Double Greeting Wonton House
March 09, 2010
Curried beef brisket on rice
Since my family immigrated to Canada in 1989, we’ve been going to Double Greeting Wonton House. Situated in a “rough” part of town—beside a hotel with a sign that ominously says, “No knives allowed” and a block away from a peep show—it isn’t necessarily considered a “jewel” of Edmonton. However, to local and loyal patrons alike (of all socio-economic status), we can’t resist the taste of greasy, authentic Chinese food at a still-reasonable price. Though, I’ve been going to this establishment long enough to know that $20 used to feed a family of six; now, that feeds maybe 2 or 3 people these days. Still, that’s relatively inexpensive and the portions are always robust.
Over the years, the restaurant has changed little. The recipes seem to have been carved in stone. In two decades, I believe there has only been one aesthetic renovation; the head waitress that was there twenty years ago is still around, as if ageless. The service for years has been brusque and borderline dismissive, but more recently, and possibly coinciding with its rise in popularity among non-Asians, they’ve been a lot more congenial. The head waitress, whose name I still don’t know, is always friendly and ready for my husband and I with plates and forks (No, I hardly use chopsticks except when I eat Pho or Japanese, but even then, I’m still more comfortable with forks.)
Wor wonton on the left, Chicken Wings in Spicy Salt on the right
At any rate, with “wonton” in the restaurant name, you won’t be disappointed in ordering their Wor Wonton soup. It is my husband’s favourite and is everything in a bowl: a medley of vegetables, squid, bbq pork, chicken, and of course, wontons, swimming in a warm and savoury broth that’s immediately comforting as it is tasty. You can’t go wrong by choosing anything in the rice or noodle dish list; a few newcomers who strayed from that list might be invariably disappointed. But as long as you stick to noodles and rice, you’ll do well.
However, since I’ve been going to DG since time immemorial, I’ve been able to stray once in a while. Chicken wings, usually a pub fare, is actually a hit for Rob and me at DG. The spicy and salty seasoning is decidedly Chinese and cannot be found in a pub. There is a satisfying crunchy batter to its exterior, and the “salty but different salty” is enough to make it taste special.
Now, this restaurant won’t win any Michelin stars, but it’s a comforting and reliable spot if you’re craving authentic Chinese cuisine.
Edmonton Foodie Meetup
March 04, 2010
How would most people describe a good evening? I know mine usually involves good food with good people and good conversation. That’s exactly what the 3rd Edmonton Foodie Meetup was. It was my first foray, and apparently, it was the largest with 16 of us congregating at the Jasper Ave location of Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria . Now, normally, I dislike going to chain restaurants but the vibe from the helpful waiters and waitresses that evening made it really feel like a caring and intimate, dare I say, almost “indie” like experience. The cynical part of me is because management heard about the fact that we’re voracious food bloggers and to be treated like VIPs; the other thinks that the smiling service really was genuine and sweet.
It also helped that we scheduled our dinner during their “Wine Tasting Wednesdays” where the waiters went around offering free samples of red and white vintages—and apparently, they took our some of their reserve bottles for us to sip at. Now, maybe I was just in a foodie mood, but I actually ordered a full 5 oz glass of Sauvignon Blanc to go with my meal, which was a lovely proscuitto, mozzarella, tomato, arrugula, and basil sandwich, the bread made out of their pizza dough. The dough was a nice combination of warm and crispy on the outside, with a thin chewy inside. Yum.
Besides the great conversation and food, the highlight of the evening for me was when Valerie, aka A Canadian Foodie, whipped out these great homemade truffles:
I know, jealous yet?
Beavie, Valerie’s trusty beaver, loves bruschetta
The only snag of the eve, if it really was one, was that with having 16 people situated in a long table, it was hard to speak to the other half of the table. I look forward to the next meetup so I can finally speak to a few people I haven’t yet had a chance. Thanks to Sharon and Chris for organizing. Read Sharon’s recap for a list of all those who attended that have food blogs. Thanks to everyone who was on my end of the table; super fun to lament about the state of Alberta sushi (we’re land locked, alright?), Alberta beef (superior), cheap but tasty Indian eateries, and general tomfoolery.
As for Famoso, due to the lovely quality of the pizza crust, the fresh ingredients and the smiling service, I don’t hesitate recommending checking it out if you ever crave thin-crust and don’t mind chain restaurants. Though, if you’re looking for a real thin-crust and hand-made experience that’s definitely local, check out Tony’s Pizza Palace.
