Celebrate the International Flavors of Sun Basket

Posted by & filed under Ingredient Profile.

Sun Basket meals are a melting pot of global influences. Each recipe is a map with ingredients that mark the road and define the destination. Some meals take you to a place you’ve never been, others deliver you home. Here are some of the places we often return to every week. 

Indian Turmeric  

This brilliantly colored rhizome (that means it’s a stem that grows underground) has a sweet, slightly bitter flavor that’s unlike anything else. It’s assertive without being overpowering, making its presence known without stealing the show. Our dietitians promote turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties, while cooks from Southeast Asia, to North Africa and Iran, love its intriguing floral flavor. Americans are most familiar with turmeric as a key ingredient in many curries, but we also use it in many of our signature spice blends like the pakora seasoning in our Pakora Pita Pockets with Spicy Chile-Mango Sauce.

Korean Kimchi

Pungent and funky in the best possible way, kimchi delivers an umami-grenade of flavor to our Korean Rice Bowls with Sticky-Sweet BBQ Chicken Skewers. Because kimchi is in an active state of fermentation, its flavor continues to develop over time, as the flavors of cheese and wine do. It’s also a superfood, loaded with antioxidants, vitamins A, B, and C and—most importantly—probiotic bacteria that promote a healthy gut. 

Mexican Tortillas

It’s hard to imagine what Mexican food would be without tortillas. So many dishes from tacos to tlayudas depend on them, including our Chilaquiles Verdes with Fried Eggs and Queso Fresco.

Sicilian Capers

No ingredient says Sicily louder than the tiny caper. These bold buds take any dish straight to Southern Italy. To simply call them “salty” short-changes their floral, fruity flavor. They have far more depth than they often get credit for. Pair capers with lemon and you’ve got a classic piccata, the simple-to-make sauce that brings bold flavor to our Sole with Red Pepper Vinaigrette and Lemon-Garlic Broccoli.

Thai Kaffir (Makrut) Lime Leaves

Thick, two-tiered kaffir lime leaves have a sharp, citrusy aroma that’s hard to describe but unmistakable once you taste it. It’s one of the defining flavors of Thai cuisine. Tear the leaves to release their essential oils, but don’t try to eat them. Kaffir (makrut) limes are used to infuse a dish with their intriguing fragrance but are too tough to chew. Try them in our Thai Shrimp and Rice Noodle Soup.

Vietnamese Lemongrass  

This tropical grass brings a citrusy flavor into soups (hello, pho), braises, and marinades. Vietnamese cooks pound the thick, bulbous stalk to unleash its fragrance. Here at Sun Basket, we blend it with ginger and garlic to make a potent paste to season the marinade for our Lemongrass Pork Meatball Banh Mi.

Artwork by Ekström Design

Sun Signs—April 2017

Posted by & filed under Horoscopes.

Taskmaster Saturn and Mercury the messenger join Venus in taking a step back for a bit of reflection. To make the most of this cosmic downtime, complete unfinished projects, clean up paperwork, and backup your computer. It’s not quite time to spring forward.

ARIES (Mar 21-April 19) Hey, all you nefarious Aries  business owners, it’s time to clean up your act. With Mercury shifting into reverse around your finances, it’s time to bring your values into alignment with your business practices. You’ve had the last 30 days to consider your heart’s desire. By month’s end you’re more clear about what matters and ready for a fresh start financially.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You’ve done some deep digging and now you’re shedding old skin and renewing your relationship with yourself. Maybe you’ve been working out and getting into shape? Good job, Taurus, you’ve restored your energy reserves and by next month you’re ready for your reveal. It looks like your stock is going up.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Are you getting enough alone time in nature? If not, go for a hike. It’ll help you jump into the practical efforts of cleaning out your closets, a metaphor for clearing out your psyche. Let it go, twins. Let it go.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) You’ve been reviewing what you like and don’t like about work. And at the same time, expanding on the home front, making improvements to your castle and tending to relationships. All that effort allows you to come out of your shell and reach for a larger cast. As you do, seize opportunities to connect with traveling buddies who share your bucket list of destinations.   

