Hearty Mushroom & Pumpkin Curry – the Perfect Winter Meal

Date Published: Nov 13th, 2025 | Last Updated: Nov 13th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: vegetarian, mains, asian
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 25 mins | Cook time: 40 mins

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If you’re a fan of mushrooms, pumpkin, and curry, this is the perfect recipe for you! Adapted from this New York Times Recipe, this is the ultimate winter comfort dish. It’s savoury, hearty, filling, and packed with flavour! This curry is fully vegetarian & vegan, but for my carnivorous readers, you could easily add in some shredded roasted chicken at the end to amp up the protein, but this robust curry stands well on its own and is guaranteed to be filling.

This recipe is easy and keeps well in the fridge, so you can make it ahead of time or meal prep for the week!

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

1.2kg pumpkin or butternut squash (roughly 1/4 of a pumpkin), peeled and diced into 3cm cubes
Salt and black pepper
6 medium shallots (or 1 medium onion), diced
1 tsp (4g) black mustard seeds
1 tsp (3g) cumin seeds
40-50 (10g) fresh curry leaves (feel free to chop it into into halves or thirds if you prefer to eat smaller leaves in the curry)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsps (4g) ground coriander
1 tsp (3g) ground turmeric
2 tsps of kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cayenne (optional)
1 long green chilli (jalapeño or serrano), diced and deseeded (keep the seeds in if you want it spicier) (optional)
750g mix of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (use mushrooms that will hold its shape well well when cooking – I used a mix of Brown Beech, Baby Bellas, and Oyster mushrooms. Avoid enokis – they will get stringy and too soft in this recipe.)
1 zucchini, diced
1 can (403ml) unsweetened coconut milk
Optional: splash of fish sauce instead of salt at the end for extra flavour
Serve with: cooked basmati rice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200˚C/400˚F.

Place the diced pumpkin onto a baking tray and add a drizzle of olive oil and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the pumpkin is nearly cooked (soft enough to pierce with a fork but still with some resistance). Set aside until ready to use.

In a pot or a deep pan on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and the diced shallots. Cook for 2 minutes until it starts to soften.

Then add in 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, and curry leaves. Let it sizzle for 30 seconds then add in the minced garlic, 2 tsps ground coriander, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 2 tsps salt, 1/2 tsp ground cayenne (if using), and diced green chiles (if using). Cook for another 30 seconds.

Add curry leaves mustard seeds, cumin seeds

Next, add in the mushrooms and zucchini and sauté for 3-5 minutes until the mushrooms start to soften, then add in the 1 can of coconut milk and roasted pumpkin (from step 2). Simmer until the vegetables are fully cooked (5-10 minutes).

Taste and season wth salt (or fish sauce) to your liking. Done! Serve immediately with white rice or let the flavours infuse overnight and serve the next day. Enjoy!

Optional step: Pick out the curry leaves at the end if you’re bothered by the fibrous texture.

Summarized Recipe:

Hearty Mushroom & Pumpkin Curry – the Perfect Winter Meal

Date Published: Nov 13th, 2025 | Last Updated: Nov 13th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: vegetarian, mains, asian
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 25 mins | Cook time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

1.2kg pumpkin (roughly 1/4 of a pumpkin), peeled and diced into 3cm cubes
Salt and black pepper
6 medium shallots (or 1 medium onion), diced
1 tsp (4g) black mustard seeds
1 tsp (3g) cumin seeds
40-50 (10g) fresh curry leaves (feel free to chop it into into halves or thirds if you prefer to eat smaller leaves in the curry)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsps (4g) ground coriander
1 tsp (3g) ground turmeric
2 tsps of kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cayenne (optional)
1 long green chilli (jalapeño or serrano), diced and deseeded (keep the seeds in if you want it spicier) (optional)
750g mix of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (use mushrooms that will hold its shape well well when cooking – I used a mix of Brown Beech, Baby Bellas, and Oyster mushrooms. Avoid enokis – they will get stringy and too soft in this recipe.)
1 zucchini, diced
1 can (403ml) unsweetened coconut milk
Optional: splash of fish sauce instead of salt at the end for extra flavour
Serve with: cooked basmati rice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200˚C/400˚F.
Place the diced pumpkin onto a baking tray and add a drizzle of olive oil and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the pumpkin is nearly cooked (soft enough to pierce with a fork but still with some resistance). Set aside until ready to use.
In a pot or a deep pan on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and the diced shallots. Cook for 2 minutes until it starts to soften then add in 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, and curry leaves. Let it sizzle for 30 seconds then add in the minced garlic, 2 tsps ground coriander, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 2 tsps salt, 1/2 tsp ground cayenne (if using), and diced green chiles (if using). Cook for another 30 seconds.
Next, add in the mushrooms and zucchini and sauté for 3-5 minutes until the mushrooms start to soften, then add in the roasted pumpkin (from step 2) and 1 can of coconut milk. Simmer until the vegetables are fully cooked (5-10 minutes). Taste and season wth salt (or fish sauce) to your liking. Done! Serve immediately with white rice or let the flavours infuse overnight and serve the next day. Enjoy!
Optional step: Pick out the curry leaves at the end if you’re bothered by the fibrous texture.

November 13, 2025November 11, 2025

AbbyLeave a comment

Babička’s Makovec (Czech Poppy Seed Roll)

Date Published: Nov 11th, 2025 | Last Updated: Nov 11th, 2025
Author: Abby | Category: breads, Czech, dessert, pastry, snacks, vegetarian
Makes: 3 loaves (enough for a party or one Toby 😂) | Prep time: 1.5 hours | Cook time: 1 hour

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This is Toby’s all time favourite food that his babička (grandmother) makes when he visits her in Czech (next to Svíčková, of course!). We’ve been trying to learn this recipe for years, but true to OG-style grandma cooking, she measures nothing and everything is done by eyeballing it. I can usually get away by guessing the amounts she puts in when it comes to savoury cooking but baking requires precise measurements, so finally during our visit this past summer, we bought her some measuring spoons (which was surprisingly quite difficult to find to Czech) and whipped out the kitchen scale. Thanks to Toby’s translating and our diligent watchful eye on her every step (this lady moves fast in the kitchen!), I’m happy to report that we FINALLY learned her secrets and I’m very excited to add her recipe to my collection and share it with you all! 😊

Toby & a fresh tray of makovec that babi has just made for him ❤️

What is Makovec?

Makovec (pronounced: Mah-ko-vets) is a traditional Czech poppy seed roll pastry. It’s made of a light and fluffy bread-like pastry that’s rolled around a sweet filling made of freshly ground poppy seeds.

(Note: Some people use the term Makovec to describe a square poppy seed cake rather than the roll. According to Toby and babi, they’ve always referred to makovec as the roll.)

What makes this recipe so special from the others?

There are many variations of makovec around. Some people make it with raisins in the mixture, others put a lemon icing overtop. The neighbouring countries of Poland call it makowiec and Slovakia calls it maková štrúdla. This recipe is specifically Toby’s grandmother’s version. Call it nostalgic bias, but Toby and I have travelled quite a bit and he always gets super excited when he sees someone selling poppy seed cake, but no matter how many farmers markets and European bakeries we visit, nothing compares to babi’s version. Her version is made with strawberry jam mixed in the poppy seed filling for that extra strawberry flavour, and she finishes it off with a streusel crumb topping (which I’ve never seen anyone else do!). The ratio of bread to filling is also on point 👌 – too many times we find that there’s too much bread and not enough filling – poppy seed is not a robust flavour on its own so if there’s too much bread it drowns out the filling.

Toby & his babička making makovec (May 2025)

Grinding Poppy Seeds – Is it necessary?

Yes! Poppy seeds are the star of this dessert and it is imperative to grind down the seeds for a few reasons:

Flavour: Grinding the seeds releases their natural rich oils and flavours. Eating unground poppy seed on its own is quite flavourless.
Forming a paste: Ground seeds absorb moisture and is essential to form a paste when we’re cooking down the filling. You won’t get the texture we’re looking for unless the seeds are ground.
Texture: Ground seeds are less gritty and provides a smoother texture when eating.

How to Grind Poppy Seeds

The best way to grind down poppy seeds is to use a dedicated poppy seed grinder. It’s usually about $40-$50 and is worth the investment if you’re into poppy seed desserts. We use this one from Tescoma: https://a.co/d/iUgRhGq. We found it to be reasonably priced with good reliability.

