Hard-Boiled Eggs

Eggs are probably the cheapest source of protein around, and quite a complete meal in itself. There are many ways of cooking it and hard-boiled is one of them. Once in awhile, I do find myself having a couple of hard-boiled eggs lying around which can be a wee bit difficult just to consume them in plain form (apart from dipping them into dark soya sauce or making egg sandwiches filling). So, one good way of cooking them would be to make an appetizing dish like this Sambal Tamarind Hard-Boiled Eggs.
Sambal Tamarind Hard-Boiled Eggs is one of those recipes which you can cook in small amounts for one or two meals or big amounts enough to feed a party. There are essentially 3 parts to cooking this dish and you can do them separately at your own convenience. Firstly, you need to make the perfect hard-boiled eggs using eggs which are a couple of days old. Fresh eggs are more difficult to get rid of the shell as the egg membrane tends to stick to the egg white. You will also need to prepare the chilli paste or sambal by pounding them or using a blender. I prefer pounding as I prefer the sambal paste slightly “rough”. And finally, the cooking process which does not take all that long.
This easy Sambal Tamarind Hard-Boiled Eggs recipe is appetizing because it uses tamarind juice to give it a slightly tangy taste to the otherwise flat chilli base. The liberal use of onions gives it a natural sweetness though sugar is also used. If you can find cili boh (chilli paste), that will save a bit of time for you. Otherwise, blend red chilli (seeded) with the rest of the ingredients. Experiment by yourself especially on the amount of chilli, tamarind and sugar to use. If you are looking for an easy or simple sambal hard-boiled eggs recipe or wondering how to cook sambal eggs, try this.

How To Coking BBQ

A food can be tasty only if we know the best way of cooking. We use different kinds of ingredients to make our food delicious but if it is not properly cooked then it loses its taste. In earlier days, charcoal was used to cook BBQ but nowadays gas can be used to cook it easily and tasty. It is also safe while cooking. The biggest benefit of using gas is, its use is cleaner because due to charcoal, there is smoke of cooking place. It also requires less space and less time for cooking as compare with charcoal. While cooking on gas, we can increase or decrease the flame of gas like if you feel the smell of food charring then you can decrease its flame and if you want to cook soon then you can increase. But nothing like this, in the use of charcoal. Using gas, we can cook meat properly because it gives more precise control over the temperature of cooking the meat properly.The utensils, which are used for cooking on gas, are much easier to clean. But if these utensils are used on charcoal then those are very difficult to clean. A gas barbeque grill uses lava rocks. These rocks looks like charcoal but the only difference between charcoal and lava rocks is; lave rocks can be used again and again but charcoal can’t be reused. For using it in a right way, you can search about instructions which we have to be followed while cooking. According to instructions, these rocks can be cleaned or replaced when they look dirty or break up. Every time whenever you use these rocks, just cleans it properly because sometimes old accumulations of deposits catch the fire soon or combine with water and other substances to produce corrosive chemicals. It can contaminate the food.Before any purchase, firstly you should notice the gas which is used for cooking BBQ. Many larger barbeques have wheels so that whole unit can be moved easily. Follow the whole instructions carefully so that you can cook the barbecue safely and easily.

Eating Fat Won't Make You Fat Any More Than Eating Money Will Make You Rich

If you stuff enough cold, hard cash down your gullet, your belly will probably stick out like an overfed oil exec. Same with fat. Fat keeps us full, and healthy fats like those found in seafood and many plants help protect against heart disease. But most of us are eating way, way too much of the wrong kinds—and getting fatter in return.
Yeah, I know it's hard to keep it all straight: good fats, bad fats, indifferent fats, fats that just got out of rehab . . . nutrition is confusing. One day we're told to eat margarine, the next we're told to eat butter. Well, let's simplify it: Here are the only three rules of fat you need to know:
1. If it's a trans fat (look for "partially hydrogenated oil" on the label), then don't eat it. Period. This manmade substance has been linked to a variety of health issues, in particular heart disease.
2. If it comes from the ocean or from open fields (fish, game, free-range animals, or plants), it's good for you. From tuna to avocado to nuts to venison, this is unsaturated fat—the heart-healthy stuff.
3. Everything else—dairy fat and most of the meat we encounter—is just about a wash. In other words, in limited amounts these fats (saturated fats) won't hurt you, but there are healthier things to eat. Don't overdo it. (Opt for low-fat and lean varieties when possible.)
The problem comes when food manufacturers start adding copious quantities of corpulence to foods that ought to be relatively good for us. Fat has 9 calories per gram—versus just 4 per gram for protein and carbohydrates. That means fat grams do more than double the dietary damage.
Here, I'm calling out some of the biggest fat offenders in the restaurant industry, compliments of the forthcoming new Eat This, Not That! 2012. Every meal on this page contains more than 100 grams of fat. That's a minimum of 900 calories of fat in one meal. To be clear, there's nothing remotely healthy here. Stay extra vigilant with these fatty offenders and you'll keep yourself on the smart path to a slim belly.

