The Spread: Jamaican-Chinese Lobster, Mala Instant Noodles, and a Snack Box with a Mission

We’ve round up the most delectable news for your week – southeast Asian snack boxes share migrant and refugee stories, a new museum set to celebrate Chinese border culture, Nissin rolls out new soup flavor and healthy powdered beverage, Chef uses Michelin techniques in Jamaican-Chinese restaurant, and new ethical vegan wood developed by Indian fashion entrepreneur.

Mexicali Chinese Food Museum Now in Construction

Baja is famous for its Chinese food, and so as part of China Day in the municipality, Mayor Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda announced the start of the first-ever Mexicali Chinese Food Museum. The project is part of Centro Historico which hopes to promote tourism and culture in the municipality with the key elements that identify them and make them unique. Other projects include La Chinesca or tours of the Chinese pagoda and basements within the perimeter of Chinese restaurants and cafes.

Southeast Asian Snack Box Aims to Spread Migrant Stories

Tuktuk box founded by Beatriz Aurelio-Saguin and Christy Innouvong is currently gaining recognition for raising awareness about issues in the Southeast Asian community such as war trauma, racism, and colorism. The business is a monthly subscription snack box that delivers favorite Asian snacks such as Banana chili chips and hot and sour seaweed. Every box comes with a postcard containing personal stories from Hmong refugees, and Filipino-American farmers, among others. According to the founders, Tuk Tuk box aims to break down barriers and allow people to know more about where the food came from. 

“Now that we’ve given you our food, let’s talk about where this food came from. Let’s talk about the refugees or the war they stemmed from … Let’s talk about those things that you maybe didn’t want to talk about before you sat down at the table,” said Innouvong.

Nissin Launches Mala Soup

Nissin finally launched its Mala flavor cup noodles for a limited time in Singapore and Malaysia. Mala is a combination of spicy flavors from oil, spices, Szechuan peppercorn, and chili pepper. The company’s Mala Xiang Guo which is a dry type version of Mala was very well-received so they finally launched the soup version. The R&D process took one laborious year because developing the flavor of mala and getting every element right, especially the noodles and sauce, was very complex.

Asian Chef Uses Michelin Techniques for His Restaurant

Having trained in three Michelin-starred restaurants, Chef Craig Wong used his knowledge in fine dining and French cuisine techniques to make his Toronto Restaurant shine. According to the chef who grew up in a Chinese community in Jamaica, there’s have been generations of Chinese people in Jamaica but when he first opened the restaurant, people had no clue this type of cuisine existed. The chef was taught by his grandmother who uses Chinese ingredients to cook Jamaican food, and vice versa.

Nissin Launches Triple Barrier Healthy Drink

Nissin recently launched a Triple Barrier series of drinks that claims to suppress the rise of blood sugar level and triglyceride. It can also lower high blood pressure. According to the brand, the drink excretes not only sugar but also fat and salt. It is recommended for people who want to improve their digestive health.

The drink is derived from Plantago ovata (psyllium), a natural plant cultivated in the arid regions of India and Sri Lanka. The dietary fiber derived from the seed coat is rich in both water-soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, and has a “water retention effect”, “swelling effect”, and “adsorption effect”, so it has a “feces improvement effect” all over the world for many years.

Tsukimi Ikura Now Available for Pre-Order

Smolt Co., Ltd. recently launched their first private brand of Tsukimi Ikura from cherry salmon. The roe was produced by the company’s own methods and is characterized by its elegant taste with a flavor similar to soup stock. The golden-hued roe is best used as a garnish, mixed with caviar, in sushi, and on canapes. It only costs 4,000 Yen or $39 for two 100-gram pieces. You can learn about the birth of this new product here.