December 31st, 2009 by Dawn Becker

It’s new year’s eve and I suppose a quick glance behind before stepping into the wonders 2010 will bring is in order. But just a glance. Not a lingering look at what was, as what’s about to be brings so much promise and opportunity and far better it than longing for what was left behind. Hope of good things like what I will eat in 2010!!

Thinking back, in these last weeks of 2009, I have seen Karen K twice, both Daniel and Mark at two of their holiday parties, and Katie who came over for what I am dubbing the “Night of Too Many Bottles”. Had ridiculously-priced but beautifully crystal clear gin martinis at the Four Season’s bar with Annie. Ate a fat athletic-sized breakfast with Julian and Cole that made us happily lazy before they left for Christmas with their dad. Roasted my first whole duck with Casey. Had a merry gay Christmas at Robbie’s where I was elected last minute to cook a tenderloin dinner and found myself volunteering to make a porcini mushroom red wine sauce with what was on hand. It was delicious by the way. And so much more. All of this in the last weeks of what I thought was an unremarkable 2009. I guess it wasn’t. And that’s what looking back helps us do. To appreciate where we are now, we need to see where we came from.

In looking ahead to 2010, I am excited about some of the topics I want to explore like stinky tasty foods. I am also sacrificing my body (not really) to sample as many packaged instant soup noodles as I can handle. Of course I will share the highlights of my discovery here. There’s many to try as you can see from this shelf at T&T Supermarket and even more at other stores in the GTA.

We call them dolly noodles or gung zai min, I think because many of the packages have doll-like icons on them. I’ve even found one that has no MSG. And did you know there’s a World Instant Noodles Association?? Oh, just a teaser now.

When I was in Tokyo, one of my favourite stops was to go to the 7-Eleven and see what kind of food they had on their shelves. No stale taquitos there my friends. Just glorious rows of noodles and steam buns and fish balls on sticks and rice bundles and so on. I once tasted a package of instant noodles that had actual meat in it – it was in a foil pouch for freshness – and that little slice of pork belly that slicked my instant soup with it’s fatty juices was such a delight. I knew I wasn’t eating 4-star out of the styrofoam container but the idea that the Japanese go the extra mile even with instant noodles fascinated me and made it far tastier than it probably deserves to be remembered. Back then I didn’t think to photograph the package as I thought it would be readily available. To my dismay I have not found that type of packaged noodle with actual meat since, at least not in Toronto. More research is in order and on deck for 2010. Amongst other things. So remember to check back here often.

Happy new year everyone. Kampai!

December 29th, 2009 by Dawn Becker

My cousin Casey changed his life over 6 years ago when he decided to leave his hometown of Vancouver for the bigger and better things that the Tdot could offer him. Six years ago my life changed too when I decided to get divorced. The timing couldn’t have been worse or better for Casey to come. He had nowhere to go so he stayed with me in the chaos of our family house that was falling apart, before my ex and I physically separated homes. The tension inside the house could have been cut with a chainsaw and with full knowledge of this, Casey came and stayed anyway.

It was a difficult time and Casey was a pillar for me. Before this, the last time I really remember Casey he was a 5-year old brat that I hadn’t seen since. So we made fresh bonds and super quick. Julian and Cole were very very little and the burden of my difficult decision was made easier having Casey there to eat, drink and laugh with. And that we did. In fact, we haven’t stopped.

When I was a kid, I tried so hard to fit in, in hopes that people would forget that I was Chinese. I was determined to be Canadian even though I looked different, because I am Canadian. I never saw my world through Chinese eyes and I have once or twice put “NO” on job applications that asked if I was a visible minority. After all those years of hiding in my westernized skin, I didn’t feel like a minority.

As I’ve mentioned, growing up Chinese in Vancouver, you don’t feel different since our “look” is the majority at least in the neighbourhoods we lived in and frequented. Toronto is more visibly multicultural and back then we were definitely minorities, especially in the suburbs where our family could afford to settle. I lost what it meant to be Asian out of self-preservation or survival needs.

