Ninniku Miso-Zuke (Japanese Miso-Cured Garlic)

 

I'm not sure about you all but I've been absolutely dying the last few days from allergies. DYIN', I tell ya! I haven't had allergies this bad in at least 5+ years. They were so bad that I had to spend all of yesterday in bed sleeping. I felt like I was enduring some version of 50 Shades of Allergy Hell. I'd occasionally get up to slam some Allegra-D and Sinex or snort some Flonase, but nothing was working. I spent my day sucking on hits of  Cepacol Hydra drops like they were all-day suckers and at night...oh, the nights were the  worst! I ended up resorting to taking Nyquil (the dreaded green flavor even) so that I could get some relief from the incessant and unladylike hacking, gacking and occasional phlegm-laced vomiting. I was (am) a total mess.

Source: www.nataliedee.com

 

Today's the first real day that I could taste something so I decided to have some rice and ninniku miso-zuke (aka miso-cured garlic). The saltiness of the miso and the tempered bite of the garlic (which is simultaneously sweet and savory) tasted exquisite to my tongue which had been deprived of any flavor the last few days. Ninikku miso-zuke is super easy to make, you just need three basic ingredients: miso, mirin (a sweet rice-wine) and fresh garlic cloves. The hard part is just leaving the batch alone and allowing it to ferment. This summer I might try and be ambitious and try my hand at tofu misozuke, which I've heard people rave about and compare the texture to being like "triple cream blue cheese" or "a cross between butter and foie gras." How delicious does that sound?! I'll keep you posted if I get around to it.

Ninniku Miso-Zuke

Ingredients

handful of  fresh garlic cloves
1 cup miso paste- I prefer to use aka (red) miso, but a sweet shiro (white) or barley miso could be used too
1/4 c mirin
1 clean, dry wide-mouth quart jar

Instructions

1. Separate the garlic cloves. Trim the garlic ends, remove the outer skin and also peel off the thin filmy membrane layer.

2. Blanch garlic cloves for 1-2 minutes in unsalted water. Pull them out and pat dry them with a clean paper towel.

3. In a small bowl mix together your mirin and miso thoroughly.

4. Place a thin layer of miso at the bottom of your jar then make alternating layers of miso and garlic cloves. (Note: You don't want the cloves to touch.) Continue the layering process until you run out of ingredients or reach the top. Finish the top with a miso-mirin mixture layer and make sure all the garlic cloves are covered with miso.

5. Latch your jar and place it in the fridge. Allow it to pickle for at least 1 month. The garlic gets better with age. Keeps good up to 3-4 months.

6. When you're ready to eat the garlic, just pull out the amount you want to eat, rinse off the miso and serve. Use as an accompaniment to a meal or just eat them as a snack. I like to shove a few into the middle of my onigiris or dice it up and mix it with butter when I'm sautéing.

* Tip #1: As you clear each layer of garlic, the miso is still good and can be used in your recipes that call for miso.

* Tip #2: You can buy mirin and aka miso at most Asian speciality stores. For Sacramentans: Otos' Market on Freeport Blvd. carries both.

* Tip #3: Take the time to use fresh garlic in this recipe. The pre-peeled garlic that you can buy in bags at Costco and other grocery stores isn't as fresh and you'll notice a difference in taste.

Read More

Pickled Easter Egg Radishes

 

Look at these colorful, little, roly-poly radishes! Cute, no? Well, they're called "Easter Egg Radishes"-- Seriously! That's their real name. These root veggies come in an array of brilliant colors (hot pink, crimson, creamy white and deep purple), are nice and crisp and have a very mild taste. They were just too adorable to pass up at the Co-Op, so I purchased a few and pickled them in a simple vinegar and sugar mixture. They just had to sit overnight and then were ready to be consumed. I've been throwing a few on my crudité platters, pairing them as a side with my sandwiches and even just snacking on them by themselves. They're so good (and much more waistline friendly then a chocolate Easter bunny). By the way, did you know radishes have their own holiday in Oaxaca, Mexico? It's called La Noche de Los Rabanos and is celebrated every year on December 23rd. How cool is that?

Pickled "Easter Egg" Radishes

Ingredients

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar (champagne vinegar can be substituted)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 bunch of Easter Egg Radishes
4-5 spring red onions, greens removed and ends trimmed - (optional)

* Be sure to keep the greens from the radishes and the spring red onions, they're edible and delicious!


Instructions

1. Wash and dry radishes. Snip off tops and tails. Quarter or halve them (your choice).

2. In a medium sized saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar and water. Bring it to a nice boil. Stir the mixture frequently until all the sugar dissolves.

3. Remove saucepan from heat and let the mixture cool.

4. Place the cut radishes in a clean jar. I threw in a few spring red onions that I had laying around as well.

5. Pour the mixture over the radishes and onions. Cover with lid and ring.

6. Place in the fridge.

7. You can start eating them the next day. The pickled radishes will keep for 3-4 weeks.

Note: As the radishes sit in the vinegar-sugar mixture, the liquid will turn a vibrant pink/red. That's normal, don't worry.

Tip: If your radishes aren't as crisp as you'd like, drop them in some ice water and pop them in the fridge for about 15 minutes- they'll revive.

