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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2024)
RECIPES January 1, 2024 Mixing up homemade granola is simple By Katie Workman The Associated Press N eed a gift for a friend or family member? A homemade gift with a little personal touch might be a good choice. For me, granola fits the bill. Not only is it good to eat, it can be shared. A beautiful jar of crunchy, chewy, slightly sweet granola for quick breakfasts, tossing onto little bowls of yogurt or skyr, or (if you are my older son) grabbing by the handful every time you pass through the kitchen, is perfect. Granola is so customizable that once you start playing around with it, making it can become almost as addictive as eating it. Change up the dried fruits, use all maple syrup or all honey, add a bit of crystallized ginger or a pinch of ground cloves. Because nut allergies are so prevalent (I speak from personal experience), keeping your granola nut-free will make it a gift that almost everyone can enjoy. Many store-bought granolas have a lot of added fat and sugar. This recipe has a much more manageable amount of oil and sweeteners. Note this granola is vegetarian but not vegan, thanks to the honey and egg whites. The egg whites help create nice little clumps of granola without necessitating the addition of more fat or sugar. This is also a great recipe for getting the kids involved. They can measure, mix, and spread everything out on the baking sheet. With supervision around the hot baking sheet, older kids can gently stir the granola during baking. Baking tips Because the dried fruit will burn if baked too long, add it to the oat mix only during the second part of bake time. Baking it lets it becomes chewy and incorporated into the mix. If you want your granola crunchier, bake the oat part a bit longer before stirring in the fruit. If you’re certain nut allergies aren’t an issue, add a handful or two of chopped nuts when you add the dried fruit midway through baking. This granola keeps for three weeks in a cool place, well sealed (though I have never once had it last that long). Presentation I like to package up this granola in clear glass Mason jars with attached lids, ribbons, and labels. You can also find jars that have spoons attached. Think about adding some suggestions on a little card attached to the jar for how the recipients can use the granola. Recommend using it as a topping for everything from ice cream to yogurt, a complement to oatmeal, a dip for a banana, or blended into a crumble on a fruit crisp. You can double or triple the recipe easily — and I always do, because I don’t want to give it all away! Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press. She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook. Granola Recipe 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup pure maple syrup 2 large egg whites 1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus oil for the baking sheet (optional) 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon grated orange zest, optional 4 cups old-fashioned oats, not quick-cooking 2 cups mixed chopped dried fruit such as apricots or prunes, and/or dried cherries, blueberries, cranberries, and raisins Nonstick cooking spray (optional) Preheat the oven to 275° Fahrenheit. Place the honey, maple syrup, egg whites, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and orange zest, if using, in a large bowl and mix until well blended. Set 1/2 cup of the honey mixture aside in a medium-size bowl. Add the oats to the large bowl and mix with a spoon or your hands until everything is well combined and coated. Add the dried fruit to the reserved 1/2 cup of the honey mixture and stir to combine. Set the dried fruit mixture aside. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, or coat it lightly with oil, or line it with parchment paper. Spread the oat mixture out on the prepared baking sheet in a thin, even layer. Bake the oat mixture for 30 minutes (see baking tips above). Add the dried fruit mixture to the oat mixture and stir well with a spoon or spatula to combine. Spread the granola out again in an even layer. Bake it until the oats are golden brown and crunchy, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring it once more halfway through the baking time, but leave some clumps! Let the granola cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack. THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 13 Pitch the boxed broth! Indian-spiced tomato soup doesn’t need it By Christopher Kimball Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street uying a box of broth at the supermarket feels like a soup shortcut because most people don’t have time or energy to make homemade stock. But many store-bought stocks are filled with salt and lack much real flavor. As it turns out, you don’t need it anyway. We prefer to use water, not stock, for soups that have clearer, brighter flavor. It’s easy with the right ingredients as long as you keep a couple things in mind. For one, make sure to brown the aromatics. Browning translates to flavor, and scraping up those browned bits when you add the water to the pot releases flavor into the soup. And two, don’t be afraid to use spices. Toast the spices first to release their delicate aromas into the dish, just as we do in this Indian-spiced tomato soup recipe from our book Cook What You Have, which draws on pantry staples to assemble easy, weeknight meals. The recipe was inspired by Indian soups known as shorba, which comes from the Arabic word “shurba,” meaning “soup.” Often simple, brothy, puréed soups, they are considered comfort food — the kind of soothing dish you’d find in home kitchens rather than in restaurants. In our version, we stir in garam masala, a blend of warming spices, to add depth of flavor and to complement the slightly acidic tomatoes and yogurt. The brightness of the tomato and ginger shines through, and the toasted spice mixture provides the backbone of the soup’s flavor. If you happen to have ghee B SIMPLE & SATISFYING. Pictured is a bowl of Indian-Style Tomato-Ginger Soup, a soothing dish with garam masala, a blend of warming spices, and more. (Milk Street via AP) on hand, use it in place of butter for a subtly richer, more nuanced flavor. We like this soup served with warm naan for dipping. Editor’s note: To view additional recipes, visit <177milkstreet.com/ap>. Indian-Style Tomato-Ginger Soup Start to finish: 25 minutes Servings: 4 to 6 2 tablespoons salted butter or ghee 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 1 small bunch cilantro, tender stems finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped, reserved separately 4 teaspoons garam masala 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes Kosher salt and ground black pepper ½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt, plus more to serve In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the ginger and cilantro stems; cook, stirring occasionally, until the ginger begins to stick to the pot and brown lightly, about 2 minutes. Add the garam masala and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes with juices, 3 cups water, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, until the tomatoes have softened, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Using a blender and working in batches so the jar is never more than half full, purée the tomato mixture until smooth, about 20 seconds, then return to the saucepan. (Alternatively, use an immersion blender to purée the soup directly in the saucepan.) Stir in half of the cilantro leaves and cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Off heat, whisk in the yogurt, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with the remaining cilantro leaves and topped with yogurt. 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Display advertising space reservations for our special Year of the Dragon issue are due Monday, January 22 at 5:00pm. The AR’s Lunar New Year special issue will be published on Monday, February 5, 2024.
