Honey Lotus Root Stuffed with Glutinous Rice

I really want to introduce a kind of Chinese dessert in our blogger.

Honey Lotus Root Stuffed with Glutinous Rice is a local dessert of Hangzhou made from lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice, sweet osmanthus and sugar. The lotus root used in the dish is from West Lake and is the best in China. The dish perfectly combines crispy lotus root, sticky glutinous rice, sweet honey and fragrant osmanthus together. It offers a unique flavor.

The recipe is relatively simple but requires some patience. First, cut the head off the lotus and clean its holes. Second, stuff the glutinous rice into the holes, and put the root’s head back in case the rice flowing out; third, boil the lotus root with medium fire until it’s brown; fourth, wax the lotus root and cut it into slices; at last, steam the lotus root slices with sweet osmanthus and cube sugar until the cube sugar melt.

Korean barbecue

The cuisine of Korea offers many delicious dishes, including those of Korean barbecue. Common ingredients for cooking include Korean soy sauce (called ganjang), sesame oil, soy bean and red pepper pastes, fish sauce, garlic and ginger. Dishes are based on rice, noodles, tofu, vegetables and meats. Perhaps the best known dish is kimchi, which consists of vegetables like cucumber, green onion, radish and cabbage fermented with spices. You can experience all of these flavors when dining out on Korean barbecue. Various raw meats are brought to your table where you cook them to your liking over a built-in grill. The meats are accompanied by vegetables to grill and banchan, or side dishes.

High Tea in Tea Room QVB

At the Tea Room QVB, they offer a stylish dining experience delivered with attentive service. Their online store provides you with the opportunity to give the gift of an afternoon tea or dining experience at their recently refurbished venue in the iconic Queen VictoriA Building that is located in the heart of Sydney's CBD.

Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea at the Tea Room is a lavish affair that makes it the perfect, memorable gift, Guests enjoy Asia Pacific's largest selection of Ronnefeldt teas and are presented with delectable cakes, scones, sandwiches and savory pastries that are created by their own kitchen and served on tiered silver stands. Amidst the soft 'clink' of English china, their tea service is an opportunity for guests to delight in tradition in a luxurious setting.

resource from:http://giftstore.thetearoom.com.au

Oyster omelette

Oyster omelette is a typical Asia street staple food and is very popular in Taiwan. To make this dish, fresh oysters are fried with beaten eggs and crisp bok-choi. Then it is bound with starch solution to make an omelette. Usually, oyster omelette is served with sweet and salty sauce. There are venders sell this food in cities and villages. People like to eat because oysters help them to see clearer and keep warm in heart, especially in  winter.

Method

Soak oysters in water.

Mix sweet potato flour, salt and water into a thin runny batter and leave aside.

Heat oil in a non-stick wok or pan. Scoop out two ladles of batter onto the wok. Give a quick stir and crack in the eggs one at a time. Stir quickly, and then push cooked batter to the side of the wok.

Add 2 spoon oil to the wok; add ground ingredients and saute well. Add in oysters. Cook for a minute and combine the egg and sweet potato flour batter together with the oysters.

Add pepper and sprinkle with chopped spring onions and chives. Give it a stir then dish out and serve with chilli garlic sauce.

Kimchi

Kimchi, also spelled kimchee or gimchi, is a traditional fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. It is often described as "spicy" or "sour". In traditional preparation kimchi is often allowed to ferment underground in jars for months at a time.[4]

It is Korea's national dish, with hundreds of varieties made from napa cabbage, radish, scallion, or cucumber as a main ingredient. Kimchi also has many different kinds depends on the main ingredients.

Kimchi varieties are determined by the main vegetable ingredients and the mix of seasonings used to flavor the kimchi.

The Kimchi Field Museum in Seoul has documented 187 historic and current varieties of kimchi. Ingredients can be replaced or added depending on the type of kimchi being made. The most common seasonings include brine, scallions, spices, ginger, chopped radish and garlic.

Dumpling (Jiaozi)

Jiaozi or if fried, pot sticker, is a type of dumpling commonly eaten across Eastern, Central and Western Asia. Though commonly considered part of Chinese cuisine, jiaozi are also commonly eaten in many other Asian countries.

