Ten Ren's Tea Class - Sign up if you're a tea fan!

I usually take any chance I get to learn more about tea, so when Ten Ren's Tea began offering a tea class, I immediately signed up.  Even though I got my tea sommelier certification from George Brown College, I don't mind hearing information again and sometimes there may be small pieces of info that might be new.  Tea is also a very vast topic and even brewing methods can be different.  Offered in English and in Mandarin/Cantonese, I took the English class.

What you'll get...

• basic introduction to tea production and brewing
• some info on the company and products
• Gong fu cha presentation
• chance to brew your own tea gong fu style

Who this is for...

• Interest in tea but you have very little knowledge
• Interest in trying to brew tea gong fu style

Not for you...

• If you have advanced/expert knowledge on tea (unless you're like me and love to soak up any info)

Cost:  FREE



If you're interested in a little more detail...

We got to sample Jin Xuan oolong or what some call "milky" oolong and it was smooth and quite nice. This tea naturally has a subtle "milky" flavour and fragrance to it but contains no milk additives.  The "milky" flavour is a natural characteristic for this cultivar but I believe the environmental conditions aid in whether it is stronger one year versus the next.  I've heard that there must be a temperature drop during the growing period before it is picked to ensure this characteristic is there.  Often, high mountain oolong gets this temperature drop.  But, I've also read that it has to do with the processing as well but this is an area I'm not too sure about the details.  (Be aware that there are milky oolong teas that have been processed with milk essence or additives to give the tea a strong milk fragrance and they are not the same.)

Tea master brewing tea

We got to brew two types of tea.  Both were okay, not extraordinary but one was a bit nostalgic for me.  We weren't told what kind of oolong tea at first but upon first taste I noticed something familiar about it.  I couldn't pinpoint it...something about the flavour?  Mouthfeel?  When I was told it was Dong Ding oolong I immediately went "ahhh" (in my head of course).

Dong Ding Oolong tea is actually one of the first oolong teas I started drinking.  When the Ten Ren's Tea on Highway 7 first opened, I had ordered a pot of Dong Ding Oolong tea.  Not knowing much about tea at the time I still experienced something different, a type of "cooling" sensation after I drank the tea and then a slight sweetness.  Not like menthol cooling but a very natural feeling and it was subtle but I was intrigued and loved it.  But, on a subsequent visit I ordered the tea again and unfortunately didn't really get the same feeling.  I remember that year Ten Ren's carried 2 grades of Dong Ding; one was approximately $20 for a cannister and the other >$100 so I purchased the lower grade because I just couldn't bring myself to buy the higher grade.  It wasn't the same but still was okay.  In some ways, I think that first experience was the higher grade tea and was served in error.  Now I always wonder...was it the grade of tea, the temperature of the water, or just my imagination...

Anyway, back to the class.  I think I enjoyed the class because I got to just relax and think only about tea and tea brewing.  Sometimes brewing tea is a very thoughtful process and drinking tea can take you to a very calming place and I miss that aspect during my regular day of chores and responsibilities.  Definitely a good 2 hours in my opinion.

Aside from the presentation and drinking tea, we also got some tea treats which were quite nice.

L: Green tea tea cookies, Middle: Candied Guava with Green Tea, R: Sun Moon Lake Black Tea with Walnut

All were actually better than I expected for different reasons.  The tea cookie had green tea flavour but also the hint of seaweed gave it a twist.  The cookie also had the taste of "HK style waffle".  The candied guava didn't have much tea flavour, but what I liked about it was the softness of the dried fruit and it wasn't overly sweet.  You'll also notice they have bits of green tea in the package.  The sun moon lake walnut candy was soft and chewy with some tea flavour, not too sweet and the walnut was a good accompaniment.

Overall, a nice experience (thanks Ten Ren's)!  Definitely renewed my interest in the brand.  And, I got to ask why the tea drinks at the flagship location on Highway 7 were not offered at the other locations.  The response: it was a new concept at the time to have tea centred food and drinks made with fresh fruits and increased tea flavour.  Now they are slowly going to roll it out to other locations.  My response, yay!!

Dessert Week 2 :: Almond Cake and Ruby Black Tea

One of my goals for this year is to bake regularly (but I'm a little late posting) so I decided to make this Almond Cake from the book Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich.  Because I have limited time and my focus is sometimes split, I wanted something quick and included ingredients I had already.

The recipe calls for an 8"x 2" cake pan but I had 9" pans or a 7" springform pan so I reduced the recipe by a third and used the 7" pan.

Definitely easy!  All ingredients went into the food processor and in 10 mins I had batter, the hardest part was making the conversions.

Results....

