When I first discovered Doña María’s Ready-to-Serve molé sauce I was really, really skeptical. Molé, a spicy chocolate sauce, is one of those things that I’ve tasted done really, really well and really poorly. And, quite frankly, my expectations were so low that I actually reserved some of the sauce and only made half my enchiladas just in case they turned out bad. But when all was said and done, this was absolutely incredible.

I added a chipotle pepper with adobo to the sauce, which added a really necessary spice and complexity to the sauce that really brought it together. But even as I was spooning it over my enchiladas, stuffed with chicken sautéed with chipotle and lime, sweet onions and red pepper and chihuahua cheese, I still wasn’t entirely convinced this would work.

After baking this at 350º for 15 minutes it was bubbly and smelled incredible. And, when all was said and done, it was just delicious!

I served it up with some Mexican rice (leftover rice cooked up with leftover salsa and a little butter) topped with fresh avocado, and a fresh vine-ripe tomato. It was easily one of the best meals I’ve made in a long time, and you can bet I used the leftovers and the rest of the sauce for an impressive lunch tomorrow. Next time, I’m going to stuff these with nothing but vegetables and cheese for an awesome vegetarian meal.

When it comes to Doña María Ready-to-Serve Mole, I’m a believer.

Lee Kum Kee’s prepared sauces are about the same price (often less expensive, depending where you go) as the super-salty-low-on-flavor LaChoy selections, but here’s the difference: great big in-your-face flavor. The Spicy Garlic Eggplant sauce is one of my absolute favorites for restaurant-quality food at home AND, unlike many LaChoy products, is MSG-free.

Plus, it’s so easy to make! I like to peel my eggplant first (not a fan of the skin), but leaving the skin on adds a cool purple color to the dish. I also add onions, whatever pepper I have in the house, and this time the rest of some broccoli rabe that I bought for stir-frying a couple weeks ago.

I’ve made this with pork and, as I did last night, with chicken and tofu, and it never disappoints. Stick with the American brands if you’re cooking for kids or those without a sophisticated palette, I suppose. But if you’re cooking Chinese, buy the brands the Chinese use.

A recent trip to Mitsuwa, our awesome Asian market, proved too tempting. The fish had just been sliced, placed in the cooler while I stood there. I pressed on the fish like Ming taught me to do to see how fresh it was… solid as a rock. It was beautiful, and it cost about the same as the rolls of sushi I had in my cart. I decided to take the leap, and I’m so glad I did. I paired this with some of my famous TiaraMaki rolls, and this is how I made the tuna:

I only had a 1/4lb slab of fish — plenty for the two of us, especially when paired with some salmon for the sushi. I cut it into two sections, in case I screwed one up.

For the marinade I used 1.5 tbsp of Tamari soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground ginger (The Ginger People make my favorite) and a splash of lime juice. I marinated the fish in a zipper baggie for about 45 minutes before cooking.

In my sauté pan on medium I heated up about a tablespoon of dark sesame oil. When it was hot, I put the fish face down, keeping my tongs handy while I watched the searing progress. I found recipes online that called for up to a minute per side, but I quickly found that letting it cook for that long would quickly cook the fish all the way through. So I just watched, and for about 20-40 seconds on each side I seared the tuna. When it was done I placed it on a layer of paper towel and quickly put the plate in the freezer to keep the fish from cooking longer.

That was it.

Seriously.

My husband declared it amazing and quickly ate it up. I’m actually not a huge fan of this dish, but even I could admit that the freshness of the fish paired with the bite of the ginger made this phenomenal. And it was so easy! I know it won’t be long before he asks me to make this again.

I served this on a bed of chinese broccoli greens that were stir-fried with carrots, mushrooms and onions in just a little soy sauce. Very plain, but beautifully simple.

Curses! I hate when I forget to take a photograph of the completed meal, and this chicken makhani (Indian Butter Chicken) was absolutely freaking phenomenal. It was, without question, one of the most amazing meals I’ve made at home. And yet, no photos. But I have pics of the biryani, which was also fantastic.

CONFESSION: You don’t want to know how long I’ve had this biryani paste. Seriously. I’ve been terrified of it for awhile. Patak’s branding has changed, possibly twice, since this label design. I’m taking the term “non-perishable food item” to new heights. This paste was actually a part of someone’s freecycle pantry cleanout when they were moving, and I got a bunch of new curry pastes to try. They’ve all been good, but I’ve been a little afraid of the biryani. Still kind of am, to be honest, but I nailed it this time because I cut the amount of biryani paste in half of what’s recommended.

