Chicken Briyani

One of our favorite dishes is Chicken Briyani: a sweet and spicy masala, baked with chicken and basmati rice. It's made extra special when topped with fried onions and nuts. Here is the simple tasty recipe.

Chicken Briyani

Ingrediants:
6 pieces chicken, bone in
1 cup diced onion
1 tb minced garlic
1 tb grated ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons briyani spice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup low fat yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
1 cup basmati rice, cooked according to package directions
2 tb milk
pinch of saffron
2 tb pine nuts
2 tb slivered almonds
1 whole onion, thinly sliced
1 cup vegetable oil


1. Sear chicken in a frying pan on both sides. Set aside.
2. Saute diced onions in 1 tb oil until soft, in a large sauce pot. Stir in ginger and garlic.
3. Add spices, yogurt, lemon juice, and cilantro. Stir until a sauce comes together. Add chicken and salt and pepper. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Place chicken and sauce into a deep baking dish and top with prepared rice.
5. Heat milk in the microwave until steamy, then add the pinch of saffron. Gently stir until milk turns a yellow colour. Sprinkle the milk over top of the rice.
6. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

To prepare the fried onions and nuts:
1. Heat 1 cup of oil in a small sauce pan until shimmery.
2. Add all the pine nuts and fry for 1 mintue only. They should have a light brown colour. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain.
3. Repeat with almonds.
4. Add the sliced onions to the oil, half at a time, and stir often as they cook. The onions will take about 5 minutes to cook. Be careful, since they can burn easily once they start to brown. Remove from oil to paper towels ans allow to cool.


Serve this tasty dish with fried nuts, onions, and chopped fresh cilantro. In our house, Briyani is always eaten with a huge scoop of yogurt on top. Yum!

chicken briyani
rice
Indian food
recipe

You don't make me flowers anymore

Well, yesterday was an interesting day. I applied for two jobs, even though I haven't got a visa yet. I was hoping that someone would want to employ me enough to help me get a TN visa. So, the first interview went well, it was for a mid-sized bakery called Torrance bakery, which is located less than ten minutes from home! The owner was a very nice guy, who seemed to like me, and I have a stage day to do on Monday! So it is promising. However, the second interview was a bit of a diaster. It was a job fair at Jon's Marketplace which is a supermarket chain here in Los Angeles. They market themselves as supplying "food from around the world" and I do a lot of shopping there. Anyway, I walked in and found the job fair at the back of the store with no help from the first worker I found who spoke no english. The other candidates there were dressed in jeans and sweat shirts and there I am standing next to them in dress pants, nice shirt and heels. I was the only one with a resume! And also the only white person except for the lady doing the interviews. So the interview lasted about 2 minutes and I was asked to go with the head cake decorator to demonstrate my skills. Armed with an apron, hair net and palette knife I was set to work on a 10 inch retangular cake. Blanca, the supervisor, told me in broken english that I'd have to be quick, because their main concern was efficiency. Anyway, there I was masking the lopsided cake she gave me with whip-it, the disgusting non-dairy whipping cream. All you cake decorators out there know that whipped cream is the hardest thing to mask a cake with since it is much thinner than buttercream and so shows the cake through unless it is put on with a heavy hand. After about two pounds of whip-it, the cake is a full inch bigger in size, and I begin making roses for the top. Okay, I am the first to admit that my piped roses blow. I have never worked for a place that sells those low-end birthday cakes adorned with huge purple buttercream roses. I can make beautiful realistic gum paste flowers, but Jon's has no market for those. Needless to say, I wasn't offered a job. Blanca was very nice about it, she kept saying that the pictures I brought were beautiful, but that I should be applying for a higher-end bakery. And she was right. It's sort of ironic that I can make all the high-end stuff, but I suck at making a cake that sells for $10.99. Here is a picture of the flowers I can make!!

