Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Stir Fried Kale with Garlic and Jasmine Rice with 5 Grain Cereals

My vegetable gardens are doing quite well despite of the inclement weather we are having.  Hailstorm, thunderstorm, wind storm in May provided all the natural nutrients that all our plants needed.  Kale is one of the new crop in my garden.  My friend gave a few grown plants.  I took them home and pluck them right into my raised bed vege gardens.  I have never tasted Kale before, and I did not know what to expect.  Beside not knowing how it taste, I didn't know how to cook it either.  But I sure did not want any garden insects, if any, to get a head start on it.   So as soon as they were about 7 inches tall, I cropped them, washed them, stemmed them, chopped them, chopped some garlic, stir fried with clarified butter. Stir fry 30 seconds or so to finish cooking.  The grey-green leaves turned into beautiful dark green color.   The garlic really complimented its slightly bitter taste and butter mellowed it out smoothly.  That's when I said, "Cook Rice!"  This time, the mixture is Jasmine Rice with Bob's Red Mill brand, 5 Grain Cereals.  I quickly sauteed chopped onions in clarified butter, added washed jasmine rice (well strained), added 5 Grain Cereal (whole grain wheat, rye, barley, oats, triticale, and flaxseed),  some white wine, chicken stock.  Stir.  Cover and simmer to cook till the liquid is quite absorbed.  Open the lid.  Fluff and stir.  Taste for doneness.   Add, cooked Kale to mix.   Serve.

Stir Fried Jasmine Rice with Bulgar, Onions and Mushrooms

Some of the best dishes I learned are the ones that are totally opposite of what I knew how to cook.  I consider myself 'expert' rice cooker and know very well how to cook rice.  Then, came the 'doubt'.  If Rice is one of your staples in your diet, surely you know all about it.  At least we all think that way, but quite a few new varieties - Japanese rice, for example, have been introduced in the past 10 years, I doubt even the culinary best can keep up with them.  GEN-JI-MAI and HAIGA-Rice are two of the Nutri-whole Grain Brown Rice that I enjoy for the last couple of years.  It is advertised as "Gen-JI-MAI is a premium medium grain brown rice that is lightly polished.  This special procedure removes only a limited amount of the outer bran layer, allowing the water to absorb quickly, much in the same was as milled white rice.  This process leaves a product that is not only superior in taste to ordinary brown rice, but one that also cooks quicker.   Since 100% of the rice germ (HAIGA) and much of the healthy bran layer are left intact, GEN-JI-MAI is much more nutritious than ordinary milled white rice, with: 64% more Fiber, 286% more Potassium,  583% more Magnesium, 161% more Vitamin B6, 1,021% more Vitamin E, and 400% more Antioxidant capacity.  You also benefit from the convenient quick cooking time of GEN--JI-MAI."   While the cooking direction in the back of the package indicates to use the "rice cooker" manufacture's suggested rice to water ratio, I find some of the new crops require half cup less water than the older brand.  I have 30 years old rice cooker from Japan.  The ratio of rice to water has changed by 1/2 cup since the introduction of 'new crop'.  Before the appearance of rice imprinted with 'new crop' on its bag, whether I cook Thailand rice or short grain, the ratio was 1:1 with my rice cooker.  Now, with new crop, it is 1:1/2.  However, interestingly, when the rice is cooked with ZOJIRUSHI brand 'atomic' rice cooker -- I call it 'atomic' because it is pre-programmed to cook mixed rice, brown rice, sushi texture rice, hard rice, soft rice, white rice, quick cooking, etc.  the rice cooker seems to "know"--calibrated to cook all rice at 1:1.   But we noticed that the rice is too soft, as we all prefer "al dente" - the bite feeling with our cooked rice.  So, we cook the new crop rice with 1/3 C less water in the atomic rice cooker. 
All around the world, there are many different types of rice - Long grain, medium grain, short grain, sweet rice, varieties of grains.  Learning just a couple of different methods of preparation certainly has changed my diet in the last couple months and to a better health.  And this is one of them.
1 C Thailand three ladies Jasmine Rice - "new crop"- washed to remove talc - water is clear during rinsing,1/2 C Bulgar, 4 Tb Clarified butter, 1/2 C chopped onions, 1/2 C chopped mushrooms.  1/4 C dry white wine.  2 C Hot Boiling homemade chicken stock (you might not need all 2 C of stock.)  Saute onions and mushrooms in 2-1/2 Tb clarified butter and evaporate liquid from mushroom.   Add the rest of the butter.  Stir in rice and Bulgar and coat well with butter.  Add dry white wine.  Let rice mixture absorb all liquid and mix well with onions and mushrooms.  Add hot stock 1/2 cup at a time.  Stirring rice mixture, let the rice absorb.  Repeat.  Stirring.  The method is similar to making Paella and Risotto.  The finished rice should not be soupy or soggy, but fluffy.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Whole Wheat Baguette with Wheat Germs


