MaknMing – My Golden Apron

June 2018: Embrace…Familiar not Forgotten..and Let It Be

June 24, 2018June 24, 2018For Your Information, Local Vancouver, VegetarianLeave a Comment

Father’s Day and My hubby’s Birthday dinner at our home: Quality family time and Togetherness

Embrace ….

Whew! As we officially entered summer solstice, 2018 has already passed the half-way mark!

On June 27 I will be on Ms. Deborah Moore’s show on Fairchild AM1470 1030am sharp to share some of the highlights this past month.

Some good news to share I have started a new job as of last week; I am pretty excited about this opportunity and hopefully in the new future I will have more time for updates and blog postings (OO).

Eating Together Day (mine was Eating Together Weekend!)

Did you know June 22 was the 2nd annual Eat Together Day, an event which people are encouraged not to eat by themselves? ( link: from President’s Choice )

Sharing a meal with family and friends does more than feeding our bodies; it is more satisfying, creates a stronger bond and connection between people; communication will definitely improve.

Time Together is Priceless…

Unknowingly on “Eat Together Day” , a few of us from the IG Community shared home-cooked dishes together at Oh Studio; thanks to our lovely hostess Grace Lee from Eikcam Ceramics for organizing this fabulous potluck, you couldn’t have picked a better day.

Thanks Eikcam Ceramics for hosting the Pot Luck with other Instagrammers on Eat Together Day

On the following afternoon, with zumba classmates at an outdoor potluck picnic, thanks to my fellow classmates and teacher Ms. P for organizing.

Eat Together Saturday Picnic with my Zumba Classmates in Richmond – dishes prepared with love shared on a beautiful sunny day

June 02nd Dietitians at Home Book Launch at Chef Tony’s Chinese Restaurant

Congratulations to Dietitians at home on your publication!

on your publication! The talented team of registered dietitians Amy Yiu, Jo Jo Wang and Mengdi Xia, has put together a cookbook featuring 30 ingredients and recipes, filled with beautiful pictures and easy to understand cooking instructions and information on all featured ingredients. It was my privilege to have helped with the editing, thank you very much for your trust and the recognition in Acknowledgements, it was a truly fruitful learning experience.

Follow them on Instagram for more information on how to purchase the cookbook.

Open “Sesame” – Elmo Baking Co. (Facebook/Instagram bakery)

“Sunny Day….Sweepin’ the clouds away..on my way to where the air is sweet”…

It was a little while back when I first heard about Elmo Baking Co., which operates in Richmond and sells their scrumptious double baked croissants through Facebook and Instagram. I finally got around to ordering (by Thursday night each week) and picked up at the Smokehouse Sandwich (5188 Westminster Hwy, Richmond BC – a small drive in mall located at the edge of a residential area). This double baked black sesame charcoal is robust and flavorful; it is not the buttery flaky type of croissants but definitely live up to its reputation. Next time I will try the Almond Croissant and the famous PBJ (which was sold out at the time when I placed my order): when a chef posted the pbj picture and hashtag it #bravo, it must be good…

The name brought me back to “Sesame Street”… and picking up the order led me back to the street (just down the road from the Sandwich shop) where I used to live when I first moved to Vancouver; sweet memories.

Follow “Elmo” on Instagram or Facebook; DM to place the order (by Thursday night), you will receive confirmation via messaging; pick up on Fridays and Saturdays only.

Local Veggies at Tama Organic Life:

I first heard about Tama’s Organic Life (2828 East Hastings, Vancouver, BC) through Workshop Vegetarian Cafe; they have actually been around for a long time! My friend M reminded me as they used to deliver goodies from North Vancouver to my old workplace… They offer fresh and frozen produce grown by local farmers, dried goods (beans, grains) and condiments; their kitchen serves up delicious Japanese vegan bentos (I had the stinging nettle miso soup and it has so much depth in flavor and not salty at all). They are excellent with recommendations, you can place an advance grocery order for pick up or delivery, eat in at their shop or just shop for a different selection of beautiful in season local grown produce (daikon from Victoria) and hard to find Japanese varieties (mizuna/komatsuna). Parking is available at this strip mall; if you happen to be dropping by Fujiya (on Venables and Clark) for Japanese groceries, this shop is only another 10 minutes heading further east towards Burnaby (when there’s no traffic). Information on website available in Japanese and English.

