Not Just Boil Water

Blog Title Update

2013-02-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, the last post was my 100th post on this blog.

Several people (for a while now) have commented that my blog title is grammatically incorrect and too long. OK, I give in.

My blog title will change from "Not Just Boil Water" to "Chez Thuỷ". Thuỷ being my Vietnamese name, this title simply means my home.

I like what I've been doing so far. But I hope that starting from now, my posts will be better in content. So I might not be able to post as frequently, but that is less important.

If you are reading this blog via a feed or email subscription, please add chezthuy.blogspot.com to your feed.

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Strawberry & Pistachio Kulfi

2013-02-12T07:36:00.000-08:00

One day we went to Mahabaleshwar to pick strawberries. Mahabaleshwar is a hill station about 100km south west of Pune. Gorgeous sceneries, strawberries and honey are what attract tourists to this mountainous town, once a summer vacation spot for the Bombay province during the British Raj.

High altitude gives Mahabaleshwar a temperate climate, perfect for growing berries. All sorts of strawberries are grown here, from the everyday to those exported to the Middle East, as the best fruits of India mostly travel that way.

We stopped at a strawberry farm. While a field worker took us to the back to pick strawberries, the rest of them continued to sort mounds of strawberries into various piles, ready for resale. Our guide showed us which strawberries are for sale locally and which are for export only. I like the little ones, not too sweet but full of flavor.

We took home 3 boxes, plenty to munch on and enough to make kulfi too. Kulfi is Indian ice-cream, made from sweetened condensed milk. It is notable for its super sweet taste, just the way Indian people like it. For your personal sweet tooth, I suggest you taste the product as it is thickened. If it is a bit sweeter than you would like, then it will come out to your liking as it freezes.

Adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe for strawberry & pistachio kulfi
2 cups or 1/2 liters of milk
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
About 20 pistachios, shelled
5 green cardamoms
100 gr of strawberries

Shell the green cardamoms and grind into a powder. Grind the pistachio coarsely. Add both ingredients to the milk and bring to a boil. Over medium-low heat, let the milk reduce to about half the volume and add the condensed milk. Taste and adjust it to your preference. Continue to stir until the milk mixture thickens. It should look like a custard mixture.

Let the milk cool completely. Chop the strawberries into small pieces. Add the strawberries to the milk, stir well and pour into moulds. Freeze well.

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Indian Spiced Pickled Lemons

2013-02-05T06:34:00.000-08:00

Again, we have too many lemons this year. I know, I know, what is there to complain about... But I feel wasteful if I let them rot. And even if I let them be, they will fall on the ground and make a mess too. Niru jokingly calls this a first-world problem.

The other day, we finally cut down both lemon trees to make room for them to grow. They had clambered past the gate and hogged all the space from the neighboring plants. We gathered all the fruits and I turned them into all kinds of pickles. Indian spiced pickled lemons, Indian sweet pickled lemons, Vietnamese pickled lemons. Rows and rows of pickled lemon jars in my fridge!

So we won't have any lemon for a year or more. No worries: my neighbors have a few lemon trees; my friend does too! Friend already said to come and get them whenever I want. Life is good, isn't it?

Recipes for Indian pickled lemons vary from region to region, probably from home to home too. This one is pared down a bit in number of ingredients. I strive to make it more simply but still flavorful and representative of Indian pickled lemons.

12 small lemons or limes
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup red chilli powder
1/4 cup sugar
3 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ground fenugreek seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
Lemon juice
2 tbsp cooking oil

Cut the lemons into small pieces. Mix together the salt, sugar, and chilli powder.

Heat the oil in a pot, throw in the mustard seeds until they start to pop. Add the turmeric powder and fenugreek powder and stir until fragrant. Arrange the lemon pieces in a sterilized jar. For every inch or so of lemon, add a spoon of the oil mixture and the salt mixture. Finally, add the lemon juice to cover the lemon pieces. Traditionally, you leave the jar of pickled lemons out under the sun to let them cook for a month or two. I choose to omit this step because I am lazy and I find the taste still very appealing.

If you have canning equipment, then you can store it at room temperature. If not, after a couple of days, store the pickled lemons in the fridge. They are ready to eat after a couple of months.

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An Indian Lunch

2013-01-29T07:33:00.000-08:00

I am in India for an important appointment. Meanwhile, I have made a film starring our cook, whom I mentioned in this post last year in India.

Within perhaps one hour, she makes a breakfast dish and 4 to 5 dishes for lunch, including roti, rice and dahl. I'd say she knows what she's doing.

So, enjoy!

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Bottarga on Eggs

2013-01-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

I thought I shouldn't leave the bottarga at only one blog post. It is not exactly a popular food item in America, ya know. Bottarga can add some mean attitude to a seafood dish, in a good way. For example the other day, I made pan-seared salmon and sprinkled some bottarga on it - delish!

But did you know that it can give the eggs a facelift too? Just a simple sunny-side-up egg, sprinkled on a little grated bottarga and a little ground black pepper, served on warm toast and breakfast feels like a sunny morning on an ocean side. OK, I exaggerate...but close your eyes and feel it anyway :-p.

There is another more complicated method to cook eggs with bottarga, turning the eggs into custard - a creamy mash of golden goodness. I don't quite remember how I stumbled upon this recipe from "The Zuni Cafe Cookbook". My guess is somewhere between the internet and bookstore surfing. Either way, it is delicious and I would like to share it here.

Adapted from "The Zuni Cafe Cookbook" by Judy Rodgers

1 tbsp of cold unsalted butter, cut into slivers
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 tsp of grated bottarga
Pinch of salt
1 clove garlic, peeled

Beat the eggs with some slivered butter, grated bottarga, and the salt.

Melt more butter in a pan. Add the eggs and cook over the lowest possible heat.

Rub a wooden spoon front and back with the garlic and use this to stir the eggs constantly while incorporating the remaining butter sliver by sliver, 10 to 20 minutes.

If you can't keep the heat low enough, remove the pan from the heat for 10 seconds at a time to control the cooking. As they first begin to heat through, the eggs will look like buttermilk, heavy with occasional flecks of curd. Gradually they will thicken and become curd. The eggs will keep cooking off the heat, so remove the pan from the burner while they are still quite soft and stir for another minute. The finished mixture should be slightly curdy, like creamy cottage cheese.

Serve on warm toast.

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Vietnam - Hué & Hoi-an

2013-01-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

Hué
Life on Perfume river is poor and hard... But let yourself float to the rhythm of water, let your mind wrestle with the wind and sun, let your eyes draw on the even curves of mount Ngự Bình and you shall see that life on the river can be so beautiful and romantic.

Hue has been the inspiration for countless poets and song writers. For centuries now, someone has fallen in love with Hue, lived and died for Hue. History has it that Hue came to Vietnam by the hands of a woman. In 1306, Emperor Trần Nhân Tông had given his only daughter, the princess Huyền Trân to the Cham King in exchange for the provinces of Thuận Hóa, now includes Thừa Thiên–Huế.

