Publicly Acclaimed Spanish Cuisine in a Private Space

 The idea of private kitchens in HK is not new, yet every time I visit one, there is a different spin. This time I was invited to join my friend Cynthia's dinner party at Comilonas where I was presented with a traditional spread of Spanish, Catalonian tapas in a secluded apartment converted into a private kitchen. The dining room that fits 20 patrons comfortably with a couch to fall into if one has had too much to drink. 
                Where there is good food, there must be good wine, their BYOB policy is 50$/btl corkage and we definitely took advantage of the experience of having a special Spanish Wine carafe for our wine. Carrie, the chef of the night even gave us a self demonstration of how it is done right!
              The kitchen is deemed worthy to produce a feast for more than 20, so after taking a small peek, I was ready to be fed by its all women staff. Carrie gave a small introduction of herself claiming her boyfriend is Spanish and together they brought back the traditional Catalan cooking back to Hong Kong soil after cooking with traditional chefs and his mother in Spain.  
          A romanesco dip served with breadsticks and carrot was the start to the meal. Simple, appetizing and clean, was my first thought and I was right, so after having a few bites, I was wondering what the next course was going to be. 
        The next spread was a Sobrasada and cheese with quail egg toast. I ate it all in a matter of seconds, well, I was hungry and the wine I was drinking was asking me for more food. It was a decent toast with a decent snap, crackle, pop. I love quail eggs, and they love me, but I was still looking for a little more spice and maybe some garnish greens to heighten this bite. 
         By the next course, a protein of some sort was a must, garlic shrimp came to the table in its traditional dish. I've made this dish many times at the comfort of my own home. I guess you can't really go wrong with a garlicky piece of shrimp with some herbs, in any season, with any meal and at any location. 
      I was actually looking forward to the croquettes with a mixture of pork and ham. I could probably eat these all day long if they were available and didn't have any adverse health effects, but they do, so I managed to detain my appetite after 2 servings of these dangerous balls that were crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. 
            On the other hand, the piquillo peppers stuffed with cheese were entirely the opposite to the croquettes, they were soft with a little chewiness from the cheese. The peppers were cooked till tender and sweet as if this dish was a palate cleanser for the next ones to come. I enjoyed how this dish matched the colours of the festive season. I'm not going to lie, "Jingle Bells" did play in my head when I saw the presentation of the peppers. 
            Iberico pork cheek stew followed and I wish I had more bread. I actually thought this dish reminded me of a beef stew, with all the same ingredients except for the juicy pork. It would go perfectly with some Spanish short-grain rice. 
             A salad of mixed greens, avocados and oranges was served after the pork which was refreshing and colourful.
            The savoury finale with the squid ink paella was presented next to a garlic aioli. The ink was apparently squeezed out from fresh squid and the broth to make the rice was made from shrimp. Paella is probably one of my favourite dishes of all time, but you cannot always get ones made from fresh squid ink. 
          The aioli was a must for this paella and yet another tradition to be experienced except after finishing the rice, I really hoped to be swept off my feet to the beaches of Barcelona. I guess I'd have to wait for another time of my life. I am glad that I do live in a place where I can be in reach of authentic foods from around to world. 

        An almond mouse completed this meal, not quite with a bang, I wish it was fluffier in texture but the flavours were all there. I am once again thankful to have shared a nice meal with good company and good wine. Now it's time to go in search for more delicacies to take my taste-buds to another grub-fulled journey. 

The Gluten-Free Fad Has Landed On The Pearl!

            Bread, pasta, and beer are now enemies to those following a gluten-free lifestyle. Since medical advancement in the past decade have allowed many previously unknown diseases like Celiac Sprue or celiac disease to come into the spotlight, we are now able to explain some of the abdominal discomfort and malabsorption cases that follow when one consumes gluten. 
           Gluten-free foods become a multi-million dollar business. Celebrities are seen on gluten-free diets and have since influenced many who are not even intolerant or tested to have a sensitivity to gluten to adopt a gluten-free lifestyle. Non-medically supported health claims even say that the gluten-free diet will relieve you from many illnesses from headaches to gout. I say, there is no other profession out there in this world that has more "quack", as one of my graduate school professor use to say, than being a dietitian dealing with nutritional issues. Some people don't even know what gluten really is before making a change in their diet. 