Thank you Tama Organic life always for your recommendations, truly grateful (OO)

For recipe using sea asparagus, check out my February 2014 Mushroom Soba Salad with Yuzu dressing Recipe

Familiar Not Forgotten…….Brunching at MaknMing

Sunday Brunch (10am to 2pm only) at MaknMing (is back for the summer only! I first talked about their brunch in July 2017 ; some familiar dishes (French Toast YAY) are back with weekly special features (my hubby enjoyed a pork cheek Eggs Benny); no reservations just walk in only. Their cookery is spot on, flavors at once are Japanese yet Canadian; if you like to roll the way I like to roll, this one is for you a whole level better.

After enjoying a scrumptious lunch take a stroll down to Kits Beach which is only a couple blocks away.

YAY French Toast is BACK ! Celebrated my husband’s birthday (thanks MaknMing for the little candle)

Ming’s Soba Bowl (with stripe prawns) and beautifully cooked onsen egg

The specials which we enjoyed two weeks ago: Pork Cheek Benny for Him and Poke Bowl for Me

And Let It Be…

I was watching the Late Late Show and happened to catch the James Corden and Paul Mccartney’s Carpool Karaoke; Sir Mccartney’s story about the writing of this song and their rendition of this Beatle’s classic was very touching.

The beginning of this month I ended an old work chapter and embraced a new one just mid-month; I just went with my heart and truly grateful for all that has happened, as is, nothing more, nothing less.

The lyrics, particularly this line, echoes my sentiment:

“There will be an Answer…Let It Be”

December 2016: Heart..Passion..Patience and Gratitude

December 27, 2016December 27, 2016For Your Information, Local VancouverLeave a Comment

Reflections in Deep Frosty December… Words to Live By: Heart, Passion, Patience and Gratitude….

Wish you all a wonderful, healthy and prosperous 2017!

Catch me on December 28th Wednesday morning 1030 am Sharp on Fairchild Radio 1470 Deborah Moore’s program; we will be chatting about food and much more!

It’s all about Heart…..

From Instagram to Kitslano : MaknMing (1629 Yew Street, Vancouver, BC )

This is perhaps one of the highly anticipated restaurant openings in 2016: Chefs Makoto Ono and Amanda Cheng (previously from Gastown’s Pidgin) has opened their new restaurant “MaknMing”, a Japanese French fusion restaurant earlier this month. I must admit I was a fan already (because of a creative kohlrabi dan dan noodle dish at Pidgin), and I had the pleasure to meet them earlier because of Instagram and Seafood City (that is another lovely story)! We dined at their cosy eatery two weeks ago, enjoyed some delicious foods which they have cooked their hearts out and their crew provided us with impeccable service. I simply love their tagline “#smallteambighearts! Congratulations again Chefs for your opening, look forward to my next visit!

Check out their restaurant (open for dinner only, reservations accepted, check their website and follow their Instagram account (same name) for updates..

https://www.maknming.com/

img_4247-1 — My favourite dish: Dungeness Crab Miso Noodle

fullsizerender-4 — The Non-drinker enjoying this Gin & Tonic: this drink is easily my 2016 favourite cocktail

fullsizerender — First Bite teaser: Carrot “tartare” with house made rice cracker

And Passion…..

Last Saturday I literally had chocolate for breakfast when I visited Dominique and Cindy Duby’s Wild Sweets Atelier Store in Richmond (by Steveston Hwy)! The chocolates were so delicious and Mr. Duby was providing us with information on their products, I was blown away by their professional knowledge and certainly can feel their passion…We bought their “tea cake’ (a modern version of a fruit cake) for Christmas Dinner Dessert and everyone enjoyed it so much! I was thrilled to know they also have tastings and afternoon events available for booking online and I am already coordinating with my food pals to pay a visit in the New Year. Great to meet you both Dominique and Cindy, look forward to learning much more about chocolates and cocoa!

Wild Sweets (#2145 – 12191 Hammersmith Way, Richmond, BC)

http://dcduby.com/

https://www.visitrichmondbc.com/listing/wild-sweets-by-dominique-%26-cindy-duby/628/

Crispy Orange Cherry Tea Cake – taste like a traditional fruit cake with a crunchy texture

a sneak peek…before we devoured this delicious dessert..

And a little Patience goes a long way in anything we do….and always cook with Love

Last month (See my November posting) I made a very traditional Japanese dish “Tai meshi (snapper rice); earlier this month I decided to tackle ramen and a different fish dish..Another challenge working on my focus and dedication to my craft, honing skills and building my patience..

