Thai Panang Curry

Easy peasy and it probably tastes better than the ones served in all the wannabe thai restaurants in my block, Hell's Kitchen.

1 pound of sliced beef
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 can of coconut milk
2-3 tablespoons of red curry paste (available in Asian markets)
couple of basil leaves
chili powder for extra spiciness (optional)

1. in a stockpot, heat half of the coconut milk. stir often so it wont curdle nor stick at the bottom of the pan. once heated, add in the red curry paste and stir till blended.
2. add beef and stir it until it's covered with the curry mix.
3. add the remaining coconut milk along with the fish sauce and let simmer over medium low heat until beef is tender.
4. once the meat is tender, add the basil leaves. stir. adjust the seasoning. if you prefer to add more spice to the dish, add more chili powder or the red curry paste. sometimes it may also be too salty because the coconut milk reduced slightly. if this is the case add sugar.
5. serve with rice.

Steak with Truffle Mayo Sandwich

My boyfriend (or ex?) used to bring me leftover sandwiches at night after his shift ended. He was working in Payard before it was closed. Among other sandwiches that they serve, their roast beef sandwich is my favorite. Now that Payard is closed (damn you, landlord!) I crave like no other!

I tried Dean & Deluca's version of the roast beef truffle sandwich but somehow it doesn't taste as good as Payard's. I think the secret is the meat. So instead of using deli roast meat I'm just going to flame up a steak and cut it into thick slices. Here's my take!

about 150 grams of flank steak (add more if you'd like more meat)
1.5 teaspoons of white truffle oil
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
baby arugula
2 french breads
salt & pepper
cooking oil

1. season the steak with plenty of salt & pepper on both sides. heat up a skillet, add oil, and once it is hot (try to feel it by putting your hands above) sear the steak. brown both sides, around 2-3 minutes each. you will want this steak to be medium (pink inside). don't know how to determine its doneness? use a meat thermometer. once it's about 140 degrees, take it off the pan and let it rest for a couple minutes. don't slice the meat right away because the juices are still running around (that's where the flavor is!). once it's slightly cooled and the juices stop running, then you cut it.
2. in a bowl, mix the mayonnaise and the truffle oil. add a bit of salt and pepper. adjust to your taste. if you feel that the truffle is too overpowering, add a teaspoon of mayonnaise. if you want more of the truffle flavor, just add a drop more.
3. slice the meat against the grain, into a thickness you want. mine will be around 1 cm but if you want it thinner, make sure your knife is sharp.
4. slice the bread open and lather it with the truffle mayo.
5. assemble!

Staple Condiments

Simply salt, pepper and cooking oil suffice, but there are other herbs and seasoning that you might want to always keep in your pantry. This is my version.

• Like I said, Salt & Pepper. Kosher salt or sea salt if you have the budget to cook with it on a regular basis. Try to invest in a peppermill. Freshly-ground pepper always tastes better. It depends on your buds but I prefer black pepper than white. I find that white pepper are often used in Asian cooking, though.
  
• Soy sauce. Yes, I'm Asian.
  
• Dried herbs. My personal favorite is Herbs de Provence. But stock up with thyme, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, etc.
• Garlic. Either you buy the pre-cut jars or fresh cloves. What I like to do is to mince a bunch of garlic cloves and keep them in an air-tight tupperware with a bit of oil. This can be kept in the fridge for about two weeks. Stay away from garlic powder! I think they are nasty.
• Sriracha hot sauce. Can't live without 'em!
• Beef bouillon cubes. You can find them in grocery stores, normally in the Mexican aisle.
• Dijon mustard. I like both the traditional and old style.
• Canned tomatoes, whether you want the canned whole, diced, stewed, or pureed.
  
• Lemon or lemon juice. Fresh lemons are always the best, but I always have the bottled alternative lying around in the fridge just in case I'm lazy to run down to the market (which always happen, I wonder why...)
• Sesame oil.
  
• Balsamic Vinegar and I also like to have Red wine vinegar too.
• Oyster Sauce
• Mirin. Japanese cooking wine, though I doubt that it has any alcohol content.
  
• Flour
• Breadcrumbs. I love panko!
• Mayonaise. Hellman's tastes like the real thing.

I think that's all I can think of for now.

Basic Kitchen Tools

So you just moved in, or you just decided that you want to start cooking. What do you really need? You don't want to buy the whole Bed Bath & Beyond since you don't have the kitchen space (and the money, haha). So pick carefully what you need

The Obvious. D'uh!

Knives to slice & dice. Just buy a non-serrated paring knife and a chef knife. Chef knives are typically long and huge so it can be intimidating. Thankfully it comes in different sizes. There are two types of knives: Japanese or European. If you hate maintenance I suggest you buy European. Japanese knives sure are awesome especially when you see those sushi chefs slicing a paper-thin fluke sashimi, but it's harder to sharpen. Their edges are not the engineered to be equally balanced so it can be a problem for a lefty. Make sure you don't randomly buy your knives in IKEA so it lasts a tad longer. 5 bucks for a set of knives sounds like the deal of the year, I know. Ceramic knives are fine. They look like the ones in your little sister's plastic kitchen set but they are pretty damn sharp (and they won't break if you drop 'em).

Pot & pan, or a several of them to cook, preferrably nonstick for hassle-free cleanup (shut up y'all crazy conservative chefs. I know you hate nonstick!). Avoid cast iron pans unless you know how to season them or you really intend to use them in the future. These pans are complicated to clean, to cook with, and to store. I personally don't really use them unless I make steaks. It's porous so it easily rusts, fucking heavy, and it's a reactive material so you can't really use them for general cooking (things turn to black, reactive to acid, bla bla bla).
You'll need about two skillets. One small, and one large. The smaller ones will be used for quickies and the large one is for some serious searing.

