Category Archives: SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Thai Roasted Chili Paste (Nham Prik Pao)

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For those addicted to fiery flavours, experimenting with a new chili variety or a new hot seasoning is always an exciting adventure. This simple chili paste, completely different from anything I have ever tasted, has proven an extraordinary discovery. Obligatory ingredient of the famous Thai hot and sour shrimp soup (Tom Yum Goong), roasted chili paste (Nham Prik Pao/Nam Prik Pao) is widely available in Asian grocery shops, but it’s so easy and quick to prepare, I strongly discourage you from the shopping trip.

All you need are shallots, garlic, dried chilies, oil and, after about twenty minutes, you obtain a surprisingly complex, aromatic, smoky seasoning that can enrich many – not only Thai – dishes. Even a tiny amount of this paste will transform any boring stir-fried meat, seafood or soup into a fragrant, well-seasoned meal.

I have found this recipe in “Real Thai. The Best of Thailand’s Regional Cooking” by Nancie Mc Dermott, the book I mentioned last week when I presented you the fantastic Pork Curry without coconut milk. Apparently, this paste is traditionally roasted over charcoals, but the author’s dry-frying method can be made in every kitchen. I have followed the author’s instructions, but using a food processor instead of a mortar and slightly changing the ingredients’ amounts.

Obviously, the dish I prepared shortly after I made this paste was the above-mentioned Hot and Sour Shrimp soup (I will write about it soon) and it was just perfect. Then, the following day I simply added this paste to stir-fried shrimp and obtained once more a delicious result. According to the author, the paste will keep at room temperature for at least a month, so I hope to experiment with it in many more meals.

If you like the idea of making your own oily chili seasoning, you might be interested in the moderately hot and completely different Japanese thick sesame and chili oil condiment called Taberu Rayu:

TIP: Unless you are a crazy hot food addict, make sure you remove all the chili seeds. As you see above, I didn’t and I think me and my husband are the only people I know who can enjoy food seasoned with this explosive paste.

Preparation: about 20 minutes

Ingredients (yields about 125 – 150 ml/ 1/2 cup or a bit more):

6 big garlic cloves, unpeeled and halved lengthwise

8 small shallots, unpeeled and halved lengthwise

15 small dried chilies

250 ml / 1/2 cup oil (I have used peanut oil) (+ a small amount for dry-frying, if necessary)

Warm a pan or a wok, pour a tiny amount of oil (or not, if you have a pan which allows the absence of fat). Dry-fry the chilies at low heat, constantly stirring for about 5 minutes until they become darker but make sure they are not burnt.

Remove the chilies.

Dry-fry the garlic and shallots (you can fry them together or separately depending on the size of your pan or wok) until they have charred black spots, but, once more, do not let them burn completely.

Put the garlic and shallots aside and when they are cool enough to be handled, remove the peel.

Remove the seeds from the chilies (or, if you are very bold, leave them) and the stems.

Put the three ingredients in a food processor and mix until a thick, relatively smooth paste is formed (mine was slightly chunky).

Heat the 250 ml oil in a pan and, constantly stirring, fry the paste for about 5 minutes until it darkens.

The oil will be almost totally absorbed by the paste, so you will end up with a rather small batch.

Put the paste into a jar, wait until it cools down, close well the jar and keep at room temperature for at least one month.

Pineapple and Chili Jelly

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pineapplechjp

January is maybe not the most exciting month to fill one’s pantry with jams, pickles and other preserves, but there is certainly still some work to be done. Pineapple, like certain other exotic fruits, is in full season here in winter and, given its low price and ubiquity, this is probably the best moment to put it into jars. This golden yellow jelly is until now the best pineapple preserve I have tested. The method, as well as my beloved hot and sweet flavours’ combination, make this jelly similar to Hot Pepper Jelly, Apricot and Chili Jelly or Green Tomato and Chili Jelly. A unique pineapple aroma is what makes all the difference.

This jelly goes well with both Asian and Western dishes. I often have it with grilled or stir-fried meat, vegetables, on steamed rice or as a sandwich spread and it’s fabulous with fish and seafood in general. You can also serve it as a dip with crackers, nachos or… why not with Baked Wonton Chips from my previous post?

