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Malaysia's Saturday Night Market Is a Foodie Paradise

partysugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:15:55 -0700

Recently reader FinnLover traveled to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. While visiting the vast city, she spent one Saturday night hitting up Little India's weekly street market. With its incredible diversity - there are stalls that serve Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, Western, and Indonesian cuisine - Finn describes the event as the "biggest food celebration ever." It took her two hours to walk from one end of the market to the other, but along the way she snapped an amazing array of photos.

Lucky for us, she shared the images in the Savory Sights group on the community page. Want your mouth-watering images to be featured on YumSugar? Join the group and start participating in the YumSugar community. To check out all of FinnLover's deliciously visual Malaysian market experience, keep reading

Can You Guess Which Country the Beer Is From?

YumSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:15:37 -0700

Regardless of where you are on a sizzling hot day, every culture understands the gratification that comes with opening a bottle or pouring a glass of frothy, ice-cold beer. For example, President Barack Obama recently brought two men divided on race relations together over a few cold ones. But unless you've done a lot of traveling around the world (or really know your brewskies), you might be surprised to find out where the world's most popular labels come from. Are you ready to put your beer knowledge to the test? Let's go!

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Question 1 of 8

Yuengling

Revisiting Travel Week

partysugar — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 10:50:18 -0800

This Summer YumSugar and I went on a trip around the world, and we invited you along for the ride! We devoted entire days to discussing the delicious cuisines from 10 different countries around the globe. I've looked back at all of our coverage and picked out my favorite memories from our culinary journeys. Here they are for you to revisit! Starting in top left corner and moving clockwise:

Yum celebrated all things Brazilian by making Pão de Queijo, a Brazilian cheese bread.
I planned a travel party.
In Morocco, we chowed down on kefta - spiced meatballs - with eggs.
We learned how to say cheers in 12 different languages.
When we went to Japan, we channeled our inner sushi chef by rolling sushi.

How about you? Where did you enjoy traveling to this year?

Off To Market Recap: Sushi Serving Set

partysugar — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:56:13 -0700

Last week I told you how I love to have the correct serving dishes for specific international items. Although I have never been to Japan, I really want a fabulous sushi serving set. When I'm out eating sushi, I always admire the delicate, beautifully patterned serving sets and want to bring this sentiment into my home. So I asked you to help me find the most spectacular sushi serving set out there. You saved the pieces in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag Sushi Serving Set. I really like the aqua fish shaped sushi set that UrbanBohemian bookmarked. It's enough for two people and the gorgeous color of the plates makes me want to use these dishes for more than just sushi. However my favorite sushi set was found by gruaig_rua. The cobalt blue bamboo pattern is both traditional and sophisticated, elegant and modern, and absolutely lovely. Great job girl! Scroll through the list below to see what else you guys came up with!

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For more on how the bookmarking feature functions check out geeksugar's guide.

Would You Rather Eat Chinese Food Or Italian Food?

partysugar — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 01:38:39 -0700

Yum Market Finds: Globalize Your Kitchen

partysugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:43:39 -0700

All week we have been showing you how to use food to take you on a journey in your own home. Cooking up delicious, exotic and foreign dishes is a great way to globalize your life, as is using fun internationally-inspired cooking tools and gadgets. Judging by all of the cool worldly things you've bookmarked in the Yum Market on TeamSugar, you guys already know this! Experience Italy with this ricotta making set that mellie_608 bookmarked. Or serve your ratatouille in classic French dishware or teach your kids how to use chopsticks with holdstix. Other ways to bring the world to you: drink Hawaiian coffee, keep your stews in an authentic Brazilian soapstone, and mix up guests a classic Cuban mojito.

