There's a Shrimp Version, Too
Summer rolls, spring rolls, fresh rolls, whatever you call them, they're delish. Trader Joe's Spring Rolls come in two varieties: tofu and shrimp. But because I was a little leery about shrimp, I went with the tofu version. Two to a package for $5.49, they come with a cashew dipping…
Green Beans with Sesame-Miso Vinaigrette is the summer variation of an asparagus recipe I make every spring. While you do have to boil water to blanch the green beans, you won't be heating up the house for long. Served chilled, this green bean salad is just what you need for the dog days of summer…
73 Years After Internment, Japanese-Americans Still Aren't Being Given Credit Where Credit is Due
It's hard to imagine getting angry over tofu. But that’s where I found myself over the last week. The 76th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 fell on February 19. Each anniversary renews a complicated mix of anger, fear…
The main attraction for tacos is the filling.
And when it comes to fillings, it pays to be equal opportunity. Who doesn’t love a good carnitas taco with a little onion, cilantro and green salsa? Grilled chicken with a little pico or al pastor with grilled pineapple and green onion. I’m good with all of it. Gringo tacos with ground beef and Alton Brown’s Taco Potion #19? It’s in regular rotation. Even a vegetarian version with lentils and whizzed up cauliflower, yeah, why not? Where I draw the line, and this might surprise you, is at tofu.
Growing up not far from Little Saigon, pho shops all had numbers -- Pho 79, Pho 84, but somewhere along the line pho went mainstream and so did the names of the shops. So let's get the jokes and gimmicky names out of the way upfront.
"What the Pho?" -- Kids in my class were using this one as far back as junior high -- in the late '80s. Now, it's a noodle shop in Bellevue, WA.
"9-0-2-1-Pho" -- This is real. And yes, it's in Beverly Hills.
"Jenny Pho" -- Also real. In Issaquah, WA.
And of course, the king of all Pho shops...well, there's an, um, king and he don't serve burgers.
Creating a good pho broth takes hours, but there's no reason you can't do it. Put aside your worries about leaving a pot simmering on the stove unattended overnight, because you can make a good traditional pho broth in the slow cooker. I never would have thought of it, and then a lightbulb flicked on over my head when I saw the recipe on Serious Eats.
Last weekend, I finished reading Matthew Amster-Burton's Pretty Good Number One, a travelogue slash memoir slash love letter to Japanese food. Funded by a Kickstarter campaign, it's a book I'm sad to say I missed getting on board with, but I've now done my part by putting down $4.99 on Amazon. More on the book…
I’m half Japanese, so tofu has been part of my diet from the get-go. But it was walled off in savory recipes – stir fries, doused with shoyu and green onions, bobbing around in miso soup. Never in sweets. Never. When tofu ice creams came on the scene, I wrinkled my nose. I could eat dairy no problem, why would I eat tofu ice cream? Fast forward to this past November, when I went in for a blood test and came out with slightly elevated cholesterol levels. I wasn’t in the danger zone, but it sure gets you thinking about what you’re eating, especially when you thought you were doing pretty well. It’s gotten me to consider things I never would have before, like this lemon pudding with coconut oat crumble.
Tofu, love it or hate it, is a blank canvas for flavor. I hear you snickering over there, "Blank canvas for flavor. That stuff is BLAND." On it own, plain, it is bland, no doubt. But maybe that's why Asian cultures have been dousing it for centuries in miso, soy sauce, ginger garlic sauce, red…
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