March 31
My latest podcast is up, ready for your listening pleasure.
Comments on its content, including our new and funky music, is most welcome.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Finding The Sacred In A Bonsai
A few years ago I saw a PBS special on creating Bonsai sculptures. It was a shortcut method that would take any variety of small plants, cut the roots way back, repot the plant in a small container, and snip some of the growth away to reveal the new possibilities. So I chopped and snipped and created and... for awhile, had a Bonzai plant. It only lasted about a year....
This week, as a way to decompress from all of the Holy Week activies and responsibilities, I decided to try creating again. I found a juniper bush in a 6" pot at a garden store for $5.95 and spent part of an afternoon chopping and snipping and creating and decompressing. It was wonderful. In a short time I found myself being renewed. In the simplicity of creating and listening for God's Presence I was re-inspired. The "ruah" of God, the holy breath resurrected my soul.
This week, as a way to decompress from all of the Holy Week activies and responsibilities, I decided to try creating again. I found a juniper bush in a 6" pot at a garden store for $5.95 and spent part of an afternoon chopping and snipping and creating and decompressing. It was wonderful. In a short time I found myself being renewed. In the simplicity of creating and listening for God's Presence I was re-inspired. The "ruah" of God, the holy breath resurrected my soul.
If you want to know more about Bosai a good start is at Bonsai Gardner.
GLOSSARY (terms generally used in Indian Cooking)
A:
Achar ................. pickle
B:
Bhare/bharua .... stuffed
Bharta/bhurta .... mash
Bhuna .................. stir-fried
Burfi/barfi ........... Indian sweet made of milk & other ingredients
C:
Chandi varak ......... edible beaten silver (very thin foil)
Chashni .................. sugar syrup
Chutney ................. spicy side disheaten with snacks
Chenna/paneer ..... Indian cottage cheese
D:
Dahi ..................... yogurt/curd
Dal ....................... pulse/lentil
Dum ..................... cooked in a pot, where lid is sealed with a ring of dough.
G:
Ghee .................... clarified butter
K:
Keema .................. mince meat
Kewra .................. screwpine essence
Khatta ................... sour
Kofta ..................... balls made from vegetables, meat, chicken or fish
M:
Makhan ............... butter
Mawa .................... solidified milk
Mewa .................. dry fruits
P:
Pakora ................ battered and deep fried fritters of vegetables/meats
Panch pooran ..... a mix of cumin, fenugreek, fennel, mustard & nigella seeds
T:
Tandoor ............... Indian clay oven
Tarka/tadka ........ tempering of food with ghee/oil and cumin, mustard or any other seeds
Tawa ..................... griddle
Achar ................. pickle
B:
Bhare/bharua .... stuffed
Bharta/bhurta .... mash
Bhuna .................. stir-fried
Burfi/barfi ........... Indian sweet made of milk & other ingredients
C:
Chandi varak ......... edible beaten silver (very thin foil)
Chashni .................. sugar syrup
Chutney ................. spicy side disheaten with snacks
Chenna/paneer ..... Indian cottage cheese
D:
Dahi ..................... yogurt/curd
Dal ....................... pulse/lentil
Dum ..................... cooked in a pot, where lid is sealed with a ring of dough.
G:
Ghee .................... clarified butter
K:
Keema .................. mince meat
Kewra .................. screwpine essence
Khatta ................... sour
Kofta ..................... balls made from vegetables, meat, chicken or fish
M:
Makhan ............... butter
Mawa .................... solidified milk
Mewa .................. dry fruits
P:
Pakora ................ battered and deep fried fritters of vegetables/meats
Panch pooran ..... a mix of cumin, fenugreek, fennel, mustard & nigella seeds
T:
Tandoor ............... Indian clay oven
Tarka/tadka ........ tempering of food with ghee/oil and cumin, mustard or any other seeds
Tawa ..................... griddle
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Yumi Castrillo
The lady behind the yummy piece of cake, Yumi Castrillo along with her husband Carlo dined at The Artist Chef table. I met Yumi because I ordered cupcakes from her for my special Christmas dinner last December. She provided me 6 boxes of cupcakes for the 6 couples I had for that special month. Because she wanted to dine, she asked me not to pay the 6 boxes of cupcakes which cost P900. She asked me to deduct it instead from the cost of the intimate dinner. So we settled everything and Yumi came to my place with a bottle of wine which they consumed during the dinner. Her husband Carlo works as an IT at UNILAB and Yumi on the other hand is a lawyer with a huge passion for baking. Just like me; Aside from our day jobs, we both have an outlet for our talent and creativity.
I was wearing my apron from Australia because I cooked grilled pork chops and wine bernaise gravy.
Rice Pudding (Riz b-Haleeb) - ارز بالحليب
Serves 4-6 (depending on the size of the dessert bowl)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup white rice
3 1/2 cups of milk
1 1/2 cups of water
4 tablespoons of condensed sweetened milk (optional)
5 tablespoons of sugar
4 tablespoons of corn starch
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon rosewater
A pinch of salt
Apricot marmelade for the topping
In a pan, add water, pinch of salt, then add the rice and cook for 30 minutes on low. Drain any water left if not all absorbed. In another pan, add milk, sugar, corn starch, condensed milk, vanilla, rosewater. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium. Add the cooked rice and stir. You need to keep an eye on that and keep stirring until it thickens. Also you need to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. When it thickens, pour into the serving bowls and let it completely cool. After that, spread the marmelade on top then refrigerate until time to serve.
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