Tuesday, February 22, 2011

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.

Mushroom Beef and Ale Soup


Well, I for one am glad that I have finished the 10 recipes with 5 ingredients, as much fun as that was ... I do enjoy just a few more ingredients to a meal.   I have a couple of questions though... did you like the recipe format I used ? compared to my normal method of just showing you what went into the dish ?   Please leave a comment below , thanks.  
Soup , is always a great choice ... its good any season of the year , for lunch , dinner, even breakfast !!   I love a good soup,  my only problem with making them .. is that I tend to turn them into stews!!  So I was determined the other day to create one , that not only was healthy and tasted great , but that actually resembled a soup!!



Ingredients Required :  

1L of beef broth , or stock ( this is the last of my store bought , gone forever from my kitchen now) 
1lb of a variety of mushrooms   I had white , portabello, shitake and oyster 
2 cups of cooked ground beef 
2 onions 
3 cloves of garlic 
1/2 can of your favourite ale. ( This is a local craft brew , very good !! ) 
A couple of pats of butter 
Salt n Pepper to taste




Here is what you will need 

Simply slice everything up , bite sized for the mushrooms and a medium dice for the onion 
Add it right into the soup pot ,  butter in first then all the onions, mushrooms and garlic together . Season with your favourite herbs,  I went with basil , thyme and oregano/:) Med/High heat .  


Once the Mushrooms and onions have softened just a bit , add the beef in .  Give it all a good stir. 
Once the beef is in the pot for about a minute , pour in the liter of stock, and half the can of ale ...  stir , reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes to blend all the flavours.

Meanwhile , you need some good bread to go with soup....  I found this at a local Persian Food market that just opened up nearby :)  What a bargain for $1,50 for a 3 foot long piece of bread.  
And this is were the pot of bubbling soup should go ??!? For whatever reason , either I lost or deleted the shot , or simply forgot to take one.   However its an easy step.    Don't forget to taste the seasoning , adjust as required. 

That's its , ladle some into your favourite soup bowl, grab a few hunks of bread and your set .


Dinner is served, Mushroom Beef and Ale soup!! 

Its not that often that I impress myself, but this dish did!! I'm very happy with this , and will be making it again in the near future , this time with my own beef stock.
I hope you have enjoyed this post , all comments and feedback are welcomed, just click the link below to leave a comment , or if your shy , just select  reaction .. its all good !!
Happy Cooking

It Made My Day

It's an awesome new site from the Cheezburger gang.

METHI ALOO GOBHI ROTI (Using Leftovers)


Ingredients:
Methi aloo gobhi sabji ..... 1 bowl
Wheat flour .............. 2-3 cups ( depending on the quantity of sabji)
Oil .................. 2 tbsps.
Ajwain ........... 1 tsp.
Salt .......... to taste
Coriander leaves .... handful ( chopped finely)
Method:

1. Mix all the above ingredients and knead the dough adding enough water. You may also add curd if you like.

2. Make rotis and roast them applying a little ghee.

3. Serve hot with curd, pickle or chutney of your choice.
(This is a nice way of using any left-over sabji)

Mushroom Stuffed Fillet of Pork Tenderloin with Radish and Rocket Salad and Garlic Toast


Stuffed fillet of pork tenderloin is very often wrapped in bacon before it is tied and cooked. The bacon fat helps to keep the pork moist. This was precisely what I was about to do on this occasion, when I had an idea: I wondered how it would work if the bacon were actually to be placed on the inside of the fillet of pork tenderloin. I decided that there was only one way to find out and was more than delighted with the result, which provides a very different, alternative stuffed tenderloin recipe.

The quantities today are for one person.

Ingredients

1/2lb fillet of pork tenderloin
2 rashers of bacon
1 closed cup mushroom
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of dried sage
Handful of fresh rocket leaves
Half small red onion
6 radishes
Salt and white pepper
4 slices of French stick bread

Method

The first step is to prepare the mushroom stuffing for the pork tenderloin. The closed cup mushroom should be wiped clean and finely diced. The garlic clove should be peeled and equally finely chopped. The olive oil should be placed in a small saucepan and the garlic, mushroom and dried sage added. Season with salt and white pepper. Gently sautee for two to three minutes only. Set aside for ten to fifteen minutes to cool, while the oven preheats to 375F/190C/Gas Mark 5.


