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 February Newsletter |
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FEBRUARY one of my favorite month of the year. Why? Well it marks the month I was born; cupid makes its appearance in the hearts of people (sometimes in unusual ways), and last but not least, it is the month Chinese New Year usually falls on (depending on the lunar calendar). As I am of Chinese descent, it is the most auspicious time of the year for most Chinese people. It is as grand as Christmas. This year, Chinese New Year falls on February 18th. This month, I would like to touch on each of the subjects above in addition to taking a trip, through food and culture of one particular countryMalaysia, my homeland. In addition, I would like to tell you about a book I have been reading, titled Heat, by Bill Buford (an amateur’s adventures as kitchen slave, line cook, pasta-maker, and apprentice to a Dante-quoting butcher in Tuscany).
Cupid Makes its Mark
St. Valentines DayThere are so many variations in regards to the history of St. Valentine’s Day. I am not going to speculate on them, but you are more than welcome to browse through a couple of these websites to find out more about Valentine’s Day: http://www.history.com/minisites/valentine; this one is provided by the History Channel, and http://www.pictureframes.co.uk/pages/saint_valentine.htm, a UK-based website.
As for myself, my only interest is of course the food that makes this day so special. Food can truly make or break a romantic evening along with the right ambience. With that in mind, do keep the menu fairly simple with minimal preparations. Do plan your menu in advance to prevent last minute mishaps. It is okay to purchase some pre-made items from the store and put your own finishing touches to the dish. For example, purchase a pre-seasoned steak from the butcher if you do not have time to marinade the steaks and make a rustic mashed potato and some steamed asparagus to go with it. Choose recipes with minimal ingredients to cut down on prep work or plan ahead of time to do some of the prep work the day before and finish the cooking on the day of the dinner. For those of you who are more adventurous and would like to try your hand at creating a fabulous meal for your loved one, try these recipes below. They are easy, using only the minimal of ingredients, and fast to prepare.
BEEF TENDERLOIN STEAKS WITH PORT-ROSEMARY SAUCE
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
SAUCE
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup minced shallots (about 4 ounces) (for more on shallots, see Ingredient of the Month below.)
1 cup dry red wine (such as red zinfandel or syrah)
3/4 cup ruby Port
1 cup canned beef broth
1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried
STEAKS
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 1-inch-thick beef tenderloin steaks (about 6 to 8 ounces each)
3 tablespoons chilled and unsalted butter
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried
For Sauce: Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in wine and Port. Boil 5 minutes. Add broth and rosemary sprig and boil until liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup, about 12 minutes. Strain sauce and set aside. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
For Steaks: Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Add steaks to skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to platter. Tent with foil to keep warm.
Add sauce to skillet and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Remove from heat. Gradually add butter, whisking just until melted. Stir in chopped rosemary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon sauce over steaks and serve.
Serves 4.
Taken from Bon Appetit
CREAMED MASHED POTATOES WITH SPINACH
2 lb boiling potatoes (preferably Yukon Gold)
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 oz baby spinach (6 cups)
I tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced.
Cover potatoes with salted cold water by 1 inch in a large saucepan and simmer, uncovered, until tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
While potatoes are simmering, bring cream, butter, salt, and pepper to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and keep warm, covered.
Drain potatoes in a colander and cool slightly. Peel potatoes and mash in large saucepan.
Heat a nonstick skillet on medium high heat. Add oil and sauté garlic for a minute. Add spinach and sauté until spinach is wilted. Stir spinach into warm cream, tossing to coat and immediately add to potatoes. Mash potatoes until almost smooth. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE PUDDING PARFAITS WITH RASPBERRIES
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 1/4 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (such as Ghirardelli) finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2-pint baskets fresh raspberries
1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, cocoa and cornstarch in heavy large saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk. Whisk over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
Whisk yolks and eggs in large bowl. Gradually whisk in hot milk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes (do not boil). Remove from heat. Add chocolate, butter and vanilla; whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool 10 minutes, whisking occasionally.
