Coconut Jelly

1. 
   7 g/1/4 oz agar-agar strands or 4 teaspoons agar-agar powder400 ml/14 fl oz can coconut milk375 ml/12 fl oz/1 1/2 cups water125 ml/4 fl oz/1/2 cup canned coconut cream125 g/4 oz/1/2 cup sugar rose water to flavour.
   

Soak the strands of agar-agar in cold water overnight or at least 1 hour. Drain and measure. There should be 1 1/2 cups, loosely packed.

Put the strands with coconut milk and water into a saucepan and stir constantly while bringing to the boil. Add sugar and keep stirring and simmering 10-15 minutes or until all the strands are completely dissolved.

If using agar-agar powder, sprinkle over the coconut milk, add sugar and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut cream.

Flavour to taste, then pour into a dish rinsed out with cold water and allow to set. Cut into diamond shapes or squares. This firm jelly is meant to be picked up with the fingers.

How to Make Sake

The art of brewing sake has a history going back at least 1,500 years. People from outside Japan may be surprised to learn that the basic steps to make sake are very simple. What’s even better is that the sake can be ready to drink in only 3 weeks!

Things You’ll Need :

• Glass canning jars (plastic jars will flavor the sake)
• Rice (1 cup uncooked per jar)
• Koji (a mold needed to make sake, available at stores selling food and items from Japan)
• Lemon or lime juice
• Water
• Yeast
• Ideally a rice cooker, but you can also use a regular pot
• Cheesecloth

Step 1 : Make sure your work area and equipment are sterile (especially the jars) to avoid contamination.

Step 2 : Wash the rice. This can be done by soaking it in a bowl of cold water anywhere from 30 minutes to 8 hours. It is said that the longer the rice absorbs moisture, the better the taste of the final product. Once you are satisfied with the rice’s cleanliness, cook the rice in either the rice cooker or regular pot. Let the rice cool completely.

Step 3 : Divide the rice into the glass jars. Add ½ cup of Koji per jar, 1 tsp. of lemon juice, ½ tsp. of yeast, and 1½ cups of water. Put on the lid, tighten the band and shake the mixture.

Step 4 : Put the jars in a dark place at room temperature, about 25 C or 77 F. Shake the jars at least once a day, tightening the bands and then loosening them to make sure there is gas exchange. Around the second or third day you will probably notice the aroma of sake.

Step 5 : After about 16 days the jars will have ceased bubbling. That means it’s almost time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Filter the liquid through cheesecloth. You’re not going to need to pasteurize the sake unless you plan on keeping it for longer than a month. The sludge may be saved for cooking. Otherwise, the remaining liquid is yours to enjoy.

How to Chill Champagne

Champagne is a sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle secondary fermentation of wine to effect carbonation. It is produced exclusively within the Champagne region of France, from which it takes its name. While the term "champagne" is used by some makers of sparkling wine in other parts of the world, numerous countries limit the use of the term to only those wines that come from the Champagne appellation. In Europe, this principle is enshrined in the European Union by Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. Other countries, such as the United States, have recognized the exclusive nature of this name, yet maintain a legal structure that allows longtime domestic producers of sparkling wine to continue to use the term "Champagne" under specific circumstances.

Champagne, synonymous with celebrations and special occasions, is ideally served at 45 degrees Fahrenheit. And properly chilling it to that temperature will ensure that the bubbly’s delicate flavor is preserved. But before we get to how to chill, remember that champagne should be stored at room temperature and chilled only in the hours before opening. Storing champagne for an extended length of time in the refrigerator or in a place where temperatures can fluctuate (i.e. in a wine rack placed near a stove or dishwasher) will turn the flavor of the bubbly into something resembling sweaty feet. And really, who wants to drink that? For the steps to proper chilling.

Things You’ll Need:

• champagne
• ice bucket
• refrigerator
  

Step 1 : Champagne can be chilled in an ice bucket or in the refrigerator, but never in the freezer.

Step 2 : If you choose to chill in the refrigerator, simply place the bottle in the fridge either upright or on its side. It can take up to 3 hours for the champagne to be properly chilled; the bottle should stay in the fridge for no more 6 hours to 8 hours.

Step 3 : To rapidly chill champagne (an impromptu celebration, perhaps?), place the bottle in an ice bucket filled with equal parts crushed ice and cold water. Using this quick chill method it will still take 25 to 45 minutes for the champagne to reach its ideal serving temperature.

Tips & Warnings

• Always store champagne on its side and in a cool dry place.
• Once opened, champagne should ideally be consumed within a few hours.
• If you've chilled a bottle of champagne and did not open the bottle, return the bottle to its previous storage location within 8 hours.