gum paste flowers
wedding cake

Las Vegas Buffets

Everyone knows Las Vegas for three things: gambling, showgirls and buffets. On my recent visit to the city of sin, I decided to partake in at least two of the three things Las Vegas is famous for. Being a heterosexual woman with her husband in tow, option 2 had been ruled out. So after working up an appetite at the blackjack tables, we headed to Bellagio for their famous buffet.
Bellagio is one of the premier hotels on the Las Vegas strip. It's buffet has been featured on the food network, and they claim to serve the most people of any buffet in Las Vegas. At $26.95 a person, I'm looking for more than just quantity. After wandering through the mall of shops and slot machines, G and I are at the end of an hour-long wait to get a seat for the buffet. Luckily, G is a master of sweet-talking, and after a quick chat with the hotel manager, we skip the line and are quickly seated in a comfortable booth. Non-alcoholic beverages are included in the price, but any beer, wine or spirits must be purchased from a walk-up bar in front of the main buffet line. It is almost better that way, since servers are harried, stretched to their limit although assisted by many bussers. Since the bill (including tip) is paid before sitting down, the servers have little to no motivation to serve you. The keno waitresses, in their skimpy black bathing suits, are more then happy to take your money and wish you luck. So after procuring drinks and plopping $10 on Keno, we finally hit the buffet.
I'm tempted by the plates of king crab legs I see piled on dirty tables, and so we head straight for the seafood counter. Crab, salmon roulade,smokes salmon, ceviche await. At the other end of the buffet, we find sushi, although only the supermarket staples of salmon and tuna. Our plates piled high with fish, we return to the table. The king crab is over done, watery and chewy. Shrimp ceviche suffers from a too- long marinade, the delicate tenderness of the shrimp lost and replaced by chewyiness. I am beginning to see a theme here. Sushi is fresh and tasty, our favorite being the marinated salmon sashimi.
The salad counter is behind glass, with bored staff waiting to spoon Caesar, garden, or spinach salad onto your plate. Orzo, pasta and mushroom salad are also available. All the salads meet with mediocre response. G and I are still waiting to be thrilled. We move on to the carving stations. Availible here is prime rib, roast buffalo, venison, lamb, turkey breast, and chicken Wellington. We are impressed by the variety of meats available, but only the lamb stands out above all others as being well seasoned and tasty. The chicken Wellington is particularly bad, it was thoroughly dried out and the puff pastry shell soggy and disgusting.
Vegetable accompaniments included mashed potatoes, spatle, roasted carrots, asparagus, and rice pilaf. The carrots were heavily sugared, and nearly belonged in the desserts section. The asparagus was well one and crisp, not what we would have expected from a steam table. Mash potatoes and rice were good.
After all this food, we hesitantly approached the dessert counter. A woman stood behind the counter, constantly replenishing the stack of plates filled with all sorts of confections. Key lime pie, chocolate mousse, and creme caramel were all mediocre. The canolli was chewy instead of crisp. The sugar-free dessert was peach pie and it was truly a disaster. All the squares offered were very heavy and rich. Soft serve ice cream with fruit toppings was the best bet.
Overall, we left Bellagio stuffed with food, but still craving excellent food. Although there was a huge selection of dishes, and everything was bountiful, nothing was truly excellent.
A few days later, we headed downstairs in our hotel to the buffet at Paris Las Vegas. Here we found no line although on other days there was a half-hour wait. The prices were slightly less than at Bellagio, with lunch for $17.95 dinner at $24.95 and Champagne Brunch for $24.95. There is a theme to this buffet, the five main province of France are represented by five cooking stations. In Savoie, we found fondue, beef and chicken brochettes, broiled salmon, roasted potatoes and vegetables. The fondue was creamy and delicious with chunks of baggette. Next, at Le Jardin, we indulged with Caesar salad, cheese, bread, and creamy tomato soup. The salad was delicious, with a hit of garlic and anchovy, just like I like it. Also available at this station was Mesculin salad, Meatball soup, crab legs, shrimp cocktail and sliced fruit.
Over at Brittany, we piled duck a la mandarin onto our plates alongside mashed potatoes and sauteed green beans. The duck was creamy and spicy, and completely delicious. Potatoes and green beans were cooked perfectly. Also at Brittany were made-to-order crepes with apples and mixed berry sauce. Of course we didn't wait for dessert to indulge in this specialty.
Over at Burgundy, we found some of our favorite seafood dishes. Seafood vol-au-vent was creamy and well seasoned. The puff pastry maintained it's integrity- the cooks here should go over to Bellagio to teach them a lesson. Mini crab quiches have great flavor, although they are over-cooked a bit. Mussels get a big thumbs-down as they are just to fishy. Also at Burgundy was cod in cream sauce, baked salmon, roasted chicken, and pork chops.
At Normandy, we found the meat carving station. Available today was: Prime rib, roasted turkey breast, glazed ham, veal sausages, and potato gratin.
In Provence we got our vegetable fix with a nicely made ratatouille. We couldn't even force ourselves at this point to eat any of the penne, farfalle, veal picatta or bouillabaisse. However, there was room for dessert. At the dessert section, we found many of the same items that were at Bellagio. Chocolate mousse (sugar-free)was actually delicious and I must say I was surprised. But Paris also suffered a chewy canolli and also a chewy mille Feuille. Items such as these suffer when refridgerated, and if the production levels are so high that they must stay in the refidgerator a long time, perhaps it would be better to develop some different desserts which can handle the refridgeration. Also available for dessert were various pies, creme caramel and soft serve ice cream.

