Sweet Pea Journey

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Tagged: quick and easy

Cooking

Spicy Salt and Pepper Shrimp Ramen

This one is a fusion between staple Sichuan Spicy Salt and Pepper Shrimp and Japanese Ramen, married by stir fry. All I gotta say is try it, you will love it!

Without further due, here is how to make it:

Ingredients:

1 lb headless shrimp, peeled and de-veined

3 green onions, white and pale part thinly sliced, green part cut into half-inch sections

1 knob of fresh ginger, thinly sliced then cut into thin strips

about 10 dried chili, cut into half-inch pieces using a pair of scissors, keep seeds

Optional: about 2 fresh Thai birds eye chilies, if you like extra spicy

2 servings of fresh Japanese Ramen noodles

1 tsp sesame oil

6 TBSP soy sauce, divided

1 TBSP Chinese cooking wine (or use chicken stock if you prefer alcohol free cooking)

1/4 cup of plain all purpose flour

about 1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

about 1 tsp Sichuan pepper corn, freshly ground after toasting

Method:

Combine 2 TBSP soy sauce and 1 tsp sesame oil with cleaned shrimp in a small bowl, set aside let marinade for a few minutes. Mean while, prepare ginger, green onions, chilies, and boil a large pot of water for Ramen noodles.

Heat up about 2 TBSP vegetable oil in a large pan on medium high. Put all purpose flour into a small bowl, coat each shrimp in flour and shake off excess flour. Carefully fry shrimps on both sides for about 1 minute. This gives the final dish a nice crust on the shrimps and a thick sauce to coat the noodles. Don’t over crowd the pan, shrimps will stuck together otherwise. Fry them in batches if needed. Set the fried shrimp aside. Don’t worry about if they are cooked all the way through, there will be more cooking of shrimps later on.

Add another TBSP or 2 of oil into the pan, after removing all shrimps. Heat up oil and in goes thinly sliced green onion white and pale parts, ginger and chilies. Move them around and give them about 30 seconds to a minute to become fragrant.

While large pot of water is boiling, add fresh Ramen noodles into pot and quickly move the noodles around so they don’t stick together. This happens VERY quickly, literally 30 seconds is enough. Drain noodles right away, otherwise the noodles will get very soft and soggy in stir fry process. No need for ice water bath, because it will go into the large pan shortly.

In goes remaining soy sauce and cooking wine. Mix well. Add shrimps back in. Immediately add salt and ground Sichuan pepper corn and sugar. Mix well. Sauce will thicken quite quickly. Add cooked Ramen into the pan with the shrimps. Add all but a few green part of the green onions into the pan. Save the last bit for final garnish.

Use 2 spoons or spatulas, move noodles around, and very well mix with shrimps and soak up all the yummy juices and sauces. Dish up, top with last bit of green onions and enjoy!

Cooking

Oxtail Gravy Spicy Ramen

This is super satisfying. You have got to make the Caribbean Oxtail, and use the gravy or leftovers (if that’s even possible) for this super simple yet extremely comforting weeknight dinner, or mid night snack.

I am not going to waste your time talking about how to make the oxtail, simply refer to my other blog post. Here is how to make the Ramen:

Ingredients:

1 package of store bought Japanese style Ramen. Buy the kind that’s in the refrigerated section, fresh noodles, typically you can find these in Asian markets fairly easily. I normally buy a large pack and separate the leftover noodles into portions. They freeze very well.

3 TBSP light soy sauce

1 tsp dark Chinese vinegar, regular white vinegar will do too

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 spring onion, finely sliced

1 tsp sugar

1 TBSP home made chili oil, if you absolutely have none, use garlic chili sauce or small amount of siracha

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

a pinch of ground sichuan pepper powder, leave it out if you don’t have any on hand

1 ladle of oxtail gravy, heated up if cold.

A large handful of any greens of your choice, if you like, or none.

Method:

Boil a pot of water on the stove. While water is boiling, mix all ingredients except for the noodles and greens in a large noodle bowl. You want to use a large noodle bowl which will make the mixing of noodles much easier.

