rss feedA good economic sign: Tofu maker goes solar – and I learned of chef behind movie
This is a good one. I really don’t know where to start.
So, let’s do it chronologically.
The tofu newsfeed that I get through Google brought a refreshing note today: House Foods America Corp. has decided to install solar technology at its facility in Orange County, Calif. to help the environment – and reduce demand on those good, old-fashioned power grids.
“Great!” I thought. “Bean curd, eaten as part of a balanced diet, is healthy for you. Now, this company is cutting down on its electricity consumption through solar use.”
The news included how many pounds of carbon dioxide will be saved because of the move, 675,000 yearly, according to a post at RenewableEnergyWorld.com.
Then, I thought: “Hmm. I hadn’t heard of House Foods America.”
So, I searched for their company online.
The news even got better because it looks like the company runs its own Japanese-style curry restaurants in the United States, largely in California.
As you know, man, I dig curry as much as I like soybean cake.
The Japanese-style curry sauces that the company dishes up have origins in India. Actually, the company said, the British introduced curry to Japan a century ago.
Also, the company’s curry sauce has over 30 types of ingredients, including cardamom and cumin.
“Excellent,” I thought. “Keep going.”
So much so, that the PDF showing all those ingredients is worthy of a poster.
Then, more curry facts came trickling out from the company:
Many spices in curry are also used in Chinese herbal medicine.
Personally, I lean toward Chinese herbal medicine that is pure and good for the body - and not remedies that might be pumped up with artificial ingredients that could harm y0u down the road.
And just how popular is curry in Japan?
A poll taken in Japan indicates that today, nearly 95 out of 100 people name curry as their favorite food.
“Plausible,” I said to myself. “Very plausible.”
Of course, I am biased – meaning, I’m pro curry.
The company even has a vegetarian menu for visitors to its curry restaurants.
So, what more?
Well, from a bean curd perspective, House Foods America has worked with the incredible culinary genius behind all those fabulous, mouth-watering dishes from Director Ang Lee’s classic movie, “Eat Drink Man Woman.”
If you’re unfamiliar with the movie, have a look below at what I think is an inviting scene to Chinese cooking.
Keep in mind that the clip shows the cooking process from the beginning – so skip this if you’re not interested.
But you know what?
I’ve never been able to cook like this, even though I’ve tried.
I’ve fired up woks to get the high heat and flames that chefs at restaurants can get.
No dice.
I have not mastered the true taste of Chinese cuisine.
That could be one reason why I’ve enjoyed going to China and standing outside restaurants to watch cooks prepare gastronomical delights.
If you’re interested in the trailer for “Eat Drink Man Woman,” have a look below.
It’s a great movie – one worth renting, one worth telling others about.
Did you catch that one clip of the father taking out his own roast duck from the cooker?
It turns out that the chef behind all those great dishes is Chef Theresa Lin, who is from Taiwan.
Many people have dubbed her “The Julia Child of Taiwan,” according to House Foods America.
She worked with House Foods to introduce the public to various tofu dishes – including a steamed bean curd and fish dish and a vegetarian tofu shirataki noodle salad with cabbage, carrots and celery.
It looks like the key to this salad is Sichuan peppercorn oil, which also is used in mapo tofu.
Yum.
On Lin’s Web site, there’s plenty to read about her. You can even watch one of her cooking shows online.
But I went straight to her recipe page. If her site comes up in Chinese, try using Google’s translation service.
You’ll be able to get the idea of what is being said.
Given her talent, I know this is a minor point.
But there was another Chinese chef from Taiwan, Fu Pei-Mei, who has been called the Julia Child of Chinese cooking.
I guess it really doesn’t matter.
It’s all food to eat, especially when your hunger demands taste.
It’s all good stuff.
