Monday, March 21, 2011

Seafood Pancakes from the House of Suh

My silly friend SS lovesss spreading good cheer and good food. It's an innate quality in her and the entire Suh family - they love to give. In fact, they follow my food philosophy 'sharing is caring' to the tee and I'm very lucky to be a constant recipient of their generosity. So thank you to the House of Suh for enriching my knowledge of Korean food. :)

This is my second post on homemade food by the Suhs. The first time being delicious kimbap by LS and now seafood pancakes aka heh mool been deh duk by SS (or really, just her mama). Most of you have probably tried this crispy, crunchy, doughy delight in any Korean restaurant but how many of you non-Koreans can say you've had it homemade? I can!!! The base ingredients consist of Korean pancake mix, green onions and egg.This version is tossed with imitation crab, octopus, squid, oysters, onions and zucchini and then pan fried to a golden brown. Then dipped in a mixture of vinegar and soy sauce. Yum! I also recently got to sample kimchi pancake by my friend HS which will be posted shortly. :)

SS was super thoughtful in that she had her mom also prepare me some of my favorite Korean side dish - stewed potatoes in sugar, soya sauce, sesame oil and sesame. Oh and probably the best ingredient, love!

And I will end this post with an irresistible donut 'qua beh gee' from the Korean supermarket, H-Mart. Made with rice flour 'chap sal', twisted and fried and topped off with sugar and cinnamon, this amazing pastry is reminiscent of something I compare to a beaver's tail from Londsale Quay or zeppole from Scuie. Scrumptious!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Part 2 of Carribean 'Tings' at The Reef

Continuing on from my last post in June 2010 on The Reef, here's an update on two more of their delectable 'tings'. Their Moca Burger as you see above is a great option for a non-meat burger (and my healthy food loving friend KL decided to give it a whirl). Take it from me, someone who definitely enjoys a juicy chicken or beef burger over the veggie patties. This jerk-seasoned hefty slice of tofu is topped off with grilled pineapple, provolone, salsa and greens and let me tell ya, that cheese really brings out the flavor of the tofu. Served with succulent yam fries and a spicy mayo, this meal is complete. Can't wait to get my hands on that burger again.

I on the other hand, ordered their Ackee and Saltfish since I was craving it from my few bites of this dish when my friend DC had it a while back. It wasn't AS good as I remembered but it still made a good impact on my impression of Carribean food. Known as one of Jamaica's national dishes, this meal is made with ackee fruit, salt cod, onion, tomato and peppers. Tasting similar to a mushy egg omelet with the listed ingredients, it paired well with the rice and coleslaw. And of course, plopped smack in the middle of the dish was a Phan Fave - Johnnycake. :)

Monday, March 7, 2011

Life Doesn't Get Any Better Than a Loaded Baked Spaghetti Dish

For a lovely birthday treat last year, my dear friend AK baked me a 'nasty' loaded spaghetti to celebrate foodie style. This was my first sampling of her home cooked goodness and she did not fail my satisfaction scale one bit. This dish had everything a pasta lover could dream of: al dente strands of spaghetti, a perfect blend of Italian spices, mushrooms-a-plenty, meat & veggies and LOTS OF CHEEEEEESE!

Even though this was one of the heaviest pasta meals I've had in my life (thanks to the delicious whipping cream), my stomach neglected to send signals to my brain and I just kept scooping more and more servings until I became damn stuffed! But no regrets pals, take a side view look at that monster of a dish. Way to go 'Paris'!

Luckily for us piggies, our third musketeer and health conscious friend AY, paired out meal with a light and tasty salad of greens, almonds, strawberries, avocados and cheese - dressed with a raspberry vinaigrette. Delightful :)

And to top it all off, the organized and neat teacher AK, wrote out the ingredients and recipe on her Martha-Stewart-like cooking sheets and passed along her secrets for me to share with all of you! Give this a whirl y'all as it will impress your carb-lovin' friends.