Parko Beero!

The blind pig. Here lor. Even though hor, its Spring break lah. This is a one week holiday. So we all supposed to be relax lor. But then suddenly got so many works to do. Is very siao one. Suddenly is Thursday already. The whole like disappeared like that. I dunno why. So I say lah, we all go Blind Pig to have a beer to relax. How can not relax? Is Sprint break mah! So the lab came. Fun fun. I had two beers, one is call er...dunno what, an India pale ale (7.2%), and the other is the famous Delirium Tremens (8%). Blind Pig very good lah. I think so is my favorite pub in Champaign. Got character. Feel like an old English pub. Got one of the most selection of beers in town. You even got beer you dunno inside got what. Anyway, we talk talk talk, and then we go home. At least got relax a little bit lah.

Soba Tempura

This is a set meal consisting of cold soba noodles, vegetarian tempura, and miso soup. I will be explaining how to make this as a set, rather than as individual portions, so the descriptions will overlap as I found this the best way to save time and hassle while making the meal. It is worth it though. Really really good!

Ingredients
For soba:
Soba
Soba sauce
White radish

For miso soup:
Spring Onions
Silk Tofu
Miso
Fish stock (dashi)
Dried seaweed (kombu)


For tempura:
White onion
Carrots
Shiitake mushroom
Anything else you want to fry
Flour
Oil
White radish
Sesame oil
Soy sauce
Fish stock

Method: Initial preparation
Batter
Place a bowl of flour into the freezer, this is to make the batter, and it is lighter cold. While waiting, prepare the soba.

Soba
Boil the soba noodles until soft. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Place the noodles on ice cubes in a bowl and put in the freezer. Prepare the tempura pieces.

Tempura
Slice the onions, carrots, mushrooms and others into bite size pieces.

Method: Ready for the frying
Prepare the batter. Take the cold flour out and set aside a small portion on a flat surface, this is the coating flour. Take the rest and pour water to mix in small amounts while stirring. Add and mix only enough water so that you get a sticky mixture with some lumps in it, this is the dipping batter.

Heat up enough oil so that the tempura pieces can float in the fry. Heat the oil hot enough by testing it with some of the dipping batter. Throw some in and if it floats, then the oil is ready.

Take one tempura piece and coat it in the dry coating flour, then dip it into the dipping batter. Make sure it is well covered. Fry the tempura in the oil for about one minute, constantly turning and watching. The tempura is done when it becomes relatively stiff and floating freely in the oil. Remove it and drain the oil on a napkin. Prepare the miso soup.

Method: Miso soup
To make the miso soup, prepare the fish stock by either dissolving some pre-made fish stock or powdered dashi. Boil the stock. While waiting for the boil, prepare the seaweed by soaking bits of it in cold water. Cut the spring onion into small pieces for soup, and the tofu into small cubes. Dissolve the a spoonful of miso into one cup of cold water. Once the stock is boiling, add the miso mix under low heat. Add the seaweed and cubed tofu and let the soup warm under low heat. Do not over boil miso soup, it will taste bad. Serve the miso soup with the chopped spring onions.

Method: Sauces
Soba sauce
Shred some white radish and chop some spring onions. Pour some soba sauce in dipping bowl and add the spring onions and the shredded white radish. The soba sauce is ready. You can add wasabi and raw egg in it if desired.

Tempura sauce
Prepare the tempura sauce. Mix the soy sauce, a little sesame oil, the fish stock, and boil the mixture. Add shredded white radish. Serve in another dipping bowl.

Method: Serving
Take the soba out from the freezer. Serve the soba on ice cubes, the tempura pieces on a plate, the miso soup, and the soba and tempura dipping sauces. Recommended to serve with a cup of green tea or roasted tea (hoji-cha).

Enjoy your meal!

Lake of the Woods

This is a park about 15 min drive away from Champaign-Urbana. Not bad lah. A little small, but got lake. As you can see, its all frozen over, can walk and skate on it if you want...good for Sunday afternoon picnic.