Sushi Styles

The word sushi means vinegar rice or sour-tasting in Japanese. You can buy short-grained "sticky" rice for sushi, then prepare it as you would with any other type of rice. These days people add vinegar, salt, and sugar to the rice to achieve the sour flavor...because it takes too much time for fermentation. A recipe and additional details about preparing sushi rice can be found at  http://sushinow.com/rice.htm.

1. Maki sushi, also known as rolled sushi can be seen  on the left. The outer wrapping is seaweed called Nori. A sheet of Nori is laid on a mat. Then rice and other ingredients such as avocado and fish are placed on one side of the nori. The nori is rolled around the rice and other ingredients, then sliced into bite-sized pieces. Fish roe on the top forms an attactive orange topping.

2. Nigiri sushi, fish pieces on top of a rice bed is shown on the right. Raw fish on its own is called sashimi. Sashimi is made from saltwater fish because they lack some of the parasites of freshwater fish. Many people confuse sashimi with sushi, however sushi always has vinegared rice. The fish in nigiri sushi can be raw, smoked, boiled, or grilled, depending on the type of fish used. 


3. Inari sushi is made by deep-frying tofu in soy sauce, then making a pocket in the tofu and stuffing the pocket with sushi rice mixed with ingredients such as mushrooms or carrots. An example of inari sushi is shown below.

4. Chirashi sushi consists of sushi rice spread on a plate and covered with artfully displayed raw or vinegar-marinated fish, small pieces of cooked vegetables, thin strips of fried egg, and other tasty ingredients. This type of sushi is also called bara sushi and varies widely among the different regions of Japan. Often it only includes vegetables. An example of chirashi sushi is shown below.

Wasabi and pickled ginger are often served with sushi. Most wasabi used in the United States is actually horseradish, Chinese mustard, and food coloring. However, real wasabi comes from the plant Wasabia japonica. 


The grated rhizome contains the famous, hot taste with a lingering sweetness.The Japanese began cultivating wasabi around the tenth century. The plant is quite particular in its needs, therefore difficult to grow. Some growers have established small wasabi operations in far western North America.

The wide variety of sushi developed after the fifteenth century in Japan. In the 1980s it became popularized around the world, and today it provides a glimpse into Japanese culture to millions of people outside of Japan.

Sweet Potatoes: Thanksgiving Necessity!

I love sweet potatoes, and to me Thanksgiving is not complete without them. I found gorgeous sweet potatoes at the store for eighteen cents a pound. I couldn't wait to prepare them.

I found a recipe for them, but I modified it because we were having Duck L'Orange and I wanted the sweet potatoes to enhance that main course.

So I first cooked the sweet potatoes in the microwave until they were soft. I peeled them, then put them in the electronic mixer bowl along with butter, brown sugar, orange marmalade and orange juice.

 I then turned the mixer on until I had a puree. I then put the puree in a casserole dish, sprinkled some ground cloves over it, put a cinnamon stick on top of it, then baked it at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes to warm it up.

It was a great accompaniment to the duck because of the slight orange flavor.

Bun Dae Ki: Filling Small Bellies

A friend was looking at my blog and shared a story with me that I want to share with you. He was a child in Korea during the Korean War. School was cancelled during the war, but when the war was over the children were happy to return to school again.


The only problem was that they didn't have a school building. So classes were held under a tree beside a silk factory. A by-product from the silk factory was the pupae, Bun Dae Ki. Food was scarce at that time, so the children ate Bun Dae Ki each day for their mid-day meal.


Recall from my earlier posting that Bun Dae Ki is a rich protein source. This food helped sustain the children through those difficult times. 


This little boy who ate Bun Dae Ki at school later attended Seoul National University. After graduation and military service, he came to the United States with very little money...but he did have admission into graduate school at Columbia University. The little boy earned a PhD in and became a college professor.


While working as a college professor, he began a consulting business which became quite successful. He has now sold the business and has become financially wealthy. Now he can afford to eat almost anything he wants, but it was food such as the Bun Dae Ki that nurtured him and gave him the opportunity to accomplish so much!


This story makes me feel so thankful for the abundance I have always had because of my luck being born in my middle-class family in the United States. For my friend, although he suffered during those difficult times, perhaps it was surviving adversity that gave him the self-discipline to become so successful. That self-discipline, along with his incredible intellect was the combination that brought him so far from that outdoors classroom. 


Thank you Bun Dae Ki!

