Asian Food Mag

Asian Food Magazine

www.asianfood.co.uk

September 2013 ₤ 3.20

Autumn Flavours of Seoul Clubs,

Love Steamed Food Three

mountains, seafood market and snacks!

experts from North Asia teach us the recipes.

Asian Food Ingredients Bluey and Tofu

Lunch Box World One Night in Taipei Take a

stroll in shilin night market.

Mouthwatering Asian Snacks

In-season soup

Editor's Letter

Welcome!

to the first issue of Asian Food, the magazine for oriental food lovers in the UK. We aim to offer you exciting Asian food recipes and restaurant information, as well as a series of fascinating insights into the culture of the continent.

We know it’s going to be a cold and windy autumn. The leaves will soon start turning golden and falling from the trees, so here we’re here to cheer you up with platefuls of delicious, healthy Asian food. Our magazine includes all the steps you’ll need to cook a masterful Asian dish.

To start with, we’re trying to inspire you to add some lovely new Asian ingredients to your shopping list (p23), as well as 5 cute Asian snacks (p10) which you can find in most oriental shops. We’re also including recipes for popular dishes like Cantonese sea bass and Singapore pork rib (p12) which can be made easily using a steamer.

In Asia, people drink many kinds of hot soup in autumn as defence against the suddenly cold weather, so in this issue we’ve put together a list of tasty and nutritious Asian soups to warm you up (P40). Tired of the same old breakfast every day? Let’ s have a look at what Asians eat for breakfast (p10).

If you’re planning to travel to the countries of Asia in the coming months, our magazine also provides you with two fantastic destinations (Seoul p32, Taipei p52) where you’ll be able to witness autumn views in all their colourful Budget glory as well as try some fresh local food.

Buy Asian Food And lastly, enjoy this issue and don’t forget you can get in touch with us at £16 for six though Facebook, Twitter and email. See you next month.

months, and £30 for one year. (see page 38).

Xin, Chang Editor

Write to me and tell me your views?

Email me at: xinchang@asianfoodmagazine.co.uk

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Asian Food Magazine

www.asianfood.ac.uk

September 2013

Bites

11. Asian Breakfast Our guide to a perfect Asian breakfast in London.

14. Asian Snacks that Water Your Mouth We pick the best (and you can buy them here!).

How-to

16. Love Steamed Food We invite three experts

48

22-23

People

22. Lunch Box World Tomomi Maruo on how to make the cutest cartoon lunchbox for your kids.

Travel 37

34

12

mountains, seafood market and snacks!

experts from North Asia teach us the recipes.

Asian Food Ingredients Bluey and Tofu

Lunch Box World One Night in

“Most customers are very tempting to order a steamed sea bass when dining out in my restaurant,I think that is one of my most popular dishes.” ▶

Taipei Take a stroll in shilin night market.

Asian Food 19

25. Asian Food Ingredients The basic and the most nutritious as well.

39. In-season soups from all over Asia

Autumn Flavors of Seoul Clubs,

September 2013 ₤ 3.90

Love Steamed Food Three

www.asianfood.co.uk

Contents List

Visit the App Store for instant access to Asian Food contents magazine for £2.8 from the App store or Newsstand, with 15 pages free “Issue preview”

Mouthwatering Asian Snacks

In-season soup

On the Cover 30. Seoul 25. Asian food ingredients 14. Asian snacks 39. In-season soups 50. Taipei 22. Lunch box 16. Steamed food

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30. Autumn Flavours of Seoul Clubs, mountains, seafood market and the best snacks!

50. One Night in Taipei Take a stroll in the magical shilin night market.

Culture

45. Buddhist Food Three vegetable courses for your health.

53

40

27

Travel Travel

Pea soup

Asian Bites This month

Travel Bites

What do Asian People Eat in the Morning?

Here's Wei Fan's guide to a perfect Asian breakfast in London

Korean The Korean breakfast includes steamed rice, a side dish of kimchi, a bit of grilled fish, a bowl of beef broth (haejang soup) and many side dishes.

Kimchi is a spicy condiment served with almost every meal. It is made of vegetables such as cabbage, turnips, onions and radishes with red pepper powder, garlic and ginger.

Haejang soup A haejang soup is a perfect cure for a hangover morning. “It's very gentle and soothing” Korean people usually say.

Haejang Soup

Japanese

Natto

Grilled fish

bacillus subtilis. Natto are always mixed with minced leeks or green onions and served over rice. But when they get used to it, it is a bit like musty cheese with a hint of ammonia, an unforgettable experience in case one day you might go to Japan.

Okonomiyaki There is a more westernized Japanese breakfast—Japanese Omelet called Okonomiyaki. It’s quite like a standard Denver omelet, but rolled with green onions and soy sauce ▶ Asian Food 11

www.asianfood.co.uk

The typical Japanese breakfast is miso soup, steamed rice, natto, pickles and grilled fish.

Miso soup may include cubes of soft bean curd, chewed seaweed and scallions. The pickles include white radish, cucumber, cabbage, and carrots.

Natto At the beginning, nattois a food which has achieved infamy among Japan’s foreign residents.

This unique dish is a fermented soy bean with

Travel Bites

Chinese

C

hina has two traditional breakfasts, northern and southern. In the northern part, people would like to have two baozi, one oil strip and a bowl of soy-milk soup. Oil

strips (Youtiao) are strings of fried dough. They are lightly salted and made so can be torn lengthwise in two. Youtiao are normally eaten as an accompaniment for soy-milk soup.

Baozi are steamed bread with

Eat Asian food in...

