Japan, the land of the rising sun, is a beautiful landscape of islands dominated with mountainous terrain and gorgeous cherry blossoms. As colorful as their land may be, perhaps their culture is even more vibrant. Traces of Japanese influence can be found all throughout America. Take for example a lot of the cartoons kids watch on television. Or the plethora of Asian grills that can be found in any city. Americans are drawn to the ancient and sometimes wacky culture of the Japanese people. Speaking of ancient and wacky, one of Japan's most famous inventions is sushi. Sushi is essentially raw seafood, rice, and vegetables rolled up with a seaweed wrap. Sushi has been around sense 1799 and was created by a man named Hanaya Yohei and was an early form of fast food that designed to be prepared quickly. The reason it was a form of fast food at the time of its creation is why raw seafood is used rather than cooked. In today's society, sushi has been promoted to being a main staple of any Japanese restaurant.
Sushi is not just an artsy looking food but also pretty tasty! I mean really, it hasn't gotten so popular just on looks. The taste of the raw seafood is unique and delectable. The rice and fresh vegetables compliment the seafood really well and it all comes together with this cool seaweed wrap that's salty and paper thin. Sounds good to me. But if you're still not convinced then let me just say that sushi is also very very healthy. Needless to say that the ingredients are as fresh as possible and loaded with proteins and vitamins.
Here is a figure showing you just exactly what is inside most the basic ingredients to sushi.
Recipe: (by Annie Almekinder)
Ingredients
Small bamboo mat (makisu) for preparing sushi
Dry seaweed sheets (nori)
Bowl of water to which 1 Tablespoon vinegar has been added
Strips of avocado, cucumber, carrot, or other vegetable
Cooked shrimp or crab meat (or frozen imitation crabmeat, thawed)
Procedure
Place a sheet of nori (dry seaweed), shiny side down, on the makisu (bamboo mat).
Wet your right hand in the bowl of vinegar water, and use it to scoop up a ball of rice.
Spread the rice out in an even layer on one side of the nori .
Sprinkle a line of wasabi (horseradish powder) down the center of the rice.
Arrange the strips of vegetables and seafood over the line of wasabi .
Using the mat to support the nori , lift one end of the mat to gently roll the nori over the rice and other ingredients.
Use gentle pressure to compact the rice and other ingredients so that they hold together.
Continue rolling until a long cylinder is formed, completely encased in nori .
Carefully slice through the nori and other ingredients to make the bites of sushi .
Serve immediately so the nori will still be crispy.
As usual here is also a video demonstrating how to make sushi for those who are more visual learners.
Reflection: I am actually pretty familiar with the whole process of making sushi sense I come from Asian decent. While it is called kimbap in Korea, which is where I'm from, the whole process is still for the most part the same. I love the stuff and eat whenever my grandma makes it for me. I even make it myself on occasions while visiting my grandma. Pretty much everybody in my family loves it so yeah I would make it for them any time, with the right materials that is. I say that because my family has been spoiled in always eating the authentic version of a lot of Asian meals, thanks to my grandma, so using non authentic ingredients would be crazy in my household. But, admittedly, at the end of the day it doesn't really matter where you get your ingredients because its all going to taste the same, and that taste is good.
Finally, here are pictures of my group making sushi in my AIM HEI class...
One last side note: when making the sushi rolls, try not to over fill them with too much stuff or they'll end up being huge. Just saying.
Have you ever considered taking a trip around the world and stopping in India along the way? If so there are a few things you should know before visiting. Know that a majority of the world's population can be found in India and most of these people live in severe poverty called slums. In these slums the inhabitants work day in and day out and usually settle down for the night right next to their jobs, which are under paid and often arduous in nature. Sadly in the middle of most slums is where the sewage of the residents are dumped giving the area a rather distinct smell. But what is perhaps the most important thing to know about India and especially the slums is that the place is alive with fascinating characters, culture, and cuisine! One such example of a unique culinary custom is to blend curry and yogurt into a smoothie called the Lassi.
Here is a stylized picture of the Lassi drink. Curry is not the only flavor it comes in of course. There's Marsala, Mint, Mango, and a whole bunch of other fruits. The trend is that the drink is either sweet or salty. You're probably wondering why anyone would want to drink a yogurt smoothie with curry in it, it's okay so was I. Then I found out why, its because during the summer the peppers in the curry make you sweat which will in turn cool your body, while in the winter the heat from the peppers will warm your body. A cool way to beat the whether if you ask me.
