Food Art!

Short post this time. Over the weekend, I was reminded of these photographs by British photographer, Carl Warner, that I came across in my undergrad. Since then, they have increased in popularity (and price!) and there are a lot more awesome creations to peruse. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

 Check out the pics here -> Amazing Foodscapes

This one is my personal favorite...

THIS IS NOT MY PICTURE. I JUST BORROWED IT TO SHOW OFF WHAT A GENIUS CARL WARNER IS

Turkey Meatball Curry

Do you know what intimidates people the most about cooking Indian food? The spices. Most dishes I know of use a minimum of 4-5 spices. When I first started my forays into Indian cooking, I was overwhelmed. Which combinations do I use for this dish? Should I use them whole or grind it up? What are the relative amounts of each? When do I add them? Do I really want to buy this giant bag of cloves when I only need 4? Then, I found my answer!

 

SPICE MIXES!

  

There is no shame in using spice mixes. All the proper spices and their amounts neatly packaged into a $1-2 dollar box? My salvation hath arrived. Now, don't get me wrong. There is an advantage to cooking with individual spices. It's more customizable to your tastes. Whole spices have a better aroma. Etc. etc. But, you know, when you just want a little touch of the homeland on your plate and you don't have the time go hunt down pomegranate seeds or black cardamom, a spice mix will do just fine. If fact, more than fine. A spice mix will do just down right delicious. It's not a mark of amateurism or incompetence. It's just convenient.  So everyone, let's get on board! 

Now, this recipe originally started as just kabobs and I usually stopped at step 5. But, as a lover of rice, I needed some curry to accompany my carb addiction. The bell pepper adds a little bit of tang to complement the spice. Overall, really easy and relatively quick. Because of the spice mix. 

You will need:

1 package of Shan Chicken Jalfrezi Mix (or whatever amount that is an appropriate spice level)

1-1.5 pound ground turkey (or any ground meat, but the cook times for this are with ground turkey)

1 egg

3 plum tomatoes, chopped

2 medium red/orange/yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 long hot pepper, chopped (optional)

Cooking spray

Cooking oil

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Mix together the tomatoes, half the bell pepper and the hot pepper with half the spice mix packet. If you are worried about the spice level, just taste it to check.

3. Then mix in one egg and the ground turkey, sequentially. 
4. Form into 2 inch patties and arrange on a baking pan.

5. Bake for 7 min. This is just to get the patties to set a little bit so they don't fall apart. You may notice some fluid/protein leaking out of the patties. If this happens, take it out of the oven. They are done. The trick is to cook them, just enough so they hold, but not so much that they finish cooking and don't absorb any flavor from the gravy.

 

6. While the patties are baking, start the gravy. Add 1 tbsp of oil to a pot or a deep pan on medium heat. Add the onions and fry until translucent. Add in the remaining bell peppers and fry for another 2 min. Add in the remaining half of the spice mix and stir to mix quickly. Take care that the powder does not stick to the pan and burn. Add in 1/2 cup of water. Cover and simmer for 10 min. 

7. Remove the patties from the pan. Take care to leave all the protein behind. Gently, place into the gravy, covering as much of the patties with the gravy as possible. Cover and simmer for 15 min or until meat is cooked through. 

8. Serve over hot rice or egg noodles. Enjoy!

 

Chili Fish with Eggplant

Lately, I've been craving spicy food, especially spicy Asian food. It could be the discovery of a Sichuan restaurant less than 5 miles away from my home. All of the sudden, my Spicy Asian Tastebuds, which have laid dormant for a while, have been roused and become insatiable. Alas, neither my wallet nor my arteries can support a constant diet of restaurant food. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. This is a recipe I came up with on the fly when I was jonesing for a little spicy goodness. It's actually pretty darn healthy. And cheap. And not labor intensive. And quick. And delicious. In short, a winner.

The fillet of choice here is Basa or Swai. Never heard of it? Ya, I hadn't either until I started grocery shopping for myself. It's mostly imported Vietnam or Thailand and found in most Asian fish markets and even some American supermarkets. It's a member of the catfish family with a slightly firm texture and a mild flavor. It's consistently one of the cheapest fillets sold in fish markets, averaging $3-4 a pound. In fact, the cheapness of the fish ticked off American catfish farmers who successfully rallied to stop it from called "catfish" in America. I find this rather amusing because I have run into many people at the fish counter at Shoprite who, when they saw me buying 6 pounds of catfish nuggets, divulged that "I never buy catfish" " I always thought they were bottom feeders and dirty" etc. Maybe a little distance from the catfish name is actually a good thing for the Basa...and the Vietnamese. 

