DININGguide

THURSDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2020

ACTING MANAGING EDITOR

Mohammed Salim MohamedSUPPLEMENT EDITOR

Pramod Prabhakaran

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Dr. Khalid M Al-Shafi

ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR

Rocel BautistaDESIGN

Abraham Augusthy

We had overwhelming response to our previous edition of the Dining Guide and received many mails from our readers – some of which had interesting suggestions

for future editions. One of the main requests was to include more recipes. This issue, we have two easy to make and tasty recipes you can try at home.

You must've come across the word 'umami' in articles and food shows. Umami itself is not an ingredient. It's not something you find in food. Rather, it's a reaction to and perception of what we're eating. On Page 19, we have a detailed article about this 'fifth taste' and how it works, as well as how you can make it work for you.

Here is an interesting titbit to bring you all up to date with healthy food habits. Researchers have linked the Mediterranean diet, which is commonly referred to as a heart-healthy way of eating, to a number of potential health benefits. They have found that olive oil in this diet may hold the key to improving lifespan and mitigating aging-related diseases.

The study, published in the journal Molecular Cell, suggests that it is the fat in olive oil that is activating a certain pathway in cells known to increase lifespan and prevent aging-related diseases.

So now you know why a generous splash of olive oil on your salad is good idea.

Please send in your suggestions to editor@pen.com.qaBon Appetit

DININGguide

3-D PRINTED CHOCOLATE

LEARN TO ADD UMAMI TO YOUR FOODS

NATURALLY SWEET BANANA BREAD

ONE-PAN CHICKEN THIGH DINNER

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CORINNE GRETLER

BLOOMBERG

Hotels, pastry chefs and coffee chains can soon start offering guests customized 3-D

printed chocolate thanks to a little-known Swiss chocolatier.

Barry Callebaut, the behind-the-scenes producer of a quarter of the world's choc-olate, is giving gourmet clients access to a method of printing personalized designs en masse, the Zurich-based company said in a statement. The technology will first be available through the company's Mona Lisa brand, which makes chocolate decorations, sprinkles and figurines.

After experimenting with 3-D printing chocolate for years, Barry Callebaut has figured out a way for the printer to handle the tempering of the chocolate, a process that requires constant movement at specific tempera-tures and which could take as long as an hour in the past. Now, Barry Callebaut's printers can print thousands of pieces in a much shorter time.

The move comes as the chocolate industry faces meager growth prospects. Barry Callebaut said last month that the global market stag-nated in the three months through November. Lindt & Spruengli has said it plans to close 50 stores in the US.

Business clients can come

up with their own designs, shapes and sizes, with the final creations fit for use in desserts, confectionery, hot drinks and pastries.

That reflects the current trend of personalization, con-sumers wanting to post pictures on Instagram, as well as demand for premium products, Pablo Perversi, Barry Calle-baut's head of innovation, said in a phone interview.

"The important thing is this is not a one-off type of printing like in the past," he said. "We can produce at scale."

The Zurich-based company makes chocolate for clients such as Nestle, Unilever and Hershey, whose names then appear on the labels.

Chocolate lovers looking for more personalized chocolate in stores will have to wait a few years, though. Barry Callebaut will first work with gourmet clients before entering the next phase with manufacturers, Per-versi said. Dutch hotel chain Van der Valk will be its first customer.

Ultimately, consumers may

even have 3-D chocolate printers next to their coffee machines in their kitchens.

"The idea of having a choc-olate-printing machine at home with capsules that allow you to do something is a great idea," Perversi said. "We haven't gone as far as that just yet, but there are opportunities for us to do that and we'll explore them."

3-D printed chocolate to soon reach a store near you

DININGguide

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Guinness World Records has named a South African restaurant as the official titleholder for 'Most Varieties of Milk-

shakes Commercially Available'.With a total of 207 varieties on their

menu, Gibson's Gourmet Burgers and Ribs has a milkshake to satisfy every sugarholic.

Located in Cape Town's bustling Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Gibson's offers a brain-freezing array of exotic combinations from nutella and mascarpone to Oreo cheesecake, while catering for more staid palates too.

Fat-free, vegan and adults-only options are also available.

"When we initially opened up the res-taurant, we had about 40 milkshakes. Because they were so popular, it became 100, 150 then 200, then 207. So it happened over a period of five years," said co-owner Ian Halfon.

