The Inside Secrets of the KITCHEN revealed

How to make a good curry paste

Gisella Caselli — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:25:13 +0000

Curry can be Indian or Thai. But what im going to guide you about is Thai Curry paste.

First you need to find ingredients very fresh and pungent.

The main ingredients for a Curry paste are,chillies, lemongrass, kaffir limes,garlic, cilantro seeds, cumin seeds, kapee paste (shrimp paste),shallots.

The colour of the curry is going to depend of the ingredients, if you use red chilli, your curry is going to be red, if you use green chilli, is going to be green and also if you use curry podwer is going to affect the color, is going to turn yellow.

The red curry seems to be hotter, it has more chillies, garlic on it. The green curry it can be a little less hotter, there is more cilantro roots, lemongrass, ginger, kaffir limes on it. And all that of couse gives different colors and intensivity of spicy.

Here is a very good recipe of Yellow Thai Curry:

12 dried Thai Chillies

2 tsp sea salt (or coarse salt)

2 shallots, peeled

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 thick slice fresh galangal (or dried galangal soaked in water until softened)

1 stalk lemongrass Chopped fine (discard tough outer leaves)

1 teaspoon peeled ginger root

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp shrimp paste (kapee)

Preparation

Roast in a pan the cumin and coriander seeds until fragant, low flame (about 2 min)
Place all the others ingredients but the toasted seeds and the shrimp paste in a food procesor
Add the toasted seeds and the shrimp paste and blend enough just to mix
Ready to use in your favorite recipe!

How to know if your fish is fresh

Gisella Caselli — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:18:13 +0000

There are many ways to realize if the fish you have bought is fresh or not.

This are the ways to realize just looking:

-The fish need to look like it still alive, those fish that they look a little damaged, of couse are not fresh

-The eyes: the eyes must look completly clear, i mean they cant have blood around.

-The gits must look red colour, a strong red, dark red colour.

-For touch: when you touchingand push the meat must come back to the same place.

-It has to smell like sea, fresh sea.

The 5 secrets to make a delicious Spanish Paella

Gisella Caselli — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:10:59 +0000

Paella is a Spanish dish, one of the main dishes of that country. The main ingredient is rice and the meat.

Here are those secrets:

-A goos stock, like beef stock, chicken stock or even seafood stock.

-You have to fry in a good olive oil (just oilve oil, not extra virgin) garlic and red pepper until brown, reserve.

-You need to get a good rice, short grain preferently.

-Need a good Paella pan, around 30 cm wide for at least 8 people.

-A good recipe. You will found one in my blog.

How to make Hosomaki Sushi roll

Gisella Caselli — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:54:49 +0000

Hosomaki roll is the roll that the seaweed called Nori goes outside, what i mean is also called by inside out Roll.

For this you are going to need: (2 people)

2 sheets of Nori

Rice

The ingredients of your like for filling, like prawns,cucumber,cream cheese,etc

A small bowl with water (to use to wet your fingers)

Some cling film or plastic wrap

First place the mat over your cutting board, you need to wrap the mat with cling film, this will help to not stick the rice.

Now you have got your bamboo mat wrap in the plastic paper, the place the sheet of Nori(you can also use just half of the sheet if you want) on top , wet your fingers and put about one handfull of rice on top of the Nori and start to spread it out all over the sheet and leave at least 1 cm all along the top surface without rice, this will help to close it better cause the Nori will stick over.

In the half of the half inferior of the Nori and on top of the rice place your ingredients will be the filling of it.

Be careful to dont put to much, if you are doing a full sheet 3 ingredients is enough and if you are doing half of the sheet 2 ingredients is fine.

Now is time to start rolling, this can be the most difficult part, but if you are patient with just practice everything can be possible!!!

Place your left hand in the mat and with the help of your right hand start pushing slowly and gentle untill the mat has done a full turn.

Place the roll in the cutting board and cut it in 8 pieces, all the same size.

Now it is ready to eat it!!!

You just need practice and you will see amazing results!!!!

· How to make delicious caramelised onions

Gisella Caselli — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:59:47 +0000

Caramelised onions goes great with cheese, especially with goat cheese, also with steaks, sauces (dark sauces like gravy), etc.