Brioche Loaf
February 26, 2010
After a memorable meal at Bistro Jeanty, the Michelin star restaurant situated in the quaint foodie town of Yountville, California, and a viewing of Julie & Julia, I understandably went through a “French phase.”
To be honest, I still am, despite the protests of my expanding waistline. And to avoid having this blog lean too heavily on the Asian side of dishes, I want to offer the first bread recipe I’ve ever tackled with resounding success.
Brioche is a butter lover’s dream bread. If Paula Deen were French, this would be her go-to loaf. It’s cake disguised as bread. Because of its taste and consistency, playing around with how you present and serve brioche can turn it into a savoury side or a decidedly dessert-y offering. Brioche is great for french toast, or simply slathered in butter and jam. If you want go all Filipino on it—ala Ensaymada—you could just butter it, sprinkle it with sugar and grated cheddar (edam and mozzarella also works) and you’re good to go.
Ain’t she a beaut?
At any rate, the recipe I went with to get rid of my bread-making virgnity (as well as break in my brand new KitchenAid mixer) is from the delightful Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris. Out of all my newer cookbooks, it’s had the most use, with its tasty and practical homestyle French recipes. I may detail some of the other recipes I’ve gone through with success from this book, but since it’s the weekend and people do their test baking then, I offer you brioche, adapted from Ina Garten’s cookbook.
Warning: This is a two-day recipe. So make the dough in the evening, resume baking in the morning.
Ingredients
1 package dried yeast
1/2 cup warm water (not boiling, i don’t measure the temperature I just make sure it’s hot to the touch)
3 tablespoons sugar
6 eggs at room temperature
4 1/4 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks), at room temperature, cut up in chunks
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk, for the egg wash
Instructions
- First, make sure your electric mixer’s bowl is not cold. Room temperature. Next, combine the water, yeast, and sugar in the mixer’s bowl, mix gently with a spoon, and let it sit for 5 minutes. The sugar and yeast should be dissolved.
- Attach the bowl to the electric mixer with the paddle attachment and add the large eggs and beat on medium speed for a minute.
- Turn the speed to low and gently add 2 cups of flour and the salt. Mix for 5 minutes. Add another 2 cups of flour and mix for another 5 minutes.
- Add the butter one chunk at a time and mix for 2 minutes. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl so the butter is well incorporated.
- While the mixer is running add the final 1/4 cup of flour.
- Switch to the dough hook and mix on low speed for 2 minutes.
- Scrape the dough into a large buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, place the dough in a warm room (room temperature) for about an hour.
- Place the dough on a clean, floured countertop and cut in half.
- Pat each portion into their own 6x8 rectangle, then roll it up.
- Place each dough portion, seam down, into their own greased bread loaf pan. Cover with a damp towel and set side in the warm room to rise until doubled in volume, about 2, 2 1/2 hours. It may take more. Key is: warm room.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. When the loaves have risen enough, brush the top with the egg wash and bake for 45 minutes. Keep checking to see if the top has turned a nice brown. Keep checking. If you wonder if it’s done, take it out of the oven and tap the top. If it sounds hollow, it’s done!
- Cool on a wire rack. Cut, then serve!
My Go-To Chocolate Chip Cookie
February 18, 2010
I wonder if there is any larger culinary debate than “the perfect chocolate chip cookie.” Metafilter had a huge ol’ post about it listing several different variations. On Twitter, Abi and Tracy swear by Jacques Torres’ “refrigerate up to 24-36 hours before baking” recipe. According to some articles I read, having the recipe wait overnight or more helps meld the ingredients together better. I really do plan on trying it because the legend around these cookies have reached epic proportions.
om nom nom. into my bellah!
But I’m an impatient mofo.
When I bake, it’s hardly ever planned. Cravings usually strike in the evening, right after dinner when things wind down and you just want to sit and veg a bit, and what better way to do so than with cookies warm from the oven?
However, when it’s the evening and unplanned, you’re feeling lazy. You just want to throw things together and get it done, right? So recipes that ask you for room temperature butter are nixed, as well as melted butter. Well, my friends, you’re in luck, because my favourite “go to” chocolate chip recipe is David Lebovitz’s. On top of being a mucho convenient recipe, he calls for toasted walnuts, which helps combine all things sacred to me: nuts, chocolate, butter, and sugar.
