Kang Kang Food Court in Alhambra

The weather in Los Angeles has certainly been up and down lately. A few weeks ago on a warm, windy afternoon, Hubby and I took the kids to the park to fly their kite. We were scheduled to get some shaved ice at the Kang Kang Food Court in Alhambra, but truthfully, I was excited to meet my inspiration and fellow food blogger Wandering Chopsticks and taste test the Jing Dong Meat Pie she recommended there.

WC got a taste of the kids that day. Baby R was teething and being weaned simultaneously, so he was not a happy camper. But WC took to him immediately and graciously held him while I sampled the food. She didn't flinch a bit when R decided to go for his bowl of rice cereal, splashing milk all over poor WC's pretty dress and the floor. The other two for some reason decided to take turns going on long potty breaks with Hubby, but otherwise, they were fairly patient as Mom chatted with her Hubby-dubbed long, lost twin (because we have a lot eerily in common).

For a warm afternoon, the place was quite empty. I remember years ago before this place closed down for remodelling, and when we used to call it Shau May, it was always packed with people, but it was also a lot more grimey. The removal of the dirty carpet and a fresh coat of paint did wonders. Now the place seems roomier and cleaner.

I ordered some shaved ice for the kids at the shaved ice bar. Now, I don't know what the story is with this location and that of the Shau May in Monterey Park. Both locations offer the same stuff, so either it's a chain, or it's owned by the same people. The shaved ice bar offers the same stuff as the Monterey Park Shau May, but when I tasted the rice balls, they seemed harder than those at the Monterey Park location. Otherwise, it was all good.

On a sidenote, I want to demonstrate how sleepy and distracted I was that day. The girl at the counter who took my order asked me what table number I was at so that they could bring us our food later. I started telling her my phone number until WC stepped in with the correct info.

I decided to order two of the Jin Dong Meat Pies thinking one wouldn't be enough for all of us, but boy was I wrong. I had leftovers for the next day. WC pointed out the pretty layers in the pie, and when I bit into it, it was bursting with flavor. If you love ginger, you'll love this, because there was a lot of ginger mixed in with the pork. I didn't care much for the ginger, but I liked the texture of the pie itself and the flavor of the meat.

A few weeks later, I regretted not trying the Shanghai Pan-Fried Dumplings that they are also famous for, so I sent Hubby to order take out for dinner. The dumplings were noticeably juicier than that of the Monterey Park location, and my parents became a fan, even though the juice squirted all my mom's clothes before I had time to warn her. Yeah, they were that juicy. This photo just doesn't do them justice. We also ordered the meat pie again, and this time there was less ginger for some reason, but still yummy.

Kang Kang Food Court offers cafeteria style food for takeout also. So, Hubby also ordered some of their three item combinations.

The first combo consisted of steamed chicken with ginger and scallion, steamed shrimp, and steamed chinese brocolli. The chicken was not the usual steamed chicken I'm normally used to. The scallion/ginger dressing was not as salty, and the chicken felt soggy and actually grainy to me. I'm just used to firmer meat. The shrimp was also soggy, grainy, and not so fresh, but I liked the sweetness of the sauce. The chinese brocolli was just that, average.

The second combo had steamed cabbage with tofu, fish with black bean sauce, and soft tofu with meat and vegetables. Both tofu dishes were bland to me, but the silky texture of the soft tofu was nice. I did not like the fish at all. The sauce was overly salty, sour, and just plain strange. You also get some soup with the combos, but this "soup" is basically some broth with a bit of bean sprouts in it. Not even worth drinking.

Both Kang Kang Food Court and Shau May are comparable, but whenever I want the Pan Fried Dumplings, I'd come to this location. Just don't order them for takeout because it took them half an hour to fill our order. I think I will also stay away from their combination items, although it's a good deal for $4.25 for the three items. Parking is also tough here, but it's worth the trouble.

Kang Kang Food Court is located at 27 E. Valley Blvd in Alhambra, CA (626) 308-3898

Che Thai (Tropical Fruit, Agar, and Tapioca Covered Water Chestnuts in Coconut Milk)

I really don't know the origin of this common Vietnamese dessert, but according to my hubby, his Thai daddy had always brought this kind of dessert home to him when he was younger, and I remember at our engagement luncheon many moons ago, hubby's Thai aunt came up to me and said something like, "Oh this is Thai dessert!" So I'm thinking this exists somewhere in Thai cuisine, but I haven't found a recipe for it anywhere in my research to compare. The only thing that comes close is Thab Tim Kraap, which consists of fake pomegranate seeds (the tapioca covered water chestnuts) in coconut milk. No fruit involved here.

