Staying Thin with Beer

It's a secret most Bretons in France have kept for generations. They consume beer and they stay thin. The crêpes, I mean.

That would be the day, wouldn't it, to drink as much beer as you'd like and not get a beer belly. Especially this time of year, it's hockey season and the Montreal Canadiens have made it to the playoffs. So, most guys AND gals in Montreal are cheerfully rooting for the Habs this year rallying every week either at the Bell Center for a live game or gathering at local sports bars to watch the game on the big plasma TVs, with a jug of beer. Quite intense. Having said that, I hope I'm not jinxing their chances of winning the cup this year. Go Habs Go!

So, moving along with the recipe which, by the way, is really good. It started when I tasted these amazing crêpes made by a friend of mine who is originally from the Republic of Cameroon but whose cooking influences are mainly French. Her crêpes were spongy and buttery. She mentioned that a touch of beer in the batter can make wonders to your crêpes. My eyebrow raised. Beer? First thought that popped in my mind was, what would that taste like? She told me the beer wouldn't alter the taste, but make the crêpes fluffier. Curious, I was looking for more information on the internet and cookbooks. To me, this was newly discovered information, but apparently it was a very well known tradition with the more established cooks and the French for years. Another friend of mine who is of French and Italian descent (we're a mix of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds here in Montreal) replied with enthusiasm "Of course! Beer makes crêpes fluffier and lighter", or "plus légère" as she explained more precisely.

It made sense, the yeast in the beer causes the batter to expand and form pockets or bubbles. When the batter is cooked it "sets" and the pockets remain, giving the crêpes a soft and spongy texture. Plus, the beer creates a thinner batter.

On weekends, I like to prepare the crêpe batter the night before, let it rest overnight and make a fresh batch in the morning.

See how thin and spongy they are...mmmh

Preparation : 5 minutes (let sit 1 hour or overnight), Cooking time: 30-40 minutes (depending on how quickly you get a handle on it)

Recipe "au pif":
2 cups all purpose flour (500g)
pinch of salt
6 eggs
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp Cointreau or Rum
2 cups (roughly 1 can of beer)
2 cups milk (1%)

1 tbsp brown sugar (optional)

1/4 melted butter and oil (half and half) for cooking
Put in flour in a big mixing bowl.

Make a small well in the center and add in the oil, Cointreau/Rum, eggs and sugar (optional).

Whisk until you reach a thick paste. Gradually add in the milk and the beer and whisk until you reach a light, velvety and silky texture.

Let it sit for an hour or overnight in fridge, covered.

Whisk again to blend all ingredients into a soft and silky batter.

Heat large skillet and grease it with about 1 tsp of butter-oil mix (I like using a silicone brush to grease the pan).

Ladle the batter and pour in hot skillet, starting with the center of the skillet and swivel the pan around until the pan is evenly covered with a thin layer of batter. Cook for 30 seconds. Flip over crêpe with spatula to cook other side for 30 seconds. Slide the crêpe out of the pan onto a serving plate. Repeat until you run out of batter.

Edges are even crispy...

Makes approx. 20 crêpes.

I usually cut the recipe in half to make about 10 crêpes for breakfast in the morning for 2-3 hungry people. Takes no more than 15 minutes to cook. Enjoy with more Cointreau, sugar, whipped cream, fresh berries, or just plain!

Tasty & Crunchy Asian Greens in 5 minutes

It's a busy time of year for me at work this month but I make sure that I don't let myself go in eating out too much. Sometimes, a good home-cooked meal really hits the spot. But when there isn't enough time in a day, or in a week for that matter, I like cooking Asian greens because it's simple and fast.

I don't have any particular story behind this recipe (and I don't really have the time to blog this week!), only that it's quick, easy and healthy. You'll also be surprised that it's not stir-fried, yet the veggies remain tasty and crunchy.

Recipe "au pif":
Your choice of Asian greens (Chinese broccoli, Chinese cabbage...etc.)
1 tsp finely minced garlic
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp ground white peppercorn (found in most asian grocery stores)
3 cups boiling water.
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Preparing garlic oil:
Lightly brown garlic in hot pan (make sure you don't overcook or burn the garlic as it'll taste bitter) for about 30 seconds.

Preparing the veggies:
Boil water in large sized saucepan. Add 1-2 drops of vegetable oil (this will keep the veggies vibrant in colour).

Blanch the greens in the boiling water for about 2 minutes. Drain and discard water and put greens aside on a serving platter. Blanching is an important step which will give the greens a great crunch and not wilted.

