mmm-yoso – Page 448 – As in, yoso-silly, yoso-hungry, yoso-full, or best of all; mmm-delici-yoso!!!!! A San Diego based food and travel blog. An Ex-Pat Kama'aina and Friends explore food, restaurants, and travel from San Diego and points beyond.

Road Trip: Yun Nan 168 Restaurant – San Gabriel (Los Angeles)

February 8, 2010 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

**** Yun Nan 168 Restaurant has closed

On a recent trip to the SGV, while driving across San Gabriel Boulevard on Valley, I noticed a new restaurant had sprouted up. What was once a Spike's Teriyaki Bowl, is now something called Yunnan 168.

Even though it was pretty early, we decided to stop by and grab a "breakfast" of sorts. The interior looks brand new but kinda generic….. and of course the 'B' DOH Restaurant rating was hung with care…. as if it was a badge of courage.

Like the other Yunnan Restaurant we've been to, there's a a table of cold appetizers.

Much of it looked delicious, and all the usual suspects were in view, from the Pao Jiao(pickled pepper) chicken feet to the bean curd noodles.

And much like the other "Yunnan" Restaurants we've been to, the menu seemed very "Sichuan" with dishes like "ChongQing Fried Chicken" and "Ma Po Doufu". We did start with a nice plate of appetizers:

The Missus was overjoyed at seeing pickled long beans. These were good, not as salty and spicy as the Hunan version, but very nice. My only problem was that the beans were diced into fairly small pieces, which made eating them a rather laborious task. Think of eating a bowl of peas with chopsticks. Still, quite good, and even better as a part of our leftovers (more later).

The sliced bean curd "noodles" were good as well:

Other versions of this dish are sometimes bland and dry, often breaking when attempting to eat. These had some mild spice, with a bit of tartness to them.

Of the three cold dishes, the eggplant was the best, with a nice garlic-chili-vinegar punch.

The texture was yielding, but not mushy. If anything, this could have used a touch of salt, which was ironic based on our main courses.

While choosing the cold dishes were hard enough, with all the offerings, selecting two dishes from a menu consisting of almost 200 items was quite a task! Looking thru the menu, I noticed something translated as "Yunnan Fried Rice Cake". I was curious, and had a feeling this was a Nian Gao dish. I had the Missus ask our Server, who confirmed my hunch. Having just made Chao Nian Gao at home I was interested to see what Yunnan Nian Gao ($6.95) would be like. It didn't disappoint:

The use of ground pork along with "ham" was a good choice, since the dish teetered on the edge of saltiness. The ground pork helped to level the flavors a bit. I loved the pungency that the chives added to the dish, and the occasional bite of preserved vegetable made this a pretty complex dish with regards to flavor, in addition to adding a bit of crunch. The rice cakes were cooked adequately, with a touch of "wok hay". Since we had a few places to hit on this visit, we packed a good amount of this as leftovers. The next day, I mixed the pickled green beans into this dish before heating….. and it was even better!

We saw a gentleman enthusiastically slurping a noodle dish on one of the tables across from us….. it just looked (and sounded) so good we decided to order it; Yunnan Noodle with Special Sauce (Yunnan Da Lu Mian – $4.95):

From my experience Da Lu Mian is usually a noodle dish with various toppings in a "gravy", and this filled the bill. However, as good as the Nian Gao dish was, this was ten times as bad. The noodles were water-logged on the bottom, like they had not been drained well, residing in a pool of pinkish water. Perhaps it is supposed to be served that way. The noodles were also a tad over-cooked. Even worse, the meat topping was extremely salty, almost inedible. The pork was hard and grainy, and in spite of the looks it had very little for the palate except for the saltiness. The Missus barely finished a bite.

The noodles also came with a clear broth with pea sprouts. This was meant to be eaten separately(we asked).

I'm not really into chlorophyll flavored salt water…….

