Archive for Food

Urumqi, China

{ February 7, 2010 @ 8:31 am } · { Food, Recipes, Travel, Travel China }
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There are many facets of China that we wanted to experience during the year that we lived there. Urumqi intrigued us since the region is the western-most part of China, touching the Russian border of Kazakhstan on the west and Afghanistan on the south. It  was very different from the rest of China, with its ‘minority’ population and arid terrain.

When we arrived, we were immediately taken to the bazaar, where we were introduced to the minorities and their culture. The dried fruit, especially the Gogi berries and raisins, were very fresh, unlike that found in the US. The Gogi berries were very plump and raspberry red in color, so much more appealing than the shriveled maroon-ish colored fruit that can be found in stores here. There were raisins of all types, made from many species of grapes, which by the way, western China is known for. The grapes are sugary sweet because of the hot days and cold nights, typical of a desert.

Later that night, we went to a show that was put on by the minorities. The women were simply beautiful — half Caucasian and half Asian — and the costumes were also very colorful and unique.  Their food, comprised mainly of lamb kabobs, fresh fruit, vegetables and bread, were delicious. We clapped our hands to their dance, music and art — and loved it all. In a nearby museum, which we visited the following morning, we saw a natural mummy of a blonde woman from 3,800 years ago.  She had deep eye sockets and a high-bridged nose, characteristic of modern day Caucasians.

We also went to Hong Shan Park (Red Hill Park), where we got a view of the city from atop the hill. It was an amusement park — very festive and crowded…and yes, a little tacky. However, it was nice to see since there were some remnant features from ancient times, including a water pipe that is still in use, as seen in one of the photos. That day, we thought that we would be hit by a sandstorm, the sand of which is probably coming from the Turpan area. Should that have happened, we would have had to go back to our hotel immediately to get out of harms way. It would have been an interesting experience, but it’s probably best not to have been there during that time, with the wind whipping up the sand and swirling it around.

We later drove two hours to Tienshan (or ‘Heavenly Lake’) and passed many yurt communities, where the minorities live and work. The locals there were very friendly, wanting to invite you to experience their life…and of course, wanting a small handout in the process. There were cows grazing in the area — we stopped to take a picture of them and in doing so Joseph got very nervous, thinking that one of them may attack us if we got too close. I wasn’t too concerned because cows inherently are complacent animals.

Upon arriving at the foot of the mountain, we took a tram to the top and hiked about a half a mile to the top of the mountain, where upon turning the corner to where you could see what was below and off in the distance, we experienced the natural beauty of Tienshan. The hike wasn’t very strenuous, but it was amazingly peaceful and unlike most of China, very pristine and clear of particulates. Once we saw Tienshan, we gasped at how large and beautiful it was. The photos that we took didn’t do it justice. Since it was a relatively cloudy day, with few breaks between the clouds, we weren’t able to capture the true beauty of the glacier as it lay up against the sky. If you’re able to see it on a clear day, you’d think that you were at Lake Louise in Calgary, Canada, less the commercialization at its perimeter.  In the background was a huge glacier, much higher and therefore more impressive than those in the Canadian alps. This was the backdrop for the expansive like, which lay ahead. The reflection of the glacier then melted into the lake. It was amazingly beautiful….and just ‘Heavenly’….

The thought of lamb makes me very hungry. Here’s a great marinade for lamb chops that my dad used when I was growing up. Needless to say, you can use this delicious recipe on beef as well. The meat will be very tender and oh so flavorful….

Salt and Black Pepper to taste; a tsp of Coleman’s mustard for every two to three pieces of lamb chops, soy sauce and sherry to taste. Marinate the lamb chops and grill it on a hibachi or gas grill….mmm mmm Good!!

The next several days would be in the desert…among the grape vineyards and the sands….

Greece – Athens

{ January 17, 2010 @ 10:06 pm } · { Food, Recipes, Travel, Travel Greece }
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There’s so much history in Greece, with Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Greek Mythology and the Greco/Roman history and architecture. This piqued our interest  in going to Greece and as an added benefit, we got a taste of the Greek cuisine, which we have gotten to know and love, and also got a chance to experience the Mediterranean, which was absolutely beautiful. We started our journey in Athens….and on approach (from the airplane), it appeared very much like Hawaii, with its volcanic terrain. However, it seemed a bit more arid, with limited vegetation. In addition, the buildings were monochromatic, with the Mediterranean ‘white’ architecture.

