Recently in Looks Good, Tastes Good Category

every summer, my family gathers in Nantucket and eats a ridiculous amount of seafood. this side of the family is Chinese, so eating in general is pretty much the activity of choice, and when it comes to seafood, they can hoover up enormous quantities. with the exception of the traditional Lobster Of Enormousness, we catch all our own. now, i had no idea that Nantucket was somewhat of a high-flutin' sort of vacation spot until i was in college, because it was simply the name of the place that my uncle & aunt had since before i was born. we're not typical Nantucket vacationers anyway; we don't come from old money East and we're not exactly white people. besides, i'm told that only "locals" go through the trouble of obtaining licenses to catch their own food out there.
the adults have passed on to the kids the skills: how to catch blue crabs, how to pry open the hundred clams you just harvested for Clams Casino, how to make a floaty crustacean/bivalve basket out of an innertube you found in the trash and some plastic twine (thanks, Aunt Dorene). i'm thankful that i am part of a family that doesn't separate food and love and shared time into separate categories; all three are interconnected, and you can't have one without the others. that's what having happy tastebuds are all about.

Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

Sat 11.07.09 - Hadashi and I met up at her and the Husbanator's house this evening and we made a delightfully large pot of Pea-a-Palooza Risotto. When she said she had peas - then a bag of Trader Joe's bag of frozen peas got opened and the whole of the bag poured into the pot at the end of the cooking, I was very surprised, as I would have used about 1/3rd of the bag, but Hadashi was in the right, a whole bag of peas was *Amazing* in the risotto.

Moral of the Story: Don't be afraid to be free with your peas.

Photos by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N86.

Sun 10.04.09 - Today Jeremy and Jessica took me to brunch at i gigi's cafe on Western Rd on Hove, Josh Russell and Nik F met us there for a truly delightful brunch.

The food was a fresh riff off the usual breakfast and brunch foods. Each dish was well considered and beautiful as well as tasty. The best part is that each of the servers prepared the dishes on the sideboard right next to us. Fresh. Tasty. Moderately DIY.

Now when is i gigi going to open a Long Beach, Calif. cafe? ;o)

[posted with permission from Black Phoebe :: Ms. Jen, by me (Jenifer Hanen).]

Photos taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.

Mon 05.18.09 - Yesterday morning, I conducted the great Mango Off to determine which was better the standard Mexican mango purchased at any SoCal grocery store or the fabled Alphonse Indian mangos that get shipped to LAX just after being picked and then distributed to Indian grocery stores that then sell out very quickly even though their prices are relatively high. A few days ago, I blogged "Travelling Mangoes: One from India, Two From Mexico" about purchasing two Mexican mangoes and one Indian mango at India Sweets and Spices in Tustin for the purpose of conducting a taste test.

As you can see from the photos above, I sliced the mangoes up, then put them in separate dishes and had my father come in without telling him which they were and do a taste test. After we both had thoroughly tasted the different mangoes, my dad said the following, "I am definitely a Mexican man, in more ways then one." He preferred the sweetness, even though the Mexican mango was fiber-full.

I am on the fence, as the two mangoes were quite different in terms of taste, levels of sweetness, and texture. The Mexican mango is a big sweet bomb, with a good mango flavor but little to no tangy taste, the downside was the fibers that get stuck in between one's teeth. The Indian mango was smaller, no fibers, the flesh was creamier, but it is in taste that the Indian mango distinguishes itself. To me the taste started as slightly soapy, then it was mildly sweet, and then a good tangy finish. The Indian mango tasted very much like the mangoes I had when I visited India.

Given that I was on my way to the airport and it was still quite early in the morning, I knocked on my neighbor's door and handed them the other halves of the mangoes and said I would get back to them later on their reviews. Off I went to the airport.

