Table Etiquette and Lay Up -101

Ever gone for a formal dinner or lunch at any of the fine dine restaurants ,or was it a formal or corporate event and you were met up with this elaborately set up table?You quickly start panicking inside but since you do not want to show that you are not from the village{read:Home or Mshamba} you silently take up your seat but your mind races with several questions and thoughts such as ....why this many spoons? What do i start with? Which glass is for water or should i drink straight from the bottle?with which hand should i hold the knife or the fork?.....the questions always seem to be endless and i know if you are like me sometime back you go into safemode...i.e allow the other person to start and follow the lead, and if he is in the same boat as you...that's where the drama begins.

Simply put a picture speaks a thousand words...therefore acquaint yourself with the attached photo/infographics ...they may prove to be your savior from now on.

This kind of Table etiquette and setup came to our continent by ship therefore there is no need to feel embarrassed. Take sometime to learn the westernized culture but at the same time if you are eating African cuisine ,please elect to keep it local.Dig into that 'Ugali' with your your fistcup  shaped hand.As long as your hands are clean and washed you will be right in order.The Japanese/Chinese also have their unique table etiquette and they have exported it worldwide and i t has gained appeal.It therefore stands to reason that we must be proud of our local [Read: Traditional] etiquette and table manners otherwise it will not have appeal to others.

And right...don't eat while talking or with your mouth open at the same time(some guys are able to do that) its so irritating-that's just universal table manners !

Choosing and Using a Good Chef Knife

A good knife is a mandatory requirement for good cooking and that's not an understatement.A good knife is also key to safety in the kitchen and this post will explain why.
 I have visited so many kitchens, watched and cooked with many homegrown caterers and many a times i have been thoroughly disappointed with the knives so much so that i always carry my chef knives any time i know i will be cooking somewhere ;save for when i am with Chef Kevo of Kevs Kitchen/Mocha Loco .

So good people out there as we begin year 2014 make it your resolution to get a good pair of steel knives and this maiden post this year will give you hints on how to select and use a good knife.

Selecting a Good Chef Knife:

Before selecting a Chef Knife you need to know the parts of a knife:

A good knife should basically enable you to carry out various tasks in the kitchen with minimal effort or exertion.Generally, the length should be between  15 to 36 centimeters and the blade width at least between 1 1/2 inches and 3 inches.Japanese knives have a much wider width length and require good technique in  order to fully exploit their potential.The best knives are made of high carbon stainless steel, carbon in them makes them easy to be extremely honed for a sharper edge and the steel removes corrosive effect of carbon.This are generally very very expensive!Dont fall for an imitation that uses this description.

 If you are in Kenya , Nakumatt Supermarkets have very good selections of Chef Knives ,the ideal ones are costly and may set you back around Kenya Shillings 2000 to 3,000 bob. However they have cheaper knives Rossetti brand being my personal favourite which go for less than Kshs 1,000/=. Ladies invest in one...there is no excuse for a bad knife!

The handles may be steel, plastic or wooden but ensure that the inside blade or tang goes all the way round including the handle(see the picture adjacent )if you are unable to see the blade go all round the handle that is probably a cheap knife and will certainly at some stage prove cumbersome to handle.Invest in a good knife it will give you the confidence and will prove safer when handling.We usually use more energy with blunt objects than with sharp ones that in itself may increase risk cutting oneself.If you have a sharp too and know how to handle it well you will minimize the risk of cutting oneself.

How to Hold A Chef Knife

It takes less that 10 seconds for a  professional chef to gauge if you know how to cook or what you are doing based on how you handle your knife.Now that's a tip that you can take to the bank!

 Most of us hold a knife as shown above ,while opinion may vary this is basically the wrong way to do it.The best way is to lay the handle flat against the tip of your fingers then roll back closing your fist.No part of your finger should hold the blade.Ensure the tip of the blade is on the cutting board while you raise the handle in a pivot motion.Make sure the knife is balanced and stable then cut with a rocking motion i.e going forward and drawing it backward.This ensures you use the least energy.Learn to hold the handle only ,if need be you may also hold the bolster or "choke up"the knife with your index finger and thumb striding the blade but not on top of it .With practice this may be possible however if impossible to master the technique then you may hold it as above but ensure whatever the technique you are comfortable and relaxed.

