Green Tea Soba Noodles with Peanut Sugar

Every time we'd go out to eat as a family growing up, if my Dad liked something that he ordered, he'd confidently declare that he would attempt to remake it at home. And he usually always followed through on this promise, at least making one (or hundreds) of attempts to get it just right. I think that somewhere along the line I inherited this gene and whenever I got out to eat, now I'm the one announcing that I will remake my own version at home. Sometimes it's one component of a dish or the whole thing and I'll work to do my own rendition of it to weave into my cooking. Case in point, the real star of these green tea noodles is the peanut sugar dusted on top and it is inspired by the pork belly buns at Jo Jo Taipei in Allston. I've had numerous versions of pork buns at lots of places but none have come close to these - a soft steamed bun folded around a hunk of braised pork belly that melts in the most delicate and flavorful of ways. While those components are memorable on their own, it gets even better, thanks to the peanut sugar that laces the whole bun, providing a nutty, crunchiness that elevates this dish to new heights. I just had to make it. I had to have it.

I didn't follow any recipes, although I'm sure there are some out there. I just went by my tastes, just like Dad, and ended up with something pretty close to the real thing. Easily enough, I simply ground up roasted peanuts, white sugar, cilantro and salt in the food processor. I think they slick theirs with some oil at the last minute but I left mine more powdery because I liked the look. And then, since I needed to add my new treat to a dish, I stir-fried some shiitake, portabello and oyster mushrooms with some chopped snow peas and edamame. Then I mixed in some green tea soba noodles, which I've recently become obsessed with because not only do they have a beautiful green hue to them, I love their earthy and slight grassy tea-twinged flavor. The whole thing got a couple healthy shakes of some good quality soy sauce and sesame oil and then diced up grapefruit was added to give it a welcome, tart finish. 

Similar to the Pork Buns at Jo Jo Taipei, the peanut sugar stole the show, adding a crunch to a dish that otherwise wouldn't have any and, not to mention, it just looked pretty, especially once combined with black sesame seeds. And while it was great in this dish, having some extra on hand has taken my salads to new levels too and I'm already dreaming up where else I can find a nice home for this special, crunchy, green powder. Maybe on some crostini? Topping a soup? Or maybe even hidden inside a sandwich or gracing the top of some meat? Endless options.  

Green Tea Soba Noodles with Peanut Sugar

Serves about 3-4, or two, if you're really hungry!

For the Peanut Sugar:
(Makes plenty for this dish, along with extras)
- 1 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 2 TBS white sugar
- Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients into the food processor. Process until powdery. Set aside and store extras in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Will keep for about a week.

For the Noodles:

- 1 small package Green Tea Soba Noodles
- Assorted mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (I used an assortment of oyster, shiitake and portabello)
- Olive Oil for drizzling
- 1/2 cup frozen, shelled Edamame
- Soy Sauce, to taste
- About 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1/2 tsp grated, fresh ginger
- 1 grapefruit, segmented and diced, juice reserved
- Peanut Sugar, for dusting
- Black Sesame Seeds (optional)

Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Once water comes to a rolling boil, add noodles and cook according to package. While the noodles are cooking, heat just enough olive oil to lightly coat a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms start to brown. Add the cooked noodles, soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil. Stirring to combine. Add the frozen edamame and heat for another minute or so, just until the edamame is cooked. Add the grapefruit juice and diced segments, adjust seasoning if necessary. Divide into bowls and dust with peanut sugar and black sesame seeds. 

Gourmet Dumpling House, Chinatown

When I first started really exploring Chinatown, Gourmet Dumpling House came up in nearly every discussion and was always strongly recommended. I hadn't made it in yet, but not for lack of trying. Usually, whenever I happen to walk by this tiny spot on Chinatown's main Beach Street drag, right near the dramatic arch that marks the neighborhood, it always has swarms of people waiting for a table. Yesterday, on our walk back to the Food Expo at the Boston Convention Center, we noticed that there was no line so we popped in for a bite.

Like most Chinatown eateries, there really is no waiting area, just a bustling and crowded dining room. A closer look to your right will reveal photos of the owner with big name celebrities (Michael Douglass, Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson) as well as local celebrity chefs (Ken Oringer, Ming Tsai). Once we were seated, we were presented with an overwhelming menu of both classic and non-traditional offerings. Wanting to keep it simple, we ordered the fried Pork and Leek Dumplings ($6.50), the Scallion Pancake ($4.25), Mini Juicy Dumpling with Pork (Soup Dumpling) ($6.50) and Wide Noodles Sauteed with Chicken and Vegetables ($6.75).

