January 25th, 2020 begins the Lunar New Year (a.k.a. Chinese New Year, but it’s celebrated in many other Asian countries). It lasts for 15 days.

The recipe for yusheng is below. But first:

We were chatting the other day that it’s the Year Of The Rat, an animal which does not evoke pleasant thoughts.

So we looked it up. It turns out that the Chinese word shǔ​ may refer to a rat, mouse, or other muroid. It’s all in the translation.

What’s a muroid?

It turns out that Muroidea are a superfamily of rodents. It includes including gerbils, hamsters, mice, rats, voles and many other relatives.

Here’s more about them.

And here’s more about the Year Of The Rat.

If you’re not happy about living in—or being born in—the Year Of The Rat, pick something that isn’t threatening: a cute gerbil or hamster, for example.
 
 
FOOD FOR THE LUNAR NEW YEAR

Whatever your muroid of choice, we’d like to introduce you to a special dish made for the Lunar New Year: yusheng.

The dish is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor (here’s more about it).

While it has other names depending on dialect, yusheng translates to “Prosperity Toss,” a Cantonese-style raw fish salad. Sushi lovers, pay attention!

Yusheng is Mandarin; Yee-sang is the Cantonese equivalent.
 
The dish usually consists of strips of raw fish, mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments. You can create a vegan version with vegan salmon.

Here’s the significance of each of the ingredients in Asian culture.

While some versions simply toss all the ingredients together, in the manner of coleslaw. Some cooks build a tower in colored layers, alternating the different vegetables. As people serve themselves, the tower will collapse into a mix of colored strands.

Some of today’s cooks create culinary art, as you can see in the photos.

It can be anything from a dazzling array of artistry to what looks like a festive sashimi platter to plates with some shredded vegetables molded into pandas and teddy bears (a way to get children to eat their vegetables?).

Some artists mold the vegetables into the zodiac animal, as in the [cute] rat in photo #3.
 
 
RECIPE: HOW TO MAKE YUSHENG AT HOME

So use your vegetable shredder to shred any fruits or veggies that add to the display of colors and flavors.

 
THE HISTORY OF YUSHENG

[1] Yusheng: sashimi grade salmon and shredded vegetables. The dish includes pink pomelo (substitute red grapefruit) plus shredded carrot, cucumber, daikon, pickled ginger and yam Here’s the recipe from Evi Abeler | Food & Wine (photo © Evi Abeler).

[2] This version includes different slices of fish: Condiments include plum sauce and toasted-sesame oil, plus Chinese five-spice. Crackers, nuts and seeds are added for crunch (photo © Open Rice).

[3] The Year Of The Rat, commemorated in yusheng. See more clever ideas at Elle Magazine | Singapore (photo © Elle).

[4] Chinese Five Spice can be used in all types of cuisines (photo © McCormick)

Some say the Singaporean version was invented by a Malaysian named Loke Ching Fatt in Seremban, Malaysia in the 1940s;

Today, restaurants serve a deluxe version, qicai yusheng, seven-colored raw fish salad. You might mistake it for a deluxe sashimi platter, with several different types of fish.

The current thought is that seven-colored raw fish salad was to created in the 1960s by chefs Lau Yoke Pui, Tham Yui Kai, Sin Leong and Hooi Kok Wai, together known as the Four Heavenly Kings on the Singapore restaurant scene [source].

Here are more yusheng traditions.

Nian nian you yu (abundance through the years).

[1] Double PB yum: peanut butter cookies with chopped white peanut butter cups (both photos © Justin’s).

[2] Justin’s White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (a personal favorite of ours).

January 24th was National Peanut Butter Day. We baked these cookies late in the day—in just enough time to have a couple of warm cookies with a glass of milk at bedtime, and to wake up to cookies for brunch.

This recipe iw from Justin’s, producer of organic, non-GMO nut butters, peanut butter cups and other PB snacks.
 
 
RECIPE: WHITE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. CREAM together with an electric stand or hand mixer the coconut oil, peanut butter, egg, sugars and vanilla. Blend at a medium speed until light and fluffy.

2. MIX the flour, baking soda and salt until just combined. Fold in the peanut butter cups.

3. FORM the dough, using small scoop, into 15-20 balls about the size of a golf ball. Place on a plate and press down slightly. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours.

