Recipe written by Sandy Spieler.
Supplies:
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 5 or 6 teaspoons cold water
- 1 1/3 cups boiling water
- Wire whisk
- Small mixing bowl, not plastic (I like ceramic)
Instructions:
YOU will love making this paste, so simple, and with 2 moments of pure magic. However, read this note:
It is not so easy to give exact measurements for the paste, as it seems a bit different each time I mix it. It depends a bit on the brand of corn starch, and maybe even the weather. However, it seems VERY important that the water you use is VERY hot, even bubbling, and that you pour it in in a slow but steady stream. To try to find an accurate measure for this recipe, I tried to pour it first into a measuring cup, but then as I poured it in, the paste never did its magic. I do not know exactly what went wrong, and I’ll try to explain what TO do, but the best is to learn by making it—side by side—from someone who has done it, then you can be in the lineage of magic paste makers…
1. Begin boiling some water. The recipe calls for 1 1/3 cup, but I think it is good to boil about 3 cups for good measure, although you may only use 1 1/3.
2. Put 3 Tablespoons of the corn starch into the small mixing bowl. Take some cold water into a cup, and mix 5 or 6 teaspoons into the starch. I do one teaspoon at a time, and I use my fingers to mix. I call this the first moment of “magic,” because it seems the starch will never mix with the water, and then all of a sudden, it does! BUT…the feel of the starch is odd, sometimes seeming stiff, sometimes seeming a bit stretchy. Be careful not to put too much water in. Truly, I do not know what is the “right” amount. You might have to try several times.
3. Wait for the water to reach a hard boil. Prepare yourself with the wire whisk to be ready to mix the water in at just the right moment.
4. When the water is at a hard boil, start mixing the bowl of starch while pouring in the very hot water. The paste will become very thin for a moment, and then PRESTO! The paste is extremely thick (MAGIC!) . Keep pouring a bit more in, and then stop to mix the paste well, add more, stir again, add more, stir again. I usually stop when it is still rather thick, like yogurt. Then I let it cool down a bit, and add a bit more water. I like to use the warm water, but at this point, you could add room temp water. This is where personal preference comes in—some people like it thicker, some like it thinner. The sweet thing is that you can even add more water much later if you like.
5. USE THE PASTE!
6. If you have paste you want to save overnight or for a few days, cover it with a piece of paper to keep it from evaporating, but do not cover it tightly, with plastic or an airtight lid. This will cause the paste to spoil faster. (Phew).
7. If I have leftover paste, I usually water it down and pour it into one of my garden beds…somehow I think it has magical nutrients, but that is not necessarily true. I just like that something which arrived into my tending from a plant that grew up from the ground ought to return to the ground with a thank you.
GOOD LUCK!!!!
Sandy Spieler
sandyspieler.com