Now that those days are gone, I’ve had to struggle to stay connected with my Asian roots, without a guide. Casey opened the doors because he was frankly more Chinese than I was – and my mother will never let me forget that, however incapable she was of bridging that gap for me, but that’s another story.

As Casey explored the amazing cultural treasures that our great city had to offer, I followed him. He introduced me to travelers from abroad, some Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, and more. It was a time of wonderful exploration for me as well and I started to embrace my culture and see how unique my experience was by being both Chinese and Canadian.

Casey and I have been lucky enough to travel together to Tokyo (pictured above in 2005) and New York twice, both intense eating destinations. He is constantly amazing me with his unique perspective on life. He was there when I had the emotional task of tossing my little sister’s ashes at Centre Island, opening the box of ashes when I couldn’t bear to do it myself. He has been there for my children stepping in to be the most important male figure on this side of our family. They think of him as their friend rather than mine. In English, Casey is technically my cousin, but in Chinese terms, he is really my brother. And I couldn’t be happier for that.

December 28th, 2009 by Dawn Becker

I’ve already mentioned that the Asian culture has a propensity to save everything, literally. To explain the depth of this, my Aunt Margie has been known to save her rice water – the spent water that has been used to clean her rice – which she then reuses to clean her fruit and vegetables to a sheen. Now I’m all for following the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle program and doing our share to save the environment but I live in a condo and I don’t know where I would store all of this “useful” rice water. And is it healthy to use starchy water to clean your fruit? I don’t know but she’s a spring chicken like the rest of that side of my family so maybe it’s not harmful.

When it comes to leftover food, that’s another story, especially when the leftovers are roast duck. Leftover duck is a tasty treat because the duck meat already has so much flavour and a quick reheat in the pan will bring the duck back to its relative succulent self.

I woke up with leftover duck on my mind so I made two duck dishes for myself today. The first dish was a one egg omelet with duck and brie.

I diced the duck meat and quickly sauteed it in a non-stick pan to get the meat juices flowing. The duck was already quite flavourful from the spice mixture it was cooked with the night before so I didn’t add seasoning except for some freshly ground black pepper.

I was looking for a quick breakfast so I normally wouldn’t have paired five-spiced duck with brie cheese but the spice was not too strong and the brie melted easily to make a creaminess in the omelet without the trouble of making a sauce while still groggy in the morning. Plus, it was there.

Later the Asian forces kicked in and I decided to make duck congee also known as jook in Cantonese. It’s a traditional breakfast food but I eat it anytime as a comfort food. When I was little and recovering from the stomach flu or other ailment, mom would make us plain jook which was easily digestible though tasteless because she refused us salt until we were fully on the mend. How strict? Imagine no salt!!

Congee is more or less rice porridge – rice that’s been boiled in a large amount of water – the amount depending on whether you want a thinner or thicker consistency. Today, I took two handfuls of rice and about four cups of water and put it in a medium sauce pan and brought it to a boil. I added some dried scallops to the pot which is what I remember my father used to do so I continue to follow suit. It adds an extra layer of flavour but you can live without if you don’t have any on hand. Once the congee comes to a boil I simmer it for an hour. In the last fifteen minutes I add some chopped duck meat for flavour.

There are many ways to make congee but this is an easy method that provides decent results at home. If you want to make more out of your congee you could add chicken or pork and even chicken stock to your pot at the beginning. My mom puts her rice and water in a crock pot and slow cooks it until she’s ready to eat it. She also uses brown rice or mixed organic rice and grains for a more complex texture that’s healthier than white rice on its own.

For me, the key to congee is the accompaniments. I am very fond of black eggs known as century eggs, preserved eggs or pidan in Chinese which I toss in to the congee in wedges just to warm them through. I also like to add some preserved chili bean curd which is super salty and has a hint of spice to its fermented flavour.

Mmm. A good day of leftovers. Mom would be proud.

