mmm-yoso – Page 332

QingDao: St. Michael’s Catholic Church and Banquet #2

June 21, 2010 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, QingDao, Travel

On our second morning in QingDao we took a morning stroll up Zhejiang Lu. You can't really miss the twin spires and crosses of St. Michael's Catholic Church.

The Cathedral has quite a history, and you can read in this Wikipedia post. Over the last century, QingDao has been under the control of Germany (1898 – 1914), Japan (1914 – 1922), the Republic of China (1922 – 1938), back to Japan (1938 – 1945), the KMT (1945 – 1949) which allowed QingDao to serve as the headquarters of the Western Pacific Fleet. On June 2, 1949 the Red Army marched into QingDao.

The Cathedral itself was completed in 1934 by the Divine World Missionaries. The Mission Hall, built in 1902, and still standing, actually preceded the Cathedral.

Boy, the stories that hall could tell. During the Cultural Revolution, the Church was defaced, and the crosses, a landmark in a QingDao before all of the high-rises, were removed. You can read an eyewitness account here. According to Lonely Planet's China Guide, the crosses were saved by local Catholics and buried. In 2005 workmen found the crosses while repairing water pipes nearby.

Going past the Cathedral, we walked over to the hotel where The Missus's Second Aunt and two of Her cousins were staying. Waiting for us was a minibus, the destination? A visit to the Missus's Grandparent's grave site to pay respects. The Missus's Grandmother had a huge part in raising the Missus and Her older cousins, so this was an especially emotional moment for them. Their Grandmother was the Matriarch, of a Matriarchal family. The Missus Grandparent's had six daughters, those daughters had six daughters and one son…… so it's the women who shine brightest in this family….

One quick note about the drive to the cemetery and back. No sooner had the bus left the hotel, then the snacks were broken out, tomatoes (treated as a fruit in China), cucumbers, dried dates, you name it! God forbid anyone go hungry between breakfast and the banquet lunch that awaited us.

The Missus's Great Grandfather's family was from Liuting, the area near QingDao airport. According to the Missus's Aunts, this area has been known for pig trotter's, i.e. pig's feet, since the Qing Dynasty. So I guess that it was appropriate that we stopped for lunch in the area. According to the Missus's, Her Sixth Aunt took several trips to the area to search out the best pig's feet banquet. And the winner was……..

Liuting Fu Sheng Hotel. According to this "wiki", Fu Sheng pig trotter's are made from a secret recipe passed down for over 100 years. Sixth Aunt sure knows how to pick'em!

I had mentioned how nice it was to have the family together to the Missus. The Missus had responded with, "we're not complete yet, Yu Yu is not here yet. When she arrives, we'll be complete." It just so happens that Liuting is where the airport is located, and Yu Yu, Fifth Aunt's daughter had just arrived from Shanghai and met us here. Now the circle was completed.

And yes, there was nice gelatinous pig's feet, which I enjoyed……

But if that wasn't your thing……. maybe pig's tail would do the trick. A bit more chewy and crunchy, but perhaps with a bit more "wildness". The Missus preferred tail to trotters…..

And if this wasn't enough, there was crisp, and well flavored fried pork skin……

The fried skin, a sliver or two of scallion, a bit of the plum sauce, all wrapped in a paper thin crepe-like pancake…… As you can tell, this ain't "the other white meat".

And all is right in the world. And yet, beyond this pigfest, was something surprising. An item we both really enjoyed….. it was the giant Mantou (steamed bread), which looked strangely like a derriere.

The bread was slightly but not unpleasantly chewy, moist, with a good springiness and graced the table with a wonderful aroma. There was a slight sweetness that I noticed while chewing. I remember telling the Missus that this put mantou into a totally different light, and I'm going to have problems finding anything this good back home.

I didn't know until this hit the table that Tofu Lees, what I grew up calling "Okara" is big in Shandong cuisine, where it is called "Xiao Doufu".

And of course, it seemed that no meal in QingDao is complete without…..clams of course.

Other then the Ga La (clams)……

And the Jellyfish.

Most of the dishes focused on "mountain" ingredients. Including Vacation 2010 01 864 a savory and earthy mushroom soup.

One thing I noticed quite early on in our trip was the amount of raw vegetables that were being eaten. I'd always been told that Chinese didn't eat raw vegetables… one of the reasons being, that eating too many raw vegetables "cool" down and weaken your digestive system, etc, etc, etc…. The Missus told me that folks seem to be eating much more raw vegetables these days.

Cousin Yang Yi, Third Aunt's daughter, the one whose wedding celebration we had come for, got my attention. She pointed to the table……. she had noticed that I missed taking a photo of one of the dishes!

I loved this family……..

While lunch was winding down, Yu Yu guided me down the steps and into the shop in the lobby of the hotel so I could check out the mantou, and other stuff……

Soon enough we were off to our next destination…. and then dinner, which was to be another banquet!

Sunday Stuffs (from China edition): Guai Wei Can Dou (strange flavor broad beans 怪味蚕豆), Cumin Powder and an addition to “everything tastes better” in a Banh Mi, and other stuff……

June 20, 2010 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Cooking, yoso-silly

Call me strange….. flavored:

No, those aren't some turds laid on our dining room table by some strange insect…… it's my tri-weekly ration of Guai Wei Can Dou – strange flavored broad beans (or horse beans, or fava beans). For me this stuff is addicting…. the Missus has to lock these away.

On our first day in Nanjing, the Missus rushed to a snack vendor when She saw this……

I had a taste, and it was love at first bite! Guai Wei (strange flavor), is a flavoring unique to Sichuan province. This "strange flavor" is a combination of sweet-spicy-salty, and most of all, courtesy of a good amount of Sichuan Peppercorns; numbing. This version isn't like the package versions we had, it's also a bit chewy and sticky. I think the Missus bought a kilo (or two), and we had these during the rest of our trip.

So naturally, when we hit Chengdu, we went snack shopping. The Missus bought several varieties, two of each, one for us, and one for Her Dad.

