Tamarind Water Recipe

We just went to try a new Korean BBQ place by our house.  Food is good and we enjoyed spending time with our family, but now I am so full, and also feel and smell like a big piece of greasy-beezy pig belly...when we got home, the first thing came up in my mind was the tamarind water I made last week.  Hm...hm...so refreshing, and now I successfully turned myself from a fatty big belly to a less fatty one=)

So you will ask, what is tamarind?  Tamarind is a fruit found in Africa and tropical Asia.  These not so good-looking (they look like Mr. Henkey from the South Park, see picture above. LOL) but surprising tasty fruits are very popular in India, Mexico, Southern Asia, Egypt and portions of Spain.  Tamarind water is one of the most popular agua fresca drinks from Mexican cuisine.

This drink is super easy to prepare and you don't need a lot of ingredients.  Here is my recipe:


6-7 tamarind pods (usually you could get this fruit from Mexican market or Indian/Asian market)
6 cups of water
2 cups of white sugar

Tamarinds with shells

Getting the pods out by hands

About 6-7 pods

1.  Remove the pods from the shells by hands.  I used about 6-7 pods, but it depends on size of the tamarinds and your personal preference (Remember this fruit is a little on the tart side).

Boil 6 cups of water in a tall pot.

 2.  Boil 6 cups of water.  Once the water got boiled, put the pods in the pot and boil for another 25 mins.

3.  Grab the pods out from the pot (they are very soft after boiled, so using a strainer will be a great choice to take them out from the pot).

Mash them good.

4.  Put the soften tamarinds in the strainer and put a bowl at the bottom of the strainer, and try your best to mash them good to get as much as liquid out from them.  After you got the liquid from the fruits, you could discard the seeds and the tamarinds.

5.  Put the liquid back to the boiled water and now you could add 2 cups of water.  Boil for another 10 mins.  

6.  Let the tamarind water cool down before putting it in the fridge.

7.  Add ice and enjoy=)

This drink is so refreshing, so easy and cheap to make, and it makes a good addition in your fridge.  Whenever you need something to refresh your mind, just pour some out and add some ice, and it will certainly put a smile on your face=)

Waffle + Pizza = Waffza at Love to Go (San Gabriel, CA)

Hours:

Mon-Thu 11 am - 10 pm Fri-Sat 2 pm - 12 am

307 S Mission Dr
San Gabriel, CA 91776

I always admire entrepreneurs (just like myself); these people are fearless, innovative, passionate, driven, open mind and they always have that JUST DO IT positive attitude and a strong work ethic. The market has not been going to anywhere these few years, it's extremely challenging to become an entrepreneur.  I hope all of us could just hang in there during this tough economy.  Believing in yourself and your companies because your confidence will show to your customers, your employees, your stakeholders and your suppliers.    Eventually, our passions and services will touch people's hearts.

A refreshing Kiwi yogurt Italian soda

I met this girl, Sundi from church when I was living in Pasadena back to year 2000.  I heard so many good things about her cookings, her sweet personality and her food from others at the church we both went to.  Few years ago, I found out that she finally opened her first cafe, Love to Go in City of San Gabriel, California.  I am so excited and happy for her when I first discovered this news.  Because turning your interests and hobbies into a career require a lot of efforts, time, money and a lot more...Her passion towards food have shown on her works.  She created this sweet treat called waffza (think about a combination of waffle and pizza).  This signature dessert is very popular at her cafe (so does their Italian soda).  I am so honor to share her journey and passions with everyone on my blog.

Enjoy these interview Q&A, and I truly wish that after reading this post, you could sit back and take a moment to think about what you are passionate about and GO FOR IT because life is too short to wake up with regrets.

Mrs. G = G
Sundi = S

G:  When did you open your own store, Love to Go?
S:  I opened my store on April 18, 2010

G:  When did you discover you have passion toward food?
S:  When I was studying in college, I started cooking dinner for my friends, brothers and sisters from church all the time.
One day, I saw a commercial on TV about Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena.  I immediately made a phone call and scheduled a visit at their campus.  After the visit, I finally made up my mind and decided to complete an associate degree in Culinary Arts.

Four different types of waffzas

Hong Kong style peanut butter waffle pocket

G:  What inspired you to create waffza?
S:  I found out that many people in the States like to eat waffles.   They also like  pizzas. I think people like these two food because you could put a lot of different toppings on these two food items.  I got inspired by pizzas and waffles and create waffza. At first, I made my waffza on a whole waffle and topped with ice-cream, whipped cream, strawberries and bananas, later I realized most of the people could not finish the whole waffza by themselves.  It made me wonder how I could alternate my creation with more varieties. At last, I came up with the idea of separating the whole waffle into smaller size (their original quarter size) and decorate them slice by slice...Waffza was created ^.^

G:  What is your favorite waffza?
S:  I like all of my waffza, but the most favorite waffza that I love is the banana & nut coated with dark chocolate.

A banana waffza cake

A strawberry and banana waffza cake

Frosting and Cupcake (Part I)

Last time we talked about our Top 10 cupcakes in America.  This time I am going to share some tips with you of how we choose the right frosting to go with your favorite cupcakes. 

• Vanilla cupcake is a very classic flavor.  And this flavor can almost pair up with any flavors of frosting.  If you like very light frosting, I suggest you to pair with our classic white chocolate frosting or home-made whipped cream.  If you like fresh fruit, our classic strawberry buttercream will be a great choice.  If you like chocolate (who doesn't?!), pair it with our classic chocolate buttercream or hazelnut buttercream. 

