Date Cinnamon Bagels

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I was not a fan of bagels until I went to New York. Daniel and I went to America in May last year for two weeks to have our second honey moon and catch up with one of my besties who moved to NY a couple of years ago. I wasn’t that impressed for the first few days maybe because I didn’t find it that exotic. I am from Seoul originally, a big capital city in South Korea. So going to a big busy city like NY does not really attract me, but Europe does. I made a daily schedule where to visit and where to eat, etc. One of the things to try on my list was NY bagels at different places e.g. Ess-a bagels, Murray bagels, H&H Midtown bagels. We walked so much to try to find those bagel places that everyone said nice on the internet. It was okay. Well that didn’t live up to my expectations though and geez rude staff really put me off. Then we were on the way to World’s Trade Centre memorial. We got off the train and started walking just out of the subway station. It started pouring out of blue. We had to get in somewhere to avoid rain, which was “Zucker’s bagels and smoked fish”. Thanks to the rain! I had the best bagel in town, which was a pumpernickel bagel with walnut& cinnamon cream cheese. Fluffy and chewy dark pumpernickel.. generous thick layer of cream cheese inside.. coffee was nice, too. Such a good find 🙂 We were going to go back there though didn’t get a chance. I’ve never been able to find a nice bagel like Zucker’s ever since then. Oh well I will just have to make myself there again to NY.

Daniel and I went to this cafe called “Antz in ya pants” near our place on the weekend. We go there almost every weekend to have coffee. Daniel orders their bagels now and then. It looks dense, dry, boring, a paper thin layer of cream cheese…what can I say? So I decided to make some for him this morning and it turned out to be amazing. The cream can be made with cream charger aka nang or nangs shop. I will have to try GF version next time so I can have some too. I’m going to serve this with whipped cream cheese with maple syrup and cinnamon powder. Sounds delicious!

BagelsIngredients

For the starter
100g flour
a teaspoon of dried yeast
a cup of warm water

Dough
200g flour + extra for kneading
a teaspoon of dried yeast
a teaspoon of brown sugar
a pinch of salt
2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
5 chopped dates
1 teaspoon of coconut oil
water

Mix the starter ingredients in a bowl and leave it covered for an hour. Then you will see all bubbles on the surface – yeast is doing their job! Add the dough ingredients into the starter and mix all together. Knead the dough until smooth. Cover up and allow the dough to double in size in a warm place (on the kitchen bench for me) for a couple of hours. Then punch the dough down gently and divide the dough into three pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and then a circle (the bagel shape). Place the bagels on a baking paper, cover up and let it rise again in a warm place. When it’s ready to be baked, put the bagels for a minute each side in a large pan of boiling water with a teaspoon of salt and brown sugar. Pat-dry and place the bagels in a baking pan and bake in the preheated oven (200) for 20-30minutes until they are golden brown.
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The Wang’s Treasure House

Chinese Dinner

Daniel and I got invited to the CNY celebration dinner last weekend. We’ve been to their restaurant for CNY for a couple of times now. Thanks to William and Kim, we were so spoilt having a Yusheng and lobster noodles and watching a lion dance. Yusheng is a raw fish salad consisted of raw salmon and mixed vegetables and a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor. I love the freshness of salmon sashimi, crisp vegetables and grated ginger. Downside of the dish is that it gets so messy around the plate while you are mixing up the salad. It literally goes everywhere. For the lobster noodles, Daniel got his hands dirty and peeled off the shell for me. There is something about this kind of act that I find sexy in men. Not opening the car door or pulling your chair out at the restaurant, but peeling off shell-fish or setting up barbeques or cutting up a steak for women. You know we don’t want our hands dirty when we are all nicely dressed up. Is it just me? :p

With regards to lobster, the best ones I’ve ever had are the humongous steamed lobster at Chelsea market in NY (one jumbo size can easily feed 3-4 people) and the lobster sashimi in Korea. I went to this lobster specialised restaurant with mum near her apartment. Their lunch course consists of a small bowl of lobster-rice porridge for start, lobster sashimi, grilled lobster in two flavours (sweet chilli, butter and cheese), clear lobster soup to finish. What I like about that restaurant is that you can taste different types of dishes with one lobster, they respect the ingredient and don’t waste a thing. They also gave us a complimentary drink when we sat at the table just because two women were on a lunch date. I must go back there with mum and take some photos next time. So good!

After three hours of eating and chatting, they even gave us a take-away sweets to take home. So nice of them. If you would like to try, book a table since it is a very busy restaurant near Morley Galleria shopping centre. They are open for lunch and dinner except Tuesdays.

The Wang’s Treasure House
4 Wellington Road, Morley
08 9275 4020

Doenjang Braised Vegetables with Wild Rice

Miso RiceJust in case you don’t know “Doenjang“, it is a traditional Korean fermented soybean paste. It is rich in flavonoids and beneficial vitamins, minerals and phytoestrogens which has anti-cancer properties. Because Korean traditional dishes mainly consist of rice and vegetables, Doenjang made of soybeans provides lysine, an essential amino acids, and healthy fatty acids that rice lacks.

So what is the difference between Doenjang and Miso? Doenjang has lower sodium content and chunkier texture. Great for making a soup with a strong unique flavour. I always use Korean brand Doenjang to add into my cooking – marinating meat, making a soup, braising vegetables, making a salad dressing, etc. So if you haven’t tried this before, go down to the Asian grocery shop (preferably Korean grocery) and get one. It will last you a good few months in the fridge. A teaspoon or two will add a beautiful flavour in your food and so good for you!

Making a nourishing vegetarian bowl is a great way of cleaning up the fridge and making a healthy lunch at the same time. I take out a crisper drawer and inspect all the vegetables. I then chop all the left-over vegetables and cook them andante with a teaspoon of Doenjang paste and half cup of water in a deep skillet. Serve with a cup of rice for lunch. I also made little tofu balls today. I blended pat-dried a half block of tofu, a half cup of cooked black beans, grated beetroot, salt and pepper in a food processor. Shape the dough into little balls. You can have them as a snack or with lunch – great protein! If you decide to stock up on Doenjang, consider storing it not only in your fridge but also in a walk in cold room installation, ensuring its lasting freshness for months to come.

I do not like wasting food, so I go through this process once a week (mostly Monday). Organise your fridge and know what is where so that you don’t throw away any rotten fruits or vegetables which can contaminate other foods in the fridge.
– Keep fruits and vegetables separate
– Keep the vegetables in a perforated plastic bag in the drawer (make little holes in the bag with a knife)
– Keep the vegetables unwashed in a drawer. Wash them only just before cooking
– Mushrooms should be kept in a paper bag
– Potatoes and onions in a cool dry place, but keep them away from each other
– To store herbs, snip off the end, keep upright in a thin glass of water and cover with a plastic bag
– Have a meal plan for a week and buy what you really need!

Hope it helps x