So far, we've opened the first and third packages….. I prefer this one.

Of course, we've yet to open this package. While sharing a sample with friends of my MIL, I was asked what made this taste so good…… my reply, "I think it's the crack they add in at the end."

Even though I've seen some pseudo versions of these at the market, they don't look particularly enticing, so I think it'll be a sad day when this is gone. On the bright side, Fuchsia Dunlop has a recipe for Strange Flavor Peanuts in her book Land of Plenty. We may just have to try it out.

Ground Cumin from Sichuan:

To say this package of ground cumin is very fragrant is to say…. well…. let's put it this way: even when wrapped in plastic wrap, given its own ziploc bag, and riding solo in its own pocket…. at no time did I ever say to myself "hmmm, I wonder where that package of ground cumin is???" So naturally one of the first things I made when we got home was my Cumin Lamb (Zi Ran Yang Rou). Man, it came out so good that I've made it three times since.

So the Missus and I were having a light lunch at Cale Baguette Express, and while looking at my Banh Mi…..

And you know I always say "everything tastes better in a Banh Mi", right? So if it's good enough for Uni and Eggs, it'll be good enough for Cumin Lamb…..

So I went back in and bought one of their Baguettes ($1.25). I sauteed some red bell peppers and onions with minced garlic, cumin, soy sauce, and salt, which added sweetness and a mild crunch. I topped it off with cilantro leaves and sriracha. I gotta say, this was pretty darn good. Next up, cumin lamb tacos anyone????

More fun to come:

Along with all the wonderful tea, we brought back quite a few "gifts", like these wonderful dried mushrooms. A post on the dish I made with these is coming up.

And the wonderful, intensely fragrant 5-spice from QingDao.

Among other things……

It's going to be a fun couple of months….

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

QingDao: Our first visit to Pi Chai Yuan and Banquet #1

June 17, 2010 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, QingDao, Travel

After our visit to Zhongshan Park, we caught a bus back to Downtown QingDao. The Missus's Fifth Aunt had recommended we check out Pi Chai Yuan, a revamped food street located in downtown.

Basically an alleyway that cuts across a block on Zhongshan Lu, with another perpendicular alleyway bisecting it. Pi Chai Yuan hosts a number of small eateries.

Here you can find shops selling QingDao specialties like QingDao Guotie(pot sitckers), Lu Bao, and stands like this one selling……

One of the Missus's (and Her Mom's) favorite things…… Haw (Chinese Hawthorne 山楂) Jelly….

A taste of the Missus's childhood…. we came back on later visits to buy the "homemade" and a good half-dozen of those in packages suitable for bringing back to the states. The funny thing was, there seemed to be a cut-off age-wise as to who enjoys this and who doesn't. The Missus's younger cousins really don't like the stuff…… but those around the Missus' age love it.

The Guotie shop was doing some major business…… we'd be hitting that place on a future visit for sure.

While the Missus was buying up all the Haw in sight, I wandered into one of the courtyards, and watched this show for a spell….

And while there were many temptations, we knew there was a banquet on the horizon (actually four banquets in three days!), and had already decided to return when we could, we were looking for something filling yet light. So this shop seemed to fill the bill.

This little shop specialized in Won Ton Soup, with prices ranging from 5RMB for Veggie, Pork, or Three Treasures Won Ton Soup (that's about 75 cents), 6 RMB for Shrimp Won Ton Soup, and a whopping 7 RMB (about a buck) for Squid Qon Ton Soup!

As with all of these places….. you pay first!

While waiting the Missus ran out and got some Yang Rou Chuan (2 RMB each), since She saw the look in my eye when I passed the stand…..

Sorry to say, that even though these were well spiced, they lacked salt, weren't very gamey, and were quite tough.

Our Won Ton Soup however, was pretty easy to take.

The broth is mild and light, but there were a dozen won tons in each of our bowls…..

More than enough to fill us up.

All told, our lunch came out to 14 RMB, about two bucks……

As we walked out back to the street…….

We made plans to return, which we managed to do twice more during our stay in QingDao.

Soon enough, it was back to the street, and on yet another bus…. this time to meet the Missus's youngest cousin in QingDao's "new city", full of wide streets, huge hotels and resorts, business buildings, and skyscrapers….

And of course…. constant construction.

The Missus and Her cousin were headed to… where else, the mall, of course! After a shopping excursion, the three of us headed back to our hotel room, and after a short break, walked the couple of kilometers to the Hotel where the Missus's Second Aunt, and two cousins were staying. After a brief reunion at the hotel, we headed off to the banquet location, across the street.

Just a brief word on crossing the street in China, 1) Pedestrian's do not have the right of way, 2) Vehicles do not yield when making a right turn, 3) Now I know why Chinese like poker so much….. crossing the street, or driving itself seems to be a battle…….. whomever has the most nerve will win. 4) In the US, we try to minimize risk…. in China they seem to play the odds! Like Fifth Uncle said, "you look six ways, and listen eight". Apparently, Second Aunt was a bit worried that I may have problems crossing the street….. so walking of the curb, she grabbed my arm to make sure I made it ok! You gotta love family……

I smiled as I walked to the banquet room in the rear of the restaurant. No matter which country you live in……. you'll know this was a Chinese Restaurant.

As folks poured in the atmosphere got quite festive….. photos, laughter, conversation. We were seated in the traditional manner….. the older generation on one table, the younger on the other. The Missus is the oldest of cousins, though the next is only a month younger. I liked cousin "LH" from the first time I met her…. she has a carefree spirit, a great sense of humor, with a touch of outrageousness that is contagious. LH told the Missus that she enjoyed taking photos with me since, I'm "very slimming"…. Whenever she saw me taking photos of her, she would wave me over, telling me, "yes or no, yes or no…." Meaning she had first right of refusal on any photo I took….. I'd let her look at the photo, and if she approved ("yes") I'd move on… if not ("no"), the photo was deleted.

