I’ve been to many Indian restaurants and have tasted curries from tons of take away places, as well as food courts inside shopping malls (We actually call them shopping centres here). But every time i ordered a lamb curry, the meat tends to be really lean…too lean!
Sure, lamb probably has one of the highest fat content out of all meats, but did you know that around 50% of those are actually good fat, monounsaturated fat?
That’s why lamb is considered a staple in Mediterranean diets.
Now i’m not gonna go into full details about the health benefits of eating lamb and why you should include it in your diet.
There are far more important things to focus here today.
So let’s just leave that aside…
No, don’t get me wrong, Mr Sheep.
I love lamb very much. I actually prefer this over every other red meat.
But for me, lamb without a bit of fat is like a cheeseburger without cheese.
Really…eating a curry full of lean meat from young sheep just destroys the whole dish for me.
So the other day, i was craving for a nice curry lamb. I thought about buying take away from a place that’s only 5 mins drive down the road. I love their nann breads, but they also make lovely curries and will occasionally throw in a piece or 2 that actually comes with some fat.
But since i had some time on my hands and the fact that I really wanted to chew on a piece of REAL lamb, one that comes with all the extra calories (which we humans need anyway) and monounsaturated fat.
So I decided to make my own.
Off i went to my local butcher and bought a chuck of really good quality lamb shoulder. Now in case you’re wondering, meat from lamb shoulders tends to be really tender and guess what else?
IT COMES WITH ENOUGH FAT!!!
Thank you!
So after some knife works and a bit of slicing and dicing.
This is what i came up with.
Simple, fragrant and delicious lamb curry using everyday ingredients with plenty of meat, sauce and vegetables for everyone!
I hope that you and your loved ones will enjoy this curry as much as we did. While this may not taste like your traditional curry, you will find that the spices used in this recipe are very common and general.
So most people will have these in their kitchen. If not, these spices are easily available in your local supermarkets or grocery stores.
Obviously, there are more authentic Indian curries out there, but those spices may not be easy to find unless you eat curries everyday and know your way around.
I like to keep things simple and work with the ingredients i have on hands.
See how you go and don’t forget to use lamb shoulder meats for this recipe, because it really does lift up the whole dish. Of course, if you want to stay away from fat altogether, you can opt for leaner meats.
That’s just me and that’s also the beauty of cooking.
The freedom to control WHATEVER ingredients you want to put in.
Like anything, moderation is the key and staying balance is my theme!
So love your tongue, respect the food, look after your body and enjoy cooking.
P.S Good foods are meant to SHARE. So don’t forget to share this amazingly simple lamb curry recipe with your friends and family.
It’s valentines day and guess what, we couldn’t find anyone to babysit our kids 🙁
My parents are still overseas and my in laws…well, they’ve been bombing our whatsapp group chat since 4am this morning, sending us a new photo literally every hour, showing off their so called “beautiful sunrise” and sceneries from the balcony of their New Zealand cruise trip.
And expecting a comment back for each one too!!
I mean come on, we’re NOT that old to crave….scenery!
Plus, I’m running out of words to text back.
Trust me, I’ve already used:
Wow!
Spectacular!
That’s a beautiful shot!
OMG!
Wish I was there…
Did you just see God?
You get the point and if I receive just one more photo, I swear…
I’ll send them this:
Then turn off my whatsapp notification and get on with my life.
So yes, we’re gonna be stuck at home tonight to celebrate our valentine’s day…with the kids. What could have been a wonderful romantic evening is turning out to be just another family night.
Sound like I’m complaining huh? (I am…actually!).
Plus, I don’t really feel like cooking today so I just thought about doing something simple and suits the occasion. Maybe a beef steak with red wine reduction sauce is nice.
Now before I go ahead, I just wanted to say that I don’t have much time to write this post today. I’ve already got the flowers, red wine and a little gift (woman, right?), but I still haven’t got the steak yet.
Yes, I like to buy my meats as fresh as possible and I think it’s time for me to pay my butcher a visit.
So I’ll just stop here, get out and do some quick shopping with my family. Then I’ll be back to finish off this post in real time (well…sort of).
Now don’t worry, I already thought out the recipe so this shouldn’t take long.
Dammit! That guy reminds me of my father-in-law. What a true….gentleman! 😡
Anyway, so I just came back from my butcher and bought a kilo of rib eye steak. Now in case you don’t know much about meat or beef, the rib eye is one of the most delicious cut in the world, bar none!
You don’t have to take my word for it, just try it for yourself when you have a chance.
A simple salt and pepper sear is already enough to bring out the flavor of this beautiful meat. And If you decide to add in a red wine sauce or jus for the steak, like what I’m about to show you.
Oh man, I think you’ll want to kiss me!
And a beef steak is never complete unless you compliment it with some side veggies. Since potato mash is getting a little boring, so I think I’ll just add in a few sauteed potatoes and asparagus instead. Combine those with my red wine glaze and that should be enough to make the whole dish lovely and elegant. Perfect for valentine’s day!
Okay, let’s not waste time and get to work shall we?
Easy recipe on how to cook a pan fry seared rib eye using a stove top oven. The perfect Valentine's Day dinner ideas with a simple way to make red wine jus.
So that’s it for this rib eye steak recipe.
Trust me, it’s a beautiful plate to put out for your partner on valentine’s day dinner.
And one of the benefits of cooking a steak is that there are so many sauce and gravy combinations you can use. You don’t necessarily have to do a red wine butter sauce like I did (or a red wine jus as some likes to call it).
Just use your creativity or think about some of the mouth watering sauces that you’ve tasted in some steak houses or restaurants. I’ve actually done a blue cheese cream sauce before with a sirloin steak, all thanks to a French restaurant that we’ve been to.
In this case, I only did it because.
It was easy to make.
It looked exquisite.
It really does taste good.
Most importantly, it wasn’t for kids!
(Yes, I lied and said it had alcohol…but was I really lying?)
So what did I feed my kids?
You’re probably gonna hate me for saying it, but I bought them a McDonalds meal each, along with a 20 pack mcnuggets to share. Not only that, I gave them a leave pass to eat maccas in their own room while watching their favorite animations.
It’s valentine’s day after all, so we want to be left alone…
I can still taste those delicious bruschettas at an exquisite Italian restaurant that me and girlfriend used to dine at (well, she’s now my wife hehe!).
That amazing first bite, full of aromatic freshness! The sweetness from the tomatoes, the unique fragrance from the basil (how can you miss that?), that touch of extra virgin olive oil, combined to perfection and when they were spread onto those thick, beautiful and crusty char grilled baguette slices…boy oh boy!
Though prices were expensive, but we would go back every year for our anniversary celebrations….regrettably until 2010.
Oh don’t get me wrong, we are still very happily married.
I mean, how can she leave me?
I cook like a 3 michelin star chef now HAHA!
Hey come on! At least my kids thinks so…
But since 2010, I don’t know what went wrong with that restaurant but their food just never tasted the same. I guess their head chef must have either retired, got hijacked by a competitor or have decided to open his own fine dining restaurant to make the bigger bucks.
Either way, he was bloody good I tell you and whatever the case may be, I sincerely wish him all the very best!
Though bruschetta was just one of the many appetizers we like to order (by the way, we actually call them entrees here). But this dish has a special place in our heart and not being able to taste that, well…let’s just say our evening wasn’t complete.
I can still remember it very clearly because to be honest, I was reasonably mad that day. Yes I was and if you have been following my blog, you should know that I have a certain level of expectation when it comes to food.
