A recent trip to Mexico preceded by Natural Products Expo inspired this post. Coconut water is a natural isotonic. Next to water it is the best way to rehydrate if you are dehydrated which is the main reason why athletes and weekend warriors alike are buying the retail brands Zico and O.N.E.
I’ve tasted most of the retail coconut waters and can safely say that aside from having fresh coconut water right out of the coconut, the two brands mentioned are the best -bar none.
This is because the water is extracted from young coconuts, or rather coconuts that are about 7 months into their maturing process. The meat of the coconut has not yet developed. Zico and O.N.E. are manufactured in their country of origin which is Brazil.
Coconut water takes a little getting used to which is why these brands are adding natural flavor. Believe it or not but coconut waters do vary in flavor, not only from country to country but from tree to tree,
The Mexican coconuts above were very different in taste. The one on the right, known as Naranja because of its orange color, was sweeter than the greener ones on the left.
On Cozumel, I saw many coconut water cocktails. There was one called Mexican Gatorade which was made with rum that claimed you wouldn’t get a hangover from it. Indeed because of its rich potassium content, it does make a great refresher if you over imbibe. I like to make agua frescas using coconut water. With all this hot summer weather, this recipe is worth a try.
Using fresh is great but then you are left with having to deal with getting the meat out. The coconut pictured above is actually a mature coconut that I used in Shanghai while developing drinks for a client.
The recipes below use O.N.E. brand in the quart size package. I chose watermelon as the Chinese believe watermelon to be very cooling. You can try using strawberries and mangoes. If you use frozen fruit, you can omit the ice.
Depending on the sweetness of the fruit, you might not need any simple syrup. Simple syrup is made easily by boiling 1 cup water with 1 cup of sugar until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool before using. During the summer I store simple syrup in the refrigerator so that I can make homemade lemonade and agua frescas anytime.
Coconut Agua Fresca
2 cups coconut water
1 cup fresh watermelon or cantelope, no rind
a few cubes of ice
simple syrup, to taste (Kim’s mint syrup would be a great choice)
In a blender place the ice, coconut water and cut up melon. Process until all the ice is broken up.
Add simple syrup, 3 Tbsp. at a time, until you get it to your desired sweetness. Pour into glasses and enjoy!
My second sojourn to Shanghai was even better than the first as I felt more comfortable and brazen when I sauntered around. I visited more grocery stores and markets and had yet again some amazing meals -not all Chinese in origin.
Mr. and Mrs. Bund is a very hip French restaurant located on the Bund and has some of the best views of the newly reconstructed Bund and the Pudong district across the river. It also has some of the best bread I’ve ever eaten and the desserts were sublime.
Due to World Expo this area was packed with tourists at night but in the early hours of the morning it was filled with kite fliers and locals doing Tai Chi.
The grocery stores delighted me with interesting products: live turtles, banana and corn puddings and "pocket bread".
I had more time to explore on my own and have learned that there are very few people who dine alone in Shanghai. Luckily there were only a few days that I was the lone person suffering the stares at the dinner table.
Dining out in Shanghai and its environs isn’t too daunting as long as there are the frequently found menu with pictures. In the case of the menu below, I knew NOT to order the duck.
But I did order the salad below which did not disappoint and I became obsessed with it and tried it in any restaurant where I found the picture on the menu .
I call it Chinese tabouli but it is officially known as Ma Lao Tou and features finely chopped fermented tofu, greens, almonds, pine nuts and a very lovely sesame oil. I am trying to recreate this so stay tuned for the recipe.
This slow cooked pork was divine and this chive omelette was also superb -I hope to receate that recipe as well.
Another favorite flavor adventure was at a restaurant in the Huangpu district off Yunnan road. The name was only in Chinese but I was told it translated into "Shanghai Noodle House".
We didn’t have noodles but I loved this fish cooked in oil and immersed in chilies. Suprisingly, it was not too spicy but oh so flavorful and the texture of the fish was luxurious.
