IMBB: TasteTea Ochazuke

This month's Is My Blog Burning theme, hosted by Clement over at A La Cuisine! is TasteTea - any dishes made with tea.

I mulled over this one for several days. I thought about my matcha agar blocks, but that was already a previous IMBB dish. I considered making some other green tea dessert, but I'm not really in a sweet phase right now and didn't find dessert dishes to be too appealing. I played around with the idea of going online and finding a recipe for tea-smoked chicken, but didn't feel like making anything elaborate this weekend...

During my recipe search, I came across a rice salad made by cooking wild rice in tea, and I had a light bulb moment. I'd been eating a tea-less version of a tea dish all my life, and I just hadn't thought of it as a tea dish, even though smack in its Japanese name is the word for tea - OCHAzuke - Japanese tea porridge!

Ochazuke, which literally translates to Tea Soaked, is a rice dish that I've had on a very, very regular basis since I was old enough to boil water. Most of the time, I use left over rice and a 'ochazuke package', which has dried tea/broth (I don't know for sure if it's broth or tea powder...) and the trimmings, consisting of rice crackers and seaweed. There can be some kind of additional flavoring in these in the form of dehydrated wasabi, ume plum, or salmon too. All I have to do is pour the packet over microwaved rice and reconstitute it with boiling hot water. The powder has some tea-colorings, although I have never noticed a tea flavor in it...

The most recent 91st issue (yes, there really is 91 issues, published bi-annually...) of my epicurean bible, Oishinbo, had a whole chapter dedicated to the art of Ochazuke, and if you look really, really closely at this tiny picture on Amazon.co.jp, you'll notice that it is Ochazuke on the cover. I've never made this dish from scratch using real tea, so this will be an adventure, perfect for the IMBB occasion!

I started by making the seaweed (nori) preserve (tsukudani) that goes on top (recipes are at the end). This is also the main seasoning. I crushed some rice crackers from Trader Joe's since something crunchy is absolutely key to this dish, but there is no way I can find those perfectly round Ochazuke rice crackers last minute around here. I knew I was OK with wasabi, since my mother sent me a life time supply of wasabi-in-a-tube a while back. I then had a panic moment when I couldn't find my stash of rice-popped sencha (toasted green tea - perfect bitterness to go with the umami-powered seaweed preserve), needed for the dish. Luckily, Anne had just come back from Boston and brought me some of tea from her favorite tea shop (any guesses? this is going to be a feature of its own, so I won't spill details here), and one of the tea she gave me was sencha. Lucky, lucky.


Once the tea was brewed and the rice was cooked, I piled some seaweed preserve, wasabi, and rice crackers, followed by a generous pouring of hot sencha. Done.

I'd share with you some pictures of the finished product, but alas, this dish needs to be consumed as soon as it is finished to be enjoyed properly... There was no time to be wasted for photo ops! This is such a simple dish, but it turned out to be quite satisfying. Most unbelievably, the bitterness of the sencha was totally gone, blanketed by the intense umami sensation of the seaweed preserve and the potent sting of the wasabi. That being said, the bitterness of the tea definitely contributed to the overall effect of the dish as a nice undertone and there is no way this dish can be made with boiling water instead of hot tea.

My seaweed preserve turned out very well, and had I known that I could make it so easily, I would've made it for my grandfather who is no longer with us. Seaweed preserve is sort of like jam here, where it's entirely possible and relatively easy to make at home, but because jarred versions can be so readily purchased, most people just buy it at the store. My grandfather loved this stuff, and always kept various jars in his fridge. Here's one for Ji-chan!!

Recipe:
Seaweed Preserve (nori no tsukudani)
5 sheet nori (seaweed like the one used for sushi)
2 cups sake in 1/2 cup increments
1/2-1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1/8 cup Toasted sesame seeds

1. Tear up all the nori into approximately 2 inch x 2 inch pieces
2. Pour first 1/2 cup sake into a small pan on high heat
3. Add nori and cook until almost all of the sake is absorbed
4. Repeat until 1 1/2 cups of sake is almost all absorbed
5. Add soy sauce, mirin, and sesame seeds
6. Add last 1/2 cup of sake
7. Cook until all of the liquid is absorbed and the seaweed has a very thick consistency.
8. Keep in an air tight container in the fridge.

