Hinamatsuri: Girl's Day

in the japanese culture the peach blossom is also a representation of Girl's Day. 

about two weeks ago was "Hinamatsuri" also known as Girl's Day or the Doll Festival in the japanese culture. it is a day to celebrate and pray for growth and happiness in the life of the girl or girls in your family. i for one, love this holiday! a day solely in celebration of girls?! there need to be more days like this, and no, contrary to some male beliefs, valentine's day doesn't count:-p well, in light of the celebration i decided to do something i VERY rarely do...cook regular food. i know, i know, i never really make regular food, or cook for that matter, but since i had the day off i felt compelled to do something a little special for my family.

i know this doesn't really fit with the theme of japan, but i felt like making something a little different so i pulled out my "dorie" (my dorie greenspan: around my french table book) and i picked out a recipe for spicy thai chicken noodle soup. i have never made thai anything in my entire life so the idea of making this soup was a good test to see how good of a cook i am. let's just say that i have a lot more learning to do...

i found the star anise, coriander, cilantro, and white peppercorn so visually pleasing before i put them in their little bundle... 

cute little cheese cloth bundle about to take a bath in the broth...

plop^_^

so the one thing i learned about using rice noodles: cook to an al dente consistency and then leave on the side! cover with the hot broth and chicken in the bowls you are serving with. the noodles will cook a little longer in the broth and become tender...i kinda overcooked mine>_<

broth is almost ready!!

i wanted to set up the table nicely since my family and i never really get to have dinner together. it was a nice little touch for girl's day^_^

the end result!!^_^ does it resemble the picture?! kinda?!

i hope so!!

and i had to go to selwood to pick up my favorite dessert: vietnamese wedding cake!! so yummy paired with a few colorful macarons!! the perfect end to my "attempt" at regular food^_^

up next: chicken couscous...yeah, we will see how this goes...