What is gluten in the first place? 

precisionnutrition.com

       Well, a good start to answering that question is knowing that it is a protein found in all forms of wheat (bulgur, durum, semolina, spelt, farro and more) including its relatives rye and barley that gives the elasticity to breads and pasta. Gluten comprises of 2 different smaller proteins, glutenin and gliadin and is formed when water is added to flour and kneaded either by hand or machine. The more you knead the dough, the tougher the gluten strands become and the more elasticity the bread has. 

What is Celiac Disease?

             The small intestine is lined with millions of finger-like projections called villi, which is responsible for absorbing nutrients from the food we eat. When a person with an auto-immune illness called Celiac Disease, the gluten they consume damages the villi and causes inflammation, therefore, upsetting the abdomen and causes malabsorption. Please ask your doctor for a diagnostic blood test to determine whether or not you may have Celiac Disease. Symptoms include an upset digestive system including diarrhea and weight loss, anemia, headaches and acid reflux/heartburn according to the Mayo Clinic.  

What is Gluten Sensitivity?
           Firstly, the amount of breads, pasta and whole grains we have been consuming in the western world in the last 5 decades have increased so much that people have started to develop sensitivity to gluten. This increased consumption causes low levels of inflammation in the small intestine, similar to those who have Celiac Disease. 

gf-cert.org

Secondly, compared to those with Celiac Disease, having gluten sensitvity does not increase intestinal permeability and will not allow more toxins, bacteria and undigested material to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Gluten Sensitivity cannot be detected by performing the celiac disease blood test. Although, symptoms do include headache, “foggy mind,” joint pain, and numbness in the legs, arms or fingers, they typically appear hours or days after gluten has been ingested. These symptoms will eventually disappear when one removes gluten from their diet then reintroducing it gradually to access your own body's response to the gluten threshold.



            In Hong Kong, the awareness in the food and beverage world only began recently within the last 5-8 years. Some restaurants in the HK side have adopted gluten-free options for their patrons. Also health food stores have been carrying flour, granola bars, cereal that are gluten free. 
I've listed a few below: 

Restaurants: 
Life Café: With 3 locations now - 10 Shelley Street, Soho, Central
                                                        50 C Johnston Road Wanchai
                                                        Discovery Bay
Grassroots Pantry: 12 Fuk Sau Lane, Sai Ying Pun
Mana! Fast Slow Food: 92 Wellington Street, Central
Noodlemi: 2 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan
O Green Café: 27 Hillier Street, Sheung Wan
Dandy's Organic Café: 108 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan

Shopping: 
Just Green Organic Convenience Store: 4 locations
                                52 Graham Street, Soho, Central
                                7 St. Francis Street, Wanchai
                                75 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, Lamma Island
                                Shop G33C Block C, Discovery Bay

Little Giant: 15/F 447-449 Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay
Nature's Village: 4 locations
                        36 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central
                        Shop 54 Elizabeth House, Causeway Bay
                        Shop 106 1/F Johnston Road, Wanchai
                        Shop122 1/F 20 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Some gluten-free alternatives are listed below:  

earthsavecanada.wildapricot.org

Feeding HK This Sunday @ Island East Farmer's Market: 這個星期日在港島東農墟

I will be doing a cooking demonstration this coming Sunday Dec 15th!!!!!

I cannot wait to collaborate with Feeding Hong Kong (樂餉社), at the Island East Farmer's Market (港島東農墟).

Recipe: Gluten-Free Buckwheat Crepes with Cranberry Orange-Spiced filling and A Dark Chocolate Sauce

click here for MAP

Address: Tong Chong Street, TaiKoo Place, Quarry Bay. 


