Fatty Tuesday: Cod Sperm Sack Sushi, Among Other Foodstuffs

Did today's headline grab your attention? Don't worry, I'll get to the sushi shortly.

We had some great food in Japan; it's a cuisine I probably wouldn't tire of too quickly. Here's a recap of some of our meals on the trip.  

Ramen: We had ramen our first night in Japan (in Sapporo) and again in Tokyo. It's the Japanese version of chicken soup for the soul: piping hot, tasty broth (usually pork-based, miso-flavored at times), incredibly fresh noodles, a perfectly soft-boiled egg, a crisp piece of seaweed, and crunchy bean sprouts. Versions vary, of course, but even the most basic is delicious on a cold day. Afuri Ramen in Tokyo is the spot and ordering is an adventure (orders are placed via a "no English" vending machine at the front of the restaurant).

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Yakatori: In the simplest of terms, yakatori is meat and veggies on sticks. Grilled. Over coals. I liked it. But there's not much else to say about it. 

Tonkatsu: Perhaps the opposite of yakatori (at least in terms of calories), tonkatsu is a piece of perfectly fried pork (cutlet or loin). Its coating is panko bread crumbs, and its sides are crispy cabbage with a sesame dressing that's lick-your-bowl good and fluffy, white rice. The best part? Creating your own dipping sauce by grinding up sesame seeds yourself using a small pestle and mortar, and adding tonkatsu sauce, which is part sweet, part sour.  

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Sushi: We had sushi a few times, but most notably at the Tsukiji Fish Market and before leaving for the airport. The Tsukiji Market is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and home to a number of small sushi spots. Tourists line up for one in particular, but knowing that the chefs all get access to the same fresh fish, we exchanged our spot in line, outside in the cold, for two seats inside another restaurant. The move was smart. It was sushi unlike any other I've had -- beautifully cut pieces of fish that sit atop a small pillow of rice perfectly balanced in terms of flavor and temperature, and that simply melt in your mouth.

Lunch on our last day had to be sushi again, but this time, inside a large mall in Shibuya, omakase-style (allowing the sushi chef to decide what we eat). I told myself that I had to eat everything put in front of me. And I did (for the most part). Cod sperm sack sushi included.

Can you guess which piece is the shirako, or cod sperm sack sushi?

So I didn't eat the raw shrimp sushi, because I've had it before and I'm not a fan of the film it leaves in your mouth. I also didn't suck on its head. But everything else! Here's what I learned: I'm not a fan of uni, but I can do salmon roe. And cod sperm sacks are creamy. (By the way, LA friends, you too can have shirako nigiri at Hamasaku; check this out.)     

Sweets: A firm believer in having dessert after every meal, I suffer from a major sweet tooth. I loved perusing the aisles of Japanese grocery and convenience stores. Shelves were lined with such interesting-looking items! If I were to live in Japan, my goal in life would be to taste-test every one of them. On this trip, I tried out a few; some were misses, but most were hits and made for delightful edible souvenirs.

What's on the CNY menu

There's new energy in the air, a sense of excitement with an overlay of glee. Chinese New Year (CNY) is coming. Its Eve is next Thursday (the 30th) and preparations are under way.

Fields, an online grocer from whom we buy most of our proteins and some other edibles, published an article on Chinese New Year foods that I found really interesting. Here's what
you eat -- and why -- on Chinese New Year:

Fish. The word for fish in Chinese ("yu") sounds similar to the word for surplus; the dish is thus a symbol for a year of plenty.

It's served whole, representing completeness, but you don't eat the whole thing. Mike's mom had told us that some should be leftover for our ancestors; according to this article, the head and the tail are to be eaten on New Year's Day, symbolizing a smooth transition from one year to the next.

Cake. The term for this New Year's cake is "nian gao," which sounds like "higher year" in Chinese. It's sticky and sweet, made of glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, and sugar. (How come I haven't had this yet?)

Dumplings. These tasty bites take on several special meanings during the holiday:
- they symbolize wealth;
- the "jiao" in "jiaozi" (Chinese for dumpling) also means change;
- they look like "tael," an old Chinese currency.
Apparently, some cooks will place a coin in one of the dumplings, promising prosperity in the new year to the lucky recipient.

