daily cooking journal

a food loving guy with mediocre cooking skills charts his (and friends') attempts at becoming better cooks
June 8
Stewed Sesame Chicken This is huahua’s favorite dish, so i thought i would try cooking it. it is chicken sauteed in rice wine, regular and black sesame oil, and ginger. added a tiny bit of 5 spice for insurance. added water after a few minutes of sauteeing and then boiled for a few more minutes. the chicken i had was boneless leg, next time i will try bone in chicken and maybe marinade the chicken for increase depth of flavor in the chkn. another recipe i saw adds soy sauce, white pepper, and oyster sauce so maybe i’ll try that also. this is the first i’ve heard of black sesame oil and i am a huge fan!! Rating: 5 stars Cost: $3

Stewed Sesame Chicken

This is huahua’s favorite dish, so i thought i would try cooking it. it is chicken sauteed in rice wine, regular and black sesame oil, and ginger. added a tiny bit of 5 spice for insurance. added water after a few minutes of sauteeing and then boiled for a few more minutes. the chicken i had was boneless leg, next time i will try bone in chicken and maybe marinade the chicken for increase depth of flavor in the chkn. another recipe i saw adds soy sauce, white pepper, and oyster sauce so maybe i’ll try that also.

this is the first i’ve heard of black sesame oil and i am a huge fan!!

Rating: 5 stars

Cost: $3

May 14
5 spice Pork Potato Soup I bought a benz a few years ago and am satisfied with the purchase. It’s comfortable, fun to drive, and reliable, and believe it or not, somewhat economical. But that purchase does not hold a candle to the value I have gotten out of my kuhn rikon pressure cooker, also known as the benz of pressure cookers. A tiny bit of 5 spice powder, s&p, sesame oil, celery, onion, chicken broth, hot pepper flakes, potato, tomato, and chopped pork chops. Prep was 10 mins, cooking was 4.5, and next time I have to remember to cook it at 3 mins. . Rating: 4.75 stars Cost: $5

5 spice Pork Potato Soup

I bought a benz a few years ago and am satisfied with the purchase. It’s comfortable, fun to drive, and reliable, and believe it or not, somewhat economical. But that purchase does not hold a candle to the value I have gotten out of my kuhn rikon pressure cooker, also known as the benz of pressure cookers.

A tiny bit of 5 spice powder, s&p, sesame oil, celery, onion, chicken broth, hot pepper flakes, potato, tomato, and chopped pork chops. Prep was 10 mins, cooking was 4.5, and next time I have to remember to cook it at 3 mins. .

Rating: 4.75 stars

Cost: $5

March 4
Baked Salmon with creamy herby goat cheese sauce I bought some great cuts of salmon and decided to try a recipe I read online that used goat cheese. I mixed together a small amount of goat cheese, mustard, mayo, thyme, and basil and spread it over the top of the fish. Baked at 375 for 10 minutes. Perfect. I made a side salad and realized that perhaps the sauce i made for the fish could do double duty as a salad dressing. So I added a small amount of water to the sauce, mixed it up, and added it to the salad. Really worked well…huge smile on my face now! Rating: 5 stars Cost: $5

Baked Salmon with creamy herby goat cheese sauce

I bought some great cuts of salmon and decided to try a recipe I read online that used goat cheese. I mixed together a small amount of goat cheese, mustard, mayo, thyme, and basil and spread it over the top of the fish. Baked at 375 for 10 minutes. Perfect.

I made a side salad and realized that perhaps the sauce i made for the fish could do double duty as a salad dressing. So I added a small amount of water to the sauce, mixed it up, and added it to the salad. Really worked well…huge smile on my face now!

Rating: 5 stars

Cost: $5

December 20
Steamed Black Cod and Japanese Curry Lentil I wanted to make the Nobu miso black cod, but I didn’t have the white miso needed. So, i thought I’d try an old favorite, the chinese style of making steamed fish. It was steamed for about 12 minutes, with hot oil and green onions and garlic added on top. I think it tastes a little better broiled but this was still a fantastic dish. The lentils were made in my pressure cooker, with cumin seeds, paprika, onion, garlic, japanese curry powder, and some leftover portobello mushrooms.  The dishes were both wonderful but the curry really overpowers the steamed fish. Also, my manual says to use 2” of water over the curry, but that was wayyy too much.. will try about a 1/2 inch next time. Rating: 4 stars Cost: $6

Steamed Black Cod and Japanese Curry Lentil

I wanted to make the Nobu miso black cod, but I didn’t have the white miso needed. So, i thought I’d try an old favorite, the chinese style of making steamed fish. It was steamed for about 12 minutes, with hot oil and green onions and garlic added on top. I think it tastes a little better broiled but this was still a fantastic dish. The lentils were made in my pressure cooker, with cumin seeds, paprika, onion, garlic, japanese curry powder, and some leftover portobello mushrooms. 

