loulou: first time caller, long time listener

oh yeah; i called dr karl* last week (i've got his home number, see? no- i just called triple j during science hour :D ) and asked, live on national radio, for his thoughts on the safety of using essential oils during pregnancy. he didn't want to touch it with a 10 metre pole, but if you'd like to hear me trying to squeeze an answer out of him, here 'tis (at 25m30s) 

*if you don't know him, YOU SHOULD! he's australia's premier pop scientist :)

knock off vietnamese noodle salad

i miss working in footscray. the waves of alternating smells in each street- mouth watering one second, quickly followed by some unspeakably and overwhelmingly revolting stench; feuding derelicts; the insane drivers; the banh mi (vietnamese baguettes. the only place to go is nhu lan bakery, at 116 hopkins st footscray - behind the market. it's always packed, but the rolls are to die for). *sigh*  

so i make do at home. you can even prep all the ingredients into a really big salad bowl, and make the dressing in a small jar: mix the salad ingredients without dressing, put half the salad undressed in a container and refrigerate for later- then dress what you'll eat in the salad bowl immediately. this helps the salad keep longer (great when it's hot and you can't be bothered making any more delicious food :)

asian grocers have the best, freshest and cheapest ingredients, but most supermarkets will have enough of these ingredients to approximate the flavours if that's easier for you.

the quantity below feeds at least 4, if not 6, for a substantial lunch or dinner (or breakfast, if you're as keen as i am :D ).

you will need:

a large salad or mixing bowl 

a small jar or bowl

500g firm tofu

pinch each of salt and ground pepper

1tsp garlic powder (optional, but makes the tofu yummier!)

500g packet of dry rice or bean thread vermicelli and boiling water to soak

2 large carrots, grated

3c green or savoy cabbage, finely shredded or sliced

2c bean shoots

1 bunch mint, remove coarse stems, chopped

1 bunch coriander, chopped

0.3c roasted unsalted peanuts or cashews

optional: 1-2 sliced tomatoes; 1 finely sliced cucumber; 1c lightly steamed (ie still crunchy) green beans; 1c raw snow peas, cut into 2cm lengths 

for the dressing

4Tbs sesame oil

1Tbs rice vinegar (or white vinegar if not available)

6Tbs lime juice (or lemon)

zest of 2 limes (or lemons)

3Tbs palm or brown sugar

4Tbs soy sauce

1 small fresh chilli, finely chopped or 1 tsp hot chilli sauce (or sweet, if you prefer)

2Tbs fresh ginger, finely grated

1Tbs fresh garlic, finely grated or crushed

toasted sesame seeds and/or fried shallots for garnish (optional)

slice tofu into 1cm cubes and gently pan fry on medium heat with a little oil for 2 minutes before adding the salt, pepper and garlic powder. continue cooking for another 5 minutes until lightly golden- turn the heat off.

in the large bowl, soak the noodles in boiling water for about 5 minutes. stir once gently then drain; rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, drain well and place noodles in bowl. 

add carrot, cabbage, bean shoots, and any other veggies on top of the noodles; top with nuts, herbs, and tofu.

mix all dressing ingredients in small jar or bowl. adjust to taste. if you're saving some salad for later, separate some out now and dress the rest. serve with tongs, and garnish.

suggested beverage: thai young coconut juice

experiments in colour: alkanet infusion #1

in my never-ending quest for safe, natural, vegan colours for lip balms and cosmetics, i have found alkanet (alkanna tinctoria)! very interesting. gives a great, ruby colour that seems to actually stay, and not just give the appearance of colour to a product before it goes on your face in a disappointing way. i'm trying to find solid safety info, but have only found the usual, general stuff - and as always, the non-specific info for pregnant and lactating women. boooo.

http://www.aussiesoapsupplies.com.au/alkanet-root-powder.html (this is where i bought the powder)

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/alkanet.php

http://www.wellnesstimes.com/health-resources/articles/alkanet

check out my (totally not creepy) pics below; i emptied 4 tea bags, filled each with 2-4 teaspoons of alkanet powder (they infuse better if you don't over fill them), and put them in a small, heat proof pyrex bowl with about 100ml sunflower oil. then i put this bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water on the lowest stovetop heat possible (use a diffuser if you can, and keep an eye that the water in the saucepan doesn't totally evaporate). they've been infusing for about 2 hours at this point: i will take the bags out, make new ones and infuse the new bags in the existing oil for another couple of hours for maximum concentration. when i'm happy with the process, i might scale it up and not pack tea bags- just put the oil and powder in the pyrex bowl over the saucepan with water, and strain the lot through a small funnel lined with coffee filter paper when i'm done.

excitement!

the next workshop at CERES is this sunday 15 september- click to book, as there are 3 places left if you're keen to try out this new ingredient!

later that day...:

tried the direct powder in oil infusion, same quantities and time, then filtered through a paper coffee filter. 

the colour ends up pretty much the same- 3-4 hours seems to max the colour out regardless of method. 

the top smear is from the tea bag infusion; the bottom, from the direct infusion. there is more powder matter left in the tea bag infusion (might be because i squished the bags too hard and they exploded a bit), but the coffee filter method is a bit slow when you're waiting for the oil to seep through. will cover it and give it a gentle press in the morning.