The next day, G and I decided to take a trip off the strip and head downtown. We wandered in and out of the old casinos and watched as people lost their money at he blackjack tables. Feeling hungry for lunch, we wandered into the Freemont Hotel and Casino. Here was a cheap buffet, with lunch for $6.95 and dinner ranging in price from $15.99 to $9.99 depending on the day. Champagne Brunch is only $9.99. Hesitantly, we enter.
The spread here is decent, quite good for the price, but with more "down-home" cooking than the pricier buffets. We have roast beef instead of prime rib, and fried chicken instead of roasted turkey. Also on the menu: beef stroganoff, buttered noodles, corn on the cob, cornbread and oxtail soup. The cornbread was moist and delicious. A couple pasta dishes, sauteed veggies, chicken wings and spring rolls are also offered. I am mostly impressed by the huge salad bar, with a few options for greens and easily thirty different bowls of veggies, dressings, and meats to top your salad. On the other side of the salad bar, there can be found pasta salad, tuna salad, potato salad and seafood salad. The more expensive buffets lacked this selection.
For dessert, we had a choice of many different pies, tarts, and squares, as well as the standard soft serve ice cream. G enjoyed the bread pudding especially. However, my carrot cake was dried out and I felt tricked when it had only buttercream icing. Where's the cream cheese???? All in all, we enjoyed the buffet and found it to be a great value for the money. Or maybe our standards were lowered for this lower-class buffet. In any regard, upon my return to Vegas I will surely be back at Paris Las Vegas for their buffet, and I hope the duck a la mandarin is still there waiting for me!

Las Vegas
buffet
review

Frenchy's Chocolate Torte

Last year I worked for the most demanding person I have ever met. He was the pastry chef of a super-exclusive private club, and I was his assistant. It was the kind of job you take for the learning experience, even if you have to remind yourself of that fact every single morning on the way to work.

Frenchy was paranoid of many things; he thought the management was out to get him, that other cooks were sabotaging his work, and he even blamed many problems on his long-departed ex-wife. But above all of this, he was scared that we were going to steal his recipes.

We had a big white binder for all the daily recipes the pastry cooks needed. Bread dough, chocolate chip cookies, pastry cream and creme brulee, to name a few. But any recipes for special desserts, like lemony madeleaines or petit sable cookies, were kept hidden away from us poor amateurs in Frenchy's small leather-bound notebook.

His little notebook entered the kitchen every morning at 6:30 am by his side, accompanied by his red toolbox. They lived on the small metal shelf above his corner of the work bench, where his keen eye could focus on them at any moment. He would pull his small notebook from the shelf, flip to the appropriate page, and recite the weighted measurements of ingredients. It was my job to weigh them all out for him, doing my best to recall measurements from memory. Sometimes I would be allowed to jot down the list on a scrap of paper, but not in my personal recipe book. "Are you trying to steal my recipes?" he would invariably ask. "No, Chef," I would reply. "I just want to be accurate." Usually he would grunt in response.

I knew he had a measure of respect for me as he never called me names or insulted my work, like he did with his other assistants. My schedule was often shifted at the last minute so I would be available to assist him. I heard on the kitchen grapevine that he was singing my praises, but he was too proud to compliment me to my face. Until one day he gave me the greatest compliment of all- he placed his notebook of recipes, all hand written in neat French script, into my hands. Not only did he let me read it, he pointed out recipes and encouraged me to copy them down, helping me translate into English.

A paranoid chef sharing his prized recipes. This proud man, who could be heard shouting, "I know you're trying to steal my job!", and yet here he was, leaning on the metal counter, translating those secret recipes, the holy Grail of the pastry kitchen. So the moment he passed his little leather book to me is forever imprinted in my mind.

In between the shouting matches, criticism and complaining, there were moments of peace. He began to consult with me when designing a menu for special guests. He let me design and construct a four-level birthday cake for a member. Once he even told me that I did a good job. We worked side by side for the better part of seven months, and every few days he would open up his little book of secrets and share them with me, a page at a time. I was deemed worthy of his recipes.