Sidenote: I'm sure by now, most of you have heard about the Omega-3 fatty acids that are found in fish and how they are good for you. But just in case you weren't convinced, here's a list, from University of Maryland Medical center, of all the ways omega-3 keep you kicking a little while longer. The most beneficial effect of Omega 3 is to protect against Heart Disease. But they have shown promise in High cholesterol, High blood pressure, Diabetes, Rheumatoid arthritis, Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Osteoporosis, Depression, Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia, Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Cognitive decline. Skin disorders. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Asthma, Macular Degeneration, Menstrual pain, Colon Cancer, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer. While some of these diseases have mixed results, for all of them, there has been at least one study that shows some improvement compared to placebo. Also, there are also some precautionary tales to taking fish oil supplements. Check out this site for more info! Omega-3s

But I digress. The reason I prefer Basa for this dish is that it stands up pretty well to stirring. I'm sure you can make this with other fish fillets but if they are too soft and flaky, they are totally going to fall apart. Also, the mild flavor is good because it absorbs more flavor from the veggies and sauce. The eggplant lends a little bit of creaminess to offset the heat from the chilli peppers.

Ingredients:

2 pounds Basa Fillet, cut in 2 inch blocks

1 chinese eggplant

2 long hot peppers

1 jalapeno pepper

1 bunch scallions

1 small bulb of garlic  ( I really like garlic, so this may be to much for some)

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste

1.5 tsbp lite soy sauce ( I like to use mushroom flavored )

Additional soy sauce to taste

1. Rinse the fish and pat down with paper towel to dry. Marinate the fish in the garlic-ginger paste and 1.5 tbsp soy sauce for 15 min. 

2. In the meantime, chop the vegetables up into strips 2 inch long strips. Make sure your eggplant pieces all have a bit of skin attached so that they don't melt as easily.  

You want the veggies to be the same size, so they cook evenly. Eggplant melt pretty easily, so I cut it a little bigger.

3. Heat a wok (or a thin bottomed pan) on med heat. Add the sesame oil. When warm, add in the marinated fish. Fry, without stirring too much, until fish is about halfway cooked on both sides, about 4-5 min. Increase to high heat. Add in the vegetables. Stir gently, taking care not to break the fish, to make sure the veggies get cooked evenly.

4. Fry for about 10-15 more minutes. Add more soy sauce if you think it needs more. When everything is cooked through, take off the heat and serve over hot rice. Enjoy!

Three Mushroom Risotto

I think one of my favorites things about America is mushrooms. When I first came to the states, I remember having pizza for the first time. I was intrigued, more so than with the cheesy, tomato-y goodness, with the spongy, umbrella shaped black things on top of it. It was love at first bite.

I first had this dish at a friend's, and I knew it was going to become a staple. It combines two of my favorite things, mushrooms and rice....with a healthy dollop of butter. You can use any combinations of mushrooms for this, but I find that strong flavored ones like shittake or dried porcini work really well. The key ingredient is the fresh parsley though. It offsets the richness of the risotto and give you nice burst of flavor when you bite into some.

Ingredients:

1 6oz package shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 8oz package white mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 12oz package baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced

3 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups arborio rice

1.5 quarts chicken broth or stock

1/2 bulb garlic, minced

2 cups of dry white wine

2 cups parsley, finely chopped

1 sprig of thyme

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste 

1. Wash the mushrooms to remove all dirt.

The more mushrooms, the better!

2. Remove about 1/2 inch of the stem from the shiitake mushrooms. 

Just feel for the tough parts and take them off

3. Slice the mushroom into 1/4 inch slices and then slice the slices, so that you get thin strips

The small slices cook faster and ensure lots of mushrooms in every bite

4. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a pan over med heat. Brown for 30 secs. Add in the mushrooms and saute until they are just tender. Salt to taste. Save the mushrooms and the water in a separate container. 

It's really hard not to eat these straight

5. In a sauce pan, bring 1.5 quarts of chicken broth up to a simmer. In the meantime, in a large heavy bottomed pan, melt another tbsp of butter and add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add the garlic and stir fry until just beginning to brown, about 1 min. Then add the rice and the thyme and stir fry until the rice looks translucent, about 3 min.

The rice will go from that solid white, to almost glassy

4. Add in half the white wine. Stir slowly until the wine is absorbed.

5. Add 1 cup of chicken broth. Stir until absorbed. Repeat until the rice is cooked through. Stir in the mushrooms without the water. Add salt to taste.
NOTE: If you run out of broth, and the rice is still not cooked through, add the water in from the mushroom. If it's still not cooked, add in the remaining half of the wine. If still not cooked through....well then you're out of luck. Hope you have some spare broth!


5. About 5 min before taking off the heat, stir in the parsley and parmesan cheese, in that order

6. About 2 min before taking off the heat stir in the last tbsp of butter.

Bon Appetit!

Cilantro Chicken

Did you ever buy cilantro for guacamole or corn salad and then have 3/4 of the bunch left over? Well, never again shall that cilantro go to waste! This is my go to recipe for excess cilantro. While it does require a food processor or a blender, it's very simple and a great way to get some green into your diet. According to Livestrong.com, 9 sprigs of cilantro can apparently give you a significant part of your daily Vitamin A, for healthy eyes, and Vit K, for proper blood clotting.  Here's what you need:

2 pounds of chicken

1 small bunch cilantro

1 medium yellow onion

2 jalapeno peppers (+/- for more or less spicy)

5 cloves of garlic

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp group coriander

Salt to taste

1. Peel the onion and cut into quarters. Dice one quarter and put aside. Coarsely chop remainder and place into blender. 

2. Wash cilantro carefully and remove about 2-3 inches of the stem from the bottom.  Peel garlic. Remove stems from the jalapenos peppers. Coarsely chop all three and place into blender.

