Snack Attack

Pink Mochi Balls with strawberry fill

Snacks are very important in our house.  We try really hard to only snack once a day in the afternoon.  "Try" being the key word there.  We do try to make it pretty, creative and special.  Whenever we get bored with our normal run-of-the-mill snacks, we head to our recently discovered HUGE Asian market in Houston.  This store is the size of a Walmart.  The smell of fresh fish and shellfish immediately assaults the senses when you walk in the door.  The snack section is expansive and we enjoy slowly perusing aisle after aisle of Asian snacks.  We have our favorites, like the mochi balls above, but we always pick out several packets of something new.  Its always a fun and amusing surprise when we return home to see what goodies have have chosen.

Banh Khoahi Mi (Coconut Cake)

These smushy little rods of sweetness were in the Thai section.  They taste like a mixture of jello and gum drops.  They have a mild fruity flavor and are covered in coconut.  A tiny plastic container came with them.  The container had salt, sugar, and flakes of coconut mixed together.  It was actually quite tasty to dip the wiggly rods in the mixture and enjoy the salt and sugar combination.

Thai Eggplant

These little guys were awfully cute.  The produce section is packed with fruits and vegetables representing many Asian nationalities.  These are Thai eggplants.  I'm going to research some recipes on how to cook these.  Thai food is one of our favorite choices and Houston is full of Thai restaurants.

Sesame Mochi Balls with Red Bean Paste filling

Sesame Mochi Balls!  We learned how to make these when we lived in Japan.  Rice is pounded until it is mushy and pasty.  Then, for the filling, red beans are pounded until they are a smooth creamy paste.  I don't think sugar is added but the beans have a slightly sweet taste. The rice (mochi) is wrapped around the red bean paste to form a little ball.  The ball is rolled in sesame seed and then deep fried.  This store has the best Mochi Balls.  These were actually still warm.  We tried hard not to eat them on the way home!

Jubes.  Nata De Coco

These curious little opaque morsels are one of Madeleine's favorites.  They are called Jubes and are so much fun to eat as well as just sit and look at!  You can't tell by looking but the flavor is oddly intense, flowery, and fruity.  The ingredients list:  coconut water, sugar, strawberry flavor, and honey.  They are added to desserts and drinks to add a bit of fun.  

This Asian store goes on and on and on.  Everything for the classic Asian table can be found in this store.  I was getting ready to snap a photo of these darling tea cups.  A tiny Asian woman came up to me and organized three OTHER tea cups for me to photo.  The tea cups were bright pinks, reds, and golds.  She was very insistent that I photograph the OTHER tea cups.  She fixed them on the shelf and eagerly waited for me to take their picture!   It was so funny.  I couldn't help but favor these, however, so ... here they are.

Pummelo

These must be season because there was a huge bin of these enormous round fruits.  They are called Pummelos.  They are native to Southeast Asia.  They are about the size of a small basketball!  The color is a beautiful soft lime.  The inside is similar to that of a grapefruit but a little milder.  We cut them into chunks and are going to dip them in sugar for breakfast.