Asian Food

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  Steamy Kitchen

• What to eat for Chinese New Year

  SteamyKitchen

  7 Feb 2010 | 8:12 pm

  The Chinese calendar isn’t as straightforward and predictable as the Western (Gregorian) calendar. The length of a month isn’t always 30…um…31…no…29…or 28 days. Okay, okay, so both calendars are kinda screwy. But what I meant was that Western New Years is always called January 1st. Chinese or Lunar New Year falls on a different day every year, anytime between January 20th to Feburary 19th, depending on the sun and moon cycles. This year, it just so happens that that Chinese New Year is on Feburary 14th, 2010, which means you can take Valentine’s…

• BBQ Pitmaster Chef Paul’s Sweet & Smoky Ribs

  SteamyKitchen

  6 Feb 2010 | 8:28 am

  Another sweet and smoky recipe? Yep! I can sweet and smoky anything – even tofu (maybe next week!) BBQ fans are loving the new BBQ Pitmasters Show on TLC and I was lucky enough to get a recipe for Chef Paul Peterson’s Sweet and Smoky Ribs. New Twitter friend, Steve Wilson, who runs Grilling Companion website was kind enough to help me out by testing, photographing the recipe and also interviewing Chef Paul. Get Chef Paul Peterson’s Sweet and Smoky Ribs recipe on Steamy Kitchen on TLC.

• It’s getting a little hot in here

  SteamyKitchen

  2 Feb 2010 | 3:27 pm

  When I first heard on Twitter that I was named one of the 10 Hottest Women in Food by SlashFood, I seriously had to double-check the URL to make sure it wasn’t a spoof site, because you all know what happens when misspell a website name and end up in pornville. Well, it was legit, and even after an hour, nobody on Twitter shouted “you’ve been punk’d!” Though if I really had really been punk’d, more than likely the person responsible would be missing a few teeth today. The difficult part of all this is that now I really have to live up to the title…and…

• Beer Steamed Clams with Bacon & Tomatoes

  SteamyKitchen

  1 Feb 2010 | 7:50 am

  This is possibly one of the best 10 minute meals I’ve ever made! I’ll take clams any which way (well, except rubbery overcooked) – steamed, raw, fried, smothered and creamed in soup. When I’m lucky enough to get my hands on really fresh manila clams, I always invite friends over to feast…. (Continue reading at Steamy Kitchen on TLC)

• $25,000 to Share Our Strength

  SteamyKitchen

  31 Jan 2010 | 9:10 pm

  17.2 million American children face hunger each year. If you break that down, that’s almost 1 in 4 kids. As many of you know, one of my favorite charities is Share Our Strength, an organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America. This month, I’m so honored to have partnered with Quaker Oatmeal and Goodbite, along with several other bloggers, to bring you a fundraiser that will raise up to $25,000 for Share Our Strength. $25,000 = 75,000 meals. It’s simple. There’s no contest, no voting….just a few clicks on your part. Head to Quaker’s Create…

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  The Fortune Cookie Chronicles

• Event with Ming Tsai on March 11 in Boston

  Jennifer 8. Lee

  5 Feb 2010 | 4:36 pm

  I’m doing an event with Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger fame for the Asian American Journalist Association’s New England chapter in March 11. Here is the description. Ming Tsai, James Beard award-winning chef and owner of Blue Ginger and host of the Emmy-nominated Simply Ming on WGBH, is preparing a special menu to benefit AAJA New England and its Internship & Scholarship Fund. Watch Ming turn up the heat on his signature East-West cuisine in a cooking demo, then hear Jennifer 8. Lee demystify Chinese food in a talk about her book, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles.  Sample Ming’s…

• Got Invited to Speak at the Smithsonian in May

  Jennifer 8. Lee

  30 Jan 2010 | 1:41 pm

  How cool is that. More details to come. It would be at the National Museum of American History.

• Chinese Restaurant at the Belize-Mexico Border

  Jennifer 8. Lee

  8 Jan 2010 | 11:23 pm

  Sent to me by a friend who is traveling through Mexico. Funny to me, that it’s called Chopsticks, even though this is a Spanish-speaking area of the world.

• The Obsession with General Tso and his Chicken

  Jennifer 8. Lee

  6 Jan 2010 | 8:02 pm

  Francis Lam expounds on General Tso’s chicken on Salon.com, the poultry story that keeps on giving. He quotes “The Fortune Cookie Chronicles.” Fuchsia Dunlop also weighs in on how it got known as General Tso’s chicken when the original English name was “Chicken a la Viceroy.” I feel there is a cabal of General Tso’s chicken-obsessed people that emerges. Generaltso on Facebook is a kid named Devon Morton who just graduated from high school on Long Island. General Tso on Twitter is a mystery — someone who protects his tweets.

• General Tso’s (Tao) Potato Chips, Available in Canada

  Jennifer 8. Lee

  26 Dec 2009 | 5:49 am

  This photo of General Tao’s potato chips was sent to me by a friend who was visiting Canadian relatives for the holidays. Has anyone tried the before? I love how it’s called “Poulet Général Tao” in French. The general is multi-lingual. Also, I guess in Canada he’s given upon the “s” in “Tso.”

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  About.com: Chinese Food

• Symbolic Chinese New Year Recipes

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:53 am

  Countdown to Chinese New Year: 6 daysFrom Spring Rolls with plum sauce to Sticky Rice Cake, these recipes all feature symbolic foods that are considered to be lucky in Chinese culture. They are especially popular during the Chinese New Year season, but you can enjoy them all year long! More Chinese New Year Recipes - Includes vegetarian and quick and easy dishes Spring Rolls photo, Copyright © Rhonda Parkinson, licensed to About.com, Inc Symbolic Chinese New Year Recipes originally appeared on About.com Chinese Food on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 08:53:04.Permalink | Comment | Email this

• Warm Up With Red Cooked Pork With Beer

  7 Feb 2010 | 4:13 am

  Red-cooked dishes are the perfect cold weather food. Red cooking consists of gently braising food in a flavorful soy sauce-based liquid with sugar and spices such as five-spice powder. In this recipe for Red Cooked Pork, chef Martin Yan marinates pork in a soy and five spice blend, and then braises it with an assortment of root vegetables in a Tsingtao Lager hoisin sauce. More About Red Cooking: Soy Sauce Chicken Red Cooked Beef What is a Master Sauce? Learn More About Shanghai Cuisine Red Cooked Pork With Beer photo, Copyright © Martin Yan and TeamWorks Media, licensed to About.com, Inc…

• Celebrate Chinese New Year By Making Chinese Dumplings

  6 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am

  Countdown to Chinese New Year: 8 days Delicious Jiaozi dumplings are considered lucky because of their historical resemblance to Chinese money. In ancient times, Chinese currency consisted of dumpling-shaped silver and gold ingots called yuan bao. The dumplings symbolize wealth and hopes for a profitable future. In northern China, it is customary for families to spend the hours before Chinese New Year preparing these tasty dumplings, which are eaten after midnight. More Chinese Dumpling Recipes Potstickers Vegetarian Potstickers Siu Mai Dumplings(Cook and Sell Dumplings) Potsticker Dipping…

• Last Minute Appetizer Ideas For Super Bowl Sunday

  6 Feb 2010 | 2:38 am

  Still not sure what to serve at your Super Bowl party? Here are a few ideas: No Cook Spring Rolls - Perfect for anyone who doesn't want to blow their diet on game day. The rolls are easy to make and includes a simple and spicy dipping sauce. Szechuan Gaucamole - Szechuan and Mexican cuisine come together in this fun fusion dip. Five-spice powder and chili paste are available at most major supermarkets. Baked Crab Rangoon - a quick and easy version of the popular appetizer. The crab/cream cheese dip is heated and served with baked wonton "chips." Baked Hoisin Chicken Wings - Chicken wings are…

• An Asian Take on the Bloody Mary - Shandong Mary

  5 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am

  Countdown to Chinese New Year: 9 daysMany will want to celebrate the Year of the Tiger with something alcoholic. Created by Chef Martin Yan, this Shandong Mary recipe is an Asian variation on the Bloody Mary, made with chili garlic sauce and Tsingtao Lager. Besides being ideal for Chinese New Year festivities, it also makes an interesting beer cocktail on Super Bowl Sunday. More Asian Cocktail Ideas Beijing Bellini - created in honor of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Lichitini Cocktail - made with Lichido Liqueur Top 11 Asian Cocktails An Asian Take on the Bloody Mary - Shandong Mary originally…

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  Market Manila

• Pinakbet in a Wok a la Marketman

  Marketman

  8 Feb 2010 | 1:36 pm

  Pinakbet is one of my (possibly even THE) favorite pinoy vegetable dishes of all time. In a broadly answered and widely read poll on pinoy favorites, here, pinakbet ranked in the Top 5 dishes. The first time I cooked and blogged about it, I was trying to replicate a version that we used to enjoy at home when I was growing up, here. Apparently, that version with kalabasa or winter squash was a dead giveaway "non-Ilocano" style pinakbet. Kalabasa is added mostly by folks around Manila and the southern part of Luzon. I later tried pinakbet while on a whirlwind trip through the Ilocos region, and…

• Lechon Sisig Buns a la Marketman

  Marketman

  7 Feb 2010 | 8:50 pm

  Diet be damned! At least for this one unctuous meal made up of three different versions of Zubuchon sisig pao a la Marketman. Outrageously good. Lip-smacking, finger-licking, died and gone to fat heaven material. I have been meaning to replicate David Chang's Roast Pork Buns from his Momofuku chain of restaurants, and I was THRILLED to find the relatively pain-in-the-rear to make white soft buns for sale at a store, so i bought some 3 dozen, came home, and started to tinker...

• If you could ask them just one question…

  Marketman

  4 Feb 2010 | 4:32 pm

  When I used to work in strategic management consulting, my bosses often asked me to distill very complex issues into a 30-60 second answer. It was called the elevator response. Working for huge clients, often banks, finance ministries, etc. with as many as 10,000+ employees, I would be given the dream scenario of riding up to my team somewhere in the headquarters building, and suddenly finding myself alone with the CEO or head of the company inside the elevator. He looks at me, and says "so how's it going?" Not wanting to waste that precious minute of time alone, you were expected to use it…

• Stevie’s Hainanese Chicken Rice To Go…

  Marketman

  3 Feb 2010 | 1:09 pm

  Mrs. MM and I once lived in Singapore for several years and standard fare at least once a week was a good Hainanese Chicken Rice. A soft poached chicken, often with a trace of blood still evident, the flesh was silky and moist, the simple flavors enhanced by dipping sauces made out of ginger and scallions or spring onions, kecap manis (a sweet soy concoction) and some fiery chili or sambal. Until yesterday, we had not found a decent version locally... more often than not, the chicken is overcooked and "boiled to death" and the essence of the dish is destroyed. So Mrs. MM and I were very…

• Spectacular Momofuku Pickles…

  Marketman

  2 Feb 2010 | 7:19 pm

  The plate of pickles we enjoyed on a recent visit to Momofuku Ssam Bar in New York was the reason I bought the Momofuku cookbook, and eventually tried making the pickles for myself. They turned out brilliantly. I love pickles and these ones are just right up my ally. Made from prime fresh produce, treated to a brief bath in a simple pickling solution, and crisp to the bite but unmistakably pickled. If you love pickles, you will love these...

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  Stickyrice

• Winter Warmer

  stickyrice

  21 Jan 2010 | 1:35 pm

  In winter, in the depths of the Old Quarter, a small stall opens. To the outsider, it could be mistaken as a secret members' only club, where passwords or coded signals are required for entry. If you come at the wrong time of year or day, what you have come seeking will not be there, almost as if it never existed. You will be left feeling bewildered, slightly left out...clearly not a member. I am a 'member' of this seasonal food stall, located in what appears to be an ancient gateway to an Old Quarter family commune. This dark sheltered lane houses a smooth stone stelae of a…

• Dressing Up Cucumber

  stickyrice

  13 Jan 2010 | 12:41 pm

  The humble cucumber gets a raw deal in salad land. When people talk about the dull salads of their childhood, cucumber more than often than not gets tossed into the mix with iceberg lettuce and wedges of tomato. Flashbacks of the bottle of Kraft French dressing in the door of the fridge of my childhood home are coming to me now. That was a standard in Australian refrigerators of the 70s.In Vietnam, the cucumber is more ubiquitous in salads than lettuce. It commonly features as a pickle on the side of wok-cooked noodle dishes like pho xao (stir-fried beef) and com rang (fried rice) - sweet,…

• Birthday 2

  stickyrice

  6 Jan 2010 | 12:51 pm

  In birthday celebration number two, wine was poured. A congratulatory utterance and toast to the birthday boy started proceedings. It was very civilized - worlds away from the debauchery of the brauhaus. There was white linen, waiters to pull chairs out, an array of cutlery to negotiate, etiquette to be observed. I did not want to drink until silly again but instead there was the not much lesser danger of gourmandising myself - like the fellow from that Monty Python film, who ate so much he self-combusted. For we were dining at the big hotel buffet. When guests are staying at these…

• Birthday Festival Part One

  stickyrice

  28 Dec 2009 | 12:58 pm

  About 10 days ago, I turned a year older. Normally I let it pass without fanfare. I don't like to make a fuss. Being so near Christmas, I'm used to my birthday being swallowed up with the other festivities. I've received joint birthday and Christmas presents, many birthday gifts wrapped in Christmas paper. Rarely have I celebrated with a party. This year I had two. Call it a birthday festival, if you like. The two celebrations were a study in contrasts, one a drink-fest with eats, the other an eat-fest with drinks. After one, I suffered with hangover, after the other,…

• Heavy Sticky Filler

  stickyrice

  15 Dec 2009 | 3:24 pm

  I'm sure we all have our own little eating disorders. Mine involves sticky rice. I love it and I hate it. When I'm in the mood to eat it, no other dish will suffice. I will not be persuaded along any noodle route when the sticky rice compulsion takes hold. Though afterwards, there is a tinge of regret. But I don't vomit. You see I consider myself to be a healthy eater for the most part but my search for just a smidge of nutritional value in this dish is futile. Nothing green in sight. Morgan Spurlock got sick on his supersize me diet and if I were to take on a…

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  Home cooking rocks!

• Fresh fruit drinks, just like in Manila

  Connie

  8 Feb 2010 | 6:42 pm

  The scene might look like it was taken from a street in Manila or some other location in the Philippines. The fruits — yellow and green mangoes, watermelon, pineapple, coocnuts — are just what you’d find here and even the street scene is similar — street hawker, monobloc chair, tropical clothing… But that isn’t the Philippines [...]

• Lam Tin Tea House

  Connie

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 pm

  Along Banawe Avenue in Quezon City is a relatively new restaurant called Lam Tin Tea House. When I say relatively new, I mean it is not yet two years old — or so. What’s interesting about Lam Tin is that it serves Noodle Feast, one of the signature dishes of Han Pao Tea House along [...]

• Dried chili flakes and chili sauce

  Connie

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:03 am

  There are only three kinds of chili in Filipino cooking: siling labuyo (bird’s eye chili), once in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the spiciest chili in the world but which has since relinquished the title to new and spicier breeds of Mexican chilis; the milder and larger siling haba (finger chilis); and [...]

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  Appon's Thai Food Recipes

• Chicken Rice Curry With Coconut ( Koa Mook Gai )

  22 Jan 2010 | 10:55 pm

  This curry comes from the Muslim area of Thailand, the south, near the border with Malaysia. It is a chicken curry, made with rice and coconut milk, served with a spicy ginger side sauce. Imagine Paella crossed with Thai spices and that is very close to the style of this dish.

• Taro & Onion Cake ( Ka Noom More Gang )

  7 Jan 2010 | 3:05 pm

  This is a dessert made with taro - a sweet potato like root vegetable and topped with fried onion slivers. It sounds stranger than it tastes, the taste is similar to bread puddings, the taro gives this dessert the bread like texture, the onions add a contrast flavour. If you can't obtain taro, use sweet potato or yam.

• Snow Cone ( Nam Kang Sei )

  20 Dec 2009 | 3:05 am

  I'm visiting friends in Belgium for Christmas, and it's freezing! -4 degrees Celsius, it's 31 degrees in Bangkok and very humid. Time for Nam Kang Sei! Frozen snow cones from the freshly fallen snow, drizzled with Hales Blue Boy (helbruboy in Thai) cream soda and condensed milk. Merry Christmas.

• Thai Steamed Pork Sausage ( Mu Yor )

  17 Dec 2009 | 3:10 pm

  These are some of the most flavorsome sausages you can eat, best of all, because you make them yourself, you can ensure only the best meat goes into them. In Thailand we make these wrapped in banana leaves, but you can also steam them in tinfoil like we've done here. They can be eaten hot or cold, when serving, its normal to cut them into slices.

• Pork Panang ( Panang Mu )

  28 Nov 2009 | 7:49 am

  A very simple stir fry red pork curry with a plenty of fresh vegetables. This dish plus rice makes a complete meal of meat and vegetables.

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  Rasa Malaysia

• Quaker Create Your Day Part II

  Rasa Malaysia

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:44 am

  Thanks to your support and participation, we are almost there. We have surpassed over 16,000 creations and only halfway through our campaign. We have a real chance of meeting our goal of 25,000 creations and helping our friends at Share Our Strength feed lots of hungry children. We have another two weeks to meet the [...]

• Cornflake Cookies (Chinese New Year Recipes #4)

  Rasa Malaysia

  7 Feb 2010 | 4:10 pm

  After a few savory dishes, I thought it’s time I share a Chinese New Year baking recipe with you. Chinese New Year calls for major baking and kuih (local sweet cakes) making sessions in Malaysia. The popular items are pineapple tarts or pineapple rolls, kuih kapit (check out the step-by-step in pictures!), kuih bangkit, kuih bahulu, [...]

• Broccoli and Scallops (Chinese New Year Recipes #4)

  Rasa Malaysia

  5 Feb 2010 | 2:38 pm

  Please welcome Wiffy of Noob Cook to Rasa Malaysia today. She is sharing with us a Chinese New Year recipe called 花开富贵, or stir-fried broccoli and scallops, which means richness and abundance. Noob Cook is a great Singaporean food blog with many delicious home-cooked recipes, I have to say that Wiffy is certainly no noob [...]

• Crab Noodles (Chinese New Year Recipes #3)

  Rasa Malaysia

  2 Feb 2010 | 2:53 pm

  Noodles are commonly served at Chinese New Year dinner, after all, Chinese live on rice and noodles. If not steamed rice, there is always a noodle dish to go with all the fabulous dishes prepared for Chinese New Year. In Malaysia, whenever my family celebrates Chinese festivities, we would always make a big serving of [...]

• Soy Sauce Chicken/豉油鸡 (Chinese New Year Recipes #2)

  Rasa Malaysia

  31 Jan 2010 | 11:59 am

  My Chinese New Year recipes continues today with everyone’s favorite Cantonese Soy Sauce Chicken (豉油鸡)—a staple chicken dish commonly found at Chinatown BBQ joints here in the United States and around the world—dark and glossy whole chicken dunked in a soy sauce mix with meat so tender, silky, and juicy that they are one of the [...]

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  Asian Recipes Blog

• Miso, the Japanese fermented soybean paste

  7 Feb 2010 | 8:27 am

  Miso is often used for seasoning soups and sauces. It is a salty-tasting Japanese fermented soybean paste. During the fermentation process, a dark liquid rises to the top. Known as tamari, this dark liquid is a strong-tasting form of soy sauce. Miso is ordinarily sold in vacuum-sealed pouches or tubs. There are darker, stronger,and chunkier misos, and dozens of variations in between. Experiment and find the ones that you like best. When choosing and using miso, keep in mind that the darker the color, the stronger, saltier, richer, and more robust the flavor will be. There are four basic…

• How to eliminate cold spots in a microwave oven?

  4 Feb 2010 | 11:35 pm

  Use a carousel, which will also speed cooking. Low-cost carousels or turntables are widely available; just make sure that the size fits the interior of your microwave oven. If you don't have one of these devices, turn the food twice during cooking. if you use your microwave oven often, it also helps to become familiar with how it distributes heat. Line the oven bottom with waxed paper, then cover the paper with pancake batter and cook on high power, stopping every 30 seconds to watch how and where the batter is and is not cooking. Use the hot spots and cold spots as a guide when arranging…

• How to microwave foods faster?

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:45 pm

  To microwave foods faster, cover the dishes tightly which will trap steam for better heat penetration. Use glass dish covers, microwavable plastic, or waxed paper, and try to keep plastic wrap an inch or more above the food. It also helps to use room-temperature foods because they cook faster than cold foods. To warm foods to room temperature safely, take them directly from the refrigerator to the microwave oven, and microwave on medium power in 1-minute intervals until the surface loses its chill. ** Asian Recipes **

• How to arrange foods when cooking with microwave oven?

  3 Feb 2010 | 2:48 am

  To arrange foods for the most efficient cooking, arrange them in a circular or spoke pattern. Also, since microwave ovens cook hotter on the edges than in the center, arrange foods with the thicker or tougher portions toward the edges. Place the thickest ends of chicken breasts and drumsticks outward. For stalk vegetables such as broccoli, arrange them in a circular spoke pattern with the tougher stems pointing outward and the tender heads inward. ** Asian Recipes **

• Using microwave oven to defrost food

  2 Feb 2010 | 2:52 am

  To defrost food with a microwave oven, place the food in its wrapper on a microwaveable plate. If your microwave oven has a pre-programmed defrost cycle, use it. If not, defrost on medium power. Microwave in 5- to 8- minute intervals, turning the food between intervals, until the food is defrosted but still cold. When defrosting frozen blocks of smaller pieces, such as chicken parts, break them apart into individual pieces as soon as possible during the defrosting cycle to speed thawing. ** Asian Cooking **

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  Eating Asia

• On Writing What You Know, and Kuala Lumpur's Old Kitchens

  Robyn Eckhardt

  9 Feb 2010 | 3:30 am

   Sek Yuen's head chef has been with the restaurant since the beginning - over fifty years Much of what I write for publication, whether it be in old-fashioned print or on the web, is about what's new or relatively new, or about things or phenomena that have some relation to or bearing on what's happening right now. As one of my editors says: 'Timely, not timeless.'But if left to my own devices (like this blog) I'm more often drawn to the latter than the former. For instance, I couldn't tell you what's 'new' and 'hot' on KL's culinary…

• Sizzled in Oil, Crisped in the Oven: Sichuan-Style Guo Kui

  Robyn Eckhardt

  5 Feb 2010 | 2:52 am

  Sichuan-style guo kui (stuffed flatbreads) browning in oil on a hot griddleOne of the Chengdu's most popular street snacks is guo kui (pronounced gwoh-kway), a thin meat-stuffed flatbread cooked in plenty of oil. (Guo kui is actually a generic term for flatbread; there are many types in Sichuan and elsewhere in China. We'll visit a few others in subsequent posts.)In Chengdu, where in the evenings you can hardly walk 10 minutes without stumbling across a guo kui vendor, we didn't do a lot of sampling, because the flatbreads are usually deep-fried in a wok and then set in a wire…

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  Blue Lotus

• Snow

  Amy

  1 Feb 2010 | 11:10 pm

  Last night, just as I was thinking winter would sneak by undetected this year, Hideaki came home from work with rosy cheeks and a head adorned with snowflakes. I'd had no idea it had been snowing, having napped the evening away (a wonderful new habit of mine) after getting soaked in the rain earlier. But somewhere during my slumbers the raindrops had turned to snowflakes, great big fluffy snowflakes, and although we huddled under a blanket on our balcony and enjoyed the view for a while, we were both too tired to actually go out and enjoy it. All that napping can really tire a girl out,…

• Ogasawara, Part One

  Amy

  26 Jan 2010 | 3:33 am

  Last month I briefly mentioned a recent trip: And just last week I was whisked away for a surprise free trip to, well, you'll find out soon enough. It involved a few days of heaven, a few hours of hell, and exciting events like almost getting eaten by a (probably) imaginary shark and finally finding out what and where Canada's famed (in Japan only) "Maple Kaido" is. Well, the trip was to the Ogasawara Islands, and it was one of the best things that happened to me in ages. So it's about time I blogged about it. I was chosen as one of 10 foreigners to take part in a six…

• New Year's

  Amy

  12 Jan 2010 | 10:17 pm

  Like every year, this past oshogatsu (New Year holiday) was all about food, starting with a crab feast that featured the impressive looking claw above. We spent the holidays in Osaka with my in-laws, Hideaki enjoying his last bit of freedom and staying for a leisurely eight days, me staying for four thanks to my work schedule. Although it was a short stay for me it didn't feel as rushed as usual, perhaps because I went by shinkansen (bullet train) rather than by plane like my husband usually insists on. I vastly prefer the shinkansen, and although it takes a little longer it is a much…

• Christmas

  Amy

  7 Jan 2010 | 10:12 pm

  I thought Christmas 2009 was going to be different. I went out of my way to decorate the house and feel Christmasy, unlike in 2008 when the only decoration was a tiny poinsettia that a student gave me a few days before the big day. Back then I had decided that all the fuss of decorating and cooking holiday treats wasn't worth it and wanted to see what a no-effort Christmas was like. Not surprisingly Xmas '08 made me a little sad, and I realized two things: one, that you do have to put in some effort to get that special Christmas feeling. And two, that even as a fully grown-up person,…

• Recipe: Pretzels with Mascarpone Honey Dip

  Amy

  25 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm

  Hideaki discovered a wonderful tsumami (drinking snack) recipe just in time for holiday indulging: pretzels with mascarpone honey dip. It's as simple as it is delicious, and the recipe—although it hardly needs one—can be found at the bottom of the post. He found the recipe in a magazine I'd bought for him, a men's magazine called Pen, with a headline this month of "Otoko no Ryori Kyoshitsu" (Cooking School for Men), and I'd bought it hoping to inspire him to cook a bit more. The same day I bought him the magazine we got a catalogue in the mail from Hiraki, a…

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  Chubby Hubby

• Some great kitchen gear

  Chubby Hubby

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:18 am

  Like a lot of guys, I’m really into gadgets and gear. And much to my darling wife’s chagrin, because I have (in her opinion) way too many interests, this means I’m constantly oohing and aahing over all kinds of new toys, from the latest smartphone to a custom-made bicycle part to, of course, all kinds of awesome equipment with which to fill our kitchen. Fortunately, this last category is one in which S also shares a passion and hence allows me to indulge my urges to buy shiny new things. Over the last half year, we’ve picked up a number of nifty items, some of which I…

• An old-fashioned feast at True Blue Cuisine

  Chubby Hubby

  28 Jan 2010 | 5:37 am

  Last weekend, my darling wife S and I enjoyed a fantastic meal at True Blue Cuisine. True Blue is one of my favourite restaurants and easily one of the best Peranakan restaurants in Singapore. It’s a place that S and I like to bring visiting friends to, as well as to go by ourselves for date nights during which we feast on Chef Benjamin Seck’s expertly prepared and always mouth-watering dishes. Last weekend, we went to True Blue because they were serving a very special set menu. In partnership with The White Card, a membership program that I helped set up that offers special…

• Julia Child’s braised goose with chestnut and sausage stuffing

  S

  21 Jan 2010 | 6:53 am

  On Christmas Eve last year, as we were picking up a prime rib at Huber’s for the lunch we were hosting the following day, I espied a goose in the poultry section. For some inexplicable reason, I decided that I had to have it and that at some point between Christmas and New Year’s, I would prepare a menu with goose as its centerpiece. Mind you, up to that point, I’d never cooked goose. I didn’t even have a recipe in mind. CH looked at me as if I was insane and must have put it down to jetlag. Nonetheless, accommodating as he usually is when it comes to matters of the…

• 10 Best Meals of 2009

  Chubby Hubby

  14 Jan 2010 | 10:21 pm

  photos courtesy of Spice Temple As we start the new year, I’ve been looking back at 2009. It was a crazy year, one filled with tough challenges, new opportunities, lots of travel, and, of course, many exceptional meals. Which makes it hard to pick my ten favourite dining experiences of the year. Some fabulous meals, I should say, were had at home (yes, my darling wife S is that good a cook) and at the homes of friends. But for this post, I have decided to limit myself to restaurant experiences. So, what makes a great, truly memorable meal? Well, the food, naturally. But as I reflected…

• Risotto with Treviso radicchio

  Chubby Hubby

  9 Jan 2010 | 1:35 am

  I don’t know about you, but after I come back from a place in which I’ve eaten really well, I’m often still craving the foods from that city or country for the following few weeks (if not longer). It doesn’t matter that I most likely overindulged (and that’s putting it mildly) while travelling. I just want to keep enjoying all the yummy local, seasonal dishes from those great places for as long as I can. I know, on the flipside, some travellers experience food fatigue when overseas for too long. I remember, as a child, being dragged into Chinese restaurants in…

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  Kyoto Foodie: Where and what to eat in Kyoto

• Setsubun Wagashi: Oni-ni-Kanabo from Kyoto Confectionery Sentaro

  Kyoto Foodie

  3 Feb 2010 | 6:23 am

  At Setsubun, people in Japan are thinking eho-maki sushi rolls, grilled sardine and roasted soybeans to prevent misfortune and increase happiness. No one thinks of wagashi. Sentaro, a shinise confectionery in Kyoto, made their own unique and tasty Setsubun demon theme roll, but you don’t get sushi from a confectionery, it’s a wagashi roll! Its quite long and comes wrapped in a red, demon decorated paper tube. Oni-ni-Kanabo 'Demon Roll' - Package Oni ni Kanabo Mushi-pan Roll from Sentaro 京都 仙太郎 鬼に金棒 This confection is called Oni-ni-kanabo 鬼に金棒. Oni…

• Setsubun Foodie Customs: Kyoto Hisagozushi ‘Onimaki’ Ehomaki

  Kyoto Foodie

  3 Feb 2010 | 2:03 am

  Meet the ‘Demon Roll’ sushi for the day before spring — Kyoto-style. This makizushi is a very original, fascinating and extremely beautiful variation of the eho-maki (lucky direction roll) makizushi that is eaten by custom in Japan on Setsubun, February 3rd, the day before spring begins. Setsubun has some wonderful customs and they all seem to be food related. Two years ago I was introduced to Hisagozushi’s Setsubun Onimaki, literally ‘demon roll’ by Miwa. I had eaten this shinise’s sushi several times but I had no idea of their magical and very visually…

• Mid-Winter Wagashi: Kyoto Toraya Red Plum Blossom with Frost Theme Namagashi Confection

  Kyoto Foodie

  16 Jan 2010 | 6:47 am

  A wagashi confection that was created in 1699 by Toraya is a beautiful and unmistakable expression of a mid-winter plum blossom. It is called Shimokobai 霜紅梅, or red plum blossom with frost. This confection, created centuries ago, expresses something that I can only clearly recall seeing once: fruit blossoms in snow. Toraya 'Shimokobai' Tea Ceremony Confection While it is mid-winter here in Kyoto, we are getting ready for fruit blossoms already. In February the plum trees will bloom and the very fortunate will be treated to see plum blossoms in the snow! To me, plums blossoms are…

• Osechi Ryori: French Osechi by Restaurant Okumura

  Kyoto Foodie

  1 Jan 2010 | 3:39 am

  This entry is part 8 of 8 in the series O-shogatsu RyoriIn 2009 we brought you authentic Kyoto osechi New Year’s cuisine and while Japanese style is the norm there are some restaurants that do Western, Chinese or fusion-type osechi. I had a chance to meet Chef Shinzo Okumura of Restaurant Okumura who is said to have invented ‘French Kaiseki’ and talk with him about his unique French osechi cuisine. Chef Okumura launched his French osechi 20 years ago. At that time people in Kyoto mainly had Japanese-style osechi but they were ready for something different and people were…

• O-shogatsu Ryori: Kyoto-style Saikyo O-zoni White Miso Soup

  Kyoto Foodie

  31 Dec 2009 | 3:12 pm

  Happy New Year from KyotoFoodie! Here is a little taste of the New Year in Kyoto: white miso soup. In Kyoto, people like sweet miso soup and the miso soup for O-shogatsu, or Japanese New Year, is especially sweet, surely the sweetest miso soup in all the land. The soup is called o-zoni and this article is about Kyozoni, or Kyoto-style o-zoni. The source of the sweetness is not sugar, but rice, which produces a rich and mellow natural sweetness. The miso paste is called saikyo shiro miso and it is made with more rice and less soybeans than usual. This is the taste of miso from the Kyoto…

• 
  About.com Chinese Food: What's Hot Now

• Crab Rangoon

  chinesefood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:01 am

  Crab Rangoon - This deep-fried appetizer is a perennial party favorite.

• Pork Stir-fry Recipes

  chinesefood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:01 am

  Pork Stir-fry - Here are a collection of my favorite pork stir-fry recipes, from Pork Chop Suey and Pork With Plum Sauce to Mu Shu Pork and Pork Fried Rice.

• Chinese Dumpling Dip

  chinesefood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:01 am

  Potstickers dipping sauce - Serve this flavorful dipping sauce with potstickers or other Chinese dumplings.

• Chinese soup history and recipes

  chinesefood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:01 am

  Chinese Soup - Learn about the history and types of Chinese soup and try recipes for hot and sour and egg drop soup.

• Diagonal Cutting

  chinesefood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:01 am

  How to Cut Vegetables on the Diagonal – Cutting vegetables on the diagonal helps them cook more quickly.

• 
  About.com Chinese Food: Most Popular Articles

• Basic Congee Recipe

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:18 am

  congee recipe - a basic congee recipe made with long grain rice. Add your favorite garnishes and seasonings as desired.

• Cantonese Beef With Peppers

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:18 am

  Beef and Peppers in Black Bean Sauce Recipe - beef and peppers are simmered in a savory black bean mixture in this Cantonese home-cooked recipe.

• Green Tea Health Benefits

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:18 am

  Information and resources pertaining to the health benefits of green tea. How the polyphenols and catechins in green tea can improve your health.

• Mandarin Pancakes

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:18 am

  Mandarin Pancakes - serve these popular pancakes with Mu Shu Pork, Peking Duck or filled with sweet red bean paste.

• Stir-fry Recipes - Chinese Stir-fry Recipes

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:18 am

  Stir-fry Recipes - From Ants Climbing a Tree to Yangchow Fried Rice, a collection of stir-fry recipes, indexed alphabetically.

• 
  ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal

• New Blog: A Frog in the Kitchen

  ZenKimchi

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:59 pm

  I’m always on the look out for new Korean food blogs, especially ones with unique angles.  A Frog in the Kitchen takes a French approach to Korean cuisine.  Written by French expat Tiffany Bernard in both English and Korean, the blog tackles a good bit of lifehacking (my new catchall word these days) by making French foods with Korean ingredients and then some.  She even makes a mold out of a Korean butter package so she can stack ratatouille in tower form and garnish it with a glorious strip of bacon.  Girl has mad knife skills, too. A Frog in the Kitchen If you appreciate…

• The Seventh Day: Chicken in Mole Poblano Tteokbokki

  Tammy

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am

  Today, I’m bringing tteokbokki to the new world, first stop in Mexico. Due to the labor-intensive nature of traditional Mexican mole sauces, I didn’t make this mole from scratch. The mole that Americans recognize is Mole Poblano. Wikipedia says, “Mole poblano is prepared with dried chili peppers (commonly ancho, pasilla, mulato and chipotle), ground nuts and/or seeds (almonds, indigenous peanuts, and/or sesame seeds), spices, Mexican chocolate (cacao ground with sugar and cinnamon and occasionally nuts), salt, and a variety of other ingredients including charred avocado…

• Charity Bazaar for Haiti

  ZenKimchi

  7 Feb 2010 | 5:54 pm

  Marks&Spencer and Habitat for Humanity will hold a bazaar February 10th (2-8 p.m.) and 11th (10:30 a.m.-8 p.m.) at Geuckdong Sports Centre in Apgujeong.  All earnings will be donated to Habitat for Humanity in Haiti. If you appreciate ZenKimchi why not buy us a cup o' coffee? Like it? Share it!

• The Sixth Day: Beef Bolognese Tteokbokki

  Tammy

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am

  Posted by Tammy Today’s tteokbokki recipe keeps us on the Italian peninsula by using Bologna’s famous sauce as the wardrobe for the tteok noodles. When I lived in Korea, I did not know much about cooking. My cooking skills was limited to grilled cheese sandwiches and the occasional one pot meal, usually featuring a couple of chicken breasts thrown in a rice cooker with 2 cups of rice mixed with random spices thrown in for flavor. The last 3 months or so I lived in Korea, we had a Korean woman who made lunch for us every day. When she wasn’t making Korean foods like japchae,…

• The Fifth Day: Arrabbiata Tteokbokki

  Tammy

  6 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am

  Posted by Tammy Arrabiata sauce is an Italian pasta sauce. The word “arrabiata” literally means “angry sauce” and comes from the southern part of the Italian peninsula. This is the first Italian (and probably only) Italian sauce I’ve made that might make a Korean sweat (or want to blow their nose). First, soak your garae tteok soak in a hot water bath (not boiling water) for 10 minutes (check the instructions on the package of tteok you bought at the Korean grocery store for recommendations on this step). While the garae tteok are soaking, start on your Arrabiata…

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  Austin Bush Photography

• Snapshots from Mae Hong Son: Still life

  Austin Bush

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:03 am

  Gourds for sale at Mae Hong Son’s morning  market

• Hotshoe in KL

  Austin Bush

  9 Feb 2010 | 1:56 am

  Last week I attended two of Joe McNally’s photography workshops in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, The Hot Shoe Diaries and Let There Be Light. I learned heaps and got the chance to use lots of previously unfamiliar lighting equipment, although not always successfully, as illustrated above. But regardless of our success, Joe was an enthusiastic, fun and inspiring teacher: and in addition to two of his excellent books and some cool new Lastolite gear, I took home several techniques and ideas that I hope to use soon. If Joe is ever in your part of the world, I’d highly recommend investing…

• Snapshots from Mae Hong Son: Party animals

  Austin Bush

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:21 am

  Handing out khao ya kuu on the streets of Mork Jampae, Mae Hong Son My stay in Mae Hong Son coincided yet again with khao ya koo, a Shan celebration in which caravans of partying locals hand out packets of sweetened sticky rice to anybody and everybody in the name of making merit. It’s heaps of fun and reminded me of the fact that I seem to bump into some sort of festival or another virtually every time I’m in Mae Hong Son.

• Snapshots from Mae Hong Son: Village Life

  Austin Bush

  31 Jan 2010 | 1:50 am

    Typical Thai Yai house and resident, Mork Jampae, Mae Hong Son Sometimes Mae Hong Son can appear as if it’s stuck in a time warp. A considerable amount of the people here still speak the local dialect, eat the local cuisine and dress traditionally, many even wearing the kup tai (a conical hat). Likewise, most villages here appear to have changed equally little in decades. This is particularly the case with Thai Yai villages such as Mork Jampae, shown above, located about 12km from Mae Hong Son. The vast majority of the houses in Mork Jampae are made from wood and many still feature…

• Snapshots from Mae Hong Son: Lung Long

  Austin Bush

  29 Jan 2010 | 9:29 pm

    Lung Long, Mork Jampae, Mae Hong Son Lung Long is one of the few remaining people in Mae Hong Son who is skilled in the Shan art of doing metal fretwork.  Such fretwork decorates the rooflines of the province’s largely Burmese-style Buddhist temples and was previously made by hand from zinc, but now stainless steel or aluminum is used. Lung Long is mostly retired these days, but will occasionally do work to order, such as the peacocks above that I commissioned. If you want a special souvenir from Mae Hong Son and are willing to go to Mork Jampae (a Thai Yai village about 12km from…

• 
  The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook

• Chinese New Year Cake

  Pat

  5 Feb 2010 | 5:50 pm

  New year cake and mandarin oranges are two standards eaten during Chinese New Year’s My family doesn’t celebrate Chinese New Year in a big way. In fact, my dad has always insisted we are NOT Chinese. My siblings and I always took that statement with a pinch of salt, and we had a real giggle the [...]

• What’s in a Curry?

  Pat

  21 Jan 2010 | 4:23 pm

  Golden-hued Madras curry powder Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a generic curry powder. In fact, the term curry powder didn’t exist until the 18th century when local cooks in Madras (now called Chennai in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state) packaged a spice blend for British colonialists to take home with them. [...]

• Macaroni and Cheese My Way

  Pat

  7 Jan 2010 | 12:07 pm

  You caught me. I used leftover holiday ham instead of Spam to make this dish. People either recoil in terror or express intrigue when I tell them about one of my favorite comfort foods—Spam mac and cheese. Yes, you read right: Spam–aka luncheon meat–that processed and prepackaged meat product (I daren’t call it real meat!) [...]

• A Fried Chicken Conundrum

  Pat

  17 Dec 2009 | 5:00 pm

  Deep-fried drumsticks and thighs glistening just after their turn in the hot oil I couldn’t help but feel a wee bit like a traitor when I made this fried chicken dish. Growing up, I loved my mum’s fried chicken. In fact, I worshiped it. To me, there was no comparison. Mum made two versions of fried chicken: [...]

• Win a copy of my cookbook at RasaMalaysia.com!

  Pat

  9 Dec 2009 | 6:09 pm

  Who doesn’t love a cookbook giveaway? Just leave a comment on my guest post on RasaMalaysia.com by December 14th where I reminisce about some unforgettable duck. And you might be the happy recipient of The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook. Many thanks to Bee for organizing it! Photo by Lara Ferroni excerpted from The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook. Here’s a snippet [...]

• 
  Tess's Japanese Kitchen

• ťọ śêê ŧĥîņĝş ďįffěŗêńţĺý

  Tess

  7 Feb 2010 | 6:51 am

  http://1tess.wordpress.com Contemplating the importance of "of" … and looking so closely at the letters one misses the whole picture. Trying a recipe for wafu spaghetti and meatballs with umeboshi and shiso, a different way to look at this ordinary dish. Considering retirement and the ravages of aging, and the stress on marriage when the partners see things differently. And a love song…

• Mushrooms, Noodles, Love, and Kisses

  Tess

  31 Jan 2010 | 12:20 pm

  http://1tess.wordpress.com The best parts of a conversation: …The long soaking makes them a luxuriously plump and yielding product not unlike softly biting into a person’s lip. They have a smoky pungency… …Does that umami taste/flavor/sensation (??) make you just sort of click your tongue?… …Click, click!… …I like those things but have no click click kiss kiss sort of reaction or longing… …“tongue desire” part may be a bit of artistic ‘over-exaggeration’… …Even the act of eating long noodles or spaghetti involves sort of kiss-shaped lips to eat them.…

• Cats can’t complain!

  Tess

  26 Jan 2010 | 6:22 am

  My cats can't complain! The cats have been feasting! (inspite of Gracie's recent exposé) But after almost a week, I think even they are getting tired of it. I haven’t been able to blog lately because ——someone gave us a 19 pound turkey, —— and there are just no Japanese recipes for such a bird, and I thought learning about image mapping might come in handy… (click on each cat to read about how each came to live with us) Click here if you want to skip the story and get to the recipe right now! I say that is a generously sized bird.

• Tess Exposé

  Tess

  22 Jan 2010 | 1:27 pm

  I'm not into tearing stuff down, but how 'bout some balance here. First, I don't get ANY credit at all. Then, why do we NEVER hear about what's really interesting; what do Japanese cats eat? Plus, people should know: Tess is NOT a very good cook! http://1tess.wordpress.com ~~guest post by Gracie

• Meal Ready to Eat: MRE

  Tess

  17 Jan 2010 | 8:39 am

  click on the pictures above to see details

• 
  Blazing Hot Wok

• Regional Recipes Brazil Round-up

  23 Jan 2010 | 11:42 pm

  If you've been anxiously waiting for the Brazil round-up, I'm sorry it's late. There is a good reason, which you'll read about shortly, but first I want to get to the submissions. Let's get started!Picadinho de porco (minced pork) submitted by Marisa of The Creative Pot. It has chorizo! Need I say more?Brazilian-style salmon fish stew submitted by Joanne of Eats Well with Others. If you're looking for a fish stew with bold flavors and vibrant colors, look no further!Brazilian-style empanadas submitted by me. Succulent shredded chicken, green olives and hearts of palm in a butter crust.

• Brazilian-style Empanadas

  10 Jan 2010 | 5:11 pm

  Happy New Year!! Better late than never, right?Did you all start your diets yet? I keep thinking about it, but then I run across recipes like this one for Brazilian-style empanadas and it's just another excuse to delay. The (tentative) deadline is now January 15th...unless I find another excuse. ☺As you can see, these empanadas are more like a pot pie, however the filling is quite different. It's not soupy but rather dense and savory on account of green olives. The crust is very buttery and flaky. The result is a hearty meat pie that is perfect served with a side salad. If you have a…

• Regional Recipes South Pacific Round-up!

  21 Dec 2009 | 10:30 pm

  Anyone else feeling the stress of the holidays? I got a late start this year and feel like I'm short on time. There are still a bunch of last-minute things to do. I suspect that you all are pretty busy too, so I want to send out an extra special Thank You! to the bloggers who were able to submit to Regional Recipes. Brevity is the theme here, so I'm going to just get to it!Guamanian Red Rice submitted by Wandering Chopsticks. Rice flavored with roasted "chicken base" paste and colored with annatto seed powder. Oh, and there's bacon in it! What's not to like?Macadamia Nut Pie by Joanne of Eats…

• Hawaiian Chicken Curry

  15 Dec 2009 | 8:42 pm

  The quarter is finally over!! Hooray!! Now to get back to all the stuff I've been neglecting. Like laundry and housecleaning and Christmas. But first and foremost, I need to give my poor, neglected blog a little attention.As you can see this is not a typical holiday dish. In fact, it's got nothing to do with the holidays whatsoever, but it is festive looking, no? That must count for something. It's also got a lot of contrasting textures going on, but somehow they all work together: succulent chicken, crunchy toasted cashews, fresh pineapple, and dried mango. And of course there's the creamy…

• Pumpkin Bread Pudding

  23 Nov 2009 | 12:27 pm

  I'm generally terrible at posting things in time for holidays and special events, but I promised myself I was going to post something before Thanksgiving, even if it meant losing sleep. Fortunately, I haven't lost any sleep getting this done. This post, instead, cuts into my essay-writing time. Yes, sleeping and blogging are higher on the list than finishing any of the gazillion essays I have due in the next 2 weeks. I hope none of my instructors are reading this.If you're not a big pumpkin pie fan, this pumpkin bread pudding is a good alternative. And you get to kill two birds turkeys with…

• 
  the scent of green bananas

• sausage rolls

  25 Jan 2010 | 10:32 pm

  i was talking about vultures on twitter which led to an australian sausage roll challenge. why? because that's twitter for you. australian sausage rolls are coarse ground sausage meat wrapped in puff pastry; i have never actually eaten one previous to this, but i like a challenge, and frankly mister shankly, these did not seem like they'd be challenging to eat. timing was great, too, as it is was australia day; coincidentally, also robbie burns night, so there was a chance i would have made y'all a haggis sausage roll. unfortunately, i did not have sheep heart, liver, tongue, and stomach on…

• street, cleaner

  16 Jan 2010 | 2:10 am

  a version of the many-versioned dan dan mian, or sichuan spicy noodles. wiki says this about it. fuchsia dunlop has lots to say about sichuan cuisine, including the dan dan mian in the city chengdu. i have nothing but this blog entry.i honestly don't know what the traditional recipe is. the only versions i have eaten have all used wheat noodles with some sort of ground meat (pork or beef), bathed in an oily red broth that includes sesame oil, red chili peppers, and if i'm lucky, sichuan peppers. most are soupy and/or oily, for which i confess, i have no predilection as it seems to…

• toast of christmas past.

  14 Jan 2010 | 7:50 pm

  someone gave me one of those electric sandwich makers as a gift--not a panini grill but one of those dorm room appliances that is subject to a pretty awesome informercial or two (albeit this one is from a relatively respected company). i could've returned it at the shops for something more useful but it's shiny, and i started thinking of all the inappropriate things i could shove in between two slices of bread then call it a "meal"--condiments? a whole frozen dinner? a can of soup? o, the non-possibilities.my folks get a lot of food gifts. i generally do not. don't ask me why, you'd think…

• do it clean

  31 Dec 2009 | 11:37 pm

  new year's food: hoppin' john, a traditional southern united states rice and beans dish, often eaten on new year's day, as it is thought to bring good luck and prosperity. now who wouldn't want a little of that? there are two main ingredients: black eyed peas (or field peas) and rice, often cooked together, but sometimes just mixed together or served side by side. also served alongside are cooked greens--generally collard or turnip greens, but also kale and chard (i used swiss red chard), because the greens supposedly add wealth as they are the colour of money. ah, if only that were true.

• WIP: duck fat fried chicken

  13 Aug 2009 | 3:06 am

  the title of this post doesn't exactly trip off the tongue, nor does one's mind immediately latch on to the meaning. it wants to rearrange: fat duck fried chicken? fried duck chicken fat? fried fat chicken duck? nay. i found a bunch of duck fat (yes, i believe that is the collective term) that was slated for something else, but somehow ended up in a cast iron pan, heated on a medium high flame until rippling. i don't know how much. maybe a pound and a half? inch and a half wet? ANYWAY, the chicken: small plump thighs, organic ok, wash, patted dry, seasoned with a bit of kosher salt and white…

• 
  Lily's Wai Sek Hong

• Pandan Bangkit

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:34 am

  This Kuih Bangkit Recipe is so versatile that by just changing the fragrance or shape, it transforms into a delectable cookie.  Pandan is always the most acceptable and well known fragrance amongst us asians and the green color is auspicious for the Chinese New Year.  In cantonese, moss is called 'chang choy'  - 'chang' is 'green'  and 'choy' is 'wealth'.  Yes, wealth and prosperity are the most welcome wishes for the Chinese New Year.Ingredients:andMethod:The recipe is hereChange the essence to Pandan PasteServes

• Valentine Bangkit

  2 Feb 2010 | 3:10 pm

  Love the most powerful emotion on earth is celebrated on Valentine's Day.  Show your love with these heart cookies to make your sweetheart feel special!  This cookie is actually a classic for the Chinese in Malaysia celebrating the Chinese New Year and as we all know, February 14th is also Valentine's Day.  As i was making Kuih Bangkit for the Chinese New Year, i was also thinking of putting some love in the air.  Hearts, color pink and roses - with all these in mind, made some of the bangkit into these cuties.Ingredients:One recipe of Kuih BangkitChange essence to…

• Hup Toh Sou/Walnut Crisp

  1 Feb 2010 | 11:31 am

  These Hup Toh Soh is a cookie but this recipe results a very crisp and crunchy cookie, sort of like a Biscotti.  If you like crisp and crunchy, then give this recipe a try.  Strangely, this cookie is called Walnut Crisp/Cookie (hup Toh is cantonese for walnut) but there is no walnuts in the dough.  I top the crisp with a piece of walnut just to justify the name.  Could it be that the appearance of the baked crisp/cookie, with all the cracks, looked like a walnut????   In traditional Chinese medicine, walnuts are associated with the Lung, Large Intestine…

• Malaysian Coconut Candy

  28 Jan 2010 | 6:59 pm

  Of all of the hundreds of candy recipes, this coconut candy will be the most satisfying for every sweet tooth in your household.  This home-made candy recipe has never been easier.  Sure you could buy candy from the store, but what would be the fun of that? Experience the nostalgic fun of making this candy as it has a totally unique texture  and sure paradise for kids of all ages Send them all to candy heaven with this Coconut Candy . Ingredients:1 lb grated white coconut2 1/2 cups granulated sugar 3/4 cup evaporated milk1/4 tsp salt4 tbsp butter1/2 tsp rose…

• Tuiles Aux Amandes Effilees

  27 Jan 2010 | 5:36 am

  In French, “tuile” means “tile,” and it is a reference to the shape of the classic tuile. A tuile is a type of very lightweight, dry, crisp cookie. These cookies come in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes, and flavors, but every style tends to be delectable. Tuiles are also incredibly versatile, and they can be used for everything from ice cream garnishes to crusts for tiny, delicate tarts. Learning to make tuiles happens to be very easy and fun, and because these cookies are so versatile, you can play around with a tuile recipe a great deal.Recipe is adapted from Pastry & Sweet…

• 
  Japanese Snack Reviews

• Cheerio Mega 700 Lemon

  9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  There's an episode of Seinfeld about a Pakistani restaurant owner who occupies a space near Jerry's apartment that seems to doom anyone who does business there to fail. The location seems practically cursed. I've got a few places near my apartment that similarly seem to suffer that problem. It doesn't matter who sets up shop or what sort of place they open, they close down in a year or so.

• Roasted Sweet Potato KitKat

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  It's no secret that I am not a great food photographer and I'm comfortable with this fact. I don't consider myself so much a purveyor of great pictures as much as a writer. The pictures are just here to make the blog a little more interesting to look at and to show people what things look like as a point of reference. That being said, despite their second-class citizen status, I spend as much or

• Maple KitKat Mini

  5 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  Back when I was working at a Japanese office, one of my coworkers was an amiable, but rather goofy, American fellow named Scott. Scott used to make up weird hobbies and interests when students asked him questions because he got bored giving the same answers. Among the things he said was that he was interested in dancing (and he'd vary the type of dance, but it was ballet for awhile), ska music,

• Alix Goma Soy Beans (Setsubun)

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  After researching and shopping for this week's worth of Setsubun snacks, I wondered if soy bean producers are rubbing their hands together with glee at the notion of Setsubun just as confectioners are happy about Valentine's Day and Halloween. This notion was reinforced when I researched the maker of these sesame soy bean snacks, Alix. Alix makes a variety of soy-bean and rice-based products as

• Aero Setsubun Black Soy Chocolate Bar

  3 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  The Aero black soy bar is Nestle Japan's second entry in the Setsubun marketing game.The red devil on the soy bean KitKat has been given a color job and been symbolically castrated by having his horns removed. This might be a girl demon. I'm not up on gender identification of devil and demon sorts.I found this bar side-by-side with the Setsubun KitKat at Family Mart convenience store. Both bars

• 
  Wandering Chopsticks

• Sup Ca Chua Dau Xanh (Vietnamese Green Bean and Tomato Egg Drop Soup)

  7 Feb 2010 | 11:13 pm

  The baked goat cheese on pesto was to hold off my friends' hunger as I quickly prepared the rest of dinner. I was making nai luc lac (Vietnamese shaking venison), Bo Nuong La Lot (Vietnamese Grilled Beef with Wild Betel Leaves), and nem nuong xa (Vietnamese grilled lemongrass pork patties).I used ground pork for the soup since I already had it on hand for the nem nuong xa, but normally would make

• Dim Sum Express - Monterey Park

  7 Feb 2010 | 11:04 pm

  Back in fall 2007, when lil' sis abandoned me, without someone around that I had to feed or a readily available dining companion, I got lazy. Sometimes it seemed like too much effort to go out to eat or to cook for one.Was this how bachelors felt?Even something as simple as dim sum would require making plans with someone. Sometimes, a girl just wants a dumpling or two. Long before I realized that

• Mexican Nutella Hot Chocolate with Chilies

  5 Feb 2010 | 11:41 pm

  It's been an incredibly busy week with stuff going on all over the place. I haven't had a moment to think about what to make for this year's World Nutella Day.Then, while writing up the Weekend Wokking round-up #21 (Chili Pepper), I was saved by Sweatha of Tasty Curry Leaf's recipe for Mayan hot cocoa. I could do something similar, but swap out the cocoa in her recipe with Nutella.Read the

• Weekend Wokking #21 (Chili Pepper)

  3 Feb 2010 | 11:35 pm

  It's no secret that I cook lots of CHILI PEPPERS, the secret ingredient for this month's Weekend Wokking challenge, as chosen by last month's host, Marija of Palachinka. It's not so much for me, but because my family can't get enough of my Tuong Ot Xa (Vietnamese Lemongrass Chili Sauce).Youngest aunt was just telling me that she was on the phone with oldest aunt, who raved about the jar of chili

• 2006 Recipes: Picture Index

  30 Jan 2010 | 11:21 pm

  More lists. I've long wanted to have thumbnail images of each of my recipes. But since I have to manually cut and paste each link, in alphabetical order, into my recipe index, and considering there are now more than 400 recipes, it gets a little unfeasible. So, this is a picture index of all the recipes I've posted for that year, in chronological order. A picture menu for you, a visual reminder

• 
  Just Hungry

• Cool stuff from Japan: Beautiful traditional candies

  maki

  6 Feb 2010 | 2:59 am

  Traditional Japanese food is known for being beautiful and colorful. Nowhere is this more evident than with these jewel-like traditional candies from Kyoto. The ones in the box here are ame (飴) or hard sugar candies. They mostly just taste like pure sugar, though a couple have some fruit flavor. But I find it hard to eat them anyway - they are so gorgeous. The bumpy ones are kompeito (コンペイ糖 or 金平糖), which you may know from various anime and manga. They are simply colored candy, but rather fun to eat. The ones with the flower designs are called kintaro ame (金太郎飴). You…

• Layered Cabbage Casserole - Kyabetsu no Kasaneni (an everyday favorite)

  maki

  2 Feb 2010 | 1:00 am

  (From the archives. A perfect leave-to-cook, warming dish for a cold evening! Originally published December 2008.) Some dishes dazzle you with their prettiness. Others may look plain, but are just plainly delicious. This simple, filling yet healthy winter dish belongs to the latter group. Stuffed cabbage rolls are a staple of Japanese home cooking, believe it or not. I’ve loved it ever since I was little, but I would beg my mother to make it for me. It’s a perfect winter dish, but it can be just a bit fiddly to make. This stovetop casserole type dish is called…

• Cool stuff from Japan: Plastic food models used for nutrition education

  maki

  26 Jan 2010 | 12:25 pm

  You’re probably already familiar with the sometimes disturbingly lifelike, plastic or silicone models of food that are used as window displays in many Japanese restaurants, both in Japan and around the world. They are great visual aids for ordering unfamiliar food. Here’s a typical display of such models at a ramen shop: And here’s one at a famous curry and yoshoku restaurant in Shinjuku called Nakamuraya, showing their East-West fusion type desserts: And here is…well, do you see something different? Instead of prices, the tags show nutritional information.

• Menu For Hope winner, please get in touch!

  maki

  24 Jan 2010 | 3:46 pm

  Just a quick note here: If you are the Kristina Johnson who won the Just Hungry Menu For Hope prize EU25 (check the winners' list) please get in touch via the contact form :)

• Cool stuff from Japan: Mammoth Meat?! Snack

  maki

  18 Jan 2010 | 5:25 pm

  If there’s one thing I don’t like about Japan, it’s that everywhere you go, there are constant reminders to do this, don’t do this, go here, go there, and so on. When you’re going up or down an escalator, a high pitched polite (usually female) voice tells you to watch your step, hold your kid’s hand, stay within the lines, don’t put pointy things like umbrellas between the steps, and whatever you do, don’t get your long hair caught somewhere (!). On a bus, not only does that high-pitched female voice (probably not the same voice, but they sound…

• 
  Hiroko's Kitchen | Blog

• Zojirushi Gourmet d’Expert Electric Skillet!

  admin

  7 Feb 2010 | 6:28 pm

  What a fun, easy to use and convenient piece of cookware the new Zojirushi’s Gourmet d’Expert Electric Skillet is.  I have steamed mussles (after mussles are done, I removed them and heated tomato sauce in the same skillet), fish and vegetables, and grilled wagyu beef steak (raised in America), pork chops and chicken with the very handy, easy to use and flexible applicance.  Flexibility does not usually come with Japanese way of thinking and products, so this is a big thing.  Judith Jones, my editor of The Sushi Experience, enjoyed cooking sukiyaki (thinly sliced beef and…

• Japanese Cooking Seminar at International Restaurant and Foodservice Show

  admin

  2 Feb 2010 | 1:53 pm

  Please join us at Japanese cooking seminars at International Restaurant and Foodservice Show on March 1st and 2nd.  The details are http://www.jetro.org/index.php?option=com_events_jetro&task=view&content=detail&event_id=409&Itemid=200 Hiroko

• Enormously gooey

  admin

  31 Jan 2010 | 5:38 pm

  This icho-imo yam is incredibly enormously gooey when it is grated.  Look at and compare these two photos.  Well, in fact, both may look a little weird to you. The top photo shows the grated yamaimo which presents a watery and slimy texture.  The bottom one is grated icho-imo.  It is so thick and gooey that I had to peel it off from the grater.  Icho-imo has slightly more flavor than its sister, and is rather delicious eaten raw, grated, or cooked.  Some of the most popular icho-imo recipes are tempura and mugi-toro. Here I made the tempura.  I grated the yam, added some salt to flavor…

• You have to watch this!

  admin

  27 Jan 2010 | 11:37 am

  watch?v=dU6M-G87L9o Taken by Dan Schumacher at American Masara.  You hear the voice of Dan, Suvir Saran and Hiroko.

• Again Yam!

  admin

  23 Jan 2010 | 7:57 pm

  I have introduced you nagaimo yam in my previous okonomiyaki blog - it is the long potato-like vegetable that becomes watery-slimy when grated.  In this photo you cann see here a very fresh, whole nagaimo yam.  Looks like a baseball bat.  The skin is thin and rough.  The cut surface shows moist, wet and somewhat bubbly appearance. Nagaimo, which originally came from China to Japan at the beginning of our civilization, is easily available here in America at Chinese food stores.  We enjoy nagaimo in grated form in okonomiyaki kinds of preparations (as a binder) or eat it raw julienne in…

• 
  Just Bento

• Bento tidbits from Japan: Kiyoken Hotate Gohan (scallop rice) Bento, a higher end takeout bento

  maki

  4 Feb 2010 | 2:40 am

  I’m busy getting ready for the photo shoot for the bento cookbook, which starts next week, so I don’t have a lot of time for long posts at the moment. So I thought I’d do a brief write up of this bento I had for lunch today. It’s a good example of a higher-end takeout bento, of the kind you might buy in the food hall of a department store, at specialized stores or stalls in the bigger train stations, and so on. They are of a much better class of bento than supermarket bentos or combini bentos. They are also more expensive of course - the one here is 1,000 yen, compared…

• Torihamu or Homemade Chicken "Ham"

  maki

  27 Jan 2010 | 12:21 am

  Torihamu (鶏ハム）or chicken ham is a recipe that was born and made popular on the internet. It was first popularized around 2001 or 2002, on an extremely popular and often wild and woolly Japanese community/forum site called 2ch or 2-channel (２ちゃんねる), sometime in 2001 or 2002. Torihamu is a method of cooking chicken breast meat so that it supposedly resembles ham. Nowadays torihamu has entered the mainstream of Japanese culture; there are many recipes for it in regular cookbooks, and the (very mainstream) Cookpad community cooking site has 370 recipes for making torihamu or…

• Bento tidbits from Japan: 7Meals, 7-11's healthy bento and meal delivery plan

  maki

  25 Jan 2010 | 3:29 pm

  One of the questions asked in the comments to my first Japan trip report was what kind of healthy ‘fast-food’ options there were. In that vein, I thought I’d talk about something that you can see for yourself, in a way. You might have heard already how totally awesome Japan’s convenience stores, called conbini or konbini, are. They are like the 24 hour delis and bodegas that you see all around a big city like New York in a sense, but go several steps further in terms of customer service. Competition is fierce between the major conbini chains like Lawson, Family Mart,…

• Bento tidbits from Japan: Takeout bentos

  maki

  16 Jan 2010 | 5:19 am

  In case you don’t follow my other food blog, Just Hungry, I am in Japan for the next 3 months. I’ll be reporting on non-bento stuff over there, but of course I’ll be posting about bento related things here! I just got here yesterday, so I don’t have much to report yet, but here are some photos of takeout bentos available locally, in the suburban area of Yokohama (a major port city near Tokyo) where my mother and stepfather live. I got these for lunch today at a local small supermarket (Royal Yotsuya). On the left is a single salmon onigiri (rice ball). On the right is…

• Keeping your bento lunch safe (Reviewing bento basics)

  maki

  11 Jan 2010 | 12:55 am

  Note: This bento safety article is one of the first ones I posted here on Just Bento, back in November 2007. I’ve edited it and added some more information, especially since more and more new people are coming to the site. Even if you’re a veteran bento maker, it’s good to go over the basics occasionally! A traditional portable bento box meal is meant to be eaten eaten at room temperature. It’s typically made in the morning, then held for a few hours until lunchtime, also at room temperature. Millions and millions of Japanese people eat bentos like this (as well as an…

• 
  Hong Kong Food Blog

• Museum Cafe - Ideal High Tea Venue

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:37 am

  Museum Cafe - Podium Level, Hong Kong Art Museum, Tsimshatsui, KowloonHong Kong musuems are free on Wednesdays. So I take a day's off, go to Tsimshatsui to have lunch at Peking Garden and spent some time exploring the nearby Space Museum, Art Museum and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.Though I eat one meal a day, but sometimes I'm naughty. It is a personal rule, not a law, so it doesn't matter. After my museum tour, I had a cup of tea at its cafe on the podium. I really like to recommend this place becasue it is never crowded and it has superb views of the Victoria Harbour. Make sure to sit…

• Learn Restaurant Cantonese

  26 Jan 2010 | 2:00 am

  Let's learn a couple of Cantonese phrases to speak in any Hong Kong restaurant. See if you can shock the waiters.Mai Dan 埋單 - please give me the billmmm goi 吾該 - thank you / pleaseNow click on the video, and listen to how I say it. The card I am holding is a dim sum record card.Chinese New Year is approaching. This year it falls on the Valentine's Day. When you are at a restaurant, waiters will say this to you:Kung Hei Fat Choi 恭喜發財You can also say this to anybody during CNY period in Hong Kong.Hong Kong Food Blog - Learn Restaurant Cantonese

• Hot Pot Specialty Restaurants in Hong Kong

  12 Jan 2010 | 10:45 pm

  Restaurant name: Little Fat Cow小肥牛火鍋活魚專門店Restaurant address: 141 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong KongRestaurant telephone: 852- 25290660Cost: HK$280 (US$35.8), all inclusive for two peopleIn Hong Kong, some hot pot restaurants have specialties. Little Fat Sheep is famous for lamp hot pot; Little Fat Cow is famous for beef hot pot; Tanyoto (Tam's Fish Head) is famous for giant fish head. If you want to enjoy a delightful hot pot meal, better go to specialty shops where their table settings and ventilation systems are all set. There are other hot pot restaurants charging…

• 500+ Healthy Chinese Recipes Cookbook

  4 Jan 2010 | 11:20 pm

  Enjoy cooking yummy Chinese food at the same time improves your health and weight loss.Sounds good? Yes, this is all about the next cookbook I recommend - 500+ Healthy Chinese Recipes Cookbook by professional chef Nicholas Zhou. This cookbook has been sold about 560,000 copies since 1998.His cookbook does not only talk about cooking yummy Chinese food, but how to improve your health and eat healthy and balanced food on a daily basis. · 338 low carb recipes· 289 low fat recipes· 356 low calorie recipes· 118 fruit, vegetable and vegetarian recipes· 22 tofu (bean curd) recipesHis cookbook…

• Yan Can Cook - Anna's Cookbook Recommendation

  28 Dec 2009 | 12:30 am

  Have my blog inspired you to learn cooking Chinese food? Actually there are quick, easy and healthy Chinese cooking methods that you can learn from professional Chinese chefs. Here are my most respected Chinese chefs and their cookbooks - Martin Yan and Nicholas Zhou.Martin Yan started his culinary career in Hong Kong, so I am proud to present him first.Before my introduction, you might have already known him from his TV Show “Yan Can Cook” – a show which has been seen in 70 countries and has won many awards. First time I saw him on TV, I was completely impressed by his professional…

• 
  VietWorldKitchen

• 2010 Tet Food, Festivals and Fun

  Andrea Nguyen

  5 Feb 2010 | 2:12 pm

  Get ready to ride the Tiger. The Lunar New Year celebration is on Sunday, February 14. For the next three weekends, Vietnamese communities all over the world will be kicking off festivities for Tet Nguyen Dan (that’s our official name). Take it all in as Tet is like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Yom Kippur, and Easter all rolled up into one. The build up and fervor can be overwhelming as people try to square away all unfinished business before the New Year commences. Repaying debts, cleaning the house, and xong dat New Year greetings are some of the ways that Vietnamese people address Tet…

• 2010 Tet Celebration: The Year of the Tiger

  Andrea Nguyen

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:16 am

  On Sunday, February 14, 2010 double dip to celebrate Valentine’s Day and Lunar New Year. Be a romantic tiger (or tigress) as you bid a fond farewell to the Year of the Ox and great the Year of the Tiger. I once worked with a tiger and boy, did he roar sometimes. Not fun. In case you’re wondering if you know any tigers (or if you're one!), here are tips for identifying tigers and dealing with their strong personalities: Tiger birth years: 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 or 2010 If you were born in late January or early February, you’re on the cusp and should consult the…

• Chicken and Bamboo Shoot Noodle Soup Recipe (Bun Mang Ga)

  Andrea Nguyen

  28 Jan 2010 | 3:04 am

  The other day, I soaked and cooked a bunch of dried bamboo shoot (mang kho) and squirreled them away for Tet so that I could simmer some with pork hocks. But the chilly winter weather got to me today and I defrosted a batch of the prepped bamboo shoots to make bun mang noodle soup, a Vietnamese favorite; bun refers to round rice noodles (think bun rice noodle salad bowls!) and mang refers to bamboo shoot. I looked in my cookbook library and found Vietnamese recipes that paired bamboo shoot with chicken, duck and pork hocks (called bun mang ga, bun mang vit, bun mang gio heo, respectively).

• A Message from My Nephew Colin

  Andrea Nguyen

  26 Jan 2010 | 9:23 pm

  A ginormous THANK YOU to the many people who assisted with my nephew's Flat Stanley school project. Just in the past few days, over 40 people put Flat Colin on a bullet train/Concorde supersonic jet and welcomed him into their homes. He became quite the cosmopolitan traveler and has made many new friends. I truly appreciate your international contributions as we've all greatly expanded the reach and scope of Colin's world. All the neat stories you shared will not go to waste. Maybe we'll be in his class show-and-tell . . . Just today, my sister Tasha and Colin added this comment to the…

• How to Cook Dried Bamboo Shoot (Mang Kho)

  Andrea Nguyen

  25 Jan 2010 | 11:00 pm

  Several people have emailed asking about how to cook dried bamboo shoot. I looked up the familiar Asian ingredient in all my books but for some reason, dried bamboo shoot is seldom mentioned in Asian cookbooks. It is a terrific and standard ingredient sold at Chinese and Vietnamese markets. Dried bamboo shoot is shelved at Asian grocery stores alongside other dried foodstuffs, such as dried mushroom, seaweed, turnip, squid, beans, etc. In Vietnam, the shoots are simmered along with pork, duck, or chicken for a classic rice noodle soup called bun mang. Such preparations are traditionally saved…

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  All AppetiteForChina

• Food Journeys of a Lifetime, National Geographic

  dianakuan

  3 Feb 2010 | 6:15 am

    For writers, there's no better feeling than seeing one's own name in glossy print. I know, we're a vain bunch. But it's a justifiable reward for hours spent hunched over at the desk, racking your brain endlessly for the perfect turn of phrase. Getting carpal tunnel and increased myopia. Missing out on fresh air, merry water cooler gossip, and a 401(k). But I'm digressing. What I really want to tell you about is a book I contributed to last year called Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe, published by National Geographic. It came out last fall,…

• Bacon Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

  dianakuan

  24 Dec 2009 | 8:41 pm

  Before I put together the results of my edamame wiki recipe, I wanted to share a dish appropriate for the joyous cholesterol-clogging spirit of Christmas. There are few vegetable dishes better than roasted brussels sprouts. Drizzle olive oil over them, add some sea salt and pepper, roast them in the oven until the leaves are brown and barely crunchy, and I'm a happy girl. But for the holidays, any self-respecting dish should make you consider elastic pants, for just a second. That's where Parmesan and bacon come in. Well, that and keeping all your bacon fat. The new year is still a week away,…

• Perfect Edamame; or, my experiment with a Wiki recipe

  dianakuan

  7 Dec 2009 | 9:31 am

  It took a trip to Japan to realize I've been making edamame wrong all these years. Well, not necessarily wrong wrong. But not the best way possible. When I discovered the joys of edamame about 10 or 12 years ago, I would buy bags of the frozen stuff, microwave them, and sprinkle table salt on top. Then I progressed to boiling them in a pot. When I discovered fresh edamame in Chinatown, and replaced Morton with Malden, I thought this was as good as edamame could get. After all, it tasted the same as at all the Japanese restaurants in the US.  Then I went to Japan. In Tokyo this past summer, I…

• Turk's Turban Pumpkins

  dianakuan

  14 Oct 2009 | 9:23 pm

  These pumpkins are so oddly beautiful I just had to share. My friend Christa picked them up at Farmer John's pumpkin patch in Half Moon Bay, about 30 to 40 minutes from San Francisco. Having never seen them before, I spent the longest time trying to figure out how they developed to look like two different species squashed into one, with a warty belt around the middle. These pumpkins have a handful of colorful names, including Turk's Turban, Turk's Squash, Scotchman's Purse,  Ladies' Eardrops, and (for the smaller ones) Aladdin's Turban.  Apparently, because the sun hits the top more…

• Homemade Horchata

  dianakuan

  11 Oct 2009 | 8:29 pm

  When I was living in China, the kitchen was never without rice. Long grain, short grain, jasmine, or brown, a sack or bulk bin bag would slouch in the corner, just waiting to be cooked. I would steam it, fry it, or boil it to a pulp for congee. And one day, out of severe homesickness, I decided to make horchata. A Chinese friend was over and watched me pull a plastic carton from the fridge, which I had filled the day before with pulvertized rice grains and water to soak overnight. "What is that?" she asked. I explained that Mexicans make a really nice icy drink out of rice water.

• 
  Delicious Asian Food

• Scallop Congee

  pablopabla

  19 Jan 2010 | 7:16 am

  Scallop Congee is one of my most oft cooked congee for weekend lunch. Okay, make it Scallop Porridge for those who are more familiar with the word porridge. Actually, it’s the same. And whichever name you call it, it will still taste as good though I suspect the word “congee” sounds much more sophisticated and refined to be used. For this congee, I use dried scallops which I purchase from the wet market. You can get them from supermarkets and some chinese herbal shops or even, dried sea produce. I use those which are relatively small in size – perhaps about the size of…

• Roasted Boneless Lamb Shoulder Roll

  pablopabla

  23 Dec 2009 | 5:55 am

  Christmas is just around the corner and I finally roasted it! I’ve always wanted to roast a lamb roll, boneless lamb shoulder roll to be exact, and last Sunday was the perfect opportunity for me to try this out. The boneless lamb shoulder roll was lying in the freezer and begging for a change in temperature from the freezing compartment to the oven which was just sitting across the kitchen. It was an easy roast and I complimented the meal with baked potatoes and carrots. On the table were fresh garden salad, 3 varieties of pasta, mushroom pasta sauce and juicy jumbo sausages. Dessert…

• The Ultimate Carrot Cake Recipe

  pablopabla

  11 Aug 2009 | 6:19 am

  I was never really a fan of carrot cakes all these while probably because I never had any good experience eating a good carrot cake out there. Maybe the thought of eating a “vegetable” cake deterred me from wanting to try this out compared to chocolate cakes or cheese cakes. Anyway, not any longer ever since we got ourselves a Fagor oven in our new house. Carrot cake rocks! More so when it is topped with lemon cream cheese frosting and eaten slightly chilled. My wife made this a couple of weeks back and I’m now a fan of carrot cakes. Moist and nutritious, this carrot cake is…

• Black Soybean Milk

  pablopabla

  21 Jul 2009 | 6:54 am

  It does not matter whether it is black or white. Black Soybean also known as Black Bean or Black Soya Bean will give you a white looking milk just like its cousin, the soya bean. It may not be common for you to find anyone selling this drink out there but you’d be surprise to know that the cooking method is the same. If you know how to make black soybean milk, you will also know how to make soybean milk The Black Bean Milk tastes quite similar to the common Soy Bean Milk albeit creamier. It is more expensive to purchase compared to the soy bean but once you’ve made a couple of…

• Roasted Spicy Brinjals

  pablopabla

  11 Jul 2009 | 12:29 am

  It’s another Saturday and I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the market this morning. Seeing some fresh medium sized brinjals on sale, I couldn’t resist getting my hands into 5 of them, no longer than 8 inches each. So, shall it be sweet and spicy brinjals or another one of the tried and tested brinjal recipes I have attempted so far? Considering that my wife was baking a cake, the oven would have been set up just nicely for a brinjal roast! I have seen roasted vegetables in cook shows though roasted brinjals are kinda rare. Meanwhile, spicy brinjals are quite common here…

• 
  Cha Xiu Bao

• Halo: Cooking the 8-treasure Duck at home

  LEE Mut-lee

  7 Feb 2010 | 6:41 am

  1) To do this dish, you'll need a nice knife and kitchen shears. These are the freakishly expensive pairs I bought from Shanghai Street -- but dude, I really don't see that much of a difference to the cheap made-in-China ones my mom bought from Sogo's bargain sale. Blah... 2) Duck await in my ER. I must add it seems quite well-built as a duck just defrosted... but that's about to change. 3) Here you see what we Chinese called the "case" of duck. Must confess the whole boning process makes me feel like a necrophilia - one that stick it in the wrong hole no less. It kinda grossed me out. But I…

• Claypot rice at Kwun Kee: The Proper Balance in Life

  LEE Mut-lee

  21 Jan 2010 | 5:58 am

  "Mr. Yin of Chou runs a big business and keeps his servants working all day long unmercifully. There is one old servant in particular whose physical strength has quite left him, yet Mr. Yin makes him work even harder. All day long the old man keeps groaning as he goes about his work, and when night comes he is reeling with fatigue and will sleep like a log. His spirit is then set free to adrift at will, and every night he dreams that he is a king in authority for all people, and controlling the affairs of the whole country. He takes his pleasure in palaces, with indulgence in comfort and joy…

• The black magic of binchotan bread roulade: Because once you go black, you'll never go back!

  LEE Mut-lee

  10 Jan 2010 | 3:56 am

  Black man: "Baby, once you go black, you'll never go back" Japanese woman: "O rly?" Black man: Ya, rly!" I know my blog is notorious for its off-color humor at times. But still, don't get me wrong, I'm talking about the binchotan-flavored bread roulade they're selling at Le Creation de GuteYa, the Black is adorable, as validated by this Canton-pop MV from 20 years back!

• The Good Omen of White Calf

  LEE Mut-lee

  8 Jan 2010 | 5:32 am

  "A family in the state of Song which had been unremitting in its virtuous deed for three generations is confronted by a black cow belonging to the family giving birth to a white calf without any reason. The family sends the son to consult Confucius, who thinks it is a good omen and advises sacrificing the white calf. As a result the father turns blind a year later for no reason at all. When the cow gave birth to another white calf, the father instructed his son to consult Confucius for once more. Confucius again considers this an auspice and calls for the calf to be sacrificed. Following…

• Some more buns to kick start Twenty Ten

  LEE Mut-lee

  5 Jan 2010 | 6:50 am

  28.12.2009 In a coverage with CNN about Michelin Hong Kong 2010 awarding a star to Tin Ho Wan and my take on that a while ago. As you can see from the short clip, there isn't much left at the mercy of the editor. The reporter wonders loud if I have gotten a copy of the Michelin Guide to do a footage of me walking in the dim sum joint with.   You know the answer to that already. I don't need one here in Hong Kong and most importantly, nobody walks into a shelter home with the Red Guide on hand -- it's so oxymoron personified. Think delivering a thanksgiving meal for the homeless. Check out…

• 
  About.com Southeast Asian Food: What's Hot Now

• Bistek Tagalog

  southeastasianfood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:08 am

  Traditional Philippines Fried Steak - Bistek Tagalog

• Vietnamese Street Food

  southeastasianfood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:08 am

  Vietnamese Street Food

• Frying Cha Gio

  southeastasianfood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:08 am

  Frying Vietnamese Spring Rolls - Cha Gio Frying Recipes

• User Guide to Making Cha Gio

  southeastasianfood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:08 am

  User Guide to Making Vietnamese Spring Rolls - Making Cha Gio

• The Cha Gio Filling

  southeastasianfood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:08 am

  Wrapping Vietnamese Spring Rolls for Frying- Cha Gio Wrapping Recipes

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  About.com Southeast Asian Food: Most Popular Articles

• Indonesian Cooking and Culture

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:59 am

  Indonesian cooking and its cultural history in Southeast Asia

• Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:59 am

  Vietnamese Dipping Sauce - Nuoc Mam Cham - Recipe for Vietnam Dipping Sauce

• Basic Kroeung

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:59 am

  The essence of Cambodian cooking is the kroeung, a marinade paste made from various herbs.

• Malaysian Sambal Sauce

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:59 am

  Traditional Malaysian Sambal Sauce. Spicy, versatile and keeps well.

