Happy Chinese New Year of the Adaptable Snake...

 

The Lantern Festival is the grand finale of Lunar New Year celebrations that occurs on the 15th day of the lunar month, celebrating the first full moon, symbolizing family reunion and togetherness. 🏮🌕

Tangyuan (Glutinous Rice Balls) is a must-eat for the Lantern Festival! Whether you prefer the classic sweet tangyuan filled with black sesame, peanut, or red bean paste, or the savoury version, everyone has their favourite!

My grandmother used to make savoury tangyuan, served in a rich broth made with pork, dried shrimp, and napa cabbage. Now, this beloved family tradition has been passed down to her father, keeping the flavours of home alive.

My friend Jenny, when she was little, her family would gather to roll tangyuan by hand. A bowl of warm, sweet soup with red and white tangyuan was a must. This year, she tried fun flavours like crème caramel and purple sticky rice taro from a package. Not only were they delicious, but the graphics featured Sanrio characters like Pompompurin and Kuromi, which the kids absolutely loved!

Back home in Taiwan, after enjoying tangyuan, she looked forward to lantern walks in the park, filled with colourful decorations and a lantern riddle contest offering small prizes. They were the best memories!

Chinese New Year celebrations was at my parents with my siblings and I each making a few dishes to contribute. My go-to is pan-fried beancurd rolls stuffed with vegetables or mixed mushrooms, and also soy sauce eggs sans tea. We even make clean up easy by covering the tables with newspapers and plastic liner. Keeping it casual makes it comfortable as we just focus on enjoying the food and the lively conversations 🏮🐍😋 

On Saturday, February 1st, my friend Jenny and I attended the North York Recipes for Healing: Leftover Ingredients to celebrate Chinese New Year with a fun collage workshop on leftover food brought to us by Heritage Toronto. The session was kicked off by our lovely Willowdale councillor Lily Cheng.

In traditional Chinese culture, fish (鱼, Yu) is a dish typically eaten during the Chinese New Year celebrations, symbolizing the wish for a year of abundance. The dish and the character also sound and look like words for surplus and leftovers (余, Yu). 

Participants used waste and surplus materials (boxes and magazines) to create a collage that represents their own stories about leftover food. We did a creative 3-D collage on hot pot ♨️🥘, a Chinese communal meal to represent family reunion and bonding traditionally enjoyed on Chinese New Year Eve 🏮!

As we slide into 2025, the year of the adaptable snake, we wish you shed the useless old and realize a year full of hope, good health and abundant success 🐍! 

Happiness Is...

Happiness is a collection of moments rather than a state of being..."the episodic nature of happiness is its essence. Any effort to make it permanent is to lose that transcendent moment". Grateful for my moments 💗 #letfoodbemyethos

HAPPY NEW YEAR Folks!

Newcomer Kitchen- Give the Gift of Joy this Holiday and For Lifting the January Blues

 

Give A Gift of Warmth, Fun, Community & Meaning

Excited to present ✌ things I've been working on at Newcomer Kitchen. Give the Gift of Joy this Holiday and For Lifting the January Blues (with a Holiday Trinidadian black rum cake and 3 International Cooking Workshops to start the new year)!

Order your cake on Eventbrite here

Get ready to spice up Tuesday evenings in January as we celebrate diverse global cuisines through engaging, small hands-on workshops followed by a shared meal. Let’s come together to enjoy delicious dishes while supporting newcomer women from around the world who are striving to make Toronto a warmer, more welcoming community. This promises to be a truly memorable experience! $59.91 total for a workshop

Moroccan Tagines Cooking Workshop

Tuesday, January 14th, 5:30 to 8:00pm Small Group Cooking Workshop: Savour Morocco Join La Kasbah Del Sol chef Hajar Ouzid for a hands-on workshop exploring Moroccan tagine with all the trimmings!

Tickets & Info for Moroccan Workshop

Nigerian Cooking Workshop

Tuesday, January 21st, 5:30 to 8:00pm Small Group Cooking Workshop: Savour Nigeria Join Ibile Meals chef Ope Osadare as she prepares steamy banana leaf wraps and serves up delicious puff puffs!

Tickets & Info for Nigerian Workshop

Persian Cooking Workshop

Tuesday, January 28th, 5:30 to 8:00pm Small Group Cooking Workshop: Savour Persia Join SHAMS founder Hamideh Arefeshghy to explore the flavours of Persia showcasing special ingredients sure to leave you enchanted!

