homemade Asian food

i haven't been too good with keeping up this blog, have i? :( sorry!

school and work have definitely been keeping me busy, and i've barely had time to EAT in between all my meetings, let alone cook. that's why this entry is going to focus on something i cooked a while ago..

i bought some frozen squid at H-Mart and decided to make my own version of Kung Pow Squid. you know, it actually turned out quite nice!

i added an insane amount of serrano peppers as well as some Siracha garlic pepper sauce. yum!

i paired this with some stir-fried bean sprouts and, of course, my mixed wild rice.

i think there's about 7 or 8 types of rice in the mix that i bought from Whole Foods, and i really love it! it makes you feel super healthy when you're eating it, and the overall texture is very chewy and nice.

a nice big plate of food makes me very happy (:

Japonais

this is going to be the first of a series titled "Eating Our Way Out of Chicago!" haha. what exactly is that? well, J and i decided last Sunday that we were going to try and eat out somewhere in Chicago at least once a week since we're both getting the heck outta here soon! we did some research, jotted down a few places of interest, and started today.

the place we chose for the kickoff was Japonais, a Japanese restaurant in the swanky River North area. the menu is slightly pricey, but they also have a few affordable dishes..though i wouldn't expect to spend less than $30 a person unless you only nibble on a single piece of nigiri or something.

Tapas Barcelona (in America)

i made the distinction because i actually have pictures from REAL tapas from Barcelona as well! that is a post that will come later this week, i think..

anyway, this tapas place is located right next to the Northwestern campus, so it's rather convenient to go to for a quick Spanish meal. i last came here in summer 2009, and i think my friend and i nearly cleaned the entire place out. the waitress was quite surprised by how much we ordered! i think we were just starving, and everything on the menu looked super appealing at the time.

Roy's Hawaiian

i actually ate here a while ago, but i never had the chance to post up pictures! and trust me, this place is worth blogging about (: Roy's is probably one of my favourite restaurants to visit whenever i'm in the mood for good fish and a cute atmosphere. the Chicago branch has the option to sit either at the chef's counter, or to get a normal table; i've had the pleasure of trying both experiences and they were both great! obviously if you're a foodie or love watching chefs works (and don't mind the excess noise), i'd definitely try the chef's counter at least once.

the more i think about this meal, the happier (and hungrier) i am getting! (:

grilling steak

since i am now living in an apartment, i've stocked it up with various utensils, appliances, and lots of other stuff. i bought myself a nice little George Foreman grill (: this has been a good friend of mine, especially when it comes to grilling meats! my honorary roomie J and i have been cooking up stuff at least once a week, and we decided to get some steak in our tummies!

we went to whole foods and got us some New York strip steak, which wasn't that expensive - $5 covered both of our pieces. i had some sweet potatoes in the fridge, and we picked up a bundle of asparagus for about $4.

take some Chicago chophouse dry rub, add a bit of your own magic, rub it in, grill for a few minutes (by professional lil ol' me!), and you'll get a nice, juicy steak!

yumm. this really makes me want to do a full-out barbecue some time!

we did mashed jewel sweet potatoes with ginger (J pretty much did it all by herself; yay!), and that came out pretty nice as well. i think what both of us were really looking forward to was the grilled asparagus!

they were still crisp, yet juicy, but not hard. thank you George! (:

our (semi-healthy) dinner below:

i think this beats out canteen (dining hall) food any day, no? (though i guess the canteen at Goldsmiths really wasn't that bad at all..)

seafood at the beach

i never had a chance to post up pictures from earlier this summer when i went to Santa Barbara. my family and i used to go there and eat seafood right at the beach, and it's exactly what we did again. we went on a trip with some family friends, and decided to grab lunch outside at the Santa Barbara Shellfish Co.