We arrived in the early morning in Athens, just in time for us to begin our full day of sightseeing. We were able to sleep on the plane, so when we arrived, we were fresh and ready to go. We were very excited, like kids in a candy store. Our first attraction, of course, was the Acropolis, which in many ways was fascinating. How were they able to build these monstrous structures with limited tools? How were they able to get the marble to the top? How…? What…? Where…?  Question after question came to our minds. The trip to the top hill where the Pantheon was located, which would be on foot, looked a bit daunting at first, but it was a piece of cake. The walk to the top was very interesting, having passed ruin after ruin (an open air arena and a few temples). The ruins were amazing. The intricacy of the carvings high atop some of the structures were awesome. The Greeks have been renovating the grounds of the Acropolis, including the construction of a museum worthy of antiquity, particularly the Pantheon, for some time now. And in doing so, they want England to ‘return the marbles’.  With the opening of the museum, the pressure would be on the British Museum to return the missing marbles.  ”Return the Marbles” can be seen on cruise ships and everywhere.  We walked around for a couple of hours, astounded, taking photo after photo….and loving the architecture. One word of advice is to take some water, which we did since it was relatively hot in early June, and wear shoes that are comfortable, as the grounds are not even and to experience it all, is to do it on foot!!

From there, we ate a late lunch in the Plaka district, a quaint area adjacent to the Acropolis. This and the Monastriaki are great areas to eat and shop. The cafes have some of the most wonderful Greek foods – Greek salads, giros and baked lamb of sorts. There are a number of souvenir shops and a large open flea market, where you can find the ‘evil eye’, olives and some cotton wear. Although I didn’t realize it before going to Greece, I have since learned that the best cotton and olives are grown in this area — the climate makes it ripe for the picking.  There are 2,000 year-old olives trees around, ones that predate the Holy Roman Empire.  If the trees can live that long, the olives MUST be good for you! Unfortunately, the olive-making process includes having to brine the olives — and with that, it will have an adverse effect on your blood pressure. The advice then is probably to eat olives in moderation….it can’t be all that good for you!

The area around the Acropolis is full of ancient ruins, including the Temple of Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch, Tzistarakis Mosque and Fetiye Mosque. We also witnessed a few archelogy students unearthing the ruins in the area. Having watched them for a half hour or so, it’s a very arduous process, using brushes, small picks and dustpans. It’s very important to preserve the ruins, so large sledge hammers and demolition tools are not used.

That evening, we ate our dinner under the stars at a roof-top restaurant below the Acropolis. We ordered Greek salad, lamb and some red wine. It was heavenly. The goat cheese in Athens is very smooth, unlike the cheese that you can buy in the US. Normally, we eat rather quickly, but we were told that the night lights of Athens would be quite a sight to. So, we ate slowly and enjoyed the ambience…and waited for the sun to set. It couldn’t have been more perfect. The weather was great and it was a beautiful sunset…well worth the wait! Once the sun set below the horizon, the lights of Athens illuminated the city…and the Acropolis. First, the structure atop the Acropolis lit up in a gold tone. After a few minutes, the base lit up in a greenish tone, lending contrast to the golden hue of the building. And finally, everything turned golden, contrasting the dark skies of the night. It was magical…..and we captured, in pictures, the changing colors.  What a perfect end to our first evening in Greece. We took the subway back to our hotel, fully sated and eagerly awaiting our cruise to the Greek islands and Kusadasi the following morning.

Our version of some great Greek recipes:

Greek Salad:

Four Tomtoes (Cut in Half Lengthwise and Sliced); 1 Large Cucumber (Cut in Half Lengthwise and Sliced); 2T Olive Oil; 1 Lemon (Squeezed); Goat Cheese (3″x3″x1″ – Crumbled at the last minute); Fresh Oregano (3 sprigs)

Yogurt Condiment and Dessert

1 Pint of Plain Yogurt (use a cheese cloth to take out most of the water – yogurt will be very thick in consistency); 1-2 Cloves of Fresh Chopped Garlic; 1T Red Wine Vinegar; 1 Cucumber (1/4″ cubes) – Mix everything together and enjoy….

1 Pint of Plain Yogurt (use a cheese cloth to take out most of the water – yogurt will be thick in consistency); Top it with 4T Honey

Holiday in Hawaii #6

{ January 14, 2010 @ 5:57 am } · { Food, Recipes, Travel, Travel Hawaii }
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New Year’s Day was another day with the ohana (“family”)…..and with a lot of great food! Instead of the fireworks that are only allowed one New Year’s Eve and into the early hours of New Year’s Day, the children played with sparklers, which are allowed all year round. Meet the future President of the US among the group of little ones that are currently attending Punahou School. Punahou is held in high esteem among the islanders, not only because President Barack Obama graduated from there, but because it is known for its quality education.