Green Tea Vermicelli: Subtle Delight!

I had never heard of green tea vermicelli, but when I discovered it in the grocery store I knew I had to try it. 

I needed a sauce that would enhance the flavor of this unusual vermicelli without being overpowering. I decided to make a simple clam sauce to serve with my new find. For the clam sauce, I used

• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
• 1/2 cup butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine

I sauteed the onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. I drained the mince clams and saved about half of the liquid.

Into the mixture, I then stirred the clams, the clam liquid, butter, salt, pepper, and wine. I simmered the new mixture for 20 minutes. It was ready when the sauce thickened.

While the sauce simmered, I brought some water to a boil for the vermicelli. I added some olive oil and salt to the water, then added the vermicelli and let it cook for about 4 to 5 minutes.

When the vermicelli was ready, I twirled it into a nest as you can see above. Then I put some sauce on top. The meal was quite a success!

The vermicelli is made from wheat flour, green tea powder, spinach powder, and salt. It is produced by a Korean company called Sempio.

I was initially drawn to this vermicelli because I love green tea and drink it often. I wondered how much of a green tea flavor would persist after the vermicelli was cooked, and I found the green tea taste to be pretty delicate. There was also a subtle spinach taste. I am quite familiar with spinach pasta, but the flavor of this vermicelli seemed more understated to me than regular spinach pasta. 

The clam sauce was a good choice to top off the vermicelli because it did not overwhelm the subtle vermicelli taste. The vermicelli was definitely worth a try...and I will soon use it again!

Ginger, Galanga, and Turmeric: Rhizome Relatives

Ahhh...ginger, funny looking rhizome, how you tickle my tastebuds! Asians knew you in prehistoric times, and introduced your dried form to the classical Greeks. Medieval Europeans made gingerbread from you. English tavern-goers of the 19th century used you to flavor their beer and ale. Personally, I know that I will like a food when I see your name as an ingredient!

Ginger comes from the rhizomes of Zingiber officianale. To make the powdered form the starchy tubers, like the one on the right, are cleaned and dried. Sometimes they are bleached or treated with lime, then ground. 

The pungency of members of the ginger family comes from compounds called gingerols, which are chemically related to capsaicin in chillies and piperine in pepper.

Gingerols are easily modified by drying and cooking. Drying converts the gingerols to shogoals which are much more pungent. Therefore, dried ginger is more pungent than fresh ginger.

Cooking converts the gingerols and shogoals into zingerone, which is less pungent and creates a sweet-spicy aroma.

The galangal or galanga is a relative of ginger and is common in the cuisine of Southeast Asia. One of the rhizomes of the galanga, Alpinia galanga, is shown on the left. Harold McGee, in his book On Food and Cooking says that the galanga is "more austere than ginger, pungent and with overtones of eucalyptus, pine, clove, and camphor, but none of ginger's lemony character." I'm not sure that I would describe it as austere, but it seems to have overtones of mustard to my palate. McGee points out that lemongrass is often added with galanga to provide the citrus tones.

Galanga is considered to be a digestive stimulant. Some people in medieval times used the galanga to ward off evil and to increase virility.

Turmeric, Curcuma longa, is another plant in the ginger family with rhizomes that are prized for cooking.Turmeric was probably domesticated in prehistoric India for its deep yellow pigment.

In the modern-day United States, turmeric provides the color for commercially sold mustard.

Turmeric has great antioxidant properties and is used as a natural preservative in India.

Turmeric is usually steamed or boiled in alkaline water and sun-dried. It is then ground and sold, although sometimes the fresh rhizomes, such as those in the picture can be found in specialty markets.

The picture below shows the turmeric and galanga rhizomes together for you to compare their appearance.

More information about these rhizomes can be found at
http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/herbs/turmeric.php,
http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/herbs/ginger.php, and
http://allrecipes.com//HowTo/galangal/Detail.aspx.

Persimmon: Beware the Pucker!

Being a culinary explorer, I like to try anything new that I find in the grocery store. So, when I found gorgeous-looking persimmons I bought some. Some were oval shaped, the Hachiya persimmons and some were flatter, the Fuyu persimmons. I bought some of each. 

I left them on the counter for a few days so they could ripen....but my curiosity was making it hard to wait. I cut the Hachiya persimmon and bit into it. 

Immediately, my mouth began to pucker and felt absolutely parched! My mom was around, and being familiar with persimmons, she began laughing at me!! 

