Cocoa Mademoiselle

Ddukbokgi, Korean-style gnocchi

A lot of people call dduki Korean rice cakes, but that name always conjures up images of the Quaker oats man and flavorless pieces of cardboard. I think these dduk can be more likened to gnocchi, but instead of potatoes and flour, these dumplings are made of rice flour and water.

One of the most popular dishes to feature these starchy bites is ddukbokgi which I tried for the first time at Mandu in Dupont Circle, DC. After some recipe browsing online, I realized that I'd never be able to recreate the dish authentically unless I had the Korean hot pepper paste, dochujang, and since I had never tried anything else with that same sauce, I thought I'd never have the opportunity. 

However, thanks to my mom and her grocery shopping impulses, the last time I was home during spring break, she brought home a HUGE tub of the stuff that only cost $7 without even really knowing what it was good for. When I saw it after coming back from Hong Kong, on my first trip to Kam Man supermarket, I made a beeline for the cylindrical dduk (you can use ovalettes in this recipe too but I prefer the meatier cylinders) and cooked the dish the same day. Paired with Korean-style bbq short ribs, this makes a really delicious and satisfying meal.

Unlike the version at Mandu, I add red bell peppers, which accented the sweetness of the sauce and added the necessary crunch to contrast with the soft and squishy dduk. Yum. Just a note: if you're heating leftovers the next day, it's better to heat them on the stove rather than the microwave. That way they soften up again. 

DDukbokgi

1 lb package of cylindrical dduk, thawed

sliced mushrooms, onions, peppers, or whatever vegetables you may have on hand 

2 tbspn soy sauce

2 tbspn dochujang, Korean hot pepper paste 

1 1/2 - 2 tpbsn sugar, depending on how sweet you want the dish to be

2 tbspn sesame oil

1-2 fat cloves of garlic, minced finely

salt to taste 

Separate the dduk. If you think the cylinders are too big, you can cut each of them in half, but I like them to be quite substantial bites. Drop the dduk in a large pot of boiling water, making sure you salt the water first. Drain after cooked all the way through and soft; this usually takes about 5 minutes. 

In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, dochujang, sugar, sesame oil, and garlic. It should taken on the consistency of ketchup. 

In a wok or large saute pan on medium heat, add oil. When hot, add vegetables and stirfry for 3-4 minutes until cooked. Add the drained dduk as well as the sauce mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated and heated through. Add salt to taste. For garnish, you can top the ddukbokgi with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. 

Not just your average ham

This past winter while walking around M St, I noticed a small sign on the door of Dean and Deluca, "Jamon Iberico: $80 per lb." As much as I love dried and cured meats, I couldn't imagine paying that much for a slice of ham. But little did I know, Spanish jamon iberico is nowhere near your typical Hormel deli meats but the Rolls-Royce of everything porky. 

Jamon iberico entered my life again when I started becoming obsessed with Spanish food after watching Anthony Bourdain gorge himself on No Reservations. My mom bought me a wonderful cookbook called Culinaria Spain that covered all the country's different regions and cuisines, and there it was: a huge blown-up picture of the black bellotas and what they would soon become. But I never thought I would get to try this ridiculously expensive ham (which is also extremely hard to find in the US since only a couple slaughterhouses in Spain meet the necessary USDA regulations) so imagine my surprise and childish delight when I found it being sold at the C!tysuper (think HK's version of Whole Foods) for about $12 per package (which is still pricy since each package only had several thin slices) in Hong Kong of all places. I know, I know. If I'm in China, what the hell am I doing lusting over Spanish food? But, everytime my friend Kendall and I would get groceries, we'd find an excuse to wander to the deli section for samples straight from the leg. 

So my first jamon iberico experience? Absolute loveliness. Kendall and I bought two packages of 20-month-cured jamon, a crusty baguette, one tomato, and a juicy ripe melon. When we got back to the hotel room, we sampled the jamon on its own first, then wrapped some around the melon, and finally, smeared tomato all over the toasted bread and topped it with the meat. Everything was delicious, and though you may think that was an awfully light dinner, we were both feeling incredibly satisfied once we finished it off with a good bottle of white wine.