Ochazuke:
1. Build the Ochazuke from top to bottom with rice, seaweed preserve, wasabi(or ume plum paste) to taste, and 1 tbs small bits of crackers. More seaweed preserve, wasabi or ume paste can be added later, so I recommend starting with less. For 1/2 cup cooked rice, I'd go with 2 tbs seaweed preserve and 1 tsp wasabi paste, 1/4 tsp ume paste.
2. Pour hot sencha tea, brewed strong.
3. Enjoy right away after mixing with your spoon!

Near Death Experience

Couple weeks ago, I almost killed the Papa Bear. Well, technically, the Papa Bear almost killed himself, but if he had met his untimely end at the time, I would have felt a little guilty...

One morning, there was no usual starch to be had for breakfast, and as all of you know, I am a regular breakfast girl and consider starches to be a vital part of breakfast. I snooped around in the fridge, looked behind various frozen goods in the freezer, and voila! I found some frozen mochi packages!

Mochi in the US is not quite the same as mochi in Japan. Mochi here is the sweet, often red-bean-powered dessert. Mochi in Japan is a neutral pounded blob of rice that can be sweet or savory, depending on how it is prepared. I personally prefer my mochi savory with soy sauce and sesame, wrapped around in nori seaweed.


As you can tell from this picture, mochi is gloopy and thick. Chewy is an understatement. But it's not in the least bit gummy or tough. It melts away as you munch on it, the pounded rice grains dissolving into saliva.

Mochi is usually a New Years treat, and families get together to pound the heck out of steamed mochi rice (a special kind of super-sticky rice) to make fresh, home-made mochi. These are even more delicate than the frozen kind and provide great pleasure during the battle between your teeth and the mochi, as the mochi gives in and dissolves into a wonderful blanket of texture and flavor.

But let me warn you. This is a battle, and sometimes, there are casualties. Every year, one or two elderly mochi consumers lose the battle and meet their makers. I'm not kidding. Ask any Japanese person about the New Years song about old people and mochi! They'll gladly sing you the jingle!

It's easy to see how the elderly can be more susceptible to mochi-induced suffocation. As you can see in this picture below, mochi has serious tenacity to remain one piece in an ameobia-like state. Those without strong jaws tend to underestimate this fact and they swallow prematurely. Mochi takes advantage of this, and sticks on to the throat mid-passage, shoving the walls of the esophagus (food pipe) into the trachea (air pipe). Double pipe blockage!


I was casually recounting this exact same explanation to the Papa Bear as he was chomping (or so I thought) on his mochi. As I'm finishing my sentence with, "and so the old people get mochi stuck in their throats and they die from suffocation," I hear a faint, "...like... now..."

I kid you not. The Papa Bear was BLUE in his face with tears in his eyes as he gagged and spat. I saw chunks of mochi flying out of his mouth with each forceful expulsion. I had the phone in my hand, fully prepared to call 911.

But luckily, the Papa Bear came back to life after a tense five minute sequence of sheer terror. Phew.

The dangers of mochi. Beware...

Northern-style Pho+?

This past weekend, I found myself hungry in San Francisco around 1 PM, even though I had just eaten lunch at Pho+? Ao Sen after my run with my new running buddy, Arik, and the Papa Bear. Although I'd like to attribute my hunger to the run, I think it was just that I really wanted an excuse to take the Papa to Turtle Tower Restaurant in San Francisco, a Vietnamese noodle shop I discovered a while back during my pre-Symphony meals.

Turtle Tower serves a different kind of pho+? than many of the pho+? shops around the Bay Area. Can you tell what's different from this picture?


There are many differences depicted here, including the condition of the raw beef (tai) as well as the color and clarity of the broth. The raw beef trimming is more like pounded raw beef rather than the carefully sliced meat in other places. Both times I've had pho+? at Turtle Tower, I've really enjoyed this texture here. But the most striking difference is the lack of herbs and bean sprouts in this picture. Northern-style pho+? forgoes all the trimmings, choosing a more broth-powered approach, garnished only with green onions and a dash of lime.

The thing that stands out in my mind about the pho+? at Turtle Tower is their home-made, hand-cut noodles.

