Blog/Reviews

4 Tips to Add Flavor to Any Dish

October 9, 2019 By Eleanor Hoh 2 Comments

SPICE RUBS…

I ADORE dry spice rubs, how did Chef Patty Ruiz know? She brought me a gift of her three handcrafted spices: Harissa Dry Spice Rub, Zaatar Spice Blend and Chinese Five Spice Blend. If you’re in Miami, she also gives cooking instructions and can create a magical event for you, her styling is out of this world.

The Mad Table’s Zaatar spice rub, wow, so perfect for this Rack of Lamb, umm…

Dry spice rubs are so versatile, they are my favorite way to season meats for grilling and sprinkle on omelets, soups, stews, whatever you’d like.

Choose from her 16 spice blends at The Mad Table!
Don’t you love her packaging!

Spin it!

Here’s something to help you get those flavors into your food…I came across this tin lazy Suzan and I love it! I keep it right on my dining table so it’s handy. It’s a little bulky but does the job. Keeps my spice rubs, etc. for adding flavor to any dish.

Check my **Instagram Highlights/Cooking Tips @wokstar** for short video, see some spin action and see other goodies! Instagram is where you’ll get the latest updates on **Tips, Food Finds and beyond!**

MUSHROOMS…

Wok Stars, you already know about Earthy Delights’ Shiitake or Oyster Mushrooms that come in your Wok Star Kit. Mushrooms are so versatile, they can go in a stir fry, soup, stew, risotto. And so handy cause they never spoil. Check instructions on packet how to rehydrate them.

Recently, I’ve been using Shimeji Mushrooms which have changed my life. Since I started making Buddha Bowl soups, I throw a bunch of Shimeji and Enokis in right at the end. They cook really fast whether you add to soup or stir fry.

Click to see how you make this yummy Classic Wok Steamed Chicken with Mushrooms!

Chili Threads!

Earthy Delight first introduced me to these wonderful Chili Threads and now I am hooked and they don’t stock it, phooey. You can find at Asian markets as well. Top on any dish and you’ll be considered a gourmet chef! Keep them in dark area, away from heat or they lose their flavor.

They add **STYLE, HEIGHT, VISUAL INTEREST** and a slight hit of **spiciness.**

Crispy Shallots/Red Onions

Crispy shallots or red onions give so much flavor and kick as a topping. Don’t sprinkle till right before eating cause they tend to get soft. For soups, I put them in a small sauce plate to savor separately.

You can find them at Asian markets also, check the labels, you don’t want any MSG or chemicals. The less ingredients, the better. Mine only listed soybean oil and shallots or red onions, yum.

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Dream Dish: Steamed Ribs in Brown Bean Sauce

August 18, 2019 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

Do you ever dream about a dish you like? For me Steamed Spare Ribs in Black Beans is one of them. It’s a mystery to me why it’s only served as a dim sum lunch item and never on the dinner menu?

Addictive Dream Dish! Every riblet is so tender and tasty.

Note: I have an Amazon affiliate store for those who cannot get seasonings and products easily. I will get a fee when you click on these links.

This is what makes being a Wok Star so fun, because we don’t follow rules, we swap out ingredients and often get better results than the original dish PLUS get a nice surprise!

When I came across pork riblets at Costco recently, I immediately thought of making Steamed Spare Ribs in Black Beans for dinner.

Video coming soon!!! I’m learning how to edit.

About Pork Riblets
I’ve only seen pork riblets at Asian supermarkets and Costco only has St.Louis Ribs, not Spare Ribs which have more marbling. If your market or Costco don’t have riblets option, tell butcher to cut ACROSS the ribs to bite size chunks. It’s more versatile, you can make so many kinds of stews, soups and curries. I’ll share more soon.

The secret to getting these little pork riblets tender is to steam long and on low heat in your wok. Yes, another way of using your cast iron wok. Choose a dish that’s wide and can hold some sauce!

