Scallion Eggs + Sweet Cumin Carrots

Two eggs beat individually with some chopped scallions. Low heat in small pan to create two omelette discs. Hand cut carrots into small matchsticks. Pan on med-high heat. Toast cumin seeds and red pepper flakes. Add carrots and minced garlic. Cook until soft and flexible. Season with salt and brown sugar. Done when sugar is caramelized.

Quick Pickled Carrots

I hate the look of grated carrots, whether with a hand grater or a food processor. They look sloppy. Furthermore, I feel like you lose a lot of the crunch. Whatever. I'm personally a fan of hand cutting them, and depending on the purpose, I'll slice them very finely. Like for my quick pickled carrots. 3:1, sugar to salt. 30 minutes.

quick pickled carrots

Fresh Spinach Rice Bowl

Mmm, this one came out real tasty. Fresh spinach, steamed rice, slices of roasted pork, sweet cumin carrots, avocado, sheets of seaweed and a sprinkle of scallions.

nom nom rice bowl

Ramen Quickies

This one took 15 minutes and it's almost a complete meal. As soon as I get home, I put a pot of water on the stove to boil. Then I put all my stuff down. Chop up some carrots and get those going on another small saucepan with some garlic, red pepper flakes and cumin seeds. Water boils. Add Shin Ramyun instant ramen. The good stuff. Toss carrots. When the ramen starts to pull apart easily, turn the heat down and crack an egg to "poach" for a few minutes. Finish carrots off. Finish ramen/egg off. Bowl. Add leftover acorn squash from the fridge. Food.

instant ramen with cumin carrots, poached egg and roasted acorn squash

Move Over, Rachel Ray

I am swamped with school work. I still want to cook, though, and it is how I unwind. Picked up some random stuff from the store on my way home and figured out the perfect thing to make: the noodle thing. I can never remember what my family calls it but it's like a ragu of chopped or ground pork with mushrooms, carrots, onions, dried tofu, garlic, etc... I don't remember exactly what's in it and that's exactly the point- I don't care!

a meal for well under ten bucks with plenty more for the week

This is what I picked up from the store, in total under ten bucks. I don't have dried shiitakes at home, so I figured that the fresh shiitake/crimini/oyster blend on sale would do fine. Ignore the ginger- didn't need that. Also, no dried tofu. Oh well.

Put a pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta (what ought to have been Chinese egg noodles, sometimes called wonton noodles, kinda like the noodles you get in lo mein). Chop everything up. Start with the garlic and pork. Brown. Add everything else. Cook. Add some dry sherry, tamari soy, cracked pepper and a little sugar. Let simmer, covered, to caramelize a bit. DONE.

the noodle thing with slices of roasted acorn squash

I served it up with some slices of acorn squash I had roasted over the weekend and chopped cilantro. Flavors are great- soy/garlic/meat with a little sugar marries extremely well. Onions and carrots have a natural sweetness, so not much more sugar is needed there. Oh, and I chopped up a Thai chili that I found in the fridge and added that. Talk about awesome improvisation in under a half hour. I can't help but be smug right now.

And now, back to my thermo hw.

RECIPE: Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Carrots

Many can't get over the bitter flavor of brussel sprouts, which is definitely something I encountered as a child. Out of curiosity, my mom made brussel sprouts only once. She just dropped them whole in a clear broth soup she was making and let them boil away. That was an epic fail because after a prolonged cooking time, the bitter flavor only enhanced. I've since explored this territory on my own and I must say- if you're not a fan of brussel sprouts, I will convert you. My success rate is pretty damn high, something like 100%, and that's more than a few people.

At any rate, many of my friends have had my garlic pan roasted brussel sprouts and I've continued to find ways to improve the recipe further. The addition of carrots offers some sweet contrast and the use of dry sherry and a little soy to deglaze the pan at the end is like the MSG you don't feel bad about. Or at least I don't.

• 1/2 lb brussel sprouts, halved lengthwise
• 1/2 lb carrots, cut in 1 in. pieces, split lengthwise
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp dry sherry
• 1 tsp tamari soy
• salt and pepper

It is critical to use high heat for this recipe. Ventilation fans: GO!

Prepare a medium size pan on high heat with a tablespoon of neutral oil, like canola. When the surface of the oil starts to ripple, add the brussel sprouts, carrots and garlic. Stir to coat everything evenly in the oil, then bring the heat down to medium-high. Keep stirring every minute or two to prevent things from burning, which they will if pieces aren't turned (I prefer this process to roasting in the oven only because I can be this particular).

Once an aesthetically pleasing browning has occurred over most of the brussel sprouts and carrots, turn the heat down to medium. Add a little pepper and then salt liberally, but not too much your first time, obviously. Test one to see if it's still crunchy and a little tender. You don't want to cross the threshold where it's too tender, though. A little crunch is good.

At this point, combine the dry sherry and soy in a small bowl. Bring the heat on the pan back to high. Once you're convinced the pan is fucking hot again, drizzle the mixture over the pan WHILE stirring the vegetables. This will at once deglaze, caramelize and evaporate all at once. Immediately turn the heat off and transfer everything to a serving plate. Et voila!

Wow, that was a lot more difficult to explain than I thought it would be.

FAIL: Braised Beef Ribs with Fermented Black Beans

Tonight's dinner wasn't such a success- not bad, but not what I was hoping.  I usually use a jarred garlic black bean sauce from Lee Kum Kee when I braise beef ribs, adding ginger and some chicken stock to round out the flavors.  This time around I was hoping to emulate the flavors of the jarred sauce on my own because I can't help but be suspicious of the MSG content in there.

No success = no recipe, but I'll detail the process none-the-less.  Chopped onion; about a quarter cup Chinese fermented black beans; six garlic cloves, minced; two thai chili peppers, finely chopped...

chopped onions, minced garlic, fermented black beans, thai chili peppers

Deglaze the pan with a half a cup of dry sherry and a quarter cup of tamari soy sauce.  Add ribs and then add stock to cover.  I think there was my fatal flaw- I used water and not stock.  Stupid me.  I could have just added salt to remedy the problem, but I always feel like that's just cheating.  Ugh.  Whatever.  Braise for 2-3 hours.  It was super tender and the flavors were alllllmost right.  I also didn't have any ginger.  Next time... next time...

braised beef rib fail, garlic brussel sprouts and carrots