Really…anything else, I can easily close my eyes and play forget. But when it comes to food…especially if I had to deliberately book one month in advance just so that I can taste the cuisine. Well, you better give me what I want or I will be very upset.
Unfortunately, the worst case scenario happened that evening and not just because of the bruschetta (though it was a primary cause), but all the other dishes that we normally order also tasted different!!
Serious, I have many rather sensitive taste buds so I know what I’m talking about.
Anyways, so after dinner and movie that night, I decided to go home and make my own bruschetta for supper. You know, I just wanted things to finish on a high note.
Now if you don’t have a fussy tongue like i do, then the ingredients are actually really simple and it’s very easy to make.
Mine is slightly different from the classic and I’ll explain why in a second. There is a slight twist to it, but just trust me on this because you’re gonna love it!
Here’s my recipe and i’ll take you through it step by step.
Simple delicious bruschetta recipe replacing basil with parsley, then add in an extra element of sesame oil for a fragrantly tasty twist.
Now you may be wondering why the hell are there no basils in this recipe?
I’m not gonna lie because I really did run out of fresh basil that evening. I did have dried ones though, but they taste nowhere near the same so you can forget about using those.
And if you have been reading my anniversary dinner story above, then you can imagine how furious I was…
Fortuitously (how did i even come up with that word??), I had some really fine FRESH parsley to use so I just changed the “traditional” recipe by switching things around. I mean, they are both herbs, right?
And was I WRONG!!
After I mixed everything together, it tasted like tabouli.
Oh no, I thought to myself and with my wife also eagerly waiting to taste my bruschetta (Oh yes, and no dirty thoughts please!). There was just no way on earth I’m going to serve her tabouli on a toast, not on our anniversary, uh-uh!
So I searched everything in my kitchen that I could possibly use, to perhaps, and somehow elevate the flavors.
The list of things I looked at and brainstormed in my head (just to see if it’ll work) was humongous, but to give you a few ideas. They include:
Mayonnaise (What was I thinking??)
Mushroom
Bacon
Coconut Milk (Huh?)
Mozzarella Cheese
Worcestershire Sauce
Cayenne Pepper
Tabasco
Left over chicken from last night
Fish Sauce
Balsamic Vinegar
Maple Syrup
Peanut Butter (Gosh!)
Well, you get the point…
Then I finally saw it!
A gorgeous bottle of healthy sesame oil that I mainly use in salads and asian cooking.
You see, I didn’t want to add any toppings that will overpower the dish. I don’t how to explain this, but for some strange profound reason, I had a really good feeling about using this oil.
So I tested it by adding a few drops of sesame oil into my tomato parsley salsa, that’s basically what it was and OMG!! It immediately gave some life to that same old boring tabouli tang. Straight away, I added another teaspoon in and oh boy, it was totally out of this world!
And that’s how my tomato parsley bruschetta with sesame oil recipe came to light.
Just trust me on this guys, try it out and I promise you won’t regret it.
Serve it on some white crusty bread. It doesn’t have to be on baguettes and you can even use sourdough for all I care, but make sure you toast it properly! Just use my pan grill toasting method or whatever.
Follow my instructions above, combine all the elements together and just dive in!
Happy Eating 🙂
Oh and please don’t forget to SHARE with other people! I bet you they haven’t tasted this sesame oil version before.
The other day, I noticed a container sitting at the bottom level of my fridge. It was tucked at the very back end, one that I haven’t touched for a while.
So I went ahead and pulled it out to see what was inside, only to find a bunch of parsley leaves which I have sadly neglected. If remembered correctly, they must have been stored in that very same spot for at least 2 weeks.
Not very surprised, some of the leaves had already been oxidized (turned yellow). But after discarding the bad ones, I noticed that majority of them were still very fresh, green and fragrant.
Ok sorry, so anyways I was starving that day and didn’t have much in the fridge (The same reason why i searched the bottom compartment in the first place). All my meats were in the freezer and there was NO WAY i could of waited for them to defrost.
There was one egg left…
But I had no bread, no bacon…
And no snacks!
I ran out of pastas, potatoes, instant noodles or anything that could have filled me up within 15 mins. I needed to eat something FAST! My stomach was growling and my hands were shaking (serious signs of hunger).
Sure I could of went out and bought myself some maccas, but it was 40 degrees outside that day (stupid Australia weather!!!).
I honestly didn’t think I could make it to the car. No really, i don’t have a garage so my car has been under the sun forever. Going into that oven would have been a suicide. I could have been cooked alive because it was that bloody HOT!
Without much options, I thought about just boiling the egg and at least that could of given me some extra minutes.
I wasn’t gonna die without trying though and then something clicked…
I recalled having some left over rice from last night!
So i quickly ran to my rice cooker and the moment I opened it, there it was.
My beautiful jasmine…
No princess!
I meant my gorgeous WHITE jasmine rice! (No racism intended)
Yes, i love white jasmine rice. I can’t stand the brown ones, even though I’ve heard that brown rice have better nutrition values. I just don’t like the taste.
So anyway, before I get myself into anymore trouble.
Here’s what I came up with…
Exquisite and fragrant fried rice recipe using only 3 main ingredients, but is enough to keep you wanting more.
I initially wanted to use lemon for this recipe, but i also ran out of lemon that day. Yes, I’ve been really busy (and lazy) so I haven’t done much shopping for a while.
Luckily, i still had half of a lime left in the refrigerator and somehow, the fried rice turned out absolutely fantastic.
Really, it felt like I was eating a delicate dish from a high quality restaurant.
So thanks to my laziness, I’m able to share with you this wonderful, quick and delicious recipe featuring the very healthy parsley fried rice with lime.
The combination worked so well together, in a way I never expected.
Or perhaps I was just too hungry hehe…
Anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did
Don’t forget to SHARE this recipe with your friends and family, especially ITALIANS!
Yes, parsley is an amazing herb that goes with any types of cuisines, not just pastas!
And I have proven it here that you can easily incorporate it into Chinese food also. Though I would really like to try out more Asian dishes using this western ingredient, so stay tune…
Ever wonder what’s inside that very famous McDonalds Chicken Nugget? The crispy golden coating stuffed with tender, juicy and flavorful white meat fillings that’s grinded to near perfection!
Oh yes, my mouth is drooling just thinking about it. And guess what? The Chicken McNuggets® are all made from 100% white chicken meat (NOT pink slime), and mainly cuts from the breast too.
I didn’t believe it myself until I saw this video, thanks to Grant Imahara, who is well known for hosting the Discovery channel hit, Mythbusters.
Check it out and DON’T go anywhere if you also think it’s too good to be true.
As you can see from the start of the video, there is a writing that appeared at the bottom left that says “Compensation Provided By McDonald’s”. So what this means is that McDonalds may have actually paid for this video production to be shot at Tyson Foods Inc.
Source: Youtube
This first impression wasn’t a really good one and literally put me off the moment I clicked PLAY. I mean…given Grant Imahara’s reputation in debunking myths, those words immediately told me that he was paid to do this.
In fact, he was hired by McDonald’s to shoot a number of series on a variety of their menus. It was all part of a promotional campaign called: Our Food, Your Questions.
I guess after all the bad reps given by the public over the years, McDonald’s needed a way to regain people’s trust. And what better ways to do so than being more open about their food menu, which I highly support by the way.
That is, ALATATTT! (As Long As They Are Telling The Truth!)
