Ice Crystal Dumplings

The family's latest food obsession is Taiwanese Ice-Crystal Dumplings. It's very rare that we will all agree on the same food fad but these things are incredibly moreish. Each box contains eight pieces, beautifully wrapped in bamboo leaves and a red string and contain cassava flour and red bean paste. They cost $8 per box direct from a whole seller, so I am sure they will be available in the freezer section of your local Asian Supermarket soon. The best news is each piece contains less than two grams of fat which makes the consumption almost guilt free.

Discipline = 0

I should have known better than to open a packet of Almond M&Ms on the way home from from a gym session as I have zero discipline when it comes to nuts and chocolate. My brother and I just wolfed down these moreish delights in the space of 15 minutes and they have now gained a place in my favourite snack foods which currently includes roast broadbeans and Bhuja. These are all worthy snacks, just don't open any of them on the way home from the gym.

Life Beyond Strawberry Pocky

One of my favourite Asian snack foods is Strawberry Pocky. Strawberry Pocky is a Japanese snack comprising of a thin biscuit stick traditionally coated in chocolate. Since its original introduction, the product has grown to include a number of varieties such as mousse, green tea, coconut and banana. The snack also has a number of seasonal variations and of these my favourite would have been lemon cheesecake! It was amazing so I can understand why this snack reached cult status. I have set out to ask the big question ... is there life beyond Strawberry Pocky?

The first product I tested was a bite sized Mille-Feuille inspired snack by Bourbon called Mille-Fers. Each square contains puff pastry, wafer and cream encased in a chocolate shell. Its actually quite pleasant when chilled in the fridge but is quite an expensive snack for the number of pieces you get in the box. I'd say this is a gift or a one off novelty event for your taste buds.

Meiji are the company behind these little mountain mushrooms (known as Kinoko No Yama) and Hello Pandas so it shouldn't come as any surprise that these biscuits taste deliciously similar. Though Hello Pandas are adorable, I actually enjoy these little fellows more as the biscuit isn't as dry or as crumbly. Meiji Kinoko No Yama are worth the purchase and make a delicious alternative to Strawberry Pocky. My Mother raised an interesting point that all these products are Japan and asked if they were safe to consume with fears of nuclear contamination. For those individuals who are concerned, the World Health Organisation is monitoring the situation carefully and has declared there is no risk. If your still wary ... well I also rate Irish Jaffa Cakes, so perhaps you need to look to your local Irish food supplier?

Know your Instant Noodle

If you moved out of home to attend university it is likely you spent your allowance on bulk boxes of Mi Goring and the rest on alcohol. Sadly being a rather straight laced university student, means I didn't get the opportunity to expand my instant noodle knowledge. Most of my instant noodle knowledge was accumulated while I was growing up but as I've gotten older, I've had little opportunity/desire to consume instant noodles. Thus I've gotten lazy and the only instant noodle variety I generally purchase is Nongshim's Kimchi Ramen. It's hot, savoury and as far away from health food as you can get. During our recent shopping adventure, my brother and I felt inspired and purchased a couple of different varieties and styles of noodle to road test.

Soba is a thin Japanese Noodle made from buckwheat and valued for its chewy texture. I was drawn to this variety as it promised to deliver me an instant hit of my favourite Soba. Though it looks unappetising and needs a little more work than the usual instant noodle, I can assure you it is quite tasty. It's lower in fat than our standard choice and you can have it served hot or cold ... well that is if you can read the Japanese instructions. My brother and I went with the hot option as we knew we couldn't fudge up the process of boiling water, adding a sachet and noodles.

Nongshim Potato Noodle Soup is a fine noodle comprising of two flavour sachets, one for the chili soup base and another for vegetable garnish. I really can't say I enjoyed it ... the noodles were rather slimy in texture and the flavour lacked punch.

The final Nongshim Udon was far more promising. Nice fat udon noodles, with a mild soup base and seafood and vegetable garnish. If you're after an instant udon hit on a rainy day, this will fill the void. Out of all the noodles, my brother and I agree that the Soba was our favourite. We will definately be adding those to our pantry.