The last week we worked together, he and I made a flourless chocolate and almond torte. Rich and creamy on the tongue, with a gentle chewiness lent by the sliced almonds. And it came from a French baking magazine. We ate the torte, a small piece each, and he asked me, "Did you copy down the recipe?" "Yes," I said. "Good," he replied. "But don't write it down in the binder. I don't want to share it."

I can't say I was shocked that he took this recipe from a magazine and copied it into his book of 'secret' recipes. I wondered how many men and women clipped that magazine article and kept it with their own collection. But chefs operate with different rules than the average cook; we cannot call a recipe our “own” unless we have developed it ourselves, a highly lengthy process for a pastry chef. The secret was out: the recipes were common.

I will never forget that summer I worked for him. I gained a world of knowledge about pastry arts and a small handwritten book of recipes. But I will not confine these gems to live without being used and enjoyed. I want to share them with the world. I wonder what Frenchy would say if he read this. I imagine he would laugh, and curse me.

Flourless Almond Chocolate Torte

150g dark chocolate
100g milk chocolate
175g unsalted butter
125g sugar
100g ground almonds
4 eggs
125g sliced almonds
One 9 inch pan, preferably springform.
2 tbsp sugar mixed with 2 tbsp almond powder (for the pan)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Prepare the pan: Grease with some butter, then line with parchment. Grease the parchment with more butter, and pour in the sugar/almond mixture. Be sure to cover all surfaces. Shake out excess.
3. Melt chocolate in a bain maire, over simmering water.
4. Stir in butter and remove from heat. Allow to cool.
5. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together eggs and sugar until the ribbon stage (tripled in volume).
6. Stir cooled chocolate mixture into eggs.
7. Fold in almond powder.
8. Fold in sliced almonds, reserving 1 tbsp.
9. Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle reserved almonds on top. Also you can sprinkle 1 tbsp sugar on top for a little crunch.

Bake approximately 40 minutes, less for convection ovens or hot ovens. Prick the cake with a toothpick to test for doneness. It will remain quite soft, but should not be liquid. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a knife along the pan before removing.

chocolate torte

chef
[recipe]

Sugar High Friday 15: Ma'amoul cookies

This month, for Sugar High Fridays, the host Becks and Posh determined the topic would be recipes using little to no sugar. I immediately thought of the delicious date cookies called Ma'amoul which I enjoyed while traveling in the Middle East. Ma'amoul cookies are one of the many desserts typically eaten during the holy month of Ramandan. During this month, Muslims fast from sun up to sun down, not eating or drinking anything at all. It is considered a time for reflection and to focus on family life. It is also the time for the greatest celebrations in the Muslim world. Women spend each day cooking and baking, unable to eat or drink and consequently taste any of the food they are preparing. Yet surprisingly the food is almost always delicious and well-seasoned. Families come together to break their fast, the more, the merrier. Everyone starts with a bowl of hot soup to open their appetites. Salad, stuffed vine leaves, fried balls of meat, platters of rice and chicken are passed from hand to hand. They eat until satiated, enjoying every bite of the food prepared with love and devotion by wives and mothers.
The desserts are no exception. Tea is served alongside mountains of hand made sweets. You are likely to find batlawa (similar to baklava), fried dough stuffed with sugar and nuts (atyef), cheese cake with rosewater sweet noodles (knaffe), and Ma'amoul, a date cookie. Middle Eastern desserts tend to be extremely rich, often deep-fried and dipped in sugary syrup. Ma'amoul is a an exception: a tender dough surrounding a naturally sweet date filling.
Most often Ma'amoul is made by pressing the dough into a form, stuffing with dates, and removing to bake in the oven. However, I am lacking the appropriate tools and improvised using the only tools available: my hands. I first used a recipe from "The New Book of Middle Eastern Food" by Claudia Roden. Her recipe yielded a parched white dough which was hard to handle. It had a similar method and texture to pie dough. I improvised my own recipe after reading many more on the internet. I was delighted with the result, it was easy to make and the contrast of crisp and tender crust with the luscious date center was a perfect combination. I was also thinking the dough would make a great sugar-free pie crust. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
For the Dough:
1/2 cup semolina flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup browned butter (cooled)
1/2 cup boiling water
pinch of salt
1 tsp rose water

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix together until well combined. Turn out onto the counter and knead 3 or 4 times. Wrap with plastic and allow to sit for 2 hours.

For the filling:
350 g pitted dates (preferably date paste)
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup water

Chop dates if you are not using a paste. Combine in a small pot with 1/4 cup water. Heat over low flame, constantly stirring and adding more water if necessary, until a smooth paste is made. Allow to cool.

