"Sesame!" says-a-me

Most of us are familiar with sesame seeds, often toasted. Some of us are also familiar with sesame oil often used in dressings, and then there is tahini, sesame paste, commonly known as one of the few ingredients used in hummus (or hummos). I also recently learned that there are black sesame seeds; I'm curious to find out how easy they are (or aren't) to find.

So I know about the seeds and the oil and the paste, but when I got to thinking about it, curiosity kicked in and I wondered about the sesame plant. I never before thought about it or heard about it, this poor unknown plant that provides us with such wonderful flavors, but I knew it had to exist (after all, you don't get seeds and oils without a plant).

I also found these interesting facts & tidbits on About.com.

> "Sesame seeds are believed to be one of the first condiments as well as one of the first plants to be used for edible oil."

> "The earliest recorded use of a spice - sesame seed - comes from an Assyrian myth which claims that the gods drank sesame wine the night before they created the earth."

> Sesame "is native to the East Indies. Usage dates back to 3000 B.C. Over 5,000 years ago, the Chinese burned sesame oil not only as a light source but also to make soot for their ink-blocks."

> "African slaves brought sesame seeds, which they called benné seeds, to America, where they became a popular ingredient in Southern dishes."

I love hummus with a lot of lemon. What flavor do you like best?

Picture by Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, United States; posted on Forestry Images.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Last night I tried Martha's Chinese Chicken Salad recipe. The chicken was very good, but I was disappointed in the dressing (it was decent, not outstanding). Now my to-do list includes finding another Chinese salad dressing recipe I have and trying it in place of this one. (If I find it, I'll get back to you with it.) For this recipe, I suggest using less salt and less pepper.

The process of making this was pretty easy, but I also had an easy out. Because I couldn't find bean threads (also known as cellophane or glass noodles) at the grocery store where I was shopping, I used Top Ramen noodles instead (raw, broken into tiny pieces). That saved a lot on time and mess. I do know we have them somewhere in this town. Cooking and shredding the chicken ahead of time made the day-of preparation easier. This would be perfect for a light meal with a couple of guests.

This recipe is gluten-free if you use a gluten-free soy sauce. If you are looking for one, read this post on Celiac Bites; there are many mixed reviews about La-Choy brand.

Martha's Chinese Chicken Salad (to top)
from Simply Recipes

1/2 pound white chicken meat, cooked and shredded
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon Sherry
1 Tablespoon sugar

High smoke point cooking oil, such as grapeseed oil, corn oil, or peanut oil
2 ounces bean threads (one bunch) [or, as I did, 1/2 pack Top Ramen noodles]
4 green onions, shredded lengthwise
1 small head of lettuce (romaine works), shredded
2 Tablespoons chopped toasted almonds
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Sauce [dressing]:
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt [I suggest less]
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper [I suggest less]
3 Tablespoons oil
1 Tablespoon dark sesame oil
3 Tablespoons vinegar

1. Using two forks, shred cooked chicken. Mix soy sauce, sherry and sugar in a bowl and add the chicken. Let soak for 10 minutes. Remove chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Fry the shredded chicken in a little cooking oil on medium high heat to make it a little crispy and to bake in the seasoning. Set aside.

2. [If you have the bean threads... ] Put 3/4 inch of high smoke point cooking oil into a small saucepan. Heat on high heat until when you flick a drop or two of water into the oil it sizzles. Take one bunch of the dried bean threads and gently break them up a bit. Test the oil by putting one bean thread into the oil. If the oil is hot enough, the bean thread will almost immediately sizzle and puff up. That's when you know the oil is hot enough. Working with a few bean threads at a time, put them in hot oil. As soon as they puff up, remove them carefully with tongs and place them on a paper towel to cool. The paper towel helps remove any excess oil. Set aside.

3. Cut green onions, shredding lengthwise. Toast your chopped almonds, or chop your toasted almonds. Toast sesame seeds. [Don't toast nuts & seeds together.] Cool to room temperature.

4. Mix all of the sauce ingredients together, in the order listed. Just before serving the salad, mix all of the salad ingredients together - lettuce, chicken, bean threads, almonds, sesame seeds, and sauce.

All About Almonds

I said to the almond tree,
"Sister, speak to me of God."
And the almond tree blossomed.



This quotation is from one of my favorite books, Report to Greco, by Nikos Kazantzakis. Since then, I've been enthralled by the idea of a blossoming almond tree in a field in Greece.

Almonds are one of my favorite "nuts" and I find that depending on how they are prepared (or left alone), their sweetness now reminds me of the quotation above. Earlier this week when I made marzipan, I blanched almonds by using the method of pouring boiling water over them. When I drained them, the sweet smell was wonderful and I couldn't stop thinking of almond tea. I don't recommend that method for blanching almonds, but would almost do it just for the aroma.

I wondered if people actually make almond tea and a couple of days later remembered that I have had some by Celestial Seasonings. But I wanted to make my own. So far, my searches have only led me to recipes using instant tea and almond extract. I want a recipe using real almond tea, the water steeped with almonds. I will try one of the versions with extract, but one day will experiment with my own.

Though the almond is usually called a nut, it is actually a seed that is related to plums, apricots, and cherries. Blossoming apricot trees and the apricot seed are very similar (teaviews.com). Almonds' nutritious benefits include cancer prevention, calcium, and Vitamin E.

Almond trees naturally thrive in the Mediterranean and are thought to have originated in China and Central Asia; the conditions in California's Central Valley are also great for almond growth (Nutfarm).



Picture Credits
Almond Tree: Journey with Robert Jones, February 1, 2005
Almond: Victoriana Nursery Gardens
Almond Blossom: Limes & Lycopene, "How to Use Almonds," August 14, 2007