Spoon 1/4 cup pudding into each of 6 Champagne glasses. Top each with 4 raspberries. Repeat layering 1/4 cup pudding and 4 raspberries in each glass. Divide remaining pudding among glasses. Cool completely. Beat cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in large bowl to stiff peaks. Top parfaits with cream. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours. Top with remaining berries.
6 Servings
Ingredient of the Month
Shallotwhat is it? Shallot is a member of the lily family and is closely related to the onion family. They are formed more like garlic than onions, with a head composed of multiple cloves, each covered with a thin, papery skin. The skin color can vary from pale brown to pale gray to rose, and the off-white flesh is usually barely tinged with green or purple. Refrigerate for not more than 1 week to maintain maximum flavor. To see what a shallot look likes, click http://www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_pages/0028-0402-705-0715.html
Year of the Pig
According to the lunar calendar, this Chinese New Year represents year 4704, the year of the pig or boar. To find out what is your horoscope, check this website out: http://www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/zodiac/zodiac.html. Chinese New Year starts with the first new moon and ends on the full moon fifteen days later. This year’s Chinese New Year will start on February 18th and ends on March 5th. Each day of the New Year has a symbolic meaning. Please refer to http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/chinese_new_year.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year for more information on Chinese New Year.
Growing up as a child in Malaysia, I have very fond memories of the New Year. There are so many preparations to be done before the auspicious day arrives. Like all Chinese, there are certain superstitions and taboos that we believe and grew up with. Some may seem ludicrous but no one dares to break the traditions that had been passed down from one generation to another. I remember the days when my mother, aunts, and grandmother would go round the house in a somewhat frenzied manner, spring cleaning their homes to usher in the New Year. It is taboo to clean on the first day of New Year as it is believed that one will sweep away all good luck. I also remember during the weeks leading up to New Year, my mother and her sisters would gather at each others homes to bake cookies. Baking and exchanging cookies have become a ritual in our family for as long as I can remember. Mind you, both my parents come from big families, and therefore there were a lot of baking to do. My cousins and I were sometimes recruited to help make the cookies, much to our protest. Little did I know then, this was the beginning of one of my culinary training.
During the fifteen days of New Year, we do a lot of eating. Chinese people love to eat. Every event is celebrated with food. On the eve of New Year, we would gather at our homes to have a reunion dinner. This is usually a big affair as children and relatives travel from afar to make it home for the reunion dinner. These dinners can sometimes be very elaborate, depending on the status of the family. Preparation for the reunion dinner starts at least a week ahead of time to make sure all ingredients are at hand for the preparation.
An average reunion dinner would usually consist of a five course meal. It is common to have soup as part of the meal. One of the most popular soups is winter melon soup (for picture of a winter melon, check this website out: http://www.evergreenseeds.com/waxgourwinme.html). The whole melon can be cooked like a pumpkin or cut up into pieces. The soup consists of dried shitake mushrooms, Smithfield smoked ham, dried red dates, ginger, slivers of chicken meat, and scallions. It is either doubled boiled in a steamer or even slow cooked in a crock-pota truly nourishing and tasty soup. Chicken and pork dishes are very popular as well. The style and variations of cooking these meats are too numerous to mention. Seafood of many varieties often makes its presence during the reunion dinner. The dishes consumed during New Year have some form of symbolism in the Chinese culture. For example; the Chinese character for fish means abundance; hence fish is consumed during the New Year as it signifies abundance, as in the Chinese saying, “nin nin yau yee”, meaning may there be surplus for the next year. The color orange signifies gold; thus tangerines are commonly given to guest as a token gift of gold. It is not unusual to serve chicken with its head and feet attached! To cut off the head and feet means to shorten one’s life and it also represents family togetherness. Noodles are also eaten in long strands that seems never ending as it signifies longevity and for this reason long strands of noodles are also consumed during a person’s birthday. To learn more symbolic food, go to http://chinesefood.about.com/od/chinesenewyear/a/symbolicnewyear.htm. For Chinese New Year recipes: http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/newyears/chinese_new_years.htm. If you would like to purchase Chinese New Year items such as clothing, books, and many other Chinese-related products, try this website: www.chinasprout.com
Sauté vs. Stir-fry
Do you know the difference between sautéing and stir-frying? The definition of sauté is to cook food quickly in a small amount of oil in a skillet or sauté pan over direct heat. To achieve this technique, make sure you have a large enough skillet to allow the food to sear, breathe, and give off liquid during the process. To achieve proper browning, there has to be evaporation of moisture. Be sure to preheat the cooking vessel on high heat when sautéing to cook ingredients quickly; otherwise, the moisture will come out of whatever you are cooking and it will not brown.