This recipe comes to me courtesy of my parents' close friends, who are Vietnamese, but beats me where they got it from. Che Thai is sold often in Vietnamese snack shops, so I'm thinking that this is a Vietnamese version of thab tim kraap. Someone care to enlighten me? Otherwise I'll just have to make it a point to ask hubby's cousin one of these days.

Here are the ingredients you'll need for this delicious dessert. This makes a catering sized pot of the che, large enough to serve a party of thirty or so. Be prepared to eat this for a week and gain a few pounds if you're not willing to cut down the ingredient amounts accordingly. Also, although I used canned fruits, kudos to you if you can find and afford fresh ones!

Ingredients:
5 quarts of water
red and green food coloring, five drops each
1 package of agar agar powder (6 oz, makes six cups of agar agar)
2 cans of jackfruit (20 oz. each can)
2 cans of longan (20 oz. each can)
1 can toddy palm seed whole or sliced in syrup (20 oz.)
2 cans sliced water chestnuts (8 oz. each can)
16 oz. coconut cream (you can substitute coconut milk also)
12 oz. rock sugar
14 oz. tapioca starch

First you'll need to prepare the agar agar. Prepare it according to the package, chill, and then cut the agar into thin matchsticks. My mom usually grates these with a special wavy peeler that she got at an Asian supermarket and then cuts them up into thinner strips. Since I couldn't find my peeler, I just cut it up with a knife.

Next comes the fun part (not). Dice up the water chestnuts into centimeter sized pieces. Then the actual fun part (really!). Place half of the water chestnuts in a bowl that won't stain and add in enough water to cover them. Add in about five drops of the green food coloring. In another bowl, do the same with the other half of the water chestnuts but add in the red food coloring. Let these sit while you prepare the fruits.

Dice up the jackfruits and cut the longans into smaller pieces (halves or quarters). Rinse the toddy palm seeds to remove as much of the syrup as you can.

Now remove the water chestnuts from their food coloring, rinse them off, and then add enough tapioca starch to cover them with a nice coating.

Bring the pot of five quarts of water to a boil and then add the rock sugar and the tapioca balls in. Once the tapioca balls start floating to the top, you can start adding in all the fruits and the coconut cream. Stir well and then refrigerate until chilled.

When I'm ready to serve, I will usually add in some ice cubes to keep it really cold. So you see this is a very time consuming dessert to make, so I don't do it often. I'm filing this under Vietnamese until I find out more about its origin (if I ever do).

Andrea at Viet World Kitchen also has a version of Che Thai that employs real pomegranate seeds. Yum!

Whimsical Frozen Yogurt in Hacienda Heights

So after not liking Pinkberry the first time I tried it, I've really gotten myself knee-deep into the fro-yo craze. So when Whimsical in Hacienda Heights advertised its Grand Opening recently with a two for one coupon, you know I had to drag the kids there. Unfortunately, I dragged them towards the end of a very long day that consisted of church, lunch, birthday party, and dinner with visiting friends. More to come on the kids later.

My first impression of this place was that it was so very roomy. I was wondering why they needed so much empty space and why they didn't just put in more tables, but then again most of the tables were empty. Then I noticed that there was a guy serving gelato to some of the customers. I forgot that the advertisement had stated that they serve gelato here too in addition to the frozen yogurt. Not being a big fan of gelato, I dragged the kids towards the back where the yogurt machines were located.

I was disappointed at the selection of the yogurt flavors that were offered. There were ten flavors offered. I sampled the kahlua and didn't like it. There were no green tea or more exotic fruit flavored ones (my favorites). The kids got an orange flavored one and the strawberry. I didn't like those too much either. Hubby got the NYC cheesecake one, and again not too great for me. But I tried the tart and I'd have to say their tart is very yummy, better than Cherry On Top's tart. It tasted very much like the Vietnamese yogurt that I love. I just recently checked Whimsical's website and found that they rotate their yogurt flavors.

While C, and I were at the toppings bar, I heard hubby gasp and turned around to see that J had pulled the handle on the strawberry yogurt machine and that there was probably about two cups of the strawberry yogurt decorating the machine and the floor. Quickly hubby grabbed some tissue and scooped everything up and into the trash before the guys at the counter saw what happened. Otherwise we'd be paying for a lot of yogurt. By the way, the price was cheaper than Cherry On Top's at 30 cents an ounce.

