Coconut-Taro Chicken. Pure decadence, this comforting dish is rich and creamy. The marriage of Taro (a versatile sweet, starchy potato), and Coconut is a union that came long before Bubble Tea and is just as perfect savoury. This one is dedicated to our friends at Taro PR!
Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken drumsticks, chopped into thirds and de-boned if you like
1 block of Taro, 1/2″ thick slices, then divided into quarters
1 small purple onion, sliced thin
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsps white or cooking wine
4 tbsps soy sauce
3 tbsps tapioca/corn starch
1 tbsp organic raw sugar
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Canola oil
Coriander, to garnish
Instructions:
1. Marinate chicken with wine, 1 tbsp soy sauce and sugar in large bowl, careful to rid of bone shards. Keep in fridge minimum 2 hours.
2. Heat Canola oil in large skillet till hot on medium-high. Fry taro in batches, 3-4 minutes each side till golden. Place on dish lined with paper towels to absorb oil. Set aside.
3. Leave about 2 tbsps oil in the skillet and set remainder aside.
4. Sautée garlic and onions till almost caramelized and brown the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add 3 tbsps soy sauce and stir evenly.
6. Add coconut milk, broth, 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Simmer on low, covered 15 minutes.
7. Add Taro, stir evenly and simmer another 15 minutes.
8. In small bowl, mix starch with equal parts water and stir into skillet, thickening sauce.
9. Transfer to a clay pot and broil 7-10 minutes till top has a bit of charring. Garnish with coriander and serve with rice. You’ll want seconds, potentially thirds so make extra rice!
Almond Cookies. These might seem basic, but they are delicious, with a pleasing chewy texture. The cookie base not only is gluten-free, it’s keto and also vegan. You can make these with minimal prep and little time in the oven. Above that, there are so few ingredients!
Here are two delectable variations, Cherry-Almond Thumbprint and Black Sesame-Almond.
Ingredients:
1 cup Almond Flour
3 tbsps organic raw sugar
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup black sesame seeds, toasted (variation 1)
1/4 cup crushed almonds (variation 2)
2 tbsps cherry preserves (variation 2)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven at 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In mixing bowl, combine sugar, salt, flour, baking powder and oil. Add 2 tbsps of water or more and gently shape into a dough ball.
3. For variation 1, mix sesame seeds into dough. Shape into 6-8 discs and placed on baking sheet.
4. For variation 2, mix almonds into dough. Shape dough into 6-8 balls and place on baking sheet. Press thumbprint down in center if each ball and fill with fruit preserves.
5. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Cool and serve. These will last a few days in air-tight container, you also may freeze them.
Gallery:
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
At-Home Hot Dogs. We miss our Toronto Dogs and it makes us sad that something we grew-up loving so much is getting harder and harder to find in the City.
One of our joys living near Davisville Station was a friendly vendor working till the wee hours of the morning to ensure we had something to eat after a late night out. We also were happy to have a vendor at Yonge & Bloor where we lived for a few years too!
We decided to make our own “elevated” take, which were a more-than-able substitute for now till we’ll be able to go out again! How many of these can you finish? 🌭
Ingredients:
4 Hot Dogs
4 Hot Dog Buns
1/2 white onion, sliced thin
1/2 yellow pepper, sliced thin
1/2 green pepper, sliced thin
1 whole garlic bulb
3 tbps Balsamic Vinegar
3 tbsps red wine
1 tsp organic raw sugar
4 tbsps olive oil
2 slices cheddar cheese, halved
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Suggested condiments: Ketchup, Relish, Honey Dijon Mustard, Sambal/Sriracha.
Instructions:
1. Take garlic bulb and chop-off bottom. Wrap in foil, add 2 tbsps oil and bake at 400°F for 40 minutes. Allow to cool and add salt, using fork to poke-out cloves. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in skillet on medium-high. Once hot, toss-in onions and sautée till caramelized. Add Balsamic, wine, sugar, pepper and salt. Cook down till liquid evaporates. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in skillet on medium-high. Once hot, toss-in peppers and sautée till caramelized. Add a couple tbsps of water and cook down till liquid evaporates. Season with pepper and salt.
4. Fill skillet with 1/2″ water on medium-high heat and boil. Add dogs and cook till water evaporates. Continue cooking till you get grill markings on hot dogs. Remove from pan.
5. Unfold buns and place on pan for 30 seconds to 1 minute till you get grill markings. Flip bun.
6. Assemble Hot Dog with dog, buns, toppings and choice of condiments. Use 1-2 garlic cloves for subtle flavour and four for an intense garlic flavour.
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Lemon Bars. I adore these so much and one thing that’s held me back from making these sooner is that I can’t finish a whole tray of these myself. This recipe makes a more reasonable amount and that way I don’t worry about space in my fridge/freezer and they’re so simple to make, I know I can whip another batch easily. Please use fresh lemons! You know it’s Summer when the Lemon Bars are out! The nose of fresh lemon juice with the creaminess of shortbread together is an incomparable sensation.🍋
Ingredients:
1 + 3 tbsps cup flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup organic raw sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
Lemon Filling:
1/2 cup lemon juice (2-3 lemons juiced)
3 eggs
3/4 cup organic raw sugar
3 tbsps flour
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. In large bowl, cream butter, vanilla and 1/4 cup sugar. Add flour and salt gradually till mixed evenly.
