Asian Recipes

Asian Recipes Blog

The Unrivaled Practical Guide for Asian Cooking

What is the difference between barley flour and other flours?

Barley flour is produced by milling the whole grain. Barley is notably low in gluten, the protein that gives bread dough its elasticity. For this reason, it needs to be used with other, higher-gluten flours to make successful yeasted bread. While barley flour or meal does not make good leavened bread when used on its own, it adds considerable flovor to tea breads and scones and can be used to thicken soups and milk-based sauces.

As one of the earliest cereals farmed, barley grains were used for making bread before wheat. While much barley is now used for animal feed, it is still malted for brewing and remains an important grain for human food in the Middle East.

** Asian Online Recipes **

14:11:29 on 08/25/06 by Webmaster - Questions and Answers -

How do we make barbecued desserts?

Your guest may have had enough of barbecued food after eating the main course, and a fresh fruit salad or some homemade ice cream to follow is often the most refreshing choice. However, fruit does lend itself to being barbecued and the soft flesh of banana is especially delicious when grilled.

Split the whole banana lengthways through the skin, without removing the flesh, and sprinkle orange juice, rum, brown sugar and cinnamon down the middle. Dot the banana flesh with butter, sandwich the fruit back together and wrap it in foil. Grill the banana slowly for about 5-10 minutes, turning the parcel over carefully about halfway through cooking. A variety of other fleshy fruits, such as nectarines and peaches, can be cooked in the same way, but they will need to have their hard stones removed beforehand.

Fruit kebabs are very attractive and cook quickly. Cut a mixture of firm-fleshed fruit into chunks and thread them onto a kebab skewer, choose fruits that have a harmonious mix of colors and flavors. Sprinkle with caster sugar and a liqueur, or the juice and zest of one orange, and leave them to soak for at least 2 hours. Then drain the kebabs, save the marinade, and grill the fruit for 5-10 minutes. Turn them often while they cook, basting with a little marinade.

To serve, arrange the mixed fruit kebabs decoratively onto a platter and pour over the remaining juice.

** Asian Online Recipes **

11:25:57 on 08/25/06 by Webmaster - Questions and Answers -

Should we marinate vegetables before barbecuing them?

Vegetables cannot be made tender by marinating, but using marinades does enhance the flavor of food. The results on vegetables can be surprising and delicious.

For instance, try the following few below -

Marinate thick slices of eggplant, zucchini, red and yellow peppers, plus halved egg tomatoes, in olive oil with some crushed garlic, sprigs of thyme and a squeeze of lemon. Cook the vegetables on a grid placed directly over the hot coals, starting with the eggplant, which needs about 6 minutes on each side; add the zucchini for 4-5 minutes on each side; followed by the peppers for about 2–3 minutes on each side; and then the tomatoes, skin side down only, for 2–3 minutes.

Grilled asparagus is wonderful with a mixture of hazelnut oil and red wine vinegar. Use three parts of oil to one part of vinegar, whisk the two together and pour the marinade over the asparagus .

You can cook the spears straightaway or leave them soaking in the marinade for about an hour. Put the asparagus spears on a grill which is directly over the hot coals, and rotate them to allow quick cooking for 2–3 minutes on each side.

A popular choice to barbecue is corn-on-the-cob. Pull the corn husk back without taking it off the stalk, and then remove the silky threads. Coat the corn cob with a barbecue sauce and cover it again with the husk. Wrap each cob in foil and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Cook the prepared corn parcels on the cooler part of the grill for about 15-20 minutes, turning frequently.

** Asian Online Recipes **

08:55:11 on 08/25/06 by Webmaster - Questions and Answers -