The toppings were not as extensive as Cherry On Top's, and the fruits were not as fresh. They did have green mochi, but the mochi were a little hard for me. While we were still piling on the toppings, J started throwing a tantrum because he wanted his own yogurt. I quelled that tantrum in about half a minute and was quite proud of myself.

As we headed over to our table and sat down, I noticed this guy giving my kids and I a dirty look. He looked to be in his late twenties and immediately I was offended that someone that probably had no idea what it was like to deal with three tired and cranky kids would be judging me for having a three year old who threw a tantrum which I thought I did a pretty good job at handling. So immediately I aimed my camera at him and he immediately looked down at his laptop. I discovered I found a new use for my camera that night.

Anyways, Whimsical has a very good tart yogurt, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here unless I have another coupon, which I do. Whimsical's website is offering a buy one get one free coupon per person if you sign up your email address, but there are very few locations. I hope the next time I go, there will be better yogurt flavors than what was offered this time around and an absense of humbug customers in the store.

This location of Whimsical is located at 1655 Azusa Ave. Suite G, Hacienda Heights, CA (626) 965-7878

Jujube Rice Pudding with Cinnamon and Honey

Yesterday, I had some time to come up with a snack for C and J while they were at school and baby R was taking his nap. I don't get too many opportunities like this in the mornings where I have the time and want to cook up something when I can be doing something for myself, like scrapbooking, or blogging. Like I said, I'm a selfish mommy, so don't make me cook more than once a day.

Anyways, so I promised to use up some of those jujubes I posted about previously. Rice pudding was doable enough, so here's my recipe for you to enjoy and perfect a little bit more. I also thought this would be a good submission for the online event Sugar High Friday created by Jennifer (Domestic Goddess). Hosting the event for this month is Anita (Pastry Girl) at Dessert First, and entries call for any sweet dish created using one or more spice.

Simmer about 8 diced jujubes in 1/2 cup water for 15 minutes.

Bring to boil 2 cups milk (I used 2%), 1 cup water, and 2 cups white jasmine rice. Reduce to simmer.

Add the softened jujubes to the rice and milk and simmer for another 20 minutes. Stir now and then, and towards the end, keep a watch out for the pudding. If you find that it starts to get too thick, you can add more water.

Add in 1 tablespoon honey, 1/3 cup sugar, and a 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

This makes about six servings and can be eaten warm or cold. You can definitely add nuts or raisins as a variation. The next time I make this, I will peel those jujubes because the skin got in my teeth and was quite annoying. But, if you are short of time or are just plain lazy like me, leaving the peel on is fine and is probably healthier anyways. I am thinking about trying jububes with Thai black rice sometime in the distant future. So then, anyone have any other suggestions on cooking jujubes?

Cherry On Top

I was pretty late getting into the frozen yogurt craze, and I have to admit I didn't like Pinkberry the first time I tried it because I just didn't like the flavor of the plain yogurt. Then hubby saw that a new yogurt place called Cherry On Top opened up in Diamond Bar and was offering locals two for one coupons, so we ventured over there during the dog days of summer. Then I tasted the green tea and the mango yogurt and got addicted.

Cherry On Top is part of a chain, and this one in Diamond Bar always seems to have a steady stream of customers. It's located next to a Ten Ren and a Baskin Robbins in a strip mall. From a mile away, you can see the bright pink decor through the glass windows and upon entering, you hear the loud music and notice the glass cherries dangling from the ceiling. Our boys love it.

And another thing our boys love is to run to the counter, grab a container (usually the biggest one) and then run to the yogurt machines, where they self-serve their own yogurt. They like the strawberry-banana, and in addition to the green tea and mango yogurt, I've taken a liking to the peach. I believe there were 12 different flavors of yogurt to choose from.

An advantage to getting the two for one coupon is that I don't have to taint my exclusively mochi and fruit-topped yogurt with their toppings, which include things like gummy bears, chocolate chips, and sprinkles. But on this trip, it was part of my birthday dinner and cousin was with us, so I had to share with C. So he decided to dump his white chocolate chips all over my yogurt, and he put some strawberry-banana yogurt in there too. Yes I'm a selfish mommy. The point of all this rambling is that you get to self-serve your own toppings too, and their fruit toppings are pretty fresh.

Once you get everything in your container, the staff will weigh it and charge you by the ounce. Always comes out more than what we expect, but we hand over the cash willingly.

Cherry On Top is fun for the kids and yummy to the tummy for all.

This location is at 2761 S Diamond Bar Blvd Diamond Bar, CA (714) 538-5749