Tickets & Info for Persian Workshop

Warm Up to Korean Abalone Porridge (Jeonbokjuk)...

 

Jeonbok-juk or abalone rice porridge or congee is a variety of juk, or Korean porridge made with shellfish abalone and white short-grain rice. Abalone is regarded as a high-quality ingredient in Asian cuisines, and was often prized as a gift to the King of Korea. It's texture is plump, rubbery and dense, and like many seafood, has a briny and sweet flavour.

I love abalone, although expensive we may order them braised whole or sliced ladeled with its umami thickened sauce on top of stir-fried snowpea leaves, a popular premium Chinese banquet-style dish. In Asian supermarkets, you can easily find them frozen with their shells attached, or brined in cans, used to make Chinese soups and stews, or stir-fries with vegetables. Moreover, abalone is high in protein and low in fat and cholesterol, and contains many nutrients such as iodine, phosphorus, selenium, magnesium, omega 3-fatty acids and contains bioactive compounds- anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory.

I came across frozen abalone on sale ($6.99 for 5 nice pieces), and with the winter chill upon us, the first food that came to mind was comfort congee, or as the Koreans call it jeonbokjuk! An ultimate cozy soothing comfort in a bowl!

Korean Abalone Porridge (Jeonbokjuk) (adapted by Maangchi.com)

Serves 4

4 to 5 frozen medium sized abalones, thawed (or canned with brine drained well)

1-1/2 cups short-grain rice, rinsed and soaked in cold water for 1 hour
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
8-9 cups of water
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. kosher salt
4 large eggs (optional)
2 sheets of gim (seaweed paper), toasted, and crushed

Note: prepare to your taste: add more or less fish sauce, kosher salt, toasted sesame oil, or water.

Great Substitute: Replace abalone with conch, mussels, clams, shrimp, or even ground beef. 

If the abalone are still in the shells, gently and firmly pry them out with a spoon. Gently rinse and pat dry. Remove the intestines by cutting them out; set aside. Score the abalone flesh on an angle, then thinly slice on the opposite bias.

In a colander, strain the rice. 

Heat a thick-bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add the sesame oil and garlic and stir with a wooden spoon for 10 to 20 seconds. Add the abalone intestines if you have it, and keep stirring until well combined.  Add the rice and stir with the wooden spoon for one minute until the rice turns a little translucent. Add the chopped abalone and 8 cups of water. Stir and cover. Let cook over medium high heat for ten minutes. 

Add carrot and green onions. Lower the heat and cook for another ten minutes. 

If you like your porridge a bit more liquidy, add one more cup of water and let it cook for a few more minutes over low heat. Add fish sauce and salt and stir it well. 

Optional: If you want a poached egg or two, crack the eggs into the porridge. Gently stir the bottom of the pot with the wooden spoon so it doesn’t get burnt. Cover, turn up the heat a bit, and cook for another minute or two or until the egg is set.

Take a roasted or freshly toasted sheet of seaweed (gim) and put it in a plastic bag. Rub the sides of the bag together to crush the gim and create gimgaru (crushed seaweed flakes). 

To Serve, ladle servings of porridge into bowls and sprinkle a bit of gimgaru over each one just before eating. Serve with sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and kimchi as a side dish.

Full Recipe:

Korean Abalone Porridge (Jeonbokjuk) 

Serves 4

4 to 5 frozen medium sized abalones, thawed (or canned with brine drained well)

1-1/2 cups short-grain rice, rinsed and soaked in cold water for 1 hour
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
8-9 cups of water
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. kosher salt
4 large eggs (optional)
2 sheets of gim (seaweed paper), toasted, and crushed

Great Substitute: Replace abalone with mussels, clams, shrimp, or even ground beef. 

Note: prepare to your taste: add more or less fish sauce, kosher salt, toasted sesame oil, or water.

If they are still in the shells, gently and firmly pry them out with a spoon. Gently rinse and pat dry. Remove the intestines by cutting them out; set aside. Score the abalone flesh on an angle, then thinly slice on the opposite bias.

In a colander, strain the rice. 

Heat a thick-bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add the sesame oil and garlic and stir with a wooden spoon for 10 to 20 seconds. Add the abalone intestines if you have it, and keep stirring until well combined.  Add the rice and stir with the wooden spoon for one minute until the rice turns a little translucent. Add the chopped abalone and 8 cups of water. Stir and cover. Let cook over medium high heat for ten minutes. Add carrot and green onions. Lower the heat and cook for another ten minutes. 