The President was in town during our visit to Oahu, but we didn’t try to get a glimpse of him this year. Last year, we actually drove to Kailua to see if we could meet him. We didn’t know where to go, so we stopped at a local shop, Muu Muu Heaven, where they were making a few dresses for the President’s daughters from the muumuus of the President’s grandmother (“Tutu”). We found that to be quite interesting and we thought that the first daughters would be wearing these dresses at the inauguration. That, unfortunately, was not the case. However, if that were to have happened, it would have added a special touch to an already historic event. From there, we made a few inquiries as to the whereabouts of the then President Elect. After many wrong turns and misguided information, we finally found where the President Elect was staying. When we approached the neighborhood, we were told by the secret service that “this is where he’s staying and this is as far as you can go”. Oh well…it was an adventure nonetheless.

As we often do, we decided to take a walk along Kahala Beach. It’s a stretch of land that few people know of and because of that, we love it. This year, we were very surprised to see a topless woman tanning in the sand. A nude beach in Hawaii?? Really?? Obviously, she didn’t care if it all hung out, but a few of the sunbathers felt a bit uncomfortable. While it’s ok in the Mediterranean, it just doesn’t seem right in Hawaii. The strange thing is that she was a kamaaina (“local”), who should know better. That aside, it was a beautiful day and we got a lot of beautiful pictures. The Kahala Hotel, which is on the beach, is beautiful — and you can watch the dolphins swimming in the pool all day long. Why pay to see them? It’s free at the Kahala Hotel.

That evening, we played a game of Mah Jong. Apparently, everyone plays by a different set of rules and oddly, there are different tiles as well. There’s a Japanese version (or so we think it’s a Japanese version), with a picture of a red dragon on one of the tiles. There’s also a Chinese version, with the Chinese character, which means center, on what is supposed to be the same tile. At first, my husband wanted to know what the red dragon was. He’d never seen it before. We, on the otherhand, were a bit surprised that he didn’t know what it was. Finally, after looking carefully at the tile, and with a few of us having played with the Chinese version in the past, we understood. There’s no red dragon in the Chinese version. We laughed, especially since we coaxed him into throwing it away….and it was immediately snapped up by my cousin.

We ate a lot this holiday season. Thought we’d share a few recipes with you….

Prime Rib

Take the prime rib out of the refrigerator at least 2 hours before you expect to bake it. Coat the prime rib on all exposed sides with yellow mustard. Preheat the oven. Bake the roast at 500 degrees for the first 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325 for the remaining time (For a rare to medium rare rib – the entire baking time should be 13-15 minutes per pound). It’s perfect!! And you don’t taste the mustard — it merely acts as a crust to keep the moisture in.

Custard Pie

Crust: 1 1/4 C Flour; 2T Sugar; 1t vinegar; 3-4T Cold Water; 1C Crisco (mix the flour and sugar together; cut the crisco into the flour until it forms little beads; combine the vinegar and cold water; add the water mixture to the flour mixture – make sure that the dough sticks together, but not so damp that it can’t be rolled into a pastry form).

Filling: 3 large eggs; 3/4 C white sugar; 1t salt; 1t vanilla; 2 1/2 C milk. Combine eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla in a mixer. Scald the milk and add it to the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into the pie shell.

Preheat the oven and bake the custard pie for 1 hour at 400 degrees.

Apple Pie:

You’ll need a pie crust for the top and bottom of the pie. Double the pie crust recipe above.

Filling: 5 Large Apples (cut into 12 pieces each); 1C white sugar; 2T flour; 1T cinnamon. Mix the sugar flour and cinnamon together. Coat the apples in the mixture. Make sure you use the entire mixture.

Preheat the oven and bake the pie at 400 degrees for 50 minutes. The pie is perfect!

We left the islands very content. We had a great time with family and friends….

