Clam Pancakes (Fritters)

Sometimes the best-laid plans go awry. I came across a recipe for a traditional Heiltsuk clam fritter recipe (more on the Heiltsuk below). This recipe, as with most fritter recipes, called for a heavy breading that gets deep fried in a lot of oil. The combination of heavy breading and deep frying did not really appeal to me. 

I thought I could make a couple of fairly simple modifications and I would end up with a fritter that did not have a thick breading soaked in oil. The principal change was to pan fry the fritters in less oil. That is where things started to go wrong.

The key to a fritter is to submerge it in oil so that all sides firm up almost immediately. When the same dollop is placed into a pan, it tends to spread as only the bottom part begins to firm. One then ends up with a pancake, as opposed to a fritter. 

To be sure, there are fritters that look like mini-pancakes. However, the picture on this particular clam fritter recipe displayed round, golden balls. Not flat pancakes. 

Alas, I lose points for authenticity. It is a little disappointing for my first chance to learn about the Heiltsuk, a native American people who have inhabited the central coast of what is now British Columbia, Canada, since at least 7,190 B.C.E. The Heiltsuk identify as being form one of five tribal groups: the Seaward Tribe (Wuyalitxv), the Calm Water Tribe (Wuithitxv), the Rosco Inlet Tribe (Wuithitxv), the Yisda People (Yisdaitxv) and the Northern/Downriver Tribe (Xixis). They are bound together by not just language, but something more. It is something that can be found just under the surface.

An ancient clam garden. Source: Univ. of B.C.

That something is the clam, which plays an important role in the culture and diet the Heiltsuk people. For example, the Heiltsuk had a "clam dance," which is a ceremonial dance performed by girls who portray supernatural clams that come to life in order to make fun of the clam diggers who turn up empty. 

While the Heiltsuk did dig for clams, they also maintained clam gardens, which were rock-walled, intertidal terraces built by the indigenous people (like the Heiltsuk) along the Pacific shorelines. These gardens provided a more stable way to manage the shellfish and, in turn, provide food for the people. Indeed, there is at least one study that shows that there is a greater biomass (meaning there are more clams, such as littlenecks, butter clams and cockles) in a clam garden as opposed to an exposed beach. Each clam garden was relatively small. Nevertheless, clam gardens lined the coast much like condos line the southern Florida coastline. After all, in both cases, the real estate has a lot of value.

Since my plans already went awry, I decided that I would prepare a wojape to go with these clam pancakes (fritters). I got the idea from my daughter, who loves to eat her pancakes with wojape. This particular wojape was made from blackberries and raspberries, along with maple syrup (instead of honey). The maple syrup was a nod to the fact that I was trying to make a dish from a first nation in what is currently known as Canada. 

CLAM PANCAKES (FRITTERS)

Recipe from Raven Trust

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 cups cleaned, diced clams
• 1 1/3 cups diluted milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Pepper to taste
• 4 eggs, well beaten.

Directions:

1. Prepare the breading. Sift dry ingredients together. Add beaten eggs to milk.  Pour egg mixture into flour and mix well. Add clams, mix well, then make them into small round balls.

2. Fry the fritters. Drop the balls into hot oil (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Then turn heat down low (250 degrees Fahrenheit) and cook slowly, browning both sides. Let drain on paper towel. 

PEACE.

White Rice with Assorted Mushrooms

Every dish contains a lesson, yet, its teaching can often be overlooked or ignored. As part of my effort to incorporate Buddhist principles into cooking, I decided to make this dish -- White Rice with Assorted Mushrooms -- as part of a meal for New Year's Eve. The lesson that emerged from this dish became apparent, but only after the dish was completed and eaten.

I approached this dish -- and, indeed, the whole meal -- being mindful of the preparation of each ingredient for each dish. I laid out everything on the island in my kitchen. I went dish by dish, ingredient by ingredient, down the island until I had just about everything prepped. The kitchen island was basically one very large mis-en-place. 

To this point, it seemed like I was approaching my cooking with a certain mindfulness, especially with this dish. After all, it comes from the book that serves as my guide, Wookwan's Temple Food. The recipe seemed simple and straightforward - a variety of mushrooms, some dried and some fresh, served with rice. The key to the recipe can be found in the dried mushrooms. The water used to rehydrate the mushrooms is used to prepare the rice, imbuing the white rice with a flavor that is very similar to wild rice. The use of the water from rehydrating rice (or other dried ingredients) is not new to me. I have done it before, but, I was reminded about how much flavor can be added to a dish by using what is in front of you, rather than discarding it down the sink. 

As I continued to prepare and even cook this dish, I had not realized that the lesson was still to come. All of my focus, the entirety of my effort to be present in the moment, seemingly vanished in the final minutes of the cook. I soon became enmeshed in the completion of not just this dish, but the main course and other sides as well. My thoughts about how I would present this dish receded as the urgency of actually plating the dish gripped me. In the end, I fell back upon a traditional way I plate dishes, putting the rice in the center and the mushrooms around the side. It was not what I initially planned to do and it looks nothing like the picture in the cookbook. 

However, I was still mindful. I noted that my rush to plate the dish, and others, did not lead to what I had envisioned for this dish. This recipe could be an entire meal in and of itself. Mushrooms have many important health benefits, including (when eaten regularly) decreasing the risk of cancer, lowering cholesterol, promoting brain health, providing a good source of vitamin D, and helping to ensure a healthy immune system.

The lesson from this recipe is that there comes times when I lose my focus and my mindfulness. Those times occur when multiple things (like different dishes) are competing for my attention. I need to remember that, when my attention is pulled in different directions, I need to keep myself centered on the present moment and what I am trying to accomplish.  

WHITE RICE WITH ASSORTED MUSHROOMS

Recipe from Wookwan's Korean Temple Food, pg. 35

Serves 3-4

Ingredients (for the mushrooms):

• 1 cup short grain rice
• 15 grams dried shiitake mushrooms
• 15 grams dried white wood ear mushrooms
• 50 grams king oyster mushrooms
• 50 grams enoki mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon perilla seed oil
• 2 cups water, for soaking dried mushrooms

Ingredients (for the seasoned soy sauce):

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon perilla seed oil
• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
• 1 Korean green chile pepper, seeded and minced

Directions:

1. Prepare the rice. Wash and rinse the rice. Soak in water for about 1 hour.

2. Prepare the mushrooms. Rehydrate dried shiitake and dried white wood ear mushrooms by soaking them in water. Save the water after soaking the mushrooms. Cut off the stems of the shiitake mushrooms and slice thinly. Cut white wood ear mushrooms into small bite-sized pieces. Slice king oyster mushrooms thinly. Cut the bottom of the enoki mushrooms, and tear it into thin pieces by hand. Tear oyster mushrooms by hand as well. 

3. Continue to prepare the mushrooms. In a mixing bowl, add all of the mushrooms except the enoki mushrooms. Add soy sauce and perilla seed oil. Mix well. 

4. Prepare the rice. In a pot, add rice and water from soaking the mushrooms. Add seasoned mushrooms on top. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low for about 10 minutes. Add enoki mushrooms and cover for 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat. 

5. Finish the dish. Stir rice gently. Serve with seasoned soy sauce on the side. 

This post is part of my project, the Mindfulness Foodways. To check out other posts that are part of this project, please click here.

ENJOY!

Casanel Carmenere

The Romans most likely called it "biturica," but the French called it "Carmenere." It was one of the six noble grapes,  contributing flavors of dark berries and spice to the famous wine blends from Bordeaux. That was until 1867, when phylloxera wiped out most of the Carmenere vines.

After that devastation, Carmenere receded into history, as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec emerged as the predominant Bordeaux grapes for wine-making throughout the region. Carmenere's susceptibility to pests, as well as other difficulties (such as small grape clusters and inconsistent grape production) led winemakers to cultivate and rely upon the other varietals.

Yet, more than ten (10) years before the Carmenere disaster in France, another story began to be told. The story emerged nearly seven thousand (7,000) miles away from the Bordeaux vineyards ... in the valleys of Chile.

Chilean growers had brought Carmenere vines to their country in an effort to produce wines locally. The climate in Chile is well suited for Carmenere vines, which began to thrive. However, despite its resurgence, the Carmenere grapes were mistakenly referred to as Merlot grapes. It was not until the 1990s - more than 140 years later - that experts were able to reveal the grape's true identity. 

Since that time, Carmenere has emerged elsewhere around the world. One such place is within the Middleberg AVA (American Viticultural Area), where Casanel Vineyards & Winery produces an estate Carmenere. (In fact, Casanel is the first vineyard to successfully grow Carmenere on the east coast of the United States.)

My beautiful Angel and I visited the winery a while back, where I had a chance to try the Carmenere. I liked the wine so much that I decided to buy a bottle to take home.  

The Carmenere pours a crimson red or dark raspberry. The aromatic elements are more fruit forward than I expected. People often associate raspberries, plums and other dark fruit with a Carmenere and I think that provides an apt description of this wine's aroma.  I had thought that I would find some earthiness or pepper in the aroma, because one of the quintessential elements of a traditional Carmenere wine is spice or pepper.

That black pepper or green pepper element was not very pronounced in this wine. The more forward elements consisted of the dark fruit, such as those raspberries and plums. This is not a criticism, as some modern day Carmeneres have moved away from sharp peppercorn tastes of the classic wines. While I really liked this wine, I wish that I had experienced some more of the pepper notes, because that is one of the main reasons why I like Carmenere wines so much.

The wine is available from Casanel Vineyards, where it sells for about $55.00 a bottle. 

ENJOY! 

Cranberry Persimmon Chutney

I have never prepared a dish with persimmons ever in my life. That seems like a strange statement to make. Persimmons are found around the world and many cuisines use the fruit in various dishes. I have seen them in grocery stores and simply continued to walk past them. 