When the water comes to a full boil, carefully drop in 1 serving of noodles into boiling water. Immediately use a pair of chopsticks to mix the noodle around. Add greens immediately.

Literally, it takes about 30 seconds to cook fresh noodles, 45 seconds if frozen. I know it sounds ridiculously fast, but that’s what it takes to get the right texture.

Fish out all the noodles and greens into the large bowl full of amazing sauce. Mix well and enjoy!

Cooking

Piña Coladas Tres Leches Cake

I had to make a cake for parents’ friends gathering the following day. Then I realized I did not have butter, or whipped cream. But I got the following ingredients that I could still make a killer Piña Coladas Tres Leches Cake!

Ingredients:

I box of yellow cake mix, plus oil, water and eggs or whatever the box calls for

1 can of crushed pineapple, drained

1 can of each: sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk

1 bag of miniature marshmallows, or large ones, miniatures are what I had on hand.

Method:

Pre-heat oven as per instruction on cake mix box. Make the cake in a greased 9×13 pan according to instruction, but add the can of crushed pineapple into the batter before baking.

Once cake is done, poke the cake with the handle end of a spatula all over.

Combine the 3 cans of milks in a large bowl, whisk to ensure well incorporated. Pour milk mixture carefully all over cake. Don’t worry if it seems like too much milk, the cake will absorb it all, eventually.

Put oven on broil. Arrange marshmallows in a single layer, smugly on top of the cake.

Broil for about 3 minutes, turn the oven light on and keep an close eye on it, it will burn quickly.

Cool on the counter for about 10 minutes and cover the entire cake up with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge over night, to give the cake enough time to soak up the milk mixture. The cake will be so moist and tender the following day. My parents said the cake was all gone in about 10 minutes at their gathering, and they didn’t even get to take a piece.

Cooking

Tomato Egg Drop Soup

This is a fancier version of the all time favorite soup of Chinese restaurants. Believe it or not, one tomato makes a huge difference.

Ingredients:

1 ripe tomato, any variety

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 heaping TBSP corn starch, dissolved in 3 TBSP cold water, give or take

about 4 cups of water + 1 chicken bullion cube, or 4 cups of chicken stock

Salt to taste

Method:

Boil liquid in a stock pot, add chicken bullion if using it. Score the top of the tomato, just deep enough to break the skin. Once liquid is boiling, put tomato into the pot for about 15 seconds, turn tomato around, so all sides are submerged in boiling liquid. This helps the skin come off easily.

Using a slotted spoon or a regular spoon, take out the tomato, lay on the cutting board for a minute or so to let cool. Peel tomato and cut tomato into wedges or bite size chunks. Shape doesn’t matter much. Put tomato back into the pot and let it boil for a few minutes. The broth will turn slightly pink, and some foam may form on top of the broth. Skim the form off with a spoon if you wish.

Once tomato chunks are soft, give the dissolved corn starch one good stir and slowly drizzle into the pot. The broth shall slightly thicken and seems slightly cloudy in color. Once it comes to a boil again, lower heat to medium low, and slowly drizzle in the beaten egg. Add salt to taste. Enjoy!

Cooking

Healthy and Tasty Ham and Cheese Wrap

Don’t we all have those days that you just don’t really want to cook, but have the munchies? This is a lot more than a recipe, it’s an idea, a series of recipes you can mix and match and go with whatever you have on hand.

This is what I did – super easy, tasty and healthy ham and cheese wrap.

Ingredients:

1 warm tortilla – use really nice freshly made tortilla if you have access to it. I made home made tortillas a couple of times, they turned out wonderful – another post, I promise.

1 piece of good quality ham, I used black forest

1 slice of good quality cheese, I went shy on mild cheddar cheese, didn’t want it to be over powering

half of a ripe avocado, smashed directly on top of the fillings

Method:

Can’t be easier, lay the tortilla flat, lay ham, cheese and avocado on top, lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper if desire, wrap up and dive in.

Again, use whatever you have on hand, peanut butter, apples and a dash of cinnamon for a sweet version, ricotta cheese and fig jam and candied bacon for a fancier day, the sky is the limit.

