Sunday, June 28, 2015

Sandra Mukidza's African Luwombos...


Through a thread I started in our Food Revolution Community when I posted my recipe on making Chinese zong zi (bamboo leaves wrapped rice dumplings), I happily learned there are many different fruit and vegetable leaves used for wrapping and cooking food in various cultural cuisines. Luwombos, a specialty from Uganda was one using banana leaves. Today, I am delighted to share my friend Sandra Mukidza's home-style recipe. Sandra is a very bubbly food loving, free-spirited East African girl, who appreciates cultures built around food. She is a fellow Jamie Oliver Super Ambassador for Food Revolution Nairobi, the first ever in Kenya. She occasionally hosts intimate dinners for those who appreciate fine wine and dining. http://www.iminzasandra.me/. Here's my girl Sandra...


Do you dare to leave the fertile lands of Uganda without trying out this audacious Baganda delicacy. Bagandas are a Bantu ethnic group native to Buganda, a sub-national kingdom within Uganda. Luwombos were originally a gourmet meal for the royals, but today, it's a traditional food served during traditional ceremonies. What really attracts me to this style of cooking is the aroma given off by the banana leaves through the steaming. This popular sub-Saharan dish is easily found in restaurants that specialize in African cuisines within the region. There are different variations to this orgasmic dish; from chicken, beef, mushrooms and ground nut sauce, with some versions adding carrots, potatoes and tomatoes-- you can really have it however you like. It'll still end up divine. For me, I only use a few simple ingredients for delicious results.

When you cook from the soul, you don't need measuring cups and spoons. But here is a guideline to those who wish to try their hands in making my beautiful recipe at home.




Sandra Mukidza's Luwombos
Makes 6-8 servings

2-4 banana leaves (find packaged in the frozen section of most Asian supermarkets), thaw and cut into several large pieces (for wrapping and lining the pot)
8 green bananas (unripened regular bananas)
1 large red onion, chopped
2 lbs. goat meat (or use chicken or beef), cut into bite sized pieces
Salt and ground black pepper

Oil hands slightly to avoid stickiness of bananas in palms when peeling them. Slice bananas
 and boil until soft; drain excess water then lightly mash with back of spoon. 



Clean leaves by rinsing and wiping down any residue on both sides. Pre-cook meat by first boiling or browning until done or almost done. * I prefer browning, as it's more tasty* 

Place goat meat, mashed bananas, onions in the leaf, sprinkle with seasoning, then fold leaves up and around to enclose contents securely; tie with kitchen string. Or do as I do, and leave the onions out to serve them with the cooked luwombos raw. Make 6 to 8 bundles.

Banana fibres are used to tie the luwombo bundles.


Fill a medium pot with a few inches of water and line the pot with banana leaves, place the luwombos inside then cover with more banana leaves. Cover with lid and allow to simmer for one hour. Ensure there is always some water at the bottom to facilitate the steaming. Serve straight from pot while still hot.


Susan says, "Mmm... so simple but so delightful! I'd like the bite of raw onions with the soft textures too!"


As for other wraps with leaves, fellow Food Revolution Super Ambassador Argentina Chef Maria Elena shares an Andean version to make tamales using corn leaves filled with pumpkin and pork meat. http://cocinasaludable.info/tamales.

I was most impressed with the list of different leaves one can use for wrapping food commented by ambassador Mithun BU from Mysore, India. He has steamed sweet stuffed rice balls wrapped in Turmeric leaves and describes it as a heavenly flavour. Then there are Jackfruit leaves used to steam rice cake, Teak leaves used to wrap jackfruit dumplings, and Colocasia leaves stuffed with rice, tamarind and Indian spices to make "Patra or Patrode" a vegetarian West Indian dish.


On Food Revolution Day this year, Sandra cooked up Jamie Oliver's Squash-It Sandwich from scratch with a school of kids. See here for her pictorial album.



 !Thank you Sandra for sharing your family tradition with a great recipe with us



Friday, June 26, 2015

#‎FoodRevolutionDay‬ Food Revolution Anthem...


It's been six weeks since ‪#‎FoodRevolutionDay‬ but the campaign lives on! Check out the latest version of @JamieOliver's & @EdSheeran's Food Revolution anthem-- it's interactive (how cool is that?) and help fight for food education. Now it's your turn to be DJ! www.foodrevolutionday.com/song

www.foodrevolutionday.com/song

To date, Jamie's global petition to get food education into the classrooms around the world has garnered over 1.5 million signatures, and we still have until October to round up much, much more. Jamie will take his remarkable petition in November to the G20 summit in Turkey urging our world leaders to get food literacy into our school curriculums. The more signatures we get, the more pressure we can put on them to make a stronger call-for-action for a healthier, better tomorrow. 

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Jools Oliver's Crunchy Fish....


Jools Oliver can cook! I mean, who's the one cooking for their four children when husband Jamie Oliver is on the road with all his Food Revolution stuff? His wife Jools that's who! As an Ambassador for Jamie's Food Revolution foundation, we are given various challenges to complete every month. For June, Jamie launched his new Family Food Channel on Youtube-- It's all about inspiration and guidance for feeding your family, with tried-and-tested nutritious recipes and loads of tips to make mealtimes little bit easier. We were challenged to subscribe to the channel and visit www.jamieoliver.com/familyfood to make one of his delicious recipesJool's got a super-tastic easy weeknight family fish recipe I will make over and over again. It's got this awesome crunchy coating made from stale bread blitzed into crumbs along with olive oil, lemon zest, fresh thyme leaves and Parmesan cheese if you so wish, baked on top of any firm fish fillet. Really... ditch those frozen fish sticks and let your meal shine with this incredible healthy fish dish you can easily customize with a whole lotta' crunch I'm sure your family will love!

Served with roasted broccoli and cauliflower along with All-American Potato Salad

Jools Oliver's Crunchy Fish (recipe tweaked)
Makes 4 servings

2 thick slices of wholemeal bread, (roughly 100g)- I used a leftover refrigerated 6" sesame sub bread loaf
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large lemon
6 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 to 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese (optional- or serve at the table)
kosher/sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 x 120 g firm white fish or salmon fillets, scaled and pin-boned (I used 5 fillets)

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Make sure you pick out all the stray bones generally along the centre mid area of the fish, or use a tweezer.

Preheat the oven to 350 ºF. Tear the bread into a food processor, add olive oil and grate in the zest of a lemon. Pick in the thyme leaves (throw away the stalks), then add a grinding of black pepper and salt. Add Parmesan cheese if using. Whizz the mixture until nice and fine. 





















There was no way I will be able to use up all that fresh thyme in the next week. Preserving them for their dried leaves was the best bet. I'm air-drying the remaining thyme by tying them in two bunches hung upside down in a cool dark place (about 10 C) for several days (this means my laundry room). When the leaves dry out, they will be easily plucked off their stems and placed into a sealed container as part of my spice rack :) 


Place a non-stick oven-proof frying pan on a medium-high heat. Rub fish fillets all over with a little oil. Place in the hot pan skin-side down. Squeeze some lemon juice over the top of each fillet, then pile most of the crumb on top, covering them evenly, then scatter the remaining crumbs into the pan. Fry for three minutes (this will get the skin nice and crispy), then transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the crumb is golden and crunchy. TIP: You can also remove the fish onto a tray to cook in the in the oven at 350 F.



Carefully remove the pan from the oven using oven gloves or a thick towel wrapped several times around the handle, then transfer the fish to your plates. Serve scattered with the extra super-crispy crumbs, baked potato, wedges or potato salad and broccoli or peas on the side.


Let's eat more fish!! When you've got a great dish like this one, it's totally achievable!


The portions were quite big for the kids which means leftovers the next night. Next time I will cut the fillets into several square pieces so they will be smaller portioned and fun to eat.







Check out Jools cooking up her Crunchy Fish on their new Family Food Channel on Youtube.
Jools' Crunchy Fish

Thanks Jools for the inspiration and helping me get more fish into my dinner repertoire! Cheers!




Monday, June 22, 2015

Zesty All-American Potato Salad...


Sometimes you just want a classic salad. What can be more classic than an American potato salad? American potato salad is cold, heavier and heartier than warm European versions with lots of additions such as onions, pickles, celery, hard-cooked eggs, parsley and even pimento and olives. If you've ever heard of the term "everything-but-the-kitchen sink"-- potato salad is essentially that kind of dish where you can throw everything together, hope for the best, and end up with deliciousness!! I bought a 5 lb. bag of russet potatoes and found an opportunity to make this on-my-mind salad for our families' Father's Day dinner this past weekend. I love zing and zest, so I upped the ante on the flavours by using two different Dijon mustards and added hot horseradish for extra kick! Dill pickles replace typical sweet gherkins for crunch and sour notes. Play and taste with the different levels of salt, sweet, sour and spiciness with pickled or fresh jalapenos to come up with your unique potato salad profile that wins your family and guests over!


