Well, another year has rolled by and it’s the Year of the Dragon.

I realize it has been a LONG while since I’ve turned up here at Foodrepublik.  A lot has happened.

First of all, I stopped updating the site when morning sickness prevented me from wanting [...]]]>

Well, another year has rolled by and it’s the Year of the Dragon.

I realize it has been a LONG while since I’ve turned up here at Foodrepublik.  A lot has happened.

First of all, I stopped updating the site when morning sickness prevented me from wanting to look at any food.  That’s right, I got knocked up =), and Chris and I are expecting our first baby in less than 2 months.

Second, we suddenly got relocated to Orange County, and the next few months were spent looking for houses and living with the in-laws.

Third, we found the perfect house for us in a family-friendly neighborhood, but it’s a fixer-upper.  Since we got the keys, we’ve been tearing out walls, renovating, painting, and frantically trying to get the house ready for our little bun in the oven (don’t come out early, baby!).

In addition to blogging, writing, and a few other things, it’s a lot on my plate, and I’m not sure if a food blog is enough for me now.  There are so many new experiences that I want to blog about and a recipe blog is a little limiting.

So we started at new blog at SomethingIsDone.com.  It’s going to be a DIY, home improvement, craft, lifestyle and general everything blog, and I’ll probably post recipes on there once in a while too.  Come see us over there!  I’m not sure if I’m going to continue Foodrepublik right now, but in the meantime, here’s a new recipe:

Cantonese Steamed Whole Fish

Steamed whole fish is one of the traditional dishes for Chinese New Year.  The word for fish, “yu”, is similar to the word for “overabundance”.  A common saying at CNY is “Nian nian you yu”, which means “May you have surplus every year”.  The fish has to be whole with the head and the tail, to symbolize the start and end of the next year.

Cantonese style steamed fish is super easy to make, and you don’t really even need a bamboo steamer.  Just set the whole fish (cleaned and de-scaled) in a round metal cake pan.  In a wok, place a steaming rack (or rig up a donut made of aluminum foil).  Pour water into the wok (enough that it won’t boil dry in 15 min, but not so much that it covers the steaming rack/aluminum donut) and heat until simmering.  Place the metal cake pan (with the fish inside) on top of the steamer rack and cover the wok.  Steam for 15 min for an approx 1-pound fish.

1 whole fish (tilapia, sea bass, or other fish, about 1 to 1.5 pounds)
2-inch piece ginger, peeled and julienned
5 green onions, thinly sliced
soy sauce
vegetable oil

Place the fish in a metal pan.  Take half of the ginger and green onions and stuff the cavity of the fish, and place some ginger and green onions over the top of the fish.

Steam for 15 minutes (see steaming instructions above) in a wok over simmering water.

Remove pan from wok (fish should flake easily).  Carefully move the fish to a plate, removing the steamed ginger and scallions.  Pour soy sauce to taste over the fish.

Empty and dry wok.  Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in wok until shimmering.  Add remaining ginger and green onions and fry for 30 seconds until aromatic.  Pour hot oil and aromatics over the fish.  Serve immediately (with steamed rice).

When Chris and I were living in China, we found this tiny little Tibetan restaurant nestled in an alley behind the university campus.  The owners were a big family of ethnic Tibetans who were rather intimidating when they didn’t smile, but warm and friendly when [...]]]>

When Chris and I were living in China, we found this tiny little Tibetan restaurant nestled in an alley behind the university campus.  The owners were a big family of ethnic Tibetans who were rather intimidating when they didn’t smile, but warm and friendly when they did.  Fortunately they smiled often, even the big burly guy who would pour us lukewarm Cokes and carefully package the paper cups into plastic bags, the better to carry them with.  There were always a bunch of puppies running around and Tibetan music videos blaring from the computer in the middle of the restaurant.

We only ever ordered one dish at that restaurant.  It was so good we never tried anything else.  It was a fried rice dish flavored with curry and filled with chopped vegetables, wood-ear fungus, and…I seem to remember fried egg in there too.  Or was it tofu?  Really, I have no idea if that dish actually exists in Tibetan cuisine.  It’s probably some mixture of Himalayan and Chinese cuisine, using the ingredients that were locally available.

