Cooked!

I cooked today. M helped me. We have a Chow Babes tomorrow with an ethnic food theme. I had bought a summer spring roll the other day and after hunting on the internet for the name of the wraps, thought that would be fun and easy to make. Fish Sauce is always the secret ingredient and you must always have this onhand. Also made Bite-sized Pepper Steaks, the flavor was wonderful, the meat very tough.

Then I remembered I have been wanting to make "California Rolls" for many, many years. I started to look up recipes and get very hungy. Ran to Ranch Market and bought lots of wonderful stuff.

Earlier in the day I watched Ming make sushi, describing how to make "sushi rice". Watched a video online and was feeling pretty confident. Washing the rice is very important. I don't have one of those wonderful wooden bowls for mixing the rice with the vinegar mixture. The videos are really helpful! I think cutting the california rolls was the hardest part. You have to constantly clean the knife of rice and keep it wet to saw through the roll. Also you must keep your fingers damp with water and vinegar while spreading the rice onto the nori wrap or you will have massive clumps of rice all over your hands.

On another morning cooking show I listened about Pumpkin Ravioli (smacking lips). Something I definitely want to try making Basic Pumpkin Ravioli. I also want to try Samosas, one of my favorite treats! Stephanie da Silva's Samosa collection. Vyanjanaa tells how you can use frozen puff pastry to make them! Don't Samosas sound like the perfect fall meal? (with Tamarind-Date sauce).

Anyway, it was great to break out some of the cookbooks and drool over the photos. ;)