Food Adventure 16: Soondae

Hi everyone, Liz here. It's been a while since I've been on, but I'm back with another weird Korean dish! Today I'll be talking about a dish called: sundae. Sundae is pornounced: soon-day, and it can also be spelt as soondae.

I apologise for the unflattering photo, there really was no angle that could've made this any more appealing

Though there are different variations of sundae, the most common type is the one pictured above: made of pig's intestines and a stuffing of cellophane noodles, barley and pork blood.

Sundae uncut, I really was not joking when I said there was no angle that could make this dish appealing.
cr: http://koreanfood.about.com/od/holidaysandoccasions/ig/KoreanFest/Soondae.htm

As unappealing as it looks and sounds, sundae is a popular dish which has been enjoyed for years and years. It should be noted, however, that sundae has a quite 'strong' smell, something which turned me off of it until recently - but, the dish itself is pretty yummy.

How sundae is generally served when bought
cr: http://samchoitravel.blogspot.com.au/

Sundae is traditionally eaten with salt and chilli powder, pig liver and ear. Yeahp, pig liver and ear. It can also be incorporated in different Korean dishes, for example: sundae soup or stir fry with sundae, or mixed with other dishes, such as ddeokbokki.

This dish can be easily and commonly found in the street stalls or even certain restaurants in Korea. Sundae can also be bought here in Australia, from a Korean grocery store.

So that's it for today. I hope everyone enjoyed today's post, even though it may have looked particularly unappealing, and happy eating until next time. Liz.

Food Adventures 15:Snake soup




Unbelievable to the foreigners? It’s snake!!!
source: http://www.diarygrowingboy.com/2010/12/stuffed-like-duck.html
 
 

Snake soup is a popular Cantonese delicious and healthy dish in Hong Kong, which contains at least two types of snake meat as main ingredients. The taste of the soup a slightly sweet flavor with chrysanthemum leaves and the texture of snake meat is actually similar to chicken flavor.

A typical snake soup recipe requires at least two types of snakes, their meat was shredded into wires boiled with chicken, lean meat, fish maw, mushrooms, ginger, lemon leaves and other spices. The mixture is stewed over six hours seasoning with salt pepper and soy sauce to taste. Corn starch is added to make it into thicken soup rather than broth. Snake is in pale pink color. Compared with fish and chicken, snakes taste is richer and chewier.

 


The cabinets storing live snakes.
source: http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2049819

Snake soup has been a long historical delicacy in Chinese culture for more than two thousand years. Snake soup is considered a high class dish because of its variety of components and complex preparation. It is a symbol of wealth, courage and respect. It was only served to the certain officials and celebrities and became common in the later. Nowadays in Hong Kong, the number of snake soup store has declined because of food price inflation and rising rents. It is also difficult to find a successor. Fewer people enter the industry because of the difficult and dangerous preparation process.

 

source: http://www.nanzao.com/sc/lifestyle/16665/she-geng-xiang-gang-ren-de-nuan-dong-jia-pin

 

Hong Kong's history is scattered in every corner of every street. Snake soup store is one of them. Having a sib of snake soup and been served by the old waiters, you can find a smell of old Hong Kong style.

 

 

 

Food Adventure 14: Kvas

Hi it's Kim here- today I'm going to introduce you to a popular Russian drink, which hails from way back long time! Though many people sometimes make this peculiar drink themselves, it can typically be found in large barrels on the side of the street during the dusty Russian summer.

The drink is called Kvas (квас), and it is made by fermenting black rye bread, to create what can almost be considered a light beer. However the alcohol percentage is so low that children can drink it, and it is not considered an alcoholic beverage under Russian classifications.

I sourced mine from Sydney's closest thing to a street-side keg: Stolichniy Minimart in Eastlakes- a specialty store which stocks a whole range of Russian and Eastern European products.

I read warnings online about companies selling short-cut kvas products which rely on sugar, carbonated water, and flavourings, so I have some doubts about the authenticity of my kvas...

Kvas is touted by patriots as a Russian alternative to cola, and as I take off the lid, it releases a gassy hiss. The colour is definitely comparative. It has an interesting and unexpected smell... a bit like diluted Vegemite?

Bottom's up...well? It has a little kick to it, but generally tastes like watery bread with bubbles. It's not a particularly offensive flavour though.

Kvas is also the signature ingredient in a strange Russian dish called okroshka (окрошка)- a cold soup made with raw vegetables, sour cream, and various other ingredients such as eggs, boiled potatoes and meat.

Image source: Natasha's Kitchen

Cold soups aren't really my thing, but if you're keen, you'll find a recipe here. Приятного аппетита!

