recipe: general tso's cauliflower

taken from: PureWow

changes: 
- skipped the 5 small dried chiles, added some cracked red pepper
- skipped the 2 tbsp mirin (didn't have any, added 1 tbsp dry sherry)

ingredients list - cauliflower:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup neutral oil (peanut or vegetable)
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets 

ingredients list - sauce:
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 6 scallions, white part finely sliced, green part chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 5 small dried chiles (optional, i subbed some cracked red pepper)
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp mirin 
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- sesame seeds, for garnish

recipe: shrimp & pork wonton soup

taken from: allrecipes.com

changes: used spinach wontons wrappers & added some spinach to the broth. all other ingredients remain the same -- filling was perfection.

ingredients:

- 1/2 lb ground pork

- 2 oz peeled shrimp, finely chopped

- 1 tsp brown sugar

- 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine

- 1 tbsp light soy sauce

- 1 tsp finely chopped green onion

- 1 tsp chopped fresh ginger root

- 24 (3.5 inch square) wonton wrappers (i used a spinach wonton wrapper)

- 3 cups chicken stock

- 1/ cup finely chopped green onion

to make: 

in a large bowl, combine pork, shrimp, sugar, wine, soy sauce, 1 tsp chopped green onion and ginger. blend well, and let stand for 25-30 minutes.

place about 1 tsp of filling at the center of each wonton skin. moisten all 4 edges of wonton wrapper with water, then pull the top corner down to the bottom, folding the wrapper over the filling to make a triangle. press edges firmly to make a seal. continue until all wrappers are used. 

to make soup, bring the chicken stock to a boil. drop the wontons in, and cook for 5 minutes. garnish with chopped green onion, and serve. (i had also added spinach to mine)

PDX eats: Langbaan

Langbaan. there is nothing i can say about this place any better than what's already been said - a) i don't know Thai food well enough to even begin to describe what i ate, and 2) everyone agrees, it's GD delicious. after waiting i think 4 months after making my reso, i was so happy to find that it was worth the wait - i had a blast trying things on the tasting menu i've never had before (or would never normally order), and flavors i would never conceive of putting together. mouth party! 

we sat right up against the kitchen 
and were able to watch these uber-organized, calm prodigy chefs assemble these crazy dishes. almost as entertaining as it was yummy:

 

recipe: cheeseburger dumplings

these dumplings are pretty much the best damn thing i have made in my kitchen in... .... ... as long as i can remember. i've been on a big dumpling kick, with bags and bags of em in my freezer. after getting a little inebriated a few weeks back, i was struck with dreams of homemade cheeseburger dumplings, turkey cranberry dumplings, philly cheese, sausage & pepper dumplings, oreo cheesecake dumplings... the list goes on. i literally have a list on my phone of about 15 different dumplings that are haunting my dreams to this day.

first at bat in the kitchen was the cheeseburger variety, since i had a little burger meat in the freezer just begging for a good time. and cuz you know, cheeseburgers. after they were assembled (which was not too bad at all, no where near my scratch-made pierogi fiasco ), i fried a few up and threw the rest in the freezer. they were SO damn good. like amazingly delicious. like i can't wait to make about 50000 more dumplings. like when i open my slider and tini bar, it might just become a slider-dumpling-tini bar because i can't love them any harder. aaah. don't steal my idea. (c) 2014 that's my jam.

we served them with a little diy fry sauce (half ketchup, half mayo, touch of Sriracha), which seemed to be the just-right little fix for this asia-merican fusion delight.

ingredient list: (makes about 36 dumplings)
- 1/3 lb (roughly) lean ground beef
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1/2 cup red onion
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 green onion
- salt & pepper to taste
- 30 (or so) gyoza / dumpling wrappers
- 3 tbsps vegetable or canola oil, divided
- 1 & 1/2 cups water, divided

noodle stir fries & Uwajimaya market love

Uwajimaya Asian market - not many stores here in PDX (or anywhere really) that can keep me endlessly entertained as well as this one. go in for one quick item, leave with a few bags full of mystery groceries, and another hour off my life. aaah. 