The boat ride ended at Thiên Mụ pagoda, one of the most famous and beautiful landmarks of Hue. Legend has it that the lord Nguyễn Hoàng, while touring the region was told of the local tale: a goddess fairy dressed in red and blue predicted that a lord would come and erect a pagoda on the hill to pray for the country's prosperity. And so in 1601, the lord Nguyễn ordered the construction of a temple on the hill of Hà Khê and named it Thiên Mụ Tự, meaning the temple of the Goddess Fairy.

One finds peace here. Beautiful scenery of Perfume river anchored by verdant hills; tranquil pine forest surrounds the pagoda; moments of life calmly pass by; beautiful smiles too.

But perhaps what put Thiên Mụ pagoda on the tourist map is that it houses the Austin motor vehicle that drove the monk Thích Quảng Đức to Saigon in 1963 to burn himself, the first of a series of self-immolations by members of the Buddhist clergy to protest against the South Vietnam regime of Ngô Đình Diệm.

Hue also houses the Imperial city, a walled fortress built in 1804 by the emperor Gia Long who had unified the country and chose Hue to be the capital of Vietnam. Even though mostly decimated during the American war, it has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the best place to see the imperial architectures and artifacts of Vietnam.

Along with the Imperial city, one can indulge in sighting numerous royal tombs built by various Nguyễn lords. Each tomb reflects the lord's personalities and outlooks. While the tomb of Tự Đức, the "poet emperor" is set in an elegant garden with a pavilion complex, the tomb of Khải Định, the "French puppet emperor" blends Vietnamese and European architecture using fragments of ceramics and glass for decoration.

After indulging ourselves with the imperial city and fancy tombs, we enjoyed a deluxe lunch at one of the garden houses. Most of Hue's garden houses had ties with the Imperial Court. Some received patronage from the royal family while others are descendants of the royalty themselves. Rice steamed with lotus seeds and eggroll sticks decorated on the bird of phoenix were some of the sumptuous dishes that were served to us.

To return to the normal life, we visited Đông Ba market, where one can entertain oneself with endless varieties of fruits and flowers, fish and meat, clothing, footwear and everything else to support a common modest life style.

Hoi-an
From Hue to Hoian meanders along the most renowned mountain pass of Vietnam, Hải Vân Pass. Historically, it was a physical division between the kingdoms of Champa and Đại Việt. Its name means ocean cloud, referring to the mists that rise from the sea which made it dangerous for travelers. But its beauty is undeniable for its lush mountains, blue ocean and white sand beaches.

Hoian, another world heritage town is an example of a South-East Asian trading port from the 15th to the 19th century. Blending Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese architectures and exquisitely preserved, Hoian makes for a fascinating stroll.

It was the lord Nguyễn Hoàng who turned Hoian into a major trading port for Vietnam. However, by the end of 18th century, Emperor Gia Long granted the French exclusive trade rights to the nearby port town of Đà Nẵng, turning the city into the new center for trade. Hoian became a forgotten backwater, leaving it untouched for the next 200 years.

Hoian's beauty is turned on like jewel at night. Each 14th night of the lunar month, thousands of lanterns light houses. Candles float along the river Thu Bồn, carrying for their owners happiness and good luck.

There's no shortage of entertainment for guests, as Hoian has turned into a true tourist town. Other than visiting the numerous ancient trading houses that have been kept through generations, one can visit the local market and take a cooking class. One hops on a bicycle for a couple of kilometres from Hoian to Trà Quế village to mingle with farmers and learn to make a few Vietnamese dishes.

While the few big cities of Vietnam can be an assault of the senses, others are as if of a different world. Time appears to stand still, as life is almost the same as it was years ago. Spend a bit more time, look a bit further and one shall find that Vietnam holds much hidden charm.

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Vietnam - Hanoi

2013-01-08T09:31:00.001-08:00

The temple of literature: the first national university of Vietnam; the symbol of Hanoi.

Here, one sees flocks of students during notable occasions, this particular one being educators' day. But not only the students, one also sees flocks of foreign tourists snapping their cameras at a sea of colors that is áo dài, the traditional long dress of Vietnamese women.

Vietnam: so near and yet so far... Because I have been away for so long.

I have now lived in America for longer than I have lived in Vietnam. I have become American in so many ways. I remember my first visits to Vietnam. I always left in tears, telling myself that one day, I would move back. That feeling is long gone. America has become my home now.

But when images of B-52 showering bombs onto this tiny piece of land that shattered every grain of soil still shatter my stomach and make tears in my eyes - I know that I am still a Vietnamese. When the sight of fluttering áo-dài's still flutters my heart - I know that I am still a Vietnamese.

Everything has changed so much. No one lives their lives the way I remember. I long for things that makes my life what it was here. The circus stationed in the park that became week-end dates between my grandfather and me. The plastic doll with plastic hair that I had for years, the only doll that I owned for years. The Tràng Tiền ice-cream that I now know tastes like frozen flour mixed with powdered milk. But it was all I ever wanted during those impoverished years of a subsidy era.

Eating a Tràng Tiền ice-cream bar, 2007

I miss the food that was a staple of my childhood. The bún chả and bún nem - rice noodles with grilled pork and fried eggrolls. The cốm - pounded young sweet rice to welcome each autumn. Tiny clams sauté with betel leaves. Morning glory leaves sauté with garlic.

And with each visit, no matter what, I pay respect to my father in the countryside of Hanoi, where my grand-aunt lives with her children and grandchildren. Things seem to move a bit more slowly here. Old customs and cultures are still the cornerstone of daily lives. The charred water pot, the burnt frying pan, the faded wooden pantry - they are still all here, soothing my soul for a distant past.

This, I wrote a while ago. Expressing myself in clunky poems is also a thing of the past...

Some nights I dream of a land
that I have left for so long
Memories rush back to me and
they compose for me a song

Dream of patches of bamboo
next to dunes of golden straws,
where the cows calmly moo
and puppies licking their paws

Dream of a peaceful pond
with blooming water lilies
And the thousand-year-old temple
resonates thousand-year-old melodies

Dream of midday’s scorching heat
that bakes my skin and hair
Sometimes I can’t bear to breath
amidst the damp and stuffy air

Dream of February’s chill
The anticipation of Tết
immersed in peach blossoms
and a reading of this year’s fate

Dream of familiar faces
at the market, bargaining busily
for flowers, for vegetables, for meat
on the streets of Hà Nội hurriedly

Seems like only yesterday
I belonged in this dream, this place
Now they are tucked away
in a corner, for my mind to trace.

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Beef Noodle Soup - Phở Bò

2013-01-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Did you party hard? Super! But if you had a few drinks too many and now need assistance with that intolerable hangover, did you know that Vietnamese beef noodle soup, aka Phở Bò is among the best contenders?

Certainly much more than just a hangover cure, phở evokes intimacy for many Vietnamese, especially those who live abroad. Phở is so familiar, so homeward that for every Vietnamese community, large or small, there must be at least one phở joint. And for this, like the timeless áo dài, phở has come to symbolize the essence of Vietnam to the rest of the world.

Yet, the history of phở is as elusive as ever. Phở appears to have only come into existence in the beginning of the 20th century. Traditionally, Vietnamese did not see beef as the meat of choice, for it was considered of heat property and too gamy. However, a cheap dish made of buffalo meat stir-fried with herbs and eaten with rice noodles was quite common in the countryside villages.

