Rabokki (Ramen + Ddukbokki)...

Equals RIdiCuLous DEliCiousNess... To ddukbokki (uber popular spicy Korean rice cakes) aficionados and ramen lovers, there couldn't be a better combination. Eyeing this very dish being slurped and devoured by a young boy across our table in a hole-in-a-wall Korean eatery, my kids and I returned our gaze to our rather plain ddukbokki and wished we ordered that one! No worries, I told them, mama's got you! And just like that, the shared moment of silent wishful gaze became a fulfilled desire at our family table. As it skillet-simmers over the stove, the umami sauce turns creamy and the rice cakes soften and becomes addictively chewy. Throw in curly whirly hearty Korean instant noodles and you've got a match made in heaven!

Rabokki (Ramen + Ddukbokki- Spicy Rice Cakes)
Makes 4 to 6 Servings

5 cups of water
10 large size dried anchovies, with heads and intestines removed
6 x 8 inch dried kelp
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium carrot, halved and sliced
3 green onions, cut into 2-inch long pieces
½ pound fried fish cakes, many shapes and sizes to choose from, cut into bite-size pieces
1 pound of cylinder shaped rice cake, best to buy fresh at a Korean supermarket
3 Tbsp. Korean hot pepper paste
1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. each soy sauce and fish sauce
hard boiled eggs (optional)

2 packages of Korean instant ramen (Korean-style is thicker to hold up in heartier sauce)

Vegetarian Option: Use dried shiitake mushrooms and steep along with the dried kelp.

Steep anchovies and kelp in a pot or bowl with the water for an hour or more. If desired, you can boil the contents in a pot for 15 minutes, strain anchovies and kelp and keep the broth.

Separate each rice cake before cooking, or it can form a sticky clump. Detaching rice sticks is a great activity your kids can help with. 

My son never fails to swarm me during ddukbokki-making sessions, looking to help! I gladly oblige.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in skillet over medium heat and saute onions for two minutes; add the carrots and cook for another two minutes before adding the green onions to stir-fry for one and then the fish cakes. Add the broth.

Usually Korean instant noodle packages contain a packet of dried vegetables along with the seasoning. I used two so I add those in. Save the seasoning packets for another use.

Bring to a boil and add the rice cakes. Return the mixture to a boil again, then add the pepper paste. Add one tablespoon at a time and taste to find your ideal spice level. Add the rest of the seasoning, tasting and adjusting the flavours as you go. Meanwhile, prepare the ramen in a separate pot. Cook until 75% done or al dente.

Add the ramen with the ddukbokki mixture. Toss in the skillet and simmer for 30 seconds before serving. The liquid is meant to be saucy, not thinly prepared like soup in a bowl of ramen. But add a little more water to desired texture.

What should I eat first? Ddukbokki or ramen?

Now go to town my sons... NOM NOM!

Sriracha Lobster Banh Mi...

Purists will shake their heads... don't mess with the classic lobster roll perfectly donned with just mayo, chopped celery, salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon if you so incline. That's been my mindset until I couldn't get hot dog-style rolls at the Asian supermarket where I scored $7.99/lb. lobsters. Vietnamese buns were the only standing option and I thought hmmm, why not? East meets west in this Vietnamese-style lobster rolls for a Father's Day lunch for my Vietnamese husband-- YASS! Tossing the classic ingredients with some sweet Japanese mayo, green onions, a splash of lime dolled up with cilantro and a squeeze of sriracha kicks it up a notch from classy to sassy! To you purists, just be glad I didn't give it a good douse of maggi, the final touch before eating traditional Vietnamese banh mi.

Rubber gloves makes handling easier (no slip grip from the squirming).

Look at that tiny replacement claw growing in...

Sriracha Lobster Banh Mi
Makes about 4 sandwiches

4 (1-1/4 lbs.) lobsters (choose fiesty, lively lobsters for optimal freshness), cooked

2 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 cup regular mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Japanese kewpie mayonnaise (for a sweet creamy tang)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Splash of lime juice

Lettuce leaves, torn

Sriracha

Cilantro leaves
4 Vietnamese buns, split and lightly toasted- optional

How to steam lobsters.

Let the cooked lobsters cool before handling. Cracking, removing and picking out every bit of good meat from its shells and crevices is a tedious messy task. This took me an hour but my eye is on the reward at the end!