The Landau Langham is one of the few places in London to offer an authentic Japanese breakfast---a plate of fruit, a bowl of miso, rice, pickles, omelet and crisp grilled salmon all served in a black lacquer bento. The Langham, Portland Place, W1 (020 7965 0165) Abeno Too Famous for their Okonomiyaki (Japanese Omelet). The main ingredients of Okonomiyaki are egg and cabbage. It’s many people’s To-Do-List when they getting to London. Around £13 per person. Covent Garden, London 17 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JE(020 7379 1160) Far East Restaurant Located in Chinatown Leicester Square, you can find authentic soy-milk and you tiao (oil strips) in this small store. Price from

£1.2 13 Gerrard

Street, London Chinatown, London W1D 5PS Assa You will be surprised to see that mostly koreans come to this place. maybe because they do serve the real thing.Food is truly delicious even something as simple as plain rice is cooked with perfection. The sides, the bean sprouts with sesame oil, kimchi and the seaweed are very good too.53 St.Giles High Street, London WC2H8LH

12 Asian Food

Below left: oil strip Below middle: baozi Below right: Dim Sum

a filling of either meat or vegetables. It’s a good beginning if you want to eat breakfast Chinese style. Baozi can be found all over China, but vary from region to region. For instance, in Shanghai, baozi have soup inside along with the meat, and squirt when you bite into them. Be careful don’t mess on your clothes!

In southern part, rice porridge is a common breakfast food because rice there is plenty. It is a rice soup made by cooking rice for two hours, until the grains amalgamate into the broth. People usually order it topped with items such as peanuts, seaweed or processed vegetables.

Cantonese style breakfast—Yam Cha or Dim Sum is the most well known in the UK. Basically if someone invite you out to tam cha, give yourself plent of time to enjoy because it’s not the type of breakfast need to be rushed. Usually, it’s a great way to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning. With small bite-sized food served in small steamer baskets or on small plates, you can choose from Hargow (shrimp dumplings), Char siubaau, steamed meatball, crispy fried squid, spring rolls and so on. A

Travel Travel Travel Bites

Travel Travel Travel Bites

Asian Snacks that Water Your Mouth

Here's Wei Fan's guide to the perfect Asian snacks!

Asian snacks

People jokingly say, “The thinnest book is the history of America, and the shortest book is Britain’ s menu.” I still remembered how Judith Cherry, the expert of Korean Studies, also the Korean translator of Her Majesty, sneered herself when she was at a global meeting of Korean Studies seminar, “French brought cheese, Germans brought sausages, Russians bought Vodka, and we bought…crisps.”

Indeed, since the UK has become more multicultural, Asian snacks can be a preferred choice. There are a huge variety and originality of Asian snacks. Unlike western snacks, the flavours of Asian snacks vary greatly, from garlic, to mango, to chicken, to octopus. Meanwhile, Asian snacks can be healthier with options like roasted seaweed and peas, dried fruits and pickled vegetables. More importantly, they all look so cute!

14 Asian Food

Wasabi Peas Wasabi gained its popularity as the spicy pale-green paste that accompanies sushi. But why stop at sushi when you can have them on crispy lightly salted dried peas! If you like spicy mustard, you're going to love Wasabi Peas. It’s a great snacking alternative for those looking to add healthier options to their diets.

They’re just the thing for the afternoon snacker tired of those unhealthy potato chips.

You can easily find it in M&S, tesco or any Chinese or Japanese supermarkets. Price from £2.48 (140g).

Sweet Treats "White Rabbit" creamy candy With an adorable name, this sweet has strong milk taste, moderate sweetness, soft and smooth body and rich nutrition. This products is very larruping that the candy's surface is covered by e a very thin velamen made of sticky rice can be eaten. Easily found in any Chinese supermarkets or Tesco express. Price from £1.2. ▶

Enjoy Fruit Ramune Soda Ramune Soda is very popular in Japan. Ramune comes in a rainbow of flavors, including some rare, such as wasabi, kimchi, bubble gum, and curry. If you're new to Ramune, you might have a trouble opening the bottle; it comes sealed with a fun marble that acts as a stopper. Can you get the marble out without breaking the bottle? An Asian drink with a challenge!

You can find in Japan Centre in London or certain Japanese restaurants. Price from £1.89.

Koala no Ma-chi Koala no Ma-chiis a delicious biscuit brand from Japan, featuring super cute koalas doing a variety of different activities. Inside the crunchy outer biscuit shell you will find a creamy chocolate fondant filling. The packaging is adorable, making a lovely gift or a special treat for lovely cuties.

Easily find in any Chinese supermarkets, price from £1.88.

Dried Mangoes Super tastier than those sell in tesco, M&S or waitrose, this brand of dried mango is a terrific food item of the Philippines.

It's certainly the easiest way to get the full mango flavor experience without the mess.

Believe me,you don't get the odd funny-tasting piece like you do with other dried fruits.

That's the best way to describe it. You pop it in your mouth, and the sensation is similar to chewing on beef jerky, only much better.

The flavor starts to come through very quickly - creamy and aromatic.The chewiness makes each bite last, and the flavor just keeps coming. You can easily make a single serving size last 5 minutes, and there aren't many snack foods that can match that!

Similar brand may be found in any Asian supermarket, but for this brand, don’t forget to take some when you cross over Leicester Square Price from £2.75. A

Hot steamed fish with rice and pepper tofu

Love Steamed Food

In Asian Food’s opinion the best way to cook food is simply to steam it. Gentle and uniform steam slowly diffuses through the food and lets the food cook in its own juices,which minimizes any loss of nutrients and keepsboth the texture and the flavour. In this issue, Xin Chang and Jun Xie invited three Asian natives from China, South Korea and Japan generously supplied us three native steam recipes. ▜ Recipes: Jiang Chang, Lee tae woo, Choi MyungJa

How-To

Steamed Sea Bass en , 42, has be g n a h C g n a Ji anchester M a in g in work ese morous Chin la G t n ra u a st re 10 years. restaurant for

T

his is a typically Cantonese cooked dish which relies on fresh ingredients and minimal intervention, which is to saythat the seasonings here are just to remove any fishy smell and enhance the flavour of the food. This dish is a classic and morewelcome at aChinese dinner table than almost any other. The only thing you need to be careful with is the timing, to make sure the fish is not overcooked.

