I love all kinds of muffins, but I really enjoy making savory ones.
Orange lentils are something, aren’t they?
The color is just amazing.
I like to cook them in a big pot and add them to everything, from soup to salad, to stir fry.
So why not muffins, right?
These muffins were flavored with curry and filled with orange lentils, broccoli, and scallion.
These are perfect for a quick breakfast, lunch, snack, or midnight snack.
Can you tell I love them?
You must have guessed that I was going to post this.
Well, if you make Chashu (previous post), you are almost obligated to make ramen!
I was going to make my own noodles too, but since flour is hard to come by right now, I decided to go with store-bought ones.
These noodles are not specifically for ramen, but I like them because of its right wideness and color (slightly yellow).
And you know what?
The ingredients are good too.
Other similar noodles I found at the same store contain yellow #5 and 6, but this one uses turmeric to add the yellow color.
So much better.
I was super happy with the result.
Doesn’t my vegan Chashu look great?
Chashu is Japanese braised pork, which is a popular topping option for ramen.
I used Kuruma-Fu, which is a Japanese gluten product and has been used for many many years.
They are sold dry like this.
You soak them in water for about 30 minutes.
You remove excess water from them, coat with corn starch, and fry with oil.
They have a wonderful meat-like texture.
Chashu glaze: 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1~1.5 tablespoon sugar, 1/2~1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon paste, grated garlic from 2 cloves
My first sourdough pancakes!
Making my own sourdough starter was on my bucket list for a long time.
I had visited several sites to learn how to start, but every time I would get discouraged because it sounded too complicated, UNTIL I found https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/make-sourdough-starter-scratch .
Her instructions are brief and straightforward, which encouraged me to finally try.
It’s on its way, but I think I have a few more days to go before I get to see it fully matured.
But since it is showing nice bubbles, I was ready to try her pancake recipe.
(I just used a mixture of flax meal and water in place of eggs to make them plant-based.)
Doesn’t this batter look great?
They turned out absolutely perfect!
My husband said these taste like the ones you get at an upscale restaurant, and he declared that this is the only pancake he wants to eat from now on.
Well, I can happily accommodate that.
Everyone seems to have their own unique sourdough starter story, and I’m not an exception.
My journey has been crazy, and it hasn’t ended yet.
He has become a part of our family, and I’ve become his “mom.”
He is the baby of the family, and “mom and dad” have been running around the city trying to find flour so that he can be properly fed.
I know typically you can say “it’s just flour” but that has certainly changed over the past few weeks…
The new muffin pan is one of the best things I’ve purchased for the kitchen.
Muffins turn out so well with the perfect shape every single time when baked with this pan.
This is orange almond chocolate.
They sell this at Aldi.
As many sweets they sell, this one is from Europe (specifically, made in Germany) which we’ve come to conclusion that typically indicates good quality.
I thought it would be perfect to add to my orange chocolate muffins without thinking much.
Well, the chocolate melted a bit more than I expected.
But hey, it gave the interesting “design.”
Cocoa powder and orange zest added the wonderful flavors to the batter.
Orange almond chocolate chunks were stuffed inside and also placed on top.
And as you can see, an orange slice was put on top as well.
Orange and chocolate.
Love this combination.
A breakfast plate with the black pepper corn biscuits (from the previous post).
The biscuits were served with scrambled tofu, sautéed vegetables, salad leaves, and tater tots.
I was at a grocery store the other day, and I wanted to buy something I usually do not buy.
So I came home with frozen tater tots.
I cooked them in the oven, and they turned out perfectly crispy!
I’m definitely buying them again.
I served the biscuits with butter and maple syrup.
But they are tasty just as they are without them, too.
I wanted to get up early today to be productive in the morning, but when I woke up, it was already after 8:00!
I went to bed early last night just so that I could get up early.
So, that means I slept for more hours than usual.
Oh well, it was good sleep, and I probably needed it.
The reason I want to get up early is usually because I want to spend time to make good breakfast.
Today, it was a little later than I wanted to start, but I did bake biscuits.
These are savory but still have nice sweetness, just the way I like.
Corn meal and corn kernels were in the batter.
I also added a good amount of black pepper.
So good!
Love this rustic look as well.
Our fridge was getting empty, and I definitely needed to go grocery shopping today.
But I wanted to eat lunch before doing so.
I usually used pre-cooked pouches, but today I cooked those myself.
Stuff the pouches with Sushi rice.
The toppings were decided based on what was in my fridge.
Carrot sesame.
Cucumber and crunchy salted seaweed.
Shiso tomato.
Very happy with the result!
More muffins!
Raspberry flavored batter; that’s why the batter looks pink (before baked).
Sweet beans inside and on top.
on the top you can also see lingonberry jam and almond crumb topping.
For some reason, the color turned from bright pink to purple when baked, but you can definitely taste raspberry in this muffin.
I usually go for the Matcha x sweet bean combination, but I also like to use sweet beans and berries together.
The tartness from the berries go so well with the sweet beans.
This was so yummy!!
This has become a familiar scene on my table.
A muffin, a cup of coffee, and a book.
A good way to spend time at home.
“Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” is one of my favorite Foodnetwork shows.
I love the host, Mr. Fieri’s energy, and I also get a lot of food ideas from the show.
A few days ago I saw him visiting a Jamaican restaurant, and the chef was making a chicken dish with “ginger gravy.”
When I heard it, I knew I had to try it.
Ginger gravy!
Doesn’t it sound great?
Well, luckily the chef was showing how to make it, and I quickly wrote it down.
The main ingredients are ginger (of course) and thyme.
Who knew you use thyme a lot for Jamaican cooking.
My gravy ended up with the color a little more red than the restaurant’s, but it tasted great.
Definitely unique and has the strong ginger flavor.
At the restaurant the dish was served with some kind of coconut bean rice, so I prepared this (my own concoction).
My husband really enjoyed this meal, saying it had very unique flavors, different from what I typically make.
That’s why I like to be exposed to foods from various countries and cultures.
Trying new food is always so much fun.
