Pavlovas with Rose Cream and Strawberries

Happy Spring!  And Happy Easter too if you are celebrating it. My son Stephen and I made a lovely lunch that featured many spring foods. We had a small Roast Leg of Lamb with a Mint Chimichurri sauce, Asparagus, Roasted New Potatoes and for dessert we made Pavlovas with Rosewater and fresh strawberries.  The Pavlovas were divine! So that’s why I’m sharing that recipe with you today. I first had a Pavlova in New Zealand and they swear that they invented it, not the Australians, but it doesn’t matter to me as it is a wonderful dessert no matter where it came from. My friend’s Pavlova was a huge meringue topped with lots of sweetened whipped cream and a mound of fresh kiwi fruit (naturally), strawberries and blueberries. I loved it! I was trying to think of a gluten free dessert and I decided to finally try my hand at making meringues. They have always intimidated me, although I discovered they are really very easy – they just take patience. The good news is that they can be made one day ahead and so can the whipped cream and strawberries, so all that’s required when you make the dessert is to assemble the ingredients and serve it.  

The basic recipe for the meringue comes from Epicurious.com, but I added Rosewater to the meringues and to the whipped cream and the strawberries as well to give it a lovely perfume and a slightly exotic flavor.  I always have Rose Water on hand because I use it to clean my face – a Pakistani friend gave me that wonderful tip years ago. I buy food grade Rose Water at the local Indian store. I often forget to use it in cooking, but one of my favorite candies is a Persian Rose Water Nougat with pistachios.  So when I added the Rose Water to the whipped cream, I recreated that wonderful flavor. All I needed was some pistachios, which I will be sure to use next time. The Rose Water gives this dessert a delicate perfume and I think it really enhances the flavor of the strawberries too. And you know what?  I think I created my favorite dessert of all time and it was easy and beautiful too!

Pavlovas with Rosewater Cream and Strawberries

For the Meringue

2 large egg whites at room temperature for 30 minutes

6 Tablespoons Sugar

¾ teaspoon cornstarch

¼ teaspoon white wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon Rosewater

Put the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  Line a large baking pan with a Silpat mat.  Cut out 6 circles of parchment papers, each 2 ½ inches wide (use a teacup to measure and trace with a pencil).  Turn over and put on cookie sheet space a few inches apart. 

Put egg whites in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks begin to form.  Add the sugar and cornstarch (while the beater is still running) and beat until glossy peaks form (this takes a long time).  Beat in the vinegar and Rosewater.  Spoon meringue onto parchment circles evenly.  Bake the meringues until dry to the touch – about 20 minutes.  Then turn off the oven and stick a wooden spoon in the door to hold the door open.  Leave the meringues in the oven for one hour.  Store in a plastic bag that closes on a plate and store at room temperature until ready to use.

For Strawberries:

1 16 oz container of fresh strawberries

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Tablespoon Rosewater

Wash strawberries and remove stems.  Cut into ½ if small and quarters if large.  Take 5 or 6 strawberries and mash them to develop more liquid. Mix all the strawberries with Sugar and Rosewater and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to ½ hour to let juices develop.  They can also be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to serve. 

For Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 ½ Tablespoons Sugar

1 teaspoon Rosewater

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and beat until soft peaks form.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Assembly

Place Meringue (with the parchment removed) on a small dessert plate and put a large dollop of whipped cream on top.  Place a big spoonful of strawberries on top of that and drizzle it all with some of the strawberry juice on the bottom of the bowl.  Serve immediately.

Five Element Analysis

Eggs belong to the Water Element so that element is covered.  The Rosewater and Strawberries add lots of the Fire Element.  The Whipped Cream contributes the Metal Element and there’s lots of sugar so the Earth Element makes a strong appearance too.  Only the Wood Element needs support, as there is only the tiniest bit of vinegar.  So serve this dessert after you have had a main course that includes the Wood Element protein or vegetable.

