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July 23, 2015 Finally we have new tacos!!!! Taco Donnerstag is back, although it’s not too Chinese. 

Hand-cut Sweet Potato Fry Tacos

Ingredients: 1 decent sized sweet potato, 2 tomatoes, half white onion, 1 avocado (for 15 tacos)

Directions: cut sweet potato into slices, transfer into a container, pour 2 tbsp olive oil, add a good amount of cajun spice (be generous) and pepper (you could also add some sesame seeds or chili powder if you’d like). put the lid on the container, shake the fries to make sure every piece is coated with the spice and oil. preheat the oven to 400 degrees, bake for about 15 minutes. at the same time, sauté the onion slices with black pepper on low heat to caramelize. 

Assemble the tacos: spread avocado on the tortilla, layer with diced tomatoes and onions, then top with fries. add valentina’s hot sauce for some mild heat (or ketchup if you are a fan).

I have to say this was so yummy! But seems Mexicans got so offended by our so called “creativity.” Our honored guest tonight (all the way from Gurney, Illinois) sent a photo of the fry tacos to his Mexican “girl”friend. “Gross” was her only word. Our response: no comment.

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May 1, 2015 My husband and I were honored to cater my sociology professor Eiko Ikegami's student party. We were very excited about our first catering event. There were about 20 guests. We had received quite some positive feedback. I’m very content that this Asian fusion worked out. Kimchi Deviled Eggs and 回锅肉Chinese Style Pork Belly Tacos were definitely the bomb!

Here was the menu for that night:

-Kimchi Deviled Eggs (honey mustard is essential and sesame oil is crucial to give more flavor to the Kimchi)

-回锅肉Chinese Style Pork Belly Tacos (twice cooked pork belly had been my specialty before I stopped eating meat. But I realized I could still cook it even though it’s hard for me to test taste.)

-Okra with Tomato, Carrot and Squash Tacos (could also add eggs in it)

-Sautéed Asparagus Goat Cheese Crackers

-Mango/Radish/Chickpeas with Avocado on Crackers

Contact Louie (icylcc@gmail.com) if you have any queries about catering or you want to know about the recipes. 

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October 5, 2014. Panda Chow.

I was drooling for lox bagels and bunny chow while I was preparing a presentation on food & ethnic identity for my last grad school class "State, Culture & Identity". Then my husband said "why not do our own bunny chow? you can name it Panda Chow." I loved this Panda name immediately. Yeah, why not? I hate hybrid foods, but that's the beauty of human food and culture. Every style of cuisine is open source and it's free. There are a billion combinations of foods. You can say we cross-cultural borrow everyday. It doesn't matter what kind of food I make, where I make it and what materials and ingredients I use; as long as it's made by my hands, they are all Chinese food. (we can have a longer conversation here....)

Bunny Chow is a distinct Durban/South African Indian food. It's a 100% South African Indian product--hollowed out loaves of bread with Indian curry inside. I asked all my Indian friends, none of them had ever heard or seen bunnies. The photo on the top right is the bunny we had at Victory Lounge, a 68-year-old bunny chow shop on Grey Street. I talked to Ms Moodley (co-owner with her husband) for a while. She is a lovely and sweet lady. 

So what is my Panda Chow? As Bunny refers to Banians (an Indian caste), Panda means Chinese. I chose 麻婆豆腐Ma Po Tofu again as the replacement for veggie curry, for it's a classic Sichuan (hometown of Panda) dish. You can go back check our Ma Po Tofu tacos in the past. My husband is a really picky person when it comes to food. He is an expert on ingredients reading. I mean, seriously. He reads through every product we purchase at  the grocery store. The bread is so crucial; it's the vessel of the Panda. We picked up the $4.50 bread from Eric Kayser. (so not our type, so fancy, so French, even the staff there are all wearing the cliche black & white stripe French-ish sweater). Anyhow, it was a success. the bread was so fresh. The texture was perfect for my Panda.

I have to say today's dinner was so off topic. But I decided to share it here because it's so damn good! And it triggers my nostalgia for Durban and South Africa. I had tons of Indian food when I was in the country. nearly everyday. I didn't expect to experience that much Indian food and culture in SA. such a pity we didn't have enough time to check the Hare Krishna Temple of Understanding, the largest Hare Krishna temple in southern hemisphere, in Chatsworth, Durban.

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September 25, 2014. We are BACK, after a two-month Taco break!!! Will talk about our trip to South Africa and I promise we will make a South African themed Taco Donnerstag. (We found a place called Zulu Tacos in Durban. Thought it would be fused with African influence. But it turned out to be just the name.)