You also need to know how to handle the items you are cutting ,but that will be a subject for a future post*.I have also not talked of sharpening and honing knives(these two terms refer to two different things ),that will also be elaborated  in a future post.For today ,i hope your new years resolution will be to get a new set of knives and that this post has helped in tipping you on how to select a good knife.

NB : In collaboration with Prompt Foods we now offer customized cookery listen for Nairobi residents and its environs.Drop a message on our Facebook page for inquiries!

Enjoy your new year and lets culinate allez Cuisine(Lets Cook)!

Why Newspaper or Cook Book Recipes Just Wont Cut It !

Are you a home cook with a knack for experimenting new dishes?If the answer is yes i am sure you have ever been moved by a wonderful recipe some where complete with amazing photos on a food blog/website, newspaper page or recipe book and perhaps thought to yourself you should recreate it. Many of us have and often we are just not able to "hit it" like it is on the source page.You may wonder why?


Being a weekend , i like to skim through the newspaper pages on the society, lifestyle and fashion pages.Today's dailies had fancy pages on good food.The Daily Nation actually had an interview of a professional Sous Chef with one of the popular restaurants around who loves cooking Italian Cuisine/foods and he made recommendation on how to Cook a Duck Confit with some Tortellini .The Standard on the other hand had this nice caption on making a Assorted Bell Pepper Salad.

That was really fancy and i am sure many Kenyans were inspired to one day try and recreate this dishes as provided in the recipes.Based on my knowledge and background in food my simple advice is 'without some little background or knowledge of food you will never be able to recreate those dishes' based on the scanty information that was provided in those pieces.Here are some of the reasons why:

Food Stylists and professional Photographers:

Behind those fancy photos are professional food stylists (many with a professional background in food)and photographers who tweak the dishes and the photo to ensure maximum visual appeal.This Readers Digest Post may perhaps hint you on some of the tools of the trade.Well its true you may reason that perhaps you may not be able to recreate the look but at least you will be able to cook what is presented.In this regard you are also wrong,and here is the reason why!
(See this youtube Video  "Confessions of a Food Stylist")

Good Cooks have Good Knowledge:

A good cook must have background knowledge on the type of food he wants to cook,the technique and some reasonable experience in preparing the dish or similar dishes of a similar nature.Knowledge is key.
For example the recipe for Bell Pepper had some instructions on mixing vinegar,black pepper and some oil.In essence this means creating a dressing .Now without some hindsight basic knowledge on salad dressings in particular emulsions. A home cook may attempt at making a dressing but it will come no close to someone who has background knowledge on emulsions, how to mix them, keep them stable, flavor them and the appropriate vinegar/oil ratio's. All that information is not and will not be included in a recipe and often are not explained in many recipes that you will come across.The assumption is you already know these things or based on trial and error you may just hit it if you closely follow the scanty instruction.Often than not that happens!

Example two: the Chef interviewed today on the Daily Nation made a Duck confit(French confit de canard) recipe, truth be told based on what you have on that page you will not be be able to make half what can be called a duck confit(better try that Wikipedia reference page...heh heh!) .Without some knowledge on browning meat, why you do so,shallow frying, basting and slow cook stewing techniques one can come nowhere near making a duck confit!Traditionally the duck confit is actually fried using the ducks own natural oil with constant basting and then slow cooked hours on end.I laughed when i read through the recipe and wondered whether a home cook can recreate that dish with so little instruction given.No wonder i have come across some home cooks and  half baked local culinary school graduates turned " culinary professionals" preparing some fancy named dishes which come no near the self acclaimed titles.

