Half+Half

Thien Hong: Salt & Pepper Squid

Thien Hong’s Salt & Pepper Squid

This is the best dish in Portland.

Thien Hong’s Salt and Pepper Squid is an amazing dish that has been a family tradition for a very long time. Whether it was introducing Miko to 12 of my family members for the first time (sorry Miko 😅), celebrating someone in town for a visit, or just spending some time with the family, we gathered around the lazy Susan and order noodles, green beans in black bean sauce, wonton soup, and always a double order of the Salt and Pepper Squid.

On Sandy Blvd

Seafood Chow Mein, Salt & Pepper Squid, Green Beans in Black Bean Sauce

The dish consists of perfectly fried pieces of squid, that are crunchy and dry and served with thin slices of onion. It’s simplicity of the dish that makes it legendary.

This last visit was very emotional for me — my grandfather, who loved Thien Hong, passed away this month. For him eating here was a chance to bring his family together and share food with those he loved. When the smell of the squid caught my nose, I teared up. I thought about the fact we had eaten here after my uncle’s passing and how much the act of sharing a meal together helped to heal, if only for a bit.

While it’s not a beautiful or fine dining experience I do feel that it captures what I love most about food — it’s about giving love through labor. All the work that it took to get this squid to my table, fully prepared, takes time, money, sweat, and work. The Salt + Pepper Squid will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will always think of my family when I order too much food here.

Thien Hong Restaurant

6749 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97213

September 26, 2018 0 comment

Neighborhood Guide Restaurant Recap Seattle Travel

POC-owned Businesses — Green Lake, Seattle

written by Justin Inahara

One of the largest, and most visited parks in Seattle, Green Lake is a must-visit for tourists and locals. With a large lake in the middle, it’s popular during the summertime because of the swimming areas with diving boards, and open swim spots. There are also lots of playfields, open grasses, and places for picnics. Depending on the time of day, the 2.8 mi loop around the lake can be packed full of runners, bikers, strollers, and animals. Mornings and daytime during the weekdays are the best times for no crowds. It’s also a great spot to work up an appetite, with plenty of choices around the area.

Green Lake is affluent and fairly white, so after living here for a few years we’ve made it around to a few places that are owned by people of color. The list includes restaurants and cafes to help support people of color who are working in the area. Use your dollar as a vote for people of color!

Did we miss anything? Leave a comment and we can update the list!

June 29, 2018 0 comment

Personal Story Restaurant Recap Travel

Exotic-Ass English Food

written by Justin Inahara

I’ve just spent nine hours on a flight to travel to a foreign country. I meet with Miko and soon we are driving to the southern coast of England. We drop our bags and head to the nearest pub for food and a drink. I survey the menu and while I consider myself quite fluent in the English language, I don’t recognize any of the items listed on the menu. Bubble and squeak, bacon bap, mushy peas — I’m reading English but not understanding what is in front of me. It makes me think, ‘why this food is so different than what I grew up eating! So new. So exotic!’

Thus begins my adventure into British cuisine…

Sunday Roast

Sunday roast with pork

A beloved English tradition born in the 1400s, Sunday roast has become a favorite of Brits. A huge plate of roasted meats, veggies, and a few other foreign sides make up this weekly tradition. According to multiple sources, the Sunday roast began as a post-church meal, with Sunday being the easiest day to gather the whole family. The story is that the men would help prepare the meat, peel potatoes, and then find themselves at the pub for a few pints while the women cooked. The women would handle the cooking and once the men returned from the pub, they would all eat a massive meal. Also to be noted is that the Brits love beef, so much in fact that King Henry VII’s guard became known as the Beefeaters because of their weekly meal of roast beef.

