Khmer Krom Khor (Cambodian Caramelized Chicken and Egg Stew)
My mother is an amazing cook. True, I may be a bit biased, but I’m not the only one who’s lauded her culinary skills and talent for creating mouth-watering dishes day after day for our food-obsessed family.
While she’s capable of preparing a wide range of dishes originating from various countries—Italian pastas, spicy Thai noodles, Chinese barbecue pork and dumplings—it’s her Cambodian and Vietnamese dishes that my sister and I drool over the most. She’s been giving us mini Cambodian/Vietnamese cooking lessons lately, in hopes that our family’s future generation will be afforded the same delicious home-cooked meals that we grew up with.
Last weekend’s lesson was Khmer Krom Khor, a caramelized pork or chicken and egg stew. So good. (more…)
Quinoa with Roasted Corn
When it comes to lunch during the workweek, I go through phases. I was on a bagel kick for a while: multigrain with cream cheese or Dijon mustard. After that, it was Whole Foods’ pizzas with fancy combinations like balsamic chicken and caramelized onions. I also had a brief affair with yellowfin tuna sandwiches. And then, there was my CVS phase. To the disgust of my co-workers, I went through a period of consuming sandwiches, wraps and high-sodium subs preserved and packaged in noisy plastic. It was a convenience thing, I told them. And it really was, as CVS is nearly right next door to our building.
But things are different now. No more CVS sandwiches, and fewer pizzas and cream cheese-loaded bagels for me. I’m aiming for healthy, and one of my new lunch favorites is quinoa. (more…)
Whole Wheat Bread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Olives
I wish I could say I’m an expert bread baker, or even a mediocre bread baker. But I can’t because I’m not. My early bread making experiences resulted in hard, inedible baguettes that resembled the fake bread home décor and furniture stores often use as props. Sadness. It was one failed experiment after another, until eventually I just stopped trying. But then I discovered Jim Lahey’s magical no-knead bread recipe. Happiness! (more…)
Super Simple Baked Brown Rice (Plus Variations)
Baking has become my preferred method for cooking brown rice. The recipe is simple, nearly foolproof and can easily be jazzed up before going into the oven. (more…)
Broiled Grapefruit with Cinnamon-Brown Sugar and Ginger
Broiled grapefruit?? What?! No way!
Oh, but yes. (more…)
Chipotle Panko-Crusted Pan-Fried Crab Cakes
One of the first real meals I recall making for my family was on Mother’s Day. I was in my very early 20s, with only a handful of successful dinners under my belt. And those dinners were of the basic variety: spaghetti and meatballs (made with store-bought sauce and meatballs, of course), salads, rice, and anything fried. But that day, I decided to stretch my skills and take it up a notch. After all, it was Mother’s Day. I made panko-crusted pan-fried crab cakes (still something fried, but a little fancier!), served with a chili-lime dressing. Several years later, this meal is still one of my go-to dinners for the family. (more…)
Louisiana-Style Shrimp Remoulade
I came across some of my old cookbooks during a little spring-cleaning the other day. One was Emeril’s Delmonico, a gift from an old ex who presented it with expectations of fried soft-shell crabs, seafood gumbo, and beignets in his near future. Unfortunately for him, none of those items, or anything from that book, was made until years after we said our goodbyes. One of the first recipes I whipped up from the book was Emeril’s shrimp remoulade, an interpretation to that classic Creole dish. (more…)
Gougères With A Kick
I made my first batch of gougères a couple of months ago, and have been hooked ever since. Gougères are savory French cheese puffs that can be made with a variety of cheeses and herbs. My latest—and so far, favorite—batch uses Chipotle ale and a combination of sharp white cheddar and Asiago. Delicious cheese puffs with a kick! (more…)
Peanut Butter Cookies for Peanut Butter Lovers
These sweet, decadent babies are peanut butter cookies on steroids. And I mean that in a good way. The rich peanut butter filling with mini chocolate chips, sandwiched between quarter-sized peanut buttery cookies, are great with coffee, tea, a glass of milk, and despite its richness, even alone. They were a hit at work, which my thighs are thankful for. If I didn’t bring them in to share, I probably would have polished them all off in day. (more…)
(Secret) Swedish Sugar Cookies
I was assigned to make cookies for my parent’s Christmas party this year, and in addition to the usual chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin variety I often make, I decided to give these Secret Cookies a try. What makes them a secret? (more…)
