Happy Year of the Rooster!

Goodbye to the Monkey and hello Rooster!

For those that dont know, Chinese New Year (also known as Lunar New Year) is a huge holiday filled with festivities and lots of superstitions!

Growing up in NY, we were lucky enough that we were able to celebrate with other Chinese and Asian folks. We had access to all the decorations and the parades, lion dances, red envelopes, and more! Our family follows the basic rituals and traiditons but we don't follow them all. If we did, we probably would need the two weeks off that the Asian countries have! This was and still is always a time where my sister and I looked forward to. Nowadays, we really enjoy meal planning and throwing the party!

This year, my sister decided to host and about two weeks before the CNY dinner, we began to furiously plan. We knew we needed an entire chicken, a whole fish, noodles, meat, and dessert. We ended up with Hainanese chicken, whole steamed fish, Turnip cakes, Taiwanese mee fun, sweet and sour pork ribs, salt and pepper fried head on shrimp, fish cake soup, pan fried bottarga from Taiwan, and Taro tapioca dessert. Believe it or not, we made all of this from scratch!

Few days before the dinner, we were debating on where to order the Turnip cakes from. At the end of our debate... we just decided to make our own!

Let me just preface and say... turnips do not smell the best! My apartment smelled like turnip for a few hours... but it was so worth it!

I knew that getting the consistency of the turnip cakes was the most important part so I had to very careful in all my measurements. Another pro to this recipe is that I used the Instantpot to steam the turnip cakes. Here is my recipe and ingredient list:

Ingredients:
2lbs coarsely shredded Daikon/Turnip, about 2.5- 3C (always buy a bit more because of water weight and you wont want to shred your fingers)
1 Chinese Sausage steamed and finely diced
Handful of Dried Shrimp
5 dried Shiitake Musrooms, finely diced
2.5 C Rice Flour (do not use glutionous rice flour)
2 C water (split into 2 1 cups)
Salt to taste
White Pepper to taste
Oil

Cooking Instructions:
- Rehydrate the mushrooms and dried shrimp in lukewarm water. You can do this in the same or separate bowls.
- Peel and shred daikon. I used a scale to measure grams to pound which is 453.5g to 1 pound
- Mix the rice flour with  1 cup water and make sure the mix is smooth and not lumpy
- Heat oil in a pan/wok/skillet, and stir fry the sausage, mushrooms, shrimp for a few minutes. Add the daikon, 1 c water, salt, white pepper.
- Once the daikon starts to cook down and the liquid is bubbling/boiling, turn off the heat.
- Since my pan wasnt big enough, I moved my daikon mix into a bowl and began to add the rice flour mixture. Stir thoroughly.
- Grease lightly an aluminum loaf pan and pour the mixture in the pan.
- Add two cups water to the Instantpot, make sure the steam rack is in the pot and place the loaf pan on top of the steam rack. I was able to fit two loaf pans criss crossed.
- I steamed in the Instantpot for 40 minutes with a natural release (10 min)
- After I took them out, I let it cool down and harden a bit.

The best would be to prepare this in advance and let the turnip cakes harden so it would be easier to pan fry. I found that the results two days after it was made  was the best!

Once pan fried, garnish with cilantro and enjoy with soy paste!

Of course, photos below!

Hot hot hot!

Speaking of SE Asia, I just returned from a trip to Taipei, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur! Let me tell you, it was HOT! Pretty accurate for this time of the year there. I actually havent been to Asia during the summer in countless years. It was always more convenient to go during the holidays due to work and family plans. This time around, my family was there and seemed like a great opportunity to travel with my sister.

Since I arrived in TPE later than everyone else, they had already been well accustomed to jetlag and sourced out all the new places we should check out. I won't go into details of every single place we went but one that is worthy of mentoning is Red Lantern, at Silks Place in  (Yilan - outside of Taipei). They're most known for the Cherry Valley Duck, 5 ways. If you love duck, especially peking duck, this place is a must have!