Houston's

before leaving home for school, i ate with my parents at one of my favourite restaurants in LA - Houston's. it's a delicious grill-type restaurant in Pasadena, and though the options aren't super plentiful, they serve everything from veggie burgers to freshly made sushi. the prices can be a bit on the steep side; an average meal for 3 people probably costs about $100 if not more..

i ordered that day's fresh fish, which was salmon (MKT price). they prepared it by grilling it and then pairing it with some seasonal veggies - i chose spinach (: of course, to go along with it, i had to get a side of their hand cut french fries ($5) as well. they are the best...trust me on this one.

they gave me an enormous piece! it was definitely deeeelicious. the salmon was grilled to perfection! there was almost a crispiness to the edges, and the inside was juicy and tender.. yum!

my dad ordered the grilled loup de mer, which came with Marcona almonds as well as a side of spinach ($25).

looks delicious, no? (: the simple addition of roasted almonds can make a dish that much better..

finally, my mom got the crabcakes (MKT price), which she didn't really enjoy, even though they're made from fresh Maryland blue crab! they FedEx it to the restaurant daily and prepare it, but i guess that wasn't good enough for her.. haha. however, her favourite thing of the night? the baked potato with everything in the world on top - bacon, chives, cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, butter ..

she and my dad had a blast tearing into this. i was too busy enjoying my fish and Arnold Palmer.

their service was impeccable as always, and even though we had to wait an hour for seats, it was well worth it. don't worry, Houston's can be affordable, too. their cheeseburger is only $14, and it's probably one of the best that i've ever had. also, if you get a chance, splurge on their ribs. they are to die for, and i don't even like pork!

Houston's
320 S. Arroyo Parkway
Pasadena, CA 91105

Crumbs

for some reason, the cupcake craze that i caught in London followed me home, all the way through my winter holiday and even to my trip to NY! i know what you're thinking.. cupcakes + NY = Magnolia Bakery, right? i actually didn't have a chance to go there because my schedule was so packed. however, on the way back from NYU, i did see a Crumbs Bake Shop and decided to get something there instead.

i got a regular hazelnut coffee (~$1.75?) and an eggnog cupcake ($4.50) (it was the week before Christmas), and i split it with my parents for a taste-test!

i have to say, it wasn't anything extraordinary. the frosting was incredibly sweet..i pretty much threw it away. there wasn't really an eggnog taste to the actual cupcake either; i think most of the flavour was in the frosting and filling, but again - too much sugar!! i ate a few bites and pretty much had to use the coffee to balance it out.

perhaps their other cupcakes are better, but i really don't see myself coming back here anytime soon. nothing spectacular, sorry :|

Crumbs Bake Shop - Union Square
124 University Place
New York, NY 10003

Chicago-style Pizza

i'm officially back in the Windy City! it's going to be my last six months in this city, and then i'm leaving (and not planning on coming back for a looong time haha)! i've marked Jan as the start of a long goodbye to the place, so i figured i needed to go food-exploring so that i can at least say i've eaten in all most of the hotspots in Chicago. in order to do this, you have to start with what they're incredibly famous for - pizza! deep dish pizza, to be exact.

my friend (and honorary roommate haha) J and i went to the source of deep dish pizza, also known as a restaurant named Uno in the city centre of Chicago. the place was rather small, but we managed to squeeze in after a 15 minute wait. we didn't want leftovers, so we each got a drink and split an individual-sized (about 7 inches in diameter) Numero Uno ($8.99), which is a pizza with the works: sausage, pepperoni, onions, peppers, mushrooms, & cheese. i, of course, had to add on some grated parmesan as well as red pepper flakes. yum!

these were my 2 pieces - perfect portion for lunch! (it's actually smaller than it looks...)

J & i both agreed that this is the best deep dish that we've had since coming to Chicago! the crust was nice and crunchy, and didn't get wet even with all the sauce and toppings. there was an amazing layer of sausage placed beneath all the toppings - picture flattened sausage pressed into the dough. the ingredients were plentiful and not overpowered by cheese. the only complain that we had was that the temperature wasn't ideal. the pizza had already started to cool, and we wished it was still piping hot when they brought it out.

after trying Lou Malnati's, Giordano's, and Gino's East, i have to say that this is probably the best place to get deep dish. even though i still prefer thin crust (yay NY style!) pizza, deep-dish isn't bad to have once in a while (:

Pizzeria Uno
29 E. Ohio St.
Chicago, IL 60611

pumpkin spice cupcakes

it's been a long time since i've actually baked! probably a bit over a year now..wow. i've been craving pumpkin spice cupcakes for the longest time, and i finally decided to do something about it. i made a batch for a dinner with family friends, and they were well-enjoyed!

the presentation looks quite nice, doesn't it? (: i loved the cracked tops!

these are completely 100% hand made from scratch. and by scratch, i mean even the nuts on the top were cracked open by a hammer HAHAHA. seriously. (those who know me understand that i only like eating nuts that i take out of the shell by myself..peanuts, pistachios .. and everything else keke). okay wait, i realise that i used canned organic pumpkin - but everything else was definitely from scratch!

i altered the recipe i got to cater to my crowd - i used mostly whole wheat flour, added some extra pumpkin, and i probably cut the sugar by half, if not more. the frosting was also made with light cream cheese, and instead of the normal amount of sugar, i used only 1/3. it wasn't as sweet as normal cupcakes would be, but they're definitely better for you!

the preparation was a tad difficult because, like i said, i had to do everything by hand, including the mixing. it's very, very hard creaming butter & sugar when you only have your arms and a fork. time to invest in a kitchen aid mixer for sure haha (:

let me know if you want the recipe! these are fun to make and definitely makes your house smell delicious!

Patisserie Valerie

once i got to London, i immediately researched all over to see which food establishments i had to visit. though most of them were quite out of my budget, there were some bakeries that i knew i HAD to check out. one that kept popping up in my searches was Patisserie Valerie, and though i never made any plans to eat from there, i ran into one during a visit to Spitalfields Market. the place was super, super crowded, and even though i had already eaten that day, i knew i had to get some goodies to go..

they pack everything for you in a cute little paper bag btw (:

i chose the grilled croissant with cheddar cheese & ham (£2.50) for lunch, which was definitely a steal because it was HUGE and delicious!

they generously gave lots and lots of ham, and they heated it up for you before putting it in a nice black box. the croissant was very, very crispy on the outside - something that i didn't know if i liked or disliked. it flaked a lot when you tried biting into it, so it was a bit annoying. still, i felt like it was very well made for the price.

i also got a blueberry muffin (£1.60) to take home for breakfast the next morning.

it was one of those café style muffins where the top is cracked and overflowing - my favourite.

there were lots of blueberries jammed into the muffin, and the batter wasn't overly sweet. definitely a huge plus! and for £1.60, it's extremely affordable as well.. pair it with a great coffee and you're set for a great day!

Patisserie Valerie
37 Brushfield St.
London E1 6AA

dimsum in Londontown

generally, dimsum in LA is served between 9 am and 3 pm, and you go with a bunch of friends and order lots of goodies to share. consider it Chinese tapas, if you will. however, it's quite different in London's Chinatown; food is available from noon until 5 pm, so i guess it's eaten more as a lunch / afternoon snack. the prices are obviously a bit on the steeper side, so that left me with no choice but to order less dishes than i normally would.

E and i had dimsum twice while i was in London, and the pictures below are from my second (and final) experience. we went to a little restaurant in Chinatown called Harbour City, and it looked quite nice inside. even though it was 4 pm, they were still serving all the delicious dishes! yay for long hours of dimsum..

Sunday Roast

though roasts are not limited to being eaten only on Sundays, it's still generally considered tradition to have them on the weekends. instead of having them for tea (dinner) like you'd expect though, it's actually supposed to be at lunch. most pubs in London will offer roasts / carveries for anywhere between £5-10 on Sundays, which might actually be cheaper (and definitely less of a hassle) than if you cooked it yourself.

i had my first official Sunday roast at Hobgoblin, a pub right next to Goldsmiths. for £6, i had beef, mixed vegetables, a Yorkshire pudding, and some roast potatoes.

