Tea Leaves Zhug

Last time I was at Taipei, I visited a few tea estates, and not surprisingly, I brought back some excellent oolong teas. But in the mountains of the tea estates I saw that the restaurants specialized in using tea (leaves) in the food. Then I discovered the Burmese tea leaves (fermented) salad dressing!

When I make the high mountain oolong tea, I see the tea leaves unfurl and get their original shape back. They continue to be very fragrant even after multiple fusions; so it seemed such a waste to just toss them. So I decided to use these tea leaves here. Influenced by my visit to the tea gardens in Taiwan and and not to mention my frugal disposition, I present my tea leaves zhug. Surprisingly tasty and is bound to steal your heart.

Special tools:

Small high-speed processor.

Ingredients

  • Used tea leaves from 3 tbsps of good quality oolong tea
  • Aromatics: 1 clove garlic crushed + 1 tsp grated ginger
  • Brightness: 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • Seasoning: 1/2 tsp sea salt + 1/2 tsp fish sauce
  • Medium: 3 tbsp peanut or other neutral oil (NOT EVOO!)

Process all ingredients till a coarse paste.

Here I serve as pasta dressing.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. Why zhug ? Mainly, the looks. Zhug is actually of Yemeni origin.
  2. Adapted from Andrea’s– a Burmese salad dressing. But I flipped it to a sauce for gnocchi.
  3. I use 1 tbsp tea leaves for a drink (with multiple infusions; usually 8 oz + 8 oz of hot tea). After each use, I dry out the leaves on a flat surface. So I collect my 3 tbsps of unfurled, fragrant tea from three sittings over one or two weeks.

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Sweet Potato Mochi

My Okinawa trip taught me to appreciate beni imo mochi (purple sweet potato)– both making and learning the technique of eating it directly from its casing. This new year I followed the Japanese tradition of ringing in the new year with some sweet potato mochi. Easy to pull off. Enjoy!!

Special tools:

Steamer, Saran Plastic wrap.

Ingredients

  • 200 gm short grain rice flour (mochi flour)
  • 20 gm sugar
  • 1 sweet potato peeled, steamed and mashed

Make a soft dough with all the ingredients. Make about 16 small lemon sized balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap. Flatten. Arrange in two single layers in a steaming basket. Steam for 30 minutes. Cool. Peel off the wrap to consume.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. You can microwave the sweet potato in its skin till soft. Cool and then peel. Mash.
  2. There is no need to knead for long since this is rice flour (with no gluten!).
  3. You could use banana leaf or corn husk to wrap. But I found the plastic wrap to be very accessible, convenient and easy to handle. Also I did check on the wrap package that it was heat proof.

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Thanksgiving Leftover Zoodle Pasta

Is it called “Poodle” when you spiralize Purple Sweet Potato ? Kidding. So many Thanksgiving leftover posts this year. This one promises to steal your heart!

Special tools:

Spiralizer.

Ingredients

  • 1 Japanese purple sweet potato, peeled and spiralized
  • 1/2 cup leftover Turkey, chopped into bite size
  • Flavor: 1 tbsp EVOO +1/2 shallot diced + 1 crushed garlic pod + 1 tbsp Bacalao XOXO Sauce
  • Topping: Norwegian Lofton Seaweed (or Japanese/Korean sesame-seaweed topping)

Method

Heat all the flavoring ingredients till fragrant (2-3 mins) in a large wok. Add the zoodled sweet potato with salt to taste. Cover and let steam for 3-4 minutes. Push the zoodles aside making a hole in the center. Add the turkey and a little more EVOO. Let it heat through. Mix with the zoodle. Serve hot. Top with the flavored seaweeds.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. I got the Bacalao XoXo sauce from Hong Kong. A little unusual. But you can use the regular scallop based XOXO sauce.
  2. Again, the Norwegian topping was from my travels, but you can use any other of your liking.

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Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Croquettes

Here is a treatment of Thanksgiving leftovers off the beaten track. Using an interesting technique for mincing roasted turkey, turn the leftovers into croquettes with the help of some seasonal root vegetables from the root cellar. Furthermore, unlike the typical croquettes, this one is not oily at all. Enjoy!

Special tools:

Food processor; meat tenderizing mallet.

Ingredients

Makes 16 croquettes.

