Rural Japan = surprisingly little internet, but great pictures to put up when you get the chance…but haven’t had the chance yet…
Rural Mongolia = no power, no net, no posting.
Back on the 11th, with stories of dairymaking with nomads in the steppes. I hope I develop a taste for fermented mare’s milk…
Wow…
Fruit stand at Shilin Night Market, Taipei
…Just arrived in Taiwan and astounded at the variety and deliciousness of the food. This is a typical fruit stand at a night market, highlighting fruits I’d rarely seen before like a “wax apple,” ume-stuffed cherry tomatoes, and raw papaya dressed with passionfruit sauce.
The fruit here is served with a variety of spicings. First is the plain sugar. Next is the chili powder. Finally is a pale purple sour-sweet topping that I vow to find before we leave.
More pictures from the market and updates as I continue to travel in Taiwan…
The last cooking lesson I received in Korea taught me how to make a candy (or cookie, as Koreans tend to refer to them) that I’d previously been gifted for Christmas…we’d been lusting after it ever since.
Some traditional Korean hangwa, or tea snacks, are honey-candied walnuts.
These are no ordinary candied walnuts. The nuts are first parboiled, to remove any bitterness. They are marinated in a honey syrup that is gradually reduced, laminating the nuts to a high sheen. Finally, the nuts are fried at a high temperature, up to the soft-crack stage, to create a crispy inside and slightly hard, slightly gooey exterior.
When you make these, be sure to watch the temperature of the oil with a candy thermometer. When placing them on a plate to dry, make sure the walnuts are not touching. You can alter the proportions of the recipe, but make sure to use half the weight of the nuts in sugar (I used 60 grams of walnuts and 30 grams of sugar).
Finally, Koreans call this a “winter candy” since the heat and humidity of summertime can make these sticky to the touch. Cool dry weather lets them cool so they can be handled without licking your fingers…so I say you can have these any time of year.
Try them and tell me what you think. If you use other nuts, I’d love to see how they turn out…
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Separate the nuts so they don't stick together.
INGREDIENTS
60 grams of nuts
200 grams or 1 cup of water
30 grams of 2 full tablespoons of sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 bottle of vegetable oil for frying
INSTRUCTIONS
1.) Boil your water. Remove the pan from heat and add in walnuts. Soak for 5-10 minutes to remove the bitterness from the walnuts.
2.) Drain the nuts. Add sugar to the pan and place nuts on top of sugar. Add enough water to just cover the nuts. Add a pinch of salt.
3.) Boil the water, the reduce heat to low. Spoon the syrup over the nuts until the amount of liquid has been reduced by half.
4.) Stir in honey. Continue to spoon the syrup over the nuts until only 3 tablespoons of syrup remain.
5.) Drain the nuts. Heat your oil in a large pan to 140 C. Maintain this temperature throughout the cooking process. Carefully place nuts in the oil and stir constantly. There will be lots of bubbles!
6.) When the bubbles surrounding the nuts almost disappear, and when the color is golden brown, remove the nuts carefully using a strainer.
Spread the nuts on a disk, separating them lest they stick together. Let cool completely before eating.
Freshly-made almond milk for the morning
For the past ten days, I’ve been cleaning out my apartment and rifling through my pantries, trying to cobble together decent meals for my final days in Seoul.
When I found a bag of almonds, I was admittedly a bit excited, as I remembered what we used to do with these in the co-ops in college. Perfect for the hot weather — a creamy glass of homemade almond milk, sweetened with honey.
Fresh almond milk tastes so much better than the boxed variety you get in a store. You can use it as a vegan dairy substitute in almost any recipe. It has no cholesterol and can be digested by lactose-intolerant people.
Raw almonds, soaked, and ready for blending...
When you make homemade almond milk, three things are important to remember: first, don’t use bitter almonds, since their milk can be harmful to drink. Second, since there are no preservatives, you’ll have to use the milk within a few days of making it (3-5 optimally). This has never been a problem in our house. Third, the longer you let the milk “bloom,” or sit after it’s final blending, the better the flavors integrate. I’ve found that letting it sit overnight in the fridge does a nice little tango between ripening and drinking quickly. Shake it well before drinking.
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Great for breakfast...
Almond Milk
INGREDIENTS
1 cup soaked raw almonds (soaked 6-8 hours)
4 cups water
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract, if desired
3 tablespoons honey or 3 pitted dates, if desired
INSTRUCTIONS
1.) Place almonds in a large bowl. Cover with water. Allow to sit at least 6 hours. Make sure to use a large bowl, since the almonds will expand when they soak up the water.
2.) Drain the now-brown soaking liquid. Place the almonds in a blender. Add 4 cups more water (slightly less for thicker milk) and salt. Puree the almonds.
3.) Line a colander with cheesecloth or fine clean dishcloths. If you have butter muslin, this will be the best, but the others will work just as well. Place a clean bowl below. Pour the blended almond mixture through the colander.
4.) Pick up the ends of your straining cloth and make a bundle. Squeeze the bundle, extracting as much of the creamy almond juice as you can. The harder you squeeze, the thicker and creamier your milk will be.
The remaining pureed almonds can be dried on a cookie sheet and used as almond flour in baking.
5.) Stir the almond milk in the bowl. Sweeten with honey, if desired. You can also add vanilla extract for a more mild taste, or blend it again with the dates for a naturally sweetened drink.
Store milk in a bottle with a lid or pitcher. Refrigerate and allow flavors to blend. Use within 5 days of making and shake well before drinking.
Or a midnight snack!
