IN THIS ISSUE:

Missed a Few Issues 1

In the News 1

Japanese Cream Puffs 3

Asian Food Blogs 4

… and Discussion Boards 4

Uighur Cuisine 5

Spas for Foodies 7

Book Review 7

MISSED A FEW ISSUES

No, you’re not “not seeing things.” Life has gotten in the way of the SIG again. Many of you already know that my 9 year old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes last August. That’s been a big adjustment for the whole family, and I’m not into experimenting with new recipes much these days, since she needs to stick to a pretty tightly balanced diet.

Then we moved again at the beginning of this February—second time in two years. We’re just two blocks away from our old house, but of course we had to pack up the whole kit & caboodle—and being Mensans, about 40 cartons of books! The tenants who had been renting our new house (long story short, when we originally bought it, we couldn’t move in directly for tax reasons) trashed the place (!!!), so we had to repair and remodel just about everything before moving in. They had to pay for the damage, but for a while I felt like we had become general contractors!!!

Then, no sooner than we’d unpacked and settled in than the pump in our washing machine broke and within minutes flooded the whole house with 1/2” of water. (All our beautiful new laminate flooring, ruined!!!) We had to stay in a hotel for a week while a “remediation crew” dried out the drywall and replaced the entire floor. We still haven’t put everything back in place from that. Our next step is to call in an exorcist…

Life is slowly settling back to what passes for normal, however, and I hope to get back on track with this newsletter. I’ve been daunted by the proliferation of delicious blogs these days (see article). Someone offered me a blog-spot, but I honestly don’t see how bloggers do it—keeping up with articles and photography and layout, and all on a daily or weekly basis. That to me would be a part-time job in itself.

On to news and articles you may have missed.

IN THE NEWS

Is Kimchi the New Wonder Drug?

A study recently released by the Food Safety Research Division of the Korea Food Research Institute says experiments found that naturally-fermented kimchi is effective in killing salmonella, staphylococcus, vibrio germs and E.coli bacteria.

“Our study shows that kimchi can effectively ward off food poisoning by varying the ingredients or fermentation temperature,” said the lead researcher. “When eating foods susceptible to harmful bacteria, such as meat and fish, one can prevent food poisoning by accompanying them with kimchi.”

According to a BBC report in 2005, scientists at Seoul National University also used kimchi to successfully treat chickens infected with avian flu. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4347443.stm

Sushi on School Lunch Menus

Sushi is the new item on school lunch menus in areas including Scarsdale, NY; Highland Park, TX; and several California schools, reported The Dallas Morning News.

The cafeterias don’t make the sushi in-house but buy it from supermarket sushi bars. Typical offerings are more along the order of California rolls than expensive raw tuna, but the kids are lapping the new items up.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/DN-hpsushi_24met.ART.North.Edition2.911820d.html

Heart Association Casts Doubt on Soy Health Claims

Veggie burgers and tofu might not be so great at warding off heart disease after all, at least according to a review by an American Heart Association panel of decades of studies on soy’s benefits. The panel said that foods and supplements containing soy did not significantly lower cholesterol. The panel also found that neither soy nor soy isoflavones reduced symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, and that isoflavones don’t help prevent breast, uterine or prostate cancer. The findings could lead the Food and Drug Administration to re-evaluate rules that allow labels of soy-based foods to promote cholesterol-lowering benefits.

http://www.azcentral.com/health/diet/articles/0123soy23.html

Dark Soy Sauce Healthier than Red Wine

On the other hand, a new study by the National University of Singapore found that dark soy sauce may be more effective than red wine and vitamin C in combating damage to human cells. The study found that the antioxidant properties in soy sauce are about 10 times more effective than red wine and 150 times more potent than vitamin C, also finding that the sauce improved blood flow by as much as 50% in the hours after consumption. Researchers cautioned, however, against consuming large amounts of soy sauce because of its high sodium content.

http://photos.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-06-03T164152Z_01_SIN326495_RTRUKOC_0_US-SINGAPORE-SAUCE.xml

Veggie or Not?

As Bombay “becomes the cosmopolitan main nerve of a booming Indian economy, real estate is increasingly intersecting with cuisine.” As immigrants move in from Gujarat and Rajasthan—two strongly vegetarian states—vegetarianism has crept into more and more restaurants and grocery stores, and housing societies are openly refusing to rent to non-vegetarians. This article brings up a provocative story of a modern Indian city increasingly divided along vegetarian vs. non-vegetarian lines. http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0001/20060529/1312377399.htm

The Next Starbucks?