How to dissect cooked lobsters for maximum meat.

4 1-1/4 lb. lobsters yields about 3 cups of meat. Can't let that gorgeous tomalley (guts) go to waste!

The flavouring agents!

In a bowl, combine the lobster meat, mayonnaises, celery, onion, salt & pepper and a splash of lime juice to taste. Fill into split buns when ready to serve with lettuce, garnish with cilantro and that squeeze of red stuff from the rooster bottle.

Cook's Note: Place lobster salad in refrigerator for ten minutes. This allows the salad to absorb the flavourings.

Fill 'er up!

A twist on a classic fave in a crusty Viet bun!

Serve with a side of chips! Shrimp chips is ideal to keep with the theme :D

For me, the plate makes space for gutsy head carcasses... No doubt, I am definitely Asian!

Happy Father's Day honey!

My son's creative style with dill pickle chips as a crunchy add-in!

Still, the classic with mayo and celery in soft bun reigns supreme... succulent and delicious! 

My Classic Lobster Rolls

And of course to my dad on Father's Day... Thank you with all my heart for everything you've taught me. 

I am an extension of you and I love you very much... To more life's lessons and stories!

My artist dad's oil on canvas self-portrait.

Chinese Dried Bak Choy (Cole) and Pork Soup...

Summer weather is finally underway... I don't know about you but we've been out and about checking out the diverse food events offered in our cosmopolitan city of tastes. As wonderful as it is to be eating out and trying different cuisines and flavours, at a certain point the body craves something nourishing to combat all the deep-fried, greasy, fatty, sugar-laden, sauce-avalanched goodness or badness... that's me anyways. I guarantee homemade soup is the remedy for all of that, and for us, it's got to be the Chinese kind.

This was my first time making dried bak choy soup. My family adores this unique salty flavour often served as a complementary soup at the beginning of a Chinese meal at restaurants. It is traditionally drunk for body heat relief in Asia. Yes, hot soup to combat internal heat (often from eating processed and less healthy foods). The Chinese believe that these kind of slow-fire soups are not just soups but more like tonics. This is attributed to the concept of balance in one's body, that bak choy soup brings down heat in one's body and so is especially suitable in the hot weather. One that helps restore your insides to get you back on track. Pork, carrots, dates and almonds add to the brew's benefits and harmony of flavours.

At the beginning of the 2-3 hour long-simmering process.

Chinese Dried Bak Choy (Cole) and Pork Soup
Makes 6 to 8 servings

1-1/2 lbs. pork neck bones or 1/2 lb. baby back ribs (cut into chunks) & 1/2 lb. pork loin (cut into cubes)

1/4 pkg. dried bak choy (dehydrated cole)- find in dried vegetable section in Asian supermarket

1 or 2 large carrots, cut into big chunks
8 red dates
2 Tbsp. Chinese almonds or omit
12 cups of water (add more to cover above ingredients 2-inches)
Salt to taste

Bak choy is the most popular and widely-used vegetable in China, where it’s been cultivated for more than 5,000 years. It was dehydrated back in the days for preservation until the next harvest. With an interesting salty flavour, it really elevates the taste in soups, and is full of nutrients-- vitamins C and K, plus a higher concentration of beta-carotene and vitamin A than any other variety of cabbage plus a host of other nutritional benefits.

Rehydrate the dried bak choy for at least two hours (or until soft). Rinse and drain them. Set aside.

To give you a clear soup, first blanch the bones/bones & meat in a large pot with just enough boiling water to cover for a few minutes until the scum has surfaced. Toss in a slice or two of ginger if you have to help rid of the impurities' flavour. Remove the bones/bones & meat from the pot and rinse with cold water. Rinse and wipe the pot; bring water to a boil and add the pork, carrots, red dates and almonds with a pinch of salt. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 2-3 hours. Add salt to taste.

Enjoy alone or eat along a bowl of steamed rice! Delicious to the last drop!

For more nourishing Asian soup options check out my post I've Got A Soup For That (Yum Tong)...

Angel Deviled Eggs with Greek Yogurt and Smoked Paprika...