Update: When purchasing preserved eggs pictured above left my family including aunties and uncles tell me to buy the ones made in Taiwan. Manufacturing practices on mainland China are still not properly regulated and some companies have been discovered to accelerate the production of the preserved egg process by adding ammonia. A slight chemical scent can be routine but if your eggs smell like they’ve been bathing in a swimming pool, you need to consider the quality before eating. They should not taste like they’ve been pickled in chlorine. I have also tried preserved eggs from Thailand but I find their centres are too soft and gooey for my liking.

December 27th, 2009 by Dawn Becker

My cousin Casey came over for dinner before he left for his holiday with Ozana in Vancouver. As they are both adventurous dining companions of mine, I thought I’d try to roast my first duck. Being a little behind schedule I was too late to pick up a fresh peking duck from T&T Supermarket. So with limited options and no time to go elsewhere I ended up purchasing a frozen duckling that I’d say was about 4 lbs.

After thawing overnight in the fridge, I decided to go simple for my first whole duck. I removed the neck and giblets and reserved for making stock later. I then cut out the fat deposits around the openings and as mentioned in a couple of recipes I pulled the skin up from the flesh to create a sort of skin sock. Just saying “skin sock” makes me laugh out loud, like right now, however it is really an accurate description.

The idea is that the skin would crisp up as the fat melted off. I suppose this is what happens when I stuff herbs under the skin when I roast a chicken and that always turns out perfectly crispy. I then seasoned the duck with a mixture of five-spice powder, salt and pepper, inside the cavity and on the skin. To provide some additional aromatics I stuffed the cavity with slices of orange rind (no white pith which is bitter), one quartered onion and some green onions. I then set the duck aside to further dry the skin as I prepared the rest of our meal.

I’m not one to follow any specific recipe to the letter preferring to use recipes as a guide. As I’m more of an intuitive home cook adjusting here and there as needed. It’s actually a challenge for me to keep track of ingredients and cooking times. This is why you’ll rarely, if ever, see me baking which demands a fairly exact scientific approach.

I cooked the whole duck breast-side down on a rack in a roasting pan at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 45 minutes turning the duck breast-side up after the first hour and basting every ten minutes for the last 30 minutes. The duck was cooked but the skin was not as crispy as I would have liked. Then I realized that I was supposed to cook the duck at 375 degrees F which I think would have made all the difference to the skin – another thought would be to blast the skin on a higher temperature, say 425 degrees F for the last 10 minutes to crisp the skin. Overall, the duck was very tasty, definitely juicy and relatively easy to do. If you can roast a chicken, a duck will be no problem for you. As is true for anything new, you just need to keep trying until you get it the way you like it in your oven.From this photo I think you can see my duck carving skills need some work. Not like slicing a sexy canard de magret breast but hey, it’s a first. Below is an update to the recipe I used that night taking my results into account.

Five-Spice Roast Duck

1 whole duck, thawed (about 4 to 5lbs)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp five-spice powder

rind of one orange with no pith (I use a vegetable peeler)

1 yellow onion, quartered

4 whole green onions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix together salt, pepper and five-spice powder and rub into the skin of the duck and inside the cavity. Stuff duck with orange rind slices, quartered yellow onion and green onions. Place duck breast-side down on a rack in a roasting pan. Cook 1 hour 30 minutes turning the duck so the breast-side is up after an hour and basting with the pan juices every 10 minutes for the last 30 minutes. Then raise oven temperature to 425 degrees F to crisp the skin watching closely so as not to burn, about 10 minutes. Slice and serve. (I personally think one duck is good for two people with leftovers which I would definitely want.)

December 20th, 2009 by Dawn Becker

With all the festivities this holiday season, one is surely bound to experience a little (ahem) excess. So with head pounding and all organs screaming for hydration, I chugged back a glass of water, donned a pair of dark sunglasses, slipped on my big coat and toque to hide the mess, and found my way to Koreatown for one of my favourite hangover remedies, kam ja tang.

