Alright, this post is a long time coming. Time to face the music and finally get cooking!
1-dishes i want to learn
魯肉飯
涼麵
上海菜飯
咸魚雞粒炒飯
魚丸湯
韭菜合
tuna tataki over rice here
agedashi tofu here
salt grilled sanma (mackerel) here
hamchikama (grilled yellowtail collar) here
the korean egg souffle
2-cool things I want to try
師子頭
但仔麵
炸漿麵
蔥油餅
sesame cupcakes also here
guava cupcakes here
3-high(er) difficulty
bibimnengmyun
vietnamese pork chops
takoyaki
this is a running list, so that's it for now.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Ventures out of Manhattan
Now that I have been spending more time in Jersey City and firmly planted myself in Andy's apartment like a barnacle on a searock, I want to try to cook as much as possible and use the time that I have to "practice" (this is his passive-aggressive way to tell me that my cooking needs some work). Compared to my cramped Manhattan kitchen and 1x1 ft counter top, I am living the life of luxury now at Grove Pointe. Yes, I am going to say it, I love Middle America (haha, just kidding about Jersey being Middle America).
The reason being this: I went to 3 Asian delis all within an 8-10 minutes walk, all of which stocked ridiculously fresh produce which cost me about 50% of what it would for in Manhattan. Basically if I were in the city I'd be paying a 200% markup for a dried-up, sad-looking excuse for a pepper, whereas in JC they are actually fresh, and plump! Imagine that. Anyway, my biggest and proudest find was Nha Trang Market where they sell a variety of Chinese celery that I have not seen anywhere on the eastern seaboard in all my 9 years of living here (yes, people, these kind of things excite me!). I guess all I needed was an Asian supermarket.
Another thing I like about JC is that it brings to me a strange sense of nostalgia. This area clearly has a large immigrant presence (hello indians!), and when I see these families, I am reminded of my parent's own journey. It makes me so happy to see them in their traditional garb, speaking their language, and cooking their food (my hallway reeks of tumeric or tikki masala, I swear). The other day, I found out one of my neighbors is a large Taiwanese family because they were loudly eating dinner at the table and had propped open their door to release the smoke in their apt. Forgivable, yes, but hello, have you heard of the window! Haha, just kidding - nuttin' but love for the Taiwanese.
The reason being this: I went to 3 Asian delis all within an 8-10 minutes walk, all of which stocked ridiculously fresh produce which cost me about 50% of what it would for in Manhattan. Basically if I were in the city I'd be paying a 200% markup for a dried-up, sad-looking excuse for a pepper, whereas in JC they are actually fresh, and plump! Imagine that. Anyway, my biggest and proudest find was Nha Trang Market where they sell a variety of Chinese celery that I have not seen anywhere on the eastern seaboard in all my 9 years of living here (yes, people, these kind of things excite me!). I guess all I needed was an Asian supermarket.
Another thing I like about JC is that it brings to me a strange sense of nostalgia. This area clearly has a large immigrant presence (hello indians!), and when I see these families, I am reminded of my parent's own journey. It makes me so happy to see them in their traditional garb, speaking their language, and cooking their food (my hallway reeks of tumeric or tikki masala, I swear). The other day, I found out one of my neighbors is a large Taiwanese family because they were loudly eating dinner at the table and had propped open their door to release the smoke in their apt. Forgivable, yes, but hello, have you heard of the window! Haha, just kidding - nuttin' but love for the Taiwanese.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
curry bread, holla!
welcome to my blog, karepan (カレーパン) - dedicated to one of my favorite japanese snacks: the curry bread. if you have never been lucky enough to eat one of these scrumptious snacks, imagine piping hot, savory curry baked (or fried) in a thin, but crispy donut bun, with flecks of crispy breadcrumbs stuck to the outside of the bread. when you take a bite, the curry oozes out and you get a mouthful of savory goodness. the curry bread is so beloved in japan that they actually made it into a cartoon character, Anpanman. oh the japanese, gotta give it to them for making a superhero out of a pastry. even the famed iron chef morimoto has an appetizer dedicated to this guy on his menu at his nyc restaurant, morimoto. i guess the curry bread is moving up in this world. mmmm delicious.....
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