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.

Chinese Deep-Fried Chicken Wings with Spicy Salt

With how frequently I've dined at Hong Kong cafes through the years, and how often I order Chinese Deep-Fried Chicken Wings with Spicy Salt (*Hint. Almost every time.), I don't know why it took me so long to get around to making them at home. If you like my Chinese Deep-Fried Pork Chops with Spicy Salt recipe, this is even easier.

I simply salted the wings, then lightly coated them in just enough flour so they'll be crispy when fried, and like the pork chops, tossed them with a mixture of sliced chili peppers, scallions, garlic, and Chinese 5-spice powder. The first time I made the wings, I didn't have the fresh aromatics on hand and used dried chili peppers. They were still good, but I wanted them look like in the Hong Kong cafes for the photos.

The second time I made them, my dad was in town and heading out the door to go to my youngest uncle's house. He said they looked so appetizing that he couldn't resist and sat down to eat several wings. Then he mentioned later that evening to my uncles that I made really delicious wings. Which, if you know how picky my dad is about food, is high praise indeed. I saved a few wings for lil' sis, who couldn't stop complimenting them while they were reheating in the toaster oven, while she was eating them, and again afterward.

Considering my dad is notoriously critical, I figured I'd make the wings again for him a few months ago before he returned to Oregon. For non-spicy eaters, you can omit the chile peppers if you wish, like I did for the niece and nephew. The just-a-touch of Chinese 5-spice powder sprinkled at the end is what elevates these chicken wings up a notch.

Easiest Moist Turkey Crispy Skin Recipe - Salt Rub and Baking Powder Turkey

This year, with both siblings out of town, I only had eight guests so I decided to splurge and bought a freshly slaughtered turkey from Chinese American Live Poultry - Rosemead, where my family buys fresh chickens for Hainanese chicken rice. The shop ordered 350 turkeys this year, which came in the Monday before Thanksgiving. By the time I made it to the store on Tuesday afternoon, nearly half the turkeys had been processed and sold. I grabbed the last one of the day. A 20-lber for $50! The most I've ever spent on a turkey so it better be good!

I've made my usual Salt Rub and Butter Turkey every Thanksgiving since 2007. (Well, with the exception of Thanksgiving 2008 when I ordered from the Chinese barbecue place, only for the family to be up in arms because my homemade turkey is much better. I haven't repeated that mistake.) Sometimes I add spices into the turkey salt rub, but otherwise I stick with what's tried and true.

Then this Thanksgiving, while skimming this Serious Eats post about brining, there was mention of adding baking powder to the salt rub for crispier skin. Can my already awesome turkey get even better?!

O/Kho Qua Xao Trung (Vietnamese Bitter Melon Egg Stir-Fry)

Since I was on a quest to find ways to reduce the bitterness of bitter melon, I remembered that my ba noi (Vietnamese paternal grandmother) had taught me to do just that long ago. At the time though, I didn't realize it was to reduce the bitterness, I just figured it was another step in cooking as she instructed me the kitchen. Afterward, she taught me to stir-fry the bitter melon with eggs.

For this version, I added the fish sauce to the eggs first, like I do with my Scrambled Egg Omelet recipe since the flavor would be retained more in the eggs than in the bitter melon. The bitter melon was still crunchy, only slightly bitter, a perfect foil to the soft, saltiness of the scrambled eggs.

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.

Canh Ga Xa Xiu (Vietnamese / Chinese Char Siu-Style Barbecued Chicken Wings)

Lazy post. Lazy recipe. :)

Unless you specifically want to make Chinese barbecue-styled chicken wings, the easiest thing to do is to toss in a few pounds of wings in the same pan that you're making Xa Xiu/Char Siu (Vietnamese Chinese Barbecued Pork).

I mean seriously, why make more work for yourself than necessary?

But just for you, I've included the recipe for the marinade below in case you love wings that much, or don't eat pork, or what have you.

Trung Hap Va Chien Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Fried Hard-Boiled Eggs with Fish Dipping Sauce)

I was introduced to fried hard-boiled eggs when I made a Burmese Golden Egg Curry last year. I knew about the general idea of deep frying hard-boiled eggs from a Thai Son-in-Law Eggs recipe in one of my cookbooks, but hadn't actually tried making it until that point.

The Burmese egg curry was followed by Indonesian Fried Hard-Boiled Eggs Sambal that I ate at my neighbors' twins' birthday party, which prompted me to attempt an at-home version.

Then came the Thai version with tamarind sauce and fried shallots.

