Jing | Food Trotter

About Jing

Jing Loh is a food enthusiast with a gluttonous obsession. With a passion for travelling, food, multiculturalism, and entrepreneurship, he hopes to learn more about the dishes he loves to eat, sharing this with the rest of the world.

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Try Something Different: Sour Vegetable Fish Pot – a Huiyang Chinese Dish

by Jing on 2011/04/12 in Featured Article, World Recipes and Ingredients

huiyang cuisine - Sour Vegetable Fish Pot - Suan Cai Yu

I’ve had an urge to try something different, to cook something that’s mostly unusual to our typical palette. And so, I thought I’d try my run at making Sour Vegetable Fish Pot (Suan Cai Yu), a traditional dish from Huiyang Chinese cuisine. What the hell is Huiyang cuisine? I asked the exact same thing, so here’s what I found out.

Huiyang cuisine is actually considered by many as one of the four most influential styles that make up the heritage of Chinese cuisine, the others being Cantonese, Sichuan, and Shandong cuisine. I wasn’t familiar with Huiyang cuisine, in fact, I didn’t ever recall having it during my stay in China. But after some research, I discovered that Huiyang cuisine is widely eaten, pretty mainstream, and reflected in the Chinese foods we eat here in North America. Duck egg porridge, pot stickers, shao mai, and even Yangzhou fried rice - that’s right, it’s Huiyang cuisine.

I was first introduced to Sour Vegetable Fish Pot by my girlfriend’s family. It takes some getting use to, but it’s basically a giant soup pot filled with pickled cabbage (suan cai – aka Chinese “sauerkraut”), fish slices, and cellophane noodle. I consider it “comfort food” and a dish that’s perfect for the winter time with a spicy kick to it, almost like a bowl of chili but without the tomato taste. I bought a mix package from the grocery store, and it’s really easy to make. Give it a try and let me know what you think! Have you tried something different?

huiyang cuisine - Sour Vegetable Fish Pot - Suan Cai Yu - 2

Directions:

Cook up the Suan Cai cabbage in a bit of oil until fragrant

Pour in some water (about 1.5L) and the soup mix

Once boiling, put in the fish slices

You can put in the cellophane noodles a bit after

Once it boils again, it’s done! The fish slowly cooks in the hot water to give it an awesome slippery texture

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TGIF Food Mosaic – Curry Curry Everywhere!

by Jing on 2011/04/08 in Featured Article

Thank god its Friday, here’s to the end of the week with a collage of my favorite curry pictures via Flickr. As you know, I’ve been on a curry run and have been making curries of all flavors and worldly locations. Just a few weeks ago, there was Malaysian Lamb Rendang, then Thai Green Curry and finally Japanese Curry. I’d like to become the curry expert but I think I’m all curried out for now! Have a great weekend folks!

curry-food-mosaic

1. Thai curry, 2. Curry Fiesta, 3. Penang Curry Mee 2, 4. Malay Curry: Gulai Ikan, 5. bpp / hainanese curry rice, 6. Bento #157: Thai curry, 7. Curry time!, 8. Curry omu rice, 9. Curry w/ Rice

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Japanese Curry (カレー karē) – One of Japan’s Most Popular Dish

by Jing on 2011/04/05 in Asia, Featured Article, World Recipes and Ingredients

japanese-curry

I was first introduced to Japanese curry at a very young age during a play date with my Japanese friend. I instantly fell in love with it and insisted that my mother make it for me. Ever since, it’s become a common bulk-food staple for my family to serve week after week. Thankfully that doesn’t happen anymore, and since my curry urge with last week’s Thai Green Curry, I wanted something with curry but very different.