From this experience, I learned that persimmons, especially the Hachiya type, are filled with many tannins that produce an astringent effect. There are several ways to avoid the experience I had, including

1. make sure the persimmon is so ripe that the flesh is jelly-like,
2. expose the persimmon to light for a few days to enhance ripening, and 
3. wrap the persimmon in airtight plastic wrap until soft,
4. place the persimmon in a brown paper bag until soft, and
5. soak the persimmon in alcohol or carbon dioxide, which will make the tannins insoluble.

There is a process called bletting, which is the process of letting certain fruits begin to decay or ferment to make them better to eat. This is sometimes done to persimmons.

The Fuyu type of persimmon has less tannin, so it is not so bitter and astringent when eaten before fully ripe.The important thing about persimmons is to wait until they are fully ripe or over-ripe before eating.

Pork and Winter Squash for an Autumn Evening

 Today I experimented with a pork roast and it turned out really well. I "butterflied" the roast as shown on the right. 


I then made stuffing with the following ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup craisins (craisins are dried cranberries) 
1 egg
sprig of basil
2 tablespoons of butter
1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt
pepper
2 cups of cornbread stuffing (cornbread crumbs in a bag)
1 cup of chicken broth.


I sauteed the onion, bell pepper, and celery in the olive oil. I then added broth and butter. When the onion, bell pepper, and celery were tender, I transferred them to a bowl and added the rest of the ingredients. I mixed them well, then put a layer of the stuffing on one side of the meat as shown on the right.

I folded the meat over the stuffing, placed 4 strips of bacon on top and tied it with cooking twine. I cooked it for an hour and thirty five minutes in a 375 degree oven. For the last thirty five minutes, the squash was in the oven with the meat.

I wanted to bake some squash to accompany the pork roast, and I already had some that I needed to use. I also had some leftover stuffing. I cut the squash in half and scooped out the seeds. I then sprinkled ground nutmeg and cloves, and brown sugar in the squash cavity. I then filled the rest of the squash cavity with stuffing, and placed a small piece of bacon on top.

I put the squash in the oven with the pork roast. The pork roast had already been cooking for one hour, so I added the squash on the rack below the roast and cooked them both at 375 degrees for thirty five minutes. The cooked version is shown on the left.


I used a squash called an eight-ball squash, which looks like a pool ball. It does not have much flesh after I removed the seeds. It seems almost like a mix between a summer and winter squash. I think this recipe would would better with an acorn or butternut squash, since they have more flesh once the seeds are removed.

You can see the final roast on the right. Yours will probably look better than mine because I am a novice in using cooking twine!




This was part of a nice hearty meal for an autumn evening. Here in Texas, it is still warm. Some of the trees are just now beginning to change colors and most of the trees will stay green throughout the winter.

I have been enjoying the delight of seeing large patches of pretty yellow flowers on my way to and from work each day. The wildflowers in Texas seem wilder and and more unruly than the wildflowers I am used to in East. 


Some are on tall stalks that dance with the wind, flaunting their colors to the world. 


Others are scattered among the utilitarian grasses poking their colorful heads above the crowd and smiling on the world. 


One day I had to stop and photograph some of the flowers.

The flowers formed a welcoming brigade as I ventured down a path leading to a creek. 

Lotus Root: Purity from Dirt!

There are few plants that have seized the hearts and souls of people as much as the lotus, Nelumbo nucifera. Sacred to Hindus and Buddhists, it is the national flower of India. 


The lotus flower rises from mud to form a beautiful blossom. The Indians and Chinese are inspired by this and when gain strength to persevere through difficult times by realizing that beautiful gifts can spring from something unpleasant. 


The lotus flower is a symbol of enlightenment, spirituality, fruitfulness, wealth, knowledge, purity of heart and illumination.

People eat many parts of the lotus plant. I used the rhizome portion, which is also called the root, as my first taste of this special plant. I bought fresh rhizomes at the Asian Food Market, and peeled them as you can see on the right.


The holes are air spaces that aid the plant's aquatic lifestyle. I then cut them in slices, which you can see mixed with broccoli, grated ginger, and bell pepper in the picture above. I stir fried the mixture in oyster sauce and added shrimp, then served them over rice. 


The taste of lotus root is mild and slightly sweet and seemed to absorb the taste of the other ingredients.



Mature lotus root can be slightly bitter, so it is good to peel it before eating.


