Chilli Tofu

I am not a big fan of tofu. To say I dislike it is safe. However, recently I took a guest of mine to HMart, the Korean Superstore (note to self: write a post on HMart).. He saw tofu there and he said that it reminded him of his days in China. So I bought some tofu to see if I can make something with it. After hunting for some recipes online, the one thing I wanted to try was Chilli Tofu (original recipe here). It looked really good so I decided to try it out. Result? I went back to the store and bought some more tofu...we have made this dish about 3 times in 2 weeks. Yes..it is that good!

We start by making a marinade. 

(For the marinade)

• 1 block extra-firm tofu cut into cubes.
• 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 1 tsp soy sauce. I use the low sodium version.

Mix the ingredients and make a paste. Toss the tofu into the paste and coat tofu blocks with it. Set aside. The first time I left it for 20 minutes. The next time I left it for longer. I do not think it matters how long you leave it. Once done spray some oil in a non-stick pan (the first time I made this I used a heavy bottom pan...did not work. Non-sticks are made for a reason. LOL). Saute the tofu until the sides brown. Set aside.

Now for the next part. The things you need are

• 1 large green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green chili, minced
• 3 tsp canola oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp ground coriander powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp garlic-garlic paste
• 2 tbsp soy sauce.
• 1 tsp cornflour mixed into 1/4 cup water
• 1-2 tbsp soy sauce
• Salt to taste
• Green, leafy coriander for garnish.

Heat some oil in another pan. When hot add the cumin seeds and wait for it to sputter. Then add ginger garlic paste and onion. Cook till the onion becomes translucent. When done add coriander powder , black pepper powder and chilli. Toss around and then add green pepper. Cook till the bell pepper softens. Then add the tofu and stir. Finally add the soy sauce and the cornflour mixed with water. Stir and mix well. Remove from heat and serve garnished with coriander.

Tastes best with rice.

Kumato

Today we went to Safeway and were looking for tomatoes when I saw these interesting looking tomatoes known as Kumatoes. We bought them. It didnt taste very different...maybe a teeny tiny bit sweeter.

I found a lot of interesting things about Kumatoes online so I thought I would share starting with the pictures.

Kumato was developed in Spain. It is a hybrid tomato.  sales started off in Europe and Australia. But I guess now its available in America as well. 

A lot of information is available on its website...But here is a gist..

• Kumato® is grown in Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey and Canada, where the fruits ripen under optimum climatic conditions to ensure the highest fructose level and perfect firmness.
• The expert growers selected follow strict protocols and crop management procedures that respect the environment.
• As a result of rigorous quality controls from the moment they are harvested through to display at the point of sale, only the highest quality fruits are selected.
• All handling, packaging, storage and transport is carried out in temperature controlled hygienic environments, using methods that comply with international health standards for industrial premises (Eurepgap/BRC/IFS)is truly exceptional. Try it and you will experience authentic tomato flavour. Intense and sweet. Welcome to a world of sensations all the year round. Welcome to Kumato®.

One thing about growing Kumatoes is that it seems you cant! 

"Kumato seeds are not available commercially, and the company that produces Kumato, Syngenta, has said they will never make the seeds available to the public".

Did I like the tomato? I dont know..I could make out that it was MAYBE a tiny bit sweeter. Would I buy it again...absolutely. It looks pretty. Would it be a regular thing on my table? Probably not...Aren't our kitchens flooding with genetically modified food already?

Egg, bacon and tomato sandwich

Ok so now that I am officially on the South beach diet, I am looking for low glycemic food options. And on their website they have this egg,bacon and tomato sandwich which I really wanted to try.

As usual though I had to tweak things a bit. The big one being I did not use the oven to make my tomatoes. I did not want to turn on the oven for two tiny bits of tomatoes. Being green and all that. Here is my version of the recipe, which turned out delicious. I think its going to be a big fav in my kitchen.

Ingredients:

• Fat slices of tomatoes. 2 for each person.
• 2 teaspoon fresh chopped coriander (for every 2 tomato slices).
• Mustard. The recipe called for Dijon, but I used regular. About 1 teaspoon (for every 2 tomato slices). Just to coat the top of the tomato.
• 1 slice low fat turkey bacon (for every 2 tomato slices)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• 1 egg.
• The recipe called for white wine vinegar to poach the eggs. It seems that putting in white wine vinegar in the boiling water before you put in your eggs help the eggs stay together. I need to try that one out. Today though I used normal water to poach the eggs.

