Wok Star Eleanor Hoh

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Fullei Fresh Marketplace, a community space for healthy living

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Who’d have thought right here in Miami, we have an organic hydroponic sprouting farm?! It was started by Manny Wong, a Chinese family from Cuba.  Fullei Fresh grows a variety of organic sprouts as well as bean sprouts AND it’s hydroponic which means NO pesticides or bacteria! AND organic, WOW, so happy. . .I was always hesitant to purchase sprouting greens because I was wary of how and where they were grown.  I was thrilled to visit their “farm” and get the tour.
So excited to be invited to give a slide presentation and cooking demonstration at their Grand Opening of their community space for healthy living.  There’ll be loads of health related talks, demos and activities from experts in their fields, all are welcome!

Fullei Fresh Marketplace Grand Opening
Saturday, April 14, 10-4pm
12:45pm is my cooking demo!
Click here
Free with registration…

I hope you’ll come and support this community project. Bring the whole family and make it a day, there’ll be food trucks I believe. You’ll get a chance to learn more about them and possibly get a tour. 

I’ll be making a very popular dish…Mapo Tofu, spicy and addictive and stir fry Bean Sprouts (something I get asked constantly!) 

Mapo Tofu with red bell peppers for some color. Blog and video coming soon.
You’ll learn how to stir fry bean sprouts so they’re crispy, crunchy at my cooking demonstration at 1pm, see you there!
 

 

Olivia, Manny’s daughter gave me a tour…

Manny has won many awards as well as been certified for teaching others how to sprout!
Talk about hydroponic sprouts, wow, is anyone into sprouts? They are tenfold more potent than vegetables, can’t wait to try broccoli sprouts. I am going to eat as much of these sprouts as I can! Excited to try other sprouts like beet, sunflower, daikon and clover sprouts, I didn’t realize there are so many varieties! Yay, 2018 is a year for trying new things!

Fullei Fresh sprouts are available at numerous Whole Foods, Fresh Market and I saw them at Laurenzo’s Market in North Miami.
Here are just some ways I’ve been using those amazing sprouts…
Alfafa sprouts immediately upgrades my hubby’s delish wok omelet into a gourmet dish, yum!
Dynamite, perfect for cold night here. Topping broccoli sprouts on my beef soup was awesome, gave a nice accent and zing. Soup was made in slow cooker with very meaty beef necks, onions, and garbanzos. When reheating, I like to add noodles and some fresh vegetables like Bean Sprouts, Bok Choy and tomatoes for some color.
Don’t you love these red beet sprouts on avocado? Adds a pop of color to any dish, they are slightly bitter but I don’t mind. Tip is to add vinaigrette which will temper the bitterness.
Garnish your lunch with alfafa sprouts!

Thanks Fullei Fresh for introducing me to these baby sprouts.

Do share ways you use baby sprouts in comment below! And remember to register, see you this Saturday, April 14!
Disclosure:  I was given sprouts by Fullei Fresh to experiment with.  I just really like supporting local businesses who focus on good, healthy products.
 
 

Chinese New Year Wok Star Supper Club at Gaijin Izakaya (Updated)

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Extracted from Gaijin’s Eventbrite page written by food journalist & Gaijin staffer, Korakot “gabby” suriya-arporn. I added my two cents…
My Wok Star Supper Club will be celebrating the upcoming Chinese New Year of the Dog at Chef Cake’s newish Japanese gastropub, Gaijin Izakaya in midtown, Sunday, February 25, 5:30pm. A $50 per person scrumptious 5 course menu starts with a welcome cocktail and passed hors d’oeuvre that’ll get the New Year off with a bang. My main goal in these gatherings is to support and showcase mostly chef owned restaurants and introduce you to good Asian inspired food. All ticket sales go to Gaijin Izakaya. My Wok Star Supper Club, an event held periodically throughout the year, is about celebrating Asian culture and cuisine in South Florida.
Please don’t leave till last minute and be disappointed you can’t get in!
Please view MENU below PRIOR to reservations.  NO exceptions, substitutions or deviations, we want to make it easy for Chef Cake and staff.  Please understand, it’s difficult to deal with 70 people already so if you have any food allergies or diet restrictions, please visit on another occasion and order what you want.

photo: Gabby Korakot

Some fun rules you should know…
1) Get cozy – EVERYONE will mix and mingle at the bar as they enter and meet new friends. 

2) Get even more cozy – seats and dish portions will be arranged in 2 and 4, so guests will be sitting with new friends and sharing dishes family style.

The lucky folks who’ll get first dibs into this popular event are subscribers to my newsletter. You can subscribe in the right sidebar of my site to gain priority access to this and future events plus get the latest food ideas, resources and beyond.

