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How Do I Come Up With A Dish?

March 28, 2011 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

It’s like anything in life, the more you do it, the better and easier it gets! Folks are always asking me how I come up with a dish?

Well, I started a series on my main blog: Be a Wok Star, on my ‘thought process’ and how I come up with a dish. Yesterday’s post, Buy What’s Seasonal & Fresh really says it all. I don’t know till I’m shopping and prepping & then even change mid stream.

There are may factors: what am I craving? Balancing textures, flavors, spiciness, saltiness. Can my leftovers be eaten hot or cold? How do I want to present my dishes? The last and most important is listen to what your body wants! And I’m not talking about chocolate bons bons, ha. Talk about your body is your temple and mindful eating, it’s what I try to practice daily. I’ve recently lost 6 pounds and can fit into clothes I’ve not worn in years and I feel GREAT!

I know you’re saying, “how does that help me?” Well, with baby steps and just trial and error and doing it daily or often!!! Another way? I’m not saying don’t use recipes, I’m saying recipes don’t make you an intuitive cook, you’re just following a set of someone else’s directions. Use recipes as a guide for quantities, technique and inspiration. It’s so much more FUN to add ingredients on a whim and be surprised with your results, voila!

I’ve always said, once I understand the Why of something, it all falls into place. We’ve all watched Top Chef and how experienced chefs get voted off cause their dish failed the taste test! We don’t need to be professional chefs, we just want to make a nice dinner for busy weeknights! My recent Asian Moussaka couldn’t be eaten! I had to make it into a curry, no biggie.

So, today’s lunch was leftover chicken wing, some pork stew and quinoa. Bit brown looking and one taste level, so I added pineapple cubes to give color & sweetness. Still needed something, so I added Yuzupao, a citrusy chili sauce to spice it up, what a difference!

Salad – I wanted crunch and got iceberg instead of usual field greens just to change it up. My friend Michele gave me fresh basil from her garden, that made it pop. I always add some sort of nuts for texture & extra health benefits. Dr. Oz got me into walnuts.

So, that’s how I come up with a dish! Hope this helped. Leave me a comment if you have questions or want to share how you come up with a dish?!

More tips here Cook Like a Wok Star 1.0!

and here Curry Yoki Salmon with Salad (Wok Series 2.0)

Sent from my iPhone
www.wokstar.us

Foodies in South Florida

March 17, 2011 By Eleanor Hoh 3 Comments

If you know of any foodie groups, underground supper clubs, food happenings,

please share with us: wokstar at eleanorhoh dot com

HOH WOK CLUB: I put this sorta Asian supper club together to celebrate and explore new foods, friends and exchange ideas. When I find a good Asian influenced restaurant, I organize a special tasting menu with the chef so we can get a flavor of what they offer. Subscribe to my newsletter in right side bar for updates of these gatherings and all things Asian and beyond.

Shelley-Belly’s Underground Supper Club is an amazing way to experience intimate dining in a beautiful environment, get pampered, meet interesting folks from all walks of life and just enjoy. All shrouded in secrecy with passwords and you don’t know the menu till you arrive! I love all that and if you like the sound of this, get on Shelley’s email list or follow her on twitter to find the next Underground supper

ChatChow TV, a mouth-watering video podcast where we go behind the scenes with the chefs, owners and mixologists of Florida’s celebrated food industry. Hosted by Lauren Bernat, the viral Wii Fit Girl sensation, the show consists of 6-10 minute episodes each individually highlighting some of our favorite food personalities.

Cobaya Miami is an “underground supper club” started by 3 foodies so South Florida chefs can experiment on human guinea pigs! I’ve been to one, it was so much fun to scuttle between food stations and meet new folks but way too much food in one session for me personally, here’s my post. You have to be a member to participate, sign up on their site. Featured here is Gastropod, Chef Jeremiah Bullfrog’s shiny, airstream and now there’s two of them!

Digest Miami : Our mission is to go beyond cooking and explore the many stories behind the food we eat and the people that make up our culinary world. From the concepts that inspire great restaurants to the vision behind each Chef’s signature dish, we are committed to the exploration of food as a lifestyle and not just a commodity. We hope to share our passionate adventures with you.

Miami Culinary Institute is a fantastic, brand new, state of the art facility in downtown Miami. They not only have a cooking school for those who want to be professional chefs but also have classes for ‘food enthusiasts’ which include wine appreciation and many innovative topics. I got the grand tour at their opening and they’ve done a beautiful job. They also have their own food truck, Alphabite! I give them a mention here. They recently added an organic edible garden.