These noodles are smooth, slippery, and exciting as they dance around in your mouth as you slurp and chew with their variable widths occupying different surface areas inside. Although not as chewy as the reconstituted dried noodles, they have a slight sweetness that accentuates the taste of the broth. The splash of lime brings out the best of the noodles - deliciously satisfying!

As many of you attentive readers might guess, I haven't said much about the broth, which is unusual for my pho+? posts. The actual flavor of the broth is a bit difficult for me to comment, since I don't know any other Northern-style pho+? shops. I'm not sure if what I found lacking was due to my exposure to (and general preference for) Southern-style pho+? or something inherent in the broth specifically at Turtle Tower... I don't think I can justifiably compare my favorite Southern-style pho+? with this one, since it's really a different beast all together.

Although I very much enjoyed Turtle Tower's Northern-style bowl, my number 1 pho+? ranking hasn't changed a single bit. If I had to eat a bowl of pho+? every day, I'd prefer it to be from Beef Noodle #1!

Saba-Weekday style for the Doc

This one is for Dr. Biggles... His call for (quick) weekday meals was perfect for me, since I've had a hectic week at work already, and it's only Tuesday. I feel my energy to cook and eat zapped by my recent workload and work stress... Sigh.

Anyway, Doc, I sincerely appreciated your help with my mid-week rib problem, so when you asked for a week-day recipe, I knew I had to contribute.

This one is oh-so-easy, I feel almost guilty posting it as any kind of entry... But we Japanese believe that bringing out the best in the ingredient can be done with the simplest of preparation methods. And this one really takes that concept to the extreme...


Saba, otherwise known as mackerel, is a staple for me. When in doubt, go for a saba dinner. I mean, seriously, this is so easy, even the Papa Bear can handle it by himself - so much that he made it for Anne when I was away (and then saved her left-over saba skin to eat later - eeeeewwe, again!!).

Here's the recipe.

1. Stop by a Japanese grocery store. Any Japanese grocery store will do, since even the tiny Nakayama Market in Pleasanton carries saba and daikon.

2. Purchase saba and daikon (that big white root vegetable). Also purchase a lemon or a lime if you don't have one handy at home.

3. Grill saba. On my two layer fish roaster, it takes 10 min. Since the Doc is a grill-meister, he can probably do this without the aid of an electric griddle...

4. Peel and grate daikon. This may be the only step difficult for a non-Japanese person. One has to purchase a daikon grater, which one can also pick up at a Japanese grocery store for $5-$10.

5. Serve saba with grated daikon, quartered citrus, and soy sauce.


I usually make a side of greens and white rice to go with this, but really, that's all there is. From start to finish, it never takes more than 20 min, and it's oh-so-yummy every time. Saba is full of that fishy oil that is supposed to be good for your eyes and mental cognition, not to mention the dance of umami amino acids on your tongue!!! This is really the working girl's gourmet meal that looks and tastes gourmet - feels like a meal at the local Japanese restaurant in the comfort of your own home.

Enjoy, Doc!

Quail, otherwise known as Uzura

Today's post is about quail, but not in the usual context of my interest...

I had the most magical moment this weekend during my Saturday morning breakfast. I was lounging around at home when I noticed movement in my patio. A shuffling of gray and brown. A fluttering of the wings. And a WHOLE LOT OF KURURURURURUR NOISE.

When I looked over at my patio, this is what I saw:


I only saw one at first, and I thought to myself, "wow, this is so cool! What is that funny thing on that bird's head?"

And then, I saw more...

Seriously, I had about 20 of these guys in my tiny patio!!! They seem to have been feasting on some ants and snails. They got scared and 'walked away' - yes, walked, not flew - when I came out of the door to take a picture of them without the screen door in the way. (These pictures were taken with the screen door between me & the birds - hence the crappy images...)

I actually didn't know that they were a family of quail at first, so I consulted the Mogurin and my favorite environmental biologist, Seth. Both of them identified the bird at first sight and informed me that I was visited by California's state birds - the California quail! As for my observation that they walked away vs flying away, CA quail are more comfortable running than most birds, and they can pull off an amazing 12 mph. Jeez, I'm a multi-marathoner, but my top speed is 10 mph. They get my respect with that tiny stride!!!!

