February 27th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

This summer Julian, Cole and I went to my cousin Albert’s wedding in New York accompanied by Casey and Ozana. I drove us. The whole 9 plus hours solo. And no one had a melt-down, meaning me.

Flushing is a neighbourhood in Queens and home to one of the largest Chinatowns in the New York area. It’s close to Laguardia Airport and has a large influx of Korean shops as well. Imagine suburban Chinatown North in Markham/Richmond Hill and North York’s Koreatown colliding somewhere in Mississauga with the backdrop noise of airplanes flying closely overhead towards Pearson. That’ll give you a sense of Flushing. Pictured below a view of a standard street in Flushing… visual chaos is the norm.One of the best parts of the trip was seeing how much the boys enjoyed the variety of flavours and food choices that New York had to offer. Places like this kiosk in Flushing that sold Peking Duck in a fluffy version of this Chinese pancake – the most scrumptious street food I’ve had to date. And yes, sports fans, that says a dollar a piece above in the sign. But who can stop at just one??

Other than Los Angeles, it’s hard to beat the street food in the New York area. Here, another stand selling mouth-watering skewers, Chinese-style. Julian’s on the left waiting for his $1 kebab. Yes, with $5 in your pocket you could stuff your face in Flushing, New York. Well, almost.On top of the 10 plus course traditional Chinese meal we ate at my cousin’s wedding banquet, we had a restorative Mexican menudo also known as tripe soup, periwinkle snails with basil in black bean sauce (shown below) accompanied by cold Tsingtao beer on another occasion, and savoury hand-made dumplings, all within walking distance from our hotel in Flushing. As a single mom I’m experienced at family outings (not to mention that I am an event planner!), so sprinkled in of course were some kid-oriented trips like the stop at the Intrepid Museum where we explored the very cool Essex-class aircraft carrier, USS Intrepid and USS Growler submarine. For those who know about my ever-worsening claustrophobia, no I did not crawl my way through the bowels of the submarine. The boys went without me. After the wedding we had plans to eat our way through Manhattan. At first, I had some reservations about dragging a 10 and 8 year-old through the Big Apple which is more of a grown-up playground to me than a kid destination. Did they ever surprise me. They were fascinated by each restaurant we went to approaching each with a growing sense of adventure. They couldn’t wait to eat at each place, whether we were doing four star or diner-style.

We made the longish trek to Coney Island where the carnival and overcrowded beach became a welcome reprieve from the August heat in Manhattan. Julian is pictured below taking in the beach.

But truthfully I took them to Coney Island so I could try the food stands on the boardwalk. The very popular Nathan’s Famous hot dog stand shown below.

I suffered through a heart-palpitating 40-minute subway ride to get there – I guess this reveals that nothing much stands in the way of me and food. Thankfully, most of the ride was aboveground which seems to be fine for me phobia-wise. Cole is pictured below rejoicing at finally arriving at Coney Island.To reward ourselves after cruising the boardwalk and midway, we decide to take a load off at Pio Pio Riko (NOTE: the link for Pio Pio Riko is for the branch in Queens but you’ll get the picture). Chilled cervezas and a couple orders of their house specialty rotisserie chicken with plenty of hot sauce “por favor” . A great way to beat the heat is to bring on a cool sweat with fiery hot sauce and quench it all down with Corona straight from the cooler.Remembering that you’re on a touristy strip, one needs to temper their dining expectations when eating boardwalk food. I never found out if the sign below meant the clams were cold too or just cold beer and ice cream. It was fine fine fare suitable to the place and a relaxing stop to rest up before the long trek back to the hotel (and eek! another underground journey via the metallic death tube). Since I’m writing this, you can see I did survive to eat another day. Oh the drama.

For the rest of the journey through Manhattan, we ate at many spectacular restaurants, too many to share in this single post. Traveling with the kids turned out to be easy. I realized how much they wanted to try new things too. They do enjoy great food, not just good food – no kids menu for these guys – and as long as you remember to keep it light at the right moments and let them have their fun too, you can have yours as well.

