Chickpea Tomato-Rice Soup

Chickpea Tomato-Rice Soup

This soup reorganizes all the essential parts of rice and beans into something entirely different. In this version, the rice simmers directly in a spicy tomato broth made smoky by chipotles, and creamy from the starchy rice. While the soup simmers, chickpeas roast until crispy — ready to sprinkle generously on top for a contrast in texture (and extra protein). As the soup cools, it thickens to a risotto-like texture that when served with a dollop of yogurt stirred in, becomes rich and satisfying, and perfect for a cold winter night at home.

Yield: 4 servings

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

Kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

4 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped (about 12 ounces)

½ large onion, peeled and roughly chopped (about 6 ounces)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 cup long-grain white rice, such as jasmine

2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, roughly chopped

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

Full-fat plain Greek yogurt and lime wedges (optional), for serving

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Wrap chickpeas in a clean dishtowel and shake vigorously to dry them thoroughly. Place the chickpeas on a sheet pan along with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, the garlic powder and cumin, and roll them around to coat them in the oil and spices. Bake until crispy, about 20 minutes, shaking the pan once halfway through to toss the chickpeas.

While chickpeas roast, add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves to a blender with 1½ teaspoons salt and 2 cups water and blend until smooth. Set aside. 

In a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium high. Add the rice and chipotles and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and the rice has begun to toast, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato mixture plus the vegetable broth. Bring to a brisk simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, lower to a gentle simmer, and cook, partially covered, until rice is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Taste for salt.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with a dollop of yogurt, a generous sprinkling of crispy chickpeas and a squeeze of lime. The soup will thicken as it sits and can be enjoyed as a porridge or thinned with more broth or water.

Strawberry-Lemon Loaf Cake

Strawberry-Lemon Loaf Cake

This cake is summer in a loaf pan. When baked, strawberries can become sour and a little gummy. Here, berries are macerated with sugar first to remove some of their liquid and concentrate their flavor. (Don’t use frozen strawberries. Keep those for your smoothie!) The lemon icing adds a nice finish, to balance and bolster the cake’s tart-sweetness. Have it as dessert or a snack, but it’s especially good at breakfast with hot coffee or tea. 

Yield: One 9-inch loaf

FOR THE CAKE

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup/150 grams diced strawberries 

1 cup/200 grams plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 ½ cups/192 grams all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

1 cup/227 grams sour cream, at room temperature

½ cup/110 grams vegetable oil

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE LEMON GLAZE

1 cup/123 grams confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, toss the strawberries with 1 tablespoon sugar to macerate while you prepare the cake batter.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, lemon zest, baking powder, salt and remaining 1 cup sugar. Whisk to combine. In a second large bowl, combine the sour cream, oil, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir gently to mix. Lift the macerated berries out of their liquid and add them to the batter. Gently fold in the berries until evenly incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. If it looks to be browning on top too much, tent with aluminum foil. Cool it in the pan on a rack for about 10 minutes, then unmold the cake carefully and transfer to the rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar with the lemon zest and juice and stir until smooth. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Let stand until set.

TIP: This looks like the glorious lemon drizzle cake I’ve made twice this summer, although mine was vegan. As with all good lemon drizzle cakes, you make lots of small holes in the top of the cake just after you take it out of the oven. Then you drizzle a lemon simple syrup over the cake, concentrating on those holes. When it’s cool, you it glaze it just as with this recipe. I decorated the cake with lemon zest and sliced strawberries. Everyone loved it.

I didn't read all the notes from others so someone else could have suggested this, but I used some of the liquid from the macerated strawberries along with a reduced portion of the lemon juice in the glaze. Why throw away all that flavor? It also makes for a nice pinkish glaze.

Cottage Cheese Bread

Cottage Cheese Bread

Incorporating cottage cheese and egg whites into a classic white bread recipe delivers a tender crumb, as well as a hefty boost of protein. This versatile loaf is perfect for sandwiches, toasts and more. The process is similar to making any sandwich bread: The wet ingredients are stirred with the flour, kneaded into a smooth dough, then proofed, shaped, proofed again and baked. Whisking the cottage cheese and egg whites with the wet mixture is the only difference. This recipe is bread-machine friendly, as long as the cottage cheese and egg whites are blended until smooth before being added to the machine. Thanks to the added fat and moisture from the cottage cheese, the bread should stay moist and soft for a few days at room temperature, but freezing the sliced loaf is the best way to extend its shelf life. Simply toast frozen slices before serving.

