Domestic Goddess

Hiroyuki - you're the best! I will try this soon and right now it's the street market day. Hope to find these shells and have a go at it. Can't wait for the next pics of your next meal at your favorite sushi shop.

I hope this is not out of the topic but the local street market here sells a lot of those turban shell (sazae) things. Is there any recipe that one can share with regards how to fix them? I can get the shells and the quail eggs and I'd love to try to fix them. Of course, I'm dying to see how it taste too.

Doc, my mouth is watering at the sight of that scrumptious looking fish. And it's 11:00 pm here and there's absolutely no Indian restaurant where I am located at. *whimper*

I think my Dad smuggled some peaches from Korea when he last visited me. Hmm, let me think, what have I "smuggled" in my trips all around from Asia. I guess homemade leche flan that my mom made for my hubby. A huge bag of pan de sal bread (also for hubby). Some salted duck eggs for me although I am not sure is they are illegal in the first place. Oh, I almost forgot, I smuggled rose hips/seeds and plant cuttings for my mom to grow in her garden in Manila.

Wish we could get that program here Johnny. I'm dying to see your giant mole . I meant the wonderful dishes that were served.

My list would include... 1. Any kind of truffle dish 2. Foie gras 3. My late beloved grandfather's shark cerviche (which took a day to make) 4. Fugu 5. Soup dumplings in China 6. Beluga caviar 7. Oyster Rockefeller 8. Stinky tofu in Taiwan That's all I can think of right now.

That is the cake that I want to have when I turn 100. Simply beautiful.

I love the smell of coffee too. Alas, I can't drink the real stuff, was addicted to caffeine until the doctor made me swtich to decaf (health purposes). The severe withdrawl symptoms (nausea, dizzyness, constant migraine for 2 weeks) made me swore off real coffee, Coke, teas for life. Now I drink 7-ups, decaf tea and decaf coffee. Bleagh.

I agree with Racho Gordo, I just cook my beans without soaking or simmering. I'm pretty pleased with the results. I meant to say Mabuhay dear hobbit! I never knew there was a Filipino in the LOTR. . I too am enjoying your very colorful blog. BTW, my hubby is sighing over those BBQ pictures. Hubby's from Kentucky, one of the BBQ capital cities of the USA.

Ah Doc, it's good to see you reporting again, this time - fascinating India. And such wonderful, vibrant pictures. This one particularly made me homesick, as young tender coconut meat are my favorite (I don't like coconut water). Please do post some more. ETA: We Filipinos would call this type of coconut - "mala-uhog" (like snot). Other types of coconut as classified as - "mala-kanin" (like cooked rice) and "pang-gata" (for coconut milk.). Of course, the first is the very young coconut, then a slightly firmer and older one while the last are the tough aged ones.

Oh Shelby! That's a thing of beauty... the bacon, the egg yolk, the tomatoes, the bacon...

Today I did a lot of cooking, I made Claypot Chicken Rice with Chinese Sausage for me and Pork Afritada stew for Hubby. We've got several meals in the fridge. Yesterday, I looked in the fridge and found roasted chickens that I bought the other day that were done too dry. I took the meat off the bones, boiled the heck of the bones, made stock for Chicken Noodle Soup (for Hubbyl) and made chinese dumplings with the half of the meat that I took off. Oh, I also had a bunch of garlic scapes that needed to be used up so I made garlic scape pesto. I've got 3 bottles of pesto now in the fridge (worth about $42 here in Korea, considering the steep price of pesto here). Thank you thank you for posting the garlic scape pesto recipe. (I forgot who did but then my mind has been a sieve lately). I've got happy, full fridge.

I'll take a chicken thigh, two sausages, half a cup of pasta and half a cup of potato salad. Please.

Maggie - you crack me up so much. Now I am intrigued to make my own cheese. If only my fridge wasn't that full (leftovers) and that my hubby wasn't laid up in the hospital due to a fractured shoulder. I'm gonna bookmark that site just in case.

Jay and Neverfull - you're right, balut is from the Philippines (I guess influenced and adapted from chinese cuisine). Would you believe I found a version of balut here in Korea but only old people would eat it? The snack truck owners were amazed when I bout a bagof the stuff (4 eggs to a dollar) and the senior people who were dining on the mobile snack stand (this was in the street market) kept asking me in korean "You can eat that? Is it good for you?" LOL Those yellow melons are called chami. Their aroma reminds me of juicy fruit gum. I wish kimchi could easily be mailed so that I can send you guys a huge package each. I get inundated ith free homemade kinchi from my friends. As in gallon bags full.

Aaaah, the fishcake came sliced as a banchan (side dish). It was probably stirfried in a little oil and then sprinkled with some salt. When you do get balut, ask if they have the 5 day old ones. Or 7-day old. The chick size (or embryo) would be the size of half your thumb. These are my favorite. The 20-day old ones would have chicks that look like they are ready to hatch. Some beer drinkers would prefer this as they like to munch on the tender bones too.. I prefer the 5-day old balut as the chick is easily slurped up and you get a whole lot of creamy yolky goodness.

So that's what those are called. Sometimes I see them in the street market here. In the land of rice and nori, I will definitely try them some time in the future.

I too, would add my vote to puttanesca. I always have olives, capers and anchovies in my larder for those times that I need to make puttanesca. I also toss whole capers into my tuna salad. It adds that delightful zing in every bite.

Monovano - what a pleasant coincidence! I have a bunch of garlic scapes right now in my kitchen. I'm off to your link to see your pesto recipe. I adore pesto. Will let you know how it turns out, I just need to get a bunch of pine nuts.

You had Toreore chicken? Good! They just opened up a store here in my little town of Janghowon. We have got to try it out. Your bibimbap bowl looks good, it's the first I've heard of putting fish cake slices in the bibimbap. And you eat balut! Do you suck up the balut juice after you crack the egg open? It's the best especially when the balut egg is still nicely hot and toasty.

Rob, that is one awesome meal. I could almost taste that bite of succulent meat on the fork.

Ditto. I hate cleaning the kitchen and especially washing dishes. I'd rather clean the toilet bowl and bathroom than do dishes. I also hate cleaning out our turbo broiler oven after broiling chickens and pork tenderloins in it.

You had a San Miguel? You do know that its a brand from the Philippines? Even in HK and China (when I used to travel for business there) the preference was for San Miguel beers brewed in the Philippines. There are breweries now in HK and China but still most prefer the taste of home-brewed SanMig beer. I guees it would be the water or something that affects the taste. I wonder where your San Miguel beer was brewed?

13 out of 20. My son Billy was beside me and was amazed how I would get the correct answer. I told him I was guessing most of the times. LOL

Such wonderful pictures of your meals Hiroyuki! I'm glad that your wife is better and has been able to go out and be with you and your kids. I thought about you when I went to my local sushi shop here in my little town. I had a mixed set that had little octopus suckers/tentacles on the sushi rice. I am really curious how the firefly squid would taste like.