Originally this post started out being about my food savvy kids and turned into a walk down memory lane to this past summer. It’s curious when you’re writing and you get into a stream of consciousness state how this turned into a totally different post. I suppose each time I sit here to write, it’s like going on a journey in which I don’t really know where the final destination will be. On this snowy day in Toronto, I hope these sunshine shots take your mind somewhere else if only for a minute.

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An aside: In one of those kid-oriented moments, I decided to let the boys go nuts at Dave & Buster’s. The day was so hot and humid that I just couldn’t bear to walk outside any more so we ducked into the location on 42nd Street in the Theatre District. It was my chance to have an ice cold beer and read for a few minutes while the boys had their arcade fun. Getting snacky I happened to order the Philly Cheesesteak and to my surprise it was ridiculously good.

Now you’re probably thinking I’m off my rocker. So was I. I couldn’t be sure if it was just revisionist thinking or if the Philly Cheesesteak deserved to be remembered. I ended up taking my friend Daniel to the Dave & Buster’s here in nearby Concord. It’s close to Canada’s Wonderland so it’s a hike but I had to be sure.

Figuring it’s a chain store and that they probably get their ingredients shipped from the same supplier, we went for it. Daniel is from Florida and has had his fair share of Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. He’s also an event planner like I am so he has a discerning palate and maybe even more so since he doesn’t eat all the squidgy stuff that I do. Daniel gave the Dave & Buster’s Philly Cheesesteak two thumbs-up. He agreed it was a delicious rendition of a Philly Cheesesteak. It was a tender portion of shaved beef in a soft hoagie bun topped with sauteed onions, mushrooms, green peppers and some crazy type of cheese that melted into a kind of sauce. I know. It doesn’t make any sense but it’s good. Dave & Buster’s opened another location in Niagara Falls so I think Philly Cheesesteak and I will have a date again this year.

February 23rd, 2010 by Dawn Becker

If you think having hand-pulled Chinese noodles is a luxury you can only get in China, think again. Chinese Traditional Bun has been a haven in Toronto’s downtown Chinatown for mouth-watering northern Chinese dishes for years including tender hand-pulled noodles. It’s located just west of Spadina Avenue on the north side of Dundas Avenue West.

In Chinese fashion, using whatever space is available, the noodle-maker’s workstation is wedged in at the front door. A delight for me, an auspicious view of his handiwork while being respectfully unobtrusive. Just the way I like it.It seemed the noodles were made custom for our order of dan dan noodles (dandanmian in Mandarin) as they went straight to the steamy kitchen and minutes later we were served. Dan dan noodles were a regular Sichuan street snack back in the days when vendors were able to sell their wares in the streets of China, before the Cultural Revolution hit.

So popular, author Fuschia Dunlop, even devotes Chapter Two in Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper to dan dan noodles, which includes a scrumptiously spicy recipe for them. This engaging book is a memoir of Dunlop’s experience in China when she was a student in the 90’s. It’s a wonderfully intimate read that’s a taste exploration of a truly complex country, both in food and politics. If you have any interest in Chinese cuisine or history, Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper really should be on your list of must-read books.

Another staple of Chinese fare are dumplings and they do them so well at Chinese Traditional Bun, hand-rolling their own wrappers. Jiao zi are what you might know as pot stickers, mixed ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped in a flour-based dough, either boiled or pan-fried. It’s similar to the Japanese gyoza, though the jiao zi wrapper is not nearly as delicate. We had the boiled pork and cabbage dumpling, lightly dipped in our own preferred combinations of hot chilli oil, soy sauce and/or a dash of vinegar.

Xialongbao or soup dumplings are a popular steamer version that are usually stuffed with meat and a gelatinized cube of stock that melts inside the dumpling when cooked, filling these tasty pockets with soup. The ones at Chinese Traditional Buns are very juicy so be careful of spraying hot soup on your date.