Yield: About 10 servings

1 ½ teaspoons/5 grams active dry yeast 

⅓ cup/75 grams lukewarm water

1 cup/250 grams egg whites (from 7 to 8 large egg whites) 

1 cup/255 grams cottage cheese 

4 ⅔ cups/582 grams bread flour, plus more for dusting 

1 tablespoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1 ½ teaspoons fine salt

Oil (preferably avocado or sunflower oil), as needed

In a large mixing bowl, combine the active dry yeast and lukewarm water and set aside to hydrate.

In a blender or food processor, combine the egg whites and cottage cheese and blend until smooth. Add the blended mixture to the yeast mixture and whisk to combine. 

Whisk the flour with a dry whisk in its container to remove any lumps and aerate the flour. Measure it and add it, along with the salt, to the wet ingredients. Stir to combine into a shaggy, sticky dough. 

Dust a work surface with flour and dump the dough on it. Dust your hands with flour to prevent them from sticking to the dough (or oil your hands with a little bit of oil). Knead the dough, using a bench scraper to help lift the sticky dough from your work surface as needed, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until it starts looking smooth. You can also knead the dough until smooth using a stand mixer or bread machine. 

Shape the dough into a ball and place it back in the mixing bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until almost doubled in size.

Line a 9-by-5-inch or similar size loaf pan with parchment paper.

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to deflate it. Roll it into a log, then pinch the dough along the seam together. Place in the prepared pan, seam side down.

Let the dough sit in the loaf pan for 20 to 25 minutes, or until visibly risen and puffed up.

In the meantime, heat the oven to 400 degrees. 

After the dough’s second rise, make a slit along the middle using a sharp knife or razor blade. 

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until it sounds hollow after a gentle tap on the crust. The top of the bread will brown pretty quickly. To prevent it from burning, cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil as soon as it turns crusty and brown.

Cool completely, then slice and serve. (Slices can be stored in the freezer in a ziptop bag, then toasted before serving.)

Grandma’s Butter Chicken Wings

Grandma’s Butter Chicken Wings

Slowly pan-frying chicken wings is a gentler way to cook them and end up with juicy, tender meat. My grandmother taught me this recipe, which is in my book “Gather Around My Table” (Knopf, 2026). In it, a covered skillet allows the chicken to steam through while the fat slowly renders and bastes the wings. The seemingly simple combination of soy sauce and butter yields a complex rich glaze that’s savory, salty, sweet and creamy all at once. Resist the urge to cook them faster or over higher heat, since this can burn the glaze. Serve the wings warm or at room temperature, no dipping sauce required.

Yield: 12 wings

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or safflower

1 pound chicken wingettes and drumettes (about 12 pieces)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons sake (optional), see Tip

3 tablespoons mirin

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toasted sesame seeds or chopped scallions, for garnish (optional)

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Season the wings with salt and pepper and add them to the skillet, skin side down. Cook until lightly golden underneath, about 10 minutes. Flip the wings and add the sake to the skillet. Cover and steam until the wings are lightly golden on the other side and the skin releases from the skillet, 10 to 12 minutes.

Transfer the wings to a plate. Pour out all of the oil into a small heatproof bowl and wipe out the skillet with paper towels. Discard the oil once cooled.

Return the wings to the cleaned skillet over medium-low heat. Add the mirin, soy sauce and butter and cook, turning and basting frequently, until the sauce has reduced and the wings are cooked through and nicely glazed, 8 to 10 minutes.

Transfer the wings to a plate and garnish with more pepper and sesame seeds or scallions, if using, and serve warm.

Tips Sake lends the glaze subtle sweetness and fruity flavor but can be simply replaced with water.

For spicy wings, add a few dashes of hot sauce once the wings are glazed and give them a quick toss.

To feed a crowd, make a few batches of wings 1 to 2 hours ahead and arrange them on a lightly greased large sheet tray to cool at room temperature. When ready to serve, pop them into a 350 degree oven until warmed through, turning halfway, 8 to 10 minutes.

