The Cook Book

Decurso: can I make fish stock to replce the kill'em clam water?

 I suppose. Could be a bit strong.

You're right. Way too fishy - especially made from Xi'an fish. Tasted like mud. . I'll try the frozen clams from the supermarket.

Doufu with Carrot and Ginger Sauce

Firm doufu
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tblsp.soft brown sugar
1 tblsp.soy sauce
2 tblsps. fresh chopped coriander leaves
2 gloves crushed garlic
1 tsp. grated ginger
2=3 tblsps.oil
I bunch of bok choy, cut into quarters lengthways.

Carrot and Ginger Sauce

300g carrots, chopped
2 tsps. grated ginger
2/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cup veg. stock

Slice doufu in six slices, lengthways. Place in a single layer in a non-metallic dish. Mix the juice,sugar,soy sauce,coriander,garlic and ginger in a jug then pour over the dofu. Cover and marinate (overnight is best). Turn at least once.

Drain the doufu, reserving the marinade. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the doufu in batches over a high heat for 2-3mins. each side, or until golden. Remove and keep warm. Bring the marinade to a boil in a saucepan, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 min.  Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Heat a wok and add all the bok choy and 1 tblsp. water and cook , covered for 2-3 mins.

Add all the sauce ingredients to a saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, covered for 6-7mins. Transfer to a blender/processor and blend until smooth.

To serve drain the bok choy,top with some sauce,then the doufu and drizzle on some of the marinade.

Leave out the Dofu, and that could be a nice dish!!

Making a local marmalade. They have a really tasty but really sour local orange that is a bit like a mandarin only they are half green half orange. I thought I would try it out. I haven't made marmalade before, so this is assembled from several recipes in a cookbook.

Take one kilo of citrus.
Clean them in hot water, take out all the bad bits.
Slice finely, reserving seeds. (The seeds are put into a little bag and boiled with the marmalade, then removed before jarring. They have pectin in them or something.)
Soak in 2 litres of water overnight.
Put two plates in the freezer.
Boil the fruit for about an hour until tender. This depends on the size of the slices and thickness of the skin.
Throw in 2.25kg of sugar, depending on the sourness of the fruit, bitterness of the skin and personal taste, etc.
Bring up to just before boiling until all the sugar is dissolved. DON'T BOIL IT UNTIL SUGAR IS COMPLETELY DISSOLVED!!!
Once completely dissolved, boil rapidly without stirring for 20 minutes.
(It says here to use a sugar thermometer, 104 C . I am using guesswork.)
Test for setting by putting 1/4 of a teaspoon on the iced plate. Once setting point is reached, jar it up. Make sure jars are really clean, and don't put it in too hot or you will crack them, etc etc. Warm the jars, too.

I am sure you can all work it out.

Looking forward to local style marmalade, perhaps never before tried by man. Or other primate.

Something I haven't tried yet (just moved, apartment is hopelessly disorganised), but sounds good.

On one of my mailing lists, one guy asked:

Anyone tried the cold brew?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/dining/27coff.html?em&ex=1183435200&en=d66f5c307985f83c&ei=5087%0A

There were several replies, all favorable. Here's one:

Steeping 1 pound of freshly ground coffee with 9 cups of water for 12
hours make IMHO the absolute best coffee you can make. It's concentrate
that you refrigerate and because you aren't using heat against the beans
oils don't leech out of the beans and thus the bitterness is cut way
back. It's a wonderful yet odd surprise not to taste that "bite" after
you sip it. It even makes 8'oclock brand coffee taste good. Freezing
small cubes of it for iced coffee drinks will insure that your drinks
don't get watered down as it melts.

It's important to remember that using heat to make coffee is a European
concept and the indigenous folks in Central and South America have been
making it like this for thousands of years.

If there is ONE big benefit though, it's that people who suffer acid
reflux can drink coffee again! It's true, since the pH balance is lower
it's WAY easier on the stomach. I know this because I used to sufffer
horrific reflux and now I can drink coffee again and it doesn't bother me.

I still drink quad caps when I travel and counter with eating tropical
tums like candy.

Sorry no disrespect but the South Americans had freezers thousands of years ago.  I am pretty sure they did the coffee enema thing way ahead of their time.  It is documented on their wall paintings, well at least I think it was coffee.
I am not a big coffee drinker really but what you said makes sense. I do love the smell of coffee though 

Sorry no disrespect but the South Americans had freezers thousands of years ago.

Of course!  They invented the igloo!!

Follow up on the marmalade, although the juxtaposition with coffee enemas is a little unfortunate.

Tastes really great.


However, .............

It didn't gel enough - went to a thick syrup, rather than set.  I will try cooking it again, a little longer. Any suggestions? There were no seeds in it, and I am thinking it is possible that it might not set because of this..

Hmm.

It's either a)the lack of pips, b)the jam didn't boil at a high enough temperature, or c)  not enough sugar.

Next time add some apple pips and citrus pips.

Leave out the Dofu, and that could be a nice dish!!

It's good with a decent bit of fish but dofu is a way better choice if you live in Xi'an. The fish here taste like they've been caught in the sewer.

Any jam needs pectin to make it set. You could boil down an apple and use some of it to add to the marmalade. Apple is a high pectin fruit.

Ok, I think it had enough sugar, but perhaps didn't boil at high enough temperature for long enough. I will try that first. I think maybe I simmered at too low a temp, rather than boil the crap out of it.

I understood that citrus was already high in pectin, but I will check. This fruit had no pips, to my dismay and surprise, since last time they had lots. We had no other pip type fruit around. Next time I will make some with pomello.

Thanks guys.

You could use Lemon juice as a source of pectin, as well. Don't use any pips!!

Something I haven't tried yet (just moved, apartment is hopelessly disorganised), but sounds good.

On one of my mailing lists, one guy asked:

Anyone tried the cold brew?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/dining/27coff.html?em&ex=1183435200&en=d66f5c307985f83c&ei=5087%0A

There were several replies, all favorable. Here's one:

Steeping 1 pound of freshly ground coffee with 9 cups of water for 12
hours make IMHO the absolute best coffee you can make. It's concentrate
that you refrigerate and because you aren't using heat against the beans
oils don't leech out of the beans and thus the bitterness is cut way
back. It's a wonderful yet odd surprise not to taste that "bite" after
you sip it. It even makes 8'oclock brand coffee taste good. Freezing
small cubes of it for iced coffee drinks will insure that your drinks
don't get watered down as it melts.

It's important to remember that using heat to make coffee is a European
concept and the indigenous folks in Central and South America have been
making it like this for thousands of years.

If there is ONE big benefit though, it's that people who suffer acid
reflux can drink coffee again! It's true, since the pH balance is lower
it's WAY easier on the stomach. I know this because I used to sufffer
horrific reflux and now I can drink coffee again and it doesn't bother me.

I still drink quad caps when I travel and counter with eating tropical
tums like candy.

Have you tried this, Pashley? After your posting I did a search for other ideas. So many point right back to this article. The local Coffee shops offer cold brew. You have the pleasure of paying 2.25 for a 1.25 coffee brewed that way.
One source complained it too much coffee, but if you use one of those coffee measuring things that come with so many coffee makers, it works out about the same. I made it last night. Strong flavor and it did seem to be less acidic. So for those of you who like coffee but find it too acidic, you may want to try. I heated in double boiler this morning. Currently no nuking device. Would make for a good iced coffee especially if you make the coffee ice cubes so you don't dilute the blend.

Oh,  yes, if you want to heat it, dilute it. Most said dilute 1:1. I did 0/5 to 1 but 1:1 may be the better choice. Needless to say, I"m caffeeeeennnned right now.