Heard of chinese onion pancake? Well these are stuffed with beef! Just how its picture, the outside is a nice crispy texture. When you bite into it, you are overwhelmed with flavor.

I got this dish at Kingdom of Dumpling in San Francisco. They are a restuarant that can only fit 17-28 people max. They are known for their hand made dumplings (pictures of dumplings will soon follow). You can also buy the hand made dumplings raw and frozen so you can bring them home and enjoy it over a nice movie.

• North Bay

Would anyone like a honey dew? This one will set you back $106 American dollars, but the store owners said that eating this will be like sending your mouth to heaven. I had to reject their offer nonetheless. I told them, maybe when I am making $1000 an hour =P.

• Asia

Kabab and Curry’s , by far the best Indian food I’ve ever had. I found this place during my college years and they are located in a quiet neighborhood. At the first glance you think its just another apartment complex, but its really a restuarant.

When me and my friends come here, we always order chicken briyani, butter chicken, navratan korma and some naans. My favorite is the chicken briyani. I love the fact that their briyani has chicken bones in it and I can taste that the marrow has been cooked out of the bones. The marrow just gives it that extra kick to it. YUM!

• South Bay

I love the names they have for their food. This one is called Bangers and Mash. Why can’t all food have awesome names like this? It’ll make it just that much better!

• Europe

Paella! This brings back good memories. I remember, I first discovered what Paella was while walking in Puerto Rico with my two favorite ladies trying to figure out where to have dinner. They told me that it is like fried rice but Spanish-style. They didn’t tell how wonderful this marvolous creation was. It consists of the most favorite items I like to eat, seafood and rice! *Slurp*

• Spanish Food
• Europe

Foie gras? Nope! It’s chicken liver. I got this at The Cunning Man as well. It’s served with apple, rowanberry jelly and toasted brioche.

I actually got this after my client peer pressured me. I guess chicken liver is pretty common over in the UK. Black pudding is also common. They sell those at the supermarket. For those who don’t know what black pudding is, GOOGLE IT!

And they say Chinese people eat everything, ha!

• Europe

This dish is called “Twice Roasted Duck & Apricots”. I got this dish at an old fashion british pub called The Cunning Man. It was quite funny because this dish was the most “asian” dish on the menu and of course I would choose it. But the more funny part of it was that I think they almost burnt down their kitchen trying to cook my food. My food took twice as long as everyone else and the restuarant was covered in smoke by the time my food finally came out. Sorry Cunning Man!

The wait was totally worth it though. The meat fell off the bones effortlessly and it tasted like all the flavor had been cooked into the duck. Go to The Cunning Man if you are ever in Burghfield, Reading (UK)!

More pics from The Cunning Man will follow shortly.

• Europe

What do you think of when you hear Chinese food? Chow Mien? Fried Rice? Well in UK people think of Shrimp Toast.

The first time I’ve ever tried or even heard of shrimp toast was a couple of months ago when I was in the UK. It was by far the weirdest “Chinese food” I’ve ever tasted. Oh don’t get me wrong; I don’t think it tasted weird, but it was the concept that got to me.

One of my coworkers (who was also asian) and I was pretty sure at the time that this was a Chinese American creation (ie. fortune cookie), but of course, I was proven wrong when I Googled it. It’s actually a popular dim sum dish in Hong Kong. In cantonese, its called “Hatosi”

• Europe

These are Chinese mitten crabs. Shanghai is known for these hairy little monsters. In Shanghai they can range from 200 to 300 RMB each.

The best part of the crab is the female crab roe. The more roe it has, the more expensive the crab will be. If you are in Shanghai, make sure you order one of these. Just tell the waiter you want “Da Zha Xie”.

• Asia

Zongzi is typically enjoyed by East Asian cultures during the Duanwu Festival (aka Dragon Boat Festival). The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese Calendar. This year its on May 28th, 2009 (today!).

There are many variations, both in fillings and wrapper material. Below is a common Shanghai style Zongzi receipe.

Ingredients:
20 large bamboo leaves
20 pieces of string (about 6 inches each)
2lb uncooked glutinous rice
4lb fatty pork
1 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar

Preparation:
- Soak bamboo leaves in hot water until soft and pliable
- Cut pork into 1 inch cubes
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar across the pork
- Let the pork marinate for two hours in a bowl with 1/2 cup of soy sauce
- Rinse the rice thoroughly in cold water, be sure to drain all the water when finished.
- Mix the pork with the uncooked rice in a large bowl, pour an additional 1/2 cup of soy sauce into the mixture

Wrapping the Zongzi:
Grab one bamboo leaf, and cut off the stem. Make a cone out of the bottom third of the leaf. Make sure the tip of the cone is closed. Spoon rice and pork into the cone until full. Fold the remaining leaf over the top of the cone, then wrap tightly around the Zongzi. You should aim for a pyramid shape with four points. This part takes some practice to get perfect. Once wrapped, tie a piece of string tightly around the Zongzi, in order to keep it from unraveling.

Cooking:
Fill a large pot with water and place as many Zongzi in as you can while keeping them all submerged. Boil the pot on medium heat for approximately one hour. Remember, this needs to cook the rice and the pork inside. Once cooked, unwrap individually and enjoy!

• Asian Food
• My receipes