02/15/2010 - Chinese New Year Snack "nian guo"

Recipe:

- 1 package glutenous rice flour

- 1 cup water

- 2 1/2 bars Asian brown sugar

- 3 tsp veggie oil

- sesame seeds (optional)

(1) boil the water

(2) break up the brown sugar and melt in the boiling water => cool completely

(3) Mix the brown sugar water with the flour => add 1/3 - 1/2 cup cold water => knead till glossy and dough is moist

(4) grease dish with 2tsp veggie oil => pour in batter => decorate batter w. sesame seeds => top w. remainder veggie oil

(5) Steam on med-high for 40 min

(6) Let cool at room temp. for 8-24 hours

(7) Refrigerate 8-24 hours

* traditionally, you're supposed to decorate with a red dates but I didn't have any on hand and it's an extra step ...

To Serve:

Cut into slices => dip in beaten egg mixture (1 or 2 eggs will suffice) => pan fry on med-low heat with a little oil until soft or until it has enough color.

The Verdict:

Very yummy. Not too sweet - a little on the gooey side, but I don't mind. I think it's best eaten warm but it's ok at room temp.

02/16/2010 - Red Velvet Cake

Recipe Used: http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCake.html

Modifications: I used 1 cup of sugar, rather than 1 1/2 cups in the cake and I opted for a simpler frosting (1 pkg cream cheese + 1/4 cup butter + 2 tsp vanilla extract + 2 cup powdered sugar) ... and I'm not sure if it matters or not, but I used malt vinegar instead of distilled white vinegar (I'm pretty sure it had no effect on the taste and the chemical reaction worked just fine)

The Verdict:

Day 1: DELICIOUS!!! Moist and spongey cake with soft and fluffly frosting.

Day 2: Still pretty damn good - slightly drier cake with hardened frosting. But I was surprised at how quickly the texture of the cake changed. I had a little bit in the morning and the texture was still good, just firmer. However, 8 hours later it felt considerably drier but not actually dry.

Day 3: ... I'll find out soon enough ^^

Generally speaking: This was my first time baking a cake, so I'm quite happy with the result. I've only gotten positive feedback from it. However, I think I would try a different frosting next time... one that is more light. The cream cheese frosting is VERY tasty but quite cream cheese tasting (as should be expected, I guess ^^)

02/17/2010 - Fujiya

What was ordered:

Scallop Roll - lettuce, mayo, scallop - wrapped in seaweed & rice - and topped w. masago

The Verdict:

For $5, it's not bad.

The rice was a little too soggy for my liking and for the rice to filling ratio, there was just a little too much rice. But it came with 8 pieces and the roll was quite large. The flavor was a little bland - but that's where the wasabi and soya sauce comes in. The amount of mayo used was just right and the scallops tasted good. (It's a little hard to tell with small scallops... as long as it doesn't have a BAD flavor, I assume it's all good LOL~~ especially in rolls w. mayo, I never expect it to taste sweet, like the larger scallops should in nigiri sushi). But I think the masago stood out the most for me, it didn't have an ounce of bitterness to it ^^.

Fujiya, take-out

1050 W. Pender Street

Vancouver, BC

(604)608-1050

02/017/2010 - Shogun Japanese Restaurant

What was ordered:

Gyoza (large order = 6 pcs) - Mostly veggie... I think there was a little bit of meat... too be honest, I was too disappointed to pay more attention ...

Shrimp Ramen (soy sauce based soup) - came with 3 pcs shrimp tempura, 3 baby shrimp, bean sprouts, shredded carrot, green onion.

Miso Shrimo Ramen - same as above, only with a miso-based soup.

The Verdict:

TOTALLY NOT WORTH IT! Everything was bland in a bad way.

