When Elaine revealed on Seinfeld the recipe for the Soup Nazi's Mushroom Barley soup, the first ingredient was dried porcini mushrooms. Since then, I can never think of dried porcini mushrooms without remembering the victorious tone of her voice as she declared his secret recipes were no longer secret (and those in business to sell their culinary creations have an absolute right to keep their recipes secret, for the rest of us it's debatable).
I began searching for dried porcini mushrooms after an episode of Everyday Italian. Chef Giada de Laurentis made a porcini mushroom risotto. I had arborio rice, onions, white wine, garlic, chicken broth and parmesan. Giada's recipe also included gorgonzola cheese, which I could easily find at my local grocery store. But the main ingredient, the dried porcini mushrooms, were not available there. So I made a visit to the Super H Mart Asian grocery store. I was able to find my beloved Asian Home Gourmet spice blends there, as well as a wide array of unidentifiable dried mushrooms, but no dried porcinis. I decided I needed to go to Whole Foods.
I didn't make it to Whole Foods that weekend, and didn't decide to go until I was in the car on the way home several days later. Since I was new to the neighborhood, I didn't know exactly where the Whole Foods was and ended up calling a friend, calling 411, and finally calling my dad. By then, I was nearly home and not really expecting to go to Whole Foods that night, but my dad was very enthusiastic about the idea of porcini mushroom risotto. Especially if I made it for him on Christmas Eve.
I finally made it to Whole Foods a few days later and found the dried porcini mushrooms amidst a display of dried oyster, shiitake, portabella and other mushroom varieties. In case you're looking for them, they should be in the produce section. Dried mushrooms are always rehydrated in warm water or broth, and any good recipe will have you incorporate the rehydration liquid into the recipe. My mushroom risotto was made with chicken broth that was used to rehydrate the mushrooms.
Would fresh mushrooms be as good? I'm not sure you can find fresh porcini mushrooms. You can certainly make a risotto with a combination of shiitake, oyster, and button mushrooms. The idea behind the dried mushrooms is to use the rehydration liquid to infuse more flavor into the final product. And porcini mushrooms are often described as earthy or meaty. Like portabellas, the porcini can be part of a great vegetarian meal where you don't even realize the meat is missing.
Was the hunt for dried porcini mushrooms worth it? My dad declared the risotto had a strong mushroom flavor. I guess that means goal accomplished! Look for the recipe on the food network website.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
CUCUMBER RAITA
Ingredients
Two cucumbers
Half teaspoon of cumin seeds
A pinch of hing
Four fresh curry leaves
Half chilli chopped
A handful of chopped coriander leaves
Half cup of plain yogurt
Method of Cucumber Raita
Peel and grate the cucumber to make the Ayurvedic Cucumber raita. Heat the ghee in a saucepan over medium heat and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing followed by curry leaves. Keep stirring till the seeds start popping. Add the chopped chillies and coriander leaves and take it off the pan. Stir the yogurt and grated cucumber in a bowl. Add the spices to the yogurt mixture, mix well and serve.
Cucumber is cooling and sweet and cucumber raita provokes Kapha. Hence, Kapha people should eat it carefully and should put extra hing and mustard seeds. This Ayurvedic Cucumber raita is easily digestible and works an appetizer.
Half teaspoon of cumin seeds
A pinch of hing
Four fresh curry leaves
Half chilli chopped
A handful of chopped coriander leaves
Half cup of plain yogurt
Method of Cucumber Raita
Peel and grate the cucumber to make the Ayurvedic Cucumber raita. Heat the ghee in a saucepan over medium heat and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing followed by curry leaves. Keep stirring till the seeds start popping. Add the chopped chillies and coriander leaves and take it off the pan. Stir the yogurt and grated cucumber in a bowl. Add the spices to the yogurt mixture, mix well and serve.
Cucumber is cooling and sweet and cucumber raita provokes Kapha. Hence, Kapha people should eat it carefully and should put extra hing and mustard seeds. This Ayurvedic Cucumber raita is easily digestible and works an appetizer.