At first glance, the plates are presented in a traditional way and all came out at once. Upon further review, there was an unidentifiable red "goo" dripping from the side of our scallion pancake dipping sauce and an uncomfortable looking pink substance resting on top of one of our soup dumplings. Pushing those items to the side and looking past that, each of the items seemed to be unnecessarily slicked with grease, something that I usually think of as a bad stereotype for dishes of the Asian genre, but not usually the case.

The Pork and Leek Dumplings were cute little packages with crispy exteriors, but weren't as flavorful as I was hoping. The Scallion Pancakes, while nicely fried and supremely crispy, were thinner and lacked that contrasting doughy center that I love so much. The Soup Dumplings were good, soft and delicate with a soupy center and the noodle dish had generous portions of tender chicken and bean sprouts wrapped around flat noodles.

If you're looking for something to help soak up some of the aftermath of an over-indulging evening, this might be your spot. After all, the prices are reasonable and the food is good, I've just found far better and had a hard time getting past the greasiness.

Restaurant Review - East by Northeast, Cambridge

In a rare turn of events, we had a Saturday night free and couldn't pass up the opportunity for a proper date night. We had just finished up teaching a chicken class at the BCAE and, feeling a craving for something different and fun, we headed to East by Northeast to take advantage of the Five Course Prix Fixe menu. It isn't often that I dissect such a big number of dishes in one post and had only planned to mention a couple but as I started to write this review, I couldn't help myself. So sit back and get comfortable, this one's going to be a long one!

Best seat in the house - at the bar overlooking the action in the kitchen!

If you ever happen find yourself in East by Northeast's tiny dining room in Cambridge, please don't pass up the five course prix fixe menu. For a mere $30 you'll be asked to select one of a couple options of vegetable dishes, one from a bread section and finally, one noodle dish and then the rest lies in the hands of the chef. Once you've placed your order, that's when the fun really begins. Dish after dish, all thoughtfully and beautifully plated, start appearing almost like rapid fire. We decided to each select three different choices so that we could sample 6 different dishes, plus whatever the chef had in store for us.

Turnip Soup with Tofu Amuse

It wasn't long before a soup amuse arrived- a velvety turnip base topped with a soft and smoky tofu cluster and a couple chive rings, it was a perfect teaser of what was to come. Shortly after we had finished, we were presented with an edamame salad. Light and refreshing, the salad had a beautiful tartness to it, courtesy of some diced apples and a thick ginger lemon vinaigrette that evenly coated the surface. Simple and satisfying, this salad was one of my favorite dishes. Rounding out our vegetable selections was a creative plate of kale, smoked mushrooms and puffed rice; a great earthy dish with a welcoming snappy crackle from the puffed rice.

Edamame Salad with Kale, Apple and Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette 

Kale, Smoked Mushrooms and Puffed Rice

Next to appear in front of us were two, terribly cute, bite-sized steamed pork belly buns that had pickled vegetables peeking out. Sticky and sweet with a hint of tartness from some slivered apples, when you got a bite of each component at once it was great. My only complaint was that each component was a little scarce and not evenly disbursed, with the exception of the apples, and I had wished that each bite contained that same great balance of flavors.

Pork Belly, Mantou Bread, Pickles and Sweet Bean Paste

Scallion Pancake with Roasted Garlic Chili Sauce

The real fun in this meal was that the dishes seemed to keep coming, providing pure entertainment for us. It seemed that just as the pork belly buns were whisked away some thick wedges of scallion pancakes appeared accompanied by a roasted garlic chili sauce. Surprisingly light for their size, they were everything you'd want in a scallion pancake; a crispy exterior and lots of scallion flavor. The sauce seemed to be missing a step, sort of flat and tasting neither of chilies or roasted garlic. Our next dish was another instant favorite. Sort of a play off of arancini, black bean and tofu rice balls had a perfectly fried, crispy exterior with a light dusting of crispy salt that gave way to a silky smooth center that was creamy and bearing almost a smoky quality to it; a total win.

