Namaste! I'm back from the Himalayas! Before going to Nepal, I thought namaste was something only yoga instructors would say at the end of the class, but now I know that it's kinda like saying Hi (gosh, could I be any more ignorant?). Hiking the Himalayan range was so grueling and taxing. It didn't help that I had not moved a muscle for the past 3 months while studying, I didn't own a pair of hiking boots and I somehow caught the flu in Korea before my trek. Let's say that not being able to breathe through your nose while climbing 3000m in high altitudes and having coughing fits was pretty unpleasant. Also, on day 2, I knew I shouldn't have tried Yak cheese. I mean it was delicious, but dairy to my belly was like...Montezuma's revenge (haha, tmi?). Despite everything, I really would do it all over again...in maybe another 10 years when I've recovered the use of my legs :\
I didn't want to fill this post full of pictures, but I did add the Himalayan range from the highest point of my trek on Pooh Hill at the bottom. If you're thinking of going there, feel free to ask me any questions. My friend and I were seriously so unprepared, I'm still wondering how we even made it through. It would have helped to check the weather too, because I was freezing my buns off every night.
I made a stop by Korea before heading to Nepal, and it gave me so many recipe ideas to share! There's a cafe called Osulloc, that specializes in all things Matcha. I was in heaven! They sold this Matcha milk tea spread, which was so divine that I just wanted to spread it all over my body. I'm pretty sure this cafe will come to LA, because we have all the best food chains come to Koreatown (Sorry for anyone not living in LA :P). But until then, I've made my own version of it.
Here, I spread the jam on some bread, throw on some almonds and place a thick layer of chewy mochi. It's a play on the popular '
Injeolmi toast' that's taking Korea by the storm. There's so many textures going on here! You get the crispy from the toast, a crunch from the almonds and then a dense chewiness from the mochi, all wrapped up in a sweet matcha filling! Oops drooling again :P
Matcha Mochi Toast
makes 1 sandwich
2 slices of buttermilk bread
1/4 cup sweet glutinous flour
2 tbsp hot water or milk
pinch of salt
handful of chopped/sliced roasted almonds
Jam of choice (I used matcha milk tea spread - recipe below)
Matcha Milk Tea jam
adapted from a korean site
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup matcha powder (using
encha culinary grade matcha)
- Making matcha jam
- in a small pot add milk, cream, condensed milk and sugar. Simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time
- It should be pretty thick at 20 mins and somewhat light tan color. Add or sift matcha powder into the pot and whisk vigorously to incorporate
- Simmer for another 10-15 minutes until pretty darn thick. Pour into a glass jar and allow to cool before putting a lid on it. Keep in fridge.
- It is pretty spreadable when left outside to thaw or spread onto hot toast (like peanut butter if you were to put it in the fridge)
- Assembling mochi toast
- In a small bowl, mix sweet glutinous flour and salt with hot water. You should be able to form a ball with your hands, and it will be a little powdery. Stretch or roll into the size and shape of your slice of bread (note: I didn't add any sugar because the jam was sweet enough. You can add a few tbsps if your spread isn't very sweet though)
- Heat a small fry pan with a little bit of oil. Wipe with a kitchen towel to spread a thin film of oil over the base of the pan. Add your mochi square onto the pan and fry on medium heat for 2 minutes each side
- Meanwhile, toast slices of bread
- Spread matcha jam onto a piece of toast, sprinkle chopped almonds over it, place cooked mochi and another piece of toast on top
- And there you have it!
We woke up at 4am and hiked uphill for an hour to watch the sunrise. There was a lot of people on the top, but not throughout the hike thankfully. I can't wait to tackle Mount Everest next!
