The pull and tug between winter and spring has finally marked its toll on me. After my daily morning run on Monday, I stepped out of the shower with a seemingly endless leaky nose. I thought I had outsmarted my symptoms with plenty of rest, but alas, on Thursday, the throat began to itch and the bones started to ache. Luckily, the onset of Friday brought an opportunity of uninterrupted sleep. On this lazy Saturday, nothing  gives me more pleasure than the excuse of curling up in bed with my laptop, next to a cup of tea for some seriously overdue blogging.

A couple of Saturdays ago, Rachel invited me to a Thai New Years party, hosted by Phensri of “Fantastic Thai Cuisine.” If you know Rachel, you know that she loves all things Asian. Combine that with cooking, and you have a perfect match made in heaven. Needless to say, Rachel raved about the Thai class at our weekly Friday gatherings.

A little background on Phensri’s classes- She offers them in various locations in New Jersey (including Old Bridge and Princeton) as well as in NYC (Greenwich Village). Her regular classes range from $60-$100 depending on the location and all ingredient fees are included. Classes are structured so that every individual gets to prep, cook, and of course, eat!

We arrived at around 3:30pm to help prep for the official 6:30pm feasting. No hands were spared. While I dawdled a bit, snapping shots here and there, Phensri eventually entrusted me with the Chicken Satay. It was my job to put them on skewers. In general, we were able to get two pieces of chicken breast onto the skewers, as you want to leave at least 1.5-2 inches on the bottom for handling purposes. The top of the skewer should be buried in the chicken (we don’t want anything burning on the coals).

Chicken Satay: grilled aromatic chicken marinated with Thai herbs, served with Thai peanut sauce

We let Justin handle the grilling. No comments there…

Just kidding. Look at how wonderfully that batch came out!

Meanwhile, as I was skewering, Rachel shared the task of making these curry puffs filled with beef. They’re similar to samosas and empanadas, but to be honest, they’re the most bangin’ version I’ve ever had. The spice from the curry is an awesome explosion in the mouth. I think I overdosed on these, which led me to become incredibly full before dinner even started. It also didn’t help that I was sitting next to the fryer. Oops.

 Curry Puff: Pastry dough stuffed with grounded beef, curry powder

Pre-frying. Because they were so good, I forgot to take pictures post-frying. Silly me.

Following the curry puff making, we started on vegetarian spring rolls. Despite how they look, they’re super easy and quick to make. You can buy a pack of spring roll wrappers at your local Asian mart for under $2, and fill them with whatever you want. Scoop the filling onto a bottom corner and fold up to cover the filling. Then, sweep in the left and right fold so that only one corner is left and roll upwards. Eventually, you’ll end up with a spring roll!

Vegetable Spring Roll: Deep fried with stir fried vegetable and glass noodles wrapped with spring roll skin, served with sweet chili sauce

The lady of the night who made everything possible- Phensri!

The last of the appetizers was the most anticipated and took the longest- Shrimp in a Blanket! Phensri literally bought a giant box of shrimp. They come frozen and you defrost them by running through cold water. You have to shell and devein them and in this case, pare them in half so that they can lie flat on the spring roll wrappers. Phensri then scooped a chicken mixture that she premade before rolling. To seal the “blanket,” mix a bit of cornstarch and water, and dunk your fingers and apply on the tip of the wrapper.

Shrimp in Blanket: Deep fried pastry stuffed with jumbo shrimp & ground chicken with Thai spices, served with sweet chili sauce.

Despite being super critical of himself, Justin turned out some pretty fantastic looking Shrimp in a Blanket.

The night was a blast and many thanks to Rachel for the invitation. Like many of these events that I attend, the night was marked by serendipity. First, after some methodical but painful deducing, a woman and I figured out that her son and I graduated from the same college. While I didn’t recognize his name at the time, upon some stalking (via Facebook), I realized that I have actually met her son through friends. Even more random was how I realized that a lady who I had been talking to for a good while was standing next to a very familiar looking man- that man taught at my middle school and was one of the most feared science teachers in the 7th grade. I ended the night by drinking wine that he now makes in his retired life.

Anyhow, if you’re interested in Thai cooking and you’re in the area, be sure to check out Phensri’s website. Everyone who she invited to the party was a student, and needless to say, they were all extremely friendly and inviting. They all had great things to say about the class and some have been long-time students. I’m adding the class onto my post June 2 bucket list.

You should also check out:

• Baked eggs with coarse dijon
• Calima Bakery
• Poached egg with Sriracha mayo
• Sweet red bean ebelskivers
• Pickled mustard greens (芥菜) in fried rice

Sometimes as we’re struggling, we tend to overthink. When things are smooth sailing, we forget why things are so easy.

