Wanderlust Travels

(A few) of my favorite dishes

2009-07-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday, which means it's Blog Hop time again! The theme this week is "favorite dishes/recipes" and I'm going to cheat a little because my food tastes reflect my love of travel. How could I possibly choose just one dish when there is a world of delightful cuisine out there?!

In a compromise, I have decided to feature one dish from each region of the world that I deeply love to eat. I will attempt to obtain my mom's hummus recipe from her later and post that too, so do come back!

We start in North America, and the good ol' US of A. Nothing beats a perfectly grilled cheeseburger topped with tomatoes, pickles, ketchup and a little mustard and served with piping hot, crispy french fries.

Photo from istockphoto.com

From South/Central America, my choice is tacos, that Mexican/Mexican-American staple:

From Europe, it was tough, so I had to go with cheese, that glorious contribution of France to the world. Brie and chevre are my two top choices, but I also enjoy the bleu cheese family (Roquefort, Bleu, etc). I'd say about the only cheeses I don't like are the hard ones.

Photo from Indigo Guide

Moving on to the Middle East, it's again incredibly hard to pick one thing, but I think I'd have to say hummus. Healthy, low-fat, and absolutely delicious.

Photo from Greekfood.about.com

My exposure to African cuisines has been limited, but that limited experience has introduced me to the wonders and joys of Ethiopian food. If there's something more satisfyingly delicious than a piece of injera bread with the gravies of six different dishes soaked into it, I'd love to know.

Photo from Entoto Ethiopian Restaurant, Paris

To India, my home, and yes, you guessed it, it was nearly impossible for me to pick. Paneer, daal makhni, butter chicken, pomfret, dosa, Bengali sweets...I'll devote more posts in the future to Indian cuisine, but my choice for today's entry is chicken malai tikkas. Marinated in yogurt and cream, these delightfully juicy, tender morsels are perfection when done right.

Photo from BBC Good Food

And last of all, from Asia, specifically Japan, I offer up sushi. Fresh, succulent sushi is one of the greatest things to eat (my favorites being tuna and salmon) but it is always good to think about sustainability, as the Monterey Bay Aquarium points out with their helpful list.

Photo from Just Hungry

Hummus recipe coming later!

DIVA (Italian Restaurant), New Delhi

2009-07-19T03:42:00.000-07:00

Last night, in honor of my dad's 60th birthday, my parents, my brother and I headed out to Diva for a celebratory dinner. Diva's chef, Ritu Dalmia, is a well-known presence in the Indian food scene, and over the last nine years, Diva has carved out a reputation for having one of the best wine lists in the country and offering high-quality Italian food. Since this was my first visit, I anticipated our meal quite eagerly.

Located in Delhi's Greater Kailash (GK) II M-Block Market, Diva's exterior is decidedly low-key, and the interior is similarly unfussed, yet feels welcoming. The dining area downstairs is small but not cramped, and the glass window with a view of the fire adds a nice touch.

We sat down and perused the menu, settling on two appetizers to be split and four main courses. My mother and I split a Diva classic, the Risotto con funghi misti e passito di tartufo (risotto with wild mushroom, thyme, and truffle paste, Rs. 495). The portion was satisfying but not too filling, and the taste was delicious. It needed perhaps a touch more salt, but the creaminess of the risotto and the flavor of the mushrooms was excellent. My dad and my brother split the Ravioli ripieni di granchio con burro e senape (crab meat ravioli with pan seared scallops in a butter sage sauce with a hint of mustard, Rs. 595), which they found to be satisfying but lacking a little in seasoning. My brother also remarked that he could tell that the seafood was frozen (by necessity) and not fresh.

Then came time for the main courses: for myself, the costolette d'agnello alla Diva, Indian pan-seared lamb chops accompanied with pan-fried wild mushrooms and mashed potatoes (Rs. 790), for my mom, stracci con gorgonzola e spinaci, hand-made pasta in a gorgonzola and spinach sauce (Rs. 495). My brother went with the involtini di vitello con salame e salvia, veal filled rolled with salami sage and celery with an apple and fennel sauce (Rs. 695), and my dad chose the sformatino di formaggio di capra e yogurt con insalata mista, the twice cooked yogurt and goat cheese soufflé, served with a mixed salad (Rs. 480).

My lamb chops were generally excellent; pink, seared to perfection, and flavorful. There were perhaps a few too many mushrooms on the plate (though admittedly, the description did advertise the plate being "loaded" with them), and the mashed potatoes were downright odd (pureed out of existence and combined with cheese to make a singularly strange texture), but the chops themselves were lovely. My mom enjoyed her pasta but felt there could have been a bit more gorgonzola in the sauce. My dad seemed in ecstasy over his soufflé, and my brother eagerly ate his veal.

