Saturday, August 2, 2008

Photohunt: Cloud (Shabu-shabu 101)

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Ok, I actually have lots and lots of cloud photos but I couldn't single one out for this entry. This is why I decided to take a different route and in the process share with you an interesting experience I had a few days ago... let me present "steam cloud!"


This faint wisp of cloud is just a sign of things to come.

Last Tuesday evening, I got schooled in the art and science of eating shabu-shabu. It seems this method can be traced back to 13th Century Mongolia to none other than Genghis Khan himself. The story goes that with his army constantly on the move, finding good food that's both nutritious and easy to prepare became a neccesity. The solution? A large pot of boiling water to dip thin slices of meat that they can eat right away and even provide them with soup to drink. It's both fast and easy, thus conserving not only their supply of fuel but the troop's energy as well.


The school: Healthy Shabu- Shabu at EDSA Shangri-la Mall


The Professor: Candy Hwang, owner of the Healthy Shabu-shabu, local pioneer of the "one-person, one-pot" style (which is definitely more hygienic and allows you to create and innovate)


As you can see, each seat has their own stove and pot.


Course syllabus: I enrolled for the combination of meat and seafood of course


Lab Equipment: plate, bowls, Chinese spoon, chopsticks, soup ladle, shabu-shabu ladle and your own pot and stove of course!

My school things


Special sauce base w/ spices, chopped garlic, spring onion and chilli pepper, raw egg, and sate


Vegetable platter: Taiwan and Baguio pechay, tofu, taro (gabi), black mushroom, carrots, sweet corn, 2 types of noodles: vermicelli (thin and translucent a.k.a. "bihon") and egg noodle (flat & white), fish cake, and an assortment of balls ( squid and beef I think)


Seafood set: Prawn, squid, sea cucumber, oyster and fish fillet


The meat in the combo: thinly sliced Angus beef!


Here's a peek at my seat work. What can I say? I love veggies! (Not as much as the angus beef though)

I actually came to class with quite an extensive experience in shabu-shabu, despite this though, I still went home learning quite a number of things. Permit me to enumerate.
  1. Corn and taro are the first in because they take the longest to cook, plus they give the soup a certain flavor right from the start. I personally prefer leaving the taro in the pot until last so that it crumbles--it actually gives the soup a thicker texture.
  2. Veggies, tofu, the vermicelli, and the balls should not be soaked for more than 30 secs.
  3. You'd want to put the shrimp in early (and other seafoods too for that matter) to add flavor to the soup (fish should not be left longer than 5-10mins. though, otherwise it ends up crumbling to pieces)
  4. You soak the meat only when the soup base comes to a boil. The meat (and oyster) should be soaked for no more than 20 sec.--just enough to make it tender and juicy. Overcooking the meat will make it rubbery and thus unpalatable. Beating an egg and pouring it over beef or lamb (meats that tend to be tougher) will help tenderize them more before the actual cooking.
  5. The special sauce! Mix the special sauce base, garlic, onion, and sate (add chili pepper as prefered). What makes it special? Why the egg yolk of course!

Don't forget to mix 'em all together of course!

And one last thing, how can I forget...


My classmates!

NB: Click here for more pictures. By the way, do we have any classmates from the south? JC (who lives far far from Alabang) got GC's for Alabang Town Center. If you want to contact him for a swap, just give him a shoutout at Chicken Mafia.

School's out! Time to practice what I've learned... yuummm!!




56 comments:

joyfulchicken said...

Yes... anyone who wants to swap GCs can contact me.

Leslie: said...

Wow! A unique take on the theme! Great job...have a wonderful weekend. And eat well. ;D

jams o donnell said...

What a delightful and very different take on this week's theme! Have a great weekend

Anonymous said...

Super take on the theme this week. :) Well done!

Carver said...

That's a very interesting take on the theme. I learned something and the photographs were all good.

marcia@joyismygoal said...

now that's thinking out side the box:)

ancient one said...

Well, that was very different... and I read the whole thing.. very interesting. Love your take!!

Unknown said...

Well your take put in a whole lot of work, what a post.. congrats on being so creative!

jmb said...

That was really interesting and I am glad you shared it with us. Have a great weekend.

Tom said...

A different but nice take on the theme. I like Shabu-shabu too.

Hi, Juned and Mica.

Anonymous said...