It's funny how both my response and the Papa Bear's response to finding out that our visitors were quail were, "Yummy!? Can we catch them?" And in case you are wondering, no, we can't catch them, since they are considered protected wildlife... or something or rather... I wonder where they nest... Growing up, uzura (quail) egg meat patties were my favorite things to eat... But that's a whole 'nother post in itself!

Princess Cake Tasting - Part II

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who was a Princess Cake virgin! Two serious epicurean debaucherists - Sam and my flickr buddy, roboppy - both told me that princess cakes weren't on their daily dessert routine! I seem to remember Anne mentioning that she was a newbie in the princess cake field too.

So, let's get to the details!

The components of a princess cake are: 1. marzipan coating, 2. custard, 3. whipped cream, and 4. raspberry jam. As you can see from the picture of the spread we had yesterday, it looks like the raspberry jam is most frequently on the bottom layer. But as with all trends, some bakeries get adventurous and mix up the layering. The custard is frequently the main cream component and the whipped cream plays only a supporting role - although again, this is only a trend and bakeries have the liberty of having the custard and the whipped cream equally represented. The cake layer can also vary quite a bit from being firm to soggy, occupying different degrees of moist to wet in the spectrum.


My favorite of the many princess cakes I had was the slice from Ambrosia. The custard was silky smooth with a firm yet gently moist cake layer. What really stood out for me was the cake layer. It held together the jam and cream layers into one coherent experience. The marzipan layer also provided just the right sweetness and texture without any kind of leathery discomfort found in other marzipan layers. Ambrosia's cake reminded me of those perfectly coiffed starlets in the blistering heat. It retained its shape with perfection while others succumbed in the blaring summer sun.

The lovely afternoon of princess cake tasting ended with more plans of other epicurean tastings - like BBQ sauce tasting, tomato dish cook-off, and other fun things. Drop me a note if any of you Bay Area residents would like to join us for the next afternoon of tasty fun!

Princess Cake Tasting - Part I

Just until a few years ago, I didn't know what a princess cake was. Honestly, I don't recall seeing them much in Japan or in any of the (hick-ville) US cities I've lived in the past. Now, I can say with confidence that I know what a princess cake is all about thanks to my very epicurean friend, Melissa, who hosted an absolutely lovely afternoon of princess cake tasting last weekend.

Each of us brought several slices of princess cakes from bakeries all over the Bay Area, and we ended up with quite a showing! Melissa secured a nice sunny spot to sit in the Golden Gate Park along with a cool, shadey bench to line all our cakes. Let me tell you - we had quite a variety!! That was a LOT of princess cakes to go through!!! Here's an alphabetical listing of which bakeries were represented: Ambrosia, Cakery, Copenhagen, Delange, Primrose, Schbert, Swedish, and Victoria. Unfortunately, I don't know anything else about any of these bakeries (except that Primrose is in Pleasanton, CA - that's the one I brought!), but I'm sure a quick Google search would provide anyone interested with any of the details...



This is the slice of Primrose Princess Cake that we brought from our happy East Bay/Tri-Valley corner... My first choice was Tortabella, but unfortunately, they didn't have princess cakes that day... Tortabella is my favorite bakery around here, and I'll be posting more about them very soon. I think they are just as good as - if not better than - many of the famous bakeries in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco.

Anyway, I am digressing. This is what my task looked like:


Check back tomorrow to find out who's cake I liked the most and why!

Summer - the Vietnamese way

The Papa Bear always tells me that I don't quite have Vietnamese food right and that my favorite dishes aren't really a good representation of what Vietnamese food is all about. But boy, on these hot summer nights, there's nothing as refreshing as the Vietnamese wraps! So what if it's really supposed to be an appetizer?! To me, go?i cuo^'n is the quintessential summer refreshment on those days when it's just too hot to eat anything else! And yes, some of my meals consist solely of these wraps!


