The SWB Bistro (A southwest bistro) is located in Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale Arizona. It’s kind of a blend of fine dining in a casual resort atmosphere. It looks like this when you enter.
It’s just a few steps down or you can use an elevator.
Here is the other end of the restaurant.
Tonight it was around 100 degrees F but the outside was nice cool and refreshing with the misters so we sat outside tonight and saw a friendly duck or two splashing around in a water feature.
It was restaurant week so not all but most of the goodies aren’t normally on the menu like the nicely detailed Dungeness crab and octopus with piquillo cream, red onion, huitlacoche and preserved lemon.
Everything was tender moist and delicious.
We both thought the cream of corn and poblano soup was amazing. My husband gave me the most wonderful compliment and said, This taste like something you would make.”
The flavors were amazing…..You do taste the poblano and it finishes with sweet creamy corn. The soup is rich and has delicious accents of queso fresco…pops of medium spicy chile de arbol and cilantro…Just amazing! This soup is on the lunch and dinner menu so you can enjoy it just as we did.
It was hard to decide on what dinner to pick but I went with the free range stuffed chicken.
It was the moistest, most tender, most flavorful, chicken that you can ever hope for. It seemed like it was in a marinade that broke it down and then was sous vide and finished somehow to crisp the skin up….The chicken was truly astounding and was placed in this marvelously great green mole sauce sauce accented with crispy cancha corn. On top of that a mound of ricotta, a crisp squash blossom and some micro greens adorned the plate.
The sous vide venison was just as incredible.
This came with yuca, English peas, pistachio and chimichurri rojo.
TWO desserts (and two glasses of wine) were included with restaurant week. Both of the desserts were WORTH EVERY CALORIE!
Cherry cheesecake empanadas with the most delicious chocolate sauce ever.
Tres leches cake with caramel croquant, strawberry and Chantilly cream.
It was a FANTABULOUS dinner!
Parking does cost here. Tonight it ran $8. an hour for self park and the valet cost $10. plus tip.
Worth a Fork!
Worth A Fork!
www.Scottsdale.Hyatt.com
Everything is subject to change and often does change.
I had a bunch of eggplants that I needed to cook and wanted to do a dish that was new to me. I thought the most intriguing eggplant recipe that I found was called Aubergine ‘Cochinita Pibil’ Habanero Salsa, X ni pek by chef Nud Dudhia. I read the recipe. I have most of the ingredients. It makes sense and sounds delicious so I gave it a try. I didn’t have to change much at all here. I didn’t have seville orange juice so I used regular fresh squeezed orange juice. I did round the metric measurements to American. But WOW! It IS FORKING DELICIOUS….It’s a recipe to keep and would be pretty easy to use with meat. For me it came out slightly different. Instead of four 1/2 eggplants stuffed with eggplant I got two halves…(most likely because I stuffed Tham more). I also got extra salsa and extra onions….(no big deal as they are delicious and will be easy to adapt to meals). According to the recipe this makes 4 servings.
Ingredients for 4 servings
3 red onions – very thinly sliced and soaked in ice water for ten minutes (X ni pek)
5 Tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice (X ni pek)
1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed grapefruit juice (X ni pek)
4 limes – just the fresh squeezed juice (X ni pek)
1/2 fresh habanero – remove seeds and stem – finely chop (X ni pek)
3 large tomatoes – rough chop
1 onion – peeled and halved
3 fresh habaneros or scotch bonnets – stems and seeds removed
3 cloves garlic skin on
3 1/2 oz water or chicken stock
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 pinch salt
2 eggplants
4 garlic cloves peeled
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 Tablespoon achiote paste (I used a 1/2 brick)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 Tablespoon cumin seeds
4 allspice berries
1 orange – fresh squeezed juice
2 limes – fresh squeezed juice
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
2 Tablespoons mint leaves
2 Tablespoons scallions (sliced thin)
1 lime – cut into 4 wedges
4 Tablespoons sour cream, creme fraiche or queso fresco
Directions
Broil the tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves and habaneros. Remove them when they turn blackened. Set them to the side to cool.
Make the X ni pek. Drain the onions and place them in a bowl. Add the orange, grapefruit, lime juices and 1/2 habanero. Mix well. This stays on the counter till onions turn pink. ( a little over an hour)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Peirce the eggplants all over with a fork. Cook them till the eggplants are cooked all the way threw. (Mine took an hour.) Put on counter till cool enough to handle.
While eggplants are cooking make the marinade. Add oil to a fry pan on medium heat. When hot add the cumin seeds, oregano, cinnamon, allspice, peppercorns and achiote. Toast 2-3 minutes or until aromatic. Brake down the achiote while you cook.
The contents of your pan get blended and add the garlic cloves, orange juice, white vinegar and salt. Blend until smooth.
Cut each eggplant in half longways. Scoop out flesh while keeping the skins intact. Place eggplant flesh in a bowl and mix in marinade as desired. Spoon the mixed up eggplant back into the eggplant skins and return to the oven for ten minutes. To the remaining salsa add the blacked garlic, onions, habaneros. Add water, salt and vinegar. Serve the eggplant with the X ni Pak (onions) salsa, sour cream, herbs and lime wedges. Add tortillas if desired.
Vegetarian Eggplant Pibil with Habanero Salad and Citrus Pickled Onions
It’s FORKING Delicious!
A special THANKS to chef Nud Dudhia and www.GreatBritishChefs.com for this FORKING AMAZING Recipe.
There is always something NEW, Weird, Different, Limited, or Special Edition out there in the wonderful world of food. We never know WTFork we will come across out there.
Up above is …..
LIMITED EDITION – KitKat Key Lime Pie Flavor. It sounds delicious……..Could go either way just like real key lime pies. Some of them are very good but many do suck.
NEW – Hershey’s birthday cake kisses. It reads birthday cake flavored cream..(that means something fatty like shortening and or butter mixed with some vanilla flavor) with sprinkles and OTHER? natural flavors…..Why don’t they just name this bag? Hershey’s KISSES for when you DON’T WANT chocolate and mixed with vanilla and OTHER natural flavors. Happy Birthday…yeah
LIMITED SUMMERTIME EDITION – Hershey’s strawberry ice cream cone flavored kisses. Strawberry flavored cream and cookies with “OTHER” natural flavors…??????? Also free of chocolate…….. I don’t want to know what OTHER natural flavors are…could be something gross like cow fart juice or squirrel vomit. WHO FORKING knows?
DIFFERENT – Kit Kat wafer bars in sparkling wine and banana caramel flavors. It’s a 50/50 shot at good or bad………Or maybe one flavor is good and the other flavor sucks?
DIFFERENT and maybe NEW – Godiva chocolate domes with milk chocolate coconut crunch….Now these might be good?
DIFFERENT – Fair Trade organic peanut butter and jelly cups in dark chocolate….They do sound good? Don’t know if they are?
NEW – POP-tarts in Banana Creme Pie, Lemon Creme Pie, and Peach Cobbler. They sound good but I gave up POP-tarts decades ago. Not sure if they are still made the same but I heard that they were made with cow fat. As a child that sounds utterly unappetizing.
DIFFERENT – Jelly Belly Krispy Kreme Doughnut jelly beans. Someone was either on drugs or has too much time on their hands to think up this treat.
NEW – Nestle Toll House syrups in pecan turtle delight cookie and chocolate chip cookie syrup……..I don’t know about you but I would rather have a real cookie instead of syrup cookie. I think someone really was on drugs to think this one up.
Speaking of people on drugs thinking stuff up………
DIFFERENT and WEIRD – Cap’n Crunch’s Ocean Blue Artificially Maple Flavored Syrup…..Gee this is what nightmares are made of. This is punishment food.
DIFFERENT and WEIRD – The Jackfruit Company Hickory Smoked Plant Based Pulled Pork…….You might pig out on this but………….Someone is dreaming that Jackfruit is pork….This is a package of pulled jackfruit…not pork.