Miami Food Tours started by architect Kelly Woodward is a fabulous way to discover different areas and get a tasting along the way. One new tour that I participated in is Swooped with Forks! Instead of walking, we took a fun ride in an electric open little car from South Beach to Design District and Buena Vista. It was such a treat. Even as a local, I was fascinated with the history and cultural stories and it helps when it’s a journalist/underground chef Shelley that was giving us the tour!

Miami Culinary Tours What a great way to experience local culture, cuisine and people all in one go! I got a chance to do the SOBE FOOD TOUR and it was a blast! Of all things, I ended up in a group of nearly all Asian gals in a hen party, post coming. I can’t wait to do the Little Havana Tour for a hispanic version!

South Florida Foodies: This is a closed group, you have to request to join but what a fun group of foodies! They organize gatherings at the latest, trendiest, yummiest restaurants. A recent gathering I participated in was an ‘Avant Garde Pot Luck’ in a private penthouse apartment for just 30 and I got in! I’ll be posting about this event soon.

South Florida Food Swap: I made kimchi to swap with Marie’s (founder) aji (Colombian chili sauce) but didn’t quite make it to the swap cause I was on my way to Hong Kong. You can find out how it all works as well as upcoming swaps in your area!

South Florida Food and Wine Blog

The go-to resource for all things food, wine and events from Palm Beach to South Beach. We write about and share what is hot, hip and happening! Christine is a hospitality marketing specialist, freelance writer, certified sommelier and the owner of a gourmet food company. Christine and the team at South Florida Food and Wine bring you fabulous food and wine experiences and information from Palm Beach to Key West, only writing about places they are “enthusiastic” about; “we’re enthusiasts not critics”. I first met Christine at a foodie gathering at Hakkasan where she ‘won’ my cooking class certificate.
Latest update, Christine just came out with her new book, Food Lover’s Guide to Miami & Fort Lauderdale: The Best Restaurants Markets & Local Culinary Offerings (Food Lovers’ Series), you can order it here.

South Florida Gourmet is a Miami-based company dedicated to local and world wide distribution of information on food and wine.
Simone Diament, editor and publisher has graciously included my cooking classes on her site for many years.
Together with Carole Kotkin, Simone also host a radio show, FOOD & WINE TALK WSFG

Twitter Live Chats

1. FoodieChats is a twitter live chat and also has an interview series on Facebook. I was honored to be chosen as their first guest! I love this idea, you’re able to view the complete interview here.

Use #FoodieChats with @stevegogreen on twitter every Monday at 8pm ET for themed foodie chats.

2. The Hungry Goddess, A Food Blog to satisfy the Ravenous Soul by Kimberly Moore in conjunction with FoodiesUnite, Beverly Pipes who also produce a few other food blogs as well as a food chat.

Join #HGEats on twitter for foodie topics and entertaining tweeps every Wednesday, 12 – 1pm ET with @HGEATS @HungryGoddess @Healthy_Goddess @DrunkenGoddess

3. Please join @TableFare and @MySpiceSage for #SpiceChat, first Wednesday of each month from 4:00 to 5:00pm EST.
Myspicesage is one of my partners that sponsors my Wok Star Kit with their curry powder and 5 spice powder. You can find out more about them here.

Katy Lynch has evolved from publishing Dine magazine to creating events for food and wine enthusiasts, visiting the latest South Florida restaurants with Savor Tonight. It’s a perfect way to get a taste before you go full throttle at a restaurant and a fun way to meet people. I’ve been to one at Lucky Strike and got a game of bowling in and another at Haven South Beach where the lychee cocktails were addictive!

Sample great food. Meet great people is Dishcrawl’s slogan. I’ve not attended so can’t give any personal recommendation but sounds interesting. When the time is right, I’ll go. They have these in other states too.

Cobaya Guinea Pigs Miami (Updated)

June 17, 2010 By Eleanor Hoh 4 Comments

Chef Jeremiah’s shiny Gastropod roams Miami.
It took a year to build out. Often you’ll see him
at Wynwood’s Art Walk, 2nd Saturdays of the month.
Wonderful to pick up a yummy snack after trekking
into all the art galleries.

