EYW Blog

Our writer details how to make healthy, delicious congee two ways: one traditional, one modern.

"American Girl Porridge," courtesy of Kimberly Nichols

My obsession with Asian porridges started years ago, when I found the cheaply made and nutritious bowl of ancient Chinese food called congee listed as one of the most nutritious foods in the world, according to my global herbalism textbook. It was noted that many a spry monk in the Himalayas considered three plain bowls of soupy rice a day the key to vibrant health and longevity. To that end, my herbal course suggested mixing up the plain, lovingly long-cooked rice and water recipe with a myriad of fun additions like herbs,...

Photo by GusbellSStudio

Breakfast in Tokyo isn’t like your usual breakfast: Most of what you’ll find on your plate in the morning is savory enough to make an excellent lunch or dinner dish. And the meals aren’t only delicious, but they’re also healthier than something like cereal or pancakes.

Break your fast the way locals do with these seven breakfast staples:

1. Steamed Rice (Gohan)

Gohan means “meal.” And how appropriate—steamed white rice (hakumai) or brown rice (genmai) are staples for almost every meal in Japan, so you’re guaranteed to have this for breakfast at least once. The rice comes out a bit stickier than you might be used to, making it easier to pick up with...

All photos by Coen Wubbels

One thing was certain: Had we searched for dinner on our own upon arriving in Seoul, we never would have eaten fish cakes, rice cakes in gochujang, fried tofu, and anchovies with peanuts for our first meal. We don’t speak Korean, and we hadn’t yet done much research about what to eat here. Where would we have found these dishes? How would we even have known they exist?

My partner, Coen, and I were in luck. A Korean couple had followed our travel adventures on our website for a while, and when they learned we were coming to their country, Jin and Suna offered us accommodation in their home. Local people inviting you to their homes is always a gift, but...

Black sheng jian bao, a modern twist on a Shanghai classic

Shanghai is the biggest, and some would say most incredible, city in China. It’s such a vibrant and fast-paced place, it’s no wonder Shanghai cuisine emphasizes snack foods and street eats: Here, you can grab a bite at almost any time of the day. To celebrate that, here are 10 of our favorite street eats and snacks in Shanghai.

All photos by Eating Adventures.

Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings)

Xiao long bao was first made in a dim sum shop in Shanghai in 1871. It is one of the few Shanghainese specialties that have become well known around the world (particularly in New York City, where locals have adopted the dish as...

These egg waffles are one of Hong Kong's iconic street foods.

It’s no secret that Hong Kong is a foodie’s mecca. Local Hong Kongers take their food so seriously that people greet each other with the phrase nei sek faan meia: “Have you eaten yet?”

With one of the highest densities of restaurants in the world, visitors are spoiled for choice. Which creates a problem we’d all like to have: Where to start? Here are our tips for 10 must-try foods in Hong Kong:


All photos by Eating Adventures except where indicated.

Roast Goose

Once you’ve had great roast goose there is no turning back—you’ll forever be haunted by the search for more. Goose has succulent red meat, and when...

Photo: Pavel L Photo and Video/Shutterstock

When you first travel to a new place, the sights, smells, and sounds are often so new that there’s no question you are somewhere you’ve never been before. Traffic and language sound different. The lights, colors, architecture, cars, and clothing are all worthy of increased attention. The smell of the air itself can even indicate that you’ve arrived somewhere foreign and different.

While these senses all combine to highlight the new wonders that await you, it’s often, of course, when you sit down to a meal in a brand-new place that you truly discover the un-nameable heart and soul of wherever you are. Nowhere is this truer than in...

It was our first night in Chiang Mai. After a 24-hour journey of buses, overnight trains, and general mishap, all my friend Noele and I wanted were long showers and a great meal. Before this trip, we’d had dreams of Thailand’s notorious midnight raves, but even then, our real draw to the “country of smiles” was the food. We wanted authentic pad Thai, exotic fruits, robust coffee—all of it. 

We found our addiction early on. We were seated at the night market, surrounded by one of everything—heaping plates of fried rice, stir-fried seafood with sprigs of leafy basil—but our forks couldn’t stop dipping into the som tam. The spicy green-papaya salad has long been a favorite in many...

Contrary to what you might gather from your neighborhood Chinese eatery, there isn’t really a fixed recipe for fried rice. It evolved from throwing leftovers in the wok to stir-fry—one of the sustainable ways the older generation ensured every scrape of food was eaten, not wasted—and voilà, you get a really tasty variety of dishes.

Fried rice tastes best, therefore, with leftover, day-old rice: The grains lose moisture overnight, giving them a harder, crunchier texture—perfect for this dish—and they’re less likely to clump when you stir-fry them with everything else. Cook the rice the night (or at least several hours) before, leave it out to cool for an hour or so, then put it in...

This destination spotlight crosses the globe to Cebu, in the central Philippines, an appealing destination for business travelers, beachgoers—and people who like to eat. Our writer, a Cebu resident, demonstrates why in our 20-dish-strong Cebu guide. Here’s a taste.

