UnRecipe: Hot Wok Culture Shock - a Tale of Two Noodles

With food, as is with life, it's so much about presentation and context. We all have our set ways and expectations, but we're never beyond making adjustments. I don't mind the idea of both savory and sweet crepes, but I still can't quite wrap my head around the notion of a "dessert pizza," where it's usually smothered in marshmallows, chocolate and a hefty serving of Just Plain Awful. While I'll never be a fan of sugary pizza, I do think there's something to be said for the versatility of ingredients and even the kitchen tools we use to prepare them. For example, take something as simple and homey as a plate of spaghetti and meatballs -- would it totally blow your mindgrape to know it was all cooked in a wok?

Spaghetti cooked in a wok, dogs and cats living together - MASS HYSTERIA - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I think my wok had a Liz Lemon/30 Rock moment of, "What the WHAT?!" when I was simmering an Italian style red sauce in it. I'm certainly no purist, I've thrown Sriracha or Tabasco sauce in pasta sauces if I'm out of red pepper flakes, and nobody died from an acute case of culture shock, but yes, even the Mister, aka the Whitest Kid You Know, had to do a double take to see red sauce with meatballs simmering in a wok. I think he was worried the Asian Police would finally serve out that longstanding bench warrant against me for sucking at math and never learning to play the violin. 

I was inspired by Lorna Yee's new book, The Everyday Wok Cookbook, which the cover alone had me dead-set on making her Spaghetti and Bison Meatball recipe from the get-go. I don't need much arm twisting to make spaghetti and meatballs, but I was intrigued at the thought of using bison meat and even more intrigued at the weird juxtaposition of a marinara sauce throwing my anthropomorphized wok's brain for a loopty-loop.

Wokked spaghetti and meatballs - weirdly wonderful - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Using a wok as an all purpose cooking vessel isn't so crazy. I'm pretty sure billions of Chinese people can attest to its versatility and use. Granted, they're probably not making French toast in it, but really -- why the hell not? It's got a sizeable surface area with varying temperature zones that are fairly predictable (center = screamin' hot, away from the center = less screamin' hot) and the amount it can hold makes it ideal for soups and stews. Many people prefer woks as their stovetop deep fryer, convinced it's better than the typical Dutch oven. I use it as a one-pot wonder when I make things like Pad Thai at home -- it's great for getting the noodles partly cooked, then a quick wipedown and it's ready to cook the rest of the dish. Everything fits back in the wok for when it comes time for the final ingredient combination, and that's kind of how this spaghetti and bison meatball dish worked out.

I thought the bison meat would be tough to find. It's not something I normally shop for, so I immediately assumed I'd have to get it from a specialty grocer. And of course as Murphy's Law would have it -- no fancy butcher seemed to be carrying it. The holiday season doesn't help, as it's all festive meats taking up precious shelf space, and rightly so. I had my sad No Bison Meat face on (it looks much like this) until I happened to be at the grocery store where we live and there was a whole flippin' row of ground bison meat! At the Safeway, of all flippin' places. Apparently, it's not as exotic as one would think, so don't skimp on using bison meat for this dish. It's very tender, has a good flavor and not gamey since most bison are likely farmed/grazed like cows.

Tis the season, and Lorna's cookbook would make for a great holiday gift, especially if you want to up the ante and give the book with a new wok for someone who may not cook a lot, but wishes to learn. The recipes are very user-friendly and the book is beautifully photographed, which inspires you to get into the kitchen. The food is enticing and it covers multicultural menus. There's macaroni and cheese, breakfast omelets and scrambles, paella, several traditional Asian dishes like pockmarked tofu and dumplings, and even a dessert section. It's a nice reminder that just because you have a wok, it doesn't mean you only have to cook Asian-sounding dishes in it. It was a refreshing exercise for me to consider the wok as just another team player in our kitchen full of cooking vessels, and it's as much of an A-Game player as a basic skillet.

