Guests coming into town? Not sure what to feed them? Don’t stress. We’re introducing Square Bowls, a family-style noodles and salads option for feeding a family of four to a group of 50. Just like all our dishes, Square Bowls are 100 percent customizable, which makes them a great way to ensure everyone at home, at the party or the office will find something they like. Check out http://noodles.com/squarebowls/ for more information.

I accidentally discovered that I can make a dish very similar to Wagamama’s ‘Chicken Chilli Men‘, which just happens to be my Wagamama’s favourite! It was delicious!  GO ME!!!

It is very simple and I made the dish for 2 people for less than £3!   Mind if I share it with you?

Please be aware that I always, always, always have jars of Easy Ginger, Easy Garlic, and Easy Chilli in the fridge and have used them in this recipe, but feel free to replace these with the fresh equivalent.  I also have a bottle of lemon juice (the kind you can put on pancakes) laying around, but you can use this or leave it out altogether.

The important thing is that you can add, remove ingredients to taste, as long as the fundamentals are there you can’t go wrong!  Enjoy!

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

Rich’s Chicken Chilli Men  - 2 Servings.

Mmmmmmm

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons of ‘Easy Chilli‘ (feel free to use 1 fresh, finely chopped red chilli, seeds included)
• 2 Chicken Breasts (general rule of thumb is 1 per person).
• 2 teaspoons of ‘Easy Ginger‘ (again, feel free to use fresh).
• 3 cloves of garlic (Or 2 teaspoons of Easy Garlic, personally I use the frozen cubes of garlic from Asda)
• 2 lemon grass stalks
• 1 Red Pepper (you can use half a pepper if you are bulking out with other veg)
• 3 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 tbsp of tomato puree
• 1 Tin of Tomatoes (chopped).
• Salt and black pepper to season.
• A splash of lemon juice (the bottled process stuff is fine).
• 1/2 pint of Water

Optional ingredients:

• You can bulk out the recipe with courgettes (I did, and gave a wonderful texture to the dish).  I usually use half a red pepper, and half a courgette (cubed) and save the rest for another day!
• I add a frozen ‘Spinach Pellet‘ to most of my pasta, noodle, sauce-based dished.  It breaks up to the same consistency of most dried herbs, doesn’t alter the flavour,  and adds a little extra nutrition.

What to do:

1. Fry the chicken, sugar, ‘Easy Ginger‘ and the ‘Easy Chilli‘ in a little oil on a low heat for 5-8 mins.
2. Add the lemon grass (optional), the garlic, and onion. (If using it, add the courgette at this stage). Season with salt and a generous portion of black pepper.
3. Continue to fry on a medium heat until the chicken is brown and the onion is soft.
4. Add the red pepper, the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, lemon juice, and the water and simmer for 10 minutes.

NOTE: Unlike most tomato base suaces, make sure you don’t over-cook it. If you leave it simmering for too long the edge will be taken off the rich flavours and it will spoil.

To serve:

Mix with some cooked noodles (spaghetti will also do the trick) until fully coated in sauce. Then serve.

Voila!  Please comment and let me know how it worked for you!

This past weekend I made a really interesting pasta sauce…..with buttercup squash.  Here’s the basic recipe I followed from Jamie’s Recipes.

CREAMY BUTTERCUP SQUASH PASTA

• 1 buttercup squash

• EVOO

• salt & pepper

• 2 T butter

• 2 c half & half (I used fat free)

• 1/2 tsp dried sage

• scant 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 c water

• 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese (I used an Italian 4 Cheese blend instead)

• your favorite pasta cooked to al dente

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Cut squash in half, scooping out and disguarding seeds, cut each half in half. Drizzle EVOO over squash pieces and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Place flesh side down on jelly roll pan and roast for 40-50 minutes. When you start to smell it, check on it. The squash should be very tender.

3. Peel skin off and mash squash flesh.  Stir in water -you may not need to add it all.  You want it to be wet but not soupy.

(Picture courtesy of Jamie’s Recipes)

4. Over medium heat melt butter in a large skillet. Add half & half and squash puree. Stir until combined.

5. Stir in sage and cinnamon. Heat until simmering, stirring frequently. Sprinkle in Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. If sauce still seems thick stir in additional water or chicken stock.

