5/1/2012

In the bento: rice, broccoli, hard boiled egg, shrimp, sauteed okra, roaste duck, cabbage stir-fried with carrots.

4/27/2012

In the bento: miso marinaded egg, stirfried carrots and asparagus, braised pig feet, taro, fungus, shiitake mushroom.

4/25/2012

In the bento: black sticky rice + regular rice, stirfried cabbage, carrots, roast duck, sauteed Chinese yam, sauteed okra.

4/24/2012

In the bento: fresh chick pea with rice, roast duck, sauteed green bean, stir-fried cabbage, asparagus, shrimps.

4/23/2012

In the bento: fresh chick pea with black sticky rice, pan fried salmon, daikon sauteed with cabbage, sauteed green bean.

Burnt Caramel Pudding

This pudding has caramel added into the custard batter to bake in the oven. I like the aroma and a bit of bitterness brings out by the caramel. Also, the texture is very smooth and creamy. As the recipe says, a good quality of vanilla bean is one of the keys for this pudding. Since this is not difficult to make and can be baked ahead of time, I need to tell self don't make them too often and save in the fridge, that's very dangerous.

Creme Brulee

My love of creme brulee was from a friend I met when in graduate school. I heard the name Creme Brulee for the first time. Different from the restaurant ordered dessert, his creme brulee was made in a deep ramekin bowl, with whip cream and lique saved from Poland. And he always spoiled me for having two a time, that equals to 5 servings in a restaurant. And I always did. Several times have I tried so far, none of them came out as good as his. I missed you C, my dear friend.

4/20/2012

In the bento: sauteed Chinese yam, brine pork liver, sauteed asparagus, stirfried cabbage with carrots.

4/18/2012

In the bento: mac-n-cheese, sauteed cabbage with mushroom, ginger pork, sauteed asparagus, pork liver.

Mac-n-Cheese

A very quick mac-n-cheese made for dinner. A simple bechamel sauce and cheddar.

4/16/2012

In the bento: ginger pork, cabbage with carrots, zucchini, sauteed asparagus, rice with black sticky rice.

Banana Angel Food Cake

Store bought angel food cake leaves me an impression of very dry and overwhelmingly sweet. That's why I never thought of baking one myself. My friend gave me 10 egg whites which I thought will be a good chance to give this cake a try. The recipe I used here from Joy of Baking. The cake had a very good spongy texture while mosit and not over sweet. I added a banana just so I can use it before it ripes too much. I will make other version of angel food cake if later have a chance.  

4/13/2012

In the bento: mung bean with rice, brine pork liver, sauteed carrots with cabbage, shiitake mushroom, bamboo, braised pork.

4/11/2012

In the bento: rice with mung bean, miso meatballs, brine pork liver, sauteed carrots, zucchini stir-fried with mushroom.

Brine Pork Liver

Brine pork liver is one of my good memories from childhood. When I was in the kindergarten, all kids would be offered some afternoon snack everyday. One of my favorite items then was the brine pork liver. I can still remember the taste as if that happend like yesterday. I was lucky to represent that good taste myself at home. It was very easy to make. The brine liquid consists of soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, salt, garlic, star anise. Once the liver was quickly cooked in boiling water, take it out and put it into the brine liquid to boil again. Then let it cool aside and put into the fridge overnight.

4/10/2012

In the bento: sauteed cabbage, bamboo, sauteed carrots and zucchini, miso meat balls, pig liver, black sticky rice+rice.

Bamboo with Chinese Yam Soup

Chinese yam is one of my favorite foods along with bamboo. This dish is one of the traditional dishes usually made in spring. Besides bamboo and Chinese yam, there are also fungus, mushroom and pork bone in it. A soup no one won't dislike.

4/9/2012

In the bento: rice with red beans, sauted green pepper, pork liver, bamboo, fungus, miso meatballs.

Rye w/ Cheddar and Mayo

Breakfast at home can be simple but satisfying. I toasted two slices of rye bread with cheddar and mayo, stuffed with some Chinese minced vegetable. Very happy to eat it with a cup of coffee. I love weekend.

Lime Cornmeal Biscotti with White Chocolate

To use the limes sitting in the fridge for long time, I baked these biscotti at late night. I used the recipe from here, but used white chocolate instead of the lime juice sugar frosting. These biscotti are very crispy and crunchy, with a fresh citrus flavor. They are very good for to snack on.

4/6/2012

In the bento: rice, sauteed onion, carrots with shiitake mushroom, pork belly steamed with seasoned ground rice.

4/5/2012

The same bento as yesterday's but with no bok choy.

4/4/2012

In the bento: black sticky rice+rice, marinaded pork liver, pork belly steamed with seasoned rice powder, sweet potato, carrots, bok choy.

Wild Yeast Pancake

Growing wild yeast requires to discard some portion of the yeast everyday to maintain the level and active of the yeast. The discard yeast can be used in other stuff, like pancake. Instead of baking soda or baking powder, the wild yeast was added as a leavening agent. I made the batter the night before and made the pancake in the morning. It rose as regular pancake, but the texture is more chewy with a bit of sourness from the yeast.