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PepperPot Spicy Recipes from around the world
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Callaloo [KAL-lah-loo]
Caraili [Ka-rye-lee] Known as Bitter melon, also referred to as a balsam pear, this fruit resembles a cucumber with a bumpy skin and is used as a vegetable in Chinese cooking as well as in West Indian cooking. When first picked, the bitter melon is pale green and has a delicate, bitter flavor. As it ripens it turns yellow-green with red seeds and becomes much more bitter and acrid. It is available fresh year-round in the South. But normally it is available fresh from April through September in most Asian markets. It can also be purchased canned or dried. Like eggplant, it must be soak in salt-water for a minimum of half an hour to gorge the bitterness out.
Cassareep [KAS-sah-reep]
Cassava [kuh-SAH-vuh] There are many varieties of cassava but only two main categories, sweet and bitter. The bitter cassava is poisonous unless cooked. Cassava is available year-round in Caribbean and Latin American markets. It should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 4 days. Grated, sun-dried cassava is called cassava meal.
Crystallized Ginger or candied ginger This is ginger that's been cooked in a sugar syrup and coated with coarse sugar. Choose plump, tender-looking slices. It is found in gourmet markets. To make your own: Bring to a boil 1 Cup sugar + 1 Cup water, add 1 Cup ginger (scrape the skin off and with a vegetable peeler or a mandolin, slice long thin ribbons of ginger). Simmer until ginger is transparent (about 30 min), stirring occasionally. Strain and arrange on wax paper to dry, then sprinkle with granulated sugar. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will keep practically forever.
♦ A pound of ginger
root yields around 3 cups of packed ginger. ♦ Cut coins of ginger if you prefer.
In simple talk this means to cut the beans lengthwise into very thin strips. To do, cut green beans in half lengthwise, running the knife down the flat part between the seams of the bean. If the beans are too long, start by cutting them at an angle into lengths of about 2 inches.
Choose coconuts that's heavy for its size and that sounds full of liquid when shaken; avoid those with damp "eyes". ♦ Pierce all of the three shiny black dots (eyes) with a an ice pick or screwdriver. Make sure you have gone all the way to the coconut center. ♦ Drain out the juice (you may drink this as a beverage, though the taste is somewhat old and shouldn't be confused with coconut milk). Simple method: Tap the shell with a hammer to split it (with some strength). Use a butter knife or a screwdriver to separate the flesh from the shell. With a paring knife or vegetable peeler remove any brown skin that's stuck to the flesh (this step is not necessary to do). Oven method: Put the drained coconut in a preheated 375°F oven and bake for 15 minutes. Carefully hold the hot coconut with oven mittens and remove from oven. Tap the shell with a hammer to split it (with some strength). Use a butter knife or a screwdriver to separate the flesh from the shell. With a paring knife or vegetable peeler remove any brown skin that's stuck to the flesh (this step is not necessary to do). ♦ Using the smallest teeth on your shredder, finely shred all of the flesh. Somehow a food processor does not do the trick well enough, however there is a wonderful tool in Guyana, it is quit rudimentary but boy! it is the best thing for this job. ♦ Combine equal parts water and shredded flesh, simmer until foamy. Cover and remove from heat; let stand for 15 minutes. ♦ Strain the liquid through a very fine sieve or a sieve lined with a double thickness of cheese cloth. Repeat the process for a second, diluted batch of coconut milk, squeeze out as much liquid you can from the flesh, discard the flesh afterward. Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
This is a thin paste of water and flour or cornstarch, which is stirred into hot preparations (such as soups, stews and sauces) as a thicker. After the slurry is added, the mixture should be stirred and cooked for several minutes in order for the flour to lose its raw tastes. The reasons behind all this is that flour and cornstarch clumps easily so mix it with a small amount of cold liquid to form a thin paste before stirring it into a hot mixture. (You can use the same cooking sauce, just take out a small amount, let it cool and then mix in the flour or cornstarch.)
Hand testing Barbecue temperatures (for charcoal and gas grills) Do this testing before you put the grid back on. Place your hand, palm down, at grid level. The number of seconds (count "one pepperpot, two pepperpot," etc.) you can comfortably hold your hand there will be a guide to how hot the fire is:
I have never seen half-&-half in this part of the world, but some of my aunts up north give me these tips. In order for a product to be labeled as cream, it must contain 18 percent milk fat or more. Light whipping cream must contain at least 30 percent fat, and 36 percent fat is the minimum fat content for heavy whipping cream. Half-and-half, is an equal mixture of both milk and cream, it must have at least 10.5 to 12 percent fat. It is often used in cooking instead of milk, because it is less likely to form a skin when heated. Neither half-and-half nor light cream can be whipped.
Common Measurements and Equivalents
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