Vietnamese Egg Coffee: Cà Phê Trứng

Cà Phê Trứng, pronounced as if, "caw-fay-chung," is a coffee beverage that developed in Hanoi (Vietnamese: Hà Nội) not long after World War Two ended, but as fighting broke out between Vietnamese independence fighters, often communist, and led by Vietnamese communist leader Ho Chi Minh, and French and French Vietnamese colonial troops as the "Indochina War" began. Vietnam was a French colony at the time. As the story goes, from many sources, it was the start of this war that led to the creation of this coffee beverage, as the war disrupted the supply of fresh milk, and the egg mixture was used in place of fresh milk.  

Traditionally the coffee is very strong, but it is offset by the sweet and creamy egg mixture. So use a dark roast coffee, like French Roast. I hope you'll try it with strong coffee, but you can then always make it again with milder coffee, if you prefer.

If using raw eggs makes you worry about safety, you can pasteurize the egg or eggs yourself by heating water in a pan to 140 degrees F. Add the uncracked egg or eggs in a single layer and leave them in the hot water for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes. Remove them immediately and put them into cool water. You will need a thermometer, because if the water gets much hotter than 140, the eggs will cook; so, you will need to monitor the temperature the entire time. Personally, I've used raw eggs for this coffee and for other recipes and I've not had a problem, but there's nothing wrong with being safe.   

Ingredients (per serving):

8 ounces strong coffee
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

I'm calling this "per serving," but it naturally depends upon the serving cup size you use. In the U.S., eggs are almost always kept in the refrigerator, something not nearly as common in some other parts of the world. So, if you refrigerate eggs, take whatever number of eggs you need and let them sit out on your counter for 15 to 20 minutes. Prepare the coffee by whatever method you use (drip, espresso, boiled, plunger-press, percolator, etc).* If you grind your own coffee beans, as I do, you'll want a fine grind for this recipe. While the coffee is on, add the egg yolk and the condensed milk to a bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat the the yolk and milk into a somewhat frothy mixture. This is not something that only takes 20 or 30 seconds, but likely more on the order of a couple minutes or more. I start the beater on relatively low speed to begin getting the yolk mixed into the milk, then I keep increasing the speed until the mixture achieves the kind of frothy, fluffy consistency for the topping. Pour the coffee into your cup, leaving room to add the egg topping (and reserve about a tablespoon or so of the coffee). Now spoon on the egg/milk topping, which should float on top of the strong coffee. Now add the reserved tablespoon of coffee on top of the egg mixture. I leave it at that, but some people give the coffee a very little stir, but like Linda Ronstadt, "I'm leavin' it all up to you oo oo."    

* There is also a Vietnamese coffee press and filter device that you might want to try, but it is not actually necessary for this coffee recipe. Here is the link for info about this coffee device:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2020/10/vietnamese-coffee-filter-press-phin.html

 

WORD HISTORY:

Torrent-This word is related to "terrain," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English via French, to "torrid," another Latin word borrowed directly from that language by English, to "toast," a Latin based word, borrowed into English from French in the verb form, from which the noun and secondary verb ("to offer an honorary or celebratory drink") came about, to "thirst," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Torrent" goes back to Indo European "ters," which meant, "dry." This gave Latin the verb "torrere," which meant, "to char, to parch, to scorch, to roast," the participle form of which, "torrens," was also used adjectivally as "torrentem," the accusative form of "torrens." The meanings remained, but added, "boiling, seething" and "torrens" was used as a noun to mean, "rushing stream."^ French got the word as "torrent" from Latin "torrentem," and English borrowed the word in the early 1600s with the meaning, "rushing stream," with the figurative extension to "a large flow of something," especially like, "a torrent of words," "a torrent of questions," or "a torrent of accusations."  

^ Exactly why the "boiling, seething" meaning came about is unclear to me, perhaps from the idea of "roasting or cooking to the point of seething?" The noun meaning "rushing stream" is easily connected to "boiling, seething." 