Ingredients • Scaled and cleaned sea bass * Select a sea bass to fit into your steamer with a little space around the edges for the steam to circulate. If the fish doesn’t fit the steamer, cut it in half and then rearrange it on the serving plate. In China, the fish is usually presented whole so that it looks its best.

• 5 spring onions • Cut into 2-inch lengths.

• Ginger * Wash and peel the ginger,and then thinly slice it into 10 pieces.

• 1 tbsp salt • 1 tbspShaosingrice wine • Seasoned soy sauce for seafood

1. Rub the fish inside and out with a little salt, ginger, spring onion and Shaosing wine. Pickle it for 10minutes. Pour awayany liquid that emerges from the fish. * 10 minutes is enough; it will influence the 18 Asian Food

“Most customers are very tempting to order a steamed sea bass when dining out in my restaurant,I think that is one of my most popular dishes.” ▶ Asian Food 19

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Cooking

taste if the fish is pickled for a longer time.

2. Lay some of the spring onion in the centre of the steaming plate. Put the ginger and the rest of the spring onion on the fish as well as inside the belly. Set the fish ontop of the spring onion in order to raise the fish slightly so the steam can move around it. Steam the fish on a high heat for 7 minutes, and then turn off the switch andleave the fish in the steamer for 4 minutes, a period called “fake steaming” by the Chinese. * Avoid steaming the fish before the water is boiling anddon’t openthe cover midway through.

3. When the fish is nearly done, remove the spring onion and ginger as well as the cooking juices from the fish. Take the fish out of the steamer and pour 3 tbsps of the seasoned soy sauce all around the fish.

4. Scatter fresh slivers of ginger and spring onion over the fish. Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a wok or a small pan. When it starts to smoke slightly, sprinkle it over the fish. * Make sure the oil is hot enough, and then you’ll hear the ginger and spring onion slivers sizzle. ▶

How-To

Travel How-To Travel

Lee ta e woo , fr 32, h a s b e om Japan, en liv the U in K for 12 yea g i n rs.

Special Sauce

Steamed Egg Ingredients

Ingredients

• 3 egg • 1/3 cup of dried anchovies • 1 piece of kelp • 2 cups of water • 1/8 of salt • 1/2 of rice wine

• 1ml sesame oil

B

20 Asian Food

Cooking

gJa, 43, a Choi Myun o u s e w ife h l a n io s s fe p ro an. in South Kore

T

he steamed egg is one of the most common side dished served in many Korean restaurants. Its mild taste and fluffy texture blend very well with other spicy Korean dished preventing heartburn. It is often mixed with rice for a quick meal or to feed hard to please toddlers.

1. Add dried anchovies and kelp into water and pit to boil. Boiling kelpfor too long tends to make the broth slippery. Take the kelp out of the boiling broth and let it boil for 10 more minutes.

Take out anchovies from the broth, beat eggs and season with 1/2t of rice wine and 1/8t of salt.

2. Using a fine mesh, filter the beaten eggs mixed with the anchovy broth, pour hot anchovy broth very slowly into the beaten eggs. Don’t pour the broth too fast as it tend to cook the eggs unevenly.

3. Cook the eggs for 10 more minutes under low heat. A

Asian Food 21

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efore I went to university, my mum spent a whole week trying to teach me how to cook. Braised beef, curried chicken, egg-fried rice… I thought I could learn all these dishesperfectly after seeing my mum do them just once.Later,when I was really going to do it on my own in my student accommodation,I found that I’d been much too confident. I was holding a pot in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other, but I just didn’t know where to start. However, I still rememberedone of mum’s lessons: steamed vegetables with soy sauce, one of the easiest ways to cook vegetables, which can be done in minutes.

15 years havepassed and I can manage many complicated courses now, but steamed vegetables are still one of my favourites.It offers lovely colours andoriginal textures, especiallywhen served with special soy sauce. My friends always gush with enthusiasm when they try it. Now I’m a father to 2 children and my kids just love it. They wolf down all the vegetables I put in front of them.

* Sesame oil is one of the most used ingredients in cooking Korean food. The use of the sesame oil is quite versatile and it is used similar to how the extra virgin olive oil is used in the UK. Just to name few, the sesame oil can be turned into a salad dressing. Cooking oil, or dipping sauce.

Also, the roasted beef or pork is usually dipped into the sauce made by mixing sesame oil with salt as the sauce tend to make the texture of the meat more succulent.

• 30ml light soy sauce • 1/8 tsp beef essence * The function of beef essence is the same as MSG, but don’t worry about that. Beef essence is not a chemical but basically the stew left behind after a whole cut of beef is boiled at a very high temperature and pressure. In Korea, we use beef essence or fish essence to add taste when cooking. But if there is no Korean shop near you, you can replace the beef essence with Chinese chicken essence.

As for steaming the vegetables, I use a very simple and basic way, using a steamer. Here are some vegetables I think blend very well with this sauce: asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini and eggplant. What’s more, this sauce also works beautifully with steamed egg. ▶

People

If Your Lunch Box Looks Boring... * Cartoon Lunchbox *

Pikachu Lunch

Tom Cruise lunch box

* Tomomi Maruo *

Give your kids a treat on a sports day, Xin Chang invites you for a talking with bentosmaking expert Tomomi Maruo.

Making a tasty and nutritious packed lunch for children can be a difficult task for parents. But in Japan, healthiness and tasteare not enough for a child’s meal. A lunch box has to emphasise its presentation; packed bentos are made to look like animals, cartoon figuresor even people.

Tomomi Maruo, 44, a professional housewife and mother to 10 and 13 year old boys, has been making artistic lunch boxes for 10 years. She writes a blog which now recordsmore than 1000of the lunch boxes she has designed.

“I am proud of my interesting lunch boxes, but my husband seems not interested at all, so I started a blog 5 years ago especially to present my lunch box designs. Happily, I received many comments after every post which encouraged me a lot. The lunch boxes are for my family, and I hope theybring a sense of joy to my kids, but for me, they are also a way to show off my creative skills which I enjoy very much.”