Kam ja tang is Korean pork bone soup. Traditionally it’s a home-style meal with each family having their own preference of spice combinations. Nowadays kam ja tang can be found in many diner-like settings around the world. I have to be honest that I’m not quite sure of its history so more research is in order.

It’s often served with an assortment of banchan which are little dishes that accompany most Korean meals, such as kimchi (fermented vegetables) or namul (steamed or fried vegetables seasoned with any combination of sesame oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, green onions or chili peppers) amongst other goodies.

My current favourite for kam ja tang in Koreatown south is Corean Chilli pictured below, located on the south side Bloor Street between Clinton Street and Manning Avenue. The irony is that kam ja tang goes extremely well with cold beer or soju and an abundance of appreciation for this combination the night before could be the very reason why you need kam ja tang the next day in the first place.

Corean Chilli provides a lot of vegetables in their soup and the pork almost melts off the bone the way it should after a long, slow simmer. The spice combination is just right for my taste – hot – with enough flavourful heat to get the toxins out. Haha! The Owl of Minerva used to be at the top of the list but in the past year their kam ja tang recipe has changed resulting in thin soup lacking depth. Corean Chilli deserves a visit if you haven’t given them a try yet. Their menu offers a wide variety of options if kam ja tang is not for you. On a day like today, when my head is in the clouds, Corean Chilli is a sure bet that I can rely on to awaken my snoozing spirit with a tasty bowl of hot, spicy goodness called kam ja tang.

December 19th, 2009 by Dawn Becker

When I was growing up, my mother always served us a hot breakfast. None of these western sticky sweet creations like pancakes, donuts or cereal. Even though we were poor then, Mom would find a way to coax a satisfying steamy broth out of a gnarly looking piece of beef, a bunch of spinach, a clove of garlic, salt and added macaroni. It was one of our morning favourites. Looking back I am impressed with how much she was able to stretch her budget sometimes with only $20 a week to feed a family of five. It’s truly remarkable and I am sure I never appreciated her struggle enough as children will do.

The old Asians are generally known for being frugal and extremely good at bargaining. Admittedly, I like to challenge myself to waste as little as possible. TIP: I stick over-ripe cherry tomatoes in a bag, no matter how few, and freeze them. I toss them in stew or sauce as I need it. You’ll be amazed how handy it is to have a few veggies in the freezer to add to stews and soups when you’re in a pinch. And many vegetables freeze well so whatever odds and ends you have left just freeze it for a rainy day. As a single mom of two ravenous boys, whatever I can do to keep my grocery bill in check helps. Mostly I save what I can to see how far I can ration food and how many times I can recreate leftovers into new dishes. It’s a weird game but when you love food as much as I do it’s hard to waste it.

Which brings me to the big save. Rice. In our family, occasionally we make extra rice on purpose so we can have fried rice the next day. Day-old rice is drier than fresh rice and makes the end product better. Fresh rice is okay if you don’t have day-old rice, but it can easily become soggy, especially if you don’t have your wok fire hot enough.

For breakfast, I use day-old rice and stir fry it quickly with some diced onions or simply take the leftover rice, sprinkle a few drops of water to moisten and cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Ding. It’s steamed back to a freshly cooked state. Serve it with a fried egg topped with some soy sauce and this makes a tasty and easy hot breakfast, simply called Egg On Rice.

Pictured above in the rice bowl is one chicken and one quail egg. Julian and Cole love quail eggs, fried so the edges are crispy and topped with a wee sprinkling of sea salt as a snack. Today they get one of each egg for breakfast. And I know that they’re bellies will be full enough to take them through to lunch.

December 17th, 2009 by Dawn Becker

I headed up to L’Unita for my much anticipated dinner with Richard. I met Richard at the outdoor lounge at Voglie one night this summer on $5 Friday martini night. These martinis are seriously toxic for that price which is actually a compliment. Generous pours and unique creations though many are sweet and I don’t enjoy that personally but all the “girls” like them. I like a classic gin martini, dry with olives, and please don’t shake my Bombay. Just a little swirl in the shaker to cool off my gin so I can have a crystal clear drink. Heaven. And that’s what I got when I ordered it at L’Unita.