My lovely culinary friend Melissa recently had a 'wrap' party for the end of her roommate's stay in the US and her own time living in San Francisco, and for this 'wrap'-themed party, two of us independently showed up with all the goodies for Vietnamese 'fresh' rolls! I'm not quite sure what the English name for these rolls really are - I've heard them called Spring rolls, Summer rolls, Fresh rolls, and who knows what other kind of rolls they are known as! But basically, it is a whole bunch of greens and herbs wrapped around a reconstituted rice paper sheet with bean sprouts, rice/bean noodles, pork, shrimp, and whatever else that might strike your fancy.


A variety of sauces are used for dipping, although three main types come to mind - the citrus-y sweet fish sauce, the peanut sauce, and the most advanced shrimp-paste lemongrass pineapple sauce. I fell in love with the last sauce the first time I had it, and every time I've had Vietnamese wraps, I've made or asked for this sauce. It's quite potent, and if done poorly, can have that primordial fishy smell. But done correctly, the combination of the salty fermented shrimp paste with the refreshing sweetness of the pineapple and the palate-cleansing strength of lemongrass make this sauce one of the most flavorful things I've ever consumed.

And you know the best part of having Vietnamese rolls? No matter what kind of BM trouble I'd been having, the day after a dinner of these guys - I'm CLEANED inside out. I highly recommend overdosing on Vietnamese rolls for anyone suffering from constipation. Works like a charm every time!

Mid-summer rib feast

For some reason, when I think of a summer-y meal, I think of grilled ribs, potato salad, and ice cream sandwiches. This is probably from the many grill-outs the Mogs and I enjoyed along with our outdoor-loving friends in NC. What's funny, though, is that I have never made ribs on a grill - we've always cooked ribs in the oven... Well, memories are often not accurate, and that's OK. My vision of a summer-y meal is still wet ribs, potato salad, and ice cream sandwiches!

Yesterday, after an insanely hot week, topped off with a 115F weekend, I was in the mood for a summer celebration. I decided to open up the jars of 'Q sauce from Nic and Gwyn's wedding and have me some ribs!


I'd actually been saving these jars to make real NC 'Q, but I just couldn't find a do-able 'Q recipe anywhere. 'Q is BBQ, and BBQ is not any grilled meat. It's slow-cooked pulled pork, best enjoyed with hushpuppies (fried corn meal). Ah, I miss those NC treats!

Anyway, since giving up on making my own 'Q, baby back ribs seemed like a good alternative. I consulted Dr. Biggles for some quick and speedy rib recipes. He gave me some wonderful tips, and without hesitation, I threw on some lime (didn't have lemon handy) slices and vegetable broth (didn't have sake handy) on the slab of all-natural, organic baby back ribs, wrapped the whole thing in foil convex-style, and chucked it into the oven. My oven is either on at 375F or off (set any lower, the oven doesn't turn on), so although I think I cooked the ribs at 375F, I really have no idea what temperature it really is in the oven. And no, I don't own a oven thermometer...

And I did something bad then. I went for run. Yes, I left the oven on with meat inside it and left the house. I felt really guilty doing this, since in the very back of my mind, the thought of the meat burning into a fiery ball did cross my mind. I somehow reasoned it away, saying how I've always cooked things in the oven for 1-2 hrs without any trouble... But I probably shouldn't have done that. Next time, I think I'll stay home and do yoga...


After my run, I checked on the ribs, and it was looking mighty juicy in there. I added one 8 oz jar of sauce to the convex side. I loosened the foil to start letting the moisture escape some and threw it back in the oven some more while I took a shower. At this point, I also started boiling the potatoes for my potato salad. When I came out of the shower, I flipped the slab over and poured another jar of sauce over the concave side for more grilling. My potatoes were soft and ready by the time I was done flipping and brushing the sauce on the ribs, so I made my wasabi-ginger-mint potato salad (I know, I know, not very Southern...). By the time the potato salad was done, I was now ready for a final flipping of the ribs. I flipped the ribs one last time, brushed on the sauce that accumulated on the bottom, raised the temperature of the oven, and took the foil off completely for a brief broiling. I have no idea whether the broiling function really works on my oven, but I got that nice and appetizing char-broiled look...

Right around then, Anne came over for a timely dinner! We dug right into the ribs and enjoying the finger-lickin' good 'Q sauce with fall-off-the-bone ribs. The 'Q sauce was slightly tangy and sweet, full of flavor. And the ribs - they were so flavorful, fragrant, tender, and juicy all at the same time, largely due to the quality of the meat itself. My secret to cooking meat well is buying good meat - hides all my lazy imperfections!