So, when my beautiful Angel recently purchased a lot of persimmons, I had absolutely no idea what to make with them. I had to do a lot of research, mostly on the internet, to find recipes that I could make. 

One recipe caught my eye almost immediately. It was for a Cranberry Persimmon Chutney. My love of South Asian foods, from Nepal to Sri Lanka and everywhere in between (which basically includes Bhutan, Bangladesh and India), drew my attention to the word "chutney." The fact that the Thanksgiving holiday had just passed got me to thinking, "I have cranberries." It seemed that everything was coming together for me to make this recipe. 

Chutneys are a very old food, whose history can be traced back centuries on the Indian subcontinent, to at least 500 B.C.E. The historical preparation involved taking uncooked fruits, such as apples or mangoes, and adding an acid base, like vinegar or tamarind juice. These chutneys were meant to be consumed fresh, alongside other dishes. This is a practice that continues today, with generally made with fresh fruit and some spices that, much like sambals or sambols, are served with almost every meal. 

The combination of persimmon and cranberries, along with the use of mustard and cumin, provided a balance of sweet and tart, along with some earthiness. The use of agave syrup heightened the sweetness in the chutney, while the vinegar provided some more balance to the overall dish. After finishing this recipe, I began to think that I should have been buying persimmons rather than just simply passing them up at the grocery store. 

CRANBERRY PERSIMMON CHUTNEY

Recipe from Robin Asbell

Makes about a cup

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup cranberries
• 1 medium persimmon, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup agave syrup
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Put the spices in a small saucepan and dry toast over medium high heat until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often, until thick. 

ENJOY!

A Mindful Journey For the New Year and Beyond

As I recently announced, I am taking my food blog in a slightly different, but exciting direction. I am going to incorporate  mindfulness into the preparation, cooking and eating of everything that I make. The mindfulness that I am drawing upon comes from Buddhist principles. However, I am not a Buddhist; and, as the few who follow this blog know, I definitely don't eat like a Buddhist. 

Still, I am inspired by the words of the Dalai Lama, "do not try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already are." 

That is my path going forward. It is a path guided by Buddhist principles, which I hope will lead me on a journey that will improve my footprint on this planet, as well as improve my own health. The journey involves the incorporation of Buddhist principles (to varying degrees) into everything that I do when it comes to cooking and eating. My destination is a better "whatever I already am."

The starting point on my path to culinary mindfulness begins with the book, Korean Temple Food. The author, Wookwan, is a Buddhist nun and the head of the Mahayeon Temple Food Cultural Center. Wookwan gives an excellent explanation of the principles of Buddhism as they relate to the preparation and eating of temple food. The term "temple food" refers to the everyday good that is prepared by Buddhist monks and nuns for their own consumption, but also for those who visit Buddhist temples. As Wookwan explains (at pg. 13), temple food is religious food, which means that "the entire process of farming, foraging, preparation, cooking, eating and even cleaning, is considered part of the Buddhist practice and meditation." 

Source: Korean Cultural Center

Wookwan further describes (at pg. 14) the three overarching principles that apply to the preparation of temple food: clarity, flexibility and compliance with the Buddha-Dharma. A brief explanation follows given these are going to be my lodestars.

First, clarity itself has multiple levels of meaning. There is the clarity in one's heart: "the one who cooks the food, and the one who consumes the food, must all have sincere and pure hearts and mind to achieve ultimate clarity in food. (Wookwan 14.)  But clarity also incorporates cleanliness, both in terms of ingredients and cooking space.

Second, flexibility "is the ability to create harmony in any given situation and setting" with ingredients and cooking processes. (Wookwan 14.) This flexibility brings balance in the dish. That balance includes its size, textures, and flavors.

Third, compliance with the Buddha-Dharma requires both the cook and the guest to understand that humans and nature are one, just as the mind and body are one. Wookwan further adds, "everything must be done in a righteous way, from obtaining the ingredients to cooking, serving and enjoying the food...." (Wookwan 14.) This requires each ingredient be handled with care and to avoid polluting or harming nature. 

Illustration by Lasha Mutual. (Source.)

Applying these principles would require a dramatic change in what I prepare and eat. Take, for example, the Buddhist principle that each ingredient be treated as a living being. When it comes to actual living beings, that means a largely vegetarian diet. Buddhists believe that every living creature - not just humans - can achieve enlightenment. Thus, meat can only be eaten when the animal is not killed for the sake of consumption. Another example involves what are known as the oh-shin-che  or the "five spicy vegetables." Buddhist cooking restricts the use of those vegetables, which are green onions, garlic, chives, leeks, and onions. The reason is that, when cooked with heat, those vegetables increase one's earthly desires, and, when eaten raw, those vegetables are said to bring anger. (Wookwan 13.) If implemented, these restrictions would result in a massive overhaul of this carnivore's love of Italian and Indian cuisine, both of which utilize a lot of oh-shin-che, as well as a fair amount of meat. 

As I have previously mentioned, dramatic changes are not long-lasting ones. So, the process of change will be gradual. This pace is important because I also want to continue my efforts to learn more about the cuisines from around the world, many of which use meat and onions in their dishes. My hope is to balance those dishes with ones through the incorporation of Buddhist principles (such as in the sourcing of ingredients to ensure that they are more environmentally friendly), as well as others derived from cuisines around the world. The dishes inspired by or incorporating these principles, or just dishes made by Buddhist monks and nuns, can be found at my ongoing project, The Mindfulness Foodways.

All of this is a work in progress. There will be times when it seems like I have gone off course, such as when I post a barbecue recipe. My focus is on the overall journey. I hope that you check back every once in a while to see where I am on that path. Until next time...

 ENJOY!

Around the World in 80 Dishes: Sri Lanka

As a young kid, I was always fascinated with maps, both new and old. I spent a lot of time going from continent to continent,  country to country. I spent a lot of time learning the geography of each country ... their shapes, capitals, major cities, and much more. Whenever I looked at these maps, one teardrop-shaped  island always caught my eye. It has the shape of a little teardrop, falling off the southeastern coast of the Asian subcontinent. I traced the outline of the island, from Jaffna at the tip, down the coast through either Colombo or Trimcomalee, to the bottom at Matara. All of those old maps referred to that little island as "Ceylon."  Go back further, and the island was referred to as "Serendip," short for serendipity. 

Since 1972, the country has been known as Sri Lanka (which translates as "resplendent island") or, officially, the Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka. The country is home to diverse groups, from the majority Sinhalese to a large minority of Tamils, along with Moors, Burghers, Malay, Chinese and indigenous people known as the Vedda. Nearly every major religion -- Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam -- is practiced in Sri Lanka. This multi-ethnic country provides the setting for my latest Around the World in 80 Dishes personal culinary challenge.

This particular challenge has probably been the longest of my Around the World challenges in terms of the recipe planning. That planning began a few years ago. I met one of my best friends for dinner at a pop-up restaurant.  The menu featured a range of Sri Lankan dishes.  We selected a range of dishes from all of the categories on the menu. Every single dish was an amazing experience. 

Since that pop-up dinner, I had a lot of thoughts about what I would prepare if I would be presented with the challenge of making a main course from Sri Lanka as part of my Around the World in 80 Dishes culinary challenge. I started to organize my thoughts, but, then I realized that I needed to learn more about the cuisine itself. This challenge provided me with the best opportunity for that education. It was a challenge that I was more than ready to accept.

One common theme emerged very early in my research is the following: Sri Lankans curry just about anything and everything. As someone who loves everything about the cuisine from the subcontinent, this theme greatly appeals to me. It led me to spend some extra time learning about just what makes this cuisine so special. 

I searched the internet for articles about the ingredients, cooking processes and ingredients, finding some articles that provided a decent background into Sri Lankan cuisine. However, it was a the book Lanka Food that really fueled my research. The book provided an introduction into the cooking processes (such as use of chatty pots over a hearth) and ingredients (with explanations for ingredients that I have never heard of or used before, such as pandan leaves, goraka and Maldive fish chips).  Most importantly, it provided another source of recipes from which I could use as a guide for not only the main course, but also the accompaniments, such as the sambols.

One final note about Sri Lankan cuisine, which ties into something that has really caught my attention in recent months. It is how the cuisine incorporates the five flavors - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. I was first introduced to this concept through Vietnamese cuisine, where it is known as "Ngu Hanh" or "Ngu Vi." I got to learn more about this concept with my introduction to Sichuan cuisine, which actually adds additional flavors, such as "fragrant." As with Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine, Sri Lankan cuisine incorporates this balancing of different flavors, and, it often does so not just in one dish, but by the incorporation of multiple dishes, such as the pairing of a curry with a sambol.

For this challenge, I decided to do more than just the main course. I had too much information in front of me to simply complete the challenge and move on to the next one. I wanted to try to create that balance of flavors through not just one dish, but with a whole meal. So, here it goes....

MAIN COURSE

For the cuisine that curries everything, the most iconic of Sri Lanka's curries revolves around chicken. Sri Lankans refer to it as Kukul Mas. The history of this dish traces it to Colombo, which was the country's historical capital. (The capital, at least for legislative purposes, has moved to Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte.) It is a dish that comes from the island's Sinhalese community. They represent a majority of the Sri Lankan population and their cuisine has been described as one of the most complex of South Asia. While I am still looking for an adequate explanation of that complexity, the one thing that I have learned from this challenge that there is a complexity in terms of how different flavors and textures are added to dishes. 

This chicken curry dish provides an example of another feature of Sri Lankan cuisine: the many variations of dishes. In some respects, there are as many variations of Kukul Mas as there are families and restaurants that prepare the dish. Many of the variations are based on the different spices used to create the curry powder. Other variations surround other ingredients. For example, some recipes for Kukul Mas use tomatoes or tomato puree (a nod to the colonial influences that brought the ingredient to the island). Tomatoes provide the curry with a reddish hue. Others, such as the recipe that I used, dispense with the tomato. These recipes result in a dish of golden chicken, thanks to the turmeric in the curry powders. Despite all of the variations, one common note among recipes is the preference for using a whole chicken, broken down into its constituent parts. This approach ensures that the bones are used and ensures that they provide additional flavor to the dish. In the end, regardless of the recipe used, the end result is a delicious dish that can be found on the tables of many homes in Sri Lanka.

