Frugal & Sustainable

Frugal & Sustainable

One of the core mantras for the current sustainable or “green” living trend is to minimize waste.  Take shorter showers, start a compost bin, turn off appliances and lights when not in use, wrap yourself with a blanket instead of turning on the heater, recycle and reuse bottles and bags, etc.  These are all great tips and I’m not minimizing their value, but I want to shed a glaring light to the fact that these are far from new ideas.  Though not always fueled by a great conscious effort to preserve the Earth’s resources, people’s motivations for being sustainable were much more about personal survival and forced circumstantial frugality, the resulting actions were the same.  I find the green movement to be a good one, but also a puzzling one and an interesting display of American industrialized wealth. 

I believe it is human nature to minimize waste and value resources by making products last as long as possible, to use every last animal part to extract as much nutrition and value from it as one can, because these resources are precious and in today’s industrialized society, cost money.  You see it throughout different societies and cultures in the world and through history.  Most deities, who were worshipped, are fashioned after natural life-giving resources or thought to have powers to control the Earth’s precious resources that recognizable give LIFE.  People give thanks to gods for water and crops or show their gratitude through prayer before killing an animal.  These customs reveal how the basic human needs of shelter, water, and food were always valued and thus never wasted.  It isn’t until recently and specifically in countries, such as America, where most of the vast population has these basic human survival needs met, that waste has become such a big environmental issue.  Thanks to our global industrialized society and economy, people no longer have to hunt for their meat or grow their own crops.  Convenience has become a modern day god.  Everything you need at the touch of button or bought at the neighborhood market and the supply seems to be endless.  Nowadays the ones who are most green in their living practices have become the poorer and less affluent ones in the world because in their minds, water, electricity, food, and products are still precious, hard to come by because of monetary cost.  To be frugal is to be sustainable.

Coming from modest backgrounds, my family was technically already green.  When my parents first moved to this country 35 years ago, it boggled their minds that many Americans had habits such as keeping the heater/air-conditioner on in their homes almost at all times.  It was discombobulating that the only chicken parts they could find in the supermarkets were boneless, skinless, breasts and thighs.  Where had all the other parts of the chicken gone?  And the steaks!  How could anyone consume a whole 8oz slab of meat at once?  Once again, what happened to the rest of the cow?  Where are all the bones?  Water is so valuable, how is it possible for janitors to clean driveways and buildings by hosing it all down?  We weren’t intentionally being green, we were just cheap and made the most out of every bit we had.  Especially when it came to food. 

The previous posting of a recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup, where homemade chicken stock was used, is what prompted this rant.  Now let me go back to the subject of homemade stock, everyone should do it!  Not only will it add so much more flavor to your cooking, it’s easy, it will save you money, and it’s being green.  BONES = FLAVOR!  First off, don’t be scared of where your food comes from, meaning that chicken breasts come from a chicken.  Therefore, don’t be scared of the other parts of the chicken.  There is nothing wrong with bones and organs and dark meat.  It’s healthier for you than a chicken nugget and its tastier too.  By the way, chicken nuggets are made of all the skin, bones and undesirable parts anyways.  They just add a whole bunch of chemicals and flavoring then form it into a nugget and deep-fry it, does that still sound healthy to you?  Chicken patties at fast food restaurants are made the same way.  Meat comes from an animal; if you are willing to eat meat then you must accept this fact.  To actually respect the animal that you are eating is to appreciate every part of it and not just throw out most of its body as trash.  An easy way to use the bones of any animal is to make stock.  One of the reasons why good restaurants’ food tastes so darn good is that they use homemade stock.  Throw some chicken bones, veggies (the classic combo is onion, carrots, and celery, but I also like to add ginger), and dash of salt in a pot, add water, bring to a boil and just let it simmer.  Watch a few TV shows, check on the pot and add a little more water in between shows, and voila!  You have successfully made stock.  Let it cool, strain out the bones and veggies, all the flavor is extracted out of those suckers so now you can throw it away.  Pour into usable portions in freezer friendly Tupperware and toss in the freezer, ready to use when you need.   You can do the same with pork, beef, vegetables, and seafood.  Go to an ethnic market and buy a whole fish, its much cheaper than just buying the packages fillets.  The market will gut it and clean it out for you.  Also buy shrimp whole as well, with their heads still attached and everything.  Take it home and remove the heads and shells of the shrimp, chop off the head of the fish, and throw it all into a pot with some ginger, onion, and carrots.  Do the same and you have a wonderful seafood stock that you can use to make shrimp bisque, seafood gumbo, and so many other seafood stews. 

