Experimental Dinner: Tapioca...in Thailand

 
Photo: Basia Sikorski

 It constantly amazes me how much our culinary imaginations are influenced by cultural context. In our globalized world, the same ingredients often appear in different regions, but are used in completely different ways.

A great example of this is Tapioca, a starch derived from the manioc root. Tapioca pearls. Photo: Wikipedia

 In the United States, tapioca is nothing more than a pudding flavor (by "pudding" I mean a custard-like dessert). But in Brazil, it is a staple food, used in both sweet and savory dishes.

Here I've been blown away by the versatility of manioc as an ingredient. It shows up in stews (bobó), sides (pirão), breads (pão de queijo), barbecue toppings (farofa), desserts (too many to name), snacks (povilho, beiju), and all sorts of bar foods (escondidinho), including killer manioc fries. It's also one of my favorite flavors of ice cream.

Cassava or manioc, known as mandioca or aipim in Brazil. Photo: Wikipedia

Beiju de folha, photo: Wikipedia
Pão de queijo. Photo: Wikipedia.

 Aipim frito (Manioc fries)

Manioc also makes occasional appearances in Thai cuisine, usually in the form of tapioca pearls or flour. Since Southeast Asia shares a similar climate to northeastern Brazil they actually have a lot of agricultural products in common, but the flavors, preparation methods and presentation style are worlds apart.

Thai food happens to be one of my favorites, and lately I've been craving it. I knew that a couple of my Ozzie friends had been too, and thus, a dinner party idea was born: A menu displaying tapioca as the key ingredient, prepared with Southeast Asian flair.

If you've every had "boba" (Taiwanese milk tea), then you've chewed big round balls of tapioca. Here I made mango-mint cocktails and added tiny tapioca pearls.

Photo: Basia Sikorski

In Thailand, small tapioca pearls are used to make dumplings. Tapioca flour is also used to make some types of noodles. 

The dough can be really tricky to work with. Basia wowed everyone with her expert pierogi-making skills...

 Ginger, shrimp and coconut-filled tapioca dumplings, fried garlic on top.

Photo: Basia Sikorski

From the Philippines to Malaysia, tapioca pearls are used to make sago, a dessert with fruit, coconut milk, or sweetened condensed milk. I made this one with green melon, coconut milk and mint.

Photo: Basia Sikorski

Camarao na moranga: Shrimp in a pumpkin

I started off my first day in Sao Paulo with a rich and satisfying lunch at my friend's home. Her mom was enthusiastic about sharing her cuisine, and we were able to communicate in a mix of Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. As she taught me how to make this dish, I also got my first Portuguese lesson: I seem to pick up food vocabulary quickly in any language. ;-)

The dish is made first by roasting the pumpkin whole for 40 minutes to an hour. The seeds and stringy pulp are then discarded, and the orange flesh is scooped into another bowl and reserved to make the sauce. It is should be soft enough to eat with a spoon at this point, almost like a puree.

Next, some chopped onion is sauteed in a large pan with olive oil, green scallion, parsley, salt and black pepper. Peeled shrimp are then added, and once they are pink, the pumpkin is added to the pan with a tablespoon of cachaça, a Brazilian liquor made from fermented sugar cane, and about a tablespoon of a spice mixture called tempero baiano (there are different recipes, but this one included turmeric, cumin, red pepper and coriander seed).

The mixture is cooked on low for a few minutes, and then some coconut milk is poured in. After a few more minutes of simmering, the dish is finished off with a generous dousing of double cream.

Serve in the pumpkin shell with Brazilian-style rice (sauteed with onion and salt).

Muito gustoso! 

Natural Products Expo 2012: Impressions and Contradictions

No other trade show of its kind on the west coast of North America can claim the size or power of influence of the annual Natural Products Expo. All the big brands were there representing, showcasing and testing out their latest products at the Anaheim Convention Center, and I was there to catch a glimpse.

Some exhibitors had impressive artwork, some had models, and some had celebrities. Ziggy Marley sang, Cat Cora cooked, and Fabio struck a pose in between nutrition discussions with a small, but loyal group of fawning middle-aged women.

I sampled oodles of food and beauty products, spoke to the artisans behind them, and picked their brains about nutrition, product creation and sustainability. I brought home a tote of samples as heavy as any trick-or-treat bag I remember wielding as a kid. It was pretty much Disneyland for the natural health junky.

But the most important thing that I gained from the experience was a macrocosmic view of the industry itself: This was no hippy-dippy lovefest, nor did I expect it to be. It was a trade show, like any trade show, complete with the inevitable mark of the beast ($$$).

