Capsicum Chutney

lamb burgers with capsicum chutney

The weather has been seriously crappy over the Easter long weekend, I was planning on going camping but the constant rain and wind didn't really make that possible. Hopefully I can get out one weekend soon before it gets to hot and muggy in Hong Kong.  Instead of going camping I have been cooking, visiting the Andy Warhol Exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, bowling and working on my latest uni project menu planning for toddler and school aged children...

Japan - Hakuba Ski Resorts

snow man at Iwatake

During my 6 day trip to Japan I had 4 days of snowboarding in Hakuba, and there were 7 ski resorts. Thats a lot in such a small area, I would almost prefer there weren't so many, its hard to make up your mind on where to board!  I went to 4 hills in 4 days, next time I think I would maybe I would not go to quite so many. I bought a multi day pass which you can visit a new resort each day if you choose, the pass cost ¥16,500 for 4 days. I visited Hakuba in late March so keep in mind that the snow is usually a lot better earlier in the season.

Japan - Hakuba - Shinshu Dining Sarugaku

deep fried tofu ¥150, shiitake mushroom ¥150, chicken wasabi ¥150 and chicken teriyaki yakitori ¥200

On the second to last day of my trip I picked up a free copy of Hakuba Essential Guide at the visitor information centre, I wish I had gotten it sooner I would have had a little more insight on where to visit. After flicking through the guide I decided to go to Shinshu Dining Sarugaku because truthfully it was walking distance away and it looked good. Shinshu Dining Sarugaku is located beside a mexican restaurant on the side of a large new building in Echo Land.

Japan - Hakuba - Hie

tuna & avocado  ¥700

I was trying to figure out where to go for some Japanese food for dinner and was recommended to go to Hie by Daniel who was staying at my hostel. (there are a lot of restaurants that are not Japanese in Hakuba) As you walk up the road in Echo land it is easy to miss Hie, actually I walked straight by it. Hie is on the main road but slightly set back, Hie is just up from Weather Report/Top target which you cannot miss.

Japan - Hakuba - Kikyouya Sushi

tuna rolls, salmon, tamago (egg), ikura (salmon roe) ect..

As you walk in the door at Kikyouya Sushi, the first thing you notice are the walls are plastered with comments and drawings from past dinners which includes: olympians, celebrities and travellers from Japan and around the world. It gives Kikyouya a homely feel and throughout your dinner you catch yourself reading stories of peoples visits.  When we arrived we removed are shoes in Japanese fashion and were seated on cushions at a low japanese table in between two other groups, at one table there was a family and the other table was full of some very tipsy Japanese men, with a giant empty bottle of Shochu.

Japan - Chanko Dining Sumo-tei

Chanko Nabe before being cooked

Right after I arrived in Hakuba and through my stuff in my room, I went straight out the door for dinner with some aussies I had only met a few moments earlier, we went to Sumo-tei for dinner. Sumo-tei is run by a former sumo wrestle, he mostly serves Chanko Nabe which is a Japanese stew commonly eaten in vast quantity by sumo wrestler's. He's quite the character and enjoys breaking out sumo poses for photos.  They have 2 locations in Hakuba one in Echo Land and the other in Wadano, called Restaurant & Bar and Musashi.

Japan - Tokyo to Hakuba

Mount Fuji

I just got back from an amazing trip snowboarding in Japan, I only decided to book the trip a few days before I left, I think its really the way to travel, you don't really bother trying to look around where to stay or what to do you just go... I went by myself, its pretty hard to find friends that can go book a trip so last minute, anyways its great traveling by yourself, you get to do what ever you want and you meet way more people, because really who wants to walk around, snowboard, eat or drink by themselves.  I took the morning flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo with Cathay Pacific. Whenever I fly now I order a special meal, it actually works out pretty well, you get served first, and if your still hungry you can always ask for an extra meal, even though the food is pretty gross! I used to fly a lot to China for work and a flight attendant suggested that I do this because I was so tired of getting the breakfast with the soggy eggs, grey sausage, and tasteless tomato. There's usually about 15 meals to choose from so you can order something new each time you fly.

Ground Lamb In Lettuce Leaves Recipe

One of my regular readers has been asking for nutritional information for my recipes, and since I am studying nutrition, calculating the nutritional values will be great practice for me to remember what micro nutrients actually in different foods. After quite an extensive search for a reputable nutrition program that does not cost an absolute fortune, I have analysed the nutrition facts for this recipe. (please see bottom of page)

Mr. Taco Truck Hong Kong

El Pastor and Carnitas tacos

On my quest for more Mexican food I went to Mr. Taco truck for lunch, actually the truth is I go to Mr. Taco Truck all the time, its near my work and its a tasty affordable lunch. Mr. Taco truck is located on Wo On Lane just off D'aguilar street in Central Hong Kong, this is Mr. Tacos trucks second location, their first location is located in Quarry Bay. For lunch I chose the taco combo.  There is a choice of fillings: El Pastor, Carnitas, Fish or Chicken they are served on either fresh corn or flour tortillas with cilantro onions on top.  The tacos come with mexican rice, refried beans and freshly made tortilla chips with 2 kinds of salsa. The Taco combo costs $65 hkd including a drink + 10% service charge.

Kaffir Lime Leaf Shortbread

I am generally not a big baker of cookie's, but I have had plenty of requests lately to make some cookies so here they are. I adapted a recipe from a Australian Woman's Weekly Cookbook- Biscuit and slices. I added kaffir lime leaves for their intense aromatic lime flavor. I had one difficulty with the recipe, it says to make rosettes with a piping bag, which was frikin difficult, I made a few then gave up....  Maybe I didn't have a large enough tip or possibly the dough was too cold, they turned out all right in the end just maybe not as pretty as they could have been.