Street Food To Desire! With Chef Susan Feniger

Over the weekend I had the chance to meet with one of the great Chefs of LA. You may recognize the rounded glasses,  gray hair, and infectious smile reaching from ear to ear that belong to Chef and Restaurateur Susan Feniger.
Susan has been feeding the Foodies of LA since 1981 when she and partner, Mary Sue Milliken opened City Cafe on LaBrea and later, the acclaimed Border Grill. After making quite the name for herself (by way of restaurants, food trucks, tv shows) Feniger is ready to add another cookbook to her credits. All the more reason to celebrate this past Sunday night at her hotspot on Highland Ave, STREET.

In the latest book, Street Food, Susan explores the flavors of the world to give you (as the cover suggests) irresistibly crispy, creamy, crunchy, spicy, sticky, sweet recipes! That’s a mouthful, a delicious one nonetheless! 



Susan was kind enough to share a few recipes that are perfect for the end of the summer!


CHILLED SOBA NOODLES WITH SPICY ORANGE SESAME AND TOFU

4 SERVINGS

4 cups fresh orange juice
1 (12.7 ounce) package soba noodles
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup spicy sesame oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds, toasted
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 (10-ounce) package firm tofu, cut into small cubes, salted to taste

1. Pour the orange juice into a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, and bring to a
boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the orange
juice is thick and syrupy and has reduced to 1 cup.
2. While the orange juice is simmering, cook your noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a
boil. (The general ratio for cooking noodles is 4 quarts of water per pound of noodles.)
Add the noodles to the boiling water and stir well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and
cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the noodles and rinse them twice with
cold water. Drain well, and transfer them to a bowl.
3. When your orange juice is ready, remove the pan from the heat. Pour the syrupy
juice into a blender, and add the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and rice wine vinegar.
Puree until smooth and emulsified, about 2 minutes. Pour half of the dressing over the
noodles and toss well to combine. Put the noodles in the refrigerator to cool, 20-30
minutes.
4. Toss the cooled noodles with the toasted black sesame seeds and sliced scallions. Top
with the tofu, and serve with the remaining dressing on the side.

Kasey’s Tip: Serve as a cold pasta salad or along side of grilled chicken or salmon for a complete meal!


HONEYDEW CUCUMBER COOLER

Makes 2 Quarts

Juice of 2 limes
4 kaffir lime leaves, chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ very ripe honeydew melon (approximately 2 pounds)
6 small cucumbers ( I prefer Persian), chopped
½ cup sugar
ice

Method

1. In a pitcher, combine 3 cups of cold water with the lime juice, kaffir lime leaves, and
salt.
2. Peel, seed, and cut the melon into small pieces. In a blender on high speed, puree
small batches of the melon with some of the cucumbers, some of the lime water,
and the sugar, blending until smooth, about 3 minutes. Pour into a large pitcher or
container. Continue pureeing the ingredients until you have used them all up. Stir
well, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Click here to see my full interview with Susan

The cookbook is now available at http://www.streetfoodbook.susanfenigersite.com/