Live To Eat
I am hungry as if you can't guess. I ate at this wicked Thai place on Sunday in my favourite Harajuku. I will attempt to recreate it ce soir, mais premier:
PETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPET
PETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPETHATEPET
Cooking, remember, is fun experimental-not science experimental. Creating a good dish is not a science where it is crucial to use ALL the ingredients in ALL the specified quantities. It is an art where you follow your taste buds and instinct to create a unique master-piece. One chef's tastes differ from another's, as do their taste-buds. So improvise and enjoy when you cook :)
Here are my tried and tested Yum Yums.
Nani: Garlic Spinach/Bhaji
Itsu made: 15 mins preparation cooking and washing up
Iri: chopping Board, knife, wok, spatula
Ishyo: Naan-hot and buttered, rice & plain yoghurt.
Let the fun begin: Spinach leaves..chop up rough and big....soak and drain...they tend to me quite muddy.. [Is it because they are organic?..how are veggies grown in Japan?]
Optional: Add a small potato..just dice into small pieces to ensure it cooks..the cooking time for spinach is not long..so you could actually microwave thepotato pieces so they are reasonably cooked before introducing them to their green foliage friends. Also, chopped broccoli or Savoy Cabbage
Meanwhile..dice garlic and a green chilli...[I love garlic so I add extra to this one]Get your wok. Add a few drops of oil and a knob of butter. Add the rye and coriander seeds if you have any. On a low heat stir-frythe garlic an chilies just a teeny bit...and add the leaves on top...place the lid on the wok/frying pan and allow to simmer a bit...make sure nothing sticks -the garlic or the leaves....It usually doesn't because the leaves are wet, so there is enough water to prevent this from happening...When the leaves have started to flatten...mix it all up and sprinkle salt and red chilli powder and tumeric and coriander..Add a few table spoons of water. Simmer until everything is cooked.Serve and gobble..
Here are my tried and tested Yum Yums.
Nani: Garlic Spinach/Bhaji
Itsu made: 15 mins preparation cooking and washing up
Iri: chopping Board, knife, wok, spatula
Ishyo: Naan-hot and buttered, rice & plain yoghurt.
Let the fun begin: Spinach leaves..chop up rough and big....soak and drain...they tend to me quite muddy.. [Is it because they are organic?..how are veggies grown in Japan?]
Optional: Add a small potato..just dice into small pieces to ensure it cooks..the cooking time for spinach is not long..so you could actually microwave thepotato pieces so they are reasonably cooked before introducing them to their green foliage friends. Also, chopped broccoli or Savoy Cabbage
Meanwhile..dice garlic and a green chilli...[I love garlic so I add extra to this one]Get your wok. Add a few drops of oil and a knob of butter. Add the rye and coriander seeds if you have any. On a low heat stir-frythe garlic an chilies just a teeny bit...and add the leaves on top...place the lid on the wok/frying pan and allow to simmer a bit...make sure nothing sticks -the garlic or the leaves....It usually doesn't because the leaves are wet, so there is enough water to prevent this from happening...When the leaves have started to flatten...mix it all up and sprinkle salt and red chilli powder and tumeric and coriander..Add a few table spoons of water. Simmer until everything is cooked.Serve and gobble..
How To Eat with Fingers Like an Authentic East Asian:
Break off the naan/flat bread and use it to pick up the curry and some rice, dip this fingerful delight in the plain yoghurt and some chutney/pickle. Steer the now even tastier fingerful to the mouth that should be watering even just as we speak. ahah NOT mine...yours! LOLOL [a silly surinaism i.e. a bad joke]
Gujarati Flat Breads:
AKA..Parotha, Chapati, Thepla......There are countless varieties of 'flat' breads...and they are great with all sorts of curries, just with yoghurt and chutney or with vegetable rice...
Rohti/Rohtli/Chapati
This is the plain basic one. Once you have mastered this..you can be creative using an array of different flour and flavourings.
