In honor of my loving mother…a photo gallery that represents the beautiful person she was. Always elegant and did things with aplomb. Mother to 5 kids, one son and 4 girls. She always gave each of us attention and appreciated us for who we were. She always showed us we could do anything we wanted if we put our minds to it. Even though her life was so full, she enjoyed expanding her horizon with crochet, needlepoint, ikebana and cooking. She was also a boy scout den mother, a teacher at a boy’s school and a private tuitor. My mom did all these things so she could provide us a lifestyle that we didn’t really appreciate until later in life. What I remember best about her is her fantastic sense of humor, my friends envied me for that. Her laugh was infectious and this is how I’d like to remember my mom.
Thank you mom for teaching me how to cook. However, I could never devote the time and effort you put into those delicious dishes. I just wish I had photos of us cooking together.
To my mom and all mothers out there, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
May Events
Miami Herald, May 17thWok This Way A Chinese-born Miami cooking teacher applies Asian techniques to Latin dishes.
I was thrilled to be a feature story in the Miami Herald’s Tropical Life section last week, thanks to food editor Kathy Martin. Thanks to all the support and wonderful comments. What made this so sweet was coinciding with Mother’s Day! I know my mom would be proud and tickled to see this article. Thanks mom for teaching me wok cooking and that there’s no boundaries when it comes to food.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Asian technique meets Hispanic ingredients.
My Miami Herald feature wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Associated Press food editor J.M. Hirsch who initially invited me to write this article, Asian technique meets Hispanic ingredients. I noticed many similarities between our cultures. Visit my blog for an upcoming post on how the editor and I met ‘virtually’ over a year ago and how all this ‘snowballed’ (his words.) Hirsch made me appreciate good writing.
PEPE CALDERIN DESIGN
Designers, Planners, Creators
CAMPUS COLLECTIVE
MIAMI IRONSIDE
7500 NE 4th court, Miami, FL 33138
Wednesday, May 30: 6-10pm
Wok Star tastings 8-10pm
So excited Pepe Calderin Design will be open as part of Miami Ironside Campus Collective (see below for complete details) to showcase his 3 talents: interior design, Evolution for Humanity t-shirts and a new line of furniture called Nature Love Design. I had a sneak peek and looks AMAZING including a red Angel Chair with wings that everyone needs!
Pepe Calderin Design hosts my monthly cooking classes last Saturdays of the month in his beautiful showroom. He’s invited me to present my signature Rainbow Lettuce Wrap Appetizer with a spicy hoisin dip, paired with Fiji Water. There’ll also be a little sweet dessert from Dolci Peccati Gelato.
Get the latest updates here! Join us between 8-10pm.
CAMPUS COLLECTIVE AT IRON SIDE STUDIOS
So excited it’s another Campus Collective at Iron Side Studios! This 6 block sustainable village is not like anything you’ve experienced! Don’t miss your chance to engage, interact with artists, designers and creatives.
By invitation only, RSVP to info@miamiironside.com
Some of the highlights…
Coverings, etc. will host the main event in their amazing loft-like showroom with WILDCHILD WORLD 16th anniversary decor and entertainment.
Wok Star Eleanor Hoh (that’s me) will be presenting her signature Rainbow Lettuce Wrap Appetizer with a spicy hoisin dip, paired with Fiji Water inside Pepe Calderin Design showroom at the 7500 block.
Pepe Calderin Design showcases his 3 talents: interior design, Evolution for Humanity t-shirts and a new line of furniture called Nature Love Design.
Many artists will showcase their work surrounding the courtyard and their new 74st location with THE UNIT art show and food trucks invasion. (Gastropod, Ms Cheezious, Que pinche Tacos, Perros Express, Tango Grill, Don Mofongo, Q’Sabroso)
Fashion and design showrooms like Odegard, Elaine Bettio, Karina Grimaldi, Briggs Edwards Design, System 4, Doxa Hospitality, Tomas Frenes Design, will be serving wine and snacks.
Just past the Graffiti corridor, there’s Revo Soccer with Glow in the dark mural, a must see.