Maybe instead of trying to reinstate a collective conscious to save the Earth, the green movement should also reiterate and how going green can save the common citizen tons of money.  Emphasize that these resources are not just valuable to a third person named “Earth”, they are valuable to us.  To our pocketbooks and add so much nutrition and flavor to our lives.  To the cooks out there, we should challenge ourselves to come up with creative ways to use what we have to its fullest and extract as much flavor out of whatever ingredients bestowed upon us.  This is what many people in different cultures around the world has had to do for survival and some of the tastiest signature dishes were born this way.  We were fortunate enough to be born into a time and place of plentitude thus we now live in a culture of taste and unappreciated resources.  I choose to counter this wasteful culture and I challenge others to do so as well.  Revive the motto “waste not, want not”, into our collective mindset!  

Rosemary Lamb Chops

Roasted Rosemary Lamb Chops

Rosemary is so earthy and woody, it’s like the scent of the forest, and so it pairs really well with a gamey red meat like lamb.  I love the flavor of lamb, and this simple way of roasting a rack of lamb is an easy way to get my lamb fix.  Lamb isn’t typical meat that you see a lot of in most American neighborhood grocery stores, so I buy mine from Costco*.  You can get a fresh beautiful frenched rack of lamb for about $15.

* Costco actually has a really good and fresh meat section, the problem, of course, is the massive portions they sell.  So I usually buy a package and then clean and cut up into manageable portions, place in zip-lock bags, push out the air, seal and toss into the freezer.

Cook Time: 25 min                        Yield: 4 servings

o      Rack of lamb chops (Frenched)

o      2 Tablespoons of Fresh Rosemary leaves, chopped

o      2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

o      Salt and Pepper

1. Trim any excess fat off the rack of lamb. Rub with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and rosemary on both sides.  Cover with plastic wrap and let the rack marinate in the fridge for anywhere between 30 minutes to 4 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Take the lamb rack out of the fridge and let it come to room temp, about 10 minutes.  Remove the plastic wrap. 
4. Coat the bottom of an oven-safe bottom heavy fry pan or skillet with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Sear the lamb rack on both sides then move into the oven for about 10 minutes, depending on the size of your rack*.
5. Using a meat thermometer, the rack should be about 140 to 150 degrees for medium rare, which I recommend because keep in mind that the meat will continue to cook for a few minutes when you take it out of the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
6. After letting the rack rest, cut between the rib bones to get individual chops.  Garnish with a little bit more of the chopped rosemary or chopped parsley.  Serve with any starch or veggies you like!  Shown here with mushroom squash risotto.

* If you don’t want to use the oven, you can definitely cut the rack into individual chops prior to cooking and simply sear the individual chops on both sides in a pan over the stove.  This is quicker and more ideal for a dinner for two, when you only have to pan sear a few chops.  I like to roast racks in their entirety when I have to serve more than two people because I don’t want to be stuck at the stove searing chops all night.  Another advantage is that you get a variety of doneness for your guests.  You’ll notice that the center chops will be pinker in the middle and the side chops will be more medium.

Chicken Noodle Soup (Asian Style)

Chicken Noodle Soup

In almost all cultures, there’s a version of this dish.  Chicken noodle soup, just saying it evokes memories of childhood and warmth.  It’s the healer of all ailments and a dish that I believe everyone should be able to make from scratch. 

Obviously the main ingredient to chicken noodle soup is chicken stock.  I’m not talking about the store bought can or box type, but the real stuff.  The golden goodness you get from just putting water, ginger, onion, celery, carrots, and chicken bones together in a pot and letting it simmer for a whole day.  Not only is it simple, chicken stock can be used in so many dishes to add richness of flavor.  Try using chicken stock instead of water when steaming rice or in chowder or gumbo, the possibilities are endless.  The best part is that stock can be frozen in batches so you will always have it on hand when needed. 

Talking about stock brings me to another subject or tangent, if you will, that deserves its own separate posting.  Thus a posting will follow shortly about frugality and sustainability.  Wasting not and wanting not.  Making the most of what you have.  You get the idea.