Thanksgiving: recession style

since i'm currently in the UK, i didn't expect to have an elaborate Thanksgiving. seeing that half of my flatmates didn't even understand the concept until i explained it, i figured there would be no way that everyone would be keen on celebrating it. still, at the last minute, E and i decided to whip up a mini meal, and we headed to get groceries at 8:30 pm...haha!

we used some stuff that we already had in our fridge, and then bought a few things to make the sides. in total, E and i only spent ~£8 on groceries! fantastico! (:

a few of the things we bought: stuffing mix for 39p, pie crust for 87p, sweet potato for 88p, créme fraîche for 71p, evaporated milk for 51p...

we also bought some carrots, some butter, and some other basics like potatoes & gravy.

did you know that they don't have pumpkin puree here?? i've moaned and complained about this for 2 days straight now, but .. it shocks me! instead of making pumpkin pie, i had to make sweet potato pie instead (RECIPE BELOW).

proper chippy

i had some more fish & chips the other night from a "propper chippy", which is a little shop that does fish & chips and other stuff and wraps them up in paper for ya. it's a lot greasier than what you'd get at pubs, and instead of paying for the location and sitting down to eat, this is something you'd bring home and then watch telly while eating.

it comes wrapped in paper, and you can see the oily goodness seeping through haha

for £5.50 i had the cod with chips, which isn't a bad deal at all.

they definitely give you a lot of food! the only thing about chippies (at least this one) is that they have the cod prepared ahead of time, and it's basically sitting there, baking under a heat lamp.. which isn't too appealing, but the fish still tasted quite good! i'd imagine if you went in earlier in the day you might feel a bit better, since they'd be sitting out for a shorter amount of time.

the fish was in a really good batter. yummmm.

it's not as crispy as it would be if you got it in a pub, especially since all the condensation would soften it anyway. i thought the chips were decent, but the batter made it all worth it.

this chippy boasts that Paul McCartney loves their stuff and has come in multiple times to get food; they even have an order named after him (:

Sirius Fish and Chips
397 New Cross Rd.
London, SE14 6LA

DIY popcorn

i always used to think that you needed a popcorn maker to make your own popcorn, but it turns out that it's as easy as popping kernels on the stove!

i've recently become quite addicted to making my own popcorn; partly because it's a lot cheaper (69p for a decent sized bag of popping kernels that lasts you for at least 5 pops vs. £3 for 3 packs of microwavable ones), and partly because it's a lot healthier. do you really want to know what they put inside those microwavable ones? neither do i.

all you have to do is get about 2 tbsp of butter (or vegetable oil spread, or whatev you please), a non-stick sauce pan with a lid, and some kernels. you NEED the butter - listen to me on this one. i don't like using it because it adds the extra oils and such, but if you don't, the popcorn will burn immediately and you'll have wasted batch after batch before you realise that it's a necessity.

heat the pan up for about 3 minutes on high, then add the butter. wait until it's bubbling, and then add about 3/4 of a cup of kernels. turn down the heat to medium-high, and then continuously shake the kernels around so that none of them start burning. once you notice that the butter has seeped in a bit, put the lid on and alternate shaking it and keeping it on the burner (15 seconds each). when it begins popping, just keep it on the stove and do what you'd normally do for microwavable popcorn - listen for the popping to slow.

voila - healthy popcorn that provides fiber and happiness!

i've gotten into the habit of adding ground pepper on top - i have no idea why haha. of course, you can add salt and sugar to your liking, but if you're going to try and stay healthy, use something like cinnamon instead.

more afternoon tea adventures

i had the opportunity to have official afternoon tea at a place called Sketch this past thursday, and it was quite lovely! prepare for lots and lots of delicious pictures ahead!!

it's a non-traditional tea place that is very popular; the wait time to make a reservation right now is about 1 month. the inside is decorated with sparkling things all over, and it's quite artsy!

authentic Italian - no, really.

how much more authentic can you get than having Italian in Italy? (: i was lucky enough to get to do that, and let me just say once and for all that the food there is amazing. i really do believe i could just live on pizza for the rest of my life. that's probably the one food that i'll never be able to give up. something as simple as baking some tomato sauce & cheese on dough..who knew it could be so heavenly?

quiche

the current trend regarding food in my life is that i've been craving items that i never usually enjoy. for example, i've bought more chocolate in the past month than i have in the past year! the same has applied to other foods, and one of my recent cravings has been quiche.