Now you got me craving for Shabu Shabu!! :P

Anonymous said...

cool take on the cloud, very smart. i think i'd take the seafood plate but you can have the veggie ones. lol

Unknown said...

now, you got me hungry!:D that's a unique take on this week's theme.

Anonymous said...

o wow - pls send some over, it's winter here!! :) reminds me of what we have in malaysia called 'steam boat' n it's the same concept. very nice!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderfully unique take on the theme! :) Nicely done. Now I'm hungry. Mine is up here. Happy Hunting!

Anonymous said...

I would never have thought of that. Educational too... thanks.

Harajuku PearL said...

Now this is interesting!. I love shabu shabu actually. Good fun and great interpretation.

Pearl - have a good weekend

Anonymous said...

Wow - now that looks like something cool to learn. And looks yummy too!

Happy Weekend.

Colin Campbell said...

Shabu Shabu sounds like a whales name. I have tried it and many variants in my travels around Asia. Very nice.

Hootin Anni said...

A cloud of steam from the pot on the first photo. You won't catch ME eating that tho...that looks a bit nauseating to this American. LOL

My clouds are posted, a bit different in 'take' this week, stop by if you can and see what you think! Have a great weekend.

Anonymous said...

oooh yum! i've got edible clouds, too!

happy weekend!

Edible Clouds
Clouds within Reach

Baker Watson said...

Great take on the theme. I think I would really enjoy that experience. I like a meal where everyone takes part in fixing their own. I've had a few of different types and they are always memorable. Great post.

Baker
(thanks for the visit and comments)

Anonymous said...

nagugutom tuloy ako. (napansin mo ba, bawat comment ko dito, gutom ako? haha. sensya na ha).

Anonymous said...

great take on the theme :-)
thanks for visiting mine :-)

philos said...

@JC: Hope you meet your match :p

@Leslie: Thanks, you too! :)

@Jams: Glad you liked it. :)

@Leslie: Thanks thanks! :)

@Carver: Haha... glad you learned something :)

@Marcia: Huh? What box? hehe... :p

@Ancient One: Wow! I appreciate you reading the whole thing. Thanks! :)

@Expat Traveler: Haha... JC up there would probably disagree and say I was lazy for merging 2 entries in one :p

@JMB: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

@Tiohem: Don't we all? hehe... Thanks for coming by! :)

@napaboaniya: I say go for it! ;)

@PM: Haha... I prefer the Angus beef plate... the veggies are automatically included, hence the name "healthy".

@Luna: Thanks! Go, eat shabu shabu! hehe

@mistyeiz: Wow! This is perfect for winter... warm hearty soup and easy to eat meat and veggies :) You can actually prepare some at home yourself!

@crazy working mom: Haha... go eat, don't let me deprive your baby with food!

@Aileni: I aim to please :)

@Pearl: Thanks Pearl! Shabu-shabu's an interesting experience

@Pat: Hehe... and to think I didn't think I needed to learn anything

@Colin: Hehe... Here, the word "shabu" has a different connotation, its the street name for methampetamine hydrochloric acid... "MET"... a whale of a problem if you get started in it :p

@Anni: Haha... nothing nauseating I assure you :)

@Munchkin Mommy: Edible clouds are great aren't they? :p

@Baker: yeah, it gives each visit a different twist :)

@Aileen: Haha... that's my goal really :)

@gaj38: Thanks! :)

Anonymous said...

Beautiful shots! Looking at the photos made me drools...Have a great weekend!

Cheers,
Nita

Aiyah Nonya said...

Intersting 'cloud'. :) You and I think a like, eh ?
Thanks for dropping by mine. Have a great weekend.

Anonymous said...

OH THATS VERY INTERESTING ENTRY FOR THIS WEEK'S THEME...hAPPY HUNTING!

Anonymous said...

what a clever idea!! totally enjoyed the uniqueness!

you're the only one i've seen so far that has a different take on the subject so you definitely stand out! LOL

GREAT!

Ladykli said...

Great take for this week's theme. I was getting hungry looking at the other photos!

Shawie said...

oh, never had a shabu-shabu before:) looked so yum!
and very creative shot for the theme:) have a great weekend!

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

Fun! I like the outside-the-box perspective here. Very cool. :D

Liz Hinds said...

That was fascinating. Very different take on clouds!

Anonymous said...

Nice choice for the theme. Unexpected. I've never heard of shabu-shabu before, but now I'd like to try some. It looks tasty!