KUKUL MAS CURRY

Recipe from Dish

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (about 3 pounds), cut into pieces (or bone-in, skin on chicken thighs and drumsticks)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cardamom pods, bruised
• 3 dried chiles
• 8-10 curry leaves
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons ground paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 stem lemongrass, bruised
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Prepare the chicken.  Joint the chicken, then cut the breast and thigh in half, leaving the wings and drumsticks whole.

2. Sauté the spices.  Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the cardamom pods, chiles, and curry leaves and fry for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the onion and cook until golden. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the ground spices and stir well to combine. 

3.  Sauté the chicken.  Add the chicken to the pan and stir until it is well coated with the spice mix.  Add half of the coconut milk, the lemongrass and cinnamon, cover and cook over low heat for 40 minutes to 50 minutes.  Stir in the remaining coconut milk, season with salt and cook uncovered for a further 5 minutes to 10 minutes. 

SIDE DISH

Although the Kukul Mas satisfies the challenge, I wanted to prepare an entire Sri Lankan meal.  The author O Tama Carey describes dhal as the "most essential side dish" in her Lanka Food cookbook (at page 183). A dhal is basically a curry that features a dried, split pulse - such as lentils, beans or peas - as the principal ingredient. Given Carey's description, I had to make a dhal to accompany my chicken curry. Dhals can be found across the subcontinent.

In Sri Lanka, dhals are commonly prepared with red lentils. The common ingredient belies a range of variations in dishes, with some dhals being spicier than others, and some dhals being thicker than others. There are also differences in how the dhal is finished, with some adding green leaves (such as curry leaves, which help reinforce flavors), while others get a garnish, such as fried onion, to add texture to the dish.

In my research for this challenge, I spent a lot of time at a local Sri Lankan grocery store called Spice Lanka. (BTW, I strongly recommend this small, family owned business, because they have a good selection of ingredients and the owners and staff are always very friendly.) I also purchased quite a few ingredients from the store, including a bag of red lentils. Those lentils enabled me to make this Sri Lankan dhal. 

DHAL

Recipe from O Tama Carey, Lanka Food, at 186

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 75 grams (2 3/4 ounces) coconut oil
• 5 grams (1/5 ounce) curry leaves
• 550 grams (1 lb, 3 oz.) brown onions, cut into medium dice
• 18 grams (2/3 ounce) finely chopped garlic
• 15 grams (1/2 ounce) finely chopped ginger
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 7 grams (1/4 ounces) black mustard seeds
• 5 grams (1/5 ounce) turmeric powder
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 2-inch pandan leaf
• Bottom 2 inches lemongrass stem, lightly bruised
• 525 grams (1 lb, 3 oz.) red lentils, thoroughly washed
• 450 ml (15 fluid oz) coconut cream

Directions:

1. Saute Ingredients. Melt the coconut oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, add the curry leaves and cook, stirring, for a minute or so until the leaves are fried. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes until the onion has softened. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Add the mustard seeds, turmeric, and cinnamon and cook, stirring, 1-2 minutes until the turmeric begins to catch the bottom of the pan.

2. Cook the lentils. Add the pandan leaf, lemongrass and lentils and give everything a good stir to combine. Pour in the coconut cream and 1 liter (36 fluid ounces or 4 1/4 cups) of water and mix well, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. the dhal is ready when all the lentils have just given away and turned yellow while still retaining a little texture. Re-season with salt and pepper and serve hot. 

CONDIMENT (SAMBOL #1)

"Sambal is a state of mind." While an Indonesian chef, William Wongso, may have uttered those words, the statement is seemingly universal in southern and eastern Asian cuisine. Sambals - or Sambols, as they are referred to in Sri Lanka (the only country that uses an "o" instead of an "a") are a condiment based upon chiles.  As Carey notes in Lanka Food (at pg. 209), sambols play an important role in adding flavors, spices and textures to dishes. 

There are many different sambols in Sri Lankan cuisine. I decided to make two of them for this challenge.  The first one - pol sambol - literally translates into coconut sambol. It is perhaps the most common sambol in Sri Lanka. It also serves as a good representation of the balancing of the five tastes. There is the sweet from the coconut, the umami from the Maldive fish chips, the heat from the chiles and the sour or bitter from the lime juice. 