Get a recipe from a book of the dish you would like to prepare.

First get a pan (preference not, a non stick pan) wide in diameter, about 20 cm wide, this will help to make them cook faster and will help for the colour, they will get more golden brown colour. Then cut the onions in julienne (long stripes of 4cm by 0,5 wide). If you cut them thicker, they would take more time and to get a brown colour will be more difficult.

Add just a little oil not to much, just enough to cover all the surface of the pan, the add the onions and let them cook without moving for at least 2 min in a high fire, then turn it to medium fire and stir. When they start getting a dark colour add the brown sugar 2 tablespoons per each onion. Allowed to brown. Then add some red wine and let them cook for at least 10 min. stir occasionally. Add some red wine vinegar and allowed to cook for at least another 20 min. or until the caramel of the onions is thick but not too much, just like a light caramel. The amount of vinegar you add is going to always depend of the preparation you are going to use the caramelised onions, for example for a cheese preparation you are going to need a caramelised onions more acid, to make a good balance with the cheese, and for a sauce maybe you are going to need a caramelised onions more sweet.

Well look for the recipe you more like and go ahead and try it!!!!

· How to make sushi vinegar dressing at home

Gisella Caselli — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:58:52 +0000

For this you are going to need white wine vinegar and caster sugar.

Per each cup of vinegar you are going to need ½ cup of sugar.

First you need to dissolve the sugar in the vinegar and allowed to rest for at least 10 min, then is ready to use it.

Pretty easy? isn´t it?

Now create your own vinegar for Sushi!!!

· How to prepare a good Wagyu Steak

Gisella Caselli — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:58:11 +0000

Wagyu is an animal originally of Japan of the city of Kobe, also is known by Kobe Style - Beef. This meat is very appreciated due to the marbling(infiltrated of white fat) and its pink colour meat. The marbling of white fat increased the flavor and gives tenderness and juiciness. It owns oleaginous insaturated fat what it makes be low in cholesterol, it is very good for the health, conteins high percentage of omega 3 and omega 6, and it is recommended in hypertensive people. Cause the high percentage of fat, its preparation is very difficult, since this fat melts around the 30 centigrade degrees, when surpassing itself this one temperarure causes a lost one of its internal structure, obtaining a rough and very dry steak.

First to have a piece of wagyu steak and brush with a little oil, is placed in the grill or warms up and min is expected around 4 or until the first juice begins to appear on the meat, add salt and turn over and cook for another 4 more min. Have in mind to take a lot of care when cooking cause, remember the fat mels at 30 degrees (30 centigrades) and spor this cooks very fast and we want steak tender and substantial and not one dry one.
Place it and serve it hot.

· The most delicious satay peanut sauce (for any meat)

Gisella Caselli — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:45:43 +0000

Satay sauce is just great!! I ve been trying many different of them but, this one is the best! Espeacially this version homemade.

Your guests would be made an impression very with these very exotic and little common preparations, flavors.
This sauce goes well with any type of proteins, such as, beef, pork, chicken, even shrimps.
You can make different preparations, or of sauce to accompany delicious skewers or also to accompany a main plate.
Here I will pass you my secret recipe:

3 cloves garlic

½ onion

1 teaspoon of lemongrass chopped

1 tsp.ginger shredded

2 tsp. minced cilantro(coriander) steams

2 tsp. coriander seeds

1/2 tsp.cumin seeds

3 red chillies

1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp.cinnamon podwer

1 tsp.shrimp paste (you can get it in thai food shops)

1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts

2 cups coconut milk

1-2 Tbs. Fish sauce to taste (from thai shops)

1-2 Tbs.palm sugar or common granulated sugar

Preparation

First roast the coriander and cumin seeds in a pan until fragant (about 2 min)
Place all the rest of ingredients but the peanuts and the coconut milk in the food processor
Leave the coconut milk reduce about 30%
Place the peanuts in a coffee grinder and grind them
Add the peanuts to the coconut milk and reduce a little more
Add the coconut milk with the peanuts to the rest of the ingredients in the food processor
Mix all together
Ready to use in your favorite recipe!