It is amazing to see the world concentrated in such a small lunch box. When Tomomi’s two children were still in kindergarten, they took a different lunch box to school every 22 Asian Food

day. The bento boxes were designed likeher children’s favourite cartoon figures, men fixing a car, football games, the newest hand phones or movies, and sometimes even popular stars. The two boys really liked to see their friends coming up to look at their lunch boxes, which made them popular at school.

The adorable lunch boxes look quite complicated but actually the material Tomomi Maruo uses is very simple.

Most of them need only ingredients like rice, bread, noodles, meat, fish and vegetables.

“I try to make every lunch box within an hour, but the most interesting and difficult part I think is imagination. I try to observe very carefully what my kids are interested in, and then ideas just pop into my head.

When I’m at the market, I’m always thinking about what I couldcreate using these vegetables or that meat. A green cucumber could be used to make a frog; an omelette might make a mermaid’s golden hair; a lovely pickled sausage could be perfect for a girl’s face.”

Although the bentos all havetotally differentdesigns, each one keeps to a basic “3:2:1” rule to ensure the children need from their lunch: half (3/6) ▶

Tomomi Maruo, 44, a professional housewife and mother to 10 and 13 year old boys, has been making artistic lunch boxes for 10 years. She writes a blog which now records more than 1000 of the lunch boxes she has designed.

Football kid lunch box

Hello Kitty lunch box

a typical lunch box is made up of rice, while2/6 of the rest of the space consists of the main course or egg, and the remaining 1/6 is taken up with vegetables and fruit or dessert. In addition, Tomomi doesn’ t combine any things which taste weird together.

There are now an increasing number of Japanese women, not only housewives but also working women, who consider making beautiful lunch boxes as their hobby.

Providing children with self-made lunch boxes is not only cost-saving, healthy and environmentally friendly but also gives a sense of achievement. 4 years ago, Tomomi started holding classes for other mums who wanted to learn how to make beautiful lunch boxes.

Living in a high-speed society, you can easily buy a sandwich at any convenience store. We seem to have moved far beyond the “lunch box” days, but after seeing these delightfulworks of art, do you also want to have a try?

Step 1 Cut chedder cheese to Picachu figure. You can use toothpick or scissors whichever is convenient for you. (If you are not able to cut well, it might be easier making pattern paper using parchment paper like this picture).

Step 2 Cut ears, eyes, nose, and mouth parts using seaweed.

Step 3 Put ham (cut to small rounded shape) on his cheek.

Put small white round parts on his eyes. (I usually use fish cake, but you can substitute it by boil-ed egg’s white part, bread, etc). A

Asian Food Ingredients There are several “basic” ingredients in Asian cuisine that are used by almost everyone. Jun Xie tells you the best (and most nutritious) of them. ▶ Recipes: Jun, Xie

Oats with grass and lemon

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Asian Food 25

Travel How-To Travel

How-To

The cheese of Asia Tofu

Tips: 1 . Korean soybean paste and Korean c hili pepper flakes can be bought from most oriental supermarkets in the UK. 2. You can substitute pork or chicken wings for beef or, alternatively, make a vegetarian Doenjang Jjigae, which is very popular in health-minded South Korea.

Asian Tofu

Despite the fact that Tofu has a bland taste, it can miraculously take on the flavor of its surrounding ingredients, making it a highly versatile part of a healthy diet.

D

iscovered over 2000 years ago, tofu is sometimes called "the cheese of Asia," because of its physical resemblance to a block of farmer's cheese. This seemingly bland ingredient has

Recipe of MaPo Tofu with Scalp ▶ Ingredients Sauce: • 1 tablespoon fermented black beans (or substitute black bean sauce) • 1 cup chicken stock • 2½ tablespoons chili bean paste • 2 teaspoons soy sauce • 2 teaspoons sesame oil • 2 teaspoons sugar • ½ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper

26 Asian Food

Tips: Traditional Ma Po Tofu can be very spicy (Sichuan people are famous for their tolerance of spice, but maybe not us). If you don’t care for tongue-burning food, reduce the amount of Sichuan pepper in this dish. ▶

Mapo tofu with scalp

Doenjang Tjigae

Recipe of Doenjang Tjigae Cooking (Ma Po Tofu with Scalp) 1. Prepare the sauce: Rinse the black beans to remove any grit. In a small bowl, mash the black beans with the back of a spoon. Combine the black beans with the chicken stock, chili bean paste, rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and Sichuan pepper. Wash the scallops.

2. Heat a wok over high heat. Add the peanut oil and swirl to coat the base. Add the pork and stir-fry until crispy and starting to brown but not yet dry, breaking up the pork with a spatula.

Reduce the heat to medium, then add leeks, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Pour in the sauce and bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Gently add the tofu cubes. Simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Carefully push the tofu to the sides and create a small well in the middle. Stir in the cornstarch mixture in the center. Allow the liquid to simmer for another minute, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer to the scallops placed on a deep plate, sprinkle scallions on top, and serve hot.

Ingredients • 9 oz tofu • 1/2 medium zucchini (mushrooms and potatoes can be added if desired) • 1/2 small onion • 2 oz beef • 1 chili pepper (green or red) • 1 scallion • 2 tablespoons Korean soybean paste (doenjang) • 1 teaspoon Korean chili pepper flakes (gochugaru) • 2 cups of anchovy broth or water (Save the water used to rinse rice, and use for stew or soup. )

Cooking 1. Cut the tofu and zucchini into about 1-inch cubes. Thinly slice the onion. Slice the meat into thin strips.

2. Preheat a lightly oiled small pot. Sauté the meat, soybean paste, chili pepper flakes, and garlic over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the water (or anchovy broth) and stir well to dissolve the soy bean paste. Cover and boil over medium high heat for 5 minutes.

