Posts Tagged ‘fruit’

19.12.2009

Goya: more bitter than sweet

Though it is a fruit, there is nothing sweet about goya–also known as bitter melon or bitter gourd, it resembles a very bumpy cucumber and is in the same family as pumpkins, squash and gourds. It is traditionally eaten in Japan, China, Vietnam, India and other South and Southeast Asian countries.

this is the Vietnamese variety of bitter gourd

this is the Vietnamese variety of bitter gourd

C. says that while he was in Okinawa (where goya is very popular) people said the reason Okinawans live so long is because they eat lots of pork and lots of goya! I can’t verify this, but it sounds reasonable enough, I suppose. One dish that is very popular there is goya champuru which is a stir-fried dish that features goya and often pork, eggs, onion or garlic and other seasonings.
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Posted in Preserves, Tea, Veggies | 3 Comments »

04.12.2009

A persimmon smoothie!

Last week I found some fuyu persimmons for a decent price at a grocery store near my apartment, so bought a bunch of them. They were still firm when I brought them home, but after a day or two they were going soft. I prefer fuyu persimmons when they are crisp, so I started making persimmon smoothies with the softer ones, for a change.

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Posted in Breakfast | 6 Comments »

30.11.2009

Good treats from Chinatown

I’m not sure whether I’ve mentioned the following fact, but: I don’t work very much. As a consequence of this, I don’t have a lot of extra money. I buy books, food and tea. That’s it. I could work more than I do, I choose to work only part-time, and treasure this wealth of free time that I have. I’m well-aware that I won’t have the luxury of living this way forever, but for the time being, I’m enjoying it.

I suppose that a lot of the reason I began writing a blog was because of all this free time I have at my disposal. I spend a lot of my time cooking and reading, and I document some of that here in this space. With the rest of my time, I wander around the city, mostly. I’ve posted about trips to Montreal’s Botanical Gardens before, and it is one of the places in this city that I really love to visit. Another favorite wandering spot is Jean-Talon Market, and yet another is Chinatown. I go to Chinatown at least once a week, and I don’t really do much of anything there. When the weather is nice I sometimes read and drink some iced tea in a courtyard, or browse the imported food in one of many Chinese grocery stores.

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Posted in Snacks, Treats | 3 Comments »

26.11.2009

Apple butter, with a secret ingredient

How are you enjoying autumn? Are you getting your fill of all the wonderful fall produce? I hope you’re not sick of it, because we’ll have to wait until spring to really change our diets again… winter pumpkins/squash, potatoes, carrots, beets and onions are here to stay.

We’ve had a wonderful fall here in Montreal. Last year and the year before that we’d already had a few serious snowfalls by this time–luckily, we’ve only had one or two little flurries so far this season! I don’t expect it to continue, but I’m certainly enjoying our mild autumn. In respect to the quickly approaching cold season, I’ve given in and started eating lots of hearty food. After all, I want to stay nice and warm during the winter months.

I made a batch of apple butter this week, and it is soothing and delicious. It’s not overly sweet, and warms with its subtle spices and…

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that’s right, whiskey! What better to keep us warm on a cool late-autumn day? Or night, for that matter. I didn’t make the whiskey taste too strong, it is more of a ‘hidden taste’, but it gives a subtle woodiness that I particularly enjoy. This is a zippy, tasty apple butter that is not cloyingly sweet.
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Posted in Preserves, Treats | 3 Comments »

24.11.2009

Pomegranate love

I’m really enjoying the wonderful pomegranates available now. They are not local if you’re in Canada, but they are in season somewhere, and are in all the grocery stores and markets.

Local or not, I’ve been enjoying pomegranates. The last one I bought was sweet and flavourful. I ate most of the arils on top of numerous bowls of oatmeal and oatbran.

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This is a pleasing combination for me: the sweet, juicy pomegranate arils enliven the comforting warmth of the oatmeal. I also used some vanilla almond milk, to make it nice and creamy. It’s a wonderful start to the day!

Have you been eating pomegranates this season? What do you do with them?

love,
meg

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Posted in Breakfast | No Comments »

30.10.2009

Sujeonggwa: Korean persimmon punch

Let’s continue on today’s Korean kick, shall we? This is something else that I first tried in Korea, and have never seen here in Canada until I tried making it yesterday. It is essentially a strong ginger and cinnamon tea, sweetened with sugar and then dried persimmons are put in, to be steeped for a day in the fridge before drinking. The dried persimmons swell up and become as soft (or softer) than fresh persimmons. The punch is topped off with a few pine nuts before serving.

necessary materials: cinnamon sticks, sliced ginger, dried persimmons

necessary materials: cinnamon sticks, sliced ginger, dried persimmons

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Posted in Tea, Treats | 1 Comment »