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Sushi Self-Help

With the recession still in full swing and restaurant prices being as high as they are, I’m determined to learn to cook all the things I love eating when I go out at home. My absolute favourite is sushi. Of course it’s the most daunting thing to make. Many-a seaweed roll has turned out badly on my bamboo mat! I think I’m getting the hang of it though…the trick is getting the thickness of the layer of rice right and to roll as tightly as possible. Too little pressure when rolling and your Maki will be a limp noodle. If there are any hints out there on tried and tested ways to do it better, I’m all ears. Help?

Ravenous for Risotto

I love, love, LOVE stuffing myself with risotto when I eat at Italian restaurants. I tried to make it myself once or twice but failed dismally. Then I tried Tastic’s Rices of the World Risotto rice and voila! Perfect risotto, cooked, served and devoured. Personally I’m a fan of mushroom risotto, preferably liberally sprinkled with Parmesan cheese shavings. Anyone else got suggestions for a great alternative?

As the Sun Sets on Summer…

Suddenly it’s still dark when my alarm goes off in the mornings and I need a jersey for those first few hours of the day. When the sun is riding high it’s still short sleeve and flip-flop weather but summer is definitely on its way out. We can’t really complain though after the long, glorious African summer we have been spoilt with. It’s time for a change and the seasons are doing just that. Roll on cozy nights on the couch in front of the heater, red wine to warm the cockles and comfort food…lots and lots of comfort food. Casseroles and roasts and curries and lovely, scrumptious hot breakfasts. Personally I’m looking forward to trying Tastic’s new Lamb Cassrole with Fruit & Nuts recipe. It looks like just the thing for a chilly Sunday evening. In the meantime, get out there and enjoy the last rays of the summer sun. And if you’ve got any comfort food favourites…send them my way!

Finger on the Pulse

Recent forays into healthy eating have taught me that we should all learn to love pulses. Lentils, butter beans, chickpeas, split-peas, black-eyed peas (and I don’t mean the band)…the list goes on. You’d be amazed at how many different types of bean you get! They are apparently a fantastic source of protein and for all you vegetarians out there that don’t get regular iron injections from meat, they are the number one source of vegetable iron (so says www.wikipedia.com anyway).

So we are supposed to learn to love pulses and incorporate them into our diets. The question is: how? If you’re like me, i.e. not so clued up in the kitchen, it can be daunting trying to cook new-fangled things. This is where the Tastic Nature’s range comes in handy. They’ve got 2 varieties that have pulses mixed in with the rice already – Tastic Nature’s Brown & Wild Rice with Split Peas and Tastic Nature’s Brown & Wild Rice with Brown Lentils…and they come with cooking instructions. Voila! No pressure, no problem.

If anyone has any tips on fabulous pulse recipes I would love to try them. And for anyone out there that has avoided pulses until now, try the Tastic Nature’s mixes…they are great.

Gourmet Valentine's Day

There’s the old saying that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I’m sure that’s true of some women too. But nothing quite says “I love you” like a lovingly prepared meal. With the credit crunch still hanging over our heads I would say it’s the perfect time to pinch pennies and have a romantic Valentine’s Day at home – candle-lit dinner, mood music of choice, no waiter interrupting you or staring at you, hoping you’ll tip big and leave so he can turn the table.

Obviously Tastic has a number of recipes that would be just fabulous for a loved-up meal for 2. The best part being that the recipes are easy so to make that they will make you look like a 5 star chef without breaking a sweat! Whoever said home-cooking couldn’t be gourmet?!

What are you up to for Valentine’s Day? Anyone else got more inspiration?

For the Love of Rice

I don’t know about anyone else but it’s when we hit February that all those resolutions I made in January sort of fall to pieces. I’m very proud of myself this year though. Diet was a big concern at the start of the year and I have managed to make some changes and stick to them.