As a pastry chef living in Paris, David Lebovitz has a number of tasty delights to explore. But, there is nothing like his chocolate chip cookies, especially one that you can so easily whip up last minute with nary a wait time.
The recipe below makes about 16 medium-large cookies for me. The recipe is adapted from his Great Book of Chocolate and various online sources.
Ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold (see, you can just take it straight from the fridge), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 or 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (the original asks for 1 1/2 cups but I think that’s just overkill)
1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped (now here’s my secret: toast these suckers until almost burnt. believe me, the smokey flavour seems to add something into the batter. every time I’ve made these with varying degrees of toasty-ness, the ones that get the most compliments were the ones I almost forgot were in the oven while I made the batter)
Instructions
- Place the oven rack to the top third of the oven and preheat to 300F (150C). Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the 1 cup of walnuts into a baking sheet and into the oven while you create the batter to toast.
- Mix the white and brown sugar together, then add the chopped butter. Beat together until smooth. When it’s a smooth consistency, mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda.
- In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour and salt) together, then add to the batter. Mix until it’s all incorporated, but try not to overmix, or it overheats the batter (better to be slightly cool).
- Check to see if the nuts are nicely toasted. If not, leave them in the oven until it’s nice and toasted and place the batter in the fridge while you wait. If they are, take them out of the oven and let cool.
- Once toasted walnuts are cooled, mix it in the batter along with the chocolate chips.
- Scoop the cookie dough and create balls. It is up to you what size you prefer, but make sure there is enough space between the balls.
- Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes. (original asks for 18, but every oven is different). Check if they are a nice golden brown. If they are, take it out. If not, leave it in for a couple more minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
My Family’s Beef Sinigang
February 17, 2010
There really is nothing like food from home.
Growing up, the chef in the family was my dad, and despite his failings as a father (oh yeah, I went there), he always made sure we weren’t just well fed… we were well fed. During a lull in his career, he once even contemplated becoming a full-time chef which he rejected since he preferred cooking only for his family. I can understand that. I like my food that salty and that spicy and not bland, thank you, and when you cook for people that pay you to do so, they might complain about the levels of this and that, which I have no patience for. It tastes like that and you’ll like it. That is also how I’ll serve my future children. It will only be later on that they can be potentially ridiculed for what they bring for lunch.
Which reminds me of a story back in Junior High, one of those events that reminds you that racism and ignorance still exists even though it isn’t in the forefront of your mind. My best friend at the time and I were chatting away about our favourite Chinese dishes, when one girl—and I really don’t think she meant it with any malice—asked if we ever eat “any normal food.”
“What do you mean, normal food?” I asked. She shrugged, but the gesture seemed as if we should have already known the answer.
“You know, like pizza, hot dogs…” she went on. Her tone was dead serious. All my friend and I could do at the time was exchange glances and roll our eyes.
It was a revelation to me that house special chow mein is still exotic to some people.
But I digress.
We’re here to talk about sour Filipino soup. Specifically, the way my family always made it. All measurements are approximate, because since this is a family recipe, I’ve always eye-balled portions and never use any measuring spoons or cups.
Ingredients
1 package stewing beef chunks (you can also use pork or chicken or fish here—my sisters prefer pork ribs)
2-3 dried bay leaves
1 large diced medium tomato
1 large onion, halved and sectioned into 8ths
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tsp tabasco sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce (patis)
1 packet Mama Sita Sinigang Soup Base (no, we’re not making tamarind stock from scratch)
1 bunch spinach leaves (maybe more)
2 tsp white pepper
1 head of broccoli
1/2 cup cassava and/or taro root, peeled and cut into large cubes
Instructions
-
Add stewing beef (or other nice cut of beef) along with 2-3 dried bay leaves, and the diced tomatoes. -
Add onions to the pot. Cover ingredients with water, just about a cm above the contents. Add sea salt. -
Bring ingredients to a boil. Make sure to skim the muck that comes up top. -
Simmer ingredients for about half an hour or so, until meat is more tender. -
Add the entire packet of sinigang soup mix to simerring soup. -
Add the patis (fish sauce), a couple dashes of tabasco sauce, and white pepper. Stir. If you are using cassava or taro root, add them here now, as well, as they take longer to soften than rest of the vegetables -
Once meat is cooked and the right tenderness (test it with your fork), 5 minutes before you serve, add the rest of the vegetables. -
Add more spinach or vegetables to suit. As spinach wilts, you can underestimate how much can fit. I usually add more than my initial batch. Sometimes I add extra water if it reduced too much as well as to balance the sourness.
