White Pearls Montessori School

02/07/2024

02/07/2024

HOW TO PROOF YEAST.

What is Yeast?
Yeast is a leavener that you add to dough to make it rise as it bakes. No matter what form your yeast comes in — active dry yeast, instant (or rapid-rise), or fresh yeast — it needs to multiply and grow in a sympathetic environment. The correct environment includes moisture, food (in the form of sugar or starch), and a warm, nurturing temperature.

What is Proofing?

Before you bake with active dry yeast or fresh yeast, you must test it first to make sure the yeast is alive. The act of testing to see if yeast is alive is called proofing. (Proofing rapid rise or instant yeast is not recommended.)

If the yeast is dead, no amount of environment will help it become a productive leavening agent.

How to Proof Yeast
We used 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon white sugar, and one package of yeast for this test. You can use this method to test active dry yeast or fresh yeast. Fresh yeast is more perishable and should definitely be tested if you haven't used ti in a while.

Heat the water to approximately 100 degrees F (40 degrees C). We recommend testing the water temperature using a thermometer. Once you've done this a few times, you'll get a natural feel for how warm the water should be without being too hot to kill the yeast culture.
Whisk the sugar into the water to help it dissolve. Why sugar? Yeast eats various sugars and excretes alcohol and carbon dioxide. Alcohol and carbon dioxide are what the pockets in bread are filled with as bread bakes. In other words, sugar makes a feast for the yeast.

Once the sugar has been evenly distributed throughout the water, add the yeast. Stir gently and let it sit.

After 5 or 10 minutes, the yeast should begin to form a creamy foam on the surface of the water. That foam means the yeast is alive. You can now proceed to combine the yeast mixture with the flour and other dry ingredients in your recipe. If there is no foam, the yeast is dead and you should start over with a new packet of yeast.
Photo credit: Internet

02/07/2024

HOW TO MAKE SHARWAMA.

Shawarma is a form of slow-roasting meat on a spit, and it’s often sold by street vendors in countries like Iraq, Israel, and Turkey. The meat is typically served on a flatbread along with hummus, tahini, and pickled cabbage. You might not be able to cook using a spit in your own kitchen, but you can make a savory shawarma using your oven and stove or a grill.

Ingredients
Chicken Shawarma
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. salt
Cabbage
3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into strips
2 tbsp. olive oil or any oil of choice

Preparing the Pickled Cabbage

Make the pickled cabbage. Pickled cabbage is another important ingredient to making a tasty shawarma. All you have to do to make it is to heat a bit of oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add your cabbage and cook it for about 8-10 minutes, until it’s good and tender. You can stir it occasionally as you do this to make sure it’s evenly cooked. Then, remove it from the heat and add the pomegranate molasses, vinegar, and sugar. Once you do that, just season it to taste with a bit more vinegar or sugar, as well as salt and pepper.

Preparing the Tahini Sauce

Make the tahini sauce. To make the tahini sauce, all you have to do is combine the garlic and lemon juice in a medium bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then, you can whisk in the tahini, olive oil, yogurt or mayonnaise.
Yoghurt is much healthy than Mayo and ¾ teaspoon of salt until the mixture is smooth. If the mixture feels too thick to pour, then you can add another 1 or 2 tablespoons (14.8 or 29.6 ml) of water and mix it in to make it a bit thinner.

You can make the sauce while you’re cooking your chicken, lamb, beef, veal, or other meat, if you want to save time.
Additionally, you can make the sauce two days in advance and store it in the fridge until it’s ready to be used.

You can make the cabbage while you’re cooking the meat, if you’d like to save time. Alternatively, you can make it up to two days in advance and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

Prepare your flatbread. You can use pita, yufka, marfouk, or even a flour tortilla for a shawarma. If you’re using flatbreads that you bought in the store or have made them ahead of time, then just warm them in a deep skillet over medium heat for a minute or two. You should do this right after you’ve finished preparing the meat so that you can place the meat into a shawarma that is nice and warm.

Procedure of
Making Chicken Shawarma

Mix the spices together in a bowl. Use a medium-sized plastic bowl for mixing together the garlic powder, paprika, nutmeg, cardamon, and cinnamon. Stir the spices for at least 30 seconds so you have fully mixed them together.

Add the chicken strips to the mixture and toss them before drizzling them with the olive oil. Just place the chicken strips into the spice mixture and toss them until they have been covered with the spice mixture on both sides. Then, drizzle them with a bit of olive oil and toss them again to make sure that they are fully coated in the olive oil and spice mixture.

Prepare your grill. Heat your grill and grease a large piece of aluminum foil. Set it on the grill with the greased side up once the grill is heated.

Place the spiced chicken onto the foil. Turn the chicken over a few times, until cooked through. This should take about 8 minutes on each side, depending on the size of the chicken strips. If your grill is smaller, you may have to grill the chicken in 2 batches.

Remove the chicken from the grill and place on a serving platter. You'll need to do this before you can begin to assemble your shawarma.

Wrap your chicken in the flatbread with the other ingredients. You can add lettuce, onion, tahini sauce, pickled cabbage, hummus, or whatever other ingredients you’d like to place in the flatbread. Place the chicken in the bread first, followed by the other toppings, pouring on the tahini sauce last. Wrap the flatbread similarly to a burrito, leaving an inch of space between the ingredients and the top of the bread so they don’t pour out.