it all started with walking past the canteen near class, and having heard that it's quite cheap, i decided to pop in and take a look. i noticed that there were quiches offered with a salad, so i figured i'd give it a chance, since i hadn't eaten quiche in over 3 years.

they microwaved my red onion quiche for me, and i added a side of potato salad. the whole order was only £2.50, perfect for a starving uni student.

snails and ducks

i'd assume that those are two of the most popular French dishes..escargot et confit de canard. i managed to have them both in one evening on my last night in Paris.

my friend E and i had dinner at the Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter) in a little restaurant called La Petite Hostellerie. for €15, you could have a set meal with an entrée, main course, and a dessert. (i got confused when i was first in France because entrée in the US always meant "main course", but it's actually the starter).

Ladurée

you know how it feels when you take a bite of the most delicious dessert you've ever had? that's how i felt when i bit into my macaroon at Ladurée.

various Parisian delights

this entry is going to focus on food that i recently ate in Paris! everyone knows that basic French cooking is super important in the culinary world, and though i have to admit that fancy dishes with rémoulade and béchamel sauces are nice, the best thing about Paris are the pastries and desserts (: (:

let's start with the croissant. sadly, i only had one while i was there, but it was an amazing one that i picked up from a little pâtisserie down the street from where i was staying.

the insides were super buttery and soft, and the outside had a light, crispy crust. it was definitely très bon! many croissants that i've had in the states either had a hollow centre or tasted too bready. this one was good in that it made you full, but was still light and airy.

proper English tea time

what better way to have tea than to have it with Mr. Darcy?

okay, so i didn't exactly get to eat finger sandwiches with a fictional character, but i DID get to enjoy tea at the Jane Austen Centre.

there is a little tea room called the Regency Tea Rooms on the 2nd floor that has an array of tea, sandwiches, pastries, and other drinks to choose from. though it's quite tiny, it's very cute - the waitress dresses up like a maid, and there are white tea sets on each table. everything looks cozy yet pristine..definitely makes you want to keep your pinky up!

bao - the bun

the word "bao" refers to a bun, or a big dumpling, in chinese. there are numerous different types of baos, with the most popular ones being char siu bao (bbq pork bun), lian rong bao (lotus paste bun), bo luo bao (pineapple bun), xiao long bao (steamed buns)...the list goes on and on.

i actually went to eat dimsum with my friend E and conquered 2 types of bao; on the way back from Chinatown, i picked up 2 frozen types, and at the bakery i bought 2 more. you gotta love being Asian sometimes haha.

10 minute dinners

when you're cooking for yourself all the time, it's pretty easy to get into the habit of eating stuff that isn't that great for you, especially when you don't have time. i try to avoid eating ramen as much as i can, but there are days when i really, really crave it!

my parents sent me a pack of 5 Hwa Ramyun, which is my all-time favorite packaged noodles. it's spicy, and the noodles are nice and thick. mmm! i try to add a bit more stuff in it aside from the packaged spices and flavouring, such as 2 poached eggs, some bean sprouts, and sometimes other leafy veggies if i have some. and it's even more delicious when you eat it right out of the pot! :D

looks yummy, no? (:

if you cook it for exactly the right amount of time (a bit more than 4 minutes - the timing of putting the egg into the pot is the most important thing!), the noodles come out al dente and really good. you wouldn't even think that it was instant noodles.

another easy fix for dinner is to cook frozen foods; i had bought frozen dumplings from a store in Chinatown a few weeks back, and decided to give it a go. make sure you boil the water before dropping these in, and then have 2 small cups of cold water on hand. each time the water comes to a boil after you've put in the dumplings, add a cup of water and stir. when the dumpling skins have turned somewhat translucent, you know they're ready!

these were lamb & chive dumplings, and they were tiny!! but not too shabby..you can still see the steam coming off of them in this picture.

it reminded me more of wontons than anything else since they were so small. the filling was really really salty, which was kind of upsetting because they could've tasted really good.

some of the dumplings would puncture when you cook them, turning the water into more of a brothy soup. 2 in 1 for your money! haha (: