ethnic recipes

Fried Tomato-Noodles Pillow

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I did not intend to post this dish when I started preparing it. After all, what can be so special about some re-heated leftover tomato pasta. But then I thought maybe I am on to something. So, instead of just re-heating the pasta with a bit of butter and a few drops of stock or cream (or both), I proceeded to make a non-traditional noodle pillow. Noodle pillows are of course widely eaten in Asian cuisine, but the pasta is never mixed with tomato sauce before frying/sautéing. I am happy to report that this version was super delicious and the tomato taste added to the overall flavor and gave a hint of Unami. Absolutely a new addition to my repertoire of simple comfort food, either eaten as a snack by itself with the addition of a bit of sauce drizzled over it as shown here, or as tasty side dish which will add extra flavor and texture to a variety of dishes.
Next noodle pillow up: Noodle pillow made from curried noodles. I’ll let you know of the result 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Fried Tomato-Noodles Pillow

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More “Noodle Pillow’s” on ChefsOpinion
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: leftover pasta with tomato sauce

: spread pasta in hot peanut oil to even thickness, saute on both sides until crisp and golden

: dipping sauce: mix 2 tblsp soy sauce, 2 tblsp hoi sin sauce, 2 tblsp water, 1 tblsp ketchup, 1 tsp lime juice, season with grated ginger, garlic paste, sesame oil and chili oil, to serve, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and sesame seeds

: Fried Tomato-Noodles Pillow

: Fried Tomato-Noodles Pillow

: Fried Tomato-Noodles Pillow

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Burritos De Carne De Res

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It can be hard to cook REAL Mexican food outside of Mexico because of the difficulty of sourcing authentic ingredients and because preparing AUTHENTIC cuisine is something which usually requires a lot of effort , time and money to duplicate in a foreign land.
Tex-Mex to the Rescue !!!
Tex-Mex is not only easier to prepare but also more acceptable to the typical “Gringo’s” palate than some of the more exotic offerings of real Mexican fare.
So, as usual, I am not trying to be the master of the ethnic cuisine I am preparing, but trying to be as close and simple to the ideas, taste and charm of the ethnic food that inspires me to cook certain dishes.
In this spirit, I prepared these Burritos, which were very plain with just two ingredients for the filling and accompanied by the most basic condiments.
It is not at all close to the food which I have enjoyed traveling in Mexico, living there and actually cooking Mexican food of the highest quality on many occasions, but it satisfies my craving for the food I love so much and remember fondly.
My earliest memory of a Burrito takes me back much further, to the first vacation I spend in Puerto Vallarta in the mid-70’s. It was late at night and after many drinks, lots of dancing and a few puffs of the funny stuff, enormous hunger had me ready for anything. Although this was in a disco, food was available at the bar. I did not know Mexican food (yet) and ordered what, by it’s description on the menu, seemed to be the biggest bang for the buck. I was not at all disappointed, neither with the size, the taste, nor the condiments it came with, especially the spicy sauces. Memories……..
Truth be told, it amazes me how many details I remember about food, places and the people I shared them with, after all these years (Decades, actually) 🙂
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Viva Mexico ! Live is Good !
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Read more of my memories of Puerto Vallarta
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All about Mexican Cuisine

All about Tex-Mex
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Burritos De Carne De Res

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Preparation :
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: cubed flank steak, diced onions, chopped cilantro

: heat flour tortillas to make them pliable

: season beef with kosher salt, cayenne papper, garlic paste, cumin and oregano, saute in very hot corn oil until browned but sill rare, add onions, saute until translucent, remove from heat, add chopped cilantro

: spread a generous amount of re-fried beans on tortilla

: top re-fried beans with beef

: roll burritos tightly

: ready to sauté

: brush tamal, griddle or pan with a small amount of corn oil, saute burritos on both sides until golden and heated through

: Burritos De Carne De Res

: Burritos De Carne De Res

: Burritos De Carne De Res

: Burritos De Carne De Res

: Burritos De Carne De Res

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Easy Does It # 27 – Strawberry Croissant