SPINACH RAITA
Ingredients
Two tablespoon of ghee
One bunch of raw spinach making about four cups
Half teaspoon of black mustard seeds
One bunch of raw spinach making about four cups
Half teaspoon of black mustard seeds
Half teaspoon of cumin seeds
A pinch of hing
Two tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves
Four fresh curry leaves
Half green chilli chopped
Half-cup ground and roasted peanuts
One-cup plain yogurt
One-fourth teaspoon of salt
Method of Spinach Raita
To prepare the Ayurvedic Spinach Raita, first remove the stems of spinach. Wash the spinach and chop it finely. Keep it aside; heat the ghee in a saucepan, on medium flame. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves followed by hing. Stir gently till the seeds pop out. Add the coriander leaves and chilli and remove it from fire. In a bowl gently mix the spinach, yogurt, peanuts and salt. Add cooled spices, stir and serve.
The spices used in this Ayurvedic Spinach raita will help to remove some of the rough and cooling qualities of spinach. However, Vata and pitta prakriti people should take it occasionally and when needed for medicinal use. Spinach is a good blood purifier. People suffering from kidney stones or gall bladder stones should not take it. It helps in strengthening eyesight like most green vegetables.
Two tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves
Four fresh curry leaves
Half green chilli chopped
Half-cup ground and roasted peanuts
One-cup plain yogurt
One-fourth teaspoon of salt
Method of Spinach Raita
To prepare the Ayurvedic Spinach Raita, first remove the stems of spinach. Wash the spinach and chop it finely. Keep it aside; heat the ghee in a saucepan, on medium flame. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves followed by hing. Stir gently till the seeds pop out. Add the coriander leaves and chilli and remove it from fire. In a bowl gently mix the spinach, yogurt, peanuts and salt. Add cooled spices, stir and serve.
The spices used in this Ayurvedic Spinach raita will help to remove some of the rough and cooling qualities of spinach. However, Vata and pitta prakriti people should take it occasionally and when needed for medicinal use. Spinach is a good blood purifier. People suffering from kidney stones or gall bladder stones should not take it. It helps in strengthening eyesight like most green vegetables.
TOMATO RAITA
Ingredients
Four cups of fresh tomatoes chopped
Two tablespoon of ghee
Half teaspoon of cumin seeds
Five fresh curry leaves
A pinch of hing
Handful of coriander leaves
A green chopped chilli
One-fourth teaspoon of salt
Method of Tomato Raita
Wash the tomatoes, and chop them not very finely to make the Ayurvedic Tomato Raita. Gently mix it with yogurt and keep it aside. Heat small pan on medium flame and put the ghee. When hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves along with hing. When the seeds pop add the coriander leaves and chilli. Stir for some time and remove from the fire. Pour the spices in to the tomato and yogurt mixture. Add the salt and mix it carefully as it should not mix together fully and the Ayurvedic Tomato raita is ready for serving.
Two tablespoon of ghee
Half teaspoon of cumin seeds
Five fresh curry leaves
A pinch of hing
Handful of coriander leaves
A green chopped chilli
One-fourth teaspoon of salt
Method of Tomato Raita
Wash the tomatoes, and chop them not very finely to make the Ayurvedic Tomato Raita. Gently mix it with yogurt and keep it aside. Heat small pan on medium flame and put the ghee. When hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves along with hing. When the seeds pop add the coriander leaves and chilli. Stir for some time and remove from the fire. Pour the spices in to the tomato and yogurt mixture. Add the salt and mix it carefully as it should not mix together fully and the Ayurvedic Tomato raita is ready for serving.
Tomato raita helps in digestion and also adds taste to the food. It is the best example of the right combination of spices and herbs that can help to balance incompatible food.
CARROT RAITA
Ingredients
1 cup of raw carrots
2 tablespoon of ghee
1/2teaspoon of black mustard seeds
A pinch of hing
Handful of cilantro leaves finely chopped
1 cup of plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Method of Carrot Raita
To make the Ayurvedic Carrot, wash the carrots thoroughly and grate it not very finely. Stir the carrots in to the yogurt and mix it gently. Keep it aside. Heat ghee in a small saucepan and to it; add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and then hing. Mix well until the seeds pop up. Then add the chilli and coriander leaves. Remove the saucepan from the fire and pour the cooked spices and the salt in the yogurt and Ayurvedic Carrot raita is ready to serve.
Carrot has pungent and heating qualities, which may provoke pitta. Pitta and kapha prakriti person can use it occasionally. Pregnant woman should not eat it. It is also known to supply good vitamins.