Source: Youtube
So here we have Amy Steward, the principal meat scientist at Tyson Foods, Inc welcoming Grant into the facility. My immediate reaction was to check the authenticity of this lady because I wanted to make sure she was the real deal, and not just some random actress pretending to be an authority in the company.
That’s a very good sign and instantly gave me more confidence to keep watching as Amy takes Grant further into their meat department, which allowed us to see how their whole supply chain operation works.
Quite an eye opener to be honest to see so many chickens hanging around that process line (maybe more like a butcher line).
Source: Youtube
I couldn’t believe the number of workers who are there to cut up chicken parts, to dissect the breasts, thighs, wings etc. I thought with today’s technology, this process would have been done by machines. (Obviously, i was wrong!)
Then Amy goes on and explains the parts that were actually going into the mcnuggets®. That was kind of satisfying, to finally know the real answer.
No Beaks…
No Feet (DAMN!)
No Kidneys
No Giblets
No Feathers, just these…
Source: Youtube
So we’ve got the breast meat, the ribs, tenderloin and some chicken skin for “extra flavor”, according to Amy. And Grant was right too when he said that “everyone likes a bit of chicken skin” (I do!).
Then we are shown the grinding machine and the actual grinding plate that was used to keep the meaty texture. Everything looks good so far. All the process seems nice and clean…UNTIL the mixing process.
Source: Youtube
Now this is the part that I was most concerned about and that is…what exactly goes into the chicken meat??? We’ve heard so many stories about all the chemicals, preservatives and addictives that McDonald’s use to keep their products consistently moist and tasty.
This was the HIDDEN area I really wanted to find out!
At least we now know that it looks nothing like the pink slime rumours we hear so often on the internet, with Grant gladly doing a comparison for us.
Source: Youtube
Then out of nowhere, Amy goes on to explain EVERYTHING that goes into the mixture and I will go ahead and break it down for you one by one.
Source: Youtube
Now before we get into it, I needed to confirm whether this list match the updated ingredients found from the Official McDonalds Website. And to my surprise…everything in this marinade was there, except ROSEMARY EXTRACT!
This came as a bit of a shock to me, especially given the fact that I know how healthy rosemary really is. So for them to discard this ingredient, it kind of pissed me off!
In saying that, it is NOT unusual for Maccas to change their ingredients, especially given the public backlashes throughout the years.
Here’s the most updated (as of Feb 04, 2017) Ingredient List for Chicken McNugget®:
Click picture to enlarge
So let’s break down McDonald’s official list (United States) and see what each of those natural and “Not So Natural” ingredients are all about. Afterall, we want to know what we are feeding our kids, right?
White Boneless Chicken
We already know which parts of the chicken McDonald’s use as the meat.
Breast Meat
Rib Meat
Tenderloin
Some skin for extra flavor
I must admit these are some very fine cuts and was actually surprised that they didn’t add any other parts such as the chicken thigh (my favourite part by the way).
Water
Come on…I don’t really need to explain this, do I?
All I can say is that I’m fairly confident McDonald’s will NOT use natural spring water for their nuggets. Try and prove me wrong…I dare you!
Food Starch Modified
Now this is where things gets interesting. What is food starch? And why modify it?
Food starch can be a very general term and may come from ingredients such as:
Potatoes
Corn
Rice
Wheat
Tapioca
Beans
Lentils
Since McDonald’s is a business, a very successful INTERNATIONAL corporation that is, so it is only logical that they are going to use the cheapest food starch available to offset their costs. We are living in a commercial world after all.
With that being said, I still wanted to find out what food starch modified really means.
Okay, let’s put it this way, we’ve ALL used food starch in our cooking before. We might not know it, but it comes naturally in our cooking ingredients that ultimately leaks into our food. There’s really nothing wrong with it, unless you’re on a gluten free diet of course (MOST starchy foods contains gluten!)
However, the modified version is very different. According to Love To Know, modified food starch is a chemically altered food ingredient made from starch.
The way it is modified depends on the source of the starch, and the methods to do so may include one or more of the following:
As you can see, it is a rather grey area and we only know that this ingredient is added into the chicken McNuggets® to add moisture. Anything else seems irrelevant to the public.
Modified food starch seems to be an all-encompassing term which allows food manufacturers free reign over what they do to their products
Enough said…
Salt
Again, waste of time explaining this.
If you don’t know what salt is then please…GO EAT BABY FOOD!
But I’ll bet ya a million dollars it’s NOT pink himalayan salt!
Seasoning
As we can see, the seasoning consist of the following:
Autolyzed Yeast Extract – A concentration of yeast cells that’s allowed to die or break up so that the enzymes will break their proteins into simpler compounds, releasing amino acids, salts and carbohydrates.
In cooking definition, it’s basically a less expensive substitute for MSG. Yes, it’s unfortunately true and because it is a natural compound, so MSG doesn’t have to be listed separately in the ingredients for McDonald’s nuggets.
Salt – Seriously, you want me to spoon feed you this time?
Wheat Starch – Nice and clear finally! A starch that’s been extracted from wheat. Whether it’s healthy or not, i’ll let you decide, but may be best to avoid if you are sensitive to gluten.
Natural Flavoring (Botanical Source) – Another very BLURRED area that we will never be able to find out. I honestly thought about trying to call McDonald’s head office to see what exactly this “Natural Flavor” is. But I know they are just gonna tell me it’s all part of their secret ingredients, so why bother?
At least they listed it as coming from “Botanical Source” and what this means is that the flavors may come from certain plants that’s been grounded or extracted. Good news for vegans, vegetarians or anyone who wants to stay away from animal products as much as possible because there are natural flavors that do come from hidden animal sources.
But then…if you’re vegan, why would you even eat chicken nuggets LOL!
Safflower Oil – A high smoke point oil extracted from the seeds of the safflower plant. It is flavorless and odourless so it’s really quite interesting why McDonald’s listed this ingredient as part of their seasoning. Perhaps it helps to bond all the seasonings together?
But then if you look back at the video footage, it mentioned safflower oil as an ingredient used to preserve freshness? Now I couldn’t find any information in regards to safflower oil having any kind of preservative properties when used in food. So it’s a little confusing…
All I know is that safflower oil has similar health properties as sunflower oil, but one can only guess what happens when it is mixed with all the other “stuff”.
At least we know that this oil is suitable for high heat cooking and since McNuggets are deep fried, so it makes sense to use it as one of its binding agent.
Dextrose – This is basically sugar or glucose made from corn. Learn more.
Citric Acid – According to Wikipedia, citric acid is a weak organic tricarboxylic acid that occurs naturally in citrus fruit, with a chemical formula of C6H8O7 (whatever that means).
It is a very common food addictive found in many processed foods. Just take a look at all the food product labels on the shelves of your local supermarket. Pay attention and they are everywhere. It’s most often used to add extra flavors or act as a preserving agent.
Now most people might think that citric acids ONLY comes from citrus fruits, such as lemons or pineapples. Now if that is the case, then I’m perfectly okay with it.
Unfortunately, I just read an article about an industrial way of producing citric acid using BLACK MOLD! It is a far more inexpensive way of producing a similar compound. Kinda scary to be honest, but definitely a good info to know.
Now I’m not saying McDonald’s use this type of citric acid in their McNuggets. At the moment, there’s just no way for us “general public” to find out.
Sodium phosphate
Okay i’m going to try and keep things simple with this one. Sodium phosphate is a combination of natural elements and minerals. In other words, this is NOT an artificial ingredient (Woohoo!) and is utilized by the human body in many ways.
