Salad is not a regular item in Hong Kong people’s diet. And even if restaurants do serve salads, they are never as fresh and tasty as the ones I enjoy in Vancouver (in my opinion anyways!). So I was prepared to go without salads for three months.

But the other day when I was browsing the Japanese food department at Jetsco, I discovered a very interesting product — prepackaged pickling spices in convenient single-serving portions. There were many kinds, one for cucumber, one for eggplant, one for bok choi and there was even one for making kimchi!

It was quite cheap too so I just had to try it. I bought the cucumber kind and tried it right away!

The instructions were very simple. I took 200g of cucumber, sliced it thinly and placed into a ziploc bag. Then, I poured in one package of pickling spice, zipped the bag up and shook it violently. After two hours in the fridge, the cucumbers released juice and were ready.

The first taste was slightly salty, but after a quick rinse with cold water, the cucumbers tasted just right. Crispy, cool and tasty! Although not exactly a salad, these lightly pickled cucumber slices offer the same refreshing taste that I crave from my salads. It really hit the spot for me!

I love this pickling salt. It’s easy, fuss-free and makes veggies that much more fun and tasty to eat.

Browsing grocery stores is one of my secret hobbies. I just love, love, loveeee to cruise through Japanese food products and admire them for their well-designed food packaging that makes the food look so appetizing. And sometimes, I will find a really brilliant product, like these individual-sized pickling salt.

Can’t wait to dig through more Japanese foods and tell you more. Stay tuned!

Got any suggestions on how I can incorporate more salads in my HK life?

For this week’s Food Challenge, I’m trying out a whole grain — wheat berry. So far the only whole grain options that I am familiar with are: oats, popcorn and brown rice. I definitely have not been courageous in the past with expanding my taste for whole grains, so I’m really excited about adding wheat berry to my list.

Before attempting anything crazy, I did a bit of research and found some interesting information.

• Wheat berry is an intact whole grain! It is the whole unprocessed wheat kernel, which means none of the germ or bran has been removed, and so it is nutritionally intact. This grain is a very good source of fiber (keeps the digestive system healthy, helps to lower cholesterol and promotes bowel regularity). In addition, it contains a wide array of nutrients that may help to reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases, obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

• Because it is unprocessed, wheat berry does take some time to cook before it softens up. To prepare: In a large pot, put in 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt for every 1 cup of wheat berries. Cover and boil, then reduce heat and let simmer, with lid covered, for about 1 hour until the grains are plumped and al dente (try a few kernels to see if it is the right doneness for you). Drain and set aside. 1 cup uncooked wheat berries will yield 2.5 cups cooked.

• Other whole grains that substitute well include: farro, barley, kamut, and spelt.

Originally, I thought that wheat berries would be very hard and dense with a strong nutty flavour. But I was pleasantly surprised after tasting my very first batch of wheat berries. It didn’t taste anything like I had expected; instead, they were slightly sweet with a mellow nutty flavour and a very chewy texture. Compared to brown rice or barley, these grains are a lot firmer and chewier, but I quite enjoyed their unique texture.

To see how well wheat berries can be incorporated into my diet, I decided to try them in three different ways, at three different meals. I stirred it into my breakfast bowl, made it into a stew for lunch and added it to my salad for a light dinner.

1. The breakfast bowl was leftover Mung Bean Dal with wheat berries and minced cilantro stirred in. The dal was creamy and mushy, while the wheat berries provided chewiness and the cilantro infused a fresh, clean flavour and brightened up the dish beautifully.

2. Lunch was simply a vegetable soup with wheat berries (inspired by Mark Bittman’s Carrot, Spinach and Rice Stew). The slow cooking process made the vegetables very tender, allowing their flavours to melt into the soup and made it very delicious. However, the addition of the wheat berries was a poor choice. All the soup’s components were cooked well beyond tender, almost mushy even, so the grain’s chewiness was like the elephant in the room; it was very weird to have a few extremely chewy pebbles of wheat berries mixed in with a mouthful of very soft vegetables; the contrast was simply too great.

3. For a quick salad dinner, I decided to toss together canned corn, fresh bamboo shoots and wheat berries with a LOT of  peanut sauce (FYI, I am absolutely in love with this stuff and cannot possibly get enough.) The thick peanut sauce clung onto the wheat berries very well and each bite was full of flavours. A very well balanced blend of crunchiness, sweetness and chewiness, beautifully wrapped up by a dangerously delicious peanut sauce. YUM!

What I learned from this week’s challenge:

• wheat berries make a very good addition to salads and they can be substituted in for other whole grains in recipes that have some sort of a sauce or dressing that can coat the wheat berries well (which means: okay in thick stews, not okay in thin soups).

• they pair well with ingredients that have a somewhat crispy or crunchy texture (for example, bell peppers, edamame, onions, chickpeas) — avoid very soft and tender greens at all cost.

• Wheat berries can be very fulfilling in small amounts. Due to the grain’s chewy nature, I chewed for longer and ate much more mindfully, which helped to significantly slow down my eating speed and as a result, I only needed a very small portion (1/4 cup) to feel satisfied.

• It is definitely worthwhile to precook lots and keep them in the fridge or frozen in single portions. In fact, wheat berry may be better stored pre-cooked since uncooked wheat berries can turn bad fairly easily (because they are unprocessed, the natural oils in the wheat kernels’ bran can easily go rancid).

Will I eat it again?

If I have a ready-to-eat supply of wheat berries in my fridge/freezer, I will happily add them to salads or thick stews for the extra texture and for the extra nutritional boost (more fiber and phytonutrients!). But, if I don’t have any pre-cooked, I probably will choose another whole grain option that takes much less time to prepare and is equally healthy and delicious, such as barley (about 20 minute prep time) or brown rice (30 – 40 minutes).

To learn more about this awesome whole grain, visit these places:

• World’s Healthiest Foods: Whole Grain
• Featured Foods: Wheat Berries by Leslie Beck, RD
• Whole Grains 101: Wheat , Kamut, and Spelt Berry by Katie @ Eat This

Interested in trying wheat berries? Start with these delicious recipes:

• Wheat Berry Breakfast Bowl Recipe by 101 Cookbooks
• Roasted Root Vegetables & Wheat Berry Salad by David Lebovitz
• DIYWheat Berry Salad by A Smart Mouth
• Wheat Berry Salad by tiny urban kitchen

Have you tried wheat berries before? Did you like it? How did you prepare it?

Next week’s challenge: canned sardines! (Anyone have any tips for me? Please share them in the comments!)

Stuffed Dates with Goodies

Michelle and Samantha suggested stuffing dates with various ingredients to make them into bite-sized appetizers. So, I tried three different combination.

Dates + brazil nut. The date, as expected, was chewy with a very delicate sweetness and the brazil nut brought a nutty aroma and a good crunch to it. Getting both the gooey and crunchy texture in one bite was interesting, although I felt the overall mouthfeel was a little on the dry side. It tasted decent, but not good enough for me to go for seconds.

Dates + cream cheese + walnuts. I got this recipe from the back of the dates’ packaging. With cream cheese and walnut, this appetizer looked a lot more extravagant, and it certainly was more tasty too! The whole combination was a flavour explosion in my mouth — in one tiny bite, I got a nice blend of flavours — sweetness from the dates, richness from the cream cheese and crunchiness from the walnut. This hors d’oeuvre turned out much more delectable than I expected.

Dates + peanut butter. Wow! The nutty flavour of the peanut butter elevated the dates without overwhelming its delicate sweetness. And along with that, the creamy peanut butter blended so well together with the ooey gooey dates and provided an amazing melt-in-the-mouth sensation. Irresistibly delicious, definitely the one appetizer that will keep you going back for one more after another!

Oatmeal-Dates Cookies & Bacon-Wrapped Dates

Moving beyond stuffed dates, I wanted to incorporate dates into fancier recipes. After flipping through many books and different websites, I settled on trying one sweet and one savory dish: oatmeal-dates cookie and bacon-wrapped dates.

Oatmeal-Dates Cookies. I anticipated that these amazingly delicious dates would make my cookies taste extraordinary (like way above what oatmeal-raisin cookies would be). But unfortunately, they did not turn out good. The recipe was a good one (from Cook’s Illustrated Best New Recipes), and the dates were of the highest quality, but it was a silly human error that turned this potentially ambrosial baking experience into a culinary catastrophe.

What happened: I halved the recipe to make half the original and I took extra care to ensure that I only used half the amount of every ingredient….except somehow I completely forgot to adjust the amount of butter.

The end result: very greasy, way too spread out and burnt oatmeal cookies that were barely edible.

In the end, I managed to salvage one cookie that was not overly-browned and I tried it to see if substituting in dates for raisins worked well in this recipe. Despite the overpowering burnt and oily flavour, I could still taste the natural sweetness and with my eyes closed, I could almost imagine the heavenly aroma that I would otherwise sense if I had made a perfect batch. But sigh, I made a silly mistake and ended up wasting a good handful of my precious dates! It truly broke my heart to throw these cookies away…

Bacon-Wrapped Dates. With one unsuccessful attempt, I was more determined than ever to make a good savory dish using this ingredient.  This time, with every ounce of my effort I got in me, I made sure I executed each step perfectly. As the bacon slowly crisped up in the oven, the mouth-watering aroma of the smoked bacon filled my house and I could hardly wait for it to cool down before popping it into my mouth.