Vegetarian Potstickers

A friend of mine wanted to learn how to make a filling for potstickers that was vegetarian.  I really like vegetarian potstickers.  The trick for me is to make them have their own interesting flavor and not just try to make the filling a substitute for meat.  So, you have to highlight something - in this case the Shitake mushroom as it is not only an ingredient in the dish, it also perfumes the cooking liquid.  I like using baby Bok Choy leaves as they have a nice green color and I put in pressed tofu  

 I always make my vegetarian potstickers in a half moon shape to distinguish them from the other kinds.  It also makes them so much easier to assemble and it goes really fast.  I like to serve them with Banana Sauce (also known as Banana Kechup) from the Phillipines.  It has a wonderful tangy and slightly spicy flavor that goes so well with these kinds of potstickers.  Of course, the usual dipping sauce is very good, but be sure to add some Chili Garlic Sauce or Chili Oil to it to spice it up. You might find that you like these even more than the meat filled ones - they are really good!

Vegetarian Potstickers

4 cups baby Bok Choy leaves chopped (can also use Napa Cabbage)

12 oz Pressed Tofu minced (or use 1 carton of Extra Firm Tofu, drained and crumbled)

4 green onions, ends trimmed and chopped into small pieces

6 -8  Shitake Mushrooms, rehydrated in 1 cup of hot water for 20 – 30 minutes, then minced  - reserve soaking liquid

3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

¼ teaspoon Black Pepper

2 packages Gyoza Wrappers (I like the Extra Thick kind)

2 Tablespoons Cooking Oil per pan of potstickers

¼ cup mushroom soaking liquid for each pan of potstickers

In a large bowl, put in the tofu and add Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil.  Mix thoroughly. Add the Bok Choy, green onions, Shitake Mushrooms and Pepper.  Mix thoroughly.  Lay wax paper on a cookie tray.  Using one wrapper at a time, put in one Tablespoon of filling.  Put water all around the rim of the wrapper with your finger and press to seal to make into a half moon.  Continue making potstickers until all filling is used up.  These can now be frozen for later use – freeze directly on the cookie tray or on a plate and then remove and put into plastic freezer bags.  Or, if you want to cook them immediately:

Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan.  Put in as many potstickers as you can without them touching.  Pan fry until lightly browned.  Turn and brown other side.  Pour in ¼ cup of the mushroom soaking liquid and cover.  Steam until liquid is almost gone – do not lower the heat.  Take the lid off and cook, turning once until the liquid is evaporated. Put on a serving plate and serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce – 2 Tablespooons Soy Sauce mixed with 1 Tablespoon Seasoned Rice Vinegar.

You can also serve with Philippine Banana Sauce, Thai Sweet Chili Sauce or Sriracha Sauce.

Five Element Analysis

The Potsticker wrappers are made from wheat flour, which belongs to the Wood Element and the Bok Choy adds even more so that element is fully covered.  Tofu contributes the Metal Element as so does the green onions.  The soy sauce, sesame oil and Shitake mushrooms bring in the Water Element.  And the black pepper adds just a tiny bit of the Fire Element and the Earth Element is missing.  So, if you use the Phillipine Banana Sauce or Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, you are adding both Earth and Fire Elements and that makes this snack more balanced.

My Mother's Crunchy Cabbage Kimchi

I was teaching a friend the other day how to make vegetarian potstickers (that recipe I will post tomorrow) and it left half of a big Napa Cabbage unused and the part that was left was the bottom half composed of the white part of the stalk. So, in order not to waste that much cabbage, I decided to make Kimchi.  Now, I happen to like my Kimchi crunchy so using the stalks is my best solution for using up something that might other go to compost and to give me the crunchiest Kimchi.  Most commercial Kimchi uses more of the leaves. So, I called my Mom to get her recipe again as I forget the proportions and her instructions weren't very clear - it's hard to pinpoint the amounts when they are give to you as a pinch of this and a hunk of that....  The most important information I got was that she used to use dried shrimp until I became allergic to it so her Korean friend told her to use fish sauce instead and to use more than a little because that seafood Umami flavor underlies the Kimchi's flavor. Now if you want to be even more authentic, please add the shrimp, but my allergy is also why I need to make my Kimchi unless I read the labels of the store bought kind very very carefully.  Also, I can make it more or less spicy or more or less garlicky.  I like having that kind of leeway and food always tastes better homemade.  

A few notes:  I only leave the Kimchi out to ferment for 2 days in a cool place (only for a day if it is hot weather) but if you like a more sour taste, you can go even a few more days before you refrigerate it.  I also recommend glass jars as the chili powder definitely stains plastic containers and I'm just not sure if you want to ferment food in plastic. I don't like to salt it too much as you can always add more salt if you want when you serve it.  I wrote before (in the Radish Kimchi post) about how amazing and wonderful Kimchi is for you health so I won't say it again.  But if you like Kimchi, try making it at home - it's fun and so delicious too.  So here is my Mom's recipe for Kimchi that I've adapted for you.

Crunchy Cabbage Kimchi

Bottom Half of Napa Cabbage – end trimmed off and cut into 2 inch pieces (or use 1/2 of the cabbage including the leafy part)

4 cups water

3 Tablespoons Salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch chunk of ginger, peeled and minced -squeezed in a garlic press to extract juice

2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce (can also substitute dried shrimp or shrimp paste)

3 Tablespoons Korean Chili Powder

4 green onions, trimmed and cut into 2 inch lengths

5 inch piece of Daikon Radish, peeled sliced into matchstick pieces or grated

½ teaspoon sugar

Optional:  2 Carrots, trimmed, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces

Mix salt and water in a large bowl or pot.  Soak cabbage in the salted water for 4 – 5 hours.  Drain and squeeze dry.  Mix the other ingredients together in the bowl, add cabbage and rub the spiced mixture into the cabbage with your hands.  Pack into a large glass jar (or two smaller ones - I used an old pickle jar) and pack down to remove air bubbles and put the cap on.  Let sit for 2 days in a cool place (1 day if it is very warm) and then put into the refrigerator.  Kimchi can be eaten immediately, but is better after a few days.  It will keep for months, but will get stronger tasting over time and then is better added into dishes rather than eating it by itself.

Five Element Analysis

Fermented things are sour so they belong to the Wood Element. The Chili Powder adds the Fire Element.  The Napa Cabbage and carrots, if you use them, bring in the Earth Element.  The Daikon radish, the green onions, garlic and ginger add the Metal Element and the Salt and Fish Sauce contribute the Water Element  Guess what?  This is a pretty balanced food all by itself!  And, it is so good for your digestion and protective for your immune system, you should add it to your diet for health reasons alone!

Thai Cashew Chicken

I've been testing recipes for my upcoming Thai cooking class and one of the requested recipes is Cashew Chicken.  I don't usually measure when I cook as that is how I was taught and you learn after a while that dishes should taste a certain way so you adjust as you go.  But, that's not very useful when teaching a class or writing a food blog!  So, when I say I am testing recipes, what I am really doing is using measuring spoons and cups to figure out how much of something I actually use.

Anyway, Cashew Chicken is a big favorite at Thai restaurants, but it is really a Chinese stir-fry dish that the Chinese immigrants in Thailand adapted.  The addition of fish sauce is the biggest difference in ingredients as it is something the Chinese wouldn't use.  This is a super fast dish to prepare as long as you remember to marinate the chicken ahead of time.  I like to marinate it over night for the best flavor, but up until 1/2 hour is also acceptable.  The main flavoring ingredient is actually oyster sauce and for those of you who are scared to use it, oyster sauce is actually one of the main flavoring components in pan fried noodles and many stir fried beef recipes.  It doesn't really taste like oysters, it actually tastes somewhat sweet and you don't use very much.  But, it has such an amazing Umami flavor!  Also, you don't want to use Cashew nuts that are already toasted very much. I buy mine at the Asian grocery store and they are obviously toasted, but very lightly.  I also use a lot of cashews as I really like their texture in this dish. You can make this dish spicy if you like by adding sliced chiles or chili flakes, but I prefer it to just be savory.  You can also add other vegetables if you like such as asparagus and some restaurants put in basil.  I prefer to serve it with another green vegetable on the side.

Thai Cashew Chicken

8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2 cubes

2 Tablespoons Shaoshing Rice Wine

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce or Tamari

1/2 onion, trimmed, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1 red pepper, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1 large garlic clove minced

1 teaspoon Fish Sauce

1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce

2 Tablespoons Hot Water

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 cup cashews

1 teaspoon cornstarch and enough cold water to make a slurry

Pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Optional:  1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or one Thai chili, sliced into rings

Marinate the chicken in the Rice Wine and Soy Sauce (or Tamari) overnight or for at least 1/2 hour.  When ready to cook, put the Fish Sauce, Oyster Sauce, hot water, sugar and pepper into a small bowl and mix.

Heat a frying pan or wok.  Toast the cashews until they are lightly browned and remove to a plate.  Then add in oil and onions and cook until translucent.  Add in the garlic and red pepper and stir until onions are lightly browned.  Move the vegetables aside and put in chicken.  Let cook on one side until lightly browned and then turn over.  Let cook a bit longer and then start to stir fry the dish. Pour in the sauce and bring to a boil. Add in the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened.  Put in cashews and toss to coat.  Serve immediately with rice.

Five Element Analysis

Cashews belong to the Water Element and the Fish Sauce, Soy Sauce and Oyster Sauce bring in even more.  But the Umami flavor of the sauces also contributes some of the Metal Element and the onions, garlic and rice make sure that element is fully represented.  Chicken contributes the Wood Element and Red Pepper adds the Fire Element and so does any chili you might want to add.  I think it would be a more attractive meal if you add something green like basil or asparagus, but what this really needs is a contribution from the Earth Element so I would serve it with some stir fried cabbage to make it balanced.  

Caramelized Skillet Corn

I got a sudden craving for corn today and it's not corn season yet, but I always have frozen corn in the freezer. It is the only vegetable I keep in the freezer besides peas. Of course, frozen corn is not as good as fresh corn, but if you cook it right, it can still be really tasty.  If you decide to make this dish when corn is is in season, make sure you cook the corn cobs first and then take the kernels off to make this dish. But, cooking frozen corn this way makes it so tasty that people don't even realize that it was frozen in the first place.

The idea for cooking corn this way is based on a snack that my sisters and I would make after school when we were kids - we would take frozen corn and put it into the oven on a cookie sheet and cook it until it got dried out - our version of chewy corn nuts and we loved it.  I don't do that anymore, but what I do instead is cook the corn in a skillet with butter along with both green and yellow onions.  By cooking them for different amounts of time, you layer the onion flavor.  And, if you cook the corn and onions until they are browned and caramelized, it has a wonderful flavor.  And if your kids are really opposed to onions, but them in big enough pieces that they can pick them out.  But I've found that this is a great side dish that wins over kids who normally won't eat onions. This was and still is one of my kids' favorites.

Caramelized Skillet Corn

1 package 16 oz frozen corn

1 small onion, chopped

3 green onions, trimmed and cut into small pieces

3 Tablespoons butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet and add in yellow onions, cook until they soften and become translucent.  Add in corn. Cook, stirring frequently until onions and corn are lightly browned.  Put in green onions and cook until the green pieces are wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Five Element Analysis

Corn is yellow and sweet so it belongs to the Earth Element,  The onions naturally belong to the Metal Element, but because they become a bit caramelized, they get earthier.  The butter and salt add a tiny bit of the Water Element, but this is clearly a dish that is meant to be part of meal with other foods.  So, if you need to bring in the Earth Element to your meal, this is a good option. To make it a dish that is more balanced by itself, consider adding in chopped tomatoes and ham to bring in some of the Fire Element and the Water Element.  But, you will still be missing the Wood Element so consider serving it with a green leafy vegetable.

Sweet and Sour Watercress

I have been involved with the final, final edits of my book and also writing an article this week so my eyes are really tired from all that computer work and my liver is getting worn out too. That means it's time for some spring tonics and to the Chinese, that means eating the greens that are just starting to emerge. One of the earliest is watercress.  And, yes it really does grow in water. Now, this is not a very popular vegetable and I have no idea why - it's wonderful and so incredibly good for you. It has proven anti- cancer properties, is full of Vitamin C, A, B and K. It contains important trace minerals and most importantly - it tastes great! You can use it in salads or in special English tea sandwiches with butter or cream cheese, but my mother used to make watercress with a lovely sweet and sour sauce - basically  a combination of soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar.  

As kids, my sisters and I would fight over the crusty rice that lined the sides of the rice pot, just so we did dip the rice in the Watercress sauce.  So I am giving you her recipe today - it's also my son Stephen's favorite vegetable dish.  It's very easy to make and you will be giving your liver and your eyesight lots of support.  It cooks down to a small amount so make sure to cook enough.  And it makes a lot of sauce as the Watercress wilts and softens the salty and sour flavors of the sauce. Two big bunches only made enough for Stephen and me so if we were having anybody else over to eat, I would have had to buy a few bunches more.  The only sad thing is that my rice cooker doesn't make crispy rice. By the way, this dish is even good cold. So next time I make it, I am going to put some rice in a think layer on a baking sheet in the oven and crisp it up and get ready to dip in once again!  I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do.

