Korean Bulgogi - Recipe

Well I made the tofu as the appetizer and bulgogi as the main, so here's part two of my dinner tonight! Bulgogi is a Korean beef dish, thinly sliced, and marinated in a soy based sauce that can be found in many Korean and Asian restaurants across North America. One of my favourite burgers is a bulgogi inspired beef patty with lettuce, tomato, onion and cheese, but that's another time.. another story. The dish can either be served in a lettuce wrap with toppings, such as fried garlic, jalapeño or bean pasta, among others, or over rice, like my dinner tonight. The bast way to cook this is hot and fast, either in the frying pan, or on the grill. The beef should be marinated for at least 30 minutes, with several hours allowing for the full flavour of the marinate to be absorbed by the beef. With that being said, we need less talk, more eating, so here you go.

Ingredients:
1 pound of thinly sliced steak
1 yellow onion
1 carrot
3 stems of green onion

Marinate/Sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons garlic
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon sesame oil
sesame seeds and a touch of black pepper

Extras:
1 cup of rice or;
lettuce and any of the following:
fried sliced garlic
fried jalapeño
kimchi
green onion in red pepper paste
or anything that you might find appetizing

Steps:
1) Slice the steak thin or look for the pre-sliced variety in an Asian foods market
2) Add all the marinate ingredients together in a bowl, mix well, and pour over the steak.Set aside in fridge and let marinate for a few hours.
3) Cut the onion into strips and julienne the carrot and add to marinated mixture, stirring well.
4) Prepare rice as directed on package or lettuce wraps
5) Preheat grill top or frying pan and add beef mixture. Stir well until fully cooked.
6) Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve quickly.

Happy Living!

Deep Fried Tofu - Recipe

With the end of my package of tofu in the fridge, and having had enough stir-fry, I decided to do something with it  before it met its demise. Something easy that I could use as an appetizer before dinner. This past week I've had memory flashes of one of my favourite cheap eateries in Victoria,, BC, Fujiya. Every opportunity I could get I would go there and enjoy the 3 dollar California rolls and 1.5 tofu blocks in a little amber sauce, which made me think, why not recreate one of my favourite dishes.Deep fried tofu is simple and requires limited ingredients.. All you really need is tofu (medium firmness), cornstarch and oil! I like to add a little flavour by adding a soy/vinegar blended sauce, but I would recommend an amber sauce more similar to the authentic Fujiya, if available. The result will be a crunchy outside and soft inside delight. Anyways, enough talking, more cooking.. Here you go!

Ingredients (per serving):

1/4 block medium firmness tofu
1/6 cup cornstarch (or flour if cornstarch unavailable)
Vegetable oil for frying

Sauce:
2 tablespoon soy
1 1/2 tablespoon vinegar

Amber Sauce
1/8 cup dashi stock
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon mirin

Steps:
1) Cut tofu to desired size and place on paper towel. Let sit for 15-20 and dab to remove liquids.
2) Put oil in pan/deep frying and heat to 170degrees C.
3) Roll in cornstarch until completely covered and place in deepfryer until tofu is a light brown. Remove and place on paper towel to remove excess oil
4) If making amber sauce, add sauce ingredients to pot and bring to a boil.
5) If making soy/vinegar sauce, add ingredients and set aside.
6) Arrange tofu on plate and pour sauce over.

And that's a simple deep fried tofu everyone!

Happy Living!

Brick Street Bakery - In the midst of over priced art, food reigns supreme

The Distillery District, the self internationally acclaimed village full of brick-lined streets and galleries. A common stop-over for most tourists to Toronto (I have to admit, I've taken a few first time visitors to Toronto here), it is chock-full of different galleries, restaurants, shops and cafe's, among others. Within all of that, as you enter the district, is Brick Street Bakery. A small, worn floored spot that couldn't fit more than a dozen patrons at any one time. Full of sweet treats and sandwiches, any sane person could spend an afternoon pouring over the different goodies and fresh out of the oven breads..

After much deliberation, I chose the Brick Street Club, a hot sandwich with chicken, bacon, tomato, red onion, lettuce and mayo. Not much of a change from any other Club, but what made this sandwich was the bread. It couldn't have been more than 30 minutes out of the oven it was still crispy and warm as I downed it quickly.With that being said, it did take about 12 minutes to get my sandwich, and the place wasn't what I would call roomy. I wouldn't suggest coming in if you are in a rush..

Other goodies included a variety of savory dishes (sausage rolls, pies and chili's/soup's), sweet treats (croissants, brioche's, scones and cookies), hot and cold sandwiches and a variety of baked breads all fresh out of the oven. You really come to appreciate bread and baked goods after going months with only bread from the local Loblaw's.

