Tonight’s dinner is Mapo Doufu and Beef with Mushrooms, neither of these dishes is heavy on the leafy greens. I need a side dish to go with them. Everyone in my household likes Chinese Broccoli (gai lan), so this is just another stir fry.
Karl’s Spicy Chinese Broccoli, Carrot and Bamboo Stir Fry with Sichuan Pickles
Filed under Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables
Eilene’s Onigiri (Rice Balls)
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.
Filed under Side Dishes, Starches, Vegan
Karl’s Sichuan Chicken and Pan Fried Noodles
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
Karl’s Teriyaki Tofu Burgers
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.
Filed under Main Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian MD
Karl’s Cold Sichuan Noodles, California Style
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.
Filed under Salads, Side Dishes, Starches, Vegan, Vegetables
Karl’s Fat Free Banana Bread (and a higher fat option)
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.
Filed under bread, Side Dishes
Karl’s Cold Cauliflower and Arugula Soup
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.
Filed under Main Dishes, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian MD
Karl’s Potato Tapas
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?
Filed under Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables
Karl’s Scallop Stuffed Mushrooms
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.
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Filed under Side Dishes, Vegetables
Karl’s Uyghur Shashlik
Shashlik is really just the Central Asian name for a kabob, something on a skewer. In Kashgar, at least on the street, this is almost always lamb coated in a cumin based spice blend. Lamb is cut into small (3/8 inch) cubes and skewered with bits of lamb fat. The stick is dipped into a tray of the spice blend and then grilled over hot coals. While the kabab is on the grill, the seller uses a fan to boost the heat of the coals and picks up some of the sticks to baste the skewers still on the grill with the rendering lamb fat dripping from them. If you like the crispy crust of grilled lamb you will be mad about these.
Shashlik is usually eaten with naan. For this meal, I am also making a carrot salad, a tomato and cucumber salad, pickled cauliflower, and fruit skewers to go with the bread and lamb.
Filed under Lamb, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices









