Xiao Wan's Bumblebee Tuna Sushi

Sometimes, you just can't get sinfully fresh tuna from the local market. In this case, all is not lost. You can use canned tuna to make a really nice sushi treat.

Ingredients: Canned Solid White Albacore Tuna (mixed with Xiao Wan's Spicy Mayo, finely chopped shallots, chopped celery, and ground black & white pepper), sushi rice (mixed with sushi vinegar/rice vinegar, salt, and, for a twist, a dash of sesame oil), seaweed skin, steamed sweet potato, avocado, Xiao Wan's Spicy Mayo, cucumber, scallions, Seto Fumi Furikake, and sesame seeds.

Serve with pickled ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi.

Xiao Wan's Shrimp Tempura Sushi

Xiao Wan's Green Bean Salad

Ingredients: Steamed fresh green beans, fresh julienned carrots, sushi vinegar, soy sauce, freshly squeezed lemon juice, minced ginger, garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds, bottled Garlic Chili and bottled Spicy Chili Crisp (found in Chinese market), sea salt, fresh ground black & white pepper, and raw brown sugar.

Toss well and serve cold.

Xiao Wan's Buffalo Wings

Ingredients: Sinfully fresh chicken wings (baked)

Xiao Wan's Wing Sauce: Worcestershire sauce, Red Devil Cayenne Pepper Sauce, salted butter, sweet potato starch, ground chili pepper, Cajun seasoning, ground cayenne pepper, raw brown sugar, sushi vinegar, fresh squeezed lime, honey, soy sauce, ketchup, finely chopped onion, finely chopped garlic, sea salt, and fresh ground black & white pepper.

Xiao Wan's Blue Cheese Dressing: Blue cheese, sour cream, Greek style plain yogurt, mayonnaise, fresh squeezed lime juice, sushi vinegar, finely chopped parsley, finely chopped garlic, finely chopped shallots (or sweet onion). Blend well and serve cold. Garnish with parsley sprig.

Mix baked wings with Xiao Wan's Wing Sauce, garnish with freshly chopped scallions, serve with fresh celery sticks and Xiao Wan's Blue Cheese Dressing.

Xiao Wan's Seared Tuna Sashimi

Ingredients: Criminally fresh tuna, olive oil, salted butter, sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, Xiao Wan's Spicy Mayo, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Garnish with green scallion, daikon radish, a dash of paprika, and Seto Fumi Furikake. Serve with fresh sliced avocado, pickled ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi.

Xiao Wan's BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients: Chicken Drumsticks, Soy Sauce, Honey, Salt, Black & White Pepper, Cajun Season, Celery Seed, Worcestershire Sauce, Ground Chili Pepper, Ground Chipotle Pepper, Rice Vinegar, Shao Xing Cooking Wine, Cholula Hot Sauce, Tomato Paste, or Ketchup, Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice, Sweet potato starch, or Potato starch, Chopped Sweet Onion, Garlic, and Thai Chili.

Xiao Wan's Shrimp Tacos

Ingredients: Fresh Cubanelle peppers, fresh shrimp, fresh jalapeno, fresh scallions, onion, shallots, fresh tomatoes, freshly squeezed lime juice, fresh ground white & black pepper, cajun seasoning, ground chipotle pepper, ground cumin, paprika, ground chili pepper, Cholula Hot Sauce, shao xing cooking wine, garlic, olive oil, raw brown sugar, corn or flour tortillas, sour cream, sliced red radish, lettuce, and fresh cilantro.

Xiao Wan's Steamed Mussels

Ingredients: Salted butter, olive oil, very fresh mussels, garlic, red bell pepper, cubanelle pepper, celery, parsley, white wine, salt, black & white pepper, heavy cream (or half & half), onion (or shallots), fresh tomatoes, and fresh basil.

Xiao Wan's Baked Pollock

Ingredients: Olive oil, salted butter, cajun seasoning, ground chili pepper, ground chipotle chili, ground cumin, paprika, fresh ground black & white pepper, shao xing cooking wine, sea salt, minced ginger, minced garlic, chopped cubanelle pepper, chopped scallions, and fresh lime juice.