But the French colonization of Vietnam created a demand for beef and beef butcher shops sprang up. Left-over meat and bones after a day's sale eventually warped into phở. Why the name phở? Some think it has a Chinese origin, but some suggest it is born from the last word of the French dish pot-au-feu - feu for fire. However, both the Chinese beef soup and pot-au-feu are prepared vastly differently from phở. The dispute about the origin of phở continues.

It was not until the 1920's that phở became popular with the wealthy and affluence. From 1930's, phở was further refined and entered itself into the realm of classic Vietnamese cuisine: its broth flavored with grilled onion, grilled ginger and spices, the beef diverged into many styles: phở chín -boiled beef meat , phở tái -rare steak, phở tái lăn -steak stir-fried with garlic and ginger, phở áp chảo -steak stir-fried with celeries, leeks, carrots and onions. Starting in the 1950's, phở spread south-ward.

To present-day, phở is eaten in so many ways and in so many places - not only in Vietnam, but in the U.S., France, Australia and wherever else exists a Vietnamese community. Phở in America is supplemented with bean sprouts, basils, and cilantro cimarron, an influence by Southern Vietnam; condiments include the hoisin sauce and the sriracha hot sauce which was created in the USA indeed.

What was once called phở is now the "classic": clear broth, small pieces of rare steak rather than thinly sliced fillet mignon; condiments include fish sauce and chili-vinegar, preferably eaten with quẩy, a savory doughnut. No bean sprouts, basil or cilantro cimarron.

Broth:
1 kg or 2 lbs of beef bones
8 litres of water
1/2 of an onion
2 inches long of ginger root
3 black cardamoms
3 star anise
3 inches long of cinnamon bark
1 tsp of cloves
2 tbsp of salt

Meat and noodle: for 2 bowls
100 gr of flank steak
100 gr of beef, chuck roast
400 gr of cooked flat rice noodles

Condiments:
Scallions, green part chopped, white part sliced lengthwise
Cilantro, chopped
Chillies, chopped
Red wine vinegar
Fish sauce
Savory doughnuts, optional

DAY 1:
Cover the beef bones with water, bring to a rolling boil. Pour out the water and clean the bones, clean the pot again too while you are at it. Then put the bones back into the pot and fill it with water.

Meanwhile, crush the ginger. Grill the onion and ginger directly over fire until charred. Toast the cardamoms, star anises, cloves and cinnamon until fragrant.

Pour the spices, ginger and onion into the pot. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and simmer over low fire for about 8 hours. You should only see occasional bubbles floating up, else lower the fire.

Whenever you feel like it, soak the chuck roast beef in cold water for an hour to rid the blood in the meat. Then drop it into the broth pot until cooked. Cooking time depends on meat thickness. Store the meat in cold water in the fridge until the next day.

Before you say goodnight, turn off the fire.

DAY 2:
Collect the fat that has accumulated on top of the broth. Keep the fat for other usage (roasting vegetables for example). Filter the broth through a sieve and bring it back to a boil.

Take the boiled beef out of the fridge. Slice it as thinly as possible. Set aside.

Thinly slice the flank steak, then chop quickly with the back of the knife to tenderize.

Arrange your bowl of phở: noodles, cooked meat slices. Quickly cook the steak pieces with a ladle in the boiling broth and pour into the phở bowl. Top with chopped scallion and cilantro. Wait until the broth comes back to a boil and pour to fill the bowl.

Fish sauce, vinegar, chillies to taste.

Leftover broth can be frozen for next time. Recipe for savory doughnuts will be posted in the future. In the meantime, buy some for yourself ;-).

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Flax Bread

2012-12-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

Today is Christmas Day. Exactly one year ago, I had one of the best Christmases ever at Bruce & Mary's. We had only communicated via Couch Surfing, but we were received with such warmth and candor.

Mary made for us an awesome Christmas dinner; Bruce played piano. We passed through Christmas with our bellies filled of good food and our hearts filled of laughter.

This Christmas, I miss them very much. But they didn't let us go empty-handed. Bruce had given me a book by Linh Dinh that I still keep and Mary left for me her flax bread recipe.

Flax bread is popular with folks on low-carb or gluten-free diets. I assure you that I am not on either one, but that I only find this bread very tasty. You eat it like bread, with jams or jellies, with butter or cheese, or like me: with home-made dulce de leche.

1 cup flax seed meal
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup of water
3 scant tbsp oil

Oven to 350F/177C.

Mix the dry ingredients together. Whisk the eggs together with the wet ingredients. Add the wet to dry and combine well.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top.

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Pignoli Cookies

2012-12-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

I am embarrassed to admit that 4 months living in Italy did not have me acquainted with the pignoli cookies, but it was the trip to GuGu's Pizza & Pasta that introduced me to them.

I fell in love with them at first bite. The friendly guys at GuGu would give one for FREE after your meal, but of course, I had to buy the whole box after their free one! I'd say those guys made a good marketing move :-p.

If you love pine nuts and you love almond, you will love these. Pignoli means pine nuts in Italian. The almond paste makes them soft, chewy and full of amaretto flavor. The pine nuts give that contrasting crunch and buttery taste.

I think these are classified as holiday cookies but I don't see why they can't be enjoyed year round. They are more expensive to make but are very rich, so indulge responsibly :-p.

1 10-ounce can almond paste
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoons grated orange rind
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tbsp flour
1 egg white
Pignoli (pine nuts)

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Mix the almond paste, sugar, salt and orange rind in a mixer with the paddle attachment on slow speed. Mix long enough to make a lump-free mixture.

Meanwhile, beat the egg white until soft peak is formed. Add the egg white to the almond mixture to create a smooth, firm paste. Take a tbsp and roll into a ball. Dip the almond ball into the bowl of pine nuts to cover, then press the center to slightly flatten it and place onto the parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake the cookies in the pre-heated oven until turning lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool completely.

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Chocolate Truffles

2012-12-11T10:13:00.001-08:00

Did you know that the cacao seeds from their pod are intensely bitter and inedible? They must be fermented to develop into the chocolate flavor that we are so familiar with.

But not so fast, they are then dried, roasted, graded, shelled, grounded and finally liquefied to become chocolate liquor. The chocolate liquor can then be processed into cocoa butter and cocoa solids.

The final components are further blended, refined and tempered, then again melted, hardened, heated, and chilled into your favorite chocolate dish.

The journey of a cacao seed to become chocolate is well-worn, as the journey of human and food.

The cacao originates from Central/South America and has been cultivated at least 3000 years ago. In the 16th century, it was introduced to Europe by the Spaniards and was instantly adored across the European continent. It was then spread to Africa in order to meet up with high demand. We can safely say that by now, chocolate is loved throughout the globe.

There is an old saying, "cooking is taking ingredients and doing something to them, while gourmet cooking is taking ingredients and doing something to them...and then doing something else to them." A good bar of chocolate is gourmet food. A chocolate truffle is a celebration in itself.

I use Lindt 85% chocolate bar to make chocolate truffles. You can use whichever brand of high-quality chocolate that you like, just remember for a truffle of the standard proportion: 60% chocolate & 40% sugar, adjust the amount of chocolate and sugar accordingly based on the chocolate that you use.

