Category Archives: Food

Sweet Potato Fans

Leave a comment Posted by on May 3, 2014
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Sweet potato from a shop in Minowa covered street in Tokyo

Japanese are fond of sweet potato. I’ve seen somebody snacking on boiled sweet potato somewhere. Seems she prepared it at home, placed in her tote as an ‘on the go’ snack.  I’ve tried the cut caramelized sugar-coated chilled ones and a sample of boiled ones from Kawagoe City in Saitama Prefecture. I even saw a shop selling sweet potato ice cream in that place.

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A store selling salted sweet potato fries in Kitain Temple Grounds at Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture

When I was at Tsuchiura City, I’ve blissfully snacked on the salted cut ones, in other words ‘sweet potato fries’ but thicker in pieces.

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Salted sweet potato, a delicious oxymoron

And so based from I had eaten so far, I think Japan’s sweet potato variety is superior than what I’ve had (so far since childhood) in the Philippines.

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A shopkeeper in Kawagoe selling sweet potato snacks. Sweet potato is a specialty of Kawagoe, so naturally the mascot of this place is a sweet potato

Food, Japan, Produce , , , , ,

Weekend Farmer’s Market

Leave a comment Posted by on April 27, 2014

What it is like to be in a Sunday farmer’s market in Tokyo…

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Not too crowded and a very pleasant day

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Colorful packaging/wrapper is so Japan

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Tomatoes in different colors

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Bicycle coffee

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Lovely carrots and a genuine smile

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Kimono lady

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Gives me an impression of sanitary food handling

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Their specialty is katsuobushi

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Shaving katsuobushi block

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Presence of several food trucks such as this

Food, Japan, Market, Produce , ,

Roadside Ramen Bar

Leave a comment Posted by on April 24, 2014

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To walk aimlessly in Tokyo evenings, and when hungry and cold, to eat some big bowl of ramen in white broth on a roadside ramen bar. That’s my kind of thing to do in Tokyo and not the Donki thing nor the Uniqlo or GU thing.

Food, Japan , , ,

Fried Noodle Sandwich

Leave a comment Posted by on April 23, 2014

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It’s quite a common fare in Japan’s bread shops and even in konbinis this sandwich of fried noodles that is usually garnished with pickled ginger. Now one can eat yakisoba on the go.

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Food, Japan , ,

Boiled Egg Box

Leave a comment Posted by on April 20, 2014
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Hardboiled egg packaged in a kawaii way by 7-11 Japan. Happy Easter!

Food, Japan, Packaging , , , ,

Japanized Spaghetti

1 Comment Posted by on April 20, 2014
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Spaghetti topped with fried egg, a first for me

One afternoon while strolling in Akiba in chilly weather (about 8°C) and trying to find a particular gachapon place, I came upon an underground spaghetti bar where I intentionally chose to take refuge from the cold. 

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Spaghetti underground bar in Akiba

The reason was because its spaghetti picture menu (placed at the roadside) looked appetizing in a Japanese way, and indeed it was for there was no leftover in my large order.

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See the spaghetti guy in black?

Food, Japan , , ,

Bignay Vinegar

2 Comments Posted by on March 31, 2014

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I used to eat bignay (the fruit) with salt in my hometown and Hiligaynons call it bugnay. Now I’m using bignay vinegar as dipping sauce. It’s masarap thanks to the enterprising neighbor who makes wine and vinegar out of bignay.

Metro Manila, Sawsawan , , , ,

Bisugo

Leave a comment Posted by on March 29, 2014

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Market, Metro Manila, Seafood , , ,

Mr. Durian is Southeast Asian

Leave a comment Posted by on March 28, 2014
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He is very hard and spiky on the outside

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...but creamy and yummy in the inside

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He is my post dinner treat that made me post him here

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I then remember this snapshot I took in Malioboro St, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Food , ,

Jackfruit Seeds

Leave a comment Posted by on March 24, 2014
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Buto ng langka (jackfruit seeds)

It’s such a waste to throw away the seeds of jackfruit for these are edible, pleasant in taste and very filling that I’ve been eating boiled ones (like how I eat nuts) since I was in grade school.  I think this will make a good trail food.

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Boiled jackfruit seeds.

Food , , ,

Ayamku & Jollibee

Leave a comment Posted by on March 21, 2014

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Malays attachment to fried chicken (ayam goreng) is so plain to see. Both in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo Malaysia, KFCs are everywhere and more popular than any other imported chains. Apart from fastfood chains, in the warungs, padangs and lesehans of Indonesia for example, ayam goreng is always there for you.

Brunei Darussalam has its own fried chicken chain. Ayamku Restaurant as what I’ve perceived is obviously close to Bruneians heart.

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Ayamku counter

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Fried spring chicken

But you know what, Bruneians have also this imported chain and it looks like the locals are in love with its fried chicken known as Chickenjoy that this particular chain has already 14 branches in their country (proudly claimed by the cashier in the picture below).

