It’s taken me a while, but here is another Asian stir-fry recipe I have cooked in my beloved wok. Basically nothing fancy, just simple and delicious Thai comfort meal – Pad See-Ee. This dish is made with flat rice noodles, stir fried thinly sliced meat, vegetables and main ingredient – high-quality soy sauce. Nothing complicated. Anyway, my recipe is a bit different from the traditional one, because I’ve added more different vegetables on my taste, as I really like stir fry veggies. Can tell you, the Pad See-Ew came out very delicious. Eventually, cooking without experiments is so boring!

Pad See-Ew

By voloshyna, February 13, 2014

• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• light soy sauce - 1/2 cup
• oyster sauce - 2 tablespoons
• brown sugar - 2 tablespoons
• peanut or vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons
• Chinese broccoli florets (or substitute regular broccoli) - 1 cup
• wood ear mushrooms - 1/2 cup, sliced
• bok choy - 2, halved (optional)
• chicken breast - 8 oz, cubed
• ginger - 1 tablespoon, minced
• garlic - 3 cloves, minced
• eggs - 2, lightly beaten
• flat and wide rice noodles - 1 lb if fresh, 8 oz if dry (blanched)
• scallion - 1/4 cup, chopped (for garnish)
• sesame seeds - 1 tablespoon, (for garnish)

Instructions:

In a small bowl mix together the soy sauces, oyster sauce and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the wok and stir-fry broccoli, boo choy and mushrooms until just tender and crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside. In the same wok, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken cubes and stir-fry until they begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, continue to cook another minute. Pour the eggs to the wok and cook until they set, stir to mix with the chicken. Toss in the blanched rice noodles and the pre-cooked vegetables. Cook about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture and stir until all the ingredients are well-coated. Transfer to a serving platter; garnish with scallion and sesame seeds.

This may be a bit strange, but I was inspired to cook this dish by one of the nastiest restaurant experiences of my life. My friend and I had recently decided to go for lunch to one of the oldest (about 25 years) Chinese restaurants in our city. I had heard many nice reviews about this place from my close friends, so I definitely didn’t expect any unpleasant surprises. Oh, I was so wrong! The food was incredibly awful, we were disappointed with every dish we ordered. The Teriyaki Beef was more like a cheap beef jerky, and the Mandarin Beef tasted like a deep fried wood. But the food was not the worst part. When we made an attempt to send the food back to the kitchen, the manager told us that they would not accept it. She was pretty rude and told us that even if we were in McDonald’s we could not have returned our cheeseburger or fries back to the kitchen. Except in McDonald’s I would pay $2 for the meal not $20!! They gave us 10% or 20% discount for Teriyaki beef, and that’s it! I will never ever return to this restaurant, even if they pay me to do so.

Long story short, that day I decided that I could cook any Chinese dish better than that restaurant in my own kitchen. I came home and I wrote a letter to Santa Clause (aka my husband Sasha), and asked him to bring me a huge wok for Christmas and he did! So that’s how my new culinary journey began! I’m in love with Asian cuisine and ready to experiment with it!

Kung Pao Chicken it’s the first dish I’ve cooked in my brand new wok and it’s really really delicious, so now you can expect more Asian recipes from me. I would be happy to hear which Asian dishes are your favorite!

By the way, here is a great food blog, for those like me, who new to Asian cuisine.

Kung Pao Chicken

By voloshyna, January 8, 2014

• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• For Marinade: -
• rice wine or dry sherry - 2 tealespoons
• soy sauce - 1 tablespoons
• sesame oil - 1 tablespoon
• cornstarch - 1 1/2 teaspoon
• For the sauce: -
• soy sauce - 2 tablespoons
• Chinese black vinegar, or good-quality balsamic vinegar - 1 tablespoon
• hoisin sauce - 1 teaspoon
• sesame oil - 1 tablespoon
• hot chile paste - 1 tablespoon or to taste
• brown sugar - 2 teaspoons
• cornstarch - 1 teaspoon
• Ingredients: -
• chicken breast (skinless, boneless) - 1 lb, cut into chunks
• peanut or vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons
• green onion - 2, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
• garlic - 2 cloves, minced
• freshly grated ginger - 1 teaspoon
• unsalted dry-roasted peanuts - 1/4 cup

Instructions:

To make the marinade, combine 1 tablespoon of rice wine or dry sherry, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until very hot. Bring the peanut oil to almost smoking temperature. Stir-fry the ginger, garlic and white part of the green onions for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry until a slightly  golden in color, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the sauce and mix to coat the all ingredients. Add the peanuts. Let simmer together until sauce thickens. Transfer to a platter and garnish with chopped green onion.