We then ordered a series of appetizers which I thought were adequate. The housemade ricotta would have been nice served warm which would allude that it was just made even if it was that morning. The crab bruschetta was a little too creamy for my taste and the northernwoods mushrooms were poorly salted but as Richard and I are both funghi fans we didn’t complain… much. We also had some very good sardine crostini. The sardines were filleted and not a bone could be found and the crostini so thin that it provided just the right amount of crisp in your mouth. Lobster risotto and braised short ribs followed and while they weren’t bad, they didn’t knock my socks off. Ordinary I’m afraid. But remember I’m lucky to have experienced some outstanding food from complex creations to perfectly simple homestyle food and my tastes may be more, well picky. I think most people will enjoy L’Unita but I won’t be rushing back with so many other choices. Take Mistura, for instance, which is just around the corner. One time I was there Chef and co-owner, Massimo Capra was walking the floor. I really like that.

Richard also ordered a lovely Montepulciano, not to be mistaken with a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo which is also good but not in the same league. I’m sorry I can’t remember which one we had but it must have cost half the bill. I haven’t told you anything about Richard yet and I won’t say too much today. As a new friend, out of respect, I would like to make sure he’s cool with what I divulge. (To my old friends, too bad. It’s all coming out and you can consider yourselves fair game!) I can tell you that Richard is an absolute dream as we are both very much into food. We have similar tastes and preferences and his company is so easy and fun with each bite seeming like an adventure. Richard has experienced some seriously outstanding meals through his work and personal travels.

The first time I met him at Voglie, he said he was going to Spain so I told him I would love to go to San Sebastian in Spain. Wouldn’t you know that this was on his agenda. I told him about Restaurant Arzak which is owned by Juan Mari and Elena Arzak, an adorable father and daughter duo. You can see them on page 40-41 of My Last Supper, 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals by Melanie Dunea. As an aside, this would make a great Christmas gift for the foodie on your list. I already have it so this is not a hint, my friends.

And how lucky is Richard, when a last minute cancellation comes in the day he calls Arzak. Richard and his friend closed the place down with a 20 (or was that 25) course tasting menu. I saw the pictures. To die for. Upon his return he sent me a picture of himself with Chef Elena. Jealous much?

For my recommendation, sitting on the table at L’Unita is a card with a bottle of Chateau des Charmes Ice Wine. He’s a classy dude. And his note, which I will share because it encapsulates his being.

“Dawn: To the start of a great culinary journey. Thank you for Arzak. Richard”

So to end this great night of food stories, Richard invited me back to his beautiful home for a last glass of champagne. Instead he produces a Tignanello (lovingly called Tig by those who, well, love it) and I’m deliriously happy. He whips up an instant cheese board – I would guess a Brillat Savarin – but my head is beginning to get foggy at this point, with dark rye crisps studded with raisins, fresh figs and a most delicious lavender honey. I am spoiled. With friends like this I will never be hungry again.

December 17th, 2009 by Dawn Becker

Last night was a most delicious night with friends I am getting to know better. Karen K came to my condo to have the five cent tour and a quick snack before I met up with Richard for dinner at L’Unita. Karen is an old friend who was always traveling for work and otherwise, and a person I’ve never spent enough time with. She just bought a condo on the west end and I couldn’t be happier that she’s settling in Toronto because we’ll get to really build that friendship. Karen has many hats including publisher of Corporate Knights, director of Waterlution, filmmaker and more. She’s very dynamic and genuine and I have been quoted to say that she would make a fabulous president for the United States. No expectations here, huh?

After a quick tour we settled in with a glass of Errazuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir that I had chilled slightly as suggested on the label and we dished over precious girl gossip. Chilling this wine made it brilliant and even though it’s cold outside it’s always warm in here so the wine was perfectly refreshing to start the night.