I started craving it something fierce last night and decided to try my hand at recreating it.  They used medium-grain rice, which made for a slightly moister and heavier fried rice dish than your typical Chinese fried rice.  Fresh shiitake mushrooms would be a lovely earthy complement to the wood-ear fungus, but you can use slivers of cremini mushrooms in a pinch.  I got the spices pretty close; a bit of Indian curry powder and cumin did the trick.  And a good handful of chopped baby bok choy lightened up the dish.

As always with fried rice dishes, leftover rice is best, because the grains are drier and separate more easily while stir-frying. However, I didn’t have leftover rice, so I made a fresh pot of steamed medium-grain Calrose rice, and then left it in the pot on very low heat, uncovered, for an extra 5-10 minutes. This dried out the grains enough to use in the stir-fry. Remember that you don’t need to add as much water to medium-grain rice as you do to long-grain rice. I find that a 1:1 ratio works well.

Tibetan Fried Rice

4 cups cooked medium-grain rice (I used Calrose)
6 medium dried wood-ear fungus
6 medium fresh shiitake mushrooms (or cremini)
1 small tomato, diced
2 cups chopped baby bok choy
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp Indian curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
salt
oil
water

Before you start, rehydrate the dried wood-ear mushrooms by soaking them in hot water for about 20 minutes. Rinse them thoroughly, then cut the rehydrated wood-ear mushrooms and the shiitake mushrooms into strips.

Pour a good glug of oil (about 3 tablespoons) into a wok set over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, stir-fry the wood-ear mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms until shiitakes give up their water. Add the diced tomato and baby bok choy, and stir-fry briefly until bok choy is just beginning to wilt. Push vegetables to the side of the wok, and add the beaten eggs to the center of the wok. Scramble the eggs, and when cooked, mix them into the vegetables.

Add the curry and cumin powders and stir them into the vegetables until fragrant, being careful not to let the spices burn (you may need to turn the heat down slightly). Add the cooked rice, breaking up any clumps. Stir together the vegetables and the rice. Add water tablespoon by tablespoon, stir-frying constantly, just until the curry sauce coats the rice grains well.

Serve immediately!

My sister Sam graciously shared with me her fabulous mother-in-law’s recipe for Spaghetti Bolognese.  I love to plumb the depths of my family’s in-laws’ recipe archives in the hopes of finding hidden treasure.  I’m still hoping that I’ll get my other sister’s boyfriend’s mom’s secret [...]]]>

My sister Sam graciously shared with me her fabulous mother-in-law’s recipe for Spaghetti Bolognese.  I love to plumb the depths of my family’s in-laws’ recipe archives in the hopes of finding hidden treasure.  I’m still hoping that I’ll get my other sister’s boyfriend’s mom’s secret family recipe for bread-and-butter pickles someday.  Hee hee.

I normally don’t follow a recipe when I make spaghetti bolognese, and this recipe has me convinced that henceforth I should.  Normally, I just saute some onions, peppers, and random vegetables, throw in a jar of pasta sauce and call it a day!  After all, the joy of pasta is that it’s E-A-S-Y, right?  Well, even though Auntie Val’s bolognese recipe IS a recipe, it’s just as simple and quick to prepare as any pasta sauce, and tastes GREAT!  Putting a little extra thought into this simple dish that we often take for granted takes it to the next level.  I love how Auntie Val’s ragu is simmered with bay leaves, which lends a savoriness and meatiness to the sauce that you associate with hearty stews.  A glug of white wine gives it depth, and a few teaspoons of sugar, while unexpected, really make the flavor pop.  Interestingly, Auntie Val’s recipe doesn’t use jarred pasta sauce, just a tin of tomato paste.  I would never have thought it, but somehow it works.  Of course, if you can’t conceive of bolognese sauce without tomato sauce, feel free to add some, or add a splash of pasta water to thin out the sauce if it’s too thick.

Auntie Val’s Bolognese Sauce

1.5 lbs ground beef
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp sliced pimento-stuffed olives
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp white wine
1 tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp white pepper
dash of Tabasco sauce

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in saucepan. Saute onion and garlic until softened.

