cookbook review

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Sesame, Soy, Spice review

“Sesame, Soy, Spice: 90 Asian-ish Vegan and Glute-free Recipes to Reconnect, Root, and Restore” is the first cookbook by Remy Morimoto Park, a health and wellness blogger based in NYC. She also comes with a Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese background. According to the author/book, the recipes “are love letters to her family members, to the countries she’s lived in, and to her teenage self – the one who thought she had to reject the food of her culture to live authentically for herself.”

The chapters are listed as:

  • First things first,
  • Salads that don’t suck (and other delicious vegetables),
  • Snacks that smile back,
  • Crying over spilt soymilk,
  • Long life noodles, rice, and other mains,
  • More things my family members, who never measure anything, like to make,
  • You deserve it

At first glance, I was confused by the title “crying over spilled milk” but that chapter talks about the heavy topic of substance abuse at a young age, and turning to sobriety. It then offers recipes for alcohol-free drinks.

Some recipes that I think sound good are:

  • Just-add-mylk pancake mix,
  • Miso-glazed mushroom toast,
  • Vegan cream cheese,
  • Smoky maple tempeh bacon,
  • Matcha and pistachio granola,
  • Crunchy togarashi asparagus,
  • Scallion pesto,
  • Korean bbq-loaded nachos,
  • Perfect pistachio milk,
  • Pistachio milk matcha with cheesecake cream,
  • Black sesame cacao smoothie,
  • Cucumber sesame noodles,
  • Shredded Korean bbq bulgogi tofu,
  • Spicy peanut ramen,
  • Thai basil tempeh,
  • Popcorn tofu,
  • Chinese peanut cookies,
  • Thai tea panna cotta,
  • Miso caramel creme brulee,
  • Black sesame chocolate chip bliss balls,
  • Miso butter chocolate chip cookies

My only real criticism of the book is that not all of the recipes are “Asian-ish” which is what I was expecting based on the title.  The recipes I highlighted above are but there’s also recipes like “snap pea slaw” and “quinoa salad with raspberry poppyseed dressing” which really are not.  (You can make the raspberry poppyseed dressing more Asian inspired by adding gochujang but that’s listed as an optional ingredient.) It’s only when you read the inside jacket that it says “elegant, easy-to-make plant-based takes on Asian-ish and international dishes.”

The first recipe I made is not Asian in any way, but sounds delicious: chocolate quinoa breakfast bowl.  It’s made with quinoa, water, plant milk, maple syrup, cacao powder, almond butter, vanilla, and topped with fruits/nuts of choosing.  It’s pretty easy to make but take more time than you might think.  You first cook the quinoa in water for 10-12 minutes, and then finish cooking it in the plant milk for another 7-8 minutes.    My recommendation is to use less plant milk to start than what is listed.  I used an oatmilk brand that I had never used before, and it was very thin.  I used the full amount, and my final results were more watery than what the book photo presents.  It does thicken up if you store leftovers in the fridge, but my oatmilk was so thin that it still felt too watery to me the next day.  Admittedly, I made this recipe because One Degree Organic Foods’ Organic Sprouted Oat Granola Quinoa Cacao is one of my favorite snacks.  They are very different chocolate quinoa recipes.  The porridge here is more bittersweet, and the quinoa flavor is more pronounced.  That doesn’t mean that I think it’s bad or anything.  It’s just different.  The porridge is also very filling.  The recipe says it’s for 2 servings, but with nuts and fruits (and a serving of yogurt which I have every morning), I was able to stretch this into 5 servings.  This a great option for meal prepping.

The second recipe I made also came from the same chapter but I ate them for lunch: super scallion quiche cups.  It’s inspired by egg bites and scallion pancakes.  It’s made with oil, leeks, scallions, extra firm tofu, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, plant milk, miso, onion powder, and garlic powder.  Essentially, these all get blended together to make the quiche batter.  The recipe was written for a 24 mini muffin tin, but I used a standard 12 cup muffin tin.  The recipe says to blend until spoonable but not too runny.  I took that mean a hummus like consistency which was a pain in the butt to scoop out of my blender as I got closer to the blades.  I think I will try this in a food processor next time.  This is also a great meal prep item, especially if you’re on the go.  Overall I enjoyed this, but I think I can add more scallions, nutritional yeast, miso, and onion/garlic powders.  The tofu can take it.  Otherwise, it might be fun to garnish with a flavored schmear of choice.

The book has a fun array of vegan recipes.  I think this book will appeal to anyone new to veganism, long-time vegans looking for new ideas, or anyone looking for recipes to increase their vegetable consumption.  Just don’t get this book for you’re expecting Asian inspired recipes only.  

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from William Morrow/Harper Collins for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This cookbook is available for purchase from your favorite bookshops.

Reference Links:

https://www.instagram.com/veggiekins/?hl=en

https://veggiekinsblog.com/

https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/remy-morimoto-park-84771

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Anything’s Pastable review

I didn’t realize that Dan Pashman of cascatelli fame had a new cookbook until I saw he was recently a guest on the “Hotdog is a Sandwich” podcast.  I suppose it should not be be a surprise that the new cookbook is called “Anything’s Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People.”  This is not a collection of recipes that an Italian nonna is going to have, and that’s what I love about it.  There is a lot of global influence, and well thought out fusion recipes.

