Hi all,
Yesterday, I posted on my Business Bro blog about assessing skill levels within a hiring process (well, sort of...I complained a bit, too). The launching point for the post was a line from a Haruki Murakami book called Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage- 'if you can read, you can cook' (1). And although I do like to pretend at times that the ability to cook at my level requires a nuanced set of particular skills, it is unfortunately the case that this line from Mr. Murakami's novel disproves such a notion. Most recipes work for anyone who can read.
Here are three simple recipes that I turn to from time to time. Each one is included in full within the end notes to this post.
The first one is in honor of my mother. This banana bread recipewas likely
copied straight out of a cookbook is a treasured family tradition and I
am sharing it today because I have nothing else to write about out of the great generosity of my heart. I hope
each of you readers understands the great honor it is to have this recipe available whenever needed.
The second one is in honor of my favorite ramen place. Long time readers of the blog will recall that I once wrote a post about 'bang bangs' and that Sapporo Ramen played a big role in that post. A tiny detail that I neglected to include in that post- I know of at least one person who does not order ramen when he or she goes to this place!
Instead, this person orders frozen dumplings and a bowl of rice. For those confused as to why I get all worked up about this- I would compare not ordering ramen at Sapporo Ramen to someone going to your favorite pizza place and asking for a stack of pepperonis with a side of crust (2).
Anyway, the second recipe is for frozen gyoza dumplings. You will need to figure out the rice for yourself. It is not complex but I share because I think I've hit on a pretty good setup here.
The final recipe is in honor of anyone forced to drink rubbish beer. It is a cocktail that combines my favorite Japanese soft drink to make certain 'beer' (such a Keystone Light) drinkable. It does not have a proper name- I would simply recommend coming up with some combination of a reference to the beer and a reference to Japan.
Now, a last note before I allow you to proceed. If this is your first ever time reading a recipe- please remember the following- when you are finished cooking, turn off the oven/stove. This is an important step in cooking but also one considered 'basic knowledge'- thus ensuring its omission from any recipe. I've helpfully included it in my own recipes, of course, but you will not have that luxury once you venture into a proper cookbook. So, again, always remember to turn off anything that might burn down your house when you finish using it.
Good luck.
If you manage to get through the below without burning down the kitchen, I would love to see you back here next Tuesday for my clever application of the Pythagorean Theorem.
Until then, take care. Thanks for reading.
Tim
Footnotes/imagined complaints
1. Is this book worth reading? You've mentioned it on TWO BLOGS in TWO DAYS...
I would say this was an interesting and entertaining read, like I say about most of Murakami's works. But looking back, I understand why it is not considered among his very best novels. If you like the author, I think it is a good idea to give it a try (but if you like the author, you probably do not need me to tell you that).
2. Well, that analogy is not really all that good, but still...
On the topic of ramen and pizza, here are my power rankings for local ramen:
1. Sapporo (duh)
2. Pikaichi (within the Super 88 building- Allston/Brighton, don't know and don't care really which one it is)
3. Totto (Brighton- bonus point for serving alcohol)
The best ramen place I will never go to again:
4. Hokkaido (Harvard Square- it is too...bright? Clean? It feels like there should be a $15 cover charge to get into this place.)
There are a bunch of others in the middle.
My bottom three:
*3rd to last- standing in line at Sapporo and smelling the ramen (Jimmy Johns rule in play here)
*2nd to last- come over to my apartment and I'll make you a cup noodle or instant ramen (also a bonus point here as alcohol may be served)
*Dead last- Fake Sapporo Ramen (in Central Square at the H Mart 'food court')
OK, that last one is a bit harsh. But I want to make sure it is clear that the two ramen places which share the 'Sapporo' name do not resemble each other all that much.
Now, long time readers of the blog (I'm getting into that expression today) will recall that I claimed to know where the best pizza slice in Boston is. This is a claim which is likely objectively false. But I'll stand by Haymarket Pizza any day of the week.
For one, it is cash only (only a serious business operates cash only, as those who run Sapporo Ramen understand). And two, you can actually buy instant cup noodles there. Not kidding. I have no idea if they will prepare it for you or if you are only allowed to take it home with you. But it is there if you need it.
Endnotes...
Recipe #1- Banana Bread
Ingredients
Recipe #2- Frozen Gyozas
Ingredients
*1 bag of frozen gyozas
*1 teaspoon of oil to cook
*1 pot to boil water
*1 frying pan 1 chopstick
Cooking Steps
1. Boil water until bubbly, then add gyozas (make sure water level covers the gyozas).
2. Begin to heat the oil in the pan (use medium heat).
3. Poke gyozas with a chopstick to test if 'gummy'- that is, no longer completely frozen but not soft, either- generally takes three to four minutes.