Prep Time: 10 min   Cook Time: 4-8 hours         Yields: 8-10 cups of stock

o      1 medium size stockpot

o      The bones of a chicken or two (You can usually find packages of chicken, beef, or pork bones only at ethnic markets such as 99 Ranch, specifically for the purpose of making stocks.  Otherwise, you can always buy a whole chicken from the market and remember to save the bones and undesirable parts for stock when you cut out the breasts for other use)

o      A few carrots chopped roughly

o      A medium onion chopped roughly

o      A few stalks of celery chopped roughly

o      About 5 good slices of ginger

o      Salt and white pepper

o      4 oz. fresh noodles

o      1 stalk of finely chopped green onions

1. Toss the chicken bones, vegetables, and ginger into the stockpot and fill 4/5 with water.  Add a couple teaspoons of salt and white pepper powder.  Place over high heat until boiling, then reduce to low heat and allow to simmer (with the lid on but with a partial opening) for anywhere between 2-4 hours.  The longer you let the stock simmer the more flavor will be concentrated and extracted out of the veggies and bones.
2. When done, let the stock cool then strain of the bones and veggies.  Some people discard it all but I like to eat the carrots.  Unlike the onion and celery, which have pretty much disintegrated, the carrots usually hold up after all that simmering and become a soft tasty nourishing snack.
3. Take a few cups of the golden stock and heat in a smaller saucepan. When brought to a boil over medium high heat, add a handful of fresh noodles and let cook for a few minutes.  Taste test the noodle to the desired donenss then pour into a bowl and sprinkle with the green onions. 
4. Add salt and pepper as desired to taste. Then allow your body to be enriched and soothed. Enjoy.

Chinese Vegetable, Shrimp, and Pork Dumplings

Vegetable, Shrimp, and Pork Dumplings

This is one of those classic Chinese dishes that you are likely to find in the freezer of most Chinese families.  These dumplings do take time to make and is a feat that should be taken on when you happen to have some time on your hands, but trust me, they are worth it!  Usually made in a pretty big batch then tossed in the freezer.  Its the perfect dinner solution for the busy parent on a weekday or the student who wants a quick homecooked meal.  Grab a portion out of the freezer, toss in boiling water or pan fry and voila! you've got yummy dumplings!

Prep Time: 60 min             Cook Time: 10-15 min              Yields: 10-12 Servings (120 dumplings)

• 2 lbs ground pork
• 1 lb Shrimp (w/o shells and veined)
• 1 bunch of Chinese chives
• 2 stalks of green onions
• ½ a head of Napa cabbage
• 1 Egg
• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Salt
• Ginger
• White pepper powder
• Rice cooking wine
• Garlic cloves
• Rice wine vinegar
• Sriracha chili sauce
• Round Dumpling wrappers (available at any Asian or specifically Chinese grocery store in the refrigerated aisle)

Preparation:

Dumpling filling - Ultra finely chop the shrimp, chives, green onions, and cabbage.  Use a cheese-cloth to strain/squeeze out all the moisture from the finely chopped cabbage.  Add all finely chopped veggies, grated ginger (2 teaspoons), and shrimp to ground pork in a large bowl.  Add soy sauce (approximately 3 tablespoons), sesame oil (approximately 1 tablespoon), a few splashes of rice cooking wine (approximately 1 tablespoon), one egg, a pinch of salt and a couple teaspoons of white pepper powder.  Mix well.
* You can always substitute the different meats in the filling, you can even make a veggie version but using tofu instead of meat.  If you don't want shrimp, you can make it solely from ground pork, or ground chicken, or even ground duck.  Make it the way YOU like it.

Dumplings – Have a small bowl or cup of water set aside.  Take a dumpling wrapper in the palm of your hand and fill with about 1 tablespoon or less of filling, the amount depends upon the size of the wrapper and just comes with experience.  Wet the inner edge of the dumpling wrapper, fold over, and pinch the edges together to form a creased pleat, sealing the dumpling.  Continue until the entire filling or all the wrappers are used.  This amount of filling should yield about 120 dumplings.


* View a video of "how to make dumplings"

Dipping Sauce – Smash the garlic and remove the skin.  Add the garlic, fine ginger slivers, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and chili together in a small bowl.  There are no exact measurements, these ingredients are all to taste.  The main ingredient should be the soy sauce and the vinegar is generally just a teaspoon or so.

Cooking:

Boiled - Heat a large pot about 2/3 full of water to a boil.  Drop in the dumplings, depending on the size of your pot, about 20 dumplings at a time.  You don’t want the pot to get too crowded otherwise the dumplings will stick together.  Lightly stir the dumplings a couple times just to make sure they aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.  Let the water come back up to a boil then add 1 cup of water.  Let the water come back up to a boil again and add another cup of water.  When the water comes to a boil again, the dumplings should be floating to the top, this indicates that they are done.  Remove the dumplings from the pot into a serving dish with a strainer or large slotted spoon.  Enjoy by dipping into the sauce one at a time. 

