Japan

And, finally, we have Japan. Um. Depending on how long you've known me, you may not know of my love for sushi. How I can stuff my face with far more sushi than a human is supposed to eat and still want more as long as some is sitting in front of me. All you can eat sushi nights are both the best and the worst, for obvious reasons. I also love ramen. And miso soup.

Miso Soup

Make dashi, drain the tofu. Soften the red miso in a medium bowl by adding 2t of water and blending with a whisk. Gradually ladle the softened miso into the stock pot, while simmering over medium heat. After the miso is disolved, add trefoil stalks, shittake mushrooms, and tofu, and heat thoroughly. Remove from the heat and serve garnished with a little sansho pepper.

Sushi

Wash the rice at least 3 times, until the water runs clear. Drain the rice in a colander and let it stand for 30 minutes. Cook equal parts rice with equal parts water. Clearly, watch carefully so the rice does not burn! Remove from heat, place a damp towel of rice, and let it cool.

Pour seasoned rice vinegar (rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt) over cooked rice and mix it gently.

Make tetzu - 1c. water and 1T rice wine vinegar. For dipping your hands into, so rice doesn't stick to hands.

Toast nori over light open fire, shiny side down.

Place nori on makisu, with rough-side up. Spread rice, leaving a 1/ in. at the side ear you, and a 3/4 in. at the side furthest from you. Hold the makisu with both hands and carefuly roll it up, wrapping the fillign in the middle, adn rolling away from the side closest to you. Hold the rolled makisu with both hands and squeeze gently to firm the nori-roll. Cut into eight pieces, using a very sharp knife.

Lay rice over nori, then place filling, and roll, pulling tightly toward you as you wrap.

Or make a rice ball in palm of hand, and place shrimp/fish on top.

Lay rice on nori, then flip over, place filling on inside, and roll as above.
Yum. T and I did an amazing job. Aren't his avocado slices beautiful?

Grilled Chicken Skewers with Yakitori Glaze

Mix glaze: soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, crushed garlic, sliced giner, water, and cornstarch.
Thread chicken andonions onto water-soaked skewers. Apply glaze.
Grill until done. Baste as necessary. Finish with five spice powder and salt.

Tempura and Ponzu Sauce

Pour rice wine vinegar into a small bowl. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolvd. Taste for sweetness. Add cilantro, chile, and garlic and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and allow to sit for 10 minutes to 1 hour, for flavors to combine.

Mix the ice-cold water into the flour until the mixture is slightly thicker than buttermilk consistency. Dip slice vegetables (we used zucchini, onions, and eggplant) into the batter mixture and shake offany excess. Deep fry vegetables until the batter are light golden in color and crisp. Turn the vegetables at intervals to ensure that both sides are cooked equally and then remove. Season with salt and eat with Ponzu sauce: lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, mirin and lemon zest - bring to a boil, then cool; strain and reserve.

And... grilled steak. Yum.

Lessons Learned:
This only reinforced my love of Japanese foods. I think miso soup is going to make it into my regular rotation. So simple, so good.

And that's it for classes, folks - next step: cooking in the school's restaurant. Cooking for people besides ourselves. Fun! Scary! Guess we'll find out for sure what I think of working the line...

Vietnam

Okay, sadly, I do not have the photos for Vietnam. See my Thailand post for explanation.
I also may have mentioned, I recently discovered where the Vietnamese markets are near me - when the weather gets better (seriously, is it ever going to be consistently not winter?) I plan on taking the el up and exploring. Anyone want to join?
Anyway.

Summer rolls with Peanut Hoisin Sauce
Soak the cellophane noodles in bowl of hot boiled water until they soften. Drain noodls and shock in cold water.
Working with one sheet at a time, completely immerse a sheet of rice paper in hot water for a few seconds. Remove and lay it on a board. Place a leaf of lettuce, 2 pieces of shrimp, 3 cilantro, 2 mint leaves, a wad of noodles, bean sprouts and carrots. Fold the sides of rice paper over the filling and roll up the rice paper into a cylinder - really tight - you don't want it to be able to open up.
Serve with peanut hoisi sauce: rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, peanut butter, fish sauce, hot water, sugar, lime juice, minced garlic, ground peanuts. Simmer until sauce is not too thin or too thick.

