissed as too pedestrian.

What if I made them with purple sweet potatoes, she suggested.

Lightbulb!

Apologies for the less than stellar photos. Poor evening lighting and no leftovers the next day to photograph. That ought to tell you how popular this dish was at the Thanksgiving table!

I boiled the sweet potatoes with some sugar and spices -- cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice -- and then baked them until the marshmallows on top turned golden. Easy. I kept the sugar content low, figuring the natural sweetness of the Okinawan purple sweet potatoes and the marshmallows would provide plenty. The only caveat is that the sweet potatoes took a lot longer to soften than I expected and didn't further soften in the oven. I was afraid boiling too long would make them mushy, but the Okinawan sweet potatoes were still a bit firm. So, I would suggest boiling them for 45 minutes, instead of half that time like I did.

A colorful twist on this traditional Thanksgiving treat.

South African Turkey Rub with Basil, Garlic, and Smoked Paprika

With two turkeys to prepare for Thanksgiving, I knew one of them would be my standby Salt Rub and Butter Turkey so that meant I could be a little more adventurous with the second turkey.

I found a South African spice blend from Trader Joe's that I liked and decided to pick out the seasonings to add to the usual salt rub. I mean, I could have just used a few spoonfuls of the packaged seasoning, but this way I could control the amount of each spice. Besides, what if you wanted to make this recipe and there's no Trader Joe's near you?

The South African spiced turkey was quite a hit! Actually, my turkeys always are since I discovered the salt rub, but the spiced turkey was particularly so. Mainly I think because the garlic powder and smoked paprika were the standout flavors.

Nem Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patty) Sliders

Since my hometown's style of making Nem Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patties) already resembled little hamburger patties, it wasn't that much of a leap to put them in between Hawaiian bread rolls and turn them into sliders, but I wanted to carry it further. I wanted to put what I loved about the rice paper roll into a bun.

Do I add cornstarch to the dipping sauce and make it even thicker? Still too gloppy. And do Vietnamese herbs really go with bread? Not really. Do I fold the empty wrapper into a big square instead of a roll like I do for nem nuong? But a bun doesn't contain the crispy bits as well as a rice paper roll.

I was overthinking it, a basic nem nuong cuon just has the meat, lettuce, and a crispy bit in the middle.

So I cut an egg roll wrapper into fourths and fried them crispy and stuck them into the bun. It reminded me of upscale hamburger places that had a crispy Parmesan chip inside the burger.

Biting into my nem nuong slider, I got juicy meat, I got lettuce, I got a lightly crispy bit to contrast with it all.

 Perfect.

I wolfed down several sliders right away and made another batch a few days later when my parents came to town. The only caveat is that the fried egg roll wrapper gets soggy quickly so eat these right away.

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant - Tustin

In early February, I was invited by Lauren Campbell of Beach House | Penthouse PR to dine at RA Sushi Bar Restaurant - Tustin to taste their new menu items. When I said I couldn't make it down to Orange County in time for the blogger dinner, she let me schedule it at a more convenient date and time.

Perfect. Because then I was able to invite my friend DP since she works nearby. Except, she was working at home that day and had to drive down for our dinner. Doh! I got to RA Sushi first and noticed that the bar and restaurant areas were packed. Good thing I had a reservation. While waiting for her to arrive, I ordered a Ginger Blossom drink, Hendrick's Gin, St. Germain, muddle strawberry, pink grapefruit juice, lime juice, and a splash of ginger ale. Girly, fruity, and yummy.

Dessert Sushi with Swedish Fish Candy and Rice Krispies Treats

I've made dessert sushi with fruit and coconut sticky rice before, but since it was the niece's first birthday party, I wanted to make some desserts for the little kids. Remembering Lan of Angry Asian Creations' candy sushi, I figured this was perfect for a kid party, even though most of them were too little to really appreciate the humor in this. Oh well, they enjoyed eating the regular Rice Krispies treats that were leftover.

The Hello Kitty cake pops had turned into such a laborious task that at 3:45 a.m., I decided I wanted to have at least one item for the party finished before I went to bed. The Rice Krispies treats had been made hours before and had cooled down by then. So it was a simple matter of cutting and assembling. Done in about 15 minutes.

First party item checked off.

Mi Ga Tay Tiem (Vietnamese Egg Noodle Soup with Chinese 5-Spice Turkey)

I had saved a turkey drumstick from Thanksgiving dinner to use in my Bun Mang Ga Tay (Vietnamese Rice Vermicelli Noodle Soup with Bamboo Shoots and Turkey) recipe. Then I used the bones again to boil another pot of broth to make Mi Ga Tay Tiem (Vietnamese Egg Noodle Soup with Chinese 5-Spice Turkey). Actually, it's the same turkey drumstick, just flipped to conceal the side that had been eaten. :P

This soup is somewhat similar to the former except with egg instead of rice noodles, and Chinese flavorings of 5-spice powder and soy sauce. I used the matsutake mushrooms my dad had foraged in the Oregon forest that I brought back from my $41.40 roundtrip flight to Portland. My mom likes to add in lotus seeds, wolfberries, and dried dates, but I totally forgot about adding those ingredients in my version. Nonetheless, with Chinese chili oil to round out the flavors, it was still a delicious bowl.