200 gr chocolate bar, at 85% chocolate content
250 ml heavy cream
80 gr sugar
30 gr butter at room temperature, cut into small pieces
5 ml of vanilla, orange, lemon, peppermint extract, or others that you fancy
Truffle dusting: unsweetened cocoa power, toasted and chopped nuts, toasted and shredded coconuts, or others that you fancy.

To melt the chocolate, put it into a heat-proof bowl. Lay the bowl on top of a pot filled half-way with water. As the water boil, the heat will melt the chocolate in the bowl.

Add the cream, sugar, and vanilla extract into a pot, whisk together and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Pour the cream into a big bowl. Add the chocolate to the cream, whisk the mixture until it is thick and smooth. Whisk in the butter pieces until they disappear into the chocolate mixture.

Refrigerate the chocolate for at least 2 hours. Then form them into little truffles with your hand and roll them through the dusting of your choice.

Freeze the chocolate truffles for long-term storage. Make sure to bring them to room temperature before eating. Enjoy them responsibly, preferably with a glass of dessert wine.

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Chicago

2012-12-04T07:10:00.002-08:00

I took this picture of my reflection at the cloud gate, aka the bean. It was a cold and rainy Tuesday. It doesn't sound like ideal weather for touristy activities, but I was happy as a clam. Frankly, perpetual sunshine does invite nostalgia for a little cold and a little rain (which, by the way, it has been pouring over here for the last few days!). As Niru noted, there was a big smile on my face as I pulled out my gloves and scarf amidst Chicago evening's crisp air.

Niru had the opportunity to participate in an unconference here. Yes, "unconference", have you heard of the term yet? Instead of a top-down presentation style, discussions are generated by participants' topics of interest. And I had the chance to explore this great city of midwest America.

To me, Chicago exudes a masculine feel - its steely skyscrapers compete to invade its sky; its streets wide and well-kept; its citizens no-nonsense dressed and corporate-oriented. At times, Chicago felt like a cleaner and bigger New York. One would not think that the city bears its name to the wild onions. Certainly not as one strolls along State street, staring up to the fanfare of Christmas display by Macy's department store.

Autumn lingered here still, but withered away with each bout of wind and rain. I enjoyed wandering around the Chicago Art Institute, looking out to the majestic colors of the leaves anchoring the stately buildings. The Chicago Institute of Art held an impressive collections of Salvador Dali along with other gathering of various artists from various eras. Combined with a spectacular view of downtown, the museum made for a fascinating stroll.

And when I felt stifled in between the towering skyscrapers, I made a dash for the park to get lost in the red and gold, to face the wind of lake Michigan, to feel cold, to feel small...

Chicago's nightlife is vibrant too. Niru's cousins took us to the Signature Lounge on the 95th floor of John Hancock center, where one can order a glamorous drink and enjoy Chicago's magnificent skyline. It is advisable to visit on a weekday's evening.

Chicago's food scene is famous for its hotdog, chilli and deep dish pizza. Not one of the city's icon food is elegant and glamorous, but they are generous, hearty and keep you warm amidst the winter freeze. Something else I found rather nifty was the bretzel - a pretzel in the form of a sandwich bread.

But my favorite thing about Chicago had to be walking along State street, crossing the Chicago river and being blown away by the grand view of the skyline to the north. I had only one respond, "Wow!". I stopped for the moment on the bridge to take it all in and the one sentiment awash all over me: it was freedom. That is what I will remember forever of this great city of the midwest.

I also made a video of Chicago. You probably notice that the video is a bit shaky. It's not an easy problem to fix, but I will attempt to overcome this issue before I make another one. Meanwhile, thanks for watching ;-).

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Pear & Mustard Leaves Salad

2012-11-27T06:59:00.000-08:00

Update: I am currently in Vietnam and insanely busy. I haven't had any time to write this week. But I want to leave you with a simple pear salad. 'Tis the season for pear and green mustard, and I thought they would make a nice salad together.

I like the young mustard leaves. After cleaning and drying them, I only use my hands to tear them apart. They are soft and sweet, very earthy. If you use a hardier mustard, you would want to chop them into bite-size pieces.

1 pear, thinly sliced
Mustard leaves, chopped
Toasted walnuts, chopped
Blue cheese

For the dressing:
Orange marmalade or honey
Lime juice
Olive oil
Salt

Whisk the dressing ingredients together and lightly coat the mustard leaves. Arrange the pear slices on top. Sprinkle on walnuts and blue cheese.

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Steamed Banana Cake

2012-11-20T16:16:00.000-08:00

They say in America, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Well, in Vietnam, it probably would have been a banana. Banana is surely a power fruit, but I believe it owes its popularity to being so plentiful and cheap. In Vietnam, one sees banana plants everywhere outside the city – along every road, every house, and certainly abundant in the jungles.

As there are so many types of apple in the US, there is a wide variety of banana in Vietnam too. If you wonder how many, just check out the list here on wiki. Banana weaves itself into the cultural fabric of this tiny country, my native home that is. A hand of bananas must always be present at every event that involves worship, which includes wedding, funeral, new moon, full moon, mid-autumn, new year and just about everything else. Because just as someone has noted, we Vietnamese fear and honor the dead much, much more than the living.

As a kid, I never liked banana much. My grandpa religiously applied that quotation: he made me eat a banana every day! Ugh, seriously, please do not make a kid eat the same thing every day or they will be scarred for life. Yah, I never like banana much even now that I am a grown woman (hm, really? -jk).

I do not believe that the taste and flavor of banana repels me, as I have no problem with cooked banana at all. I love banana bread, banana flambé and what I am about to tell you more right here, steamed banana cake. But childhood memory is a powerful thing. My mother grew up during war time. As she used to tell us, she had to eat (bad quality) corn and yam in place of rice so often that later on, she never ate corn and yam as long as she could afford not to. Maybe I could change her mind by giving her some American corn, so sweet and juicy, so yummy... But I can understand where she is coming from.

If you can, choose another sweeter cultivar of banana rather than the cavendish cultivar. I prefer these little ones from the Asian supermarket. They are thin skinned, sweeter and more fragrant.

The cake:
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
Pinch of salt
End cake;

6 small ripe bananas

The coconut milk:
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp of sugar
Pinch of salt
End coconut milk;

Toasted sesame seeds

Whisk together the cake ingredients.

Arrange the banana slices at the bottom of an oiled heat-proof bowl, pour over the cake mixture to cover the banana. Cover the bowl and steam until lightly set, about 5-10 minutes. Arrange another layer of banana slices on top, pour the flour mixture to cover the banana. Steam another time until lightly set, another 5-10 minutes.

Arrange the final layer of banana slices on top, pour the rest of the flour mixture to cover, steam until set, about 30 minutes.

Boil the coconut milk w/ 1 tbsp sugar and a pinch of salt.

Garnish cake w/ coconut and toasted sesame seeds.

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Sweet & Sour Fish Soup

2012-11-13T08:32:00.000-08:00

During my work trips to Colorado, I got to see my sister a few times. It was really nice as we got to hang out, talk, eat and cook together.

I was so impressed that she now cooked for herself. She told me the reason she cooked more often now was because eating out had become very expensive. Wow, I believe she's more grown up now.