I love the spring and fall seasons. They’re my favorite. This year, spring arrived particularly early, which has confused the trees. Following an out-pour of blossoms, trees line throughout the Garden State have retained hues of red and orange. I thought it was fall again.

This afternoon, Clare and I took advantage of the lovely 63 degree F weather by biking along the Jersey shore. We started at Sandy hook, where we saw kite-surfers zig-zagging through the water at dizzying speeds and the occasional tanner enjoying the sun. Clare and I were among the many who biked along the shore.

We started out on a leisurely pace. Ten minutes went by, then thirty minutes, then fifty minutes- we had barely even broke a sweat and arrived in Long Branch, which is roughly 10 miles south of Sandy Hook. “Wow,” we marveled at each other. “That was pretty easy. We didn’t even go that fast and we’re already at Long Branch. Maybe we can ride down further to Asbury Park.”  Luckily, I had to arrive home at a certain time so we turned around and decided to pick up the pace. Thirty seconds into it, I realized something was different.

Why was the wind smacking me in the face, and why is it so much harder to pedal?

Both of us were ready to collapse by the time we made it back.

Our first leg of the ride wasn’t easy because months of spin class had made us fit. It was because we had giant tailwinds that pushed us along. And we paid for those tailwinds on the way back… Too bad we didn’t think about why that first leg was so easy.

Long Branch, NJ in the summer
I can’t wait for summer where the beach is only a quick car-ride away. Jersey is just so beautiful.

Before our trip, Clare said something interesting and worth noting. Whether or not we’re in a season of our lives that we’d like to be in, we should still enjoy our time because once we transition into a new season, that old season is never coming back. Eventually, we’ll start missing parts of that season, no matter how joyful the new season may be. Sometimes, I think about those college years when I traded leisure time for extra cramming time. There are times when I regret not taking advantage of my time as a college student living in the city. I never dreamed I’d be moving back to the suburbs. Yet, here I am. And while I love Jersey and the suburb way of life, I envy those who have the world at their fingertips in the form of multicultural restaurants, street festivals, and crummy subway systems. I wished I had taken the time to enjoy some of that stuff more.

I decided a few weeks ago that I’m going to make this year count. It’s not that I didn’t make the past few years count. In fact, those were some of my happiest years. But I don’t know where I’ll be going in the years ahead. Maybe it’ll be just a bus ride away to New York City or maybe it’ll be to the West Coast. But whatever happens, I’m sure my next season will have me too busy to have this much leisure time. This year, I’m going to make my time in Jersey count. I’m going to cook and improve my photography as much as I can. I’m going to go on 20 mile bike rides along the Jersey Shore on Saturday mornings because I can. I’m going to play more beach volleyball because I can. I’m going to enjoy this season in my life, rather than fret about the coming seasons. Because when will there ever be time to enjoy any season if that’s the mentality?

And so, it was with great determination that I finally hunted down a MINIATURE CAST IRON SKILLET! I’ve been looking everywhere for one of these. I did find one wherever I looked, but I couldn’t justify shelling out $20 for a skillet that could barely make enough to feed one. $5 was better. Of all places, I found it all Marshalls. I snagged it and ran to the checkout counter. I was so happy.

This morning, my stomach woke up eagerly because it knew what was coming- baked eggs. It would be an understatement to say that I have literally been DREAMING OF BAKED EGGS for the longest time. I was a damn shame I didn’t have chorizo because it would have been super epic. Oh wells, there’s always next time.

These baked eggs came out FABULOUSLY and were better than I imagined. There’s no bacon or sausage, which is why even I was surprised how wonderfully delicious these turned out. This is a must for anyone who enjoys a savory breakfast.

Baked eggs with coarse dijon
Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1 russet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 onion, sliced into rings.
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons of coarse dijon mustard
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Parsley
• Salt & Petter
• Olive oil

Method

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a saucepan, boil water and season the water with a generous handful of salt. Let the potatoes boil in the water for about four minutes or until slightly tender. You don’t want the potatoes to still have that hard crunch, but you don’t want it to be overly soft either. The potatoes will also continue cooking once you drain the water. After the potatoes are drained, add olive oil (~1 -2 tbp) into a skillet on low-medium heat. You’ll want to taste the potatoes to make sure they’re properly seasoned. If not, this is your chance to season them with some salt.  Cook the potatoes until they crisp on the edges and turn brown. After, move the potatoes into another bowl.

