OK, The following is a really easy Chinese recipe, (if you have access to the ingredients), It's not really spicy, except for the ginger, but it's really good and wholesome. It's a tonic recipe that used to be prescribed in ancient china for warriors recovering from injury, or for women recovering fromm child birth etc. We've got a hermaphrodite chicken walking around on our farm that I've decided to use for this one. Ever since he (she? It?) started to grow up a bit I noticed that he was a bit different. He's white, all his brothers are black with gold neck feathers. He kind of reminds me of the Road Runner. I've also noticed that sometimes he tries to crow, but it sounds like he doesn't really get it. And neither do I for that matter, I like to sleep between 1 and 6 am should I choose to. In traditional India, voluntary eunuchs, called Hijra, are revered and feared by normal folk. They are payed to dance and pray at weddings and when a baby is born. The theory being that because they cannot ejaculate, all their essential energy is preserved, and so if one decides to curse you, you're in trouble. At the same time, their blessing aare worth alot. So If what they say is true, that what is good for the goose is good for the gander (I'm not really sure how this saying applies exactly in this case, but for some reason it seems apropriate) then maybe a bit of hermaphrodite chicken is just what I need.
OK, you will need:
About 1kg of chicken pieces, preferably organic, thighs and breasts, or whatever you like
At least 250ml of dry white wine, cooking sherry or sake
3 chopped scallions
A heaped teaspoon of diced ginger
A fist full of dry ginseng root, if you have slices, smash them into small cuboids in a mortar, were really talking about 2 to 3 heaped tablespoons of this substance.
As far as I can remember no salt is required
A small amount of sesame oil, (or substitute) About half a teaspoon per serving, this comes into individual bowls after the cooking is done.
OK, the method:
Use a heavy cleaver or machette (or broad veg knife pounding on the back of it) to split the pieces of chicken into 2 or 3 segments each. Pack them into a heavy stainless steel or clay pot with a tightly fitting lid. If you have steaming equipment, use it. Sprinkle over the ginger, ginseng and scallions, now pour the wine over it. Maybe dilute the wine with a bit of water if you dont have real deal steaming stuff and youre doing it directly on the heat. It should almost cover the chicken.
Put on the lid. Turn on the heat low, but high enough so it will boil eventually. Leave it for an hour, drop a bit of the sesame or olive oil or butter, (if you just have sunflower oil then just leave out this part) into each bowl and dish in some meat and some broth.
Voilà!
If you're not injured or recovering from pregnancy, I reccomend you have an agenda the next morning involving physical work, or that you have a girl with you. If you are a girl I don't know, really, my wife used to report a 'feeling of lightness' (buoyancy?) the next morning.
There it is boys and girls, Enjoy!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Grafting Chinese and Indian
Ok, this is just gonna be a quickie...
A rush of blood came to my head the other day, and I got this idea of making a stir fry style masala.
I'm real proud of this idea,, though it must exist already somewhere in the world where I haven't been yet. The result was mediocre, but the idea is golden, and it can be improved upon.
I used fennel seed, carraway seed, fenugreek ( really just use a pinch of this, çause if it doesnt boil for a long time its very bitter). A fist full of diced ginger, a fist full of diced garlic, about as much chopped cabbage as you can fit in two hands, and about 2 large carrots, now this is the only fine point I have perfected so far, the carrots. Peel them, and chop first into inch long segments, halve them, and then slice them finely. This concept is a bit hard for me to verbalize right now, but if you meditate on it, I'm sure you'll figure it out. They're the first veg to go into the fry, so they have to be thin slices to get cooked. Carrots can take a long time to cook otherwise. And just a few pinches of your favorite curry powder, I used packo masala and rajah mild 'n spicy. Garam masala will be excellent, but use it sparingly.
Then theres the soup mix. In South Africa they sell this stuff called soup mix. It's about 60% pearl barley, 20% red split lentils and 20% split peas. This you have to pre-boil, for about half an hour. About one small cup (150ml) of this stuff should be great.
OK. You start with a some oil in the wok, as much as you feel comfortable with, I reccomend olive oil, or sesame oil,, I used some butter and canola oil but you can do better than that. Add the fennel, caraway, and fenugreek. Clove will go, and I have an idea cardamon and star anise will do wonders. Fry them lightly for about 3 minutes, then go the ginger, fry it, swirl it. Then the garlic, same thing, and at about the same time the curry powder goes. Now add the carrots. You wanna get them almost cooked. So if you have a wok, you do the shake, or otherwise swirl it around with a wooden spoon. It takes about a minute, if you're using gas that is. Now the cabbage. Just keep swirling and shaking until they change texture SLIGHTLY. You WANT them hard and crunchy (Otherwise it wouldn't be a stir fry , same goes for the carrots). Now add the pre boiled soup mix and stir fry for half a minute.
Now dish it up. I ate it all in one go by myself, but it's enough for 2 civilized people.
Enjoy boys and girls. I'd like to hear comments on how to do it better.
A rush of blood came to my head the other day, and I got this idea of making a stir fry style masala.
I'm real proud of this idea,, though it must exist already somewhere in the world where I haven't been yet. The result was mediocre, but the idea is golden, and it can be improved upon.
I used fennel seed, carraway seed, fenugreek ( really just use a pinch of this, çause if it doesnt boil for a long time its very bitter). A fist full of diced ginger, a fist full of diced garlic, about as much chopped cabbage as you can fit in two hands, and about 2 large carrots, now this is the only fine point I have perfected so far, the carrots. Peel them, and chop first into inch long segments, halve them, and then slice them finely. This concept is a bit hard for me to verbalize right now, but if you meditate on it, I'm sure you'll figure it out. They're the first veg to go into the fry, so they have to be thin slices to get cooked. Carrots can take a long time to cook otherwise. And just a few pinches of your favorite curry powder, I used packo masala and rajah mild 'n spicy. Garam masala will be excellent, but use it sparingly.
Then theres the soup mix. In South Africa they sell this stuff called soup mix. It's about 60% pearl barley, 20% red split lentils and 20% split peas. This you have to pre-boil, for about half an hour. About one small cup (150ml) of this stuff should be great.
OK. You start with a some oil in the wok, as much as you feel comfortable with, I reccomend olive oil, or sesame oil,, I used some butter and canola oil but you can do better than that. Add the fennel, caraway, and fenugreek. Clove will go, and I have an idea cardamon and star anise will do wonders. Fry them lightly for about 3 minutes, then go the ginger, fry it, swirl it. Then the garlic, same thing, and at about the same time the curry powder goes. Now add the carrots. You wanna get them almost cooked. So if you have a wok, you do the shake, or otherwise swirl it around with a wooden spoon. It takes about a minute, if you're using gas that is. Now the cabbage. Just keep swirling and shaking until they change texture SLIGHTLY. You WANT them hard and crunchy (Otherwise it wouldn't be a stir fry , same goes for the carrots). Now add the pre boiled soup mix and stir fry for half a minute.
Now dish it up. I ate it all in one go by myself, but it's enough for 2 civilized people.
Enjoy boys and girls. I'd like to hear comments on how to do it better.
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