If you’ve never had Dynamite sauce before, I highly suggest you follow my recipe here and dunk your face in a bucket of it or drink it my the glassful. This miracle condiment comes second to ketchup in my world of dipping sauces and reasons to get up in the morning. A spicy and savoury blend of Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise and tongue tickling Sriracha with the inclusion of a few secret ingredients make the ultimate dipping sauce so versatile that it can accompany anything. For this recipe, I modify my dynamite sauce recipe to bring it up to the next level to make my awesome baked mussels.
I don’t know about you, but when I think of spicy szechuan food, the first thing I think about is the Monkland village in NDG. I mean, fiery dishes that are capable of shutting your body down, pulling every ounce of moisture to bead sweat out of the top of your head to your face off, I mean, duh, come on, that spot next to the Pharmaprix at the bottom of that apartment building. I got word that the chef from one of Montreal’s premier Szechuan restaurants Cuisine Szechuan on Guy opened up a new spot in NDG and decided to check it out.
You’ve all seen it at your favourite local sushi spot; that smooth and creamy spicy mayo that you dip your delicately wrapped maki into. If you’re like me, then most plates of sushi are sided with at least a gallon of this stuff. Sometimes called “dynamite sauce”, we all know it as spicy mayo. A quick concoction of mayo and Sriracha that would leave all traditional sushi chef masters cringing in their platform wooden clogs. My recipe for spicy mayo has a bit of a twist that will leave your tastebuds craving for more and your pants down by your ankles.
I once wondered what it would be like to cook a bao (a steamed bun) like you would a pan-fried dumpling. I entertained the idea for a while trying to figure out how it would work and followed my instincts and went for it. I didn’t get too far until my mom told me that pan-fried baos are an actual thing and popped all my dreams of being a hybrid dumpling-bao visionary. Chances are unless you’ve traveled to Jiangnan or Shanghai China, you’ve probably never had these pan-fried pork buns here in Montreal – no one makes them here… but now YOU can!
How was brunch created? How is it an actual thing that we’ve come to embrace? I have a strong theory. Brunch was created by a mysterious breed of people known as the “jerks-who-wake-up-early-on-weekendians” who once made an arrangement to go have breakfast with their friends. But their friends were overcome by a spell while they slept cast by an evil force known as “weekend modetiosis”. They waited and waited and waited until their friends awoke from their slumber at an hour that was too late for breakfast, but too early for lunch. And thus, the meal named “BRUNCH” was born, abiding by no rules with the ability to rationalize eating breakfast foods late into the morning, and justifying eating lunch foods before noon.
Dim sum is one of my most favourite meals. Piling into a crowded dim sum house on a Sunday morning with aunties pushing metal carts singing in melodic condescension the contents of the steamers they pimp is the best way to start the day. These carts are filled with delicious dumpling delights made with pork and shrimp, seafood wrapped in bean curd, various braised meats in deep rich aromatic sauces, as other carts display fried dumplings, golden and crunchy fried calamari or octopus and other battered fried goodies. One of my favourite dishes is the steamed black bean spareribs, and it will be yours too!
When was the last time you made a meal out of a snack? Besides watching the Habs in the Eastern Coonference finals against the Rangers and eating way too many chips that I really should, I’ve been lobbying and petitioning to have things like a plate of chicken taco nachos, pigs in blankets, a box of crust-less party sandwiches from Snowdon Deli to be recognized as actual legitimate meals.
With summer just around the corner, our root vegetable diets will slowly transition to a hot weather menu of all things grilled and boozy. I don’t get much of an appetite when it gets hot… Ok, no, I lied, I’m always hungry, but I know a lot of people who don’t like to eat heavy during the hot summer days. I’ve been making this dish for a couple of years after I managed to convince my friend’s mom to give me her prized lemongrass chicken marinade. I tweaked it a bit by including sesame oil and it came out successful when used with beef. This quick and easy dish is a great option for summer when you want to keep your evening meals light – leftovers make a great lunch as well. Packed to the brim with aromatic herbs and crispy lettuce dressed with a tangy fish sauce dressing, this noodle salad will fill you up and not weigh you down.
There isn’t denying when a restaurant is good, but what happens when the restaurant is great? Do you do the moral thing and spread the word? Or are you greedy, keep it to yourself a little bit long before letting people know? There isn’t anything that the public doesn’t already know about Impasto. This modest Italian eatery in the heart of Little Italy is the product of years of friendship, a passion for food and a shared devotion to the cucina by two friends and business partners, Stefano Faita and Michele Forgione.
This week’s dish is my interpretation of a very traditional dish that we ate around Chinese New Years in my family. I told my mom that I was going to put this recipe online and she mocked me; she said it’s a meal made with leftovers and that it shouldn’t warrant being shared. Our family ate this dish the day after new years; my mom would often debone leftover chicken and roast pork, toss it up in a wok with aromatics like ginger and scallion and let us have at it with a pile of lettuce and hoisin sauce to dip. My version of this dish obviously isn’t going to use your leftovers, but does include an awesome crunchy snack treat that we were never allowed to have as kids…!