Assembly:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Take a tablespoon sized piece of dough and work it into a ball with your hands. Press your thumb into the center to create a space for the date filling. Scoop a teaspoon of date filling into the center, and pinch all the sides up to cover the hole.
3. Place on a baking sheet, pinched side down, and press lightly with your fingers. Using a fork, make a decorative design on the top.
4. Lightly brush each cookie with an egg wash glaze.
5. Bake in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking process. The Ma'amoul are done when lightly brown in color.

Enjoy!

SHF15
Tagged with: SHF # 15 + Low Sugar

Memories of Bahrain

Bubbling away on the stove is something more than dinner. It is a reminder of family, tradition and acceptance. I prepared a spicy meat curry and armed with flaky roti bread, G and I will dig in with our hands, in true Arab tradition. I remember my first trip to the Middle East- how strange I thought it was to sit on the floor for a meal, and to dine without any cutlery. All 14 of us, my husband's uncles, aunts, cousins and grandmother were crouched around a beautiful rug which was covered with plastic for protection. The maids brought out the food Sito had been preparing all morning- fried fish, steamed rice, curry, salad, and pita bread. The conversation was riotous, only topped by the occasional squawk from one of the many colorful birds hopping and flying around the room. I sat uncomfortably on the floor, unsure of where to put my legs, and embarrassed at the mess I was making while trying to eat as gracefully as possible. I was a new bride, meeting the family for the first time, and I was desperate for their approval. We ate, then sat back from the rug, leaning against piles of pillows as our plates were whisked away to the maid's kitchen. A mountain of pomegranates and prickly pears appeared. The fruit was passed to the men, who cut it into pieces and carefully removed the seeds for their daughters. After the fruit and chai, uncles and aunts stretched their legs and many fell asleep there in the lunch room, their heads resting against red and orange embroidered pillows. The children ran outside to play in the courtyard, and Sito covered each of her children with a light blanket.
It didn't take long, or many lunches around the rug, before I was comfortable both with my new family and their customs. I would sit neatly with my legs tucked underneath, gingerly scooping rice from my plate and relishing how it seemed to taste differently than it does when eaten with a fork. I picked up some Arabic words and surprised everyone by arriving for lunch one day wearing a hijab, a traditional Muslim headscarf. I savor these memories of family unity and the food that brought them all together. I hope the family G and I create will be as close, loving and accepting.
[Bahrain]

Tortilla Chicken Strips

Here is a fantastic recipe for chicken fingers. I learned how to make this chicken when I was only a meager apprentice, slaving away for a pair of cruel, bald-headed, disturbingly close brothers. They later went on to torture more apprentices, opening two more restaurants, and starring in their own "dramatized" television series on the food network... any guesses? Anyway, I was a drugde in the catering department, trying to soak up all the knowledge possible in that, the first fine dining kitchen I worked in. My superior was Nilay, a kind but odd woman from Turkey. She had no cooking experience, only a degree in Hotel Management. This was the woman who was supposed to teach me about food? I had been behind a stove for 3 years already. But despite the fact that Nilay knew very little about fine cooking (she thoght carrot tops and parsley were the same thing), she taught me a lot about simple but gourmet sandwiches and salads. This was her way of using up leftover tortilla chips. We would fry up the chicken, and slice it for sandwiches. I resented waking up at 6 am to make sandwiches for Bay St. professionals, and at the time, I didn't think I was learning a thing. But the chef was right when he told me that learning how to make a great sandwich was very important- the techniques that I learned have served me well.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp ground salt
1 egg
3 cups crushed tortilla chips
1/4 cup oil, for frying

Method:
1. Crush the trotilla strips either with a food processor, or use the Luddite method (ziploc bag and a rolling pin).
2. Slice each chicken breast into thick strips. Season with salt and set aside.
3. Prepare your breading station. In a medium shallow bowl, combine flour and seasonings. In a smaller bowl, crack the egg and mix with 1 tablespoon cold water. In the final, large bowl, place the crushed tortilla chips.
4. Bread the chicken strips using the following method: Dredge chicken in flour, shake of excess, dip in to egg wash, place in tortilla chips. Press the chicken down firmly to flatten and cover completely with crunchy chips. Repeat with all remaining chicken. *See Cook's Tip
5. Allow the chicken to stand for 5 minutes before frying.
6. Heat a wok or tall-sided pot on the stove over medium heat. Always be careful when heating oil! Fry the chicken on both sides until golden brown. If your chicken is thick, you may finish the cooking in a 400 degree oven.

Serve with a simple salad, or slice thinly and make a sandwich!