The book is divided into: 

  • Pestos, pangrattatos, and the jarred tomato sauce decision tree
  • Classic comfort: Hugs on a plate
  • Carby and crispy: adventures in texture
  • Zing: flavor bombs, not belly bombs
  • Stews, rouxes, and ragus: thick and hearty, warm and toasty
  • Pasta salads redeemed: fresh and bright, hold the mayo
  • To the forno!: baked pasta dishes

You’ll find recipes like: 

  • Ritz cracker and chive pangrattato,
  • Shells with miso butter and scallions,
  • Mac ‘n’ dal,
  • Scallion oil bucatini with runny eggs,
  • Swordfish with salsa verde sagne a pezzi,
  • Kimchi carbonara,
  • Shakshuka and shells,
  • Gnocchi with bacon and sauerkraut,
  • Keema bolognese,
  • Mapo tofu cascatelli,
  • Tteokbokki bolognese,
  • Cavatelli with crunchy fresh corn, tomatoes, ricotta salata, and mozzarella,
  • Crispy gnocchi salad with preserved lemon-tomato dressing,
  • Italian cafeteria hot dog pasta salad with canned vegetables,
  • Pasta pizza,
  • Smoked cheddar and chicken manicotti “enchiladas”

The recipe that immediately caught my attention was tortellini in kimchi parmesan brodo.  It’s made with butter, bacon, scallions, napa cabbage kimchi, gochugaru, chicken stock, lemon, Parmesan, black pepper, and refrigerated cheese or spinach-and-cheese tortellini.  Freshly made, I liked the soup but I wasn’t in love with it.  For me, the lemon flavor seemed to overtake the cheese flavor.  But then I realized that I liked this recipe so much more as leftovers.  I found the lemon mellowed out and gave a nice acidity, and the cheese flavor seemed stronger the next day.  Overall, it was better balanced.  There’s a lot of liquid for the amount of pasta, but it gave me the flexibility to bulk up the leftovers with tofu and kale.

The second recipe I made was for ssamjang aglio olio which has a short ingredient list: salt garlic, extra virgin olive oil, ssamjang, red pepper flakes, mafalde (bucatini, fettuccine, spaghetti), and roasted unsalted peanuts.  (I used fettuccine.)  I’ve never made the original aglio e olio even though I am a garlic lover.  This recipe took me longer to make than I thought it would, but I assume that it’ll go faster next time.  Basically, you make a garlic infused oil, then use it for the ssamjang sauce base.  Next, you boil the pasta, and finish the pasta and sauce together with pasta cooking water.  Plate up the pasta, and garnish with peanuts.

There’s really not much to say except that I loved the ssamjang aglio olio.  I think everyone who loves Asian flavors will love this pasta sauce. It also reminds me to use ssamjang more often.

I can’t wait to cook more from this book.  I recommend this book to everyone.  And I mean “everyone.” Don’t eat pasta much?  Doesn’t matter!  Feel free to serve the sauces over tofu, over vegetables, etc.  Not to sound hyperbolic, but this might be my favorite cookbook of 2024.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from William Morrow/Harper Collins for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This cookbook is available for purchase from your favorite bookshops.

Reference Links:

https://www.sporkful.com/

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/anythings-pastable-dan-pashman

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Gohan cookbook review

Emiko Davies, the Australian-Japanese cookbook author based in Italy, is mostly known for her Italian cooking.  She’s written five books on Italian cooking, and I recognize her name from the work she’s done for Food52.  My introduction to her was a Food52 Youtube video in the days of the covid-19 pandemic where she made Torta Caprese.  But more recently, in September 2023, she release a Japanese cookbook with Smith Street Books.

“Gohan”, by Davies, almost feels like looking through a family photo album. At first glance, the recipes are unpretentious and ageless. Here, you’ll find basic Japanese cooking and flavors.

The book is divided into:

  • Home-made pantry staples
  • Rice
  • Noodles and street food
  • The West meets Japan
  • Japanese Breakfast
  • Vegetables
  • Family favorites
  • Sweets

When I say basic Japanese cooking, I mean items like onigiri (rice balls) and grilled fish.  It’s humble, and not glitzy for internet fame. You can also find recipes like:

  • No-waste furikake seasoning
  • All-purpose soup base
  • Tonkatsu sauce
  • Pickled ginger
  • My mother’s lemon-pickled daikon
  • Scrambled eggs with garlic chives
  • Salmon donburi
  • Fried and braised lotus root and carrot
  • Golden taro and potatoes in soy butter
  • Cold somen noodles with cucumber and ginger
  • Winter hotpot (oden)
  • Potato salad
  • Curry rice
  • Japanese milk bread
  • Red bean buns
  • Kanten fruit jelly cups

The first recipe I made from the book was for braised tofu. The ingredient list is uncomplicated: firm tofu, onion, scallion, soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and water.  The results were pretty much what I imagined they would be. It’s a simple but tasty way to consume tofu. (Typically you would serve with rice, but I must admit that I ate with broccoli and pasta instead.) I will definitely remake in the future.

The other recipe I made was for kinako and chestnut cake. It’s made with lots of butter, sugar, Okinawan black sugar (alternately brown sugar), lots of eggs, all purpose flour, kinako (aka roasted soybean powder), and whole chestnuts.  For the chestnuts, I cheated and used one 100g bag of roasted chestnuts from the market. I adore chestnuts but I don’t really eat them in other dishes, so I was curious how this dessert would turn out. I’ve also never thought about using kinako in baked goods. I’ve only used it as a condiment for Korean BBQ. This recipe ended up being surprisingly difficult for me. I probably should have stayed away when I realized that there were no leavening agents. All of the loft is made from the eggs (which I am generally not great at). I followed the recipe to the T, making sure that the wet ingredients were well mixed with an electric mixer and timed it. But the batter is extremely thick and sticky, almost more like a cookie batter than like a cake batter. By the time I folded in all of the flour, I worked out too much air from the eggs.

