N E P t u n e: Food and drink

Have you known this ?

Thu, 02 Mar 2006 02:58:44 GMT

Researchers at Oregon State University recently revealed that a plant compound in beer has "significant" anti-cancer effects, which may be good news for all you beer drinkers out there!
Ale, a cure for ailments? The research coincides with evidence that our medieval ancestors "immoderately quaffed" up to a gallon of ale a day. So should we all be reaching for a pint glass?

How might beer fight cancer?

Dr Fred Stevens, of the Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, claims that Xanthohumol, a flavonoid with antioxidant properties, is found only in hops and has been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. It is said to fight cancer through apoptosis - triggering cell death by activating a receptor, as well as inhibiting cancer-causing enzymes.

Dr Denis De Keukeleire, professor of pharmaceutics at the University of Ghent, in Belgium, says that the results are exciting but that research is still in its infancy. He says that the presence of Xanthohumol, whose levels increase along with the bitterness of the beer and hops content, means men should drink a pint of beer a day, and women should drink half a pint. However, Michael Overduin, professor of structural biology at the Institute of Cancer Studies, University of Birmingham, said that although antioxidants are beneficial to a healthy diet, they are in no way a "silver cancer bullet".

Are there any other benefits to beer?

It is likely to strengthen your bones, according to researchers at The Rayne Institute at St Thomas' Hospital, who have studied beer for its silicon content. The mineral comes from the hops, although it can also be found in mineral water, and is believed by Prof Jonathon Powell and his team to aid bone strength and density. Dr Ravin Jugdaohsingh, a senior research fellow, said: "One serving of beer - between 300 and 600ml - will give between five and 16mg of silicon. We only consume up to 50mg a day, so it is a huge proportion of our daily intake."

So if anyone of you whose wife often complains to you when you are drinking, this would be a good thing to show her.

Cheers !!!

Bun thit nuong

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 14:11:15 GMT

I have read about this dish on the internet by chance and suddenly, I miss it so much. It is a special food of Hue and I usually have it with friends or relatives. Love it!

(I took this nice picture in Huyen Anh restaurant, in my hometown when I came there for lunch with a close friend)

Here is the recipe of "Bun thit nuong":

INGREDIENTS PREP AMOUNT

Pork semi-frozen 1 lb

Shallots or Scallions minced 3 ea

Garlic minced 2 cloves

Chiles, Jalapeno, Serrano or Thai deseeded, minced 1-2 ea

Fish sauce 2 t

Lime juice only 1 ea

Sugar 2 t

Salt 1 t

Pepper 1/2 t

Rice vermicelli 5-8 oz

Sesame oil (opt.) 1 t

Carrots julienne or shredded 3 ea

Mung bean sprouts 2 cups

Lettuce, Greenleaf or Napa cabbage shredded 1/2 head

Cilantro 1/2 bunch

Sauce 1-1.5 cups

How to make the sauce?

INGREDIENTS PROP AMOUNT

Rice vinegar, unseasoned 2 t

Lime juice 3 t

Fish sauce 1/4 cup

Water 1/4 cup

Sugar 2 t

Garlic crushed 1 clove

Chili pepper sliced into rounds 1 each

Carrot shredded ot julienne 1 t

METHOD

Basic Steps: Mix

- Mix vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, water and sugar well to dissolve sugar. Adjust seasoning, adding more lime juice if too sweet, more sugar if too sour and more fish sauce if it needs more salt.

- Add remaining ingredients and let set at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to mingle.

VARIATIONS

- If you use seasoned rice vinegar (sweetened), cut the amount of sugar in the recipe to 1 t.

NOTES

- This is the all-purpose Vietnamese condiment. It is served with and passed over many dishes. It has a wonderfully bright and fresh flavor. The sauce will keep for about a week in the fridge.

===================

METHOD

Basic steps: Marinate > Soak > Prep vegetables > Saute'

Marinate pork in first set of ingredients 30 minutes or more.
Bring rice vermicelli to boil in water. Remove from heat. Let set 5 minutes till softened through. Drain and rinse in cold water. Toss with sesame oil.
Blanch carrots in boiling water 1 minute. Drain. Then blanch sprouts 30 seconds. Drain
Distribute carrots, sprouts and lettuce equally in steep sided bowls. Place equal amounts of noodles over carrots, sprouts and lettuce.
Heat a sauté pan over high heat. Add 2 t oil. Remove pork from marinade, and sauté quickly till just done, about 2 minutes.
Place pork on noodles to cover 1/3 of them. Place cucumber slices neatly over another 1/3 of noodles. Place sprigs of cilantro and mint over remaining 1/3.
Sprinkle peanuts over all and serve.
Pour sauce over all for flavor and eat.

