Ah pizza – so simple, tasty and affordable that we often forget the individual components that make it so great. Perhaps you’re more of a topping enthusiast; you love sinking your teeth into a classic slice of pepperoni after a night on the town or glamming it up with some arugula and prosciutto on a date. Or maybe you are a diehard champion of the crust; you swear by Chicago deep dish or thin New York style. As for me, it’s all about the sauce. While there isn’t as much variety in pizza sauce as there is with the other ingredients, I love how its tanginess perfectly balances out the saltiness of the toppings and the sweetness of the crust.
Inspired by my favorite sauce – tikka masala – and wanting to get rid of some leftover naan, in less than twenty minutes I ended up crafting an Indian style pizza out of a take out staple. Viva la sauce!
They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder and I couldn’t agree more, especially when it comes to food. As a kid, I was surrounded by Vietnamese food all the time, unfortunately, much to my disdain. “This doesn’t look like mac n’ cheese!” “Why can’t we just order pizza like everyone else?” I took every opportunity I could to revel in hot dogs, hamburgers, and milkshakes, making every attempt to Americanize myself and fit in. After kicking off my young professional life, constantly on the road and eating out on the expense account, I learned that nothing hits the spot like a good homecooked meal.
I had the pleasure of hosting my family in Madison this past week and was treated to a nonstop slew of delicious homecooked meals. We even had the opportunity to recreate one of my favorite childhood memories – rolling eggrolls in the kitchen with my family. Vietnamese eggrolls, or chả giò, are almost always made in gigantic batches as they’re an easy crowd pleaser and a staple in Vietnamese cuisine. You can serve them on their own with some fresh lettuce (always served with nước chấm, of course) or atop a pile of noodles or rice. I always loved that making them was a family affair. My grandmother would chop up the meat and veggies and mix everything together in a huge bowl, I would unlayer the eggrolls wrappers from a frozen package, my mother and aunts would help place the meat in the wrappers and roll them up, my father and uncles would tend to them in the deep fryer, and everyone would devour them.
Chả giò taught me two invaluable lessons about the kitchen; first, food always tastes better when you’re involved in the creation of it. The extra salt you add, the extra time you spend chopping an ingredient extra finely, are immediately detected and appreciated within the first bite. You can truly realize the value of good quality ingredients and good craft when you make something yourself. Secondly, food has the power to bring people together. Some of my best memories with my family are in the kitchen – the immediate serving of ice cream after a break-up, my parents’ childhood stories about their favorite meals, the staring contest with the Thanksgiving turkeys. We all need to eat so why not make it a joy to do so and in the company of our loved ones?
Sometimes you just have to dine with a native to try something new, even if it’s from a cuisine as saturated into American culture as Chinese food. For me, such was the case with Mapo Tofu, which is actually a very popular Chinese dish but is often overshadowed by more common take out fare such as General Tso’s Chicken or Orange Beef. Luckily, a longtime friend of my mother’s from Hong Kong had the cultural wherewithal to look past what was popular and order something more authentic for us. The first bite of mapo tofu I had was overwhelmingly full of umami; to call it spicy and savory is a bit of an understatement. I later learned that those unique hot and savory flavors manifested from four distinct and essential Chinese cooking ingredients.
(From top to bottom) Fermented Black Beans – It’s no surprise that these are made by fermenting and drying out black soybeans; I had no idea there were different varieties of soybeans! Doing so creates a pungent and salty byproduct that is often added into seafood dishes to balance out a fishy flavor. Dried Cayenne Peppers – While not indigenous to China, cayenne peppers are often dried out and thrown whole into stir fry dishes. Keeping the peppers dried and in tact allows for a subtler, smokier flavor when the outside shell heats up. Chili Bean Paste (Doubanjiang) – Surprise! Another soybean product. This time, white soybeans are fermented, mashed and mixed with hot chili peppers to form a bright red paste that can be eaten as a condiment or as a flavor additive to basic rice or noodle dishes. It is such a cornerstone flavor in Sichuan cuisine that it has even been nicknamed “the soul of Sichuan.” Sichuan Peppercorns – These peppercorns can sure pack a punch. They are more bitter than spicy and for lack of better terms, provide a more mature, acquired taste than your average black peppercorn. It’s a foundational component of the ever popular Chinese five spice powder and adds a sharp and kind of tangy aroma to many Asian dishes.
However, despite the balance of sophisticated flavors in this traditional dish, I still managed to grunge it down a little by serving it over fresh french fries and garnishing with some oozy, melty cheese. It was such an unexpected snack and allowed me to feel indulgently modern while exploring age old Asian ingredients. Play around with what leftover ingredients you have (I could easily see this turning into a divine plate of nachos); some of the best foodie brainchildren are born this way! At a minimum, your kitchen will smell amazing, especially when all of the the above ingredients are simmering in a pan of sesame oil!
Happy Memorial Day! The summer has officially kicked off and it’s time to whip out the bikinis and barbeques! No long weekend is complete without some grillin’ so I thought I’d squeeze in a quick summer recipe – Sriracha slaw hot dogs. Hot dogs are one of my favorite foods because of the way they make you feel. Whether you’re having a decked out Chicago dog at Wrigley Field, having the time of your life churning the onion dispenser at the Costco food court (probably my favorite weekend ritual), or just toasting some franks over a campfire, you’re probably surrounded by good company. In other words, you’re almost always having a good time when you’re having them. (Extra emphasis on the almost because I have on more than one occasion found myself sneaking away from work to get a stress hot dog on a random street corner of New York.) So the next time you’re enjoying a hot dog this summer, be thankful for those you love and revel in the good times.