DIFFERENT (and NO WHEY) – Violife Just Like Cheddar slices, Just like smoked provolone slices, just like feta and just like natural cheddar slices….Unlike first package that just reads just like cheddar slices…..?????
WEIRD – Avocados at Safeway aren’t weird but I usually don’t see people walking cute dogs in clothing in Safeway.
NEW – Vintage Italia Pene Straws made with lentils and white beans with lemon garlic flavor……….Not sure why these are called straws….not sure why anyone would come up with this?
Speaking of pasta……
DIFFERENT – Trader Joe’s Hearts of palm pasta…..Never seen that before…….Looks good on the box…?????
DIFFERENT – Trader Joe’s Organic black bean rotini – Now I have come across black bean pasta at Whole Foods before. Would look pretty with certain vegetables and sauces…hopefully it’s good….
DIFFERENT – Trader Joe’s Cauliflower chip snacks with brown rice, coconut milk, seeds and seasonings….Sounds really tasty…might try it next time?
DIFFERENT – Trader Joe’s Cheese Bites with black summer truffle…THRESE ARE VERY GOOD…..not fake stuff either
DIFFERENT – Trader Joe’s Organic rainbow carrot snack…….Looks good…Might have to buy next time and maybe I’ll poop a rainbow.
DIFFERENT – Trader Joe’s Crispy Champignon mushroom snack. This kind of snack is showing up everywhere. Move over potato chips we are doing shrooms now.
NEW – Pepsi Mango. ?????? Does Mango taste good with Pepsi????????
Oh and there is always a Forking Oreo.
LIMITED EDITION – Frankford Oreo cookies and creme eggs.
That was the NEW, Weird, Different, Limited and Special Edition Foods out there for May 2021. Who know WTFork I’ll cone across next month?
Dining out with dogs is just a “Fluff Story” about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started when my dog Louie was diagnosed with aggressive cancer and was only expected to make it another three months or up to six months if we were lucky. Louie was already old and couldn’t do a lot but he always enjoyed eating and still loved going out to eat so I took him out to eat as much as I could. Instead of the 3-6 month diagnosis Louie made it another 17 months. Today I take my current dogs out to eat as much as I can.
If you are dining out with dogs there is a lot that you need to know. Not all restaurant patios are dog friendly. It is always BEST to call a restaurant first before attempting to dine there with your dog. You don’t know if the patio could already be booked for a party. It is also ALWAYS BEST to dine with your dog at off times. It is always BEST to avoid as many people and other dogs as possible. Not all people love dogs and some complain. Other people are allergic to dogs. It is also best to avoid other dogs because dog tend to bark at each other and this could be considered to be a disturbance and you might be asked to leave. It’s BEST to dine with dogs at off times.
Do you know that most of the food and drink that you consume can be harmful or even toxic to dogs? You need to get a list of what foods are safe and what foods to avoid to give to dogs. Usually a sauce free lean piece of meat is usually a good choice. You should also bring a water bowl for your dog.
You have to consider the temperature in Phoenix when dining out with dogs. All dogs like people do have different heat tolerances. Usually 90 degrees F and up is too hot and very dangerous to dine out with dogs. Your dog is not as heat tolerant as you. They wear fur coats. They absorb heat cup their paws and they can’t sweat. Ninety degrees F and up it is always best to leave your dog safe at home.
You also need to be aware that there are some rules to dine out with dogs. Your dog must close and by your side at all times. Dogs are NOT permitted to sit on restaurant furniture. Dogs are also not permitted to eat off of restaurant plates.
Got all that?
I think we are ready to dine out with dogs.
Our first trip is to the Twisted Italian in Peoria.
They only have two sets of tables out front but this restaurant is officially dog friendly and is listed on www.BringRover.com
They start us out with bread, oil and vinegar.
Then we share the southwest hand made pierogi.
The pierogi are tasty but are not dog friendly. I break off just a tiny end for the dogs to taste.
For my main I had the citrus salad with added salmon.
My dogs liked the salmon.
My husband had the antipasto salad.
