Jun 4

Kitty Size and Health

I’ve gotten a few emails from my readers that the proportion of kitty doesn’t come out quite right at the end.

One thing to keep in mind is that kitties’ body compositions are highly variable. For example, one pound of very lazy kitty (i.e., “fat cat”) will have a much higher ratio of fat to meat. On the other end of the spectrum, a malnourished kitty will be mostly skin and bone and will look unappetizing anyway. For this website, the amount of kitty meat (aka “feline flesh”) disclosed in the recipes is based on a healthy, normal kitty. A more active and healthy-sized kitty will have the right proportions of fat and lean meat. A good reference to see if your kitty is of healthy size is posted below (click for big!). Keep your kitty well-fed, active, and healthy and it will provide you a delicious meal!

cat-sizes

 

Happy kitty cooking, and keep the questions coming!

Jun 4

Kitty in a Birds’ Nest

Kitty in a Birds' Nest
Serves 4
"We used to have this in a restaurant in Houston. Have not been able to find the recipe until today. I can't wait to try and make it myself. You need special baskets to make the nest. One basket is smaller and fits into the bigger basket."
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
1 hr
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
1 hr
Ingredients
  1. • 1 lb de-boned kitty
• Marinade
  1. • 1 tbsp egg white
  2. • 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
  3. • 1 tbsp soysauce (light)
  4. • 10 mushrooms (sliced)
  5. • 1 cup diced green peppers
  6. • 1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts
  7. • 20 sliced cooked carrot
  8. • 3 tbsp diced scallion
  9. • 1 tbsp sliced ginger
• Seasoning Sauce
  1. • 2 tbsp light soysauce
  2. • 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
  3. • 1 tbsp wine
  4. • 1/4 tbsp salt
  5. • 1/2 tbsp sugar
  6. • 1/4 tbsp black pepper
  7. • 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• Bird's Nest
  1. • 2/3 lb potatoes
  2. • 1 tsp salt
  3. • 1 cup cornstarch
  4. • 8 cup oil
Instructions
  1. • Dice the kitty into 1/2 inch pieces and marinate for half an hour with marinating sauce (1 tbsp. of egg white, 1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch, and 1 tbsp soysauce).
  2. • Fry in lukewarm oil until the meat becomes white and then drain.
  3. • Heat the pan with 3 tbsp. of oil and saute scallion, ginger, mushrooms, water chestnuts, carrot, green pepper. Then put in the chicken cubes and add the seasoning sauce. Turn up to high heat. Stir and pour into bird's nest.
  4. • Bird's nest: Cut the potatoes into thin shreds. Run through cold water, drain, and dry. Place into a bowl and mix with 1/3 tsp. salt, 1 cup of cornstarch. Then place potato shreds in one strainer and press upon it another strainer and submerge both in very hot oil.
  5. • Deep fry about 4 minutes until golden brown. Drain and take the bird's nest out from the strainer.
Adapted from ChUeh ChAo Chi Ting Stir Fried Chicken in a Birds Nest
Adapted from ChUeh ChAo Chi Ting Stir Fried Chicken in a Birds Nest
Kitty Recipes! http://kittyrecipes.com/
May 25

Question: Tenderness of Bobtail Cats

Note the short tail

Bobtail Cat – note the short tail

Recently, I received a question from a new reader:

                     Q: I know of a bobtail cat that is constantly annoying me and is just begging to be eaten. Given that it’s lacking a tail, does that affect anything? Cooking times? Any special instructions?

                 

                     A: The general rule with regards to the tenderness of kitty meat is to observe their tail length! It may seem strange or bizarre at first that there is such a correlation, but the reason is simple. A kitty’s tail helps to stabilize its movements and provides a counterbalance mechanism so that its center of gravity is stable. Bobcats have either a very short tail or no tail at all, which means that they have to make up for their balancing abilities in other ways. Thus, bobcats use their stabilizing muscles in their core and their legs much more than those of long-tailed cats. Unfortunately, this means that bobcat meat is a little tougher than that of other cats. See the science behind this in the article: What Makes Meat Juicy and Tender?

Not all is lost, though; bobcats can definitely still be made tender and delicious. One way is to slow cook the meat. Much like beef chuck or other cuts that are mostly tough muscle, you can use slow, moist cooking methods (e.g., stewing or braising) to break down the tough connective tissue (called “collagen”) and convert the collagen into gelatin. I will be posting a recipe for this soon.

A second way to deal with tough meat is to massage the cat on a regular basis! Bobtail cats and other short-tailed cats must constantly be activating their stabilizing muscles to balance themselves as they move. Thus, they appreciate long massages to soothe their sore muscles, just like you and I. This also has the effect of breaking down collagen so their meat is more tender. You may liken this to the massaging of Kobe beef cows which command a high price due to their tenderness and succulence. Although the massaging of Kobe beef is actually a commonly-held myth (what farmer has the time to massage each cow in a herd of hundreds??), the principle is still the same and holds true for cows and kitties.

So go massage your bobtail kitties! They love it and this way you can feel a more personal connection to your dish at mealtime! I hope this was helpful! Happy eating!