Quiche and Lentil soup

Soup is easy in theory but takes a bit of experimentation to get the textures and flavors just so. This lentil soup took the following:

1. A good tasting stock of ham hocks, bay leaves, onion, carrot, celery.
2. A bag full of lentils, along with a can of diced tomatoes and a lot of chopped carrots thrown in about 1.5 hours before serving.
   
3. An immersion blender to smooth it all out.

As for the quiche, it's pretty much the easiest way to make a meal with less than 10 minutes prep

1. Precook broccoli in the microwave (covered to steam it)
2. Grate some cheese, chop some ham
   
3. Mix up a royale (two eggs, one cup milk or cream). Add nutmeg for a french touch.
4. Pour royale over ingredients in a frozen pie shell
5. Bake for about 45 minutes, let rest for 15.
   

French meals in the dead of winter? I guess so.

Singapore Fried Noodles

An American sensation, these curry fried noodles aren't able to be found anywhere in Singapore (trust me, I know). Usually, when you get this from the chinese place down the street it is really greasy. I tried to curb the grease, at the expense of getting good curry coverage. Next time, I'll dissolve the curry in a bit of oil and water before adding to the noodles.

1. Soak/boil rice noodles.
   
2. Marinate shrimp in soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch.
3. Wok fry the shrimp until JUST done. Set aside.
   
4. Fry garlic, onion, green peppers, scallion batons, and sprouts. S&P to taste. Set aside.
5. Add curry to a good bit of oil. Throw in some beaten eggs, fry for a little bit, add drained noodles.
   
6. Get good curry-age on the noodles, then add everything back in (including julienned leftover char siew).
   

Char siew - Chinese barbecued pork

This was a recipe I'd been trying to get right for a while. Usually, it's not worth making yourself because the char siew from the local market is excellent in most cases and cheap enough. But I'm not living in a place where I can get it that easily, so I had to make it myself. A mixture of burnt edges, sweet tang, and partially rendered fat make this dish a winner. Throw in some chinese broccoli (kai lan) on the side and it's almost like I'm back in Chinatown or Singapore.

This is going to be my style of "recipe". Remember, this is mostly by feel, mostly by experimentation.

1. Stab strips of fatty pork butt all over with a fork
   
2. Marinate in a mixture of hoisin, rice wine, ketchup, garlic, ginger, white pepper, five spice powder (ESSENTIAL for the right taste)
3. Throw on a rack in a 450 degree oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, turning twice and brushing on leftover marinade. Look for black charring on the edges. Don't worry, it's not burnt, it tastes amazing....
   

Table Vibrations: The Beginnings

Seems like everyone has a food blog these days. I'm finding that there are more and more resources online for foodies who want to recreate the magic in their own kitchens. From epicurious to allrecipes to one of my favorites, the Good Eats Fan Page.

Here is my twist on the food blog. Most people make blogs about their culinary masterpieces, their weekend forays where they break out the Cutco, print out the Bittman recipe and fumble around in the kitchen until something good comes out.

Mine is more of a never-ending story. The highs, the lows, but mostly about how I feed myself by any means necessary. You won't get a picture of all of my meals, just the more interesting ones. The things I try to do in the kitchen will come close to recreating recipes, but usually don't follow them exactly. My family likes to call this vibration cooking.

I encourage you all to experiment like me. And if I'm not experimenting enough, send me some ideas. Don't ask me for recipes, cause I probably won't remember how I did what I did.