Food Allergy

As a child I had battled allergies, specifically food allergies, that childhood experience was itchy, painful and terrible. All through my childhood, I did not understand the disease and failed to manage it properly. I grow up with a belief it was my fault and deserved the discomfort. My ignorance, indignity and shame had been a useful tool my parents utilized to keep me in check and controlled. There is no permanent physical damage, but emotional and psychological scars, manifested with self-esteem, confidence and autonomy issues. Learning from that mistake I would like to share tidbits about allergy with initial focus on food allergy.

Allergy

Allergy is the most common form of immunologic disease. It is defined as an altered and/or exaggerated immune reaction to foreign substances or physical agents, also known as antigen (allergen), causing tissue inflammation, that leads to organ dysfunction.  Colloquially, it implies that an individual become over reactive to an antigen which would not normally produce an adverse response.

Classification 

Allergy or allergic diseases can be classified according to (1) immune system mechanism, (2) affected organs, and (3) the nature and source of allergen, example route of exposure.  The last classification makes the diagnosis or identification and management of allergy more convenient. The 4 routes of exposure are inhalants (pollens), injectants (bee sting), contactants (nickel in jewelries), and ingestants (food and medicine).

Food Allergy

The rise in prevalence of allergic disease has continued in the industrialized world for more than 5 decades. Allergic conditions are the most common health issues that affect children. In addition, children have food allergies more than adults.

Pathological Mechanism

Immune system induced inflammation involves two major pathways,  the reaction of the (1) antigen with T cells and (2)  with B cell products, which is also known as antibodies. Of the five classes of antibodies, only three: IgG, IgM and IgE, are known to be involved in hypersensitivity reactions. For most food allergy involves IgE antibodies, as it occupies receptors sites of mast cells, then within minutes after exposure to the allergen, vascular activity and inflammatory mediators are activated causing vasodilation (skin rashes, , itchy nose and eyes, nausea, vomiting), visceral smooth muscle contraction (cramp, bloating, diarrhea), and mucus secretary gland stimulation (sneezing wheezing, coughing). Other mediators have late-phase inflammatory response that appears several hours later.   

Food allergens cause two clinical sub-groups of IgE-mediated allergy: atopy and anaphylaxis. Atopy denotes a group of disease, namely, allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic gastroenterophy. This happen in certain persons with an inherited tendency to develop IgE antibodies to multiple common environmental allergens. The reaction maybe localized to the target organ, but more than one of diseases may occur simultaneously. While anaphylaxis, a fatal condition that warrant medical emergency, is characterized by hypotension or shock, bronchospasm, gastrointestinal and uterine  muscle contraction, urticaria (hives) and angioedema. The most common allergens that trigger this deadly disease are drugs, insect venom and foods.

Diagnosis

Almost all of the symptoms of allergy can occur in the absence of an immunological mechanism. For example, Inhalation of dusts and fumes trigger an non-allergic asthma attack. Therefore, a thorough history is essential, including the symptoms and survey of possible allergens. Aside from physical examination during a period of being expose to allergen, there are allergy tests that reveal an immune response to a particular allergen. There is IgE antibody test, in which IgE antibodies are detected by skin tests or in vitro methods. Another is provocation tests, in which under a controlled conditions, a double-blind placebo-controlled oral challenge is conducted, but this test is not recommended on patients with history of anaphylaxis.

Management

Allergic disease management requires both symptomatic therapy and allergen-specific treatment. The three basic principles of allergic management are avoidance therapy, drug therapy and immunotherapy. And when it comes to health issues always seek professional help, see the proper health care specialist, for allergic diseases please see an allergist or immunologist.

This will be an introduction on future articles on allergy. Is there a health issue you want to talk about? Please share your thoughts, feel free to post your inquiry, violent reaction, suggestion, and/or correction, as it will help create better content. And do not forget to follow this blog for more interesting information and ideas. Thank you!

As always please take care, keep it simple, be real and enjoy!

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Center for Health Statistics. (n.d.) FastStats: Allergies and Hay Fever.  Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/allergies.htm

2. Guyton, A.C. & Hall, J.E. (2006). Textbook of Medical Physiology, 11^th Edition. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA: Elsevier Saunders.

