. dash of food .

New home here .

After having wanting to make the jump with my blog going onto the next phase for quite a few months, I've finally done it! The .dash of food. blog has a new web address now :) You can see the changes over at www.dashoffood.com ! Hope you enjoy your visit there, and please update your RSS reader with the new feed address as well. For those subscribing to the feeds by email updates, I will shortly update the feed link, so you shouldn't have to do anything to continue receiving the email updates from the new site. Thank you for following along my sporatic adventures in and outside the kitchen. With the update of the site, I hope to become better at posting more often and making your visits and reads worthwhile.

Photograph by kaishin chu © 2009 . The Bonus - Basil Pistachio Pesto Well, after lamenting over the loss of production from my basil plants, I had a colander full of uninfested basil leaves that were rescued one by one from the culled stalks. J washed and cleaned these one by one to make sure there were no hidden baby scale bugs still attached. I had never before made fresh basil pesto before, but seen many different recipes, so figured I couldn't go too wrong. One thing missing though, was Pine nuts. I haven't seen pine nuts here yet, though I know China produces them and does eat them in the north country. I figured I would try substituting with the excellent pistachios we had on hand for sake of experimenting. It turned out great and was delicious :) Ingredients: Phase 1: 2 cups fresh basil, packed 2 med - large cloves garlic, peeled, roughly chopped (about 2 tbsp, or half this, if you prefer) 1/2 cup pistachio nuts, shelled 1 tsp fresh lemon juice 1/4 tsp.fresh lemon...

Photography: kaishin chu © 2009. One thing both J and I love to smell during the winter months esp. is the smell of garlic roasitng in the house. It is intoxicating. We figured out the settings needed for our toaster oven to do a proper job, and we are so happy for it. (it's been much cooler in the month of Dec - Feb here, temp avg. around 11-17C, and with non insulated housing [ for the humid months] and no central heating, it took a bit of playing around to get the right temp to cook it in the proper time.) ---- Cut top off, drizzle olive oil, dash of salt, cover with foil in pan, roast, enjoy aromas, then devour. Toaster oven in winter: 375F for 1-1/4 hour, then left inside to cool down for 1/2 hour. In our Vancouver convection oven: 325F for 45 min, and left inside to cool down for 1/2 - 1 hour. If you like it less pungent, lower temp and lengthen roast time :)

Has anyone seen this in the Vancouver markets and tried it? A sustainable tuna, yum!! Kona Kampachi® is a delicious, sushi-grade Hawaiian yellowtail, sustainably raised in the pristine open ocean off the coast of Hawaii. In the wild, Seriola rivoliana would be known as Almaco Jack or kahala, but Kona Kampachi® is substantially different from its wild counterpart. Kona Blue nurtures its Kona Kampachi® through its entire life cycle from hatch to harvest, yielding one of the healthiest and most delicious fish on the market today.

Mouthwatering and heartwarming food event...

Photos posted by Kaishin Chu © 2009. I created this recipe a few years back while we vacationed in Tofino in a log cabin. I had hoped to make buttermilk pancakes (a recipe originally developed in my college days), but we couldn't find any buttermilk to purchase at the local little market on our way into town. Since I often adapt recipes in lieu of missing ingredients, so in this case seeing that I had brought a container of strawberries macerating in balsamic vinegar, I thought I would use the vinegar with milk to create something similar to buttermilk. I figured it couldn't hurt. Photos posted by Kaishin Chu © 2009. The breakfast turned out amazing, the pancakes were fluffy yet substantial, moist and full of flavour, esp. with maple syrup... After the meal, the idea for a proper recipe was set forth. Last year, I dreamt up another delectable recipe using balsamic vinegar left over from macerating fruit, to make panna cotta... I'll save that recipe to share with you for a...

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1985 , Photos by: kaishin chu © 2008 J had this one in his wine collection, and since we've decided to travel abroad indefinitely for the time being, he decided that there was no time like the present to open it with family for Christmas Day dinner. Though it did need a bit of time to breathe, it was still drinkable, a bit too 'old' tasting for my taste, but perhaps it was due to the disintegrating cork.