If you have a free afternoon or evening, and you find yourself strolling through the distillery district, pop over to the Brick Street Bakery, you wont regret it...

For its natural ingredients and fresh bread, but for taking so long and its close quarters, I award the Brick Street Bakery 3.5 iron rings out of 5.

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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/1452406/restaurant/Corktown-Distillery-District/Brick-Street-Bakery-Toronto"><img alt="Brick Street Bakery on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1452406/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a>

Salad King - The local hotspot is back

Salad King.. Long known for its flavourful (should I say spicy - atleast for the general Caucasian demographic) interpretation of Southeast Asian cuisines re-opened this year (after that interesting 'fire' that ripped through the historic building) to great fanfare and waiting. I had the pleasure over this last year of spending numerous evenings and weekends on their unique bench chairs in front of a variety of different dishes. Curries, noodles, rice dishes, I pretty much made my way through most of the subcategories at one time or another (except for seafood and vegetarian). On any given day, the line up to this place can find itself going from the second floor all the way to entrance outside. Turnover is fairly fast, however, as it is my belief that many of the dishes, at least the more common ones, are pre-made and have a high enough turnover rate that they don't ever sit long. The setting is unique, almost industrial in nature, with long tables and benches, with a few booths. I believe this is so no party stays too long and keeps people moving in  and out.

Bangkok Stir Fry

Now, to the food. The price is right and the portions are good (although I feel that they've become smaller since I first tried a few years back), but by no means should you take any of this as 'Authentic Thai'. Its the 'white-washed' version of a Thai dish, and hey, I'm happy with that fact. Many of the dishes have that Chinese feel and lack the fishy taste that is more common among authentic Southeast Asian cuisines.. Instead of going through every dish I have had and all the different experiences, I'm just going to include a pictures of a few of the dishes and my favourites!

Thai Islamic Noodle

The dish I have undoubtedly indulged in the most would be Thai Islamic Noodle. For some reason, you will not find this on the menu. I really have no idea why that might be, but if you do find yourself at Salad King as a first timer, at least consider ordering the dish. In my opinion, it has to be a top three on any ones list. Ingredients include rice noodles, chicken and/or shrimp, bell peppers, carrots, onions, broccoli and a red curry sauce made with coconut milk.

Siam Noodles

Another favourite would have to be Siam noodles, which uses a peanut and coconut base sauce that is to die for. I've always been a huge fan of peanut sauce, on chicken, in stir fry, anything really..

Spicy Chicken

Here are a few more picks, if you get the chance the curries arent bad (I've had only the green curry thus far, although I'm sure they are all great) as well as the spicy chicken or beef! Bon Appetit!

Green Curry

WIth everything being said, I would have to give Salad King 3.5 iron rings out of 5 for its good flavourful food.

Happy Living!

<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/135083/restaurant/Downtown-University-of-Toronto/Salad-King-Toronto"><img alt="Salad King on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/135083/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a>

Deli Chenoy's - A Montreal Classic

Poutine! Who doesn't love that stuff, right? Well on a recent trip (OK, maybe it's not that recent) for my companies annual hockey tournament, we found our self in the centre of the frenchys', Montreal. I like to consider myself a connoisseur of fine poutines, and HAD to make this endeavor part of my trip.

Chenoy's has been a part of Montreal culture since 1936, and, like most deli's in the area, has a reputation for smoked meat. Needless to say, we asked the front desk at our hotel what they recommended and they said the Italian poutine, with tomatoe sauce, beef and cheese curds was to die for. So, I thought based on their recommendation, I would give it a shot. My friend, on the other hand, went with the smoked meat poutine with gravy and cheese curds. Needless to say, I had poutine envy. Although mine was good, Steven's came out pilled high with smoked meat which complimented the poutine perfectly.. I had tried Italian poutine in the past and thought we would try to go to another deli downtown to have a full smoked meat sandwich (which didn't happen), so I would go with the tomato sauce and beef variety.

All in all, not a bad experience, but I'm pretty sure you could pick up better quality poutines and different varieties closer to downtown (hey we were in the wealthy burbs, give me a break).. I would have to say, the decor is fairly outdated. This is a family restaurant, first and foremost, so please don't expect the Jack Astors or Moxies style waitress and atmosphere. Anyways, was a nice little treat and experience (my first official Quebec poutine), but a little underwhelming and I'm pretty sure there's more out there to offer!

