Year of the Tiger

Chinese / Lunar New Year is tomorrow! I celebrated with my friends by going out for Peking Duck at Ji Rong in San Gabriel Valley. This dish from Beijing is characterized by its crispy, thin skin, served with spring onion, cucumber, and plum sauce, wrapped in a warm, soft, thin pancake like a tortilla. It was so delish and such a special treat! Peking duck is a specialized dish and is not often found at most Chinese restaurants. Ji Rong had been on my list for years and I was so happy I finally got to try it for New Years.

When I was younger and used to live in Boston, Chinese New Year was such a fun celebration with my family, cousins, and uncles. So much food was made. We prayed to our ancesters. The adults gave us red envelopes with money. I miss celebrating with my family. It has been so long. If it weren’t for the rise of Omicron Covid cases, I would have flown home. I don’t think I have ever gotten to celebrate Chinese New Year with my family as an adult?

As I mentioned in a few posts back, the holidays were depressing and isolating because I was sick and everyone seemed to have Omicron. I think a lot of people’s plans were ruined. So for the month of January, I committed myself to going out every weekend to get myself out of my sweatpants and out of my house. I pretty much stuck to the plan and I’m exhausted! Lol. It’s tiring being out every weekend socializing. And expensive. I think I’ve gotten so used to being a homebody that I’ve forgotten how much things cost and the energy required to be on the constant go. It has been a good distraction though and I’ve gotten to wear new clothes that had been sitting unused in my closet. It does feel nice to get dressed and put on makeup and feel pretty. But I also felt a little bit guilty. The past few months prior, I had gotten accustomed to working nonstop and all weekend—on my consulting, my food blog, my brand partnerships, and my cookbook—that it felt strange taking weekends off to have fun. It didn’t feel productive and I was so used to feeling productive.

I’m still learning how to give myself grace and to not be so hard on myself. I think a part of me feels like I don’t deserve a break yet because I haven’t achieved certain goals. But I need to give myself credit for the things I did achieve and I need to allow myself to celebrate those small wins. I also need to learn how to pivot. If certain goals aren’t working out for me, maybe I need to shift my focus onto something else. Mix things up until something sticks. I think part of the reason I felt guilty for having fun this month is because I felt a little bit lost in life in terms of what I wanted to work towards next. How can I have fun if I don’t know what I want? Do I need to know what I want all the time though? Do I always need to know the next step? I could sit on my couch, in my comfy sweatpants, and dwell on my existential crisis all day, but answers don’t just come to you because you’re waiting for them. You have to keep on moving, moving forward and sometimes around in circles, and eventually it will find you. But not on the couch. Answers don’t come to you on the couch, unfortunately. At least not in my experience.

I think I finally found it though. The answers I was looking for. Or at least pieces of it. And it would not have come to me without going out, interacting and socializing with people, and having random conversations that inspire ideas. I guess the fun was productive. The ideas would not have come to me sitting at home trying to will the answers into existence in my brain. Anyway, I know I’m being cryptic because I don’t necessarily want to spell out my personal goals publicly, but I’m sure you understand what I’m trying to say and can relate.

Happy Lunar New Year my friends! Year of the Tiger. Another chance to reset. And I think I’m feeling much more prepared and ready for it this time around than on Jan 1st. Thank goodness.

Indonesian Mie Goreng Noodles

Mie Goreng is a popular Indonesian fried noodle dish made with mixed vegetables, topped with a fried egg, and served with lime and chili sauce. It is sometimes served with meat or shrimp. When I traveled to Bali years ago, I ordered this dish at almost every restaurant I visited. I love noodles and thought it’s about time I try making the dish for myself. I packed my recipe with lots of vegetables because I love vegetables and wanted the dish to be healthier and less carby. Feel free to cut down on the veggies and add protein.

MIE GORENG (serves 4)

Ingredients:

7 oz of dried egg noodles (I used lo mein noodles but you can also use noodles from instant ramen packets)

1½ cups of shredded cabbage

1½ cups of bean sprouts

2 cups of shredded bok choy

1½ cups of scallions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 shallot, thinly sliced

7 oz of fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp dark soy sauce (for color)

½ tsp sugar

1 tsp chili sauce

1 lime, cut into wedges

4 fried eggs

extra chili sauce for serving

Directions:

Cook egg noodles and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots. Lightly toast.

Add cabbage and shiitake mushrooms and let cook for a few minutes.

Throw in bok choy and scallions and cook lightly. If your veggies start to burn, add a tablespoon or two of water.

Lower heat. Add noodles. Pour oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and chili sauce over the noodles and toss thoroughly.

Add bean sprouts and toss some more. Cook briefly.

Turn off heat and set aside.

Fry eggs sunny side up.

Serve noodles with fried egg on top, chili sauce, and lime.

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, & Gruyere Puff Pastry Bites

A couple years ago, I ordered a mushroom-stuffed puff pastry at a French restaurant as an appetizer and I remember loving it. But then again, I love anything with mushrooms. Since then, I had been wanting to experiment with puff pastry sheets. It’s not something I’ve ever used before. The result of my experimentation were these delicious little bites! These bites work well as an appetizer because they are easy to pick up and munch on as finger food. The puff pastry is soft and flakey. The mushroom mix is light and flavorful and the cheese is goey. If you are a mushroom lover like me, you need to try this recipe. It’s easy to make and it’s so good. Next time, I might try making a puff pastry turnover since that might be a litte heartier.

CARAMELIZED ONION, MUSHROOM, & GRUYERE PUFF PASTRY BITES (makes 18 small rounds)

Ingredients:

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

½ tsp thyme

1 clove of garlic, diced

1 tbsp butter

¼ cup of white wine

1 tbsp olive oil

1 egg, whisked (for the egg wash)

2 puff pastry sheets

1 small sweet yellow onion, diced

8 oz cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

3.5 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

5-6 slices of gruyere cheese or shredded gruyere/swiss cheese blend

chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, cut puff pastry into little rounds using a cutter. I didn’t have one available so I just used a small sauce bowl that is 2¾ inches in diameter and cut around that. If you prefer, you can cut your puff pastry sheets into squares, which would be even quicker. Set aside.

Add 1 tbsp olive oil into a medium frying pan. Saute diced onions over medium heat until caramelized. Add 1 tbsp butter and let melt. Toss in garlic and mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until the mushrooms have shrunken. Pour in wine and let reduce.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, arrange puff pastry rounds. Brush with egg wash. Add a spoonful of the sauteed mushroom and onions onto each round, leaving space around the edges. Bake for about 14 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees.

Pull out baking sheet tray from the oven. Add small slices of gruyere cheese on top of each round. Return to oven and bake for about 4-5 more minutes.

Garnish with chopped parsley. And that’s it! Easy peasy and delish!