If you don’t have a poppy seed grinder, you can use a clean coffee grinder, spice grinder, mortar and pestle, or a food processor.

If you’re lucky and live near a European grocer, check if they have pre-ground poppy seeds for sale. I see it everywhere sold in Czech grocery stores due to the sheer popularity of poppy seed food items, but rarely outside of central Europe. Pre-ground poppy seeds can spoil quickly so sometimes it’s sold out of the refrigerated section.

Some Myths and Truths About Poppy Seeds

Poppy seeds have the notorious reputation of causing people to test falsely positive for opiates on urine drug tests (remember that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine tested positive after eating a poppy seed bagel?). I always thought that you needed to ingest very large amounts of it to test positive, but on an episode of Mythbusters, Adam tested positive within half an hour of eating a large slice of poppy seed cake and Jamie tested positive 2 hours after eating 3 poppy seed bagels! So if you’re in a situation where they do routine urine testing, you might want to hold off on making this or ask for a blood test instead. 😅

Despite possibly testing false positive for opiates, you won’t actually feel any opiate-related effects or “highs” from eating poppy seeds. Toby has eaten TRAYS of makovec (which is a LOT Of poppy seeds) and seen no ill effects.

How does this happen, you ask? Poppy seeds themselves have no opium content, however the milky white fluid that comes from the seed pod of the poppy called the “latex” is what contains the opium content. There is a possibility of contamination of the latex onto the seeds during the harvesting process, but don’t worry, poppy seeds sold for general use/foods are all washed prior to sale. In fact, there are actually legalities around buying unwashed poppy seeds. In the United States, at least 12 deaths have been reported in association with the use of tea made from unwashed poppy seeds causing lethal opiate overdose! (Here’s a pdf from the DEA if you want to learn more about poppy seeds: https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/unwashed_poppy_seed.pdf)

Anyways, if you’re a fan of poppy seed pastries, give this recipe a try! It looks like a long recipe, but it’s not all that difficult, just very wordy to describe.

I’ve had to tweak her recipe a little due to difficulty of obtaining certain ingredients outside of Europe (I’m looking at you, coarse flour 😒), but after multiple taste tests, Toby gave the stamp of approval that it’s just like babi’s! The photos in this post are a mix of photos from when she taught us how to make this dish in Czech and me re-making them in our apartment back in Brooklyn.

Note: To make the most accurate version of this recipe, I would recommend using the grams/mls measurements as this was what I used to measure her recipes, however I’ve also included a cup conversion as well.

I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

*I recommend to use the metric measurements (grams/mls) for accuracy of the ingredients to have it as close to babička’s version as possible.

Poppy seed filling:
- 500ml (2 cups) whole milk
- 250g (1.75 cups) poppy seeds, ground
- 120g (1.25 cups) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 175g (1/2 cup) strawberry jam (or more to taste)
- 4g (1/2 Tbsp) ground cinnamon
- 28g (2 Tbsps) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Dough:
- Yeast prep:
  - 60ml (1/4 cup) milk
  - 7g (1 packet) of active dry yeast
  - 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 50g (3.5 Tbsps) butter, softened
- 1 large egg, divided into yolk and egg white
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 350g (2.75 cups) all-purpose flour, sifted (+ more for dusting and rolling)
- 175ml (3/4 cup) + 1/2 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
Streusel:
- 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 50g (3.5 Tbsps) butter, softened
- 70g (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour

Directions:

A) Make the poppy seed filling:

In a wide-based pan on MED heat, add in 500ml of milk. When the milk boils, add in 250g ground poppy seeds and mix together. It will thicken as you mix. Once the mixture boils again, turn down the heat to LOW and continue to stir until you get a dry crumbly mixture without any liquid left (see photo) – this can take up to 20 minutes.

Pro-tips:

You can use any type of pan or pot, but a wide-based pan will increase your surface area and quicken the process.
Make sure you don’t have any liquid left in your mixture or else your filling will be too wet.

When you get a dry mixture, turn the heat OFF and take the pan off of the heat. Add in 120g of sugar and 1/2 tsp salt and stir until combined. Set aside to cool completely.

While you’re waiting for the filling to cool, you can start making the dough in the next section.

Once the mixture fully cools, add in 175g strawberry jam, 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon, 2 Tbsps cocoa powder, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Mix well and set aside.

B) Make the dough while the poppy seed filling cools:

Activate the yeast:

In a small bowl, add in 1/4 cup of milk and microwave for 10 seconds at a time until it’s warmed (make sure it’s not too hot or it will cook the yeast). Add in 7g (1 packet) active dry yeast and 1 tsp sugar. Mix until well-combined, cover and set aside. The yeast is activated once it gets frothy (5-10mins).

In a separate mixing bowl, add in 50g sugar, 50g softened butter, and 1 large egg yolk. Mix on HIGH speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is well-combined and a little fluffy.

To the sugar/butter mixture, add in 1 tsp salt, and the frothed yeast mixture (from step 1).

Mix well then alternate adding in 1/3 amount at a time the 350g sifted flour and the 175ml room temperature milk. Once the mixture gets too thick for the mixer, either use a dough hook attachment (if you’re using an electric mixer) or knead by hand. The dough is complete when you get a formed but sticky dough (see photo below) – this took about 5-7 minutes on an electric mixer.

Once the dough forms, scrape it all together, add a dusting of flour on top then cover with a tea towel and let it rest in a warm place until doubled in size (~45 mins – 1 hour).

If you don’t have a warm place, use my fail-proof oven proofing method here.

You can finish off the poppy seed filling (if cooled) while you wait and make the streusel in the next step.

C) Make the streusel:

In a small bowl, add in 50g of sugar, 50g of butter, and 70g of flour.

Mix/pinch/squish it by hand for 2-3 minutes until you get a crumbly mixture (see photo). Set aside.

D) Roll out the dough & assemble:

Prepare a greased or lined 9×13” baking tray.

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F.

Once the dough has risen, scrape out the dough onto a floured surface and knead it a few times to remove the bubbles. Weigh the dough and divide it evenly into 3 portions.

Dump the dough out onto a floured surface

Take one dough ball (keep the other two covered with a tea towel to prevent it from drying out) and roll it out onto a floured surface. Flip the dough and roll it out a couple times on the floured surface until you get a rectangle shape about 0.5cm thick (see photo) and roughly the length of your baking tray. Evenly spread 1/3 of the finished poppy seed/jam mixture onto the rolled dough, leaving 1-2cm from the edge of the dough.

To form the roll: Grab the bottom edge and fold the dough up by 1/4, then roll up by 1/4 again, then fold the upper 1/4 edge down over the roll and pinch the edges to seal in the poppy seed mixture (see photos). Gently pick up the roll and place this onto the prepared baking tray. Don’t worry if you have some areas of thinner dough or where some poppy seed filling sticks out.

Repeat steps 4-6 with the other two dough balls. Leave about a 2cm space between each roll on the baking tray so they don’t stick together when they bake.

E) Make the egg wash and add the streusel:

In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg white with 1/2 Tbsp of milk and brush this mixture over the top and sides of each roll.

This step creates a moist sticky surface for the streusel to stick better. Babicka actually uses rum but to limit the number of ingredients and to use up the egg white, I’ve elected to use the egg wash method. There is no difference in taste if you use rum or an egg/milk mixture.

Evenly sprinkle 1/3 of the streusel on top of each roll. Gently push it into the dough if it seems to be rolling off.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown (~25-30 minutes), turning the pan halfway through the cook time to bake evenly. DONE! Let it cool slightly before slicing then serve immediately.

Storage:

Store in an air-tight container and eat within 2 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
To freeze: slice the makovec and freeze in an air-tight container – mine’s still in the freezer from 3 months ago and still going strong! To reheat: microwave from frozen for 30 seconds at a time until warmed.
Note: once you refrigerate or freeze it, the bread firms up slightly.

Summarized Recipe:

Babička’s Makovec (Czech Poppy Seed Roll)

Ingredients: I recommend to use the metric measurements (grams/mls) for accuracy of the ingredients to have it as close to babička’s version as possible.