Mmmm. It was a very scrumptious bite with all the good flavours — sweet, salty, savory, creamy and fatty — all blended into one mouthful! Suffice to say, I didn’t stop at eating just one. (And in case you are wondering, I used the recipe from Nourishing Gourmet.)

Final words

In one night — Friday night (a.k.a date night) — I tried out five different ways to enjoy dates. Reflecting upon these delicious adventures (minus the cookie incident), I can boil down my racing thoughts into one simple conclusion: I love Medjool dates and they taste darn good with everything (even made that batch of burnt, oily oatmeal cookie semi-edible.)!

So maybe I didn’t get the romantic date that I was hoping for, but at least I got plenty delicious dates!

This food challenge has really been a roller coaster ride so far and it is truly tons of fun! I am already anticipating next week’s challenge, despite not knowing what new food I want to try yet.

Question: Do you have any exotic ideas for me? Throw me some wild suggestions, please!

I have never had dates before. Even if I try really hard to dig through my past memories, the only times I had seen dates in my meals were mushy ones that floated in the Chinese tonic soup that my mom made all the time (don’t get me wrong, the soup taste fabulous, just that the dates looked very unappealing). Because those mushy dates didn’t at all appetizing, so I never took a bite out of them. But this week, everything is going to change. I will explore the flavour of dates and I will attempt to make delicious dishes out of them!

First and foremost, the taste test!

Before making the bold move to include dates in my recipes, I thought it would be important to learn about their natural flavour first. Hence, I went out and bought 2 types of dates for a mini tasting session.

The first kind was dried dates with a honey flavour. I found this on the snack foods aisle at my local Asian supermarket. It came in a very nice, colourful resealable pouch. The second kind I bought was a 1lb box of Medjool dates. At first I was quite hesitant as to whether or not these would be worth their price ($10 dollars), but one of my readers, Samantha @ Bikini Birthday, highly recommended them and so I decided I would give them a try after all!

The first kind was dried dates with a honey flavour. I found this on the snack foods aisle at my local Asian supermarket. It came in a very nice, colourful resealable pouch. The second kind I bought was a 1lb box of Medjool dates. At first I was quite hesitant as to whether or not these would be worth their price ($10 dollars), but one of my readers highly recommended them and so I decided I would give them a try after all!

Honey Dates. The honey dates package advertised itself as a healthy snack food, and it did seem so. They were bite-sized and were already pitted, which made it really easy to just grab them from the bag and pop them one after another. They were chewy (a little too chewy and sticky) and sweet. The skin was also slightly too dry and hence I had to chew it for a bit longer to moisten the skin before I could swallow the date. The honey flavour was prominent but not overwhelming, which made the dates more enjoyable, definitely a plus. As a finger food, I thought they would probably take a little too much effort to chew and swallow, but they could really add sweetness to granola or be a lovely topping for yogurt or sweet oatmeal too.

Medjool Dates. Since the honeyed dates tasted pretty good, I grew fairly excited about the flavour of the Medjool dates. They were much larger. They had a small pit and lots of surrounding flesh. The flesh was very gooey and moist, making them chewy (in a good way). It also had a very distinct sweetness that I enjoyed very much. The sweetness came from the fruit itself, very unlike the sweetness from the honey dates; this sweetness tasted much more natural, which in comparison, made the honey flavour seemed awfully artificial and overwhelming now. In short, Medjool dates were delicious! You can really eat them like candy — the aroma and sweetness is pretty addictive and keeps you going back for another one!

Taste Test Conclusion: I bought the two different kind of dates because I wanted to compare how quality of the dates differ based on variety and how that will influence my tasting experience. And having tasted both varieties, Medjool dates well deserved their title as “King of dates”. So, even though cost is a big issue, I am still willing to spend more money to get them –  I’ll just make sure I savour every bite of these babies!

Coming up in Part 2: a date with dates…with recipes!

Part 2 is here: Dates…Still So Delicious!

So just to let you know, I have already fallen in love with Medjool dates (it was love at first bite!).  And, I am certain that this 1-lb box will quickly disappear as I start eating them like candy. But, just for sake of this challenge, I’ll make sure I save a handful just so I can explore more ways to enjoy dates.

What is your favourite ways to enjoy dates? Share them here, I’ll love to try them!

