A Page from Roy Choi's Book

If you're a foodie, chances are you've heard of Roy Choi or the Kogi Truck. No? How about Korean short rib taco? Or Napa cabbage and romaine slaw dressed in soy-chili vinaigrette? Got it?
That's Roy Choi, the guy who made okay to put bulgogi in a taco and kimchi in a cheese quesadilla. 

I don't remember having actually tasted the creations from his mobile fleet, but I figured the culinary crossroad between Korean and Mexican food should be pretty tasty. After all, I like cheese, I salivate at the thought of Korean BBQ, and my growing appreciation for kimchi has nudged me to put it in anything from fried rice to omelets. Taking a page from Roy's book, I improvised with char siu (Chinese barbecued pork) and continued my exploration with kimchi in this East meets West creation.

You'll notice that this recipe yields many slices. The amount is perfect if you're serving them as hor d'oeuvres at a party. Otherwise be prepared to have leftovers... not like that's something to complain about.

Farm to Table: Spaghetti alla Cinese

Worthy of a magazine cover...
photo by eating partner, Delwin L. 

Legend has it that 13th Century traveler Marco Polo brought back what is now known as pasta from his travel to China. Whether that's a true story or a mere sensationalized tale, pasta is popular outside of just Italy. Spaghetti alla Cinese, or Chinese Spaghetti, is a homage to the legendary Chinese influence on these noodles. It marries whole wheat spaghetti with modernized Chinese flavors using sweet soy sauce, spring onion, and Japanese mustard. The result is a light yet satisfying meal appeals to the eyes and palate alike.

Freshly picked produce from the farmers market lend bright flavors to this dish. But feel free to substitute any of the veggies with whatever's available at the market. Julienned bok choy will work well when squash isn't available, and bean sprouts will be just fine in place of pea sprouts.This version is vegan-friendly but grilled chicken or shrimp may be added to nudge meat-lovers to try this dish.

Beating the Summer Heat

Doing real cooking in the summer is no fun. The stove just adds to the permeating heat that's already trapped inside the house. And attempting to do anything with the oven will just result in dripping sweat.

Singapore Eats

To travel is to experience a culture through food.

As much as I don't care for the daily sudden thunderstorms and tropical heat/humidity (my fight against frizz was an utter failure), Singapore has some of the most flavorful and memorable cuisine on this planet.

A get-together with good friends and good food is one of the best ways to reminisce and share the nostalgia.

Kumquat Nectar

The wintry season came and is on its way out (but you can never know for sure with these erratic weather mood swings these days). Even though the days were cold and sometimes bleak, the season brought with it a cornucopia of citrus- oranges of all kinds, mandarins, tangerines, and little golden jewels called kumquats.

Meatless Monday: Curry Hummus

Inspired by the amazing curry garbanzo dip at San Francisco's Firefly, I attempted my own version on this Meatless Monday.

3 ingredients: organic canned garbanzo beans, curry simmer sauce, and cilantro. Nothing more and nothing less. Key is blanching garbanzo beans to get rid of the slime and canned taste. Also, cilantro should be washed and dried with paper towel so the dip won't become watery.

Another creation using only TJs products.

Product Props: Trader Joe's Masala Lentil Dip

It has been a while since I've come across a food product that I really love and can give props to. But Trader Joe's (no surprise) has captured my palate again with their new Masala Lentil Dip. 

Taking a spin on Middle Eastern hummus, this dip uses lentils as the base instead of garbanzo beans. Also, it steps away from traditional Mediterranean flavors by using Indian masala spices. 

The serving size is about 2 tablespoons for this Indian-inspired dip so it's easy to overindulge and end up eating half the container before you know it. But for its nutritional content, this lentil dip is low in calories and fat and is a good source of fiber and some lean protein. The only thing to be concerned about is the amount of sodium, especially if I have 3 or 4 servings at one sitting. 

The most scrumptious way I've eaten this lentil dip is with toasted whole wheat pita triangles. They make for a delicious light lunch or an extraordinary party food.

Each 7 oz. container sells for $1.99- no doubt a tasty bargain. 

LA Street FOODIE Fest!

