Hambāgu Burger

No, I didn’t make a spelling mistake. It is “Hambāgu”. Hambāgu is Japanese hamburger steak. It is like a Salisbury steak, but Hambāgu has onion and garlic mixed in with the meat. And the most special part has to be the tangy and sweet red wine sauce. Last year, I tried Nami’s (Just One Cookbook) Hambāgu recipe. Bryan and I absolutely love it, especially that sauce. One day, when we were enjoying burgers for dinner, Bryan said, “Nomm… This is good, but I think it will be even better with the Hambāgu’s sauce.” I can’t agree more. That is how this recipe came together.

For this Hambāgu burger, I used a mild cheese, Provolone, so it won’t be overpowering. The beef patty was juicy and moist. The buns were toasted and slightly sweet, which pair so well with that tangy red wine glaze. Everything came together nicely. It was a great burger! We served the burgers along with the Portobello mushroom fries. It was a satisfying meal. Hope you will try this burger, but don’t forget the napkins. It can get messy!

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Roast Prime Rib with Thyme Au Jus

New year is almost here. To start off a fantastic year, it would be nice to make a feast for your family and friends. Prime rib would be the one. A juicy and tender piece of meat will sure impress your loved ones.

Making prime rib is not as intimating as it sounds. In fact, it is very easy to make and doesn’t require much skills as long as you have an instant meat thermometer to monitor the doneness of the meat. I have made this prime rib this year and last year. Both came out perfectly. No matter you are a super meat lover or not, you will sure fall in love with this dish.

Thanks for the sweet and kind supports this year. I look forward to bringing more excellent recipes to your all next year. Happy New Year!!! Have a wonderful 2014!

Pan Seared Rib-eye Steak with Béarnaise Sauce

A nice fancy dinner at home may just require a good piece of steak. To top it off, Béarnaise sauce will make your steak much more special. It doesn’t require much time to make, but it will sure impressed your loved one or your guests.

When it comes to steak, Bryan is the cook. I guess because he likes steak and he was the one who started to make steak in the house, so that job stays with him. But of course, I can cook it too. 🙂 There are tons of ways to cook a perfect steak. We cook our steak on the stove. No oven is needed. The steak is seared perfectly every time and it stays juicy. Very simple.

In January, when Bryan and I went to Mon Ami Gabi in Las Vegas, Bryan ordered the steak with Béarnaise sauce. It was a fantastic match. And I decided to make that at home. The sauce was so easy to make that anyone can do it. It was rich and creamy. It paired really well with the steak, but didn’t overpower the steak flavors. A great touch to a perfect steak. Love it!

Korean Beef

Be honest, I don’t know if this is really a Korean dish. But this dish is sweet and savory at the same time, which is similar to some flavors in Korean cuisine. And I don’t care what flavor profile this dish is! I love this recipe! It is easy, simple and fast! You can get everything ready in less than 15 minutes! Sometimes, if you have a long day and you just don’t feel like cooking much, this recipe is for you. You don’t need to do much, but you will have a tasty meal to put out. No one needs to know how easy that was. 🙂

Ddukbokki (Korean Stir Fry Rice Cake)

Rice cake! Rice cake! I love rice cake! Rice cake always has a special place in my heart. It is something really unique and different. Nothing I have ever eaten has a texture like rice cake. It is chewy with a bite. There is not much flavor to rice cake itself. The sauce is the secret to a good rice cake dish. I have grown up with Chinese rice cake, which is usually thinly sliced and cook with pork and soy sauce. Not only until recent years, I found out about Korean rice cake which is usually in a shape of long tube. However, most Korean rice cakes that I saw were cooked with a spicy sauce. I don’t eat spicy food, so I have never tried it. This recipe is just perfect, because it is not spicy! The sauce was delicious with tons of beef flavors and a hint of sweet. The cucumber was refreshing, and the carrot gave some crunch. I really love this dish that I think I can cook this every week. I hope you will like it too.

Japchae (Korean Sweet Potato Noodles)

I discovered japchae probably two years ago. Even though it was only from food court and it was not authentic, I still liked the dish a lot. The texture of the noodles was the most memorable. It was chewy and bouncy. And, I like the hint of sweetness. Recently, I have tried it again in a Korean restaurant. I loved it and I knew that I would love to make it at home. Last night, I made the noodles. It was good. Bryan and I both like how it tasted. It was like the one from restaurant. Although there are many steps to this recipe, it is worth the work and time for sure. Give this a try!

Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s pie is just simply amazing! It is so comforting and it is a meal in one dish! There is meat, vegetables, and potatoes. This recipe is not very hard to make, but there maybe a bit more dicing work. However I think it is worth it at the end. I have made this in a dinner party, and everyone was satisfied. You can definitely make this dish a few hours ahead, and just save the oven part before dinner. I am sure your guests would enjoy the meal very much.

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs

What are you making this 4th of July weekend? Tired of the plain old burger and hot dog? I have an idea for you. Instead of making a good old hot dog, you can try this bacon wrapped hot dog to bring it up a notch. It is still very simple, but there is so much more flavors. The bacon was crispy and smokey, and the pepper and onion brought some sweetness to the hot dog. This recipe wouldn’t take you more than 30 minutes to make. You can have a stress-free and delicious 4th of July party or dinner!

Mini Beef Wellingtons

I have never actually had beef wellingtons before. I probably heard about beef wellingtons a few years back. Bryan and I used to watch Hell’s Kitchen, and Gordon Ramsay’s beef wellingtons sure looked amazing. Therefore, Bryan and I always wanted to try one. But we haven’t had a chance yet. Two weeks ago, I saw Claire Robinson making these mini beef wellingtons on her show. Since they looked very easy, I just couldn’t wait to try them out myself. Basically, the steps were very easy. But it may take some times on rolling and folding the pastry. The beef cubes maybe cooked almost well-done, but the wellingtons were delicious. The pastry was crispy, and the mushrooms mixture were savory and soft. These mini packets were packed with flavors. I really like them, and I will make them for this 4th of July weekend.

Beef Rolls with Enoki

Enoki mushrooms are thin, white and long. They are very healthy and full of antioxidants. This is a very common dish in Hong Kong. The black pepper sauce is the key of this dish. Since the beef and mushroom has no season, the black pepper sauce keep the beef moist and flavorful. The only problem is buying thinly sliced rib-eye beef. I bought them in Chinese supermarket. But if you can’t go to Chinese supermarket, you can probably ask your local butcher to slice your rib-eye thin.