Asian Food 27

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Other ingredients: • 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil • ½ pound ground pork or beef • 2 leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced at an angle • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1 teaspoon minced ginger • 1 block soft or medium-firm tofu (about 1 pound), drained and cut into 1-inch cubes • 1 scallion, green part only, chopped for garnish • 4-5 scallops (we only need the shell, save meat for other courses).

become recognized as one of the world’s healthiest foods. Made from the curds of soybean milk, it is protein-rich, enabling the body to develop strong, healthy muscles. It also supports the development of healthy membranes, tissues and cells.

Tofu is available in either the traditional Chinese form or the silken Japanese form, with the latter having a smoother, custard-like texture. The two types of Tofu must be cooked differently. It’s better to make Tofu soup with Japanese Tofu, while Chinese Tofu is more suitable for frying.

Despite the fact that Tofu has a bland taste, it can miraculously take on the flavor of its surrounding ingredients, making it a highly versatile part of a healthy diet. There are hundreds of popular Tofu dishes in Japan, China and Korea. In China, Tofu can be cooked in a number of ways. Steamed Tofu with red pepper and onion, fried “smelly” tofu, bean curd jelly, Tofu soup with fish head, spicy Ma Po Tofu…In Japan, Tofu salad and seaweed Tofu are two of the most well-known Tofu dishes.

But the most well-known Tofu dish in the world might be the everyday-cooked Doenjang Jjigae (Korean Soybean Paste Stew) in South Korea. In that country, it is said that the flavor of Doenjang Jjigae is the smell of mother. The ingredients in that soup vary from family to family, but there’s hardly anyone who would make a Doenjang Jjigae without Tofu.

Travel Travel How-To

Travel Travel

Standard Sauce for Sake

Bluey Fish

Bluey

There are a number of ways to cook them, but the standard Japanese way of dealing with them is grill them intact with olive oil, lemon and thyme without pulling out the organs.

Even in Japan, the best bluey is not easy to find.

They are a slim and streamlined fish with short fins and pointed snouts, and the best of them are shaped like a beautiful cutlass, with a bit of grey colour on scale. The fish body is illuminated with a soft blue glow like moonlight.

Today, Hokkaido (Japan's northernmost island) might be one of the few places where we can enjoy the freshest bluey in early autumn. It’s a pity that they are yet to catch on as a food fish in Britain--the vast majorities that are imported are used as fishing bait---because they are so delicious and nutritious as well!

There are a number of ways to cook them, but the standard Japanese way of dealing with them is grill them intact with olive oil, lemon and thyme without pulling out the organs. It is said that when Japanese lovers have a fight, girls often protest to their boyfriends:” I eat the fish, you eat the organs.”

Thus bluey organs have become a standard sauce for sake (a type of Japanese wine). But we also recommend that you grill them in an oven and eat them with your prepared European dishes such as spaghetti and white bread. There’s no reason to be stiff-minded as far as food is concerned.

Recipe of Grilled Bluey with Salt

Serve it with

Grilled bluey cucumber salad

Ingredients

Grilled fish with salt ▶

1. Pull out the fish organs (if you want to eat it the ‘classic Japanese way’, leave it whole) and wash the fish body.

2. Evenly wipe salt onto both sides of the fish. Sprinkle with the onion powder, ground black pepper and parsley. Discard any remaining powder.

Marinate for half an

sake

hour.

3. Cut a few slits in the skin (almost down to the bone).

4. Preheat your oven at 250° . Grease the tinfoil with olive oil before grilling the fish.

5. Grill the fish on both sides for 20 minutes (turn once) until a golden yellow.

Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice onto the fish. A Asian Food 29

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• 1 fresh bluey • Seasoning salt to taste • 1/2 fresh lemon • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder • Black pepper to taste • Olive oil • 2 teaspoons dried parsley

Cooking

rice

Travel Travel

Travel Travel

Autumn Flavours of Seoul

I

Left:Wongaksa temple on Gwanaksan Below left: Hanwoo Below middle: Baech Kimchi Below Right: Lake in Seoul Forest

t’s autumn, with cool and breezy weather, limited rainfall, and red and gold hillsides beneath a high cobalt blue sky. Autumn makes South Korea a wonderful land to visit. Xin Chang takes us on a tour of Seoul to see the autumnal colours and taste some K-food. ▜

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Asian Food 31

Travel Travel

Travel Travel Tips: Dial the BBB Volunteer Service for Translation on the toll-free number (1588-5644) and press #. You just ask the volunteer to translate what you want to say into Korean and then hand your phone to the person you want it said to. It can be extremely useful when communicating with taxi drivers.

The French existentialist philosopher Albert Camus once said, “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”

He could have been thinking of the Korean capital. Seoul develops this train of thought to the max as it’s a city where you can see autumn in all its colourful glory.

If you’re the outdoors type, pack up your boots and head to the forests or mountains; if you don’t particularly like hiking, there are plenty of streets or parks to allow you to enjoy the colours without breaking a sweat.

Spas A Korean spa called a Jjimjilban is one way to wrap up a full day of walking. Most Jjimjilbans in Seoul are open 24 hours and cost around £6 to enter. First you go to the sauna, separated into men’s and women’ s areas, where you can have a bath or shower. Then after changing into t-shirt

and shorts, you can have an ice cream or chat, or even go gaming with other people in the main lobby room. There are also steam rooms of various temperatures around this area. At night, you can rent a blanket and sleep overnight in one of the separate rooms for men and women.

Clubs Seoul is a 24 hour city, one of the world’s liveliest and most dynamic nightlife capitals, with many clubs, bars and lounges staying open until sunrise.

The main areas for clubs in Seoul are Hongdae, Cheongdamdong, Gangnam, and Itaewon. Of these, Gangnam has been the traditional club district for many years. You can find many Korean-style night clubs here, but you’ll need to reserve a table, which costs about £180 (with a bottle of whisky for free) shared between four people. The crowd here are mostly

Where to see the colours...

