Fabulous Foods: Mochi

Mochi

This weekend I discovered Mochi. I was very apprehensive at first but after that all important first bite I was hooked.

Mochi is is a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shape. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki. While also eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time.

I had brown sugar filled Daifuku and it was super yummy.

Daifuku is a Japanese confection consisting of a small round mochi (glutinous rice cake) stuffed with sweet filling, most commonly sweetened red bean paste made from azuki beans. Daifuku comes in many varieties. The most common is white, pale green or pale pink colored mochi filled with anko. These come in two sizes, one approximately the diameter of a half-dollar coin, the other palm-sized. Some versions contain whole pieces of fruit, mixtures of fruit and anko or crushed melon paste. Nearly all daifuku are covered in a fine layer of corn or taro starch to keep them from sticking to each other, or to the fingers. Some are covered with confectioner's sugar or cocoa.

If you get a chance to try some, I highly recommend it.

Fabulous Foods – Pho

Pho (as defined by Urban Dictionary) Vietnamese rice noodle, usually eaten with Sriricha hot sause and Hoisin sauce. The broth is usually homemade, by boiling chicken stock in water. The meat which can be found in pho can be virtually anything: pork, beef, tripe, chicken, barbeque... When served with beef, the beef is usually left raw, for the broth will cook it while in the bowl. At restaurants, it is only served in three sizes: Small = Large Medium = Supersize Large = Bathtub

Long story short, best damn food ever. If you ever try to eat a bowl of pho, try not to burn yourself, and eat it fast.

I can’t disagree with the definition. It is a steaming bowl of goodness that is beyond compare. The first time I went for pho I was extremely skeptical. How could something be so good? Everyone I spoke to gave it rave reviews, it appealed to just about everybody. But it really is that good. It is like a hug in a bowl and there is nothing more reassuring of its goodness than those little gobs of fat that float just below the surface. It is the best soup that I have ever had, and I would travel to Vietnam just for it.

Fabulous Foods – Kimchi/Kimchee

Kimchi, also spelled gimchi or kimchee, (as defined on wikipedia) is a traditional Korean fermented dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings, most commonly referring to the spicy baechu variety. Kimchi is the most common Korean banchan, or side dish, eaten with rice along with other banchan dishes. Kimchi is also a common ingredient and combined with other ingredients to make dishes such as kimchi stew (kimchi jjigae) and kimchi fried rice.

It is a fiery dish that acts as the ultimate pickle. I love going out for Korean food just for the Kimchi. I can eat it by the bowlfuls. No trip to Korean BBQ is compete with out a big bowl of kimchi to eat along side the perfectly seasoned meats and fish.

If you ever get a chance to try it, I recommend that you do. You won’t be disappointed.