"We've always sold a lot of milkshakes, and we've always come up with cutting-edge

flavours," he added.Mainly served in a standard 330 millilitre

glass reminiscent of the American soda shop era of the 1930s, the double-thick cold bev-erages are also garnished with a variety of toppings depending on the order.

First-time visitor Marcell Brown said he saw a Facebook advertisement about the Guinness world record and decided to have a look for himself.

"It exceeded my expectations so much, like I'm going to come here as soon as pos-sible again to try out every single milkshake as far as I can, because it just looks amazing," he said. (Reuters)

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Cape Town eatery wins world record for milkshake

Singer Pharrell is making music on Miami's restaurant sceneBY KELLI KENNERY / AP

Grammy award-winning singer Pharrell may have been fired from three different McDonald's as a teen, but that didn't stop him from opening what has become one of the hottest restaurants in Miami.

The singer hosted a soul food brunch Saturday along with his dad Pharaoh, a self-taught chef, known for his sweet and spicy Nono Sauce.

"Cooking is a reflection of your parents, the energy, the love. Food is a connector and it's a meeting place," Pharrell said.

At Saturday's sold-out $150 per ticket brunch at the upscale Swan restaurant in Miami's design district, they served platters of cornmeal-crusted catfish with chow chow, juicy BBQ chicken, cheddar grits and French toast with candied oranges and whipped cream.

Back in the kitchen, a team of chefs hustled to carry out Pharaoh Williams' menu, pulling mini sweet potato biscuits out of the oven and crusting copious plates of catfish. Fellow Grammy winner DJ Khaled, and former "Breaking Bad" co-stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul were among the guests savoring the food on a tropical jungle style patio.

The restaurant has been a hotbed for celebrities, especially during the Super Bowl and recent Art Basel weeks, where everyone from Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West to Leonardo DiCaprio and Bono have indulged.

But the "Happy” singer is clear about his role in the restaurant business - he happily stays out of the kitchen. "I didn't cook then. I don't cook now," he laughed, adding "I love food."

BECKY KRYSTAL

THE WASHINGTON POST

Ask me for my go-to chocolate chip cookie or brownie or chocolate cake and I'll have an answer at the ready. Ask me for my go-to banana bread

recipe and, well, I'm stumped. As much as l love baking, and as much as I love banana bread, I had never found a can't-live-without-it recipe for it.

That changes now with this Naturally Sweet Banana Bread.

I was intrigued when "Half the Sugar, All the Love: 100 Easy, Low-Sugar Recipes for Every Meal of the Day" landed on my desk. Authors Jennifer Tyler Lee and Anisha Patel make a compelling argument for why we eat too many added sugars and that there are ways to reduce them without sacrificing flavor.

One of their strategies is to rely on the sweetness inherent in fruits and vege-tables, which include fiber. "When sugar is accompanied with fiber . . . digestion and absorption of the naturally occurring sugar is slower, so that your body doesn't get a sugar rush." Dates are a typical MVP. "They are packed with natural sweetness and caramel-like flavour, and each date contains about 1.6 grams of fiber."

It didn't even take the nutritional ben-efits to convince us of the merits of this recipe. The dates do indeed hint at caramel, which is reminiscent of sticky toffee pudding, another dish in which they star. They're soaked and then pureed with whole milk Greek yogurt to create an especially moist, tender texture with just the right amount of spring.

Ripe bananas are also key to the sweetness here, and the only thing I wanted after making the recipe was a bit more fruit. So I took a page from the social-media-savvy likes of Alison Roman and our friend Joy "the Baker" Wilson and topped the quick bread - okay, we know it's basically cake - with a halved banana. Eye-catching? Check. Tasty? Check. And the pieces had the added advantage of providing me with an S-shaped curve in which to sprinkle chopped pecans. Feel free to use both, one or none of the toppings. It's up to you. If you decide to use only nuts, increase the amount to 1/3 cup.

This treat is satisfying and special enough to be eaten on its own as a dessert but restrained enough to work for breakfast, too. (Leftovers are great toasted and served with butter, peanut butter or a little bit of jam, if you must.) Ready to get baking?

RECIPE

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Active: 50 minutes | Total: 1 hour 45 minutes

Soaked dates are the key to a tender banana bread with no added sugar. Make sure your bananas are ripe - on the dark side with speckles - so that they, too, lend their natural sweetness. The result is a loaf that's restrained enough that you could enjoy leftovers toasted for breakfast.

Make Ahead: Store the bread tightly wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

The authors prefer Medjool dates, but you can also use deglet noor dates.

