Food network recipes cooking ideas baking tips

Singapore Chili Crabs – King of the Crab Recipes?

2014-12-01T04:48:00.000-08:00

Living in San Francisco, I’ve had more than my fair share of crab; prepared in more ways than I can remember, but I’ve never enjoyed it more than in this Singapore-style chili crabs recipe. Just be sure to have lots of napkins around. Lots of napkins.

Apparently, this is the national dish of Singapore, and you can’t throw a rock without hitting someone eating a plate of it. By the way, that’s not something you’d want to try. Just ask Michael P. Fay.

As far as I can tell, there’s no one standard way to make this. Besides the crab, and some kind of tomato product, I couldn’t find two recipes alike. What you see here is my take on this, but it does contain many of the most typical ingredients.

Most are easy to find, except maybe the tamarind paste, although any high-end grocery chain should stock some in their international foods section. If you can’t find it, maybe add a little extra pinch of sugar, plus the juice and zest of one lemon.

Obviously the most important ingredient is the crab, so find something really nice. The store up the street had a special on freshly steamed, Dungeness crab, so that’s what I used here, but any similar variety will work.

If you can somehow get live crabs, that’s the ultimate choice, but I know that’s not realistic for most of you. The good news is, this is incredibly delicious either way. I really hope you give this Singapore-style chili crabs recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Please Note: My friends in Singapore tell me they serve this with at least twice the amount of sauce, and a type of fried roll to soak up the goodness with. So, if you want to rock the chili crab like a Singaporean, then you should probably double the sauce ingredients!

Ingredients for four appetizer size portions:
2 whole cooked Dungeness crabs (about 2-3 lbs. each), cleaned and cracked
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup minced shallots, or other onion
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
1 tbsp minced serrano pepper

For the sauce:
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
2 tablespoon sambal (or any spicy ground chili sauce)
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp palm sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup chicken broth or water

Finish with:
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp sliced green onions (the green parts) or 1 tbsp sliced chives

Crab stick tempura

2014-12-01T04:24:00.001-08:00

Description of the preparation:

Crab stick tempura is one of those salutary snacks that are prepared on once or twice, but on the table look quite convincing and his barroom function is performed perfectly. Crab sticks in batter and cook simply and conveniently, and to eat - and then, you know, sometimes as put the snack on the table - like looks delicious, but how to hook itself on the plate - it's not clear.

In short, if you are planning a holiday (Christmas, for example) feast - safely prepare this snack and put on the table. Everyone will enjoy it - you'll see :)

Ingredients:

The crab sticks - 250 Grams
Egg - 1 Piece
Flour - 4 Tbsp. spoon
Light beer - 50 Ml
Lemon - 1/2 Pieces
Salt, pepper - to taste
Vegetable oil - 20 Ml

How to cook Crab stick tempura

the ingredients used to prepare appetizer

Crab sticks put in a bowl, add salt, pepper, sprinkle with the juice of half a lemon and leave for 15 minutes

Egg, beat until the consistency of foam

Add beer.

Pour the flour

Stir until smooth - this will be our batter

Crab sticks dip in the batter and fry in hot vegetable oil

Fry on both sides until zolotisty of batter (I have the photo slightly burnt - watch carefully so as not to repeat my mistake)

Zucchini with tomatoes and garlic

2014-12-01T03:40:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

Zucchini: 2 kg
Tomatoes 500 g
Sour cream 250 g
Onions 2 heads
Garlic 1 clove
Parsley 50 g
Olive oil 50 ml
Bay leaf 1 piece
Vegetable oil 50 ml
Black pepper allspice 6 pieces
Sugar 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste

Instruction: cooking time 20 minutes

1. Zucchini cleaned seeds and foam innards (if you use zucchini, this surgery is not required), cut into large pieces (three to four centimeters). Onions finely chop. And the tomatoes cut into about half the pieces in comparison with zucchini.