My all time favorite restaurant though is Lost Heaven featuring foods from the Yunnan region of China. Close to Burma and Tibet, the food here uses ingredients familiar to the region. Not only is the food fantastic but the decor is lovely.
If you ever find yourself in Shanghai, be sure to try the jasmine Pu-erh tea which is grown in Yunnan. It’s the best cup of tea I’ve ever had bar-none.
If you tire of Chinese food, fret not. Shanghai, being the global cosmopolitan city it is has many cuisines to offer. I found Turkish, Russian, Thai but my favorite place for a salad was by far Element Fresh. Of course most of the American chains are there, even Hooters, but why go there unless you’re an expat.
I hope that it’s in the stars for me to return to China as there is simply too much to explore and taste.
Devon Ave near Evanston, Ill is a great way to travel to far away lands. Flavorista Tracey escapes there whenever she needs travel without really going anywhere as it’s 10 minutes from her house.
Once the "Jewish" neighborhood, it is now home to Indians, Croatians, Syrians, Pakistanis, to name a few. There is certainly no shortage of new food and flavors to explore and discover here.
Check out this wall of chutneys!
I found ingredients here I had never heard of including this jar of hibiscus chutney.
Then of course there is the fresh chutney/pickle bar to choose from.
Tracey took me to one store that had amazing Indian treats from the Guajarat region of India where this lovely treat called khandvi made from besan (or chick pea flour) originates from. Tracey’s favorite snack, dhokla, a fermented bread also made of besan, looks a lot like cornbread.
Click on the video below to see how it is made.
And then there are the breads at the Syrian bakery.
They had the best baklava here I’ve ever had. Not soaked in sugar syrup but light and flaky with the wonderful scent of cardomom instead of cinnamon. I’m trying to recreate a version for a future post.
We didn’t have time to visit the hookah joint or eat at one of the many restaurants, guess I’ll have to go back soon. Twist my arm.
A recent class at the Boulder gem, the Culinary School of the Rockies had me making cheese. It was the ultimate mini "staycation" on a Saturday. The school is bright and airy. The chef and urban homsteader, Teresa Brown was a great teacher.
We started the class by making cultured butter, which at first I wasn’t that thrilled about. I’ve inadvertently made butter by over whipping heavy cream back in the day as a budding young chef. But I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun she made it.
First of all by adding cultured buttermilk you increase your butter yield. We also got to taste true buttermilk once the butter came together. It was really very good. She brought her antique butter churner, pictured above and and also a Mason jar. We made butter both ways with the preferred method being to use Teresa’s butter churner.
This antique piece is not only functional but beautiful. These types are expensive but newer ones can be bought for under $20.00. An antique churner is on my wish list.
Aside from butter we made a few other basics: lemon cheese using fresh goat milk from Teresa’s herd of goats, mozzarella and whole milk ricotta. The ricotta was by far my favorite and I will be hard pressed to buy it anymore as a result. I’ve noticed a few Italian restaurants here in Boulder like Alba and 4580 offer fresh ricotta instead of butter with bread service now too.
The mozzarella was fun but I feel like it will take a few times to master it. If you pull it too much it become tough or more like Armenian cheese, which is good but not what I was after.
Making ricotta.
Curds appear.
Draining off the whey.
Above all else I learned that the quality and freshness of your milk is essential. This is as good a reason as any to seek out local dairies for your milk. The ultra-pasteurized, hormone and antibiotic laden stuff they call "milk" in grocery stores will not work. And if you can find un-homogenized milk, even better.
Pulling mozzarella.
It is safe to say that even though I consider myself a seasoned chef, I learned more than a few things from Chef Teresa. I brought home a bit of the whey that you pour off when making mozzarella as Teresa says folks use it as a cooking liquid for beans. Stay tuned for the results.
She provided us with a great resource list. A true find is Lehman’s where you can buy the basic essentials for starting your cheese making. I am looking forward to more classes. If you don’t live in Boulder but would love to come visit, the Culinary School of the Rockies offers great classes geared towards the traveler too. There’s a Dim Sum class May 13th!