How to Drink Sake

Sake, a Japanese rice wine, is growing in popularity in the U.S. because its rice and water ingredients are attractive to the health conscious and it is being touted as a great drink to have with fresh seafood and light meals containing meats. Americans are switching or replacing some of their wines with sake as their staple for evening drinks and the trend is on the rise. It is an acquired taste and should be tried at both temperatures, warm and cold.

Step 1 : Pour the sake into a Tokkuri to serve. A Tokkuri is usually white small carafe-looking serving pitcher. Place the Tokkuri into a bowl of hot water to warm the sake.

Step 2 : Warm the sake to body temperature and not above 104 F degrees. If drinking sake at a restaurant, it may be warmer so that it will stay warm until the last cup. Expensive and delicate sake can and should be served and drank chilled as warming them can harm the drink. You know that you have heated the sake too hot when you can smell the alcohol rising from it.

Step 3 : Fill guest's cups, called Ochoko, first and then your own if your guests don't fill yours, as is traditional. The Ochoko are small cups with no handle also usually white. Chilled sake is more often served and drank in glass Tokkuris and Ochokos.

Step 4 : Say "Kampei" or "Cheers" before you and others take your drinks. You may find yourself saying this often and louder as you drink more sake.

Step 5 : Sip the sake; don't gulp it. It is potent and your throat and stomach will thank you later for not shooting it down like a shot. Step 6:Pour a few ounces of sake over ice in a tall glass, then fill with orange juice for a different type of screwdriver. The sake should be high end as you will be drinking it iced.

Shrimp Sour Curry ( Kang som Gong )

Shrimp Sour Curry is a traditional food of Central & Southern Thailand. It is one kind of curried soup. Although the ingredients are the same for the two refions, the south of Thailand variation tastes more spicy because they add more dry chilli during cooking. The Central Thailand version is closer to sweet and sour soup and is the one given here. This is medium hot.

Ingredient (For 2 People)

• 50 gsm Sour Curry Paste.
• 800 ml. Water.
• 50 gms. Tamarind
• 8 Shrimp
• 50 gms. Pak Kra Chate (Or Green Vegetable)
• 50 Long Beans (Or green beans)
• 4 Oyster Mushroons
• 4 Tablespoons Fish Sauce.
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar.

Preparation

1. Clean the shrimp, ensure you cut the shell and remove the entrails which can spoil the appearance of the dish.

2. Clean the oyster mushrooms, pak kra chate, and long beans and chop into 3 cm pieces, set aside.

3. Mix the tamarind with water, squeeze until the water goes brown and taste sour. For this curry we need the sour tamarind water but not the tamarind, seive the mixture to remove the tamarind and place the sour water into a pan.

4. Add the sour curry paste to the pan and stir over the heat until the water boils.

5. When water start boiling, add the fish sauce and sugar in and taste it. You are aiming for sweet, sour, salty, spicy taste, you can adjust the sugar, salt and curry paste to achieve this.

6. Add the vegetables and shrimp and cook over the heat for 2 minutes.

Fish Stomach Soup

Ingredients

• 100 gms Fish Stomach or Fried Pork Rind 'Snacks'
• 500 ml Chicken Stock50 gms Chicken Breast
• 50 gms Crab meat
• 50 gms Cooked Bamboo (e.g. Canned)
• 6 Hard Boiled Quail Eggs
• 2 Shitake Mushrooms
• 1 Tablespoon Maggi Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Corn Flour
• 20 gms Chopped Coriander Leaves

Preparation

1. Clean the fish stomachs very very well and soak in water for 30 minutes. You may need to soak and rinse the fish stomachs two or three times.

2. Boil the fish stomach for 5-10 minutes and clean again in cold water.

3. Soak the shitake mushrooms for 10 minutes and chop them into bite sized pieces.

4. Boil the chicken stock, add the shitake mushrooms, and the chicken breast.

5. When the chicken breast is cooked, remove it from the boiling stock and shred it into smaller pieces and set aside.

6. Continue to cook the chicken stock with the mushrooms until the mushrooms are so soft, they nearly break up in the stock.

7. Add the crab, bamboo, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, Maggi sauce, and sugar.

8. Dissolve corn flour into 4 tablespoons of water and add to the soup, cook for 1 minutes to thicken it.

9. Serve the soup in a bowl with the shredded chicken meat and the boiled quail eggs added, and some chopped coriander to garnish.

Serve With

The following condiments are typically served for the guest to choose from:

Flaked Chilli

Vinegar

Sugar