Ingredients (10 servings)(makes one 8 1/2-inch loaf)10 ounces (283 grams) Medjool dates, pitted (about 18)2 cups hot water3 medium very ripe bananas1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk, beaten1 tablespoon vanilla extract3/4 cup (166 grams) plain whole milk Greek yogurt

1 1/2 cups (213 grams) all-purpose flour1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon kosher salt1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg1/3 cup (58 grams) coconut oil (may substitute unsalted butter), at room temperature1/4 cup (53 grams) chopped pecans or walnuts

MethodPosition a rack in the

middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with baking spray or line with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches of overhang on each side and coating the paper with cooking spray.

Place the pitted dates in a medium bowl. Cover the dates with the water. Set aside until the dates are

softened, about 10 minutes. Drain the dates, reserving 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid.

Mash 2 of the bananas (you should have about 180 grams of flesh) in a medium bowl and add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Combine the dates, reserved soaking liquid and yogurt in a food processor. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes; some flecks of skin may remain, but there should be no pieces of fruit left. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the banana mixture and stir together until smooth.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and coconut oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer. Beat on low speed until the coconut oil

and flour are a mealy powder, about 30 seconds. Add the date and banana mixture and continue beating until just combined and no visible flour remains.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Peel the remaining banana and cut in half verti-cally. Press the halves, cut sides up, into the batter so that they are slightly offset. Sprinkle the nuts into the S-shaped gap in between the bananas and bake until the bread is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes, loosely tenting the cake with foil for the last 15 to 20 minutes to prevent the top from becoming too dark. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn or lift out the bread from the pan. Cut into slices and serve, warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition | Calories: 350; Total Fat: 12 g; Saturated Fat: 6 g; Sodium: 250 mg; Carbo-hydrates: 59 g; Dietary Fiber: 5 g; Sugars: 34 g; Protein: 6 g.

Naturally Sweet Banana Bread

This naturally sweetened banana bread stars one surprise ingredient: Dates

Japan’s Fugu

SAKURA MURAKAMI

REUTERS

In the kitchen at Fukudokoro Sakai, a restaurant across the road from a seafood market at the southern tip of the main island of Japan, the Chef casually hacks off the head of

a live pufferfish, fugu in Japanese.He skins and guts it while its heart

still beats, deftly removing the poisonous parts and tossing them into a bucket on the floor for disposal.

The meat of the fish, stained with blood, will be cleaned and cut into thin, semi-translucent sashimi slices and arranged into a chrysanthemum shape for customers to eat for lunch.

But the poisonous parts - which include the eyes and the liver - are what puts the otherwise nondescript fish in the spotlight. Those bits contain tetrodo-toxin, which can kill an adult in hours and for which there is no known antidote.

The pufferfish gets occasional bad press for its toxicity, but it's the bland taste and big price tag that have been instrumental in hurting the fish's popu-larity in Japan, with 3.4 billion yen ($31 million) worth sold in 2017 compared with 5 billion yen in 2007.

But fugu-focussed restaurants hope the Olympics, and the hordes of tourists they will bring, will revive business.

Hajime Sakai, president of the

wholesaler Sakai Shoten, which owns Fukudokoro Sakai, has tried to cultivate demand for the fish with online ship-ments and cute pufferfish ornaments.

This year he has his eyes on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

"I really hope (tourists) would come to Shimonoseki, try the pufferfish, and go back wondering why they can't try this fish back in their respective coun-tries as well," Sakai said.

In Tokyo, Yukihiro Furukawa owns a restaurant in the ritzy district of Ginza, where courses that go for 30,000 yen ($273) a head include a sashimi plate with pufferfish slices arranged in the shape of a dragon.

Furukawa, who is also the president of International Fugu Association, said wealthy tourists were a big part of his market.

"I would say that during peak season roughly 60 percent of my customers come from abroad," he said. "We're basically going through an overseas tourist bubble right now."

He said that although the novel coro-navirus, SARS-CoV-2, might put a damper on a tourist influx at the Olympics, "we'll eventually be looking to take this battle for more markets abroad in the near future."

The fish's meat is chewy and bland, although there is a hint of sweetness if chewed long enough. Alongside the tox-icity, that makes it difficult to export as a food for everyday consumption, experts say.

"One thing about the pufferfish is that it's not really just about the fish itself," said Masaaki Sano, a professor of seafood distribution at Kagoshima Uni-versity. "It's about the skill of the Chef who cuts it, the presentation… it's a del-icate cuisine - that's the point."