The gyoza's were obviously pre-fried, kept heated, and quickly refried before serving. The chili oil that came with it tasted like sesame oil with spice. The noodles were too soft, tasteless (unless you consider that soapy noodle-ey taste a flavor) and was not enjoyable in any way. The soy based soup tasted like a very light vegetable water, only darkened with a little soy sauce. The miso was just as bad, but it had more flavor... in a weird sweet way... so kind of like a sweetened super diluted sesame paste. And the portions were small-med. There wasn't very much noodle (not that I ate most of mine anyways...) and the veggies were minimalistic. The only redeeming factors were the shrimp and the tea. The shrimp was fried perfectly, albeit there was too much batter. Half of the "shrimp" consisted of batter. I'm pretty sure they serve oolong tea, but I could be wrong. This was actually quite nice. Not too strong and not too diluted. Oh... and if you really don't care what you eat or if you don't have any taste-buds, they are very speedy. The gyoza's were out in 3 min and the noodles came very soon afterwards.

Needless to say, we were very disappointed. I was recommended this restaurant by a co-worker and when we walked by Shogun during lunch time they were very busy. At 5:15pm it was quite the opposite. There were only 3 tables, including ourselves. Service was alright, our tea was refilled and our order was taken promptly. Funnily enough, it was hard to get someone's attention when we wanted to pay. And another thing, this restaurant is Korean-operated, if not owned.

Shogun Japanese Restaurant
595 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC
(604) 684-6899

02/07/2010 - egg tarts

I found a really simple recipe online. It called for 25 tart shells, 5 eggs, 1 cup sugar and 1 1/4 cup water. All you needed to do was dissolve the sugar in the water, beat in the eggs and divide evenly into the shells. Then bake for 20 minutes at 400°F

Instead of tart shells, I decided to use puff pastry since I already had a pack thawed and I didn't want to make 25 egg tarts anyways. I used tin foil to make some "molds" for the tarts. Then I divided all the ingredients by 5 and rather than sugar I decided to use some condensed milk.

I probably should have stuck to the original recipe... At the 20 minute mark the puff pastry didn't look quite ready but I decided to try one anyways. The filling was perfect... well at least the texture was good and it tasted alright. But the puff pastry was as I feared... still slightly gooey.

So back into the oven it went, until the pastry fully puffed out. As a result, the pastry was perfect but the egg filling was completely overcooked. It started to caramelize and became plastic-like. The sweetness became much more apparent and I'll remember to use 1 tbsp of condensed milk rather than 2. Another problem was that the puff pastry really stuck to the tin foil, making it really difficult to remove.

The Verdict:

I would not make this again... at least not without some tweaks... and not before purchasing the appropriate egg tart molds.

On the other hand, I used the rest of the puff pastry to bake some snacks with aged cheddar. It was an amazing combo ^^

02/04/2010 - Thai Green Curry Cookies

During my trip to Seattle, I picked up some cookie cutters and I've been wanting to use them ever since. But cut-out cookie recipes, other than regular sugar cookies that are meant to be decorated, are hard to find. Until I stumbled onto this recipe online. http://belachan2.blogspot.com/2010/01/green-curry-paste-cookies.html

I pretty much followed the recipe, except I didn't have coconut cream so I mixed some coconut milk with a bit of condensed milk. If you also decide to do this, just remember to refrigerate the dough for longer (~1 hour). I also learnt a tip on some other website - roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper BEFORE refrigerating the dough, it'll make it much easier to handle and cut. I've never done it the other way, but I took their advice and it seemed relatively easy.

Oh... and I never kneaded it by hand, because mine was much more pliable due to the extra liquid from the coconut milk, I found the spatula was enough to mix it properly. I think my dough was much thinner than the original, but this worked out to my benefit. I had a few thicker ones but the thin ones gave a nice cracker feel and the texture was perfect.

I've used Thai green curry before, but never in a cookie. I remember my first experience with this paste, I almost killed my taste buds. This particular curry doesn't have a lot of curry flavor per say, but it has a latent spice that takes you by surprise. So use with caution.

The proportions here are perfect. The flavor is not overpowering, but it definitely has a nice kick to it.