To stir-fry is to quickly fry small pieces of food in a large pan over very high heat while constantly and briskly stirring the food. Stir-frying is a technique used to describe two fast Chinese cooking styles, “chao” and “bao”. The two techniques differ in their speed of execution, the amount of heat used, and the amount tossing done to cook the food in the wok. While learning to cook in my mother’s kitchen, I usually use the “chao” technique. To achieve this technique, the wok has to be heated to a smoking point. A small amount of cooking oil is added to the smoking hot wok followed by dry aromatics such as ginger and garlic.Once the aromatics perfume the air, meat is added to the wok and seared. Following this, vegetables and liquids are added. The wok is covered to allow the vegetables to steam-cook, and a binder such as sauce and cornstarch are added last. All these are done in quick succesion to maintain the high heat point or referred to as “wok hei” in Cantonese to achieve the flavor and steam for doneness.
I sometimes use the “bao” technique which requires the wok to be heated on a dull red glow heat. Once the wok is hot, the oil, dry aromatics, and meat are all added at once in that succession. Continuous agitation of the ingredients is required, stopping only for a few seconds to add in the liquids. Once the sizzling-cooking sound of the food slows down, it is a sign that the ingredients are cooked and ready to be removed from the wok.
Travel to Malaysia Through The Eyes Of A Local
Where in the world is Malaysia, you say? Let us take a look at the map of Southeast Asia.
As you can see, Malaysia is sandwiched between Thailand up north and Singapore down below. It sits two degrees above the equator, and yes it is very humid (100% humidity) with temperatures ranging from the mid 80s to high 90s all year long. Malaysia does not experience the four seasons like we do here in America; nonetheless, it has a wet (monsoon) and dry season. Malaysia is a country that is covered with lush tropical flora and fauna due to the heavy monsoon seasons and high humidity. Looking at an aerial map, high-rise buildings are harmoniously balanced in the country’s landscape of lush green surroundings. For more detailed knowledge of Malaysia, click on this website: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/my.html
Many visitors have referred Malaysia as a country that is modern and yet again quaintly nostalgic to its British colonial era. It is not uncommon to see a high rise building standing next to an old colonial bungalow that was built back in the 1900s. The contrast between the old and the new somehow makes the country more attractive with its Moorish, Dutch, Portuguese, and British designs. Check this website out that is put out by the Malaysian Tourism Board: http://www.tourism.gov.my/
Like most other countries, Malaysia is a melting pot of inhabitants. The three main races that dominates the country are the native Malays (Bumiputras), Chinese, and Indians. In addition to the three main races, Malaysia has become home to many expatriates from around the world, particularly from Europe. Malaysia is known for its Twin Towers that are, at this time, the tallest buildings in the world. Malaysia is one of Southeast Asia’s best kept secret and has yet to be truly recognized.
With the settling of many foreigners, Malaysian cuisine boast culinary repertoire from all corners of the world, either in its ethnic origin or fused with different cultures. Malaysia played an important role in the spice trade back in the 1300s. Indian traders would travel through the Strait of Melaka to trade spices and the same can be said about the Chinese traders who were also seeking spices. The strategic location of the Straits of Melaka, made the port of Melaka an important trading ground. Thus the Malaccan port caused a power struggle between the Portuguese and the Dutch in the 1500s. In the 1800s, Malaysia (then known as Malaya) became part of the British Commonwealth as it required the protection of the British from its insurgents. Malaya finally gained its independence in August 31, 1956 from the British colony and was named Malaysia.