my cauc-Asian Potsticker Stir Fry recipe is in constant rotation in my house, always with varying types of dumplings and/or meats, depending on what we have in the fridge (and how many types of potstickers/dumplings i have stocked up on, which is usually quite a few). for a recent rendition of the noodle noodle din din i threw in some sukiyaki hot pot beef from Uwajimaya (they have a full fridge JUST for all natural hot pot meats), along with ramen noodles. SO good. worth the visit, and definitely one of my favorite quick mid-week throw together dinners. 

is it wrong if i have learned to love rice noodles more than pasta?

recipe: chicken pad thai II

so i was on the hunt for a pad thai recipe, forgetting that i already have one that i've beaned about. maybe it was a good thing i found my last recipe forgettable though - this one turned out to be good - REALLY good - and better than any pad thai i ever remember making. i used a recipe from See Brooke Cook, which i found through old trusty foodgawker.com. i added chicken to mine but outside of that followed the recipe mostly verbatim otherwise - it came out pretty damn close to tasting like a Thai restaurant version. can't ask for anything more than that!

ingredients list: 
- 1 chicken breast, diced into 1-inch cubes
- 7-8 oz rice noodles
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 heaping tbsp peanut butter, microwaved until just melted
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
- 1 cup cilantro (i had no cilantro so tossed in a bunch of fresh basil instead)
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

recipe: fried rice

we had a hunk of leftover roasted pork shoulder and a few green onions in the freeze, so i decided to throw together some pork fried rice for dinner. i've cooked a lot of Asian food before, but somehow never ever made fried rice. i skipped using a recipe, relying on my hibachi-watching experience as the inspiration. while i'm sure it's not technically correct (and no, yuck it does not have peas), it still turned out pretty damn good, so i'm perfectly fine with that. i served it with Trader Joe's chicken and cilantro wontons... for a Monday night i was not quite ambitious enough to scratch-make wontons :)

ingredients list:

- 1 cup uncooked jasmin rice (or whatever kind of rice you prefer)

- 1 cup cooked pork, diced into small pieces (about 1/4 inch cubes. i used leftover shoulder, a pork roast would also work well. or chicken, or shrimp, or all of that)

- 1/2 cup onion, finely diced

- 1/2 cup carrots, finely diced

- 1 egg

- 1/4 cup green onions, diced

- 3 tbps (roughly) chives, diced

- 2 tbsp sesame oil

- 1/2 tsp ground ginger

- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 4-6 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

recipe: slow cooker honey garlic chicken

so i haven't been on here in forever... moved to a new coast, with endless amounts new restaurants and new burgers (and a city full of food carts... aaah!) in all the chaos not a lot of cooking as happened, except for the last few weeks as i finally start to settle in here. 

i tried the Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken recipe from justataste.com, found after i was searching for a delish but easy Asian slow cooker recipe. i adapted it slightly, but found that the original amount of hoisin sauce in the recipe was a bit too much (1/4 cup)... if i make it again i'll decrease that amount to help the honey and garlic flavors balance out a bit more (the recipe below reflects a decreased amount). it doesn't taste like standard Chinese take out, but it is really good especially considering how quick it is.

ingredients list: 
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup blackberry jam
- 1/8 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Asian 5-spice powder
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (omit if you don't want spicey)
- 1 tsp chili oil (also omit if you don't want spicy)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- sliced scallions
- toasted sesame seeds

hong kong bakery & bistro

i was tres-happy to learn about the opening of hong kong bakery & bistro in Colonie NY... it's menu is - i believe- the 3rd dim sum menu in the area. or at least the 3rd that i've been able to find so far (with the first 2 being CCK Chinese & Taiwan Noodle). apparently the operation had been working out of the Asian Supermarket and expanded to this standalone spot. 