One of their top dishes is known is the duck skin sushi. It was the most amazing duck skin I've ever had. It was crispy to the right amount without being overly dry, the duck fat oozed as you took a bite. I savored every single chew! I even stole a bite from my nephew... needless to say he was not so happy!  (and still holds a grudge to this day and continuously brings it up - mind you, he's 6). The set meal also included shrimp, some starters, duck egg/spring rolls, duck soup with cabbage, 3-cup duck bones, and sweet dessert (red bean) soup. You can also order additional dishes as well. Photos below to show how amazing it was!

 

 

After a few days in Taiwan, my sister and I ventured out to Singapore and Malaysia. There was a lot of walking in both places, many times we walked so much and didnt ancipate it that we just got super hangry! Though we were determined to find the food we were looking for.

Some must eats in Singapore: Hainanese Chicken, Pepper Crab/Chili Crab, Assorted food from Tiong Baru Market.

We didnt actually get to eat the famous Tian Tian Hainese Chicken but we had an amazing Hainanese Chicken which is actually pretty well known as well. We went to Wee Nam Kee. You can pretty much customize your order (dark meat or white or mix). The chicken was tender, white meat wasn't dry and the sauces-- even if you're not a fan of spicy, you have to try the sauces. The ginger in the sauces, the umami of the flavors, cant beat it.

We love small hole in the wall places so we were having a hard time finding "No Signboard Seafood" that was not touristy or a big banquet like restaurant. We tried a few places and gave up on No Signboard. Ended up talking a walk through chintown - I know, touristy however came to a crab place in the middle of the square called Chinatown Crab Master. It wasnt over priced like the other places along the Quay and the lady was super nice. We really wanted to get multiple crabs but with just two people, it wanst feasible. We settled on Chili crab and fried man tou (fried buns). We brought it back to the hotel to chow down and it was sooooo amazing. The black pepper crab looked amazing too (we snuck a photo of someone elses pepper crab!) The aromas of the saltiness crab plus the freshness of the meat is an undescribable combination. In additon to that, you've got the chili sauce that you just want to dump over a nice bowl of hot rice! The buns were fried to golden perfecton so that instead of rice worked nicely.

Another fun place we checked out was satay street (Lau Pa Sat) right outside of Telok Ayer Market. We went later in the night for a snack and there are so many different satay stands! We really wanted to get something from every stand as a comparison. We ended up trying only two stands. Number 6 and 8. #6 was definitely the winner. The satay was grilled just right, the meat was still dripping with juciness and the peanut sauce was also spot on. We tried grilled skate wing at #8 but it wasnt what we eexpected, way over cooked and dry - that was a no go for us. I do hear skate wing is a must try though, maybe just not at #8.

Tiong Bahru market is a simliar to a wet market where they on the first floor is all produce and second floor is all food stands. Few thigns to know is the Tsui Kweh (steamed rice patties), the tofu pudding (BEST soy milk and dou hua - tofu pudding I've had in my life!)

 

 

After a few days in Singapore, we were off to KL! We were actually very much on the fence about KL during the planning phase. We LOVE LOVE LOVE Thailand and BKK but we've been there so many times that we wanted something new. So we decided to buck up and letter our inner curiosity take us for a whirlwind of a trip. I have to say though, it turned out more exciting and better than expected. First of, Malaysia/KL is a melting pot of so many different cultures. It really reminds me of the US in the sense that you've got people of Indian, Chinese, etc descent, however, they only acknowledget themselves as Malay no matter how many generations they've been there. It's pretty phenomonal. The Malays are extremely welcoming and it made us feel super comfortable.

Our first stop was W.A.W Restaurant - they're known for their bbq chicken wings. It was definitely good but I wouldnt say it blew my socks off. Definitely fresh and alot of manual labor in getting the wings to the perfect bbq taste. Maybe it was the weather but we had a bottle of Carlsberg beer and it was super refereshing and tasted so crisp!Probably also becuase it pairs well with the bbq! Their Hokkien noodles, which seems basic but was actually very tasty and well cooked. They were not stuck together and missing sauce, it was covered evently and consistency was just right.