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52 Weeks of Baking: Cherry Clafouti

YumSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:01:39 -0700

This week I decided to bake something French for travel week. I originally thought I'd make a classic creme brulee, but after flipping through Julia Child's wonderful Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I landed on a clafouti instead. The anniversary of Julia Child's birth is approaching and in order to celebrate, I thought it was time to try mastering something new.
So what is a clafouti (pronounced kla-foo-tee)? It's a custard-style baked French dessert, traditionally made with cherries (but you can substitute most any fruit). The batter is similar to pancake batter, but the result is more like a flan. It's wonderfully delicious served warm with powdered sugar on top, and is ridiculously easy to put together. To make this tonight, read more

Clafouti
From Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking

1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
3 cups cherries, pitted (see *Note)
1/3 cup sugar
powdered sugar

In a blender blend the milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour. Pour a 1/4 inch layer of the batter in a buttered 7 or 8 cup lightly buttered fireproof baking dish. Place in the oven until a film of batter sets in the pan [this took about 3 minutes]. Remove from the heat and spread the cherries over the batter. Sprinkle on the 1/3 cup of sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour. The clafouti is done when puffed and brown and and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve warm.

*Note: I ended up halving the cherries and soaking them in a mixture of brandy and sugar for an hour.

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Fast & Easy DInner: Salad Nicoise

partysugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 09:01:31 -0700

When I was in Nice, France, I was mildly surprised to see that a large chunk of the salads on menus were Nicoise salads - especially because Nicoise is a French phrase that means "as prepared in Nice." Dishes a la Nicoise generally include tomatoes, black olives, and garlic. The quintessential salad contains these basics and additional tasty, fresh ingredients like green beans, tuna, and hard boiled eggs. Traditionally the salad is made with anchovies, but you can omit them if you like. The recipe also calls for a homemade vinaigrette, but you can easily substitute your favorite oil and vinegar based dressing if you are short on time. This hearty salad is a meal on its own - one that is perfect when paired with a French white or bubbly. To get the recipe, read more

Salad Nicoise
From Julia Child
Image Source

For salad:
1 large head Boston-lettuce leaves, washed and dried
1 pound green beans, cooked and refreshed
1-1/2 tablespoons minced shallots
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 or 4 ripe red tomatoes, cut into wedges (or 10 to 12 cherry tomatoes, halved)
3 or 4 "boiling" potatoes, peeled, sliced, and cooked
Two 3-ounce cans chunk tuna, preferably oil-packed
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
1 freshly opened can of flat anchovy fillets, optional
1/3 cup small black Niçoise-type olives
2 to 3 tablespoons capers
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
For Vinaigrette:
1/2 tablespoon finely minced shallot or scallion
1/2 tablespoon Dijon-type mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon wine vinegar
1/3 to 1/2 cup excellent olive oil, or other fine, fresh oil
Freshly ground pepper

Make vinaigrette: Either shake all the ingredients together in a screw-topped jar, or mix them individually as follows. Stir the shallots or scallions together with the mustard and salt. Whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar, and when well blended start whisking in the oil by droplets to form a smooth emulsion. Beat in freshly ground pepper. Taste (dip a piece of the salad greens into the sauce) and correct seasoning with salt, pepper, and/or drops of lemon juice.
Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter or in a shallow bowl.
Shortly before serving, toss the beans with the shallots, spoonfuls of vinaigrette, and salt and pepper.
Baste the tomatoes with a spoonful of vinaigrette.
Place the potatoes in the center of the platter and arrange a mound of beans at either end, with tomatoes and small mounds of tuna at strategic intervals. Ring the platter with halves of hard-boiled eggs, sunny side up, and curl an anchovy on top of each if using.
Spoon more vinaigrette over all; scatter on olives, capers, and parsley, and serve.

Serves 6.

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Love Is The Sound of a Spoon on Creme Brulee

YumSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 01:03:38 -0700

One of the best sounds in the world is the lovely crack that happens when your spoon breaks through the top of a creme brulee. The caramelized sugar crust gives way to a luscious creamy custard and the lovely sound means that an amazing dessert is awaiting you. Since today is National Creme Brulee Day, I think we should all head into the kitchen and make one of our very own. It takes some specialty equipment (like a culinary blowtorch), but it's definitely worth it. To check out the recipe, read more

To make this a classic crème brûlée, simply omit the fresh ginger.