An interesting piece about growing lotus roots commercially in China can be found at http://special.globaltimes.cn/2010-02/506786.html.


The lotus flower has inspired many poets. Chinese poets write about how people should show their best side to the world in the way that the lotus flower looks beautiful above the water, but less attract parts are hidden below the water surface.


Chinese poets also draw analogies between the lotus plant stems and the family. They are similar because the plant's stem is flexible, but quite strong and difficult to break just like family bonds. 


Lotus leaves are interesting because of the lotus effect. Water cannot stay on the leaves because droplets are reformed and roll off the leaf due to tiny structures on the leaf structure. One scientist discovered that even glue, when spread onto a leaf, reforms a droplet then rolls off of the leaf. Microscopic images of this effect can be seen at http://www.gizmag.com/lotus-leaf-secret-revealed/13189/.


Lotus is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and is a good source of thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, copper, and manganese. It is also an excellent source of fiber, vitamin C and potassium. You can read more about the nutritional value of lotus at  http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2478/2#ixzz1525MXTb2.

Radishes: Dependable Sprouts!

Radishes evoke childhood memories of gardening for me. They sprout so easily and within a few weeks you have some food!

Radishes, Raphanus sativa, belong to the cabbage family. Some resources indicate that the origin of radishes was China, but others mention a western Asian origin.The part we eat is the swollen lower stem.

They were known to the Ancient Egyptians, and black radishes appeared on the walls of tombs. The Ancient Greeks and Romans also ate radishes.

A black radish is shown on the right. This evening I compared the taste of a black radish, a daikon, and a watermelon radish. The black radish at first tasted pretty mild, but as I chewed the flesh of the radish it became quite pungent.

An enzyme in the radish and a precursor compound are separated until chewing damages the radish cells and when the enzyme mixes with the precursor compound, and forms a volatile mustard oil. Most of the enzyme is found in the skin, so if you peel the radish, much of the pungency will be gone.

The picture on the left shows the black radish next to the daikon and the watermelon radish. The black radish was the most pungent and was a bit tough when eaten raw. This type of radish is often cooked.

The daikon, the long, white radish seemed fairly mild. It was not as tough as the other two radishes. Daikons are pickled in Korea, to preserve them for the cold winter months. Along with cabbage, daikons are important ingredients of Kimchi, the Korean National Dish.

The green radish is the watermelon radish. It has red flesh inside. The slices on the right show the watermelon radish in the middle, black radish on the right, and daikon on the left.

Radishes have some great nutritional benefits! One cup provides 1/3 of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. It contains compounds that help protect against some cancer, protect the liver, and helps detoxify the body.

Radishes are low in calories and high in fiber, therefore they can be helpful when trying to lose weight.

More information can be found at http://www.livestrong.com/article/17858-nutritional-value-radishes/.

Dragon Fruit: Gift from a Dragon's Breath!

Being the curious soul that I am...I had to try these fruits with the gorgeous color. They are huǒ lóng guǒ 火龍果/火龙果  "fire dragon fruit" or  lóng zhū guǒ "dragon pearl fruit" to you if you are Chinese, thanh long "green dragon" if you are Vietnamese, and pitahaya if you are Mexican. If you are a scientist you probably call them the fruit of Hylocereus undatus.


There is a legend that a dragon was breathing fire, and at the end of the fire, out came dragon fruit. I guess this is how it was given its name. 


They actually grow on cacti which are native to Central America. Our first evidence of them being used as food comes from the Aztecs of the 13th century. 


In the 1830s, some plants, including pitahaya, were loaded onto a ship bound for Canton, China at a Mexican port. Many of the plants died, so they were discarded during a stop-over in Hawaii. The captain noticed that the pitahaya was still alive, so he planted a cutting. Since Hawaii has such a perfect climate for the pitahaya, the plant spread and became one of the most common ornamental plants.


These cacti grow quickly, are easily cultivated, and thrive in moist, tropical climates. The flowers open at night, therefore the main pollinators are bats and moths. 


They are quite commonly grown in Vietnam and Malaysia. They are the largest fruit export of Vietnam.

These fruits have many valuable food qualities. They have many antioxidants and are said to help people lose weight. They also have a lot of vitamin C and dietary fiber.


Some dragon fruits have pink flesh, but the ones I tried have white flesh. The black seeds are throughout the fruit and can be eaten along with the flesh. The only part that is not edible is the tough outer covering. 