Gwanaksan (a mountain located in suburbs of Seoul but still could be reached by metro): hiking on the mountain path makes you will feel like in a long natural tunnel of yellow, orange and crimson leaves, the whole forest looks like in “bloom”.

Mt. Namsan : Located in the middle of the city, Mt. Namsan is an easy stroll for just about anyone. It’s also covered in maple and ginkgo trees that light up in autumn. If you’re looking for a relaxing hike, this is it.

YangjaeForest :Yangjae Forest has earned a reputation for fine autumn foliage thanks to its many maple trees.

colours.

Samcheong-dong Road :Samcheong-dong Road is lined with beautiful ginkgo trees that turn golden in autumn. ▶

thirty-somethings, although the occasional twenty-something does sneak in.

Night views However, if you prefer a quiet night, here are two places you might want to go. Seoul N Tower marks the highest point in the city.

Take the bus to its base and then the elevator to the top for a £4 admission fee to get a panoramic view of Seoul. Around the grounds of the tower there is a steel fence with thousands of padlocks attached to it bearing the names of lovers who’ve promised everlasting love to each other.

Another great destination is the Han River. From Yeouinaru (where there’s a subway station) you can take a cruise trip for only £6 and make your way to either Nodeul Port or Jinseong Port. Although it isn’t a luxury cruise, you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of the Banpo Bridge’s colourful water and the 63 Building in all its golden glory. ▶

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Seoul Forest : Seoul Forest is a wonderful, expansive green space in the heart of Seoul. The riverside location accentuates the autumn

Clockwise from left: A corner of Yangjae Forest The front door of Wongaksa Ellui club in Gangnam

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Above. from left: Hanwoo Kimchi Hanwoo served with vegetable KimchiBokkeumBap

Eat in Korea

Hanwoo+Kimchi

34 Asian Food

cut is generally considered the best and is the most popular, and it’s priced on average at £76 per pound in Seoul restaurants.

That’s a high price to pay to enjoy a native beef meal in South Korea, but it’s still worth trying. At least, with fire at the centre of your table and a plate of raw meat to fling onto it, could this be the world’s most fun-to-eat dish?

Kimchi When you get off the plane at Incheon International Airport, you can see a wooden cabin where vendors are selling Korean pickled cabbage called Kimchi. “Korea’s affordable health care”, kimchi is the most common and indispensable food on the meal table in South Korea.

What makes a pickled vegetable such a healthy food?

Some countries have their own pickled vegetables, but kimchi is unique because of differences in the fermentation process. Kimchi is usually pickled first and fermented later, and this complicated process makes kimchi the world’s only double-fermented

vegetable dish. ▶ Kimchi makes use of fresh vegetables such as cabbage, radish, green onion and cucumber as ingredients, all of which provide a full variety of vitamins, fibre, calcium, iron, phosphorous, and other nutrients. The two rounds in the fermentation process means kimchi has more than 200 types of healthy lactic acid bacteria, which help prevent high blood pressure and obesity, slows down aging, facilitates weight loss, and bolsters immunity.

So, what about its taste?

Kimchi is usually repulsive to many foreigners at first, but amazingly addictive after a few tries. Wellripened kimchi gives a tangy and refreshing kick and has a strong umami flavour. That’s why people find themselves becoming so easily addicted to this fermented dish.

Baechu kimchi made with cabbage is the most common type of kimchi. Actually, you can get it free as a side dish in most Korean restaurants (and having your dish refilled is also free), or you could order other types of food made with it, such as kimchi buchimgae (a savoury Korean pancake with kim-

chi), kimchi jjigae (Korean soup made with kimchi), dubu kimchi (tofu with stir-fried kimchi and pork) or kimchi bokkeum bap (kimchi fried rice).

The Korea House is the place to go to experience hands-on cultural activities including kimchi making.

To participate, you simply need to choose a program and time, and then call to make a reservation.

Most performances offer English translations. ▶

DubuKimchi

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Hanwoo Hanwoo is a type of cattle raised in South Korea; the cows are fed alcohol-fermented feed three times a day in order to ensure a high quality meat.

Top class Hanwoo is usually beautifully marbled with fine veins of flavour-bearing fat and is very different from the usual supermarket sirloin.

What does it taste like?

The best way to cook Hanwoo is simply to grill it on a plate. As it cooks, the delicate white streams of fat slowly melt, which adds juiciness and enhances the beef flavour. When it cooks to a golden brown colour - not a moment longer - then serve it with some oil or vegetables on the side.

It has a very rich taste and is full of flavour; the meat is soft, tender and has a melt-in-your-mouth texture. What’s more, you can use the rest of the oil (beef fat) remaining on the plate to grill any side dishes such as mushrooms, onion, king oysters, garlic or enoki.

So, how much does it cost?

The price of Hanwoo varies depending on the cut you choose, its location and quality. A rib eye

Kimchijjigae

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Seafood Market Noryangjin Seafood Market is a 24 hour place offering the freshest seafood in Seoul. You can choose what you want, and then take it up to any of the restaurants upstairs to have it prepared for you. You can have abalone for sashimi or butter-fried; shrimp salted or grilled; oysters eaten raw; or, for the more adventurous, you even could try monggae (ascidian for sashimi) or gebul (urechis unicinctus for sashimi). As for prices, they fluctuate and you'll have to bargain. For example, kkotge, or flower crab, a local delicacy, is in season in autumn, and generally costs around £9 per pound. ▶

Japchae

Snack Market Gwangjang Market opened in 1905 as Korea’s first permanent market. On the ground floor there are open stalls selling all kinds of snacks made by expert hands. Most food stalls are open until 11pm, but some opening hours can vary.

Recommended choices include: Japchae A Korean noodle dish made with marinated beef and vegetables in soy sauce and sesame oil. Rice topped with seasoned vegetables such as spinach, mushrooms, sea tangle, carrots and bean sprouts, served with a dollop of gochujang (red pepper paste). Variations often include beef and/or egg.

