Panko Salmon with mushroom sauce and exotic fruit salad

The key to this recipe only uses fresh ingredients: salmon, strawberry, mango, mushroom, and herbs from our garden.

Ingredients:
- 1.5 lb Salmon, sliced into 3-4 pieces
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 3 tbsp miso paste
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Mushrooms
- Olive oil
- Butter
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsbp mirin
- 1 cup of water

Directions:
1. Marinate the salmon with salt, pepper, miso paste, and chopped parsley.
2. Coat the fish with all purpose flour, egg, and bread crumbs.
3. Put 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter in the pan and pan fry the fish for 3-5 minutes on each side.
4. When the fish is cooked, set it on a plate.
5. In the same pan, put 2 tsbp butter and cook the mushroom. Add water, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, mirin, salt, and pepper. Serve the mushroom sauce on top of the salmon and exotic fruit salad on the side.

Fruit Salad:
- 1 mango, peeled and cut into cubes
- 5 strawberries, cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
- 4 tbsp distilled vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar

- Fruit salad can be prepared 2 hours before the salmon is cooked. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, cover it and chill it in the fridge.

Indonesian Beef Oxtail Soup (Sop Buntut)

Beef oxtail soup is good to eat during cold rainy days in spring.

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs Beef oxtail
- 15 baby carrots
- 2 potatoes, chopped into cubes
- 2 tomatoes, chopped into cubes
- 1 Onion
- 1 stalk of Celery with leaves, finely chopped
- Green onion, finely chopped
- 1 can of beef stock
- 1 can of chicken stock
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Crispy fried shallots
- Indonesian sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) to taste

Directions:
1. Cook the oxtail and water in a pressure cooker for 1 hour.
2. Drain, discard the water.
3. Wash the oxtail in cold water to remove the bits of scum.
4. Scrub the pot clean, boil a water in that pot and add the oxtail, onion, nutmeg, chicken and beef stocks. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the meat is tender
5. Add the carrot and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add the potatoes, salt and pepper.
7. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
8. Serve in individual serving bowls garnished with Chinese celery, green onion, crispy fried shallots, tomatoes, drops of lime/lemon, sweet soy sauce, and hot sauce.

Elmo Cake and cupcakes

Happy 1st birthday Amelia!

Amelia celebrated her birthday this past weekend with Elmo themed party. We created this Elmo sculpted cake and Elmo and friends cupcakes to match the party’s theme.

Flavors and fillings included vanilla with strawberry buttercream for the cake and chocolate with peanut butter buttercream and strawberry with strawberry buttercream for the cupcakes.

Indonesian Chicken Satay

It is one of my kids’ favorite Indonesian food.

Ingredients:
1. 8 pieces boneless and skinless chicken thighs
2. Melted 4 tbsp unsalted butter
3. Salt and pepper
4. 1/4-1/2 cup Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce
5. 1 tsp coriander
6. 1 tsp cumin
7. 1 pack Indonesian peanut paste
8. Garlic
9. 2 tbsp peanut butter
10. Pre-soaked bamboo skewers

Direction:
1. Cut the chicken into cubes.
2. Marinate the chicken with butter, coriander, cumin, sweet soy sauce, salt and pepper for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
3. Make satay skewers with 3-4 pieces of marinated chicken threaded onto each pre-soaked bamboo skewer.
4. Cook the satay over your outdoor/indoor grill. Serve hot with cucumber pieces and lettuce.
5. For the dipping sauce, mix the peanut paste with 1 cup of water, garlic, and peanut butter. Warm it in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Black Pepper Scallop

Ingredients:

- 8 scallops
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup Tapioca Starch
- 1 Egg
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- Broccolini