Bo Nuong - Beef Skewer
Soak bamboo skewer in water. Combine lemon grass, chopped garlic, sesame seeds, fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, onions, honey, an dsugar. Marinate meat at least 2 hours, turn periodically. Skewer and wrap with caul fat then grill well done. Serve with dipping fish sauce: hot water, sugar, white vinegar, fish sauce, minced garlic, minced thai chile, and juiced lime.
This. was. fantastic. Caul fat is not exactly pleasant to work with, but when it melts into the meat, it makes it juicy and delicious.

Lessons Learned:
I miss Chef T! He subbed this night, and he brought all kinds of Vietnamese herbs for us to sample. He's the one that told me where the markets are, and encourage me to go exploring. He was such a nice teacher, and actually very interesting to talk to. I would have liked to have ended the program with him.

Just in case you wanted a reason to keep reading (for those of you that do)... I'm actually back to cooking at home these days, and I'll probably keep blogging about things I've enjoyed making. And then you can listen to me daydream about my plan to buy a stand mixer.

Thailand

I only have a few photos from my final, which was on Thai dishes. My camera's battery had died, and I kept forgetting to charge it. So, these photos are on Irish's camera, and, well, she's not exactly good at following through on reminders to send them to me...

But this night was delicious. It's hard for me to pick favorites when it comes to food, but definitely Thai is way up there.

*Tamarind water - made by rehydrating the tamarind paste in equal amounts of warm water, mashing the paste to dissovle and passing through a strainer. You can also buy tamarind water - just look for products that only have the ingredients of tamarind and water.

Kai Look Koei (Son in Law Eggs)
Hard cook eggs first, then peel
Simmer tamarind water, palm sugar (brown sugar if can't find this), and fish sauce, stirring, until syrupy, 5-8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Deep fry the eggs, turning to brown evenly. When gold and blistered, after 3-5 minutes, drain on paper towels. Make and alternate sauce with a combination of sambal and fish sauce with a little bit of brown sugar. Adjust the seasonings so that all the flavors are represented.
Toss the 3 whole eggs in the tamarind sauce and the other egg in sambal sauce. Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and arrange ona platter with a dollop of sauce under each. Scatter the chiles and fried shallots on top.
Okay, so this may sound kind of disgusting, but it was pretty good. I wouldn't be able to eat more than one just because of the deep frying, and, well, that's just too much egg, but, still, not as awful as it may seem based on the description.

Green Curry with Chicken

Brown chicken in oil. Add eggplant until see color. Add 1T curry paste. Add milk, then heavy cream, add lime leaves, simmer until nappe. If bland, add fish sauce. Served with rice.

Pad Thai

I know this is so cliched, but, honestly, pad thai is one of my favorite dishes. It's just so good. Plus I really liked this recipe. This is definitely a keeper. Now, if only I had a real stove and not a stupid 2/3 electric stove that doesn't really allow me to cook on a wok...

Now, if you are lucky enough to have an actual stove... here's the directions:

Fry an egg in oil, then take out. Fry shrimp, and turn down heat. Add shallot and garlic, then brown sugar, then scallions, then half the sprouts. Oh. Buy real sprouts. As in, go to your nearest Asian market, not the boring old grocery store you would go for simple staples. You won't believe the difference.

Anyway. Then add noodles. Strain the tamarind water, pour over noodles, then add egg. Break up among noodles. Add a couple T of water, then add fish sauce. Careful! Not too much - it will make it really salty. Serve with coarsely chopped peanuts, lime wedges, shredded carrots, cilantro, and thai bird chiles.

Lessons Learned:

I think I could eat pad thai every single day. And oh man does fish sauce smell so bad, but it makes dishes taste so good.

China

Okay, so writing this post is making me crave these dishes. Seriously. I realize it's dinnertime, but don't these dishes look so good? I'm going to have to stop in HMart when I visit my parents tomorrow - I wouldn't buy seafood there, but I will for sure buy noodles, spices and vegetables there.



Pork and Ginger Potstickers
Dough: Mix flour and salt. Slowly add hot water to flour in 2 oz increments. Mix until a ball is formed and dough is not too hot to handle. On a floured surface, knead dough until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball. Place back in bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rest for at least 1 hour. Working on a floured surface with floured hands, roll out dough to form a long log 1 in in diameter. Cut 1/2 in. pieces and turn them over so the cut sides are facing up. Flatten with your palm and roll out thin using a rolling pin. The dumpling wrapper should end up about 3 inches in diameter.
Filling: Sprinkle cabbage with half the salt and let stand for 30 minutes. Place the cabbag on a clean dishtowel or cheesecloth and squeeze out any water. The dryer the cabbage the better. In a large bowl thoroughly mix the cabbage with ground pork, minced ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and egg Cook 1 T to check seasoning. Reserve.
To put together: Put a tiny bit in the middle of the wrapper, and seal with water. Pinch all the air out - just like ravioli, this is key to them not exploding. Press fork tines into edge to make the pretty border.
Sauce: Soy, dijon, honey, sesame oil, minced giner, water, and minced scallion.