While I would never buy this regularly, jamon iberico certainly has a reason to be that expensive. It was complex, smooth, and truly special, and I'll always remember its distinct and delicious taste. Even now I'm drooling just thinking about it. One day I'm gonna have to go to Spain just to have it again.  

Monster post of Hong Kong

Posting regularly was a lot harder on this trip than I expected. And now that I'm finally home to stay for the summer, all I really want to do is rest and start cooking again. So here's a look at the highlights from my Hong Kong trip. 

One thing I will say: I definitely see myself returning to HK to live and work not too far in the future. The city has the perfect balance between east and west, working hard and playing hard (shout out to the bartenders and particularly Webster at Stormies in LKF!), undeveloped land and bustling city streets. Though I never felt lost, there was still plenty to explore, and from what others have told us, the city is really always changing. I already miss it. Also, I'm not sure if they'll be reading this, but huge thanks to the Hyatt Regency in ShaTin, Julie Yu and Holger for making this trip so memorable. 

The Intercontinental

As mentioned earlier, our program consisted of a LOT of site visits. One week in particular emphasized the service industry, so we went to the well-known Intercontinental Hotel for a presentation and tour including Spoon by Alain Ducasse, Nobu, Yan Toh Heen, and the Honeymoon suite. 

Avenue of Stars and HK Skyline 

HK's Avenue of Stars right outside the Intercontinental closely resembles the Walk of Stars in Hollywood and pays tribute to HK cinema stars. See how many of them you recognize. It's also the place where you get the best view of Victoria Harbor and the ever-changing HK skyline. Every evening at 8 PM, there's also a Symphony of Lights where the skyscrapers light up accompanied by music. 

The Peak

One of the major tourist attractions is taking the tram up to the Peak for the best view of the skyline. At one point, the tram ascends at almost 90 degrees, which was especially nerve-racking when the it came to a halt before starting again.

Nobu at the Intercontinental

I've never been to Nobu in New York, but the Intercontinental has special Sunday lunches for 398 HK where they serve you four appetizers, the main course, a sushi course, and dessert. Absolutely amazing. 

Lin Heung Teahouse

We arrived at Lin Heung pretty late in the afternoon, but there was still a huge crowd vying for dimsum goodies. We had to grab our own seats, fight for our shu mai, and figure out payment on our own, but it was great all the same. 

Tai Cheong Bakery 

They're really well known for their egg tarts, lovely crusted custards. The day we were there was still during work time, so there wasn't a long line, but when we passed by the bakery on the weekend, there was a line waiting outside. 

Jade Market 

HK had it's fair share of markets, particularly in Mong Kok. They'd sell silk dresses, souvenirs, and knock off bags, but the Jade Market in Yau Ma Tei is the prettiest to get lost in. 

Big Buddha on LanTau Island 

Another huge tourist attraction. It took us about 4 hours to get to Lantau island and back, but seeing the buddha was worth it. 

Yung Kee Restaurant and across the street

Yung Kee's well known for their roasted meats, particularly the duck and pork. Their wonton noodle soup was really delicious as well. Sigh, my mouth is watering now just thinking about it. Yum. The place across the street had really good fish ball soup, buns with condensed milk and hong kong style milk tea. 

Other restaurants 

Pokka Cafe and Grill 

Hakata Ramen

FruitStop 

Whew. That was one helluva of a post. I think there may have been a couple things I've missed, but I'm going to stop there for now. It's time to go back to making my own food. =)

Highlights from HK

Sorry, I've been really bad with updating. We have a pretty jam-packed schedule (classes, site visits, sight-seeing, LKF =D) and I come back to the hotel room pretty beat in the evenings. Updates from the program: 

Dragon Boat Festival, Stanley International Dragon Boat Races

Rain, rain, rain. From the left, from the right, downwards and even upwards. It was a pretty awesome sight despite the crummy weather. Some teams took the race really seriously, decked out in spandex, while other participants dressed up in pirate costumes and peaks and were more interested in the photo ops afterwards. Ate a red bean zongzi (special sticky rice dumpling) for the occasion. Yum. 

