Chicken Piccata and Beetroot Risotto

This past few days, since my last visit to the market, an obsession with Beetroots struck as evidenced in my past blogs, I have been cooking over and over with them (these Chips and Frittata are a fine example of this newly developed obsession of mine). So today, bashing my head on the table, thinking what to cook today, the ingredient of choice was of course Beetroot, but I was also craving something tangy and rich, and then it hit me, Chicken Piccata, this originally Italian dish will deliver the perfect amount of tanginess to cut through the rich and starchiness of the risotto.

So, without any more bushtit, here is my Chicken Piccata and Beetroot Risotto.

Celery Root and Beetroot Leaves Frittata

After thinking a bit more about what I could cook with the Fresh Celeriac and Beet Root I got from the farmers market (and while munching on my Celery Root and Beet Root Chips, recipe here) I opened the fridge and saw I had a bit of feta cheese and leeks, and then BAM! It hit me, lets make some Frittata.

So, without further ado, here is the recipe for my rich and creamy Celery Root and Beet Root Leaves Frittata with Leeks and Feta Cheese.

Holly shit that looks AMAZING! Yeah, you can do it too :)

Celery Root and Beetroot Chips

This past Sunday, I finally got my ass up early and managed to hit the farmers market before 9:30 am, which I shouldn't have to say it, was an amazing accomplishment for me… I mean, I hate doing stuff on a Sunday, let alone a Sunday morning, but this was worth it.

I came back home with a bounty that included pickles, different types of olives, freshly baked cornbread, freshly baked chorizo bread, beautiful onions and the stars of the week some gorgeous Beets and Celery Root, I was not sure what to make with them but I had to get them, they were there, being beautiful, looking at me. So I got them. And I was back, 10:30 am on a Sunday, not sleepy anymore after the ginormous cup of coffee I had to help me wake up and nothing to do.

So, I got to thinking what to do with this bastards, then it hit me, lets make some fucking chips to watch movies later on.  So, here is my recipe for Beetroot and Celeriac Chips.

It's getting cold outside: Beef and Lentil Stew

So it is getting cold outside, you are probably starting to get into the winter mood, feeling a little lazy, a little blue. Well, this is the perfect moment to cook some comfort food, something that will warm your belly and will put a fucking smile on your face, by now you know you need something like this. So forget the calorie count and lets prepare this amazing, rich and hefty Beef and Lentil Stew.

Hong Kong Eats: Xiao Long Bao at The Crystal Jade

It is true that  Hong Kong is not known for their dumplings, Cantonese cuisine focuses in other spectra of the Chinese-Style cooking. But whatever, I am a sucker for dumplings, specially "Soup Dumplings", so while there, and telling to myself that since I was already in the area, I might as well find some good dumplings, and after asking around on the streets (turns out that the locals love Dumplings as well, and how can they not?) everything was pointing towards "The Crystal Jade" for a hefty serving of these beautiful bastards. 

Xiao Long Bao

First things first, Xiao Long Bao are not your typical dumpling, they do belong to the same Baozi family, however they are filled with a chilled rich filling, at this temperature the filling has a gel-like texture, but during the steaming process, the filling melts down into a delicious soup-like texture which gets trapped inside the dumpling, giving you then an amazing spoonful of soup inside a delicate and almost paper thin wrapping, out of this world.

When we got to the Crystal Jade I realised that it is a chain restaurant with locations all throughout Asia (and very soon to be present in the USA, in San Francisco), this made me a bit uneasy, I am not a big fan of chain anything, but I was extremely hungry, so I decided to give them a chance. Fuck did they prove me wrong! I had since come back in multiple occasions and every single time I leave the place so incredibly satisfied.

They offer a great variety of dishes in their surprisingly large menu, but they do take special attention in their signature dish, the Xiao Long Bao, from which you have a couple of options to choose from, they also offer some other mouthwatering dumplings, amazing side dishes, vegetables and the noodles are pretty good as well.

