Eat Your Broccoli!

March 15, 2014

Coconut Pandan Muffins

Saint Patrick’s day is coming up. I’m thinking shades of green, or what do to with that pandan paste that has been sitting in my freezer. My first experiment, pandan coconut muffins. To be honest, I don’t really know what pandanus leaves taste like. It has a prominent odour, after cooking it reminds me of steaming rice. I’ll have to admit the muffins tasted mostly of coconut with a nice, chewy texture and a ton of green. Tasty.

Pandanus leaves are very popular in southeast Asia. They are used in both savoury and sweet dishes. I thought they were hard to find, until I saw them in the freezer section of Lambda Supermarket. I bought the frozen leaves and blended them into a paste.

For this recipe, I found the amount of pandan paste insufficient. Since I made my own, I kept on adding until the batter turned a nice green colour. I’m guessing it was almost a cup when all was said and done.

The aroma of pandan permeated the house so much, that even hours later, it still smelled like the rice cooker was on all day.

I used the recipe from Rice and Coconut blog and the following conversion for self raising flour.

March 10, 2014

Salt, Sugar, and Fat. What's Up With That?

Let me put forth a disclaimer. I am not a nutritionist, a dietician, or a health professional. But I love food and I have a lot of experience cooking and eating. I’d like to talk about what I think is wrong with the way we eat today. For example, it just came out in the news that the WHO is recommending sugar intake to 5% of daily calorie consumption. I’ve also read the book, Salt, Sugar and Fat by Michael Moss. The message is clear. You are what you eat and if it’s a whole lot of the big three then you are in trouble.

Let me expand on my last statement. Food today is much different, from even when I was growing up. We are living in a world of convenience, with processed food everywhere we turn. Processed food, has huge amounts of salt, sugar and fat. Why? So it can sit on the shelves longer, which in turn reduces the price. Salt and sugar are preservatives. If you could even call it food. Think of how many times a day you reach for a processed food product?

I am not saying we should ban processed food. A better balance would be a good start. Don’t get me wrong, I have a sweet tooth and I like convenience too. I think more home cooking would mean healthier eating. Consider if you bought, say a Michelena’s dinner for lunch everyday. Hey, I used to. For example, a package of their spaghetti bolognese has 820mg of sodium. Right on the package, 34% of the recommended daily intake! If you had whipped up a batch of spaghetti at home, there would be much less sodium. What’s in my basic spaghetti sauce? Fresh tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and dried basil. Add some stir fried ground beef seasoned with a little salt and pepper and I’m done. It takes half an hour to make, or less. Boiling pasta included.

If you could imagine, and some people do, eat processed food for every single meal and snack. That is why there is a problem. When I grew up, we used to have family dinner every night. At least one meal in the day that was home cooked. I’m not even sure if people have family dinner anymore.

People need to learn basic cooking skills. Spend a few hours on the weekend preparing a meal and then freeze the leftovers for lunch. I batch cook every weekend (I’m not expecting everyone to) and have a rotation of freezer meals I use for lunch. Even eating 2 home cooked meals for lunch instead of eating out, frozen dinners or snacking from the desk drawer is an improvement. How about finding like minded friends and batch cook a number of dishes to share?

The thing about home cooking is, that you control what you put into it. There are no strange ingredients that you can’t pronounce and you control the amount of salt, sugar and fat.

There are times when I don’t have time. I’ve gone away for the weekend and have nothing for lunches and dinner the coming week. It’s ok, no one is perfect. If you fall off the wagon once in a while, get up again. For these moments, I usually dig into the freezer or order some ready to heat dinners from local suppliers. They are usually much healthier then frozen dinners. I used to buy my ready to heat meals from The Liberated Cook, but they are no longer in business. The Main Dish sells these types of meals. Also what is wrong with a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner? Nothing, if made with local bread, like Prairie Mill bread and some unprocessed cheese (not processed cheese slices). Add a salad and you’re all set!

Invest in a slow cooker. Nothing like putting in the ingredients before work and having dinner ready when you get home.