Cooking

Peanut Butter Sugar Cookies

It’s an amazing quick and easy peanut butter cookie recipe, no dough chilling required. Enough said.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick of butter, room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup of white sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 splash of pure vanilla

1 cup peanut butter, crunch or creamy, your choice

4 tbsp sugar, optional

 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

Sift first 3 ingredients into a medium bowl. Cream butter and brown and white sugar in a large bowl using hand mixer, or stand-up mixer (hint, 2nd option is easier, but 1st option is totally do-able). Add egg, beat until well blended. Add peanut butter and vanilla, blend until well incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl as well to ensure everything is well blended.

Add dry mixture into wet mixture slowly, mix until everything is incorporated. Dough will seem a bit crumbly. That’s normal.

Put 4 tbsp sugar into a small bowl, for coating peanut butter cookie dough ball, if desired. Or, skip this step.

Take about 2 tbsp worth of dough and roll into a ball between palms. Roll cookie dough ball in sugar to coat (if desired) and put onto lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches a part. Press cookie dough ball down slowly with the back of a fork, and again with 90 degrees angle (engineer coming out of me), giving cookie dough iconic peanut butter cookie look.

Bake 10-12 minutes and let cool for 5 minutes before washing these down with a glass of warm milk…. you get the picture.

 

Cooking

Yellow Curry Chicken and Vegetables

Finally, I tackled yellow curry – one of the favorite Thai food. It’s amazingly easy to make and tasty, you should try this at home too. Because I chose the cheat version, using store bought yellow curry paste, it’s actually a very easy one pot dish to make, and clean up is a breeze.

Ingredients:

3 skinless bone in chicken thighs, cut off most meat from bone, cut into bite size pieces, save bones to add flavor. I did not do anything for this step, only because I still don’t trust my left hand enough to handle cutting meats into smaller pieces.

1 white rose potato, this is highly recommended, just for the texture in the curry. You want the potato to thicken up the curry a bit but still want to be able to enjoy the potatoes, not mashed potatoes.

1 medium to large size red potato, totally optional but I like the color added to the dish

half of a large onion or a medium one, cut into chunks

half of a green bell pepper, only because I had a half in the fridge.

1 carrot, cut into bite size pieces

2 tbsp yellow curry paste, I used a store-bought canned paste.

1 can of coconut milk, not cream, not oil

2 tsp of sugar

1 tsp of fish sauce

salt to taste

 

Method:

Put a medium size sauce pan on high heat, pour in half a can of coconut milk, bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium and let coconut milk bubble away. If you are lucky, the coconut milk you bought may separate to have a layer of coconut oil on top. If it doesn’t no big deal, pretend you didn’t see this from me and move on.

When the coconut milk is reducing, cut all vegetables into bite size pieces except for potatoes, to prevent them from oxidizing. Add yellow curry paste into the pan, and use a spatula to stir constantly to let yellow curry paste get toasted and well combined with the reduced coconut milk.

Add chicken pieces into the pot, bone and all, and stir until chicken pieces are well coated with curry mixture. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and bring it to a boil. Don’t throw away the can just yet. Reduce the heat to medium and cook chicken to tender. I also threw in a bay leaf. About 15 minutes. Use this time to cut up potatoes.

Once chicken is cooked till tender, add all vegetables and the can of water to the pot, as usual, I threw in a chicken bouillon cube. Or you can add chicken broth instead. Make sure you have enough liquid to cover everything in the pot. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium to medium low and let it cook for another 10-15 minutes, lid off. That way extra liquid can evaporate and you don’t end up with super watery curry.

Stir occasionally and make sure all potatoes are submerged. Use this time to wash cutting board, knife, clean up the kitchen, or drink some coffee.

Once the potatoes are tender but not melted away yet, kill the heat, taste for seasoning. This step is crucial, this will fundamentally transform your yellow curry. I added quite a bit salt, a couple of tsp of sugar an a couple of dashes of fish sauce to achieve the final amazing taste, please don’t be fooled by the whole house of exciting curry smell when you cook it.

Serve over steamed rice, with loads and loads of potatoes and juices, you will definitely come back for more, a couple of times!