So I figured I should come up with a Vietnamese version. Nothing fussy. No curries or difficult sauces, just deep-fried hard-boiled eggs with chili fish dipping sauce. I did borrow the Burmese trick of adding some turmeric to the frying oil to turn the eggs this gorgeous golden color. My trick for easy hard-boiled eggs is to put them in my electric steamer for about 12 minutes if I'm going to further cook with them, or 15 minutes if I want them harder-steamed to eat immediately. Seriously so easy.

And if you're an egg fan like my brother's wife is, she couldn't resist asking if she could try a bite before I had finished making Hoanh Thanh Thit Heo Bam, Dau Hu, Hanh La (Vietnamese Wontons with Ground Pork, Tofu, and Green Onions) for dinner.

Chinese Crackled Tea Eggs

The two previous Easters, I made Vegetable-Dyed Crackled Eggs and while they were fun for the kids to peel and to look at, they rarely wanted to eat the hard-boiled eggs afterward. However, Chinese Tea Eggs, seasoned with soy sauce and spices, are way tastier.

I had a packet of tea egg spices in the pantry that I opened with the intention of using them, but the package had a very strong Chinese herbal medicine smell, which I didn't want to flavor the eggs. So I put the package back in the pantry and decided I would just use some of my favorite spices instead.

This recipe is easily adjusted with whatever spices you prefer, the only constants are soy sauce for savoriness and tea for aroma. I used a mix of loose leaf black tea and bagged black tea with orange peel. If you don't have the latter, just toss in a dried orange peel. I added some Saigon cinnamon bark, star anise pods, and a black cardamom pod. The last may be harder to find, so I've listed it as optional.

I prefer to soft-boil the eggs since they'll be simmered for a bit in the spiced tea mixture, so that the eggs won't be rubbery. Crack the shells without peeling them, simmer, and let them soak in the flavorings overnight.

The result is a marbled hard-boiled egg redolent with the aromas of tea and spices. A great snack at any time, but for Easter, I let the kids peel the shells so they can unwrap each egg's unique crackled effect for themselves.

Canh Ga Chien Nuoc Mam Kieu Pok Pok (Vietnamese Pok Pok-Style Fried Fish Sauce Wings)

After trying the much-hyped Vietnamese fried fish sauce wings at Pok Pok - Portland - Oregon, I knew I could re-create a similar version at home, but tone down the amount of fish sauce used. The first few wings I ate at Pok Pok were pretty good, but then the saltiness of the fish sauce became really apparent as I kept eating. The Do Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Stuff ie. Carrots and Daikon) that were served with the wings were supposed to balance out the saltiness and spiciness, but I didn't find the wings very spicy, just very, very salty. Anyway, the good thing about making this at home is that you can adjust the fish sauce and chile peppers to your liking.

Pok Pok's wings are addictive because of the double marination, before and after frying. I marinated the wings in fish sauce, salt, sugar, and garlic. I used mostly the same ingredients, but added vinegar and chile peppers, like I would with Nuoc Mam Cham Ngot (Vietnamese Sweetened Fish Dipping Sauce) and simmered it on the stove top to thicken. The wings were only lightly battered, so I used a combination of rice and tapioca flours, and only one coating before frying. If you want to eat low-carb, you can skip the coating and just fry the wings after marination if you wish. Then the wings were tossed in the sweetened fish dipping sauce afterward.

I served up my version at Christmas dinner with my siblings, and again later with friends, and they found them pretty addicting. But then, who can resist fried chicken wings that are crispy, salty, sweet, and spicy?

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.

Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken

I think there's a misperception that Chinese dishes that are popular in the United States aren't "authentic." Or maybe the misperception is that they aren't tasty? I have to admit, the overly battered and goopy dishes can be a bit much, but a light touch with the batter and the sauce and you can get an "authentic" and tasty dish. I think "authenticity" is debateable anyway.

Even though it is very popular, Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken is an authentic Chinese dish. It's best eaten fresh, of course, when the sauce isn't so heavy that it makes the crispy fried chicken pieces soggy. The "sweet" is achieved with fresh pineapples and orange or pineapple juice and ketchup in the sauce; the "sour" is through the use of vinegar. A bit of soy and Worchestershire sauces round out the flavors.

I marinated the chicken pieces before dipping them into the batter and deep-frying so there is flavor throughout the dish, and not because of the sauce. While you can certainly skip the batter and deep-fry and make this a sweet and sour chicken stir-fry, it's the crunchy sweet sour chicken that's the whole point, if I do say so myself.

Ga Nuong Me Cam (Vietnamese Grilled Tamarind Orange Chicken)

I was planning on making Ga Nuong Xa (Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Chicken) for my Easter barbecue. But earlier that week, I had stopped off at cousin Q's older brother's house after grabbing some 99-cent fish tacos to-go from Tacos Baja - East Los Angeles. By the time I left, my cousin sent me off with a bag of semolina flour and a small jar of tamarind paste. I haven't figured out what to do with the former yet, but the latter was quickly incorporated into a new marinade.