Try to buy local and in season. I subscribe to Eagle Creek CSA in the summer for my fresh vegetables. I do a lot of salad, veggie stirfry and BBQ in the summer. Easy peasy. There seems to be a CSA for everything these days. Eggs, grains and meat. I used to buy my meat from Ravenwood Farms, but they are no longer in business. These days, I get delivery from SPUD, buy from Master Meats or the Farmer’s Market for locally and consciously raised meats. I do get lazy and still buy supermarket pork and poultry. I only eat naturally raised beef. Also, Spolumbos makes good sausage!

Slow down. Make the time to cook and enjoy a meal. Not everyday after work am I running off to an evening activity. Make good food a priority. You are what you eat.

March 10, 2014

Vegetable Manchurian

I’ve never had Indo Chinese food until I went to a South Indian restaurant last week. It is fascinating to me; Indian food using Chinese cooking techniques. Much of this kind of cuisine is deep fried, with gravy, like this recipe. It tastes like Chinese food, but with undertones of Indian spices and heat. Manchurian style is a sauce that is flavoured with soy and a spicy kick. There is also chow mein and fried rice.

I used the recipe from 365 Days of Eating Blog, but I needed to make adjustments to the recipe as the veggie balls were too watery and the gravy too thin. The original recipe called for corn flour, so I used corn meal. In hindsight, I suspected it should have been corn starch.

For the Manchurian balls

2 cups                  finely chopped cabbage
2 cups                  very finely chopped mix of carrots, cauliflower, parsley or whatever you have
4 tablespoons    corn starch
2 tablespoons    all-purpose flour (may need more if too liquid)
2 tablespoons    dark soy sauce
Dash                    chilli sauce
1/2 teaspoon     black pepper
Salt
Oil to fry

For the gravy

2 cups                   water
4 tablespoons     corn starch
1/2 cup                 chopped green onions with stalks
6-7 cloves           garlic
1 inch                    knob of ginger grated
1/2 teaspoon       red chili flakes
2-3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon           vinegar
1 tablespoon       red chili sauce
1 tablespoon     tomato ketchup
1/2 teaspoon    pepper
Dash                    sugar
1 tablespoon     oil

In a bowl mix all the ingredients to form the manchurian balls. It should be a little damp to touch and should form a ball when pressed in hand. Take a fistful and bind tightly to shape the mixture into 1 inch balls. If the mixture is too dry to bind, add an additional teaspoon of water. If the mixture falls apart, add more corn starch or flour and squeeze out some moisture as balls are made.

Heat oil in a wok and deep fry the balls on low- medium heat till they are golden brown. These balls can be eaten as a snack with a side of ketchup or sweet and sour sauce.

In another wok, heat a tablespoon of oil. Add the onions (keep aside some greens for garnish), garlic and ginger and sauté on high heat. Add the spices, sauces and water and bring to a boil. Check for salt and add as necessary as the soy sauce will also add salt to the dish.

Just before serving, take out ¼ cup of the liquid, cool slightly and dissolve the corn starch in it. Add to the gravy and bring to a boil while stirring. Heat till the gravy has a shine to it.

Then add the balls to to the gravy and garnish with the onion greens.

Serve hot with Chinese Fried Rice or steamed rice.

To make a dry manchurian, reduce the quantity of water to ¾ cup, corn flour to ½ tablespoon and then proceed as above.

Recipe inspired by 365 Days of Eating.

March 9, 2014

Century Egg Pastry

Sometimes I just want to make something that I haven’t had in a really long time. When we took our summer trips to Toronto in my younger days, we always went to the Chinese bakeries. We always ordered the same things, a box full of salty and one of sweet. The salty included curry beef buns, BBQ pork buns, chicken buns and the occasional chicken pot pie. The sweet box was my favorite. Cocktail buns, pineapple buns, coconut tarts, egg tarts, wife cake, almond cookies and my Dad’s favorite, century egg pastry, or pai dan so. I think I was the only kid that ate it.

I haven’t been able to find these in Calgary, but then I haven’t looked really hard. What I can’t find, I make at home.

This version is not the traditional one that I’ve seen. It is usually made with lotus seed paste but I was too lazy to go to T&T. It tastes just as good with red bean paste. I need to improve my sweetcrust pastry technique, though.

Recipe courtesy of Angie’s Recipes.

