So my cooking recently has been catered around supporting my wife while she’s at the hospital. The general guidelines for the meals are that the meals need to be mostly protein (no idea if/when lunch will be, so need to stay full as long as possible), either requires no reheating or reheats well in the microwave, and it can be easily eaten while reading a chart (so soup is out).
So far, the I’ve been pretty good with doing things like lo mein, pasta salad, rice bowls, and curries. However, I’d love to get her something that takes it to the next level flavor wise. Do you have any suggestions?
Will post recs for most tomorrow. Tokyo note: make rezzo's for Sezanne if you can. Daniel is one of the most finesse and impressive chef's I've ever met. His food is impeccable.
If you are looking to learn general “chef skills” to make our own dishes (vs. just following the great recipes you have) what are the most important things/posts to read through first?
read through the posts (bottom of index) on seasoning, flavors, umami. Understanding how all of those elements work is critical. Also, Elements of Taste.
As far as technique, being mentally present when you're cooking will help 100x by seeing variations in heat source, temperatures, etc and will build an intuition as you cook to adjust for optimal outcomes.
What got you into cooking? Or piqued your interest to become a chef? Also, what's the craziest kitchen accident you've had or meal you botched? I think we'd all enjoy some Octo Kitchen Stories!
-Grew up in a family where mom was a scratch cook; got assigned kitchen prep starting at ~7y/o to keep me out of trouble 😆 (full story on Common Sense, first episode I did, not the just released one)
-Went into pro cooking after getting a Bachelor Science and making a pivot.
-Kitchen accident; power went out to restaurant but gas was still on so we kept cooking in kitchen for over an hour with flashlights and diners were eating using their cell phones and thought it was great. lol. Would not ever do that again, lucky there wasn't an injury or accident,
Then skewer (if you want to keep shrimp from falling through the grates) and season; grill on oiled grates, over high heat (time depends on size) until just warmed through. Rest 2-3 mins to allow carry over.
Should be super tasty.
During Summer, the Shrimp remoulade recipe is my fave because it's chilled; easy poach-chill-peel method that is a crowd pleaser, FWIW
You could look at chicken breast, but I prefer slow steaming vs SV.
Also 48-72 hour short ribs are a fun gimmick for a dinner party.
Circulators are also great for making dashi since they hold specific temps during the extraction
Disclaimer: I don't use sous vide at home; only commercially for high volume consistency and very specific ingredient components. Don't find it useful/worthwhile at home.
😂 noted. So far we have Laab, Sticky Rice, Moo Ping skewers with spicy dipping sauce and you have the coconut-mango sticky rice dessert. Anything in particular you looking for?
Love HK so much, that would be a blast 😂 . Oi Man Sang might be my fave DPD; those razor clams in black bean sauce and the typhoon crab 🤤
SF alone has lots of good spots. Yank Sing for DimSum (I hit every time as soon I get off the plane, but probably unecessary since you seem to be HK-based 😂 ).
Corey Lee's Monsieur Benjamin & Benu are both top notch. Josh Skene's Saison and Angler both faves as well. Quince, Commis, Cotogna, Mourad, State Bird Provisions, House of Prime Rib, SPQR...
Animo (Sonoma) & Charter Oak (Napa) should be a good start
Yeah, live in HK, but spend a few months in Bay Area for work each year. Give me a ping on twitter if you're coming to town. (@CaiShenDAO_Eth)
The razor clams are the best here - as well as various snails and other shellfish (geoduck, spicy wine cooked snails, mantis (pissing) shrimp). The old school DPD are dying out, but a lot of them have migrated indoors, a lot of the historical tea houses and cha chaan teng died out during the pandemic as well, but you'll always find a decent milk tea and pineapple bun whenever you come to the city.
The best HK French Toast I had was actually at Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market - buy the seafood there, take it to the restaurant to cook up, and at the end, they bring up a big plate of deep fried cubes of peanut butter HK french toast with condensed milk and butter heaped all over it. Was just there last weekend.
Sing Heung Yuen is famous for instant noodles in tomato soup, but I'm not a huge fan - the "crispy buns" with condensed milk and butter are amazing though.
Lan Fong Yuen has the best milk tea, even though they're not technically a DPD anymore. They have the original branch in Central, and one in TST.
Ball Kee for "small fry". Basically get them to fry up something for you - whatever they say is fresh.
Four Seasons Pot Rice or Hing Kee for claypot rice.
You’re limited to 6 dishes for everyday meals from now on, what are they (can be yours or classics)?
And, any pasta-type dishes that are unequivocally better with a gnocchi base?
Why you do this to me? 😩
This would change daily
1) Fried Chicken, Champagne & Caviar
2) Banh Mi & Pho
3) Sichuan Beef Hot Pot with Offal & Cold Beers
4) Thai Green Curry with Som Tum (Papaya Salad)
5) Squab Pithivier
6) Black Truffle Tagliatelle
For Gnocchi Base: Brown Butter & Sage; cream sauce with 3 cheeses; and Rabbit Ragu all slap extremely hard
🥂🥂🥂
Spicy (cold) noodles that have umami and strong heat, also craving Panang curry. But also want Thai pickles 😂.