I originally thought of mango juice since the tropical flavor would pair better with the tamarind, but didn't have any on hand. No orange juice either. So I rooted through my refrigerator and stumbled upon a jar of orange marmalade, which made the chicken skin sticky, crispy and oh so yummy on the grill.

Easter Barbecue to Break in My Saber Grill

Like my fancy new grill?



It is niiice! Way nicer than anything I could afford on my own. So I leapt at the chance when Monique Moffit, Director of Public Relations at The Sales Factory, asked if I would like to try the Saber Cast 500 grill. I glanced at the website to read about the grill's features: an infrared cooking system for even temperature cooking, no flare-ups, and less gas usage; all commercial kitchen grade stainless steel; three independent cooking zones; and 24,000 BTUs grill and 10,000 BTUs side burner. Sounds pretty awesome!

I decided to throw an impromptu barbecue for Easter to break in my new grill ie. to rope my guests into helping me assemble the darn thing. Luckily, my brother and cousin Q's older brother, the two grill aficionados in the family, were available and willing to help. So how does the Saber grill compare to their fancy schmancy Weber grills?

Well, let's back up a bit. That all commercial kitchen grade stainless steel that sounded so awesome? That meant a package that weighed more than 200 pounds! The grill was delivered on a pallet and required a mini forklift. This was serious business!

Bistro De La Gare Restaurant & Wine Bar - South Pasadena

Before my mom left town, my brother wanted to meet up for a family brunch at Bistro De La Gare Restaurant & Wine Bar in South Pasadena. So called because it's next to the gare ie. train station in French, the Mission Street Gold Line stop. The restaurant is nestled between Nicole's Gourmet Foods and a nursery so plenty of potted plants and trees abound. Very cute.

The interior, with its red walls and French posters, gave a very bistro-like feel.

Gus's Barbecue - South Pasadena

I've eaten at Gus's Barbecue in South Pasadena four times over the past few years so I figured it was about time to finally blog it. The first visit was back in July 2010. Actually, it was on Independence Day. No one around me was throwing a barbecue that year, and you can't have a Fourth of July without barbecue! So my brother asked if I wanted to check out Gus's with him and his wife.

The atmosphere is pretty classic American. Red stools at the counter. Scenes of old South Pasadena on the walls. We sat at a booth in the far back.

Gan Xay Ga Tay (Vietnamese Turkey Liver Pate)

My basic Turkey Liver Pate is one of my most popular Thanksgiving recipes. I've even made a variation of Turkey Liver Pate with Bacon and Capers, so what's there left to do?

I mean, I guess I could have chopped up the liver and added it to the gravy, but it seems surprising that I've never made a Vietnamese pate recipe.

What makes it Vietnamese?

Adding fish sauce, of course!

Also, after making pate so many times, I decided not to add the butter layer on top. After all, since my cousins like pate, they obviously don't mind the grayish color. Makes it easier to spread on sandwiches too.

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.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

With about 20 guests to feed this year, I made two big turkeys, my usual salt rub and a South African spiced turkey. I extended my table and added a portable one and ran out of enough chairs for everyone. I invited some friends, my brother invited some friends, and it just grew into a full house. Not a bad first Thanksgiving to welcome the new house.

Italian Baked Ziti with Ground Turkey, Sausage, and Zucchini

Now that several of my cousins are married, they've split off to have Thanksgiving dinner with their significant others' sides of the family. So a couple of years ago and this year, cousin Q's older brother hosted a pre-Thanksgiving for the cousins. Since I was also hosting Thanksgiving at my house, I decided to make Italian Baked Ziti with Ground Turkey, Sausage, and Zucchini to serve at both dinners.

With the oven running constantly on Thanksgiving day, this baked ziti is easy enough to make ahead of time and simply reheated on the day of. The zucchini is my attempt to add some more vegetables into this dish since being smothered in tomato sauce and cheese makes anything taste good. It's not that different from my Italian Lasagna with Meat Sauce recipe, substituting out the wide noodles for penne or other short, round pasta.

Deviled Eggs with Dill and Sour Cream

No matter how pretty, I still needed to figure out what to do with half a dozen Veggie-dyed Crackled Eggs.



While my normal approach to deviled eggs is to make Triple-Deviled Eggs with Black Pepper, Paprika, and Sriracha, I wanted to try something a little different. Just the simple additions of dill and sour cream provided tang and freshness to this classic appetizer.