Dragon fruits have a mild taste, reminiscent of kiwi fruits. They are now commonly mixed with other flavors in popular drinks. They are excellent when eaten raw.




An interesting fact about Hylocereus is that it is used as a base for grafting other cacti. This produces the colorful cacti that you can buy in many stores in the United States. For further information about this you can read http://plantsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.com/2008/01/unsung-hero-hylocereus-undatus.html.


For further information about the plant in general, go to http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/strawberry_pear_ars.html.

Golden Raspberries

I found these raspberries irresistible when I saw them in the supermarket. I have often eaten red raspberries, but never this golden variety.


These beauties are a bit milder than the red variety, and like all raspberries they are rich in vitamin C, manganese, and dietary fiber. They also contain vitamin A, calcium, and iron.


In my research, I found out that raspberries can even be purple and black. There are many varieties of raspberries with different fruiting times...which is quite helpful for us cooks!


The Indians of the Pacific Northwest call the golden raspberries salmon berries. This could be because they liked to eat them with salmon row. What an interesting combination!


Raspberries are members of the rose family and are related to blackberries. They can be distinguished from each other because raspberries are hollow and blackberries are not.


Raspberries are called aggregate fruits because they are made of many small fruits called drupelets. Each drupelet contains one seed, with flesh around the seed. To learn more about the different kinds of fruits visit this fruit identification outline.



They are thought to have originated in eastern Asia, but are also found wild in the Western Hemisphere. Prehistoric hunters and gatherers probably ate raspberry and spread them with their travels. 


For more information about raspberries, visit the Whole Foods Website. 

Mole: Signature Dish of Mexico

One advantage of living in Texas is that there are many wonderful Mexican restaurants! Polvos is one of my favorites. They advertise their food as interior Mexican cuisine, and they have a fabulous salsa bar. The regular salsas that they offer are:

Tomatillo              Chipotle
Poblana                Mole,
Roja,                    Ranchera,
Carne Guisada     Chile con Queso, and
Ahumada.

The picture shows mole in the front, tomatillo directly behind the mole, and roja on the right. Next to the mole is escabeche or pickled vegetables.

Pollo also offers "exotic salsa" which I have never tasted. They are called Huasteca, Margarita, Cartuja, Veracrusqna, Pipian, and Caliente.
  

I ordered a combination plate, and as you can see, the enchilada is smothered with chocolate-y mole sauce. The soft taco on the right is filled with chicken fajita meat.

Mole is quintessentially Mexican. Its origin is debated.  Some have suggested that it came from the Aztecs in pre-Columbian times, but since chocolate is part of Aztec religious traditions others have doubted this explanation.

Others suggest that it originated with Nuns who were trying to impress someone. Whatever the origin, mole is a work of culinary art! Each family has added their own touches to their mole sauce, so there are many different versions. Some moles have up to 30 ingredients. Many people add multiple types of chiles to mole    to get the exact blend they want.

Traditionally, making mole was time consuming and tedious. Women would gather together to share the work as well as stories to make the work pass by more quickly. I was a wonderful social occasion. Now, you can buy mole in jars and just add some special touches to it, and many modern Mexican women cannot spend an entire day making a sauce. However the tradition of mole persists. The states of Oaxaca and Puebla are especially famous for wonderful moles.

There is a wonderful YouTube video of women making mole that you should watch. It shows Oaxacan women making mole in the traditional way. You can also find out about the history of chocolate. 

Diana Kennedy is a famous writer about Mexican cooking. Her mole recipe contains over 20 different ingredients.

Kamut: "Soul of the Earth"

I mentioned in my last post that I visited the bakery at Whole Foods during lunch today and bought some sweet potato bread. I saw another loaf that is called ancient grain loaf and because of my interest in ancient grains I had to buy one.

It is a lovely, solid little loaf that reminds me of rolly-polly bugs all rolled into a ball. The ingredients include a medley of ancient grains including:
kamut
spelt
quinoa and
amaranth.

It is a hearty, rich bread with walnuts in it.


I have written about all of the ingredients in this bread except kamut. Kamut® is a registered trademark of Kamut International, Ltd., used in marketing this grain.

Some interesting facts about Kamut include

1. It is an ancient relative of modern durum wheat. 
2. It two to three times the size of common wheat with 20–40% more protein, and higher in lipids, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. 
3. It can be readily substituted for common wheat to make recipes more nutritious. 
4. It has a rich, buttery flavor, and is easily digested. 