Now on to the food. First off, I only got shots of fourteen courses…. later on, I'd have help, everyone would make sure that I got my photos of the food! LH, "I dare not touch the food until 柯克 (my name in Chinese according to youngest cousin) takes his photo!" he-he-he……

You have to understand that we had four banquets in three days! If I went over every dish…. well, if you thought my three part post on Urasawa was long! I'll just go over the dishes we found the most delicious and/or interesting. Other then that, it's mostly photos.

Check out the papaya stuffed with almond jelly in the background…..

The braised bean curd was quite flavorful.

Who doesn't love deep fried pork chops…..

Check out the minced meat to be folded into the pancakes……

It was a delicious combination of sweet soy flavored pork belly mixed with this……

In Chinese this is called "Hai Chang" (海肠), literally "sea intestine" according to this site, it's also called "sea earthworm". My friends in Hawaii used to call it a "living poop shoot", a pest who messed up crab nets, here it's what's for dinner. It did add a nice slightly crunchy counter-point to the tender braised pork. As to taste, I'm not sure I could make out anything beyond the sweet-salty-porky flavor.

These "lamb pockets" were also delicious…….

Youngest cousin clapped her hands in joy when the Durian Pastry arrived.

Everyone got an individual dish with a quail egg and sea cucumber. This was the only steamed rice I had in QingDao, Beijing, or Jinan.

Surprisingly, I didn't miss rice at all…..

Man, this was some meal! But beyond the food, I was so delighted in the smooth and effortless way in which I was invited into this family…… The Missus had always said that folks "up North" are "straight-forward, but also friendly, generous, and fun." And She couldn't have been more correct. We rolled on out, and even though folks wanted to us to catch a cab, we decided to bus it back to the hotel, and in what would become a tradition, take a after dinner stroll to help us digest, both the meal and the moments we shared during the day.

Midweek Meanderings: Guess who’s back? And some other stuff.

June 16, 2010 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Guess who's back?

On Monday my phone rang, when I answered this is what I heard: "HeyKirk-sanguesswhatI'mbackinthegame….." Of course I knew the voice, and when he slowed down enough, Sam explained that after being a gun, or is that a knife for hire the last year and a half or so, he had decided it was time to do his own thing again. He had also just taken possession of the keys and wanted me to drop by. So I did, and we had a nice chat:

So where is this place? Ironically enough, it's exactly where Sammy's used to be:7905 Engineer Road, San Diego, CA 92111. Even though the sign still says Convoy Sushi & Fish Market….

Sam has taken the reigns as of last evening. Sam told me that on July 1st, a name change will occur, and Convoy Sushi will become "Sushi Yaro". And it seems that Sam is trying to keep up with trends, and is utilizing Social Media…… you can check him out on Twitter - under 'SushiYaro'.

Sam told me specifically that he is aiming for that middle ground, "much better than Sushi Deli, but not as expensive as Ota or Shirahama." And at least to me, San Diego is missing that "Sushi Komasa – Sushi Gen – Sushi go 55" level of sushi. So we'll see…….

Some other stuff:

I noticed a Kabob/Halal Shop opening in the same mall as Pho Fusion. This one will be called Aria Kabob Cafe:

8010 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

No photos on this one, but more than one source told me that "Tita" (of Tita's Kitchenette) is taking over the restaurant – buffet/karaoke-dancing-comedy-entertainment club that was known for a long time as Manila Tokyo in National City. This one should be interesting…….

3421 E Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

Morning in QingDao, breakfast, Tianhou Temple, Lu Xun Park, and Zhongshan Park

June 13, 2010 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, QingDao, Travel

We awoke at about 5am on our first full day in QingDao, nothing strange about that at all, since we often get up really early in the morning, after all sometimes you find some very interesting things early in the morning. We got dressed and took a walk across the street and down the iconic Zhan Qiao Pier and onto Huilan Pavilion.

Next time you break out those bottles of Tsingtao and have a cold one, take a look at the label, that's Huilan Pavilion staring back at ya'.

One very interesting change that the Missus noticed right away were how many folks had dogs as pets. This very energetic pup, not only sported a bright yellow t-shirt and looked exactly like her master. But also gets our award for spirit. This poodle was off sniffing some of the carts near the street, when the woman called her. Ears pricking up, the pup immediately took off at top speed to her master, jumping down from a good height, almost doing a face first front gainer upon landing.

She barely broke stride, and it was good thing that her master decided that she'd be better off on a leash.

There was one negative detail we noticed regarding dogs in QingDao; no one seems to pick up after them! Which led the Missus's Fifth Uncle to revise the instructions on walking and crossing streets in China; "everywhere else, you need to look six ways, and listen eight….. but In QingDao, you need to look seven! Make sure to look straight down to make sure you don't step in dog poop!"

Poodles and Schnauzers seem to be favorites. This one couldn't wait for his morning walk on the beach.

Views from Huilan Pavilion.

We had lucked out….. this morning was the clearest of our visit.

This little island is called Little QingDao (Xiaoqingdao), the Germans built a lighthouse on it in the 1900's.

Heading back to the hotel we decided to grab some breakfast. The Missus's Aunts, always on top of things, made sure that we knew about, and had access to the hotel's breakfast buffet.

There was quite a selection. The Missus really loved the fact they had one of Her favorites, millet porridge. And I was happy they had Suan Nai (yogurt)!

Quite a spread, huh? We exercised some restraint, and kept to the veggies, pickles, yogurt, and fruit. Still, it was more than enough for us.

Soon after breakfast we met the Missus's Mother and Fifth Aunt at the train station a few blocks away. One of the Missus's cousins was arriving via the overnight train from Beijing. Having gotten into the spirit of things, the Missus and I had put the bouquet that was presented on our arrival in water the night before. Bearing the bouquet, I walked over to the Missus's Cousin, whom I had never met, and greeted her with one of the few Mandarin words I knew…. "Ni Hao", and handed her the bouquet. I'm guessing these type of antics are pretty common in this family, as she blinked twice, and told me in English, "hello my brother, it is so nice to finally meet you….."

