Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan

Author Website

  • Home
  • Bio
  • Books
  • Events
  • Work
  • Blog
  • Contact

October 1, 2010 By cheryl

Doenjang Jjigae: Tofu & Seafood Stew (Commoners' Food)


IMG_5617 

You could say I haven't exactly been the kind of daughter-in-law a Korean mother would have wished for.

I can't speak Korean. (I don't think being able to say "kalbi" and "bulgogi" counts.) And while I'm awfully good at eating Korean food, well, making it is another matter entirely.

I'd never attempted many Korean dishes simply because they seem terribly complex — each stew, each grilled meat I sample is always bursting at the seams with complicated clusters of flavors. How could I ever replicate those tastes in my little Brooklyn kitchen? No, no, it was always far easier to just throw in the spatula and hop on a train to New York's Koreatown.

After spending some time in the kitchen with my mother-in-law in Honolulu for book research last year, however, I started to come around. 

Since she lives in Hawaii and I live in New York, it's been impossible to keep the lessons going. So I've been turning to a blogger whom I deeply admire — and adore — who's essentially a one-woman Korean cooking school: the irrepressible Maangchi.

Many of her recipes are incredibly simple — foolproof, almost — and watching her videos helps you figure out whether you're chopping things the right size or grilling meats to the right doneness. Recently, I had her to thank for a lovely tofu and seafood stew I'd been craving …

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Asian, Korean, Recipes, Seafood, Stew Tagged With: Anchovies, Brooklyn, Doenjang, Doenjang jjigae, Garlic, Green onions, Hawaii, Honolulu, Kimchi, Korean, Koreatown, Maangchi, New York, Onion, Potato, Scallions, Seafood, Shrimp, Stew, Tofu, Zucchini

December 4, 2009 By cheryl

Leftover Turkey Hash Brown Quiche: Dieters Beware


CIMG0796

As much as I love Thanksgiving, I may adore the days after the holiday even more.

One word: Leftovers.

Sure turkey dinners with stuffing and corn pudding that have been doused in so much gravy that you have a thick, glistening brown moat on your plate are unbeatable. But this is also a great time to rev up your creativity in the kitchen.

What to do with your mounds of leftover turkey? Our Let’s Lunch bunch — a group of far-flung home cooks who have a monthly lunch date on Twitter — decided to tackle this question for December.

My answer? A garlicky turkey hash brown quiche.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Holidays, Let's Lunch, Recipes, So Good It Must Be Bad For You, Thanksgiving Tagged With: Basil, Black pepper, Butter, Cheddar, Cheese, Eggs, Garlic, Green onions, Ham, Hash Brown, Herbs, Holidays, Leftovers, Olive Oil, Oregano, Paula Deen, Quiche, Rosemary, Thanksgiving, Thyme, Turkey

Copyright © 2023 CHERYL LU-LIEN TAN · Site design: Ilsa Brink