6. Toss sauce with pasta.

I served my squash sauce over whole-wheat farfalle topped with a generous helping of steamed broccoli. I am always looking for different ways to eat my favorite vegetable and this is a nice change from mashed squash.  I think next time I am going to experiment with different spices.  Maybe some cumin and ground ginger?  Or maybe a little spicy heat?  I think this sauce would also work really well with chicken or bean patties/balls.

Photo credit: http://www.japundit.com/tag/robots

For most North Americans the word ramen is synonymous with super salty, MSG-laced cups of noodles eaten in funky smelling dorm rooms, but that perception is changing.

In cities such as Toronto and Vancouver, ramen restaurants that treat these convenient noodles with care and respect are becoming popular; meanwhile, in Japan, ramen joints are so popular that ramen-making robots are tirelessly employed producing bowls of noodles all day long (that’s a ramen robot pictured above in fact.)

According to National Post restaurant reviewer Gina Mallet (who wrote about Toronto’s Liberty Noodle in her column last week), ramen is a big part of Japanese culture today with “5000 ramen shops in Tokyo alone, small places mostly, where you buy a ticket and stand to eat.” She elaborates that “when the Japanese are not scoffing instant ramen in a Styrofoam cup, they are watching ramen shows on TV, ramen award shows, or they’re scouring the neighbourhood for the newest rave. Japanese are ruthless gourmands.”

I admit to having eaten my fair share of low rent ramen when I was younger. What’s your experience? Have you had ramen in a restaurant? And, if you eat the instant ramen, is it a guilty pleasure or a proud pop-culture statement?

Hungry for more food trend info? Sign up for the Topline Trends newsletter. It will nourish your brain!

Hey everyone! This week we’ve got a new intro for our videos! Today we’re going to tell you about a place where you can go shopping: Calle Colón, and a place where you have have a cup of coffee: el Café Lisboa.

Calle Colón is the main street for shopping and Café Lisboa is a magical little place with a nice little terrace to sit and take the sun. We went there after grabbing abite at Orient Xpress.

Enjoy the video!

¡Hola a todos! Esta semana estrenamos cabecera para nuestros vídeos y continuamos con el recorrido por Valencia.

A continuación, una calle donde podéis hacer vuestras compras: la C/ Colón, y un café donde parar a tomar algo: el Café Lisboa.

La calle Colón es como la arteria principal para ir de shopping y el Café Lisboa, un rinconcito mágico con una terraza donde tomar el sol. Allí fuimos después de comer algo en el Orient Xpress.

¡Disfrutad el vídeo!

Nissin Food Products Co. Ltd. was founded by a man named Momofuku Ando (安藤百福).  Because of him, we have instant noodles.

This is made possible by the late Momofuku Ando. From Getty Images.

We owe the late Mr. Ando our thanks on the lazy Sunday afternoons or the desperate late nights we consume that trusty package of flash-fried wheat noodles and MSG powder.  His legacy on Earth is great (though one could argue that the key role styrofoam plays in the Cup Noodles empire is not very supportive of the environment), but his influence stretches beyond our realm to the stars.  Actually.

Momofuku Ando pictured with Space Ram.

“Space Ram”, launched 4 years ago on board the Space Shuttle Discovery, is the result of Nissin’s desire to expand their client base.  The zero gravity style ramen comes in at least 4 different flavours including miso and curry and has been altered from what we get on our green planet so it doesn’t disperse and fly around (so readily) in a weightless environment.  Aside from that, just like its done down here, all the Space Ram needs is a quick five minute bath in (almost) boiling water.  Who says dining in space can’t be multicultural?  In fact, Mr. Noguchi, who was a mission specialist aboard Discovery in 2005, can tell you about all the different kinds of Japanese food one can get on a flight to the ISS, here.

Mr. Ando’s Chikin Ramen of the 1960s, which is still on the market today, has come a long way (check out his museum).  Instant noodles are a global food reality—at least 40 some countries carry it in some form, with regional brands and variations of course.  Even North Korea has been exposed to Mr. Ando’s famous creation (albeit first because it was sent as food aid, but the notion is progressive nonetheless) and now have their own brand!

There are now many producers and varieties of instant noodles.

Perhaps next time you put that water to boil and make ready a bowl and chopsticks, you can imagine that someone is doing something similar way up high in the Earth’s orbit.