Brown Sugar Sheet-Pan French Toast

Brown Sugar Sheet-Pan French Toast

With a cracking, caramelized brown sugar crust topping and soft, custardy slices of challah, this sheet-pan French toast is sweet perfection all by itself, without the need for maple syrup or powdered sugar. Baking it on a sheet pan eliminates the need to stand at the stove, pan-frying slices in batches. And while the oven is on, it’s easy to throw in a pan of bacon as well. If you can plan ahead, it’s best to start this the night before; the longer the challah soaks in the cinnamon-scented egg mixture, the better and more cakelike the result.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

6 large eggs

2 ¼ cups/535 grams whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt

1 (1-pound) challah loaf, cut into 1-inch-thick slices

1 packed cup/210 grams dark brown sugar

½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter, melted

In a bowl, whisk eggs until well combined, then whisk in milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.

Place the bread in a rimmed sheet pan. Pour the mixture on top and flip the slices to coat with custard on both sides. Let bread soak in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. Flip the bread again halfway through soaking (or about an hour before baking).

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Pour brown sugar and melted butter onto a baking sheet and use an offset spatula to help combine it into a smooth mixture.

Carefully place the bread on top of the sugared baking sheet, leaving any excess liquid in the other pan. Bake for 27 to 35 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and puffed and the sugar is bubbling.

Serve immediately, with the crunchy brown sugar side facing up, and drizzle more of the pan syrup on top.

TIP: I made this today. One pan soaked in the custard overnight and the brown sugar did not caramelize. The other pan was made up in the morning and only soaked in the custard for a short time - it was caramelized and I liked it better. Added orange zest to the custard. Both versions were eaten with delight. Will definitely make it again

If you're already using a saucepan to melt the butter, why not combine the brown sugar with the butter in it. That's certainly easier than trying to stir it all together on the sheet.

Delicious! My only change is to use salted butter instead of unsalted for the brown sugar mixture. Also LOVED the tip about cutting into chunks instead of slices - way easier to soak.

Agree with those who would decrease butter and brown sugar. I soaked my bread in chunks on a bowl and cooked in a 9x13 baking dish. It was great

I had a loaf of croissant bread, so used that here to great results. I warmed the bread in my toaster oven in advance to dry it out. This turned out to be a great strategy because it absorbed the milk/egg mixture quite rapidly (e.g., within 20 minutes), which is great when you’re hungry and don’t want to wait!

A winner!

This is a forgiving recipe—if you don't use the exact measurements, it'll be fine: I had a half a baguette, stale, and used that for two people. Followed instructions, but reduced the ingredients on the fly/by the eye (two egss? Sure) and, since it was just half a baguette, baked it in a small cast-iron skillet.

Delicious and simple. A bit sweet for my taste, so I topped it with plain Greek yogurt, and that was wonderful. Served it with a fruit salad with a bit of mint.

Pistachio Bundt Cake

 Pistachio Bundt Cake

If you’ve never been a fan of Bundt cake, this one just might change your mind. The key to this cake’s moist crumb and sweet, nostalgic flavor is instant pistachio pudding mix, a trick that the chef Joshua Pinsky learned from his mother. A simple lime glaze and whipped ricotta for dolloping make this recipe feel more special than your average snacking cake. This also works well as a make-ahead dessert, retaining its moisture and flavor over a few days. Try making the whipped ricotta a day ahead: It’ll thicken and become even creamier overnight.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

FOR THE CAKE

Nonstick cooking spray or neutral oil

2 ¾ cups/351 grams all-purpose flour

1 (3.4-ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon/195 milliliters whole milk

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons/205 grams full-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

9 large egg whites

1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

2 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons/528 grams granulated sugar

1 ¼ cups/300 milliliters canola oil

⅔ cup/85 grams shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped

FOR THE WHIPPED RICOTTA (SEE TIP)

1 ⅓ cup/328 grams whole-milk ricotta

¼ cup/60 milliliters heavy whipping cream

⅔ cup/68 grams sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

2 teaspoons olive oil

Pinch of kosher salt

FOR THE GLAZE

2 ¼ cups/230 grams sifted confectioners’ sugar, plus more as needed

¼ cup/60 milliliters fresh lime juice (from about 2 medium limes), plus more as needed

½ cup/64 grams unsalted roasted shelled pistachios, sliced or coarsely chopped

Flaky sea salt, for garnish

Prepare the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees and coat a 12-cup (or larger) Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pistachio pudding mix and baking powder. In a second medium bowl whisk together the milk, yogurt and vanilla bean paste until smooth.