About Brown Beans
Steamed Ribs in Black Beans are typically made with fermented black beans but I didn’t have any and I find they are too salty and overpowering. Don’t confuse these fermented black beans with the Latin Caribbean Frijole.

The Koon Chun Brown Bean Sauce I use are more mellow and easier to prepare. They come ready mashed in a saucey consistency. This is the same sauce that comes in your Wok Star Kit. I also use this sauce in my cooking class to poach Tilapia and it’s always a big hit.

NOTE: Fermented Black Beans come in a sack and will take you a year to get through them, ha, ha. They have to be rinsed and mashed. If interested in its origins and want to try them, Chef Norman Van Aken does a great job explaining.

What to pair with?
Because Steamed Ribs in Brown Beans has quite strong flavors, it’s best to pair with a simple stir fry or blanched vegetable to complement each other. I chose Baby Bok Choy and brown rice, yum. My hubby raved about my traditional Chinese dinner, a rather rare occasion! He slurped down all the sauce with rice.

Here’s how to make this dish so you can have it anytime, it’s SUPER EASY and what a WINNER..

Serves 2
Ingredients:
6 ribs cut across
2 scallions cut diagonally

Brown rice

Ribs marinade:
TSPC…
Koon Chun Brown Bean Sauce
Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce
Toasted Sesame Oil
Garlic and Ginger Chopped

Vegetable:
6-8 Baby Bok Choy bunches, split lengthways
Garlic and Ginger thwacked
Grape Seed Oil

Seasoning:
San-J Tamari
Medium drinking sherry wine (from your local supermarket, NOT sherry vinegar)

Method:

Start with cooking brown rice.
Marinade ribs in wide dish.
Put steamer rack OR pair of wooden chopsticks in your wok, add water to just reach top of rack.
Put dish of ribs on rack and close with wok lid, switch stove to high. As soon as water boils, switch to medium low. Check every 15 minutes and add more water if needed.
After ribs finish steaming, sprinkle chopped scallions and cover to keep warm. Remove rack and empty any water. Wipe wok clean and dry.
Start with blanching Bok Choy with a drizzle of grape seed oil. When tender, use colander to scoop out to plate. Empty any water. Wipe wok clean and dry.
Fire up wok on high. Drizzle 3 rounds of Grape Seed Oil, add garlic and ginger, add Bok Choy. Drizzle San-J tamari and sherry. Done.

ENJOY!

Start with TSPC; add Koon Chun Brown Bean Sauce, Kadoya Toasted Sesame Oil and Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce.

Use metal or bamboo rack to set dish of ribs. In my video, I show how to use a pair of wood chopsticks set apart to balance the dish. Do NOT use disposable wood chopsticks.

My wok lid is stainless steel but very light.

TA DA! Taste better than it looks. You’ll want to drown your rice in this sauce!

Look how simple this Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry is!

Split Bok Choy lengthways, they’ll cook faster!

Blanche, empty water. Fry up with oil, sprinkle San-J tamari & sherry, DONE!

Traymore by Michael Schwartz at Como Hotel

July 28, 2019 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

Smart move Como Metropolitan Hotel, Miami Beach! Opening a restaurant with a James Beard award-winning chef, Traymore by Michael Schwartz guarantees immediate success.

The reason for his success? That’s easy…his philosophy has always been to cook what’s local and seasonal and provide a “Genuine” dining experience, LOVE that! He puts so much flavor and panache into his dishes. Schwartz created Genuine Hospitality Group in 2007 with his wife and partner, Tamara and has been dominating the Miami culinary scene with 9 restaurants so far and no end in sight. His pan-Asian fusion dishes fit perfectly with Como’s Asian roots.

Michael, you definitely nailed it. Thank you for giving us uncluttered Asian flavors with an upscale ambience!

I love that they respected the Art Deco curved ceiling inlay details accented with lights and soaring columns flanked with huge pots of greenery giving the dining room a tropical look that’s tropical chic yet casual.