The Verdict:

I would make these cookies again and they are perfect for those who like spicy foods. The flavor reminds me of wasabi beans ^-^

I brought these to work and it was amusing to watch people's reaction when they hear "curry" and "cookie" used in the same sentence. Those that tried it liked/loved it and those that didn't, didn't because they were appalled by the idea. LOL

02/04/2010 - Yaya's Cafe & Bubble Tea

What was ordered:

Original Milk Tea with Pearls

The Verdict:

I don't think I would go back, at least not for the bubble tea. The drink had a fake sugary taste to it and while the pearls weren't bad initially, they quickly hardened within a span of 1 or 2 minutes.

Yaya's Cafe & Bubble Tea1020 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1P5
(604) 568-4875

02/05/2010 - Toyo Sushi

What was ordered:

Weekly Combo A - miso soup, house salad, croquette, agedashi tofu, tempura shrimp (3) and veggie (2) and a california roll.

Sushi Combo B (15) - 6 piece salmon maki with the following pieces of nigiri sushi: 2 salmon, 1 smoked salmon, 2 tuna, 1 ika (squid), 1 tamago (omelette), 1 hokigai (clam), 1 tai, 1 ebi (shrimp)

The Verdict:

For the amount of money your paying, it's not bad. There was nothing in particular that stood out or to especially complain about.

That being said, the miso soup was a little on the sweet side, but it was ok. The salad was fresh, the lettuce was crisp but there were too many peppers and onions for my liking. The croquette was freshly fried, although I wasn't too sure what to think of the rice beside it which only acted as filler (both for the look of the bento box and for those that are especially hungry). The agedashi tofu was good, after a while the batter became a little gooey but that provided a very unique texture. The tempura was pretty good but I think they can improve on their batter. It's a little hard to explain, but if you can imagine something being crispy yet somehow soft... but the shrimp was done well. It was cooked perfectly and was a good size. The veggie portion of the tempura consisted of carrot and yam. A little on the oily side but not too bad. Lastly, the california roll. It was a little on the bland side so not amazing but once again, not too bad.

On the other hand, my fiancé quite enjoyed his sushi combo. I managed to steal a piece or two but was thrown off my the salmon maki as it was slightly warm, just slightly, but still. The tamago was uninspiring to say the least. But from what I hear, the ebi was surprisingly fresh and not pre-made. And generally speaking, the pieces were well prepared.


Toyo Sushi
2211 Cambie Street
Vancouver, BC V5Z 2T5
(604) 879-0990

Nya-mi ya-mi in my tummy!

Welcome to my blog! Since this is my first post, I guess I should say a little about myself and why I even decided to do a blog.

Food is a big part of my life and I would love to say that eating is a daily indulgence. However, I'm very picky about what I eat. I have my likes and dislikes and I stand by them. A good example is fried rice. Many restaurants like to use green onions in their fried rice and I can understand why. They provide a distinct aroma that's hard to achieve otherwise. However, I can't stand the texture. The inner part is just too slimy for my liking. Most wouldn't think it's possible, but I can easily spit out each an every green onion that enters my mouth by mistake, no matter how ingrained into a dish it may be. Not a pretty picture, so instead, I usually pick out each and every itty bitty bit of green onion in my fried rice before I indulge. It's pretty amusing the reaction I get from friends and family whose never seen me do it before! lol~ At this point, you're probably wondering why I don't save myself the trouble and order the rice w/out the onions. There's several answers to this question: (1) I forget, (2) I don't feel the need to deprive others of green onions just because I don't like it, and (3) Like I mentioned before, there's a distinct aroma that almost makes green onions a necessity.

Anyways, my main point is that I love food and I'm always searching for the perfect version of any and every dish. I think that food has to be deliciously enjoyable or else eating just becomes an everyday chore.

I've always been a little wary about starting my own food blog, especially when so many already exist. But I figure, why not? Either my words will become ceaseless ramblings or an opinion that actually matters. Life's too short to dwell on such small details ^-^