VARIATIONS

Substitute beef (bun bo nuong), chicken (bun ga nuong) or peeled shrimp (bun tom nuong) for the pork. Leave shrimp whole.
You can substitute the vegetables with others: julienne cucumbers, thin-sliced peppers.
Instead of the cilantro, try using fresh mint sprigs or Thai basil. Or use all three together

NOTES

This is a good summer dish. Low-fat, healthy, light and served cold.

I have no idea about these recipes but I encourage you in trying making this dish. And if you are successful, please don't forget to let me know to enjoy it with you

Food for Tet

Sat, 28 Jan 2006 07:18:36 GMT

   As Tet (Lunar new year holiday) is the biggest holiday in the year, the Vietnamese people prepare for by decorating their homes and preparing traditional dishes to enjoy themselves and entertain their guests. the Vietnameses' expression of "An Tet" which covers all activities they do in Tet, literally means "Eating the Tet".
   On the last day of the old year, the Vietnamse people attach great significance to offering to their ancestor traditional dishes.
   The traditional menu for Tet normally includes chan gio ninh mang (pig trotters stewed with bamboo shoot), canh nau bong (dried pig skin soup), xoi gac (steamed sticky rice with monordica), thit ga luoc (boiled chicken), xao hanh nhan (stir-fried almond), nom du du (papaya salad), and che kho (green bean pudding). Some other traditional dishes, also included in the menu, are now available on the market. They include gio thu (pork head pie) and gio lua (lean pork paste), cha que (roasted cinnamon pork paste), lon quay (roast pork), and especially banh chung (square sticky-rice cake).
   Beside traditional dishes, no one can forget to make a tray of Mut Tet, a cup of tea and betel and areca ready to entertain their visitors.
   However, there are some differences in the Northern, Central and Southern parts of the country because of different weather conditions and local agricultural products.
   In the North, the menu includes chan gio ninh mang, thit ga luoc, carp cooked in salted sauce, thit dong (jellied meat), and kohlrabi, cauliflower or onion fried with pig skin or lean pork. In addition, there are two other items that cannot be missed: "Banh chung" (square cake made of glutinous rice, pork and green beans wrapped in the dong leaves and boiled) and pickled scallion which facilitate digesiton.
   Hue, the ancient imperial city in the central part of the country, is famous for its royal culinary art in feudal times with hundreds of dishes created for the occasion of Tet for the kings and the royal family. Now at Tet, every family in Hue has "Banh tet" (round shaped glutinous cake), sugarcoated coconut, roasted melon seeds, different pork dishes. The menu may also include beef cooked with garlic and garligale, various kinds of meat pies such as gio thu (pig's head meat pies), gio lua (Lean meat pie), grilled shrimp pies, boned pig's trotter stuffed with meat, nem chua (fermented pork hash), pickled scallion, unripe banana cooked in sweet and sour sauce. Women in Hue make all kinds of preserved fruit such as ginger, waxy pumpkin, apple, orange, lemon and carrot in various shapes and colours. The traditional spring holidays here are rather cold, so you can warm up with a cup of hot tea and a slice of Hue's special ginger.
   In the South, with Ho Chi Minh city as the centre, every family has a pot of pork cooked in coconut milk with salt as the coconut tree is very popular in his region. The Southerners are accustomed to making use of its milk or its oil when they prepare food, which gives cooked food a special flavour. Pork cooked in coconut milk should have all the skin, fat and lean sections. When the pork is done, the fat section looks transparent and the lean one turns reddish with the flavour of coconut milk. Also, there are pickled green bean sprouts with leeks, sliced carrot and turnip. When you eat pickled bean sprouts with pork cooked in coconut milk, you will enjoy it and never get sick of it. As it is warmer in the South than in the North and the Central region, cooked meat is more popular in the North as it stays unspoiled for a longer time. Another favourite for many people is bitter melon stuffed with meat. It is believed by many older people that bitter melon is antipyretic, nutritious and may treat many diseases. "Banh tet" and "Banh trang" (rice waffle) are a must on the Tet menu. Vegetables, boiled or cooked meat and pickled bean sprouts (with leeks, sliced carrot and turnip) wrapped in a thin "Banh trang" make a good dish in hot weather. "Banh tet" usually goes well with dried turnips soaked in fish sauce.
   The foods that the Vietnamese eat at Tet are varied and diverse. What they have in common is that the people throughout the country all want to have the best and the most beautiful looking food on this occasion to offer their ancestors and to treat their friends and guests.