3. Line baking pan with parchment paper. Fill bottom of pan with dough, patting evenly.
4. If using a pan like I did, bake about 25 minutes or till edge of shortbread is browned. If using a shallower pan, baking time will be a few minutes less.
5. In mixing bowl, sift sugar and flour together. Whisk lemon juice and egg together, pouring into flour and sugar. Use handmixer to ensure mixture is smooth.
6. Using fork, poke holes into shortbread. Pour lemon mixture on-top. If there are air bubbles, pop with fork.
7. Bake 30 minutes with the pan I used. Reduce by about 4 minutes if using shallow pan. You’ll know this is done when the lemon filling is firm and no longer swishes.
8. Cool one hour and refrigerate minimum 2 hours. Serve cold. Makes about 6 bars.
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Steak with Mushrooms in Red Wine Reduction x Bacon-Green Onion-Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Ain’t nothing like a steak done right, right? No well-done, here, sorry! 👋
Steak & Marinade:
1 1/2 lbs Top Sirloin
3 tbsps Balsamic Vinegar
4-5 tbsps soy sauce
3 tbsps Worcestershire Sauce
4 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chilli, seeded and minced
1 tsp Herbes de Provence (oregano, thyme, rosemary)
1 pint small white mushrooms
1/2 white onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup red wine (optional) or water
1 tbsp organic raw sugar
Pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. In large platter, mix garlic, balsamic, chilli, pepper, honey, 3 tbsps soy, Worcestershire and 2 tbsps olive oil. Marinate steak in this overnight in large Ziploc bag(s) for minimum two hours.
2. Heat large skillet on medium-high. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and when hot, sear steak for about 3-5 minutes each side, depending on thickness. Transfer to a warm platter.
3. Sautée onions and mushrooms in 1 tbsp olive oil, till caramelized. Season with salt and pepper.
4. As soon as there is a bit of charring, add 1/4 cup wine or water, 1 tbsp sugar and 1-2 tbsps soy sauce. Àdd a bit of water if there isn’t much liquid. Allow to reduce uncovered for about 5 minutes till thickened.
5. Pour over steak and serve with Bacon, Green Onion x Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
Bacon, Green Onion x Garlic Mashed Potatoes
2 large white potatoes, diced
4 strips bacon, diced
2 tbsps unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk green onion, minced
3 tbsps heavy cream
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
1. Boil potatoes in salt water till soft. Drain water. Fluff with fork and put aside, leaving in pot.
2. Preheat oven to 325°F.
3. In pan, sautée garlic in butter. Once slightly browned, pour mixture into potatoes. Add cream, salt and pepper and mix till smooth and creamy with handmixer.
4. In pan, fry bacon till cooked, not too crispy. Remove bacon from pan. Use paper towels to pat-out bacon.
5. Leave a small bit of oil in pan and quickly sautée green onion.
6. Transfer mashed potatoes into a baking pan. Cover with bacon and green onions.
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand 30 minutes before serving.
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Meatless Sausage x Peppers. This is a hearty Italian classic which I felt could’ve been replicated with a plant protein. You easily could swap it out for meat sausage and that’s totally cool! I chose a tiny pasta, Tubetti, to sop-up all the liquid here, that way none of the flavour in the sauce gets lost. This has got a bit of kick, so you can omit the chillis if you like and use the non-spicy Yves Sausage as well. You’ll most definitely have leftovers! 🇮🇹
Ingredients:
1 green, yellow and red pepper each, seeded and sliced thin
1 450g package of Pasta
1 package Yves Spicy Italian Veggie Sausage, each sausage cut into six pieces
1 pint mushrooms, sliced thin
1 small onion, minced
1 can crushed tomatoes
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 red chillies, seeded and minced
1/2 cup red wine
Olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Handful of chopped basil
Cilantro
Parmesan Cheese, grated
Instructions:
1. Cook pasta in salted water, drain in colander. Do not rinse.
2. In large skillet, heat oil medium-high heat. Brown sausage pieces on both sides. Remove from skillet.
3. Add more oil, sautée garlic, onion and chillies till translucent.
4. Add peppers and mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook till fully caramelized and pan has some brown bits.
5. Add wine and cook down till some of liquid is gone. You can add a bit of water if there isn’t much liquid there.
6. Add tomatoes, basil and sausage into pan and bring to boil.
7. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes.
