Stir-Fried Walnuts with Dried Prickly-Ash Pepper Leaves

My exploration of the Mindfulness Foodways (and, for that matter, my cooking in general), has encountered some obstacles in recent weeks. A variety of issues have prevented me from being able to be in the kitchen. Those same issues have impacted my ability to meditate, as I find myself too exhausted to do much of anything. 

Yet, it is those moments when I need to meditate. I am not a Buddhist and I have had no formal instruction. (Just like I am not a chef and I have had no formal culinary instruction.) My interest in mediation led me to the Plum Village, which is the Buddhist temple and mindfulness center founded by Thich Nhat Hanh. The teachings of Master Thay impressed me insofar as it opened my eyes to all the ways that I could meditate throughout the day: whether it was while walking, while sitting and even while cooking. 

For a while, I would meditate at various points during the day. Events and issues would inevitably begin to overwhelm me and I would lose my focus on mediation. I would go days without meditating, trying to concentrate on the issues that lay before me. That is where I have been over the past few weeks (which explains the lack of posts on this blog). 

Even in the maelstrom of these issues, there have been moments where I have been able to find some peace, which enabled me to try to meditate while cooking. All it takes is a simple recipe, like this one for stir-fried walnuts with dried prickly-ash pepper leaves, which comes from my Buddhist temple cookbook. I could focus on the ingredients, which, at first, seemed out of reach. After all, few households around where I live would have dried prickly ash pepper leaves. (Those are the leaves from the plant that gives us Sichuan peppercorns.) Taking some breaths and centering myself in the present moment, I remembered that I had some curry leaves from my favorite local Sri Lankan market. I also knew I had the other ingredients, such as the  perilla oil and rice syrup, in my pantry.  

This very simple recipe gave me a moment that I needed. I could meditate for a moment as I prepared a dish that was different, and very enjoyable. I just need more of those recipes and moments.  

STIR-FRIED WALNUTS WITH PRICKLY-ASH PEPPER LEAVES

Recipe from Wookwan, Wookwan's Korean Temple Food, at pg. 77

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 300 grams of walnuts, washed and dried
• 10 grams of dried prickly-ash pepper leaves (or substitute)
• 1 tablespoon perilla oil (or untoasted sesame oil)
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 1 tablespoon rice syrup
• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon fine salt

Directions:

1. Stir-fry the walnuts. Heat a pan, add the grapeseed oil and walnuts. Stir-fry well and add salt. Add in the rice syrup and stir. 

2. Add the leaves. Add the prickly-ash pepper leaves and stir. Turn off the heat and add perilla seed oil and sesame seeds. Stir well to mix. Plate and serve immediately. 

ENJOY!

Oysters with Nuoc Cham

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There was a point in time when I was experimenting with all sorts of mignonette sauces, seeking out the best ones to serve alongside raw oysters. The sauces include a Green Sauce, as well as ones made with balsamic vinegar, beer, or champagne. The experimentations continued; but, honestly, none of them stood out as something that I really wanted to make again, and again, and again. 

Recently, I got to thinking about a sauce that I really do love ... nuoc cham. My introduction to this sauce came about from my efforts to learn more about Vietnamese cooking. The sauce caught my attention because of how it balances sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and spicy. In addition, the backbone of nuoc cham is fish sauce, which adds umami to that balance.

Indeed, the history of nuoc cham is inextricably tied to the history of fish sauce. And, that history appears to be subject to some debate. There is quite a bit of literature about the development of fish sauce in the West, whether by the ancient Greeks (who called it garos) or the Ancient Romans (who referred to it as garum). Some of that literature (such as the one I have linked) suggest that fish sauce traveled east to Eastern and Southeastern Asia. However, there are other sources that propose the idea that fish sauce developed independently in Asia, rather than being an import from the West. 

Regardless of where it originated, there is no doubt that fish sauce - and nuoc cham - are very popular in Southeast Asia. Every country's cuisine has some form of the sauce, but it goes by a variety of names, including not only nuoc cham (Vietnam), but also tuk trey (Cambodia), nam pla prik (Thailand), budu (Malaysia), and ngan-pye-ye (Myanmar). 

