IN THIS ISSUE:

Sorry for the Newsletter Delay 1

Special Diet Request 1

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 2

Molecular Gastronomy 2

Origami Foods 2

Turning to India 3

Time for a Chaat 6

Frankies 7

Shine On, Harvest Mooncakes 7

In the News 8

SORRY FOR THE NEWSLETTER DELAY

Sigh… This has turned into another one of those multi-issue newsletters. I started out with the best of intentions, then Life intervened.

Latest in a series of monkey wrenches in my household, in August, a month before her 9th birthday, my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes. We’d always known if was a possibility because my husband has diabetes, but he didn’t develop it until he was 38 years old.

Thus began a round of meetings… her doctor, diabetes educator, dietician, teachers, school health aid, a public health nurse to develop a school emergency plan (luckily, Hawaii is one of those states in the forefront of health care), and even the schoolbus driver! We’ve long been members of the American Diabetes Association but got involved with their local kids & families group and also joined the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

My daughter is doing well so far. She’s on an 1,850 calorie carb-counting diet (three meals plus three snacks), with insulin shots before breakfast and dinner, and glucose tests 5 or 6 times a day. Her teachers and friends have been very supportive, so she doesn’t feel like a freak.

SPECIAL DIET REQUEST

Speaking of special diets, Mensa member Valda Traughber wants to know how she can adapt a Low-Residue Diet to include her favorite Asian foods. She wrote:

I love Oriental food and one of my great interests in life has been cooking. I'd not known just how terribly restrictive such a diet is until now. I have been trying to think of WHAT I can eat that is Oriental food and still comply with this very restrictive diet. I thought perhaps some of your members might be able to offer suggestions.

My all-time favorite Chinese dish is pepper steak but peppers are forbidden by my low-residue diet. A few versions of the low-residue diet allow “onions in recipes if chopped fine and well-cooked.” Snow peas are out, too. Cooked carrots are fine, as are well-cooked green beans. I used to make a mean sukiyaki, adapting it to my tastes in veggies. I’ve found that I can eat some greens if they are chopped and well-done. Cabbage is another forbidden food for me and that cuts into many Oriental foods. I love hot radishes and hot mustard but I must avoid these, too.

I cannot have any pork but can eat well-cooked beef and chicken. My taste in fish runs strictly to baked or fried cod. No shellfish, oysters, clams, etc. I am fond of sweet and sour dishes, but the pineapple I frequently used in them is something I should not eat. It’s a real problem, isn’t it?

Any suggestions from the crew are much appreciated!

HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA

My sincere condolences to all those affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Oriental Food SIG has several members who were living in the NOLA or Gulf Coast area. Please let me know how you’re doing and where you are now.

In the midst of turmoil, it is heartening to see how many retail and food businesses have responded to this crisis with direct aid in the form of food, water, supplies, and the power of their distribution networks. If you would like to help, please send your donations to reputable organizations like the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org), America’s Second Harvest (www.americassecondharvest.com), Humane Society of the United States (www.hsus.org), or Salvation Army (katrina.salvationarmy.org). In addition, www.CIRAjobs.org is serving as a clearinghouse to provide jobs for displaced Gulf Coast restaurant workers.

MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY:

Apple Caviar and Edible Paper Sushi

Those of us who are fans of ethnic cooking and hole-in-the-wall eateries sometimes are out of the loop when it comes to the latest culinary trends, such as the high-concept, surrealistic work of the man who many consider to be the most influential chef in the world, Ferran Adrià, chef/owner of El Bulli (www.elbulli.com) on the coast of Spain.

Adrià is the foremost practitioner of “Molecular Gastronomy,” exploring the properties of food ingredients through the principles of chemistry and physics to create new dishes with stunning results, turning solids into foams or gels, liquids into gases, and back again.

