IRON CHEFS: BATTLE POTATO!!

We love IRON CHEF AMERICA on the FOOD NETWORK. Today, in celebration of our good friend Jon's birthday, we've selected the POTATO as our SECRET INGREDIENT for a cooking competition at work! Don't you just love the GIGANTIC Hannah Montana poster? Poor Jon once admitted that he liked the song "Party in the USA" and we decided to throw him a party with the very lovely Miley Cyrus. Ha ha, Happy Birthday, Jon!

The battle was tight and we ended with a tie! The 2 WINNERS WERE: Chef Renee and Chef Faye!! These vegetarian women made gorgeous food!  See below for some highlights of all of our wonderful dishes!

Renee Biss: Celebration of Potatoes
Renee overdid herself at this competition and created 3 items for her plate.

Potato Corn Chowder

A medley of Purple New Potatoes, corn, onion and peppers with a twist of Southwestern spices.

Potato Spinach Frittata

Purple New Potato combined with spinach garlic and green onion baked with eggs.

Potato Flat Bread

An Indian staple made with a Russet Potato with a small kick of spices.

Mun-chies Comments: Very nicely presented. I was especially impressed by the Frittata. It left me with a warm, comforting feeling afterward. The addition of the spicy corn chowder made it a winner!

Faye Smith: Potato Gratin

Isn't this dish beautiful? Faye's special ability to bake has always been known in our department, but man, these golden potatoes really made her shine today!

Faye: My dish is a Potato Gratin made with layers of Yukon Gold potatoes simmered in vegetable broth and cream, divided by a layer of sautéed artichoke hearts, garlic and shallots with chopped parsley and fresh thyme. It is topped with whole wheat breadcrumbs, mixed with melted butter and grated Comté cheese. It is then baked to perfection for 30 minutes, then rests for 30 minutes to allow potatoes to absorb remaining creaming mixture. Super YUM-O!

Mun-chies Comments: I'm speechless. Truly Exquisite!

Mary Ortt: Old-Fashioned Potato Casserole (aka Hangover Casserole) 

Mun-chies Comments: This dish is not old-fashioned at all! It's very comforting with a nice, sweet crunch. Perfect for all occasions. Who could not love a potato casserole like this? I can always appreciate a taste of real American food. Hash brown potatoes baked with cream of chicken soup, sour cream, cheddar cheese and topped with buttered corn flakes. Mmmmm, very delicious! Thank you, Mary!

Bryan Capstick: Roasted Potatoes and BACON!
Cappy decided to keep it simple and let the wonderful potatoes speak for themselves. These potatoes were roasted with olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper. Oh yeah, and bacon layered on top!

Mun-chies Comments: What a classic! Perfect breakfast food! The hint of bacon on the potatoes gave the potatoes a lovely, smoky touch! Mmmmmm...

Mun: Potato Cakes!  (please see my previous post for recipe)

So, here's my potato cake chopped in half before serving. A bit of Worchestershire sauce was drizzled over the pieces. All I can say is that they were good to the last bite!

Thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned. More cooking to come!

Crispy Potato Cakes (Japanese Korokke)

These delicous potato cakes are yummy. Basically, they are mashed potato with veggies, cheese and/or meat, deep fried in light panko bread crumbs. The crust is thin and super crunchy outside with a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture. When you take your first bite, you will have a hard time not asking for more.

I made 2 versions today for both vegetarians and meat-eaters. They are equally tasty!

Ingredients:
Potato (1 lb, peeled, mashed and chilled)
Yellow Onions (2 large, chopped finely)

Ground pork or Frozen Peas (1/4 lb)
Panko Bread Crumbs (2 cups)
Cabbage (shredded thinnly, 2 cup)
Cheeses (Parmesan and Mozzarella-1 cup each)
1 Large Egg
Salt and Pepper (a few pinches)
Dipping:
Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Step 1: Pan fry the onions.

Step 2:  Add cabbage and (meat OR peas) into pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Vegetarian version (pictured below)

Step 3: Turn heat off when it's cooked through. Put it in a bowl and mix with cheeses.

LEFT: Vegetarian version, RIGHT: Meat version  (pictured below)

Step 4: Add it to the mashed potato in a large bowl. Mix well.

TOP: Vegetarian version, RIGHT: Meat version  (pictured below) 

Step 5: Scoop some mixture into your palm. Roll it into a ball and flatten slightly.

Meat version  (pictured below)  

Vegetarian version (pictured below) 

Step 6: Coat with egg and bread crumbs. Deep fry for about 3 minutes until golden color. Serve immediately! Tips: Worcestershire sauce is excellent for dipping for this dish. Enjoy!

"Cafe World" comes to LIFE: Spitfire Roasted Chicken!

5th dish from the facebook game CAFE WORLD "Spitfire Roasted Chicken"! This chicken has been roasted with asian spicy chilli sauce and red pepper flakes that would really bring some heat to the table! I've roasted chicken plenty of times but this is first time that I actually made it that spicy. I added some fresh lime juice to perk up the flavor! It's really tasty with some creamy side dishes, such as a potato salad or coleslaw.

