Hash-Brown Turkey

First of all, let's take a moment to welcome the newest member of the family: Jake Toshiro Whitehead.



Mina just gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, and while I was visiting her in Seattle, I came across a Rachel Ray magazine. Personally, I'm am not a fan of Rachael Ray. I can't stand when she says "EVOO" or "Yummo"! I don't think she's a great cook either. So, imagine my surprise when I saw the recipe for "Hash-Brown Turkey." It sounded really good! I tried it tonight and it turned out really delicious and easy-to-make.



One 16-ounce bag frozen hash browns, thawed
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 scallions, finely chopped
Salt
3 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 turkey cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds total), pounded thin

1. In a wide, shallow bowl, toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon flour, then with the parmesan and scallions; season with salt. Place the eggs in another wide, shallow bowl and beat lightly. Place the remaining 1/2 cup flour in another shallow bowl and season with salt.
2. In a large, heavy nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Working with 1 piece at a time, coat the turkey cutlets with flour, shaking off the excess, then dip in the eggs and transfer to the potato mixture, pressing potato onto each side.
3. Cook the cutlets in the skillet with more oil as needed, turning once, until the potato coating is golden and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to parchment paper or paper towels to drain.

~Ray

Seafood Village

Last week, I made plans with an old friend to meet up for lunch. "I know a great seafood place in Montery Park," I said. "I know a great seafood place in Montery Park, too! It's called Seafood Village," she replied. Turns out, it's the same place I had in mind, except, I knew the restaurant as Bi Feng Tang. The lunch menu is super economical. You can get a whole fried fish for only $5.95. Unfortunately, my friend had to cancel, but I just could not get my head out of Seafood Village. So, I bribed my cousin with a bottle of wine to go with me.

Their specialty is garlic crab at $5.99 per pound.



They're also famous for their chicken. It's the closest thing to Hainanese chicken that I've tasted. Cold, succulent, juicy chicken.



This is our attempt to have some "greens" in our diet. Don't think it's very healthy though =)



My cousin was craving shrimp and eggs. I've never had this before but it's really tasty. The eggs are slightly undercooked, which is a nice contrast to the crisp prawns.



~Ray

Claypot Rice without the Claypot

I can't remember the last time I had claypot rice. But what I do remember is the crispy rice bits at the bottom, the sweet chinese sausage, and aromatic dark soy sauce. Since I had all the ingredients, I decided to make claypot chicken rice myself. I found the "cheat" version from rasamalaysia. The only difference is that I didn't marinate my chicken in cornstarch (ran out)!



Overall, it's an easy, fast, satisfying dinner.

~Ray