After all pleasantries, the Missus and I headed off to our morning destination…. Zhongshan Park. Even though everyone we spoke to recommended catching the bus or a cab, the Missus decided we should walk. When asking for directions along the way, people kept telling the Missus, "it is very far away…." To be fair, it was really maybe 3-4 kilometers….. Plus we got to find places like this along the way.

This is QingDao Tianhou Temple (Temple of the Queen of Heaven), built in 1467, it predates the establishment of QingDao as a city by four hundred years.

One of the most interesting displays is the one that details the history or currency in China.

Walking up Laiyang Lu, I quickly noticed the European Architecture. And in keeping with the spirit of things, the some of the business signs were in three languages, Chinese, English, and German.

Up the hill, and down a short street we entered into QingDao Lu Xun Park.

The views along the paths that meander along the paths are quite beautiful.

In the background of this photo is the beach where one summer the Missus's Father decided that She needed to learn how to swim. So almost everyday, they'd walk and make their way to Number One Bathing Beach.

During our walk the Missus laughed and pointed up to this hotel….. named the QingDao San Diego Hotel!

Eventually we made our way to Zuoshan Lu……. and after asking for directions, we entered Zhongshan Park. And I felt blessed to see the Cherry Blossoms…..

And though it was a bit late for the blooming of the blossoms…… every few minutes a breeze would blow through the park, and the flowers would take flight, and for a few moments it seemed like it was snowing…….

Of course, this is a prime site for wedding photos…..

The Missus full of memories, told me that when She was young, it was the entrance of the park that struck Her…. it was "a grand entrance". Unfortunately, we had entered through the back…. so She just had to find the "grand entrance". And of course we found it….. though the Missus told me it just didn't seem quite as "grand"…..

Looking at the faces of all the young children visiting the park on excursion……

And seeing the look of wonder on a few faces……

When the wind blew through the trees sending the blossoms airborne…. to them it was grand, and perhaps maybe twenty years from now, it will be their "grand entrance."

Sorry, not much food in this post….. but believe me there's much more in he next one…. much, much more food!

Nori Wrapped Chicken

June 11, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

A couple of days ago, on June 7th to be precise, Honolulu's two long-running, major newspapers, The Starbulletin and The Honolulu Advertiser merged and became one. Sadly, as with all of these types of "reorgs" and mergers there were casualties. And one of my favorite long running columnists Wanda Adams, who penned the "My Island Plate" column was one of them. After leaving Hawaii, the newspaper's weekly food and restaurant sections, and later blogs like Ono Kine Grindz (here's a link to Reid's older posts) were kind of my lifeline…. I was able to read about how food was changing "back home" as well as keep up on old favorites. So naturally when Wanda Adams' book, "The Island Plate: 150 Years of Recipes and Food Lore from The Honolulu Advertiser" came out, I made sure to get it. Doing a search, I can't find it available anywhere for sale except here right now. As I mentioned in the comments of another of my favorite author's, Rachel Laudan's blog post this past March announcing that The Island Plate II: More Recipes from The Honolulu Advertiser had come out, I was thrilled and made sure to order it. Both volumes have recipes of items that are near and dear to my heart. And though I may have my versions of the dishes being mentioned, like this one, it is still a wonderful read, giving you a "feel", history, and lore, of "da kine local food". And one more thing, it seems that Wanda Adams has entered the blogging world with Our Island Plate, so go check it out.

Meanwhile, I feel kinda sheepish starting this post with a paragraph like the one above, and making the following confession. For some reason, I've made this a couple times this year, but my photos really don't look all that appetizing.

To quote, "they looks like brown and black turds….." Sigh……

Anyway, this is something you can't really find anywhere but in Hawaii. I know they used to serve it at Bob's Hawaiian Style Okazuya in Gardena (16814 S Vermont Avenue, Gardena, CA). That version made the Missus and I swell up pretty good, but was tasty. This version is basically my mochiko chicken dressed up with nori. Over the years, I've replaced the cornstarch with regular rice flour, it adds a bit more crunch, and adds to the sweetness. If making mochiko, I'll add baking soda, but I find it doesn't work as well with the nori wrapping.

Wrapping is easier than it seems…..most nori already have lines going horizontally across the sheets…. you just get those kitchen shears out and start cutting.

It can get messy, but isn't too hard. The hardest thing is keeping your hands clean and rather dry between pieces of chicken.

Nori Wrapped Chicken:

2 1/2 – 3 lbs chicken thighs cut into strips about the width of your thumb, and about 2" long.

Batter:
Dry Ingredients
3/4 Cup rice flour
3/4 cup mochiko
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:
5 cloves garlic minced
1/3 cup green onion minced
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup soy sauce (I use Aloha Shoyu for this)
ginger juice to taste
sambal olek (optional) to taste

1 Package Nori cut lengthwise into 1" strips
Canola Oil

– Combine dry ingredients
– Combine wet ingredients.
– Add wet to dry and mix well, you will use this as a marinade.
– Add chicken strips and mix well, until chicken is fully coated. (I use a ziplock bag for this)
– Marinate overnight.
– Bring canola oil to 350
– On a large cutting board roll the chicken in nori. When done rolling, place the chicken crease side down. This will ensure that the nori doesn't come apart during frying.
– Fry in small batches. While chicken is frying, roll more chicken.
– When chicken is dark reddish brown, floating, and bubbling has diminished it should be fully cooked. Remove to a large plate or pan lined with paper towels.

You can serve with a variety of dipping sauces if you want. My favorite is the old standby hot mustard and soy, you can do Kewpie Mayo topped with Shichimi Togarashi, Ponzu Sauce, or whatever. I'm sure yours will look much better than mine do!

And yes, I've made mochiko chicken wings…….

Wednesday Wanderings: Coming soon – Yakitori Koubuo, Pho Cali and Grill, and “excuse me, but is that your duck?”

