Hanoi – Of Sights & Tranquility

Posted on 5 June, 2014 by cllism

Mausoleum 1The red flag flapping in the wind outside the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Mausoleum 3The never-ending queue of visitors waiting to enter the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

We left Ho Chi Minh and flew to Hanoi with a totally different goal in mind. While Ho Chi Minh taught us about life in a whirlwind, Hanoi unveiled to us her cultural grace and tightly-knitted bond with nature. Weather-wise, it was as if we had stepped out of a sauna bath into a cool and cloudy paradise up in the north. Although it drizzled for a couple of days, on most other days the clouds remained non-threatening and the weather was chill.

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Ho Chi Minh – Of Sounds & Smells

Posted on 28 May, 2014 by cllism

Streets of Ho Chi Minh 1
A traffic warden controlling the busy traffic

Ho Chi Minh Youth Union 1The Ho Chi Minh Youth Union in the city center

Vietnam – or more accurately ‘Viet Nam’ – refers to ‘the people’ (Viet) of the South (Nam). There are altogether 54 different ethnicities living in the country, making it a culturally diverse land to explore and a marveling place for the sights and taste buds. Other than that, the persistent sounds from the hawkers, motorbikes, car horns and idle banters of the chatty security guards and shophouse owners were never-ending and almost always closing in on us from all directions. This was perhaps the first country I travelled to where I had to get a room in the hotel which faced away from the streets – just so I could get a wink at night.

We were in a land that never stops working. I could always hear things happening before I see them, well, not in a scary way of course.

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Very Chewy Korean Stir-Fried Tteokbokki (궁중 똑붂이)

Posted on 23 May, 2014 by cllism

Korean Stir-Fried Rice Cake 3

Korean Stir-Fried Rice Cake

I wanted to try out a Korean rice cake recipe that is stir-fried with slices of the main ingredient – a change from cooking rice cakes in their long cylindrical forms such as those in my previous Korean Spicy Rice Cake Tteokbokki recipe. This recipe came along just in time. It is a sweet tasting dish stir-fried in a thick honey gravy sauce which makes the rice cake chewy and saccharine to munch on – a delightful change from the usual stir-fry of Chinese rice cake dishes that I am more familiar with.

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Chilled & Spicy Japanese Ramen (Hiyashi Chuka) – Fresh As It Can Be!

Posted on 16 May, 2014 by cllism

Cold & Spicy Ramen 3

Cold & Spicy Ramen

The prevalent Asian consumption habit has it that most food has to be sufficiently cooked over a fire (or heat in some cases) for them to be hygienic and to taste good.  But there is also an inherent instinct among some to eat food as fresh as they could be so as to savour the natural sweetness and texture of the ingredients. Some of these are presented as chilled or cold dishes which are popular especially in the hot summer seasons of Asia.

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Buddha’s Delight, Otherwise Known As Luo Han Zhai (罗汉斋）

Posted on 7 May, 2014 by cllism

Buddha's Delight 2

Buddha's Delight

Vesak Day (or ‘Buddha’s birthday’) is the celebration of the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha. It is on this day that devoted Buddhists and monks in many East and Southeast Asian countries could be seen congregating at Buddhist temples to make offerings and say their prayers. Devotees believe that doing good deeds on this day and performing observances relating to the teachings of Buddha are pertinent to accumulating merits in their life.

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