4. Drain the water and transfer gyozas to pan. The oil might jump from the pan at this point- so be careful (or wear long sleeves).
5. Guest line from Usher: Let it burn, let it burn, gotta let it burn...(not too much, though! Smoke is no good here).
6. When it reaches the desired shade of burn- remove from the pan.
7. Turn off all the burners.
8. If this is the first time you are cooking, ever, go back to #7- TURN OFF ALL THE BURNERS.
9. Eat!
Recipe #3. COCKTAIL- Rocky Mountain Samurai?
Ingredients
1 Calpico water
1 beer (Coors Light)
1 cup
1 knife/chopstick to stir
'Cooking' instructions
1. Pour Calipco water into the cup until it is at least 1/5 full and no more than 1/3 full
2. Pour beer into the cup until it is full
3. Stir
4. Might as well go and check that ALL BURNERS ARE TURNED OFF. Who knows, maybe you bumped the stove with your rear while stirring and it turned on the back burner? Can't hurt, ya?
5. Drink!
As a side note here, the most appropriate beer to mix is perhaps Asahi Super Dry, a crisp dry lager that some compare to German beers. I only throw this out there because Calpico is produced by a subsidiary of the same company which produces Asahi beer.
In Japan, the Calpico water soft drink is known as Calpis. The name was changed for foreign markets due to non-obvious reasons. This, of course, bears mentioning as the obvious reason is the similarity of Calpis to 'cow piss' when read in English. I believe the company has now adopted the latter explanation as a 'reason' for making the change...
Yesterday, I posted on my Business Bro blog about assessing skill levels within a hiring process (well, sort of...I complained a bit, too). The launching point for the post was a line from a Haruki Murakami book called Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage- 'if you can read, you can cook' (1). And although I do like to pretend at times that the ability to cook at my level requires a nuanced set of particular skills, it is unfortunately the case that this line from Mr. Murakami's novel disproves such a notion. Most recipes work for anyone who can read.
Here are three simple recipes that I turn to from time to time. Each one is included in full within the end notes to this post.
The first one is in honor of my mother. This banana bread recipe
The second one is in honor of my favorite ramen place. Long time readers of the blog will recall that I once wrote a post about 'bang bangs' and that Sapporo Ramen played a big role in that post. A tiny detail that I neglected to include in that post- I know of at least one person who does not order ramen when he or she goes to this place!
Instead, this person orders frozen dumplings and a bowl of rice. For those confused as to why I get all worked up about this- I would compare not ordering ramen at Sapporo Ramen to someone going to your favorite pizza place and asking for a stack of pepperonis with a side of crust (2).
Anyway, the second recipe is for frozen gyoza dumplings. You will need to figure out the rice for yourself. It is not complex but I share because I think I've hit on a pretty good setup here.
The final recipe is in honor of anyone forced to drink rubbish beer. It is a cocktail that combines my favorite Japanese soft drink to make certain 'beer' (such a Keystone Light) drinkable. It does not have a proper name- I would simply recommend coming up with some combination of a reference to the beer and a reference to Japan.
Now, a last note before I allow you to proceed. If this is your first ever time reading a recipe- please remember the following- when you are finished cooking, turn off the oven/stove. This is an important step in cooking but also one considered 'basic knowledge'- thus ensuring its omission from any recipe. I've helpfully included it in my own recipes, of course, but you will not have that luxury once you venture into a proper cookbook. So, again, always remember to turn off anything that might burn down your house when you finish using it.
Good luck.
If you manage to get through the below without burning down the kitchen, I would love to see you back here next Tuesday for my clever application of the Pythagorean Theorem.
Until then, take care. Thanks for reading.
Tim
Footnotes/imagined complaints
1. Is this book worth reading? You've mentioned it on TWO BLOGS in TWO DAYS...
I would say this was an interesting and entertaining read, like I say about most of Murakami's works. But looking back, I understand why it is not considered among his very best novels. If you like the author, I think it is a good idea to give it a try (but if you like the author, you probably do not need me to tell you that).