Friday night i hit up the Asian Supermarket... it was MINDBLOWING -- i had already visited my fav Asian market in Danbury, CT not long ago (TBS Asian Food) and stocked up on rice noodles, curry, & impulse purchases, but somehow i ended up leaving with 2 giant bags of goodies anyway (i think there are 3 or 4 different types of dumplings & pot stickers in my freezer at the moment...oops). the mind blowing amount of products and total adventure of foreign foods is just something you need to visit (if you're into visiting Asian and/or new grocery stores... which um... kinda is one of my favorite adventures. heh.)

the market stpre still has a food stall in it for takeout, but it was closed by the time i left the store (i was there late late)... i popped up the street to Hong Kong B&B after. i ordered the shrimp and pork wonton noodle soup and an order of mini-steamed pork buns. the pork buns were pillow-soft, had a nice slight honey glaze to them, and were stuffed perfectly with lil bbq delish pork. i was eating solo and planned to save 1 of the 3 buns as leftovers... but there were none. the noodle bowl was equally as delish. the bok choy flavor did overtake the broth a little bit (which is fine, just not my personal preference), but i think if i had a beef bowl instead of wonton, the meat would help balance out the flavor. the bowl was HUGE, and i left with a hefty portion of leftovers from that. was even better 2nd day. i didn't try any of the pastries they had (and there were a loooot available), but they looked adorable. definitely plan on returning and trying a few of their signature dishes... very happy to have such a growing number of fantastic Asian restaurants in Cap City. 

recipe: ginger scallion noodles

last night's dinner, a random find from foodgawker.com on my never-ending delicious search of quick, delish weeknight stir fries. i used the ginger scallion noodles recipe from The Daring Gourmet. while it is intended to be eaten at room temperature, since i didn't have any time for a cool-down period i ate it hot and it was great either way. the cold noodles are a good option to have on deck if i ever do need a portable lunch though. flavor is very simple and strong - since the sauce is not cooked, the intensity of the ginger, garlic, and scallions all pop right through - it's quite the palate tickler. 

ingredients list (for 2):

- 8 oz rice noodles-

- 1 bunch of scallions, chopped

- 1 tbsp minced ginger 

- 1 tsp minced garlic

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

- 3 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

- 1 tsp rice vinegar

- 1 tsp brown sugar

- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

- toasted sesame seeds (garnish)

to make: cook the noodles according to package directions, and drain and set aside once fully cooked through.  

combine all other ingredients in a small bowl and let sit for at least 15 minutes. pour sauce over noodles, and toss to coat. sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving at room temperature. 

Sukhothai - Albany, NY

Sukhothai on Lark St in Albany has been on my to-visit hit list for some time after hearing of it and good things about it. we went on a friday late afternoon and it was pretty busy - surprisingly so. we split the Hoy Joh (crab wrapped in tofu with sweet & sour sauce) and i had the massaman curry as my meal. the app was fairly light & delish, and the massaman actually tasted just like the delish massaman we had on the scuba boats in Thailand. i asked for it a little extra spicy and it ended up with a just right mix of spicy & sweet. i didn't order a drink, but the well-stocked fridge of Sapporo and $5 saketinis that looked fab. definitely a go-back spot. 

recipe: chicken satay & spicy peanut sauce

last night i was still motivated to keep cooking - knowing i'd have 0 time on a week day to prep, i had prepped the marinade and sauce for this the night before.  the intention was to use skinless chicken thighs and use them for traditional chicken satay, however this plan went a bit south when i realized they were bone-in thighs - turning it into essentially a un-kababed version. grilled bone-in chicken is so damn good it kind of worked out for the best -- this marinade make the chicken super juicy and had an awesome flavor -- i want to re-make it again using chicken wings served in the spicy peanut sauce. i love kabob satay, but i kind of like wings even more and think it would be a fab fusion. 

both of these recipes were taken from Serious Eats - they have a nice kick to them, so if you like spicy they will be on par. 

ingredients list: chicken (adequate for 4 pieces of chicken)

- 1 stalk lemon grass, roughly chopped (or prepared minced lemongrass if you can't find fresh)

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

- 2 tbsp fish sauce

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 1 tbsp lime juice (preferably fresh)

- 1 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)

- 1 tsp ground turmeric

- 1 tsp ground coriander (i did not have any so used a dash of cilantro)

- 1 tsp Sriracha

to make: place lemongrass, oil, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, turmeric, garlic, coriander and Sriracha in a blender, and blend on high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds.

