Mix n' Match Guacamole

          Guacamole is one of those things that is super easy to make and yet, somehow, people often go for pre-made guacamole with all its additives; a lot of guacamole on the market has soy product and other totally inauthentic ingredients in it. Once you learn how to make it fresh, you won't want to ever go back to anything else. Also, making it yourself presents an opportunity for you to personalize it to your own palate. Below I listed different ingredients that go well in guacamole, I don't think you should use all of them at once, that would be inadvisable, but try to pick a few from each category and see what you like.

        Core Ingredients:    Spice Choices:    Vegetable Choices:

           -Avocados                    -Garlic                    -Tomatoes

           -Limes              +         -Cumin         +        -Red Pepper

           -Cilantro                      -Chipotle                 -Onion

           -Sea Salt                      -Cayenne                -Jalepeno

                                             -Black Pepper

        Equipment Needed:

           -Knife + Cutting Board

           -Mixing Bowl

           -Whisk or Potato Masher

Preparation/Cook Time: 5-10 Minutes

Proportion: 1 Avocado to 1/2 Lime = 1 Small Bowl

Difficulty Rank: Easy Peasy


          When choosing avocados at the store, you need to pick carefully; if you want to make guacamole today, then buy avocados that are a little bit soft. If you buy avocados that are hard, then you will have to give them 3 days or so to ripen (don't refrigerate in this case). When picking limes, also squeeze them, the ones that are softer have more juice. As for the vegetables I used a white onion because they are good raw, but you could quickly stir-fry the onions for more flavor. Red pepper tends to freshen the guacamole and tomatoes primary add texture; if you want to spice it up you can add some jalapeno or choose any mix of the spices I listed above. There are many variations you can make so just have fun and match up different ingredients.

In-a-nutshell Directions:

1. Cut up avocado.

2. Squeeze lime juice in bowl, add avocado and mash together.

3. Chop up cilantro and any other veggies desired and mix in.

4. Add any spicing desired and mix in.

5. Taste test and adjust if needed.

Detailed Directions:

1. Cut up the avocado. The best way to go about this is to cut the knife around the middle like in the photo. Then you can cut the halves into quarters. Doing this allows you to peel the skin off easily, rather than trying to scoop the avocado out with a spoon.

2. Put the avocado wedges into the mixing bowl and squeeze 1/2 lime for every avocado you used. Now mix it together with the potato masher or use a whisk to mash the avocado. Don't over mash it since you want it to have chunks rather than be a paste.

3. Chop up the cilantro and any other vegetables that you want to have in the guacamole and mix together.

4. Add salt and any spices that you want to flavor the guacamole with and mix together.

5. Taste test the mix to see if you like it, if not adjust the flavors. It is always better to add less lime juice and salt because you can always add more if there isn't enough. Then you are done!

Sichuan Eggplant (Yu Xiang Qie Zhi)

          This dish is called "fish flavored eggplant" in Chinese. There is nothing fishy about it, so don't be put off by the translation; it got the name because fish is cooked with the same kinds of flavors. This dish is from the Sichuan region of China, which is in the south west part of the country; Sichuan food generally is spicy, salty and pungent, as the Chinese would put it. This is what "authentic" Chinese tastes like; it is not dripping in grease and sugar, instead it has pleasantly strong mixture of ingredients that keeps you interested with the complexity of the flavor. Also, this dish, like all Asian food, sits lightly in your stomach; after eating it you will feel pleasantly full, rather than weighed down by the meal. It took me two tries to get this dish down, the first time I messed up the technique and the flavors were weak; the second time, my mom lectured me through my "obvious" mistakes, and I did great!