Ddeokbokki A casserole dish made with sliced rice cake, seasoned beef, fish cakes, and vegetables.

Tteok

A chewy cake made from either pounded shortgrain or glutinous rice, or glutinous rice left whole, unpounded.

Hangwa Hangwa is a general term for traditional Korean confectionery. Common ingredients include grain flour, honey, yeot, sugar, fruit or edible roots.

Bindaetteok This is a variety of jeon, a Korean style pancake.

It’s made of ground mung beans with green onions, kimchi or peppers cooked in a frying pan.

Kimbap Kimbap is a popular Korean dish made from steamed white rice (bap) and various other ingredients, rolled in gim (sheets of dried laver seaweed) and served in bite-size slices. A

Above left:Bibimbap Above middle:Hangwa Above right: Bindaetteok Below left: Tteok Below middle: Kimbap Below right: Ddeokbokki

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Meat ball soup

Ingredients

40 Asian Food

Ingredients Beef, Chicken soup, Red chilli, Shallot

1, Slice beef to sheets and chop shallot.

2, Add beef sheets and red chilly into boiled chicken soup.

3, Simmer for 30 minutes.

4, Pour the soup and put the chopped shallot into it.

5, Read to serve. â–ś Asian Food 41

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Meat balls, Pakchoi, Golden mushroom

1, Put meat balls and salt into boiling water, simmer for around 3 minutes.

2, Add Pakchoi and golden mushroom into water.

3, Put some black pepper into the soup.

4, pour the soup out and ready to serve. â–ś

Asian style beef soup

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Chinese Bean &Chicken soup

Ingredients

42 Asian Food

Ingredients Tomato, Cucumbers, Mushrooms, Carrots, Beans, Amylum

1, Chop tomato, cucumbers and mushrooms to chunks.

2, Slice carrots.

3, Topple all things into boiling water.

4, Add salt, green peppers and amylum into water.

5, Mix the soup for around 30 seconds.

6, Boiling for 5 minutes and it will be ready to serve. A Asian Food 43

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Chicken, Chinese bean, Spring Onion, Carrots

1, Add Chinese bean and water into a bow, boil for 10 minutes.

2, Add chicken into the water and simmer for anther 60 minutes. Add chopped spring onion.

3, Pour the soup out and ready to serve. â–ś

All-in-one vegetarian soup

People

Sesame namul

Buddhist statue

Asian Buddhist Vegetarian Food Most Asian countries have Buddhist culture.

It is primarily plant-based, a manifestation of non-violence. Wei Fan tells you the distinctive custom of Asian Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. â–ś

Luo han Chia

Buddhist food

Left: buddhist food Right: buddhist statue

Buddhist vegetarian chefs are extremely creative in using wheat gluten, soy, agar in imitating meat.

Those materials can be manufactured into various shapes and textures, and they absorb meat-like flavourings easily.

K

46 Asian Food

difference between Buddhist cuisine and Western vegetarian cuisine is the avoidance of killing plant life. For example, root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots or onions cannot be used in making dishes since this will lead to the death of the plant. Instead, beans or fruits which can be harvested without harming the plant are acceptable. Other strong-smelling plants referred to as ‘Five Spices’, traditionally garlic, allium chinense, asafoetida, shallot and mountain leek, are avoided as they may excite people’s senses. In modern cooking, this rule is often interpreted with onions and coriander too.

Buddhists also avoid addictive materials such as alcohol, tobacco and drugs too.

In Buddhist vegetarian custom, rice is heavily practiced as a staple in the Buddhist meal, in the form of rice porridge in the usual morning meal. Noodles and other grains may often be served as well. Vegetables are generally stirfried or cooked with various sauces, such as soy sauce and dashi in Japan and curry in Southeast Asia. Buddhist vegetarian chefs are extremely creative in using wheat gluten, soy,

KitsuneUdon is the traditional Namul is the Korean macrobiotic noodles for Zen Buddhist monks. way of using minimal spices and Kitsune means fox in Japanese. whilst udon are thick, chewy sauces to create yummy dishes noodles. Why fox? Because the with vegetables and weeds that great religion of Japan—Shint. It grow in the fields. Namul dishes use very gentle seasoning, trying is more an organised spirituality to appreciate the main ingredient’s than a religion. One can be a Shintoist and a Buddhist at the natural flavour. same time, and in fact this is often the case. “Life” events- births, weddings, etc- are handled by Ingredients Shint whilst “death”- funerals, • 2-3 cucumbers, cut into matchsticks ancestor worship- is the domain of • 2 tsp canola oil Buddhism.

• 2 tsp sesame oil • 2 tspperilla oil (or more to taste) • salt to taste • generous amount of sesame seeds

Namul

Kitsune -Udon Ingredients • 1 pack firm silken tofu • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms • 2cm square piece of kombu kelp（optional) • 1 handful sugar snap peas • 2 spring onions, cut into 2cm chunks • 1 pack fresh udon noodles • 1.5 tbsp soy sauce • 1.5 tbspmirin • 500ml water ▶ Asian Food 47

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nown for Dalai Lama and Potala Palace, Tibet may be the first impression of Buddhist culture for westerners. However, it is not the only place to be steeped in Buddhist culture.

Buddhism is practiced all over Asia, and the like most religions, it not only shapes the way people live but how they eat too. Buddhist food is primarily plant-based and ingredients are chosen to reflect their non-violent beliefs. Killing for food in not accepted.

Not to say all Buddhists are vegetarians.

Countries like Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand and Cambodia, if a donation of meat were put into a monk’s alms bowl, he is supposed to eat it.

However, in China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam, monks are expected to abstain from meat, since the most important principle of Buddhism is not to harm any living thing.

Abstaining represents their beliefs of mercy, good health, environment friendly, simple lifestyle and respect for life.