Poppy seed filling:
- 500ml (2 cups) whole milk
- 250g (1.75 cups) poppy seeds, ground
- 120g (1.25 cups) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 175g (1/2 cup) strawberry jam (or more to taste)
- 4g (1/2 Tbsp) ground cinnamon
- 28g (2 Tbsps) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Dough:
- Yeast prep:
  - 60ml (1/4 cup) milk
  - 7g (1 packet) of active dry yeast
  - 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 50g (3.5 Tbsps) butter, softened
- 1 large egg, divided into yolk and egg white
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 350g (2.75 cups) all-purpose flour, sifted (+ more for dusting and rolling)
- 175ml (3/4 cup) + 1/2 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
Streusel:
- 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 50g (3.5 Tbsps) butter, softened
- 70g (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour

Directions:

Make the poppy seed filling:
1. In a wide-based pan on MED heat, add in 500ml of milk. When the milk boils, add in 250g ground poppy seeds and mix together. It will thicken as you mix. Once the mixture boils again, turn down the heat to LOW and continue to stir until you get a dry crumbly mixture without any liquid left (see photo) – this can take up to 20 minutes.
  - Pro-tips:
    - You can use any type of pan or pot, but a wide-based pan will increase your surface area and quicken the process.
    - Make sure you don’t have any liquid left in your mixture or else your filling will be too wet.
2. When you get a dry mixture, turn the heat OFF and take the pan off of the heat. Add in 120g of sugar and 1/2 tsp salt and stir until combined. Set aside to cool completely.
  - You can skip ahead and make the dough in this time while you wait for it to cool.
3. Once the mixture fully cools, add in 175g strawberry jam, 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon, 2 Tbsps cocoa powder, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Mix well and set aside.
Make the dough while the poppy seed filling cools:
1. Activate the yeast:
  - In a small bowl, add in 1/4 cup of milk and microwave for 10 seconds at a time until it’s warmed (make sure it’s not too hot or it will cook the yeast).
  - Add in 7g (1 packet) active dry yeast and 1 tsp sugar. Mix until well-combined, cover and set aside. The yeast is activated once it gets frothy (5-10mins).
2. In a separate mixing bowl, add in 50g sugar, 50g softened butter, and 1 large egg yolk. Mix on HIGH speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is well-combined and a little fluffy.
3. To the sugar/butter mixture, add in 1 tsp salt, and the frothed yeast mixture (from step 1). Mix well then alternate adding in 1/3 amount at a time the 350g sifted flour and the 175ml room temperature milk. Once the mixture gets too thick for the stand mixer, either use a dough hook attachment (if you’re using an electric mixer) or knead by hand. The dough is complete when you get a formed but sticky dough (see photo above) – this took about 5-7 minutes on an electric mixer.
4. Once the dough forms, scrape it all together, add a dusting of flour on top then cover and let it rest in a warm place until doubled in size (~45 mins – 1 hour).
  - If you don’t have a warm place, use my fail-proof oven proofing method here.
  - You can finish off the poppy seed filling (if cooled) while you wait and make the streusel in the next step.
Make the streusel:
1. In a small bowl, add in 50g of sugar, 50g of butter, and 70g of flour.
2. Mix/pinch/squish it by hand for 2-3 minutes until you get a crumbly mixture (see photo). Set aside.
Roll out the dough & assemble:
1. Prepare a greased or lined 9×13” baking tray.
2. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F.
3. Once the dough has risen, scrape out the dough onto a floured surface and knead it a few times to remove the bubbles. Weigh the dough and divide it evenly into 3 portions.
4. Take one dough ball (keep the other two covered with a tea towel to prevent it from drying out) and roll it out onto a floured surface. Flip the dough and roll it out a couple times on the floured surface until you get a rectangle shape about 0.5cm thick (see photo) and roughly the length of your baking tray.
5. Evenly spread 1/3 of the finished poppy seed/jam mixture onto the rolled dough, leaving 1-2cm from the edge of the dough.
6. To form the roll: Grab the bottom edge and fold the dough up by 1/4, then roll up by 1/4 again, then fold the upper 1/4 edge down over the roll and pinch the edges to seal in the poppy seed mixture (see photos). Gently pick up the roll and place this onto the prepared baking tray.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 with the other two dough balls. Leave about a 2cm space between each roll on the baking tray so they don’t stick together when they bake.
Make the egg wash and add the streusel:
1. In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg white with 1/2 Tbsp of milk and brush this mixture over the top and sides of each roll.
  - This step creates a moist sticky surface for the streusel to stick better. Babicka actually uses rum but to limit the number of ingredients and to use up the egg white, I’ve elected to use the egg wash method. There is no difference in taste if you use rum or egg/milk mixture.
2. Evenly sprinkle 1/3 of the streusel on top of each roll. Gently push it into the dough if it seems to be rolling off.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown (~25-30 minutes), turning the pan halfway through the cook time to bake evenly. DONE! Let it cool slightly before slicing then serve immediately.

November 11, 2025

AbbyLeave a comment

Quick and Easy Shrimp & Egg Tofu Bites

Date Published: Sept 24th, 2025 | Last Updated: Sept 24th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: appetizer, snacks, asian, <30 mins, easy, healthy, low-cal
Serves: 1 plate as an appetizer | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 10 mins

Jump to recipe |

This shrimp and egg tofu bites dish is a super easy Asian appetizer/snack that cooks up quickly and looks impressive. If you’re in a pinch for a dinner party or just feeling snacky, this is the recipe for you! It’s made of homemade shrimp paste and soft egg tofu, finished off with a simple savoury sauce.

A note on egg tofu:

If you’re unfamiliar with egg tofu, it is a soft tofu (not quite silken) that has a yellow-tinge in colour and is often packaged in a plastic tube, like the picture on the right. You can find it in the tofu section of most Asian supermarkets.

Happy cooking!

Equipment you’ll need:

Food processor (optional but it will make your life easier)
Large steaming basket or a metal trivet in a wok with a lid

Ingredients you’ll need:

Shrimp mixture:
- 6 large (140g) raw shrimp, deshelled and deveined
- 1 Tbsp (13g) ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 green onions (white and green parts separated)
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
- 1/2 tsp corn starch
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
1 package egg tofu
Sauce:
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil
- 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/8 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp corn starch

Directions:

Slice the egg tofu into 2.5cm thick rounds and place on a heat-proof plate.

In a food processor, add in your shrimp mixture: raw shrimp, 1 Tbsp ginger, 2 green onions (white part only), 1 tsp Shaoxing wine, 1/2 tsp corn starch, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1/8 tsp ground white pepper, and 1/8 tsp salt. Blend until you get a smooth paste.

Carefully spoon a tablespoon of the shrimp mixture onto each egg tofu round. Place the plate in a steaming basket and steam for 10 minutes until the shrimp is set and cooked all the way through. If you don’t have a steaming basket, you can add a few centimetres of hot water into a wok and place the plate of shrimp tofu on an elevated plate or tray in the centre and add the lid over (as pictured).

Make the sauce: While the shrimp and tofu steams, make the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients (1/3 cup water, 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp oyster sauce, 1/4 tsp sesame oil, 1/8 tsp white pepper, 1/8 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp corn starch). Whisk until there are no lumps, then heat the sauce in a small pan on MED heat until it simmers and thickens (3-5 minutes) then turn off the heat.

