Steel-cut Oatmeal with Fried Egg and Kimchi (a bibimbap variation)

Ingredients: 1/2 cup steel-cut oatmeal, 1 egg, 1/2 cup kimchi

Cook time: 8 minutes

Serving: 1

• Cook steel-cut oatmeal in boiling water according to package instructions (or microwave instant oatmeal for about one minute—time can vary based on brand).
• While oatmeal is cooking, fry an egg sunny-side up. For the best taste, keep yolk a bit runny.
• Scoop cooked oatmeal into a bowl and place fried egg on top.
• Add kimchi and mix it all together.

Photo Credit: Angela Lee

Spinach Salad

Ingredients: 3 cups baby spinach, 1 tbsp crumbled gorgonzola cheese, 2 tbsp walnuts (crushed or whole), 1/2 cup roasted red peppers (from the jar), olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Optional: 1 tbsp bacon bits, 1/2 chopped apple, 1 clove of garlic

Cook time: 5 minutes

Serving: 1

• Combine spinach, cheese, walnuts, red pepper, bacon bits and chopped apple in a bowl.
• In a separate, smaller bowl, combine olive oil and balsamic vinegar and whisk. Combine minced garlic, if desired, for an extra kick.

Hint: A little gorgonzola goes a long way, so taste as you mix!

Photo Credit: Christine Wei

Bacon Fried Rice

Ingredients: 1 cup jasmine rice, 2 stalks scallion, 2 eggs, 7 slices bacon, 15 baby carrots
Cook time: 20 minutes (if rice is pre-cooked)

Servings: 2

• Steam rice (about 20 minutes). For best consistency, use day-old rice that is refrigerator temperature.
• Fry bacon, set aside and cool. Break into small pieces once cool.
• Fry carrots in bacon fat until soft.
• Add scallion and bacon to the carrots.
• Beat eggs and add to mixture and stir.
• Drain most of the bacon fat.
• Add rice and stir fry.

Photo Credit: Christine Wei

Buttery Garlic and Sage Tilapia Pasta

Ingredients: 1/4-pound tilapia, preferred pasta (spaghetti may work best), 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 tsp sage, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp butter

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serving: 1

• Boil water and cook spaghetti according to instructions (usually around 10 minutes).
• Mix flour, sage, garlic powder and salt in a bowl or a plate with depth.
• Dredge the tilapia fillet in the mixture. For extra crispiness, pat the flour on both sides.
• Melt butter in a pan and fry the tilapia on one side for 3 minutes on medium heat. Sprinkle a thin layer of garlic powder on the top side.
• Flip tilapia and fry for another 3 minutes on medium heat. Sprinkle with garlic powder.
• Flip and fry for another minute, then transfer the cooked fillet into a clean bowl.
• At this point, the spaghetti should be done. Drain the spaghetti and pour it into the pan used to cook the tilapia.
• Stir on low and soak up all the fried, buttery goodness.
• Add more salt and garlic powder to taste (½ tsp salt and at least 1 tsp garlic powder recommended for garlic lovers).

Photo Credit: Christine Wei

Real Hot Chocolate (inspired by Max Brenner’s Suckao Chocolate Shot)

Ingredients: 1 bar of chocolate, 1/3 quart of milk

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serving: 1

• Pour some of the milk into a pot, enough to cover the bottom by ½-inch and heat on medium.
• Break up the chocolate bar and toss in the chunks.
• Stir until all chunks are melted. Make sure there is enough milk so that the chocolate won’t stick to the pan and burn when melting, but not so much that you can’t see the chocolate.
• Add the rest of the milk until you get the consistency you want. The full 1/3 quart should achieve a rich and creamy drink.

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by Elaine Low for MochiMag.com

Dorm Pantry Essentials

Before you head to Target or Ikea to pick up a food processor and muffin pans, check with your RA to see what appliances are allowed in your residence hall. Most colleges don’t allow anything but a microwave and a mini-fridge, so make sure you aren’t bringing in toasters or hot plates where they aren’t approved.

If a fridge the size of a mailbox is the only sanctioned appliance in your would-be culinary arsenal, head over to your dorm’s community kitchen to see what it offers–this may range from a full kitchen with a microwave, oven, stovetop and sink to just a microwave and nothing else. Also ask if it’s okay to bring your own appliances and use them in the common area kitchen (a blender or rice cooker could be your best friend for the next four years).

Only stock non-perishable, re-sealable items in your pantry and don’t go crazy with the Costco or Sam’s Club portions (I know it’s a better value, but where are you going to put a gallon of mustard?). Try to buy fully cooked meat strips in refrigerated bags from the grocery store, which will save you time and trouble, and always observe expiration dates. It’s easy to mix and match most sauces with meat or veggies–the noodle chili sauce listed in the first recipe below also makes a great marinade for chicken wings–so play with your options and get creative. You don’t have to have the resources of Kitchen Stadium to cook like an Iron Chef!

*Note: Always be prepared to tweak recipes to your liking. I usually add a dash of this and a dash of that, and eventually recipes become more like guidelines than strict rules.