2. Well, that analogy is not really all that good, but still...
On the topic of ramen and pizza, here are my power rankings for local ramen:
1. Sapporo (duh)
2. Pikaichi (within the Super 88 building- Allston/Brighton, don't know and don't care really which one it is)
3. Totto (Brighton- bonus point for serving alcohol)
The best ramen place I will never go to again:
4. Hokkaido (Harvard Square- it is too...bright? Clean? It feels like there should be a $15 cover charge to get into this place.)
There are a bunch of others in the middle.
My bottom three:
*3rd to last- standing in line at Sapporo and smelling the ramen (Jimmy Johns rule in play here)
*2nd to last- come over to my apartment and I'll make you a cup noodle or instant ramen (also a bonus point here as alcohol may be served)
*Dead last- Fake Sapporo Ramen (in Central Square at the H Mart 'food court')
OK, that last one is a bit harsh. But I want to make sure it is clear that the two ramen places which share the 'Sapporo' name do not resemble each other all that much.
Now, long time readers of the blog (I'm getting into that expression today) will recall that I claimed to know where the best pizza slice in Boston is. This is a claim which is likely objectively false. But I'll stand by Haymarket Pizza any day of the week.
For one, it is cash only (only a serious business operates cash only, as those who run Sapporo Ramen understand). And two, you can actually buy instant cup noodles there. Not kidding. I have no idea if they will prepare it for you or if you are only allowed to take it home with you. But it is there if you need it.
Endnotes...
Recipe #1- Banana Bread
Ingredients
*½ cup butter
*⅓ cup sugar
*2 eggs
*1½ cup flour
*1 tsp baking soda
*½ tsp salt
*2 heaping teaspoons of plain greek yogurt
*mix ins- raisins, whole blueberries, banana slices, etc
*3 bananas (honestly, any number is fine. More bananas = more banana taste in the final product)
Baking Steps
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Mix bananas + yogurt + mix ins into a consistency that is equivalent to plain yogurt in a separate bowl
2. Mix bananas + yogurt + mix ins into a consistency that is equivalent to plain yogurt in a separate bowl
3. Mix all the other stuff separately and put into the baking pan
-> Tip: might wanna melt the butter a bit beforehand- others stuff mixes easily
4. Combine the two mixes in the baking pan and mix in evenly until the batter is basically consistent throughout
5. Into the oven the whole mess goes!
-> Check after 40 min- if a fork can go in and come out clean, it is ready
-> If not ready- just leave in for a couple of minutes at a time and do the fork thing again
6. Once it comes out- letting it sit and cool helps it keep its shape but honestly at this point if you want a mushy mess do whatever you want…
7. Don’t forget to turn off the oven!Recipe #2- Frozen Gyozas
Ingredients
*1 bag of frozen gyozas
*1 teaspoon of oil to cook
*1 pot to boil water
*1 frying pan 1 chopstick
Cooking Steps
1. Boil water until bubbly, then add gyozas (make sure water level covers the gyozas).
2. Begin to heat the oil in the pan (use medium heat).
3. Poke gyozas with a chopstick to test if 'gummy'- that is, no longer completely frozen but not soft, either- generally takes three to four minutes.
4. Drain the water and transfer gyozas to pan. The oil might jump from the pan at this point- so be careful (or wear long sleeves).
5. Guest line from Usher: Let it burn, let it burn, gotta let it burn...(not too much, though! Smoke is no good here).
6. When it reaches the desired shade of burn- remove from the pan.
7. Turn off all the burners.
8. If this is the first time you are cooking, ever, go back to #7- TURN OFF ALL THE BURNERS.
9. Eat!
Recipe #3. COCKTAIL- Rocky Mountain Samurai?
Ingredients
1 Calpico water
1 beer (Coors Light)
1 cup
1 knife/chopstick to stir
'Cooking' instructions
1. Pour Calipco water into the cup until it is at least 1/5 full and no more than 1/3 full
2. Pour beer into the cup until it is full
3. Stir
4. Might as well go and check that ALL BURNERS ARE TURNED OFF. Who knows, maybe you bumped the stove with your rear while stirring and it turned on the back burner? Can't hurt, ya?
5. Drink!
As a side note here, the most appropriate beer to mix is perhaps Asahi Super Dry, a crisp dry lager that some compare to German beers. I only throw this out there because Calpico is produced by a subsidiary of the same company which produces Asahi beer.
In Japan, the Calpico water soft drink is known as Calpis. The name was changed for foreign markets due to non-obvious reasons. This, of course, bears mentioning as the obvious reason is the similarity of Calpis to 'cow piss' when read in English. I believe the company has now adopted the latter explanation as a 'reason' for making the change...