Still, we had enjoyed the Nian Gao, and the cold dishes were pretty good….. and of course there's Guoqiao Mi Xian (Crossing the Bridge Rice Noodle Soup) on the menu, among another 190 or so dishes. We may return in the future….gotta watch that salt though!

The place is very clean, and the folks working here were very helpful and enthusiastic. It sure ain't no Teriyaki Bowl restaurant……

Yun Nan 168 Restaurant
1530 South San Gabriel Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776

Sunday Stuffs

February 7, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking, yoso-silly

For once I wasn't a jinx:

You can tell who I was cheering for in the Super Bowl by the ingredients in the photo to the right. I made some Red Beans and Rice for a potluck the Missus had to attend on Saturday. And I guess this time I didn't jinx the team I was hoping would win.

What's your comfort sandwich?

Peanut butter and jelly? Grilled cheese perhaps? You may find mine a bit strange….. it's Tuna on toast…..

But as long as I can remember I've loved this. It used to be only tuna salad made with celery and onions, cucumbers, and tomato slices. Over the years, I've found that I enjoy sprouts in my sandwich. It can't be a tuna melt……… Also, in a classic example of brand loyalty, the mayo has to be Best Foods. One other strange example of brand loyalty, and maybe just a bit of weirdness, the tuna has to be Coral Brand.

You'll never see me ordering a "tuna salad" anywhere…. I need to make it myself. I guess you could say, I just don't trust anyone else with this. The sandwich isn't "stuffed" and oozing tuna salad as proportion is important to me.

Strange I know……

But I'm sure I'm not the only one….. ummm, right?

Keith’s Restaurant – Miramar

February 6, 2010 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Diner

**** Keith's has closed

I'm pretty sure if you've driven South on the 15 freeway, you've seen the sign for Keith's.

The Missus, who loves diners just could not fend off the pull of this sign forever. So I just knew that we'd eventually be eating here.

On the day we visited Keith's we'd arrive right before what would be considered a normal dinner service. We grabbed a table, and soon enough our menus arrived.

My first thought was that the prices were a bit higher than others, but that could've just been my imagination.

The Missus who loves breakfast for dinner, or lunch, or even a midnight snack went for the two eggs combo. Now, there's just a couple of things that make a diner, well….. a diner for us. Two of them are eggs and potatoes. And though the Foodanistas will criticize something that they think it's below them….it's the potatoes(namely the usually perfectly executed SYSCO hashbrowns) that makes a place like Perry's Cafe (which we hope reopen soon). This is what arrived at our table:

The eggs were an adequate over-medium, though the toast could have been in the toaster a bit longer. The hashbrowns were a letdown. They weren't crisp enough on the exterior, I just don't think enough oil was being used. We really don't go to a diner for "healthy" hashbrowns. The strands of potatoes under the semi-crust were hard, and not good eats.

The entree I ordered started with a Macaroni Soup:

This was really just "meh" for me, but at least they used enough salt in it. The Missus enjoyed it more than I did.

Now one of the other items that makes a diner for us is gravy (and club sandwiches but that's another post). On the basis of a recommendation I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak ($11.79):

Now the steak was fairly good, it was tender and had been processed properly. The flour based coating could have used a bit of seasoning. I expected the vegetables to be mushy and bland, and they were. The fries (potatoes) were a disappointment, as fries with gravy of any kind is weakness of mine. The were the faux "natural" style fries, but were limp, dry, and bland. So on to the gravy….. how can I put this….. think of the texture of thick glue, very gummy…… it actually stood on my upside-down spoon. It also lacked flavor and was badly in need of salt. A disappointment overall.

The woman who served us was very nice…. and even tolerated the two guys who came in later and started asking question about how the mushrooms were sauteed, and stuff like that with good humor….. geeez, this was a diner, not Pampelmousse! We also noticed all the older folk who started coming in while we were living….. what does it say when one has dinner before the "blue plate special" crowd? Oh well, unless someone has a fantastic recommendation, I don't think we'll be back.

