Sexy Sushi And An Award

Tell me honestly now, if you were a food item, wouldn't you want to date these hot-looking sushi? Look past their understated sex appeal, and you'll find that everything about them is healthy, wholesome and yes, even vegan. Purple sweet potato (oooh!), carrot and spring onions are snugly wrapped around with tasty organic brown rice and flavorful Nori. Looking at these rolls, I just wanted to break into song... ~Oh My Gosh....there's so many ways to love you!~  (To be sung to Usher's O.M.G., btw).

How to make these and impress your green-eyed family and friends? It's not nearly as stressful as you may imagine. Here's a simple pic-tutorial, followed by the recipe:

 The filling - spring onion leaves, purple sweet potatoes and carrot strips

 The stuff holding it all in - organic brown rice (+ nori sheets, of course)

 Line up filling ingredients neatly at one end

 Roll, roll, roll (you can see I forgot to lay down the nori here!)

 Slice and here you have it, the delectable Ms. Sushi

This is only my second time using brown rice in a recipe and also the second time that I've ever attempted  to roll sushi. Second time? Yep, if you would like to check out my 'virgin' brown rice and sushi attempts, click on the links below: 

Spicy Thai Red-Brown Rice with Eggplant and Apples, 

Black Rice Sushi Rolls.

Brown Rice Sushi with Purple Sweet Potato, Carrot and Spring Onion Filling

Makes: 2 sushi rolls

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 medium purple sweet potato, cut into strips and steamed

1/2 a medium carrot, sliced into long strips and steamed
2 spring onions, use the leafy, green part only
2 Nori sheets (dried seaweed)
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:
1. Wash the brown rice in water, draining the water several times, then boil in 2 cups of water. You can cook this either on a stove or in a rice cooker, until the rice is fluffy and soft.
2. Once cooked, stir in 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar and a pinch of salt and ground black pepper. The vinegar helps bind the rice grains together to make it easier to roll. Leave to cool.
3. Prepare the vegetable fillings: Steam the slices of purple sweet potatoes and carrot for about 15-30 minutes until softened. Leave these to cool outside the steamer.
4. To assemble, spoon the cooled brown rice it onto a nori sheet placed on top of a bamboo rolling mat. Flatten with the back of a spoon following the shape of the nori sheet. Leave 1 cm of nori on one edge without any rice. If you don't have a proper rolling mat, use aluminium foil lined with cling film and place your ingredients to be rolled on the film instead.
5. Line up your fillings in 3 straight lines, then start to roll forward from the end nearest to you (where the rice is closest to the edge). Make sure you press firmly along the length of the rolling mat so the rice and filling can spread a little to the opened ends. Seal the roll by moistening the unfilled nori end with a bit of water.
6. Slice the roll across about ½ inch thick with a sharp, wet knife. Dip the blade in water to moisten it in between cuts. Serve with soy sauce and wasabi dip.

AWARD

Wait! I'm not finished yet.... A few days ago, I received this Lovely Blog Award from the cutest bird in the food blogging universe, Chef Gerald a.k.a. Jerry at Bistro Gerard. Yes, did you know that even parrots have their own blogs nowadays and this ninja birdie can cook up truly ah-mazing recipes? Although it can't be easy typing with those well-manicured claws (with only three fingers on each) and I suspect his Mummy, Anca, must help a lot in the keyboarding department. I may be wrong, so please correct me if I am, Chef and please, don't take this award away because I said something about your typing! Thank you for reading my posts all this time and for sending this award my way.

It's always a pleasant surprise to get some recognition from fellow bloggers either through their comments, emails, tweets and through awards like these. And quite wonderful to know that they weren't all from my mother either (signing in under the guise of various bloggers)! Now, it's time for me to "share the love" by passing this award on to 15 other bloggers whose posts I find simply amazing and make me want to wake up every morning to read. If you're smart, you'll want to check them out too!