The most common purpose of sodium phosphate is to act as an emulsifier, which prevents oil from separating with other mixtures. Pretty much explains why this ingredient is added to the McNuggets for added moisture.
Shaping, Breading & Batter
Here we see how the meat mixtures go through a machine to form our all too familiar “chicken nugget shapes” from start to finish. A truly amazing process showcasing the technology behind McDonald’s mass production from the Tyson Food plant .
Source: YoutubeJust look how happy Grant is. He’s like a kid in the candy store!
And guess what? According to a video released by McDonald’s Canada, there are actually 4 different McNugget shapes:
Ball
Bell
Boot
Bow Tie
Now this explains why they seem to come in all different shapes and sizes. I guess they are just trying to mimic my home cooking style. No really, I can never make these little bastards look the same!
My son actually calls mine creations, the dinosaur nuggets! Very sad, but I’ll leave that story for another day.
Breading & Batter Coating
Here we see the shaped nuggets going through the breading process which Amy said consists of some seasoning such as white pepper powder, celery etc (Natural Flavors???). We’ll take a closer look at those ingredients in a second.
Then the breaded McNuggets goes through another layer of tempura batter coating which according to the official USA ingredient list, contains the following:
Sorry, I’ve only placed links for each of those ingredients above so that you can read more about them at your own pace. This article has gone WAY longer than what I originally anticipated and quite frankly, my wrist and fingers are starting to get really sore from all the typing!
So please excuse my laziness at this point in time…
Par Frying
This is where the mcnuggets are par cooked (or fried) to stabilize the shape, breading and batter. According to Amy, this is only a partial cooking process and the chicken inside is still RAW.
After this half cooked procedure is done, they will be frozen immediate to lock in all the juice and flavors. They will then be bagged and packaged into boxes before being distributed to all the McDonald’s branches in the country.
Once it arrives into each individual Maccas restaurants, the allocated staffs (yes, the 15,16 year old part timers) will fry them again (fully cooked this time) before they are served to the customers.
Quality Assurance & Taste Tester
Imagine if your job is the eat chicken mcnuggets every single hour of your long working days. Well this is exactly what this lady does, yes…It’s her FULL TIME job!
Sounds like a dream job really, unless you are a totally health conscious individual who absolutely grosses out the moment you hear about lawfully chemical altered food. In this case, you better learn how to cook because these types of foods are everywhere!
Health aside, I think it is a really cool job, but in saying that…doubt I will even last 6 month because I love varieties too much to eat the same things over and over and over…you get the point.
Final Words
The whole point of me putting together this post is to alert people about McDonald’s Food, in particular the Chicken McNuggets. While Maccas has done an incredible job in being more open about their menus.
There are still many “grey” areas which they haven’t covered!
At the end of the day, we, as their customers (loyal ones too), deserves to know what we are really putting into our mouth, our body. And more importantly, what we are really feeding our children each time we pay a visit to their Restaurant???
Mr McDonald’s, It’s really that simple!
We’ve now seen how McNuggets are made from start to finish and you have generously taken us on a tour inside your food factory, showing us your operation and machinery inside the facility.
So all we need now is a break down of your ingredients. Just openly explain them one by one, instead of throwing us with a bunch of scientific terms or micro-ingredients that we don’t have a clue about….unless we continuously bother google.
For cry out loud, WE are NORMAL people!
Ordinary people at best, NOT bloody food scientists!
A lot of people buy tomatoes in bulk because they tend to be cheaper in large volumes. It’s all part of budgeting really, especially if you have a large family to feed.
While it may be wise to stock up on tomatoes at discounted prices, but if you don’t know how to store them properly, then there is a very high chance that you will be left with a pile of rotten tomatoes. (And I’m not talking about movie reviews here!)
This is exactly what happened to me in the past!
You see, we have this amazing local market that only opens on the weekend. Inside you will find a number of stalls that would sell boxes upon boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables at really cheap prices. This is where we get most of our “Healthy” foods, including our favorite red tomatoes.
The only problem is, they come in large quantities, something like 24-30 tomatoes per box.
So no matter how much we enjoyed eating this nutritious fruit (don’t argue with me, it is a fruit!@), we just can’t seem to get through them quick enough. At one point, it was actually getting frustrating because we were forcing ourselves to eat them, to finish them.
Can you imagine having tomatoes for breakfast, lunch and then dinner too?
The truth is, we didn’t know the right way of storing them so after 4 days (max), the skin would start to wrinkle, become soft, mushy and then a day or 2 later, they are pretty much spoiled leaving us with little choice but to throw them in the bin.
This wasteful habit went on for a while and I needed a solution!
I needed it fast!
You see, ever since I developed a passion in food and cooking, I’ve gained an enormous respect for ingredients. So to see all those overripe and rotting tomatoes going to waste. It was a difficult sight to watch to be honest.
So I started doing research on the number of ways to store tomatoes in the hope that I can preserve them for long as possible. To my surprise, there were quite a number of storage techniques available online. Some were very simple, some really clever, but a few others were just outright stupid to say the least.
And guess what? I didn’t even know that you can freeze tomatoes.
Yes, you can and if done correctly, they can last up to 7 months!
Now that’s something I want to learn.
So here, I have done the hard work, discarded the useless ones, kept all the real working methods and compiled it into a STEP-BY-STEP guide for anyone who wants to maximize their tomato viability according to their own cooking fetish.
Check it out!
Method 1
How To Keep Whole Tomato Fresh For At Least 1 Week
This method is very simple and you don’t need to put them in the fridge.
Putting tomatoes in the refrigerator actually affects the taste slightly. It’s not a definite no no, but if you can eat it fresh while keeping it’s maximum taste, texture and flavor. Then why not?
However, this method should NOT be used for large quantities, instead take out what your family can eat in 1 week and follow the steps below.
Don’t wash your tomatoes (Only wash what you use and right before you use them)
Check to see if stems are still attached. If yes, great! If not, use a small sticky tape to cover the stem area. This will greatly extend it’s life.
Place your tomatoes inside a large colander or fruit basket where there are lots of ventilation.
Store in a cool area away from sunlight.
That’s pretty much it for this method and you can keep them fresh for at least 1 week.
You may notice some starting to ripe after this time. In this case, you can start storing them in the fridge. (See next method).
Method 2
How To Store In Fridge & Keep Fresh For At Least 2 Weeks
This method was inspired by My Dishes from youtube.
In a large sealable container, layer the bottom with a kitchen towel.
Now place tomatoes with stem side facing down onto the kitchen towel. Place any amounts that your family can finish in 2 weeks, or whatever you can fit in the container and your fridge.
Lay another kitchen towel on top of the tomatoes and close the lid.
Store container in the refrigerator (Doh!)
Here’s the full video.
As you can see, the video did not have sound, voice, nor any clear instructions. However, you can sort of tell what the person is doing. So if you follow the steps I listed above, then you should be fine.
In saying that, I would suggest you to use method 1 first to keep your tomatoes as fresh as possible. Then after 1 week, you can place whatever is left using Method 2 and it should last you at least another week.
Method 3
How To Freeze Tomatoes & Keep For Up To 7 Months
I get asked this question a lot and that is “Can you freeze tomatoes?“. The short answer is YES, but only if you follow instructions below. Do this correctly and you can keep them inside your freezer for months!
For Large Size
Clean tomatoes thoroughly under cold running tap water and pad dry.
