Stir-fried Okras, tantalised with a touch of XO Sauce

Okra is a flowering plant in the mallow family Malvaceae, originating somewhere near present-day Ethiopia.

This little creature, also known as Lady's Finger, is highly tantalising. When cooked, it is crunchy and has the same mucilaginous properties as nopales. I instantly fell for it when I first tried. It is most popular with Thai curry. Breaded, deep fried okra is also popular in the Southern United States. Basically, it goes well in many ways.

As usual, I'm gonna give it an entirely new twist. And, of course, it's a minimalist's twist. XO sauce, ginger and garlic - these are all I need. XO sauce is an invention entirely from Hong Kong, the place I'm from. It's made from dried scallops, dried shrimps and chilli. It's getting very popular these days. The Chinese just love it on stir-fry. You can get one easily from supermarkets.

Minimalist's ingredients:
1. a bunch of okras, as many as you like;
2. one or two cloves of garlic, finely chopped, not crushed or pressed;
3. slices of ginger, shredded; and
4. one or half a tea-spoonful of XO sauce.

Each okra should be diagonally sliced into two halves. Small ones should be left unharmed and seeds should be left alone. They are great!

Heat up the pan/wok with drops of extra virgin peanut oil. Let garlic and ginger in first and let them fried for seconds. Toss the okras onto the pan. Swing the pan and swing it well. That's an indispensable part of the stir-fry ritual!

The swing should last for about ½ minute. Sprinkle a pinch of sea-salt and XO sauce. Add a tiny bit of water or broth. Cover with a lid. Turn down the fire slightly and let it cooked for another ½ minute.

Give it another swing and it's done. You'll see that beautfiul green shimmering with garlic, ginger and XO sauce. Here's when your taste buds get thoroughly tantalised!

These little creatures are beautiful and obsessive. I can just have them alone with a favourite beer for my dinner.

Okra

Obsession with the green starts here...

Pic first, more later...

Sabiá

Vou voltar
Sei que ainda vou voltar
Para o meu lugar
Foi lá e é ainda lá
Que eu hei de ouvir cantar uma sabiá,
Cantar uma sabiá

Vou voltar
Sei que ainda vou voltar
Vou deitar à sombra de uma palmeira que já não há
Colher a flor que já não dá
E algum amor talvez possa espantar
As noites que eu não queria
E anunciar o dia

Vou voltar
Sei que ainda vou voltar
Não vai ser em vão
Que fiz tantos planos de me entregar
Como fiz enganos de me encontrar
Como fiz estradas de me perder
Fiz de tudo e nada de te esquecer.

Written by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Chico Buarque (1968)
Vocal: Paula Morelenbaum
Cello: Jaques Morelenbaum
Piano: Ryuichi Sakamoto

Paula:

This song is precious. Ryuichi and Jaques started playing it, and a few minutes later they had found this special rhythm, very much different from the existing previous recordings - it evokes French impressionistic sounds, Debussy, Ravel, and there's also a bit of Chopin in it, which made us listen to Tom Jobim with a different ear. The first time I did "Sabia" in this new format, it was a highly emotional experience for me. I missed him and the tears kept bursting forth.

Jaques:

Since the Nova Banda, playing Sabia was maybe my most sublime artistic moment. And once, when by any reason I had to make a transcription of this song, and for a glance I could separate it's emotional side from the architectural side, I could finally realize why this song provokes so much in my heart. It is a masterpiece, and if ever I was obliged to choose my favorite Jobim song, I would not hesitate to say Sabia. (For the detail lovers, note that the piano line at the introduction is the exact line sang by this species. Tom loved to do so, and we can find throughout his work many examples of this exercise. For instance, the minor second relation found in the Intro for "Waters of March" and in many of Jobim's songs, including "Matita Pere," whose title is the name of another Brazilian bird.

The lyrics of Sabia say: "I'll come back" and this can mean so much for me: the song of the exiled, the song for returning to a time when Nature was naturally more preserved than it is today, the song of Tom coming back to Brazil, to his home, to his roots, to his beloved, to his love... Everything...