My cake still rose, but not much, and I ended up with a fairly dense crumb. But more importantly, how was the flavor? It was not at all what I was expecting, but at the same time, it is the epitome of a Japanese dessert. (I know that’s a terrible description.) It’s not too sweet, and it’s very light in flavor. I’m not sure I’d make it as written again. Next time, I will give in to the temptation to add some baking powder. I might also add some vanilla, or alter the sugar ratio for more brown sugar (I do not have black sugar in my pantry). I’m not sure. It’s probably the American in me, but I wanted just a bit more oomph (especially for the amount of effort).

Baking technicalities aside, I’m glad I made it. A more talented home baker will not have trouble with it. (Or do I remake it as written just to prove to myself that I can do it? Hmmm…) I wish a little that I made the matcha almond cookies recipe instead. I didn’t choose that one because my matcha powder is old and the bright green color has oxidized into a dull green.

I think anyone who appreciates Japanese food will enjoy this book. I think the photos are gorgeous, and there are lovely stories and ingredient information. My only caution is that this book is in weighed amounts, no US volumetric.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Smith Street Books/Rizzoli New York for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This cookbook is available for purchase from your favorite bookshops.

Reference Links:

https://food52.com/users/23872-emiko/articles

https://www.emikodavies.com

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How to Fall in Love with Tofu, cookbook review

Tofu is underrated.  I’m not really sure why so many people claim to hate it.  Since silken tofu and super firm tofu exists, it can’t only be a texture issue.  Obviously, if you’re allergic to it, don’t eat it.  But otherwise, in this day in age where nutritional guidelines tell you to eat less meat, it’s such a great way to consume protein with less saturated fat.

I will say that it’s very easy to run out of ideas on how to serve tofu.  I tend to default to serving tofu in soup, or baked tofu as a meat substitute.  I know that there are other ways to cook it, but I just can’t think of them off the top of my head.

So, it was personally fun to get the chance to review “How to Fall in Love with Tofu”, by Emma de Thouars.

The book has chapters but it also has sub-chapters. But honestly, the sub-chapters feel like their own chapters through and through. So here’s the full list:

  • Make Your Own Tofu,
  • Breakfast and Sandwiches,
  • Tofu and Egg, Snacks,
  • Stuffed Tofu, Saucy,
  • Tofu as a Centerpiece,
  • Not So Saucy,
  • Sweet Side Dishes,
  • Stock,
  • Crispies

The recipes that stand out to me are:

  • Scrambled tofu with crispy chilli,
  • Tofu sando,
  • Tofu omelette with tomato chilli sauce,
  • Korean tofu pancakes with prawns,
  • Tofu stuffed with minced pork,
  • Dan dan noodles with tofu,
  • Korean tofu stew with clams,
  • Deep-fried tofu with garlic sauce,
  • Pad krapow with tofu,
  • Spring onion tofu,
  • Tofu larb,
  • Tofu pudding with sago and green tea

The first recipe I made was for steamed egg with tofu.  I’ve had Chinese styled steamed eggs (literal English translation of the dish name is “water eggs”) either plain or with ground pork.  This recipe basically replace the pork with tofu.  The ingredients are simple!  It’s just eggs, dashi, silken tofu, soy sauce, and scallions/roasted seaweed for serving.  (You can skip the scallions and seaweed if you want.)  You will need a dish both wide enough but shallow enough for steaming.  I used a 9″ glass pie pan and the recipe barely fit.  I was surprised by how much I liked this.  My previous recipe for steamed eggs was heavier on the liquid.  More liquid does make a silkier texture, but it also means that more liquid seeps out the minute you cut into in it.  I realized that I prefer this recipe which has less liquid for a firmer texture.

I imagine that I’ll make this on the regular.  You can easily dress it up by garnishing with chili crisp, or change the flavor profile by using a different soup base than dashi.

The second recipe I made was for butter tofu sloppy joes.  I love Indian flavors, and I also love a good sandwich.  It never occurred to me to “remix” it with tofu.  This recipe uses butter, garlic, ginger, chilli powder, ground cumin, garam masala, tomato paste, firm tofu, heavy cream, and brioche buns.  You cook up the aromatics first, and then add tofu, cream, and some water.  Let it cook down to get saucy.  Then simply serve on toasted brioche buns.  This was another fun recipe.  The only thing I did different was to grate my tofu (because I was using super firm tofu), instead of just crumbling it.   I think this a great recipe for someone who’s unsure about eating tofu.  For the average North American, it feels less foreign even though the flavors are Indian.  And if you don’t want to buy the individual spices, I highly recommend buying a butter chicken spice packet.  Honestly, it’s probably what I’ll do when I remake it.

Overall, my only critique is that I wish there were more than 40 recipes!  Tofu as a centerpiece is only 3 recipes (4 if you include frying a whole tofu block), and they are all fried.  I’m too lazy to fry anything. But it’s a lovely resource when you want to get out of a rut. I definitely recommend giving this book a try.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Smith Street Books/Rizzoli New York for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This cookbook is available for purchase from your favorite bookshops.

Reference Links:

https://www.instagram.com/emmadethouars/?hl=en

https://www.smithstreetbooks.com/catalogue/how-to-fall-in-love-with-tofu/

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Compact Cooking, cookbook review

Happy New Year, everyone! Sorry I haven’t posted in some time. It’s because books that I was expecting to get before the holidays all got delayed. It is what it is. But here’s to the first cookbook review of 2024!