I called Earl, my neighbor, this morning to get his opinion on the mangoes, and he said,"I prefer the Indian mango, it had better texture, no fibers, more distinctly mango flavor. The one downside the Indian mango is its size, as it was small. Mexican was sweet, which it may have been better if fresher. But neither compare to the mangoes I have had in Hawaii or the Philippines, as they are quite large and flavor wise better."

So, of three Californians who have each done quite a bit of traveling and eating, the rating is:
1 person preferred the Mexican mango
1 person thought both were quite different and would buy either again
1 person preferred the Indian mango

Thus, ends the Happy Tastebud May 2009 Great Mango-Off.

Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N95.

Thurs. 05.14.09 - File under: The Opposite of Local-vore but Darned Tasty Anyways.

Today I was at India Sweet and Spices after dropping Scruffy off at the dog groomers and I spied a pile of big, plump, yellow and red mangoes from Mexico. As I brought the two chosen mangoes up to the counter, the owner of the shop asked me, "Would you like one of the Indian mangoes that have just arrived?"

Behind him was three cardboard cartons with specially packed Indian mangoes, I said, "Yes, I will take one."

"Have you tried an Indian mango before?"

"Yes, last year when I was in India."

Frankly, I don't remember them as being much different than Mexican mangoes, other than a bit smaller and thinner, but two summers ago, the LA Times Food Section reported on the specialness of the Indian mango arrivals to LA. How much is it homeland nostalgia and how much there is really a difference in taste, I will report back to you tomorrow or the next day when the Indian mango is ready to eat.

div class="note"(please click on photos to enlarge)

i was recently in England working on a TV show about real estate, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality ethnic food choices available in almost any neighbourhood in London. while the "best" ethnic eateries are still to be found on the East End (according to several locals), it's not as hard as it was even just 5 years ago to find something other than fish 'n chips or roast beef with Yorkshire pudding (although those dishes are still, and will always be ubiquitous). while in London, i enjoyed Japanese noodles, a Turkish lamb kofte, and an amazing pear-and-chevre fusion salad concoction.
however, the hands-down best meal i had was a home-cooked Thai feast ambitiously prepared by a couple in Manchester, England. my small crew of three had just met them that morning when we showed up at their house for our shoot, and part of the plan was to show them cooking in their kitchen. they mentioned casually they would make enough to feed us if we wanted to stay. now, we thought this meant they were going to just have a big pot of Tom Kah Kai soup, but we were mistaken. that was just the first course.
next was a mixed greens prawn (shrimp) salad with lemongrass and coriander. the shrimp were sauteed in garlic, black pepper, and a touch of soysauce. after that was a vodka lime risotto. then stirfried greenbeans, baby bokchoy, and spinach. and finally, a pesto stuffed green curry chicken with a mango reduction sauce. it was absolutely incredible -- the flavours were fresh and bold, and the combinations were exciting. Mark had just started taking "Thai Cookery Class" seriously and it was obvious how passionate he was about making it his own. he gladly put up with my photo-taking and grilling him about the dishes. i think he was happy someone cared enough to ask! his wife, Julie, pulled out a lovely Sicilian Pinot Grigio and then a really fascinating Chilean Chardonnay/Viognier/Riesling blend. both were great accompaniments to the meal.
Mark made the interesting observation that both Mexican and Thai "cookery" heavily feature cilantro (also called coriander), lime, chile, and rice in many dishes, but the results are hugely different. it was fun to think of how true that is -- and how lucky we are to live in a time where we can sample both at will!

thank you, Mark & Julie, for opening up your home to strangers and feeding us like royalty!

Fri 04.03.09 - Today whilst at lunch at Udupi Palace in Artesia, I heard someone at the table next to me order a spring dosa, so when the waiter came to take my order, I asked for a spring uttapam. While a spring uttapam was not listed on the menu, tomatoes, red onions chopped fine, peas, and green hot peppers all in cased in the the rice-lentil uttapam batter and cooked until crispy... it was delicious.

Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N79.