Along Jalan Alor, we found a BBQ bacon spot. Imagine beef jerky but using bacon strips. We bought 200g of this and lasted us the entire time we were there plus some! Tasted almost like maple coated bacon but even better with a tinge of soy. It really had that sweet/savory umami flavor to it. Def must have.

Another must have is Ba-Kuh-Teh. I believe it is a national dish of Malaysia/Singapore and widely known. It is a pork rib soup cooked with some special spices. It's got some innards/intestines, veggies, mushrooms and you usually eat it over rice. One of our guides had taken us to a spot off the beaten path and it was phenomenal. It was quite herbally but that is just how its supposed to be. You can also buy Ba-Kuh-Teh packets to go and can make your own at home.

I know this is getting quite long but the last "food" thing I will mention is that since Malay is made up of such a large Indian population, one of my KL friends suggested that we MUST have banana leaf while in KL. Boy, was he right. It was the easily one of the top 3 meals we had on our trip. Keep in mind anyone going into this should be fairly open minded of a new culture and new way of doing things. We went to Sri Nirwana Maju Bangsar (Nirvana Restaurant in Bangsar). Bangsar is a pretty hip, young, up and coming area with lots of small local places. What is banana leaf? Banana leaf is a type of Indian cuisine where the curry, side dishes, are all served on a banana leaf! You would typically use your hands to eat what is served on the leaf and the tradition is that when you are done, you fold the banana leaf inwards to show your appreciation and show that you enjoyed the food.  (i ended up folding the wrong way but they were appreciative of the effort, haha!)

We ordered fried squid, mutton curry, and chicken tikka masala. Sides that were included were yogurt sauce, fried gourd (I'm not a fan of bitter melon but this was exceptional), and onions amongst a few other items. Not sure what it was but the combination of all the items just worked. It was definitely spicy on some dishes but it was really really phenomenal. Looking around, you can see how intertwined all the different cultures was and it was an enlightening sight. I will definitely be back for this!

One of our last spots before leaving was Yut Kee, they're a famous breakfast spot known for old school chinese breakfast. They're known for their chicken chop and Roti babi. Again, one of our top meals in Malay! Yut Kee has been around for generations and was passed down. It is a mom and pop shop and even though it has been pased down from generation to generation, the friendliness and hospitality of a small shop still stands. They also sell kaya roll cake and freshmade kaya jam!

Here are some photos to show our trip from KL!

Blast the AC!

If I didnt know better this summer, I would have thought we were in the south or SE Asia! The heat, humidity, and random thunderstorms in the last few weeks have been very un-NY like. July has always been hot and humid but we've never experienced flash thunderstorms as often as we have this year.

So, I thought... What is better than having Taiwanese style piping hot beef noodle soup (紅燒牛肉麵) in the middle of this disgusting heat? But at least I'll have the AC on, right?

I used to slave over the stove for HOURS on end trying to braise the perfect soup base and cook the meats down to the perfect texture. This time, the Instant Pot saved me again!

Growing up, Mom would seldom make this because it would take so long but we craved for it all the time. Back in Taiwan, Ah-Ma (my maternal grandmother) actually sold beef noodle soup out of the small porch of the house that I remember visiting when I was a kid. By the time I was born, she was no longer selling it but I would hear so many stories. On top of that, my dad even got involved with the business when him and Mom were courting/dating/or even beginning of their marriage. Dad was definitely a keeper ;)

So here is my authentic version of Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup!

Ingredients:

2 lbs Beef (this can be shank, beef stew, oxtail, beef tendon, tripe, etc)

*Beef shank is what is traditionally used as that is the cut that gives the noodle soup the rice collagen-filled soup base. This time around, I used Oxtail and Beef Tendon

2 small/med carrots - cut up in one inch pieces

1 small/med Onion - halved

3 Scallions - cut in halves

2 Tomato - cut in quarters

3-4 Garlic - peeled and smashed

1 Marinade packet

1/2 cup Soy sauce 

1/3 Chinese cooking wine

1 stick Rock/Brown sugar

Water

1 TBS oil 

Toppings:

Chopped cilantro

Sauteed sour cabbage

- 1 bag pickled mustard green (thai branded)

- 2 cloves garlic minced

- sugar to taste

- 1 TBS Oil

Noodles: I used Japanese Udon Noodles which is what I had in the pantry but hand pulled noodles or any other types of Chinese noodles would work too

(tips on some of the ingredients)

Marinating packet option 1

Marinating Packet Option 2

 

Brown/Rock Sugar 

First, I put on a pot of boiling water so I can blanch my meat. This will clean the meat and rid it of any dirty blood and things. I prefer a clearer broth so this step helps me in getting there. 