Pantry Must-Haves:

• canola or olive oil
• soy sauce
• oyster sauce
• rice vinegar
• hot sauce, like Sriracha
• ketchup
• yellow mustard
• sugar
• rice
• ramen noodles
• canned mushrooms, water chestnuts or other veggies
• spatula
• wooden mixing spoon
• mixing bowl
• baking dish or muffin pans
• microwave-safe, heat-resistant bowls and dishes

RECIPES

Chili noodles and tofu (serves one)

1 pack of ramen noodles

Half package of tofu

2 cups of water

1 tablespoon ketchup, or more if desired (same goes for all the sauces)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons Sriracha (rooster) hot sauce

1 heaping teaspoon oyster sauce

dash of oil

1. If using instant ramen noodles, boil water in microwave and pour over noodles as directed on package. If using a stovetop, heat 3 cups of water in a small pot on high until it comes to a roiling boil, then add noodles and boil until tender, about 8 minutes. (Toss out the pre-packaged seasoning; that stuff always makes me feel like I’m eating spoonfuls of salt). Set noodles aside.
2. In a heat-resistant or microwave-safe dish, mix ketchup, soy sauce, oyster sauce and hot sauce. Add a dash of oil to the mix so that the noodles don’t stick together.
3. Drain water from tofu package, and cut tofu into bite-size cubes. Place in microwave dish with chili sauce mix, and drizzle some of the sauce over tofu. Cover dish, and heat in microwave for 3 minutes on high.
4. Toss noodles with chili sauce and tofu, and serve.

Asian Chicken Salad (serves two)

6-ounces fully cooked, grilled chicken breast strips

14- to 16-ounce package pre-washed salad greens

1/2 cup crushed, dry chow mein noodles

1/2 cup water chestnuts, drained

1/2 cup canned mandarins in light syrup, drained

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon oil

2 teaspoons sugar

1. Place chicken strips in a microwave-safe dish, and heat as directed on the package.
2. Mix rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and oil to make dressing.
3. Rinse salad greens and toss in mixing bowl with crushed noodles, water chestnuts and chicken strips. Add dressing and toss. Top with mandarins.

Spicy vegetable fried rice (serves three to four)

2 cups brown or white rice, or packaged pre-cooked rice

12-ounce package frozen mixed vegetables

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce

2 tablespoons oil (keep handy because rice sticks to the pan easily)

Uncooked rice:

1. Rinse uncooked rice and soak in water.
2. Place frozen veggies in microwave dish and cover in entirety with water. Heat in microwave on high for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat oil in skillet on low heat, then add drained rice and two cups of water and cook on medium-high until soft (and when all liquid is absorbed), about 20 minutes (time may vary depending on pan size). Add more oil if rice begins to stick to pan. Lower to medium heat.
4. Add soy sauce and use spatula to mix with rice. Add hot sauce, adjust amount depending on desired spiciness.
5. Mix in cooked vegetables and simmer on low-medium heat for a few more minutes until ready to serve.

Pre-cooked rice:

1. Place frozen veggies in microwave dish and cover in entirety with water. Heat in microwave on high for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat pre-cooked rice as directed on package. Add soy sauce and hot sauce, and toss in large microwave dish until evenly coated.
3. Mix in cooked vegetables with rice. Heat overall dish again for 1-2 minutes and serve.

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KITCHEN ESSENTIALS
Yummy spices and ingredients that you’ll keep coming back to and adding in each and every dish you create:

• soy sauce
• sugar
• salt
• pepper
• olive/vegetable oil
• sesame oil
• garlic
• onion
• chicken broth or bouillon (powder form)
• butter
• dry sherry or rice wine
• fried onions/shallots (already fried, found in Asian markets)

Ingredients:

• vegetable of your choice
• a few cloves of garlic
• olive oil

Preparation, 5 minutes:

1. wash vegetables, keeping in mind that veggies shrink when cooked
2. cut or tear into bit-sized pieces if necessary (such as with cabbage or long-stemmed veggies)
3. chop garlic into thin slices

Cooking:

1. heat olive oil in pan until hot
2. sauté garlic for about half a minute
3. add veggies and stir
4. add chicken broth for flavor, a bit at a time until salty enough for your taste
5. stir for a couple of minutes until cooked

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken
• sesame oil
• a few cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp dry sherry or rice wine
• 1 tbsp chicken broth

Preparation, 6 minutes:

1. chop a few cloves of garlic
2. cut chicken into bite-sized pieces

Cooking:

1. heat sesame oil in pan until hot
2. sauté garlic for about half a minute
3. add chicken pieces and stir
4. add dry sherry or rice wine and chicken broth
5. cook for about five minutes, stirring so rice wine and chicken broth are distributed evenly

Ingredients:

• 1 lb steak
• ½ tbsp butter
• a few cloves of garlic
• ¼ medium-sized onion
• salt
• pepper

Preparation, 7 minutes:

1. chop a few cloves of garlic
2. chop (not dice) onion into strands of 2 or 3 inches
3. chop steak into bite-sized cubes

Cooking:

1. heat butter until hot, or substitute with olive oil
2. sauté garlic and onion for about half a minute
3. add steak cubes and stir
4. add a salt and pepper, test-taste to your preference
5. continue frying for about 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on how well done you like your meat

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground pork
• olive oil
• a few cloves of garlic
• soy sauce, sugar
• 6 tbsp friend onions (optional)

Preparation, 1 minute:

1. chop a few cloves of garlic

Cooking:

1. heat olive oil until hot
2. sauté garlic and 3 tbsp fried onions (optional) for about half a minute
3. add ground pork and cook until opaque
4. set fire to medium
5. pour soy sauce liberally in circular motion, stirring to distribute evenly every time you complete a circle
6. repeat until meat turns dark brown, about 3-4 times
7. optional: stir in remaining 3 tbsp of fried onions
8. add sugar until you can taste a bit of sweetness
9. stir until sauce reduces (caramelizes) and becomes slightly sticky

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