Annatto aka "Poor Man's Saffron"

Bunches of beautiful ripe, red Annatto can be found on the tree just outside the classroom where I teach. I’ve tried to get my colleagues and students to try using it in their cooking but I’ve had no luck so far. Perhaps I can convince you? Read more about this spice that's popular in this week's column and why it is referred to as "poor man's saffron".

This is what the fruit looks like:

It is used in its fresh (left, top & bottom) and dry form (right, top & bottom). See the colour it yields? Please see my friend Felix's post on how to make the concentrate for home use.

The concentrate drizzled over rice while cooking and tossed at the end gives a beautiful two-colour rice.

A recipe to make the Achiote oil can be found in this week's column.

Sunny-side up eggs cooked with Achiote oil makes a for a striking presentation.

This past week I have been doing one of the things I love - baking bread and sharing it with my friends. One of my favourite bread-baking sites is the one owned and run by my friend Chuck over at The Knead for Bread. You've heard me mention his site before... his recipes are fool-proof and always turn out perfectly.

I first made his Coconut Bread which is a pull-bread (my favourite kind), no need for knives and this bread needs no butter or jam. All it requires are fingers that do double duty - pulling and transporting to the mouth!

See the topping? The crumble. I swear, you'll find yourself picking at it all the time and as in my case, you'll have adults unashamedly eyeing each other's piece of bread to see who got the bigger piece with the topping. I am not kidding you. Do give this a try.

A few days later, I made the Pesto Bread. Just like Chuck, I had some pesto in the fridge left back from a batch I had made recently. This savoury bread can be enjoyed as is but if you are looking for a sweet and salt combo that will dance on your tongue, slather some jam on it, take a bite, chew slowly, and let your tastebuds go wild with pleasure. Here is the recipe.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all those celebrating the holiday!

Thought you ought to know...

What's the difference between juice and drink? How much does 1 cup of raw rice yield when cooked? Do you know the difference between evaporated milk and pasteurized whole milk?

Here's a challenge, write your answers and then read the column and see how on or off the mark you are. This week's column also explains how appetite is different from hunger, servings from portions and much more. You definitely don't want to miss out on this week's column.

Now on to today's recipes!

Just in case you don't already know... My gal pal, Jaden, of Steamy Kitchen has her first book out! It hit book stores in the US on October 19. I received my copy last Thursday, and cooked my first dish from it recently. It's a beautifully photographed and laid out book. If you'd like an introduction to some of the flavours of Asia, get the book. One of the things that's refreshing about the Steamy Kitchen Cookbook is that it lives up to its promise - of putting dinner on the table quickly, with a little know-how I must add. If you're not familiar with the ingredients and you're new to cooking, don't worry, Jaden is thorough in her method and offers valuable tips to guide you along.

Jaden, my dear friend, hearty congratulations again and thanks for the generous sharing of your time and advice, personally to me and now with the world in your book.

The recipe in the book says Chinese Beef Broccoli but I opted to leave out the Broccoli and just make the Beef Stir-Fry.

Chinese Beef Stir-Fry
(Printed with the author's permission)

INGREDIENTS

1 lb top sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced into strips (I used top sirloin)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Beef Marinade
1+1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp canola oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Stir-fry Sauce
3 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 tsp Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar) I used balsamic

METHOD

1. Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Add the beef and let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature
2. Mix together the ingredients for the stir-fry sauce in a separate bowl
3. Heat pan until very hot, add oil and swirl to coat
4. Add garlic and fry for 15 - 30 seconds
5. Add steak strips keep them in one layer and fry for 30 secs. Flip the strips and continue to fry
6. Pour in the stir-fry sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon
7. Garnish with green onions. Spoon over hot rice and serve (that's what I did)

This past week I made 2 chutneys. The recipes had been bookmarked for a while now. I don't know what took me so long. The flavours are amazing and they are definitely going to be making regular appearances on my plate. When, note I am not saying if, you make these, do not leave out the tamarind and try my twist on fire-roasting the coconut before grating it. Or, if you don't have a gas stove, grate the coconut and toast in a dry pan. It will not be exactly the same but it will add another layer of flavour. Annita & Lissie, thanks so much for your continued outstanding work in the kitchen.

