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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“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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Plantbased by Alexander Gershberg

‘Plantbased: 80 Nourishing Umami-Rich Recipes from the Kitchen of a Passionate Chef’ is the third cookbook by vegan chef Alexander Gershberg.  Many of the recipes here take inspiration from Japanese flavors, and inspiration from his Russian and Israeli roots.  Even those recipes that don’t seem to be influenced by any particular culture have a fresh approach to them. 

Contents of this book are:

  • Whole grains,
  • Beans and proteins,
  • Root vegetables,
  • Sweet round vegetables,
  • Green vegetables,
  • Sea vegetables,
  • Pickles and fermentation,
  • Fruits and desserts

Some of the recipes you will find here are:

  • Brown rice pilaf with cherry tomatoes and chanterelles,
  • Brown rice with roasted sweet potatoes and dried apricots,
  • Soba noodles with carrot and ginger tempura in clear Japanese broth,
  • A stew of white beans with koya dofu and sweet potatoes,
  • Black bean stew with pumpkin and fried seitan,
  • Jerusalem salad,
  • Creamy pasta with pumpkin sauce and white beans topped with almond pesto,
  • Malaysian vegetable-stuffed tofu with spicy peanut sauce,
  • Roasted celeriac with cucumber tzatziki and miso-roasted cherry tomatoes,
  • Roasted fennel with pumpkin seed tahini,
  • Zucchini baba ghanoush,
  • Israeli-style pickles in Indian spices,
  • Pear amazake tart,
  • Tahini almond mousse with grilled prunes and caramelized pistachio

The first recipe I tried was the sweet rice pilaf with almonds, raisins, and cinnamon.  The ingredients here are mostly familiar kitchen items: sesame oil, almonds, raisins, ground flaxseeds, cinnamon, cooked brown rice, rice syrup, and fresh lemon juice.  Rice syrup isn’t something I have ever felt the need to purchase so I replaced it with maple syrup, which pairs well anyway.  The only thing that tripped me up was that I didn’t realize the book specifically said untoasted sesame oil, until I had already finished cooking.  I used my pantry staple sesame oil which is toasted.*  I admit that it felt weird using toasted sesame oil for this (as I usually use it as a finishing oil for savory dishes), but the flavor was quickly subdued by the almonds, cinnamon, and raisins.  It’s the chewier, healthier, faster version of rice pudding.  Personally, I found the lemon juice to be a bit distracting, and made the dish less desirable.  If I remake this, I’ll leave it out completely.

The next dish I made was the stir-fried pointed cabbage and apple.  This was another approachable ingredient list: neutral sesame oil, pointed cabbage (aka sweetheart cabbage), apple, salt, mirin, fresh lemon juice, and shichimi togarashi.  I used green cabbage instead, as the only times I’ve ever been able to pick up pointed cabbage was from my CSA.  I wanted to adore this recipe as I love cabbage and apples, but this time it was either the lemon juice or the shichimi togarashi that just didn’t appeal to me in the finished dish.  (Don’t worry!  I didn’t use my toasted sesame oil here.  I saw the word “neutral” this time, and subbed with my neutral avocado oil.)

I ate everything so my complaints are relatively minor.  I could have easily adjusted both recipes to my personal preference but I wanted to see how the recipes were meant to be.  If I continue cooking from this book, I will be less strict on myself about following the ingredients.

One observation that might matter to a U.S. audience is that when Gershberg uses a pressure cooker, he’s using a manual one.  The instructions for cooking brown rice and for cooking beans are not for an appliance like the Instant Pot.  I have the impression that North America is heavier on the electric usage than stovetop, so I would recommend looking up cooking instructions for these pantry basics from tried and true websites like Amy + Jacky.

One last note for the U.S. audience, Gershberg is based out of Amsterdam.  Some of the ingredients he uses are hard to get in U.S. grocery stores, like salsify.  And then, some items are available but not very common like the previously mentioned untoasted sesame oil.  Another example is the Jerusalem artichoke.

Visually, the book is lovely.  It also offers a sample menu section if that is something that appeals to you.  I think it offers a lot to the vegan home cook.  If anything, my biggest gripe is the index.  The index is essentially a list of the major ingredients used in the book.  You can’t look up “salad” and see a list of salads from the book.  (This is probably less of an issue if your cookbook library is small.  But since my cookbook library is *not* small, I dearly love a good index. It makes looking for particular recipes much easier.) 