The History Of Peanut Butter

The History Of Peanut Butter Cups

The History Of Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches

Fine food lovers: The days of mixing sour cream with Lipton Onion Soup mix are behind you.

Herewith, a better recipe for Game Day or any party. It uses caramelized onions, crème fraîche and fromage blanc, making it more “French” than a dip made with onion soup mix.

The recipe comes to us from Bellwether Farms. Located on 35 acres in Sonoma County, the dairy is dedicated to sustainable agricultural practices, ethical animal husbandry and crafting the highest quality dairy products possible.

Bellwether Farms crafts a family of aged and fresh sheep and cow milk cheeses and sheep milk yogurt using time-honored traditions and whole milk sourced from their flock and six family dairy farms. Discover more at BellwetherFarms.com.
 
 
RECIPE: CLASSIC FRENCH ONION DIP WITH CRÈME FRAÎCHE AND FROMAGE BLANC

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the oil and add the chopped onion to a medium sauté pan. Lower the heat and cook slowly until the onion softens and becomes caramelized, about 30-40 minutes. Don’t rush this step and the onions will be sweet and not bitter. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

2. MIX together in a bowl the cooled onions and remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

TIP: Make extra caramelized onions as a garnish for the dip. While you’re at it, make a whole bunch extra for a week’s cooking: with eggs, burgers, sandwiches, meat, fish, potatoes, etc. Onions may look large but they cook down to what looks like very little, so don’t hesitate to use a lot.

[1] Caramelized onion dip with crème fraîche and fromage blanc (photo © Bellwether Farms).

[2] Make extra caramelized onions as a garnish (photo © Robert Mondavi Winery).

The classic French Onion Dip recipe was created in 1954 in Los Angeles by a French chef whose name has been lost to history.

It dip was not known in France, but the seasoning used was modeled after the flavors of the classic French dish, Soupe à l’Oignon, made with beef stock and heavily caramelized onions.

The chef combined sour cream and an instant dehydrated onion soup mix, that would quickly become a real crowd pleaser. Printed in a local newspaper, the recipe spread quickly.

The following year, The Lipton Company promoted the recipe on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts a popular television show.

Initially, the recipe was known as Lipton California Dip, shortly contracted to California Dip. The name French Onion Dip began to be used in the 1960s.

A Lipton advertising campaign promoted it on television and in supermarkets, and the recipe was added to the Lipton Instant Onion Soup package in 1958.

An enduring favorite, there are now many ready-to-eat versions, such as Ruffles French Onion Dip and Frito-Lay French Onion Dip. Commercially prepared products include thickeners, stabilizer and preservatives.

Beyond chips and crudités, fans use it as a spread or topping onburgers, sandwiches and tacos [source].

If you like fine tea, have you tried Darjeeling tea?

January is national Hot Tea Month. We’ve written tons and tons about tea, including this Tea Glossary, that explains tea terminology.

But celebrating National Tea Month doesn’t mean simply brewing a tea bag from your cupboard.
 
 
ABOUT DARJEELING TEA

Darjeeling is grown in West Bengal, India in the Darjeeling District, which is situated at the foothills of the Himalayas in the northeast corner of the country.

Called “the champagne of teas,”* Darjeeling is the name of the district, the town, and the tea that is produced there.

Darjeeling is a medium-bodied style of black tea, renowned for its complex, captivating aromas and nuanced flavors.

The liquor, or brewed tea, is much lighter than most other black teas, as shown in photos #1, #2 and #6.

While mass-marketed Darjeeling is available in supermarkets around the world, specialty tea shops carry a far superior version: first flush and second flush estate Darjeeling (more about them below).

You can see from the descriptions below how the flavors and aromas vary by estate† (similar to how the flavor of the same variety of grapes vary by vineyard).
 
An Official Certification

Darjeeling is one of few teas with an origin certification, like the European A.O.C. or D.O.P, attesting that the product was produced in Darjeeling. Since 1999, only teas made at the 87 registered gardens† in the district is allowed to be sold as Darjeeling.

Alas, “there is little policing, and counterfeits abound; much more tea is sold as Darjeeling than what those farms could conceivably produce,” say the experts at In Pursuit Of Tea.