Grilled peppers and squash tacos

Ingredients: 1 red pepper, 1 decent sized squash (yellow squash will be more ideal in terms of flavor and color), tomato, onion, Cojita cheese

Directions: slice pepper, squash and onion, mix them in a baking pan, drizzle with olive oil and season with black pepper and a bit salt, preheat the oven to 425 degrees, bake for about 10 minutes, warm the tortilla, top with the mix veggies and tomato, sprinkle the cheese crumbles 

This time's tacos were very simple and easy to make. More importantly, it's very Yummy! Try to serve with sweet potato fries on side. nice combo.

For the fries, I don't like really greasy stuff. So I always bake my fries. Slicing sweet potato is always a physical challenge. Toss the slicked potato in the pan, brush 1-1.5 tablespoon oil, season with black pepper, salt and sesame seeds, preheat the oven to 425 degrees, bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

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July 10, 2014. World Cup 2014 themed Taco Donnerstag! Cheering for the finals!!!! I chose a traditional German recipe, while my husband made a filling inspired by Argentinian cuisine. This is also our first time to accommodate so many guests. Our brother Sam is in town. We invited our best friend Andrew, and also a cute couple Peter and Erica.

The German team is 100% vegan. I have to admit the sausage is actually not German. I picked a bag for veggie sausage from Whole Foods. It is Polish style, as Peter was originally from Poland. To quote Peter, "this is definitely not kilbasa." As what we did last week, I first sautéed the onion and sauerkraut. I added some Mirin, a japanese sauce, this time. So the onion and sauerkraut taste a little bit sour and sweet. You can either mix the sausage with the sauerkraut or heat it separately. Just follow the directions.

Then, in a sauce pan, I put some coconut oil, poured sliced apple into the sauce pan after the oil melted. I didn't add extra sugar in the apple. But you should definitely squeeze in lemon juice. Wait for about 10 mins till the apple to become tender. Serve the apple with the sauerkraut and sausage. Don't forget to put whole grain mustard as the base. Or you can use spicy mustard!

The Argentinian one is relatively simple and easy to make. First prepare the tempeh. My husband used cajun seasoning which is my fav all the time - he also added soy sauce, otherwise the tempeh doesn't have much flavor. Next cook the spinach. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add the spinach, cook 3 mins on medium heat. When you are making the taco, first spread blue cheese at the bottom, then put spinach and tempeh.

My husband also made some Spanish rice as side. We tried to put rice along with the Argentinian one. It was bomb! perfectly matched.

Germany VS Argentina, guess which taco was the best? 

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July 3, 2014. Okay, we have to admit we've been lazy and busy lately. After a two-week taco break, we are back with real German Sauerkraut tacos!!!!!! (and Kimichi tacos.) to celebrate the World Cup! Cheer for Germany!

Sautéed Sauerkraut and spiced tofu tacos (4 servings, large tortillas)

Ingredients: half package of medium firm tofu, 8 tablespoon of Sauerkraut, 1/4-1/2 opinion; spice: 3 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 2 teaspoon Japanese ichimi tōgarashi (chili pepper flakes;一味唐辛子), 1 teaspoon Chinese pepper powder (花椒粉), 1 teaspoon turmeric (optional); whole grain mustard (taco base)

Directions: sauté onion and sauerkraut first until they stick a little to the pan, add crumbled tofu and mix well for 3-4 mins; add all spices in, saute for another 3 mins.

We spread whole grain mustard on the bottom of the Sauerkraut Tofu tacos. It's perfectly matched. The mustard gives the tacos another layer of taste.

Kimchi Scramble Eggs Tacos

We bought the kimchi from a Korean mart near our place. Seems like it's homemade. We didn't re-cook the kimchi, just put it with scramble eggs together over the tacos (and some salt and pepper). It would be more favorable if you have some mayo as the base. We used lemonaise, was so good!

You can stir fry the kimchi and eggs if you want stronger flavors. 

For non-vegetarians and vegans, I would recommend to fry kimchi with pork belly. The best COMBO!

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June 12, 2014. Experimental tacos! Continuation of our Chinese style tacos and a little something new that was initially inspired by Ukrainian cooking but ended up being a fusion of a bunch of different things.

For Chinese tacos this week we tried eggplant. It might sound a bit wild for tacos, but it's extremely good and suitable as a taco filling. Try not to peel the skin, keep them! As eggplants absorb so much oil, there is some prep needed before cooking. After cutting them into slices, transfer them into a bowl, sprinkle salt on the surface, wait for 10 mins. Then, drain the water and dry the eggplants.

If you want your eggplant super tender (I like tender eggplant), add some water into the eggplant and peppers after you sauce them (soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, little bit vinegar). Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, on medium heat. Ready when the eggplant absorbs nearly all the juice.

Today's potato mushroom is a modification from last time's. We didn't put too much other ingredients along with it. So it tastes very Eastern European like this time, I would say. The Poblano pepper is a bomb.

Tim grilled the pepper over an open flame on the stove top until they were completely blackened and blistered all around. He then peeled, chopped and added them into mix of potatoes and mushrooms. 

