Singapore: Oa Chien (Oyster Omelette), 28, Dunman Food Centre

Epic Birthday Travel

Asia, Bangkok, Europe, Singapore, Taipei, Taiwan, Thailand, Travel, Xinfeng

Sixteen Hours on a Direct Flight

When I was trying to figure out the most cost effective flights to get the hubs and I from NYC to the other side of the world, none of the online travel websites that I normally use could get me to all of the places I wanted to go for less than $5,000 per person. Unfathomable! After some hits and misses, I opted for a direct round trip flight to Taipei and short, one-way flights within Asia. After the first leg of our trip, we finally arrived IN THE FUTURE!

Taipei: Donation Box, Taoyuan Airport — Taipei: 7-Eleven Mural, Taoyuan Airport

With a six hour layover in Taipei, we got to enjoy breakfast and lunch before boarding for the next flight to Bangkok. On the way to the food court, we met a new robot.

Bangkok, Thailand

We spent the next five days taking in the sights on the way to delicious food in Bangkok. We soaked up so much art. We shopped small and local. We enjoyed beautiful sights. And, most of all, we relaxed. I even got to use the majority of the broken Thai I learned growing up, all of which was from listening to my mother try to keep my brother actively speaking Thai. The conversations mostly consisted of parental grilling: “Did you eat? What did you eat? Was it edible? Where are you going? When will you be home? Why don’t you call home more? How much money do you need?” This is the vocabulary I had on hand while in traveling around Bangkok, and it came in handy, surprisingly so.

Bangkok: Landing, Thai Airways
Bangkok: First Night @ iSanook Residences
Bangkok: On the Way to the Pool, iSanook Residences
Bangkok: Pool View, iSanook Residences
Bangkok: Juxtaposition between Old and New Architecture
Bangkok: Infamous Traffic
Bangkok: Covered Walkways
Bangkok: Three Layers of Traffic – Vehicules, Pedestrians, Metro
Bangkok: Tokyu Department Store Holiday Cheer
Bangkok: Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
Bangkok: Spectrosynthesis II – Exposure of Tolerance: LGBTQ in Southeast Asia Exhibition, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
Bangkok: Spectrosynthesis II – Exposure of Tolerance: LGBTQ in Southeast Asia Exhibition, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
Bangkok: From the Free IconSIAM Ferry to Get Across the Chap Phraya River
Bangkok: Mural Entering Mazu Shrine, Lhong 1919
Bangkok: Walking to Mazu Shrine, Lhong 1919
Bangkok: Entering Mazu Shrine, Lhong 1919
Bangkok: Mazu Shrine, Lhong 1919
Bangkok: Shops and Artist Workshops @ Mazu Shrine, Lhong 1919
Bangkok: Plain Language Instructions on How to Worship @ Mazu Shrine, Lhong 1919
Bangkok: Mural through Doorway @ Mazu Shrine, Lhong 1919
Bangkok: Mural through Doorway @ Mazu Shrine, Lhong 1919
Bangkok: Mural @ Mazu Shrine, Lhong 1919
Bangkok: Mural @ Mazu Shrine, Lhong 1919
Bangkok: Mural @ Mazu Shrine, Lhong 1919
Bangkok: Mazu Mural @ Mazu Shrine, Lhong 1919
Bangkok: Tiffany & Co. Christmas Tree upon Entering IconSIAM
Bangkok: SookSiam @ IconSIAM
Bangkok: SookSiam @ IconSIAM
Bangkok: SookSiam @ IconSIAM
Bangkok: Escalators, SookSiam @ IconSIAM
Bangkok: SookSiam @ IconSIAM
Bangkok: Wat Hua Lamphong วัดหัวลำโพง by Night
Bangkok: Nature Taking Back a House on Si Phraya Road
Bangkok: View from the Ferry
Bangkok: View from the Ferry
Bangkok: View from the Ferry of Wat Rakhang Khositaram วัดระฆังโฆสิตาราม
Bangkok: View from the Ferry of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha วัดพระศรีรัตนศาสดาราม
Bangkok: Temple of the Emerald Buddha วัดพระศรีรัตนศาสดาราม
Bangkok: Temple of the Emerald Buddha วัดพระศรีรัตนศาสดาราม
Bangkok: Wat Pho วัดโพธิ์
Bangkok: Temple of the Emerald Buddha วัดพระศรีรัตนศาสดาราม
Bangkok: Street and River Closed for Royal Visit

We ate so many delicious things, including temple snacks and junk food. I even got to use a little Burmese to order lunch.