Time: 2-3 hours               Serves 4-6

2 Cups uncooked elbow macaroni

4 TB Butter

2-3 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese or your favorite cheese (I use Extra Sharp and Pepper Jack)

3 Eggs

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

10 3/4 oz can of cream of cheddar soup

1 Cup Milk

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dry mustard

*Optional

Garlic powder, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or anything your heart desires! Make it your own.

Directions

Cook 2 cups of elbow macaroni for 6 minutes.

While macaroni is cooking, shred your cheese. (It’s VERY important you use good cheese. Not just regular kraft cheese, I recommend experimenting with a few cheeses in the cheese section of your grocery store or in the deli) I ended up spending about $12 on the cheese I bought, just as an indicator. You don’t have to, it’ll still be good, but not as tasty.

In a sauce pan, melt 4 TB of butter and throw your shredded cheese in and stir it occasionally until it’s completely melted and smooth.

In your crock pot, mix in 3 eggs (you can skip the eggs if you want), sour cream, milk, can of soup, and spices. Stir it up before throwing in the rest.  

Throw your noodles in the crock pot as well as your melted cheese and cook on low for 2-3 hours. (I did about 2 hours and 15 minutes) Stir occasionally.

This recipe is very tasty. Not great for you, but if you love mac n cheese, you’ll love this homemade style recipe. Experiment with the spices. I added garlic powder. I like my mac n cheese to have a bit of a spicy taste, but not so it takes away from the orginal mac n cheese flavor itself, so I may end up adding some red pepper flakes to my dish. This would be great with meat or vegetables in it as well so enjoy!

Ginger Hoisin Rice Noodles, originally uploaded by veganruthie.

This recipe is from Everyday Vegan by Dreena Burton.

Russell really liked this, 9/10. I would’ve liked it more if it had broccoli and less bell pepper.

This is our first recipe attempt out of this book, so, yay for a success!

ahh…it’s cold and flu season and what’s the one thing everyone is craving?  SOUP!!  What better way to use all your turkey leftovers than to make a delicious soup.

Ingredients: chicken broth, celery, carrots, turkey, noodles, salt, pepper

Because the turkey always seem to outlast the stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc~ I always take the remaining amount and make it into a delicious soup.

]]> http://ecofrenfood.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/noodles-or-fried-rice-anyone/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:57:00 +0000 ecofrenfood http://ecofrenfood.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/noodles-or-fried-rice-anyone/

One Hundred Years of Thanksgiving: Turkey Noodles
Serves: 12

This is the first time anyone in my family has managed to get this recipe written down. Everyone that knows how to make these was taught by someone else that could make them. This is not an easy recipe to write down, but it is easy to make and have been a Thanksgiving tradition for my family for over 100 years.

The secret to these is to make sure that the noodle dough is stiff enough and dry enough that when you roll the dough out and start cutting the noodles that the noodles do not stick together. Once you have this down it is a piece of cake.

One last thing before we get in to the recipe. Do not be tempted to use a pasta machine for this. Hand crank of electric. These noodles will not turn out right if they are not rolled out and cut by hand. They in fact will have a totally different consistency and texture. So don’t do it.

1 Large Egg
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Water

Place all of the ingredients in to a large mixing bowl and using a fork mix to combine as well as you can. Put the dough on floured work surface. Test the dough, if it is very sticky sprinkle on a tablespoon or two of flour and start kneading the dough. Work in more flour as you knead the dough.

NOTE: Do not use a mixer for this dough. A mixer will enable you to work too much flour in to the dough making for tough unpleasant noodles. Do this by hand until you have a feel for how the dough should be and then you can use a mixture checking the dough to make sure it gets enough but not too much flour.

You want to make a very stiff dough if you have ever made home-made pasta with semolina flour for an electric pasta machine you want this dough a little stiffer than that, or like a bread dough but four times stiffer. Once you think you have gotten the dough right it is time to do a test and see if you have enough flour in the dough. Break off a small piece of the dough about the size of a quarter, shape it in to a ball and then roll it out paper thin on a floured work surface using a rolling pin. You want it as thin as possible, paper thin. Dust it often with a fair amount of flour, several tablespoons at least. Once you have it rolled out very thin take a sharp knife and cut it in half and then each half in half. Sprinkle each quarter with an ample amount of flour and stack the quarters one on top of the other with an ample amount of flour in between each sheet and then on top of the final sheet. Using a sharp knife cut the stack of dough and cut in to thin 1/8″ wide strips. Now, if the dough is the proper consistency the noodles will not stick together. If they do stick even a small amount you need to work more flour in to the dough and then repeat this test. Only when you can cut the noodles and not have them stick even a small amount is the dough right. Once you reach this point I strongly recommend that you feel the dough, get an idea of how it feels so that next time you will be able to get to this stage easier and more quickly.

