On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 878

can,somuchofthecookingtimeis
moisteningtime.Presoakingseedsfora
fewhoursorovernightcancutcooking
timesbyhalformore.
Mostseedsgetquitesoftwhenthey’ve
absorbedenoughliquidtobeabout60–
70%waterbyweight.Thatquantityof
wateristheequivalentofabout1.7times
thedryweightoftheseeds,orabout1.4
timestheirvolume.Recipesgenerally
callformuchmorewaterthanthisto
allowforwaterlosttoevaporationduring
cooking.
Thetextureoffullycookedseedsissoft
andfragileatcookingtemperatures,but
firmsduringcooling.Ifanintact
appearanceisimportant,it’sgoodtolet
grainsandlegumescooldownbefore
handlingthem.
TurningSeedsintoMeatSubstitutes
Vegetariancooks,particularlyBuddhistsin


China and Japan, have long used grains,
beans, and nuts to make foods with the
chewy texture and savory flavor of meat.
Protein extracts from wheat (gluten or
seitan, p. 468) and soybean (yuba, p. 494)
can be manipulated to simulate meatprotein fibers, and fermented to produce
savory, meaty flavors. In seed mixtures,
wholegrainslendchewiness,beansasofter

background and some sweetness and
complexity of flavor, and nuts both
richnessandroastiness.
Ofcoursethemostimportantgrainand
legumefoodsaremadefromfinelyground
floursorextracts.Mixwaterwithground
grainsorwithstarchextractedfrombeansand
theresultisadoughorbatter,whichheatcan
turnintonoodlesorflatbreadsorcakes.
Aeratedoughsorbatterswiththehelpof
yeastsorbacteriaorchemicalleaveners,and
theresultisraisedbreadsandcakes.Doughs
andbattersarespecialmaterialsintheirown