Bangkok: Dry Ginger Ale, Thai Airways
Bangkok: Travel Condiments, 7-Eleven and SookSiam @ IconSIAM
Bangkok: Fried Chili Shallot Garlic Sauce Potato Crisps, 7-Eleven
Bangkok: Sushi Flavored Waffled Potato Crisps, 7-Eleven
Bangkok: New Flavor – Milk Tea KitKat, 7-Eleven
Bangkok: Marketing Everywhere, 7-Eleven
Bangkok: Salted (Duck) Egg Yolk Potato Chips, 7-Eleven
Bangkok: Sweet and Spicy Fish Snacks, SookSiam @ IconSIAM
Bangkok: Korean Style Corn Snack Rings, 7-Eleven
Bangkok: Basil Chicken Flavored Potato Chips, 7-Eleven
Bangkok: Crab Curry Flavored Potato Chips, 7-Eleven
Bangkok: Honey Lemon Fanta, Tops Market, MBK Mall
Bangkok: Boop Card, Bog Food Court, MBK Mall
Bangkok: Laphet Thoke (Pickled Green Tea Leaf Salad), Burmese Stall, Big Food Court, MBK Mall
Bangkok: Three Sides (Fried Pork, Mushrooms, Chinese Kale) with Rice and Soup, Burmese Stall, Big Food Court, MBK Mall
Bangkok: Late Dinner @ Harmonique
Bangkok: Ginger Chicken and Mushroom Coconut Milk Soup Set @ Harmonique
Bangkok: Mussamam Curry and Homemade Garlic Toast @ Harmonique
Bangkok: Mussamam Curry Closeup @ Harmonique
Bangkok: Pandan Custard Buns, Thai Coffee and Iced Tea, Purple Sweet Potato and Coconut Sticky Rice Cakes @ Plearwanpanich เพลินวาน พาณิชย์ สาขา ล้ง1919, Lhong 1919, Mazu Shrine
Bangkok: Khao Soi, Food Republic, IconSIAM
Bangkok: Stir-Fried Morning Glory @ Markintiny
Bangkok: Seafood Kueh Teow @ Markintiny
Bangkok: Deep Fried Pork Meatballs Wrapped Noodles, Wat Pho วัดโพธิ์
Bangkok: Tod Mun Pla (Thai Fish Cakes), Wat Pho วัดโพธิ์
Bangkok: Street Noodles, FestiWow Pop-Up, MBK Mall
Bangkok: Tom Yum Gai (Thai Hot & Sour Chicken Soup), FestiWOW Popup, MBK Mall
Bangkok: Tom Yum Gai (Thai Hot & Sour Chicken Soup), FestiWOW Popup, MBK Mall
Bangkok: Thai Iced Coffee and Thai Iced Tea, Mango Tree, Bangkok Airport
Bangkok: Boat Noodle Soup, Mango Tree, Bangkok Airport

Singapore

After five days of eating and walking, we got on a short flight to Singapore. The last time I was in Singapore, I was all of 15 years old on a trip with my relatives. What I remember from that trip was amazing, futuristic convenience stores, a whole neighborhood with my name Sophia plastered everywhere, amazingly clean everything, and no chewing gum allowed into the country. After watching Crazy Rich Asians, the hubs really wanted to see and eat everything in Singapore, and I was more than happy to oblige. Peranakan architecture and culture, the view from the top of the Marina Bay Sands Resort, the Gardens by the Bay, and all of the hawker centres full of delicious and amazingly affordable food – we hit up almost everything from the movie except for mahjong. I was pleasantly surprised by how into Christmas decorations Southeast Asia was, and I got to speak English, Mandarin, and Hokkien at any given time.

Singapore: Little India Spiral Staircases
Singapore: Serangoon Road, Little India
Singapore: Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
Singapore: Mural near Joo Chiat Terrace Interim Park
Singapore: Peranakan Houses, Joo Chiat
Singapore: Peranakan Houses, Joo Chiat
Singapore: Peranakan Houses, Joo Chiat
Singapore: Peranakan Houses Turned Shops, Joo Chiat
Singapore: We Bare Bears at City Square Mall
Singapore: Floating Lanterns, Gardens by the Bay
Singapore: Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands
Singapore: View from Ce La Vie, Marina Bay Sands
Singapore: Night Skyline
Singapore: View from Ce La Vie, Marina Bay Sands
Singapore: View from Ce La Vie, Marina Bay Sands
Singapore: Gardens by the Bay
Singapore: night skyline, Gardens by the Bay, Little India spiral staircases, Marina Bay Sands
Singapore: Changi Airport

Did I mention the food? We visited Mr. Ho’s Tutu Kueh who has been making these lovely, toasty, sweet and savory rice cakes filled with peanuts, coconut, and fragrant palm sugar for over 50 years. We found lovely bakeries, overstuffed meals for under US$3, and so many delicious beverages. We still didn’t get to try everything we wanted, so I guess we have to go back for more.

