Brogger's Menu: Grilled Tofu and Eggplant Noodle Salad

For some of us SoCal people, it's friggin' hot outside. I've done variations on noodle salads, and this seemed appropriate for this week. It's vegetarian to boot. Check after the break for this easy 30-minute recipe that's healthy, light, and refreshing.

Ingredients - Serves 3
1 package of Chinese egg noodles 1 block fried Tofu/bean curd (using only half anyway) 1 eggplant (I prefer Chinese variety, but I used Japanese because that's all they had) 1 cucumber 1 package of bean sprouts 1 package Japanese seaweed 2 green onions 5 basil leaves 3 cloves of garlic
olive oil
salt
pepper
light sweet soy sauce / soba noodle dipping sauce (very similar)

Step 1: Prepare the vegetables & tofu - 5 minutes

Fill a pot with water, large enough to fit your noodles. Put it on the stove to bring to a boil.

Mince the garlic, shred the cucumbers, dice the basil and green onions.

Cut eggplant length-wise in half, then width-wise to get nice quarter-slices (look like chips). 3-4 slices per person. Drizzle olive oil enough to coat pieces, and add salt and pepper.

Cut tofu block in half, then cut the tofu from corner-to-corner to make a triangle piece of tofu.

Water should be boiling or near it. Take about a handful/fist's worth of bean sprouts and throw it into the boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Take out and set aside with the rest of your vegetables.

Step 2: Boil the noodles - 8 minutes

Dump your package of noodles into the boiling water. Stir slowly constantly to prevent sticking. After 7-8 minutes, take a sliver out and check for done-ness. You want them to still have a bit of bite to be chewy, but not mushy.

Step 3: Make noodle salad - 2 minutes

Grab a bowl large enough to fit the noodles. Drizzle olive oil enough to just coat the noodles so they don't stick together. Take your garlic, basil, and green onions and dump them in with the noodles and toss together. Take your light sweet soy sauce and drizzle enough to coat the noodles.

It should be at a consistency where the garlic, basil, and green onions stick to the noodles and are not clumped together. Put in refrigerator to chill.

Step 4: Grill eggplant and tofu - 8-10 minutes

Get the grill hot. Smoking hot. Toss on the eggplant and tofu triangles and close. Wait 5-6 minutes or until the eggplant skin becomes charred, and flip both eggplant and tofu. 2-3 minutes later, it should be completed.

You're looking for a tender consistency on the eggplant to tell if it's done. Poke it with a fork or tongs to check. The tofu just needs to get charred.

Don't have a grill? Sauteeing the eggplant and tofu works too.

Step 5: Construct plate - 1 minute

Take the noodles out of the fridge. Grab a plate and make a noodle mountain or however much you want to eat.

Layer on a bed of bean sprouts. Layer on a bed of cucumbers.

Place tofu triangles on top of cucumbers. Place eggplant around the plate.

Top off with seaweed salad.

Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top if you have it.

This dish has a refreshing light soy/garlic/basil flavor, and a smokey aftertaste once combined with the tofu and eggplant. It's deep and whole in it's flavor due to the grilling, and you won't feel guilty eating it because it's very light and chilled.

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Brogger's Menu: Orange County Food Quest

I'm home in Orange County for the holidays and since I'm an active foodie I'm going to find all the best eats in the area. My goal is to hit up as many cuisines as I can in a month and hopefully find some favorites.

Here's my hitlist: Chinese, Coffee, Deli, Dessert, Fish Tacos (cuisine?), French, Greek, Indian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, Taiwanese, Thai, Vietnamese.

American food is sorta bland around here, maybe save for Sage Restaurant, so I'm hitting up other places for good price and good food.

Some previews of some places I'm going to after the break.


I'm gonna tackle these in no particular order so here's some of the places I'm looking at.

Kean Coffee
I'm not really a coffee junkie (tea harro), but I can learn to appreciate a good cup of brew someday. I think I'm more into the aesthetics of baristas' ability to make cool designs... damn. I'll be bringing my coffee friend. She'll know.

Susie Cakes
So I kinda already went here to get these boutique cupcakes for a friend, but I actually never ate them. They look delicious though. I need a friend to come with me so I don't feel so guilty. Coincidentally, this place is right next to Kean Coffee. DOUBLE KILL?