If you like your porridge a bit more liquidy, add one more cup of water and let it cook for a few more minutes over low heat. Add fish sauce and salt and stir it well. 

Optional: If you want a poached egg or two, crack the eggs into the porridge. Gently stir the bottom of the pot with the wooden spoon so it doesn’t get burnt. Cover, turn up the heat a bit, and cook for another minute or two or until the egg is set.

Take a roasted or freshly toasted sheet of seaweed (gim) and put it in a plastic bag. Rub the sides of the bag together to crush the gim and create gimgaru (crushed seaweed flakes). To Serve, ladle servings of porridge into bowls and sprinkle a bit of gimgaru over each one just before eating. Serve with sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and kimchi as a side dish.

Eritrean and Injera Workshop at Newcomer Kitchen...

 

Have you ever tried injera, a spongy, sour flatbread made with teff the tiniest grain in the world that is a nutrition powerhouse and has no gluten- a main staple in Ethiopian and Eritrean meals as an eating utensil to scoop food? 🥘 #superfood 

We at Newcomer Kitchen were very excited to host our first ever evening cooking workshop at our beautiful renovated century loft kitchen in downtown Toronto in late September at CSI Spadina, Toronto.

Asmait Merhatsion who is in our business incubator program has recently arrived from living for 12 years in Israel worked for an NGO for women's health, extensively with refugees and has hosted lots of cooking workshops.  She had fascinating stories to tell about the turbulent journey from Eritrea to living in multiple countries in the Middle East before coming to Canada. Woven between demonstrations and hands-on learning, we made Injera, the teff flatbread that is the foundation of all Eritrean meals.

We prepared a cabbage and potato stew, red lentil stew and a lovely beet and tomato salad to accompany the meal 🇪🇷. 

To finish we made a sweet bread- himbasha that is the 'celebration cake' of Eritrea (Asmait uses raisins instead of the usual black nigella seeds and lemon zest) which I had the pleasure to take home leftover dough to bake up for my family. 

Perfect with a cuppa' for weekend brunch

It was a profound 'cook and learn' evening to remember with heartfelt feedback from our guests. Thank you Asmait for hosting a beautiful evening! 💗

Taking Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine and flavours further at home... But first let's feast our eyes on this restaurant carousel of vibrant healthful veggies 🌈!

Ethiopian cuisine has been top of my list for trying my hands on at home. With the workshop fresh on my mind, a bag each of shiro (chickpea powder) and berbere (a fiery medley of spices and chilies) given to me by Asmait, and picking up fresh prepared injera from Iqbal supermarket, the time has happily come...

Their staple injera-- a thick, spongy pancake-like sourdough bread is made from the smallest super grain in the world-- teff (Ethiopia's principle grain) is not only a food but it serves as a utensil and plate. Accompanying dishes are placed on it-- a bit of bread is torn off and used to wrap the food to eat. Widely used flavours of spicy and complexity include hot chilies, fenugreek, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, mint, garlic and onions. 

Although meat is prevalent on the menu, I always opt for vegetarian. Tonight, I prepared three veggie-licious dishes. Shiro (chickpea powder) Wat stew made with onions, tomatoes, berbere, ginger and garlic cooked until silky. Although it should be smooth, mine turned out chunky but flavourful. Misir Wat is a fiery red lentil stew cooked down with onions, tomatoes, tomato paste, ginger and garlic in a broth. This was our favourite tonight. And the third, Atakilt Wat, a simple cumin and turmeric spiced cabbage, carrot and potato stir fry. A lovely textural filling in a swoop with a piece of injera. By the time dinner was served the stews cooled- should have a thinner texture for easy mopping 🤗

Berbere (a fiery medley of spices and chilies) 

After an Eritrean/Ethiopian meal, one can enjoy the relaxing aromas of burning frankincense (an aromatic gum resin obtained from an African tree and burned as incense), and hand-roasting of coffee beans and ground by the hostess. It is custom for Ethiopians to drink the strong coffee with a pinch of salt or clarified butter and serve it with popcorn. Many coffee drinkers do not know that the birthplace of coffee plantations originated in the ⛰ of Keffa, a province of Ethiopia- the very word where 'coffee' comes from ☕🍿❤🇪🇹

Gaga for Steak Tartare...

Who goes gaga for steak tartare 🥩🥖?

