TEMPEH - TEMPE

tempe

WHAT IT IS
An Indonesian staple made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans that are pressed into cakes. Tempe has a mild, nutty taste and absorbs flavors well.

HOW IT'S USED
Cakes can be sliced or cubed, then marinated and baked, grilled or deep-fired. You can also crumble tempe for chili or chop and shape into burgers.

GETTING STARTED
To soften tempe and help it absorb flavors, steam or simmer in a marinade, broth or sauce at least 15 minutes. Unopened packages of tempe can be refrigerated up to two weeks or frozen up to three months.

LOOK FOR
Packaged blocks displayed with tofu in refrigerated sections. Tempe should have few or no black spots, which appear when it is exposed to air. (You can still eat it with spots; the taste will just be stronger). Flavor tempe - ften fermented with wild rice, vegetables or herbs - is delicious on sandwiches or in recipes where flavors complements the other ingredients.

BAKING SUBSITUTES

Sometime we have a difficulty to find the right ingredient when we want to cook something.. To achieve the perfectness of the ingredients that we need, this is the common substitutes will help you out of a baking pinch.

MISSING INGREDIENTS:

1 cup buttermilk
replacing with : 1 tsp vinegar or 1 tbsp lemon juice + 1 cup milk

1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
replacing with : 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa + 1 tbsp oil or melted butter

1 cup honey
replacing with : 1 1/4 cup white sugar + 1/3 cup water

1/4 cup rum or liqueur
replacing with : 1/4 cup fruit juice

1 cup heavy cream (not for whipping)
replacing with : 3/4 cup milk + 3 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp baking powder
replacing with : 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar + 3/4 tsp baking soda

HOW TO CUT AN ONION WITHOUT CRYING

Every time I work with the onions or shallots in the kitchen, usually the watering eyes is always a problems. I try to find out how to solve it, and here are some tips of how to cut on onion/ shallots without crying :

1. CHILL OUT - Put onions in the freezer 10 minutes before peeling and slicing. The cold minimizes volatile sulfur oils (the buggers responsible for activating you tear ducts.)

2. THINK SHARP - Slice and chop with the sharpest knife in your block. Dull blades crush the onion cells instead of cutting them, releasing more acidic chemicals into the air.

3. OPEN WIDE - Breathe though your mouth... inhaling through your nose lets more fumes get into you sinuses.

4. AVOID THE ROOTS - Most sulfuric compounds live in the root of an onion, so avoid releasing them into the air too soon by cutting the root off last thing.