My bounty of Asian goodies after a visit to Hmart. Mmmm happy belly!

I love Trader Joe's. That is an understatement though. I always find something different to buy. My latest find was Korean BBQ or Bulgogi. It was so delicious. Cooked wonderfully on the Foreman. The meat was so tender and tasty. We enjoyed it with some Chipotle Ranch fries. Also from Trader Joe's. But buying the ribs can get a bit pricey, even though they are premarinated so it inspired me to find my own recipe and start making it myself. Very easy and the results are the same, marinate short ribs over night with garlic, soy sauce, chili oil, scallion and sesame oil.

Over the weekend I went to a Super Hmart in Northern Virginia. This place is fantastic. Had a very delicious and affordable lunch. I ordered a soup with bits of tofu, meat and veggies in it. It reminded me of Miso but with a bit of heat to it.

Hmart is a Korean supermarket but they offer lots of other Asian groceries. My husband send me information on a few in our location. I just hope it's as super as the one we went to.

I recently made Cooking Ninja's recipe for Gochujang Bulgoki(Korean Spicy Pork).

It was really tasty. The only thing I did differently was I didn't include the carrots. The recipe was still very tasty. I think they would be perfect for appetizers as well.

I served the Gochujang Bulgoki with pork dumplings we purchase from a local Asian market and sesame noodles from Thai Kitchen. For dessert custard tarts(also from the local Asian market) and watermelon. Mmmmmm.

I was at the Asian market near my office getting some ingredients for one meal I was making when I spotted bottles of Korean BBQ Sauce. I knew I had to get one. It was tough choosing but I was happy with my pick. It was spicy and flavorful. If you've never had Korean BBQ or Galbi before perhaps add honey(my choice) or brown sugar(Niel's pick) to make it less spicy. But if you can tolerate spicy then eat it the way its made. I poured it on top of some ribs I had and let it bake. It was so delicious.


Rib photo by Niel

Song Stuck In My Head: Albi The Racist Dragon by Flight of The Conchords

I wanted to use a more summery type of salad dressing once the weather finally decides to get warm. Then I thought of the delicious ginger salad dressing Niel and I enjoy at Japanese restaurants. I found some at my local Asian market. And I've been using it, even if the weather can't make up its mind.





On a side note to honor the first day of spring Dunkin Donuts is giving away free iced coffee.

Friday evening I fell asleep way too early again. Why does that keep happening? I am out by 9. I have to force myself to stay awake sometimes. Saturday we only did laundry and Niel went to get a tune up for the car. I made some chicken stock and pesto while he was out. I find home made pesto so much tastier. He came home with some beautiful tulips for me. He's a sweetie. We laid low the rest of the day because in the evening we drove to Philadelphia to help some Kelvin & Shawnda move. Their new town and place is great. We're very happy for them. One of their two cats plays catch. I have never seen a cat do that! Plus I got to go to a Wawa. Niel thinks we have been to one before but I don't remember going to one that large. Their version of McDonald's pancake breakfast sandwhich was quite good.

Sunday afternoon we went over to my parents because my brother Jakop and his girlfriend Christine had come over to cook Indian for everyone. Damn they can cook well! They invited Niel's mom too. Which I thought was very nice. They made Chicken Tikka Masala, goat curry, Naan, Roti, Chana Masala and Cauliflower Gobi. Niel and I brought over the same Napoleon pastry our friends Jennifer and Renzo had brought over to our place last Sunday. It was a big hit. We were glade. After we dropped off my mother in law, brother and Christine at their places, Niel and I we went home and napped for a bit then watched the Oscars while occasionally looking out the window at the snow. Not too bad. I didn't win my office's pool. I tied for third with four other people. LOL. Now the weekend is over crap.

Onto some random stuff. I forgot to mention last Monday the sink had to be replaced because the spray broke and flooded the cabinet below.

My DVR decided to erase all of our taped shows (although we only had four half an hour taped shows) and retaped shows we had deleted in December. Scary.

Every time I buy a new soap dispenser it doesn't work. This is the third time now. Niel finally figured why. You have to run water through the pump. I feel so stupid.

You all have probably heard by now but a four legged duck was born in Britian. Glad he is going to be alright.

Japan has created a robot that can detect fire. Hmmmmm.

New Mexico is going to install talking urinal cakes in bathrooms warning about drunk driving. Am I a bad person for thinking this is funny?

I decided that I really enjoy Soduku!

I found this neat site while searching for something I was outbid on ebay. Why does that always happen? Anyway the site has some beautiful recycled items. A little pricey for my cheap butt, but I will look out for sales.

I am by no means an expert on Japanese cuisine. I just know when my mouth and belly tell me something tastes good. And Japanese food is really good. It is one of my favorites. In fact I think I like all Asian foods. Most people think Japanese food is only sushi or sashimi. But there is so much more. There are dumplings(Gyoza or Shumai), rice bowls(Katsudon/Domburi), soups(Udon and Miso), rice balls(Onigiri) and fried foods(Tempura) just to name a few. I think the warm meals are an especially good option for people who are curious to try Japanese cuisine but are hesitant to eat sushi or sashimi. I'll admit I was at first also a little anxious to try sushi and shamimi, when Niel suggested we try some years ago. And I like to think of myself open to trying different foods. But after a few tries of sushi I was hooked. My favorite is a salmon roll. It is so creamy. My favorite warm dishes are shrimp Shumai, shrimp Tempura Onigiri, chicken cutlet Katsudon, Tempura, and shrimp Teriaki Udon


Niel Photo.

I get excited whenever I find a food product I haven't tried before. I was at my local Asian market recently when I found premade dough for Scallion Pizza pie. All you had to do was add toppings and bake it. Niel and I both enjoy Scallion pancakes so I brought a package. We decided to make it plain and it wasn't scalliony enough plus the dough reminds me of Phyllo. It really did need toppings.

I enjoy all types of Asian cuisine. From dumplings to Pad Thai to Sushi. When I find something I have not tried before I will want to eat it over and over again. I had mentioned Singapore Chow Mein previously when Niel and I helped paint my brother's new place a bit ago. They had told me about this neat dish their local Chinese take out served. Thin noodles with various meat and seafood seasoned with curry. We ordered it for lunch. It was fantastic. Our local takeout unfortunately does not serve it, however we found that one of the takeout places in Niel's old neighborhood does. Since its not too far away, whenever I have a hankering for it I can eat it at any time.

I'm obsessed with Onigiri, Japanese rice balls. They're rice filled with usually a savory item, such as Japanese pickles, shrimp, or salmon, and wrapped in seaweed. I have seen them in triangle shapes as well. I don't eat the seaweed. It is a great appetizer or a nice snack. It sort of reminds me of one large piece of Sushi. I found a store that sells them a few blocks from my office for only $1.50. It's so interesting how many different types of rice balls there are. Here is a recipe if you are interested in trying to make them yourself in case you can't find any in your area..

I had heard about Panko not too long ago. I wanted to try it because I never liked to use flour or breadcrumbs for frying. They both were to heavy and soggy. I thought that cornmeal relieved this problem until I tried Panko. It makes the outside of the food crunchy but the inside stays moist. Panko is made from the inside of whole wheat bread and not the outside like Italian breadcrumbs. It is traditional in Japanese cooking and can be found in Asian supermarkets or in the international aisle of your supermarket. It has less salt and calories as well. Another bonus. I highly recommend it. Especially when cooking with seafood and fish.



Song Stuck In My Head: "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson

Craving: To clone myself so I can get more done