Sweet and Sour Watercress

2 big bunches of Watercress, washed

2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce or Tamari

2 Tablespoons Seasoned Rice Vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

Pinch the small stems that the leaves are on and discard the large stem pieces.  Place in a colander. Mix the Soy Sauce or Tamari, Rice Vinegar and sugar in a small bowl.

Heat a wok on the stove and add in the oil.  Heat the oil until smoking.  Rinse the Watercress under water for just a minute and then toss into the wok - it should sizzle a lot!  Stir fry the Watercress with the spatula until it is wilted.  Pour in the sauce and let it cook, stirring until the sauce boils.  Put into a bowl and serve.

Five Element Analysis

Watercress is a green vegetable and so belongs to the Wood Element and the rice wine vinegar adds even more.  So this is basically a Wood dish. However, Watercress does have a peppery bite that gives it a bit of Fire too.  The Soy Sauce (or Tamari) brings in some of the Water Element and the sugar contributes a little of the Earth Element. There is a little more balance in this dish than you would expect, but it is clearly meant to be eaten as part of a meal to create a Five Element balance.

Chinese Sautéed Greens

I crave vegetables; specifically leafy green ones.  I think my liver really needs them, as they are both cleansing for the liver and also supportive for liver function.  Tonight I was too tired to go to any serious effort  - another reason I needed to eat greens - so I stopped at the store on the way home and picked up a bunch of fresh Spinach. Then I went home and made Rice, which is easy when you have a rice cooker, so all that was required was to do a quick sauté of the Spinach along with some Chinese scrambled eggs and dinner was done.  In fact, this recipe is so simple that I wasn’t going to post it, but my son Stephen asked me to post it so he can remember how to make it. 

Here are the secrets for making your sautéed Spinach or any sautéed greens taste like they came from a Chinese restaurant. First you need to slice the garlic. This is to get the maximum garlic flavor into the oil and will keep it from burning, which gives it a bitter taste.  Second - wet the Spinach or other greens like Swiss Chard, Kale, Bok Choy, etc., again (after you have cleaned it) right before you put it in the pan as you need that moisture to get the right texture.  Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar – this is a very important step!  Then add a small amount of Chicken Broth - something you should always have on hand for Chinese cooking – I keep a box of Natural Goodness Chicken Broth in the fridge all the time. And lastly, add a few drops of toasted Sesame Oil at the end for the fragrance that it adds as Chinese food relies on the smell as well as the look and taste of dishes. You can use a regular frying pan – no wok is necessary. And after only a few minutes of cooking - voila! You have Chinese restaurant quality Spinach or other greens.  I also made some scrambled eggs with scallions and mushroom and put some Sriracha Chili Sauce on top to balance out the meal. All in all, I had a quick dinner that was done in less than 30 minutes. And, the Spinach was the best part!

Chinese Sautéed Greens

1 bunch of Spinach, washed and end of stem snipped off (or other greens such as Swiss Chard, Choy Sum or Kale)

1 large Garlic clove, sliced thin

1 -2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil (use less if using a nonstick skillet

A pinch of Salt and a pinch of Sugar

¼ cup Chicken Broth

A few drops of toasted Sesame Oil

Heat oil in a frying pan until hot.  Add Garlic and cook until the Garlic fragrance rises, stirring often.  Rewet the Spinach (or other greens) in a colander and shake it before you put it into the pan. Sprinkle with the Salt and Sugar and add to the hot pan. Push and turn the Spinach with a spatula until it all wilts. Add the Chicken Broth and the few drops of Sesame Oil and cook until it almost evaporates (this will happen fast) and then put on a plate to serve. 

Five Element Analysis

Spinach and other leafy greens belong to the Wood Element so that element is covered already and the Chicken Broth adds even more.  So this is almost a completely Wood dish!  The Sesame Oil gives just the hint of the Water Element and the Garlic contributes some Metal and serving it with Rice brings in even more.  So, be sure to serve it with some other dishes that cover the other elements of Fire, Water and Earth.  I served my Spinach with Chinese Scrambled Eggs, as Eggs belong to the Water Element and they also contained Mushrooms that contribute the Earth Element. I also topped them with Chili Sauce that brought in the Fire Element for a balanced and fast meal!