Come out, support Feeding HK and Brown Rice Meets the Pearl, and HAVE FUN!!! 

A Boozy Sunday Brunch Cooking Class

         The last Sunday of October was another sold out event by Brown Rice Meets the Pearl. 22 lucky participants were so keen to learn the art of making gravlax, a perfect poached egg and pumpkin macarons with me. With the help of HK liquor Store, 3 different tailor made beverage pairings were carefully selected for my dishes. I am so grateful for that! Again, I had the privilege to use Rachel's Kitchen as a venue where there is a workshop full of gadgets, from bread proofers and sous vide machines to smoke guns, so I tried to utilize what was available to my advantage. 
        The first thing that I had my guests work on was the shaping of the multigrain bread rolls for the bottom of our eggs florentine for later. I already mixed the dough in advance and gave it a first rise. Each person had 2 rolls, one to take home and one for here. Adding multigrain flour to regular bread flour adds fiber, color and flavour to the bread and provides an added level of complexity. You can also try to substitute 1/3 of you regular white bread recipe with any multigrain flour to give it an extra boost the next time you make bread, but keep it mind that it may require a little more water and extra rising time. The key is to be patient. after a second rise, our bread was baked and ready to be served. 

    Next on the menu was a self-cured gravlax salmon with herbs. I made one before the guests arrive, which usually takes about 1-2 hours to finish curing and one with my guests to let them know how it's done. I then gave the fish a generous rubbing of fine herbs and added some smoke by utilizing a sexy smoke gun I had on hand. 
    This first round of smoked gravlax salmon was served along side a mixed green salad with a vinaigrette that I created with apples as a sweetener instead of added sugar, which also added body to this dressing. There is no better way to add whole fruits to your diet than adding it to sauces and dressings. 

        After everyone had their share of appetizers and sparkling wine, I continued on with the main course, which was our Eggs Benedict Florentine. The most important factor to this dish is of course the poached egg. We made 2 different style of eggs, one with the traditional method and the other with a sous vide slow cooker that held the whole eggs at a constant temperature for about an hour. 

             Then onto the Hollandaise sauce, which I made with 1/2 the butter that the original recipe calls for with added olive oil to decrease the cholesterol content. To add more excitement to the dish, I bought sweet potato greens instead of spinach for the Benedict and it paired really well with everything. 
          Everyone had a chance to make their own poached egg as well as cracking another slow cooked one for their own dish. They all seemed to have fun creating their own plate starting with toasting the bread, picking up sautéed sweet potatoes greens, layering on the gravlax salmon, then poaching their own eggs and ladling on the Hollandaise sauce on top. They each enjoyed their own creation with a glass of refreshing Rosé at the table. 
              Once we had a little break, we gathered once again to create the much anticipated pumpkin macarons. I really wanted the Halloween theme to kick in as there was only a few days to go until the real celebration. Macarons are so popular now around the world, but little did some people know, it was also an easy and fun process to make. 
         Everyone had a chance to pipe their own macarons and once these babies were in the oven, I carried on with the toasted pumpkin cream cheese filling. 
         When the pumpkin cream cheese filling and almond cookies came together, a beautiful macaron was created. To add even more Halloween spirit, I provided melted chocolate for participants to decorate their creations with scary faces. The final beverage pairing was a cocktail made from cranberry juice and creamy vanilla vodka. It was quite the star of the day! 

          At the end of the day, everyone had a happy face to bring home and we all had loads of fun cooking, eating and drinking together. It was another successful cooking class with Brown a Rice Meets The Pearl and I hope to see everyone again sooner rather than later! 

                Thank you  Zach, Wai and Rick from HK Liquorstore and Cecilia for being such a great helper. Last but not least, thanks for those participants who came out to Rachel's kitchen on a fine Sunday afternoon! 