A few of our other selections include this spring onion pancake that must have been made with gentle hands. It turns out to be very light and flaky, again dipped in a chilli oil and soy sauce combo. It’s hard not to eat two in one sitting.Also popular as a starter are cold slices of five-spiced braised beef shank.

And for a soupy course, there’s the mutton noodle stew, a non-spicy dish for a change that includes sheet-like noodles soaking up the delicate flavours.A can’t miss dish is the house special crispy chicken that no one can wait to dig into. This combination of salty and crunchy is seriously bone-sucking fantastic.

Braised pork belly served with bok choy is also good but considering this is a non-licensed venue, this dish would go down so much better with a cold beer to cut the fatty edge, but it doesn’t stop me.

What they do provide is a warm cup of self-serve soy bean milk at no charge, when available. Chinese Traditional Bun has been serving memorable meals for years at prices that make you wonder how they keep their doors open. They deserve a reminder and hopefully this means you’ll be hearing the smack, thwack and whack of hand-pulled noodles in your future soon.

February 20th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

A staple of my university days, instant noodles were a financial necessity and convenient when hours of studying were wearing me down. Scarcity and student living went hand in hand along with years of student loan repayments. Oh the good ol’ days.

Chinese families often refer to instant noodles as dolly noodles or gung zai min in Cantonese, as there is often a doll-like icon on the packaging. I’m not sure what the doll is supposed to represent. I suppose it’s demonstrating how happy you’ll be when you eat instant noodles.

Instant noodles are akin to the boxed version of macaroni and cheese for Canadians. Nutritionally they’re incomplete and high in sodium but when you’ve grown up eating them, it’s hard not to fulfill a craving now and again. When cooking instant noodles, I always follow the package directions minus 1 minute on the cooking time as I find the noodles get too soggy for my liking if cooked to the exact timing on the package, as the noodles continue to cook in the bowl with the hot soup.

Instant noodles can be even tastier when you tart them up with your choice of sliced mushrooms, chopped green onions, a drop of sesame oil, and anything else you have on hand. I enjoy adding a Chinese preserved mustard green called ja choi in Cantonese. These add a bit of crunch and spice to the noodles. There are many varieties of ja choi available in Asian supermarkets like TNT, including a pretty hot version shown in the jar above. Ja choi is also sold in foil packaged single serving portions found in the refrigerator section.Kimchi and egg are one of my favourite instant noodle supplements. It’s important to remove the noodles from the boiling soup before you add the egg otherwise you end up with a gloppy mess of egg-coated noodles instead of an egg drop style soup. I crack the egg directly into the pot of boiling soup, swirl the whites around in the water without breaking the yolk, allowing to cook for just a minute. Then pour the pot contents into the bowl with noodles and add a bit of kimchi. The yolk will be mostly runny and delicious. Another day, I’ll post a comparison of the kimchi-flavoured instant noodles on the market.

Nowadays with more healthful eating in mind, there are many versions of instant noodles on the market without MSG or added preservatives or artificial colour. The Koka brand chicken original flavour above has a solid basic taste. With less salt and considering no MSG, it’s a great standard to have in the cupboard. This makes a great foil for adding your favourite condiments.

Samyang Foods has a beef flavour noodle above with no MSG. This version is spicy. When purchasing instant noodle products, the photo on the package often gives you a big tip as to what the flavour is supposed to be. Handy when you can’t read the wording and the term beef flavour noodle is so vague it could mean anything. You can see from the packaging photo, this version above has hot peppers in the bowl so you know it’s going to have some heat to it.

Samyang Foods U-Dong flavour instant noodles also has no MSG. As this represents an udon noodle the noodles are thicker than the standard ones which are usually fashioned after ramen noodles. This U-Dong flavour has a bonito base which results in a strong fishy taste. You can see the fish cakes in the packaging photo as a flavour hint.

While I don’t suggest living on instant noodles, they have a place. It’s a rite of passage in a student’s life, learning to make the most out of very little. My nephew Sean recently got accepted to Carleton University and with a scholarship to boot. You can bet that he’s going to receive a case of instant noodles from me and maybe some ja choi if he’s lucky.

