TRIANGLE TODAY | THE NEWS & OBSERVER
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2018
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MIX AND MATCH A MULTICULTURAL FEAST AT AROMA KOREA Greg Cox for Triangle Today
Last year, two months after the sign went dark on the strip mall storefront of Aroma in Cary, it lit up again. The obvious conclusion was that the Indian restaurant was back in business. Obvious, but wrong — as you discover when you walk up to the restaurant now and see the the words “Sushi — Grill — Bar” painted on the door. And even that isn’t the full story of the new Aroma’s specialty cuisine. Make that cuisines, plural. The name of the new restaurant is in fact Aroma Korea, the first word chosen presumably for the sake of expediency, and to save the rather substantial cost of having a new sign made. The menu is divided more or less equally between traditional Korean and Japanese fare, with a sprinkling of outliers such as an East-West fusion take on a crudo and a handful of variations on the Hawaiian poke theme.
If all that sounds confusing, it helps to know that the owners are Ellie Han and Seungwor Lee, both Korean natives who also happen to be veterans of several years in area Japanese restaurants. According to Han (she’s the dining room manager with an unfailingly warm welcome), the partners met while working at Maru. Sushi fans will recognize chef Lee as “Mr. Lee” from that restaurant and from Sono and M. Sushi, where he has also worked. Lee’s experience is evident in his precise knife work and skillful assembly of everything from classic nigiri sushi (noteworthy for their generous fishto-rice ratio) to elaborate house specialty rolls. If you like to order sushi à la carte, be sure to check the specials board, where you’ll typically find half a dozen or so temptations. Recent options have included abalone, kurodai (black sea bream), kanpachi (amberjack), and ama ebi (jumbo shrimp, in a striking preparation that presents the tail raw, and the head deep-fried).
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Aroma Korea
160 NE Maynard Road, Suite 114, Cary facebook.com/aromakoreacary Cuisine: Korean, Japanese Rating: 3 1/2 stars Prices: $$ Atmosphere: casual, warmly welcoming Noise level: low Service: friendly and attentive Recommended: sushi (check the specials board), KFC, shishamo, ssam, soontofu jjigae, hyedupbap Open: Lunch Tuesday-Friday, dinner Tuesday-Sunday Reservations: accepted Other: beer and wine (including sake and Korean wines); accommodates children; limited vegetarian selection; patio; parking in lot.
Read the full review at triangletoday.com.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2018
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TRIANGLE TODAY | THE NEWS & OBSERVER
recipe
VEGAN ICE CREAM Juli Leonard for Triangle Today In the past 20 years, I’ve eaten a lot of vegan ice cream — some of it good but much of it bad. However, I knew great vegan ice cream was possible based on the small miracle that is Trader Joe’s brand vegan ice cream. So I set out to find the best recipe for homemade vegan ice cream.
Saturday May 12 | 6:30pm Cinderella The Carolina Theatre of Durham 309 West Morgan St, Durham The story of Cinderella and her step-sisters $20.00 online, $25.00 day of show carolinatheatre.org/events/cinderella-1 Saturday May 12 | 11am-3pm Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatters’ Tea and Garden Party Wake Forest Historical Museum 414 N Main St, Wake Forest Mothers and daughters enjoy a plated “afternoon tea,” tour the museum, stroll the historic N. Main Street. Tea served 11am to 2 pm; other events open til 3 pm. $20.00 advance, $25.00 at the door wakeforestnc.gov/wake-forest-garden-clubalice-in-wonderland-mad-hatters-tea-gardenparty--2018-05-12.aspx Wednesday May 16 | 11am-noon Explore Dorothea Dix Park: Metamorphosis Madness Dorothea Dix Park 101 Blair Dr, Raleigh Ages 2-6 and caregiver discover the wonders of metamorphosis. Live tadpoles and insects will help young scientists understand the big changes many creatures experience as they grow. Advance registration required online. ages 2-6 eventbrite.com/e/explore-dorotheadix-park-metamorphosis-madness-for-ages-26-tickets-41757691379?aff=es2
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Problem is: I don’t cook. I started following a vegan diet (no meat or dairy products) as a teenager. I ate a lot of vegan junk food in college. I would mainly survive on hummus and toast if not for the Triangle’s great chefs and my boyfriend, who is a skilled home cook.