The wine my dad chose, a Tuscan red, complemented their food perfectly, and though I did not partake, they all felt that it improved throughout the meal and was a tremendous value for money. It was so good that my dad went so far as to order a cheese platter to finish off the meal, which arrived (after a considerable wait), replete with peccorino, goat cheese, and gorgonzola (but light on the bread to eat the cheese with, and our bread basket had been cleared).

Which leads me to my only complaint about the evening, the service. While significantly better than most restaurants in Delhi, and with a head waiter who clearly knew his food and his wine, it still left something to be desired. Towards the end of the meal, we struggled to catch the eye of several waiters to get a refill on water and to inquire after our cheese plate, which took far longer to appear than it should have. Similarly, when it came time to ask for the check, my dad had to ask twice because the waiter did not hear him the first time. I understand that it was nearing the end of the evening for the waitstaff, but attentive service can make or break a restaurant experience, and these took the gleam off an otherwise lovely evening.

Still, I will be heading back to Diva at the next chance I get. Though pricey, it is not exorbitant. The food is well done, the experience enjoyable, and it was nice to see Chef Dalmia popping in and out of the main dining area throughout the evening.

Rating: 4.5/5

photos courtesy of DIVA Italian Restaurant, Delhi

Answer me these questions three...

2009-07-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

It's time for this week's MckLinky Blog Hop: Three things you didn't know about me! In keeping with the travel theme of this blog:

1) I am 23 years old and have visited 32 countries.
visited 32 states (14.2%)
Create your own visited map of The World or vertaling nederlands duits?

2) One of my earliest memories involves a family trip to Hawaii with my dad's parents. I remember seeing a dance performance, a colorful pair of pink shorts my mom bought, and making my poor grandmother sing "There's a Hole in the Bucket" to me over and over and over again when she babysat me for an afternoon.

3) My dream destinations are Greece and Egypt. I'm a total history (ancient especially) buff, and the thought of seeing the Pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Alexandria, Cairo, the Sphinx, Delphi, the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and more fills me with unimaginable delight. Ideally, I could do all of these places and more on an ancient history themed Mediterranean cruise.

Explore New York at your leisure!

2009-07-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

*

The New York Metro is awesome. It goes everywhere, it is everywhere, and it opens up the entire city to the interested tourist. The problem is, the Metro can be pricey (at $2.25 for a single ride), especially if you're traveling with more than one person. Which is why the Metro Unlimited Ride passes are such a fantastic deal. They might be pricier in the short-term, but they make a fabulous investment and I promise they will give you the opportunity to experience New York in a whole new way.

The most basic option is your 1-day fun pass, which allows for unlimited rides on the metro from first use until midnight that night, and costs $8.25 a card. There are also 3-day, 7-day, 14-day, and 30-day options for those staying on a longer basis.

The beauty of these passes to me is that they allow you to explore New York at your leisure, and to see parts of the city you might not otherwise have been to because you were trying to be economical in planning your route. With a pass you can easily go down to the lower East Side to have a classic pastrami sandwich, stop off at Central Park to walk it off, then continue to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The best part is, if you get tired, you can go back to your hotel, take a nap, and head back out again without feeling guilty that you spent X dollars getting here so now we're going to get our money's worth. The freedom from this attitude can only make for a more pleasant travel, and besides, the city quite literally becomes your oyster. Added bonus: riding the metro everywhere has the added advantage of giving you the insider's glimpse into the how millions of New Yorkers get around every day.

So what are you waiting for? Try an unlimited pass the next time you're in New York and marvel at how radically your experience changes. I promise you, you'll never look back.

*Image courtesy of The Village Voice

My favorite photo: McLinky Bloghop

2009-07-08T03:26:00.000-07:00

So, I'm experimenting with using this McLinky system, because it can't hurt to get a few more eyeballs over here, right? So here's my favorite photo, a shot of a butterfly landing on some leaves at the Koxinga's Shrine in Tainan, Taiwan:

Restaurant Review: El Gallo

2009-06-19T06:38:00.001-07:00

El Gallo Restaurant

On my most recent trip to Taipei, I found myself hungering for some Mexican food. Sure, you get Mexican food in Kaohsiung, but I wanted to try something that was hopefully a little closer to the real deal. With this objective in mind, I hit up Google and tried to see what my options were. At first, I was leaning towards Amigo's, but then I found a few mentions of a place called El Gallo out in Tien Mu, apparently run by real Mexicans (as opposed to Taiwanese people attempting to run a Mexican restaurant). That sealed the deal for me, and off I set.

My journey was longish - from the CKS Memorial MRT stop by my hotel to Shipai, then onto a bus and a short walk up the hill. I walked in and found the restaurant mostly empty, but it felt rather homey, so I took my seat and tucked into my free appetizer of chips and salsa.

The chips were crunchy and fresh, though a little less salty than I would have liked, and the salsa was a bit watery, but still tasty, and with a nice kick to it. When I had munched my way through my first basket, my server brought me another. Always worth bonus points in my book.