                   Ingredients:                            Equipment Needed: 
                  -8 or 9 Chinese Eggplants           -Knife+Cutting Board
                  -1.5 inch Chunk of Ginger           -Pot
                  -5 Garlic Cloves                         -Slotted Spoon (for deep frying)
                  -4 Scallion Sprigs                       -Wok or Large Pan
                                                                -Spatula
                  -1/2 pound Pork                        -3 Mixing Bowls

                  -Soy Sauce
                  -Cooking Wine
                  -White Vinegar
                  -Chili Bean Paste
                  -Bouillon or Salt
                  -Little Sugar
                  -Cornstarch

Preparation/Cook Time: 1 Hour
Serves: 6-8
Difficulty Rank: Takes a Little Work

          While this recipe isn't complicated, it does hinge of a few key cooking techniques. It is extremely important that you follow these steps in the right order, otherwise the dish will come out poorly. The 3 most important parts are the flash frying, the proper stir-frying technique and the flavoring. Don't worry though, I'll make sure I explain it thoroughly in the recipe! The slotted spoon I talk about above, is any type of utensil that you can use to lift the eggplant chunks out of the deep-frying oil while having the oil drain through the utensil. As for flavoring the dish, I don't know the exact measurements for the soy sauce, vinegar and such, so I will try to give approximations; make sure to taste test the flavors to see if it needs more of anything. Don't be intimidated by the length of my directions, stir-frying is fairly simple, I just want to make sure you thoroughly understand each step.

          Now for the ingredients, there are several things to note: one is that the eggplant is "Chinese" not Italian or American eggplant; this is important since Chinese eggplants are thinner and more tender, also, the skin is edible unlike the leathery American varieties. You can go to a Chinese supermarket to pick some up, if you can't, then buy regular eggplant that is fairly thin like the ones in the photo above. For the Chili Bean Paste, again, you will have to buy this in Chinatown or the Asian section of the supermarket; I don't know of any supplements for this sauce. As for the bouillon, powdered is easiest to use, but a better, than bouillon would work. Any cooking wine is fine, I use a Chinese one, but anything goes. Last, don't you dare think of trying to use powdered garlic and ginger! Using fresh ginger and garlic will really make a difference, I promise.

In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Fill the pot with oil and set to high heat.
2. Cut up the eggplant.
3. Deep fry eggplant in several batches until the pieces are golden on edges.
4. Use slotted spoon to get eggplant out set aside in bowl.
5. While flash frying eggplant, mince garlic and ginger and slice scallions.
6. Cube meat and marinate with little soy sauce and wine.
7. Put wok on stove and set to high heat with oil.
8. Fry garlic and ginger in oil first.
9. Then add Chili Paste and stir.
10. Add pork and cook until the meat is mostly done.
11. Add finished eggplant in and stir.
12. Add soy sauce, cooking wine, vinegar, bouillon and pinch of sugar and stir.
13. Mix cornstarch with water, then pour mixture in wok and stir.
14. Taste-test and fix if needed.
15. Plate and garnish with scallions.

Detailed Directions:

1. Fill the pot with enough oil in it so that the eggplant will be fully submerged in the oil. Now set the pot on the stove at a medium-high heat. It is better to start with a little extra oil since the many batches of eggplant will soak it up as you cook.

2. Cut up the eggplant. Each one should cut into about 3 or 4 segments, the goal is to have the segments be about as long as you pinky finger. After segmenting the eggplant, cut the segments into either 4 or 6 parts, depending on the thickness.

3. After all the eggplant is cut up, test the oil with a piece to see if the oil is hot enough. If you hear a nice sizzle then you know the oil is hot enough. Drop small batches of eggplant into the oil, put the purple skin-side face down (this prevents the color from turning a gross brown); now fry until the edges are a little golden. This technique seals the eggplant together so that it won't fall apart in the stir fry.

4. Use the slotted spoon to fish out the eggplant when it is done and set the finished pieces aside in a bowl or plate. While each batch cooks, you can do other preparations, just make sure to check on the eggplant every few minutes.

5. While frying the batches of eggplant, mince the ginger and garlic and set aside. Then slice the scallions thinly and set aside.



6. Now cube the pork and put in a mixing bowl with a little splash of soy sauce and cooking wine. This will allow it to get a quick marinade in before you start cooking.

