Travel Food: San Jose, Costa Rica

Food in Costa Rica was delicious. Lots of beans and rice... 

I'm sorry for the late posting but I am doing my best to be punctual and posting more often. 

I had the chance to go to Costa Rica for a Conference. The food in Costa Rica was okay. I was not a big fan but it was very filling. The majority of the Costa Rica cuisines are rice and beans. It was a great adventure out of the States. This was the first time leaving the United States to go to South America. I am not a fan of the plan ride though. I do not like turbulence at all, it scares me. I stayed up the entire flight ride and was jet lag when I landed but I was super excited to be in South America. The food was not that expensive and super healthy. I went zip lining, rainforest trail, and explored a lot. Overall my experiences at Costa Rica was really fun and I would like to go back one day to explore more.

How to make Red Bean Mochi

Mochi is a popular Japanese Dessert.. 

This is a recipe I took and added the red bean water to make it red bean mochi, other flavors can be used such as artificial flavoring: strawberry, coconut, blueberry...etc....The fillings can be jelly, jam, a piece of candy of your choice, etc....THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX!!! :) You will be amaze of what you come up with! 
I forgot to take pictures but you can look through the video which I have linked below.

Here is the recipe:

Prep making the filling for Red bean mochi:
(Can soak overnight to make them cook faster)
1.Use half a bag of azuki red bean and place it in a sauce pan and wash it, by running water and swirling it around with your hands.
2. Let the water simmer and boil until the beans are tender. MAKE SURE TO SURE AND CONSTANTLY ADDING WATER when the water is down that low. 
3. After the beans are tender, pour the beans through a metal strainer and put a metal bowl underneath.
4. Depending on your taste of how sweet you would like it to be you can add more to your desire taste. I added 1 cup o sugar to the beans and mashed them through the sieve of the strainer, this will catch the starch juice we will be using for the mochi skin. This should make at least 1/2 cups of red bean water if not just add some hot water. Do not dilute it to much.
5. After mashing the beans, taste it and see if you need to add more sugar or not but keep in made that the skin will also be alittle sweet.

Mochi Skin:

• 1 cup of glutinous rice flour
• 1/4 c of sugar
• 6 tsp finely mashed/ minced red beans
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/2 c red bean water (after straining the liquid from the mashed filling made)

1. Stir together until smooth and than place a plastic wrap over the bowl and microwave for 2 minutes after beens two minutes in the microwave, stir it!
2.Careful because it is hot!! Put in the microwave for 1 more minute.. 
3. On a clear surface sprinkle rice flour and scoop out the mochi on the surface careful cause it is hot. 
4. Roll the mochi out in to a cylinder, cut them in to 1/2 in pieces, 5. Roll the mochi out to be a flat circle and add your filling of your choice, taking the corners of the mochi put them together. 
6. In this process you have to be quick before the mochi dries out but if this happens, they can be cut in mini pieces used for ice cream toppings. 

Happy Cooking! Wish you the best good luck!!!
Enjoy ^^ 

NYC soup dumplings

Yummy!!!! I know I have been not doing many videos lately. I am trying my best too... I have been really busy..

Also my channel is going to be dedicated to strictly food only related things. I will be making another channel for beauty, nails, diy, all the beauty on a new channel chuieeglam.

Anyways let's get back to making soup dumplings.
I have made soup dumplings over break and would like to share with you guys how I made it. I have posted a video on how to wrap the soup dumpling but not the entire how to make it. If I get enough views than I will upload the step by step video on how I made it. It turned out really good. Good luck! Let me know how you did, photos are welcome! ;)

Xiao Long Bao

The Soup

2 quarts of water
2 pounds chicken bones (wings/back/neck)
1/2 pound of pork skin or pork belly
1 inch piece of ginger, sliced into 4-5 ginger slices
2 green onions, cut into 3″ pieces
2 large garlic cloves, smashed
2 teaspoons of Chinese rice wine 

Wash pork thoroughly. Take the pork skin and scrape on the skin to remove yucky stuff, (firmly scrape). When all ingredients come to a boil, immediately turn to low heat and simmer for 2 hours. Skim surface constantly to keep soup clean and transparent. When the soup is done. Strain and remove the items in the soup. Bones and meat are still edible but you can chuck it, if you like. If you happen to have dogs the bones are a nice treat for them. My dogs loved it!

Broth Gelatin
1 tablespoon powdered Agar Agar

Place 4 cups of the broth back in the pot, add agar agar  whisk for 2 minutes until all powder is dissolved. Pour broth into an baking dish. Leave outside and let it set. It does not have to be refrigerated.

The broth gelatin is done when it is harden, using a butter knife and run the knife along the baking dish to make cubes, almost the size of the chicken broth cubes. Gelatin is finish, set aside.

The Filling
1 lb ground pork
1/4 lb shrimp, shelled, deveined & minced
3 stalks green onion, minced
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Mix all ingredients. Remember to add broth gelatin when assembling it together. Put in fridge when until dough is done.  

Water Dough

1cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 cups boiling hot water
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon canola oil

Put the flour in a large bowl. Pour about a third of the hot water in the flour. Use a fork to stir vigorously.

Dust counter with the flour. Place dough on floured surface, use your hands (make sure is lightly dusted with flour) to knead the dough for 8 -10 minutes, until it becomes soft. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Cut dough in to four pieces in 1-1/4″ diameter. Keep a pile of flour on the side to dust counter often. Roll in to 2 logs and cut them in a size a a golf balls. Press one dough ball down and then roll the outer edge of the flour, making sure that the center of the dough is a bit thicker then the edge.

If dough is drying place a warm moist napkin on top of dough.

Dipping Sauce 

2 tablespoons of hot chili & garlic sauce
1/2 cup  vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon of shaved ginger

Combine and refrigerate it for later usage.

Steaming Dumplings

1 head of Napa cabbage, pull the nappa leaves apart

In the steamer put 1 layer of Napa cabbage leaves. Place dumplings on the nappa leaves, leaving space between each dumpling. Steam for 10- 12 minutes. 

How to cook yummy chestnuts

Yummy Chestnuts! I have been searching for the best way to cook chestnuts. I usually boil them only but I have found a way to make them almost like the one at the NYC vendors. I went to NYC and I saw golden brown chestnuts and they look so good. I could not resist but get a bag. They are a bit pricey. I bought chestnut for $5 dollars for a small brown paper bag. They are yummy if you get them at the right place and vendors only carry these during the winter time. I should probably stop ranting and get on with the recipe. 

Picking chestnuts are pretty easy. Make sure to pick the one that has a little weight. The hollow ones are not good, they are most likely rotten.

To boil them only:

1. Rinse the chestnuts out
2. Cut a slit or put a X on the top of the chestnut
( make sure to cut a slit on the shell and the musk part of the chestnut)
3. Fill a pot half way with water
4. Place chestnuts in the pot 
5. Bring to a boil for 20-30 minutes

Roasting the best chestnut:


1. Rinse the chestnuts out
2. Cut a slit or put a X on the top of the chestnut
3. Fill a pot half way with water
4. Place chestnuts in the pot 
5. Bring to a boil for 20-30 minutes
6. Drain the chestnuts in a strainer
7. Place chestnuts facing the slit on top on a baking sheet
8. Bake at 425* degree for about 15-20 minutes
9. Let it cool and the shell should crack off
10. Sprinkle some sea salt and BAM! 
11. Enjoy! ;)

Let me know how your chestnut turn out!