Here's how I made it tonight:
Ingredients:
1 Whole Chicken
1 Lime
Butter (melted, 3 tablespoons)
Orange (sliced for garnish)
Marinade:
Garlic (minced, 2 cloves)
Red Pepper Flakes (crushed, 2 tablespoons)
Asian Chilli Sauce (1/4 cup)
Light Soy Sauce (1 tablespoon)
Sweet BBQ Sauce (any brand of your choice)
Rosemary (dried)
Salt and Pepper (a few pinches)

Step 1: Wash chicken and let dry. Rub chicken thoroughly with the marinade. Squeeze lime juice all over chicken, then stuff lime inside the cavity before going into the oven. Marinate for about 15 minutes.

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease up the chicken with a little melted butter. Put chicken in the oven for about 30 mins (depending on the size of the chicken).

Step 3: Turn chicken over to the other side and bake it for another 25 minutes.

Step 4: Take chicken out when it is golden brown. Garnish with orange slices and ready to serve! Enjoy!

Chinese New Year Celebration! Year of Tiger!

Happy Chinese New Year! Everybody I know that cares for this special time of the year just indulges themselves with lots of laughter, surrounding themselves with rich food and festive activities with their loved ones. I, of course, am one of them. Following a wonderful new year performance at the Washington University, Ping, my friend invited us over to her house for some wonderful food. I also cooked some of our favorite dishes to kick off the Chinese New Year with my family. Here're some of the pictures:

Crispy Shrimp with sweet and spicy ginger sauce (Mun's)

This is not hard to make but the quality of the shrimp is pretty important. They need to be fresh and relatively large so it'll be easier to peel. Keeping the heads on is also important, that's where all the flavor comes from. When the shrimp is cooked through with the hot, sizzling spicy sauce, the soaked-up heads taste really, really good! Peeled shrimp was also pan-fried with soy bean and egg to go with rice. It's my kid-friendly dish on the table!

Shrimp with egg and soybean (Mun's)

Here're our double fish dish this year. Cooking them double symbolizes prosperity in the new year inChinese beliefs. Heads and tails have to be attached for good luck. Here are our versions of this dish.

(Left) My supervisor in the kitchen (Mun's)

Pan fried Red Snappers - Cantonese style  (Mun's)

Baked Tilapia (Ping's)

Ah, here comes my favorite! It's my famous Eggplant again. It's a must-have for me for any special occasion! (recipe is listed on my older post this year)

Crispy stuffed Eggplant Bites (Mun's)

 I also baked up some chicken breasts in a "creative" tangerine marinade. It has a nice citrus flavor that is a bit sweet and sour. I keep the tangerine peel with the chicken while baking at around 400 degrees in the oven. It keeps the chicken nice and tender when chopping up later for platting.

Baked Tangerine Chicken (Mun's)

Ping made a meat dish with pork ribs using the pressure cooker. Not sure what her secret was, the meat was so juicy that it fell right off the bone. It had some smoky flavor with a hint of sweet soy sauce. I swore I devoured a whole bowl of rice with it. So gooood!!!

Short pork ribs in soy sauce (Ping's)

 By now, you might be wondering where the vegetables were. Well, they were definitely not to be forgotten. They were beautifully green and fresh as ever. Noodles and soup were also served.

Chinese broccoli with pork (Ping's)

Stir fried A-choy with oyster sauce (Mun's)

 

Vegetable with tofu and scallops (Ping's)

Trey's chicken soup (Ping's)

 

Spicy Chinese noodle (Ping's)

For desserts, we have fresh fruit salad, mochi with sesame filling and ice-cream. Yum, what a feast! I think it's time for a nap!

Sesame mochi (Mun's) 

 

HAVE A GREAT YEAR EVERYBODY!

Chinese Crab Rangoon with Mango Chutney Sauce (Bake or Fry!)

Ah, crab rangoon! It's not originally from China, but somehow, it has become one of the biggest symbols of Chinese food in America. I love the idea of fried wontons, but the way they serve it in the restaurant here is a bit too sweet for me. I've decided to put a few personal touches into this interesting dish.
Ok, I've gathered some basic ingredients and here we go:

Ingredients:
Wonton Wrapper (1 pack)
Fresh Crab Lump Meat
Philly Cream Cheese (the onion and chive kind-1 pack)
1 Large Egg
Spring Onion (a few stalks)

Dipping Sauce: (Mix all together and set side in a small bowl)

Mango Chutney (5 tablespoons. Available in most asian supermarkets. I bought mine at a local grocery store)
Sesame Oil (2 teaspoons)
Tabasco Sauce or Sriracha Chilli Sauce (1 teaspoon)
Rice vinegar (3 tablespoons)

Step 1: Wash and chop up some green onion.

Step 2: Mix onion, cream cheese and crab meat together. Season with a bit of salt and pepper.

Step 3: Fill a wonton wrapper with crab filling as shown below. Squeeze gently around the edges with a bit of cold water to seal the dumplings. Now, they are ready to bake or fry, your choice (see options below):

Option A: To bake them (a healthier choice-I personally prefer  frying them in oil):
- Brush a bit of melted butter and bake for about 10 minutes in the oven (preheated to 250 degrees)

Option B: To fry them (crispier!):
- Fry them in hot oil (medium heat) for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve immediately with dipping sauce!

 

Happy Chinese New Year!