Savour

© Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

February 22, 2018

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Berthoud Weekly Surveyor February 22, 2018

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor February 22, 2018 Page B3

Basic Egg Drop Soup - easy to make and delicious

S

ince this is one of Becky’s favorite soups I decided to try making it at home. Egg drop soup is a really simple boiled chicken-broth soup and is considered a Chinese comfort food. Egg drop soup is also called egg flower soup.

In its simplest form, the only ingredients needed are Surveyor the broth itself, eggs and spring onion (also known as Columnist green onions or scallions).

Some people like the broth for egg drop soup to be quite bland so the flavor of the egg can really stand out. But chicken or vegetable stock can be used to cook egg drop soup because it will make the egg drop soup taste so much better.

Many restaurants serve thickened egg drop soup using corn flour/cornstarch or potato starch. Using potato starch will deliver a clearer soup, while corn flour/ cornstarch will produce a cloudier-looking, but still delicious, soup.

Rudy If you are preparing the soup for someone who is Hemmann ill, try adding some fresh ginger. Among its many benefits, ginger is believed to be a remedy for treating colds and flu.

Basic Egg Drop Soup

4 cups chicken broth or stock 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 to 2 spring onions, finely chopped 1/4 teaspoon white pepper Salt to taste Few drops sesame oil (optional) In a wok or saucepan, bring the 4 cups of chicken broth or stock to a boil.

If you want a thicker soup whisk together 1 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of chicken broth and slowly stir mixture into simmering

broth to thicken.

Very slowly, pour in the lightly beaten eggs in a steady stream. To make shreds, stir the egg rapidly in a clockwise direction for 1 minute. To make thin streams or ribbons, gently stir the eggs in a clockwise direction until they form.

Season the soup with white pepper, salt, soy sauce or sesame oil.

Garnish with spring onion and serve.

From thespruce.com

Page B4 February 22, 2018 Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

Korean Street Food

By Amber McIver-Traywick The Surveyor

mon in South Korean cooking. Sometimes honey, sesame seeds, peanuts and chili flakes are also used. If you enjoy this in the evening with a beer it’s called “chimaek,” a compound word formed from chicken and maekju, the Korean word for “beer.”

7. Korean-style tempura (Twigim) — Everything from veggies and sweet potatoes to squid and hard boiled eggs are lightly battered and deep fried then served on skewers. It’s also delicious to dip the twigim in chili- sauce or soy sauce.

8. French-fry-covered hot dogs (gamja hot dog) — Need I say more. Just think of a corn dog covered in chunks of french fries and deep fried into one mass on a stick. Fusion at its best, or worst, depending on how you look at it. Hotdogs have become an interesting fascination in Korean culture Courtesy photos and show up in a variety of Top: Korean fish-shaped pastry Left: Rice cake street foods, served wrapped noodles in sweet and spicy chili-sauce next to fish in bacon, in stews and stircakes served on skewers in hot fish broth soup. fries, spiralized hotdogs and potatoes are deep fried and served on a stick as well and called a potato tornado.

9. Steamed or fried dumplings (Mandu) — These quick meals-to-go are filled with ground meat and veggies — simple and delicious.

10. Egg bread/cake/muffin (Gyeran-Bbang) — One of the most popular street foods in Korea is fluffy, warm, grilled or steamed bread topped with a poached egg and sometimes cheese.

There are countless recipes for all of the food mentioned here online and in the Korean tradition of making a recipe one’s own, maybe you’ll have your own

As the Winter Olympics are wrapping up and the Paralympics are set to begin next month in South Korea, Korean culture has been brought into the international spotlight. Mark Kurlansky, in his book “Choice Cuts,” said, “Food is a central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture.” What better way to get acquainted with a place and her people than diving in and enjoying its food culture. Everyday life is busy no matter where you call home, and a quick go-to for many hungry Koreans is stopping by a street vender for some delicious, convenient, and tasty food.

Many American’s are familiar with Korean barbecue and the fermented side-dish kimchi ,but there is much more to what this country has to offer to the culinary world. Korea’s historical ties to China, Japan and the United States has led to many common dishes that are considered fusion dishes, as they combine elements from the cuisines of all of these countries.