To add to consumer confusion, in some countries to which Darjeeling is exported, blenders are able to call a any tea “Darjeeling” as long as 51% or more of the leaves comes from the Darjeeling district.

So if you want an authentic Darjeeling experience, go to the best purveyors. In Pursuit Of Tea’s Darjeelings include Darjeeling first flush and second flush teas from the finest estates.

Their current offerings include:

 
How do you choose what to try?

Read the descriptions on each tea’s page (start here).

If you can afford it, buy small amounts from different estates to compare.

 
WHAT ARE FIRST FLUSH & SECOND FLUSH?

Flush refers to the time of harvest: first flushes are the first picking of the plants, second flushes are a subsequent picking, and so on.

In the Darjeeling region:

 
Is one flush better than the other? As with most foods, it’s a matter of personal preference.

But for connoisseurs, it’s definitely a choice between the first and second flushes of estate teas.
 
 
DARJEELING TEA HISTORY

While tea was first discovered growing wild some 5000 years ago in China, it is indigenous to both China and India (the history of tea).

Tea, like other agricultural products, varies in flavor, aroma and appearance according to its terroir: the type of soil, the elevation (altitude) and the climate and microclimate of the area in which it grows, as well as the weather in each particular season.

The processing style of the particular estate also greatly influences the taste and appearance (photo #5).

While tea itself dates back thousands of years, Darjeeling tea began its rise to fame some 150 years ago, thanks to Dr. Archibald Campbell.

Campbell, a doctor in the Bengal Medical Service, was the first superintendent of the sanitarium town of Darjeeling.

A botany enthusiast, he is credited with the introduction of tea cultivation in Darjeeling [source].

As an experiment, he planted tea seeds from the native Chinese tea bush (Camellia sinesis var. sinesis) in his garden at Beechwood, Darjeeling.

He was successful in raising the tea plants, such that the British government, in 1847, decided to install tea nurseries in Darjeeling. The first commercial tea gardens were planted in 1852.

At that time, Darjeeling was a sparsely populated resort and sanitarium hamlet used by the army and affluent civilians. Tea, a labor intensive enterprise, required large numbers of people to plant, tend, pluck and manufacture the tea.

Locals from Darjeeling and from Nepal, just across the border, were recruited.

[1] Tea professionals compare the aromas and flavors of different estates or flushes by cupping: pouring small amounts of tea in shallow cups. (photos #1, #3, #4 and #5 © In Pursuit Of Tea).

[2] A different cupping, showing teas from different estates or flushes. You can see how the color of the liquor (the brewed tea) (photo © The Republic Of Tea).

[3] The teas are withered for a long time in troughs, creating the light Darjeeling style.

[4] The withered leaves, ready to be fired, where they turn from green to black.

[5] Visual differences in two second flush Darjeeling estate teas that have been fired and are ready to brew. The Rohini Estate (top) and Snowview State teas available from In Pursuit Of Tea.

[6] The difference in color between a first flush and second flush Darjeeling (photo © National Honey Board).

In the 1960s, Indian processors began to experiment with producing a lighter Darjeeling tea. They created the modern style, lighter in color and more delicate (more accurately champagne-like).

The tea leaves are withered for a long time in heated troughs, and then fired for a shorter time than other black teas. The result is a more aromatic and flavorful tea with a lighter body and more astringency than the original Darjeeling teas [source].

Darjeeling produced the world’s best aromatic teas, and became a profitable venture. Today Darjeeling has 86 tea gardens which produce about 10 million kilograms of tea each year [source].

________________

*This seems to us to be a clever marketing move. The tea looked nothing in color like champagne (although some other teas are pale gold, like champagne). The closest reason for the comparison is that some people perceive the darjeeling aroma to have a winey aroma, specifically, muscatel grapes. The aroma is delicate and fruity, but there are plenty of wines that could fit this description. However, “the champagne of teas” does sound more beguiling than “the chianti of teas.”

†Estates are also called tea gardens and plantations. The term estate is used for single-origin teas that come from a single property (i.e., estate).

‡The muscatel quality in Darjeeling is described as “musky spiciness,” “a unique muscat-like fruitiness in aroma and flavor,” or “dried raisins with a hay-like finish” [source].