I came across this site via a trend spotting newsletter I subscribe to, and wish I was back at North America for a short time where I could then order and try some of these artesan foodie items!! Check it out for yourself... *drool*

Photos posted by Kaishin Chu © 2008. This was my first attempt at making sushi rolls in Zhuhai, had to be a little bit creative with ingredients. Since then, I've managed to find all the ingredients needed :) Ingredients: Chicken Breast - cut into strips and sautée, then add a bit of water to thin the sauce (marinated in soysauce, brown sugar, crushed garlic, cornstarch, cooking wine) Cucumber - julienned Mayonaise (Kewpie Mayanaise used here) Green Onion - slivered Avocado (not pictured, as we couldn't find this product here yet) Short Grain rice - cooked and cooled Seaweed Sheets Bamboo Rolling Mat Steps: 1. wrap your bamboo mat with plastic wrap 2. place seaweed sheet 1/4" from the edge closest to you 3. fill rice layer right to edges of only 3 sides, leaving the edge away from you with 3/4' empty. Works best if your rice is lukewarm, as it's more pliable and it will help to soften seaweed just enough for it to stick and make it easier to cut. 4. put filli...

Italian styled Garlic Prawns with Spicy Sausages © Kaishin Chu 2008 I made this for a potluck gathering, it turned out really well as it reheated under the broiler perfectly. Don't forget to have some good bread for dipping and soaking up the juices at the end. 2 Cups of fresh prawns or room temp. defrosted ones, shells off with tails on (easier as finger food) 1 cup spicy Italian sausages, sliced about 1/4" - 3/8" thick pieces 1/2 cup minced red onions 1/4 cup diced red and yellow peppers + 1 TBsp for garnishing 1 Tbsp. crushed or finely minced garlic 2 tsp. paprika Sea Salt and Peper 1/4 tsp. chili flakes chopped fresh parsley to garnish Use a decent amount of olive oil (2-3 tbsp) and butter (1-2 tbsp) to quickly heat the garlic, onion, chili flakes, and peppers, just till the aroma comes out. Then add the sausages in to cook. saute until cooked through. Then add Prawns, and sprinkle in the paprika, stir and sautee till just slightly undercooked, then turn off...

scalloped and pretty © Kaishin Chu 2008. Purple potatoes layered with onions, and yellow potatoes. Drizzle layers with olive oil and sprinkling of sea salt and fresh black pepper. cover with tin foil and bake till almost tender, then remove foil to brown the top layer while finishing up the cooking. remove to cool a bit from oven. heat 3 tbsp of olive oil and put in 1 tbsp of minced basil and 1tsp of minced/crushed garlic. heat just enough till aromas come out and lessens the bite of the garlic. spread on top of potatoes. serve.

Wow! I'm absolutely delighted and elated that an online kitchen/cooking knowlegde site named, ' Apartment Therapy - The Kitchn ' blogged with my photo and gave mention to my food blog :) Click on the image, should you want to check it the web page :) http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/good-questions/good-question-what-does-short-mean-in-a-recipe-050169

One of my favorite year round drinks to have is Prosecco from Italy. It's crisp, light and fruity flavours always lift my spirits. Since having moved to China for a short term, I've been craving it. It was almost readily available in Vancouver, through certain stores, but here, no luck seeing it yet. The images above are a just a few of my favorites, by Mionetto Valdobbiadene, sold at BC Liquor Stores, and some cold beer & wine stores. There are quite a few other brands that are just as good, but not as readily available outside of the BC Liquor stores. If you haven't tried it, really you should, esp during the warm summer days. The Italians would drink it throughout a meal, which can last for hours, esp. with dinner and friends. It also makes great cocktails, just add fruit mash to it, sort of like an eye-opener. Those of you with access to this, have one for me please!

