Cook & eat cuisines from around the world without getting on a plane
how social media cooking videos have given me the tools to cook outside my comfort zone
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Relationship with cooking videos
What’s your relationship with cooking videos? You know, the ones you see on the social media pages you haunt. The ones that tell you exactly what to pour, or the ones that haphazardly toss ingredients into pots and pans without explaining measurements or giving recipes. Whatever the videos might be that you’re watching, why are you watching them? For me, they scroll by and I automatically know which ones I’m going to like and which I’m never going to make. My phone is full of saved “recipes” which all promise a quick and easy weeknight dinner or how to make your own marshmallows. The videos are endless but what I do love is that it inspires me to look at my ingredients with a new lens. It keeps me creating, replicating, and tweaking my own recipes to find my own perfect weeknight dinner creation.
So last night, when I locked eyes with my head of cauliflower in the fridge, both of us wondering what would become of it, I decided to take to the social sites. Cauliflower is an easy dish to write off - just roast it and throw it on the side of a protein. But in an effort to eat less meat proteins during the week, I decided it needed to be the star. A quick social search led me to the food sensational videos by Mob kitchen and straight to a recipe for what they’ve named cauli and peanut curry. Because the recipe and ingredients are hidden and only available for Mob+ customers, I took to watching the video with a careful eye, tweaked ingredients and came out with a version of my own. A cauliflower and spinach coconut curry with pilaf rice. Not a meat based protein in sight and half way through the dish, I had to put the fork down. The addition of chickpeas and coconut milk give the dish a creamy consistency which packs the punch in protein and fats - something to take note of when cooking with coconut milk. There’s many health studies around the use and consumption of coconut milk on your health - I’m no doctor so I suggest you look into the benefits or lack of benefits it can play as a part of your diet. Some include anti-inflammatory benefits, the addition of magnesium and copper, and even improving cholesterol. Again, not a nutritionist or a doctor, just a sucker for anything that proves eating something delicious can be “good” for you. But what I will tell you for certain is that it’s delicious and a convenient way to put a spin on lots of your favorite dishes.
What’s saved in my social media library?
Here are a few videos that I love and look forward to making. My hope is that they offer a bit of kitchen travel and open me up to new ingredients, flavors, and fun nights of cooking. These videos have taken me around the world and back again - there’s so much fun in sourcing the ingredients and trying new methods that might seem daunting to you, but, in reality, are a staple in most peoples kitchens. What’s saved in your library of cooking videos? Put links in the comments so we can all try them here!!
Cooking cultures
What I do love about cooking videos on social media is the introduction to recipes, cultures, and new ingredients. If there’s one thing social media does give us, it’s the ability to see and experience a small smidge of culture from anywhere in the world. As much as I’d like to travel through India or China or eat at a street market in Bangkok, sometimes it’s not possible. Creating and sharing these stories of food and culture through video is a powerful tool - one of the many reasons why I began working in television in the first place (side note: I work in the television industry as well for those of you who don’t know. And I’m also available for the next gig - just another side note, ha!)
The most fascinating thing about cooking with a variation of ingredients and pantry items is finding a way to cook dishes from different cultures. Maybe you’ve never cooked with coconut milk at all and don’t know where to start. The beautiful thing is that cooking opens the doors to new worlds, people, and places that maybe you’ve never even traveled to. It invites you to learn and engage yourself in someone else’s story outside of your own - even if that’s through research, reading and testing the recipes. Sometimes it’s difficult to recreate something you’ve never tasted in the first place, but that’s also the beauty of stepping out of your comfort zone in the kitchen - you have to rely on your gut instincts and basic set of tools that already make you a great cook when cooking the dishes you already know. Follow the main principles of salt, fat, acid, heat (for those of you who haven’t seen the series by Samin Nostrat on Netflix, I highly encourage you to watch it) and you’ll have no problem trying to cook new things. Yes, if you can get your hands on an authentic curry in a restaurant, I implore you to try it - it will lend a hand to you in the kitchen when you’re wracking your brain and waking up your taste buds in order to recall a specific food memory. Take note of things like consistency, acidity, sweet or savoriness - these tools and food memories will be clear guide that are sure to help you master any dish. It’s an exciting world of things to eat and cook out there, so do yourself a favor and step out of your comfort zone!
Living in West London, I’ve found it easy to find just about any ingredient I want - it’s something I don’t take for granted. When we were in the midst of possibly moving to Oxford, my initial thought was, what am I going to do for ingredients and spices? I even went so far as to come up with a plan of coming down to London just to make grocery trips. It’s an exaggeration that I no longer have to think about as I’m still just a skip away from my local market, but one that I wasn’t taking lightly. Cooking for me is my way of being creative. What better way to be creative than to try new things until they work. Sometimes I cook simply - with few ingredients and seasonings. Other times with lots of spices and ingredients like fresh curry leaves, which add beautiful hints of citrus and anise, but also elements of bitter notes and dark aromas. There’s so much fun to have when you’re open to trying new ingredients. Play with your ingredients and surely, you’ll eat good food.
A cold and wet week ahead
Like any rainy week in London, it’s time to break out all the comforting dishes. This week, we’ll be making the cauliflower coconut curry but also I’m here to remind you that the archive is always available to you. So here’s a weeks worth of some of my favorite warming dishes from the standing reservation archive.
Tonight: you’re going to make the cauliflower coconut curry from this week’s installment
Wednesday: Mom’s chicken and rice
Thursday: Giovedì gnocchi
Friday: Monkfish stew
Saturday: Amatriciana
Sunday: Polpette al limone
Monday: Pumpkin and sausage risotto
What’s the weather like where you are? Interested in dishes that aren’t for cold weather? Maybe it’s summer where you are or maybe you’re dreaming of summer. Here’s a few recipes to make that will either be perfect for your warm weather gathering or will have you dreaming of summer in no time…
Cauliflower, spinach, chickpea and coconut curry
I hope you enjoy this warm and hearty dish. If you’re not a huge spinach fan, think about adding some kale for greens. You could swap the cauliflower for broccoli which might make a nice creamy broccoli soup. You could add some broken pasta to create a twist on the classic Italian dish, chickpea and pasta. The options are yours - explore, play and eat well!
Serves 2
1/2 a yellow onion, sliced
2 tsp of turmeric spice
2 tsp of fennel seed spice
2 tsp of coriander spice
4 tbsp of olive oil
1 can of coconut milk (400ml)
1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
1 cup of chickpeas (already cooked)
Few handfuls of spinach leaves
1 cup of water or vegetable broth
Cooked rice, rice noodles, or pilaf to serve
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oven to 200C/400F. Toss the cauliflower with 2 tbsp olive oil and season with salt. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes or until tender with a knife and turning golden brown.
Meanwhile, in a pot over medium heat, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add the sliced yellow onion and cook for a few minutes until turning opaque. Add the turmeric, fennel, and coriander spice to the softened onions. Stir until the onions are completely coated. Add the can of coconut milk to the onion and spice mixture. Add the cup of chickpeas along with one cup of water or vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Once the cauliflower is cooked, add them to the pot. Add a few handfuls of spinach to your liking. Stir and allow the spinach to wilt. Taste the liquid in order to adjust the seasoning - if you need more salt, season and taste again.
Serve with your choice of rice, rice noodles, or rice pilaf. Enjoy!
Until next time at a standing reservation…
With love & snacks,
Paige
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