eG Foodblog: Chufi - Old Favorites and New Adventures

[Makan King]

I have frozen asparagus several times, with great results. I freeze them peeled because I have found that the best thing is to put them straight from the freezer into the pan, if you first defrost them they go all limp and soggy.

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that's what my friend instructed me to do! I'm glad that will work!

On which market did you find the lady with that beautiful display of asparagus? I am not so fortunate as to get premium quality deliveries so I'm always on the lookout for a good source nearby...

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She was at the 'lapjesmarkt', the market on Noordermarkt. On Saturday they hold the farmer's market there, and on Mondays it's clothes, fabrics and secondhand stuff. And this lady with the asparagus! She was sort of selling the vegetables from a truck, so I don't think she's a regular there.

I have 2 logs of cookie dough chilling in the fridge, and I now have to go and do some other, non foodrelated stuff.

Meanwhile, a question: who knows what this is? It will feature in tonight's dinner. I have never bought it or cooked it, though I have eaten it. The cuisine it belongs to is one I hardly ever cook from!

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Just a guess, but are these petai?

Wonderful blog and lovely pictures!

[hathor]

Meanwhile, a question: who knows what this is? It will feature in tonight's dinner. I have never bought it or cooked it, though I have eaten it. The cuisine it belongs to is one I hardly ever cook from!

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OH! I thought I knew...but side by side, nope. I have no idea what's in your bowl!

[Kouign Aman]

rookvlees, which is lightly smoked lean beef.

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That sounds so delicious.

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There you go again, composing publication worthy photographs!

Thanks for tackling yet another blog.

[Lilija]

I

Oh and my babies would like to meet you    I've only had them a week and they are really still babies.. I need to spend a lot of time with them to socialize them.. one of them is bold and curious, but the other one is pretty scared and shy.

Meet Yuki (in the back) and Dozo:

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I'm usually pretty shy about commenting on foodblogs, for whatever reason (though I read them all, enthusiastically)...I couldn't help commenting here. I notice that you have RATS!! I love rats! I have a pair, as well. Your two are very adorable, congratulations! Look at those huge ears, I just want to give them little kisses. They're totally appropriate to have on a foodblog, because if yours are anything like mine, they get to sample lots of fresh foods, and whatever's cooking (within reason).

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

Oh and my babies would like to meet you    I've only had them a week and they are really still babies.. I need to spend a lot of time with them to socialize them.. one of them is bold and curious, but the other one is pretty scared and shy.

Meet Yuki (in the back) and Dozo:

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Awwww... so sweet. I do so miss having rats.

Keeping this food related, what kind of fresh treats do you give your babies? My last rat loved fresh bok choy, fresh corn on the cob, hard boiled egg, cooked chicken and sunflower seeds. I had another rat who loved fruit and graham crackers with peanut butter.

[Kim Shook]

I am so glad to see you blogging again. I thoroughly enjoyed your other blogs and I'm always glad to see your contributions to the dinner thread!

Your fridge is just so beautiful. I would need a week to clean mine out before I would dare show it to anyone !

Yuki & Dozo are adorable. I would love to have rats, but Mr. Kim is funny about scrabbly little animals .

Amsterdam looks so beautiful. It is on the top of my list of places to visit if I ever get to travel!

I am so looking forward to this week. Thanks so much for letting us 'spy' on your life!

Kim

[Smithy]

What sweet-looking babies!!! I used to take care of my class' pet rats during weekends, and thought them grand fun. I don't think rats would be such a great idea in our household now (see my avatar) but they sure can be fun.

What's a Rembrandt year?

Is genever the same thing as gin? If not, what is it?

Recently I heard about making a rhubarb margarita: you make a simple syrup from the rhubarb, and mix it up otherwise the same as for a margarita. It sounded luscious, but I haven't tried it yet.

I'm so glad you're blogging again, Chufi! Your writing and photos are always wonderful.

[Abra]

Oh, a week with Klary, one of my favorite things ever!

My freezer is looking like yours, since it still contains some of the scrumptious Korenwijn you brought me. Although I've been exercising great restraint to conserve it, I'll have to have a glass or two this week in solidarity. And my garden rhubarb is growing madly, too - wish I could ship some to you.

Those green things are gorgeous, whatever they are.

[Chufi]

Thank you all for the kind words about my rats! I know lots of people are freaked out by rats, so this means a lot.