So my cooking recently has been catered around supporting my wife while she’s at the hospital. The general guidelines for the meals are that the meals need to be mostly protein (no idea if/when lunch will be, so need to stay full as long as possible), either requires no reheating or reheats well in the microwave, and it can be easily eaten while reading a chart (so soup is out).
So far, the I’ve been pretty good with doing things like lo mein, pasta salad, rice bowls, and curries. However, I’d love to get her something that takes it to the next level flavor wise. Do you have any suggestions?
E-Z Bake Chicken is flavor bomb
Any of the curries already in archives.
Also Belgian Beef Stew and Provencal Lamb are hearty and filling with lots of protein.
Chilled Thai Beef salad would also slap;
Could also explore legumes: lentils with a meat; beans with ham hock is satisfying and soulful, pack with a corn muffin if you like to heat up with the ham & beans (https://twitter.com/BowTiedOctopod/status/1655730867258499072?s=20)
Also Coronation Chicken is a tasty af chilled lunch. Lean protein (chicken breast)
Here's the Split Bean & Ham recipe, forgot to post on twitter:
2# split pinto beans
1/2lb ham hocks
1.5 tsp dry thyme
2.5 small chicken bouillon cubes
1 leek, chopped and cleaned
2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch lick
1 TB greek seasoning
1.5 bay leaf
1/4 cup finely shaved cilantro stems (optional)
2-3x water by volume vs dried beans
Pressure cook until soft, ~20 mins
To finish:
1 TB sea salt (start with 1/2 TB)
3 TB Louisiana hot sauce
1 cup cilantro leaves to garnish
Serve with cornbread or over any leftover rice (jasmine, basmati, etc)
Japan restaurant recommendations? Going to Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka and Kanazawa
Will post recs for most tomorrow. Tokyo note: make rezzo's for Sezanne if you can. Daniel is one of the most finesse and impressive chef's I've ever met. His food is impeccable.
Japan is just insane for great restaurants and food. Here's some options:
Tokyo:
French-
Sezanne @ The Four Seasons; Maison Marunouchi is the more casual concept by same chef (Daniel Calvert)
L' Effervescence
Sushi-
Sugita
Higashiazabu Amamoto
Sushi Sawada
Tempura-
Takiya
Kusunoki
Aoyama Nanachome
Yakitori-
Tori-Shiki
Yakitori Kasahara Tokyo
Torisawa
Ramen-
Narikura (Tonkotsu)
Kagari
Into
Ginza Hachigo
Soba-
Tsuta
Tamawarai
Izakaya-
kotaro
Ginza Shimada
Burgers-
Henry's Burger
Kaiseki-
Hoshino
Ryugin
Pizza-
Savoy
Pizza Bar On 38Th
Pizza Studio Tamaki
Seirinkan
Steak-
Aragawa (Kobe)
Spanish-
Aca 1°
Bread/Bakery
Bricolage Bread & Co.
Osaka:
French-
Hajime
Sushi-
Sushi Harashou
Sushidokoro Tada
Kaiseki-
Masuda
Yakitori
Ishii
Ramen-
Manger (Tonkotsu)
Kyoto:
Kaiseki-
Ogata
Miyamasou
Doujin
Ifuki
Tempura-
Tempura Matsu
Kyoboshi
Steak-
yutaka
Kanazawa:
Sushi-
Sushidokoro Mekumi
Komatsu Yasuke
Otomezushi
Kaiseki-
Kataori
This is an insane list! Thanks for you suggestions! I will definitely be checking some of these out!
If you are looking to learn general “chef skills” to make our own dishes (vs. just following the great recipes you have) what are the most important things/posts to read through first?
read through the posts (bottom of index) on seasoning, flavors, umami. Understanding how all of those elements work is critical. Also, Elements of Taste.
As far as technique, being mentally present when you're cooking will help 100x by seeing variations in heat source, temperatures, etc and will build an intuition as you cook to adjust for optimal outcomes.
What got you into cooking? Or piqued your interest to become a chef? Also, what's the craziest kitchen accident you've had or meal you botched? I think we'd all enjoy some Octo Kitchen Stories!
-Grew up in a family where mom was a scratch cook; got assigned kitchen prep starting at ~7y/o to keep me out of trouble 😆 (full story on Common Sense, first episode I did, not the just released one)
-Went into pro cooking after getting a Bachelor Science and making a pivot.
-Kitchen accident; power went out to restaurant but gas was still on so we kept cooking in kitchen for over an hour with flashlights and diners were eating using their cell phones and thought it was great. lol. Would not ever do that again, lucky there wasn't an injury or accident,
What's the best way to grill shrimp?
Check this Guide on Shrimp, recommend scrolling to bottom and using the alkaline bath method. https://bowtiedoctopod.substack.com/p/shrimp-guide
Then skewer (if you want to keep shrimp from falling through the grates) and season; grill on oiled grates, over high heat (time depends on size) until just warmed through. Rest 2-3 mins to allow carry over.