Tofu and Black Bean Rice Balls

Next, two noodle bowls were placed in front of us; one, dark and soup-like with bits of root vegetables and beef shanks peeking out and the second, a more rustic looking dish of pork ragout and shredded cabbage. Both were served with long, broad handmade noodles, something that I am surprised to say I didn't love. I'm a freak for noodles but found them too be a bit too toothsome and long, making for a sloppy delivery from bowl to mouth. (Or maybe I'm just not as skilled at chopstick management as I thought?) Furthermore, I found the broth of the beef shank bowl to be a bit bitter and too earthy for me. I don't think that this was done in error on the chef's part and perhaps this is a traditional way to serve a dish like this, but it just wasn't for me.

Pork Ragout, Napa Cabbage, Marinated Sunchokes, Chili Vinegar and a Fried Egg

Braised Beef Shank, Parsnip, Grilled Scallions, Greens, Spicy Beef Broth 

Lastly, our dinner concluded with four cream puffs stuffed with a light and creamy butternut squash mousse and a drizzle of apple brown butter sauce. These were outstanding. The cream puffs were light and buttery, the mousse spicy and sweet and the sauce a caramely tart-sweet sauce that balanced everything out.

Cream Puffs, Butternut Squash Mousse and Apple Brown Butter Sauce

Sesame Caramels 

While not flawless, this was one of the most enjoyable meals I've had in the city in a long time and a steal for the variety and price. The restaurant also offers an 8 course chef's tasting menu for $35/person and while we toyed with whether or not to select that, we liked the idea of choosing some of the different dishes and we were happy we did.

Chinatown's Pho Pasteur

Is there such a thing as bad Pho?  It's been my experience that there is either good Pho or really, really good Pho and now I feel like I've had both.  My local Pho destination is good.  It's satisfying and totally hits the spot when I have a craving for that hot mess of noodley deliciousness packed into a bowl.  But then I tasted really, really good Pho and I'm having a hard time thinking of anything else.

I had mentioned before that Chinatown is sort of a new experience for me.  For years I hadn't really taken the time to explore it, honestly out of intimidation and unfamiliarity but as I feel myself growing as a culinary professional I find that I'm eager to be even more adventurous and I crave that thrill of trying something new.  Since Chinatown is relatively new territory for me, I had asked my readers to give me some advice on where to go and was thrilled at the response I got.  Lots of suggestions (thanks!) and I've added numerous new places on my "have to go to list".  

My Chinatown destination and food selection was rather pedestrian and not something I'd classify as exotic by today's standards but that didn't stop it from being good.  Oh my was it good.  Sitting at Pho Pasteur, a frosty cold Vietnamese beer at my side and a bowl full of screaming hot Pho, packed with shreds of roasted chicken, delicately thin noodles and dotted with bright, fresh cilantro and scallions, I couldn't help but feel giddy.  So this is what great Pho is all about?  All of the flavors that were floating around in that bowl were so crisp, clean and incredibly fresh.  Served up alongside the usual accompaniments of fresh lime wedges, Thai basil and an assortment of sauces (my favorite part) I found myself in total Pho heaven.  

This is worth the trip to Chinatown and one place I plan to return to again and again.  I loved the bright atmosphere and the simple pleasure of some seriously good Pho.  That being said, I'm going to pose another question: Have you ever been to Pho Pasteur and if yes, is there another spot that you think stacks up even higher? Let's get the discussion going.  I'm obsessed.

Dragons and Dumplings in Chinatown

Last night, standing with a plateful of various delicately steamed and fried dumplings in a small restaurant located just on the outskirts of Chinatown, I celebrated Chinese New Year.  Chopsticks in one hand and an ice cold Tsingtao (Chinese beer) in the other, I watched as a dragon wiggled and weaved its way through the crowd to the beat of a large drum.  Just another Wednesday night..

Much to my own regret, I haven't ventured too far into Chinatown so I was psyched when my friend Fiona invited me to the re-opening of Dumpling Cafe.  There, I pulled a variety of meat and vegetable stuffed dumplings from bamboo steamers and piled them onto my plate.  The steamed dumplings were so soft and tender, each bite packed with the flavors of fresh vegetables and various meats.  In addition to the delicious dumplings, chicken meatballs and scallion pancakes were served.  The meatballs were flavorful and addicting and the pancakes were lightly crisp on the outside and soft, tender and deliciously doughy on the inside.  They had the slightest hint of scallion flavor and served as a great vehicle to mop up the slicks of sauce that the dumplings left behind on my plate.