Remove stem and the core using a small paring knife by sticking the blade into the core and cut by rotating 360 degrees. Also remove any bruising or bad spots you see.
Cut into quarters or large wedges (this procedure allows for easy storage) and make sure you use a serrated or bread knife to minimize the loss of juice during the cutting process.
Place wedged or quartered tomatoes onto a plate with the skin facing down. Cling warp and then put in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
Take out plate and transfer frozen tomatoes into a high quality freezable zip lock bag.
Close zip lock bag and leave a 1 cm gap. (Just don’t close it yet!)
Take a straw, put into the gap and suck out all the air from the bag (Yes, using your mouth). Now close it quickly.
Stack the bag(s) into your freezer and only take out what you need for defrost or thaw.
After thawed, simply remove skin and start cooking.
For Small Size
Repeat Step 1. as per above.
Repeat Step 2. as per above.
Use a paring knife to mark a X at the bottom of the tomato (opposite the core side), about 5mm deep. This process allows for easy peeling after it has been thawed.
Place tomatoes inside a freezable zip lock bag.
Close zip lock bag and leave 1cm gap.
Use a straw to suck all the air out through the gap and fully close immediately.
Stack bag(s) into freezer and only take out what you need for defrost or thaw for cooking.
Usage Tips:
Remove skin after thawing because frozen tomato skins are very chewy or rubbery.
The meat will be mushy after the thawing process, so this freezing method is for tomatoes used for cooking only.
Don’t worry, they are excellent for stews, soup, curry, sauce, ketchup, puree and other recipes (use your own ideas).
Not recommended for sandwiches or salads. (You just won’t get the crunch!)
Now if the above steps are too much to swallow, here’s a video to see it in action, thanks to Poonam’s Kitchen from youtube.
Method 4
How To Freeze Homemade Tomato Puree / Paste & Keep Them For Up To 3 Months?
I love making tomato purees because it greatly reduces my preparation and cooking time. When done and preserved correctly, they can last up to 3 months in the freezer.
Maybe they’ll last longer, but that’s the longest I’ve tried and guess what…
Before we go ahead, you’ll need my homemade tomato puree recipe.
After that, simply follow the steps below:
Make sure the puree is cooled down.’
Pour puree into an ice cube tray.
Cover with cling wrap and store in the freezer for 6 hours.
Remove tray from freezer and transfer puree cubes into a freezer safe zip lock bag.
Push down onto the bag to remove as much air as you can, then close it. (Just try your best to get as much air out as possible).
Put it back into the freezer and you’re done!
Now here’s the thing, there is a fine line when it comes to puree and paste. I mean, I was fairly confused myself. Some people say puree is the thicker and more concentrated blend, while others says the same about pastes.
I guess it really depends on which country you live in and what you are used to. In Australia, I believe tomato paste is the more concentrated product, where puree is more watery. At least that’s what I’m accustomed to and if I’m correct, America is the opposite.
At the end of the day, they are all made from fresh tomatoes blended and cooked to a certain consistency. So I say stuff it and just enjoy the freaking food…okay!
From my own experiment, I found that the longer I simmer the tomato (puree), the more concentrated and thick they become, which becomes a paste. So whatever you want to freeze, just reduce it down according to your own taste buds and what you generally cook at home.
For me, I mainly use it for pasta sauce, pizza, meatballs, lasagnas, or as a base for many other stew, soups and baking recipes.
The number of meals you can make are endless.
Really!
Usage Tips
Always count the number of tomatoes you used when making the puree. This will give you a good idea of how many frozen cubes to use in your cooking.For example, 2 puree cubes = 1 tomato.
Instead of using the microwave to thaw or defrost your puree cubes, consider leaving it in the fridge overnight. Just transfer what you need onto a bowl, cling wrap and you will have what you need to use the next day.
Final Words
Understanding how to store food properly can play a MAJOR role in tightening a family’s budget. It’s kind of like doing business or investing in the stock market. You buy at the lowest cost, keep it for as long as possible and then sell it at the highest price.
Except the selling part, in our case, really only means feeding it into your stomach, or your loved ones.
But the way I like to think about it is investing into my family’s health. Now this is (and forever will be) the smartest investment you will ever make in your life. Tomato is an extremely healthy fruit (or veggie as some likes to call it), so you WILL want everyone you care about to eat these as much as possible.
Think mediterranean diet, they eat tomatoes all the time and everyone knows they are a healthy bunch.
Now by learning the above 4 ways of storing tomatoes, you will be saving yourself a lot of money over the years while keeping your family happy and healthy.
Really…its a win win!
So I hope you found this article useful and while you’re at it, please do SHARE.
Trust me, your friends and families will only love you for it.
The turmeric powder you have been storing at home may contain a high level of lead contamination, according to the FDA. So before you decide to add this spice into any of your dishes. Make sure you double check the brand names against the below list!
Here’s the list of the all the recalled brands so far by the FDA.
Now if the above list looks confusing, here’s the photo of each brand.
1) Spice Select – 8 oz
2) Market Pantry – 0.95 oz
3) Gel – 15 oz (Lot/BB: 04/18/19) 4) Gel – 15 oz (Lot/BB: 05/16/19)
5) Clear Value 0.75 oz
6) Lieber’s – 2 oz
7) Spice Supreme – 2 oz
8) Fresh Finds – 3.75 oz
This is another brand (in fact the original brand) that was found to be contaminated with lead. But it wasn’t in the above list. However, you can see the details on the original FDA recall page.
So there are in fact 7 brand names that’s affected.
Now if you have been using any of the above ground turmeric in your kitchen. It may be wise to take it back to the store you bought it from and ask for a refund. Of course, you can also (and should) toss it out if it makes your life easier.
Thankfully, there has been no reports of sickness from the incident (yet), but that doesn’t mean no one has been affected since lead poisoning can take some time to accumulate.
According to Mayo Clinic, long term consumption of lead at a dangerous level can have devastating consequences in both adults (especially pregnant women) and children.
Children Symptoms
Development delay
Learning difficulties
Irritability (e.g grumpiness, eating things they shouldn’t)
Well ok, maybe not that abnormal, but you get the point!
On a serious note, lead Poisoning is not something to joke around nor ignore, and it is particularly dangerous for pregnant women and newborns.
Some symptoms includes
Miscarriage
Stillbirth
Intrauterine growth restriction or IUGR (slowed growth in the womb)
Premature birth
Delayed growth
So if you are concerned that you (or anyone you care about) may have been affected by these recalled products, then you should contact your health clinic immediately to have your blood lead levels check.
What about curry powders?
Very good question and since we know that curry powder contains turmeric as one of their main ingredients. So its only natural that we look further into the matter.
And we were right!
After some further research, we found out that a number of curry powders were indeed affected by the source of contamination. Here are the brands according to cleveland.
1) Blue Mountain Country
Mild Curry Powder
Hot Curry Powder
Hot Jamaican Jerk Curry Seasoning
2) Jamaica Choice
Mild Curry Powder
Hot Curry Powder
3) Ocho Rios
Jamaican Nice Mild Curry Powder
Spicy Curry Powder
Jerk Curry Seasoning Mild
Jerk Curry Seasoning Spicy
4) Oriental
Mild Curry Powder
Hot Curry Powder
5) Grace
Mild Curry Powder
Hot Curry Powder
Caribbean Curry Powder
Caribbean Tradition Hot Curry Powder
Apparently, some of these brands were detected by a New York State Health Department laboratory during a random routine test check. Some companies followed suit and voluntarily recalled their products as they were also worried that their brands may be contaminated with harmful level of leads.