My recommendation dear home cook if you want to be an awesome cook.Newspaper recipes or any other recipe handed over to you wont cut it.To make it you basically have three options :

• Trial and Error route which is most complex and hardy route.Typically a waste like trying to reinvent the wheel.There is already an existing vast body of knowledge on various food,cooking techniques and presentations.Make use of that otherwise subject yourself to trial and error which pretty much depends on your palate and environment.
• Become an apprentice of someone who knows how to prepare the dish it may just rub on you.
• Learn how to ...join some reputable cookery school and that could even be online.You may just be pleasantly surprised with the body of knowledge in some of the social media sites such as Youtube...great video instructions.Cook Cook Cook and improve on your cooking.

To culinate awesomely dear cook- there's no shortcut, recipes alone wont do it.You just must understand food,why you do what you do.Doing so will turn you from a nice cook to an awesome cook.Hence this blog will attempt not just at putting here recipes ,nice food photos but get you to understand some cookery basics and the reason why you do stuff.

"This is not just another food blog!"

 If you consistently read through the posts for example on "perfect seasoning"" Mirepoix and Soffrito" you will soon grow your body of  knowledge on food and turn from an average cook to an awesome one.Keep reading and constantly refer.Make it worth the while !

Spicy Sweet Githeri using Sweet Corn

Githeri is an indigenous Kenyan meal made simply by  basically stewing a combination of beans and maize seed(corn). It is mostly associated with school life especially for those who attended boarding schools. The meal originally from the Kikuyu tribe has become popular in modern times with different variations of the ingredients. The combination of beans and corn supplies a full complement of protein for the often protein-poor diet of many Kenyans. 

For many people the mention of githeri brings to mind some lacklustre meal hardly fit to be cooked for that real important guest, but this spicy sweat corn githeri twist is about to take your ordinary Githeri to a whole new level.As usual i belong to the school of thought that believes in cooking without a strict set of guidelines(a.k.a Recipe). A good chef cooks as he goes,adjusting the ingredients to best suit his or her audience, therefore adapt this recipe to fit your tests, but more than anything get to understand the technique,that's what 'often' distinguishes a home cook from a professional chef.Let me now stimulate your taste buds with my version of sweet corn githeri!

Ingredients

• Sweet Corn, cut fresh off the cob 3 to 4 ears, or a can of your preferred sweetcorn brand from your local grocery store/supermarket!
• Mexican beans, -- 2 cups(any other local brand such as RoseCoco may just do) For this first two ingredients if you buy the already processed variety there may not be need to boil the same.)
• ¼ kg meat (optional)
• Water -- to cover
• Salt and pepper -- to taste
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2tsp Garam Masala
• 1 1tsp vegetable oil/olive oil
•  1 medium (2-1/2" dia) Onions finely chopped
• 1 medium raw Red bell pepper
• 1 medium whole (2-3/5" dia) red ripe tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 carrots
• 1 bunch of freshly plucked cilantro

Method

1. In a large pot with enough water just to cover, boil the Mexican beans. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. In a different pot with enough water just to cover, simmer the sweet corn for 5 min. Season with sugar.
4. Drain the excess water on both the beans and sweet corn and mix them together.
5. Finely chop the onions, tomatoes, carrots and garlic. Sweat the onions, garlic and carrots with oil. Then add the Garam masala.Sweating basically means
6. Braise the meat on low heat and add to the onions, garlic and carrots stir and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Add the tomato paste and the finely chopped tomatoes, stir for 2 mins on low heat then add the beans and sweet corn mixture. Keep stirring.
8. Add salt to taste, add a little water. Let it simmer under low heat for about 10-15 minutes. When ready, add the chopped cilantro and let the Githeri sit for five minutes, then serve with steamed cabbages or other vegetables.

Perfect Seasoning -How To !

Most food blogs have fancy recipes,fancy ingredients and real fabulous photos that sometimes many of us feel apprehensive to even try cooking them.However what often the authors fail to state is that 'no meal is worth its salt',if it is not perfectly seasoned! And that goes no matter how good it looks.How one seasons his/her food sets them apart and distinguishes a novice from a real great cook, a palatable meal to a sumptuous delight.

