Monday, January 26, 2009

Xiao Long Bao

Xiao Long Bao from Leong’s Legends

The hunt for good xiao long bao in London is a laborious effort, requiring a significant amount of time trolling the internet for restaurants and blog entries from fellow foodies along with carefully analyzing each one. Xiao long bao is a shanghainese dumpling commonly made with pork or crab with soup on the inside made from a meat gelatin that turns to broth when heated. Outside of Shanghai, it seems that Joe's Shanghai in New York City is the next best match with its lovely parcels of goodness resting on a bed of cabbage in a bamboo steamer.

The proper way to eat xiao long bao is to first gently lift the dumpling from the bamboo basket without ripping the sides. If it rips, all the precious broth will spill out. This has proved to be a difficult feat if the dumplings are stuck together in the steamer, the wrapper gets stuck to the steamer or the paper in the steamer it is sitting on. At Joe's Shanghai, this is easily avoided as the dumplings are on a bed of steamed cabbage to prevent sticking. After successfully retrieving the in-tact dumpling, dip in the vinegar sauce with ginger before placing on the Chinese soup spoon. Over a bowl of rice (a personal recommendation and best to catch and absorb any of the nice bits that may fall off of the spoon) and using the spoon as foundation and chopsticks as support, carefully bite a small piece of the dumpling near or around the top to create an small opening from which you can suck out the hot broth. Now you can also start taking bites of the dumpling inside.

After sampling xiao long bao at the most recommended Chinese restaurants in London, the siu luong bao from Leong’s Legends is the current winner. Although the skin is the slightest bit thin, the xiao long bao is full of broth compared to its counterparts at Chinese Experience and Pearl Liang, edging out its competition. The broth bursts into hot joy in your mouth. The majority of the xiao long bao from Chinese Experience does not have as much broth and breaks or is already broken, though still really good. The dipping sauce at Chinese Experience might be better as well.

Xiao long bao is a deal at Leong’s Legends for a bamboo steamer of 8 for only £5.00, while a steamer of 3 at Chinese Experience is £3.20. Watch out for the “SC” on the receipt, which is the discreetly added service charge. Sampling the xiao long bao at Leong’s Legends is definitely a must while in Chinatown.

Leong’s Legends. 4 Macclesfield Street, London, W1D 6AX

Paticlan Dolmasi (Stuffed Eggplant)

The light and delicious stuffed eggplant from Çiya Sofrasi in the Asia Side neighborhood Kadıköy in Istanbul induced an intense craving for more. No longer reaping the benefits of the foodie destination, a home-made version of this dish was attempted.

When roasting the eggplant, the skin was left on for its nutritional value. After roasting, the eggplant shells were a little tough and pliable, not soft for easy cutting. Perhaps this was user error as the oven used tends be hotter than the dial indicated and the eggplant did not need to be roasted as long. The original recipe for the filling was generous requiring more eggplants. The extra filling would perform well in a wrap with fresh greens as it is flavorful and wholesome.

The final result was more aesthetically pleasing though the taste was not what was expected. Although the flavor of the meat in this recipe was subtle, the stuffed eggplants served at Çiya were made without meat and if they were, the taste was even less noticable.

Paticlan Dolmasi aka Stuffed Eggplant

Recipe ideas that resulted from this run were:
  • Leaving more of eggplant pulp in the shell
  • Substituting ground beef for roasted eggplant pulp
  • A combination of the first two
Patlican Dolmasi (Stuffed Eggplant) Serves 6 People adapted
6 Japanese eggplants uniform in shape
Olive Oil
1/4 cup water
1 Tbs Lemon juice

For stuffing:
2 Tomatoes, sliced thin
1 lb very lean Ground Beef
1 large or 2 medium Onions, chopped
1 small can Diced Tomatoes
1/2 bunch Parsley
1/2 cup Pine Nuts
4 cloves chopped Garlic
1 tsp Allspice
1 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Clove
1/4 tsp Dried Mint
1/4 tsp Dill
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (add more if desired)
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Salt
Olive Oil
1/2 cup basmati rice

Cut eggplants in half (not lengthwise). Remove pulp. Slather the eggplants with olive oil. Place in baking dish and cook in the oven at 375°F until tender (about 1 hour).

In a large skillet, sauté onions, garlic and pine nuts in olive oil. Add ground meat and brown, making sure the ground beef is in uniform small pieces. Add spices, currants and stir well. Add can of tomatoes and rice. Stir, reduce to simmer and cover until rice is cooked (about 20 minutes - you may want to add more water for rice). Remove from heat.

Remove the eggplants from oven. Place the ground beef mixture in the center of each eggplant. Place tomato slices on top. Drizzle liberally with water and lemon juice to the baking dish and cover the dish so that it is air-tight. Bake at 450°F for 30-45 minutes. Serve.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Afghani Chicken with Spinach

A delicious meal at Afghan Kitchen off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington inspired experimentation in the kitchen to recreate the experience. After trolling the internet for an authentic sounding recipe with ingredients found in most major United Kingdom grocery stores, the attempt to cook this unfamiliar dish could commence.

