simple chicken tacos
5 days ago
Kappabashi, Tokyo
Kappabashi is a cook's delight and not much of a touristy place at all. The whole street is lined with shops selling items related to cooking & food. This is where the restaurants shop. I shopped to my heart's content. My finds includes a few kettles, Bento boxes for the kids, chop sticks, tea mugs and salt and pepper shaker.
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Travel
Sansoji, Tokyo, Japan
Sansoji also called as Asakusa Kannon is one of Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple. Apart from a very quiet sanctum sanatorium, you are bound to find red lanterns, pit in the middle of the temple for incenses, huge statues of Buddha and lots of people.
The streets leading to the temple has all kinds of shops including local sweets, kimonos, fans and the usual suspects.
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Travel
Higashiyama District, Kyoto
Higashiyama district is one of the best places to experience historic Kyoto. The place is so well preserved you will see many Chinese visitors, usually young girls, dressed up in Kimonos. You can find small cafes, restaurants, shops that sells anything from fans, kimonos, pottery, many varieties of tea, scarves, knives, art works ...
..including green tea ice cream.
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Travel
Nijo Castle, Kyoto, Japan
Shogun's palace or Nijo castle is any history buff's dream destination to go to. This was an imperial palace and when the royal family moved to Tokyo, they donated this for public viewing. The entire castle is surrounded by moat, wall and a beautiful gate (pic above)
The castle has absolutely no furniture inside as Shogun's enemies could hide behind it. There are some small desks for the clerks to work on. The floors are squeaky so Shogun's enemies cannot sneak into the castle. If you look into the structure below the castle, even today you can see the nails that helped create squeaky wooden floors. The ones visiting the castle has to wear a certain type of garment.
Shogun would let only certain ranks of officers to visit him and even when they do visit him, he would sit on an elevated platform and his security men hidden in closets. Only women were allowed to enter the inner chambers.
The garden surrounding the palace is a traditional Japanese garden. Visitors would bring him gifts in the form of plants & rocks to beautify his garden. There is a portion of the garden where Princess Diana and Prince Charles had a private tea ceremony when they visited Kyoto. It does pay to be royalty.
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Travel
Golden Temple, Kyoto, Japan
The golden temple is a Zen temple and the entire second and third floor is covered with gold leaf. It has been burnt down multiple times in the past and has been reconstructed. The garden around the temple is as beautiful as the temple itself. This used to be Shogun's retirement house.
We did a day trip to Kyoto and realize now that we should have stayed there the entire time we were in Japan. Most of the traditional architecture and structures are preserved in this part of the town.
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Travel
Kiyomizudera or Pure Water Temple, Kyoto, Japan
The Kiyomizudera temple is an architectural marvel. The logs simply rests in the carved wooden structure and has absolutely no nails. The entire structure can move this way and that. I am guessing it is to protect itself from the earth quakes. The roof is anything like what I have seen before. It was a hot day and the temple inside was so refreshingly cool. Our guide took us to this vantage point for a good picture of the temple.
Many budding artists in the past have donated their art work to decorate the interiors of the temple. displaying their work in the temple was a good way to promote their craftsmanship. There is a smaller temple for Buddha's mother on the other side of the hill. People believe expecting mothers who visit the temple have easier deliveries.
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Travel
Shinto Shrine, Kyoto, Japan
The temple is a good hike up the mountain and through the Torri or the vermilion gates. The orange paint is the same color as that of the Bengal Tigers and the paint was imported from India. It always pays to have a Japanese guide to show you around. While there is a time to get lost in a new place and rediscover yourself there are times for a personal tour guide. We were glad we hired one who spoke English.
Recall the movie "The Memoirs of Geisha", these are the gates the young Geisha runs through right after the first commentary stops. The names engraved on the gates are those of the donors along with the date and time of donation.
In early Spring, the ground is filled with dried camphor leaves on the ground and when crumbled, fills the air with good camphor smell. At the same time, new Japanese maple leaves start coming out. I am sure its quite a sight in Autumn with the leaves changing colors.
