everything alfredo pasta

i like making pasta. it is easy, quick and never fails. but i like my pasta with everything i like or anything i can find. here is not-so-secret recipe for my everything alfredo pasta.

ingredients
chopped garlic
sweet onion
roma tomato
broccoli
white mushrooms
shrimps
carrots ( i used baby carrots)
alfredo sauce (i used classico)
olive oil
black pepper
rotini

boil water and add rotinis. cook al dente. drain the water.
1. thoroughly wash the vegetables. chop onions, carrots, tomatoes to a small size. cut broccoli and white mushrooms to sizes you desire.
2. spread olive oil on a pan. add chopped garlic and cook until brown. add chopped onions, carrots and cook until the carrot is cooked.
3. add tomato, mushrooms, broccoli and shrimp. stir it until shrimp is cooked (i used cooked shrimp). if you are using raw shrimp it is best if you parboil but if not, add bit of white wine or lemon juice to get rid of the fishy smell.
4. add the alfredo sauce. or any type of sauce you like. i got lazy and took a shortcut by using classico alfredo sauce. which in my opinion still taste good!
5. add the cooked pasta into the pan, mix well with the sauce. this way, the sauce is well blended in with the noodles. place it in a pasta dish and sprinkle some black pepper on top. voila!

tip: i tend to eat my meals with less or no salt. if you like yours bit salty or with more flavour, add the salt when you are cooking your vegetables (stage 3).

happy december everyone! 31 days left of 2011.hope you make best of it :D

posted by rin

food quote 1

[nyc] cho dang gol

last day in new york, the three of us went to cho dang gol which was recommended by the staff at gahm mi oak the day before. it was lunch time and the place was packed with people. we had to wait for 10 minutes or so to get a seat and another 20 minutes to get our food. the staff were kind but very busy with a large group. the wooden columns and paper lanterns added orientalist touch to the interior which could be typical in korean restaurants that emphasize tradition.

this weird looking goo is actually warm silken tofu. it was lightly seasoned with salt. an excellent amouz-bouche. i love tofu, especially freshly made, and cho dang gol scored bonus points for making their tofu on site.

we ordered dduk kalbi meal ($18.95) and soy sauce cured blue crabs ($19.95). they both came with a soup of choice, which we ordered doenjang jjigae (soy bean paste stew) and kimchi biji jjigae (kimchi and soy bean stew).

the dduk kalbi is mixture of beef and pork grilled (well-done) on charcoal. it was very chunky and juicy. just the right amount of fat from pork to make it super soft and chewy. i could just eat this all day. total sublime! it is savoury for sure and has a bit of sweetness to it. for korean food virgins, if you want to opt out for something safe, this is your bet!

now, for those who are more adventurous, this is the food to try, soy sauce cured blue crabs. the crab was very fresh, you can still see the blue and red colours. the marinade was well absorbed to get rid of the fishiness. it is tricky eating crabs though. so make sure you are not having this on first few dates. it can get messy. i find the trick to getting all the meat out of the legs is to cut off the joints and stick a chopstick in and out to squeeze all the meat out. it is definitely effort required meal. another way to enjoy it is mixing bit of rice and the sauce right onto the crab shell. as i write this review, i can't help myself but to drool... want some more.... right... now!!

as most korean restaurants are, cho dang gol was very generous with banchan. the grilled tofu was delicious (a true tofu haven), kimchi was better at gahm mi oak and other dishes were enjoyable. the two soups we had were also very tasty. though we ordered only two dishes, we were so full and could not even finish the soups. there is a freshly made korean tofu restaurant in etobicoke, chodang soontofu (near dundas w and kipling). i love their soon tofu stew.

the term chodang tofu originated from gangneung city in korea. it uses 35% less salt and uses natural bedrock water specific to the region to make unique tasting soft tofu. of course, outside of the region, making tofu with bedrock water would be difficult, but having the name 'chodang' will mean they really care about making their tofu the traditional way.


초당골
cho dang gol
55 West 35th Street
New York, NY 10001-2219
www.chodanggolny.com

posted by rin

[nyc] gahm mi oak

for first breakfast (brunch, rather) in new york, we went to gahm mi oak as mimi recommended. it specializes in sul-lung-tang, an ox bone broth soup, excellent to relieve your hangover. i loved the design of the table (sorry i couldn't snap photo of this beautiful table) which looked like a giant tree cut in half.