Mandarins. In season now, these little gems represent gold and wealth. Their Chinese name (which translates to "golden orange") sounds similar to luck or fortune in certain dialects.

Rice dumplings (or, as I like to call them, balls). Remember these? In some parts of the country, these are eaten on New Year's Day; in others, they're eaten on the 15th day of the new year, Lantern Festival, marking an end to CNY celebrations. Their round shape symbolizes family reunions.





More on CNY to come -- including our travel plans to Japan (woot!)

Zhoumo kuaile!

Remember CaliBurger?  Well, look what's across the way.  I got myself a burrito at Mex&Co the other day; I walked along a bar, selecting ingredients with which to stuff it. Remind you of a popular chain back in the US? I'll give you a hint: it's owned by McDonald's.

Even though it wasn't that bad and I'll probably get another one in the not-so-distant future, I wish you a weekend of authentic Mexican food 'cause I miss it already.

Mex&Co:
1818 West Nanjing Road (but west of the Jingan Temple)
(In the basement of yet another mall on Nanjing)

The Cost of Groceries

I've mentioned before the exorbitant cost of non-Chinese food items, but I wanted to prove it to you.  I'll let you do the math (divide by six).

Fatty Tuesday: Caliburger

I haven't done one of these in a while, so I thought I'd bring it back with a taste of home found right here in Shanghai.

It may be a complete rip-off of a certain hometown favorite [Cali friends, I'll let you draw your own conclusion], but, I have to admit, CaliBurger offers a decent meal. The star of the menu is the "Cali Double," which can come in a meal (fries + drink), and fries can be "wild style"-ed, topped with American cheese, grilled onions and their signature "Cali sauce". [Rung a bell yet?] The menu, however, is more extensive than the original, offering more than just burgers. I tried their grilled chicken sandwich with an avocado ranch dressing, and even though the avocado is barely noticeable, it's a tasty meal. Mike went for the burger, which he thoroughly enjoyed. His conclusion: "It was good enough to make me miss the real thing."

I've said it before -- you can find anything here. And if you can't find it, you can probably find its fake.

CaliBurger:

1818 West Nanjing Road (but west of the Jingan Temple)

(In the basement of yet another mall on Nanjing)

Fatty Tuesday: Uncle Tetsu

It's been a while so I thought I'd bring back Fatty Tuesday with Uncle Tetsu. Let me explain. Mike and I were having a casual dinner one evening in a nearby food court (quick travel tip: if you're in a major Asian city and have trouble finding a place to eat, go to the top or bottom floor of the closest mall; you're likely to find some decent options). As we made our way out and back home, we noticed a long line of people, waiting patiently for some kind of cake. This is what we saw:

All we knew was that thing cost RMB39 ($6.50); Uncle Tetsu was a cute, short and stumpy little guy (see upper right-hand corner of the second image); and his employee's t-shirt matched his apron (bottom left). 

So what was this glorious dessert that attracted so many individuals? What kind of cake could induce such patience in a characteristically impatient people? Obviously, we got in line to find out. 

Cakes were doled out about a dozen at a time, fresh out of the oven (hence the waiting). As soon as I got a fork, I took a bite of what was the perfect marriage between a cheesecake and an angel food cake -- light and fluffy, sweet and airy, with just the faintest aftertaste of traditional cheesecake. Usually, the only thing I like about cheesecake is the graham cracker crust, and even though it was crustless, I enjoyed Uncle Tetsu's delight. Will I wait in another 30-minute line for it? Probably not. But the experience was fun.  

    

Fatty Tuesday: Balls

The Chinese are not known for their desserts, which include bad (as in flavorless) imitations of French pastries (you've heard the expression, "lipstick on a pig"? In this case, whipped cream is lipstick).  But I've found one Chinese dessert I quite enjoy -- black sesame glutinous (sticky) rice balls (or simply, balls, as I like to call them; don't get any ideas, this is a PG blog).  

Served hot, four (or so) balls arrive in a bowl of warm water or some kind of rice wine syrup (I prefer water; the Chinese aren't great at wine either, although there's been a recent push to market their liquor. I digress). You start by taking a nibble to make sure they've cooled. The outer layer is sticky rice, a lot like mochi if you've ever tried that (and if you haven't, order it after your next sushi meal). Unlike mochi, which comes cold and has ice cream at its center, these balls have a sweet black sesame filling that oozes out as you bite down. I love the contrast in textures, the sticky rice and the liquid center, and the sweet against the neutrality of the sticky. Our visitor liked them too (check out Kira's answer to the "best meal" question).  