Singapore: Mr. Ho Making Tutu Kueh, Bendemeer Market & Food Centre
Singapore: Mr. Ho’s Tutu Kueh, Bendemeer Market & Food Centre
Singapore: Grilled Mackeral Otak in Banana Leaves, Bendemeer Market & Food Centre
Singapore: Grilled Mackeral Otak in Banana Leaves, Bendemeer Market & Food Centre
Singapore: Rose Soy Milk, Iced Herbal Tea, Hokkien Mee, Bendemeer Market & Food Centre
Singapore: Braised Foods, Bendemeer Market & Food Centre
Singapore: Fresh Popia, Bendemeer Market & Food Centre
Singapore: Charsiu Pastry @ Baker Talent, Bendemeer Market & Food Centre
Singapore: Charsiu Pastry @ Baker Talent, Bendemeer Market & Food Centre
Singapore: Bag of Mini Cheese Buns @ Baker Talent, Bendemeer Market & Food Centre
Singapore: Mini Cheese Bun @ Baker Talent, Bendemeer Market & Food Centre
Singapore: Kickapoo Joy Juice (like Mountain Dew) and 100 Plus (like Pocari Sweat or Gatorade), Dunman Food Centre
Singapore: Oa Chien (Oyster Omelette), 28, Dunman Food Centre
Singapore: Dunman Food Centre, 28, Stir-Fried Turnip Cake
Singapore: Dunman Food Centre, 28, Stir-Fried Chinese Broccoli
Singapore: Red Oil Wontons, Crystal Jade La Mian @ Bugis Junction
Singapore: Vegetarian Meal, Tekka Centre, Little India
Singapore: Vegetarian Meal, Tekka Centre, Little India
Singapore: Kulfi Falooda, Kailash Parbat Restaurant, Little India
Singapore: Malai Sandwiches and Pista Rolls, Kailash Parbat Restaurant, Little Indiaa
Singapore: One of Everything Mini Tiffin, Suriya Restaurant, Little India
Singapore: Masala Chai, Suriya Restaurant, Little India
Singapore: Teh Tarik and Kopi-C, Kopi & Tarts, City Square Mall
Singapore: Chicken Luncheon Meat Noodles Lunch Set, Kopi & Tarts, City Square Mall
Singapore: Violet Oon High Tea for Two
Singapore: Violet Oon ION Orchard
Singapore: Cocktails, Ce La Vie, Marina Bay Sands
Singapore: Tamarind Lamb Skewers, Ce La Vie, Marina Bay Sands
Singapore: Hot Paratha, Late Dinner @ Bhai Biriyani & Cafe, Little India

Taipei, Taiwan

One last stop to see family and one last chance to enjoy the future before returning to NYC. We even caught a fan event while we were in town. I got to play charades with the Wolf Prince himself, Derek Chang 張軒睿. It was fascinating sociological research.

Taipei: Lobby, The Okura Prestige Taipei
Taipei: Lucy 露西早餐
Taipei: Host Kitty, Lucy 露西早餐
Taipei: Derek Chang 張軒睿 Birthday Fan Event
Taipei: Derek Chang 張軒睿 Birthday Fan Event
Taipei: Metro Taipei Holding a Free Holiday Concert Series
Taipei: On the Way Back from an Event, Tsai Jui-Yueh Dance Research Institute
Taipei: On the Way Back from an Event, Tsai Jui-Yueh Dance Research Institute
Taipei: On the Way Back from an Event, Tsai Jui-Yueh Dance Research Institute
Taipei: Ten Ren’s New Tea + Coffee Shop – Chaffee
Taipei: View from Our Room, The Okura Prestige Taipei
Xinfeng: View of the Mangrove Reserve from 紅毛港 (Red Fur/Hair Port)
Xinfeng: 紅毛港海鮮 (Red Fur/Hair Port Seafood)
Taipei: Renovated Pool View @ The Okura Prestige Taipei
Taipei: Maji Square
Taipei: Maji Square Food Court
Taipei: EVA Air

Taiwan is foodie heaven, but breakfast has to be, hands down, my favorite meal of the day in Taiwan. Late night snacking 宵夜 is a very close second, though.

Taipei: Late Night Snacks, 7-Eleven
Xinfeng: Caramel Pudding Flavored Potato Chips, Family Mart
Xinfeng: Peach Tart Flavored Potato Chips, Family Mart
Xinfeng: Barbecue/Grilled Ribs Flavored Potato Chips, 7-Eleven
Taipei: Lemon Yakult and Pomelo Iced Tea, Lucy 露西早餐
Taipei: Pan-Fried Turnip Cakes, Lucy 露西早餐
Taipei: The Presidential Breakfast Burger, Lucy 露西早餐
Taipei: The Presidential Breakfast Club Sandwich, Lucy 露西早餐
Taipei: Scallion Pancakes with Scrambled Eggs, Lucy 露西早餐
Taipei: Bacon Cheeseburger @ MOS Burger
Taipei: Burger on Rice Patties, MOS Burger
Taipei: Paitan Ramen, 勝王 (Victorious King)
Taipei: Paitan Ramen, 勝王 (Victorious King)
Taipei: Brown Sugar Cappucino + Rose Lychee Iced Tea Latte, Good Cho’s, Maji Square
Taipei: purple sweet potato and osmanthus, taro and salted egg yolk filled bagels, Good Cho’s, Maji Square

