For the longest time I avoided kalua pork because it didn’t look appetizing. Never ‘judge a book by it’s cover!’ With some encouragement, I finally took my first bite of kalua pork while on a trip to Hawaii at a luau. I was hooked! After that, I only ate kalua pork when I was in Hawaii. Then I discovered that it wasn’t half bad, in fact pretty darned good at The Loft and King’s Hawaiian Bakery...
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I knew it was going to be an odd day when I woke up hungry and was craving Japanese food. (And, no, I am not preggo again!) On my trips to Japan, I never could figure out why my peeps in the homeland enjoyed eating rice and miso soup for breakfast. I admit to eating this for breakfast on a few occasions while traveling, but it was honestly because of jet lag. I mean by the time it was breakfast there, it was really time for a late...
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This post is for you, my friend on the islands! :) Since I still have 1/2 a yamaimo left in the fridge after making yamakake soba for lunch, I made tororo (seasoned, grated Japanese mountain yam) as a side dish. It’s basically a bowl of grated and seasoned Japanese mountain yam. Simple and delicious with good umami. My Mom used to make tororo for us as a side dish and it was always such a treat. I must have been a weird kid...
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Yamaimo is my friend. :) Maybe even my BEST friend! Yamaimo is Japanese mountain yam, also known as nagaimo, Korean yam, or Chinese yam. But not everyone loves yamaimo like I do. Bebe Dada thinks its gross, although I don’t believe he’s ever tried a bite. I can’t blame him though. After all, it’s not the most attractive vegetable with its rough, pock-marked skin with long hairs! Once its peeled and grated,...
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Marukai Supermarket, a Japanese specialty foods store, is by far my favorite grocery shopping destination. One of the things I love about my move to Orange County is that it only takes me 10 minutes to drive to Marukai in Costa Mesa. When I lived on the Westside (Los Angeles) I had to drive to Gardena, which was a 30 minute drive, in order to get to the South Bay Marukai. It was one of those trips that warranted an invitation to my mom...
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When I was little my mom would make sunomono (Japanese vinegared salad) with kyuri (Japanese cucumber) and wakame (seaweed). Sometimes she would also add dried shirasu (whitefish; baby “katakuchi” sardine) or other small dried fish “for calcium” as she said. Often times at dinner I would see a bowl of sunomono as one of the many Japanese side dishes served with our fish, curry, or other Japanese dish we were...
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Since bebe dada is sick, I decided to make him soup. He always makes me simple, yet delicious Chinese soups (see Winter Melon Soup and Wonton Soup) when I’m sick but I wanted to make good ol’ fashion chicken noodle soup. What I ended up making was a hearty chicken, macaroni and vegetable soup with ingredients I had in the kitchen. One of the things I keep in my freezer is leftover whole rotisserie chicken from Costco. Costco has...
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Easy-peasy smoothie… Last week bebe dad went on a business trip to Arizona and caught a cold on the flight home. :( One day for lunch I made him a strawberry banana smoothie since he wanted something refreshing and his appetite wasn’t flourishing. I had fresh strawberries and organic bananas on hand. The perfect combo for a smoothie. Strawberry Banana Smoothie 1 banana peeled and cut 4 strawberries halved 1/2 cup plain...
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