8. Add pasta to the skillet and coat evenly, allowing pasta to soak-up sauce. Add one more round of salt and pepper.
9. Scoop onto plate. Garnish with cilantro and top with Parmesan Cheese. Serve.
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(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Blueberry-Peach Pie. A recipe for the scorching heat we’re experiencing! Nothing says Summer like these flavours. Topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this is heaven! The crust is no fuss, just follow the steps! 🍑
Pie Pastry:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsps sea salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled
3/4 cup Crisco Golden All-Vegetable Shortening, room temperature
1/2 cup cold water
Filling:
5 peaches, skinned, pitted and sliced
2 small packs of blueberries
6 tbsps flour
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp organic raw sugar (or more if you like!)
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 egg beaten, used as egg wash
Instructions:
1. Prepare pastry, combining ingredients, adding water 1 tbsp at a time, handling minimally. Knead dough gently on floured surface. Roll into ball. Chill minimum 2 hours, no more than 5 days.
2. Prep filling. Mix flour, sugar and spices. Add peaches and blueberries, mixing gently. Let stand half an hour.
3. Preheat oven to 400°F.
4. Cut dough into halves. Shape into discs. Roll first half starting from center-outwards onto floured surface.
5. Fit dough into pie dish, covering edges. Prick bottom with fork a few times. Scoop filling into shell. Cut-in bits of butter into filling. Chill 15-20 minutes.
6. Take other half of dough and form circle large enough to cover top of pie dish, rolling center-outwards on floured surface. Use ruler and cut 10-12 equal size strips.
7. Layer strips, forming lattice over top of pie, sealing edges tight.
8. Brush top of lattice using egg wash using brush or finger. Mix tbsp sugar and 1/4 tsp cinnamon and dust over lattice.
9. Place pie dish on baking sheet. Use foil and form a ring around edge of crust.
10. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F with pie in oven and bake another 30-35 minutes till golden. 10 minutes before finished, carefully remove foil ring.
11. Cool minimum 3 hours. Serve with ice cream.
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Three Cup Chicken | 三杯雞. This is a signature Taiwanese dish which I’ve updated as one, many of us dislike bones and also two, the traditional recipe calls for a cup of wine, soy sauce and sesame oil. I don’t want to die of sodium and cholesterol! Yeah, no. LOL.
This actually is a close cousin to Basil Chicken, a Thai signature, which has fish and oyster sauces. This doesn’t. This one is really savoury and caramelized, loaded with flavour and brightened with fresh notes of basil and scallions. Serve this with some white rice and you’re all set.
Ingredients:
1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup white wine/cooking wine
1/4 cup freeze-dried basil or 3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 slices ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
2 tbsps regular soy sauce
2-3 tbsps dark soy sauce
2 tbsps organic raw sugar
2 stalks green onion, minced
2 red chillies, seeded and minced
2 tbsps vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
Sea salt, to taste
Instructions:
1. Marinate chicken in salt for minimum 1 hour and refrigerate.
2. Heat oils skillet in large skillet on medium-high heat. Sautée ginger, garlic and chillies till caramelized.
3. Turn heat to high and add chicken, searing till browned on both sides, stirring often to avoid burning.
4. Add 1/4 cup each wine and water. Add soy sauces and sugar. Stir evenly and reduce to low heat, covering skillet.
5. Simmer for 20 minutes at lowest heat possible.
6. Remove lid and turn heat to high again. Allow sauce to reduce till thick, coating the chicken. This can take a few minutes.
7. Toss-in basil and green onion and mix evenly. Transfer to platter. Garnish with fresh basil or green onion. Serve.
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Pandan-mic Coconut Cocktail Buns. Someone requested a Coconut Bun recipe. Here it is! I dare you to find a better combo than Coconut x Pandan (Asia’s Vanilla). We crafted a hybrid brioche, combining Cocktail Buns (sweet white bread filled with a sweet coconut center) and Pandan-Coconut Milk Buns. These were soft, fragrant and the coconut center made these next-level! 🌴
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Fried Clams in Black Bean Sauce |豆豉炒蜆. This is a favourite of mine and my mom totally approves, giving this a big thumbs up! Something about the combination of garlic, savoury black bean sauce and clams is a perfect marriage. And I love the way the clamshells just scoop up the sauce and minced pork bits, so nothing gets lost. I could eat this every day!
Ingredients:
3 lbs Manila Clams, cleaned and scrubbed
1/3 lb minced pork, cleaned
1 3/4 tbsps Lee Kum Kee Black Bean Garlic Sauce
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 green chillies, seeded and minced
2 shallots, minced
2 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsps tapioca starch
1 tsp organic raw sugar
1 stalk green onion, minced
1 tbsp sesame oil
Black pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat.
2. Sautée garlic, chilli, shallots and ginger till caramelized. Add black bean sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add pork and stir well. Cook till pork is browned.
4. Turn heat to high and add clams, covering lid.
5. In small bowl, mix soy sauce, sugar, starch and about 2 tablespoons of water.
6. Uncover lid after clamshells cook open (about five minutes) and using spatula, stir soy and starch paste into liquid till sauce thickens. Add sesame oil and pepper.
7. Ensure clams and pork are evenly distributed and remove from stove. Transfer to platter and garnish with green onion. Serve with rice.
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(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
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