Chinese food

Chinese food is a general name of various localities and various ethnic dishes. It has a long history and unique features. It is the crystallization of thousands of development of the Chinese cuisine and enjoys the reputation all over the world. Chinese cooking is one important part of Chinese culture. And it's also known as the Chinese food culture. It's one of the world's three major cuisine (Chinese food, French food, Turkish food).

Chinese food culture has always been emphasizing the concerning on color, smell and taste of food. This characteristics can also be summed as refined, delicate and emotion. This is a standard for a course, and is also a standard for a table of dishes. All these reflect the unique cultural heritage that exist in the quality of food, the aesthetic experience , emotional activity and social function during the process of eating activity, and they also reflect the close relationship between food culture and Chinese excellent traditional culture.

Color refers to the color of dishes; it is an organic mix of raw materials and seasoning color. It also a symbol of refine, it is a general summary of the intrinsic quality of Chinese food culture and this sense as a cultural spirit permeates and carries through the entire process of eating and drinking. The choice of materials, cooking and even the eating environment all reflect the refined characteristic of Chinese food.   

Smell refers to the aroma of dishes, including aroma of air and bone. It also reflects the aesthetic characteristics of Chinese food culture. The main reason that why Chinese food enjoys its reputation all over the world lies in its delicacy. This delicacy refers to the perfect unity of the form and content of eating and drinking and the aesthetic pleasure and enjoyment it brings to people. The delicacy of Chinese food not only relies on its taste, but also reflects on its form, color, appliances, even the color of the clothes that servers wear. From see, we can see that delicacy as a basic meaning of Chinese food culture, it the charm of Chinese diet and it goes through each process of eating and drinking.Taste refers to the mouth feel of the dishes. It's the soul of dishes. And it's the production of organic mixing of ingredient, seasoning and different cooking skills. In China, eating is actually a medium of emotional communication between people; it is a kind of spectacular social events.

Easy Chinese Recipe for Pork Dumpling Soup

You'll find a couple of local dishes in Bee Yinn Low's Easy Chinese Recipes (Tuttle Publishing, $24.95). This is because Low lives in Irvine and eats Chinese food all over California as well as in Asia. The L.A.-area recipes are shrimp and yellow chive dumplings, modeled on a dish at Dumpling 10053 in El Monte. The other is pork dumpling soup, which Low says she researched by eating "countless servings" at Sam Woo.

Born into a Chinese family in Penang, Malaysia, Low puts a lifetime of experience into judging Chinese food, and she is harsh when necessary. "The orange chicken served in the United States often looks like a gloppy mess," she writes. Egg drop soup is as bad or worse. "To be brutally honest--I have never tasted a really decent egg drop soup in the Chinese restaurants here in the United States." They are "goopy" and "MSG-laden," she complains.

You can, of course, learn to make "decent" egg drop soup (copied from a restaurant in Shanghai) and excellent orange chicken from her book. The theme is "easy," but Low offers an intriguing range of Chinese food, not just pared-down, simple dishes for beginners. It's subtitled "Family Favorites from Dim Sum to Kung Pao."

If you hang out in the San Gabriel Valley, you've probably eaten plenty of clams with black bean sauce, honey walnut shrimp, salt and pepper squid, pot stickers, Yangzhou fried rice and boba tea.

With Low's book, you can make these and also produce your own chili oil, Sichuan peppercorn oil, Chinese BBQ sauce and even dumpling wrappers. Low herself took the photos that accompany each dish.

Low jumped from a business career to food, launching the popular blog RasaMalaysia.com. Although she talks about eating in such places as Shanghai and Beijing, she is by no means Asia-centric. A hole-in-the-wall in Salt Lake City produces her favorite beef chow fun.

