I know that you, like me, have probably been haunted by the spectre of that green tea you had at a sushi restaurant on the other side of the country three years ago. That you have just recently found it again and figured out that it was not green tea at all, but roasted barley tea. And you, like me, wanted - nay, needed - to have some for your own, like, right now. Or yesterday if possible.
So, you spent most of a day scouring a large Asian mall, and an almost-as-large Asian supermarket to find it... and come away empty-handed.
Then you actually spend a whole night tossing and turning, dreaming of tea shopping, of finding places that sell it, and trying to remember which stores they are so you can go back once you wake up... waking for fitful moments only to realize that even if you find the tea in your dreams, that it doesn't mean it will be there in real life. You wake up exhausted.
You are disappointed, but steadfast because you remember reading somewhere on the interwebs (which contain all the world's truths) that you can just buy some pearl barley and roast it in a pot on your stove.
For the love of god, don't do it! You will produce a weird smelling pot of grains that look (and smell) nothing like what you are after. If you pour boiling water on them, they will make some yellowish water, that tastes like you scooped it out of a rice paddy and warmed it up, and a big heap of sodden, smelly grain. And please, please, don't look at your pot of browned barley and think "I wonder if those would be a good little crunchy thing to eat plain..." They aren't! You, like me, will realize that they are more burned than you originally thought, and you will put your near-mythical ability to not vomit under any circumstance to a serious challenge.
It's just not worth it. You see, three separate cultures have spent a thousand or so years coming up with how to do it right. The Koreans call it bori cha, the Japanese mugicha, and the Chinese damaicha. You can find a store that sells it by googling "Korean market Toronto" or some other local equivalent. So just go to the fucking store and buy some... it's about $1.99 and it is nothing like the crap you just created.
I'm going shopping tomorrow.
27.9.11
Rice pudding, babies!
Hey folks, long time no see! So, here's my obsession of the day: rice pudding. A lady I work with had a little pre-made cup of it today and it triggered my memories. My grandma used to feed me rice pudding out of the little single-serve tins when I was a tiny kid (back in the day before the plastic cups came around). To me, rice pudding is associated with plastic table cloths, avocado-green refrigerators, and cigarette smoke... and a grandma who I found both indulgent and terrifying, in approximately equal parts.
I don't think I've ever had bad rice pudding, but I've had several good ones (including a fantastic mild, lemon-y one made by a friend from Spain, which I really need to get the recipe for). So I'm going to share two very different and very good recipes.
The first one is a fairly plain and traditional version, a lot like the kind you got in the little tins, but with raisins. It contains very little sugar and is really not too bad for you at 177 calories per half cup. Enough of an excuse for me to eat it for breakfast. It also doesn't contain eggs, with works well with my general disgust for the things. It is pretty easy to make. As a sidenote, it appears to contain an unfeasibly small amount of actual rice. Just trust the recipe, it will work out fine. If you halve this recipe, cooking time is going to be significantly less, more like 30 - 40 min.
Old Fashioned Rice Pudding
(source: all recipes.com)
3 1/2 c milk
1/2 c uncooked long grain rice
1/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1/2 c raisins
1 tsp vanilla extract
ground cinnamon
Mix milk, rice and sugar in a saucepan and heat to a boil, stirring constantly.
Pour into greased casserole dish (1 1/2 quart), cover and put in a 325F oven.
Bake for 45 min, stirring every 15 min.
After 45 min, add raisins and vanilla, cover and bake for another 15 min.
Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.
Store in your avocado-green fridge.
This other recipe is one I made up to recreate the rice pudding made by the cooks at the Kluane Lake Research Station during the summer of 2007 when I was there. It has lots of stuff in it.
My Version of Danielle and Schuylah's Kluane Rice Pudding
2 c cooked white rice
1/4 c wild rice (measure then cook)
1/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
2/3 c raisins
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 c milk, divided
1/3 c sliced almonds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Combine 1 1/2 c milk, cooked rices, sugar and salt in saucepan, cook until thick and creamy.
Stir in rest of milk, egg, raisins, almonds and spices.
Continue cooking until you think the egg is safe to eat. :P
So there you have it. Rice pudding, in all it's delicious, versatile glory.
I don't think I've ever had bad rice pudding, but I've had several good ones (including a fantastic mild, lemon-y one made by a friend from Spain, which I really need to get the recipe for). So I'm going to share two very different and very good recipes.
The first one is a fairly plain and traditional version, a lot like the kind you got in the little tins, but with raisins. It contains very little sugar and is really not too bad for you at 177 calories per half cup. Enough of an excuse for me to eat it for breakfast. It also doesn't contain eggs, with works well with my general disgust for the things. It is pretty easy to make. As a sidenote, it appears to contain an unfeasibly small amount of actual rice. Just trust the recipe, it will work out fine. If you halve this recipe, cooking time is going to be significantly less, more like 30 - 40 min.
Old Fashioned Rice Pudding
(source: all recipes.com)
3 1/2 c milk
1/2 c uncooked long grain rice
1/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1/2 c raisins
1 tsp vanilla extract
ground cinnamon
Mix milk, rice and sugar in a saucepan and heat to a boil, stirring constantly.
Pour into greased casserole dish (1 1/2 quart), cover and put in a 325F oven.
Bake for 45 min, stirring every 15 min.
After 45 min, add raisins and vanilla, cover and bake for another 15 min.
Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.
Store in your avocado-green fridge.
This other recipe is one I made up to recreate the rice pudding made by the cooks at the Kluane Lake Research Station during the summer of 2007 when I was there. It has lots of stuff in it.
My Version of Danielle and Schuylah's Kluane Rice Pudding
2 c cooked white rice
1/4 c wild rice (measure then cook)
1/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
2/3 c raisins
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 c milk, divided
1/3 c sliced almonds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Combine 1 1/2 c milk, cooked rices, sugar and salt in saucepan, cook until thick and creamy.
Stir in rest of milk, egg, raisins, almonds and spices.
Continue cooking until you think the egg is safe to eat. :P
So there you have it. Rice pudding, in all it's delicious, versatile glory.
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