My Char Siu & Siew Yuk

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you obviously know of my love for the Chinese cuisine. And if you've indeed been following this blog, you will also be aware of our love for "Arnold". With this in mind, I present to you two dishes that I have been working hard at making, trying to get the right texture, taste and flavour - Char Siu (Chinese barbecued pork) and Siew Yuk (Chinese crispy roast pork).

PERFECT CRACKLING!

On the occasions when I made both dishes the first time, my tasters and I never made it to the table to sit down for the meal, we stood in the kitchen eating communal style from the platter of pork. Ashamed at our behaviour, we then sat down and ate the rice and vegetables I'd prepared to go with the meal. You know, as a way of assuaging or guilt. The second time around, we forcibly made our way to the dining table. Click here to read the column.

I saw her Char Siu post and it boosted my confidence to try making it. And my good friend Marvin of Burnt Lumpia, is outstanding in his presentation of Filipino pork dishes, check out his series titled: 5-point Pork Exploding Heart Technique. My dear friend KC has quite a variety of pork dishes you can check out as well. And finally, my gal-pal, Heather of The Culinary Chase made her own Char Siu recently too.

BOTH RECIPES can be found at the bottom of the column.

Don't forget to join with the rest of the world tonight at 8.30 for Earth Hour and switch off your lights for 1 hour as a Vote for Earth! Read all about it here.

Have a great weekend my friends!

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A Trying Time in the Kitchen - Pt. 2 The Reveal

Gulab Jamun, meet Gulab Jamoon. More correctly, I should say, Indian Gulab Jamun meet Indo-Caribbean Gulab Jamoon. The difference lies not just in the slight variation of the spelling of the word - Jamun/Jamoon - but also in the ingredients, method of preparation, shape, texture and appearance. Let me hasten to add that it was NOT the Indian Gulab Jamun that was difficult to make. Actually, I got that right on the first attempt! It was the Indo-Caribbean Gulab Jamoon that caused all the stress. Click here to read this week's column about this "one sweet to rule them all". This dish is a perfect example of a travelled food that has adapted.

I want to thank my friend, Alka of Sindhi Rasoi for pointing me in excellent directions in my quest for a made-from-scratch Gulab Jamun recipe. Thanks so much, I could not have done it without you. I used the recipe from www.manjulaskitchen.com with great success. Manjula was also kind enough to grant permission for her recipe to be printed in my column. You can either check the column for the recipe or get it directly from Manjula's site.

My friends, I invite you to this photographic display of the tale of a sweet with the same name but different characteristics.

Let's start with the shaped dough

Here they are - fried and waiting to be dressed

Dressed - sugar-glazed, soaking and soaked

This is what they look like on the inside

One sweet to rule them all indeed!

For those of you who would like to try making the Indo-Caribbean Gulab Jamoon, please see the recipe below.

Indo-Caribbean Gulab Jamoon
(My version)

Yield: 46 - 50 pieces

INGREDIENTS
For dough:
3 - 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided (3 cups and 1/2 cup reserved)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
1 (14 oz) can condensed milk
1/2 cup whole milk
Oil for deep frying

For syrup:
2 cups white sugar
3 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)

METHOD
For dough:

1. Add 3 cups of flour along with cardamom and cinnamon to a large bowl and mix well
2. Rub in butter to flour-spice mixture
3. Add condensed and whole milk to flour-butter mixture to make a soft dough (when mixed, the dough should come away clean from the sides of the bowl) Now depending on your location and the temperature in your home and the humidity of the atmosphere, it may be necessary to add the 1/2 cup reserved flour. You are looking for a dough that is soft and holds together easily and smoothly without any cracks! (like the photograph below)
4. Cover with a damp cloth to keep moist; meanwhile, heat oil in a deep frying pan on medium to low heat
5. Take a piece of dough at a time, about 1 - 1 1/2 ounce, and using the palm of your hands, roll into balls and then roll them length ways and press the dough between the palms of your hands to get the shape. Alternately, just roll them into round balls but it is traditionally made into an almond-like shape
6. Fry in batches until browned all over and cooked through, about 4 - 5 minutes. This will depend on the thickness of the gulab jamoon. Be sure to regulate the heat so that they don't get brown quickly and not cook through. Drain on paper towel, repeat until all the dough is fried. Set aside to cool