Pork Vindaloo
February 14, 2010
Spicy? Check. Saucy? Check. Exotic? Check. Tasty? HELL YES. And this is why I love East Indian cuisine.
What’s crazy is that I wasn’t truly introduced to the country’s various culinary offerings until my co-worker from my old day job (hm, five or more years ago?) took me out to lunch at a converted Wendy’s location called Punjab Sweet House. One spoonful of their butter chicken and I was sold. I had to try more dishes!
Now, like any good foodie, the next step was to find out if I can make this all at home. After watching At the Table With… episode on Madhur Jaffrey, I set out on Amazon to find a well-reviewed book of hers. I ran into Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick & Easy Indian Cooking and I can’t recommend this book enough for the Indian cookery n00b.
Each recipe has its own story, explanations of exotic ingredient substitutions (she uses grainy mustard instead of marinating mustard seed in vinegar), as well as an index of all the general Indian spices you should have in your pantry. In Edmonton, it’s actually quite easy to find all the spices right in the Ethnic aisle of any generic Superstore, and the spices are really inexpensive. What Jaffrey also does with most (though, unfortunately not all) recipes is suggest side dishes to go with the meal. It helps make a dinner spread a little more involved instead of the regular one-course offerings.
One of my favourite dishes, which is on my dinner rotation regularly, is Jaffrey’s Pork Vindaloo.
It’s an extremely easy dish to make for all you carnivorous fans out there. The only real “exotic” ingredients that you will have to add to your pantry for this one are: cumin and tumeric. Everything else is pretty standard. We have tried this vindaloo with lamb as well, but we prefer the taste of this with pork.
It’s a saucy dish that must be paired with some good white rice. To be honest, I just throw in a salad as a lazy side because I feel guilty I’m just eating tasty, saucy meat with rice, and not a green vegetable in sight.
Recipe adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick & Easy Indian Cooking. Comments in italics.
Ingredients
1 1/2 tbsp grainy mustard
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp cayenne pepper (add more if you like it spicier. Jaffrey says 4 tsp is what Goans prefer.)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion—cut into half rings
6 cloves garlic—crushed
1 1/4 lb boned shoulder of pork—cut into 1” cubes
1 can coconut milk—well stirred (original asks for 2/3 can, but where the heck are you going to use the other 1/3 later?)
Instructions
- Create the spice mixture by combining all the ingredients from the grainy mustard down to the red wine vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Place oil in a large (I use a 12” pan) non-stick frying pan, and turn the burner onto high. Wait until oil is sufficiently hot (I splash a little water in to see if it sizzles), then toss in the sliced onions. Sautee until the onions are golden.
- Once the onions are golden, toss in the garlic for another 30 seconds, and then place in the spice paste. Fry for about a minute (yes, just the spice paste and onions)
- Add the meat. Stir and fry for 3 minutes.
- Add can of coconut milk (The original recipe adds water, but since we’re using the whole can, I don’t see the need).
- If sauce is not already to a boil, bring it to a boil, then lower heat to simmer and cover.
- Simmer for at least an hour before serving. The sauce needs be reduced and it’s up to you how “watery” you want your sauce. I like it so it’s almost nothing and loses its bright yellow color and into a nice brown.
Aishiteru, Mikado
February 09, 2010
It’s no secret. My favourite Japanese haunt in Edmonton is the downtown location of Mikado Restaurant. Now, there are a few mighty fine Japanese establishments in my city, but none so far, have touched the quality I find in Mikado, Alberta’s first Japanese restaurant. I need to preface this that when I go out for Japanese, I don’t really touch the sushi or maki rolls. I go straight for either the chirashi bowl or a sashimi combo of sorts, so I’m really focusing on the quality of fresh fish they bring in. With rolls, you can hide a lot in rice and cucumber. But when you just want sliced fish to eat, it really does matter where you go for your sashimi and chirashi.
Scenes from Mikado
I’m curious about Furusato, because of Chris’s reviews, but since I live all the way in the north side of the city, Mikado’s downtown location is hard to beat.
