So it turns out to be super simple...like 10 minutes of active work simple.
Bonus non-spicy pickle, where I couldn't resist throwing in some sichuan peppercorn.
31 January 2017
salt
I've psyched myself out of making kimchi for the longest time, so here's dipping my toes in with some daikon kimchi.
30 January 2017
totoro
I finally got a strainer, although the motivation was 100% this looks way too pretty.
Only high pass applied in post, let's have a moment of silence to admire the light here.
27 January 2017
terpene
Ugh my head feels like a chunk of cream cheese "orz
It has been a difficult week.
But at least there's a glorious tub of lemon syrup (plus sugar cause a 1:1 ratio was definitely overkill):
It has been a difficult week.
But at least there's a glorious tub of lemon syrup (plus sugar cause a 1:1 ratio was definitely overkill):
25 January 2017
falcon
The crisp chickpeas in all its glory:
Also a good snack. Good timing since these couple of days I've been weirdly craving savoury snacks despite my usual sweet tooth.
Even though the time it takes to cook the steel cut oats is pretty much exactly how long it takes me to brush teeth, wash face, and put stuff on face (obviously the largest time sink), I made some cornbread for breakfast just in case:
Cornbread + buckwheat honey = soul mates as well.
Lastly some cabbage with shrimp paste for lunch:
...
T'was so much easier and faster processing these Fuji photos. Should really stop using my phone unless I have perfect light. Also recently switched to keeping my focus mode on manual with AF-assist on, super easy and fast to get focus right this way. I've joined the back-button focus side (and also the on-camera flash side, until I get myself to B&H in Feb!) :D
Also a good snack. Good timing since these couple of days I've been weirdly craving savoury snacks despite my usual sweet tooth.
Even though the time it takes to cook the steel cut oats is pretty much exactly how long it takes me to brush teeth, wash face, and put stuff on face (obviously the largest time sink), I made some cornbread for breakfast just in case:
Cornbread + buckwheat honey = soul mates as well.
Lastly some cabbage with shrimp paste for lunch:
...
T'was so much easier and faster processing these Fuji photos. Should really stop using my phone unless I have perfect light. Also recently switched to keeping my focus mode on manual with AF-assist on, super easy and fast to get focus right this way. I've joined the back-button focus side (and also the on-camera flash side, until I get myself to B&H in Feb!) :D
24 January 2017
eagle
Catching up to things I've cooked the past week:
Psst: photography side note, I somehow always end up cooking food that is a major pain to take photos of.
Am I terrible at focusing or is this just how cream looks like? Please say the latter to comfort me. Also I've been so spoiled by nice Fuji jpegs that I'm at a loss at how to fix photos in post.
Otherwise super comfort pasta that I ate too much of. Pepperoni is so good. Rotini + cream sauce should be soul mates.
Finally got around to making the lemon syrup, except Jeff juiced the lemons so well that the equal sugar by weight called for by the recipe is way too much. I've been going through sugar super fast with the constant baking as well.
I think the only way to make oatmeal look good is plating it in a pretty container. Despite meh results from a tahini & date smoothie, this combination is awesome in oatmeal. I've also conceded my old way of making steel cut oats and followed the instructions from the back of the package for once. It turned out so much better. Now I know why everyone boils it in water and then splash milk afterwards.
The best for last! My noodle making skills have also degraded, but this is the best damn bowl of noodle I've made in years. In fact my only memory of another crazy good bowl of noodles I've made is the very first time that I followed my dad's instructions back in second year. But this! I intended to make a Chongqing style noodles via Lady & Pup, but it was more laborious than I recalled so here is my cheat version. It's basically a lot of 老干妈 (so obviously it's gonna be good) topped with crisp chickpeas.
In fact I am so happy with how this noodle turned out that I made more crisp chickpeas today (and also because I simply cooked too much for the chana masala). More on that tomorrow.
Psst: photography side note, I somehow always end up cooking food that is a major pain to take photos of.
Am I terrible at focusing or is this just how cream looks like? Please say the latter to comfort me. Also I've been so spoiled by nice Fuji jpegs that I'm at a loss at how to fix photos in post.
Otherwise super comfort pasta that I ate too much of. Pepperoni is so good. Rotini + cream sauce should be soul mates.
Finally got around to making the lemon syrup, except Jeff juiced the lemons so well that the equal sugar by weight called for by the recipe is way too much. I've been going through sugar super fast with the constant baking as well.
I think the only way to make oatmeal look good is plating it in a pretty container. Despite meh results from a tahini & date smoothie, this combination is awesome in oatmeal. I've also conceded my old way of making steel cut oats and followed the instructions from the back of the package for once. It turned out so much better. Now I know why everyone boils it in water and then splash milk afterwards.
