Favori Restaurant - Best Catfish on the West Coast

What's this you see? Fried Catfish from Los Angeles, California. This was my first time eating at Favori Restaurant, and not my last. Whenever I go back to the west coast I plan to dine here again.

Singapore Noodles - Sing Chow Mai Fun

I've been having a curry obsession all week, so I decided to make this. This is a very authentic recipe that I found online, and altered it a little to my tasting. The recipe is normally made from Vermicilli noodles, but I ran out, so I used the regular small-sized noodles, so I guess you can say this is not that authentic.

This is a recession-proof dish, b/c you can use almost any veggie or poultry left in the fridge. In this version, I used chicken breasts, but normally you'd use shrimp, and possibly pork as well.

Recipe to be posted later......

Mango w/ Sticky Rice - Thai Dessert

My all-time favorite easy to make and simply delicious to eat desserts. Let's not forget healthy too!

Sticky Rice (Glutinous Rice)
Fresh sliced mangoes

Tapioca Starch

Coconut Milk

Salt and Sugar

Sesame for topping

Banh Tam - Vietnamese Steamed Tapioca

In case you haven't noticed I am a junk-food addict. Banh Tam is basically steamed Tapioca/Cassava layered with shredded coconut, and dipped with sugar and peanuts. For years, I've been making this from the pre-shredded cassava bags, but my mom has been making them from scratch. I have to say they are much better made from the fresh cassavas. So, since this isn't my own personal recipe I'll only be posting the pictures.

It's a fun snack. Tastes kind of soft and chewy. I know they look like colored worms in the picture, but they are good and great for kids!

Food from Royal Caribbean Cruise

I was planning to brag about every single meal I had from my Bahamas cruise last week, andddd guess what? My beloved camera dropped and broke on the second day of the cruise. So, this is all the pictures I have to post after gaining 5 pounds last weekend.

Apple & Cucumber Shrimp Salad - Goi Tom Tao

Apple & Cucumber Shrimp Salad

Happy Velvety Birthday to Me!

My birthday came up, and no I'm not going to tell you how old I am. The husband ordered me this delicioussssssssss red velvet and chocolate cupcakes. Oh, how I wish I was talented enough to create something this beautiful, but I'm not, so I had to order from a lady that is.

Regardless it was moist, creamy, not too sweet, and the highlight of my birthday celebration!

Drink Obsession of the Month - Kai Lychee Vodka

So you like Lychee huh? For those who don't know it's an exotic fruit that comes from Asia.

Have you tried Lychee Vodka? It is to die for! Normally, I don't like vodka, but this is an exception. This spirit tastes exactly like what it's described as........Lychee with Vodka!

My friends have recently found this tropical liquor and we've been hoooked. Oh, it's not easy to get though. For you lucky ones who live in Hawaii or California it is probably sitting in your neighborhood supermarket. For the rest of us we have to order it online, or go to the original source in Vietnam. That's right. This is made in Vietnam!

Fried Red Onions - Hanh Phi

You might not recognize what this could be, but it's my homemade dried red onions. They either come preserved in a can like pictured above, or you can make them fresh like me. Fried red onions, are normally used as a topping on many Vietnamese dishes. You can use it on just about anything from soups to stir-fried dishes. It makes a crunchy and tasteful topping.

Crab/Fish Cake Congee

Any dish that has crabs I cannot pass up. Have you ever thought of what crab congee would taste like? Well, this is my own little creation one winter day when I wanted congee, but I had nothing else in the fridge to work with. Crab congee!

OK, maybe not real crabs, but the imitation crabs, or otherwise called "fish cake" crabs. This Osaki brand is the only brand of fake crabs I would ever use in a dish. I think this brand tastes the best and the most real-to-life crabs you can get in your grocery section. I normally find these at the Asian/Korean supermarkets around my area. It's a little pricier than the other brands, but hence the taste is extraordinary during those cold, cold winter days.






Congee:

Fresh or canned Chicken Broth
1 cup of rice
Dried Red Onions