Taiwanese Style Three Cup Chicken 三杯雞 in Salad Form

Recipe

Three Cup Chicken is one of Taiwan’s national dishes. It gets its name from the original recipe which includes one cup each of sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine for one whole chicken. With simple aromatics, ginger, garlic, (Thai) basil, and scallions, the dish’s simple, straightforward flavors are layered and made more complex by their addition and the cooking method.

I have turned this beloved dish into spring rolls, and now, out of sheer laziness, I turned it into a mayonnaise-less gown salad to be spooned onto soft bread for easy packed lunches.

Three Cup Chicken Salad

2 c pulled chicken, packed

1 T ginger, grated

1 T garlic, grated

2 stalks scallions, chopped

1 T agave

2 T low sodium soy sauce or tamari

2 T toasted sesame oil

Handful of (Thai) basil leaves, roughly torn or shocked

In a bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, scallions, agave, soy sauce, and basil leaves. Heat the sesame oil until it shimmers, then pour the hot oil over the sauce mixture. It should bubble and crackle. Stir and let sit five minutes to lightly cook. Then, pour the sauce over the pulled chicken. Let marinate for half an hour before serving for best flavor. Serve with toast, sandwich rolls, guabao, crisps, or on a wrap.

Don’t Tell Her: My Favorite Title for “The Farewell”

Movie Review

“Based on an actual lie…” is now one of my favorite lead-in lines for a movie ever. There is a plethora of reviews and personal anecdotes out there for this movie already. I am a little late to the game, but I will still do my best to paint you a picture of this movie without completely spoiling it for you.

The premise for this movie is simple: the lies we tell people to protect them from worry and unnecessary pain. Well, the latter part of that sentence is the lie we tell ourselves to feel better about lying to a loved one in the first place. The Chinese title of the film 別告訴他 (Hanyu pinyin: bié gàosù tā; English: Don’t Tell Her) is an actual line spoken over and over throughout the movie from different characters to different characters about different characters. The theme is universal and cuts across the cultural boundaries we humans have created. How far would you go to hide the truth in the name of love? The strength of character and the bond of filial piety are tested in so many ways.

Food is featured prominently in the movie. While New York City and Beijing are both metropolises known for their foods, beyond that, food is another love language. In many Chinese languages, greeting another person was not related to a superficial, edging on rhetorical “hello, how are you?” equivalent, but a literal and earnest, “have you eaten?” because you were sincerely interested in how the other person was doing. The greeting is less frequently used these days, but it is no less sincere. There are many theories as to the origin of the greeting, but my favorite is that food, especially meat, was scarce in the times already lost to history. The majority of the populus almost never had enough to eat, so everyone tried to help each other out whenever possible. Asking if someone had a meal showed that you truly cared about their wellbeing. The greeting and any subsequent assistance ensured community survival, not just the survival of the individual.

Identity is questioned often and analyzed frequently in small, simple ways with a look or what seems like a throwaway observation. In heavier, more complex methods, so many feelings surface in simple interactions and gestures and turns of phrase that make the struggles familiar and very close to home for me. The expectations that come with living far away from your origins are different with each family. How much are you expected to assimilate into your adopted land? How much are you supposed to hold onto your roots? Do you learn to trust your new home? Was leaving your old home a mistake? One question, one look, one passive aggressive comment, and all of these questions bubble up immediately in the minds of audience members in the span of a moment.

By the end, you may or may not walk away with a new vantage point. Whether or not you acknowledge it is entirely up to you, but the film offers everyone the opportunity. Complicit with so many in the lie, am I actually trying to share the burden of truth to lighten the overall emotional load? Am I just doing what I am told? What motivated us to pick what is right and what is wrong? A sincere thank you to Lulu Wang, Awkwafina, and the entire cast and crew for making a film that makes me feel seen, heard, and uncomfortably familiar all at the same time.

“Always Be My Maybe”: A Childhood Dream Come True

Asian Fusion Magazine, Community, Movie Review, Op-Ed

Photos courtesy of Netflix

Sasha (Ali Wong) and Marcus (Randall Park) in “Always Be My Maybe”

Something comes over me when I see humans, especially children, celebrating heritage and culture. My eyes tear up, and my nose starts to run. I think, in some small way, my soul is trying to express utter contentment and joy. My eyes were on-the-verge-of-tears for most of the movie when I was not all-out crying. I tried my best to keep my expectations reasonable and in check before seeing the move, but as the date neared, I could not contain my hopes and dreams for this all Asian-American-led romantic comedy.

