At its core, Coffee Jelly is just gelled iced coffee, cut into small cubes, and topped with sweetened cream, But the simplicity belies the blissful experience of eating your coffee instead of drinking it. The sweet cream blooms across your tongue, coating it in a thick layer of pure milky joy before the cubes of jelly burst into pools of black coffee that washes away the rich cream with a refreshing hint of bitterness....

Why This Recipe Works? Brining the shrimp in sake, salt, and garlic seasons it through while changing the texture of the protein and giving it a firm snap. The sauce is created by emulsifying butter with soy sauce, which makes a creamy, garlicky glaze that coats each bite of shrimp in a glossy layer of umami. The glaze percolates down, coating each grain of rice in the flavorful sauce. The rich garlic butter complements the lean shrimp, and a squeeze of lemon adds a brightness that keeps the dish from becoming too heavy....

Like a simple Italian pasta, this Filipino fried rice consists of just three basic ingredients (five if you count salt and pepper), and yet every cook seems to have their own way of making it. Using a different fat, getting the garlic more or less brown, using different rice, and adding other seasonings are all ways to make it your own. Like most simple dishes, the trick to making a delicious Sinangag is all in the ingredients and technique, so here’s how I make mine....

Before you start thinking that this blog has turned into a golden arches franchise I should explain the recent streak of deep fried food. I hardly ever deep fry food, so when I do, I like to get the most out of the oil. Since I’d used half a bottle of oil for the chicken cracklins, I started running through the long list of deep fried goodies I’ve drooled over in the past months....

Why this Recipe Works Parboiling the gyoza dumplings in a separate pot first removes excess starch from the wrappers, keeping the soup clear and light. Transferring the gyoza to the soup once partially cooked gives the gyoza a chance to absorb the flavors without making the wrappers soggy. Cooking the gyoza with simple ingredients such as mushrooms and vegetables gives the potsticker soup substance, turning it into an easy weeknight meal in a bowl....

For my Poke Bowl recipe, I marinate cubes of fresh tuna with sweet onions, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil to make a delicious Shoyu Poke. Then I layer this on top of a bowl of rice with a rainbow of veggies before finishing it off with a crunchy macadamia nut and sea salt topping. The best part about Poke Bowls is that you can change up the fish and vegetables on top to create an endless variety of Poke Bowls, so you and your family never get bored of this easy meal....

Tricks for preparing shrimp It’s best to buy frozen unpeeled shrimp and then peel it yourself. Defrost the shrimp in a bowl of ice water. Once you’ve peeled the shrimp, devein it using a toothpick, so you don’t have to split the shrimp open. Brine the shrimp in a baking soda solution before you cook it for the best texture. What is the difference between shrimp, prawns, and scampi? “Shrimp” and “prawn” are common names and do not correlate with scientific taxa....

Other Names Masa de Harina Description Masa Harina literally means dough flour in Spanish and in Mexican cuisine, it refers to flour made from maize that has been soaked in lime water (calcium hydroxide). It is not the same thing as cornmeal and cannot be used interchangeably. The process of soaking the maize in lime … Other Names Masa de Harina. Description Masa Harina literally means dough flour in Spanish and in Mexican cuisine, it refers to flour made from maize that has been soaked in lime water (calcium hydroxide)....

Whether you’re talking Arroz con Pollo, Hainanese Chicken Rice, or Oyako Donburi, chicken and rice is a classic pairing that has permeated culinary culture around the world. It makes sense that earlier in human history, this staple grain would be combined with a domesticated source of protein. Still, the fact that this combination has endured as a popular favorite today speaks to its unassailable deliciousness. It even inspired me to create this Chicken Coconut Rice recipe....

At its core, Chop Suey is a quick stir-fry, including a little meat and a lot of crisp-tender vegetables, that’s finished off in a savory sauce that’s thick enough to coat everything with flavor. Sounds pretty good, huh? So how did this standard-bearer fall from being the face of Chinese cuisine in the United States to a culinary abomination? Trends change, and dishes like Chop Suey and Moo Goo Gai Pan have fallen in popularity....