June 9, 2010 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Yakitori Koubuo (???):

I noticed some construction going on a couple of doors down from Tsuruhashi, you know which one, right…. 3904 Convoy where Izakaya Sakura and The Original Pancake House is located.

The notice said that the business name will be Yakitori Kouba…… sounds interesting! Anyone hear anything about this?

Pho Cali and Grill:

Is what the coming soon sign says in the strip mall at 5375 Kearny Villa Road:

This is the strip mall where Golden City is located.

Is that your duck?

Trying to keep the pounds I lost in China off, I decided to walk the couple blocks to the drug store instead of driving. Passing a big apartment complex, something caught my eye…… and I did a double, then a triple take…..

At first I thought someone was playing around with one of those duck decoy things….. but as I approached the duck warned me off with a vigorous "wack – wack". It was a real duck!

I then saw a woman unloading some groceries from her car and asked what is probably the dumbest question of the week (though it's still only Wednesday), "excuse me, but is that your duck?" The woman rightfully gave me a weird look, then she saw the duck, and laughed, "oh them, there's a bunch of ducks that fly up here every summer and hang up by the swimming pool….. his girlfriend is somewhere around here…" I wasn't sure if the woman was kidding me….. we've been living in this neighborhood for seven years, and I swear, I've never seen a duck. Just then I heard another "wack -wack", and I'll be darned, it was a female duck hanging out under some hedges…… I'm still not convinced that these aren't someone's pet…. but in an apartment complex? I'm confused… have any of you heard of flocks of migrating ducks hanging out around swimming pools in San Diego???? Was the woman pulling my leg???

QingDao: Lunch and Dinner at Fifth Aunt’s

June 8, 2010 mmm-yoso China, Cooking, Memorable Meals, QingDao, Seafood, Travel

"So where are you headed to in China", an acquaintance asked me a few months before our trip. I quickly named the destinations I was sure of. When I uttered "QingDao", she stopped me, and went, "wait, wait…. QingDao? Oh, man, you're going to love the seafood…. you're going to looooove the seafood!"

Mr Li dropped us off at the train station in Beijing. My MIL had taken one of the Missus's Aunt's advice and gotten us first class train tickets, which had actual seat assignments…. a great idea, because I noticed jockeying for seats in the other coaches. Also, folks seemed to be trying to sneak into the first class coach and poach a seat if possible. This doesn't include the people sitting on pieces of cardboard on the floor outside the restroom at the end of the first class coach. And just one piece of advice about the restroom……. make sure to go early in the trip, about an hour into the trip, and well….. let's not go there. Pity the folks who sit on the floor outside the restroom, because there are wet footprints….. uh, forget it, let's not go there either.

The six hour ride goes through most of the large cities enroute to QingDao, including Jinan and Dezhou, home to Dezhou Pa Ji (Dezhou Chicken), a famous braised chicken that the Missus loved so much, She wrote Her one and only post about it. Anyway, here are some carts in Dezhou station.

Amost exactly six hours later we arrived at busy QingDao Railway Station.

Looks very European, doesn't it? Which makes perfect sense… you see QingDao has a very unique history. In 1898, China ceded what was then a small fishing village to Germany. This village eventually became a strategic port…..QingDao. The train station was built in 1899. What's really impressive is that the station nearly sits on the shores of QingDao Bay….exit the train station, and you can see the ocean. We were met at the station by the Missus's Fifth and Sixth Aunts….. who laughingly presented me with a bouquet of flowers! I knew instantly that this was a family who shared a great sense of humor……

After a few photos, we maneuvered our way around the moving vehicles on the busy street street, terrified MIL in tow, and somehow made it intact to the Missus's Third Uncle, and the car that took us but a few blocks to the place we'd be staying….. the Zhanqiao Prince Hotel. My goodness, the Missus's Aunts had generously put us up at a beautiful hotel…..

The very Old World European looking Prince Hotel was built in 1911……. here's a photo I took of it at night.

Beautiful, isn't it? You almost expect a Maybach to drive up and unload fellows in tophats sporting canes. We also had a wonderful view of QingDao Bay and Huilan Pavillion.

After a brief freshening up we headed off to the Missus's Fifth Aunt's for lunch, something I was looking forward to. In the Missus's family, everyone acknowledges that Her Fifth Aunt is the best cook. On more then one occasion, when I've asked my MIL about a certain recipe or dish, an immediate call would go out to the Missus's Fifth Aunt, and an answer would be forthcoming. Of course the recipes from relatives were sometimes quite interesting. As we caught a cab to the Missus's Aunt, She was conversing with the cab driver when She started laughing…… you see, the Missus suddenly realized Her "Qingdao Hua" (青岛话), the unique accent of QingDao had surfaced! QingDao has it's own unique accent, different from the rest of Shandong. The Missus had left Her Beijing accent behind……

We arrived at fifth Aunt's home of over thirty years…. and of course greeting us, along with much smiles, conversation, and laughter, was quite a spread.

This was to be an especially memorable meal. Though the food looks very "homestyle", I was to experience some new and wonderful dishes along the way.

First up was a revelation….. the Missus's Fifth Aunt still makes her own Chinese Sausage by hand!

So much great pork flavor….. the essence of five-spice was amazing. Of course, once I mentioned the wonderful five spice flavor, a jar of it made it's way home with me. The perfect ratio of fat….the sausage is air-dried, and I couldn't get enough of it. I believe she is the only one in the family who still makes this the time honored way; and she even offered to teach me! I didn't think I was up to the task…. but perhaps the next time.

More Lup Cheong and smoked pork.

A excellent fried fish, which tasted like it was first marinated in five-spice, wine, and other seasonings and then fried. Crisp on the outside, moist on the inside…. and had me wishing fo rice.

Strangely enough, about the only time I craved for rice in QingDao, Beijing, or Jinan.

Succelent shrimp… and don't waste them heads!

The starch here is provided by mantou and Baozi!

The local clams, which we saw everywhere, and had many times. Very flavorful…..

Cucumbers stir fried with shrimp that I believe the Missus's Fifth Aunt dries herself.