A pinch of hing
Handful of cilantro leaves finely chopped
1 cup of plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Method of Carrot Raita
To make the Ayurvedic Carrot, wash the carrots thoroughly and grate it not very finely. Stir the carrots in to the yogurt and mix it gently. Keep it aside. Heat ghee in a small saucepan and to it; add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and then hing. Mix well until the seeds pop up. Then add the chilli and coriander leaves. Remove the saucepan from the fire and pour the cooked spices and the salt in the yogurt and Ayurvedic Carrot raita is ready to serve.
Carrot has pungent and heating qualities, which may provoke pitta. Pitta and kapha prakriti person can use it occasionally. Pregnant woman should not eat it. It is also known to supply good vitamins.
Kota Keriangan. Not
Selamat menyambut Awal Muharram, and also Merry Christmas and happy new year to everyone.
I am kinda lazy to write a full report of my boring daily life activities, so inspired by panzer KISS version of reporting here goes.
- someone came all the way from up north
- I was happy for a while
- then we had a fight
- then we went back to normal
- then that someone went back up north.
- then that someone came back for my birthday a few days afterthat, with two bottles of budu
- had a fight
- then we are oke
- then took 3 important person to genting highland.
Cannot do anything really, forgotten its December and it rains in genting highland. And it was a Sunday, so every tom dick, harry, mary and jane, including kumari and swee lin was there.
Started the day trip very early around 9am. Reach gombak, and look for
Quickly go to gombak lrt station, and was frustrated the next available bus was around 1 pm. 3 hours wasted looking and imagining what fun we will miss for not making it early to genting. By the way, the ticket also said, the bus ride back is around 6.45.
We have a fucking 5 hours or utterly blissful happiness in the taman keriangan genting highland.
Bus was 5 minutes early (yeahhh), arrive the genting cable car centre around 1.45. quickly had a quick fag and run to the cable car. Was astonished to see the number of people in the cable car station. Took more than an hour just to line up before, we can get into the cable car. It was already 3 pm by then.
Now the blissful happiness time is left to a merely 3 hours or so.
Upon reaching the
Managed to locate the main entrance. Could not see anything the fog is literally blinding everything. Most you can see is anything below 4 meters away, other than that you can only see white cloud. To make matter worst it was also raining.
So everything was closed and under maintenance.
Fuck.
Spend almost an hour just to look if anything actually works, and found one. The flying elephant, where you ride the elephant and it swirl around with the speed of 1 km an hour for 5 minutes.
If I want to ride those thing, might as well I just spin myself silly in my room. So no one interested, run inside the indoor themepark and was frustrated to see that you have to pay most of the interesting games/activities at least RM25 each and your RM47 ticket is just crap. And the free ones have queue the length of the
Skip all the activities and headed to food court and living a big hole in your pocket. The cheapest item was the mineral water and it is already priced at RM3.20 each.
Goodness, they are really making money out of anything in genting. Luckily the toilet is still free. I wonder if they charged RM1 for the toilet and everyone will just pee and pass motion in the outdoor theme park. I wonder if they have actually tried to charge for the toilet. Looking at the situation I think they had.
Anyway, the only things the 4 of us could do were to watch each other and took pictures of ourselves looking as happy as possible. It is not an easy task having all the disappointment plus my legs are aching like crazy from all the walking and waiting in queue.
Really hate those bugger, just because the are OKU, they don't have to queue. This is just not fair. I am also disable what. In some countries, obesity is considered as disability.
But someone played some of the game where you pay RM3 for a ball and you try to throw the ball inside a very impossible small hole and gave all the prizes to me. How romantic. That includes a small bear wearing Santa costume, a slinky, a mug and a stupid genting highland small notebook.
Well I was a bit happy, actually.
Around 6 quickly walked to the cable car station and waited another ½ hour in the cable car. Reaching down almost 6.30 made it in time for the 6.45 bus, except for a small incident where someone forgot that he left the ticket at the table and the
The bus had to wait for us while we scrutinized every garbage bin like a group of idiots and luckily we found it in the garbage bin before the bus driver’s happy face actually turn to a dismay blue. He was happy at first because he thought it was funny we misplace the ticket, and he wasn’t happy when it took us to long to looked for the ticket.
Around 8.30 pm reached shah alam, and the only things that can trim down our frustration was a cheap buffet.
Had a buffet dinner (which only cost RM9.90 including drink, no kidding) in Naluri Section 9.
Goes home and weep in sorrow.
Fucker.
kota keriangan my ass, more like kota queue in line.