Mapu Dofu
Re-hydrate tree ear muchrooms in boiling water. Stir fry the minced ginger in oil and add minced pork and chili garlic paste. Then add scallions, tofu, peppercorns, soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch. Drain the mushrooms. Deglaze with sake. Stir gently to coat.

Pork Fried Rice
Use day-old rice. Use a wok. Heat egg in oil, then take out. Fry pork 2 minutes, remove and set aside. Heat 1/2 T of oil in same wok. Add rice, mix well, toss in mushrooms and scallions. Add soy sauce. Add egg back in, break with rice. Add sprouts and sesame oil. Add pork back in, toss. Serve hot.

Yet again, I have another dish I don't have a recipe for. Shoot, I am only screwing myself, since I remember liking this - wish I knew how to make it again! Anyone have any ideas what it might be?

Lessons Learned:

I'm trying to increase my tolerance to "heat" in dishes - it's getting better, but I'm still a weakling compared to lots of people. But, now, I mostly just keep stuffing my face even if it burns because it just tastes so good. That's how it'll get stronger, right?

India

I love Indian food. I tried it for the first time several years ago when I was hanging out at a friend's house - his dad is Indian. But the person who really made me love it is my sister's husband. He's an amazing cook, and he really knows how to make any Indian dish. I love eating over there.

Seriously, is there any region whose food I don't love? No. No, I don't think there is.

Mmm... Rico made the most amazing black tea... this was so good. But since we get out at 11:30pm and I have to get up at 5:45am, I had only one sip and then took it home. I had it the next day, cold - it was fantastic!

Black Tea

4 c water, 1.5 c milk, 14 cardamon pods, 6 whole cloves, 1 in. piece fresh ginger, 3 cinnamon sticks, 2T honey, 2T black tea, 2 T vanilla

Boil 10 min, strain

Naan

(see photos below)

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and mae a well in the middle. Dissolve fresh yeaast in 1/2 c of warm water. Mix the water and yogurt in a bowl. Pour this, plus yeast mixture, into the center of the flour and knead, adding water if necessary to form soft dough. Knead the dough again and cover and leave for 2 hours.

We grilled these, but they can be baked similarly to pitas if you want them to puff up a litle bit.

Tomato Chutney

Um. Yeah. So I'm blanking again on which dish is which. Whoops. I seem to have photos of additional dishes, but not the recipes...

Mix tomatoes, creamed ginger, creamed garlic, minced cilantro, chile powder, sugar and salt. Simmer until a saucy consistency is reached. No oil is required for cooking. Remove from fire, cool and serve. Sprinkle with minced mint.

Tandoori Chicken

Blend half the plain yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ground cardamon, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, ground mace, ground aniseed, saffron, red chili powder, red pepper flakes, black salt, pepper, salt, orange food coloring, and yellow food coloring. Can be either mixed by hand or in a blender. Fold in remaining yogurt, and reserve 1/4 c for basting. Add chicken to marinade (remove skin). Reserve. Grill chicken until done, basting occasionally with yogurt mixture then butter. Serve with onion and cilantro.

Aloo Gobi

Fry potato in oil until golden and tender. Reserve some of the oil used to fry the potato and begin pan roasting the cauliflower (add small amounts of water to steam near the end of cooking). When the cauliflower is tender, return the potatoes to the pan. Add the minced ginger, minced garlic, turmeric, cayenne, ground cumin, and ground coriander. Cook to heat the potatoes through. Add small amounts of water to prevent sticking.

Remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt and chopped cilantro. Adjust the seasoning with salt.

Lamb Curry

Toast whole cumin in oil. When brown, add minced onion and minced tomato and cook to brown. Add yogurt, chili powder, coriander, turmeric, and garam marsala, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add 1 in. cubes of lamb and continue simmering until cooked, about 15 min. Add water as necessary. Add onion gravy, and simmer 10 minutes more.
Onion Gravy: sliced onion, sliced tomato, yogurt, cream, cashews, cumin, cardamom pods, whole clove, ground cinnamon, ground mace, ground coriander, turmeric, chili powder, paprika, and salt.