Although street food isn’t considered high-brow by any means, it does have a connection with the everyday lives of the people of Korea. From sweet to savory, the following are some of the most common street food options you might want to try yourself.

1. Spicy Rice Cake (Tteokbokki) — These are cylinder-shaped rice-cake noodles cooked in spicy and/or sweet sauce and sometimes served with pieces of fish. They can be served on skewers or in a bowl with a red-chili-sauce more like a soup.

2. Korean Fish Shaped Pastry (Bungeo-ppang or “carp bread”) — You can’t go wrong with pastry filled with just about anything. These delightful pastries are traditionally filled with sweetened red bean paste, but other fillings like cream, custard, or even chocolate hazelnut spread are also used. The fish- shaped pastry originated in Japan, but the waffle recipes were brought to Japan by Westerners in the 18th century. Complicated history aside, it’s a nostalgic snack for many Koreans. This treat is often enjoyed during the winter months.

3. Sushi’s Korean cousin (Gimbap) — The rice used in this dish is generally a very short-grain rice that looks almost round. The seaweed wrap is infused with perilla oil and often served with a side of kimchi. Fillings are similar to sushi and can include various sauces, meat, fish or tofu and veggies. It can even be filled with other less common ingredients like cheese, squid, egg strips and lunch meat.

4. Fish cakes served with fish soup (Odeng/Uhmook) — Another great food for cold weather, originally a Japanese food that goes by either the Korean name “Uhmook” or Japanese “Odeng” is pounded fish, shellfish and crustacean meat combined with flour and veggies and then deep fried. It’s often served on a skewer resting in a bowl of soup. Some stands have chili paste or soy sauce to paint onto the Odeng to enjoy with the hot, salty broth.

5. Pancakes (Hotteok/sweet or Pajeon /savory) — Hotteok usually enjoyed during winter months are filled with jams, brown sugar, honey or sunflower seeds and nuts and gives off a warm cinnamon smell (you can get pre-made mixes online and in specialty food stores) Pajeon is a savory pancake fried with a crispy outside and stuffed with leeks and green onions. Fancier varieties of the pancakes might include squid and sometimes prawns or mussels. The cakes are often served folded over in a paper cup with a soy dipping sauce.

6. Korean-style chicken nuggets (Dak ganjeong) — Fried, sweet, spicy and tangy, this is another fusion food brought about by the influence of American soldiers during the Korean War bringing fried chicken on to the scene. The dish is drizzled in various spices and sauces, including a red-chili-sauce com-

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Berthoud Weekly Surveyor February 22, 2018 Page B5

Rice comes in many varieties, best cooked in a rice cooker or stovetop

By Shelley Widhalm The Surveyor

Cooking rice may seem easy, but there are different varieties and approaches, whether choosing Asian or American.

More than 40,000 varieties of cultivated rice are said to exist, though the exact number is unknown, according to the Rice Association, the representative organization for the United Kingdom rice sector, and foodreference.com, a food information website based in Winona, Minn.

In the United States the types of rice can be divided into long, medium, and short grain. Other types produced in the country include waxy rice and some aromatic and specialty varieties, such as risotto and pudding rice suited to ethnic cuisines. The primary differences among the types are the cooking characteristics and a subtle flavor difference, though the types often can be interchanged in recipes, according to foodreference.com.

Rice comes in various forms, according to the USA Rice Federation. The forms include paddy rice, with the kernels still in the hull that have to be removed before cooking; brown rice, which has the hull removed and can be eaten as is or milled into white rice; and milled white rice, the most common form of rice. Two other types of rice include parboiled rice that has gone through a steam-pressure process before milling for extra fluffiness and pre-cooking rice, a white or brown rice that has been cooked and dehydrated after milling to reduce the required time for cooking, as stated by the Rice Federation.

Three popular varieties of Asian rice are all long-grain, according to mygourmetconnection.com, an online cooking resource. They include patna rice, cultivated in Patna, India; basmati rice, a fragrant rice grown in India and Pakistan often used in Indian cuisine and curry; and jasmine rice, originated in Thailand with a subtle, floral aroma and sticky texture after cooking.