Steaming the eggs with Chinese cooking wine

March 9, 2014

Curry Club Restaurant

In trying to satiate my new found hunger for South Indian food, I ventured out to the Curry Club Restaurant. It’s a small family run restaurant that also offers a lunch buffet, catering and delivery. Apparently they also sell their dosas, Idli batter, and Wada mix.

While we were waiting for our appetizers, we noshed on some complimentary papadam. I started off with the chicken 65. I thought it spent a little too long in the deep fryer but still tasted good. Loved the fried curry leaves!

Hubby got the samosas, three of them. I’m getting a little picky here, but some parts were over fried. The filling was delicious. It came with a side salad had a dressing tamarind along with a green sauce that was herby but I cannot discern the flavor. Coriandor and fenugreek perhaps? The taste was delightful.

We ordered naan and roti to go with our meal. The naan was light and flavorful. Not as oily as some others if you like it that way. Roti was light as well.

The lamb tandoori full of flavor. It came with a side of rice that was gratis, as we didn’t order any. Continuing with my exploration of Indo Chinese cuisine, I ordered the paneer Manchurian. Interesting combo of classic Chinese flavours (ginger, garlic, green onion and soy sauce) tempered with Indian spices and heat.

One thing they could improve on was that they did not ask for spice level, but they should. By default, its a healthy medium. My nose was running but that’s how I react.

I suspect they had a new server in training. But he double checked our order, and the chefs also brought out the food and did the quality checks. It wasn’t busy; there were only two tables. We got our food fast and hot.

Servings are huge, come with appetite.

March 3, 2014

Sainte-Marie Cendré est un fromage de chèvre

I shouldn’t really have to post warnings on a food blog. Read no further if you just had dinner or have a weak stomach. You have been warned.

This must be one of those foods that belong on those Foodie Challenge quizzes. You are a consummate foodie if you can eat this. Below is how my friend introduces me to this savoury delight. I might go down to Springbank Cheese to have a look. Window shopping only.

For your reference, a beginner’s guide to French cheeses.

February 25, 2014

Maple Bacon Pumpkin Cheesecake

My latest endeavour is to make things that reflect the Gastropost mission of the week. Last week’s was Canadian food, to show our Canadian pride for the Olympics. What is more Canadian then Maple syrup and bacon? I was looking for a creative recipe that would include these two wonderful breakfast ingredients. The pumpkin just came along for the ride, and it masqueraded as dessert. But I’m sure it would taste equally good for a 5am hockey final.

Introducing, the maple bacon and pumpkin cheesecake, courtesy of Mr. Baconpants blog.

Since I was so concerned about the caloric potential of this mind boggling dessert, I declined to make the glaze that went on top. I meekly tried to get away with a dab of plain Greek yogurt and a slice of bacon for decoration. This cheesecake is that good, that it doesn’t need a topping. Prepare to go on a diet after a slice.

20140221_230453 — Maple Bacon Pumpkin Cheesecake

20140223_100954 — Bacon for dessert? Yes, please!

February 24, 2014

Marina Dosa & Tandoori Grill

Looking for a place to fuel our post-climbing hunger, we decided to make a trip for Indian food. I’m very familiar with East Indian food, but not so much with South Indian and Indian Chinese food. Marina Dosa & Tandoori Grill is a small restaurant in a strip mall. It seems to be family run. The maximum seating is for four as they are in booths. Good to note, in case I want to bring back all my friends. There is a counter in the back with a large menu board, presumably for ordering takeout.

Having no idea what we were ordering, a nice lady sitting at the table next to us helped us understand what we were considering. The server also came by and she was very helpful. I sort of thought that we could eat family style, but as the dishes arrived, it didn’t seem like the correct choice. We definitely splurged on the food; both of us were fascinated by all the unfamiliar dishes.

We ordered vegetarian samosa cholle to start. Imagine some beautifully fried samosas. Then smother them in a chickpea curry. Samosa cholle, and a meal in itself.

We moved onto one of the restaurant’s specialties, dosa. We ordered the Marina masala dosa, which is a South Indian crepe that is wrapped around a filling. Ours was stuffed with onion and potato, served with sides of a soup with cumin and spice undertones, coconut chutney and a spicy tomato based chutney.