You can work you test piece back in to the main ball of dough, if your dough’s consistency is near correct shake off the flour before you add the test dough back in to the main ball of dough. If it is far from the right consistency then use the flour and work that in to the dough. If you still need to work on the dough consistency run another test when you think it maybe right.

Once you have the dough at the right consistency form the dough in to a ball, cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Then cut the dough ball in to quarters and then each quarter in half and each half in to half. Form each piece in to a ball and then using a rolling pin roll it out on a well floured surface until it is paper thin, using ample flour to prevent sticking to the work surface and rolling pin. Place the dough on a floured plate and repeat the rolling out process with the next piece of dough. Stack the sheets of dough one on top of the other making sure to sprinkle at least 3 tablespoons of flour between each sheet. Don’t be afraid of the flour, it is your friend.

Once you have all of the dough balls rolled out, stacked and separated with plenty of flour move the stack to your well floured work surface. Cut the stack of dough sheets in half and then each half in half stacking the four quarters in to one stack making sure that you put flour between each stack of quarters and working to line up the sheets as best you can, you want a nice neat stack with the cut edges lined up as best as you can.

Now using a knife that is large enough and sharp start cutting your noodles, you want the noodles to be 1/8″ wide or less. You can’t have them too thin. As you cut the noodles stop about a quarter of the way through the cutting to move the cut noodles to a bowl, sprinkle with more flour and toss the noodles to coat all of the cut sides with flour. Repeat as you work through the cutting process.

Once you have all of the noodles cut and coated with flour stop and take a look at them. They should be very thin, very narrow and quite rustic looking with some noodles longer than others. You should have no scraps of dough left, if you do cut them up.

Now you need to make sure you have plenty of flour. Yah, I know these things are flour obsessed. But, it is important. Flour keeps the noodles from sticking and the flour will be used to thicken the broth.

Now with your noodle dough done and the noodles cut put together the following ingredients.

12 Cups of Turkey Broth
Salt to Taste
1/4 Cup Parsley, Finely Minced

I use the broth I get from cooking my Thanksgiving turkey. We do a slow overnight roasting of the turkey and we usually end up with a couple of cups of a nice golden broth with a rich roasted turkey flavor. To this broth I add half canned chicken broth and half water to make up the 12 cups of broth I need. If you have more turkey broth great, use that in place of the chicken broth, but do use some water or make sure that the turkey broth isn’t too strong if you plan to use all turkey broth. Keep in mind that if you are making our stuffing you are going to want to keep some of the turkey broth for that as well. Also, you want some fat in the broth, so don’t remove it all, about a 1/4 cup is a good amount. If you don’t have enough fat in your turkey broth then use butter to add it.

Bring everything to a roiling boil and call in a helper; you are going to need a second person. As one of you stirs the broth constantly the other needs to slowly drop/scatter the noodles and flour in to the roiling broth that is being constantly stirred. The amount of flour you need to add depends on how thick you want your noodles. Since we use our turkey noodles like gravy, putting them over mashed potatoes and our stuffing we want them as thick as gravy. I don’t have an exact amount of flour to give you for the 12 cups of stock. But, based on my own experience I am going to say between 3/4 and 1 cup of flour is going to be needed.

Also, don’t remove the flour from the noodles thinking you can add it after you add the noodles. This will give you big problems with lumps and clumps. Just eyeball the amount of flour on the noodles the best you can and stir the flour in along with the noodles. The noodles will help keep the lumps and clumps down especially if the stock is being constantly stirred while you add the noodles and flour.

Once all of the noodles and flour have been stirred in, reduce the heat, cover and simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes. Stirring from time to time to make sure they aren’t sticking or burning.

Serve piping hot in place of gravy on your mashed potatoes and stuffing as well as your turkey.

