Tips to eat Balut like a real Filipino

So you’ve travelled to the Philippines and have finally been convinced to give the notorious balut a shot. Here’s a simple how-to that will allow you to stand alongside locals and look like a seasoned pro at eating this peculiar Filipino delicacy.

What is balut

Balut is a Filipino snack, best served warm, of a hard-boiled duck egg that’s about two to three weeks into development. Depending on the length of incubation, the partially developed duck embryo can have more or less discernible features, from its beak to even some feathers.

As outlandish as this sounds to the foreign traveller, there is something unavoidably tempting about it. Because for a nation to love balut, there must be something to it — right? And frankly, there’s only one way of finding out.

Where to find it

Traditionally, balut vendors are known to walk along streets with their baskets of warm balut yelling, “Baluuut!” They call loudly and allow the second half of the word ring out to attract attention. This type of peddling is more common in residential areas or in more rural provinces. But, today, it’s becoming more common, especially in bigger cities, to find vendors stationed in wet markets, on sidewalks or at parks with signs informing passersby of their product. One balut egg will typically cost around 15 PHP ($0.30).

How to eat it

Create an opening:

Tap the rounder end of the egg on a hard surface and peel just enough shell off to make a small opening. Be careful not to let any juices spill out — this is a very tasty part you’ll want to start with.

Normally, balut vendors will have salt with them for anyone who decides to consume the egg immediately after the purchase. Sprinkle a bit of this salt into the opening and slurp up all the tasty balut soup.

Peel away:

After sipping the warm broth, you can begin peeling off the shell and eating the actual balut meat. Some will say the yolk is the best part. It’s tasty, not all that different from a chicken egg, but its creamy texture is what makes it interesting. Others will say the chick is the best part — that is, if you can get past the thought of it being a partially developed duckling and all. Depending on how many days its been incubated, some balut embryos (those nearing the three-week-old mark) will have a bit more of a crunch to them due to more developed beak and bones.

The balut white, also referred to as bato (stone), can sometimes be unpleasant to chew as it tends to be tough, especially for more developed balut. So many will toss this part away. And because it isn’t too tasty anyway, when people do eat the bato, it’s likely for the sake of avoiding food wastage more than anything else.

See more: Top places to eat street foods in Manila, Philippines

Source: Internet

Must-try foods in Zhangjiajie, China

Find out what to eat in Zhangjiajie? This food list has the top Zhangjiajie dishes and snacks to try. Zhangjiajie cuisine is a blend of traditional Hunan cuisine and local Tujia minority cuisine. It is featured with sour and spicy flavors.

Baby Fish

'Baby Fish' (scientific name is Giant Salamader) is one of Zhangjiajie's special produce, it is also a famous dish in other parts of China. The traditional eating method is to get rid of the phlegm, split its body and remove the waste, then cut into strips and finally wash. Use vegetable oil to fry then put a slice of ginger, shallot, salt and sauce into accentuate the taste - this cooking style is called "Xiao Chao Huang Men".

This dish is not only delicious, but also very nutritious. The baby fish is classed as a second class nationally protected animal, so even though it is yummy, you are not however allowed to catch and kill this type of fish. Good news is that Zhangjiajie has artificially farmed fish on their menu.

Loach Stewed with Tofu

This dish has an interesting Chinese name, Niuqiu Zuan Doufu, which literally means the loach digging into the tofu. Loach is a kind of small fishes with great nutritional value. The dish gets its interesting name because the locals will allow the loaches living with fresh and tender tofu first before cooking.

Loaches and tofu are the main materials of Loach Stewed with Tofu. The locals stew the tofu together with the loaches and add peppercorn, shallot, gourmet power, chopped ginger, sauce and so on other seasonings. The smooth taste of tofu and the soft taste of loach make this dish extremely popular in Zhangjiajie. If you are going to Zhangjiajie and looking for something to east without red and spicy chili, you can have a try of Loach Stewed with Tofu.

Tujia Steamed Pork Belly

Photo ZhangjiajieTourGuide

Tujia steamed pork belly is another dish incredibly popular with local people. It is an essential dish at a banquet. This dish is tricky and time-consuming to create. Take pork belly as raw material, cut into large slices, then steam with some preserved mustard and seasoning in a steamer for 1.5 hours to 2 hours. This dish is good with steamed rice or you can simply top the pork slices over noodles.

