EASY delicious TAMALES - a recipe that works!

TAMALES

When Dan and I were on a cruise that spent a day in Cozumel, we took a wonderful cooking class, with a market visit, at Josefina's Cocina Con Alma:  https://www.cozumelchef.com/ After we returned to West Virginia (and added several of the dishes we learned to make to the Elkhorn Inn Dinner Menu), I bought a packet of Corn Husks with the intention of making tamales... and stored them in the pantry and forgot all about them! I found them the other day, and decided Now was the time to teach myself to make tamales! (NOTE: tamales take a LONG time to make- at least a day. Much more fun if you have a "tamale rolling party" like we did in Israel when we made Kubeh...) After lots of "Googling" for recipes and ideas, I used what turned out to be a GREAT recipe by Alton Brown:  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/hot-tamales-recipe-2011883 
I used his recipe for the dough and cooking instructions (I made a 1/2 recipe), but my filling was made with chicken stewed with fire-roasted New Mexico Green Hatch Chilies and spices... HIS RECIPE HAS 5 STARS AND IT REALLY WORKS! 

The dried corn husks

The first step is putting your corn husks in a pot or bowl of hot to soak- for about 2 hours. They need to be really soft and pliable so you can roll and fold them.

Soaking corn husks...

The next step is to put the cornmeal, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl...

Corn meal, baking powder, salt

Add lard and knead it into a dough...

Then you add the lard, and mix it until it becomes a dough with the consistency of "thick mashed potatoes". Then you can cover the bowl with a damp cloth until you are ready to roll tamales...

the Chicken-Hatch Chili filling

I made the tamale filling by sauteing a chopped leek and garlic in olive oil, and then adding Fire-Roasted Green Hatch Chilies, several not-spicy  red    Peppers, Kosher salt, fresh, cracked black pepper, and cumin, and then 2 chicken breasts, and cooking it down, slowly, into deliciousness! I shredded the chicken, and made sure everything was cut up in tiny pieces for the stuffing.   
Then the fun started: rolling tamales!
Take one of the water-softened corn husks and blot it with a paper towel. Spoon the corn meal dough on the side of the corn husk as shown in the photo. I tried to make it as thin as possible. Put about a tablespoon of filling in a line down the center of the dough. Roll one side in, so the dough encases the filling. 

Dough on the corn husk

Filling on the dough....

Roll one side in...

Fold up the bottom of the corn husk...

Then roll it up snugly.

Tie the top with corn husk or kitchen twine

Then fold up the bottom of the corn husk, and roll the tamale up snugly. Then tie it at the top with a strip of corn husk or Kitchen Twine.

Voila! TAMALES!

Tamales in the pot...

I was So pleased with my tamales!

My pot of tamales, ready to steam!

As I didn't have enough tamales to fill the pot, I added 3 glass Mason Jars so the tamales would stand snugly & stay upright. I filled the Mason Jars with water so they wouldn't float, and then poured the chicken stock (from cooking the chicken) down in the pan until it was about 1" from the top  of the tamales.
Then I covered the pot, put it on high heat, and brought to to a boil- about 12 minutes. Then I turned it down to low, partially uncovered the pot, and let it simmer for 1.5 hours.
When we unrolled and tested the first tamale it was perfect! The corn husk pulled away from the cornmeal neatly, and the tortilla was perfect- firm, tender, hot, and delicious!

It's so great to find a recipe that Really works- Thank you Alton Brown!

Have you made tamales? Do you add spices to the corn meal? What fillings do you use? Let me know in the comments and we can share recipes!

Making Tamarind Paste...

Tamarind Pods...

Make Tamarind Paste!