• Pumpin cupcake is a seasonal cupcake for Fall and Winter.  It's great pair with classic cream cheese frosting.

• Banana cupcake pair with banana frosting is always a great choice.  Banana flavor also goes well with fresh fruit icing, such as strawberry, raspberry or any other berry-flavored icing. Also, any type of chocolate frosting will be a great match with this cupcake also, but if you're in the mood for something really different and light, try adding a dollop of whipped cream. It's simple and delicious!

• Coffee is featured prominently in desserts because it goes well with just about anything that tastes sweet. Therefore, there are a myriad of possible frosting options for coffee cupcakes. Chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, almond, raspberry -- really, any flavor that might go with a cup of joe is a possible contender for the cake or icing part of your cupcake.

• Chocolate is another popular and classic flavor at our Cupcakery!  If you are choco-holic, top with a heavy dark chocolate frosting.  If you like chocolate, but would like something lighter on top, go with our classic white chocolate.  If you like fresh fruit, rasberry or strawberry frostings will be another great choice. 

• Lemon cupcakes typically pair up with sweet but slightly tangy yellow frosting. Last time I made a lemon flavored frosting with a candied orange on top and it was a great hit!  If the combination of lemon cake and lemon frosting is too tart for your taste, ask for an unfrosted cupcake with just a light dusting of powdered sugar for a subtle dose of extra sweetness.

Easy Panna Cotta Recipe

Panna Cotta means cooked cream in Italian.  It is a classic Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. It is generally from the Northern Italian region of Piemonte.  The dessert could serve with fresh fruits or hazelnuts.  If you want to have some bitter sweet flavor, try green tea powder (aka matcha) panna cotta.

Here is my recipe (adopted from all recipe.com):

Ingredients:

1/3 cup reduced fat milk

1 (0.25 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin (look for it from the jello section at the grocery store)

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (look for it from the baking section at the grocery store)

6 cleaned ramekin dishes

Direction:

1. Pour milk into a small bowl, and stir in the gelatin powder and mix well. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, stir together the heavy cream and sugar, and set over medium heat. Bring to a full boil, watching carefully, as the cream will quickly rise to the top of the pan. Pour the gelatin and milk into the cream, stirring until completely dissolved. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract and pour into six individual ramekin dishes.
3. Cool the ramekins uncovered at room temperature. When cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before serving.
4. Serve with fresh berries (optional).

How to make your cupcakes look like a super model (without fondant)?

Mrs. G has heard a lot of people expressed how much they dislike about gum paste and fondant decoration on their cupcakes.  Most of them agree that they make the cupcakes look like a "super model", but those decoration kill the flavor of a cupcake.  So if you don't like gum paste and fondant, what could you/C for Cupcake Cupcakery do to make your cupcakes look as amazing as their taste? 

There are quite a few alternatives -

Seasonal fresh fruits - such as strawberry, raspberry, and cherry. 



Home made candied orange

Dried fruits and nuts



Cashew Nut Brittle Cupcakes (Picture from Blog - Our Eyes Eat First)


Candies and other treats - or if you like a treat on the top of your cupcake, we could use candies, cookies, coconuts, etc.



Easter chocolate candies with toasted coconut

Belgium waffle

Powder sugar, powder chocolate or shredded chocolate 

Using powder sugar for decoration on cupcakes
(Picture from the Cupcake Blog)

Mixing fresh fruit and powder sugar for decoration
(Picture from 123RF)



Mrs. G home made vegan chocolate cupcake topped

with shredded chocolate

Fresh flower petals - some flower petals are edible, some not!

Mixing fresh fruit and fresh edible flowers for decoration
(Desert from Extraordinary Dessert; picture from Flickrfan Stan)

Cupcake topper - you could get the toppers from any craft store or baking supply store.  Or you could even make your own toppers. 

Picture from Epicute

There are so many ways to make your cupcakes look great without sacrificing the taste of them.  I hope that this post could help you to decide what you could do with your cupcakes the next time without those fancy gum paste and fondant decoration.  Mrs. G personally thinks that these non-gum paste or fondant toppings are classy and tasty!

Mr. G's Favorite Dessert

Mr. G LOVES LOVES LOVES cream puffs!  Did I say that he loves cream puffs?!  He even requested to have cream puffs as his birthday "cake"!  Once in a while, I make cream puffs at home just to satisfy his sweet tooth.

Cream puffs are one of the easiest desserts to make for new bakers.  I am going to share my recipe with you and hope you enjoy these cute little treats at home too.

Prep:  25 mins  Cool:  10 mins  Bake:  30 mins
Oven:  400F  Makes:  12 cream puffs or 24 mini cream puffs

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
3 cups whipped cream (either home made or from the store)
or pudding, fresh seasonal fruits (e.g.. strawberries, blue berries) ice cream or powder sugar (optional)

1. Preheat over to 400F
2. Grease a baking sheet
3. In a medium saucepan combine water, butter and salt.  Bring to boiling, then add flour ALL AT ONCE!  Stirring vigorously.
4. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball
5. Remove from heat
6. Cool for 10 mins (VERY IMPORTANT)
7. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition
8. Drop 12 heaping tablespoons of dough onto greased baking sheet.  Bake about 30-35 mins (depends on your oven) or until golden brown and firm
9. Cool
10. Cut the puffs in half and insert whipped cream, or pudding, fresh fruits or ice cream inside
11. DONE!