Experimenting with grain cooking

As a result of my creation of that rice and lentil dish a while back, I've been doing some more thinking and research, and this morning I made a rice and lentil porridge:

• 50ml White Rice (I used Basmati)
• 50ml Red Lentils
• 400ml Water
• 1 teaspoon powdered chicken stock (or 1 chicken stock cube)

1. Place ingredients in saucepan.
2. Heat to boiling point.
3. Reduce heat to low, place lid on saucepan.
4. Simmer for 25 minutes.
5. Serve.
   

Notes:

• Serves one adult - adjust servings to fit the amount of people being cooked for (double for two people, triple for three people, etc)
• Powdered beef stock can be substituted for the chicken stock in the ingredients.
• Powdered vegetable stock can be substituted for the chicken stock in the ingredients, making it a truly vegetarian dish.
• I measured the rice and lentils by using a shot glass of each.
  

What I ended up with was a nice, tasty, savoury porridge. The lentils had disintegrated while the rice was engorged with water. While it was different in taste and consistency to regular porridge (what Americans call "oatmeal") the same proportion of dry ingredients to liquid is used, namely 4 parts liquid for every dry ingredient. For Oatmeal it is generally 4 parts water to one part oats.

Of course I have added lentils to the mix, and lentils pretty much act the same way as a grain when cooking. Lentils, however, are high in protein and when added to rice provide the body with a complete set of proteins that are missing if a person eats only staple food.

As I pointed out, though, what has interested me is the proportions. In my last rice/lentil post I gave instructions for a 2:1 liquid:dry ingredient ratio, and this was great for creating a fluffy rice and lentil dish. Today's recipe, however, doubles the amount of liquid (and that's the only real difference), which means that it produced a porridge consistency. As I did more research I discovered gruel, which seems to have an even greater proportion of liquid. Congee, a tasty Chinese gruel, appears to have an 8:1 liquid:dry ingredient ratio. I'll try to make that at some point, probably with short grain rice.

What I'm also going to experiment with is the use of other grains. If I replace the rice/oats with millet, barley, sorghum, maize or wheat, will I end up with the same sort of result (though different in taste and consistency)? Moreover, will the liquid:dry ingredient proportions remain the same?

Let me just end here by saying that this sort of food is exceptionally cheap to buy and cook. It is high in complex carbohydrate and protein, low in fat, and high in fibre.

Liquid:Dry Ingredient ratio

Steamed = 2:1
Porridge = 4:1
Gruel (Congee) = 8:1

Rice and Lentils for Breakfast

I've been planning this for months and finally this morning I made the decision to make it. Here's the recipe:

• ¼ cup Rice (Basmati... though long grain would work)
• ¼ cup Red Lentils
• ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon curry powder

Method:

1. Place all ingredients into small saucepan. Stir.
2. Place on stove at high heat until you see the beginnings of boiling.
3. Put stove setting on low.
4. Place lid on saucepan.
5. Wait 10-12 minutes while it slow cooks.
6. Eat.

Notes:

• Cooking a hot rice breakfast may sound weird but rice is a cereal and cereal is a good food to eat at breakfast.
• There is very little fat in this meal.
• The rice provides lots of complex carbohydrate while the lentils provide protein. Both are high in fibre.
• The amounts listed above are enough (probably more than enough) for one person. If you wish to cook for more than one person, simply multiply the amounts.
• Measurements in metric. 1 cup = 250ml.
• Other lentils may take longer to cook, so I suggest you stick with the red ones.
  

AAAAAAAAA

A blog post with every single category marked (I'm doing this for scribefire)

Leonid Brezhnev - former Soviet leader in all his glory

One sits the whole day at the desk and appetite is standing next to me. "Away with you," I say. But Comrade Appetite does not budge from the spot.

Leo

A Food crisis is emerging

From the department of what is going on:

Egypt's government is struggling to contain a political crisis sparked by rising world food prices. Violent clashes have broken out at long lines for subsidized bread, and the president, worried about unrest, has ordered the army to step in to provide more.

The crisis in the world's most populous Arab country and a top U.S. ally in the Mideast is a stark sign of how rising food prices are roiling poorer countries worldwide. The World Food Program on Monday urged countries to help it bridge a funding gap in food assistance caused by higher prices.

I keep hearing occasional stuff about this and I'm wondering what is going on. Amartya Sen, a well known economist with a focus on poverty, has written reasonably conclusively that famine often arises when the food distribution system is damaged or has collapsed, resulting in both a famine and stocks of food unable to be directed where it is most needed.