In any event, my recent use of nuoc cham got me to thinking that it might make a great "mignonette" to be served alongside raw oysters. It is definitely a different taste, but the balance of flavors works well, especially with larger, meatier oysters. For this dish, I used Chincoteague Salts, which come from the Chesapeake Bay. These oysters tend to be more on the briny side. The brininess worked well with the sauce. The other flavors, namely the fish sauce, the chile and lime juice, still balanced the added saltiness from the oysters.  

Needless to say, I may dispense with mignonette sauces altogether and just prepare nuoc cham whenever I have or serve raw oysters. It is that good.

OYSTERS WITH NUOC CHAM

Nuoc Cham recipe from Luke Nguyen, The Food of Vietnam, pg. 358

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 2 dozen oysters, rinsed and shucked
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 red bird's eye chile, thinly sliced 
• 2 tablespoons lime juice

Directions:

1. Heat the liquid ingredients. Put the fish sauce, vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup of water. Place over medium heat, stir well and cook until just before boiling point is reached. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool. 

2. Finish the dish. Just before serving, stir in the garlic, chile and lime juice. Store in a tightly sealed jar in the fridge for up to five days.

ENJOY!

Chicken Tikka

Emperor Babur (born Zahir ud-Din Mohammed) established the Mughal Empire. He marched his armies from Kabul into the northern reaches of the subcontinent.  Babur conquered broad swaths of land, but just not as much as his ancestors, Timur (on his father's side) and Genghis Khan (on his mother's side). 

Yet, as the story goes, this great emperor had a fear of ... chicken. The fear was not necessarily of the bird in its live form, clucking around while pecking for food. Emperor Babur feared dead chickens. More specifically, dead chickens with bones in them. The great emperor was scared that he would choke to death on a chicken bone. That would not be a very good final chapter for an emperor. 

To avoid such an ignoble end, it is said that the emperor ordered his cooks to remove the bones from the chickens when they were prepared. The chicken was still bathed in spice-laden yogurt, threaded to skewers and placed over charcoal. The only change was that there would be no chicken bones to be found. This dish came to be known as Chicken Tikka, which is basically a boneless chicken version of Tandoori chicken. 

This recipe is a very simplified version of what is prepared by chef Vikram Sunderam, the owner and chef of Rasika. In my humble opinion, Rasika is one of the best, if not the best, Indian restaurant in the Washington, D.C. area. Chef Sunderam's original recipe calls for ingredients such as pathar ka phool (a seasoning made from bark) and deghi mirch (a Indian red chile powder). The substitutions contained in this recipe really do make it easy to have this dish as part of a regular course of meals throughout a week. 

Finally, the recipe calls for a Cilantro and Yogurt Sauce as an accompaniment to the chicken. When I clicked the link, I was taken to a Tzatziki recipe, which does not seem very Indian in nature. The link should have taken me to a Raita recipe, such as this one from the Modern Proper.

CHICKEN TIKKA

Recipe from Vikram Sunderam, available at Food & Wine

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
• Kosher salt
• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Cilantro and Yogurt Sauce, for serving

Directions:

1. Prepare the chicken. In a spice grinder, pulse the mustard seeds with the five-spice powder, pepper, turmeric, cayenne, and bay leaf until fine. Transfer the spice powder to a medium bowl. Add the ginger, garlic and yogurt and season with salt. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

2. Grill the Chicken. Light a grill. Remove the chicken from the marinade and brush the pieces with the melted butter. Oil the grate and grill the chicken over high heat, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Serve with the Cilantro and Yogurt Sauce.

• ENJOY!

Vietnamese Grilled Whole Fish

There are a wide variety of fish dishes in Vietnamese cuisine, which is only to be expected given the country has 3,260 kilometers of coastline. There are also several major rivers that run through the country, such as the Song Da, Song Chiang, and, of course, the Mekong River.

One of the most interesting subset of dishes are the whole fish dishes. Setting aside the relatively easy preparation, I find that it is the sauces that one prepares alongside the whole fish to be one of the truly interesting aspects of Vietnamese whole fish dishes. The sauces provide an extra level of flavor that often enhances whatever spices, herbs and citrus are stuffed into the fish. 

