.recipes

I try to cook a lot, especially because I have some dietary restrictions and you save a hell of a lot more money making food at home. I've been cooking since I was a small child, my grandmother taught me how to do so, and I'm deeply grateful for that experience and the ability to sustain myself with my own cooking that isn't half bad. On this page, I document recipes that have been handwritten by me, and have been prepared multiple times by me... This serves as a tasty reference for both myself and anyone else who wants to try them out :D

Thai Tea Two Ways
Most people know the milk tea method, but I really enjoy this iced tea method too :]

Makes 1 serving of either iced or milk tea.

TEA BASE:
  • 1 tbsp Chatramue tea (This is loose leaf tea in a red bag with Thai on it, very common in Asian stores… If you cant find it, using a tea bag of whatever Thai tea you can find works too.)
  • 300ml boiling water
  • Plenty of ice
ICED TEA VERSION:
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1-3 tbsp agave or simple syrup to your preference
MILK TEA VERSION:
  • 2-3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk

INSTRUCTIONS:
Either way, mix these all together once the tea is brewed in the boiling water, which takes less than 5 minutes. I recommend dissolving the agave/simple syrup or evaporated milk in the hot tea first, then adding to the ice/lime&ice. You can use your own tea bags, or a coffee filter/coffee maker works excellent as well, but Chatramue tea is very fine so you’ll want to use paper instead of a metal diffuser.

This recipe is for a single serving, but use the teabag for multiple cups! You can also serve it hot without ice; I prefer the homemade milk tea that way. The iced tea is super refreshing, the lime and vanilla in the tea mix go together so well.

Stir Fried Gai Lan
I eat an insane amount of gai lan (chinese broccoli) because my kidney problems mean I have to avoid kale, spinach, collards... Basically anything that isn't a brassica, but I love leafy veg and it is cheap/accessible for me. When raw it doesnt go bad quickly- I've kept it for 2 weeks before finally getting around to cooking and it was still fine- and it freezes excellently. If you dont like bitter leafy veg, then just use something sweeter like bok choy instead :3

Makes 2 servings.

INGREDIENTS:
  • 250g gai lan, some of the stem cut off
  • Enough boiling water to fill your pan and blanch the veg
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil for stir frying after blanching (I use peanut.)
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp boullion powder (I use chicken.)
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
I cook this all in one pan, my nonstick skillet, but a wok works better! I also use a plastic strainer to drain it after blanching.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Heat the water until its at a rolling boil. While the water comes up to temp, cut up the gai lan and garlic. Wash the gai lan under cool water, and dump into the pot when boiling. Cover your pot and let the gai lan steam/boil for 3-4 minutes. It's ready to drain when the water is a yellow-green color and the veg is BRIGHT green. Drain through your strainer and run cool water over the veg, reaching in to toss and turn it so that every leaf is cooled down. Return your now empty pan to the stove, and add the vegetable oil. Let this heat for about 30 seconds, before adding your chopped garlic. Fry the garlic until fragrant, then add your boullion powder and oyster sauce and mix them all up until the blend bubbles. Then, add in your gai lan; The residual water on the leaves will form a stir fry sauce with the stuff already in the pan! Toss the leaves until they are all well coated and cook for another minute or so, then serve.

This goes great just with rice, or alongside another stir fried protein. Blanching helps soften the thick stems, as well as locks in the bright green color that makes a lot of stir fried veggies look super yummy.

This recipe can be made vegan by using vegan oyster sauce made with mushrooms! It is just as tasty.

Halal-Cart Style Chicken Over Rice
I make this once a week because it is easy and relatively cheap, freezes well, and has a lot of spices which is important to get me to eat enough. This isn’t authentic Halal or Middle Eastern food, just close enough to what I’ve eaten at Halal carts here in New York.

Makes 2 servings.

SPICE BLEND:
  • 1 part turmeric powder
  • 2 parts garlic powder
  • 2 parts onion powder
  • 1 part chili powder (I use gochugaru, use whatever works for your spice level.)
  • 1 part paprika
  • 2 parts chicken bouillon powder (I use the chinese powder canisters but this can be substituted with bouillon cubes.)
  • 1 part cumin
  • 1/2 part cumin seeds
I make this in a large batch and store it in an airtight container.

CHICKEN:
  • 6-8 chicken thighs (I usually buy the 4 lb pack at Walmart and debone them myself, leaving the skin on, but get what you can.)
  • 150g plain greek yogurt (Just the individual containers work.)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tbsp of spice blend
RICE:
  • 180g of basmati rice (Any rice works.)
  • 1 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp harissa paste (I have both in a tube form which makes it easy, just use tomato paste if you don't have harissa.)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Enough water to cover the rice and then some (~220g)
  • 2 tbsp of spice blend
VEGGIES (Optional, here are some suggestions):
  • Handful of diced raw white onions
  • Handful of diced raw/pickled jalapenos
  • Handful of diced pickled olives
  • Handful of diced lettuce
  • Handful of diced raw tomatoes

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400 F (205 C). Wash your rice until the water runs clear, and then combine it in a pot or rice cooker with the tomato paste, harissa, olive oil, and water. Cook it medium-low for 15 minutes or until the rice has absorbed almost everything. Then turn off the heat, fluff your rice, and leave it to evaporate the rest of the water, fluffing it occasionally.

While the rice is cooking, combine the chicken thighs, yogurt, olive oil and spice blend in a bowl and mix with a food prep glove if you have it. Cover this bowl and let it marinate for 15 minutes, and make sure to disinfect where you touched with raw chicken. After 15 minutes, take the chicken out and put it on a baking sheet (over foil/parchment paper) and bake chicken thighs at 400 F (205 C) for 20 minutes*. Take out of the oven and cut it into cubes. Plate over your rice and veggies and drizzle with sauce** as you like.

*Please make sure the chicken is cooked, preferably with a meat thermometer. 165 F (74 C) is generally considered safe. I dont have one, I just have done 400 at 20 mins and never gotten sick, but be safe ^^

**Sauce-wise, I usually go with hot sauce and tzatziki if I have nothing else. If you have a Halal grocery store near you, they sell harissa and white sauce there, which is more authentic for that food cart flavor.

This can be made vegetarian or vegan by using seitan instead of chicken, vegan yogurt, and mushroom boullion instead of chicken boullion!