7. When all the batches of eggplant are finished, put a wok on the stove and turn to a medium-high heat. Put a little frying oil in the wok, just enough to coat the bottom.

8. When the oil is hot, put the garlic and ginger in. They should sizzle on contact. It is CRITICAL that you put the garlic and ginger in first, this step bring out their aroma and flavors the oil. Also, make sure that they sizzle on contact, otherwise the heat isn't high enough.

6. Marinate Meat               9.  Add Chili Paste              10. Add Meat to Wok

9. After the garlic and ginger have sizzled for a minute, put 3 or 4 TB of the Chili Paste in and stir the paste into it.

10. Now add the pork into the wok, keep stirring and cook until the meat is mostly done; this only should take about two minutes.

11. Now put all the eggplant pieces into the wok and mix with the meat.

12. Now add in the soy sauce, vinegar, cooking wine, a little bouillon, a dash of sugar* and stir.
          *A little sugar helps tie all the flavors together, just make sure you don't add more than a TB                   since the dish isn't supposed to be sweet.

13. Get 1.5 or 2 TB of cornstarch* and mix with a little water. When the cornstarch is dissolved mix it into the wok.
          *Cornstarch thickens the sauce, but if you put it in directly without mixing it with water it will                 clump up.

14. Now taste test the dish. If it isn't salty enough, add a little more bouillon or soy sauce; if it isn't sour enough for your liking, add a splash more of vinegar, if you want more spice, add another spoon of the chili paste.

15. Okay, your all done, plate the dish, garnish with the scallions* and enjoy.
          *By adding the scallion at the end, you prevent them from losing their vivid green color.

Mint Tea

          Mint tea is a great drink to have chilled on a hot summer day; I say chilled because I generally don't believe in iced drinks since it dilutes the flavor; I only put ice in the photo for aesthetic reasons, not because the drink needed it. I usually make a large batch in advance so that throughout the week, I have fresh tea to sip on. If you're looking to make this as an accompaniment to a meal, I think this would go great with a spicy summer barbecue. It's extremely refreshing and a nice change from typical iced teas, although, if you don't like mint flavor to start with, I wouldn't suggest you make this. The drink also is good steaming hot when you have a cold.

                   Ingredients:                                Equipment Needed: 

                   -14 Mint Tea Bags                          -Pot or Water Boiler

                   -10 Cups Water                             -Large Bowl

                   -Sugar (optional)*                           -Spoon

                   -Fresh Mint (optional garnish)          -Pitcher

                   -Lemon Zest (optional garnish)         -Zester (optional)

*1/2 cup of sugar will be mildly sweet and a heaping 3/4 cup will be about the same sweetness as store-bought teas.

Preparation/Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Serves: 5 Full Glasses

Difficulty Rank: Easy Peasy

          When you go to buy the tea there are several things to decide. One is what kind of mint you want. My personal preference is for peppermint tea, which has a smooth and soothing flavor and is caffeine free; there also is Moroccan Mint Tea which isn't as minty as peppermint because it is mixed with green tea, which also means it's lightly caffeinated. As far as brand goes I prefer Stash or Tazo because I personally think they have the highest quality teas, whereas other brands have a weaker brew; side-note, I've also checked some of Twining's teas and found that they added artificial flavors in, which as you can figure from my blog title, I despise. 

          If after you make the tea you find it too strong for your liking, you can dilute it with some water; I think in this situation it is easier to dilute a strong tea than to make a weak tea stronger. Also, the amount of sugar I add in makes it somewhat sweet, so if you prefer unsweetened tea, leave it out or measure to your preference. Last, if you don't plan to let the tea chill in the fridge and you plan to serve it right away with ice, you will either need to add more teabags to the brew to compensate for the ice diluting the flavor, or you will need to use less hot water to brew the tea in. I'd either add 6 teabags or take out 3 cups of water. As you can see, having to account for ice makes it more complicated, so you really should just try to make this ahead of time and refrigerate the tea.