As in many restaurants throughout Hong Kong, the tea is unlimited and will keep coming until you tell them to stop, the service is extremely fast and the servers are quite nice (as you will discover, around here servers tend to have an 'attitude' but I actually love that about them, the have that edge you want without being rude). The dumplings will be the first thing to come out of the kitchen, as they keep making them continuously so there is virtually no wait, it is a very efficient production line, the fresh veggies will come second, then the warm veggies and sides, and lastly any other main dish you ordered. Whenever I go out I usually order a few dishes and I like sharing everything with everyone.

The Crystal Jade was a pleasant surprise, chain restaurants are usually not this good, but then again, Hong Kong breaks a lot of stereotypes when it come to food. It is a great place to come with friends or family.

Crystal Jade

Many locations in Hong Kong and South East Asia

http://www.crystaljade.com/

Price Range: 200-300 HKD pp.

More Xiao Long Bao

A hefty portion of Chinese Broccoli

Eel in a smokey sweet sauce

It all looks amazing (From Left to Right: Chinese broccoli, eel, pickled cucumber and xiao long bao)

Eel with Scallions.

Awesome (From Left to Right: Eel and scallions, pickled cucumber, a lonely dumpling, my magic combo of soy, chilli and vinegar for the dumplings)

Warm Greens

Noodles in Spicy Peanut Sauce.

More views of the goodness.

Other type of Dumplings.

Hong Kong. Part 2: Lantau, The Wisdom Path and The Tian Tan Buddha.

I know I keep saying it, but fuck it: Hong Kong is Awesome! Every time I decide to sit down and write about it I get happy and excited. It is truly a place of wonders. So, today, we will explore Lantau and the Tian Tan Buddha.

First of all, grab yourself a good breakfast, you are about to embark yourself pretty far away from the city (this is really a figure of speech, nothing is really that far away from anything else in this town).  So, assuming you have filled your belly with awesome food, get to the nearest MTR station and navigate to Tung Chung Station (It is in the same line that would take you to Disney Land HK), once there take exit B and follow the signs to the Ngong Ping Cable Car.

1. Ngong Ping Cable Car (www.np360.com.hk) The cable car will take around 25 minutes to reach Lantau Island. I would recommend you to come as early as possible to avoid the huge (an I mean HUGE) lines that could set you waiting in line for about 2 hrs; around 8-9 in the morning is a safe bet. The ride is 150 HKD for standard cabin and 235 HKD for Crystal, the crystal cabin is pretty awesome as you get to enjoy the views a bit better, but for this you also need to wait for a bit longer, your choice. The views are astonishing regardless of the type of cabin you choose.

You will see the airport and part of Hong Kong on your way up, pass through some park areas, see the bays and suddenly you will see the Big Buddha, it’s a pretty awesome view.

There is a pretty awesome hiking trail that runs just below the cable car and I would highly recommend you taking it, its pretty easy and not that long, it might take you couple of hours to hike it but the views are amazing.

You will arrive to the Cable Car station which, to be honest, looks like one of those fake villages you can find in any amusement park across the world, it even has souvenirs and a Starbucks… I guess it makes a bit of sense being so close to Disney… But whatever, ignore that and direct yourself to the first exit you will find on your right, this leads to the Parking Lot and to the bus stop. Resist your urges to visit the Buddha now, trust me, it is worth it.

2. Tai O is a traditional fishing village with a lot to offer. Once in the parking lot, you will see the bus station right outside, you are waiting for bus 21 which in 10-15 minutes will take you to Tai O, it runs every 30 min so you will not wait that much.

The village is famous for its fishing (duh!) and for its dry sea products. Loose yorself in its streets and markets, it is filled with interesting people and produce, by now you might be getting a bit hungry, why not take a snack at the market? The fish balls and grilled squid are off the hook.

Some seafood goodies in the Market.

You can take a boat ride for 100HKD, it will take you around the village center canal where you will find the beat up houses made with sailing scraps, I find them hauntingly beautiful, but I've been told that I'm a bit weird, so I don't know if you will like it. It is a clear example of how modern living has fucked things up for people that like living in a more traditional and austere environment.  Whenever I find myself strolling around the narrow corridors and streets of Tai O, I can't help but wondering how much better their lives would be without the pressure to join modern civilization, living their simple lives, and then I find a family living in a small shack with a big ass 70 inch TV drinking cold beer and watching a football game…

The tour will later take you around the bay in hopes to catch a glance of their famous Pink Dolphins, this is actually pretty exciting and you most probably will get to watch one of them. Turns out that all the dolphins that live around the area, are gray when they are babies and slowly turn pink thorugh their journey into adulthood. They are pretty sneaky so, unless you have a very nice zoom lens on your camera, you might not catch a good photo, my suggestion is to ditch the camera and enjoy the view. Sometimes the best photos are the ones we don't take.