Sometimes you really feel lucky when the bread turns out great. After a long hours of patience, including some sleepless weekend hours, awaiting it's rise and yawn, and changing of its cloth and another tucking into snugly cloth trying to keep it warm through the stormy night we were having -- when it is baked, the final tale is told of how it appreciated my pampering. . . . sounds dramatic, but naaaa.... if the bread formula is bad, irregardless of how many hours I spent waiting its rise, baby patting and powdering its rounds, then, gently covering it with nice powdered cloth to keep it warm seems like a nightmare.
Trying to be pro-health conscious this year, I made this baguette with whole 1-1/2 C wheat flour, 1 C flour, 1/4 C wheat germs. The usual home steam injection method of steam pan and mist spraying gave it the crispy crust. The crumb is chewy and quite satisfying with a warm bowl of Leek Potato Soup.
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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

MAY Fair - Sunset Celebration Weekend

There are so many things that I want to post on food for the month, but here it is already the last few days of May.  I just have to add all my test recipes in the next few days when I am more relaxed.  In the mean time, I am looking forward to June 4th and 5th.  Sunset Magazine is hosting the Sunset Celebration Weekend.  It is going to be held at  Menlo Park -- at the Sunset Headquarters, 80 Willow Road, Menlo Park from 10 am to 5 pm.    Great!  Hope some of you can attend also.
Visit http://www.sunsetwineclub.com/cwtickets for more details.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Vanilla Beans

I ran out of 7 jars of Vanilla Paste that I have been using for my baking and especially for my Canneles de Bordeaux. While I have been hunting for the best possible price to replenish the vanilla paste, I decided to try the vanilla beans. While waiting for the arrival, I caught one of my recorded video on cooking channel.... Chef Sandra Lee, I believe was demonstrating how to make Open Apple Pie. One of the ingredients is the vanilla. She pointed out the vanilla beans that she is using has been soaked in the rum for two weeks. It gives a good flavor. So, I thought I would try. This is not a blog on how to make vanilla paste or whatever all the experienced foodies know how to. But to share the result of my rum soaked vanilla beans.
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Hamburgers on Homebaked Buns

I am so happy with the result of this hamburger and hotdog buns. I think it was from one of the dear blogger -- gracekitchencorner.blogspot.com. I have been wanting to make my own hamburger or hotdog buns to find out how good it really suppose to taste. The storebought hamburger and hotdog buns are handy, but they always have this 'after taste' that I could not exactly put my fingers on. I just tolerated it all these years. This is a keeper recipe in my kitchen.
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Sunday, April 17, 2011

Homebaked CIABATTA

Loved how this ciabatta turned out. Just like 1 Cup Baguette, I would like to bake just that amount that I need for the meal.
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Challah Loaf

I just love this Challah bread recipe I learned during the 2010 holidays. The dough is so soft and tasty, I can use it as a base for many other types of bread. Since I don't have a 'pullman' loaf pan that I really would like my bread loaf to turned it into sandwich style, I improvised two 8x8 brownie pan. I let the dough rise eclosed in 8x8 non-stick teflon coated brownie pan and baked it. It worked out perfectly as 'pullman' pan idea.   The formula for the bread is found here:
https://rockdavinci.blogspot.com/search?q=challah+bread
And here is copy of what I wrote there:
My Challah has some modification to the recipe I got from the Baking Bites' site. I added Tangzong - Flour ROUX to give extended moisture and softness as a test.
Tangzong - Flour ROUX is not my recipe either. I learned it from some of the Malaysian and Singaporean food bloggers. They reference Yvonne Chen, the bread doctor. For example, you can visit Pei-Lin's blog site. http://dodol-mochi.blogspot.com/2009/10/tangzhong-or-water-roux-method.html.
For Tangzong:  Mix 25 g of flour with 125 ml of water in a saucepan.  Have a thermometer ready.  Mix well and cook over medium heat.  While stirring continuously , measure the temperature often to make sure that it does not exceed 65'C (centigrade).  Remove from heat to cool before use.
Since my kitchen is either too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter, to make sure all my mixtures for the dough is at desirable proofing temp, I added my Tanzong roux while at 90'F (Farenheit) into the flour mixture.