2. Heat in a deep skillet mixture of vegetable and olive oil and sauté the onion until soft.

3. Pour into the skillet with the zucchini and onions, stirring occasionally, to wait for the moment when they let the juice. Then add in the tomatoes, stir. Simmer on rapid fire two or three minutes. Reduce heat, pour into a saucepan the sugar, add allspice and Bay leaf. Simmer for another three minutes. Then, add salt. Mix well, being careful not to turn the contents of the skillet to squash the eggs or porridge. Simmer for another two minutes.

4. Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley, peel the garlic. Season stew crushed garlic and parsley, season with ground pepper, stir and immediately remove from heat. Serve with cold fat sour cream. Bay leaf and allspice, then to not hit the bowl, you can put in a stew, Packed in a gauze bag.

Adam Cho’s Five Spice French Toast Recipe

2011-05-26T11:23:00.000-07:00

Chef Adam Cho of Rick’s Cafe at Loews Lake Las Vegas was kind enough to share this recipe for his Chinese Five Spice French Toast which I had the sheer joy of trying when I attended Spice Skool. Chef Cho serves his French Toast with thick-cut,chocolate covered bacon and ginger ice cream. This breakfast treat was served as ourdessert course at Spice Skool, but not surprisingly, it tastes great at any time. For more information on Spice Skool, read my story and get more info Loews Lake Las Vegas.

Ingredients for Chinese Five Spice French Toast:
4 whole eggs
1 teaspoon of cloves
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of Szechwan pepper corn (or black peppercorn)
1 teaspoon of ground star anise (or fennel or anise seed)
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
4 pieces of thick cut brioche bread or day old French bread

Directions:
1. In a bowl whisk all the ingredients together. Make sure eggs are creamy and spices are incorporated throughout the batter.

2. Heat up a non stick pan or griddle to medium heat.

3. Dunk bread in one at a time and make sure to coat the whole thing. Place on pan or skillet with a little butter.

4. Cook both sides until golden brown.

5. Serve with maple syrup, ginger ice cream or a pat of butter.

Pickled Grilled Vegetables

2011-05-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

This pickled grilled vegetables technique was my favorite new discovery on the Kingsford University trip. It's quite a simple, and seemingly obvious trick, yet it never occurred to me. It's times like these when I'm faced with the tragic realization that I'm not as smart and creative as I think I am.

Basically, small pickling cucumbers (which I've always called, "pickles," even if they aren’t pickled yet, just to be confusing), as well as other firm vegetables, are seared briefly over very hot charcoal, before being packed in the sweet and sour pickling liquid.

The grilling imparts a subtle smokiness, as well as a little extra sweetness from the caramelization of the vegetables. I can see these being a regular fixture on the picnic table during the upcoming grilling season. What a perfect compliment to a platter of barbecued pork, or grilled chicken.

These tasted great after just one day, and even better after three. Please don't ask me how long they will last in the fridge, as I believe they should be eaten before that would become any kind of issue. I hope you give it a try, and be sure to tell me all the fabulous ways you flavored your pickling liquid. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

6 pickling cucumbers

1 red bell pepper

1 cup sugar

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, or to taste

big pinch of red chili flakes

12 black peppercorns

2 cloves garlic

1/4 teaspoon dried dill

The Ravenous Couple's Bánh Cam – Starring Mom and Dad

2011-05-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

This video recipe for bánh cam (or bánh rán) comes to us from Kim and Hong, the very talented duo who publish The Ravenous Couple. They were at my Foodbuzz Festival panel discussion on video blogging, and as some of you may remember, I promised to share any videos those participants sent my way.

Kim and Hong posted this as a special Mothers Day tribute, and I think it's a great way to celebrate how these heirloom recipes are handed down from one generation to another. I hope you enjoy watching how to make this popular Vietnamese dessert, and I encourage you to visit their blog to read the full post. Enjoy!

White-Balanced Brie with Ripe Pear and Black Pepper

2011-05-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

It only took me like a year to realize there was a way to adjust the white balance on the video settings for my camera. Not bad. I knew about this adjustment for still photos, but until recently never figured it out for video.