In-a-nutshell Recipe:

1. Boil water.

2. Put boiling water in mixing bowl and drop teabags in.

3. Let steep for 10 minutes.

4. Strain teabags out.

5. Mix in sugar and let cool.

6. Place in pitcher and chill or serve with ice.

7. Garnish with mint and lemon zest before serving.

Detailed Directions:

1. Boil 10 cups of water in either a pot or one of those speedy water boilers.

 

2. Pour the boiling water into the mixing bowl and drop all the teabags in, try to make sure they don't just float on top but really steep in the water.

  

3. Leave the teabags in their to steep for 10-15 minutes.

4. Strain out teabags; make sure to press the water out of them.

5. Mix in the sugar while the tea is still warm so that it will melt easily; if you generally dislike sweet drinks, you can skip this step or add sugar to your own preference. After this step let the tea cool for a bit.

6. At this point either serve the tea with ice, or pour it into a pitcher and chill overnight. Being in college I don't have a pitcher on hand, so I used this cool tupperware.

7. Before serving, for extra flourish, you can add a sprig of fresh mint and some lemon zest as garnish.

Hummus

          Hummus is a great dish to make when you want to have a tasty dip for chips. Its wonderful for so many reasons; its healthy and packed with protein (take note bodybuilders), it's tasty, and a unique thing to serve to guests. Last it is super cheap and easy to make. So seriously, why buy hummus when you can make it cheaper and tastier for almost no work? Aside from a chip dip, you can also use it as a spread on crackers, bread or in sandwiches. Also, this recipe can be changed constantly to give new variations each time; chives, basil and oregano all could replace cilantro in the recipe to give it a new twist, so have fun with it and be creative, It also keeps for a long time, so you can make a large batch to use for a week.

                      Ingredients:                       Equipment Needed: 
                     -2 Cans Chickpeas                -Knife + Cutting Board
                     -2 Tb Tahini                        -Blender or Food Processor
                     -3 Tb Olive Oil                     -Mixing Bowl
                     -1 Lemon                              
                     -1 tsp Salt (or to taste)
                     -1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
                     -1 tsp each of Cumin & Coriander or (2 tsp Curry Powder)
                     -Black Pepper
                     -1/3 Red Pepper
                     -1/4 Onion
                     -Small Handful of Cilantro
                
Preparation/Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Serves: 2 Bowls of Hummus
Difficulty Rank: Easy Peasy

          The recipe is pretty straight forward and easily adapted. Tahini can usually be found in the health section of a supermarket or in the International food section under the Arabian foods; Tahini is strong, so be careful not to add to much or else the flavor will overwhelm the hummus. Also be careful salting, it is always easier to add salt over taking it out. If you want, you can use a lime instead of a lemon; also, you probably could substitute basil, chives, oregano or other fresh herbs in place of cilantro. I spice it to add some extra flavor to the hummus but if you want a lighter flavor leave them out. Last I add bell peppers for their crisp sweetness and onions for their flavor and crunch; the reason to use white onions is because they can be eaten raw, if you use another kind of onion I'd quickly pan fry them before adding them to the hummus.

In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Put chickpeas in blender.
2. Squeeze in Lemon Juice.
3. Add in Oil and Tahini.
4. Add salt, pepper and spices.
5. Blend.
6. Chop red pepper, onion and cilantro.
7. Mix Veggies into Hummus.
8. Garnish.

Detailed Directions:

1. Put both cans of chickpeas in blender, strain out the water from one, but for the other, put the entire can including the water in the blender.

2. Squeeze a whole lemon into the blender.

3. Add in the olive oil and the tahini.

4. Add in the cayenne, black pepper, salt and other spices.

5. Blend the mixture until it is smooth and taste test it, adjust if needed.

6. Dice the red bell peppers and onions into small pieces that can be easily picked up with chips and chop cilantro. A good technique for cutting bell peppers is to cut the top off first and then dice the rest. Doing this allows for cleaner cuts and makes it easy to pull out the pepper seeds.

7. Pour the hummus into a mixing bowl and mix in the vegetables.

8. Place the hummus into a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro and any other creative things you can think of. I tossed on a few black sesame seeds.

