meemalee

Ramen egg in situ People complain that it's hard to get around in Japan because you're literally lost in translation. This isn't true for a number of reasons which I won't go into now, but especially when it comes to food. Most restaurants, even the high-end ones, have amazing plastic models in their windows called " sampuru " which show you pretty much exactly what you're going to get; when you get inside, the menus often contain pictures; and a lot of more casual places make you order in advance from a machine which has photos of all the dishes (it's a bit like buying a car park ticket, but what you get in return is a hell of a lot more fun). Choosing noodle options in Osaka I loved using these machines because you could easily build up the craziest order possible without any confusion - press this button for extra noodles, that button for tempura on the side - but my favourite button was the one which got you a ramen egg. A r...

Tea Eggs I've not been able to eat soft-boiled eggs recently, so I've been trying to find ways to pimp hard-boiled ones to make them more interesting. One of my favourite methods is to turn them into Tea Eggs  (aka Marble Eggs and Tea Leaf Eggs) - a classic snack throughout Asia which probably originated in China, where eggs are hard-boiled, cracked gently, and then simmered in a mix of tea, soy and spices to achieve a beautiful crazy paving effect all over - and a flavourful kick. Tea eggs are easy to make and it's incredibly satisfying to see the cobweb patterns appear. Cinnamon, Star Anise, Tea Leaves Marbled Tea Eggs 6 eggs 2 tbsp black tea leaves or two black tea bags - I like Lapsang Souchong for smoky flavour, though Pu-Ehr is more usual 2 tbsp dark soy sauce  1 tbsp light soy sauce 2 tbsp sugar  4 star anise  2 cinnamon sticks 1 tsp five spice powder 1 tsp of cracked black peppercorns Hard boil the eggs in a saucepan of wate...

Egg and Bacon Tarts So Sainsbury's contacts me.  They say, "Next month is Organic September - a month long promotion of organic food by the Soil Association - and to celebrate this, we'd love to send you a box of our seasonal goods from our SO Organic range for you to come up with some recipes". I think, "Meh, I do like a cookery challenge. All right then".  The allotted time and date arrives. There's a knock at the door, and a cheerful driver says, "Here's the delivery for Miss Bunty Fairweather*".  I think, "Eh?" and say, "Um, I am expecting a delivery, but my name's MiMi, not Bunty". He looks perplexed and shrugs.  I say, "Are they all organic products?" and he says, "Yes", and hands the goods over since the address is right and he doesn't really give a monkey's what my name is.  I put the bag on the kitchen table and empty its contents excitedly. So. There's milk, ...

Scotch egg! Scotch egg! How I love thee! For the uninitiated, Oliver Thring gives good background on what a Scotch egg is and where it came from. This is not a Scotch egg . The formula for what makes a good Scotch egg is very simple: Soft-Boiled Egg + Seasoned Meat + Breadcrumb + Deep-Frying --> Heaven in a Sphere A far cry from those supermarket horrors comprising hard, greying eggs rattling around in a case of pappy sausagemeat and moist crumb, never mind what Wikipedia says, a Scotch egg should be warm and cossetting, with meat that yields and a yolk that dribbles. So I am delighted to announce that I'll be one of a distinguished panel of judges at the Scotch Egg Challenge on Tuesday 9th August Tuesday 20th September (postponed due to the troubles in London ) at that marvellous pub called The Ship in Wandsworth to decide who makes the best Scotch Egg. Open to professionals, pubs and restaurants alike, if you'd like to enter or want more details,...

Some people don't like century eggs. Those people are wrong . Whenever I visit Burma, I try to consume five times my bodyweight in food - that’s just the way I roll (sometimes literally, on the way back from Heathrow). Give me a break, I only make it out there every couple of years, so I need to make it last. This means I eat out (and in) about 12 times a day and succeed in putting on at least two dress sizes. I’m completely spoilt for choice when it comes to eating out - there are 135 ethnic groups in Burma each with varying cuisines. I’m a mixed bag myself - I worked out the other day that I’m 38% Shan, 32% Bamar, 13% Intha and 17% Chinese. I used a spreadsheet and everything. I guess it’s the Chinese in me that drives me to visit Shway Bè in Mandalay (that and the magnificent mascot - see above), for Shway Bè is ostensibly a Chinese restaurant, though most of the food has a Burmese twist. And when we’re there, we always order the roast duck (Shway Bè means ...

Japanese konbini eggs are da bomb. That is all.

So Sir Paul McCartney is exhorting us to have Meat-Free Mondays and for once I'm impressed. Don't get me wrong, I love the Beatles, but I've always thought Macca was a bit of a tool partly due to the McCartney/Lennon credits squabble and partly because a few years back, I went to see Theatre of the New Ear (amazing Coen Brothers / Charlie Kauffman play ) and, just before it started, Paul and then wife Heather Mills marched in front of the audience and stopped just so he could do a thumbs-up "Ayyyyy!" in the style of Arthur Fonzarelli . Heather looked really embarrassed and I actually felt sorry for her. Then they traipsed up the aisles to sit eight rows behind us. Heh. Anyway, I'm a rampant carnivore, but even I can see that it would be better for the planet's future to go meat-free where possible and everyone can do it at least one day a week. Therefore I present to you my favourite vegetarian Burmese dish - Egg Curry aka jet-u jhet (literally ...

So last Sunday, I picked up a lovely bunch of acacia leaf from Tawana Thai supermarket for just one of your English pounds. Proper name Acacia pennata , known as tsu boht in Burmese and cha om in Thai , acacia leaf tastes like heaven, but smells like absolute hell. My husband calls it "poo weed". In fact, the sulfurous vapours are so noxious that allegedly Thai people won't put it near mynah birds , lest the poor creatures become overwhelmed by fumes and drop dead. The Burmese, Thai, Laotians and Cambodians all eat acacia leaf in pretty much the same way, either blanched and dipped into various sauces, or fried up in an omelette. It needs to be prepared pretty carefully though - tsu boht literally means "rotten thorn" in Burmese - just look at these beauties to see why: However, if you put on a (gas) mask and some gloves, you're ready to rock. Acacia Leaf Omelette (Burmese: tsu boht jet-u khaot jor) (Thai: Kai jeaw Cha-om) Serves 2 A bunch of acacia le...