Zesty All-American Potato Salad
Makes 12 servings

4 lbs. russet potatoes (about 8 large) or another starchy potato- Idaho, or all-purpose Yukon
1 Tbsp. kosher salt, divided
3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
4 large eggs
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. grainy mustard (I like to use both grainy and Dijon mustards- combine the amounts into one type if you wish)
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. grated or prepared hot horseradish (this adds extra zing and kick)
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 stalks celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice (3/4 cup)- I love adding the celery heart leaves for texture (leave these whole)
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced (1/2 cup)
10 baby dill pickles or 15 small gherkins for a sweeter profile, cut into 1/4" dice
2 green onions, thinly sliced
handful of parsley, leaves plucked and roughly chopped
paprika for garnish


Place potatoes in a large pot with enough water to cover by several inches. Bring to a boil over high heat and lower to a gentle boil. Cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 25 minutes (Note: during the last 10 minutes of cooking time, add the eggs). Drain into a colander. Place eggs in a bowl of cold water and set aside. Using paper towels or gloves to protect your hands, peel potatoes, and cut into 1-inch dice while still hot. In a large serving bowl, mix with 1 tsp. salt and drizzle with vinegar; set aside.



When cold, peel eggs and chop into 1/4-inch dice. 
Combine diced eggs, mayonnaise, mustards, horseradish, celery seed, remaining 2 tsp. salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Add to potatoes and toss gently.


Add celery, pickles/gherkins, onions, and parsley. Toss to combine and garnish with paprika. Chill for 30 minutes before serving. 

Voila!! Perfect as a hearty side at any gathering! 


I toted this gorgeous salad to my sister's place for our Father's Day dinner celebration. I found out it was a Mexican theme with DIY fajita wraps--  grilled steaks, chicken and all the fixin's. And the salad fit in just deliciously! That's what's so great about this salad-- it goes well with just about everything!!



I hope everyone had a Happy Father's Day!





Sunday, June 21, 2015

Creamy Double-Lemon Bars...


Lemons are synonymous with Spring and Summer, and I just love them! I can't think of a better dessert to bring to my best friend's dinner gathering than to make these delicious tart-and-sweet creamy double-lemon bars for the adults, and my Best-Ever Brownies for the kids. But they were so delicious that my twins took a huge liking to these lemon bars too! Scattering citron peel over the base before adding the lemony filling doubles up on the citrus pleasure! Since one batch serves a crowd, I was able to split it up and will bring the rest to see the my sibling's families today for our Father's Day celebration at my sister's. Cool!



Creamy Double-Lemon Bars (adapted from Today's Parent Magazine)
Makes 32 bars

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
Filling
6 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 4-5 lemons
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup candied citron/lemon peel (or glazed mixed peel with orange, lemon and lime is more commonly sold), divided
icing sugar for dusting


Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat or generously spray a 9" X 13" (3 L) baking dish/pan with oil, or grease with butter. Prepare base by stirring flour with sugar in a medium bowl. Using your fingers and thumbs, cut in butter until coarse crumbs form. Turn into baking dish. Press evenly over bottom. Bake in centre of oven until base is lightly golden around the edges, 15–18 minutes. Remove to a rack while you prepare filling.

TIP: Line pan with parchment paper with ends extended to make removal of dessert by lifting easier.


In the same bowl, whisk eggs. Add sugar and whisk until evenly mixed. Stir in lemon juice. Sift flour over top, whisking until smooth. Sprinkle half of citron peel over baked base. Slowly and evenly pour lemon filling. Bake in centre of oven until puffed and set, and brown around the edges, 25–30 minutes.

TIP: To get the most out of your lemons, microwave each for 15 seconds, and roll back and forth a few times over flat surface before slicing in half and extracting its juice.

Strain lemon juice to easily remove the seeds.





















Remove to rack. Cool completely. If made ahead, lemon bars will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to two days (or frozen for up to one month). If refrigerated or frozen, bring to room temperature.


Just before serving, cut into 32 pieces, dust with icing sugar and sprinkle with remaining citron peel (if desired).

Don't worry about cracks-- this may happen when removing out of pan and cutting into dessert. 


Packing the lemon bars and brownies to go!


Digging in...

Decadently dense but moist, nutty and absolutely chocolatey over sugary, this brownie recipe is truly the Best-Ever!

Best-Ever Brownie




Thursday, June 18, 2015

Sticky Rice in Bamboo Leaves Parcels (Zong Zi)...


