Bittermelon in Miso Sesame Sauce

I think bittermelons are under-appreciated given their nutritious value.  The name for starters, will turn many people off.  It is also not much of a looker.  I've recently tried a new way to cook it and I do prefer it to the black bean sauce recipe as this is lighter and somehow more refreshing.  We just stumbled upon a white bittermelon over the weekend at a farmers' market, so do watch this space for yet another bittermelon recipe.

Bittermelon in Miso Sesame Sauce

- 1 bittermelon

- 1 tbsp organic white miso paste

- 1 tsp mirin

- as much white sesame seeds as you want

Cut the bittermelon into manageable sections (about 2-3 inches long) and halve it to scrap out the spongy, seedy center with a spoon.

Slice the bittermelon as thinly as possible so it can cook quicker.

Heat up a wok and drizzle in some oil (whatever you fancy).  Stir fry the sliced bittermelon on high heat for about 2 minutes.  The bittermelon should be cooked through but still retaining some crunch.

In a bowl, mix the miso sauce with the mirin and about 1 tsp of water.  Make sure to dissolve the miso into the liquid so it becomes more sauce-like.  If you don't have mirin, you can skip it and add another tsp of water and a tiny bit of sugar for taste.  I've noted above to use organic miso paste because I've seen many non-organic ones using msg as one of their ingredients.  Yes, msg imparts that umami taste that many crave but it isn't the best stuff for you so try to omit it if possible.

Put the cooked bittermelon into the bowl with the sauce and mix them up so that every slice of the bittermelon will be coated with the sauce.  Sprinkle as much roasted white sesame seeds on it as you like.

DONE!! This is truly a simple, quick and hopefully healthy dish!

Ramen Yukino Ya

There's no shortage of good ramen in southern California.  I've tried most of the ones that hail from the land of the rising sun but I'm always on the lookout for good ramen that I've yet to try.

In comes Ramen Yukino Ya. Reviews on yelp were great and informed us that place is small and fills up quick. So of course I timed our arrival to correspond to the opening time. Also very helpful to know beforehand that it is cash only.

Restaurant is indeed small, probably sits less than 30 pax. Given that we weren't that hungry, we decided to order 1 bowl of spicy miso yukino ya ramen + bowl of stewed pork with rice and gyoza. We also got some hot tea to go with the food. I was rather disappointed that they charge $1 for each hot tea and that they used tea bags instead of loose tea leaves. I mean if I'm gonna be charged for something that is usually free at other restaurants, I would prefer if it was of better quality. 

Food came out pretty quickly. The stewed pork with rice ($2.75) was a small serving, more like a side dish. The pork was finely shredded and top with pickled ginger and green onions. The pork resembled chinese pork floss but was way more moist. Nothing really special but adds variety to a meal if you don't want to just eat ramen.

Next came the gyozas. 6 pieces for $5.50. It was pan fries very well and when you bite into it, it is still juicy inside. I would say the filling included chives (or the likes of it) and pork. Very tasty.

The star of the meal came soon. The red broth was enticing but didn't look oily. We added some garlic soy sauce they provided at the table.  You can't really taste the garlic but if you wanted a stronger flavor, ask for a garlic presser and add the minced garlic to your noodles. It didn't quite compare to Ippudo NY's black garlic oil, but hey, still a pretty good effort. I really enjoyed the spicy miso ramen. It had enough spice, texture of noodles was good and the broth was not very oily. If you get the yukino ya version, you get half an organic onsen egg, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, green onions, nori, and 2 thick pieces of chashu. To make it spicy you add $0.50 which made our bowl of ramen $8.75 in total. You can also add extra noodles for $1 more. Great value.

Verdict? Will definitely be back but will have ice water the next time round.

Ramen Yukino Ya 

18230 E Gale Ave

City of Industry, CA

626 581 8420

Hours: Tue - Sun 11:30am - 2:30pm & 5:30pm - 9pm

My Lazy / Easy Take on Taco Rice (tako raisu)

What is taco rice? Really? You have to ask me that question? The answer is in the name! It is erm basically taco on rice.

This is an Okinawan dish but the authentic one isn't quite like the one I've posted.  To learn the real way, please head over to No Recipes.  This is my take on it because I was too lazy to defrost any meat and really because this blog's objective is to show you how to make simple yet good meals with the stuff you already have!  Or so I say...

Instead of using sautéd ground beef, I decided to replace it with tofu and egg.  I only had silken tofu on hand, but using firm tofu would work as well but you should pan fry it or broil it to get it slightly toasted and crispy.  I used red leaf lettuce because, you guessed it, that was what was sitting in my fridge.   Feel free to use any greens that can be eaten raw.

Tofu Taco Rice

- Half a block of tofu
- 1 tbsp of soy sauce paste
- 1 tbsp of ketchup
- Tomatoes (amount depends on your preference)
- Raw greens
- 1 fried egg
- Half an avocado
- Mayo (optional)

Slice or cube the tofu.

Fry the egg.

Chop up the tomatoes and the greens.

To a plate of rice, add the tofu and drizzle some soy sauce paste and ketchup on top. Add the tomatoes and greens. Add the fried egg and top it off with the sliced avocado. Squeeze some Japanese mayo aka kwepie if so desired.

Fyi for the cholesterol conscious, I managed to find a yolk less asian mayo which tastes really good at an asian grocery store.

Enjoy your own take on taco rice!