Take, for example, chef and author Charles Phan, who has quite a few whole fish recipes out there. My parents gave me his cookbook, Vietnamese Home Cooking, as a gift. I decided to make the whole fish recipe in that cookbook, which is set forth below. The fish was delicious, but it was that dipping sauce that, for me, completed this dish.

The dipping sauce represents what the Vietnamese call "Ngũ Hành" or the five tastes. It is an excellent balance of those tastes, namely, spice, salt, bitter, sour and sweet. The chiles provide the spice; the lime juice offers the bitterness; the fish sauce contributes both the sour and the salt; and, the sugar provides, as you can guess, the sweet. The balance in this dipping sauce led me to dipping every bite-sized morsel of the fish into the sauce. 

VIETNAMESE GRILLED WHOLE FISH

Recipe from Charles Phan, Vietnamese Home Cooking at pg. 181

Serves 2

Ingredients (for the fish):

• 1 (1 1/2 to 2 pound) whole branzino, cleaned with head and tail intact
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 by 1-inch piece of ginger, cut into thin coins
• 2 large Thai basil sprigs
• 2 large cilantro sprigs
• 3 thin lemon slices
• 3 thin lime slices
• 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil

Ingredients (for the dipping sauce):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon minced Thai chile

Directions:

1. Prepare the grill.  Prepare a hot fire for direct heat grilling in a charcoal grill (you should be able to hold your hand 1 to 2 inches above the grate for only 2 to 3 seconds). When the coals are ready, place a cast iron griddle or large cast iron frying pan on the grill grate and let it preheat until very hot.

2. Prepare the fish. While the fire is reaching temperature, rinse the fish in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Season the inside with salt and pepper and then stuff the cavity with the ginger, basil, cilantro and lemon and lime slices. Drizzle the oil on both sides of the fish and set aside. 

3. Make the dipping sauce. To make the sauce, in a small bowl, stir together lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic, and Thai chile until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

4. Grill the fish. When the griddle or pan is very hot, add the fish and cook it without moving for about 6 minutes until the skin is a deep golden brown and no longer sticking to the griddle. To check, gently try to lift the fish; of it does not release easily, continue to cook until it does. 

5. Continue to grill the fish. With a large, wide spatula centered at the middle of the fish, flip the fish and cook on the second side until golden brown. After 1 minute, begin checking to see if the fish is done. Insert a knife into the fish and wiggle it gently; the flesh should be barely clinging to the bone. If you feel resistance, continue cooking, repeating the test until the flesh offers no resistance.

6. Finish the dish. Transfer the fish to a plater and serve immediately. Accompany with the dipping sauce. 

Goan Clam Curry

Some say "Goa is where my heart belongs"; but, for me, the saying needs to be amended to read, "Goa is where my stomach belongs." There is something about the cuisine. Goa may be the smallest state in India, with the fourth smallest population of any Indian state. However, its cuisine punches way above its weight, both figuratively and (due to the abundant use of chiles) literally. It is that punch that appeals so much to my gut.

What drew my attention to this cuisine is perhaps one of the most well known of Goan dishes ... Vindaloo. The fiery curry -- in all of its forms (whether pork, lamb, beef of chicken) -- is one of my favorite dishes. Yet, while Vindaloo may be one of the most popular dishes, there is so much more to Goan cuisine. 

This small Indian state lies along the western coastline of India. Its 103 kilometers of coastline offer not only great beaches (from what I have read), but access to a steady source of seafood. This includes fish such as kingfish, mackerel, sardines and even sharks, as well as shellfish like crabs, prawns, lobsters, squid and mussels.

All of this seafood provides the basis for a range of different dishes. These dishes include, by way of example, Fish Curry (Xitti Kodi), Shark Ambot Tik, Samarachi Kodi, and Crab Xacuti. I would not have come across any of these dishes (at least not yet) if not for the fact that I found a recipe for a Goan clam curry. That recipe got me to look further into Goan cuisine, thereby opening the proverbial book on something that I had overlooked for the longest time. 

