Asian

Korean Street Tacos with Seattle Pickle Co. Beets

November 20, 2015 By Milen Gala

Late last week a couple jars of the most delicious beets I have ever tasted magically showed up on my doorstep. As I opened the door I caught a gust of wind from the cold, damp, and rainy Seattle weather and quickly scooped up the jars and brought them into my warm kitchen.

As the fireplace crackled in the family room I sat on the bar stool of the kitchen island and popped open a jar, quickly grabbing a fork and proceeding to pull out the most exquisite pickled beets I had ever set my eyes on. One taste and the subtle flavors of the garlic, dill, mustard seed, and celery danced on my tongue. Thanks to Seattle Pickle Co. these earthy, crispy, perfectly pickled beets immediately brought a warm smile to my face…. now, the question was, what to make with these delicious beauties?

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Thai Coconut Yellow Curry with Udon

September 8, 2015 By Milen Gala

I kind of have a thing for Thai food. It’s kind of like the thing I have for Mexican food, Indian food, and all things fruity and green blended together (ahem)…

But sometimes, nothing quite satisfies like a classic, hearty Asian dish, and this beautiful yellow curry recipe is exactly that (you know, minus the heavy cream, greasy vegetables, and deep fried tofu)….

Kid’s Favorite Quick and Easy Veggie Stir Fry

April 2, 2015 By Milen Gala

Every Wednesday I take a class in the evening and on those nights I like to throw together a really quick and easy dinner for the kids. In exchange for being able to watch TV while eating dinner (only when mommy and daddy are not home) I usually let the kids pick the entree… with only a few minor stipulations…

1. It has to be “healthy”… no, frozen spinach pies do not count…
2. Has to contain at least one vegetable… no, ketchup does not count…
3. Has to be served with at least one raw fruit or vegetable on the side that is not the same color as what’s cooked in the bowl…
4. And, yes frozen homemade fruit pops can be eaten immediately following the meal, but chocolate chip cookies… only after daddy arrives…

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Ginger Honey Garlic Tofu and Veggies with Farro

February 9, 2015 By Milen Gala

Guess what?

It was my birthday last week, and my wonderful, funny, thoughtful, goofy husband thought it would be nice to get me some stuff to play with for the website photography. Like…. a tripod stand, some new dishes, spoons, glassware, books, and other fun food photography gear.

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Soy-Caramel Seared Tofu with Broccoli

January 19, 2014 By Milen Gala

When searching for new recipes I find myself constantly going back to asian cuisine. First off, the pictures are so enticing. When I see tofu and veggies marinated in a beautiful sauce, served with rice or noodles I can’t help but salivate a little. Second, time and again, when talking with friends I find that homemade asian food is what they struggle with most. Perhaps it’s because some asian ingredients can seem to foreign to us and when trying dishes at restaurants, the flavors often feel like they will be impossible to replicate…. often arousing suspicion that it may harbor an unknown and unacknowledged fish sauce or shrimp paste! This dish will show you that you can easily make some of the most flavorful and most beautiful, vegetarian, asian cuisine in your own home and without using any hard to find or exotic ingredients. Every ingredient in this dish can be found at your local, American, grocery store.

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Soba Noodles with Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce and Soy-Glazed Tofu

December 12, 2013 By Milen Gala

New York is amazing, marvelous, breathtaking, extraordinary, wonderful in the winter time… especially between Thanksgiving and New Years. Manhatten glows all evening, and usually while I love being downtown, midtown simply does Christmastime better…

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Spicy, Sweet & Sour Pacific Rim Noodles

June 13, 2013 By Milen Gala

No longer is the food of Southeast Asia simply the product of mom and pop, family-run small establishments. General Tso long ago lost the battle to Morimoto and Benihana has given way to Nobu. The culinary weight and influence of Southeast Asia has never been more apparent in the United States. Gourmands and foodies everywhere revel in the distinct flavor-profiles of the Far East, either celebrating their original and traditional form or now more commonly, fusing them with more Western-types of cuisine. And while we may describe these once exotic flavors as a unique combination of sweet, salty, sour and sometimes bitter, the reality is there is only one term that most accurately describes what our taste buds are truly sensing, and that is umami. The so-called, fifth taste.

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Thai Style Sweet And Spicy Tofu With Red Cabbage

October 26, 2012 By Milen Gala

It’s getting cold in Seattle….. Our winter has finally set in after a spectacularly long and beautiful summer. This cold, damp, weather calls for some warm spicy food….

On Tuesday our usual weekly local produce delivery box came. I was emptying the contents and moving stuff into the fridge… Tomatoes, avocado, lime, 2 different types of apples, garlic, leeks, squash, zucchini…. and then out came a giant red cabbage. Now this was not part of our usual assortment of produce. At first I kinda just stared at it… Holding this giant bowling ball of a vegetable in my hand, awed by the beautiful purplish reddish color, it’s super glossy, almost silky, outer layer…..If I could just replicate this color onto bedsheets for our master bedroom, or an accent wall I thought….

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