Add olives and beef, saute until browned.

Add tomato paste, ketchup, wine and spices. Add a splash of water if sauce is too dry. Simmer over low heat, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve with pasta.

It’s as simple as that!

When we were down in Orange County a couple of weekends ago, we stopped by at Ranch99 to pick up a few Asian goodies.  Where we live, it’s hard to find Asian ingredients, so I was pretty stoked to stock up so I can cook [...]]]>
When we were down in Orange County a couple of weekends ago, we stopped by at Ranch99 to pick up a few Asian goodies.  Where we live, it’s hard to find Asian ingredients, so I was pretty stoked to stock up so I can cook more Asian food at home.  I also bought these addictively chewy Korean rice cakes so I can make one of my favorite Korean dishes – rice cakes in a spicy red sauce.  This was my first try at this dish, and it turned out pretty good.  The chewy rice cakes are not everyone’s favorite, but I happen to just LOVE them!

I miss being able to go to a Korean restaurant whenever I want (ie. when I lived in Toronto).  Personally I think that Korean food is one of the few cuisines where Korean home cooking is quite similar to what is served in restaurants.  I love the homey (and spicy) soups and stews, just perfect for a cold winter day.  Of course, it’s not winter right now – and in California the sun is bright and the air is fresh outside my window this morning.  But anytime is right for good food, and these Korean rice cakes aren’t as steamy as a soup or stew, making it perfect for anytime you’re craving a little spicy.

Since I wanted an authentic recipe, I followed Beyond Kimchee’s version, which includes making a stock of seaweed and dried anchovies.  Not having seaweed or dried fish in my repertoire, I substituted homemade chicken stock instead, and it still turned out good.  I also didn’t have fish cakes, but I didn’t miss them.  I used Napa cabbage instead of regular cabbage, though I think either would work well.  I also reduced the sugar, as it was a little too sweet for my taste.

Spicy Korean Rice Cakes
Adapted closely from Beyond Kimchee

3 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken stock
1 package (about 600g) Korean rice cakes
4 tbsp gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 medium Napa cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 leek, cleaned and sliced (white and light green parts only)
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

In a medium bowl, soak the rice cakes in hot tap water to separate them and remove the oily coating, for about 5 minutes.

Heat the stock over medium heat. When simmer, add the gochujang (red chili paste) and sugar, stirring well until dissolved. Add rice cakes and cabbage and bring mixture back to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until cabbage and rice cakes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add leeks and garlic and continue simmering until sauce is reduced and thickened, another 5-10 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in the ketchup and pour the rice cakes into a shallow dish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve hot.

I’m sorry, I realize this is the same photo from a few posts back, but I wanted to share with you the absolutely delicious Indonesian marinade that I used on this salmon.  Last night, we had dinner so late I didn’t have time to take [...]]]>

I’m sorry, I realize this is the same photo from a few posts back, but I wanted to share with you the absolutely delicious Indonesian marinade that I used on this salmon.  Last night, we had dinner so late I didn’t have time to take pictures, so you’ll have to make do with an old one.

I could tell that this was a really good recipe because in the middle of dinner, Chris stopped eating, looked at me and said, “This is SO good.”  He’s usually pretty supportive of my kitchen adventures, but the degree of sincerity with which he enjoyed last night’s fish was out-of-the-ordinary.

Ina Garten makes this marinade with swordfish but there’s no way I can afford that for a weeknight meal!  It’s just as good with salmon, and according to the other reviewers, the marinade is also excellent on chicken or pork.  Soy sauce, lemon zest, mustard, ginger and garlic somehow combine to form more than the sum of their parts in this savory, tangy sauce.

I loved how quick it was to stir together, and how quickly dinner was finished on the grill.  We had it with a big green salad and homemade zucchini pickles, though it is also great with the sweet corn salsa you see in the picture above.

