Wednesday, July 6, 2011

How to get rid of invasive species: eat them!



July 6

Don’t want invaders in your home Why not kill them and eat them?

That’s the approach that consumer activist group Food & Water Watch is taking with three species of fish and a crustacean that have encroached on American waters.

In the picture are, from top to bottom, Asian carp, blue tilapia and lionfish, as well as green crabs.

Lionfish actually look much more sexy before their exotic and poisonous spines have been removed, but Kerry Heffernan, the executive chef of Southgate in New York, had already removed them by the time I got to the James Beard House, where Food & Water Watch was doing a presentation on ”exotic invasive species” and how to eat them.

I don't think their point was actually to eradicate the invaders. Indeed local sport fishermen in the Northeast like green crab, because it's good bait for blackfish.

I think what they really wanted to point out was that there’s lots of tasty seafood in our waters, and it would make sense if we stopped overfishing the popular ones and to rely less on imports — which Food & Water Watch said accounted form more than 80 percent of the seafood we eat — and instead chow down on the stuff we have in surplus.

Ironically, the fish wasn't easy to procure and Heffernan had roughly 27 hours to figure out what to do with what they gave him. 

They had to charter a boat in North Carolina to catch the lionfish. A seafood supplier actually told them that wild, or blue, tilapia wasn't available in the U.S., but they managed to find it at Fulton Fish Market for $1.75 a pound. 

The green crab was provided by New England fisherman after they finished scratching their heads wondering why anyone would want them.

But the results were good. Heffernan used the carp to make a tasty escabeche, pictured here. It was a labor-intensive preparation, though, because, as Heffernan said, “It's almost like the fish was designed not to be able to get at the meat.”


Loopy bones arched out from the spine into the flesh, and then looped off in other directions, making for a labor-intensive process. I asked Heffernan if the labor in preparing the fish would make it cost-prohibitive in restaurants, and he said that if the fish itself were inexpensive enough, it might be worth it.

My favorite was the green crab, which Heffernan made into a light bisque. He was impressed with the flavor of the meat, which to him tasted crabbier than blue crab. There was a preparation challenge for that animal, too, as there’s not a lot of meat per crab, so picking out the meat is a time-consuming process.

There was no problem with the lionfish, as long as you remove the poisonous parts.

But Heffernan’s favorite was the tilapia, which was firm enough that you could slice it after cooking it, and it had great body and flavor.

Eating under-utilized fish isn’t a new concept, but it is catching on. At the International Corporate Chefs Association summit that I went to in Seattle last week, one of the speakers was John Sackton, editor and publisher of seafood.com. In the face of rising seafood prices and less-than-stable supply, he recommended to the chefs at chain restaurants and onsite operations who attended the summit that they be flexible in the choice of seafood they put on the menu, changing those choices as supply and price demanded.

He wasn’t talking about Asian carp or lionfish, but he was advocating for a flexibility to which chain restaurants are becoming increasingly accustomed. 

Skeptics might want to remember that monkfish used to be considered unfit for consumption, and that, decades ago, North Atlantic fisherman threw away bluefin tuna as useless until the Japanese pointed out that they actually enjoy eating them, possibly more than anything else.

Of course, now bluefin appears to be on the verge of extinction. But that's another story.

my creative space::epic crochet fail...

Once upon a time, in a parallel universe, I thought that I could make the first born a granny square blanket...exhibit A:
I told you she was putting on the pressure for me to actually finish it here. I know how this mothering gig works; I do as I'm told, most of the time, and so I started to put the squares together...there were lots of them...no granny square skimpiness in the tranquil townhouse. Exhibit B:
But alas, my skills, such as they are, did not stretch to putting the squares together in a way that pleased the eye, or quite possibly any other part of one's anatomy...exhibit C. Plain ugly. Puckered. Nasty.
So, what does any slightly competitive, I'm not going to let anything beat me kind of person do? They give up, that's what they do...and start another one. Exhibit D:
Early days but I'm much happier with this one. The firstborn however will quite likely have to wait until next winter to wrap up in this ripply goodness. Blanket recipe found over at Lucy's. Should have gone there in the first place. Clearly. 
Creative spaces over here...
all photos by me; sorry for the slightly disturbing one.