On the fifth day of the fifth moon of the Chinese lunar calendar marks Dragon Boat Festival-- this year it lands on Saturday, June 20th! This is an incredible time when dragon boat races are held all over China. Dragon-decorated long paddle-boats compete against each other in races to commemorate the anniversary death of Chu Yuan. So who was Chu Yuan and what does he have to do with sticky rice dumplings? He was an honest statesman and a poet, drowning himself in the river of Miluo Jiang in Hunan province in 295 BC in protest against the government corruption. The story goes that the people were so upset they went out to search for his body on their boats. Throwing packets of rice and eggs into the water were attempts to feed the fish and dissuade them from eating the poet's body. As a reminder, the Chinese race dragon boats and eat Zong zi. 


Zong zi is a Chinese version of tamales-- bamboo leaves are wrapped around glutinous sweet sticky rice mixed with all sorts of filling- savoury or sweet and boiled until ready. My favourite is savoury with seasoned pork belly, Chinese cured sausage, peanuts and duck egg yolk. I grew up on my grandma's zong zi... I only wish that I learned the tricks of the trade first-hand when she was still alive-- she probably made them until she was 90, and she passed at 98! My aunt also makes them and delivers freshly cooked batches to our family every time the occasion arises. 

If you’ve had the privilege of someone make these for you, you should be very appreciative-- it’s a lot of work and very few people know how to make these well. After years of hemming and hawing about trying my hands on them, I'm finally pulling up my sleeves to make these time-consuming, labour-loving traditional food with my mom, and since there's so much involved it makes sense only to make a huge batch-- and to give some away. It'll be both our first time making these and together-- hoping not only to master the wrapping technique (that certainly didn't happen) but to continue its family legacy, and carry forward new memories around this beloved rice dumpling childhood favourite! 

My aunt brought over her expertly wrapped cooked zong zi--  she set the bar high as these were the look I was striving for!

Although I was able to muster a few obvious-novice zong zi (my mom wrapped most of them), I'll just say as long as you wrap them tightly with no chance of contents busting out during cooking, it's a success! And the verdict... read on and see for yourself.

Sticky Rice in Bamboo Leaves Parcels (Zong Zi)
Makes 24 zong zi (divide the recipe in half for a dozen)

60 dried bamboo leaves (about 2 leaves for each)-- look for this package in the dried food aisle
8 cups uncooked short grain sticky rice (also called glutinous rice, or "sweet rice")
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 Tbsp. salt
2 tsp. oil
1 cup of raw peanuts
1-1/2 lbs. pork belly, cut into medium pieces
1-1/2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. Chinese cooking wine 
1 tsp. five spice powder
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
6 raw salted duck egg yolks (just cooked duck yolks can be hard to find. You can purchase raw whole duck eggs individually or in packages of six). -- see below for preparations
4 Chinese cured sausages (lap cheurng)
Materials: a pair of scissors and twine


Prepare the following ingredients overnight. Soak the bamboo leaves in a large basin with the leaves submerged, as well as peanuts in a bowl with enough water to cover overnight. In a bowl, toss the pork belly with the light soy sauce, sugar, salt, wine, five spice powder and pepper to marinate overnight. (This will give the pork belly a more salty taste to impart into the rice when cooking, delivering its distinctive savoury flavour).
Cut out excess fat off the pork belly pieces.

The next day, soak rice in large bowl with enough water to cover four hours. Next, drain water from leaves; wash and rinse each leaf front and back. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add leaves and boil for 15 minutes-- this will further soften the leaves and make them extra pliable to work with. After four hours is up, drain the rice completely. Mix the rice with light soy sauce, salt and oil in a large bowl and set aside. Boil peanuts for five minutes, drain, and set aside.


If using whole raw duck eggs, crack the eggs into a bowl, and scoop out the egg yolk in another bowl. Cut into 1/4 pieces. Save the whites for another use-- see tip below. Cut the Chinese sausages on an angle into 12 equal pieces.
Usage TIP: For reserved duck egg whites, swirl at the end into hot soups or ramen noodle, or whisk it along with regular eggs 
when making scrambled eggs or an omelet. It is salted already so light up on the pre-seasoning, and taste after cooking to adjust.

Now you're all set to rock and wrap... 

Bottom Right: I also bought cooked duck eggs, removing the yolk to use. I learned I prefer using raw over cooked in zong zi.


Although we tried a few different folding styles, this was the one that stuck and worked for us. Follow the step-by-step photos to wrap zong zi. From top left clockwise:
1) Cut away at least half an inch off the bottom of every leaf you use (hard stem).
2) Using two bamboo leaves, overlap half of one over the other lengthwise.
3) Hold the leaves with both hands and make a curve in the centre and fold up to form a cone.
4) Arrange the leaves so they are upright, and cradle the cone of the leaves in your palm.
Cook's NOTE: If leaves rip anywhere during the wrapping process, you’ll need to start over and discard the ripped leaf. That’s why I call for more leaves than is technically needed. Some of the leaves are bound to get ripped.


