Viewing Category: Food
2011 Aug 31
This past summer I was trying to describe to my family in California this wonderful shamoji (rice spoon) that we’ve been using, but I guess it came out sounding gimicky. I think I mentioned that it had feet which is why it sounded like a toy or something. So I decided a blog post was in order since I really love this shamoji and it deserves a better explanation! We’ve had a few different kinds of shamoji through the years, from a plain black plastic one (used when I was growing up) to a white plastic one with “teeth”, and then shomoji with the small raised dots. The small raised dots work great to keep the rice from sticking. But our latest shamoji goes a step further by having a nice base that it balances on when not in use. This is super-convenient! No longer do you have to look for a place to rest the spoon, whether it’s a spoon holder on the side of the rice cooker, or just laying it on top of something (and getting that something dirty). Even if there are some grains of rice still stuck on the spoon, they won’t get stuck on anything since the spoon is standing vertically. It’s so simple but so convenient. I love it! I’m not sure where you can get one, but I think it is definitely worth the effort to seek one out. Ours looks like a little fish, doesn’t it? Or a smiling cyclops…
2011 Mar 14
Each year, Mariko prepares a big batch of soybeans to make miso. I’m not sure the exact process or how long it takes, but I do know that we enjoy tasty miso soup any time! Last year’s was a rich, dark color and the flavor was amazing. So much better than the store-bought miso or (heaven forbid!) the instant miso mix. Plus I imagine home-made is a lot cheaper.
2010 Apr 13
Mariko’s mom sent over a couple bottles of rayu ([ϋ) which is really popular in Japan now. This one is not the original one that became popular, but is a competitor’s brand. I wasn’t really impressed. It looks really hot, but in actuality I found it to have no heat at all. It seemed to me to have a bit of garlic flavor though. We added some scotch-bonnet flakes to it, and now it is very karai (h’).
2009 Oct 20
Last night we went out for my Birthday dinner. Usually it’s something like sushi or (when I ate meat) a big juicy steak, but this time I went for something a little different. We went to Red Lobster! I recently saw the commercial for their “Endless Shrimp” dinner and thought it would be tasty, and it was actually pretty good! You get your choice from five different kinds of shrimp, plus one side and a salad. Here’s a quick summary of the shrimp offererings, ordered from least favorite to favorite:
- Breaded: Just a basic type. You need some kind of sauce with this. Breading fills you up.
- Coconut Shrimp: Sweet, almost candy-like breading. Can’t eat too many of these.
- Cajun: A little spicy, and lots of flavor. Too much salt, though.
- Shrimp Scampi: Garlicky and oily. Very tasty but a little too salty.
- Teriyaki Grilled: Nice grilled flavor, and tasty sauce. Very much reminiscent of yakitori. Shrimp seemed a little more plump too.
A nice glass of Samuel Adams oktoberfest accompanied the meal, which was perfect. I ate so much shrimp, maybe about six or seven orders so I think I am done with shrimp for a good long while!
2009 Oct 16
My entire life I have enjoyed eating eggs. Scrambled, omelettes, Eggs Benedict, over-easy (or is that easy-over?), hard and soft-boiled. It’s all yummy! But up until this past year, a thought has always been with me: “How come I’ve never seen any evidence of a baby chicken in any of these eggs?” It’s been in the back of my mind every time that I cracked open an egg that just this once, I’d see a partially-formed chicken embryo or something. It was only when I visited a farm for a friend’s son’s birthday party that I found the answer. I picked up a book in the little gift shop where it describes raising chickens. I discovered that the hens lay eggs whether or not they are fertilized. What a revelation! This actually explains why some people who do not eat meat, still eat eggs.
From Wikipedia:
Most commercially produced chicken eggs intended for human consumption are unfertilized, since the laying hens are kept without roosters. Fertile eggs can be purchased and eaten as well, with little nutritional difference. Fertile eggs will not contain a developed embryo, as refrigeration prohibits cellular growth for an extended amount of time.
I wonder if this is common knowledge or just something people don’t think about. I am guessing everyone but me knew this.
2009 May 18
Over the years, I’ve watched a lot of cooking shows. I’ve seen Julia Child and Martin Yan on PBS, then on Food Network I’ve watched Mario Batalli, Emeril Lagasse, and Ming Tsai (PBS as well). But my favorite TV chef has always been Jacques Pépin. I haven’t seen him lately, but now that we are watching more PBS I happened to catch his show ”More Fast Food My Way”. Just as the name suggests, the dishes he prepares are quick and easy, but look so delicious. There’s something about the simplicity of the recipes that give the food a classic, time-tested quality about it. And Pepin is the master of cooking technique so he is just amazing to watch. Everything he does seems effortless. This is a quote from his book ”Jacques Pepin’s Complete Techniques” (on Amazon.com)
“People often tell me that what surprises them most is watching me cook and talk at the same time. This is because my hands are trained to the point where I do not have to think about the processes I use as I make a recipe-it’s automatic. Instead of fighting the mechanics of cooking. I can concentrate on thinking about the combination of ingredients, about taste, and about texture. You may be very creative and imaginative in the kitchen, but you cannot take advantage of those qualities if you don’t know the basics. A solid background must precede inventiveness.”
Pépin also has a charming, gentle way of speaking, and he also interjects a lot of understated humor into his instructions. You can’t help but to like him. It’s amazing that with the proliferation of Food Network and the hyped-up chefs they promote, the quiet master Jacques Pépin completely pwns them all.
Official Jacques Pépin Portal
More Fast Food My Way - Complete episodes
Interview at powells.com
2009 Apr 08
Am I the only one who loves avocados but only if they aren’t warm? Room temperature is fine, but if they are inside a burrito or something, they better not be hot. It just doesn’t seem right to me for some reason. It’s probably just me.
2009 Mar 18
We tried this pizza dough recipe the other day, and it turned out great! I prefer a thinner, dryer, tougher crust to the fluffier, chewier type, and so I loved this crust. It’s slightly modified from Bread Machine Magic’s recipe. We use the bread maker to knead the dough, and then a pizza stone for the actual baking.
Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour
1 cup bread flour
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons yeast
Directions:
Put all ingredients, except yeast, in the bread pan. Put the yeast in the bread machine’s yeast-dispersing place (that’s the best description I can come up with). Set the machine to Dough and press Start. After it’s done, spread out the dough on a lightly floured pizza stone. We made a stuffed-crust pizza by rolling cheese into the edges. Then put the pizza stone and crust into a preheated 350°F oven for about 15 minutes. Take out, then add your sauce and toppings. Turn up the oven to 450° and cook the pizza until toppings are done and cheese is melty. (we usually sautee the veggies beforehand) Enjoy!
2009 Mar 12
If you have a bread-maker, here’s a good recipe that we’ve been using for some plain white bread. Nothing fancy, but good all-around bread for sandwiches and toast.
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (110°F / 45°C)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 package bread machine yeast (.25 oz or 1 1/2 tsp)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey or Agave syrup
Directions:
Put the water, sugar, and yeast in the pan of the bread machine. Let the yeast dissolve for 10 minutes. It should get foamy. Add the flour, oil, salt, and honey/syrup to the pan. Select Basic or White Bread setting, and press Start. In 4 hours, you’ll have a nice big loaf of bread. Enjoy!