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Bruneians love Jollibee too

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She is proud to be a Jollibee crew

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1 piece Chickenjoy receipt

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Another branch of Ayamku in Bandar Seri Begawan, Kiulap address

Brunei Darussalam, Food , , , , , ,

Kulitis

Leave a comment Posted by on March 8, 2014

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Kulitis plant (amaranth) in my tiny container garden, my source of green leafy vegetable for viands such as tinolang isda, munggo soup (with malunggay from garden), tinolang manok and for anything else that needed leaves. This plant grows anywhere even in poor soil condition. Not so many know it’s edible. My neighbor says it’s a weed understandably because kulitis is such an underutilized crop in the country.

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Repurposed bamboo from binungey kakanin I had in Bolinao as container for my kulitis plant

Edible plants such as kulitis is my kind of vegetable, those warm weather ones, those pinakbet and Bahay Kubo ones that grow in lowlands and not those lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, not those highland high value sort, you know those Ceasar salad kind even if I live and work in the city.

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Bilong bilong tinola with kulitis

Food, Garden , , ,

Adorned With Tomatoes

Leave a comment Posted by on March 6, 2014

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Fish for sale are decorated with tomatoes (and green chili peppers) which gives me the impression that they are fresh. I suppose that’s the purpose of tomato adornment. Next time I’ll ask the vendor.

Metro Manila, Seafood , , ,

Ambuyat

Leave a comment Posted by on February 23, 2014

Filipino is to rice as Bruneian is to ambuyat.

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This sago paste is also known as ambuyat

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Eaten like rice (except the chewing part as this is swallowed) with several viands as accompaniment

Brunei Darussalam, Food , , ,

Sun Drying Keropok

Leave a comment Posted by on February 20, 2014
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Like a giant crabstick and slices of it will be sun dried

This particular eating place, in one of the water villages of Kampong Ayer, makes its own keropok. I asked the all-around lady helper if it was made from udang (shrimp), but she answered crab. So I guess it’s ketam (crab), and it tasted like one.

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Sun drying

This keropok was good that I had about 6 packs of cooked ones in the course of several times I went there for a meal.

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Took a snapshot in this angle to capture the passing water taxi

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A closer look of the keropok in the winnowing basket

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Keropok as an accompaniment to my evening meal

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A pack of cooked keropok cost 1 Brunei Dollar

Brunei Darussalam, Food , , , , , ,

Ketupat

1 Comment Posted by on February 19, 2014

The puso or hanging rice of Cebu isn’t local in that city as what several have claimed  in their writings (even without basis). I’ve eaten puso in Leyte and Negros provinces and have seen it outside the country in Indonesia. Finally I got snaphots of it in Brunei where I had it with satay and where it’s called ketupat.

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Cooked white rice packaged in weaved palm fronds

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Sliced open by knife, same as how they do it with puso in Cebu

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Satay stall in Bandar Seri Begawan where ketupat is 1 BND for 3 pieces. Paired with satay when eaten, just like how it's paired with skewered barbeque in Cebu

Brunei Darussalam, Food , , , ,

Palengke Style Longganisa

1 Comment Posted by on February 12, 2014

In Cabatuan public market, I came across two guys preparing longganisa (sausage) palengke style.

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Cleaning the pork intestines by means of scraping

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Casing of the longganisa from cleaned pork intestines. All natural

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Adding lots of sugar and some salt into the 5 kilo ground pork

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This is the most unappealing part - the addition of strawberry food color

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Soy sauce is added

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Mixing by hand

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The mix is now ready to be made into links using the natural casing from pig intestines

Food, Isabela, Market , , , ,

DIY: Danggit Lamayo

Leave a comment Posted by on February 10, 2014

Occasionally there’s fresh danggit in the talipapa near the village where I live so in one of those times I decided to get some (80 pesos/kilo) and asked the fish lady to open it up.

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Fresh danggit

I marinated the danggit in vinegar, garlic and salt and let the fish absorb the marinade overnight inside the refrigerator before freezing it.
Danggit lamayo is usually eaten as breakfast in Palawan. It was in Coron where I had this for the first time as my daily breakfast. After that first time, I’ve observed that in Puerto Princesa and El Nido, fried danggit lamayo is ever present in the breakfast menu of hotels, guesthouses and resorts.
One thing normal to danggit lamayo (no matter if it’s boneless or not) is the price. It’s expensive even if the concept is the same as those packed marinated bangus. Must be because rabbit fish isn’t farmed.

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Deep fried danggit lamayo if paired with fried egg and eaten with fried pink rice makes a very satisfying "fried" almusal

Metro Manila, Seafood , , , , , , , , ,

Panciteria

Leave a comment Posted by on February 8, 2014

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It’s a likelihood that the pancit sold by the kilo in the palengke will be bought for preparing into pancit cabagan or pancit batil patong. These two pancit dishes are always in the menu of panciterias in Isabela.
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Boiling pork in the panciteria’s kitchen. Afterwards it will be fried to make lechon kawali, a primary topping of pancit cabagan

Food, Isabela , , , ,

Inatata

Leave a comment Posted by on February 7, 2014

 

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Suman packaged in banana leaf and sold in ammo like bundles in Ilagan

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Ammunition for hungry self

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Inatata is one of the good ones (among the many suman in the country)

Arrangement, Food, Isabela, Packaging , , ,

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