i am a food blog

I Am... How to Make the Best Darn Ever Chinese BBQ Pork aka Char Siu

June 12, 2019 • 5 comments • Posted in: char siu, chinese, chinese take out, hoisin, honey, pork, pork butt, quarantine cooking

The other day Mike went out with a buddy of his and they had a conversation about the last five things they would want to eat before dying. When he came home and told me about it, I was like, “a morbid conversation about food obsessions?! I’m in.” I tried to guess Mike’s top 5 and only came up with 3 (burgers, sushi, and fried rice) so I guess I fail as a wife. Then again, I couldn’t even come up with my top 5 so maybe I just fail at being decisive?

Want to know how to make authentic Chinese chili oil at home? Try this recipe! Chili oil is amazing with rice, noodles, wontons, salads. Use it as in an ingredient in recipes or as a dipping sauce. www.iamafoodblog.com #chilioil #chinesechilioil #recipes #easy #homemade #sichuan"

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I Am... How to Make Authentic Chinese Spicy Hot Chili Oil

June 10, 2019 • 8 comments • Posted in: chili oil, chinese, quarantine cooking, sauce, sichuan

Fun fact: I used to hate spicy food. When I was tiny, I would straight up refuse to eat anything that looked remotely spicy. Anyway, because spicy was on my would-not-eat list, I was never interested in those little glass jars of chili oil you see sitting at table at Chinese restaurants. You know the ones, with the tiny spoon and the metal lid? They looked so dangerously spicy to me: deep red with mysterious bits of dark things at the bottom of the jar. Nope, it was a solid pass for me.

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I Am... How to Make Japanese Soufflé Creme Brûlée Pancakes

June 9, 2019 • 12 comments • Posted in: crème brûlée, how-to, japan, pancakes, quarantine cooking, soufflé pancakes, tokyo

It’s no secret that I LOVE Japanese soufflé pancakes. I dream about them. I doodle them. I make them. I eat them. I look at pictures of them. I like to think that I’m one the founding members of the I heart Japanese Fluffy Pancakes Club. That’s a non-existent club, by the way. But it shouldn’t be – should I start one? Anyway, I constantly look at fluffy pancakes. I follow the hashtag on Instagram. I’m always on the look out for new flavors, new cafes, and new ideas.

12 recipes for a Japanese inspired picnic

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I Am... 12 Things to Make and Take on a Japanese-Inspired Picnic!

June 8, 2019 • 1 comment • Posted in:

It’s not officially summer yet but I’m all about the summer picnics this year! I just want to make and pack up all the cutest foods, pop it into a basket and head on out to the park or the beach. For some reason, themed picnics really appeal to me. Imagine an all chip picnic? Or maybe an only dips and dippers picnic? Seriously sounds like the best. We haven’t gone on any elaborate picnics yet – more like a bag of chips from the store or takeaway – but when we do the first one is going to be Japanese themed for sure. I can’t wait to make a cute lil picnic bento!

30 minutes or less dinner & chill easy Vegetarian Recipes

I Am... A Really Easy Healthy Orange Cauliflower Recipe

June 6, 2019 • 10 comments • Posted in: chinese, chinese take out, quarantine cooking, vegan

Pretty much everyone knows and loves orange chicken, Panda Express's greatest dish. This is a slightly more authentic, much much healthier vegan version that you can feel good about eating every night if you want. It's not deep fried, oily, or difficult, and it's utterly, utterly delicious. A tangy, bright, and slightly sweet sauce comes together with lightly crispy cauliflower and forms something that tastes not even close to just vegetables. If you're not used to eating veggies as a main, this could be a dangerous gateway to a whole new world of veggies for dinner. If you are, well you're in for a treat. Cooking Notes You may need to adjust the sugar content to suit you because it's not possible to predict the sweetness of the orange you end up with. Taste the sauce before you toss in the cauliflower and go for a little sweeter and richer if you'd like; unlike meat, the neutrality of the cauliflower can absolutely absorb the extra flavor. Cauliflowers should be cut fairly small; the smaller, the crispier, the more satisfying, within reason. We're looking for about inch wide pieces. What do you need? A non stick skillet and a baking sheet. Cooking spray is highly recommended. How do you serve it? Serve with rice, fried noodles, and maybe a healthy side salad.