I used the recipe on the jar… sort of. This is what I did.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups basmati rice, rinsed 2 or 3 times
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1/4 cup frozen sweet peas
• 2 cans (14oz) cherry tomatoes with juice (you can use diced tomatoes; I just got a bunch of cans of cherry tomatoes on sale for like 35¢ apiece at our Italian grocer)
• 4 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons biryani paste (the recipe recommends this for a single batch; I used it for a double batch for a lighter flavor)

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Sauté your vegetables in a saucepan with a little olive oil or butter until the onion is clear. Add the biryani paste and combine.

In a casserole dish, add the drained rice, water, vegetables with curry paste, and your tomatoes and combine until well-mixed. Cover with foil and place the casserole dish in the oven. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, checking to see if the rice is cooked. You may want to stir halfway through.

I served this with chicken makhani made with Kitchens of India’s Curry Paste for Butter Chicken, which, with the addition of a little half & half to add some creaminess, is perfect when prepared according to package directions. Just sensational, and definitely restaurant quality Indian for when we’re trying to save our pennies.

CONFESSION: I love cookbooks. Like LOVE cookbooks, even though I rarely use the recipes as described. I like browsing through for fun, getting ideas, learning new techniques I can apply elsewhere. Sure, I use the internet to find recipes on occasion, but my first stop is almost always my shelf of cookbooks. And that’s where I found this recipe.

Looks pretty foul, doesn’t it? If you don’t eat Indian food regularly I’m sure it does, but after the discovery of an adorable little Indian grocer I needed to try to make my own version of one of my favorite Indian dishes. QUICK TIP: Don’t make substitutions when cooking a cuisine you’re not experienced with. Since I’m still learning the subtleties of cooking Indian food, this was a recipe I needed to follow to the letter. Which I didn’t. Which is why it was kind of meh, but I’m going to try it again. Moral of the story: Don’t replace the tomatoes with tomato paste. It won’t work.

This (very slightly modified) recipe came from The Best Ever Indian by Brian Wilson, which has a thousand and one delicious things I’m DYING to try. It’s a beautiful book and I recommend it highly.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bag fresh spinach leaves (about 1/lb)
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil (I used considerably less, but I don’t think that had an effect it)
• 8 oz paneer, cubed (Indian cottage cheese—if you don’t have it, you can use chicken as well if you brown it first)
• 1 sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger paste (I use The Ginger People ginger paste… YUM)
• 7 oz (about half a can) canned tomatoes, drained (yeah… I skipped this part because I lacked the ingredients and used tomato paste instead. Don’t skip it.)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• *Penzey’s Garam Masala to taste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 stick butter

*I found the recipe pretty bland as far as spice with these teensy amounts, so I seasoned the heck out of it with Garam Masala curry powder.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the spinach leaves and blanch for 4–5 minutes. Drain well and reserve some broth. Add the tomatoes and, using a hand blender (I use the KitchenAid Immersion Blender given to me by my friend Angela) or food processor, puree the spinach.

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the paneer, tossing frequently until lightly browned. Remove and drain on a paper towel.

Add the onion to the same skillet and cook until softened. Add the ginger paste and cook, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach, spices, lemon juice and butter and cook, stirring constantly. If mixture’s too dry, add a little of the reserved broth from blanching the spinach.

The intensity of the flavor will increase overnight, but let it sit at least 15 minutes to let the flavors meld together.

Would I make this again? Absolutely. That said, I still think the Palak Paneer from Kitchens of India is far superior, and also cheaper to make.

I’m not afraid to mix my Asian cuisines. Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Thai—if it comes from Mitsuwa it all overlaps in my kitchen. Trader Joes also has pre-marinated Korean Boolgogi (or Bulgogi), but I prefer the stuff from our favorite Asian grocer.

Again using the peppers and onions from the taco party, I stir fried the marinated beef. I also added broccoli and half a jar of JES Korean BBQ Sauce, because I like my stir fries saucy.

As a munchie to go with it I steamed some frozen edamame shumai.

We served this over brown rice and I ate it with my new favorite chopsticks. They’re lime green and sparkly and make me unreasonably happy.

The Bandai Futomaki Maker has arrived, and as expected it’s kind of fun, kind of a pain in the ass, and going to feature quite the learning curve, but it was a start. We made the “it’s almost a heart” sushi (the purple in the picture) and figured out how to make it actually a heart, but I only made enough rice for dinner. This will require rice for experimentation.