A deadly fishA delicate cuisine

DININGguide

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Pufferfish sushi line seen on a display

window at a market in Shimonoseki, Japan.

A pufferfish is set to be auctioned at an

early morning fish auction in Shimonoseki.

BECKY KRYSTAL

THE WASHINGTON POST

If you've come across any type of food writing (including here!), you've encountered the word "umami." Maybe it's that the word is Japanese in origin or just cool-sounding, but often the term is used as a stand-in when a writer can't pinpoint

the appeal of a food. It lends mystery, sure. In actuality, however, there's a lot we do know about this "fifth taste" and how it works, as well as how you can make it work for you.

- What it is. Depending on whom you ask, umami translates to something akin to "savory" or "deli-ciousness." According to one of my favourite food science sources, Robert Wolke, who wrote a few columns about the topic in The Washington Post, umami evolved from "umai," the Japanese word for tasty. Most of us learned about the four basic tastes in school - sweet, sour, salty and bitter - and in the time since Japanese chemistry professor Kikunae Ikeda identified umami at the dawn of the 20th century, it has joined the club as the fifth.

"Umami is valuable to cooks for many reasons: it draws out the flavours of other ingredients in a dish, adds a depth and satisfying savory flavour, balances the overall taste of a dish and reduces the need for addi-tional salt," writes Atsuko Ikeda in "Atsuko's Japanese Kitchen: Home-Cooked Comfort Food Made Simple."

The Umami Information Center (yes, it's a thing!), founded by a group of researchers in Japan in the 1980s, notes that umami has three main characteristics: It is experienced across the tongue, lingers in the mouth and promotes saliva, which is why umami is often associated with a particularly noticeable mouthfeel.

- How it works. Umami itself is not an ingredient. It's not something you find in food. Rather, it's a reaction to and perception of what we're eating. A family of chemicals called glutamates is primarily responsibly for creating the umami sensation. Gluta-mates "are salts of glutamic acid, one of the amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins," Wolke explains.

In addition to receptors for the other four tastes, our tongue has receptors for glutamates. Being able to per-ceive glutamates means our bodies are also able to per-ceive when we eat proteins. "Sensing umami triggers the secretion of saliva and digestive juices, facilitating the smooth digestion of protein," according to the Umami Information Center. And that's an important survival skill, as important as our body's ability to know when something is bitter (beware, potential poison!), sweet (yum, eat up!) or salty (time to regulate those fluids!).

While glutamates are the MVP of umami, there is another group of chemicals called inosinates that con-tributes to the cause. Says cookbook author and Serious Eats chief culinary consultant J. Kenji López-Alt in his book, "The Food Lab": "Think of inosinates as the Robin to glutamate's Batman - they aren't necessary for the job, but they sure help an awful lot." They are a kind of umami amplifier. Like inosinates, guanylates are another umami-enhancing chemical.

-The food. Kikunae Ikeda unearthed the presence of glutamates thanks to his study of the seaweed kombu, a crucial ingredient in savory Japanese broths. Like kombu, some ingredients, such as anchovies, tomatoes and mushrooms, are naturally high in glutamates. Other foods are high in glutamates because of how they're

processed. Wolke explains that proteins themselves are too big to affix themselves to our taste receptors, which is why it takes some breaking down for us to register them. Hence, the particular umami appeal of cooked meat. Fermented or aged foods also go through this kind of transformation, which is why cheese (particularly Parmigiano-Reggiano) and fermented condiments (soy sauce, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, miso, kimchi) are also closely associated with umami. Tomato paste concentrates what's already in the fruit as well.

In terms of glutamates' partners in crime, if you're looking for foods that are high in inosinates, consider anchovies or sardines and bonito (dried fish flakes). Dried mushrooms are high in guanylates.

- The MSG debate. When Kikunae Ikeda dis-covered umami and glutamates, he managed to extract something else from his kombu: monosodium glutamate, also known as MSG. It is about as close to an umami seasoning as you can get, and he parlayed it into a successful product for the masses. (Ac'cent and Ajinomoto are brands you may come across.) "Eve-ryone has heard of Chinese Restaurant Syndrome or CRS, an unfortunate and politically incorrect label that was applied in 1968 to a diffuse collection of symptoms reported by some people after consuming" dishes made with MSG, Wolke says. The "syndrome" originated in a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine, and thus commenced decades of debate, which often touched on sensitive cultural issues.