Brandon (Daniel Dae Kim) and Sasha (Ali Wong) step-and-repeat

Brandon (Daniel Dae Kim – Damn, Daniel!) and Sasha (Ali Wong) step-and-repeat

My love of romantic comedies is overt, unabashed, and has persisted since childhood from the very first time I watched John Hughes’ “Pretty in Pink” on a Saturday afternoon network broadcast preceded by the ubiquitous warning, “This film has been modified from its original version. It has been formatted to fit this screen and edited for content.” I almost never saw myself, or my friends for that matter, in the romantic leads, in their backgrounds, or in their stories. These rom-coms still made me long to find that one human who looked at me like Blane looked at Andie, the one who made me feel invincible, the one who just got me and felt like home. And yet, those movies left me wanting more. I wanted to see characters who looked kind of like me and struggled with some of the same culture clashes I did like filial piety and saving face while growing up in America.

Blane (Andrew McCarthy) looking at Andie (Molly Ringwald) lovingly

“Always Be My Maybe” is that childhood dream come true. The movie exceeded my lofty expectations. It was 100% rom-com without feeling formulaic. The characters looked like my friends and me. They grew up the way I did with the same struggles of living between cultures. I now have new vocabulary to use as reference. Sasha and Marcus have replaced Andie and Blane as my canonical rom-com allusions. Even the soundtrack closely mimicked what my friends and I listened to in high school (Thanks, Ms. Carey) and college. I felt seen. I felt represented.

Veronica (Michelle Buteau) and Sasha (Ali Wong) at Hello, Peril performance

The writing paid attention to so many details that I loved. Food is one of my favorite ways to celebrate heritage, and they made food a sizeable part of the movie and managed to throw in the age-old struggle between authenticity and innovation. We do not have to have thick accents to be authentic. The parents were free from caricatured accents and limited English proficiency. We are not the poster children for the Model Minority. No one was a doctor, lawyer, or accountant. The parent-child relationships were so real and raw. Resenting the parents who worked around the clock to give their child a better life, that long-rooted anger was visceral for me. We are not all Chinese. Sasha has a Vietnamese background, and Marcus has a Korean background. We are American, and we are diverse. We can be “dirty” hippies, chic restaurateurs, awkward B-boys, dude bros, eccentric artists, foul-mouthed fashion plates, and anything else we want to be. We are also capable of being all of those people and continue to respect our heritages and cultures. (Everyone remembered to take off their shoes in the homes. I still have to skip over the part in “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” where the eldest sister not only wears her Crocs into her middle sister’s bed, but then proceeds to pull the covers OVER the Crocs. An audible gasp could be heard across the country from Asian-American households.)

Sasha (Ally Wong) and Keanu Reeves (as himself)

Sasha (Ali Wong) and Keanu Reeves (as himself)

This rom-com is everything I wished for ever since I heard the orchestral music swell at the beginning of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s “If You Leave”. Ms. Wong, Mr. Park, and the whole cast and crew, you have made something iconic. Watch “Always Be My Maybe” on Netflix today.

Left to right: Behind the scenes at Ragga with Tony (Karan Soni), Nahnatchka Khan (director), Marcus (Randall Park), and Sasha (Ali Wong)

Peppery Milk Gravy

Recipe, Southern American

I had a request for my gravy recipe after posting about my buttermilk biscuit recipe. This should work for any type of ground meat or meat substitute or chopped mushrooms.

Veggie/Vegan Sausage Gravy

3 T shallot oil (oil used to only fry shallots, filtered to remove particulates)
2 t sage
2 t thyme
1/2 t rosemary
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 pkg (12 oz) vegan grounds (equivalent to one pound of uncooked ground pork or turkey)
1 T brown sugar
1 T freshly ground black pepper
2 T unsalted butter or butter substitute
1/3 c flour
4 c milk or milk substitute
1/2 t sea salt

Rule of Thumb: 1 part fat + 1 part flour + 16 parts hot liquid or 2 T fat + 2 T flour + 1 cup hot liquid = 1 cup of gravy

In a medium saucepan, heat the shallot oil over medium-high heat. Add in the sage, thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes, and lightly fry them. Quickly add the frozen grounds so that the herbs don’t burn.* Brown the grounds, and add in the brown sugar and black pepper.

Melt the butter in the pan with the grounds. Add in the flour to make a roux. Make sure the flour toasts before adding in the milk. Reduce heat and stir until the gravy is cooked and thickened ~10 minutes.

Enjoy over biscuits.

*You can use sausage-style grounds and cut out all of the frying of the herbs.

Flaky, Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

Recipe, Southern American

Single perfect biscuit bathed in sunlight

Perfection!

