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Oven Dry-Roasted Almonds

by Jackie Miao
written by Jackie Miao

Roasted almonds are great for snacking, nut butter, and used as dessert or salad toppings. My picky little one loves grabbing a handful from the jar to snack. If you have a bag of raw almonds lying around that you want to transform, this super simple recipe will do it. No need to overwhelm you with nutsplaining, because you already know why you need this recipe. Thank me later if you like that I saved you time and scrolling effort that you’d otherwise have to waste time doing on another blog. Haha.

Oven Dry-Roasted Almonds

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Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Resting Time: 15 minutes
Author: Jackie Miao

Equipment

  • 1 Bag of Raw Almonds Preferably organic

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
  • Spread the almonds out evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  • When your oven is ready, insert the baking sheet into the oven and bake the almonds for 15-20 minutes.
  • Cool the nuts completely before use.
  • Transfer the cooled nuts into a large, airtight glass container.
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15-Minute RecipesRecipes

Blistered Shishito Peppers

by Jackie Miao
written by Jackie Miao

Every year, I try to get some locally-grown, organic peppers from Alvarez organic farms. On Sundays between June and September, Alvarez sets up a stall at the Lake Forest Park Farmer’s Market. With COVID-19 going around this year, the farmer’s market shopping experience was a little different. There’s a crowd limit, social distancing, and getting in line to be served. There’s no more picking the produce by yourself like before. You tell them what you want, and they get it for you. The vendor told me hot peppers still need another month but today, they had shishito peppers. Since I love to blister and eat them as a tapas snack or appetizer, I got some. Today was also the first time my 19-month old darling boy tried shishitos, and he absolutely loved it!

WHAT ARE SHISHITO PEPPERS

Shishito peppers are a sweet, East Asian variety of peppers more commonly used in Japanese and Korean cuisine (kkwari-gochu). It is native to Japan, and is believed to be derived from the popular Spanish padron pepper. The skin is thin, adn they blister easily. According to Wikipedia, one in eight shishito peppers are spicy. Although I don’t really keep track, I’ve definitely hit a spicy one here and there.

WHERE TO BUY

Shishito peppers are available at most specialty, and Japanese grocery markets in the U.S. In the West Coast, they can be found at Fred Meyer, and Trader Joe’s. They go for under $6 a box or bag.

HOW TO ENJOY BLISTERED SHISHITOS

Just pop the blistered peppers in your mouth, and discard the stem. They are great on their own as a tapas treat, with creamy dips/sauces, or paired with a main like a juicy steak.

  • Blister the peppers evenly.
  • Finish with salt and pepper

Blistered Shishito Peppers

A super-easy summertime, smoky, and luxurious snack or condiment.
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Course: Side Dish, Snack
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Resting time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Author: Jackie Miao
Cost: $6

Equipment

  • Cast-iron pan
  • Tongs

Ingredients

  • 1/4 lb shishito peppers rinsed & pat-dried
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil or any high smoking point neutral veg oil
  • flaky salt (Maldon salt, or Jacobsen) to taste
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat a cast-iron pan on high. When the pan is hot, add the avocado oil.
  • Then add the shishito peppers into the pan, and saute evenly, turning the peppers frequently using tongs. This process takes about 5-7 minutes.
  • When the peppers look evenly blistered and brown, they're done. Remove the peppers onto a serving dish.
  • Finish the peppers with flaky salt and black pepper to taste.

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Fish15-Minute RecipesKoreanRecipes

Korean Pan-fried Fish Fillets (Saeng Seon Jeon 생선전)

by Jackie Miao
written by Jackie Miao

One of the Korean dishes I really enjoy is Saeng Seon Jeon 생선전, or Fish Jeon which are egg-coated pan-fried fish fillets. The first time I had them were when I lived around Koreatown in Queens, New York. However, the most memorable saeng seon jeon I’ve had are from a home luncheon cooked by a Korean housewife in Malaysia some 7 years ago. Perhaps eating with ethnic Korean people made the experience more authentic, but that lunch defined my experience and expectation of what saeng seon jeon should taste like.

A lot of life happened in between then and now, and though I am familiar with many things Korean, I am no longer part of that inner Korean community. I did inherit insights into cooking Korean food, and for that I am dining happier. It wasn’t until I saw some SSJ at Hmart that I remembered really enjoying them at that luncheon. I remember asking for the recipe then, but never got around to making it until fairly recently.

This came about because I wanted to make some fried fish without making them scratchy, too crispy, crunchy, or oily so that my baby can enjoy them safely. Moreover, I wanted something fast and easy to prepare, and tastes amazing. These pan-fried fish fillets were the answer to a busy mom’s prayer! They’re great for the whole family, including kids, and babies who are eating finger foods.

Dining Happy Tip

This is a fairly quick and easy recipe. The devil is in the quality of the fish, the eggwash, and perfect heat control.

  • Get a nice center-cut of fresh cod if possible (frozen works)
  • Cut the fish into fillets about 1/2″ thick on a 45º angle against the grain for beautiful chunky flakes.

White, fleshy fish fillets that flake in layers (like cod) work best. You can absolutely use other types of white fish, but the taste, texture, and flavor will be different. Cut the fish into fillets about 1/2″ thick on a 45º angle against the grain for beautiful chunky flakes. The fresher the fish, the sweeter the taste, but frozen cod works as long as it was frozen at peak condition, isn’t too old, and isn’t frostbitten. Using a nonstick pan will yield the best result.

Variations
Some people like their saeng seon jeon neat (me and probably most people), others like them lacey around the edges. To make them neat, dip and drip the excess eggs after lightly dredging the fish fillets with flour. To make them lacey, dip the fish fillets in the eggwash for a longer time, and quickly transfer the drippy fish fillets into the frying pan so that the eggwash can bleed out to form lacey edges. I personally like the more refined version, but the reason some people like them lacey is because there’s more fried egg bits to enjoy!