But this is Egypt. Egypt is no longer a third world nation and has not suffered a famine for a long time (though they did in Old Testament times). What is going on?

New kebab shop in Waratah!

Click here. And it also sells Indian Curries! God is blessing Waratah for its faithfulness and blah blah blah...

Steamed Rice

I am the master of cooking rice. And I mean it. If salvation could be attained by cooking rice, I would not need Jesus.

I have now deigned to release my knowledge into the wider world via the Wikipedia cookbook site.

If anyone would like to partake of my immense wisdom and cook the perfect steamed rice, then click here.

No, no donations are necessary. It's what I do.

At some point in the future I shall also deign to give you my thoughts on personal humility. I am certain you are eager to read them.

Pakistani troops guarding wheat supplies

From the department of what-is-going-on-here?

Authorities in Pakistan have deployed paramilitary troops to guard wheat supplies around the country amid fears of a huge shortfall.

The Government has blamed hoarders and smugglers for the problem.

Pakistan's national disaster management authority has deployed thousands of paramilitary troops at wheat stores to ensure that store owners do not sell more than allowed by the Government.

However, President Pervez Musharraf says there is enough grain to feed everyone and the crisis has been engineered.

There seems to be enough evidence that food is becoming scarcer. The Economist commodity-price index has noted that the price of food has increased by 49% in the last 12 months. Moreover, The Economist had a recent edition entitled The End of Cheap Food which said:

Since the spring, wheat prices have doubled and almost every crop under the sun—maize, milk, oilseeds, you name it—is at or near a peak in nominal terms. The Economist's food-price index is higher today than at any time since it was created in 1845 (see chart). Even in real terms, prices have jumped by 75% since 2005. No doubt farmers will meet higher prices with investment and more production, but dearer food is likely to persist for years.

Why are prices so high? Part of it has to do with the US Dollar which is used to measure the price of food internationally - with a reduction in value of the US Dollar, food prices will go up normally in response. Yet it seems to be more than that - what is going on? The Economist argues that it is a result of government interference in the food market. That sort of argument is commonly wheeled out in regards to the price and availability of oil.

There is one reason which The Economist has not picked up on: maybe prices are so high because there are food shortages. Maybe global warming has gotten to the point where it has begun to disrupt food production on a global scale.

It is, however, a maybe. I'm not going to run with this argument until I see all the facts, namely reputable sources that outline worldwide grain production. If there is a trend of lower grain production over the years, I would begin to support the "global warming is causing it" theory.

There is one thing that makes me concerned - the fact that the Economist food price index has jumped to historical highs. This either means that food production has slowed or it means that there's some sort of speculation occurring. In the latter case, this will mean high food prices but also increasingly large stocks of food going unsold. If a bubble is forming in the grain market then an oversupply of grain will naturally be the result.

The good news from Australia - one of the world's largest grain exporters - is that our drought is coming to an end. The La Nina weather pattern has resulted in increased rainfall in Australia's South East and, so long as it lasts, it means that our grain growers will be able to produce a bumper crop over the next few years.

Still, there's something scary about soldiers in Pakistan guarding grain supplies.

Update:
The Economist has some interesting stats:

Yet what is most remarkable about the present bout of “agflation” is that record prices are being achieved at a time not of scarcity but of abundance. According to the International Grains Council, a trade body based in London, this year's total cereals crop will be 1.66 billion tonnes, the largest on record and 89m tonnes more than last year's harvest, another bumper crop. That the biggest grain harvest the world has ever seen is not enough to forestall scarcity prices tells you that something fundamental is affecting the world's demand for cereals.

Interesting, but not accurate. I've just downloaded the latest report that the Economist uses for its figures. It is available here. Yes the estimation is 1.66 billion tonnes which is probably a record. Yes it is 89 million tonnes more than last years harvest, but last year's harvest was not a "bumper crop". The International Grains Council reports that last year's figures were 1570 tonnes, the year before was 1602 tonnes and the year before that was 1649 tonnes. What this indicates is that grain production has been declining since 2003 - although the IGC is probably right when it says that this year's crop will be a record. In other words, international grain production has dropped for about 3 years in a row before the bumper crop this year. What is missing is the cause for this drop. I wish The Economist was accurate in its reporting here.