TIPS:

-Some of you might have probably heard that pineapple (as well as kiwi and some other fruits) stop jelly from… jelling. This is absolutely true, but only when it comes to raw fruit. Cooked for some time, pineapple loses this troublesome characteristic.

-Since every pepper variety is different and everyone has different preferences (or chili resistance level), it is difficult to say exactly how many chilies should be used. Adjusting is not easy since the jelly tastes stronger when it’s still hot (and it should be put still hot into the jars). The best idea is to stick to the same chili variety, make a small first batch, put aside a couple of tablespoons and taste the mixture when it has cooled down. It might be too late for this batch, but it will give you an idea of how the following ones should be modified. Needless to say, the below amounts should be treated rather as approximate (this jelly was very hot).

-The sugar and vinegar amounts depend of course on your preferences, but also on the pineapple’s sweetness. Try with the minimal amounts (see below) and increase them if needed.

-It’s a good idea to prepare different hotness levels of this jelly and label jars as “slightly hot”, “medium hot”, “very hot” etc..

-Do not forget to write down the exact amount of chili, sugar, vinegar, etc. you have used, so that you can improve the recipe next season or simply make sure you stick to the good one.

Preparation: about 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 kg pineapple (weighed after being peeled), i.e. approximately one big pineapple

160 g – 200 g (5,5 oz – 7 oz) caster sugar

10 bird’s eye chilies or 10 bigger medium hot chilies

160 ml – 200 ml (5,5 – 6,8 fl oz) cider vinegar (4,5%)

25 g powdered pectin

1 flat tablespoon salt

Core the peppers, discard the stems and wash thoroughly removing the seeds (or not, if you want a very hot jelly).

Peel the pineapple, cut into chunks and mix with chilies in a food processor.

Combine the mixed fruit with the remaining ingredients in a big pan.

Bring to the boil on high heat and, stirring, keep boiling for about 20 minutes.

Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Taste it and adjust the taste adding the vinegar, the sugar or the chili if needed (bearing in mind the chili and the vinegar taste is stronger when the jelly is hot). The most important is that the mixture doesn’t have a very sour taste.

Add the pectin and, constantly stirring, keep at medium heat for 10 more minutes.

/At this point you can (after the jelly has cooled down) either freeze it, or keep it in the fridge for a couple of weeks, or process it in the jars, as described below, and store it in your pantry for at least a year./

Spoon the jelly, still hot, into clean and dry jars. Cover with lids. Leave the jars to cool.

Place the cool jars into a big pan, bottom lined with an old kitchen towel folded in two (this will prevent the jars from breaking), cover up with hot – but not boiling- water to the level just below the lid. Bring to boil and keep on a very low heat, in simmering water, for around 20 minutes.
Stick on self-adhesive labels, write the name of the jelly, its level of hotness and don’t forget to mark the date.

In a dry place, with a moderate temperature, the jars should keep for at least a year (I have opened a two year-old one recently and it was in a perfect state).

Harihari Zuke (はりはり漬け), Pickled Dried Daikon

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harihari_pj

Drying fruits, vegetables and mushrooms is not only a way of preserving them. First of all, they have a different use in the kitchen and often become so good and unique, they could never be substituted by their fresh versions (it’s maybe a question of personal preferences, but I would never put fresh mushrooms in Ragù alla bolognese). I have been drying fresh produce for many years (I have recently posted here several methods to dry apples), but doing this with the long Asian white radish called daikon has never crossed my mind. When I saw pickled dried daikon at Hiroyuki’s blog (Hiroyuki’s Blog on Japanese Cooking), I was very intrigued and curious but didn’t expect much more than a moderately flavoursome, interesting side-dish and certainly not the excellent taste and extraordinary texture it has changed into! I also like fresh daikon a lot, but once dried and pickled, it undergoes a magical transformation.

Daikon is one of the staple Japanese vegetable and its dried version is quite popular too. It is often used in simmered dishes and sold in two forms: wari boshi daikon (thicker strips) and shredded daikon called kiri boshi daikon (go to see the difference here at Hiroyuki’s blog). Harihari zuke (pickled dried daikon) calls for the thicker version (wari boshi daikon). Just like most Japanese pickles, these have a delicate, slightly sweetish taste, but this is where the similarity ends. The very special chewy, but at the same time crunchy texture is what makes them unique and, in my case, addictive. Thank you so much, Hiroyuki, for this extraordinary discovery!