Ginger and Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée
From Bon Appétit, February 1999

For Custard
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
5 large egg yolks

For Crème Brûlée
12 tsp. sugar
Sliced tropical fruit (such as mango, papaya and/or kiwi)

Make Custard:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Place three 4-inch-diameter fluted flan dishes in each of two 13-x-9 x-2-in. baking pans or place six 3/4-cup ramekins in 1 pan. Mix cream, sugar, and ginger in heavy medium saucepan. Using small sharp knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean. Add seeds and bean to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer. Cover pan, reduce heat to very low and simmer gently 10 minutes to infuse flavors. Strain into large measuring cup.
Whisk yolks in medium bowl until well blended. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture just to blend. Return custard to measuring cup; divide among dishes. Pour enough hot water into pans to come halfway up sides of dishes. Carefully transfer pans to oven.
Bake custards until almost set in center when pans are gently shaken, about 30 minutes for fluted flan dishes and 35 minutes for ramekins. Using metal spatula, transfer custards in dishes to work surface; cool 30 minutes. Chill at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

Make Crème Brûlée:

Sprinkle 2 tsp. sugar evenly over each custard. Working with 1 custard at a time, hold culinary blowtorch** so that flame is 2 inches above surface. Direct flame so that sugar melts and browns, about 2 minutes.
Refrigerate until custards are firm again but topping is still brittle, at least 2 hours but no longer than 4 hours so that topping doesn't soften. Garnish crème brûlées with fruit.

** Note: If you don't have access to a culinary blowtorch, you can place the custard dishes on a small baking sheet and broil until sugar begins to caramelize (about 2 minutes) - rotate sheet for even browning.

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Become One With Your Inner Sushi Chef

YumSugar — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:58:30 -0700

Today our "travels" took us to the elegant cuisine of Japan. Sushi, one of their most popular exports, happens to be a really big weakness of mine. However it's a rather expensive - and delicious - hobby. At some point I was eating it several times a week and decided that I could no longer justify spending that much money on it. So I took the frugal route and decided to make it at home instead. If you've ever wanted to try making your own sushi, you're in luck. I've got some great tips to help you get started. If you're scared of eating raw fish at home, don't forget, you can always make California or vegetarian rolls. To check out my tips, read more

The first thing you need is a sushi roller. Once you have yours take a piece of plastic wrap and cover it lengthwise - making sure the edges are sealed. Next, take a piece and cover it the other way - also covering all edges. Now you won't contaminate your roller. When you clean up your mess, you'll be able to simply remove the layers of plastic wrap.

Every sushi restaurant does their rice differently. Some places even have a secret hand-crafted seasoning, while others simply use a powder or a vinegar mixture. You can try to find your own powder/mix or try one of these sushi rice recipes.
You will want to season your rice while it is warm. Use a wooden spatula to mix the seasoning into it. Remember to be gentle, you don't want to crush the grains. Once seasoned, use a fan (we plug the electric one in) to cool the rice. Your rice should be glossy, but not wet.
Before you begin rolling, be sure to pre-slice all of your fish, vegetables, etc. I like to create little plates of ingredients, so that I can just grab what I need when rolling.
If you're opting for fish, be sure you get it from a trusted source. Tell the fishmonger that you're planning on using it as sushi. It should not smell "fishy" (it shouldn't really smell like anything). It should also be bright in color and moist looking. For more tips check out sushi links.
When rolling, place all of your ingredients on one side. Do not overfill. Roll gently, tucking the ingredients in as you go.

Once you have your sushi rolled, use a clean sharp wet blade to slice through. You can try to use one long motion, but you will be better off to use a sawing motion. Also, be sure to wipe the blade off every now and again.

Know a great sushi trick? Share it with us below!

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