POL SAMBOL

Recipe from O Tama Carey, Lanka Food, at 214

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

• 300 grams or 10 1/2 ounces of grated coconut
• 100 grams or 3 1/2 ounces finely sliced shallots
• 3 small green chiles, finely chopped
• 20 grams or 3/4 ounce Maldive fish chips
• 5 grams (1/5 ounce) chilli powder
• 3 grams (1/10 ounce) freshly ground black pepper
• 3 grams (1/10 ounce) sweet paprika
• 1-2 limes juiced
• Salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Combine the ingredients. Place all of the ingredients, except the lime juice and salt, in a bowl and firmly mix them together with one hand, using a squeezing and kneading motion. This not only combines the ingredients, but it helps to release the oils from the coconut. Keep going until the texture of the sambol is almost a little sticky.

2. Finish the dish. Season to taste with lime juice and a generous amount of salt, mixing and squeezing again. Serve at room temperature.

CONDIMENT (SAMBOL #2)

For the second sambol, I decided to continue my exploration of new ingredients. This sambol introduced to me the use of dried shrimp. Much like the Maldive Fish Chips, the dried shrimp provided an almost umami flavor to this particular sambol.  

DRIED SHRIMP SAMBOL

Recipe from Asia Society

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried shrimp
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 3 teaspoons chopped red chiles or sambal oelek
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
• 3/4 cup lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare the shrimp and the coconut. Floss prawns in a blender or food processor. Put desiccated coconut in a dry frying pan and toast, stirring constantly, until there is a rich brown color. Immediately turn out onto a plate to cool.

2. Blend the ingredients. Blend the chiles, onion, garlic, lime juice and salt to a smooth puree.  Add the coconut and blend again, adding a little water if necessary to produce a smooth paste.  Add the shrimp floss and blend again, scraping down the sides of the container with a spatula. Serve as a relish with rice and curries. 

*    *    *

This challenge may have taken a really long time to come together, but the end result was perhaps one of the most delicious meals that I have had in a long time. I really liked the Kukul Mas Curry and I will eventually make it again, perhaps adding some of the variations that I came across while researching the dish. As for the sambols, I think I should have them around like bottles of hot sauce. Fortunately, I have enough Maldive fish chips and dried shrimp to make both of the sambols ... again and again!

Until next time ...

ENJOY!    

My 1000th Post! (And Some News)

I published my very first Chef Bolek blog post - Benvenuto - on April 9, 2008. Since that time, I have written 998 more posts for this blog. I had fourteen years to prepare for this moment: my 1,000th post. However, I have to admit that I was not prepared. When I eventually realized that my 1,000th post was approaching, I did not have any ideas about what I would do.  

I sought some ideas from friends on social media and I got some responses. Those responses provided a good starting point. One  suggestion was to make the oldest known recipe. That recipe would most likely be found on the walls of a tomb outside the ancient city of Thebes in Egypt. The tomb belonged to Senet, who was most likely the wife of a vizier named Antefoquer (or Intefiquer). This individual served Pharaoh Amenemhat I, who reigned during the start of the Twelfth Dynasty, which ran from 1991 BCE to 1962 BCE. That dynasty was often considered to be the highest point of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. (It came after the Old Kingdom, whose Pharoahs built the pyramids and before the New Kingdom, which is known for Pharoahs such as Akhenaten, Tutankhamun and Ramses II.)

Source: At the Mummies Ball

The walls of Senet's tomb contain a recipe for bread. At the time, yeast had not been discovered. Therefore, the recipe was more akin to how one would prepare and bake a flatbread. Craftworkers did not chisel that recipe on the tomb walls so much to remind Senet how to make the bread after she passed through the Duat and reached the Field of Reeds. Rather, it was advise those who would be baking the bread for Senet in the afterlife. If I had to venture a guess, Senet probably enjoyed eating this bread while she walked this planet. I tracked down a possible recipe on the Internet. I thought about making the bread for my 1000th post. In the end, I decided against it. I wanted to do more with this post than just a recipe. 

Other friends provided suggestions. One friend suggested preparing a dish from the cuisine of El Salvador. I looked at dishes like Lomo Rellano and Coctel de Conchas, as well as tamales and pupusa recipes. However, some of these dishes could find their way into Around the World in 80 Dishes challenge. Another suggestion was to bring back my favorite classic of all time. The problem I had with this suggestion is that there are quite a few classics and I could not settle on one.  And, again, I wanted to do more than just make a recipe. 

The ATW Challenge for Bhutan

The question returned to what did I want to do. The answer to that question lies with what I have done. It is a journey that reveals how much my hobby of cooking has evolved over time. I began this blog with my love for Italian cuisine. A trip that I took to Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany sparked that love for cooking and eating Italian food. Many of early blog posts featured my Italian cooking. Early on, one of my best friends presented me with a challenge: go beyond Italy and prepare dishes from other parts of the world. I accepted the challenge in two ways. At first, I started my Around the World in 80 Dishes challenge (the first post - Ethiopia - came on September 22, 2010). I tried to study the cuisine, culture and country for each challenge, which gave rise to my desire to learn more about what I prepared and ate. However, I then expanded my everyday cooking to include dishes from around the world.  

