Shrimp & Tofu Pad Thai

Ingredients: 

(For the chile paste)

- 2-3 red fresno or serranto chiles, (i kept the seeds and it made it super spicy)

- 2 shallots, chopped

- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped

- 1/2 lb dried flat rice noodles 1/4 (6mm) wide

- 2 tablespoons canola oil

- 1/4 cup fish sauce

- 3 tablespoons tamarind paste

- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

- 2 tablespoons chopped palm sugar (can use dark brown sugar as a substitute)

- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

- 1/2 lb shrimp (prawns) peeled and deveined

- 1 1/4 cups mung bean sprouts

- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

- 1 package of tofu

- 2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts

- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (fresh coriander)

Place the noodles in a bowl and add hot water to cover.  Let stand for 5-10 minutes.  Drain the noodles and set aside.

To make the chile paste: in a mortar or mini food processor, combine the chiles, shallots, garlic, and 1 tablespoon water and process or grind with a pestle until a thick paste forms.

Ingredients: chopped peanuts, scallions, lime, cilantro, and the chile paste

After you de-shell the shrimp, put them in cold water and let them soak.

Add a little vegetable oil and scramble an egg on low-medium heat.

In a large wok or frying pan, stir-fry the tofu with the egg. (be careful not to break the soft tofu into bits!)

After removing the egg and tofu mixture,  turn the heat over high heat, and warm the oil.  When the oil is hot, add the chile paste and saute until fragrant, about 10 seconds.

Stir in the fish sauce, tamarind paste, soy sauce, palm sugar, and lime juice. Add the shrimp and saute just until they turn opaque, about 1 minute.

Add the noodles to the pan along with 1 cup of the bean sprouts and the broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring the mixture 2 or 3 times, until most of the sauce has been absorbed, 5-7 minutes.

Transfer the noodles to a warmed platter.  Top with fresh bean sprouts, cilantro, scallions, chopped peanuts, and slices of lime. Serve and enjoy!

SOON DUBU JIGAE!! (Spicy seafood and tofu stew/soup)

This is by far one of my favorite dishes ever. Its tasty, spicy, seafood bitty, soupy and easy to make.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup (or more) seafood mix: I used one from the Korean store that included scallops, shrimp, mussels, and calamari ^___^)

- 2 1/2 tablespoons gojugadu (korean hot pepper flakes)

- 1 tablespoon dashida (powered beef stock)

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

- 2 tablespoon sesame seed oil

- 5 cloves of chopped/crush

ed garlic

- 1 green onion/scallion

- 1 large jalepeno

- 1 packet of soft tofu

- 1 cup of water

- 1-3 eggs

First put the seafood mix in water and soak for about 15 minutes. Chop up the raw ingredients such as the garlic, scallion, jalepeno, etc. Then in a hot-pot, (I used a stone hot-pot) add the sesame seed oil under high heat. After it starts to smoke, add the red pepper flakes and stir to make a deep red pasty mixture. Drain the seafood and fry the seafood bits into the red paste along with the garlic. After about 2 minutes, add water and bring to a boil. Add the dashida (beef and/or anchovy stock), salt, pepper, jalepenos and soft tofu. Let it all boil for about 4-5 minutes. Add the green onions/scallions. Turn off the heat and bring the entire pot to the table, then crack the eggs into the top. Swirl around the egg, (or let the eggs poach, whichever you prefer:)

And then you have delicious Soon dubu jigae. Serve with rice.

I stopped taking step-by-step photos because I got too excited chopping and cooking. But long story short, I served the soon dubu jigae along with saang-gilsal, pork-belly Korean BBQ. To add into the saam (lettuce wrap) I mixed chopped scallions with a little bit of sesame seed oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds, salt and red pepper flakes. (pictured last) YUMMMMMM ^_^

Smoked Salmon Penne Pasta

This dish is so easy to make and is really good. I learned it from my favorite Italian, Matteo Milllone! ^__^

[Serves 4]

Ingredients:

- 3 cups of uncooked Penne Pasta

- 1/2 quart of heavy cooking cream

- 5 oz Smoked Salmon - make sure you get free-range raised fish. Farm-raised salmon doesn't taste as good, and it has less than half of the OMEGA 3's that are so healthy for your body!

- 1/2 white onion

- 1 tablespoon butter

- Crushed Black Pepper

- Salt

1. Boil water and add the pasta, and salt to taste. Cook exactly the amount it says on the box for al dente.

2. In a large sauce pan melt the butter and saute the chopped onion until translucent. Add the cut and sliced smoked salmon and a dash of crushed black pepper, and saute with the butter and onion for 1-2 minutes.