1. Jennifurla @ Indigo's Sugar Spectrum
2. Michael @ Me, My Food and I
3. Margaret @ Savory Sweet Living
4. Krystle @ Quaypo Cooks
5. Carolyn @ All Day I Dream About Food
6. Roxan @ Kitchen Meditation
7. Cherine @ Chico's Kitchen
8. The Cook and The Dishwasher
9. Karen @ Tasty Trials
10. Maybelle's Mom @ Feeding Maybelle
11. Azmina @ Lawyer Loves Lunch
12. Lauren @ Foodie House
13. Jeff and Heather @ He Cooks...She Cooks...
14. Russell @ Chasing Delicious
15. Sonia @ Nasi Lemak Lover

Your Best Recipe - My Sweet, Purple Amore

Let me reveal a side of myself you probably wouldn't know - I am a Recipe Narcissist. I get a real high when these hands (and this unfathomable mind) can come up with something original, beautiful and delicious to boot. Unfortunately, I only have one blog to showcase these recipes. Fortunately though, there are many talented, creative food bloggers out there who graciously host great "events" or round-ups where we can link our posts to. I am so grateful to them, these unknowing enablers (in a nice way, truly) of my recipe-narcissistic tendencies.

An initiative that begins today is Your Best Recipe (YBR), hosted by the amazing Nancy of Spicie Foodie blog. To me, she is a photographer extraordinaire who portrays her spicy-laden dishes in photos that often make me gasp. Yes, she's THAT good! By hosting these monthly YBR roundups, Nancy is actually sharing her limelight (in the best lighting possible ;-)) with fellow bloggers who wish to draw the blogosphere's attention to their best recipes posted within the month. This is the start of what I believe is a great resource and I'm encouraging you to head over to Spicie Foodie right now to read the various bloggers' best (BEST!) recipes for October.

So what's my best recipe this October? It's a dainty dessert, topped with some crazy purple mousse noodles (preview below).

If it's killing you to find out what our best recipes are for October, go and check out Your Best Recipe now. Hope you all had a terrifyingly happy Halloween!

Poetry Thursday #8: Green Tea Rolls With Purple Sweet Potato Filling

Poetry Thursday #8:

My life, so wonderful,
So toilsome; stressful.

Nothing to look forward to,
At least for the moment.
Reoccuring irritants,
Constant lies; deception.

Pleasure, not as pleasing,
Tastes are going bland,
The spice of life fading,
Regressing; retreating.

I ponder these things,
While sitting at the edge,
The edge of my sanity,
This foothold; ledge.

I entered this world,
To someone screaming,
Now I say the same word,
I'm begging; pleading.

Any last words?
Just fucking push already.

Push... by David Robichaux Jr. 

I might as well declare this week Purple Sweet Potato Celebration Week. For the past several days, I had carefreely indulged my obsession for purple-colored food, namely (you guessed it), purple sweet potatoes (PSPs). It all began when I'd spotted some freshly dug (still coated in soil) PSPs at the market over the weekend. Against my better judgement, I grabbed a few of the tubers, all the while scheming up something beautiful and delicious with them in my head.

Today is only Thursday, but I've already rustled up five - yes, FIVE - new recipes using my favorite purple vegetables! I suppose I'll stop only when they run out (just hoping there are no Withdrawal Symptoms!). I'm not going to extol the nutritional virtues and versatility of PSPs again, but if you're new to these lovelies and are pretty curious, click on the links below for my previous posts on these purplies:

Purple Sweet Potato Pie with Easy Oats Crust
Rockin' Pink and Purple Scones
Mont Blanc-Inspired Purple Sweet Potato Cakelets

For today's recipe, I attempted a pairing of matcha (green tea) and PSP flavors in a bunch of sweet rolls, and the outcome was unexpectedly delicious. The potatoes went very well with the green tea, the two very distinct earthy notes blended brilliantly to striptease the palate. Yes, very naughty! The success of this recipe surpassed even my expectations. And the colors, OH... So drop-dead gorgeous. Like a well-matched outfit, on a good hair day.

The three layers: green tea (roll), brown sugar and purple sweet potatoes (filling)

Experience the luscious feeli...err, filling.

