food – Page 4 – Have you eaten?

What is Hama Hama?: PNW Treasure

January 28, 2015by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

2-year residency in Atlanta, Georgia was quite tough for me. It was challenging to find fresh and organic produce (maybe I was not looking hard enough?) and seafood! Oh seafood…you have no idea how much I missed the fish market in Seattle when I was in ATL. They are available there of course, but there is no denying that northern ocean water produces finer seafood, especially shellfish.

This small vendor at the farmers market that I mentioned a couple times before in my blog offers seasonal shellfish. This past Saturday, they had 2 kinds of clams (one of them is called Happy Clam!) and a variety of oysters. The name of the vendor is “Hama Hama Oysters and they grow Hama Hama oysters at their farm. Isn’t that such a fun sound, Hama Hama? I just want to repeat saying that.

http://hamahamaoysters.com/

I purchased one jar packed with 7 x medium size Hama Hama from granddaughter of the founder of this oyster farm in Lilliwaup, Washington near Olympic National Forrest. It was shucked and packed that morning and I was there 9:30 in the morning, which tells me the oysters are incredibly fresh. I didn’t want to add too many condiments because I wanted to taste the intense sea water and umami-packed sweet flavors spreading through my mouth (I was already salivating when purchasing them).

Straight up Hama Hama Oysters without lot of seasonings

1) Rinse gently

2) Place them in cast iron pot

3) Drizzle olive oil and add a bit of sea salt and splash or dry white wine

4) Put the lid on and cook about 5 min (no need to touch, just let your pot do its job)

5) Add little bit of fresh lemon

6) Yay!

Accompaniment was lightly steamed leek with butter and salt.

Is your mouth watering yet?

Hama Hama. This is your magic word of winter (or all year around). Hama Hama, Hama Hama….

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cooking, food

Chopping Therapy: Prep for Gyoza

January 27, 2015January 27, 2015by have you eaten?2 Comments

It really helps me when I have a bad day or I am upset about something. Chopping vegetables is one of my meditation methods.

When I was a young child, helping my mother and grandma in the kitchen was mandatory. My mom started to let me use “old person’s kitchen knife” when I was 4. I always wanted to sound like them. They make this passionate, happy and fun sound of their knives hitting wooden cutting board with 100 miles per hour speed.

When I have a rough day at work, I tend to choose a dish requires a lot of chopping. Gyoza (dumpling) is one of them. I have a fond memory of helping my mom to prepare and wrap gyoza. You chop Chinese chives, garlic, ginger, napa cabbage and onion. You chop them all as finely as you possibly can. How fun does it sound? I feel like I am getting high, just thinking about it. I guess I am a creature who is easy to be pleased.

This is my amusement and is also delicious. You have umami from soy sauce, pork and veggies and sweetness from pork and other ingredients.

1. Mix REALLY well ground pork (or mix of ground pork and ground beef), chopped Chinese chives, garlic, ginger, napa cabbage, onion, soy sauce, salt (lots), pepper, potato starch (needs to be potato starch, not corn starch), sesame oil. Use your hand. It gets messy, but no utensils or tools, just your hand.

2. Wrap 1 with very thin gyoza wrappers (you can buy them at Asian grocery stores).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2_p_ny4eTE

3. Place them in oiled and heated skillet.

3a. Cook over high heat for 1 minute or so

3b. Reduce heat to medium and add little bit of water (not too much) and put the lid over skillet. Leave it for 2-3 min

3d. Remove the lid and increase heat to medium high and add oil.

4. Enjoy

Only thing I would like to mention is that it is SUPER important not to move around gyozas in the skillet. Just leave them as they are until they are done. Oh, that smell while cooking! This Japanese soul food’s glorious aroma takes me right back to where I grew up. My mom teaching me how to wrap dumplings and my small hands trying to mimic what she does.

Now, pull out your well-sharpened knife and start chopping. You will know exactly what I am talking about as soon as you finish chopping first clove of garlic.