For dessert last night, I had a S’more Pie AND an apple pie from McDonalds’…two pies in one day!

Advertisements and posters for the new S’more pie posters are everywhere and they got me so curious that I just had to try one for myself.

Right now you must be thinking McDonald’s desserts are obviously not smart food choices. Well, they aren’t the best food choices but I also don’t forbid myself to eating anything. I simply choose to eat healthy foods more often and selectively choose to have less of other foods. Hence, I didn’t gulf down two pies all by myself; I bought 2 pies and shared them with my family, so each of us took a piece from each pie. By doing so, we all got to taste both pies without overindulging.

We first tried the S’more pie. Opening the box, I saw the usual McDonald’s-style pie (which had always look more like a popover to me). The crust was not golden brown, which was expected, but still disappointing to see because it made the pie very visually unappealing. My brother took the first bite, revealing the pie filling which pretty much resembled what was shown on the promotion posters. My brother said it wasn’t nasty tasting. So then it was my turn to try.

The crust, as I expected, was like the typical McDonald’s food, bland and boring — doesn’t tasty terrible but not much flavour either, just bearable. The pie filling, however, offered a little surprise to me. The gooey chocolate and marshmallow filling gave me the melt-in-the-mouth sensation. The creamy, sweet chocolately taste really brought back fond memories of eating S’more crackers in the past.  That bite of the S’more pie really satisfied my craving for a S’more cracker. Although McDonalds obviously did a poor job presenting their S’more pie (the unattractive pie crust), kudos to them for successfully putting the soul of a S’more cracker into their S’more pie.

The apple pie was the second half of our dessert. Having tried the apple pie before, we knew what this apple pie would taste, but we just wanted to have it again and see how it compared to the S’more pie. Basically it had slightly soggy pie crust, with very sweet apple bits and a strong cinnamon flavour. It definitely isn’t the best apple pie in town, but because I have always enjoyed the flavour combination of cinnamon and apples, this was an acceptable apple pie dessert for me. It tasted less sweet than the S’more pie but compared  to the S’more pie that I had previous, the flavour of this apple pie was no match.

Make no mistake, McDonald’s is definitely not my place to go for desserts. But on this particular day, the S’more pie surprised me and satisfied my sweet tooth. So, I suppose, walking into McDonald’s and grabbing two baked pies once in a while is okay and it can have its place in a healthy lifestyle, because EVERYTHING IN MODERATION is the key principle to healthy eating!

Oh, just one more surprise for you…

If you have resisted the temptation to try the S’more pie and have chosen the apple pie instead thinking that you are making a healthier choice, then you may want to reconsider your decision. According to McDonald’s Nutrition Calculator,  the apple pie actually has 7% more calories and 2g more saturated fat than the S’more pie. What this basically translate to is that apples can be a healthier option than marshmallows and chocolates, but a pie filling made from apples does not automatically make it a healthier food item than pie filling made from chocolates and marshmallows.

The lesson: Sometimes you can get easily fooled to think certain foods are better than others, but that may not be true — so read food labels to be certain about what you are putting into your mouth (and avoid making food choices based on food claims, I find that they are more confusing, and sometimes more misleading, than they are helpful). Simply choose foods that you truly desire, but eat it in a reasonable amount!

Do you have a favourite S’more dessert recipe? Share it here!

Pureed Cauliflower

In the past, I’ve tried pureed cauliflower on its own and I found that it cannot mimic mashed potato but it does have its unique place in a well-balanced diet. I find that it has a much more “liquidy”, less starchy and more fluffy texture to it. Plain pureed cauliflower does not taste very exciting, but it can be a very suitable complement to a creamy, rich topping. The plain vegetable puree acts as a blank canvas which will accentuates the topping’s flavours, and the lightness of the puree will balance out the richness well. Plus, don’t forget that you’re boosting your vegetable intake too! Pairing a calorie-dense sauce or topping to a vegetable-based, low-calorie puree is a great way to showcase a flavourful sauce, allowing you to truly indulge without adding additional, non-essential calories.

My favourite combination: pureed cauliflower + Italian meatballs with spicy salsa = long-lasting satisfaction without needing spaghetti to fill me up!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes come in many varieties, some are more mushy and sweeter than others. Finding the variety that is starchy and slightly sweet will yield the best mashed sweet potatoes. Starchy varieties will give the most creamy texture when mashed. For me, the best way to enjoy mashed sweet potatoes is to have it plain because somehow the natural sweetness of it really has me hooked on it – I keep eating one bite after another! Mashed sweet potato is not the same as mashed potato by any means. But to me, it can be an equally satisfying and comforting side dish because of its luscious, creamy mouthfeel and its unique sweet flavour that makes it surprisingly cravable!