For your smoked meat poutine success and italian poutine failure, I award you 2.5 iron rings out of 5.

Happy Living!

<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/67/1095025/restaurant/Montreal/Deli-Chenoys-Brossard"><img alt="Deli Chenoy's on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1095025/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a>

Katz Deli - The King of Deli's

Well as per my last post, I took a trip to NYC about two weeks ago... One of my biggest priorities was food. New York is know for its Deli's and Katz reins supreme. This old (and I mean old) time favourite has been serving kosher-style delicatessen since 1888 and remains the go to for any one looking for pastrami, reuben, corned beef and all the other classic's you would expect. I decided to go with what makes this place so famous, the pastrami sandwich. With layer upon layer of pastrami goodness, this sandwich lived up to it's status as the king of kings. Each sandwich is pilled high on rye bread with a Dijon mustard spread for an extra kick. There are a number of other toppings available, such as cheese, what looked like coleslaw, thousand island dressing, mayo, etc. depending on what sandwich you order. We also ended up trying the soft salami sandwich. In my opinion, not as good. Like the pastrami, it was piled high with salami, but the whole thing was a little overwhelming. I would have loved to have tried the Reuben, which was also pastrami based, or the corned beef.


Instead of paying up front, each customer gets a ticket as they enter. As you get your food from every station, the sandwich artist (this is the only place I would call the sandwich makers 'artists' - sorry Subway) puts down the running total of your meal that they compute themselves. I think in the end, however, the drink server messed up on our bill, and we only paid for the sandwiches (Cha-Ching!).

The atmosphere is loud and busy. Don't take a girl here on your first date, this placed is made for a group of three or four, looking for some hefty, greasy, quality sandwiches without the huss, fuss and highbrow attitude that has accompanied so many of these new upscale sandwich shops with chipotle aioli sauce and avocado spread. But then again, sometimes that's what you need. Think of this as the Five Guys of deli's.. Without the history.

If you happen to be in the New York area, I would definitely recommend trying this place out. It's one of those places that when you think of Deli, your mind instantly thinks of Katz and its worth the experience. I do have to say though, it is a little on the pricier side (15.50 for my pastrami, I believe). So for all of those who are short on cash, drink before you get in or maybe split it amongst two people.

For having the best dame pastrami I've had and being a tourist attraction and quite the experience itself, I award Katz Deli 4.5 iron rings out of 5. It is definitely catering to a certain crowd or feeling, and the salami sandwich could have been more exciting, but still a great meal.

Happy Living!

<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/3/31390/restaurant/Lower-East-Side/Katzs-Deli-New-York"><img alt="Katz's Deli on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/31390/minilink.gif" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px" /></a>

The Champ is Back - Momofuku Spicy Cold Noodles - Recipe

So I'm back! Its been way too long, I know, but I got lazy. I bought a new Canon 60D so thought I'd change up the flavour of the blog a little bit, add my two cents on some issues and share my photos and travel experiences (the few that I have). Anyways, todays recipe is a new favourite of mine.. Spicy cold noodles w/sausage, spinach and honey roasted almonds. If you've ever been to Momofuku in NYC, this might look a little familiar. Well that's because it is. This time I used arugula and honey roasted peanuts because of availability, but in the past having used the spinach and almonds, it makes a bit of difference.. And yes I am aware that my recent posts have all been of the Asian variety.. Its because I only seem to take pictures during this.. .I assure you though that I have a wide meal palette. To the recipe we go!!

Sauce:
2 tablespoons vegetable Oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vineger
2 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon sirachi (or more/less if you like a little extra/less heat)
1 teaspoon hoison sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Ingredients:
1 - link of sausage
200G - udon noodles
handful of spinach
1/2 cup - honey roasted almonds (again add more if you'd like)


Steps:
1) Cook the udon as prescribed on the package. Rinse with cold water several times until the noodles become cook. Set aside.

2) Make the sauce by adding the ingredients above. Mix well and pour over the noodles, stiring well to coat. Put in the fridge to cool down.

3) Cook sausage on the frying pan until done.

4) Take the noodles out of the fridge and plate by adding the cooked sausage, spinach leaves and honey roasted almonds.

That's it! A simple dish and oh so tasty! If those pictures don't make you hungry, go see a doctor immediately, there is something wrong with you..

Let me know if you have any questions and I'd be glad to clarify.

Happy Living!