A whole evening was set aside for the endeavor as traditional stews take a significant amount of time to come to fruition. Most stews have humble origins originally being cast aside as food from the peasants, but usually that is where the best dishes come from. A slight change was made to the original recipe to adapt to a modern palate. Instead of using lamb, chicken breast was substituted. The taste of lamb is quite heavy, so chicken breast is suggested so the eater would not feel so heavy after the meal.

The only disappointment with this recipe is that the outcome did not result in a predominately spinach dish, lacking that deep green color expected. Cardamom was also neglected from the dish from haste and no suitable substitute could be found.

Time and patience paid off to excellent results. Overall, this dish was amazing and full of exotic flavor. The texture was thick and somewhat creamy, going well with basmati rice. Next time it is prepared, more crushed red pepper should be added to match the heat of the dish’s color.

Sautéed onionsBefore heading to the oven
Fresh spinach wilting in stewFinal result – Afghani chicken and spinach

Afghani Chicken with Spinach (adapted)
3 Chicken breasts
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 lb onions; diced large
4 tsp Chopped garlic
2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp Ground cardamom
1 tsp crushed red pepper -- or to taste
1/2 tsp cinnamon
32 oz Can tomatoes; drain & chop
1 cup chicken stock
1/3 lb Fresh spinach; wash & drained
1/2 cup yogurt (natural Greek was used)
1 Tbsp Grated lemon peel
Salt; to taste
1/4 cup pine nuts (pan roasted for about 3 minutes)

Sear chicken in olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Remove chicken and cover with foil to set aside. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add turmeric, nutmeg, cardamom, crushed red pepper and cinnamon and sauté the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes more, being careful not to burn the onions or garlic. Add tomatoes and chicken stock and stir. Cut up chicken breasts and add to pan, mixing well.

Cover the dish and bake at 350 F for about 1 hour until the meat is tender. Remove the dish from oven and add spinach, stirring until the spinach is wilted and blended in. Allow stew to cool slightly. Add yogurt, lemon peel and salt to taste. Sprinkle with roasted pine nuts.

**Optional: Extra frozen spinach (thawed) to make spinach more pronounced

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Lokum At Its Best

Lokum by the Spice Market in Istanbul

Where else is the best place to get quality lokum than its native country, Turkey? Every corner at every sweet food stall and confectioner vendors are proudly displaying their variety of Turkish delight. The difference between the Turkish delight made in Turkey (Istanbul, in this case) and other countries, such as the United Kingdom, is that the confection is not too sweet. Another difference is the significance in flavor. Instead of being "lemon-flavored" or "rose-flavored" where the taste implies a sweetner that happens to have a tinge of lemon or rose, the lokum is infused with the essence of the lemon or tastes exactly like the scent of a rose. As just sweet enough, the proper flavor intended comes through. Other Turkish delight varieties which are popular are pistachio, hazelnut, and walnut. Some stands offer varities that combine flavors such as rose and pistachio (particularly good) or pistachio with milk or walnut and lemon. If you do happen to find yourself in Turkey, make a point of sampling the local Turkish delight. If or when you decide to bring some home, be sure to make your own box instead of the pre-packaged boxes to ensure freshness.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

The Mission - SoMA

The Mission - SoMa

Quickly becoming a brunch institution in San Diego is The Mission, whose good name is spread mainly by word of mouth. “Oooh. My friend/brother/sister’s friend’s boyfriend went there and said it was awesome. And I heard you have to order those strawberry banana pancakes or that French toast.” The Mission sounded too good to resist on a beautiful weekend morning.

The specific restaurant visited (there are three – Mission Beach, North Park, and Downtown) is located on J Street in the East Village right next to the home of the Padres. The restored vintage structure is light and airy with exposed beams and original art flushing the room with bright color. Immediately upon entering, the aromas screaming “tasty, (relatively) healthy, simple breakfast” hit the olfactory system flooding the mind with memories of childhood comfort food. The room is already full of people having leisurely breakfast with sounds of delight as patron’s orders arrive or neighbors glance over and see what gastronomic excitement is in store for them.

Strawberry Banana Pancakes French Toast

Jumping the local bandwagon, the recommended breakfast staples do make an impression. Large slices of strawberries and bananas decorate the triple pancake stack surrounded by a blueberry purée. The optional sides of rosemary potatoes and bacon are another generous meal in itself. Thick slices of cinnamon bread used in the French toast are decadently cinnamon flavored with perfect caramalization. Other highlights include the Huevos Rancheros Verdes served on a generous portion of beans soaking up the salsa verde. The only disappointment was the chicken apple sausage, which could have found greater satisfaction from a fatter cut.

Huevos Rancheros con salsa verde Breakfast Croissant and Fruit

Do not hesitate to indulge at The Mission to fuel yourself for a sunny weekend in San Diego.

The Mission - SoMa. 1250 J Street, San Diego, CA 92101