When the shrimp/tofu finishes steaming, remove the lid and use a papertowel to remove any collected water on the plate. Pour the sauce (from step 4) onto the plate around the shrimp/tofu and garnish with chopped green part of the green onions on top. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Quick and Easy Shrimp & Egg Tofu Bites

Ingredients:

Shrimp mixture:
- 6 large (140g) raw shrimp, deshelled and deveined
- 1 Tbsp (13g) ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 green onions (white and green parts separated)
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
- 1/2 tsp corn starch
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
1 package egg tofu
Sauce:
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil
- 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/8 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp corn starch

Directions:

Slice the egg tofu into 2.5cm thick rounds and place on a heat-proof plate.
In a food processor, add in your shrimp mixture: raw shrimp, 1 Tbsp ginger, 2 green onions (white part only), 1 tsp Shaoxing wine, 1/2 tsp corn starch, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1/8 tsp ground white pepper, and 1/8 tsp salt. Blend until you get a smooth paste.
Carefully spoon a tablespoon of the shrimp mixture onto each egg tofu round. Place the plate in a steaming basket and steam for 10 minutes until the shrimp is set and cooked all the way through. If you don’t have a steaming basket, you can add a few centimetres of hot water into a wok and place the plate of shrimp tofu on an elevated plate or tray in the centre and add the lid over (as pictured).
Make the sauce: While the shrimp and tofu steams, make the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients (1/3 cup water, 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp oyster sauce, 1/4 tsp sesame oil, 1/8 tsp white pepper, 1/8 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp corn starch). Whisk until there are no lumps, then heat the sauce in a small pan on MED heat until it simmers and thickens (3-5 minutes) then turn off the heat.
When the shrimp/tofu finishes steaming, remove the lid and use a papertowel to remove any collected water on the plate. Pour the sauce (from step 4) onto the plate around the shrimp/tofu and garnish with chopped green part of the green onions on top. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

September 24, 2025September 12, 2025

AbbyLeave a comment

Biryani (Kuska) Rice

Date Published: March 19th, 2025 | Last Updated: March 19th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: sides, asian, mains, vegetarian
Serves: 6-8 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 40 mins

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I’ve only ever known “biryani” in the form of chicken biryani, an Indian dish that cooks the chicken and rice together in a mix of spices which results in a flavourful rice dish. I always thought you needed the meat to achieve the flavours of the rice but when we went to Cairo Cafe in Perth for the first time back in October 2021 during our big road trip around Australia, they had an option of plain biryani rice as a side and it blew me away! Their rice was smokey yet flavourful and I just couldn’t get enough of it! I’ve since tried to recreate it multiple times, but sadly I have not achieved a copycat version. However, I did find an alternative biryani/kuska rice recipe from IndianHealthyRecipes and after a few tweaks, it’s still not the same as Cairo Cafe, but also just as tasty so I decided to share it here anyway.

If you’re ever in Perth, I definitely recommend checking out Cairo Cafe in Canning Vale or Cannington. I always got the Chicken Shawarma platter with biryani rice (of course) and Toby would usually order the Gourmet Mixed Platter. This place does grilled meats REALLY well.

What is Kuska Rice?

Kuska rice is also commonly known as ‘plain biryani’ which is a South Indian dish that is made without any meat. It is a flavourful spiced rice dish that pairs well with grilled meats such as shawarmas or kebabs. This rice is packed with flavour and goes really well served alongside pita bread and a mint yogurt sauce or toum (Lebanese garlic sauce)!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

2 cups basmati rice
2.5 Tbsps neutral oil
Spice mix:
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cloves
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 1 star anise
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick (~3-4cm)
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 6 curry leaves
1 medium red onion, sliced
1/2 Tbsp garlic (~2 cloves), finely minced
1/2 Tbsp ginger, finely minced
1 large tomato (or 2 medium), diced small
1/4 cup plain or Greek yoghurt
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1.5 tsps garam masala powder (or biryani masala)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
Handful of mint leaves, chopped
3.5 cups chicken stock

Directions:

Rinse and soak the basmati rice for 20 minutes then drain it (you can prep the rest of the ingredients while the rice soaks).

Heat up a medium pot or pan on MED-HIGH heat and add in the oil. Next add in the spice mix (2 bay leaves, 6 cloves, 6 cardamom, 1 star anise, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, 6 curry leaves). Sauté the spices in the oil until the cumin seeds start to sputter (~5 mins).

Next add in the red onion and continue to sauté until the edges of the onion turn golden brown (~5 mins). Add in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant (~1 min).

Next add in the tomatoes, 1/4 cup plain yoghurt, 1/2 tsp salt, 1.5 tsps garam masala, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp paprika, and handful of mint leaves. Stir to combine and continue to sauté until the tomatoes break down and you end up with a thick mushy paste (~5-8 mins).

Once you have a mushy paste, pour in the 3.5 cups of chicken stock and mix. Turn the heat up to HIGH and once the liquid boils, add in the drained basmati rice and mix. Turn the heat down to MED and let the rice simmer uncovered until the liquid is nearly gone (~10-15mins – see photo) then turn the heat to LOW and put a lid on the rice to steam for a further 5-10 mins until fully cooked, then turn off the stove. Taste and adjust salt as needed.

Fluff up the rice and Serve!

Summarized Recipe:

Biryani (Kuska) Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice
2.5 Tbsps neutral oil
Spice mix:
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cloves
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 1 star anise
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick (~3-4cm)
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 6 curry leaves
1 medium red onion, sliced
1/2 Tbsp garlic (~2 cloves), finely minced
1/2 Tbsp ginger, finely minced
1 large tomato (or 2 medium), diced small
1/4 cup plain or Greek yoghurt
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1.5 tsps garam masala powder (or biryani masala)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
Handful of mint leaves, chopped
3.5 cups chicken stock

Directions:

Rinse and soak the basmati rice for 20 minutes then drain it (you can prep the rest of the ingredients while the rice soaks).
Heat up a medium pot or pan on MED-HIGH heat and add in the oil. Next add in the spice mix (2 bay leaves, 6 cloves, 6 cardamom, 1 star anise, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, 6 curry leaves). Sauté the spices in the oil until the cumin seeds start to sputter (~5 mins).
Next add in the red onion and continue to sauté until the edges of the onion turn golden brown (~5 mins).
Add in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant (~1 min).
Next add in the tomatoes, 1/4 cup plain yoghurt, 1/2 tsp salt, 1.5 tsps garam masala, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp paprika, and handful of mint leaves. Stir to combine and continue to sauté until the tomatoes break down and you end up with a thick mushy paste (~5-8 mins).
Once you have a mushy paste, pour in the 3.5 cups of chicken stock and mix. Turn the heat up to HIGH and once the liquid boils, add in the drained basmati rice and mix. Turn the heat down to MED and let the rice simmer uncovered until the liquid is nearly gone (~10-15mins – see photo) then turn the heat to LOW and put a lid on the rice to steam for a further 5-10 mins until fully cooked, then turn off the stove. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Fluff up the rice and Serve!

March 19, 2025February 11, 2025

AbbyLeave a comment

Taiwanese Oil Rice/Sticky Rice 油飯

Date Published: March 13th, 2025 | Last Updated: March 13th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: Asian, mains, Taiwanese
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: soak rice overnight + 30 mins | Cook time: 40 mins for rice + 10 mins for stir-fry

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油飯 (Yoú Fàn) is a Taiwanese dish comprised of glutinous rice sautéed in a sauce and various add-ons (most commonly pork, shiitake mushrooms and small shrimp). This is a dish that can be found served at special occasions, restaurants, or made at home for a fancy night in. The name directly translates to “oil rice” because the rice is sautéed in a decent amount of pork fat (1/4 cup, to be exact in this recipe), but don’t worry the end result won’t be overly greasy. The pork fat gives it extra flavour, but you can substitute it with another neutral oil if you wish. You can eat the rice on its own or serve it with a drizzle of sweet Haishan sauce.

The cooking process for this dish is quite quick, so before you turn on the heat, make sure all the ingredients and sauces have been prepped and portioned out, ready to go!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

2 cups (400g) glutinous rice (sometimes called ‘sweet rice’)
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
1.5 Tbsps small dried shrimp
Pork marinade:
- 1.5 Tbsps soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 200g pork tenderloin, cut into thin 2cm strips
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup (60ml) soy sauce
- 1 Tbsps granulated sugar
- 2 tsps rice wine vinegar/michu
- 1 tsp black vinegar
1/4 cup (60ml) lard (or neutral oil)
3 large (~1.5 cups) shallots, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 sticks (85g) of lap cheong (Chinese sausage)
1 medium (~100g) carrot, peeled and julienned
1 can (280g) sliced bamboo shoots, sliced into sticks
Optional: haishan sauce

Directions:

Soak the rice the night before: Wash the glutinous rice in a colander a few times then transfer to a large bowl and add enough water to cover 2-3 inches above the rice. Let it soak overnight.

Cook the rice: The next day, strain the rice. Prepare a large steaming basket with a moistened liner. Add the rice into the steaming basket and use the back of a chopstick to create holes in the rice help it cook evenly. Note: I used two smaller bamboo steaming baskets stacked since I didn’t have a large one. Steam for 30-40 minutes until the rice is cooked (a little chewy but not too tough or mush). Once finished, turn off the heat and set the rice aside.

You can steam it however method you wish. I put my steaming baskets with a lid on into a wok with a couple inches of boiling water and let it simmer until the time is up. Add water as needed to the wok when it evaporates.