I love autumn and I love pumpkin! That’s why I’ve created this delicious dessert, try it and maybe it’ll become your new Thanksgiving special!

I took this wonderful recipe as a base for mine Pumpkin Caramel Ice cream.

Pumpkin Caramel Ice Cream

By voloshyna, October 31, 2013

Ingredients:

• whole milk - 1 1/4 cup
• heavy cream - 1 cup
• granulated sugar - 1/3 cup + 2 tabs of vanilla sugar
• ground cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon
• cinnamon stick - 1
• freshly-ground nutmeg - 1/4 teaspoon
• himalayan or kosher salt - 1/4 tespoon
• large egg yolks - 4
• brown sugar - 1/4 cup
• pumpkin puree - 3/4 cup
• homemade or store bought caramel - 1/2 cup, room temperature

Instructions:

Fill large bowl with an ice and a little bit of water, place a medium metal bowl inside it. Set a mesh strainer over the top. In a medium saucepan mix the milk, cream, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and salt. Bring almost to a boil. In a small bowl whisk he egg yolks; gradually whisk in about half of the warm spiced milk mixture, stirring constantly. Combine egg mixture with a remaining spiced milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens. If using a culinary thermometer, it should read between 160º-170ºF. Quickly pour the mixture through the strainer into the bowl nested in the ice bath. Mix with a brown sugar, stir until sugar dissolves. Set a site to cool. Then refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight. Stir in pumpkin pure Press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. As you transfer the ice cream to the storage container, drizzle in the caramel after every few scoopfuls.

Don’t settle for your standby chicken when your next cookout comes around. Try this easy, impressively flavorful chicken that will heat up your party with a hint of Caribbean warmth and spice. Pair it with fresh, succulent corn on the cob and a light fruit salad for a memorable, healthy meal. If you’ve never had jerk chicken before, you are in for a treat. Spicy sweet, this marinade combination gives you a flavor that’s like traditional barbecue sauce gone gourmet. Serve it over wild rice with a generous side of green vegetables and wait for onslaught of requests to share your amazing recipe.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

By voloshyna, July 9, 2013

• Total Time: 01h 40min
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook time: 01h 10min

Ingredients:

• ground cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon
• ground allspice - 1 1/2 teaspoons
• freshly black pepper - 1 1/2 teaspoons
• chopped jalapeno - 1 tablespoon
• crushed hot pepper flakes - 1 tablespoon
• dry oregano - 2 teaspoons
• dry thyme - 2 teaspoons
• salt - 1/4 teaspoon
• garlic - 6 cloves, finely chopped
• onion - 1 cup, pureed or finely chopped
• white vinegar - 1/4 cup
• brown sugar - 3 tablespoons
• chicken - 8 pieces, skinless (4 breasts, 4 drumsticks)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all ingredients except chicken in large bowl. Rub seasoning over chicken and marinate in refrigerator for 6 hours or longer. Evenly space chicken on nonstick or lightly greased baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an added 30–40 minutes or until the meat can be easily pulled away from the bone with a fork.

Roasted or braised Pork Knuckle it’s a traditional dish in German and Czech cuisines. Usually they serve it with a braised cabbage, roasted potato and of course with lots of beer. For me it was a real challenge to cook this huge 10 pounds pice of meat. It wasn’t actually a knuckle it was almost a half of the leg! But the result is totally worth the efforts!

At first you have to boil the knuckle in a big stock pot filled with beer, broth, vegetables and herbs. Specially for this incredible dish I bought giant 24 quart stock pot, but you can of course buy much smaller knuckle! 

Beer Braised Pork Knuckles with Honey-Mustard Glaze

By voloshyna, May 6, 2013

• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook time: 5 hr 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the boiling: -
• pork knuckle - 10 lb, the amount of the rest ingredients depends on the size of knuckle
• beer, good amber or dark ale - 80 oz, not Guinness or stout
• vegetable broth - 80 oz
• salt - to taste, about 3/4 cup or more
• black pepper - 2 tbsp
• bouquet garni -
• celery stalks - 5-6
• medium onion - 1, pilled
• medium carrots - 2, pilled
• medium bell peppers - 2, cut into 4 pieces
• parsnip - 1, pilled
• brown sugar - 1/4 cup
• unpiled garlic cloves - 5
• For the glaze: -
• Dijon mustard - 1 cup
• honey - 1/2 cup
• caraway seeds - 1 tbsp
• garlic - 3-4 cloves

Instructions:

Put the knuckle in a stock pot and fill with all the ingredients for boiling, season to taste with a salt. Bring to a boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat an cook for about 3 hours, of until the meat will become tender and a little bit separates from the bone. Preheat oven to 325F. Mix together all the ingredients for the glaze. Transfer the knuckle into a deep roasting pan add 2 cups of the liquid, that remains from the boiling. If you want, you can rub the meat with a salt. Brush the pork Roasted or braised Pork Knuckle it's a traditional dish in German and Check cuisines. Usually they serve it with a braised cabbage, roasted potato and of course with lots of beer. For me it was a real challenge to cook this huge 10 pounds pice of meat. It wasn't actually a knuckle it was almost a half of the leg! But the result is totally worth the efforts! knuckle with a half of the glaze and cover with a foil. Roast for 1 1/2 hour, until the meat is tender.  Then brush with a remaining glaze and minced garlic and roast uncovered on 375 F, for 20-25 minutes or until the skin of the meat is golden brown and crisp. Remove meat from the oven, cover with a foil and let to rest for about 20 minutes. Then serve and enjoy!

I would call this cake an Extra Apple Cake with chopped nuts and hint of honey, just like I love!  You can serve it as dessert or a breakfast coffee cake, everybody will like it.

Honey Apple Cake

By voloshyna, April 25, 2013

• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
• Cook time: 40-50 minutes

Ingredients:

• Granny Smith apples - 1 lb, pilled and cubed
• grated lemon zest - 1 tbsp
• lemon juice - 2 tbsp
• flour - 1 1/2 cup
• salt - 1/4 tsp
• baking powder - 1/2 tsp
• baking soda - 1/4 tsp
• eggs - 2
• brown sugar - 1/2 cup
• vegetable oil - 3 oz
• honey - 1/2 cup
• chopped walnuts - 3/4 cup
• confectioners sugar - 2 tbsp

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter an 8-inch springform pan. In a medium bowl mix together cubed apples, lemon juice and zest; set aside. In an other bowl sift flour with salt, baking soda and baking powder. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Slowly add the sugar while whisking; continue until the eggs become pale. Pour in the oil, whisk again. Add honey, and flour mix until combine. Then follow by the apples and half of the nuts, mix well. Pour the batter into the mold and sprinkle with a remaining nuts. Bake for about 40-50 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean; the cake may pull away from the sides of the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes. Carefully run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake and remove the sides of the springform pan. Allow the cake to cool until it is just slightly warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with a confectioners sugar.    

Very exotic pancakes recipe from Camille Le Fall. Your new must try recipe=)

Gones banana pancakes

By voloshyna, March 19, 2013

• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• all-purpose flour - 1 cup, packed
• baking powder - 1 tsp
• vanilla sugar or superfine sugar with a drop of vanilla extract - 1 tsp
• brown sugar - 1-2 tbsp or to taste
• egg - 1
• milk - 7 tablespoons
• coconut milk - 3/4 cup
• rum - 2 tsp
• melted butter - 2 tbsp
• bananas - 2 small
• Nutella - 7-8 tbsp
• grated coconut -

Instructions:

Mix the flour, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter and coconut milk. Stir in the rum.  Pour the liquid into the flour and beat until the batter is smooth.  Leave to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Peel bananas and slice into rounds. Cook the pancakes over medium heat, and as soon as the underside begins to brown, turn it with a spatula. Continue cooking until the other side is cooked and no longer sticks to the pan. Transfer the pancake on a plate. Cover with a layer of Nutella and sliced bananas, sprinkle with grated coconut. Serve immediately.

What could be better then a smell of freshly baked muffins in the kitchen?

You can never lose with this recipe!

Classic blueberry muffins

By voloshyna, February 20, 2013

• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
• Cook time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

• soft unsalted butter (room temperature) - 1/2 cup
• all-purpose flour - 2 cups
• white sugar - 1/2 cup
• brown sugar - 3/4 cup
• eggs - 2
• milk - 1/2 cup
• baking powder - 2 tsp
• salt - 1/2 ts
• fresh blueberries - 1 1/2 cups

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour muffin pan or better use paper cups for muffins. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Add milk and flour mixture. Beat until combined, be careful to not overbeat the batter. Stir in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

What about healthy and easy recipe for breakfast? Highly recommend this dish, when you don’t have much time for cooking. Just stuff the apples, put them in the oven and enjoy delicious meal in 30 min!

So simple!