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Sunday Happiness = Winter Vegetables in Staub 24cm

January 25, 2015by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

I used to dislike Sundays. Lots of people don’t like Mondays but Sundays were loneliest and longest of the week to me. However, since 2010, that has changed drastically.

I am cooking cauliflower today for lunch. A whole cauliflower plus some other winter vegetables (more like left over veggies in the fridge), lotus root, Japanese sweet potatoes, carrots, carrots, brussels sprouts. Here is what I did.

1. Place all vegetables in cast iron pot

2. Add white wine vinegar, water (50ml-ish? maybe), olive oil, sea salt, thyme, ground cumin seed

3. Put the lid on and cook about 25 minutes over low-medium heat.

4. Bon appetit!

Accompaniments are La Parisienne’s demi-baguette www.laparisienneseattle.com/gallery.html and Loki Fish Co.’s smoked salmon spread http://www.lokifish.com/

I get to do this kind of stuff every weekend. Not only that, I get to share these dishes, joy, love and passion for food and cooking with my best friend. Lonely Sundays? I am so over it.

cooking, food

Color of Saffron: STAUB 22cm

January 24, 2015by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

I don’t like shopping really. No, let me rephrase that. I do not like shopping except for books, grocery and kitchen tools.

Yesterday, this little but heavy box arrived at my cube at work. I tried so hard not to show my excitement. But it was really hard, Oh My God. It was my Staub pot! When I decided I was going to get rid of all tools, pots and pans that I was not in love with last year, I especially started to invest in pots and pans. I contemplated for a LONG time, like 8 months. Which one was better for me to get, Staub or Le Creuset (I am a thinker, what can I say)? Finally I decided to get Staub and my first pot was Grenadine Round Cocotte 28cm. It was a significant decision and I enjoy cooking even more because of Staub. It is cast iron pot and it is heavy but what I love about this pot is the lid. The lid closes very tightly and steams inside really well with small amount of water. Let’s say you are cooking winter vegetables, it usually takes a long time to cook them because they tend to be dense. Because of the tight lid closure, it cooks with small amount of water, which means that it cooks with water that vegetables contain, therefore it has a stronger flavor. Also these dimples in the lid. Whoever thought about these is genius. My hat’s off to that genius. Here is why. Those dimples circulates water inside of pot and has a basting effect.

I do have an emotional connection to this series. This my 3rd Staub and this is just gorgeous. There are so many things I want to cook. This a damn good problem to have.

coffee, starbucks

Coffee Fixes Everything?: Starbucks Reserve® Sumatra Peaberry Lake Toba does

January 22, 2015January 22, 2015by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

My morning was interesting. Well, it was not interesting, it was actually bitter start.

Coffee. Yes, coffee is needed for this kind or morning or any kind of morning. Our office building has a few Clover® machines. The very first thing I do every morning is to go to 9^th floor and make myself a delightful cup of coffee. No sugar or milk is added in order to taste pure whole beans. One of perks of working on a coffee team for a coffee company is the opportunity to taste millions of different coffees. My favorite is Starbucks Reserve® Ethiopia Sun-Dried Yirgacheffe™ because this coffee gives you BAM!! blueberry smell when you open the bag and nice semi-sweet chocolate flavor. What a romantic combination.

Anyway, Starbucks Reserve® Sumatra Peaberry Lake Toba, I detected light acidity in the back of my tongue and very mild and smooth bitterness spread in my mouth slowly. This coffee also has a bright fruity note and some sort of herbal note. I was trying to think of a good description and finally figured it out. It is green apple (!) for fruity flavor and cedar wood for herbal note. This is such a charming combination of note and flavor. Sumatra Peaberry Lake Toba has juicy entry and silky/smooth finish even though beans from Sumatra are very bold, almost chewy. Because of the chewiness and density, I usually do not like Asian coffee, however, Sumatra Peaberry Lake Toba is the very first Asian coffee that I ever liked. When enjoying this coffee, I was picturing myself sitting on swing in lightly humid but comfortable morning in early summer and enjoying sunrise. I almost could see the moon fading and the sky turning from purple to deep pink to orange.

How can I carry on with the bitter morning start all day after this lovely cup of coffee. You simply don’t.

