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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Demi Glace Sauce Is Simple And Perfect For Your Taste

Demi Glace Sauce was invented by culinary legend Auguste Escoffier. There were many parallel recipes of the sauce before Auguste Escoffier perfected its recipe, and established it as an important ingredient in the cooking methods of classical French dishes. Demi-Glace sauce is made with two basic ingredients, namely espagnole sauce and brown stock. Now, many people often wonder aloud that what is the espagnole sauce, and what is brown stock? Here's an explanation:
  • Espagnole Sauce: Espagnole sauce is one of the primary cooking sauces of the French cuisine. Espagnole sauce forms the basis for many French dishes and other types of French sauces. The recipe of this mother sauce is also included in the following paragraphs.
  • Brown Stock: Brown stock is basically thick concentrated flavored water that is used in the French cuisine. Brown stock that is used for the preparation of Demi Glace sauce mix, is usually made from veal or beef. While preparing variants of the sauce such as mushroom Demi Glace sauce or red wine in Demi Glace sauce, different ingredients such as wine and mushrooms are used to make the stock. Brown stock is also used to make meat based soups.
Demi Glace Sauce Recipe

Demi Glace sauce is used for the preparation of many different French dishes. The following is a simple Demi Glace sauce recipe.

Requirement
To make the Demi Glace sauce, you will need the following:
  • ½ pint espagnole sauce
  • ¼ pint jellied brown stock
  • one carrot
  • an onion
  • 2 oz/ 50 gm green streaky bacon
  • 2 table spoons butter
  • 3 table spoons plain flour
  • ¾ pint of brown stock
  • bouquet garni
  • 2 level tablespoons tomato paste
  • salt and black pepper
In the above ingredients, the measure of stock and espagnole sauce has been given for the Demi Glace sauce. The remaining ingredients are that of the espagnole sauce.

Procedure
The procedure that is used to prepare the Demi Glace sauce is a two part process. The first part is the preparation of espagnole sauce. The second part is the preparation of the actual Demi Glace sauce.
  1. In order to make the espagnole sauce, first peel and dice the onion and carrot. Next, remove the rind and gristle of the bacon, and chop the remaining portion.
  2. After you are done with the cutting, melt the entire butter in a pan, and cook the vegetables and bacon for a time span of about 10 minutes or till the mixture becomes brown.
  3. Next, put in the flour and keep on stirring the roux till it becomes brown.
  4. Put in half the stock and stir the mixture till it becomes thick.
  5. Next, add the bouquet garni and let the mixture simmer for 30 minutes.
  6. Add the remaining stock and tomato paste and cook for another 30 minutes.
  7. After the mixture has cooled down, strain the sauce and adjust the seasoning. Your espagnole sauce is ready.
After you have prepared the espagnole sauce, the remaining procedure to prepare the Demi Glace is simple. This is how you can do it.
  1. Add the ¼ pint of stock to the freshly prepared espagnole sauce.
  2. Boil the mixture till the two sauces merge together and become thick. Let the sauce cool down before you use it to prepare anything.
Many different variants of Demi Glace sauce have emerged within a short period of time. For example, venison Demi Glace sauce is used with deer and game cuisine (which is incidentally banned in many nations due to excessive deer hunting), or the Japanese Demi Glace sauce which is used in many Japanese cuisines. Do enjoy trying out this Demi Glace sauce recipe.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Learn About Different Stinky Tofu Recipes Along With Making It At Home

Stinky tofu, better known in many Asian countries as Chou Dofu, is a fermented tofu dish that has a strong pungent aroma. As Taiwan's night food market culture started to get popular, different flavors of stinky tofu was prepared. It is used in cooking snacks and side dishes for lunch in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Mainland China, and of course, Taiwan. You too can learn how to make tofu (if you can't find the time or chance to travel at one of these locations for original stinky tofu). Write down all the ingredients needed to make stinky tofu recipes and head to any local Asian market for supplies.



Make Stinky Tofu
  • In a big bucket, add pure soy milk (not the flavored store bought soy milk). The milk contents should have pure soybeans and water in it. You can find it at any Asian grocery stores. Make sure the soy milk is white and pure. Let the soy milk sit outside for few weeks till it turns stale, starts to get molds, and changes its color to gray.
  • Many times, shrimp heads are also added to add the "smelly" part of tofu. Another method to make the brine is by adding old winter melon rinds that are decomposing for over a year.
  • After the brine is ready, add some salt in it. The amount of salt added depends on your liking of how salty your tofu should be. Purchase several slabs of firm tofu and place them in with the brine for few hours. Make sure you don't leave the tofu in for more than 6 hours or it will make your tofu unbearably funky.
  • There you have it. Now you know how to make tofu by yourself. All there's left is to cook it.
Stinky Tofu Recipes

Although, the taste for tofu is pretty mild, many of us can't get over its smell. If you can't digest the strong odor tofu has, try preparing fried stinky tofu recipes. Following are a couple of stinky tofu recipes that you may cook for healthy living.

Wok Fried Stinky Tofu

Ingredients
  • 1 lb solid stinky tofu
  • 4 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons chili sauce
  • 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onions
  • Cilantro, for garnish
Procedure

Place the tofu on a cutting board and cut 8-12 rectangle wedges. Pour some cornstarch in a bowl and coat the pieces of tofu in it. In a wok (or frying pan), heat 4 tablespoons of cooking oil and keep the heat on medium-high. Once you see light smoke coming out of the oil, stir-fry the tofu. As you are frying the tofu, be prepared to get the strong odor again. It basically smells like melting blue cheese in the wok. Fry all sides till they turn golden brown and crispy. Bring them out of the wok and place on some paper towels. Take 3 different bowls to pour soy sauce, chili sauce, and barbecue sauce. These will be your dipping sauces for the tofu. In a serving platter, arrange the wok fried tofu, and sprinkle cilantro and chopped green onion on top.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Japanese Food Is An Art And Unique


The Japanese are known to have a long and healthy life. Apart from its clean air and lifestyle, the food they eat contributes to their longevity. When compared to the food from other cultures, Japanese food has a unique taste that makes us come back for more. So what makes them unique?