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While I was shopping early this afternoon, I was nostalgically remembering the old German tradition of “Kaffee und Kuchen”.
In Germany and Austria, between lunch and dinner, there is traditionally a short break for a social gathering around a piece of cake or two (or any other Pastry) and a hot steaming cup of coffee, hot chocolate or tea. This ritual is referred to as Kaffee und Kuchen, Kaffeetrinken, or Kaffeeklatsch. Even these days, it is still quite common to get together with friends and family on Sunday afternoon between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. to share some cake/pastry and good conversation. Well, I was certainly not going to run home and start baking a cake just for my self, but I had an idea for a simple solution for my craving, so I bought a couple of freshly baked croissants, two small cups of sugar-free chocolate pudding and some fresh strawberries. To assemble these sexy beauties took only about as long as it took to brew a cup of strong Java and both the Java and the pastries were absolutely delightful. I was even able to enjoy the added bonus of having my Kaffee und Kuchen outside by the pool, since the sun was behind dark clouds and there was a nice breeze blowing, keeping the temperature pleasant 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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More Kaffee und Kuchen
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More Easy Does It
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Strawberry Croissants

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Preparation :
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: croissants

: cut in half, spread with choccolate pudding or nutella

: top bottom halves with strawberries

: top with other halves, sprinkle with castor sugar

: Strawberry Croissants

: Strawberry Croissants

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Hans’ Poutine

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When I was a small kid, french fries were a VERY special treat for me. At the time, restaurant visits were a seldom enjoyed occasion and therefore happened only once in a while. But whenever we did visit a restaurant, French Fries, or”Fritten” as they are called in many parts of Germany, were one of the highlights to look forward to. The most common dish served to kids was “Schnitzel with Fritten”, a small veal or pork scallop with french fries and sauce. Thus, french fries doused in sauce or gravy is one of my earliest and fondest restaurant memories. Imagine my delight many years later when I visited Quebec/Canada the first time and ordered Poutine. As the waiter explained it to me, this seemed to be the most ideal food in the world – french fries doused in sauce and topped with soft cheese.
But, my oh my, what a disappointment I got served: Crappy fries with crappy sauce and crappy cheese :-(.
(Sorry my dear Canadian friends, but this is how it appeared to me at the time.
I am of course talking about my very own, personal taste and opinion when I talk about this much beloved Canadian dish, but it is what it is – to this day I don’t like it in its original form. To make a point, have a look at a cross-section of Poutine on this Link, then tell me the majority of it does not look, to put it mildly, less than appetizing. On the other hand, If you love cheese curds…….
So, I was pondering this the other day and I decided to improve my Poutine experience, thinking of the possibilities which proper fries with proper sauce and proper cheese (meaning cheese I personally prefer to cheese curds, which I can’t stand), could provide and I came up with this version, which I absolutely love.
I understand that nowadays, there are many different versions of Poutine available and popular, so my version is probably not as alienating to my dear Canadian friends as it would have been 40 years ago when I first encountered this culinary Canadian icon.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Hans’ Poudine

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Preparation :
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Link to how to prepare great Tomato Sauce
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How to prepare great French Fries:
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Peel large baking potatoes and cut them into even size fries. Add to COLD duck fat and set on medium-high heat. Carefully stir fries once in a while so they cook evenly. Once they are golden brown, they will be crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Remove to absorbent paper, then toss in a bowl with sea salt and cayenne pepper. Enjoy 🙂
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: Potatoes, tomato sauce, gorgonzola

: crumble gorgonzola into medium chhunks

: start fries in cold duck fat

: almost….

: remove fries to absorbent paper, sprinkle with kosher salt

: plate the fries

: top with gorgonzola

: ladle tomato sauce over cheese and fries, top with more cheese

: Hans’ Poudine

: Hans’ Poudine

: Hans’ Poudine

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Salmon & Grits In Garlic/Lime Butter