If you don’t find thickly cut dried daikon, wari boshi daikon is ridiculously easy to prepare, whatever method you use (it’s also an excellent way to use up leftover wilted, dying daikon!). I haven’t even checked if I can get it in my city because I knew it would be cheaper when made at home and moreover I wanted to use organic vegetables. For this first experiment I used only one daikon, but after the surprisingly good outcome I have just started to dry a new, this time much bigger batch. This way I will have dried daikon ready any time I feel like preparing this wonderful snack again.

I have slightly changed Hiroyuki’s proportions in the pickling liquid and have omitted seaweed strips (see the original Hiroyuki’s recipe here).

If you don’t feel like drying daikon, you might like these tsukemono (Japanese pickles):

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Cucumber Pickled in Vinegared Soy Sauce (Kyuuri no kyuuchan)

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Pickled Ginger (Gari)

pickledradishp

Pickled Pink Radish

TIPS: In Japan daikon is usually dried in the sun. Of course, given the season, I couldn’t do this. In the winter I dry fruits and vegetables on radiators: it’s quick, it doesn’t require much attention and doesn’t consume any additional energy. If you don’t have radiators, you can dry them using either the oven set at lowest temperature or hang it over the stove and wait until it dries by the heat produces while you cook (the latter can last a bit more). Of course, if you have a dehydrator, you don’t need me to tell you how to do it. Click here to see detailed description of the drying methods I used for example with apples and which apply to most cut fruits or vegetables.

Fresh chili is not obligatory here, but a it is very pleasant addition if you like hot food.

Preparation (3 hours + drying process, if you don’t have dried daikon, which depends on the method used, see here):

Ingredients:

1 medium daikon (about 300 g – 350 g/about 11-13 oz) or a handful (filling loosely a 125 ml/ 1/2 cup container) of wariboshi (thick strips of dried daikon)

4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or 3 tablespoons normal soy sauce+1 tablespoon water

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 flat tablespoon sugar (I have used agave syrup)

1 fresh medium-hot small chili, seeds removed

Frist dry the daikon (wariboshi, i.e. thicker version).

Peel the daikon, cut horizontally into 7 – 8 cm (about 3 in) chunks (I have cut my daikon in three parts).

Then cut each piece lengthwise in two, then cut each half lengthwise into 1 cm-thick strips.

They should be more or less similarly thick, but not necessarily identical.

Dry it following the instructions I gave here (using a radiator, an oven or hanging it above the stove).

When the daikon has dried completely (it has to be tough when you touch it: the drier it is, the longer it will keep; otherwise it can become mouldy), you can start the pickling process.

If dried daikon strips are too long to be considered “bite-sized”, cut them in two.

Put the daikon strips into a bowl of boiling water and leave there for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime dissolve the sugar in the mixture of vinegar and soy sauce.

Shred the chili pepper and put into the pickling mixture.

Squeeze the soaked daikon and dry it. Put it into the pickling mixture and leave in the fridge for 3 hours, shaking from time to time so that it pickles equally.

Eventually, the dried strips will absorb all the pickling liquid (the photo above was taken only after ten minutes’ pickling, hence the liquid at the bottom).

Such pickles can be left in the fridge for several days (or maybe weeks? I have no idea because I have managed to keep them only for two days).

Drying Apples, Using a Radiator, an Oven or a Stove

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driedapplespj

I have always loved dried apples for their tanginess and chewy texture and even though I eat them regularly, I have never bought them in my whole life. My mum used to dry apples which were too wilted to be eaten or very acid, tart varieties offered by friends or family, who had trees going wild. Some fruits were even too bad to be baked, but drying worked like a magic wand, transforming them into flavoursome, healthy snacks. I have been doing the same for many years, but it is really nothing to boast about: dried apples are the easiest home-made snacks I know. Especially if, like me, you can dry them on… radiators.

My mum dried apples in three different ways: in the oven, over the stove and on radiators, the last method being the most frequent (and my absolute favourite). In fact, even though they are not often considered as such, radiators are excellent drying appliances in heating season: easy to use, absolutely free and not requiring our presence or much attention. Of course this will not work if you have floor heating or if your radiators have a drying-unfriendly shape (although you can always play with threads… see below). I have always been lucky to have drying-friendly radiators in every flat I lived in.