For Syrup:

1. In a saucepan, add the sugar, water and cardamom. Place on high heat and stir to dissolve. Once dissolved, let the mixture come to a roaring boil. Let boil until the syrup spins a thread (test by inserting a spoon into the syrup and as the syrup falls back, if it does so slowly and in a long thread-like manner it is done. Another way to test it is to insert the spoon, lift it with syrup and swirl the spoon, if it spins a thread it is perfect. Alternately, if you have a candy thermometer, the syrup should reach a temperature of 230 degrees F)
2. Pour the syrup over the fried gulab jamoon and toss quickly and thoroughly to coat until sugar crystallizes. You can opt to work in batches

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A Trying Time in the Kitchen - Pt. 1

My friends, never before have I ever been so frustrated, confused and at times angry in the kitchen as I have been this past week.

It all started last Monday as I was trying to make a couple of things in order to complete a forthcoming column that I am working on. For the full details, please read this week's column and be sure to check back next week for part 2 in which I will reveal what has given me all this pain in the kitchen this past week.

Now on to easier things to prepare. Remember this post? About the butterflaps? Well, a few days ago a reader emailed me for the recipe and in our conversations, she said that she wanted to try making 2 batches, one with the butter and the other with a cheese paste! The cheese paste idea immediately got my attention. While I knew all along that eating the butter flap with sharp cheddar was an excellent idea, I didn't think about actually stuffing it with a cheese paste. This is why I love talking about food, so many ideas are shared. So you know what? Uh huh, I made the flaps and these are called cheese flaps for obvious reasons.

Here's my Cheese Paste Recipe and the dough is any regular white bread dough.

Ingredients
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (New Zealand or English cheddar works great)
2 tablespoons grated onion
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons spicy mustard
1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted)

Method
Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mash to a paste with a fork

Look at it here still very warm with the melting cheese paste. All you need with this is a cup of tea or coffee.

I've also been doing some blog cooking. Through Chef Paz, I've discovered a fantastic South Amercian food blog. The author, Laylita, is Ecuadorian and she makes some great food. I am overjoyed at the many ways she uses plantains. And you know how much I love plantains. Visit her blog, you will not be disappointed.

When I saw this recipe, I knew immediately that I had to make it. And the cilantro hot sauce that accompanies it contrasts perfectly with the sweetness of the plantain and the mildness of the mozzarella cheese. It is one of those versatile sauces that will work well with many things - seafood, meat, spooned over plain rice etc. Laylita's recipe for the baked ripe plantains are here and the sauce is here.

Have a great weekend and a wonderful week everyone!

Oh, please note that the vermicelli cake (last week's post) is a no-bake cake.

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We're not so different...

One main ingredient, with very similar modes of preparation, creates two dishes that represent two different religious foods in Guyana. The coming week will see countries with large Hindu and Muslim populations celebrating Youman-Nabi, the birth anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad and the Hindu festival of Phagwah (Holi), also known as the spring festival. We Guyanese and Trinbigonians will be part of this international celebration. Our countries observe these religious events as National holidays. Click here to read the column and learn a little more about how a dish is perceived differently and yet offers lessons in similarity that we can all learn from as a people.

So without further ado, I present to you a dish made in these parts and simply called by the name of the noodle itself, vermicelli, also known as wet-vermicelli and in other places as Vermicelli Payasam. This for us in the Caribbean is a traditional Hindu dessert.

Now this version, called Vermicelli Cake, is what Guyanese in particular consider a traditional Muslim dessert. The recipes for both of these dishes are immediately available just shoot me an email and I'll send them to you.

Enjoy the celebrations and have a great weekend everyone.

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