Text 25182, 127 rader
Skriven 2009-06-22 12:50:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av CAROL SHENKENBERGER
Ärende: Re: proto humans
========================
-=> Quoting Carol Shenkenberger to Jim Weller <=-

    
 >  CS> 'proto-humans'.

 > Did you read about the latest fossil find? A 47 million year old
 > lemur with opposable thumbs. The so-called missing link. Fascinating
 > stuff.

 CS> Oh!  Missed that!  Link please?

If you google "fossil lemur opposable thumbs missing link" you'll
find lots of articles.


MMMMM-----Meal-Master - formatted by MMCONV  2.10

     Title: Grilled Beef And Jicama Salad
Categories: Vietnamese
  Servings: 4

           Dressing:
    1/4 c  fresh lime juice
  2 1/2 TB fish sauce
  2 1/2    to 3 tablespoons sugar
      1 TB water
      1    or 2 Thai chiles, minced
           Salad:
      2 lg cloves garlic, minced
    1/4    plus 1/8 teaspoon ground
           black pepper
      1 TB kecap manis (sweet Malay soy
           sauce) or dark soy sauce
      1 TB light (regular) soy sauce
  1 1/2 TB canola oil
    1/8 ts salt
      1 lb beef steak, such as flank,
           top sirloin or bottom
           sirloin (cut thicker cuts
           into 1/2-inch thick pieces)
  1 2/3 lb jicama, peeled, quartered,
           and cut into thick
           matchsticks
      1    carrot, cut into julienne or
           fine shreds
      1    Granny Smith apple or other
           tart apple, cut into
           matchsticks and tossed with
           generous 1 teaspoon lime
           juice to prevent browning
    1/2    lightly packed cups coarsely
           chopped Thai or Italian
           basil
    1/4 c  fried shallot or chopped
           unsalted, roasted peanuts

'modern' Asian cuisine. It was borne out of  necessity. In the Viet
repertoire, grilled beef might be paired with green papaya or mango
for a salad. Jicama, a favorite Viet vegetable that can be eaten raw
with chile and salt or cooked in a stir-fry. Once wilted, jicama
retains its crunch -- which is precisely what green papaya would do
too. So there was my substitute.

Because jicama is boringly white, a little orange carrot was called
for -- cut into fine shreds for slivers of color. Lots of Vietnamese
cooks in America use tart green apple as a stand-in for star-fruit
and other sour fruits, so I threw some in. Then some coarsely
chopped basil (I used regular because I lacked foresight to get Thai
basil. I also threw in a small handful of fried shallot from the
fridge. The dressing was the usual chile, lime, fish sauce and sugar
combo, but I made it a tad sweeter than usual because of the apple's
tartness.

Salads like these are typically plush but also somewhat crunchy. The
ingredients are manipulated somehow to retain crispness but also
yield to the dressing. Jicama, carrot, and apple are all too crunchy
on their own so I poured the dressing on and left it for a few
minutes. The acid, salt, and sugar, softened those ingredients
without making them limp and wimpy.

The result was amazingly good. This is a light salad that fits in
with summer barbecues and can be served for lunch or dinner. 

So what's modern about it? I applied traditional ideas to fresh
ingredients that were at hand to make tasty food. The concept is
old-fashioned but the combination is new. Best of all, it worked.


1. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing, using the lesser
quantity of sugar. Taste and add more sugar for a more sweet finish
than a tart one. Set aside. 

2. Make the marinade by combining the garlic, pepper, kecap manis,
soy sauce and oil on a plate. Taste and add extra salt as needed.
Add the steaks and coat well. Set aside to marinate for at least 1
hour and up to 3.

3. Combine the jicama, carrot, and apple in a bowl. Toss to
distribute well. Set aside.

4. Grill the steak over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes per
side for medium. Transfer to a plate, cover with a foil tent and let
rest for 5 to 7 minutes. Slice thinly on the diagonal into 3-inch
long pieces.

5. To serve, add the basil and fried shallots to the jicama mixture.
Add the dressing and toss. Let things sit for about 2 minutes, or
until the salad has slightly softened. Divide the vegetables among
the plates, leaving any excess dressing behind. Top with the beef
and bring to the table. 

From: Andrea Nguyen, vietworldkitchen.com/blog


MMMMM-------------------------------------------------


Cheers

YK Jim


... the Universe doesn't care what you believe.

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