Puff pastry

Puff pastry is available in many grocery stores from the freezer section. This commercial pastry often contains palmfat or margarine and may contain even some transfats. All this to make the puff pastry cheaper to produce and provide a longer shelf ...

13 January 2020

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Vegetable broth

Vegetable broth you can of course make from a broth cube. If you do not have much time, do it. However, the taste of a self made vegetable broth is incomparable. Making this broth is actually simple and it can be easily frozen for several months in ...

22 May 2019

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sushi rice: ©️ Nel Brouwer-van den Bergh

Sushi rice from Japan

One may not think much of making Japanese sushi rice. But in Japan they give lots of attention to details to make the sushi rice right. For our home use we do not need to be that much particular, but should follow the basic steps. The art of making ...

13 May 2019

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Yoghurt, simple and more delicious

Making yoghurt by yourself may have various drivers. Sometimes it is difficult to obtain yoghurt without sugar, artificial flavors or colorants added. Sometimes it costs a multiple of the price of milk. But mostly making yoghurt is an opportunity to ...

13 May 2019

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Battera mackerel sushi: ©️ Nel Brouwer-van den Bergh

Tempura batter

A typical tempura batter is made of a mixture of starch, low gluten flour, ice cold water, a little oil. Sometimes chefs use also baking soda or sparkling water, some spices and a cold egg. This is all barely mixed with chopsticks or a fork (not a ...

23 April 2019

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garam masala ingredients photo: ©️Nel Brouwer-van den Bergh

Garam Masala, spice mixtures from India

Garam masala is available from the grocery stores, certainly in Asia. The issue is that in India, garam masala has a different composition in each household and what one is buying will have also. I prefer to use the whole spices. Then toast them ...

19 April 2019

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dashi (broth) photo: ©️Nel Brouwer-van den Bergh

Dashi, broth from Japan

Dashi, broth from Japan is a staple in the Japanese kitchen. The most simple, vegetarian version of dashi is kombu, sun dried seaweed or kelp, steeped in water. For a richer version use also katsuobushi (based on skipjack tuna or bonito). The fish ...

12 April 2019

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brined mackerel halvein vinegar in zip log bag photo: ©️Nel Brouwer-van den Bergh

Pickled mackerel in brine and vinegar

Pickled mackerel is an example of a traditional way of preserving food. Here we pickle raw, fatty fish before storing it in a vinaigrette or mustard sauce or using it in a battera, Japan's pressed sushi. The art of making pickled mackerel Pick...

23 March 2019

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separated melted butter into ghee (top) and buttermilk (bottom) photo: ©️Nel Brouwer-van den Bergh

Ghee: clarified and refined butter

It is very easy to make clarified butter or butter fat (ghee) yourself at home. And ghee performs to a higher temperature than butter, without becoming brown (up to 190 C). Ghee is probably the best example of a refined oil or fat. The ...

23 March 2019

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mayonnaise photo: ©️Nel Brouwer-van den Bergh

Mayonaise

Making mayonaise is one of the most fun activities to do in the kitchen. The key is whisking (by hand or using an immersion mixer) and using the right ingredients and the right sequence of adding them. The art Mayonaise is an oil in water emulsi...