The US government has even weighed in. "FDA considers the addition of MSG to foods to be 'gen-erally recognized as safe' (GRAS). Although many people identify themselves as sensitive to MSG, in studies with such individuals given MSG or a placebo, scientists have not been able to consistently trigger reactions," according to the agency. "The glutamate in MSG is chemically indistinguishable from glutamate present in food proteins. Our bodies ultimately metabolize both sources of glutamate in the same way."

- The cooking. Now that you know what kinds of foods help to create umami, you can apply it to your everyday cooking. So incorporate anchovies into your tomato sauce. Include kombu when making a soup. Throw a spent Parmigiano-Reggiano rind in your vege-table broth. Saute tomato paste with aromatics when you're building a stew. Stir soy sauce into your meatball mix. López-Alt is a fan of Marmite (a glutamate-rich brown, gooey spread made from yeast extract), which he likes to combine with anchovies and soy sauce for the perfect umami storm. Often, small amounts of umami-promoting ingredients won't register individ-ually on the palate. Instead, they should just enhance what's already there.

You can, of course, be bold and garnish all kinds of dishes with kimchi or Parmesan. Make a dipping sauce with fish sauce. Whatever you do, you can now say you know that it's not magic or mystery. It's umami.

Embrace umami and learn how to add it to your foods

DININGguide

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RECIPE

DINING14

guide

One-pan chicken thigh dinner

Chicken thighs are so for-giving. Overcook them and they remain loyally suc-culent. Even reheated, they deliver on the promise of

juiciness and flavour. That's why they are great to turn to when you don't have the patience for worrying over exacting instructions at the stove.

Pair the thighs with a you-can't-mess-it-up sauce and you've got a winning combination for a quick dinner on a harried evening.

This one-pan recipe does just that. The chicken thighs are seasoned and browned on both sides in a skillet. Then, they are removed and set aside, so that the chicken drippings can form the tasty base for a honey-citrus sauce made with fresh orange juice and thinly sliced onion and lemons, along with a healthy dose of honey and a pinch of dried oregano.

The thighs - once considered second-class to the breast - have become extremely popular in recent years. Perhaps that is because they are so versatile, tasting great whether stewed, sauteed, grilled or fried.

Some think the thighs are too fatty, but it is that extra bit of fat that gives the pieces more flavor and moisture. Each part of the chicken is a good source of lean protein if it is cooked without the skin. The skinless boneless breast, for example, has about 165 cal-ories and 1 gram of saturated fat per 3 1/2 ounces of meat, while the thigh has 209 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat, according to the National Chicken Council.

I prefer the thigh because, along with more flavor, it is usually less expensive than the breast.

The sauce is easy to spike with a little crushed red pepper for heat. Or try adding a minced garlic clove or two. If you don't like the texture of lemon slices - the pith can be a little bitter - juice a couple of lemons and add that, with a bit of lemon zest for good measure.

Ingredients: (serves 4)8 skinless, boneless chicken thighsKosher saltFreshly ground black pepper3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (about 1/2 a large onion)1/4 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 large orange)3 tablespoons honey2 tablespoons water1 thin-skinned lemon, halved and thinly sliced in half-rounds1/2 teaspoon dried oregano2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves (optional)

StepsTotal: 40 minutesPat the chicken pieces dry with a clean

towel. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Let the chicken rest at room tem-perature while you prep other ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.In a large, nonstick skillet or a well-

seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Reduce the heat to medium. Working in batches, if necessary, and without over-crowding the pan, add the thighs and sear, without moving, until golden brown on one side, about 10 minutes. Flip each piece and repeat on other side until browned, about 6 more minutes.

If the chicken sticks, use a thin spatula to gently loosen. The chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. Transfer the browned chicken to an ovenproof dish, cover and keep warm in the oven.

In the same pan over medium heat, add the onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the orange juice, honey, water, lemon slices and oregano and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 minutes, scraping loose any browned bits that stuck to the pan.

When the lemon slices are softened and the sauce is thickened, return the chicken thighs to the pan, turning each piece several times to coat in the sauce.

If desired, place the chicken on a serving platter. Spoon the sauce over each piece. Sprinkle with the fresh basil, if desired, and serve.

Store the cooled chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition | Calories: 340; Total Fat: 16 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Poly-unsaturated Fat: 2 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 10 g; Cholesterol: 130 mg; Sodium: 280 mg; Carbohydrates: 28 g; Dietary Fiber: 6 g; Sugars: 15 g; Protein: 31 g.