Add more olive oil (~1 tbp) to the skillet and add the onion. Cook until they start caramelizing, which should take about 10 minutes. You want to keep an eye on the fire. The onions shouldn’t burn or char. Instead, they should gradually turn limp and brown as they release their sugar. When the onions are done, add back the potatoes. Then, add in your 2 teaspoons of coarse dijon mustard and mix until the dijon is incorporated into the onions and potatoes. Make a well between the potatoes and onions and crack an egg. Season the egg with salt & pepper. Transfer the skillet into your preheated oven and leave it in there for about 5 minutes. The time is dependent on how you like your yolk. Like it runny? Make sure you check it after 3 minutes. Like it less runny and more solid? Leave it in longer and so forth.

When serving, garnish with parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

And do be cautious. The skillet will be HOT upon arrival from the oven.

You should also check out:

• Phensri’s “Fantastic” Thai New Year’s Party
• Poached egg with Sriracha mayo
• Sweet red bean ebelskivers
• Pickled mustard greens (芥菜) in fried rice
• Cheddar and onion smashed burgers

Some things in life are deceivingly simple. This is one of them.

Do not be intimated by poached eggs. Even without a poacher, a nearly perfectly poached egg is quite simple to achieve. There are a ton of links and youtube videos out there, but I’ve found that the simplest and best way to poach a round egg is with a splash of vinegar and a gentle rolling boil. Note that while all water does boil at 212 F degrees, there are actually different types of boils. A rolling boil is one that is so aggressive that it cannot be disturbed or disrupted by stirring, or by dropping ingredients into the water. When the boil reaches that point, you’ll want to back off by turning down the heat. The boil will become more gentle, enabling you have more control in shaping the poached egg.

The bread used in this recipe is a Northern Chinese bread. It’s addicting. Pan fried, it several layers with pockets of scallion bits. It’s a savory sort of bread and adds quite a bit of depth to the dish from the saltiness. Unfortunately, I have yet attempted to make it.

Luckily for you, a woman by the name of Florence has tried it. Here’s her recipe. However, you can use just about any type of robust bread for this dish.

But back to this deceivingly simple yet gorgeous breakfast. It involves few ingredients with room for substitutions. Sriracha mayo is by no means a new thing. People often use it as a dip for sweet potato fries. But given that I subconsciously crave ketchup with just about everything, I felt that the traditional Sriracha mayo recipes I’ve tried lacked the ‘tomato’ element. Don’t freak out; I didn’t add ketchup. Instead, I added tomato paste. It added all the difference in the world.

However, if you don’t have Sriracha sauce, you can use garlic aioli, dijon mustard mixed with a bit of mayo, or wasabi mayo. Heck, use ketchup if you don’t have any of those. And add a piece of bacon while you’re at it.

Before I leave you with the recipe, I want to share with you a simple but very important lesson that I learned yesterday. Last night, I yelled at someone who I care deeply about for something very stupid. He was late and gave a terrible excuse (that he got lost on a road that he’s traveled on for years), which led me to criticize him. During the night, our group of friends discussed the recent Ohio high-school shootings and a mother’s response to her now deceased son’s killer. The grief-stricken mother was asked what she would say to the shooter and responded with-

“I would tell him I forgive him because, a lot of times, they don’t know what they’re doing. That’s all I’d say. I forgive him because, a lot of times, they don’t know what they’re doing. I taught Demetrius not to live in the past, to live in today and forgiveness is divine. You have to forgive everything. God’s grace is new each and every day. Until you’ve walked in another person’s shoes, you don’t know what made him come to this point.”

Those were some powerful and inspiring words. And in just an hour after hearing those words, I learned that the person who I yelled at wasn’t late because he was lost. He was late because he was buying a cake in celebration of my upcoming birthday.

Forgiveness and grace are two not-so-deceivingly simple things that I have yet to learn.

Poached Egg with Sriracha Mayo

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• Thick piece of toast
• Splash of vinegar
• Salt & pepper

Sriracha Mayo:

• 3 tablespoons mayo
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

Method:

Get your toast ready by toasting it in the toaster for a few seconds. You want to make sure that you’re choosing a robust type of bread (ie sourdough bread) versus say a fluffy challah. In a saucepan, heat water until it boils. After it bubbles, turn the heat to low and add in the splash of vinegar. The vinegar will help the egg whites congeal. Then, carefully crack the egg in a separate bowl. Tilt the bowl and gently drop the egg into the sauce pan. Using a spoon, help the egg whites conform to an oval by wrapping it around the yolk. You won’t be completely successful, but you should be able to somewhat shape the egg whites to wrap around the yolk. Let the water boil for 2 minutes so that the egg whites are fully cooked but the yolk still remains runny. Make sure that the bottom of the egg does not stick to the pan. After, turn off the fire and drain the water.

