Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn on the Cob)

Dress up your regular corn on the cob Mexican-style for this lovely summer of grilling!  I first discovered this zesty dish at Nolita’s famed Café Habana, which is renowned for its bold tasting, Mexican style corn.  La Esquina is another elote outpost and one of my favorite local Latin American restaurants.  I think it’s blasphemy to dine … Continue reading

Scrambled Egg Whites with Crab Meat 大良炒牛奶

The last time I visited home, my dad and I set about to cook some traditional Chinese dishes together.  The central theme of the dinner was seafood and using up all the leftover egg whites I had from the making Hollandaise sauce earlier for brunch.  We decided to cook a simple Fish Fillet with Broccoli Stir … Continue reading

Pastel de Choclo (Chilean Corn Pie)

Pastel de Choclo is a very beloved, traditional Chilean dish that is typically eaten during the summer time.  This casserole is made with beef sautéed with onions, chicken, olives, and hard boiled egg pieces covered with dough made of fresh corn.  It is traditionally baked in a clay dish (in a wood burning oven if you really want to … Continue reading

Panca, NYC

Panca Chef: Emmanuel Piqueras Cuisine: Peruvian Neighborhood: West Village Price: $20-25 entrées, $10-15 appetizers Phone: 212-488-3900 Address: 92 7th Avenue, NY, NY 10014 In honor of an upcoming trip to Peru (and Bolivia) my travel mates and I decided to learn a bit more about the famed Peruvian cuisine and visit a Peruvian restaurant here … Continue reading

Chili Lime Tortilla Chips

Natalya and I have a massive chip and guacamole  addiction, and this summer we have probably consumed an average of 1 avocado a day.   We recently started fancying up our guacamole with mangos and pomengranate and so when I came across a recipe to fancy up tortilla chips with chili powder and cayenne pepper, … Continue reading

Spicy Bean Salsa

As Jen and I brainstormed the menu for our Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, we wanted (for the lack of a better word) to spice up a normal salsa recipe. So we found this and it turned out to be very easy to make, refreshing, delicious, with just the right amount of kick. We had also … Continue reading

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!  Happy Year of the Dragon — may it be prosperous for all! Just wanted to compile all my Chinese recipes I’ve posted so far (updating my 2011 Rabbit post actually) … and I realize *still* I have been seriously slacking in that department.  I need to get back in touch … Continue reading

Roasted Corn Kernels with Garlic Butter

I found this recipe while searching for a quick way to roast corn kernels without using the oven, as I was simply making this as a garnish to my Chilled Corn Velouté.  Granted, roasting corn is super simple: peel the husks back from corn, baste with seasoning, and then pop them in the oven at … Continue reading

Seared Scallops with Corn Velouté

“Seared scallops are very simple to make into a blissful crustacean eat if you follow the rules and don`t over cook it.”  Now every time Kei tells me a recipe is “simple,” he proceeds to detail at least 2 pages of instructions that will take 2 hours to prep and 2 hours to cook… his … Continue reading

Chilled Corn Velouté

When my chef friend Kei sent me this recipe, I immediately asked him: “What the %&*# are you having me cook?”  Every time Kei sends me a new recipe, I feel like I am studying a new language as I am constantly looking up the definitions of every term, dish, and technique he details.  I … Continue reading