Take what you will from this post.  If any of the recipes sound interesting to you, or if you are tired of the more common vegan recipes that come across your social media feeds, then this book is probably for you.  If you’re anyone else, then maybe take it out of the library first before making a decision.

* How to tell if your sesame oil is toasted or untoasted?  If it’s brown, it’s toasted.  If it’s clear, it’s untoasted.

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 currently available for purchase from your favorite bookshops.

Reference links:

https://alexandergershberg.com https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com (Amy + Jacky) https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9781922754134
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Chinese Street Food, a cookbook review

I grew up on simple, home-cooked Cantonese food.  I remember a lot of soups, stir-fried gai lan, fried rice, stir-fried noodles, stir-fried bok choy, etc.  If my mom was feeling particularly ambitious, she’d make squid or fried fish.  But there were somethings that my mom would never make like joong (aka zongzi) because “it’s too much of a pain in the butt.”  (Totally her words, not mine.)

In short, there’s a lot of Chinese food that I missed out on.  And now that we’re all older, my mom is honestly kind of tired of cooking the same recipes over and over again.  (But not so much that she’ll acquiesce to my requests to make joong together.  lol!)

I’ve been looking for some fun cooking projects that she might like and I think I might have finally hit the jackpot.  “Chinese Street Food”, by Howie Southworth and Greg Matza, is a collection of recipes that try to capture popular street food across China, food that is the equivalent of Western casual take-out.

The book is divided into these chapters:

  • What’s in a Name?
  • Good Morning, China
  • Muslim Street
  • When Ma met La
  • You’ll Love This, We Promise
  • Simple Poetry
  • What Came With the Camels
  • Chinese Hospitality
  • Now That’s One Express Panda
  • Sweet Street

Personally, I’m not in love with these titles.  For the most part, I can’t remember what recipes are in most of the chapters.  But I’ll forgive it because I want to try all the recipes anyway.

The recipes probably most recognizable are mantou (steamed bread), biangbiang mian (table slap noodles), jianbing (pancake wraps), youtiao (fried dough stick), and (cong youbing (scallion pancakes).

But there are a lot of recipes that I completely don’t recognize and my mother doesn’t either.  The book is in English, but the recipes also come with titles in Chinese characters.  I’m not sure if they’re traditional or simplified characters, but I think they look more like traditional characters to me.  It’s enough Chinese that it sparked joy and interest in my mom.  I didn’t get a chance to ask her which ones she most interested in, but I really, REALLY want to make la niurou (cured beef), which starts off the Muslim Street chapter.  It’s basically corned beef but with Chinese seasonings.  As someone who was raised in Greater Boston and loves a good New England boiled dinner, this is a must!  (Fact!  I make corned beef every year.)

In fact, I was planning on making la niurou for this review, but I had trouble getting my hands on beef brisket in a short amount of time.  (But since the Jewish High Holy Days are around the corner, I’m hoping I’ll have an easier time of picking up some brisket this weekend or something.)

(Too bad though, I bet it would have tasted fantastic with the vegan ramen leftovers.  *blinks innocently*)

Anyway, some of the recipes that I want to make at some point are:

  • Steamed brown sugar-filled triangle buns
  • Baked sandwich buns
  • Sesame Millet Porridge
  • Red bean filled zongzi
  • Stewed pork sandwiches

While I did not make the cured beef, I did try out one of the simpler recipes in the book.  It was for peanut butter pancakes from the sweets chapter.   The ingredients were straight-forward: all purpose flour, yeast, milk, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs, oil, peanut butter, and soy sauce.  I really liked this recipe!  I’m not a huge “condiment” person so I only made a half-batch of the peanut filling which kind of reminded me of salted caramel.  I’m also not a sweet and salty person because I’m weird like that.  So when I make this again (and I *will*), I’ll probably just fill the pancakes with peanut butter or almond butter.

The pancakes themselves were easy to make.  They do require a little bit of planning because they are yeasted pancakes and need 90 minutes before cooking to bubble and rise.  But that yeast gave it a spongy texture that I really liked.  The yeast also adds a bit to the flavor.

The only thing about the recipe that I didn’t like was I wasn’t sure how big these pancakes were supposed to be.  I only knew that the recipe served 4-6, and I was supposed to use a small skillet with a lid.  (Yes, a lid.  These pancakes are not supposed to be flipped over.  You use the lid to trap steam and help cook up the top.  That was something that took me a bit to realize.)  In the end, I used two small ladles worth (as in salad dressing ladle) and made about 8 pancakes.

