Fried Fish Cake

This dish is my twist on the popular Thai dish: Fried Fish Cake. My version is more simple and requires less ingredients: fish paste, shrimp. oyster sauce, and cilantro. The Thai version has more aromatics in it which can be a little too overpowering for my kids' taste buds. This dish can be eaten with rice or as an appetizer. I serve this with a spicy ponzu daikon cilantro sauce.

Pork Belly

Kurobata pork belly has become the newest trendy food. They can be found in many celebrity chef restaurants around the world. Its basically bacon that has not been cured or salted. A dish I grew up eating consists pork bellies with picked vegetables. Fortunately I have learned how to make this dish from my father and brother (with my own twist) but its a very time consuming process and not the healthiest dish to be eating so often. My family's version requires boiling the pork belly, then seasoning it with 5 spice powder, honey and soy sauce, then deep frying it till its golden brown, sliced and steamed with the pickled vegetables, garlic, pickled lemons, and black petterf or at least 4 hours. My version swaps out the pickled lemons for pickled plums which can be easily found in chinese supermarkets and using a crockpot instead of steaming it. With a crockpot, I don't have to keep watching the water level and adding water.

Happy eating!!!

Crawldaddies!!!

Crawldaddies!! Mud bugs!!! Crawfishes!!! Anyway you call them they are some finger lickin good crustaceans. They are best when bought fresh and cooked at home. Their meat is tender and sooooo sweet and the cajun spices gives it just the right kick! Throw in a few yukon potatoes, corn, onion, beer, lemon and sausages and you have an amazing "snack"!!