This is a lentil dish. I love lentils. But I don't know the recipe. Sorry!

Oh, and everything is served over basmati rice. I buy all my rice and noodles at ethnic grocery stores - I feel like finding those in every city or suburb is the key to finding quality food at reasonable prices. I love me some Trader Joe's and Aldi, but I love exploring Indian and Asian grocery stores. Next step is Mexican and African grocery stores. I've located them, but I haven't had as much of a reason to go into them - I'm more likely to make Indian or other Asian dishes at home.

Lessons Learned:
There are a lot of things I have learned to really enjoy over the past year, both because of and before culinary school. One of those is tea. Coffee. Alcohol. I realize this could just be because as we get older, we are earning more money (hopefully) and therefore have more disposable income to buy better quality... Mmmm. Tea. Sitting in a sushi restaurant, waiting for my food to be ready, I love to sip on hot green tea. It's just so good.

South America: Brazil & Argentina

I apologize for my photography lately... lots of blurry shots for some reason... maybe I was eager to eat and took the photos too fast...

There are lots of Brazilian restaurants in Chicago... steak places, but I've never been to one. A little out of my price range, and since meat isn't my life, I figure I can wait.

Vatapa

Sweat onion and a quarter each of red and green pepper (brunoise) until translucent. stir in tomatoes, salt, pepper and cook 2 minutes more. Pour in the clam juice, bay leaf, and scallions, and make a slurry with the coconut milk. Add to the pot. Bring to a simmer over med-high heat. Reduce and adjust consistency. Cook 10-15 min, stirring occasionally, until peppers are tender. just before service, add the scallions, scallops and monkfish and season with salt and pepper. cover and simmer 5-7 minutes, lifting cover twice to stir gently. Add the lime juice, dende (palm oil) and cilantro and simmer 2 minutes more. Ladle into large bowls and garnish with the toasted coconut and lime sections.

Churassco con Chimichurri salsa and Yucca Frita

Beef Flank Steak and plantain chips

Pat steak dry. Stir together salt, cumin, coriander, and pepper in a small bowl and rub mixture onto both sides of steak. Broil steak to desired doneness. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Meanwhile, with motor running, add garlic to a food processor and finely chop. Add cilantro, parsley, distilled white vinegar, oil, cayenne, and salt, then pulse until herbs are finely chopped. Slice steak thinly on the bias and serve with sauce.

[we grilled the steak instead of broiling, and also chicken]

Chimichurri: 1/2 c chopped parsley, finely mince 3 cloves garlic, 1t oregano, 1t chili flakes, 1/2 lemon (juice), salt, black pepper, paprika, bay leaf, olive oil to thicken. Marinate one hour.

Feijoeda Completa

Soak dried black beans overnight. Drain and add ham hock and fresh water. Simmer until the beans are soft. Shred meat from hock. Reserve beans, water and meat.
Render bacon, remove when cooked.
Brown pork butt and andouille sausage in the bacon fat. Remove.
Sweat onion and garlic in the bacon fat, add tomatoes then bay leaf. Return all meats to the pot, simmer, in addition to beans, orange juice, and bean water to cover. Simmer for 1 hour to combine flavors.
Tastes good with braised collard greens.
Okay, so I did not help with this dish. Once I saw what a ham hock looked like, I could not bring myself to help. I didn't even taste it. It was just too much pork for me. Rico happily took my plate.

Lessons Learned:
Either meat is extremely popular in the majority of the world's cultures, or these are just the recipes I'm being exposed to through this program...

Mexico

Sadly, I was not present on Mexico night, much to my dismay. I had to attend conferences for work. You know, where I sit at a table playing on my laptop or walking around catching up with people - in my role, I don't have any parents that want to speak to me. How many parents want to be caught sitting at the table clearly labeled "psychologist." Not too many.
But then you know, luckily, Chef K made two of the midterm practicals recipes from this night... awesome Chef. Love you. I burned all the stuff. Oh, and the chicken wasn't cooked. ha. Whoops.
But I really was disappointed because I love Mexican food and I didn't get to learn how to make it. But then I was told if I had seen how much lard they put in the tamales, I would never want to eat Mexican food again... so maybe it worked out in my favor!
But I would have really liked to have learned how to make a good mole... guess I'll have to teach myself when I have time to myself again...

Lessons Learned:
Getting angry at the chef doesn't help one cook better... in fact, it may make you burn things.