I am a firm believer of this. Coffee fixes everything.

personal view

Food for My Soul

January 21, 2015January 21, 2015by have you eaten?2 Comments

“If you strip everything away that person has, including clothes, shoes, hat, job he/she has, what kind of car, titles so forth. Family, friends, obligations, tasks, home, money, experience, past, future, I mean everything. Now take a look at person again. If you are still in love with that person, that’s the one” – unknown

I am leading a fortunate life because I do have that person.

cooking

Transformation of Two Beloved Birds: Road to Pho Ga from Free-Range Farm

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015by have you eaten?2 Comments

So, there were two chickens, running around a field. Being outside, eating healthy food and getting exercise builds nice muscles, especially on their thighs. Also, with them running around freely, it makes them stress-free. Well, maybe not completely “free” from stress but they have way less stress than caged ones.

Those 2 birds ended up at my house and my dear friends and I enjoyed tasting them so much. I oven-roasted them with winter vegetables (blogged on 1/17) and also consumed 4.5 bottles of red wine as well. Next morning, as you can guess, we were not as happy as the night before due to dehydration and headache. What does Asian mother say when you have hangover? “Eat your noodle soup!” or “Eat your miso soup!” or “What an idiot!” I decided to follow my mom’s voice. Noodle soup!

Let’s use those birds then. Carcasses into pot and shimmer for an hour, then add Royal Boat brand fish sauce and fresh squeezed lime juice. There soup is ready. Then cook rice noodle and add to the soup. Garnish with cilantro and grated yuzu (glorious Japanese citrus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuzu) on top. After this, my hangover is magically gone because of togetherness of umami from chicken, tanginess of lime, saltiness of fish sauce, freshness of cilantro, then with delightful, sweet and tender aroma of yuzu. Flat rice noodle is well coated with this simple yet magnificent soup. Nothing was left in my bowl, not even a drop of the soup.

Thank you, healthy chickens. Because of you, I am getting right amount of protein, ready to build nice muscles and I feel “cage-free” from the crappy headache.

food

… (no words needed)

January 18, 2015January 18, 2015by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

I love taking a nap. Naps are magical. After taking a nap, all of my body parts and soul were revitalized. It is 3 pm and OK, I have 2 and half hours until two friends are coming to our place for dinner.

These pretty birds, 2 of them, have been taking a nap for quite a while. Not a typical nap, they have been bathing as well …with salt and lemon. It is time to wake them up. They are rested well and their body should be rejuvenated, and their soul, should be, uh well, good(?). Salt and lemon make their skin look gorgeous. Now, I even make them look prettier with quartered lemons, garlic and fresh thyme inside of their bellies. Then I coat their bodies with melted butter. Lots of butter.

Following this, they go to an even warmer place, the oven, with winter vegetables such as fingering potatoes, rutabaga, renkon (lotus root), parsnips, carrots, brussel sprouts, leeks and onions that Washington state small farmers grew with TLC. They get to enjoy the heat for about an hour and half.

Naps are magical, I said. Naps make (almost) everything better. I have proof here because these chickens tasted just delightful as the 4 of us got quiet for a while when we started eating them. Sometimes no words are needed to express how delicious the food is.

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Seattle Winter Blues: Convoy Coffee has a solution for you

January 17, 2015January 18, 2015by have you eaten?6 Comments

I do not want to see anyone, do not talk to anyone, do not want to do anything for anyone. I just want to eat, read, hang out with my dog and drink coffee. That’s it. That’s all I want to do, kind of like hibernating. Wait…coffee?

We are lucky, we really are. We have quite a few neighborhood farmers markets all through the year just within city of Seattle. I go to U-District Farmers Market near University of Washington every Saturday Morning. http://seattlefarmersmarkets.org/markets/u-district This farmers market has this Japanese farmer who grows and sells Japanese vegetables that you cannot buy at any other farmers markets or regular grocery stores. Also U-Dist farmers markets seems to have more vendors and variety. I love small vegetable farmers, butchers, fishermen, mushroomerries, bakers, beer brewers, tea makers, ginger-ale brewers, honey farmers, fermented food producers, poets with 1948 Royale typewriters are all together and showcasing their at-most quality produce (and poem) from all over Washington state. Most importantly they are sharing their passion.