Adrià actually closes his three-star restaurant for six months out of every year to develop his culinary alchemy in a “secret laboratory” in Barcelona: Parmesan spaghetti made of liquefied cheese injected into a plastic tube and blown through a CO2 cartridge into a solid five-foot strand. Apple caviar, made by jelling apple juice and using a syringe to release one drop at a time into a solution of calcium chloride. (Want to try the latter at home? The recipe, as well as a video clip demonstration, is at StarChefs.com: http://starchefs.com/events/lo_mejor_de_la_gastronomia/2003/html/apple_caviar_f_adria.shtml)

Back in Chicago, chef Homaru Cantu of Moto (www.motorestaurant.com) likewise believes in “pushing the limits of taste, texture, and technique.”

His latest creation making waves in the culinary world is maki sushi prepared on a Canon inkjet printer. The “cartoon sushi” is printed on pieces of edible paper made of soybeans and cornstarch, using organic, food-based inks that Cantu concocted. The back of the paper is flavored with soy and nori powder. (For a menu you can actually taste, Cantu’s “tasting menus” are also made of edible paper, with each section flavored according to the dinner’s theme.)

The son of an engineer, Cantu has taken out numerous patents on his food inventions. He is currently experimenting with liquid nitrogen, helium, and superconductors to make foods that will levitate.

Food for thought? Or Mensans!

ORIGAMI FOODS

Speaking of paper sushi…

Sushi rolls might soon be wrapped in brightly colored sheets made from familiar vegetables and fruits, offering a fresh alternative to the traditional seaweed. Scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and research partner Origami Foods, LLC (Pleasanton, CA) are experimenting with dozens of delicious, brightly colored wraps.

For example, they’ve tested a bright-orange carrot-based wrap to encircle a cucumber, garlic, and rice filling; and a deep-red tomato and basil wrap to hold a spicy tuna and rice filling. Other combinations include a Thai curry sushi made of potatoes, carrots, green onions and coconut milk in a carrot wrap; roast pork and rice sushi rolled in a pineapple-apricot-ginger wrap; bite-sized quiche sushi of carrots, onions, and asparagus in a broccoli wrap; and dessert sushi made of cheesecake in a blueberry or strawberry wrap. All the wraps contain at least 75% vegetables or fruit, plus other natural ingredients. They are produced using infrared drying and other leading-edge technologies.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2005/050726.htm?pf=1

TURNING TO INDIA

I’ve been on an Indian food kick lately, brought about by our discovery of a recently opened—and well-stocked—Indian food market in Honolulu.

Indian food began establishing a presence in the USA in the 1960s with the hippie generation and its strong connection with vegetarianism. It also proved popular with college students because the first Indian restaurants offered food that was cheap, filling, and tasty.

Today, Indian cuisine remains popular with young people and the Baby Boom generation for those same reasons. However, many food professionals believe that Indian food will be the next big ethnic food trend in the United States. India’s wealth of regional cuisines—such as Bengali, Kashmiri, and South Indian—are beginning to emerge from the shadows in upscale dining establishments and even lines of prepared Indian foods.

According to the 2000 Census, there were 1.9 million Asian-Indians living in the United States, making them the third-largest Asian-American ethnic group after Chinese and Filipinos.

In addition, India is one of the world’s largest food producers. Although nation currently accounts for less than 2% of the international food trade, it increasingly views itself as a potential “food factory to the world.” While much of India’s food industry is still not up to Western production standards, multinational corporations are increasingly investing in Indian agribusiness, at the same time domestic corporations are developing cutting-edge food processing technology. New made-in-India prepared foods I’ve tried and liked include frozen Indian flatbreads from Pillsbury India (such as Peas Paratha), and Vimal brand shelf-stable entrees and snacks (such as Patra Slices). The Vimal line comes packaged in overboxed aluminum retort pouches and merely needs heating to be ready in minutes.

These brands, as well as all ethnic ingredients called for in the recipes below (garam masala, chaat masala, chapati flour, tamarind concentrate, and besan) are available at Indian stores and online Indian sources. In addition, most supermarkets carry McCormick brand garam masala in their spice aisle.