I think it’s pretty obvious that I don’t live in a dorm since I have a cookbook review blog. I have a functional kitchen, but I don’t have a great kitchen.  I have zero counter space, and barely a work table.  It’s probably why I dislike doing complicated cooking projects. I’m also someone who mostly cooks for one, so Jenna Hunter’s new cookbook, “Compact Cooking: Big Flavor from Small Kitchens”, captured my attention by title alone.  The recipes in this book vary in cooking methods, utilizing the air fryer, the slow cooker, the microwave, hot plate/stove top, and toaster oven/standard oven.  But most of the recipes only make 1-2 servings.  (Some make 3 servings, and I think there’s only 1 recipe that makes more than 3.)

The book is broken down into:

  • Simple Breakfasts (Feelin’ Somethin’ Savory?  Feelin’ Somethin’ Sweet?)
  • Effortless Lunches (Simple Soups, Satisfying Salads, Sandwichin’ It)
  • Satisfying Snacks
  • Easy-Peasy Dinners (Dinners in a Dash, Slow and Steady Suppers)
  • Sweet Treats (Quick Fixes, Indulgent Treats)

Some things you’ll find in here are:

  • Lazy tomato and egg bake
  • Baked sliced peach
  • Cake for breakfast
  • Warm chicken and kale salad
  • Hearty vegetarian bowl
  • Mom’s couscous salad
  • Sweet ‘n salty turkey melt
  • Baked jalapeno, raspberry, and cream cheese dip
  • Air fryer crab cakes
  • Cheesy garlicky spaghetti squash
  • Chicken tikka masala
  • Tavern pot roast
  • Garlic chicken parm pasta
  • Date caramel dip
  • Mason jar cinnamon-spiced vanilla ice cream

Because I had leftover bread that I really wanted to use up, I first made the “Any Berry French Toast Muffins.”  Made from whole wheat bread, eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and frozen berries (cherries for me), this is a very easy recipe to put together.  The only change I made was to use a small cake pan to bake the French toast/bread pudding/casserole, instead of a muffin pan.  I loved the amount it made.  I didn’t have to worry about being stuck with too much in leftovers.  It is a little on the bland side because there isn’t any added sugar or salt.  However, it’s the perfect vehicle for a drizzle of maple syrup (my favorite sweetener of all time).  I’m already planning on remaking this but maybe swapping out the frozen berries with fruit spread (which I have in abundance in my fridge).

The second recipe I made was for the “Comforting Winter Soup.”  I don’t know why but I fixated on this recipe the moment I saw it.  It’s made with smoked sausage, butternut squash, spinach, onion, beef broth, smoked paprika, black pepper, and garlic powder in a slow cooker.  Since this recipe was for 3 servings, I used my 4.5 quart slow cooker which ended up being a mistake.  Even before I added the spinach, my slow cooker was filled nearly to the top.  I ended up letting this cook until the butternut squash was done, spooning it out, and then adding the spinach to cook.  While very easy to put together, I didn’t love this soup as much as I thought I would.  I wonder if I would like this better on the stovetop.  Butternut squash is one of my favorite vegetables, but the flavor of it mostly disappeared here on the long cook time.  Maybe I would prefer to use a different spice over the smoked paprika?  Would that let the butternut squash flavor come though stronger?  I really liked the warmth the black pepper provided without being overly peppery but I think I need to workshop this recipe to appeal more to my taste buds.

I was originally going to stop at 2 recipe tests, but I felt bad that I didn’t love the winter soup.  So, I made the “Microwave Cranberry Pecan Breakfast Cookie.”  It’s made with applesauce, oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, quick oats, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, and white chocolate (optional).  I didn’t have cranberries, but I had pecans and white chocolate on hand so they went into the batter.  The reality is that it’s cooked in a microwave and will never get a cookie texture.  In essence, this is baked oatmeal for one.  The flavor is great, and it’s sweet like a cookie. It can definitely satisfy a sweet craving. If you don’t like the texture of baked oatmeal, you might not like this. In that case, maybe try eating this cold as it will firm up a bit. (It still won’t be a cookie, but it’ll feel less like baked oatmeal.) The only critique I have about this recipe is that it wants you to cook the batter in a 5″ microwave-safe bowl.  I technically didn’t have one, and I think most people won’t as well.  I ended up using my smallest Pyrex mixing bowl, and just shaping the batter nicely at the bottom.

Overall, I think this is a cute book. All recipes come with a photo of the finished dish so if you’re less comfortable with cooking, you might find the photos to be helpful. If you’re looking to cook with as few leftovers as possible, this is the book for you. If you’re looking for small kitchen appliance meal ideas and inspiration, or because you don’t have access to a normal kitchen, this book is for you. 

Disclaimer – I kindly received this book from Freemont Press/Victory Belt for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own. The book is available for purchase now from your preferred vendor.

Reference Links:

https://www.tiktok.com/@thehealthyhophead?lang=en

https://www.fremontpress.com/

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Cooking with the Crunch Bros, review

If you’re looking for a casual cookbook inspired by Korean and Japanese recipes, “Cooking with the Crunch Bros” by Jeff and Jordan Kim might be the solution.  I first heard about Instagram account ‘easypeasyjordan’ relatively recently, and was quickly amused by a young boy who was dancing to his rice cooker.  I don’t know the background on this influencer family but dad, son, and daughter (mom is behind the scenes) can easily be found online cooking, taste-testing, and making mukbangs.  They reportedly have 3.9 million followers across all their social media accounts. And now, they have a family cookbook that can be enjoyed too.

