What Am I Eating?

I am serious. I really DON'T know what I am eating.

I had lunch at Jay Bharat on Pioneer Blvd. in Artesia, CA - the street known as "Little India." After lunch I decided to buy a snack and this is what I ended up with.

It is spicy puffed rice and nuts. I remember it had "Poha" in the name, which I have found means "flattened rice." But there was another word that began with P in the name, and it is not printed on the packaging.

All I know is that it is wonderful and addictive. I am eating it just like it is, out of hand. Should I be doing something else with it?

Book Review: Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking

Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking
Masaharu Morimoto
DK Publishing 2007
272 pp, hardbound, $40 US, $50 Canada


Everything about this book is as beautiful and stylish as you would expect from something connected to Iron Chef Japanese, Masaharu Morimoto.

The plentiful photos, the clever printing on the cover, the typeface - all of it makes a gorgeous, impressive package that would make a great gift for a foodie in your life.

Morimoto explains his philosophy of food and shows the exceptional attention to detail that has made him world-famous.

His section on sushi should be a must-read for any American commits the trifecta of sushi faux pas - mixing wasabi into the soy sauce, dunking the rice into the resulting mixture and letting it soak.

This is more of a cook's book than a cookbook, however. Many of the explanations - preparing salmon roe, milling sushi rice - are for procedures that even the most obsessive home cook is unlikely to try.

The recipes given rely on ingredients that most people outside of Asia will have a hard time finding - lotus leaves, sweetfish liver, Japanese soy lecithin sheets. Yuzu is a common ingredient, and even here is southern California with our plentiful Asian population, I only see that fruit on rare occasions.

Vegetarians won't have much luck finding anything to eat in here. Even one of the ice creams has squid (Squid Strawberry Ice Cream) in it.

This is a book for those who love Morimoto, who want to know more about East-West fusion gourmet cuisine, or who have dined with Morimoto and who want to relive the experience through his words and photos.

Lazy Girl's Lunch

I used to call this "canned stew" but it only confused people. Read the recipe and you will see why.

This pairs well with cornbread and a handful of shredded cheese.

Lazy Girl's Lunch

1 onion, diced
Coupla cloves of garlic, cut into small chunks
Oil
2 carrots, if you are feeling enthusiastic, diced
Chili powder, salt and cumin to taste
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 can diced tomatoes

Saute the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes - enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan generously. If you are using the carrots, throw them in and saute them for a while, too - maybe 5 minutes or while you are opening all the cans. Toss in the spices and saute for 2 minutes or so.

Add all the cans of ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until most of the liquid is gone.

Voila. Now you have enough lunch for several good-sized meals, plus some extra to give to a friend.

Thanksgiving Faves and Pans

I hope your Thanksgiving went well. Mine was a bit odd - no traditional feast. That is okay, because here is my family's usual menu:

Turkey (I'm a vegetarian)
Stuffing with raisins in it (why, God, why?)
Canned julienned green beans with canned cream of mushroom soup and Durkee canned onions (what did green beans ever do to my mom to deserve this?)
Mashed potatoes. I am okay with this.
Sweet potatoes from a can (I am not okay with this)
Brown and serve rolls (all right, I'll give you that).
Canned cranberry sauce with the little can lines in (ditto)
Jello ribbon salad - a layer of green, a layer of yellow mixed with mayo and canned pineapple (no, I am not making this up) and a layer of red. Pretty. But no.
Pumpkin pie from frozen (ick)
Apple pie from frozen (I am not a big pie fan)

Sorry to sound like a food snob, but let's face it, I am. If I lived in something larger than 500 square feet, I would invite people over here.

I wonder what next year will bring.

I am very sorry

I made my favorite curried peas and eggplant dish. I love it because it is very simple - chop up the eggplant and toss it and the peas in a pot, add some stock, spices, butter and cook until the liquid is gone.

The recipe calls for a couple whole chiles. I picked a couple jalapenos off my plant and tossed them in. At the end of cooking, you remove them.

Except I didn't.

Blogging and eating, I ate one of the very hot, late-season jalapenos.

I am very, very sorry.