Recipes & Cooking : Eating Light

Fried Oysters with Panko (Kaki Furai/Kaki Fry)

Fried Oysters with Panko (Kaki Furai/Kaki Fry)

Everyone loves panko, or Japanese bread crumb that gives fried foods an airy, light, and super crispy coating, for example: tonkatsu (Japanese fried pork cutlet). I am no exception. In fact, every time I eat out at a Japanese restaurant or izakaya, I would always order a dish of fried appetizer and my favorite is deep-fried oysters or panko-crusted oysters….

Spotlight

Sugared Pillsbury Biscuits (Cheater Donuts)

Sugared Pillsbury Biscuits (Cheater Donuts)

Are they malasadas (malassadas)? Beignets? Sugar Egg Puffs? Doughuts? Not quite but they are really as good as all the above—soft, doughy, and fluffy. Once you have one, you just can’t stop. And the best thing of all, they take only 3 minutes to make, seriously. They are fried Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits. Yes, those biscuits that you always bake, or…

Agedashi Tofu (揚げ出し豆腐)

Agedashi Tofu (揚げ出し豆腐)

Recently, I received a new Japanese cookbook from my publisher Tuttle/Periplus—”A Cook’s Journey to Japan” by Sarah Marx Feldner. After reading through the beautiful cookbook, I had a sudden urge of making agedashi tofu or fried tofu in sweet fish stock, one my of favorite Japanese dishes that I always order at izakaya or Japanese restaurants. And the timing just…

Yakitori (Japanese Grilled Skewered Chicken)

Yakitori (Japanese Grilled Skewered Chicken)

One of my favorite things to do on the weekends is having dinner with good friends at a Japanese izakaya or yakitori restaurant. The casual gastro-pub settings and the scrumptious fares offered at these establishments have had me hooked since my first trip to Tokyo many years ago. My favorite items at izakaya are none other than the mouthwatering, hot-off-the-grill…

Crispy Fried Chicken (Martin Yan’s-Style)

Crispy Fried Chicken (Martin Yan’s-Style)

Martin Yan. The mere mention of the name Martin Yan conjures up visual pictures of my childhood days in Penang, Malaysia. I am a fan of Martin Yan, since I was little. I remember my family and I would crowd in front of the TV watching “Yan Can Cook.” Back then, I didn’t understand English completely but I loved the…

Seared Scallops Recipe

Seared Scallops Recipe

Easy seared scallops recipe with a cream sauce infused with Tahitian vanilla and whiskey. Simple, delicious, and almost restaurant-worthy. The recipe is adapted from I Heart Vanilla, who kindly posted me the fabulous Tahitian vanilla beans. I never thought that vanilla pairs so well with savory dishes; seared scallops with vanilla, is a perfect marriage of flavors in heaven. Judge…

Gyoza (Japanese Dumplings)

Gyoza (Japanese Dumplings)

I have always liked dumplings—those little dough-wrapped morsels filled with stuffing consists of ground pork, seafood and vegetables—but my appreciation for dumplings deepens and intensifies only in the past few years due to my many trips to Beijing. Beijing—the culinary capital of Chinese food—is the cradle of some of the best dumplings on earth. Dumplings are much celebrated, if not…

Yakisoba (Japanese Fried Noodles/焼きそば)

Yakisoba (Japanese Fried Noodles/焼きそば)

When I was in Oahu, other than stuffing my face with malassadas (malasadas), sampling local Hawaiian cuisine, and feasting on shrimp, I ate Japanese food almost every day. Oahu is a real gem for Japanese food, thanks to the many Japanese tourists and also locals who are obsessed with Japanese cuisine. There are countless authentic Japanese restaurants dotting Waikiki Beach:…

Shrimp and Chive Dumplings (韭菜虾饺)

Shrimp and Chive Dumplings (韭菜虾饺)

When it comes to cooking or eating, I am very spontaneous. It’s about what comes to mind at the very moment when I am hungry–a recipe from a cookbook, a mouthwatering picture online, or a sudden craving. These shrimp and chive dumplings were a result of browsing two sinfully delicious posts: Use Real Butter’s chive dumplings and Andrea Nguyen’s Asian…

Steamed Dumplings Recipe

Steamed Dumplings Recipe

There is no secret that I love dumplings—boiled, pan-fried, or steamed. Recently, a coworker from Japan is in town and we were discussing about going for a dim sum/dumpling lunch. All the dumpling talks triggered a sharp craving in me that I had to make my own steamed dumplings. Making dumplings is really not so hard and you can get…

Page 2 of 612345...Last »