Onigiri is the Japanese equivalent of a PB&J sandwich, something to take for a school lunch or on a picnic. One of Eilene’s friends in Japanese class taught her how to do this a couple of years ago. Rice ball is a bit of a misnomer, since you make them into triangles.
Eilene’s Onigiri (Rice Balls)
Filed under Side Dishes, Starches, Vegan
Eilene is graduating from High School today and last night I decided to make one of her favorite dishes, spicy chicken and pan fried noodles. We lived in Chengdu, Sichuan, P.R. China for a year and a half back in 1988-90. While I have tried to replicate many dishes that we had during that stay, this recipe is closer to one from Cook’s Illustrated. I have wandered far from that original recipe.
Filed under Main Dishes, Poultry, Vegan
I would not have anyone believe that every dish I make is a grand success. The recipe I am posting was successful, but the variation pictured was less so. One of the down sides of constantly tinkering with recipes is that not every change works. While these failures are rarely inedible (one day I may tell the story of brine turkey) they are not always popular with my family. If you are lucky your family will tell you when something doesn’t work. Yes, I get “pouty” when they say that they didn’t like something, but that is better than making the same mistake twice thinking they loved whatever it was you had made.
Karl’s Teriyaki Tofu Burgers
Filed under Main Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian MD
This dish has become my “go to” dish for potlucks (as in “We’re having a potluck. Karl’s going to bring his Sichuan Noodles, isn’t he?) This is one of the dishes that I included in my niece’s wedding recipe book. Many members of both families provided their best recipes to start off Katie’s married life with good food.
Karl’s Cold Sichuan Noodles, California Style
Filed under Salads, Side Dishes, Starches, Vegan, Vegetables
Adapted from Joy of Cooking
When Jan had her gall bladder removed while we were in China (a long and scary story), one of the results was that she was not able to digest fat normally. Too much fat in a meal would leave her feeling sick for the rest of the day or give her a very bad night. It has gotten better over the last 25 years, but I still cook with much less fat or oil than the normal American diet.
Karl’s Fat Free Banana Bread (and a higher fat option)
Filed under bread, Side Dishes
Miriam is having a house warming/birthday party this weekend. She asked me to bring a cold soup for the event. However, she does not want any red soups, like gazpacho, because she now has a white carpet. I could do vichyssoise, but that would be too common. I thought about a cold white bean soup, but Chris is on a low carb diet right now. I looked on-line, and nothing I saw really spoke to me.
Karl’s Cold Cauliflower and Arugula Soup
Filed under Main Dishes, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian MD
I wanted to make a second cold hors d’oeuvre for Myr’s party. My idea was to make a Spanish tapas that I vaguely remembered from glancing at it in a book many years ago. However, when I looked on-line and in my cookbook on tapas, I could not find anything that was even remotely like what I was thinking about. So, I should let that stop me?
Karl’s Potato Tapas
Filed under Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables
For the kid’s party I am also planing making a hot hors d’oeuvre, stuffed mushrooms. The kids really like mushrooms, so I am constantly trying new ways to make them. This is a variation of one that I started making about a year ago. Jan does not like bacon (a childhood trauma), but this is for a crowd. I am going to use the bacon instead of butter. I will also be making a double batch.
Karl’s Scallop Stuffed Mushrooms
Filed under Side Dishes, Vegetables
Naan (nan, non, n’n, neng) means bread and usually refers to leavened flat bread. There is a wide assortment of breads that go by that name. Some are small (Afgan), some are snowshoe shaped (Indian) and some are not even very flat at all (Tajik). In Xinjiang, the naan are big, round and flat in the middle. This bread was the most available, the safest thing to eat on the street and also the tastiest. We ate this bread every day while we were traveling through Xinjiang.
Karl’s Uyghur Naan
Filed under bread, Side Dishes
For Mother’s Day, Jan has requested Uyghur Shashlik and Naan for dinner. Normally, if I was making these dishes, I would make a tomato and cucumber salad as the side dish. For me this has gotten to be a bit boring and predictable. I want to do something else.
Karl’s Uyghur Carrot Salad
Filed under Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables
karllueck
Miriam
Jabberwocky Stew 
