Saturday, November 25, 2006

Shevia

4 cups basmati rice
2 1/2 grated unsweetened frozen coconut

Soak the rice for at least 3-4 hours, then wash in several changes of water, until the water runs clear.

Blend the coconut and rice with water until smooth.

You can cook the batter at this stage as pan polo, a thin crepe.

Cook down the blended mixture to a thick paste.

Form the paste into golf ball-sized patties with a thumb print in the center of each one.

Steam in a steamer for about 20 minutes, until the cakes look slightly translucent.

Press each one through a shevia press onto a plate, as a sort of flat cake of vermicelli.

Mix with coconut oil, shredded coconut, chopped green chilis, asafoetida, and salt.

If you want to make sweet shevia, you can make a mixture of coconut milk, brown sugar, and cardamom and use that instead of the coconut-chili-asafoetida mixture.
Vegetable Manchow Soup

2-3 dried Chinese mushrooms, rehydrated in hot water and chopped
2-3 mushrooms, chopped
1/4 small cabbage, chopped
50g tofu, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped and de-seeded
2 green chilis, chopped
2 bamboo shoot slices, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1/2 inch piece garlic, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1 cup noodles
2 tbsp oil (plus some to deep fry)
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 Tbsp red chili sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp MSG
salt to taste
4-5 cups vegetable stock
1 Tbsp vinegar

Blanch noodles in hot water, remove, and drain well. Heat sufficient oil and deep-fry blanched noodles for two minutes or until light brown and crisp. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Blend cornstarch in 1/2 cup water and set aside.

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a wok or pan, add ginger, garlic, green chili, and stir-fry briefly. Add green onion and cook for a few minutes.

Add mushrooms, cabbage, bamboo shoots, tofu, capsicum, and carrot and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously for two minutes.

Add chili sauce, soy sauce, pepper powder, MSG, salt, and stir to mix. Stir in vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in blended cornstarch and cook for two minutes or until the soup thickens, stirring continuously.

Stir in vinegar and serve piping hot, garnished with crisply fried noodles and spring onion greens.
Spinach Balls
2 10 oz. packages chopped spinach, washed, squeeze out excess water
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups Brownberry Herb Stuffing
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 tsp oregano
salt to taste

Mix everything together and form into medium-sized balls. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Serve with ketchup.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

I need to try this recipe from the NYT!
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/08mini.html?em&ex=1163134800&en=a25918d1aead20f6&ei=5087%0A
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Recipe: No-Knead Bread

Published: November 8, 2006

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising
Skip to next paragraph
Readers’ Opinions
Forum: Cooking and Recipes

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

For lunch today, I made a simple but tasty little dish: some of those prepackaged spinach gorgonzola ravioli with a sauce made of chopped ripe tomatoes and garlic fried in a little dab of butter.

Savory tempeh muffins

I based this recipe on the "Henny Penny" muffins recipe found in the Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook.

1 package soy tempeh, chopped
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cups whole wheat flour (minus a little bit)
roughly 3 Tbsp white cornmeal
(pour enough into the measuring cup with flour to make up the difference to 2 cups total)

1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup plain soy milk
1 cup cheddar cheese
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Fry the onion and celery in a little oil over medium heat, then add the tempeh and fry until golden brown. Pour on the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce and mix in the hot pan, then remove from heat and allow to cool.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and thyme in one bowl. Stir in the tempeh mixture.

Combine the eggs, soy milk, and cheese in another bowl.

Pour the liquids into the flour and stir lightly, just to moisten. Grease two muffin tins with olive oil (this will make about 1 1/2 muffin tins' worth). Fill each muffin cup and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a fork inserted into the center comes out clean.

These are delicious with honey and/or butter.