Directions:
1. Bring a pot of water to boil over high heat. Just before blanching the vegetables, add couple of tablespoons of salt to the boiling water. Salt helps to maintain color and improve flavor. Add the brocollini to the pot. It takes between 2-5 minutes. When the broccolini is done, quickly remove it from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and plunge it into the ice bath to stop the cooking process.
2. Season scallop with salt and pepper.
3. Whisk egg and dip the scallops in egg and coat them with tapioca starch
4. Put 2 tbsp olive oil in the pan. Pan fry the scallop. About 2-3 minutes on each side. Set the scallops aside on a plate.
5. In the same pan, put 1 tbsp olive oil and sautee the minced garlic. Add 1/2 cup of water, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and mirin until the sauce is thicken. Put the scallop back in the pan for a few minutes.
6. When the broccolini is completely cool, remove it from the ice bath to the plate. Put the scallop and the sauce on top of the brocollini.

Easter Lunch

We had an Asian theme for easter lunch this year. Korean BBQ short beef ribs and stir fried tofu with mixed vegetable were on the menu. Happy Easter!

Recipe for Korean-Style Short Ribs (Adapted from William Sonoma)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup sake or dry white wine 
  • 3/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce 
  • 1/4 cup Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce 
  • 1/4 cup honey 
  • 2 Tbs. peanut oil 
  • 1 tsp. Asian sesame oil 
  • 7 large garlic cloves, minced 
  • 1 Tbs. peeled and minced fresh ginger 
  • 5 green onions, white and light green portions, minced  
  • 1 cup water 
  • 5 lb. flanken-cut beef short ribs, cut 1/2 inch thick, patted dry 
  • 3/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper 
  • 1/2 tsp. Chinese five spice  

Directions:

In a large baking dish, combine the sake, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, peanut oil, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, half of the green onions and the water and mix well. Add the ribs and rub on all sides with the mixture. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours or preferably overnight in the refrigerator, turning the ribs once or twice.

Remove the ribs from the dish and discard the marinade. Place the ribs on a rack on a baking sheet. Let come to room temperature and air-dry for about 30 minutes.

Preheat a broiler.

Season the ribs all over with the pepper and Chinese five spice. Transfer the rack to a roasting pan. Place under the broiler about 3 inches from the heat source and cook the ribs, turning once, until nicely browned and sizzling on all sides, about 6 minutes per side.

Leave the ribs whole or, if desired, cut them between the bones into smaller pieces. Garnish with the remaining green onions and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Thai Curry Tuna Steak

I would rather eat different types of meat or seafood than fish. However, these last few weeks during lent, my eating pattern has changed from a meat eater into somebody that craves fish, tofu, and vegetable. My workplace is not too far from Anderson and they sell fresh tuna steak. The fish does not smell at all and the meat has the right texture, not too soft like tilapia and not too dry like salmon.

Ingredients:

1 Tuna Steak
Scallion
Salt & Pepper
1/2 cup chopped red & yellow peppers

Sauce

4 tbsp red Thai curry
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup coconut milk

Directions:

1. Cut the fish into 2 pieces. Season with salt & pepper. Use 2 tbsp olive oil and pan fry the fish about 3-5 minutes on each side. Set the fish aside.
2. Use the same pan to stir fry the peppers. Put in all the sauce ingredients until it is thicken. Pour the sauce on the fish and garnish with scallion.

Pan-Fried Salmon With Creamy Tomato Sauce And Steamed Asparagus With Herb Butter Sauce

Watching French cooking these couple days has inspired me to create this new main entree, pan-fried salmon with creamy tomato sauce and steamed asparagus with herb butter sauce as the side dish.

France’s native cuisine is full of recipes that use only a few ingredients, but the fantastic herb, vegetable, fruit, fish, and meat selections take center stage over everything else. They use fresh ingredients. The cornerstone of French cooking is not necessarily the mastery of elaborate recipes, but the choice of high quality food that shines through the preparation.

Different layers and textures between the mango salsa topping, fish, and tomato sauce really compliment each other. It is definitely one of the best dishes that I have ever cooked.

Bon appetit!