Neil's Indian Chicken

Time: 45-60 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 Chicken Breast
• 1 Carrot
• ½ cup Cauliflower (or other vegetable)
  
• ½ cup Peas (or other vegetable)
  
• 2 tbs. Butter (or oil)
  
• 1 tsp. Chili paste (or Chili powder)
• 1 tsp. Garam Masala
• 1 tsp. Turmeric
• 1 tsp. Minced Garlic (or 1 clove, crushed)
  
• ½ tsp. Salt
• 2 tbs. Tomato Paste
• 2 tbs. White Vinegar
• 185ml (6.25 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
  

Method:

1. Cut up chicken into chunks.
2. Marinate chicken in chili, garlic, turmeric, garam masala, salt, vinegar. The longer the better (hours?) but 15 minutes minimum.
3. Cut up vegetables.
   
4. Melt butter in saucepan at medium-low temperature.
5. Once butter is melted, add chicken. Keep temperature at medium-low.
   
6. Stir and cover once very few minutes until chicken is white.
7. Add vegetables and stir.
   
8. Add tomato paste and stir.
   
9. Cover saucepan and keep temperature at medium low.
10. After ten minutes, stir and then turn temperature to low.
11. After another ten minutes, turn stove off.
12. Add Evaporated Milk.
13. Cover saucepan for another ten minutes.
14. Serve with steamed Basmati Rice (or other steamed rice)
    

Important:

• Don't continue heating once you've put the evaporated milk in - turn it off. The stored heat is enough. Otherwise the milk will curdle.
• Make sure you cook the rice at the same time.
• Other vegetables you may consider are broccoli, green beans or capsicum.

Bad Egg?

When Anna and I go out shopping, we always purchase either barn-laid eggs or free range. We know they cost more than eggs from battery hens, but we feel that we cannot condone the suffering that battery hens go through to give us eggs.

It's not that we're PETA-loving vegetarians. On the contrary, we are both omnivorous and love eating meat. This means, of course, that we're fine about animals being bred for consumption. I don't want animals to suffer, however, in the lead-up to being slaughtered.

In the ACT, the RSPCA is lobbying territory ministers to ban battery hens and Tasmania is also considering it. There's no doubt that this would result in higher egg prices, lower egg production and less money to egg farmers, but, along with some level of government compensation to producers, any changes should be easily accepted by the population at large.

I would also like it if other forms of animal suffering could be lessened through legislation. Again, I'm a meat-eater but I'm happy to pay more for and/or eat less of meat and dairy products if it means that the animals that God gave us stewardship over can live happy lives before being killed and eaten by us.

Dhal

Dhal is best eaten fresh. It's okay to fridge it and microwave it, but it tastes so much better just after you've cooked it.

Lady Bird Johnson

...the creator of the famous Pedernales River Chili, has died.

Kava - the annoying bit

I now have personal reasons to dislike the Howard government's actions on "helping" Indigenous Australians - Kava will now no longer be shipped to Australia.

This is a pity... and quite stupid. Moreover it shows a complete lack of understanding of Kava.

How about this from the ABC:

Kava is an alcoholic beverage used in traditional ceremonies and for social occasions in many of the Pacific Islands.

The Federal Government has banned the importation of the intoxicating drink in commercial quantities, except for medical or scientific use.

What garbage. Kava is not alcoholic in any way. Alcohol cannot be distilled into a powder, which is what Kava is when you buy it.

Like anything, Kava can be abused (though I don't know why anyone would willingly consume bucketloads of the stuff unless they've completely lost their tastebuds). Other things that can be abused are alcohol, tobacco, fast food and powerful cars.

From my understanding, Kava does not have any of the societal problems associated with the consumption of alcohol. Kava does not make anyone aggressive... in fact it helps people become placid. I've seen people smashed out of their brains on alcohol and anyone in that position is capable of doing great damage. A person smashed out on Kava just lies down and falls asleep.

Kava has nothing to do with the problems in Northern Australia (violence, child abuse). In fact, it probably has helped these communities avoid some of these bad things.

I'm not saying that Kava is completely safe. If abused too much it can lead to liver damage and skin rashes. Too much Kava can make you too drowsy to wake up in the morning. In these doses it obviously affects people's lives badly.

Yet the way in which we white folk deal with our abuse of certain things is via education. We have TV ads warning us of the danger of alcohol if abused, or of the long term effects of smoking, or of speeding in our cars. It's through education that these things are being dealt with.