No information were given as to how these products became victim of this recall.
So What Should You Use From Now On?
Turmeric has become big business throughout the last century, making its way into many western countries and into common households.
That’s because not only do they taste great (especially when used in curries), they also consist of a natural compound, circumin, which has been proven to provide a number of health benefits, including anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties.
So we are not really surprise that some dodgy suppliers will mix in a bit of this and that (leads, dyes, chalk powders etc) in order to make some extra money. Of course, it could also originate from the soil its grown in.
Before we get any further details and confirmation on this case, we highly suggest anyone who’s currently using turmeric on a regular basis to switch to a trusted organic brand.
Again, if anyone is concerned whether they or a family member has been affected, it is advisable to seek medical attention immediately for a peace of mind.
And don’t forget to SHARE this article so other people can take precautions.
Anyone who’s ever eaten a steak, especially lamb will most definitely have heard about this distinctively fragrant and tasty cooking herb, rosemary!
Just chop up a few leaves, marinate or sprinkle on the meat and you will have yourself a delicious aromatic steak in a matter of minutes. But NEVER forget your salt & pepper!
Now I take it that most of us already know how to use this delicate herb for cooking, so I’m not gonna waste your time (or mine!) to explain the number of techniques you can actually incorporate this fresh ingredient in your kitchen.
Today, I just wanted to talk about its nutrition values and health benefits.
I mean…I hate all the mumbles and rumbles that goes into so many of those boring essay articles too.
No, really, every time I finish reading one of those posts, it felt like I entered a marathon competition without crossing the finish line.
So lets just cut the crap and jump straight to it.
First, we’ll start with the…
Nutritional Value Of Rosemary
(Source: USDA National Nutrient database)
Please note the above nutrition facts data is based on FRESH rosemary leaves taken from the twigs of the plant. Dried ones will be very similar, but will consists of more leaves per gram as herbs tend to shrink after its water content has been dried out.
Another important point to take note is that the above values are based on:
Servings per 20g!
Now think about this for a second…
1 tsp = 0.7g
1 tbsp = 1.7g
So 20g will be equivalent to approx. 28 teaspoons or 12 tablespoons.
And that’s a LOT of aroma if you ask me!
Seriously…I can easily have a rosemary infused bath with 12 tbsp.
So if you ask me whether this particular herb is highly nutritious? I will have to say no purely based on those qualified data.
But in saying that, we all know our body works in mysterious ways when certain types of material or ingredient enters our body. Not to mention all the other naturally health beneficial substances that makes up this wonderful plant in the first place.
This is exactly why we tend not to focus on nutrient data too much. (Though it is important)
Instead, we prefer to stay balance so we get a GOOD TASTE of everything…
While absorbing the GOODNESS from EVERYTHING!
See, even he agrees.
Which brings us to our very next point.
Health Benefits Of Rosemary
The below list contains ONLY scientifically proven benefits with backed up evidence.
1) Prevent Blood Clot
There has been a study ¹ on humans who consumed this herb on a long term basis. The result shows that daily intakes of rosemary can inhibit thrombosis, a formation of blood clot inside the blood vessel.
2) Prevention Of Various Cancers
The carnosic acid found in rosemary has shown to potentially inhibit the growth of ER-negative human breast cancer cells and this natural power was further enhanced with the synergy reaction when combined with curcumin, a main compound found in a common household spice, turmeric.²
Along with its naturally high antioxidant compounds, the polyphenolic properties of carnosol has also been shown to play a major role in the inhibitation of prostate cancer 3, colon cancer 4, liver, stomach, melanoma, as well as leukemia cancer cells 5.
3) May Promote Hair Growth
People with spot baldness (alopecia areata) will be happy to hear that rosemary extracted essential oils, when massaged into the scalp, may assist in regrowing new hair. Though the study 6 included several other natural herbs such as thyme, lavender and cedarwood. But it was deemed successful to a certain degree.
4) Indigestion Relief
Rosemary is a traditional herb and natural medicine used to relieve a variety of indigestion problems including loss of appetite, gallbladder and liver complaints, excessive intestinal gas (Yes, Farts!), as well as heartburn and other digestive related discomfort 7.
5) Improve Memory
A study conducted by the Northumbria University in Newcastle proved that by inhaling rosemary diffused oil, one can improve memory significantly 8.
The participants were split into 3 groups and placed into 3 separate rooms. One room was scented with Rosemary, the next with Lavender and the last room had no infusion of any kind. The rosemary group came out on top and this claim was further verified after participants were blood tested for traces of rosemary oil in their bloodstreams.
6) Reduce Bacteria & Toxic In Food
Several studies suggested that rosemary can inhibit certain types of foodborne pathogens, the micro-organisms, bad bacteria or virus that can cause disease in humans 9.
This claim was further backed by a test conducted in which a rosemary extract was added to a ground beef patty before grilling. Now in case you didn’t know, cooking meat at high temperature can release a toxin known as heterocyclic amines, which has been linked to several types of cancers.
So when the ground beef was marinated with rosemary extracts, which consisted of rosmarinic acid, carnosol and carnosic acid. It reduced the amount of heterocyclic amines created during the cooking process significantly. In some cases by as much as 90%. 10
Now you know what to add in your barbecue meats, right?
7) Elevate Mood & Relieve Stress
Rosemary oil is a popular essential oil in aromatherapy because it has been proven to lift mood once it enters a person’s nervous system, in which participants claimed to feel more active and fresher 11.
Another study conducted has shown that when inhaled, rosemary essential oil will immediately enhance free radical scavenging activity (FRSA) in the person’s body, while decreasing stress hormones 12
8) Anti-Inflammatory & Pain Relief
Rosemary tea for pain is a well known remedy in the modern society because a single leaf from this extraordinary plant contains several anti-inflammatory substances such as camosol, rosmarinic acid, ursolic acid and oleanolic acid. These natural substances can help relieve migraines, muscle pain, joint pain and arthritis. 13
Essential oil extracted from sprigs of fresh rosemary herb can also be used as a topical solution for pain relief. Simply mix 2 drops of rosemary oil, 2 drops of mint oil and 1 tsp of coconut oil, and rub it onto the painful area for fast soothing effect. 14
9) Bad Breath Fix
Let’s face it, nobody likes stinky breaths so if you are one of those unfortunate people who just can’t seem to get rid of bad breath. You may want to consider drinking more rosemary tea because it has been proven to stop several types of mouth bacteria or to be specific, micro-organisms that causes….BAD BREATH! 15
10) Prevent Brain Aging & Possibly Alzheimer
Aging is a natural phenomena that nobody can run away from. Whether it is our skin, the wrinkles (yay!), our hair, our joints, muscles and even our brain. As we age, signals travelling to and from our brain becomes weaker and weaker, affecting our reflexes, our memory, our problem solving skills and even our personality.
Think dementia and then ultimately alzheimer’s disease which affects many elderly people, as well as some middle age in every part of the world. There is no cure because the brain is such a complex master organ that top doctors and surgeons are still trying to figure out.
Thankfully, according to a Japanese study, there may be a way to prevent this from happening (okay…maybe more like slowing it down until the day we die so technically and theoretically, we don’t actually get it). And the credit goes to….ROSEMARY! 16
11) Other Benefits
Want an easy way to keep your food fresh and taste great? The super antioxidant properties of rosemary can help preserve food and flavor, whether in high heat or low such as during refrigeration 17.