As LA Street Food Fest came to an end on Saturday night, my foodie half and I were content with the exorbitant amount of food in our tummies and the bursts of flavors rendered in our mouths. Thank goodness for stretchy pants! They totally facilitated my penguin-esque waddling back to the car.

From the 23 or so stalls we visited, here are our top-picks:

Most Healing Foodie-licious:

Tied between The Vegan Joint and The Gastrobus
Healing Foodie is all about clean, fresh foods that embrace the Earth without compromising flavor. The Vegan Joint put forth a most savory tofu pad thai while The Gastrobus just wowed us all evening with their use of organic ingredients- plum and cucumber salad, popcorn topped ceviche, and a one-bite wonder called coconut and pineapple dulce de tres leche. Someone please pass me the drool bucket.

Funnest to stand in line for:

Starry Kitchen
Owner Nguyen dressed as Mr. Banana Dude and chatted up with everyone in line. He also told everyone to enjoy the crispy tofu balls in their mouths. 'Nuff said.

Best Asian flavor:

Manila Machine
Pork belly and pineapple adobo transported us out of LA into the streets of the Philippines. While we were on a flavor trip, one bite of the super crispy lumpiang shanghai shook us back to reality.

Most generous portion:
Maggie's Fritatas
Not sure if we got THREE fritatas along with a shot of Andalusian-style tomato Gazpacho because we were there early. Either way, 3 cupcake sized 'tatas were more than enough to satisfy our tastebuds and tummy! YUM!

Biggest fiesta-in-my-mouth:
Chef Danhi's Southeast Asian Flavors- Explosive Thai Bites
True to Chef Danhi's word, the flavors in these bite-sized morsels were truly explosive. Not really sure what was inside the leaves, but my palate registered the clean and crisp leaves then a pang! from the intense sauce followed by some crunch and ended with a puckering element. Yup, pretty sure that's how an explosion feels like.   

Hella clean culinary skills:

Monsieur Egg
Perfect poached eggs are hard to make to begin with. Add 5000 eager-for-food attendees and a make-shift aluminum party tray stove. That is some mad skills.

Most bomb-diggity dessert:
Tied between Coolhaus and Sweet Lucie's
It's hard to beat Coolhaus's ice cream sandwiches with flavors like strawberry with candied jalapeño and dirty mint chip. But somehow Sweet Lucie's whipped up some delectable palate-cleansing mint lemonade sorbet that can sure rival unusual exotic flavors any day!

Visit lastreetfoodfest to get the latest and greatest on the next foodie event! 

Will the Real Korean BBQ Please Stand Up

The majority of Korean BBQs here in the States conjure up a very "beefy" picture- marinated beef of all cuts with pork in equal or slightly smaller proportions. And perhaps some sort of seafood if the eatery offers them on its menu. Of course, AYCE (all you can eat) Korean BBQs have gained momentum as more meat-loving customers are demanding... well, more meat.

Reality and my naive understanding of Korean food collided on a trip to South Korea last year. During my 5-day stay, I only had 0.5 servings of beef- if that at all. A day or two into the trip, the tour guide explained that seafood, along with pork, are the predominant animal protein in the country. The hilly terrain makes it difficult to raise cattle so it has never been a big part of the Korean diet. Also, a little known fact is that Korea once imported much of its beef from the U.S., and the largest current beef supplier to the country is Australia. A strong currency, high import duties, and the continued ban on U.S. beef have combined to create record beef prices. 

So how did Korean BBQ get so distorted from one side of the Pacific to the other? 

The abundance of beef in Korean BBQ is as Korean as Orange Chicken in Chinese cuisine. While it's delicious, it's absolutely untraditional and a spoof to the culture. It's time to bring back some authenticity to the cuisine so everyone can experience the brilliance of real Korean food.

Pictured above (clockwise from top left): 
Assorted veggies and meat hot pot, samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), pork 2-ways (shabu shabu and grilled), fresh sashimi, pork and squid cabbage shabu shabu, pork samgyeopsal (unseasoned pork grilled at table), kimchi dumplings with chicken "yakisoba" and rice dish.