February 14th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

It’s Chinese New Year and as usual a celebratory feast is in order. This year is special because the new year also falls on Valentine’s Day so I suppose it’s like a two for one deal. Very Chinese. This year, we celebrated with my sister, Belle and her family as well as mom and my Uncle Joe. We went to Buddha’s Vegetarian Restaurant just east of Bathurst on Dundas Avenue.

Traditionally, Chinese families eat vegetarian or jai on the New Year. It’s a nod to Buddhism, believed to ensure longevity for the superstitious, and also as a means of cleansing the body. Remember, the night before there was likely lots of indulging including a modest six or seven course meal though often more. My niece, Hayley, is vegetarian and my mother primarily eats vegetarian though an occasional piece of bacon or chicken has passed her lips. It’s rare that the vegetarians get to call the shots in a family feast, so it’s nice to go where they can sample every dish once in a while. Truthfully, it’s not a huge sacrifice. When you’re eating at Buddha’s Vegetarian Restaurant the food is so plentiful and has enough variation in texture and flavour that you don’t really miss eating meat, at least for one night.

Our menu consisted of a variety of appetizers including a sweet corn and bean curd soup…

A combo platter of gluten and soya products (so named on their menu) that included mock duck and sweet and sour flavoured gluten plus one other that I can’t remember now what it is supposed to be imitating. While I do love gluten products I can see how some people might be texture-adverse. The gluten here is quite fresh, which equates to very slippery and is almost oyster-like, in feel only…

Gigantic springs rolls so large they were about the size of a child’s wrist…

And an unfortunate double order of fried wonton that neither my mother or I wanted to claim ownership for ordering – she blamed it on me but I am willing to take a polygraph that will prove she asked me to order them and two plates of it at that. A more accurate description would be fried wonton skins because they did not seem to house any tasty tidbits as you would find in a traditional wonton. Worse, the sticky sweet and sour sauce that accompanied it did not do much to make the dish more appetizing except for the kids. Though the adults got by on a heavy dose of hot sauce. Really, the only miss of the night.For our mains, we ordered fried cashews with diced green vegetables, again as named on the menu. You can clearly see that there are other types of colours here in this mixed vegetable plate. When I read green vegetables I’m thinking bok choy or gai lan (Chinese brocolli). Happily, this turned out to be a mock version of cashew nut chicken that we would have stuffed into fluffy steam buns had those been on the menu.

We also had a dish called three kinds of mushroom sliced dried bean curd wrap. The dried bean curd wrap is often referred to as mock chicken due to it’s colour and texture.

And always a hit with the veg-heads in the family, fried vermicelli Singapore style (curry), shown above which has a mild heat. Considering the size of the dishes served, you’re going to have takeaway. If you can stop yourself from eating this dish, it’s better the next day as the curry flavour really takes on life. Above, my personal favourite, the fried e-fu noodles with vegetables, which turned out to also be favoured by my youngest nephew. Dylan is a conservative eater but these days he’s becoming much more adventurous. He enjoyed this dish so much that he asked twice to make sure that the leftovers were going home with him. I’d call that a hit. And no Chinese New Year feast would be complete without grossing out the kids at the table by eating stewed black human hair. No it’s not really hair. The dish above consists of black moss or fat choy, a type of Chinese vegetable that looks like hair when dried. Once soaked and cooked, it’s like a thin noodle that still looks like hair, wet hair. I have to admit it took me years to get over the appearance but the one at Buddha’s Vegetarian has a very palatable texture. Fat choy is associated with good fortune as it’s Cantonese pronunciation is very similar to getting rich and symbolism means everything to the Chinese. The white part of the dish is a bamboo fungus that I have always loved. It’s soft and spongy and reminds of a body part that I’m not going to mention. You’ll have to guess that one for yourself.