Source: Times of India

The summer months are often considered the shellfish months in Goa. The bays of Goa - such as Sancoale and Chicalim - are home to oysters, mussels and clams (known as tisreos) that are harvested by both locals and non-locals alike. The high demand for all of this shellfish has resulted in overfishing and degradation of the habitats. It has threatened the existence of clams in these bays, as more juvenile clams are harvested and their habitat is destroyed by the collection methods. 

The alarm bells have sounded in recent years, which has resulted in some responses to what has become a significant decline in the once abundant shellfish. A modest start involved a local biodiversity board's call for the use of handpicking as the only method to collect clams. This call joins other efforts to regulate the size of harvested clams, quotas on the amount to be harvested, and limiting harvests to locals only. 

All of these efforts are just guidelines, and, they will be effective only as long as people are willing to observe them. This requires people to move beyond the shortsightedness of making money now or enjoying these delicacies in the present, so that they will be around for a long time to come. 

GOAN CLAM CURRY

Recipe adapted from My Heart Beets

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons ghee (or neutral oil)
• 2 large shallots or 4 small ones finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 inch ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder (or more if you want it to be really spicy)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 pounds small clams, littlenecks
• 1 lime wedge, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions:

1.  Clean the clams. If necessary, soak in cold water for 20 minutes with a big pinch of salt. Lift each clam out of the bowl and rinse with water. (If you are using farmed clams, you can probably just rinse them.)

2. Sauté the aromatics. Melt the ghee in a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat, then add shallots, garlic, ginger and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the spices then stir.

3. Cook the clams. Add the coconut milk and bring to a gentle boil. Add clams, cover and cook stirring occasionally until the clams are opened, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard any unopened clams. 

4. Finish the dish. Serve the clams in bowls with the cooking liquid and squeeze lime wedge overtop. Garnish with cilantro. 

ENJOY!

Whole Roasted Fish with Gullah Mopping Sauce

"Fishing is the heart of the Gullah Geechee People."

- Marquetta Goodwine, Chieftess of the Gullah Geechee Nation

It is said that, apart from the cuisine of the indigenous peoples,  Gullah cuisine may be one of the oldest foodways in North America. However, unlike native cuisine, Gullah cooking draws its roots from across the oceans. Those roots can be found in the ingredients used in, and preparation of dishes from across the African continent, from Senegal to Angola and beyond. I explored some of that history as it related to the use of rice in my post about Carolina Crab Rice.

Another important part of that history lies with the impact that  Gullah cuisine has had upon the ingredients and preparation of dishes in North America. For instance, there has been a long tradition of barbecue in Gullah cooking. The Gullah (and Geechee) live along the Atlantic coastline from North Carolina to northern Florida. Thus, the centerpiece of Gullah barbecue revolves around pork, particularly the whole hog. The barbecue is an event, centered around family first and then the pig, with sauce being little more than an afterthought. 

Somewhat ironically, it is the sauce that opened the first door into Gullah barbecue for me. I had spent quite a bit of time trying to find an authentic Gullah (or Geechee) barbecue recipe. My research led me to this recipe, Whole Roasted Fish with Gullah Mopping Sauce. By definition, a mopping sauce is a thin flavored liquid that a pitmaster "mops" over the smoked meat. The purpose of a mopping sauce is to add additional layers of flavor while helping to ensure that the meat remains moist through the smoking process. However, the use of fish seemed out of place (in my humble opinion) for Gullah cuisine, because everything I have read emphasized how pork was the principal protein for barbecue. 

In fact, the use of fish, even in a smoked preparation, is not so out of the ordinary in Gullah cuisine. The Gullah and Geechee have been fishing the local waters of the Carolinas since the 1600s. Indeed, many of the Gullah and Geechee were driven to the marshes, coastal inlets and islands, thereby making fishing an important means of survival. Put differently, fish plays an important role in the diet of the Gullah Geechee. Indeed, it was the primary source of protein in their diet prior to the Civil War. More importantly, as at least one study found, the Gullah Geechee are "motivated to fish by childhood experiences that were frequently interwoven into their daily lives and by a sense of cultural preservation of the role and value fishing and fish consumption carries in this population."   