LEO (July 23-Aug 22) While you’re figuring out your dream job, don’t get caught up in the mixed messages at work. The he said/she said is a frustrating distraction. Instead, focus on writing and preparing information for publishing. Things are still in the firming-up stage, and by the end of the month you may have found an important missing piece. You’re closing in on getting it out there.

VIRGO (Aug 23-Sept 22)  Are you rechecking the details for your book tour? Maybe you’re chomping at the bit to go somewhere, learn something new, or teach? Hold your horses until after Mercury, your ruler, moves forward. Relax into some armchair traveling, planning the itinerary. While you’re waiting for the wind to pick up, your coffers might get an unexpected infusion—good timing. By the end of the month, new possibilities with international connections may open up and you’ll be well positioned to bankroll your travels.

LIBRA (Sept 23-Oct 22) Dig deeper, Libra. Your research may turn up useful information. Meanwhile, be careful when signing contracts; double check your tax return. It’s also time to reexamine issues around intimacy and how you open your heart. Charming, but often hard to pin down emotionally, you’re examining how to bring more of yourself into your relationships. That’s a good thing.

SCORPIO (Oct 23-Nov 21) You’re clearing out the clutter and clarifying your priorities. Meanwhile, you’ve delved deep into your psyche and unearthed important insights from the unconscious. Heck, maybe you’ve even made peace with some unresolved issues with authority figures and come to realize how that’s been holding you back in your career. Keep moving Scorpio, now it’s time to do your deep magic in your most intimate, real-time relationships.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21) Hey Sag, it’s time to get to the gym or start a steady running practice. Watch your step. There are things you need to learn, about nutrition or exercise, and integrate into your daily routine. Look to friendships, particularly those involved in healthier pursuits; there may be someone who has info to inspire your health regimen.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19) All work and no play makes Cap very dull. This month it may be time to take that adage seriously. With Mercury taking a backseat in your fun house, it’s time to have a good laugh and rethink what brings you pleasure. Figuring out a few of your favorite things could get your creative juices flowing and stimulate a new hobby or, better yet, a sideline biz. At month’s end, the pace picks up. You’re busy, but remember your lessons about joy and avoid that familiar workaholic mode.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 18) Maybe your recent travels have given you a new appreciation for where you come from. It may be time to clear some space for new energy. By the end of the month, you’ll have paved the way for a new creative project. In the meantime, practice the art of listening with the people closest to you, you might glean insight from someone you’ve overlooked in the past.

PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20) As you reassess your values and reorder your finances, you’re taking a second look at the community around you. Maybe a future friend has moved a few doors down, or the local grocer has some pertinent information. You’ve been integrating what you have learned over the last several months and now the time is ripe to share it on social media. Make sure to backup your hard drive. Bringing all this fresh intel to your home will give you the impetus to clean and declutter.

Find Lisa Awrey on twitter at @lisaoakland

Artwork by @boccaccinimeadows

Essentials of the Japanese Pantry

Posted by & filed under Ingredient Profile.

Simple dishes with complex flavors, that’s how we describe most Japanese food. Consider sushi, a single slice of raw fish served on a finger length of rice that many chefs consider one of the most difficult dishes to master, or yakitori, simple skewers of grilled chicken parts that somehow have an extraordinary depth of taste. The key to these dishes is a well-stocked pantry of the umami and acid-rich seasonings, plus some staples that make up the foundation of the country’s cuisine.

Here’s a primer: 

Baby bok choy

Mildly sweet and far more tender than the more mature varieties, this Chinese cabbage is a mineral-rich addition to a meal. 

Ginger

Often referred to as a root, ginger is actually a rhizome—a stem that grows underground. Ginger’s sharp flavor is everywhere in Japanese cooking, from the sauce for pork katsu to pink preserved slices on the side of a plate of sashimi. 

Kombu

This seaweed is rich in glutamates (aka umami) as well as vitamins and minerals. It’s used to make dashi, the signature broth of Japanese cuisine. 

Mirin

A rice wine similar to sake but with less alcohol and more sugar, mirin helps balance saltier ingredients like soy. 

Miso

This fermented soybean paste is pure umami. Its sweet, roasted undertones lend a deeply savory, I-don’t-know-what-it-is-but-I’ve-got-to-have-more flavor to everything, from miso soup to tsukune (chicken meatballs) to ramen. Like yogurt and other lacto-fermented foods, miso is full of live probiotic cultures. 