Read More

Caribbean Breeze Cuisine Restaurant

5015 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95820. (916) 538-6818.

Last fall when my dad was visiting we happened to be driving down the Stockton Blvd corridor, when he pointed out a slightly obscured sign advertising a tiny Caribbean restaurant. Caribbean restaurant on Stockton Blvd? Noooo, he must be mistaken! It must be another pho shop. Upon closer inspection though- sure enough, wedged right next to Thrift Town and a neighborhood ice cream parlor, where a tasty soul food eatery used to occupy was a new Caribbean place. Huh. I made a mental note to check it out when I had a chance, but silly me as usual I forgot...until I happened to come across it several months later on Yelp. So on Thursday night, my friend Amanda agreed to go with me on a little food adventure and check the place out. We pulled into the near empty parking lot around 6pm and were greeted by the owner as we stepped up on the curb. He apologized about a soda mishap that they had just had and advised us to watch our step as we crossed the threshold into the dining room. The dining room though small was decorated in a cheery sunshine yellow with booths on one side and a smattering of tables on the other. Although I would describe the decor as casual, effort was definitely made to give it a classier vibe- cloth tablecloths, matching napkins and real glassware. Our server allowed us to choose a table and was over quickly with piping hot, fresh dinner rolls and to take our drink order. In addition to the usual soda lineup, Caribbean Breeze also carries ginger beer, cola champagne, pineapple soda and Vita Malt. I decided to try a beverage called, "Ting," which turned out to be a carbonated grapefruit beverage. It had a nice refreshing taste that was both simultaneously tart and sweet.

I'm not super familiar with Caribbean food (my only real experiences being the dinners my ex-husband and I used to grab at the now-defunct Jamaica House on Broadway) so I decided to play it relatively safe and go with Jerk Chicken. My dining companion, being much more adventurous ordered the goat curry. When our orders arrived, my plate consisted of 3 pieces of chicken, a big scoop of red beans and rice, some fried plantains and a few slices of fresh fruit. I cut into my chicken and found the meat was so soft and juicy that it literally fell off the bone (I didn't really even need to use the knife, I could have just push it off with my fork if I wanted to). Honestly, I loved my dinner- the chicken packed a nice spicy punch but the heat from the seasoning wasn't overwhelming, the plantains added a nice touch of sweetness and the beans and rice were perfectly cooked. Curious about the goat curry I asked Amanda what she thought. Much like my chicken, she said her goat meat was super tender and tasty; however, she found that the dish was slightly on the salty side. My dinner plate was quite filling, which was unfortunate because they had some wonderful sounding desserts on the menu- bread pudding, chocolate cake with a cream cheese filling as well as an almond and cream cheese poundcake. Drool!--Maybe next time. If the desserts taste nearly as good as their entrees though, I'm in trouble!

Prices range from a reasonable $7.95 to $11.95. The menu is fairly short but has a nice array of choices such as Caribbean style chicken curry, oxtail stew, grilled red snapper Jamaican patties and escoveitch fish. Entrees come with a small garden salad to start. The service we experienced was friendly although slightly awkward; however, we did find out that our server was new and was learning the ropes, which may have explained her quiet, tentative behavior. (I'm sure she'll be fine once she finds her footing.) Regardless, the owner more than made up for her shyness with his friendly exuberance and big smile. Overall, my visit to Caribbean Breeze Cuisine Restaurant was delightful. My only suggestion- it was a bit warm in the restaurant, they should maybe get some sort of airflow going via fan or AC too cool the dining room down; otherwise- hospitable, flavorful and affordable...what a fantastic addition to Sacramento's ethnic cuisine scene! I can't wait to go back. I hope you too support this small local eatery by taking the initiative to leave your suburban casa or your crib in the Grid and head over to Stockton Blvd for some homemade Caribbean comfort food-- you won't be disappointed!

Read More

Palak Paneer

Ingredients :

• 1 kg spinach
• 250 gms of cottage cheese (cut cubes and lightly fried till brown in a tsp of clarified butter)
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 4 tomatoes (blanched in hot water, peeled and pureed)
• 2 onions
• 1 1 inch piece of ginger 
• 7-8 garlic flakes 
• 2 green chili
• Pinch of sugar granules
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 3/4 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 3/4 tsp garam masala
• 3/4 tsp dry mango powder
• 3 tsp oil
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp fresh cream 

Method :
 Remove spinach leaves from stem and wash leaves well.Take 2 glasses of water when it starts to boil, then add spinach, onions, green chili, garlic and ginger with a pinch of sugar granules to it. Let it boil for 6-8 minutes.Switch of the heat and let the spinach cool down.Blend the spinach mixer in a blender and make a thick spinach paste.Heat a heavy bottomed wok; add oil and butter to it, when the oil is hot add cumin seed .When a cumin seed starts to crackle add the tomato paste and let it cook for 5-6 minute on medium heat. Then add spinach paste along with spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and dry mango powder; let it cook further for another 5 minute.Add the fried pieces of cottage cheese and mix it well. Cook and cover on low heat for 4-5 minute.Take it out in a serving bowl and garnish with fresh cream.Serve hot with rotis or steamed rice.

Read More