Author Archives: Erik
Food 101: How To Make Basic Fried Rice
Let’s talk fried rice.
If you’ve had Chinese food before, you’ve had fried rice. Hell, if you’ve eaten at any Asian restaurants you’ve probably had it. Each culture seems to have its own little version of it. And for good reason too; fried rice is one of the easiest and fastest ways to convert old rice and leftovers into a tasty, nutritious meal.
Spices 101: What is Coriander? What is Cilantro?
I like to use the word coriander a lot when joking about high-class foods. Though coriander is yet another spice that sounds really complicated and fancy, but in reality isn’t as big a deal as one would think. It’s all in the name. It just sounds ritzy as hell. Four syllables, a bunch of vowels, doesn’t look like any other words… It has to be a big deal right? Weirdly enough, coriander is actually just the seeds of cilantro plants…
Coriander
Origin: Asia
Appearance: Tan, spherical seeds / coarse, beige powder
Scent: Sweet, citric
Taste: Nutty, fresh, Spice-spicy
Foods: Indian, Asian, and Middle Eastern cuisine
Rareness: Uncommon
Recipe Time: Kare-Raisu (Japanese Curry) カレーライス
I’ve gone on about curry before. But really, what’s not to like? It’s delicious, exotic, good for you, and relatively easy to make (provided you have all the ingredients). One thing that I particularly enjoy is discovering new ways to make curry dishes. Every new one I find is familiar, but has its own little twist on it. A year or so ago, I discovered the concept of Japanese curry. It’s weird to think of it, since curry itself derives from India for the most part, and is also popular in Thai cuisine as well. But Japan? No way. But that’s where “yoshoku” comes in.
The Snack Report: Nature’s Path ‘Love Crunch’ – Apple Chia Crumble
You’re all familiar with the TV Trope, the ‘granola girl‘ (or granola guy, if you will), are you not? If no, you can read up, but it’s essentially just our modern day incarnation of what hippies used to be, decades ago. Preaching love and happiness, exploring counter culture, an affinity for mother nature, etc… You get the idea.
Interestingly enough, with Meg and I’s newfound love for yoga, actual granola, and gardening, you could probably classify the two of us as a granola girl/granola guy. Interestingly especially with me, since anyone who grew up with me knew I was a major league cynical asshole in high school and college. But hey, people grow up, right? I’ve already come to grips with the fact some people consider me a hipster, so what the hell. Bring on the granola. (Though admittedly I still have no idea how to play a guitar).
Pizza Lab #35: Twix Pizza or Chocolate Caramel Cookie Pizza
A few weeks ago I was at work on the docks of Fire Island, and I saw some kids eating Starburst. Though “eating” is a really generous way of describing it, since they were all shoving like 3 or 4 pieces at a time into their shitty middle school mouths. It really made me think to myself for the first time ever, like, “Man, candy is frigging disgusting.” Just another thing reminding me that I’m getting older, I guess. But nonetheless, I will fully admit that with Halloween fast-approaching I will still probably partake in some consumption of the aforementioned sugar trash, guiltily.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate all chocolate and confections, per se, but rather the cheap and sad excuses for chocolate designed for impulse buying at every store on planet Earth. Real chocolate, decent quality chocolate is delicious, and the same goes for caramel and other sugary treats. As with everything, if you concoct your own creations at home with fresh ingredients, it’ll taste better and be better for you. That brings me to my next point… Twix Pizza.
The Poor Couple's Food Guide 
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