Clean out the pantry challenge

[Franci]

Hi guys,

I need a bit of help: I have one month to clean my cupboards! I know that I'll not been able to finish everything but I want to be effective in limiting my waste. I really appreciate if you have hints and suggestions for me. I don't want to go out and buy other ingredients and want to maximize the quantities used in a recipe (like no more nuts flours or difficult ingredients, ok to buy food used regularly like eggs or flour). Ex. orange blossom water.

I'll try to post also everything I'll be making in this one month here.

I've not yet checked what I have in the freezer...

1 box bonito stock in packages

Nori sheets (n. 9)

1 bottle of sushi seasoning (about 280 ml)

320 g of sushi rice

2 cups about of red lentils

2 jars of small dried Chines black mushrooms

2 small jars of dried woodenear mushrooms

1 cup scant of green azuki beans

1 cup of giant white beans dry

1 package of dry nice noodle

1 package of rice net spring rolls wraps

1 open package of rice spring rolls wraps

1 box of 250 g of wheat starch

320 g tapioca starch

160 g glutinous rice flour

120 g rice flour

1 jar of rice syrup

1 small bottle Mexican vanilla extract

1 small bottle, halfway, of Madagcar vanilla extract

2 vanilla beans

80 g cocoa powder unsweetened

Pearl sugar for brioche au sucre

1 bottle of orange water about 180 ml in it

600 g of 10X sugar

1 jar of bakewell cream

320 g of jasmine rice

1 cup basmati

Assorted nuts: toasted almond from Spain, hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds

1 cup toasted black sesame seeds

500g soft brown sugar

1 can coconut milk

1 small can wasabi powder

Yuzu powder

1 tiny jar of shrimp paste (belancan)

1 bottle mirin

1 jar chili radishes Taiwanese

Refrigerator

White miso unopened

Homemade preserved lemons

1 small jar anchovy paste

1 big jar Ligurian anchovies under salt

1 open jar of XO sauce

1 package of zereshk

1 bottle oyster sauce

1 bottle of soy sauce

½ jar plum sauce

1 bottle of Koon yick wah kee sauce

1 jar of home made sriracha in the freezer

2 bottles and half of fish sauce (1 from Vietname, 1 Red Boat and half of a Blis aged fishsauce)

1 bottle sake for cooking

1 big package of dry shrimps

Tahini

Cornichons

Coarse mustard

Mustard

Hazelnut oil

Avocado oil

2 drawers full of spices...

For ex. to use orange flower water, it would be nice to combine with sesame or a lot of the cocoa...so more ingredients can be used at the same time! Thanks, I'm loading some pictures as well.

Edited July 22, 2013 by Franci (log)

[Franci]

By taking some of the food on the table, I realized I'm very short of time! And after writing a list I started to panic...

[Kerry Beal]

For the wheat starch and oyster sauce -

Chinese Garlic Chive dim sum (1 servings)

• 1 cup wheat starch
• 1 cup boiling water
• vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 bunch garlic chives
• minced garlic
• salt, pepper, soy, oyster sauce (3-4 tbsp)
• cornstarch slurry

1.Fry pork in a bit of oil with garlic until brown, Add garlic chives and cook until they wilt. Season with oyster sauce and thicken with cornstarch slurry.

2.add boiling water to starch while stirring, knead, add oil to get smooth texture.

3.1 1/2 inch balls, roll out 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick. Place spoonful of filling in center, pinch into desired shape. Put each on a bit of parchment, Steam 10 minutes, then brown on one side PRN.

4.Fry pork in a bit of oil with garlic until brown, Add garlic chives and cook until they wilt. Season with oyster sauce and thicken with cornstarch slurry.

[Kerry Beal]

The glutinous rice and coconut milk could go for sticky rice with mangos.

Or mochi with the glutinous rice flour and coconut milk - half recipe of this

Butter Mochi Source: The Food of Paradise by Rachel Laudan
(Servings: --)

• 3 cups mochiko (sweet rice flour)
• 2 ½ cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Two 12-ounce cans coconut milk
• 5 large eggs
• 4 ounces melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the mochiko, sugar and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk, eggs, butter and vanilla, and whisk until incorporated. Gently stir in the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch, ungreased cake pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Let cool completely. Cut into brownie-sized squares and serve.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Syzygies]

I have one month to clean my cupboards!