Indian/Pakistani Sweetened Fried Batter: Jalebi

A squeeze bottle is great to use for this recipe. If you don't already have such a squeeze bottle, like you often see on tables in diners or restaurants for ketchup and mustard, they are usually available in dollar stores or in the kitchen utensil section of supermarkets and department stores. You may have to cut the spout a little for a bigger opening; otherwise, the opening will be too small and the batter stream will be too thin. You could also wash out an empty plastic ketchup bottle; just be sure to get the ketchup-y, vinegary taste washed out of it. I looked at perhaps 15 Jalebi recipes and most called for using orange food coloring in the batter, while a couple gave it as optional. Food coloring is something I very rarely use, although I've always kept it in the cabinet, and I mean always ... is food coloring from 1973 still safe to use? Actually, I'm joking, because I did buy some food coloring just a couple of months ago ... so I tossed the coloring from 1973. hahaha! I didn't have orange food coloring, and from what I understand, it is not commonly sold as a separate color in the U.S., so I added like 4 drops of yellow and 2 drops of red to the batter (see photo of the batter below). Jalebi is very easy to make, although getting the hang of making the spiral forms is more difficult than you might think; at least it was for me; but then again, dotting an "i" or crossing a "t" can be challenging to me. This was my first attempt at Jalebi, so if you give the recipe a try, you'll likely get the shape down to an art form within a minute or two.   

Ingredients (multiple servings):

1 cup flour
3 tablespoons chickpea flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 drops orange food coloring, if you have it; otherwise, 4 drops of yellow and 2 of red food coloring
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
oil or ghee (clarified butter) for frying

For the syrup:

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
few strands of saffron (you can substitute 1 teaspoon ground turmeric)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon lemon juice

For the batter: In a bowl mix together the flour, chickpea flour, baking powder, baking soda, food coloring, turmeric, ground cardamon, yogurt and 1/2 cup water. You will almost certainly need more water, but after the initial 1/2 cup, add it a tablespoon at a time, until you reach a point that the batter is fluid, but not runny; something like the consistency of thick ketchup. Cover the bowl with a towel or some plastic wrap and let it sit on your counter for about 12 hours. This time allows the batter to ferment, and some recipes call for a little shorter time, but some recipes mention to allow the batter to sit for up to 24 hours. Now, some people don't go through this extended process; and instead, they let the batter sit like 15 to 30 minutes, or even less, then they begin to cook. Whatever you choose to do, put the batter into a squeeze bottle. Add about 1/2 inch of oil to a skillet or a pan (a skillet generally gives you room to maneuver, as it is wide, but not terribly deep, and I prefer this). Heat the oil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low or medium low, depending upon your burner settings. Squeeze the batter in a continuous stream in a circular motion to form rings of batter about 2 inches in diameter. If the batter spreads out too much, you'll need to add some flour to thicken it a bit. If you have trouble squeezing the batter from the bottle, you likely need a little water to thin the batter, but I would only add a teaspoon at a time, until you are able to get a steady stream of batter. The jalebi cook quickly, so after 20 to 30 seconds, flip the jalebi over and cook the other side; this time, likely only about 15 seconds or so. Dip the cooked jalebi into the syrup, drain any excess syrup and then put the jalebi onto a plate, or onto serving plates. Serve warm.  
For the syrup: In a heavy bottomed pan, add the sugar and water, bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady gentle simmer until the syrup thickens, stirring pretty much constantly to prevent scorching. The syrup should be just thickened enough to coat the jalebi when they are dipped in, but not so thick as to set up. 

The "Jalebi" batter ...

WORD HISTORY:
Rajah (also spelled "raja")-This word for "an Indian prince or princely ruler" is related to quite a number of words, including: "reckon," "right" and "rich," all words from the Germanic roots of English, and also to "direct," "regimen," "rex" and "regulate," all Latin-derived words borrowed by English. "Rajah" goes back to Indo European "reg" which had the idea of "move in a straight line;" thus also, "direct in a proper way;" thus also, "rule." This gave Indo Aryan (a branch of the Indo Iranian language family of Indo European) "(h)raja," which meant, "ruler, king." This gave Sanskrit^ "rajan," meaning "king, prince, ruler." This gave transliterated Hindi and Urdu "raja," with the same meanings. English borrowed the word in the mid 1500s as English involvement in India intensified, although it took a little time for the word to come into more common usage in England and other parts of Britain. It is not a common word in American English, and I dare say that many Americans would not know what you were talking about if you used it here in the U.S. It "may" have better recognition in Canadian English, as Canada has maintained more of a direct connection to the United Kingdom as a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, although Canada is an autonomous nation.    