Three small coffee cups should make enough for the cook. Place two small cups of plain flour and 2 tbs of millet flour [bajra]..1 tbs sunflower/vege oil, pinch of salt and pepper, in to a basin/mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix the oil and then sprinkle some hot water bit by bit. Knead the mixture to end up with a dough that can be rolled without sticking. Basically-practice makes perfect-you will know the more you make Rohtli-how much more oil, flour and water is necessary.
Once the dough's done, roll out round tortilla-looking shapes on to a dry chopping board or any clean flat surface. Use more plain flour to coat the surfaces to prevent sticking.
Heat the flat pan. I use a flat frying pan due to the absence of a Rohtli pan. Keep on a low heat. Place your first Rohtli and toast..turn when the dough 'bubbles'..toast the otherside and vice versa. The art to making a good Rohtli is to know just when to turn it and for it to balloon! You should do this in only 3 turns and should place the toasted Rohtli on a plate on its original side. Spread with butter/margarine and eat. Optional: sprinkle sugar and eat whilst hot!
Rohtla-Millet Flour
Like Rohtli made completely of millet flour. Add more black pepper and roll into slightly fatter sheets..5-7 mm. These take longer to cook as they are thicker.
Parotha-crunchy and spicy
The mixture is exactly the same, but add a tbs of gram flour, chopped ginger & green chilies, chilli powder and more salt. This time, when you toast it, use a tea spoon to sprinkle some drops of oil around and over it.
Stuffed Paratha....SCRUMPTIOUS...ET [call home to find out]
anecdote: When I ask my Mum about how to be able to tell which side of the Rohtli is the right way up, she points to the pattern on the Rohtli-showing me how it is different to the otherside....of course it is an answer that confused me and made me rebel against being a good Indian girl who'knows how to make Rohtli' the way it should be done. But now living in a place far far away from the chance to eat authentic rohtli, I gave in and decided to make them myself. Now, although they aren't perfectly circular they taste great and if any mothers, aunties or future husband has an issue I will tell them not to be racist to my rohtlis.
In fact, I was so excited having finally made them after years of 'you should learn how to make rohtlis you know'.....I called home. When I told my Dad the exciting developments in my domestic life, the first question he asked was , 'Were they round?'. Remember, never judge a good Rohtli by its shape.
Recipes TBT: Adapted from BBC website...A fantastic fountain of knowledge.
Tofu-noodles
1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Cook the noodles according to packet instructions and drain.
2. To make the dressing, place honey, soy sauce, tabasco, lime juice, peanut butter and coriander in a bowl and mix together.
3. Toss the drained noodles in three tablespoons vegetable oil and pan-fry for 2-3 minutes each side, until crispy.
4. To cook the tofu, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook for 1-2 minutes either side.5. Remove from the pan and toss in the dressing, add noodles and soy sauce. Gobble!
Tofu Grills:
Seibun:
For marinade: 3 cloves crushed garlic, 2 tsp chopped coriander root, 2 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp raw sugar, 4 tbsp groundnut oil, 1 tsp sesame oil
For tofu: 1 packet firm tofu cut in triangles, 6tbsp groundnut oil,150ml vege stock, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp tomato pureée, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp (heaped) arrowroot, 1 tsp coarse black pepper, 2 tsp sesame oil for garnish: ½ cucumber, sliced thinly, 4 shredded spring onions
Dou:1. Marinade: make a paste of all the ingredients. Coat the tofu and leave for at least 30 minutes. 2. Heat oil and fry the marinated beancurd until golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. 3. Tip out any excess oil remaining in the pan, then boil until thickened, the vege stock, soy sauce, tomato purée, vinegar and arrowroot which should be made into a paste with a little water. Add the tofu. 4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the black pepper and sesame oil. Garnish & gobble.
Gujarati Flat Breads:
AKA..Parotha, Chapati, Thepla......There are countless varieties of 'flat' breads...and they are great with all sorts of curries, just with yoghurt and chutney or with vegetable rice...