About twenty years ago I started dating all staples with a Sharpie, and about eighteen years ago I started discarding anything without a date, without apology. It has become a very useful habit.

[Franci]

I have one month to clean my cupboards!

About twenty years ago I started dating all staples with a Sharpie, and about eighteen years ago I started discarding anything without a date, without apology. It has become a very useful habit.

I really should start doing it! After I'm clear...

The glutinous rice and coconut milk could go for sticky rice with mangos.

Or mochi with the glutinous rice flour and coconut milk - half recipe of this

Butter Mochi Source: The Food of Paradise by Rachel Laudan

(Servings: --)

And thanks for the recipe for the dumplings.

This baked mochi, instead, reminded me of something I read some time ago. Here. Even easier, no eggs and can use up nuts!

[Franci]

I forgot to add to my list a package of vine leaves. So today I had Ottolenghi lamb pie and used up some zereshk as well. I have still plenty of leaves. More in the next few days.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Franci (log)

[hongda]

Maybe use the nuts and spices to make kafta, served asian style with rice paper wraps, and rice noodles.<br /><br />Kind of a fusion bo la lot<br /><br />http://www.theravenouscouple.com/2009/08/bo-la-lot-betel-leaf-wrapped-beef.html<br /><br />

[Plantes Vertes]

The last time I moved countries I gave my unopened dry goods to a young person's hostel in my building - so perhaps can donate yours? Then you only have to use the opened ones. Don't panic!

With the vine leaves, rice, red lentils and white beans you could do some Middle Eastern food; gigandes (white beans in tomato sauce), dolmades and lentil soup. Baklava would take care of the pistachios and Turkish delights for the icing sugar and rose water. You can give the sweets away for farewell gifts if you get too full!

[Franci]

Maybe use the nuts and spices to make kafta, served asian style with rice paper wraps, and rice noodles.

Kind of a fusion bo la lot

http://www.theravenouscouple.com/2009/08/bo-la-lot-betel-leaf-wrapped-beef.html

Thanks!That is an idea. Unusual rice wrap are common in this house...

Definitely Plantes Verdes, I'll see if I can donate what I cannot manage. It is fun in some ways...this is really forcing myself to be more creative and effective.

This afternoon I discovered fekkas, Moroccan biscotti. So I'm done with almonds, raisins, some of the sesame seeds and some orange blossom water. I'm making also a no knead brioche where I used more orange blossom water and hopefully going to finish my pearled sugar.

[Franci]

Yesterday I started a batch of no knead brioche (recipe from Ideas in Food book), substituting some of the water with orange blossom water.

This morning the dough was doubled in bulk but it looked greasy. I baked almost all of it and the brioches were a disaster: heavy and greasy. It was too hot.

Luckily, I left some of the dough and put it in the fridge, took it out in the afternoon, it had more of the smooth brioche feel.

What a huge difference! For sure I had made better brioche in the past, although the little brioches I made in the afternoon were decent compared to the one baked this morning. You can clearly see it in these pictures, in the first the no no brioche it's the one resting on its side, the 2nd picture it's obvious.

So, the only thing I accomplished was to finish the sugar on top of the brioche and some more orange blossom water.

Then I went back to to the cupboard and decided to take some of my losses and dumped the mushrooms that have been there forever, followed by green azuki beans, the net rice wrap and a few other jars...

With the heat I'm not really in the mood to use miso for soup. To you have suggestions for using miso in good amount? Some pickles? Some marinating?

And for the dry shrimps besides some fried rice or stir-fried vegetables?

Thanks

[hongda]

Scallops and Miso by Harumi

http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com/2012/04/50-women-game-changers-in-food-42.html#.UfBfq22DkfQ

Miso salad dressing.

Miso glazed salmon

Freeze firm tofu, defrost, then drain, then soak in a marinade of soy, miso, mirin, ginger, and water. Then grill.

Some other interesting uses for miso in link below. Apricot miso jam....

http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2012/04/how-to-cook-with-miso.html

Momofuku does a butterscotch miso sauce for their apple pie.

http://momofukufor2.com/2010/07/apple-pie-filling-and-miso-butterscotch/