Dorothy Ng's blog

Food allergy is fast becoming a public health concern.    There are 15 million people who are affected by this in our country, of which nearly 6 million are children.   The major food allergens are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish.  These eight foods account for 90% of all food-allergic reactions.  Personally, it is a very serious problem in my household with several family members allergic to nuts, Crustacean shellfish, and sesame seeds.   It is not fun hunting for a tiny sesame seed on the bread or hidden inside one.  Each progressive attack can be life threatening if it is not treated immediately.   Unfortunately, we have not been strangers to the hospital for this reason.  Outside the hospital setting, food allergy is the leading cause of anaphylaxis.   

Happy Belated New Year!  Based on the lunar calendar, Chinese New Year came early this year on January 23, 2012.  The Year of the Dragon is considered very lucky especially on my father’s side where at least four generations of family members were born in the Year of the Dragon.  Our personalities seem to reflect this.  We are quite an intense lot; short-tempered, and passionate about things.

When I go into a large Asian supermarket in Flushing, I am amazed to see the whole length of the refrigerated aisle filled with tofu products.   This does not even include other sections with their large sheets of tofu or dried goods.  It has such a diversified use that it is chameleon-like as it takes on the flavor of whatever it is cooked in.  In itself, it is rather bland but when combined with seasonings, meats, and sauces, this unassuming food becomes an essential component.

Cocktails, Sodas, Smoothies, Shakes, Juices, Teas, Coffees!  There is a whole host of drinks that will enliven our mundane tastes of the usual, especially for the heat filled summer.  These refreshing and tantalizing beverages will bring a whirlwind of activity among your guests to create various concoctions of their own.  When I ask some of my colleagues what their favorite cocktail is, such delight appears on their faces.  One favorite is “Cool as a Cucumber” with muddled cucumber, Absolut, St. Gemain, ginger beer, and a twist of lime from Morton’s in Chicago.  Another colleague loves her Bourbon Manhattan but she reminds me not to forget the best “lemonade” ever - a shot of Southern Comfort, a squeeze of a whole lemon and a tablespoon of sugar.  It makes a great whiskey sour!  Well, if they’re happy describing them to me, I could imagine how "high in spirit" they would be after consuming these drinks.

Braising is a cooking technique that can transform a mundane piece of meat into a dish that will satisfy the most discriminating palate.  It is similar to stewing in that it uses relatively low temperatures while simmering.  However, braising uses less liquid resulting in a rich concentrated sauce.  It also uses large pieces of meat.  More important, the meat is first seared.  This essential step ensures the meat will retain its juices, keeping it succulent and moist.