6 Quirky Things I Do

I got tagged by Ning and Ruy to make a list of 6 quirky things I do. Thank you both.:-)

Here is my not-so-quirky list:
1. can't stand being sockless and wear them all year round (at home only)
2. don't use wet/damp tableware and drinking glasses, must always wipe them dry before using (a friend was puzzled about the drinking glass)
3. love fresh strawberries with flaked sea salt
4. iron all my clothes including those for doing yard work or gardening
5. wash/scrub fruits and vegetables with soap and water, rinse with tap water, then rinse twice with filtered water, then dry thoroughly with paper towels before peeling or slicing
6. load dishwasher according to pattern and color of dishes and rearrange them to my liking (need a hobby or get a life)

I'm not tagging anyone but feel free and have fun playing the game.

Korean Broiled Pork Spareribs

A FoodFriday entry

Taegi Kalbi Gui
6 piece pork spareribs with bones (1½ pounds), cut into 4 inches long, 2 inches wide
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon gochu jang paste (hot fermented chili paste)
1 teaspoon ginger juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon Korean sesame oil

• Rinse the pork in cold water and pat dry. Rub the pork with sugar. Mix the soy sauce, gochu jang, ginger juice, garlic, sesame seeds, and oil and mix well. Mix the pork and marinade. Cover with plastic film and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
• Put the ribs in a roasting pan. Broil in the oven for 30 minutes, 15 minutes on each side, or until brown and crisp. Or barbecue over charcoal for 20 minutes.

Homemade Greek-style Yogurt

homemade Greek-style yogurt is a s good as store-bought

yogurt cheese balls in olive oil

I'm a late bloomer in appreciating yogurt. Just a little over a year ago I wrote about my aversion to frozen yogurt although I have always loved tzatziki. I can't remember what brought it on but early this year I started liking yogurt including drinks, smoothies, kefir, and lately cheese which is so much yummier than cream cheese. I can't seem to get enough of it, I always keep a tub or two in the refrigerator. The cookbook FROM THE LANDS OF FIGS AND OLIVES has several recipes for making yogurt (laban) and yogurt cheese. I got curious if it is really that easy to make yogurt at home and yes I can say after making several batches it's a piece of cake but the process takes at least 2 days which is not so bad if I want an endless supply of yogurt. To make a flavorful yogurt at home I only need milk and 2 T of Greek-style yogurt available from the grocery, I make sure they have no additives like xanthan gum, rennet, or gelatin. I use a flat-bottomed super-fine plastic strainer set on a bowl instead of the usual cheesecloth hanging on something to let the whey drip into a container underneath. That method takes lots of space in the refrigerator and I don't know where to hang the cheesecloth bag from. The end result is the same anyway. I also make cheese balls by adding salt to the yogurt and letting them drain some more on several changes of round coffee filters until they are drier and firmer.

Homemade Greek-style Yogurt
2 quarts milk
2 T Greek-style yogurt, at room temperature

• Place yogurt in a well-cleaned 2-quart jar with wide mouth (you may use a glass bowl). Stir several times with a rubber whisk until smooth. Set aside. 
• Clip a thermometer on the side of a medium saucepan, add the milk and heat over medium heat to 180°F, stirring occasionally to ensure correct reading. Turn the heat off and let the milk cool to 115°F.
• Pour about ¼ cup of the warm milk into the jar, whisk gently until smooth. 
• Add the rest of the milk ¼ cup at a time, whisking after each addition to make sure the yogurt is mixed in thoroughly.
• Cover top of jar with a coffee filter and secure with an elastic band. 
• Place in an oven with light on and leave for 6 hours or overnight.
• The yogurt should have set after 6 hours.
• Pour into a fine plastic strainer set over a bowl. Leave in the refrigerator overnight to drain.
• The yogurt is now ready to eat or make into cheese. Transfer into a suitable container with a tight lid. This will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Yield: 1¾ C

I'm sending this to Joelen's Culinary Adventures: Tasty Tools (Whisk).

Mystery Green Leaf Vegetable

stir-fry of malabar spinach and wild mushrooms

I bought an unlabeled package of leafy green vegetables and nobody at the Korean grocery knew what it was. I bought it anyway thinking it might be water spinach (kangkong) or sweet potato tops. When I opened the package to wash and prepare the vegetables they didn't look at all like kangkong but resembled crinkly spinach. The leaves are dark green with tender but easy to snap stems. I didn't want to eat something I'm not familiar with so I searched online for a similar leaf vegetable comparing the close-up photo of the leaf and found malabar spinach in no time. There is a red-stemmed variety which looked familiar but I couldn't remember where I've seen them. I proceeded to cook the vegetables sauteing them with some fresh shiitake and dried wild mushrooms seasoned with garlic, ginger, scallion, soy sauce, and salt. When I tried it I knew right away I've eaten it before because of its slightly mucilaginous tongue feel which my daughter said is similar to seaweed. I again went online and looked for the red-stemmed Filipino alugbati and I was right, malabar spinach IS alugbati, although the green-stemmed has crinklier leaves than the red-stemmed. Alugbati is one of my favorite vegetables back in the Philippines. I used to add them to boiled and sauteed mung bean soup as alternative to malunggay (horseradish tree) leaves or simply stir-fried like the dish I prepared today. I still love this vegetable and will buy it regularly.

mystery no more, these are green-stemmed alugbati or malabar spinach