Ramen noodles

These wheat noodles get extra bounce thanks to the alkaline salts added to the dough. Their chewy texture means they can stand up to a hot ramen broth without losing their bite.  

Rice vinegar

Made by fermenting the sugars in rice first into alcohol and then into acid, rice vinegar is less acidic than distilled vinegar and has a delicate, somewhat sweet flavor.

Sesame seeds and sesame oil

These tiny seeds have a high oil content and deliver an incredible amount of flavor considering their size. Pure sesame oil has a high smoke point and is an excellent cooking oil. Toasted sesame oil is used mainly as a seasoning. 

Dried shiitake mushrooms

Dehydrating mushrooms intensifies their flavor and boosts their umami. Rehydrate before using and use the soaking water to add flavor to sauces and stocks. 

Soy milk

More than just a nondairy creamer for your latte, protein-rich soy milk also adds a cream-like richness to soups. 

Tamari

Soy sauce is found all over Asia, but tamari, a by-product of miso production, is specifically Japanese. Tamari is darker and richer than Chinese soy sauce. It’s also less salty and, unlike soy sauce, traditionally contains no or very little wheat, so it’s gluten-free. 

Tofu

Made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing curds into blocks, tofu has a delicate taste that balances bolder Japanese flavors. 

Shichimi Togarashi

This spicy seasoning mix traditionally contains seven ingredients—hot red pepper, orange peel, white and black sesame seeds, Japanese pepper (sansho), ginger, and seaweed. It’s spicy, but has a nice fragrance, too and it will lift any subtly flavored dish. 

Dirty Jobs; Clean Solutions:

Posted by & filed under Tips And Techniques.

Stained coffee pots, pans covered in gunk, and cooked food caked on the bottom of the oven—every kitchen has its dirty secrets. Now you can come clean with these tips for getting rid of the most stubborn stains and persistent kitchen problems.

1. Calcium deposits on stainless steel pans

Fill the pan with 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water. Bring to a boil and let cool, before washing and drying as usual.

2. Crusty grater or zester

Here’s a tip: Don’t use a sponge. Trying to unclog dried food from your zester will leave you with a pile of sponge zest and an even dirtier zester. Soaking your dirty zester in hot, soapy water will loosen any dried-on food and make it easy to rinse clean.

3. Dirty French press coffee pots

The coffee scum that coats your French press isn’t just ugly, it’s also affecting the taste of your morning brew. Scrub the mesh filter with a brush and fill the pot with hot water, baking soda, and vinegar. Push the filter down into the pot and let stand for about five minutes. Pull the filter out, dump the baking soda and vinegar solution in the sink, and wash the pot with hot water and soap.

4. Food baked on the bottom of the oven

The trick to keeping any food from sticking to the oven floor is to clean it while the oven is hot. Dump salt on the food and wipe clean once the oven has cooled.

5. Residue and hard water stains on a drip coffee maker

Put about a cup of white vinegar in the reserve chamber and fill the rest with water. Run the brew cycle, letting the vinegar and water drip into the carafe.

6. Stained blenders and food processors

(We’re looking at you, Turmeric Tonic). Fill the machine halfway full with very hot water. Add ½ cup white vinegar and a few tablespoons of baking soda. Cover and hold a thick towel over the lid. Turn the machine on and let blend for about 30 seconds. Dump the solution, rinse, and dry.

7. Stinky refrigerator

There’s probably a box of baking soda in the back of your fridge that’s been there for a very long time. Go ahead and dump the baking soda down your sink and start tossing used tea bags into an open bowl or container at the back of your refrigerator. They absorb odors as effectively as baking soda does while giving your tea bags a second life. 

8. Streaky glasses

If hard water in your dishwasher leaves your drinking glasses cloudy, run a load with white vinegar instead of detergent.

 

Artwork by Ekström Design.

How Clean is Your Cleaner?

Posted by & filed under Ingredient Profile.