The Story of Kamut
After World War II a US airman claimed to find a handful of grain in a stone box within a tomb near Dashare, Egypt. Thirty-six kernels of the grain were given to a friend who mailed them to his father, a Montana wheat farmer.

The farmer planted and harvested a small crop and displayed the grain as a novelty at the local fair. The grain kernels were very large and he called it "King Tut's Wheat." But soon the novelty wore off and this ancient grain was all but forgotten.

T. Mack Quinn and his son Bob obtained the one remaining jar of "King Tut's Wheat" in 1977. They were involved in agriculture and plant biology and soon noticed the uniqueness and possible value of the grain.  They spent the next decade propagating the large, humped-backed kernels.

The Quinns found from their research that wheats of this type originated in the region between Egypt and the Tigris-Euphrates valley. They had "Kamut" trademarked as the name of the wheat because it is the ancient Egyptian name for wheat. Egyptologists claim the root meaning of Kamut is "Soul of the Earth."

For more information about Kamut, visit http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1999/v4-182.html.

Sweet Potatoes: American Nourishment for Thousands of Years

Evidence from a Peruvian cave indicates that sweet potatoes have been eaten by people for at least 10,000 years. When Columbus landed in the Caribbean Islands, he found people eating sweet potatoes and he brought them back to Europe.

By the 16th century, the Spanish had spread sweet potatoes to the Philippines and the Portuguese had spread them to southern Asia and Africa.

Around this time cultivation of sweet potatoes became common in the Southern United States. Enslaved Africans working on plantations noticed the similarities between the sweet potatoes and a food they had in Africa called nyami or anyinam. They began calling sweet potatoes yams. The name yam became common, although the yams in Africa are actually from a different plant.

I have always loved sweet potatoes, so at lunch today I was browsing through the whole foods bakery when I found enticing loaves of sweet potato bread. I must admit that I bought a loaf...I didn't bake it myself. I brought the loaf home and everyone loved it. It is slightly sweet because there is some sugar in it, and it has a wonderful texture as you can see in the picture on the right.

There is a great recipe for sweet potato bread at http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/08/bread-baking-sweet-potato-bread.html. I hope to try baking some soon.

Nutritionally, sweet potatoes have a lot to offer.They are rich in vitamins A and C and manganese, copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. They have anti-inflammatory qualities and contain proteins with significant antioxidant effects.


You can find out more about their health effects at http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64.

Tteok: Korean New Year's Treat

Rice cakes hold a beloved position in Korean culture. They are used throughout the year to celebrate many important rites of passage. There are about 200 different kinds and there is even a museum dedicated to them. They have been part of the Korean culture for about 2000 years!

On New Year's Day, white garae tteok are commonly  eaten in tteokguk soup. This white tteok has a lot of positive energy or yang, and helps infuse the New Year with yang.

Red scares away ghosts, goblins, and other scary creatures, so it is used on Dongji which is the winter solstice with the longest night of the year. Rainbow colored rice cakes help celebrate a child's first birthday.

 

I am looking forward to experimenting with making these one day soon. I will let you know how it goes!!

For more information about these wonderful treats, visit:  http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=630938

http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=288590

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2872340

http://koreanfood-koreanet.blogspot.com/2009/10/would-tteok-or-rice-cake-by-any-other.html

Mochi: Japanese New Year's Treat

The rolls on the plate are ginger crackers, and the green items are called mochi. I found them at the Korean Grocery that I visited last night.

The mochi are particularly important in both Korean and Japanese society. They are sticky rice cakes, and these are Green Tea Mochi. They are quite chewy, almost like gummy bear candy in texture. The taste is very nice, slightly sweet with a mild green tea blend.

The mochitsuki is a custom in Japanese and Japanese-American households. It is a gathering, usually directly before Japanese New Year, when friends and families come together to pound the glutinous rice to make the mochi. The first step is washing the rice, then leaving it to soak overnight. Early the next morning the rice is steamed in wooden steaming frames called seiro.

After the rice is steamed, it is dumped into a mortar called an usu.The rice is pounded with a wooden mallet called a kine until resulting mass in smooth and shiny. Between pounds a person quickly sticks his or her hand into the usu to turn the rice mass over. This job must take skill to avoid injury!

Small parts of the mass are pinched off and formed into bun shapes, then set aside to cool. They are then ready to eat.