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I prepare grits quite often, usually buttery cheese grits, which are so rich, so good and so bad for you-if you eat large portions (which I tend to do) 😦 .
Lately I use mostly instant grits and I am happy with the results, as long as I add enough butter (and enough grated cheese when preparing cheese grits). For me, the extra cooking time to use non-instant just does not justify the small difference in texture and taste. But today I made plain grits without cheese, just seasoned with kosher salt and cayenne pepper and a sinful amount of unsalted butter. I also made the grits a bit more dry than usual, since there was added fat and moisture from the garlic/lime butter which I spooned over the sauteed salmon and grits at plating time. The salad dressed in yogurt gave a pleasant tang and additional texture to the dish.
While sauteing the salmon I was looking forward to the crispy skin, but Bella loves the skin even more than I do so I let her have it (along with half the salmon) 🙂
All around, a very delicious lunch, easy to prepare and full of flavor and different textures.
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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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All about Grits
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More Grits on ChefsOpinion
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Watch my friend Mark Dowling prepare “Instant Cheese Grits”
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P.S.
Notice in the pictures of the broken up salmon below how very juicy the fish is, even when cooked well done. Well done fish is never dry when properly cooked to the right temperature. Unfortunately, this is not taught anymore to our young “Chefs”, most of whom think that all fish has to be served raw in order to not be dry (Don’t even get me started on parasites…..)
But if you insist on eating raw and/or under-cooked fish, you might want to read this : About fish diseases and parasites

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Salmon & Grits In Garlic/Lime Butter

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: season salmon fillets with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, dust in flour

: saute in clarified butter until med/well, remove from pan, let rest a few minutes

: add garlic confit paste, saute until fragrant, add juice from one lime

: plate the grits

: add the salmon, skin side up

: ladle the garlic/lime butter over both the salmon and the grits, top with finely sliced iceberg and red onion, dressed with Greek yogurt, cayenne, kosher salt and lime juice

: Salmon & Grits In Garlic/Lime Butter

: Salmon & Grits In Garlic/Lime Butter

: Salmon & Grits In Garlic/Lime Butter

: Salmon & Grits In Garlic/Lime Butter

: Crispy Salmon Skin

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Beef Satay’s

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Although peanut sauce is one of my favorite condiments for grilled or broiled meat, today I opted for Thai Chili Sauce instead. The combination of the beef, rice, pickled cucumbers and chili sauce was absolutely delicious and I am sure that in the future I will be having this dish often, whenever a quick, light and tasty meal is in order 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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More Satay’s on ChefsOpinion
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Beef Satay’s

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Preparation :
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: season finely sliced strip steak with garlic paste, soy sauce, sugar, grd coriander, grd cumin, cayenne pepper and lime juice , let marinade at least two hours

: skewer meat onto pre-soaked skewers

: grill or broil satay’s until med/well

: previously, generously salt cucumber batons, let stand for 30 minutes, squeeze out excess liquid, discard liquid

: add chili flakes, sesame oil and a spritz of lime juice

: serve satay’s with thai chili sauce, pickled cucumbers and lime/scallion rice

: Beef Satay’s

: Beef Satay’s

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Chicken Fried Steak

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The great thing about CFS is that one can utilize an economical (cheap, in plain English) cut of beef, such as top round or cube steak and still get excellent results. However, I happened to have some leftover raw strip loin left from yesterday’s dinner, which I sliced thin, then pounded it even thinner for this CFS.
Usually the traditional side dish would be mashed potatoes, but I am trying to cut down on my starch intake, so I felt the flour from the breading and the “Gravy” was enough of that for the day.
(The rendered fat from the chorizo and the chicken fat made this southern style gravy even tastier than it’s usual version made with bacon fat)
American comfort food at it’s finest ! (Just don’t tell your cardiologist) 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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All about Chicken Fried Steak
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All about Gravy
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Chicken Fried Steak

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: pound your choice of beef steak to 1/4″ thick, season with salt and cayenne pepper

: mix whole eggs with buttermilk (or substitute with yogurt)

: season flour with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, dip steak into it and shake off excess flour

: dip steak into egg/dairy mixture

: dip steak into flour again

: cook in clarified butter

: cook until golden on both sides and steaks have done-ness you desire

: remove steaks to absorbent paper

: add a spoonful of flour to the pan with the clarified butter, saute one minute until flour is “blond” in color

: add milk, chopped thyme leaves, kosher salt and cayenne pepper to the roux, whisk well to avoid lumps, simmer for five minutes, gravy should cover the back of a spoon, check / adjust seasoning

: while gravy simmers, saute diced chorizo, sliced onions and garlic paste in chicken or duck fat

: saute until onions are translucent

: add sliced white cabbage, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, add a cup of chicken stock, cover, simmer until cabbage is heated through but still crisp

: check / adjust seasoning

: plate the cabbage

: top with steaks and gravy

: Chicken Fried Steak

: Chicken Fried Steak

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Easy does it # 26 – Char Siu Bao