It therefore has been at the back of my mind to write a post on how to perfectly season a meal.But take note perfect seasoning depends on various factors including the following:

• Knowledge of our taste buds i.e  how the tongue works
• Knowledge of our ingredients
• Technique-when to season, how much to season and taste,taste taste as you cook.

Before we proceed to look at this factors its imprtant to understand what Seasoning is.
By Definition according to Wayne Gisslen ,Essentials of Professional Cooking ,"Seasoning means enhancing the natural flavors of food without significantly changing its flavor" .Salt is the universally acceptable primary seasoning agent. This essentially means that when seasoning one must not change the flavor or integrity of the original meal. Seasoning differs from flavoring which means giving food a different flavor from its original one. Other seasoning agents include Pepper(White Black, Green or Szechuan Pepper) ,Garlic, fresh herbs, dried herbs,Onions,Mustard (ground or prepared) ....etc.

 Knowledge of our taste buds :

No matter how good your meal is in terms of ingredients ,smell and visual appeal :taste is where the marks lie!The tongue is the true judge of food. Yes its true that smell and visual appeal build up on taste, but what our tongue deciphers is what makes a meal great.The tongue is truly a marvel of creation and to understand how it works greatly assists any cook on how to season.For quite some time scientists were able to perceive the four basic taste's and the areas where our tongue sense this tastes.The four basic taste are Sweet,Salty ,Sour and Bitter.Recently however they discovered a fifth taste: Umami(Mono sodium Glutamate) or Ajino Moto which is a pleasant savory common in mushrooms, meat and tomatoes. 

 "The Tongue is True Judge of Food"

If you are in Kenya you will probably find a sachet of Umami at your local supermarket (Uchumi or Nakumatt) sold in a transparent sachet labelled The Essence of Ajino Moto, looks like salt crystals.I find it a ready treat if you add a teaspoon to your beans when soaking them.

The above diagram illustrates the marvel of the tongue.It was designed first and foremost to sense sweet foods which have lot of calories to give us energy, then salty foods which contain minerals and vitamins, sour food which are healthy and bitter food (somehow in my opinion to discourage us from poisonous items which tend to be bitter).Scientists are yet to authoritatively pinpoint the exact area where we taste Umami indicating that it is generally tasted in all areas of the tongue. Therefore good food will always have its sweetness and saltiness well balanced and highlighted at the first taste.

Knowledge of Our Ingredients:

 One of the main reasons that you end up having food that is over salted or too sweet is often due to the cook having limited knowledge of his ingredients and often not adjusting the recipe to taste.It is important to learn and know your ingredients for example if you are using Soy Sauce, Fish sauce,Tomato Paste,Ketchup  or Commercially made seasonings ( For example Royco- commercially made equivalent of french roue -i prefer making my own thickener from scratch keep reading this blog will definitely do a post on that ) it is important to read the label first to see if it contains a measure of salt and they often do.Thus you should only add salt after tasting the meal and probably reserve that to the last bit. Remember seasoning is an art, don't put too much or too little, leave enough room for those who like savory to add some.But remember no one will pour water on an already prepared meal to dilute the taste of salt when the meal has been set before them at the table.At the same time a meal that is not seasoned is drab,takes out all the fun from the natural ingredients.

Technique:

Always reserve seasoning for the final bit. When dealing with large foods for which seasoning may little be absorbed at the final process ,it is usually best to marinate the meat with some salt before hand.However do not put too much as this will dehydrate the meat drawing out all the moisture and flavor. For large meals add the seasoning well in time to allow room for absorption.Allow room for adjusting of the seasoning by not putting too much.

Remember spices and other flavorings do little to rescue a meal badly seasoned.

If you are boiling or stewing a mea;l remember that as the liquid evaporates the seasoning in the meal gets concentrated hence the meal can end up over salty over time.Therefore ,here also discernment is required in knowing how much is too much and flavor versus liquid ratio.