There are many other health benefit claims with using rosemary, but I really couldn’t find sufficient evidence to back up those claims (Believe me, I tried), so unless they are proven facts, I’m not going to waste my time (and yours) by listing them here.
So forgive me, but this is how it’s gonna be!
Possible Side Effects Of Rosemary
While I’m no medical expert and certainly don’t have plans to become one (I Love Food, Cooking, Staying Healthy and Having Fun, Remember?).
I do however feel obligated to ensure anyone who uses this ingredient are using it at the safest possible manner. So this only means more late nights of research for me and possibly some junk food (supper) along the way.
1) Pregnant Woman Should Avoid This Herb
According to the American Pregnancy Association, rosemary has a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the United States, which basically means it is considered “Likely Safe” when consumed orally in the amounts typically found in foods (small quantity). 18
Then they go on and say:
Because rosemary may have uterine and menstrual flow stimulant effects, it is best to avoid using it.
In other words, rosemary may trigger miscarriage (abortion) when used in high amounts.
So if you are pregnant, I would highly suggest you to stay away from this herb for a while. This includes any supplements which may contain traces of such ingredient. Again, I’m no doctor and don’t plan on becoming one (though I am studying to become a nutritionist), but I just feel that it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Okay, I truly understand that 10 months of eating meats and vegetables without some exquisite rosmarinus officinalis flavor (Latin word by the way…) can be really hard to endure.
This is another reason why women will always and forever have my utmost respect!
Now if there is one allergy in the world that I DO NOT WANT, it has to be this one right here! I mean, life would be so difficult without some rosemary herbs. My beef, my chickens, my stews, my potatoes, my roasted veggies…oh please don’t let me think about it!
Though rare, but there has been several cases where people have reported to have allergic reaction after coming into contact with this particular herb, both via oral intakes or external applications such as makeup. 19
Some of the signs/symptoms from rosemary allergies includes:
Skin rashes and swelling
Coughing
Sneezing
Difficulty breathing and wheezing
Nasal congestion
Runny nose
Watery eyes
Vomiting
Kidney irritations
This edible plant also contains a natural chemical known as salicylate, which is very similar to aspirin in that it has blood thinning effects. So if you already have aspirin allergy, then it may be wise to stay away from this herb, especially in high medicinal amounts.
3) Bleeding Disorder
Since rosemary can increase blood flow circulation and can act as a blood thinner. People with bleeding disorders should avoid using this herb too much, especially in essential oil form whether inhaled or applied externally, because it could lead to increase bleeding and bruising.
In saying that, cooking generally only requires a relatively small amount but if you are to eat this ingredient everyday, then perhaps things can build up.
Just saying…so please always consult with your doctor or qualified personnel.
4) Seizure Disorder
According to the WebMD, people with seizure or epilepsy disorders should avoid rosemary altogether. This is particularly true in undiluted oil form. Rosemary can make the symptoms worse including:
Strange Emotions & Sensations
Abnormal Behaviors
Muscles Spasms
Convulsions
Loss Of Consciousness
As you can see, these are some serious symptoms so if you or if you know anyone who’s got seizures then it may be best to alert them about this.
Think about it, you really don’t want these symptoms to get any worse (just imagine if the person is driving while having these attackes OMG!).
Again, always talk with your certified physicians, trained medical professionals or doctors for any concerns.
The Bottom Line
I honestly can’t believe I wrote such a long article on this topic (So what’s next…a book?? NOT!), but I must admit I had fun while researching for all these information, which at the end pretty much sums up the:
Nutrition Facts
Health Benefits
Possible Side Effects
And a bit of jokes while doing so which i’m sure you won’t mind unless you are a robot of course, but then you shouldn’t even be reading this page because food and eating wouldn’t even concern you. Just go and drink some petrol!
Anyways, rosemary is such a fine herb and I cook with it all the time, so I guess it’s only natural that I wanted to learn about this plant as much as possible.
Afterall, I want to know what goes into my mouth, my body, as well as my family’s.
So the bottom line, rosemary is a herb that doesn’t contain much nutrition value (i.e if you are only into calories, vitamin A, B, C etc) in terms of the quantity used in common meals.
However it is jammed packed with amazing health beneficial elements (the goodies!) which only appears and does its magic once it interacts with our body chemistry, whether internally or externally.
It is a top notch herb that is very healthy and super tasty. You can use it for cooking, make a cup of nice hot tea. Then there are rosemary essential oils (NOT EDIBLE!!) that you can diffuse into a room for some aroma therapy or simply rub it onto your skin as a topical remedy for external use.
Like any ingredients though, there will always be certain side effects that may affect individuals (everyone is different!) however it is considered “Likely Safe” when used in foods, so chances are you will be able to enjoy the delicate flavors from this savory herb without too much issue, provided it is in small amounts.
In saying that and just to be on the safe side, always consult with your doctor for professional advice especially if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.
God I’m getting so annoying and I honestly feel like I’m just repeating myself here, which is usually a sign that my brain has been overworked (I need some good sleep!).
So I sincerely hope you enjoyed this post and found it useful because if you did, it will definitely help me sleep better at night knowing that my effort hasn’t been wasted.
And I’m outta here…
Oh and please don’t forget to SHARE with other people.
Ever thought about the day you might need to cook for 50 people? Well, unless you never want to host another party in your life, not for housewarming and not even for your kid’s birthday, then this may be the least of your worries.
Otherwise, it is a very realistic scenario you’ll eventually have to face. Sure, you can always call catering service to take care of things and they might even have “some” good menu ideas to choose from. But hey…the prices ain’t gonna be cheap and you know it!
How about cooking something simple for your your guests instead?
Like…say fried rice?
They are always a crowd pleaser and more importantly, the ingredients are not expensive. No where near the cost of hiring catering, that’s for sure!
Fried rice are also very easy to prepare, though I couldn’t exactly say the same about cooking them. Not after watching this guy anyway…
Take a look and you’ll know exactly what I mean.
You see, if you really want to cook fried rice for 50 people, then I suggest you better start learning some kung fu.
Yes they are closely related because the fundamental of kung fu is all in the stance, and this guy’s stance is amazing. Not to mention his arm strength, his wrist, his hips and the lower part of his body all combining into one style.
And the way he flips that giant wok ensuring every single grain of rice gets coated with flavors. Truly a master of….fried rice I’ll say!
Since we’re talking about kung fu…
I’ve always been a fanatic when it comes to martial arts. Ever since I was young, my favorite movies and cartoons would be about kung fu, karate, kick boxing and then of course, some ninja turtles too.
My favorite action movie stars has to to be Jean Claude Van Damme, Jacky Chan and Jet Li. The way they fought on the big screens can easily keep me fascinated for hours and hours. This is probably the reason why my parents decided to put me into kung fu lessons too.
Seriously, I was only 8 years old at the time and the same age when I first moved to Australia with my family. Back then it was a super boring country for me. I mean, I lost all of my friends, most of my favorite toys, and the the fact that I didn’t know much english at the time. You can pretty much guessed how hard it must have been for me.
Thankfully, there were kung fu lessons!
Not cooking, oh no…i never really had a passion in cooking until I became a parent.
You can forget about fried rice too, the only thing I knew how to cook was instant noodles. Boil some water, seasoning and noodles in, 3 mins…done! (Imagine Gordon Ramsay saying this LOL!)
Besides Nintendo (oh yes), kung fu was my second most loved hobby. I got to meet many new friends, people who actually spoke my native language. I also got to learn one of the most humble kung fu style, Pak Mei!