Should be super tasty.
During Summer, the Shrimp remoulade recipe is my fave because it's chilled; easy poach-chill-peel method that is a crowd pleaser, FWIW
Trying to get more use out of my sous vide besides steak and eggs.
You could look at chicken breast, but I prefer slow steaming vs SV.
Also 48-72 hour short ribs are a fun gimmick for a dinner party.
Circulators are also great for making dashi since they hold specific temps during the extraction
Disclaimer: I don't use sous vide at home; only commercially for high volume consistency and very specific ingredient components. Don't find it useful/worthwhile at home.
Recommended dining in, Greenville, SC?
Not too familiar, checked with a fren. Would check Asada, Fork & Plough Urban Wren, Califa’s and Bake Room
Any alfa for Shanghai
Ultra-Violet: Paul Pairet is a straight up wizard; once in a lifetime type meal
Xin Rong Ji
102 House
Yu Zhi Lan
Da Vittorio
Imperial Treasure
Yangs Fry Dumpling
Jia Jia Tang Bao (soup dumplings)
Otto e Mezzo Bombana
Ying Jee Club
Canton 8
Madam Goose
Wei Xiang Zhai (Shanghai sesame noodles)
Shanghailander- bakery
Bastard (really fun menu)
Forage
Netta
Sheng Yong Xing (Peking duck)
These all look great 🤤
How do you choose restaurants when you’re visiting a new place?
A lot of it depends on how long I'm in the area, if I know the chef and then balance bucket list venues with home-style. I enjoy both styles a lot.
Your red pasta sauce recipe is a go-to for me but I feel like mine always comes out too watery, any tips?
also any Toronto restaurant recos??
You can reduce longer before adding the butter. Or, use only half the liquid from the plum tomato can.
Restaurants:
Sushi Masaki Saito (top tier Sushi)
Hashimoto (Kaiseki)
Alo (French)
Scaramouche
Canoe
Buca (Italian)
Dailo (Asian)
Bar Raval (Tapas)
Wouldn’t mind seeing some more dips/party apps in the future!
Would be ecstatic about a tomato soup recipe as well
Noted 📝
Tomato Soup is coming, probably with grilled cheese
San Diego restaurant recommendations?
Callie (Greek)
Dija Mara (Indonesian/SEA)
Point Loma Seafood
Jeune et Jolie
Juniper & Ivy
Yakitori Hino
Karen Krasne’s Extraordinary (dessert)
Would you post enough Thai food recipes to to have a Thai food party? (Especially sauces)
😂 noted. So far we have Laab, Sticky Rice, Moo Ping skewers with spicy dipping sauce and you have the coconut-mango sticky rice dessert. Anything in particular you looking for?
For steak on the grill, pepper before or after grilling?
After. High heat has a tendency to burn the oils of the peppercorn.
Any restaurant recommendatuons for NorCal?
what city/town specifically?
Thinking Bay Area (Los Altos up to San Fran)
BTW, next time you're in Hong Kong, happy to take you to the sketchiest wet markets and the most local HK breakfasts and daipaidong!
Love HK so much, that would be a blast 😂 . Oi Man Sang might be my fave DPD; those razor clams in black bean sauce and the typhoon crab 🤤
SF alone has lots of good spots. Yank Sing for DimSum (I hit every time as soon I get off the plane, but probably unecessary since you seem to be HK-based 😂 ).
Corey Lee's Monsieur Benjamin & Benu are both top notch. Josh Skene's Saison and Angler both faves as well. Quince, Commis, Cotogna, Mourad, State Bird Provisions, House of Prime Rib, SPQR...
Animo (Sonoma) & Charter Oak (Napa) should be a good start
Thank you. Added to my lists!
Yeah, live in HK, but spend a few months in Bay Area for work each year. Give me a ping on twitter if you're coming to town. (@CaiShenDAO_Eth)
The razor clams are the best here - as well as various snails and other shellfish (geoduck, spicy wine cooked snails, mantis (pissing) shrimp). The old school DPD are dying out, but a lot of them have migrated indoors, a lot of the historical tea houses and cha chaan teng died out during the pandemic as well, but you'll always find a decent milk tea and pineapple bun whenever you come to the city.
Which DPD are your faves? Seafood is just so good over there 🤤
Pineapple Bun and HK French Toast are elite; ironically best HK french toast I had was in Shenzhen at Sun Fat Roast Meats.
The best HK French Toast I had was actually at Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market - buy the seafood there, take it to the restaurant to cook up, and at the end, they bring up a big plate of deep fried cubes of peanut butter HK french toast with condensed milk and butter heaped all over it. Was just there last weekend.
Sing Heung Yuen is famous for instant noodles in tomato soup, but I'm not a huge fan - the "crispy buns" with condensed milk and butter are amazing though.
Lan Fong Yuen has the best milk tea, even though they're not technically a DPD anymore. They have the original branch in Central, and one in TST.
Ball Kee for "small fry". Basically get them to fry up something for you - whatever they say is fresh.
Four Seasons Pot Rice or Hing Kee for claypot rice.