place chicken in a large resealable bag and pour in marinade - leave in fridge and marinade 1-2 hours (i left mine for 24).

when ready to cook:

- if doing skewers, slice into long 1-inch strips and thread onto soaked wooden skewers

- or - just keep it whole. 

grill until juices run clear -- fairly quickly (5 min) for skewers, about 20 minutes over medium high heat if using bone-in chicken.

ingredients list: spicy peanut sauce:

- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

- 1/4 cup hot water

- 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 2 tbsp Sriracha

- 1 tbsp soy sauce

- 1 tbsp rice vinegar

- 1 tbsp lime juice (preferably fresh)

- 1 tsp minced garlic

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

- 2 scallions, thinly sliced

- kosher salt to taste

to make: in a medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter and hot water. stir in all remaining ingredients. it can be used immediately, or stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. 

recipe: mongolian beef

this has been on my must-cook list for some time. all day long yesterday i was in the mood to grill since it was an amazing day out (enough to actually get me out of the house), but somehow ended up saying NOOO! MONGOLIAN BEEF! when it was time to hit the store for dinner foodages. case closed. can't deny a screaming asian urge (haha - 55) when you get it. 

i went with the recipe from Just A Taste, which used 30 minute PF-changs inspired version of it. i haven't been cooking a lot lately -or at least not cooking anything *new*- so this wasn't delish because it was a finally fresh home-cooked meal, it was delish because this dish is GD amazing. no lie that it tastes like restaurant chinese food (if not better). i added the chili oil, cayenne, and red chilis in because i love heat, but this can be scaled no-spice or spicier to taste. 

ingredients list: 
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 4 giant cloves)
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce 
- 1/2 cup water 
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 lb flank steak
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3 scallions (green parts only), diced
- 1/2 tsp chili oil
- dashes cayenne pepper
- dried red chilis (optional)

to make: 
heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in small sauce pan over medium-low heat. add ginger and garlic, and saute until golden, about 1 minute. stir in the soy sauce, water, and brown sugar, chili oil, and increase the heat to medium. bring the sauce to a boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside. 

slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch pieces, then toss it with the cornstarch. place the coated steak pieces into a sieve or sifter, and shake off excess coating. allow the steak to sit for 10 minutes. 

place a large saute pan or wok over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup vegetable oil. once oil is hot (but not smoking), add the meat to the pan and saute for about 2 minutes - it should be seared on all sides, but barely cooked in the center. remove steak from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plat. pour excess oil out of wok.

return wok to stove over medium heat, adding the prepared sauce and letting it come to a boil, cayenne, and dried peppers. add the steak back to the pan into the boiling sauce, and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. add the scallions and stir to combine. 

transfer with a slotted spoon and serve, preferably over rice. 

taiwan noodle

last week we finally made it over to Taiwan Noodle, dim sum & noodle shop we heard about via the Times Union. anyone in Albany knows there is a major shortage of dim sum joints (with exception to CCK Chinese, which i'd place as the top contender in Cap City), so any new find is like Christmas. i don't know when Taiwan Noodle opened, but i'm very happy we now found it. it's super casual, and seeing that their customer base was 75% Asian was definitely a nod to their good cookin. 

we ordered the Pork & Leek Dumpling and Shrimp Shu Mai off the dim sum menu and I had the Garlic Chicken Wing Lo Mein as my meal. Not only was everything super-cheap (each DS was between $3-$4, the Lo Mein $7), it was excellent. crispy juicy chicken wings & oodles of noodles. our only regret is that we didn't order any of the noodle soup which is kiiinda their specialty, so we will have to head back soon for more.

update 6/8: went back and hit up the beef noodle bowl. it delivered. SO gigantic i had to take half of it home. will be back. 

recipe: chicken massaman curry

after Thailand, our craving for massaman curry was pretty insatiable. i had picked up a small jar of massaman curry paste in the airport so 50% of the work for cooking it was already done. i snagged the Chicken Massaman Curry recipe from Serious Eats. at first taste, it was good but super bland. we added in a bit more spice, and it was pretty damn good after that. still not the purist recipe that they served in Thailand (though i will keep trying), but a good fill-in recipe until my quest is finished. 