So with all of the background, we catch up to 2018, when I had my first proper sunday roast. Our guide Ryan, along with Miko, and I made it over to Hoxton’s The George & Vulture for the Bacchus Sunday. Bacchus Sunday was birthed from Bacchus Pub & Kitchen and now aims to serve their roast dinner at multiple venues across the town of London.
We started with a pint and selected our meat of choice for our roast. The choices included beef, pork, duck, chicken, vegetarian, vegan, and a mixed meat plate. We each opted for a different meat and we were served a massive platter of food. I ordered the pork plate and received a massive mound of well cooked pig, roasted potatoes, parsnips, kale, beets, carrots, pork stuffing meatballs, and Yorkshire pudding all soaking in a clear gravy. I was overwhelmed. With instruction from our chaperone, I experimented by adding some apple sauce, mint sauce (so exotic!), mustard, and a homemade horseradish that was excellent. We finished our plates, had another pint for good measure and fatly walked through Brick Lane for a bit of calorie burning and remorse.

Full English Breakfast

A full English breakfast

Breakfast with beans, tomato and tons of meat? An intimidating woman with a booming voice, shouting your order off in foreign jargon? A cafe full of middle-aged British men during their break from the office/work site? Of course, I loved my first English breakfast experience.

We headed to Regency Café in Pimlico for my first official fry-up and I was not disappointed. I opted for coffee with a fry-up and black pudding that cost about 7 quid (the local currency). Once the meal arrived I happily stuffed my face, slurped on my coffee and dipped my bites with HP (aka “brown”) sauce. I was overwhelmed by the amount of food and how quickly I devoured the giant breakfast. My recommendation for your first fry-up is to drink way too much the night before, wake up and get yourself a giant plate of this comfort food, then finish with a nap. You can see me before my food was delivered—in superb form after a late night at the pub.

Hung over Justin, waiting for food

The history of the English fry-up is well documented and believed to have been born from the Gentry wanting to host and feed their guests. Usually consumed before a day long hunt, the breakfast gave the hosts a chance to show off the wealth of their lands. Meals included meats, vegetable, and grains that were gathered from their lands and was prepared using Anglo-Saxon recipes.

The modern fry up can be found all over the UK and is a staple for all levels of society. The common version features back bacon, eggs, British sausage, baked beans, fried tomato, fried mushroom, black (blood) pudding, and toasted bread. There is a huge difference of opinion about other ingredients that should or should not be included with the meal. The region also influences what is served for a fry up, for example, the Irish serve their meal with Irish bacon, sausage, white pudding, Irish soda bread, and Irish potato cake compared to Scottish, which has black pudding or a slice of haggis.

We had another experience with some friends on our last morning in London, at Canary Wharf’s St. George’s of Mayfair. It was the same great experience, same hangover but less shouting. By this time I was a pro and doused my eggs and meats in brown sauce like a regular ol’ chap.

Scotch Egg

Scotch Egg!

Justin overly excited for his first Scotch Egg

“So I got this great idea… let’s get a cooked egg, wrap it in minced meat, THEN FRY IT!”
Unknown Genius

This might be one of the most absurd things I’ve eaten in England. It is an amazing triumph of cooking technique to bring these delicious ingredients together into a handheld snack. We headed to Scotchtails in Borough Market to get a fix and was greeted by this delicious snack. There has been a bit of contention about whether Fortnum & Mason was the actual creator of the Scotch Egg or if it was a copy of the Mughlai dish nargisi kofta. They are essentially the same dish but the Mughlai version is served in a gravy featuring garam masala, ginger, and peppers.

Overly excited justin

The outside is crunchy, salty from the minced meat, and the egg on the inside makes for an indulgent snack. While I had my first scotch egg on the street, I would highly recommend tucking into a pub, get a pint, and an order of this fried treat!

Pie + Mushy Peas

Pie and Mushy peas covered in brown gravy

One thing I adore about English food is the names for certain dishes. Bangers (sausages) for example, were named after the sounds made from the sputtering of water in oil. After World War II there was a shortage of meats, so butchers ‘extended’ their supply by adding lots of cereals that caused the sausages to have more water than usual.

Mushy Peas is exactly what it sounds like, peas that are mushed. I grew up hardly eating peas — my dad used to make his version of sloppy joes that made use of peas and ground beef in a gravy made mostly with cream of mushroom. My mom detested peas after being forced to eat them as a child. They were served overcooked and from a can, so my pea experience was limited and never mushy.