According to a report in The Seattle Times, a chain of Japanese tea shops that goes by the unlikely name of Koots (named for founder Kouta Matsuda) is hoping to do for green tea what Starbucks has done for coffee. In Japan, Matsuda operates 300 Tully’s coffee shops, with plans to expand threefold.

Koots’ first U.S. location opened May 13, 2006 in Bellevue, WA, an upscale Seattle suburb. Featuring bamboo-look tabletops, the tea shop showcases green-tea based drinks, such as matcha chocolate (white-chocolate chips whisked with powdered green tea, steamed milk, and organic whipped cream) and kuromitsu latte (made with green tea powder and Japanese molasses.)

Koots may have an uphill battle. Although tearooms that serve specialty tea have proliferated across America in the past decade, most Americans have yet to taste real Japanese green tea because most of the green tea beverages on the market have been blended with other flavors to appeal to Western palates. Moreover, Koots faces competition from Starbucks itself, which last summer introduced a highly successful line of green tea-based drinks, including matcha-infused Green Tea Frappuccino.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003008938_greentea21.html

JAPANESE CREAM PUFFS

Cream puffs may have been invented in France, but a Japanese owned bakery chain that specializes in cream puffs is hoping to challenge the doughnut’s position as one of America’s favorite retail pastries.

Beard Papa (gotta love those Japanese names!), an Osaka, Japan-based chain (http://www.muginohousa.com) with more than 300 cream puff shops in Japan, made a splash in New York in 2004, and the brand is growing rapidly with franchisees across the USA. The name “Beard Papa,” by the way, derives from the French phrase barbe à papa, which means cotton candy—though linking cotton candy with cream puffs is another uniquely Japanese stretch of the imagination. The company currently has 13 locations in the USA, including the New York-New Jersey area, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Boston, and the latest in San Francisco, with plans to open at least 4 more in the near future. Beard Papa has developed a cult-like following, with customers typically waiting in long lines to buy the pastries.

Japanese cream puffs, known as “choux cream,”

are lighter and not as sweet as their French ancestors. In addition, Beard Papa has developed a patented dough that has a crunchy, almost pie-like crust surrounding the softer choux dough interior, for a structure that holds up better in mass production. The cream puff dough is made in Japan and shipped frozen to each location, where it is baked, then filled freshly to order.

Beard Papa also offers an unusual range of flavors (although vanilla custard flecked with vanilla beans remains customers’ favorite), including chocolate, coffee, pumpkin, cream cheese, strawberry, mango, and green tea custard creams.

Beard Papa is not the only Japanese cream puff shop in town—at least not in New York City where another Japanese-owned cream puff shop and café called Choux Factory (http://www.chouxfactory.com) has opened four locations.

Choux Cream (Japan)

No, I don’t have Beard Papa’s secret recipe. But cream puffs are surprisingly easy to make at home. Prepare the filling first so it has time to cool thoroughly, then bake the puffs. Fill the puffs at the last minute to avoid their getting soggy.

Pâte à choux (cream puff dough) is very versatile. The same dough can be piped into rectangles to make éclairs, or filled with savory fillings for appetizers. With the addition of 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, the dough becomes the classic French appetizer, gougères—drop the dough by heaping tablespoons in a circle to form a large ring; serve warm and pull apart at the table.

For a simple dessert, fill the puffs with whipped cream, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and garnish with sliced strawberries. An almost as easy mock pastry cream filling may be made by mixing 2 (3.5-ounce) packages of instant vanilla pudding mix with 2 cups heavy cream and 1 cup milk; refrigerate until thickened. Or for a Japanese experience, try the Green Tea Pastry Cream Filling below.

Basic Pâte à Choux:

Makes about 2 dozen

1/2 cup butter

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs

1- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).

2- In a large saucepan, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Add salt and flour all at once. Stir until the mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat.

3- Using a wooden spoon, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing vigorously after each.

4- Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto a nonstick or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

5- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. The centers should be dry.

6- Let shells cool completely, then cut off the tops and fill, or use a pastry bag to pipe filling into the shells.

Green Tea Pastry Cream Filling:

1/2 cup sugar

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 pinch salt

1 tablespoon matcha (powdered green tea)

2 cups skim milk

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, salt, and matcha. Stir in the milk, a little at a time, until smooth.

2- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1minute, then pour a small amount of hot liquid into the egg yolks, and stir to temper.

3- Return the heated egg yolks to saucepan and cook, stirring, until mixture starts to bubble again.

4- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

5- Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill until ready to use.

ASIAN FOOD BLOGS

In case you’re unfamiliar with blogging, blogs—short for Web logs—are online journals where anyone surfing the Internet can be a voyeur into someone else’s life. Blogs differ from regular websites in that they have a personal diary tone, are updated frequently (whether on a regular or irregular basis), and offer readers the opportunity to post comments. There are at least 3,000 food blogs online, according to Paul McCann, a blogger and judge of the 2005 Food Blog Awards, a competition now in its second year. Here are some of the best—all Asian-related, of course. You can find a wider (but by no means complete) listing of blogs at World on a Plate http://www.worldonaplate.org/world_on_a_plate/2006/02/international_f.html

Chez Pim, by San Francisco transplant Pim Techamuanvivit, is one of the most critically acclaimed blogs around. It follows her worldwide restaurant adventures and presents family recipes for Thai dishes. http://chezpim.typepad.com

Baby Rambutan, written by a Malaysian living in Boston, is a chatty, family-oriented diary with some nice recipes. http://www.babyrambutan.com/

Evil Jungle Prince is written by a self-proclaimed Asian cooking “amateur on a grand scale.” Gorgeous pin-up photos of food.

http://www.desertmodernism.com/blog/

The Scent of Green Bananas hails from Guam.

http://scentofgreenbananas.blogspot.com/

Cooking Down Under is written by Pat Churchill, an experienced New Zealand journalist and cookbook author now living in Australia. She has a sharp mind and a quick wit. http://www.cookingdownunder.com/

Pinoy Cook features “cooking, recipes & home-cooked meals” from the Philippines. http://pinoycook.net/

Cha Xiu Bao is written from Hong Kong, with fascinating detailed excursions into China.

http://chaxiubao.typepad.com/chaxiubao/

(Lima) Beans and Delhi Cha(a)t combines “all things food from Peru and India.”

http://limadelhi.blogspot.com/

Obachan’s Kitchen & Balcony Garden is written by a middle-aged woman who works as a dishwasher at a traditional kaiseki restaurant in Kochi, Japan. http://kokonuggetyumyum.blogspot.com/

ZenKimchi features recipes for cooking Korean food and “survival techniques for westerners living in Korea.” http://www.zenkimchi.com/FoodJournal/

Eating Asia is a mostly travelogue and food porn (mouthwatering photos) from a Westerner based in Kuala Lumpur. http://eatingasia.typepad.com/eatingasia/

Chubby Hubby is a good-humored blog from Singapore. http://hungryhungryhungry.blogspot.com/

… AND DISCUSSION BOARDS

While I’m at it, I’d like to list several discussion boards all about food. The two premier discussion boards—eGullet and ChowHound—are somewhat competitive, and serious food devotees usually are active members of one or the other, but not both. You can read the boards without being a member, but you need to register to post. I’m an active member of eGullet under the screenname “SuzySushi.” If you’re familiar with ChowHound only from the past, its website was recently redesigned to look more professional.

eGullet

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=home

ChowHound

http://www.chowhound.com/

Eating Chinese is a discussion board entirely devoted to Chinese food.

http://www.eatingchinese.org/

One feature I especially like about eGullet is its very knowledgeable Asian food experts:

For example, W.K. Leung (“Ah Leung”) aka “hzrt8w” has been posting step-by step Chinese Food Pictorials, and is now up to 65 recipes, some familiar, some comparatively unknown. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=75962 There is also an earlier eGullet Culinary Institute (eGCI) course by Trillium Blackmer on Chinese Cooking : Southern Home-Style Dishes http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=29843

Kristin Yamaguchi, aka “torakris” manages the Japan forum, which has many active discussions on Japanese language and Japanese foods.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showforum=19 She also taught an eGCI course on Japanese Cuisine http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=28058 as well as one devoted to Soy http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=44086

The India and Indian Cuisine forum features scores of recipes scattered among threads, as well as serious discussions about Premade Spice Mixes, Indian Cooking Books, and more. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showforum=40 There’s also an eGullet course, The Beginner’s Guide to Regional Indian Cooking http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=37607 as well as two separate eGCI courses devoted to Indian Breads.

Besides the eGCI course on Thai Cooking http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=29373 , Susan Burgess aka “Susan in FL” began a popular Thai Cooking at Home thread http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=59346

“Guppymo” started the Vietnamese Food thread and has posted many luscious pictorial recipes. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=63071

There are also lots of threads on Korean cookery, but not a separate forum.

UIGHUR CUISINE

Although few people in the USA have heard of Uighur (also spelled Uyghur and Uygur) cuisine, food from this Central Asian ethnic group recently has been getting some media attention. The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region lies on the northwestern border of China and is China’s equivalent of the “Wild West,” except it has camels. Its capital city, Urumqi, is notable for being the farthest capital from the sea among all the cities in the world. Xinjiang has been a multi-ethnic region since ancient times. The Uighurs are Moslems related to Turks. Uighurs are the region’s largest ethnic group, at 45% of the population, according to the 2000 census. There is currently a small Uighur community in Montreal, Canada, and another in New York City, and even a Uighur restaurant, called Café Kashkar, in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.

As befitting a region that was on the famed Silk Road, Uighur foods feature roast lamb, kebabs, noodles and dumplings, and stuffed nan (Indian bread). Typical dishes include Gul’ Tavaq, a cold appetizer of cooked vegetables and meats arranged to look like flower petals; Kebabs; Laghman (lo mein), hand-pulled long noodles served with sauce; Manta or Manty (related to Korean mandoo), wonton-like dumplings; and Samsa (related to Indian samosas), flaky pastries stuffed with ground meat (usually mutton) and vegetables.

For further reading:

http://the_uighurs.tripod.com/UighurCuisine.htm

http://www.wiu.edu/users/mua/food.htm

http://www.silkpress.orexca.com/archive/discovery/winter2004/3.shtml

In January 2006, The New York Times featured an article about Central Asian restaurants in New York City.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/18/dining/18rego.html?ei=5090&en=ea0e699ae2936da1&ex=1295240400&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

This article appeared in the February 2006 issue of Chile Pepper magazine.

http://austinbushphotography.com/pdfs/uyghur.pdf

Laghman (Noodles with Stew—Uighur, Central Asia)

Laghman traditionally is made with hand-pulled egg noodles that are spun and flung through the air in a dazzling show of artistry. It’s far easier to substitute store-bought thick Shanghai-style noodles (sold refrigerated) or vacuum-packed Japanese udon noodles, which have a similar texture although they don’t contain egg, or even fresh fettuccine, which make preparation of this exotic dish from Central Asia as close as your nearest supermarket.

This recipe is adapted from blogger Robert Yu’s adaptation of Julia Moskin’s New York Times recipe for Shurpa Lagman (noodles topped with stew), which was in turn adapted from a recipe provided by Gulya Pinkhasov.

The tomatoes and onions are crucial, but you can adapt the other vegetables to taste or availability. Some additions or substitutions can include diced turnips, sliced radishes, chopped green beans, or canned chick peas. Although Chinkiang rice vinegar (Chinese black vinegar) is the most authentic condiment, if that’s not readily available, you can substitute regular rice vinegar or even white vinegar. Some people like to jazz up the flavor further at the table with a splash of chile oil.

Robert Yu (who ate laghman in Xinjiang and re-created the dish at home) notes, “For added authenticity, serve with fatty lamb shish kabobs, tea, and hot, starchy noodle water in a chipped bowl. ” You can read his blog entry and see a picture of the finished dish here:

http://www.robertyu.com/cgi-bin/moin.cgi/Turpan_Lagman

Serves 4-6

1/4 cup olive oil

1-1/2 pounds boneless lamb or beef stew meat,

cut into 1” chunks

1 cup chopped onions

10 cups beef stock

2 carrots, cut into 1/2” dice

2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into

strips

1 28-ounce can diced plum tomatoes, with their

liquid

1/4 cup tomato paste

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

salt to taste

Chinkiang rice vinegar (black rice vinegar),

regular rice vinegar, or white vinegar

8 ounces fresh thick wheat noodles, such as

Shanghai-style noodles, Japanese udon, or

fresh (not dried) fettuccine

1 bunch Chinese chives or scallions, chopped

into 1/2” lengths (garnish)

chile oil (condiment, if desired)

1- In a large, heavy pot, heat oil over high heat and brown meat, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes.

2- Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until softened and slightly colored. Pour off any fat.

3- Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1-1/2 hours.

4- Add vegetables and seasonings. Simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes longer.

5- If flavors seem flat, stir in vinegar 1 tablespoon at a time, until bright and tasty. Cover stew and let stand 15 minutes.

6- Cook the noodles briefly in a large pot of boiling water, until chewy. Drain and divide among bowls. (If using Chinese chives for garnish, blanch briefly in noodle-cooking water before discarding it.)

7- Ladle the stew over noodles. Add enough stew to flavor the noodles, but not too much—the noodles should not be swimming in stew.

8- Top the noodles with a generous handful of Chinese chives or scallions.

9- Serve with additional Chinese black vinegar (and chile oil, if desired) as table condiments so diners can adjust the flavors to taste.

Kebabs (Uighur, Central Asia)

You’re right: the spicing on these doesn’t sound “Asian” at all, more like Middle Eastern. Nonetheless, the recipe comes from Central Asia, adapted from Austin Bush’s article in Chile Pepper.

Serves 6-8

12-16 bamboo skewers

3 tablespoons whole cumin seeds

4 tablespoons whole coriander seeds

1 to 2 teaspoons pure ground chile powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, cut in 1/2” cubes

nan (Indian flatbread), for serving

1- Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes before using, to prevent burning.

2- Dry roast the cumin, coriander, and chile powder, each separately, in a dry skillet until fragrant. Remove from heat.

3- Let cool completely, then grind the cumin and coriander finely using a coffee/spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

4- Combine all the ground spices and the salt.

5- Thread the lamb on bamboo skewers, dividing evenly. Rub with the spice mixture.

6- Preheat a grill to medium heat. Grill the kebabs on a lightly oiled grill rack, turning often, about 6 to 8 minutes, until they are crusty, brown, and slightly charred outside and medium-rare inside.

Serve with nan (either purchased or from your own recipe).

SPAS FOR FOODIES

In case you haven’t decided where to go for vacation yet, here are a couple of Asian spas that may appeal to foodies. Not—as you may be thinking—for their spa cuisine, but for their food-based therapies. Using foods as beauty treatments is a time-honored tradition, from oatmeal scrubs to milk baths, but these two offer an Asian twist.

The Dulaya Spa at the Davis Bangkok Hotel (Bangkok, Thailand) offers numerous food treatments, including a Rice Cream Body Polish that uses jasmine rice to exfoliate dead skin cells, a Ginger Scrub, a Green Tea Scrub, a Coconut Milk Scrub, and a Thai Coffee Scrub. http://www.dulayaspa.com/

Besides the usual spa facilities, the Yunessun Spa Resort in Hakone, Japan, offers a series of “amusement spas” including a Turkish Hamam, Ancient Roman Baths, Dead Sea Spa (saltwater), and several unusual beverage-related spa experiences: a Red Wine Spa, a Coffee Spa (“it has been said that coffee is an effective treatment from the recovery of fatigue”) a Green Tea Spa where tea-infused water spouts from a 2-meter-tall teapot suspended over the pool, and a unique Sake Spa where sake drips from a huge wooden cask. (What, no milk bath?) http://www.yunessun.com/english/yunessun.html

BOOK REVIEW

Reviewed by Kathleen Stipek

Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Collingham is one of those British books that wears its learning lightly but still informs. The British did nothing for India’s eating practices, but they and other Europeans certainly enlarged the number of foods India ate, including bringing in the chile pepper, cauliflower, tomato, and potato. Vindaloo is courtesy of Portuguese cookery. And then there were the Persians and Mughals who brought all sorts of wonders into India. The British began by borrowing Indian foodways and having local mistresses and ended by adhering as rigidly possible to a English foodways including living on canned goods and bringing in their wives. But those spicy-sauced dishes made it back to Britain and around thanks to trade, emigration, and imperial accidents. Then there was tea, which wasn’t drunk seriously in India until the 20th century after an intense marketing campaign by the Indian Tea Association. There are several recipes for everything from Chicken Tikka Masala to Mango Sherbet, including a couple for recipes that could feast a Mughal emperor. It’s a good read, and the bibliography will have you running for the nearest library.

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COMING UP…

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ALOHA TILL NEXT ISSUE!

Susan