What a wonderfully sunny day for brunch! Proper biscuits and peppery milk gravy with sausage are hard to come by in New York City, so I make my own. I have a vegan version as well, but today, the biscuits would have made my elementary school cafeteria lunchladies proud.

Tray of perfect biscuits

I have been using this recipe for a long as I can remember. I am unclear of its origins, but I speculate it was another recipe that the middle school cafeteria lunchladies showed us how to make in my life skills (home ec) class. The other was buzzard buns. I grew up in the South where a proper school lunch consisted of fried chicken, green beans/corn/kale/collards, buzzard bun (hot roll)/biscuit, and a half pint of milk. Cookies were extra.

A lot of biscuits that I have tried in NYC have been closer to hard tack from the Civil War or maybe a super dense British scone. After many years of successes and failures, I think I have found the right formula for me. Turns out the type of wheat really makes a difference. Everything online says White Lily® brand flour is the only way to go, but seeing as that’s harder to come by in NYC, I found this:

A bag of soft wheat flour from the Greenmarket

A soft wheat flour from the Greenmarket

Buttermilk Biscuits

2 c soft wheat flour or 1 c whole wheat flour +
1 c bread flour
4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
3/4 t sea salt
2 T butter, cold
2 T vegetable shortening
1 c buttermilk, chilled

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine dry ingredients. Cut the butter and shortening into dry ingredients until evenly distributed. Then, stir in the buttermilk. Turn dough onto floured surface and gently fold five or six times. Don’t overwork the dough.

Roll out and cut out biscuits to preferred size and shape. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until the tops are a deep golden brown. You can brush them with melted butter out of the oven or drown them in peppery milk gravy with sausage.

Shrimp with Bacon over Cheesy Grits: A Southern Traif Tale

Gluten-Free, Seafood, Southern American

Shrimp with uncured bacon in a shallot white wine butter sauce with scallions

Sundays are for brunching.

Our little group of neighbors used to gather at a new café or pub or restaurant in the neighborhood to enjoy good food and a chat. As commercial rents climbed, so did prices for enjoying brunch and the disappearance of our favorite spots. Eventually, this became unsustainable for our Brunch Bunch, so the hubs and I started hosting at our new-at-the-time apartment. Everyone chips in what they can for the week, and I get to test recipes or just make comfort food that I want to make. This freed us up from having to make reservations, paying exorbitant amounts of money for mediocre food, watching our vocabulary in public, wasting time waiting in line – for a table – for menus – for drinks – for utensils – for food – for a server – for the check, splitting the check because the point of sale system is too archaic/advanced (and, apparently, math is hard), and dodging strollers. FREEEEEEE-DOM!

I love grits, especially cheesy grits. My first bowl of proper grits was in New Orleans on a family road trip returning to Richmond, VA from Harlingen, TX. I stirred that cold pat of butter into the hot grits, and it was love at first bite. In college, I would make the instant packet for breakfast during the week. I had no shame. I graduated to the non-instant grits on the weekends, though. Now, living close to the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket, I can get heirloom grits like Castle Valley Mill’s Bloody Butcher grits. Fancy.

With the Brunch Bunch visiting their respective families for the holidays, I decided that I would still make brunch. While at the Greenmarket, I debated what I could sauté with the shrimp. Old Bay, of course, but shallots? Onions? Garlic? Bell peppers? Sage? Greens? As we approached the Wilklow Orchards stand, I saw that bacon was on sale. Inspiration hit. I asked the hubs if he would be cool with me making brunch even more traif. He consented, and I bought a beautiful package of thick cut, uncured bacon.

Bit of useless trivia: The very first time my father-in-law had shrimp and grits was at our apartment years ago in Richmond, VA. Now, he searches for the dish on menus wherever he goes.

I invited a couple of newer friends over and cooked a giant pot of grits low and slow. I prepped the shrimp to go on top, and it was obliterated by the four of us.

Shrimp ‘n Grits
Makes about 8 helpings

Castle Valley Mill Bloody Butcher Grits

Cheesy Grits

6 c water, clean and cool

2 T butter, salted, cultured-preferred

1 t fine sea salt

2 c grits, not the instant stuff

1 c whole milk

1 c shredded cheese, the sharper the better

1/2 c grated pecorino or parmesan

Dash of nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper

In a pot, bring the water, butter, and salt to a boil. Whisk in the grits. Keep stirring as the grits come back to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and give the grits a good stir. Cover and let thicken for about 30 minutes, whisking occasionally to preventing clumping.

Warm the milk and whisk into the grits at the 30-minute mark. Cover and cook another 15 minutes. Add water if too thick for you to enjoy.

Turn off heat and add the cheeses, nutmeg, and black pepper. Whisk until melted and evenly distributed.