Delicious…..

Zongzi and Eggs that are steamed with the Zongzi:

And then another remarkable dish…. which made the Missus go: "oh my god, how I miss this…." before inhaling a good amount of it.

Looks sort of like eggs with leek, or perhaps scallion? Not quite right….. it is a classic preparation of scrambled eggs with Xiang Chun Ya, the young and tender shoots of the Chinese Toon or Chinese Mahogany Tree. The fragrance is unique, and the flavor is like a more herbaceous, mild garlic – leek….. that's about as far as I can go because there's nothing quite like it. It was a taste of the Missus's childhood, and something She greatly missed. And it is indeed very, very, tasty…….

Lunch was finished off in the family tradition, with a rich, but light noodle soup. According to family tradition, the first meal when visiting should always conclude with noodle soup.

After lunch the Missus and I took a much needed stroll around the neighborhood (a later post), and on the way to the street the Missus pointed out the Xiang Chun Ya tree:

And indeed there were some folks picking off the young and tender shoots……

I'm actually looking for some seeds……

We met up with the Missus's Fourth Aunt, who took us…well me to get fitted for a suit… we decided that it would be easier to just get a suit made in QingDao, and took a walk around the neighborhood. When we returned, Fifth Aunt was at work making Jiaozi.

And Fifth Uncle, home from coaching ping-pong, waved me over and with a smile gave me a sneak peek at our other "dinner guests":

In the bowl were very, very, live and energetic Mantis Shrimp! I'd read about, and seen mantis shrimp on various shows, but had never had them. Let me tell you now, they are delicious….. The texture of the flesh is like lobster, but the flavor much sweeter and complex. Fifth Uncle, always the patient teacher, instructed me in the way of eating these. First, the flesh cannot be removed easily. So what you do is face the bottom of the shrimp toward you. Gripping the shrimp with your thumbs on the thorax and the other four fingers on the top shell, you gently flex up and down the segments until you hear a gentle "crack". You can then remove the top shell…. and gnaw the meat off the bottom shell, it feels primevil, but the flavor is fantastic.

You remove one of the claws and use it to pick out the even sweeter meat in the tail portion….. Of course, since I needed much instruction, Fifth Uncle filled my plate with Mantis Shrimp he had already peeled….. Man did I love this family!

And two dozen Jiaozi….. I mean I also ate two dozen delicious Jiaozi which topped off the meal for me.

This was a most memorable meal, and in my mind as good as any banquet we attended. There was one thing even more remarkable; all of this came out of a tidy and clean, but quite humble little kitchen; no drawers full of special gizmos or gear, nor shelves full of special spices and ingredients. It really does get to the point of it all….. cooking comes from the heart. And Fifth Aunt's got a lot of that…….

Beijing: A Banquet at Jiangnan Restaurant

June 7, 2010 mmm-yoso Beijing, China, Chinese Restaurants, Travel

Well, at least that's what I think the name of the restaurant is…. the Missus mentioned the name quickly in passing on Her way out the door.

We already had a pretty full day, from a good-sized breakfast, then a trip to the Forbidden City, followed by some "snacks" on Huguosi Street. But the day wasn't over yet…. Mr Li was to pick us up for a Banquet Dinner at 530pm. I'll tell you this much, folks in Beijing and QingDao seemed to be punctual, I mean punctual, impressively punctual considering the traffic and other diversions. 530 meant 530, and the Missus and I both appreciated, and admired that.

At 530 exactly, Mr Li met us in the hotel lobby. We hopped into the minivan, and Mr Li's wife, ever impeccably dressed was picked up a block away. This was to be a reunion of my Mother In-Law's friends and colleagues…. and we were to meet kindred souls along the way.

By the name, this restaurant specialized in Jiangnan Cuisine, referring to the area immediately South of the Yangtze River. At it's most basic level a combination of "Su Cai" (Jiangsu Cuisine) and "Zhe Cai" (Zhejiang Cuisine).

As with most large restaurants in big cities, this was multi-level affair. All major meals occurred on floors two and above.

Among those attending was Mr Doo and his wife, a gentle, kindly soul, my MIL was in her element. For us, meeting Mr Doo's Son and Daughter In-Law was to be a fateful meeting indeed…. you see, they are both food lovers to the millionth degree. I do mean to the millionth degree….. we're talking about people who are born and raised in Beijing, but don't know the street names…. they navigate and get their bearings using restaurants as their reference point! This was to come to play a bit later on in our travels. They are also of the same generation as the Missus, so there was much in common especially the humor…. I could tell that descriptions and references were all so important… it was not only the joke, but how it was presented in almost a poetic manner that was key. Laughter is contagious so they say….. and I found myself laughing, even though I understand almost no Mandarin!

Everything started with drinks…. here it was a very thick Date based drink, and Shaoxing, very nice Shaoxing that was slightly warmed. You dropped in a preserved plum (i.e. cracked seed), which made it even smoother.

Now here a funny thing happened…. my MIL told me to go ahead and start taking photos of the food as it arrived! To this day and moment, I'm not sure what it was, and how it was explained…. but it just seemed that I'd arrived at Food Blogger's Nirvana. The Servers were instructed to place the dishes in front of me; everyone waited until I snapped a photo before eating…. I can't really explain it, but I am indebted….. and this was not to be the last time this happened! Was China really the land of a billion foodies???? There's a kind of pride associated with knowing "the good stuff", and appreciation is… well, appreciated…. And I appreciated the graciousness of everyone as well.

I'm sure you're now waiting for the details, and I'm going to oblige as best I'm able. But I'm sure that most regular readers understand; I'm not a food writer, I'm a food eater. Secondly, and this may, or may not be surprising…. I take no notes. My memory, and my photos are my notes. I've never taken notes on anything I've posted on…. like I've said many times, I can never remember where I parked my car in the morning…. but I can recall what I ate, and where I ate it, five, and even ten years ago. But this was a challenge….. over the course of the trip we attended a total of seven banquets, not including the huge tasting menu in Nanjing and the Dumpling "banquet" in Xi'an. In this case, it seemed that the high points are what we remember of this 21 course extravaganza…..