Baked apple with cottage cheese and raisins

By voloshyna, February 11, 2013

• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

• large apples, Golden Delicious - 4
• drain cottage cheese - 8-9 tbsp.
• brown sugar - 3-4 tbsp.
• golden raisins - 1/4 cup
• chopped walnuts - 2-3 tbsp.
• honey - 4 tbsp.
• cinnamon - 1 tsp.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Put raisins in a small bowl, pour with a hot water. Let stand 15-20 min, or until they swelled. Core the apples to 1/2 inch of the bottom of the apples, you can do this with an apple corer or a small sharp knife. Use a spoon to dig out the seeds. Make the holes about 3/4-inch to an inch wide. In a small bowl mix drained cottage cheese, sugar, nuts and raisins. Place apples in a 8-inch-by-8-inch square baking pan. Stuff each apple with this mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon and topped with honey. Bake 30-35 minutes, until tender, but not mushy. Remove from the oven and baste the apples several times with the pan juices.

This recipe is for cinnamon addictive people like me. I’m sure you will love this super easy and incredibly smelling cinnamon bread! When I made it for the first time it was gone in a minute and this is the best compliment for a chef =)

Fill your kitchen with a smell of fresh bakery!

Serve!

Cinnamon wreath

By voloshyna, January 30, 2013

Ingredients:

• For the dough: -
• lukewarm milk - 1/2 cup
• active dry yeast - 1 envelop
• sugar - 1 tbsp
• all purpose flour - 2 cups
• salt - 1/2 tsp
• melted unsalted butter - 2 tbsp
• For the filling: -
• brown sugar - 5 tbsp
• cinnamon - 3 tsp
• melted unsalted butter - 1/4 cup

Instructions:

Mix the yeast and sugar with the lukewarm milk, stir with a plastic spoon and let it sit for 10 minutes.   In a bowl, mix flour, salt, egg, melted butter and yeast mixture. Kneading until you get smooth and elastic dough, shape it into a ball. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. When the dough has doubled, take it out and punch down to release all the bubble. Then let it rest for 5 min. Preheat oven to 390 F. In a small bowl mix together melted butter, cinnamon and sugar.  On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Spread the cinnamon filling across all of the dough. Reserve a small amount of filling for the top of the wreath. Roll up the dough, and using a knife, cut the log in half length-wise. Twist the two halves together, keeping the open layers exposed. Give a round shape, then transfer to a baking tray covered with a parchment paper. Brush reserved cinnamon mixture on top. Bake for about 20 min, or until golden brown. Transfer on a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with a confectioners sugar before serving.

Autumn – it is the best time for a pumpkin recipes. Here in US I became a huge fan of pumpkin soup and pumpkin bread. So today I would like to present you my newest discover – maple pumpkin squares.

Moisture pumpkin squares

By voloshyna, October 17, 2012

Ingredients:

• pumpkin pure - 1 cup
• eggs - 2
• vegetable oil - 1/2 cup
• water - 1/4 cup
• white sugar - 1 cup
• brown sugar - 1 cup
• all purpose flour - 3 1/2 cups
• baking powder - 1 tsp
• salt - 1/2 tsp
• dried cranberry - 1/2 cup
• ground cinnamon - 1 tsp
• ground ginger - 1/2 tsp
• ground nutmeg - 1/2 tsp
• hot water - 1/2 cup
• maple syrup - 1/2 cup
• orange zest - 2 strips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour 9х13 oblong pan. In a large, bowl combine the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended.  Then combine with the dry ingredients and cranberries, do not mix too thoroughly. Pour in the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Cake are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let your cake cool on a rack. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan combine water, maple syrup and orange zest, bring to a boil. Cook for a 3-5 min and let to cool. Then pour the syrup on your cake, leave for a 2-3 hours

Such cookies I ate recently at one restaurant in Los Angeles. That was the most delicious cookies I’ve ever tried. Of course I didn’t get a recipe, but by experiment, I found the ideal combination of ingredients. My cookies turned out just the same like in that restaurant. You will need only 30 min to cook it. Best to served this cookies with walnut ice cream or sweet cream dessert.

The best cookies with almond and caramel (in 30 min)

By voloshyna, July 26, 2012

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 15-18 minutes

Ingredients:

• softened unsalted butter - 3/4 cup
• brown sugar - 2/3 cup
• white sugar - 1/4 cup
• eggs - 1
• all-purpose flour - 2 cups
• almond extract - 1 tsp
• baking powder - 1 tsp.
• sea salt - 1/2 tsp.
• toffee chips - 1/2 cup
• sesame - 2-3 tbs.

Instructions:

Beat softened butter with the sugar, about 1 minute. Add egg and almond extract. Beat until the mixture becomes creamy. Mix flour with baking powder and sift into the creamy mass. With wooden spoon, knead the dough. Add salt and caramel, mix it again. Preheat oven to 180 C. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out a wooden spoon of the dough and place them on baking sheet 4" apart. Each cookie sprinkle with a pinch of sesame seeds on top. Bake for about 15-18 minutes. Transfer on a wire rack to cool.