Buddha’s Vegetarian Restaurant was the perfect choice for our Chinese New Year meal. For the ten of us, the total bill before tip was under $100. And each of us left with a hefty takeaway package. A good start to the new year and a symbol of even more good things to come.

Gung hay fat choy, my friends.

February 9th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

I really shouldn’t be writing about this meal publicly in case my mother reads this. Ever since I’ve been little my mother has been on my back about what I eat. It’s not that I’m overweight – okay, who’s kidding anyone but who doesn’t have a few pounds to lose? – it’s just that my mother eats like a bird and a Puritan bird at that. Actually, she’s more of a pecker than an eater. I on the other hand am a gobbler. Yes, I guess that makes me a turkey, in food eating terms only mind you. And that would make mom a budgie. How polite of me.

Anyways, when I find something I’m passionate about or even just something I like a lot, I can be very enthusiastic about it. When it comes to food, my mother is brilliantly reserved. Refined but not like a fine wine because she doesn’t drink. That would be counter-Puritan I suppose. And to add to her case confirming my lifestyle of overindulgence, I’ve been having some wee tummy troubles lately. Investigations are on-going as to why but how did my mother so lovingly put it? “With all that you’ve eaten you could live a few days without any meals. You’ll be fine.” This was Sunday.

Now that might sound horrible but I’ve had years of getting used to it. The thing is that she doesn’t realize that what she is saying could make a person insane. She’s a lecturer at heart and I think that’s very much a Chinese attribute. Sure everyone has a lecturer in their family but for the Chinese, it’s like a profession. I can imagine Confucious saying something like “Life is not worth living unless someone is constantly beating you over the head, reminding you of the lessons you should have learned from your failures.” Oh joy. Seriously, I know my mother has my best interest at heart. It’s just hard not to get grizzly about any “pleasantly plump” comments. You’d have issues too!

So with quite some glee at the obvious betrayal, I pulled out the last can of Carriere poutine sauce that I’ve been hiding at the back of my cupboard. I bought it a while back in Montreal at the suggestion of one of my friends who lives in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. She said it authentically tastes like fast food poutine sauce. I laughed. And I had to have it. And it really does. Unfortunately you’ll have to cross the border to Quebec to get it as I haven’t seen it the stores here in Toronto or you could ask your flight attendant friend to bring some back the next time he’s doing an overnighter in Montreal. Marc!

Of course, I could easily make my own gravy but that’s not what this sort of indulgence is all about. I’m a gravy making queen, a real natural. But opening this can of overly salted contraband made me feel extremely giddy. Or maybe that was the MSG. To put my own touch on it and with a bit of a nod to the anything-goes poutine stylings of Martin Picard, Chef/Owner of Au Pied du Cochon, I created Poutine Hash. And I’m afraid I enjoyed every bite. The recipe below is enough for three or four with a much-needed salad course and artery de-clogging wine.

Poutine Hash

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large Vidalia or sweet onion, peeled and diced

2 large Yukon Gold potatoes or 3-4 medium-sized ones, peeled and diced

1 can of corned beef (I like the Hereford brand), chopped

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup cheese curds, or more, if you prefer (my absolute favourite is made by the monks at Saint-Benoît-du-Lac Abbey)

1/4 cup poutine sauce (I used a can of Carriere sauce shown above, or you can make your own gravy)

Heat oil in the large pan over medium-heat. Add diced onion and cook till mostly translucent. Add the diced potatoes, and cover, stirring occasionally so that the potatoes don’t get stuck to the pan. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender. (I actually prefer my potatoes quite a bit undercooked but I know that’s not common.) Lower the heat to medium low and add the chopped corned beef, mixing gently to blend with the potato and onion mixture. The corned beef will break up as it heats. Cook until the corned beef is heated through. Crack some fresh black pepper on it to taste and then set aside. Heat the poutine sauce until very hot but not boiling. Portion out a serving of the corned beef hash and top with some cheese curds. Pour hot poutine sauce over the cheese curds. The curds will soften from the heat of the poutine sauce. Enjoy with guilty glee!

