Category: Baking / Cooking

Hitting The Juice

In the world of juicers, Hurom has perpetually ranked in the upper echelons. Earning top recommendations from the raw foods chefs I idolized as a baby vegan, it was always the brand to beat. Sleek and stylish, these upright fountains looked nothing like the hulking turbines of yore, but more importantly, their groundbreaking slow juicing technology completely changed the game for home juicers. After years of yearning for my own, I can finally take it off my wish list.

The H400 Easy Clean Slow Juicer is the luxury sports car of small kitchen appliances. Tackling the biggest complaint that conventional juicers are a pain to clean, this model makes convenience a priority. Juicing at home is MUCH more appealing when you don’t have to factor in the hassle of disassembling, scraping, and scrubbing every time you make a single drink. The fact that it’s far more efficient than most other juicers has a lot to do with that, creating minimal pulp that’s remarkably, exceptionally, almost completely dry, rather than leaving a thick, wet sludge caked over mesh screens and every exposed surface.

What Makes Hurom Juicers So Special?

Before Hurom hit the scene, most juicers available outside of a commercial setting were centrifugal juicers, using a high-speed blade to shred produce and then spin it rapidly though a mesh screen. Fast, but far from effective, the resulting juice is very frothy, low yield, and must be consumed right away. Plus, leafy greens pretty much get chewed up and spit out since they’re harder to process.

Hurom machines are masticating juicers, which essentially “chew” the ingredients using slow rotations of an auger before separating liquids from solids. Slow Squeeze Technology (SST) is designed to mimic the natural motion of hand-squeezing juice, ensuring that the juice retains its natural nutrients and flavors. Here’s how it works:

  1. Slow Rotation: The juicer operates at a low speed of just 43 revolutions per minute (RPM), which minimizes heat buildup and oxidation. Less oxidation means the juice stays fresh and nutrient-rich for a longer time after pressing.
  2. High Pressure: The technology uses high pressure to squeeze fruits and vegetables, extracting every last drop of juice. More juice, less pulp.

Not Just For Juicing

Before you say, “not another unitasker!”, I’ll have you know that this beauty does far more than the average juice press. Have you ever wanted your own nut milk maker? Frozen dessert machine? Soup starter? Baby food blender? Guess what: Now you’ve got them. Factor in all the ways to transform the pulp into crackers, flour for cakes and breads, dog treats, and more, and you’re looking at an incredible versatile, zero waste powerhouse.

Healthy Happy Hour

An unexpected side benefit is that it’s much more compelling to make myself a mocktail these days. When I think I’m craving a drink, I’m really just craving a refreshing treat, something that feels special, that I can sip and savor. I’d rather not feel dull, tired, or tipsy if I can avoid it. Use a fancy glass, some nice clear ice, add bitters and sparkling water, and you’ll beat the neighborhood bar at their own game.

Get Your Creative Juices Going

From sweet to savory, morning to night, my beautiful H400 Easy Clean Slow Juicer is the only appliance that gets a more vigorous daily workout than my air fryer. It took nearly two decades for me to get my Hurom and while I would have loved to live the juice life much sooner, it was well worth the wait.

Hannah (BitterSweet)5 Comments

Eat More Eggplant

Eggplant is one of those ingredients that I love eating, but forget about for long stretches at a time. Invariable, I’ll see it pop up on a menu or food blog, vow to cook it more often, and then… Forget again. Forever relegated to the bottom of the produce bin, the last call at the farmers market, eggplant will never be the next viral trend. After considering my own eggplant negligence, I’m finding it’s more of a cultural disconnect than lack of culinary potential. Look no further than the Mediterranean countries to see the difference.

Turkish Delights

Though not native to Turkey, eggplants have been the guest of honor on Turkish tables for centuries. This isn’t just conjecture; 16th century Ottoman cookbooks boast over 140 eggplant recipes. That’s to say nothing of what home cooks may have adapted and improvised. Unlike the ubiquitous globe eggplants common in the US, Turkish eggplants are smaller and come in various colors, from lilac to deep purple. There are even white and baby green varieties. Less bitter than the seedy, bulbous giants we’re accustomed to here, they don’t need extensive salting, soaking, or additional prep. With fewer barriers to entry, it made me realize that perhaps my mental block is simply due to using the wrong type of eggplant all this time.

Get Stuffed with Karniyarik

“Karnıyarık” translates to “split belly” in Turkish, describing the way the eggplants are sliced open to create an accommodating boat for a savory stuffing. Traditionally deep fried and then baked, I see no need for all that oil—and heat—when twice-baked baby eggplants are every bit as luscious and tender. Starting with a classic sofrito, ground beef or lamb is typically the focal point for the simple stuffing, but I happen to think that Sugimoto Shiitakes beat that kind of meat any day. Gently simmered with seasoned lentils, it’s the kind of dish that will put eggplant back on the map, especially for plant-based people.