The book is sectioned by:

  • Easy peasy sides, snacks, and sauces
  • In the kitchen with Crunchdad
  • Jordan’s favorite things to cook and eat
  • In the kitchen with Crunchmom

Here are some of the recipes you’ll find:

  • Kimchi mac salad
  • Kimchi guac
  • Miso mayo dip
  • Korean breakfast burrito
  • Bacon kimchi fried rice
  • Sizzling pork belly kimchi
  • Sweet tteokbokki
  • Jalapeno garlic pork
  • Spicy marinated pork
  • Mochi pizza
  • Galbi gyoza
  • Miso mayo udon
  • Kimchi udon
  • Ramen salad
  • Wafu-style bacon and mushroom pasta
  • Easy salmon rice
  • Panko and tartar sauce salmon
  • Tofu and chicken hambagu
  • Everyone’s favorite sukiyaki
  • Quick and easy nikujaga

This book is honestly one of the rare instances where I think I want to make everything.   None of the ingredient lists are terribly long, and everything seems approachable.  The first recipe I made was for ‘Baba’s garlic shoyu chicken’ as it sounded perfect for meal prepping.  It’s simply chicken thighs in a marinade of soy sauce, mirin, fresh garlic, and onion powder that is cooked on the stove.  Serve it with a simple side dish, and voila! meal done!  My only caution is that the salinity of the end product is going to depend on which soy sauce you use.  I used Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, and found it a touch too salty.  I had to serve it along something “plain” like roasted sweet potatoes and steamed white rice.

The second recipe I made was for “beefy corn fried rice”.  This fried rice variation incorporates thinly sliced rib eye, onion, canned corn, and the homemade yakiniku sauce.  You cook the beef, then add the onion and corn. Once that’s is cooked, mix in the rice. Finally, add the sauce.

Since I made the yakiniku sauce, it’s technically the third recipe I made.  The sauce is prepped ahead from sliced scallions, roasted sesame seeds, sugar, soy sauce, cooking sake, black pepper, fresh garlic, and just a touch of lemon juice.  I’m not sure the sesame seeds add enough character to the sauce, and I thought it got lost in the fried rice.  But the dish was tasty overall.  The only substitution I made was to use frozen corn instead of canned because that’s what I tend to stock in my kitchen.  It’s very different from the fried rice my family makes, but the flavors are still familiar.

Both recipes got a seal of approval from my mom (who seems to be my taste tester lately lol!).   I used the leftover yakiniku sauce to cook some fresh shiitake mushrooms, and some ground turkey. The sesame seeds were more noticeable in these applications because I kept them fairly plain with no other ingredients. So in essence, I was garnishing my dishes with sesame seeds. Since the fried rice had other ingredients, it was harder to notice the seeds. If you’re looking for the texture they provide, leave them in the sauce recipe. If you’re looking for sesame flavor instead, maybe swap them with a touch of toasted sesame oil. Quick note: even though I halved the recipe, I still have some sauce left.

An awesome feature of the book is that, while it’s in U.S. volumetric measurement, the main ingredients are also listed in grams. The only downside (for me anyway) is that I have trouble remember which chapter a recipes belong to. Technically, Korean recipes are in the Crunchdad chapter while Japanese recipes are in the Crunchmom chapter (Jeff is Korean-American while his wife is Japanese-American). Asian fusion recipes tend to be in the first chapter or in Jordan’s chapter. Even knowing that, I found I relied on the index most of the time.

When all is said and done, this is a very enjoyable cookbook that I am happy to recommend to any one who wants to cook more with Asian flavors.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Harvard Common Press/Quarto for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This book is available for purchase through your favorite retailer, and will be released on October 17th.

Reference Links:

https://www.tiktok.com/@thecrunchbros

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkCYWJzLzPV2k8X3H5Q5OCg

https://www.instagram.com/thecrunchbros/

https://www.instagram.com/thecrunchtube/

https://www.instagram.com/easypeasyjordan/

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Sweet Little Cakes From Mrs. Zabar’s Bakeshop review

I love baking desserts.  The only downside is that it means I am one person with too many desserts in the house.  Enter “Sweet Little Cakes From Mrs. Zabar’s Bakeshop” by Tracey Zabar.  This book offers 6″ cakes, 5″ bundt cakes, some of 8″x8″ bakes, etc.  Most of the recipes are meant to serve 4 people. Perfect.

The book is simply divided into the seasons: Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer.

All of the recipes seem approachable, and appetizing.  Some of the desserts you’ll find here are:

  • Honey cake,
  • Pecan bars,
  • Almond-topped cake,
  • Pear cake,
  • Mango cake,
  • Lamingtons,
  • Pistachio cherry cake,
  • Pineapple-coconut cake,
  • Cheesecake with cherry sauce,
  • Chocolate roll,
  • Blueberry cake,
  • Apricot right-side-up cake,
  • Berry and fig muffins

The first recipe I tried was for chocolate chip muffins, mainly because I had all the ingredients: butter, sugar, egg, sour cream, vanilla extra, flour, baking powder, and chocolate chips.  It’s a pretty standard cake method where you cream the butter and sugar first.  And then you add the egg, and then the rest of the liquids.  Finally, you mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.  This recipe makes four cupcakes, but I admittedly made two jumbo cupcakes instead.

Then you have a choice of making a vanilla frosting or a chocolate frosting.  I went with the chocolate frosting, specifically a ganache frosting.  I had never made a proper ganache before.  My cream got too hot and I broke the ganache.  Luckily, it’s pretty easy to fix (with a little help of the internet).  I let mine cool down, added a touch more cream, and then re-whipped.  A related observation… Troubleshooting tips aren’t part of the format of the book – I think mostly because this isn’t a large book. You’re not getting any long recipe introductions or stories here.

