Pan Asian: Oxtail Stew (Jamaica)

While my appreciation of the cuisines of Asia is no secret,  Jamaican food also ranks high up on my list of goto grub. The rich curries and stews remind me of my own rice & curry, and the Jamaicans even make a mean patty, those meat-filled pastries that are also popular “short-eats” in Sri Lanka.  Even though they are worlds apart, there is, no doubt, some crossover between these two tropical islands, both former British colonies, which still share an affinity for cricket and spicy food.

But Jamaica is the land of Red Stripe beer and reggae music. And that’s how I g0t to know the cuisine–by tipping back some brews, and going to a lot of shows. There’s always a guy on the street grilling some jerk chicken, which he hacks up with a cleaver. Maybe there’s some Mannish water (goat soup) 0r curry goat. And if your lucky, Oxtails.

While East Indian indentured servants brought curry, the Chinese are responsible for introducing ingredients like soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Combine that with such unlikely ingredients as Worcestershire sauce, sugar, allspice, and tomato ketchup, and you have the base of the oxtail stew. The heat comes via the fiery Scotch bonnet pepper, making for a sweet, savory, and spicy concoction that’s bone-sucking good. This is strictly Caribbean comfort food.

The Recipe

From Sam Sifton, The New York Times

3 pounds oxtails, cut into segments

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 Spanish onions, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 Scotch Bonnet pepper, whole

3 sprigs fresh thyme

12 allspice berries

1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped

2 tablespoons white sugar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons tomato ketchup

1 cup butter beans or 10.5 oz. can butter beans rinsed and drained

1.)   Season oxtails aggressively with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add brown sugar to pot and melt, stirring with a wooden spoon until it darkens and starts to smoke—about 6 minutes. When sugar is nearly black, add 2 tablespoons boiling water (it will splatter). Stir to mix.

2.)   Add oxtails to the pot, working in batches, stirring each time to cover them with blackened sugar, then allowing them to cook, turning occasionally until they are well browned. Remove oxtails to a bowl and keep warm.

3.)   Add half the onions, garlic and ginger to the pot along with pepper, thyme, allspice, and 1/3 of the scallions, and stir to combine. Allow to cook until softened, approx. 5 minutes.

4.)   Return the oxtails to the pot along with any accumulated juices and put water into the pot so that the oxtails are almost submerged. Bring to a simmer and then cook, covered, approx. 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

5.)   Add remaining onions, garlic and ginger to the pot along with another third of the scallions. Add sugar, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine and continue to cook until the meat is yielding and loose on the bone—approx. one hour longer. Remove approximately one cup of liquid from pot and place in a small bowl. Add flour to this liquid and stir to combine, working out any lumps with the back of a spoon. Add this slurry to the pot along with ketchup, then stir to combine and allow to cook a further 15 minutes or so. Remove Scotch bonnet pepper and thyme stems. Fold butter beans into stew and allow these to heat through. Scatter remaining scallions over the top. Serve with white rice or rice and peas.

Serves 4

Pan Asian: Korean Fried Chicken Wings w/ A Sweet & Spicy Chili Sauce

Have you ever tried Korean fried chicken–crispy-crunchy on the outside and oh so moist and tender inside? Well, if you haven’t it’s about time you did. And you don’t have to wait till you go to a Korean restaurant, because it’s so easy to make at home. With a few special ingredients (like baking powder, corn starch, and vodka), you’ll be throwing down like a pro. The sweet and spicy chili sauce offers and added bonus full of bite and flavor, but you can just as easily use Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce. Or just enjoy these amazing wings as is.

The Recipe

(from Serious Eats.com courtesy of J. Kenji Lopez-Alt)

Ingredients:

Kosher salt

3/4 cups corn starch

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 pounds chicken wings (about 12 whole wings)

2 quarts peanut oil or vegetable shortening

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup vodka

1 recipe Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce (below)

Sweet & Spicy Chili Sauce:

1/4 cup gochujang

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Method

Combine gochujang, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Gochujang can be inconsistent in its thickness. Add up to 2 tablespoons water until sauce is just barely thin enough to drop off a spoon with inverted. Serve with Korean Fried Chicken.

Procedures:

1. Combine 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/4 cup cornstarch, and 1/2 teaspoon baking

powder in a large bowl and whisk until homogenous. Add chicken wings and toss

until every surface is coated. Transfer wings to a wire rack set in a rimmed

baking sheet, shaking vigorously as you go to get rid if excess coating.

Transfer to refrigerator and let rest, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes and up

to overnight.