many korean restaurants have plenty banchan but sul-lung-tang places often only serve kimchi. it is because sul-lung-tang is best enjoyed with really good kimchi, especially radish kimchi, kkakdugi. so it is safe to say that famous sul-lung-tang restaurants also have the best kimchi. at gahm mi oak, we got a little more than kimchi (which the wait staff kindly cut them up to edible sizes for us), some hot pepper, cabbage leaves and ssamjang. ssamjang is a spicy paste mixed with soy bean paste, pepper paste and other various ingredients. the ssamjang here was amazing! i am lacking adjectives to describe this paste. arg! i wanted to steal the recipe. you are welcomed to have the ssamjang as dipping sauce for vegetables or bbq meat.

we ordered one sul-lung-tang ($12.95/ea) each and one soondae ($18.95) to share. soondae is korean style blood sausage. soondae was packed with yummy stuffing and lots of vegetable. soondae is one of my favourite street korean food along with ddukboki. it is one of those food i wish i could make it home to enjoy more but i can't.

sul-lung-tang often requires you to add bit of salt to taste, but i didn't have to add any. not that it was already seasoned, but the broth was very rich in flavour that i didn't want to spoil it with salt. sul-lung-tang can be found in many korean restaurants, but those who do not specialize in it, sometimes add milk or cream to get the milky colour and texture. but authentically, the broth should be prepared by boiling the bones over a long period of time until it turns milky on its own. the dish came out with rice and vermicelli already in the bowl, which saved me hassle of dumping the rice and splashing the soup everywhere (or maybe i am just so clumsy). we were so hungry and devoured the entire thing, left feeling very very satisfied. it was a sensational eating experience ;D


감미옥
Gahm Mi Oak
43 West 32nd Street
New York, NY 10001
view menu here

posted by rin

[nyc] izakaya moku

first night in new york, we anticipated going to sake bar hagi (152 W 49th St) but the long line up led us to an alternate izakaya in koreatown, izakaya moku. this picture is taken from the food court across from moku, as you can see their sign out the window.

the space was decorated with japanese themed furniture and fixtures. there were four wooden booth seatings which were cozy but the round couch seating did not fit in with the rest of the decoration. the lighting was very dim and they were playing house/clubbing music which did not really go with the overall atmosphere. as the night progressed, so did the music. we had to talk loudly which is how it is at most izakayas anyways. the only downside of this place was lack of bathroom stalls. there's only one. it was nice that you don't have to go down to a dark and sketchy basement to use the washroom like in toronto, but only one stall? it can get very frustrating. you can view the interior photos at moku's website.

we ordered soy pork ($19.99) and budae tang ($18.99). soy pork is cooked soy pork with scallion & onions topped with ponzu sauce and budae tang is spicy soup with sausage, vegetable, bean, minced pork, kimchi & cheese. the soy pork was unbelievably delicious. a perfect harmony of the ponzu sauce and the well cooked (not so fatty) pork belly. i wanted to know the secret behind the sauce recipe and make it at home. the budae tang was good. spicy and tasty broth with lot of toppings but nothing special. it was served on an alcohol burner to keep the soup warm.

we also had few bottles of bokbunja. it's a korean raspberry wine similar to refined and aged cabernet sauvignon with a hint of dry aftertaste. it is on a sweeter note but that's because it has very aromatic taste (not so much the scent). we love bokbunja. it's sophisticated, has the right amount of sweet and dryness and leaves almost no hangover the next day (of course if you drink too much you will be hung over, but the three of us did not suffer from headaches as some wines cheap wines tend to do that).

if i am ever in new york again, i will go to moku for some soy pork for sure. if you like their facebook page and leave a review then print out the page, you can get a so-chu drink or a dish of your choice free.


izakaya moku
10W. 32nd St, 2nd Fl.
New York, NY 10001
www.izakayamoku.com

posted by rin

Housewarming/Birthday Party!

My new love nest was ready to be introduced to my friends (Rin, Ros and other guests) and it was a great chance to throw a birthday party at the same time. With my mom's help, I prepared a full table of meals of Korean fusion food. Presented in buffet style, it made it easier for everyone to enjoy the food they like.

* Appetizer: 

 - Salmon Salad: I  love salmon!!!! This fresh salad is a perfect appetizer for salmon lovers. To get rid of some fishy smell, I marinated it with some lemons, onions and capers. I used creamy poppyseed for the dressing.

 * Main dish: 

 - KalBi (Korean marinated short libs): KalBi is one of popular Korean food, it can be found at most Asian markets. BBQ them each side for 3-5 mins till it's brown. I prepared chicken wings just in case if Kalbi was not enough. :)

* Side dishes:

- Kimchi: Korean traditional dish. It's spicy pickled cabbage. At some point it was proved to be a well-being food that prevents SARS (haha that powerful!). Kimchi can be found at most of Asian markets as well, however the best is the ones made at home.

And as some of you might know, Korean dish always comes with RICE! 