Shrimp

1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined (I used Trader Joe’s frozen, wild Argentinian shrimp here)

1 lb bacon, uncooked, uncured, thick-cut, diced

2 T butter

1 c shallots, minced

1 c white wine

1 T Old Bay seasoning (or more, if you’d like)

Dash of sugar

1 bunch scallions, cleaned, trimmed, sliced on the diagonal

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large sauté pan, fry up the roughly diced bacon to render the fat. When crispy golden, remove bacon from the pan. Reserve the bacon fat.

In the same pan, add a little of the bacon fat back and the shallots. Over medium heat, cook down shallots until translucent and aromatic, at least 20 minutes, constantly stirring. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Stir in the bacon. Melt in the butter. Sprinkle in the Old Bay. Bring to boil, then add shrimp and cover for just a minute or two to steam the shrimp. Uncover, and toss in the scallions and stir around until wilted. The shrimp should be opaque now. Take off the heat. Add a few grinds of black pepper. Cover until ready to serve.

Serve in a bowl with an optional soft-boiled egg.

Shrimp and grits in a bowl with a soft-boiled egg

Hokkien-Taiwanese Oyster Omelets 蚵仔煎 (ô-á-chian)

Gluten-Free, Hokkien, Recipe, Seafood, Taiwanese

Saturday morning ritual: flounder in bed until I realize that there are going to be way too many seasonal visitors at the farmers’ market if I go any later, kind of make myself presentable in public, grab my reusable travel mug (adult sippy cup), get to Frenchy’s food truck, request the blackest of black coffees and a pastry in my barely-enough French, walk to Greenmarket, wince at the largesse of fairweather friends.

Felt like making Taiwanese oyster omelets (蚵仔煎 = ô-á-chian) when I saw some beautiful green and purple bok choy at the Greenmarket. I didn’t have fresh oysters on hand, so I used smoked from a tin. Still delicious! Smoked > fresh because there is another dimension to the flavor, and smoking firms up the oyster texture. The hubs didn’t used to like them because of the texture. Turns out, this batch was to his liking.

Never use Cathy Erway’s recipe also found on Serious Eats. It’s nothing like the Hokkien/Taiwanese grannies’ or night market versions at all and relies too heavily on the egg to make the omelet. I’ve eaten at nearly all of the village and urban night markets across Taiwan and hawker centres in Kuala Lumpur. I have done the research!

I am not a fan of the pink sauce that Taiwan night markets have been drowning my oyster omelets in for the last decade or so. I grew up with a thin ketchup drizzled sparingly over my plastic baggie covered melamine plate, so I don’t include a sauce recipe, but rather, suggestions on condiments.

Hokkien-Taiwanese Oyster Omelets 蚵仔煎 (ô-á-chian)

Makes about 4-6 omelets, depending on size of frying pan

1 1/4 c water, clean and cool

1/2 c sweet potato starch (can sub in glutinous rice flour, but will change texture)

1/4 c tapioca starch (sometimes labeled as flour) or cornstarch

1 T soy sauce

1/2 t white pepper, ground

2 tins smoked oysters or 1/2 lb oyster meats, cleaned and freshly shucked (roughly chop any that are bigger than a bite)

Leafy greens, blanched or steamed, but al dente (I like bok choy)

2 large eggs

1 t toasted sesame oil

Dash of salt and white pepper

Scallions, chopped

Cilantro, chopped

Cooking fat of your choice (traditionally pork lard or chicken schmaltz, but I like sunflower oil)

Parchment squares, if storing

In a measuring cup or a bowl with a spout, whisk together the water, sweet potato starch, tapioca starch, soy sauce, and white pepper. Set aside.

Pop open the tins of oysters. Whisk together the eggs, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Have all of the garnish (scallions and cilantro) prepped.

Heat a small, round frying pan over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add a tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is heated through, add the green veg and toss around in the oil. Stir the batter, then pour just enough to cover the bottom of the frying pan. Arrange the oysters on the omelet so they are even-ishly spaced. Drizzle some of the egg mixture around the perimeter of the omelet. Sprinkle scallions over the omelet.

Once the bottom is golden and the top is slightly set, gently flip the omelet with a large turner. Cook until the bottom is golden.

Remove from pan and onto a plate. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with ketchup, sriracha, sweet chili sauce, seafood sauce, hoisin sauce, steak sauce, or brown sauce. Anything but that sweet pink sauce!

If not serving immediately or plated individually, use parchment squares to prevent omelets from sticking to each other and turning into the Blob.

Tres Leches Cupcakes, Yes, in Cupcake Form

Recipe

A few weeks ago, I get a text from a friend in Texas asking about icebox cupcakes. I turned classic icebox cake into individual, spoon-free clouds of simple deliciousness. I am lucky enough that the grocery store on my block still stocks Nabisco’s Famous Chocolate Wafers®, but any thin, crispy cookie works just as well. I have used Trader Joe’s things with much success and gussied up the whipped cream in all kinds of ways by adding strawberry, cocoa powder, or hazelnuts.