Drying in the oven is not more difficult, but it consumes energy and requires your presence at home (unless you are one of those people who trust electric appliances and leave ovens, dish washers and washing machines on when they go out; I have lost my faith in machines after a serious accident with a relatively new washing machine). Drying over the stove is probably the oldest fruit-drying method. It is also cost-free (unless you rarely cook), but requires preferably a gas stove and a bit more work beforehand because apple pieces have to be thread on strings or threads and placed above the stove.

Dried apples are very handy in a mixture of snacks served with drinks. They might be a nice healthy, slightly tangy accent among the nuts, crisps, chips or whatever you plan to serve with drinks during the approaching end-of-year parties. Obviously, do not mention that these snacks were a way of saving dying fruits from the bin and even less that you have dried them on a radiator!

TIPS: Whatever method you choose, keep tasting apples every several hours. This way you will choose the texture and dryness level you prefer.

If you mix several different varieties, dry them separately and put in labelled different jars. My favourite are acid varieties but many people prefer the sweeter, floury ones.

Preparation: several hours – several days

Ingredients (the final yield depends on the apple variety and on the dryness level):

apples (can be very wilted)

Peel the apples, core them and cut into thin slices (they should be 1/2 cm/ 1/5 inch thick; otherwise you will obtain crisps (or chips)).

You can cut the whole apples (this will produce slices with a hole inside) or if you don’t have the apple corer, cut the apples in quarters, core them and then slice each quarter.

———DRYING ON A RADIATOR:

Cut a piece of baking paper similar in size and shape to the surface of your radiator.

Place the apple pieces, making sure they do not touch each other.

If your radiators are very thin or have another form which doesn’t allow placing a flat piece of baking paper, you can use the STOVE-DRYING method (see below) and dry your apple pieces on threads hung on radiators.

Taste them every 4-5 hours to check the dryness and texture. I prefer my apples slightly soft.

Put the dried, cool apples in a jar with a lid. They will keep at least for a year (no need to refrigerate).

———DRYING IN THE OVEN:

Preheat the oven to 50°C (122°F).

Place the apple pieces on baking paper, making sure they do not touch each other.

Taste them every 4-5 hours to check the dryness and texture. I prefer my apples slightly soft.

The drying process can be divided into several days.

Put the dried, cool apples in a jar with a lid. They will keep at least for a year (no need to refrigerate).

———DRYING OVER THE STOVE (works best with gas stove):

If you have sliced whole apples and obtained doughnut-like slices with holes, put them on a thick thread and hang high above the stove.

If you have quarter slices (like the ones you see above), take a resistant but thin thread with a needle and, piercing every apple slice, put them on the thread. Hang the thread high above the stove.

The apple slices will dry while you cook, so of course this process should be divided into several days.

Taste them every 4-5 hours to check the dryness and texture. I prefer my apples slightly soft.

Put the dried, cool apples in a jar with a lid. They will keep at least for a year (no need to refrigerate).

Ketchup

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ketchuppp

Last weeks of summer are the best moment to make your own ketchup, but if you consider it an easily copied and uncomplicated sauce, think again. For long years all the home-made specimens I tasted or tried to make were only distant and ridiculous wannabes, not even meriting to be labelled as “ketchup”. Accepting the superiority of commercial brands was not easy to accept by a passionate preserver like me, so when two years ago I was offered a huge batch of untreated, ripe tomatoes, the old dream of making my own ketchup returned. I started searching on internet, leafing through my cookery books… Finally, thanks to Jeffrey Steingarten and his fascinating “The Man Who Ate Everything” (one of the best food-related books I have ever read), I discovered a marvellous sauce which beats every single commercial brand and which is no longer a home-made copy, but the best ketchup in the world.