However, this respect for life doesn’t just apply to animals, but plants too. The main

Namul

Kitsuneudon

Left: monks having dinner in a Tibet temple Right: lo han chia

a popular Chinese dish

Lo Han Chia (Buddha’s Delight) Lo Han Chia is a popular Chinese dish consists of various vegetables and other vegetarian ingredients cooked in soy sauce based liquid together with other seasonings, traditionally it was enjoyed by vegetarian Buddhist monks but now it is popular worldwide.

Ingredients • 1/2 Chinese cabbage, chopped • 5 pcs dried shiitake mushroom, rehydrated and cut in half • 1 1/2 cup straw mushrooms, cut in half • 1 pack snow peas • 10 pcs baby corn, diagonally cut in half • 6 squares fried tofu • 1 cup water chestnuts, cut in half 48 Asian Food

• 3 tbsp oyster sauce or vegetarian oyster sauce •2 tbsp soy sauce • 2 tsp sugar • 2 tbsp sesame oil • 2 tbsp tapioca starch • 6 cloves garlic, minced • 2 cup water • oil A

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One Night In Taipei A smal l i sland , several places, hundreds kinds of cuisines; Taipei is the best city for eaters all over the world. â–ś

* Written by Yongjia, Peng

Taipei night scene

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Left: snack booth at Shilin market Right: Shilin sticky rice sausage roll

I

t may hard to image a place on this earth with hundreds of kinds of snacks, or bites. But here it is, Taipei, a city at the north of Taiwan, an island just located between China and Japan.

The unparalleled location has created an environment for Taiwanese cuisine to develop.

Over the last few centuries, the island has been occupied by the Chinese, Japanese and Americans,so there’s now a multi-cultural environment;but the love of eating that exists at the heart of Chinese ethnicity has also helped to shape Taiwan’s food culture. Here you can find Chinese food, Japanese food, Thai food and almost all kinds of Asian food and fruit at low prices in this international city.

It’s not difficult to get in touch with this amazing city, Taipei.

Flying there is almost certainly the best choice – it only takes a night-sleep-hour – and then you can enjoy all kinds of food right after a snooze on the plane.

It makes sense to start by eating in the night market.

On arrival, the first place to go,

52 Asian Food

absolutely, is the night market of Taipei, Shilin Market. This historical and yet modern night market has been in place for more than a century. Created in 1909, this market later moved into a three storey building with more than 500 bite vendors.

The new Shilin Night Market is located just outside Ming Chuan University, on the Jihe Road.It’s so easy to find this famous night market – oh, if you arrive after 4 o’ clock.

Shilin Night Market is the most famous and largest Taiwanese

Seaweed roll

night market in the Taipei area.

So you may spend the whole night there, savouring every single Taiwanese dish and experiencingthe atmosphere of everyday festive gaiety.

While you’re enjoying the evening lights and the people walking around, don't forget to buy the first goodie to start your foodie life in Taipei.

A Shilin sticky rice sausage roll is the first snack we suggest everyone who goes there try.

Just as most cities seem to have their unique take on a street dog, Taipei also has its own. The smart people in Taipei people swap the bread in a regular hot dog for rice. They griddle a sausage – sometimes it is pork, but you can also buy a beef version – until its taut skin caramelizes. Then, they put the juicy sausage into a roasted sticky rice roll, served with pickled Chinese cabbage. It is hot to touch, spicy to eat and juicy to taste. The £3 price is more than reasonable for the Shilin market roll that takes two hands to hold.

It’s a treat worth waiting for,a must for every foodie who travels to Taipei. ▶

The oyster omelette

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N

Taipei night scene

Steak omelette

Iced fruit

Cartoon sugar stick Strawberry sticks

Shilin market

othing could be better thansavouring a cup of pearl milk tea while eating a Shilin sticky rice sausage roll.Its smooth taste is the stuff of lasting memories and inspires the sense that all is well with the world.

Different from British tea, this 1980s creation is made by boilingtasty milk rather than water.Yet you don't have to worry about your health with this drink because the tapioca pearls and the honey that’s added to itprevent any fatty feeling while you’ resipping it.At only £2, pearl milk tea is a Taipei treasure.

The drink is also the local favourite. Ms Xu, a Taipei resident, said, ‘If I could pick one kind of stuff to drink, it wouldn’t be water but pearl milk tea. I think the Taiwanese are proud of this invention.’

The oyster omelette, another top dish found in Taipei, is one of the most popular Taiwanese bites across all Asia. Its tastes are a delight: the umami of the oysters, the fragrance of the omelette and a providential sourness combine to create this wonderful Taiwanese bite. But there’s more. Eating this, you might not even be aware of the beef in the omelette and the egg and batter which fired those oysters you’ve just put into your mouth.

The next stop is Taipei 101.

After agood night’s rest, now you can take the first steps to explore this modern city. And the first place to visit has to be Taipei 101, the Taipei World Financial Centre. It’s the landmark skyscraper in Taipei. Set in the heart of Xinyi District, Taipei 101climbs 1,473.8 ft into the sky and was the tallest building in the world between 2004 and 2010. Even now this 101 storey structure towers above any other building in Taiwan.

But its staggering height is not the only reason the building is world famous. Its name, Taipei 101, not only commemorates the fact that it was completed in Taipei, but also means Technology, Art, Innovation, People, Environment and Identify.

Its designer, Zuyuan Li, aimed for the structure to be a Taipei landmark and, more significantly, a symbol for the Taipeinese.

The people of Taipei are proud of this construction. If you have Taiwanese friends, they’ll definitely invite you to Taipei 101as soon as they find out you’re going to theirromantic city.

This ebullient city holds firework displaysfrom the tower at festival times. As do the Chinese, the Taiwanese see Spring Festival as their most important day of the year. On this day, the tallest building beamsa kaleidoscope offlame into the sky to celebrate the Chinese New Year. A

Its name, Taipei 101, not only commemorates the fact that it was completed in Taipei, but

also means Technology, Art, Innovation, People, Environment and Identify.

Up: pearl milk tea Below: Taipei 101

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