I was testing my new found skills on a recent late night snack, and when I was done I realized I had a halfway decent video recipe to post. The color still isn’t great, and I'll continue to practice and adjust, but it's much better than the yellow-orange cast I used to suffer with.

This simple and delicious ripe brie and pear appetizer is inspired by one of my favorite meatless sandwiches. A couple times a year, I like to take a warm piece of crusty French baguette (now that's redundant!), spread it with a little butter, add some soft, very ripe brie cheese, and a few slices of juicy, equally ripe pear.

This masterpiece of French engineering is finished with a few turns of freshly ground black pepper, and eaten in close proximity to a glass of red wine; truly one of life's great culinary pleasures.

Here we've taken the same idea and turned it into a very quick appetizer that will work nicely when the occasion calls for something a bit more sophisticated than beer and pretzels. Enjoy!

My Snackpicks' White Bean Dip

2011-05-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

This super easy white bean dip is perfect for those occasions when you have a few friends coming over and want to make a tasty snack or appetizer that's not going to take a lot of time, or break the bank.

I also like this recipe because it's not hummus. Don't get me wrong, I love hummus, but you have to admit, it's a little overused. If you took a picture of 100 snack tables at 100 random parties, I bet 75 of them would show a bowl of hummus.

This white bean dip recipe is part of a series of eight snack videos I did for Kellogg's Snackpicks.com. When you click on the video player below, you'll be taken to their fine site to view the video, and if you want, get the written recipe.

If you have questions or comments, please come on back and post them here. Thanks, and enjoy!

Maple Pork Belly Bean Salad Recipe Video

2011-05-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

This video is a creation of kooktocook. You can visit kooktocook for complete recipes, and more videos.

Broccoli & Chicken Quesadilla Recipe Video

2011-05-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 ounces of pre-cooked shredded chicken
½ cup of steamed broccoli, chopped up
1/3 cup of part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1 whole grain tortilla (I like Ezekiel)
2 tbsp plain, no fat Greek yogurt
1 tsp red pepper sauce

Combine Greek yogurt with hot sauce and set aside.
Heat chicken and broccoli in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Once heated through remove from the pan and place in a medium bowl.
Toss chicken and broccoli with salt, pepper and garlic powder and then set aside.
Place tortilla in the hot pan and allow to heat through on one side. Flip the tortilla and sprinkle half of the cheese over one half of the tortilla. Top cheese with broccoli and chicken and then sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top.
Using a spatula fold the tortilla over on to itself (into a half moon) and top with something heavy (ie. A weighted pan or my personal favorite, a teakettle). Allow to cook for a minute or two OR until the bottom lightly browed. Flip the tortilla and cook for another minute or two on the opposite side.
Remove Quesadilla from the pan and allow to cool for a minute or so before cutting into wedges. Top with spicy yogurt and Enjoy!!

Crispy Potato Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

2011-05-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

Latkes are a classic part of a traditional Hanukkah meal, but these potato pancakes are a terrific treat any time of year. Even though they’re delicious on their own, enjoy them at their finest by adding a dollop of sour cream and our Fresh Cardamom Spiced Applesauce as accompaniments. Latkes reheat well, too, so if you want to make them ahead of time, you don’t need to worry that you’ll be compromising taste and quality.

Crispy Potato Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

Ingredients ~

1 unflavored vitamin C tablet, crushed (see recipe notes)

1 tablespoon hot water

2-1/2 pounds (about 4 large) Idaho potatoes, grated

1/2 cup onion, grated

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

Sour cream and applesauce for serving

Preparation ~

Place the crushed vitamin C (ascorbic acid) tablet in the hot water and stir until dissolved.

Place the grated potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the dissolved vitamin C and toss to combine. Add the onion and beaten egg, mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and white pepper and set aside.

Place about 1/4-inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. While the oil heats, add the dry ingredients to the potato-egg mixture, tossing to coat.