Sphaghetti Bolognese - Chinese fusion , originally uploaded by .kaishin. . Hey Everyone, Just a quick update from Zhuhai. It appears that I still cannot view my own blog here, due to censorship from China, with not allowing commoners to have access to personal blogs, where freedom of speech is performed. It seems that I can still post, just won't be able to see how it looks post posting. So here goes, first of my posts from China. Sphaghetti Bolognese - Chinese fusion Doing with what was available. Tomato Pulp Ground Pork Fresh Tomato Garlic Black Ground Pepper Chilli Flakes (Chinese kind) Yellow Onion Green Onion (a bit of it for colour and herb flavour) Flavour turned out quite well. Def. had a bit of a Chinese flavour to it, due to the difference in pork flavour and it was more chunky, as well as the green onion. Never the less, it was really nice to have some pasta for a change. Now if I could only get my hands on some soil and pots, then I can test grow some of my...

Photo posted by Kaishin Chu © 2008. For the first time, I cooked with lamb. Bought a lovely pkg of lamb leg steaks, organic to boot! Med rare seems to work best here. Also for the first time, cooked the quinoa with some tomato juice (V8 was used) along with water. The flavour was richer and the grains became a bit more sticky, as the juice helped to carmelize a bit. Lamb Leg steak, pan grill till med rare with sea salt and black pepper. Quinoa cooked 1/2 water and 1/2 tomato juice for the liquid. Panfried Broccoli & Cherry Tomato halves with minced Garlic, salt & fresh black pepper. (saute garlic first to bring out aroma, then add tomatoes to get them heated through, then add broccoli to cook. Add a TBSP of water and put lid on to allow flash steam heat. Remove lid after a min, and cook another min or two... depending how cooked through you like your brocs.)

Photo posted by Kaishin Chu © 2008. Humus (Chick Pea Dip) 1 can (540ml/19 fl oz) of chick peas/garganzo beans or can substitute with Cannelli Beans to make a Bean dip 2 tsp of crushed garlic 2 -3 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice ( you can adjust this to your taste, don't be afraid to put some of it first, blend then taste to see if you need more) 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil 1/4 - 1/2 cup Olive oil Salt & Pepper Paprika Put Beans, garlic, lemon juice, and sesame oil into food processor and blend until pureed. With process running, drizzle in Olive oil, enough until mixture smooths out to a consistency you like. Add 1/2 Tsp Salt and fresh ground pepper. Then scoop out into serving container, then sprinkle paprika and drizzle some fresh olive oil. Let sit for an hour or two to let the flavours meld, or serve immediately. Brushetta Your favourite loaf of rustic bread or bagette Olive Oil Garlic Clove Slice your bread about 1/2 thick on the bias, then place on baking sheet to broil unti...

Matt is my hero when it comes to food photography, teamed with his beautiful graphic asthetics. Here's a great article on Matt Armendariz, with links to his food blog and websites.

scalloped and pretty , originally uploaded by .kaishin. . purple potatoes layered with onions, and yellow potatoes. drizzle layers with olive oil and sprinkling of sea salt and fresh black pepper. cover with tin foil and bake till almost tender, then remove foil to brown the top layer while finishing up the cooking. remove to cool a bit from oven. heat 3 tbsp of olive oil and put in 1 tbsp of minced basil and 1tsp of minced/crushed garlic. heat just enough till aromas come out and lessens the bite of the garlic. spread on top of potatoes. serve.

Knog = Kai's Egg Nog... hahah This has become my Christmas classic, as it seems friends and family request it now. This Nog has even converted non-eggnog lovers to liking egg nog, the real egg nog that is. It's so much better than store bought container nog, which has been thickened with cornstarch or other. One year I even made Egg Nog daiquiris, which was extremely yummy and popular even in the month of July, while at my Christmas in July party. All you need is vanilla ice cream, some ice, and a blender, and voila! This recipe uses imitation Rum to flavour the nog, allowing people to choose whether they want rum in their nog, and how much cheer to add ;-) First make the Soft Custard : 3 large free range eggs, beaten (if not using free range, then you may add 1-2 drop of yellow food colouring to the custard to help get the yellow colour) 1/3 Cup white sugar 1/4 tsp salt 3 Cup 2% or Whole Milk 1 tsp Vanilla extract Mix well together eggs, sugar, salt in a large saucepan (2 qt)...