Live sneaker painting from Mateo Acrylics and 8&9 Clothing Company: A streetwear brand, purveyor of graphic shirts, deliverer of street fashion news and sneaker release dates. Designs inspired by the life we live, hip hop, kicks and skating.
Look forward to seeing you there…
Visit here for latest updates!
Here’s my post of a Campus Collective to give you an idea.
Here’s a New Times article about a more recent event.
Thanks to Soul Of Miami for amazing photos, here , here and here!
Here’s Miami Art Zine’s article on the past event here!
You’ll also get a peek at studios for rent. It’s such a great space where you get inspired and bounce ideas off other creatives.
I’m a ‘mom’ of sorts cause I have a kitty. I’m working on an ebook which will be a tribute to my mom who taught me everything I know about cooking and cast iron woks! I’m so happy my recent Associated Press article got published just in time for Mother’s Day because I think she’d be tickled to find out I cooked Picadillo in my wok, a dish that would have been totally alien to her. She was a very frugal and practical person so I think she’d be pleased to know I’m encouraging folks to use their wok for other styles of cooking and not limit it to just Asian stir frys. Enjoy the article and hope you’ll bring out your wok and surprise your mom with some Hispanic dishes for Mother’s Day! “Asian techniques meets Hispanic ingredients” shows similarities between many Asian and Hispanic dishes. You can get the complete recipe with more photos on my blog.
Bacchus Dinner Club event
Saturday, May 12
What a cute title, Siri’s good at coming up with them! Siri started Bacchus Dinner Clubto gather folks for a nice dinner and cocktails at a reasonable price. It’s my kind of evening out. This dinner is at her sister’s, Atchana’s located within the Mutiny Hotel in Coconut Grove. Can’t wait to try Atchanas’ Thai cuisine! Hope there are spaces left! If not, get on Siri’s list for future dinner events.
Women’s Success Summit
The Big Close
Thursday and Friday, May 17 & 18
So excited I finally got my act together and participating in a partner program at Michelle Villalobos’ very popular summit, see full details here! This means I have a special discount code for lucky subscribers to my free newsletter. To subscribe, enter your email in right side bar. I’ve been to several of Michelle’s summits and in each one, I’ve had the chance to network, learn and hear some pretty fantastic speakers. As an entrepreneur, it’s good to get fired up and given a kick once in a while to rejuvenate and remind ourselves why we’re doing what we’re doing. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up, get the code, see you there!
So thrilled for Chatchow to get picked up as part of Content Miami, a WPBT TV show that will be bringing content from the web to the TV screen. They so deserve to get extra exposure for all the work they’re putting out every week! Chat Chow has already won many awards in its first year. Chat Chowgoes behind the scenes with the chefs, owners and mixologists of Miami’s celebrated food industry. Hosted by Lauren Bernat, the viral Wii Fit Girl sensation, the episodes highlight some of South Florida’s favorite food personalities. I was thrilled to be in one of their episodes! Get the full details here.
WPBT2
Wednesdays, 7:30pm
Congratulations to Linda Gassenheimer on snagging a 3 part TV series on WPBT2. The show is one part cooking show, blended with one part travelogue, sprinkled liberally with quirky characters, funky locales and other tropical delights. WPBT2 premieres it’s first television web series, Flavors of the Florida Keys, on Wednesday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. I first met Linda in Key West for her book signing of Keys Cuisine and have since been invited on her popular Topical Current Food and Views radio show which airs every Thursday on WLRN. Visit here for more details about Linda!
Wok Picadillo
I was thrilled to get contacted by Associated Press’ Food Editor, J.M. Hirsch to write an article, “Asian techniques meet Hispanic ingredients”, which got picked up by many news sites around the world including Taiwan and Trinidad! My local newspaper, Miami Herald picked this up and did a huge feature story and included 2 more dishes! It all started on Facebook with a request to find out what spices and ingredients were significant in Hispanic cooking! Whoosh, an avalanche erupted, I love how social media connects people, so join in the conversation.