My overall impression of the book?  I love it.  And once you have what I consider to be the pantry ingredients, you are pretty much set to make a lot of the recipes.  There’s a lot of repeat use of dark soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, Sichuan peppercorns, sesame seeds, sesame paste (or tahini), soy sauce, star anise, etc.  The recipes also don’t look too intimidating.

I think the next recipe I make, I’ll let my mom pick it.  (Well, if I don’t make the la niurou first.)

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to expand their knowledge of Chinese food, or someone who is looking for a fun new cooking project.

 

Disclaimer – I received this book from Skyhorse Publishing for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.

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Tea at the Langham Hotel, in pictures

1.  The Langham has a pink, old-fashioned looking taxi cab.

2. Their tea is more affordable than some other places around Boston, but still delicious.

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The house blends

The house blends

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Chicken salad was yummy but awkward to eat – I recommend doing it in one-shot which is not lady-like at all. Egg salad sandwiches were wonderfully life-changing, or something like that.

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delicious desserts with edible gold and silver foil

pink taxi!

pink taxi!

Missing from the pictures were are scones.  They may have been plain scones, but the raspberry jam, lemon curd, and clotted cream were awesome.  Clotted cream is like butter, except better.

In sum?  I loved it.  (^_^)

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Staycation, day 4 (Mei Mei Street Kitchen)

We found it this time!  Mei Mei Street Kitchen is now under our food truck belts.

The menu offering is on the small side, compared to yesterday’s trip to Momogoose.  After much discussion, this is what we ordered:

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I got the barley salad with honey miso vinaigrette, scallions, cranberries, and peanut brittle.  (Mei Mei was able to accomodate my request for no cilantro.)

Continue reading →

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Staycation, day 2 (Fugu food truck)

Today, my lunch destination was the Fugu food truck.

I’ve been wanting to eat here ever since I saw their website… I might have to admit a serious interest in anything-steamed-buns.  (^_^)

Also?  I work in a location and live in a location that doesn’t have food trucks at all.  So, I feel very inclined to explore the food truck culture in Boston while I have the opportunity, especially on a gorgeous summer day like today.  (The cold air from yesterday?  Completely gone!)

First reaction?

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Fugu’s steamed buns were not what I was expecting.  The buns themselves were good (but then again, I suspect most places don’t make their own buns and source them from elsewhere).  The filling was not at all what I imagined.  Pork belly is often braised, and  theirs were very soft… but I think I wanted something like a quick sear on the pork.  A bit of crunch would have given it a nice contrast in texture with the fat.  The part that I was really nitpicking over the most was the sauce.  I don’t know why, but it tasted like it came out of a jar to me.  It’s probably just a personal taste preference thing… that or my taste buds are seriously spoiled by the steamed buns at Basho (which are pretty stellar, by the way).

No worries, though. Continue reading →

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Zukay Kvass

Disclaimer:  I’m not getting paid for this review in any way.  I won some in a giveaway and I thought it would be fun to take photos.  And then I thought that if I were going to go through the trouble of taking pictures, then I might as well review.
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I don’t know how to write reviews for a product that I both love and hate.  This is probably not the way to start a post, but there you go.  I am not the world’s greatest writer.

What do I like about Zukay kvass?  I like that it comes in different flavors.  I like that it’s a fermented drink.  I like fermented things!… even though I’m generally too lazy to ferment anything on a regular basis that’s not kimchi or bread.  Probiotics are good for you.  Natural, organic foods are good for you.  There is nothing to dislike about these drinks!  I even like the official website (I’m a nerd that way).

The one and only one thing that is keeping me from diving off the deep end into full-fangirl mode is that Zukay kvass are gently sweetened with stevia.  Even though it’s raw and unprocessed stevia, it still has that fake-sugar sweetness that is not my thing.  I’m not suggesting that I’m a sugar fiend.  I just have trouble with the flavor of many sugar substitutes.

I wish there were a choice of different sweeteners in the products, but that’s my only gripe.  I highly recommend Zukay kvass to anyone who is not bothered by stevia.  If you don’t like stevia, I recommend giving them a try with reservations.  I ended up drinking the kvass is intervals, instead of in one sitting.  It was a nice alternative to have on hand, but I’m sad to say that I don’t picture myself buying them regularly in the future.

Your mileage may vary.

 

Reference link:http://zukay.com/