· Garam masala, literally “hot spice,” is made of warming and sweet spices including cinnamon, cardamom, coriander seeds, cloves, nutmeg, and a healthy dose of black pepper. If you have a spice grinder or coffee grinder, it’s easy to make yourself. A recipe for homemade garam masala is below.

· Chaat masala, a spice mix for snacks, adds extra exotic dimension. Typically, it contains ingredients such as amchur (tart dried mango powder), black salt (a smoky-tasting variety of rock salt), and pungent asafoetida.

· Chapati flour is a fine whole-wheat flour; you can substitute equal parts of regular whole-wheat flour and all-purpose flour.

· Tamarind concentrate is a handy form of the paste or liquid extracted from tamarind pulp. Its widely used in Thai, Filipino, and Indian cooking, and can also be mixed with water and sugar to taste to make a refreshing Mexican/Central American beverage.

· Besan, also called gram flour, is a fine flour made from Bengal gram, a variety of chickpeas.

Homemade Garam Masala (Spice Mix – India)

Garam masala is an aromatic spice mix that incorporates spices that are supposed to heat the body. It is particularly popular in North Indian and Pakistani cuisine. Each household has its own recipe; here’s one.

Yield: about 1/4 cup

2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons green cardamom pods
1-1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 3” cinnamon stick, broken into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
about 1/2 a whole nutmeg

1- In a small skillet or saucepan, toast each spice except the nutmeg separately, shaking the pan, until fragrant. (You can pour them into the same bowl as they’re removed.) Let cool completely.

2- Place all the toasted ingredients in a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder. Process to a fine powder. Return to the bowl.

3- Grate the nutmeg over the ground spices.

4- Transfer mixture to a spice jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store away from heat and sunlight.

Saag Kofte (Meatballs in Spinach Sauce – Punjab, India)

This is my take on a famous Punjabi dish of lamb cooked with spinach, based on two different recipes from Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking (lamb cubes with spinach, and kofte—meatballs). Serve with basmati rice.

Serves 4-6

Meatballs:

1-1/4 pounds ground lamb

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

3 tablespoons plain yogurt

1- Combine all ingredients. (Note: I did this by grinding lamb cubes in my food processor and whirling in the other ingredients. This made for very light meatballs.)

2- Form into walnut-sized meatballs.

3- Arrange in a single layer in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs on all sides. Drain off any fat or excess liquid, leaving the meatballs in the pan.

Sauce:

1 large onion, quartered

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 bag (about 10 ounces) fresh spinach for salad

2 tablespoons cilantro leaves

1/2 a 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes

2 to 4 fresh green chiles, seeded (optional)

salt to taste

5 tablespoons plain yogurt

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

1- Process onion in a food processor until finely chopped.

2- Add to browned meatballs. Continue cooking until onions begin to soften.

3- Sprinkle with ground spices. Mix well.

4- Meanwhile, process spinach and cilantro—in batches, if necessary—until finely chopped. Add to the pan with the meatballs, stirring to mix.

5- Process tomatoes and chiles (if using) until finely chopped. Add to the meatballs along with salt to taste.

6- Drop yogurt by tablespoons onto the mixture and stir in until amalgamated.

7- Bring to a boil, then cover pan and simmer 15-20 minutes.

8- Sprinkle with garam masala. Stir gently and heat 2 minutes longer.

Channa Masala (Spiced Chickpeas – India)

This recipe is also tried-and-true. Lately, I’ve brought it to several potlucks (including a Mensa party), where it’s been a great hit. To save time, you can substitute 2 cans of chickpeas for the dried chickpeas (just start at step 4 in the procedure), but I’ve found I like the texture better when it’s made from dried ones.

The dried chickpeas need to be soaked overnight, so start this recipe the night before you plan to serve it. Channa masala will keep well in the refrigerator for at least 4 days.

