Confession of a snobby fish eater : grilling perfect salmon

It should be a sin to overcook a fatty, unctuous pink salmon slab into dry, stringy meat flakes that smell like cat food. Yes, I agree grilling or cooking salmon is much more troublesome than grilling a steak for several reasons. Fish tends to stick to the pan or grill, creating a nightmare ritual of attempting to pry the fish off the cooking surface — usually destroying the fish in the process. Second, the skin can sometimes fail to crisp up.

My method will yield the most succulent coral pink belly within and the crispiest skin for a great textural contrast. Salmon, though fatty, can sometimes taste bland. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with this tangy, chimichurri sauce. This is one sauce recipe you’ll want to memorize because it’s so versatile and can be served over almost anything grilled — vegetables, poultry, or beef. Sometimes, I even slather it over a bowl of spaghetti and eat it in front of TV. Pure bliss.

In defense of Kyay-Oh

“It is just another asian noodle”, uttered 20-something traveller  with a thick European accent, in response to my suggestion to eat Kyay-Oh, while she was in Yangon night market.

“Blasphemy”, I thought internally, while probably doing a terrible job at hiding my mortified face.

“What??? Kyay-Oh is not just another asian noodle,” said my accompanying friend from the States, half-chucklingly, with an obvious-but-failed intention to diffuse the heat.

Shaving my head & Shan noodle

I am practically bald now. You can see through all my scalp and all. Yes, I am 26-year old and bald. It took me over 5 years to be able to own up to the word “bald”. 

Burmese Baby Bok Choy Salad

Your past experience, may be even your common sense, will tell you that bok choys are meant to be boiled, stir-fried or grilled. What if I tell you to fight those biases? Why, you ask? I am here to tell you that one of the best ways to enjoy bok choys is to actually eat them raw. I know this fleshy bonsai-looking vegetable does not look like something that will win the America’s Next Top Salad Green. But, trust me when I say that its seemingly fibrous stem is actually quite tender, juicy and crunchy. Moreover, I absolutely adore raw baby bok choys’ sweet pepperiness, reminiscent of a milder and a more palatable cousin called watercress. The last but definitely not least, compared to lettuce, bok choys hold up their shape so much better after being tossed in salad dressing, making them a wiser choice for packed lunches.

Rice Noodle and Baby Bok Choy in Lemongrass-Chili Broth

Me: I am making a noodle bowl. Do you want it? I can make it extra for you.

My uncle from Myanmar : No, I don’t want to eat. I need to lose weight before I go back to Yangon. I am just going to watch a movie.

Me: Okie.

*Then, I proceeded to make this noodle bowl with pungent, intense, sweat-invoking firey broth, made with lots of lemongrass, chili, ginger and garlic. As I walked back to the living room with the piping hot bowl to watch movie, I saw the look from the sofa. It was my uncle. His eyes glowed like Liz Lemon when she saw leftover ham. I knew that look – I have been rewatching 30 Rock. And, worse, I knew what was about to come.

I sat down on the floor, and put my bowl on the coffee table. My uncle slowly migrated from the sofa to the coffee table, ultimately ended up sitting next to me.

First I need to apologize to Hawaii

 When I was little, I thought eggplants are the ugliest vegetables on the planet. Their phallic shape, and the slimy inside when cooked, shouldn’t and didn’t appeal me as a kid for a long time. I had an aunt who was known among “the kid community” for making mixed rice bowls – basically, she just threw a bunch of curries on rice, mix forcefully with her bare hands, and the meal would be exquisite. One day, she threw in eggplant curry while making a bowl for me, and my former perspective, rooted deeply on ignorance and assumptions, have forever changed.  Since then, eggplants have become my favorite food, and I have asked my moms and aunts for Burmese eggplant curry every time to Yangon. And they are usually nice enough to oblige. I went through a similar eggplant-like experience for Hawaii.

Taken at a scenic point right beyond Halona Blow Hole

One thing I learned after one year of doing nothing + a recap on my SF trip

After much reflection lastsummer, I decided to take a year off from school to reflect, grow and basically do all the crap I have always wanted to do, but too afraid or occupied to do them. I want to be a Mr. Clean sponge and drink up all new experiences, both good and bad ones. The thing about experiences is that once gathered enough, they can challenge your perspective on life – just like, a scientific theory is forced to change when real world data repeatedly challenge its validity.

Tablescape of our first pop-up

South Indian Lemon Peanut Rice

A few weeks ago, I received a gorgeous book called “Vibrant India” by a food blogger, entrepreneur, small business owner (basically, Swiss army knife in a human form) Chitra. The book focuses on the basis of South India Cuisine, with interesting twists from her immigrant life in Brooklyn.

Toasted dark-rye ramen in duck confit sezchuan broth

A good friend told me the other day that she would never want me as her physician. The comment left me in a moment of paralysis. When you have been running like a tireless horse for a singular goal for most of your adult life – to be a doctor-, comments like these can make you feel like both your motivation and competency were called into trial.

Burmese mixed salad - a thoke sone

“I had a really bad experience with it last time I was here. But, I want it now. No, actually, I need it now”. Thoughts rumbled through my head as I watched a middle-aged dark woman at a roadside noodle stand in a local bazaar, serving up one of my favorites – a thoke sone (Burmese mixed salad).

Why I don’t travel for fun - a recap of my 2017 SEA trip.