2. When ready to fry, preheat oil to 350°F in a large wok, Dutch oven, or deep

fryer.

3. Combine remaining 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, flour, and

2 teaspoons kosher salt in a large bowl and whisk until homogenous. Add water

and vodka and whisk until a smooth batter is formed, adding up to 2 tablespoons

additional water if batter is too thick. It should have the consistency of thin

paint and fall off of the whisk in thin ribbons that instantly disappear as they

hit the surface of the batter in the bowl.

4. Add half of the wings to the batter. Working one at a time, lift one wing and

allow excess batter to drip off, using your finger to get rid of any large

pockets or slicks of batter. Carefully lower wing into hot oil. Repeat with

remaining wings in first batch. Fry, using a metal spider or slotted spatula to

rotate and agitate wings as they cook until evenly golden brown and crisp all

over, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season

immediately with salt. Keep warm while you fry the remaining wings.

5. Serve plain, or toss with Sweet Soy Sauce For Korean Fried Chicken or Sweet

and Spicy Chili Sauce For Korean Fried Chicken (or serve sauce on side).

 

http://youtu.be/D9mlZU1tM4o

Lankan Cinnamon Holds Massive Potential

A reprint from The Nation (LK)

by Hassina Leelarathna

Alarming levels of banned toxic found in substitutes makes local Cinnamon safer 
and desirable

A scientific research study four years in the making and just released in the US 
spells a major windfall for Sri Lanka’s cinnamon industry.    
Appearing in the April issue of the prestigious Journal of Agricultural and Food 
Chemistry (JAFC), published by the American Chemical Society, the study by 
researchers at the University of Mississippi analyzing levels of the banned 
toxic chemical coumarin in cinnamon products affirms the superiority of Ceylon 
Cinnamon, AKA True Cinnamon, as compared to more widely used cinnamon 
substitutes.     

High levels of coumarin, a chemical that naturally occurs in cinnamon, is a 
toxic to the liver, acts as an anticoagulant, and is known to cause cancer in 
rodents.  According to the researchers, experiments conducted using a variety of 
popular cinnamon flavored foods and cinnamon food supplements found in Ceylon 
Cinnamon to contain insignificant traces of coumarin whereas barks from cassia, 
imported from China, Vietnam and Indonesia and sold as cinnamon in the US, had 
substantial amounts of the toxic chemical.

“This is a great development that opens up many possibilities for Sri Lankan 
cinnamon growers”, said former Consul General Ananda Wickremasinghe (now living 
in Canada). He has been patiently awaiting the results ever since he took the 
initiative to get the study started in 2009 while serving as Consul General in 
Los Angeles. Wickremasinghe, an agricultural graduate who spent most of his 
career as an agriculture scientist spotted the potential for promoting Ceylon 
Cinnamon in the US after its lower coumarin content and superiority over 
substitutes was established by European as well as Sri Lankan researchers. “Some 
Sri Lankan exporters were already aware of Ceylon Cinnamon’s lower coumarin 
levels and studies have been conducted by the Industrial Technology Institute. 
However, to gain acceptance in the U.S., an independent study by American 
researchers was needed”.  

He presented the proposal to Research Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences at 
the University of Mississippi Dr. Dhammika Nanayakkara, one of the nation’s top 
pharmaceutical research colleges.  Dr. Nanayakkara eventually co-authored the 
study with research scientists Dr. Yan-Hong Wang (University of Mississippi),   
Bharathi Avula (University of Mississippi), Jianping Zhao, and Ikhlas A Khan.

The research was supported in part by “Science Based Authentication of Dietary
Supplements” funded by the Food and Drug Administration, the United States 
Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, and the Global 
Research Network for Medicinal Plants (GRNMP), King Saud University.
The researchers analyzed coumarin and other compounds in authenticated cinnamon 
bark samples as well as locally bought cinnamon samples, cinnamon-flavored 
foods, and cinnamon-based food. “The experimental results indicated that C. 
verum bark (Ceylon Cinnamon) contained only traces of coumarin, whereas barks 
from all three cassia species, especially C. loureiroi (Vietnam Cinnamon) and C. 
burmannii (Indonesian Cinnamon), contained substantial amounts of coumarin”, the 
study said.  