Although I first had these at a restaurant, I quickly found out that you can find them in grocery stores and they've become a staple in our freezer ever since (boil water, drop a few in, and ta da!). 

Fatty Tuesday: Singaporean Foodies

They kind of had to take me back to Shanghai kicking and screaming. We had a great mini-vacation in Singapore last weekend, complemented by fantastic food. We explored local dishes our first two nights, starting at Maxwell's, what they call a "hawker centre," an outdoor/indoor venue with food stalls and casual seating (Maxwell's is supposed to be the best, btw).

We ordered the staples: chicken rice (which is lovely, tender chicken served with rice made in its broth, dipped in ginger sauce, and sweet, black soya sauce, and chili sauce), noodles with seafood (which reminded me of pad thai; bottom of photo on the right), and fried carrot cake (which initially didn't sound appealing to me only because I took the dish's name literally; come to find out, there's no carrot in carrot cake; instead, it's radish cake (steamed rice flour, water, and shredded white daikon), stir-fried with eggs, preserved radish, and other seasonings). It became my favorite.  

The next night, I discovered Singapore chili crab, which I thoroughly enjoyed (even though I don't normally enjoy crab; it's too much work -- but when it's covered in a thick, spicy, tomato-based sauce and served with sweet buns, it's worth the effort).  

We quickly found out that Singapore is quite the foodie haven, where several celebrity chefs have opened shop: Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali, Guy Savoy, Joel Robuchon, Daniel Boulud, to name a few. So on Saturday night, our last night in Singapore, we decided to splurge and dine at Battali's Osteria Mozza (yes, LA, you have one too). It was extraordinary. We started with burrata over grilled asparagus and toasted almonds; for il primi, Mike got the gnocchi (what wonderfully delicious little dumplings!), and I got the best pasta dish of my life in the form of one, large ravioli covered in brown butter sauce (when cut open, the yolk of an egg oozed out onto my plate, and as I chewed slowly, savoring every bite, I tasted the perfect balance of pasta, ricotta, and egg). My secondi was lamb atop a mint yogurt sauce (yum!), and dessert was a molten chocolate cake with bourbon ice cream (to satisfy both of our cravings). An awesome meal to top off a really lovely getaway.

    

Zhoumo kuaile (early)!

I'm learning that every holiday in China has a dedicated food item:

• Zongzi for Dragon Boat Festival 
• Mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival 
• Jaozi (or, dumplings) for Chinese New Year 

And for Qingming Festival, it's these things: 

I'm not sure what they are exactly, or how they taste; the line was too long and crazy to make the purchase. But the holiday isn't over yet, and hopefully we'll find these again so I can better describe these green balls of what's most likely some form of (sticky) rice (almost everything is).  

P.S. With the weather turning (albeit slowly), I started the Tuesday night rides back up again this week. Here was our route:

Fatty Tuesday: La Maison Gourmande

There are lots of Frenchies here in Shanghai, and lots of French restaurants, which makes this francophile a happy girl. "La Maison Gourmande" is a cafe around the corner from us, and, intrigued, I had Mike meet me there after yoga class a few Saturdays ago. I thought we'd have a quick coffee and croissant, but little did I know that we were in for much more than a casual bite.  

Instead of simple breakfast options, the menu offered plates of substance like a beef stew, which Mike ended up ordering. I got the set brunch, which was a collection of small bites grouped into three courses -- the app, the main, and the dessert (below). The food was playful (like the bite of chocolate lava cake inside of an egg shell) and presented beautifully. And it was good -- I wouldn't call it amazing, but overall, very good. The meal, however, came at a hefty price, and I'm not sure I'd do it over again. When it comes to a weekend brunch, I think I prefer quick and casual over formal and pricey.  

Before

After

Fatty Tuesday: Homemade Enchiladas

We've been dying for good Mexican food. Yes, you can find Mexican in Shanghai, but it's fancy Mexican, in restaurants with nice tables and chairs, made by Chinese cooks. It's not good, dirty Mexican (and I mean that in the best possible way). I've been spoiled with authentic burritos and tacos and quesadillas for most of my life -- what can I say?      