Xiao Nan Gao with family friends

My parents have some friends in HK, so I met with a couple of them at Xiao Nan Gao in New Town Plaza, this huge shopping mall at Shatin, two MTR stops away from us. They specialize in Shanghainese food, which I rarely ever eat. Highlights: the unctuous and unhealthy pork belly buns, sticky rice stuffed dates, egg whites with crab roe sauce, and sweet soup with tapioca. 

Chi Lin Nunnery Site Visit

On the way back from Stanley, Jaclyn and I saw a beautiful temple in the middle of all these high-rise buildings and wondered what it was. The next day, our class went to the Diamond Hill station and found ourself at the same site we saw the previous day, the Chi Lin Nunnery. Tranquility in the middle of a bustling city. Nice. 

Ladies' Market on Tung Choi Street in Mong Kok

You didn't think I'd come to HK without doing a little bit of shopping did you? The first time we went, I impressed myself with my self-restraint and didn't buy anything, but the second time around, I decided to practice my haggling skills in Mandarin and snagged a couple dresses. It's hard to tell if the dress will fit you, but I have three younger sisters, so they're all bound to look good on at least one of us.  

At the HKJC

Despite the rain on Sunday, we spent our afternoon betting on horses (remember 18 is the alcohol/gambling age here!) at the Hong Kong Jockey Club in the Citibank box. This included a presentation of the Hong Kong Jockey Club's charitable causes (Sichuan earthquake relief, SARS, you name it) and its important role in the dynamic of HK. It was surprising to see that many people still showed up to place their bets downstairs in the areas for the general public. And who knows how many people bet from home through the phone or online. 

Of course one of the perks of having our own box: food. I'm assuming the buffet is always provided for the private boxes, and in addition to some delicious pastries (the almond tart with lemon frosting was my favorite), there was also a carving station for the prime rib and a station for hors d'oeuvres that were individually served in those minimalist white bowls that have popped up everywhere. Considering that we as the students didn't have to pay for any of the food (though many spent more than enough of quinellas, winning, and placing bets), it was a pretty sweet deal. I did some betting myself (10 HK is the minimum per bet, so little more than 1 US) but didn't win anything. I guess I should just stick to food as a hobby

Chung King Mansions

Our first week of Hong Kong is already over, but with all the site visits and activities we've planned, it feels like we've been here forever. One of our most interesting and early visits was an exploration of Chung King Mansions with a lecture by Gordon Matthews, an anthropologist who has been studying the interaction of cultures in the mansions for a number of years. 

According to him, about 120 different nationalities pass through the structures each year and for the most part, they live together in harmony. Many of the people who live there do so temporarily, traveling to Hong Kong to set up a business (usually mobile phones), earn money, and return to their hometowns as heroes. One interesting point that Matthews made: even though the mansions have been part of Hong Kong culture for so long, many people fear the place and never venture inside. Even though our program is business-oriented, it was nice to do something that not even many natives are adventurous enough to do during our stay here.

It was also interesting to see that, although Chung King Mansions provides the cheapest rent in probably all of Hong Kong, its located on Nathan Road just a couple blocks away from the famous Peninsula hotel and giant flagship stores of brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Burberry. 

We explored the rest of Nathan Road for a while as well, and that's where Jaclyn and I found our first bubble tea house (where we got some insane mango drink that I just randomly pointed to on the menu) as well as some of the famous Hong Kong custom-made tailor shops that I might return to later in the trip for a couple fittings. Another surprise: some lovely smelly durian in the grocery store side by side with mangosteens.

In terms of nights out, we've been frequenting Lan Kwai Fong and the expat bars, where there's no cover charge at the clubs and of course, the drinking age is only 18. Sorry, but there won't be any pictures of those excursions unless you can view my facebook, mainly because my Nikon is too heavy to lug around with me when all I want to do is dance.

First Impressions

We're staying at the Hyatt Regency in Sha Tin, which I think just recently reopened after extensive renovations. Although it's not a particularly hopping neighborhood, we have a metro station located right next to the hotel that can take us to pretty much anywhere in Hong Kong. Due to jetlag and just wanting to settle in first, I haven't been able to explore the city that much, but our class is heading down to Chung King Mansions later and we'll probably spend the evening at Central. 