The pot will start to boil and there is a pinkish/brownish foam that will be created from the boil. I strain the meat and rinse it real quick with some clean water and leave it to the side. 

Instant pot is amazing in that you can do everything in one pot! Add the oil, then sautee the scallion, onion and garlic (all the fragrant ingredients) until brown.

I then added tomato and carrots, and the beef or choice of meat. 

Add soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar (I prefer this on the sweeter side so this can be adjusted to taste). Add water until it just covers the top of the all the ingredients. 

Finally, add in the marinade packet. 

Close the lid to the pressure cooker, make sure the vent is closed.

Press the manual function and adjust the timer to 75 minutes. I thought 75 minutes was a bit long so maybe 65-70 minutes would be slightly better. 

Final Product!

Black Friday... in JULY?

So most of you, if not all of you know that a few weeks ago Amazon had their Prime Day. Some walked away with some pretty good deals. One of the biggest sellers was the Instant Pot. It is a 7 in 1 multi function cooker. You can purchase on Amazon.

Truth be told, I was definitely a bit hesitant. Reason being that I wasn't sure that I would really make good use of all 7 functions and I thought that I'd just have a one week phase with it and then stop using it. Plus my kitchen doesn't have a lot of room so it was just another appliance that I could do with out. In my research phase, I read up on a bunch of blogs and reviews - everyone had positive things to say and people seem to use this appliance regularly! So I decided to purchase the pot! It was supposed to arrive with free two day shipping but ended up getting it the next day which was a nice surprise.

Recently, I had been craving a simple chicken soup and figured I can use the pressure cooker function to cook it in a just a short period of time. It was a weeknight and I didnt have a lot of time to make a full on chicken stock/broth. I was able to make the soup in 60 minutes. Just enough time for me to work out at the gym!

The result? Better than I could have imagined!

In addition, I had so much stock left over, I thought, why not make some chicken congee in the SAME POT! So that's what I did. All I had to do was add rice, turn the pressure cooker back on and by the time I had gotten ready for bed, congee was the perfect consistency and delicious.

Below is the recipe and some photos - enjoy!

Soup: (can use pork ribs, carrots, daikon, etc)

2 corn, broken into thirds
2 organic chicken thighs - can use any part of the chicken as you wish
few slices of ginger
4-5 dried shiitake mushroom

1. soak mushroom in water - 20 minutes should be fine
2. fill up the instant pot with water to about the 6 mark
3. once mushrooms are soaked and roughtly sliced, pour the mushroom water in the pot
4. Add in all ingredients
5. Press the "soup" setting, it should default to high pressure (make sure the valve is sealed)
6. Set time for 45 min
7. Salt/season to taste

Congee:
Soup base/water/liquid of preference
Rice
Whatever else you want

1. Liquid to rice ratio is 7:1
2. Add in any other ingredients
3. Press the "Porridge" setting, it should default to high pressure (make sure the valve is sealed)
4. Set time for 60 minutes
5. Salt/Season to taste - add any toppings (scallions, thousand year old egg, cilantro, etc)

It's Been a While!

Wow, I can't believe it has really been 3+ years since I've last posted. Time certainly flies and life definitely happens.

Since 2013, I've travelled quite a bit as well as taken on some challenges both in my personal life and career.

To me, life is about the journey, and not about the end goal. The experiences and people we encounter in our lives help shape who we become. Those that have come and gone in our lives, I believe have a place and a purpose in our journeys. No matter the outcome of those relationships, always try to see the silver lining. You'll be much happier when you accept those things and see positivity stem from them. Of course, in the case that there are already positive outcomes, don't forget to show appreciation and thank those that have supported you.

