Salmon Zucchini Cakes (adapted from Gourmet, some issue I don’t remember)

• approx. 1/2 lb salmon, cut into small cubes
• 2 zucchini, grated
• approx. 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
• approx. 4 tablespoons mayo
• approx. 10 ritz crackers
• 2 tablespoons chives, preferably fresh
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• cooking oil; olive is good for flavor but a canola is fine too

0. I have always eyeballed the proportions for this, so my advice is to fine tune the seasonings to your tastes.

1. Mix all ingredients; adjust binding until the mixture maintains some shape when formed into patties.

3. Coat the bottom of a shallow frying pan with oil, then preheat under medium-high heat. The easiest way to screw this recipe up is to use a cool pan, so make sure to allow ample time for heating.

4. Pan fry the patties until browned and crispy on each side, about 3 minutes.

Pork Buns

Bread Part

• 3.5 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1.5 cups warm water
• 1 tsp yeast

1. Bloom the yeast in the water and the sugar, 10 minutes or so.

2. Mix the dry and wet ingredients and knead, adding flour as appropriate until a smooth dough is formed.

3. Allow to rise for at least 2 hours in all kinds of a warm and dry place.

Yon Pork Filling

• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 inch ginger, minced
• approx. 1/4 minced green onions
• approx. 1 tsp corn starch in a few teaspoons of cold water
• sesame oil

1. Heat sesame oil in shallow frying pan, then add the aromatics and cook until fragrant.

2. Add pork and green onions and cook until pork is almost done.

3. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and corn starch/water mixture and allow to thicken slightly.

Making them damn things

1. Punch down the dough and prepare a lightly floured work surface. Tear off a piece of the dough approximately the size of a golf ball. Roll out the dough until slightly larger than palm sized, rolling from the center out.

2. Put a teaspoon or so of the pork mixture into the center of the dough, then pinch the sides in to create a pleasing shape. Scientists believe that this is actually impossible, which is why I keep a Karen Hu on hand to perform such dangerous tasks.

3. Steam the buns in steamer or rice cooker or some sort of ghetto cooling rack suspended over a frying pan kind of shit. Or you could bake them and make some sort of terrifying dinner roll of destiny.

Tamarind-Chile Chicken with Mint

• approx. 1 lb chicken of some variety, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
• sliced green chiles to taste (crushed red pepper is ok too, again to taste)
• 2 tablespoons mint, torn
• approx. 3/4 cup tamarind extract
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, cut into large pieces
• vegetable or other neutral oil

1. Boil the chicken in enough water to cover until most of the way done, about 10 minutes.

2. Heat oil in pan, add ginger, onions and green chiles. Fry until onions are beginning to become transparent.

3. Add chicken, tomatoes, mint and tamarind extract. Reduce heat and cover until chicken is cooked through.

Spinach and Potato Curry (adapted from Mridula Baljekar et al, Best Ever Indian Cookbook (London: Hermes House, 2004), 318.)

• A double handful of spinach, uncooked (measuring is an exact science for Christopher D Russell)
• 1 large potato, cut into small pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 inch ginger, minced
• 1 med. sweet onion, sliced
• 1 tsp. black mustard seeds
• 2 tsp. red chile powder
• salt to taste
• approx. 1/2 c. water
• vegetable oil or other neutral oil

1. Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and squeeze out excess water.

2. Splutter mustard seeds in oil under medium heat. Add onion and aromatics and saute until onions begin to become transparent.

3. Add potato, salt and chili powder and stir fry for 6-7 minutes.

4. Add water and spinach. Reduce heat and cover for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

Gobi Manchurian

This dish is served in Indian Chinese restaurants, and is a favorite of Thara’s.

Part 1, the sauce.

• 1/2 large tomato, diced
• approx. 1/4 cup green onions, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. sambal oelek or to taste (chili paste, available in the asian section of most grocery stores)
• at least 3 tbsp. kecap manis
• vegetable oil or other neutral oi
• corn starch for thickening

1. Heat oil in pan. Add garlic and fry until aroma is released, then add tomatoes and green onions. Fry until the tomatoes begin to release oil, about 3 minutes.

2. Add sambal oelek and kecap manis. Adjust heat level as desired, adding more kecap manis if too spicy. If mixture becomes to thin, add 1 tsp. corn starch in 2 tsp. cold water to thicken as desired.

Part 2, frickin fried cauliflower.

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
• 4 tbsp. flour
• 4 tbsp. corn starch
• vegetable oil for frying

1. Cut cauliflower into slightly larger than bite size pieces. Heat 1/2 inch oil in shallow frying pan to 275-300 degrees. Incidentally, although I usually don’t truck with them gosh darned fancy kitchen appliances, an oil thermometer is basically a must here.

2. Mix the corn starch and flour in a small bowl, and add water until the consistency of buttermilk. Dip the cauliflower in the batter and fry until brown and crispy, turning once. Incidentally again, here I would normally suggest taking off your shirt and enjoying the spluttering of hot oil searing bare skin, but due to the wetness of the batter this is not required. A mesh cover will significantly reduce the damage to your person.

Serve dishes with steamed rice. The Gobi Manchurian can be served with the sauce poured over top of the cauliflower or on the side. I’d suggest the latter, since the dish can become soggy if allowed to sit in the sauce.

In practice, the chicken turned out a bit on the bland side, and thus I would suggest using storebought tamarind extract rather than making your own as I attempted.