What a coincidence my Wok Picadillo goes with this month’s theme, Cross Cultural dishes for #LetsLunch. A fusion mashup using my technique to ‘season’ the ground beef like I would a stir fry but keeping the olives and raisins for a Hispanic touch. There’s so many interesting similarities between Asian and Hispanic dishes like Paella and Fried Rice or Peruvian Chifa. I’m constantly encouraging people to use their woks for other styles of cooking or even toasting nuts and spices.
Do visit my #LetsLunch buddies posts below for their take on Cross Cultural dishes. And if you’d like to join, go to Twitter and post a message with the hashtag #Letslunch — or, post a comment below. Thanks as always to A Tiger in the Kitchen and Cowgirl Chef who started this, connecting us from all walks of life and sharing our food. Congratulations to Ellise Pierce of Cowgirl Chef with her new cookbook: Texas Cooking with a French Accent, how cool. You can preorder here!
This Cuban Wok Picadillo uses my same cooking process for a stir fry. Many Hispanic students love this approach, you can even see a video of them talking about it here. I learned to use the term “seasoning” instead of “marinading” because I don’t use a ton of liquid to soak my meat like a western marinade, try it you’ll really notice a difference in the texture of your meat!
Do get an rss feed or subscribe to my newsletter in right sidebar because I tend to make revisions to a post after it’s published. I’ll be experimenting a lot more with adapting other styles of cooking in a wok including my mom’s banana fritters!
Wok Baked Tortilla Omelet and Wok Fajitas (posting soon) are 2 more Hispanic dishes I’ve adapted in my wok, enjoy.
I’d love to hear what Hispanic dishes work well you’ve made in your wok?
WOK PICADILLO
In a medium bowl, whisk together the tamari, sherry, cornstarch and white pepper. Add the ground beef and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Set aside.
Set your wok over high and let heat for 1 minute. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and both bell peppers. As soon as they hit the wok, immediately stir them around the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions and peppers are just barely cooked and still firm and colorful.
Transfer the vegetables to a plate. Use paper towels to dry the wok, then return it to the heat.
When the wok is hot again, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic first, then immediately add the ground beef.
Use the back of the spatula to spread the beef across the wok as if frying a wide burger. Let the meat sear on one side until golden brown. This gives your meat a crispy exterior with juicy interior. You can test for doneness by flipping beef in the center of your wok where the heat is the hottest. If it is golden brown, flip all the beef and start breaking it up with your spatula.
Once the beef is just cooked (when you don’t see any red, about 7 minutes), return the onion-pepper mixture to the pan. Add the tomatoes, olives, raisins, cumin, oregano and paprika. Mix well, then reduce heat to medium and fry for 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice.
Serve spooned over rice and topped with fresh cilantro, mint or parsley.
Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 340 calories; 160 calories from fat (47 percent of total calories); 17 g fat (5 g saturated; 0.5 g trans fats); 75 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrate; 25 g protein; 3 g fiber; 670 mg sodium.
It’s always fun hopping to these blogs to peek at what everyone else cooked up! Plse come back as I update this list.
Emma‘s Kimchi Bulgogi Nachos at Dreaming of Pots And Pans
Grace‘s Taiwanese Fried Chicken at HapaMama
Jill‘s Southern Pimento-Stuffed Knishes at Eating My Words
Joe‘s Grilled KimCheese Sandwich at Joe Yonan
Linda‘s Project Runway Pelau: Rice & Beans Trinidad-Style at Spicebox Travels
Lisa‘s Sunday Night Jewish-Chinese Brisket at Monday Morning Cooking Club
Lucy‘s Coconut Rice Pudding with Mango at A Cook And Her Books
Nancie‘s Chili-Cheese Biscuits with Avocado Butter at Nancie McDermott
Rashda‘s Mango Cobbler at Hot Curries & Cold Beer
Renee‘s Asian-Spiced Quick Pickles at My Kitchen And I
Steff‘s Chicken Fried Steak at The Kitchen Trials
Vivian‘s Funky Fusion Linguini at Vivian Pei