And for dessert, we had ice cream sandwiches but with California-influence on my Southern style meal - soy milk ice cream sandwiches...

That rock soup story

Convenience food in Japan is a cultural phenomenon. There is a pre-packaged sauce/mix for nearly every dish under the sun. They all promise wonderful results in a matter of minutes, with the obligatory 'results not typical' picture in the front. All these sauces suggest that the home cook add this and that to make the best out of the sauce/mix/dish and how the best results can be obtained if I were to add fresh vegetables, mushrooms, meat, and other 'odds and ends'.

What they don't tell you is that the odds and ends are what really make the dish. Much like that old European fable about the three hungry soldiers who came into town looking for food, only to find doors closed in their faces before they started a pot of soup with rocks as the 'main ingredient', the sauces and mixes promise that it is the main ingredient. And much like how the villagers got suckered into providing all the rest of the ingredients - which incidentally really made the soup - I find myself adding everything I needed to make the dish, quickly coming to the realization that I could have easily made the dish without spending the extra $5 on the mix...


But these mixes and sauces get to the core of the busy. The promise of good food fast without thought or planning, simply mindlessly following the instructions drawn on the back of the box has this magical comforting effect on me. I find myself gravitating towards these mixes when I am over-worked and just too tired to think.

This sweet and sour (subuta) mix made a yummy dinner a few nights ago. It was a mindless and simple protocol which I could follow without planning - but upon reflection, it was quite a bit of work. I first had to marinate cubed pork in ginger-soy sauce before coating it with corn starch. After dusting the corn starch on, the pork was flash fried in peanut oil before stir-frying with mushrooms and peas. The mix was added at the end and heated for five minutes. Now, for a regular stir fry that I would make on the fly, I would never go through all of the meat-processing steps. But somehow, when the instructions on the box told me exactly what to do in what sequence, I was hypnotized into action.


I'd even hesitate to call what is on the box as a 'recipe'. It feels more like 'instructions'. It's hypnotic and definite. I modify recipes all the time to suit my needs, but these somehow defy modification. I find myself bringing out my best ingredients and going the extra step to follow the protocol listed on the box to make that magical soup out of something as mundane as rocks from the side of the road... But then I guess even if I had to spend 30 minutes to prepare dinner, at least I didn't have to think about what I had to do during that 30 minutes...

Plating art

Ever since my dinner at Gary Danko, I've become more and more interested in plating. I've found this to be almost as fun as taking pictures of the food, although much more challenging. I don't want to spend too much time plating, since I'm of the belief that food is best enjoyed as soon as it is done cooking. The time spent tinkering around can contribute to delays in the t=0 for consumption, which would ultimately lead to a shortening of the yummiest time period.


I found that my love for Belgian waffles merges very nicely with my new found interest in artful plating. I make my waffles extra crunchy on the outside, nice and cakey in the inside, and this combination allows for quite a long period of yumminess - definitely long enough time to work some art with chocolate and caramel syrups!

Much like the window art art kits, the squeezable syrup bottles allow for easy decorating. Unfortunately, my Hershey's syrup was a bit runny and dripped where I didn't want it to, I had a lot of fun this morning with my waffles! I'm so easy to please that after a few squeezes of syrup, I felt like my breakfast plate was special-occasion-go-out-breakfast worthy.


I couldn't decide which angle I liked better for the photos. Any thoughts?

A secret

I have a secret.

I'm addicted to something dark, luscious, but cold to the core.

I know an addiction is bad. And I know this is not a good condition. But I can't help myself. I'm a slave to the chilly hardness...

of Trader Joe's Gone Bananas.


I get excited at the end of the day just thinking about these frozen bananas and the glorious chocolate coating. I salivate at the thought of them before dinner. The soothing coolness of the hard, frozen banana is the perfect ending to a long and intensive day at work.

Four bananas in a box have disappeared in less than 24 hrs in my house before. Lurking from the darkness, the bananas call my name and all I can do is oblige. I find myself mindlessly filling my mouth, slurping up the juices as the they melt in my mouth. Oh, goodness, this stuff is so good, I can't wait another second. I can't resist them any longer. I'm succumbing to the temptation of my addiction...