Whole wheat spaghetti for dan dan noodles? Fantastic - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Since this post is about multipurpose things, I'd also like to wave the banner of versatility for the simple spaghetti noodle. My wok was back in its Happy Place making a heaping pile of Szechuanese Dan Dan Noodles one night. I had everything I needed from the Asian grocery store -- black vinegar, preserved mustard greens, an industrial sized bottle of sesame oil, sesame paste, and enough Szechuan peppercorns to last me for when the Year of the Dragon gets chased out by the Year of the Snake. Since I live out in BFE-Duvall, I only make periodic trips to a big Asian grocery store in Bellevue to stock up for a few months at a time. Most of the things I get are dried, canned and preserved, so it's got great shelf life, but I always neglect the noodles. Curse my feeble brain! I forgot to get more udon noodles and Chinese style egg noodles, both of which are great for making dan dan, with their thickness and wider surface area to hold more sauce. The local grocery stores have some Asian noodles, but they're typically chow mein style or flat rice noodles which are great for some things, but just mehhhh.... for what I wanted.

Enter the Dragon: whole wheat spaghetti noodles, for the win. I don't typically love whole wheat noodles for traditional pasta dishes. Regardless of the health benefit, I find them tough and depending on the sauce you're making, they can make the finished dish ruddy-looking and less appealing to the eye. But for a noodle dish like dan dan, where it's rich and nutty from the sesame paste and oil, and a mix of textures from the ground, fried meat and freshly sliced scallions, having a hearty noodle works well. You don't want something turning into mush, and that extra toughness of the whole wheat spaghetti has a satisfying mouth feel.

Dan dan noodles is one of those dishes with a million and one ways to make it. I've had versions as a soup and most in this stir-fry method, all flavored with the smokiness of the Szechuan peppercorn and rich sesame taste. The recipe I work from is thanks to Appetite for China's, available here. This recipe's style isn't as oily as some -- the most traditional has the noodles sitting in an orange bath of chili oil, which is plenty good, but if that's not your thing, this less oily version is a great dish. If you love the idea of peanut butter spicy noodles, that's one way of describing dan dan noodles in familiar terms. It's quick, and I've even substituted ground turkey for the ground pork -- the seasonings are strong enough and there's plenty of fat from the sesame paste and cooking oil.

So, cheers to versatility, in both ingredients and cooking vessels. Food and recipes constantly evolve in the way we prepare them, so throw away the rule book now and then and don't be afraid to free your mind and make spaghetti in a wok.

OMG a Recipe - Get Hitched With the Newlywed Kitchen

There will be punch and pie. Wiser words never spoken, and thank you, South Park. Although for Mr. Wasabi's recent birthday, it was a half-truth, as there was pie, but no punch. Seeing as how it was his super-duper favorite pie -- strawberry rhubarb -- the serving of punch with pie seemed a non-issue. In other super-duper news, I was lucky to receive a copy of The Newlywed Kitchen: Delicious Meals for Couples Cooking Together, a new cookbook written by the fabulous talents of Lorna Yee and Ali Basye, beautifully photographed through the skilled lens of Kathryn Barnard. The strawberry rhubarb pie in the "Happily Ever After" dessert section of the book was too perfect not to make for my special sweetheart on his special day.

The Newlywed Kitchen by Lorna Yee and photographed by Ali Basye - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Martha Stewart is gnashing her teeth in envy for not making something as freakin' sweet and personable as The Newlywed Kitchen. But I'm sure she swims in a Scrooge McDuck-like chamber full of money to assuage whatever feelings of "dang, yo, why didn't my minions get on top of this first?!" Maybe she doesn't say that, but I can only imagine what happens in her grosgrain-beribboned Fortress of Solitude. Interestingly enough, I don't own any Martha Stewart cookbooks because for the most part, her recipes are just that, a list of things to make, and with the in-tar-webs, you can get a basic recipe for a roast chicken anywhere. Most cookbooks in general will have easy-to-follow recipes and have beautiful production values in the presentation of the food, but for the most part, there's really no connection of the food with the people who are eating it. I like The Newlywed Kitchen because you see the people who helped compile this collection of recipes, you read their stories, and you have a sense of why Lorna Yee and Ali Basye wrote this book -- it's a sweet love letter for those who have been fortunate to find that special someone, and it's also for anyone who just understands the magical quality of food to encourage togetherness, and how making a meal builds memories.

