Taro & Tapioca Pearl Dessert

Easter Sunday, Mom and Phuong put me up to the task of making Che (sweet soup dessert). Mom was busy prepping all the stuff for Bun Thit Nuong and frying up some eggrolls while Phuong made Banh Bot Loc.

First time making this dessert - a few lessons learned for sure!



The pearls can be purchased at your local asian market.

Boil the pearls covered (about 1 cup of pearls to 6 cups of water)for 10 minutes. The centers will still be white - but if you let sit covered as you prepare other components, they will eventually become clear.


Steam cubed pieices of Taro. Then let cool so that they will hold up in the dessert.


Smash ginger root (1/4 cup of it) and dilute it with 1 cup of hot water (the Ginger is optional)


Strain the ginger tea and discard the pulp.


The tapioca pearls will look like this.


Fill a medium-large pot halfway with water. Stir in 1 can of coconut milk, ginger tea, and 2 cups of suger. Bring to boil. Add the cooled Taro. Bring to boil again and then turn off heat.


Gently stir in the pearls and 1 tablespoon of vanilla flavoring. Avoid stirring to much to keep the the Taro from falling apart. Taste, add more sugar if necessary.


Serve.

Mussels Baked in a Dynamite Sauce - Bread Crumb Topping

My contribution to the spring potluck was Dynamite Mussels. I make this dish too much I think (only because it's easy and good). The difference in this batch compared to the ones I've made before is the panko bread crumb crust - which turned out nicely for some added texture.



Click link for the recipe (Less the breadcrumbs) >> Mussels Baked In Dynamite Sauce

Company Spring PotLuck

Today, the office held a Spring PotLuck. Below are the visuals of all the delicious dishes!

































Various Salads, Spinach Pie, Mexican Pie, Chili, Cheesy Jambalaya, Chocolatey Desserts, Fresh Fruits, Spicy Tofu, Chicken Wings, Dynamite Mussels: Happy Tummies!

Food Venture: Monterrey Cantina

A few weeks ago, when the weather was extraordinarily nice, some loved ones and I went for a stroll in Downtown Royal Oak, in hopes of eating at What Crepes. When it was closed, we checked into Monterrey Cantina since no one ate there before. After about 15 minutes wait, we were finally seated.

The dishes:



Warm Toasty Chips and Salsa to start.


Mojito, Strawberry Daq, and Water for the Misses.


Grand Chimichanga!


Steak Burritos


Nachos!




Steak Fajita.
The Mojito was okay. The food the pretty good and the servings were hefty! Nice atmosphere too.

Sorry!

I've been neglecting the blog a little. Promise their will be more posts in the summer!