Yes, they are real washing machines where you can put your bag and personal belongings, how cute is that!
Bar area as you enter where we’ll meet and mingle over a special surprise welcome cocktail with passed hors d’oeuvre of tuna rice rolls which have a little kick to them, yummy!
Chef Cake will be bringing you the ultimate tasting experience with his unique Japanese-Chinese hybrid to celebrate Year of the Dog. The multi-course meal of prosperity and good wishes is a showcase of Cake’s culinary prowess as well as his imaginative flair.  I love the ‘artsy’ and eclectic mix of furniture and furnishings from the previous owner who was an artist.  Chef Cake has added hand picked Japanese posters and blends in well with the existing decor.
About Chef Cake, Phuket Thongsodchareondee:
Cake grew up in a resort island in Thailand, acquainting himself to cooking since early age at a family hotel business. After he moved to Miami, he soon found direction under Makoto Okuwa and trained under him at his namesake restaurant for four years. Cake then decided to venture out on his own, opening a little Thai haunt in MiMo neighborhood called Cake Thai Kitchen, which has gathered him many accolades, including Best Thai Restaurant  2015 from Miami New Times, One of Eater 38 (best restaurants in Miami), and StarChefs’ South Florida Rising Star. With lingering passion for Japanese cuisine, he finally opens Gaijin Izakaya in July 2017, fulfilling his dreams to own a fun, rigidity-free izakaya with high quality food and great selections of beverages.
About Eleanor Hoh, aka Wok Star:
Eleanor is a cooking teacher, entrepreneur, blogger and presenter. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and love of wok cooking she learned from her mom. After 17 years in the computer industry in London, she embarked on an entrepreneurial journey starting in Key West, FL, where her passion for teaching has evolved into a roadmap technique, eliminating recipes and encourages creativity and intuition.  Currently, she teaches monthly cooking classes and produces corporate team building and wellness programs in upscale design showrooms in south Florida and also offers online classes on Udemy to reach a worldwide audience.
Passed hors d’oeuvre: tuna rice rolls has a good kick, very yummy.
Yusheng – a New Year dish with sashimi fish and shredded vegetables to toss and bring in the New Year! Light and refreshing.
1st course: Fried short ribs, very tasty. Eggy fried rice and Stir Fried Bok Choy with mushrooms (not shown.)
2nd Course: Amazing smoked duck with noodles and bok choy.
For this shot, we had Cake’s mom hold 2 of my hubby’s iphone lights, it was quite funny.
 
Join us for this memorable gathering, plus a chance to meet and mingle with Chef Cake, myself and fellow food lovers who enjoy Asian culture and cuisine.

2018 Chinese New Year Wok Star Supper Club Menu*

Welcome cocktail
Passed hors d’oeuvre:
Tuna crispy rice
szechuan peppercorn, yuzu butter, capelin roe
Appetizer:
Yusheng “Prosperity Toss”
local raw fish, cucumber, sesame seeds, salmon roe, umeboshi dressing
Mains:
Salt & pepper beef short ribs
Also garlic eggy fried rice, wok-fried bok choy and oyster mushroom
Applewood smoked duck breast
egg noodles, duck fat, bok choy
Dessert:
Jelly orange

*SUBJECT TO CHANGE UPON SEASONAL AVAILABILITY
*NO MODIFICATION OR ALTERATION

Here are the details, you know the drill…you’ll be paying directly to Gaijin Izakaya…
When: Sunday, February 25, 5:30-8:30pm
Where: Gaijin Izakaya, 3500 N. Miami Ave., Midtown Miami. 
What: Eleanor Hoh and Cake Thai, Chinese New Year Wok Star Supper Club
Cost: $50 includes Welcome Cocktail, tips and tax and EXCLUDES other beverages.
Drinks:  Special beverage and sake pairings is $25 and not part of dinner price.
Max: 70 seats
Parking: across at midtown shops parking or street parking
Reservations & payment:  through Eventbrite from Gaijin or myself through newsletter.
Call Gaijin directly  if you have any problems:  305-456-3207
We look forward to seeing you there!

 
 

GrowFest Chefs Cook Off

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Redlands GrowFest held annually at Fruit & Spice Park encourages you to grow, can and preserve your produce and vegetables!  The most popular event there is the Chefs Cookoff and I was honored to be invited again this year to judge with Christine Najac, publisher, author, sommelier and food and wine blogger of South Florida Food and Wine, Farmer Grabiel Marewski of Paradise Farm and Tim from Fruit and Spice Park.
The Chefs did an outstanding job as there were a lot of distractions!  Judges asking questions, snapping photos, not forgetting Edible South Florida’s publisher, Gretchen Schmidt, Farmer Margie from Bee Heaven Farm and Fruit & Spice Director, Tim Stribling were describing tropical fruits, spices and produce to the audience the whole time.
Here are some behind the scenes I captured of the Chefs Cook off. Each chef was given a “secret ingredient” and a box of mystery ingredients and allowed to pick anything from the ingredients table. Winner announced below!
Bring your family to the next one and make it a day’s visit cause it’s a drive!  There are food booths or bring a picnic, lots of areas to lay out.

Redlands Produce
Redlands Produce chefs could use any of these.
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Chef Carolina’s starfruit in honey
GrowFest Chefs Cookoff
GrowFest Chefs Cookoff
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Chefs furiously prepping! I caught Chef Venoy’s adorable little girl sneaking a peek!
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Chefs cooking at their stoves in wind and rain!
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Kudos to all the Chefs for coming up with these delish surprises in an hour! We ended choosing two winners because it was so tough and they were: top left: Chef Loren Pulitzer of Simply Sharon’s mash yucca cake and middle right, Chef Venoy representing Slow Food Miami with his black eyed peas hash and perfect duck egg. Bottom right: Chef Carolina of The Whisk Cafe & Bakery’s rice pudding which had chilies, a little kick there and Chef Johnson Teh of LAN, Yugo & Burrito San’s interesting use of taro leaves. We didn’t realize the leaves made your tongue tingle, oops.