Stir-fried Chicken with Roasted Chili Paste

Stir-fried Chicken with Roasted Chili Paste
(Gai Pad Nam Prik Pao)

You will need:

• 2 C bite-sized chicken slices (I use meat from 2 thighs)


• 1 C sliced onions


• 1 C cut green bean, or haricot vert


• 2 green onions, cut


• 6 cloves of garlic


• 6 fresh chili peppers (adjust to your preference)


• 3 TBsp vegetable oil


• 2 TBsp oyster sauce


• 1 TBsp light soy suace


• 1 TBsp roasted chili paste, or chili paste with soya bean oil ("Nam Prik Pao" in Thai)


• 1 tsp sugar

Directions:

• Mash, or finely chop, garlic and chili pepper together. Set aside.


• Mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, roasted chili paste, and sugar together. Set aside.


• In a wok or sauteed pan over medium-high heat, add vegetable oil. Then, add prepared chili-garlic and saute until fragrant, but not yet brown.


• Add chicken. Stir well for a few minutes or until half-way cooked.


• Add green bean and white onion. Stir well to cook.


• Add the chili paste mixture and green onion. Stir until everything mixed well altogether, and chicken & vegetable are cooked through.


• Check seasoning, then adjust to your preference.


• Serve with steamed rice.

Udon Sushi Restaurant

East Lansing best-kept secret, but very popular among college students and Asian community. Udon Sushi offers very interesting atmosphere, including fun decors all over the place, lots of TVs showing Japanese or Korean programs, picture menu on the ceiling, extra friendly owner, and a huge selection of bubble tea flavors to choose from. They are open Mon-Sun, 5:00 pm - 3:00 am.

Kalbi (Korean BBQ Beef Short Ribs), served with rice and soup

Spicy Beef Tendon Soup, served with rice

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Udon Sushi Restaurant:
134 N Harrison Rd.
Suite A
East Lansing, MI 48823
(517) 332-5995

This Past Weekend...

... I visited Meridian Township Farmers' Market where I got some beautiful-looking Michigan strawberries. There are also many more fresh, local, and delicious goodies, as well as great food at the market. I think I am going back next Saturday!

... I fell deeply in love with a smoked fish platter consists of variety of smoked fish and mussels from Ann Arbor's most well-known Monahan's Seafood Market. Not only serving an assortment of flavorful appetizers, the elegant platter definitely gives a professional gourmet touch to the dining table.

... I shared with some of my friends a quick and easy appetizer that is always a party pleaser and has so much character. Frozen dumplings - come in different shapes and variety of flavors. Almost everyone knows pot-stickers, but these particular ones, called Shu Mai, are bundle of steamed pork and shrimp mixture wrapped, open-faced, in wonton wrappers. All pre-made dumplings are so handy. Oriental Mart is a local store you can find them in many different brands. And the inexpensive bamboo steamer is so great it serves as a tool to steam and also a bowl to serve those dumplings in. Talking about authentic presentation :)

... I celebrated darling little Patty's first birthday - with Patty and her family. Her turning one brought family members from near and far together for her big day. As a friend of the family, I am so glad to be included in such event full of joy.

The Purple Carrot

Finally, I made it to visit The Purple Carrot Food Truck, and taste their food - after having been following them on Twitter and Facebook since they opened for business. The Purple Carrot is a Farm to Truck mobile dining destination specializing in locally grown fare. They believe the best food comes from their backyard when it is ripe and ready to eat. They promise to prepare everything from scratch to deliver the highest quality food.

Anthony Maiale and girlfriend, Nina Santucci, have brought a different eatery scene to the Lansing area - a mobile restaurant. I've seen and heard so much about the big city's cool food trucks here and there, I am so happy we now have one in town. The Purple Carrot's goal is to serve innovative, creative and fresh cuisine by utilizing the abundance of flavors Michigan has to offer.

Everything on the menu sounds great, wish I could try all of them :) The ingredients are so fresh and full of flavors. The food comes in good portion, with reasonable price. Here are some of what Lynne, Gary, and I had:

Stuffed Chicken Chicken galantine, Michigan cherries, pistachios, Ten Hen's radish top pesto, pea tendrils.