Bread dough Ingredients:
Dissolve 1 tsp sugar + 1/2 C warm 110'F water + 1 Tbsp active dry yeast for 10 min. until bubbles form on top.
Manual Mixing (since I kind of gave up using my Kitchen Aid dough mixing function):
Total of flour used in my variation:  'approx.' 3-3/4 C + roughly 1/2 C for kneading
When it's about 8 minutes into the yeast fermentation, start adding 1/2 C oil, 1 Tbsp honey, 1/4 C sugar and 2 C flour and 1/2 C warm 110'F water in a large mixing bowl.
Mix all well together, and add yeast mixture.  Add Tangzong.  And mix all well together.
In the beginning, I was using a spoon to incorporate everything.  You can use spatula or hand, but I know the mixture is very wet, and I was not yet ready to get my hands all occupied, so, you will see the spoon in the photo.  Once the dough mixture is well mixed.  I let it set for 5 minutes.
Bring two eggs to room temperature under warm water and chop 2/3 C of raisins and cranberries in the mean time.
Add 1 C flour, raisins and cranberries in.  Pass two eggs through the mini-strainer to separate Albumen, chalazae, etc. and it's mashed evenly when done in the bowl.
Mix all well again with the spoon or with your hand.
The mixture is really wet.  Transfer the mixture out to floured work surface.
Start pulling and pushing down the mixture.  Adding handful more of flour up to 1 more Cup.
Repeat pulling and pushing down the mixture, scraping and rolling until the gluten is formed.
After an hour of manually 'kneading' the dough this way, the dough's gluten is well developed for me to round it to form a ball.  Ready for the proofing.
Cover with plastic and a cover and place in a warm place to proof until double in size.
*I heated the oven to 350'F and turned it off.  Waited 15 min and measured the interior temp.  85--87'F.  I placed the bowl inside with lamp on.  It took three hours for the dough to rise.
As I removed the plastic cover, the dough deflated on its own.   I did not pound down any further because I want to keep as much air bubble as possible.
Transfer the dough to lightly floured work surface.  Divided it into three equal parts.
Prepare a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Set aside.
The dough is soft and pliable.  Gently pull and elongate the dough.  I rolled the dough into a log shape, then, rolled on the surface gently to form into a long rope.  Repeat with the other two.
Braid the ropes and tuck the ends under.
Transfer to the baking sheet pan line with parchment paper.
Beat 1 egg whites with 1 tsp water - egg wash the formed dough.
Spray the plastic wrap with vegalene and lightly cover the dough for the 2nd rise.
I covered my dough with the inverted rectangular plastic container.  Then, placed the sheet pan
back in the oven with light turned on.  Proof until double in size.
Remove from the oven.  Preheat the oven to 375'F.
I  egg washed it again.  Bake until deep golden brown.  Interior temperature read 200'F.
Cool completely.  **The crust of the bread will become tender as it cools.
You can view video of how I managed to knead the wet dough by visiting YouTube - How to Knead Wet Challah Dough - Step 1 of 4

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1 Cup Baguette

Sometimes, all you need is just one baguette to go with your Onion Soup or what not. So, here it is, a baguette made from just 1 Cup of flour. Just perfect.
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Roasted Chicken with Gazpacho Sauce

What to do with the extra Gazpacho Soup, I thought. While roasting the chicken, I decided to use it as part of the ingredient to make the sauce. It turned out quite tasty. The vegetable mixtures turned into a smooth sauce complimenting the wonderful taste of roasted chicken (brined for 12 hours in lemon mixture). The chicken is tender and tasty. The creamy Gazpacho sauce gave it the "welcome spring" taste.
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Poached Chicken in Cream Sauce

This is my first Poached Chicken in Cream Sauce. I am very surprised that the chicken is so tasty.
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Thursday, March 17, 2011

Coq au vin

Time flies.  I forgot all about this delicious dish I tried in February.  This is my first attempt with Coq au vin.  I used the chicken, instead of the rooster.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Produce and Pesticides: What You Need to Know


Disturbingly, many farmers are using pesticides to prolong the lives of their crops. These chemicals enable foods to travel long distances and...
Click on the picture above to get to the full story at Dr. Oz's website.
My goal this year is to plant more veges in my garden.  Let's see how it goes.