In the end, it was an interesting insight into a culture that I know very little about. My hope is that this small insight will hopefully serve as the springboard into a deeper exploration of Gullah Geechee culture and cuisine. Only time will tell. 

WHOLE ROASTED FISH WITH GULLAH MOPPING SAUCE

Recipe from the James Beard Foundation

Serves 3

Ingredients (for the fish):

• 3 dressed whole trout (1 1/2 pound each)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 lemons, each sliced into 4 rings
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup of mopping sauce

Ingredients (for the mopping sauce):

• 2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 8-ounce can tomato juice
• 5 1/4-inch-wide paper thin slices of lemon rind (only the yellow rind, not white pith)
• 1 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• Dash of hot sauce

Directions:

1. Prepare the mopping sauce. Whisk the ingredients together in a sauce pot over medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool. Store this mopping sauce refrigerated in a jar for up to six months.

2. Prepare the trout. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Pat the fish dry inside and out with paper towels. Make 3 diagonal cuts through the skin on each side of the fish and place on a rimmed sheet pan. Generously and evenly pour the olive oil over the fish. Season the inside and out with cayenne pepper (or paprika), garlic powder, salt and turmeric. Gently stuff the thyme sprigs and lemon rings into the fish's belly. Scatter the tomatoes in the pan and pour the mopping sauce over the fish. 

3. Roast the fish. Roast the fish for 25 to 30 minutes, basting every 8 to 10 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the fish from teh oven and serve immediately. 

ENJOY!

Dai Carrot Salad

The name "Dai" refers to several groups of the Tai people, including the Tai Lu and Tai Koen. These groups live principally in the southern southwestern regions of China's Yunnan province.  These groups also live in neighboring countries, such as Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. They are one of the many cultures within China that are profiled by cookbook authors Jeremy Alford and Naomi Duguid in their book, Beyond the Great Wall.

Given where they live, it comes as little surprise that the cuisine of the Dai bears some resemblances to the food and dishes of those neighboring countries. Alford/Daguid at 13.  For example, Dai cuisine often features a lot of fresh herbs and vegetables, creating a colorful vibrancy to many of the dishes. Indeed, as one Dai chef - Mi Wei - observed, "without herbs there is no Dai Food." That quote comes from an interesting article on Not Quite Nigella, which explores Dai cuisine further than I can do with this post.

Back to Alford and Duguid, they observe that many Dai recipes are also are known for combining tart and sour tastes with hot and spicy flavors. Thus, there is a significant presence of various chiles, black peppercorns, and Sichuan peppercorns in Dai recipes. This dish - which is a rather simple recipe for a carrot salad - represents that balance. The balance comes from one ingredient: the pickled peppers. I did not have access to store bought pickled chiles, so I pickled my own. (Recipes can be easily obtained with an Internet search engine.) The vinegar and heat from the chiles features prominently in the dish, with the remaining ingredients (the soy sauce, rice vinegar and roasted sesame oil) working to round out the harshness from the pickled chiles. 

I do have a few more Dai recipes lined up in the queue, which will offer additional opportunities to explore this cuisine a little further. The use of chiles has definitely caught my attention, as well as the overlap of the Dai cuisine with the foods of Thailand and Laos.

DAI CARROT SALAD

Recipe from Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, Beyond the Great Wall, at pg. 83

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound large carrots
• About 2 tablespoons pickled red chiles or store bought pickled chiles, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 3 scallions, mashed and sliced into 1/2 inch lengths
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of coriander leaves

Directions:

1. Prepare the carrots. Peel the carrots. Using a cleaver or chef's knife, slice them very thin (1/8 inch thickness if possible) on a 45-degree angle. You should have 3 cups. in a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Toss in the carrot slices and stir to separate them. Cook just until slightly softened and no longer raw, about 3 minutes. Drain.

2. Prepare the salad. Transfer the carrots to a bowl and let cool slightly, then add the chiles and scallion ribbons and toss to mix. 

3. Prepare the dressing. Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Pour over the salad while the carrots are still warm. Stir or toss gently to distribute the dressing, then turn the salad on to a serving plate or into a wide shallow bowl. 

4. Finish the dish. Serve the salad warm or at room temperature. just before serving, sprinkle on the salt and toss gently, then sprinkler on the coriander and toss again.