Affordable Italian Sandwiches for the High-End Shopper

     A grand opening this week for the Italian sandwich shop, Panino Giusto, on the 3rd floor of the IFC Mall in Central, HK. I was lucky enough to be one of the first to sample some of the small plates and panini that they offered at their accommodating "sidewalk" seating area overlooking the grandiose Kowloon skyline.
        The proscuitto replaced designer dresses hanging off racks from the clothing store, which used to occupy this space. Instead of lavish pieces of couture, the expected norm at IFC, there's an edible display of custom cured pork thighs fresh from Italy, which will not cost you an arm and a leg.  

        There are no doubts that this Italian Panino joint would captivate such a following on its opening week in a place like Hong Kong, where jaded locals have no problem seeking the best new grub for their eager taste buds. Panino Giusto intelligently chose the "Golden Week" to premier its menu here, they will undoubtedly attract many visitors spending their holiday, ready to sample quality food. 
      Customers are to order their meal at the counter and find a place to sit waiting for their food to be served. This is an efficient system proven to work well in a busy city like ours. 
      Among the plates I've tried at Panino Giusto, the most aesthetically pleasing ones had to be these beautiful mozzarella knots served with tomatoes in olive oil and the beef carpaccio dish.
          The sheen of the mozzarella made my mouth water as I cut into it with my knife. The tomatoes provided a balance of acidity to match the cheese, though more salt on the cheese would have lifted this dish a little higher. The flavours of the beef carpaccio worked really well with the lemon dressing of the artichoke salad it came with and the shavings of Parmiggiano Reggiano provided a savouring complexity to this dish. I really enjoyed how thinly sliced the cured beef was.  
       For under 100 HKD, you can sample all their prime cold cuts,  a mixed plate complete with toasted bread and a spread of Mortadella, Proscuitto di Parma, speck and Proscuitto di Praga. Each different in flavour, texture, and colour. Their careful selection of meats really does shine through with this plate. 
     As for their panini, the Tartufo was my favourite, not only because I'm a big fan of truffles, Brie is also up there on the list as well. Arugula was a good choice of green to give it a splash of peppery freshness. Having been a sandwich shop for over 30 years, I think Panino Giusto has mastered the art of sandwich-craft unlike any other institution complete with an academy to train their staff to the become the best sandwich-teers of their generation. 
       Their Toast Della Casa, a Milanese style tuna melt with Parma Ham reminded me of my years in University getting a tuna melt on the run between classes. That first bite of warm, crunchy toast while the melted fontina cheese and tuna mixed in my mouth brought back good memories of my juvenile years as a student. 
Last, but definitely not least, we were given a slice of tiramisu when we didn't think we could fit more into our stomachs. Who could really say no to a "pick me up" such as this one where the mascarpone was ready to be spooned off the plate into our mouths.   This is when you go, "OK, I'll not eat anymore cheese this month and run to the gym for a quick workout right before I go to work tomorrow." Sharing is caring, my rule is never to eat dessert without someone to share it with you. Thank God, there were 4 people to indulge in this fluffy pillow of caffeinated mascarpone cream cheese and lady fingers. 
          Pseudo Nutrition Analysis: The simplex carbohydrate and saturated fat content of this meal is undoubtedly high from the bread, cheese and cured meats, but as this was an indulgent meal for me, I couldn't emphasis more on portion control and the idea of having friends and family with you to try out new places. That way you will be able to eat less of the calorie dense foods while tasting many options on the menu and finding a more filling, yet lower caloric dense food like mixed greens or vegetables for yourself. Again, having a balanced diet goes hand in hand with having a balanced lifestyle of routine physical activity. With the weather being so beautiful lately, do not hesitate to take your exercise routine outdoors absorbing more vitamin D when the sun is not shining at its brightest. 

Spice Up Your Life!

Spicyvines.com

          Spices are an essential component to my kitchen and I've been in search of spice stores around Hong Kong to help me replenish my drawers when I run out. Not only do spices add colour and flavour to your food, but the many health benefits that they provide to your body can help decrease your blood pressure while saving your kidneys from overworking. Replacing some of the salt you normally put in your food with more spices can decrease the chances of disease as well as providing you with a more colourful life. 

foodmatters.tv

         Seasoning your food with the right spice can really make a difference to the flavor and aroma to the dishes you prepare. Especially when you want to watch your salt or sodium intake, spices can give you the benefits of the polyphenols and antioxidants while increasing the level of complexity in your food. My kitchen does not feel right without some cinnamon, turmeric, coriander seeds, paprika, saffron and ginger.