We were hard at work when we visited Pieminister at Borough Market, and I had my first pie and mushy peas. The meat-filled savory pie was flaky on the outside and filled with beef, carrot, and potato. Served in a to-go container with mushy peas smothered with gravy. It was a heavy meal for the middle of the day — one that might be better for someone burning more energy than a London tourist. The mushy peas are one of the better ways I’ve eaten the pod fruit, and there are never any complaints from me when my food is covered in a brown gravy.

The exotic nature of British food is one that has me intrigued. After years of people bashing the cuisine, I think it’s safe to say that there are some stars among the dark sky of the British food landscape. I’ve only just scratched the surface of this cuisine and it’s gotten me thinking I need beans served with every breakfast from here on out. We haven’t even mentioned the other famous foods like fish & chips, jellied eels, or a bacon bap! Stay tuned and keep eating.

June 19, 2018 0 comment

Neighborhood Guide Seattle Travel

4 Bellevue Lunch Spots Owned by People of Color

written by Justin Inahara

Bellevue is a business heavy area and during my 2 years working there, I’ve gathered some tasty spots to eat. Here are my 4 Best Bellevue lunch spots owned by people of color!

Los Chilangos

Los Chilangos Wet Burrito

10713 Main St, Bellevue, WA 98004

Los Chilangos is a family-owned and operated catering and taco truck company based in Seattle that aims to share a taste of Mexico City street food. Owned by Noemi Mendez and her husband, Los Chilangos has been running for 9 years in the Seattle area. “I (Noemi) come from a long line of traditional Mexican cooks and culinary entrepreneurs that have greatly influenced my life, and in turn, the way I run Los Chilangos. Having the largest impact on me was my Father, who ran a successful tamale business in Mexico City, just like my Grandfather before him.”

While there are no tamales on the menu, the company takes lessons learned from generations of cooks to feed the lunchtime crowd. Located in the parking lot of the Rudy’s Barbershop, it draws a massive lunchtime crowd from the Coding Dojo, people getting a lunchtime haircut, and construction workers that are scattered throughout the growing downtown Bellevue. Check it out their delicious food in one of the many forms — the humble taco is my recommendation. Don’t sleep on the Horchata or Champurrado to go with your food, both are homemade and tasty!

Cafe Bollywood

Cafe Bollywood Palek Paneer (front), Channa Pindi (far), and the Vegetarian dish of the day (right)

102B Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, WA 98004

A recent addition to the downtown Bellevue area, this “cafe” has some of the tastiest Indian food for lunch and dinner. The foods range from the familiar (see Chicken Tikka Masala) to Lamb Khorma and a northwest inspired Salmon Tikka. All foods are made in-house, including their bread which is cooked using a commercial tandoor machine. The lunch special is the move, $10 for 2 entrees, rice, naan, and riata (a yogurt condiment). They offer a vegetarian and non-veggie combo that features 3-4 standing items (GET THE PALAK PANEER) and a rotating veggie or chicken dish of the day.

Seoul Garden

Seoul Garden’s Soon Du Bu Jigae with Banchan

304 105th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004

A Korean spot located in a strip-mall in downtown Bellevue, you might recognize it from our Seattle’s 5 best cold noodle spots , but they offer many other Korean favorites. This is one of the few Korean spots in the downtown area that serves soups like Mul Naengmyun (물 냉면) for the summertime and Kimchi-sundubu-jjigae (김치순두부찌개) for the cold winter months. All meals are served with banchan and rice, so be ready to eat a lot!

Dough Zone

Dough Zone’s Pork Xiao Long Bao, cold Beef Shank, and Sour Cucumber

15920 NE 8th St #3, Bellevue, WA 98008

Dough Zone is a direct competitor of Din Tai Fung and they have grown to 4 locations including their new restaurant in the International District. Founded by Jason Zhai, the original location opened in the summer of 2014 near Bellevue’s Crossroads Mall. Dough Zone has become a Seattle favorite for dumplings and looks to grow to meet the demand of their delicious freshly made food.

