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bubble tea

 

i've been wanting to try bubble tea for years, but there are no establishments that serve this drink in the fredericksburg area (it figures...this place is dreadfully behind the times when it comes to food trends). it is my understanding that bubble tea is popular in other parts of the country and that there are bubble tea houses that serve amazing bubble tea creations that incorporate fruit juices and various ingredients. so, i found a basic recipe and managed to rustle up the ingredients and made this bubble tea recipe yesterday. i liked it. it was fun. the taste reminded me of chai tea a little. i'm not so sure what i think about the tapioca pearls, but they were better the next day when they had soaked up the sugar syrup overnight. the thai tea had a orange color added so it made the drink a funky, but pretty color. all in all, it was a lot of work for a drink, but it made a big batch and we will be having bubble tea for days. so, i'd say it was worth it and i will probably make it again.

 

Thai-Style Bubble Tea

2 cups Thai tea
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup mint leaves (optional)
1 1/2 cups tapioca pearls
milk
wide straws

The Tea: Place Thai tea into stainless tea filter and place in a large pot with 8 cups gently boiling water. Leave the filter handle out of water so you can easily remove the tea later. Keep over medium heat for one hour, then remove tea and fill pot with water to same level you started with (8 cups). Let tea cool and pour into a pitcher. You can leave in refrigerator for a few days, if desired.

The Syrup: In a small saucepan combine sugar, mint leaves and 4 cups water. The recipe still tastes great if you omit the fresh mint. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved, then strain out the leaves and place in a separate container. Refrigerate.

The Pearls: Start by bringing 12 cups water to a boil in a large pot, then gently add tapioca pearls. Let the pearls cook for 30 minutes, stirring often to keep the pearls from sticking together. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for another 30 minutes. Strain the pearls and rinse with cool water, transfer to a storage container and mix with about half of the syrup. This allows the pearls to soak up the sweet flavor and keeps them from sticking together. They will keep in the refrigerator like this for about 12 hours.

Using a spoon, place pearls into serving glasses. The pearls should fill 1/3 of the glass. Pour 2 tablespoons syrup over the pearls. Add more syrup if you prefer a sweeter taste. In a separate shaker (or glass), shake (or mix) equal parts of tea and milk with ice. Pour the tea/milk mixture (not the ice) into each glass and stir. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint leaves, and serve with jumbo straws that allow the tapioca pearls to be sucked up as you drink.

 

recipe notes:

* i don't have a tea filter, so i just boiled the loose tea in the water and strained it through a fine mesh strainer when it was done cooking. i only boiled it for 30 minutes instead of a whole hour. it was plenty strong. i may use less tea next time....2 cups seemed like a lot.

* i didn't use mint in the syrup.

* i cooked the tapoica pearls for 30 minutes and they were kind of "al dente". next time i will cook them a bit longer.

* the first time i assembled the drink, i used a cocktail shaker. the second time, i just mixed all the ingredients in the serving glass and omitted ice (it had all been refrigerated and was cold) and it was just fine.

* i didn't have straw that were wide enough, so i just served the bubble tea with a spoon.

posted by: artichoke72 at 15:00 | link | comments |
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tortilla soup

last night, i made a huge batch of tortilla soup.  i love tortilla soup!  when done right, it is simple, rustic, and comforting..  i collect tortilla soup recipes but i almost always make the same recipe each time.  i usually make an adaptation of rick bayless' (mexico, one plate at a time) version of tortilla soup.  it's a classic, tomato-based broth to which various ingredients are added in once the soup is served. 

to make this dish, i start out by frying thin strips of corn tortillas in hot oil until they are golden and crispy.  i fry several batches of the tortilla strips and let them drain on paper towels.  meanwhile, i take a little oil that the tortillas were fried in and use it to saute a large, thinly sliced onion in a soup pot .  when the onions have softened, i add 5 to 8 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced, to the pot and continue to saute until the onions are golden.  i transfer the onions and garlic to a food processor and blend with a large can of tomatoes (diced, crushed, whole...whatever i got in the pantry) until smooth.  i pour that mixture back into the pot and cook over medium-high until it thickens.  then i add about 6 cups of vegetable broth and a little bit of dried epazote (a mexican herb).  i season with salt and let it simmer while i prepare the add-in ingredients.  the add-ins include:  diced avocado, shredded cheese (cheddar, monterrey jack, queso fresco, mexican farmer's cheese, feta, etc...), fresh cilantro leaves, diced fresh tomatoes, lime wedges, and sliced serrano or jalapeno peppers.