Indonesian Grilled Salmon
Barefoot Contessa

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
zest from 2 lemons
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped ginger root (I actually substituted 1/4 tsp dried ginger and it worked fine)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp dijon mustard (I used whole grain mustard)

1 salmon fillet (about 1.5 pounds)

Mix all the ingredients together. Pour half of the marinade into a shallow baking dish. Lay the salmon over the marinade, and pour the rest of the marinade over top of salmon. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Preheat the BBQ, then turn heat down to medium-low. Place marinated salmon on a piece of aluminum foil, folding edges up to catch any juices. Place foil on grill and cook, covered, for about 8 minutes or until salmon is opaque throughout.

I was perusing an old copy of Bon Appétit while taking a hot bath the other day, and a certain recipe caught my eye.  You know how at the beginning of the magazine they provide restaurant recipes that have been requested by readers?  Well, this [...]]]>

I was perusing an old copy of Bon Appétit while taking a hot bath the other day, and a certain recipe caught my eye.  You know how at the beginning of the magazine they provide restaurant recipes that have been requested by readers?  Well, this one came from the Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa in Pismo Beach, just a couple miles from our house!  Intrigued, I looked at the recipe in more detail, and boy did it sound good!

It was an easy recipe to make, although it did require a lot of chopping things into small pieces (oh if I had the knife skills of a chef).  But after that was done, assembling the corn pudding was a cinch.  It has all those wonderful southwestern flavors of corn, slightly spicy jalapeño (mine were not very hot at all), roasted red peppers.  And while being homey and comforting, it also had a hint of refinement with beaten egg whites giving it a bit of loft.  I’m not really familiar with corn puddings (I’m Canadian after all), so I kind of like to think of it as a cross between a flavorful polenta and a soufflé, with a bunch of stuff tossed in besides.

I’m going to have to make a trip out to the Dolphin Bay Resort one of these days.  Apparently their signature restaurant, Lido, from whence this corn pudding came, is supposed to be pretty awesome.  Chris might just have to take me there on a date sometime.  Is it weird to go to a restaurant because I’ve made one of their recipes?  I wonder if the corn pudding is exactly the same at the restaurant, or if they’ve simplified it for the home cook?  Would it be odd to order it?

By the way, who loves this vintage Pyrex casserole dish I found at Goodwill?  Me, me, me!  My favorite color!

Jalapeño Corn Pudding
From Lido at the Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa, via Bon Appétit March 2011
The most time-consuming thing about this recipe is chopping all the ingredients and prepping them to go in the pudding.  Then, while the pudding is baking in the oven, prepare a fresh salad to go alongside.

2 tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onion (or one med onion)
1 cup fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup finely chopped, seeded, jalapeño peppers
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup chopped roasted bell peppers (from jar)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup grated cheese (I used less)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 2-quart baking dish (it says to use a shallow one, but mine isn’t very shallow, and it still worked out).

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion, corn, jalapeño and garlic until onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the cornmeal (yes over the heat). Add milk and cream, and stir the whole mixture together until it forms a thick batter (like soft polenta).

Remove to a large heat-proof bowl. Mix in red peppers, green onions, cilantro, 1 tsp salt, and black pepper.

Let cool about 15 minutes. Meanwhile whip the egg whites in a separate bowl with a tiny pinch of salt until they form soft peaks.

Mix the egg yolks into the cooled-down pudding batter. Then gently fold the egg whites into the batter. It’s ok if a few streaks of egg whites remain.

Pour into buttered dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 35 minutes or until middle of pudding is set (doesn’t jiggle when you shake dish).

Dig in!

My, my, what a lot of meat we’ve been eating lately!  Honestly, we usually don’t eat this much meat, it’s just that the recent dishes that I’ve thought worthy of sharing on here have been meat dishes.

Boeuf Bourgignon is one of those dishes that you [...]]]>

My, my, what a lot of meat we’ve been eating lately!  Honestly, we usually don’t eat this much meat, it’s just that the recent dishes that I’ve thought worthy of sharing on here have been meat dishes.

Boeuf Bourgignon is one of those dishes that you almost HAVE to make as a rite of passage into the cooking world.  Remember all those agonizing scenes from Julie and Julia where Julie Powell makes the stew, twice, both times with rather disastrous results?  Not the fault of the recipe, of course.  But all that has kind of made Boeuf Bourgignon seem kind of difficult.