This is a great spot for a long lunch and is better with more people. The food is served family style and like any good meal, sharing is caring. Dough Zone offers it’s diners a chance to watch the magic of dumpling making happen in front of their eyes, so you know the food coming out of the kitchen is freshly made. My personal favorites are the Pork Xiao Long Bao (小笼包), Sweet and Sour Cucumber (拍黄瓜) and the Q-Bao.

May 23, 2018 0 comment

Japanese Food Personal Story Travel Video

Half+Half: Tokyo, Japan

written by Justin Inahara

If you’ve been following our Instagram (you should… we updated it more than our blog!) you might have caught our trip to Tokyo, Japan! After many hours of blood, sweat, and tears, we’ve put together a quick video of our journey! Peep the video below for lots of food and hella B-roll.

More to come! Let us know what you think via IG!

May 21, 2018 0 comment

Filipino Food Japanese Food Personal Story Restaurant Recap Travel Words

5 Meals to Try in Asia — Half+Half Travel

written by Justin Inahara

For the past 4 weeks, I spent time traveling throughout Southeast Asia and Japan looking for 5 meals to try in Asia. I ate all the food I could, took pictures, and explored to my heart’s content. I’ve spent many hours since contemplating this post — assuming a normal pace of 3 meals a day, I would have had roughly 84 meals during my travels.

I had been planning this trip for few months before I left my job and set off to the following places:

Tokyo, Japan
Puerta Princessa, Philippines
Singapore
Bangkok, Thailand
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Without further ado, these top 5 meals of 2018 in Southeast Asia.

1. Yakiniku (焼き肉)

Everyone can join in on Yakiniku night!

Here’s a big meat assortment that was eaten quickly by our group.

Throughout Japanese cuisine there is a common thread that good ingredients make food better. This rings true, especially with yakiniku. The simple meal got its start following the Meiji Restoration when eating beef was legalized in 1871. After beef was legal and abundant, yakiniku became a blue-collar staple and was thought to have been invented on Hokkaido island. In modern times, you can really see how Korean food has influenced yakiniku around the country and is becoming much more familiar to the Korean BBQ that is found in America.

Yakiniku Kochikaru, located in Higashi Murayama, had mostly Korean BBQ staples featuring specially marinated meats like bulgogi and galbi. At its core, yakiniku is barbecue — thinly sliced pieces of meat, grilled at your table and eaten with sauce (usually fermented beans, soy, or sesame oil with salt). Leafy greens are also served to wrap around the meat with any other banchan included. It’s simple but requires high-quality meats to take this dish to another level.

Our hosts ordered for us and we dined on beef tenderloin, beef tongue, and wagyu beef. Soondubu, kimchi, and banchan were also ordered, giving us different tastes to cut through the richness of the fatty beef. We rounded out the meal with a few hi-balls (whiskey and soda) and we waddled out of the restaurant.

As you can see, we loved the food! The meat was well marbled creating bites of beef that were melt-in-your-mouth good (A5-grade wagyu beef!). The simplicity, quality, and the atmosphere of the meal combined to make this meal my favorite of the trip.

—

Yakiniku Kochikaru (焼肉コチカル)
Sakaecho Higashimurayama Tokyo, 東京都東村山市栄町 2-25-14

2. Black Pepper Crab (黑胡椒螃蟹)

Julie and I, loving on some crab!

Singapore is a wonderful country that has the benefit of being in the center of some amazing culinary hotspots. China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and a large number of expats from around the world help to create a wonderful food culture unlike any place in the world. One of the most popular pastimes of Singaporeans is to eat food, so you know it’s a serious business.

A friend took me to Por Kee Eating House after talking about their black pepper crab non-stop. So we brought our own bottle of wine and ordered a massive serving of the crab. The entire crab was broken down and each inch of the crustacean was coated with a dark black pepper sauce. After a few bites, my lips started on a constant burn that was right on the edge of too much spice. The crab meat was sweet and worth running the risk of getting fiery sauce on your favorite shirt. The restaurant provided wet napkins and a small dish of water to clean your hands after the dirty work was done.

