Eggs and halloumi

Egg, asparagus, and fried halloumi (looks like a slab of tofu).  I didn't do too well frying the egg.

Flat noodleees!

Veggie-tofu stir fried flat noodles.... with a fried egg!

Lunch: Tomatoes 'n Eggs

Tomatoes, onions, and eggs. Very good with rice, and nothing complicated.

Challah French Toast Waffles

What to do when you really want a waffles for brunch, but also really want to make french toast, because you have Challah bread? Well, if there are lots of people around, I'd make both (to eat both) because I'm a little piggy. But since it's just my sister and I, I made challah french toast in a waffle machine. It turned out really good too!


I gave the french toast extra flavor by adding the zest of an orange and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. For the sauce, there wasn't any maple syrup in the house (not a fan of it much anyway) so I made some dulce de leche to drizzle on top. You can buy it in a jar, or just slowly cook it on the stove. It is very simple.

The orange zest added a taste of freshness to the french toast. I think I made a bit too much dulce de leche though. There is still too much left in the fridge currently, and I may need to turn that into dulce de leche cupcakes... ^_^

Soaked challah, with flecks of orange zest, ready for waffling!

The challah bread I used was simply a knotted challah bread bun from TJ's. I split it in half, so that each piece is about 1/2 inch think. It's the right thinkness to make french toast waffles.

This is just a technique post, so I don't think there's a need for a recipe. You can flavor the french toast anyway you want. With chili flakes, stuffed with cheese, encrusted with herbs, cinnamon-banana, different bread, etc. Limitless. I know I'll be having fun with the waffle machine.

P.S. Thanks again Kiwi, for the waffle machine. :)

Lunch: Vietnamese Quiche and Buttercup Soup

Vietnamese steamed quiche with minced pork.

I made this to have with a crab and tomato noodle soup. Some people eat it with rice. Vietnamese quiche are not as heavy as American or French, filled with lots of cheese. This one was just mixed with pork, but I can also make it with mushrooms! I used to loooove putting in shrimp paste, which would make the house smell for hours! Not anymore.. ^-^

Buttercup soup with tofu and Vietnamese rice paddy herb.

The herb's flavor is really complex and hard to describe. But it adds a depth to soups, especially Vietnamese spicy and sour fish soup. You can find this herb easily in Vietnamese groceries, and even Chinese supermarkets too. Just remember to use them fresh.

Braised Pork, Pork Belly, More Pork, and Eggs

Another go at the braised pork in coconut juice for dinner! Well, it's been a while since I made this again. Partly, because I've been busy and lazy. You have to simmer for a very long time for the flavors to come together, and the meat to be very tender. The pork is braised in coconut juice with spices like star anise, chinese five spice powder, garlic, and ginger. The eggs go in the pot towards the end, and will take on a caramelized color. You eat this with rice and a crisp salad (lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and mints).

Too Cheesy??

The Spicy 'Chi Heart Pizza- Kimchi Pizza!

Heart shaped is kinda cheesy, but I liked it! I've read a lot on the internet, and apparently, a great combination is pepperoni and kimchi on pizza. Pork goes with everything! :-(

Instead of kimchi alone, I put some crispy veggie ham and sauteed onions to give the pizza more flavor. The sauce is mixture of several different HOT hot sauces and some tomato sauce. However, thinking it over the next day, I thought it might be good to have some pickles on it. Weird, but it needs a sour or salty taste to go along with the spiciness. And some more herbs too. A kimchi pizza do over is in order, I guess!

Breakfast Egg Pizza

Second pizza that night- runny eggs, red bell peppers, chile flakes, corn, cheese, and green onions.

This is my favorite out of the two! Maybe it could use some more eggs. Maybe the kimchi pizza could have used an egg or two, too.^o^

Quail Egg Noodle Soup

There wasn't anything much going on this weekend, except some noodle soup for me. Ah! I forgot about the hot sauce until halfway chowing down.

I made this soup with a vegetable broth consisting of carrots, chayote, charred onions+ginger, and mushrooms. Other ingredients along with the vermecilli were quail eggs (which I love!) fried tofu, vegetarian ham, bean curd, and enoki mushrooms.

I'd actually love some snow mushrooms in this soup too, and maybe make an omlette to put in the noodle. I was lazy and hungry. :(

Congee..!

With thousand year old eggs.

I like to fry up some scallions and ginger too, to mix into the congee. Add some soy sauce/fish sauce, sesame oil, and chili flakes. yummee!

Some people like congee loose and liquidy, but I prefer to have it thick and creamy (from the rice starches). One of my favorite things to eat on a cold day.

If you eat meat, you can saute some minced pork with garlic and add it into the congee. That would make it heartier.

Spicy Scrambled Eggs w/ Roti

Recently, I came across a blog that mentioned a recipe by Nigella Lawson. It was a recipe about spicy scrambled eggs with fried corn tortilla strips.

I thought that is a great idea to get some textural contrast and bring something new to scrambled eggs or an omelette. You can make it more of a meal with some beans or something too. Well, I like the idea, but would never have tortillas on hand around the house.

What I do happened to have, is some homemade spicy spinach roti. Rotis... tortillas... they're kind of similar. After frying up some strips of roti (until they're crunchy), simply add them into some eggs, onions, and chilies.

And these are some good eggs! I had them with whole wheat sourdough toasts, but you can make a sandwich of any kind. Maybe wrap them up in some roti- and have a fried roti in eggs, in a roti wrap? Mmm hehe ^-^

Braised Pork Shank + Pork Belly in Coconut Juice and Eggs

This is one of the classic dish of Vietnam. It is called Thịt Heo Kho Tàu. Because the shank is a tough cut of meat, it was braised for a while and this will bring all the flavor together. This is also a dish you'd serve during the Vietnamese New Year.

Pork was marinated with five spice powder, garlic, salt+sugar, pepper, dark soy sauce and fish sauce. After marinating, it was cooked in half coconut juice and half water, with a tiny bit of star anise. And of course you gotta throw in some chilies too! When reheating again the next day, it is still as good, if not better from the extra marination. It is a very hearty dish.

Cook the meats slowly until almost tender and add in boiled eggs. The sauce will flavor the eggs too, and give it a nice caramel color.

Remember to spoon some of that sauce over your bowl of rice, and enjoy! Eat with refreshing slices of cucumbers, mints, lettuce too.

This is a high in cholesterol dish from the pork fat, but screw it. This is not something you'd have every day. Or you can do what I did when I was younger, just eat the meat part and leave the fat for someone else. ^-^ The sauce is good enough!

MMmmm Eggs...

This is not cooking-
But I LOVE a good soft boiled egg and I LOVE having a runny yolk.

Eat it simply with salt and pepper, or enjoy with some wilted spinach.

Sadly, 2 eggs per week is the limit, right? That's the recommended intake?