Tai O holds one of the most important Dragon Boat competitions and the whole village dresses up for the occasion. Dragon Boat is an exciting team sport very famous in these parts of the world, very soon you will find an entry about this. This is a very exciting moment to visit the village, but you can expect a lot more people than during regular times.

Getting back to the Ngong Ping Piazza is just a matter of catching the same bus you took to get to Tai-O.

Once you are back at the parking lot simply walk back into the Piazza and take a right, keep going towards the Big Buddha, don’t worry, there is no way you can miss this magnificent bastard.

It is a pretty impressive sight. Turns out that at almost 35 m this is the tallest sitting Buddha in the world. You will have to climb a shit load of stairs, but this is a good exercise.

Right in front of the stair there is little round platform that faces the Buddha, it’s a great place to get some pictures, and the coolest part is, that if you stand up right in the middle, and speak, the sound will bounce back from the Buddha in an amazing echo, try it, it is like saying hello to him and getting a reply. At the bottom of the stairs, there is people selling "Meal tickets" which also include access to the inside of the Buddha and the upper level. It is NOT worth it. The food ain't great and the view is just as impressive as one level below. Save your food cravings for later at the Monastery. From the top you will get an amazing view of the surrounding area.

Once you get down, it is time to get to the Po-Lin Monastery, it is pretty impressive, it actually still works as a monastery, so you will see the monks walking around in their daily routines and most probably be able to catch one of their chanting sessions, pretty impressive to say the least. The other amazing part about the Monastery is that it offers amazing food. There is a little food shack where you can get sweet and savory dishes and drinks for a very reasonable price and also there is a restaurant that offers an amazing menu, it is all vegetarian and it is all amazing.

Right in the middle between the Monastery and the Big Buddha, there is an inconspicuous little sign that says "Wisdom Path", if you follow it for about 10-15 minutes (depending on your pace) you will find yourself in one of my favourite places in Hong Kong: The Wisdom Path. It is a little path with a series of wooden steles that have passages of the Heart-Sutra arranged in an 8 shaped path that symbolizes infinity. It is breath taking. Right here is the start of a couple of hiking trails that take you further into the mountains.

You are probably tired by now, it is time to get back. Walk to the piazza, take the cable car back and find yourself something to eat, this will not be hard to do. Trust me.

The Beauty of Simplicity. Asian Noodles for Lunch.

Today I was wondering why some people consider cooking something hard to master, or why people overcomplicate their lives when it comes to food (well,  they do it for a fuck load of other reasons but I cannot help you with that). My experience living in Asia thought me something important: there is much beauty to be appreciated in simplicity. And let me tell you, they take it to a whole new level, it was just a confirmation of a belief I have had for years: if you have good ingredients and are prepared in the right way, your food will be great and more often than not it will not take a shitload of time or effort.

If there is something that really caught my eye about Asian Food it would be that most of the food joints that serve the best tasting food have a couple of things in common:

1. They are small places. 
2. They have spent years, if not decades, perfecting just a couple of dishes, which means that their menu is often limited to those few awesome things. 
3. Their food is dead simple to make (provided you have the right method and technique)

Anyway, all this reminiscing made me think (and crave) of my favorite breakfast/lunch I had whilst living in Taiwan, 'Cold Noodles' one of those dead simple recipes so I decided to make some, and while gathering the ingredients I recalled some traditional Japanese food that I usually have with my family during New Year's time, 'Mochi' and since I am now stuck in a small village in Spain and getting Mochi  is, to say the least, a complicated task, I decided to make some Mochi inspired noodles (a common dish in Japan as a matter of fact). 

So without further ado, here is my recipe for 'Taiwanese Cold Noodles' and 'Mochi Inspired Butter Soy Udon'.

Butter Udon