Deviled eggs were often on my menu wayyy back in my entertaining days. They were the perfect cold apps to make ahead and serve on a passing platter at parties between oven-warming ones. Simple to make with just a few ingredients but oh so attractive and enticing for the senses-- one that never fails to receive rave reviews. The cooking term devil means 'to chop food finely and mix with hot seasoning or sauce, usually after cooking'. I haven't made these in ages and when a potluck brunch was being organized for peeps from Food Revolution Toronto and Food Bloggers of Canada, this easily came top of mind. The idea was to bring a favourite brunch dish or two we consider as healthy to share, and thus the comeback kid deviled eggs. The classic way is to mix the yolks with creamy mayo for the filling. For a healthy spin, to derive the "angel" in its name, I used low fat high protein Greek yogurt. Added a bit of Dijon mustard, chopped chives and a dusting of smoked paprika, and it was more than good to go.

Angel Deviled Eggs with Smoked Paprika

Makes 12 halved deviled eggs (double the recipe for twice more)

6 large eggs
2 Tbsp. Greek yogurt
2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

water to thin out filling (start with 1/2 Tbsp. cold water)

fresh chives, finely chopped for filling and garnishing

Salt and pepper to taste
Smoked paprika for garnishing

Hard-boil the eggs by placing eggs in a pot filled with enough cool water to cover by an inch or two. On high heat, once water comes to a boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand for ten minutes.

Peel the eggs by tapping gently against the counter to crack the shell in a few places, then submerge in ice water for at least one minute. Peel the eggs. Slice the eggs in half down their length, from tip to bottom.

Gently squeeze the eggs to separate the yolks from the whites (it should pop out) or use your fingers to remove. Place all the yolks to a mixing bowl. Arrange the whites on a platter.

Mash the yolks with a fork until they are completely crumbled. Mix in the Greek yogurt and Dijon mustard. Squeeze 1/2 tsp. lemon juice and add some chives. Mix and mash the filling until you form a smooth paste. If the filling is stiff, add cold water a little at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

With a fancy fluted piping nozzle, place into piping bag or into opened corner of plastic sandwich bag. Use a spatula to scoop into bag all the filling and press the bag with your hands to push all the filling to one corner and press any air out of the top. Alternatively with no nozzle, do the same filling a plastic bag, but snip one corner off with a pair of scissors. Pipe the filling into the egg whites so that the filling mounds a little over the top. Squeeze the bag from the top to force the filling downward. Sprinkle a pinch of paprika and a pinch of chives over the top of each egg before serving.

With a fluted piping nozzle...

Without the nozzle, use a plastic bag to make piping easier.

Make-Ahead Eggs: Deviled eggs are best eaten within 24 hours; they can be made the day ahead and kept refrigerated in an airtight container. Sprinkle with paprika and fresh herbs just before serving.

Voila! My angel deviled eggs and mixed greens with fennel, avocado and grape tomatoes in a burnt almond vinaigrette salad at the potluck table, amongst other fellow savoury and sweet delectables.

A lovely healthy brunch spread!

It was nice connecting with all you amazing Food Bloggers!

@susanssavourit @lindamatarasso @ilonaspassion @shebakeshere @nomadicnutritionist

Food Revolution Toronto June Contest-- Show Off Your Veggies

Resharing from Food Revolution Toronto:

Happy June! This month's #CookwithFoodRevTO challenge is all about seasonal vegetables! How do you like to show off your veggies? Each week we'll be showcasing an idea for you to use your produce - this week, how about Jamie Oliver's Superfood Salad? 

Jamie says, “Full of great veggies, this easy-to-make salad is nutritious, delicious and super-satisfying.”

My Superfood Greek Quinoa Salad 

And hey, just by showing us your seasonal veg, you could win a Jamie Oliver cookbook thanks to HarperCollins Canada.

How To Enter:

Show us your veg! Snap a photo of your seasonal veg and tell us a little bit about it (how you prepared them).

You MUST use the hashtag #CookwithFoodRevTO AND tag us either on FB, or at @FoodRevToronto on Twitter or Instagram. That's it! Then you'll be entered to win a cookbook!

Eligibility and Contest Rules:

– Contest begins on June 1st 2017 at 6am EST on and closes June 30th 2017 at 6pm EST.
– Prize consists of one (1) Jamie Oliver cookbook
– Open to readers of the age of majority with a Canadian mailing address.
– No purchase of any product necessary for entry.
– Winner will be chosen randomly (using random.org) from all qualified entries on June 30th 2017 after 6pm EST.
– Winner will be notified via email July 1st 2017 and will have 48 hours to respond to the email.
– Winner will be required to answer a skill testing question.