Text 4403, 146 rader
Skriven 2013-09-07 19:44:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: IPT was catch/bzz 116
=============================
 ML> I used to be in the "air conditioning is disgusting and
 ML> ecologically unsound" camp, but now I'm thankful for any
 ML> room that is tolerably tolerable and impervious to the
 ML> biting insect hordes.
 NB> I was never that adamant against, but didn't have much access to...
 NB> but I quite agree on the tolerably tolerable and impervious to the
 NB> biting hordes...  :)

Awk - a mosquito managed to find its way into this sealed
house and into my room, where it beset me all night; luckily
it ended up being caught and killed.

 ML> And if they could get taste and texture to match my
 ML> expectations for orchard fruit.
 NB> Let's not go overboard here... ;)  But as long as one is wishing, I
 NB> suppose the sky might as well be the limit...   :)

The fruit at Weggie's didn't seem all that hot; but sad
to say, the giant supposedly native cantaloupes at Tony's
market were tasteless as anything. This establishment also
advertised homegrown Canary melons, which I like, but at
the same price - $3 - for a tiny Canary vs. a 5-lb behemoth
cantaloupe, the choice was clear, especially as the homegrown
melons had a shipper sticker on them.

 ML> So someone actually tasted the stem-cell-grown burger and
 ML> found it lacking in flavor.
 NB> Not I... but not at all surprising... 

Not surprising. It's interesting how the flavor of beef has
in general become less pronounced and savory over the years -
though once in a while some comes by to rescue my good opinion
of red meat and agriculture.

=

 NB> Our local rag has gone to possibly 50% of content online only... they
 NB> raised their price for the delivered paper version since that price
 NB> includes all the wonderful online extras

That wouldn't wash here, as a substantial chunk of the population
doesn't have access to the Internet.

 NB> user fees charged on one's yearly tax bill didn't seem to ever make it
 NB> into the news...

The local paper is full of that kind of stuff here.

 ML> Yeah. It was a mistake for the Travel Channel to show marathons
 ML> of Bourdain or Zimmern, because the formulas become more obvious.
 ML> Zimmern is better at going beyond the recipe, of you will. 
 NB> One can always watch for the tiny differences, I suppose.  ;)

Or one can Just Say No, which I have been doing, which upsets
Annie, as she likes to watch television when there's nothing
else to do or think about.

 NB> I was recently reminded of The Ransom of Red Chief... in the grocery
 NB> store in the same aisle as a kid that was driving her mom nuts...

It was nice enough to open the windows today, and as luck would
have it there was a birthday party next door - toddlers, noisy
ones. Some of them sounded pretty obnoxious, and they seemed to
have the number of the adults taking care of them. Yech.

On the other hand, someone brought a 5-year-old to the dinner I
had at the Herdic last night, and the kid, other than being scared
of me, was just fine - or perhaps because of being scared of me.
She didn't badmouth any of my dishes, and I didn't threaten to make
her into rendang.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

      Title: RENDANG / [VERY HOT] BEEF RENDANG
 Categories: Indonesian, Sumatra, Asian, Chilli, Curry
      Yield: 1 Batch

      1 kg Beef- topside
      4 tb Coconut- fresh, grated -or-
      4 tb Coconut- desiccated    -or-
           -steamed,
           -roasted in a dry pan until
           -golden brown then ground
           -finely
      2 c  Coconut milk- thick
      1 c  Coconut milk- thin
           -mixed together
      2    Lemongrass stalks
           -bruised
           Galangal- fresh, 2cm [opt.]
           -bruised
      2    Kaffir lime leaves [opt.]
           Salt
           -== PASTE SPICES ==-
      1 ts Spice- coriander seed
           -roasted in a dry pan and
           -freshly ground
      9 ts Spice- chilli flakes
           Ginger- green, 2.5cm
           Turmeric- fresh, 2.5cm -or-
    1/4 ts Spice- turmeric, ground-or-
      4    Garlic cloves
           -sliced
     10    Onions- shallots
           -sliced

  Grind all the paste ingredients together, adding a little warm water
  if the mixture is dry. Cut the meat into 5cm squares, mix with the
  spice paste and leave aside.

  Combine both the spiced beef and the coconut with the coconut milk in
  a wok. Add lemongrass, galangal if using it, lime leaves and salt and
  bring to a boil, stirring all the time. Cook without a lid until the
  gravy is almost dry. Turn the heat down low and cook until the oil
  comes out of what is left of the gravy.

  Then, taking care to stir constantly, let the meat and its spices fry
  in the oil until the dish is really dry and the meat has turned dark
  brown but not burnt. This last 'tempering' process is the crucial one
  for rendang - the whole quality of the dish depends on the care with
  which it is done.

  **** Rendang is native to Padang, and cooked to West Sumatram taste
  is very hot. The ammounts given here are average Indonesian measures
  for this dish, but you can adjust them to suit your own taste by
  using fewer chillies. Rendang is a dry curry that owes its origin to
  a wealthy agriculture, where people can afford to own oxen. In the
  days before refrigeration this style of cooking enabled preservation
  of the large amount of meat that would result from killing one of
  these animals.

  This is a north Sumatram version of Rendang. It takes some attention
  to cook and should be made in reasonable quantities to justify this.
  It is best cooked in a wok. Cooked dry in this way Rendang will keep
  for at least two weeks in the refrigerator. It makes a tasty meal
  with rice and a sayur or stir-fry vegetable dish. It is delicious,
  too, as cold finger food.

  from: SOUTH EAST ASIAN FOOD by: ROSEMARY BRISSENDEN typed by: KEVIN
  JCJD SYMONS

MMMMM

___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Fidonet Since 1991 Join Us: www.DocsPlace.org (1:123/140)