But, of course, when it's black people that are the problem, we come up with different solutions. Banning Kava will not make a scrap of difference in helping people in Northern Australia.

Farming in New York City

Can it be done? Certainly. But I don't think this is a way to do it.

Kava - Part 2

I've been drinking Kava again. And this time I'll probably make it a daily habit.

For those who haven't as yet partaken of this foul tasting liquid, may I encourage you to do it at least once just to see what it is like.

I'll start off about the taste. It is foul. I describe it people as akin to drinking liquified horse manure. It is that bad. Each time you drink it you wonder what the heck got you into drinking it in the first place.

But its the effects that are important. Kava may be foul tasting, but its effects are sweet.

If I was to compare it alcohol, it would be this way:

Alcohol tastes good. Its effects are good. Its after-effects are bad.
Kava tastes bad. Its effects are good. Its after-effects are good.

Some people I have spoken to think that Kava is some form of alcohol. It is not. Check out the Wikipedia link above. It is simply the ground-up root of a plant from the South Pacific.

The first thing you notice is that your lips and tongue go numb. The effect of the Kava is to act like a local anaesthetic. The blood vessels around your mouth contract. This lasts about half an hour, but for me there is another good effect - one that has not been reported yet.

I have a Deviated Septum. Basically my nasal passages are blocked which means I can only breathe through one nostril at a time, usually. I had an operation about ten years ago which improved it but not enough to fully clear it. As a result, I have, for about 7-8 years, been using a nasal decongestant spray each night before I go to bed. I am well aware that continual use of this is harmful, but trying to sleep by breathing through your mouth is horrible. It leads to loud snoring and a dry mouth. When I was at school I used to have a glass of water beside my bed to use at night to keep my mouth wet. I once tried those band-aid things that you can buy at chemists that open up the airways more but they cost a lot of money and are not all that effective.

But a few weeks ago, after drinking some Kava, I noticed that my nostrils were clear. The reason is because of the constriction of the blood vessels, and it lasts all night. So instead of sniffing decongestant spray, I can now drink Kava, and my night is easily breathable.

There are other effects of Kava that are beginning to impact:

Kava acts as a muscle relaxant generally. This means that if you have some Kava in the evening then your body is relaxed by the time you go to bed. After you have it you feel relaxed and de-stressed. Kava also produces somnolence - it makes you drowsy. But it's not like the drowsiness you get from over-the-counter sleeping pills at Chemists.

Kava has psychoactive properties - in a similar way as Cannabis. However these properties are a fraction of what Cannabis produces, so there should be no harm done. In fact, Cannabis users who have tried Kava complain that it has no noticeable effect on them at all. Additionally, these psychoactive properties can cause wonderful dreams but I have yet to experience them.

I find that Kava helps me to get to bed earlier and to sleep the whole night through. It relaxes me and helps me to breathe through my nose. On the days I wake up after having Kava I feel reasonably good.

I know that there are some health risks with Kava, but these are mainly due to overuse. If a person consumes too much Kava in one sitting they will essentially collapse and fall asleep. When they wake up they have no ill effects. Too much Kava over a long period can lead to skin rashes, which disappear once Kava is no longer taken. Other problems associated with overuse include Liver Toxicity. Some people's stomaches react badly to the numbing caused by Kava and it makes them feel ill. Kava and Alcohol do not mix either, I have read.

I understand that Pacific Islanders who drink Kava together tend to follow the drink with a "fruit chaser" ie they drink the Kava as fast as they can and then eat some fruit to take away the taste. This might be a good idea, but I have also read that Kava should not be drunk on a full stomach.



© 2007 Neil McKenzie Cameron, http://one-salient-oversight.blogspot.com/

FAQ about the author





This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.


.

OSO's Peanut Chicken Curry

This is my attempt to help Craig Schwartze with his culinary failures.

Ingredients:

• Chicken (pref breast with fat cut off)
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Handful of green beans
• 1/3 of a capsicum (preferably red in colour)
• Basil (either fresh or one of those "fresh" ones in a tube in the refrigerator at the supermarket). Note: DO NOT USE DRIED BASIL - it is an abomination that causes desolation and one of the two unforgiveable sins that will send you directly to hell.
• 1 tablespoon of raw sugar (white is okay, but I prefer raw)
• 1 teaspoon of minced chili from a jar OR one small chili
• 140ml coconut cream - NOT COCONUT MILK; NOT ANYTHING LITE. Ayam brand is great. When choosing, make sure the fat content is no less than 32g per 100g.
  