3. Pour the cooking cream into the sauce pan and stir with the butter, onion and smoked salmon. Let it simmer until it reaches a light boil (do not let it boil for too long or the sauce will become too thick)

4. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce pan, mix and stir the ingredients together (turn the heat down to one of the lowest settings)

5. Serve and enjoy! (and sprinkle some freshly grated black pepper on top)

Spicy Shrimp

If you're using frozen shrimp, make sure they've been defrosted and drained before marinating.

Ingredients:
About 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
One 1-inch piece ginger, minched
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon Korean chile powder (gojugadu)

Instructions:
Put the shrimp in a large bowl. Add the soy sauce, red wine, garlic, ginger, and lime juice and combine. Sprinkle with the chile powder and toss.

Place a large pan on a preheated grill/stove. Add the shrimp and cook, turning, until they've turned pink.

Serve hot with rice and other side dishes.

Black Pepper Tilapia

here's a simple recipe:

Ingredients:
1) Tilapia fillets
2) Fresh black pepper
3) Half a lemon
4) Extra virgin olive oil
5) Cherry tomatoes
6) Whole grain rice

Instructions: If you don't get pre-marinated ones, then you can mix together 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, fresh ground pepper and the juices from half a lemon. Let the fillets marinate in the mixture for half an hour in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, drizzle extra virgin olive oil and heat in a pan. Saute the cherry tomatoes and tilapia fillets, on each side for about 3 minutes. Cook the whole grain rice, arrange the fillets and tomatoes on the plate and serve:)

Smoked Salmon-Rucola- Parmigiano Reggiano Salad

I made this at 1 in the morning because I was hungry and craving something light and healthy. The ingredients are:
- Wild Smoked Nova Salmon
- Organic Baby Rucola
- Vine tomatoes
- Parmigiano reggiano cheese
- Capers
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Black pepper and salt to taste

Put a bundle of the organic baby rucola leaves at the bottom of a bowl. Add the sliced smoked salmon, cubed tomato chunks, capers, parmigiano reggiano cheese- grated and some chunks, along with some salt and pepper to taste, a splash of extra virgin olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Mix and enjoy:)

Tuna Kimbap // Maki Roll

Ingredients:

• 4-5 cups cooked rice (made from 2 cups of uncooked rice)
• "kim" (seaweed paper)
• 1 english cucumber
  
• a can of tuna (i used Kimchi flavored tuna!)
• soy sauce
• garlic
• green onion
• gojijjang (red bean pepper paste)
  
• sesame oil
  

(2-3 servings)

1. Prepare about 2 cups of cooked rice in a large bowl
2. Make your mixing sauce by mixing up ½ tbs sugar, 1 ts salt, and 1 tbs of vinegar until the liquid looks clear
3. Mix rice with the mixing sauce and stir it evenly. Set it aside for now.

Prepare a large plate to arrange all ingredients for kimbap

1. Make seasoned tuna flakes
   1. Open a can of tuna and remove the oil or water. Put it on a heated pan and drizzle some sesame oil over it. Toss it and cook it for 2 minutes
   2. Add 1 tbs of soy sauce, ½ tbs of sugar, 1 clove of minced garlic, and 1 ts of ground black pepper.
   3. Keep stirring for another 3 minutes.
   4. Turn off the heat and add 1 chopped green onion
2. Place thinly sliced cucumber strips on a plate.
   
3. Slice an avocado and place it on the plate.

Let’s roll Kimbap!

1. Place a sheet of laver(“kim”) on the bamboo mat and evenly spread a layer of rice in the center of it.
2. Place 2-3 spoons of seasoned tuna flakes on top of the layer of rice. Add a cucumber strip, some avocado, and on some of the rolls I added some gojijang (red bean pepper paste) to make it spicy.
   
3. Roll it up gently using the bamboo mat.
4. Remove the bamboo mat and cut the roll into pieces about 2 cm thick and place it on a plate

*tip: prepare a wet cloth or paper towel to wipe the knife while cutting, it will make it slice easier.

Garlic Lime Salmon

I need to work on my food photography..

Garlic Lime Salmon
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon grated lime peel
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- lime slices
- 2-3 salmon fillets (i got Alaskan open-range salmon fillets)


1. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the first five ingredients; shake well.
2. Broil salmon, skin side down, 4-6 inches from the heat for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork, basting every 5 minutes with lime mixture. Garnish with lime slices.

Mashed Potatoes:
1. Peel and wash potatoes, then cut into 1-2 inch blocks
2. Put the potatoes in boiling water, adding salt to taste. Cook until soft.
3. Drain potatoes.
4. Mash the potatoes, add I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and black pepper to taste.