Pssst … Iron Chef
To lose weight in a safe and consistent manner consume no less then 1200 calories per day divided as follows:
40 grams of fat (30%)
45 grams of protein (15%)
165 grams of carbohydrate (55%)
posted by Domina at 07:44PM EST – 0 comments
Kimchi Ingredients
Organic foods
1 Napa cabbage
3 Carrots
2 Cucumbers
3 Heads broccoli
2 Bunches scallions
1 Apple
2 Small oranges
1 Lemon
Unrefined rice vinegar
Unrefined sesame oil
Kosher salt (or sea salt)
Crushed red pepper (coarse)
Crushed garlic
Sesame seeds
Rinse all vegetables in water and salt. Slice the cabbage crosswise into strips. Sprinkle with Kosher salt. Scoop and stir with hands. Let cabbage sit while peeling carrots and cucumber. Peel carrots completely. Take strips from the cucumbers. Cut broccoli heads into byte-size pieces. Add salt. Scoop and stir. Trim scallions, slice the white part down the center, then cut into strips diagonally. Core and dice the apple and add. Skin the oranges and lemon. Slice the oranges, separate into pieces, and add. Put chilli pepper, sesame seeds, and crushed garlic in a sauce bowl. Add sesame oil and rice vinegar. Dice the lemon and squeeze into the bowl, add the remaining pieces. Mix the ingredients in the sauce bowl to make paste, then gently spread the paste into the vegetable bowl.
The secret to all Korean cooking is to cut the food into bite-sized pieces, just right for putting in your mouth and enjoying. As the salt interacts with the cabbage, it draws out its natural juices and begins to break down the cell walls so that the spices in the chili paste can penetrate. Salting the cabbage is done early, so the salt can work while the other ingredients are being prepared.
After sprinkling salt, gently stir it into the cabbage. Do this with your hands, rather than with a tool. After you hug the cabbage, taste. It shouldn’t taste “salty”. At the same time, you should be able to taste the salt. Try adding little at a time, and test it frequently. When you reach the point where the cabbage “zings”, you’ve got it. The right balance of salt makes the cabbage come alive, so its exciting on your tongue. Practice! You’ll get it.
No matter what kind of kimchi you make, though, always include the scallions. Scallions are a vital part of Grandmaster’s cooking, and of Korean cooking in general. Onions and garlic have for centuries been eaten as regular staples by the longest living peoples on earth — Asians, Russians, and Bulgarians. That is not a coincidence!
Preparing the Chili Paste
The first ingredient is Korean ground chili pepper. This is a very coarse grind of pepper. It consists of large flakes that are very flavorful and very hot. Take out about as much as you think you’ll need to cover the Kimchi and put in the small bowl. (Usually a small handful will do.) Don’t worry about taking too much — anything that doesn’t get used on the kimchi can be used later on as a flavoring for soups or rice or sandwiches. (Sparingly!)Along with garlic and onions, chilli pepper has been recommended by some very long-lived peoples!
Garlic
This is without a doubt the secret ingredient in Kimchi — large amounts of fresh, crushed garlic. Grandmaster recommends eating kimchi with every meal.You need about half as much garlic as chili pepper, or a little more. You can relax, though. You don’t have to crush it all yourself. Any Korean store (or a good Oriental store) will have small tubs of crushed garlic in the freezer section.
Sesame Seed, Rice Vinegar, Sesame Oil
There are only a few steps left. Now that you have added the garlic to the chili powder, add an equal amount of roasted sesame seeds. The total mixture so far is about 1/2 chili powder, one quarter crushed garlic, and one quarter roast sesame seeds. Add rice vinegar and knead the mixture with your hands. Add enough vinegar until you begin to form a smooth paste. Then add a dash of sesame oil — about a tablespoon. Now is the time to add the diced lemon, if you haven’t already added it to the large bowl.Test the chili paste for flavor — it will be hot, but the sesame and garlic flavors should also be pronounced. Add more ingredients as needed. Blend the ingredients until the paste has a uniform color. The dry chili pepper will be bright red. As you add rice vinegar and other ingredients, it becomes more orange. Try to keep it on the bright side, rather than a dull orange.
Spreading the Chili Paste
Ah. The final step. Take a bit of the chili paste in your hand, and rub it into the top of the Kimchi. Softly. Gently. Now practice your hugging exercise, gently moving the Kimchi around until all of the pieces are evenly coated. If you can see uncoated pieces, then you need to add more. The goal is to just cover the Kimchi — any more chili paste than that, and its going to be a lot hotter. If you are not used to spicy foods, add the chili paste a little at a time. Try it as you go. When you get to the point where your tongue says, “Wow! That’s exciting!” then its time to stop. Get a bowl, put in some rice, and treat yourself to one of the best dishes you could possibly make.Eating Kimchi
Use kimchi as a side dish with any meal, have it with rice, or put it between two slices of toast and make a sandwich. Its great for you, however you eat it.Storing Kimchi
After you finish eating, store the remainder in covered jars or bowls and keep them in the refrigerator. It should be good for a few weeks before it starts to develop the strong smell that says “Use me for soup!” You can use it for Kimchi soup practically forever!Note:
In Korea, they put the kimchi in large earthenware jars that they bury in the ground. About a foot below the surface, the ground maintains a constant temperature of 55 degrees. In other words, it is an ancient and honorable practice to refrigerate the kimchi while it ferments.To get the benefits of the fermentation process that is responsible for many of kimchi’s healthy qualities, it is ideal to let it sit for a couple of days before eating. But it’s not necessary to do that, especially if you make a lot of it. It is still a great, healthy salad when eaten immediately, and it will ferment over time.
posted by Domina at 06:52PM EST – 0 comments
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