Then a small and a large saucepot. This type of pan is utilized to make stocks, boil pasta, reduce sauces, cook stews, etc. You don't have to buy nonstick for these pots. Stainless steel is fine. Just make sure that after every hard use (for stews or such), you fill 'em up with hot water so the cleaning is easier. These pots should have their individual covers, and when they do, make sure that the cover handles are steel, not plastic. Otherwise, it has the tendency to melt when you are simmering a delicious Beef Bourguignon in the oven.



Cutting boards, one strictly for raw fish & meat, the other one for general chopping. Why the segregation? To avoid bacterial cross-contamination. Ever had food poisoning? Yeah, it's not very pleasant. Sometimes scrubbing the boards off with palmolive isn't enough to completely sanitize the boards. I don't want to make an effort of soaking my boards in Clorox after each usage so I just keep 'em separate.
There are many types of boards these days. Wood or plastic? Up to you, but I'd like to have me some wood (who doesn't? ohhh snapp!!). Many, many reasons to choose wood over plastic. Plastic is generally cheaper and cool cause it comes in various colors such as pink (yayy) but it doesn't last that long. Even the dullest knife can scrape off the surface of plastic boards. Also, plastic boards are porous so after a while the board will smell. Wooden board is a more expensive option and it is heavy, making it difficult to clean or store. But in today's time you can buy bamboo boards. They are much cheaper from the traditional wooden chopping blocks and is resistant to bacteria and easier to clean.

Utensils. I'll just list it out.

• Wooden spoon
• Spatula or a flipper
• Tongs
• Kitchen Scissors
• Ladle
• Slotted spoon
• Spoon
• Strainer
• Measuring spoons/cups/glass. I won't really use them in my blog but it's helpful for following recipes in general.

There are many more wonderful, nifty kitchen gadgets that you can buy, but stick to the basics for now.

The not-so-necessary, but are pretty darn useful.

Food processor. Hate chopping up some garlics? OMG me too!! I just throw a gajillion cloves of garlic into the food processor and give it a rough dice by pulsing it 4-7 times. A food processor is not only for that. It can also make wonderful homemade salad dressings, chop things that are annoying to chop like peanuts, and even making pastry doughs. Awesome? Totally.

Peeler. I should move this above. This is an essential for me. I can peel a carrot in 5 seconds with a peeler and 30 minutes without.

Grater. Save $3 in grocery stores by buying chunks of cheese instead of the store-grated ones. You save money and you retain freshness. Grate & shred if you don't want to finely chop.

Rice cooker. I hope you still don't cook rice the old-school way 'cause it's a bitch. Rice cooker will save your life and money 'cause it can keep cooked rice edible for up to three days. It can also be used as a steamer and a slow cooker depending on the model of the rice cooker, of course. You don't have to buy the most advanced one, but don't buy the shittier versions too since it tends to burn or create crusts at the bottom.

Hand-held blender. A mobile version of the typical blender. Similar usage to food processor/blenders, but just easier to clean. I love making soups and sauces with this. Whenever I'm bored of the typical beef soup with chunks of veggies and meat, I just dip my hand-held blender in the pot and puree 'em all together. It somehow adds sophistication to the dish. This kitchen tool can also take over the use of whisks since a lot of them comes with all sorts of attachment. Instead of whisking sauces or pancake batter, I just blend 'em. Saves so much time!

Spider. Asian version of the skimmer. Hate pouring out boiling water once your pasta is al dente? I just use my spider to pick them macaronis out! Very useful for deep frying or skimming stews or stocks.


Meat Thermometer. It looks similar to the typical thermometers that doctors stick in kids' butts when they have fevers. Only this time is to take the temperature of the meat/fish/poultry or even a cooking liquid (except oil & sugar, they have their own special ones). Taking temperature of a protein determines its' doneness. So whether you wan't a medium rare steak, instead of guessing or cutting the meat to see how cooked it is, you stick a meat thermometer. Otherwise, if you want to keep a boiling water at a certain temperature, let's say to poach, you can also use this.

Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. My ultimate dream. Never had 'em but this is just the perfect kitchen gadget. Baking is so much easier with this. There are also all sorts of attachments that they sell. Pasta machine, ice cream maker, meat processor, shredder and many more! Though it takes space and money, if you are serious about cooking this mixer is a must!




Note: I didn't take these images myself so I am not taking any credit for it. Thank you.

who the hell am i again?

So I'm a lazy person to begin with. I only clean my house when I'm high on caffeine, but I still take my shower daily. I love spending my days doing nothing and just bumming on the couch as I stare into my super fabulous flatscreen with a thousand channels. The only problem is that I need to eat every once in a while just to stay alive. I love food, hence I'm troubled with all these fluctuating weight gains and unsuccessful crash diets -- but that's another story. Living alone in New York City might be the dream of many aspiring young individuals. Coming from my experience, I consider it a blessing and a curse. As you may know living in the Big Apple can be a little costly whether it's the price of the rent or a pack of cigarettes. Sure, if you're coming from a wealthy family you could probably afford eating out every time for dinner. As for me, I'm getting tired of those greasy Chinese takeouts or the questionable kebab carts so I've decided to cook once in a while at home to cook once in a while.

I attended the French Culinary Institute for the chef career training and it was one of the best times of my life. I've discovered all the secret for whipping up some nice Duck Leg Confit or even how to make a Filet Mignon. Before my diploma at FCI, I used to think that only a superhuman could make such a good meal, and I actually comprehend why all these supposedly fancy food costs so much. I was wrong. These dishes are actually pretty simple if you understand the fundamentals of cooking. I'll explain along the way.

Everyone can cook. And being a lazy-ass bum, here are some tips & recipes that I used when I'm hungry alone at home.