Serves 6-8 as an appetizer or meal part

1-1/2 cups dried chickpeas

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground red chiles (or cayenne

pepper), or to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes

minced fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

1- Place chickpeas in a medium bowl. Add cold water to cover by 1”. Cover bowl and soak chickpeas overnight.

2- Drain chickpeas. Place in a large saucepan with water to cover by 1”. Bring to a boil, then cover pan leaving a vent, and simmer until chickpeas are tender, about 1 hour.

3- Drain in a colander and rinse to remove any loose skins.

4- In the same saucepan, heat oil. Add onion and sauté over medium-high heat until onion is softened and lightly browned. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add spices and salt; cook, stirring, until fragrant.

5- Add undrained tomatoes to the pan along with the cooked, drained chickpeas. Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes, until mixture is well blended.

May be served hot or cold. Garnish with minced fresh cilantro leaves, if desired, before serving.

Mattar Paratha (Peas Paratha – India)

A paratha (also spelled parantha) is a tender flatbread made of wheat bread; it’s typically cooked on a griddle and is thicker than a chapati. Stuffed parathas are made with two flatbreads sandwiched together with filling before being shallow-fried or cooked on a griddle.

Pillsbury India makes very good Peas Paratha that’s available in the freezer case of Indian grocery stores. Here’s a recipe that’s similar.

Serves 4 as a side dish or snack

Dough:

1-1/2 cups chapati flour (or 3/4 cup all-purpose

flour + 3/4 cup whole wheat flour)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable

oil

about 1/2 cup water

1- Combine flour, salt, ghee or oil, and water in a food processor and process until dough forms a ball.

2- Remove to a floured surface and knead dough about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rest 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare filling.

Filling:

8 ounces green peas

2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable

oil

2 tablespoons minced onion

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon minced fresh green chiles

1 teaspoon amchur powder (powdered dried

mango) or lemon juice

salt to taste

additional ghee or oil for shallow-frying or

brushing griddle

1- Boil peas until tender. Drain.

2- Sauté onion in ghee or oil until golden. Add spices and sauté until fragrant. Add peas and sauté, mashing lightly with a fork until well combined. Salt to taste.

3- Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece into a 5-1/2” diameter circle. Layer paratha, separated by plastic wrap, in a stack.

4- Spread filling over 4 of the circles, leaving a 1/2” border. Brush border with water.

5- Top each with one of the remaining circles, pressing edges together to seal. Roll each sealed paratha slightly to 6” in diameter.

6- Shallow-fry parathas or cook on an oiled griddle until golden brown on both sides. Serve hot.

Patra (Taro Leaf Spirals – Gujarat, India)

Serves 4-6 as a snack

Originating in western India, patra is a popular Gujarati snack that is very unusual to westerners. The Vimal brand ready-to-eat Patra Slices I bought at the Indian market were described in English on the package as “steamed colocasia leaves stuffed with gram flour and spices,” which didn’t give me too many clues, but the photo on the package looked interesting. Googling the unknown terms produced the definitions that “colocasia” was a vegetable I’d known all along—as taro leaves! And “gram flour,” aka besan, is a fine flour made from ground chickpeas.

Since not many of us have access to fresh taro leaves, I suggest substituting Swiss chard in this recipe. (If you do use fresh taro leaves, they must be cooked for at least 30 minutes before eating due to their high oxalic acid content.)

Patra and Filling:

15-20 large patra (taro) leaves (or substitute

large Swiss chard leaves)

1 cup gram flour (besan)

1/2 cup tamarind liquid (made from tamarind

concentrate diluted with water)

1 tablespoon pure ground chiles

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

salt to taste

Seasoning Oil:

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 tablespoon minced cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon finely grated coconut

1- Wash taro or Swiss chard leaves and pat dry. Trim off thick veins with scissors.

2- Mix remaining next 7 ingredients for filling; add salt to taste. The mixture should be a thick paste.

3- Place a leaf face down on a flat work surface. Take a little of the filling and spread thinly all over the back of the leaf.

4- Place another leaf over it. Repeat the layering until you have a stack of 3 or 4 leaves, ending with a layer of filling.

5- Fold in the long edges, then roll up the leaves tightly, starting at the base toward the tip. Seal the sides with some of the filling.

6- Arrange filled rolls on a perforated steamer tray.

7- Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.

8- Steam over boiling water 30 to 40 minutes until cooked through.

9- Let cool enough to handle, then remove from the steamer and cut into 1/2” thick slices.

10- Just before serving, make seasoning oil:

11- Heat sesame oil in a small pan. Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds; cook a few seconds until they begin to sputter.

12- Add sesame seeds, cilantro, and coconut.

13- Pour over patra slices. Mix well.

Serve hot or cold.

TIME FOR A CHAAT

Chaat is Indian fast food traditionally prepared by chaat wallahs, snack vendors, in parks, near train stations, and outside schools or office buildings. “Chaat” literally means “to lick” in Hindi. These snacks traditionally were served on a banana leaf, and they were so tasty that customers couldn’t resist licking the last morsels from the leaf before discarding it. While chaat is usually eaten as a snack, it also makes for a good lunch or dinner on the run. Now, courtesy of homesick Indian immigrants, it’s finding a new home in the USA, through snack vendors, street fairs, and sit-down cafés. Authentic chaat is available in places as disparate as Midtown Manhattan, Berkeley CA, Jackson Heights (Queens) NY, Iselin NJ, and Dallas TX.

Chaat can range from spicy crunchy snack mixes to pani puri (fried bread puffs with a savory filling, also known as gol gappas), samosas (fried triangular pastries), potato pancakes, and stuffed parathas (like the recipe above). Most are made-to-order, customized and spiced to individual taste, much like tacos. Some ingredients used for toppings include chopped onions, chiles, tomatoes, cilantro, mango, spiced chickpeas, yogurt, tamarind, and various chutneys.

Meanwhile, in India, chaat is going upscale. While chaat used to be considered humble street food, even elegant wedding banquets now have “chaat stations.” A fashionable Mumbai restaurant recently showcased gol gappas in exotic flavors including rose and mango, and it has become trendy among India’s new middle class to stop at a bistro after work to eat gol gappas spiked with vodka.

You can read more about chaat here:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/features/food/topstories2/051405ccdrfoodchaat.a14e293a.html

Iena Kashyap’s website has 16 recipes, along with suggestions for an Indian Chaat Party: http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/6927/indc.html

FRANKIES

A true cross-cultural phenomenon, a frankie is a Mumbai (Bombay) street snack that’s like an Indian version of a burrito: a soft Indian bread dipped in egg, stuffed with spiced grilled chicken or lamb, paneer (fresh cheese), or even vegetables like cauliflower, and heated on the grill.

A Bombay entrepreneur named Amarjit Singh Tibb invented the sandwiches in 1968 after enjoying Lebanese chicken shawerma when in Beirut. The inventor’s son, who now manages the family’s chain of frankie stalls in India, says, “My father had the enterprise and vision to foresee the success of a Westernized fast food item adapted to suit the Indian palate. He even dared to call it ‘frankie’ (a derivative of ‘frankfurter’)” (Mumbai Newsline, May 17, 2004).

While the original business now offers 14 fillings ranging from grilled Indian cheese (tava paneer) to Szechwan-style chicken, the trendy Bombay Café in Los Angeles recently brought the idea to the United States and is popularizing frankies in southern California.

Potato Frankies (Mumbai, India)

Serves 4

A typical frankie filling. You can substitute the potato with shredded or chopped leftover cooked meat or poultry, using the same method.

Filling:

2 potatoes, boiled and mashed

1/2 cup chopped cooked vegetables of choice

2 to 3 green chiles, minced

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon chaat masala

1 cup bread crumbs

salt to taste

vegetable oil for shallow-frying

1- Combine mashed potatoes, chopped vegetables, chiles, garam masala, chaat masala, bread crumbs, and salt to taste.

2- Form into 4 sausage-shaped patties.