Those that have followed me for some time have seen some of the transformations in both my writing and my life. For a while, I've taken on some interest in street fairs, events, "fun" things to do around NYC. It really allowed me to appreciate NYC as a whole and I enjoyed every part of sharing that with my friends and family.

So where am I going with this? Since I've [really] settled in NYC, I've had the opportunity to develop my second loves - CULTURE AND CUISINE!

In NYC, you can practically find anything and everything! If you're talking about quality, that might be a whole other ball game but generally speaking, NYC is the epitome of what we consider a culture mash up.

Anyone who follows my IG (@crewgrl19), Facebook, Snapchat (ID: crewgrl19) know that my life is consumed with trying new things, and finding the best food out there (whether it's homemade or found elsewhere).

I'll be [hopefully] posting more consistently on my adventures of Pigs and Chicks (IG: @pigsandchicks or Pigs and Chicks FB Page), cooking, and dining out experiences.

Lots of folks have asked for recipes of food I've put up on social media - I've decided to post them here so everyone can access. Would love to see the results if you decide to test out one of Luluish's receipes!

Cheers to more yummy times!



via GIPHY

Sprummer Fun in the Sun 2013

Its that time of year again! Luluish's Spring/Summer Festival list!
I'll be adding to the list as we go. The list will have events running through October.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions or additions!

April 6 - November 2013 (every weekend)
Smorgasburg - Brooklyn Flea Food Market (W'burg)
East River State Park at Kent Ave and N. 7th St.
Saturdays11am-6pm, Rain or Shine
http://www.smorgasburg.com/

April 6 - November 2013 (every weekend)
Smorgasburg - DUMBO
Tobacco Warehouse (30 Water St.)
Sundays 11am-6pm, Rain or Shine  

April 20 - Fall
Fulton Stall Market
Every Saturday & Sunday
beginning April 20 & 21 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Under the awning of the Fulton Market Building at the South Street Seaport
South Street between Fulton and Beekman Streets, across from Pier 17.
http://www.fultonstallmarket.com/information

Saturday April 27 - October
Hester Street Fair
Corner of Hester and Essex St
11AM-6PM
http://www.hesterstreetfair.com/

Long Island City Food & Flea   June 15 - November (weather permitting)
46th St and 5th Street, LIC
10AM - 6PM
http://www.licflea.com/

Saturday April 27
Tribeca Family Festival
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Greenwich Street from Chambers Street to Hubert Street
http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/events/tribeca-family-festival-street-fair

Saturday, April 20
23rd Annual Upper Broadway Spring Festival Broadway
110-116 Sts., East Side of Broadway 

Saturday, April 20
Greenwich Avenue Festival
on Greenwich from 6th to 7th Avenue

Saturday, April 20
Sunnyside Skillman Festival
on Skillman Avenue from 43rd to 48th Street

Sunday, April 21 
Chinatown Festival 
on Lafayette Street from Canal to Leonard Street

Sunday, April 21  
Church Avenue Street Festival  
East 10th street to Argyle Road - Brooklyn

Thursday, April 25 
Foley Square Fair 
Worth Street At Centre Street

Saturday April 27-28
Brooklyn Botanical Cherry Blossom Festival
10AM-6PM
http://www.bbg.org/visit/event/sakura_matsuri_2013

Saturday, April 27 
8th Avenue Festival 
on 8th Ave. from 14th to 23rd Streets

Sunday, April 28 
Steinway Street Festival 
on Steinway from 34th to 28th Avenue

Saturday, May 4 
Lexington Avenue Festival 
on Lexington Avenue from 60th to 66th Street

Sunday, May 5 
25th Annual Broadway Spring Festival  
Broadway, 86-96 Sts., East ide of Broadway

Sunday, May 5 
Court Street "Brooklyn" Festival 
on Court Street from Union to 9th Street

