Month: March 2015

cooking

Mother and Child over Rice: Oyako-don

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Mother and Child over Rice: Oyako-don

Not human mother and child.  This is not going to be weird, spooky story at all.

It’s one of many Japanese soul food dishes.  Oyako means “parent and child(ren).”  This dish is made with chicken and egg and that’s why it’s called “Oyako”-don.  Some Oyako-don restaurants are very serious about what they serve, like this very famous and beloved Oyako-don restaurant called Tamahide in Tokyo, established in 1760.  This is something my mom barely made when I was growing up.  I felt I was struck by thunder when my kindergarten class mate’s mom (our neighbor.  My mom and she were so close) made it for me one day.  Nostalgia…

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Oyako-don for 2:  Chicken (I used breast, cut in bite size), 1/2 x  onion, 2 x eggs, sugar, sake, mirin (sweet wine), soy sauce, dashi (bonito stock).  Mix all the liquids, then cook onions for a few minutes and then add chicken. Cook until chicken is tender.  Turn the heat off.  Then add beaten eggs and cook about 3 minutes with low heat or until eggs are done per your preference.  Add that over rice.

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I tried to eat this at a couple of different restaurants but  I always prefer to eat at home.  I think that is because I want to cook my eggs MY way and also my memory of that evening when our neighbor made it for me while my mom was out.  I was missing my mother but I couldn’t hide my excitement to eat this dish I hadn’t seen before.  It smelled sweet and looked so colorful and fun.  I remember it tasted so joyous!

I don’t make my Oyako-don with that much of excitement anymore, but I still enjoy it when I do.  The combination of smells between the sugar, dashi, soy sauce, chicken and onions!  You don’t have to do much, all you have to do is to wait until it creates its magic.  That few minutes of patience, that alone is worth cooking this dish.

It was delicious.

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Alphabet Questions: M-S (especially R)

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Alphabet Questions: M-S (especially R)

M – Most favorite book?:  Tokyo Bandwagon

N – Nicknames?:  Mimi Gomez

O – One wish?:  All animals get saved

P – Person who texted me last?:  Vivienne

Q – Question you’re always asked?:  Where did I put that?

R – Reason to smile?:  Chocolate, my overweight chihuahua, many, many, many good books, Billie Holiday records, my mom’s cooking, quote like ““Maybe we should all just listen to records and quit our jobs.” by Jack White, smell of freshly opened bag of Sun-dried Ethiopia Yirgacheff coffee beans, oranges, dog paws, depressing music grabs my heart, English accent, movie like Liberal Arts, independent bookstores like Shakespeare & Co., tasty pastries at Crumble and Flake,  Joseph Leonard, New York City especially East/West Village, Rent, Stomp, handwritten letters, text message saying “i love u,” holding hands, Paris, Paris, Paris, Staub pots, vintage housewares, Bangkok, warm and cozy bed, sound of rain drops, sound of cello makes, Picasso painting, Maria Kochetkova, point shoes, stylish looking glasses, snow,  flower bouquet made by Ayako, Emily Dann, the Corson Building, Autumn, claw-foot tubs, old wood chairs/tables, well-polished shoes, home cooking, chopping vegetables with my Aritsugu knife, beach, ocean, sunset, I can go on for about 2 days to list what makes me happy so I will stop right here.  And, Archie.

S – Song I sang last?:  Cups (“When I’m Gone”)

Personal

My Favorite Travel Memory: Bali Airport

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My Favorite Travel Memory: Bali Airport

France, Hong Kong, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Italy, Indonesia, Germany, Japan, United States…travel is one of my passions.  If someone paid me to travel and eat, I would do it in a heartbeat.  There are so many happy moments, sad and difficult times and challenging moments throughout my trips.  I love every county I’ve ever been to and I have great memories on those trips.  Thinking about that just makes me happy.

If someone asked me what was my happiest moment, I would answer “Ngurah Rai International Airport.”  It is an airport in Bali, Indonesia.  “Just an airport?” you might ask.  Yes, that was my happiest moment in my travel history.  Entire travel time was 22 hours or so including 2-lay overs at Taipei and San Francisco.  I was tired but excited for my first visit to Bali.

When I landed, I had to buy a tourist visa at the immigration counter.  I was in line about 30 min.  Then I had to be in another 20 min line to go through immigration for an entry stamp.  As any other airport, there were so many exhausted people and crying kids.  Quite loud.