Researchers then analyzed 21 cinnamon-flavored foods such as cereals, snacks, 
bread, rolls, buns, swirl, bar and pastries all purchased from local stores. 
Except for cinnamaldehyde that is essential for cinnamon flavor, coumarin was 
detected in all cinnamon-flavored food products, varying in content from 0.05 to 
2.4 mg per serving. Two cinnamon dietary supplements that contained powders of 
cinnamon bark were also analyzed and found to contain high coumarin levels - 2.5 
and 3.9 mg per serving.
The identity of the cinnamon used in the samples was determined based on 
cinnamaldehyde and coumarin content, leading to the conclusion that most of the 
cinnamon used was of the Indonesian variety (C.burmannii) which has higher 
coumarin content, is cheaper, and accounts for 90% of US cinnamon imports in the 
past five years.

Surprisingly, despite cinnamon’s widespread use as a flavoring in a wide range 
of foods and its growing popularity as a ‘miracle cure’ for everything from 
diabetes to weight loss this is the first published study in the US that 
analyzes the coumarin content of cinnamon. As such this is also the first 
American study that affirms Ceylon Cinnamon’s low coumarin content – a fact long 
known to European researchers and industry insiders.  

While coumarin has been banned in the US as a food additive since 1954, its 
presence is mostly associated with artificial vanilla (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla). Coumarin was also banned as an adulterant in cigarettes by tobacco companies in 
1997 but due to the lack of reporting requirements to the U.S. Department of 
Health and Human Services, it is still being used as a flavoring additive in 
pipe tobacco.
The JAFC article warns that ingesting substantial amounts of coumarin on a daily 
basis may pose a health risk to individuals who are more sensitive to the 
compound. The researchers are calling for the establishment of a Tolerable Daily 
Intake (TDI) and maximum limits for coumarin in foods marketed in the US.

European health agencies already recognize the adverse side effects of coumarin 
and EU regulations specify a TDI for coumarin of 0.1 milligrams of coumarin per 
kilogram for food products. But setting such limits doesn’t ensure compliance. 
Recent tests by a leading independent consumer protection group warned that 
coumarin levels in a variety of cookies, cereals and rice puddings sold in 
Germany were up to 20 times the European legal limit.

The US study, which establishes the occurrence of high coumarin levels in 
popular foods as well as health supplements, is bound to attract the attention 
of consumer groups and open the door to scrutiny of cinnamon additives by the 
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal agency that oversees and sets 
guidelines for food safety.  
Wickremasinghe believes Sri Lankan authorities should seize the opportunity and 
take proactive measures, such as promotional events by foreign missions, 
contacting food watchdogs, and making oversight bodies such as the FDA and 
Health Canada in North America aware of the study, in order to maximize the 
leverage potential of Ceylon Cinnamon.  

Sri Lanka’s share of the world cinnamon market is around 22% while its share of 
the US market is slightly less than 6%.    
Upping the statistics to 10% of the international market is well within reach 
says Wickremasinghe, adding that every measure must be taken to increase 
cinnamon production. “It will require doubling Sri Lanka’s current cinnamon 
growing area, improving agronomic practices, and extending cultivation into 
parts of the wet zone where cinnamon is not currently growing”, he says. He 
strongly believes coumarin free cinnamon plants could be found in Sri Lanka and 
that they could be used to introduce coumarin free cinnamon varieties.

Coincidentally, the study comes in the midst of a growing controversy over “The 
Cinnamon Challenge”, a prank that challenges teenagers to shovel a spoonful of 
ground cinnamon into their mouths. The fad has gone viral with over 40,000 
videos posted on You Tube, nearly 3 million Google hits and on the flip side, 
dozens of challengers ending up in emergency rooms with serious problems such as 
collapsed lungs. Worried parents are scrambling to put a stop to it, while 
bloggers, talk show hosts, school authorities, and doctors are all weighing in. 
Surprisingly, doctors are coming out saying cinnamon is ‘totally harmless’ other 
than for an inert substance called cellulose which can lodge in the lungs. No 
mention of coumarin.

“What better time to start talking about the facts of cinnamon and the 
superiority of our cinnamon to the American public and pass the message along to 
other countries?” asks Wickremasinghe.
The planets are definitely lined up in favor of a big push for Ceylon Cinnamon. 

Pan Asian: Vegetable Kurma (South India)

With spring upon us and summer right around the corner, I’m inspired  to get outside more, and start hitting the farmers market for fresh produce. It’s also time to start shedding that winter weight and get healthy again, and vegetables are the perfect tonic. Since the south of India is known for its primarily vegetarian diet, and also some incredibly tasty dishes, I looked in Healthy South Indian Cooking by Alamelu Vairavan and Patricia Marquardt for inspiration, and pulled this amazing recipe for Vegetable Kurma. It uses carrots, potatoes, cauliflower and peas, but feel free to use whatever vegetables you like. I also substituted cashew nuts for almonds (since I didn’t have any handy), and, of course, upped the heat quotient by adding more green chilis. While the dish is simple to prepare, there are a lot of ingredients involved, but mysteriously enough, no garlic! Though it turned out great, I think next time I will add some garlic as it can only enhance an already delicious dish. Also, salt to taste as I believe the recipe called for not enough salt.