About the decor:

It’s a place where people feel comfortable and cozy and appeals to both hotel guests and locals. Como originated from Singapore, founded by Christina Ong and boasts 9 hotels and resorts in Asia, 3 in Europe. I am so thrilled to hear this because my mom was born in Singapore and it feels good to know this luxury brand has chosen Miami Beach as their first USA location.

Como Metropolitan Hotel, Miami Beach’s Lobby, zen and clean.

Porch setting for those who enjoy a little humidity!

Cute area which can be curtained off for private functions!

Banquettes on the back wall. Thank heavens for this, my hubby has a superstition and likes to sit with the wall behind him.

About the food:

“I have always loved the ingredients and tastes of Asia” says Schwartz. As a long time fan of Chef Michael Schwartz, we were pleased to see his signature Wok Charred Salmon on the menu as well as the inclusion of Black Rice in many dishes, another of his favorites from when he helmed the kitchen at Nemo back in 1995. I’m so happy Chef Michael gets to bring back his love of Asian flavors at Como. His culinary genius is respecting each ingredient and bringing out its best potential with sourcing from excellent purveyors.

Everything we ordered was exquisitely executed, very tasty and well presented. Quite reasonable considering this is Miami Beach. Raw Bar ranged from $17-$29. Market Table were $6-$10. Appetizers, $12-$20. Entrees, $21-$42. Dessert, large $12, small $5.

Miami Spice starts August 1st and continues to September 31, with lunch and dinner menu. It’s a great way to get a sampling. Umm, just saw Pork Belly Ramen and Black sticky rice with mango, I’m so THERE!

About the service:

As this was a media tasting, the Como staff as well as the restaurant managers were there to greet us, we appreciated the attention! Our server ‘knew’ the menu and shared his favs.

Top: Broccolini with Thai peanut sauce and black rice, staff know how to wok it, crispy crunchy. Tuna Sashimi with kaffir lime vinaigrette, very refreshing and light.

Lobster stuffed Zucchini blossoms, preserved lemon dressing. Light and fluffy.

Pan Fried Pork & Kimchi Dumplings with Papaya Mustard. I couldn’t taste the Kimchi though? Otherwise, this crispy disc was genius. Who doesn’t love crispy dumplings?

Wanted to show how each dumpling was underneath!

Grilled Rib Eye, green sambal, chile fried long green beans and black sticky rice in small plate. That was one of the most TENDER and juicy steaks I’ve ever had. It had the perfect temperature for medium rare. Stir Fried Thai Eggplant Curry was also delicious. Of course, so good as leftovers next day.

I loved how a server poured hot water to make the Vietnamese coffee which seeped into Sundae beneath and when she removed it, TA DA, there was our Vietnamese Coffee Sundae!
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Vanilla ice cream, sweetened condensed milk, sesame-hempseed crunch, toffee, whipped cream, house maraschino. With Hemp Seed Balls from the Small Bites section. I’m not sure how we managed to fit this in but we did! Very rich, blame it on my hubby for ordering it, I would have preferred Miso Flan.

Disclosure: this media tasting was complimentary. As a cooking teacher and authority on Asian food, my audience enjoys my reviews and recommendations.

Easy Dinner Fix For Family Diets

July 14, 2019 By Eleanor Hoh 1 Comment

With all the endless diets nowadays, it’s tricky to fix dinner when your family is split between Low Carb, Keto, Paleo, Atkins, South Beach, Vegetarian, Vegan, the list is endless. On top of diets, throw food allergies like gluten intolerance in the mix and you’re at your wits’ end how to make dinner the whole family can enjoy? Is this a familiar scene with your family? I’d love to hear your “workarounds” in comment below.

WSJ Family Fight over carbs — In a recent Wall Street Journal article, The Family Dinner Is Now A Battle Over Carbohydrate Preferences, I was overjoyed to read the mom makes stir fry twice a week and of course triggered me to post this blog. I don’t know if the writer is a Dietitian but his suggestions of dinner with chopped salad with meat or eggs for The Low Carb Diet sounds so boring, no wonder folks can’t stay on their diets!