Everyone said to replace carbs like potato or pasta with rice at least 3 times a week. Tastic has such a range it has been really easy and I haven’t gotten bored. My favourites are a toss-up between plain Brown Rice (it’s the texture that I love) and the Rices of the World Basmati Rice. It’s a little pricier but oh-so-worth it! You have to try it to understand what I mean…it’s just divine.

My problem is I make too much and never know how long to keep the leftovers. Help anyone?

New Year's Resolution: The Diet

So it’s 2010, I stuffed myself silly over the festive season and now I’m regretting it. Naturally one of my resolutions is to go on a diet and lose weight. I have looked online for a diet to follow. I want one that is going to yield genuine results and one that isn’t going to cost me the earth. I also don’t want to have to eat all sorts of weird food at odd times of the day. There are so many to choose from! Help!

To carbo-load or not to carbo-load...

I don’t know why but for some reason I agreed to run the Durban City Marathon in 2010 – and not the 5km or 10km fun run either. No, no, I have somehow roped myself into running the full 42km. Blame a moment of bravado, blame a moment of weakness, or blame my ego that more often than not gets me into these messes when challenged. I’m like Marty from Back to the Future…nobody calls me chicken!

So anyway, the race is next month and I’m starting to stress. I have done some training…and by ‘some’ I mean I have been running every second day for about 4 months now and I am proud to say that I cracked the 30km mark last weekend. Apparently it’s all about carbo loading. That’s what is going to get me through the other 12km that I haven’t cracked yet.

I’ve heard rice is a great choice for carbo loading. Anyone out there got any advice?

A healthy holiday season?

I stumbled on some shocking research stats which show the effects of the crazy holiday season feasting has on the body. Weight gain, diabetes and even exposure to dangerous bacteria from office party platters left out all day, all can wreak havoc on your body.

I hate the thought of the year’s efforts of healthy living going to waste, but I can’t really serve carrot sticks and soda water for the parties, can I?

Stretching the holiday rands

As I start preparing for the festive season, my pulse quickens and my palms sweat from the gaping hole in my purse. So many expenses – holidays, food, presents… how are we supposed to have a good time when there’s perpetual financial anxiety?

I looked around for some good ideas to stretch my budget, and there really are a lot of smart people in the world. The one was to make your own cheap gifts for colleagues/neighbours. Take a mug or cup and saucer and fill it up with sweets or nuts, and wrap it up in cellophane and ribbon. An easy gift for under R20!

Anyone else have good ideas?

Confederation Cup Menu

The Confederations Cup is getting heated as we move into the final rounds this week. Everyone has their guesses on who will take the trophy. But if you couldn’t get your hands on a prized finals’ ticket, how are you planning to watch the big game? Perhaps a big party around your new super-expensive LED screen? Or in a crowded pub with some good friends?

I personally love themed parties and watching a big game at home is another excuse to cook up a storm. I can’t wait to see who gets into the finals so that I can start a menu with the final two nations’ dishes. I am hoping for a showdown of Apple Pie versus Bobotie; and after last week’s disaster, I’ve decided to tear down my pizza oven.

Who are you hoping to see in the finals? And which national dishes are you hoping to cook on Sunday?

What gets you out of bed?

We’ve been hit with chilly weather already, making it increasingly difficult to get out of bed in time for work every morning. I have one of those old-fashioned two-bar element heaters. It heats up fast and the little machine takes the bite out of the air in no time. The problem is: I have to brave the cold to go switch it on. I remember getting up before seven every Saturday morning to catch the cartoons as well as mom’s special weekend breakfast when life was young and simple. And I don’t remember the cold ever being a problem.

So is that the solution to my problem? Perhaps I should hire my mom to make breakfast for me in the winter months… Or bottle her cooking in a spray can and spray it before I get out of bed, to trick the mind?

Whatever you do to get out of bed in the mornings, share it with the rest of us; maybe there ARE intelligent ways to make these cold mornings more bearable.

Eat out or Stay in?