The Recipe

from Healthy South Indian Cooking (Hippocrene Books, 2008)

by Alamelu Vairavan and Patricia Marquardt

Ingredients:

½ cup ground fresh coconut or unsweetened coconut powder

1 green chili pepper

12 raw almonds

1 tablespoon white poppy seeds (optional)

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 thick slices ginger root (peeled)

1 tablespoon roasted chickpeas

2 tablespoons canola oil

6 to 8 curry leaves

1 dry bay leaf

3 or 4 slivers cinnamon sticks

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped tomato

2 cups peeled and cubed Idaho potato

½ cup peeled and thinly sliced carrots

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon curry powder

½ cup green peas (fresh or frozen)

1 cup cauliflower florets

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1.)   In A blender combine coconut powder, green chili, almonds, white poppy seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, ginger root slices, chickpeas. Add 2 cups hot water and grind the ingredients to a smooth paste.

2.)   Heat oil in a wide-bottom saucepan over medium heat. When oil is hot, but not smoking, add curry leaves, bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, remaining cumin and fennel  seeds. Cover and fry to a golden brown.

3.)   Add onion and ½ cup of the chopped tomato to saucepan and stir-fry for a few minutes until onion is lightly translucent.

4.)   Add potato and carrots to saucepan. Add turmeric powder and stir well.

5.)   Add curry powder and stir-fry for a minute or two.

6.)   Add peas and cauliflower to mixture and stir fry for a couple of minutes.

7.)   Add ground spices from the blender to vegetable mixture in saucepan plus 2 cups of warm water. Mix thoroughly.

8.)   When mixture begins to boil, reduce heat. Add remaining ½ cup chopped tomato, salt and cilantro leaves. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Serve with rice or bread.

Serves 6

 

Skiz’s Original Spice Blends

I originally made my raw and roasted Sri Lankan curry powder at home and gave it out to friends and family, who were the first to encourage me to actually market my brand. When my book came out, this seemed like a no brainer as most of my recipes called for either a raw or roasted curry powder. Since I’m on a mission to promote Sri Lankan food, one of the last undiscovered cuisines of Asia, far and wide, it only makes sense to flog my curry powders. I truly stand behind my product, and firmly believe that these are the most complex and original spice blends you will find anywhere. My family and I cook with them regularly. Not only do they make for delicious dishes, but they also have myriad health benefits as all the spices used have applications in the ancient Ayurvedic system of medicine. In short, this is the real deal.

I started selling my spices exclusively in an artisanal food site called Foodoro.

http://skizsspice.foodoro.com/products/sri-lankan-curry-powder-set-12-oz

I also sell them locally at two retail outlets:

The Milk & Honey Market in Baltimore

http://milkandhoneybaltimore.com/chicken-curry-kukul-mas/

and Bazaar Spices @ Union Market in DC

http://www.bazaarspices.com/

Now, I’ve just set up another online store on Open Sky, which I hope you will visit and follow me as I need 20 followers to open the store:

https://www.opensky.com/skizs-original-spice-blends

 

Easy Asian Cooking, Part 1 ~ China, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam ~ with Gastronaut Skiz Fernando

• 

  DC/MD/VA! I’m back at the Hill Center in the nation’s capital, once again, promoting something I truly love, which is Asian food. You thought I was all about rice & curry, but I’m venturing out of my comfort zone a little, and exploring some dishes from China, Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand, which I cook on a daily basis. Ever seen my cooking show, “Pan Asian?” Well, these are all dishes that I have made before, and I love to show people how quick and easy it really is to make some very complex and flavorful food that you only thought you could get in a restaurant. So please join me as we take a trip to foreign lands and fantastic flavors without even leaving the kitchen! Here are the details:

  Register Here »

  When: Sat, 05/04/2013 - 11:00am to 1:00pm

  Cost: $75
  Category: Food and Garden
  Location: Lorinda “Annie” Hooks Demo Kitchen

  Skiz Fernando returns to Hill Center to take you on a culinary tour of the Far East without ever leaving the kitchen. In this two-hour, hands-on class, Skiz seeks to demystify Asian ingredients and techniques as he instructs you in the preparation of such simple, delicious and healthy dishes as Steamed Fish with Soy Sauce (Hong Kong), Basil Chicken (Thailand), Summer Rolls (Vietnam), and Spicy Stir Fry Squid (Korea). Afterwards, you’re invited for lunch. Skiz is the author of RICE & CURRY: Sri Lankan Home Cooking, a 2011 New York Times Notable Book of the Year. He hosts his own cooking series on YouTube called Pan Asian, in which he cooks dishes from all over Asia and the world.