ingredients list: 

- 1 can (13 oz) full-fat coconut milk

- 3 tbsp massaman curry paste

- 8 chicken drumsticks (i de-skinned mine to save calories)

- 2-3 cups chicken broth

- 1 lb of red or yukon gold potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks

- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled & cut into about 1-inch chunks

- 4-6 tbsp brown sugar (adjust final quantity to taste)

- 3 tbsp fish sauce

- 2 tbsp prepared tamarind pulp (preparation instructions here) 

- 1 tbsp cinnamon 

- 1 tsp cumin

- salt & pepper to taste

- 4 pieces star anise (optional - i didn't have & skipped this)

to make: spoon about 3/4 cup of the creamy solid part of the coconut milk that rises to the pot of the can and put it in a large pot along with the curry paste. fry the mixture over medium - high heat until the coconut milk starts to turn oily. 

add the chicken drumsticks to the pot along with the remaining coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce, tamarind pulp, and chicken broth (add just enough chicken broth to just cover the chicken).

bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium to a simmer. allow to simmer, covered, for 10-13 minutes. add the potatoes, onions, and seasonings to the pot. continue to simmer, covered, until the chicken, potatoes, and onion are tender, about 15-20 minutes.

thailand in food pics

january was honeymoon to Thailand. the mothership. i fully expected the food to be amazing (if i like Thai in albany, liking Thai in its land is a no brainer), and it proved to be just that. the one great thing about it was that when something in the menu is listed as SPICY, it is... wait for it... actually SPICY. they don't pander to sissies like we do here (i've been ordering chinese food "extra spicy" for spicy items... they still can't deliver. don't fear the spice!)the other shocking thing is the price... we could eat an entire meal (split app, 2 entrees, 2 drinks - Singha specifically : ) for about $15 USD. just one entree here (for casual takeout) is about $12 USD. i felt like a kid in Charlie's Chocolate Factory, if the chocolate river was curry sauce and the pad thai. 

tee hee! 

my only complaint: their burger. BLECH!!! apparently beef is not their strong suit. we went to what was rated the #2 Bangkok burger joint and well-reviewed on a (very critical) Bangkok burger blog, and it was BLEEEEH. not horrific, but not in anyway shape or form something to write home about. overseasoned (why???), a little tough even if it was juicy & not cooked to temp (they don't even offer medium rare... even at a nice steakhouse they start with "medium" as the suggestion... WHAT?) tried else for the same result. the BEST burger of them all... laughably... McDonald's Samuri Pork Burger. not beef... but highly enjoyable after a few Singha's. (this coming from a girl that can't eat McDonald's burgers in the US - the beef variety - without barfing)

when in rome, eat breakfast
like the romans do.

chicken something something.

red curry chicken that made my
nose run & my ears burn. but not burn enough
to overshadow the tasty tasty. gaaah!

massaman curry - my first meal when
i got to the island, then it seemed to be 
served on every boat we went on... 
all equally amazing. best staple ever.

drinks @ The Library, Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui. great. crafty cocktails, nice change of pace from some of the beer-centric downtown Chaweng spots. 

something something.

something something lamb @ Noori Indian. MMM.

mini cupcake offering 
to my mini buddah.

McDonald's Samuri Pork Burger

#2 ranked burger. what i wouldn't give
to start up a Thai burger joint.
1 good meat purveyor, would make a KILLING!

room service: chicken & stuff

Indian butter chicken, Noordi Indian in Koh Samui. Awesome.

Lobster Hot Plate chips... 
SO bad.

lot of brick oven pizza... this one was OK, 
the one at Pinocchio on Chaweng Beach 
was really good - like REALLY good even in NY. 
were very pleasantly stunned.

pork on a stick & shish ka bobs for farewell din. i think i paid $.90  total for it... god! 

