As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we had a dessert after our hot pot party that was from a popular show in China. The show, Wo Ju (??), reflects the current pricey housing market in China. One of the main characters, a middle-aged (and married) city mayor’s secretary, chases and woos a newly college graduated young woman (her sister is the one that needs money to buy a house). On one of their secret dates, he takes her to a private restaurant and the chefs prepare a very large tasting for her. Near the end of the meal, the chefs bring out the stuffed lotus root in honey syrup; she was so full by the time this dish was presented that she initially said she couldn’t eat anymore. However, the mayor’s secretary encourages her to try a bite. She liked the dish so much that she was lamenting (and kind of whining) that she wished this was the first dish presented so she could’ve eaten more of it.
Right now, this dish is a big sensation in China – it’s served after almost every meal at fancy restaurants and meals aren’t considered complete without it.
Stuffed Lotus root in honey syrup is actually very easy to make – my mom’s friend’s family owns a couple of large hotels in China and their chefs used to prepare this when he was growing up and showed her how to make it.
Stuffed Lotus Root in Honey Syrup
Ingredients
2 Lotus Roots (pick firm and large ones)
1 cup glutinous rice
5 cups water
Honey
Lotus roots are a popular vegetable in Asia – there are a lot of different ways to prepare this healthy and fiberous dish. We usually cut up lotus root and put them in soups, or slice them into thin, potato-chip like slices and stir-fry them with meat and vegetables. The reason you want to pick a firm and large lotus root for stuffing them is because the holes will be larger, meaning it will be easier to fill them with sticky (or glutinous) rice. Here is what lotus root looks like:
Step zero would be to soak the glutinous in rice for a couple of hours (or overnight) to soften it and reduce the cooking time.
Next, cut a little lid for the lotus root so you can reassemble the root once it’s been filled with rice:
Scoop up handfuls of rice and start stuffing the lotus root (we used chopsticks to help the rice get in the holes):
Fill the rice to the top of the opening:
Reassemble the lotus root by placing the lid back on the lotus root and closing it with toothpicks:
Place the lotus root in hot water to cook the lotus root and rice (you can also add honey and sugar to the water to sweeten the dish, but we decided against it since I don’t like super sugary desserts):
Cook the lotus root on low to medium fire – the slow cooking will cook the lotus root in about an hour (it will also change from light brown to dark brown):
Slice the stuffed lotus root:
And drizzle with honey:
The dessert was sweet and had different textures from the very sticky rice and the slightly crunchy lotus root. I can see why it’s such a popular dessert in China!
I’ve written about hot pots before, but one of the easiest parties you can throw – there’s very little prep work, it involves lots of guest interaction, and you’re guaranteed a good meal! For this hot pot, my mom went to Chinatown, picked up a ton of thinly sliced meat (pork, beef, and lamb), mushrooms (enoki!), fish balls, taro, turnips, and nian gao (whole wheat). The entire dinner didn’t take very long to set up (all you need to do is wash the vegetables and cut up the larger veggies):
We also celebrated Ariel’s birthday – our friend Laura brought a three-layer cake:
Top layer: chocolate ganache, middle layer: chocolate mousse, bottom layer: cheesecake. I can see this cake being on This Is Why You’re Fat.
Happy birthday, Ariel! I hope you had fun at your hot pot party.
Tomorrow, I’ll post the recipe and story behind the lotus root dish in the first picture – it’s a sweet dish that my mom made – more tomorrow!
A couple of weeks ago, La Tortilla Factory sent me a bunch of their tortilla samples to try. They have low-carbohydrate tortilla wraps for those on the Atkins diet, 100-calorie tortillas, and corn tortillas. They’re all really great, but for this quick and easy weeknight dinner, I used the corn tortillas (yellow corn and chipotle). This is a great recipe, especially if you have leftover tortillas that are a little stale. Actually, the stir fry is better if the tortillas are stale (that way, they don’t fall apart when you cook the strips of tortilla with all of the vegetables).
Vegetable, Pork, and Tortilla Stir Fry
Ingredients
1 pound pork
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon corn starch
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1 yellow onion
1 – 2 red peppers
1 – 2 King mushrooms
Frozen peas
1 – 2 pieces of bean curd
2 bags of La Tortilla Corn tortillas (I used yellow corn and chipotle)
Salt and pepper to taste
First, cut up the bean curd:
Then slice the king mushroom into a similar size as the bean curd:
And then slice the red peppers into a similar size as the other two veggies:
And slice up the onion for the stir fry:
Place all of the veggies in a basket and set aside:
With the veggies set aside, slice up the pork into bite sized pieces:
Season the pork with onion powder and soy sauce:
Then add the cornstarch to the pork:
Stir until the soy sauce incorporates the cornstarch and onion powder and then place the pork into a pan (large enough for all of the ingredients):
Thoroughly cook the pork and set aside in a bowl (don’t use the same one you had raw pork in!)
In the pan that was used to cook the pork, add the onions and bean curd:
Then add the rest of the veggies (red peppers and king mushrooms):
And finally, the green peas:
As the vegetables are cooking, start slicing up the tortilla:
The chipotle tortillas have a spicy kick that taste really great with the vegetables. Also, you don’t have to use any of the vegetables I used – that’s what’s so great about this dish – you can use anything in your fridge!
The sliced tortillas:
After the veggies have been slightly cooked, add in your tortilla:
And then add in the cooked pork:
Stir all of the ingredients and make sure the tortilla is heated through. The finished product:
Yum! The dish is quite healthy – it’s packed with veggies and protein and has just the right amount of carbohydrates to make this a complete meal. You can add your own twist by adding different spices or vegetables – the possibilities are endless!