The best for last! My noodle making skills have also degraded, but this is the best damn bowl of noodle I've made in years. In fact my only memory of another crazy good bowl of noodles I've made is the very first time that I followed my dad's instructions back in second year. But this! I intended to make a Chongqing style noodles via Lady & Pup, but it was more laborious than I recalled so here is my cheat version. It's basically a lot of 老干妈 (so obviously it's gonna be good) topped with crisp chickpeas.
In fact I am so happy with how this noodle turned out that I made more crisp chickpeas today (and also because I simply cooked too much for the chana masala). More on that tomorrow.
23 January 2017
blend
My YS order finally made it over the ocean and past Canadian customs!! Hurray!
So back to drinking the rest of my samples:
A d'oh moment for photography: if I want more area in apparent focus, move the camera farther back and then crop in. Clearly I'm rusty af.
So back to drinking the rest of my samples:
A d'oh moment for photography: if I want more area in apparent focus, move the camera farther back and then crop in. Clearly I'm rusty af.
22 January 2017
sift
I've been very enthusiastic about using cacao powder now that I finally have a bag.
The first is a familiar cacao brownie recipe from Smitten Kitchen. It's the perfect brownie for me, I haven't made any other brownie since I've discovered this one...aka I haven't made brownies in years. Good thing I picked up some cacao nibs beforehand, it works great as a garnish.
The second is also from SK, this time it's a chocolate dutch baby. I think of it as a cross between a pancake and a crepe, perhaps better than either. It rose incredibly tall in the oven, Jeff was amused to watch it collapse back down afterwards. The suggested amount of butter seems to be a tad overkill, you can see pools of butter on the surface in the photo on the right. Next time I'll reduce the amount by a tablespoon. Also thinking of a matcha variant, as well as PB&J and plain with pepper strawberry jam.
Lastly, my jelly experience continue in chocolate wanna cotta. This is actually my first success...sort of. I based the recipe off of Donna Hay (ah memories of Janice's house), scaling it down to 1 cup liquids and then using 2g of agar agar. Also flipped the cream and milk to reduce the fat content in order to get a more intense chocolate taste. My recipe is below:
The success is finally getting a soft pudding texture, no doubt also because the sugar and creams are inhibiting the gelling. The success is also the taste, which is pretty much the same as the brownie. What I did wrong was completely forget how prone to clumping cacao powder is. My first mistake is to add my dry ingredients into my pan first, while my second mistake is only whisking...and forgetting to scrap the corners of the pot. The resultant texture was somewhat gritty in the pudding, but there was also a ring of undissolved cacao around the pot. I did rescue that with some more milk into an impromptu hot chocolate so nbd.
Lessons learned for next time (which I did for the dutch baby since that was the most recent item) is to:
The first is a familiar cacao brownie recipe from Smitten Kitchen. It's the perfect brownie for me, I haven't made any other brownie since I've discovered this one...aka I haven't made brownies in years. Good thing I picked up some cacao nibs beforehand, it works great as a garnish.
The second is also from SK, this time it's a chocolate dutch baby. I think of it as a cross between a pancake and a crepe, perhaps better than either. It rose incredibly tall in the oven, Jeff was amused to watch it collapse back down afterwards. The suggested amount of butter seems to be a tad overkill, you can see pools of butter on the surface in the photo on the right. Next time I'll reduce the amount by a tablespoon. Also thinking of a matcha variant, as well as PB&J and plain with pepper strawberry jam.
Lastly, my jelly experience continue in chocolate wanna cotta. This is actually my first success...sort of. I based the recipe off of Donna Hay (ah memories of Janice's house), scaling it down to 1 cup liquids and then using 2g of agar agar. Also flipped the cream and milk to reduce the fat content in order to get a more intense chocolate taste. My recipe is below:
- 24g room temperature water, bloom 2g agar gar in it
- 150g milk mixed with 75g heavy cream
- 100g sugar mixed with 30g cacao powder (mine is dutch processed)
The success is finally getting a soft pudding texture, no doubt also because the sugar and creams are inhibiting the gelling. The success is also the taste, which is pretty much the same as the brownie. What I did wrong was completely forget how prone to clumping cacao powder is. My first mistake is to add my dry ingredients into my pan first, while my second mistake is only whisking...and forgetting to scrap the corners of the pot. The resultant texture was somewhat gritty in the pudding, but there was also a ring of undissolved cacao around the pot. I did rescue that with some more milk into an impromptu hot chocolate so nbd.
Lessons learned for next time (which I did for the dutch baby since that was the most recent item) is to:
- shift the cacao powder (I even passed the dutch baby batter again through a strainer, it is so worth the extra messy work)
- pour dry into wet ingredients (so this is why every recipe instructs so...ha)
- buy a fancy copper saucier...I wish :(
But all this cooking makes me really appreciate the nicer cookware that I bought in Atlanta. My prime motivation for wanting to own a home is most definitely so I can have a fully stocked kitchen (more dutch ovens! a stand mixer! even more teapots!)
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