Cooking at Home

March has been a busy month for us.  We've been settling into our new place, and figuring out some of the quirks.  I'm slowly learning that opening a hot oven will set off the two fire alarms without reason.  Fun times. I am enjoying experimenting at home, and try to have something ready for him to eat the nights he has to work late.

Oven-roasted pork belly and kimchi bundles with Japanese-style potato salad and a tortellini-vegetable salad.  My Japanese potato salad included chopped egg, onion, carrots, apple and a slightly sweeter Japanese mayonnaise. 

 We like Korean soups and stews a lot. This creation blended soon dubu and kimchee chige.  I made a dashi with katsubushi flakes and konbu (dried bonito fish flakes and seaweed), added some leftover fresh kimchi, tofu, rayu-spiced green beans, cabbage, onion, carrots, leftover sesame-crusted tuna and Korean chili powder.

Today's Bento.  Mapo Nasu with rice and pickled ginger.  Cook-Do is a brand of sauces by Ajinomoto  that I used to buy when I lived in Japan.  You can find some at area Asian markets like Super H Mart. We recently received the sauce with some Japanese staples from a coworker who returned to live in Japan.  I added some fresh vegetables, mixed in the Cook-Do sauce packet, and cooked some rice.  It's a pretty fast and versatile meal, although a bit high sodium content-wise.

Cooking at Home

I love shopping at Super H Mart in Fairfax, especially when they have different samples to taste at stations around the store.  Today we tried a lovely soft tofu and a fresh fish fillet called "Basa" that we liked enough to buy.  With a careful eye on what looks fresh and well-priced, it's easy to restock Japanese pantry staples and pick up groceries for the week at reasonable prices.

 I like to use this bento box set for more leisurely-paced dinners.

Miso soup with carrots, soft tofu, scallions and wakame.  Broccoli and mushrooms; homemade umeboshi from relatives in Japan; snowpeas; tamagoyaki and pan-seared basa fillet; rice with lumpfish roe and shiso furikake.

Cafe Asia in Rosslyn

Life has become increasingly hectic lately.  I feel like I've been moving belongings for months since the office move just finished and I'm preparing to move apartments now.  Weekends mean sorting and packing up my belongings now that the apartment search is finally over.  Today I was able to catch up with one of my favorite people for lunch near my apartment in between boxing up kitchen things and clothing.

 Lemongrass chicken soup with vermicelli noodles.

 A good friend is one who not only waits for me to take a quick photo of the dish, but also does a noodle pose for me. (^o^)

Curry Laksa with shrimp and fried tofu puffs with egg noodles.  It's not as spicy and flavorful as the version at Malaysia Kopitiam, but it's a nice bowl that helped make the rainy gray day a little warmer.

Miso Soup for Breakfast

We're trying to curb the toasted bagel at the office breakfast.  One toasted bagel with cream cheese can ring in at 436 calories, and buttered bagels are around 495.  Eeek! Trying to fit in breakfast at home is going to be a necessary challenge.  It's tough to get up early when it's still dark and cold outside, so I made the soup last night.  This helped make reheating our breakfast miso soup much easier this morning.

Onions, carrots, tofu, mushrooms and miso paste.  Around 40 calories, the soup is much lower in fat and calories but the sodium content is pretty high. I think I can do better, but I'll have to see how my boyfriend felt.

Vegetable Tortellini Soup

Since we bought a lot of fresh vegetables this week, I wanted to incorporate some in a light but warming soup.  This soup was also super fast to put together after hitting the gym after work.  I chose a small soup bowl for myself, and an even smaller soup bowl for my boyfriend.

Chicken broth with oregano, green beans, carrots, onion, cabbage, arugula, tomato, mushroom and fresh pesto tortellini. 

In an attempt at moderation, I divide the tortellini into 2 soup bowls and 3 small storage containers.  The packaging said it contained 2-3 servings.  Maybe I'm a glutton, but I have definitely eaten a whole package with sauce by myself.

Breakfast

I'm not a morning person.  The allure of the duvet is much stronger than my desire to brave the cold morning.  This means I'm usually rushing about in the morning to get ready for the commute to work.  Today we decided to head in a little later than normal and I unexpectedly had time to make us breakfast at home.

Mushroom and pepperjack cheese mini omelet, half an orange, mini cinnamon raisin bagel toasted with cream cheese, and a bowl of tonjiru miso soup.  With a warm and full belly we set off to face the day. 

