• My Binondo Foodie Adventures Part VI: Suzhou Dimsum, In Search of the Perfect Xiao Long Bao

    July 26, 2011 / 0 Comments
    My friend CB has told me that one of her good food finds is a quaint little dimsum place which serves Xiao Long Bao. Located in Sabino Padilla Street in Binondo, this little quiet dimsum place is home to some tasty Xiao Long Bao as well as great noodle soups – the kind that you wish you can get in Chowking. So one day, I decided to check it out as per friend CB’s recommendation and so I brought Mum with me since she loves these outings to Binondo and never gets tired of them no matter how many times we go. She and I are very addicted to going there. I don’t really know why.
    We finished with our other errands in Ongpin so I told her we were going to eat at a new place – Suzhou Dimsum. We went inside and there were only a couple of customers since it was around 3pm so too late for lunch and too early for dinner. No crowds. Perfect timing!

    I immediately ordered Xiao Long Bao. I just ordered one portion because I wasn’t sure how much it is and how many but I was expecting around 3 or 4 pieces of Xiao Long Bao. Since it was quite windy, I went ahead and got a noodle dish – Beef Kianchi Noodle Soup and then we had some Fried shrimp wantons.
     
    With the Xiao Long Bao, we had it steamed as this was the usual way to go. Me and mum fanned it a bit before we tried to gobble it up because it was freshly steamed and I wouldn’t risk it. I also told Ma, to take it easy since the Xiao Long Bao would have some soupy liquid inside it. When I bit into it, I could feel that the wrapper was a bit thick but not too thick that it would be squishy like. It just had the right thickness because the dumpling had liquid inside so the wrapper had to be able to sustain the liquid. The soupy liquid was a bit bland for me and somehow I didn’t get quite a rush when I ate it. I have to go back for a second time in order to form my opinion finally. Watch out for that next post. I’ll be sure to take notes on the second experience.
    What did it for me at Suzhou was the Beef Kianchi Noodle soup. I never expected it to be quite tasty. And the price was not too bad with the serving portion which is good enough for 2-3 persons. The broth was hot and tasty. I could really taste the real beef flavor there and not just that beef flavor that you get when you put in a beef bouillon. It was really beefy! There was also a certain kick to the soup as it really is a balm to cold weather because its spiciness can really heat you up. The al dente noodles were great and chewy. Not at all flat and mushy. The beef was really tender and it tasted as if it had been simmering in the same broth I had for hours. I loved this! Mama and I were both full to the brim with just the soup.

    The fried shrimp wonton was just okay. Nothing really incredible to write about it. Again, this time, it was the beef noodle soup which was the winner. I promise to return and get a good taste again of the Xiao Long Bao and this time I will really take notes as sometimes I update late so I tend to forget how some food items taste like.

    Till next post!
     
    Suzhou Dumplings is located at:
    Sabino Padilla Street, Binondo
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  • My Foodie Experiments: Beef Short Ribs (galbijjim or kalbi jim)

    July 18, 2011 / 2 Comments
    My apologies for the long absence everyone! A lot of things seem to be happening at once that somehow I am backlogged with all the entries I should be posting here.

    Well, I had another Korean cooking experiment this time with beef short ribs. I got my ribs from Monterey as I think that no other meat shop offers quality cuts unless of course you have your neighborhood butcher that you can request specific cuts from. The recipe is again from my favorite Korean cooking site – Maangchi.

    Hope you guys enjoy making this one. Just be sure that you make it ahead of time because you need to get the short ribs really soft to be able to enjoy the meat.
     
    Ingredients:

    2 lbs (about 1 kg) of beef short ribs, water, cooking wine, soy sauce, black pepper, brown sugar, garlic, green onion, onion, sesame oil, carrots, radish, shiitake mushrooms, and mulyeot (corn syrup).


    Soak 5 shiitake mushrooms in warm water for about 4-6 hours. Soak short ribs in cold water in a large bowl for at least 30 minutes and change the water a few times. Boil water in a large pot. Put in the short ribs. Boil for 5-10 minutes. Take out the ribs from the boiling water and wash them with cold water to remove unnecessary fat or floating bubbles. Throw away the boiling water and clean the pot. Place the clean beef short ribs in the pot.
     
    Prepare a bowl to make seasoned water by mixing  2 cups of water, 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 8 cloves of minced garlic), ½ sliced onion, 1 tablespoon rice wine, and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Add it to the short ribs in the pot. Boil it over medium heat for 20 minutes. While it boils, you can prepare the other ingredients:

    Cut carrot and radish into 5 cm-size cubes and round the edges to make several balls (the size of the balls should be like ping pong balls). Cut the soaked shiitake mushrooms into bite size.
    *tip: You can add several skinned chestnuts and gingko nuts.

    Open the lid of the pot and add all ingredients (carrot, radish, shiitake mushrooms) to the pot. Let it simmer for about 1 hour over low heat. *tip: Stir the ribs and other ingredients with a wooden spoon from time to time. Pour the liquid from the bottom of the pot over top of the meat.

    Open the lid and check if the meat is cooked fully. Use your chopstick to poke the meat. When it is smoothly going through the meat, the meat is tender enough. Add 2 tablespoons of moolyeot (corn syrup), 1 tablespoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and heat it up over high heat. Mix it well until liquid evaporates. Transfer galbijjim to a platter before serving.

    NOTE: I did use splashes more of sesame oil because I really love how it lends an authentic taste to the dish. I also made some adjustments on the seasoning depending on how you like it. So please, indulge yourself. The shiitake mushrooms really tasted good in this dish. Sort of like a meat extender.

     
     
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