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Travel
Bullet Trains, Japan
Dallas is trying to build bullet trains and the first one is planned between Dallas to Houston, provided they get all the blessings from all the required stakeholders. While it might be new to USA, these have been around in Japan for over 50 years and the bullet trains changed the entire commerce landscape for Japan. We took the train from Tokyo to Kyoto. There's a train every 5 minutes. These are so punctual, you can set your watch on these train timings.
Above is a picture of the lovely Japanese country side. You can see the ocean on one side and Mount Fiji on the other. Unlike trains in China and India, the trains are so quiet.
You will hardly find any talk on their phones. Most of the heads will be buried deep in their phones or eat a sushi Bento box they picked up from the eateries in the station. Below is a sample menu an eatery offered. There were tons of fake food the Japanese use for display. You could very well find gourmet coffee like the one in the picture above.
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Travel
Sushi in Japan
To say that there is "orderliness" in Japan is such an understatement. Everything is so perfect and awesome that it reminds me of the Lego movie. No body changes lanes while driving on roads, the cucumbers in the sushi are cut so perfectly .. and I can go on forever.
Almost everything is automated in Japan. Inspite of the automation, you will find business hire people to simply greet and welcome customers everywhere from airports to restaurants. Not too many people speak in English. However, when you find one, you get some amazing tidbits into their culture. We waited patiently for 2 hours to get into one of the best sushi places in Ginza. The table next to us was a Japanese family (just like the one next to it and the one next to). The daughter knew English and helped us understand the menu.
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| Street view - other restaurants in the area. |
If time permits, and you do not mind the smell of raw fish, do visit the fish market, where they auction fish and have some fresh sushi for breakfast.
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Travel
Ginza, Tokyo
We stayed in Ginza, a popular shopping and entertainment area. The area might resemble New York city a lot, but at night, it is one of the best spots to look for neon lights in Tokyo. Needless to say, there's tons of places to eat near by.
Riya's favorite travel destination when she was 10 was Japan. She wanted to ride the Pokemon plane, buy tons of Pokemon cards. Now we are going through the exact same trend with Rohan. The obvious first destination right after we land in Tokyo is at Hakuhinkin Toy store to get some trading cards. The store had tons of architectural puzzles in wood, some cute wooden Japanese dolls and the usual suspects.
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Travel
Colosseum, Roma Italy
It suddenly struck my husband that it was our 15th wedding anniversary and my milestone birthday this year. Good for him, one of the airlines were running a great deal for tickets to Spain and Italy. As much as "Zindagi Na Milege Doobara" marketed trips to Spain, the fact that we could walking on the same ground where Ceaser and other Romans walked was too much to not pick Rome. It's a little touristy and there is a good reason behind it. We did the audio tour at the Colessuem and ate a lot of gelato and pizza.
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Travel
Shopping in Florence, Italy
Shopping in Florence is not limited to Miu-Miu or Hermes boutiques. Plenty of local markets. Ask around for where the locals buy their goods from including gold jewelry, leather bags, scarves and belts. That's how I found out about the market near the old bridge. I found beautiful bags with great style and amazing craftsmanship. It's not too big but the quality is way better than the one near central market. Was actually surprised to see jewelry in the area. reminded me of Pondy Bazaar.
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Travel
Manga Thenga Pattani Sundal
2 Cups Channa or Chick Peas
A few curry leaves
2 Tsp turmeric powder
2 Tsp Red chilli powder
2 Tsp Oil
Salt to taste
2 tsp Mustard seeds
A few Dried red chillies broken in half and my preference is to deseed it.
Optional
Coconut cubed into thin pieces
1/2 Raw Mango cubed into thin pieces
Method
- Soak the channa overnight
- Pressure cook until it's cooked well. Usually 3-4 whistles are good, but I have seen different varieties cook differently. We are not looking for mushy consistency. Cooked but firm.
- Heat a pan with the oil
- Add mustard seeds and wait until it splits.