In addition to having delicious food, you could tell that the owners/chefs cared about quality and wanted to make sure that every guest thoroughly enjoyed the food and that every need was met.  That being said, they were not tricked into telling me what exactly was inside that delicious scallion pancake.  Oh well, a girl can try, can't she?

I can totally feel a Chinatown kick coming on.  Where are some other can't miss spots?

What Does Tibetan Food Taste Like?

I'd be lying if I said that this is a question that I've been thinking about for years because up until, oh I'd say about two weeks ago, Tibetan cuisine wasn't even on my radar, for no particular reason other than, I really haven't encountered it.  (Hmm, maybe that should a New Year's resolution for me, seek out new ethnicities of food?)  The world is such a big place and I'm so fortunate to live in an area where diversity of food is so predominant and clearly, I need to take more advantage of this.  But anyways, I digress..

This past week, Fiona, Jen and I ventured out into some pretty yucky weather to Tashi Delek, located in Brookline Village.  I wasn't sure exactly what to expect but I found that Tibetan food had a striking resemblance to Chinese food, which is something I didn't expect.  Instead, I was anticipating new flavors and tastes that I haven't experienced before and, although I was a little disappointed that this wasn't the case, I still found the food to be delicious and rather tasty. 

Because we were all excited to try something new (none of us had eaten Tibetan food before) we ordering an array of appetizers and a soup each.  I started with an order of their Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup.  It was very good.  Hot and rich with bright and buttery yellow corn kernels and shreds of fresh chicken floating in a thick and flavorful corn soup and garnished with some fresh sliced green onions.  

Chicken Sweet Corn Soup, Tashi Delek

For our main course, as I mentioned, we all split some appetizers.  Since Tibet is famous for their version of dumplings, we got two orders of the appetizer portion that included 4 dumplings each; seasoned beef in a steamed dumpling and seasoned chicken that was in a fried dumpling.  The beef dumpling was very good with well seasoned beef huddled into the center of a soft, bun-shaped dumpling.  The chicken dumpling was half-moon shaped and made with very fresh and again, well seasoned meat and then coated in a crispy outer shell.  Both dumplings were served with a small side of chunky sauce that resembled a basic tomato salsa.  

Steamed Beef Dumpling

Fried Chicken Dumpling

In addition to the dumplings, we ordered the Spring Rolls as well as the Mixed Vegetable Fritters.  The spring rolls were your average Chinese-style spring roll, only very fresh and stuffed with cabbage and slivers of carrots rolled into a flaky crust and then fried until gold brown.  A sticky-sweet plum sauce was draped across the spring rolls.  The sauce itself was sweet and had a strong but fresh mint flavor to it.

Spring Rolls

The mixed vegetable fritters were interesting and I do mean that in a good way.  Bearing a striking resemblance to Medusa, a wide variety of vegetable were fried and scrawled out across the plate.  The vegetables were very wide ranging (broccoli was a prominent player in these, something I didn't expect) and again, the fritters were coated in the minty plum sauce.  

Mixed Vegetable Fritters

Overall, I wasn't bowled over with excitement mainly because my own anticipation had been so high for a taste of something different but on the same note, the quality of each dish was exceptional and the food very fresh and tasty.  The staff was extremely friendly and we were not rushed at all.  The atmosphere is what I would anticipate it to be, decorated with traditional Tibetan artifacts and the part that was the most hard to miss was the massive Dali Lama that was plastered to the front of the restaurant and hung alter style, surrounded by candles.  

Can you spot the Dali Lama?

I would certainly go back here.  Not only was the food very tasty, it was so very reasonably priced.  After the food and a bottle of Cabernet, we each walked out of there a mere $25 lighter.  I would recommend this to anyone looking for some good fresh Asian food, just don't go in expecting wild and crazy Tibetan food.

In Love With Pho

Pho Chicken at Pho Lemongrass, Coolidge Corner

Pho is a somewhat recent new favorite of mine (I'd within the last few years or so?) and lately it seems, I can't get enough of it.  It's pure comfort in a bowl with a splash of fun mixed in.  The comfort part comes from the warm noodley goodness swishing around inside the confines of a giant bowl.  The fun part comes with all the sauces (there were a trio of them, two were hot, one sweet) and the toppings (Thai basil and fresh lime wedges) that I get to play around with.  It makes me feel all sort of "mad scientisty" whenever I eat it.  "A pinch of this, and a couple drops of this...and, gasp! what would happen if I through in more basil?!"  It's the simple things in life that can make a person giddy, isn't it?

