Gimbap Love Affair

Gimbap is love

When a Korean classmate back in high school introduced me to Gimbap (also known as Kimbap) I fell in love with the dish instantly. 

I'm no fan of authentic Asian dishes or anything with raw ingredients in it simply because I have allergies to certain seafood so I make sure that it's not something that will be harmful to me. My first attempt in making this yummy Korean dish turned out pretty okay, my siblings and 8-year-old niece loved it I didn't realize that it's actually one of her favorite Asian dishes. It's really easy to make and the main ingredients are readily available from any Korean or Japanese store. Gimbap is made from dried seaweed sheets (Kim or Gim in Korean and Nori in Japanese) steamed white rice (Bap, hence the name Gimbap) and other various ingredients rolled in and served in bite sizes. Korean stores are everywhere so don't be surprised when you find seaweed sheets and a rolling mat easily.

Gim (Seaweed sheets)

I learned to make Gimbap just by watching the Youtube tutorial here. I didn't have pickled radish (called Danmuji) during my first try, I had to use white radish but it's no big deal since it's radish family anyway. I blanched radish, carrots, and pechay (I didn't have spinach handy but this is a good substitute) separately then cooked the ground chicken I seasoned with garlic, pepper, salt and let it cool. I already have steamed rice, egg and apple strips prepared so I just put all the ingredients together and started rolling using the bamboo mat. I think I made about 50 rolls out of 5 seaweed sheets which is a lot. The only problem I had was some of the rolls didn't stick together that good because I didn't know that I need to use a little water to hold each side together I just found out after a few more research. 

Bamboo Mat

Danmuji (Pickled radish)

My second attempt is a Tuna Gimbap as per my niece's request, it came out really good this time because I didn't use substitute ingredients. I had spinach and pickled radish instead of pechay and white radish. I'm excited to try other ingredients, I promised my niece to make her Gimbap packed lunch for school one of these days. 

Movie Review: Imagine You and Me + Nestle Matcha Tea

Already?

Imagine You & Me 

Starring Maine Mendoza and Alden Richards

Rated G

It's been a while since I've been in a movie theatre because I didn't have time to do so as much as I would like to and I pretty much watch or download movies online but when my 8-year-old niece asked me to go on a movie date with her, I just couldn't say no. My niece and I happened to be fans of Maine Mendoza and Alden Richards, the phenomenal couple popularly known as ALDUB from Eat Bulaga's Kalyeserye so we decided to watch their first starring movie entitled Imagine You & Me. I've been reading a lot of good stuff about the movie on Twitter, it tickled my fancy plus I really am one proud fan I help their hashtag trend every day I also follow some of their fan pages on Facebook for updates believe or not. Every AlDub fan is talking about IYAM of course, rumor has it that they finally had a real onscreen kiss at the end of the movie so I told myself I better see it.

Imagine You & Me is a romantic comedy directed by Mike Tuviera which was shot in the scenic Como, Italy. The movie is about how Gara, a young, hardworking OFW and Andrew, a medical student crossed paths and eventually fell in love. Gara, who's never been in a relationship believes in destiny and true love while Andrew is trying to mend a broken heart when they met in Italy. Watching the movie feels like a virtual tour of Como, Italy it was so beautiful and refreshing to look at especially for travelers like myself, I wish I could go there someday. There's a lot of funny scenes as well as tearful moments but the movie ended blissfully so there's some sort of balance I think. I was really impressed with Maine's acting considering this was only her second movie following the MMFF entry My Bebe Love. There's a real good supporting cast line up especially if you put together theater actors like Irma Adlawan, Cacai Bautista and Cai Cortez, you can't go wrong. Jasmine Curtis-Smith is the best fit to portray Clarissa because of her subtle smile and you will know why when you watch the movie. Marian Rivera and Ken Chan's special appearance added icing on the cake, it was rather short but memorable so to speak.

I must say I did enjoy the movie but I didn't want to spill the beans since it's still showing so better see for yourself. Imagine You and Me is a must see, it radiates good vibes and a good way to depart from all your troubles. 

Nestle Matcha Tea Latte is Love

I love drinking coffee in the morning unfortunately, I can't enjoy it because it gives me heartburn so I decided to switch to green tea. Drinking tea is such a bore to me, thank goodness fusion teas became popular it gave me a reason to enjoy tea again. Matcha tea became my favorite may it be hot or cold because I find drinking it very relaxing.

A few weeks ago my dad bought a pack of Easy Pha-Max Wheatgrass powder for my morning drink instead of coffee or green tea but it quickly ran out so I asked my sister a favor to find me a matcha powder because it tastes like wheatgrass and she came home with a box of Nestle matcha tea latte she said she bought it from a store that sells all kinds of tea and other herbal stuff. At first, I find it too bland for my taste but when I added some more sugar it tastes just like a cup of matcha tea latte you can order from a tea shop. A box contains 9 sachets and costs Php150 which is quite expensive but it's a good alternative to coffee especially for someone with heartburn issues like me. Everything is written in Japanese except for the brand name that's why I had to Google what the exact product name is and later found out that it's called the Matcha Tea Latte from Nestle.


If you're a matcha tea fan this is something you don't want to miss. 

Yummy

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