The texture of my cupcakes didn’t quite look but that’s totally on me, not the recipe.  It wasn’t the jumbo size that caused the slightly dense texture but the fact that I baked them in my air fryer.  The outside set too quickly.  I thought perhaps that, since the batter was divided, it wouldn’t be a problem. (A more detailed post about baking in my air fryer to come in the near future.)

Texture aside, these were lovely cupcakes!  My frosting skills could use some work, but I really liked the cupcakes themselves.  They weren’t too heavy or too buttery, and the chocolate chips gave pops of flavor.  Above all, I loved that I didn’t have to worry about a load of leftovers.

Because I still didn’t want to go shopping for ingredients, the second recipe I tried was the everyday chocolate cake.  This recipe is technically for a 6-inch loaf cake, but I don’t own such a pan.  I do own a 6″ round cake pan, so I used that instead.  This cake is made with butter, sugar, bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, Dutch process cocoa, eggs, vanilla extract, cake flour, baking powder, and salt.  There’s also an option to add grated orange zest but chocolate and orange is not a flavor combo that I adore.  Making this cake was a lot like making brownies.  You melt the chocolate and butter together, then mix in the cocoa powder.  In another bowl, you mix the sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Then you mix the two liquids together.  You finish by mixing in the dry ingredients until just combined, and bake.

The results were delicious but I would describe it as a cakey brownie overall.  I’ve had long conversations with my best friends (both of whom prefer chocolate cakes over brownies, while I think brownies reign supreme), and when they have chocolate cake, they don’t want it to taste like brownies.  I think it’s ultimately “a melted chocolate” vs “cocoa powder only” in the batter debate.  All that is to say this recipe is good but might not be what you imagine from an everyday chocolate cake.  I realized afterward that there is a recipe for a checkerboard cake that is vanilla and chocolate layers.  That recipe doesn’t utilize melted chocolate, so I might have to experiment with a half batch of that recipe.

Weirdly, this last comment relates to my only critique of the book – there’s quite a bit of chocolate related recipes.  There’s a chocolate babka, a flourless chocolate cake, an everything cake (which I think actually is a brownie recipe without saying brownie in the title), and chocolate chip madeleines.  Oh, wait – there’s also the fudgy cake recipe which is a second flourless chocolate cake. I love chocolate but I’m not sure I needed that many chocolate recipes. (I guess time will tell.)

For non-U.S. readers, it should also be noted that this book is only in volumetric measurements, no gram measurements.  It’s kind of a bummer, but I can see the argument that it’s less of an issue since you’re baking on a smaller scale.  Some ingredients wouldn’t weigh well unless you have a gram scale/pastry scale anyway.

But boy oh boy, if you like baking desserts and just don’t want too much in leftovers, this is a much desired book! I also appreciate the aesthetics of the book. The photos are bright and simple, simply concentrating on the baked goods. The book is focused on cakes. If cookies are more your thing, it looks like Zabar has an older release titled “Chocolate Chip Sweets: Celebrated Chefs Share Favorite Recipes”.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Rizzoli New York for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This book is available for purchase through your favorite retailer, and will be released next week on September 5th.

Reference Links:

https://traceyzabar.com/

https://zabars.typepad.com/zabars/

https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9780847873623/

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“Egg Rolls and Sweet Tea” review

This might be my favorite cookbook released this year, and this isn’t hyperbole.  “Egg Rolls and Sweet Tea” by Natalie Keng is an “Asian inspired, Southern style” cookbook that I related to on a very personal level.  She’s the daughter of Cantonese-Chinese immigrants who moved to Georgia, U.S.A.  Her palate was formed by both her heritage and her environment.  (Swap Georgia with Boston, Massachusetts, and that’s me.) For Keng, “fusion food” isn’t a trend from the 1990s, it’s simply a way of life because “authenticity” isn’t black and white. 

The chapters in this book are:

  • Wrap and Roll
  • Wild About Rice
  • Veggie Mania and Wok the Garden
  • Lil’ Plates, Appetizers, and Snacks
  • Noodles, Salads, and Slaw
  • Buddha Bubba, Meat and Bones
  • Gone Fishin’
  • Gettin’ Saucy
  • Semisweets

Some of the recipes that I want to try are:

  • Oven-Baked Country Bacon and Collard Egg Rolls
  • Ginger-Spiced Sweet Plantains
  • Five-Spice Mashed Rutabaga
  • Sweet Chili Peach Napa Slaw
  • Savory Miso-Butter Garlic Noodles
  • Mom’s Chinese Spaghetti
  • Game-Day Five-Spice Sausage Meatballs with Teriyaki Sauce
  • Joy Luck BBQ Pulled Pork Bao Buns
  • Late-Night Fish Sticks Congee
  • Gotcha Matcha Ice Cream Pie
  • Zesty Ginger-Peach Cobbler
  • Black Sesame Cupcakes with Matcha Frosting
  • Jasmine and Honey Sweet Tea
  • Golden Milk and Sorghum Hot Toddy

My inaugural recipe was for the cinnamon-molasses oolong milk tea, because it sounded delicious but more importantly because I had all the ingredients: cinnamon sticks, oolong tea, milk, molasses, and vanilla.  I was impressed because these were not flavors that I would have picked on my own to pair.  It was sweet, but not much more so than if I were to go to a bubble tea shop and order a drink with “less sugar.”  (If you’re going to use loose tea, I think you’ll need at least 1.5 tsp worth.  I used 1 tsp for the recipe and I think the flavor should have been stronger.  I could still taste it, but it took a backseat to the other flavors.)