Japanese food is an art, both to the taste buds and the sight. Creatively crafted, they mix flavors like salty, sour, sweet, and savory into a single dish, yet they turn out unbelievably delicious and healthy. This creativity is an attention to detail that the Japanese culture practices.

The staple food of Japan is rice. The word "gohan" means rice, and each different meal has that word in it, where "asogohan" refers to "morning rice", "hirugohan" refers to lunch, and "bangohan" refers to dinner. That is not only for say, the Japanese do eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which regards the importance of it.

The Japanese rarely uses artificial flavoring, as they use sugar, soy sauce and sake as their flavorings. Their flavors tend to be milder than most food of other cultures, and their combinations are also healthier.

As the islands in Japan are mainly filled with mountains, the land is not very fit for cultivation. Thus, quality of the food is highly valued over quantity. Most of the food is served in small portions, but like its culture in any part of Japan, it is a beautiful cuisine. Although the portions of dishes are small, eating three meals of rice gives them enough energy to survive the day.

Teriyaki sauce is an example of a Japanese food recipe that’s easy to follow. There are plenty of foods that use teriyaki sauce, and it is certainly a great addition to meats, giving it a tangy and sweet taste. You will need a half cup of soy sauce and a half cup of mirin, or Japanese cooking wine. Pour both into a pan and stir. Put it in low heat and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Let cool and place into a jar. Pour onto beef or chicken for a sweet sauce.

Many people cannot resist tempura. This is good food that can be eaten as part of a meal, or even as a snack. Best of all, tempura batter can be done so easily. All you need is an egg, a cup of ice water, and a cup of all-purpose flour. Beat the egg in a bowl and add the ice water in. Slowly add in the sifted flour and mix lightly. Dip the shrimps into the batter and fry. If you are making vegetable tempura, make sure you fry the vegetables first before the shrimps or seafood.

With the sea surrounding the islands, the Japanese also uses a lot of seafood. One of the well-known fishes that people around the world love to eat would be the salmon fish. Eaten raw or cooked, people love the clean taste of the orange-colored meat. Another favorite would be the eel, or better known as "unagi", which goes well with sweet sauce.

Much of the uniqueness of Japanese food is how they can make use of common ingredients to become so many different tasting dishes, while keeping them well-presented, satiating, and healthy. Try some, and you may simply fall in love with their food.

Friday, March 2, 2012

A Favorite Choice For Chicken Tikka

Indian food has been a favorite choice for many food lovers across the globe. Indian food, especially the "royal food" called the "Mughlai" has a special touch of unique Indian spices. One of the most common and most loved "Mughlai food" among Indian food lovers is "Chicken Tikka". In this recipe chicken is first marinated with a unique blend of spices and then barbecued or roasted. If you love Indian food but find it too spicy then we have great tips for you to customize the tikka to your taste.
Ingredients for Chicken Tikka:
  1. Boneless chicken cubes (900grams/1pound)/ Whole chicken cut in 4 large pieces
  2. Yogurt- 2 tablespoon
  3. Lime Juice - 2 tablespoon
  4. Red Chilly- 1/2 teaspoon(normal chilly level) ; 1/4tsp (low chilly level)
  5. Shaan Tikka Masala*- 1 tablespoon(normal chilly level) ; 1/4 tablespoon (low chilly level)
  6. Ginger Paste- 1teaspoon
  7. Garlic Paste-2 teaspoons
  8. Salt - according to taste
  9. Soy sauce - 1 tablespoon
  10. Shaan Chat Masala* - 1 teaspoon [optional]
  11. Cumin Powder- 1 teaspoon
  12. Vinegar- 2 tablespoon
  13. Oil
Procedure:
Wash chicken pieces under cool water. Now add vinegar and keep it in a strainer and let the water drain for 10 minutes. Next, take the chicken pieces in a large bowl and add all the spices and ingredients (2-11). Mix well and make sure all the spices are spread evenly. Refrigerate the chicken for atleast half an hour to allow the spices to blend in the meat. Your chicken is ready for barbecue now! Make sure to spray oil before placing it on the barbecue mesh. Barbecue for around 10-12 minutes till the chicken becomes tender and the skin turns golden. If you don't want to barbeque you can roast this in the oven or microwave as well.
*Ingredients 5 and 10 are easily available at any Indian grocery store. "Masala" in Indian language is referred to a blend of spices. If you do not find these two spices, you can still make this recipe and it will taste great.
Yogurt Dip
Since this recipe is a little spicy, you will need a cooling dip with it. The yogurt dip is very simple and hardly take 3 minutes to prepare it.
Ingredients:
  1. Plain Yogurt 300g
  2. Fresh Mint Leaves - 30 leaves approximately
  3. Green Chilly (optional) - 1
  4. Cumin Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
  5. Salt - to taste
Procedure:
Take a blender and add all the ingredients (1-5) and a little water (50 ml) . Turn on the blender on low speed. Once the mint leaves get nicely blended with yogurt, your dip is ready. Refrigerate before using. This dip is served cold.