The fillet of pork tenderloin should be laid out on a board with the opened side uppermost. This is the side which has a small groove running down the centre. The cooled mushroom mixture should be used to fill the groove in the centre of the tenderloin.


The bacon should be placed carefully on top of the mushrooms. Note that three or four rashers of streaky bacon could be used here instead.


Three pieces of string about eight inches in length will be required to tie up a pork fillet tenderloin of this size. Slip them under the tenderloin at equal spaces. Gently gather the two long edges of the tenderloin together and tie the pieces of string with simple knots. Place in the centre of a large sheet of tinfoil on a baking tray and fold the tinfoil in to a sealed parcel, similar to a Christmas cracker. Place the tray in the oven for twenty-five minutes.


When the pork is ready, remove it from the oven and set aside for at least ten minutes to rest while the salad and garlic toast is prepared. The radishes should be washed and halved, ensuring that any remaining stem is removed and discarded. The red onion half should be finely sliced. They should both be tossed with the rocket leaves and a little salt and white pepper, before being arranged on a plate as a bed for the pork. Extra virgin olive oil is optional.


The slices of bread should be put on a grill pan and under a hot overhead grill to toast on both sides. While they are toasting, the second garlic clove should be peeled and lightly crushed. This should be rubbed over both sides of the hot toast as soon as it comes off the grill to impart its delicious flavour.


The fillet of pork tenderloin should be sat on a chopping board. The string should be cut with scissors, gently pulled free and discarded before the fillet is sliced to a thickness of about half an inch. The slices should be arranged atop the salad, before the garlic toast is added and the dish served.

I'm in polka dots' love!


So last saturday we took the last set of pictures at Cache Cache... and as you can see, we're all in polka dots' love!


 
 

I think we all were so so cute!

On saturday, too, it was the Flea Market. Laia, Laia Chic and Helena were selling things... and I bought a pair of seconhand sunglasses, very retro, that I'll show you soon... and if Laia didn't sell it... maybe a lovely dres, haha!
 
 
 

Was your weekend good? Any nice plans for his week? We're having here the Japan Weekend, and maybe I'm going there on sunday!

I Find Your Sensitivity Insensitive

Valued commenter Jeff Burton left a comment on this post that, combined with my trudging through the Koran, triggered a thought.

Cultural sensitivity is itself insensitive.

From The Pilgrimage chapter of the Koran:
Surely those who believe and those who are Jews and the Sabeans and the Christians and the Magians and those who associate (others with Allah)-- surely Allah will decide between them on the day of resurrection; surely Allah is a witness over all things. Do you not see that Allah is He, Whom obeys whoever is in the heavens and whoever is in the earth, and the sun and the moon and the stars, and the mountains and the trees, and the animals and many of the people; and many there are against whom chastisement has become necessary; and whomsoever Allah abases, there is none who can make him honorable; surely Allah does what He pleases. These are two adversaries who dispute about their Lord; then (as to) those who disbelieve, for them are cut out garments of fire, boiling water shall be poured over their heads. With it shall be melted what is in their bellies and (their) skins as well. And for them are whips of iron. Whenever they will desire to go forth from it, from grief, they shall be turned back into it, and taste the chastisement of burning.

Surely Allah will make those who believe and do good deeds enter gardens beneath which rivers flow; they shall be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and (with) pearls, and their garments therein shall be of silk. And they are guided to goodly words and they are guided into the path of the Praised One.
The Koran is nothing if not repetitive; such verses can be found in almost every chapter*. Imposing cultural sensitivity on true believers of the Koran is itself insensitive.

As an aside, reading the Koran is the perfect antidote for multiculturalism and a complete explanation why Europe is in such trouble. The culturally sensitive are playing for a tie while the Islamofascists are playing for the win.

... and they're not hoping for a close game, either.

* - Yes, I know the Bible has such verses, too. Before you equate the two in any way, shape or form, read them both and then make your analysis. They are not equivalent at all and it's insulting to both sides to say so.

fitrah manusia.

terima seadanya. hargai selagi ada.
kalau tak suka, pulangkan.


fitrah manusia. kalau dulu, sanggup korban jiwa raga. mereka yang berpaling, akhirnya lembut hati.
bila dapat, sudah selesa, mula lupa diri. abaikan perasaan mereka. mana kita yang satu ketika dulu? hilang?


jangan kita lupa.
satu hari, satu masa, bila saja, mereka akan pergi. pergi meninggalkan kita.
atau pergi meninggalkan dunia.


jangan nanti terdiam terduduk. menangis tiada guna.


setiap benda ada batasan. penantian, kesabaran, cinta. makanya, satu saja,
ingatlah yang manis, fikirkan perasaan mereka. jangan jadi ego, bodoh sombong.



p/s: tidur awal. kerap terjaga. pukul 3, terus bangun.
peringatan utk diri sendiri juga.