Along with the crab, we ate bean curd with mushrooms in a brown gravy and broccoli in brown sauce. The meal was rounded out by an extremely Singaporean dish, Cereal Shrimp. The shrimp was coated in a sweet and crunchy cereal, deep-fried to perfection. The combo of a sweet coating with the briny shrimp made for a knockout combination. The pepper crab was the highlight of the meal but the supporting cast made this meal jump to my top 5.

—

Por Kee Eating House
69 Seng Poh Lane, #01-02, Singapore, Singapore 160069

3. Yakitori (焼鳥)

Tsukune from Torihiko

Chicken thigh wrapped in skin.

Another meal that stays true to the Japanese food philosophy that quality ingredients makes for unforgettable food has made it’s way on the list. Yakitori is grilled chicken parts that are cooked meticulously over special Japanese charcoal (binchotan). Yakitori deserves its own dedicated restaurant, and unfortunately, there are no places like this in Seattle. (Please tell me I’m wrong, but to my knowledge, there are no places in Seattle proper or north of the city.)

This was our first meal for our vacation, and we opted for the omakase (chef’s selection). We were greeted by a chicken sashimi, and reluctantly took our first bite in Japan and started our 7-course meal (more on the chicken sashimi in a future post!). The sashimi was much better than I expected and things got more delicious from there. Our first skewer was a chicken meatball the size of a corndog, and one of the juiciest meatballs I’ve ever eaten. This was followed up by chicken thighs wrapped in crispy skin, then liver, gizzards, wings that were carefully cut open, breast, heart, with a mix of salads and sides. The meal was delicious but I had to skip out on the liver, I know that purists will say that the chicken liver is the most valuable but I just can’t do liver! It was a nice trade though, Miko ate my liver and I ate her gizzards.

It was all cooked right in front of our impatient faces, by a master chef and his two assistants. The smoke in the room, a few pints of lager, and the casual Japanese spoken around us added to the feelings of joy of being in Japan. Yakitori is the ultimate drinking food, and should be available everywhere that people love bar-b-cue and a libation.

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Torihiko (とり彦)
2 Chome-15-2 Kamiosaki, Shinagawa, Tokyo 141-0021, Japan

4. Kuy teav (គុយទាវ)

Kuy Teav, the cure for anything

One of my best friends (I’m talking about since 6 years old) showed me around Phnom Penh during the last leg of my trip. Her mom, an immigrant from Cambodia that fled during the war, was always cooking delicious food when I would visit. So on my first day in Phnom Penh and after my 3rd week of dealing with stomach issues (I’ll spare you the details), we headed to Malis for a comforting bowl of kuy teav .

I had never had kuy teav at my friends place, so this was an experience to learn more about Cambodian cuisine. The dish is a clear pork broth, with rice noodles, usually pork (loaf, minced or otherwise), fried garlic, cilantro, and green onions. The broth is slightly sweet and salty, but has light amounts of fat, making it a perfect meal for someone trying to get over a few weeks of stomach issues. My bowl, which had chicken instead of the pork, disappeared quickly and I understood why this breakfast dish is frequently sold out by midday. If you find yourself in Cambodia, wake up early and get yourself a bowl kuy teav.

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Malis
136 Preah Norodom Blvd (41), Phnom Penh 12301, Cambodia

5. Boodle Fight

Me and the Boodle Fight

Chicken Inasal, Mussels, Sea Beans, Bicol Express and more!

While many Filipino-Americans recognize and call this style of eating kamayan, most Filipinos will not recognize what meal you are talking about without more information. Kamayan directly translates to shake hands, but really speaks to the act of eating with your hands. Most Filipinos will recognize the term Boodle fight, and it might be the gateway meal that can introduce Filipino cuisine to hundreds of new fans.

Boodle fight has its origins in the military of the Philippines. When meals were served to soldiers, food was on banana leaves, on a large table. This was the great equalizer of the military, high ranking officials would join the low ranking soldiers at the table and all would eat with their hands. The fight came from the fact that you had to eat the same food served to dozens of hungry men, so in order to fill up, you had to fight for it!

This was my first boodle fight and while I had plenty of experience fighting off my hungry brothers growing up, I thankfully didn’t have to fight anyone for food. We met up with Miko’s family (12 or so people) and we feasted! I approached my pile of rice placed on the leaves and began to “fight” my way down the line of food. (Editor’s Note: we had to teach him the fine technique of eating with your hands first) Steamed mussels, Bicol express (spicy pork in coconut milk), grilled chicken, and shrimp were some of the food that was spread out on the length of the 3-foot long table. A cold San Miguel to wash down the delicious handfuls of food and I was happy. Somehow, eating with your hands makes the meal more enjoyable and much more casual to talk with your neighbors. It was a great way to meet family and I can’t wait for the next one!

—

Haim Chicken Inato
294 Manalo Extension, Puerto Princesa, 5300 Palawan, Philippines

My trip through Japan and Southeast Asia reinforced every travel and food show I’ve ever seen, claiming that the best food could be found in there. Between the huge variety in barbecue and new ingredients that were completely foreign to me, I realized that this trip was not enough to scratch the surface!

What foods/places did I miss on my top 5? Let me know via

@halfandhalffood

@justinTaylorImages

@JeetJeetRibbyRibby

May 11, 2018 0 comment

The selection of donuts at Dilla's Delights

Restaurant Recap Travel

Dilla’s Delights: A Detroit Destination

written by Miko Russell

I was passing through Detroit for work last summer and wanted to stop for breakfast before my flight home. Originally I had planned to go to a different coffee shop downtown but I couldn’t find parking near it, so I ended up several blocks away. As soon as I got out of my car I looked across the street and saw a big, fat donut and the name Dilla’s Delights. Now, I only knew of one person named Dilla (and the donut? c’mon) so I had to change my plans and go there instead.

The interior of Dilla’s Delights

What I found was a bakery and coffee shop that was started by legendary hip-hop producer J Dilla’s Uncle Herm as a tribute to him. While I was there I chatted with the employee, who said business was going really well despite having such a cold winter when they opened back in 2016, and saw people from the community get welcomed in with open arms no matter who they were.

My normal donut order is a maple bar, which are pretty mellow, but had to get a tangy Aaliyah Lemon Filled donut in honor of my favorite R&B singer growing up. It was so stinkin’ good!! The coffee was tasty as well, from Water Street Coffee of Kalamazoo, MI. I would’ve loved to spend a little more time at the cafe but I had to run and catch my flight.

The exterior of DIlla's Delights // the Aaliyah Lemon donut

The exterior of the shop (L) and the Aaliyah Lemon Filled (R)

If you’re ever in downtown Detroit make sure and get to Dilla’s Delights! Head over early because they sell out, these donuts are in-demand.

Dilla’s Delights
242 John R Street, Detroit, MI 48226
dillasdelights.com

A Dilla Day Playlist

We asked our friend Orlando, host of the Washed podcast and the biggest Dilla fan we know, to curate a playlist to celebrate Dilla Day for the blog. Here it is on Spotify, tune in!

February 10, 2018 0 comment

Japanese Food Personal Story Travel

Ozoni (お雑煮)

written by Justin Inahara

Not gonna lie, Ozoni(お雑煮) was not always my favorite dish for Japanese new years. It was there, but sometimes other food would find it’s way to my plate before the traditional New Years soup. Every year I spend away from the family for New Years, I come to appreciate it more than ever. The dish has it’s roots in samurai history as an easy stew to make. 雑(zo) means “miscellaneous” or “mixed”, and the second, 煮(ni), means “simmer” or “boil”.

My grandma makes a Kanto style zoni that is light and simple. Made from clear miso soup which is flavored with bonito based dashi and soy sauce, it’s a simple dish that keeps your mochi easy to eat. Served with a big mochi and some mushrooms, simple but delicious. Last new year’s post about mochi meant we had lots to use up every year. Ozoni was a treat that I didn’t deserve!