Who hasn’t heard the stories of “my sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s friend bought a bucket of fried chicken and found a battered rat…” or horror stories of restaurant staff relieving themselves into the food, or not washing their hands after a big trip to the toilet? The one South African favourite, and I’m sure you all have many, is bad service tales. I don’t need to go into details. Have a look on hellopeter.com and you’ll be amazed that anyone eats out at all!

Our alternative? A good home-cooked meal. Economical, friendly service, and no corkage fees. However, home meals come with a different set of hazards: salmonella, fires, dirty dishes and bad cooking. What do you think? Eat out or stay in?

The return of autumn... and its yummy pleasures!

After a temperamental summer, we have finally entered autumn with its yellowing of leaves, the chill in the air and tubs of soup appearing in the office fridge. But what I look forward to most about the cold months is avocados! Fat, buttery avos in season are cheap and the best treat of my meals. It makes salad something to look forward to in the otherwise unpalatable winter cold. And although South Africa is pretty spoilt with an abundance of fresh fruit all year-round, autumn is really the best season to enjoy them.

What is your favourite autumn fresh produce? What dish is your favourite at this time of year? Share your autumn greats with us and get everyone's creativity juices cooking!

Something you never thought you would try

On a recent trip to the Far East, we ventured into a seafood restaurant. I was greeted at the entrance by large tanks of live sea creatures, to be chosen, cooked and served, right there and then - the freshest seafood you can get. Although the idea was a bit daunting, we walked in and ordered some crayfish. The waitress soon came back with a net and in it, an unhappy crayfish. He was to be our dinner, made into two dishes.

I should have listened to my earlier alarm bells, but about five minutes after we were seated, we were presented with a big platter of finely julienned radish, ice, slices of translucent pink meat and as a garnish - the previously unhappy crayfish, head and tail now separated and displayed carefully. This, the waitress beamed, was crayfish sashimi, only to be made with the freshest crayfish.

The platter could have been taken straight out a glossy page of a restaurant guide, and yet I felt none of my usual appetite. Then it happened: I first heard my friend screech out half in horror and half in amusement, "It's still moving!" And to my (I admit, there were equal amounts of both) horror AND amusement, I saw it move. The severed, majestic, blue-green head, placed neck-side down, was like a scene out of marine Hostel. The long antennae moved slowly, up and down. Then the legs, twitching slightly, contracted and waved right over the pale pink slices of flesh. I could swear I heard it scream as well.

The friend grumbled, “This wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought we were having a nice grilled lobster…” I added, “Trust me, this was NOT what I was expecting either. Should we send it back?”
“Well, it IS different. We should at least try it.”
“Eew! …really?”
He mixed up some wasabi and soy sauce and picked up a piece, past the moving head.
“It’s not that bad actually, you must try it. At least don’t let the poor thing die in vain.”

I plucked up all my courage, picked up my chopsticks… then declared it was just too disturbing. Growing impatient, the friend picked up a piece, dipped it in sauce and pushed it in front of my mouth. I shut my mouth and shook my head. After a few minutes of struggle, I finally ate it. It tasted no different to other sashimi I’ve had. But it certainly took a lot more courage. I can confidently say that I do no need to eat crayfish sashimi again, but I guess I can boast that I’ve tried it.

On that note, there must be many other foods out there that you have never thought you would dare try, but did. Be it chicken feet, worms or simply beetroot juice, something that makes your skin crawl, share your experience with the Tastic foodies so we can learn a bit more about the food we dare not touch.

A little bit of everyone's favourites

I am a lover of the good, simple things. I could live on a hot bowl of udon soup noodles and milk tart for dessert, for the rest of my life. But luckily, you might not (otherwise this world would be a bland expanse of udon noodle restaurants and milk tart bakeries).

Everyone has their favourite food item or dish, be it sea cucumber or goose liver pate (yuk)... Why not share your yummiest dishes with all of us?