Prepare the mushrooms: In a bowl, add the dried shiitake mushrooms and enough warm water to cover. Let it soak for at least an hour (or overnight) until the mushrooms have softened. Once softened, reserve 1/3 cup of the mushrooms soaking liquid and strain out the rest. Cut off and discard the thick stems and slice the mushrooms thinly. Set aside.

Prepare the shrimp: Add the 1.5 Tbsp dried shrimp into a small bowl and soak in warm water for 10 minutes then strain.

Marinate the pork: Add all of the pork marinade ingredients into a bowl: 1.5 Tbsps soy sauce, 1/8 tsp white pepper, 1 tsp sesame oil, sliced pork. Mix together and set aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Prepare the sauce: Mix together the 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 Tbsp sugar, 2 tsps rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp black vinegar, and the reserved 1/3 cup of the mushroom soaking liquid. Set aside.

Putting it all together (make sure all of your ingredients are chopped and ready – this will be a quick process): In a wok on MED-HIGH heat, add the 1/4 cup of lard. Once it starts to sizzle, add in the shallots and sautée for 1-2 minutes until softened, then add in the garlic, shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, and lap cheong. Continue to sautée for another 1 minute until fragrant.

Add in the marinated pork (from step 5). Cook for 1-2 minutes until the edges of the pork turns opaque then add in the carrots and bamboo. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the carrots have softened and the pork is completely cooked. Add in the sauce (from step 6) and mix everything around for 30 seconds.

Turn off the heat and add in the cooked glutinous rice (from step 2). Gently mix it all together until the rice absorbs all of the liquid. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve immediately with an optional side of Haishan sauce.

Summarized Recipe:

Taiwanese Oil Rice/Sticky Rice 油飯

Ingredients:

2 cups (400g) glutinous rice (sometimes called ‘sweet rice’)
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
1.5 Tbsps small dried shrimp
Pork marinade:
- 1.5 Tbsps soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 200g pork tenderloin, cut into thin 2cm strips
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup (60ml) soy sauce
- 1 Tbsps granulated sugar
- 2 tsps rice wine vinegar/michu
- 1 tsp black vinegar
1/4 cup (60ml) lard (or neutral oil)
3 large (~1.5 cups) shallots, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 sticks (85g) of lap cheong (Chinese sausage)
1 medium (~100g) carrot, peeled and julienned
1 can (280g) sliced bamboo shoots, sliced into sticks
Optional: haishan sauce

Directions:

Soak the rice the night before: Wash the glutinous rice in a colander a few times then transfer to a large bowl and add enough water to cover 2-3 inches above the rice. Let it soak overnight.
Cook the rice: The next day, strain the rice. Prepare a large steaming basket with a moistened liner. Add the rice into the steaming basket and use the back of a chopstick to create holes in the rice help it cook evenly. Note: I used two smaller bamboo steaming baskets stacked since I didn’t have a large one. Steam for 30-40 minutes until the rice is cooked (a little chewy but not too tough or mush). Once finished, turn off the heat and set the rice aside.
- You can steam it however method you wish. I put my steaming baskets with a lid on into a wok with a couple inches of boiling water and let it simmer until the time is up. Add water as needed to the wok when it evaporates.
Prepare the mushrooms: In a bowl, add the dried shiitake mushrooms and enough warm water to cover. Let it soak for about an hour (or overnight) until the mushrooms have softened. Once softened, reserve 1/3 cup of the mushrooms soaking liquid and strain out the rest. Cut off and discard the thick stems and slice the mushrooms thinly. Set aside.
Prepare the shrimp: Add the 1.5 Tbsps dried shrimp into a small bowl and soak in warm water for 10 minutes then strain.
Marinate the pork: Add all of the pork marinade ingredients into a bowl: 1.5 Tbsps soy sauce, 1/8 tsp white pepper, 1 tsp sesame oil, sliced pork. Mix together and set aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Prepare the sauce: Mix together the 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 Tbsp sugar, 2 tsps rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp black vinegar, and the reserved 1/3 cup of the mushroom soaking liquid. Set aside.
Putting it all together (make sure all of your ingredients are chopped and ready – this will be a quick process):
- In a wok on MED-HIGH heat, add the 1/4 cup of lard. Once it starts to sizzle, add in the shallots and sauté for 1-2 minutes until softened.
- Add in the garlic, shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, and lap cheong. Continue to sautée for another 1 minute until fragrant.
- Next, add in the marinated pork (from step 5). Cook for 1-2 minutes until the edges of the pork turns opaque.
- Add in the carrots and bamboo and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the carrots have softened and the pork is completely cooked.
- Add in the sauce (from step 6) and mix everything around for 30 seconds.
- Turn off the heat and add in the cooked glutinous rice (from step 2). Gently mix it all together until the rice absorbs all of the liquid.
- Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Serve immediately with an optional side of Haishan sauce.

March 13, 2025February 11, 2025

AbbyLeave a comment

Joons’ Dak Galbi – Korean Spicy Chicken Stir Fry with Cheese & Noodles

Date Published: Mar 7th, 2025 | Last Updated: Mar 7th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: mains, easy, Asian
Serves: 4 | Prep time: overnight marinating + 20 mins | Cook time: 40 mins

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In my high school years when I lived in Canada, my friends and I would often hangout in downtown Toronto on the weekends, either perusing Kensington market, browsing through record shops, shopping on Queen Street, studying for finals at Robarts, or just grabbing a bite to eat at one of the many restaurant options in Toronto. One of my favourite Korean restaurants was Joons on Bloor St. in Koreatown. It was a small dingy restaurant that you had to take a few steps down from street level to get to the front door. The decor wasn’t anything impressive and the table water was served in scratched up refillable rubbermaid bottles. Despite its appearance, it was often relatively busy with nearly every other table ordering their AMAZING dak galbi, including me! I would religiously order this same dish every time – in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever ordered anything else at Joons 🤔. Dak galbi is a stir-fry chicken dish in a spicy sauce that’s seen on most Korean restaurant menus, but Joons did it differently. A portable cook top is brought out to the table and the whole dish is cooked in front of you. It usually took at least 15-20 minutes to cook which is excruciating when you’re starving and this amazing aroma in front of you keeps wafting in your face every time the waitress lifted the lid to give it a stir, but the wait was always worth it. You had options of add-ins to the dish, but most people would get everything in it which is usually cabbage, instant noodles, chicken, and cheese 🤤.

An image of Joon’s Dak Galbi from the Yelp archives, taken in 2015.

Sadly, Joons has been closed for about 4-5 years now and I mourn that loss every time I pass through the area 💔. This recipe is a tribute to Joons’ dak galbi. I’ve scoured the internet for people’s old photos and videos of the dish to try and recreate it exactly as it was. I had some help from My Korean Kitchen with the chicken marinade portion and included everything else from the instant noodles to the mozzarella cheese on top. Although mine didn’t quite come out as saucy and red as theirs, I’d say the flavours are pretty damn close! But of course, I haven’t had Joons since before vet school which is nearly a decade ago now, so I could also be remembering it a little differently. Either way, this is still a pretty tasty dish. If you’ve had the dak galbi at Joons before, let me know how close I am in the comments!

What is Dak Galbi?

Dak galbi or dakgalbi directly translates to “chicken rib”. No actual ribs are used in this dish – the origin of this word is thought to be due to using chicken as a cheaper source of meat compared to pork 🤷🏻‍♀️. It’s a dish that is essentially chicken and vegetables stir-fried in a gochujang-based sauce. The vegetables are usually cabbage, sweet potato, and green onions. You can serve it along side perilla leaves as a wrap. In my recipe I’ve used carrots instead of sweet potato because it’s already a pretty carb-heavy dish with the noodles and rice cakes, but feel free to substitute! This dish is mildly spicy. If you prefer spicier, you can buy the spicier versions of gochujang or add in more gochugaru (Korean chilli powder).

What is Gochujang?

Gochukang is Korean red chilli paste. It’s savoury, sweet, and spicy all together. It’s a very popular condiment used in Korean cooking and is used as a base to many sauces, including in this dak galbi recipe. There really is no substitute to gochujang. You can usually find this in the Asian section of most grocery stores. They come in a variety of levels of spiciness, so choose carefully! I usually go for the mild one and add in chilli powder if I want more of a kick.