Baja Fish Tacos
Mmmm I love a good Wahoo's fish taco sometimes, but these are supposed to better. Beer-battered Ensenada style tacos with plenty of slaw. I used to love taco tuesdays because I always go to these types of fish taco joints and get them for $1 each. Bad news bears for me.

Marche Moderne
Located in the notorious South Coast Plaza on the 3rd floor, this place probably demands a high elite class of citizen to dine at, but actually after looking at the prices it's not too shabby. There's a 3-course lunch for $20 which I think is a slammin' good deal for some refined French food in an upscale ambiance.

Whole Pita Greek Island Grill
Supposedly this is the most authentic place I can go to in Orange County and beyond. I'm fine of some good gyros, falafel, and hummus so I hope this place does not disappoint. Located in a strip mall near South Coast Plaza so maybe I can stop before I do some New Years Sale shopping...

PIGHTA shout-out to victor.

Naan and Kabob
We have Naan and Curry in Berkeley, so I guess I have Naan and Kabob in Orange County? Well, they have curry too, but I suppose I'm supposed to eat their kabobs first and foremost. I'm not a Chicken Tikka Masala guy (CTM), but I might be willing to give it a go to report back on how it tasted.

Fukada Restaurant
I frickin love Japanese food. Not just sushi and stuff, but everything in the cuisine. This place is supposed to be bomb for their donburis, udon, and soba so I'm super excited. To the right is a picture of their spicy tuna don.

Sorry kiyoshi, no good curry to be found here, but I will definitely try it if they have the option.





El Toro Bravo Tortilleria
Hell yeah, SoCal. Mexican food is the shit here, and I'm gonna find where the good places are in Costa Mesa/Santa Ana where all the tortillerias and taco shops are. These are the best places to get Mexican food because they make the tortillas fresh ,and the meat is made throughout the day. They're generous with the portions, and the prices are cheap to boot! My arteries are prepared for blockage.

Earthen Restaurant
I'm craving some Taiwanese food, and this place looks bomb for Garlic Chicken (pictured), Green Onion Pancakes, Beef Noodle Soup, and more. It's a little bit out there in Hacienda Heights (so more like near LA), but I'm pretty tempted to get some of this stuff. A&J Restaurant is supposed to be nearer to me, but this place just looks better. Taiwanese food is about the small plates with a huge variety.

Too bad I don't have the broggers here to come chow down with me.

Siam Taste of Asia
Orange County doesn't have alot of offerings for Thai, or really any at all. It sucks because I really like Thai food, and I've been trying my hand at cooking it. I can pretty much duplicate Pad Thai and Eggplant Basil Chicken now (so I'll never eat Thai Basil's). There's only two places that showed up for any sort of credit to try, and this one was recommended higher than the others on Yelp. Looks pretty good just from pix-or-it-didnt-happen point of view.

Well, there we go for my preview of some OC eateries. If I head to the LA area for some good eats I will mos-def be calling up efung and eleung to see if they want to join me for some shenanigans. Happy Holidays!

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Good Morning

It's 3:30pm on a Sunday afternoon. I just woke up. It's time to eat breakfast.

How's 3 sliders, hash browns, fried plantains, three pancakes, smothered with maple syrup sound for a first (and last) meal of the day?

It's winter break. I gotta be efficient with my time. Less (time spent) eating, more time for everything else.

P.S. This breakfast costs $19 in NYC wtfbbq Read More......

Brogger's Menu: Midnight Snack

Hungry @ midnight and little ingredients to work with.

What's around the kitchen: pasta, tomato sauce, tomatoes, bread, turkey sandwich meat, dried rice noodles, eggs, crowns of broccoli (omgwtf), carrots, frozen corn, frozen green beans

Psh, like I'm gonna do pasta and sauce.

Here's what I came up with: Bird's Nest with Citrus Soy Broccoli

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Brogger's Menu: Four Alternatives to Turkey

As efung would say:

"Looks familiar."

You don't have to eat turkey just because it's some holiday marked as the day you must consume an unfortunately fat bird that can't fly. Comon now, it can barely stand up without looking like it takes some effort.

Damn fatty.

I don't know about you, but I've begun to feel really disillusioned by the taste of turkey every Thanksgiving. I've been having that crap in sandwiches for the better part of my life. I find having some sort of variety for Thanksgiving makes it all the better in my expectations of "OMGWTFBBQ THANKSGIVING!!!111oneoneoneoneo."

