Asian Grocery Tour & Coconut Black Rice Pudding Recipe! May 25, 2011

Brown rice is classic- but have you heard of black rice?

It not only contains an outer layer of cholesterol lowering bran- it also contains anthocyanins,the purple pigment found in blueberries, grapes and acai fruit. According to research at Louisiana State University, these compounds decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer, and chronic inflammatory diseases. Cook it as you would with brown rice for dinner or enjoy it as a delicious and satisfying dessert (and dare I suggest you enjoy the leftovers for breakfast..that’s what I did!)

Wondering where the inspiration came from to make this exotic Bali inspired dessert? A couple of weeks ago I went to an Asian grocery store in the Cote de Neiges area of Montreal and stumbled on a million interesting things- it had a Japanese, Korean, Indian, Thai and Chinese section…I was literally walking through the aisles for hours, because I just couldn’t get enough. The few places I can get lost in for hours are: health food stores, book stores,vintage stores..and apparently Asian grocery stores!

There were so many Asian green vegetables I had never tried, and an abundance of grains and sauces to chose from! (Many of them were made with MSG- so I stuck to the simple ingredient lists)- I was looking for Ponzu sauce (a citrus sauce) and Kimchi (Korean fermented spicy bok choy)- but unfortunately they only had MSG laden Kimchi..

I realized that having a tour guide in an Asian grocery store would be so key to getting people to eat these healthy and delicious foods! So send me an email myrite@gmail.com if you would be interested in gathering for a tour, followed by a cooking class. I have a friend from Bali who can help me out with this pet project of mine

So here’s what I went home with: soba noodles: made from buckwheat flour- 3 packages for only $2!; shredded tofu (As I said, I don’t eat much tofu, but was inspired by a veggie “pulled pork” (VPP) sandwich at a cafe called Depanneur Le Pickup (one of my fave places to take out of towners); Square rice paper rolls for Vietnamese spring rolls- since the round ones tend to be harder to fold; mini bok choys so tiny and cute, and a bunch of purple eggplant which I used in a Thai curry; goji berries; I also got kaffir lime leaves which I love to throw into soups, dahl or curries. Lastly- I bought black rice! I was so excited about this purchase, because I remember enjoying a rice pudding at a restaurant in NYC I love called Cafe Asean.

Here are some more pics of some interesting foods I found in the Asian grocery store.. have you tried any of them before? Wondering about that juice…there were so many interesting ones to chose from.

The coconut black rice pudding recipe is posted at the bottom!

Coconut Black Rice Pudding

It is real easy, very few ingredients and you can flavor it to your liking. I used maple syrup instead of the sugar in the recipe, and I topped it with some coconut milk and a sliced lime for serving.

It would also be great with sliced mango on top!

Here is what black rice looks like:

Ingredients:

1 cup black rice

4 cups water

pinch salt

vanilla extract or ideally one vanilla pod

1/4 cup maple syrup or 1/2 cup palm sugar

coconut milk

optional: shredded coconut, sliced mango or peaches

Soak rice in 4 cups water overnight or for 5-6 hours. Drain water and rinse. In medium size pot add rice and 4 cups of new water. Add pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Once water starts bubbling, leave on high for 15 minutes with the pot uncovered and then cover the pot and turn heat to low simmer for 35 minutes (you can set timer).

Add sweetener of your choice and stir.

Serve with drizzle of coconut milk, shredded coconut and sliced mango!

Enjoy!

Smokey Maple Tempeh “Bacon” February 7, 2011

8 ounces tempeh
3 tablespoons soy sauce (I prefer shoyu sauce)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and chopped
1/2 teaspoon powdered chipotle or diced canned chipotle peppers (this will give it the smokyness!)

Cut the tempeh diagonally into 4 triangles. If possible, thin those triangles out by slicing each in half horizontally – 8 triangles total. Set the tempeh aside while you make the maple marinade by combining the soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, garlic, and chipotle powder in a small bowl. Reserve a few tablespoons of the marinade to use later as a drizzle.

Place the pieces of tempeh flat in a large baking dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the tempeh. Make sure the tops and bottoms are coated and marinate for anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 days, flipping occasionally.

Grill the tempeh on a medium hot grill for a few minutes on each side – Brushing all the while with the marinade remaining in the bottom of the baking dish. When the tempeh is a toasted, deep, maple-y, golden brown remove and enjoy on a sandwich, with a side of scrambled eggs, over a bed of greens or rice.

My personal favourite way to eat it is in a sandwich with dijon mustard, tomatoes, lettuce, and fermented cabbage. Be creative and enjoy!

*Recipe adapted from Heidi Swanson