Ottolenghi-inspired: Carrot and Walnut Cake


carrot and walnut cake in all its glory

Mmmmm. Need I say more?
Who knows Ottolenghi? Last May when we stayed in Islington was the first time I came across this cafe, deli, patisserie and bakery known by this distinctive name. And there are cookbooks too! This one is called simply ‘Ottolenghi The Cookbook’. It contains recipes for exactly the kind of food I like: familiar ingredients but used in new and exciting ways. I can’t wait to buy it for myself as my dear physio who lent me this will want it back any day now!
After this post, I  promise to go back to my pulses and knobbly veggies.
But this is one of the other two cakes I made for my Book Club meeting last week and judging by the reactions, I think it’s probably an excellent recipe to share. 



These cakes that I bake, by the way, are not Turkish in the slightest but they go down well with both Turkish and foreign friends alike. Cakes per se are not a traditional part of the cuisine here: if you want something sweet – and for sure there is no shortage of items in this category – you would normally buy baklava, helva or any of the many Middle Eastern syrupy sugary desserts like the exotically-named Lady’s Navel or Nightingale’s Nest from speciality bakeries or patisseries. There are yet other shops that specialise in milk-based puddings and the selection is an eye-opener.
It took me a long time to get used to the idea of carrot cake. At first it seemed very ‘American’ to me and the thought of carrot in something sweet did not remotely appeal. But time moves on and it has now long been absorbed into my baking psyche and repertoire.
This cake is ‘light and fluffy’ as opposed to ‘dense and fruity’. I think it’s quite perfect.

Ingredients
160g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon/tarçin
¼ tsp ground cloves/karanfil
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
200g sunflower oil
270g caster sugar (in Turkey just use the regular toz ÅŸeker)
50g walnuts/ceviz, chopped
50g desiccated coconut/hindistan cevizi
135g carrot, roughly grated
2 egg whites
Pinch of salt
Icing
175g cream cheese at room temperature
70g unsalted butter
35g icing sugar/pudra ÅŸekeri
25g honey/bal
30g walnuts/ceviz, chopped and lightly toasted

Method
·         Preheat oven to 170C/Gas Mark 3. Grease a 20cm springform cake tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.
·         Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda and spices. Lightly whisk the whole egg with the egg yolk.
·         Put the sunflower oil and caster sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for about a minute on medium speed. On a low speed, slowly add the beaten egg. Mix in the walnuts, coconut and carrot and then the sifted dry ingredients. Don’t over mix.





·         Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Wash and dry the mixer bowl, making sure it is totally clean, then put the egg whites and salt in it and whisk on a high speed until firm peaks form.

 
like this

Gently fold the egg whites into the carrot mixture in 3 additions, being careful not to over mix. Streaks of white in the mixture are okay.
·         Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 1 hour; it could take longer. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out dry. If the cake starts getting dark before the centre is cooked through, cover it with foil. Let the cake cool completely and then remove from the tin.
·         To make the icing, beat the cream cheese in a mixer till light and smooth. Remove from the mixer. Beat the butter, icing sugar and honey in the mixer until light and airy. Fold together the cheese and butter mixes. Spread waves of icing on top of the cake and sprinkle with the nuts.


good view of that nutty topping

I think my only complaint is that a lot of washing up of bowls is involved! But that’s minor when you think of the end result.
Afiyet olsun!

Aceh Style Chicken (Ayam Bumbu Tradisional Aceh)

Aceh Style Chicken (Ayam Bumbu Tradisional Aceh)

1 chicken (about 1.5 kilo)
625ml coconut milk (from 2 coconuts)
2 stalks lemon grass (bruised)

Blend the following ingredients to a paste (with 125ml coconut milk) :

2 cloves garlic
4 shallots
1 tbsp ground coriander
5-7 red chilies (seeded)
3cm ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp lime juice

Devide chicken into 8 pieces or 12 pieces (as desired), broil the chicken for 3 minutes on each side.