Sunday, May 5 
Brighton 5th Street Fair 
Brighton Beach Ave-Brightwater Ct, Brooklyn

Sunday, May 5 
Metropolitan Avenue Festival 
73rd street to 79th street - Queens

Saturday, May 11 
Beer Balls - Meatball and Craft Beer Festival
12PM - 7PM
Tickets:http://beerballs13.eventbrite.com/# 
Alewife: 5-14 51st Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
Saturday, May 11 
2nd Avenue Festival 
on 2nd Avenue from 14th to 4th Streets

Saturday, May 11 
63rd Drive Festival 
on 63rd Dr. from Austin St. to Queens Blvd

Sunday, May 12 
Broadway Festival 
on Broadway from 14th to 8th Streets

Sunday, May 12
Upper Broadway Festival
on Broadway from 60th to 65th Streets

Tuesday May 14
Queens Taste
6PM - 9PM
Caesars Club, Citi Field
Tickets: http://www.queensny.org/qedc/queenstaste/

Saturday May 18
Taste of Tribeca
Duane Street (between Greenwich and Hudson).
11:30AM-3PM
Tickets: http://www.tasteoftribeca.com/

May 18-19
9th Ave International Food Festival
9th Ave (42nd - 57th street)
12PM-5PM Rain or Shine 
http://ninthavenuefoodfestival.com/

Saturday, May 18 
6th Avenue Festival 
on 6th Avenue from 23rd to 14th Streets

Saturday, May 18 
Graham Avenue Fiesta 
on Graham Ave. from Boerum St. to Broadway

Sunday, May 19  
31st Street Astoria Festival 
Ditmars Blvd to 21st avenue - Queens

Sunday, May 19 
Fabulous 5th Avenue Festival 
on Fifth Avenue from St. John to 12th Street

Thursday, May 23 
Foley Square Fair 
Worth Street At Centre Street, Manhattan

Saturday, May 25 
Greenpoint Avenue Festival 
on Greenpoint from Queens Blvd to 44th St.

Saturday, May 25 
Waverly Place Festival 
on Washington Square North from University to 6th Avenue

Saturday, May 25 
Annual Murray Hill Neighborhood Festival & Taste of Murray Hill
Park Avenue, 34-40 Sts., west side of Park Ave  
May be subject to change by the Mayors Office

Sunday, May 26  
26th Annual Livable West Side Festival  
Broadway, 73-86 Sts.

Sunday, May 26 
Flushing Festival 
on Sanford Avenue from Main Street to Kissena

Sunday, May 26 
Main Street Islip Festival 
on Main Street from Rte 111 to Smith Ave

Saturday/Sunday June 8-9
Big Apple BBQ Block Party
Madison Square Park
11AM-6PM
http://www.bigapplebbq.org/

Sunday June 9
National Puerto Rican Day Parade
Fifth Ave (44th to 79th Street)
11AM

Tuesday June 11
Museum Mile Festival
Fifth Ave (82nd - 105th Street)
6PM

Sunday June 30
NYC Pride March
Fifth Ave (36th and proceeds South) 

Saturday July 20th
Earth Awareness Fair at Herald Square
Broadway between 35th-39th St
10AM-6PM

Sunday July 21
Fulton Street Fair
Fulton Street from Water to Gold St
10AM-6PM

Sunday July 21
Rio De Brazil Block Party
46th St between 6th and 7 ave
10AM-4PM

Friday July 26
Grand Central Carnival
41st St from Lexington to 3Ave
10AM-4PM

Saturday July 27
Festival of the Americas
6th Ave between 42nd and 57th Street
10AM-6PM

Sunday July 28
Madison Ave Summer Fair
Madison Ave between 42nd and 57th Street
10AM-6PM

July 31 to August 4
Maine Lobster Festival
Rockland, ME
9AM-8PM
http://www.mainelobsterfestival.com/

Saturday August 3
The Summer Seaport Festival
Water Street from Fulton to Broad St
11AM-6PM

Sunday August 4
Lexington Ave Summerfest
Lexington Ave between 42 and 57 St
10AM-6PM