The cupcakes are for her sister’s co-ed baby shower and the plan is to have it outdoors. Icebox cupcakes are going to last for hours out in the sun. They are just whipped cream and cookies. You would practically hear them hiss, “I’m melting, my pretty!” as the lipids lose structure and volume. I offer her sister several alternatives. Having grown up in Texas, the sister picks the tres leches (three milks) cupcakes because it is her absolute favorite kind of cake and also intrigued by how I would make them without the cakes sitting in a bath of three milks.

I made samples pictured below that were traditional with a hint of cinnamon (cherry) , hint of orange (crunchies), and hint of lemon (candied citrus peel). All with very lightly sweetened whipped cream says the rest is plenty sweet.

Photo of Tres Leches (Three Milks) Cupcake Samples

Tres Leches (Three Milks) Cupcake Samples

She and her husband tried them all and chose the traditional with a hint of cinnamon, vanilla buttercream, and keep the cherry on top. While I looked for forceps among my tools, I came across my stash of mini pipettes.

Photo credit Rosakelehershop on Etsy

My chemistry background is showing, isn’t it? Let me just tuck that back in a little. Ahem. When I finished frosting the cupcakes, I still had plenty of time before the event, so I proceeded to fill the mini pipettes with the leftover cinnamon three milks soaker. There was so much soaker left, I ended up making coquito (not the tiny frog of Puerto Rico, but the Puerto Rican version of egg nog) later that night.

The pipettes were a hit. The cakes were most without being squishy. Everything was just as the sister wanted it.

Tres Leches Cupcake Tower with It's a Boy Toppers

Tres Leches Cupcake Tower with Toppers; Photo credit Z. Negron

Tres Leches Cupcakes

Adapted from Marcela Valladolid’s recipe on the Food Network

Cupcakes

2 c cake flour

1 T baking powder

6 large eggs @ room temp, separated

1 c raw cane sugar

1/2 c whole milk

Soaker

1 can (14 oz) sweetened, condensed milk

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

1 c heavy cream

1 t ground cinnamon

Whipped Topping

1 c heavy cream

1 T powdered sugar

1/2 t ground cinnamon for sprinkling

12 candied cherries, halved

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two muffin tins with 24 non-stick, parchment paper cupcake/muffin liners. Spritz with non-stick, butter flavored spray, if you’d like.

Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Gradually add the sugar and whip to stiff peaks. Beat in the yolks, 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and whisk until incorporated, then add 1/2 the milk. Repeat, then add the last 1/3 of flour.

Pour the batter into the prepared tins. There is a reason recipes tell you to fill the cup only 2/3s full. Anything more, and you might get a mountain peak to scale in the middle of your cupcakes. Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. While the cupcakes are baking, mix the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, 1 cup heavy cream, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Cool the cake slightly, about 10 minutes, and remove the cupcakes to whatever you plan to store them in to chill overnight. Pierce the cupcakes all over with a thick skewer. Brush the milk mixture over all of the cupcakes while warm once, then repeat 3-4 more times. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Before serving, let the cupcakes come up to almost room temp. Combine the remaining 1 cup heavy cream and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Spread or pipe the whipped cream on the cupcakes, sprinkle with the ground cinnamon, and garnish with cherry halves.

Photo of Tres Leches Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream and Jumbo Cherries

Tres Leches Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream and Jumbo Cherries

Also, I have a vegan adaptation:

Vegan Tres Leches Cake
Adapted from Marcela Valladolid

1 ½ c cake flour
1 T baking powder
4 large eggs equivalent of egg replacer (I like Follow Your Heart’s VeganEgg™)
1/2 c agave syrup
1/2 c unsweetened, almond milk
1 ¼ c sweetened condensed coconut milk (2 cans lite coconut milk + ½ c agave, reduce by half over medium-low heat)
1 2/3 c evaporated rice or soy milk
1 c soy/almond creamer
3 T amaretto
1 can coconut cream, chilled
1 T powdered sugar
½ t ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray and flour a 10” cake pan with 2” high sides, then line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper.

Mix the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg replacer until frothy. With the mixer running, gradually add the agave and beat to stiff peaks. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the almond milk in 2 parts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool the cake slightly, about 10 minutes, then invert onto a platter with 1-inch high sides.

Pierce the top of the cake all over with a thick skewer. Mix the sweetened condensed coconut milk, evaporated rice/soy milk, soy/almond creamer, and amaretto in a medium bowl. Pour the mixture over the cake while warm. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours or overnight.

Combine the chilled coconut cream and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream onto top of the cake and sprinkle with the ground cinnamon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Recipe

A happy and hearty Thanksgiving to one and all!

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Tres Leches Cupcakes, Yes, in Cupcake Form

Happy Thanksgiving!