korean mungbean jelly (muk)

Of all the restaurants in San Francisco, it's funny that the only one where we are considered regulars is a Korean restaurant. Maybe its the underground parking - a lifesaver in the rainy season when dining out with kids - or maybe its the deliciousness of the food, the sweetness of the staff and owner, the cleanliness and child-friendliness of the establishment. But honestly, I think its their muk. Muk is a savory jello-like dish commonly served in Korean restaurants among the little appetizers they pass out called panchan. Whenever my kids hear the words mungbean jelly, they cheer.

There's a korean grocery near the restaurant, and feeling inspired one day, I asked the owner if he stocked the ingredients necessary to make muk. He handed me a package of whitish powder, and painstakingly translated the korean instructions for me. My new favorite grocer!

Muk (Korean mungbean jelly)
For Jelly
1/4 cup mungbean starch powder (available at korean grocery stores)
1/2 tsp sea salt


For Sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
1/4 cup minced scallions
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp red chili flakes (optional - don't add this for the kids' portion!)


In a heavy pot, place 1/4 cup mungbean starch powder and add 1 3/4 cups water. Using a wooden spoon, stir until well mixed. Bring to boil on medium heat, stirring every so often to keep from sticking to bottom of pan. Add salt after mixture reaches boil, turn heat on low, and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring. You'll know its ready when mixture looks bubbly and translucent. Pour into shallow glass containers and cool, chilling for at least 2 hours. When firm, cut into cubes and serve with sauce.


For sauce: mix all ingredients together, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Spoon over muk and serve chilled or at room temperature.

momofuku's ginger-scallion noodles

Though I'm not a big fan of the Momofuku restaurants in New York (too rich, and therefore strangely bland and heavy), I've been looking for new noodle recipes for my noodle-loving kids. The ingredients reminded me of the yummy dipping sauce that accompanies salt-baked chicken in a Chinese restaurant, so I gave it a shot. I substituted sauteed fresh vegetables instead of the pan-fried tofu suggested in the recipe, and am glad I did as it gave the dish some textural interest. The verdict? It's a go! The kids finished every bite.

Momofuku's Ginger-Scallion Noodles
2 1/2 cups thinly minced scallions (about 2 bunches)
1/2 cup finely minced peeled ginger
1/2 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3/4 teaspoons sea salt
3/4 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 pound udon noodles
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1 cup thinly sliced fresh shitake mushrooms
1 cup thinly sliced bamboo shoot 
1 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt to taste


In a large bowl, mix scallions, ginger, oil, soy sauce, sea salt, and vinegar. Cover and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook udon noodles according to package instructions. Drain and add to sauce mixture in bowl. 
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in skillet. Sautee mushrooms, asparagus, and bamboo shoot until tender. Salt to taste, but keep in mind the noodles will be salted as well.
Spoon 1/4 of the noodle mixture into a bowl and top with vegetables.  

roasted root veggies, eight minute egg

Meatless Monday again. Where does the week(end) go? We ate out more than usual this weekend, starting with a family dinner at our favorite Korean restaurant on Friday night, followed by a fried-chicken  brunch on Saturday, dinner out, and then Sunday dinner out as well. When I began thinking about dinner this afternoon, I decided on something simple and relatively light to counteract all of that restaurant food. Nonetheless, it had been an unusually cold and windy San Francisco day, so I wanted to make something that still felt hearty and warm.

It had also been a busy Monday, with our usual start-of-the week errands, furniture delivery, and playdates, etc and so I was looking for something easy I could prep and just pop into the oven. This fit the bill!

Roasted Root Veggies, Eight-Minute Egg
4 cups winter vegetables, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces (I used radishes, mushrooms, whole garlic cloves and scallions)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
2 Eggs


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Toss vegetables with olive oil and sea salt, and spread onto baking sheet. Make sure the veggies are in 1 layer (they won't brown if they are crowded on the pan). Divide into 2 pans if necessary. Roast for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Divide into 4 bowls.
Meanwhile, place eggs a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Cover with lid. Heat until water boils, then immediately turn off heat and let eggs sit for eight minutes for a medium-boiled egg. Remove eggs after eight minutes and submerge in ice water until ready to use.
Peel and halve eggs, topping each bowl of roasted vegetables with half an egg. Sprinkle with Maldon sea salt. Serve with crusty bread.

whole wheat penne with roasted tomatoes, garlic, and basil

I've been toying with the idea of instituting meatless Mondays for a while now - it's not hard to do, especially as neither the husband and nor the kids particularly enjoy meat. Also, I almost always have basil, tomatoes, and garlic on hand, so I thought it was a good idea to learn some more permutations of pasta with these ingredients.

I adapted this recipe from Lidia's Italy website and thought it sounded earthy and but light, perfect for a cold Spring evening. Roasting the tomatoes brings out an additional, caramelized sweetness, and using whole wheat pasta adds additional fiber and protein (so I don't feel guilty about yet another pasta dinner!)