Ryuichi:

This is my personal favorite on "CASA". It's a profoundly meditative song. I am not sure I understand why. It's a feeling I have about the harmonic progression and the melody. You know, the original arrangement for this song as well was surprisingly bossa nova. This song best demonstrates how the contrasting brightness of the bossa nova rhythm and saudade can live together in the same piece.

Cooking with a View


















It's been years since I was on the road.

This picture was taken probably at my last road trip in Southern Australia. Don't remember exactly when or where as I have no habit of making a proper record. I do remember, however, how mesmerised I was by this very scenery. It has been my wallpaper ever since.

Taken on 35mm film (yes, film is strictly better than digital!)
at 28mm (more or less)
f/ and shutter speed.. don't really remember..

Using a circular polariser, the reflection from the lake surface is significantly reduced while colors become more saturated. The result is a spellbinding picture where it's hard to tell between the sky and the lake.

The earth, the sky, wilderness, freedom, tranquility, vastness of the mother nature... I'm counting days down to the next road trip. And hopefully I'll bring my cookware along!

* Click picture to enlarge

Garlic Kuruma Prawns, Soft-baked Like No Others

Last was a shopping/cooking weekend with my good friend Alexandra. We have both gone through a traumatic personal experience of late. Seriously hurt but somehow have recovered with a new strength. With no shortage of wine and empathy, we were there kind of celebrating a new life.

When friends come for dinner, things are usually kept as simple as they can be. Here's a typical treat I would offer. And so far response has been positive.

Garlic prawns are not uncommon. The most popular is the Chinese way. Quite simply, steaming with garlic, lots of it. Eat with soy sauce. Not a bad experience, but...

I have given it a new twist. By reducing the amount of garlic and introducing extra virgin olive oil and chillies, soft-bake instead of steam, the result is...!!!

Minimalist's ingredients:
1) Medium-sized Kuruma prawns;
2) pearl rice;
3) small amount of garlic, finely chopped, not pressed or crushed;
4) no more than one piece of chilli, deseeded and finely chopped; and
5) spring onion (optional), finely chopped.

Cook rice in a rice-cooker, with tiny bit of salt and a little more water than usual.

Mix garlic, chilli, ground pepper, extra virgin olive oil, a touch of sea-salt and, if needed, spring onion altogether. It will be the fillings for the prawns.

Slice the back of the prawns halfway open to leave room for fillings. Intectines should be removed carefully. To get the best results, remember to slice it from tail to head. Fill them up with the mixed ingredients.

Bring rice to the plate and place it evenly. Let the prawns sit lining up on the rice. Sprinkle it with few more drops of olive oil.

Pre-heat oven to 120C. Leave the whole plate in for 10 minutes. As it's being baked, the juice from the prawns, especially from their heads, will spill over and get soaked up by the rice. No single drop is wasted here.

Another round of extra virgin olive oil and ground pepper, it's ready to serve!

Best served with a nice bottle of sparkling.

Thanks Alexandra again for making the most artistic angles and sharing the food!

Gosh! Out there it's hotter than my kitchen!

Too drunk to be able to say anything...
Pic first, more later...

Lining Up...

Weekend is always something to look forward to...

Thanks Alexandra for shooting and sharing the dinner!

Sauté Beef Shimeji Mushroom on the Green

White Shimeji mushrooms are getting very popular these days. Better still, large ones are now more easily available to the consumers and at a lower price. Thanks to globalisation. More high-quality produces are coming from Mainland China.

Here's one of my favourite ways to treat them...

Minimalist's ingredients:
Large white Shimeji mushrooms, rinsed and chopped;
Beef, chopped into slices or cubes; and
Fresh green vegetable of your choice.

Marinate beef with drops of extra virgin olive or peanut oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, ground pepper and a teaspoon of corn flour.

Heat up the pan. Toss the beef onto it and leave it still for 10 seconds. Throw in the mushrooms. Stir them all a little bit and let the sauté process take place for no more than two minutes. Beef should quickly turn brownish while mushrooms soak up the juice from the beef. That's all we need.

Green vegetable should be boiled or steamed and sit ready.

Toss the sauté nicely over the green. Sprinkle a few more drops of soy sauce and it's done! Served with rice.