Keith's Restaurant
9449 Kearny Mesa Rd
San Diego, CA 92126

Open 24 Hours

The Chao Nian Gao (炒年糕) Experiment

February 4, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

I gotta say, that the first time I had Chao Nian Gao(stir fried rice cake), I wasn't too impressed. It was kinda sticky-gooey, and sank to the bottom of my belly and seemed to "camp out" for a good long period of time. It was interesting, because I'd never had rice cakes prepared in that manner. I did however have Korean Ddukbokki many times. Over the years, it has grown on me, and now I try to order Nian Gao whenever I see it on the menu. I usually see it on Shanghainese menus, though I recently had a version from a Yunnan Restaurant (post coming soon) that I thought was excellent.

On a whim, during a recent visit to 99 Ranch Market, I picked up a package of dried Nian Gao disks, you can also find the rice cakes rolled into a rod like form, and cut your own, though you can substitute Dduk….. So I purchased my Nian Gao, and did nothing with it. Finally, the Missus, tired of waiting, told me to make the darn thing…tonight….

The problem being that the instructions say you need to soak these for at least 16-20 hours. So it was going to be a looooong wait for dinner to get on the table.

I decided to go ahead and soak these overnight…. which became two nights when we got occupied doing other things. On the third day I figured I'd better get round to making these. What follows is a basic outline of what I did, not a proper recipe. I used only what was on hand in the fridge and cupboard.

I had just finished off my Oxtail Soup, and had leftover greens.

They call these "Shen Lee" at 99 Ranch Market. They have a mild bitter-mustardy flavor.

We usually don't have pork on hand, but always have dried shrimp in the refrigerator. We will use shrimp as a pork substitute in many of our dishes like Dried Fried Green Beans 干煸四季豆. It handles heat well, and will crisp up, tasting like shrimp bacon. So I used a couple of tablespoons of dried shrimp.

Instead of the standard lighter Shanghai version, I went with three types of soy sauce for flavoring, a dark, dark mushroom, and premium light soy sauces because, well, I just felt like it. 1 tsp each dark soy sauces and about 2 Tb light soy sauce. I also added a dash of white pepper. In retrospect, I should've also added some Sichuan Preserved Vegetable, but forgot I had some in cupboard.

And of course the Nian Gao:

Which had been soaking for 60 hours or so! I used half the package, a bit over 8 ounces dry. I made two batches of Chao Nian Gao over two days.

The cooking technique used is, of course Chǎo(炒), a method of stirfying. As mentioned above, I made two batches of Chao Nian Gao. On my first attempt, I cooked on the stovetop to allow for mistakes and adjustments. Here's how it turned out:

Good but a bit more chewy then I would have liked.

On my next try, I broke out my Big Kahuna (now why does that sound so wrong???) and let her rip at 55,000 BTUs. What came out was delicious…….with some decent "wok hay":

Man, this was good. It had turned out better than I thought it would. It was still pretty heavy stuff, it fills you up pretty quickly and you'll stay full for a while. I guess I'm adding this dish to my Big Kahuna Files. It is as a whole just a basic stir-fry, and quite easy to make.

In fact, I just bought another bag of Nian Gao. This one says to soak for only two hours…….

Road Trip: Sushi Go 55 – Los Angeles

February 2, 2010 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Sushi and Sashimi

I recently took a day off from work, and we headed off to…. well, where else, LA. We hadn't been to Little Tokyo in quite a while. So we decided to start there…… And it had been a good long time, things seemed a bit different, and there's a new transit stop…. or maybe not so new since I don't think I've spent much time here since my (Rail) Road Trip at the end of 2006!

We decided that some sushi and sashimi would make a nice lunch… nothing fancy, just some decently done sushi like we'd get at Sushi Komasa, which isn't open for lunch. Sushi Gen was discussed and rejected because we've grown weary of the lines, and feeling rushed through our meal. So we decided on Sushi Go 55, a shop that's been around for a while, located on the top floor of Little Tokyo Shopping Center.