*Cook's Tip. To avoid breading your fingertips in the process, do what the professionals do: Use one hand for touching the dry ingredients, and the other for touching the wet stuff. This way your hands will stay cleaner!
[chicken strips]
[recipe]
[food]

Shrimp Suprise

Having finally moved in to our first real home, I was eager to cook something for my husband I knew he would enjoy.

My kitchen was unpacked, and the counters scrubbed to a shine. I filled my pantry with pastas, canned goods, spices and snacks. The fridge was also full of local California products: chicken,shrimp, lettuce and herbs; lemons and limes. I was ready to create a masterpiece. A meal to remember, our first real meal in this home. I poured a glass of wine and assembled the ingredients. Fresh shell-on shrimp, garlic, pickled ginger, cilantro. I'm whipping around the kitchen, cooking rice, sauteing garlic and butter, peeling shrimp. I was trying to cook something familiar, but with my own twist. The scent of jasmine filled the air as the rice bubbled away in its pot. Having sauteed all the ingredients, I heaped the fluffy rice on top, gently pressed it all down, and covered with a tight fitting lid. I reduced the heat on my un-familiar stove, and lay down on the couch, satisfied and waiting for my hubby.

An hour later, G arrives. He exclaims at the sweet smell in the air, proclaiming his ravaging hunger. I laugh and enter the kitchen, prepared to reveal my masterpiece to my husband. It was nothing, I'm telling myself, just something I threw together. I turned the pot upside down onto the waiting plate. My heart sank deep into my stomach as my eyes came upon the burnt and charred shrimp.

I threw the pot in the sink, then threw myself on the couch and buried my face in the pillows. "What's wrong?", my husband asked. "The dinner," I said, "It's ruined!" And I actually did cry. "Don't worry," G said, "I'll make something for us to eat."

I lay on the couch, feeling disappointed in myself, when a spectacular smell wafted in from the kitchen. My husband was actually cooking something! I was expecting ramen or a sandwich, but there he was, hunkered over the stove, with two pots bubbling away. "Can I help?" I asked, meekly. And it was then that I became my husband's assistant. I also learned that my husband had been faking an inability to cook for four years.

When we were done, about 15 minutes later, we sat down to a delicious saucy shrimp and rice dish. I have no idea what to call this dish except for Shrimp Suprise, since I was so suprised that G could cook so well. I'll have to burn dinner more often.

Ingredients:
10-15 medium sized shrimp, peeled an de-veined
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1/4 cup white wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup canned diced tomato
3 large basil leaves
3 cups cooked rice or pasta

1. In a medium sized pot, place diced tomatoes over medium heat. Allow to soften and reduce.
2. In another medium sized pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shrimp, ginger, garlic, and cilantro. Cook until the shrimp are nearly done (about 3 minutes).
3. Deglaze with the white wine.
4. Add the cooked shrimp along with the remaining ingredients to the reduced tomatoes. Taste, and adjust for seasoning.
5. Serve with rice or pasta.

[shrimp]
[recipe]

Thanksgving for the thankless

Being in a strange city on a National Holiday makes you feel ever more like an alien. Without gas to power the stove in our new house, and fearing the result of room service at the hotel, Ghassan and I drive the lonely streets of Torrance searching for a meal.
We are rejected at the door of Marie Callander's after arriving minutes before the last seating. Dejected, we venture furthur away from the hotel. One neon sign flashes in the distance. We follow the talisman, curving left and right, and ending at "Chinese Sea Food Restaurant". With hesitation, we enter.

A petite woman guides us to a booth near the door and hands us worn leather-bound menus. We opt for the set menu featuring soup, fried spring rolls, rice and choice of a main course. Within minutes, we have hot, dark tea to sip on and a soup mascarading as Hot and Sour arrives. The soup is missing any semblence of heat, relying on the dishwater the cook must have used for a base for flavour. After two sips, the soup is set aside.

Crisp spring rolls arrive next, accompanied by a sweet apple sauce and mustard so hot it might actually burn right through the roof of your mouth into your nose. But the rolls mimic the soup in their (lack of) flavour.

Thankfully the server arrives with something edible next. At least, it was edible for me... my husband, a Muslim, delined on eating the pork fried rice. I made quite a scene out of enjoying the first tasty dish that night, humming over the garlicliky rice, moist pork and bright green peas. He stared of in distance, trying to ignore me. A waiter holding a huge whole fried fish paused for a second at our table, just long enough to drop off Almond Chicken and Beef with Green Peppers.