I’m certainly no gourmand or foodie but enjoyed seeing how this Cobaya was produced and meeting other foodies. I’m just the opposite spectrum of gourmet cooking, I focus on teaching easy, one-dish dinners using a cast iron wok. Food for Thought organizes these Cobaya Gourmet Guinea Pig dinners and did a great job! He named this one, Podzilla, mix of Gastropod and Chadzilla, and it’s upscale ‘streetfood’. Cobaya is an underground supper club in a secret location that’s only revealed after you pay. You don’t know what you’re getting fed till you get there, hence “guinea pig”. Subscribing is the only way to get into these Cobaya events!

Here’s a bit about my own pursuit of good, reasonably priced Asian eats and cultural events in South Florida, I came up with Hoh Wok Club. I held a few gatherings but then good Asian restaurants dried up so I took a hiatus. I’m excited to work on a series of events with a few modern Asian eateries that have sprung up, so if you’re interested, subscribe to my blog or visit my site for latest updates.

Chef Jeremiah Bullfrog explains Podzilla! It was fun to hop
from one station to another to pick up your next dish.

Chefs: Mike, Kurtis Jantz and Chad Galiano
(Chefs at Neomi, Trump International Beach
Resort, Sunny Isles, Florida.) Trio worked
under dim lights, sweltering heat and did a
great job! It’s terrific they get a chance to
showcase their ‘offbeat’ side at this Podzilla
and we are eager Guinea Pigs!

Chowfather help set up!

DJ Kiko kept the energy UP! Enjoyed his music.

Lovely under the tent. It was quite humid. I slathered on Revlon’s Skin So Soft to put off mosquitoes and humans (oops.) I sat with this wonderful enthusiastic foodie couple (in photo above.) Wow, they really get into it. Nice seeing blogger Paula of mangoandlime, I always enjoy reading her blog, she’s written about other Cobaya dinners. Met another food blogger, tinkeringwithdinner . Take a look for his point of view!

I also sat next to a Korean/American attorney I met years ago at an APABA event. The real buzz is she’s going to help prep for the next Top Chef. Can’t reveal location. There was also a plastic surgeon, so you see, you just never know who you’ll meet!

The problem I have with western style rectangular tables is that you only ‘meet’ and have conversations with your immediate neighbors. In Asia, you mostly see square tables or big rounds so you have eye contact with everyone at your table and the conversation and food can also be shared easily, all about ‘community’.

It was really a lovely setting with the water and boats back
of the American Legions Park at 64th/Biscayne where
Harvey took over running the bar and restaurant. Thanks
to Harvey for hosting us. Never knew they had a view in the back.

Octo Salpicon was very tender and tasty, served with
Summer Spritzer of salted watermelon, tomato, tequilla.

Brine Fried Chicken, Big Mike’s potato salad,
buttermilk-chicharrone biscuits.

French Quarter Chicken Livers with hot pepper fluid gel,
evoo-sea salt crackers.

“Baha” Fish Taco Salad: Swordfish, cabbage, chipotle,
tortillas, pico de gallo.

Bahn Mi Tacos: pulled pork in trotter jus, nuoc cham,
pickled radishes & cilantro salad

Mississippi Delta Tamales:
cornmeal tamale, tomatillo, tomato ketchup

Eddie Bragin did some incredibly intricate designs on these
stainless steel bottles used to dispense cream/foam?
Do visit Eddie’s website to see his beautiful art and design.

Chefs assembling tamales.

Nice arrangement with floating candles and flower.

Steve, Blind Tastes chatting to Carla (Jeremiah’s wife)
and baby Sydney. It was nice getting to know J & his
family and hear about their Pod trips.
If you live in Asheville, Weaverville, the
GastroPod is visiting July 3 & 4. Check his site
for latest schedule and his creative events.

I missed out on the Crispy White Corn Cake
(everyone raved about this dish and kept
rubbing it in just cause I missed it.) and Double
Decker Slider Burgers because everyone was
eating way too fast! Well, I couldn’t fit in the
burger, I was stuffed. It got too dark to shoot
the two desserts: Root Beer & Bourbon Floats

and White Chocolate Cupcakes.

I would love to hear your personal take on an “undergro
und” dinner in your town but keep it light.

Here are 2 reviews of ‘underground’ dinners. One from a reporter:
Steve Dolinsky, Adventures in Urban Eating. 12-time national James Beard Award-winner, occasional judge on Iron Chef America, currently Food/Lifestyle reporter for ABC7

And one from a food blogger and empty-nester:
She’s Cookin

Here’s a great listing of ‘underground supper clubs” in other cities. Cobaya is listed.
https://www.saltshaker.net/underground-dining-scene

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