BANDREK SPICE DRINK

Bandrek hot beverage

frOm sunda with spices

Sunda lies in the western part of Java island, Indonesia. The Sundanese ethnic have long been drinking Bandrek, a hot beverage rich in herbs and spices to warm up the body in cold weathers. It tastes good too. Now, the bandrek is also served chilled.

ingredients- serves 4

• 1000 ml water
• 200 grams of palm sugar/ unrefined concentrated cane or date juice/  raspadura/ gula jawa
• 120 grams of roasted ginger slices
• 2 cm or1 inch crushed lemon grass
• 5 cm cinnamon stick
• Half a pandan leaf(screwpine/pandanus)- shred a little and knot it up
• 5 grains of cloves
• 1 star anise
• 1 / 4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp instant coffee if you like

the way to boil and brew

Boil water together with all the above except palm sugar.

Once boiled, add palm sugar and simmer for 10 minutes.

I feel it is best to taste and add what is lacking, you may want a little more sugar, or perhaps you prefer extra ginger- continue to taste, simmer and taste until the versatile bandrek seems perfect for your taste buds.

I have reduced the pandan leaf to half piece only-was two pieces, but that’s me, I don’t want it’s fragrant to be too strong, otherwise I feel like I am drinking a dessert..and that is odd and alien to my senses.

Strain and Serve hot.

Add milk if you wish to further tone down the spicy taste but I won’t. I am lactose intolerant. To me it already has a delicious flavor.

NOMA, THE BEST RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD

nOma, COpenhagen, denmark 

voted as 

the best restaurant 

in the world

2010,2011,2012

the principles of

wildculture and
landscape

To my opinion and observations, many excellent achievers generally use  “simple ingredients, present them with great sophistication and eventually resulting in unique and cultured masterpieces.. like every  dish has a “midas touch” somewhere. 

Shrimp with algae, rhubarb and herbs

Watching their video clips, I must say the Noma really prepares food with deep attention and ardent love for nature’s wilderness and beauty. Their culinary art is truly original, sophisticated and shows great respect for what is called “food”.

Noma influences me to respect food, even tho I may not want to eat that particular dish. It makes me dream… and deeper still, it touches my soul. I am far from being a good cook with impressive recipes, but it would be a great consolation if my cv blog can look good instead- like a brightly shining star- ha ha, back to Noma, I love their style.

noma-entrance and Foodlab-staff area (right)

Restaurant guides and reviewers often use stars in “restaurant ratings”. The Michelin system remains the best known star system. A single star denotes "a very good restaurant in its category", two stars "excellent cooking, worth a detour", and three stars, "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey"

René Redzepi, the chef in a class of his own, was named International Chef of the Year 2008.

Noma is a two Michelin star restaurant in Copenhagen, run by co owner, chef René Redzepi. 
The name is a portmanteau of the two Danish words "nordisk" (Nordic) and "mad" (food) and the restaurant is known for its reinvention and interpretation of the Nordic Cuisine. 
above image credit-yahoo.com

The Nordic countries include Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland. Also, associated territories- Greenland, Aland and Faroe islands.

Marrow Plants with salted veggies 

In 2010, 2011 and 2012, Noma was ranked as the Best Restaurant in the World by Restaurant Magazine. 

The cuisine of Noma is Nordic/ Scandinavian with attempts to redefine the Nordic cuisine. 

                                   image credit link here

Famous dishes include René Redzepi’s signature dish 'The Hen and the Egg'… they have video clip on this. Truly, the cuisine of Noma embodies many of the principles of wildculture.

Toast with turbot (flat fish species) and herbs

René Redzepi said their cooking approach is transparent, without pretense, honest and generous- something true and original to each.

“In an effort to shape our way of cooking, we look to our landscape                         
and delve into our ingredients and culture,
hoping to rediscover our history and shape our future.”

Their menu include amongst many, like “Egg yolks and herbs”, “Beets and plums”, “Cream and horseradish”,” Brown crab” etc

White asparagus with egg yolk and a sauce of thyme

Abstract- www.noma.dk  
-Lau Richter on their new website “The weather report”. Link here

“Noma is about achieving gastronomic perfection with a deep respect for the geographical context, that we are situated in. The driver for our menu, our design and now also for our website.

We have strived to create a structure that is simple, relevant and intuitive. This is where we share our everyday journey towards giving you a better experience”.