The whole process lasts for just half an hour. So it's great for dinner over a typical working weekday.

Stop the Bloodshed: Ceasefire Now!

Right now a tragedy is unfolding in the Middle East. Thousands of innocent civilians have been killed or wounded in the bombings in Lebanon, Palestine and Israel and the death toll is rising every day. If the US, Syria or Iran get involved, there is a chance of a catastrophic larger war.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has called for an immediate ceasefire and the deployment of international troops to the Israel-Lebanon border, and been strongly supported by almost every world leader. This is the best proposal yet to stop the violence, but the US, the UK, and Israel have refused to accept it.

I have just signed a petition calling on US President Bush, UK Prime Minister Blair, and Israeli Prime Minister Olmert to support Kofi Annan's proposal. If millions of people join this call, and we advertise our views in newspapers in the US, UK, and Israel, we can help pressure these leaders to stop the fighting.

Go to the link below and sign up now!

http://www.ceasefirecampaign.org

With hope.

New Make-up

I have given this blog a new make-up. What do ya say?

The original layout and font Georgia don't really fit (don't ask me why). I changed it to Trebuchet MS and broadened the space significantly - yeah, just to reflect some of my characters - bold visions, broad horizons, etc.

Next, I'll get rid of the picture frames. Thanks GM5 for the tips. And I'll scale down the column on the right. Still trying to figure how... but it's all part of the learning process and it's a great fun!

Still Cooking...

Pics are finally uploaded from the camera. It's actually easier than I imagined. The pace of technology really makes me an old-timer...
It's getting late. So pic first, more later...

Unit Bias
a new heuristic that helps explain the effect of portion
size on food intake

"People seem to think that a unit of some entity (with certain constraints) is the appropriate and optimal amount. We refer to this heuristic as unit bias. We illustrate unit bias by demonstrating large effects of unit segmentation, a form of portion control, on food intake. Thus, people choose, and presumably eat, much greater weights of Tootsie Rolls and pretzels when offered a large as opposed to a small unit size (and given the option of taking as many units as they choose at no monetary cost). Additionally, they consume substantially more M&M’s when the candies are offered with a large as opposed to a small spoon (again with no limits as to the number of spoonfuls to be taken). We propose that unit bias explains why small portion sizes are effective in controlling consumption; in some cases, people served small portions would simply eat additional portions if it were not for unit bias. We argue that unit bias is a general feature in human choice and discuss possible origins of this bias, including consumption norms."

Andrew B. Geier, Paul Rozin, and Gheorghe Doros
University of Pennsylvania

Full article

Courtesy of the fanatic cook

Pan-grilled Lentjan with a Double Lime Twist

I'm yet to fully cope with my new digital toy (still reading chap one of a 200-page manual) . To keep the ball rolling, I guess I might just dig out the old pics for the time being then.

The spirits of minimalist cooking cannot be more relevant when it comes to seafood. Because seafood has its distinct freshness and delicacy. You gotta be careful when deciding what ingredients to go with. The balance must be right or else the very original flavours will be compromised.

What I'm showing here is my all-time favourite treat of a typical fresh seafish. And one of my favourite fishes is Lentjan (連尖). There are some better seasons. But, by and large, it's good through the year. Get one as big as you can. Alternatively, a red snapper will also do.

Minimalist's ingredients:
lime leaves, finely shredded; small amount of garlic, chopped (not pressed or crushed); tiny bit of ginger, finely shredded; and fresh lime.

Use a sharp knife to slice off the meat from the fish. Marinate with lime leaves, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of flour, sea-salt and fresh ground pepper (preferably a mix of white and black). Leave it in the fridge for couple of hours.

Heat up the pan to a grilling temperature, with a few drops of oil. Use one that can stand the heat and never use Teflon!

Toss the fish onto the pan. Leave it for 2 minutes, until one side gets "toasted". Turn over and give it another minute.

Give it some more fresh pepper and it's done! Sprinkle a few drops of extra virgin olive oil and fresh lime juice to give it an extra kick.

Best served with Riesling and salad of your choice.

Cheers!