Jen Hearts Mayo

Shrimp with lychee mayonnaise and chili sauce was inspired by similar entrees I’ve eaten at Chinese and Japanese restaurants here in Massachusetts. When most people think of mayonnaise, they usually think of it as a condiment/spread/ edible glue in sandwiches but in many Asian cultures, mayonnaise is sometimes a sauce ingredient on top of anything battered and deep fried. One of my favorite mayonnaise sauces is a fruity mayonnaise and chili sauce on top of crispy deep fried shrimp or chicken. I have several versions of this mayonnaise, fruit juice and chili sauce combination. Today, I combined mayonnaise, lychee juice(reserved juice from a can of lychees) and Lingham's Hot Sauce. Lingham's hot sauce is an all natural hot sauce from Malaysia and it’s fantastic. It's a perfect blend of sweet and spicy and an unknown complexity that I couldn't quite put my finger on. It's quickly becoming my favorite. I have used Sriracha in the past and that works quite well too.

I deveined and peeled about a pound of large sized shrimp. Then, I made a batter with buttermilk and Vietnamese Fry Powder. The Fry powder is available at your local Asian Supermarket. I love Vietnamese Fry powder for deep frying because it’s a perfect blend of wheat flour, cornstarch, rice flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. The best part - no MSG. The buttermilk and fry powder makes a nice light crunchy batter. Finally, I drizzled the shrimp with the sweet, spicy and creamy sauce. Shrimp with lychee mayonnaise and chili sauce is great with white rice.

Burrito time!

I first had burritos in a little hole in a wall taqueria in Somerville, Massachusetts. It's a place where you can get authentic Mexican Food and practice your Spanish at the same time. Making homemade burritos is fun and easy. It involves an assembly of ingredients that were simply made for each other.

Beans: I like to use South American Grade A dried black beans. You can use canned beans if you like. Soak the dry beans overnight and then simmer them with carrots, celery, onions, garlic, beef bones and a bay leaf until the beans are tender.

Rice: I use Jasmine rice to make my Arroz Mexicana or Mexican rice. Why Jasmine rice? I like the scent, flavor and texture of really good Jasmine rice. Saute finely chopped garlic and onion in a couple of tablespoons of achiote infused extra virgin olive oil(steep the annato or achiote seeds in extra virgin olive oil). Add cumin, Ancho chili powder, adobo seasoning and 1/2 cup of tomato puree to the pan. Then, saute 1 cup of rice with the oil and spices until every grain is orange. Add 1 and a half cups of chicken broth, cover the pan and cook the rice for 20 minutes.
Meat: I usually like slow cooked carnitas for my taco and burrito filling. For this weeknight burrito, saute ground beef and taco seasoning until the meat turns brown.
The rest of the crew: large tortillas, salsa, chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream, and Mexican cheese blend(asadero, Monterey jack, and so on) and anything else you like in your burrito..guacamole perhaps? Oh yes, don't forget wedges of fresh lime.

Let's wrap and roll...
Lay the tortilla on a flat surface. Arrange some of your fillings on the middle of the tortilla. Take the tortilla end closest to you and pull it over the filling. Fold about 2 inches of left and right sides towards the center of the tortilla, creating a pocket. Roll the burrito tightly until you end up with a wrap.

What do I like to wash it down with? How about some Horchata, a refreshing Mexican rice drink with vanilla, cinnamon and sometimes almonds or caswhews. I like to garnish mine with fresh whipped cream, cashews and a Mexican Chocolate cake.

Pineapple, White Asparagus and Mushroom Fried Rice

I love all types of fried rice. This one was inspired by some of our favorite Thai restaurants. It's a pineapple fried rice of sorts.

3 cups of cold Jasmine rice

1 cup of white asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces (just the tender non-fibrous part)

1 cup of fresh pineapple cut into chunks(you can also substitute a small can of pineapple chunks)

1 cup of white button mushrooms, sliced thinly

1/4 cup of diced green bell pepper

1/4 cup of diced yellow bell pepper

2 teaspoons of fish sauce

1 teaspoon of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1/2 teaspoon of yellow curry paste or curry powder

3 tablespoons of peanut or extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup of finely chopped shallots

2 cloves of finely minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Using a large non-stick fry pan, saute mushrooms in oil until they start to caramelize. Add the white asparagus, yellow and green peppers and saute 3 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, turmeric, and yellow curry paste to the pan. Stir fry the ingredients for an additional 3 minutes. Bring your rice to the party and combine and mix with the rest of the ingredients until every grain of rice is mellow yellow. Add fish sauce and brown sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Melt in Your Mouth Beef Marinated in Greek Oregano, Sea Salt and Tellicherry Peppercorns

Last night's dinner: Boneless beef ribs marinated overnight in Greek oregano, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, minced garlic, freshly cracked tellicherry peppercorns and a splash of red wine vinegar. I pan fried the boneless beef ribs on high heat until I got a nice sear on both sides of the meat. We also like this marinated beef on the grill. I served this with a Chinese celery and grape salad and Jasmine rice.