The Dinner & Chill Oven Baked Orange Cauliflower Recipe Serves 1-2 Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Total time: 35 minutes

1 large cauliflower, cut into small florets

3 tablespoons corn starch

1/4 cup orange juice (about half an orange)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1. Preheat your oven to 450ºF and cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Add a little oil to the foil and rub it around with a paper towel to coat. Break up your cauliflower into small florets, then coat with oil (preferably with cooking spray; toss in a large bowl if not) and season well with salt and pepper. 2. Transfer your cauliflower to a ziplock/plastic bag along with 2 tablespoons of corn starch and shake well. Arrange the cauliflower onto your foil lined baking sheet. 3. Bake your cauliflower for 30 minutes at 450ºF. 4. While the cauliflower is baking, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 1 tablespoon of water in a cup and stir into a smooth slurry. 5. Make your sauce by combining orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar. Add the corn starch slurry to it and bring to a boil, then take off the heat and stir until a smooth and glossy sauce forms. Set aside and relax with a glass of wine until the cauliflower is done. 6. When your cauliflower is crispy and brown, toss it in the sauce until everything is evenly coated. Top with sesame seeds and chopped green onions with a side of rice, and enjoy!

Welcome to Dinner & Chill, a new series focusing on quick & easy weeknight dinners with easy to find ingredients, no special equipment, low prep, and low effort. Less shopping, less chopping, less mopping, more eating.

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I Am... Green Chile Enchilada

June 4, 2019 • 3 comments • Posted in: chicken, green chiles, mexican, salsa verde, tomatillos

Green chile chicken enchiladas forever because who doesn’t love salsa verde, chicken, tortillas and cheese all baked up into a delicious mess. The best part is, if you don’t have the time to make the green chile sauce, it’s okay to buy it. Ditto on using leftover rotisserie chicken – this is meant to be easy! This easy chicken enchilada recipe is effortlessly customizable, so get creative and make it your own. Here are some suggestions:

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I Am... Small Batch Sundays: The Best One Bowl Blueberry Bread Recipe

June 2, 2019 • 14 comments • Posted in: almond, blueberries, blueberry muffins, quarantine cooking, quick bread, summer

Now that local blueberries are starting to pop up everywhere, I’ve got blueberries on the brain. I love blueberry muffins, but since I’m still obsessed with loaves, I decided to take my favorite blueberry muffin recipe and loaf it up, small batch style. It came out wonderfully – cake-y and moist with pockets of blueberry jammy goodness and a crispy sugary top. I baked it up on a Tuesday, just in time to slice it up and wrap it into individual pieces to bring on our first summer camping trip!

10 ingredients or less chinese food chinese take out easy meat recipes

I Am... An Easy Oven Baked Crispy Honey Garlic Ribs Recipe

May 30, 2019 • 7 comments • Posted in: chinese, chinese take out, garlic, honey, pork, quarantine cooking, ribs, soy sauce, takeout at home

You’re gonna want to make these ribs because they practically make themselves.

30 minutes or less chinese food chinese take out dinner meal prep noodles recipe recipes

I Am... Easy Beef and Broccoli Chow Mein Recipe

May 29, 2019 • 8 comments • Posted in: beef, broccoli, chinese, chinese take out, oyster sauce, quarantine cooking, soy sauce

Anyone else think that they could live on takeout? I definitely feel like I can because give me ALL the Chinese food. When I was a kid, my favorite food days were the days that my mom was too tired to cook. We’d order delivery and there would always always be some sort of chow mein dish. It’s funny because even though we are Chinese and my mom makes perfectly delicious chow mein, there’s something about delivery chow mein that is so much better.