First, let me state that I love, love, love tamarind! Its unique, tangy, sour-but-with-a tinge-of-sweetness taste is inimitable, and whenever I find anything with tamarind sauce or tamarind glaze- or tamarind anything- I order it! It's Asian, it's Israeli, it's Caribbean, it's Mexican... everyone loves tamarind! My claim to fame, as it were, is having “invented” the Tamarind Colada in Puerto Rico on my day off during a disaster response operation (Recipe: Tamarind Nectar, Coco Lopez, and Rum, in whatever proportions you think wise...), and everyone laughed- until they tasted it. If, like me, you aren't fond of sweet drinks, such as Pina Coladas, a Tamarind Colada may be Just what you're looking for! In Israel, a stand in the Machneh Yehuda Shuk (Market) in Jerusalem sells glasses of Tamarind Drink that I dream about... In Vietnam I had Tamarind Crabs in a sea-side restaurant with my husband, and they were so delicious that I licked the shells clean of sauce, throwing decorum to the wind! And the sour-spicy-sweet Tamarind Candy we bought in the market in Saigon while on the “Pho Trail” breakfast foodie tour with “Saigon Street Eats” (tamarind paste balls mixed with Vietnamese hot pepper & dipped in sugar) was so amazing that I when we got back to the USA I Googled for recipes and managed to make a facsimile of it (see below). (I have found versions of Tamarind Candy in Asian Groceries, and on amazon.com, but while they're all Good, none of them measure up to the Amazeball candy in the Saigon Market...) And I just found several mouthwatering Brisket with Tamarind Sauce recipes online (see below) that I want to make for Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) this year, and Tamarind-Coconut Curry, and one for a Tamarind Margarita...

Basically, tamarind is one of my Five Basic Food Groups, along with Hot Peppers, Sushi, Pesto, and Chinese Dumplings. LOL

I have always bought Asian Tamarind Paste in a jar, or Mexican Tamarind Nectar in a can... but when I saw a little bag of Tamarind Pods in a Mexican Grocery in South Carolina (during another disaster response operation), I had to buy them, to make my very own tamarind paste! And as Rosh Hashanah starts tomorrow, and I want to make brisket or chicken with a tamarind sauce (not to mention a Margarita...), I pulled out my little bag of tamarind pods and set to work!

Making a nice, smooth tamarind paste turned out to be quite easy, but rather laborious, and I'm honestly not sure it's worth the effort... It's certainly easier to just buy a jar of the tamarind paste and call it a day... LOL

The only really positive things I can say for making your own tamarind paste is that you get to plant the seeds and try to grow little tamarind trees, and you get to lick your fingers. LOL

The first thing I did was Google “making tamarind paste from pods” and came up with a number of helpful sites:

Pranees Thai Kitchen: https://praneesthaikitchen.com/2015/01/27/how-to-prepare-tamarind-pod/

8 ounces tamarind flesh, about half of a 16-ounce package

2 1/2 cups boiling water

Place the chunk of tamarind into a large bowl, then pour boiling water over it and let it sit until the water is cool enough to handle. Massage and squeeze the tamarind in the water with both hands so the water and hands rub the tamarind to make a thick concentrate; the pulp and liquid should resemble a thick soup. Strain liquid though a large sieve into a medium pot. Squeeze the tamarind to get out all of the liquid, then discard the solid. Bring the strained liquid to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Store and keep in refrigerator for two weeks, or in the freezer for 6 months.

So to make the tamarind paste I first de-shelled the pods, and removed the big strings from the pulp. 

Tamarind Pods

Then I popped out as many seeds as I could, noting that tamarind is mostly seeds, surrounded by a little pulp... I then soaked the pulp pieces in a bowl of warm water for half an hour. And then I kneaded. And kneaded. And kneaded. I finally manged to work out all the seeds, and then kneaded the pulp into a paste and pushed it through a strainer several times.

And there you have it: my little bowl of Tamarind Paste!

Tamarind Paste!

Lots of Tamarind Seeds...

A total fool for tamarind, I added water to the leftover pulp, heated it in the microwave, mashed and strained it again, and made myself a tamarind drink... and then I licked my fingers and the strainer- it is delicious stuff! LOL

Tamarind Recipes:

Tamarind Syrup Drink, from Pranee's Thai Kitchen:

https://praneesthaikitchen.com/2010/07/30/tamarind-drink-recipes-nam-makam/  

Nam Chuem Makham น้ำเชื่อมมะขาม 

Yield: 3/4 cup

1/2 cup tamarind concentrate, freshly made or from the can

1/4 cup brown sugar or honey

Combine tamarind concentrate, brown sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil on high heat. Stir and let it cook for 2 minutes. Strain into a clean jar, when it is cool then store in the fridge for a week or keep in the freezer for 3 months.