  • 1 1/2 cups roasted Turkey breast
  • Root vegetables: 1/2 large celeriac root + 3 medium potatoes + 1/2 large beetroot
  • Flavor (sofrito): 1/2 large shallot diced + 3-4 garlic pods, crushed + 1 1/2 tbsp curry powder mix + 1/4 cup diced carrots
  • 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
  • Egg wash: 2 eggs + 1/2 cup cold water

Method

Process leftover roasted turkey: Place in ziplock bag and freeze overnight. While still in the ziplock, use the mallet to break it up into manageable chunks. Run through the processor to turn it into flakes.

Root vegetables: Peel and cut into chunk and steam till fork tender (about 30-45 mins). Mash while still warm.

Sofrito: Cook all ingredients (except the spice powder mix) in 2 tbsp oil till fragrant. Add the spice powder and let it bloom (1-2 mins). Turn off heat and mix in the turkey and the mashed root vegetables.

Do the breading as in https://purba.blog/2018/09/15/sardine-croquette/.

Bake at 400 F for 20 mins. Flip each croquette and bake for another 10-15 mins.

Serve hot with leftover gravy or leftover cranberry .

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. This technique of mincing cooked meat is a technique I had learned ages ago to infuse flavor deep into a tricky meat like chicken. In my last trip to Okinawa, I encountered this absolutely delicious topping of flakes that I could not place. When I asked the chef about it, I was told it was chicken. I didn’t want to be a pesky foreigner at the classy restaurant but I bet the chicken went through the treatment such as here.
  2. Use any combination (or not) of vegetables of your choice to use as a binder for the meat. A rule of thumb is to use the same amount of vegetables as meat by volume.

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Thanksgiving Leftover Pumpkin Arepa

Transform your leftover roasted pumpkin into delectable arepas, with more personality than pancakes. Enjoy with maple syrup!

Special tools:

Stove-top grill; food processor

Ingredients

Makes 8 arepas

  • I cup pumpkin pulp from leftover roasted pumpkin (with skin)
  • 1 cup corn meal (Venezuelan harina PAN)
  • 2 tbsp EVOO
  • salt to taste
  • Maple syrup for accompaniment

Method

In a food processor, process the leftover roasted pumpkin till it turn into a pulp. Then add the rest of the ingredients and continue to process till it gathers into a ball. Make 8 equal sized balls and flatten into patties.

Heat the stove-top grill. Spray lightly with ELOO. Then place the patties on the hot grill. Loosely cover with aluminum foil. Cook for 6 mins on one side; flip and 4 minutes on the other.

Serve hot with maple syrup.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. The roasted pumpkin did not have any additional flavorings that made it simpler to turn into this sweet-leaning arepa.
  2. The Venezuelan arepa cornmeal is pre-cooked. If using other cornmeal, you may have to cook the cornmeal first. This arepa cornmeal is a great pantry ingredient that you can stock up on. I always have some handy in my freezer (if the packet is opened); else in the dry pantry.
  3. To warm the arepa, wrap in kitchen towel and microwave for 15-20 seconds.

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Steamed Salmon on Chicory

Grilling fish indoors is a tricky affair- the smell can be hard to get rid of. But steaming is a very clean, unobtrusive option with no compromise on the taste. And, steaming is very forgiving- you can never go wrong. Enjoy!

Special tools:

Steamer.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb salmon cut into four equal sized pieces
  • salt to taste
  • Spice rub: 2 tbsp Ottoman spices + 1 tsp ajika spice (or any spice mix of your choice) blended with 2 tbsp EVOO
  • Bed of greens: 1/2 bunch chicory

Method

Wipe the salmon dry. Sprinkle salt and let it rest for about 10 mins, then wipe it dry again. Roll the pieces in the spice mix till evenly coated on all sides.

Line the steamer with the greens and sprinkle salt to taste. Place the fish pieces on the bed of greens. Steam for 15 minutes on medium-high until the fish is done.

Notes, hints, tips:
  1. When I travel I usually bring home spices from these lands. Here I have an Ottoman spice mix from Istanbul and Ajika spice from Tbilisi. And, if one falls in love with the spices, one can always replenish online. Feel free to use any spice mix of your choice.
  2. use any greens for the bed. Also you can add any vegetables that canbe pre-cooked or cut into sizes that will cook cook along with the fish.

Here is another version using purple cabbage leaves as the base.

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