The second recipe I made was the first recipe of the book: smoked salmon summer rolls.  (Rice paper wrappers are my favorite.)  It’s reminiscent of a tuna salad and of a lox bagel, but served as a favorite hot weather dish from Asia.  It’s made with smoked salmon, minced basil, minced mint, chopped scallions, capers, mayo, wasabi powder, milk, cucumber, rice vermicelli noodles, and rice paper wrappers. This was both fun and delicious.

Normally, I test 2 recipes from a book (sometimes 3), with very little alterations. I think it’s only fair to make recipes as written for reviews. But I just couldn’t resist making a third recipe with a major method change. I really wanted to make “Mom’s unfried red rice with berries” which includes goji berries. I may or may not have too much goji berries in my pantry, courtesy of my mother. My family mostly uses it for soups, so I liked the idea of putting it into a rice dish. This recipe has you cook red rice with some bouillon, water, raisins, dried goji berries, dried cranberries, nuts or seeds, garlic powder, white pepper, five-spice powder, and salt on the stovetop for almost an hour, before mixing in some butter. I’m not an Asian snob who will only make rice in a rice cooker (in fact, I don’t use a rice cooker at home) but I really didn’t want to simmer rice on a muggy June day. So, I broke out my electric pressure cooker. Stovetop red rice instructions seem to generally be 1 part rice to 2 parts water, but pressure cookers don’t that much water because the water is not evaporating off. For the 1 1/2 cups of rice in this recipe, I tried 2 1/2 cups water. It was a touch too much water. So, dear reader, if you get your hands on a copy of this book and want to make the red rice in a pressure cooker as well, try either 2 1/4 cups or 2 1/3 cups water. If your dried fruits are dried out, try 2 1/3 cups. If not, try 2 1/4 cups. But even so, the flavors of the final dish were fantastic. I can’t wait to try this out on my family during our next potluck.

If you appreciate fusion food for what it really is, you will enjoy this book. If you have an Asian American background, I think you will enjoy this book. If you’re looking for creative takes on Southern cooking, try out this book. I’m not saying that I’m going to make all of Keng’s recipes. After all, I have too many recipes that I want to make and never enough time, or fridge/pantry space. And like any cookbook (or restaurant menu for that matter), not everything appeals to me. But so much of this book sounds fun and somehow familiar, that I look forward to sharing with friends and family.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Gibbs Smith for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This book is available for purchase now through your favorite retailer.

Reference Links:

https://chinesesouthernbelle.com/

https://gibbs-smith.com/

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20-40-60 minute dinners review

I like the idea of sorting dinner recipes by length of time. I don’t because my current lifestyle doesn’t require me to whip out dinner every night, but there’s merit in it. That’s the premise of ’20-40-60 minute dinners: Meals to match the time you have’ by Kate Otterstrom.

The book is divided into:

  • College-Style dinners,
  • Quick-Prep dinners,
  • Slow-Cooker dinners,
  • Frozen dinners,
  • Time-Consuming dinners,
  • Accompaniments,
  • Breakfast,
  • Baking and Candy

Some of the recipes you will find here are:

  • Mac and cheese with candied sausage and green peas,
  • Pancakes with homemade syrup and smoky carrots,
  • Slow cooker strata with green salad,
  • Seven layer dip with tortilla chips and crudites,
  • Sweet and spicy turkey carnitas taco salad,
  • Swedish meatballs with roasted potatoes and green peas,
  • Chicken and corn casserole with sauteed cabbage,
  • Meatballs with roasted broccoli and mashed potatoes,
  • Moroccan-style chickpea stew with bread and preserved lemon salsa,
  • Crunchy granola bars,
  • Gluten-free almond poppy seed muffins,
  • Dinner or cinnamon rolls,
  • Gluten-free baguette,
  • Almond Texas sheet cake

The thing I like best about this book is the recipe format.  It’s similar to how I jot down recipe notes.  It’s a grid system.  For example, the pancakes recipe mentioned above is broken down into a section for the carrots, then the pancakes, the syrup, and the suggested condiments.  The ingredients are on the left side of the grid, while the instructions are next to it on the right.  I don’t have to flip pages, or look at an ingredient list and then go looking for the paragraph that corresponds.  I wish all recipes were formatted more like this!  I also love that since Otterstrom has celiac disease, all recipes come with gluten-free instructions where applicable.  The minor editing complaint that I have is the recipe grid doesn’t always clearly label what the row is for.  So in the recipe for the sushi rolls, the row for a sweet teriyaki sauce is clearly labeled, but then the very last row of the grid has no label.  It took me a second to realize, it was ingredients and instructions for miso soup.

Oh, another comment about consistency – this book does offer weighed ingredients when a flour is listed but not always.  For the dinner/cinnamon rolls, the all purpose flour has a weighed amount with the volumetric amount, but the whole wheat flour only has the volumetric.  But if you make the GF version, all volume and weighed measurements are listed.

Another great feature is that every recipe is meant to be a meal.  You don’t have to go looking for a side dish recipe if you don’t want to.  It’s built into the recipe.

I ended up making the focaccia-style pizza with Greek salad.  I thought it would enable me to test out two recipes – the pizza from the Time-consuming Dinners chapter, and the gluten-free blend from the Baking and Candy chapter.  I was really curious about the GF blend as it’s the only one I’ve personally seen that includes garbanzo bean flour (aka chickpea flour aka besan flour).  But as I re-read the recipe, I realized that the focaccia is different ratio of ingredients.  The GF blend is one of the ingredients, but then more starch and garbanzo bean flour is added to the mix.  (I have since looked more closely at the GF baked items in this book, and Otterstrom does this a lot. I almost wonder what’s the point of having a master blend.)