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From my Kitchen
Oven Roasted Veggies
I have a way with falling into a cooking rut. It's the cooking technique that I fall prey for not the entire recipe. A while ago it was "Whipping". I would whip the milk for coffee, eggs before they went into the omelet and anything that is whip-able. The latest is my obsession with oven roasted veggies. The recipe is always the same, the variable part is the veggies.
- Pre-heat oven to 400 or 425 degrees.
- Chop the veggies to equal sized pieces.
- Spread on an oven safe tray.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper. I also add turmeric, cayenne powder, Asafoetida (for Indian style potatoes), if I am in the mood to make something elaborate.
- Throw in some rosemary, oregano or what ever herb I have on hand. Some go well with certain veggies than others.
- Bake it in the oven for 30 - 45 minutes depending on the quantity and type of veggie used
I roasted potatoes and carrots. Mixed it up with greens and pomegranate for a refreshing salad.
.... a recipe from last Thanksgiving
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From my Kitchen
Glaicier Brewhouse, Anchorage, Alaska
When in Anchorage, do not forget to visit the Glacier Brewhouse. The best restaurant in city. Expect a long wait to get in and that's always a good sign. This is where we headed on a Saturday right after our visit to the Saturday market.
This is what I ordered - Spicy fish, salsa and rice.
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Travel
Pies Galore
We are huge fans of NPR that we get our inspiration for Thanksgiving dinner menu from the news channel. My husband heard the story of a chef learning to make his Nana's sweet potato pie. The setting is somewhere in Georgia. We need no additional convincing. Guess what made it to our list of pies this year.
We made the Sweet potato pie and a chocolate-apple-pecan pie.
The intent was to make a chocolate pie and then I realized the contents filled only half way through the pie. So filled the rest with green apples, pecans and shaved chocolate.
The pies are now cooling off as the turkey goes into the oven for 4 hours.
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Celebrate Life,
From my Kitchen
Spicy Potato Wedges
Somethings sweet and some savory. We cook and eat all day long on Thanksgiving day. Each dish is phased so we not running on empty stomach. Of course we save some exclusively for the sit down dinner.
Recipe for the Spicy Potato Wedges
Grind the following in a spice grinder -
2 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tsp Pepper seeds
4 Dried Chilies
1 tsp Jeera
1 tsp Corriander seeds
1 tsp Hing
2 tsp salt
Method
- Heat oven to 400F.
- Wash and cut 8-10 small sized potatoes into wedges. Coat the potatoes with ground spice.
- Add 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves to the potatoes
- Space it evenly on a oven-proof sheet and drizzle olive oil on top of the potatoes.
- Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
- Squeeze lemon juice before serving.
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Celebrate Life,
From my Kitchen
Happy Thanksgiving
My latest obsession is Trader Joe. I'm there every week and have possibly tried all their products. This Thanksgiving, most of my menu is from there. Round 1 is melted brie, toasted sourdough bread, cheese with lavender and cranberry sauce.
As my finals are fast approaching, I took a few short cuts this time. Store bought cranberry sauce. Well, not any store, it's Trader Joe's Cranberry sauce. I got this recipe from a fellow shopper while I was trying chose the cheese for the Thanksgiving dinner.
Step 1. I prepped olive oil by mixing it with crushed garlic cloves and red chilies. Left it overnight for the favors to blend in.
Step 2. Melted the Brie in the oven for a few minutes
Step 3. Drizzled some flavored olive oil on top of the sourdough bread and toasted it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 7 - 8 minutes.
Step 4. Dip the bread in the melted cheese, or spread it with the cranberry sauce or orange marmalade. The choices are plenty.
You can always replace Sourdough with French. My family prefers sourdough over any other kind of bread. Stay tuned for the rest of the recipes.
A Very Happy Thanksgiving From My Family to Yours!!!
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Celebrate Life,
From my Kitchen
Almond Biscotti
Looking for a recipe for a baked goods sale at school for kids? My sister-in-law suggested biscotti and to my surprise, I did find it terribly simple to make. Here is the recipe I used.
I would have used my sister-in-law's recipe, but the measurements in her recipe were in the metrics system and it would have probably taken me for ever to convert it.
Labels:
From my Kitchen
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