Pan-Fried (Pot Stickers) – Although it is not necessary, it is usually better to freeze the dumplings when pan frying them.  Coat the botton of a large non-stick frying pan with vegetable oil (about 1-2 tablespoons).  When the oil gets hot, turn the heat down to medium-high and add the dumplings one at a time with the ruffled/pleated edge facing up.  Cover with a large lid and let it fry for a few minutes to slightly brown the bottoms then turn the heat down to medium-low and add about ¼ cup of water and cover again.  Give the pan a little shake once in a while just to loosen the pot stickers from the bottom of the pan.  After cooking about 5-10 minutes it should be done, the bottoms of the dumplings should be golden brown.  Take one and cut it open to make sure it is cooked through.  Then remove onto a serving tray and enjoy by dipping into the sauce one at a time.

Mushroom Squash Risotto

Risotto is one of my favorite comfort foods, and this particular risotto is inspired by Autumn.  The rich, creamy, warm texture and use of sweet squash and sage makes me glad, heck almost giddy that the leaves are turning and motivates me to bring out my sweaters and boots.

Risotto can be a bit intimidating if you’ve never made it before, but it’s really quite simple.  Essentially its small grains of rice that you cook over the stovetop, the only difficult aspect is the attention it needs.  This is not a dish to be left unattended, you have to nurse it and stir in constantly, preferably with love. <3

Cook Time: 45 min              Yields: 4-6 Servings

o      1 ½ cups              Arborio Rice

o      2 cups                  Any Winter Squash peeled & cubed into bite size pieces

o      2 cups                  Mushrooms sliced, any variety will do

o      ¼ cup                   finely minced Shallot

o      2 teaspoons         fresh Thyme leaves

o      2 teaspoons         fresh Sage leaves chiffonade

o      6 cups                  Low-Sodium Chicken Stock/Broth (preferably homemade)

o      2 tablespoons     Unsalted Butter

o      2 tablespoons     Olive Oil

o      ½ cup grated       Pecorino Cheese

o      ½ cup                  dry white wine

o      Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, heat up the chicken broth over medium-high.  Meanwhile, peel, scrap out the seeds, and chop the squash into bite size pieces. When the broth comes to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the squash.  Let the squash cook for about 5 minutes then remove with a slotted spoon or spider and put aside.  Turn the heat off and cover the saucepan to keep the broth warm.
2. In another large saucepan, melt 1 ½ tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add the minced shallot.  Pinch of salt to help the shallots soften and sweat.  Add the mushroom, thyme, and sage to the pan and let the mushrooms cook until they brown, about 7 – 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  (Initially moisture will come out of the mushrooms, let it cook off and evaporate, then the mushrooms will start to brown)
3. Add the Abrorio rice to the mushroom mixture and mix so that the butter and olive oil coat the rice.  Pour in the wine and simmer for a couple minutes for the alcohol to cook off.  Add one ladle full of the broth and stir until the rice absorbs it.  Repeat until the rice is tender, with a slight bite in the middle.  Stir in the squash, remaining ½ tablespoon of butter, grated Pecorino cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. The overall consistency should be rich and creamy, but there is subjective personal preference.  If you want it to be looser, add a little more broth.  Serve immediately topped with a couple sprigs of thyme and sage.

I served it here with a roasted rack of lamb…I feel comforted already.

Juice of youth

Ever since I turned 30, I started pay attention on how to take care of myself. Whether it be going to the Korean spa and get completely pampered or choosing more high end skin products, I care about how to slow down the aging process in my body.

I observe, if I have time, how those who look younger than their age take care of themselves. Other time I just ask what their secretes are.

The more I ask around the more I believe that to look young for longer, it should be a life style thing, not how much you spend on the bottles behind the mirror on your wall. So here are a few answers that I got and would also believe in.

1. Eat small and early dinners

One of my aunts from Taiwan is 62. From Asian standard she looks like early 40's; from a general standard she still might get her ID checked for drinking. She is active and enjoys hiking. But that's not the answer she gave me when asked how to look so young. "Eat all you want for breakfast and lunch, but keep your dinner small and eat it early," she told me "nothing greasy, mostly vegetables and finish before 8pm." Sounds so impossible to me...I sometimes don't start cooking till 9pm!

