Text 2786, 98 rader
Skriven 2010-10-16 16:54:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av GLEN JAMIESON
Ärende: importing foods
=======================
-=> Quoting Glen Jamieson to Stephen Haffly <=-

 SH> I took a quick look at Australia's import requirements. It
 SH> looks like it would be permissible to send you a small
 SH> container of Pseudo-Melinda's Habanero Pepper Sauce.

 GJ> Although Customs would pass the Pseudo-Melinda's, I am
 GJ> not sure about the very strict Australian Quarantine Inspection
 GJ> Service.

Commercial products have all sorts of documentation submitted before
shipping as well as spot inspections. Home made or unlabelled
products generally get stopped at the border, especially raw foods.

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     Title: About Anardana, Dried Pomegranate Seeds
Categories: Info, Persian, Indian, Spices
  Servings: 1 text file

           Anardana
           Dried Pomegranate Seeds

Okay, pomegranates are expensive. Their nectar stains like beet
juice. And if you're successfully able to crack one open and
extricate the seeds without having them burst all over your shirt,
you still run the risk of your fruit having gone off, as checking
for over-ripeness is rather difficult. So even during pomegranate
season I like to have anardana, dried pomegranate seeds, around.

How to Use Anardana Anardana is used in Indian and Persian cuisine
as a souring agent, much like sumac or amchoor. Slow air drying
makes it more molasses-like than fresh pomegranate, so it adds depth
of flavor as well as brightness. While other sour spices are best as
finishing touches, anardana can enrich a sauce or braising liquid
for as long as you like, and it only gets better with time. Slow
cooked with chicken legs or lamb, the result is rich and profound.

Many versions of Persian fasenjan (chicken with walnut and
pomegranate sauce) rely on anardana for the sauce's subtleties. When
ground, it's perfect in chutneys, relishes, and spice rubs for meat
and seafood, especially those that would benefit from the crunch of
its interior seeds. I love it as a quick and easy way to bring new
life to blander vegetables like potatoes and cauliflower: Just
grind, then roast or steam. It's similar to pomegranate molasses,
but its lower moisture content makes it the choice ingredient for
jobs where a syrup would be out of place.

This is the stuff your marmalade has been waiting for. Anardana is
magical with other fruits and wintry spices. Think orange peels,
cinnamon, and the last of the season's plums. This is the stuff your
marmalade has been waiting for. Its sun-dried flavor makes it a
perfect match for nuts, though you may want to strain out the
crunchy seeds as too much texture can be too much of a good thing.

How to Choose the Best Anardana The best anardana specimens comes
from wild pomegranates, though most are from commercial varieties.
But unlike other spices, where source quality is one of the most
important indicators of taste, anardana is more forgiving. It's
essentially dried fruit, so even seeds from hum-drum pomegranates
still carry plenty of flavor.

What you should really watch out for is texture. Anardana ranges
from slightly pliant, like a gummy candy or a recently dried chile,
to rock-hard. Softer seeds are juicier and more flavorful, though if
all you can find are pebbly kinds, don't let that stop you. Some
anardana is sold pre-ground, or in varying degrees of partially
ground. Obviously whole seeds are best for longevity's sake, and
unless you can find fine powder, you'll probably have to do some
grinding at home anyway. Home grinders do have trouble with
particularly tough kernels, so if you want a smooth sauce, you may
want to strain out the anardana after long cooking. Or use a spice
infuser that can be removed later. 

Where to Find Anardana Anardana is a less common spice in America,
so it may be a little harder to find than most. But your local
Indian grocery is still your best bet. Failing that, Amazon carries
the ground seeds for considerably less than an equal amount of fresh
pomegranate.

Posted by Max Falkowitz


  From: Serious Eats                    
 
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Cheers

YK Jim


... Chile is a potent drug that may cause addiction.

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