I've only had them for a week and am still trying to figure out what they like. They can be very individual in their tastes (and characters). But here's what they do to a slice of cucumber. Every single rat I've had does this. If I leave it long enough they'll only leve a thin, perfectly round strip of peel. I think they're trying to tell me they'd prefer their cucumbers peeled

What's a Rembrandt year? 

Is genever the same thing as gin?  If not, what is it?

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2006 was Rembrandt-year, because it was his 400th birthday. Lots of Rembrandtesque activities, expositions, and even liquors!

Jenever is not the same as gin. See wikipedia for some explanations (although it's confusing with all the different distillates) on jenever and gin.

To make it more confusing, jenever comes in various types that vary hugely in flavor. There's young and old jenever, but this does not mean the drink has been aged but says something about the way i't's made, but corenwijn can be aged (the one we have right now has aged 6 years and is wonderfully smooth).

Edited May 7, 2007 by Chufi (log)

[Peter Green]

Chufi,

I love your fridge!

I was in Leiden last year visiting friends for during the Rembrandt celebrations. It was the most fun I've ever seen in the Netherlands, with the canals of Leiden jammed with people eating and drinking......

And rhubarb!

When is the seasonal herring run?

Two great blogs in a row. This is great!

Cheers,

Peter

[ChryZ]

I hope you're having the movie "Ratatouille" on your radar!

"A young rat living within the walls of a famous Paris bistro wishes to become a chef, but is hindered by his family's skepticism and the rat-despising staff and patrons." [imdb]

[Chufi]

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Just a guess, but are these petai?

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Makan King is right, these are petai, or peteh beans as they are called here.

Yesterday I said to Dennis:

"So, I'm doing another foodblog, and the theme is adventures. What foods don't I cook for you that you would like me to cook?"

"Kidneys, liver, sweetbreads..."

"Shut up!"

"... and Indonesian food".

So that's what I did. Sambal Goreng Udang Peteh, and a salad of cooked and raw vegetables with a cold peanut tamarind sauce.

Peteh beans are lovely little things. They have a very pungent aroma and a strong, almost bitter flavor. They are great together with sweet prawns in a spicy coconut sauce. This is something I'll always order in an Indonesian restaurant.

Ingredients for the spice paste:

from 12 o'clock: garlic, laos, ginger, lemongrass (from a jar) , chilipaste from a jar, candlenuts, coriander seeds, shallots, trassi.

paste (I started it in the foodpocessor, but because it was such a small amount, I finished it in the mortar - still I did not get it fine enough I think)

Other ingredients: creamed coconut, tamarind paste, lime leaves, and a peanut sauce mix from the toko.

I bought these today because they were so pretty.

More pink: rosé beer I bought this because I saw it advertised and was curious.. all for the blog you know It was pretty awful.. very sweet, like boozy lemonade, but not in a good way!

No pictures of the actual cooking of dinner. It got a little hectic. But here's the finished salad: blanched green beans, raw turnips and cucumbers, hardboiled eggs, all with a cold peanutdressing. A bit of krupuk (prawn crackers) on top.

Prawns and peteh beans in spicy coconutsauce

All served with sticky rice.

I thought it all tasted great. Dennis said it was delicious, but not quite like the real thing I know he's right though. With these dishes, it's all about balance and the way all the indivudual flavors in the spice paste work together. I did not get that quite right!

[Chufi]

When is the seasonal herring run?

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Peter, the new herring season officially starts the first week of June this year. But you can get the herring year round, because last year's catch gets frozen straightaway and will last until the new season begins.

[Chufi]

I made some cookies to take to dinner tomorrow. Our host has led me to believe that these cookies will go well with the dessert he has planned

I used the sugar cookie recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking - from my home to yours, and added limezest and ginger.

We just had a couple with tea. They're great!

Edited May 7, 2007 by Chufi (log)

[jgarner53]

Wow, those look really yummy!

Do you have a set of American measuring utensils, or are you comfortable enough to convert imperial to metric in your recipes?

Your food photos are fantastic!

[SuzySushi]

Your food photos are mouthwatering, and Amsterdam looks lovely even in the rain!

[Marigene]

I am so excited to read this blog after thoroughly enjoying the previous two!

[Chufi]

It's been a long day (even longer because yesterday was a very late night, involving one beer too many ) so I'm about to retire for the night.