Note: You don’t need to add salt as the corned beef and poutine sauce have plenty of sodium.

February 8th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

Technically, this post should be called “Hangover Remedy #3 – Vietnam” in keeping with my line of recovery food stories because dining at Pho House on Gerrard Street just east of Broadview Avenue, has the same beneficial results as eating kam ja tang or pancita. It’s that combination of hot broth, steaming noodles, and your choice of spiciness from an added bird’s eye chili or sriracha hot sauce that’s so restorative. Of course, that’s not the best part of dining at Pho House. With the rise in popularity of Vietnamese noodle houses in Toronto, standards for a good pho place aren’t all that high. But not at Pho House where the reverse is happening. Now I will give the old Pho 88 a goodbye round of applause but when Pho House replaced it after the Tran family took it over from them a year ago, I couldn’t have been more pleased. (And don’t get me started on the barely passable franchise of Pho 88 on Spadina which is a perfect example of offering too much selection and not doing any of it well.)

The whole mood of Pho House is lighter, as you no longer have to eat under the watchful eye of a drill sergeant, like how it used to feel when the old manager was there, perched behind his counter staring at the diners. The Tran family make it a truly warm experience, neither being aloof nor overly abundant in their welcome greetings, as they drop off an appropriately hot or cold pot of tea, depending on the weather outside.

And most importantly, what elevates a pho restaurant from an average experience to something outer worldly is the broth. It’s funny how it’s always the broth but that’s where the time needs to be spent.

My favourite is pho with tendon and the one at Pho House never disappoints. The tendon is so soft and tender and literally melts in your mouth. I’ve seen a Pho House review on Yelp saying that the tendon they had was sub-par and I’m going to say that’s pretty rare. Go back and try it again. Most times I have to eat the tendon quickly before it melts away into my soup – it’s that tender. Tender tendon. Tender tender tender. Oh, where was I? Pho House takes care to make sure that their accompaniments are super fresh as you can see pictured above and it’s always a generous helping with lots of bean sprouts. I like to order a side of grilled chicken with my tendon pho. The Pho House grilled chicken is remarkable – flattened perfectly with no trace of bones or ligaments, wonderfully marinated and succulent, as it’s cooked with the skin left on. And dare I say it again, so tender. Tender tender tender.

Another wow is the deep fried tofu topped with a light drizzle of a soy based sauce that has a hint of sweetness to it. The tofu lies on a bed of bean sprouts that helps the tofu drain any excess oil. When you bite into each tofu cube the centres are so soft and create a delightful contrast to the crisp outer skin, if you can call it that. It’s like biting a chocolate truffle that has an ooey gooey centre. Their spring rolls are also good and while deliciously prepared, I actually prefer versions that have less meat in them. That’s just a preference thing and not at all about the quality. The Pho House spring rolls are definitely worth mentioning.I am a very happy customer frequenting Pho House as often as I can, be it for a quick snack, a bit of chit chat with friendly faces, or to cure what ails me. It’s been my favourite pho stop for many years now.

February 3rd, 2010 by Dawn Becker

I just got back from St. Jamestown Steak & Chops on Parliament Street north of Carlton Avenue. I went in for a free-range chicken and ended up with two gigantic brown bags full of goodies. Surprised? Surely not. This place is a haven of tasty with their deli counter and eat-in section on one side and butcher shop with gorgeous cuts of meat and daily fish selection flanked by superior looking vegetables in the shop beside. I haven’t eaten from the deli but I know that the products are cooked with the same meat, fish and produce that’s sold in the store. And I really liked how the butcher, Mark came out from the back to introduce himself and chat with me about his products.