Maybe these vibrant rolls will stir up some excitement on Yeastspotting @Wild Yeast and Recipe Swap Thursday @Prairie Story, where I'm sending it to!
 
Green Tea Rolls With Purple Sweet Potato Filling
Makes: 12 rolls
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 teaspoon dry, instant yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup margarine (or butter), melted and cooled
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
4 1/2 cups bread flour
3-4 tablespoons matcha powder

Purple Sweet Potato Filling
400g sweet potatoes, boiled and mashed
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar

Method:

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar, margarine, salt, and eggs. Add flour and matcha powder, mix well. Knead the dough into a large ball for about 5 minutes. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

2. After the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle and after that prepare the filling.

4. Assembly: Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Add the mashed, cooled purple sweet potatoes one spoonful at a time on top of the sugar. Flatten layer evenly with a spatula.

5. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls (cut side up) on a lightly greased rectangular baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200C/400F.

6. Bake rolls until matcha layer turns slightly brown, about 15 minutes. Leave to cool on a rack for 15 minutes before serving (careful, the filling will be very hot when it comes out of the oven!).

Mont Blanc-Inspired Purple Sweet Potato Cakelets

Apart from macarons, the only other dessert that I have kept a considerable distance from (baking-wise) is Mont Blanc. On both counts, I'm so afraid to fail. Visions of flat, brick-like macarons and lumpy chestnut noodles haunt me everytime I peruse through fabulous recipes involving these two sweets. Other kitchen warriors have been there, done that, conquered their fears. I know I should be heading the same way and get past my discomfort zone (God knows I've cooked up more brain-twisting recipes!), but I also know I needed to be ready in my own time.

Today, as I was busting my chops climbing ten hills under the blazing heat of the morning, it finally hit me. There I was, a strong, fearless Indiana Jane-type who can traverse various degrees of rough terrain pretty effortlessly, and I was afraid of what? Two miniscule desserts that are popular in France (and Japan)? It was on the way home, still covered in dry dust, that I decided the time has come to rip off those training whisks and bring on the heavy artillery. I was going to finally attempt Mont Blanc. The most beautiful version I could muster.

Fits right in the palm of my hand.

Now, the traditional Mont Blanc topping is usually made with chestnut puree. To be honest, the combination of having to tediously produce chestnut puree from scratch plus its natural sepia color left me more than a little lustless. If I was going to do a Mont Blanc, it definitely would be far from Blanc. Mine would have a vibrancy that reflects who I am! Exit chestnuts, enter purple sweet potatoes. Both were equally comforting, at least that was my justification to stave off any iota of guilt about the switch.

I didn't really want to spend a huge amount of time making a cake base worthy of a thesis, so I stuck with a light butterless recipe I always use for thin bases most suited for mousse cakes. It was good for this purpose too, and more importantly, it was dead easy to rustle up. This was baked while waiting for the sweet potato mousse and chocolate ganache to firm up in the fridge. Oh, did I mention chocolate ganache? Yes, I substituted the traditional meringue filling for Mont Blanc with ganache balls, and guess what? Sometimes, it's worth breaking a few rules to get a completely different experience of happiness!

Okay, so it wasn't totally authentic Mont Blanc. But if I hadn't told you that, would you even have known?

Mont Blanc-Inspired Purple Sweet Potato Cakelets

Cakelet (base)

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons hot water

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170C. Beat eggs and hot water in a bowl until foamy (1 minute).

2. Add sugar and vanilla and beat further for 2 minutes.

3. Sieve flour, baking powder and salt together and add to the egg mixture. Mix quickly at the lowest speed.

4. Pour 1-2 tablespoons of batter (depending on the size of your mould) into the base of greased muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden.

5. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning the cakelets out. Leave to cool completely on a rack.