French pastries are delectable, yet require an enormous amount of effort. Whether it’s my laziness or my lack of experience in the pastry arts, I prefer buying pastries prepared for me by an expert, rather than do something crazy like tackle an opera cake myself. Tamales are another exception to the simple is better rule as they require an immense amount of prep-work to make. While the slacker in me would love to just go out and buy them, the ones from stores and restaurants (yes even if you live in a border state) are a far cry from the airy masa-wrapped delights that I’ve had in the past....

Why This Recipe Works? By separating the marinade and the sauce, you get a well-flavored beef teriyaki that doesn’t burn prematurely and a shiny glaze that’s true to its name. Hanger steak is a cut of beef that’s both tender and flavorful. Japanese teriyaki sauce is a simple savory-sweet combination of soy sauce, sake, and sugar, and its trademark characteristic is its glossy sheen. Resting the steak for 10 minutes allows the steak’s internal temperature to balance out while allowing the muscle fibers to relax and reabsorb some of the liquid they lost....

Why This Recipe Works The combination of butter and soy sauce increases the taste of umami, making a uniquely Japanese-style wafu pasta. The Asian mushrooms provide an extra boost of umami and more Japanese flavors, transforming this typically Italian food into a Japanese noodle dish. The starchy boiling liquid for the spaghetti helps emulsify the soy sauce and butter into a stable sauce. Butter Soy Sauce Pasta is easy to adapt with almost anything in your fridge, so let your imagination roam beyond the basic ingredients listed here....

When I’m developing recipes, I usually cook during the mornings and early afternoon, so that I can capture the photos using natural light. This usually means the food is done around mid afternoon. I style and shoot the dish, and then it gets put away until dinner. Well, when I made this Champ I had every intention of serving it as a side for the pork chops I had brining....

Why This Egg Recipe Works? Adding starch to the tomatoes thickens the juices they release, preventing the eggs from getting watery. Cooking the eggs in the thickened tomato juices saves a step and ensures the eggs turn out nice and creamy. Ketchup fortifies the flavor and sweetness of tomatoes that aren’t perfectly ripe. Ingredients for Tomato Egg Stir-Fry Tomatoes - Normally, I would advocate for finding vine-ripened tomatoes, but this is a convenience food, and let’s face it, most of us don’t have access to perfect fresh tomatoes year-round....

Why this recipe works What are the main ingredients for Kung Pao Tofu? There’s some flexibility in the vegetables you add to the stir-fry, but here is a list of the key components I add to my Kung Pao Tofu. Tofu Marinade Tofu - There are two production methods by which tofu is produced. The first is to mix soymilk with a coagulant, and the mixture is steamed in a mold....

The Sweetener My original vegan chocolate chia pudding recipe used maple syrup as the sweetener, but lately, I’ve been using coconut sugar. Maple syrup gives the pudding a bit of a maple taste (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), but coconut sugar lends a caramelized flavor that makes this taste a bit like malted milk. Given my affinity for anything with malted milk, the choice is a no-brainer. As for the amount of sugar, coconut milk is naturally sweet, which is why I don’t add a ton of sugar....

One of the things that makes Japanese food culture so interesting is that unless you’re eating grilled or simmered seafood, it probably originated outside of Japan. Tempura (Portuguese), Ramen (Chinese), and Karei Raisu (Indian) are just a few examples of borrowed food. For such a tradition oriented country, it amazes me how quickly they assimilate food into the national repertoire. As food migrates there, it undergoes a transformation and takes on a new life as a different dish unto itself....

Tempura is a sophisticated subgenre of Japanese cuisine, and the best tempura restaurants offer counter seating with prices comparable to their sushi counterparts. With fresh vegetables and seafood lightly encrusted in a crisp, lacey batter, it’s an elegant food that calls for a delicate sauce. In this recipe, we harness the umami power of dashi, blend it with the savory notes of soy sauce, and round it off with the subtle sweetness of sake and sugar....

I know it’s not exactly holiday baking season yet, but I picked up a box of Ruth’s Toffee while I was in Colorado a few weeks ago and it was good… like hide-in-a-closet-and-eat-the-whole-box good. As with anything so tasty, it didn’t last long, so I’ve spent the week making mistakes and perfecting this almond toffee recipe so that it’s nearly impossible to mess up. Although it often goes by the name of “English Toffee” in the US, this is just one of the many styles of toffee in the UK, and it’s more commonly known as Buttercrunch over there....