In the chaotic kitchen of a recipe developer, you get a food blog called FoodMayhem.
I'm Jessica, an Asian-American, born and raised in NYC, and that's Lon, my Jewish, white husband. While professionally trained as a French culinary- and pastry chef, many of FoodMayhem recipes are my attempt to preserve and share authentic Chinese and Taiwanese recipes learned from my mom. We don't eat Chinese food every day, so you'll get a little bit of anything we find delicious enough to share: from our Eastern European side; recipes and techniques learned from my restaurant days; restaurant reviews, food travel tips; and a few other juicy bits along the way. Welcome to FoodMayhem!
I wish I could convince more people to cook bi-valves and it’s not just because I love them so much. I hear from nearly every novice cook that they are afraid to cook clams and mussels. They just assume it’s going to be difficult. On the contrary, it’s easier than learning how to cook chicken or pork (in my opinion). The key to all proteins is to NOT over-cook them and clams tell you when they’re done. When they open up, they’re done!
Finally! We moved, but it’s not all smooth sailing yet. We’re living out of boxes and we don’t have a kitchen yet. While our perfect kitchen is being built (which we will be talking about soon), I’m going to have to get crafty. I do have many plug-in appliances (rice cooker, toaster oven, panini press, waffle maker, microwave, etc.) so we’re still going to have a ball here. I think we’re going to be pleasantly surprised with how much I (or you) can do without a kitchen. (Gulp) Determined to eat well every single day without exceptions, here goes…
One of the questions I often get is, “How do you eat so much and not get super fat?” I don’t know if I have all of the answers but I believe it has to do with 2 main things. One is that I try to stay away from processed foods. I’m pretty sure that something about all those chemicals messes with your body and screws up your metabolism, but I’m not a scientist so take my opinion as is. The second is that I stay very active. I started out as a figure skater and gymnast, and I’ve gone through fazes of yoga, marathon/triathlon training, hip-hop and break-dancing, or just basic gym-going. I also love walking in nice weather. (Sorry, this is starting to sound like a personals ad. I assure you, I am happily married.)
You may remember the Pork and Shrimp Lettuce Wraps I did last winter. If you missed it, don’t forget to check it out. I still remember how delicious they were. This past weekend, my mom showed me one of the ways she makes lettuce wraps, with a chicken and flowering chive filling. Its also super delicious!
If you’re unfamiliar with flowering chives, you prepare them by picking off stiff ends, kind of like the way you break off the bottoms of asparagus. Then remove the flowers, which are bitter, and cut as you like.
Chinese cooking is all about mise en place. For many dishes, once you have all the prep ready, the cooking part only takes a few minutes. Seriously! This is a perfect example, as the stir-frying part literally takes 3 minutes, assuming you don’t have a weak stove.
Since I made the Carrot and Daikon Slaw, I’ve been anticipating a Banh Mi Sandwich, but when I started making dinner, I had a wild craving for some juicy red meat. The compromise was a Bahn Mi Burger. There’s no way that could be bad right? Not only was it not bad, Lon and I gobbled it down, barely coming up for air, and then agreed to make it again soon. We also contemplated opening a little shop that only sold Banh Mi Burgers and taro fries. Yes, we did have it with taro fries. It was perfect.
Have you ever been to a Latin restaurant and noticed a green dressing that is radioactive-green? Well, thanks to FoodMayhem and our nuclear-test facility, we have created a super simple, recipe to recreate that delicious sauce. You’ll find this tasty dressing perfect for anything from salad to fish to chicken to steak and as you’ll see in an upcoming post, even sweets.
* this photo added on 10/23/09
What’s better than barbecue sauce? Two barbecue sauces! In continuing our Pulled Pork fest, I made two more barbecue sauces. The first is a nice and spicy sauce that features molasses and heat. The second is a super basic sauce, similar to one my mom used to make for chicken.
For some reason, I had a hankering for spicy white chocolate. I couldn’t stop thinking about how to make it something really special and interesting. First I thought about putting some jalapenos in the chocolate. Then later, when Jessica and I went for a walk, I realized that almonds would go great, as would some salt.
I love French fries and our friend at Finely Chopped, was kind enough to write me a recipe for Goan Chilly Fries. He gave me some choices so here’s exactly how I made it.