Maesri pad thai sauce

i found this little gem of a sauce on a trip to the asian (primarily thai) market near work. it came with a complete how-to recipe on back - while i couldn't follow the quantities (they were metric) and didn't have bean sprouts or asian chive, i rolled with what i had. 

we sauteed some chicken, then shrimp & mushrooms in an onion & cilantro flavored olive oil and few dashes of chili oil, threw in some dried chilis, and an egg before dropping in the sauce and rice noodles. a little salt & pepper and bing! easiest din ever. 

it had a great flavor - sweet, teeny bit of spice, not overpowering at all. while ours didn't look like the typical pad thai we'd get out, it was a charming lil din - well worth grabbing a jar for quick weeknight eats. 

CCK Chinese Restaurant

the one thing we didn't get to do in San Fran that was on my must-do list was to hit Chinatown and have some dim sum. when we got back i tried to find a few places in Albany that had it, only to learn that really none do. Yips is our go-to Chinese place, and they had it on their menu... only to inform me that they stopped serving it as no one ordered it... baaah! after a little digging online, i found CCK which apparently not only has it on their menu but was Yelped as the best Chinese restaurant in Albany. it's very unsuspecting from the exterior (it's located on the borderline of ghetto-Albs), but it's very quaint and cute inside. 

we ordered the dim sum sampler - i can't recall exactly what everything was... Spring Rolls, Dumplings (which were slightly blackened on the bottom - oh-so-good), Shrimp -something or others- and some type of Pork wonton that was quite yum. we also got the steamed pork buns as an app - i've seen them on every menu but never tried them - carpe diem. loved them.

we both got crab as our entree - i had the Crab with Curry and kyle had the Crab with Ginger and Scallion. we assumed it would be a dish with a few scant pieces of crab, but we served these awesome whole crabs simmering in some banging sauce. the curry was nice & spicy - enough to get the sniffles but not enough to drown out the dish, and was stuffed with yum veggies. i didn't try K's, but the it smelled awesome with the hot fry they did to the garlic & scallions... yum city. 

we would def go back - they had a lot of specials that were not on their menu but are very diff that what the typical Chinese restaurants in the area serve. on top of that - they are super reasonable. the crab dishes were $9.95 each - they were on special, but even still that anywhere else would be at least the $13-$15 range. 

Blue Spice - Nov 2012

we hit up Blue Spice Thai restaurant in albany, ny a few weeks ago (i've been terrible about updating this lately) - it's a place i've been wanting to hit for a while, and luckily they popped up a groupon deal a short while back. while the service we had was admittedly a little slow, the meal we had was pretty darn good.  

i ordered the Blue Spice Duck which was nice and crispy and fatty (as it should be) and sweet & sticky. it was served with veggies and rice which made for a fabulous little mouth party. it was so long ago i can't give it much deeper of a description, but i remember it all on a positive note. sorry for the lame description, but in short, i would go back. 

recipe: ithailain meatballs (thaitalian?)

love thai. love meatballs. lovin up on some thai meatballs seems only natural. i couldn't find a great looking recipe from my normal go-to sights, but a google roulette drew up 2 lovely-sounding recipes: one from Can You Stay for Dinner and Sarah Laurence. i fused a little bit of them both - end result was so yumz. they had a touch of kick but it didn't drown out the ginger zing - fun lil din. (you just can't think of meatball meatballs (italian) while you eat them b/c it will severely trip you up. thinking of thai wonderfulness, they are little balls of heaven : )

ingredients list:
- 1 lb lean ground turkey (99%. if you use anything less add more breadcrumbs)
- 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 green onion, finely chopped (plus more for garnish)
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
- 2 tbsp red curry paste
- 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp asian 5 spice
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 egg
- salt & pepper to taste
- oil for pan frying (i used vegetable oil with a touch of ginger oil)

to make: add all ingredients EXCEPT oil in a large bowl and mix together until incorporated. roll mixture into 1-inch balls.

in a large pan, heat about 2 tbsp vegetable oil and fry meatballs until fully cooked through, about 7-8 minutes, flipping at least once during cooking process (note: adding a splash of ginger oil to the frying oil gives the balls a BIG hit of ginger - perfect fit if you have it on hand. sesame oil would also be a nice add)

i served this with a thai peanut sauce, though sweet chili sauce or other sweet-spicy sauces would also work well.