She was actually interested in how to make food and so suddenly, we have something more in common. Great! We talked about food; a few dishes that she loves to eat but never knew how to prepare them. I told her some of the differences between north and southern Vietnamese food and she asked me about sweet and sour fish soup.

Sweet and sour fish soup from northern Vietnam is so simple: tomato and dills are the only main ingredients next to the fish itself. It is truly more sour than sweet because only a tiny amount of sugar is added to soften the salty edge. The soup is very understated but tasty, complementing an everyday meal of a common family. Sweet and sour fish soup from southern Vietnam is like “BAM”: a larger-than-life combination of sweet, sour and salty immediately assaults all of your senses; the ingredients are plentiful and diverse: celery, bean sprout, tomato, pineapple and whichever herbs fit your fancy at the moment. One can say that this sweet and sour fish soup is much more flamboyant than its northern sibling.

Tamarind paste

It took me a while to get used to Vietnamese restaurants in the US because most of them serve southern style cuisine. I still remember thinking everything was sickly sweet. But I just had to broaden my palate and learn to acquire various tastes. Now I appreciate food from every region of Vietnam, and certainly food from all over the world too.

And I truly look forward to the future when my sister and I will have so much more in common to enjoy and to appreciate. Food is only the beginning.

Sweet and sour fish soup, southern Vietnamese style:
1 fresh tilapia for 2 people or 1 fresh catfish for 3-4 people
1 tomato, quartered
1 stick of celery, sliced
1/4 pineapple, chopped, fresh or canned
Handful of bean sprouts
1 tbsp tamarind
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp salt seasoning
Chopped mint, cilantro, chilies
If available, Vietnamese mints: rau răm, rau ngổ/ngò om, chopped
Fried garlic in its oil

Quickly brown the fish head and tail in oil, pour in enough water for 2 people, about 4 cups. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Filter and set aside.

Meanwhile, fry the chopped garlic until golden and set aside. Be careful not to burn the garlic. When they start to turn color, turn off the fire.

There is more than one method to cook the rest of the fish:
1. If you don't care about the presentation, quickly brown the fish pieces in oil. After the broth is filtered, add tamarind, sugar and salt seasoning. Put the fish pieces back into the pot and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Depending on the thickness of the fish, it takes about 10-15 minutes to be cooked. About 5 minutes before the fish is cooked, add pineapple cubes and celery. Finally add the tomato, bean sprouts. Garnish with chopped herbs, fried garlic oil and the garlic pieces.

2. If you do care, ever wonder how the fish pieces at the restaurant look like they just dunk them into the boiling broth and yet they come out perfectly flaky and shapely? My take is that the fish is poached in oil separately. Right before they bring the soup to your table, they only have to put it in the bowl with the rest of the stuff. Oil-poached fish gives those exact qualities: moist, flaky and shapely. Bring enough oil to cover the fish pieces to 120F/48C, gently place the fish in the oil and cook for 20 minutes. Make sure to keep the temperature at 120F or the fish will be fried instead of poached.

3. There is one more: steam the fish. I have not tried this method yet. Let me know how it fares out if you do.

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Dum Biryani

2012-11-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

Diwali is coming soon.

Last year, I was too busy to make a proper Indian dish to celebrate Diwali. I promised that I’d fix it in the coming year. Well, here comes this year’s Diwali already…

Diwali starts the holiday season for us. The two of us make for a relatively international household, so our holiday season lasts for a few months. First comes Diwali, then Thanksgiving and Christmas. As the solar New Year rolls around, we are embracing lunar New Year too.

When I was a kid, I loved most lunar New Year and the mid-autumn festival which is celebrated during full moon of the lunar month of August. Lunar New Year meant for me good food, having money to buy craps that mom wouldn’t buy and a whole week off school. The mid-autumn festival brought brightly lit lanterns and toys. Most of all, I was always so excited to see people pouring out in mass to celebrate the holiday. Funny, because now, the sight of over flowing humans gives me anxiety :-p.

In some ways, Diwali and mid-autumn festival are similar. They both mark the end of harvest season and both are adorned with glowing ornaments.

I make biryani because it is among my favorite Indian savory dishes. It comprises of just about every spice in the pantry including saffron. It is the kind of food that is perfect for a large army, but complicated and costly for just one or two person. So I don’t make it often. But of course Diwali is an appropriate occasion for me to practice this flavorful dish.

Goat meat marinade:
500 gr goat meat
Grind:
1.5 tsp caraway seeds
1 cinnamon stick, 1 in
20 peppercorns
10 cloves
5 green cardamoms
End grind
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp red chili powder
1 cup yogurt
Salt to taste
End marinade: marinate the goat overnight

1 onion, sliced

Day 1:
Marinate the goat.
Fry slices of onion until golden. Be careful to not burn them, when you see them starting to turn gold, turn off the fire.

Day 2:

To cook the goat meat:
2 tbsp ghee
1 cinnamon stick, 1 inch
2 black cardamoms
1/2 of an onion

In a pressure cooker, heat the ghee. Add the rest of the ingredients to cook the goat. Add the marinated goat. Cook over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes until tender. We perform this step because goat meat is not very tender. But if you utilize a more tender meat such as lamb or chicken, you can skip this step.

Meanwhile, cook the rice:
1.5 cup basmati rice
2 bay leaves
5 green cardamoms
8 peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick, 1 in
5 cups water

Heat water in a pot with the spices. Bring to a boil and add the rice. When the water is back to boiling, cook for 5 minutes further and drain the rice. Set aside.

Final slow cook:
2 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp chopped mint
2 tbsp chopped coriander
Slices of 1 fried onion (from Day 1)
1/4 cup milk mixed with few strands of saffron

In a thick bottom pot (I use a cast-iron pan), heat 2 tbsp of ghee. Add the pieces of goat in an even layer and quickly brown them. Turn off the stove for the moment. Add in half of the rice and half of the goat meat juice from the pressure cooker. Sprinkle half of the fried onion, mint and coriander. Add the rest of the rice. Sprinkle saffron milk, then the rest of the mint, coriander and slices of fried onion.

The dum:
1 cup of flour
Enough water to make a malleable dough

Mix to make a malleable dough, then roll into a long string and press it onto the edge of the pot. Press on the lid to seal. Cook over low heat for 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Serve with yogurt sauce.

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Apple Tarte Tatin

2012-10-30T07:42:00.000-07:00

On the drive to work this morning, hurricane Sandy had hit the eastern shore. I do not live there but I am worried of the damages that Sandy can inflict upon the East Coast. I hope that the damages will be minimal and everyone can return to normal business soon. But it is true that our climate will only become more sporadic in the coming years and we all must prepare for an uncertain environment with violent weather patterns.

Ironically, we are having some of the best days of autumn here in the West Coast and I do feel grateful for that. Sunny days, crisp nights and gorgeous colors make autumn, in my eyes, the most graceful and beautiful, as I have already more than once declared my love for her.

Autumn can make me sad too, perhaps ironically also because of her grace. Some days, it’s the blue and I embrace it. It’s ok to feel blue because one cannot be happy all the time. And that one must know sadness to know happiness. But some days, as Holly Golightly of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” put it, it’s the mean reds. “Suddenly you're afraid, and you don't know what you're afraid of.” I don’t call it the mean reds; I just call it the days of melancholy. You are blue but you don’t know why. You feel blue because you don’t know why you are blue, and it’s the blue piling onto the blue in an endless loop.