I have slightly modified the ingredients’ amounts because the original recipe was intended for ten pounds of tomatoes. The process is not complicated itself, but a bit fussy and long. The initial volume of tomato pulp and juice will reduce up to 80%, so this sauce is quite costly, unless you cultivate tomatoes or have access to very cheap ones. The tomatoes must be very ripe and ideally untreated or almost untreated. If the tomatoes’ quality is good, the result is so excellent, you will find it difficult to believe you have made it on your own. The flavour balances between the concentration of a fresh ripe tomato taste and a subtler version of good commercial ketchup. Once you have tasted your first batch, you will realise this sauce is too good to be served with just any ordinary sausage or meat and definitely not to every guest…

TIP: If your tomatoes are far from being perfectly ripe or are rather watery, I strongly advise the Indian style Tomato Chutney. The recipe gives amazing results even with ordinary tomatoes.

Preparation: around 2 hours

Special equipment: a food mill (a sieve and a spoon may be used instead, but it takes much longer)

Ingredients: (for 1 kg tomatoes, but the volume will reduce up to 80%)

1 kg tomatoes (about 2 lbs)

1 garlic clove chopped

1/2 medium onion chopped

70 ml (about 2,4 oz) cider vinegar (4,5%)

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 teaspoon allspice berries

6 cm (about 2,4 in) cinnamon stick

2 cloves

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried ginger

1/2 tablespoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar

Chop roughly the tomatoes.

Put them in a pan, cover, cook over high heat 5-10 minutes, stirring until the chunks give off their juice.

Strain the juice, pressing gently to the sieve, so that the liquid goes through, but not the tomato pulp.

Add garlic, onion, spices and vinegar (not sugar!) to the liquid obtained by straining.

Cook over moderate heat until it becomes slightly syrupy (it will take 40 – 60 minutes).

In the meantime sieve the pulp or put it through a food mill (make sure the seeds and skins do not get into the pulp). Put aside.

Strain the syrupy liquid discarding all the spices, onion, garlic etc.

Pour it over the pulp, add the sugar and stir well.

Cook until you obtain the desired ketchup consistency (keeping in mind that hot ketchup is a bit more liquid than when it cools down).

Adjust the taste if necessary (some tomatoes need more sugar or more salt) and heat until the sugar is dissolved.

You can mix the sauce in a food processor if you judge the texture not smooth enough.

/At this point you can (after the ketchup has cooled down) either freeze it, or keep it in the fridge for a couple of weeks, or process it in the jars, as described below, and store it in your pantry for at least a year!/

Pour the ketchup, still hot, into sterilised jars. Cover with lids. Leave the jars to cool.

Mango and Chili Sauce

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I am impatiently waiting for the peak preserving season which starts some time next month. In the meantime, since mangoes seem to be already in season in many parts of the world, last weekend I was very glad to be able to fill this year’s first jars with my beloved hot mango sauce. I have posted this recipe a long time ago, when I didn’t know most of my present web friends and I thought it would be such a pity if one of my most often prepared and served sauces remained forgotten or unnoticed. For me it’s such an extraordinary preserve, I think it may even merit to be posted regularly once a year.

Why do I find this sauce so exceptional? First of all, because I love mango and chili combination. Secondly, because of its simplicity. In fact, I haven’t followed any precise instructions and the recipe is the result of my experiments with chili, mango and obligatory preserving agents (vinegar and sugar). Thanks to the short ingredients list, this sauce is an extremely versatile seasoning or dip. You can serve it with roasts, stir fries, sandwiches, noodles, rice bowls,snacks…. Apart from those who hate hot and sweet combination, everyone seems to enjoy this sauce (this is one of my biggest “jar as a present” hits). Last but not least, mango season is quite long and since they are imported from different parts of the world they are available (at least in Europe) all year round, so this sauce can be prepared at practically any time of the year.

If you still hesitate wondering how you will use this sauce, here are some suggestions:

-Stir-fried asparagus, chicken and cashew nuts

-Sesame Coated Tuna Nuggets

-Japanese Chicken and Leek Skewers (Negima)

-Asparagus Teriyaki Pork Rolls

-Okra Teriyaki Pork Rolls

-Sesame Coated Chicken Nuggets

-Chicken Karaage

TIPS: The vinegar and sugar amounts depend on the mango sweetness and the ones below are only an example. Some mangoes require more sugar and some more vinegar. Always put down the exact amounts so that you know what you should modify next time you preserve it.

The hotness of this sauce should be adapted to your own preferences and your resistance. The below chili amounts are only an example and depend also on the chili variety. Several tips for those who are not used to handle hot peppers:

1-Wear gloves while washing or cutting them !