Variations:

Chicken Noodles

Make the noodles per above but instead of the turkey broth use chicken broth. Before adding the noodles add to the chicken stock and cook until tender peas, carrots, onion, and 1/4 cup of finely minced parsley. If there isn’t much fat in the chicken broth add 1/4 cup of butter. Once the vegetables are tender then stir in the noodles with the help of a second person, do it slowly scattering them over the broth. Once all of the noodles and flour have been added toss in 1 to 2 cups of cooked shredded chicken, simmer for 15 minutes of medium-low and then serve piping hot.

Beef Noodles

Make the noodles per above but instead of turkey broth use beef broth (home-made is best). For these noodles I get a nice pot roast remove the fat and bone and then cube the meat in to 1/2 inch pieces and set aside. I take the rest of the pot roast (the fat, bone, etc.) and brown that in a stock pot. To this I add 12 cups of water and 3 beef bullion cubes (low-sodium is best) and simmer covered for 3 hours on medium-low heat.

I do not like canned beef broth and I don’t recommend it. If you have another method of getting a really good beef broth feel free to do so. You do however want the cubed pot roast meat.

Once you have your broth done remove the fat and bones from it making sure you get all of the little bits out. Add the cubed beef, some minced onion, and diced carrots. Simmer uncovered on medium-low heat until the meat is very tender. If you don’t have 1/4 cup of fat in the broth from the meat scraps add 1/4 cup of butter to the broth. Stir in some peas and then bring the broth to a roiling boil and with a second person stirring constantly add the noodles and flour slowly scattering them over the broth. Once all of the noodles and flour have been added reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time to make sure it isn’t sticking or burning.

One Hundred Years of  Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving being this week I have decided it was time to share my families Thanksgiving dinner with the rest of the world. This will be the first time ever that these recipes have been written down. They have always been passed down from one generation to the next by having the next generation help in their preparation. I learned from my mother, my mother learned from her grandmother and so on.

What I am about to share with you has been our Thanksgiving dinner every year for the last 100 years, it is possible that many of these things date back older than that, however my great grand mother was the oldest person I could talk to about this and she only knowledge going back that far, given that Thanksgiving was first celebrated in the United States in 1863 and wasn’t made a legal holiday until 1941 the time seems about right. It has been my job to make it for the last 20 years. All of our secrets are going to be shared.

Our Thanksgiving dinner is quite simple. Nothing fancy, nothing complex. For the past 70 years our Thanksgiving dinner has included:

• Oven Roasted Turkey
• Mashed Potatoes
• Sage Stuffing
• Turkey Noodles
• Cranberry Sauce
• Pumpkin Pie with Orange Scented Whipped Cream
• Mincemeat Pie with Orange Scented Whipped Cream

Overnight Oven Roasted Turkey

We have always slow roasted our turkeys overnight. This was done for a couple of reasons. First it makes for a very tender and moist turkey. Second it frees up the oven for other uses Thanksgiving Day.

Don’t panic the turkey really does come out tender and moist even though it was cooked for 10 hours during the night. There are secrets to this and I will share them. It is important to note that we do not carve our turkey; we just pull the tender meat from the bones, break it down in to smaller pieces and serve it that way. If you like to carve your turkey this cooking method is not for you. We also serve our turkey at room temperature this makes eating it easier.

Mashed Potatoes

We use large russet potatoes that are cooked until soft and then we mash them with butter, canned milk, salt and pepper. Very simple but perfect for covering with Turkey Noodles.

Sage Stuffing

Well what can I say this is a basic no-nonsense sage stuffing. The trick to this recipe is using the right bread and processing that bread properly before making it in to stuffing. Also, you want to buy your fresh sage a couple of weeks early, bundle it together and hang it in the kitchen to dry. Sage dries very well and for this stuffing is best dried and then rubbed between the palms of your hands. If you wish to buy dried sage at the supermarket you can but we don’t recommend it; however, if you do make sure and get rubbed sage and not powdered or ground.

Turkey Noodles

This is perhaps one of the most unique dishes we serve at Thanksgiving. In fact we have only found one other family that serves Turkey Noodles with their Thanksgiving dinner. This is also the hardest recipe of the bunch and hard not because it requires specialized skills or equipment, but hard because the noodle dough must be at a very specific consistency so that as you cut the noodles they do not stick together. You also need quite a bit of flour to not only coat the noodles but to thicken the noodles as they cook. Turkey Noodles are what we use for gravy and indeed we put them on everything from the turkey to the stuffing to the potatoes and even some of us like them with our cranberry sauce, though we still prefer whipped cream for our pies!

