February 5, 2016 In All recipes, Noodle/Pasta/Rice

Longevity noodle w/ black sesame and crispy shallots

[ezcol_1fifth]. [/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_3fifth] It is the first day of the Chinese New Year holiday, and I'm quickly leaving you with my version of a festive and symbolic dish that are served in many Chinese holidays or events.   Taiwanese call it "noodle threads (面线)", or as it is called "wire noodles (索面)" in southern China.  It's extremely long and elastic which makes them resistant to breaking and thus symbolizes longevity and eternity.  And in a deeply superstitious Taiwanese culture, this purpose alone is sufficient to get it invited to every events where they'd like to see good omen literally printed on the menus. But I don't eat it like any of that non-sense.  I love this noodle simply because it's freaking good. It has a super fine, silky and soft but slightly chewy texture with a subtle saltiness.  And it is just the ultimate February-comfort food, especially soaked in dense chicken stock infused with a deeply nutty, gingery and garlicky black sesame paste, and the pungent aroma from crispy fried shallots.  Its smooth and yarn-like body slides effortlessly into the tummy, with a sip of darkened and aromatic broth that lingers in the mouth.  Every time I make this, I wonder why I

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January 7, 2015 In All recipes, Noodle/Pasta/Rice, Poultry

BLACK SESAME AND GINGR CHICKEN NOODLE SALAD

ONCE YOU GO BLACK, YOU NEVER GO BACK. [ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third_end][/ezcol_1third_end][ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third_end][/ezcol_1third_end] [ezcol_1third] Do you know what it feels to always live under the shadow of someone else? Well, say heh-lloooo to black sesame. You see

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February 21, 2014 In All recipes, Noodle/Pasta/Rice, Sweets

INSIDE-OUT BLACK SESAME STICKY RICE BALLS

"SO WHAT DOES THE LETTER 'Q' TASTE LIKE?" I.  Love.  This.  Stuff. Everybody, girls especially, who has or shares an Asian background, loves this stuff.  This stuff is so popular it's practically in the freezer section in every respectable Asian grocery stores, big or small.  This stuff is so unstoppable, that although originally meant to be eaten on a single Chinese holiday only, now is enjoyed all year round.  People look for excuses to eat this stuff.  Given that it's warm, soft and sweet, it's a comfort food for the mentally wounded.  But then again, given that it's a circle which symbolizes "wholeness" and "content", it's a must-item in Chinese weddings, too.  Boyfriend dumped you, you eat this stuff.  Getting hitched, you eat this stuff.  You see what I mean? This stuff is called tang-yuan (literally soup-circles), aka sticky rice balls. Why do Asians love sticky rice balls so much?  To add to your confusion, it all comes down the mystery of one single alphabetical letter - "Q". Asians love stuffs that are "Q", and this, this is "very Q". I'm sorry, what the fuck am I talking about?  I mean what does the letter "Q" taste like anyways!  What does any letter taste like?  But

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September 5, 2013 In All recipes, Bakery/Pastry, Dairy, Sweets

The nuttiest profiteroles

I of all people, know how intimidating it can be to play with ingredients that are completely outside of the comfort zone. You see, it's for the exact same reason that I seriously hate poker games with complete strangers, but I think I could manage playing games like 918kaya if I was on my own. I just don't like the idea of playing with strangers and their unpredictable displays that I have absolutely no talent of reading, or in knowing that if I went all-in with my last stick of butter, would I be left with no chips

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