Gado Gado Bowl
one of the national dishes of indonesia, gado gado is a ‘mix mix’ of vegetables and rice in a thick peanut sauce. I like to use quinoa at times for a lighter option, but you can sub in other grains as well. you can also make it a heftier meal by adding traditional fixings like boiled eggs, tofu or tempeh. feel free to add whatever vegetable your heart desires as the peanut sauce goes well with just about everything.
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Singaporean Curry Crab
there’s one restaurant in richmond hill that my family goes to for special occasions. it’s called saigon star. it’s nothing fussy, but they fly in live dungeness crab from vancouver and slather it in this insanely luscious and flavourful curry sauce that must be made of 100 ingredients. they give you plastic gloves and seafood crackers to attack the damn thing, and once you’ve uncovered the succulent white meat from beneath, it is one of the greatest joys in the world. dip it back in the sauce, take a bite and revel in complete bliss. can you tell I’m an insane food person? if you’re in the area though, I definitely recommend going. pro tip: don’t wear white.
since this curry crab is one of my pap’s favourite things to eat, I recently did my best to replicate this dish for his birthday. if you’re feeling courageous, this recipe is best with the freshest, livest crab you can get your hands on.
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Ginger Scallion Oil
okay okay, I’ve been slipping a bit with the 2x a week recipes…
but I’m going to say that it’s totally okay to honour my own time and energy with all the movement going on right now!
I’ve been keeping busy with some exciting projects lately, from the launch of my new pop up dinner series (monty’s), to working on a dream-come-true project for a dtk magazine, where I get to eat my way through a ‘spice tour’ of mom and pop restaurants and write about them! I can’t wait to share my discoveries when the article is published and will definitely keep you posted.
anyway, here’s a super easy and delicious chinese condiment that I grew up eating. I recently made it for a cooking class I taught and wondered why it wasn’t already on my blog. so here it is! ginger scallion oil on mybfisgf.com!
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Gluten Free Dan Dan Mian
‘dan dan mian’, a symbol of sichuanese food, translates to ‘street vendor noodles’ or more literally to ‘carry carry noodles’ as this iconic bowl was sold off of bamboo shoulder poles back in the day.
consequently, it is not a soupy dish and relies on the incredibly savory ground pork for most of its flavour. these are the types of dishes that I want to make more accessible to reid as traditional restaurants will always make it the way its been made. with some minor tweaks to ingredients, asian dishes like this can easily be made gluten free.
we use soba king millet and brown rice noodles as they have the same ‘al dente’ springy texture as ramen.
you can sub the pork for ground round and the chicken stock for veg stock for a vegan version.
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Edamame Hummus
here’s a fun and vibrant twist on your classic hummus recipe. the addition of sesame oil nicely rounds out the bitterness of the tahini while bumping up the flavour of sesame. depending on the consistency of the tahini you have, you can adjust the viscosity of the hummus by adding or omitting water. devour as a snack with a rainbow of assorted veggies and gf crackers (sesame rice crackers are bomb in this context!), or as the main component to a hummus grain bowl with roasted veggies and your grain of choice.
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Gluten Free Vegan Mochi Waffles
if you love mochi, you probably love the ‘qq’ texture of it that is oh-so satisfying. this ‘qq’ texture can be described as soft, springy, and bouncy, a desirable quality in many asian desserts. this waffle recipe achieves the perfect harmony of crispy and chewy with a 1:1 ratio of white rice flour to glutinous rice flour. do not fret as glutinous rice flour is made from ground up sticky rice and is 100% gluten free, contrary to what the name suggests. recommended pairings: coconut ice cream, pandan kaya, and grilled peaches!
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Thai Style Chicken Wings
by far my favourite wings in the world, these thai style wings are the ultimate umami bomb. they’re crispy, sweet, sour, salty, not too saucy, and finger lickin’ gooood. serve them as is, or make it a full hands on meal with steamed sticky rice and grilled corn. make a double or triple batch of the sauce as it easily keeps in your freezer for up to 3 months (but probably longer). add to literally any protein (not just chicken wings) and you’ve got yourself a quick meal. be cautious though as a little goes a long way.
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'Reset Button' Salad (Roasted Cauliflower with Wine Vinaigrette)
inspired by ottolenghi, this recipe has been on heavy rotation in our household for the last couple of years. it’s the perfect one to whip out when our bodies are craving something healthy yet hearty, especially after a week of take out or decadent eating. roasted cauliflower is delicious on its own so there’s a lot of leeway in terms of substitutes here.
