Recipe of the Month: Singaporean Chicken Satay

By Chef Jake Klein

Ingredients:

10 # chicken thigh

1/2 cup finely ground coriander

3 tbls cumin

3 tbls tumeric

1 tbls gound black pepper

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup oil

8″ skewers

A Match Made in Food Heaven: Myers + Chang

By Sara Faith Alterman

Saturday night, date night, Sam and I were in the mood for something different. Even though it’s been open for a while, I had yet to check out Myers + Chang, the culinary lovechild of chefs Joanne Chang (Flour bakery and cafe) and Chris Myers (Via Matta, Great Bay, and Radius). The two chefs have been engaged for awhile, so having a joint venture that involves their other greatest love makes perfect sense.

A Taste of Chicago

By Sara Faith Alterman

Last week I spent five days in Chicago, on a somewhat business, somewhat pleasure endeavor. My boyfriend, Sam, had to attend a conference in the Windy City, and since it’s easily one of my favorite places in the country, I tagged along. Our trip happened to coincide with the Chicago Improv Festival, so we took in a bunch of hilarious shows at places like Second City and Improv Olympic. The real highlight of the trip, however, was the food, particular our sinfully indulgent “last hurrah” meal at Vermilion.   

Salute to Sauces

By Wendy Chan

Who would have thought that people would gather anxiously to hear seemingly trivial details about sesame oil, chili sauce, nouc mam, oyster sauce, Mirin, shrimp sauce, curry, hoisin and sirrachi sauce?

That was what happened at the Asia Society in New York in June 2. The Museum auditorium was once again transformed into a forum for cultural exchange of the best kind – the discussion of and about food, with tasting too.

Dining for Beauty; Eating for Health

By Wendy Chan

Traditional eastern medicine has always played a role in the everyday living and eating habits of many Asian peoples. According to recorded history, Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China, ordered imperial expeditions and explorations around 200 B.C. to search for and study herbs and plants. Their mission was to find the elixir that would give him longevity or immortality.

Eastern Style Tea Party

By Wendy Chan

My late father enjoyed tea like others enjoyed fine wine. From what I could remember, he had an account at a famous tea shop in Hong Kong named Ying Kee (which still exists!). The store offered him courtesy storage of what he already paid for. He would regularly withdraw small amounts of his precious vintage teas properly stored in large air-tight tins. Often he would ask the storekeeper to do a special blend by mixing batches from different years to his specifications – “some old, some new” - to achieve that rounded flavor or pH balance he wanted, so he could enjoy the full-body taste while deep cleansing and soothing each taste bud. Asians also believe that tea drinking renders perfect harmony of the internal system. When he passed on and I inherited batches of aged puli, the fond memories of my father teaching me how to appreciate good Chinese teas were reignited every time I took a moment to enjoy this fine beverage. With the rise of the nouveau riche in much of Asia these days, the demand has driven the price of good teas to a new stratosphere. The reported sale of 100 gram (3.5 ounce) of an “ultimate” grade of tea in China in an auction for US$3,000 recently sheds some light on this frenzy.

Fabulous Food Court

 
By Wendy Chan

A food court is a casual dining area offering people who may be shopping in a mall or enjoying themselves at a theme park a convenient place to eat and cool their heels without the trouble of leaving the premise. It is often a collection of food vendors with a variety of inexpensive quick service foods, so you can eat in a hurry, and return to doing what you were doing. You order, pay, pick up, you eat, and, you clean up in robotic precision. You don’t think much about the food, as you’re there for another reason. Typically, your only selections are burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, fried chicken perhaps a taco place, a rice bowl type of Asian fast food (if you’re lucky), and of course sweets – cookies, ice creams, pretzels and other snacks. They perhaps accurately reflect what sells in America.

Oh Shoot! It’s Spring!

By Wendy Chan

How can we celebrate spring without bamboo shoots? We should get our hands on some fresh bamboo shoots while they are in season, in spite of the fact that we may have to travel some ways to an Asian market and pay about $3 - $5 a pound.

Slices of bamboo shoots are among those iconic ingredients like baby corn and water chestnuts that make a Chinese dish Chinese. It is also commonly used in many Asian dishes, such as Japanese (often steamed or pickled), Thai (typically with coconut or curry) and Vietnamese (stir fry with vegetables). The canned ones are relatively inexpensive, and I usually have some in my pantry as a good standby. Slicing or dicing the shoot, I conveniently use them as an easy addition to stir-fry, braised dish (such as goat in clay pot, accompanied also by re-hydrated soybean sticks, red dates and dried mushrooms) or pork bone soup with some Virginia ham. Perhaps bamboo shoots in classic Asian dishes assume the role of celery in mirepoix (the onion, carrot and celery trio sometimes referred to as “the holy trinity”) of traditional French cooking.

Farmers Market

By Wendy Chan

Spring is finally here, and soon the farm stalls will sprout in green markets everywhere including one right on the block where I now live. [It is part of the reason why I chose to live here!] My anticipation of the abundance of fresh produce is making me eagerly search through my recipe files. Just thinking about delicious heirloom tomatoes, super sweet white corn on the ear, glorious finger potatoes, flavorful Swiss chard and gorgeous summer peaches makes me hungry. I can’t wait to touch and smell these farm-fresh ingredients which regularly inspire me what to cook for dinner.

BBQ at Bar Q

By Wendy Chan

I was not sure what to expect, other than very good food, of course, when I was invited to a “friends and family” pre-opening dinner at Bar Q, Anita Lo’s latest restaurant in NYC. I was thrilled that her long-anticipated restaurant is finally ready.