The Xi Hu Duck (aka West Lake Duck):

Like duck jerky, chewy, with the flavor of five-spice and other seasonings.

This was called "Mountain Vegetable with Beancurd":

In reality, I have no idea what type of vegetable this was…. but it was delicious. Mildly sweet and bitter, this was the flavor of wild greens to the "nth" factor. In fact, when we traveled to Hangzhou and Suzhou we made sure to order this when we saw it on the menu. Still it was never as good as this.

Pickled Radish….

Crisp and refreshing…….

Tianmu Dried Bamboo.

We had arrived just at the end of bamboo shoot season in Hangzhou. Tianmu Dried Bamboo Shoots are a specialty of Hangzhou. This wasn't especially memorable.

Okay…. everyone knows what this is, right?

Yes, it's roast pork…… but man, this was good, among the best I've ever had. The skin was thin and crisp, with nary the impression of oiliness, nor greasiness. The pork belly melted, and I mean melted in your mouth. I really didn't need the housemade sauce, and especially didn't need any help from the bowl of sugar provided.

And yet, it wasn't the memorable item of the night…. which was for me, the Jiangnan Carp.

I've done many posts on what I call "Suzhou Smoked Fish"…. where the fish is first marinated then fried. I've found that there are two types, one that is fried then marinated for a good period of time, it is what I usually encounter, served as a "cold dish". Another is slightly marinated, fried, and served with almost a glaze a la minute like this…… which was one of my favorite dishes of the entire trip!

The Longjing Shrimp (i.e. Dragon Well Shrimp) a specialty of Hangzhou really didn't inspire us.

Call it looking for some great flavors…. the shrimp were cooked to perfection though…. it looked better than any version of this dish I've seen on the Internet.

The Missus really loved the Hangzhou boiled bean curd strip….

Actually, the Missus, even with Her moratorium on chicken loved the soup…. ahem, chicken broth….supreme chicken broth.

The Prawn Lion's Head.

Scallion Pancakes so thin, they were like crepes….

Delici-yoso Durian Pastry…. I mean delicious.

There were, of course a few dishes that didn't impress as much…mainly the beef dishes.

By no means bad, but they didn't "shine" quite as much.

And those that I found kinda odd…. like the sweet corn fritters with "sprinkles"….. which actually wasn't too bad:

I just had to get my "Western mind" around it.

I even enjoyed the "medicinal soup":

I really enjoyed the flavor…… I ended up drinking the Missus's bowl…. which came with its little own heating element as well. The soup was mild and cleansing, without anything overpowering.

The whole steamed fish came out soon thereafter as well.

One of the items I loved…… the "Mashed Taro in Pumpkin Shell".

Okay…… to some clean, the first thing I thought was, "wow….. poi!" And yet, it was not….. but it was tasty all the same. With the mild sweetness of the pumpkin, along with the savory attachment of the pinenuts, there was a tongue-coating goodness I enjoyed. In fact by this time, everybody had hit their limit…. but I was still going.

And yet….. there are the dishes that I don't remember…. these are captured in photos:

But I do remember the second to last dish that came out:

These were some of the largest Sheng Jian Bao I'd ever seen……..

Moist, but without "soup".

And of course, the end was signaled with fruit…. in this case the watermelon was tasted like…. well watermelon….. which is not always the case here in the US.

In end…. if I'm to sum this up like the end of semester term paper, I can easily say; of all the wonderful banquets we had….. this was the most refined. And we met some wonderful folks as well!

It was also an introduction to the "social fiber", what we call the "ties that bind", you know…. that easy familiarity that is often described as "it is like we just were here yesterday." It was in full display here……

Beijing: The Forbidden City, Huguosi Snack Bar, Jiaozi, and more snacks…..

June 6, 2010 mmm-yoso Beijing, China, Chinese Restaurants, Travel

*** Warning, this is another super long post.

After a satisfying breakfast, we headed for the bus stop in front of our hotel, and headed for our next destination. We both loved the buses in Beijing, the routes are extensive, the prices in Beijing are usually 1 yuan (about 15 cents), the drivers and attendants/conductors serious, but usually helpful…. if not, someone on the bus will usually have some opinion of the best way to get where you need to go. The sometimes huge writhing mass of humanity surging onto the buses can be intimidating, and the crowds during rush hours can make you empathize with sardines, but off peak periods are pretty relaxed. At those times you'll see mostly students, older folks, including tons of grandmothers with their grandchildren. With both parents working, it seems that the role of raising grandchildren is left to their grandmothers. Being fairly early in the morning, we were caught in the morning rush, on bus 22….which took us to Qianmen (aka Zhengyangmen).

The Missus knew where we were supposed to go, but the question was how to get there? Access to the streets are blocked, so you need to find the right underground passage to cross the street. Of course, we ended up on the wrong side of the street a few times, but we finally ended up where we should have.

Tiananmen Square is huge, and on this day, right before the busy May first holiday, crowds were already pretty large. Hoards of people sometimes wearing the same colored caps, or jackets, being led by a "guide" carrying the same colored flag, or some other identifying object…..large flowered staffs seemed popular, lining up like little armies ready to take on the Forbidden City.

We had arrived during a unseasonal cold snap, so the wind delivered a pretty good chill.

After a pretty long walk, and a security check we arrived at the Forbidden City. It's kind of amazing, what angles can do. I think you recognize this photo from an earlier post.

Angles are everything…… if you move just a few yards to the left, this is what is actually going on…..

At the entrance to the Forbidden City. First of course, we needed tickets. While the Missus was making Her way forward in a typical "line", which makes you think that lines are really just conceptual, abstract ideas in China…..

During which time I got to watch the soldiers doing their morning exercise……

Upon entering we quickly noticed that even this early in the morning, the place was pretty busy…..

But we also noticed that the main masses were still being organized in Tiananmen Square, and these crowds were focused straight down the middle of the Forbidden City. The edges were fairly empty…..