Super moist, good almond flavour (despite not using almond extract which was part of the recipe) and great with tea!  I think I might scale the sugar down a bit as I don't like my desserts too sweet but if I'm making it for others, it would be well received.  Overall, a great little dessert to whip up for afternoon tea.

L: The middle seemed like it erupted, R: After sprinkling with icing sugar

Paired with a Taiwanese black tea called Ruby Black that I had received several years ago as a sample.  Surprisingly, the sample was still fresh! Ruby black tea (or Taiwan tea no. 18) is actually a tea cultivar that was developed in Taiwan by cultivating a Taiwan wild black tea with an Assam cultivar from Myanmar.  Strong notes of cinnamon can be found upon first sip, followed by a sweet, malty aftertaste.  Also, I think there were hints of dried fruit.  It might not be for everyone but I thought it really went nicely with the almond flavour and the light astringency also balanced out the sweetness of the cake.  Pairing with green tea could also be nice.

L: Dry Taiwan Ruby Black Tea leaves, Middle: Infused tea leaves, R: Taiwan Ruby Black Tea

I would definitely make again and would probably experiment with different pan sizes and serve with a fruit compote or fresh fruits.

Best Dumplings (and Maybe Xiao Long Baos) in Toronto!

Northern Dumpling Kitchen
550 Hwy 7 E. Unit 52A (Times Square)
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4
T:  905-881-3818

Xiao Long Bao (XLB)

This has been my favourite dumpling restaurant in Toronto (well, actually in the GTA) for a number of years. And I have to say, they serve the best northern style steamed dumplings in Toronto!  I went a few times before the new year and realized I've never blogged about this place.

Xiao Long Baos (XLB) or soup filled dumplings are very popular, mainly because of the popularity of Din Tai Fung, an international restaurant originating from Taiwan.  Ding Tai Fung (DTF) a restaurant in Toronto (not an official location of Din Tai Fung) was where I had my first taste of xiao long baos and I remember it was soooo good and loved it!  But, when I started going to Northern Dumpling Kitchen I was even more enthralled.  Their XLBs were better in flavour and the skin was super thin too.  But, DTF on some occasions have packed in more soup.  Although I still love eating XLBs, Northern Dumpling Kitchen's dill (restaurant labels it as fennel) and pork steamed dumplings have become my new favourite.  The dill just adds a nice flavour to the dumplings and each one also is juicy with a bit of "soup".  The skin is also very thin.  Best of all, the price is awesome for a basket of ten!!

Inside the XLB

Pork and dill (fennel on the menu) steamed dumplings

Inside the pork and dill dumpling

No where else can you find the quality at such a reasonable price!

Other dishes that I've had include their beef and onion roll, dan dan noodles, cumin lamb skewers, gong bo chicken, a variety of vegetable dishes, and a number of other noodle dishes.  All were okay in both taste and price.  One note, if you're familiar with dan dan noodles from DTF, this version is different.  Northern makes it with a little more chili and very little sesame paste.

I definitely recommend!!

Interior:  There are booths along the window and only 2 round tables for groups of 6-8. 

Book Review :: The Untold History of Ramen: How Political Crisis in Japan Spawned a Food Craze

Ramen at a few places in Toronto, and yes, the Kinton Mega bowl pictured top left is a result of North American influences and as the author would say, do not follow "Japanese sensibilities"

The Untold History of Ramen:  How Political Crisis in Japan Spawned a Food Craze
Author:  George Solt

I'm not sure how I came across this book when I was searching books online but I'm glad I did.  This book is actually a result of Solt's doctoral dissertation and some parts definitely read like one.  But, don't be turned off by that notion, most of it flows well and you'll learn quite a bit about the history of ramen, fresh and instant.

***

I enjoy eating ramen, but each time I ate it I questioned how much I really knew about ramen.  I knew the origins were from Chinese "laimein" but didn't know much else.  Aside from different broth based versions of ramen, I couldn't tell you much.  Some might say, as long as it tastes good, everything else is not too important...but sometimes I think info is good.

Just before reading this book, we had gone to Hakata Ramen Sho Ryu and felt the noodles were lacking in spring/chewiness as we like noodles with a bite to it.  But, the beginning of this book highlights chewiness is less or non-existent in ramen made in the south and western parts of Japan like Hakata ramen.  So that made sense and made me re-think what is "ramen"?

***

The book traces the transformation of ramen from working class meal that fills you up at the side of the street to instant ramen to national food and to artisanal ramen.  By the end of the book, you'll have a good sense of the origins of ramen and how it's changed, but the multitude of different kinds is still up to you to learn more about it elsewhere.  The subtitle of the book refers to the US occupation of Japan after WWII and the instability at that time.  The political parts of the book were interesting but a little lengthy in some sections.  I'm not much of a political or history buff but when it comes to food, I become a little more interested.  I guess that's the case with anything...you only want to learn about something that interests you so even history I'll read for the sake of food knowledge.  (I can remember junior high history and always talking about the fur trade which to this day I still don't know anything!)