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Dear Friend’s,
Although most of my followers are culinary professionals, there is also a large segment of followers who are just starting to enjoy cooking on a slightly higher than basic level. I have therefore decided to publish, under the moniker “Easy Does It“, from time to time some very basic recipe variations of dishes (and even pre-cooked dishes) which otherwise might seem too complicated to some folks. I will break them down to the easiest, most simple instructions, so that those of you who are intimidated by elaborate recipes will be able to prepare these dishes properly, adjusted to your taste and liking, right from the get-go. After all, just because you are not (yet ?) a professional chef should not prevent you from enjoying great food at home. 🙂
Enjoy !
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If only Char Siu Bao (Cantonese barbecue-pork-filled buns) would be as easily available as our western buns in any restaurant, supermarket, bar and dive ! I would devour them at least once a day, everyday :-).
In the not so distant past, I have made Char Siu Bao many times from scratch. After all, over the years (decades), I was in charge of a few Chinese restaurants and even cooked in one on a daily basis (in Pakistan), so I am lucky enough to know the basics of some delicious Chinese food preparation.
However, with a great international/Asian food market close by, there is no need to do all the work by myself anymore. In fact, some of the prepared, frozen food items such as Baozi , Shumai or many other baked, steamed and boiled dumplings which are available frozen at “Foodtown Supermarket” in Davie are better than what I can get in most of the Chinese restaurants around here. And, as a quick dinner after work or a lazy lunch or just a snack in-between, these frozen marvels are unbeatable for convenience, quality and price. So I suggest that if you want to have another great standby for a rainy day, surprise guests or just a quick “different” meal, put some of these into your freezer and be prepared for anything. 🙂
“Foodtown Supermarket” has many varieties of steamed buns, filled with all kind of fillings, but I always come back to the Char Siu Bao which are my favorites.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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For more about Foodtown Market click here
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Char Siu Bao

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: fill a large pot wirh enough salted water to ALMOST reach the bottom of the first steamer basket add four FROZEN buns

: top first basket with another basket

: add another four buns

: top with the basket top

: cover the pot with a lid, bring the water to a boil, steam until the center of the dumplings reach 162F

: meanwhile, prepare the dipping sauce by mixing soy sauce with grated ginger, garlic paste, lime juice, sugar, sesame oil, chili oil and sliced scallions

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: first bite, of course….. 🙂

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Fresh Corn And Arugula Salad With Chorizo

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sauteed fresh corn with garlic paste and cracked black pepper

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When I sautéed the corn in preparation for this salad, I could hardly resist to eat the corn just of the cob, it smelled and looked so appetizing. But alas, I was able to resist and finish the salad first, then enjoyed the whole concoction together.
Great salad, great lunch 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Fresh Corn And Arugula Salad With Chorizo

Naan

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: Saute fresh corn slowly in garlic oil with garlic paste

: season with fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt

: prepare sliced red onions, baby arugula, red peppers, yellow grape tomatoes and finely sliced iceberg

: cut kernels off the cob

: add to salad, add honey mustard vinaigrette

: plate the salat

: top with avocado and finely sliced chorizo, garnish with fresh basil and pickled chili

: Fresh Corn And Arugula Salad With Chorizo

: serve with hot naan

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Latkes With Caramelized Nectarines

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Latkes, kartoffelpuffer, reibekuchen, potato pancakes, bramborák, draniki – a hundred different countries, a hundred different names for the same amazing potato dish. Jewish in origin, it has found its way into a myriad of other cuisines were it has become a beloved dish of longstanding tradition.
Potato pancakes are very popular in Europe and particularly in Germany, where you can find “Puffer Kiosk”s on many streets, at fairs and festivals and of course in many restaurants and in many homes, were they will be served by themself as snack, or accompanied by fruits, or part of savory dishes, with bacon, fish or other proteins.
I have eaten and loved “Kartoffelpuffer ” ever since I had the first ones at our home, lovingly prepared by my mom. At our home they were always served with apple sauce, no exception.
Tilly was not the world’s greatest cook, but she made the best potato pancakes – period. Memories…….. 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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More about ” Latkes ”
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More “Latkes” on ChefsOpinion
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Latkes Recipe
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