Forgive me for being melodramatic, but this exhibition served to further reinforced my pessimism about the natural products industry. I want to remind everyone to exercise caution when buying anything "natural," "ethical" or "healthy", because frankly, those terms don't mean a damn thing.

As Michael Pollan so aptly put it, "If you're concerned about your health, you should probably avoid products that make health claims. Why? Because a health claim on a food product is a strong indication it’s not really food, and food is what you want to eat.” 

Pollan is dead-on. "Natural food product" is almost always an oxymoron as far as I'm concerned.

And yet, there was plenty of good mixed in with the repulsive this weekend.

I was fortunate to meet a gentleman named Art who has been a personal trainer and life coach to the stars for a number of years. He shared with me his experiences and stories working in the natural health industry and how it has grown and changed. He's gotten to know some prominent public figures who have gone from  to nobodys to natural health superstars over the decades.

Together we attended a seminar called "Spontaneous Happiness" by Dr. Andrew Weil, whom Art knew in his younger years. He called him "one of the pioneers of natural health", or at least as we know it today in the mainstream.

"To give you some idea, I was here with Andrew at the first Expo in 1983," he said. "Back then nobody knew who he was. There were only 1,000 people at the show. We were just a bunch of hippies."

This year there were approximately 2,000 exhibitors and over 56,000 attendees. Dr. Weil has gone from unknown hippie to household name, and recently became the spokesperson for Megafood vitamins. 

Despite the sheer size and diversity represented at the event, I've concluded 

Five Truths about the Natural Products Industry

  1) "Naturals", as it is called by insiders, is a hot, growing market that supports a lot of positive change and innovation. 

 I saw a myriad of inspirational things happening based on cutting-edge scientific research, purity of ethics, desire for social change, superb artistry, and culinary passion. I'm happy that all the buzz is giving some very talented individuals the opportunity to thrive.

2) It's still a market.

The flip side of the coin was a lot of business people in suits, wheeling and dealing over drinks in the Hilton lounge, Mad Men-style. On the floor, it was all about sales and promotion, glitz and glam, with very few reliable facts about the products' health claims.

That said, you could easily pick out the genuine vendors from the bunch--They were usually the small guys, dressed in normal clothes. They were the ones promoting their own products, without bells, whistles, or body glitter. And they weren't selling supplements. They were selling whole foods, and body care or lifestyle product

3) People are generally really confused about what is healthy--Even the ones who buy, sell, and market health products as a career. 

It's possible that they don't even care about health at all, but I prefer to be optimistic.

Almost everything on the floor this year was gluten-free. There were also quite a few vegan products, but not nearly as many as gluten-free baked goods.

While I was happy to sample all of these foods, it seems that a TON of producers are just jumping on the bandwagon, and I'm not sure how many of them really know what gluten is. Plus, they were full of starches, refined flours and weird gums--Not my idea of healthy, natural or nutritious.

There were also too many energy bars, with WAY too much added sugar. 

4) "Natural" is a nebulous term which means something different to everyone.

 There were too many of what I consider to be unnnatural products to even name, but my opinion is just one of many. The best example I have to share with you is an energy bar called Sight Bites that was designed (or marketed) to improve eyesight. It contains lutein and zeaxanthin, which are supposed to promote sharper vision. However, the first ingredient listed on the package is corn syrup. I don't think that any product which contains corn syrup deserves to be called "natural," even if it contains certified organic corn syrup (which does exist, by the way).

Besides that, the amount of "natural" colorings and flavorings that I encountered was appalling. The companies that make the natural colorings and flavorings were also at the show, with some of the most costly and appealing exhibits. Out of all the products being promoted on the floor, these took me the longest to figure out what they were. And from the descriptions of how they process their products they are FAR from natural. I hope to do a full post on this topic in the future.

 5) "Eco-conscious", "green", "sustainable", "fair trade" and "organic" are also hard to define, and often conflict with one another.

A great example of this is the debut of the "first USDA-certifed organic sake". A representative from the company explained to me the lengthy travels that each bottle takes as he poured me a glass.

The rice is grown and certified in California, then it's shipped to Japan to be processed, and shipped back to the US where it is bottled and sold.

Is it really worth the extra trip? Or is the organic label doing more ecological harm than good? What's your opinion on this?

Floor Sweep Granola

Mushy strawberries. Bananas gone brown. A pantry full of 3/4 empty bags of nuts, dried coconut, rolled oats, candied ginger, and big ol' jug of honey. What to do with all these random odds and ends?

