5 Portuguese Goodies that Made Their Marks in Asia

If you would ask a person on the street if they like Portuguese food, they would probably give you a blank stare. After all, what is Portuguese food? Well, for starters, this list will feature three delicious bakery items and two somewhat similar main course items. Noted that some of these items have equivalent forms in other European nations and may be even derived from their counterparts. Nonetheless, the Portuguese were kings of the sea, and deserve credit for introducing these items to Asia, where further variations take form.

(1) Tempura

Flour-battered, deep-fried vegetables and seafood items are marvelous parts of a bento box. Battered frying came to Japan via Portuguese Jesuits in the 16th century, and this technique can virtually be applied to anything and it would taste pretty good. Eggplants, beans, shrimp and oysters are just a few that comes to mind.

(2) Katsu

Chicken and Pork Katsu are such a well-received part of modern Japanese cuisine that Japanese-Hawaiians even adapted them into their own cuisine. So what do you do if you want to bread meat instead of vegetables and seafood? Well, you slice and pound the meat so it is thin, and then use panko powder to make it even crispier. Katsu arrived in Japan at about the same time as tempura, and was derived from the Portuguese version of the Wiener Schnitzel.

(3) Empanada

Whether this delightful little snack is Spanish or Portuguese in origin, it made its way to Indonesia via Portuguese merchants, although the Spanish played their part in bringing it to the Philippines. Many variations and incarnations of the empanada ensue, including the Chinese pastry curry beef triangle.

(4) Castella

The Nagasaki sponge cake is derived from the Portuguese Pao de Castela, which literally means "Bread of Castile". When you look at a map of the historic kingdom of Castile, you certainly can say it is really the heart of Spain. In fact, in many European countries, the confection can be simply translated as "Bread of Spain". Who would thought that sponge cake would taste so good with a brown sugar coating? To get an idea of what it tastes like, think Sara Lee pound cakes. The Japanese further added different flavors to Castella, including the classic red bean and green tea flavors.

(5) Portuguese-Style Egg Tart

This is a favorite among the Chinese. If you have been to Dim Sum restaurants, you can find the Hong Kong style egg tarts, with a smooth untamed custard surface and ornate edges adorning the tart. There have been competing theories about how the egg tart made its way into Hong Kong. One theory is Chinese-style cafes introduced the miniature version of British custard tarts to compete with snacks from Western-themed bakeries. Another theory is that the egg tart is derived from a snack found in Hong Kong's neighbor Macau, called pastels de nata, which is of course, the Portuguese version of the egg tart pictured above. I tend to think that the Hong Kong egg tart inherited the British look and the Portuguese size. Today, the Portuguese-style egg tart is immensely popular in the Chinese community, thanks in part to people's familiarity with its cousin. Besides the appearance of the burnt mark, I tend to prefer the pastels de nata because of its richer and creamier taste.

5 Markets to Shop Near North Hills, CA

I am privileged to be living in an area with access to a lot of cool markets. Here are my fave five:

1. Seafood City (North Hills)

This nice little Filipino market has a few pleasant surprises. First of all, their stuff is fresh, the produce is inexpensive, and the aisles are clean. Then you start to notice the freshly grilled squid and fish in the seafood section, as well as at the Grill City counter, which serves ready-to-go food. There is also a couple of Filipino-themed bakeries and the Chow King restaurant. (After all, the Chinese control 60% of the commerce in the Phillipines.) You can find a good selection of Asian groceries here.

2. Trader Joe's (Granada Hills)

Who doesn't loves Trader Joe's? Who does not like great products at reasonable prices? It is like Jimmy Fallon asking the baby, "do you like cash rewards?" The closest one around though, if you live in North Hills, would be a little bit up north, but it's worth the short drive. Everything on the shelves are fresh and the offer quality products under their house brands: Trader Joe's, Trader Jose's, Trader Ming's, Trader Darwin's, Baker Josef's, and so on. The first Trader Joe's opened up in Pasadena in 1967.

3. Vallarta (North Hills)

Do you ever wonder why the grocery prices are so good at Latino-themed supermarkets? Is it because they are messier than regular American supermarkets? No... not really. Vallarta, an American-based, Latino-themed supermarket, is generally clean and offers better prices. In fact, the first Vallarta opened up in San Fernando. They might have stuff geared towards Latinos but these are generally things beloved by people of all races as well. Marinated meats for grilling comes to mind. There is usually a couple of killer deals each week, such as 5 ears of corn for $1 or 5 naval oranges for $1.

4. Sprouts (Granada Hills)

The Arizona-based chain is soon becoming my personal favorite, out of all the places. I've been looking for a market that reminds me of suburban America. Sprouts is it. In the Valley there is no Stater Brothers. You'd have to go up to Santa Clarita for that. There's just something special as you step inside Sprouts each time. There's nothing like it. At first, you will notice the bulk foods section, which carries everything from adzuki beans to jelly beans, not to mention a large variety of nuts. Their bakery is a treat, their produce section offers good deals every week, and their vitamin section is impressive. It is very tough to remember that you are in the valley when you are at this location of Sprouts.

5. Galleria (Northridge)

Asian markets are known for having good food courts, and the one in Galleria does not disappoint. Sure, for native Koreans it might disappoint a slight bit, but where else in the valley can you grab a tasty and affordable lunch with friends after church and immediately take care of your shopping needs? Not to mention that they also got the Tous les Jours bakery in there. The Galleria is clean and provides plenty of the usual Korean and Japanese groceries and snacks. That is all that matters.

5 Very Watchable PBS Shows

PBS have long garnered respect as one of the most educational stations on the TV dial. Yet to some, it is also tagged with the label of "uncool", because of shows like Charlie Rose and other programming for older adults.

Well, for young adults like myself, you want to present yourself as having the qualities of both intellect and coolness. So maybe certain shows on PBS aren't so bad for being exactly that. Here's my fave five in random order:

(1) NOVA

NOVA has kept up with the times and made their shows relevant. Sure, once in a while you would stumble upon a rerun episode about something you don't care, but with topics like the science behind "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero" and sexual cannibalism of spiders, there is something in it for everyone.

(2) Simply Ming

Although the Food Network has no love for Ming Tsai lately, the Massachusetts-based chef still has his own show. Chef Tsai has lots of ideas to work with, being of Asian-American heritage while having attended culinary school in France.

(3) Fokus Deutsch

Why wouldn't a little show that teaches German come in handy? After all, learning a foreign language has always been mein kampf. Just kidding. I will say that this show, although old, is probably better than French in Action, which usually airs right before. This is because this show has closed captioning. Knowing how words are spelled is a huge part of language learning. Besides the benefits of knowing the written language, it can also help one learn the pronunciations more accurately.

(4) Rick Steve's Europe

Making that month-long trip to Europe after graduation has become quite the fad for America's 20-somethings. So that makes this show cool. It certainly helps to know about your destination a little bit beforehand, and this show is a great way to do research while sitting back and relaxing. Or, watching the show, you could reminisce about the places you have been to.

(5) Lidia's Italy

Why another cooking show? Because Italian cuisine is wide-ranging and awesome. If Giada can come up with all those ideas just inspired by Italian cuisine, than why can't Lidia? She can, in a big way. I saw an episode where she had a huge portion of calamari prepared on a cutting board, and I just had to put this show on the list.