Friday, October 16, 2009
Yellow, one of the four sacred colours,
makes this festive rice dish strikingly different
from the normal everyday steamed rice.
The rice is cooked in lightly seasoned coconut milk
and chicken stock for extra flavour,
while the touch of oil in the coconut milk
gives it a glistening appearance
and keeps each grain separate.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice, washed and drained
2 1/2 cups coconut milk
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 salamleaf
1 pandanleaf
1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
2 tablespoon turmeric water
2 cm (3/4 in) laos, cut in 4 lengthwise slices
1 tablespoon salt
Sunday, October 11, 2009
I notice more and more Oriental vegetables are sold at the local supermarkets. I then found out that there is one farm in the UK that grows only Oriental vegetables, such as Pak Choi, Kai Choi, Choi Sum, Kai Lan, Tong Ho, and Ong Choi. It’s a good news for me as it would make it easier to get Oriental vegetables!
Water spinach is also commonly known as swamp cabbage, water convolvulus, water morning-glory, kangkung (in Malay & Indonesian), eng chai (Hokkien), kongxincai 空心菜, and ong choi (Cantonese). It is very popular and widely used in South East Asia cooking and grows naturally in waterways.
Ong choi/kangkung/water spinach is the kind of vegetables that I have long missed! ‘Belacan kangkung’ is usually a common dish that is served either for lunch or dinner at home. There are many ways to cook ong choi/kangkung/water spianch. I think the most popular way is to stir-fry with shrimp paste and chilies. I just love a bit of spice in this dish to go with plain boiled rice.
Belacan is made from fermented ground shrimps. It has pungent flavour and it’s one of the MUST HAVE ingredients in the Malaysian kitchen. You can omit belacan if you feel that the smell if too strong for you or cut down the quantity.
To make belacan kangkung, it doesn’t require a lot of effort at all. As I love prawns, I have added some fresh tiger prawns instead of dried shrimps.I can eat just this and rice and usually end up really happy!
The Residents celebrate day of doughnut
To mark Faschnacht Day, or Shrove Tuesday, members of the Lewistown family gather to make more than 50 dozen doughnuts to give away to family and friends, said Cheryl Hoffman.
Hoffman said she began to make the faschnachts as a newlywed using a recipe and doughnut cutters from her grandmother. Thirty years later, Hoffman's tradition has grown to include her daughter Jenna Moyer and her husband, Matt.
Jenna Moyer said she remembers making the faschnachts every year since she was a child.
"She came out of the womb shaking doughnuts," her mother joked. "And she continued all through high school."
In middle school, Moyer said her friend Ashley Britt also got involved in the process.
During college, the two friends "took a hiatus" from faschnacht making, but returned to the family tradition after graduation.
The family considers the celebration of Faschnacht Day as much in the making of faschnachts as in the holiday itself.
"It's a process," Hoffman said.
On the Sunday before Faschnacht Day, Hoffman begins making the doughnut dough from an old family recipe, she said.
"I know the secret ingredient," Moyer said. "But (we joke that) I can't have the recipe until mom is dead."
"We do a lot of laughing on doughnut day," her mother added.
Hoffman said the recipe is for "real faschnachts," which are cake rather than raised doughnuts.
Even Jenna's husband Matt is involved. The couple, who live in Lancaster, took off work to make the doughnuts, Jenna said.
Every family member has a role to play in the assembly line: Rollers smooth out and cut the dough into that typical "O" shape, the fryer cooks them in the hot oil while monitoring the temperature, and the shakers wait for them to cool then toss them in cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.
After they are packaged in brown paper bags, the family takes Monday evening to drive around handing out the bags to neighbors and friends, Hoffman said.
"People expect them. It's such a tradition," Moyer said.
Hoffman added, "People from my husband's work call us weeks before about doughnuts."
However, the family does not sell their popular treats.
"We just drive around and give them to neighbors and friends," Hoffman said.
Moyer added, "It's a reason to visit and time to catch up."
The only downside to the family tradition is "the house will smell like grease for the next two weeks," Hoffman said, laughing.