Combine the egg whites and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or in a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer). Beat on medium speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar, increase the mixer speed to high, and beat until the egg whites are marshmallowy with firm peaks that form when the beater is lifted, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, add the flour mixture and canola oil, and gently mix them into the egg whites using a rubber spatula until smooth and no pockets of unincorporated flour remain. Gently mix in the milk mixture until completely smooth, and then stir in the pistachios until evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan, smooth into an even layer and tap the pan on the counter several times to remove any large air pockets. Bake until the top of the cake is lightly browned and a skewer or cake tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 60 to 75 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then flip the cake out onto a wire rack and let cool completely before glazing.

While the cake is cooling, make the whipped ricotta: Transfer the ricotta to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and add the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla paste, olive oil and salt. Process until the mixture is completely smooth, stopping and scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed, 40 to 60 seconds total. (Alternatively, set a fine mesh strainer over a large mixing bowl and add the ricotta to the strainer. Use a rubber spatula to press the ricotta through the strainer into the bowl. Add the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla paste, olive oil and salt to the bowl of ricotta and vigorously whisk until smooth.) Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes about 1 ⅔ cups.

Once the cake is completely cooled, make the glaze: In a large mixing bowl whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lime juice until the sugar is completely dissolved. The glaze should be very thick yet pourable. If the glaze is too thin, whisk in additional powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. If it’s too thick, whisk in additional lime juice 1 teaspoon at a time. Transfer the glaze into a piping big or large zip-top bag with the corner cut off and drizzle the glaze over the top of the cooled cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Immediately garnish the top with the sliced pistachios and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let stand until the glaze has set, about 20 minutes, and serve with the whipped ricotta.

Tip

Whipped ricotta can be made up to a week in advance and stored in the fridge tightly covered with plastic wrap.

Maida Heatter’s Chocolate Mousse Torte

Maida Heatter’s Chocolate Mousse Torte

Maida Heatter, the legendary dessert-cookbook author, tested this recipe 20 times before deeming it good enough for publication in The Times in May 1972. Her toil was worth the trouble: Eight months later, it was named the paper’s most requested dessert recipe of the year. This is an adaptation of the version that appears in Ms. Heatter’s book “Happiness is Baking” (Little, Brown, 2019). It begins with a big batch of chocolate mousse, half of which is baked in a pie plate. As it cools, it sinks in the middle, creating a dense, fudgy cake with a bit of an elevated edge. The remaining mousse is piled in the center, then topped with snowy whipped cream and chocolate shavings. One note: Like most traditional mousses, this one contains raw eggs. Use the best pasteurized eggs you can find. If that worries you, try another Maida Heatter dessert instead.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

FOR THE MOUSSE

Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan

Fine dry bread crumbs or cocoa powder, for dusting

8 ounces/225 grams semisweet bar chocolate (not chips), chopped

1 tablespoon instant espresso or coffee powder

¼ cup boiling water

8 large eggs, yolks and whites separated

⅓ cup/65 grams granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

1 ½ cups/360 milliliters heavy cream

⅓ cup/40 grams confectioners’ sugar

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Grated semisweet chocolate, for serving (optional)

Set a rack in the center of the oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch glass pie plate. Dust it with bread crumbs or cocoa powder. Set aside.

Place the chopped chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over water over low heat. Bring it to a low simmer. Meanwhile, in a cup or small bowl, dissolve the coffee in the ¼ cup boiling water and pour it over the chocolate. Cover and cook over low heat, whisking occasionally, until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until smooth. Let cool slightly. (Alternatively, place chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water and pour it over the chocolate. Cover with a plate or kitchen towel and let stand for 5 minutes. Vigorously whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. If there are still bits of unmelted chocolate, microwave in 15-second bursts, whisking between, until smooth and fully melted.)

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the yolks at high speed until they are pale, thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue to beat at high speed for 5 minutes more until very thick. Reduce speed to low, and add the vanilla and cooled chocolate, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl as necessary. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Wash the whisk attachment and mixing bowl.

In the mixing bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff but not dry. Gradually, in two or three small additions, gently fold half the egg whites into the chocolate, then fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining whites just until no whites show. Handling as little as possible, gently reserve about 4 cups of the mousse in a separate medium bowl; cover and refrigerate.