You know, when you are back from a long travel, people always say, “OMG, your trip looks so fun”. I just find it low-key annoying. Ok, I understand that the person has all the good intentions, but I could not help but to think, “wow, (name here) hasn’t really backpacked around, huh?” Having fun, well at least for me, is being able to sit at a VIP section of a Beyonce concert, being able to eat uni to my heart content while still being able to afford this month rent, or sitting through a full tasting menu at Noma. Backpacking in hot wet Southeast Asian countries with limited money and Internet access, or trekking among cold-ass mountains where I have to literally take sleeping pills to sleep through the cold at night is not my idea of fun. And, I honestly believe nobody should really do these things for fun. I mean, why would you?

Smoked Shrimp and Fried Meatballs from my aunt

Orange-scented sweet red bean soup

I know the idea of red bean in a dessert form is weird, especially if this is the first time you are hearing this seemingly utter non-sense creation. I first had in when I was in middle school on a scorching hot summer day of Yangon. Honestly, I felt quit uneasy when my aunt handed to me a big cup of red bean gloop stirred with ice cubes. But, once I took a bite there was no turning back. The combination of natural sweetness and the earthiness of the red bean when reincarnated in a dessert form, was uniquely addicting.

Noodle in Burmese coconut and chickpea broth (Oh- no-khao-swe)

 I am going back to my hometown Yangon in a week. It seems unreal to me that I have been in the United States for 8 years. Seriously, 8 freaking years? Like I said in my IG post before, I have always wondered when I will become more American than Burmese. The other day I woke up, tripped and blurted out “Jesus Christ” rather than “ Lord Buddha”. I guess this is it. I am officially more American than Burmese. But, I have to admit though even before this life-defining moment happened, there were instances that served as warning signs. Below are a few:

How to console a confused soul: Gluten-free kumquat almond cake

When I was little, my mother used to call me “hay fire”. When you light up a hay straw, it burns so brightly but only for a few seconds, until the whole hay straw turned into powder. Apparently, I was like that – I would randomly pick up a hobby or a toy, and be completely obsessed with whatever I chose for a brief moment. On time, I asked my parents incessantly for a watercolor set – one of those with 48 different colors that every artsy-fartsy child in Yangon wanted. I played it for two days, shoved it at a room corner until the set collected dust beyond recognition. From what I can tell as a kid, that habit was less than desirable. My grades would fluctuate from very good to bad in a matter of weeks up until middle school. My teachers were confused. I was confused as well.

GIVEAWAY: Tortilla press + dough = dumpling wraps

Ok, I promise I won’t be as verbose this time. I just want to drop by to let you guys know that I am partnering up with Victoria Cookware to give away a tortilla press. I use this to make dumplings, but of course, I think you may be able to use this to make....I don’t know....a tortilla may be? 

Haha, anyway, to enter, head over to my Instagram (Click Here), and follow the instructions. 

Good luck. The winner will be announced on the 29th, and will be notified via Instagram direct message. The winner will have 48 hours to respond.

Make your own ramen noodle

Disclaimer : None of the following is true. I think. Take whatever I say with a bucket of salt.

I don’t believe much in palm tracing, crystal ball gazing or tea-leaf reading, but I cannot say that I don’t totally believe in fortune-telling. For instance, I proudly say there is no such thing as ghosts, but then again, I would pee in my pants if I were forced to walk by a cemetery at midnight alone. What if I see something remotely similar to those crazy pale, longhaired ghosts in white dresses from Asian horror films?

MyMixx promotion + $75 Amazon gift card Giveaway + A new approach to eating kettle corn

Dear my readers,

I recently just hit 6K followers on Instagram, and I just want to thank you for all your support. Lime and Cilantro will honestly be a shit show without you guys.

In order to celebrate this, I am teaming up with Tatu Digital Media to bring you a pretty sweet giveaway and an awesome MyMixx promotion offer.

• If you purchase $150 or more in Visa gift cards at any Albertsons location, you will instantly get $10. 
• So, basically, one gift card to buy gifts for the holidays, and one chipotle for you. Win/Win.
• Don’t know where the nearest Albertsons is, click here.
• It is a very short promotion, lasting only from 12/4 to 12/17.

Another secret tip (don’t tell anyone) is you can actually double dip on rewards if you use your rewards credit card to purchase gift cards.

Hainan chicken and the most aromatic garlic ginger rice

People to thank for this recipe

This Hainan chicken and rice recipe is from my good friend Chelsea’s family. Watching Chelsea and her grandmother cook together, and patiently communicate with each other, despite language barriers, inspires me to write the following story, which is dedicated to unsung heroes in my life.

The story

While growing up with 22 people in Yangon, everything I had ever wanted was my own room, and the freedom to not answer everyone whenever I go out.  Try answering to at least 5 people every time you go somewhere, especially when these five people are strong, stubborn single Asian aunts, who take no bullshit.  Guilt often builds up fast. Even a casual hang out with a friend starts to feel like you are committing an adulterous act. Hence, I am entitled to blame all my current problems to the fact that I grew up in a big household. Why are you late for class? I grew up with 22 people. Why did you run red light? My aunts were overprotective.

Rose water and cardamon sugar cookies

Diary of a cookie addict

Age 0 -1: Didn’t know about cookies. Mostly feast on my mom’s milk.

Age 1- 5: Saw cookies for the first time in cartoon (Burmese people don’t eat or make cookies). They just looked like brown circular things. Wondered why western kids love them. Honestly, cookies looked and still look disgusting in cartoons. My favorite dessert was pure sugar straight from a sugar bag (yea, I was macho like that even as a kid).

30-minute shortcut Mohinga (Burmese fish vermicelli soup)

Yum


I always feel like November is a month of a preparation for change. I like to stress here the word “preparation” because the change may not have happened yet, but the seeds have been planted and there is potential of replacement.