Tamarind Margarita, from Steve Betz:  https://stevebetz.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/summertime-happy-hour-tamarind-blood-orange-margarita/

Prepare tamarind “sauce”: Take 1 tbsp tamarind paste (available at Asian and Mexican groceries) add about ¼ cup of water. Warm and stir until everything is well mixed. Prepare two glasses with a chili-powder/salt rim. (Adjust chili-ness to your own liking)

To your shaker add:

• 3 oz tequila
• 1 tbsp tamarind sauce (adjust to taste)
• ½ oz simple syrup
• 1 oz lime juice
• ½ oz citronage (or triple sec)
• 1 oz orange juice  (we used blood oranges because we had them)
• Add ice, shake vigorously and strain into already-prepped glasses.

Tamarind Brisket, from Rozanne Gold: https://rozannegold.wordpress.com/2011/09/27/tamarind-brisket/

Brisket with Chile & Tamarind, from Bailey Farms: http://baileyfarmsinc.com/braised-beef-brisket-with-chile-and-tamarind-sauce/

Brisket with Tamarind-Chili Sauce from SBS.com: https://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/beef-brisket-braised-tamarind-and-chilli-sauce

Coconut Tamarind Chicken Curry, from BBC Good Food:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1852638/coconut-and-tamarind-chicken-curry

Vietnamese Tamarind Dipping Sauce, from The Spruce Eats

https://www.thespruceeats.com/vietnamese-tamarind-dipping-sauce-3030366

Tamarind Candy- recipe from Rachel Cooks Thai: 

https://southernwestvirginia.blogspot.com/2015/04/vietnamese-herbs-and-tamarind-candy.html

What are your favorite tamarind recipes? Let me know in the comments so I can add them to my Great Big File Of Tamarind Recipes!

EASY Authentic Vietnamese Summer Rolls- Delish!

Vietnam Summer Rolls!

After Dan and I returned to West Virginia from our last trip to Vietnam in 2015, having taking a number of cooking classes and "foodie" tours all across the country, I sourced seeds for Vietnamese herbs online, and began growing them in our garden at the Elkhorn Inn! The herbs and greens we had in Vietnam were truly delicious and unique, and as we don't live anywhere near an Asian Market, growing them ourselves was the only way Chef Dan would be able to make truly authentic Vietnamese dishes- such as his Claypot Ginger Chicken, and Pho- for our Elkhorn Inn dinner guests! And then I began making things like Bo La Lot (Grilled Betel Leaf-Wrapped Meat) and  Summer Rolls! And Summer Rolls are actually easy and fun to make!

An assortment of Vietnamese herbs from our garden...

Some of the herbs we grow are Vietnamese Red & Green Perilla, Chrysanthemum Greens, Tatsoi Mustard, Vietnamese Mint, Garlic Chives, and Coriander, Basil and Holy Basil, Lemon Grass, La Lot, Fish Mint... and the unique tastes and textures of these herbs truly contributes to the deliciousness of Vietnamese dishes! "Table Salad"- an assortment of herbs and greens- is a staple of the Vietnamese table, and without at least some truly authentic Vietnamese greens, a Vietnamese meal just isn't right! If you are lucky enough to live near an "H Mart"- the chain of huge and fabulous Korean groceries that has EVERYTHING- (there is an excellent one in Fairfax, Virginia), you can get all the fresh herbs and veggies in the Asian universe! But we live 6 hours from the nearest H Mart, so if we don't grow them, we can't have them!

Vietnamese Summer Rolls & Dipping Sauce!

The first step to making Summer Rolls is to set out all your ingredients, and get everything set up so you can roll them quickly. You will need a pack of "Spring Roll Wrappers", which are rice paper circles that you soak for 10 seconds before rolling them- and believe it or not, most Walmarts have them! This time I made Summer Rolls with cooked (frozen) shrimp, Vietnamese Bun Rice Vermicelli Noodles (cooked in water in the microwave for one minute), Vietnamese and other herbs and greens (Vietnam cilantro/coriander, Asian Basil, and Vietnam Mint are pretty much musts), and Asian veggies, including water chestnuts (canned), and Chinese Cloud Ear Mushrooms and Lilly buds, which were dried, and which I cooked in the microwave in water for a minute and then cut in small pieces. The herbs and greens (Vietnamese mint, cilantro, basil, and garlic chives, Red Perilla, lettuce, etc.) I tore into small pieces.
You can also add Bean Sprouts, hot Vietnamese peppers, cucumber, scallions, and other herbs and greens...
The next step is to set out a large bowl of warm water. Dip one Rice Paper Wrapper in the warm water for about 10 seconds. Lay it on a plate. Put the shrimp (small shrimp are best- these were large, so I cut them in pieces) and water chestnuts in the center, about 1/3 down, as shown in the photo.                                                 