Finally after I came out from the immigration gate to exit the airport, all sounds got muted and all I heard was my name.  This person waving both arms so big but he didn’t even have to do that because all I could see was him.  I kid you not, that was what I experienced.  For a second, I didn’t hear anything and see anything but him.  Then suddenly my world turned to color.  What I mean is that I was not seeing or hearing as I should have been before that happened.  I was not paying attention to what my eyes see and my ears hear.  I had been in a deep and dark hole for the longest time so I probably had forgotten how the world actually looks like until that moment.

From that moment on, I finally have been able to “live” my life.  I feel everything, not only the pain.  I feel happiness, satisfaction, fun, pleasure, enjoyment, well-being, joy, contentment and love.  I am not saying they are the only things that I feel but those feelings are not what I was able to experience completely before that moment at Bali Airport. That was June 2011.  Sun near equator was shining and burning my skin.  Humid and breezy.  I am forever thankful for that moment at the airport.

food

Confidence in Happy Cows: Skagit River Ranch

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Confidence in Happy Cows: Skagit River Ranch

Betty said with her doubtful voice, “How can you eat meat you bought at the farmers market?  Is it even safe?”  I don’t know Betty well.  We just dance at the same dance studio and exchange not-so-deep conversations.  We were talking about my favorite farmers market and told her that I don’t shop at giant chain supermarkets anymore because I could find almost everything I need at the farmers market.

There are at least three wonderful butchers at University Farmers Market.  Once I bought a huge beef lamp at Sea Breeze Farm, I asked George, owner of this farm, how I should store the meat and he said “keep in a fridge uncovered and it will last about a month.”  He also advised me “when you start seeing mold on surface, all you have to do is to wipe the mold with vinegar.  You can also enjoy raw.”  He was so right.  I enjoyed his beef in every way for about  3-1/2 weeks.

Yesterday morning, I bought some beef from Skagit River Ranch for the first time.  I asked this super friendly lady Eiko what’s the best way to cook this.  She said, “you just marinade for about a couple of hours then cook 7 minutes one side and 5 on the other.  I like medium.”  I also asked if I can cook with less time because I like medium rare.  She said, “honey, you can eat that sucker raw.”  Now you understand why I love this farmers market.

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Eiko also gave me her “Simple Everything Marinade” recipe.  You mix olive oil, soy sauce, honey or brown sugar, garlic and lemon juice.  I marinated for about 4 hours.  I think that was the best steak I have ever cooked at home. Beautiful pink/red inside and came out so tender.  I simmered left-over marinade for a minute and used for dressing over a braised broccoli salad.

It is way “safer” than any meat you can find at Safeway.  These farmers are not only confident what they provide for customers but also offer with pride.  You can actually taste it.  Their care, passion and love for what they do.

Betty, I hope you try the meat at a local farmers market one day.  I promise you, you will enjoy it so much because, “you can eat that sucker raw.”

food

If You Are So Brave: Natto Eating 納豆

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If You Are So Brave: Natto Eating 納豆

Fried eggs and bacon?  French toast with loads of syrup?  Steak and eggs?  Or Green eggs and ham? What Japanese people eat in the morning is a little different (we definitely read “Green eggs and ham”, but “I would not eat them here or there”).  What I grew up with, for example,  a bowl of rice, miso soup, grilled fish, homemade pickles, and seasoned vegetables.  This kind of meal however takes time and preparation.  When I want to energize quickly in the morning, this is what I have;  natto over rice. Carbs give you energy as you know.  But what is Natto?  Natto is fermented soybeans in short.  Yogurt, vinegar, pickles, kimchi, miso, sourdough bread (gasp!), kombucha, wine (what?), Worcestershire sauce, cheese to name a few.  Natto is in the same family.  Like cheese, it has a STRONG smell and taste like…hmmm…natto?  It also has a slimy texture.  You simply add a bit of soy sauce (my dad’s favorite) or sweet soy which is my favorite then mix really well to make it even more slimy.  Then add natto on top of warm, well-prepared rice and start eating.  It contains fiber, vitamins, and iron so it’s nutritiously rich.  I grew up with this and it is on my long list of Soul Food dishes. You can do this.  Yes, it is slimy and it is smelly.  But you eat okra and you also love cheese, right?  It’s not far from it.  There is always a first time.  This will change your perspective on eating.  Completely.  If you want to experience that, I recommend for you to at least try it.  And I will salute you for your bravery. By the way, my mom will give you crap though.  She hates natto.