Cranberry Sauce

Well, this is one of the few things we don’t make from scratch. We use canned Ocean Spray cranberry sauce. Usually jellied cranberry sauce is served, but sometimes whole berry as well. You can use what you like, the new flavored cranberry sauces that Ocean Spray has released should be interesting something like cranraspberry for example.

Pumpkin Pie

You can use whatever pie crust recipe you like. For us we would sometimes use Pillsbury or we would make a crust from scratch using lard. We have never made a butter crust as most of us don’t like butter crusts because they can be strongly flavored. Lard doesn’t have any flavor but makes for a very tender crust and one that doesn’t require the fat to be ice cold. For this recipe we will be assuming you will use a store-bought pie crust, these are actually very good and quite convenient. Trader Joes also makes a very good frozen pie crust if you want something more natural.

Our pumpkin pie is smooth and creamy and loaded with spice. If you don’t want to use canned pumpkin you can use oven roasted fresh pumpkin (remove the skin and seeds), yams or even one of the hard winter squashes like banana, acorn, or Hubbard. They all pretty much have the same taste, color and texture. We use canned pumpkin and that is what is called for in the recipe. If you are using something else then just use the same amount.

Mincemeat Pie

Mincemeat up until 1976 was something we had at Thanksgiving every year. That ended in 1976, this happened for two reasons. First my aunt that made the filling from scratch passed away and didn’t share the recipe and second the last jar of her home canned filling was used that Thanksgiving.

About 3 years ago I got interested in mincemeat pies again and started looking at recipes and picking my mom’s brain for what she remembered about my aunts filling. This year (2009) will be the first time since 1976 that we have had mincemeat pie for Thanksgiving. I have done my best to honor my aunt in this recipe and according to my mom who did a lot of taste testing for me during the development of this recipe it may not be exactly the same but it is very close and very good.

The one change I did make, not because I had issue with the ingredient but because at least in Northern California it was very hard to find; that change is I don’t use beef suet in my recipe. In fact I use butter another product from cows and so I feel just fine in making this change. If you don’t know what suet is it just beef fat from a specific part of the cow it is believed to be the purest and cleanest fat available from the animal which is good as you really don’t want a beefy meat flavor in your filling.

Now in looking at other recipes I have seen some that actually used finely crumbled hamburger. For the life of me I can’t do this. I have always found meat with warming spices like cinnamon, clove, etc. to be rather gross. Now I have to admit I tried it once and I found that it didn’t add anything to it. In fact it took away, that slightly beefy meaty flavor just isn’t nice with the rest of the filing which is fruity and spicy.

I hope you enjoy my meatless version and find it to be as tasty as we do.

Orange Scented Whipped Cream

This is an easy one but tastes nice with both the pumpkin and mincemeat pie. It is simply softly whipped heavy whipping cream with a small amount of sugar, vanilla extract and a bit of finely grated orange zest. I combine all of the ingredients mixing well and then place covered in the refrigerator overnight whipping it right before serving. This allows the orange flavor to bloom.

So with all this out of the way, let’s get to the recipes.

The food court in Taipei’s central train station (“Breeze Taipei Station”) claims to be the largest food court in the world. I’m not sure if they are referring to square footage or to number of stalls, but it is pretty huge. It’s split up into four smaller food courts, each with a different theme: beef noodle soup (famous in Taiwan), curries, Taiwanese specialties/small eats, and desserts. In addition, there are a few full service restaurants as well as bakeries and specialty shops.

My parents don’t eat out a lot but they like going to this food court because it’s relatively convenient and the food is high quality but very reasonably priced. The food court has a nice clean aesthetic which makes meals even more appetizing.

On this particular day, we all went for various kinds of beef noodle soup. There were about 10 different stalls selling subtle variations of the same thing, so it was difficult to decide. Like at many American fast food joints, all of the stalls push combo meals, usually composed of a bowl of noodles accompanied by a couple of side dishes.

My combo meal: hand cut noodles with a meat-filled pastry and pickled cucumbers (my fave).

Close up of my noodles. Drool.

Close up of pickled cucumbers. More drooling.

My sister got the tomato-base soup which was yummy.

Beef noodle soup in clear broth. Light and savory.

My dad got the curry beef noodle soup. He was also very helpful with the food styling. Thanks dad!

Happy diners!

