Pork, Soups

Wasabi and Mint Cucumber Gazpacho with Sausage Relish

Apologies for the recent hiatus. I’m writing from my bed, recovering from the wisdom teeth extraction I’ve been putting off for nearly a decade. While the inconveniences that accompany such a surgery have been literal pains, nothing makes me as sadder than not being in the kitchen whisking, roasting, and munching the day away. As much as I love a creamy side of mashed potatoes and gravy, nothing seems to keep its appeal after the fifteenth straight meal in a row. But after the swelling subsided, I was back in the kitchen, excited at what I could whip up with a new set of rules to abide by – nothing crunchy, too hot, or small enough to get lodged in my mouth. Lucky for me, I realized that a classic gazpacho met all these criteria AND is a perfect summer meal. Finally, a meal that I could share with friends and celebrate the season with while I recover!

I kind of like to think of gazpacho as more of a refreshment than as a soup as it is usually eaten to cool off during a hot day and is not often eaten in large proportions. Admittedly, the first time I had it, it felt like eating a bowl of a dip with a spoon…which I later realized is actually awesome. To add a little heat to this cucumber gazpacho, I added some wasabi to the soup and garnished with some spicy sausage. Try serving this dish in small shot glasses for your next summer social!

Wasabi and Mint Cucumber Gazpacho

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Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients
  

For the gazpacho

  • 2 large cucumbers peeled and cubed
  • 6 cherry tomatoes
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup mint leaves
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp wasabi paste
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper

For the sausage relish

  • 1/2 cup of diced sausage
  • 1 shallot thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
  • 1 tbsp sambal oelek chili paste
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil for frying

Instructions
 

  • In a blender or a food processor, combine all gazpacho ingredients and pulse until smooth.
  • Chill for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
  • For the sausage relish, heat sesame oil and fry shallots until golden brown. Add in sausage cubes, cilantro and chili paste and saute for 5 minutes until sausage becomes slightly charred. Serve hot with chilled gazpacho.

Notes

Feel free to use any meat for the relish. Cured or cooked meats such as Spam, Vienna sausage, or corned beef make delicious substitutes!
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Drinks

Coconut Lime Gin Fizz

Happy Mother’s Day! I think one of the best parts of celebrating Mother’s Day as an adult is that I get to do fun grown up things with my mom. No more laboring over finger paintings and macaroni jewelry – I’m ready to hit the spa after some brunch! And what Mother’s Day brunch would be as fun without a little buzz? Get bubbly with your mama this Mother’s Day with some coconut lime gin fizzes! Bubbly sweet and a tasty reminder that summer days are just around the corner!

coconut lime gin fizz

Coconut Lime Gin Fizz

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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 2 oz gin
  • 1 cup club soda or seltzer
  • 2 tbsp coconut milk or coconut cream
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 lime
  • ice

Instructions
 

  • Mix coconut milk and sugar together.
  • Add in club soda and gin.
  • Add ice and 1 tsp of lime juice. Slice remaining lime into wedges for garnish.
 
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Appetizers, Pork, Sandwiches, Snacks

Banh Mi Tacos

After picking up pâté from the grocery store with every intention to make traditional banh mi for dinner, I realized that with Cince de Mayo just around the corner, tacos sounded like a much better idea. Luckily, Vietnamese and Mexican food share many of the same fresh ingredients, such as lime, jalapenos, and cilantro, so creating a fusion dish was an easy transition from my original plan.

The funny thing about banh mi is it has become so ingrained into modern foodie vocabulary that most people don’t realize that the literal Vietnamese translation just means “bread” or “sandwich.” While certain fixins’ are almost always a staple, such cilantro and pickled veggies, you can actually make banh mi with almost any meat. Restaurant banh mi will typically feature Vietnamese pork roll, aka chả lụa, (also referred to as “the best mystery meat I’ve ever had” by my dear friend Mike), or Chinese BBQ pork as the main meat. Realistically, growing up, my family would make banh mi as a means to use up leftover meat and veggies. My personal favorite meat of choice is a sweet and spicy pork patty, seasoned with fish sauce, lemongrass, ginger and onions, featured in this recipe. Feel free to experiment with different proteins and veggies as well, but whatever you do, DO NOT forget the pâté – it’s the best part!

banh mi taco step by step

Banh Mi Tacos

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients
  

For the pork patties

  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 5 cayenne peppers thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup onions finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup lemongrass finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup ginger grated
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp salt

For the tacos

  • 12 flour tortillas 6 inch
  • 1 lb liverwurst or 2 cups pâté spread
  • pickled carrots thinly sliced
  • cucumbers sliced
  • jalapeno peppers sliced
  • cilantro stems removed
  • lime for garnish

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl, mix together ground pork, onions, cayenne peppers, lemongrass, ginger, fish sauce, sugar, salt and pepper. Use your hands to roll into balls and flatten out into patties of about 1/2 inch thickness.
  • Grill or pan fry patties for 10 minutes on each side until meat becomes burnt and sticky. Slice into strips to place into tacos.
  • To assemble tacos, spread pâté generously over tortillas. Add pork patty strips, carrots, cucumbers, jalapenos, and cilantro. Garnish with lime.

Notes

If you microwave the liverwurst or pâté for 15-30 seconds in the microwave, it will be easier to spread onto tacos. You can also mix it with a few teaspoons of mayonnaise to make the spread creamier.
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Desserts, Snacks

Homemade Green Tea Pocky

I absolutely love Pocky. Although it still maintains its Asian dessert quality by not being too sweet, Pocky is probably known by anyone who knows an Asian or has stepped foot in an Asian food store. For those of you who haven’t heard of Pocky, they’re Japanese cookie sticks dipped in frosting, kind of like Asian Dunkaroos, for all you millennial children. When I was a kid, they only had chocolate and strawberry flavors, which was still more than enough for me, but nowadays there are dozens. As expected, I’m a sucker for the green tea flavor. I decided to make jumbo homemade ones using a basic sugar cookie recipe and a white chocolate and matcha frosting. They are super easy to make and as luck would have it, look like lightsabers for those Star Wars fans celebrating May the Fourth. Full confession, my brother and I totally pretended our Pocky sticks were lightsabers riding in the backseat of our parents’ car back in the 90s. If you’re having a Star Wars themed party, wrap up a few homemade Pocky, add in some cute Star Wars cutouts and voila – a great party favor. May the Fourth be with you (and may it be as tasty as Pocky)!

green tea frosting

Homemade Green Tea Pocky

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients
  

For the biscuit

  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt

For the frosting

  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp millk
  • 2 tsp matcha powder

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl, beat sugar and softened butter until a light, yellow mixture appears. Mix in egg and vanilla extract. Add in flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until a soft dough forms.
  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place dough in a piping bag or sandwich bag. Pipe cookie dough into 1/2 inch strips onto a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and let cool for 10 minutes.
  • While cookies are baking, in a microwave safe glass, melt white chocolate, milk, butter and matcha powder. Stir in more milk if frosting begins to harden.
  • Carefully dip cookie sticks into green tea frosting and place on a lined baking sheet. Chill for at least 15 minutes.
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