The latest cooking project.
I don't have an abuela or tia to guide me, or tell me what tamales are supposed to taste like, but they were fun to make, and they do taste good.

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The latest cooking project.
I don't have an abuela or tia to guide me, or tell me what tamales are supposed to taste like, but they were fun to make, and they do taste good.

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This is a selfie of me near Madison Square Garden last Wednesday during the Coronavirus lockdown. This was taken during rush hour and as you can see, the streets are empty. If you can stay home, please #stayhome. We need to get NYC running again. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-uIY51jq1-/?igshid=1msj6l6ohlp7g
Yet more exploration of Chinese noodle dishes. This is my attempt at Ro Gan Mian, a famous street dish from Wuhan (yes, that Wuhan).
The dish is based on alkaline noodles. I used fresh ramen, which gets its texture and color in the same way as the original noodle, from alkaline water (if you want to try making homemade ramen, it's sold in big Asian markets as "kansui.")
The sauce is a mix of sesame paste and beef braising liquid - I had good beef stock in the freezer, so instead of braising more beef, I simmered aromatics and spices with the stock - I'll use the rest to braise something. If you went with vegetable stock and did the same simmer, the dish would be vegan.
From there it's topped with chili sauce (I used lao gan ma) peanuts, herbs and pickled vegetables. Another cheat - pickled red onion is Western but delicious, so it's on top. Ro gan mian looks pretty for as long as it takes to snap a picture, then you mix it up and tear into it.
It was quite tasty - next attempt I'm going to add a bit less sesame paste to see if I can balance the flavors better. That's the problem with making a dish you've never actually tasted. It tasted good, but I have no clue if it tasted right!
I did need to use up the milk, and I did have extra cheese. But maybe I didn't need to cook two pounds of elbow macaroni. Anyone fancy a late-night snack?

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Back to exploring my New York City Jewish culinary heritage. I can't recall my Mom ever making kreplach. Nana (my Dad's mother) did very well. I avoided two mistakes I was headed for: using a flour only dough without eggs (then it becomes a wonton) and using ground beef (stewed and shredded beef is much better).
Here you have it - a NY Jewish classic - a plate of soup.
If a potsticker and a siu mai eloped to the Caucasus and had kids, it might be a manti. You make them like an open dumpling or ravioli, only you bake them in a very crowded pan, then you top them with a thick tomato butter sauce spiced with Aleppo pepper, yogurt with garlic sauce, parsley and sumac. Because they are tiny, they are an absolute pain in the ass to make.
If I had to describe the taste, the closest I could come (and it’s not all that close) was a crunchy gyoza.
This was my first time trying sumac (which is sour, but not lemony) and Aleppo pepper, which is wonderful. A little fruity heat, but not killer.
The best waffles I’ve ever had were at Petit Dejeuner, a breakfast joint as the name implies, located in Toronto on King Street. They were crisp and gossamer light, and I could never make waffles like that - but I think I’ve finally figured out a recipe that will not disappoint. For those of you who are making sourdough at home, this uses the starter marvelously. Apologies for the weird mix of weight and volume - I’ll weigh my flour next time.
Sourdough starter waffles - makes 8 waffles
220 grams of mature sourdough starter 1 cup of buttermilk (I use regular) 1 cup of all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar 1 egg 1/4 cup of melted butter 2 grams salt 3 grams baking soda 3 grams baking powder splash of vanilla extract
The night before, mix starter, milk, flour and sugar. Cover, let sit overnight. Next morning, start the waffle iron preheating first and let it get quite hot (a bit longer than the indicator light recommends). In a large bowl, beat egg and add the rest of the ingredients gently. The sourdough mixture should have risen, so fold in gently with a spatula (as if you were making a sponge cake). Generously spray or brush the waffle iron with oil. (The fat in the batter and the iron is what makes the crisp crust - don't reduce). Pour batter into iron - do not overfill (that will also make them soggy. You should be able to see the iron in a spot or two). Close the iron, let cook. For my iron to get the right crispness, I go a minute or two past when the iron's timer goes off. Serve immediately - or keep on a wire rack so the condensation doesn't make them soggy.