Christmas Break

          So for this break I've been staying at a family friend's home. It's given me a chance to do some skiing and reading + research that is unrelated to school. I've been camped out next to the fire with their cat "Bunter" as my research companion, although he's pretty useless aside from looking cute.

          My reading has been composed of some recipe books, a book on investing, and a nutrition book called the China Study. The China Study is more interesting than the title suggests, and is worth reading. It cross-compares American society with ones in East Asia to show how diet has a stronger correlation to diseases like cancer than genetics do.

          On a totally new note, I have been doing research trying to find Sichuan and Anhui recipes, so if you know how to cook either cuisine, send me a message, I'd love to hear from you. Anyway, while I was  questing around for good authentic recipes, I came across a Thai recipe I have been searching for, for about 3 years, one for Neua Nam Tok, a BBQ pork salad. It's taken forever because I ate this in China, and forgot the Chinese name, and I never knew the Thai name to start with. So keep an eye out and I'll eventually adapt a recipe to post.

          Also, I'm hoping to try out this Ugly Chocolate Cake recipe I found at 101 Cookbooks.

Thanks for checking in!

Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Gai)

          This soup is a knockout dish, it will totally blow away you, and anyone you cook it for. There's not much of a frame-of-reference for the flavor palate here. That's probably why I love it so much, because the flavors are so unique, it almost seems like the ingredients are magical. The recipe I have here is a bit of an alteration of the authentic recipe, I adjusted it for a more western palate; I add roasted shiitake mushrooms, for their stronger flavor, rather than the traditional straw mushrooms. And instead of chicken I used shrimp.

                         Ingredients:                            Equipment Needed: 
                         -Canned Coconut Milk               -Knife + Cutting Board
                         -Chicken Stock or Bouillon         -2 Soup Pots
                         -Fish Sauce                              -Baking Sheet
                         -Galangal                                -Strainer/Colander
                         -Kaffir Lime Leaves                   -Spatula
                         -Lemongrass                            -Can Opener
                         -Cilantro                                 -Ladle
                         -Lime Juice
                         -Shiitake Mushrooms
                         -Fresh Shrimp
                         -Chilies
                         -Sugar

Preparation/Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Serves: About 5
Difficulty Rank: High-propensity to Cause Stress

           The Kaffir Lime Leaves and the Galangal are hard to come by. If you're in a city I'd stop by the closest Chinatown or Asian market to pick up some of these ingredients. If you can't find them there then you can always order them off of Amazon.com; this is what I did. Some people say that galangal can be substituted with ginger; I strongly disagree, galangal has a much earthier and aromatic flavor than ginger. The same goes for the lime leaves, while many people say to use lime zest as a substitute, this can't really match the strong bouquet of the leaves. These ingredients are definitely WORTH seeking out. Now for the fish sauce, I know it smells, but it will make the soup taste better. Also, you can use chicken chunks instead of shrimp, lobster chunks might also be good. Feel free to change the measurements on the ingredients to adjust it to your own taste.

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit or 175 Celsius.

-Boil 2 separate pots of water, one for the shrimp and the other with 4 cups of water* for the soup.
          *You can use chicken stock if you have it instead of water.

Galangal, Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime Leaves

Knife + Cutting Board                      Baking Sheet
Part 1                                           -Coat sliced mushrooms in oil then, bake
-Slice mushrooms.                           for 20 minutes. If you don't know how to do
-Slice galangal.                               this, see HERE for similar roasting technique.
-Cut lemongrass into 2 inch pieces,          
then crush with the flat end of knife.*             Shrimp Pot
          *This helps release the flavor.                              Boil shrimp for about:
-Mince Cilantro Root                                    -8 minutes for Jumbo Shrimp
                                                               -6 minutes for Large Shrimp

Crushing Lemongrass

         -4 minutes for Medium Shrimp


Knife + Cutting Board
Part 2
-Chop cooked shrimp into chunks or leave them hole if you prefer them that way.