Spanish chef Elena Arzak 
of new Basque restaurant Arzak,
 has been named the world's 
Best Female Chef 2012, 
by the folks who organize
 the World's 50 Best Restaurants. Link  here

Except for three, all images credit goes to Wikimedia commons.  Link here 

                 still on holiday

                       cucumber sandwich

                  On  hOLiday...

ICE CREAM AND WAFFLES DESSERT. BELGIAN CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

ICE CREAM AND WAFFLES DESSERT
BELGIAN CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

CHOCOLATE WAFFLE

I had a delicious waffle complimented with the best ice cream FROM  Häagen-Dazs 

One scoop of  Häagen-Dazs Belgian Chocolate and one scoop of Chocolate Midnight Cookies, a warm treat of Belgian waffle with Belgian dark chocolate sauce and fresh raspberries. 
Strawberries would be delicious too.
It was such a perfect dessert.

Do check out Elisabeth Wright's  interesting blog post “Udderly All About Milk”  link here

DIETS AND STOMACH CANCER AND METASTISIS

Diets and stomach cancer and metastasis.

Chili peppers hottest variety.

A few of life’s necessities include food, water and shelter. To a bumblebee, it will be nectar from flowers. One equation of life is, the goal of life is life.

Hence the need to keep healthy with a healthy diet for quality life. 
We try our able best to link our food with health.

My nephew’s story about his patient’s dying cancer stage, prompted me to read more on stomach cancer. His patient started with a stomach cancer which then spread to the lungs and kidney via a process called metastasis.

This patient is a habitual user of microwave oven, but sadly, had been using the wrong type of containers to heat up foodies (in microwave oven).

Here are extracts with links provided.

Link  here  and others

Stomach (gastric) cancer 
After Lung cancer, Stomach (gastric) cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide.

A high salt diet is linked with gastric cancer. So are smoked and pickled foods. As well diets low in vitamin C, low in fruits, vegetables and grains. Often due to smoking, obesity, alchohol, age (over 60). It is twice more common in men. Infection with the bacterium  Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the main risk factor in about 80 percent or more of stomach cancers.

Link  here  In anatomy, the stomach is an organ in the gastrointestinal tract used to digest food.

A study group led by Columbia University Medical Center's Timothy Wang, M.D. found that the hormone gastrin, which stimulates secretion of gastric acid, plays a key role in the development of Helicobacter-induced stomach cancer.

More than 50 percent of the world's population is infected with Helicobacter, which causes chronic inflammation of the stomach lining and is strongly linked to the development of gastric ulcers and stomach cancer.

Link  here

Stomach cancer (also called gastric cancer) can develop in any part of the stomach. It may also spread to other organs, through the stomach wall, to nearby lymph nodes and organs such as the liver, pancreas, and the lungs, or to distant organs such as the lymph nodes above the collar bone, the colon, and the ovaries.

Metastasis-

Metastasis is the spread of cancer from its primary site(eg stomach) to other places in the body (secondary sites- eg. brain and liver).

The Primary tumors however, are responsible for only 10% of cancer deaths.

The Secondary tumors are the main causes of death. They developed from metastases of the primary tumor, by spreading via the patient’s bloodstream.

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion- bbq, sauce and puree

Diets recommended to include:

-Capsaicin in chili peppers/ chili and jalapenos- helps prevent stomach cancer

-Flavonoids and catechins are nutrients that give foods a bitter taste, but they also are emerging as potential anticancer agents. In fact, catechins are 100 times more powerful than vitamin C and 25 times more powerful than vitamin E in their antioxidant/growth inhibitor powers.

The best sources are green and black teas, chocolate, grapes, garlic, onions, shallots and leeks.  A single tablespoon of cinnamon has more antioxidants than 8 ounces of broccoli.

 Link  here 

-Beta carotene as in carrots- stomach, lung, colon, bladder, prostate and breast cancers- important not to cook the carrots.

-High in vitamin C foodies- include red and green chili peppers, guavas, dark leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, kiwi fruits, papayas, oranges and strawberries. Eat fresh and unprocessed for maximum health benefits.

Chili pepper plant- TMS, world’s hottest ever grown

photo credit-Times of India

The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is currently the world's hottest Chili pepper cultivar. As of February 2012, research by the New Mexico State University Chile Institute ranked their (golf ball size) fruits from individual plants as high as 2,009,231 SHU on the Scoville scale, making it the hottest chili pepper in the world to date.

Paul Bosland, a renowned chili pepper expert and director of the Chile Institute, said that, "You take a bite. It doesn't seem so bad, and then it builds and it builds and it builds. So it is quite nasty." The chili pepper’s mean heat topped more than 1.2 million units on the Scoville heat scale.