The dogs got some cheese off of that salad.
www.EatTwisted.com
We were lucky because it is starting to heat up in Phoenix but today around 11am the weather was still pretty cool so we made it out to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They specialize in serving Banh Mi Baguette sandwiches and offer most of your Vietnamese favorites except for Pho.
Today I got the salmon firecracker rolls and the chicken cabbage salad.
This cabbage salad is delicious. It’s made with tender marinated chicken breast. It’s herby with cilantro and mint and has a light vinaigrette dressing. The salmon roll is really different with nicely prepared salmon that is moist…It’s wrapped in seaweed with a nice crisp wrapper and Asian seasonings. It rest over more cabbage and comes with an Asian dressing. I can’t believe that these are only priced at $4 & $5 each.
My husband got the beef Banh Mi.
The beef in it is so delicious and tender…..It seems like a very flavorful filet to me but I know that it is ribeye. It’s really great! We always love coming here.
www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com
Now it is getting too hot to dine out with dogs. It is suppose to be close to 100 degrees here today. At 10am it is only 83 degrees F so we took the dogs to Culver’s so they could eat something out. (Culver’s is a national fast food chain but the butter burgers are never from frozen and the cod is always hand battered to order. They also serve daily made frozen custard) We ate someplace else.
Here we are at the drive threw…(the dogs know what they are getting).
Then my big dog pushes my small dog out of the way so she can see the burger coming.
Nobody is on the patio so we feed the dogs half of the burger.
I remove the bun for the dogs. They only need some meat and cheese.
This is some of the burger. It feels very moist and looks caramelized.
The dogs always enjoy food from Culver’s.
www.Culvers.com
We hope that you enjoyed Dining Out With DOGS in Metro Phoenix AZ May 2021. It’s heating up in Phoenix so the dogs might be mostly dining in. We will see you when we can!
The Forking TruthIn Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017
Sel is a small modern upscale restaurant located in Old Town Scottsdale Arizona. The name Sel is also French for salt.
Salt may symbolize amazing benefits and is a choice at meals.
They have an outdoor patio.
Inside Sel also has an open kitchen.
There is a cozy dining room and bar.
And salt shakers on the walls of the bathrooms.
This week (May 2021) it was restaurant week and Sel was offering a three course tasting menu for $44.00 a person with an optional wine pairing for $50.00 a person. Tonight they were only offering the restaurant week menu with a few add on options and a cocktail menu but not a wine list.
We are more wine people than cocktail people. We usually get a bottle of wine with dinners but since there are no wine bottles on our menus we went with the optional wine pairings.
Our first course was sweet pea & wild ramp vichyssoise.
it was topped with mint and a buttermilk emulsion. It taste like cold creamy pea soup with a potato base to me with mint. Whatever it is….the soup is good.
Our second courses were…heirloom tomato and roasted beet salad.
This salad is very unique. There are stringy things on the plate that have a little curly parsley-like heads with slightly pinkish stems. Here is a closer look.
Gosh the tomatoes are amazing…they taste just picked like from a tomato plant in New Jersey but I know they must be local. There is also some pickled ramp, very good creamy Crow’s Dairy goat feta cheese, a tasty lightly fermented red pepper & brown butter emulsion. The puffed forbidden black rice didn’t make it to our plates but the rest of the salad was very good. (the dark stuff on the plate are the beets)
For my main I went with the Thai Basil Crusted Alaskan Halibut.
I received a nice meaty piece of fish that was flaky and lightly dusted with Thai Basil. It was in a tasty slightly spicy miso curry with roasted sweet corn, some fresh spinach and micro greens. The miso curry goes expertly well with everything.
My husband got a very nice upscale kind of grilled filet mignon plate.
The filet was prepared to perfection and was flavorful and tender. There also was fancy romanesco cauliflower, white truffle and black garlic jus braised potatoes and bordelaise sauce.
That was my visit to Sel in Scottsdale AZ for Spring Restaurant Week 2021
From a prior brunch at Sel we had…………
Black truffle deviled eggs with dijon vinaigrette and tarragon aioli with crisp chicken skin and micro greens
Piri Piri chicken with lemon blueberry ricotta Dutch baby pancake
Iberico pork skirt steak with poached eggs, potato patty, arugula preserved lemon slaw and Creole hollandaise
Flourless chocolate tiramisu with hazelnut praline and dulce de leche gelato
www.SelRestaurant.com
Everything is subject to change and often does change.
