As promised, here are some photos of my visit to the Pagoda Building and Chinatown Sacramento. Sorry for the quality.
Tag Archives: Noshing
I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard about this recipe for cake batter that magically separates into 3 layers (cake on the bottom, custard in the middle, cake on the top). It seemed too good to be true. Naturally, I had to try it!
To my absolute delight, the cake was fantastic! It reminded me of those orange chocolate balls that you get during the holidays. You know, the ones you have to smash to break apart. Biting into this magic cake transported me back 4 months, to Christmas.
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I’ve been suffering from this intolerable cold on and off again for the past 2 months! Just when I start to feel better, this cold sucks me back in. Needless to say, I’ve been an utter mess. Jonah’s been super sweet caring for me. The other week he set up the vaporizer for me, stocked the fridge with yummy soup, and encouraged me to veg out in front of the TV all day. I slept, watched the entire first season of Downton Abbey, slept some more, ate soup, and slept again. The next day, I was cured! All symptoms were gone! “Thank Lord Grantham”, I thought. But…I spoke too soon. Not even a week later, the dreaded symptoms had returned. Yesterday, I ran a fever of 100.2F. Can you say “FML”? It’s as if my immune system decided to go on furlough for 2 months. I’m willing to do anything to finally be rid of this cold! Which brings me to today’s recipe.
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There’s just something about apple turnovers that makes you just want to huddle by a fire and read a good book. It’s one of those universal comfort foods that both brings us back to childhood and makes us feel a slight sophistication by eating such a dainty pastry. I decided to add an Asian addition to this traditionally Western desert by adding…yes, you guessed it, Chinese Five Spice!
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When people hear of Vietnamese street food, they automatically think of banh mi. Although it’s known to be essentially “fast food”, I’m glad to see this sandwich style making its way into both upscale restaurants and food trucks alike in this nation.
Banh mi is simply translated as “sandwich”. So, what makes a banh mi sandwich different from others? The answer is in the toppings! Rather than your boring lettuce-tomato-onion topping in your plain Jane sandwich, imagine biting into crisp cilantro, cucumbers, pickled carrots and daikon, fresh serrano peppers, and pate!
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Growing up, my dad would brew himself his routine cup of coffee flavored with a heaping spoon of condensed milk every morning. My sister and I were allowed the occasional sip here and there, but never had a full brew to ourselves for fear that the caffeine would stunt our growth. Now, we’re the tallest women in our extended family, taller than a few men in fact. I’m currently 25 years old, 5 foot 6 inches tall, and I’m glad to report that I had an actual full cup of Vietnamese coffee all to myself this morning! But something was off…it was absolutely delicious, however not exactly how I remembered it as a kid. Same brand coffee, same brand condensed milk, same coffee to milk ratio…what was I doing wrong?
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Pickled carrots and daikon, Vietnam’s equivalent to bread and butter pickles. I can just eat these babies plain with a small bowl of rice, and in fact I have. I prefer to eat omnivore-light; and for those who’ve never heard the term, it means I’m not exactly a vegetarian, but I try to cut out meat when I can, and let me tell you, pickled carrots and daikon make for a great vegetarian snack! These lightly pickled and julienned veggies can be added to almost anything! It’s perfect if you need a sweet and yet slightly sour crunch to your dish. It’s generally used in banh mi sandwiches, dry noodle bowls, meat and rice plates, spring rolls, and many more delectable dishes.
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I wanted to take this chance to show off an awesome gift I received. Is it neurotic of me to be so excited about a mortar and pestle? Because well, I am. There’s just something therapeutic about the rustic technique of grinding your own food with cold stone dug from the earth and allowing the aroma of whatever it is you’re crushing to take over you. I adore my handy dandy food processor, don’t get me wrong, but using a mortar and pestle allows you to connect with your food on a whole other level.
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For 2 months in 2006, I lived in Nha Trang, a beach front town in South Vietnam where my mom currently resides. It’s a beautiful and somewhat touristy town with delicious food. One of my favorite parts of the day was waking up in the morning and deciding which street food vendor I would try next. Unlike most urban American street vendors, where you have your standard pretzel, hot dog, or falafel carts, the vendors in Vietnam serve a smorgasbord of different dishes. On one corner, you can treat yourself to beef noodle soup. If you go down a block, you can gorge on savory sizzling crepes. Kitty corner from that vendor, you can indulge in a brothy seafood soup.
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