The Japanese are actually obsessed with this dish, and it’s becoming almost a national dish that’s been served since the early nineteenth century thanks to British naval fleets. It’s so popular that instant sauce mixes have been available for decades and can be bought almost anywhere. There are a lot of varieties, but the most basic Japanese curry contains onions, carrots, potatoes, and any meat stewed in a thick and creamy curry sauce. Served over Japanese short grain rice, it becomes a satisfying saucy mix where each spoonful contains a nice amount of curry and rice. And for those intolerant for spice, not to worry, there’s only the merest hint.

japanese-curry-mix

Glico has always been the go-to family brand, but lately I’ve tried a “newer” brand extension from Glico I found in the supermarket: Zeppin. Of the two, I prefer the original maybe because I was brought up by it. But Zeppin provides a really rich curry taste compared to Glico’s lighter curry mix. Of course, there’s a large variety of Japanese curry mixes out there that’s dominated by three main brands: House Foods, S&B Foods, and Glico. House Foods sold it first in powdered form and has since remained the dominant brand. Ironically, I like the smallest brand for Japanese curry!

When cooking Japanese curry, you can use any type of meat; I typically use chicken, but in Beijing I had it over over katsu (fried breaded pork cutlet) which adds an interesting crisp to it. Even if you can’t read the Japanese directions, it’s very easy to make: slightly cook your veggies and meat, pour in some water, mix in the Japanese curry sauce block, let simmer, and presto – delicious Japanese style curry! I prefer to serve over Japanese short grain rice, it just provides the right texture for the creamy curry sauce as opposed to stickier rice versions… but whether paired with udon noodles or bread, this dish is delicious!

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World’s Fastest Beer Dispenser Fills 56 Pints Under 1 Minute!

by Jing on 2011/03/25 in Food and Travel News

As if this article headline doesn’t say this FAST enough already, but an American company has come up with a solution to the dreadfully painful lineups for beer. The days of waiting in line for that thirst-quenching beer are numbered!

What’s cool is that they use a “bottom-up” filling approach in which magnetic discs flip open when a cup is placed on the tap. Not only does it reduce massive lineups, but it removes the human error of dispensing the perfect pour! Check out the video below, it’s unreal!

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Thailand’s Most Popular Curry – Thai Green Curry

by Jing on 2011/03/24 in Featured Article, World Recipes and Ingredients

thai-green-curry-recipe

My love affair with curries started at a young age when my mom would cook batches of it every weekend. It also helps when both your parents are Malaysian Chinese, so they take real pride in the curries they make. It got especially good when families would taste, experiment, and compete with each other for the best curry recipes. Adjustments were always made here and there, but the end results was always good. From beef Rendang, chicken curry, to fish head curry, the aromas would always dominate the kitchen (and entire house!) for days.

I always have weekly urges for curry and often make my own. With just having an awesome Thai dinner at a family friend’s house, I really wanted Thai green curry. There’s a huge variety of Thai curries and most are identified by the color of the actual dish. To no surprise then that green curries are actually green and results from the green curry paste that’s used. The green curry paste gets its signature color from grinding ingredients in a mortar like green chili, shallots, garlic, galangal, kaffir lime, coriander, cumin seeds, and many other secret ingredients. And because of the green chili, green curries tend to be just as hot, if not hotter, than red and yellow curries. But regardless of how spicy, green curries will always have a signature sweetness to it that other curries don’t. And it’s this refreshing sweetness that I yearn for, a distinct sweetness that’s a mix of palm sugar and kaffir lime.

thai-green-curry-recipe-2

I adopted my Thai green curry recipe from a Malaysian blogger whom I’ve been following. She makes such authentic (the blog’s from Malaysia!) and easy recipes you can make at home. It’s difficult to find some of the ingredients here in North America, but I’ve found that Asian grocery stores usually have all of them. So today, I’m sharing with you Thailand’s most popular curry. I hope you like it, because it’s the best one I’ve ever made.

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[Food Comic] Dear Sriaracha Rooster Sauce

by Jing on 2011/03/09 in Food and Travel News

OMG, as if this isn’t true enough! I love this rooster sauce. It can go on just about anything and make bland food taste so much more tolerable! Click the picture to read on!

[Comic courtesy of The Oatmeal]

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Preparing my Guide to Mexican Food

by Jing on 2011/02/17 in Featured Article, South America

guide-to-mexican-food

(The above picture is a pretty dumb and funny guide to Mexican food.)

So I’m off to Mexico for a 7 days vacation to Playa del Carmen, a resort town just south of Cancun. As excited as I am to sit by the beach and drink my BRAINS OUT, I’m also looking forward to sampling some Mexican cuisine. Just recently, Mexican cuisine has been designated by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. That’s quiet the feat, though it’s been overshadowed by the much heralded French cuisine!