This recipe, in the GF instructions, offers both focaccia and standard round pizza variations.  I kept to the focaccia instructions (but I wish a little that I went with the standard round pizza as I actually prefer a thinner crust on my pizza pies). 

Anyway, you mix the dough with a high amount of yeast.  Let it rise on a baking sheet.  When it’s time, bake the dough for 15 minutes, take it out of the oven, add the toppings, and then finish in the oven.

Since it was my first time with this recipe, I kept it to just cheese.  I also halved the recipe so I used a quarter sheet pan instead of a half sheet pan.  Otterstrom warns that the GF version is less like a dough and more like a batter, and I can confirm.  It’s like a thick cake batter.  While it was baking, it smelled very strongly of garbanzo bean flour which worried me a bit.  But the eating experience was much nicer.  I think I would still prefer a bit less garbanzo bean flour but that’s just personal preference.  The overall texture was lovely!    As reheated leftovers, I thought that the garbanzo bean flavor was a little stronger (but not overly so), and the structure/texture held up pretty well.  I was too curious for my own good, and did a rough nutritional calculation.  Maybe not a recipe for everyday eating, but, for the occasional indulgence, I enjoyed this. 

Since I made a yeasted recipe, I have no idea if the expected cooking active time is accurate or not in this book.  I still want to test out the GF flour blend, so I think the next recipe I’ll be making is for the almond Texas sheet cake or the muffins recipe.  It looks like those might be the only ones that use the blend without any alternations/adjustments.  As for the non-baked recipes, I’m not sure if I’ll actually make any of them.  This cookbook is mostly meant to feed 4-6 people.  That’s a lot of food.  The recipes I normally use are meant to feed 2-4 people.  So that is to say, you’ll probably have more interest in this book if you’ve got a family to feed. Otherwise, be prepared to do some math.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Shadow Mountain Publishing for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This cookbook is available for purchase from your vendors of choice.

Reference Links:

dinnerinrealtime.com

shadowmountain.com/product/20-40-60-minute-dinners-meals-to-match-the-time-you-have

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Noods, cookbook review

Not all good cookbooks must have a fancy name attached to it.  And not all cookbooks written by a popular creator are necessarily good.  Or maybe it’s more that titles don’t always reflect the book?

There was a cookbook I took out of the library recently (I won’t mention who the author(s) is/were because that wouldn’t be fair) that I was deeply disappointed with.  “Noodles” was in the title but once I was home and reading it in earnest, I realized half the recipes were pasta. I consider some pastas to be noodles, but I do not consider all pasta to be noodles.  (Example, I don’t think of orzo as a noodle.) All the pasta recipes were Western style, and honestly half of the noodle recipes were forgettable.  I’d be less disappointed if I picked it up because it was titled “Carbs and Sauce” instead.  

So I was excited but cautious when I received a copy of Smith Street Books’ “Noods: 80 Slurpable Noodle Recipes from Asia.”  My immediate reaction upon reading through the book was that this is a wonderful collection and representation of noodle recipes!

The book is simply broken down into:

  • Stir-fried,
  • Soup,
  • Chilled,
  • Instant,
  • Basics

It highlights recipes from China, Japan, Korean, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.  Looking at the pad thai recipe as a measure of accuracy/authenticity, I think this book is probably representing different cultures pretty well.  Their pad thai recipe includes garlic chives, pickled turnip, tamarind sauce, coconut sugar (which is an acceptable sub for palm sugar), and fish sauce.  

Some of the recipes I want to try:

  • Smoked tofu miso ramen,
  • Pho chay (vegetable noodle soup),
  • Khao soi (curry noodle soup),
  • Liangpi (Chinese cold noodles),
  • Sudachi somen (chilled noodles with citrus),
  • Hiyashi chuka (cold noodles with ham),
  • Bun thit nuong (noodle salad),
  • Sa cha beef noodles (Hong Kong instant noodle dish),
  • Budae jjigae (Korean army base stew),
  • Lemongrass sate (basics chapter),
  • Vegan broth (basic chapter)

While I really wanted to make some of the cold noodle recipes, it’s not quite the season for it yet here (New England in March).  Instead, the first recipe I made was for janchi guksu.  This is a Korean recipe made with zucchini, spinach, wheat noodles, egg, anchovy/kelp broth, and yangnyeom sauce.  A recipe for yangnyeom sauce is included which is simply soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, Korean chili flakes, black pepper, and scallions.  The only swap I made was using yellow squash instead of zucchini, and I cheated by using instant broth.  Overall, I was really happy with this dish.  I also liked the yangnyeom sauce.  I made a second batch of it and used it with some cooked ground turkey.

The second recipe I tried was for kare udon, Japanese curry udon soup.  I love Japanese curry but never really thought to use it in soup.  Trying this recipe also gave me the excuse to re-stock on Japanese curry.  This recipe has a pretty short ingredient list – oil, onion, pork loin, mirin, dashi (I cheated again and used instant), udon noodles, and scallion for garnish.  It was really easy and pretty quick to put together.  Unfortunately, I lost the image of this so I remade it as a vegetarian variation.  The second time I made it, I replaced the pork with roasted mushrooms and garnished with quick pickled red onions.  It was good either way, and I’ll remember to keep this soup in rotation during cooler weather.

If you’re a fan of Asian noodles soup, I recommend picking up this cute little book.  It’s good collection of recipes with a good variety countries represented.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Smith Street Books/Rizzoli New York for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This cookbook is available for pre-purchase from your favorite bookshops, and gets released next week.

Reference Links:

https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9781922754226/