Whole Roasted Artichokes

On one of my trips back to the Bay Area, I was tasked with cooking dinner for my parents and sister.  I planned to make a Simple Roast Chicken and was looking for some vegetables to serve as a side dish.  I picked up a colorful assortment of cherry tomatoes, asparagus, and baby potatoes from Trader Joe’s when I … Continue reading

Balsamic Roasted Carrots

Whenever I move to a new place, one of the biggest elements for me to settle in is getting a handle on all the grocers and local markets.  When I discovered Singapore’s Tiong Bahru wet market over a year ago (and subsequently moved to live right next to it), everything started to click into place.  Now my Hong Kong … Continue reading

Herb Crumbed Chicken Breasts

Quick and easy chicken recipe from Stuff It: The Great Little Book of Chicken Dishes.  For a fancier version of this herb crumbed coating, try Thomas Keller’s Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Honey Mustard Glaze. The original recipe is below, but I improvised a bit as I was missing a couple ingredients (sad I know… considering the … Continue reading

Whole Roasted Red Snapper

A very simple Caribbean fish recipe from the Admiral’s Inn in St. John’s Antigua that was featured in the Bon Appétit Dec 1995 issue.  This fish can be prepared 1 day ahead and then refrigerated until ready to bake. I served the Red Snapper with Vegetable Gratin, Vegetable Couscous, and Tzatziki for a kind of Carribean-French-Mediterranean … Continue reading

Crisped Roasted Mini Potatoes

I was looking to make some side dishes to accompany Sirloin Steaks and of course I had to cook some potatoes.  I was contemplating making mashed potatoes, such as Thomas Keller’s Purée of Garlic Potatoes, but I was not in a dairy kind of mood.  I decided to try out another Keller potato recipe instead … Continue reading

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

As I was trolling food blogs one lazy afternoon, I came across Food Perestroika, which piqued my interest. The entire blog is dedicated to Eastern Bloc cuisine, aka the Motherland. What was amazing was the scope of the countries and cuisines the blog covers, so I’ll definitely be using it as cooking inspirations for many … Continue reading

Baba Ghanoush

We first made baba ghanoush a few weeks ago for a Mediterranean-themed dinner my friend was hosting, and we were amazed how simple it was to make.  The next time I went grocery shopping, I stocked up on eggplants as I knew we’d be making this deliciously creamy dip again. We originally followed this recipe … Continue reading

Roasted Vegetable Salad

I was introduced to this simple, savory salad at my Knife Skills class at the Institute of Culinary Education located in Flatiron in NYC. I had always wanted to take some technique classes (rather than just learning recipes) and these two courses taught by Brendan McDermott came highly recommended. Knife Skills 1 is all about … Continue reading

Baked Moroccan Kefta

I can’t really recall why I was so fixated on making kefta but it was all I could think about cooking for weeks. And the same week I make my first keftas, FrugalFeeding makes a scrumptious looking Beef Kofta Curry. It was a culinary sign! Originating from Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisines, koftas (or … Continue reading

Roasted Chickpeas

I am obsessed with roasting. It is so much more flavorful than boiling, so much healthier than frying, and so much easier than sautéing. The only cooking method better than roasting is grilling; however, I don’t have a barbeque grill and our mini Foreman can’t really compare. I already love roasting asparagus, butternut squash fries, … Continue reading