The Pak Mei style is nothing like Wing Chun (especially in popularity), but apparently my master once told me that we were wing chun’s most feared enemy.
But up until now, I still couldn’t verify whether that statement was true. I mean….I just never really fought anyone who knew wing chun, not full on anyway.
Here’s a clip on some Pak Mei techniques
The Similarity In Cooking & Kung Fu
To me, i find a spontaneous similarity between learning to cook and learning kung fu. It’s all about getting the “basics” right!
You first develop the basic skills, the “stance”, then you train on the techniques, the strength, and eventually the instinct, reflex and confidence will come naturally.
No joke, I found that out when I had my first real fight at school. I think I was year 4 at the time, about 9 years old and one day, I became a victim of bullying. Yes, I was probably the only 2 or 3 Asian in my school.
So I guess it was only a matter of time that some western kids will start picking on me due to my race. Now before I tell you this story, I just wanted to say that I absolutely HATE violence!
Serious! Learning kung fu was purely based on passion, love (just like cooking) and perhaps my parents wanted to give me the ability to defend myself…if that day really comes.
And that day came alright.
My first real provoked fight
So 2 bullies decided to push me around after school, calling me names, daring me to fight back blah blah…
Little did they know that I already had 2 years of kung fu training under my belt. So I naturally developed some self defence instinct without even knowing it.
To be honest, I tried to back off because my master (we called him Si Fu) have always taught us to stay away from trouble. I took his every words to heart. Unfortunately the 2 Aussie kids weren’t letting me off easy.
They were both bigger than me, though I truly believed that I was the stronger one, at least in terms of punching and kicking power.
I mean come on, we punch and kick giant sand bags 2 times a week!
So after an array of verbal abuse, one of the kid decided to throw a punch at me. I blocked it without any hesitation. It wasn’t even a kung fu block, nothing fancy at all. Just a quick natural block I often seen in Jacky Chan movies. It just came naturally.
I stepped back and tried to warn him, literally begged him to stop. Though I could see that he was shocked from my quick reaction. He still followed through with another punch.
Again, out of natural reflex, i gave him a push kick straight to the gut (a direct kickboxing move one of my master’s son taught me). The bully landed on his face with both arms wrapped around his belly, growling in agonizing pain.
At that instant, my fighting mode fully clicked in and I was ready for a rumble. I really couldn’t care less if there were 10 people in front of me, but I wasn’t gonna die without trying!
I raised both hands in a fighting stance and shouted at the bully to stand back up, but I think he was done. I then looked straight at the other bully’s eyes and asked if he wanted some of me. Thankfully, he raised both of his hands, stepped back and said “We’re cool…”
Honestly, it was like a scene from a movie, the karate kid or something!
I really felt like a movie star that day.
Obviously after the adrenaline faded, I felt really bad for the other kid, the one I kicked. He didn’t come to school for a whole week. But funnily enough, I became really good friends with the other one. The other bully who wisely stood back…hehe!
I really don’t know if it’s a kids thing, but I became really popular in school ever since that day. Though I kinda enjoyed the kiddy fame, but truly wish that no other kids have to go through the same, no matter what race or nationality they are from.
There is NO one perfect technique!
If there’s anything I learnt from my first fight. It has to be that there is NO one perfect technique for everyone. The truth is, all of us are different. We are all unique and that’s the beauty of it.
You see, in my first real street fight. Okay, maybe just a kiddy school fight, but the point is that NO kung fu moves mattered anymore.
The same moves that I’ve been training for 2 years, the same skill sets that I’ve been taught for encounters such as this. Well, they literally went out the window the moment I was attacked.
If anything, I was basically using the most direct fighting style I knew how, or my subconscious knew how. It was kickboxing moves that my master’s son taught us. Yes, he also teaches but likes to add some variety. I guess he also knew that when it comes to real fight. Direct hit is the best.
And my subconscious knew that too…
In saying that, kung fu definitely provided me with ALL the basic skills that I needed. All the reflexes, quick thinking, movements, power and precision all came directly from the art of kung fu.
Yes, kickboxing was just a tool for me and kung fu was my instinct of using that tool.
I found the same goes for cooking. Though very similar, but many people cook differently. For example, one may find that putting garlic in first enhances the flavor of the dish, while the other may add it half way etc.
Or one chef might hold his knife this way, while the other may not. At the end of the day, it’s all about getting the basics right. As long as the potatoes are cut in the shapes we wanted and that our fingers are perfectly safe.
Who bloody cares!
As long as the dishes come out fragrant and delicious, so what if we put the onions in later!
You understand what I’m trying to say here??
Same goes for Kung Fu, Muay Thai, MMA or whatever, the whole point is to defend yourself and strike the opponent (if you really must) the best way you know how. It depends on the practitioner because everyone is unique. Some people are born to suit one style better than the other.
So no one can really say one style is superior over another!
Take Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay for example, who is the better cook?
Who f**king cares! They both cook awesome food!
The Bottom Line
I really don’t know how this article got this long. I guess martial arts is just another passion of mine. So just like food, I can go on forever! (So consider yourself lucky I’m not writing another 1000 words..)
Back to the guy who was cooking that gigantic fried rice. You can easily tell that he’s had years of practice with the wok in the kitchen. He’s got all the basics right. Over time, stir frying and seasoning just came naturally to him. He doesn’t even have to think.
Of course, to cook that portion all in one go (I say that’ll easily feed 40 people) is crazy. But the key point here to take is that no matter how big your party is, no matter how many people you’re trying to cook for.
Get the basic skills right, everything else will come naturally. Portion size won’t be a thing to be afraid of anymore. It doesn’t matter if you’re cooking for 10 people, 20 people, 60 people or even 100 people!
Okay maybe that’s easier said than done and if i’m honest, anywhere over 50 people, I’ll definitely consider booking a catering service in.
Oh don’t get me wrong, I really love and enjoy cooking. But if I’m gonna start getting stress over it, then it may be not worth the trouble. You should know me by now, if the food isn’t great, I simply won’t serve it.
I don’t know about the fastest since there are so many hidden talents in this world. But this guy surely has to be the most entertaining kebab maker I have ever seen in my life!
Seriously, I couldn’t stop laughing when I first saw this and it has nothing to do with the fact that he’s Russian.
No offence, I was simply amazed by his quick and precise movement so I couldn’t control my amusement.
By the way, do they even make kebabs in Russia?
I honestly don’t know…
You see in Australia, there are many kebab shops and you can find one in literally every suburb, town or city. That’s because Australia is a multicultural country with many migrants from the middle east.
So I always thought that kebab is a traditional Lebanon food, since most of those chefs (if that’s what you call them) are Lebanese. But after doing some research online, I found out that it actually originated from Iran (I was close though…)
So for a Russian cook to prepare a kebab roll in such style is truly impressive.
Check it out!
Did you see that?
The guy is a true master in making kebabs! He basically danced his way throughout the whole thing and before you know it, 2 awesome kebabs were ready.
Anyhow, good show doesn’t always mean good food. While his performance certainly did his business no harm. At the end of the day, this amazing talent will be wasted if the kebab he’s served tasted like crap.
One thing I can be sure though…
And that is…I will never want to pick a fight with this kebab chef.
I mean, just look at the way he plays with that massive knife while waiting for the toaster to finish its job!
I think that’s actually a machete now that I watched the whole video again.
Seriously, would you want to go anywhere near him?