Cost Breakdown:
1 pound pork – $3.49
1 tablespoon soy sauce – free
1/2 tablespoon corn starch – free
1/2 tablespoon onion powder – free
1 yellow onion – $0.50
1 – 2 red peppers – $1.09
1 – 2 King mushrooms – $2.00
Frozen peas – $1.50
1 – 2 pieces of bean curd – $0.50
2 bags of La Tortilla Corn tortillas (I used yellow corn and chipotle) – free (provided by La Tortilla)
Salt and pepper to taste – free
Total: $9.08 – feeds 6 – so you can definitely use less veggies!
On my last day of work at RecycleBank, a couple of friends and I headed to Isle for lunch. It was also Soren’s last day as well (you might remember him the post where we made ice cream at work) and we went to lunch with the developers we’ve worked with (Vadim, Dorren, and Matt). Vadim suggested we try Isle, the Thai restaurant on Bleecker near our office, because he said the food was good and they have a lunch special.
For lunch, Isle’s lunch special includes a free appetizer with the main course of your choice. For my appetizer, I chose the green papaya salad:
I love green papaya but the sauce that came drizzled all over the thinly shredded papaya and carrots tasted like aspartame (fake sugar). It wasn’t a total loss considering it was free, but I didn’t like the lime/sugar dressing.
Soren ordered the chicken and shrimp fritters:
I didn’t have a chance to try them, but Matt also ordered them and neither of them complained (although when I go out to eat with people, they usually don’t complain about anything they eat!)
Dorren ordered the summer rolls:
The summer rolls were vegetarian and had a tamarind sauce on the side. Dorren didn’t complain, but I think he was hesitant to go to Isle in the first place.
Vadim ordered the steamed chicken and shrimp dumplings:
Similar to the fritters, but the dumplings are steamed, not fried. No complaints from Vadim, either.
When we were placing our orders, I asked everyone to order something different so we could have more variety on the table (more like so I could eat off everyone’s plate). Vadim, Dorren, and Matt go to Isle a lot, so they already knew what was worth ordering. Vadim, Soren, and Matt ended up ordering the Basil udon noodles with chicken and shrimp:
I ate the majority of Soren’s (and Matt’s) because they both weren’t that hungry (we had lunch around 2:30). The dish was actually pretty decent, especially for a lunch special.
Based off Dorren and Vadim’s suggestion, I ordered the Spicy basil fish:
The dish is similar to what you’d find in a Chinese take out restaurant (thinking back, I should have gone against their suggestion and tried the curry). The only basil I detected was actually the garnish, otherwise, the dish did not stand out (and there was barely any fish!)
Dorren ordered a similar dish, the pla kathem:
Dorren’s dish had different vegetables (mine only came with broccoli and large pieces of onion).
The restaurant delivered our food at very different times; my food came out 10 minutes before anyone else’s and everyone had to sit and watch me eat (usually, I would wait until everyone’s food arrived at the table, but seriously, I was starving). Also, the restaurant smells like crayons – I noticed when we walked into the restaurant and Soren eventually noticed it as well. Isle has a good deal for lunch, but there are so many other restaurants in the area that I don’t think I’d return.
Last week, as I was writing my Lure Fishbar post, I realized that I have eaten a lot of lobster rolls in New York. Before I moved to New York, I’d never even heard of a lobster roll and now it’s one of my favorite things to eat! Here’s my list of my favorite lobster rolls in the city – let me know your opinion of New York’s best lobster roll in the comments!
The amount of mayonnaise in this lobster roll might look a little off-putting, but it really adds to the overall sweetness of the lobster. The bun is always perfectly toasted and there are always so many chunks of sweet, tender lobster falling off the bun that I have a hard time keeping my hands clean while devouring my favorite New York lobster roll!
2. Mary’s Fish Camp – market price (around $26 the last time I went)
The lobster roll at Mary’s is similar to the goodness found at Pearl’s, BUT, Mary’s adds large chunks of celery to their lobster. The roll seems a lot smaller than the ones at Pearl (however, I’ve read that Mary’s weighs each individual lobster roll to insure they all have the same amount of meat).
Luke brought his take on lobster rolls into the East Village last year and his neighbors are definitely thanking him for it. I love Luke’s because the lobster really shines – just a little mayo, some celery salt, and a toasted buttery bun. I tend to lean towards the mayo-packed rolls, but I’m definitely a big fan of Luke’s lobster roll.
Lure’s lobster roll puts the lobster front and center; the lobster barely has any mayonnaise and is very lightly seasoned. Large chunks of lobster fill this seemingly extra-large roll – the most expensive roll on my list, but definitely a once-in-a-while treat worth ordering.
5. Ed’s Lobster Bar – market price (around $27 the last time I went)
I gave Ed’s lobster Bar a really hard time the first time I went (see here). I even vowed to never return. But, I returned (three years later) and discovered that their lobster roll wasn’t all that bad. The first time I went, the lobster was definitely stringy and didn’t have large chunks of meat, but my past visit had me pleasantly surprised. However, after running for three years, they still don’t have their demand/supply figured out – on the night we went to Ed’s, they ran out of three items on their 7 item menu.
Mermaid Inn has more of a lobster sandwich than a lobster roll. Pros: lots of fries. Cons: not a lot of lobster. The lobster roll lacked any large chunks of lobster and there was definitely too much bun getting in the way of the little pieces of lobster that we did have.
Ditch Plains’ lobster roll is right up there in price with Pearl’s and Mary’s, but adds fillers like onions and celery so they don’t have to add as much lobster to the roll. The lobster isn’t the major ingredient in this lobster roll – they should rename is an veggie roll with a side of lobster.
So, what are your thoughts regarding my list of my favorite lobster rolls in New York? I’m sure I’ve missed some/haven’t visited all of the lobster roll restaurants in the city, so definitely let me know what you think is the best lobster roll in New York!