Chicken Bahn Mi Crostini Vietnamese spiced chicken, chicken pate, pickled carrots, daikon, & jalapeno, and fresh cilantro.

Beet MI Ten Hen's beet terrine, Dolce Vita maple goat cheese, puffed quinoa, and Blis maple vinaigrette.

Tofu Bahn Mi Crostini Vietnamese spiced tofu, lentil-walnut pate, pickled carrots, daikon, & jalapeno, and fresh cilantro.

Purple carrot cake pop I always love carrot cake, and this is definitely one of the best carrot cake I've ever had.

It is such a friendly scene where strangers share good food, and friends enjoy each other company. Life is good :)

We absolutely enjoy our meals. The quality and freshness of local ingredients, together with their passion to serve good food to customers really show in their menu and creations.

I can't wait to visit them again!

Pad Se-Ew Beef with Broccoli

Pad See Ew is one of Thailand's most popular street foods. This recipe features beef and broccoli stir-fried noodle dish seasoned with soy sauce mixture.


You will need:

• 8 oz. dried flat rice noodle, or 1 lb. fresh flat rice noodle


• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely


• 1 cup thinly slice beef (other choices: pork, chicken, shrimp, or extra-firm tofu)


• 2 cup broccoli florets (unless you can find Chinese broccoli)


• 2 eggs


• 1 cup 1 1/2" cut green onion


• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil


• 2 Tbsp dark sweet soy sauce


• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce


• 2 Tbsp oyster sauce


• 1 Tbsp sugar


• Ground white pepper (black pepper works as well)


• Red chili pepper flakes (optional)
  

Directions:

• Soak dried rice noodle in hot water, until soft. Drain and set aside.


• Blanch broccoli florets in boiling water and shock with cold water. Set aside.


• Mix together dark sweet soy sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, pepper, and red chili pepper flakes.


• Heat wok on medium high heat and add vegetable oil.


• Add chopped garlic, quickly stir, and add beef. Stir to cook.


• Add noodle, and 1/4 cup of water to help cook the noodle. Once the noodle is cooked and soft (add more water if needed, little at a time), mix in the prepared soy sauce mixture, and broccoli florets.


• Stir to mix together all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning sauces if needed. Then push to side of wok to make room.


• Crack the eggs into wok, and scramble until almost cooked. Then fold in the noodle, and add green onions and pepper.


• Stir to mix well, and turn the heat off.
  

Keep in mind that you can always adjust the seasoning to your preference while cooking.

Enjoy!

CityVu Bistro

During our stay in Holland, Michigan, for the boys' soccer tournament on the Memorial Day weekend, I had a chance to re-visit CityFlats Hotel. This visit included a nice dining experience. My friend, Lynne, and I started out by grabbing some drinks at the bar downstairs in the lobby area with a couple of other soccer moms. Later on, Lynne's husband joined us for dinner while the rest had to leave.

Flatbreads are well-known items on their menu. We ordered a couple appetizers to go with our drinks at the bar. Chicago Flatbread (Above): Kalamata olives, artichokes, feta cheese, roasted tomatoes, and mixed green. Very fresh ingredients -- very delicious!

Mushroom Ragout: blend of sauteed forest mushrooms with fresh mozzarella and white truffle oil. Everyone absolutely loves it.

Located on the top of very cool "green" CityFlats Hotel in downtown Holland, CityVu Bistro offers a casual and elegant ambiance, with a big city feel. I love the modern look of the hotel and the restaurant. Food was great, our server was very attentive and friendly.

They have pretty nice wine list. Our server was very knowledgeable of the wines and food on their menu.

Cheese and Fruit: Artisan cheese selection served with fresh fruit and crackers.

Blackened Salmon: served over sauteed vegetables with cucumber-lime yogurt sauce.

Linguini Puttanesca: light and spicy with tomatoes, capers, Kalamata olives, garlic, and herbs. Very flavorful, just the way I like my puttanesca.

The rooftop dining area, overlooking Holland, is gorgeous. I am sure it's even better at night time! I would definitely go back to CityVu Bistro for more good food...

City Vu Bistro:
61 East 7th Street
Holland, MI 49423
(616) 796-2100

Citrus-glazed Salmon with Spinach

Recipe Here