Thank you all for the get-well wishes. My engine is almost fully functional again. And if you have not gotten your flu shot yet, please do so asap. On a tastier note, I have something interesting for you to try this weekend. An appetizer that adds a delicious Asian twist to a Mexican dish — Shrimp and tofu tostadas. Wonton wrappers replace tortillas to create a crispy bed for grilled shrimps and tofu slices that have bathed in a ginger, soy, honey and sesame oil marinade.

SHRIMP AND TOFU TOSTADAS
15 large shrimps peeled and deveined (tail-on)
1 block firm tofu, drained and cut crosswise into 8 slices
15 round wonton wrappers
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp honey
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Cut each tofu slice in half, then place on several layers of paper towels. Cover with more paper towels. Let stand 10-15 minutes, pressing down occasionally to remove the excess water.

Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, honey, vinegar and 3 tbsp of vegetable oil to make a marinade.

Place tofu into a baking dish in a single layer. Pour half of the marinade over tofu, turning to coat each slice.Cover and marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

Marinate the shrimps in the other half of the marinade.

In a frying pan, heat up some vegetable oil to 370 degrees. Fry the wonton wrappers in batches until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and reserve.

Heat a lightly oiled grill pan. Grill 5 slices of tofu and 5 shrimps at a time, 2 minutes on each side.

To assemble, place a slice of grilled tofu on a fried wonton wrapper, top with a grilled shrimp and drizzle with cilantro oil.

Decorate with chives and serve hot or at room temperature.

The holiday season is here and wherever you turn, someone is having a party. Sadly, I’m not having a holiday party this year, for various (good) reasons.  But if I were, there is one appetizer that would have  a guaranteed spot on my table: shrimp in a blanket. I used to order these babies from a Thai restaurant in my neighborhood until it dawned on me one day that making my own would save me a lot of dough.

I’m usually wary of frying because it’s a messy activity, but these appetizers are well worth the effort.

SHRIMP IN A BLANKET
1 pack of frozen spring roll wrappers
20 shrimps cleaned and deveined (tail on)
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Warm water
Vegetable oil for frying

Toss the shrimps with the garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and marinate for 30 mins.

Meanwhile thaw the spring roll wrapper in the package.

Cut the spring roll wrappers in half, place them on a plate and cover with a damp towel.

Dab the edges of the spring roll wrapper with a little water, then wrap each shrimp, leaving the tail out. Use your fingers to slightly press and twist the wrapper where it meets the tail of the shrimp.

In a frying pan, heat up the oil to 365°F. Fry the shrimps in batches of 5 or 6, keeping them apart to prevent sticking, until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.

Serve with sweet chili sauce.

Good Japanese food is hard to find.  While there is an overabundance of decent places to choose from, I find it oddly difficult to come across authentic Japanese cuisine in Manhattan.

Then I discovered a restaurant on the Upper East Side, at the cusp of Midtown, called Wajima.  It’s an unassuming place — so low-key that I didn’t even know it has existed for three years in my own neighborhood.  But what surprised me was that this restaurant isn’t a typically Upper East Side Japanese joint.  In other words, Wajima is a very traditional restaurant, run by Japanese people, and full of Japanese patrons.  And you know it’s a good sign when the cognoscenti are there.

What makes Wajima great is not just its authentic cuisine, but its $9.95 lunch specials are also an amazing deal.  There are several to choose from, and all consist of a sampling of dishes that arrive on a lacquered wooden tray.  My favorite is the Sanmizen: little bowls of chirashi, tempura shrimp, cold soba noodles, steamed egg custard, and miso soup.  Each dish is delicious and distinct from the others—a veritable Japanese smorgasbord.  I love having a little bit of everything, especially when the price is right, and Wajima is the perfect place to get it.

This recipe comes courtesy of Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen (a great resource for everyday Asian recipes), via Simply Recipes. I, for one, always have a hunk of ginger on hand, and the ingredients here are so simple it’s almost hard to believe! I used chicken breast, but you could save even more by using boneless, skinless thighs.

I would have taken more process pictures, but to be perfectly honest, chunks of chicken doused in egg white and cornstarch look kind of revolting, and don’t do justice to the deliciousness of the finished product! The only other modification I made was to add a small diced onion to the mix. You could definitely throw in any veggies hanging out in your crisper.

Ingredients
(recipe as published on Simply Recipes)

1 pound of boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1″ chunks
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 10-ounce can pineapple chunks (reserve juice)
1/4 cup juice from the canned pineapple
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

In a bowl, combine the chicken with the egg white, salt and cornstarch. Stir to coat the chicken evenly. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

In the meantime, whisk together the pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, salt, and brown sugar.

Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water instantly sizzles and evaporates. Pour in the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. It’s important that the pan is very hot. Add the chicken and spread the chicken out in one layer. Let the chicken fry, untouched for 1 minute, until the bottoms are browned. Flip and fry the other side the same for 1 minute. The chicken should still be pinkish in the middle. Dish out the chicken onto a clean plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

Turn the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of cooking oil. Let the oil heat up and then add the bell pepper chunks and ginger. Fry for 1 minute. Add the pineapple chunks and the sweet and sour sauce. Turn the heat to high and when the sauce is simmering, add the chicken pieces back in. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Timing depends on how thick you’ve cut your chicken. The best way to tell if the chicken is done is to take a piece out and cut into it. If it’s pink, add another minute to the cooking.

Taste the sauce and add more brown sugar if you’d like.

Summer’s around the corner and it’s time to shake off the excess pounds accumulated during the winter. We all know that diets are no fun, so I’m not even going to try to pitch one to you. Instead, I’m going to suggest some guilt-free dishes that are tasty enough to please your palate, but low-cal enough to help you squeeze into your favorite summer shorts with little effort. Not only will these dishes be mighty deliciously healthy, but they will also be very cheap, leaving you with more funds to allocate towards your summer travels.

To kick off our weight loss challenge, we are taking a quick trip to China where we are going to pick up a leaf vegetable in the cabbage family called bok choy, and stir-fried it with garlic and ginger. Typically used in Chinese cuisine, bok choy can be found at most Asian markets or grocery stores. I bought mine for about $1 in Chinatown. All other ingredients are staples in my kitchen. This recipe will literally take 15 minutes to complete from start to finish. If bok choy is not readily available in your area, Chinese broccoli, broccoli rabe and spinach are appropriate substitute.

Ingredients

1 bunch of bok choy
1/2 onion
2-3 garlic cloves minced
I tablespoon of vegetable oil or peanut oil
1/2 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon of soy sauce or oyster sauce (depending on your taste)
1 teaspoon of sesame oil

Slice the onion. Separate the bok choy leaves from the stems and chop the stems.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or saute pan set over high heat. Add the onions and the bok choy stems. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add the garlic, followed by the ginger. Stir for about a minute, but make sure not to burn the garlic. Toss in the bok choy leaves, the soy or oyster sauce. Saute until the leaves are tender (for approximately 2 minutes).

Finish with the sesame oil, toss and serve immediately. You can eat it as side dish with some rice. But since we’re being calorie-conscious, how about by itself with a squeeze of sriracha?

Enjoy!