Hong Kong Food Diary | Din Tai Fung

I was lucky enough to be able to go on a month long vacation with Honey Bear to several countries in Asia. Something I never thought I could afford, but he made it happen. I'm so grateful to be able to experience something so amazing. 

Biggest and longest meal this year thus far, was at my Cousin's wedding in Hong Kong. I only captured a few pictures of the events so let your eyes wander all the food that went into my belly for my stay in Hong Kong. It was a beautiful reception and I'm lucky to have connected with a side of my family whom I've never met. One of the best vacations I've ever experienced. I wish I took pictures of all the food I ate, but I decided not to archive the food I constantly ate such as roasted duck/goose and soy sauce chicken as it's quite a normal food. 

The last course was of course fruit, cookies and dessert. No cake though, which I was anticipating the whole meal. ha. ha. 

On another note, I went to a Vietnamese restaurant in a really nice area of HK. I forget where now, but I definitely remember how this food tasted. I didn't have high expectations since we weren't anywhere near Vietnam...but this was the only meal where my honey bear and I couldn't finish the meal. It was....a waste of money. It's too bad because the food looks nice. 

On a brighter note, I think I fell in love with airports in Asia. SO. GOOD. Who would have guessed you could get dim sum, roasted duck, hainan chicken rice and so much more?! If I had to be stuck in an airport, I wished it would be one in Asia. I'm truly impressed, but I'm also a newbie with international traveling. It's a bit pricey, but look at that Hainan chicken down below. Mouth watering. Makes me wish I could eat some more.

Hong Kong style breakfast? Yes please! The thick buttery toast with corn in the morning and an iced coffee. Holy, taste buds. I loved every morning. This was provided in the hostel fee so technically 'free.' It was quite nice and very filling.

One of the most unique dishes I tried was a chilled bitter melon appetizer with a honey dipping sauce. It was presented beautifully and even my honey bear enjoyed it, even if though he loathes bitter melon. kekeke

Our first night arriving back in Hong Kong, we found a nearby Korean restaurant. Luckily they had set meals so honey bear opted for that. Within that meal, was also one of the most unusual dishes I've ever tried. Black chicken ginseng soup. Supposedly it's super healthy, but both of us couldn't bring ourselves to even eat half of the soup/chicken. Included in the set : fried rice, grilled mackerel and short rib stew.

On my bucket list, was to eat at famous restaurant with a michelin star. Mission. Accomplished thanks to Honey Bear. It was packed with a long line out the door but we were lucky enough to squeeze in. I ended up ordering wontons with chili sauce, sauteed spinach, glutinous pork dumplings, jajang noodle, and their most famous xiao long bao.

My 26th birthday was spent with Honey Bear and my 2 uncles + aunt. My cousin was so sweet to buy a cake for us to munch on for our last dinner together. 

We may have gained a few kg while on our month long trip we still had to fit in one last dessert run at a nearby dessert cafe. French toast tower, mango & pomelo sago, and mango mochi rolls.

This last picture isn't the prettiest, but there is more to come! Stay tuned for my next post with food from Vietnam, Singapore, and Thailand! 

Healing Food for The Soul | Steamed Tofu & Seaweed

It's finally warming up in Columbus. Finally. With the weather change, I felt the need to eat something warm and nourishing for the soul. Let me tell you a secret. I despise ginger. However, this dish is more than healthy. It's full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals. 

Best of all. It's easy. Requires almost no cooking. It's full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals. And helps keep our skin glowing. Give it a try! Even the ginger-hating-self of me loves this dish in it's entirety. 

Ingredients:

One package soft organic tofu

2 medium tomatoes (cut in 1/2 inch slices) 

1 inch knob of fresh ginger minced

1-2 tbsp dry wakakame (dried seaweed)

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp chicken stock seasoning or mushroom seasoning 

*special equipment - steam rack or steamer

1. Heat steamer or a large pot of water to a slow boil.
2. Slice your box of tofu in half down the center. Slice into 1/2 inch pieces as pictured down below.
3. Grab a shallow dish (preferably bowl) and alternate between tomato and tofu.
4. Sprinkle seasonings and sesame oil.
5. Top with minced ginger and dried wakakame (seaweed).
6. Once water comes to a slow boil, steam for 15-20 minutes.


 Most Asian/International grocery stores sells small racks similar to the one pictured below. It's an easy and convenient way to steam. Just throw a ceramic dish on the steam rack and you're good to go.






 After 15 minutes, the seaweed should have rehydrated and puffed back into it's original size. Tofu is normally a bland food so season accordingly. This is an easy dish to be digested if one is not feeling well. It's clean and a great comfort food dish in my house.

Extra Easy Vegetarian Jap Chae (잡채) Recipe

Once upon a time, I began watching Korean dramas. When I look back on it, I don't even know how I even became obsessed with watching absurdly impossible story lines of K-Dramas. I lived, breathed, ate, woke up to, and fell asleep with K-Dramas 24/7 whenever I wasn't working or at school. Story short, I'm obsessed.

So over the course of 6 years, I've become enamored by Korean culture, and of course food. One of the most popular Korean dishes available is Jap Chae (잡채). So try this recipe and you won't be disappointed.

Pretty much anyone who can boil water can make this dish.

Easy peasy.

Side note. I still LOVE watching K-Dramas. Secret indulgence confessed.

All ingredients are interchangeable. Feel free to go crazy and throw your favorite veggies and meat. This recipe is for my vegans out there. No egg. No fish sauce. Nada.


Ingredients (Serves 3-4)

• 4 oz uncooked Korean sweet potato starch vermicelli noodles 
• 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large carrot, sliced thinly
• half of one onion, sliced
• handful of spinach or Chinese broccoli 
• 1 garlic clove, minced
•  3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sugar

Directions - Have a large pot of boiling water ready for blanching.

1. Once water begins to boil, drop in carrots. After 2-3 minutes, remove and set inside a large bowl.

2. Using the same pot of hot water, lets blanch (pre-cook) the greens. Remove, drain, set inside a large bowl.

3. Drop in starch noodles. Boil for 5-7 minutes. Remove, drain, set inside a large bowl. 

4. Using a non-stick pan, quickly stir fry onion and mushrooms. Add garlic. Cook until fragrant.

5. Remove from heat, and mix soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar in the large bowl. 

6. Mix all ingredients together until well absorbed. 

Taste.

Season with black pepper.

Enjoy!

Tips for a tastier jap chae 잡채. This is my personal favorite sesame oil. It has a wonderful aroma, and I don't need to use a lot of it to get the flavor profile. I also enjoy fresh shiitake mushrooms over dried. When cooked, the texture is much more bouncier and flavorful. Most chap jae includes beef and/or thinly sliced cooked egg. I chose to omit that today as I had gal-bi and sam gyup sal with my meal. 

All About Eggrolls.

Since I was a sophomore in high school, one of the ways I made extra money -- was eggrolls. Homemade, from scratch, eggrolls. It blossomed into a monthly thing until I finished my associates degree. It made good money. And I was good at it. So every time I go back to my hometown, I have my little brother gather up all of his friends, family, coworkers, teachers, etc to buy my eggrolls.

It became so successful, my parents have actually taken over and do smaller batches every weekend. Luckily, I wont be making 80 dozen eggrolls by myself over the weekend anymore. I'm glad my parents enjoy doing this just as much as I do. But anyways, I've decided to make my way into the business department and sell my eggrolls, commercially. Until then, here are some test pictures for my future website. 

So the question is....what is a spring roll? what is an eggroll?