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730 Sq. of Freedom: Simple Living

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730 Sq. of Freedom: Simple Living

This is the square footage of living space of my house.  Some people think it’s to0 tiny and wonder how I live in it.  I am a 5’-2 Asian woman so my house is the perfect size for me.  I am a purger.  I’m always looking for something to donate or let go.  When I buy one clothing item, for example, I donate at least 2 items.  One pair of shoes purchased, one old pair will go.  I have 2 things I dislike in the world, life drama and “stuff.”  I don’t like to have lots of thing and I don’t like things filling up my personal space.

There is this house.  A big house.  Maybe 4-person family plus one friendly Labrador living in that house.  The house has a 3-car garage but it seems like  only 2 people in that household can drive, husband and wife.  Kids are maybe like 4 and 6 years old.  The 2 cars that they own are always parked on the street.  One day, a garage door was open when I was out walking my dog and I saw that garage was full of “stuff.”  I mean it was PACKED.  This is actually what I saw in Atlanta.  The big house was right next to mine.  Do they even need that many items?  It seems like it was almost impossible for them to take stuff out because it was SO packed.  You buy a bigger house because you are running out of space to put your stuff?  I really do not see the point in that.

I don’t get indecisive on what to wear to work in the morning because I only own what I wear.  I don’t worry about which purse I use today because I only have one laptop bag.

I do like a very simple life.  I don’t like to complicate things (because I am a complicated person).  I don’t call myself a complete minimalist but my wish is to lead a minimal life.  Food, books, my dog, handful of precious friends, music and travel.  That’s all I need to complete my life.  If someone tells me “you need to move to Thailand tomorrow”, the things that I would bring are my overweight Chihuahua, Archie, my favorite book, and my passport and I will say “let’s go!”

Like Oscar Wiled said, “With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?”  He is genius, right?

coffee

My Kind of Meditation: Coffee, Cream and Sugar

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My Kind of Meditation: Coffee, Cream and Sugar

When I feel like this (oh, life is so hard).

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I translate my body is asking for some happiness injection.  Gentle sugar intake.  I barely use sugar when I drink coffee since I want to enjoy pure flavor and taste of coffee beans but sometimes what you need is good quality sugar and happy cow cream.

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Inner beauty is important but outer beauty is also important.  I don’t know what it is but I have this huge love for mason jars.  Whatever you put in, they all look lovely.  I even put my  quinoa salad in one of my mason jars and bring it as my lunch.  Anyhow, coffee also looks good in that.

I like to use rock sugar or raw sugar because it taste milder and rounder than refined sugar, to me anyways. Sometimes all you need is to take extra few minutes to grind beans, boil the water, and inhale fantastic coffee aroma while pouring water over the coffee.  Your life would be so much better after that.  It is sort of like meditating.

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Some tips on making this coffee…use good quality coffee. I tend to like higher acidity beans from Africa.  Use good quality sugar and cream, this makes so much difference.  You can also add vanilla beans (real) to ground beans to it.  Don’t rush to do anything.  Please make sure to taste it.

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They Are a Great Start for Problem Solving: Flowers

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They Are a Great Start for Problem Solving: Flowers

It is true, flowers actually do not solve any one problem you may have.  However, flowers remind you that you are being thought of by someone, the beauty of life, that you are loved and to smile.  Someone special in your life, whoever that may be, is thinking of you, which lifts you up, not the flowers themselves.  It has been hard to accept that I am special to someone because I grew up convincing myself that I was an ugly duckling and no one cared about me.

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My friend Ayako Gordon, (also an artisan jam maker) made this gorgeous bouquet.   Archie goes to see Ayako every other Sunday at Marigold and Mint where she works as a florist.  She knows exactly what I like so he doesn’t have to tell Ayako what kind of bouquet he wants to get for me.  Every time Archie brings me those flowers, my heart gets filled so much and it almost explodes.

The bonus to that is that when you give flowers to someone special, your best friend, your spouse, your boss, your direct report, your mother, your brother’s wife…whoever that is, you will experience the same effect as much as when you receive them.  You will get to feel the beauty of life, how much you love that person, how much you think of him/her.

Flowers=the first step to world peace (at least your inner peace)