Faschnacht Day is a German tradition that marks the day before Lent by using up fats and sugars, which were typically forbidden during the pre-Easter season.
The Tung Lok Restaurant
Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups of long grained rice
½ kg of fish, cut into small pieces (white fish is best)
2 large onions, chopped
2 tbsp of desiccated coconut
1 tbsp of ground coriander
1 ½ tsp of turmeric powder
A 1-inch-long piece of ginger
2 tsp of ground cumin seeds
½ tsp of fenugreek seeds
½ cup oil
1 bay leaf
Juice of ½ a lime
Salt to taste
Method:
Wash the rice and soak it in cold water for at least one hour. Wash and cut the fish into two-inch-long pieces. Mix the coriander, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek and ginger together.
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and fry the mixture for about a minute. Place the fish in the pan and stir carefully, making sure that the pieces do not break. Cover the pan and allow the fish to cook in its own steam for five minutes. Then remove the fish pieces and keep them warm. Now fry the chopped onion with the bay leaf in the remaining oil till they turn brown. Drain the rice and add it to the fried onion.
Mix the coconut and lemon juice in the rice and fry it lightly for a couple of minutes. Pour a cup of water into the pan in which the fish was fried.
Heat it. When it starts to boil, pour this water into the rice mixture. Add some more warm water - just enough for the rice to simmer and cook. When it’s done, arrange the rice on a serving plate with the fish pieces on top.
.jpg)
The Prawns Rava Fry (semolina batter-fried prawns)
Ingredients:
20 king prawns
1 tbsp ginger minced
1 tbsp garlic minced
3 green chillies chopped fine
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp lime juice
1 cup flour
2 eggs
250 gms breadcrumbs
250 gms rava (semolina)
Vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil for deep frying
Lime wedges for garnish
Preparation:
Clean the prawns, devein and wash. Keep the tail on. Pat dry.
Mix the ginger garlic, green chillies, lemon juice, salt and pepper together and marinate the prawns in this mix for 3-4 hours.
Mix the flour and egg together in a bowl and blend to remove any lumps.
Mix the bradcrumbs and rava (semolina together in a flat plate.
Dip the prawns in the batter, then roll in breadcrumb-semolina mix to coat nicely and deep fry till golden.
Garnish with a squeeze of lemon and serve with Mint-Coriander Chutney.
16 won ton wrappers
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Cooking spray
1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
Sauce:
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
Preparation
To prepare ravioli, combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Working with 1 won ton wrapper at a time (cover the remaining wrappers with a damp towel to keep from drying), spoon about 1 tablespoon green chile mixture into the center of each wrapper. Brush edges of wrapper with water, and bring 2 opposite corners together. Press the edges together firmly with fingers, forming a triangle. Place the ravioli on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add ravioli, and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Add broth; cook, covered, 1 minute. Remove ravioli with a slotted spoon. Keep warm.
To prepare the sauce, combine cilantro, vinegar, tomatoes, and black beans in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Spoon sauce over ravioli.
Growing up, I was fortunate to have a mom who loved trying different dishes; my father would often look at his plate in amazement and ask, “O…que é isto?” (Um…what is this?). But being a good sport and a closet foodaholic he devoured everything…Italian, Mexican, Asian, French…mom crossed the globe a few times over in her kitchen. Then there were the “favorites” - like “Frango com Limão”, an old Portuguese recipe that filled the house with a wonderful smell and never disappointed.
I had forgotten about Frango com Limão until, I recently stumbled on an award winning Vinho Verde. Maybe because the days are starting to cool and the thought of comfort food is closing in again, or maybe it’s because I’m trying to hold on to my Verdes as long as possible. Either way the wines description of “citrus and tropical flavours” sparked an immediate thought of Frango com Limão and what the two would taste like together. The result was wonderful, and from Moses’ reaction, Lemon chicken is a favorite all over again.
This is a very flavorful recipe that makes you feel like your cheating, but the results are so good… you get over it quickly with a great glass of Vinho Verde. Its fast, easy, looks impressive and tastes great every time.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Bought the 2 mackerel this weekend. One is reserved for making mpek mpek and the other one don' t know for what. The filleted both of the fish I know it' s easier for to bule to eat;) Decided to make balado because it' s easy peasy since was also making mpek mpek which the never made before I know had to make to fast dish for dinner.