Natures-health-foods.com

        People started using cinnamon centuries ago with savory dishes and it has made its way into many dessert recipes. It used to be a symbol of wealth when one can afford to buy such spices from the east, but now as a widely available spice, you do not have to hesitate to sprinkle cinnamon on slices of apple, on your yoghurt, in your oatmeal or even on a piece of toast with some peanut butter and honey. 

            I've recently had some amazing Moroccan lamb shoulder Tagine at Rachel's Kitchen with a hefty amount of cinnamon, which gave this dish its lovely character. I suggest you try it with chicken as well. Cinnamon has been studied vastly among the diabetic population because it has an affect on the glucose regulation in the body. According to the International Journal of Preventative Medicine, cinnamon has a hand in decreasing fasting glucose readings and can even decrease body fat, BMI and triglyceride levels. I use a cinnamon stick as a stir stick in my tea, it will give you lasting aroma for up to 5-6 hot water refills. 

Care2.com

           A very yellow tuber, Turmeric, has been quite the center of attention because it's been attached to Alzheimer's Disease and other degenerative illnesses due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects from the curcumin in this spice. 

thaifood.about,com

             In 2012, a research study published in Ayurveda mentioned how patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease and Dementia had significantly improved symptoms with a decrease in their burden on caregivers and were able to recognize family members after a year's supplementation of Turmeric without any adverse effects. India has one of the lowest percentage of people affected by Alzheimer's Disease over the age of 65 where turmeric is a staple food. I am often left with yellow stained fingers while marinating meats and using turmeric powder in fried rice, but the health benefits totally outweigh the staining power of this spice. 

saffronextractonline.com

        Saffron, the precious red pollen from a flower gives a royal orange tinge to many dishes; a famous one includes the Spanish Paella. 

solviptravel.com

        I remember having the most scrumptious paella in Barcelona with one of my best friends Leonie - a lasting memory that will be forever implanted in my mind as one of my first experiences with saffron. With its very distinct aroma and taste, it cannot easily be replaced with anything else. 

puresaffronslim.net

        This spice has also been studied to have effects on maintaining cardiovascular health. The Journal of Tehran Health Centre has published an evidence-based review about the effects of saffron on lowering cholesterol and keeping blood vessels healthy with its anti-inflammatory properties. Also with benefits of powerful components like carotenoids in saffron, it can provide medical benefits such as protecting our eyes from age-related macular degeneration. 

flurtsite,com

            Saffron has also been studied to reveal appetite decreasing effects therefore, benefitting people struggling with their weight, helping them eat less. What more can you ask for in a spice that provide a beautiful colour to your dishes, gives good flavour and keeps you fit! 

holisticdad.net

             I cannot leave out ginger in many of the Asian dishes that I love, especially with seafood. Along with its anti-microbial,  antioxidant and antiemetic abilities, ginger has also been linked to cancer prevention in the Critical Reviews of Food Science and Nutrition published in 2011. It is great in curries, teas and even in desserts of all sorts. 

            In Hong Kong, spices are not so difficult to come by, it is a matter of knowing where to find them. After moving to Sai Ying Pun, I've discovered Spice Box Organics on Third Street where they carry a smorgasbord of organic spices and health products. 
What Spice Box may not have are some chinese herbs and spices that are seen in Asian cooking. In that case you may want to check out Yuan Heng Spice Co. in Tung Street, Sheung Wan. If there are specific Thai or other Southeast Asian spices that you are looking for, the small Thai shops near Wan Chai wet market or the ones in Kowloon City are the best places to shop at. I always find the best fresh lemongrass at Cheong Thai Food (HK) Ltd. 
       Happy Spice Shopping!