I did, however, discover the sheer awesomeness that is colored sushi, featuring rice tinted with McCormick Neon Food Coloring. HOLY CRAP IT’S AWESOME. I learned that by putting the colors half & half (I had  a little more green than purple left) you get a sort-of-but-not-really-a-yinyang shape, and that purple and green sushi might be the coolest thing ever.

QUICK TIP: If you’re planning on making a sushi dinner on a work day, make your rice before you leave for work. It’ll be JUST FINE in your rice cooker all day and when you get home you’ll have already cooled rice ready for mixing.

Want my sushi recipe? Check it out here. I shall reserve judgment on the Futomaki maker for when I actually get some time to play with it properly.

My lunch tomorrow is going to be so badass… In reality it’s at least a lunch-and-a-half, but still…

CONFESSION: I hate eating at Italian restaurants. Italian food is one of my favorites to eat, but whenever I order traditional Italian at a restaurant I tend to think “I can make this better.”

To make restaurant quality meals shortcut-style I love the frozen pastas at my local Butera Market, and this cheese stuffed manicotti is one of my favorites. The sauce is a mix of baby eggplant, onion, spinach and garlic sauteed ’til the eggplant was nice and soft. I added some seasoned ground beef and a jar of tomato basil sauce, topped it off with mozzarella and fresh grated parmesan, and baked it for 45 minutes.

Easily restaurant quality for under $3 a serving!!

There was something about the Chilaquiles Verdes (think Mexican lasagna) recipe I saw on Daisy Cooks that inspired me to try it from scratch before I attempt to design some shortcuts around it. And believe me, from the fresh salsa verde to frying my own tortillas, this was a labor and time-intensive dish. There are opportunities for shortcutting that I’ll definitely do in the future.

That said, this was absolutely unbelievable and better the next day. While I’ll probably skip making my own tortilla chips next time and just use premade (too much work for something that ends up mushy), I might just keep making my own salsa verde. I’ve never been a fan of salsa verde but the sharp garlic flavor just made this magical.

I didn’t have a copy of Daisy’s recipe, so I eyeballed it based on what I learned from her recipe on the show. My own Daisy-inspired recipe and instructions follow behind the cut.

SALSA VERDE:

• 12 tomatillos, quartered
• 1 large spanish onion
• 1 head garlic, peeled…yes, the whole head of garlic. I like garlic.
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• Mint leaves (from about 5 stalks of leaves)
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed
• 1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning

Combine all these ingredients in a blender until puréed. The flavor will be very sharp and bitter because of the garlic and tomatillos, but the cooking will make it milder and almost sweet. Seriously, it’s like magic. Pour purée into a saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, for at least one hour, until some of the moisture is cooked away and the color turns to a pretty olive green.

CHILAQUILES:

• 1 whole chicken, or four chicken quarters (I used legs & thighs, 29¢ a pound!)
• 12 white corn tortillas, fried, or 12 unsalted tostadas
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used a mix of chihuahua, pepperjack and sharp cheddar)
• 1.5 cup and .5 cup salsa verde, keep separate

1. Put chicken in crock pot with seasonings. I used the remains of a jar of mustgo salsa, and some Penzeys Sunny Spain pepper seasoning. Cook for 3-4 hours on high.

2. To fry tortillas, I cut them into strips and used a mixture of corn and peanut oil. Take them out before you think they look done; by the time they look done they’ve already gotten a bit too dark and bitter. Incidentally, these are by far the best chips i’ve ever had and they require no salt to be delicious. Unbelievable. But I digress.

3. Preheat oven to 350º. Shred the chicken when it’s done, keeping it in a separate mixing bowl. Add the 1.5 cups of salsa and mix it up good.

4. Put a layer of chips on the bottom of your lasagna pan. Spoon a layer of half the chicken/salsa mix. Layer with cheese and repeat. For the top layer, just use chips, the reserved salsa, and the rest of the cheese. It will look like this.

5. Bake for 45 minutes until it’s bubbly and browned on top. Serve with sour cream or all by its lonesome. So flavorful, so amazing.

I diced the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes, which went a lot further than I anticipated. Then I added in a can of seitan and we were in business.

What’s seitan? It’s wheat gluten, which doesn’t make much sense to me. I fell in love with it at Flat Top Grill’s Mongolian BBQ, and now I use it to add great texture and sweetness to my Asian cooking.

For this dish, I used a prepared Mo Po Tofu Sauce form the Asian grocer, some Hoisin sauce to give the sauce some body and tame the flavor, some onions and multicolored sweet peppers. I served it all over brown Asian rice. The texture of the tofu was simply perfect for this, and with the seitan too it was easy to forget we were eating vegetarian.