There's a nice, friendly sense of humor about The Newlywed Kitchen -- it's like that friend you have that just encourages you through something you're not sure about, letting you make mistakes and just reminding you along the way that, "hey, it's just food, it doesn't have to be perfect, and I'm sure it'll be tasty, so it's all good." I have to remind myself how lucky we all are to be living in an area that is so in-tune with preparing meals at home, and how there are many more who are terrified of the kitchen, so having this book be that little bit of encouragement to get cooking is a very good thing. The book includes recipes for all meals (breakfast, lunch/brunch, dinner), a variety of occasions (cooking for in-laws, yikes!), and of course desserts.

Springtime birthday with strawberries and rhubarb - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Even though Mr. Wasabi and I aren't technically marriage-ified, and ten years together does not a newlywed make, I still zoned-in on the strawberry rhubarb pie recipe on page 208 for Brock's birthday. It's his favorite, plus strawberries and rhubarb are in season. Double whammy! I followed the recipe, save for the swap-out of leaf lard with shortening for the crust. I know leaf lard is the bomb-diggity, it makes pie crusts venture into another dimension of flaky texture that defies the known universe, but I just didn't have a chance to track it down prior to making the dough. That being said, the crust still came out beautifully, so have no shame over swap-outs because life happens and that house isn't going to clean itself. I liked the inclusion of sour cream, as it kept the dough moist, and I'm sure some other Alton Brown food science went on, but by golly, it was just flaky, crispy goodness.

I'm not great with pie-making, but trying to improve upon this skill for no other reason than a Mt. Everest-scaling-like reason of, because it's there. I'm keen on finding crust recipes -- my mother uses vinegar for hers, much like some use neutral spirits like vodka to keep the dough moist, and ensuring flaky crust nirvana. That crispness is the tricky thing, especially with fruit pies, as the fruit will of course release quite a bit of moisture and often results in a soggy, baked mess -- that's usually my end game with pies and why I've thrown out many a ruined, doughy mess in tearful frustration. I goofed on making the rhubarb/strawberry filling by overcooking it a bit, making it more moist than chunky, but the crust saved my bacon as it were, by staying flaky and keeping the filling nicely contained. For my pie-n00b-ness, I find that crusts are my saving grace, as they often hide most sins and keep everything looking ship-shape. The Newlywed Kitchen's recipe was great, as it gave a lot of leeway for dessert klutzes like myself, and it resulted in a delicious birthday dessert. Sadly, I don't have a photo of a slice of the pie with vanilla ice cream, because while we still have a few slices left, they never survive long enough on the plate for me to snap a quick photo. Even with crust ingredient swap-outs and overcooking the filling, it's plenty delicious, and like a paparazzi-stalked starlet, unable to be photographed, as it's just that awesome.

Wedding season is upon us, so if you're looking for an appropriate gift for a soon-to-wed couple, or just want a lovely cookbook for yourself and your sweetheart, grab up a copy of The Newlywed Cookbook. You don't have to be like Beyonce and put a ring on it, just to enjoy a home cooked meal with loved ones.

Love is a strawberry and rhubarb pie - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Much Wasabi Thanks to Lorna Yee and the team at Sasquatch Books for a copy of the cookbook; looking forward to cooking my way through it and most likely making another pie that will probably be just as underphotographed due to its om-nom-nom-ness.

FoodTrek: Wild Ginger with a Hint of Wasabi

In the sage words of 50 Cent: Go shorty, it's your birthday, we gonna party like it's your birthday. Thanks, 50, you maestro of the English lexicon, you. The newly-christened Bellevue Wild Ginger opened its doors for its first night on Saturday at The Bravern, and got to party like it's your birthday to celebrate the birth of a new Eastside dining establishment. Only one word to describe it all: YUM.