Camotes Islands, Cebu, two hours by boat off the mainland. Photos by Mona Polo

Located in the center of the 7,107 islands that make up the Philippines, Cebu (“se-boo”) is a tropical playground disguised as a business hub…or is it the other way around? Cebu the island—the province and cosmopolitan capital city share the same name as well—is 156 miles and just 28.8 miles at its widest, so travelers for pleasure or...

Banana vendor in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia. Photos by Glynn Pogue

As I slurped up the last bit of spicy broth from my lunch of ramen noodle and bok choy, I felt full and satisfied. That is, until I took a final look at my bowl: Hiding at the bottom, alongside a few stray bean sprouts, was an indiscernible hunk of fatty flesh on bone. Chicken? Beef? Pork? My contentment quickly dissipated. What on Earth did I just eat?

I've been a vegetarian for 13 years, a pretty significant part of my life. I'm now in Cambodia in the Peace Corps, and when I first applied, I was warned that one of the unwavering rules is to be open to whatever challenges and new experiences come your...

Thank you to all who participated in our recent Taiwan contest! We had asked for Facebook likes on users' photo uploads—it was a close race, but we’re ready to announce our winners.

The grand prize winner, who will receive a free night in Taipei at Bigfoot Hostel plus NTD 1,000/US$35, is user evyyang, with 121 Facebook likes on her upload of a frosty Taiwanese dessert. May we suggest you spend your winnings on more of these sweets, Evy?

Frozen ice with fresh local fruits

But that's not all! Our second- and third-place winners will also receive a free night at Bigfoot in Taipei for their popular uploads:

Grilled king oyster mushrooms, by user mintmaple

Pounded...

I woke up to a loud pitter-patter on my tin roof—another cold, gray morning in central Cambodia. The rainy season had stretched on for weeks and left me with a perpetual sniffle and a cough I couldn’t shake. I needed to eat something to warm my belly.

I ventured into my village’s winding market for breakfast, the dirt ground muddy and wet. Older ladies and schoolchildren grabbing a meal before class hunched below the market’s makeshift sheet-metal rooftops, slurping up porridge from mismatched sets of porcelain bowls. I settled in at my favorite vendor’s stall, a little stand with nothing more than a rice cooker, a portable burner, a sagging wooden bench, and a young girl with a...

Tsua bing, or shaved ice, in Taiwan. Photo by user hungryel

One look at the images in our Taiwan section, and it’s no surprise the island is such a beloved food destination. The Eat Your World team dreams of one day feasting in the streets and night markets of Taipei, but before we get there, we’re going to help some travelers with their own visit: We’re giving away a free night at a popular downtown hostel to a few lucky travelers—and a cash prize to one (may we suggest spending it on food?). To enter, all you have to do is upload a photo or story about local food to EYW…and then tell all your friends: The three users whose entries receive the most Facebook LIKES win!

HOW TO...

The spread at Seng Cheong [All photos by Juliana Loh].

In this guest post, Juliana Loh relays her itinerary for taking “heavyweight food friends from Hong Kong” out to eat in Macau for exactly 12 hours. Because it was during the Chinese New Year holidays, some of her favorite spots were closed, but she came up with great alternatives as needed—all listed here, should you ever have a 12-hour layover in Macau.

Pork chop buns at Tai Lei Loi Kei (called “Da Li Lai” in Mandarin)
In Taipa—the smaller of Macau’s two islands—this place is an institution. It used to have an outdoor eating area where people sit to eat pork chop buns, slurp noodles, and nibble on their curry fishball...

It’s so simple, yet so easy to screw up: Making rice is at the heart of Japanese cuisine, and our friend Megumi recently shared with us exactly how it should be done, as well as instructions for making vinegared sushi rice and temaki, or hand-rolled sushi. All photos by Trix Rosen, copyright 2012.

A basic salmon temaki

The Japanese are rice eaters. Traditionally we eat cooked, short-grain rice almost every day.  So we are very fussy about rice: its freshness, texture, firmness, softness, flavor, moisture, size, and shininess. Good rice is grown in the areas where the water is fresh and clean. Of course, the fresher, the better! The new crop that arrives in the market every fall...

In this guest post, Sukanya of the food and travel blog Saffronstreaks shares with us the recipe for a favorite Bengali milk-based sweet from Kolkata (Calcutta): aam sandesh, or Indian fudge infused with mango. Of course, this “fudge” is not made with chocolate but with cottage-cheese-like chhana (also spelled chenna); the translation stems more from the dish’s texture. For more on milk-based treats from India, check out our Delhi sweets section.

Bengalis’ love for sweets is a well-known affair, and sandesh (“fudge”) is one they particularly adore. The great Bengali luncheon always ends on a sweet note,
and it doesn’t stop there; it continues with late-afternoon tea and dinner as...

We recently had the pleasure of cooking one evening with our friend Megumi, who shared with us these favorite warm-weather recipes from Japan. Both are very simple and fresh-tasting, perfect for the dog days of summer. Below she describes each in her own words.

Hiyayakko (Cold Tofu)

Tofu was one of the foods we ate almost every day when I was a child. Back then it was not mass-produced, and there were many local tofu makers. My mother bought fresh tofu every morning from a neighborhood grocery store, often using it for miso soup. But on a hot summer day, we had hiyayakko as a side dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This remains one of the most popular tofu side dishes enjoyed...