Ozoni, which is mochi soup, is usually eaten by the Japanese as the first meal of the new year to insure a happy New Year.

More details can be found at http://janmstore.com/mochitsuki.html.

Acorns: Hearty Flour Source

Acorns are all over my back yard, so I was curious about how they had been used as food in the past. Acorn flour is one way to access their nutrients, so I bought some at the Korean Market. I then needed a good recipe, so I found a wonderful Acorn flour Cake recipe at http://honest-food.net/veggie-recipes/acorns-nuts-and-other-wild-starches/acorn-flour-cake/.

This recipe calls for a mixture of wheat flour and acorn flour, and is easy to make! The acorn flour is darker than wheat flour, and the kind I bought was finely ground. There is honey and some sugar in this recipe. I baked them in a cupcake pan with baking cups lining the pan. I did this because the recipe I was using sometimes makes a crumbly cake, so I thought this would make them less messy.

Acorn flour is high in manganese and vitamin B6. It can be used to replace chestnut flour in recipes. Acorns contain toxins, so it is important to remove the toxins during processing. I took the easy route and bought my acorn flour after it had been processed. But acorns can be collected in the wild and processed through grinding then washing and drying.

The picture on the left shows my batter with the acorn and wheat flour mixed. Notice how dark it looks.

Native Americans and many other people around the world have historically used acorn flour. Some of these people baked their acorn flour bread with clay included in the dough. The mineralogy of the acorn bread clays is effective in adsorbing toxins and adding trace minerals to the bread according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The clays were found to reduce the toxicity of acorns by as much as 77%, and to potentially provide 38% of the adult RDA of Calcium. For more information go to http://www.goodhealthnaturally.com/files/Eating%20Clay%20-%20Lessons%20from%20Worldwide%20Cultures.pdf.

The main toxins in acorns are tannic acids, which luckily can be removed by leaching with water, particularly warm water. These toxins can also make dogs sick and could be fatal in high concentrations. Different kinds of acorns carry different concentrations of tannic acids.

Acorns were mentioned as nuts in a Chinese agricultural text in the 6th century. As much as 20% of the diets of some people in Spain and Italy were acorns before 1900. For more information about human consumption of acorns, go to http://www.ecocomposite.org/native/acorns.htm.

The picture shows my muffins immediately out of the oven! I then dusted them with powdered sugar. The taste was quite appealing to me. It was nutty and hearty. These will make nice breakfast muffins.



Koreans eat dotorimuk which is a jelly made from acorn flour (starch). They also use acorns for noodles called dotori guksu. These might be my next projects!


For more information about acorns and acorn flour, go to
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/dining/13acorn.html
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3084/1
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/ask-the-expert/ask-the-expert-poison-control/acorn.html
http://www.aragriculture.org/horticulture/ornamentals/toxic_plants.htm
http://www.caf.wvu.edu/~forage/acorns/acorns.htm.

Bun Dae Ki: Silkworm Snacks

I was in a Korean Market last night and came across a shelf with cans of boiled silkworm pupae. This made me curious, so I bought a can and brought it home. I opened the can and was at first repulsed by what I saw. It is not really a cultural norm in the United States to eat insects...and I guess my initial reaction confirmed my thorough indoctrination into my country's culture.

The scientist in me had to examine them more closely, so I cut one in half, and noticed the developing insect inside the crunchy shell. They were packed in brine, which I discarded...then after taking the picture on the left...I knew it was time to try one. They have a nutty smell with undertones of something I can't find a word to describe.

The nutritional information label indicates that one serving is almost one entire can and has 168 calories. This same serving has 20 grams of protein, so they are nutritious!

I knew I had to be fast, so I popped one in my mouth and bit down on it. A squirt of briny fluid was released in my mouth. The outer covering was crunchy, but the insides were kind of mealy. It almost tasted like some corn tortilla chips I have tasted, but a bit stronger.

I wondered whether these pupae were left over from silk production, so I did some investigating on the Web. I found this photograph demonstrating the relationship

between the cocoon and the pupa. It reminds me of a time when I took a spinning workshop and we were working with silk. During the workshop, we began working with the fibers at different stages in the processing. Our last project was to take the cocoons and process them to get our own fibers for spinning. We soaked the cocoons, and hastily discarded the pupae.

I admire Asian cultures for their efficiency in using all parts of this resources. It makes a lot of sense to me to utilize the pupae, an important protein source that they get in abundance when producing silk for cloth.