Wednesday, July 13, 2011

*Asian Cuisine*


Asian cuisine styles can be broken down into several regional styles that have roots in the peoples and cultures of those regions. The major types can be roughly defined as East Asian with its origins in Imperial China and now encompassing modern Japan and the Korean peninsula; Southeast Asian which encompasses Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Viet Nam, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines; South Asian derived the states that once made up British IndiaBurma, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan as well as several other countries in this region of the continent;  Central Asian and Middle Eastern.

*Saffron Rice*


Ingredients
  • 1/8 teaspoon powdered saffron
  • 2 cups boiling water, divided
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice, not rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Directions

  1. Steep the saffron in 1/2 cup boiling water.
  2. In a skillet that can be tightly covered, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the rice and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice begins to absorb the butter and becomes opaque, but do not brown the rice.
  3. Quickly pour in the remaining 1 1/2 cups boiling water along with the saffron water. Cover immediately, reduce heat to low, and cook 20 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed. For best results, do not remove the lid while the rice is cooking.               
*Chicken Caesar Spring Rolls*
Spring rolls is an umbrella term used in Western culture to describe disparate varieties of filled, rolled appetizers similar to the Chinese chūn jǔan, from which the term was derived. East and Southeast Asian cuisine foods referred to by the term have different names depending on their country of origin, as well as the type of wrapper, fillings, and cooking techniques used.
They are commonly eaten in certain Asian countries, most notably China, Vietnam, Malaysia,Singapore, Indonesia and Philippines.
Ingredients:
rice paper springroll skins
baby romaine leave
strips of cooked chicken breast
strips of red bell pepper


*Curry Veggie & Chevre Grilled Pizza*
Ingredients
  • Homemade Pizza Crust
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice or white wine vinegar
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Garam Masala or 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon or ground allspice
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon regular salt
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 lb. round red potatoes, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 medium zucchini, cut into thin bite-size strips
  • 1 or 2 fresh jalapeno peppers (see note), seeded and finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garli2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 6 oz. semisoft goat cheese (chevre) or feta cheese, crumbled

2 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro


2 Tbsp. snipped fresh mint
 
In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons water, lemon juice, Garam Masala and salt; set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and onion. Cook and stir 8 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned and just tender. Add zucchini, jalapeno peppers, garlic and ginger. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice mixture. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; cover and keep warm.
For pizza: Remove pizza dough circles from freezer. Discard waxed paper and brush tops with some olive oil.
For a charcoal grill, carefully slide 2 of the pizza dough circles, oiled side down, onto the lightly oiled rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium-hot coals. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes or until dough is puffed in some places and starting to become firm. Carefully turn the crusts with tongs, transferring them from rack to the back of a baking sheet. Working quickly and carefully, brush oil over grilled top of crust.
For each pizza, spoon on 1/4 of the potato mixture. Top with 1/4 of the goat cheese. Transfer the pizzas from the baking sheet to the rack. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes more or until cheese is melted and crust is crisp. Remove pizzas from grill. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium-hot. Place dough circles on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.)
Repeat grilling with remaining 2 dough parts and toppings. Transfer pizzas to a cutting board. Top with cilantro and mint. Serve immediately. Makes four 10- to 12-inch pizzas (6 to 8 servings).
*Asian Chicken Salad*

ingredients

  • 6 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (2 to 2-1/2 lb.)
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (from the Oriental section of the supermarket)
  • 1 6-ounce package rice stick noodles
  • 1 recipe Asian Dressing (see recipe below)
  • 1 6-ounce package baby spinach
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
  • Slivered green onions (optional)

directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Arrange chicken breast halves in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish or a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush tops of chicken breasts with hoisin sauce. Bake, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F). Cool slightly; cover and chill at least 1 hour or until ready to serve (up to 2 days).
  2. Meanwhile, cook rice stick noodles according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cold water. Drain well. Snip cooked rice stick noodles in a few places; transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Close bag. Chill until ready to serve. Prepare and chill Asian Dressing.
  3. To serve, arrange spinach on 6 servings plates. Top spinach with cooked rice stick noodles. Place chilled chicken breasts on rice sticks. Drizzle with Asian Dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions. Makes 6 servings.
  4. Asian Dressing: In a screw-top jar combine 3/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/3 cup salad oil, 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1-1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Cover and shake well; chill until ready to serve (up to 1 week).

*Pumpkin Mochi*
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups mochiko (glutinous rice flour)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Directions
    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
    2. Sift together the mochiko, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl. Mix together the eggs, pumpkin puree, condensed milk, butter, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl. Stir the egg mixture into the mochiko mixture. Pour into the prepared dish.
    3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Allow to cool before serving.
  • *Sushi Rice*
    The common ingredient across all the different kinds of sushi is sushi rice. The variety in sushi arises from the different fillings and toppings, condiments, and their preparation. The same ingredients may be assembled in a traditional or a contemporary way, creating a very different final result.  In spelling sushi its first letter s is replaced with z when a prefix is attached, as in nigirizushi, due to consonant mutation called rendaku in Japanese.