Using a large slotted spoon, place 2 tablespoon portions of the potato mixture in the hot oil, pressing them into patties about 3-inches in diameter. Fry until golden brown and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Don’t overcrowd the pan - you will probably need to fry three separate batches.

Transfer the latkes to a paper towel-lined platter to absorb any excess oil. Latkes can be kept in a warm oven (200°F), loosely wrapped in foil until ready to serve.

Serve with sour cream and applesauce.

Makes about 18 latkes (potato pancakes)

Recipe Notes ~

The dissolved vitamin C tablet is an easy way to keep your shredded potatoes from turning brown while you’re working with them, and unlike lemon juice, it doesn’t impart any added flavors.

Also, be sure to use a slotted spoon to transfer your potato mixture to the frying pan, draining off the excess liquid before putting the pancake in the oil.

Some inspiration for this recipe came from Fast & Festive Meals for the Jewish Holidays by Marlene Sorosky (out of print).

Praline Crumb Caramel Cheesecake Bars

2011-05-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

Prize-Winning Recipe 2010! Enjoy cheesecake as an easy bar wtih gooey caramel, rich toffee and crunchy nuts.

PREP TIME

25 Min

TOTAL TIME

3 Hr 35 Min

SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS

Cookie Base and Topping

1	pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2	cup cold butter or margarine
1/2	cup chopped pecans
1/2	cup toffee bits

Filling

2	packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/2	cup sugar
2	tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2	cup caramel topping
1	teaspoon vanilla
1	egg

1Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Place cookie mix in bowl; cut in butter using pastry blender or fork until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.
2Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, 1/4 cup of the caramel topping, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
3Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over partially baked cookie base. Sprinkle with reserved crumb topping, pecans and toffee bits.
4Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled. Drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup caramel topping. For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Philly Cheese and Ground Beef Casserole

2011-05-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

Bring the fabulous flavor of Philly cheese steak sandwiches to a comforting casserole!

PREP TIME

20 Min

TOTAL TIME

1 Hr

SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2	lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1	package (8 oz) sliced mushrooms
1	teaspoon salt
1/2	teaspoon pepper
8	slices (1 oz each) provolone cheese
2	tablespoons butter or margarine
2	large onions, halved and thinly sliced into wedges
2	medium red bell peppers, cut into strips
2	cloves garlic, finely chopped
1	can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle original biscuits

1Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
2In 12-inch skillet, cook beef, mushrooms, salt and pepper over medium-high heat 7 to 9 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Place in baking dish. Arrange cheese over beef mixture, overlapping slices if needed.
3In same skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and bell peppers. Cook over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until peppers are crisp-tender. Stir in garlic; cook 1 to 2 minutes longer. Spoon over cheese in baking dish.
4Separate dough into 8 biscuits. On lightly floured surface, pat biscuits into 5-inch circles. Arrange biscuits over vegetable mixture.
5Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown on top.

Barcelona Style Pork Tenderloin With Sherry & Peppers

2011-05-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

10 ounces pork tenderloins, trimmed of any fat, cut into 1/2 thick rounds
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika, to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, as needed
1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned
2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup dry sherry (NOT cooking sherry, real stuff only please) or 2/3 cup white wine

Directions:

1 Set out a sheet of wax paper on a hard, flat surface.

2 Place pork rounds on the wax papper and cover with another sheet; pound flat using a meat mallet.

3 Place flattened slices into a large ziptop type plastic bag.

4 Mix paprika, rosemary,salt, and pepper and add to plastic bag- seal and shake bag to coat pork evenly with spices.

5 Heat about 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

6 Cook pork slices briefly on both sides- about 1-2 minutes per side, then remove to a covered dish and keep warm.

7 Add a little more oil if needed and saute pepper and garlic and saute about 2 minutes or until bell pepper starts to get tender.