What are Garaetteok/Tteok (Korean rice cakes)?

Garaetteok/tteok are Korean rice cakes that are made from non-glutinous rice flour and come in skinny long cylinders. On their own they don’t have much flavour so they’re often added to a flavourful saucy dish (such as this dak galbi recipe) or a soup. They have a soft and chewy texture once cooked and make a great textural addition to many dishes. You’ll most commonly see garaetteok/tteok served in a dish called tteokbokki which is a spicy rice cake dish.

You can find these vacuum-sealed in the refrigerated section of most Asian grocery stores. They will be very hard coming out of the package and need to be soaked for at least 10 minutes in warm water to slightly soften before cooking them. If you’re lucky and your Asian grocer have these fresh, you can put them directly into the dish without soaking.

Don’t worry if you can’t find any garaetteok/tteok. Simply omit them from the recipe altogether. It won’t change the flavour of the dish. It’s mainly to add an extra textural component.

A Quick Note on Gochugaru – Korean Chilli Powder

This recipe uses Gochugaru, a Korean chilli powder, which is not too spicy and it gives the dish a deeper orangey/red colour. It can be easily found in most Asian grocery stores, but if you don’t have any, a good substitute is Kashmiri chilli powder (an Indian variety). Do NOT substitute with cayenne pepper which is a MUCH spicier chilli powder. If you absolutely can’t find Gochugaru or Kashmiri chilli powder, then you can substitute with 1 part cayenne powder: 3 parts paprika, or consider skipping it altogether.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

Chicken Marinade:
- 600g chicken thighs, cut into 2.5cm pieces
- 7 Tbsps (160g) gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1/4 cup rice wine
- 1 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 2 Tbsps soy sauce
- 2 Tbsps granulated sugar
- 2 tsps curry powder
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsps minced ginger
- 2 green onions, sliced to 4cm pieces
1 medium carrot, julienned or grated on the large hole (optional)
250g mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 medium brown onion, sliced
1/4 small (6 cups) cabbage, chopped
25 pieces (180g) Garaetteok/Tteok (Korean rice cakes)
2 cups (230g) mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 packets of instant noodles
Garnish: 1 green onion, chopped

Directions:

Marinate the chicken: In a mixing bowl, add in all the ingredients of the chicken marinade: diced chicken thighs, 7 Tbsps gochujang, 1/4 cup rice wine, 1 Tbsp gochugaru, 2 Tbsps soy sauce, 2 Tbsps sugar, 2 tsps curry powder, minced garlic, minced ginger, and sliced green onions. Mix thoroughly and transfer to a resealable bag or container and marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight.

Rinse and soak the garaetteok/tteok in warm water for 10 minutes (skip this step if you have freshly made garaetteok/tteok).

In a non-stick pan on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and add in the carrots, mushrooms, onion, and cabbage. Sauté for 5 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.

Next add in the garaetteok/tteok and the marinated chicken (from step 1) along with all of the marinade in the bag. Sauté for another 3-4 minutes, then turn the heat down to MED, put a lid on, and continue to cook until the chicken is nearly done (~10 minutes). Stir occasionally to ensure nothing sticks to the pan.

When the chicken is almost ready, add in the instant noodles and submerge it into the ingredients and sauce. Put the lid back on and let it steam for 3-4 minutes until the noodles are soft enough to separate with chopsticks.

Once the noodles, chicken, and garaetteok/tteok are cooked, turn off the heat and sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Garnish with chopped green onion. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Mix it all togther, ensure everything is cooked and turn off heat

Summarized Recipe:

Joons’ Dak Galbi – Korean Spicy Chicken Stir Fry with Cheese & Noodles

Ingredients:

Chicken Marinade:
- 600g chicken thighs, cut into 2.5cm pieces
- 7 Tbsps (160g) gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1/4 cup rice wine
- 1 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 2 Tbsps soy sauce
- 2 Tbsps granulated sugar
- 2 tsps curry powder
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsps minced ginger
- 2 green onions, sliced to 4cm pieces
1 medium carrot, julienned or grated on the large hole
250g mushrooms, sliced
1 medium brown onion, sliced
1/4 small (6 cups) cabbage, chopped
25 pieces (180g) garaetteok/tteok (Korean rice cakes)
2 cups (230g) mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 packets of instant noodles
Garnish: 1 green onion, chopped

Directions:

Marinate the chicken: In a mixing bowl, add in all the ingredients of the chicken marinade: diced chicken thighs, 7 Tbsps gochujang, 1/4 cup rice wine, 1 Tbsp gochugaru, 2 Tbsps soy sauce, 2 Tbsps sugar, 2 tsps curry powder, minced garlic, minced ginger, and sliced green onions. Mix thoroughly and transfer to a resealable bag or container and marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight.
Rinse and soak the garaetteok/tteok in warm water for 10 minutes (skip this step if you have freshly made garaetteok/tteok).
In a non-stick pan on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and add in the carrots, mushrooms, onion, and cabbage. Sauté for 5 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
Next add in the garaetteok/tteok and the marinated chicken (from step 1) along with all of the marinade in the bag. Sauté for another 3-4 minutes, then turn the heat down to MED, put a lid on, and continue to cook until the chicken is nearly done (~10 minutes). Stir occasionally to ensure nothing sticks to the pan.
When the chicken is almost ready, add in the instant noodles and submerge it into the ingredients and sauce. Put the lid back on and let it steam for 3-4 minutes until the noodles are soft enough to separate with chopsticks.
Once the noodles, chicken, and garaetteok/tteok are cooked, turn off the heat and sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Garnish with chopped green onion. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

March 7, 2025February 15, 2025

AbbyLeave a comment

Broccoli Cheddar Soup (a Panera copycat)

Date Published: Feb 20th, 2025 | Last Updated: Feb 20th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: < 30mins, easy, soup, vegetarian, mains, quick
Serves: 6 as a main | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 30 mins

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There’s something about Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup that just spells out warm and cozy. This recipe is a copycat version of said soup. It’s quick, easy, and in no way light on the calories. It packs in the butter, cream, milk, and cheese. This soup is to be made for those indulgent meals where you just don’t give a f*ck. It’s an easy crowd pleaser and a big pot can be whipped up in no time. Feel free to add in shredded chicken and extra chicken to round out this soup.

Happy cooking!

This recipe is adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Ingredients you’ll need:

113g (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups (1L) chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 large head (500g) of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large (~2 cups) carrot, julienned or grated large through large holes
500g cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot on MED heat, melt the 1 stick of butter then add in the diced onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions soften.

Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of flour over the onions and mix well. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes while continuously stirring.

Pour in the 4 cups of chicken stock, 2 cups of heavy cream, and 2 cups of milk. Mix well, then turn the heat up to HIGH to bring the soup to a boil, then turn it down LOW-MED.

Add in the broccoli and carrots and continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.

Add the cheddar cheese and ground nutmeg. Stir until the cheese has fully melted then taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Done! Serve with some bread and an additional sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top.

Optional step: to make the soup thicker, you can remove 4-5 ladles of soup into a separate bowl and blend until thickened then pour it back into the pot.

Summarized Recipe:

Broccoli Cheddar Soup (a Panera copycat)

Ingredients:

113g (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups (1L) chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 large head (500g) of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large (~2 cups) carrot, julienned or grated through large holes
500g cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot on MED heat, melt the 1 stick of butter then add in the diced onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions soften.
Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of flour over the onions and mix well. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes while continuously stirring.
Pour in the 4 cups of chicken stock, 2 cups of heavy cream, and 2 cups of milk. Mix well, then turn the heat up to HIGH to bring the soup to a boil, then turn it down LOW-MED.
Add in the broccoli and carrots and continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
Add the cheddar cheese and ground nutmeg. Stir until the cheese has fully melted then taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Done! Serve with some bread and an additional sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top.
- Optional step: to make the soup thicker, you can remove 4-5 ladles of soup into a separate bowl and blend until thickened then pour it back into the pot.