Check out the rest of the spread for the Inahara New Years! Thanks to Miko (@yo_miko) for the photos and until next year!

Gobo (きんぴらごぼう | Burdock root)

Inari Zushi (いなり寿司)

Kuro-Mame ( 黒豆)

Mar-Far Chicken

January 2, 2018 0 comment

Japanese Food Recipes

Somen (そうめん)

written by Justin Inahara

Summer is almost over. Okay, it’s over (it’s November…) but I’m having a hard time saying goodbye to the warm weather and long days. So to get over it I need to talk about one of my favorite noodle dishes to cool down, Somen. We mentioned Somen in our Cold Noodle post a few months back, but wanted to give it a bit more attention!

According to Japan Info, “The history of somen dates back to as early as the 8th century. According to historical records, it was believed that the Chinese brought these noodles to Japan during the Nara Period (710-794).” The original noodles were made from rice and eventually was replaced with wheat flour. The noodles are the thinnest of all Japanese noodles and are usually pulled using a Chinese style technique. The noodles can also be aged and are considered more sought after if they have been allowed to rest. This makes for a wonderful gift and is an even more delicious meal.”

I love the simplicity of Japanese food and Somen another great example of using only a few ingredients to create a great meal. This is a great weekday night meal, and simple to make if you don’t consider yourself much of a cook! The preparation is simple, so the getting the right ingredients are extremely important. You can find the somen noodles and the tsuyu at most Asian supermarkets.

Tsuyu, the broth, is a mixture of dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. You can make your own but if you want to be lazy (like us) you can buy it at the store. We usually buy the “straight” broth, which means you don’t have to dilute it with water in order to use it.

I’ve included the most frequent way to prepare Somen, as well as a few picked up from scouring the web! Links after the recipe.

Somen (そうめん )

Print This

Serves: 1 Prep Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

1 bunch somen noodles
1/4 cup tsuyu (broth, either bought or cooked)
1 green onion, chopped
Togarashi to season

Instructions

Boil noodles for 3-4 minutes
Drain and run under cool water until chilled
Place in bowl, pour in tsuyu (つゆ), top with green onions and shichi-mi tōgarashi (七味唐辛子)

Recipes from Around the Web

Hot Somen Noodles with Sea Bream (NHK Food)
Gomoku Somen Recipe (Japanese Cooking 101)
Chilled Tomato Somen (Humble Bean Blog)

November 1, 2017 0 comment

Restaurant Recap Seattle

5 Seattle Cold Noodle Spots

written by Miko Russell

To survive Seattle’s recent heatwave (and smoke infestation), I assume that most people would want to eat ice cream. Seattle has a ton of great ice cream shops (I’ve heard) but I’m lactose intolerant and have blocked such things from my knowledge. Instead, what could I eat that I love in hot weather? Cold noodles!! We went on a quest to find 5 Seattle cold noddle spots that could help beat the heat!

Cold Noodles 凉皮 @ Xi’an Noodles

The cold noodles at Xi’an Noodles

The first stop on our cold noodle adventure was to get, well, the cold noodles at Xi’an Noodle. I had been to Xi’an Noodles a few times before, but always would order the Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles or the Won-Ton in Chili Sauce (both of which are very delicious).

The style of this restaurant is that of the Shaanxi Province, a land-locked area roughly 800 miles west of Shanghai. What they are known for is a type of noodle called liangpi (凉皮), or “cold skin” due to its texture. These are flatter and a bit rougher texture than the other hand-ripped or hand-pulled noodles on the menu. They’re served mixed with bean sprouts, cilantro, straight-up chunks of gluten, green onions, and a thin, vinegar sauce. It’s a taste that unlike what most non-Chinese-Americans know as “Chinese” due to it’s more of a tangy, sour flavor rather than sweet. There were four of us eating and we had to order two large servings of this, that’s how good it was!

Xi’an Noodles, University District
5259 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115 (map)

Cold Rice Noodles 涼米皮 @ Country Dough

The cold noodles at Country Dough

For our next bowl we headed to Country Dough in the Pike Place Market—you have to walk past the line of tourists at the original Starbucks and into the old Stewart Building to find this one! Country Dough focuses on food from the Szechuan province, with several options of street food favorites like flatbreads and Chinese crepes.

