eating with emak

Off to Italy for a week! Pastas, pizzas, and gelato oh my! 

In the meantime, photo of Mario Batali’s Pane Frattau Pizza from Otto. 

Half order of the Hainanese Chicken from the New Malaysian Restaurant 48 Bowery (btw Bayard and Canal Street). Eat it with the coconut rice and the spicy chili sauce. So good. 

Grabbed a few staples before Hurricane Irene comes…

1. Crispy Mini Crab Snacks (bought them out of curiosity) 
2. Bon Appetit Magazine
3. Japanese Green Tea
4. Chili Garlic Sauce
5. Frozen Xiao Long Bao

With the fall-like temperatures we’ve been having this past few days, I am automatically craving soups! This Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup is the perfect soup to keep you warm and cozy and it’s also filling enough to be a meal. 

Ingredients:

• 1, 15oz can of coconut milk
• 6 cups of chicken broth/stock
• 2 stalks of lemongrass, smashed and cut into 1-2 inch pieces. 
• 1 (2 inch) piece of ginger, sliced
• 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 2-3 bunches of rice noodles (cook to package instructions)
• 1 1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup of red bell peppers 
• 1 cup of chopped mushrooms
• juice of 2 limes
• 4 thai basil leaves and more for decoration

1. Bring the chicken stock to a boil. 
2. Add in the lemongrass, ginger, thai basil, peppers, mushrooms.  
3. Let it simmer and then stir in the coconut milk, lime juice, and fish sauce.  
4. Stir until it is well incorporated.  Bring the soup back to a boil and do a taste test and season with salt and pepper.
5. Try to fish out the lemongrass and ginger as much as possible.  The lemongrass will be too tough to eat.  
6. Add in the chicken and then the noodles. 
7. Let the pot simmer for another 2 minutes.
8. Garnish with some thai basil leaves.  Enjoy! 

If you want to add a spicy kick, you can substitute the red bell peppers with chili peppers.  Or just add a squirt or two of spicy chili sauce.  The bell peppers reduces the heat without scarifying the beautiful color.  Smashing the lemongrass with the back of your knife will help it release more flavor. This will make about 4-5 servings.

Today’s lunch…Singapore Mee Fun.

thin rice noodles with shredded roast pork, roast duck, green and red bell peppers, onions, egg, and curry powder.

Happy 60th Birthday Dad! 

We celebrated my dad’s 60th Birthday at Qin Dynasty Seafood Restaurant in Parsippany, NJ.  The grown-ups actually had a “banquet meal” like the ones you eat at a Chinese wedding. Unfortunately, the “kids” were not included in the banquet menu which consisted of lobster, shrimp, fish, and a bunch of other good stuff.  

The photo here is the kids table. However, I did enjoy everything we ordered off the regular menu: short ribs, fried calamari, clams in black bean sauce, garlic chicken, veggies, and tofu.  The food was good and the restaurant is close to home.  They also serve dim sum on weekends.

Qin Dynasty, 857 Route 46 East, Parsippany, NJ 07054

Sunday, July 3rd 12:00PM.  It’s raining here.  What a bummer to my Independence Day weekend. I bet a lot of you also had BBQ plans or something. Hopefully, the rain will stop and the sun will come out.  In the meantime, a picture from the 9th Annual Big Apple BBQ Block Party event last month.  Ribs…yum! 

Photo courtesy of Matt on his Droid X.

Zucchini Cupcake…so moist, so good! 

Strawberry Salad

Strawberries are in season right now, and they are so sweet and yummy! I decided to use them in my salad.  In addition to strawberries, this salad also includes baby spinach, grilled spicy honey chicken, cucumbers, sliced onions, walnuts, and avocado. I also made my own honey citrus vinaigrette using a recipe I found on Our Best Bite’s blog.

Look at that beautiful salad!

I’m not boasting, but I make amazing salads. =)  This one here is a mesculen salad with prosciutto, garlic croutons, a perfectly boiled egg in a honey balsamic dressing.

I also make my own salad dressings.  It’s simple and easy to make; plus it tastes a lot better than the bottled stuff. 

Honey balamic Salad dressing:

• Honey
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Olive oil
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• Garlic salt

1. Throw everything in a bowl and whisk until honey is dissolved and incorporated. Sorry for lack of measurements as I just eyeball everything. The amount will depend on the size of your salad or if you would like to make extra to keep in the fridge for a couple days.

Schnitzel & Things

I’ve been craving schnitzel and decided to go check out the Schnitzel & Things restaurant on 3rd Ave. between 45th and 46th Street last Friday after work.  I got off work early, so I decided to make the 2 mile walk from 17th street to 45th street.  It was a great exercise and also a nice way for me to check out other neighborhoods. I found “Little India” on Lexington Ave. and many great restaurants along the way. It started to drizzle and then there was lightning with goosebump inducing thunder and eventually a torrential downpour.  Amidst, all that, I bought my Chicken Schnitzel with Austrian potato salad and roasted beets and it was all worth it. 

Schnitzel & Things Restaurant, 723 3rd Ave (btw 45th and 46th Streets)