**Basics: Not really recipes as much as techniques, for the culinarily challenged like me! You have to know the fundamental skills before exploring and experimenting with food. I DON'T HAVE ANY. (Insert Jamie Oliver joke.) This series will document my personal cooking experiment, collecting my parents' gems of knowledge and sharing stories from the kitchen. Join me on my journey! ** I used to dislike pumpkin. In the states I had only ever tasted canned pumpkin used in my baking forays, and was less than inclined to eat it straight up. In China, we started buying pumpkin rounds and steaming them in chunks, which was okay but only for a couple bites. I swore off the vegetable for a couple months until my mom came back from a hair appointment with a recipe from her hairdresser.
This. Is. Delicious. The only way I will eat pumpkin. The pieces almost caramelize from the long cooking time, and the texture is melt-in-your-mouth. A shishito pepper adds just the slightest hint of spice and a beautiful contrasting color. I prefer pumpkin really mushy, but just cook for less time if you like it to have some structure.Give this warming, flavorful, nutritious pumpkin dish a try! Ingredients: 1 pound pumpkin 1 shishito pepper, roughly chopped --> this is mandatory. 1/2 tsp peppercorns 1 Tbsp oil 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce or a dash of salt Instructions:
1) Carefully peel pumpkin, and slice thinly into 1/4 inch pieces. 2) Heat pan on medium. When pan is heated, add oil. When oil starts smoking add the peppercorns. Lightly toast to infuse the oil, then scoop out. 3) Add the pepper and saute well (otherwise it will taste raw), until peel is blistered. 4) Add pumpkin and stir. Add 1/2 Tbsp of soy sauce and mix. 5) Cover, turn heat to lowest setting, and stir every 1-2 minutes for 7 minutes, or until pumpkin is mushy. (If pumpkin is watery turn the heat up a bit.) 6) Transfer to a dish and serve! This is by no means a beautiful dish. Definitely rustic, but that's where the best flavors are! Don't underestimate this pumpkin recipe. You will never have to suffer through a bland plate of steamed orange mush again. Lotus Root Tutorial Crunchy crisp, sweet 'n' sour, delightfully addictive. Today we discuss lotus root and how to make it delicious. My Dad is the master of cooking delicious lotus root. He says the secret is lots of vinegar, and added at just the right moment. Too little and it's bland, too much and it overwhelms the dish. Let it cook too long, and the flavor cooks out. Quite a fussy ingredient. The best lotus roots are said to have exactly 9 holes. There is a saying too but I don't know it. Anyway, try this recipe and prepare to cry because it's so good and probably expensive and hard to find where you live. Ingredients: 1 pound lotus root (about 2 links) 1 tsp peppercorns 1 Tbsp oil Salt 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar Instructions: 1) Peel the lotus and slice into 1/4 inch rounds. Rinse with cold water and drain. 2) Heat pan on medium. When pan is heated, add oil. When oil starts smoking add the peppercorns. Lightly toast to infuse the oil, then scoop out. 3) Add lotus root and saute. Stir continuously and add water if it starts to stick. The root will cook very fast so keep an eye on it. The color will change from white to light brown, from the edges inward. After all turn light brown add salt. Quickly mix to evenly distribute salt. 4) Turn the heat up to high, pour in vinegar, and toss. Transfer to a dish and serve! This is a must-try. Perfect flavors just all mesh together in harmony, and lotus root is pretty much the Regina George of the vegetable world. It really is good, restaurant quality. My dad's most requested recipe! You can also cook it in a soup! I actually had that for lunch today while reading about Dagny Knutson...It turns soft and a bit mushy and tastes similar to mashed potatoes. Here is a traditional version: lotus root soup. I'll be working on a vegetarian version soon!
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