From my garden...

I have my first red tomato!!!!


Gardening or pretending to garden is a new thing for me. I attempted it a bit two years ago, but due to chaos in my life at the time, I didn't get very far. I'm not quite ready to really reflect on that time of my life just yet, but I've moved on enough to try to garden again.

Plants are amazing. They are strong, resilient, and determined to succeed. They grow only to grow, without ever giving up. They teach me the strength of life and how we, as a species, is really much softer than the rest of the living world - we philosophize, ask questions about existence, and ponder over the meaning of life, often losing sight of life itself in the process. Plants - they live. They grow. And they provide the fundamental energy to support all of the living world.


This plant even broke his neck, but he didn't give up. He braced himself and healed. And lived.

Thank you, my dear plants, for the inspiration.

Heat exhaustion? Eat Kalbi!

Today, it hit 100F in Livermore. Since we've been having a relatively cool summer so far this year, the heat and sun felt extra hot. Being the big wimp that I am, I become a mush in this kind of heat and come down with what we call "natsu-bate" (Summer Exhaustion)...

One of the key features of natsu-bate is a loss of appetite and a general lack of desire to eat anything hot or rich...except for yakiniku. Yakiniku, which directly translates to Grilled Meat, is a Japanese favorite in the summer. Korean in origin, though much like the Chinese-originating ramen, yakiniku is very much Japanified now. Charcoal-grilled, gas-grilled, smoky, smokeless - there is enough yakiniku variation to please anyone. And my favorite yakiniku item is the marinated ribeye - Kalbi!


Although there is a Japanified yakiniku restaurant (with three branches) in the Bay Area, my favorite Kalbi spot is a Korean place in Oakland. Sam Won BBQ's powerful and dynamic Kalbi packs enough punch to nip any natsu-bate in the bud! I frequently find myself craving the divine combination of kimchi, charcoal-grilled beef, and chilled chewy neng myun noodles, even when I am starting to exhibit symptoms of natsu-bate... In fact, sometimes, the thought the Yakiniku Trinity is the only thing on my mind as I drive home from work in the blistering hot car that's been baking all day outside...


Sam Won BBQ House
2600 Telegraph Ave (at 26th St.)
Oakland , CA 94612
Phone: (510) 834-5757

Being thankful

I've had a sluggish week of negative emotions and ill health. It seemed like every where I looked, there was sadness and trouble. Recent world events, natural disasters, and personal troubles in the lives of those close to me left me feeling helpless. I wanted to stay in bed and be a lump. I felt troubled at a very deep level - at a subconscious level, I couldn't shake off this sense of exhaustion - desperation, almost. I retreated from my friends and shied away from gatherings, unable to muster up the energy to be social.

I am slowly working through my issues, coming to terms with myself. This phase is not useful or helpful to anyone, including myself. My own lack of inertia is what is keeping me sluggish. What am I accomplishing by retreating into my own shell?

I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot I need to contribute back to the world. I lead a very fortunate life. I have a healthy support network, a challenging and rewarding job with the most supportive boss one can imagine, a comfortable home to sleep in, and the means to pursue all my passions. I need to stay focused on what I can give back to the world for all that I have been given - and to get stuck in this phase of spiraling negativity is inexcusable behavior on my part.

So, with that, I am picking myself up and moving on. I am going to let my creativity guide me and try to produce goodness. I am going to actively participate in various avenues I can contribute to and bring the best I have to offer. I have a lot to be thankful for, and when the going gets tough - that's when I need to be my strongest and provide my best support to those who need it.


With a cup of coffee and some pain au chocolat, I'm beginning a new and recharged day!

The best part of my LA trip

Thanks to Joy, I was able to hit the highlights of Disney dining - like Ariel's Grotto and the skewer place - but a girl like me needs some real (non-Mickey) food to walk around all day, especially with a ~50 lbs backpack on in the form of a little sister from time to time.

My dear friend, Arik, armed us with just the right recommendation before coming down to LA. He'd spent his college days in Irvine, and since his mama is a killer cook, I knew I could trust his rec's.