We've been incredibly spoiled in terms of accomodations for our four weeks in Hong Kong. The suites are spacious with huge bathrooms in each of the two bedrooms plus a common room/kitchenette with an additional guest bathroom. There's something wrong with the AC in our room, but as long as it's not as humid as outside, I think I can deal with it. There's also a gym, sauna and spa, and a couple restaurants, but I'll be avoiding them (the restaurants) as much as I can.

We took a tour of CUHK's campus yesterday that ended up being a 2 hour hike up and down a mountain in 90 degree weather. It reminded me of my family's visit to Guangzhou when we went to all those national parks and the humidity would give me shortness of breath in about 10 minutes. It's something I'm still getting used to. 

One of the few places to eat I've been to so far is the chain MX by Maxim's which is one of the few stores located right by the hotel. It's incredibly quick and pretty inexpensive; for breakfast yesterday I got 2 bbq pork buns and congee for 19 HK, and today's lunch was hainan chicken with rice. What I loved was that they had the duck/chicken hanging in the glass cases like they usually do in Asian supermarkets. Definitely different from American fast food chains, and much much better in my opinion. The chef cut it into pieces right in front of me. 

Afterwards, I went to the New Town Plaza at Sha Tin station, but I wasn't unable to take any pictures yet because for some inexplicable reason, my SD camera card stopped working (which was why I had to go in the first place). But because there's a huge grocery store, I'll probably be back before long.

Despite adjusting to the weather, I have a feeling that we're going to have a great time in HK.

Hi from Hong Kong!

Just got to the hotel last night, we're right by University Station on the Railway. Had a complimentary drink (my first legal one!) at the TinTin Bar downstairs and went straight to bed after oohing and aahing the hotel room and the magnificent view. Will be posting pictures later. Breakfast today was 2 cha shao buns and a hearty bowl of you yu (squid?) and peanut congee with an iced green tea (not overly sweetened like in the US) for 19.5 HK dollars. That's about 2.50 in the US. I like it here. Even if it is humid.

Oh and before I forget...

I can never resist posting about Georgetown Cupcake. On my last day on campus, I bought a dozen for Mother's Day slash I promised Laura that I'd bring home a dozen since she didn't get to try them when she visited in the fall.   

Off to HONG KONG!

Finals ended last Saturday, and this semester was the most brutal one yet. But, after spending a couple days at home, I'm packing once again and departing for Hong Kong and I couldn't be any more EXCITED. It's for the business school program at Georgetown, and even though I'll be taking courses and going to career workshops for five weeks, I'd be crazy not to take some time to appreciate the city's culture (food, food, food), right? What I'm looking forward to most: dimsum and street food. 

I did manage to cook up something from the leftovers in the fridge last night, and since I haven't posted any recipes in more than a month, I thought I'd finish this post before I got on the plane for a 15 hour flight. eeks. 

I personally think that caramellized onions taste good on anything but with these really thinly cut pork chops (simply seasoned), they became the star of the show. These take a long time to get to their beautiful mahogany color but boy, is it worth it. Don't throw out any that's left over! With a couple slices of baguette and a soft, meltable cheese, you can make some killer crostinis the next day. Add penne vodka with lots and lots of gooey shredded mozzarella and you have an easy feast.

Pork with Onion Marmellata

Ingredients

Onion Marmellata:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 large onions, thinly sliced (about 3 pounds)
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar (or more to taste)

Pork Chops:

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 to 6 pork chops
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

For the onion marmellata, place a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the onions. Stir to combine and cook until starting to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to scrape up any brown bits. The onions should be a soft, jam-like consistency and a deep mahogany color.

Meanwhile, for the pork chops, combine the rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Using your fingers, work all the ingredients together until well combined. Rub the herb mixture over the pork chops. Cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator.

About 20 minutes before the onions are finished, remove the pork chops from the refrigerator. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Grill the pork chops to medium, about 7 minutes a side depending on thickness. To serve, spoon the onion marmellata over the pork chops. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve immediately.