My favourite preparation method:

• Peel and rinse sweet potatoes, cut into large cubes
• Use a microwave steamer to steam the sweet potato cubes until fork tender
• While hot, mash with a fork or potato masher (if desired, add milk to thin out)

The Ultimate Winner: pureed cauliflower with mashed sweet potatoes

This combination best mimics the texture and taste of mashed potatoes. The starchiness of the sweet potatoes yields a creamy texture and the blandness of the cauliflower will balance out the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. Together, this composition has just the right texture and the perfect clean (but not boring) flavour. This can be the ideal substitute for those who have been longing for a lighter, healthier yet delicious alternative to mashed potatoes!

So how good is it really? Well, I did a little experiment on my brother! I served this over Italian Meatballs and tomato sauce, and told him that it was meatballs with mashed potatoes. He finished the whole dish and literally scooped every last bit from the plate. Only when he finished that he casually mentioned that the mashed potatoes seemed lighter and not as dense than the usual. So, although my brother did detect a slight difference between this faux mashed potatoes and the real thing, he still had a very satisfying meal and did not feel missed out on regular mashed potatoes. In short, pureed cauliflower and mashed sweet potatoes can truly be the ultimate healthy comfort food!

But you just hate cauliflower…

Pureed cauliflower may not work for everybody, but that doesn’t mean you cannot make mashed potatoes a little more healthier. Start by incorporating just a tiny amount of sweet potatoes (or cauliflower, or whatever other vegetable puree that you fancy) into your mashed potatoes and see if you like the taste and the texture. If you enjoy it, then you can experiment further by adding a little more; or if you dislike it, then explore with other vegetables!

It does not really matter how much or how little of vegetable puree that you are adding to mashed potatoes, the key is that you are doing something to improve the nutrition profile of mashed potatoes and that thought alone puts you one step closer to embracing a lifelong habit of healthy eating!

And you just love mashed potatoes…

Here are a few of my favourite ways to lighten up mashed potatoes (without sacrificing flavour, of course):

• Instead of using Russet potatoes, try mashing Yukon Gold potatoes. They stay moist and fluffy when cooked and mash beautifully, giving you that heavenly creamy texture!
• Hold the butter as you mash potatoes, instead add a dollop of butter as you serve. Seeing the butter melt into the mashed potatoes satisfies you visually and helps you to taste that buttery flavour better
• Use brown butter. It has a more intense, nuttier flavour so you only need to add in a small amount to jazz up the dish (Here’s a short video on how to brown butter).
• Substitute lower-fat milk or buttermilk for cream. Yukon Gold potatoes will mash into a creamy texture naturally so you don’t need cream to add on the richness.
• Sprinkle in herbs and spices to add flavour, rely less on butter. I like to add in a few cloves of garlic, and salt and pepper and a small pinch of nutmeg.
• Serve it with a lower-calorie topping. Instead of serving a fatty sauce like gravy over mashed potatoes, I like to top it off with spicy salsa (I love that extra kick!).

These options are only a few of the many methods that you can try to transform mashed potatoes from being the ultimate comfort food to a more nutritious dinner table staple. Play with these options, add in your own creative touch and soon or later, you’ll discover a whole approach to eating mashed potatoes (or better yet, you’ll fall in love with my faux mashed potatoes!).

How do you like to enjoy your mashed potatoes?

Is it realistic to ask people to switch out regular sauces and use low-sodium versions instead? Can low-sodium condiments offer the same taste as regular counterparts?

Skeptical, I decided to do a blind taste test to see if low-sodium soy sauce can replace regular soy sauce. With the help of my brother, I carried out a blind taste test. I tasted three types: regular Chinese-brand one, regular Japanese-brand one and low-sodium Japanese-brand version.

All Photos by Matthew Chung

At this point, you must be scratching your head and thinking sour aftertaste in soy sauce…that must be disgusting! Not really! The sour aftertaste from the low-sodium soy sauce was much more bearable than the sharp, deadly salty aftertaste of the regular Chinese soy sauce.

Conclusion:  Based on a simple smell and taste test, I managed to pick out the low-sodium soy sauce. In other words, low-sodium soy sauce and regular soy sauce are not really interchangeable in my food world.

But! Crazy as it may sound…after the blind test, I’m actually more appreciative for having a low-sodium soy sauce laying around in my house. I think the next time I reach for the soy sauce, I’ll grab the low-sodium kind!

What are your thoughts on soy sauce? Have you tried low-sodium soy sauce? Did you like it?