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Soba

Soba – A Cool Summer Japanese Dish

by Jen Tsai on 2010/07/06 in Asia

Soba

With summer already here, it’s often difficult to find a dish which is not only delicious and cool to the taste, but also healthy.  When I say Japanese, you automatically think sushi, am I right?  Well there is more to Japanese food than the typical California roll (which isn’t even Japanese)!   Another Japanese dish with a long history is soba.  Originated during the Tokugawa Period, soba can be eaten hot on those cold winter days as well as cold in the summer heat of Tokyo.  It is the latter, however, in which the noodles are better known to be eaten as.

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Fun Fermented Foods: The Kimchi Edition

by Wei Su on 2010/06/30 in Asia, World Recipes and Ingredients

After being addicted to and finishing 25 episodes of the Korean romantic-comedy-drama series Boys Before Flowers in 6 days (thanks unni and oppa – see their blog here), I am having a rather difficult time adjusting back to reality and have been going through severe withdrawal symptoms. To infuse some much needed Korean-ness back into my life (also since South Korea is out of the running for World Cup) and through inspiration from the show, I decided to make me some Kimchi (see Episode 9 – 4:41min, look how much fun they are having!).

Kimchi is a traditional spicy and pungent dish that is essential in Korean cuisine. It is served as a banchan (side dish) or used as a staple ingredient in other dishes such as kimchi chigae (kimchi stew) or kimchi bokum bap (kimchi fried rice). Kimchi is most commonly made using napa cabbage, red chilli flakes (gochugaru), garlic, onions, and salt (although there exist 200 known varieties of kimchi). The vegetables are chopped, seasonings are mixed and all the ingredients are allowed to ferment. Continue Reading →

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Coffee in Different Cultures

by Jing on 2010/06/28 in Asia, International, South America

I was waiting in line at a Starbucks recently and was stupefied by the orders coming through the counter.

Customer: “I’ll have a tall triple non-fat extra-hot caramel macchiato”
Teller: “Tall triple non-fat extra-hot caramel macchiato please”
Barrista: “Coming up, tall triple non-fat extra-hot caramel macchiato!”

We’re all familiar with this repetitive chorus from customer, teller, and barrista. Even I’m guilty of doing the same thing. By the time I got to the front of the line, the teller had to recompose after being corrected by the customer for a “non-fat, light-whipped, caramel frappuccino”. She was whiplashed and I was sick to my stomach. Breathing deeply, she prepared for another barrage of words as I asked “I’ll have a small coffee please”. Seriously, is this what coffee mixology turned itself into? Yes, yes it has. And this monster is spreading around the world, ruining the lives of many coffee drinkers and the unique coffee mixes countries have. These concoctions we’re creating are a travesty, useless complexities that “personalize” what we want. And just to bring into perspective how backwards we’ve become, let’s contrast three other countries and how they enjoy their mix of coffees. The verdict? I like my coffee dark, sometimes with cream and sugar. You?

Malaysia

flickr: botakeu

Malaysians love their coffee, served in an old-school cup and plate. Coffee is bold and slightly thick, often drank by itself (Kopi O) or mixed with evaporated milk and condensed milk (white coffee). As fresh milk wasn’t widely available, canned evaporated milk was used to prolong expiration and ease of transportation in the monsoon rains. Condensed milk was also used due to the ease of storage. You wouldn’t want a huge cockroach eating away at your sugar would you? Mixed together, this created a cup of coffee with a velvety thick texture that was both sweet and strong in flavor.
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To knead or not to knead – Crazy Japanese Dough Pounding!

by Jing on 2010/06/15 in Asia

To knead or not to knead….. The great bread debate is answered! LOL!

In case you were wondering, this crazy pounding is actually an old school way of making mochi (with a little flair of course). Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made out of glutenous rice and often shaped into a ball. These rices cakes are also filled with sweet pastes made out of red bean, green tea, or even ice cream! Mochi isn’t only found in Japan either, it’s now a prominent snack enjoyed by people in Taiwan, China, and even Hawaii.

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Hainanese Chicken Rice

by Jing on 2010/05/03 in Asia, North America

Ever since coming back from Malaysia two months ago, I’ve been dying to find a satisfying plate Hainanese chicken rice in Toronto Canada.  Known simply as chicken rice, this beloved dish celebrates national status in both Singapore and Malaysia, where it has become mainstream with franchises specializing only in chicken rice. Once you’ve experienced a mouthful of jelly-like chicken that melts and slips around in your mouth, it isn’t surprising why this is such a popular dish.

Chicken rice for newbs consists of cuts of chicken topped on flavoured rice, accompanied with chicken soup, cucumbers, and chili sauce. Don’t judge by appearances alone, as the chicken has gone through a rigorous and precisely timed cooking process known only to a select few chicken rice masters. With a large boiling pot of specially seasoned stock, the chicken is placed inside to slowly cook as the pot of stock is turned off and left to cool down. Timed precisely, the slowly cooked chicken is removed and immediately placed into a bucket of cold iced water. This is to prevent the chicken from continuing to cook while locking in the moistness and jelly-like state of the chicken. Sliced and accompanied atop a helping of flavorful oily rice, literally rice mixed with chicken stock  oil and sometimes coconut milk, the chicken rice becomes an excellent meal on a hot summer day. Mix/dip in the the signature chili sauce, and the chicken rice adds a new dimension of flavor and slippery satisfaction.

Hainanese chicken rice originates from China’s island province, Hainan Dao, otherwise known as the Hawaii of China. But as Chinese Hainanese migrants moved into and around South East Asia, chicken rice evolved into a naturally better dish. Mixing with ethnic diversity and tastes of various cultures, you now have a dish eaten by everyone in any number of styles: Malay, Singaporean, Thai, old school Hainan style, and the new chicken rice ball frenzy (the rice is really shaped into a rice ball the size of a tennis ball!).

My chicken rice scouting has led me to several locations in Toronto Canada. Though not as jelly-like and slippery as it ought to be, and with a side of chili that mildly resembles the real thing, these are the closes t ones I’ve come across. Looks like my satisfaction might only be quenched back in South East Asia.

Know of any other Hainanese chicken rice finds in Toronto?! Haven’t tried it? Here are some local suggestions:

Restauran Malaysia – 815 Major Mackenzie Drive East, Richmond Hill
Lion City – 1177 Central Parkway West, Mississauga
Gourmet Garden Restaurant – 4465 Sheppard Avenue, Scarborough
South Asia Malaysian Cuisine – 3700 Midland Avenue, Toronto

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