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*
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!
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.
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”
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”.
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!
Some people have turtle as pets, but others have turtles as their dinner!
The snapping turtle is commonly used in chinese dishes. The most common turtle dish in China is Turtle Soup (aka Snapper Soup). This is a picture of turtle slow cooked in rich flavored rice. I got this dish at a wedding banquet in Shanghai.
Back in February 2009, I was sent out to Windsor, UK for work. During the whole trip, I was dying for some good asian food but failed at finding anything good. During the last night of the trip, I remembered seeing a Chinese restuarant near Heathrow airport. Since I was staying at the Marriott near Heathrow, I decided to call a cab and head over there for dinner.
To my surprise the restuarant was packed with people which gave me a good sign. As I walked in, I was asked for the number of my party. The Hostest gave me a weird look when I had said party of one. They ended up sticking me in the back corner of the restuarant.
I ordered the Seafood Bean Curd Soup, Chinese Mustard Green Vegetables and Baked Fresh Crab with Noodles. Everything tasted wonderful and I was impressed with the amount of crab you get.
I think by the end of the meal, everyone was giving me strange looks due to the fact that my whole table was covered with piles of food. But I must say that eating by yourself is awesome. You get to order the things you want to eat and don’t have to compromise your choices with another person. You also get to eat slowly because you don’t have to worry about not getting something you want to eat. It’s great! Everyone should try it sometimes!
Next time you’re stuck in a hotel near Heathrow, check out this restaurant.
Recently went to Veselka Restuarant in New York City and got to try a number of traditional Ukrainian dishes. One notable dish that I really enjoyed was stuffed cabbage (aka cabbage roll). The dish consisted of cooked cabbage leaf wrapped around minced pork and rice. It was then topped with an orange tomato-based sauce.
I liked the dish for a number of reasons, but the main reason was that the filling was minced. Something about food that has been grinded already makes me happy. Maybe that is probably why I also like baby food!