So, if you just wanted to know about ramen, you might skip parts, but the history of the introduction of American wheat was important and the reasons behind it were interesting.  I don't want to give away too much info but school lunch programs as a political tool was quite interesting to read!  The increase in imported American wheat also correlated with the increase of bread consumption, but the reason for ramen taking off was a mixture of other factors.

Rise of instant ramen was quite lengthy and it was interesting to note Ando Momofuku the founder of Nissen Foods (and often credited with inventing instant ramen) was born in Taiwan during the Japanese occupation and Momofuku is the Japanese pronounciation of his given Chinese name.  Instant ramen and ramen as we know it now are two very different things but it was very popular in Japan and subsequently made it's way to North America (the brand Cup Noodles ring a bell?).

Ramen in movies and media is also mentioned and of course the movie Tampopo is also discussed.  The book finishes off with some info about ramen in North America and names like David Chang and Ivan Orkin (who's autobiography I've recently finished reading as well) are mentioned.  It's only in the last 3-4 years that there has been a boom in ramen restaurants in Toronto; a little late to the show but I'm glad there are more ramen places.


What I particularly liked....
I can't really say what particular parts were great because in general, there were a lot of interesting facts about ramen and how it has changed in Japan.  The, "hmmm, interesting..." moments came while reading about the import of American wheat and how that was also linked to the rise of instant ramen.  Some interesting info about instant ramen as "healthy" in the beginning was quite funny given their unhealthy image now.

Ramen as a tourism strategy was also interesting as this led the way for each area to develop their own ramen and infuse monies to smaller cities/towns.

I think Solt did a really good job on the last section, the conclusion.  The conclusion really tied things together and summarized the main points.   There was also a bit of additional info, such as the current ramen philosophy amongst independent ramen chefs in Japan.


What I wasn't too fond of...
There were some parts that had a bit too much info that it made it sound like filler.  Maybe in a phD paper it's necessary, but examples of telegrams that were being sent back to the US from Japan during the US occupation were a bit much.

Also, the numerous articles quoted about instant ramen (pros and cons) seemed a little excessive but I gather there must have been strong opinions to warrant so many.


Overall
For someone looking for information about the rise in popularity of ramen, this book is a great resource.  It wasn't too dry (but of course that's my opinion) and gives you an opinion about ramen's current popularity.  I'm not sure if it's truly an "untold history" but it pulls together the origins, the import of American wheat as the driving force to increased ramen consumption, and how each decade/era has consumed and viewed ramen.  Definitely recommend!!

Welcoming 2015

Strawberry Red Bean Mochi - The first dessert I made in 2015.

There was no all night partying, no special outfit, no new years eve feast.  The year 2014 ended like most other nights last year, except maybe a lot of thanks to be given for a year that had it's lows but also for amazing highs with my newly formed family.

For most people, the Christmas holidays are a very joyful time and people are often in a festive spirit but there are those that this season brings tears and unhappiness.  I have experienced both.  But every new year brings hope that it will be better than the last, that if it was a bad year previously, the changing of the year somehow signifies a changing of the winds hopefully.

We get a little older and hopefully see ourselves a little more clearly.  It's taken me a while to write this first post of 2015 as I don't usually make new years resolutions but this year I decided to make a few goals, goals that drive me to be better...

1.  Bake regularly, once a week at minimum (or can be substituted with making a dessert that does not require baking, such as the mochi pictured above).

2.  Read regularly.  In the last year I've read more (non-fiction) than I've read in the last few years and it's been quite satisfying.  I feel like my brain is working again.  Sometimes I read things that I'd love to share or chat with others about so that is often why I'll blog about certain books.  I'll also add reading the news and reading in Chinese are sub-goals as I often find myself going weeks at a time without knowing what's happening in the world or the city (which is a little sad) and because I don't want to lose the little Chinese reading skills I have.

3.  Be on time.  I'm always late.  Unless it's a very important appointment where I absolutely can not be late, I'm always late.  My picture should be beside the word "late" in the dictionary, lol!  It's a combination of lack of appropriately estimating how long something is going to take, sometimes squeezing in one last thing to do, and never accounting for traffic.  Being late is really a bad character trait and although my friends and family forgive me, I really want to be better.  Everyone's time is valuable and me being late doesn't show that I care.  There! I've said it...let's see if I can make it happen!

4.  Be a better mom (and be better to my mom).  This one is the toughest since it's very subjective but I'm putting it down anyway...this will also be the only year I'm putting it down because I feel like this is something I need to reflect upon every single year, but this is the first.

Wishing my family and friends (and readers) good health and happiness, may 2015 be better than 2014!!