If you ever find yourself in Taipei train station, head up to the 2nd floor to find this food court paradise!

]]> http://beansfigsandkatz.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/hummus-lasagna/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:04:34 +0000 Beans, Figs and Katz http://beansfigsandkatz.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/hummus-lasagna/

This is basically the same recipe as the pasta bake, but with better photos. I made two lasagnas, one for us to eat NOW and one for Thanksgiving.

For 2 9 x 13 lasagnas

1 box lasagna noodles (18)

2.5 jars pasta sauce (this time I cheated and used Wholefood’s Mushroom Marinara and Tomato Basil sauces)

4 cans chickpeas,  rinsed and drained

3/4 cup lemon juice

6-8 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup tahini

2 TBL olive oil

1/4 cup water

1 12 oz. package arugula

4 TBL nutritional yeast

1/4 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.

First, make the arugula pesto. Blend arugula, nutritional yeast, 2-3 garlic cloves, and 1/4 cup water until smooth. Set aside.

Next, make the hummus. Blend garlic, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add chickpeas and water. Blend until smooth. Add more water or lemon juice until hummus is your desired texture.

In a 9 x 13 pan, layer the ingredients in this order:

1. Sauce, noodles, hummus, pesto

2. Sauce, noodles, hummus, pesto

3. Sauce, noodles, sauce

Bake for one hour and 15 minutes, covered with foil (with slits). Or if you are planning to freeze one or more of these babies, bake only 1 hour, then allow to cool, cover in plastic wrap and foil and freeze.

I have a deep love for asian food and everything that falls under that umbrella. My family and I are always on the search for good places to eat in Toronto and the York Region. I believe my mother came across this restaurant either by review or by word of mouth. We went primarily for their Peking duck because it can sometimes be difficult to find good, affordable Peking duck in our area.

We have gone to Chung King numerous times in the past and although we don’t love everything on their menu, we certainly have favs. We’ve passed our on love for their food unto others and now I shall do the same for you.

Chung King is located at the back of the famous Pacific Mall located at Steeles Ave. & Kennedy Rd. It is one of the many restaurants located in that area. We often go during lunch and thus have never had a problem getting a place to sit or being surrounded by tons of other people. You’re greeted promptly and often have a choice of where to sit in the restaurant. It’s fairly small with hardwood decor and other than the unsightly fake flowers that adore the front window, beautifully decorated with paintings, traditional asian vases and urns. The place appears very clean. 

 First up was Singapore Noodles (8.95). My mother is a big fan of Singapore noodles as is on a constant search for Singapore noodle sauce in a jar (anyone know of a brand?) Compared to some of the other noodle offerings, this one is a pretty safe bet. Nothing too spectacular, better than most I’ve had so no complaints. My family eats it more as a starchy filler since we often don’t get rice.

Next up was Sizzling Chicken in Black Bean Sauce (10.95). My father is a big fan of chicken so we’re always trying numerous chicken dishes for the best one. I’ve think we’ve tried a few on their menu but tried this one to change things up. It came on a super hot plate, sizzling just as the name had promised. The sauce reminded me of the consistency of sweet and sour but not the taste of course. It had many onions (a plus for me) bell peppers, and tons of chicken. Overall fairly tasty although I think we’ll continue exploring for more adventurous chicken options.

Now comes my most favourite dish, the reason why I come to this restaurant in the first place, Sichuan Crispy Beef (10.95). I don’t know how to emphasis my love for this dish. My family would happily come to this restaurant to eat this alone. When my aunt visited, she ate some and wanted to go back every day if she could. She even wanted us to ship it over to her in Germany. I make a special request that anytime my family come to visit me that they MUST bring me a take out of the crispy beef and as stated in my ‘About‘ page, it would definitely be included in my last meal. I don’t know if there’s anything truly magical about this dish. It’s certainly hard to find elsewhere. When its brought to you its super crispy without the least bit of oiliness. The beef inside is super tender. There isn’t too much sauce and it doesn’t overpower the beef or make its coating soggy. It’s spicy without too much kick which comes from the red chili flakes and has tang to it. There are also slivers of carrots and green onions for added flavour, freshness and texture. In other words, its heaven to me. I strongly suggest that others give it a try.