Karniyarik Vs. Imam Bayildi

Traditionalist would be up in arms, racing to argue that this is not karniyarik at all, but in fact, imam bayildi. They’re not entirely wrong; the latter is the historically vegan version, made without meat. However, I think of my rendition more as the former, since I wanted to replicate that same rich, hearty eating experience with homemade plant-based ground meat. Sugimoto Shiitake stems are the secret to creating that beefy texture and deeply umami flavor. Never toss the stems! They’re even chewier than the caps, which makes them such an ideal fit for making meatless grounds.

Love Your Leftovers

There will be a generous amount of filling leftover; that’s an asset, not a flaw! Consider it your next meal waiting to happen, since it’s ideal for stuffing any variety of fresh vegetables, such as:

  • Bell peppers
  • Tomatoes
  • Cabbage rolls

Or, using as a filling or topper for:

  • Burritos
  • Tacos
  • Salads
  • Rice bowls

That’s not all! If you add a binder like breadcrumbs and ground flaxseeds, this humble mixture can be transformed into:

Naturally, it’s fabulous as part of any dinner plate, acting as a complete entree or side dish, too.

Karniyarik: A Staple of Summer

Beautiful baby eggplants aren’t available all year round, unlike their oversized brethren. While you could always make this recipe with halved globe eggplants, the experience isn’t the same. As summer harvests reach their peak, now is the time to try something new. In fact, you could always bake karniyarik well in advance and then freeze it to enjoy a taste of summer anytime you want. Whatever you do, don’t make my same mistake: Cook more eggplant, now and often!

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Hannah (BitterSweet)3 Comments

Critically Panned

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t put noodles on bread. “It’s so heavy!” “That’s too unhealthy!” “Think of all that carb-on-carb action!” They may protest vehemently, but they’ll be wrong. Yakisoba pan has been a konbini staple since the 1950s, keeping hungry salary men full and fed ever since. Perhaps if convenience stores in the US could embrace the pasta sandwich, we would all be a bit better off.

Making The Case For Yakisoba Pan

Few other grab-and-go meals can beat that affordability, longevity, and satisfaction. Wrap these sandwiches up for school lunch, travel snacks, late night munchies; you name it. They’re every bit as comforting at any temperature or time of day. Typically, the noodles nestled inside are more like ramen noodles made primarily with white flour, but buckwheat soba makes more sense to me, given the name and added nutrition. Even if you splurge on the highest quality—which you should, given how much each component counts—you’ll still be able to feed an army on a budget.

Fun On A Bun

Think about it merely as yakisoba, AKA stir-fried soba noodles, packaged in an edible container. If you’d consider pairing garlic bread with spaghetti and meatballs, you’re already there. The soft hoagie roll yields easily to the earthy wheat noodles within, seasoned simply with soy sauce and sesame oil. Typically, there’s little more than a bit of pickled ginger for garnish on top, but I prefer to add some veggies for more texture and flavor. Any old frozen vegetable mix will do; the last thing I want to do is make this into a whole production. Yakisoba pan is simple, first and foremost. Add whatever you want and leave out what you don’t.

Newsworthy Noodles

Can we start a new movement that embraces bread as the vehicle for more foods? Yes, even MORE than we currently regard as acceptable, of which I’m aware there’s an extensive list. The fact of the matter is, there’s nothing that doesn’t work well as a sandwich, soba noodles included.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

Passion Of The Fruit

Wild passion fruit, Mossy passionflower, Running pop, Wild water-lemon, Love-in-a-mist, Love-in-a-mist passionflower, Stinking granadilla, Stinking passionflower, Stinking passionfruit, Wild passionfruit, Fetid passionflower, Scarletfruit passionflower, Passionflower, Killip, Red-fruit passionflower, Goat-scented passion flower, Atlas Cedar, Galapagos passionflower, Love–in-the-mist, Papbush, Scarlet-fruit Passion-flower, Tagua passionflower, Red fruit passion flower…

I’m not even partway through the opening paragraph and the names just keep on coming. For a single plant to have so many potential titles, you know that it’s made some serious friends—or enemies—over the years. The unmistakable crowns of threadlike tendrils, contrasting with the delicate petals in shades of white, pink, purple, or even deep burgundy, are as stunning as they are persistent. If you plant them once, you have them for life. This is how I came to find my new lawn dominated by their succulent vines and ostentatious blossoms.

What ARE Wild Passionfruits?

For the sake of simplicity, I refer to them as “passionfruit,” but they’re distinctly different from the tropical variety. Smaller, bright red when ripe, and with a far drier pulp inside, Passiflora foetida L. has more in common with maypops, another similar southern variant. Ask five people what they taste like, though, and you’ll get five different answers. Perhaps it’s a matter of terroir, but mine are mildly sweet, not tart, not sour, not anything else like I’ve read online. Subtle, with more crunch than flavor, figuring out just what to do with this windfall has been an unexpected adventure.

Ideas For Cooking and Eating Wild Passionfruit

If you’re in a similar boat with odd red fruits raining down like hailstones, you’re in luck! I’ve found countless ways to enjoy these oddities, though depending on the exact tasting notes of your personal cache, your mileage may vary. Be prepared to dial in the sweetness and seasonings to best suit your preferences.

  • Dressing: Think of them like papaya seeds in this case, perfect to swap into a sweet-and-sour salad dressing. Adapt any recipe you like, but I’ve found great success by blending 1 shallot, 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons wild passionfruit pulp/seeds, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Once smooth, stream in 1/2 cup olive oil to emulsify.

  • Smoothies: If you just want a bit of added nutrition, you can’t go wrong with any sort of smoothie! Blend it completely smooth and you won’t even know it’s there.
  • Muffins and Quick Breads: Mix 3 – 4 tablespoons of the seeds and pulp into any muffin or quick bread batter to add a satisfying little crunch every now and then. This is an especially enjoyable addition to lemon-poppyseed muffins and banana bread, if I do say so myself.

  • Jam and Jelly: When in doubt, just add pectin. This is my favorite recipe because you can toss the fruits whole into the pot when you’re ready to start cooking. The skins contribute a ruby red color, then use a slotted spoon to strain them out, keeping the seeds for that characteristic crunch.
  • Fruit Salad: Toss the pulp with fresh seasonal fruits, like cherries and blueberries, or more tropical picks like pineapple and mango, to introduce more texture.

Are wild passionfruit the kind of culinary sensation that would drive people to spend upwards of $4 a piece, as is the case for the tropical variety? Not so much. Do they have absolutely stunning flowers that yield a side benefit of a nice little snack every now and then? 100%. Take advantage of this pervasive “weed” and embrace the wild vines. Once you’ve got ’em, they’re yours for life!

Hannah (BitterSweet)2 Comments

Iron Chef

Ruddy brown, smooth, and gleaming like polished river rocks, iron eggs don’t immediately stand out as a potential taste sensation. Hard cooked, then re-cooked, and re-cooked yet again, these Taiwanese specialties may have been created by accident, but they’ve clearly stuck around on purpose. Naturally, we have many options aside from eggs to apply this technique, which is how my Iron Tofu came about.

What Are Iron Eggs?

Iron eggs, or “tiědàn” (铁蛋), have a short but rich history dating back to Tamsui District in Taiwan. Legend says they were invented by a noodle stall owner in the 1970s, trying to keep their eggs hot and ready for customers who just weren’t buying. After hours of cooking, cooling, cooking, and cooling, what were originally basic red cooked eggs became dark, hard, and chewy. Today, they’re a beloved street food and a staple at night markets, especially given that this technique effectively preserves eggs without refrigeration.

What Do Iron Eggs Taste Like?

Despite the name, they’re not made of iron, nor are they particularly iron-rich. The metallic title comes from the repeated stewing process, where the eggs are simmered for hours in a dark, flavorful broth of soy sauce, spices, and black tea leaves. This imbues them with a deep brown color, a chewy texture that’s reminiscent of beef jerky, and a complex symphony of sweet, savory, and slightly spicy flavors.

Making Vegan Iron Eggs

Tofu, the Swiss army knife of plant protein, makes an incredibly convincing substitute for the conventionally mandated quail or chicken eggs in this instance. While they won’t have the distinctive divide between yolk and white, the cooking process effectively makes the two layers impossible to discern from one another in any case. Rather, super firm tofu already has half of the work done for you, without any pressing necessary, creating Iron Tofu in half the time it would take to make iron eggs.

Ironclad Good Eats

Iron tofu is ready to eat as a standalone snack, perfect for whenever you might otherwise reach for a protein bar or jerky. Otherwise, it’s an excellent addition tossed into salads, on top of rice bowls, or diced finely and mixed into soups, stews, or stir fries. Intensely flavorful, a little bit goes a long way in any dish. Personally, I’m perfectly content to munch on them out of hand, paired with a cold beer or sweet bubble tea for contrast, as the perfect afternoon pick-me-up or late-night nosh.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)7 Comments