- then had a fight again
- then we were oke
- Then had a call from the office, I need to go to the office because some students had to take the special exam to graduate. I was on leave until Christmas, but being the most junior, I cannot say anything so I went to work the next day and invigilated the exam while listening to Britney spears Womanizers over and over again for 3 hours and actually dancing behind the hall were no one can see me.
- then that someone had to leave.
- then we had a fight while he was in the bus
- then we are oke
- now I am lonely again.
I really hate this I tell you.
BEETROOT RAITA
Ingredients:
1 cup of Beet peeled and grated
1/2 tsp. black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds (जीरा)
a pinch of asafoetida (हींग)
1 tsp. of chopped cilantro
1/2 green chilli chopped
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4th tablespoon salt
5 fresh curry leaves
Method:
Add the beet to yogurt & stir gently. On the other side heat the ghee on medium heat in a saucepan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, followed by hing. Wait till seeds pop up. Add the Coriander leaves, curry leaves and chilli. Mix quickly and put off the fire. Cool little and add this to yogurt & beet. Mix it well & serve it. It should be taken in small quantities.
The pungent smell of beet may aggravate pitta but sucha a person can take it occasionally. the spices and other ingredients help yogurt to make it easy to digest. Beets are good for purifying the blood and also works as tonic. It is also good for skin and thus Ayurvedic Beet Raita is quite a beneficiary diet.
YULE LOG
Cake:
2/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons water
Filling:
1/2 pint whipped cream2 tablespoons icing (confectioners') sugar1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 pint whipped cream2 tablespoons icing (confectioners') sugar1 teaspoon vanilla
Icing:
1/3 cup butter2 cups icing (confectioners') sugar1/4 cup cocoa2 tablespoons milk1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup butter2 cups icing (confectioners') sugar1/4 cup cocoa2 tablespoons milk1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan, and line with waxed paper. Grease waxed paper. Mix flour, soda, and salt together. Beat eggs in a small mixer bowl at high speed, until thick and light - about 5 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, and beat until thick. Melt the chocolate and water together, and add to the egg mixture. Fold in the dry ingredients, and mix gently but thoroughly. Spread in prepared pan, and bake for 15 - 17 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven and turn out immediately onto a tea towel that has been sprinkled generously with icing sugar. Remove waxed paper, and trim of any crisp edges of the cake. Begin at the narrow end, and roll up the cake and the tea towel together. Allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan, and line with waxed paper. Grease waxed paper. Mix flour, soda, and salt together. Beat eggs in a small mixer bowl at high speed, until thick and light - about 5 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, and beat until thick. Melt the chocolate and water together, and add to the egg mixture. Fold in the dry ingredients, and mix gently but thoroughly. Spread in prepared pan, and bake for 15 - 17 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven and turn out immediately onto a tea towel that has been sprinkled generously with icing sugar. Remove waxed paper, and trim of any crisp edges of the cake. Begin at the narrow end, and roll up the cake and the tea towel together. Allow to cool.
Filling:
Whip cream until soft peaks form. Stir in icing sugar and vanilla and whip until stiff. Unroll the cake when cool, and spread the top with the whip cream. Re-roll, without the towel. Cut a thin slice off of each end of the roll, to make them even.
Whip cream until soft peaks form. Stir in icing sugar and vanilla and whip until stiff. Unroll the cake when cool, and spread the top with the whip cream. Re-roll, without the towel. Cut a thin slice off of each end of the roll, to make them even.
Icing:
Soften butter. Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth and of good spreading consistency. Use the centres of the ends you sliced off the cake to make "bumps on the log": Use a little of the icing to affix the bump to the side of the cake - one on each side. Ice the entire cake with the icing, including the ends and the bumps. Run a fork along the icing so that it resembles tree bark. Sprinkle with icing sugar, and decorate with holly or other Christmas decoration leaves.Store in refrigerator.
See Yule Log Photo as one of the Thirteen Desserts of Christmas above.
Soften butter. Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth and of good spreading consistency. Use the centres of the ends you sliced off the cake to make "bumps on the log": Use a little of the icing to affix the bump to the side of the cake - one on each side. Ice the entire cake with the icing, including the ends and the bumps. Run a fork along the icing so that it resembles tree bark. Sprinkle with icing sugar, and decorate with holly or other Christmas decoration leaves.Store in refrigerator.
See Yule Log Photo as one of the Thirteen Desserts of Christmas above.
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