Tomorrow I'll be at the office all day, which means I'll be able to check in every now and then and answer questions, but I won't be able to post pics (not that there's anything pictureworthy , food- or otherwise, where I work )

After work I'll head over to our dinnerparty straightaway. No-one knows where I'm going, huh?

[heidih]

Thank you so much for blogging. I have had a smile on my face since I first saw the canal shot with the flowers and tree, and also the asparagus vendor- and that was hours ago. I love your sense of joy and adventure about the cooking process. Plus the rats are pretty cute too. The cucumber eating method is hilarious.

[Megan Blocker]

I've only had them for a week and am still trying to figure out what they like. They can be very individual in their tastes (and characters). But here's what they do to a slice of cucumber. Every single rat I've had does this. If I leave it long enough they'll only leve a thin, perfectly round strip of peel. I think they're trying to tell me they'd prefer their cucumbers peeled 

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It's a CRIME!

[C. sapidus]

Hi, Klary: I am so glad to see you blogging. I always admire and enjoy your beautifully prepared and photographed meals, and your dauntless and adventurous spirit in the kitchen has been quite inspirational to me.

Your Indonesian meal looks scrumptious. Perhaps some folks can nail a curry the first time, but with so many variables most of us have to practice a time or two. The good news is that you can do amazing things just before serving with a shot of fish sauce, palm sugar, lime juice, and/or sambal oleek. The bad news is that this final, careful adjustment usually takes place under pressure from a hungry mob. If you have any leftovers, try playing with the seasonings – you may be able to surprise Dennis.

Is your mortar made of marble? Have you ever tried using a heavy granite mortar to pound curry pastes and spices?

Advance congratulations to you and Dennis on your anniversary. Can we assume that the celebration will involve food and drink? Bring on a week of delicious food and beautiful photography – the more rhubarb, the better. I have every confidence that you will manage any kitchen adventures with aplomb.

Interesting that your rats have an appreciation for fine foods – perhaps they got it from their owner?

[Chufi]

Hi, Klary: I am so glad to see you blogging. I always admire and enjoy your beautifully prepared and photographed meals, and your dauntless and adventurous spirit in the kitchen has been quite inspirational to me.

Your Indonesian meal looks scrumptious. Perhaps some folks can nail a curry the first time, but with so many variables most of us have to practice a time or two. The good news is that you can do amazing things just before serving with a shot of fish sauce, palm sugar, lime juice, and/or sambal oleek. The bad news is that this final, careful adjustment usually takes place under pressure from a hungry mob.   If you have any leftovers, try playing with the seasonings – you may be able to surprise Dennis.

Is your mortar made of marble? Have you ever tried using a heavy granite mortar to pound curry pastes and spices?

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Thanks Bruce!

My pestle and mortar is really not much use. It's one of those ceramic ones.. yes, I should get a proper one. The thing is, I'm lazy.. I would really prefer the foodprocessor to do this job for me.. and this comes from someone who prefers to whip eggwhites, cream and all sorts of batters and doughs by hand, just because I HATE to clean the foodprocessor!

My cooking Asian food is really something that started only recently. Slowly, I'm learning, and getting the right tools and utensils (and a fridge full of sauces )

[MarketStEl]

Just checking in from the office to say "Hi, Klary!"

And congratulations on your wedding anniversary! May the two of you have many more years of wedded bliss.

The usual barrage of questions and trivia will have to wait until I've gotten home and have time to give this blog the attention it deserves.

A bunch of our Psy.D. students are headed to Amsterdam over the US Memorial Day weekend along with a professor with whom I work closely. Maybe I should go back through your prior blogs to give them recommendations for eats while they're over in your part of the world.

[racheld]

Meet Yuki (in the back) and Dozo:

We're gonna have another someday---they have been my favourite pets of all time.

Just found this blog---we've been in the back garden all day, making part of it into a "room" by carving out a big tunnel-dome beneath the trees/honeysuckle/bushes and have just had one minute to see WHO---sigh blissfully, and scroll down past your babies.

Will take time to absorb it ALL at leisure, though I can hardly wait. The guess of YOU seemed impossible, and I'm so glad it was true.

[Hiroyuki]

Hi, Chufi, a brave woman doing her third foodblog!!

Come to think of it, I know almost nothing about Dutch cuisine... , although I have browsed through your two previous foodblogs and your Dutch cooking thread.

Just one question for now: What do Yuki and Dozo mean? I'm intereted in your rats' names because they sound Japanese! (Sorry if this question has already been asked.)