We had arrived at about 11am…. a few minutes ahead of the 11:15 (11:15???) opening. So we wandered around a bit. We hadn't been here since the Little Tokyo Shopping Center had been sold. As the Missus and I walked through the deserted supermarket (very nice BTW) we fondly remembered when it was first Yaohan, then Mitsuwa. Last year, Mitsuwa Marketplace closed, and was replaced by the Little Tokyo Galleria Market which is quite nice, and stocks both Japanese and Korean grocery items. It was just a bit depressing that the place was pretty much deserted. Here's a photo of parts of the second and third floor, which was totally deserted.

At 11:15, an arm reached out, and turned the sign out front over…. and Sushi Go 55 was open. We were greeted at the door by a very friendly gentleman who recognized us from the parking lot, as we had parked just a few cars apart.

We looked over the menu, and made our decisions. There was an interesting moment when I turned to the back page of the menu. Here there was a copy of a handwritten page with something called the "New Economy Lunch Special"…. 10 pieces of sashimi, rice, and miso soup for $12.75, which is a bargain. We decided on other things though.

We placed our orders, and in very efficient fashion, some sunomono and miso soup arrived to keep us occupied while waiting for our main courses.

Along with a nice cup of green tea, this gave us some time to relax and check the place out a bit. The restaurant is a bit larger than it looks, with a small dining area, along with a pretty sizable bar.

We also noticed that the place had started filling up, with folks trickling in. By the time we started to eat, hte place was two-thirds full. The demographic was interesting; mostly older couples and business people, folks who like to take their time during meals.

Soon enough my Sashimi Lunch ($16) arrived. A chawan of rice, along with a plate of various sashimi.

The first thing I noticed was that this place uses real wasabi, not that reconstituted green horseradish stuff. On my plate were 2 huge slices of Hamachi, which was probably the best item. The worst being the very tough Tako (Octopus). The three slices of maguro were just ok, while the three slices of Albacore were excellent, very moist. Albacore has a tendency to be dry, but these were soft and moist, and just brushed, not drenched in Ponzu sauce, and topped with onions. There were four large pieces of salmon, which were also quite good, firm yet soft. Nothing exotic, but very solid…. I did notice that these were pretty large cuts of fish, especially the Hamachi and Salmon. The two pieces of Tai (snapper) were on the dry and too chewy, even for Shiromi (whitefish). The quality seemed a bit higher than what we've received from Sushi Gen on our last visit.

I had heard some good things about the Chirashi Lunch Special at Sushi Go 55. At $17, it seemed priced right. It is pretty impressive sight when it arrives as two lacquered boxes, one stacked on the other arrive at the table. I'm sorry to say my photos won't do it justice, but let's just say the Missus really enjoyed Her lunch.

The top box contains all the "scattered" items. (Chirashi Sushi basically means "scattered sushi). I think it would be more appropriate to say the overflowing items…..

The second box held the rice, nori, and other items…..

Let's just say that the Missus couldn't wait to dig in……… and was pretty stuffed, and very satisfied at the end of this meal.

We found the service to be efficient, and that gentleman who worked the front of house was very nice, and even stopped and chatted with us when we were through. He said he was flattered that we came all the way from San Diego to eat here, and wished us a safe drive back home. While the fish was not "top tier", what was good, was very good. The prices are very reasonable for what you get. And the Missus said She enjoyed this more than the last couple of bowls of Chirashi at Izakaya Sakura, so I guess we'll be back.

I found out that the family that owns Sushi Go 55 also own Haru Ulala, which I thought was interesting. Another interesting item, were the copies of the sheet to my right found around the restaurant. I was even asked if I wanted a copy…. maybe next time……

Sushi Go 55
333 S. Alameda Street
3rd Floor of Little Tokyo Shopping Center
Los Angeles, California 90012

It was fun little visit….after lunch we headed downstairs and did a bit of grocery shopping, then moved on to Japanese Village Plaza and walked around a bit, noting some changes since our last visit, and grabbing some manju from Fugetsu-do. We returned via the 405, stopping in Gardena, and did some shopping at Marukai….. I made Poke, steamed some Lau Lau, and grilled Shishamo for dinner. I think you can call that a pretty nice day!