Thanksgiving Leftovers

We had a lot of leftovers from our Thanksgiving feast, despite sending home some food with our guests.  

One lunch was a turkey dinner redux.

 For the leftover macaroni and cheese, I cut the cold macaroni into sticks, dredged them in egg wash and panko, then fried them in hot oil.  After they turned brown, I put them in the oven at 350F for 20 minutes while I made the spicy tomato dipping sauce.

The coating was nice and crunchy, the insides were meltingly luscious.  Extremely decadent and I'd do it again in a heartbeat, although maybe this should remain a once a year assault on my arteries.

I also made homemade turkey stock for a vegetable-filled turkey chowder.  Paired with a turkey sandwich, we've almost finished the last of the leftovers.  My boyfriend and I will need to go on a cleansing diet after this week of holiday gluttony. 

Cooking at Home

After a cold, rainy, blustery day, I needed something comforting.  I love making soups when the weather turns colder.  Yesterday was a spicy tomato basil soup with grilled cheese sandwich and salad with apples and avocado.  Today I decided to be a little more indulgent.

Cream of mushroom soup, grilled cheese and salad with grapes, avocado and champagne vinaigrette.  Buying an immersion stick blender was a great purchase for me.  After you sautee the onion, mushrooms and garlic in butter, add a little sherry and vegetable stock, and blend in the pot.  Less mess, and a nice creamy texture.  I added some heavy cream at the end.  The bread is a sliced Italian bread from Trader Joe's that is perfect for making grilled cheese or paninis. 

Super H Mart's Food Court

Super H Mart 10780 Lee Hwy, Fairfax, VA 22030.  If you've never ventured out to the Super H Mart in Fairfax, it's worth a trip.  The produce is varied and inexpensive.  They have fresh curry leaves and lemongrass stalks, boxes of mangos, and hard-to-find ingredients for Indian curries, Japanese nabe, and Latin American recipes.  The fish area is very good.  Look at the whole fish, and you'll see clear, glassy eyes, signifying freshness.  I love it.  I also love their food court area to the right of the entrance. 

 Late Saturday night, this was the only food counter still open.  The sushi and Korean fried chicken stalls had already closed for the evening.  You place your order and pay at the counter.  Our 3 items totaled ~ $23.  When the order is ready, they'll call out your number.  Hot tea and water are available at the counter next to the utensils.

 Seolleong-tang (ox-tail bone marrow soup) soup with radish kimchee, cabbage kimchee and rice.

Yukgae-jang (hot and spicy stew with shredded beef) with kimchee and rice.

Haemul-Soondoobu (spicy seafood soft tofu stew) with kimchee and rice.

Celebrating at Rays the Steaks

It was my better half's birthday recently. I thought long and hard about where to take him to celebrate. He's a pretty laidback guy, so I chose an old favorite with good food, great prices and a relaxed atmosphere. We went to Ray's the Steaks in Arlington, a nontraditional steakhouse.

Rosemary foccacia bread. Super soft and delicious.

Spicy cashew nuts.
Cup of Sherried Crab Bisque.
The cup is loaded with sweet lump crab meat, and the bisque is incredibly rich. It was so good I encouraged him to order his own, mostly because I was not capable of sharing.
We did share a light caesar salad.
Blackened Jumbo Scallops with carmelized onions and garlic.
These were sweet and spicy from the blackening seasoning, and cooked around medium-rare.
T-Bone steak special. The filet side was meltingly tender, while the strip side had a nice chew.
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Along with our entrees came cast iron pans of creamed spinach and mashed potatoes that are free to every table. Both were very rich and creamy. Rays takes reservations for half of their tables, and they ask if you are celebrating a birthday or anniversary when you call to make a reservation. A nice gesture was the free dessert of his choice.

Our server was energetic and helpful, without hovering. The sommelier was very kind and suggested three options for a red wine that would suit both the scallops and the steak. I choose the Layer Cake shiraz from Australia, priced at $29. For wine lovers, Rays has an extensive list of interesting varietals at very reasonable prices.

One of the best things is the ABC recorking rule that you can take your bottle of wine home if you're unable to finish it at the restaurant. http://www.winedoggybag.com/statelaws.htm I feel this allows restaurants patrons to drink and drive more responsibly.

