When it comes to pasta’s I like simplicity that highlights the quality of a few fresh ingredients. Mentaiko Pasta (明太子パスタ) is about as simple as it gets and yet there’s something fun about an Italian inspired Japanese dish (… or is it the other way around?)

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We’ve all heard of green curry and red curry but have you ever wondered about making curries in other colors? After having an awesome meal at Candlenut Kitchen in Singapore, I was inspired by Chef Malcolm Lee’s white curry and decided to try making my own. Check out this week’s post over at Fresh Tastes for my White Curry Recipe.

As much as I believe in using fresh whole ingredients in cooking, there are times when it’s freezing outside, your stomach is grumbling, and the refrigerator is barren. I found myself in such a predicament the other day. Thankfully I was able to find a lonely pack of tofu towards the back of the fridge and a can of crab in the cupboard.

In Japan, this dish is known as tofu no kani ankake (豆腐のかにあんかけ) and makes for a quick side to a bowl of rice or a great protein packed snack on its own. Silken tofu when simmered, takes on the texture of a luscious egg custard, and the thick crab sauce adds a wonderful briny flavor without overpowering the delicate tofu.

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We all have those days when life takes over and the time to cook dinner evaporates before our very eyes. But it’s those very days when a fresh home-cooked meal is just we need. This week at PBS, I show you a simple pantry pasta that comes together in under thirty minutes. The trick is in having a pantry stocked with a few basic items. Read more and get the recipe over at Fresh Tastes.

This Beef Rendang was one of the dishes I learned how to cook one rainy afternoon at Russel Wong’s home (yes, the Russel Wong from Bourdain’s Singapore espisode). His wife Judy can cook about as well as Russel can shoot a portrait, after an afternoon sweating over a wok, we were sitting down with friends to an eight course feast in Russel’s photo studio. While it was tough picking a favorite dish from that night, I found myself going back to the Rendang more than any other dish.

The flavors of Beef Rendang unfold in layers, like a stick of Willy Wonka’s three-course-dinner chewing gum. First there’s the zingy flavors of lemongrass and ginger, then comes the savory beef along with a torrent of chili, finally, as you continue to chew you start tasting the creamy coconut milk towards the back of your tongue.

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Nikuman (肉まん), also known as Bāozi in China, are the Asian equivalent to sandwiches in the West. With a savory meat and vegetable filling wrapped in dough and steamed, they make a complete meal that can be eaten on the go without utensils.

While convenient, I’ve always been a little weary of the mystery-meat filled bun you can buy at the store. They taste good, but the bleached white dough is often too sweet, the skimpy filling a little prepubescent, and the unidentifiable meat inexplicably pink.

On a recent trip to Kyoto, I made the mistake of boarding a noon train without buying lunch. By the time the bullet train reached Kyoto station I was ready to start gnawing on the seat in front of me. It didn’t help that the guy sitting next to me had brought on a bento box and a tallboy of beer.

As I entered the station from the platform, the sweet smell of pork perfumed the air. Led by my nose like a bloodhound, I soon found myself standing in front of a stalled called Horai 551, in line with a bunch of other hungry travelers.

I don’t know if it was my hunger or Horai 551′s recipe, but it was the best nikuman I’d ever had. With a relatively thin bun and incredibly soft and juicy filling redolent of onions, I ended up back in line for a second bun.

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If you’re anything like me you probably partied a little too hard over the holidays and the are well into a New Year diet regimen. Here’s a tasty, filling salad that’s full of protein, fiber and vitamins that should tide you over until your next meal without adding inches to your waistline. Read the recipe at PBS

Depending on who you ask, you’ll probably get a different story about the origins of Mapo Tofu, but the commonly accepted myth is that this dish was created by a pock-faced old woman. She was cast out of the Sichuan capital of Chengdu due to her disfigurement. One day, a weary trader happened upon her shack and she was so delighted by the company that she scraped together her meager provisions to create this dish.

Whatever its origins, Mapo Tofu came to Japan in the middle of the last century during a boom of Chinese restaurants. After being adapted to local tastes, its name transliterated to Mabo Doufu (マーボー豆腐), it quickly became one of the best known Chinese dishes in all of Japan.

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I’m not usually a huge fan of ham, but braised in red wine, honey and caramelized onions it’s a delicious way to feed a lot of people with very little effort. I made this for a holiday party last week and it was a huge hit. Head over to PBS for the post.

Originally a Chinese appetizer called Hatosi (蝦多士) or shrimp toast, this is a simplified version that makes for a great party canapé. Aside from a little cutting and spreading, they’re simple to prepare and are a tasty finger food that goes well with beer, wine or champagne

Each toast has a layer of crisp sandwich bread on one side, and ginger and scallion flavored minced shrimp on the other. Dipped in sweet Thai chili sauce these shrimp toasts are dangerously addictive!

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It was February and I was only in Prague for a few days, so I’d spent the day freezing my butt off wandering around the old city taking in the sights. My ears ached with cold, my legs were wobbly with exhaustion and in a rare moment for me, fatigue reigned over hunger and I decided to head back to my hotel room.

Getting off at my metro stop near the end of the line, everything was shuttered for the evening and I was all but resigned to falling asleep with an empty stomach that night. But as I rounded the corner, I noticed a warm glow coming from some small windows on an old stone building. There was a dimly lit sign outside and the tantalizing aroma of pork was wafting my way.

It turned out to be a little tavern filled with older czech gentlemen drinking beer and eating dinner. The middle-aged waitress didn’t speak a word of English, but she accommodated my pointing and gesturing with a smile, and soon I had a Pilsner Urquell and a plate of Segedínský Guláš with Knedlíky in front of me.

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I love gnocchi. Not quite a dumpling, not quite a pasta it defies categorization and is made in about as many ways as there are people who cook it. Unfortunately, it’s one of those Italian dishes (like Tiramisu) that skyrocketed to fame in posh American restaurants during the 1990′s and has been so overdone (and overdone poorly at that), that it’s become a bit of a cliché.

Often gluey, starchy, or just plain chewy, I started to forget all the reasons why I fell in love with the little potato dumplings all those years ago. As a result I can’t remember the last time I ordered it. That is, until I recently had it at an Italian restaurant in Singapore.

I’d just finished a 7 course seafood meal at a Chinese restaurant and was onto my second dinner, which included a salumi platter and a whole pizza. A plain white dish with cream colored gnocchi covered in a cream sauce appeared at the table. It didn’t look all that appealing, but the aroma was so seductive, my hand went for my fork and before I knew it I had a piece of gnocchi in my mouth.

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I often hear the words “fancy” and “complicated” associated with French food, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Quiche is a dish that’s a great way to clean up odds and ends in your veggie and deli drawers and makes for a delicious Sunday brunch.

Head on over to PBS Food to check out the full post and recipe!

With T-day only a few days away I thought I’d share one of my favorite ways to use up leftover turkey. It’s a quick pasta that tastes like it took a lot longer to make than it actually does. The browned butter caramelizes the shallots and kabocha and pairs nicely with the turkey.

Head on over to PBS Food to check out the full post and recipe!

I’m just about to head out to the airport to fly out to Singapore for a week long food tour. The Singapore Tourism Board was gracious enough to invite me out to check out their booming food scene and I can honestly say I haven’t been this excited about a trip in months!

Head over to Wandering Cook to see all my posts from the trip.

Google hooked me up with a local cell phone so I’ll be posting all my updates on Google+, as it happens. Add No Recipes to your circle to get the play-by-play of my trip along with all the juicy photos of Bak Kut Teh, Chicken Rice, Laksa, Chili Crab, and so much more. In the mean time, here are a few pics from my trip last year to tide you over until I land:-)

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