About a month ago, my nose was detecting something splendid, it’s called coffee at the market. I approached them and started to talk about this coffee they were serving that day, “Ethiopian Wanago.”

It smelled just like strawberries! That means these beans make a cup of coffee that I would love. Lots of people tend not to like citrusy and fruity coffee but I do. I am in love with it. Their shop is called “Convoy Coffee,” they only offer pour over and aeropress. No lattes, no caramel macchiato, no damn pumpkin spice latte. Perfect.

When I woke up, I was feeling like I was a bear. I just wanted to hibernate but I forced myself to get out of the bed and I headed down to the market even thought it was (of course) raining and chilly. And these smiley people were making coffee by spreading their love and passion for coffee. He knows what kind of coffee that I like so he recommended “Guatemala Hanapu” roasted by Kuma (means bear in Japanese. Ha) Coffee in Seattle, WA. I ordered a cup of aeropress. The impressive acidity sits in the middle of tongue and spreads slowly. It was a quintessential combination of acidity, mild bitterness, kindness, tenderness and joy.

Thank you Convoy Coffee, you took my hibernation desire away. I will see you next Saturday.

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Art of Eating Ramen: Properly

January 16, 2015January 16, 2015by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

No, you are not offending anyone or being improper. It’s OK, you have a permission.

BIG slurp! There you go.

It’s winter and cold outside, and it’s perfect timing to tackle a bowl of ramen. Properly. Eating a bowl of ramen is art, y’all. If you are like me (rebellious), this is a perfect food because you get to do something your mother taught you NOT to do. You get to make some noise while eating.

First, you need to know exactly what you want to have. Shoyu (soy sauce), Miso, Shio (salt), Tonkotsu (thick pork broth). Then thick or thin noodle? Heavy stock or lighter stock? Extra pork meat, bean sprouts, corn or bamboo shoots? Know exactly what you want, otherwise wait staff won’t wait forever for you to decide. I actually recommend to practice on what to order outside of the shop for a couple of times.

Then, you go in. Usually ramen shop is relatively small. Most of ramen shops I like in Japan only have counter seats so pick your seat and sit down, quickly. Ramen guy behind the counter or wait staffs are not really talkative since the shop is running 186 miles per an hour. This is why it would be helpful if you know what you want. Anyway, you tell them what you want to eat. Omit “how are you” and “I heard your ramen is delicious!” because they know they make awesome ramen and they cannot waste time being social. Ramen is serious business, everyone.

I also recommend to go to ramen shop alone or with someone whom you don’t need to worry about carrying on a conversation with because ramen must be eaten at the moment it’s served. You need to eat your bowl quickly. If you are from South, you may have a hard time but this is not proper time to eat it daintily. Why? The longer noodles sit, they start to suck up the soup into the noodles because the noodles are made of flour. They are like a sponge and they get all mushy (yikes). Not only that the ramen does not taste as it should after noodles suck up all the soup, also that might upset ramen shop owner. You don’t want that at all. That said, I would not recommend you to go to the ramen shop on your first date. If she or he is delighted to go to your favorite ramen noodle place with minimal conversation, congratulations, you just found your soul mate.

So now, how do you eat it fast with correct manner? Big slurp with noise! Making some noise is a huge part of eating ramen bowl artistically and properly because it has a cooling effect. Who knew, right? We Japanese do. Our slurping training starts in the mother’s womb.

Oh, don’t forget…Hashi (chopsticks) in one hand and renge (ceramic spoon) in the other hand and embrace them both. That will help you immensely to taste a perfect marriage of noodle and carefully and deliciously prepared soup. If you want to look like you are a pro, pick up your bowl and take last drops soup from the bowl at the end. Ramen shop guy would be impressed, I promise.

Think of it as riding a bicycle for the first time, practice, practice and practice.

OK, ready? Slurp! Make some noise. Proudly.