We heap the saucy meat over our rice, season with soy sauce, and dig in. The beef is thinly sliced and chewy, with a thick gelantenous sauce enrobing it. It is passable, only slightly better than your typical shopping-mall Chinese food. Under-cooked green peppers add a crisp contrast to the chewy beef.

I try the Almond Chicken next. At least the name is not misleading- it is merely chicken and almonds. Some spice, or any addition of flavour would be welcome here. Still, the hole in our stomachs begs to be filled and we make a brave attempt to finish the meal.

After consuming nearly half of the huge portions given to us, we sit back and ponder our fortunes. "Unless we change direction we are likely to end up where we are going." Well, there is no way to dispute this fact. My husbands' fortune is more appropriate: "There is absolutely no substitue for a genuine lack of preparation." What an apt description of this, our first American Thanksgiving.

Buffet World

Hello, and welcome. Hang up your keys.
This is your home! The land of the free. More buffets than the eyes can see!
For one low price we'll hand you a plate
Take as long as you like, we'll stay open late.
Start with the soup, it's just delish.
I will make sure, not one dish will you miss.
Salad? Walk right past that green,
Why are you here? Not to stay lean.
Pasta is next. lots of cheese please
More than one spoon! Don't be a tease.
Walk right ahead to the meat carver
Finding space on the plate is getting much harder!
Pass me the bicuits with lots of sweet butter
I said biscuits, not rolls, by chance did I stutter?
Go ahead for round two, and loosen your jeans
The first time around you missed pork and beans!
Now for the sweet stuff, check out the selection
Take a sample of each and every confection
Cake, pastry, fruit and ice cream
Lick your plate until it is clean
Extra dessert? Here is your spoon.
You stomach will grow as big as the moon.
Order a coffee to finish the meal
You pour in the sugar and cream with zeal
The check has arrived, so cough up the dough
$10.99?!!! The price is so low!
Here are your keys, here is your coat
There is your car, as big as a boat
Off you go home to watch your telly
And ponder the growing size of your belly.

[buffet]
[poem]

Kettle Corn

This sweet and salty corn is super-addictive and kids love it. It's a recreation of old-style popped corn from carnivals, fairs, and beach boardwalks.

Ingrediants

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp clarified butter
1/2 cup popping corn
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1) Heat a stock pot with tight fitting lid over medium-high heat.
2) Add oil and butter and heat until quite hot, about 2 minutes.
3) Stir in sugar and mix together well with a long spoon until sugar is incorporated.
4) Stir in the corn. Heat, stirring ocassionally until the corn begins to pop.
5) Place the lid on tightly, and grab the pot by its two side handles. Shake the pot back and forth on the burner, continously. It is very important to keep the pot moving back and forth, to prevent direct heat on the kernels.
6) Once the popping slows, remove from the heat.
7) Sprinkle with salt and stir well.

[popcorn]
[recipe]

Yellow Thai Curry

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp yellow curry paste
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger root
1/2 tbsp minced lemongrass
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced
2 cups chicken stock
1 can coconut milk
1 cup yams, peeled and chopped into large chunks
2 lime leaves
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp mild soy sauce (Thai preferable)
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp sugar
1 or 2 bird's eye chillies (optional)

1) Heat oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat.
2) Saute curry paste and onion together, until onions are beginning to get soft ( about 2 minutes). Add garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and sliced chicken. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken begins to colour (another 3 minutes).
3) Add all remaining ingredients to the pot, stir to combine, and bring to the boiling point. Reduce heat to medium low, and allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes.
4) Adjust seasoning.
5) Serve hot over rice, with a wedge of lime on the side.

Notes:
Lemongrass can be found at Chinese supermarkets. To prepare lemongrass, first bruise the lower 3 inches of the stalk by smashing it with the broad side of your sturdy kitchen knife. Then carefully, but with force, slice into pieces. The chop away, or blend in a spice mill. Remember that only the purplish part inside the bottom 2 or 3 inches contains any flavour. So don't waste your time with rest, unless you instead to make stock! Or, you do what I do, and travel over to the freezer section of the supermarket and pick up a little plastic container of pre-minced lemongrass.

Thai soy sauce has a lighter flavour and is less salty than it Chinese or Japanese counterparts. The brand I usually buy is called "Golden Mountain" and it is also a terrific marinade for beef or chicken.

If you cannot find lime leaves (check the freezer section!) then 1 tbsp of lime zest is perfectly good alternative.
[Thai food]
[curry]
[recipe]

Monsoon Fried Chicken

This Chicken is so tasty, it is one my most requested dishes. It is crisp, sweet and salty- perfect on a bun or on top of a salad.

ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/3 cup oyster sauce
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp garlic powder

1) Pour oyster sauce over top of chicken and allow to marinate for 5-10 minutes.
2) Mix together flour and garlic powder in a large bowl.
3) thoroughly coat chicken in flour, pressing the chicken firmly into the flour. Transfer chicken to a plate. Set aside for at least 10 minutes to give the flour a chance to seal around the chicken.
4) Heat a pot of oil two inches deep on the stove (be careful!), or turn on your deep-fryer. Heat the oil to approximately 350'.
5) carefully place chicken into hot oil, cooking two at a time. Turn after 4 minutes, then cook additional 4 minutes, until brown and crisp.
6) Transfer cooked chicken to a plate lined with paper towels.

[fried chicken]
[recipe]

Dim Sum (Review)

There was a chill in the air last night- the wind hit me in the face like a cold slap. I blew into my mitted hands to warm them as I waited for my good friend Paul and the pre-determined pick up point. That's me, over there, in the 1989 white Pontiac Sunfire. Paul strode out of the building, approached the car, gripped the handle, and he was in. We were off in a flash- dodging pedestrians, weaving in and out of traffic. Time was of the essence. I was starving.

We were on our way up the highway, to a place few city dwellers venture- north of highway 7. Paul was navigating- right, right, left and we had arrived. "Over there- in the corner- that's where we're going." He was pointing at the neon sign, written in Chinese. "Ding Tai Fung"- probably means Happy dumpling restaurant. I parked. We pulled our jackets up to our ears and ran inside.

The thing I love the most about Toronto is the quality ethnic food. I know where to got to get the best Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Korean or Middle Eastern food ( the last one is 23 Orangewood Cres. but it's by invitation only!). I know when I am the only white person in the room, that I'm in for an authentic meal. We share a menu, maarking our selections by number on a piece of paper.

The reason we are here is for the pork dumplings. My husband is shaking his head right now. They arrive- six little steaming dumplings in a bamboo basket. We each grab one, dip into sweet vinegar, and pop them whole into our mouths.

The little packet explodes in my mouth, filling it with hot, savory soup. The cilantro makes my head spin. It's salty, tangy sweet and juicy all at the same time. Our next item arrives: Green onion pancakes. Crisp on the outside with a satisfying chewyness. However, I am disappointed with the "Sticky rice dumplings" that arrive next, as they are filling with regular short-grain rice, not the distinct chewy rice native to Thailand which is known as sticky rice. Instead, this is leftover plain white rice, stir-fried to a sticky texture. This is a huge blow to me, as sticky rice is a personal favorite, so I self-medicate with another pork dumpling. Every time one of these sweet little packages explodes in my mouth, I can't stop a smile from creeping up my cheeks.

Our last dish is a soup to share, with stewed beef, vermicelli noodles and tofu. We ordered a crispy Chinese donut to dip in the broth. The stock is thick and dark, with a lingering cinnamon flavour. The beef is tender from just enough cooking and the noodles are perfectly soft without being mushy. However, it just doesn't turn my crank. The promised spicyness is missing, and the garnish of minced pickles does nothing to enhance the soup. I am unimpressed, and order another basket of dumplings.

Finally, after losing count of the baskets that have come and gone from our table, Paul and I lean back and contemplate dessert. After having to eat the whole huge bowl of soup himself, Paul removes himself from the discussion and I order one mango pudding for myself. The dessert consists of a gelatinous milky substance (which I'm sure would bounce if given the opportunity) and a sweet mango sauce. They've got this dessert backward: it should be a firm, mango jelly with a creamy sauce. The milky jelly they served isn't a complement to the mango puree.

I lean back- satisfied for the moment. It was worth the drive to Acton, or whereever I am, just for the succulent pork dumplings. However, this restaurant needs more than one good dish if it expects to make a name for itself. Until then, it can only be "Happy Dumpling Restaurant".

going to california

Well, finally it is beginning to feel real: we are moving to Los Angeles. Moving day is about fifteen days from now. The packing has begun; I'm finding stuff I forgot I had! And I had to downsize all my shoes... I'm giving away twenty or thirty pairs. I know, it sounds crazy... but just think about all those new shoes I can buy in LA!
And I am dying to get a "new" hand-me-down computer so I can get some pictures up on this thing. It is really supposed to be about food, but right now I have no time to think about anythng other than moving.
Okay, I'll make a post about the dim sum restaurant I went to last night.

First Post!!!

Here is my first ever post! Let's see if this works...