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori – A first look at the ramen

February 1, 2010 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, What Howie Eats - Where the Foodie from Foodieview Eats

I usually try to contain myself and wait a bit before trying out a new restaurant. I'd just mentioned that Yakyudori's second branch would open today. A good example of waiting for a bit until the "kinks" are worked out would be San Diego's Santouka, whereas my first visit really wasn't quite that good, the problems where worked out by my subsequent visits. But today, the opportunity arose to grab a bite at Yakyudori, with two of my favorite FOYs(Friends of Yoso), Candice and Howie. So of course I jumped at it.

I was quite interested to see what changes have been made to the very "fast-foodish" interior of the former BBQ Express Teriyaki. I like the warmer colors, the sort of casual (all the beer posters of course) Japanese Pubish interior, and there's even a "bar" area for solo, or dual slurping….

The menu is small, and there's no yakitori yet, as I believe they are waiting for their liquor license. Six types of ramen, and a couple of small dishes. One of which, Takoyaki ($4.50) we ordered.

I've not had a great deal of Takoyaki, but this was just kinda mediocre in my opinion. First off, it was on the dark side, but lacked that thin layer of crispness. Also, I like the interior to be molten, and creamy, this one was just barely hot and gummy. I enjoyed the "sauce" used, which tasted a bit like a mild Nihai-zu, a vinegar-soy-dashi based sauce. The mayo was overkill in my opinion…. but I'm sure that there're folks who just love the stuff.

I ordered a Shio Ramen($6.50), and noticed in the photo there was corn in it. I prefer to have it sans corn, and ordered it that way. The bowl arrived, and the aroma was excellent, so familiar, and so comforting.

You'll quickly notice that this isn't "Tonkotsu style" (milky pork bone soup) broth. And I'm kinda glad it's not. I love the simple, yet complex tones of a good Shio or Shoyu broth. There is just enough oil to keep you satiated, and the umami flavors come through unmuddled. The noodles were perfect, a bit of stretch, a nice chew to them. I'm thinking that I prefer these to Santouka right now, but perhaps it's just an infatuation with the new kid on the block. One thing for sure…. this sure ain't your standard issue JFC type noodles…..

The egg was wonderful, the yolk was seductively soft and first mildy resisted, than yielded to your bite. The wonderful flavors of soy with a touch of sweetness came through clearly. There was a hiccup or two, to be expected during a grand opening. My bowl arrived with one slice of Chashu, which the young lady quickly swept back to the counter to add the second slice. The second slice of pork was on the dry, grainy side, perhaps because it hadn't had enough time in the jacuzzi. The flavors were as to be expected, rich and decadent, seemingly a bit more homemade than the richly polished version at Santouka. I also think the broth could stand to be a bit hotter, though this type of clear broth stands up better under less heat than a tonkotsu style broth. Also there were a couple of kernals of corn in my broth, so I figure that the kitchen started putting it together, and did an "oopsie". No harm, no foul.

As far as I'm concerned, this was miles above anything Chopstix, Gunco, or Teri Cafe could produce, and I'm glad there's another option for ramen. When I need to be fortified, it'll be Santouka. On those days when I want comfort, there's now Yakyudori.

One other item. I think folks are going to rejoice over this. It looks likethis location of Yakyudori will be open from 1130 am until 3am! Yes, 3am everyday….. be still my heart…..

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori
4898 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Open 1130 am to 3am daily.

Imperial Palace

January 31, 2010 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants

With Royal Mandarin currently out of commission, I've kinda been keeping my eye out for various other places that make Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings. Someone mentioned that Imperial Palace in National City made some pretty good wings, and even recommended a noodle dish. I faintly recalled seeing this place while driving up 8th street.