• Malay Cooking and Culture

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:59 am

  Malay cooking and its cultural history in Southeast Asia

• 
  All About Asian Food

• Chinese Year of the Tiger

  3 Feb 2010 | 2:30 pm

  Happy New Year! Happy Chinese New Year to be exact. This year, the celebration will begin on February 14th (Valentine's Day), ushering in the year of the Tiger. As always, it will be a time for families to come together and celebrate their unity and good fortune as they enjoy 15 days of feasting on delicious foods. As with most traditions, Chinese New Year's origins begin with ancient folklore. As the legend goes, the ancient people of China lived in fear of a mythical beast called the Nian. The Nian was a fierce chimera like creature that resembled a lion, an ox, and a unicorn all at the…

• Fold, Crease, Origami!

  8 Dec 2009 | 3:58 pm

  Countless numbers of beautiful hand sculpted statuettes can be created from a single square sheet of paper. The word Origami is a Japanese compound word; Ori means "to fold" and kami means "paper." Origami sculptures can range from small to large; from simple to complex. It also plays an integral role in Japanese culture and folklore. Known as the ancient Japanese art of paper folding, Origami has been around for centuries. The origin of origami is a bit cloudy. Some say, since paper was invented over two thousand years ago in China, paper folding (known as Zhe Zhi in China) naturally had to…

• Legend of the Chinese Moon Festival

  1 Sep 2009 | 5:36 pm

  Legend has it, thousands of years ago, a beautiful maiden named Chang'e and her husband Houyi, a master at archery, lived in heaven as immortals. One day the Jade Emperor, who was the King of Heaven, called for aid from Houyi. When Houyi reached the palace, he was told that the emperor's ten sons had transformed into ten suns. The suns were high in the sky above the Earth; causing the land to be scorched, food to become scarce, and a terrible drought. Thousands of people perished because of the extreme heat. Houyi, using his masterful archery skills, shot down nine of the ten sons, leaving…

• Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival - Mooncakes

  19 Aug 2009 | 2:22 pm

  Everyone has heard of Chinese New Year, but did you know that they also celebrate a Lunar New Year? Well, they do! It's called the Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu Jie) or just the Chinese Moon Festival. Similar to Thanksgiving here in the states, the Lunar Festival is a time for families and loved ones to unite in celebration of the Autumn food harvest while basking in the warm waxy glow of the full moon. Held on the 15th day of the 8th month on the Lunar Calendar, the tradition dates back 3,000 years to ancient China during the Shang Dynasty where moon worship was a faith of the day. Jumping…

• FanimeCon 2009 - Embrace the Public

  2 Jun 2009 | 5:34 pm

  FanimeCon graciously accepted our request to join their venue this year. To say that we were appreciated is an understatement. To say that we were mobbed my sugar crazed cosplayer's would be more accurate! When we walked into the dealer's room on day one we were immediately intimidated by all the booths, with their awesome setups and cages, you could tell that these were seasoned venders. After we had set up our booth and stepped back to look at it, we saw that our image matched what we were about. There were boxes of Pocky stacked 10 high and nothing flashy except our attitudes. We were a…

• 
  House of Annie

• Cat’s Eye Fruit (Mata Kuching)

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:52 am

  Another of Borneo’s unique tropical fruit, the Mata Kuching (Cat’s Eye Fruit) is a cousin of the Longan (Dragon Eye Fruit). Mata Kuching – Cat’s Eye Fruit On the day we went to the market in Serian, we found this fruit which we had never seen before. It was round, about the diameter of a dime, and covered in tough, bumpy, leathery, yellow skin. We asked the vendor what it was, and she said “mata kuching”. “Is it good?” we asked. Oh, yes, she replied. She let us peel open a few to taste. The fragrance and taste reminded me exactly of longan (dragon eye fruit). I thought to…

• Nutella Rocks; No-Knead SUCKS

  5 Feb 2010 | 10:22 am

  WARNING: Our entry for this year’s World Nutella Day should not be attempted. I LOVE Nutella. (Perhaps you can relate?) Recently, I found some Nutella on sale at a grocery store here. The price was surprisingly reasonable. The catch? It was going to expire within a month. Ahhh! But so what? The way I eat Nutella, it doesn’t take me all that long to go through a jar of it. So I bought two jars! I came home and decided that one jar was going into some baked goods. I remember Jaden from Steamy Kitchen doing a "no knead" challah with Nutella and Hazelnuts last year and so I went in…

• How to Make Dumpling Skins from Scratch

  4 Feb 2010 | 8:22 am

  Homemade dumpling skins are better than store bought, and easier to make than you think!Homemade Dumpling SkinsWay back in 1995, I took a tour around China. Of the many memories I cherish, I remember standing in the doorway of a large kitchen, marveling at a group of ladies sitting around the table, rolling out dumpling skins for a jiaozi lunch later. The process (for them) was quick and effortless. How in the world could they turn out such perfect looking skins?! If at First You Don’t SucceedWhen I returned home to Hawaii, I was invited to a party where some Chinese university students…

• Announcing: "Grow Your Own" #39

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:56 pm

  I'd like to thank all the participants of last month's "Grow Your Own" roundup for making it such a successful event.  60+ participants is a huge number, for any kind of roundup!  This proves that such a little thing as Winter can't stop many of you from cooking with homegrown or foraged ingredients.  And for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, you are just now getting to the peak of your Summer harvest season. So I'm sure that you are making even more dishes using homegrown ingredients.  When you post about these dishes, be sure to enter your post in our…

• Grow Your Own roundup #38

  1 Feb 2010 | 5:24 am

  This may be the highest number of participants in "Grow Your Own" history! This edition of GYO features 61 different dishes from 8 different countries. The “Grow Your Own” food blog roundup, created by Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes, features dishes using ingredients which have been raised in our own (or someone else's) gardens or have been hunted or foraged. Why grow your own? Because it saves money and makes for better tasting food! I am in awe of the variety of great food that's being made in what is Winter for a majority of food bloggers out there. I'm also very thankful for…

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  the @GarySoup blog

• Lanzhou La Mian Part II

  24 Jan 2010 | 9:07 am

  In an earlier post, I documented my love for the Lanzhou Zheng Zong Niu Rou La Mian shops which can be found all over Shanghai (but especially the one on Hainan Xi Long). As promised, Here is a bit more of the science and history of this saving dish. Making hand-pulled noodles requires an exceptionally supple dough; in practice this is usually achieved by the addition of kansui(jiang shui, or 鹼水), an alkaline solution of potassium and sodium carbonates, or a powdered base for same. Historically, however, the noodles were actually made supple by kneading lye from wood ash directly with the…

• Happy New Year, and another Xi'an Ming Chi update

  31 Dec 2009 | 10:59 am

  I've been dilatory in updating my blog, and blame fragmented interests plus a twitter addiction; but I can't let the year end with a new post and a hearty Happy New Year wish.My 2009 noshing highlights are pretty well covered in the blog and here's the outlook for 2010: First and foremost, if plans materialize, I may be relocating to New York by the end of the year and will have one, two, many Xi'an Ming Chi analogues to discover in its five boroughs. Failing that (or supplementing it, if the plan comes to fruition), I will make a more resolute effort to track down some far-fuing San…

• Chop Suey: Chinese Cuisine's Prodigal Son

  21 Oct 2009 | 10:46 am

  Chop suey was nothing less than the poster child for Chinese-American food in the mid-Twentieth Century. Iconized in art (Edward Hopper) and song (Flower Drum Song), it was also the signature offering of many Chinese-American restaurants, judging from their signage, which displayed "Chop Suey" more prominently than the restaurant's name. The origins of chop suey have been extensively studied by Jacqueline Newman (at least two articles in Flavor & Fortune Magazine), Jennifer 8 Lee (The Fortune Cookie Chronicles) and by Andrew Coe in a new book named, yes, Chop Suey: A Cultural History of…

• Did the Chinese invent the Turducken?

  13 Oct 2009 | 6:23 pm

  If you've listened to football broadcaster John Madden around Thanksgiving, or even if you haven't, you may know about "turducken." That's a mashup of the words "turkey," "duck," and "chicken" and the name of an over-the top Thanksgiving specialty. The turducken consists of a turkey stuffed with a duck, which is in turn stuffed with a chicken, all of the creatures having been first deboned. The chicken, in its turn is also stuffed with some form of conventional stuffing. According to the Wikipedia entry for turducken, this delicacy was apparently invented in Louisiana, possibly even by the…

• On Dog, Guinea Pig and Real Pig (Not you, AB)

  10 Sep 2009 | 11:59 am

  Persons with reservations about the practice of eating dog in Asia are probably not tinfoil hat-wearing PETA regulars, vegans or even anti-red meat. Their often expressed concerns are that a creature nature intended as a pet and a friend is ending up on someone's dinner table. But what if they had it backward?Dogs are the descendents of wolves, and according to a recent New York Times Article, a new study of dogs worldwide suggests that wolves may have first been domesticated for their meat. The study, performed by a team of geneticists at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden lays out…

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  Burnt Lumpia

• Where in the World...

  Burnt Lumpia

  7 Feb 2010 | 2:49 pm

  Tidings, everyone! I'm currently out of the country--a long ways away from Burnt Lumpia Worldwide Headquarters. I figured I'd check in while I have internet access and am still semi-coherent after a couple of very long travel days and very...

• Pancit Pointers in the Chicago Sun-Times

  Burnt Lumpia

  3 Feb 2010 | 10:43 am

  In today's Chicago Sun-Times food section, Janet Rausa Fuller navigates through the tangled maze of Pancit. Although the term "Pancit" refers to Filipino noodles in general, there's a little bit more complexity to this seemingly simple dish. In her wonderful...

• Wingin' It, Filipino Style!

  Burnt Lumpia

  31 Jan 2010 | 2:57 pm

  Like most sports-watching, bar-hopping American males, I can ingest copious amounts of poultry flight appendages in one sitting--even more so when these appendages are varnished with a spicy glaze. Yes, I'm a chicken wing fiend. Buffalo wings, red hots, hot...

• Hits From the Pasalubong Vol. 3: Tupig

  Burnt Lumpia

  20 Jan 2010 | 6:03 pm

  As I've mentioned before (here and here), the Filipino term "Pasalubong" refers to the gifts and souvenirs that people receive from a traveler arriving from another destination. So when my cousin, Kathy, recently arrived in L.A. from the Philippines, she...

• Lugaw is for the Children

  Burnt Lumpia

  11 Jan 2010 | 8:05 pm

  Generally speaking, babies (of the human variety) can begin to eat semi-solid food between 4 and 6 months of age. So when my kid hit the four-month mark, and our pediatrician gave us the green light to shove spoonfuls of...

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  About.com: Japanese Food

• Japanese Recipe of the Week: Houtou

  7 Feb 2010 | 10:40 pm

  Houtou is a Japanese one-pot dish which vegetables, meat, and udon noodles or dumplings are simmered in miso based soup. When I make homemade udon noodles, I usually cook houtou with lots of vegetable. It's a local specialty in Yamanashi , Japan. Japanese Houtou Recipe Making Udon Noodles Japanese Udon Noodles Miso Nikomi Udon Recipe Miso Nikomi Udon Photo © Setsuko Yoshizuka, licensed to About.comJapanese Recipe of the Week: Houtou originally appeared on About.com Japanese Food on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 06:40:24.Permalink | Comment | Email this

• Chocolate for Valentine's Day

  4 Feb 2010 | 10:35 pm

  On Valentine's Day in Japan, it's common for women to give chocolates to men. Japanese women buy or make chocolate sweets for their co-workers, bosses, male friends, brothers, father, husbands, boyfriends, and so on. In recent years, many Japanese young women exchange chocolate gifts with their female friends. Enjoy making chocolate sweets for Valentine's Day. Japanese Valentine's Day Chocolate Green Tea Balls Japanese Sweets Recipes Photo © Setsuko Yoshizuka, licensed to About.com, Inc. Chocolate for Valentine's Day originally appeared on About.com Japanese Food on Friday, February 5th,…

• Japanese Fried Sweet Potatoes

  2 Feb 2010 | 10:38 pm

  These fried sweet potatoes (satsumaimo) are called imokenpi. They look like French fries, but the texture and flavor of imokenpi are very different from French fries. Imokenpi are hard and sweet. These crunchy sweet potatoes are great snacks to munch on while watching TV. Imokenpi Recipe Daigakuimo Recipe About Satsumaimo Photo © Setsuko Yoshizuka, licensed to About.com, Inc. Japanese Fried Sweet Potatoes originally appeared on About.com Japanese Food on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 06:38:50.Permalink | Comment | Email this

• Japanese Recipe of the Week: Sake Lees Soup

  31 Jan 2010 | 11:38 pm

  This is a Japanese sake lees soup called kasu jiru. It's my favorite soup to eat for dinner during the winter. I usually make kasujiru with salmon and lots of vegetables. Taste the soup and adjust the flavor with some miso if you would like. Sake lees soup warms you up on a chilly night. Kasu Jiru Recipe Japanese Dashi Japanese Soup Recipes Photo (c) Setsuko Yoshizuka, licensed to About.comJapanese Recipe of the Week: Sake Lees Soup originally appeared on About.com Japanese Food on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 07:38:22.Permalink | Comment | Email this

• Japanese Fortune Rolls

  28 Jan 2010 | 10:46 pm

  February 3 is Japanese setsubun, which is known as bean throwing festival. We throw happy beans (roasted soy beans) at home, saying "oni wa soto. fuku wa uchi" which means "go away devils and come in happiness." Then, we eat thick sushi rolls (fortune rolls), facing to the good fortune direction for the year without talking. The good fortune direction is west-southwest in 2010. Good Fortune Rolls Sushi Roll Recipe Fortune Roll Photo © Setsuko Yoshizuka, licensed to About.com, Inc. Japanese Fortune Rolls originally appeared on About.com Japanese Food on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at…

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  About.com: Japanese Food -What's Hot Now

• Japanese food pictures - ginger pork picture

  japanesefood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:05 am

  A picture of Japanese food - shogayaki - ginger pork.

• Shiruko Recipe

  japanesefood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:05 am

  Oshiruko is Japanese red bean soup with mochi rice cakes.

• Salmon Kasujiru Recipe

  japanesefood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:05 am

  A recipe to make sake kasu jiru - Japanese sake lees soup with salmon.

• Kabocha Manju Recipe

  japanesefood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:05 am

  A recipe to make kabocha manju - Japanese pumpking steamed cake.

• Japanese food pictures - renkon lotus root pictures - Japanese vegetable picture

  japanesefood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:05 am

  A picture of renkon lotus roots - Japanese vegetable pictures.

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  About.com: Japanese Food - Most Popular Articles

• Making Yakisoba

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:41 am

  Shows how to make yakisoba noodle with pictures.

• Mizutaki Recipe

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:41 am

  Mizutaki recipe - Japanese chicken chicken casserole recipe.

• Tempura Batter Recipe

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:41 am

  How to make tempura batter - Japanese recipe - tempura batter recipe.

• Cold Somen Recipe

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:41 am

  Cold somen noodle recipe - Japanese noodles.

• Miso Soup with Tofu Recipe

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:41 am

  Miso soup with tofu recipe - Japanese miso soup recipe.

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  watashi to tokyo

• Pedobear' is 2010 Vancouver Olympic mascot??

  Mari Kanazawa

  9 Feb 2010 | 4:15 am

  This is so hilarious! Polish newspaper claims 'Pedobear' is 2010 Vancouver Olympic mascot. Pedobear is origianlly 2ch AA Kumaa, right?   Wow I am so impressed the world admit the quality of Kumaa's design :-) and sorry for the Canadian designer. By the way, talking about Olympic, BBC's olympic TV ad is hot, it became a topic on Yahoo Japan top page today. Here is it. BBC made cool TV ad for Beijing olympic, you can see it here too. Another UK topic, I like this post "Rugby team chooses pink floral kit". It's UK rugby team, personally I don't think…

• strange strange

  Mari Kanazawa

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:52 am

  Meiji is a Japanese big maker milk, chocolete and sweets. Nice ads.  Ah...I don't know why, it's design or it's such a uniform? Japanes speed skete team has strange uniform...panty?!  He speaks fake foreign lanugage and I agree his fake Japanese sounds like Japanese, he said some Japanese name and prefecture name like Hashimoto and Gunma, but other part is meanless but sounds like Japanese Sony Bravia Story. It's pretty cool TV   

• strange strange

  Mari Kanazawa

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:38 am

  Meiji is a Japanese big maker milk, chocolete and sweets. Nice ads.   Ah...I don't know why, it's design or it's such a uniform? Japanes speed skete team has strange uniform...panty?! He speaks fake foreign lanugage and I agree his fake Japanese sounds like Japanese, he said some Japanese name and prefecture name like Hashimoto and Gunma, but other part is meanless but sounds like Japanese

• 2.5D maid cafe,

  Mari Kanazawa

  5 Feb 2010 | 5:26 am

  This is a 2.5D maid cafe. It's a super weird idea, but the cafe has been open for only one day and is reservation only, but already it's fully booked. The funny thing is that you can talk to the maids, but they won't talk back to you, they communicate only through gestures. One plate of omelet rice is 1,000 yen and one photo with a maid costs 500 yen. I wrote about "word balloon sticky notes" before and the same design site released this kaomoji emotion stamp. I know I wouldn't use it (actually I hardly ever write letters or cards), but I want it. You can make…

• New sound device!