I was on my way out the door when I saw some freshly cleaned slabs of local rainbow trout that I could not resist. The clerk, Jean, did not remember exactly where in Ontario they came from, but she could guarantee they came in today. There was no convincing needed as the fish had a perfect sheen with not a hint of any odour. I thought an appetizer of rainbow trout on a bed of mixed salad with sunflower sprouts would be a nice start to dinner. I bought a small piece that cost under $3 and immediately went home to cook it. St. Jamestown Steak & Chops is rare in that you’re getting both quality and value. Rowe Farms in my neighbourhood is great for organic and free range meats but they are no match for these prices.

As soon as the groceries were unpacked, I clicked on the gas and hunted for the right pan. I chose a medium size non-stick Cuisinart GreenGourmet pan – their ad says that these pans use an “exclusive nonstick cooking surface that is free of petroleum; that means no PTFE or PFOA present”. I’ve been meaning to write about these frying pans because it seems to have good wear and tear. Plus, I like that the ceramica surface hasn’t peeled off like an old teflon pan in the two years that I’ve had them.

I seasoned the trout filet with sea salt and olive oil. Down in the pan skin-side first and then flip to cook the other side. That’s it. Turn off the heat and set aside. This was a thin filet so it took barely 2 minutes per side. While the fish was resting, I took some washed salad mix and a handful of nutty sunflower sprouts and placed them on a salad plate. Then a drizzle of spicy extra virgin olive oil on the salad. My current favourite is from Terroni, a traditional southern Italian restaurant chain that sells a number of their own labelled grocery items. And topped it all with a spritz of lemon. Divinely fresh.

For the main course, I bought three fat bone-in antibiotic-free pork chops, again reasonably priced at just under $10 for the three. They looked like they were from happy pigs, ah but I was so excited about cooking them that I forgot to ask. I marinated them for an hour in Maggi liquid seasoning, a staple in Chinese homes and an international favourite used to add depth to sauces, soups and stir fries. It’s a bit of a cheat as it contains MSG but I’m happy to have a time-saver here and there as I like having a break from making all my own marinades from scratch.

Pork chops in my cast iron frying pan below. Looking at it now, they seem crowded but the pan was very hot and I placed the thickest pork chop in first to sear before the remaining chops went in.

And here it is plated with a simple accompaniment of a baked potato and steamed broccoli as the flavour of the marinade is in every bite of the pork chop. In this case, it’s all about the quality of the meat that made this pork chop such a superstar. What a delicious night a little bit of inspiration can make. I am going to make sure that St. Jamestown Steak & Chops is a regular stop, especially when I need a nudge in the kitchen.

Rainbow Trout Filet on Mixed Salad

1 rainbow trout filet

2 portions mixed salad

1 portion sunflower sprouts (as many as you like)

sea salt

extra virgin olive oil

2 lemon wedges

Lightly coat the pan with oil and cook the trout on medium high heat starting with the skin side down for about 2 minutes or until browned. Flip the trout filet and cook til just done, around another 2 minutes. Set pan aside. Prepare the salad on the plate topping with a handful of sunflower sprouts. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over greens, to taste. Season with a sprinkling of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon. Place half of the trout filet on top of each salad plate and squeeze lemon over the fish. Enjoy.

Pan-Fried Maggi Pork Chops

2 bone-in pork chops

3 Tbsp Maggi liquid seasoning

1 tsp oil

Marinate the pork chop in Maggi liquid seasoning for an hour, turning the chops over half way through to marinate both sides. Remove the pork chops from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before cooking. Heat a cast iron frying pan on high heat. The pan needs to be hot enough to sear the meat. Once the pan is hot, add the oil and the pork chops. Be careful to watch the sizzle from the Maggi liquid seasoning. Pork chops do not need to be cooked to oblivion – about 2 to 3 minutes a side should do it depending on thickness. The trick is to let them rest in the cast iron frying pan for a minute after cooking. The cast iron pan releases heat slowly so it will stay warm and this way the juices remain inside the pork chops. Add your favourite accompaniments such as a baked potato or steamed broccoli.

Note: If you decide to cook more than a couple of pork chops at a time, make sure that the pan is very hot and that the chops have enough space in the pan so that they sear properly instead of being steamed.