10 ingredients or less easy recipe recipes salad sides Vegetarian Recipes

I Am... Burrata and Kale

May 29, 2019 • Leave a comment • Posted in: burrata, kale, salad, side dish, summer, tomatoes

If you’re looking for a quick and easy snack that still has a bit of luxury, look no further than burrata and kale. Burrata is everywhere these days and I’m still obsessed with its creamy, luscious, soft curds. It’s always burrata season!

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I Am... Chicken Katsu Sando: Crispy Japanese Chicken Sandwich Recipe

May 29, 2019 • 1 comment • Posted in: chicken, Japanese, katsu, panko, sandwich

Shatteringly crispy panko crusted katsu-style chicken cutlets with kewpie mayo and karashi mustard between two slices of fluffy white Japanese milk bread.

10 ingredients or less chicken recipes dinner dinner & chill easy meat

I Am... The Easiest 8 Ingredient Oven Broiled Tandoori Chicken Recipe

May 28, 2019 • 2 comments • Posted in: chicken, indian, tandoori chicken

Next to Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken is probably the best known Indian chicken recipe. This is a super easy, super delicious, and just really pretty oven grilled chicken recipe that can also be grilled over charcoal if you have that handy. Spicy, fragrant perfectly cooked chicken served with a quick two ingredient kind-of raita. We polished these off in nothing flat with a side salad. So, so good. Cooking Notes Garam Masala is a generic Indian spice blend. Properly in India everyone makes their own and they are often family secrets. Here in the west it’s probably easier just to try to buy a quality garam masala, like Simply Organic's Garam Masala. Garam masala includes pretty much all the traditional Indian spices. Why the other spices then? Like store bought chili powder, because garam masala is generic, it’s often not tuned to your specific dish, and the spices are often not as strong and fresh as they could be. In this case, I wanted more cumin and coriander flavor, and also wanted the chicken prettier, so added turmeric too (which has loads of health benefits, besides being pretty). Although this is dinner and chill, crushing your own coriander is still a great idea. Whole coriander keeps longer in your pantry, and the difference is like freshly crushed pepper vs ground pepper. There’s no contest, it’s not even the same spice. On the other hand, crushing cumin is a major pain , and fresh turmeric stains everything you own, so stick with the ground versions of these spices. Buy small amounts and seal tightly. Dry roasting the spices blooms them and opens up their flavors. You can really smell the difference after just a minute. Be sure to turn on your hood vent for this step. Lastly, traditionally tandoori chicken is colored red from either red food coloring or kashmiri chili, neither of which are dinner and chill style ingredients, but feel free to use these if you have them. What do you need? A baking sheet with a rack that fits, and an oven. How do you serve it? We served ours simply, with a two ingredient raita made of the remaining yogurt and equal parts chopped cilantro. You can also serve with naan, basmati rice, or go really nuts and have an Indian feast with biryani, daal, and butter chicken meatballs.

The Dinner & Chill Super Easy 8 Ingredient Tandoori Chicken Recipe Serves 2 Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Total time: 1 hour

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp coriander (preferably fresh crushed)

1 tsp tumeric

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 tsp Indian chili powder or cayenne powder (very optional)

1/2 tub (8oz) yogurt (preferably Greek)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2” ginger, crushed

1lb chicken drumsticks

1. Season your chicken with salt and pepper. 2. Toast your spices in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant (1 min) 3. Combine with yogurt, ginger, and garlic, and marinate chicken for a minimum of 30 minutes. 4. Preheat your oven to 500ºF. Brush off as much marinade as possible and place chicken on a rack over a foil lined baking sheet. 5. Broil your chicken for 15 minutes, checking back every few minutes to ensure your chicken isn’t burning. 6. Flip the chicken and broil 15 minutes on the other side, or until chicken hits 155ºF in the center. 7. Serve immediately.