Renata’s Hearth is an upscale modern Latin laced with the South West style restaurant located in the Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix Arizona. The Biltmore recently re-opened with a 70 million dollar renovation and this brand new restaurant. You can be seated indoors or out doors.
the patio
Renata’s Hearth and part of the patio
Cushy masculine furniture. Parts of the dining area have a view of the patio.
one dining area
inside
inside
Some of the magic happens here……Cocktails are made here and I see lots of high end tequilas.
Some cocktails are smoked.
They offer Jamon Iberico. (****Update the Jamon Iberico plate is not on current menu)
It’s the highest end ham that you can eat. It’s made from special black footed pigs that only eat acorns to produce a ham like no other that dissolves in the mouth. Jamon Iberico is something special we usually find in Las Vegas or mail away for.
We also shared a Spanish watermelon salad.
It’s made with grilled sweet watermelon, queso fresco, baby arugula, and sherry vinaigrette. It’s light, refreshing and delicious.
There were many choices on the menu tonight. They offered around 5 entrees and around 6 different family plates. All but the luxury 44oz Oaxaca spiced wagyu tomahawk steak you can order as a single dinner. It was hard to decide so we shared two single orders of family plates.
The grilled branzino.
and the mole negro – rubbed smoked wagyu brisket.
These dinners came with delicious Peruvian style rice & black beans (that are refillable), hand made in house flour and corn tortillas, and three salsas (verde, roja & mango pineapple)
Our branzino was cooked perfect and was very moist inside. The sweet peppers and sauces are so delicious on the fish.
But that mole negro – rubbed smoked wagyu brisket knocked it out of the park. It was juicy, fatty (but not too fatty), smoky, crunchy and oh so FANTABULOUS! In case you don’t get what I’m saying……The mole negro – rubbed smoked wagyu brisket was FORKING GREAT!
I thought both portions of the family plates (half sized or single were very generous to me….)
I was full and didn’t need dessert but they all sounded delicious. I was talked into just a single scoop of cantaloupe sorbet (instead of the three scoop normal portion listed on the menu. ( the cantaloupe sorbet is made local by Novel Ice Cream)
Gosh it’s delicious. It taste better than the cantaloupes I just bought from Safeway. Even the Mexican Wedding cookie is delicious.
That was my first taste of Renata’s Hearth in Phoenix AZ at the Biltmore.
We went back for a 2nd visit.
They started us off with complimentary wagyu New York steak tacos.
Gosh the steak in them is buttery soft.
We also had the radish salad.
and the Basque Sandwich bites (Jamon Iberico, manchego, truffle oil, polenta fries, and romesco sauce.
I didn’t eat the sandwiches but my husband said that they are like really tasty grilled cheese.
Tonight we shared a single order of the mesquite smoked jidori chicken.
The chicken is really perfect and juicy….even the breast….On ours the leg is a stronger with smoke taste so here I prefer the breast because I like less smoke taste on chicken but my husband likes the smokier leg better so this worked out perfect for us. This plate also came with Peruvian rice, black beans, grilled baby bells, grilled scallions, house made tortillas and three salsas that were all delicious.
We also shared the roasted Chilean Sea Bass.
This was truly amazing…It might be the best Chilean Sea Bass that I have ever had….So delicious with that mole verde……..Really REALLY Forking delicious. I ate well so I was too full for dessert.
3rd visut we started out by sharing the sardine escabeche.
The can is for display. The sardines are obviously fresh and good. In the middle of board isa light refreshing apple fennel slaw and on the end is high quality sour dough bread.
We also shared the Chile relleno.
It’s all vegetarian and tasty. It’s poblano peppers with faro, cauliflower, Mahon cheese, mole negro and cashew cream.
The smoked wagyu brisket and sauces differed this time.