3- Shallow-fry in oil until they are golden on all sides. Drain on paper towels.

Assembly:

4 soft chapatis, rotis, parathas, or flour tortillas
2 eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons water
1 onion, sliced and sautéed until golden (garnish)

1/2 cup minced cilantro leaves (garnish)

1/2 cup diced tomatoes (garnish)

2 tablespoons chaat masala (for sprinkling)

hot sauce or ketchup (as desired)

4 pieces aluminum foil

1- Heat an oiled griddle over medium heat. Place one chapati or tortilla on the griddle and heat through.

2- Brush the egg mixture evenly over the surface of the chapati; turn and brush the other side. Heat just until the egg is cooked.

3- Remove and fill with a potato patty. Garnish as desired with onions, cilantro, tomatoes, chaat masala, and hot sauce or ketchup.
4- Roll up gently like a burrito and wrap each frankie in a piece of aluminum foil. Keep warm in a 250°F oven until all the frankies are made. Serve hot, tearing off the end of the foil to eat.

SHINE ON, HARVEST MOONCAKES

The moon festival always takes place on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese Lunar calendar (this year, September 18th); it’s also known as the mid-autumn festival. As many other Chinese holidays, it’s an occasion for families to get together and eat.

Mooncakes are essential for celebrating the mid-autumn lunar festival. They’re traditionally eaten on the night of the harvest moon together with tiny cups of tea.

Much like Western fruitcakes, traditional mooncakes can be an acquired taste. Heavy and dense, they are made of flaky baked pastry—usually lard-based dough—with fillings of sweetened lotus paste, red beans, or chopped fruits and nuts. Sometimes they contain a salted duck egg yolk or a double egg yolk, for luck

Trendy new varieties include bing pei (“snow skin”) mooncakes, jelly mooncakes, and even ice cream mooncakes.

· “Snow skin” mooncakes are unbaked, with a white skin made of glutinous rice dough, similar to Japanese mochi.

· Jelly mooncakes are made from a gelatin or agar-agar base filled with fruit, coconut, chocolate, coffee, green tea, cream cheese, yogurt, or other creative fillings. They are especially pretty when sliced open to reveal their different colors. Their refreshing cool taste has made them especially popular in Singapore and Malaysia, where the climate is hot and humid.

This blog from the Vietnamese Community at the National University of Singapore has photos of some incredible mooncakes, including jelly, Häagen-Dazs, and Hello Kitty variations: http://www.forum.vncnus.net/viewtopic.php?t=17100&highlight=&sid=daa3d8bc50cb1dfd635166943d4c55e2

Make Your Own Jelly Mooncakes

I didn’t get a chance to play around with making jelly mooncakes in time for the Moon Festival, but they’re not that difficult to do and I can describe the method. Although for decorative effect, most are molded in special mooncake molds that have embossed designs, they can be made in a cupcake tin or any other small molds.

Find some other small objects—such as empty single-serve dessert cups or even small paper cups—that will fit inside the cupcake tin leaving a border, in which to make the filling.

You will need agar-agar flakes or powder (available in health food stores and used like gelatin) to make the “jelly.” It works better than standard gelatin because it sets and remains set at room temperature. Dissolve some agar-agar in boiling liquid and flavor with sugar and other flavors to taste—fruit juice, milk and/or coconut milk, coffee, etc.

Make the fillings first, molding them in the smaller molds. You can use an unbaked cheesecake recipe, chocolate truffle recipe, canned sweetened red beans, gelatin/agar-agar cube base (with double the agar-agar) or almost any other filling of your choice. The consistency should be thick enough to retain its shape when unmolded. Make sure the height of the filling is no more than 2/3 of that of the outer mold. Let the fillings set in the refrigerator while you make the outer shells.

For the outer shells, pour a thin (about 1/4” thick) layer of the flavored agar-agar “gelatin” into each cup of the cupcake tin. Let stand until almost completely set. Meanwhile, unmold the fillings onto a plate or tray and have them ready to work with.