Jiaozi typically consists of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together or by crimping. Jiaozi should not be confused with wonton; jiaozi has a thicker skin and a relatively flatter, more oblate, double-saucer like shape (similar in shape to ravioli), and is usually eaten with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce (and/or hot chili sauce); while wontons have thinner skin and are usually served in broth. The dough for the jiaozi and wonton wrapper also consist of different ingredients.

1m Pizza

Criniti's yet again brings the taste of Italy to Sydney. Pizza al Metro is an old Italian tradition dating back to the early nineteenth century from it's birth town of Vico Equense near the beautiful city f Sorrento. The phenomenon of the pizza al metro, brain child of pizza Chef Luigi Dell 'Amura soon spread throughout Italy, even Europe.

Pizza al Metro, the first of its kind in Sydney, is make from the same style wood fired crust Xriniti's has become famous for. It is served piping hot to your table on log wooden boards. It comes in 0.5 and 1 meter lengths. Choose up to 2 pizza varieties on the half meter and up to 3 on the 1 meter Pizza al Metro. (Souce from the pizza al metro website: http://www.crinitis.com.au)

I have been Woolloomooloo to eat the 1m pizza which is amazing.

Tzung Tzu

The Duanwu Festival, commonly known as the Dragon Boat Festival (5th day of the 5th lunar month), for this year the date is June 2. Therefore, I want talk about a very popular dish during the Dragon Boat festival, which is tzung tzu.  This tasty dish consists of rice dumplings with meat, peanut, egg yolk, or other fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves.

Here is a recipe for tzung tzu:

1. 50 sheets of bamboo or reed leaves

2. Glutinous rice (1 kilogram)

3. Chinese dates (250 grams)

Directions:

1.Soak the rice and the dates 12 hours or more till they are soaked thoroughly.

2.Wash the leaves.

3.A chopping board is necessary for laying out the leaves.

4.Fold the leaves flat at the leafstalk to make a sheet.

5.Hold the sheet, fold it round in the middle and make a funnel till both ends are laid over each other in one direction.

6.Use about 1/10 kg. of rice and 6 dates for each dumpling. The dates must be covered by the rice so that they won't lose too much syrup in cooking.

7.Fold the leaves up to seal the open side of the funnel and tie the bundle with a band made of twisted leaves. Make sure that the bundle is tied neither too tight nor too loose. This helps make sure that the ingredients are well cooked.

8.Put the dumplings in a pot, cover with water and make sure they are pressed and kept still while being boiled.

9.Cooking time: 40 minutes in a pressure cooker; 2 hours in an ordinary pot.

Masala dosa

A masala dosa is a south Indian delicacy made by stuffing a dosa with a lightly cooked filling of potatoes, fried onions and spices. The dosa is wrapped around an onion and potato curry or sabji and was originally invented by Udupi Hotels.

It is listed as number 49 on World's 50 most delicious foods compiled by CNN Go in 2011.

In Bangalore, the masala dosa is usually served with a red chutney applied to its inside surface. The red chutney usually has generous amounts of garlic.

Drink and dine ten of Sydney's best pubs: The Oaks

With a menu by chef Danny Russo and an in-house butcher in the Bar and Grill, the labyrinthine Oaks has everything going for it. I still dream about the steak with bone marrow I had there last year. Of course, you can cook it yourself, too, but why ruin a good piece of meat? The beer garden under that wonderful old oak tree, with some very nice drops of beer and a good wine selection, is the stuff of legend for a long weekend lunch.

Mooncake

Mooncake  is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival is for lunar worship and moon watching, when mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four most important Chinese festivals.

general description

Most mooncakes consist of a thin, tender pastry skin enveloping a sweet, dense filling, and may contain one or more whole salted egg yolks in their center as the symbol of the full moon. Very rarely, mooncakes are also served steamed or fried.

Traditional mooncakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for "longevity" or "harmony", as well as the name of the bakery and the filling inside. Imprints of the moon, the Lady Chang'e on the moon, flowers, vines, or a rabbit (symbol of the moon) may surround the characters for additional decoration.

Mooncakes are considered a delicacy as production is labor-intensive and few people make them at home. Hence, most prefer to buy them from commercial outlets, which may range from smaller individual bakery shops to high-end restaurants. The price of mooncakes usually ranges from AU$10 to AU$50 for a box of four, although cheaper and more expensive mooncakes can also be found.