  Mari Kanazawa

  4 Feb 2010 | 5:08 am

  This is funny "Worker looking at nude photos in background (Miranda Kerr) - Seven News Update" This is a Dutch artist's blog about his travels in Japan, the name of the blog is Tokyo to Watashi. :-)　His diary is really fun to read. Check it out. Maywa Denki is a Japanese artist who creates both useful and useless electric art. This is a video about the Otamatone (Tadpole tone). This sound device "Yurex" won the Japan Media Arts Award. It's a sound device that measures the rhythm of restless leg syndrome and uses it to improve your concentration. Ha ha, we call…

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  Joy's Thai Food Recipe & Dessert Blog!

• Thai Food Recipe: Yum Tua Puu (Wing Bean Spicy & Sour Salad)

  Joy

  17 Jan 2010 | 7:40 am

  Prepare: 500 g. Shrimps (peeled, de-veined) 250 g. Minced pork 500 g. Wing beans (Cut 0.5cm) 10-15 Fresh red peppers (sliced) 5-10 dried red peppers (Fried) 4 tbsp. cut scallion (0.5cm) 4-5 tbsp. cut coriander (1 cm) 12 tbsp. sliced red onion (or as much as you like) 300 ml Coconut milk -Chao Koh brand, I like 1 tsp. salt 4 tbsp. Chili paste for [...]Thai Food Recipe: Yum Tua Puu (Wing Bean Spicy & Sour Salad) is a post from: Joy's Thai Food Recipe & Dessert Blog!

• Thai Food Dessert: Buad Fuhk Tong (Pumpkin in Coconut Milk)

  Joy

  13 Jan 2010 | 5:48 am

  Thai Food Dessert: Buad Fuhk Tong (Pumpkin in Coconut Milk) Prepare: 300 g.    cut pumpkin 250g.     coconut cream (thickest part) 250g.     coconut milk 5              pandanus leaves (cut, 2 inches) 1/2 tsp.  salt 4-5 tbsp.  sugar Cooking Instructions: 1. Boil the pumpkin with coconut milk in medium heat for 10 minutes. Throw the pandanus leaves in the pot. The time you boil it will depend [...]Thai Food Dessert: Buad Fuhk Tong (Pumpkin in Coconut Milk) is a post from: Joy's Thai Food Recipe & Dessert Blog!

• Thai Food Recipe: Gaprao Neu-uh (Stir fried Beef with Basil)

  Joy

  27 Dec 2009 | 6:46 am

  Gaprao Neu-uh , กะเพราเนื้อ (Stir fried Beef with Basil) Prepare: 500g.  minced beef 1            onion (sliced) 1/2        yellow sweet bell pepper (sliced) 1 cup    Basil 2 tbsp. sliced garlic 2 tbsp. slice red chili pepper 1 cup   Rice 2 tbsp. vegetable oil or olive oil 1 tbsp. fish sause 1 tbsp. soy sauce 2 tbsp. oyster sauce Cooking Instructions: 1. Add vegetable oil into a hot pan. Wait until [...]Thai Food Recipe: Gaprao Neu-uh (Stir fried Beef with Basil)…

• Thai Breakfast: Khao Tom Moo (Boiled Rice with Pork)

  Joy

  26 Dec 2009 | 9:54 pm

  Thai Breakfast: Khao Tom Moo (Boiled Rice with Pork) Prepare: 500g. Minced pork (mixed with black pepper and crushed garlic) 300g. Sliced shitake mushroom 1 cup cooked jasmine rice 1 handful sliced scallion 1 handful sliced coriander 2 tbsp. finely crushed garlic (fry until it turn yellow) 1 crushed coriander root 1 tbsp. pickled radish 1 tbsp. fish sauce 50g. stock powder 2-3 cups water Cooking Instructions: 1. Add [...]Thai Breakfast: Khao Tom Moo (Boiled Rice with Pork) is a post from: Joy's Thai Food Recipe & Dessert Blog!

• Cutting Ripe Papaya: Less Pain

  Joy

  24 Dec 2009 | 5:01 am

  Cutting Ripe Papaya: Less Pain Since I was 10 years old, my main duty is to help in the kitchen whenever there was someone is cooking and it is a must if my aunt is in there. I think that is how, EE, her daughter learn to cook, she is way better than me and able [...]Cutting Ripe Papaya: Less Pain is a post from: Joy's Thai Food Recipe & Dessert Blog!

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  About.com: Korean Food

• For Tech-Savvy Korean Food Lovers*

  7 Feb 2010 | 3:24 am

  If you have an iphone and $1, you can download this app that locates Korean restaurants wherever you are. Clickable maps, 1-click calling, and directions help you when the craving is high. * Yes, there are many Korean food lovers that are not technophiles. For Tech-Savvy Korean Food Lovers* originally appeared on About.com Korean Food on Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at 11:24:22.Permalink | Comment | Email this

• Galbi Jim (or Kalbi Jjim)

  3 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  "The nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat." - Dutch Proverb Galbi Jim (Korean braised shortribs) requires some TLC, but you can also make it in the slow cooker. If you don't have the time to pot watch, then just halve the amount of liquid in the recipe and cook it for 5-6 hours on the low setting in the crockpot. Galbi Jim Recipe Step-by-Step Instructions for Galbi Jim Galbi Jim (or Kalbi Jjim) originally appeared on About.com Korean Food on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 08:00:56.Permalink | Comment | Email this

• January: Hot Tea Month

  27 Jan 2010 | 2:18 pm

  January is almost over, but it's still perfect hot tea weather here in the Northeastern United States. It was 15 degrees when I headed home tonight, and the wind was bone-chilling. So warm up with some Korean tea (cha): Barley Tea Ginger Tea Roasted Corn Tea January: Hot Tea Month originally appeared on About.com Korean Food on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 22:18:43.Permalink | Comment | Email this

• The 2010 Saveur 100 List

  21 Jan 2010 | 2:18 pm

  This year's 100 list from Saveur includes a wide, wide range of foods and culinary finds. It lists some things I've discovered and loved this year: clarified butter, tastespotting.com, immersion blenders, lemon curd, and quail eggs. It also includes banchan (Korean side dishes- #38) and ssamjang (lettuce wrap sauce- #57), The 2010 Saveur 100 List originally appeared on About.com Korean Food on Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at 22:18:37.Permalink | Comment | Email this

• Eating Vegan, Eating Korean

  17 Jan 2010 | 1:38 pm

  It's not that hard to eat Korean food if you're a vegan since there are many dishes that are centered around vegetables, tofu, and beans. My sister was a lacto-ovo vegetarian as a teenager and beyond, and although she had to endure the silent disapproval from our parents (who had often gone hungry growing up during the war), she didn't suffer too much in the Korean food department. If you're eating in a restaurant though, you should make sure about the broth, as even some vegetable soups might have a meat or fish base. But one of the best vegan Korean dishes, Kong Gooksu (cold soybean…

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  About.com Korean Food: What's Hot Now

• Tongdak

  koreanfood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:05 am

  These Korean oven-roasted chicken wings are good for almost any occasion. They are good as an appetizer or a main dish, as a drinking snack (anju), as a casual meal or part of a picnic, and as part of a large celebratory dinner. Tongdak chicken wings are juicy and a bit spicy and sweet.

• Budaechigae

  koreanfood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:05 am

  Budae Chigae was invented during the famine years of the Korean war and post-war period. Koreans managed to use leftover meat discarded or handed-out from the U.S. army bases to make this dish ("Budae" means military base and "Chigae" means stew in Korean). It's relatively recent invention with a thousand variations, but it's mostly a lip-smacking mixture of Western meat, ramen noodles, vegetables, and Korean spices.

• Bugo Gook

  koreanfood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:05 am

  The light but sweet flavor of this soup comes from dried pollack, which is sold in Korean and Asian markets. It is healthy, very easy to make, and costs almost nothing. You can make a big pot of this soup for less than $5.

• Mandoo

  koreanfood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:05 am

  A Korean dumpling recipe that is easy to make- mandoo can be prepared in large quantities in advance and stored in the freezer for future use. Korean dumplings are traditionally made with a beef or pork filling, but chicken and vegetarian dumplings are also popular. Versatile and delicious, mandoo can be boiled, steamed, deep fried, pan-fried or added to soup.

• Korean Dumplings (Mandoo)

  koreanfood.guide@about.com

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:05 am

  Korean Dumplings with Meat, Vegetables, and Glass Noodles.

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  About.com - Korean Food: Most Popular Articles

• The New York Hot Dog Stand

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:42 am

  The Korean Festival and Parade in Koreatown (NYC) on October 6th, 2008. There was a food stand there run by New York Hot Dog and Coffee, a casual place in the West Village that features hot dogs topped by bulgogi (with pickles and lettuce) and other quirky New York - Korean snack foods.

• Korean Food - Recipes

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:42 am

  An index of recipes for the Korean Food guide site.

• Apple Cups

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:42 am

  A hollowed-out apple cup can be used to serve almost anything, from drinks to desserts to savory foods. It's all-natural and healthy and gives the table a little entertaining flair.

• Bulgogi marinade

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:42 am

  Korean marinade for grilled or broiled meat, pork, or chicken. Sweet and salty, this marinade will tenderize meat and give it lots of flavor.

• Saewoo Twigim

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:42 am

  Korean deep fried shrimp is easy to make and has a thin and extra crispy batter. Korean deep frying mix, which can be found in many Asian grocery stores, is a mix of flours and seasonings that make frying simple. These deep fried shrimp (saewoo twigim) can be made in 15 minutes but are so delicious that I like to serve them as one of the main dishes for dinner guests or special occasion meals.

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  Korean food

• Let's Make Chapssal Hotteok

  2 Feb 2010 | 7:06 am

  There are lots of food in winter. Lots of delicious street food like tteokpoki, odeng, twikim, ppung-o ppang and hotteok. I like hotteok specially when it has lots of filling. Usually sugar or honey and peanuts or ground sesame seeds. It disappoints me when I buy hotteok with little filling. It doesn't taste good so I bought this chapssal (glutinous rice) hotteok mix. It's better to make my own so I can put as much fillings as I want. Here's what I made. It's my first time so I didn't make much just in case that I'll make mistake. But luckily, they were good so I can manage to make better…

• How to keep the potato fresh

  24 Jan 2010 | 7:08 am

  My mother in law gave me some potatoes. We don't like potatoes but I put some when I make some soup. It makes the soup sweet and think. We eat the soup but not the potatoes. Me and hubby are compatible when eating soup. We just the soup and leave the vegetables. So potatoes are always thrown out. I don't put potatoes in every soup that I cook. So a box of potatoes are too much for the two of us. When I have much potatoes, they usually get rot so my mother in law told me to wrap them with newspaper. I wanted to complain but because I'm a good daughter in law, even when it's against my will, I…

• Coffee cup for free

  21 Jan 2010 | 8:12 am

  Everything is expensive here in Korea but what I like the most is the freebies. I was shopping around in the supermarket when I saw this Maxim Arabica 100 Coffee where you can get 2 sets of a cup and a saucer for coffee. Oh yeah! Coffee cups for free? I love it!My hubby and I are not coffee drinker. We don't drink coffee much. For me, a cup of coffee a day is enough. My hubby rarely drinks coffee. But I always buy a lot of coffee to bring in the office. By the way, don't you like the cup? I have lots of cup at home but I always use this two when I drink coffee with my hubby. I think they are…

• Duldul Chicken

  18 Jan 2010 | 7:10 am

  There are different kinds of Chicken restaurant in Korea. Most of them are franchise restaurants. BHC, Mexicana, Pelicana, Ajuker, Chokajip, Nene, etc.. are just some of the delicious chicken that I've tasted. Of course Kanpungi and Salad Mognun Chicken (Chicken eaten with salad) are excluded because they have different menu. I have tasted most of the chicken menu from different restaurants except Duldul (Two Two) Chicken. I'm not interested with the name so I don't think it's delicious.I told you many times that we always sleep late so when we're hungry, we usually order food and sea food or…

• Red Kitchen Utensils

  14 Jan 2010 | 7:54 am

  I went to the supermarket without doing any shopping list. When I arrived there, I didn't know what to buy. I just walked around the supermarket and get whatever I wanted. I'm too lazy to go out when I'm at home but when I'm out specially in the market, I like doing the window shopping specially things at home. When I passed by at the utensils corner, I stopped and found this red things for the kitchen. I saw that I can make a set of red spatulas, etc. so I bought them. I don't use them often except from the scissors because my old ones weren't sharp enough. They are just decoration. I still…

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  Singapura Daily Makan Photo

• Klang Bak Kut Teh @ Bukit Timah (Jalan Jurong Kechil)

  Keropok Man

  3 Feb 2010 | 7:51 am

  Sis and I tried this newly opened Klang Bak Kut Teh stall few days ago. It was so new,  it did not have a signboard yet! It was just a huge piece of red paper with the chinese word 巴生 Bak Kut Teh which translate to Klang Bak Kut Teh. So how was it? This is the rice that was served. It has bits of fried shallots in it. My claypot of BKT. It was topped with lots of tau kee above and I move it away to show the meat. It  also had liver and intestines. (But I don't take innards!)  Sis was happy to swap the meat she had with the liver and intestines I had. This is Sis' claypot of…

• Nara Japanese Restaurant @ Goldhill Centre

  Keropok Man

  2 Feb 2010 | 7:59 am

  Momo, Gorilla and I were thinking of having some Yu Sheng. We asked a friend online (who works for this great food portal) for recommendations. She said Nara. It's a bit pricey, but you can get fresh sashimi for your Yu Sheng! So off we went to Nara at Goldhill Centre. (the other branch is too far away). But alas, they don't serve Yu Sheng until next week (they say 8 Feb)! What a bummer! Anyway, we still ordered our food and enjoyed ourselves. The appetizer that was served to us not long after we sat down. Gorilla does not really eat sashimi (except salmon), so we ordered  portions for…

• Health Promotion Board : Bento Making and Healthy Eating among children

  Keropok Man

  1 Feb 2010 | 1:46 am

  [This is an invited session by the Singapore Health Promotion Board no monetary reward. Just a bento goodie bag  :-) ] I was invited to a very very interesting session organised by the Singapore Health Promotion Board held last Saturday morning. Hmm... I wonder if the Health Promotion Board has been monitoring what I eat! My healthiest meal is breakfast (this link shows what I eat for breakfast 6 out of 7 days!) and that's probably it for the whole day! You all know what I eat the rest of the day! The session was a mummies day out! It was a room full of mums! I was the only male…

• Frolick @ Millenia Walk

  Keropok Man

  29 Jan 2010 | 7:11 am

  Was suppose to meet Momo for dinner, but it was a two or was it three hour wait. She works for workaholic bosses and her immediate boss and boss above, both expects people to live and breathe work. LOL.. I was waiting at Millenia Walk. I walked around all the shops and two full rounds inside Harvey Norman. So glad that there's so many things to see inside Harvey Norman. I was hungry and tired, and I needed to sit down. Might as well rest and eat something first. So I saw Frolick and sat down. (Two little tables here only though) You know what? I did not know that there's only 2 flavours here.

