Ambitious Deliciousness – Dont Eat Lazy.

Here is a recipe for a popular restaurant dish that is often found in Chinese style Korean cuisine. Say what?! If you’ve never had the pleasure of eating weirdly sounding dishes like Jja Jang Myun (noodles with black bean sauce) and Jjam Pong (noodles with spicy seafood soup), then you definitely are missing out! It’s not your typical meats and side dishes with rice – it’s more of a casual meal, mostly consisting of fried rice, noodles, and a large entree like this one for people to share around the table.

This recipe is for my friend J, who has been asking me to figure out what the heck is in this amazing dish! Now you can make this at home.

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Pad Thai, as you know, is quite a popular dish when it comes to Thai food. The spices in this dish is a melodious combination of tartness, sweetness, and saltiness. I’ve always wondered what ingredients went into making a delicious plate of pan fried noodle goodness. Have you?

I recall going into a Thai restaurant with my friend S about 5 years ago. Like any other smart New Yorker, she looked up a Thai place in Manhattan. We ordered Pad Thai there and I distinctly remember being disgusted at our noodles! We both swear that the major ingredient was ketchup. Major fail!

Interestingly, when I asked her if she remembered the name of the place, she said it was Topaz. I was so surprised because they have such good noodle dishes now! I never would have imagined that a place could turn themselves around like that. It’s a good lesson in not banning a restaurant forever based on one experience.

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Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is when a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Interested consumers then purchase a share to receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. The produce is fairly priced, local grown, and in my case, organic.

It’s hard to believe that in a few weeks, I will no longer be receiving fresh vegetables every week! I feel like it went by so quickly but am thankful that I won’t have to when it’s cold outside. It’s been a great experience for the most part; but more on that later!

I received leeks in my CSA share. Whenever I see leeks, I think “oh- it’s a unnaturally humongous scallion.” That’s only partially true, as leeks have a complex flavor, sort of a cross between onions and scallions.

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Remember that song that goes, “I’m just mad about Saffron…Saffron’s mad about me….” It’s called Mellow Yellow by Donovan. Anyone remember? Whenever I hear the word saffron, I think of that song. I never even knew what it looked like.. until now!

My cousin J and her hubs J came over the other night with a dutch oven, along with a bunch of ingredients for paella. What kind of guests bring the ingredients and dessert, and help cook the meal? :) The best guests ever!

By the time we were done cooking, we were famished. So we broke out a bottle of wine and ate very happily. It was sooo good!

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