My Tofu House

I was so happy to eat Korean food tonight. It really felt like forever since I've had my mom's cooking and I've been missing it so much. It was raining on this particular day and comfort food was exactly what I needed. We went to My Tofu House and considering the abundance of asian restaurants lining the streets, there were quite a lot of people in the restaurant and soon, even a wait list was going. The menu is short and I liked that the restaurant doesn't specialize in Korean bbq because it seems that the general public thinks that all Korean food is bbq and there's so much more to the cuisine than that.

Since the restaurant is named My Tofu House, it felt only appropriate to order the tofu stew. The one we ordered had dumplings and rice cakes in it which I'd never thought was possible and it was so good! I'm going to have to make this version at home. We also ordered the classic stone pot bibimbap. With all of the side dishes, grilled fish, and almost too much rice, there was plenty of food for two. I left satisfied and found a hidden Korean supermarket gem right next door too!

Recipe: Orange Pan-Glazed Tempeh

I've wanted to make this recipe since it first appeared on 101 Cookbooks in 2009. That's more than 5 years ago! One of the reasons it's taken me so long to make this recipe is because I actually like to eat raw tempeh. I like the true nutty flavor! One of my favorite ways to eat tempeh in the past has been to make a tempeh, sharp white cheddar cheese, and blueberry jam sandwich. It sounds like an odd combination I know but it's surprisingly really good... Also I just never buy oranges on my own and to be honest the only reason I made this recipe now is because I had an overabundance of oranges sitting in my fridge that needed to be eaten.

I stuck fairly close to the original recipe except that I used curry powder instead of ground coriander and left out the cilantro. Despite the changes to the original recipe, the result was still fantastic. The tempeh glaze is a bit sweet and quite citrusy but served over a lightly dressed salad or over brown rice, it ends up balancing well.

Orange Pan-Glazed Tempeh
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks
Serves 2

Ingredients
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (3-4 large juicy oranges)
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp soy sauce
1½ tbsp mirin
2 tsp maple syrup
½ tsp curry powder
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 8-oz tempeh
2 tbsp olive oil
½ lime juice
handful of cilantro leaves (optional)

Instructions
Put the orange juice in a small bowl. Add the ginger, soy sauce, mirin, maple syrup, curry powder, and garlic. Mix together and set aside.
Cut the tempeh into half widthwise and into triangles (yields ~16 pieces).
Put the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the tempeh and fry for 5 minutes, or until golden underneath.
Turn and cook the other side for another 5 minutes, or until golden.
Pour the orange juice mixture into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a lovely thick glaze.
Turn the tempeh once more during this time and spoon the sauce over the tempeh from time to time.
Serve the tempeh drizzled with any remaining sauce and a squeeze of lime, with the cilantro scattered on top. Serve tempeh over brown rice or salad.

Recipe: Grilled 5-Spice Chicken

I've been really into Vietnamese food lately, particularly the grilled meat and rice plates I've been having at restaurants. The meats are incredibly smoky and the pickled vegetables served alongside add a refreshing crunch that balances everything out. The following recipe uses 5-spice powder, which I picked up at a specialty spice shop but can easily be found in Asian grocery stores. I chose to have the chicken on top of a romaine lettuce salad with avocado and roasted broccoli, all lightly dressed with just olive oil, lemon juice, and salt & pepper in order to use up some leftover vegetables in my fridge and to also balance out the strong flavors of the chicken. This is now my go-to recipe for making a Vietnamese inspired grilled chicken and maybe next time I'll try eating it with coconut rice and pickled vegetables.

Grilled 5-Spice Chicken
Adapted from Epicurious
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp minced ginger
3 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp five-spice powder
½ tbsp sea salt
½ cup soy-lime dipping sauce

Soy-Lime Dipping Sauce
1 clove garlic
2 fresh thai bird chilies
2½ tbsp sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 ½ tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup water, or to taste

Instructions
In a bowl, combine the oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sugar, five-spice powder, and salt.
Stir well to blend. Add the chicken and turn several times to coat evenly.
Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Preheat a grill or skillet to medium heat and cook the chicken 10 minutes, then turn over and cook other side until the chicken is cooked.
Transfer the chicken to a serving platter or serve on individual plates with rice or atop salad with the dipping sauce.

Cream Cheese and Smoked Salmon Bagel

Ever since returning from NYC back in February, I've been craving a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. While I can't completely recreate the epic bagel sandwich of Russ & Daughters, I'm okay with that fact and did my best.

I went to Bi-Rite Market and bought a small tub of Sierra Nevada Cheese Company's cream cheese (truly the best!) and a package of smoked sockeye salmon from Trader Joe's. I toasted up an everything bagel, schmeared a thick layer of cream cheese, and placed a few slices of smoked salmon on top. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I ate this 3 times in one day. Now I just need to get some tomato slices, red onion, and capers to take it over the top.

Cafe Sophie

I've been on the lookout for a good study cafe and I finally found a go-to spot! It seems like a lot of the cafes in San Francisco are always buzzing with people, which really defeats the purpose of me trying to study there because I'm way too engrossed in people watching. Cafe Sophie though is quiet and had lots of open tables inside and out. I ordered a pot of loose leaf Genmaicha and read my book while trying not to gape at the incredibly long line of people a few doors down at Ike's Place.

The Corner Store Part 5

Though I've been to The Corner Store plenty of times for dinner, I've never made it there for brunch until today. I underestimated the popularity of their weekend mornings though because it was hopping today and for the first time ever, there was a wait for tables.

My friend raved about their biscuits and although I've never given biscuits a second thought, turns out it was because I've never had a proper biscuit. I ordered The Biscuit Stack with bacon and a sunny side egg and it was amazing. I asked for the cheddar & thyme mornay sauce on the side to keep the dish lighter and good thing I did because the dish didn't really need it.

The Biscuit Stack with sunny side egg, bacon, cheddar & thyme mornay; Home Fries

Central Kitchen

We made a dinner reservation day-of for 8:30pm at Central Kitchen. The first thing I noted upon entering the restaurant was how much I loved the ambiance. It was warm, cozy, and dimly lit with candles at each table.

We went family style and shared each dish, along with a bottle of syrah:
Pork & Rabbit Terrine with porcini & kraut (interesting)
Kampachi with kumquat, fennel, poppy seed & chili
Seaweed Pasta Chitarra with uni, mussels, chili & bottarga (my favorite)
Charred Asparagus with coffee, egg & bone marrow vinaigrette (first time having bone marrow!)
Black Cod with porcini, artichoke, potato & green garlic
Buttermilk Sorbet with guava, caramel & ginger powder

Kampachi with kumquat, fennel, poppy seed & chili

Charred Asparagus with coffee, egg & bone marrow vinaigrette

Black Cod with porcini, artichoke, potato & green garlic