In a hot wok, add in 1 tbsp garlic oil, oyster sauce, white peppercorn and give it a stir for 30 seconds. Add in 1 tbsp water and stir for another 30 seconds. Pour the sauce over the greens and serve.

You won't taste better Asian greens than this. Enjoy!
Serves 4 people.

Shrimp Stuffed Crispy Tofu with Black Bean Sauce (Restaurant Style)

Tofu. Most meat lovers would cringe just hearing that word, like a vampire shrinking away from sunlight. I, myself, love eating meat and can’t seem to get enough of it. In my earlier years, I used to eat an entire plate of pork chops that would serve 4 people. My parents were so concerned for my health (not that I was overweight) that my mother would often prepare teenie weenie portions of meat, just so that I wouldn’t over dose my body with cholesterol. Thinking about it now, I must’ve had a relatively big void in my life to have such a huge obsession with meat. I still do. What would Freud say about this obsession??

Being of Vietnamese descent, I grew up with tofu to be part of my daily diet and I can’t get enough of it either. Anyone who was raised in an Asian family or who hung out a lot with Asians would most likely tell you that tofu is one of the greatest culinary inventions. And I’m not exaggerating. Sometimes we just love eating bland and tasteless food. Most vegans and vegetarians have grown to appreciate the taste of it. Although, it’s perceived as an uninspiring and boring food, sometimes I think less is more. It’s like water. At times, water can quench your thirst better than any other drinkable liquids (soda, beer, juice). Ever so often, esthetics can play an important role in making water look so appetizing. To most, a nice tall glass of water with ice cubes looks more tantalizing than a plastic bottle filled with water. I think this is the best analogy I can think of to best describe how tofu can be appealing to one’s taste buds. You just need to be creative with it in making it more sexy. Nowadays, there are thousands of tofu recipes out there that make this edible bite more appealing to any eating style.

I’m even trying to convince some of my friends that tofu is actually very enjoyable to eat. One of them is a friend who is Chinese and is as open as one can be about food. But tofu doesn’t seem to jive with him. I don’t get it, but life goes on...

One of my favorite tofu dishes is served in a local Chinese restaurant, near my place. It’s stuffed tofu (aka bean curd) with shrimps and black bean sauce. I love this dish because the tofu is very crispy and the shrimp stuffing is really savory. The shrimp stuffing freezes very well for later use if you have some leftover. I'm pretty sure after you've tasted this dish, you won't think of tofu the same way.

And what is the secret to making tofu crispy? Use firm tofu and remove as much water as you can with paper towel. Coat the tofu with a little bit of cornstarch and fry for about 2 minutes on each side in very hot oil, until brown.

Preparation time: 20 minutes, Cooking: 30 minutes

*Recipe “au pif”:6 - 8 medium sized cubes or triangles of firm tofu (about 2 1/2 inches wide on each side)

12 medium sized raw shrimps (shells and tails removed and deveined), coarsely chopped

1/4 cup ground/minced chicken

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp fermented black bean paste (found in most Asian supermarkets - I use the one from Lee Kum Kee)

1 tbsp garlic oil (browned garlic soaked in oil)

1/4 cup cornstarch and water mix (2 tsp cornstarch diluted in 1/4 cup water)

1/4 tsp hot chili paste

2 cups of vegetable oil to fry

1 tbsp chopped scallions to garnish

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To remove water from tofu, place a cutting board on top of the tofu cubes/triangles for about 15 minutes. Weight will squeeze water out. And then pat dry with paper towel.

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Scoop out about 3 scoops of tofu with melon scooper/baller from each cube.

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Shrimp stuffing:

Mix shrimp, white pepper, salt and sugar in food processor until you have a paste. Mix the shrimp paste with the ground chicken and cornstarch in a bowl, with your hands, until all well blended.

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Stuff the tofu with the shrimp mixture and coat each cube/triangle lightly with cornstarch.

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Heat oil in medium sized saucepan on high heat. When the oil is hot, add in 2 cubes/triangles at a time and fry 2 minutes until light golden brown and turn them over to fry the other side for another 2 minutes. Place on paper towel on a large plate. Repeat with remaining cubes/triangles.

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Black bean sauce:

Heat a medium sized saucepan on high heat and add in the garlic oil, the black bean paste, chili paste and the cornstarch water mixture. Stir well until you have a thick gravy-like consistency. Add more water if too thick.

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Lay the stuffed tofu on a serving dish and ladle the black bean sauce on tofu. Garnish with chopped scallions.

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Serve hot while crispy with steamed jasmine rice.

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Because this dish is usually eaten with other dishes, it can well serve 4 people.

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Enjoy!