Method:

• Put in a saucepan of water to boil for the eggs.
• Spray a little oil on a skillet and put in your tomato slices. Medium heat works fine. Since I did not turn the tomatoes over to cook I just had to make sure the heat was high enough to cook the tomato slices thoroughly but not high enough to burn the slice underneath. 
• Once the tomato slices are in sprinkle the chopped coriander on top of it. Also spread about a teaspoon of mustard over the tomato slices. Cover and cook.
• If you have a big enough skillet you can use the same skillet to make your bacon. Else, cook your bacon in another pan and when it is done crumble it and spread over the tomato slices. Cook thoroughly. About 10 minutes in medium heat, covered.
• In the mean time poach your eggs to the desired done-ness.
• Once all are cooked, transfer the tomato slices with the toppings onto a plate. Top off with the poached eggs.

Barbeque Chicken

Last week for the first time in my life I went camping. OK now that this confession is out of the way I can concentrate on the food.

So last week for the first time in my life I went camping. Now Mono INSISTED that he makes this trip all rugged and rough, as are all camping trips are supposed to be, I was having none of that. I carried my toilet paper, my face wash, my lens case and solution, and even my perfume...if I was dying in the wilds I was going out in style. In addition I decided that my last meal would not be crappy. You see I was convinced I was going to die. So ignoring Mono's protests I marinated the chicken I was taking to the camp. I wanted good food. It doesn't always have to be too too rough. Not when you are going out just for a night.

And are we so glad that I insisted. Because you see...this barbeque chicken..was excellent!! Without further ado this is what I did. I got this recipe online and you can go here for the original
We need 3 things:

1. Magic dust
2. Barbecue sauce
3. Chicken thighs.

MAGIC DUST

• 1/2 cup paprika
• 1/4 cup regular salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons mustard powder
• 1/4 cup chile powder
• 1/4 cup ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup  garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons cayenne (or less to taste)

Combine ingredients in a container and mix thoroughly. Use some and keep the rest. Trust me, you will use this dust to make this chicken again and again.

For the chicken, I punched some holes in the chicken and sprinkled the magic dust all over the chicken. I left it on the marinated it in the refrigerator overnight. Though I guess you could use the chicken right-away as well.

BARBECUE SAUCE

This is what I used

• 2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon magic dust (recipe above)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Hot sauce (such as Tabasco) to taste

I put all the ingredients into a saucepan and boiled it. Once it started boiling I turned the heat down to a simmer and cooked it for about 10 minutes until it was think and dark. Once it was done I cooled it and packed it up for my camping trip.

Once we got to the campsite I realized that the grill there would not let us use coal. So I improvised and decided to cook it on fire. One thing I did though was cook it on indirect heat. I didn't want my chicken burnt. I cooked the chicken for about 5 minutes without any sauce. After about 5 minutes I coated the chicken with the sauce and cooked it for about another 20 minutes turning it frequently.

The result was delicious. And the best part? I survived to tell you all about it! Only sad part is I dont have any pictures for it. Well...I know I am making it again. So I am sure I will put it up sometime soon.

Statement of Acheivement

The Indian in me needs to put this out.. ;D

Science of Gastronomy: Desserts

The word dessert comes from a French word 'dessevir', which means 'to clear the table'.

Cakes:
The elasticity of the cake dough is due to formation of gluten fibers. The stronger the fibers the more elastic the dough. Water makes gluten  fibers strong while oil, acid, sugar decrease the strength of gluten thus making the dough less elastic. Salt can make the fibers strong (this is probably why we add a little salt while making the dough in a cake).
Cakes become soft by introducing air bubbles inside the cake. This can be done using leavening agents such as baking powder, baking soda or yeast. Baking powder and baking soda are chemical leavening agents. The differences between the two can be found here. However chemical leavening agent can change the taste and color of the cakes. In this case biological leavening agent like yeasts are used. Yeast requires the right temperature and the correct nutrient like sugar for it to rise. However yeast releases carbon very slowly while the chemical leavening agents produce the air bubbles faster. The dough produced by yeast is more elastic while that produced by chemical agents is less strong. Thus yeast is used for food like bread while chemical agents are used for items like cakes. Yeasts also leave behind a distinct flavor. Butter and eggs add on to the color and the texture of the cakes.