Pho Lemongrass, Coolidge Corner

Pho Lemongrass is one of my new favorite spots to get a piping hot bowl of Pho.  With a bright blue awning decorated with Vietnamese characters on it, it sits right on Harvard Street in the heart of Coolidge Corner.  The place itself seats a large crowd and is usually pretty packed.   It has that "hole-in-the-wall" type feel to it (and I mean that affectionately!) with sort of no-frills dining atmosphere that's just honest to goodness good and set at a reasonable price (a bowl of the chicken Pho that I always get sets you back about $8).  The food comes out promptly and I like to take my time, adding a bit of this and that, giving it a taste, and then adding a bit more.  I like my Pho spicy and I like to eat it with chopsticks, challenging my balance and skill with holding onto slippery noodles and then slurp up the broth, not missing a single drop.

So this post begs me to ask the question, where else in Boston have you had good Pho?

Homemade Spinach and Mushroom Wonton Soup

An Italian Twist on Classic Wonton Soup

I guess I got a little crazy here, combining a Chinese favorite with some classic Italian twists but what I was left with was a fantastic Spinach and Mushroom Wonton Soup.  It was delicious, combining all of the familiar elements of a wonton soup; simple chicken broth with giant floppy stuffed noodles.  To twist things up a bit, I made a fresh wilted spinach, baby portabello mushroom and ricotta filling and then topped the whole things off with shreds of fresh snipped basil, just a remind that this is no ordinary soup.

This is one of those dishes that looks really complicated and packs a high amount of wow to it.  This is great to make on a chilly Sunday afternoon or this would make a fantastic starter to a meal.  This could also be served on its own as a healthy little dinner.  The hardest part of all was having the patience to fold all these little guys up but it really didn't take long once you get started.  Once they are all folded up, they can be frozen, just lay them individually onto a cookie sheet, freeze them and then you can transfer them to plastic bag.  This will keep them frozen and separated so when the craving strikes, you can just boil up some broth and toss a handful of these into the boiling chicken stock.  Or, you can even enjoy them with some tomato sauce drizzled over or simply fried up in some garlic butter.  Sky's the limit with these guys.  So let's get started with how to make them, shall we?


To start, here's what you'll need:

- 1 package wonton wrappers (sold in the produce aisle of most grocery stores)
- A couple giant handfuls of fresh spinach
- 1 carton of baby portabello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
- Fresh ground nutmeg
- About a cup of part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
- A handful of fresh basil, rinsed and thinly shredded (plus more for garnish)
- About a tsp of dried rosemary
- A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small pat of butter (to fry the mushrooms)
- 2 eggs (one for the filling and one for the egg wash)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large box low-sodium chicken broth

Start by frying the mushrooms in a pat of butter in a heavy pan on medium heat until they are cooked through and start to brown.  Remove from heat.  In separate pan, add the spinach and wilt it down on medium heat until the spinach is just cooked through and has reduced significantly in size.  Let the spinach cool and remove it from the heat, chopping it finely.  Add some of the basil and then stir in the mushrooms.  Add the ricotta, salt and pepper, rosemary, nutmeg and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  Mix throughly.  Taste, and then season to your liking.  Once you are satisfied with the seasoning, add in one of the eggs and combine everything thoroughly.  If the filling is too watery, you can soak some of it up by using a paper towel.
  

Fresh sauteed spinach and mushrooms

Mixed in with ricotta and eggs

Before you wrap the wontons, crack an egg into a small bowl and mix thoroughly.  Add a splash of water and set aside.  To make the wontons, place a small dollop of filling into the center of the wonton wrapper.  

Spinach/mushroom/ricotta mixture ready to be wrapped in wonton 

Using a pastry brush, gently brush all sides of the wrapper with the egg wash.  Fold one half of the wrapper up, so that you have a triangle.

How to fold a wonton

Using your finger, fold both of the edges down to create something that looks like this:

Nest, fold one of the sides over, followed by the other side so that you are left with something that looks like this:

Homemade wontons ready to go!

Next, boil some generously salted water and place the wontons in, one at a time being careful not to cook too many at a time (they'll stick together).  Once the wontons float, let them cook about a minute longer and then place them into some hot broth.  Serve immediately and enjoy.

Homemade Spinach and Mushroom Wonton Soup