s/o:How do you cook unusual grains? - Page 2

[Magelet]

I have been reading "the book of jewish food", and learned a fascinating way of cooking rice I totally want to try. apparently, a lot of sephardic jews cook rice in a bag in a stew, when the cook the stew overnight. (because they can't cook it on shabbat, but can start it friday and leave it in a slow oven/in coals til saturday).

They put the rice and anything else they want in the rice, (such as meat peices, liver, herbs, other things), fill a little cloth bag 3/4 full of rice (or more or less depending on the texture they want) and pop it in the stew liquid on top of the other ingrediants. (I'm thinking it's more steamed than boiled? really sitting up on top of the other stuff out of the liquid) By using the bag, and not giving the rice too much room to expand, it stays a nice texture and doesn't turn to mush, even though its cooked at a low temp for 18+ hours. I can't WAIT to try it it sounds so yummy! rice cooked for hours and hours in a knuckle broth?

(she does say it has become uncommon because of the pain of cleaning and then sterilizing in boiling water the bag, but it sounds like fun)

(apparently other common things to cook in the same pot, in or on top of the stew are eggs, which apparently being boiled for hours and hours are far better than 15 minute eggs which are grossly sulferous? apparently they're brown and creamy, and much loved., meatloafs, or kosher organ sausages, and more.)

[AllieFaye]

I really love the tradtional Tibetan method of preparing grain or "tsampa". They are a barley culture (really high altitude - ahem) but it works with every grain I've tried. Soak overnight, then dry roast, until the grains brown. Barley goes clear then brown, an intriguing process. Either eat the grain as is - great for convenience food snacking - or grind into flour. The flour has a wonderful toasted flavor, too.

[Teenytoona]

That's interesting! I'm trying to imagine the sort of cloth used.

[Magelet]

allie, that sounds really yummy, I'll have to try it. thanks!!

as for the type of cloth, in the intro, it says "they used thin muslin and nylon fabric to wrap up rice ("serra" is the moroccan word for the bag tied at both ends)" Later in a recipe, it says to mix the ingrediants together, "put them in a muslin or cloth bag, and tie up the ends, leaving enough room for the rice to expand." I'm thinking I'll make a tube of undyed muslin to try it with. I've got muslin around, and it's much easier to sew a tube than a bag.

[rhiandmoi]

Re: the difference between quinoa and "grains"

All grains are seeds. The biggest difference is that the quinoa plant is not a grass, and traditionally grains are the seeds of grasses.

One thing that I like to eat, that is a corn product but extremely TF is Andean Popcorn. It is not a lye preparation like hominy, but it is big dried not sweet corn kernals. You fry them in some fat until they puff up and crack, and then coat them with salt. They are like the original corn nuts, and they are totally delicious. In Ecuador they eat them with ceviche, but I usually eat most of them before dinner even starts.

http://www.mesamexicanfoods.com/mark...pino/p_14.html

[rhiandmoi]

I started a new tribe for Agrarian TFers - and brought links to all these recipes over there.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...8#post15008668

[WorldsBestMom]

I haven't done oatmeal in a long while. Rice is mostly what I use as a grain. You girls ideas may come in handy though.

[ursusarctos]

Magelet, what an interesting find! That sounds really good.