So, off we went to New Harbor Seafood Castle (新港海鮮城）, otherwise known as Oriental Seafood Noodle House. I don't know why the name of the restaurant in English and Chinese is so different... But goodness, this restaurant was enough of a reason for me to go down to LA!!!!

All three dishes here were excellent. I had some of the most succulent and flavor basil-infused clams here.

And boy, the lobster! The lobster here was so good, it almost replaced the lobster-ponzu combination as my No. 1 favorite lobster preparation. It was stir/flash-fried with a layer of aromatic garlic-green onion-salt coating. So fragrant, and so delicious!

The remaining dish - shrimp with several different fungi in a brown sauce - was fresh, delicate, and full of texture that one of my little ones finished pretty much on her own! She dove right into the dish because of its wonderful aroma!

If you are ever in the Irvine/Anaheim/Greater LA area, this place is very highly recommended!! It was so good that the Papa and I briefly considered driving down again this weekend just dinner!

What Minnie keeps in her fridge

One of the most exciting moments during my trip to Disneyland came when I had a chance to visit Minnie Mouse's house. I've always enjoyed peaking in other people's fridge contents, since I feel like I get a slice of their honest, down-to-earth, no-cover-up version of their regular day-to-day life. Other living areas can easily be 'cleaned up' for the day of visitors, but the fridge - there's no covering up there!

So, this is what I found in Minnie's fridge:

Yup, soda and cheese.

And more cheese on the door.


The girl loves her cheese! Jeez!! You'd think we'd see some veggies in her fridge, considering she could be a role model for all those young mice looking to be starlet girlfriends to the Rich and the Famous!

Mickey Mouse - as rich and famous as he is - lent his images to everything from benches to food, and it became some what of a game for me to try to locate all Mickey-shaped foods. Well, I didn't do too well, and if you all know more Mickey-shaped foods, let me know!!!

Here's what I actually ate in addition to yesterday's Mickey waffle:

A happy Mickey pretzel:


A Mickey McNugget:

And yes, as horrifying as a McNugget is with its unidentifiable chicken bits, I ate it.

I also found:
a Mickey ice cream bar
a Mickey lollipop
a Mickey pancake that looked more like the Papa Bear's sloppy pancakes that got mushed into one piece

Seems like there would/ought to be more! Disneyland connoisseurs, fill me in!

Recovering is so hard...

I'm soooooo exhausted. I had a really hard time keeping my eyes open all day. I'm having a lot more trouble recovering from this trip than from any of the other trips I've taken all year...

I'm trying so hard to get back into the routine, but all I can muster today is this:


What other Mickey Mouse shaped food items do you think I discovered and consumed at Disneyland?

Answers and photos coming tomorrow...

Utensibility: Some old favorites

I had grand plans for this post, but being the lame-o that I am, I didn't get my life in order before this weekend... Now, I'm in Disneyland, far away from my familiar kitchen with loads of very functional, very appropriate items for Sam's Utensibility meme...

So, instead of being a total lame-o and missing the meme all together, I am going to do a small compilation of the kitchen gadgets that I have featured in the past. I am justifying my recycling pictures because these are definitely high up in my 'favoriteness'!

First off: the meat slicer from shabu shabu post.


My sister gave this to me many Christmases ago, and ever since the Papa Bear first set his eyes on it, he's been smitten with it. Very smitten. He likes to slice and dice with this one so much that I have shabu shabu at home on a very regular basis. This meat slicer is able to produce the paper-thin slices needed for shabu shabu with relative ease and speed, which is pretty impressive for a home-kitchen gadget! I'm not entirely sure what the cost is, but I'm calling this one my expensive kitchen gadget!

Second place and my cheaper item is my steam espresso maker from my coffee grinder post:

I use this espresso maker almost every day, since I don't have a normal coffee maker. It brews a luscious smooth coffee that is the perfect note to start my morning and enrich my breakfast. Mmmmmm. Yum. I'll miss that morning cup of coffee tomorrow when I am sipping on stale hotel coffee!

OK, I've got a LOOOONG day ahead of me tomorrow, so I better get to bed! I saw a beignet place in Downtown Disney, so if I can sneak that in, I'll definitely post about it!