A long time ago an old Japanese friend taught me how to make the Japanese braised chashu (pork) using pork shoulder butt (less fattening), ginger, leek, green onion, soy, mirin and sake. I marinade (soy/ginger/leek/green onion/sake) the pork shoulder over night; next day sauteed more leeks and ginger, add marinade to katsuobushi dashi (bonito flakes/kombu) to create the braising liquid, seared the pork shoulder and slowly “braised” (lading braising liquid over meat and flipping sides)

Homemade Shoyu Ramen: I made the Ramen Eggs, Japanese braised Chashu (pork), bone broth and shoyu tare (for seasoning); I used Chinese thin noodles (Shanghai style from T & T Supermarket)

Clean bones in the pot with daikon, leek, carrot and pork shank ; cleaning, brushing, plus 3 hours of simmering and skimming: Patience is virtue

Cooking up a storm through the snow storm – you can see the milky clean soup!

Panko crusted sea bream fillet with spinach and cauliflower, asparagus and shiitake fried “rice” with ginger soy sauce (which I created also for my hubby’s lamb chop dish

And for Christmas…I made a sockeye salmon pate (steamed salmon in lemon and a little sake, flaked and mixed with combination of Greek yogurt and Ojai lemonaise (1:1), grated lemon zest, chopped dill (don’t over do it as it can be overpowering), lemon juice, season to taste with black pepper and orange and lime sea salt as seasoning (Vancouver Island Salt Co – non-flavoured sea salt works also, I just happened to have this in my pantry!). I also made fresh cranberry sauce (fresh cranberries (1 bag) with blood orange juice and zest (1 big or 3 small blood orange), Cointreau (orange liquer) and brandy, lemon juice and zest, cinnamon stick, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar (a drizzle) and sea salt (I also used the orange and lime flavoured salt, regular works) – remember to fold in the zest almost towards the end of cooking process, and always adjust the seasoning accordingly.

And Gratitude Always ….Thank you to everyone… from my heart to yours..

That’s a wrap for 2016 – see you in the New Year (OO)

Whether it’s sharing fun times and wonderful food….

Or Keeping me in your thoughts – a date, a phone call, message or thoughtful gifts (Picture: the fabulous macarons from Indulge With Mimi – thanks Deb M)…

Or sharing a new experience together….(picture at Cirque Du Soleil’s Toruk )

Or working together and give back to the community… (Thanks UGM and the other wonderful volunteers and my regular team mates)

And Thank you to Ms. Deborah Moore for having me on your program …3 years and counting.. ..

August 2016: One Thing Leads To Another

August 31, 2016Eating Out, For Your Information, Local VancouverLeave a Comment

Want to know what have I been up to in August? On Wednesday August 31st, 2016 I will be on Ms. Deborah Moore’s radio show on Fairchild Radio 1470 at 10:30am sharp!

If you have any feedback or recommendations, I would love to hear from you! Drop me a line anytime at goldenapron@gmail.com

“Ai and Om Knives” in Vancouver Chinatown

Having the right and suitable kitchen wares certainly makes doing the job better; and a good knife takes you a long way…

I really don’t know much about knives, my limited knowledge came from tips I’ve picked up at cooking classes, or friends’ recommendations and through reading I don’t really like to get too technical with almost everything, I just know what “feels” right and what works for me personally. The last purchase for the “Santoku” was more than 10 years ago (I’m still loving my Wusthof Santoku. Since April I have been on the search for the “right” nakiri ((菜切り包丁) a great vegetable knife). There were a couple of choices but somehow it didn’t feel quite right; I kept thinking I might as well wait and pick up one when I travel to Japan….Until last Saturday…

My hubby always say I like to “tuck” information away and somehow I can miraculously pull it out when timing is right. I came across the posting about ‘Ai and Om”‘s opening on Instagram (through another instagrammer MaknMing) around three months ago; and finally it opened on August 21st.

Last weekend I decided to check things out; I was standing outside their door; just one glance at the display window and there it was….I summoned the courage and went in…

The picture below says it all….and I was happily chopping and dicing away on Sunday..

FullSizeRender

Thank you for your help, Yvonne and Douglas (and thanks for answering my message!), I will introduce myself properly next time and will be in touch soon!

Check out their store and ask for recommendations: 129 East Pender Street, Vancouver Chinatown.