One of the most impressive items is the large, single stone carving, behind the the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

I read that the Emperor would be carried over the stone carvings in his sedan. He would be the only one allowed to pass over the carvings. This was a long one…..

As with places like this, the grandness was impossible to capture….

And still…… the area of the Forbidden City that we found most interesting were the palaces North of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Located up alleyways…..

Surrounding peaceful courtyards; this was living area of the Empress and Concubines. Many of the buildings feature displays that try to convey what life was like behind the walls of the Forbidden City.

Everything from restored sitting and sleeping areas to person effects are on display. There are displays of old photos of how concubines were selected, and how they rose through the ranks.

Lest you think that all Concubines were created equal, the Missus and I spent a good long time in front of this chart which details "allowances" for Concubines of different ranks. I found this quite entertaining. As with all photos, you can click to enlarge….

For example, on the third line down….. top ranked Concubines got 12 pork, while the lowers ranking Concubines got 9 1/2, 9, and 6. The next line is lamb, top ranking Concubines got one plate per day, while the Concubines of the next ranking got 15 plates per month, and so forth. The list covers everything from vegetables to chicken. The last line is coal…..

Some of the courtyards were so peaceful, you could close your eyes, barely hearing the murmurs of voices, away from guides and their megaphones, and perhaps imagine how life might have been….

We visited most of the other sights in the Forbidden City… the Imperial Gardens, and so forth….

But I knew it was time to leave when I saw this large, loud crowd in front of the, ahem, Hall of Earthly Tranquility.

And then the strangest thing happened. As we approached the huge doors of the Forbidden City, Soldiers moved in. The crowds trying to surge through the doors were being pushed out, a stray arm or two getting around the before they were slammed shut. The absurd thought went through my head, "oh-oh, Barbarians at the gate!" Folks were herded to the front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and a rope barrier was put up, and used to move people away….

Folks seemed to be in a big rush…..

This being China, land of secrets…. no one bothered to tell anyone anything. But at least I took some good photos of areas that were crawling with people a few minutes before.

A few minutes later a party of people, I'm assuming VIPs arrived through the front gates of the Forbidden City. They walked into the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and the rope boundaries moved along with them. Hmmm, I'd now been forbiddened within the Forbidden City…. it was a good as time as any to leave.

As we got on our bus, the Missus had another destination in mind. On our way to the Great Wall, the gentleman driving us had a discussion about what else? Food with the Missus. Born and raised in Beijing, he'd be as good a source as anyone. We were after some traditional Beijing Snacks, and were told that you'd have to know, and go to the Hutongs to experience real Beijing food. What's out on the main streets are the big restaurants, the KFCs, various regional restaurants, and such. But there was one place we could check out. Huguosi Street.

Back in the Qing Dynasty, Huguo Temple (Huguosi) was famous for its temple fair, held on the eighth day of each lunar month. The fair is no longer, but Huguosi Snack Shop carries on the snack tradition. Though there are many locations of Huguosi Snack Bar, this is the original location, founded in 1956.

Walking down the street through the construction dust we entered the packed to the seams shop.

The Missus got in the endless line……..

While the Missus looked over the menu of snacks, some of them having a lineage of over 600 years, with names like "Donkey Rolling in the dirt", I found us two seats on a shared table.

Here's what the Missus got. Some of which She hadn't even heard of before:

Looks like fried tofu, doesn't it? These were cubes made from mountain yam, with mung bean in them. Firm, and slightly chewy, these had some heft to them. The flavor was mildly sweet. Overall, not bad.

I'm not sure why the Missus ordered the "every thing that''s leftover" soup. Basically, offal soup.

Whoa…. this was hardcore stuff. A few sips was all I could manage…. the Missus only one…..

This one is called "Chao Ge Da" (炒疙瘩), literally "stir fried flour knots".

The peanuts and pickled greens were very mild. The knots of flour were very doughy, and pretty tasteless. Supposedly, during the early days of the PRC, a woman and her daughter ran a snack shop. A customer requested a special snack, and thus this was created.

Not my favorite dish in the world.

Your basic Beef in bread……

The meat was delicious, the bread was on the dry side.

And finally, something I enjoyed, but the Missus didn't. This is called "Miancha", but there's no noodles (Mian), and I can't for the life of me figure out how tea (Cha) comes into the equation. I'm sure there must be some really great story…. but I haven't been able to track one down.

It's basically millet porridge mixed with sesame paste and some salt. It's quite heavy, but I enjoyed the savory nuttiness of the sesame paste. The Missus, not real big fan of sesame paste didn't care for it.

The Missus also picked up some snacks to share with Her Mom later on.

That's the "Donkey Rolling in Dirt" on the left side….. Wan Dou Huang, "Pea Flour Cake" on the right.

I left stuffed, mostly because of the Miancha, but the Missus wasn't satisfied yet. She noticed this tiny, busy Jiaozi shop on the street.

And some mutton and celery dumplings sounded great. This shop only sold dumplings in quantities of 25! 12 yuan(just under $2) for a batch. And so we ate 25…..

A bit too much celery, but a good combination…. you could still make out some mutton-ny flavor. The wrappers were decent, but nothing to write home about. What I liked the least was the really bad vinegar….. way too sour. Tell you what though… there was no doubt these were hand made.

And while this Lu Rou Hua Shao (Donkey Meat in Sesame Bread) shop looked tempting.

It was time to go……

The Missus however decided to stop at the snack shop across from our hotel…. to stock up on Suan Nai (yogurt), and while there She grabbed one of these.

At first I was hesitant, I'm not a big fan of wowotou, nor had I enjoyed the Corn Meal Bao I had at a Shenyang Restaurant in the SGV a few years back. This was pretty good, the corn meal bun was much more moist than I thought it would be, and the filling of preserved radish was delish…..

Man was that some eating for the day…… however, in a few hours we had a banquet to attend!!!!

Thanks for reading (yet another) super long post!