Rohti/Rohtli/Chapati
This is the plain basic one. Once you have mastered this..you can be creative using an array of different flour and flavourings.
Three small coffee cups should make enough for the cook. Place two small cups of plain flour and 2 tbs of millet flour [bajra]..1 tbs sunflower/vege oil, pinch of salt and pepper, in to a basin/mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix the oil and then sprinkle some hot water bit by bit. Knead the mixture to end up with a dough that can be rolled without sticking. Basically-practice makes perfect-you will know the more you make Rohtli-how much more oil, flour and water is necessary.
Once the dough's done, roll out round tortilla-looking shapes on to a dry chopping board or any clean flat surface. Use more plain flour to coat the surfaces to prevent sticking.
Heat the flat pan. I use a flat frying pan due to the absence of a Rohtli pan. Keep on a low heat. Place your first Rohtli and toast..turn when the dough 'bubbles'..toast the otherside and vice versa. The art to making a good Rohtli is to know just when to turn it and for it to balloon! You should do this in only 3 turns and should place the toasted Rohtli on a plate on its original side. Spread with butter/margarine and eat. Optional: sprinkle sugar and eat whilst hot!
Rohtla-Millet Flour
Like Rohtli made completely of millet flour. Add more black pepper and roll into slightly fatter sheets..5-7 mm. These take longer to cook as they are thicker.
Parotha-crunchy and spicy
The mixture is exactly the same, but add a tbs of gram flour, chopped ginger & green chilies, chilli powder and more salt. This time, when you toast it, use a tea spoon to sprinkle some drops of oil around and over it.
Stuffed Paratha....SCRUMPTIOUS...ET [call home to find out]
anecdote: When I ask my Mum about how to be able to tell which side of the Rohtli is the right way up, she points to the pattern on the Rohtli-showing me how it is different to the otherside....of course it is an answer that confused me and made me rebel against being a good Indian girl who'knows how to make Rohtli' the way it should be done. But now living in a place far far away from the chance to eat authentic rohtli, I gave in and decided to make them myself. Now, although they aren't perfectly circular they taste great and if any mothers, aunties or future husband has an issue I will tell them not to be racist to my rohtlis.
In fact, I was so excited having finally made them after years of 'you should learn how to make rohtlis you know'.....I called home. When I told my Dad the exciting developments in my domestic life, the first question he asked was , 'Were they round?'. Remember, never judge a good Rohtli by its shape.
Recipes TBT: Adapted from BBC website...A fantastic fountain of knowledge.
Tofu-noodles
1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Cook the noodles according to packet instructions and drain.
2. To make the dressing, place honey, soy sauce, tabasco, lime juice, peanut butter and coriander in a bowl and mix together.
3. Toss the drained noodles in three tablespoons vegetable oil and pan-fry for 2-3 minutes each side, until crispy.
4. To cook the tofu, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook for 1-2 minutes either side.5. Remove from the pan and toss in the dressing, add noodles and soy sauce. Gobble!
Tofu Grills:
Seibun:
For marinade: 3 cloves crushed garlic, 2 tsp chopped coriander root, 2 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp raw sugar, 4 tbsp groundnut oil, 1 tsp sesame oil
For tofu: 1 packet firm tofu cut in triangles, 6tbsp groundnut oil,150ml vege stock, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp tomato pureée, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp (heaped) arrowroot, 1 tsp coarse black pepper, 2 tsp sesame oil for garnish: ½ cucumber, sliced thinly, 4 shredded spring onions
Dou:1. Marinade: make a paste of all the ingredients. Coat the tofu and leave for at least 30 minutes. 2. Heat oil and fry the marinated beancurd until golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. 3. Tip out any excess oil remaining in the pan, then boil until thickened, the vege stock, soy sauce, tomato purée, vinegar and arrowroot which should be made into a paste with a little water. Add the tofu. 4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the black pepper and sesame oil. Garnish & gobble.
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