But sometimes when I had a big dinner right before bed, I usually woke up very tired. The organs in our body are supposed to rest while we sleep. Going to bed when there's still food in our digestion system means the food either sit your stomach long enough for it to go bad, or you over work your internal labors.

Having early dinners also help with regular bowel movements. If you finished all your food before 8pm, the time your food goes through all the routes it's supposed to visit, it should exit first thing in the morning. You don't keep waste inside for any extra time. Clean and efficient.

2. Drink a glass of honey water first thing in the morning

A good friend of mine told me about this trick. I don't know how old she is but her son is 26, doing his residency and ready to be a doctor. She has been drinking a glass of warm honey water in the morning for 6 years now. Her skin is flawless - even skin tone and not even small wrinkles. The texture looks plump and smooth. My skin looks like that when I was 9!

She said to dissolve a small spoonful of honey in a glass of warm water every morning. Drink the honey water after brushing your teeth, and go on with your day.

She didn't explain her secret. Many times when Chinese people tell me some secrets to health or beauty, they usually don't explain too much. These are probably wisdom passed on from generations. So I looked it up and see if it makes sense.

A significant portion of honey is fructose and glucose, both can be very quickly transformed into energy. It also contains vitamin B complex, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Zinc. Sweet goodness of the small spoonful of honey is so much better than taking the multi vitamin tablet that gets stuck in your throat 50% of the time and reeks foul protein smell.

Dissolving honey in warm, instead of hot, water keeps the natural enzyme active. A glass of warm water is also recommended for regular bowel activity. Both of these answers suggest that kids should be dropped in the pools early in the morning to keep detoxed and looking young.

Autumn Splurge – fresh crab meat omelet rice with white beech mushroom and iceberg cabbage

One of my favorite breakfast places of all time is Katy’s in Carmel-by-the-sea. I love their San Francisco omelet with super fresh Dungeness crab meat and avocado inside. Mmmm….. I’m a big time seafood eater and never shy away from seafood dishes any time of the day.

I scanned our fridge and found some leftover rice and iceberg lettuce and some leftover fresh crab meat from dinner last night. (I made a garlicy butter-pepper “wok roasted” crab but forgot to take picture before we killed it, next time!) To balance off that all ingredient is “leftover”, I opened a new pack of white beech mushroom and used 1/3 of it in this dish.

It has been gloomy and rainy in Venice. I’m conditioned to see bright sunny days in SoCal. After all, weather is the value proposition of Los Angeles (for me). So in a dark and wet morning like this a hearty and luxurious breakfast becomes a perfect fix!

One quick note here: crab is a very seasonal ingredient. Chinese people say “round tips for September; pointed tips for October.” The “tips” here means the shape of the tummy line of the crab. The more rounded ones are females, and the pointed refer to the male crabs. Female crabs best be tasted in September and male crab in October, both in lunar calendar. In American only the male Dungeness are harvested. When in season, the crab meat tastes firmer and sweeter. Even the fat in the shell taste more flavorful and less fishy. The crab meat I used here for this recipe is from the body (we ate all the legs!), and after I picked out the meat I mixed it with the fat in the shell to get a super rich crab flavor. When in season the crab fat tastes a lot better than other times. I also only buy live crabs; not only do they taste better, but they are also safer since bacteria starts developing rapidly once they die. I got mine from 99 Ranch for $5.99/lb.

Here are the ingredients for filling. Half serving of mixed grain brown rice, 1/3 pack of white beech mushroom, iceberg strips.

Heat up oil in a pan and start stir frying beech mushroom over medium heat. Remember to always start with ingredients that take longer to cook. In this case rice and crab meat were cooked, only need to be heated up. Iceberg should go in last to keep its crunch.

Add in rice and 1 tea spoon of salt and stir evenly.

Add crab meat and the juice from shell to pan and mix

Lastly add in iceberg and stir fry till it releases moisture and softens. Then put everything in a bowl. Heat 2 spoons of oil in the pan and pour in 2 beat eggs.

When eggs are half solidified, put the fillings on one side and cover with the other side. Cook for another 30 second and ready to plate.

This is the best of two worlds! Hearty but light; rich in flavor but still fresh. It’s got balanced nutrients from whole grains, veggies, eggs and crab meat.

My husband devoured the omelet rice in seconds. This is the first time I made this dish, next time I’d consider cutting the iceberg into thinner strips.