Keep Cool and Carry On

Brunch at ABC's Kitchen

After our last get together for brunch - two months ago - our lovely foodie friend, Grimm, suggested that we should do it again, next time at ABC's kitchen, and she made the reservation right after that.

I've heard about the ABC's kitchen a while ago, watched the first introduced to the public, the interview of Paulette Cole, ABC Home CEO & Creative Director, about the idea of starting the restaurant right inside the ABC home furnishing building- across from the ABC home carpets- , and I didn't pay much attention to it.




To me, the ABC is the place I love to go browsing around, enjoying looking at their home furnishing collections, and the place where we buy our carpet, and never bother to stop and check out the restaurant located down to the back of the home furnishing store.

When Grimm suggested that the ABC's kitchen should be the next our get-together, I agreed. So we will get the taste of chef Jean-Georges and enjoy all the unique light fixtures and the table wears at the same time.


Turkey sandwich and fried

 Smoked salmon topped over crispy mashed potato.


We didn't go with the full course, which would have been too much food for us judging from the portion they serve. As always, we ordered different plates, and we got to taste a bit of each other, we love them all. They are tasty, and it's worth to come back for other plates I have my eyes on - like crispy shrimp salad I saw from the table next to our table.

 ABC's Sundae
 

At the end, we washed it down with the famous ABC's Sundae, which made my generous sweet tooth stays sweet for the next whole month.


 

Easy Chicken Stew-y Over Rice

Kao Rard Na Gai

It was a cloudy Sunday that we didn't feel like going out, just wanted to make it an easy at home kind of day, and that also mean making an easy food for the whole day as well.

So I decided to go with what we call a single dish ( Ar-Han-Jarn-Deaw)  in Thailand, when everything is put together in one plate or bowl, including rice, and are served in one single dish,  instead of an a la cart style, which is a common table for Thai dining.

Kao Rard Na Gai is a kid friendly kind of food -as well as for the grown-up like my hubby- the taste is light and comforting, and the important thing is it's so easy to make - nothing's complicated at all

Light shopping

- 1 nice size chicken breast, cut into small pieces.
- 1 cup bamboo shoot in a can, leave out the juice.
- 1/2 can of baby corn, cut into a bite size.
- mushroom, as much as you love them.
- a handful or more of green onion, cut into 1inch long.
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed.

- 2 tbsp. saute oil
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce ( if you prefer soy sauce, add sugar and a bit of salt for more round taste)
- chicken stock, as much as just to cover all the ingredients.
- a pinch of ground pepper.
- 1/4 cup corn starch mixed with water, make it a bit watery batter.

10 Minutes Done!

1. In a hot pan with saute oil, add garlic and saute until fragrant then add chicken, saute until all the pink meat have gone.

2. Add bamboo shoots, baby corns and chicken stock just to cover the ingredients. Let it reaches a full boil.

3. Add mushroom and start seasoning with oyster sauce (or soy sauce, sugar, salt). Turn the heat to medium, let it simmer for 3 minutes.

4. In goes, corn starch mixed (stir it up, if the starch is separated from the water)  little by little pour the batter into the pot as well as keep stirring so that the starch doesn't get into  lumpy. The sauce should have a stew-like consistency, you can add more corn starch mixed with water if the sauce's still too watery.

5. Taste it!...and adjust the taste if you like, and then add green onion, ground pepper, stir them together. Turn off the heat.

6. Serve it over steamed rice, and that's how we call a single dish..

New Toys, Tamagoyaki Pan and Tempura Flyer Pan

I love eating egg rolls and tempura. Today I went to a Japanese grocery tempting to buy a magazine, I ended up came home with these two pans instead. Can't wait to get my hands on them.

My Sweet Valen-Pie

Let's make everyday a Valentine's Day

First, The Maca-Wrong, then later My First French Macarons.

Then, the Maca-Wrong

I've never paid much attention to these pretty pastel color French cookies before, it's never been in my baking desire, I don't know why, even though I've seen them everywhere around NYC, until one day I happened to read the ingredients of the Macarons, and thought, "Is that IT?...only three major ingredients - almond powder, egg white and powdered sugar?.....Well!, that sounds easY!

Without any much thought, and know-how, I went on making them with those 1-2-3 steps basic how-to, and Bamm! I got the Maca-wrong instead of French Macarons.

Now that, the Macarons

Those Maca-Wrong sent me back to sitting in front of the computer with the little voice in my head "Who are you, Macarons??" I started spending times searching and reading more about making the Macarons including all of those the Facts and the Myths about making them along the way, and gave it a try one more time.

By searching, I found BraveTart the oh-so-inspired pastry blog run by Stella and friends. Stella' s blog fills with many yummy and beautiful pictures of Macarons she made, in that, there is the interesting article she wrote, about the Macarons Myths that made me go back to the kitchen, and whipped my first French Macrons, three days later after my first Maca-Wrong. 

As you can see, they turned out not too bad compares to the first Maca-Wrong, well, actually, it might not be that " professionally-perfect ", but, at least I now know what I did wrong at the first time.

I'll be making them again soon because I'm now hooked by them already.

Lotus Roots Soup With Baby Pork Ribs

Noom mentioned that he missed the caramelized lotus roots his mom used to make as a summer dessert when he was young, they are super delicious eating with ice cream.

Lucky Noom!, there are a lot of lotus roots coming out on the vegetable stalls in Chinatown during this time, but, since the weather outside isn't 80F, instead of caramelized lotus roots with ice cream, let's have a warm delicious soup with sweet fragrant of Chinese herbs and tender baby pork ribs better.

Lotus roots are consumed in most Asian countries with different ways of cooking in their own regions. This time I slow cooked them with some Chinese herbs with the names I couldn't pronounce, really, I only know them by the shapes and smells.

These good and weird looking roots have good health benefits, containing much iron, vitamins B & C. and lots of fiber content that help relieves constipation. In Thailand we also made them into dessert and a cool drink to cool down the body temperature.

- 1 lb. baby pork ribs
- 2 lotus roots
- Shiitake mushroom
- 2 cilantro roots
- Mixed Chinese herbs

- 2 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. sugar

The set of Chinese herbs I use for the soup.

Just two pieces of each and a handful of Goji berries goes along way. They give a very sweet smell, and your body will love them.

1. Marinate the pork ribs with oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar for 15 minutes.
2. Clean all lotus roots, peel the skin off, cut into 1/4" thick, and rinse one more time.
3. Put baby pork ribs, lotus roots, Chinese herbs, cilantro roots into a pot, covered with water, bring to a full boil.
4. Reduce the heat to low, add shiitake mushroom, and let it simmer for 1 hr. - keep skimming out the oil foam floating on the surface.
5. Taste the soup,  if desired, season it with a bit of soy sauce, check the ribs, they should be tender - almost melt in your mouth.
6 Turn of the heat and enjoy, to this point your house will be filled with a light sweet smell, just like what you get from lotus flower.