* Dessert: we celebrated my birthday with the strawberry cream cake that Ros bought from Dufflet. SO GOOD! The reason that we all love this cake is that it's not that SWEET as it looks. It's very soft and creamy and we all love it! (it was soooo good, forgot to take pic of it :P )

Thanks all for coming and it was a great housewarming/birthday party! Already looking forward to the next one!


Posted by mimi

[nyc] shake shack burger

the three of us went to new york last weekend. the first place we went to eat was shake shack near times square. we arrived around 12:30 on a saturday afternoon and the line up was very very looooooong. about 20min outside and another 15min inside, we were finally able to get our hands on these yummy burgers. it was very difficult to get a seat. we had to sit all crammed into a very tiny table.

when you order, you receive a little remote-like buzzer that shakes when you order is up. and the tables are stamped with an image of burger at the corner. cute. ours didn't shake though... one of the staffs came by and informed us that our order was ready.

we ordered three shack bugers ($4.50/ea) and two fries ($2.65/ea). look at those fries!!! i love crinkle cut fries. they were seasoned with just the right amount of salt too. the burger was made up of melt-in-your-mouth buns, juicy and thick patty, melted cheese, fresh lettuce and crisp tomato. a perfect ensemble. maybe my judgment is bit biased, since i was starving to death... but this tasted ten times (even more) better that a big mac. they also have excellent selection of milkshakes which i regret now trying one :(

we were satisfied. ros finished her burger in 3 minutes. wow. i wish toronto has shake shack. i'm really gonna miss it. no. i already miss it.


shake shack
691 8th ave
southwest corder of 8th and 44th
www.shakeshack.com

posted by rin

caren's wine and cheese bar

to celebrate mimi's twenty-something birthday (we have forgotten to actually count howmanyeth), we did a little something fancy at caren's wine and cheese bar in yorkville. it is a small and cozy venue with dimly lit interior which was quite romantic but very difficult to snap photos. at the entrance, there was a fresh bouquet of stargazer lilies, which we thought it was overwhelmingly sweet. if you are sensitive to scent of flowers, perhaps ask for a seat in the back. we sat right by the entrance and left with bit of headache from the smell of lilies.

the food menu was very simple. only few selection of entrées to choose from. the wine menu, on the other hand, was extensive indeed. we ordered 2008 malivoire ladybug rosé which was crisp and rich in raspberry flavour. also light-bodied with a dry finish, which i really like in rosé wines.

Spicy Baked Mac & Cheese Penne
with Sao Miguel, Cheddar, Swiss & Parmigianino - Reggiano in a spicy sauce

i had the mac&cheese. it came out sizzling hot. it was not spicy at all. very creamy and cheesy. if you are a cheese lover, this mac&cheese will satisfy your craving. i am not a huge cheese fan, but i enjoyed it.

Penne (hot)
Roasted chicken, chorizo, sun dried tomatoes & spinach, in a spicy tomato sauce

mimi, the birthday gal, ordered the penne, hot. indeed. it was hot hot hot. mimi and i shared our pasta dishes to balance the spiciness and the cheesiness. it was a perfect match. her pasta was a little undercooked, bit too chewy for her taste.

Mediterranean Shrimp Tagliatelli
Sautéed Tiger shrimp, roasted garlic, kalamata olives, tomato and finished with feta cheese

ros's tagliatelli had the best presentation of all. plump and juicy fresh tiger shrimps were mouth watering. she really enjoyed the garlic and olive oil seasoning. i guess having feta and olives make it "mediterranean", but it did not really have that "mediterranean" oomph.

the overall experience was pleasant. when we arrived, there were no male patrons and majority of the seats were filled with 40something ladies enjoying wine and cheese with their girlfriends. but later on in the evening, more couples showed up, taking that cozy and romantic window seat. i think it could be a great place for a date night. more for wine and cheese after dinner type rather than dining. they also offer home-made dessert menu and truffles are from local chocolatier couple doors down.

i would visit here again in summer to enjoy some vintage on the patio. the photos from their web looks amazing.

happy birthday mimi!

caren's wine and cheese bar
158 Cumberland Street
(416) 962-5158
www.carenswineandcheese.com

posted by rin

Time to take over the kitchen!

My mama was staying with me and my brother for quiet a while this year and made our kitchen her territory.. but she went back to Korea a few days ago and it's time for me to take over the kitchen again. I miss mama already..(tears)

The day she left I made.. Pad Thai~ with some vegetables, shrimp and beef with my special sauce!(oh, and some ground walnut on top) I actually don't know if i should call it a pad thai though.. I don't even know what they use to make pad thai in a Thai restaurant.. haha


Anyways, my brother admitted that it was the best pad thai he ever had! 


Ros's kitchen experimental continues....