Transfer the rest of the mousse into the pie plate; it will barely reach the top. Gently level and bake for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat, then leave it in the oven for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. (The mousse will rise during baking and then, while cooling, it will sink in the middle, leaving a high rim.) Wash the mixing bowl and whisk attachment and place in the refrigerator or freezer to chill.

When the baked mousse is completely cool, remove reserved mousse from refrigerator. Handling as little as possible, transfer the chilled mousse to the center of the baked mousse. Mound it slightly higher in the center, but be careful to handle as little as possible or it will lose the air beaten into it. Refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours.

Make the whipped cream: In the chilled mixing bowl with the chilled whisk attachment, whip the cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla on high speed until it holds a defined shape. Spread over the unbaked part of the mousse, excluding the rim; refrigerate. (Another way of applying the whipped cream: Use a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tube and pipe a lattice pattern over the top of the pie and a border around the edge.) Coarsely grate some semisweet chocolate over the top before serving, if desired. The torte is best eaten the day it’s made, but it’s not bad the next day.

TIP: Yes. It works perfectly. I’ve got the bottom crust in the oven now.

By the way, for those afraid of raw egg, put half of the sugar in the bowl with the whites, the remaining sugar in the bowl with the yolks and whisk (separately) over a double boiler til hot to kill any bacteria, then carry on with the recipe.

I suggest two modifications: 1. Beat the egg whites first. That way, you can use the same beater without any risk of the whites not beating up. (Any trace of yolk—or water from cleaning the beater—will deflate the egg whites). 2. Add a half teaspoon of cream of tartar to the egg whites. After they have stiffened, beat in half of the sugar to make a meringue. This will give greater volume and stability to the egg whites.

Coconut Milk Chicken Adobo

Coconut Milk Chicken Adobo

When I left home, adobo was a dish I could cook off the top of my head. The name was bestowed by Spanish colonizers, referring to the use of vinegar and seasonings to preserve meat, but the stew existed long before their arrival. It is always made with vinegar, and often soy sauce, but there are as many adobo recipes as there are Filipino cooks. In this version, coconut — present in three forms: milk, oil and vinegar — brings silkiness and a hint of elegance. Every ingredient announces itself; none are shy. The braised whole peppercorns pop in your mouth.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

2 tablespoons coconut oil

15 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, plus 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes

4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks and thighs

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

½ cup coconut vinegar

½ cup soy sauce

8 fresh bay leaves

Cooked rice, for serving

In a large pot, heat the coconut oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add the garlic, whole peppercorns, freshly ground pepper and red-pepper flakes, drop the temperature to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is toasted and softened and mixture is fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook over medium-high, undisturbed, until fat starts to render, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the coconut milk, coconut vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves and 1 cup water, and let the mixture come to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken feels loosened and just about falling off the bone, stirring halfway through, about 1 hour.

Increase the temperature to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened to a velvety gravy, about 15 minutes. Serve chicken and sauce over rice.

Tortang Talong (Eggplant Omelet)

Tortang Talong (Eggplant Omelet)

A staple of Filipino home cooking, tortang talong (pronounced TORE-tahng tuh-LONG) is one of the most resourceful, ingenious egg dishes in the world. Why is it so satisfying to flatten a grilled eggplant with a fork, dip it in beaten egg and pan-fry it? Though the eggplant omelet itself is lovely on its own, its tablemates — a bowl of rice, a squirt of banana ketchup and some kind of relish or salad — turn the dish into a full experience. Everyone’s house condiment is different: For some, that’s ketchup, or soy sauce with citrus, or maybe a spiced vinegar with chile and garlic or onion; for others, a cane vinegar-doused relish of tomato and onion. Black pepper and garlic can be added to the omelet mixture for extra flavor, but with this dish, keeping things simple is what makes the eggplant and egg combo shine.

Yield: 2 servings

2 Asian eggplants (about 10 ounces total), pierced all over with a fork

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon fish sauce or pinch of salt

Canola or vegetable oil

Steamed jasmine rice, banana ketchup and tomato-onion salad, for serving (see Tips)

Set a rack about 4 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler to high. Place the eggplants on a sheet pan and broil them until tender and darkened all over, flipping them halfway through, about 20 minutes total. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, cornstarch and fish sauce until smooth and frothy. Peel the eggplants, keeping the stems intact. Use a fork to mash them down until flat. Holding the eggplants by their stems, dip both sides generously into the egg mixture and let sit for a few seconds to soak.