Cooking

Herb Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower can be one of the vegetables that a lot of people have no clue what to do with. In fact, cauliflower is quite mild in flavor, which makes it a fantastic canvas for any flavor you would want it to taste like. It can also cover the texture rainbow from crunchy, to mushy and anything in between. So, let’s make humble cauliflower fabulous!

I am making a herb roasted version today, to go with Memorial day feast!

 

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp chili powder – this is to give a warm flavor and color, it won’t taste spicy at all

1 tsp dried basil – I don’t want fresh basil to burn in the oven

2 long sprigs of fresh thyme

1 long sprig of fresh rosemary

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spread cauliflower pieces in a large baking dish, I used a half sheet pan. Pick leaves off fresh thyme, throw on top of cauliflower. Pick leaves off fresh rosemary, roughly chop, throw on top of cauliflower, along with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well with a spatula, or clean hands (like me).

Stick in the oven for 35 minutes, if you like it a bit on the crunchy side, 40 minutes if you like it soft. Dish up and serve! Just because I am Asian, I had to throw in a little thinly sliced green onions as garnish :p

Cooking

Letter Pasta Soup

Don’t ask me why, because I have no clue, why my kids are obsessed with these. May it be the alphabet letters of the pasta, may it be the chicken broth, I have no clue. In ideal world, I’d love to have some vegetables in it, or shredded chicken or something, but my kids really love it as is right now. I will have to figure out a great way to add more nutrient into it.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb alphabet pasta, good enough for 3 to 4 servings for little kids

about 4 cups of chicken stock, or 4 cups of water plus 2 chicken bullion cubes

 

Method:

Bring chicken broth or water to a boil. If using water, add chicken bullion cubes, or vegetable bullion cubes and dissolve. Add alphabet letters and cook according to the instruction on the packaging. Or, just let it boil for about 5 minutes. I like turning off my stove and put the lid on the pot and let the residual heat to finish cooking the tiny little pasta, and give the pasta another chance to fully absorb the flavor of the broth.

Dish up and serve! Another great hint, if you got little kids who are not really patient enough to wait till the soup is no longer piping hot, I like to serve the pasta into a bowl and throw in a few ice cubes into the bowl and mix. The letter pasta soup will cool down instantly, without diluting the flavor much.

 

Cooking

Awesome Chopped Salad

One super versatile recipe to keep on hand. Great time to search your fridge and experiment new flavors.

Enough said, what I have below was about 3 very generous servings or 4 normal servings.

 

Salad:

1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, roughly chopped

1 8 oz bag of baby arugula and spinach mix

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1 tomato, diced

1 ear of corn, boiled and kernel cut off

4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1 pre-marinated chicken breast, grilled and chopped

1 lb large shrimp, peeled, de-veined, grilled with salt, pepper and paprika

 

Dressing:

1 clove of garlic, smashed

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tsp of Dijon mustard

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp white wine vinegar

4 tbsp avocado oil

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

 

Topping:

1 tbsp Mexican cheese blend

 

Method:

Mix all salad ingredients together. I heated up my trusty cast iron pan on medium heat for a couple of minutes, added some vegetable oil, threw the chicken breast into the pan and moved on to tons of chopping and peeling.

I pulled out the largest mixing bowl, and if you make a lot of salads at home, you will know this. I have made way too many mistakes thinking the smaller bowl would do, and had to change it out half way through, or during mixing process. Keep piling the ingredients into the bowl, no specific order. Flip chicken after 5 minutes, and keep on cutting and peeling. Once chicken is done, pull it out and leave it on the cutting board to rest.

Into the same cast iron pan (no washing required!) goes the shrimps. One single layer would be crucial. Use a pair of tongs to spread out the shrimp. Flip them over after 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, the residual heat of cast iron pan would cook the shrimp through.

All ingredients go into the bowl. Put all dressing ingredients into your blender, blend until thoroughly emulsified. The dressing would be thick yellow liquid gold.

Pour about 4 tbsp of dressing into the salad bowl and mix with 2 wooden spoons. I like my salad lightly dressed, but do keep the extra dressing on the table for others. Top with cheese and enjoy!