Finally! There is finally time to make the lap cheong and mushrooms risotto. You may recall the lap cheong and dates dish from Eat Down the House. Well, a small supply of lap cheong is still hanging out in the fridge, and I have been saving it for for a risotto. Today is the day!

And “Why today?” you ask. This risotto will be my “carb-loading” for a running race tomorrow. I have never carb-loaded before, at least not for a purpose. (In our household, you may think every day is a carb-load day.) What do you like to carb-load on?
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Eat Down the House: Wrap-Up

Eat Down the House was inspired by an overflowing pantry and refrigerator, a lack of time, and a desire to save money. It lasted about six weeks, from the end of March until the beginning of May. Perhaps the experiment could have lasted longer, but alas our humble abode became wedding central and hosted bridesmaids and friends from afar. I had no choice but to go grocery shopping and make sure our guests were well fed.
The content of just one cabinet.

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Khaabar Baari
37-22 73rd Street
Jackson Heights, Queens 11372
(718) 639-6868

I celebrated Memorial Day by participating in the Bangladeshi Ambassador Program organized by Jeff Orlick of Iwantmorefood.com, and hosted by Bangladeshi Ambassador Mr. Rashid Mohammad and the owner of Khaabar Barri Restaurant Mr.Kaysar Halim.

The colorful tricycle in front. Photo by: Jeff Orlick.

The Ambassador Program, as described by Jeff Orlick on Iwantmorefood.com:

“The Ambassador Program has one expert of a culture lead a group of people for their own dream meal… This allows us diners to let go, eat well, and expand our boundaries for the city, the world and our palates.”

It was no surprise that Mr. Mohammad chose to showcase Bangladeshi cuisine at Khaabar Baari. On this Monday afternoon, Khaabar Baari was a bustling hub for the community – filled with families, as well as groups of men socializing both inside and outside of the cafe. On the main floor are savory snacks, and sweets, along with a buffet of hot foods. The downstairs dining room offers Bangladeshi Halal Chinese fare. [Read more →]

Grandma’s Tomato Eggs

The Eat Down the House Challenge, is to go without grocery shopping, and eat from the stock in the fridge and pantry.

The dish in the pictures has a higher egg:tomato ratio than the recipe below. I only had 2 tomatoes in my fridge.

Tomato eggs is a common Chinese dish. There are many versions, the more common version has chunks of tomatoes stir-fried with egg scrambled. But my favorite is my Grandma’s version, which is a silky blend of eggs and skinless tomatoes. During our grandmother-granddaughter trip to North Carolina to visit my cousin Vivian, my grandma taught us both how to make her tomato eggs.

The beginning of our grandmother-granddaughter trip
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Eat Down the House: Easy Roasted (Sweet) Potatoes

The Eat Down the House Challenge, is to go without grocery shopping, and eat from the stock in the fridge and pantry.
Please welcome guest blogger Sonia, my oldest sister and Restaurant Baby #1, as she eats down her house with one of her go-to roasted potatoes dish. ~Madeline

This is a variation of one of my go-to dishes and one of the few reasons I always keep potatoes handy in the house. The roasted potatoes are really a vehicle for two of my favorite spices, ginger and cumin.
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Growing up, my mother always celebrated every one of the kid’s birthday, by getting a cake. Being the birthday girl doesn’t mean that it’s all about me. All the kids in the household, not just the birthday girl, would get a red envelope from both my mother and grandmother.

A birthday celebration with cake and red envelopes for all.

Even though birthdays were always celebrated, it never excused my sisters or me from working at the restaurant during times of labor shortage. As a 12 year old, I protested “But mom! It’s my birthday,”- my last appeal to finagling out. My mother would respond, “So what? I have to work every day, including my birthday.” Point taken.

I was taught to seize every opportunity to celebrate, and that celebration does not only mean taking. For my birthday, I enjoy not only celebrating me, but those around me who makes my life so sweet. For my recent 28th my best friend, Lee Ann, gave me the perfect gift—a gift that keeps giving.

Lee Ann, an aspiring pastry chef, had wanted to make my birthday cake. Instead of making one cake, I started counting the folks in my life, and suggested she double the batch. Being the birthday girl, Lee Ann happily obliged and made a total of 44 carrot cupcakes over the course of six hours.

Doubling the batch means fractions!

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Star Anise Beef Stew with Bok Choy

The Eat Down the House Challenge, is to go without grocery shopping, and eat from the stock in the fridge and pantry.
Please welcome guest blogger Sonia, my oldest sister and Restaurant Baby #1, as she eats down her house with beef stew. ~Madeline

The good ‘ol beef stew typically conjures up a “just-like-Mom-used-to-make” sentiment. However in Restaurant Baby household, we did not eat traditional Western beef stews. Beef stew did not hold a special place in my heart.

It wasn’t that I did not enjoy a good beef stew, but there was never a craving or a fond memory associated with this classic American comfort food. Well, that all changed on a journey down into the Grand Canyon a few years ago. [Read more →]

Aunt Rancy’s Seaweed and Mushroom Soup

I am fortunate to have a wonderful family (despite our oddball ways). What is more awesome is that I have a very large extended family that includes friends and mentors all over the world who have all taught me more than they realize. That is why Mother’s Day is special — not only do I have my Mommy to celebrate, it is also a celebration of my other “Moms”. And I want to thank my Aunt Rancy for being one of them.

Growing up, the Restaurant Babies (all except for #4) spent summers in Hong Kong where we learned how to eat mango from the peel, how to live in nine-story buildings without elevators or central air, and how to speak Canto-slang. Aunt Rancy and I bonded quickly and easily during these summers. During our teenage years, we stopped spending our summers abroad, but luckily during my last year of official schooling, I had the opportunity to visit Aunt Rancy and Uncle again!

She took me to the gai see or the markets where everyone shops for fresh vegetables and fresh seafood daily for their meals (instead of doing a once-a-week grocery trip). On my last night, we prepared this seafood feast together.

Photo courtesy of Aashoo Tandon. Our seafood feast on our last night in Hong Kong

Aunt Rancy taught me how to make this very simple soup with seaweed and mushrooms. [Read more →]