This recipe is for Weekend Wokking, a world-wide food blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks to celebrate different ways ingredients are used across cultures. The host this month is Erbe In Cucina (Cooking with herbs). If you would like to participate or to see the secret ingredient, check who’s hosting next month.

This Vietnamese Boiled Cabbage recipe is incredibly simple. What makes it different is the dipping sauce that goes with it!

Ingredients:
1/4 to 1/2 head of cabbage

fish sauce
1 hard-boiled egg
lime

Method:
Boil the egg(s), about 8-10 minutes.
Chop the cabbage into large pieces (about 1.5″ x 2″).
Boil the cabbage for about 2-4 minutes until tender.
Mash up about 1/2 a hard-boiled egg in fish sauce. You can add a squeeze of lime juice and some chile pepper too.
Serve with rice.

For 15 years, chef and owner Tanya Petrovna has been cooking up organic / vegan cuisine at Native Foods. Five locations in Southern California list slightly different menus to ensure freshness of ingredients.
(notice inside that this restaurant is powered by helicopter blades…)

Aside from The Veggie Grill, vegetarian / vegan restaurants aren’t top on my dining list. On this rare occasion I visit with Trujillo and the fam to grab some night time eats.

Trujillo’s self-dubbed “Mango Boner Salad”:

I love the presentation on this corn chowder. It tasted bland though. The nachos (not pictured) were also bland.

For dessert: awkward moments served by the queen of said moments, Snard, as she snares the friendly busser slash accountant for a chat.

These babies, however, stayed in the display/anti-swine flu case:

Native Foods
2937 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 751-2151
Hours:
Monday-Sunday
11AM – 10PM

Adding bacon to something I already love?: Genius! You don’t have to decide between breakfast and a Big Mac anymore. And count them–THREE meat patties! Let the Mega Tamago (egg) up your cholesterol in one fell swoop. Why would they make this only available in Japan???

Albeit not as bold as KFC’s Double Down, the Mega Tamago still gets my vote.

My only comfort is knowing McDonald’s food is as poorly prepared as it is in the States. Google Images:Mega Tamago.

Please bear with this guy’s excessive swearing to describe the burger:

“My, that’s mediocre.” LOL.

There was an Autumn Food Fair at Mitsuwa last weekend! Parking here is already hectic on regular days. I found out later they have free valet here?! bah. This was a true, Asian, elbow-rubbing event.

Ohh yes. MORE pork belly. “Okonomiyaki” of “Otafuku”. Mituswa encourages us to “Enjoy its special tasty juicy sauce!!”

And here it is fully assembled, ready to munch:

What is it? or what’s in it you ask?:

This lady was very happy to be photographed. haha. This looks like a vegetarian carrot/mushroom/tofu dish my great grandma ate. $1.95 a plate.

Everyone has their own version of thit kho / braised meat and hard-boiled egg don’t they?! Add Japan to the list. More fatty belly meat. I’m game.

Fish cakes of “Murakawa kamaboko” using Aji (horse mackerel).

“Ijinkan Maki” of “Kobe-Fugetsudo”. These little fellas run almost $2 each and are thin pancakes filled with soft mochi and red bean paste. I wish I had some tea (other than the little sample a vendor gave me)!.

Oh, hai!

They are also cutting a 400lb. bluefin tuna here this weekend! SAMURAI STYLE!

Mitsuwa Marketplace
665 Paularino Ave
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 557-6699

Ok my first attempt at the Filipino Lechon Kawali (pan fried pork belly) did not turn out as expected… haha. I figured since the pork was already cooked, this final pan-frying was just to brown it and puff the skin in hot oil. I placed it in the pan to fry and seriously started to worry for my safety. Oil was flying EVERYWHERE. I had a lid-shield nearby but the oil was still splattering all over the stove.

I’m not really sure where it went wrong. The skin didn’t blister/puff before it got burned. Again I’m still trying to figure out why.

This second time around I chose some pieces with less meat and baked it instead of trying to fry it. Frying also left the house smelling like oil for a few days.

I prepped the meat the same way as I did in step 1, but this time I rubbed in kosher salt on the top and bottom of each piece of pork. It was probably 1 tablespoon for each 0.7lbs of meat.

Bake at 300F for about 30 minutes.

Then broil the pieces until the skin blisters. You’ll hear some nice hissing. And I actually saw the skin puffing! It was like little puffy clouds given off of active yeast.

At this point, the skin was puffed but I could tell it still had a good amount of moisture in it. I set it to bake again at 350F for maybe 15-20 more minutes.

It came out beautifully!

I still haven’t given up on the frying method though. I’m also exploring some methods learned from the GF’s mom to infuse some more herbage. There are so many variations on this dish. I cant wait!

However, this one came out delicious and is some pretty hefty junk food/comfort food. Serve with a ton of rice if you know what’s good for you.