As I continued to explore dishes and cuisines from around the globe, I went beyond just learning about the ingredients and cooking processes. I strived to learn about the people themselves, and, to the best of my ability, gain an understanding of their perspective. The blog helped me grow as a person by recognizing the privilege that I have, and acknowledging the struggles of others to obtain the same dignity, respect and, in many cases, justice that has eluded them for years and even generations. 

Beyond Borders - Palestine

This evolution is reflected in my blog. I moved beyond my Around the World in 80 Dishes challenge to start a series called Beyond Borders. This effort catalogues my efforts to learn more about those who often go unnoticed and whose plight does not make the headlines of mainstream news outlets. I have used my hobby to learn more about peoples such as the Chagossians, Kashmiri, Rohingya, Palestinians, Ojibwe, Tibetans and others. I learned not just about their cuisines, but also their struggles and fight for human rights, justice, and dignity. 

I have to say that I am proud of this growth; and, I plan on continuing these endeavors (as well as the other projects that I have done over the past fourteen years). However, I feel that I need to take another step, another evolution. 

To that end, I have some news:

I am changing the ways I cook and eat. I will be weaving Buddhist principles into my cooking. I plan on becoming more mindful of what I prepare and how I prepare it. This will, in turn, make me more mindful about what I eat. 

The incorporation of Buddhist principles into my cooking is actually a logical step for me. For years, I have been learning (mostly self-taught) and practicing Buddhist meditation. I started studying Theravada Buddhism (which is practiced in southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Laos and Cambodia) but I have migrated toward Mahayana Buddhism (which is practiced in China, South Korea, Vietnam and Japan.) I began learning about Buddhism and meditation to deal with the anxiety and stress from my work. It has worked well to help bring balance in my life. I try to use what I have learned in the way suggested by the Dalai Lama: 

"Do not try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already are." 

Those words will serve as a guide on this new culinary path. The goal is not to become a Buddhist or even eat like a Buddhist. In other words, I am not going to become a vegetarian, let alone a vegan. Nevertheless, I will incorporate Buddhist principles to evolve my cooking experience. I want to bring a mindfulness to the ingredients, the processes and the final dishes. The end result, if I am successful, will be a diet that will gradually incorporate more vegetables and less meat. A diet that will be better for the environment and, of course, my own health.

My new path begins with a book about Buddhist temple food. The book was written by Wookwan, a Buddhist nun who is the head of the Mahayeon Temple Food Cultural Center. Wookwan provides an excellent description of the relationship between Buddhism, cooking and diet. 

The book is only the starting point. I also plan to build on what I have already been doing with my blog to help me along this path. I am going to use what I have learned about various cuisines and cultures to build a more mindful diet. For example, I can draw upon what I have learned about rice dishes from sub-Saharan Africa (from Senegal to Nigeria) or curry dishes from across Asia (from China to Sri Lanka and from Pakistan to Vietnam). I can used what I have learned about indigenous cuisine and their approach to nature, including my exploration of Native American and Pacific Islander cuisines.

In sum, the goal is to become more mindful about what I cook and what I eat. The process is going to be gradual (so don't be surprised if there still seems to be a lot of posts about meat - I have to clear out a backlog of posts). The reason is simple: dramatic changes rarely last, gradual ones can be built upon over time. I will chronicle my journey on this blog, starting with my blog project, The Mindfulness Foodways.  My hope is that, as with my prior evolutions, this journey will also make its way into my everyday posts. 

Finally, I want to thank everyone who has read my blog, commented, and/or reacted on social media. The input and reactions from family and friends is very important and helpful. I am looking forward to the next 1,000 posts (and, hopefully, it won't take another fourteen years for that to happen). Until next time ...

ENJOY!

Yakitori Hatsu

This post is the final installment of the three-part, Yakitori-themed Kebab-apalooza. The prior two installments focused upon Yakitori Negima (chicken thigh kebabs) and Yakitori Sunagimo (chicken gizzard kebabs). Now, I take an additional step into the world of chicken offal with Yakitori Hatsu. Skewers of chicken hearts.

I am no stranger to preparing heart. To date, I have prepared Grilled Beef Heart with a Herbed Vinaigrette, Cuore di Agnello al Chianti (Lamb Heart Braised in Chianti), and Khalyat Alkadba Wal Galoob (Fried Heart and Liver). (That last one was the Around the World in 80 Dishes challenge to prepare a main course from Libya.)

Some say that the Yakitori Hatsu is as popular as Yakitori Negima. And, as with the latter type of skewers, Yakitori Hatsu is prepared with, as well as served with, a tare. That is a sauce made with soy sauce, mirin and sake. The tare provides a slightly sweet, yet salty complement to the earthy, mineral flavors of the chicken hearts. 

One practical note: I purchased a two pound package of chicken hearts from a local Korean grocery store. (It was the smallest package I could find.) Given the number of hearts that came in the package, I decided to thread the hearts horizontally onto the skewers, which increased the number of hearts that I could have on each kebab. I think the more traditional way of doing it would be to thread the hearts vertically. 