And, honestly, now that I’ve made a version of it, I can’t see why.  Granted, the original recipe is kind of fussy.  You have to brown everything separately, assemble the stew, strain out the over-cooked vegetables, add fresh veggies and mushrooms (that have also been browned separately), strain the sauce, boil the sauce down, and thicken it with a beurre manie.  Okay, yes, it’s fussy.  I’m too lazy for that kind of recipe.  Maybe I’d do it if the food editor of the New York Times was coming over for dinner, but for a weeknight meal….NAH.

In my version, everything gets down in the same pot.  I personally don’t mind overcooked onions and carrots in my stew, as I feel like they melt into the sauce anyway and you don’t really notice them.  And I dispensed with the need for reducing the sauce by simply not adding that much liquid.  Not too difficult. Oh, and pearl onions? They were 3.99 a pound, and I just used a regular onion. That way I didn’t have to blanch the pearl onions and peel them before adding them to the stew.

Bourgignon-esque Beef Stew
Serves 4

3 slices bacon, diced
1.5-2 pounds stew beef, cut into even chunks
2 heaping tablespoons flour
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
10-12 medium cremini mushrooms
1.5 cups Pinot Noir, or other dry red wine
3 cups beef broth
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
oil

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Heat a large oven-proof pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Brown the bacon, then remove to a large bowl.

Toss beef chunks with flour until more or less evenly coated. Using the rendered bacon fat, brown the beef in batches, removing them to the same bowl as the bacon.

Add a little oil if needed to the pot, brown the onions and carrots. Remove HALF of the browned vegetables to a separate bowl and set aside for later.

Add bacon and beef back to the pot with the remaining vegetables. Add wine, broth, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf. Add a generous grinding of pepper. Bring to a simmer.

Cover pot, set in oven and bake for 2 hours.

Meanwhile brown the mushrooms in a separate frying pan until they give up their water.

Remove pot from oven, add mushrooms and remaining browned vegetables. Return to oven for another 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the butter.  Taste for seasonings, add salt and pepper if needed.

Serve with egg noodles, potatoes, or in our case, the stew was really delicious over spaetzle.

I was in Toronto for an extended visit with my family lately, which is part of the reason why I haven’t been posting much recently.  You know how it is, when it’s not your kitchen, you don’t feel entirely comfortable commandeering it.  But [...]]]>

I was in Toronto for an extended visit with my family lately, which is part of the reason why I haven’t been posting much recently.  You know how it is, when it’s not your kitchen, you don’t feel entirely comfortable commandeering it.  But I had some great times catching up with my family, going to hot yoga with my sister, and gossiping with old friends.

My sister and I got married within about 6 months of each other, so we’ve been able to compare notes on the domestic life during the last couple of years.  And it’s always good to get out of your rut – I notice that I always tend to buy the same groceries!  How am I going to discover new recipes like that?!  So I’ve gotten inspired by some of my sister’s tried-and-true recipes and here I am sharing one of these winners with you.  An easy herb-crusted pork tenderloin that you simply season, sear, and roast.

Don’t trim off the fat!  Pork tenderloin is very lean, so it needs that bit of extra fat to stay moist.  And although it seems like a LOT of herbs, after roasting they are not too strong, but fill your house with a delicious fragrance and delicately flavor the meat.  I served my tenderloin with some paprika-roasted potatoes and broccoli slaw.  One 1.5-pound tenderloin was enough to stuff the two of us pretty full with a little extra meat to spare, so plan for two tenderloins if you’re hosting a small dinner party of 4-6.

Herbed Pork Tenderloin

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic puree (either minced SUPER fine or pressed through a garlic press)
2 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 (1.5-2 lb) pork tenderloin roast

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a small bowl, combine oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Coat tenderloin with HALF of the herb/oil mixture.

Heat a skillet over high heat. Sear the tenderloin on all sides until lightly browned.

Place in a baking pan and spread the rest of the oil/herb mixture over the meat (be careful not to burn your fingers!).

Roast 35-40 minutes or until juices run clear.