• 1 tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons of crushed peanuts
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice OR 1 teaspoon minced lemongrass
• sesame oil or peanut oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• cumin
• coriander

Should be enough to feed 2.5 people.

Making it:

1. Purchase a wok and put it on the stove. Don't turn it on yet (the stove, not the wok).

2. Put the rice on to cook - do this before anything. The rice will cook while you make the curry. Steamed rice only - none of that boiled stuff, which means you should buy a rice cooker or (like me) learn how to cook steamed rice in a normal saucepan.

3. If your chicken is frozen, now is the time to begin defrosting it in the microwave.

4. Peel the carrot and cut it up into little pieces.

5. Cut the green beans up into little pieces. Discard the end bits - they will kill you if you eat them.

6. Cut about 1/3 of the capsicum up. Green is okay but you've already got green beans so you need some level of contrast - so buy a red one. Put the rest of the capsicum back into the fridge where, I assume, you keep the rest of your vegetables.

7. If you're using a real chili, cut it up into little bits now. Don't get any juice in your eye - it hurts.

8. Now turn the stove on. Put it on medium (4 o'clock on an electric stove). Keep the wok on the stove element thingy. If you have gas just turn it on low.

9. Splash the sesame/peanut oil into the wok and let it settle at the bottom.

10. Get the clove of garlic and either cut it into pieces or grate it. Then put it into the wok. The smell of garlic sizzling in peanut oil should make things nice for you.

11. Now get the chicken out of the microwave and begin cutting it up. I prefer small cubey bits rather than long strands.

12. Now put the chicken into the wok. Since the wok is not hot hot hot yet you shouldn't hear a big SSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH as you put the chicken in, so once you put the chicken in turn it up to medium hot (about the 8 o'clock position on the temp dial for electric stoves).

13. Regularly turn the chicken over with one of those spatula thingies.

14. As it gets hotter it begins to go SSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH. Once the chicken moves from pink to white, put all the chopped vegetables in. The SSSSSSHHHHHH is still there but it sounds different, as though you have put a whole heap of chopped vegetables in.

15. Mix them all around with the spatula thingy.

16. Chuck in the lemon juice/lemongrass.

17. Shake in about 5 shakes of cumin.

18. The same with the coriander.

19. Chuck the chili in. If you're using a real chili then you should've cut it up in step 7.

20. Splash in the Fish Sauce. I know, it smells terrible - but trust me, it makes the food taste nice in the end.

21. Throw in the crushed peanuts.

22. Chuck in the peanut butter.

23. Chuck in the sugar.

24. Mix it all up with the spatula thingy. Make sure the peanut butter goes over everything.

25. Now is the tricky part - adding the coconut cream. Shake the can vigorously before you do anything. Open it with a can opener (Ayam brand sometimes has a ring pull so obviously use that instead). Don't discard the lid - it will still have coconut cream on it. Get a spoon and spoon it into the wok. Scrape the cream off the lid (careful - it could cut you). Discard the lid but there's obviously still bits of coconut cream in the opened can, so turn the kitchen tap on low and fill the can up halfway with water, making sure all the bits of cream inside get into the water. Add the water from the can into the wok. Hopefully you haven't filled the whole can with water so make sure you only add half a can (otherwise it gets too watery). Since you're adding one can of cream and half a can of water, the liquid is 2 parts coconut cream (140ml), 1 part water/cream mixture (70ml)

26. Get the spatula thingy and mix it all up. Hopefully the liquid is a rich brown colour and smells REALLY REALLY NICE.

27. Chuck or squeeze basil into the wok. One handful of leaves or 4 tablespoons of squeezed stuff should do. If you use dried basil you will die.

28. Once you see the liquid beginning to boil, put a lid on the wok and let it simmer on low for ten minutes.

29. After ten minutes turn the heat off and mix it around with the spatula thingy. Put the lid back on and wait another ten minutes.

30. Place steamed rice into your bowl and then spoon the required contents of the wok into said bowl.

31. Consume with fork (eating utensil) whilst watching your favourite TV show or arty film. Alternatively you may wish to eat with friends or family.

32. Go back for seconds.

From the One Culinary Oversight Department

© 2006 Neil McKenzie Cameron, http://one-salient-oversight.blogspot.com/

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License.