^ "Sanskrit" is an ancient language from the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo European; thus, it is related to English, although much further down the family tree. It is still in use to some degree, especially in India.

Olivier Salad: Russian Salad

The developer of this salad was Lucien Olivier, a chef from Belgium, who actually might have been born in France, and he developed the salad in the 1860s at the Hermitage, a popular restaurant in Moscow. Olivier either owned the restaurant, or he was one of the owners, but whatever the case, he did perform chef's duties at the restaurant. The thing is, the salad, which is really a type of potato salad, he put together changed a great deal over the years, and since Chef Olivier guarded the recipe, no one truly knew the exact ingredients, although the main items were obvious. Further, however, even some of the main ingredients changed over time and his presentation of the salad also changed, as for one thing, the sauce, which he originally used to top the salad, he later mixed it into the salad. The popularity of the salad brought numerous variations in recipes, including in areas beyond Russia. As such, this is my version, which I've given as vegetarian, but if you'd like, mix in some diced ham or diced chicken breast. Of course, you can use the meatless salad as a side dish to a serving of meat (see photos below). 

Ingredients (multiple servings):

1 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat type is fine)
1/4 cup sour cream (reduced fat type is fine)
2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 medium potatoes, boiled in their skins, cooled, peeled and diced
1 medium to large carrot, peeled and diced
1 cup cooked peas, cooled and drained
1/4 cup diced gherkins
2 to 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
3 tablespoons capers 
2 tablespoons chopped dill
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon chopped dill, the ground black and white pepper and the salt. In a much larger dish, add the diced potatoes, diced carrot, peas, diced gherkins, chopped egg, capers and 1 tablespoon chopped dill. Gently mix the salad to distribute the main ingredients, then mix in the dressing (I add half of the dressing, mix, then add the other half and mix, but whatever you prefer to do).

NOTE: I consulted the article at the following link for some of the information about the history of this salad:  https://web.archive.org/web/20180718213638/http://www.sras.org/Russian_olivier_salad

"Olivier Salad" as a side dish for a smoked pork chop ...

WORD HISTORY: 
Mammoth-This word for "an extinct type of large elephant of shaggy hair and curved tusks" seems to come from Uralic, the language family with prominent members Hungarian, Finnish and Estonian, but with numerous other smaller and less well known languages. Uralic is thought to have developed in and around the Ural Mountains. Uralic languages have forms like "me, ma, meh, mah," having to do with "earth;" that is, "soil, land," with further Uralic forms like "ahnt," meaning "horn, tusk." The idea is that these two forms were combined to describe the large hairy creature with long curved tusks. As Russian moved northward and eastward it borrowed the word as transliterated "mamant," then later as "mamont," as tusks and fossils of mammoths were found in western Siberia in the 1600s and 1700s. English borrowed the word in the early 1700s from Russian, but likely with heavy reinforcement from Dutch "mammuth," which Dutch got from Russian. German borrowed the word in the 1700s, initially as "Mammuth," then "Mammut," but German borrowed it from French "mammouth," itself from Russian. English also developed usage of the word adjectivally to indicate "very large in structure, gigantic."        

Puerto Rican Coconut Pudding: Tembleque

As an adjective, the Spanish word "tembleque"* means "shaky, trembly, wobbly," and as a noun, it means, "(the) jitters, shakiness." This dessert obviously got its name from the "shaky" nature of the pudding, which is true of many gelatin type dishes. The dish seems to have originated in Puerto Rico, but Brazil has the same basic dessert, although the Brazilian version is often topped with a plum and wine sauce and the dessert is called "manjar branco" in Portuguese.**   

Ingredients:

2 cans coconut milk (28 to 30 ounces total)
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt
candied orange peel for garnish
ground cinnamon to taste for garnish
(optional) toasted coconut for garnish

In a bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1 can of coconut milk until the cornstarch is well dissolved into the coconut milk. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat, mix together the other can of the coconut milk, the cornstarch mixture, the sugar and the salt (a whisk is good to use for this). Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring constantly and let the mixture thicken, taking care that there are no lumps. You can use ramekins or other small dishes, filling them with the pudding and then covering them with plastic wrap before refrigerating them for 4 to 6 hours. Serve in the individual dishes or unmold onto serving plates, but in either case, sprinkle on some cinnamon and/or some toasted coconut and add a strip or two of candied orange peel.