The dishes were both wonderful but the curry really overpowers the steamed fish. Also, my manual says to use 2” of water over the curry, but that was wayyy too much.. will try about a 1/2 inch next time.

Rating: 4 stars

Cost: $6

December 9
Roasted Broccoli Like many of my cooking attempts, I got excited about this at a restaurant last week. It was really delicious, so I had to try it at home. Broccoli drizzled with olive oil, garlic, and some smoked gouda cheese. The recipe calls for parmiggiano but I had some leftover gouda to use. Baked at 425 until the floret ends started blackening. Served with a lentil / rice/ tomato medley and some beef. I really love it when food that is good for you also tastes great, it makes me feel that all is well in the universe. Rating: 5 stars Cost: $2

Roasted Broccoli

Like many of my cooking attempts, I got excited about this at a restaurant last week. It was really delicious, so I had to try it at home. Broccoli drizzled with olive oil, garlic, and some smoked gouda cheese. The recipe calls for parmiggiano but I had some leftover gouda to use. Baked at 425 until the floret ends started blackening. Served with a lentil / rice/ tomato medley and some beef. I really love it when food that is good for you also tastes great, it makes me feel that all is well in the universe.

Rating: 5 stars

Cost: $2

November 16
Cast iron baked cornish game hen Brined a game hen with salty chicken broth for about 6 hours, put leeks and rosemary in the cavity, then threw it in the pan in the oven at 500 for 15 minutes. 350 for another 25 mins.  Served with rice and broccolini. It was oversalted because i added s&p after the brine, so next time I will try it with no salt. Also trying some herb butter under the skin to moisten up the breast. Rating: 4 stars Cost: $5

Cast iron baked cornish game hen

Brined a game hen with salty chicken broth for about 6 hours, put leeks and rosemary in the cavity, then threw it in the pan in the oven at 500 for 15 minutes. 350 for another 25 mins.  Served with rice and broccolini. It was oversalted because i added s&p after the brine, so next time I will try it with no salt. Also trying some herb butter under the skin to moisten up the breast.

Rating: 4 stars

Cost: $5

November 3
Pork feet stew I recently discovered two wonderful things, modern pressure cookers, and the Pancho Villa mexican grocery store that is jut a few minutes from my house. The NYT says the Kuhn Rikon is the Mercedes Benz of pressure cookers, and I agree with that. It is well engineered, stylish, and pricey. But totally worth it! The average swiss family has 3! This new generation is light years ahead of what your mother used.  The old ones would blow up, burn you, etc. These old pressure cookers are like women, everyone has a crazy story about something happening with them.  Not so with the new ones! It has like 5 levels of pressure releasing redundancy. I’m not worried. Don’t have time to cook a healthy delicious dinner? Get a pressure cooker. On a sailing trip around the world and have very limited propane? Get a pressure cooker.  Want to make beans from scratch in 10 minutes? Get a pressure cooker. When the end of the world comes, it’s going into my car along with some spices, dried lentils, beans, rice, and a 22. I picked some some nice looking pork stew meat and 1 pork foot. Combined with carrots, onions, green onions, leeks, mushrooms, spinach, and garlic. Sauteed the meat for a few mins prior to pressure cooking. Condiments used- s&p, soy sauce, oyster sauce, black vinegar, sesame oil. Pressure cooked about 25 mins. The pork was as soft as tofu! Cost: $4.50 Rating: 4.5 stars

Pork feet stew

I recently discovered two wonderful things, modern pressure cookers, and the Pancho Villa mexican grocery store that is jut a few minutes from my house. The NYT says the Kuhn Rikon is the Mercedes Benz of pressure cookers, and I agree with that. It is well engineered, stylish, and pricey. But totally worth it! The average swiss family has 3! This new generation is light years ahead of what your mother used.  The old ones would blow up, burn you, etc. These old pressure cookers are like women, everyone has a crazy story about something happening with them.  Not so with the new ones! It has like 5 levels of pressure releasing redundancy. I’m not worried. Don’t have time to cook a healthy delicious dinner? Get a pressure cooker. On a sailing trip around the world and have very limited propane? Get a pressure cooker.  Want to make beans from scratch in 10 minutes? Get a pressure cooker. When the end of the world comes, it’s going into my car along with some spices, dried lentils, beans, rice, and a 22.