I found this article afterwards:

http://scoutmagazine.ca/2016/05/11/diner-chef-douglas-chang-to-open-ai-om-knife-store-on-e-pender-street-in-chinatown/

FoodVideo: Chinese cooking channel on YouTube, WeChat and Weibo:

This channel is so much fun to watch: the videos are short and stylish; cooking demonstrations and instructions are simple to understand; there was this particular video which showcases two simple family style dishes from Yunnan cuisine (something I am not familiar with also); it looked so delicious and simple to make, the names are interesting also, roughly translated to “Red Three Chop” and “Black Three Chop” .

I certainly put “Nakiri” into good use over the weekend. As I am unable to find some of the ingredients (the “black coloured” pickled Brassica juncea – mustard green), I sourced out local ingredients and came up with my versions; I wanted to find out what is the English name of the pickled vegetable used and I contacted the home cook on weibo; I was thrilled to hear from her!

“Triple Red Dice” and “Triple Green Dice” : Great with rice or noodle, suitable for entire family and it’s easy to make. Initially I “googled” the Chinese ingredient and the translation I got was ‘Kohlrabi”, big head vegetable (haha). Have you ever tried cooking with kohlrabi? The first time I had it was at Pidgin Restaurant (more than 4 years ago I still remember the Dan Dan Kohlrabi), and more recently I’ve used the raw kohlrabi for the Dan Dan Noodles (Thanks Nourish Vancouver); it’s the first time I try kohlrabi in its cooked form and it has a very nice sweet flavour.

Triple Green Dice: minced garlic and ginger, minced pork, kohlrabi, green pepper, Serrano chili pepper, shiitake mushroom, green onion, Tamari soy used as seasoning, and finish with Vancouver Island Fleur del Sel. (triple green: green pepper, kohlrabi, Serrano chili pepper)

Triple Red Dice: minced garlic and ginger, minced turkey (non-medicated and free range), heirloom tomatoes (they are in season!), red pepper, Thai chilli pepper, green pepper, Tamari soy used as seasoning, a drizzle of maple syrup and finished with Vancouver Island and Co. Fleur del Sel. (triple red: tomatoes, red pepper and Thai chili pepper).

This is what I truly believe in: Cook with love, always think of who you are cooking for, remember to season and adjust to personal tastes and dietary concerns!

Vancouver Island Salt Co : I met them at the Dinner Party YVR Event and I’ve been using their product ever since..(my personal favourite: smoked sea salt).

http://www.visaltco.com

My take on Yunnan Chinese food using local ingredients: my friends call it Deb’s brand of fusion (I dislike this word but what can I call them?) – Triple Red Dice and Triple Green Dice

Fun on Fraser Take Two: Change is Constant

As our beloved city of Vancouver kept growing, the little hubs in our neighbourhood kept changing; old favourites might be gone, perhaps finding new love…

Opa! Nammos on Fraser:

I must confess I am not the biggest fan of Greek food but somehow having dined at Nammos twice (Brunch and dinner), I love their fresh and no fuss approach: Family style share plates with great vegetarian options, fresh and light tasting (try their crispy calamari with the beet dip), good size portion and reasonable pricing; the restaurant is spacious and airy, patio seating available…and it’s right next to Earnest Ice cream (OO).

IMG_2552 (4) — Share plate at brunch: Calamari with beet dip; Nammos Salata: spinach, arugula and manouri with honey vinaigrette, a side order of swiss chard, grilled vegetarian sandwich

Tender grilled octopus: one of the shared plates we had for dinner

Penang Bistro on Fraser (Used to be Bodhi Choi Heung)

Celebrated a friend’s dinner last week at Penang Bistro (Back to Fraser Hood!); Three things which stand out: the fluffy roti and the pork chop (sweet and sour) with fried kabocha squash; and lastly I must commend our server for his food knowledge and superb service, he understands the menu and the components for each dish very well.

Sweet and Sour Fried Pork Chop with Fried Kabocha

IMG_6680 (1) — Fluffy Roti; my friends had the beef and chicken satay skewers

Embrace ….

Eating Together Day (mine was Eating Together Weekend!)

June 02nd Dietitians at Home Book Launch at Chef Tony’s Chinese Restaurant

Open “Sesame” – Elmo Baking Co. (Facebook/Instagram bakery)

Local Veggies at Tama Organic Life:

Familiar Not Forgotten…….Brunching at MaknMing

And Let It Be…

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