Set up your toast as the first layer on the plate. Prepare the Sriracha Mayo by mixing all three ingredients together- the mayo, Siracha sauce, and tomato paste. Then, spoon a generous amount onto the toast. Finally, top with the egg. Season with some salt and pepper and garnish with greens if desired.

You should also check out:

• Phensri’s “Fantastic” Thai New Year’s Party
• Baked eggs with coarse dijon
• Sweet red bean ebelskivers
• Pickled mustard greens (芥菜) in fried rice
• Cheddar and onion smashed burgers

There are probably two things going on in your head right now…

1) Ebel-what?!

2) RED BEAN? (gross)

That’s why yours truly is here- to educate you on the wonderful fluffiness that you are missing out on (unless if you are Danish) and the versatility of the red bean. Here’s a perfect occasion for a haphazard East meets West.

Ebelskivers are traditional Danish pancakes in the shape of a sphere. Wikipedia says it best-  “Ebelskivers are solid like a pancake but light and fluffy like a popover.” But unlike your traditional flat American pancake, these treats are filled with anything your heart desires. Is it blueberry preserves? Or chocolate cream? Lemon curd? RED BEAN??

I got the Ebelskiver pan as a gift from Lara, who also generously included a how-to book, a jar of blueberry preserves, and some of the ‘pancake’ mix. When I first opened the box, I saw a pan with seven holes. I had a good idea of what the pan could be used for, but I thought it was missing a top. A quick search on the Williams Sonoma site brought me to this video, which shows you how to properly make and flip the ebelskiers.

My first reaction was. Oh my gosh. I can finally make TAIYAKIs!!!

(via Serious Eats: Taiyaki are pastries made of a pancake-like batter filled with sweet red bean paste)

Obviously the ones I made didn’t look like a fish but it nearly tasted the same! I’ve only had taiyaki once in the States and it was freakin’ $3 per fish!! If only I wasn’t watching watching my weight when I was in Shanghai… They were like 3 RMB at the time!

To make these, you need a few things that you’ll probably have to go out of your way for. The first is clearly the pan. Sorry, there’s no way around this one. The second is the sweet red bean paste. Luckily, that’s what Amazon is for (too bad there’s no Prime for this one though).  You can also find it at any Asian grocer.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with sweet red bean, it’s super popular in Asia. They make it into bubble tea and heck, they even make it into ice cream! Don’t let the sweet and bean combination intimidate you. As someone who vehemently abhors beans, it’s shocking that I’ve actually taken a liking to sweet red bean paste. It’s literally just boiled/mashed beans with sugar. Surprisingly deee-licious.

Sweet Red Bean Ebelskivers
Basic batter from “Ebelskivers” by Kevin Craft
Makes batter for 21 pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flower

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 large eggs, separated

• 1 cup whole milk

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

• 1 cup of sweet red bean paste

Method:

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt). Then, in another bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks and then add in the milk and melted butter. After, add the yolk mixture into the flour mixture. Stir until well incorporated. Batter will be lumpy.

In another clean bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites until they’re stiff (but not dry). When peaks form, stop. Then using a spatula, fold in a third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it. Continue folding until no white streaks remain. Use the batter right away.

You may find that there’s some egg white residue that didn’t get beat until stiff. Instead, they remain watery. No worries. Just add it to the batter. You should, however, try to minimize this by checking to see whether all of the egg whites have been beaten.

Heat the pan on low-medium heat. Grease the pan with butter or cooking spray. Then, using an ice cream scoop, scoop some of the batter and begin filling the holes part way. After filling all seven holes, take another spoon and scoop a tablespoon of red bean filling into the each batter. After, fill each hole all the way to the top so that the red bean paste is hidden. Wait until bubbles form. Flip carefully using two chopsticks (or forks if you must- just be careful not to poke a hole).

The ebelskivers don’t take long to cook. If the heat is too high, they will cook too quickly and char, so it’s best to err on the safe side and let them cook longer. As they heat up, they should get fluffy. These are best served immediately after as they will start to deflate once they get cold.

You should also check out:

• Phensri’s “Fantastic” Thai New Year’s Party
• Baked eggs with coarse dijon
• Poached egg with Sriracha mayo
• Pickled mustard greens (芥菜) in fried rice
• Cheddar and onion smashed burgers

You should also check out:

• Phensri’s “Fantastic” Thai New Year’s Party
• Baked eggs with coarse dijon
• Poached egg with Sriracha mayo
• Sweet red bean ebelskivers
• Cheddar and onion smashed burgers