Taste, taste taste and taste some more before serving food.As a matter of hygiene ensure you have many spoons especially the little plastic ones that you can taste with and then dispose away.Do not return the same spoon you have used to taste with into the cooking pot/vessel.This will contaminate the food and is a particular turn off for your guests.

Learn to season fiercely with moderate restraint ,distinguish yourself in this manner and your guests will love every meal you make !

Mirepoix /Soffrito: Cooking With A Plan !

Have you ever tried to start cooking without a plan? You switch on the gas pour some olive oil as you chop your onions then you remember I have some celery,carrots, ginger and garlic can use some of that, your oil is super hot when you put your onions within no minute they turn black.

 Ooops… you are still prepping your garlic and what haves and Half of what’s in the pan is black. I have a solution for you, next time why not try to prep your “mirepoix” first. A mirepoix may sound ultra fancy, but it's simply the French word for the chopped and sautéed combination of onions, celery, and carrots. There are many variants, which may include just one of these ingredients, or include additional aromatics.For example the Italians have what they call soffrito which is a combination of Onions,Celery and Gallery. In east Africa most dishes are begun by lightly frying onions, then garlic with any other aromatic vegetable such as carrots, Bell Pepper, Chillies ..etc.This serves as the base of the meal

 Mirepoix, raw, roasted or sautéed with butter or olive oil, is the flavor base for a wide variety of dishes, such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces. 

Next time before you start cooking think of what you want to cook and prep first before you get to the unnecessary frenzy runs in the kitchen.  

How To Make Mirepoix:

 Let me now take you through how to make your mirepoix. Mirepoix was first made in the 18th century by the cook serving a French duke called Duc de Lévis-Mirepoix, hence the name. It is basically a mixture of diced vegetables used to improve the flavor of meat and poultry dishes. It can also be used as a garnish to accompany vegetables, macaroni and cheese, or other baked cheese dishes.

The chopping is not difficult you just need to master some basic knife use techniques(which will be the subject of another blog post).How you chop your aromatics the shape,look texture will matter a lot and will not only enhance flavor but identify your skill as a fine cook.Small finely cut dices are the best.

You must also master use of heat and understand what we call sweating of vegetables.High heat may destro flavor, slow heat works best but one must make sure that the mirepoix is sizzling and not boiling, enough heat is necessary to get by and caramelize the sugars in the vegetables.

 To make your own mirepoix, chop 1 cup onion (about 1 medium onion), 1 cup celery, and 1 cup carrot.   Sauté it in 1 Tbsp olive oil until onions are soft, and you've got the start for many soups, sauces, and stews. You can various aromatics depending on what flavours you want to infuse to your food. The shorter the cooking time of your recipe, the smaller the pieces should be, so that they effectively infuse the foods with flavor.

Modern "informal usage" of the word mirepoix  has acquired a wider meaning(similar to 'Mise en place' french word for everything in place common in professional Kitchens) to basically include all that is required in preparing(chef term prepping) your aromatic vegetables ,ingredients …et al before you start cooking, If you already have a recipe at hand, gather, measure  all the necessary equipment and ingredients before you start cooking. It is important to note this basic truth cooking is basically changing the chemical composition of food. And just like any scientific process the right conditions need to be present to achieve the desired effect. Consequently having everything ready and in the proper composition makes one cook excel better than the other.

Preparing your equipment and ingredients(make sure if anything needs slicing ,dicing, chopping, peeling, sharpening , warming, thawing… etc that it is done before you begin the process). This gives you time to concentrate on the actual cooking, having time to regulate the temperatures, avoiding a messy kitchen and simply be able to get the desired flavours.

Mirepoix is a basic requirement (cooking 101); as mentioned before here at LetsCulinate,we will ensure that even if you have the list bit clue about cooking-your skills and culinary journey takes an exponential  hike. Keep it locked here for further insights!

So folks next time cook with plan and cook fiercely-to learn just how to keep it locked here !