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups sushi or short grain rice
    • 2 cups water, plus extra for rinsing rice
    • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt

    Directions

    Place the rice into a mixing bowl and cover with cool water. Swirl the rice in the water, pour off and repeat 2 to 3 times or until the water is clear.
    Place the rice and 2 cups of water into a medium saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
    Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl and heat in the microwave on high for 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer the rice into a large wooden or glass mixing bowl and add the vinegar mixture. Fold thoroughly to combine and coat each grain of rice with the mixture. Allow to cool to room temperature before using to make sushi or sashimi
    *California Rolls*
    The California roll is a maki-zushi (roll), a kind of sushi roll, usually made inside-out, containing cucumber, crab meat or imitation crab stick, and avocado. In some countries it is made with mango instead of avocado. Sometimes crab salad is substituted for the crab stick, and often the outer layer of rice (in an inside-out roll) is sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds or tobiko.
    The California roll has been influential in sushi's global popularity and in inspiring sushi chefs around the world in creating their non-traditional fusion cuisine.

    Ingredients

    • Juice of 1/2 lemon
    • 1 medium avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces
    • 4 sheets nori
    • 1/2 batch sushi rice, recipe follows
    • 1/3 cup sesame seeds, toasted
    • 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into matchstick-size pieces
    • 4 crabsticks, torn into pieces
    • Pickled ginger, for serving
    • Wasabi, for serving
    • Soy sauce, for serving

    Directions

    Squeeze the lemon juice over the avocado to prevent browning.
    Cover a bamboo rolling mat with plastic wrap. Cut nori sheets in half crosswise. Lay 1 sheet of nori, shiny side down, on the plastic covered mat. Wet your fingers with water and spread about 1/2 cup of the rice evenly onto the nori. Sprinkle the rice with sesame seeds. Turn the sheet of nori over so that the rice side is down. Place 1/8 of the cucumber, avocado and crab sticks in the center of the sheet. Grab the edge of the mat closest to you, keeping the fillings in place with your fingers, and roll it into a tight cylinder, using the mat to shape the cylinder. Pull away the mat and set aside. Cover with a damp cloth. Repeat until all of the rice has been used. Cut each roll into 6 pieces. Serve with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce.
    *Brown Rice & Shrimp Handrolls*
    Ingredients Nori - get the roasted and salted kind Brown Rice - short grain, 1 1/2 cups Shrimp - cooked and peeled (1 pound, extra large) Avocado - very thin slices Cucumber - very thin slices (seeded) Sesame Seeds - black Roe - (small container)Scallions - thinly sliced, lengthwise Rice Vinegar - 1/4 cup (to taste) Mayonnaise - Hellmans Lemon Peel Prepared Seaweed Salad - (available in most sushi supply shops and major supermarkets)Pickled Ginger Soy Sauce Tamari (wheat-free) Make The Rice
    Sushi Recipe For Brown Rice & Shrimp ConesMix 1 1/2 cups of brown rice with 3 cups cold water. Bring to boil and immediately cover and turn to lowest heat setting. Leave for 40-45 minutes. When done, add rice vinegar and stir. Transfer to a colander to cool quickly. Chop shrimp into half inch pieces and add desired amount of mayo. Roll Your ConesThe most important part of Temakizushi, or hand rolls, is to make sure not to overstuff them with rice. We find that 4-6 tablespoons is plenty. Add your shrimp mix and any combination of other ingredients to taste. Season with wasabi, ginger and soya sauce. Some Tips For Making TemakiPlace a half sheet of nori horizontally on your mat and put some rice on the left side of the nori, but make sure to leave a border of nori all around. Next put your ingredients vertically across the middle of the rice. Take a corner of the nori and tuck it into the middle of the nori, about 1/3 of the way down from the top, and continue rolling. You can also wet the nori just a little bit to help it stick together at the bottom of the cone.
    *Cream Cheese & Crab Rolls*
    Ingredients
    • 1 cup uncooked white rice
    • 2 cups water
    • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 sheets nori seaweed sheets
    • 1/4 cucumber, peeled and sliced lengthwise
    • 2 pieces imitation crab legs
    • 1/2 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, sliced
    • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
    Directions
    1. Bring the rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in rice vinegar and salt. Allow to cool completely.
    2. Lay out seaweed sheets. Moisten hands with water, then spread the rice evenly on each sheet, leaving a 1/2 inch gap along one edge, lengthwise. Arrange strips of cucumber, imitation crabmeat, and cream cheese in a straight line along the side opposite of the gap. Roll the sushi from the toppings to the exposed end of the the seaweed sheet.
    3. Using a sharp wet knife, slice each roll into 5 or 6 pieces. Serve with minced ginger on the side.


1 comment:

  1. Great post, I appreciate you and I would like to read your next post. Thanks for sharing this useful information.
    Sushi Roll Recipes
    Sushi Recipes
    Types of Sushi

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