Note that, after you’ve added your meat, tahini sauce, and cabbage to the shawarma, you can cook it, seam side-down, for about 3 minutes in a skillet to get it nice and brown and to seal the ingredients together.

Your Sharwama is ready to be eaten.
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Photo credit Wikipedia

25/09/2022

25/09/2022

5 Costly Mistakes You make while making PUFF PUFF and why your PUFF-PUFF will never taste perfect. (No 3 is the deadliest)

So what is so special about making puff puff?

Almost everyone claims they know how to make puff-Puff. Me : really??🥴

They say things like.." is it not just puff puff" "what's so special about making puff puff"?
"puff-Puff that I make everyday in my house"

Ahn ahn....Aunty are you sure🥱

But when you ask them to come and prepare it, they prepare beautiful nonsense. 🤐

Some will get burnt, while other will be flat Puff puff like akara, oily puff-Puff, tasteless puff-Puff, sugary puff-Puff and lots more...

These are the 5 mistakes that you should avoid and here is how to correct them.

1 You add too much of sugar: You think if you add more sugar it will be sweeter? Well maybe Yes and No.

But it's not going to be eatable or enjoyable.

When your puff puff is sugary, it's gonna bore anyone eating it because it's "too sweet"

So next time you are preparing it, reduce the amount of sugar you use and see the results.

2 You add too much of water: When you add too much of water in your puff puff, it becomes watery and that will not produce the round balls you want. it's gonna be flat.

Too much of water flattens your puff puff. it's good to have a specific amount of water you use for your measurements.

To correct this, add mixed dry ingredients into the wet mixture and give it few minutes before frying.....(Don't add water again o...🙄)

Make your mixture thick( not too thick)
You can add water later "to taste" before frying.

3 Too much of yeast: Have you ever felt your puff-Puff tasting bad like it has lost it taste or freshness?

The answer 👇

"Put more yeast, Put more yeast so that the puff-Puff will be plenty 😂"

if you like, add all of the yeast in the world... it will make lots of horrible, tasteless and bad puff puff.

My dear friend, if you add too much of yeast in your puff-Puff, it will ferment faster and it's gonna lose it taste.

I see people pour puff puff mixture away, I used to do that too. But now, I don't do that again because my batter never gets bad.

Next time you are preparing, make sure you reduce the amount of yeast you use.

4 You fry with little oil: Puff puff needs to be fried in deep oil, if you fry with shallow amount of oil, Your puff-Puff will soak oil.

If you don't have enough oil, You can use a small and deep pot. if the oil is above the Puff puff, then you are safe.

5 Low/High amount of heat while frying: Too much of heat will burn your puff puff

Similarly, when the heat is too low, it will soak oil.

Put the heat on Medium and your Puff puff will come out fine.

I hope this helps. Thanks for reading till the end.

I am Chef Koko. The small chops expert.
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Joyce Binitie Diva Chef 😎

25/09/2022

25/09/2022

Pancake Recipe
Ingredients :
°1 cup flour
°Two eggs
°½ c water or milk
°¼ tsp salt
°2 tsp butter, melted

Instructions:

In a bowl, combine flour, butter and eggs. Gradually add milk or water, stirring to consolidate. Add salt and beat to smooth till you get a running consistency

Heat oiled iron pan or skillet on medium-high heat. Pour the batter over the frying pan, using about 1/4 cup for each pancake.

Tilt the dish in a circular motion so that the batter evenly coats the surface.

Cook the pancake for about 2 minutes, until the base is lightly golden and bubbles appear on the dough

Release with a spatula, flip and repeat on opposite side. Serving hot.
Enjoy !

25/09/2022

SOME KITCHEN TIPS THAT MIGHT HELP YOU.

(1) If you don't want your seasoning cubes to get soft and start bringing out water....add garri to the container where you put your seasoning cubes. It wilk remain strong and fresh.

(2) Don't throw away your left over pounded yam. Dry it and crush it. After its dried then use it to eat beans....its a great taste.

(3) if your pot of soup sour or changes taste. Put 2-3 pieces of charcoal in it and warm very well....you will recover the delicious taste again.
If your shoe is smelly....add piece of charcoal, it will absorb the smell.

(4) Use little potash to cook your bitterleaf a little to remove the bitter taste.

(5) If wall geckos are disturbing you in your house, put fresh egg shells on your windows and doors where they come in. It will all run out from your house.

(6) Add a pinch of salt to your boiling water.....it makes it boil faster.

(7) When cooking your stew, always use ginger and garlic to boil your meat....it give the stew super taste.

(8) Put water inside a burnt pot and cook for some minutes....the hardness will be soften and ready to be washed easily.

(9) To prevent your yam from getting spoilt after you might have cut them. Apply palm oil to the remaining half.

(10) Rub salt on your pilled onoins before cutting it to avoid peppering your eyes.

(11) To kill ants and other micro animals in your kitchen....mix salt, water and detergent then spray. Note....cover your pots and plates before spraying.

(12) Add little palm oil in your boiling water before adding your WHITE garri....it turns it to YELLOW garri.

(13) If hot water pour on your body, spray flour on the affected body part. It will not bloat up but rather it will dry and heal up without scar.

(14) To make your WHITE PAP to turn YELLOW PAP....add a little drop of palm oil while dissolving the raw pap.

(15) Add a little groundnut oil in your hot water for eba....it will prevent it from sticking to the bowl while stirring.