Kenzo Ramen, Japanese Noodle House | Bloor Street

We headed to Kenzo last Tuesday night to lift up our spirits. A two hour panel-lecture featuring former Toronto Mayor David Miller and U of T’s David Hulchanski on the depressing and frightening future awaiting Toronto had left us feeling less than enthused about life in the city. RIP Transit City. The brisk winter walk en route to hot noodle soup was just what we needed to clear our heads.

I don’t know what it is about ramen, but no matter how full I get, I always feel like there’s never enough noodles in my bowl. This is probably an indication that I am a horrible glutton. Remember my second dinner at Ippudo last year in New York? Yeah. Glutton.

Since Ippudo, I’ve been ordering Hakata tonkotsu ramen whenever I’m confronted with a Ramen menu. What makes Hakata ramen different is the use of thinner and firmer textured noodles in a milk-white pork bone broth topped with green onion and pickled red ginger. Kenzo’s version is by far the prettiest in a striking blue bowl with the addition of al dente baby bok-choy and half a boiled egg. If you like colours, you know what I mean – it’s a visual treat! Tonkotsu-miso ramen, as I discovered on Tuesday, uses miso paste that darkens the broth, but gives it a richer, bolder flavour. Umami. I would definitely recommend the Tonkotsu-miso ramen.

Happy Sunday!

Wishing I was there right now.

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Braised Quinoa

Meal planning is tough. Browsing restaurant menus online (as one does obsessively) can be a great way to inspire and enliven your own home recipes. One such example is this braised quinoa with green bell peppers and  two poached eggs, lifted from Back Forty’s brunch menu.

In just the past two weeks, I’ve had three variations already, including one with tomatoes and another with oyster mushrooms. Conclusion: quinoa dishes make for hearty lunches while still falling into the nutritious fare category.

Here’s the version from last Friday.

Braised Quinoa with Oyster Mushrooms
Recipe adapted from NVR2HEALTHY

• 1 cup  quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 small red onions, minced
• Salt, pepper, chili flakes and Italian seasoning for taste

Add 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water in a sauce pan. Bring to boil and let the quinoa and water simmer to low heat while partially covered until all water is absorbed (15 to 30 minutes). Remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes. Take a fork and fluff quinoa. Let it rest.

In a pan, add olive oil and red onions, and cook until the onions are see through and browned. Add mushrooms and cook until they darken.

Combine the cooked quinoa and seasoning into the pan and mix well. When grain is thoroughly heated through, add the vegetable broth.

Cover the pan and cook for an additional 5 to 10 mins.

Serve warm.

Dutch Baby for your Sunday breakfast (or late Saturday dessert?)

Dutch Baby pancakes are impressive to watch come out of the oven. They’re a delight to make with their golden colour, like egg tarts or lemon curd, and browned crispy edges puffing out of the pan. Then, just as fast, they deflate and curl up! They’re still gorgeous to look at though, and are super cute as mini pancakes.

Unfortunately, my kitchen lights were out when I made them and I wasn’t able to get a good capture of the dutch baby when it came out of the oven in its popover gloriousness. By the time we got it to good light, it already shrank. I decided to serve them with a bright, fruity sauce made using Ontario strawberries, picked and frozen from last summer, and frozen blueberries..store bought. The persimmons were added after I thought the plate could use a bit more colours.

If these don’t brighten your winter morning, I really don’t know what will.

Dutch Baby
Recipe from What’s Cooking America, makes 4 to 6 servings:

5  eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk, room temperature
1 cup pastry flour*
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 tablespoons butter
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and place an oven safe pan or cast iron skillet to heat up until it’s hot. Like super hot.

2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and frothy. Add milk, flour, vanilla extract, and beat for 5 minutes until it’s well incorporated. The batter should be thin and smooth. Using a pot holder or heavy duty oven mitt, remove the hot skillet from the oven and add the butter, tilting the pan to coat every sides.

3. Pour the prepared batter into the hot skillet, you should hear it sizzle, and immediately return the skillet to the oven.

4. Bake approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.

5. Serve with a fresh squeeze of lemon and a good amount of powdered sugar.

*What’s Cooking America recommends using bread flour for optimal height result or all-purpose flour.

Vietnamese Pickled Daikon and Carrot (Do Chua)

Remember when we said we were going to pickle something? Here it is! Leo spent the holiday break making these punchy pickled daikons (as well as the jar labels) for his family. They’re the same ones used in our sushi.

Contents: thick-cut daikon sticks with sliced radishes and peppercorns for extra kick. Recipe adapted from Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy. Fonts from the ever awesome Lost Type Co-op, and illustration by Leo.