  Skiz is a second generation Sri Lankan-American and graduate of Harvard University and the Columbia School of Journalism. In 2009 he was featured on Travel Channel’s No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain where he led the crew to Sri Lanka’s hot spots. Check out his blog Rice & Curry and Pan Asian online cooking series.

  Cookbooks will be available for purchase for $19.95.

  

http://youtu.be/qnIRaUoAHxk

Adventures In Dining: Ministry Of Crab, Colombo, Sri Lanka

one of the giants at Ministry of Crab

Since ending a brutal 27-year conflict in 2009, Sri Lanka is writing a new chapter in her history, which is seeing the country growing and changing in leaps and bounds. One of the first things I noticed on my latest trip there, after the absence of about a year, was how clean the streets of Colombo have become. Forget about those rotting mounds of garbage that pockmarked the urban landscape–you’re hard-pressed to find even the odd scrap of litter. I’m talking capital C-L-E-A-N. Minister of Defense cum Urban Development Gotabaya Rajapaksa deserves kudos for his beautification campaign, which includes knocking down the walls around all public spaces to create a sense of openness, which is, indeed, very rare these days in most congested Asian capitals. The government is also behind the renovation and restoration of such historic sites as the Colombo Racetrack and the Old Dutch Hospital, both of which have been turned into luxury shopping complexes boasting fine restaurants and bars.  Originally built in 1677, the Old Dutch Hospital, in particular, provides a fitting showpiece for the new Colombo—elegant, exciting, and certainly not cheap. As headquarters for the culinary hotspot known as Ministry of Crab, it is a mandatory stop for all visitors here.

I had heard reports about the Ministry often tempered by complaints about how pricey it is. According to their own website, an XL crab clocking in at about a kilo will run you RS 5250 (which comes to about US $41). Though you may instinctively shudder at the thought of paying that much for a single crab consider the fact that you have never, ever in your life laid eyes on such a monstrous creature unless, of course, you grew up near the lagoons of Negombo or Chilaw, where these crabs are sourced. And never mind the tantalizing sauces they are cooked in—chili garlic being my own personal favorite—which can be mopped up with the old-style kade pan (bread) with which they are served. The crabmeat itself is some of the richest, most succulent animal flesh on land or sea, and even the smallest of its legs is loaded with this white gold. So, if you are the type who appreciates good food and think nothing of, say, plunking down $80 for a couple of ounces of prime Kobe beefsteak, $40 for a 32 ounce crustacean seems like a bona fide bargain. When you also consider that these native lagoon crabs were never before available in Sri Lanka because they were all exported to Singapore, you are, in fact, getting a true taste of The Resplendent Isle.

the open kitchen at Ministry

Veteran restaurateur Darshan Munidasa, along with his partners, star cricketers, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, are the men behind the Ministry, but it is Darshan who maintains a daily presence, when he’s not splitting time at his other exceptional establishment, Nihonbashi, without a doubt the finest Japanese restaurant within 1000 miles (Darshan is half Japanese himself). Brimming with new ideas and enthusiasm, this guy is on top of every detail here—from the design of the open kitchen; to the Japanese, carbon-steel woks used to cook the crabs; to the fact that the pol sambol is made to order here on traditional grindstones, and served in a coconut shell with a 5 mm layer of coconut meat left intact. He clearly loves what he’s doing, and he’s set the bar quite high for Sri Lanka’s fine dining establishments. Hopefully others will follow his lead.

the main event — chili garlic crab

claypot prawn curry

Though I ate Sri Lankan clams for the first time, and the biggest freshwater prawns I’ve ever seen in my life, the star of the show was, no doubt, the Sri Lankan lagoon crab, which sent shivers of patriotism down my spine. Ministry also takes a playful approach to five-star dining providing customers with bibs, which you will definitely need as you dig into these crabs with both hands. As a connoisseur of crustaceans and a Cancer myself, I can honestly say that these were the biggest and best crabs I have ever eaten. But don’t take my word for it. Indulge for yourself! And long live Ministry of Crab!