When it comes to cooking rice at home, there are two primary approaches, cooking it in a rice cooker or on the stovetop, according to Indonesian-born

Photo by Shelley Widhalm

Bai Tong, Authentic Thai Cuisine, 1120 N. Lincoln Ave., serves coconut rice, along with other rice options, such as jasmine and brown rice.

Patricia Tanumihardja of Seattle, Wash., a cookbook author who writes about food, travel and lifestyle and author of “Farm to Table Asian Secrets-Vegan and Vegetarian Full-Flavored Recipes for Every Season,” published in 2017.

With a rice cooker, Tanumihardja rinses the rice, adds water, and pushes a button, while cooking on the stovetop requires her to do some tweaking to get the same results. For the stovetop absorption method, she uses jasmine rice — other types of rice require an adjustment of cooking times and amount of water, she said.

New crop rice typically takes a one-to-one ratio of water and rice, but older rice that is drier takes 1 ¼ cups water, Tanumihardja noted in her blog, https:// farmtotableasiansecrets.wordpress.com/.

According to Tanumihardja’s recipe, cook one cup of jasmine long-grain rice for 40 minutes to make two to three servings, using a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Start with high heat and then reduce the temperature and cover the saucepan with a lid, cooking the rice for 15 to 18 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let the rice steam for another 10 minutes, then fluff and cover until ready to serve.

Another option is cooking the rice like pasta for plumper and fluffier rice, bringing the rice and water to a boil and turning down the heat to let it simmer and then straining it in a colander. Rice also can be cooked in the microwave, but too much rice cannot be cooked at one time, and it has to be cooked on very low.

Once the rice is cooked, it should be soft but not mushy, and the grains should retain their individuality but not be dry, said Andrea Nguyen of Northern California, cookbook author, teacher and consultant, on her website for Viet World Kitchen, vietworldkitchen.com. Her latest cookbook, “The Pho Cookbook,” was published in 2017.

“Whether you cook long-grain rice in an electric rice cooker or a saucepan, practice and consistency are the keys to doing it well,” Nguyen said on her website.

One cup of raw rice yields 3 ½ cups of cooked rice, and 1 ½ cups of raw rice will feed three to four people and two cups, four to six people. She recommends first boiling the rice with the pan uncovered and then lowering the heat, covering the pan and letting it simmer. During her initial boiling, she uses the northern Viet technique of stirring the rice several times to ensure even cooking.

The secret to cooking fried rice, according to Parisian cookbook author and professional cook David Lebovitz, is to use day-old rice and separate the grains with your fingers before frying it.

“The main concern is to always start with good rice,” Lebovitz said on his website, davidlebovitz.com. “If it’s chipped, dinged up, and has dark spots … take a pass. And believe it or not, most rice has an expiration date on the package.”

Page B6 February 22, 2018 Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

Love for sushi continues to grow in North America Special to the Surveyor With origins in China and Japan, sushi is an Eastern delicacy. However, there is no denying the popularity of sushi elsewhere in the world, particularly in North America.

As with many ancient foods, sushi’s origins have an element of mystery to them. The original type of sushi is believed to have first been developed in southeast Asia before spreading to southern China. Sushi was eventually introduced to Japan around the 8th century, where it would evolve into the type of sushi many people enjoy today.

According to The History Kitchen, a division of PBS Food, one origin story for sushi involves an ancient Japanese wives’ tale. According to that tale, an elderly woman began hiding her pots of rice in osprey nests, fearing thieves would steal them. When she collected her pots, she found the rice had begun to ferment. She also discovered fish scraps from the osprey’s meal had mixed into the rice. Upon sampling the mixture, she found the rice helped to preserve the fish. She also found the resulting meal was tasty.

Early Chinese sushi involved fermenting fish on rice to preserve it. The rice was thrown away and the fish was eaten when desired. The Japanese took their own approach to sushi, deciding to eat the rice with the fish. Sushi innovator Matsumoto Yoshiichi began seasoning the sushi rice with rice wine vinegar. This made it possible to eat the sushi immediately, instead of waiting months for it to ferment.

Through the years, enterprising individuals began selling sushi to others.

In the 19th century, rather than wrapping the fish in rice, sellers placed it

DID YOU KNOW? Lunar New Year...

