I have been making potato pancakes or latkes many times and have been our family favorite. Meanwhile, I have heard about the pancakes stuffed with ground meat, which is called Kolduny or Draniki, depending on which part of Eastern Europe you are from. The meat filling can be made from ground turkey, chicken, beef, or pork. I decided to go with ground turkey and that was the right choice. This recipe is delicious and perfect for breakfast, lunch, or brunch. Let's me tell you how I made it.
Ingredients: Serves 2
Turkey filling
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon grated onion
1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper
Potato Pancakes
3 russet potatoes, peeled, grated
1 onion, grated, and reserve for the turkey filling 1 tablespoon.
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powdersalt and ground black pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil for frying
sour cream for serving
chopped scallions or chives for garnish
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, add ground turkey, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, ground black pepper, grated onion, and mix well. Keep it in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes.
Form the turkey mixture into very thin patties and place them on a clean surface, I put them on a baking sheet lined with the parchment paper.
Peel and grate potatoes and onion by using the star shape grater or dice potatoes and onion. Then puree or blend them in a blender or a food processor until smooth. Drain grated potato.
In a mixing bowl, add grated potato, grated onion, all-purpose flour, egg, salt, pepper, baking powder, onion and garlic powder and mix well.
Heat extra virgin olive oil in a pan. Place potato pancake in the pan, topped with a turkey patty and covered by more potato batter, covering all the meat. Fry the pancake on one side until golden brown. Flip it to the other side with a spatula. Transfer to the baking sheet or to paper towel lined plates to drain. After I finished frying, then baked in the oven to keep them warm evenly.
Sprinkle a pinch of salt to each pancake. I made 11 pancakes. Serve hot with sour cream. Enjoy ka.
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| Yum!!! |
Happy New Year! Hope you all had a wonderful time with your family and friends. Last night, I was making one of my favorites shrimp and noodles dish. There are several ingredients including shrimp, bean vermicelli or glass noodles, and ginger, which you can find in the grocery stores. However, if you have a chance to visit Thailand, you might have to order a classic one. The restaurant will make the glass noodles and shrimp together and serve in a clay or metal pot. This recipe is a simple, kid-friendly, and perfect for lunch or dinner. You might give it a try.
Ingredients: serves 2-4
8 jumbo shrimp, shell on
3 small bunches of bean vermicelli or glass noodles, sock in water until soften
5 slices ginger
5 dried mushrooms, soak in warm water until soften and reserve water
4 scallions, cut into 1-inch
cilantro and scallion for garnish
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 slices smoked bacon
1-2 tablespoons cooking oil
Make the sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon black or dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons dried mushroom water
Make the cilantro paste
a handful cilantro stems or 3 cilantro roots, chopped
5 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole white peppercorns
Directions:
Make the cilantro paste, in a pestle and mortar or a blender, add cilantro stems, garlic, black and white peppercorns and pound until smooth.
Soak glass noodles in room temperature water until soften or about 10 minutes. Drain and cut the noodles about 2 inch long.
Sock dried mushrooms in a warm water until soften and reserve water.
Use a knife or scissor cut the back of the shrimp shell and open all the way to the tail. Remove the vein and rinse well.
Make the sauce, in a small bowl, add oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, dried mushroom water, sugar, and stir until combined.
In a mixing bowl, add noodles, shrimp, dried mushrooms, cilantro paste, sauce, sliced ginger, and mix well. Marinate at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
I used the clay pot and baked it in the oven. You also can cook on the stovetop.
In a clay pot, add sliced bacon and cooking oil, and noodles, shrimp, and ginger mixture. Cover and bake in the oven about 10 minutes. Open the pot and stir the shrimp and noodles around to redistribute the sauce. Then cover and cook until noodles are tender and shrimp is cooked. If the noodles are not fully cooked, add reserved dried mushroom water. Then stir well and check seasoning. Add chopped scallion. Serve hot and garnish with cilantro and scallion. Enjoy ka.
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| Enjoy ka! |
While waiting and counting down for the New Year, I already finished my dinner and homemade flan. This delicious and delightful dessert is a perfect for any special occasion. The important thing is I want to wish everyone a happiness, excitement and sweet surprises on your doorstep. Wishing you and all your dear ones a fabulous New Year!
When it come to make a dessert for special occasions like New Year. I have been searching for this recipe for a while and finally baked this homemade flan. There were a few ingredients such as a sweetened condensed mike, evaporated milk, eggs, and granulated sugar and it can be made ahead. Let's get started ka.
Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 can or 12 oz evaporated milk
1 can or 14 oz sweetened condensed milk, if you do not like sweet you can take 1/8 cup out from the can.
1/4 cup cream cheese (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange liqueur (optional)
strawberries for garnish (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into 9-inch round glass baking dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add cream cheese, evaporated milk, condensed milk, eggs, and vanilla extract, orange liqueur, and beat until smooth. Pour egg mixture through the strainer to get rid of the little lumps.
Place the baking dish on the roasting pan and fill it with warm water to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
Bake in the preheated oven about 60 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool completely and refrigerate at least 4 hours, I kept it in refrigerator over night.
To serve, run a sharpe knife around the inside of the mold to release the flan. Invert a plate on the baking dish, flip the dish over and gently remove it. Serve cold and garnish with strawberries if desired. Enjoy ka.
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| Delicious ka! |
Today was very cold and windy so I decided to make one of my favorite soups. This matzo ball soup required a few ingredients, which I already have in my pantry including matzo ball mix, eggs, and vegetable oil. The classic matzo ball soup is served in the chicken broth but today I made it with the vegetable soup. If you like a simple and meatless version you might have to try this recipe. Let's get started ka.
Ingredients: Serves 2
1 package Matzo Ball Mix
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Vegetable soup
Napa cabbage, cleaned and sliced
2 onions, cut in quartered
3 stalks celery, sliced including leaves
4 cloves garlic, smashed
soy sauce
salt and ground pepper to taste
water
chopped parsley or dill for garnish
Directions
Make the vegetable soup, in a soup pot, pour water and bring to a boil over a medium heat. Add onion, celery, garlic, napa cabbage, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring the heat to medium low and simmer until veggies are soft. Check the seasoning and add more salt and soy sauce if desired. Strain the vegetable broth with the mesh strainer. Reserve cooked veggies for later.
Make the Matzo Balls, in a medium bowl add the matzo ball mix, 2 eggs, and 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, and mix until uniform. Let stand for 15 minutes in refrigerator. Using wet hands, form the mixture into the balls, I made 4 balls.
In a soup pot bring a vegetable broth to a boil. Drop Matzo balls into the boiling soup, cover tightly and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes. Add cooked veggies and check the seasoning. Serve hot and garnish with chopped parsley or dill. Enjoy ka.
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| Delicious ka! |