[1] Bombay Spice chickpeas, one of 10 flavors of the better-for-you snack (all photos © Saffron Road | Facebook).

[2] Toss your favorite flavor onto a salad. Here, kale salad with Falafel Chickpeas.

[3] Garnish anything. Place a bowl of Saffron Road Crunchy Chickpeas on the table and let everyone help themselves.

[4] Trying to consume less meat? Add protein by substituting Crunchy Chickpeas for the chicken.

[5] Have a sweet tooth? Satisfy it with Crunchy Chickpeas in Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Chai, Honey Roasted and Salted Caramel.

From ancient times, across Asia, India and the Middle East, smart snackers have been enjoying the crunch of chickpeas.

And because they’re a good source of protein and fiber, you can enjoy a crunchy snack that’s actually good for you.

Roast chickpeas are more than a snack—although they do make a great snack with wine and beer.

And Saffron Road Crunchy Chickpeas give you plenty of ways to use them:

 
Use the sweet flavors for:

 
They’re delicious on pretty much everything!
 
 
10 FLAVORS OF CRUNCHY CHICKPEAS

In fact, the crunchy snacks have so many fans that Saffron Road has expanded the original Sea Salt variety to 9 additional flavors:
 
Savory Flavors

 
Sweet & Salty Flavors

 
Chocolate Covered

 
The line is certified gluten-free, halal, Kosher Dairy (OU), Non-GMO.
 
 
CHICKPEA NUTRITION

Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are a type of legume*. The most common type has a round shape and a beige color, but other varieties are black, green, or red. Their nutrients have a variety of health benefits.

Chickpeas are high in calories, but they are all good calories.

Like other legumes, such as lentils, chickpeas are rich in fiber and protein. They are an excellent source of protein and cholesterol-lowering fiber: 6g protein per serving, 5g dietary fiber.

Chickpeas are an excellent source of folate (vitamin B9) and contain the antioxidant vitamins A and C, along along with other good-for-you phytonutrients. With zero cholesterol, saturated or trans fats and low in sodium, chickpeas are a heart-healthy food.

Medically, their high level of insoluble fiber helps to prevent digestive disorders such as diverticulosis and IBS. Studies have shown better blood fat regulation—including lower levels of LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides.
 
 
HOW THE CHICKPEA GOT ITS NAME

Call it Bengal gram, ceci bean, chana, garbanzo bean or sanagalu: The chickpea is one of the earliest cultivated legumes. Remains have been found in the Middle East that date back 7,500 years.

“Chickpea” evolved from the Latin cicer, which happens to be the same root as the Roman name Cicero.

The Oxford English Dictionary lists a 1548 citation that reads, “Cicer may be named in English Cich, or ciche pease, after the Frenche tonge.” By the mid-18th century, ciche peas became chick-peas.

The word “garbanzo” is a bit more obscure. It is first noted in English in the 17th century, as “calavance,” perhaps from the Old Spanish algarroba. There is also a possible Basque word parent, garbantzu, a compound of garau, seed and antzu, dry.

In ancient Greece, chickpeas (called erébinthos) were consumed raw when young and eaten as a staple food, as well as a dessert.

The Romans roasted garbanzos as a snack and cooked them into a broth. Many centuries later, in 18th-century Europe, roasted chickpeas were ground and brewed as a coffee substitute.

Today, halua, chickpeas in a sugar base that has some resemblance to peanut brittle, is a popular sweet dish in Bangladesh.
 
 
ABOUT SAFFRON ROAD

Saffron Road debuted nationally in July 2010 in Whole Foods Market, as the world’s first halal-certified, antibiotic-free and humanely-raised frozen entrées. The first varieties were Indian dishes, and have expanded to a whopping 16 choices highlighting Indian and other cuisines.

At last, one could whip up a dinner of Chicken Biryani or Lamb Saag just by going from freezer to microwave. We were instant fans.

The product line has expanded to include, among other items: appetizers, bowls, simmer sauces and more crunchy snacks (baked lentil chips, chickpea crisps, lentil crackers).

Check out the different types of beans and legumes in our Bean Glossary.

*Legumes are plants that bear fruit that grows in pods. Legumes can be broken down into different subsections including: beans, lentils, peas and peanuts.