Tag Archives: green onion

Tofu skin rolls – Ton Kiang

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Tofu skin rolls Ton Kiang

Steamed bean curd skins stuffed with what tasted like a meat and shrimp mixture, in a brown sauce and topped with chopped green onions.
Ton Kiang, San Francisco

This was one of the few successes during my visit to ton Kiang.  It was very tasty and the 3 pieces were decently sized.  I’m not sure what the oily brown sauce was, but it had a nice mild flavor.  I loved the texture of the soft, filmy tofu skin surrounding the dense meat filling.  I don’t know if these skins were store bought, but I would love to see how they are made by hand.  It looks pretty cool from what I’ve seen online!

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012

"3 cups" chicken clay pot – Shanghai Dumpling King

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3 cups chicken clay pot Shanghai Dumpling King

Chicken thigh pieces with sliced onions, mushrooms, green onions, ginger, garlic, and star anise. $6.95
Shanghai Dumpling King, San Francisco

I was surprised at how much this clay pot tasted like Filipino chicken adobo, just less vinegary and with more ingredients. I think the addition of mushrooms and star anise made it more earthy, resulting in a more Chinese flavor. This dish was super hearty and very delicious! I personally love clay pots because they tend to be saucy and pair perfectly with steamed rice to soak up all the yummy juices. This is definitely going on my “Re-order” list!

Suzuki & Maguro nigiri – Crazy Sushi

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Suzuki nigiri Crazy Sushi

Slice of sea bass on a mound of rice with a dab of wasabi and garnished with sliced scallions. $3.99 for two pieces

Maguro nigiri Crazy Sushi

Slice of tuna. $3.99 for two pieces
Crazy Sushi, San Francisco

Both these nigiri have such a beautiful pink color.  I loved the maguro, and I recommend maguro nigiri to all the novice sushi eaters out there since I think it’s one of the least fishy tasting.  Maguro is readily available at sushi places and is more forgiving on a squeamish palette.  I’m definitely no sushi expert, but I try to eat out of my comfort zone.  That’s why I tried the suzuki, and I’ll say that I’m not a fan.  Perhaps Crazy Sushi’s cut wasn’t fresh, but it had an odd flavor that did not agree with me.  I had to dunk that piece mulitple times into the soy sauce to get it down.

Salad Crazy Sushi

I love the free side salad at Japanese restaurants with the familiar sesame, ginger dressing. Yum!

Sapporo Crazy Sushi

And what’s a sushi dinner without some Japanese beer? Sapporo is my prefered choice, hehe!

Tocilog – Kuya’s Asian Cuisine

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Tocilog Kuya's Asian Cuisine

Sweet marinated pork tocino with garlic fried rice and eggs over medium. The rice is garnished with more fried garlic pieces and chopped scallions. Cucumber and tomato slices are thrown in for good measure.
Kuya’s Asian Cuisine, San Bruno CA

This is a classic Filipino breakfast! Tocilog comes from combining the Filipino words for sweet marinated pork (tocino) and egg (itlog). We didn’t have tocino very often growing up, but it was one of my favorite breakfast items along with longanisa. Probably because they are both so flavorful and fatty, a common thread in Filipino food, lol! I have to say that Kuya’s tocina was a bit on the hard and dry side for me, but it still tasted great. There are some amazing flavors in this dish: the sweet and salty from the tocino and the intense garlic from the fried rice. The runny egg (and you have to order it runny!) blends everything together. So familiar, so delicious!

Pan fried pork buns – Shanghai Dumpling King

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Pan fried pork buns Shanghai Dumpling King

Oil steamed and fried buns with a pork filling and garnished with sesame seeds and scallions.  $5.25
Shanghai Dumpling King, San Francisco

I consider my co-worker, Alan, to be a Chinese food expert since he’s a native San Franciscan/Chinese American and I’ve learned quite a few things from him. I sometimes wish he doesn’t tell me certain things, like how these pork buns are cooked, lol! This was the first time I’ve tried these pan fried pork buns and I naively assumed they were first steamed, then fried since they are brown on the bottom. The dough has a different consistency than other buns so I also assumed that they used a special dough batter. I was wrong! It’s the same dough batter is used as in other pork buns, then the buns are steamed and fried simultaneously in a pool of oil! The hot oil sears the bottoms while the steam cooks the rest of the buns to a soft, squishy consistency. No wonder they’re so flavorful! Even knowing how they’re made now, I will order these again in a heartbeat since they are addictingly delicious!

Shark fin dumplings – Clement Restaurant

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Shark fin dumplings Clement Restaurant
Lye water dough (shiu mai wrapper) filled with a mixture of chopped shrimp, pork fillet, shark fin, spring onion and Chinese parsley. The dumplings are then steamed.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

So California Assembly Bill 376 would ban the possession, sale, and trade of shark fins in the state of California.  It’s suppose to be heard before the Senate Committee on Appropriations on Monday, August 15th in Sacramento.  We’ll see what happens!  I have to admit that I’ve never wondered if I’m eating real shark fin in dim sum.  For some reason, I always assumed it was imitation shark fin.  I know that’s ignorant of me, so I’m curious to see what happens with AB 376.  I definitely don’t agree with the practice of shark finning, but would this bill also ban shark fins that were harvested without finning?  My assumption would be YES, but I’ll have to read more about the debate. 

Regardless, I don’t know if I can even distinguish the shark fin flavor or texture in these dumplings from any other similar dumplings.  In that regard, I probably wouldn’t be affected by the shark fin ban but opponents of the bill cite cultural reasons.  Sounds fishy to me (pardon the pun)!

Shiitake mushroom dumplings – Eos Restaurant

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Shiitake mushroom dumplings Eos Restaurant
Earthy shiitake mushroom dumplings with cherry tomatoes, garnished with scallions.
Eos Restaurnt & Wine Bar, San Francisco

Umami has to be my favorite flavor, and this dish delivers plenty of it! There is a lot of hype about these dumplings, particularly the sauce, and I must join in. You can’t go wrong with a sauce full of soy, butter, and MORE butter! We tried scooping up as much of it with eat bite. The dumplings themselves were cooked perfectly – not too mushy, with a bit of a bite to the pasta. Count me in on the bandwagon!

Kung pao pastrami – Mission Chinese Food

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Kung pao pastrami Mission Chinese Food
Tender pastrami with explosive chilies, celery, potato, green onions, roasted peanuts, and garnished with sesame seeds. $11
Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco

This dish is even hotter than their Ma Po Tofu!  Perhaps it’s all the dried chili flakes that practically coat every piece in the dish.  But it is VERY delicious.  It has a wonderful smokiness and the variety in textures is absolutely fabulous.  Another go-to dish of mine from Mission Chinese Food.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2014

Kung pao pastrami - Mission Chinese Food
February 1, 2014
You can really see how this dish has changed since my original post. Personally, I liked the original.

Ma po tofu – Mission Chinese Food

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Ma Po Tofu Mission Chinese Food
Ground Kurobuta pork shoulder, fresh tofu, Szechuan peppercorns, jalapenos, dried red chili pepper, chili oil, green onions, cloves, garnished with chopped cilantro.
Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco CA

This has to be one of my favorite Chinese delivery dishes of all time!  It’s super spicy with all the jalapenos, dried red chilies, and even more chili oil but the pain in my mouth is worth every delicious bite.  I’m thankful that it comes with steamed rice, not only for the cooling effect but also to soak up all that mouth watering sauce.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2011

Ma po tofu - Mission Chinese Food
February 1, 2014