-Coarsely chop cilantro for garnish.*

*This goes in after the soup is done, this prevents it from cooking and losing its fresh taste and bright color.

Soup Pot      
-Put galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, cilantro root, and sugar in and boil for 5 minutes.*
          *Add bouillon if you aren't using chicken stock.     
-Put coconut milk, fish sauce, chilies in soup and boil for another 5 minutes.
-Now add in shrimp, mushrooms, lime juice and garnish with chopped cilantro and your done.

P.S. Let me know if this sectional recipe setup is effective or if you don't like it.

Roasted Portobella Mushrooms

          Growing up I used to hate mushrooms with a passion. I mean honestly, it's a fungus! Isn't that the sort of thing that you go to the doctor for? What I eventually realized was that it was the texture that bothered me. In this recipe I'm borrowing an idea from Buddhist vegetarian restaurants in China, I'm trying to texture mushrooms to be more like meat. I bake them a bit longer than most people do so that the texture, instead of being watery and gelatinous, is more chewy and meaty.

          This mushroom recipe isn't a dish in itself, I just make a large batch so that I can keep the roasted mushrooms in a tupperware to use throughout the week. These mushrooms make a great addition to basically anything. I add them to quesadillas, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, soup, salad... now it's your turn to think of something! Because these mushrooms are roasted by themselves before being added to anything, the flavor is much more intense and meaty than it would be if you added them raw and tried to have them cook with the dish.

                        Ingredients:                            Equipment Needed: 
                        -6 Portobella Mushrooms           -Knife + Cutting Board
                        -1/2 cup Oil as needed              -Large Mixing Bowl
                        -Pepper                                   -2 Baking Sheets
                        -1/8 tsp Salt/tray                      -Spatula

Preparation/Cook Time: 1 Hour
Difficulty Rank: Easy Peasy

          When you are buying these mushrooms, there are several things to avoid to make sure you pick good ones. Don't pick broken ones that are beaten up or that have a bruised underside. Don't pick ones that are damp or are a bit slimy on the cap. If you can find ones that still have an intact bottom like the one to the right of the photo below, that would be great! I'd recommend canola oil because it can take the high oven temp without smoking and the flavor isn't strong so the mushroom really comes through.

In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit or 200 Celsius.
2. Break off stems and rinse mushroom caps (don't wash underside).
3. Slice mushrooms to 1/2 inch thick slices.
4. Coat in oil.
5. Place on baking tray and season.
6. Bake for 25 minutes.
7. Take out and turn mushrooms over with spatula.
8. Bake for another 20-35 minutes.
9. Take them out when they are done.

Detailed Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit or 200 Celsius.

2. Break off stems and rinse the caps, but don't wash the underside.*

          *Washing the underside will cause the mushroom to absorb water which isn't what you want.

3. Slice the mushroom caps into 1/2 inch thick slices.

4. Get a mixing bowl and put 1/2 cup of oil in it. Then drop 3-5 mushroom slices at a time in the bowl and use your hands to lightly toss them in the oil until they have a light coating on them; then put the coated mushrooms onto a baking tray. I only coat several slices at a time so that I don't break them; also, once you've lightly coated the mushrooms with oil, don't let them sit in the oil because they will keep on soaking up more oil and they will be greasy when they are done baking. You will have to add another 1/2 cup of oil as the bowl runs dry. See video demonsration below.

5. After all the mushrooms are trayed, season them with pepper and sprinkle on 1/8 tsp of salt per tray. 

6. Bake for 25 minutes.

7. Take out tray and flip mushroom slices over.*
          *This prevents burning one side.

8. Put in the oven for a remaining 20 to 35 minutes. Check periodically to gage progress. When they look like the left-side photo below, take them out.

9. Eat a piece to see if the texture is right. They should be slightly chewy and meaty, if they are too watery, bake them for a few minutes longer. Be careful not to over-bake them or they will have a dry, leathery texture and basically be mushroom chips.

Correct Texture

Overcooked Leathery Texture

-I hope you like these!

Enjoy! Johnny L