Lapis Surabaya/Spiku

Rahajeng nyangra Galungan lan Kuningan....

Hari ini perayaan galungan di Bali, dan setiap hari raya galungan semua umat Hindu Bali wajib memasang Penjor atau klo org Jakarta biasa nyebutnya Janur jadi klo udh hari raya galungan kuningan pulau Bali berdandan semua dihias dan rame.

Sebelum hari raya dapet pesenan dari anaknya temen baik mama yang tinggal disini, klo soal pesenan sih sebenernya gw gag mengkomersilkan hasil dapur gw cuma kadang2 klo memang ada yg pengen nyobain dan mesen ya udah dijalanin ajah itung2 latihan biar hasilnya lebih enak.

Pesenannya kali ini minta bikinin cake apa ajah yg penting enak katanya dan berhubung gw lg seneng banget sama yang namanya bikin spiku/lapis surabaya jadilah gw bikin itu kue ajah tp pesenan yang ini gw bikin 2 layer ajah warna coklat sama warna kuning klo gag salah jadinya disebut lapis malang deh bukan lapis surabaya soalnya klo lapis surabaya itu 3 lapis.

Kuenya lembut banget secara boros banget telur tapi dijamin pasti enak, here is the recipe yaah...

cake galungan copy


Lapis Surabaya/Spiku

Bahan :

10 kuning telur sedang
5 butir telur utuh
100 gr gula pasir
1 sdm ovalet/TBM
60 gr tepung terigu protein rendah
27 gr susu bubuk dancow
1 sdm maizena
100 gr butter, cairkan

Pelengkap :

selai strawberry
simple syrup
Butter cream
cherry dan jeruk mandarin kalengan

Cara Membuat :

Cara membuat Lapis Surapaya:

1.Kocok mentega, gula dan Ovalet/TBM sampai lembut dan mengembang.
2.Turunkan speed mixer sampai ke yg terendah masukan tepung terigu perlahan kemudian matikan mixer, pindahkan ke baskom yang besar aduk dengan spatula/ sendok karet sampai rata.
3.Sisakan adonan sedikit campurkan dengan mentega cair (tehnik pancing supaya mentega tercampur sempurna) campurkan ke dalam adonan di baskom besar aduk sampai rata dan tdk ada mentega cair yang tertinggal didasar baskom.
4.Oles loyang bulat ukuran 28 cm dengan mentega kemudian lapisi dgn kertas roti oles lg dgn mentega, tuang adonan ke dalam loyang oven dengan temperatur 170 derajat celcius selama 45 menit, angkat keluarkan dari loyang.

Penyelesaian :

semprotkan cake dengan simple syrup, oles dengan selai strawberry
lapis dengan butter cream, hias sesuai selera.

MOONG DAL KI GOLI

Ingredients:
Green moong dal(split) ..... 200 gms. ( with skin)
Ginger-garlic paste ........... 2 tbsp.
Garam masala ................... 1 tsp.
Red chilli powder ............... 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder .............. 1/4 tsp.
Tomato ......................... 1 small (diced)
Onions ...........................2 small (diced)
Green chillies ............. 2 (chopped)
Coriander leaves ...... handful (chopped)
Salt .......................... to taste
Oil .......................... 2 tbsps.

Method:

1. Soak the dal in water for 2 hours.

2. Grind the dal to a smooth paste adding 1 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste, one green chilli, garam masala powder, red chilli powder, salt (to taste)and a dash of water to grind.

3.Heat one tbsp. of oil in a pan and add the dal batter. Keep stirring until it becomes thick. (into the consistency of making balls).Let it cool a bit and roll small amounts of it into balls / golis.Wet your hands with water while rolling to get them smooth and round.