Commercially, the world's hottest available chili pepper

photo credit- wikipedia

However, commercially, the world's hottest available chili pepper is still the “Naga Bhut Jolokia”, with a reported Scoville Heat Unit rating of 1.6 million SHU. 

Also known as ghost pepper/ ghost chili and is 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce.

EVER  FEEL YOU ARE IN THE WRONG PLACE ? ? ?

I wish to share with you an advertisement on one bestseller

Blair's Ultra Death Hot Sauce

EXTREME HEAT LEVEL WARNING - DO NOT CONSUME DIRECTLY - FOOD ADDITIVE ONLY!

One taste and you will know that this Jersey boy was here!! If you have an insatiable need for heat or love to live with excess...Here I come. 
This sauce is the real deal. So shut the "F" up and pour me out!!! Love ya.

All new incredible coffins now bring you Ultra Death!!!  Be warned: this sauce contains ingredients 800 times hotter than a jalapeno chile. Use sparingly. 

Ultra Death should not be consumed without dilution. ... etc etc 

MEAT BALLS AND FRIES IN BROWN SAUCE

MEAT BALLS AND FRIES EXPRESSO

As easy as boiling eggs

In case of unexpected guests coming  for lunch, there is a dire need to fix something quick, yet appetizing  and  may be in large quantities  too, like four to six persons.… For me, definitely I would do a one dish meal.

Fast cooking? 

Yes, fast food…Hey presto! All main ingredients are  from the freezer and seasonings from bottles. Next, all i need is just add some fresh veggies of my choice to enhance color and taste. Choose a vibrant one and put at the side of serving plate.

Forget about health benefits in this expresso dish—especially if you use ready frozen foods bought from the supermarket. These stuff are loaded with preservatives and coloring, whereby regular intake may cause cardiac problems  etc. Don’t feel guilty, at least you have prepared a faster than fast food for your guests lunch!

But on the other hand, you can have fast food, yet they are not junk food, if you make your own meat balls and fries. They can be stored frozen in the fridge for a few months with no preservatives and coloring added.

The way the bottled fruit juices are served is also important

Simple ingredients

Frozen meat balls / seafood balls – do not defrost

Frozen potato fries- do not defrost

Veggies of your choice- raw or poached

Brown sauce- I use HP sauce

Cranberry sauce

Pickles / Relish of your choice

Oil for frying

Simple cooking technique

Use a wok, add in cooking oil for deep fry.  Make sure the oil is really hot before you put in the above.

First, do the French fries, then the meat balls. Once done, put onto kitchen paper tissues  to discard the oil and set aside.

Simple serving

I prefer to use plain white serving plates… The food stands out better.  Arrange the meat balls and fries on each plate. Pour  all over some   brown sauce  and a little cranberry sauce at the side. Put some veggies at the side too.

Pickles/ Relish

-Serve some pickles on a main plate and it’s self service.

Drinks and desserts

-Serve with chilled fruit juices- from the bottles.

-Next, serve Häagen-Dazs ice cream, quick from the freezer.

CRANBERRY SAUCE

BROWN SAUCE

Normally brown or dark orange in color, are made from a varying combination of tomatoes, molasses, dates, tamarind, spices, vinegar, and sometimes raisins or anchovies. The taste is either tart or sweet with a peppery taste similar to Worcestershire sauce. It is similar but not identical to steak sauce.

HP sauce Ingredients::

HP sauce is a condiment .

It has a malt vinegar base blended with fruit and spices. Tomatoes, Malt Vinegar (from Barley), Molasses, Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Spirit Vinegar,  Sugar, Dates, Modified Cornflour, Rye Flour, Salt, Spices, Flavourings, Tamarind.

PICKLES

Pickles are an oriental relish for us. 

Put some pickles on a dish plate, for those who like extra appetizer. I like pickled baby gherkins and sauerkraut (cabbage). My pickled cucumber and radish recipe link here  

ICE CREAM

Häagen-Dazs ice cream

I like their Belgian Chocolate- 

made from soft Belgian chocolate flakes mixed with rich chocolate ice cream- the deepest, darkest and most delicious. 

With 0 artificial ingredients and it’s simply an unadulterated ice cream bliss.

