A Scientist in the Kitchen

One of the analyses I do that is related to my work is do bioinformatics analyses. It is mostly doing analyses of gene sequences, designing markers for characterizing my rice population and relating the traits to the markers so I can select my plants. I don’t mind using Window-based softwares but when it is in the DOS mode… my mind goes blank whenever I see the command prompt, I have to go back to my notes all over again.

Just some facts on rice:

- There are two major groups of rice: japonica rice and indica rice
- Japonica rice are usually the sticky rice, much preferred in Japan and Korean (the better to eat with chopsticks)
- Indica rice such as the basmati rice tend to separate when cooked
- In the Philippines, rice is cooked steamed and eaten with viands
- In some countries, rice is sauteed first with spices before it is steamed
- The rice we know belongs to the species Oryza while wild rice belongs to the species Zizania

Want to steam rice the traditional way?

Measure the amount of rice you want to cook. Put in a pot and wash the grains twice. Level the rice grains in the pot. Measure the depth that the rice grains made using your fingers. Add enough water to the same level that you have measured with your fingers. Steam.

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The next time I go to California, I would go beyond Disneyland and perhaps check out culinary schools in the area. Wouldn’t it be fun? Probably, checking out culinary schools would be like searching for fashion schools in California. There are many to choose from, such as the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley or the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, which is an affiliate of Le Cordon Bleu.
In the fashion world, the fashion schools in Los Angeles would be the way to go with their Los Angeles Fashion Week, where usually in March the fall collections are unfolded. In as much as fashion school in California is the way to go, food lovers would also find a haven of culinary schools in the state.

Today is D-day for Filipino boxing fans as Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao takes an old foe, the Mexican champ Juan Manuel Marquez.  I am not much of a boxing fan, but my dad is. Everytime Pacquiao has a fight, he and his elder brother would watch together, beer in hand and appetizer to boot! Even if the fight is scheduled 8am Manila time (we are more than half a day earlier than Las Vegas), he want’s his beer as it’s the only time he’s allowed. He’s been excited about this fight.

Guess what he wants for appetizers? Pork and tofu stirfry with lots of Chinese celery. Lately he has been really crazy about tofu, or tokwa, as we call it in Tagalog. I like tofu but not almost everyday. And we’ve come to a point, at times, not to ask for his suggestion on our meals as he would always ask for this pork and tofu stirfry dish all the time!

At the rate that the Filipino frenzy for Manny Pacquiao boxing, there should Manny Pacquiao boxing parties all over the archipelago. Even the police is predicting that there’ll be a dip in crime stats while the game is ongoing. Perhaps if I sell Manny Pacquiao boxing party invitations (something similar to Kentucky Derby Party Invitations) I might earn big bucks. But probably not, as I can not stand to watch a boxing fight.

This one you don’t need to go under alcohol rehab! I’ve always been fascinated with flambe, isn’t it dramatic to watch the alcohol go up in flames in front of you?

My sister and I were watching this tv show featuring Valentine date dishes and they had banana flambe. It seemed quite easy, we had some banana, a bit of brandy from the fruit cake curing, and some chocolates.

To make this banana-chocolate flambe, just chop a cup of bananas and put in a pan. Add 1/2 cup water and 2-3 tbsp sugar. Bring to boil to cook the banana and melt the sugar. Add 1/4 cup of brandy. Tilt the pan so that the fire from the stove would reach the brandy. Presto! The brandy starts to burn. Add the chopped chocolate and thinly sliced kaffir and there you go - banana-chocolate flambe!

Did I like it? Not much really. I should have used the lacatan banana, a much firmer variety. What I’m really hankering after is to make some mango flambe this summer.