4.To prepare the masala, heat a tbsp. of oil in a pan and add the onion.Stir fry and add the tomato, the remaining ginger-garlic paste and green chilli.Sprinkle a pinch of turmeric and red chilli powder.Add a little water and saute for a minute.

5. Now gently place the dal golis in the masala mixture and simmer for a few minutes. Stir them carefully once or twice to coat all the masala.Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rotis.

WITH GRAVY:

(I tried it out this way for a change.)

Grind together 2 small onions, 1 tomato, 5-6 cloves of garlic, a small piece of ginger and 1 green chilli. In a pan heat oil and saute this masala until the colour changes. Stir in salt and the dry masala powders.Put the prepared moong dal golis and simmer adding a little water to cook for 8-10 minutes. Finally stir in a few table spoons of thick coconut milk. Give 2-3 boils and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

This is for the BOOKMARKED RECIPES event hosted by

Aipi (US Masala) and Priya (Mahro Rajasthan Recipes)

Recipe Source: Chakh le India - NDTV Good Times

Chef: Aditya Bal

'C' for Colourful Currys
Hosted by - Women's Era 2008
&
Cook it Healthy - PROTEINicious
Hosted by - Good Food
( The key ingredient in this recipe is MOONG DAL which is rich in proteins )

Bukan Siapa-Siapa



Aku ini bukan siapa-siapa. Suara aku, hak aku, pendirian aku bagaimanapun adalah milik aku. Dalam erti kata lain, aku ini bebas dan bukan hamba siapa-siapa. Hanya hamba Allah yang sentiasa cuba menjalani hidup seperti orang-orang biasa.

Aku adalah seorang antara jutaan penduduk Malaysia yang amat sukakan keselesaan dan keamanan yang dikecapi sejak kemerdekaan pada tanggal tahun 1957. Aku mendapat pendidikan yang sepatutnya, bergraduasi, memperoleh pekerjaan, cukup makan minum dan pakaian, ada tempat tinggal, dan tidak ditindas mahupun menindas siapa-siapa.

Aku tak suka sesiapa pun yang cuba-cuba mengganggu-gugat keselesaan yang dikecapi. Tidak kisahlah samada dari pihak kiri atau kanan. Selagi aku rasa hak aku tidak dicabuli dan selagi tiada siapa-siapa menyekat aku dari bersuara, aku rasa sudah cukup baik.

Mahu tidak mahu kita perlukan seorang pemimpin yang mampu memberikan kita hak-hak ini. Selagi pemimpin itu mampu mengawal situasi semasa dari segi sosial mahupun ekonomi, itu sudah cukup baik. Setiap organisasi pasti ada "black sheep"nya, point of weakness, yang mencemari organisasi dan memburukkan reputasinya, itu masih boleh diterima sekiranya kebaikan melebihi keburukan organisasi itu. Kita nampak matlamatnya. Kita nampak tunjak perjuangannya.

Aku tak faham mengapa sesetengah orang begitu taksub dengan seseorang pemimpin. Bagi aku setiap pemimpin ada buruk baiknya. Mereka hanya manusia macam kita-kita juga.

Aku juga tak faham kenapa kita cepat sangat mengikut cara salah walaupun ia nampak sangat mudah, tapi kesannya bakal dirasa dalam tempoh sangat lama. Nanti aku boleh hilang kerja tao.. boleh hilang makan, pakai... siapa tahu, mungkin juga hilang tempat tinggal jika tergadai negara...

Niat tak pernah menghalalkan cara. Biar apa jua alasannya, yang salah tetap salah. Tak payahlah nak digula-gulakan. Perkara sebegini, pasti ada saja pihak yang mempunyai kepentingan sendiri, akan mengambil kesempatan melaksanakan agenda mereka... ada mereka fikir pasal kita? ada mereka bantu jika kita susah nanti?

Memang aku bukan siapa-siapa, tapi Malaysia ini juga milik aku. Bersyukur sangat yang buruk dapat dielakkan. kan bagus kalau semua boleh dilaksanakan secara aman.. :)