8 Add sherry or wine and bring to a boil.

9 Let boil until reduced by 1/3 (about a minute).

10 Return pork to the skillet and cook until heated through, about another minute or two.

11 Make sure pork is cooked all the way through, but still moist.

12 Remove pork to plates and ladle sauce on top.

Crumble cake with berries

2011-05-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

Cap off a relaxed lunch with this week's food fight winner - crumble cake with berries! Serve with chilled cinnamon custard for complete indulgence.

Ingredients (serves 6)

170g plain flour
85g caster sugar
85g unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
900g apples, peeled, cored, roughly chopped
110g light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
250g fresh or frozen mixed berries (redcurrants, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)
Topping
1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour
150g unsalted butter
110g demerara sugar
2 tsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
Berry sauce
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
250g mixed berries

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Butter and line the base of a 24cm springform cake pan.
To make the base, place flour, caster sugar and butter in a food processor and whiz until you have fine crumbs. Add the egg yolk and continue processing until the mixture comes together in a smooth ball (you may need to add a little chilled water). Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
When ready, press the mixture into the base of the prepared cake pan, refrigerate for a further 15 minutes, then bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 180°C.
Place the apples, light brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons cold water and cover. Cook over low heat until soft.
Cool, then spread over the pastry base. Sprinkle with the mixed berries.
For the topping, process the flour, butter, demerara sugar, poppy seeds, ground cinnamon, ginger and coriander with 1 tablespoon cold water, until you have a rough crumb mixture. Spoon over the top of the berries, patting down well. Bake for 25-30 minutes, then cool in the pan.
For the berry sauce, place the caster sugar in a saucepan with 1/4 cup (60ml) of water over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the mixed berries and cook for 2 minutes, breaking the berries up with a spoon.
Allow to cool, then puree in a blender.
If you prefer a smooth sauce, pass it through a sieve.
To serve, cut the crumble cake into slices and drizzle with berry sauce and cinnamon custard (see related recipe).

Soul Daddy Review - Mall Of America - Winner Of America’s Next Great Restaurant

2011-05-26T08:37:00.000-07:00

AMERICA’S NEXT GREAT RESTAURANT - ABOUT THE SHOW

If you haven’t seen the show, here is a quick rundown. The producers of the show Top Chef along with the NBC network created a reality show where people from all walks of life vied for the chance to have their restaurant concept come to life. There was a nationwide search and 21 finalists were chosen. Each week judges eliminated contestants based on their performance working on and running their concept restaurants. The judges were: Chipotle Mexican Grill founder Steve Ells, Australian chef Curtis Stone, Food Network celebrity chef Bobby Flay, and Miami restaurateur Lorena Garcia. The judges served as mentors to the contestants throughout the competition. Also, all of the judges personally invested their own money into the winning restaurant concept. The winning concept then went on to become a chain of 3 restaurants, with locations in Hollywood, Minneapolis, and New York City.

ABOUT THE WINNER - JAMAWN J. WOODS:

Jamawn, or “Jay” Woods, is a 32-year-old from Detroit, Mich., who created and ran a catering company out of his home called “W3s Woods’ Wings and Waffles”. According to the Detroit Free Press, he was actually running the catering company part-time as he worked as a forklift driver. As word spread on Facebook about his delicious chicken and waffles, a casting director for the show happened to view the posted comments and invited Jamawn out to Chicago to audition. Once Jamawn was on the show, he made it clear to the judges, often through tears, that winning would completely change him and his family’s life.

SOUL DADDY - THE WINNING CONCEPT:

Originally, Woods’ concept was to offer the same soul food as he did from his home catering business — fried chicken, wings, waffles, etc. He also was going to use the same name “W3s Woods’ Wings and Waffles”. However, at the recommendation of the judges, he made the choice to change not only the name, but the menu offerings as well. Some other elements of the original concept that were fazed out as the show progressed were sports motifs and the heavy usage of the color purple.

By the end of the show, Woods’ final and winning concept was a fast casual restaurant that served healthy soul food. Even at the suggestion of both Bobby Flay and Woods’ own chef to keep fried chicken on the menu, Woods stayed true to his new healthy soul food concept by omitting it.

Woods also decided that music from Motown records would be played over the restaurant’s speakers to amplify the soulful ambiance and to provide a nice nod to Detroit – the home of Motown.

SOUL DADDY MENU

SOUL DADDY RESTAURANT REVIEW - MALL OF AMERICA (MOA) - BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA:

We arrived at Soul Daddy at the Mall of America (MOA), in Bloomington, Minn., at around 5 pm on May 1st — its grand opening day. The line was long, but it only took around 5 minutes to get to the first server.

Soul Daddy service is just like Chipotle — you tell the first server what main entree you would like, and then you’re passed down the line being asked what sides you want.

Unfortunately, they were all out of baked chicken and roast pork. The only entree item that was available were the ribs. One of the servers mentioned that the wait time for the roast chicken was approximately 20 minutes. As we progressed through the line and chose our sides to go along with our ribs, we asked for a corn bread waffle. We were quickly informed that they were all out of corn bread waffles and that they would be glad to bring them to our table once they were ready. About 30 to 40 minutes later the corn bread waffles were finally brought out to us just as we were finishing up our ribs and sides. Being that it took so long, I believed that they may have forgotten about us. What is commendable though is that multiple times workers came around asking how we liked the food or if we needed anything else, they also apologized and distributed buy-one-get-one-free entree coupons.

We went back six days later at the same time of the day and you could sense that they had a much better handle on the operation as everything was much smoother. It wasn’t as crowded as the opening day. All the food items were in stock and there were no issues.

Soul Daddy Food Review:

Country Style Ribs - The ribs are Soul Daddy’s most expensive entree on the menu. The ribs have a dry spice rub on them and are very tender with a smokey flavor. The spice rub isn’t hot, just slightly peppery. If you are not into the spice it is easy enough to scrape off. They are good, but pouring some of the Soul Daddy BBQ sauce on them makes them so much better. While most of the ribs were extremely tender, I did receive some end pieces off one of the slabs and that meat was very tough and chewy. The ribs were a little greasy but that is to be expected as most ribs are. For the price, I wouldn’t order them again.

The Sauces:

BBQ Sauce - Went perfect with the ribs and pork sandwich. Was delicious.
Honey Mustard - Really tasty. Went great with the pork and the chicken.
Hot Sauce - Not that hot, but has some kick. I couldn’t find anything that went really well with it.

Pork Sandwich - The pulled pork sandwich consist of pulled pork on a wheat bun. I poured some of the Soul Daddy BBQ sauce over the pork and it was delicious. I would order this again.

Baked Herb Chicken - The herb baked chicken was cooked well and had good flavor, but the skin was really salty. I would order it again.

Wild Rice Salad - The wild rice salad is served cold and it contains wild rice, pecan bits, cranberries, and I believe some kind of very light dressing. The cranberries add a nice sweet punch of flavor. I really enjoyed the wild rice and it is definitely a side that I would order again.

Sweet Potato Salad - The sweet potato salad is served cold and is just cubes of lightly cooked sweet potatoes with an herb sprinkled on top. I was extremely disappointed in the sweet potatoes as I like mine baked until soft with cinnamon and possibly some butter. These sweet potatoes were very firm, just shy of having a crunch, and had absolutely no flavor. I mean come on…. no cinnamon, sugar or butter? Being that they were so devoid of flavor, I would never order the sweet potatoes again.

Cabbage Slaw- Shredded cabbage and carrots. The cabbage slaw had almost no dressing on it, and thus had no flavor. Would not order again unless I wanted to add some crunch to my pulled pork sandwich by dumping it on.

Green Salad - The green salad consists of green beans served cold. They seemed to have been hardly cooked as they were hard and crunchy. They were also coated with a light vinaigrette dressing that didn’t do anything to wow me over. I would not order them again.

Whole Wheat Biscuits - The whole wheat biscuits are great, especially when you spread their sweet butter on them. They have some kick to them thanks to some coarsely ground black pepper on top.

Corn Bread Waffles - A southern-style corn bread in waffle shape. Simple and delicious with just a slight touch of sweetness. Spread some of their sweet butter on them and you will want to keep ordering them. This is one of my favorite menu items.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad - A cold side of black eyed peas with red peppers and crunchy celery. The black eyed peas sit and are mixed in a delicious citrus like vinaigrette that is very refrshing. Another one of my favorite menu items. I would definitely get this again.

Cheese Grits - I can’t remember ever having grits before, so I don’t have anything to compare these to but this was disgusting. It was like a gelatinous corn bread watery mixture with a cheddar note. Horrible.

Collard Greens - The collard greens were great, they were hot and had good crunch with an acidic / vinegar like dressing. Would order again.

Sweet Tea - It’s tea and it’s sweet. Nothing surprising.

Now that I have tried all the menu offerings, if I was to go back, I would order the pork sandwich with BBQ sauce, and order 2 sides: the black eyed peas, and either the wild rice or the collard greens. I would also get a corn bread muffin with some sweet butter.

SHOULD SOUL DADDY HAVE WON?

Based on my observations of the other competitor’s menu items I viewed on the show, I honestly don’t think that Soul Daddy should have been the winner of America’s Next Great Restaurant. In my opinion, there are already enough BBQ / soul-food places where I can get similar offerings. I mean just in the Mall of America (MOA), not a couple shops down from Soul Daddy is a Famous Dave’s BBQ Restaurant serving similar food. Also, isn’t healthy and soul food an oxymoron? Additionally, there are no desserts offered. I just don’t see Soul Daddy being successful. It costs too much, and there isn’t enough stand out menu items.

I strongly believe that Spice Coast, a modern fast-casual Indian restaurant concept should have been chosen as America’s Next Great Restaurant. I’m sick of seeing the same food being served everywhere and Spice Coast would have provided a much needed change. It would have introduced many Americans to unfamiliar and delicious flavor profiles. Steve Ells, the founder of Chipotle even mentioned these points in the final episode, so I’m quite perplexed as to why Spice Coast was not chosen. However, Sudhir, the man behind the concept of Spice Coast did make a horrible judgement call in the final episode. He introduced tacos, quesadillas and carnitas to the menu, totally transforming the restaurant into a Chipotle clone. It seemed to become a Mexican restaurant with subtle Indian flavors. I do believe that if the judges had chosen Spice Coast they could have easily worked with Sudhir to fix those issues by reintroducing strictly Indian items such as curries.

What are your thoughts? Have you tried Soul Daddy? Do you think Woods should have won? If not, who do you believe should have?

Food network recipes cooking ideas baking tips

Singapore Chili Crabs – King of the Crab Recipes?

Crab stick tempura

Zucchini with tomatoes and garlic

Adam Cho’s Five Spice French Toast Recipe

Pickled Grilled Vegetables

The Ravenous Couple's Bánh Cam – Starring Mom and Dad

White-Balanced Brie with Ripe Pear and Black Pepper

My Snackpicks' White Bean Dip

Maple Pork Belly Bean Salad Recipe Video

Broccoli & Chicken Quesadilla Recipe Video

Crispy Potato Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

Praline Crumb Caramel Cheesecake Bars

INGREDIENTS

Philly Cheese and Ground Beef Casserole

INGREDIENTS

Barcelona Style Pork Tenderloin With Sherry & Peppers

Ingredients:

Directions:

Crumble cake with berries

Topping

Berry sauce

Soul Daddy Review - Mall Of America - Winner Of America’s Next Great Restaurant

ABOUT THE WINNER - JAMAWN J. WOODS:

SOUL DADDY - THE WINNING CONCEPT:

SOUL DADDY MENU

SOUL DADDY RESTAURANT REVIEW - MALL OF AMERICA (MOA) - BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA:

We went back six days later at the same time of the day and you could sense that they had a much better handle on the operation as everything was much smoother. It wasn’t as crowded as the opening day. All the food items were in stock and there were no issues.

SHOULD SOUL DADDY HAVE WON?