Many countries in Asia, including South Korea, celebrate the lunar New Year (Chinese New Year). Our western New Year, which falls on Jan. 1 is based on a solar calendar or what the sun does in a year’s time. The lunar calendar is based on the phases of the moon and the New Year falls on the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice, around the end of January to mid-February.

That happened to be Feb. 16 this year and has ushered in the year of the dog.

New Year is one of the most significant of Korean holidays with a celebration that lasts three days. Similar to New Year celebrations in the U.S. the party starts on the eve of the new year. The Korean celebration concludes the day after New Years day. Time is spent with family and older family members, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles are honored. For many people this means traveling back to their home towns for a visit. Gifts are given to family members and new clothes are worn during the holiday. Many times traditional dress (hanbok) is also worn and included in the celebrations.

Traditional foods are also enjoyed including a soup of thinly sliced rice cakes or dumplings (duk gook).

It’s also becoming increasingly popular in or globalized world for Koreans to celebrate both the solar calendar New Year on Jan. 1 and also the traditional Korean date.

BERTHOUD DINING

Grandpa’s Cafe 903 Mountain Ave. 532-2254

A & W Restaurant 120 Bunyan Ave. 532-2272

New China Chan Restaurant 506 Welch Ave. 532-3895

Berthoud Pizza Co. 527 N. 4th St. 344-5292

Pizza Hut 821 Mountain Ave. 532-1111

Brick Oven Pizza & Subs 269 Mountain Ave. 532-4747

Rise Artisan Bread 403 Fifth St. 970-795-2253

Cocina 400 Mountain Ave. 344-5022

Side-Tracked 237 Welch Ave. 532-9905

Cornerstone Cafe 250 Mountain Ave. 344-5360

Subway 307 Mountain Ave. 532-9818

Da Bean 434 Mountain Ave. 532-1451

Trailhead Cafe 250 Mountain Ave. 532-9886

Derby Grille 110 Bunyan Ave. 532-0986

Whistle Stop Tavern, The 535 S. Third St. 988-9257

on beds of rice and sometimes other ingredients. This presentation of sushi, credited to a man named Hanaya Yohei, became very popular. This type of sushi is called “nigiri sushi” (finger sushi). After World War II, the sushi style of presenting fish was adopted by western cultures.

Sushi preparation and dining is an art form that continues to evolve. New influences have changed sushi even more by marrying traditional recipes with “fusion” styles. Demand for sushi continues to increase. According to Statistic Brain’s sushi industry statistics, there are 16,000 sushi restaurants outside of Japan, with close to 4,000 in the United States alone. What began as a method of preserving food has transformed into a billion-dollar industry.

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor February 22, 2018 Page B7

Thai coconut red curry

By Amber McIver-Traywick The Surveyor The Curry

• 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk • 2 tablespoons peanut butter (optional – it’s good with or without) • 2 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste • 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (you can purchase at most grocery stores now) • 2 tablespoons lime juice • 5 cloves of fresh garlic • 1/3 cup crushed peanuts (optional but does add thickness) • up to ½ cup water or broth • extra crushed peanuts and scallions for topping (optional) What to put the curry on (*see note) • 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into thin strips • 1-2 cup/s of zucchini halves (depends on size and how much you want to make) • 1-2 red, yellow or orange (and/or green) bell peppers sliced into strips • 1 yellow onion chopped Directions: Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan over high heat. When the coconut milk reaches a gentle simmer, add the peanut butter, curry paste, fish sauce, lime juice and garlic. Whisk and keep on high heat for 15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened.

Add the peanuts and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Adjust the consistency by adding broth or water depending on how thick you would like the curry to be. Whisk together if the sauce separates.

Heat 2 tsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken; cook and stir for about 3 minutes. Add all of the veggies, stir and cook for a few minutes until veggies start to become tender.

Mix in the curry over the chicken and veggies and let simmer for a few more minutes.

Serve over rice or noodles and top with peanuts and/or scallions. *Note: Every kind of veggie (and meat or no meat) is delicious in this curry, so get creative. I like adding broccoli, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and shaved carrot to mine, but the possibilities are endless.