I picked some some nice looking pork stew meat and 1 pork foot. Combined with carrots, onions, green onions, leeks, mushrooms, spinach, and garlic. Sauteed the meat for a few mins prior to pressure cooking. Condiments used- s&p, soy sauce, oyster sauce, black vinegar, sesame oil. Pressure cooked about 25 mins. The pork was as soft as tofu!

Cost: $4.50

Rating: 4.5 stars

November 1
Taiwanese stir fried bean noodles (bi whun): I haven’t posted to this blog in 2 yrs, for a variety of reasons. So, so much has happened. Most notably, I got a cast iron wok!  I use it on my grille’s outdoor burner so as to not smoke out my house.  I used it to make a taiwanese noodle dish, bi whun. it has dried mushrooms, dried shrimp, onions, green onions, garlic, pork, carrots, and cabbage. after all of the above is wok cooked in oil, the noodles are added after being soaked in 10 mins in hot chicken broth. A watery seasoning of sugar, salt, soy sauce, black vinegar, white pepper, and about a 1/2 cup of water are added.  That’s it! So easy, so yummy! My plan B if the cooking goes off course is adding some curry powder, and then it becomes singapore noodles. Rating: 4 stars Cost: $4

Taiwanese stir fried bean noodles (bi whun):

I haven’t posted to this blog in 2 yrs, for a variety of reasons. So, so much has happened. Most notably, I got a cast iron wok!  I use it on my grille’s outdoor burner so as to not smoke out my house.  I used it to make a taiwanese noodle dish, bi whun. it has dried mushrooms, dried shrimp, onions, green onions, garlic, pork, carrots, and cabbage. after all of the above is wok cooked in oil, the noodles are added after being soaked in 10 mins in hot chicken broth. A watery seasoning of sugar, salt, soy sauce, black vinegar, white pepper, and about a 1/2 cup of water are added.  That’s it! So easy, so yummy! My plan B if the cooking goes off course is adding some curry powder, and then it becomes singapore noodles.

Rating: 4 stars

Cost: $4

September 9
Cauliflower and Spinach Shok Followed recipe below. I did not understand the proportions of vegetables and I used the whole cauliflower, ended up overstuffing my sauce pan, and had to transfer it to a large pot. Vagad was ok, didn’t pop as much as I had hoped; I think I used too much oil or something. Got some spices confused but it all turned out pretty tasty. 1/2 a jalapeno, downgraded from my friend’s recipe, was a good idea for me. Chopping the garlic and ginger in my beloved Magic Bullet was fun, but the ginger was a little thick, so next time maybe a longer chop.  Basmati rice was washed 3 times, soaked for 1/2 hr, and made in rice cooker with a little gee and it turned out ok.. could be more flavorful. This is very exciting because now I have like 3-4 meals to eat! Looking forward to making shoks on a regular basis. Next time need to make dal for protein as well and then I will have a more comprehensive Indian food skill set.   Rating: 4 stars Cost: $4

Cauliflower and Spinach Shok

Followed recipe below. I did not understand the proportions of vegetables and I used the whole cauliflower, ended up overstuffing my sauce pan, and had to transfer it to a large pot. Vagad was ok, didn’t pop as much as I had hoped; I think I used too much oil or something.

Got some spices confused but it all turned out pretty tasty. 1/2 a jalapeno, downgraded from my friend’s recipe, was a good idea for me. Chopping the garlic and ginger in my beloved Magic Bullet was fun, but the ginger was a little thick, so next time maybe a longer chop. 

Basmati rice was washed 3 times, soaked for 1/2 hr, and made in rice cooker with a little gee and it turned out ok.. could be more flavorful.

This is very exciting because now I have like 3-4 meals to eat! Looking forward to making shoks on a regular basis. Next time need to make dal for protein as well and then I will have a more comprehensive Indian food skill set.  

Rating: 4 stars

Cost: $4

July 15
Pita Egg Spinach Sandwich Scrambled eggs with smoked gouda, sauteed sesame seeds and spinach, and cranberries Rating: 5 stars Cost: $2

Pita Egg Spinach Sandwich

Scrambled eggs with smoked gouda, sauteed sesame seeds and spinach, and cranberries

Rating: 5 stars

Cost: $2