The end is nigh!

9.05.2010

As we continue our steady plodding with revision, and the weather goes from full of ash to full of clouds, it would seem all too easy to either deaden our appetites with dull, instant meals, leaving time only for study, or to abandon the diet with great haste and binge on sugary, fatty foods. A quick global tour reveals that the rest of the world manages to achieve a neat balance between high-energy substances and healthy eating, without too much stress, trauma or time slaving over a hot stove. Three of the most popular snacks eaten in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and North America are presented here to give you taste-buds a chance of recovery before all sense is killed.

In Southeast Asia, the most common staple is essence of chicken. This highly reduced chicken stock contains all the vitamins and minerals needed to make any healthy and flavoursome chicken-based dish or instant noodle topping. It is believed to be beneficial both to the body and the mind, aiding concentration and strengthening the body. To make a batch of essence of chicken, you will need one chicken.

To prepare, take one (frozen) chicken and chop it into four equal pieces. Lightly crush each quarter with a mortar and pestle, or the back of a chopping knife. Place a big soup bowl in the top compartment of a double boiling saucepan. You can substitute the double boiling saucepan with two saucepans which just fit into each other and fill the bottom one with hot water. Bring the water to a boil in the lower pan and place a pair of chopsticks criss-cross over the top bowl. Place the chicken pieces carefully onto the chopsticks then cover the pan. Boil the chicken for 120 to 180 minutes, topping up the water in the lower pan whenever necessary. The chicken will appear to ‘sweat’, with the drips accumulating in the soup bowl. This is the essence and claimed by many in Southeast Asia to be one of the world’s healthiest foods. When the chicken has finished dripping, remove the essence and use to cook any chicken-based dish or add to steamed vegetables and pour over instant noodles.

Throughout the former Commonwealth of Independent States, oreshki (baked ‘walnuts’) are a desirable snack or desert as they are filling, delicious and incredibly cheap to make. Many students make them during the exam season with friends and store them for whenever they need an energy boost. They are also sold in their millions in every canteen and sweet shop across the region. To make one batch, you will need two eggs, 250g butter, ½ cup of sugar, a pinch of salt, ½ teaspoon of soda, 3 tablespoons of flour, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1 can of condensed milk and an optional ½ cup of walnuts.

To prepare, fill a deep pot with as much water as possible and put the unopened can of condensed milk in it. Boil for approximately 2-3 hours on medium heat and slowly add more hot water to prevent the water from boiling away completely. Then mix the butter, sugar and salt in a small pot and simmer for 10 minutes. When the butter has melted and the sugar and salt has dissolved, remove the pot from the stove and add the soda and vinegar. Stir briskly, then immediately add the eggs and flour. Knead the dough until it is quite stiff.

Now it’s time for the slightly more complicated bit – preparation of the ‘nutshells’… Roll the dough into balls about the size of a walnut, cut them in half and hollow out the middles. Then bake each side for a couple of minutes until the dough has become golden-brown and firm. When the cakes are baked and the condensed milk has boiled, line the shells and seal using the boiled milk.

Across North America and in more traditional societies in the UK, Mother’s Day is regularly chosen as the date to celebrate family life by partaking in a Agape (love) Feast cake. Historically, this feast would be shared between peasants and land-owners as a celebration of the role that each played in the wider society of the time. The peasants would bring produce from the land, and the aristocracy would contribute sweetmeats and foods which were more difficult to acquire, including sugar. The feast would culminate in a cake which had been baked jointly by the more prominent women in each area, which over time gave rise to the tradition of eating this cake on Mother’s Day. To make one cake, you will need 400g plain flour, 25g baking powder, 125g butter, 200g sugar, 50g mixed peel, 100g sultanas, two eggs and 280ml of milk.

To prepare, mix the flour and baking powder together. Rub the butter into the mixed powders then add the sugar, sultanas and peel. Beat the eggs together with a little milk and add to the dry ingredients. Add the rest of the milk to make a soft consistency and stir in well. Pour the mixture into a large cake tin and cook at 180∘C for an hour.

Enjoy!