The brisket no-longer comes with the bottomless rice and beans. If you want the rice and beans it’s $18.00. The sauces all taste different too. The red sauce is mild now, The green sauce is milder too. Instead of the mango habanero salsa there is a creamy sauce that taste like it has chipotle in it. This batch of brisket is good but isn’t crazy amazing like the first one I enjoyed. It’s much less succulent with less flavors and is barely warmed up.
We ordered a street corn to go with dinner.
It’s fresh corn with lime, cilantro, pimento, smoked goat cheese and some cotija cheese. It’s tasty anyone would like it.
The entrance now is accented with candles and musicians.
I have to say that Renata’s Hearth is Worth a Fork!
The FANTABULOUS Dish means…..top of the line, marvelously good, peachy keen and Dynamite.
The Mole Negro – Rubbed Smoked Wagyu Brisket from Renata’s Hearth in Phoenix Arizona (at the Biltmore) Is CRAZY FORKING astonishingly delectable. It’s juicy, fatty (but not too fatty), smoky, crunchy and OOOOohhhhhhhhhhh sooooooooo FANTABULOUS! It just might be the best tasting brisket that I have ever tried……
It also comes with hand made in house flour and corn tortillas, three salsas (verde, roja and mango pineapple) Peruvian rice and black beans.
Just drop what you are doing and try it now because it is FANTABULOUS!
I started out by reading about Kashmiri Masala spice blend and I thought it might taste good on butternut squash…..Then I started reading more about Kashmiri cuisine and got a bunch of ideas that are NOT authentic to Kashmiri cuisine but I thought that this combination taste good anyway and it does. Servings will differ ….I got seven stuffed peppers out of this that made seven servings for me. Some were small and some were bigger depending on the pepper.
Ingredients for around 6 servings
1 small butternut squash – peeled – seeds, stem, end button, and membranes removed and sliced very thin on a mandolin
2-3 Tablespoons Kashmiri Masala Seasoning – Add to taste – I used Archana’s Kitchen’s recipe for Kashmiri Masala. I thought the whole recipe 2-3 Tablespoons was perfect for one butternut squash.
1 lb Anaheim chili peppers (or any peppers that you like but timing might differ)
1 cup white vinegar
4 oz walnuts – lightly crushed
4 oz Pomegranate seeds (reserve 1-2 Tablespoons to finish)
1 teaspoon cumin seed
4 Tablespoons canola oil (1/2 goes in squash mixture the rest gets drizzled on pan and squash)
sea salt to taste
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems (packed tight)
1 Tablespoon dried mint (fresh mint is better but I didn’t have any..about two Tablespoons)
2 jalapeno peppers – fine chopped
4 garlic cloves – fine chopped
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice
1/2-3/4 cup water – to make chutney to desired consistency
1 Tablespoon (heaping) yogurt
1 Tablespoon (heaping) white miso
1 Tablespoon (heaping) mayonnaise
Directions
Cut peppers by making a slit across the stem area and down the middle and remove seeds and core. Once all the peppers are done put them in a ziplock bag with the vinegar and let them marinate at least 30 minutes.
Set oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl combine the butternut squash, walnuts, pomegranate (reserve a heaping tablespoon for finishing) cumin seeds and two tablespoons of canola oil. Mix well.
Get a baking sheet ready and drizzle it lightly with canola oil.
Shake off the peppers and stuff them full as much as you can. Put them on the baking sheet and drizzle lightly with oil.
Place in the middle rack of the oven till cooked threw and a little browned. Timing will differ but mine took around 25 minutes.
Make the Green coconut chutney.
Blend together the coconut, cilantro, mint, jalapeño, garlic, ginger, cumin, lemon juice and water to desired consistency. Add sea salt to taste. Put to the side.
Make the yogurt-miso-mayo. Just combine equal amounts of yogurt, miso and mayo. You don’t need much…just a little drizzle.
Kashmiri Masala Spiced Butternut Squash,Walnuts, Pomegranate, stuffed Peppers with Green Coconut Chutney and Yogurt-Miso-Mayo
Finish with remaining pomegranate, Serve with chutney and drizzle with yogurt-miso-mayo.
