What I learn from this project

This is my first cooking project; I learn many things from it.


From the project, I learnt that in traditional culture of every countries that always have their own beauty and special abilities When I first came here, I live with a Spanish family. They have their own cooking methods; they gave me the chance to try much kind of foods that I have never tried before. Such as Spaghettis Meatball, Meatloaf, Potato Salads…. My favorite recipe is Potato Salads; it is very easy to do. First, we take the potato skin out, and then cut in pieces of the thumb. Boiling them in water ‘till they are getting soft (hint: I use a toothpick stick in the potato to text how hard is it). If you want, you can put a little salt and eggs when they are boiling. Take the water out, and then put the potato in the large bow, let them cool off. The next step is adding seasoning to potato. Then set it on the plate and enjoy with family or friends.

In my culture; we are focused on using the spice flavor, with some traditional ingredient for our foods. For example, Eggroll- we use the traditional rice paper to roll, inside the Eggroll, we use the pork mix fish sauce to gain the flavor to the Eggroll. Then we fry it in the oil ‘till they are getting yellow. The Eggrolls aren’t good without sauce. The sauce includes fish sauce, sugar, lemon juice, and carrot.

Also from this project, I know that having the good plan is the most important thing that determines the success of the project. We were ready since the beginning of the class, so that determined our successes. I really believe in my teammate, and they believe in me. Together we were going thru the project, and achieve our goals.

recipe 17

Ingredient:

• 7 pork chops about 1 to 1.5 inches thick
• 1 gallon water
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tbs coriander seeds
• 3 tbs sichuan peppercorns
• 3 tbs soy sauce

 Direction:

1. Feeling experimental, I made up this brine recipe based on what I had available. Use any brining liquid or flavoring you like or skip it totally. The base for most tradition suong nuong marinades is composed of fish sauce/soy sauce and sugar. Dry roast the coriander and Sichuan peppercorns in pan and coarsely crush with mortar and pestle. In mixing bowl, use about 1-2 cups of hot water to first dissolve sugar and salt. Add chops, spices, and soy sauce and rest of the water. Submerge chops with weight if necessary. Brine for at least 2-3 hrs, but not too long as it might be too salty. Drain and pat chops dry before cooking.
2. Pan fry or grill. I pan fried each side on a cast iron skillet until golden brown about 3 min each side. Finished in a 325 degree oven for about 5 min.

recipe 16

Ingredient:

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 small bundle of bean thread noodles (soaked, drained, cut into 2-3 inch length )
• 1/2 cup tree/woodear fungus (soaked and drained)
• 2 tbs pepper
• 1 tbs salt
• 2 egg whites
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp annatto seeds
• 1 tbs oil (vegatable or olive oil)

 Direction:

1. Mix pork, bean thread, fungus, pepper, salt and egg whites together and set aside.
2. In sauce pain add oil and annatto seeds and cook for about 1 min or until desired orange/red color seeps into oil. Do not burn seeds. Strain seeds and mix cooled oil into egg yolks to get a beautiful orange/red color.
3. Place pork mixture into baking pan or individual ramekins. Generously layer on the egg yolk mixture and steam for about 30 minutes. This will vary with your pan and thickness of the custurd. Check using sticking fork or toothpick.

recipe 15

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 quarts water
• 2 lbs pork bones
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (nuoc mam)
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 shallots or scallions, chopped (only the white part)
• 1/2 lb crabmeat (canned, frozen or fresh)
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 egg
• 1 (15 ounce) can white canned asparagus, undrained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander (Chinese parsley)
• 1/4 cup chopped scallion top

 

 

Directions

1. Dissolve the cornstarch in the 2 tbsp of water. Set aside.
2. Bring water to a boil and put the pork bones inches
3. Bring back to a boil, then cover and continue to boil the bones for 1 hour. Occasionaly skim the top.
4. Remove the bones from the stock and discard. Add the salt and the fish sauce to the stock.
5. Heat the oil in a wok and add the chopped garlic and shallots; add the crab meat and fry for 5 minutes over high heat.
6. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper, stirring constantly, then add the crab meat mixture to the soup and bring to a boil.
7. Add the cornstarch-and-water mixture and stir for a few minutes.
8. Break the egg open and drop it into the actively boiling soup while stirring.
9. Cook, still stirring, for about 2 minutes, then drop in the asparagus, along with the liquid from the can and the rest of the black pepper.
10. Continue to cook until the asparagus is heated through.
11. Sprinkle the coriander and scallion green over the soup before serving.

recipe 14

Ingredients
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add shortening, milk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape side of bowl with a spatula.
3. Add eggs to the mixture. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape bowl again. Beat on high speed for 1 minute 30 seconds until well mixed.
4. Spoon cupcake batter into paper liners until 1/2 to 2/3 full.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Cool 5 minutes in pans then remove and place on wire racks to cool completely.
7. Once cupcakes are completely cooled, frost with your favorite frosting recipe or decorate as you desire.

recipe 13

Ingredients

MEATBALLS

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 egg, beaten

SAUCE

• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder and beaten egg. Mix well and form into 12 balls. Store, covered, in refrigerator until needed.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, basil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and meatballs and simmer 30 minutes more. Serve.

recipe 12

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (80% lean or better)
• 1/2 cup white bread torn into very small pieces
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, place ground beef, bread, Worcestershire, onion, celery, green bell pepper, garlic powder, thyme salt, pepper and 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce. Mix thoroughly.
2. Place the oil in a large cast iron skillet that has a lid. Heat the oil over medium heat and coat the bottom of the skillet with the oil before adding the meatloaf mixture to the skillet. Use a spatula to evenly press the meatloaf into the skillet.
3. Cover and continue to cook over medium heat for 20 minutes or more until the meatloaf is thoroughly cooked.
4. Once finished cooking, turn the meatloaf onto a serving dish. Return the skillet to the heat and add the remainder of the tomato sauce. Bring to just simmering then pour over the great meatloaf!

recipe 11

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for coating
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 4 pounds beef short ribs 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup stewed tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 onions, chopped
• 6 carrots, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons water

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the 1/2 cup flour, salt and ground black pepper. Roll the ribs in the seasoned flour.
2. In a large pot, heat the oil and brown the ribs well on all sides. Pour in 1 cup boiling water, tomatoes, and garlic. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, adding more water if necessary.
3. Place the potatoes, onions, and carrots in the pot. Continue to simmer for another 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until all vegetables are tender. Remove the meat and vegetables to a serving platter.
4. In a separate small bowl, dissolve 1 1/2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons water for every one cup liquid remaining in the pot. Add this to the pot and stir well until thickened. Pour over meat and vegetables.

recipe 10

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces cleaned lotus stems, cut into 2-inch lengths 1 tablespoon finely chopped rau ram (polygonum) leaves 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon lime juice 6 medium shrimp, cooked, peeled, deveined
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground peanuts 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves 2 tablespoons fried shallots
• 1/3 cup Fish Sauce Dip 6 shrimp crackers

DIRECTIONS:

1 In a large bowl, combine lotus stems, rau ram leaves, salt, sugar and lime juice; toss gently. Place on a serving plate. Cut shrimp in half lengthwise and arrange on the salad. Garnish with ground peanuts, cilantro leaves and fried shallots. Serve with Fish Sauce Dip and shrimp crackers.