Recipe - Authentic Pad Thai

In keeping with my Southeast Asian theme over the last week (see Pho Mi 99), I decided to make an Authentic Pad Thai recipe that I had gotten a loooong time ago. Ive always loved to eat pad thai, but whenever I made it just got one of those shitty jar Pad Thai sauce, which really just doesn't do the trick. So I decided, why not.. There aren't really many ingredients in here that are too hard to find, and in fact, you probably have or are capable of getting the majority of them within a couple of blocks radius of wherever you are. It ended up being capable of easily filling three people up and having left overs for two lunches the day after. Anyways, please try this because, in my opinion, it was the closest thing to Thailand I'm ever gonna get..

Ingredients

300g (10 oz) rice noodles
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon garlic - chopped
1 tablespoon dried shrimp (can use fresh, although you may want to use more than 1 tbsp if fresh)
1 cup tofu/chicken
3/4 cup full sized shrimp or prawns
6 tablespoons chicken stock or 1.5 cans of chicken broth
2 eggs - beaten
3 tablespoons roasted peanuts (or more if you like lots)
1/4 cup chives
1 cup bean sprouts
1 lime - cut into wedges

Any other fresh vegetables you want to add

Sauce

3 tablespoons sugar (raw sugar or brown sugar)
3 tablespoons fish sauce 
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons tamarind juice (find at any Chinese food store)
Steps

1. Put the oil in a wok (or large frying pan) and fry the garlic, dried shrimp and tofu/chicken until the garlic turns golden brown (and chicken is cooked if you use it).

2.Let the rice noodles sock in water for about 5-10 minutes

3.Add  noodles to the wok. Keep stirring over high heat while adding the chicken stock a bit at a time until the noodles are soft (if you run out of chicken stock and the noodles are not yet soft enough, add water).

4. Turn the heat down and add the sauce. Stir well to combine.

5. Next add the eggs and stir-fry until they are cooked and well combined with the noodles. 

 
6. Add the vegetables (bean sprouts, chives) and the peanuts.

7. Stirfry to combine, then put on a plate. 
8. Garnish with lime wedges and more peanuts.

9. It adds a bit of a different (and nice) taste to squeeze a little lime juice on the phad thai before eating.

Pho Mi 99 - Burnamthorpe and Grand Park Dr. - Mississauga

So this is a place I had been to several times and in my girlfriends sickness, decided to take her out for some warm soup. BTW if you are broke, and need lots of food, hit up any Vietnamese restaurant and get a large bowl of Pho.. For only a dollar extra, you can go from a small to a monstrous portion, which my girlfriends brother attempted to take down. Pho Mi 99 is a fairly good place, with a cozy atmosphere that always seems to be busy, but not so crazy that you have to wait for a seat. They "apparently" also use no MSG in their foods, but I have yet to confirm this fact. They seem to be a little disoriented with the whole "starters" idea, however. We ordered two plates of spring rolls, only to have the pho come out almost immediately and the spring rolls ten minutes later. They were pretty good though, I have to admit. I got a Pho with meatballs and chicken.. somewhat different then normal, the chick dipped in the hoison like sauce and what I assume to be sirachi was pretty damn good. It would have been pretty bland without, so I ended up using a lot of sauce. All in all, a nice little (and cheap) meal. If you really wanted to push the boundaries, you could probably get one large bowl per two people, and that would make for a veryy cheap meal.. Anyways here are some pics.. as always with my shitty iPhone (my bad).

I give this place 3.5 iron rings out of 5 for its inexpensive yet still fairly tasty meal..

Onion Rings Poutine

What happens when you take two of gods most precious gifts and role them into one? You get onion rings poutine.. This was to die for.. Any poutine lover has to take a try of this twisted classic. The onion rings, cooked to perfection in a crunchy batter. Way better than any freezer bought, or for that matter restaurant onion rings.

Ingredients

Onion Rings

• 1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk, or as needed
• 1 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• seasoned salt to taste
• 2 cups+ oil for frying or as needed 

Poutine

• 1 pouch gravy mix
• 1 cup water
• 1 package cheese curds

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a pot for deep frying.

2. Remove the onion skin and cut into rings. 

Onion Rings

3. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Flour and salt mixture

4. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork.

Egg and Milk mixture

5. Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated and dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then shake slightly over sink or tinfoil to remove excess batter or until the batter stops dripping. 
6. Spread the bread crumbs out in a bowl and place rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.
7. Begin to make gravy mixture as desciribed on package. Most use 250ml water to package gravy. Stir constantly until begins to bubble and cook for one more minute over medum heat

Onion rings in breads crumbs

8. Deep fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. 

Onion Rings frying



Completed Onion Rings

9. Drizzle grazy over finished onion rings and sprinkle cheese

Onion Rings Poutine



Bon appetit