COOKING TECHNIQUES- CREAMING. COOKING TECHNIQUES- PUREE. MAKE A MARMALADE RECIPE

COOKING TECHNIQUES-   CREAMING AND PUREE
HOW TO MAKE  A MARMALADE

CREAMING IN COOKING

CREAMING, in baking, is the technique of blending ingredients — usually granulated sugar — together with a solid fat like shortening or butter. The technique is most often used in making buttercream, cake batter or cookie dough. The dry ingredients are mixed or beaten with the fat until it becomes light and fluffy and increased in volume, due to the incorporation 

images of butter  cream 

PUREE:: and (more rarely) mash are general terms for cooked food, usually vegetables or legumes, that have been ground, pressed, blended, and/or sieved to the consistency of a soft creamy paste or thick liquid. Purées of specific foods are often known by specific names, e.g., mashed potatoes or apple sauce. The term is of French origin, where it meant in Ancient French ,,13th century…wikipedia

Quebebe Photo file from  ana luiza

HOW TO MAKE A MARMALADE 

What is the difference between marmalade and jam?
Marmalade is made from citrus fruits (then sweetened), jam is made from sweet fruits

Take two navel oranges, one lemon , one large  pink grapefruit and wash real clean.

Peel orange skin and slice/ chop skin thinly about 1 inch long. 

For the grapefruit and lemon, cut off  the top and base, use a vegetable peeler to get the skin.

Remove pith, seeds and as much of the side membranes as possible and slice orange flesh thinly.

Put all skin slices and cut flesh in  a pot and add 5 cups of white sugar.. Add water and bring to boil , then simmer slowly about 40-45 minutes or until  mixture thickens. 

It should  stay firm when you nudge it with your finger when tested in a cold spot/ cold plate. If it is a bit runny, boil a few minutes longer. Let cool and  then bottle- ready for use...........

orange and lemon images.

ROASTED CHICKEN WINGETTES RECIPE. POACHED CHICKEN. FRIED CHICKEN WINGS RECIPE

ROASTED CHICKEN WINGS / WINGETTES

POACHED CHICKEN

FRIED CHICKEN WINGS

As we know, the most common poultry in the whole wide world is chicken … and of all parts, I like the wings best as it is least fleshy. I don’t fancy eating chicken unless they are of the organic variety…excuse me... yes, for health reasons.

Dried up overcooked chicken tastes horrible-very much like no taste and flavor.. and eating food which has no taste is like eating paper.

Rather than eat paper or wooden sticks, I rather have my chicken poached first before frying or roasting. Ha ha, extra work, but works very well.

Brining the wings in a salty/sugary/acidic solution makes the meat moist and tender. Especially for whole chicken, poaching in water or any type of liquid:  such as chicken broth etc helps very much to keep chicken meat sofft..  Just add salt and cook.

ROASTED CHICKEN WINGS RECIPE

10 pieces chicken wings – poaching technique-

Use a large pot, fill 1/2 way with water, add a bit of salt, and bring it to a boil and cover with a lid for  30 minutes  for cut chicken (an hour for whole chicken).. The boiling helps to kill any surface bacteria. You may want to keep the water as chicken broth. If so, before boiling the water, add 4 cloves garlic, about 1 inch young ginger slices, and pepper.

Once done, carefully remove wings and strain to dry.  Cool and freeze the broth for later use.

Season chicken wings for half hour with a mixture of-

1 tablespoon  olive oil, and 1 teaspoon each of garlic pepper, fennel seeds powder, onion powder, paprika, lemon and may be only a bit of salt.

 Roast at 350 °F(176.5°C) for 7 minutes on  each side. ( 15 minutes each side for non poach)

Baked chicken is a more common term used for roasted chicken

OR you may deep fry the wingettes for 5 minutes (non poach 9 minutes)

Serve with baked asparagus.
OR serve with poached carrots and cauliflower.

OR  serve with raw cabbage cut chiffanade (paper thin slices)

TIPS:

1-The salt takes out moisture from the meat, until it issaturated in this moisture. The  salted moisture including all seasonings used, will now permeate into  the meat. Once permeated,  the salt  will break down the proteins, so, they don't have a chance to seize up when heated and become tough and rubbery.

 2-When baking chicken make sure  the chicken is very dry before it is put into the oven, so that it bakes rather than steams.

3-Storing- raw chicken maintains its quality longer in the freezer as compared to when having been cooked because moisture is lost during cooking. 

For optimal quality, a maximal storage time in the freezer of 12 months is recommended for uncooked whole chicken, 9 months for uncooked chicken parts, 3 to 4 months for uncooked chicken giblets, and 4 months for cooked chicken.

When freezing do not open vacuum packages. Re wrap again the already vacuum -wrapped chicken. Quality of chicken will be less if air permeates  in.