Penne with Roasted Tomatoes
2 pints cherry tomatoes, washed and sliced in half
1 head garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 
1 cup whole wheat penne
1 bunch basil, washed and dried
Sea salt, to taste


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss cherry tomatoes and garlic in olive oil. Add a pinch of salt, and roast in oven for 20-25 minutes, until caramelized. Meanwhile, heat a pot of water, and cook pasta according to box instructions. When pasta is done, drain but leave about 3-5 tablespoons of cooking liquid. Add roasted tomato mixture, making sure to pour in all of the olive oil. Top with parmesan cheese and roughly torn basil strips. Salt to taste. Voila! Easy meatless monday pasta. 

playdate tea sandwiches

One of my greatest victories this past year as a mom has been to get my kids to eat sandwiches. Yes, sandwiches. We're not all the way there yet - the kids pretty much only accept PB&J, nutella, and butter, though they've graduated from shapes and will happily eat whole wheat bread, sometimes even with crust.

The best moment came a couple of weeks ago when I made a cucumber sandwich and told my daughter that it was fancy. "Fancy?" she asked, unimpressed. But when I told her that the cucumber sandwich was Belle's favored snack during princess tea time, she took a bite and declared herself a convert. Awesome, especially since it doesn't take much to spread cream cheese on sliced bread, layer cucumbers, and top with buttered bread.

The reason I'm loving this whole sandwich development is how much easier it has made lunchtime playdates. I basically plop down a loaf of bread, various jams, nut butters, and butter, string cheese, veggie sticks, and fruit, and let the kids go at it. Super easy and every kid gets to customize their own meal.

For today's playdate, I went fancy and pre-made a plateful of sandwiches, including PB&J, the aforementioned cucumber sandwiches, and, for the adults, deviled egg salad. I've always been a fan of deviled eggs, and when brainstorming what to serve for lunch today, thought I'd create an egg salad version to escape the boredom of eating kid sandwiches for lunch. It turned out great - creamy and eggy, with a nice kick from capers and horesradish. Playdate success!

Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches
Ingredients
Sliced whole wheat bread
4 hard-boiled eggs, cooled 
1 tbsp capers
1 radish, diced fine
1/2 scallion, diced fine
1 tbsp mayo
1 tsp horeradish
1 tsp whole grain mustard


Roughly chop eggs and place in mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, and roughly mash with a fork, making sure to leave some texture in the eggs. Spread on a slice of whole wheat bread, top with another, cut off crusts, and into triangles. Makes 4-6 sandwiches, depending on how much filling you like in your sandwiches. Bonus points for getting the kids to partake!

snow pea tips

One of my favorite "off-the-menu" dishes to order at a Chinese restaurant is snow pea tips, the tendrils of the pea vine. Tender and delicate, they taste like the embodiment of Spring. Although not many Chinese restaurants list it on the menu, they almost always have it if you ask. My theory is that they keep it in the kitchen for the staff meal or for discerning customers like myself! Perhaps because spring pea tips aren't on the menu, they tend to be on the expensive side  for a vegetable side dish at a Chinese restaurant.

I stopped by the Chinese grocery to grab some staples the other day and saw a big bag of pea tips on sale. A little googling gave me some ideas, and presto! The dish was on the table in 10 minutes. Another reason to love Chinese food.

Note - the best tip for this dish is to undercook it. You want to retain the vegetable's delicacy, and it'll keep cooking after you plate, so taste, and when it tastes just a bit raw, turn off the flames and scoop onto a plate.

Stir-fried Spring Pea Tips
2 bunches spring pea tips, cleaned and trimmed
6 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
splash of shao-hsing wine (can substitute white wine or sherry)
salt and pepper to taste


Heat sautee pan on medium-high heat. When pan is hot, pour in vegetable oil and wait about 30 seconds. Add garlic and sautee on medium heat until garlic is golden-brown. Add spring tea tips, and 1/2 cup of water, and turn heat on high. Sautee until vegetables begin to wilt, then add a splash of shao-hsing wine (optional, but I find it adds some complexity to the flavor). Taste and plate when pea tips taste just on the verge of losing their rawness. Serve immediately.

lemon cashew couscous salad

While I rarely cooked in college, there were some snowy or rainy weekends when my roommates and I would decide to cook. And by "cook" I mean we would search for completely impractical recipes and put together meals that were random and irrational. One memorable Saturday night we had zucchini fritters, honey corn bread, and dim sum style Chinese turnip cakes.

Lucily, I did make it out of college with some new recipes. This recipe is a take on a recipe that, in typical teenage girl style, we obsessed over for weeks. Originally it called for regular couscous, but I've substituted TJ's israeli couscous with quinoa and beans in the interest of adding some color, texture, and protein. The addition of cashews turns a salad into an entree, while generous pourings of olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice balance the richness.

Lemon Cashew Couscous Salad
3 cups couscous, cooked and cooled (you can substitute whichever grain you prefer)
1/2 red pepper, finely diced
1/2 yellow pepper, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
3 scallions, finely diced
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1 handful cilantro (to taste), finely chopped

2 lemons, juiced and finely zested

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together in a big bowl and rest for about 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature.