NOMz

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancake)

2011-09-14T05:11:00.000-07:00

Okonomiyaki

Ingredients:

-1 cup flour + more for mixing
-3/4 cup dashi stock
-3 or 4 slices of bacon, diced
-1/2 head cabbage, slivered
-2 carrots, cut into slivers
-1 green onion, diced
-1 egg
-Okonomiyaki sauce
-Spicy Mayonnaise (mayo + a dash of Sriracha sauce)

1. Mix everything together (except the sauces). Be sure that the vegetables and bacon are cut into as small slivers as possible!
2. Continue adding flour in increments until the mixture has the consistency of pancake batter.
3. Ladle out a scoop onto a hot frying pan and spread out to about 1/4-inch thickness
4. Cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes, then flip over and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes.
5. Drizzle spicy mayo and okonomiyaki sauce on top. Enjoy!

Cashew Chicken Stirfry

2011-08-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

So I actually made this quite a while ago, but I've been putting it off until now. I know, I'm terrible, but I've been distracted with other things, and I've spent a good amount of time fixing up my blog ever since the disastrous loss of 80% of my pictures.

This picture came out quite a bit differently from my past photographs. To be honest, it was simply because I took the picture late in the day and indoors, which cast a lot of shadow on the dish. I had to prop the bowl up from behind to get the contents to catch what little light managed to find its way in, and then further lighten the image up via Picasa. But now that I look at it, I like how the shadows play with the contents; it gives each individual piece of chicken some depth and character. Chances are that Tastespotting and Foodgawker won't accept it, but that's okay. This photo was an experiment to prepare me for the winter months, when going out to take photos may not be as practical or possible.

Chicken Cashew Stirfry (adapted from Rasa Malaysia)

Ingredients:

(A)

-1 boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped into bite-sized pieces

-1/2 cup cashews, roasted

-1 zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces

-1 knob ginger, cut into slices

-1/4 cup onion, diced

(B)

-1 tsp baking soda

-1 tsp cornstarch

-1/2 tsp rice wine

(C)

-1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

-3/4 tsp soy sauce

-3 tbsp water

-3 dashes white pepper

-1/2 tsp sugar

-1/2 tsp rice wine

-Salt to taste

1. Marinate the chicken pieces in (B). Wash off thoroughly after about 15-20 minutes. Pat the chicken dry.

2. Mix together (C).

3. In a wok or pan, stirfry the chicken until they are semi-done. Remove from heat.

4. Stirfry together the onions, zucchini, and ginger until aromatic. Then add back in the chicken.

5. Add in the cashews.

6. Pour in the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken is cooked. Add salt to taste.

7. Garnish with scallions and serve hot with rice!

Hokkaido Milk Bread

2011-08-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here I am, frantically struggling to update all the latest pictures I've taken before school starts. Unfortunately, I feel like a few of my most recent shots haven't had much thought into them. I'm not entirely satisfied with the composition of some of them...but that's okay. The most important thing is that I put them down on this blog, and maybe in the future, I'll correct these photos again.

For the majority of my life, I feel like I've been handed amazing situations and people who have really helped me through life. And for the most part, I am in constant shock at how much I have lucked out by receiving these gifts.

Recently, I've been learning to become a little more impulsive, a little more carefree, a little more free to whatever life throws at me. But sometimes, when something comes along that is almost too good to be true, I hesitate to accept it immediately. It's even after you've closed your eyes and pinched yourself blue to awaken yourself from whatever dream you may be having, when you look up and see that same thing waiting for you as open and accepting as ever, that you should maybe start considering it as reality. Maybe? I don't know...it's still a dangerous concept to let yourself go completely because it puts you in a very vulnerable position. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like I have much of a choice in the way I feel...

Hokkaido Milk Loaf (adapted from RasaMalaysia)

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
250ml milk
190ml heavy whipping cream
1 large egg
2 Tbsp milk powder
4Tbsp fine sugar
3 tsp dry yeast
1/2 Tbsp salt

1. In a bowl, combine the egg, milk, cream, salt, sugar, and yeast. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the 2 types of flours, then knead until the dough is non-sticky and elastic.
3. Cover with saran wrap and allow to proof for about 1 hour until the dough is doubled in size.
4. Divide the dough into 4 pieces, then flatten each out.
5. Roll each piece up jelly-roll style, then place each into a greased loaf pan.
6. Cover and allow to proof for another hour.
7. Bake at 375F for about 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
8. Serve hot with jam and butter!

Pineapple Curry Fried Rice

2011-08-11T20:07:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since my last post - I know, I am entirely to blame. I've been distracted lately with many trivial things, namely just enjoying the remainder of summer before school starts. I know I am going to miss this short period; it is truly a great feeling to be so free of duties or obligations, although I can see how it can eventually get boring.

That's another thing to think about - the upcoming school year. So far, all I've heard about second year are scary stories - how much harder it is than first year (which, as I recall, was already pretty strenuous). This year I want to succeed - but what does success mean? It's not about honoring every class, or getting top ranks in every test. That would definitely be nice, and at one point in my life, I would have definitely measured my success by my grade point average. No - I've come to realize that success means so much more than a few marks on the transcript. It's about balance. Balancing ALL the important aspects of your life, not just any one thing alone. Last year, there was a point when I dropped everything and let my grades take over my entire life. I eventually came out of that period, but I never want to go back to it again.

But I have faith and hope in the upcoming year. It'll be good, I think.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, my friend from Hosaigai, who features his own blog, was kind enough to come over with a recipe in hand and work with me into whipping up an awesome masterpiece - Pineapple Curry Fried Rice! We actually got the idea from Saltbird.com, a blog he discovered online. The curry and chili powder gives it an interesting flavor and kick, which is pleasantly balanced by the sweetness of the pineapple. And I think the cashews definitely gave it a richness that would have otherwise been lacking in a very healthy dish. In short, it was absolutely addicting - and that's coming from someone who is normally not fond of rice. We made a few changes to it, namely the addition of egg, which I thought made a huge difference. You can't have fried rice without egg! It just wouldn't be the same...

Pineapple Curry Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2.5 cups cooked brown or multigrain rice (cooked and left uncovered to dry overnight)
1 cup cashews, roasted
1/4 cup dried cranberries
4 oz seitan or tofu chopped
4 green onions
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup pineapple, bite-sized chunks
2-3 eggs, beaten

¼ cup pineapple juice
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T brown sugar
juice of 1 lemon
3 T soy sauce
2 tsp grated ginger
¼ tsp salt
½ small Serrano chili seeded or ½ tsp red pepper flakes
1-2 tsp curry powder (mild with lighter body is preferable)
1/4 cup packed cilantro, chopped

1. In a bowl, mix together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, lemon juice, and salt.
2. Saute the tofu or seitan until browned, then remove and saute the onions separately.
3. Add in the sesame oil, curry powder, chili powder, garlic, ginger, and green onion and stirfry until fragrant.
4. Pour in the sauce mixture, then add the rice, cashews, cranberries, pineapples, and tofu.
5. Stir for about 8 minutes, until heated through.
6. Quickly pour in the egg, distributing it evenly throughout the rice and stirring constantly until it is no longer runny.
6. Top with cilantro and serve with Sriracha on the side!

Stuffed Cuttlefish (my way??)

2011-08-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

Our internet has been pretty sketchy lately. Actually, that's a serious understatement - it sucks. It's technically our fault because we are trying to share with the next door neighbors (we agreed to split the cost originally), but the signal just isn't quite reaching our end well enough. It's bad enough to really make me want to scream sometimes...most of the time...

To add insult to injury, I have recently discovered that almost all my old pictures have been deleted on Blogger!!! Ugh. Major damage control. So I've been a little MIA from the blog the past week because I've been desperately trying to re-upload everything once again.

This week has been pretty relaxing for me, which is great since I am sick. I've been working from the library for the most part, so my schedule is more flexible, meaning I have more time to devote to my blog. Ever since my blog got featured, I feel like it's been getting a little more attention (woohoo!). So it was awesome when one of my friends actually asked me to cook for him after the publication.

I actually had a little bit of dumpling/wonton filling left over from the last time I made wontons (a couple months ago, but don't worry it's been frozen), and I've been meaning to get rid of it somehow. In addition, I had recently gone to the local Hmart (Korean market) and bought a few frozen cuttlefish. So, naturally, it occurred to me then...ground pork stuffing + giant squid-like creature = stuffed squid! Except with a few changes...heh heh...

Anyway, it turned out relatively good. I grilled it over our George Foreman grill, maybe a little too much because I wanted to make sure the inside was fully cooked. Next time, I think I will cut slits on the sides before grilling so the insides cook a bit quicker (and the squid doesn't get overdone and rubbery). I think it also needs some sort of sauce to dip in; my friend mentioned that the taste of squid was still too strong.

Stuffed Cuttlefish

Ingredients

-Dumpling filling (adopted from Rasa Malaysia)
-1 minced shallot
-1/2 cup cellophane noodles, soaked and cut into 2-3inch pieces
-1/4 cup woodear mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped
-2-3 frozen cuttlefish
-4-6 toothpicks (or you can use a needle and thread like me, but I don't recommend it)
-Lime and sriracha sauce or Nuoc Cham for dipping

1. Clean the cuttlefish; peel off the outer skin, remove the innards and beak. Cut the tentacles into little pieces.
2. Mix the tentacle pieces with the dumpling filling, mushrooms, cellophane noodles, and shallot.
3. Wash the tube of the cuttlefish until it is clean and empty. Stuff the filling into the tube, but MAKE SURE you do not fill it to the top! It will expand when cooked, so leave about an inch from the top.
4. Close the opening with toothpicks or needle and thread.
5. Cut slits on the top and bottom, then grill until a nice brown crust has formed. Continuously check the insides to make sure they are cooked.
6. Remove and serve immediately with sauce and limes on the side.

Cinnamon Rolls

2011-07-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

Lately, there's been certain things on my mind that have been frustrating and slightly irritating (for being frustrating). Often, when things like this come up, I like to amuse myself with other distractions that usually prove therapeutic and stress-relieving.

One of these past times has always been baking. I'm really not big on sweets, and the only baked good I will go completely nuts over is bread (which I am desperately trying to tone down now in an effort to be healthier), so I usually don't have many excuses to bake. But this time, I really really wanted to...I just needed a reason to do it and an idea on WHAT to make...

I'm not sure what exactly inspired me to make cinnamon rolls, but I do remember it was a very long and convoluted thought process that I won't go into. As for who I would make these sinfully delicious rolls for...well there was always our Church family group every Wednesday, and I know from experience that that bunch will literally eat anything loaded with sugar and fat.

Overall, judging by people's responses (and the smells wafting out of the kitchen for hours afterward), I think the cinnamon rolls were a success. The only problem is that the first batch came out a little burnt on the bottom because I underestimated how quickly they would bake. Oh, and I guess I could have added a little more glaze if I really wanted to get them right...

In other news, my dad has hinted that he may POSSIBLY MAYBE HOPEFULLY buy me a DSLR????? (OMG!!!!! I WOULD BE FOREVER INDEBTED), so I need to start thinking of the type/model I would want IF such a wondrous event should occur...

I wonder which is better for food photography? Nikon or Canon?? I guess most of it depends on the lens, rather than the actual camera. Here I'm using my house-mate's camera, which is a Canon and has a great lens for close-up shots. The pictures come out super crisp, which is absolutely amazing. Having used a point-and-shoot for more than a year, I'm not used to being spoiled with such rewarding shots. I mean, look at the glaze on those rolls!! Doesn't it make you smell the cinnamon right out of the computer screen??

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

-4.5 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

-1 cup milk

-1/3 cup butter

-1 cup sugar

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-3 eggs

-Filling (see below)

-Vanilla Glaze (see below)

In a large bowl, combine 2.5 cups flour and the yeast.
On the stove heat (to moderately warm ONLY) the milk, butter, vanilla, and sugar.
Pour the warm mixture into the flour and yeast with eggs. Add the mix slowly, you don’t want to scramble the eggs!
With an electric mixer, mix everything together (start on low speed then build your way up). Gradually incorporate more flour until you can no longer mix.
Knead the dough until the flour has been incorporated fully.
Cover with saran wrap and let the dough rest in a warm place until it has doubled in size (about 1-2 hours).
Punch down the dough, and divide it in half.
Take on half, and roll it out on a greased cookie sheet. Try to make the dough as even and thin as possible.
Sprinkle ½ recipe of the filling over the surface of the dough; be sure to cover as much surface area as you can to ensure even coating.
Roll the dough like a jellyroll, then divide it into 12 equal pieces. Lay each piece out face-up on the cookie sheet.
Repeat the same for the other half of the dough. Alternatively, you can freeze the dough as well for later use.
Cover with saran wrap and rest for 30 minutes in a warm place. You can also refrigerate the dough at this point for 2-24 hours. Just be sure to let it warm up for about 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking.
Lay the rolls out so they are almost (but not quite) touching each other. Brush the tops with half-and-half, then bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.
Wait about 10 minutes, then drizzle with vanilla glaze.

Filling

Ingredients

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1/3 cup butter

-3/4 cup brown sugar

-1/2 cup flour

Combine everything to a crumbly consistency.
You can also add cocoa powder or pecans, if you want.

Vanilla Glaze

-1 1/3 cups confectioner’s sugar

-1/2 cup corn syrup

-1/2 cup half-and-half

-1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix everything together, adding more of any ingredient if necessary.

Emotional Attachment

2011-07-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

[edit]

I've been thinking of making green tea ice cream for the recent heat wave, but I never realized how freaking expensive matcha powder is...

Anyone want to help me out?? I'll pay you back and more in delicious edibles!!

[/edit]

There’s no denying it any longer – I am definitely sick. I don’t get sick very often, but I haven’t been getting a lot of sleep lately (as in averaging about 3-4 hours per night, sometimes as little as 1), and I have a tendency to neglect my diet when I eat alone. Whereas for most people, this means overindulging, I usually veer toward the opposite – snacking on such healthy things that before long I find myself mal-nutritioned and undernourished. So when our next door neighbor developed a cough, it seemed inevitable that his attacking virus should find a new home in me. Honestly, I don’t really mind being sick; I’m never so bad off that my lifestyle is really affected by it. The only thing that really gets annoying is that I’m always so tired all the time, I feel like I’m always drowsy and out of sorts, and no matter how much I nap or rest or bum around, that constant fatigue just never goes away.

One of my dearest friends here in Philly has been seeing a girl, and it was only recently that he admitted that he had started growing really attached to her. Today I found out that she broke it off, and that it wasn’t going to work out between the two of them. It really makes you wonder about this concept, as foreign and impractical as it may seem: emotional attachment. Why do we get so emotionally attached? Why couldn’t we just be programmed like the rest of the animal kingdom to procreate and survive? More specifically, why do some people get more easily attached than others?

I know, the answer lies in oxytocin levels affecting specific regions of our brains (especially the limbic system, yes), but please, I’ve had enough of Neuro. I meant it as a rhetorical question. But really, why?

And is it so bad to get emotionally attached? For one thing, it lead you to getting hurt more easily, which is why after one or two heartbreaks we tend to see it as fairly taboo (look at us, being trained like Pavlov’s dog). But you only get what you pay for; if it weren’t for emotional attachment, we would never really know what we could have had if we did put our whole heart into something or someone. A large part of learning and attainment of wisdom is about letting go. Taking the plunge on faith alone.

That’s something that I have to work on constantly. It feels very secure for me to know what is going on, what is being planned, where I am going. The problem with that is that when the plan goes off-road and haywire, I flip out and go nuts, which means that I become very impractical and unhelpful for the situation (not to mention very irritable and bitchy). As I have come to learn this year, most of the things we worry and occupy ourselves with are really just things that are out of our own control. And if there is nothing we can do about these little details, then why fight them? Why not let them to go, maintain a clear mind, and then deal calmly with them as they come? It’s only when we place idealistic expectations on something that we fall into disappointment and misunderstanding.

There are a lot of issues that I could allow myself to worry about right now. Like how much I’m going to suffer in the coming 2^nd year of medical school. How I feel like such an irresponsible and ungrateful daughter about 99% of the time. How I’m probably not going to have time to fully invest in a family for a very long time because of the career I chose. How it’s too late to back out of that right now anyway. How high divorce rates are among doctors. Or even how the hell I’m going to fulfill my dream of making into a legit residency program, never mind one in California. Or in a completely different direction, how many faults and weaknesses I find in my morals, how shaky my religious foundations are and how unreliable I am in resisting the many temptations I am faced with in life.

But I’m not going to worry about all that right now, because if I do, I may just go insane. Or at least cause havoc on my health and let that the stupid virus in my body win more control over me than it already has. I think, for now, I’m going to finish work, and then go home and bake my dear friend from Philly a sinfully delicious alcoholic cake, and then bask in the fact that I have made someone's day maybe just a little bit more bearable...

Honey Walnut Shrimp (and pet barnacles...)

2011-07-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

I’ve recently acquired a new and very unusual pet – a barnacle – in my collection of weird STUFF, and I would like to say that it is a surprisingly good companion to have around. I wanted to advocate buying one to keep with you, as there are many advantages to it. Most people looking for a pet usually want something flashy, like a killer whale or a dolphin, but once you look past the excitement of the big animals, there are a lot of things lacking that you can more easily find in a small creature like the barnacle. Here are just a few of the many perks:

They will eat anything. Barnacles by nature live on a diet consisting mainly of plankton and detritus (neither of which is very hard to find nor very expensive). The term “detritus” covers a wide range of food items, so finding fodder for your pet will never be a problem.
They will clean up after you. Like I said before, barnacles live off of a diet of detritus, so they are perfect for your home! Not only will they keep your place shiny and spotless, they will do so happily and willingly as well. Or at least so it seems…I still can’t believe anyone can find enjoyment out of cleaning…
They are patient and very forgiving. Barnacles are pretty mellow creatures; they usually don’t have much of a temper, which can be great if you do. They are also pretty stable and dependable. They are great to come home to after a long day at work when all you need is a friend to anchor you back to solid ground. Now can you say the same of a killer whale?
They can be quite affectionate. Don’t let their appearances fool you! Beneath their shells, many barnacles are actually softies on the inside, and some of them are hopeless romantics. I know, it’s hard to imagine…
They’re always willing to listen. It is very rare for a barnacle to complain about anything; they are generally very low-maintenance pets to have around. No matter how you feel, how unreasonable or upset you are, or how often you complain, your barnacle will always be there to lend you a listening ear and soothe your ruffled feathers. There have been so many times when I feel like I have mistreated or taken advantage of my barnacle, or overridden its needs with my own selfish demands; yet, each time it has accepted me with nothing but patience and support.
Some of them can be aesthetically pleasing as well. Some barnacles are quite pretty to look at, and they can be good eye candy to have around the home. Yet another advantage to bringing back this pet!
Most importantly, they will stick with you through thick and thin. I initially found this concept very foreign and almost unbelievable. Usually, most pets stay with you as long as you have something to offer them, whether it is food or attention (or both). Like all pet owners, I try my best to provide these, but all too often, I do forget. And, like I’ve said, there have been way too many instances where I have treated my barnacle with less kindness or care than it deserves. Yet, every time, it comes back without fail, as forgiving and patient as ever. Barnacles don’t need much; all they require is a good surface to anchor onto, and after that, they will stay by your side forever. That’s something I’m still getting used to; despite everything, I find myself constantly looking over my shoulder, half-expecting it to up and walk away. But no, the little bugger is still there…

Other random facts about barnacles: they are apparently edible, and they are hermaphroditic. I don’t know what to make of either of these two characteristics o_O.

Anyway, I made honey walnut shrimp the other night. It came out pretty nicely, I suppose. For the full recipe, visit Rasa Malaysia.

Honey Walnut Shrimp (adopted from Rasa Malaysia)

Ingredients

1 lb. 31/40 count shrimp/prawn
Candied walnuts (See below)
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon condensed milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg white
1/2 cup corn starch (for coating the prawn)
Oil for frying

1. Peel and pat dry the shrimp. Mix with egg white and refrigerate for about 10 minutes.
2. Add the corn starch to the shrimp and coat thoroughly.
3. In a large pot or deep fryer, heat the oil until it sizzles when you touch it with a chopstick/cooking utensil.
4. Fry the shrimp (make sure not to overcrowd them!), then allow to drain on a paper towel.
5. In a separate container, mix the rest of the ingredients (except the walnuts) together.
6. Serve the shrimp with the candied walnuts, and then drizzle the mayo sauce on top. You can decorate them with sesame seeds, too, although I forgot to do this.
7. Enjoy with rice and extra mayo sauce on the side.

Walnuts:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
½ cup walnut halves

Boil the water and sugar together on high heat until it starts to turn golden.
Add the walnuts and continue boiling for about 2-3 minutes.
Pour the walnuts and syrup out on a tray lined with parchment paper (must be parchment paper, other types of paper will stick and make a mess!)
Allow to cool.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

2011-07-20T04:33:00.000-07:00

It's been incredibly muggy in Philly lately, and I really can't get myself to eat much in the heat. However, in times like these, there is always one meal that I know I can always fall back on - Vietnamese spring rolls! Whoever thought of the concept of rice paper rolls is seriously a genius. These things are so convenient; they last forever dried in your cupboard, and the moment you want to eat them, you just dip them in water and turn them into a clear, versatile Asian tortilla. Props to you, ancient smart Vietnamese entrepreneur!

So back to my epic supermarket adventures. This past Sunday, I got my friend to drive me once again to the local H-mart Korean grocery store. It was a monstrosity of a place (as are most Korean supermarkets), and I almost couldn't control myself as I wandered in awe around the aisles. I don't think I've seen anything so grand in the way of supermarkets since I left the H-mart in San Diego more than a year ago. As you may have guessed, I had a lot of fun in there.

I've made Viet spring rolls for this blog before, but that was a while ago, and I think my photography has improved a bit since then. It's interesting to compare old blog posts with new ones and see the differences that have accumulated over time.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

For the filling

-1 head romaine lettuce, ribs removed

-1 large cucumber, cut into matchsticks

-Mint leaves

-Pickled carrots and daikon (see below)

-Vermicelli

-Spring roll wrappers

-1 large shallow pan of water

-Shrimp (about 3 per spring roll), boiled and drained
-Nuoc Cham dipping sauce

1. Dip a wrapper briefly in the pan of water. It is okay if the wrapper is still stiff to the touch; as long as it is dampened, it will soften.

2. Arrange ingredients in the wrapper as you desire; with the lettuce on the outside. Place these ingredients off to one side of the wrapper before you fold.

For the pickles:

-1 carrot, cut into matchsticks

-1 pound radish, cut into matchsticks

-1 cups distilled white vinegar

-1 tsp salt

-1/2 cup + 1 tsp sugar

-1 cup water

1. Mix the radish and carrots with salt and let sit for about 5 minutes. This will remove the liquid from the vegetables.

2. Drain the carrots and radish.

3. Mix with the other ingredients and serve!

BLOG PUBLICATION

2011-07-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

OMG MY FOOD BLOG GOT FEATURED!!!!

So a few days ago I decided to check the status of my blog, and was blown away by a sudden ONSLAUGHT of views. What had happened?? Apparently, this:

I can't believe it! My blog got hosted on a site!! It's been about one and a half years since it was born, and I can't believe how far it has come. Through the fails and successes, the stresses of medical school, the long lapses where I all but gave up on cooking...it's finally being published! Oh nomz...

It's been truly touching to have my blog written about, and I really want to thank my readers for the support they gave me. In case you ever read this, Kate Statton, you are the best! Thanks for finding my blog and posting about it; it shows that the hard work I've put into it has actually had some effect in the world wide web.

I've got a few new recipes to put up, but I'll post that in my next entry now...Oh, and in case anyone is interested, here is the link to my blog's moment of fame!

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup (Niu Rou Mien)

2011-07-12T06:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those very rare occasions where I had access to a car while living in the heart of Philadelphia. So long as you are not the one dealing with traffic and angry drivers, having a ride is WONDERFUL. You forget how cheap and diverse food is supposed to be when all you hatve within walking distance is really just SuperFresh and Whole Foods. Well, Reading Terminal Market is a nice option to have, but it still can't beat the chaotic heaven of an Asian market.

I have actually wanted to put this recipe up for a while, and I've made it a few times before. It's just not very often that I go through with it because I am generally not a big fan of meat, so unless I have someone to eat it, I find that this dish usually goes to waste.

If you ever meet a Taiwanese person, he/she will literally swear by this dish. I'm serious...they are extremely protective of their beef noodle soups!

The recipe itself is fairly easy to make; it just takes a lot of time and slow cooking. One of my friends noted that the soup was a little too sweet for his taste; maybe I will put less rock sugar in next time. You should also serve it with Sriracha; some people like their soups with a little more kick.

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup (Niu Rou Mien)

Ingredients:

-2.5 pounds beef shin, chopped into sizeable chunks

-1 tomato, sliced

-1 medium yellow onion, sliced

-2 carrots, chopped

-5 garlic cloves, diced

-1 can beef broth

-4 star anise

-1-inch piece of ginger

-Bok choy

-2 tbsp Chinese spicy bean sauce (Dou Ban Jian)

-Fresh hand-pulled noodles

-Scallions and Cilantro to garnish

-Pickled vegetables (optional)

In a large pot, boil water, then blanch the meat briefly to remove impurities. Drain and rinse.
Return meat to pot with all ingredients except the bok choy, noodles, pickled vegetables, and garnish.
Turn the heat to low and simmer for 3-4 hours until the beef is tender. Check periodically to make sure the water level is adequate in the pot.
Remove from heat, allow to cool, and remove all contents from the broth. Chill the broth overnight in the refrigerator so that the fat on top can be removed.
When you are ready to eat, reheat the meat and broth with the bok choy.
In a separate pot, boil the hand-pulled noodles for about 1-2 minutes. Make sure that the individual strands are spread apart from one another, or they will stick and make a mess!
Combine the noodles and soup. Garnish with pickled vegetables, scallions, and/or cilantro. Serve with extra hot sauce on the side.

The glass - half empty or half full?

2011-06-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

Today I was pretty down. I was low on sleep, work was stressful, and I just felt like lying on my bed and being emo. Sometimes, we just like to build our hopes and expectations so high because it feels so nice to hope and dream and pretend that the fairy tale ending is just around the corner. Which is dumb because it hurts all the more when you turn that corner and find that unforgiving brick wall instead.

But I had a long talk with my friend, and I came to realize something: at the end of the day, it all really does not matter. Because that's just life. You get loads and loads of crap, and out of every 100 of them you may just find that one little nugget of gold. Maybe. But that's ok...it's enough to fuel that stupid senseless hope you can get so high off of, enough to keep you going through the never-ending crap of life. And that little nugget of gold at the end is enough to compensate for all the crap you get the rest of the time.

And really, what else can we do? We're humans with human fallacies and faults and mistakes. So all we can really do is continue to grope blindly in the dark, tripping over our feet until we finally get it right. But really, how am I going to know what I really want in life if I don't try new experiences? It is our very mistakes that make us who we are. And from there, we learn what is right and what is wrong, and then we pick ourselves back up off the ground and move on with no regrets. If anything, we've gained, not lost, in wisdom and newfound confidence.

And honestly...I need to stop complaining about my luck. I've found a cheap home in the best location possible, when so many others haven't. I've gotten into a legit medical school when so many others have been rejected. I've found myself not one, but TWO awesome paid internships, one which I had the option of rejecting on a whim and the other which can lead indirectly to me finding a potential job next year with the specialty I am actually interested in - when so many others can't even find unpaid volunteering opportunities. Yet, somehow, I am still not happy. Somehow, I still have the audacity to complain about my luck.

So after all that (all of which took place at a bar over loud pulsating music, oddly enough), I decided to go home feeling much happier with myself. There's always some point when you realize that you are being ridiculous, and it is then you tell yourself that it's time to feel awesome instead.

Chocolate covered Fortune Cookies!

2011-06-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

It's Father's Day again! Unfortunately, unlike last year, I won't be home to celebrate with my dad. It's kind of a shame because my dad is a sucker for things like that. My mom is more low-maintenance in this department (she's all practicality), but Dad has always been the softy.

Sooo...with the help of a friend, I came up with an ingenious idea for this year's Father's Day. I sent a care package - with a giant chocolate covered Fortune cookie!!! FYI, give fortune cookie makers some props because the damn thing is a lot harder to make than it looks. But after a few failed attempts, I got the hang of it and started having quite a bit of fun with the folding. It got to the point where even the friends on my floor couldn't finish them anymore, there was just too much chocolate and cookie everywhere. Oh by the way, expect a messy kitchen if you ever undertake this endeavor. Especially with the chocolate - melted chocolate is always bad news on a clean counter top.

And then there was the shipping. I was so afraid that the cookie would break while being shipped to California, so I put tons of cushioning around it. Fortunately, I order a lot of stuff off Amazon, so boxes and packing material weren't hard to come by, but it definitely did not win any points in wrapping presentation. That's okay, as long as the goods within aren't damaged right? I read online somewhere that one way of doing things was to cover the cookie in parchment paper, put it in a very tight box so that it could not move around within, stuff tissue paper/parchment paper in the holes around it, and then put that box in a bigger box, and then stuff the bigger box with more packing material.

Ever since going to medical school, I've noticed that it is harder and harder to stay connected with my parents. Back in undergrad, even though I lived far from home and rarely went back, I found it a necessity to call at least once a day - things just didn't seem right if I didn't. But with the workload and stress of medical school, the distance, and the time differences, I all too often let things slip. And what makes it harder is that I often find myself much too similar to my dad - we both share the same stubbornness, short temper, and impatience. Which is a bad combination on top of stress and sleep deprivation (a common occurrence for the both of us). So all too often, I find myself MIA for days, and then finally calling home to get into a pointless and stupid argument. Things are better now that it's summer, but once the school year starts, the workload is only going to get worse. I've got to find a better way of dealing.

But the great thing about parents is that no matter what happens, the love is always there :)

Chocolate Covered Fortune Cookies

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 teaspoons water

1. Preheat the oven to 300F. Write out your fortune.
2. With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy.
3. Add the other ingredients, then beat until all are fully incorporated. The batter should be runny but a bit viscous (like pancake batter).
3. Now you can either use a very well greased cookie sheet pan or parchment paper (which is what I did) on a flat baking pan. Put about 4-5 tbsp of batter (more or less, depending on how big you want your cookie) in the center, then spread it around in a circle. Try to make the circle as even as possible - this will make the cookie more symmetric. Also the batter should be very thin! You should be able to sort of see the pan/paper underneath. If it is too thick (which is what I kept doing initially), you will get a soft, cake-like cookie instead of the traditional fortune cookie texture.
4. Bake in the oven until the edges are brown and crispy. The baking time is also variable, depending on how large your cookie is.
5. Extract from oven and IMMEDIATELY loosen from the pan/paper. WORKING QUICKLY, put the fortune in the middle, fold the circle in half, then use a bowl or cup rim to put a wedge in the center of the fold again. This is a bit hard to explain, but if you want a visual tutorial, check out this. It is important to work quickly! If the cookie cools too much before you fold, it will crack.
6. Leave in this position until the cookie cools and hardens, then store in an airtight container (if you leave it out in the open, the moisture in the air will soften it).
7. You can pour melted chocolate over the top, then dress with hazelnuts (which is what I did). You can also a variety of things - for color, add food coloring to the batter. You can also have other flavors of cookie by substituting different extracts as well.

Note: if you are like me and don't plan things until the last minute, you may forget to write the fortune until after you make the cookie. What I did was just fold the fortune really small, and then stuff it into the side with a pair of chopsticks. Whatever...hopefully, the recipient will be too engrossed with your chocolate-y creation to mind too much!

Sesame Scallion Bread (Zhi Ma Da Bing)

2011-05-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

I've always wondered what it would be like to travel to parallel universes. Universes where the "what if" or "what would have"'s of our reality actually came true in another place at another time. There are just some times when you see the perfect opportunity, the perfect setup, the perfect moment...but at the wrong place, the wrong time. That's happened to me quite a few times already, and I don't think there's anything more frustrating than looking back and realizing that you were 95% of the way there...but didn't quite make it.

I always try to tell myself never to regret the things I've done or haven't done in the past. It is the experiences that make us who we are, not our age, not our mentalities or principles. God made us to be imperfect; the most we can ever hope to do is fumble our way in the dark and hope that we make more rights than we do wrongs.

But...sometimes, when you are so close to the finish line of a race, you just can't let go of that feeling of ALMOST...almost.

Life certainly plays funny tricks with us. I'm starting to learn that it likes to throw a lot of curveballs that sucker-punch me just when I least expect it. The feeling of defeat leaves a sour taste in my mouth, but I think in the long run, it's all meant for my own good. I've just got to learn to stop and accept. It's a lot like surfing, which may have been why I was never too good at it. I have to learn to stop fighting...just let the worries roll over me like the waves of the ocean.

And one thing I do know is that at the end of the day, everyone will be ok.

Sesame Scallion Bread (Zhi Ma Da Bing)

Ingredients

-3 cups flour
-1 cup warm water (we use 1/2 boiling and 1/2 cold)
-1 packet (2.5 tsp) instant yeast
-Salt to taste
-Oil
-1 bunch scallions, chopped
-Lots of sesame seeds (for topping)

1. In the water, dissolve the yeast, mix, and leave to rest for about 2-3 minutes. It should start to foam a little on the surface; otherwise your yeast is defective.
2. Place the flour in a large bowl, then pour a little of the yeast water into it. Combine, adding a little more water each time you finish incorporating the last bit.
3. Knead until the dough is smooth and springy.
4. Cover and rest in a warm environment (Mom likes to turn up the oven to 350, then turn it off and let the dough sit inside. It sort of develops a crust from the residual heat, but Mom says that's okay.)
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and, using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle of about 1/2-inch thickness.The middle should be slightly thicker than the edges.
6. Brush one surface with a light coating of oil, but avoid the edges.
7. Sprinkle the green onions over the oiled surface, once again avoiding the edges. If you are really good, you can manage to get all of them in, but it's harder.
8. Gather the edges carefully like a bag, making pleats. Think maybe aChinese bun? Pinch them all together very tightly so that the edges fuse together (the dough should still be sticky enough to do this).
9. Flatten the surface, then carefully flip the entire thing over.
10. Lightly coat the new surface with water, then sprinkle generously with sesame seeds.
11. Turn over and repeat with the other side.
12. Fill your pan with a good coating of nonstick spray, then about 1-2 tbsp oil. Turn up the heat to medium, then carefully lay the bread into the pan.
13. Cover with the lid and leave alone for approximately 10 minutes (more or less, depending on your stove). Don't open the lid, no matter how tempted you are!
14. Carefully open the lid, and using a spatula, lift the bread a little to see the cooked side. It should be nicely browned (if it's too light, leave it be; if it's too dark...well you'll just get your bread extra crispy). It should be cooked enough that the pancake is firm and won't cave in if you lift an edge.
15. Once you are satisfied with the done-ness, flip the entire pancake over. This step is a little tricky, particularly if your pan is not big enough. Mom uses 2 spatulas to do this.
16. Close the lid, then cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the other side is crispy and golden as well.
17. Transfer to a plate, slice with a pizza cutter, and serve!

Glutinous Sticky Rice (Nuomi Fan)

2011-05-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

Thank God for our 4-day weekend! After preparing for a cumulative physiology/microanatomy final that covered literally almost 1000 pages of material (914 to be exact), it feels nice to just sit around and have FUN. I was invited to two potlucks (I made an ice cream cake in the first, which you can see in my last post), which gave me an opportunity to try my hand at Chinese-style glutinous sticky rice. I've made it once before during a Thanksgiving potluck in undergraduate school, but I haven't touched it since then, mainly because it is so unhealthy. Sticky rice has a very high Glycemic Index, which means that you won't get full as easily from it as you would from something more fiber-rich (like brown rice). But man, it does taste good!

But aside from the great food, the weekend really gave me a chance to THINK about something other than school. I had determined recently that I needed to go out and become more extroverted - and that included giving Philadelphia a chance. I had been so critical of Philly this whole year, which is definitely not a healthy attitude to take. Last Easter, despite having a final coming up, I decided to attend service at a church on the UPenn campus.And it was amazing. For the first time in a very long time, I felt like I belonged in a community. There was a place in Philadelphia for me! And that was when I regretted finding a summer job back home in California. Not only that, I regretted all the months I wasted pining over California when my new home was right here. It was an interesting moment; I felt like I was closing a metaphoric door at last, hearing the soft click of the lock turn in place. Goodbye past.

On a side note, I have decided that I need to start weight training in addition to my running. Sometimes, after my long runs, I get knee and ankle injuries (I got a shin splint the last time I ran 13 miles), and I think it's mostly because my muscles are imbalanced. Plus, muscle mass is more expensive to maintain than fat - meaning that the body must burn more calories per amount of muscle than it would for the same amount of fat.

I've also bought a big pack of whey protein powder isolate. It'll be good because I have always have a problem, to some degree, with getting enough protein intake. And then (sniff) I have to face the challenge of cutting down on my fruit and carb intake now. We'll see how things go...

Glutinous Sticky Rice (Nuomi Fan)

Ingredients:

-3 cups glutinous rice
-Handful of dried shrimp
-2-3 Chinese sausages, sliced
-6-10 dried mushrooms
-4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
-1 tsp oyster sauce (or more, to taste)
-2 tsp light soy
-1 tsp dark soy
-2 tsp ABC sweet soy
-Water
-spring onions, chopped, for garnish

1. Soak the glutinous rice overnight in water.
2. Rehydrate the mushrooms and shrimp (separately) in hot water. Then dice both. Save the mushroom stock.
3. Saute the garlic in oil until fragrant. Go easy on the oil, because the sausage will release its own fat. Then add the mushrooms and shrimp.
4. Add the sausage to the pan. Cook for about 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the seasoning and rice. Cook briefly to coat the rice.
6. Transfer everything to a slow cooker and add the mushroom stock. To that add enough water to barely cover the surface. It's better to add too little water than too much because you can always add more later.
7. Leave until the rice is cooked. Garnish with spring onions and/or cilantro and enjoy!

Conquering the World!

2011-04-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

[Edit]

I said I would put up a food post here so that it would serve some purpose other than my own bitching and complaining. Well, here it is! A tiramisu ice cream cake that I made for my friend's birthday potluck that we hosted.

I adapted the recipe from Baked Bree, but decided instead to just freeze the filling/frosting. Plus strawberries were on sale, so I thought I'd a little decoration on the top :)

[/edit]

The other day, I had a long talk with my friend (well, we were supposed to be "studying" statistics, but honestly, how can you study that THAT without falling asleep?), and from it, I realized certain things about myself...

In my former post, I had written about the sacrifices one must make for medical school, many of which I felt I could relate to. And going back to SoCal for Spring Break certainly did not help - it was a taste of what I felt like I could have had if I had somehow managed to stay in the state I had known all my life. But, when I think about it, did I really give Philly a fair chance? Ever since I came here, I have been critical - the weather, the food, the culture. Everything I experienced here seemed to pale in comparison to California. I have to admit that, no matter how I get around it, I truly do feel like nothing ever comes close to the West Coast. But really, is that the right mentality to have? Philly has its own charm, and I'd be lying through my teeth if I said I didn't have my fun times here. Besides, it wasn't like I was too fond of San Diego when I first relocated 4 years ago...

So I decided to turn over a new leaf and try to change my outlook on life. Back in Cali, I lived in a bubble where my entire community was my comfort zone and everything was done for me. But that was actually, in a sense, a curse. I can't afford to live in my bubble - I'm going to be a doctor! And one day, it's going to be up to me to take that first step forward into the open and reach out to the unwilling patient, or tell a man or woman that he/she has stage 4 cancer and will probably die, no matter how awkward or uncomfortable that may be. It's going to be up to ME to take that first step out of my comfort zone, and no one else is going to prod me or take the fall for me.

But baby steps first. Tomorrow, I will conquer the world. Today...well, yesterday I decided to push the limits of my comfort zone and go out with DENTAL STUDENTS - from another school! Temple Dental, to be exact. It was definitely a good decision - being with my fellow classmates is great, but at some point, you do want to get away from the kidney, or that evil Professor who lectures everyday but can't seem to teach for crap, or the chances of getting into the residency you want (which seem even more bleak after you talk about it with the very people who will become your future competitors). No, that's not fair, I love my classmates, many of which have become my closest friends here in the past year, but sometimes you just need a breath of fresh air. And that's what I got, sitting in a random Korean restaurant, drinking beer, listening to K-Pop songs, and watching my scrawny friends eat their way through a mountain of double-fried chicken wings.

It was nice. Plus, I think the alcohol helped.

So begins my new resolution. I'm going to really try to push my boundaries, develop a more extroverted, carefree, carpe diem outlook on life. And no more reminiscing on the past, dwelling on regrets or doubting myself for my past decisions. All I've got to do is look forward and really truly believe in myself.

Once I get to it, I'll post a food recipe here too, so that it'll seem less emo/self-centered.

Shepherd's Purse and Tofu Stew

2011-04-17T23:29:00.000-07:00

Last summer, I had taken a picture of this stew that my mom made with Shepherd's Purse or ji tsai - a native vegetable of Shanghai, where she grew up. It's a recipe I always fall back on, partly because it's cheap and easy to make, and partly because it's my form of comfort food - stuff that I grew up on. The funny thing is that this picture got accepted on Foodgawker, while my very first photo of it did not. I suppose one thing I did change was something I read off another blog a while back. When you have a stew-like object that consists of a medly of protrusions that make the surface of the dish convoluted, it's better to try to use light to reflect off of it. Usually, you want to avoid reflections, but if you notice, this time I really tried to incorporate that in the photo. It's not a pretty dish, I have to admit (what with the tofu all chunky), so if I had simply rid myself of the reflecting light, I would definitely not been able to portray the pure delicious-ness of it as well.

Unfortunately, you can only find the frozen variety of Shepherd's Purse here in the U.S. but for things like stew or stirfry, that doesn't downgrade the taste too much. Last year, when I visited Shanghai before medical school, I got to see and taste fresh ji tsai for the first time...it was amazing! Usually, Shanghai people use this vegetable for humbler dishes like this tofu stew or stirfried with rice cakes - but even then, you can taste a distinct difference just by adding the locally grown variety into your diet.

<-- Here is what it is supposed to look like. I actually thought it was a weed when I first saw it. At some point, I'll put up a picture of the frozen package label, too.

Anyway, traditionally, you are supposed to add garlic, pork, silken tofu, and shiitake mushrooms. Last time, Mom added chunks of shrimp and water chestnut as well. I didn't have any pork (partly to be healthy and partly to save money), but I did happen to have a very large chunk of seitan that I made out of wheat gluten - yes, very random, but I figured I may as well experiment a little. It was definitely...odd...and the texture was unusually chewy...but if you dice it up and cover it up with other ingredients, it can actually pass as chicken, maybe. But then, there is no set rule in this recipe. That's what I like about most comfort foods - they're so plain and humble that you can either spice them up with new additions or leave them as they are, and they can be equally good in both cases.

Shanghai-style Shepherd's Purse and Tofu Stew

Ingredients:

-3 cloves garlic, mashed

-1 tbsp cornstarch

-1.5-2 tbsp soy sauce

-About 2-3oz pork, cut into strips

-1 package silken tofu

-1 package frozen Shepherd's Purse, thawed and cut into pieces

-4-5 large dried Shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and cut into strips

-Dashi powder

-Soy sauce to taste

-2.5 tbsp cornstarch mixed in about 1/3 cup of water.

-Sriracha hot sauce (optional)

-Cilantro and/or Chopped scallions to garnish

1. Marinate the pork slivers with the cornstarch and soy sauce for about 15 minutes. This will help give the pork a somewhat nice crust

2. In a separate pot, boil water and add the tofu. Cook for about 10 minutes. This will solidify the tofu and keep it from breaking apart too much. You can skip this step if you are low on time.2. In a pot, fry the garlic with oil until they start to brown.

3. Add the marinated pork and cook on high heat until they brown. Then add the mushrooms.

4. Add the shepherd's purse and boiled tofu. This is where the stirfry starts to become a stew.

5. Add the mushroom stock leftover in small batches, waiting until the stew boils each time before adding more.

6. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer uncovered until some of the liquid has evaporated.

7. Add soy sauce and dashi powder to your taste. You can also add Sriracha if you want, although that traditionally is not included.

8. After about 5-10 minutes (depending on how you want the consistency of your stew to be), add the cornstarch/water mixture, stirring constantly.

9. Turn off the heat, top with scallions and cilantro, and enjoy!

Note: like I said, this is a very versatile dish. So add whatever else you like to it! This can include shrimp, water chestnuts, bamboo, etc.

Sugar Cookies!!

2011-04-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

This running business is really starting to get crazy. I literally cannot stop eating...all the time! Yesterday, I couldn't wait for dinner and ended up eating myself sick at around 3 in the afternoon (on top of lunch and breakfast). And I mean pretty darn sick. And then, what do you know, by the time I was ready to go to bed, I was starving again. I actually woke up at 6:30am this morning out of hunger!

I forgot to mention that the other day, our club (I am the social chair of our Asian American Medical Students club) had a great outing to Washington DC to check out the annual Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival. It was so beautiful...although I wish I could have enjoyed it more. The day before, I had taken my Physiology exam, run 13 miles in the rain, gone clubbing a few hours later in ridiculously inhumane heels (it got so bad that one of my friends had to piggy-back me home), pulled an all-nighter, and caught the 6am bus ride out. And then...non-stop walking from 9am to pretty much dinner time. All I can say is that my bed felt pretty darn good that night. But the one biggest highlight I can remember is that...we got to stand 10 feet away from PRESIDENT OBAMA! Woohoo!

Here are a few more pictures of our president. They were taken by my friend Chen, so I can't take credit for them - he certainly did a good job!

The festival itself was pretty fun. Like I said, we actually had to catch the 6am bus to make it on time for the parade (which turned out to be a letdown). Most of us were pretty bummed during the subway ride to the bus station, and I was literally working on 30 minutes of sleep on top of my last strenuous run. If you see the picture, I don't look exactly happy to be up. But it wasn't so bad, because the bus ride took about 4 hours, and I got sleep the entire way through.

The fair itself was pretty fun. There were TONS of cosplayers, which made me regret not dressing up myself. Some of them got pretty crazy. On top of that, there were all kinds of weird stands and performances. They had a giant stage at one end of Japanese performers playing traditional instruments...which wasn't too exceptional except for the fact that they were playing ROCK music! As in heavy metal. Pretty weird, but definitely cool.

Some of the stands had very weird things. I think my favorite was the "I Heart Guts" stand. It's a company that makes plushie organs, like hearts and lungs. For a medical student, it was like a dream come true. Got to love those Japanese people.

And of course, there were all the cool places we checked out that day...


Washington Memorial


Jefferson Memorial

Cherry Blossoms!

Being Fobs

Our entire group

Lincoln Memorial - where we saw Obama!

Anyway, back to the cookies. I actually made these a while ago but never got to put them up. My roommate and I had an interesting afternoon decorating them. Initially we decorated them with stars and hearts and flowers, but somehow, by the end, we were making patterns of spleens and livers on them as well. Yea, we're weird, but we're medical students...what do you expect?

For the full recipe, please refer to Joy of Baking (my favorite baking site).

The Medical Profession

2011-04-12T04:19:00.001-07:00

Recently, my friend posted a really interesting note up on Facebook that really epitomized a lot of the feelings I have experienced throughout my first year in medical school. It wasn't that the note said anything new - this is old stuff, stuff I have kept barely hidden in my mind as early as maybe even my first month here at Jefferson.

This year has been literally a cascade of knowledge, knowledge that I can barely even find room to stuff in my head. Like one of my friends once told me "Medical school is like trying to drink water out of a fire hose". And yet, ironically, if you asked me what was the most valuable thing I have learned these past 8 months, it is this:

ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR MOM. Because no matter how irritating or naggy or ditsy she may appear, how little she may seem to understand, she is ALWAYS right in the end.

The first thing my mom was right about (and even I admit it) is my temper. And my stubbornness. I guess those two traits often go hand in hand with each other. Which then sort of led to the second thing she was right about. And that is this:

Medical school is not something to take lightly.

My mom studied medicine herself back when she lived in China. She never actually became a doctor (she would have had to stay in school a lot longer for that), but she did start off with the same classes and lessons that I am learning now. I guess I never really thought about that because my mom always seems so silly and domestic most of the time - not until I started telling her some of the notes I'd taken in class, and instead of smiling blankly, she would actually relate them back to me word by word in Chinese. I've gained a lot of respect in her for that. How can you not, when your own mother jumps from talking about the neighbor's new dog to the Mandarin version of the Psoas Sign as a diagnosis of Appendicits? Anyway, I digress.
When I first told my parents that I wanted to become a doctor, they laughed. It was a little annoying to say the least. Then again, looking back, I think I would have laughed at myself too. I was so ignorant of the doctor's profession; what really drew me to it was the fact that I realized in undergrad that I COULD do it. I had the grades, the resume, the extracurriculars. And back in San Diego, if you weren't pre-med, you had to be some other kind of pre-health, or if not that, at least 50% of your friends were. And then, there was my stubbornness and temper.
Over time, as I became more and more serious, my parents started to worry. My dad was okay with it, of course, but my mom continuously warned me about becoming a doctor. She would often suggest other fields, fields that had less schooling and less competition. And that really hurt me. The way I saw it, it seemed like she didn't have any faith in me, as if she didn't think I had the brains or the willpower to make it into medical school. And that drove me all the more to succeed.

So finally, I did make it. Don't get me wrong - even if I did initially become a pre-med for the wrong reasons, I did find myself falling in love with it the more I explored it. The human body is fascinating, and it is unfathomable to think that we have to ability to take such a wonderful creation of God and...fix it. Tweak it around. Not to mention that you really feel like a good guy when your patients come back fully recovered and tell you how much you've helped them.
But I think one thing that many many entering medical students don't realize is that there are also many downfalls to the medical profession as well - and this was what my mom had been trying to hint at instead. You have to really look at your priorities, set them straight. While your friends make cash, get started with their lives, rock out their 20s, you'll be stuck indoors studying for the Boards or running around the hospital floor on Red Bull and way too little sleep. While your friends start inviting each other to their house-warming parties or baby showers, you'll be turning them down because you have to do rotations for the next God knows how many years. And while your friends start getting married, you'll be cursing yourself for leaving yet another perfectly good relationship because you had freaking relocate AGAIN for residency - just when you thought all this long-distance nonsense ended with undergrad.

I'm being cynical. Things usually don't turn out so badly, I'm just looking at the glass half-empty. But these are just a few of the many issues that you really have to consider when you enter medical school. And what about beyond that? Malpractice? High divorce rates? Even the little things - showing up late to your daughter's piano recital because you couldn't get out of surgery, canceling on your significant other's anniversary to address an emergency call, staying in debt for the next 15 years of your life while people give you dirty looks because they think you are rolling around in dough.

But looking back, I still don't regret becoming a doctor. I still love the science, and nothing beats the warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you know you've made someone's life better. I think it is partly why I love running so much - because it really pushes my body to the limit, the very body I am learning so much about in all of my classes. And that is nothing compared to being able to actually put all these theories to practice in a few years. This whole thing has been a part of me for so long that without it, I would not even be close to the person I am today.

But now, more than ever, I've come to take all this as a grain of salt. I really dislike it when people find out I am going to be a doctor and judge me for it - how they think that I am going to be a super-rich snob who owns Ferraris and drinks champagne everyday. Or when parents come up to my Mom and Dad and ask them how they convinced their daughter to choose the medical profession. Seriously. Medical school is not like some SAT, where if you throw enough money and classes into it, you'll get a high score in the end. And it is nothing like the fairy-tale happy ending full of dollar bills and rainbows that everyone imagines it to be. If you really wanted it for the reputation or financial benefits, there are many jobs out there that give you much more bang for your buck. You have to really really want to be a doctor to do it - and in some cases that may not even be enough.

The medical profession is awesome, but really think twice before you decide to go there. And, please, if you ever do, go for yourself - NOT for your parents, NOT for your family name, and NOT for the promise of money, because all of those are just dumb. And for people who aren't in the medical field, please don't judge us or think of us as snobs. A doctor has to sacrifice a lot to get where he is, and a lot of people don't get that.

And now...I need to study :P

Chickpea Pancakes

2011-04-10T17:52:00.000-07:00

So I have officially decided to start updating my blog again. At least that's what I'm going to aim for. Things are a little easier in my schedule now, partly because I somewhat have this medical school business down (somewhat) and partly because we are in Physiology and Microanatomy, supposedly the easiest block in the 1st year curriculum.

I guess one of the biggest updates I can write about here is that I've signed up to run the San Francisco FULL marathon this summer! It's going to be extremely long and painful - more painful than I can even imagine now. I've been training for the past 3-4 months, and I'm only up to 13 miles so far...halfway there! My biggest concern now is just watching out for my knees. During my last half marathon, I got a case of runner's knee and ignored it - big mistake. It got to the point where I literally couldn't walk anymore before I got it checked out in China. If it comes back now...I really don't know what I'll do.

I've also decided to start weight-training in addition to running. It's something I've always known I had to do, but I keep putting it off because it's just so AMAZINGLY boring. But I've been neglecting my Type I muscle fibers (the ones involved in strength) and focusing instead on my Type II's (those involved in endurance), so that I literally have no upper body strength whatsoever. Time to start toning myself...I can't just do aerobic workouts all the time. Plus, it should help with balance and knee problems too if I build up specific muscles.

Recently, I've started looking for a solution to a long-standing dilemma I've had for a long time. In case my blog isn't enough to show it (it is probably about 75% bread and baking), I have a huge obsession with bread and carbohydrates. So much so that I often forget to eat my share of protein. So recently, I was surfing the web and I came across a great idea - Chickpea flour! This is apparently the flour they use in making falafel, a vegetarian source of protein. So I figured, I could use this flour to make pseudo-carb-like food but at the same time get more protein in my diet as well.

The other day, I came upon the blog Delectable Victuals, which has an assortment of dishes from around the world. One of them has a recipe for Ethiopian Injera bread using chickpea flour (called Yeshimbra Injera in Ethiopian). I tried making it, but it actually came out looking more like pancakes than the traditional flatbread that it was supposed to be. Maybe next time I should a little bit more water...

Chickpea Pancakes (Yeshimbra Injera) - adopted from Delectable Victuals

Ingredients:

2 cups chickpea flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp rapid rise yeast
2 cups warm water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

1. First combine the flours, yeast, and water. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 24-36 hours, stirring every 12 hours. If you look close enough, you can see little air bubbles in the pre-ferment (see my picture on the right). This indicates that your yeast are good to go!

2. You can tell when the pre-ferment is ready because it'll smell kind of sour.
3. At this point, heat a nonstick skillet (or pan with a flat bottom, preferrable nonstick). Coat with nonstick spray or oil.
4. Add to the dough the baking soda and salt right before cooking.
5. At this point, you should have a wet, runny batter. Pour them out like crepes and cook. They should develop pockmarks on the surface. I cooked each side over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.

Time in a Bottle

2011-04-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've updated this blog, and that in itself really makes me sad. But I haven't abandoned it yet...there's still money in my account, so I've got to pick it up again at some point. Just not now...not when I'm still struggling to keep up with medical school.

This spring break, I went back to Southern California for the first time in almost a year. I'd been waiting for this trip for so long that I was afraid it would end up a disappointment - you know the way that things do when you build your expectations up too high. But no - it was everything I wanted and if there was anything I had to complain about, it was the fact that there was just too little time.

Time - if spring break were an essay, that would be the central theme to it. It was like rewinding time back to the old days of undergrad. Things just seemed so much simpler back then, so much more clear-cut and stable and SAFE. So many things seemed to work out so well - friends, roommates, relationships, my future, and of course, my morals. I never really appreciated all the familiar faces and lasting friendships I made back then, surrounded by people who I felt knew and loved me down to my very core. And these people were so close, often an hour's drive or even literally just a living-room away.

Coming back wasn't completely the same, of course. For one thing, I went back to Irvine, which is NOT exactly the same as San Diego, where I had spent the past 4 years. In fact, I have never lived more than a weekend in Irvine in my entire life. Yet, at the same time, entering Irvine was like coming home again. I knew this place, these people, these roads, like the back of my hand. I had never been to the UCI Student Center, but sitting in the comfy armchair with my homework splayed out across my lap, listening to the Korean Christian Fellowship (it HAD to be Korean, of course) while a baby shrieked in the background - it was all so familiar, so RIGHT. I would watch UCI students walking from their UTC during lunch break, students I had never met before, but at the same time, I knew them so well - the familiar conglomeration of Asian students with a sprinkling of other ethnicities, in their blue and yellow UC sweatshirts and flip flops, sipping their boba drinks (boba, NOT bubble tea, and NOT PMT). Even just running along the suburban roads in what would already count as t-shirt weather, roads that I had never before run on but which my feet traveled so confidently, felt so good, so...familiar.

And most of all, there were the people. All the people I've missed so much this past year, the people I've thought about while working in an unfamiliar city along an unfamiliar coast. Staying up late baking pastries, wasting the morning with talks on life and dreams and goals, riding hours in the car while palm trees and riviera-style houses flew by and reminiscing over old times...these were all things I couldn't remember doing for the longest time.

At one point during my trip, I asked my best friend if he thought we could stay best friends. Obviously, we both knew that probably wasn't going to happen, what with all of life's uncertainties ahead of us. But it's okay, because that's how humans are. We aren't static people; we are always changing and growing and developing. What matters is that we allowed bonds to develop between us and the ones we love, and no amount of distance or time will ever completely destroy that bond. It may weaken it, but the fact that it is there, should be enough. And, in the end, it will all be okay.

And that is what I have to keep reminding myself. I don't like change, I've come to realize. Things were so much simpler when my world was the SoCal bubble, and I felt like I knew the world. Turns out, I was just an arrogant, ignorant, oblivious girl. But at least I was happier back then. And going back this time made me realize more than ever how much I've missed that bubble I once called reality.

Of course, realistically speaking, I have to let that go, and accept change whether I want to or not. But, at least I have those memories. And at least, in my mind, I can store my time in a bottle and every once in a while, travel back to those peaceful car rides past the swaying palm trees and stucco houses once again.

Slow Cooker Jamaican Jerk Beans

2010-08-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

I'm finding it hard to update this blog on a regular basis, now that medical school is in full swing. Honestly, I don't think I've ever had to work this hard academically in my life! In a matter of 2 weeks, we have already finished the first of 3 syllabi - in other words, 377 pages worth of powerpoint slides! (By the way, I measured the spine of that horrible booklet, and it is 1 1/4 inches thick!) It's quite mind-boggling, considering that this is on top of dissection lab, an introductory course in clinical medicine, and sporadic lectures on MRI/X-ray imaging.

We just had our first quiz ever, and it was definitely a humbling experience, to say the least. The only consolation I have in it is that everyone else seems to agree with me, so at least I don't feel exceptionally dumb. Unfortunately, though, we still have to keep up the studying in preparation of the real deal - our first ever practicum and written exam this coming Friday.

Anyway, back to food. I recently accompanied a friend to Macy's (the awesome thing about living in a city is that you never really need a car to go anywhere) and happened upon a beautiful slow cooker - it was love at first sight! Plus, it was on sale...which makes the purchase that much sweeter.

There's a recipe that came with the handbook for my slow cooker for Jamaican beans, and I still had a bag of 13-bean mix from my last shopping spree. I find that when you're a frugal student, you quickly get used to bananas and beans - two very nutritious and filling but also very inexpensive items to have around.

Jamaican Jerk Beans

Ingredients

-1 pound dried beans
-3.5 cups onion,chopped
-2 tsp ginger
-1 tsp paprika
-1/2 tsp ground red pepper
-1 tsp allspice
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp ground black pepper
-2 tbsp olive oil
-1 tbsp minced garlic
-2 cups chicken broth
-1 cup water
-8 oz tomato sauce

1. Soak the beans in water overnight (or warm water for 1 hour). They will expand to 2x their original volume.
2. Drain beans.
3. Throw beans and everything else into the slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours (or until beans are tender).
4. Serve with a sprinkling of cilantro.

My Babies are Growing!

2010-08-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

So hopefully Mom never reads this blog because aside from the "STOP COOKING YOU'RE GOING TO FAIL MEDICAL SCHOOL AND DROP OUT AND WASTE OUR MONEY", she would definitely be unhappy if she found out I was spending my time growing my own Thai Basil seedlings from scratch. I mean literally from scratch. As you can see, I've even designed my own herb "pots" - yogurt containers with holes cut out of the bottom. It's surprising how low-maintenace basil can be, and this time I listened to Dad's advice and made sure not to plant the seedlings too close together.

Seeing the sprouts got me really excited, but it also made me very contemplative of the recent occurrences around me. I've always tried to make this blog specifically oriented towards cooking (none of that emo-depression crap), but lately I've been thinking of California and the memories I have of the past chapters in my life. When I first came to medical school, I promised myself to turn over a new leaf - a clean, blank slate devoid of the messes that I had made in the past. But sometimes, more often than I'd like to admit, memories rise again, like bleed-throughs from a pen or ominous bubbles on an otherwise smooth surface. It's often these disturbances that give me conflicts over the little things in my life. Opportunities come by my way, opportunities that make me want to take chances and live carpe diem, but always, in the back of my mind, a part of me is always warily holding back.

Well, a promise is a promise, and I really have to let go of the past. I don't mean all of the past, of course. Lately, I've been a little homesick (this morning, I heard California Girls on the radio, which got me a little depressed) but with all the phone calls and facebook posts I'm getting from my friends back home, I really couldn't ask for anything more. How could I possibly let THEM go? Plus, the people here are so incredibly awesome that I really have no right to complain. But there are definitely marks I need to erase from my mind - so like the little sprouted babies on my study table, I've got to let go and just start over.

Pickled Snow Cabbage Stirfry

2010-08-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

This should be my last post of the first weekend before medical school classes start! As I mentioned in my last post, I've decided to do some mass-cooking every weekend to sustain me throughout each week (which would be time-efficient and cost-efficient), but seeing as all I had made so far consisted of vegetables, I figured I better add some meat to my diet.

Speaking of vegetables, my dinner last night consisted entirely of vegetables and high-fiber rice. It was a big mistake - I tried running this morning before breakfast and nearly died from the hunger pains (it didn't help that I felt as if I were in a sauna - August in the East Coast = mass humidity).

But it was okay, because after going to Church, I met up with my friend Julie, whom I have not seen in 4 years, and we actually pigged out quite a bit in an Indian buffet. I've never been to an Indian buffet, and I've heard some rather interesting stories about them, but the restaurant we stopped at was actually really good. It was nice catching up and acting silly with someone similar to me again. Oh, and after seeing the UPenn campus, I am officially envious. That place is beautiful.

Anyway, I made another Chinese comfort food - pickled snow cabbage stirfried with dried tofu, edamame beans, bamboo, meat slivers, and a savory sauce. It's certainly not something you serve at a fancy event, but combined with a simple bowl of rice or noodle, it is literally a party in your mouth. And, once again, like all comfort foods, it always tastes better the next day.

Pickled Snow Cabbage Stirfry

Ingredients:

-3 airtight bags pickled snow cabbage (xuetsai)
-1/2 can bamboo strips
-1 bag frozen edamame beans, shelled
-1 chicken breast, cut into small slivers
-2 packs dried tofu, cut into strips
-2-3 cloves garlic, minced
-2 tbsp soy sauce
-1 tbsp cornstarch
-Soy sauce to taste
-Sugar to taste
-Sriracha sauce to taste
-Mushroom seasoning or chicken powder to taste

1. Marinade the chicken strips with 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp cornstarch, then cover.
2. In a wok, heat oil to high heat. Quickly fry the pressed tofu strips for 1 minute, then remove.
3. Add the edamame and stirfry for 1 minute. Remove.
4. Add the garlic and stirfry 1 minute, then add chicken strips and stirfry 1 minute. Remove.
5. Add the pickled vegetables and stirfry 1 minute.
6. Add the precooked ingredients, stirring constantly. Cook for about 3-5 minutes.
7. Add soy sauce, sugar, sriracha sauce, and seasoning to taste. Be careful - the pickled vegetable juice will already make the dish salty, so go easy on the soy sauce.

There are many ways to enjoy this dish. You can eat it with plain rice or noodles, atop noodles in soup, alongside porridge, or even stirfried with rice cakes. Sometimes I even eat it plain.

Stirfried Bok Choy with Garlic

2010-08-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

So I've finally survived my first week of medical school. It was definitely a fun experience for me, but now that the hype has died down, I'm starting to miss California a little. It feels weird not coming out of my room and seeing all the familiar faces of my apartment-mates back in San Diego. Oh well...I'm sure once classes start I'll be too busy to think of anything but hitting the books.

To be honest, I'm a little nervous about the first week (and the first quiz), but that's vastly overshadowed by my excitement. It's been 4 months since I last studied, and my entire senior year was tampered by my senioritis-ridden lack of discipline. It would be nice to once again occupy myself with the stress and pain of studying (I can't believe I'm saying that).

AND! I finally got a real bed :) It feels nice to sleep on something more stable than an air mattress.

Anyway, there is one thing that I can bring here from the old days: cooking! I'm going to try to do some massive mega-cooking every weekend from now on and live on it throughout the weekdays. It's actually a good and efficient time-saver. I bought a huge pack of baby bok choy the other day in a Vietnamese market I discovered, so I decided to cook off the entire thing this morning before going out to run (which felt VERY good actually). It's really simple, but the picture came out pretty nice, so I thought I'd post it.

Stir-fried Bok Choy with Garlic

Ingredients:

-1 bag baby bok choy
-~2 tbsp oyster sauce
-4-5 cloves garlic, minced
-Mushroom seasoning and/or chicken powder to taste

1. Give the bok choy a quick rinse. Cut off the ends of each bunch and make sure all the leaves are separated (there will be lots of gunk hidden inside).
2. Submerge the leaves in a big bowl of water, then drain in a colander. Repeat 3 times, then allow to sit and drain in the colander (try to make it as dry as possible).
3. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add oil and garlic and cook until fragrant (~1 minute).
4. Pour all the bok choy leaves into the wok. The water you didn't get rid of will make the wok sizzle and pop.
5. Start stirring the vegetables until they wilt.
6. Add the oyster sauce and stir.
7. Add seasoning to taste.
8. Allow to simmer about 4-5 minutes, then serve!