Chinese Clay Pot Chicken Stew In Black Bean Sauce - 香蔥豆豉雞煲

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

I love food being cooked and served in a Chinese clay pot.  To me, clay pot cooking just  adds a great flavor to the food. Of course, the sizzling fajita pan and the grill also add very nice flavors to food. When I was visiting Hong Kong, I could spend every night having dinner at clay pot restaurants.  But where I am living now, my choice of clay pot dishes is quite limited.  Whenever I spot it on the menu in a Chinese restaurant, I always order it.  This time I spotted it on a white board ($11.99), written in Chinese.  This dish isn't on the regular bilingual menu.  I guess the owner probably thinks this dish won't appeal to the typical Americans because it's made of boned-in chicken pieces with the skin still on (sort of like how Chicken wings normally are served).  It does take some time to get rid of the bone during eating.  But I'm used to this kind of chicken, so deboning the chicken pieces while eating just comes natural to me.  I however won't recommend this dish to young children.  

Chinese cooking often uses boned-in chicken pieces because the bone and the skin preserve the tenderness, the juice and therefore the flavor of the chicken meat. The downside of this type of cooking is, there can sometimes be tiny crumbs of bones that I have to fish out.  Just like every now and then there are crumbs of crab shells and bones I have to fish out when I crack and eat crabs.  I don't mind putting in such effort because I am always rewarded by the great flavor.

Restaurant: Nice China Cafe
Address: 2543 Pacific Hwy Ste B., Torrance, CA 90505
Tel:(310) 539-0323

McDonald's Take On High End Gourmet

Spicy Korean Ramen With Shrimp Tempura

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

There are so many restaurants near my home that I just haven't had a chance to try them all. This restaurant is one of them. I always drove by the strip mall and was very curious about the sign that says "Rice Heaven" with Korean Characters at the bottom.  I finally paid my first visit today.  The place looks like the typical little Korean casual diner that I saw in Korean dramas.  I was going to have the Korean BBQ ribs but I just couldn't resist my craving for my beloved comfort food, "Ramen". Many Korean restaurants serve BBQ ribs but not too many serve Korean Ramen.  So I ordered the Spicy Korean Ramen instead ($5.99) and added an order of Shrimp Tempera (5 pcs for $5.99) for the protein.  The food tasted comparable to the other Korean restaurants I often patron. But to me, this place has the best tasting Kimchi.  I love the Kimchi here the most.

For those of you who aren't lucky enough to have a Korean restaurant in your town, you can easily make the Ramen at home, just click here for the recipe.

Restaurant: Rice Heaven
Address: 2937 Rolling Hills Rd, Torrance, CA90505
Phone:(310) 257-0134

Review On Annie's Homegrown Organic Bunny Classic Crackers Buttery Rich

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

I love Ritz crackers but unfortunately partially-hydrogenated oil is on the ingredient list.   I bought Annie's organic buttery crackers thinking it was a great alternative to the Ritz's crackers.  But I was disappointed.  These organic crackers just don't taste nearly as good as Ritz. May be it's just impossible to make organic crackers that have both a long shelf life and good taste?  These organic crackers have a "Best By Date" in late February 2016, about 8 months from now.  I'm curious about how they can make organic crackers last so long without going stale.  But then these organic crackers taste a little stale to me at the first bite.  Maybe the less processed wheat flour just tastes this way?  I disliked the crackers initially due the hint of taste that resembles days-old bread.  But after continuously eating them , I just got used to them and they began to taste okay to me.  In terms of texture, these organic crackers seem to be a lot dryer and heavier than Ritz's crackers. 

After getting used to the taste and texture, I don't mind having them around the house for those sudden hunger strikes and for those times when I have to take my medicine.  Ritz tastes light, flaky and deliciously buttery but can't they make great tasting crackers without the partially-hydrogenated oil?  Or is it possible to make organic crackers that don't taste bland and boring? May be I should make my own organic crackers that will only stay fresh for a few days? 

Instant Chicken Lo Mien (Tossed Noodle)

Content contributed by: Jane Ong

What's the difference between Lo Mien and Chow Mien?  Chow Mien is when noodles are stir-fried with high heat with a lot of commotion, versus, Lo Mien is more laid back. Lo Mien's just  about gently tossing the boiled noodles with sauce without all that big fire bursting from the hot wok as seen in the kitchens of Chinese restaurants...

I love both but I usually order Chow Mien at restaurants because Chow Mien requires a big fire to really taste like Chow Mien to me. It just always tastes better at restaurants.  But I can absolutely make Lo Mien at home.  This one is very easy and delicious. All I need is one package of the following Yakisoba, a bunch of chopped green onions and some shredded cooked chicken, that was left over from the whole fried chicken that I had from the Chinese restaurant.  Any leftover steamed chicken or roast chicken, or the store bought rotisserie chicken will do.  This recipe requires no straight measurement of ingredients and I can toss in as much or as little chicken or green onions as I want.  I always like to have a plate of Chinese Broccoli on the side when I eat this. I just like to always have some veggies to alternatively munch on while having my instant noodles.

Cooking Direction:

Cook the noodle according to the package instruction (which is really about boiling the noodle with water), toss in the green onions when it comes the time to add the seasoning from the package (as per package instruction). Then toss in the shredded chicken after the sauce dries up and the noodles look like the Lo Mien or Chow Mien you see in Chinese restaurants.  After everything is well tossed and mixed together in the pan, scoop everything up and serve.  The entire cooking  time is less than 5 minutes. It's fast, it's easy and it's delicious.  This brand of  Yakisoba is very very good!!!  It's our favorite brand as of now...

This is cheap and delicious. This makes the best home-made Lo Mien / Chow Mien that rivals the ones at restaurants, but for much cheaper.  This is available at Amazon for less than $1.00 a package.