Through years of human migration, the cuisine of the country developed a flavor of its own. From the spices that were obtained, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, chilies and cardamom are frequently found in dishes. As intermarriages between races took place, more fusion of ethnic cuisine became prevalent. From India, Malaysia was introduced to its spicy cuisine such as curries, and the use of spices to create a variety of dishes. From China, a variety of noodles were introduced along with different cooking techniques that were integrated with the local style and flavor. It is sometimes hard to trace the origins of some of the dishes with the amalgamation of the cuisine from one generation to another. For more information on foods of Malaysia, click on this website: http://www.marimari.com/content/malaysia/food/main.html.
Hawker stalls are very popular in Malaysia. They are like food vendors here in America. Instead of hotdog stands, we have a huge array of gastronomical fare that are sold by the hawkers. It is a haven for night clubbers who visit these stalls after a night out club-hopping. These stalls stay open as late as 4 a.m. Fried noodles such as Hokkien Mee, Cantonese-style stir fried Kuay Teow, and many other styles of stir-fried noodles that are so foreign over here are consumed on an everyday basis in Malaysia. Satay is a very popular dish in Malaysia. The satay meat is usually beef or chicken that is season with a blend of spices such as lemon grass, shallots, garlic, turmeric, and let to marinade before grilling over charcoal. Satay is eaten with a peanut sauce (not made with peanut butter as you sometimes see in recipes, but with ground roasted peanuts, and again, a mixture of spices). I used to be able to eat at least 40 sticks when I was a little girl (yes I was a glut) challenged on by my cousin. Hawker stalls are what we call quick snack food or a quick lunch meal, an afternoon pick-me-up tea-time meal, just about anytime of the day meal. It is also sometimes referred as Asian junk food. There are many other different kinds of cuisine found in Malaysia. Due to the influx of expatriate from around the world, it has made Malaysia one of the popular gastronomical destinations in Southeast Asia. If you would like to try your hand at some Malaysian cuisine, go to one of my favorite websites.
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLJ,GGLJ:2006-43,GGLJ:en&q=cyberkuali
Amy Beh, a popular Malaysian columnist and a renowned cook, has published several cookbooks in Malaysia. She also has made a few contributions to this website. On this website you will also come across Chinese New Year dishes that are very good and you will find quite interesting.
Kitchen Tips
If you are like me, I can never finish a bag of marshmallows and they would be left sitting in my pantry getting hard and stale. To solve this problem, marshmallows can be stored in the freezer, and thawed whenever needed, and still be as fresh as a new bag!
I love to cook with fresh herbs whenever they are available. As fresh herbs such as basil in a bunch are hard to come by, especially during the winter season, I would buy as much as I can when available. You can only use so much basil at one time, and what do you do with the rest? My solution to this problem is to blend them with some olive oil and place them in an ice cube container to freeze. Each time you need some fresh basil, you have them ready in cube form. An Amateur’s Adventures As Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice To A Dante-Quoting Butcher In Tuscany
“Heat” by Bill Buford is the title of the book that I am currently reading. At the bottom of the title, you will see the above referenced subtitle. Heat is truly a hilarious account of a journalist who decides to offer himself as a slave/intern to Mario Batali at Mario’s famous restaurant, Babbo. Bill has no chef experience and he was curious as to what it takes to be a renowned chef like Mariolittle did he know what he was up against. Bill worked his way up from prep boy to line cook, being called the kitchen bitch by the kitchen crew. I recommend this book to everyone, with or without any knowledge of food! It gives you insight to the daily running of a three-star restaurant, the Mario Batali that most of do not see, and the adventures that Bill endured, traveling to Italy to learn how to make pasta from one of Mario’s Italian instructors. It is not all as glamorous as you would imagine, but very entertaining and educational. I actually learn quite a lot from this book, in terms of techniques, history on pasta-making, and many more. I am currently two-thirds through the book and can’t wait to get to the end. You can purchase this book through Amazon (which I recommend as it is cheaper) and it is also sold at Barnes and Noble.
I hope I have inspired, entertain, and teach you a thing or two about food. Until the next issue, eat well, stay healthy, and enjoy life to the fullest.
Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity. ~Voltaire
  
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Chef Mei was featured in City View Magazine 