Take Out In The Wilderness

 Everyone craves a good take out. Yet what happens when you're far away from any restaurant and delivery. You have a plane come in and deliver it. Delicious, albeit cold food of all sorts are delivered to remote villages. 

Regular contributor and Alaska journalist Victoria Peterson wrote about this , specifically in the Alaskan bush in yesterday;'s New York Times Food section. Many villages such as Fort Yukon, located  way in the upper northeast corner of the state are far from any fast food jiont. The villages have no pizzerias or Chinese restaurants. Families have to order through Door Dash to get any kind of"fun: food. Natalia Navarro had to wait until pilot Robert Golike deliver their order. He uses his Cessna to take food to them and other isolated families craving a taste of the city.,Ms Navarro's order consisted of steak tacos and churros from Pedro's Mexican grill in Anchorage and classics such as lo mein, beef broccoli and General Tso's chicken from Famous Wok, a Chinese food chain. Her family relished  every bite. The trip is to their house is a long one.It's a long air journey over the silty waters of Cook Inlet and over the craggy snow covered peaks of the Alaska range.and the many laked terrain In Nikolai where he would land.MS Navarro only orders twice a month because of the expense. 

The idea has caught on.Alaska Air Transit is one of the dozens of small regional airlines flying people and cargo to hundreds of remote communities across Alaska. There are Netflix DVDS along with the needed outdoor gear and groceries.Yet it's receiving something like pizza that's the most exciting.Most order from Pizza Hut whose food keep the best on the journey.For some families it was that along with CHinese that was only delivered. Now the spectrum has widened thanks to DoorDash. Families can get any kind of cuisine they're craving or want to try for the first time. To deal with the influx of orders coming to their office, Alaska Air Transit owner, Josie Owen has set up a giant tent in the parking lot where drivers can  label the order with the person's name and  village before leaving it before the staff. The need is growing. Twins Caiti and Shari O'Connor have started their own business , expediting orders during their school year in Anchorage. They pick up pets at the airport to take them to the vet,  along with storing vehicles. Their most lucrative order is food. They dropped off three hundred dollars of food from Panda Express  for an employee appreciation on St Paul Island.

Anyone anywhere nowadays can appreciate a pizza or lo mein. They can enjoy tacos or a good burger thanks to pilots who fly to where they are. it's a new form of food delivery but a much needed one.

A Taste Of Chinese

 With the Chinese New Year and the Beijing Olympics it's time to celebrate Chinese food. It's easy to make at home along with being a fun dinner. It's time to ring in the Year of The Tiger.

Some home chefs think a wok is necessary to make the best Chinese food. Not true. You can easily use a saute or fry pan so long as it's flat and close to the flame. If you do want to buy one then consider a carbon steel or cast iron one. The original woks were made out of cast iron and the tradition continues. Look for one with a wood handle because wood is the best material to diffuse the heat. Stir fries are easy and can be tailored to your family's tastes. Vegetarians will love one that's purely plant. Crunchy water chestnuts and baby corn give it color and crunch while broccoli, carrots and corn a boost it with vitamins and flavor.Make sure sugar snap beans along with green and red bell pepper slices are also added. For heartier and meatier fare add chicken.Shrimp or pork is a nice change up too. Soy sauce or homemade ginger sauce  can be drizzled into the stir. fry. Ginger sauce is made with light soy sauce,rice wine ginger, brown sugar and spring onions or scallions. These can also be used as a dipping sauce for dumplings too.

Dumplings or pot stickers are another dish that can be made at home. You can buy the wrappers that encase the filling or make them yourself. The wrappers can also be used to make egg rolls too. Home made ones are nothing more than a dough of flour, eggs, water and a pinch of salt. They're rolled out in cornstarch instead of more flour for a crisper , crunchier bite. Any Asian grocery store has them  though, usually under the name gyoza.  As for filling, you can try any kind of minced meat. You can try only beef or pork or combining them.  For a really luxurious filling think lobster spiked with ginger. They're a great treat , especially with a ginger sauce.  Of course there are the noodle dishes, Lo mein is a good dish for the family.It can be made like spaghetti and all sorts of veggies and protein can be added to it. Chicken or beef  lo mein is a good week day dinner., You can also throw in snow peas and mushrooms  along with bean sprouts and ginger slivers. It can also be a veggie one with more mushrooms and tofu added.

It's the Lunar New Year and the Beijing Olympics. Celebrate with great homemade Chinese food. It's a tasty way to honor this country and its' people.

Joy of Noodles

The Chinese new year will be upon us soon and what better way t celebrate that with noodles. There;'s nothing like pulled noodles that are mixed with a variety of meats and veggies. Not only that they're versatile on their own or gracing a warm generous bowl of broth. What a perfect way to bring in the year of the Rabbit.

Yesterday's New York Times Dining section had an excellent article plus recipe about noodles. The piece was written by Times regular Julia Moskin and explored all different types of this Asian specialty. We American s are used to just the lo mein which means tossed preferably in a wok . However la mien noodles are gaining in popularity. The phrase translates into pulled and the noodle making process is not unlike making pizza dough. There is a lot of stretching and pulling to create a fine kind of Asian pasta not unlike tagliarini. . The noodles should have crunch and texture ad a sort of chewiness, Imagine a very tough spaghetti that snaps in your mouth . Noodle shops have been around for 1,000 years in China and haven't really changed over the centuries.

The noodles are not just plain tasting, like pasta. Some are seasoned with fresh chilies , cumin and Szechuan peppercorns for fire and bite. There are also blander egg noodles and ones that are made with an ash called peng. these produce a more tender noodle thanks to the alkali that interferes with the gluten. The noodle dishes have all sorts of meats and veggies along with spices in them. Popular ones include chicken ginger and cabbage. other have ingredients like winter squash and along with radishes, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and mushrooms. Red pepper and fresh ginger are always used as is cardamon and star anise.

Next week is the year of the Rabbit It's time to celebrate the new year and welcome in prosperity. it's also time to enjoy the best of Chinese noodles. They're a great way of welcoming in the holiday!