These ribs are delicious.  It’s the recipe my sister bugs my mom to make all the time, the one she misses watching a movie with her friends for.  Pork ribs are braised in dark soy sauce and rock sugar, with a hint of [...]]]>

These ribs are delicious.  It’s the recipe my sister bugs my mom to make all the time, the one she misses watching a movie with her friends for.  Pork ribs are braised in dark soy sauce and rock sugar, with a hint of ginger and garlic, until the meat is tender and practically falling off the bone.  Then the braising liquid is reduced until it forms a glaze, coating the meat with a delicious depth of flavor.

They’re actually really easy to make, with just a handful of ingredients – my favorite kind of recipe.  We made two racks of pork loin back ribs tonight, and between the five of us, demolished the mountain of ribs in no time flat.

I wouldn’t say they’re healthy by any means, but they are pretty darn yummy.  While I was living in China, I heard that these ribs are pretty good made with Coca-Cola.  I haven’t tried that yet, cause Coke kind of scares me, but it sounds interesting.

Mom’s Chinese-Style Sticky Ribs

Dark soy sauce is essential in this recipe – it is less salty, but has a more intense flavor, than regular soy sauce.

2 racks pork loin back ribs
1/4 cup dark soy sauce (must be dark, not regular!)
1/3 cup Chinese rock sugar*
3 cloves whole garlic, peeled
1-inch piece of ginger, sliced
2 tbsp corn oil
water

*can substitute 1/4 cup brown sugar, but this will change the taste

Cut up the racks into individual ribs. Put into a large bowl and pour the dark soy sauce over. Using your hands, mix the soy sauce into the ribs until they are covered. Let marinate at least 1/2 hour (place in refrigerator if marinating longer).

Heat oil in a wok over high heat. When oil is hot, add garlic cloves and ginger slices, and stir around a little bit until aromatic. Sear the ribs in batches until browned on the outsides. Put all the ribs in the wok, arrange them as compactly as possible, and add water just to cover (tops of ribs should be poking out). Add the rock sugar and cover wok.

Reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes.

Uncover wok, turn heat up to high, and let the liquid boil off, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to a brown glaze and coats the ribs, another 10 minutes or so.

Serve and enjoy!

You know when you crave a big bowl of steaming chicken pho (Vietnamese chicken noodle soup), but you can’t be bothered to make stock and everything from scratch?  But more than anything, you want that heady fragrant broth filled with cilantro, chewy rice noodles, and [...]]]>

You know when you crave a big bowl of steaming chicken pho (Vietnamese chicken noodle soup), but you can’t be bothered to make stock and everything from scratch?  But more than anything, you want that heady fragrant broth filled with cilantro, chewy rice noodles, and chunks of tender chicken?  Yes?  Do you know what I’m talking about?

Enter…Costco rotisserie chicken!

Now YOU, yes YOU, can have your very own steaming bowl of chicken pho ready within minutes, with the help of precooked chicken and chicken broth doctored up with a few special ingredients.

Let’s begin.

Cheater’s Chicken Pho
Serves 2

I don’t put bean sprouts in my pho, because to be honest, I hate bean sprouts. But if you like them, feel free to add a handful of raw, washed bean sprouts to your bowl when it’s ready to serve.

4 oz rice sticks (Asian rice noodles)
4 cups low sodium chicken broth (homemade or store-bought)
1 bay leaf
pinch of five-spice powder
1 tbsp Vietnamese fish sauce
2 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup edamame or other vegetable
1 lime
Cilantro
Hoisin Sauce
Sriracha
Sliced jalapeno

Put the rice sticks in hot water (hot like tapwater, not boiling) in a large bowl to soak for 10-15 minutes. When they are tender and pliable, but still have a bit of chew, rinse and drain them and set aside.

Heat the chicken broth, bay leaf, five spice powder, and fish sauce together over medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and edamame and simmer for another 5 minutes, until heated through. Add rice sticks and simmer another 30 sec until hot.

Pour into 2 bowls. Top with cilantro, and serve with lime wedges, hoisin sauce, sriracha, and jalapeno.

Enjoy your super fast 15-minute chicken pho!