We all have a dish or two that are standouts, ones we crave and seek out and determines where we choose to dine out. That for me my friends is hands down steak tartare! It is pricey at a restaurant and with a small portion there is never enough to go around. I discovered that making it at home is not as daunting as it appears. I've made it thrice now and I think I got the flavourings down. Getting the right fresh cut from a trusted source and the optimum mix ins and you are on your way to savouring this French delicacy at home at your whim chez vous. Bon Appétit!

The luscious French meaty fare tastes beefy but light tossed with a melange of complimentary bits-  tangy gherkins, salty capers, savoury Worcestershire, piquant Dijon and Tabasco, and hits of shallots dotted with minced chives and parsley throughout. Let's not forget the creamy raw egg yolk and the extra shine of olive oil to tie it all in topped on crunchy baguette slices or kettle chips for the best mouthfeel and mouthful. #heavencanwait My family and I love French food and being the restaurant planner, it is the #1 dish the location has to master for me to make a reservation. So far in Toronto, the best steak tartares I've had was at Parquet on Harbord Street, Maison Selby and Jules Bistro. However, my experience with tartare started with horse at La Palette when it was helmed in Kensington Market. It was probably what piqued my love for this dish from way back including my restaurant romps when I frequently travelled to Quebec city for work. Don't know why I haven't returned since they moved to Queen West but maybe in general, I won't have to. Don't worry, the rest I am about to share doesn't involve horse 😊.

We always order a main portion to share with my three boys and husband, and it goes fast. We are lucky if we each get three bites and there's never enough toasted baguette slices to slather. And for 200 g the cost is easily $25 plus. I had to make this at home, and for a fraction of the price and enough to serve my army to be satisfied. Not everyone will attempt making raw steak at home, but fear not if you go to a reputable butcher, and tell them you are preparing the steak raw they will give you their best fresh option. Also for steak tartare you want it as lean as possible to get the best mince without tendon and fat. I visited Nortown on Bayview/York Mills and was offered their DiMarco cut for $16.99/lb. Lean indeed but had some fat to trim away. For that price it was a deal, considering that beef tenderloin is considered the optimum cut for this but was standing at $54.99/lb. 

My research online for recipes landed on this Paul Bocuse-style. The secret lies in mincing the meat finely with a sharp knife and using the right amount of mixed herbs and condiments.

Steak Tartare

Makes 4 servings (as an appetizer)

300 g lean beef filet (minced with a knife or a food grinder)
1 large egg yolk from a fresh egg
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley

1 Tbsp.  finely chopped chives
1 Tbsp. capers (roughly chopped)
2 tsp. tomato ketchup (yup, you read right)
1 Tbsp. chopped gherkins
1 to 2 tsp. tabasco (if you like it spicy)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste

Baguette, sliced on an angle

As you can see, there is some trimming that needs to be had.

Prepare baguette slices in the oven on one layer at 360F until golden and crunchy. Let cool.

With a clean cutting board and sharp knife, trim fat and tendon, then finely mincing the beef. Refrigerate in a medium bowl.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolk and mustard together in a small bowl. Still whisking, gradually add the olive oil.

Note: I got extra eggs here cause I made a double recipe batch and used medium eggs 😊

Add all the other ingredients and whisk them in. Then add the seasoning and mix in.

Mix the dressing well into the beef; taste to readjust seasoning.

Eat as it is. Especially delicious with toasted bread slices, crunchy kettle chips or with a simple salad.

To do what the restaurants do, unmold tartare from a ramekin

The tartare paired especially well with these truffle oil chips

Bon Appétit!

Enjoy your very own steak tartare from home!

Full Recipe:

Steak Tartare

Makes 4 servings (as an appetizer)

300 g lean beef filet (minced with a knife or a food grinder)
1 large egg yolk from a fresh egg
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley

1 Tbsp.  finely chopped chives
1 Tbsp. capers (roughly chopped)
2 tsp. tomato ketchup (yup, you read right)
1 Tbsp. chopped gherkins
1 to 2 tsp. tabasco (if you like it spicy)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste

With a clean cutting board and sharp knife, trim fat and tendon, then finely mincing the beef. Refrigerate in a medium bowl.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolk and mustard together in a small bowl. Still whisking, gradually add the olive oil.

Add all the other ingredients and whisk them in. Then add the seasoning and mix in.

Mix the dressing well into the beef; taste to readjust seasoning.

Eat as it is. Especially delicious with toasted bread slices, crunchy kettle chips or with a simple salad.