3. American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. (n.d.). Allergy Facts. [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://acaai.org/news/facts-statistics/allergies

How to Head, Shell and De-vein Shrimp

The last article was about garlic shrimp recipe, in which the whole shrimp has been cooked, but there are recipes where shrimp prepared completely peeled and de-veined. Removing the head and shell, and de-veining are unnecessary. Usually, the purpose for that particular procedure is for aesthetic. And also the vein is the shrimp digestive tract, especially if the shrimp is large, usually those in 10 pieces per pound frozen packaging, contains a lot of grit.

This is not a food preparation that I like to do, and as much as possible, I truly avoid, hence I prefer cook whole shrimp. Plus, it brings more aroma and flavor. I like the taste of certain head part of the shrimp dipped in Kikkoman soy sauce.  Another reason I don’t like doing this is it makes my hands itchy and smelly, even if I wash it with white vinegar to kill the odor, then wash with soap and water, still the icky feeling lingers. Plus it s time consuming, it is only worth it when cooking big batches and cooking for large crowd.

However, since it is a pre-requisite to a previous recipe and other future recipes allow me to share a common technique, so here goes:

Procedures:

1. In a large strainer or colander, wash shrimps thoroughly with cold water. Keep them on ice, if a large batch to work on.

Anatomy and Physiology of White Shrimp

2. TO REMOVE THE HEAD: First, be aware and be careful with the pointy parts of the shrimp, the telson at the tail and the rostrum at the front of the head. For cooking a whole shrimp, cut those parts with paring knife against a cutting board. For cooking with tail-on, cut the telson off. But for now, avoid those while removing the head part or the cephalothorax, use the thumb and forefinger of the dominant hand, hold the gill region or the carapace, apply tension, snap and pull. Do this to all shrimps before removing the shell and de-veining, for efficiency. Anyway, there is another technique used by professional chef: with the dominant hand wrap the abdominal or tail area with three fingers and use the thumb to snap down the head part by hooking under the gill region. However, that technique only works for people with big hand, this is coming from a person with small hands.

3. TO REMOVE THE SHELL: Hold the shrimp with non-dominant hand while the dominant hand pull off the legs. Remove the shell from where the legs where removed. And if one prefers to keep the tail, simply hold the tail and the last shell of abdominal segment firmly with one hand while shell is remove with other.

4. TO REMOVE THE VEIN: Hold the shrimp right side up, then with a sharp paring knife, as a de-veining tool, makes a shallow incision along the vein. The vein is the black line running along the shrimp back. Use the tip of your knife to pull the vein up and out.

5. When done, rinse the shrimp with cold water and cooked as desired or store and freeze. Only rinse and defrost shrimp in cold water.

NTS:

Keep the heads and shells to be use in making a great seafood stock. Clean and freeze for later use.

Shrimp is sold by size: small, medium large and jumbo, and/or by number of pieces per pound. A good medium size shrimp, ideal for barbecue, are packaged about 20 to 30 pieces per pound. While smaller shrimp, four soup, comes 35 pieces per pound.  

This is month is basically for a friend who loves fried rice with shrimp. And I am happy to dedicate this month, which also serves as an inspiration. This is a great concept to draw ideas for the blog and I might do this often.

For readers, have you tried this technique? Do you have another efficient and easy technique? Please share your thoughts down below. Feel free to post your reactions, suggestions, and corrections as it will help us cook and create better article and blog content. Thank you!

As always enjoy cooking and eating!

Reference and Inspired by

1. Waineru, S. (2018, June 28). Friend Rice with Shrimp. [Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://inourhomesweethome.blogspot.com/2018/06/fried-rice-with-shrimp.html

2. The Culinary Institute of America. (2015, March 31). How to Peel and De-vein Fresh Shrimp.  [Video File].  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3cwoaWhhoc

Garlic Shrimp

This is for a friend who loves fried rice with shrimp. Enjoy.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Preparation Time:             5 minutes

Cooking Time:                   10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons                    cooking oil

2 cloves                             garlic, sliced

1/2 kilo                               shrimp (medium-sized)

1 tablespoon                      butter, unsalted       

                                           salt and ground black pepper

Procedures:

1. Heat the 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

2. Add garlic, cook and stir, until garlic is fragrant and golden, but not brown, about 30 seconds.

3. Add shrimp, increase heat to medium-high, cook and stir often, until shrimp are opaque and red.

4. Add butter and stir to coat. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.

5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Serve immediately.