Much like the similarly named Hotel and Casino in Vegas, this place has obviously seen better days. I think just the name itself was enough to keep out of the place in the past. The Missus once had an educational seminar in Vegas at Imperial Palace. Ick….. I especially felt bad when the Missus called me while I was having lunch. The "catered lunch" at IP consisted of some 1960's style iceberg lettuce salad, and baloney sandwiches! Baloney Sandwiches! I really felt terrible since I was having Moules Frites while sitting in the outdoor eating area at Mon Ami Gabi watching the water show across the street at the Bellagio.

The interior of the restaurant, much like the exterior looks a bit worn. One really funny thing that happened when I entered. A woman was manning the counter, and pointed me to a table. I walked over and had a seat. Five seconds later, I see a woman who could be the identical twin of the woman up front coming out of the back of the restaurant! It was then that I realized that the kitchen paralleled the restaurant, with entrances at both ends of the dining area.

Another strange thing was that this place didn't have proper menus per se. I sat at my table for a couple of minutes waiting for a menu, but none was forthcoming. I watched another couple enter, and they walked up to the front counter and grabbed the paper "take-out menus", so I ended up doing the same.

Needless to say, this was obviously an "ABCDE" (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment). If you didn't know when you entered, it would become quite clear when you're given a fork and spoon. Chopsticks are only given upon request, after a bit of digging, and are the thin wooden Chinese Fast Food type chopsticks, which screamed off that SYSCO of Chinese Restaurant supplies, Kari-Out.

I will say that the prices here are very cheap. The Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings were $5.35. And at 10 pieces an order, that's 53.5 cents a wing…. waaaay below the "Kyochon line". I'm pretty sure that almost everyone orders S&P Wings here. When another table didn't order wings, the woman asked them several times, "you sure no chicken wings…. ARE YOU SHU-ah!"

The wings were on the smallish side, and as the picture below indicates, some of them had been "split open" to either check or enhance cooking. Either way, it dries out the wings. The batter and slin had a nice crunch, obviously due to the use of a good amount of cornstarch. Flavorwise, not particularly spicy, and lacking in garlic and green onions. Still, quite a bit of flavor…… you know why, right? Check out the kinda deformed wing below, see all the nice shiny crystals? You know what that is, right?

Unlike many folks I've got nothing against the use of MSG, so long as it's not over-used, or as a way to severely cut corners. And unlike a recent bowl of noodle soup I had at Minh Ky where my feet started swelling after a few sips of soup (which I did finish BTW), there were no effects. So overall, not bad…..

Unlike the "Imperial Pan Fried Noodles($5.35)", which displayed some of he worst qualities of "Ab-Cee-Dee" style food:

Gloppy, tasteless "gravy" over over-cooked, mushy noodles. The chicken was pretty tough, but to be fair, the beef was fairly tender if tasteless. The shrimp was cooked well, with decent flavor and soft. This was so bland that even a good dose of soy sauce couldn't help it.

To sum up, the prices are very cheap. If someone has a recommendation for this place, maybe I'll give it another shot. The chicken wings are decent…. and as I mentioned above inexpensive. It's probably the prices that keeps this place in business.

Imperial Palace Chinese Restaurant
1630 East 8th Street
National City, CA 91950

Saturday Stuffs: Goodbye Playa Azul, Hello Yakyudori Ramen & Yakitori, and a Balboa and Clairemont Drive Taco Truck update

January 30, 2010 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, yoso-silly

Playa Azul Closes:

Sometimes when I take my sweet ‘ol time on posts, it backfires. After a visit to Playa Azul during the Autumn, I just kinda waited around…… A few weeks back, I decided to do one more visit, and finally a post, and this is what greeted me:

Even the mural had been removed:

Sad……

Anyway here are some photos from our visit.