The ingredients for Vietnamese Summer Rolls

The first step...

Top the shrimp with the herbs and greens, and then with the Bun Noodles, and then with more herbs and greens.

Add herbs...

Add the Bun Noodles and more herbs...

More herbs and veggies...

Top with lettuce...

 Fold the bottom of the wrapper up over the filling, and then fold the sides in. Then roll it up, quick and tight...

Fold up the bottom of the wrapper

Fold in both sides, and then roll it up tight

And Voilà! You have made a Vietnamese Summer Rolll!
Soak the next wrapper and do it all again, and keep doing it until you have run out fillings, and/or wrappers!
They are delicious served with a lemon-y Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce, and while you can make your own from scratch (there are lots of Vietnamese recipes online), Saucey Sauce makes a truly authentic and delicious one: https://getsauceynow.com/

Have you made Summer Rolls? Any other Vietnamese dishes? Do you grow your own veggies and herbs? Tell me in the comments and we can share recipes!

Rituals Sakura Collection: a delicious Japanese-inspired bath ritual!

Sakura "Try Me" Box products

I was happily selected to try a Rituals Sakura (Japanese Cherry Blossom) "Try Me" TryaBox, and I must say that I am really delighted with it! First of all, it smells divine- even the box smelled divine! (For just that reason it's a great gift- it's so much fun to open something that smells so good even before you know what it is!) And the three products are REALLY great, and while luxurious, not expensive, and I will be buying them- and some of the other products in the Collection, too! Included in the "Try Me" box are the Sakura Sugar Scrub, Foaming Shower Gel, and Body Cream, and with them I created a lovely, relaxing, and sensual little bath "ritual" for myself, that brings back wonderful memories of our Honeymoon in Japan and seeing the Cherry Blossoms! I love the Sakura Sugar Scrub, which is a great but gentle exfoliator (I much prefer sugar scrubs to salt scrubs, as sugar scrubs don't burn...), and smells delicious, and the Sakura Body Cream, which is moisturizing and creamy, and has the same delightful scent, but best surprise was the unique Sakura Foaming Shower Gel, as it's really creamy and luscious on the skin, and truly moisturizing, which many shower gels aren't! Rituals has many different collections (check them all out here: https://www.rituals.com/en-us/about-rituals.html), but I wanted to try the Sakura Ritual specifically because I have Very happy memories of seeing the Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto with Dan during our Honeymoon, and recapturing a bit of that magical experience seemed like a lovely thing to be able to do... 

The Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto...

The Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan is world famous, and rightfully so: That springtime awakening of nature in Japan is a glorious but fleeting thing, precious because it is over all too soon, & it symbolizes that beauty is momentary, and that life must be enjoyed... When Dan and I were in Kyoto (for 2 days!) during our Honeymoon in the early spring, we knew that we were too early for the blossoms, and wouldn't get to see them... and so, when we woke up in Kyoto that morning and he called me to the window of our hotel room to see the trees that had just burst into flower, my heart skipped a beat!  Ritual's Sakura Collection is inspired by that tradition, and includes nourishing Organic Rice Milk as well as cherry blossom, and it's truly delightful- and would make a Great gift! Here is the link to the complete Sakura Collection- not only bath products, but other lovely things, including Hair & Body Mist, Shampoo and Conditioner, Shower Oil., Fragrance Sicks, and Candles- and I want them all! :-) And luscious as they are, they are NOT expensive, so I just may be able to get them all, too!  https://www.rituals.com/en-us/collection-story-sakura.html 

Dan and I and the Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto!

The Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto, Japan

  

The Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto, Japan

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