Category: Lunch

Mussels In Spicy Tomato White Wine Sauce

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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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!

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