The drink you see in the picture above is something you would find in a restaurant. On the other hand, the drink you see being made on the right is what you would find on the street and is, in my opinion, the more authentic of the two options. This picture shows a man pouring his freshly made Lassi into cups probably getting ready to sell them to bystanders. He makes the drink and sells it right in the same area. He does this all with rudimentary tools but at the same time more than likely a masters touch as this job is probably is way of living.
Here's a video on how to make the drink for yourself, and below is a written out recipe for three different variations of the drink that comes from Annie Almekinder.
Cardamom Lassi Ingredients: 1 container of yogurt 1/2 cup water (chilled) 3 tbsp sugar (or to taste) Pinch of cardamom powder (optional) Ice cubes as required Finely chopped pistachios and almonds for garnishing
Method: In a blender blend yogurt, water, sugar and cardamom powder until smooth and frothy. If you like it extremely cold add icecubes while blending. To serve, pour in glass and garnish with some sliced pistachios and almonds. Marsala Lassi Ingredients:1 container of Yogurt 1 tsp Cumin (Jeera) Powder (roasted) 1.5 teaspoons of Marsala A pinch of Salt 50 ml Water
Method
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. To serve, pour in glass and garnish with a little cumin powder.
Mango Lassi
Ingredients1 container yogurt 1 can pureed mango 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (or less, depending on sweetness of the mango) 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
Method In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. To serve, pour in glass and sprinkle a little cardamom for garnish, and serve immediately.
Reflection: While I did not enjoy the taste of this drink, I did in fact enjoy learning more about the culture of the Indian people. They definitely have it pretty tough over there which puts my life into perspective. As far as making this drink for my family goes...Yeah I don't think they would enjoy it either so this is one thing I wouldn't make for them. But if I were to make it, it would be pretty simple. Here are some photos of me and my group making it for my Aim Hei class:
Our tools and ingredients. Notice the simplicity of it all.
Just mix in the blender what you have and then blend it of course.
After the blending is done you can either drink it right then and there or you can add some ice and make it a little cooler. The choice is entirely up to you, enjoy.
Xin chao, or hello, the food of the day today is the beautifully crafted Vietnamese Spring Rolls. Their very appearance gives off a unique look only found in oriental culture. Being of Asian decent myself, specifically from Korea, I am very fond of this type of cuisine. As you can probably see from the picture, spring rolls are very similar to the more common egg roll. However there are a few differences such as the fact that while egg rolls are usually fried, spring rolls are usually not. And a spring roll's often paper thin rice wrap is very different from the thicker, more tortilla wrap of the egg roll.
ORIGIN and TRADITION: As the name implies, these spring rolls originate from Vietnam. Their culture was widely based around their more dominant neighbor, the Chinese. Vietnam is known for making a large variety of foods with one simple ingredient, rice. What is perhaps their most famous are pho noodles and spring rolls, each with rice as a key ingredient. Traditionally, the spring rolls are made with a thin rice paper that has a rather rubbery texture to it and is translucent. Vegetables and meat are the common choices to put inside these rolls. When making ours in class, we filled the thin wraps with lettuce, carrots, and other assorted chopped vegetables. Due to time issues we weren't able to cook and add meat but shrimp, beef, and chicken are the most common choices. Now, obviously vegetables by themselves could be very dry so various sauces are mixed in to add flavor. Sauces like soy sauce and fish sauce are essential to Vietnamese cooking. Also the finished roll is commonly dipped in yet another sauce, spicy peanut sauce.
RECIPE: Here is a video of a nice lady showing how to make these fancy spring rolls an also how to make homemade fish sauce and spicy peanut sauce. Keep in mind that while her spring rolls may be the most common way prepare them, originality is always a good thing.
For those of you who would appreciate a more readable recipe, here is one given by Annie Almekinder:
What You Need
Ingredients For the Spicy Peanut Sauce: 2 tablespoons creamy organic or natural peanut butter 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes 1 to 2 tablespoons water, to thin out the sauce, if necessary
For the vegetable filling:
1 bag chopped cabbage/salad mix
1 scallion, chopped
Chopped Cilantro
1 Tablespoon Red Thai curry sauce
1 - 2 Tbls. Soy Sauce
1/2 Tbls. Fish sauce (optional)
To assemble the rolls:
8 rice paper wrappers
Top with Peanut sauce (satay)
Kimchee and eat with Soybeans (edemame)
Instructions
1. Make the spicy peanut sauce: Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce until smooth and creamy, and set aside.