For the summer they serve a Cold Rice Noodle special, which is slightly similar to the one served at Xi’an Noodles (Shaanxi and Szechuan provinces do border each other) but with more spice and a slightly thicker sauce. You really get a vinegar kick when you take a bite and there’s sesame and ginger added in too. Don’t bother getting a small because you will want more, order the large!

Country Dough, Pike Place Market
1916 Pike Pl Ste 14, Seattle, WA 98101 (map)

Somen 素麺 @ Bon Odori Festival

The cold noodles at Bon Odori

The Bon Odori Festival is a Japanese summer festival that honors your family who have passed away. It is known for its dancing, which is to welcome spirits back to their graves and to celebrate their lives. Every year Seattle celebrates this in July during Seafair at the Seattle Buddhist Temple, and there’s food, music, dancing, families, organizations, and (hopefully) sunshine!

One of the many food-stand favorites at Bon Odori is the Somen, or a cold, wheat noodle soup. It’s a straightforward dish, the broth is a concentrated dashi with sake and/or mirin, and you add chilled noodles. You can also add green onions and togarashi (as pictured above), or even shiso or ume on top. Not to be confused with Soba, which is similar but uses buckwheat noodles and can be served hot or cold.

Another type of Japanese cold noodle is Hiyashi Chuka, which is noodles in a cold, sesame sauce, and topped with sliced veggies and meats (I’ve never found a restaurant in Seattle with this dish, but you can buy the sauce mixes at Uwajimaya if you’re interested. It’s a favorite of mine to cook at home!).

Bon Odori, annual event in July
Seattle Buddhist Church, 1427 S. Main, Seattle, WA 98144 (map)

Mul Naengmyun 물 냉면 @ Seoul Garden

The cold noodles at Seoul Garden

A common theme amongst many cold noodles is their tendency to be tangy, and Mul Naengmyun is no exception. We went to Seoul Garden, a Korean restaurant in the heart of downtown Bellevue, for our next dish. I’d eaten here many times with friends, but never ordered this particular dish. Mul Naengmyun is a sour, cold soup with slippery buckwheat noodles and an assortment of toppings: an egg, pickled daikon, cucumber, and sliced beef. The noodles are chewy and smooth, and require scissors (provided by the hostess) to really cut through them to an easily-edible length.

Once you get your soup you can adjust the broth by adding more hot mustard or vinegar. I also had a great mul naengmyun at Hometown Restaurant, at the Lynnwood H-Mart food court if you’re ever up north.

Seoul Garden, Downtown Bellevue
304 105th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004 (map)

Pancit Malamig @ the Lahi Pop-Up

The cold noodles at Lahi

My personal biggest surprise of this list was from the Philippines. I was racking my brain trying to think of what cold noodles were served from the country, not that I’m an expert, and where would I even find in the city with all of the notable Filipino restaurants in Seattle having closed in the last several months (RIP Inay’s, Kusina Filipina, and Isla Manila!). Luckily, I heard about the Lahi Pop-Up at Cafe Red’s Grand Opening event and we made sure to stop by!

The chef behind it all is Irbille Donia, who restarted his Lahi pop-up restaurant after a two-year hiatus. The idea behind the food is to start with recipes from the heart, that his lola would make, and add modern American/Spanish/Northwest technique. This particular dish was a fusion of old and new, the pancit made with spinach and the shrimp confited. It looked nothing like anything I’d eaten but when I took the first bite I instantly knew it was Filipino, and that it was home!

Lahi, pop-up restaurant
Next event on August 28th at the Stone House Cafe in Rainier Beach (more info)

I hope that these options help you start your own cold noodle experience around Seattle, or at home! We’ll be posting a quick somen recipe soon to help you on your way in the kitchen.

If we’ve missed your favorite, please let us know which places we should check out in the comments! Cold noodles.

August 21, 2017 0 comment

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