I’ll start by saying every diet agrees more veggies and a smaller portion of meat with good fats, right? Well, Asians have eaten that way for decades so wok cooking is ideal!

When our mom cooked, a typical family dinner consists of Stir Fried Veggies, Stir Fried Meat with Veggies, Soup and rice. Carbs are sides unless it’s fried rice or a fried noodle dish.

My simple dinner at home with my sister and her hubby! See noodles at the top of the table?

So, here’s my workaround for families with multi-diets…
Try my cooking process of stir frying veggies and meat separately.

Matt show off stir frying Chinese Broccoli!

If there’s a vegan or vegetarian, it’s easy to just leave out the meat and cook up some tofu and still share the veggies! You can choose your own carbs and here’s a delicious low carb, Curry Quinoa which everyone will LOVE.

Wok cooking is so adaptable to any diet!

I encourage you to invite your kids and partners or friends to chop veggies and stir fry with you. It’s a perfect way to spend family time together, and dinner will be ready in no time!

I’ve said this many times, my fondest childhood memories are cooking with my mom and sisters and sitting down to dinner at our big round rosewood dining table with a lazy Susan. I am reminded of our times together every time I cook and I LOVE IT.

Mango, Pineapple Salsa

June 27, 2019 By Eleanor Hoh 5 Comments

Thank you Mom! I’ve adapted your cucumber, tomato pickle by adding fresh mango and pineapple and voila, it’s now a Mango, Pineapple Salsa. This dish is so popular and well received that even chefs who cook for celebrities wanted my “recipe”. The combination of sweet mangoes and juicy, sweet pineapple is a winner! Refreshing and addictive!

It doesn’t matter proportion, whatever fruit you like most, add that.

My mom’s pickle always showed up at the table when she made spicy curries, the pickle is supposed to help “cool us down”.

It is the easiest Mango, Pineapple Salsa ever!!!

Cube everything, toss to mix
add rice vinegar, lime juice and salt
use a slotted spoon, keep turning, let sit covered in fridge for about 4-6 hours ON THE DAY you want to eat it. NOT overnight, that’s too long.

NOTES:
Mangoes – best are Ataulfo, also known as Champagne mangoes and for good reason, they are sweet, creamy and perfect, I get mine from Costco. Feel free to use whatever mangoes you want. Locally grown with sweet perfumes, umm. Don’t use pithy ones, they’ll wreck your experience.

Pineapple – use ripe, otherwise it’s too sour and also not juicy.

Cucumber – I love Persian, Hot House are crunchy with less seeds. Cut out seeds, they make pickles too watery.

Tomatoes – ripe ones are better, any kind whether plum, on the vine or Beefsteak work.

Rice Vinegar – I’ve used Marukan for years, but my mom used the Chinese white rice vinegar. Add in a third way up the big bowl AFTER you’ve cubed ALL the veggies and fruits. This way you’ll be able to see how much you need.

When ready to serve, drain juice into clean jar for other salads or add to sauces or soup, delish.

Serving Suggestions:
This Salsa is a great side for BBQ meats whether they’re ribs, pork or lamb chops, steaks and goes especially well with fish.

Best is with my signature Spicy Hoisin Ribs! Perfect for 4th of July or any occasion!

If any leftover salsa, add to your lunch salad and eat this up as soon as you can, it’ll get very soft and watery.

Ingredients:
2 mangoes
1 pineapple
1/2 red or yellow onion
4 Persian cucumbers
4 ripe plum tomatoes
2 scallions
handful of cilantro for last minute garnish (optional)

Seasonings:
Marukan rice vinegar
Fine ground Sea Salt
1/2 lime or lemon juice (optional)

Directions:
1. Core and cube veggies and fruits and place into a big bowl.

2. Add vinegar, salt and lime juice. Use slotted spoon and keep turning.

3. Cover with plate or Saran wrap and leave in fridge.

4. Use slotted spoon and turn a few times before draining juice prior to serving.

Enjoy and be prepared for friends asking you for the recipe, send them over here! Would love to hear what other combinations you create as your Salsa in comments.