All Activity

No direct experience of using it but certainly of consuming it. Shio (しお or 塩) means salt in Japanese. Koji (こうじ or 麹) can be rice, barley or soy beans infected with Aspergillus oryzae. Put the two together and you have shio koji which is indeed used as a tenderiser. It is a paste made from a mixture of rice koji, salt and water. It breaks down protein and starches. It also adds umami to dishes.

Delicious looking waffles @blue_dolphin Another breakfast for me was a slice of sourdough bread fried in olive oil till crunchy with avocado and topped with halloumi.

Nor do I but I'd dearly like one. As a frustrated butcher manque I bought a meat saw: Details here: https://www.mefe.com.au/handsaw-butcher-bone-meat-saw-19-482mm-cam-lock-stainless-steel-frame-with-needle-tip-blade-for-bone-ss-blade-for-softer-meats/ It comes with one blade for flesh and one for bone. Kind of frustrating and I've used it very little. Sawing through a joint that's sliding around the bench or board feels unsafe. It might work well enough on oxtail if the tail was secured in a vise. Is anyone aware of a small band saw that can clamp to a bench? Commercial band saws are expensive behemoths. There must be an alternative but I've never come across one.

There was a local Chef here in LA that did a Koji Pork chop that was super popular at the time. To me it had a bit of a cured / hammy flavor.

Herb Frittata - “classical” frittata with plenty of herbs (parsley, chives and chervil) and nutmeg. Topped with a mixture of diced red bell pepper, onion, black olives in olive oil and white wine vinegar

Apples or pears combined with beans is quite popular in Germany. One famous dish is “Birnen, Bohnen und Speck” - pears, green beans and larger pieces of bacon cooked together

Does anyone have any experience with this brand. I've been burned before and am suspicious of the relatively low pricing.

Yes. I can eat them, but wouldn't miss them. No. I don't see them as particularly outlandish, just unusual. I pass because I don't really like the texture of sticky rice. No. They tend to vary every year but nothing to do with the Chinese zodiac years.

I got Koji Alchemy during the pandemic and got a few GEM Culture Koji Starters but never really got into it, had a few other hobbies get in the way. I know Rich Shih is one of the foremost experts on it (here's his site: OurCookQuest) and here's an ATK article about shio + meat: The Magic of Shio Koji | America's Test Kitchen

I have a followup question: is there a correlation between the mooncakes and the lunar year? For instance, we're in the Year of the Snake right now. Are the mooncakes different than they would be during the Year of the Horse?

If I recall correctly from past years, you aren't generally impressed with moon cakes. Do I have that right? And are these particularly outlandish? I think the mulberry sounds good, but I've no idea about how compatible the sticky rice would be.

October 6th this year sees China’s Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival. This is when people give gifts of mooncakes and traditionally eat them. So, already the stores are stocking up. Every year brings more and more types, from the more traditional to the outlandish. My plan is to post some of the most unusual I see this year. I start with 桑葚米月饼 (sāng shèn mǐ yuè bǐng), black mulberry and sticky rice. I’ll pass.

Recently I saw an article, probably in the NYT, on using this stuff to for want of a better term, speed-age meat. The story is that it is fermented rice extract and has enzymes. Any experience out in the eG universe?

A friend came over for dinner so we cooked a "special occasion" meal. Friend brought raspberries and whipped cream for dessert. Chicken in fried masala (Talae masala ka murgh): Fry onion, black cardamom, canela, cloves, bay leaves, ginger, garlic, almonds, cashews, peanuts, coriander seed, cumin seed, white poppy seed, and nutmeg, then puree with coconut milk. Brown skinless chicken thighs and them simmer with half of the paste and water. Add in the rest of the paste, simmer some more, and then finish with chopped cilantro. Quite decadent. Spicy green peas with onion and ginger (Muttar-pyaz masala): Saute ginger, serrano chile, cumin seed, and an onion, then mix in ground coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, and frozen peas. Simmer until done, then finish with amchur (mango powder), lemon juice, and garam masala. Basmati rice with whole spices (Khadha masala chaval): Rinse and soak rice so the grains lengthen. Fry cumin seed, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, green and black cardamom pods, cloves, and black pepper, add the rice and soaking water, and finish with chopped cilantro.

I would show you a picture of the ones I bought 2 days ago if they weren't eaten already!

I'm never seen them that long anywhere. More like 15 to 60 cm / 6" to to 2 feet long. Those I see most often are about 46cm / 2 feet.

I agree about the feel. In 1983 my DW gave me chef's knife for Christmas. The sales person told her that if I didn't like the feel I could bring it back and pick out another knife. I didn't care for how the knife felt in my hand so we took it back and I picked a 9.5" that felt right. That knife is still my go-to for heavier cutting. I have a 10" with a thinner spine that I love for prepping onions. It's balance is better for that task.

Monday: spicy bucatini with olives Tuesday: haddock baked with sweet peppers and fennel, rice pilaf and spinach

They are usually like 1 m / 3 feet ish tall.

@Paul Bacino Congratulations . A Kudos your way. Perfectly done. Perfect .

Wagyu Arm Roast-SV @129 20 hrs. Hit on charcoal grill--so tender ( You didn't need a against grain cut )

Thanks @lindag. Please let us know when you find it!

I put yesterday’s smoked salmon and dill waffles from Waffles from Morning to Midnight by Dorie Greenspan over in the topic dedicated to that book but I’ll go ahead and add the photo here, too. The waffles have diced onion, fresh dill and smoked salmon in the waffle, topped with sour cream, salmon roe and scallions Today, I thawed and reheated one of the onion and dill waffles from yesterday. For the toppings, I stuck close to what I had at a local waffle place last week. I made whipped goat cheese with capers, fresh thyme and oregano and spread that on the waffle. Then a pile of arugula, julienne cut smoked salmon, pickled red onion, caramelized lemon and salmon roe.

After checking this out I decided it looks like the perfect knife for me. And, it's now back in stock! Update: woops., the 90mm is still out of stock.

@gfweb good question . I rarely work w dark meat chicken. ' traditional ' thought is that dark meat chicken // turkey is cooked to an internal temperature [ at equilibrium ? ] to a higher temp than white meat. reason : its unclear , but probably because 1 ) its always done that way 2 ) dark meat is tougher 3 ) who knows why the value of carefully managed SV is that you get tenderness w time and temp is ' doneness ' i.e. rare , medium , etc picking a higher temp will further contract the meat , leaving more jus in the bag , not the meat . so I picked a ' white meat ' temp , added more time for the ' dark-ness ' just to see what happens . lets say a reasonable time to get tenderness is ( pick your time HERE ) I added a few hours , which I don't think will ruin the CkLegs. ( reviews of this time // temp pending ) I'll be happy w underdone-ish ( rare , etc ) as the meat is going to be used in future dishes where it might further cook . so that's the story , so far. temps for dark meat , via the internet ( variable signal // noise ) are Ill take a pic of the meat when I use some , and comment on the results F.D.: no copy and paste was used , then claimed as my own original work, for any of the above work .