As always, you can have the two fillings separately or mix them together. Be CREATIVE!

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Our friend guest Caz showing how to make ChinoTacos

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June 5, 2014. Sichuan (Szechuan) Cuisines + tacos=ChinoTacos. Last night, we had our best friend Caz come over for our first Chinese style tacos night. Caz gave us this cute name: ChinoTacos. You can have the two fillings separately or mix them into one taco.

麻婆豆腐Ma Po Tofu and 宫爆鸡丁Gong Bao (Kung Pao) Chicken are two most common and popular Sichuan dishes. As my husband is vegetarian, I modified the recipes and made a completely veggie meal. 麻婆豆腐Ma Po Tofu without ground pork and 宫爆杏鲍菇Gong Bao King Oyster Mushroom.  (I have to admit the tofu tastes better with meat~)

For Ma Po Tofu, the key to success is the sauce--dou ban jiang (chili bean paste) which you can find in any Chinese grocery. I added black sesame seeds on top to give more flavor. You can also put green peas.

Gong Bao Mushrooms is also about the sauce. Prepare the sauce in a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon white vinegar (cuz I don't want to give the mushrooms too much color), 2 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine, 1/2 tablespoon Mirin (or you can add sugar), and 1 teaspoon sesame oil.

Ingredients:

Ma Po Tofu: firm tofu (we called it "lao tofu" in Chinese which literally means old tofu.), dou ban jiang, cornstarch, scallion, and black sesame seeds.

Gong Bao King Oyster Mushrooms: dried red chilies, Sichuan peppers (pepper corns), king oyster mushrooms, green peppers, red peppers, mixed seasonings, and Huang Fei Hong peanuts (my favorite!!!!!!!).

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May 29, 2014. Taco Donnerstag again!!!! This time we tried potato mushroom tacos. Two of our friends told us that they had amazing potato tacos at a taco joint in park slope. sounding appealing. so we decided to try it out. of course, try to make it at home. We experimented with something new, fried mushrooms along with potatoes.

Avocado and tomatoes on the bottom, black beans, corns, and pre-cooked potatoes and mushrooms on top. served with jalapeño~ also, squeeze some lime juice to add more flavor.

Potato and mushroom recipe:

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Wanna know the full recipe, you have to ask comrade Tim. lol

And for dessert of the day, we had apple walnut pie cake. same recipe of pie cake, just add sliced apples and walnuts into the liquid dough.

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May 26, 2014. It was actually Taco Monday this time, Cauliflower and Yam tacos. I was having cold, not felt well. I just couldn't wait to Donnerstag! 

Avacado and tomatoes on the bottom, baked yam (leftovers from last Taco Donnerstag; 400 degrees baked for 25 minutes), and pre-cooked cauliflower on top. Don't forget to add Valentina hot sauce, our favorite hot sauce!

Cauliflower recipe, Chinese style:

Heat the pan first, spread some vegetable oil, throw in chopped garlics. Then, add three tablespoon of Chinese black bean chili sauce (Lao Gan Ma), stir fry the sauce for few minutes, let the flavor and aroma out. Put washed and rinsed cauliflower into the sauce, turn to medium heat, stir fry for about 5-8 minutes.

Lao Gan Ma black bean chili sauce could be also used as hot sauce, add it into the fillings. The sauce is one of the most beautiful Chinese inventions. You can find it in many Chinese supermarkets. 

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May 15, 2014. Our first real Taco Donnerstag (and Taco party), yay! 

We had friends come over so we made two different kinds of tacos. Yam tacos, and tuna fish tacos. As usual, we put avocado and tomatoes as base. Each kind is with corn, chickpeas, red onions and of course jalapeño.

AND another amazing thing is the strawberry jam pie cake! Here is the pie cake recipe: Dry ingredients: mix 2 cups of flour, almost 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. 

Wet ingredients: 6 tablespoon coconut oil (or half stick butter), 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix them together, break one egg into the bowl. Stir fast. I personally don't like sugary, so I reduce the portion of sugar. Normally, it should be at least a cup of sugar. It will give the cake a good texture. 

Put the dry ingredients into the wet part, mix well. Pour good amount of milk until the dough becomes liquidish. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, butter the pan, bake for 12 minutes. Add some warm water into the strawberry jam (you can also make fresh strawberry or any fruit topping, will share the recipe later~). Spread the watery (not too watery, make sure the jam still holds together) jam on the top of the cake. Bake another 8-10 minutes. Done!

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April 27, 2014. Tuna tacos w spinach and avacado+Brocolini+German Mozart's balls+IPA. 

Baked tuna steak recipe:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush both sides of the tuna with olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, chili powder and good amount black sesame seeds, remember, be generous! Sprinkle some lemon juice on top of the tuna. Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

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April 20, 2014. First Taco trial. with avocado, tomatoes, tofu, fried onions and cilantro