2- Add your peppers gradually. They vary a lot in size, in hotness, and even the same variety can be completely different depending on the season and country of origin. I always first mix peppers in a food processor and then add them gradually until the sauce acquires the desired taste.

3-Do not throw away the seeds if you want the sauce to be even hotter! (they are the hottest part of the peppers).

4- Keep in mind that the warm sauce is always hotter in taste than the cold one… (Wait for the sauce to cool down, taste it and you can reheat it once more adding more chilies if you want).

Preparation: around 30 minutes + a couple of hours for cooling + 20 minutes for processing

Ingredients: (2 mangoes will yield around 3-4 200ml jars, but it depends on the fruits’ juiciness and ripeness)

2 mangoes

1 T salt

200 g (1 cup) sugar

200 ml (6 3/4 oz) white wine or cider vinegar (mine was 4,5% acid)

preferably fresh, red or green hot peppers (I put 3 flat tablespoons of mixed tiny “bird’s eye” chili peppers and my sauce was really hot)

Cut off the peppers’ stems. Cut in half lengthwise and throw away the seeds (or not! if you want your sauce extra hot).

Mix the peppers in a food processor. Put aside.

Peel the mangoes, cut up the flesh. Mix the mangoes in a food processor.

Place the mixed mangoes, the sugar, the salt and the vinegar in a heavy bottom pan (shouldn’t be aluminium or copper, otherwise the vinegar will react with the metal).
Add the chilies gradually (for example starting with half of the amount). Cook for around 30 minutes. Taste and, optionally, add sugar /vinegar/peppers to adjust the taste.

/At this point you can (after the sauce has cooled down) either freeze it, or keep it in the fridge for a couple of weeks, or process it in the jars, as described below, and store it in your pantry for at least a year!/

Pour the sauce, still hot, into sterilised jars. Cover with lids. Leave the jars to cool.

Place the cool jars into a big pan, bottom lined with an old kitchen towel folded in two (this will prevent the jars from breaking), cover up with hot – but not boiling- water to the level just below the lid. Bring to boil and keep on a very low heat, in simmering water, for around 20 minutes.
Stick on self-adhesive labels, write the name of the sauce and don’t forget to mark the date (do not forget to put down the exact amounts of every ingredient you used).

In a dry place, with a moderate temperature, the jars should keep for at least a year.

Growing Potted Spring Onions from an Onion

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My blog is about cooking and, generally, food preparation, not gardening, so I hesitated a lot before writing this post. On the other hand, isn’t growing edible plants a preliminary stage to the food preparation? Anyway, I couldn’t resist sharing this amusing experiment with you. It concerns food, it is effortless, easy, organic and it saves money, so I hope some of you might be interested.

I am sure some of you have already found sprouting onions in their pantry or kitchen. Even though I try to store onions in a cool, dark and dry place, this accident happens from time to time. Some of them are still edible, but some are all wilted and mushy and go straight to the bin. Two weeks ago I had an idea to experiment with a healthy, “normal” onion and see if I could encourage it to do what other onions do spontaneously. I planted a big yellow onion in a pot filled with soil. I watered it every day, waited, waited and have almost lost hope when finally, after ten days, beautiful spring onions started to grow at an impressive speed.

I suppose all the experimented gardeners will laugh at my discovery, but, as someone whose plant-growing activities are limited to balcony containers, I was really surprised. I would have never suspected a simple onion planted indoors would produce spring onions and so quickly. As soon as the onion started to sprout I obtained 7 x 10-12 cm leaves in hardly four days! It has also made me happy because, given the lack of space on my balcony, undemanding, indoors growing herbs are always welcome. If they behave like my chives, they will grow back very quickly too. In short, if you don’t have a garden, and not even a balcony, one ordinary onion can supply you with organic, fresh spring onions and spare you not only the money, but also grocery shopping efforts.

Directions:

Take a big onion and plant it, covering 1/2 of its height, in a pot filled with soil.

Place it in any room you prefer, as long as there is some light during the day.

Water it every day, keeping the soil moist and wait patiently until the spring onions appear.

UPDATE: After three weeks I have already the third “generation” of leaves growing from the same onion bulb. I keep on cutting and it keeps on growing.