February 20, 2025December 24, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment

French Dip with Caraway Focaccia Bread and Horseradish Chives Cream Cheese

Date Published: Feb 10th, 2025 | Last Updated: Feb 10th, 2025
Author: Abby | Category: mains
Serves: 6 | Prep time: 3 hours | Cook time: 3 hours

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If you haven’t guessed it already, my last three published recipes have been gearing up for this one! This recipe makes the most incredible juicy roast beef sandwich that is balanced with a subtle hint of horseradish masked in the chives cream cheese, and placed between soft fresh focaccia bread topped with caraway seeds. The homemade jus made from the roast beef drippings bring it all together in this amazing sandwich. *chef’s kiss*

I’m going to admit, this combination of flavours is not my original idea. This sandwich is a copycat to a French dip that we had at WINNER Bakery in Brooklyn on 7th Ave a few months ago. If you’ve never been, you should definitely hit them up. There’s usually a queue but their sandwiches and breads are well worth it! I tried this sandwich for the first time a few months ago when I was strolling home from the farmer’s market, and the combination of flavours were so good that I had to bring Toby back to try it. I wanted this sandwich all the time, but at $20 a pop for a small sandwich and the long queue, it wasn’t going to be an everyday sandwich. I thought about this sandwich frequently and knew I just had to give it a go and try to make it myself – and I did! In my humble opinion (and Toby’s), I think my version is even better than the original with a more flavourful jus. I use a focaccia instead of a bun and fresh roast beef. The best part is that I can pack on as much roast beef and cream cheese I want and have it again and again. This recipe make enough for at least 6 sandwiches (if you’re a cream cheese fiend, you may want to double the horseradish chives cream cheese portion).

Where it all began – the French Dip sandwich at WINNER Bakery, Brooklyn

Everything is made from scratch in this recipe. I mean everything, from the bread to the roast beef to even the prepared horseradish. It is a labour of love so you’ll need to dedicate your morning to this. The good thing is, there’s a lot of waiting (ie. for the beef to come to room temperature, for the dough to proof, for the beef to cook), so you can do multiple steps while you’re waiting to cut down on the overall time to make this sandwich. If you’re in a rush, you can cut corners by using store bought roast beef deli slices, pre-made jus, and any kind of sandwich bread. The only thing you can’t buy is the horseradish chive cream cheese, which is pretty easy to whip up anyway. I’d highly recommend not cutting any corners to get the full experience of this beauty.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

Roast Beef:
- 2 lbs chuck roast/whole eye round/rump roast (I like to use chuck roast with some marbling)
- 2 + 2 Tbsps salt
- 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Olive oil
Caraway Seed Focaccia:
- 1 x basic dough ball
- Olive oil drizzle
- Salt
- 1/4 cup Caraway seeds
Au Jus:
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 Tbsp Worccestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsps red wine (ie. pinot noir)
- +/- butter
- +/- beef bouillon cube
- Salt to taste
Horseradish & Chives Cream Cheese:
- 1 package (8oz/226g) of plain cream cheese, softened
- 3 Tbsps (7g) of fresh chives, chopped
- 1-2 Tbsps horseradish (or more to taste) – check out how to make your own horseradish from scratch here
- Salt to taste

Directions:

Roast Beef:

Take the beef out of the fridge 2 hours before. Rinse, pat dry and salt all sides. Wrap it back up in plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature.

You can make the caraway focaccia bread in this time.

After 2 hours, preheat the oven to 400˚F/200˚C (if it’s not already preheated from baking the focaccia). Unwrap the beef and pat dry with a paper towel. Use a pairing knife and create 5 slits into both sides of the roast and push a clove of garlic into each slit. Rub salt (yes, more salt), fresh ground black pepper, and olive oil on all sides of the beef. Cover again and leave at room temperature for another 20 minutes.

Prepare a baking tray with a metal rack over top and place the beef on the rack. Rub a small amount of olive oil on the outside one more time. If you have a layer on your beef, face the fat layer on top so the fat will drip onto the meat as it cooks. Insert an oven-safe thermometer into the middle of the beef if you’ve got one. Bake in the preheated oven at 400˚F/200˚C for 15 minutes to start the browning process, then turn the heat down to 325˚F/163˚C and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 120˚F/49˚C (roughly 1.5-2.5 hours, depending on the size of your beef).

You can make the horseradish chives cream cheese in this time.

Once done cooking, let the roast rest for 20-30 minutes at room temperature before slicing.

You can make the au jus in this time.

When rested, use a sharp knife or deli meat slicer and slice the roast into very thin slices.

Use a knife or deli slicer to slice the beef into thin pieces

Caraway Focaccia Bread:

Follow the recipe for Easy Focaccia Bread. When you get to the toppings part, use 1/4 cup caraway seeds and a sprinkle of salt with the olive oil. Bake according to instructions at 400˚F/200˚C for 20-25mins.

After baking, brush on another 2 Tbsps of olive oil over the top. Let it rest for a few minutes then transfer on a cooling rack and let it cool completely before slicing.

Horseradish & Chives Cream Cheese:

In a mixing bowl, add the softened cream cheese, chopped chives, and the horseradish 1 teaspoon at a time until desired taste (horseradish can be very strong and some brands are hotter than others, so add small amounts until you’re happy).

Au Jus:

Once the roast beef has finished cooking, collect the drippings from the roast tray into a small saucepan. You should have about 1/4 cup (if not, add enough butter to make it 1/4 cup).

Add 1 cup of beef stock, 1 Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce and 2 Tbsps of red wine to the saucepan and heat on MED heat until simmering. Taste and adjust salt as needed. To make it a more robust beefy flavour, add in 1 beef bouillon cube.

Assembly of the sandwich:

Slice the focaccia into desired sandwich size rectangles, then slice it horizontally.

Apply a layer of the horseradish & chives sour cream onto one slice of the bread, then sandwich a few slices of roast beef in between. Serve with the jus. Done! Serve immediately with a hot jus.

Summarized Recipe:

French Dip with Caraway Focaccia Bread and Horseradish Chives Cream Cheese

Date Published: Feb 10th, 2025 | Last Updated: Feb 10th, 2025
Author: Abby | Category: mains
Serves: 6 | Prep time: 3 hours | Cook time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

Roast Beef:
- 2 lbs chuck roast/whole eye round/rump roast (I like to use chuck roast with some marbling)
- 2 + 2 Tbsps salt
- 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Olive oil
Caraway Seed Focaccia:
- 1 x basic dough ball
- Olive oil drizzle
- Salt
- 1/4 cup Caraway seeds
Au Jus:
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 Tbsp Worccestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsps red wine (ie. pinot noir)
- +/- butter
- +/- beef bouillon cube
- Salt to taste
Horseradish & Chives Cream Cheese:
- 1 package (8oz/226g) of plain cream cheese, softened
- 3 Tbsps (7g) of fresh chives, chopped
- 1-2 Tbsps horseradish (or more to taste)
- Salt to taste

Directions:

Roast Beef:

Take the beef out of the fridge 2 hours before and salt all sides. Wrap it back up in plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature.
- You can make the caraway focaccia bread in this time.
After 2 hours, preheat the oven to 400˚F/200˚C (if it’s not already preheated from baking the focaccia). Unwrap the beef and pat dry with a paper towel. Use a pairing knife and create 5 slits into both sides of the roast and push a clove of garlic into each slit. Rub salt (yes, more salt), fresh ground black pepper, and olive oil on all sides of the beef. Cover again and leave at room temperature for another 20 minutes.
Prepare a baking tray with a metal rack over top and place the beef on the rack. Rub a small amount of olive oil on the outside one more time. If you have a layer on your beef, face the fat layer on top so the fat will drip onto the meat as it cooks. Insert an oven-safe thermometer into the middle of the beef if you’ve got one. Bake in the preheated oven at 400˚F/200˚C for 15 minutes to start the browning process, then turn the heat down to 325˚F/163˚C and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 120˚F/49˚C (roughly 1.5-2.5 hours, depending on the size of your beef).
- You can make the horseradish chives cream cheese in this time.
Once done cooking, let the roast rest for 20-30 minutes at room temperature before slicing.
- You can make the au jus in this time.
When rested, use a sharp knife or deli meat slicer and slice the roast into very thin slices.

Caraway Focaccia Bread:

Follow the recipe for Easy Focaccia Bread. When you get to the toppings part, use 1/4 cup caraway seeds and a sprinkle of salt with the olive oil. Bake according to instructions at 400˚F/200˚C for 20-25mins.