ENJOY!

Cadillac Mountain Stout

One place that we love to visit is Acadia National Park in Maine. Every part of the park, from Jordan Pond to Sand Beach, from Schoodic Point to Cadillac Mountain is amazing. Like many national parks, Acadia offers a person the ability to surround themselves with some of the most amazing and beautiful scenes that nature has to offer. 

Just as certain as we are to see the various sights of the park when we visit Acadia, we will find our way to Atlantic Brewing. (We are, after all, Savage Boleks.)  Atlantic Brewing has two locations, the original one on Knox Road and a newer tap room in downtown Bar Harbor. I made it to both over the course of our vacation.

Back in 2008, Atlantic Brewing purchased Bar Harbor Brewing and its recipes. Atlantic Brewing continues to make two of Bar Harbor's beers - Thunder Hole Ale and Cadillac Mountain Stout. Needless to say, we had both while we were in Bar Harbor, and, we took home a four pack of the Cadillac Mountain Stout to enjoy back at home. 

The Cadillac Mountain Stout is brewed in the style of a dry Irish Stout. This beer style features a jet black color, with aromatic notes and flavors of coffee or bitter chocolate that come with roasted barley, along with a smoothness that sets this beer apart from other stouts.

The brewers at Atlantic Brewing have checked off most of the key features of a dry Irish Stout with the Cadillac Mountain Stout. The beer pours as black as oil, with a thick foam whose coloration resembles a light chocolate cream. The aromatic elements feature light coffee notes, but tend more toward chocolate. That tendency is also reflected in the taste, as this dry Irish Stout as a sweetness that predominates over any bitter or roasted notes. Overall, this is perhaps one of my favorite beers brewed by Atlantic Brewing.

If you happen to find yourself at Pesamkuk, also known as Mount Desert Island, in Maine, you should make your way to Atlantic Brewing and try the stout or another of the brewery's beers. It is definitely worth the visit. 

ENJOY!

Chile-Hot Bright Green Soybeans with Garlic

This recipe comes from the Bai people, who are one of fifty-five (55) "official" ethnic minorities recognized by the People's Republic of China. There are approximately two million Bais in China, the majority of whom live in the Yunnan province, which is located in the south along the borders with Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. Within the province, the Bai mostly reside in the Dali Autonomous Prefecture, around Lake Er Hai and the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.  

The Bai have a long history, having resided in the Dali region for nearly thirty centuries. The highlights of that history include the Kingdom of Nanzhao (649 C.E. to 902 C.E.) and the Dali Kingdom (937 C.E. to 1253 C.E.). However, an independent Bai kingdom vanished after falling to the Mongols of the Yuan Dynasty. And, to shorten a long story, the region and its people eventually came under the control of the Ming Dynasty and what would become modern day China. 

In addition to their own history, the Bai also have their own culture. They speak their own language, known as Bai, which differs from Mandarin or Cantonese. The majority of Bai practice Mahayana Buddhism, although some practice a form of Buddhism known as Azhaliism, which is more along the lines of Vajrayana Buddhism or Tantric Buddhism. A minority of Bai practice Benzhuism, which is an indigenous folk religion.  

As for their cuisine, the Bai diet features a range of proteins (including pork, beef and fish) and vegetables. This recipe - Chile Hot Bright Green Soybeans with Garlic - is representative of a Bai vegetable dish. I found this recipe in a book called Beyond the Great Wall, which features recipes from China's various ethnic groups.  The authors, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, note that the Bai typically prepare this dish with fresh fava beans. The authors suggest soybeans or edamame as a substitute, because it is more available and because those beans add a bright green color to the dish.

CHILE-HOT BRIGHT GREEN SOYBEANS WITH GARLIC

Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, Beyond the Great Wall, at pg. 103

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (2 cups) fresh or frozen shelled soybeans
• Scant 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced pickled red chiles or store bought pickled chiles, or 5 dried red chiles
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon star anise pieces
• About 1 cup mild chicken broth or pork broth or water
• 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, dissolved in two tablespoons of cold water (optional)

Directions:

1.  Prepare the beans.  Rinse the beans under cold water, drain and set aside.

2. Stir fry the beans. Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and swirl it a little, then add the chiles and garlic and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add the soybeans and the star anise and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add the salt and broth or water and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are very tender, about 7 minutes.  (Fresh and frozen beans take about the same amount of time.)

