Jazz and Jambalaya - Guide to Ecstasy

It’s been two years since I have been to New Orleans Jazz fest. My love for jazz goes long back when I was in college and used to roam around with my huge discman, playing - ‘Hold me close and hold me fast, The magic spell you cast, This is la vie en rose’ - by Louis Armstrong. I have even mentioned Jazz a few times in this blog too with my cocktail recipes, the Mulled Wine etc. New Orleans has this history of people coming and going. Let it be French, Spanish or African. But thanks to this process of people passing by this city, New Orleans gave birth to a lot of new things. African workers found comfort in music after a hard days work. They used to sit in groups, sing and play instruments and create music - they were creating Jazz. This city has been celebrating this festival since 1970s. But there is a reason why a lot of people pass by this city - its port. Now if you are in a city with one of the largest ports in America, you can expect this ‘port’ on your plate.

People pass by but leave their cuisines behind. New Orleans has a mashup of various cuisines and Jambalaya proves this right. Jambalaya is a popular rice dish, especially at family get together or events like this. Even huge quantity of it is simple to make. The best part is that you can play around from seafood, sausages to red or white meat, or mixture of all. There is a small story behind the recipe. Many years ago, a traveler arrived at New Orleans, in an inn, long after the dinner time. He asked the cook to throw in the available ingredients and this gave birth to the famous Jambalaya recipe, which is a staple of New Orleans. Jazz fest begins on April 24, 2014 and this combination of Jazz and Jambalaya might be too overwhelming for you.

Ingredients:-

1 Bay Leaf,

1 chopped Onion,

2 cups cooked Rice,

1/2 teaspoon Thyme,

1 cup Chicken Broth,

2 teaspoons Oregano,

1 teaspoon Hot Sauce,

1 stalk chopped Celery,

1 pound diced Chicken,

1/2 pound diced Sausage,

28 ounce canned Tomatoes,

1 chopped Red Bell Pepper,

2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning,

1 pound cooked thawed Shrimps.

Preparation Method:-

1. Take a slow cooker. Combine in it, chicken, sausage, chicken broth, tomatoes, onion, pepper and celery.
2. Now add in bay leaves, thyme, oregano, Cajun seasoning and hot sauce of your choice. I prefer red hot sauce.
3. Cover it up. Cook on high for 3 hours. Stir in thawed shrimps. Cover and cook until the shrimps are heated thoroughly. This will take around 5 minutes.
4. Spoon the mixture over cooked rice. Serve hot!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Enjoy the Jazz Music!

Enjoy Vietnamese New Year with Coconut Pork Curry

Did you know that Tet is the common term for the Vietnamese New Year? It is held on the first day of first month according to the Lunar calendar. Tet marks respect and remembrance for Vietnamese. People celebrate New Year with their dear ones. Tet calls for celebration during the agricultural year. Tet is a party time similar to Christmas and New Year. People invite their close friends and relatives for dinner, decorate their houses with  branches of peach blossom, kumquat tree and colorful flowers. Everything is decked up in yellow and red color as it denotes good luck.

There are lot of goodies prepared on this day. These include banh tet, pickled onions, boiled chicken, mung bean pudding, Vietnamese sausage, red sticky rice, thit heo kho etc. Thit heo kho is recipe consisting of pork and eggs in coconut juice. Coconut water is the clear liquid inside the coconut. It helps in losing weight, gives glow to our skin, reduces effect of hangover, facilitates digestion, boosts hydration and reduces blood pressure. Moreover pork is good for you, full of life-preserving nutrients and vitamins. It's combination with coconut water and hot spices is superb. I would love to pair it up with traditional sticky rice. This recipe is a breakdown of New Year food staples right from Asian cultures.

Ingredients:-

4 star anise,

375 ml water,

60 ml fish sauce,

½ chopped onion,

750 ml coconut juice,

60 ml light soy sauce,

1 kg pork belly cubes,

2 chopped garlic cloves,

2 chopped spring onions,

2 tablespoons brown sugar,

4 chopped French shallots,

1 tablespoon vegetable oil,

Green onion for garnishing,

8 hard-boiled and peeled eggs,   

1½ tablespoons dark soy sauce,

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Preparation Method:-

1. Combine shallots, spring onion, pork, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauces, pepper, sugar and star anise in a bowl. Stir to coat the pork. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat and add the onion. Fry until golden then remove the pork from the marinade and add to the pan. Seal over high heat.
3. Add the marinade, coconut juice and water. Bring to the boil and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Gently simmer for 1 hour, skimming occasionally.
4. Add the eggs and simmer for a further hour. Garnish with coriander and serve with jasmine rice.
   

Happy New Year!

Lantern Festival and Tangyuan Yummzz

The Chinese Festival, called the Lantern Festival falls on January, 15 according to the lunar calendar. As indicated by the name, this festival is accompanied by beautifully designed and decorated lanterns. In olden days, lanterns were pretty simple but today they consist of classic designs including those of animal shapes. Lanterns symbolize that people should forget their past problems and start the new year with a brand new begining with good deeds. The red lantern color indicates good fortune. But as we know that any festival is incomplete without food, Tangyuan is the traditional chinese sumptuous recipe that is served on this auspicious occasion.

Tangyuan is made up of glutinous rice flour, which is the main ingredient. It may be stuffed or unfilled. Unfilled Tangyuan are sweet dumplings. The rice flour is mixed with a small amount of water. Balls are formed from it and cooked. Balls may be big or small. They are served in boiling water. It can be eaten during following fests and occasions as well:-

• Chinese Winter Solstice Festival
• family/relatives re-union
• Wedding and ring ceremony
• Chinese New Year

Variant names:-

• yuanxiao (this is derived from Yuanxiao Festival)
• tangyuan or tangtuan
• round dumplings in soup

Southern Chinese usually eat sweet dumplings with filling that consists of sugar,  osmanthus flowers, sweet bean paste, sesame etc. Northern Chinese prefer to have salty dumplings consisting of minced vegetables and meat. Tangyuan can be paired with the following:-

• Red bean soup
• Black sesame soup
• Ginger and rock sugar
  
  
  

  
  

Since ancient times, the preparation method of this dish vary though it's chiefly consumed on Lantern festival in the same country. Tangyuan was traditionally white in color. Later on flavors were added to it on customer demand, making the recipe even more tempting and delectable. Yet few of them relish in their form and color.

Sweet filling consists of:-

• Peanut butter and sugar
• Chopped peanuts and sugar
• Red bean paste
• Crushed sugarcane rock candy
• Sesame and sugar paste
  
  

  

Asian supermarkets in China and other places produce Tangyuan that comes under frozen food section. Tangyuan is widely associated with  Winter Solstice and Chinese New Year in China as well as other parts of Asia like Japan etc.