Horseradish & Chives Cream Cheese:

In a mixing bowl, add the softened cream cheese, chopped chives, and the horseradish 1 teaspoon at a time until desired taste (horseradish can be very strong and some brands are hotter than others, so add small amounts until you’re happy).
- Making your own horseradish:
  - 1. Add 240g horseradish root (peeled and chopped) to a small blender or food processor and add enough water to blend the horseradish into a smooth purée (I added about 1/4 cup).
  - 2. Once blended, strain out any excess water, then add in 1 Tbsp of white vinegar and a pinch of salt to offset the spiciness. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

Au Jus:

Once the roast beef has finished cooking, collect the drippings from the roast tray into a small saucepan. You should have about 1/4 cup (if not, add enough butter to make it 1/4 cup).
Add 1 cup of beef stock, 1 Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce and 2 Tbsps of red wine to the saucepan and heat on MED heat until simmering. Taste and adjust salt as needed. To make it a more robust beefy flavour, add in 1 beef bouillon cube.

Assembly of the sandwich:

Slice the focaccia into desired sandwich size rectangles, then slice it horizontally.
Apply a layer of the horseradish & chives sour cream onto one slice of the bread, then sandwich a few slices of roast beef in between. Serve with the jus. Done! Serve immediately with a hot jus.

February 10, 2025December 24, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment

Classic Juicy Roast Beef

Date Published: Feb 5th, 2025 | Last Updated: Feb 5th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: mains, easy
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 2.5 hours | Cook time: 2 hours

Jump to recipe |

This classic roast beef recipe is easy and guarantees juicy and tender results. All you need is beef, garlic, salt, and pepper as the ingredients and a little patience. Most of the work is in the prep, which is essentially rubbing salt and pepper and inserting cloves of garlic, then slow roasting it in the oven. The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for it to rest before diving in!

Which cut of beef to choose?

When it comes to choosing which cut of beef to use, there are many choices. The most common cuts are top round, bottom round (rump roast), eye of round, and top sirloin. These are leaner cuts and are best suited for slicing thinly for sandwiches, but it can be a little tough and chewy if you can’t slice it thin enough.

If you’re making a roast beef to serve on its own in thick slices, choose a cut with some fat marbling for better flavour and tenderness (such as chuck roast, prime rib, sirloin, or rib eye).

If you’re struggling to find a specific cut of meat, this roast beef recipe is pretty forgiving – essentially get anything that is a big chunk of meat that resembles a roast and it should be fine. If it’s on the leaner side, then it’s best to slice it thin for sandwiches.

What’s the secret to a juicy roast beef?

Browning the outside to seal in the juices – This is achieved either by searing the meat separately before putting it in the oven, or cranking up the heat briefly at the start of cooking, then turning it down low. You can do either with this recipe. I’ve done it the oven-method to save on cleaning.
Cook it low and slow – After the browning process, turning down the heat and slowly cooking the roast will ensure that the juices are slowly released as it cooks.
A meat thermometer is important – Overcooked beef becomes dry and tough. The best way to avoid this is to get an oven-safe thermometer, ideally with a temperature timer so you can set it and forget it.
Letting it rest appropriately before resting – As tempting as it is, slicing a piping hot roast that has just come out of the oven will make the juices drip out from the meat and evaporate from the heat, causing it to dry out quickly. To avoid this, you must let the roast rest for at least 20-30 minutes after taking it out of the oven to allow the juices to be maintained in the meat. I usually leave my meat thermometer in after taking it out of the oven and once the temperature stops climbing, that’s when I know it’s time to slice.

What to do with leftover roast beef?

A 3 pound roast is a hefty amount of meat and you’re bound to get leftovers, especially if you’re only cooking for 2 people. Here are a number of ideas to help you use up the leftovers:

Steak & Blue Cheese Salad
Beef stroganoff
Shepherd’s/Cottage Pie
Beef stew
Chillis
Quesadillas
Nachos
Philly Cheesesteaks

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

2-3 pounds/1-1.3kg chuck roast/whole eye round/rump roast (I like to use chuck roast with some marbling)
2 + 2 Tbsps salt
10 cloves of garlic, peeled
Fresh ground black pepper
Olive oil

Directions:

Take the beef out of the fridge 2 hours before. Rinse, pat dry and salt all sides. Wrap it back up in plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature.

After 2 hours, preheat the oven to 400˚F/200˚C. Unwrap the beef and pat dry with a paper towel. Use a pairing knife and create 5 slits into both sides of the roast and push a clove of garlic into each slit. Rub salt (yes, more salt), fresh ground black pepper, and olive oil on all sides of the beef. Cover again and leave at room temperature for another 20 minutes.

Once done cooking, let the roast rest for 20-30 minutes at room temperature before slicing.

If you’re using this for sandwiches, use a sharp knife or deli meat slicer and slice the roast into very thin slices.

Summarized Recipe:

Classic Juicy Roast Beef

Date Published: Feb 5th, 2025 | Last Updated: Feb 5th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: mains, easy
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 2.5 hours | Cook time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

2 – 3 lbs chuck roast/whole eye round/rump roast (I like to use chuck roast with some marbling)
2 + 2 Tbsps salt
10 cloves of garlic, peeled
Fresh ground black pepper
Olive oil

Directions:

Take the beef out of the fridge 2 hours before and salt all sides. Wrap it back up in plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature.
After 2 hours, preheat the oven to 400˚F/200˚C. Unwrap the beef and pat dry with a paper towel. Use a pairing knife and create 5 slits into both sides of the roast and push a clove of garlic into each slit. Rub salt (yes, more salt), fresh ground black pepper, and olive oil on all sides of the beef. Cover again and leave at room temperature for another 20 minutes.
Prepare a baking tray with a metal rack over top and place the beef on the rack. Rub a small amount of olive oil on the outside one more time. If you have a layer on your beef, face the fat layer on top so the fat will drip onto the meat as it cooks. Insert an oven-safe thermometer into the middle of the beef if you’ve got one. Bake in the preheated oven at 400˚F/200˚C for 15 minutes to start the browning process, then turn the heat down to 325˚F/163˚C and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 120˚F/49˚C (roughly 1.5-2.5 hours, depending on the size of your beef).
Once done cooking, let the roast rest for 20-30 minutes at room temperature before slicing.
- If you’re using this for sandwiches, use a sharp knife or deli meat slicer and slice the roast into very thin slices.

February 5, 2025December 22, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment

How to make horseradish from scratch

Date Published: Jan 26th, 2025 | Last Updated: Jan 26th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: basics, how-to, <15 mins, easy, sauces, vegetarian
Serves: 1 jar | Prep time: 5 mins | Blend time: 1 minute

Jump to recipe |

I’m not a fan of horseradish, but recently I needed a small amount for a new recipe I was trying out and for whatever reason I couldn’t find any jarred horseradish at the bodegas near me. Surprisingly, I did manage to find fresh horseradish root instead. I’ve never used fresh horseradish before (I thought the shop worker was giving me a parsnip 😅), but a quick google search showed how easy it was to make my own prepared horseradish. So here I am, sharing another recipe with everyone on what I’ve learned and to document it incase I’m ever in the same situation again in the future. Preparing your own horseradish is actually super easy and you can tailor it to how spicy, mild, or salty you like. The best part is that it keeps in the fridge for months, which perfect if you go through a jar of horseradish super slowly like me.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

240g horseradish root, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp white vinegar
Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Wash, peel, and chop up the horseradish root.

2. Add the horseradish root (peeled and chopped) to a small blender or food processor and add enough water to blend the horseradish into a smooth purée (I added about 1/4 cup). Be careful when opening the blender lid. Horseradish can be pretty pungent and can sting your eyes like an onion if you get a big enough whiff.

3. Once blended, strain out any excess water, then add in 1 Tbsp of white vinegar and a pinch of salt to offset the spiciness. Done!

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

Summarized Recipe:

How to make horseradish from scratch

Ingredients:

240g horseradish root, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp white vinegar
Pinch of salt

Directions:

Wash, peel, and chop the horseradish root.
Add the horseradish root (peeled and chopped) to a small blender or food processor and add enough water to blend the horseradish into a smooth purée (I added about 1/4 cup).
- Be careful when opening the blender lid. Horseradish can be pretty pungent and can sting your eyes like an onion if you get a big enough whiff.
Once blended, strain out any excess water, then add in 1 Tbsp of white vinegar and a pinch of salt to offset the spiciness. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

January 26, 2025December 22, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment