San Diego is Treating Me Well

My expectations for good Vietnamese food were met right away with my first meal in San Diego at Nhu Y restaurant, my grandfather's favorite. We had goi ga (cabbage chicken salad), xuong kho (ribs), ca kho (fish braised in a clay pot), ca chien (fried fish), and canh chua (sour fish soup).

I haven't had other Vietnamese meals so far except for some awesome silken tofu in ginger syrup, one of my favorite desserts. I did, however, eat at Kabob House which was tasty.

Tonight was Sophia's wedding and we had an amazing meal: asparagus and seafood soup, appetizer platter of pork, chicken, and jellyfish, fried shrimp with candied pecans, tea-smoked chilean sea bass (or shall I say tea-smoked Patagonian toothfish), lobster sauteed with spicy garlic sauce, stir-fried abalone and vegetables, filet mignon and asparagus in bird's nest, Peking duck, seafood fried rice, and dessert which was some sort of peach gelatin or pudding.

Then, of course, was cake, and one quite fitting for Sophia and Steve.

San Diego

I moved out of my house yesterday.. cooked my last dinner in that house on Monday night. I repeated the sesame chicken and steamed broccoli as the last meal since they were all ingredients we had to use up. I'm going to miss that kitchen. I'd say it's been only in the last year that I've started to cook a lot more diversely and trying new things and I definitely made a lot of firsts in that house. Bye Delaware Avenue!

I am now in San Diego to visit family and for my cousin, Sophia's, wedding and I can't wait to eat all the delicious Vietnamese food I'll be seeing in the next week and a half.

Chicken and Potatoes Stewed in Chipotle Tomato Sauce

Like I said.. we just had to have more guacamole. Usually I would just make burritos, fajitas, or tacos, but today I decided to try something new in hopes of using up some of the ingredients we have lying around the house. We're all moving out in the next couple weeks and both the fridge and the pantry are pretty full. The result was some chicken thighs that were poached and the meat shredded, then simmered until tender in a chipotle tomato sauce with potatoes and a little sausage. Greg found the dish a little too spicy which is probably true. I wanted to use up the rest of the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce I had in the fridge so I was a bit heavy-handed with adding them.

Oh Nashville

Greg, Eric, Joe, and just got home from a trip to Nashville that lasted just one and a half days within the city but felt like it spanned weeks. Within an hour or two of arrival we were all wasted and making friends. Our consumptions could be summed up by booze, biscuits and gravy, barbeque, and burritos. A day and a half seems like so short a time, but trust me, any longer and we probably wouldn't be home now.

For dinner today, we're having rice with sauteed onions and mushrooms, cheese, salsa, and guacamole. I have so many avocados because I had planned to do the ICSA avocado challenge but I am just beat. Three went into a batch of guacamole and it was so good, the remaining three might just have the same fate.

Graduation Breakfast!

I graduate today! Yesterday night I made a rhubarb strawberry pie. Greg, Eric, and I all enjoyed a slice for breakfast along with bacon, toast, and eggs that I threw together as we all scrambled to get dressed, still incapacitated from the night before.





Breakfast was topped off with a tequila shot at the Green Leafe on our way to the Wren Building where seniors were supposed to convene for the walk across campus.

Ethiopian Lentil Stew with Injera

The injera is deceptively filling. This small bit of stew eaten with a hefty serving of injera left me stuffed.

Rice Paper Rolls

I had some friends over today for a dinner of Vietnamese rice paper rolls. I broiled shrimp and tofu in lemongrass sauce, then served everything family style for everyone to make their own rolls.

Corned Beef Hash

I just got back from my last exam ever for undergraduate studies! I didn't have time to eat before I went to take it, so am only now having breakfast. I found a can of corned beef I had in the cupboard and I know it's horrible for me, but I've always loved that stuff. Top it all off with a fried egg and I'm quite satisfied.

Chipotle Pesto Pasta

The chipotle pesto is made in batches that will feed Greg and me for four meals, so it tends to be a recurring meal. We actually found some cotija a month ago so have stored a supply in the freezer, and today's pasta is graced with the proper cheese.

Corn Dogs

I've been craving corn dogs for awhile now and had wanted to make them on the last day of classes, but by drunken lunch time, that obviously wasn't happening. Today I finally found some time for corn dog enjoyment and fried up the leftover batter as huge hush puppies.

Biscuits and Gravy

Not very pretty, but delicious.

Happy Birthday, Bob! And Pies

Today is Greg's dad's birthday, so I made him his favorite, chocolate meringue pie.





Since I couldn't bear the thought of making a pie and not having pie around for a few days, I also made a coconut cream pie.





These are the things I do instead of studying for exams and writing papers like I should be!

Sesame Chicken

Today's dinner was sesame chicken with rice and steamed broccoli. I love making Chinese food because restaurants tend to make some of the dishes overly sweet for my tastes. At home, I use much less sugar.



How to make it:

The batter: Mix together equal parts of soy sauce, water, flour, corn starch. Add some white wine for a little more flavor (about a half part). Add a few drops of sesame oil to taste, a third part of canola or other vegetable oil, and optionally some baking soda and baking powder. When I'm making two servings worth of food I use 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1/8 teaspoon each of baking soda and baking powder.

The chicken: Dice it into bite-sized cubes, about an inch or so. I like to stick the chicken into the freezer so it's a bit hard and easier to cut. Stick the chicken in the batter and let it sit.

The sauce (measurements for a serving for two): Measure out 1/2 cup water or chicken broth (I use about a 1:2 ratio for water:chicken broth). Set aside a little bit of it and mix the rest with 1 Tb vinegar, 2 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil, and 1 tsp minced garlic in a small pot over medium high heat. Take the water/chicken broth you set aside and whisk in 4 tsp of cornstarch to make a slurry. Once the mixture in the pot starts boiling, stir in the slurry to let the sauce thicken, and lower to a simmer. Now add sugar and hot sauce (sriracha or sambal) to taste. Measure out about 1/3 cup of sugar and add slowly, tasting. I usually only add about 1/2 to 3/4 of it.

While the sauce is simmering, get some oil heated for deep frying to 375 degrees F and put the rice on to cook. Once the rice is five minutes from being done, fry the chicken in whatever size batches as depends on the size of your frying vessel, about five to seven minutes until the chicken is done. Set aside to drain and keep the fried chicken warm in the oven if you are making a lot. Once everything is done frying, plate and pour the sauce on top, then sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve with your rice and any vegetables or other things you have prepared.

If you can't deepfry, you can pan fry, making sure to turn the chicken to fry on all sides. You won't get as much of a coating as with deepfrying but it'll still be good.

Coconut Chicken and Butternut Squash

I tried out a modified version of one of the other ICSA coconut entries. I used chicken instead of veal for a coconut crusted chicken served with a coconut barbeque sauce that was tasty. The butternut squash, cooked in coconut milk with jalapeno pepper, was a bit too sweet for me, however.