3. Thicken the broth. Give the cornstarch mixture a stir and add it to the wok. Stir fry for a moment, until the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat and serve immediately. 

ENJOY!

Ceylon Curry of Oysters

This recipe is a reminder that we have the British to blame for what is known as "curry." (I say that half-sarcastically, half-seriously.) The word "curry" is the anglicized version of kari, a word from the Tamil language for "sauce" or "relish for rice." The British used the word "curry" to describe basically every sauce and every relish for rice. They used the word not just for those dishes in India, but also for dishes made in a similar fashion across the British empire. 

The point is that, by lumping everything together as "curry," one takes away the individuality of the underlying dishes and the cuisines from which they originate. A "curry" from the subcontinent (such as from India or Sri Lanka) is different than a curry from Southeast Asia (such as from Thailand or Vietnam). Curries also differ significantly within countries, such as from Uttar Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in India or among the different ethnic minorities of Myanmar. 

Another aspect of westernization is apparent in the recipes themselves, in which the authors substitute more readily available ingredients for those used by the locals. This substitution was done perhaps out of necessity (as some ingredients were not available to western cooks) or a misunderstanding of the ingredients.

All of these thoughts are embodied in this recipe, Ceylon Curry of Oysters. The recipe originated with a person named Darmadasa, who worked at the East India Curry shop, which was located on East 57th Street in New York City. I used the past tense because both Darmadasa and the shop could be found on East 57th Street in the late 1930s, long before the emergence of Whole Foods, BLT Steak, or Mr. Chow. Darmadasa's recipe became public through a newspaper article written by Charlotte Hughes. Ms. Hughes declared that, "everybody in India, apparently, eats curry." She added that, while curries are difficult to make, "American cooks with pioneering spirits can master curry dishes." 

Hughes included some recipes with her article, including this oyster curry. Yet, as some have noted, her recipe had been Westernized, with substitutions of ingredients that would not have been used by Sri Lankan cooks. For instance, Hughes included "green pepper" in her recipe (most likely a reference to the bell pepper). However, the "green pepper" used by Sri Lankan cooks would have been more likely one of the more piquant varieties, such as a serrano pepper or a Thai (bird's eye) chile. She also called for the use of butter (in place of coconut oil), bay leaves (in place of curry leaves or pandan leaves) and "curry powder" (as opposed to identifying the various spices that would be included in making the masala).  

I made the Charlotte Hughes' Westernized version of Darmadasa's recipe. However, I added a few of my own changes to that recipe. The first change is a nod to the recipe's Sri Lankan roots. I substituted "curry powder" with roasted curry powder, which is, as far as I can tell, an ingredient that is unique to Sri Lankan curries. The second change goes to the method by which the oysters are "cooked" in the curry." The original recipe calls for the oysters to be placed in the curry and cooked for 3 to 4 minutes. That will cause the oysters to shrink and, depending upon the size of the oyster, may result in tough, chewy, little nuggets. I decided that I would add the oysters at the very end of the cooking process. By adding the oysters at this time, I rely upon the residual heat in the curry liquid. The oysters will not be completely raw, but they will also not be completely cooked. Such a result is fine given that oyster can be eaten raw.   

CEYLON CURRY OF OYSTERS

Recipe adapted from New York Times Cooking

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
• 4 small shallots, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 serrano chile or Thai chile, seeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon roasted curry powder
• 1 large pinch turmeric
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup coconut milk
• Salt
• 12 oysters, shucked, liquor reserved
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:

1.  Saute the shallots, garlic and chiles. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots, garlic and chiles, and saute until softened and starting to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, turmeric, cinnamon stick, cloves and bay leaf. Cook for 1 minute. 

2. Saute the oysters. Reduce the heat to low and add the coconut milk and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add the oyster and their liquor; simmer until the oysters are just firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Take the pan off heat and add the lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve over rice or on hoppers.