daikon flowers

when i was younger i didn't like daikon much, but as with many other childhood dislikes i think of this humble root vegetable differently now. it's wonderful in kimchi, soup, braised... but i haven't been able to enjoy the leaves here. they're not available in any store, as far as i know. luckily i got the idea to save the tops from a japanese kitchen video (which i unfortunately can't find now) where the lady of the house saves the tops from her carrots and radishes. all she does is put them a plate with some water.



i tried it with a daikon top leftover from a kimchi-making party i held last week. i left it in a sunny windowsill and made sure there was always water in the plate and it grew like... well, a weed! all it needs is to have a little bit of leaves on top already. whenever i make kimchi with my friends, i can use anywhere from 2-10 daikon radishes. i'm glad that now i won't waste the tops and i get daikon leaves and flowers out of it. possible uses? salad, sandwich, pickled (in kimchi!), stir-fried, soup, or in vegan sushi.

spice addiction

sometimes i feel an imbalance. not sure if it's hormonal, psychological, or what have you. most of the time this problem can be solved with spice! it's also my number one hangover cure. but i'm not always in the mood for something so hot that i won't be able to taste anything for the rest of the day. sometimes just a mild kick can do the trick. that's why i love to have these pickled habanero onions sitting in the fridge; ready to crown the top of a sandwich or a salad. the strong taste of the onion is mellower and the pepper gives a nice kick.


unfortunately my habanero plant isn't looking too good these days; i constantly have to brush aphids off of it since my ladybug vanished. i refuse to spray my organic plant with anything, does anyone have a natural home remedy to get rid of these buggers? one day it was looking so bad that i just cut off the 3 remaining ripe habaneros, for fear that the aphids would get to them before i could. this salsa recipe was perfect for it. i thought it was the perfect mix of spicy, salty, sweet, and sour. unfortunately none of my other friends would touch it after the first bite. maybe too spicy for most? P:


though the plant is still in a sad state, i'm feeling better now that a little seedling has appeared. i think i'll move it to another pot soon, but the aphids will probably follow it there. how did they even manage to get in the flat, on the third floor? hmph. for now i'll have to settle with brushing them off by hand. /:

thai: by me!

i've surprised myself by learning how to make a decent thai dish. once i bought the green curry paste and coconut milk, it becomes a cheap meal with lots of vegetables that can be made in just 15 minutes or so (which is a blessing for moving week). this recipe was what i was planning to use but i noticed there was already some instructions on the tub of mae ploy curry paste.

stir fry 50g of green curry paste in 1 tbsp soybean oil, then add 1 cup (240ml) coconut milk. add 200g of fresh meat and continue cooking. add another ½ cup (120ml) of coconut milk and ½ cup of water. heat until boiling. add 100g of vegetables and cook until the vegetables soften, add ½ tsp sugar. taste and season as required.

i did look back on the intended recipe and added a lime leaf in with the meat and a lot more vegetables. also i didn't let it boil and i left out the sugar. the dane suggested a hit of fish sauce and then he loved it! after the heat is turned off, stirring in some torn thai basil is also a nice touch.


new apartment, new baby! our chili baby. we just moved into a well-lit and very white apartment and needed a splash of colour. hopefully it will live long and prosper, so i can make some spicy weeknight staples. (;

sprouting

i know there are tricks and tips on how to do it all over the net but i never thought i could make it work for some reason. but lo and behold, i got lentil sprouts! their taste has changed completely; a bit like jicama. a nice crunchy topping to smørrebrød or an interesting addition to hummus and other dips. puzzling to me that such life could spring from a seemingly dead pulse. *badum-chh!*


the site i nabbed this method from is lost somewhere in my history, but all it took was a bowl and a strainer. i bought these red lentils from one of the arab green grocers almost 6 months ago and i was getting sick of picking through them every time i wanted soup... so many rocks and lemon seeds and things. well i just soaked the lentils overnight, drained, and rinsed them 3 times a day. even left them in the strainer the whole time. i heard that these sprouts should be consumed before the 4th day for optimal nutrition but i couldn't wait and ate them all before then. now i need some more lentils. :P

restocking the azn section of the pantry

breakfast was an easy korean-style steamed egg; perfect for when you are not feeling like poached or boiled eggs but don't want to consume oils so early in the day. from all the recipes i've seen, it seems like it's loosely based around very few ingredients. i mixed one egg with a few tablespoons of water, a pinch of salt, one stalk of spring onion, and tossed in some rehydrated mushrooms. next time i'll go for a shorter cooking time; 15 minutes of sitting in the steamer basket of the rice cooker was a bit too long and the egg became a little dry. hey, my contact lenses aren't going to put themselves into my tiny eyes. ):


the spring onions i bought about 2 weeks ago are still giving. i don't remember where i saw the article, but i vaguely recall there was a video on the page describing how to stop wasting these lovely greens! just cut off what you need and leave an inch or so of the white part. set them in a bit of water for a day. you should be able to see a little regrowth. plant them in a pot in a sunny spot in your kitchen and water it when the soil feels dry. just keep clipping off what you need and you'll rarely need to buy spring onions again. can you see where it's grown back? (:


today i got my bike back from the shop. i'm so happy that my basket is fixed now, though i could have done it soon after it was broken. the kickstand was also adjusted and a spoke re-attached. what can i say? i have a hard time spending money on this sort of thing when i don't have any income. but with work on the horizon, i don't feel bad about it. ^^



so of course i filled my newly fixed basket with all sorts of goodies! certainly these prices are nothing compared to the korean markets of california blah blah blah but they are pretty good deals considering i'm in copenhagen. i got these from three different shops by the central station; boasam (which i've mentioned in a previous post), chinatown market, and bangkok trading. my reciepts looked something like this:

15kr rice vinegar 355ml
15kr mirin 355ml
12kr agar agar powder 35g
10kr fresh daikon radish 875g
12kr silken tofu 500g
12kr silken tofu 500g
12kr pressed tofu 350g
26kr dried shiitake mushrooms 170g
20kr fresh bok choy (10 heads)
23kr dried soybeans 1kg
5kr fresh ginger 200g

162kr = $30.37 USD!! arg... oh well, it could have been much worse. i'm not sure what i'll do with the agar agar powder but i get a bit queasy when i use regular gelatin so i'm sure an opportunity will present itself. fruit jigglers?! as for the bok choy, it looked so good that i couldn't resist. and with all the fruits that are available nowadays, i realized i haven't been eating that many vegetables. my friends mr. garlic and ms. bok choy will help me out in that department. (8