ENJOY!
A SPECIAL THANKS to Archana’s Kitchen for your amazing Kashmiri Masala Recipe so I could come up with mine.
I picked up this bag of Lay’s Spanish Tomato Tango Potato chips from the Asiana Market in the Deer Valley part of Phoenix. These chips are from India…..I thought they’d be from Spain since it reads Spanish on the bag. Well Spanish sounds good so lets give this bag a try.
It’s a very small bag of chips and it only weighs around 2 ounces.
Here’s the back of the bag.
Here’s the ingredients.
I’m so glad that they used edible vegetable oil instead of inedible vegetable oil. I see that some flavors are natural and other flavors are identical flavoring substances…LOL!
I open the bag and take a whiff.
Gosh these chips smell really strange…
I smell sweet. I smell fried. I slightly smell cinnamon and a lot I can’t identify….Lets spilll some out.
The chips have ridges and are covered in an orange powder.
I taste one…..
It’s very strange.
It’s sour and sweet with other flavors that are laced with clove.
The sour is very strange….It’s not a normal sour like lemon or vinegar ……it’s more like tomato sauce that isn’t made right. Like when you don’t cook tomatoes enough or when you cook them too much and they start to ferment. Then you taste sugar like they attempted to fix the tomato sauce. I also taste the black pepper…..There are other flavors but they are overpowered by the clove that is really gross here.
Lay’s Spanish Tomato Tango Potato Chips is one of my all time least favorite flavors that I have ever tried.
I got the idea to make quick kimchi slaw because it is tasty and has less funk than real kimchi….(not that funk is a bad thing here…..It is good but my husband doesn’t like real kimchi) Then I thought of two things that are delicious with kimchi….One is brisket and the other is tuna. I can’t whip of a brisket in less than an hour so I went with tuna and made a really tasty Asian style tuna patty. This recipe makes 4 servings of quick kimchi but only two patties. You can adjust the recipe for your needs. I also note that the quick kimchi is best to make the day before so the flavors mingle.
Ingredients for two servings
1 medium/small cabbage – shredded
1 red bell pepper – seeds and stem removed – shredded
5 radish – shredded
2 scallion – sliced thin
1 Asian pear – core and stem removed – sliced thin
2 Tablespoons gochugaru pepper
3 Tablespoons sriracha (preferably Shark Brand)
2 garlic cloves – ground to paste
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 Tablespoons fish sauce (preferably Red Boat Brand)
1 – 5oz can tuna – (I used ahi wild yellowfin tuna from Costco) – drained mashed
4 lychee fruit – chopped (you can substitute seedless grapes)
1/2 cup whole wheat panko
1 Tablespoon Thai Basil – torn
1-2 hot peppers grated (I used two Thai Chili)
1 orange – just the zest
1 lemon – just the zest
1 lime – just the zest
sea salt or better yet yuzu salt to taste
Directions
Make the quick kimchi slaw. In a large bowl combine the cabbage, bell pepper, radish, scallion, Asian pear, gochugaru, sriracha, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger and fish sauce. Mix well. Leave on counter for around an hour for the flavors to cook the cabbage. Then refrigerate over night for the best flavors.
Make the tuna patties. Set oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a sheet pan with non stick spray and set to the side. In a medium bowl mix together the tuna, chili crisp, onions, eggs, lychee, panko, and Thai basil. Let this sit out about 15 minutes. Make two burger sized patties and place on sprayed sheet pan. Put into the oven till cooked threw. Ovens do differ so timing will differ. (around 25 minutes) Remove when done.
While the patties are cooking make the faux Yuzu Kosho (real is made from yuzu). Combine the hot pepper all the zest and some salt.
When the Asian style tuna patties are done serve right away with quick kimchi and top the patties with the Yuzu Kosho. (In the picture I drizzled the tuna patty with sriracha mixed with mayo…It’s good on the patty but I don’t think you really need it with the slaw)
Asian Style Tuna Patties with Yuzu Kosho and Quick Kimchi style Slaw
