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Braizen Food Truck – Calgary

Food trucks are something that is still really new and exciting to me! It seems like they’re coming up with a new truck every week! I don’t follow any trucks religiously, but I do have my favourites that I will eat at if they’re where I’m at! Braizen Food Truck is one of the trucks that I really appreciate. The Braizen food truck is a small black “food truck” that is compact, quick and serves up delicious offerings!

We went on a gloomy Saturday afternoon as they were parked at Deerfoot Meadows – which is one of my favourite locations to enjoy food trucks. I ordered their Harrisa Chicken stew which is a slow cooked chicken stew that sits ontop of quinoa and raisins. This stew is jammed packed with flavour, and it definitely has a nice kick of heat!

We also ordered the Coconut Beef Curry with Potatoes, and this was awesome! You can taste the coconut curry – which is great flavour! I may say at this point this beef curry is my favourite so far from Braizen as it was a perfect curry, and the texture was perfect!

Our friend ordered the Jerk Chicken Sliders with pineapple slaw and he said it was good, but cold. I guess they didn’t toast the buns, which would have made a big impact on a gloomy day. I didn’t get to try it, but it sure tickled my appetite!

Overall, this truck is really good as each dish has bold flavour and it’s definitely well seasoned. The food is amazing and the portions are decent for what you get from a food truck!

Braizen Food Truck on Urbanspoon

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Sushi Towa Calgary

It was my birthday, and I was looking for a special place to celebrate it! We were originally thinking about something along Stephens Avenue – however, it was not only the beginning of wedding season, it was grad season as well. It was impossible to find parking anywhere, and we had no reservations for anywhere (mid week)… so, we went to plan B. This plan was going to Sushi Towa which is located on 4th Street! This little sushi place looks like a house, so look carefully for it if you want to eat here!

We were recommended something unique, so we had to try it! It was the Ishikari Soup which was an item on a printed menu – which was absolutely delicious! I would recommend this soup to you if you like salmon and soup! It was creamy and savoury. It roughly translates to salmon miso soup.

Of course, when I go for sushi, the first thing I look for is the surf clams (hokkigai)! They have some here, and it’s my favourite! I like it so much we ordered it sashimi style! We also really like salmon and tuna, so we opted for salmon this time! What a beautiful plate of sashimi! In the center, it was some Spicy Crunch gunkan style sushi.

We didn’t stop there either, we ordered a few more rolls, and the one I want to mention would be their Fire Cracker Roll which was made of jalapeno tempura, sour cream, smoked salmon which was a great combination! The first few pieces weren’t really spicy as the jalapeno pepper wasn’t spicy – however, there were a few pieces at the end that was extremely spicy, which was probably how this sushi roll was suppose to be! The sour cream really helps cut down the heat level, and the smokey smoked salmon was a great balance of taste and flavours all in one roll.

The last roll that we had is a sushi roll I still dream about! It consists of all things that I love – in a form I love too!! It’s got pineapple, cucumber, avocado, red onion, shrimp, spicy sauce, balsamic vinegar on side. This wonderful roll is called the Hawaiian Roll which is something I would highly recommend if you enjoy sweetness from pineapples in your food.

This sushi place isn’t like any other place I’ve been too. Sure, the prices are a little higher than usual, but their quality is exceptional! The service is great but the most memorable thing is the overall experience that Sushi Towa provides with their food!

Towa Sushi on Urbanspoon

Towa Sushi

2116 4 St SW
Calgary, AB T2S0H3
(403) 245-8585

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Holy Crepe Food Truck

I have always loved our food trucks, and when I heard of a new truck that makes crepes, that became on the top of my priority list! We followed Holy Crepe as they made it to Shawville Gate SE, and waited for them to open and get ready as I browsed through Future Shop!

I knew I wanted a sweet crepe, and so I started the order with a Sweet Jesus with Blueberry and it was one of the best tasting dessert/sweet crepes I’ve had in awhile!

As a savoury crepe, we ordered Holy Smoke Original and it was filled with perfectly cooked Montreal Smoked meat with delicious aioli. Also in the crepe has mushrooms, peppers, pickles, cheese and onions. This makes the perfect combination of stuffing for a perfectly cooked crepe!

Holy Crepe Food Truck on Urbanspoon

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Homemade Satay Sauce on Gai Lan

Home Made Chinese Broccoli with Satay Sauce

Okay, I made a delicious dish with Gai Lan which is also known as Chinese Broccoli in some places. It’s an easy to make dish, as you only need to blanch the gai lan until tender crisp. Then, just make the satay sauce in a little bowl to pour ontop when you’re ready to serve and eat!

Ingredients:
handful of Gai Lan
1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 minced garlic
1 tablespoon of lime juice
1 teaspoon of chilli powder, to taste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
150ml water, as needed

First thing, bring a pot of water to a boil, and I like to season the water when it’s boiling with both salt and some sugar – as Gai Lan can sometimes have a bitterness to it. Blanch the Gai Lan until it’s a tender crisp.

In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients to make the satay sauce. You can modify the sauce to your liking, as it’s really just a guideline. This sauce will be really thick from the peanut butter, so you can dilute it to the consistency you like it with the water. It will be salty from the soy sauce, so it’s important to taste as you go. I find it easiest to start with a little and add more as needed.

To put together, take out the gai lan out of the boiling water and place on a plate. Then, just pour some sauce on top and serve. I like to have the sauce on the side, as it’s delicious with rice/noodles as well!

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Homemade Put Chai Ko – 砵仔糕

Home Made Boot Jai Goh – Chinese Pudding Cakes

I think I goofed up on this recipe, because it’s more “traditional” to use Chinese slab sugar, or at least rock sugar… or even brown sugar to get the colour. Regardless, you can just substitute the sugar. There’s nothing wrong with using white sugar either!

Ingredients: (makes 4-6)
1/2 cup Hot Water
2 tbsp Sugar
1/4 cup Cold Water
6 tbsp Rice Flour
2 tbsp tapioca starch
1/2 tsp almond extract

First thing is first – as this solution doesn’t like to wait for you… so, get the steamer ready so it’s ready! Also, cut some pieces of plastic wrap or tin foil so you can cover the little bowls before you place them into the steamer.

Now, you get to measure out your hot water and dissolve the sugar into the water.

Then, in another bowl, mix the cold water with the almond extract, rice flour and tapioca starch.

Then, combine the 2 solutions and mix well. When it’s combined thoroughly, I like to pour it into the measuring cup as it has a spout – making it easiest to pour. Now, pour this solution into the molds – and cover it with plastic wrap and place into the steamer immediately.

Fill the molds almost to the top, but be sure to leave some room.

Steam these desserts for about 15 minutes on medium high heat. Then, you’re ready to enjoy! You can either enjoy it in the dish or turn them over and remove it out of the molds!

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If you’re making a thicker one, the best way to check if it’s done, it’s a good idea to do the wiggle test while they’re still in the steamer. It should jiggle, but there’s usually a liquid film on the top – so look at the sides!