* The basic pronunciation in Spanish of "tembleque" is as if "tem-blay-kay," but from what I understand, Spanish speakers from various parts of the world may put a little more emphasis (accent) on either the second or third parts, according to their local or regional speech patterns.

** In Portugal, "manjar branco" is the name of a couple of dishes, with one "similar" to the basic Puerto Rican/Brazilian dish, but it is not made with coconut milk, but rather with cream or milk. Then there is another dish of that name which is made with chicken meat in thickened milk. This dish has the more specific name "manjar branco Coimbra."  

WORD HISTORY:
Bonus-This word is related to quite a number of words including, "bounty" and "beauty," both words of Latin derivation borrowed by English through French, and "bonanza," another Latin-derived word, but in this case borrowed by English from Spanish (particularly Mexican Spanish). "Bonus" goes back to Indo European "deu," which had the notion "partial to, show favor or reverence toward." This gave its Italic offspring "dweno(s)," meaning "good." This gave Latin "duenos," also meaning "good," but the word then became "duonus," before the change to "bonus,"^ still with the meaning "good," but with the extended meanings, "useful, brave, gallant." English borrowed the word in the mid 1700s, mainly with the meaning, "money or other benefit given to reward good work performance" (or used as an offer to entice and encourage good work performance), then expanded to "any kind of additional benefit," including in competition, such as "bonus point(s)," and also "special benefit to join an organization or business, often in sports, but not exclusively so."      

^ The Latin word for war, "bellum," was also once spelled with a beginning "d." 

Charlie Chaplin Called Upon Humanity & Democracy

"The Great Dictator" was a movie produced, directed and written by Charlie Chaplin and filmed during the early months of World War Two. Chaplin also starred in the movie, his first major sound movie, which offered a satirical look at fascism, and thus, it had an anti-fascist message, the bluntest part of which came in a dramatic speech delivered by Chaplin near the end of the picture. Today, WE should not dare ignore Chaplin's words, lest we continue on this path to the destruction of democracy and of hope. America has long been a beacon of light to many around the world. We have NEVER been a perfect country. We have things for which we must atone. But in spite of our flaws, peoples of the world have looked in our direction for hope in the face of tragedies, persecution and tyranny, because the good news is, while we are often slow to respond to our failings and shortcomings, including that of horrendous racism, Americans gradually gather the courage to do that which terrifies pompous, self absorbed dictators; that is, we look at ourselves and we then try to correct the negatives we see. We reach for our ideals after periodic retreats into the perceived comfort of the past. 

Here is the link to both the video of Chaplin's speech from "The Great Dictator" and the text of that speech.

https://www.charliechaplin.com/en/articles/29-the-final-speech-from-the-great-dictator-

 Photo is of the Warner Home Video 2003 DVD

WORD HISTORY:
Atone-This is simply the combination of the words "at" and "one," two words from the Germanic roots of English, and with the idea being, "to come to one," with the further meaning of, "to come to one in agreement;" thus also, "to make amends for, to reconcile, to return things to a state of being whole" (it once could also convey a sense of "to repair"). The "one" part of the compound "atone" has kept the old pronunciation for "one." "Atone" seems to have started in the 1300s (mid?), but it didn't really become widespread in usage until the second half of the 1500s. For the history of the word "at," here is the link to the article with that "Word History:" https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-third-man-one-of-greats.html
For the history of the word "one," here is the link to the article with that "Word History:" https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-former-confederacy-modern-american_30.html

Bermudian Codfish Breakfast

Bermuda is a group of islands which are a British territory in the Atlantic Ocean, about 650 miles from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The territory is self governing on local matters, with foreign policy and military defense provided by the government of the United Kingdom. The British monarch is the head of state. Bermuda has been under English/British rule since the 1600s, but it has had influences from other cultures over time, including from the Portuguese, who brought salt cod (Portuguese: "bacalhau").