In a large (10- to 12-inch) well-seasoned cast iron or nonstick skillet, add enough oil to generously cover the bottom (at least 2 tablespoons) and heat over medium until shimmering. Lift the eggplants out of the egg mixture, letting some excess egg drip off, then add to the hot skillet. Fry until crisp on both sides, about 4 minutes total. (If you’d like, you can pour any remaining egg mixture around the eggplants in the last 2 minutes of cooking for extra lacey, crispy bits.) Transfer to a paper towel to drain, then plate. Serve alongside rice, a squirt of banana ketchup and the tomato-onion salad.

Tips: Banana ketchup is a slightly sweeter ketchup with more of a rounded fruit flavor. It is actually made of bananas! You can find it online, at Whole Foods and in many Asian supermarkets. What works nicely, in a pinch, is a squirt of regular ketchup stirred together with a little brown sugar and fish sauce.

Tortang talong tastes fantastic alongside a simple salad-cum-relish of sliced tomatoes and onions (any color) or scallions, tossed with a dash of cane vinegar or other white vinegar. It’s something to balance out the richness of the fried eggplant.

HK Style Sausage Buns

Sausage Buns

I learned this Vienna bread recipe over 10 years ago at the Institute of Baking. Now, I’m transforming it into delicious Hong Kong-style sausage buns that kids absolutely love!

Ingredients:

- Bread Flour 280g

- Milk Powder 15g

- Sugar 15g

- Salt 5g

- Butter 25g

- Egg 13g, about 1/4 egg

- Yeast 5g

- Warm Water 150ml

1. Combine all ingredients to form a dough.

2. Cover with cling film and let it proof for 30 minutes.

3. Scale the dough into 50g portions.

4. Roll each into a round shape and let them rest for 15 minutes.

5. Roll the dough into long strips and wrap around your favorite sausage or crab stick.

6. Allow the wrapped buns to proof for another 30 minutes.

7. Brush with egg wash and bake at 200°C for 13-15 minutes until golden brown.

Try this recipe and let me know how it turns out! Perfect for kids and a great way to enjoy a classic treat!

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

This recipe yields the classic flavor of baked cider doughnuts. For the most traditional result, a doughnut pan is recommended, but you can also bake these off in a muffin pan.

Yield: 12 doughnuts or muffins

Nonstick cooking spray

1 ¾ cup/225 grams all-purpose flour

1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature

¾ cup/165 grams light brown sugar

¾ cup/150 grams granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup/120 milliliters apple cider

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 (6-cavity) doughnut pans (or a 12-cup muffin tin) with nonstick spray. In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream 10 tablespoons/140 grams butter, brown sugar and ¼ cup/50 grams granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated after each addition, scraping the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated. With the mixer running, add the apple cider in a slow, steady stream and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl well to make sure the batter is homogeneous.

Spoon the batter into prepared doughnut pans, filling them about ⅔ of the way. (You can also do this using a disposable piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with a ½-inch opening cut from one corner.) Bake until evenly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the thickest portion comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking. (If you are making muffins, divide batter evenly between the prepared cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating halfway through.)

While the doughnuts bake, whisk the remaining ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together in a small bowl to combine. In a separate small bowl, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in the microwave. Let the doughnuts cool for 5 minutes after baking, then unmold them from the pans, brush with the melted butter and dredge them in the cinnamon sugar while they are still warm. Serve immediately, or let cool to room temperature.

TIP:  I used 1/2 cup of cider that I’d reduced so that there was more cider flavors. Wonderful.

*These were wonderful! I had to give away half of them so we wouldn't eat them all. I made a few modifications:

- Boiled 1 c cider down to 1/2 c

- Baked for 20 minutes, not 12-15.

- Added more spices to batter: 1 t cardamom, 1/2 t cinnamon, 1/2 t ginger, 1/2 t nutmeg, 1/8 t cloves

This recipe would be better if the ingredients were split into doughnut batter and topping sections - the natural inclination is to add all the butter & sugar listed in ingredients section to the mixing bow

*INGREDIENT in list

Nonstick cooking spray

For the Batter

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup grams granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup apple cider

For the Topping

6 T butter

1 tsp cinnamon

½ c sugar