Once you get the hang of the Korean flour-dredging and egg-washing jeon technique, you can do this with pretty much anything that pairs well with egg and fries flat like zucchini discs, and meat patties.

Let’s make some saeng seon jeon!!!

Korean Pan-fried Fish Fillets (Saeng Seon Jeon 생선전)

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Course: Main Course
Author: Jackie Miao
Cost: $10-15

Ingredients

  • 1 lb pacific cod fish or flaky white fish sliced into 1/2" thick, 2" x 3" pieces
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose or plain flour for dredging
  • 2 medium eggs beaten
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

  • Rinse your cod fish fillet whole then pat dry. Slice the fish against the grain, into 1/2" thick 2" x 3" pieces.
  • Spread the flour onto a small plate.
  • Beat two eggs in a small bowl. Add the salt and pepper into the beaten egg mixture, and mix thoroughly.
  • Heat 1 tbsp of oil on a non-stick skillet on medium heat.
  • Dredge the fish fillets individually with the flour, and shake off any excess. Then dip it into the beaten egg wash mixture, drip, and place the fillets gently onto the hot skillet.
  • Fry the fish pieces for about 2 minutes each side on medium low heat (total of 4 minutes, or until they are cooked to a beautiful golden brown).
  • Repeat the same step with all the fish fillets, until all of them are cooked.
  • Serve with hot rice.

Notes

I tend to season my food lightly for health reasons. Feel free to increase the salt and pepper according to your taste.

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Gluten FreeRecipesAppetizer30-minute30-minute Recipes15-Minute RecipesThai

Thai Turkey Larb Recipe

by Jackie Miao
written by Jackie Miao

THAI TURKEY LARB RECIPE (ลาบไก่งวง)

The Sour and Spicy Neighbor That’s So Close, Yet So Far…

For the same reason that one can live next to a neighbor for years and not visit their home, I have not been to Thailand. I know, I’m not proud of it, but faraway places beckoned, and I just never got around to doing it. I always thought that Thailand was close enough to home that I could go anytime. It’s so ironic that I am now based in the U.S., Thailand isn’t as easy as a 2 hour flight anymore. If I wanted to go, I would actually have to plan a major trip there.

Saying that, I have eaten some amazing larb dishes made by Thai chefs in Malaysia. Being a neighboring country, Malaysia is home to some local ethnic Thais, as well as migrants who have food businesses in the capital of Kuala Lumpur. However, did you know that larb is actually of Laotian origin? This dish is most common in the Issan region of Thailand, where a big community of ethnic Laotians live.

It is All About the Meat

The best larb dish I’ve had is one that featured pork innards. It was a super spicy plate of chewy offals, graced with flavor so exciting that my friends and I reordered two more plates of the same. For practicality and health reasons though, I make larb with more readily available proteins that are cleaner and organic here in the U.S. I also don’t add MSG, or bomb the dish out with too much seasoning. I’m pretty health conscious, and so this one is a slightly less-exciting, and cleaner alternative that I can eat more often.

Also, taste will largely differ depending on the ingredients you use. Bland meats will yield a blander experience. More flavorful meats that are organic, pasture-raised, and thoughtfully produced will taste more complex. It really is all about the meat with this dish! The brand of fish sauce, and chilly powder you use will also be a factor.*

I usually err on the cleaner side for health reasons. Some of the hook, complexity and flavor notes that make genuine SE Asian foodies go crazy may be lost as a result of scaling back on the tastier, but less healthy stuff. Nonetheless, this is a delightfully healthy dish to make on a weeknight when you’re time-strapped and in need of a healthy meal. Enjoy!

Thai Turkey Larb Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 lb of ground turkey (I use organic)
  • 1 tablespoon roasted rice powder
  • 1 tablespoon of medium-heat red chilly flakes (without seeds)**
  • 1/2 to 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or to taste)
  • 1 small bird eye chilly (optional, use 3 if you like it intense)
  • 1 1/2 limes, juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp of granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup of thinly sliced shallots
  • 3 stalks of green onions, sliced
  • 1/2 cup of mint leaves, chopped or whole
  • 1/2 cup of culantro (or cilantro), chopped

Instructions

  1. Heat nonstick wok to medium high. When hot, add your ground meat.
  2. Cook your ground meat until all the pinkness is gone (about 5-6 mins).
  3. Add roasted rice powder, mix thoroughly.
  4. Add chilly powder, mix thoroughly.
  5. Add fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar to taste. Mix thoroughly.
  6. Turn the heat OFF and add sliced shallots and extra fresh chillies, mix thoroughly.
  7. Remove to cool until it is just warm to the touch. Then, add your chopped herbs (mint, culantro/cilantro, and green onions.

How to eat: Serve this with lettuce wraps (romaine, butter lettuce, red leaf lettuce, iceberg, and cabbage all work) and warm rice as an appetizer, or as a simple main.

This recipe is adapted from EatingThaiFood.com

* Fish sauce – I think the saltiness of fish sauce differ from one brand to another (e.g. Red Boat, Three Crabs, Squid brand have different levels of saltiness), so make sure you always season conservatively at first, and add more to taste. I always do them in 1/2 or 1/4 tsp increments until I find the perfect balance.

** The intensity of the heat largely depends on what variety of red pepper flakes you use. Thai dried chillies are a lot hotter than Korean dried chillies, so just add this according to your preferred taste and intensity. If you’re using Thai prik bon, add in increments of 1/4 tsp. If you’re using Korean pepper flakes, you can add a bit more.

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