After perusing the menu, I settled on soft meat tacos. I ordered, and my food came rather promptly. The first impression I had was "mmmm, looks tasty." Three tacos, stuffed with shredded meat, salsa, and lettuce, and served with refried beans and even more salsa. Still reasonably hungry, I dug in.

Here came my first disappointment. There was a certain...je ne sais quoi missing from the taco. It tasted fine, but it was missing that extra little something, some kind of spice or sauce that would have pulled the entire ensemble together. The salsa didn't have enough saltiness or spice to it to make a difference on such a large scale, and the refried beans didn't do the trick either. The other major problem I ran into almost immediately was that my taco disintegrated. Fell apart before I could even take a proper bite.

By the time I reached the third taco, the taco itself was no more, it had become small pieces mixed in with meat, lettuce and salsa that I tried to scoop up in the most dignified manner possible, finally settling for the unattractive yet practical option of using my hands. My food was good and filling, but I prefer my tacos to stay intact as I eat. Mexican food can be messy to begin with, I see no reason to make it moreso.

When all was said and done, I was pleasantly full, but my craving for good, authentic Mexican food remained unfulfilled, and shall continue to be unsatisfied until I return to America, I suspect. Still, El Gallo made a pretty decent substitute, and I would go back even though the food was a little on the pricey side (my bill came to just under 300 NT just for the tacos).

Four out of five stars.

Details:

El Gallo Mexican Restaurant
42, Zhong Shan North Road, Tien Mu, Taipei
+886-2-2874-1366

台北市士林區
中山北路七段42
+886 2-2874-1366
www.elgallotw.com

Fancy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-06-15T10:39:00.001-07:00

I love to bake, but my opportunities to do so have been non-existent since coming to Taiwan. There's a lovely pastry shop near my apartment, but the one thing they do not sell is cookies. So, when I had the chance to use an oven, I seized the opportunity. I made my standard chocolate chip cookies for my 6th graders for our goodbye parties, but for Gered's party I decided to experiment and try for a fancier style of chocolate chip cookie.

Instead of my usual recipe, I used this one, for the jam thumbprint cookies normally eaten during the holiday season (and another favorite of mine). I then added chocolate chips to the batter, and then for a little extra fanciness, melted some chocolate chips to fill the thumbprints and drizzle over the cookies. The result was both delicious and aesthetically pleasing, and I shall definitely be using this recipe the next time I want to make cookies to impress others.

Fancy Chocolate Chip Cookies - adapted from Thumbprint Cookies II by Kathleen Dickerson

Makes about 15 cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels

Chocolate Sauce:

1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 F/150 C.

2. Separate the egg, preserving the yolk. Cream the butter, sugar, and egg yolk together.

3. Add in the vanilla and flour. Mix well.

4. Roll the cookies into small balls and place about an inch apart on the cookie trays. Bake for about 5 minutes, then remove and press a small indent into the cookies with a spoon. Return to the oven and bake about another 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

To make the chocolate sauce:

1. Heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the chocolate chips and some butter, and stir continuously until the chocolate is fully melted. Use on the cookies and enjoy!

Mexican Night!

2009-06-14T09:16:00.001-07:00

I have recently begun to cook more for myself, and my favorite source of recipes is AllRecipes, which features thousands of user-submitted recipes. What I like about AllRecipes is that it's easy to navigate, it lets you search for recipes based on what ingredients you have available, and it has never failed me. Every recipe I've ever made off this site has been a major hit with those who have eaten the results. Of course, not all recipes are created equal, which is why it's a good idea to check out the ratings each recipe has gotten and to read a few of the feedback comments listed at the end of the recipe. Taken together, these two pieces of information make for winning recipes.

Last week, my housemate Gered departed for the U.S., and to see him off we held a Mexican Fiesta night, featuring fajitas, chips and salsa, and vegetarian chili, made by yours truly. It was incredibly easy to make, and easily adapted from this recipe, which I modified slightly to suit my needs. The end result was deliciousness, and the dish got rave reviews from everyone, so I share with you now my adapted version of Tianne's Insanely Easy Vegetarian Chili.

(a note about servings on Allrecipes.com - maybe my friends just eat smaller portions, but I've found their serving information is always off - the original recipe says 8, but it could probably feed closer to 10-11)

Maya's Adapted Vegetarian Chili
Serves 16-20 people

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 chopped red peppers
1 chopped yellow pepper
2 (28 oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped
2 (15 oz) cans black beans with liquid
2 (11 oz) cans whole corn, undrained
Cumin powder to taste
Dried oregano to taste
Dried basil to taste
Tabasco to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onions, carrots, and garlic until tender. Stir in the peppers. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 6-8 minutes.

2. Stir in tomatoes (with liquid), beans (with liquid), and corn (with liquid).

3. Bring to a boil. Add seasonings to taste. Reduce heat to medium, cover the pot, and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are soft (but not mushy). Stir occasionally.

4. Remove from heat and serve.

Excellent on its own, served with rice, or even as an additional topping for a burrito/fajita. Reheats nicely as well.