Place one filling in the center of each cupcake cup. Carefully pour in more of the jelly mixture (reheat slightly if it has gotten too thick to pour) to fill in the sides and coat the top of the filling. Chill until completely set. Unmold just before serving. (Tap the mold on the counter to loosen the jellies before unmolding.)

IN THE NEWS

Dim Sum Too High in Fat & Sodium

A Hong Kong government study has concluded that dim sum—those tiny mouthwatering Chinese snacks—are high in fat and sodium, and that excessive consumption can increase the risk of obesity. (Duh!)

Researchers analyzed 75 popular dim sum treats for carbohydrates, protein, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, sugar, sodium, and calcium.

Items with the most saturated fat per serving included baked barbecued pork buns (4.4 grams) and steamed pork ribs with black bean sauce (5 grams). The item highest in sodium per serving was marinated jellyfish (780 milligrams).

Dishes low in fat included shrimp look fun (steamed rice rolls with shrimp, 1.6 grams) and steamed vegetable dumplings (1.5 grams).

Officials urged restaurants to modify their recipes to make the items less fatty and salty. The complete report is available at: http://www.fehd.gov.hk/safefood/report/dim_sum/dim_sum_index.html

Beware Counterfeit Sriracha Sauce!

No one is surprised to hear about Chinese factories knocking off Rolex watches, but a recent target of counterfeiters has been the Vietnamese-style sriracha chili sauce that has become synonymous with Huy Fong Foods Inc. in Rosemead, California. The Huy Fong product, which comes in squeeze bottles with a green rooster on the label and is therefore known by fans as “rooster” sauce, is the leading brand of Asian hot sauce in the USA.

It has become so popular, in fact, that a year or so ago, counterfeiters began producing nearly perfect duplicates of the sauce’s bottles, though not its distinctive taste. Besides hurting sales, the counterfeit sauces began damaging the brand’s image because when the taste didn’t measure up, consumers blamed Huy Fong. So Huy Fong decided to fight back, filing lawsuits against retailers and distributors who sold the fake sauces.

Early this year, a break came in the case when a guard at an industrial complex in Los Angeles reported that 10 pallets of Huy-Fong-marked cartons had been in its parking lot for days. The cartons proved to hide inner cartons marked “Made in China” filled with 13 tons of fake Huy Fong sauces, which a carting company had been paid to dump.

Stupid crooks department: the client had paid the carting company with a check that bore his name. (When sheriff’s deputies raided his warehouse, they also found counterfeit printer cartridges.) Huy Fong is still pursuing the case, trying to trace the original counterfeiters in China.

Getting to the Bottom of Hot Sauce Counterfeits http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-golden18apr18.story

Rice Builds the Great Wall of China?

Rice is not only the staff of life in Asia, but may have been used to build the Great Wall of China.

According to the Xinhua news agency, “The legend that ancient Chinese craftsmen used glutinous rice porridge in the mortar while building ramparts has been verified.”

Archaeologists researching an ancient wall around the city of Xi’an, a former imperial capital and home to the famed terra cotta warriors, found that the resilient mortar used to hold the bricks together reacted similar to glutinous (sticky) rice in chemical tests, reported Qin Jianming, a researcher with the Xi’an Preservation and Restoration Center of Cultural Relics.

Colored Rice: A Bright Idea?

Taiwanese youngsters are increasingly drawn to Western foods like burgers and fries. Now, the Taiwan government is trying to entice them back to the ancient Asian staff of life—rice—using a decidedly non-traditional twist: neon-bright colors, such as pink, green, or yellow.

Developed by the Hualien Agricultural Improvement Station, each variety of colored rice gets its color from the addition of healthy vegetables or herbs, not artificial dyes. The pink, for instance, gets its hue from tomatoes; the green from bittermelon; and the yellow from turmeric. The agency hopes to develop up to 14 colors by the time the rice is on the market next year.

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ALOHA TILL NEXT ISSUE!

Susan