Food Adventure 13: Chicken Livers

Hey guys! Mili here again, but this time we explore the scrumptious livers of chicken!
This food is very popular in my household and I'm sure it's the same for many Serbian families. They all think its brain food! I'm not to sure about that though.
You either love them or you hate them, but you wont know until you try them.

http://food.sulekha.com/recipes-with-ingredient-chicken-livers.htm

The below image shows what cooked chicken livers look like. Its one of the most simple dishes i make. All you need its onions, oil and the livers, fry it all of and ta-da! You've got fried chicken livers. They taste best served with fresh mash potato.

If you do cook with chicken livers keep in mind that they cook really fast and it's easy to ruin them and make them chewy. Be sure to cook them on a high heat first them simmer so they go pink but at the same time all the juices from the onion and livers make a gravy.

http://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilletapas/2013/06/bar-alfaro-photos/

Many people believe that chicken livers are a healthy food. Well it depends, some people will say its the best food for you whereas others will say its extremely high in cholesterol. If you find it yummy, don't have it in excessive portions! Everything is good in moderation, right?


Chicken livers can also be made into a delicious pate you can visit the below link follow Jamie Oliver's recipe on Chicken Liver Parfait
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/old-school-chicken-liver-parfait

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/old-school-chicken-liver-parfait

Enjoy cooking and trying the new flavours!

Food Adventure 12: Group Challenge! [VIDEO]

Liz, Mili, Paul, Drew and Kim head to Zen Q Desserts for a group challenge!

Food Adventures 11: Stinky Tofu

   Food Adventures 11: Stinky Tofu

For someone, it’s smelly like poo. But for someone who like it, it’s a gourmet.
picture: http://www.honeyandsoy.com/smelly-tofu/

 

Stinky Tofu is one of the famous and traditional Chinese snacks. Its a fermented soy product usually come in a dry or creamy texture. The reason why it is called "Stinky Tofu" is because it smells very stinky. For many foreigners, its special kind of smell is similar to excreta. The original tofu is actually a cream color and tasteless soy product, but it becomes very brown and stinky after natural fermentation. In Taiwan, soaking is the common way to make the stinky tofu. Tofu is soaked in rice washing water with some vegetables, then placed under room temperature for fermentation. That particular odor will come out after certain time.

 

picture: http://www.honeyandsoy.com/smelly-tofu/

Deep frying is commonly used as cooking method in Taiwan, Hong Kong or Shanghai. The tofu is soft, multi-layered on the inside and crispy on the outside Stinky Tofu that sold by Taiwanese vendors are often used to match pickles, as Hong Kong ones are used to served with chili sauce and sweet sauce. Fried stinky tofu is common in traditional Taiwanese cuisine, night market or restaurant.

 

http://www.aziatischetijger.nl/2013/10/06/een-reis-door-culinair-china-deel-1/

When you go to travel Hong Kong or Taiwan, you can always spot the market stand selling stinky tofu because the odor is very strong that you can smell it even stand in 50m away. Some people said even blue cheese is a lot better than it. By my experience, the odor would last on my body for couple hours after having it. So, do you dare to try?

 

 

Food Adventure 10: Selyedka pod shuboi

Hi everyone this is Kim. Today I’m going to share with you a Russian salad known as Селедка под шубой (Selyedka pod shuboi), which is literally translated as “Herring under a fur coat”.

Селедка под шубой (Selyedka pod shuboi)

Like many Russian dishes, it’s a bit of a visual assault and it may take a moment for your eyes to adjust to the intense fushia colouring that dominates this dish.

Selyedka pod shuboi consists of 5 simple ingredients:

·        Salted herring

·        Boiled potato

·        Boiled beetroot

·        Mayonaise

·        Hard boiled eggs

Shell the eggs, and use your fingers to peel the skin from the beetroot and potatoes (quite easy to do once boiled).

Get someone else do the beetroot to avoid staining your fingers.

Dice the herring into little squares and arrange over base of the plate. Grate all potatoes (the main ingredient) to create a large mound. (Optional: we added extra herring on top of the potato.) Generously smear mayonnaise over the mound of potato. 

Grate all the beetroot and distribute evenly to cover the whole mound. Generously smear more mayonnaise over the beetroot. Grate the eggs over the top for the final touch, then tidy it all up.

It’s actually looking pretty good at this point. Am I crazy to be a little bit excited?

I decided to mix it all together. Here goes nothing…

The verdict…actually quite yummy- I even went back for seconds.

You barely taste the herring, and the other flavours are far from offensive. The main flavour is potato, the herring adds a touch of salt, the mayonnaise makes it creamy, and the beetroot provides a little zing. And because it’s made of root vegetables, plus two sources of protein, it’s quite filling for a salad. 

This one's a keeper!