Juli Leonard
CHOCOLATE-BANANA ICE CREAM
So, one might think taking on this vegan ice cream quest was a tad ambitious for someone like me. But I have my lovely cook. I imagined we (OK, he) would make these ice creams and I would photograph them. I bragged: We just need three recipes!
From “N’Ice Cream: 80 Recipes for Healthy Homemade Vegan Ice Creams” by Virpi Mikkonen and Tuulia Talvio, (Avery, 2016).
He pored over the books, purchased an ice cream maker and a high-powered blender, and shopped for ingredients. I brought my taste buds (and my camera) to the table.
1 1/2 tablespoons raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
Along the way, we discovered a few truths about making good homemade vegan ice cream. First, the foundation has to be a good creamy base, which can be a challenge without dairy products. It can be made with full-fat coconut milk, homemade cashew cream or even frozen bananas. Second, vegan ice cream can be incredibly expensive to make; vanilla beans and guar gum, a natural thickening agent derived from guar beans to aid in structure and binding, are not cheap. Third, that Trader Joe’s vegan ice cream is a small miracle in both taste and price. It starts at $3.29 for the soy-based ice creams and $3.49 for the coconut-based ice creams. Based on our trials and errors involving seven batches and five recipes, we came up with three that range from cheap and easy to expensive and challenging — but all three taste great.
2 frozen bananas
1 tablespoon coconut palm syrup or other sweetener 2-3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or other plant-based milk), if needed Peel the bananas and cut them into small coins. Put the bananas into an airtight container and freeze for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Combine the bananas (and other fruit) in a blender and pulse until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as necessary. If the mixture is too thick, add the almond milk to achieve the desired consistency. Add flavoring and sweetener, if using, and blend until combined. Scoop into a bowl, serve, and enjoy. Yield: 1 serving
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TRIANGLE TODAY | THE NEWS & OBSERVER
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2018
food truckin’
SOOMSOOM PITA POCKETS PACKED WITH FLAVOR Greg Cox for Triangle Today
As I walked up to the Soomsoom Pita Pockets truck to place our order, I had the most virtuous of intentions. Really, I did.
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My wife had dibs on the chicken shawarma, and I was going to order one of the vegetarian pitas. Meatless options account for more than half the menu at Soomsoom, so I figured I should try one of them. I just hadn’t decided which one. I was For customer service regarding delivery, contact Jerry Harris, Home Delivery Manager, 800-522-4205, jharris@newsobserver.com
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we are
torn between the grilled cauliflower with roasted potatoes and Greek yogurt tzatziki, and the grilled eggplant with slowcooked egg, tahini and Israeli salad.
Triangle about five years ago to be with his wife, who was earning a Ph.D. at Duke. He worked at Nana’s and Piedmont in Durham before putting his truck on the road in October 2014.
My wife was holding down the fort at the picnic table we’d scored on this unseasonably mild March day at LoneRider Brewing Company, so when I got to the window, I asked the man taking orders for his recommendation.
OK, maybe I could have phrased my question more precisely.
I recognized him from his photo on the website as owner/chef Oren Wais, so I figured he would steer me right. Wais, a native of Tel Aviv, Israel, moved to the
“I’d like a chicken shawarma pita for my wife,” I said, “and what would you suggest for me?” “Get the beef ragu,” he said. “We slow-cook short rib all night with celery and onion, then we cut it when it’s cool and return it to the braising liquid with carrots, garlic and herbs.”
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2018
TRIANGLE TODAY | THE NEWS & OBSERVER
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