Holiday in Hawaii #2

{ January 10, 2010 @ 1:41 am } · { Food, Recipes, Travel, Travel Hawaii }
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During the holidays, we like to spend time with family and friends here on the island. Every Sunday before New Year’s, we pound mochi with mom’s friends of 20+ years. It’s been a tradition from the ‘80s and sadly, it was announced that this would be our last year. The second generation is getting up in age and it’s now difficult for them to carry on this tradition. Pounding 100 pounds of mochi takes strength and endurance, even though there is a grinder that turns the steamed mochi rice into a rough, pasty consistency. We have a family tradition of eating mochi on New Year’s Day, and we generally decorate the house with a set of two stacked mochi and a tangerine for good luck. We found that the hand-made mochi is so much better than the store-purchased ones. The extra pounding, sweat and dirt that you get from home-made mochi make it so much more delicious. Often, there are 10 to 12 guys that would do the pounding, which would go from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with ‘Jimmy’, our wonderful guide, directing the efforts and making sure that the mochi is the right consistency. Mallets made of the hau tree are used to pound the mochi, one strike after the next. As the mochi is beaten, the mochi would sometimes fly out of the mochi receptacle (a stone) and on to the cement floor. It would be poho (a waste) to throw it away, so we pick off the dirt and put it back into the receptacle to be pounded again. We laugh about it and tell everyone, “Shhh, no say anyting”. Eventually, what goes in will make its way out. What’s a little bit of dirt?

Half way through the pounding, we got the scare of our life when Jimmy was injured. The accident happened so quickly that we weren’t quite sure what transpired. We didn’t know if the head of the mallet flew off and hit Jimmy or if the mallet was misfired while pounding the mochi. Jimmy was taken to the hospital, and a few stitches later, he was back pounding the mochi. He’s truly an amazing man and an inspiration to the younger generation. We always use the phrase, “Gambat’te”, which in Japanese means to ‘keep trying”.

While the men pound the mochi, the women and children cut the mochi to size, shape it and roll it in potato starch to prevent the mochi from sticking together. Although my parents have been helping for the past 20 years, we’ve only been doing it for the past three years. It has been something that we look forward to every year when we return to Hawaii. Since we won’t be having this any more, we’re hoping to buy the mochi stone and mallets so that we can continue a little piece of the tradition. We can’t have as big a production as we did in the past, but it’s sad to see the tradition die.

Later that day, we met new friends (Neenz (from McKinley High School – yay – go Tigers!), Ed, Zen, Noe, Jayden, Chelsea and Jill) from ‘Grilled Cornbread,’ the largest social media group in Hawaii. We love the food in Hawaii, so Joseph asked Neenz if she could bring some spam musubi for us to eat. She brought that, along with a Macadamia Nut Cream Pie from Ted’s and some Hawaiian Sun drinks. The food was delicious (‘ono’) and we had a wonderful time visiting with everyone. We know that the partnership with them will bring a lifelong friendship.

For our first gathering, we met at Ala Moana Beach and Park, which Neenz suggested and which conjured up many fond memories for me. Back in the good ‘ole days, we had kenjinkai picnics with families from the same prefecture as my dad’s. As children, we were so happy to be able to win prizes by running the ‘geta’ (double slipper) race and many different individual and relay races. Our parents used to love the vegetable picking grab, where they’d scatter vegetables and rice and have to retrieve as much of it as they could possibly hold. Our families would prepare a lot of food, including barbecue beef and chicken, musubi, manapua, watermelon, and macaroni salad, that we’d have for lunch and dinner. Shaved ice would be available all day and this was a special treat for us all. Later in the day, we’d all go to the beach and swim to the reef, where we’d pick pipipi (periwinkle) off the rocks. We’d go back to the picnic area and broil it on the grill and eat it for dinner. These were some very special times and we’d look forward to this gathering every year.

We took a few friends around the island and stopped at the Pali Lookout, Chinaman’s Hat, which from the photo, you’ll know why. We also stopped at Sunset Beach and saw the waves pounding the sands. It’s amazing how surfers are able to negotiate the 30-foot walls. Our last stop before heading back to the south shore was Matsumoto’s Shaved Ice. Because of its reputation, the lines were extremely long, with the overflow going to Aoki’s, the shaved ice stand next door. Although the shaved ice was good, there are a lot of great shaved ice places on the island.

Below is a mochi soup recipe that we love to eat for breakfast on New Year’s Day:

1 Can Hokkigai Clams — it’s very expensive so you can use a substitute; 5 Dried Shrimps (put in a tea strainer so that it can easily be removed); 2 Qts Water; 2T Soy Sauce; 2 Bunches of Arugala; Salt to taste; Mochi (as many as you want). Boil the clams, water, soy sauce and shrimps. Add the mochi. When the mochi is almost done, add the arugala and salt to taste.  It’s a light soup, but very delicious.

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