I recently heard some bad news. One of my go-to beer spots took mussels off the menu. Although I haven’t been to Bar Hop since mid-2019, visiting would always be an easy time: a few rounds of beers, bone marrow poutine, pork rinds (that would reach 30cm in height, really), stout braised mushrooms…
Category: Lunch
Mini Porchetta Roll Sandwich
Spending hours by an oven is not my preference. My most used function on the oven is the broil mode – and I’m a pro. Set oven to broil on low, timer for 5 minutes, and you have the perfect day-two fries and wings from last night’s dinner! When came the opportunity to…
Bánh Bột Lọc Hack Without Banana Leaf (Clear Shrimp & Pork Dumplings)
If I could choose one dish to eat for the rest of my life, it would be bánh bột lọc . Banh bot loc is tapioca starch and caramelized pork & shrimp, traditionally folded into a banana leaf and steamed, taking in all of that aroma. Traditionally made, these chewy, glutinous glories are…
Grilled Pork on Noodles (Thịt Heo Nướng)
If there’s any excuse to eat copious amounts of fish sauce dip, I’ll be there. Vermicelli rice noodles are just a vehicle for it. The star ingredient to a good vermicelli bowl is a well marinated meat to go with it – today’s pick is lemongrass marinated pork shoulder. I can’t tell you…
3 Ways to Upgrade Instant Ramen
Growing up, we would enjoy instant noodles at least once a week. Spam was a welcome & easy treat: sliced, pan-fried and served on top of a bowl of instant noodles. A decade later, I cautiously stock at least one can in my pantry to enjoy whenever that craving hits. It’s so easy…
Corn Tortillas & Beef Taco Meat
Any way to enjoy a meal with my hands, I’m into it. Loaded zesty tacos rank second on the experience list! Driven by a bag of 15 limes on sale, tonight’s dinner included homemade tacos– tortillas included. I lugged a 2-kilogram bag of maseca corn flour home from Walmart about a year ago,…
Pan-Seared Potato Bites
Buying a bag of potatoes is a commitment, let me tell you. Extending onto my sheperd’s pie recipe, another potato addition is hash! Boy do I love hash. This is now a new series: “What To Do With That Bag Of Potatoes (Before It Grows Spores)“. Influenced by an incredibly delicious plate of diced potatoes cooked…
Super Easy Sheperd’s Pie
I absolutely love pies, from the very first peel to the last… And digging into the pastry bottom strip by strip. A pastry-free pie seems about right to me, as it’s quicker and easier with all the same delicious fillings. After oogling a fellow diner’s order over lunch last week, the gently broiled peaks of…
Onigiri Jasmine Rice (3 Fillings)
Making rice even tastier, with onigiri! Onigiri is a popular three-bite snack in Japan; iconically seen as triangular-shaped rice balls embellished with a rectangular seaweed strip. The onigiri is stuffed with savoury fillings. The rice ball can be seared, rolled in sesame or finished with seaweed. I created three varieties of this recipe…
Delicious Brown Rice Mushroom Pilaf
There are very many types of rice: long, medium and short, each can be used in many different ways, from a savoury pilaf, to a creamy risotto, to a dessert rice pudding!
This week, I had the opportunity to go a different route with rice. I’m very familiar with the good ol’ medium grain white rice, I’ve eaten a bowl for a day for at least 3/4 of my life. My choice between white or brown rice? White, please! I’ve never cooked brown rice for myself and can’t count more than 5 times that I’ve voluntarily eaten it. It may be because of the difference in look, texture and taste, but with a quick search, there’s nothing lose, but all to gain with brown rice!