Ingredients for the gravy

3. Blend onion, cilantro, garlic and jalapenos together until smooth. Add a little bit of water if necessary.  You should get about 1-2 cups of mixture.

Blended gravy ingredients

3. Remove the skin from chicken and remove excess fat. I like to use bone in chicken thighs. These take a little longer to cook, but the flavor from the bones really give it a little extra flavor.

4 Chicken thighs average out to about 2 pounds

4. Warm the oil in a small pot on medium heat. You want to use a container that can let you at least partially submerge the chicken. Add the diced onion quarter and stir fry until translucent. About 2 min. Add the spices and a small amount of salt to the onion and stir fry for 20 seconds. Add the chicken and stir fry until chicken is browned on all sides, about 5-7 min.

Browned Chicken

5. Add in the cilantro mixture. Stir, cover and cook on medium heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 min. When you uncover the pot after this time, there may be a lot of water that was release from the cilantro and/or the chicken. Boil uncovered, until the gravy reaches a consistency you like. Add salt to taste.

6. Remove from heat. Garnish with fresh onion and serve over hot basmati rice.

Bon Appetit!

Notes: The relative amounts of the ingredients are all subjective. It's rarely the case that this recipe turns out tasting the same two times in a row. If you want a stronger cilantro flavor, just add more. A little ghee always lends a hint of luxury. I also like to add mushrooms sometimes. about 5 mins after the chicken for texture.

Yelp, Essential or Evil?

Ok, I have a confession to make. I used to think reading reviews were useless. I mean, I am my own person. What do I care what other people thought about this restaurant? Or a dress? Or a watch? I can go look at it or experience it myself and form my own opinions. Also, I was of the mindset that people who wrote reviews were of two extremes. They either loved something, or they hated it. Unless you were paid to write a review, why else would you take the time and effort to say something was just ok? So again, reviews = unreliable.

But then I graduated college. All of the sudden, I was thrust out into the world, fending for myself and paying my own bills (except cell phone. can't give up that family plan). I even had my own health insurance for Pete's sake! All of the sudden, money was less quick to leave the palm. Did I really want to just walk in to some random restaurant, plop down $40 bucks for a mediocre meal? No. I wanted assurance that the meal would be good. Enter Yelp. (and Groupon and Living Social, but more about those gems later). Now, I could do a little reconnaissance before walking through the door of any restaurant that would run me upwards of $20 bucks. 

I have to admit, I rarely use Yelp to decide whether or not I will go to a restaurant. That mostly comes from walking by a place and smelling the food and seeing how happy the people eating there look. I use Yelp mostly to figure out what to order once I'm there and so far, Yelp has rarely led me astray. If 4 out 10 people rave about the Three Pepper Chicken at Sichuan Spring, you better bet I'm going to try it. 

Some people have complained that Yelp can hurt businesses. I think that's true...if you are a bad business. I doubt people base their expectations of a place based on reading a few bad reviews. But a majority of mediocre to bad reviews? I think I would think twice. Good places will probably hover around a 3.5. The majority of them good, but brought down by those who are impossible to please or get off on bringing others down. But it's pretty easy to spot the extremists or the overly picky. Really good places, its obvious from the general tone. There are more superlatives, poetic language and exclamation points galore!

And, if you think about it, Yelp is a great equalizer. When you want a recommendation for a restaurant, you ask your friends, coworkers, families. What about the loners of the world? or the awkward? Or the ones with a severe social anxiety? Don't they deserve the benefit of the opinions of the masses? I'm being a little facetious here, but I really do think its nice that there's a community of people who can point me in the right direction without even knowing it.

As far as polarizing opinions go, I think Yelp has found an ingenious way to address that. The "Elite Club". All of the sudden there's a incentive to write reviews, many reviews, any reviews. Doesn't matter if you didn't love it or hate it. All that matters is that you reviewed it.

First of a first!

I decided to start a blog mostly as way to keep track of my recipes, cooking adventures and all things food related. Also, I decided that, since I graduated college, my writing skills have considerably deteriorated. Not many papers on the sexual symbolism of Ethan Frome's pickle dish in med school, I tell ya. I thought writing about things I found interesting, like food and medicine, would be a good way to get me to write again. This blog will probably end up being 75% food and 25% medicine (mostly where it relates to food). It's mostly meant to be my putting my personal thoughts and opinions down on paper and in no way is supposed to be any sort of professional medical advice. At the end of the day, I'm just girl, standing in front of the blogosphere, asking you to love me...but I'll settle for not being run out of town for false claims.