Why do cakes 'sink' in the center?
This is because of variations in temperature.

• temperature too low, or cooking time too short.
• frequent opening of the oven door.
• too much liquid or too little flour. Steam condenses and causes the cake to collapse in the center.
• cooling time too long.

Souffles:

Factors affecting the texture of souffles include

• the type of eggs: old eggs give larger volumes but fresh eggs give more stable foam. eggs from the fridge give firm and good quality foam.
• egg yolk: they are low in water content, so cause the foam to dry out. Also the proteins are too stable to form foam.
• beaters: Multiple tines = better foam. Also if the beater keeps moving around the vessel then the foam will be better.
• ingredients like salt, water, vinegar and sugar. Salt decreases the stability of the foam and will also cause the foam to lose moisture dry out. But may be used for taste. Sugar increases the stability of the egg white foam. However we have to add it at the right time. Too early and a longer time is needed for the foam to form, too late and the foam will be dry. Vinegar makes the foam more stable. 
• incorporation of ions.

Custard:

Protein denaturation is a process that happens when you heat proteins. Denaturation is followed by protein coagulation which leads the food to thicken. This phenomenon is used in making custards etc.

Science of Gastronomy: Baking Soda vs Baking Powder

Baking powder and baking soda are leavening agents. Leavening agents form air bubbles inside cakes and breads thus making them spongy and soft.

Both of them contain sodium bicarbonate. Both of these rely on chemical reactions between acidic and alkaline compounds to produce carbon dioxide to  inflate dough or batter.

Baking soda:

• Contains only alkaline compound.
• When baking powder is added to water it dissolves completely. No bubbles are seen because of absence of acid in plain water.
• Can be added to dough only if the dough or batter contains acid for it to react to. 

Baking powder:

• Has both alkaline and acid compounds. Baking powder = Baking soda + Acid solids.
• When baking powder is added to water it dissolves immediately and tiny bubbles may be seen because of the acid reacting with water.
• Self raising. Does not need an acidic medium for it to work.

Science of Gastronomy: Sauce

• Sauces as an accompaniment provide different taste and texture to the food that we are eating. This in turn provides a new dimension to the food.
• Sauces can be of different viscosity/thickness. Making a good sauce is about achieving perfect texture and flavor.
• TEXTURE: Viscosity can be changed by adjusting the temperature, the type of solute, the size of the molecules in the solute (e.g. simple sugar vs oil) and suspended matter in the sauce (these can be particles, bubbles or oils). Difference between thickeners and suspenders is that thickeners combine with water to form a new substance which is usually translucent (think of a gelatinous starch solution) while suspenders do not form new substances. They are distinct from water and tend to settle down or float up when left alone for a while (think of vegetable particles settling down or oil floating up). Thickening with air as a suspender is in cappuccinos, or whipping creams/eggs. Egg whites can prevent disintegration of air suspenders.
• Corn starch and potato starch can be used as a thickener. Potato starch thickens faster than corn starch but it also disintegrates faster.
• Emulsifiers are things that are lipophilic and hydrophilic. Thus they can be used to mix these 2 together. E.g. using egg yellow to mix water and oil.
• So what makes an ideal sauce: it should be easy to pour out, it should be able to cover food it is poured on and it should not run in the plate. That is it should be less viscous when pouring but should thicken when poured.
• The concept of shear thinning and shear thickening comes into play here.
• FLAVOR: Flavor in sauces can be achieved using salt, alcohol, protein, starch and fat.
• Important to note. Decrease in viscosity leads to an increase in perceived saltiness. So for example, to use less salt (Hypertension Duh!!) increase the thickness of the sauce/soup. Thickness can be increased by adding larger molecules like starch or wheat flour. However, flour tends to bind salt. So for the same food item if we thicken using flour the food will have more salt content.
• Another ingredient to intensify the flavor of sauces is alcohol. Wines, brandy and vodka can be used to flavor sauces. Alcohol needs to be burnt out in the sauces. Just the flavor is used.
• Another ingredient in alcohol is protein which can come from egg yolk, gelatin and yogurt or cheese. Sometimes proteins bind to aroma and make it difficult to release it. Which is to say that the flavor will be diminished but because they release it slowly it may leave behind a slow aftertaste.
• Next ingredient in sauces is fat. Fat affects the creaminess of the sauce. Fat can be cream which is heavy or we can use a thinner form called emulsions. Fat in sauces cause the intensity of flavors to decrease but can make the flavors last longer. Which is to say that instead of very intense flavor for a short time, fat makes the flavor less intense but last for a longer time. Eg vanilla flavor lasts longer in full fat ice-cream. Fat is also used to extract flavors from ingredients like dried shrimp etc.
• Last ingredient in sauces is starch which can be corn starch, potato starch or flour. Lumping is a problem with starch. To avoid this we use cold water or oil to disperse the starch and then add hot water to dissolve it.
• Starch is known to reduce the flavor of the dish by either diluting the sauce or by binding to the flavor molecules thus hampering their release. This is also the reason why thin sauce is more intense for a shorter time while a thick sauce has less intense but the flavor lasts for longer.