So I make apple tarte tatin. Because that is what you do when you feel the blue, or the blue piling onto the blue. The process of making a cake is in some way, purifying. And with the first bite into the buttery cake and tender apple in sweet caramel, one can only hope that the blues shall be rewound, one by one.

Adapted from David Lebovitz’s upside down cake

The fruit:
3 tablespoons butter (45g), salted or unsalted
3/4 cup packed (135g) light brown sugar
2 lbs or 1 kg of apple, choose the firm cultivar such as Granny Smith

The cake:
8 tablespoons (115g) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature.
1 1/2 cups (210g) flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (125ml) heavy cream, at room temperature

I made this short video to demonstrate the making of apple tarte tatin:

Oven to 350F/176C.

Melt the 3 tablespoons (45g) of butter in a cast iron skillet or cake pan. Add the brown sugar and cook while stirring, until the sugar is melted and begins to bubble. Beat the 8 tablespoons of butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, until smooth.

Quarter and core the apples, then halve them to make one-eighth pieces. Arrange the fruit in a pinwheel design.

Add the heavy cream to the butter sugar mixture and beat over high speed until fluffy looking. Add flour, baking powder and salt, mix until just incorporated. Do not overmix.

Spread the batter over the apple, then bake for 45 minutes to one hour (depending on the size of the pan, and the thickness of the batter.) The cake is ready when it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and the center feels just set. Remove from oven, let cool about 20 minutes, then place a cake plate on top and flip the cake out on to the plate. Enjoy warm.

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Crunchy Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

2012-10-23T07:52:00.001-07:00

Today marks my 1 billionth second on this earth. I thought this might be the only billionth number generated by me that is worth mentioning. So, I mentioned it.

How does it feel? Well, not too different from my 999.999.999th second, if you must ask :-p.

That aside, I want to share with you this crazy simple recipe for crunchy sweet potatoes. Now, if you have tried oven-roasted sweet potatoes, you might have noticed that it’s rather difficult to make them crunchy. They tend to become soft to mushy, which can be great too if that’s what you want. But sometimes I only want crunchy sweet potatoes…

The easier method to make crunchy fries is exactly that: to fry them. But I wanted crunchy AND healthy fries; and not just regular fries, sweet potato fries OK. Sweet potatoes are more difficult because they contain more water and sugar which are all offenders for sadly limp fries.

Someone posted the same question on chowhound and guess how many responses – 103!!! First, aren’t I happy that others have just about the same heart-wrenching concern as me! Second, there are so many tips and tricks! From parboiling, ice water, warm water, vinegar to corn starch, one can never have enough information!

Finally I picked this recipe from NY Times because it is so simple. And it works, which of course is the most important, yes?

Adapted from NY Times:
500 gr sweet potatoes
3 tbsp oil
Salt and paprika to taste

Put the baking pan in the oven while preheat to 450F/233C.

Clean and dry the potatoes well. Cut into strips about .5in/1.5cm thick. Leave the pan in the oven for about 5 minutes after the oven's temperature reaches 450F.

Place the potato strips onto the pan in an even layer. After 20 minutes, turn the potatoes and roast them for 5 minutes further.

For a simple dipping sauce, mix plain yogurt with hot sauce such as Sriracha. Enjoy immediately.

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Pomegranate-Infused Vodka

2012-10-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

My favorite tree in the garden is the pomegranate.

I have a fondness for the pomegranate tree. Before I had ever seen an actual pomegranate tree, I was told that my life was that of a pomegranate tree on a rocky mountain side. I must add that I am generally not one bit superstitious. But sometimes - maybe just half a bit, because I still get scared visiting the cemetery at night.

It was read that my life was never going to be easy, just like a tree surviving on a rock. But I’d never be beaten down. I’d be strong and tough and I’d thrive, albeit slowly. I should also mention the freedom. With my home being the mountain and my roof the sky, nothing could ever tie me down! Somehow, all of this was weirdly flattering.

Perhaps it is fate that I have a pomegranate tree in my garden now :-p. Nah… I am not one bit superstitious, remember?

But really, the pomegranate tree is one of the hardiest trees that I know, and remarkably productive too! I witness its transformation with each season in awe. In the spring, tiny green buds invade the entire tree, to the last scrawny branches hiding by the ground. Just a month or two later, it is awash with green; flower buds immediate follow. Throughout the summer, the pomegranate tree gleams with red bulbs like Christmas in summer. By the end of July, fruits come into form already. Well into autumn, we gather big red pomegranates by the buckets. When winter comes, the tree quickly sheds all of its leaves and the cycle starts all over again when spring arrives.

Our pomegranate tree sustains a large number of birds, squirrels and gophers in addition to its beloved owners.

Of all the recipes for pomegranate, the first one I am going to tell you here is pomegranate-infused vodka. Why? Does it need an explanation?

I find that the easiest way to work the pomegranate is to get rid of its outer peel first. Like an orange, I slice off the top and the bottom of the fruit, let it sit in balance on a cutting board and run the knife along the fruit to slice off the peel. Sure, you lose some arils this way, but it makes breaking off the fruit and separating the arils much easier.

I made this short video about my pomegranate tree and how to de-seed the arils:

Fill half of a glass container with pomegranate arils and pour in vodka to fill the other half. Tightly close the lid and let it sit for a couple of months. The essence of the arils will slowly seep into the vodka, making it incredibly flavorful. You don’t need expensive vodka precisely for this reason.

Recipe for pomegranate vodka on the rock: 2 shots of pomegranate vodka (2 oz), 1 shot of pomegranate juice (1oz) and ice cubes.

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The Versatile Bowl

2012-10-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, no - lots of time I do not feel like cooking. I get home from work: I am tired. I want to be a couch potato thumbing through the Netflix menu. I don't want to be the busy bee in the kitchen.

Sometimes this dilemma continues for days, consequently exhausting our eating-out options. Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Ramen, Sushi, Italian, Greek, Mexican, Vietnamese again - we ticked off all the boxes. Now what?

Finally I must get my behind off the couch and do something about it. So I make this versatile bowl because it is quick, healthy and tasty.

It takes very little time to assemble, but a few assumptions are made:
1. You have cooked a pot of grains of your choice and stash it in the fridge for the rest of the week.
2. There are various vegetables in the fridge as well, fresh or frozen.
3. There are basic flavoring ingredients in your pantry, including sesame oil, hot sauce, soy sauce and some type of nuts such as almonds or peanuts.

This is a great vegetarian option. However, choose whatever protein that suits your fancy. Different grains such as white rice, brown rice, emmer wheat and quinoa are also suitable. You can even experiment with cooked noodles such as rice noodles, egg noodles and pasta. You can as well use different sauces to flavor your bowl. Hence the versatile bowl.

First to boil the egg, fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat level to medium. Poke a hole at the bottom of each egg (the rounder end) with a pin. Gently place the eggs in the pot and move them around (also gently) for 2 minutes. A total of 5 minutes for runny yolk. About 7-8 minutes for firmer but still soft yolk.