Marinate the chicken in the blended paste for 15 minutes. Put the chicken in a large kuali (wok). Cook over moderate heat for 10 minutes uncovered.

Then add the remaining coconut milk and lemon grass. Bring to boil and cook for another 30 minutes, basting occasionally, till chicken is tender and almost all the liquid has evaporated. Best serve warm.

Aceh Style Chicken (Ayam Bumbu Tradisional Aceh)

Aceh Style Chicken (Ayam Bumbu Tradisional Aceh)

1 chicken (about 1.5 kilo)
625ml coconut milk (from 2 coconuts)
2 stalks lemon grass (bruised)

Blend the following ingredients to a paste (with 125ml coconut milk) :

2 cloves garlic
4 shallots
1 tbsp ground coriander
5-7 red chilies (seeded)
3cm ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp lime juice

Devide chicken into 8 pieces or 12 pieces (as desired), broil the chicken for 3 minutes on each side.

Marinate the chicken in the blended paste for 15 minutes. Put the chicken in a large kuali (wok). Cook over moderate heat for 10 minutes uncovered.

Then add the remaining coconut milk and lemon grass. Bring to boil and cook for another 30 minutes, basting occasionally, till chicken is tender and almost all the liquid has evaporated. Best serve warm.

Multiculturalism and Medicine

Here is part of the Wikipedia definition of multiculturalism:
Multiculturalism has a number of different meanings. At one level the term means the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations. In this sense multiculturalism approximates to respect for diversity...

In a political context the term has come to mean the advocacy of extending equitable status to distinct ethnic and religious groups without promoting any specific ethnic, religious, and/or cultural community values as central. Multiculturalism as "cultural mosaic" is often contrasted with the concepts assimilationism and social integration and has been described as a "salad bowl" rather than a "melting pot."
Does this work for medicine as well? That is, do we respect and value Galen as much as we do Anton van Leeuwenhoek? Galen believed that our health was governed by humors in the body. Leeuwenhoek is considered the father of microbiology. As far as I can tell, no one of significance is suggesting that bleeding people with leeches or applying herbal enemas to bring a patient's humors into equilibrium is equivalent to examing tissue samples under a microscope to perform a diagnosis.

Why not?

Penicillin or leeches? Hey, it's all one to me, man.

Betcha Can't Eat Just One

As I mentioned in the last blog entry, I made drop biscuits to go along with that Broccoli Rabe, Black-Eyed Pea, White Bean and Sausage Soup. While I try to limit carbs around here during the week, that soup kept calling out for something “bread-ish.”

Soup and salad without bread just doesn’t sound right.

So, I caved. Since I was deep into perusing Lee Bailey’s “Soup Meals,” it didn’t take long to stumble upon his recipe for Mozzarella Biscuits. Since I didn’t have any mozzarella on hand, it didn’t take long to adapt the recipe to what I did have in my fridge.  Here is the delicious result:


CHEESE-Y AND PEPPER-Y DROP BISCUITS  (Adapted from Lee Bailey’s “Soup Meals”)

2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne (or more to taste)
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cubed
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, black pepper and cayenne into a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or, better yet, your fingers until butter is incorporated and is the size of small peas. Add buttermilk and stir to make a thick dough. Stir in cheese. The dough should be thick enough so that it will just drop from a spoon with a little nudge (Lee’s words, not mine. Gotta love that).

Drop onto the baking sheet by the tablespoonful and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden. Remove to a baking rack to cool slightly before serving.

Yield: 20 – 40 biscuits, depending upon how big you make them







*  As usual, I used an ice cream scoop to drop these onto the baking sheet.  (Alright, I will admit to having a ridiculous assortment of the things).  For this recipe, I used the 1 1/2-inch scoop.  Worked like a charm!

Oy veh.  What's wrong with me that I have this many scoops, anyway?
How.  Ridiculous.

*  These are cheesy, savory little morsels that are crunchy on the bottom and absolutely addictive.  My no-carb scruples were totally thrown out the window once these biscuits came out of the oven.  Damn!

*  In fact, they are so good, they don't even need butter.  Can't believe I said that.

*  Lee says you can bake, then store these for a couple of days.  To reheat, place them directly on the oven rack so the bottoms stay crispy.  If it works for Lee, it works for me!

*  As I was about to close the book, I noticed Lee's recipe for Pecan Snickerdoodles with Mandarin Oranges.  What?????  Guess that's showing up soon on my recipe agenda......