NTS:

     Shrimp will cook quickly and dry out if overcooked.
Warning: This recipe contains a food allergen, shellfish.

Please give this a try and share your thoughts down below. Please feel free to post your reactions, suggestions, and corrections as it will help create better article and blog content. Thank you!

As always enjoy cooking and eating!

Reference and Inspired by

1. Waineru, S. (2018, June 28). Friend Rice with Shrimp. [Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://inourhomesweethome.blogspot.com/2018/06/fried-rice-with-shrimp.html

2. Kinkead, E.B., Sehbai, D.S. & Tunney. C.J, (Eds.). (1972) Modern Century Illustrated Encyclopedia.(Vols19).  Austialia: McGraw-Hill far Eastern Publishers.

How to Cooked Rice

the Filipino Way 

A prerequisite in preparing fried rice is cooked plain polished (white) rice.  In this simple recipe of cooking rice, a number of factors need to be considered. First, the type of rice grain used, and that would be polished or white rice. Polished or white ricet has its bran, layer of protein around the kernel of the grain, rubbed off with the husk. Quite different from the brown rice that has its bran left on, which contains most protein and vitamins. Hence, the notion that brown is healthier than white rice

Another thing to consider in cooking rice is the variety of rice and its rice-water ratio. As mentioned above the difference between white and brown rice, in cooking white rice consumes less water than brown rice. However, others varieties of rice especially the sticky variant, the one that is used in making rice cakes, sweets and other delicacies, needs more water than the non-sticky ones. The only way to get the rice-water ratio right will be to follow the instructions written on its packaging, if there is any. The type of rice you wish to cook and consume will depend on your taste, so feel free to explore the different variety.

Lastly, the method of cooking is also needs consideration, as rice maybe the same family as wheat, rye and oats, but unlike those grains, it cannot be made into bread. Thus, there are only two methods of cooking rice, either it is boiled or steamed.

In this blog, we will learn the most common and traditional way Filipino cook white rice, that is boiling rice in a pot or a pan.  For a moment, let us forgo every rice eater’s best feiend, the rice cooker, and learn or re-learn the basic. Here we go:

Boiled (White) Rice

This recipe yields 2-4 servings.

Preparation Time:             5 minutes

Cooking Time:                   35-40 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups                                 rice

3 cups                                 fresh water

Procedures:

1. In a 2 quarter sauce pan, place in, wash and drain, twice.

2. Add water, with a ratio of 1 1/2 cup of water for every cup of rice. This amount of water will be about 1 inch above the level of rice.

3. Over High heat, place the pot and cover, bring to boil.

4. Uncover the pot to remove scum, if any, and let it continue cooking until most of the water (are) absorbed, about 5-7 minutes.

5. Lower the heat and cover the pot, simmer the rice for about 20 minutes, or until done.

6. Leave the pot covered until it is ready to serve. Best serve hot.

NTS:

Cooked rice can be stored in the refrigerator for a week.

To reheat rice, add a small amount of water and heat slowly in a covered pot for 10 minutes.

Do not like the crust which form at the bottom of pot or pan of cooked rice, then steaming would be an ideal method. Please watch out for another method of cooking rice, maybe next month.

Please give this try and share your thoughts down below. Please feel free to post your reactions, suggestions, and corrections as it will help cook and create better article and blog content. Thank you!

As always enjoy cooking and eating!

Reference and Inspired by

1. Waineru, S. (2018, June 28). Fried Rice with Shrimp. [Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://inourhomesweethome.blogspot.com/2018/06/fried-rice-with-shrimp.html

2. Kinkead, E.B., Sehbai, D.S. & Tunney. C.J, (Eds.). (1972) Modern Century Illustrated Encyclopedia.(Vols19).  Austialia: McGraw-Hill far Eastern Publishers.