Sweet Potato Mousse

1 ½ cups purple sweet potato, boiled and mashed

1 ½ cups milk

¼ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoon gelatine, softened in 2 teaspoons cold water

5 tablespoons of butter, softened

Method:

1. Place the mashed sweet potato, sugar, eggs, cornstarch and salt in a blender and puree until smooth.

2. Heat the milk in a large pan until it just comes to a boil, then remove from heat and pour quickly into the mixture in the blender. Blend ingredients for 1 minute, then return to the pan.

3. Let the sweet potato mixture boil for about 30 seconds, remove from the heat and stir in the softened gelatine until dissolved. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl to remove any lumps.

4. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. Beat in the softened butter one tablespoon at a time until you get a glossy, creamy mixture.

5. Once it is cool enough, place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before piping onto a cooled cakelet.

Chocolate Ganache (recipe here)

You would need to cool this in the refrigerator for a few hours (preferably overnight) so that the ganache is firm when you scoop it with a spoon.

Assembly:

1. Take a heaped teaspoon of firm chocolate ganache and place it on top of a cakelet.

2. Spoon the sweet potato puree into a piping bag, and using a plain round tip (eg. No. 7 Wilton), pipe concentric circles around and on top of the ganache and cakelet until a small purple mound is formed.

3. Garnish the top with a sprinkle of roasted, chopped walnuts and/or sesame seeds and serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a day.

IIP: Lavender-Black Sesame Éclairs with Dulce De Leche Crème Mousseline

When I read 'Lavender' as the theme of this month's International Incident Party, I thought, Uh-oh... I'm in royal trouble. Lavender falls into the 'exotic' category of ingredient to me, mainly because it is virtually impossible to get here in Brunei. I haven't even come across lavender tea being sold here, let alone the real deal! (We do have a variety of lavender soaps and toiletries to choose from, though. I guess we just like to smell fresh and flowery, just like grandma's pillows!).

Being as lavender-deprived as I am, the last time I'd come across this ingredient was when I was sipping a soothing cup of tea in Hong Kong, about six years ago. I brought home boxes of the stuff, and consequently friends and family had to endure a rather long period of being presented with lavender pound cakes and cookies - until the last of the purple flowers were used up. So when the need for lavender suddenly came up, my mind flashed back to Hong Kong. Luckily WL, my friend of nearly 2 decades - actually, she's my sister from another mother (and father) - lives in Hong Kong. She very generously DHL-ed me some lavender tea which arrived a few days ago, just in time for the party! In hindsight, the courier cost was much, much more than the actual price of the tea, so this gesture reminded me who my real friends are. Thank you, WL! If only it is possible to DHL these eclairs back to you, you know I will...

For this party, I had my mind set on making éclairs, sweet lavender-infused ones. Not lavender in the filling nor the topping but in the pastry itself. Lavender gives out that distinctly heady scent and flavor, so I wanted to be careful not to overdo it, otherwise my éclairs would taste a bit like my deodorant (not that I ever ate/licked my deodorant, mind you). Then, when I bought some black sesame powder (to use in a health drink), I thought, why not break the convention a little? Yes.... black sesame éclairs with a hint of lavender - nutty and floral in one bite.  Wait.... how about a dulce de leche crème mousseline as a filling? Dulce de leche in my book contains three of the so-called Seven Deadly Sins (greed, lust, gluttony), so whenever a recipe includes it, you know it's going to taste sinful! I also made my dulce de leche the lazy man's way. Who has 2-4 hours to wait? Popped the condensed milk in the microwave for about 24 minutes, and presto! That's sloth for you.

Black sesame powder ground with lavender (spot the lilac flowers that escaped the blade)

This was my first time making crème mousseline and my work area ended up looking like a disaster zone because of all the splattering that ensued. But oh, it was so worth it! The pastry filling turned out looking like a smooth, rich buttercream yet it was wonderfully light in texture and sweetness, with the dulce de leche providing the right amount of caramelly, smoky flavor. I had some leftover chocolate ganache in the fridge so I drizzled that on the top of the éclairs as a bonus. I took one bite and there I was, elevated to my own personal heaven, completely dizzy from the new tastes and sensory overload. Lavender + black sesame + dulce de leche + chocolate = Absolutely speechless.