• Li Xiang Curry @ Dover Food Centre

  Keropok Man

  28 Jan 2010 | 7:48 am

  Colleagues and I went to Dover Food Centre to have lunch because a colleague said that the fruits and juice stall uncle is closing his stall and it's the last day of operation. It seems he has been 'forced' to go  by rivals in the food centre. So many things have happened and even the fruit stall's van has been vandalised! (This is according to our sources!) It seems he has been selling his things so cheap that people are not buying from other stalls. There goes our $1 juice with no ice added. The juice is cold because he stores the fruits in the fridge first. Now we have to go back to…

• 
  MomGateway: Portal to Healthy Cooking and Recipes

• Pea Salmon Coconut Milk Onigiri

  31 Jan 2010 | 6:03 pm

   Onigiri is a traditional Japanese picnic lunch/ "sandwich" made with white rice--plain or lightly seasoned with salt.  It is basically a rice ball with a filling like umeboshi (pickled japanese plum), seasoned salmon or bonito flakes (smoked tuna shavings).  It is shaped into a triangle or oval and may be wrapped in a strip of nori (seaweed). Onigiri is plain or salted rice while the more popular sushi (also called vinegar rice) is seasoned with salt, sugar and vinegar to prevent it from spoiling. Onigiri is so convenient to make.  It is my son's favorite home…

• Cedar's Mediterranean Giveaway Results

  26 Jan 2010 | 9:28 am

  And the winner is.......... #19: Cotton Wife.  Congratulations! Enjoy your delicious Cedar's Mediterranean.------.The pita chips and salad are awesome. Yey!  Please respond within 48 hours with your address and full name so Cedar's can send you their great-tasting, authentic Mediterranean products. 

• My First Giveaway and a Recipe: Mini Veggie Garlic Chive Feta Pizza

  11 Jan 2010 | 12:58 am

  In need of a quick snack? Here's an easy veggie pizza to try (scroll down for the Mini Veggie Garlic Chive Feta Pizza recipe).  My First GiveawayEarlier, I wrote about the healthy diet in Greece, Crete and southern Italy and the healthy, award-winning pita chips, salad and salsa we sampled from Cedar's Mediterranean Foods. I am very pleased to share with you that Cedar's is generously giving away three varieties of Pita Chips - Cinnamon Sugar, Plain, Ranch and four coupons - One Free Natural Tzatziki, One Free Salsa, One Free Hommus and One Free Salad to one of my lucky readers in…

• Heads Up on My First Giveway

  8 Jan 2010 | 7:26 pm

  I'm having my first blog giveaway.  Please check back on Monday.  Hope you all come visit for a chance to win the goodies.  Thanks!

• No Cream Creamed Spinach

  5 Jan 2010 | 8:10 pm

  Watching Iron Chef America last night, I was intrigued by the intense green soup served by Flay and Comerford to the judges. One judge did not find a lot of flavor in it but the color was beautiful. They won the competition because of creativity and presentation.  I wanted to recreate the soup made with fresh baby spinach and found a recipe by Chef Comerford.  So here it is, adapted from Executive Chef Comerford's No Cream Creamed Spinach recipe with my own touches, a bit of butter and finely chopped almonds as garnish. It is so important to sweat the garlic and shallots to bring…

• 
  MomGateway: Portal to Healthy Cooking and Recipes

• Pea Salmon Coconut Milk Onigiri

  31 Jan 2010 | 6:03 pm

   Onigiri is a traditional Japanese picnic lunch/ "sandwich" made with white rice--plain or lightly seasoned with salt.  It is basically a rice ball with a filling like umeboshi (pickled japanese plum), seasoned salmon or bonito flakes (smoked tuna shavings).  It is shaped into a triangle or oval and may be wrapped in a strip of nori (seaweed). Onigiri is plain or salted rice while the more popular sushi (also called vinegar rice) is seasoned with salt, sugar and vinegar to prevent it from spoiling. Onigiri is so convenient to make.  It is my son's favorite home…

• Cedar's Mediterranean Giveaway Results

  26 Jan 2010 | 9:28 am

  And the winner is.......... #19: Cotton Wife.  Congratulations! Enjoy your delicious Cedar's Mediterranean.------.The pita chips and salad are awesome. Yey!  Please respond within 48 hours with your address and full name so Cedar's can send you their great-tasting, authentic Mediterranean products. 

• My First Giveaway and a Recipe: Mini Veggie Garlic Chive Feta Pizza

  11 Jan 2010 | 12:58 am

  In need of a quick snack? Here's an easy veggie pizza to try (scroll down for the Mini Veggie Garlic Chive Feta Pizza recipe).  My First GiveawayEarlier, I wrote about the healthy diet in Greece, Crete and southern Italy and the healthy, award-winning pita chips, salad and salsa we sampled from Cedar's Mediterranean Foods. I am very pleased to share with you that Cedar's is generously giving away three varieties of Pita Chips - Cinnamon Sugar, Plain, Ranch and four coupons - One Free Natural Tzatziki, One Free Salsa, One Free Hommus and One Free Salad to one of my lucky readers in…

• Heads Up on My First Giveway

  8 Jan 2010 | 7:26 pm

  I'm having my first blog giveaway.  Please check back on Monday.  Hope you all come visit for a chance to win the goodies.  Thanks!

• No Cream Creamed Spinach

  5 Jan 2010 | 8:10 pm

  Watching Iron Chef America last night, I was intrigued by the intense green soup served by Flay and Comerford to the judges. One judge did not find a lot of flavor in it but the color was beautiful. They won the competition because of creativity and presentation.  I wanted to recreate the soup made with fresh baby spinach and found a recipe by Chef Comerford.  So here it is, adapted from Executive Chef Comerford's No Cream Creamed Spinach recipe with my own touches, a bit of butter and finely chopped almonds as garnish. It is so important to sweat the garlic and shallots to bring…

• 
  Chinese Vegetarian Recipes

• Stir Fried Three Veggie Slices

  admin

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:31 am

  Introduction: You will see what the three veggie slices are if you are curious to know after you read this title. They are three ingredients that are often used in Chinese vegetarian foods. You might have found out that tofu and bamboo shoots are used in many Chinese vegetarian recipes listed on this site. And my [...]

• Chinese Cabbage Shreds On Sweet Bean Sauce

  admin

  3 Feb 2010 | 6:47 am

  Introduction: Today, I am going to present a recipe that involves sweet bean sauce which tastes sweet and salty. It is often used in noodles and salads. I also often eat cucumbers with it. I love this kind of sauce because it will not only enhance the flavor to the dish, but also add color to [...]

• Hot and Sour Soup Recipe – Daikon Radish

  admin

  1 Feb 2010 | 7:09 am

  Introduction: Today, Rachel said she wanted to eat radish because he ate some last night from one of the small eateries on the side of the road in the community. So I find out this hot and sour soup recipe and cooked the radish soup which she liked the soup and radish, but leaving the mushrooms [...]

• Stir Fried Potherb Mustard and Bamboo Shoots

  admin

  30 Jan 2010 | 8:21 am

  Introduction: Potherb mustard is a very rare name. And I have to admit that it is also a vegetable that I didn’t know until I come to the southern part of China. However, this vegetable has always been there. They are often cooked in the form of mince and pickle. So I think I had probably [...]

• Salt Boiled Tofu Skin

  admin

  28 Jan 2010 | 2:41 am

  Introduction: Today, I am going to introduce a recipe that looks very simple. This is my first time to cook something like this, too. You can look on it as a cold dish or a boiling dish. What does the cooking method matter when it is tasty? Ingredients: Tofu skin: 250 g Seasonings: Soy sauce: 1 tablespoon Scallion: 1 stick Cooking wine: [...]

• 
  Ramen Adventures

• ラーメンゼロ (Ramen Zero in Meguro)

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:01 pm

  Ramen isn't just soup straight from the pot and into your bowl. You'll often see a skilled ramen chef ladling in a tablespoon of this, a teaspoon of that, and a dash of something-or-other before finally going to the pot of simmering soup. Ramen Zero boasts none of that nonsense. The soup is it. "No added salt, no added soy sauce, and no added miso" is what their business card says.We actually meant to go to a place called Buono Buono in Nakameguro. The adventure was actually finding the place. After making a loop of the block it was supposed to be on, we called the shop. "We are closed!" "But…

• びぎ屋 (Bigiya in Meguro)

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:02 pm

  びぎ屋I was going to make some sort of list, the 10 ramen commandments, a tribute to my favorite Biggie track, but then I stopped. That would be too much work. And I just ate two bowls in the last two hours. I'll leave the fancy writing up to ramenate.com. Anyways, today's adventure takes me out to Gakugei Daigaku for the shoyu at Bigi.This spot was recommended by a bar owner at a cool place in Shimokitazawa, the 808 bar. Keizo, Nate, and I take all recomends seriously, and we settled in for 3 bowls.If commandment #7 is to keep your product and family separated, then they already failed.

• 中華そば 魚雷 (Gyorai in Bunkyo)

  6 Feb 2010 | 7:56 pm

  The latest release from a ramen collective by the name of Bond of Hearts. A lot of shops in Tokyo, though they are definitely not a chain, are part of some sort of group. This works out for the shops in a few ways. One of those is support from the ramen community. Just check out all the welcoming flower bouquets from other shops:Nagi has close ties. I was actually invited to this shop by Nishio-san, who runs Nishio Ramen, which is directly connected to Nagi.Ivan lent his support. Ivan and fellow blogger Keizo beat me there a few days before.So on a warm winter's day (don't worry, it snowed 24…

• つじ田 (Tsujida in Awajicho)

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:57 pm

  Here it is, adventure seekers. Easily in the top 5 for miso ramen in Tokyo. The rest of the Tokyo ramen blogging world had eaten and been impressed at this shop's showing at a rather unexpected Odaiba ramen fair, so it was on my list.With Ramen Nate, I took the train a few minutes down to Awajicho, in Tokyo's sporting goods shopping area. Yes, there is a street with about a dozen high rise sports stores. They all sell snowboards this time of year.Look at that bowl of perfect miso. Every aspect melded perfectly. The pork was chunky, the menma fresh, and the noodles yellow and springy.The…

• アイバンラーメン 冬チキン (Winter Chiken at Ivan's)

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:47 pm

  Dropped into Ivan's to chat and try the new release. one thing I love about Ivan Ramen is that he is always experimenting with new ideas. The last one, the spicy Mexican inspired ramen was great. How's the latest?It's a "winter" chicken ramen. Creamy soup, flavored with honey and yuzu, with special rye noodles. The yuzu really sticks on your taste buds.I'd like to see what Ivan can do with the special rye noodles in the future. A pastrami on rye for the next Rosh Hashanah maybe? Hmmm... I'll leave the innovation up to the man.

• 
  Ramenate!

• ラハメン　ヤマン (Rahmen Yahman)

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:23 am

  Nope, that's not a typo, but an H firmly rooted in the middle of the noodle. Some people debate over the "proper" romanization of the word ramen, but this H is here for a much simpler reason - to make "ramen" rhyme with "yah man." Because Rahmen Yahman, located in the western suburb of Ekoda, is totally devoted to Jamaican rasta culture.I don't know if the shop master spent time living in Jamaica, or if he just really, really, really, really likes reggae music, but Yahman is somewhere between the set of The Harder They Come, a Jamaican Travel Agency, and, well, a ramen shop.If you look…

• 麺の房砦 (Men no Bo Toride)

  6 Feb 2010 | 12:04 am

  If you've ever spent time in New York or Tokyo, there's a very good chance that you've heard of Ippûdô. A few decades ago, the chain shot to superstardom by reimagining the gritty and stinky tonkotsu (pork bone) Hakata ramen of the southern city of Fukuoka as fine dining for the whole family. Love that creamy melted marrow taste but don't want your pores smelling like pig? Then Ippûdô is the place for you. There are now outposts all over Japan, and the shop caused big waves (is a soup bowl big enough for waves?) when a branch opened in New York in 2008. Are the lines to eat at the…

• 知りたいでしょ、がんこラーメンの内観 (You're Probably Curious to see the Inside of Ganko Ramen, huh?)

  3 Feb 2010 | 11:43 pm

  If you're tuning in from the New York Times, you probably want to hear more about the infamous Ganko ramen, that ramen shop that "doesn't look like a ramen shop," that "doesn't look like anything at all."You've seen a photo of that mysterious black tarp, so now would you like to see the inside? I first heard about Ganko from an administrator at Waseda University, who asked me if I had been to the "all black ramen shop with no sign." Intrigued by the challenge, I set off on a quest of discovery, only to find the shop just a few hundred meters from my own place of dwelling. Of course. I never…

• ようこそ、ニューヨークタイムズ紙の読者たち！ (Welcome New York Times Readers!)

  30 Jan 2010 | 1:15 am

  A big hello to everyone who's found this blog through the Frugal Traveler Matt Gross' recent Tokyo ramen rundown in the New York Times! And for those regular readers who have no idea what I'm talking about, the excellent article can be found here: One Noodle at a Time in Tokyo. Unfortunately, I was out of town when Matt was here researching the article, but my good buddies Brian over at Ramen Adventures and Keizo at Go Ramen did a bang up job making sure he got the most superb slurps possible while touring Tokyo. The world is starting to realize that ramen is so much more than just "noodles…

• ラーミュンネーション イン 韓国、その一 (Ramyunating in Korea, Part 1)

  26 Jan 2010 | 6:04 pm

  Obviously, I've spent some time in Japan. And if you've read some of the older posts I put up, you know that I've spent some time in China as well. But for all my pan-Pacific panderings, I had never been to Korea before, until last week. It was a pretty wild trip, one that involved fake electric chairs, humans in raccoon costumes, 1960s psych rock rarities, post-apocalyptic islands, piles of dead monkfish, heated floors, beached North Korean submarines, and, uh, too much rotgut soju alcohol. Oh right, plus RAMYUN!On my first day in Seoul, I fulfilled a lifelong dream - to go to Lotte World.

• 
  Rameniac

• ramen california remixed: vegetarian ramen (finally!) and noodling for purists

  rameniac@gmail.com

  3 Feb 2010 | 12:58 am

• soapy tonkotsu flavor

  rameniac@gmail.com

  2 Feb 2010 | 6:22 pm

• mitsuwa autumn fair 2009

  rameniac@gmail.com

  22 Oct 2009 | 4:46 am

• mitsuwa hokkaido fair 2009

  rameniac@gmail.com

  10 Sep 2009 | 12:48 pm

• got beef? bring it! (ok not literally, but yea…)

  rameniac@gmail.com

  5 Aug 2009 | 12:05 pm

• 
  The Ramen Blog and other goodies!

• the ramenbox

  edjusted

  6 Feb 2010 | 11:05 am

  I don’t often shill for web sites that sell instant ramen (though there are links off on the side for anyone in need), but this is a neat idea. It’s simple…and the picture above is pretty self-explanatory: you choose the size of the “Ramenbox,” fill it with your choice of instant ramen, pay a flat fee based on the Ramenbox size, and wait for the delivery guy! It looks like you can even earn free ramen by writing reviews and submitting pictures and videos. To be honest, this might be less appealing to anyone who lives near an Asian supermarket. But if you…

• the gray lady eats ramen

  edjusted

  30 Jan 2010 | 6:18 pm

  New York Times travel writer Matt Gross slurps his way through Tokyo “One Noodle at a Time.” Find out more about Tokyo’s ramen culture, and learn about the hottest Tokyo ramenyas in and Tokyo ramen blogs! Tags: ramen news

• ramen soap

  edjusted

  30 Jan 2010 | 4:53 pm

  Remember the ramen bath? Now you can bring your ramen bath accessories on your next visit. Soap up with Ramen Soap and wash up with a Cup Noodles Ramen Sponge: Takara Tomy is coming out with soap and sponges packaged as instant and cup ramen! They’ll only be available in Japan, so those of us stateside will probably need to settle for using a brick of instant ramen as a loofah…um…if you do, let us know how that works out… via Akihabara News Tags: ramen tidbits

• ramen rating: yukino ya ramen – city of industry, ca

  edjusted

  30 Jan 2010 | 4:28 pm

  Have you been to Wonton Forest? Have you heard of Sapporo-Ya? How about Yukino Ya Ramen. There must be some sort of bad luck associated with this place, because Yukino Ya is the 3rd restaurant to be at this location in the past year. I happened to be in the area a week ago during a major storm and was excited to have a new ramenya to try out on such a cold, wet day. Anyone who’s been to Wonton Forest or Sapporo-Ya will feel right at home: the decor and layout is exactly the same. Yukino Ya offers all four popular types of ramen: shoyu, tonkotsu, shio, and miso. I asked the extremely…

• ramen on the rise

  edjusted

  28 Jan 2010 | 10:49 pm

  Ramen isn’t just the 100-pack-for-a-dollar starving college dorm food you think it is. It’s a foodie obsession that’s increasingly popular and increasingly gourmet. Read all about the ramen “renaissance” by writer Lina Goldberg, writing for the popular webzine Splice Today. And no, I’m not just plugging it because this humble blog is mentioned…well, ok…maybe I am just a teeny tiny bit biased… Tags: ramen tidbits