So we took it upon ourselves to make enchiladas at home one evening. The challenge, yet again, was finding all of the ingredients. Here's where we went:

• Yasmin's, the butcher, for chicken (as close to organic/grain-fed/cage-free as we're going to get here)
• Avocado Lady for veggies, a jar of jalapenos, sour cream and corn tortillas (we had to buy a pack of about 50 and freeze what we didn't use)
• Enchilada sauce from City Shop for almost $4/can (there'd be outrage at home for that kind of price for a canned good!)    
• Cheese at Pines, the slightly cheaper City Shop (aka, foreigner-friendly market)

The result was so tasty, we made them again the following week.     

Fatty Tuesday: Sichuan Citizen

Remember my initial restaurant observations? 

• Most restaurant menus in Shanghai are ten to 20 pages long. 
• Thankfully, almost all of them have pictures; some of them have funny translations. 
• It's no wonder that they may be out of what you order (out of 100+ options, they have to run out of a few items on some nights). 
• Food comes out almost instantly. "How is this possible," you ask? I think I'd prefer not to know. Let's move on.  

After sifting through the book-sized menu at Sichuan Citizen, we decided on fish, bok choy, kung pao jiding (you know what that is, right?) and honey walnut shrimp -- which is somewhat amusing since most of these dishes are considered very American Chinese food. (And here I was, proud of myself for finally dedicating a Fatty Tuesday to Chinese food.)   

The star of the show was the fish.  But be forewarned -- for those of you who require clean filets, boned and skinned, don't order fish in China, because this is what you'll get, eyeballs and all:

At fancy restaurants in China, waiters bring the fish you ordered to your table alive and in a bucket as proof of freshness. Sichuan Citizen was not fancy -- no show of squirming fish -- but it was good. Next time we go, though, I'd probably order other dishes since there isn't a shortage of choices.

Fatty Tuesday: BBQ and Bibimbap and More

We ate well in Korea, and although I can't say that it's my favorite cuisine (sorry, Rich!), it was fun being adventurous with food and trying new dishes. 

Our first night, while awaiting the arrival of our travel buddies, Mike and I went to a BBQ spot recommended by our hotel. Instead of BBQ, though, we got a Korean version of hot pot (= various ingredients cooked in boiling broth; the Chinese love it). By the way, this is a frequent occurrence in Asia -- when you don't read or speak the language, and you rely on pretty pictures for ordering, you get lots of surprises when the food comes out. Even though it may not have been exactly what we had expected, it was good! The meat was perfectly marinated and made for a delicious soup at the end of our meal. All of the side dishes were fun too, but, I must admit, I didn't love too many of them (cold soup and iced noodles, for example, and kimchi, of course -- which, I found, I'd prefer to handle in small doses).   

While exploring the city, we happened upon some awesome street food. Not sure what all of it was, but  what we did taste was fantastic -- a fried potato on a stick, some kind of donut with a sweet, nutty filling (not pictured; I was too distracted by its yumminess to photograph it), and kimchi fried rice (served from inside a small hut; bottom photos).

There was some tofu soup -- but I must admit, I like Tofuya's better (our spot in LA) -- and there was some bibimbap, but the highlight meal was our last one in Seoul. After some quick research, we decided on Gae Hwa Oak. It was an adventure finding the restaurant (and we only found it thanks to one very nice Korean cab driver), but when we did reach it, we stayed for hours. We were treated to nine courses (I think, 'cause we lost count after a while), made up of dishes with several ingredients I wasn't familiar with. There was some kind of crunchy root vegetable topped with seaweed and egg white (which rendered it somewhat slimy, but somehow, we couldn't stop eating it); abalone (which I'm not sure I'd order again); there were several different kinds of kimchi, served with thinly sliced pieces of beef and chunks of pork belly; perfectly grilled vegetables; and, marinated meats that could sway the strictest of vegetarians. It was fantastic, more so for the experience than the taste for me, but the perfect end to a great trip. 

Zhoumo kuaile!

Weekend plans?  (One day, someone will respond to me in the comments section below, and they will be my favorite.) 