PORK DUMPLING SOUP
From Easy Chinese Recipes

Makes 12 to 20 dumplings

Dumplings
1 small wood ear mushroom
6 ounces ground pork
4 ounces shelled and deveined raw shrimp, cut into small pieces
2 peeled fresh or canned water chestnuts, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
1 1/2 teaspoons oil
1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or sherry
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 dashes white pepper
1 pack store-bought siu kow or wonton wrappers
4 cups water

Soup
1 3/4 cups homemade chicken stock or 1 (14-ounce) can store-bought chicken broth
1 cup water
3 dashes white pepper
Salt
1 green onion, trimmed and cut into small rounds

1. To make the filling, soak the wood ear mushroom in warm water for about 15 minutes. Cut it into thin strips. Combine the wood ear mushroom, pork, shrimp, water chestnuts, green onion, oil, rice wine, sesame oil, chicken powder, fish sauce, salt and pepper. Chill for 30 minutes.

2. To assemble the dumplings, place a wrapper on your palm and and spoon on about 1 tablespoon filling. Do not overfill. Dip your index finger into a small bowl of water and circle around the outer edges of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper over and press the edges with your thumb and index finger to ensure that the dumpling is sealed tightly and there is no leakage.

3. Repeat for the remaining wrappers and filling.

4. Place the dumplings on a floured surface or baking sheet. Cover them with a damp kitchen towel to prevent drying. Bring the 4 cups water to a boil in a pot. Gently transfer the wrapped dumplings to the boiling water and boil until they float to the top, about 2 to 3 minutes. If necessary, boil in more than 1 batch.

5. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon, drain the excess water, and cover them to prevent drying.

6. Make the soup by bringing the chicken broth and 1 cup water to a boil in a pot. Add the white pepper and salt to taste.

7. Place 3 to 4 dumplings in each soup bowl, add some of the soup to the bowl and garnish with green onion rounds. Serve immediately.

Reduce your frequent hunger pangs -- Awesome Eggs

If you want to curb your infrequent hunger pangs, its better to have eggs for breakfast, that curbs on reducing hunger at the same time decreases calorie consumption at lunch and throughout the day, as per a new study.

It was seen that people who had taken eggs in their breakfast consumed fewer calories when offered an unlimited lunch buffet in comparison when they ate a carbohydrate-rich bagel diet for breakfast that had the same amount of calories.

This research is basically an extension of the earlier studies that stated that eating eggs for breakfast as part of a reduced-calorie diet helped in case of overweight dieters lose 65 percent more weight and feel more energetic when compared to people who tend to eat a carbohydrate rich diet.

Dr. Maria Luz Fernandez, study author and professor in the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Connecticut stated: "There is a growing body of evidence that supports the importance of high-quality protein in the diet for overall health and in particular the importance of protein at the breakfast meal. We examined two typical American breakfasts, and the participants'' self-reported appetite ratings reveal that a protein-rich breakfast helps keep hunger at bay."

Another dietician and nutrition consultant, Helenbeth Reynolds adds that high-quality protein breakfast like eggs aids in fullness and thus curbing the temptation to add calories. She further stated that egg constitutes of only 70 units of calories and in addition to this it comes with high-quality protein and added nutrients.

Studies have shown that those with higher levels of choline have a corresponding lower level of inflammation (20%! Chronic inflammation=disease=early death). What is sad is that they estimate some 90% of Americans are deficient of choline! Eggs are  great for your eyes as well, with hard hitters like zeaxanthin and lutein, that help protect against macular degeneration and cataracts. Although spinach is considered a great source of lutein, egg yolks are more bioavailable source. Examine your yolks to determine optimum levels. The deeper the yellow/orange color the more lutein and zeaxanthin and the more eye protection. What about cholesterol and heart health? persistent egg eaters actually demonstrate improved blood lipid levels and have a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease (oops I guess that diffuses that excuse not to eat them!). You don’t want to eat any old egg, though. Don’t reach for those filmy-light-colored yolky eggs. Step away and go for the pasture-raised. Like most things the factory farmed chicken just doesn’t measure up to it’s more natural counterpart. The greatness of pasture-raised (chickens aren’t considered grass-fed because they’ll eat anything, they’re especially fond of bugs):

1.can contain as much as 10 times the omega-3 concentration
2.   2/3 more vitamin A
3.7 times more beta carotene
4.more folic acid and vitamin B
5.30 times more vitamin E
6.3-6 times more vitamin D (eggs are one of the few dietary sources of this vital fat-soluble vitamin, that again most Americans don’t get enough of)

Still think that eggs are boring? I don’t see how anything so wonderful and beneficial could ever be boring, non-the-less tune in tomorrow for some recipes. For more on our egg-loving fat burner weight loss programs head over to our website at bodychange.net cause I’m off to enjoy some eggs in grass-fed butter (yum)!