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori coming to Convoy:

Word of this has been spreading quickly. You know, I’ve never done a post on Yakyudori…. well, because my photos have never come out. This is the former site of BBQ Express Teriyaki, and before that Extreme Pita.

The sign says grand opening will be… Monday, February 1st!!! Wow, that’s fast.

4898 Convoy Street, San Diego, CA 92111…….

(Yet another) Taco Truck on the corner of Balboa and Clairemont Drive:

Two weeks ago I mentioned that the Mariscos German truck was back on the corner of Balboa and Clairemont Drive. Well, this past week, I noticed another truck in it’s place:

Sheesh, what is this…… taco truck roulette. Hopefully, I’ll be able to check it out before it vanishes…..

Not about food:

One of my favorite FOYs(Friends of Yoso) is “Canine Cologne”, whose blog Pink Candles at Ridgemont High is fun, delicious (in the virtual kinda way), and also somewhat nostalgic. One of my favorite series of posts that CC does is called ABC Music Videos, where Ms Cologne (he-he-he) posts music videos every week based on letters of the alphabet. I’ve kidded CC that one day I’d do a “homage” of sorts to her ABC videos….. and I think I found what I needed…. so without further ado:

A is for Akebono:

Yes, these are actually commercials for the series “Glee” in Japan. And in case you don’t know who Akebono is you can find more info here. Funny thing, I actually saw Akebono, when he was Chad Rowan playing basketball for Hawaii Pacific University!!!

Anyway, for some reason the commercials made me smile….. Hey, it coulda been KennyG ok!!!!

Have a great weekend!

Kinpira Gobo

January 28, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

I swear that I posted this recipe before…. but I guess not. Anyway, this is one of those basic recipes that Mom made. Kinpira is the name of a famous Mythical Hero. According to Shizuo Tsuji's Japanese Cooking: a Simple Art, this dish is supposed to be strong and dashing, like Kinpira, thus the addition of some heat in this style of cooking. By the way, for all those who really want to know the "meat and bones" of traditional Japanese cooking, I highly recommend Shizuo Tsuji's book. Heck, even my Mom had a copy of it when it was originally published…. and I don't even know how she got her hands on it.

"Kinpira" in Japanese cooking terms is basically a modified stir-fry of sorts using root vegetables. Though Gobo (burdock root) is probably the most popular, I've seen Lotus Root, Carrot, and even potato used for Kinpira. "Foodhoe" has a delicious looking recipe for Kinpira Parsnips that is worth checking out.

I was really pleased with the Gobo available around New Years. It was lighter in color, moist enough that it wasn't cracked, and almost had a mild sweetness to it. So along with the Gomoku Takikomi Gohan, I decided to make Kinpira Gobo. This time around I used one of those hot red chilies you find in the frozen section of Vietnamese Markets, and it packed a pretty good punch. The Missus said it was the best version of this I've ever made….. so now the pressure's on to do it again I guess!

Anyway, this is fairly easy, some recipes will tell you to blanch or parboil the gobo, but I find it kills the nice earthy flavor. I prefer to cook the gobo for a longer period of time. Gobo is supposed to be chock full of phosphorus and calcium, and of course fiber…. lots of fiber!

Kinpira Gobo:

1 medium stalk of Gobo(burdock root)
1 medium Carrot
1 red chili pepper (optional)
2 Tb Canola or Vegetable Oil
2-3 Tb Shoyu
1 Tb Sugar
2 Tb Sake
1 Tb Mirin
Dash of Sesame Oil(optional)
Shichimi Togarashi to taste
Sesame Seeds

– Scrape the skin off the gobo, and julienne. Keep the gobo in cold water so it will not discolor.
– Peel carrot and julienne.
– Slice red pepper in half and remove seeds. Cut thinly crosswise.
– Heat wok or saute pan over medium heat. Add oil to coat. Add chili and increase heat until chili just starts to sizzle.
– Add gobo and stir-fry until gobo starts to soften. Depending on the gobo, anywhere from two to three.
– Add carrots and stir fry briefly for about 1 minute.
– Add sake, mirin, and sugar, and stir fry.
– Add two tablespoons of shoyu, reduce heat and let liquid reduce.
– Taste and adjust seasoning. Add shichimi togarashi.
– Cook until liquid is almost gone. Remove from heat and add a dash of sesame oil if desired.
– Let cool to room temperature.
– Serve topped with sesame seeds.

Chicken Wing Thing: Phuong Trang, Tajima, and Huynh Hoa Tuu

January 27, 2010 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Japanese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Anyone out there kinda obsessive about things? I'll be the first to admit that I love chicken wings….. I mean I've created a category for them. To add to the obsession, I've even created my own little "value scale" for chicken wings….. I automatically divide the price of the wings by the number of wings in an order. Of course taste is king…. but I gotta admit at Kyochon level price levels,$1 a wing, it better be pretty darn good. I guess that's why I've thought Royal Mandarin's Salt and Pepper wings at $7.95 for an order, which usually contained 14 wings (about 57 cents per), was a bargain. I hope they reopen soon. For some reason, I've kinda drawn a mental "line" of 79 cents a wing, as being reasonable. Of course, Tebasaki Wings are in a category all their own. Weird, I know…….

Anyway, I've had a couple orders of wings from different places (surprise!) in the last couple of months, and here's a short round-up.

Phuong Trang – Butter Chicken Wings:

In the comments area of my post on City Dragon's chicken wings (at 7 for 6.99 was in Kyochon territory, and believe, it wasn't even close to Kyochon), "Arlene" mentioned that the chicken wings at Phuong trang might be worth chicking ummm, checking out.

The item mentioned was the "Butter Chicken Wings", and take a while to cook, at least fifteen minutes. So if you order these, and your Com Tam or Bun comes out first, the "appetizer sin" occurring, at least you can be sure you get some hot and sizzling wings.

At $8.95 for a dozen wings, this runs to about 75 cents each, which is reasonable. The wings are juicy and sizzling hot, these are more crusty than crunchy, as the batter turns out to be kinda crumbly. It deteriorates quickly, and gets to be kinda greasy…. but, hey they are called "Butter Wings", right? I thought these were kinda high on the salty scale, and I like salty wings….

Decent price, but overall, just ok.

Phuong Trang
4170 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Tajima Sushi and Japanese Tapas Restaurant:

On one of my visits to Tajima "2", I ordered the fried chicken wings. I thought at $5.95 this was pretty inexpensive…. but with only five wings, these broke the Kyochon price ceiling:

These are what I call "dipped wings" and are made much like my Garlic Chicken, where chicken is first battered and fried, and then dipped into a mixture right after frying. These were nice and sticky, but very low on the flavor scale, edging toward sweet. The batter wasn't very crunchy, and the meat was on the dry and chewy side.

In my opinion, not worth the price.

Tajima Sushi & Japanese Tapas Restaurant
4411 Mercury St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Huynh Hoa Tuu – Hot Wings:

Update – Huynh Hoa Tuu has closed.

After all the dishes I've had at Huynh Hoa Tuu, you know I had to check out the "Hot Wings". At $5.95 for 7, this was on the high side with regards to price, but still below the "Kyochon line".

These wings were battered and fried, then cooked, a la Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings, but with the addition of a sweet and spicy Nuoc Mam Cham(fish sauce) style sauce. These were still crunchy, and the flavors came through very well…. salty, but in a good way, with some depth. Some of the garlic had been burnt, which caused some bitterness, but on a later visit with some FOYs it was done better. There was some decent spice, and the hints of sweetness helped.

Overall, like much of what Huynh Hoa Tuu serves; good beer food.

Huynh Hoa Tuu
4660 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

So there you, three more orders of Chicken Wings served up! Much thanks to FOYs (Friends of Yoso) like Arlene without whom I'd be chicken-wing deprived (or is it depraved???).