Doing some preliminary research, I was really impressed with the variety of fresh ingredients native to South America while fusing those brought in by the Spaniard conquistadors. While avoiding my preconceptions of Mexican food due to Taco Bell, I’ve made a list of a few things I’d like to search out for such as: chile rellenos, chiles en nogada, enchiladas, things made with mole sauce, and Mayan cuisine. I’m not sure how successful I’ll be since I’m in a tourist town, but I’ve read that there’s still an array of street food vendors in Playa Del Carmen. Until then, here’s a video courtesy of UNESCO to get your stomach juices and intrigue flowing:

[Picture courtesy of Flickr: Paul Hammond]

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World Food News – Homemade Haggis, Inhaling Food, Marijuana Pop, and Much More!

by Jing on 2011/02/14 in Food and Travel News

world-food-news

[Global Food News is a weekly selection of world food news deemed important, absurd, strange, or otherwise hilarious at Food Trotter!]

I’ve been a bit back logged with stuff lately and so I’ve delayed my posting of interesting food and travel news that I find over the web. And this Thursday, I’ll be off to Mexico for an all-inclusive stay in Cancun! I have some work cut out for me: I have to plan some excursions and research Mexican foods and what I can eat there! It’ll be hard, since it’s all inclusive, but I’m determined to find some local eateries regardless of the chance of food poisoning. Besides, I’m positive I’ve eaten worst…. it can’t be that bad.

The haggis challenge – Ever wanted to learn how to make your own homemade haggis? It doesn’t sound so bad when you really think about it, they’re just innards anyways! You can even find a step-by-step guide in pictures! Have fun! [Guardian]

The Future Of Food Is An All-You-Can-Breathe Buffet – A professor in France has invented a device that turns liquidized versions of foods into clouds of tiny liquid droplets that can be inhaled for a tasty experience! Is this the future of eating?! Forget shoving food into our faces, smoke it up instead! [Jezebel]

Beverage Company Creates Beef Salad Water – A beverage company called MeatWater has created new flavours that are devoid of meat but tastes like it. Enjoy flavours like poached salmon salad, grilled chicken salad, or even grilled Thai beef salad. MeatWater also creates a whole line of wacky drinks with unusual flavours, but it could be worth a try. This isn’t unusual though, as The Jones Soda Company does the same during Christmas or special occasions. [AOL]

Chef’s recipe: Rabbit with glass noodles and bean curd – I haven’t eaten a lot of rabbit. But since it’s Chinese New Year and the year of the golden rabbit, let’s celebrate with this awesome recipe here! Haha, I’m reminded of a Bugs Bunny cartoon: “that’s all folks!”. Don’t get squeamish, bunnies taste great and are lean and flavorful! [G&M]

Are you a music lover or a foodie? Choose the right cruise for you – If you’re a foodie, here’s another destination you can add to your list of travel eating: culinary cruises! Experience dinners hosted by famous chefs, watch cooking demos, and go on land excursions to eat at notable restaurants or wineries. This is a total winner. [G&B]

Medical Marijuana Soft Drink Hopes to Become a Hit – That’s right, THC spiked soda! Made in California, this might be a legitimate business as the owner is planning on selling this product along side medical marijuana. Which makes it legit right? [yumsugar]

[Pictures courtesy of yumsugar, Guardian, and Jezebel]

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Valentine’s Day Food Mosaic

by Jing on 2011/02/11 in Food and Travel News

Happy Valentine’s Day love birds! I hope the men are going to be well-prepared this year! Last year (and every year before that!), I made last minute arrangements and everything went awful. I always kick myself in the a$$ afterwards and tell myself it won’t happen again next year. This year though, I’m still not fully prepared either! Wish me luck!

february-valentines-day-food

You’ve probably noticed that we’ve put a Valentine’s Day background just to celebration the occasion! A few weeks ago it was for Chinese New Year to celebrate the year of the rabbit. Tell us what you think, otherwise we’ll just keep on annoying you!

valentine's-day-food-mosaic