Before moving on to a more luscious glass of Ngatarawa Stables Merlot, I pulled out a small round of Saint Morgon, a soft French cheese that has a creamy texture pefect on a crusty baguette which I purchased still warm from the oven earlier that day. I made a small tapas style dish of shrimp and squid sauteed with garlic and olive oil topped with capers, a sprinkle of salt and chilli flakes and finished with a fresh squeeze of lemon, dipping more of that crusty bread to soak up all the salty juices. We ate it too quickly before I could remember to photograph it. Katie is coming over Friday. I may recreate it then so I can post the photo.

Shrimp and Squid Tapas

2 tbsp olive oil

8 headless shrimp, deveined and butterflied

2 headless squid, cleaned and sliced into 1” rings

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

dried hot red-pepper flakes

salt, to taste

2 lemon wedges

1 tsp capers

Heat oil in a pan on medium-high until hot but not smoking. Sautee shrimp. Turn shrimp over and add the squid rings, garlic and red-pepper flakes, and cook until shrimp are pink and just cooked through. Add salt and squeeze the lemon wedges over the shrimp and squid. Toss in the capers and remove from heat. Serve immediately with plenty of bread.

December 16th, 2009 by Dawn Becker

You might think it’s funny that superstar Canadian comedian, Russell Peters, is the source of my inspiration for writing about food and culture in Toronto. I was watching his DVD, Red, White and Brown at Scott’s cottage this summer. In between fits of laughter, Peters’ commentary about race and culture that were so hilarious, were made more so because of the accuracy of his statements. What hit home in his comedy sketch was his explanation that race and culture are different. Russell Peters is Indian (his race), actually he more specifically says Anglo-Indian. But when he first stepped off the plane in India he realized he was sooo Canadian (his culture). And how he tells it will make you pee your pants. If you’ve never experienced this, I highly recommend you get to know Russell Peters by watching his stand-up routines.

I would add that while our nationality might define us, it’s our cultural attitudes, usually passed on to us by our parents and our environment, that really shape us. Growing up Chinese in Vancouver was like living in a bubble. Visible minority? What were they talking about? More than half the kids in my graduating class at Windermere High School were Asian (as defined in the Usage Note). (I just blew the dust off my annual and actually counted the faces. Man, those were some bad hair days.)

As kids, we moved back and forth from Vancouver to Toronto, a few times because of my dad’s work. The first move to a small suburb of Toronto, when I was about nine, was total culture shock. This was the 80’s and ours was one of maybe four Asian families in the whole school and for the first time I understood what discrimination felt like. Of course that’s all different now.

There were stages along the way when being Chinese was cool thanks to TV and movies for the depiction of us as kick ass, cool, don’t-mess-with-the-Triad type of characters. There were times when having an Asian girlfriend was a marker stating how worldly you were. The term we used for guys like that was “yellow fever”. They had yellow fever and in a reverse sort of discrimination, this really worked for me as a young adult new to the Tdot. Needless to say, I did learn to truly embrace my culture. I am yellow on the outside and white (western thinking) on the inside and that makes me a “banana”.

There are other terms out there. For instance, my not-Auntie Margaret says my American Uncle Milo is an egg (both pictured above). He’s white on the outside, but hard core yellow on the inside. I must say, he’s got a greater understanding of all things Asian than most Canadian-born Chinese, which brings me to the next term: CBC. Nope, not the national broadcasting station. Not only am I a banana, I’m also CBC, Canadian-born Chinese, which is different from being a Konger (that’s easy – from Hong Kong). And I don’t think people use the term FOB (Fresh Off the Boat) any more which is more derogatory because newcomers don’t call themselves FOBs. See terms are fine if you’re from the same family. The way my gay friends can call each other fags and how I can say banana in a positive way embracing all that it stands for because we’re in the family. Again, watch Russell Peters. He can explain it better, and in a much funnier way, than I can.

So that’s kind of the crux of this blog in a nutshell. I look forward to sharing with you my experiences with food and culture in Toronto from a banana’s perspective. Post #1 down, thousands more to go!!