Directions: On high heat, add slated butter, olive oil, garlic, ginger, cubanelle, and stir until fragrant. Place fish in skillet, add salt, black & white pepper. Lightly brown on both sides, add shao xing cooking wine, and sprinkle ground chipotle, paprika, cajun seasoning, ground chili, and cumin. Place in oven at 250F until fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to broiler and quickly blacken. Remove, and garnish with finely chopped scallion, and liberally squeeze fresh lime juice on top.
Serve over rice.

Xiao Wan's Pork Burrito

Xiao Wan's Sake Cocktail

Ingredients: Sake, fresh squeezed grapefruit and lemon juice, ice cubes, and a fresh strawberry garnish.

Xiao Wan's Salmon Sashimi

Ingredients: Extremely fresh salmon, daikon radish, green scallions, avocado, Xiao Wan's Spicy Mayo, Seto Fumi Furikake Rice Seasoning. Serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi.

Xiao Wan's Nearly Post Spring Salad with Crispy Chicken

I made this dish with some leftover Xiao Wan's Crispy Chicken in a bed of mixed greens, roasted asparagus & onion, sliced red bell pepper, and diced tomatoes. For the dressing, I mixed fresh squeezed orange juice(or grapefruit), balsamic vinegar, honey, and fresh ground pepper. Place the chicken on at the very end and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. This can be a main course or an appetizer. Bon Apetit!

Xiao Wan's Crispy Chicken

I marinated boneless, skinless, chicken breast with shao xing cooking wine, 1 beaten egg, paprika, chili powder, cajun seasoning, chipotle powder, brown sugar, black & white ground pepper, and salt. I let it sit for at least 5 hours. Then, I coated the chicken, first in flour, then in Panko. Next, I deep fried it until golden brown.

Xiao Wan's Roast Beef Sandwich

Here's today's lunch I made with Xiao Wan's Roast Beef. There's so much you can do with it, including this simple and delightful sandwich.

Ingredients: Rye bread, Xiao Wan's Roast Beef, mayo, fresh tomato, sriracha sauce, dijon mustard, onion, Swiss cheese, fresh mixed greens, and fresh ground pepper.

Serve with pickles and chips. Enjoy :)

Xiao Wan's Roast Beef

My rosemary and sage plants are ready to be harvested and, for whatever reason, it made me think about roast beef and sandwiches. So...

I marinated a rump roast with fresh sage, fresh rosemary (from my garden!), garlic, shallots, shao xing cooking wine, white wine, fresh peppercorns, salt, ground black & white pepper. I let it sit for about an hour and then baked at 200º F for just under 4 hours (time varies for roast size), until it was nice, pink, and juicy throughout. One note: I didn't cover it tightly in tin foil, only draping it over top. I can't wait to slice it up for sandwiches!

Xiao Wan's Zongzi

In honor of the Dragon Boat Festival (Lunar calendar May 5th), Xiao Wan attempted to make the traditional dish-Zongzi for the very firstt ime. Luckily, I was able to decipher Mama Wan's cursory instructions over the phone. Sadly, my broken olfactory senses were inhibiting my sense memories of this dish but I was able to overcome this problem and complete all the complicated steps to successfully conquer this dish! It was sublimely satisfying!

Main ingredients: For the pork belly marinade, Shao Xing cooking wine, soy sauce, dark sesame seed oil, 5 spice powder, star anise powder, dark brown sugar, minced garlic/ginger, finely chopped scallions, black & white pepper, and salt. And, for everything else, vegetable oil, sticky rice, julienned dried black Chinese mushrooms, chopped shallots, chopped scallion, minced garlic, dried baby shrimp, dried fried scallion, soy sauce, brown sugar,sesame oil, cilantro, black & white ground pepper, and salt. Please don't forget bamboo leaf, string, and a film, because it will take you approximately 3 hours plus for the steaming process.
For the sauce, I combined sweet bean sauce, sriracha, dark brown sugar, sweet potato starch, water, and sweet chili garlic sauce, in a small pot and bring it to a light boil.

Xiao Wan's Getaway Brunch # 2

Xiao Wan's Getaway Brunch # 1

Main Ingredients for the omelets : Eggs, baby Portobello mushroom, red bell pepper, leek, white wine, olive oil, broccoli(or spinach), parsley, ground black pepper, salt, and Parmesan/Romano cheese.

Xiao Wan's Getaway Roasted Game Hen!