Colodent (Peanut Brittle) or ColoDON'T!

I was woefully wrong when I chose to make Colodent, a Mauritian treat that is similar to our peanut brittle.  I had reviewed dessert recipes for days, looking for things that seemed both easy to make and slightly less gluttonous than the others.  And, I thought I had found it when Colodent appeared before me.  The recipe I found had only three ingredients: sugar, peanuts, and water.  Simple, right?  What could go wrong?  Well...

Perhaps I started off incorrectly, even though I followed the instructions as they were written.  I added my sugar and water to a pan and waited for it to boil.  And stirred and waited.  And waited.  And added more water.  And waited.  And it bubbled up slightly, then disappointingly simmered and hardened.  Again, I added more water.  Repeated the tedium.  Then, more water.  Finally a strong bubble - but, it was quickly burst after I added the nuts.  The nuts must have brought the temperature down because it all hardened up again.  So, I added even more water, which lead to more waiting and more stirring - but the caramelization was nowhere in sight.

So, doing what any good cook would do when all hope was lost, I scrapped the recipe and used the nuts and sugar to make a mediocre brownie.  Nothing great was gained from my experience, though I suppose nothing was really lost.  It was just another reminder that recipes are not necessarily easier because they list a small handful of ingredients.  Don't be seduced by simplicity!  Instead, go with the things that appeal to you and try them all without fear.  And, when failure happens (as it does with everyone), don't be afraid to proclaim it as loudly as your triumphs.  Chalk it up to another brilliant lesson in life.  After all, no one (and no recipe) is perfect.  The fun comes in the experience.  C'est la vie!

If you are brave enough to try my experience for yourself, here is the recipe - maybe it will work for you.  Or, if you know the science behind cooking, and can tutor me and show me where I went wrong, I would be grateful.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups peanuts
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions:

1. Put the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan and slowly bring to a boil over low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until it starts to thicken.
2. Add peanuts in two half portions. Keep stirring. As the mixture starts to caramelize into a golden color, remove from heat and continue to stir.
3. Pour onto a greased oven tray or a marble cutting board. Allow mixture to cool before cutting.

(The original recipe came from this site: http://ile-maurice.tripod.com/colodent.htm.)

Murg Massalam (Indian Garlic Chicken) and Mines Bouilli (Chinese Vegetarian Noodles)

Africa is a continent which possesses many layers of diversity - it's culinary outlets are no less diverse than its population.  Being so large and so full of the tales of conquest and adventure, one can unwrap the surface, with all it believes about the land, only to find one hundred more layers of interest further hidden below.  Indeed, Africa has many secrets, but perhaps one of its greatest culinary treasures lay within the shores of the small island nation of Mauritius.

Having been completely unpopulated prior to colonialization, Mauritius has been ruled and inhabitied by many transplanted foreigners including the Portugese, Dutch, French, and British.  Because those groups required slave labor, the addition of African, Chinese and Indians further added to the blended mixture of the island's population.  Thus, the country achieved the sense of a true melting-pot society.  And, the blending couldn't have been better planned!  A meal in Mauritius is one of fusion.  Generally, people eat Chinese appetizers with Indian entrees and French desserts - all the while, they do it without a sense of novelty.  To the "natives," it is just another meal.

From a personal standpoint, Chinese, Indian, Creole and French foods are typically at the top of the list when it comes to the foods I crave.  If I were to handpick the items that I would take on a deserted island (such as Mauritius used to be), there are no other cuisines which I would think to include.  Thanks to the now-extinct dodo and the lives of many brave sailors and slaves, Mauritius may just be my new culinary utopia.

Murg Massalam Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric

Instructions:

1. With a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes in the chicken flesh and place in a non-metallic dish.
2. To make the marinade, mis all of the ingredients into a small bowl and pour over the chicken.  Toss until well coated.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or for as long as a day before you intend to cook it.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a deep roasting pan with foil and arranged the chicken in the pan.  Pour about 2/3 cup of water into the pan to form a shallow layer.  Spoon any remaining marinade over the chicken.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the chicken is golden and crisp, showing no signs of pink when pierced. 