Meanwhile, chop and steam your vegetables. I use a microwavable steamer. Compared to regular steaming, it is lightning fast (2-4 minutes depending on how high you stuff the veggies onto the steamer plate). It goes for $10 on Amazon and works spectacularly.

If you need to toast the nuts, it only takes a couple of minutes. Chop the nuts into small bits before toasting over medium heat.

To assemble the bowl, first goes in the heated rice, then arrange the vegetables around the bowl. Place the egg in the middle of the bowl. A swirl of sesame oil and hot sauce. A tsp of soy sauce. Finally scatter on the toasted nut pieces.

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Salmon Poke on Sweet Rice Patty

2012-10-02T07:34:00.000-07:00

The little vacation to Maui definitely left me wanting more raw fish! I made this dish a while back, while I was experimenting with cured salmon nigiri sushi. I took what’s left of the cured salmon and seasoned it, effectively turning it into salmon poke.

A few days ago, I watched a documentary film about Sukiyabashi Jiro, “Jiro dreams of sushi.” It reinforces my view about the art of making sushi, as I have written in this post, cured salmon nigiri sushi. One can spend 75 years of one’s life making sushi but still finds room for improvement…

The movie was surely engaging and engrossing, but for me, the line between inspiring and startling blurred as the plot thickened. Jiro dedicated his life to making sushi. He hardly saw his sons while they grew up as he worked long hours every day and only observed one national holiday yearly. One would think Jiro’s sons grew up on their own if not for one single instance in the movie where their mother was mentioned in a still photograph.

I wondered what Jiro’s wife, his sons’ mother went through as Jiro was absent during all those years. The fact that she contributed to his success does not seem to mean much. At the least, she gave and raised his 2 sons who will continue his legend.

If success at a craft means to give up all other aspects of one’s life, is it worth it?

Anyway… inspired by a sushi joint that I visited in LA, I made sweet rice patties instead of the usual steamed rice to accompany the salmon poke. Give it a try, I think you’ll like it!

Sweet rice, steamed as package direction
Soy sauce

100 gr of chopped sushi-grade salmon or cured salmon
1 tbsp of chopped red onion
1 tbsp of orange marmalade
1 tbsp of sesame oil
1/2 tsp of sea salt if using raw salmon

Form sweet rice into patties. Heat oil in a pan, brush both sides of each patty with soy sauce and quickly brown them in the pan.

Mix all ingredients for salmon to make salmon poke. Serve on the sweet rice patties.

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Maui, Hawaii

2012-09-25T08:51:00.000-07:00

They claim that "Maui no ka 'oi" (Maui is the best). They are not exaggerating.

If one sole capture of sunset upon Wailea has not stolen your heart, how about a couple more?

Or to witness sunrise on Haleakalā crater, to stand above the clouds and see the sun spreading its power to shine upon the deep black earth - will this do it for you?

It's no surprise that lovers propose, tie the knot and spend their honeymoon on this island.

Amazingly enough, I also managed to squeeze in a trip to Maui between traveling to Colorado Springs. And as tiring as it was, that I even fell sick for a day, it was completely worth it.

Maui is blessed with a diverse climate and nature. Where we stay in Kula, sunny days and cool nights bring cactus and lavender farms. At a lower altitude, western Haleakalā along Pi'ilani highway is even dry and deserted.

Yet, as one continues onto Hana highway, the scenery changes dramatically. One is greeted with papayas, the first sign of a tropical landscape. On the eastern side of Haleakalā, jungles abound with coconuts, guavas, strawberry guavas lining the road side and wild flowers draping the mountains.

Along the way, one can stop for a snack and catch the sight of seriously cute native kids. Most people start the journey to Hana from Pa'ia. However, since we stayed in Kula, we ended our trip at Pa'ia for sashimi and fish plate.

Certainly, Maui lacks no option for luxurious housing, dining and wining. At the Grand Wailea, humongous Botero pieces decorate the main quarter. Ponds with waterlilies and mermaids lace the walkway. For a bit more fun, one can traverse through the 9 connected pools, completed with bars, caves and water slides. A candle-lit dinner with an ocean view is an entertaining option.

For more casual dining however, there are plenty of tasty options. Hawaiian food is heavily influenced by East Asia. The supermarket chain, Foodland, will make for you some ten different varieties of ahi poke! There you can also stock up on sushi and Korean style meals.

Another day we came to Lahaina. We relaxed underneath the banyan tree at the art and craft market. We enjoyed Hawaiian specialties such as lau lau, kalua pig and lomi lomi salmon. And of course to cool our heads amidst the heat and humidity, there is nothing more refreshing than a cone of shaved ice.

This lovely short break got me contemplating on the 2 very popular words to describe Hawaii - paradise and heaven. What do we think about when we hear these 2 words? We think of blue ocean and blue sky, of bright and beautiful flora, of sweet and succulent fruits, of soft and silky beaches awash with sunlight and waves, of the sun rising above the clouds to shine down on earth. Paradise is what essential to nourish and flourish life.

Heaven is here on earth. Because you won't find it in space, at least not anytime soon.

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Semi-homemade in Colorado Springs

2012-09-18T06:57:00.000-07:00

The end of Los Angeles is the beginning of Colorado Springs. I will station here for the majority of September.

My first day in Colorado Springs, a Monday, was possibly one of the most miserable days ever. My first day of travel is never really great. I would have arrived late at the hotel the previous night, would have gotten barely any sleep because of the strange bed in a strange room. And the next day, counting as the first day, would feel rather awful since I would be tired, lack sleep and I would remind myself that, "Damn, I don’t want to be here". I know, a bundle of positive thinking eh?

But my Monday was more miserable than usual because I had screwed up a few things before, and the bad feeling continued to permeate through the weekend. Additionally, I had forgotten my reading glasses at the hotel, but thought that I had lost them. Combined with the lack of sleep, needless to say, I did not feel grand.

As I was ranting to my girl friend over this unfortunate day, I realized that us girls tend to beat ourselves up a lot. I had made a few mistakes the week before, really very stupid ones and I could not get over them. When I thought I lost my glasses, I was anxious for the rest of the day.

Nothing I do is ever good enough and every mistake I made is analyzed until death do us part.

Why? Why do we do it? Why are we so hard on ourselves?

The guys don’t do it. They seem to think everything they do is awesome! If they make mistake, they might think about it for an hour whereas we mull over it for days. They are full of “I am amazing” and we are full of “I am not good enough”.

I lived in Colorado Springs for a year and it was not my favorite city. But there is no denying the beauty of Colorado Springs. It lays against the majestic Rocky Mountains. Every afternoon, I drive amidst meadows lined with sunflowers, stretching as far as my eyes can see. The clouds pull in close and arrange an orchestra of rays of light upon the city.

The aspens have started to turn color already. I love the aspens trees. They are so graceful and elegant. And they make a dashing display for autumn.

Sometimes I get out of work a bit early, I take a drive up to the mountains. There I meet a few locals including bicyclers and a couple of very fashionable young ladies. It's a quick escape to breath in the piny air and immerse in the stillness of the forrest.

And if I get really lucky, I make a trip to Denver to visit my sister and my friend Travis. Travis makes breakfast with his garden vegetables, as we both love breakfast food. Greens, sausages, eggs, pancakes - really yummy.