Wild Ginger heads East! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Wild Ginger has been a much-celebrated restaurant in Seattle since 2000, serving deliciously fragrant Thai cuisine and an impressive selection of wines. I'm personally a big fan of owners Rick and Ann Yoder's second creation, The Triple Door, located right next door to the downtown Wild Ginger. It has a gorgeous lounge area and a really impressive music theater where I've seen some outstanding performances. Both Wild Ginger and The Triple Door are full-immersion experiences, where you feel like all your senses are truly involved, and I appreciate their attention to that level of engagement while enjoying a meal. When I heard that there would be a Wild Ginger hopping across the Lake Washington pond to be within the radius of the Happy Hour Martini Mafia, I thought, look out Ginger, here we come. Consider yourself forewarned!

I was excited at the prospect of a new locale with a menu I already enjoy, and very pleasantly surprised to be invited to their opening night soiree. It was a treat to get gussied-up on what's normally a pajama and fuzzy slipper night, so with Mr. Wasabi (aka, Brock) in tow, we set out to dine and mingle with the well-dressed gents and ladies of Bellevue and Seattle. I also had the nervous pleasure of introducing myself to writer Lorna Yee and her husband, who were kind enough to say hello back to my crazy babbling self.

Martini Mafia, target acquired, commence happy hour-ing. - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Wild Ginger's new space is a mix between industrial and earthy materials. It takes up two floors with dining and lounge areas on both levels. Wandering through the space, we discovered a lot of smaller dining nooks with booths and small tables. When the fever of the new opening subsides, this would make for a really pleasant date locale, having all this small party-of-two seating that's secluded and perfect for making googly-eyes at one another. Exposed ceiling structures and iron railings are softened by slabs of teak and bamboo walls. It's a minimal and neutral interior space, making it an aptly zen canvas to showcase the food. One's eye immediately went to the platters carrying colorful and delicious appetizers. Fried little lumpia-like springrolls, sesame-dotted pinwheels of beef, and my favorite for the evening, seared scallops served in a bamboo cup with a little ruffle of lettuce.

View from above and tasty nibbles, up close and personal. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

In the dining area downstairs, they had a table displaying massive bamboo steamer baskets full of shredded duck hugged in fluffy steamed buns, and platters of tender skewers of lamb satay, with a savory rich peanut sauce. There were also small bite-sized crab cakes and vegetables in rice wrappers, devoured too quickly for a photo. Small sweet bites of frosted cakes followed, but once afflicted with om-nomming, it's a critical condition, so just believe me when I say it was all tasty and I'm looking forward to returning and being able to revisit some old favorites on the Eastside Wild Ginger's menu.

We left before we turned into a pumpkin. Hey, it happens. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I had a glass or two of bubbly, but refrained from partying-down, 50 Cent-style. Taking advantage of the empty floors, we wandered about The Bravern and took a photo of the courtyard space that was set aside for the entrance of the party -- the giant fireplaces scattered throughout all the floors are impressive. And toasty. I hope they have s'mores night at The Bravern. Yeah... probably not. We returned home to our party of one, Indy, who was happy to see us and confirm with much interested sniffing that we indeed had some delicious food, before pouting in her bed that we brought back nary a nibble for her.

A gracious thanks to Wild Ginger and The Bravern for throwing this party, and much Wasabi appreciation for being included in the festivities.

On/Off Recipe: Gabba-Gabba-Donna Hay!

I have a love for magazines that the digital world will never quite take the place of. There's something really satisfying about curling up with a furl of printed pages that a laptop cannot capture, and to be truthful, I hope books and magazines never go the way of 8-tracks and sock garters. That being said, one of my favorite food magazines is Donna Hay, its namesake being the Austrailian equivalent of Ruth Reichl or Martha Stewart, in terms of her ability to present food and lifestyle in a visually appealing, don't-you-just-envy-my-life kind of way. The food is simple and familiar, the production quality of the photos are divine, and it's just a really solid magazine full of foundation cooking recipes that's worth a free flip-thru when you're browsing (aka, loitering) in the Borders magazine aisle. It was a great inspiration piece, whose breakfast dishes and a roasted tarragon chicken recipe pushed me into the kitchen, so with the fury and fire of the Ramones, I said, hey-ho... let's go!