2. Make the vegetable filling: Use a mandoline or box grater to slice the cucumber, carrot, and red pepper into thin strips — or simply julienne by hand. If you are using large radishes, you can slice them on the mandoline or box grater. Or just slice into thin rounds by hand.
Whisk together the rice vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice in a large bowl. Add the vegetables and the scallion, and toss to coat.
4. Soften the rice wrappers: Fill a round cake pan halfway with warm-hot water. (It should be quite warm, but cool enough to stick your fingers in it without getting burned. We let boiling water cool off for about 5 minutes.) For each wrapper, immerse it in the hot water bath until it softens, which takes about 30 seconds. Watch for it to begin curling, then immediately flip it over and continue flipping until it is just softened. Use both hands to pull it up out of the water, being careful so it doesn't collapse on itself, and spread it immediately on a plate.
5. Put filling in the center of the wrapper: Fill the center of the softened wrapper first by laying about 3 to 4 herb leaves down the center. Then lay down about 1 to 2 tablespoons of noodles (you want to have enough for 8 rolls). Then, add 1/8 of the veggie mixture. Add a few sprigs of cilantro and 2 to 3 mint leaves, depending on how large they are.
6. Roll up the summer rolls: To roll up your roll, first fold the top and bottom edges of the wrapper over the filling, then fold in the edges towards the center and continue rolling the filled wrapper until it's closed and snug.
Continue this process with each of the wrappers. You may need to change your hot water halfway through. As you finish each roll, place it on a cookie sheet and cover the rolls with a damp towel.
To serve, slice in half with a sharp knife and serve the peanut sauce on the side.
Reflection: As always, it was refreshing to try a new food from a foreign land that I previously have not tried before. But with that being said I was not a big fan, preferring egg rolls over spring rolls any day of the week. It was the funky rice wrap that did it in for me. Its rubbery texture and odd smell kind of made me feel like I was eating something artificial. As I said before, due to my heritage I have made rolls before but fried them instead of eaten them raw. Maybe my upbringing is why I didn't really enjoy these rolls but alas they were nonetheless interesting to make.
Behold the wonderful creation known as Nalesniki! Praise its sweat and wonderful deliciousness!
TRADITION: As the title implies, the Nalesniki originates from Poland. There they serve this treat as either breakfast or dessert, and sometimes dinner. I learned that around the world in different regions such as Poland, the people enjoy eating more sweet foods than we Americans do. The Nalesniki is one such sweet food that has become not only a favorite among Polish people but also my class as well. According to the foodsaimhei page, the polish people love a wide variety of deserts. The Nalesniki can be made with a plethora of different toppings. Popular toppings include: nutella, strawberries,
RECIPE: Batter: 360ml/1 1/2 cups milk 2 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla* 2 tsp sugar* 1/8 tsp table salt 130g/1 cup all-purpose flour oil or melted butter for the pan sugar to taste for the filling * omit the vanilla and sugar for savoury pancakes Filling: 1 tps. Vanilla 1/2 package of cream cheese 1 container of vanilla yogurt 1/2 C sugar mix well with a fork or whisk until filling has no lumps.
Equipment:blender, or medium bowl and a whisk 25cm/10" non-stick skillet** non-metal spatula
(Recipe by Annie Almekinder)
Here is a video provided that shows the steps in making this dessert. Everyone who makes this wonderful dessert can add their own little variances to it. For example, I prefer mine Nalesniki topped with nutella and powdered sugar.
Reflection: Obviously the Nalesniki has been my favorite food prepared in the class thus far. I have a sweet tooth, and the great thing is that this was really easy to make. Well, the crapes themselves are a bit challenging not to burn but other than that it is pretty simple. It makes me sad knowing that there are foods out there like this one that I still haven't ever tried yet. Would my family like the Nalesniki? Yes, they would love it just as much as I do, especially my sister who seems to only eat sweet things. Over Thanksgiving Break I plan on making this dessert for my family to try.
My group's pictures of making Nalesniki:
As you can see, our finished product isn't as fancy as the pictures above but that's the great thing about this dessert. It doesn't have to be fancy to taste really good!
