Fishball Noodles: goodness, gracious, great balls of … fish!

When we arrived in to Singapore, even though it was nearly 1am in the morning, the food court across the street from our hostel was open and bustling with people getting in their late night makan-ing. (Of course the first thing we did in Singapore was eat! )

Though the pad thai stall seemed tempting, this “dry” fishball noodle dish (mee pok) is a dish that I can’t help but associate with my childhood. In the summer, when the thought of eating a steaming bowl of noodle soup sounds daunting, my mother would make this dish instead.

You can choose from a variety of noodles, from rice noodles to egg noodles, as well as a few different types of fishballs. The flat egg noodles (mee pok) are served tossed in a scallion oil, chili paste and soy based sauce rather than in a broth, though it does come accompanied by a small bowl of soup. The noodles are salty and spicy, cooked until just tender they still retain a little bit of chew. While it may seem like there is an inordinate amount of oil in this, the scallion oil is fragrant and gives the noodles a silky texture that wouldn’t be the same without the oil. (So while your heart may shake a bit, your taste buds will thank you ;D)

 The Fuzhou style fishballs I opted for are slightly dense and mildly fish flavored as you bite into them, and the minced pork filling is a happy savory surprise that make the fishballs match well with the noodles. I love Fuzhou style fishballs 福州鱼丸,  but even in Singapore, they are harder and harder to find. (In Japan, they are nonexistent -_-)

Food Court@ Clarke Quay, Singapore

Read Full Post »

Peach Parfait: going to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches…

Typhoon number 12 is currently trying to decide where or not it wants to plow through the kingdom of peaches and grapes, so while the weather is windy and rainy outside, I am inside thinking of desserts. 🙂

So before coming to Japan, I actually had never eaten a parfait before. I guess they just aren’t a popular dessert where I grew up. Count me among the happily converted though! In Japan, the parfait usually refers to layers of soft serve or scooped ice cream (sometimes both), whipped cream and toppings which range from cornflakes (surprisingly delicious) to custard, coffee jelly, jam or preserves, and fresh fruit piled high in a tall glass.

Recently, the one fancy fancy hotel in my city made the news with their seasonal fruit parfait, so of course we drove up the mountain to try it out. The type of parfait changes every couple months, and we were lucky to be there at the tail end of the the peach season.

I love peaches and there was very nearly a whole peach perced precariously on top of a scoop vanilla bean ice cream. The fresh peach was sweet with just a slight tang, pairing well with the mellow ice cream and the layers of thick custard and whipped cream underneath. About half way through the glass, I was surprised to find a couple layers of tangy peach preserves. I like to think of parfaits as the dessert that becomes more complex as you eat your way down to the bottom of each glass. I will admit, I was wishing for some crunchy cornflakes, but the extra spoonful of preserves at the very bottom was a nice surprise.

Fujiya Fruits Park Hotel@ Yamanashi City, Japan

Read Full Post »