Let's eat:

Chicken

Well, duh. Everything tastes like chicken, right? So why chicken instead of turkey? Compared to a 10-20 pound abomination of a bird, try several 2-3 pound chickens, depending on how many people you're serving. Two feeds a family of four.
This way, you can ensure that meat is moist, the skin is crisp, and that everyone is satisfied instead of a sadface dry turkey. Plus, you won't be eating something that's been tagged, bagged, and dumped into a freezer kinda like a scene straight out of a mob movie.

Roast chicken is a staple American classic and it's easy to boot. Ram some herbs and butter into the skin of the bird, season generously, pre-heat the oven, and slam it in there.

Brogger's Recommendation: The Best Roast Chicken

Beef

Well, not just any beef. Dear sirs and madams, I shall recommend you step up the plate for this occasion and give yourself a treat for the feast: Filet Mignon.

Filet mignon sounds fancy, but it's just a cut from the tenderloin that's located along the spine. A porterhouse and a t-bone steak include the filet mignon: the filet is just part of the larger cut. It's a premium to get just the filet without any bone, but shit its tasty for it's pure beefiness. If you're going to block your arteries with anything, it's an effin' beef block.

Plus, doesn't wrapping anything in bacon make it instantly better?

Brogger's Recommendation: Filet Mignon with Balsamic Syrup and Goat Cheese

Lamb

Bah bah black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, marry have I,
Three bags full.

There's some more to it, but I don't care about the wool at all. I care about eating the sheep.

Some don't like the taste of lamb, but it happens to be one of my favorites. It's described as a "gamey" taste. I can only say its a very strong meat flavor. YEA PROTEIN.

Lamb seems like a luxury item, but it probably is about the same or less than the filet mignon. For me, it doesn't leave a lingering fullness of "I enjoyed every bite of that impending heart attack", but more of a "Yes, please pass me more food so I can get a heart attack."

Brogger's Recommendation: Lamb with Red Wine Vinaigrette

Seafood

Sorry, no Finding Nemo here. We're going under the sea and getting us some lobsters and crabs. ...Right.



Lobster,

Or crab?

I tend to go towards lobster for less hassle of eating delicious lobster meat.

However, for all you Asians out there, the ginger-scallion crabs on the right is a well-met contender if you're going the Asian Thanksgiving route.

You pay by the pound for the seafood. Again sorta like chicken, I tend towards smaller lobsters and crabs in more numbers because they taste better even if it is more to eat through. My family bakes lobsters and eat it straight up with melted butter and lemon. For crabs, we do similar or sometimes take the effort to make crab cakes.

Brogger's Recommendation: Baked Lobster with Garlic Butter Panko

Closing Thoughts

"Wait, Chuck. What about vegetarian/vegan options?"

Brogger's Recommendation: Eat meat or the potatoes.

"Okay, but I don't even cook Thanksgiving dinner."

Brogger's Recommendation: Tell your parents/chef/party planner/relative/favorite restaurant that you want something different unless it's a travesty of your family tradition and thou shalt not offend thine superiors.

"My family doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving." / "I'm Asian."

Brogger's Recommendation: See you at *Insert Favorite Chinese Restaurant Here*

Photos and recipes courtesy of Serious Eats, Food Network, and random Google searches. Read More......

they say anyone can cook...

...but only the fearless can be great

take this example:

figure 1a) jack in the box supreme croissant


figure 1b) jack in the box supreme croissant, more appetizing view


figure 1c) death-in-a-box


now, at ~4:45am, it sure beats anything you can/feel like cooking, not to mention the workers at JITB probably don't want to be making this shit for every drunk/high/hungry person who happens to know that only JITB is open that late (24 hrs to be exact)

on the other hand, during our stomp over oregon, i decided to go defrost some chicken breast. i had a hankerin' for some spicy chicken a few days ago, so i seasoned it with Lawry's seasoning salt, some "secret spice", and sriracha hot sauce.

figure 2) food proportional to that of Steve's Korean BBQ, but $8 cheaper.


surely, my time is worth more during the week, so paying for a meal seems more practical. thus, i only cook such dericious meals over the weekend.

can you guess what's for dinner? i'll give you a hint....it comes from something that once went "moo!"

which reminds me, i'm almost out of Maruchan ramen. it used to be $1 for 6 packs at Walgreens, but it's back up to 49 cents each. this is surely hard times for our economy Read More......