We have a couple of social engagements (yay for friends!), but other than that, we'll most likely recuperate from last weekend's hosting duties. With a bit of practice recently, we're getting our tour of Shanghai down. Here's what you can expect when you come to visit: 

• A walk on the bund to see the famous Shanghai skyline, down to the Nanjing pedestrian walkway
• A trip to the fabric market to get shirts made and buy silk souvenirs 
• A soup dumpling taste-test to try out different kinds from various locales
• A drink (or five) at Senator Saloon, our favorite (Prohibition Era) bar that's right around the corner from our place
• A self-guided tour through the Shanghai Art Museum (check out my most recent Instagram pics here) and/or the Urban Planning Museum (which is a lot cooler, and more fun, than its name denotes)
• A stroll through Xintiandi, the bougiest part of town (fun fact: we lived here for six weeks upon our arrival) 
• A visit to the Yuyuan Garden, a tourist must
• A weekend morning crepurrito 
• A stop at the Jing'an Temple for some peace amidst chaos
• And more shopping (at the fake market, the pearl market, the antiques market, the ceramics market) and more eating (Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan, American, Italian, San Francisco-an) 

As time goes by, we're discovering more awesome spots to add to the list. That's been the fun part. 

    

Introducing: Fatty Tuesday

To change things up a bit in the new year, I've decided to dedicate each Tuesday entry to something I love and wish I could have less of because it does nothing for my fat, jiggly thighs: food. Each Tuesday, I'll review a restaurant we tried (which won't be hard in this city; new ones pop up every few weeks) or a recipe I attempted (in a city where an ingredient like flour is considered foreign). 

To kick things off, I'll begin with my food favs from home, which is kind of cheating since this blog is about my Asian adventures, but living in China has made me miss these places:

• In-N-Out:  How could anything else top the list? When it comes to In-N-Out, I'm a simpleton -- #3, no onion. And yes, I know all about the not-so-secret menu; I just choose not to overcomplicate a good thing.  
• Huckleberry: I mentioned this was a must on a my visit home. I went twice -- once for lunch (burrata and roasted red pepper sandwich) and once for breakfast before heading to the airport (poached eggs over market vegetables -- kale this time of year -- and a side of meatballs for the plane ride).     
• Nagao: Every LAer has their go-to sushi spot. Nagao is mine and has been for years. And I never veer from ordering the same three items (no matter the party size): spicy tuna dombori (finely chopped spicy tuna, asparagus, carrot, and avocado topped on a bed of sushi rice); lemon box (if memory serves, from bottom to top: sushi rice, salmon, a thin slice of lemon, avocado, and shrimp); and moonlight #2 (wrapped in cucumber, crab, salmon, carrots, and asparagus).  
• Cafe Vida: A Palisades favorite. Chicken chipotle quesadilla and sweet potato fries.  
• Bay Cities: I know that most people go for the "godmother," but my sandwich is a caprese (mozzarella, basil, tomato, oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, hold the onion), add proscuitto.  

What are your hometown favs?  

Sichuan Street Food

I mentioned that Sichuan food was marked by spice, but it's not the kind of spice that makes your eyes tear or your nose run; it's the kind of spice, unlike any other I've had before, that makes your mouth numb. And it doesn't hit you all at once, it kind of sneaks up on you after a few bites.

Signature dishes include mapo tofu -- cubes of soft tofu with ground pork drenched in hot (as in red, spicy) oil and topped with seasonings -- and hot pot -- similar to what we've had in Beijing, but the "broth" here is hot oil. Sense a trend? Kung pao chicken (which is really "gong bao ji ding") also comes from this region of China, and, like mapo tofu, bursts with flavor. Interestingly enough, it's sweeter here, and not as spicy as most other Sichuan dishes.

The real treasures though are found on the streets: meat and tofu skewers coated with those renowned mouth-numbing spices, and rice cakes and noodles that come in a variety of  shapes and sizes, served in a variety of vessels, including pineapple and banana leaves. The famous Sichuan noodle dish is dan dan noodles -- fresh noodles (the kind where you can taste the difference) topped with ground pork and seasonings, tossed with hot oil (there it is again) and spices. 

Oh, did I forget to mention the rabbit heads? Yup, those are part of Sichuan fare. And no, I couldn't bring myself to eat one.