Last up was the Honey Garlic Spareribs (11.95). We had ordered this maybe at most 5 mins after our main order, just as an afterthought because we weren’t sure if we’d be filled enough with what we had ordered. We were afterall starving when we had come in. Wanting to try something completely new we picked the honey garlic spareribs. I don’t really know what we had expected. I guess something like what your normally get if you order spareribs in black bean sauce only substitute the sauce for honey garlic. We were waiting in the restaurant for what felt like forever, something not typical of their service but because we didn’t have other plans, we were willing to wait it out. At some point we were trying to figure it out why it would take so long to cover little spareribs with a sauce. We decided to allow ourselves to digest, drink more tea and talk about the tragedies that had currently hit our homeland, the Philippines. Finally, after a very long wait we were present with napkins and wetnaps and these medium sized ribs that were smothered in a very garlicy honey sauce. The ribs were probably boiled and then fried before placing the sauce all over it. We quickly understood why you needed the napkins. They were pretty delicious and I could definitely appreciate the sauce. It was something new and I’d certainly like another helping of it the next time I go.

Like I mentioned earlier, the Peking duck there is quite tasty. We normally order only two courses which comes up to 32.95. We tend to reserve that for special occasions. They do take-out if you’re not in the mood to sit in.

We were satisfied with our meal as usual and left very happy. I recommend that you try it for yourself.

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After we had to make a trip to Ikea to pick up a missing part for a shelving unit that my parents were assembling. This was a perfect opportunity for some dessert, Ikea’s $1 frozen yogurt. Whether it’s actually yogurt is debateable but its tasty considering its only a dollar. It doesn’t taste quite as synthetic as some other places. The also have other things on their menu for cheap such as coffee and hot dogs but we tend to just buy the frozen yogurt.

Chung King
4394 Steeles Ave E, Markham
(905) 513-8788
no website

In my storage I have tons of noodle packages from udon, to vermicelli, rice noodles, soba, somen, buckwheat and so forth. It’s only in the last little while that I started cooking different types of noodles and I still have a long way to go when it comes to mastering each othem. I often just throw whatever noodles I want with whatever sauce I have on hand regardless if they were really meant for each other. Below is an example. I didn’t have rice noodles but I was craving the taste of Pad Thai so I substituted for a different udon noodle. I added onions, garlic, shrimp and garnished it with fresh onions, peanuts and coriander leaves. I think I went a little overboard with the onions so I didn’t eat most of it but it tasted good and satisfying.

A has a major sweet tooth so whenever we make a trip to the grocery store, he always requests to get a cheesecake and I’m more than happy to oblige, although I really think he should cut back. We normally get a plain kind but for whatever reason, they don’t hold stock of it anymore at the Loblaws so now he’s opted for an even sweeter version (good grief!). We ended up getting the Dulce de Leche cheesecake. Another thing about A, he eats cheesecake by the quarters and although this personal cheesecake isn’t that big, you can see what I urge him to cut back. He’s a pretty active dude though so he can manage to get away with it. This particular cheesecake has three components to it: regular cake, cheesecake filling, and dulce topping. I eat the cake from time to time because he’s more fond of the rest of it. It tastes pretty good and if I can remember to look at the brand, I’ll be sure to post that up. For now, some photos that I manage to take before he devoured it again…

 Up next, Champarado! Champorado is a filipino type of porrige primarily made of chocolate and glutinous rice. It is very filling and eaten primarily in the morning. My family doesn’t cook this very often for no other reason than we just don’t but upon special request, my grandmother makes it for us in the morning. It’s sweet and satisfying. The ingredients list is simple, comprising of glutinous rice, chocolate powder, water, sugar, vanilla, and milk.

My grandmother makes it without the sugar to accomdate to my diabetic dad and allows us to custom make it to our liking. We use regular sugar, splenda or brown sugar to sweeten it and either add milk or evaporated milk to give it a creamier texture. I don’t know if other filipinos do this or just mine but because we like foods that balance out, we usually put something salty and crunchy into our porridge for added texture. Now hear me out and trust me that it’s not as weird tasting as you think; we add little salted dried shrimps or anchovies to it (I can just sense all the cringes right now lol) or salted slivers of cooked beef (my personal fav) It honestly sounds pretty strange but it’s how I enjoy it. Opting for the plain version is acceptable too. Here’s what it looks like. I didn’t know how else to make it look appetizing, it is afterall basically a bowl of (warm, sweet, gooey) mush.

I only added brown sugar and 2% milk this time around.