Get to Learn about African Food Culture

As many of you know, as one intrigued by all things hospitality, food and culture related, I had been working some extra hours in a new local authentic Nigerian restaurant.  I took on this gig because I wanted to study exactly what modern, NY-style African hospitality is.   Would anything change drastically from what I learned at home?    As a Nigerian-American born, raised and residing in Brooklyn, NY I wasn’t quite sure that the dining culture I knew of was relevant enough to provide great service at this institution that prides itself on being “authentic”.  So I decided to do a little reflecting and comparisons.

Here’s what I do remember of my childhood dining:

1)  Our typical traditional meal was pounded yam and soup (mostly ogbono w/ okra and egusi).

2)  We always ate together.   Rarely did my parents eat alone.  The more the merrier.  My Mom and Dad ate from the same plate.  Sometimes it was my whole family eating from one plate.  They would always ask us to wash our hands and join them at the table.  Us, meaning my sister and I, who were both born in America.  My brother, who was born in Nigeria, ironically didn’t take a liking to traditional Nigerian food!

3) Hands are the best utensils!  Pounded yam or any fufu (pounded starch with the consistency of a really dense mashed potato) were eaten with the hands.  You break of a small peice of fufu with your fingertips.  Use your fingertips to form a ball (about the size of a small gumball) and dip it in the soup using your fingers to scoop up some sauce.  To me pounded yam is the African cousin to Italian gnocchi!

4) Before eating always serve your parents (especially Dad, major respect necessary as patriarch of the family) a bowl of warm water to wash hands and a beverage to drink.  And by noooo means serve it with your left hand.  Please.  You will get an earful about disrespect.

5) When handing parents (especially Dad for same reason as above) a beverage and/or bowl of water to wash hands, tell them “Thank you”.  Yes, you read that right.  When giving something to your parents, don’t wait for them to thank you.  You say “Thank you” to them to which they respond, “Thank God”.   If they make the mistake of  thanking you by no means respond “You’re welcome”  which would then remind them you shouldn’t be thanked or be accepting the thanks as your own in the first place.   This exchange was also done before the meal after a blessing is said.  The children must make thier rounds around the table saying “Thank You” to all the elders (including older siblings) around before eating.  As the youngest in the family I was always annoyed by this tradition!!  Especially when I was hungry! lol

6)  When eating with my parents, it was a sign of affection for them to pick out an appetizing morsel of meat from the soup bowl and offer it to the children.  Usually they would do this with the stockfish, which I’m assuming its because its the most…I’m not sure actually…precious?? lol  Stockfish is a peice of dried fish that is rehydrated to make stews or soups but still maintain a chewy texture and a unique flavor.

Hmm, that’s about all I can remember for now.  But of all the “complexities” of traditional African dining, one thing remains prevalent: Eating time is family time, its a time to commune, to express love and to bring cultural traditions to the American table.

Now, as an adult, I watch my 3 year old nephew, Zephaniah, sit down on his grandparents table during Sunday dinner, eating from a platter of egusi soup and pounded yam with Grandpa and Grandma looking and watching lovingly and happily.  Thrilled and at awe that even their grandson, despite having never been to his homeland of Nigeria, can taste the intensity of Nigerian food that is missing from say “mac n cheese”.   Grandma makes little pounded yam balls for him.  He take a ball, dips it in the flavorful egusi sauce, and puts the delightful morsel in his mouth…he hardly skips a beat, except perhaps to share one of his dazzling smiles to show his approval of Grandma’s execution of his favorite meal!  Makes my heart swoon.

This  led me to the conclusion that African food, made with love, is the original, feel good ”comfort food” and according to the smile on my nephew’s face, that has never changed!