I adapted both recipes and am posting them as such. In both cases, I fire-roasted my coconut before grating it to give that wonderful smokey flavour. Anita's original Coriander Chutney recipe is here and Lissie's original Prawn Chutney can be found here.

Coriander Chutney

INGREDIENTS

1+1/2 cup chopped coriander/cilantro
1 cup freshly grated, fire-roasted coconut
4 green chilies
3 cloves garlic
1 sprig curry leaves
2 teaspoons tamarind pulp
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 fresh red chili
1/4 cup minced red onion
Salt to taste
4 tablespoons oil, divided

METHOD

1. Add the coriander, cilantro, coconut, green chilies, garlic, 2 tablespoons oil and tamarind pulp to a food processor and pulse until the mixture becomes a paste (or grind with whatever equipment you have, to a paste). Transfer mixture to a bowl
2. Heat the remaining oil in a pan
3. Add mustard seeds and let it pop, add onions, red chili and curry leaves and fry until onions start to brown. Remove from heat and pour over chutney-paste. Stir to mix well and serve

Smoked Fish Chutney
N.B. Lissie's recipe calls for dried prawns, I used smoked snapper instead

INGREDIENTS

1 cup flaked smoked fish
2 cups freshly grated fire-roasted coconut
7 fresh red chilies
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/3 cup minced red onion
3 teaspoons tamarind pulp
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon water

METHOD

1. Heat oil in pan and gently fry ginger, chilies and onion. Cook until light brown
2. Add all the ingredients (including the fried onion-ginger-chilies) to a food processor and pulse/grind to a paste
3. Take out the mixture, gather it into a ball, place into a bowl and serve

And before I go, I just wanted to share with you, the view I take in as I read my newspapers on a Sunday morning. I am so blessed!

This just in! The Blogger Aid Cookbook is now available. Get your copy here! Support a worthy cause - help feed the children of the world. Makes for an EXCELLENT Christmas gift!

About Cooking Shrimp & An apology

The other day, a friend of mine threw up her hands in exasperation and exclaimed, “I love eating shrimp but I hate cooking it! It always turns out hard!” “Ah,” I said, “that’s because you are overcooking it.” “So how long should I cook it for then?” “That depends,” I said, and explained further in this week's column.

N.B. Before attempting the dishes below, please ensure that you read my notes on cooking shrimp in the column as it gives suggested timelines and other tips.

To make: melt some butter along with oil, lots of minced garlic, hot pepper and green onions and toss with hot noodles (in this case I used Chinese Longevity Noodles).

To make: see column on how to prepare shrimp. Saute onions, garlic, hot pepper and fresh thyme then add chopped spinach and saute. Add back shrimp to pan just before the spinach is done cooking.

To make: season shrimp with lots of coarsely ground black pepper and salt. Pan fry quickly and set aside. Cook orzo, dress with marinara sauce. Add shrimp and serve.

To make: read column to prep shrimp. Saute onions, garlic, thyme, tomatoes, hot pepper then add bora (yard long bean) and saute covered on low heat until cooked through. Add back shrimp to pan just as beans are finished cooking.

To make: pan-fry shrimp and set aside. Saute onions and tomatoes along with lots of sambal. Add a little water or broth to make a thick sauce. Add back shrimp to pan, toss and let finish cooking. Be sure to read this week's column about the suggested cooking times.

To make: mix together chopped shrimp, fresh herbs, an egg, hot pepper, ginger, lemon juice, bread crumbs and make into patties. Coat with breadcrumbs, rest for at least 30 minutes and then saute (almost like a shallow fry).

Recipe here.

Pan-fried shrimp in prepartion to be added and incorported into a variety of dishes. Read this week's column for the full details.

APOLOGY

Sorry for not visiting your blog lately... I've been swamped with work and some other things. I just have enough time to post my weekly post... I hope to visit you soon. Thanks for the continued support, it is sincerely appreciated.