Make a big batch of granola. You heard me-- All of these ingredients can be tossed together, thrown in the oven and baked to golden perfection. Then they can be put in Ziplock bags and left in the pantry for up to a month, or kept in the freezer for even longer. They can also be used to fill mason jars, and given as gifts. The best part is that your house will smell like toasted oats and honey for days.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this particular granola is the use of fruit puree: It not only sweetens and flavors the granola, but the moisture also helps to make it stick together. So the next time you find yourself with rotting bananas, know that you're not necessarily confined to baking banana bread.

This also works with peaches, pears, and just about any fruit. In fact, there was a recipe by Nigella Lawson that sparked a granola with fruit puree craze in the blogosphere a couple of years ago, and the original apparently used applesauce. 

The following recipe is basically a hodge podge of random ingredients that I needed to use up before leaving for Brazil. So you can see how adaptable this template is: No need to go out and buy things that you don't have; substitute to your heart's content. Just watch the ratios of dry ingredients to wet, and adjust the amount of sweetness to your liking.

 Floor Sweep Granola

5 cups rolled oats

3 cups chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds)

1 cup dried, unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup uncooked amaranth

1/2 cup candied ginger, diced

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup strawberry puree (made in a blender)

1/2 cup banana puree (about one large banana)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons coconut cream (substitute coconut oil or any other oil)

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• Heat the wet ingredients in a small saucepan.
• Combine the dry ingredients with the wet.
• Spread the granola over two baking sheets or jelly roll pans.
• Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so to prevent the bottom from burning.
• Allow the granola to cool at least 10 minutes--It will continue to crispen.

Dessert Tamales: Rum-Date & Chocolate Chip

I catered a Mexican-themed dinner party last week. The menu included four different types of fresh salsas, guacamole, chicken and vegetable fajitas, rice, and black beans--Nothing too fancy, just standard healthy Mexican fare. Where I did take some creative license was with the dessert:  Tamales dulces, in two flavors.

I love tamales, but it's been a while since I've made them. They can be time-consuming so there is no sense in making them in small batches; There better be a crowd ready and waiting to enjoy them. 

Most people in the US think of tamales as a savory food, but according to Rick Bayless (Mexican food expert, cookbook author, former PBS host and chef extraordinaire), tamales dulces are wildly popular throughout Mexico. Flavors range from rich and decadent (chocolate) to colorful and bright (strawberry) to textured and simple (sweet corn and sugar cane).

I took the opportunity to expiriment with a couple of new fillings utilizing cupboard ingredients that I'm trying to get rid of before I leave for Brazil: a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips, rum, mejool dates, and finely ground coconut. 

They turned out fantastic. The chocolate chip resembles chocolate cookie dough in texture and would be great with vanilla ice cream. The rum-date combination, however, has a much darker, more sophisticated flavor.

If you're interested in trying a breakfast tamale, I suggest adding nothing but unsweetened blueberries , or any berry for that matter. Even the frozen kind work great. If you don't have a lot of mouths to feed I highly recommend freezing these once cooked and cooled.

 Dessert Tamales

 The first step is to soak your corn husks in boiling hot water for about 20 minutes. You can buy corn husks from any Latin American grocer.

Traditional masa-making is quite a process. I opted for the short-cut version.

Masa dough:

2 cups instant masa

1 cup yellow corn meal

1 1/2 cups hot water

1 stick of butter or 1/2 cup coconut oil

2 tablespoons of sugar (any kind)

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 1/2 cups coconut milk (or regular milk)

First, mix the masa and corn meal with the hot water and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

Next, cream the butter, sugar, salt and baking powder together. Then add the corn masa mixture. A food processor will help to combine these two but is not necessary. Finally, mix in the coconut milk until the mass is homogenized.

Rum-date filling:

1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup rum

1/4 cup coconut milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons finely-ground dried coconut (optional)

Simmer all ingredients in a small saucepan until the dates have begun to dissolve and release their sugars into the liquid. Add more water if necessary, then allow the mixture to reduce, and cool before adding to the tamales.

Fill your steamer with enough water, then line the bottom with smaller, less desireable corn husks.

Spread a couple of tablespoons the masa mixture over one third of the corn husk. Ideally, you will use the smoothest husks first, avoiding those with deep ridges. I was at the end of my bag with these...

Put a tablespoon or less of the filling in the center of the dough (There is too much on the tamle pictured above.). Fold one edge over horizontally, enclosing the filling in the wrapper. Then fold the bottom, facing the seam.

Place the tamales in the steamer so that they hold their shape. To help with this, you can tie them with twine, but it isn't necessary. It can make them look more decorative though.

Steam for 10 minutes. Wait for them to cool sufficiently before serving, otherwise they'll be nothing but a gooey mess!