Express dulce de leche

 

 Dulce de leche crème mousseline

Tried an éclair with dulce de leche topping too. It was too much, way too much!

Once you try these, you'll never go back... y'know what I mean!

Thank you for hosting this fab party once again, Penny @ Jeroxie.com! For a peek at what the other lavender-inspired creations are, click on the participants' thumbnails below.

Lavender-Black Sesame Eclairs with Dulce De Leche Crème Mousseline

Lavender-Black Sesame Choux Pastry for Éclairs
1/2 cup black sesame powder

1/2 teaspoon dried lavender flowers

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons condensed milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick (125g) unsalted butter

1. Blend the sesame powder with the lavender briefly or simply leave flowers whole. Mix sesame, lavender and flour together in a bowl until fully combined. Set aside.

2. In a heavy-bottomed pan, bring milk, water, condensed milk, salt and butter to a boil.

3. Add the flour mixture to the pan in one go. Stir like mad with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes, until the dough mass is dry and a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan.

4. Transfer to a large bowl and beat for 1 minute to release more steam. Add in about 2 eggs, one at a time and beating furiously after each addition, until the batter comes together and takes about 7 seconds to fall from the beaters.

Stir until you get Popeye-like arms!

 

Crusty bottom (the pan, not mine)

5. The number of eggs is variable (the original recipe says 4, but I had to adjust because the sesame powder makes the batter rather oily/moist and dense). You don't want a runny dough but neither do you want a dough that's too stiff because it won't rise well. That’s why you have to check your dough after the addition of each egg.

6. Transfer batter to a piping bag with a 2/3 inch plain tip and pipe out shapes to your parchment-lined baking sheet- about 4 inch rods for éclairs.

7. Bake in a preheated 400°F (205°C) oven for 10 minutes, then turn down the heat to 350°F (177°C) and bake for at least 20 minutes more, until crispy. Don't open the oven door till at least the 30 minutes total cooking time has elapsed.

8. Once cool, they can be packed in ziploc bags and frozen for a month. Otherwise, keep at room temperature. However, once filled, they must be eaten immediately or they will be soggy.

Dulce De Leche Crème Mousseline Filling

1 2/3 cups whole milk

2/3 cup dulce de leche

4 large egg yolks

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons (5 leaves) gelatin, sprinkled over 2 teaspoons cold water

7 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1. In a large saucepan, bring the milk to a boil.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dulce de leche, egg yolks, and cornstarch until well-combined, then pour the boiled milk over this in a small stream while whisking constantly.

3. Pour this back into the saucepan and bring to a boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add the softened gelatin, stirring until dissolved.

4. Cool for 10 minutes or so, to about 45°C (115°F), whisking every now and again. Add the softened butter in bit by bit, whisking after each addition. The cream will be satiny and smooth. Place a sheet of cling film flush against the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. I wanted to use mine rather pronto so I cheated and placed this in the freezer for about 15 minutes until it firms up!

Dulce De Leche (the sloth’s way!)

1. Empty a 400g tin of sweetened condensed milk into a large microwave safe bowl.

2. Microwave on medium power for two minutes.

3. Remove from microwave and stir with a wire whisk. Be careful; the mixture and bowl will get very hot and remain that way throughout the process.

4. Microwave on medium power for another two minutes.

5. Remove and stir again.

6. Microwave on medium-low power for 16 to 24 minutes or until milk turns thick and caramel color, stirring every 4 minutes.

Caution: The condensed milk will bubble up ferociously, so make sure your bowl is deep and large.

Chocolate Ganache

150 (5oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and diced

1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1. Combine chocolate and butter in a bowl.

2. Separately, heat cream and sugar over medium heat until bubbly at the edge. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and mix until smooth.

3. Cool for about 15 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.

Assembly:

To assemble the éclairs, match pairs of the baked and cooled eclair shells together. On one half, pipe the cream filling and top with the other half. Drizzle some chocolate ganache on top and serve immediately.