(The original recipe came from "The Illustrated Kitchen Bible" by Victoria Blashford-Snell)

Mines Bouilli Ingredients:

• 15 ounces of Chinese egg noodles
• 2 Tbsp. chopped green onions
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. chili sauce
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. sesame paste
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. vinegar
• black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl, except for the noodles, garlic and green onions. 
2. Boil the noodles for about 10 to 15 minutes then drain.  Add noodles and garlic to the bowl with the remaining ingredients.  Toss to coat.
3. Garnish with green onions and serve warm.

(The original recipe came from this site: http://ile-maurice.tripod.com/minetouni.htm)

Gado Gado (Salad with Peanut Dressing)

Peanuts are a wonderful thing.  If I were ever to meet George Washington Carver in some sort of surreal other dimension, he and I would be able to converse for hours on the matter.  They have so many culinary uses (not to mention other non-foodie uses: i.e. their ability to remove chewing gum from fabric, etc.); but, my favorite application (aside from the ever-holy Reese's Peanut Butter Cup) would have to be peanut dressing used in Asian salads.  I have often eaten the Thai version, though it would only make sense that the Indonesians would have their own derivation.

As our family's more healthful new year had begun, salads became a typical nightly meal for our household.  One way to make the drugery of salad seem less intense was to make this dressing.  Perhaps not a low-cal or low-fat topping, it was inspiring in its own right - even if it wasn't the healthiest option.  We chose to find health in other avenues, such as adding more tomatoes or boosting the bean sprouts.  We would do anything, except cut the peanuts - those beautiful peanuts, without whom our world would never be the same.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 small head of lettuce
• 2-3 medium tomatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 2-3 green onions
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1 fresh red chili

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 1 tsp. ground chili paste
• 2 tsp. dark brown sugar
• 1 cup thick coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp. crushed garlic
• 1/2 tsp. minced ginger
• 1/2 tsp. minced lemon grass root
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable or coconut oil

Instructions:

1. Rinse the lettuce in cold water, drain well and shake or wipe dry.  Arrange on a wide platter or in a large salad bowl. 
2. Thinly slice tomatoes and onion.  Trim green onions and cut into shreds.  Peel the cucumber and cut into cubes, discarding the seeds.  Slit the chilies and scrape out the seeds, cut the flesh into fine shreds.
3. To make the dressing, mix the soy sauce, lemon juice, peanut butter, chili paste and sugar together in a small saucepan.  Add the coconut milk.  Heat, stirring, almost to the boiling point.
4. Saute the garlic, ginger and lemon grass root in the oil for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.  Pour into the sauce and simmer for 4-5 minutes, until sauce is very thick.  Allow to cool.  Pour into a dish or pitcher and serve with salad.

(The original recipe came from "Asia: The Beautiful Cookbook" by Jacki Passmore.)

Sugar Peanuts

For years, my dad and I have been trying to duplicate the wonderful sugar-coated quality of a certain brand of store-bought nuts, to no avail.  Alas, this wonderful recipe - the only sort of dessert recipe I could find for the country of Guinea - was what I had been looking for all along.  Funny how things magically appear in your life when you least expect them to.

A simple process of stirring sugar, water and nuts (plus or minus cinnamon, at your own will) in a large skillet until the nuts just look "done" is all it takes.  Of course, I should note one important fact: though these things seem to take forever to get to their end stage, you really have to watch them closely because they can burn pretty quickly if you blink at the wrong moment.  In other words, it's very important to stick around.  No running off to check your email or read a magazine (as I did one time, with another recipe - long story short, wok fires are scary!).  Watch your skillet like a hawk, stand over it and give it constant love; and, in return, you will be rewarded with the best, most simple (and seemingly healthy - though we all know better) dessert from Guinea.

Ingredients:

5 cups peanuts with skins
3 cups sugar
2 cups hot water
1/8 tsp cinnamon, if you want

Instructions:

1. Combine in pan, cook and stir until syrup is hard to stir, about 30 to 45 minutes.
2. Spread on a greased cookie sheet or wax paper to dry.

(The original recipe came from this site: http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/SUGAR_PEANUTS)