Glutinous Rice Cake (Ciba Cake)

Glutinous Rice Cake is one kind of snack made up of steamed glutinous rice. It needs many steps to make such a snack. Firstly, it requires about 2-3 hours to allow the glutinous rice to soak in thoroughly in water before putting it into a wooden pot to be steamed. After cooking, grind the glutinous rice with a pestle and mortar. After several rounds of hard pounding, divide or cut the rice dough into dozens of egg-sized rice balls or square cakes. This is not the end. Once get the balls or square cakes, the locals may fry or roast them and drizzle with brown sugar and other seasonings.

Glutinous Rice Cake is crispy on the outside with a gooey texture inside. The first bite of the slightly spongy and pleasantly fragrant rice cake has such a delightful mouthfeel. Besides, it can cheer you up after the tiring hiking experience on those mountains in Zhangjiajie.

Smoked Blood Tofu

This is a classic Zhangjiajie dish. It is a mix of tofu, pork, pork blood and some seasonings such as pepper, chili, and salt. The mix is made into chunks and then smoked for over a month. It is delicious to have all flavors of tofu, bacon pork, and blood.

In the past, this dish can only be eaten during Chinese New Year Festival. Now, it has become part of local people’s daily cuisine and a must-try dish when you visit there.

See more: Top attractions to discover in Zhangjiajie, China

Source Internet

How to spend Christmas in Singapore

Christmas in Singapore may not be as cool as Christmas in many other Asian countries, but this year, Singapore outdoes itself, creating the merriest and brightest holiday atmosphere in all of Asia.

See the lights on Orchard road

The best place to marvel at pretty Christmas lights in Singapore is Orchard Road. Sporting a new theme every year, the most of Singapore's busiest shopping street is also its most dressed out at the holidays. The best-decorated portions of the road stretch from the forum on the West side of Orchard to Orchard gateway in the East. Make a night of it by walking the full length of the road, admiring the creative Christmas displays and dropping inside the malls to see who gets bragging rights for the biggest and best Christmas tree.

Go shopping at the Christmas markets

Tick off the items on your Christmas list at one of Singapore's pop-up Christmas markets. Here are a few of the best Christmas markets in Singapore.

Great Christmas Village: Located in front of Ngee Ann City on Orchard Road, the Great Christmas Village will be opened from 25 November to 25 December. Admission is free. Expect plenty of food vendors, Christmas concerts and stage performances, rides for kids, and several boutiques and brand name stalls offering unique Christmas gifts and treats.

Christmas in Queenstown Located at the Church of the Good Shepherd on Dundee Road, Christmas In Queenstown is open 15 to 17 December and 22 to 23 December. Admission is free. Expect one-of-a-kind handicrafts and artisan goods from local independent shops, live music, and a variety of food stalls.

Festive Market at Christmas Wonderland Located at Gardens by the Bay, the Festive Market is open 1 to 26 December. A ticket is required. Expect the closest thing to European Christmas markets that you’ll find in Singapore offering up tasty treats like fluffy Dutch pancakes and churros and chocolate, plus a wide variety of handmade crafts and gifts.

Indulge in a few Christmas-inspired treats

Walk into almost any luxury hotel cafe in Singapore this time of year and you’re sure to find a plethora of lavishly-decorated cakes and yule logs, delectable gingerbread men, and all sorts of other Christmas-inspired treats to tempt your sweet tooth. The Fullerton Hotel, Goodwood Park Hotel, and the Grand Hyatt are particularly well-known for offering some of the best, most extravagant Christmas delicacies.

Give ice skating in the tropics

Feeling brave this holiday season? Ice skating is one of the most popular holiday traditions in countries a little further north of the equator, and while you wouldn’t normally expect that tradition to carry over into the tropics, Singapore makes sure that if you want to make a fool of yourself on the ice, you totally can. There are two permanent ice rinks in Singapore – The Rink at JCube in East Jurong and Kallang Ice World at Kallang Leisure Center. Both rinks offer 2-hour skating sessions and the price of your ticket includes skates rental.

See more: Celebrating Christmas in Asian countries

Source: Internet