The Science of Gastronomy: Steak

For the past 4 weeks I have been on Coursera taking a class on Gastronomy. It has been interesting so far. The class which is taken by Professors from University of Hong Kong talks about the science behind cooking. Its like a professional version of the Alton Brown show.

Anyway for the past 2 weeks they have been talking about cooking the perfect steak. They started off with the anatomy of muscles. Felt like I was in my physiology class. Actin, myosin and the lot.

This week they spoke of choosing the perfect piece of steak. The three different types of steak meat- Prime, Choice and Select differ by the percentage of fat in them. Prime has the highest amount (10-13%) while Select has the lowest (2-4%). Choice has about 4-10%. Distribution of fat (marbling) in Prime is also more even compared to the other 2. More marbling the steak has the better it is.

The part of the animal body where the steak comes from is also important. If a muscle is used continuously like in legs etc, the muscle will have lots of fiber and sheath, so the meat will be tough. That is why the regions called tenderloin, sirloin etc are more preferred. [Note that same applies to other animals as well. Chicken breasts are more tender than thighs or legs]. 

For tough meat Physical or Chemical methods can be used to tenderize it.  Physical methods involve pounding or slicing and carving. Chemical methods involve use of Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), marinating (with some acid, oil and herbs) or using meat tenderizer. These methods either increase the water content of the meat or cause disruption of muscle fibers. Baking soda has been known to be the best tenderizer. However note that baking soda can make food bitter. Thus one has to add a little sugar to neutralize the bitterness.

One more thing. Cutting along the meat fibers will make the meat tougher than cutting across the fibers. This is because cutting across the fibers breaks the fibers and makes the meat softer to chew.

Chocolate Cake for the 1st Anniversary

So, it was our first anniversary yesterday and I decided to bake.

 

This was one of the best cakes I have ever made. So moist and delicious. Yummm...

 

I used Ina Garten's recipe. And this is what I did.

 

Ingredients

 

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups sugar
• A little less than 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt (though the recipe called for koshar salt I used regular salt and it was fine)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (which I made by adding a teaspoon of lemon juice in 1 cup milk)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (though I have decided that I will use butter next time. All cakes should be made of butter. No questions asked).
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
• Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 1 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans.

 

Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. You can sift them together, but I feel that mixing it with a spoon works just fine. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. I used blender at low speed for this. With the blender on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With blender still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out and cool completely.

 

Now you can double the recipe and make 2 cakes and make layers. Or you can slice this cake into half and use that too. Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate. With a knife  spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

 

Enjoy. Yummmm!!!

Chocolate Frosting:

• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cups sugar (I used regular ones...on the hindsight I should have followed the original recipe and used confectioners' sugar)
• 1 cup brewed coffee (again..recipe called for 2 teaspoon of instant coffee; I used brewed coffee. I dont think they are interchangeable but it worked for me).

Melt chocolate. I am a lazy cook. I microwave just about everything. So to melt the chocolate I used the microwave. Put in the chocolate chips for 30 seconds on hi. Check...and then repeat for 15 seconds until the chocolate melts just enough. Only issue with microwave is that the chocolate can burn easily if you over-microwave it. So stick to the 15 second rule.Set aside until cooled to room temperature.

 

Beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Add 2 tablespoon of hot coffee (Or else, sissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water). On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.