to serve tortilla soup, ladle into a bowl, top with a mound of fried tortilla strips, and squeeze a lime wedge over the top.  let everyone add in the rest of the ingredients to their liking. 

i love the combination of flavors and textures the add-in ingredients bring to the tortilla soup.  the avocado is creamy and cools the heat from the chiles.  the cheese has a similar affect.  the lime juice makes the soup sparkle.  of course, the tortilla strips star in this recipe.  one can use tortilla strips that have been baked instead of fried or even tortilla chips from the store in place of the fried tortilla strips. this soup is a meal in itself, espeically if you add in lots of ingredients.  you can also add shredded cooked chicken or cooked shrimp to this soup to make the soup even more substancial.  this tortilla soup (without the add-ins) freezes very well. 

posted by: artichoke72 at 02:04 | link | comments |

super ramen

i have finally come up with the right combination of ingredients to turn the lowliest of foods (ramen) into something palatable. i add fresh broccoli, shiitake mushrooms (as well as the water in which they soaked) and sliced waterchestnuts in with the noodles while they cook. while they are cooking, i shred fresh organic baby spinach into my bowl. when done, i pour the noodles, veggies, and hot liquid into the bowl and add the seasoning packet (shrimp flavored). i top with sliced serranos and lots of cilantro leaves. the other day i had some left over shrimp (from shrimp fajitas the night before)and added them to my ramen and veggie thing and it was really good....i actually forgot i was eating ramen. i have also added asparagus and tofu with good results. i can't believe it has taken me this long to start adding good stuff to ramen. why didn't i think of that in my college days? now, i think i'm on a mission to find other ways to enhance ramen. what about tex-mex style with corn, chiles, tomatoes, black beans, and fresh avocado? or indian style with curry powder and cauliflower and green beans? miso, tofu and seaweed?

posted by: artichoke72 at 02:52 | link | comments |

HOT, SWEET, SALTY, SOUR - MIANG KHAM

miang kham is a little snack from northeast thailand that is often sold there by vendors on the street. i have read about these savory leaf wraps and wanted to try them myself. i tracked down the ingredients and put them together not too long ago.

miang kham involves wrapping tidbits of several ingredients in a leaf (traditionally, pepper leaves are used, but spinach or boston lettuce can be substituted) along with a sweet and salty sauce. the sauce is made from dried shrimp, coconut, peanuts, sugar, fish sauce, and water. other versions include galangal, shrimp paste, and/or tamarind. the ingredients for miang kham usually include:

• toasted coconut
• roasted peanuts
• dried shrimp
• diced lime with peel
• diced ginger
• diced pickled garlic
• diced shallots
• sliced serrano or thai chiles
• cilantro leaves

the ingredients are presented separately and are usually arranged in a pleasing way. to eat miang kham, a person takes a leaf, adds a pinch of each ingredient, drizzles a little bit of sauce, wraps the leaf around the ingredients and puts the whole thing in their mouth.

chewing all the ingredients in these little bundles is an experience. each flavor pops out individually- from the sourness of the lime, the spiceness of the ginger and shallots, the fishy/saltiness of the dried shrimp, the sweetness of the coconut, and the heat of the chiles. each ingredient also has a different texture. it's a very cool. it was fun to try different proportions of each ingredient. miang kham is an unique snack that involves all the senses.

i enjoyed my miang kham experience, except for the dried shrimp. it was very fishy (in a bad way) and my american palate just couldn't get used to it. i didn't like the sauce for the same reason....it included dried shrimp. when i make these again, i'll serve them with a different sauce (nuoc cham, perhaps) and without the dried shrimp. they would be great to serve at a party.

posted by: artichoke72 at 15:19 | link | comments (1) |
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