The food scene in Colorado Springs is not inspiring, so I resort to making my food in the hotel a lot. But I don't want to spend all evening laboring on dinner and lunch for the next day. Thus semi-homemade is a good compromise.

Such as instant noodle: I spice it up by adding cubed luncheon turkey and greens. First I stir-fry chopped onion and turkey with a few tsp of cooking oil. Then I add water and the seasoning package. Finally I add the noodle and greens to the pot.

I make a sandwich with supermarket-bought rustic bread, luncheon meat, horseradish and green apple slices, supplied by the hotel during breakfast. Then I make fried rice with the luncheon meat and the garden vegetables that Travis gave me.

For a bit of a fancier meal, I buy a pre-roasted chicken and roast some potatoes basting in chicken dripping from the bag and more of Travis' garden vegetables. 10 minutes before the potatoes are done, I add the chicken to the pan. It's Häagen-Dazs ice cream for dessert.

These are some ideas that I cook up during weeks of hotel living. They are relatively convenient, but still tasty and healthy. How about you - do you have any tips and tricks to share?

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Salt Cured Fish Roe - Bottarga

2012-09-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

It was Anthony Bourdain who gave me the inspiration for bottarga. In his travel show “No Reservation”, he introduced the salt cured fish roe as a specialty of Sardinia, Italy. I had never heard of bottarga before. However, I was a bit dumbfounded after realizing that I had only known of it now. Of course it makes sense. Humans already cure most running things on earth with salt or alcohol; why not fish roe as well?

Not only is bottarga popular in Sardinia, it is produced across the Mediterranean region. In fact, it is also enjoyed in East Asia such as Japan and Taiwan. In Japan, it is called Karasumi. I have just pointed out that salt cured fish roe is not all that strange. Therefore, the real puzzle is that how I am only aware of this magnificent food item recently? Oh well, better late than never...

Bottarga is also known as the poor man’s caviar. Perhaps this was true some hundred years ago; but in modern time, for the poor man - it’s not! $50 will buy you around 100 gr of bottarga. ‘Tis the reason which prompted me to consider making my own bottarga. After all, it is just salt cured fish roe; how hard can it be?

Getting an inspiration is easy. Locating mullet roe for curing is an impossible task! It’s as if all the stars must align in order to find fresh mullet roe still contained in its own pouch in the city. One must have access to a fishmonger. Fishmonger must catch or receive female mullets on a nice autumn day. Any fish monger in the city of San Jose? -One. Mullet roe? Ok fine, I will settle for any fresh fish roe! Nope, zip, nada.

Here’s the golden rule: if you want "exotic" (we are not talking about endangered species here) animals or animal parts, head for the Asian supermarket; if you want exotic spices, oriental supermarket is your best bet. So I resorted to my entrusted Asian supermarket. Asians love their fish roe, but most of them are already separated from their pouch. The only comparable item I could find was frozen cod roe, thankfully still contained in its own pouch. Salt-cured cod roe it is then.

Pat dry the fish roe, then coat with a layer of sea salt. Let it sit on top of a paper towel to soak up the liquid excreted. Replace the paper towel when it's too wet. Re-salt when the layer of salt on the roe is gone. After weeks, the roe should turn into a dry hard slab.

When it is ready for use, rub off the salt from the roe with a paper towel. At this point, you can slice the fish roe into thin slices. When it is well dried, you can grate it into a fine powder too. Sprinkle it onto your pasta just as you would with parmesan cheese. It is delish!

Spaghetti alla Bottarga:
Spaghetti, cooked al dente
Few slices of bottarga and grated bottarga to taste
Olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
1 teaspoon (or to taste) chili flakes
Parsley, chopped
Grated zest of 1 lemon

Save a few spoon of the pasta water.

In a large skillet heat the olive oil, add the sliced garlic and the chili flakes. When the garlic starts getting golden, add a few slices of bottarga and let them sizzle in the olive oil.

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet. If it is too dry, add a few spoons of pasta water. Turn off the fire and toss the pasta with parsley. Top with grated bottarga and lemon zest. Serve immediately.

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Los Angeles by the Beach

2012-09-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

Having practically lived in Los Angeles for the last couple of months, I have been out and about, back and forth and around the beaches. From Malibu to Huntington Beach makes for a long, long stretch of ocean line filled with trendy beaches, snooty hotels and restaurants, and luxurious apartments and houses.

There are also plenty of friendly venues where one can surf, sunbathe and build a bonfire. There are ocean-front footpaths to unwind after a day of hard work. And if you are willing to drive a few miles inland, the food scene is diverse and fabulous.

I frequent Manhattan Beach the most because it is near work. Sometimes, I go for a walk after work. There is a very nice walkway along the beach where one strolls past million dollar estates, attractive primates running and bicycling, cute dogs getting walked. The scene is chill and relaxed, as if to slow down the pace of life.

Most restaurants by the beach are rather pricy; but just about 5 miles eastward, one can find some tasty bargains. I make sure to visit Al-Hamra Halal café once a week for beef kofta kabob and incredibly smooth humus. Veggie grill is another smashing choice. Their Papa’s Portobello burger packs a punch of umami, especially when you ask for avocado on top. If you are worried about the calorie intake (the case of not enough that is), have some sweet potato fries with that and you are set.

Sometimes, my coworker and I head to Torrance for Da Maat, a Korean eatery. We like the bossam and the stone-pot rice here. Food and services are solid, though if you feel like adventuring away from the beach, you can head to Koreatown in Los Angeles where the option for Korean food is limitless.

If your pocket is kinda light but your stomach is kinda empty, make a visit to Siam I am where the price is right, the portion is generous and the food is rather greasy. After visiting Manhattan Beach, I took Josette here and we left with plenty of leftover for the next lunch.

If the few cans of Red Bull have not burnt away completely after a day of work and I still want to jump off the wall (just kidding - I don’t drink Red Bull, but said possibility still happens sometimes), I make a drive to Santa Monica. One can take a stroll at the park underneath the rows of palm trees, looking over the beach where the sun gorgeously sets.

Sometimes, Niru comes down and we stay over the weekend. We head out to Malibu to enjoy the fabulous white sand beaches. As expected, Malibu is insanely touristy and the eating scene adjusts accordingly. Perhaps the best bang for your buck is Malibu Seafood Fresh Fish Market which attracts a long line of locals and tourists alike. I find their food generic and bland, but the portion is generous, the seafood is relatively fresh and at least, you won’t leave with a stomach spasm from hunger or a burnt pocket.

Among the beaches, Huntington Beach is perhaps the friendliest to common folks. The sandy beach stretches some 8 miles long, fantastic for surfing or just lazing. There are plenty of fire pits to build bonfires right on the beach.

About 5 miles east of Huntington Beach resides the largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam. Here, you can sample authentic food from every region of Vietnam. The competition is so fierce that most surviving Vietnamese eateries here must have one special dish that they are known for. My coworkers recommend Ha Noi Avenue for bún chả, Ngự Bình for bún bò Huế and Bún Ban Mai for canh bún. Now, these will be some of the cheapest and most fulfilling meals you ever have!

And that's all I have to say about that.
See more posts about Los Angeles here.

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