In the end, this recipe represents a strong finish for this three-part series, which was the first to focus upon the kebabs of one particular cuisine (as opposed to three separate kebabs from three different cuisines). This little journey has gotten me thinking about what other cuisines. Perhaps that will be the subject of the next Kebab-apalooza. 

YAKITORI HATSU

Recipe from Ang Sarap

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 20 chicken hearts
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 3 tablespoons mirin
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon corn starch

Directions:

1. Prepare the sauce. In a sauce pan mix together sugar, sake, mirin, soy sauce, ginger paste and corn starch. Mix well until free of lumps and then place on the stove top, using high heat boil the mixture and simmer for a minute. 

2. Grill the chicken hearts. Season the chicken hearts with salt and pepper, then place on skewers. Grill the chicken heart while brushing with the soy sauce mixture occasionally.  Remove from the grill and then serve immediately. 

ENJOY!

Quercioli Reggiano Lambrusco

Lambrusco is a wine with a difficult past. At one point in time, there were many Lambrusco wines available, and, many of them were bad. One could purchase a bottle or jug of the frizzy wine and drown themselves in a miserable experience. Those wines had jaded me to rule out all Lambrusco wines. Until I went to the beginning ... Emilia Romagna.

Lambrusco grapes were first cultivated in that region and its history goes all the way back to when the Etruscans and Romans ruled the land. Over the years, decades and centuries, more than sixty (60) different versions of the Lambrusco grape have been cultivated. Today, just six (6) of those varietals are commonly used: Salamino, Grasparossa, Montericco, Maestri, Marani and Sorbara. There are also currently six Appellation of Origin for the wine, mostly around the cities of Mantua and Parma. 

I recently came across a wine from the Reggiano Lambrusco D.O.C. called Quercioli. Reggiano wines are the most common Lambrusco wines, coming from vineyards that line the Po River. This particular wine was on the dry side, which is how I prefer Lambrusco. (Sweet wines can stay in the bottle as far as I am concerned.) 

As this Lambrusco pours, the wonderful sound of the effervescence provides an audio track for the bubbles. Those bubbles give way to a cranberry red wine, along the cranberry tones tend to be more along the darker lines of the fruit. 

The aromatic and taste elements track what I have grown to expect from a D.O.C.  Lambrusco. There are a good amount of berry flavors in the aroma, tending toward raspberries, cherries and even a little of the sweetness from strawberries. Those berry elements carry over to the taste, with raspberries and strawberries making their presence known. The dryness that comes with a good Lambrusco is also present, with the effervescence almost feeling like a palate cleanser. 

While I have had better Lambrusco wines (anything from Cleto Chiarli ranks at the top), this wine from Quercioli is definitely worth the price and is very good. It is one that I would surely purchase again if I had the chance. Until next time ...

ENJOY!

Yakitori Sunagimo

For those few who follow this blog, you may have seen the post about Yakitori Negima. The skewers of bite-sized chicken thigh and scallions, brushed with a tare of soy sauce, mirin, and sake, are some of the best skewers or kebabs that I have had. Yakitori is the essence of simplicity and perfection.

Yet, yakitori is not just one type of chicken skewer. Japanese cuisine features more than a dozen different types of yakitori.  Each skewer features a different part of the bird. For example, there is torikawa, which are skewers of crispy chicken skin. There is also kimo, which are skewers of chicken livers. And, there are the tsukune, which are little balls of ground chicken, egg and spices. 

With a wide array of possibilities, I decided to go down a path of vintage Andrew Zimmern. The Zimmern of Bizarre Foods. Rather than have the more common varieties of yakitori, such as the ones I mentioned above, I went for the less common and more out of the ordinary. My starting point is sunagimo, which are skewers of chicken gizzards. 

To be sure, I have eaten gizzards before. Whenever I purchase a whole chicken, I usually use the gizzards, along with the neck, to make a quick broth or stock. Yet, one gizzard does not make a skewer. Fortunately, the local Asian grocery store sells gizzards ... by the pound or three.  

The recipe that I used for sunagimo offered a opportunity to learn more about the different types of seasoning used to make yakitori. One seasoning involves the use of a tare sauce, which, as I noted above, is a combination of soy sauce, mirin and sake that is used as a basting liquid during grilling and served on the side. This sunagimo recipe uses only a sprinkling of salt, a preparation known as yakitori shio. 

So there you have it: namely, the two basic flavor styles of yakitori: tare and shio. You also have a glimpse into the fact that yakitori is not just grilled chicken thighs. It includes other grilled parts of the bird. The only question that remains, is, apart from what I mentioned above, what other parts can be used to make these skewers.

YAKITORI SUNAGIMO

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds of chicken gizzards
• Salt
• Skewers

Directions:

1. Prepare the skewers. Soak the skewers for 30 minutes. Remove the skewers from the water. Thread the gizzards on the skewers, leaving room to be able to turn the skewers. Salt the skewers generously. 

2. Grill the skewers. Heat a grill to high heat. Add the skewers and turn every couple of minutes until the gizzards are cooked through.

ENJOY!