Bun Mang Ga Tay (Vietnamese Rice Vermicelli Noodle Soup with Bamboo Shoots and Turkey)

The dried bamboo shoots my mom brought back from Vietnam, and which I subsequently brought back from my $41.40 roundtrip flight to Portland, couldn't be used for just any ordinary dish. So, I saved one drumstick from my Thanksgiving turkey to make Bun Mang Ga Tay (Vietnamese Rice Vermicelli Noodle Soup with Bamboo Shoots and Turkey).

Usually, this dish is made with duck, but any type of poultry will do. You may use fresh or dried bamboo shoots. If you're using the latter, depending on how much you like bamboo, you may need to boil and drain it off a few times to remove the pungent "earthiness." Personally, I love bamboo shoots so a quick boil to soften them was all that was needed.

Since the turkey was already well-seasoned, I didn't add anything to the stock, but feel free to add salt and fish sauce as needed. I threw in a few dried shiitake mushrooms as well, the earthiness of the mushrooms and bamboo, complementing each other. Then it was a simple matter of boiling rice vermicelli noodles and making an herb platter before assembling each bowl.

Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew) Pot Pie

I don't know why it didn't occur to me sooner to make a Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew) Pot Pie. I mean, I made Ca Ri Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Curry) Pot Pie years ago so you'd figure this would already be in my radar, but nope.

My first attempt was to modify my Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew) recipe by pureeing the lemongrass and thickening the broth, but the result was too thick, not enough gravy, and the bits of lemongrass were too jarring. So I scooped the stew out of the pie shell, added water, and tried again. Still wasn't quite what I wanted.

Why was I trying to fix what wasn't broken? Remembering the beef stew with puff pastry at Hot Stuff Cafe - San Gabriel, I decided to keep the filling as much of a stew as possible. So I started over again with my usual Vietnamese beef stew recipe, but this time, halving the recipe and using only cubed beef, no bones. I did add a bit more flour than usual for a thicker gravy, but the biggest difference was the puff pastry crust. Delicious gravy-laden beef stew with flaky crust. Finally, it was perfect.

Now, the simplest thing to do is make a big batch of my Vietnamese beef stew, spoon some in individual servings and top with puff pastry. If you have some stoneware bowls, this is perfect for everyone to have their own Vietnamese beef stew pot pie. But you can also make a bigger pie portion and top it with a whole puff pastry shell like I did for Thanksgiving dinner.

So-Yah! Creamy Coconut Curry Tofu Shirataki Noodles

One last item in the goody bag from my Behind the Scenes: House Foods America Corporation - Garden Grove tour was this package of So-Yah! Creamy Coconut Curry Tofu Shirataki Noodles. After being underwhelmed with the So-Yah! Red Vindaloo Curry Tofu Shirataki Noodles, I wasn't too excited to try the coconut curry noodles.

Like the vindaloo noodles, these shirataki noodles were made from yam flour and tofu. They're low-carb at 3 g of carbs and 20 calories per 4 oz serving.

Even though the ingredients were the same as the red vindaloo curry: tofu, yam flour, coconut cream, tomato paste, garbanzo beans, red bell peppers, carrots, and spices, the taste was quite different.

How different?

So-Yah! Red Vindaloo Curry Tofu Shirataki Noodles

Part of the goody bag from my Behind the Scenes: House Foods America Corporation - Garden Grove tour was this package of So-Yah! Red Vindaloo Curry Tofu Shirataki Noodles.

The shirataki noodles are made from yam flour and tofu so they're low-carb. Only 20 calories and 3 g of carbs per 4 oz serving.

This package was 10 oz, so still very low-carb if that's what you're looking for.

Besides tofu and yam flour, ingredients also included: coconut cream, tomato paste, garbanzo beans, red bell peppers, carrots, and spices.

But how did it taste?

Mapo Tofu Ramen

Mapo Tofu Ramen is one of those curious fusion dishes that takes a dish of Chinese origin, in this case Ma Po Doufu (Chinese Pockmarked Old Lady's Tofu), as a topping for traditional Japanese ramen.

On the other hand, one could argue the whole dish is technically Chinese, as Japanese ramen noodles were Chinese in origin. Ramen has been such a part of Japanese cuisine that no one knows exactly when the noodles made their way over from China, but several theories about the name can give a hint to its origins. According to Wikipedia, one theory is that ramen is the Japanese pronunciation of lamian (Chinese hand-pulled noodles). Another, is that the word ramen came from lomien. Lomien. Ramen.

In any case, adding the spicy tofu and ground meat mixture atop ramen noodles ended up with a tasty new dish. Since the Mapo Tofu is so flavorful, I made a quick ramen broth instead of the more complicated hours-long simmering that I usually do. Of course, you could totally cheat and use an instant ramen packet and instant House Foods Chinese Mabo Tofu Sauce and it's even faster.

But homemade is always much better.