Our next course was vegetable Manchurian, which is a Indian Chinese dish. Fried vegetable croquettes in a sweet and spicy sauce. It tasted a bit like sweet and sour sauce combined with a good dose of soy sauce and Indian spices. We ordered it medium spicy and it was. Not like in some other restaurants who treat medium spicy as mild for Canadian taste. An intriguing dish, I will have to try to make it at home.

We moved on with lamb kothu paratha, which is a stir fry made with eggs and chopped up paratha bread as a base. Paratha is also known as parotta. I’m more used seeing paratha as a stuffed bread on East Indian menus. It was served with a side of a yogurt based sauce. We also had a side of naan thinking the dishes would be more like East Indian style. The dishes are meals in themselves; no additional starch was needed. Our server mentioned that the dishes could be eaten as is, or with a side of naan, roti or rice. By the end of the meal, we weren’t sure if family style was the correct way to order as we were only given one dinner plate and that was halfway through our meal. No matter, the food was delicious. The flavours are strong and bold; enticing for people with adventurous taste.

The server was very friendly and helpful. The dishes took time to come out but that is the price to pay for well prepared food.

February 23, 2014

Lily Vietnamese Submarines

Lily Vietnamese Submarine is a small takeout on Bowness Road. They also serve noodles, rice and bubble tea. But I came here for the subs. It’s very easy to miss if you didn’t know what you were looking for. I ordered a chicken satay to go back to work with. It was a good size and tasty. The peppers gave it a nice kick. Fast, fresh, and friendly. Great if you are in a hurry.

February 22, 2014

Homestyle Cantonese Dinner

It’s been a long time since I have cooked homestyle Cantonese. What I mean by that is food that is not found in Chinese restaurants. Food my Mom made for dinner at home.

Three Kinds of Steamed Egg with Pork
(xiam dan jing che yok)

4-6        eggs, reserve ½ egg shell
1            *pickled or salted duck egg (ham dan)
1            century duck egg (preserved egg)
1/2 lb    ground pork
1 diced green onion

Vegetable oil, ground pepper, soy salt, soy sauce and water

Saute ground pork, ground pepper, and salt with oil until almost cooked through. Chop preserved duck egg and salted duck egg. Beat regular eggs; try 4 first. Also beat in pickled egg if using. Add ½ egg shell of water for each regular egg (3T). Mix the eggs and water together.
Put ground pork in 9” pie plate, add chopped eggs and egg mixture. Boil water, steam for 10 minutes in a suitable pot. Halfway through steaming sprinkle green onion on top. Drizzle with soy sauce before serving. Serve with steamed rice.

*Some salted eggs looked like a medium boiled egg with orange yolk. Some pickled duck eggs have a raw white with orange liquid yolk.

The recipe for a jazzed up version of steamed pork (yuk beng) was courtesy of Eat Your Heart Out. The traditional version uses steamed pork and mushroom only.

To steam the dishes, I used a 10″ pie plate, a plate lifter, steaming rack and canning pot. It works really well, but for a plate of this size, a larger canner is needed. The plate lifter and steaming rack can be bought at Asian food stores or Asian restaurant supply stores.

Chicken Ginger

2 lbs                     chicken breast, skinless, boneless, sliced
4 cloves               minced garlic
1, 5” piece           ginger, peeled and julienned
8                           dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and sliced
3 tbs                     oyster sauce
3 tbs                     soy sauce
¼ C                      Chinese cooking wine
2 tbs                     corn starch
2 tbs                     vegetable oil
black pepper
sesame oil
water

Marinate chicken with oyster sauce, soy sauce, wine, corn starch and black pepper to taste. Add enough water to make a sauce. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. When ready to cook, brown garlic in vegetable oil in a frying pan. Add the chicken. Cook the chicken until some pink remains. Add the mushrooms and ginger. Add more water if required to thin the sauce. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Serve with sesame oil drizzled on top, and with rice.

20140217_182826 (640x127) — Steamed pork, stir fried pea shoots and micro greens, Chinese chicken ginger, rice

For dessert, my dinner guests brought over some homemade strawberry meringue tarts. They were absolutely delicious! It’s not Chinese, but it is dessert.