Be honest, it's way better than Wheaties - photo by Wasabi Prime

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Especially when it's covered in hollandaise sauce. I was egged-on (har har) by Donna's Eggs Florentine photo and recipe. I liked the idea of combining the poached eggs with spinach, as runny eggs and wilted greens are an edible experiment gone horribly right. Confession time: I didn't follow St. Donna's recipe to the letter. I skipped the toast and added some bits of pan-crisped proscuitto to the wilted spinach. And even more of a serious foodie trespass, I cheated on the hollandaise, going with a shortcut from Bon Appétit magazine, for a "mock hollandaise" sauce. Don't chase me out of food blogdom with pitchforks, people -- it was still a savory rich sauce, the eggs were poached to lovely gooey-ness, and it was served within the walls of our humble household, where Brock won't look down upon me if I take a shortcut now and then, God bless him!

Donna Hay magazine - totally worth the import price - photos (of magazine) by Wasabi Prime

I attempted to make up for my shortcut sins and made her Chicken with Mushrooms and Tarragon recipe for dinner. For something that looks like it would take several hours, it's relatively fast. It uses skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, which makes the finished chickadee quite moist and tender. I know it's tempting to substitute this recipe with breast meat since it's low-fat, but it's also low-flavor, and can get dry as all get-out, so don't skimp on this one, as a lot of the richness and flavor will come from the chicken.

Winner winner, tarragon chicken dinner - photo by Wasabi Prime

The final cooked dish would have been enough on its own, but I was leering at the kale chips on Lorna Yee's Cookbook Chronicles , featuring a recipe by way of chef Dan Barbar. I made a last minute decision, confirmed by the two-for-one special on kale at the store. Once separating the dry, papery leaves from the tough center rib, the leaves were tossed with a barely-there drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt/pepper before baking. It took a couple of batches per head of kale, as the leaves got all crispety-crunchety when they had ample space around them for the heat to scorch the bejeebus out of them.

Hot chicks and crispy veggie chips - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The final result produced a satisfying meal for a home cook like myself who inevitably colors outside the recipe lines, sometimes to much FoodFail. To entice others to stay on-recipe, I included the Donna Hay recipes below. I think you'll be as pleased as I was with the results, as it made for a great Oh Donna weekend!

Eggs Florentine
4 free-range eggs
20g butter
120g baby spinach leaves
Toasted sourdough or rye bread and cracked black pepper, to serve

Lemon Hollandaise
150g butter, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 free-range egg yolks
Sea salt flakes

To make the lemon hollandaise, place the butter and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes or until melted and bubbling. Place the egg yolks and salt in the bowl of a small food processor. With the motor running, slowly add the hot butter mixture and process until thick. Set aside and keep warm.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the eggs and cook for 6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and run under cold water. Carefully peel and set aside. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes or until just wilted. Top the toast with the spinach and eggs. Spoon over hollandaise and sprinkle with pepper to serve. Serves 4.

Chicken with mushroom and tarragon
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 X 150g chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
300g speck* or flat pancetta, chopped
8 sprigs tarragon
3 cloves garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon chili flakes
200g Swiss brown or Portobello mushrooms, halved (4 large portobellos, sliced into bite-sized pieces)
1/3 cup (80ml) dry sherry
1 ¼ cups (310 ml) single (pouring) cream

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (355 degrees F). Heat oil in a heatproof heavy-based baking dish over high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and cook, skin-side down, for 3 minutes or until browned. Remove from dish and keep warm. Add the speck and tarragon and cook for 3-5 minutes or until golden. Add the garlic, chilli, mushroom and pepper and cook for 5-8 minutes or until golden. Add sherry and cream, return chicken to the dish, cover with aluminium foil and roast for 15 minutes. Remove foil and roast for a further 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serves 6-8. *Speck is smoked pork, usually sold in a slab from delicatessens.

* Post Script: Thanks to Foodie View for posting both breakfast and lunch, as inspired by Donna Hay! Additional delicious thanks to Tastespotting for putting the seared chicken thigh pic on their site! Additional thanks still to Serious Eats' Photograzing, for doing a quadruple whammy post of pics on their om-nommy site.