Thanks for visiting my blog.

sammawow said...

Very interesting take on the theme! It looks really good too!

Sandy said...

What a surprise for the theme! Very creative...good job

Fishman said...

Oh I love shabu-shabu!

Heart of Rachel said...

I love your take for the theme. I love shabu shabu too. We make it a point to have shabu shabu once in a while at home.

GingGoy said...

how much naman yan? any sched? more info please. been looking for one like that here. sana di masyado mahal. I also remember MK in bangkok :P

ALiNe said...

Ang laki ng sugpo!!! yum!

Camille said...

i didnt know what there was a shabu shabu blogevent! waah..parang kahapon lang gusto ko magshabu shabu... how much per head sa healthy shabu shabu?

philos said...

@Nita: Glad you enjoyed it, I live to see people drool... err, creepy I know :p

@Aiyah Nonya: Haha... Yeah! ;) Thanks, you too! :)

@genny: Thanks! You too! :)

@dmeemai: Hehe... thanks! Oohh, keep hunting, I've seen a few other types of clouds hehe

@Ladykli: Haha... I'm only too glad to be of service foodwise :p

@Shawie: Ohh! Go try it! It's fun and good too! :)

@dianne: Thanks! I'm weird that way I guess... always thinking about food :p

@Liz: Thanks hehe

@sallyacious: I hope you get to try it... its fun!

@Sammawow: If I can make it half as appealing on photo as it was in person, I'd be satisfied :)

@andy: thanks hehe... :)

@Fishman: happy to hear that :)

@Rachel: Hehe... maybe next time you could try Healthy Shabu-shabu :p

@tutubi: Hmm... you mean how much to eat at Healthy Shabu-shabu? It really depends on what you want to eat... I have a photo of the menu here if you want to check 'em out.

@ALiNe: Yum nga! Shabu shabu tayo! hehe

@Camille: Err.. di sya per head eh, depende sa order mo... shabu shabu tayo! :p kulit noh?

SabineM said...

I LOVE SHabu Shabu... I bought myself a pot to make it at home... I LOVE The idea!
great take on the theme!

MaR said...

A delicious take on the theme, well done!!

Kat said...

Yum! I am now so hungry!

kaycee said...

I love shabu-shabu! great take on this week's theme.
Btw to answer your question, i work in the pharmacy department of a teaching hospital. Mhairi was one of our student techs....

Anonymous said...

Wonderful clouds! I can't wait to try Shabu-shabu out.

Anonymous said...

Ooo I LOVE Shabu-Shabu! You make me hungry now! :D

YTSL said...

Mongolian? Thought shabu shabu's Japanese!!!

Anonymous said...

i just heard about that shabu-shabu thing... and what a coincidence to find it here in your blog... lol
anyway, i think i will have a hard time if i would cook it myself! hahaha i wonder how it would taste like! well, i guess i have to practice on that! lol

philos said...

@SabineM: Thanks! It is a fun activity for that lengthy family dinner where one need not worry about the pot roast on the oven :)

@Mar: Thanks! :)

@IRISHKAT: Hehe... go get some shabu-shabu! :p

@kaycee: Haha... another name on your list of establishments to visit I hope? :p So you're a pharmacist huh? Cool :)

@Alice Audrey: Then don't wait! ;)

@Huey: try it! try it! :)

@YTSL: Haha... I actually thought it was Chinese... the words themselves are Japanese in origin, even its resurgence is definitely Japanese, they only traced the practice as far back as Genghis Khan... I wouldn't be surprised to find out that people did that much much earlier, it's a fairly sensible thing to try out IMHO. :)

@neuroticsister: Where'd you hear about it? Its really not that hard, you come out satisfied however much you bungle it I'm sure, of course if you want to try it for the first time, you might want to try it with one of these 1-pot/1-person establishments. :)

Janette Toral said...

Shabu-shabu is one of my favorite hangout when bonding with Mom. Galing ng tips and look forward in visiting Shabu shabu again soon to try them.

Miss Elle said...

oohhh. now im craving for it! and am verryy hungry. LOL. thanks for sharing this. :)

philos said...

@janettetoral.com: Yeah, you should've been there. I'm sure you would've enjoyed it. :)

@Miss Elle: Haha... Go eat shabu shabu! Thanks for coming by! :)

Anonymous said...

How much did it cost you?

Anonymous said...

oh wow. i miss shabu-shabu.