Q’s, located in the historic Boulderado Hotel, is a classic Colorado establishment. You won’t hear the thumping of techno music as this is a serene environment with elegant food and excellent service. Here are Chef John’s answers to the Flavorista 5:
1. What are you currently working on other than making sure the restaurant and bar are running smoothly 24/7?
"As usual, I’m working on a number of catering and benefit dinner menus, as well as instituting some menu upgrades for the restaurant. Keeping it seasonal and fun. Our Q Bar menu is the best in town and it is fun keeping it that way.
I got bored with doing the same stuff for too long. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and brainstorming to try to recharge my culinary batteries. Also trying to come up with a theme for our next Q’s Food and Wine Series dinner….maybe old world vs. new world wine styles and varietals? I am also looking forward to spring and getting my garden going!”
2. What are the food ingredients you can’t live without? "Hmmmmm…my little squeeze bottle of lemon juice and good olive oil, potatoes, beer, bacon, slow cooked onions, Cholula and Sriracha hot sauces, sherry vinegar and Haystack Mt. Goat Dairy Chevre."
3. Who are your mentors or what has influenced you the most? "I’ve been my own mentor and mentor to others for a while now, but past influences would have to include the chefs I worked for at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel in the mid 80’s, my Mom, my wife Sabrina, my talented sous chefs past and present, and Boulder’s Dave Query."
4. What is your favorite food memory?
"Swordfish steaks charcoal grilled with butter, lemon, salt and pepper on summer vacation with my family on Cape Cod. Also, Mom’s cheese fondue and a veal and mushroom dish with noodles that she learned how to make when we lived in Switzerland for a year when I was 11.
Best Restaurant Meal Ever: A perfect 9 courses at the French Laundry in 1998."
5. What would be your ultimate meal, any and all details (place, menu, guests)?
"A simple outdoor meal made after a day on the beach or a day of fly fishing: Wellfleet oysters with lemon and hot sauce, a really great chargrilled steak, lobster steamed in seawater, sunwarmed garden sliced tomatoes with sherry vinegar, oil salt and pepper, several Sierra Nevada beers, Sabrina’s chocolate chip cookies for dessert.
Dinner with Sabrina and our boys would be just great. Celebrity guests could include Thomas Jefferson, Jimi Hendrix."
Some folks said I was brave to even try eating street food but I was quite conscientious about the things I chose to consume. I was very careful to watch the process and the flow of customers. This technique worked as I did not get sick and the food was incredible and inexpensive. There were some things I chose not eat from small food stalls.
Steam Buns.
Scallion Pancake.
Some of my best finds were the different types of breads and savory scallion pancakes redolent with the aroma of 5 spice powder and artistically dosed Sichuan peppercorns. Some flat breads were accented with sesame seed breads and it was these that had the texture of light, airy focaccia. I did not partake in the skewers of meat on barbeque, mostly because I was out in the morning and wasn’t quite in the mood.
My favorite breakfast was this "burrito" known as Ban Din.
Admittedly, I didn’t make all over Shanghai. I tended to return to the same street (Shandong Rd.). partially because it was 8 minutes from my hotel. Shanghai is such a study of contrasts, ultra modern buildings, yet there were still these amazing alleys where life has not seemed to have changed much.
My favorite street to find delectables.
In the end, the key to safe street food is to make sure you don’t use any of the utensils or plates. They do not wash the plates or bowls but dip them in buckets of water as these stalls barely have sinks, let alone use soap. There was no point in taking chances.
I love dumplings and steamed buns and could eat them 3 meals a day. There was not one disappointment among my street food buys. I found the dough here to be lighter and fluffier than I’ve ever had. I’d say it was the water but the water is not potable, not even by the Chinese. Maybe it is the secret, but I’d rather not dwell on that thought.
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Check out this wall of chutneys!
I found ingredients here I had never heard of including this jar of hibiscus chutney.
Then of course there is the fresh chutney/pickle bar to choose from.
Making ricotta.
Curds appear.
Draining off the whey.
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