When I was a kid until a young adult, the term "Bermuda shorts" was commonly seen or heard for somewhat "dressy" short pants that came to just above the knee, but it's not a term heard much anymore in the United States, or at least not to my knowledge. Likewise, "Bermuda onions" was often heard in reference to sweet onions, but that's another term with scarce usage in the U.S. today. About 20 years ago, a student, a young lady, rented an apartment in a building I managed. When she moved, she gave me a gift (see photo #1, below), which I have kept. I hope she and her family are all well. I believe it was her maternal aunt I met at one point, but the young lady's mother remained back in Bermuda. Very, very nice people! 

This is generally a Sunday breakfast or a breakfast for some special day.

Ingredients (4 servings):

1 1/2 pounds salt cod (or boneless fresh or thawed cod)
12 to 15 small potatoes, washed and halved (or you can cook larger potatoes and then cut them into chunks)
1 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes with some juice
2 tablespoons regular ketchup
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 hard boiled eggs, halved lengthwise
1 or 2 avocados
4 bananas 

If you're using salt cod, soak it for about 24 hours, changing the water 4 to 6 times, then cook the cod in a pot with fresh water over medium heat. Maintain a good steady simmer until the cod is tender, about 15 to 25 minutes, depending upon the size of the cod pieces. Drain the cod, let it cool a bit and use two forks to flake the cod and remove any bones. Of course, if you use fresh or thawed cod, you needn't soak it, and you can check for any bones before cooking it. When you cook fresh or thawed cod, add a little salt to the water, something you will not likely have to do if you use salt cod.

(When I made this dish for this article, I fully intended to buy some small potatoes, and cook them with the peels left on, but as this was during the covid pandemic, I had bought a large amount of bigger potatoes to have them on hand, and I thought it best to use those up, so that's what I did. I peeled the larger potatoes before cooking, and almost all of the recipes I read for this dish called for peeling the potatoes.) So, while the fish cooks, in another pot, cover the potatoes with water and bring them to a boil, cooking them until tender (about 20 to 30 minutes). You can boil the eggs separately, but I just let them cook along with the potatoes for about 10 minutes. Now I know there are various recommendations about boiling eggs, like bringing the eggs to a boil for a couple of minutes and then shutting off the heat and letting the eggs sit in the hot water for a certain number of minutes, but I cooked them with the potatoes and I haven't died, although my funeral is set for 2 days hence. hahahaha ... Hey, what the hell am I laughing about?

In a skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, green pepper, yellow pepper and celery. After about 2 minutes, add the garlic. Continue to saute the vegetables, then add the diced tomatoes. Cook until the vegetables are softened, then add the tomato sauce, ketchup, thyme and black pepper. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for another 8 to 10 minutes, stirring to mix and to prevent sticking.

To serve: add some flaked cod and some potatoes or potato pieces to each plate. Top both with some of the sauce (in the photos below I used just a little of the sauce, so that the cod and potatoes could be seen), add some slices of avocado and banana to the plate, along with a halved hard boiled egg (which I forgot to add for the pictures, but I must admit, the notice that my funeral is 2 days off did shake me a bit).   

WORD HISTORY:
Scrod-This word is related to "shred," a word from the Germanic roots of English, and it is somewhat more distantly related to "shear," another word from the Germanic roots of English. It goes back to the Indo European root "sker," meaning "to cut," which produced an extended form "skreu," meaning "to cut up, to cut." This gave Old Germanic "skraudanan," meaning "to cut up, to cut off." This gave Old Dutch "scrodan," meaning, "to cut off," which then became "scrode," meaning "to cut off in pieces, to shred," and this produced the noun "schrood" meaning "a piece of something cut off." English borrowed the word around the mid 1800s (as "schrod?") with the meaning, "white fish split or cut into pieces for cooking or salting," perhaps influenced in that meaning by the unrelated fish name "cod" (for quite awhile the meaning was applied to split young/small codfish, but then broadened to simply "whitefish"). Some relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "Schrot" ("coarse meal or split or crushed meal," thus also, "shot;" that is, "pellet in a shell or cartridge"), German also has "Schrott" ("piece of scrap metal," also, "rubbish" (both in the literal sense and the figurative sense of 'nonsense'), Low German has "Schroot" ("coarsely milled grain"), Dutch "schroot" ("scrap metal"), Frisian had "skred/schred."