Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba  has basically been my go-to for impressing out-of-town friends -- even my Japanese friend (albeit one who lives in the US) was interested in going and not disappointed. This time we even squeezed in a bit of dessert. Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen ($15.95) Pork Bone Broth or Chicken Broth, Spicy Minced Pork, Soft Boiled Egg, Green Onion, Garlic, Baby Corn, Dried Red Pepper, Bamboo Shoot, Bell Pepper, Kabocha, Onion, Kokoro Spicy Sauce, Thin Ramen Noodle Spicy Ramen comes with choice of chicken or pork broth; I opted for the pork broth. Deeply flavourful broth makes every bite and slurp delicious. Can't say I'm a big fan of their choice of vegetables, but the broth more than made up for it. I seem to remember only HALF an egg. Ebi Mayo ($14.45) Been a long time since I've had ebi mayo anywhere, and maybe I don't remember it well enough to compare, but this version was terrible. It did feel like they were freshly prepared and still slightly hot. You can see...

Here's a trick to get instantly ready noodles that you can toast to desired crispiness. No boiling! No frying! (Slide 1) We start with soft tortilla shells. Use any brand you like. I often buy Casa Mendosa plain tortillas from the Real Canadian Superstore when they go on sale since they are really quite versatile. I do find that they are on the "barely cooked" side of paleness so I do like to toast them slightly no matter how I use them. If you have big shells, you can have longer noodles! Cut the tortilla shell into noodles. Ideally you have something like a hand-crank noodle maker  or spaghetti roller , but if you don't you can still get fairly even-width noodles. (Slide 2) Start by rolling up the shell. Then cut the cross section into the desired noodle widths. Make sure your knife is sharp since the act of cutting will compress them and they can become fragile enough where they fold. (Slide 3) Once cut, gently unfurl them, and you have ready-to-eat noodles. I l...