Eating at Super H Mart

I love going to Super H Mart in Fairfax, not only for the plethora of Japanese and Korean staples and less expensive fresh seafood and produce, but also to have something delicious to eat. When you enter the supermarket, to the right-hand side there is a mini food court of Korean soups/stews, pastries and sushi. Each soup/stew is served with a few side dishes of pickled kimchee and rice.

http://www.hmart.com/ 10780 Fairfax Boulevard, Fairfax, VA 22030

Yuk Gae Jang - spicy hot red pepper beef and vegetable soup with kimchee and rice ~$8

Mul Kal Guk So - Noodles in a white seafood soup ~$9

Jjambong - red pepper soup with noodles and seafood ~$9

Sichuan Pavillion and Service Issues

My better half loves spicy food. During the long weekend, we headed over to K Street for some fiery Sichuan noodles at one of his favorite places, Sichuan Pavilion, http://sites.google.com/site/sichuanpavilion/

Unfortunately, the weekend crew included a bizarre rotation of uniformed people lackadaisically tending to the tables. I'm pretty patient, but when we're waiting for 10 minutes without anyone bringing hot tea and water over to the table, and 2 tables who arrived after us already have theirs, it does not bode well.

After a rocky start, we finally had hot tea, water, cold Tsingtao beer and placed our order.

Pork Dumplings in Sichuan Sauce ($3.95) Jellyfish in ginger and scallion sauce ($5.95). Interesting texture and the flavor was a nice contrast to the spicier ma-la dishes. Egg drop soup with corn ($2.50).

Not really remarkable(Peking Gourmet Inn's version is miles better) and the corn did not add much to the overall flavor.

Dan Dan Mein Noodles in spicy sauce ($9.95) Ma-la dishes have a numbing and spicy composition that is quite addictive. The heat builds from the spicy sauce and your lips begin to feel both on fire and numb at the same time. A side order of sauteed spinach and the jellyfish are great to offset the heat. Super long noodles to slurp. Sichuan Pavilion's noodles are thin and very long, while Great Wall on 14th St uses thicker egg noodles.

Joe's Noodle House

I'm that special kind of person that thinks...fall down, hurt your hand, visit urgent care... eat some spicy ma la food from Joe's Noodle House. I luckily have a great friend who not only took me there, but did not for a minute question my desire to eat with chopsticks with a non-functioning hand. Despite the hurt hand, it was great to try out this Szechuan restaurant in Rockville. If I lived closer, I'd try more things from the ridiculously long menu. http://www.joesnoodlehouse.com/

Spicy and tasty fried tofu ($9.95).

The ma-la dishes are definitely mouth-numbing. This was fiery.

steamed dumplings ($4.95). A nice counterbalance to all the szechuan peppercorns and heat. cabbage and mushroom soupup close...see the fiery flakes? Man...this burned...

Beef Noodle Soup Szechuan Style ($7.50). This was a large bowl of fiery soup. Definitely large enough to share.

Peking Gourmet Inn

Eddie Tsui and his wife started Peking Gourmet Inn in 1978. It's located in the nondescript Culmore shopping center in Falls Church and serves mostly northern Chinese food, including its politically-incorrect moniker, Peking duck. http://www.pekinggourmet.com/about.html

The Tsui family continues to run the 275-seat establishment and sources many of its vegetables from Robert Tsui's farm, Grass Root Farm, in Purcellville, VA. The restaurant does excel at cooking a crispy duck which is carved table-side. Some of the menu items are hit-or-miss, but I do love their pan-fried dumplings and the pan-fried seafood noodles.

silky egg-drop soup
mmmm
fiery chilies dressed in soy sauce
pan-fried Chinese leek dumplings

Peking duck, cucumber, scallions and hoisin sauce wraps. At $38 per duck, it's not exactly inexpensive, but the ducks are expertly carved tableside by experienced waiters. At a rough glance, I'd estimate the restaurant serves 500 ducks a day.

Massive platter of pan-fried noodles with seafood ($26). Snow crab, scallops, jumbo shrimp, bok choy, mushrooms, snap peas and toothsome noodles that taste handmade. This dish was large enough for two meals for us.

***

We normally over-order. This time we used a little more restraint than previous visits. We still left with a heavy bag of leftovers. Perhaps we venture to PGI at off-peak times, but we haven't had to wait extremely long for a table. The decor is definitely dated, and it can be a bit unsettling to dine surrounded by faces staring at you from framed and signed photos on the walls. While a particular favorite spot for the Bush family, that fact should neither encourage nor discourage a visit. If you venture there at peak dining hours, expect a long wait in a cramped entrance way.