*if you want to get fancy, you can substitute the dried fruit with brown butter grapes. cook a handful of grapes in butter in a pan on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, until grapes are slightly softened.
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Indonesian Corn Fritters (Bergedel Jagung)
a couple of years ago, reid and I spent 3 months backpacking around southeast asia, planning our days around eating all the food we possible could. our mission was to find locals who could give us lessons on what they cooked at home.
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Pandan Coconut 'Esquites' (Corn Salad)
I ran into some conflict at work the last time I created a dish that fused together two cultures. I was serving a ‘chicken pho sandwich’ similar to a french dip but with all the usual pho ga fixings: chicken braised in a medley of charred onions, ginger and earthy spices, bean sprouts, thinly sliced white onion, thai basil, cilantro, and even a mayo flavoured with sambal oelek and gf hoisin.
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Leftover Steak and Broccoli
I love the simplicity of this classic chinese dish, and using leftover steak makes it even simpler! if you’re in TO, my favourite version of this is served at maple yip in scarborough where they use fresh chinese broccoli, and the beef slices are the most velvety and tender I’ve ever had. (they are currently in the process of relocating, but my parents will let me know once they announce it on fairchild radio) simple yet flavourful, this dish is perfectly paired with white jasmine rice.
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No Fry Pad Thai
at one point I wanted to serve pad thai for lunch at my work but didn’t have the equipment or time to do it à la minute, so I took out the stir fry aspect and made this version instead! the ingredients are more or less the same, but this version is served cold like a salad.
plus, burners in home kitchens aren’t powerful enough to get the desired char and wok hay anyway (the flavour from the breath of the wok), so save yourself the hassle from ending up with a gloppy and broken pile of noodles.
this can easily be bulked and prepped the day ahead, just toss the salad in some dressing to keep the noodles from sticking together in the fridge. great option as a packed lunch!
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Kimchi Fried Rice
there are a couple of tricks to ultimate fried rice:
1 - use leftover cooked rice rather than freshly cooked rice and store it uncovered in the fridge - the more it dries out, the better the fried rice will be!
2 - use the hottest setting on your stovetop at home
3 - when in doubt, add oil (加油!)
with those tips, you’ll be getting charred, crispy, chewy fried rice in no time!
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Banh Mi Style Beyond Meat Burger
there’s a bit of a back story with how this dish came about.
synposis:
fall 2018. reid (smalltown boy) and jannell (city gal) move to kitchener to start their lives together as reid gets into the family bbq manufacturing business. city gal blindly parachutes herself into a new neighbourhood, feeling distant from her friends and family.
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Lemongrass Pork Patties
another one of my favourite things to eat, this dish is inspired by the classic vietnamese ‘com tam’. it’s herbaceous and fresh from all the delightful herbs and veggies, yet rich and nourishing from the savory pork patties, the perfectly yolky fried egg and the luscious coconut rice. top with some pickly and crunchy bits for punch and texture, and everything is singing in haaaarmonyy! crack open that egg, mix everything together and dig innnn.
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Vibrant Steak Noodle Bowl
this is the type of food I want to eat all summer long! vibrant, fresh, simple, and easy. this recipe is great when your a/c is on full blast, as you won’t unnecessarily warm up the house with blazing kitchen appliances. the veg can all be tossed in a bowl and the grilling can be done outside! best enjoyed with a crisp cider in hand.
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Lime Leaf Smoothie Bowl
there are millions of smoothie bowls out there and I could probably spend the rest of my days eating a different variation (I love froot so much), but the addition of a single lime leaf to this one makes it exceptional. I have to give reid credit for first adding it to our smoothies. if it’s not in your freezer (ahem), go track some down for the 2nd time you make this smoothie bowl ;) and you’ll see the difference that it makes. you also won’t be sad to have it on hand to add to your curries, stews and soups.
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Alton Toast (Avocado Sardine Toast)
alton toast (named for inimitable alton brown who created the original version of this recipe) is our go-to breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack when we need something filling and delicious that feels good. it's easy to throw together as long as you keep a couple cans of sardines on hand and have an avocado ripening at home, and it's packed with all the best kinds of fat from fish and avocados. as a bonus, because they're low on the food chain sardines are super sustainable, so you can chow down free from guilt. if you're unsure about canned fish, this recipe will make you a true believer and may even turn you (like us) into an obsessive canned sardine hunter whenever you visit a new grocery store! for the least fishy flavour, try to find small sardines like brislings.
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