Saturday August 10
Times Sq Summer Fair
45th Street between 5th ave to 7th ave
10AM-6PM

Friday August 16
Bowling Green Park Fair
Broadway and Whitehall St
9AM-6PM

Saturday August 17
The Great Irish Festival
6th Ave between 42 St and 56 St
10AM-6PM

August 22-Sept 2
The Great NYS Fair
New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y.
8AM-9PM
http://www.nysfair.org/

Friday August 23
Irving Place Fair
Irving Place from 14th - 15th Street
10AM-4PM

Sunday August 25
52nd Street Jazz Fair
52nd Street between 6th and 7th Ave
10AM-4PM

Saturday August 31
World Trade Center Fair
Liberty Street between Broadway and Trinity Place
11AM-6PM

Saturday August 31
Herald Sq Block Party
33rd St between 6th and 7th Ave
10Am-4PM

Sunday Sept 1
Annual Brazilian Day Festival
6th Ave between 42st and 56 St and 46th St from Madison to 7th Ave

Saturday Sept 7
Grammercy Park Neighborhood Fair
3rd Ave between 14th Street and 23 St
10AM-6PM

Sunday Sept 8
43rd St Block Party
43 St between 6th and 7th Ave
10AM-4PM

Sept 12-22
San Gennaro Festival
Mulberry St from Canal to Houson
http://www.sangennaro.org/

Friday Sept 13
Midtown East Block Party
54th St between Lexington and 3 Ave
10AM-4PM

Sunday Sept 15
Eighth Ave Festival
8th Ave between 42nd and 57th St
10AM-6PM

Saturday Sept 21
Hammer and Claws Blue Crab Fest
The Tunnel @ The Terminal Stores
269 11th Ave, Chelsea, NYC
http://www.hammerandclaws.com/

Saturday Sept 21
Broadway Autumn Fair
Broadway between Waverly Place and 14th St
10AM-6PM

Friday Sept 27
Grand Central Fall Festival
41st between Lexington and 3 Ave
10AM-4PM

Sept 28-29
Hudson Valley Garlic Festival
10AM-5PM
Cantine Veterans Memorial Complex in Suagerties, NY
http://hvgf.org/ 
Saturday Sept 28
Sixth Ave Fair
6th Ave between 42nd St and 56th St
10AM-6PM

Sunday Sept 29
NYC Oktoberfest
Lexington Ave between 42nd and 57th St
10AM-6PM

Saturday/Sunday October 19-20
Oyster Bay Oyster Festival
Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park
http://www.theoysterfestival.org/index.php
11AM-5PM

Luluish Uni Pasta vs Basta Pasta

Lately, I've been into Japanese food more than normal. Hard to believe right!? I've been going to Yuba's a lot. Their quality is jut stand up and consistent. One of my favorite reasons why I go so often. Its just a cute and quaint place and the sushi is simple, no frills, and fresh without being over expensive.

With that said, I've also been craving Basta Pasta. The last time I was there, the uni pasta was a total miss! The uni was not fresh at all and I could barely finish my entree. So I decided to make my own! It also helped that my sister bought me a tray of uni from a local Japanese supermarket. The uni was darker than I normally prefer but its known that when they package uni, they sort by color and its not that there is anything wrong with it, it just makes it prettier in the tray.

As you can see, my sister couldnt wait to try it so she took a few bites. That ended up being a good thing since she gave me the idea of making pasta! She didnt think these uni were up to par with the ones we had gotten before so this was the spark of the idea. After work, I went to the grocery store to pick up a few of the ingredients. Like many cream based sauces, I used the basic ingredients. These included heavy cream, garlic, shallots, olive oil, and salt. The shallots and garlic had to be chopped super fine because i didnt want it to be super chunky.

After the uni sauce was prepared (it tastes a lot better than it looks!), I just mixed it up with some cream in my pan and threw in some pieces of uni for a more rustic texture. Then threw in the pasta, making sure it was al dente, mixed it up and plated it. There you have it - luluish uni pasta! Take your vote!

Basta Pasta Uni Pasta

Luluish Uni Pasta