It helps to have a PhD in chemistry if you want to understand the list of ingredients in most commercial cleaners. The multi-syllabic stew of consonants is an alien tongue to most of us. But it’s worth taking the time to understand just what you’re spraying on your kitchen counter. Some of the ingredients found in cleaning products are downright dirty. Here are a few that you should look for when deciding what you want to spray on your kitchen counters. 

For Sun Basket’s Executive R&D Chef Alan Li, a Clean Kitchen is as Essential as a Sharp Knife

Posted by & filed under Tips And Techniques.

For professional chefs, like Sun Basket’s Alan Li, working clean is as important a skill as knowing how to season a stock and chop an onion. “Cleanliness breeds cleanliness,” says Li. “Start in a perfectly clean space and clean as you go. It’s a work ethic that translates directly to the food. The results of working clean are dramatic. It turns on a switch in your mind that makes everything else fall into place.”


Here are a few of Li’s tips for keeping a spotless kitchen:


Towels—Before you begin, set two or three folded towels near your workstation. In professional kitchens, we use towels as potholders. The fact that they’re folded properly means we can grab them in an instant.
 


Bench scraper—This is an essential tool in my kitchen. I especially like to use it to transfer chopped herbs to a dish. The bench scraper is a huge time saver and helps eliminate waste. 


A sink full of soapy water—Transferring dirty dishes directly into warm water means they don’t get caked with stuck-on food. But remember, NO KNIVES IN THE SINK. 

Six Essential Exercises for Maximum Fitness

Posted by & filed under Health and Wellness.

With summer on the horizon, those warmer temperatures and longer days are just begging for you to take your fitness routine outside. Popular San Francisco-based personal trainer, Thomas Stracke, stopped by Sun Basket HQ recently to coach us in some basic exercises that can be done just about anywhere. According to Stracke, good form is key to any workout. Body alignment and strong technique not only help prevent injuries but also ensure that you get most out of your workout.

Here are a few of Stracke’s favorite exercises for maximum fitness. Stracke recommends two sets of each exercise, performing 20 to 30 repetitions of each move or for 60 to 90 seconds each. 

Bicycle crunch

This challenging variation on a sit up engages three major core muscle groups to build overall abdominal strength. 

Lie flat on the floor with the lower back pressed into the ground.
Place hands lightly on either side of your head, tuck your chin into your chest. Do not lock your fingers or pull your head up.
Lift both knees to a 45-degree angle.
Bring knees towards your chest, lifting your shoulder blades off the ground.
Turn your upper body to the left, bringing your right elbow towards the left knee, making sure to turn from the rib cage. Simultaneously straightening your right leg.
Repeat on the opposite side.  

Burpee

The ultimate full body exercise, burpees work every major muscle group and give you a cardio workout as well. 

Stand straight, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Squat back as if you were sitting on a very low stool, making sure that your knees are aligned over your ankles and not pushing out over your toes. 
Place your hands firmly on the ground, directly under your shoulders then thrust your legs back to a pushup position, then lower your chest to the floor and push back up.
Return to a squat position and jump. 
Repeat.  

Mountain climbers

Every major muscle group gets its due with mountain climbers. You’ll build muscle and get your heart pumping while challenging your balance and coordination, too. 

Get into a high plank position, with your hands firmly on the ground, directly under your shoulders. Keep your abs tight. 
Move one knee to opposite elbow and repeat with the other knee to its opposite elbow. 

Reverse Lunge 

An excellent exercise for lower body strength and toning, reverse lunges also target the glutes and quads. 

Step one leg back, lowering your hips until your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle.
Put your arms straight up and make sure the front knee is directly above your ankle.
Keep the weight in your heels as you push back up to the starting position.

Push up

Often mistaken for an arm exercise, a properly done push-up works your chest and core muscles.  

Get into a high plank position, with your hands firmly on the ground, directly under your shoulders. Keep your abs tight.
Keeping your back flat and eyes focused about three feet in front of you to keep your neck neutral, lower your chest to the floor and then push yourself back up.  

Squats

The only movement that trains your glutes, hamstrings, adductors, lower back, and quads, squats deliver a lot of bang for the buck.  

Stand with your feet hip-width apart with your weight on the heels.  
Keep your chest and chin up.
Squat back as if you were sitting on a very low stool, making sure that your knees are aligned over your ankles and not pushing out over your toes.