Of Spam and Velveeta

If I had to point at one area of the food media world that illustrates my point regarding its elitism and deafness against common food, I would cast my finger in the way of those two veritable juggernauts of the corporate food world - Spam and Velveeta.
Each of these foods is a key ingredient in a regional American cuisine (Spam in Hawaiian food, and Velveeta in Tex-Mex). Without them, said cuisines would look vastly different and would result in something markedly different. Yet if one were to take a sampling of various food writers and editors, both of these products would not fare particularly well, either being, at best, dismissed, and, at worst, used as an example of the ineffectiveness of corporations to produce food of substance.

Let's address the last argument for a moment. Can corporations produce foods of substance, of quality? Both terms - substance and quality - are subjective terms, so let's open it up to subjective answers. In my own life, I've enjoyed everything from Oreos and Snickers bars, to Thai chili paste and canned tomatoes, each produced by a company incorporated somewhere in the world. Many of these companies sell from tens of thousands to millions of consumers. At some point in those numbers, I have to acknowledge that not all of that is marketing. At some point, people are buying these products because they like the stuff, regardless of whether it's a jar of mayonnaise to a loaf of cheese substitute. And while I can't stand some of the stuff being purchased out there in bulk (i.e. Kraft Singles), I cannot make the leap to say that my taste in food is superior to anyone else's. Different? Yes. Better? Ehhhhhhh...

So if we can agree that there is some measure of value in the mass produced food out there, why do many of us dismiss it? Is it because it is less healthy? Mmm. There are many "high-end" foods that have their own health issues (I'm looking at you, cheese and charcuterie). Is it because its often produced in less than ethical ways? In some instances, yes. But really? Are we that concerned with how Velveeta is made?

What I think the issue comes down to is a combination ubiquity, lack of cost, and the fact that its produced by a corporation. We food folk love our food to be new and exotic. Often we equate a food's "exoticness" with its rarity. If there were such a thing as artisinal cheese loaf, or hand made canned ham, these products would look a bit different to us.

But there's not. If there's one thing that Spam and Velveeta ain't is exotic. We can literally walk into any grocery store in the United States, and be assured of finding both, for a cost less than a ticket to a movie. This ubiquity makes it easy for us to think "Velveeta? Feh. Spam? Disgusting!"
The question for me is now, "Should we disregard foods simply because of their ubiquity?" Of course not. Even less so for foods, such as Spam and Velveeta, that define specific cuisines.
Don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying you need to like the taste of Spam or Velveeta. What I am saying is don't disregard the importance and value of these foods to groups of people who use and (presumably) like the stuff. Hawaiian Cuisine and Tex-Mex have an inherent value to our American culture. It's important to recognize both the cuisines, and aspects of the cuisines that make them possible.

Grass Fed Beef tastes how to feel

After a dinner over steak on Friday night, the conversation turned to the difference in taste between Grass Fed and Grain Fed cattle. This was brought on by the waitress telling us of the delights of eating "hop fed" beef, an idea that many of us at the dinner table found silly.

There is much to be said for the value of grass fed cattle. Grass is a low-starch, high-protein fibrous food, in contrast to carbohydrate-rich, low-fiber corn and soybeans. When animals are 100% grass-fed, their meat is not only lower in saturated fats but also slightly higher in omega-3 fatty acids.
Also important to note is the fact that, unlike feed lot cattle, raised on grain and stuck in a small cubicle for much of its life, those who advocate for grass fed cattle also tend to let their cattle go out to the field and graze. The result? Muscles that are grown naturally, rather than artificially induced growth done through the use of hormones.

Let's set aside the ethics of the practice, and focus on the resulting taste of each practice. Let's presume that the quality of rotational grazing is high. as is the breed of cattle for the grass fed beef. For the grain fed, the cattle would have to been bred for its lifestyle. Also, let's compare one of the pinnacle cuts - prime rib.

The major difference, from what I can tell, comes from the additional levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which can impart everything from a nutty, buttery flavor, to gamey, to even some reports of a fish-like taste. Let's not discount the texture of the cut of beef either. Cattle that is mobile may result in beef that is denser, and tougher to chew.

Ultimately, my guess is that the flavor of grass fed beef comes down to the quality of care given given to the cattle by the rancher. What makes feedlot cattle such benefit to those in the beef industry is its resulting consistency of product. There's profit to be had when beef tastes the same in Arizona as it does in Oregon, even if that taste is mediocre at best.

Grass Fed cattle, it seem, enters several new variables to taste that must be accounted for in some way or another. And if the rancher chooses to ignore one of them, the resulting taste of beef may be less than ideal to a consumer.