Now that you have a nice deep well, fill with a little rice partway up the leaves, along with your egg yolk, peanuts, pork belly, and Chinese sausage; top to cover with a bit more rice (Don't overload or it will burst when folding).



See how deep the contents are filled giving you a good handle of leaves to fold with!


From top left clockwise: Fold the two sides into the middle lengthwise, cupping your hands at the bottom of the cone so it doesn't fall apart. Pinch the leaves at the top so you get a tight seal. Fold the leaves down. 


Tie the zong zi tightly and securely with twine-- as long as they are sealed well with no chance of leaking during cooking, it doesn't have to be pretty. Cut off the excess leaves. Repeat until you run out of rice or leaves.


Ok, my first decent rice dumpling and that was like-- how many attempts?!


My mom and sister-in-law Yoko busy at work. It took a while with a few broken leaves, some frustration and regroup before we got into the groove. Yoko referred to an on-line Japanese video, and my mom persisted with a technique she remembered her aunties doing from eons ago in Hong Kong. I was taking photos and notes, so that was my excuse for not being as hunkered down as they were-- which only led to maybe five zong zi contributed on my part.


Looking good!!



My mom examining the wares before cooking them in the pot while my dad looked on approvingly (he's been bugging my mom for years to learn preparing these). Making sure there were no rips or gaps that chanced rice and contents to leak out-- smart move to make! Also, for easier removal in bunches from the hot pot, my mom says traditionally people string the zong zi together by looping a twine between the strings of parcels- we did five. Leave enough string to lift out of pot with tongs of course.
 






I love this photo of my mom hoisting two light bunches of zong zi tied together with a string.


To cook the zong zi, get a large-sized pot and nestle the zong zi snuggling each other inside. Pour boiling water until the zong zi are submerged. Place the pot on the stove over medium high heat. Once the water boils, turn the heat to medium, and let it cook for at least four hours undisturbed for the most part. Then turn off heat and let sit for 1/2 hour-- total of 4-1/2 hours. Remove carefully into strainer, drain well and serve hot!

TIP: Check the pot on occasion to make sure the zong zi are submerged in water. If not, add enough hot water to cover. Keep hot water in a kettle or thermos so that you’re prepared throughout the four hours cooking time.

Cook From Frozen TIP:  Zong zis can be frozen after they cool to room temperature. To reheat, first defrost the zong zi by taking it out of the freezer a few hours prior to cooking time. Re-boil the zong zi in water for 15-20 minutes.



Woohoo-- my first attempt at zong zi!! Come and get them while they're super hot!!


Serve with light soy sauce and hot sauce at the table-- I like mine with a dim sum favourite Koon Yick Wah Kee chili sauce.

My kids love zong zi! Eat it straight out of the leaves by holding it or chow down with a fork! Delicious either way!



So there we have it... a full day's work if you include the preparations of soaking the bamboo leaves and marinating the pork belly overnight. While it's true this is a lot of work and not many people will roll up their sleeves in making these from scratch, there's nothing like challenging myself with a legendary childhood favourite-- one that my late grandma who I adored, helmed the kitchen making! This is my nod to our customs for the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival-- a look into a past food I grew up on and a gateway into the future where I can continue enjoying this family's tradition and hopefully pass on the same culinary legacy, love and skills to my children.


If you looking for a lazy way out (trust me I understand) but still want the flavours of zong zi, try my Fragrant Lotus Leaf Sticky Rice straight or by substituting the lotus leaf for bamboo ones, and simply adding pork belly and salted duck yolks.

Fragrant Lotus Leaf Sticky Rice

Another Dragon Boat Festival favourite is Chinese Marbled Tea Eggs... give this delight a fun whirl. Chinese tea eggs are a favourite with my kids, and the attractive marbling with their aromatic savoury flavour of anise, tea and soy are super comforting, not mentioning delicious.

Chinese Marbled Tea Eggs

My lucky friend Kate Chou in Taiwan found some fresh bamboo leaves climbing up the mountain with her mom recently to use for zong zi. Her family also adds dried shrimp, dried squid, shiitake mushrooms and chestnut. Just to show, there are so many different varieties and combinations you can make with zong zi. Find your favourite ingredients and run (wrap) with them.

Photo Credit: Kate Chou

Photo Credit: Kate Chou