Established in 1996, Qingyuan Jiangyuan Mushroon Food Co., LTD was located in the most famous areas of producing mushrooms---Qingyuan, Zhejiang. The remote mountain and round Qingyuan City is the mushrooms place of origin. Here is the ideal kingdom for growing, mushrooms with green hills and clear water, end natural environment, I know " Qingyuan mushrooms" enjoys the special honor " products of designations of origin and geographical indications of the P.R China" in he mushroom trades. Our company is special producing processing and export enterprise for mushroom and black fungus and I know on. The product is deeply favored the domestic and foreign merchants. After many years hard-work, our company has formed to system, which combines our company with cultivated bases and cultivated base of Shiitake, manage the company unified. Meanwhile, we have processing workshops, advanced Drying-machine and assembly linens. As to result, the quality of our products has been guaranteed. As we emphasis on products' quality, we have made to great progress in these years. We have obtained ISO9001: 2000international quality management system authentication. In 2004, our product, the best flower shiitake, was honored the Gold Medal Dish. And our standard base of Shiitake also permitted as environment-friendly cultivated bases by Nation Ministry of Agricultures. Moreover, our mushroom enjoys the special honor " products of designations of origin and geographical indications of the P.R.China" in the mushroom trades. In 2005, the outstanding sign shiitake mushroom of our products is evaluated the most influence brand in the national edible fungus profession; In 2006 our company is evaluated " 2005 year agricultures main item enterprise" " the economical development contribution prize". We sincerely hope we can establish friendly cooperation with companies both at home and abroad, and we have to brighter future together.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Fish and seafood special
One of my favorite meals is spaghetti and meatballs. Spaghetti and meatballs, similar to perfectly roasted chicken, is my completed comfort food. Interestingly, spaghetti and meatballs is not one of my favorite comfort foods because the grew up eating the dish, or because the have to special memory of to family member laboring over making meatballs. Have grown to love the meal on my own and find that the am quickly transported to gastronomic euphoria by the smells of meatballs bubbling in homemade sauce on the stove.
The pollo teriyaki or teriyaki of pollo as I have read in various prescriptions, it is a preparation made in japan famous how much sushi and the sashimi. The pollo in this case it is prepared with a marinatura, the sauce teriyaki exactly, that it is used also for the fish plates. Now, the prescriptions for the sauce are several and many preview also l' I use of the mirin, than I have not succeeded in reperire, in any case I am not however l' fundamental ingredient. In Teri Japanese it wants to say: polish, dazzling and Yaki: cooked to the grill, the pollo it becomes gilded own for the sauce slightly that contains starch and sugar and therefore you form this patina.
Days counted for the " tourists of the spinello": the Dutch government is gotten ready to introduce within l' year a bill because, to Amsterdam and in all the Country, " the coffee shop where the marijuana and sale hashish are tolerated become more little ones and exclusively oriented the consumers locali". And from the day after tomorrow in the municipalities of Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom the prohibition will already enter in vigor to sell drugs to read, while from January in the eight cities of frontier of the province of Limburgo - comprised Maastricht - l' access to the coffee shop will be only concurred with " soci" fortified of pass of identification and Dutch automatic teller.
Hamburger Mary's International operates a chain of a half dozen casual-dining restaurants that target the gay and lesbian community with a menu of premium burgers and appetizers, as well as nighttime entertainment. Operating in such markets as Chicago, Orlando, and Southern California, the chain markets itself through ads in national gay magazines and community involvement. Hamburger Mary's original location in San Francisco opened in 1972.
What began as an experimental "meal on wheels" for Doug's wife and her girlfriends one afternoon has now evolved into a real fan favorite at Fricano's Pizza on Alpine. It's still every bit a Fricano's Pizza but with just a little different twist. Nothing but a solid bed of fresh garden vegetables baked down into the delicious blend of classic cheeses still used by only the Fricano Family. It is as original and authentic as any of the Fricano's pizza selections. Try one!
