This will be a long line of different blog posts talking about the new stuff I've done during the days to come. So without further adieu, let's start.
Today I learned how to cook some stir-fry. The process was simple in itself, not too complex like what I've done to make both fried rice and General Tso's chicken, using popcorn chicken and a bottle of pre-made General Tso's sauce. I instead started by cutting up half a pound of raw chicken, then cut up some onions and broccoli to add a few vegies into the mix. Carrots needed to be peeled a bit before they were cut. The chicken was put into a bowl and doused with a bit of salt and pepper, afterwards applying some of the Stir-Fry sauce from the Kikkoman brand. It was okay, for the most part. The rice is poured into a small pot, probably about 1 cup or so, and then 1 cup of water is poured in. Cover, stove is turned up high, allowing for the water to boil. As this happens, two tablespoons of stir-fry oil is poured into a separate pan, and stove is put on medium heat. The onions are the first to be put into the pan. Stir until softened. Then the other vegetables are put into the pan as well, stirring those as well. Cook until softened. It was around this point that the rice had absorbed most of the liquid and tenderized. It is okay if some of it sticks to the bottom of the pan, just set it to low heat, or just turn it off all together and let it sit until stir-fried chicken is done. Pour chicken into pan with vegetables and stir in, cooking until meat is no longer pink. about around a cup of the stir-fry sauce is poured over vegetables and chicken, then stirred in. Let it cook until you can cut the chicken down the middle. Serve in a bowl on top of rice.
I guess it was okay to learn a bit more about cooking. Of course, I didn't really have to learn anything about cooking in general. Of course you have to watch and make sure nothing catches on fire and look after the food to make sure it doesn't burn. I knew abit about this kind of stuff before anyone came along to tell me all from just looking it up on the internet, and using a bit of common sense. All I did learn was a new recipe. That's about it.
As for how the food tastes. Well, it's food. Only thing that stood out to me were the carrots. Because I bought fresh carrots and cut them up, I think they were, I guess, sweet then the carrots I'm use to eating, from pre-made dinners. The vegetables weren't as tender as I'd hope they would be. I'd probably rectify that in the future. Maybe add a bit of water and cover the pan before cooking the chicken.
This experience wasn't exactly the most thrilling thing. It was just a very mediocre experience, cause well, I wasn't actually learning anything. I could've probably done most of this stuff myself had I looked it up online or just got a bit curious and tried to find new foods to cook. But I guess I now have something to show off to the family, even if it really isn't show-off worthy, at least to me.
I'm not the type of guy who enjoys cooking. It's just a means to an end, and it's healthier for you anyway. I enjoy gaming and watching things on the computer than I ever will cooking. Now creating something on the computer, that is a whole different story. This is Reese Hoffman, signing out.
Although I'm someone who does a lot of writing and other creative work on a computer, I also love cooking, perhaps because I don't think of either of them as means to an end but as creation games that use different tools. Just like I need to know all the tools available to me in my programs, and how they work, I need to know lots about the foods I'm using to cook. Where did they come from? Are they bushes? Roots? Vines? Did they once breathe like I do? What happens to their color and texture as I add heat at different levels, and mix them with other kinds of foods?
ReplyDeleteEggs, for example, are incredibly wild. The idea of eating something that emerged from the behind of a bird is odd to start with, and the idea that the stuff in eggs might have coalesced into a real living bird is amazing given what it looks like. If you don't cook them right they can kill you. Depending on how you cook them they can be crafted into giant fluffy peaks (merenge), hard bi-colored balls, smooth as silk curds, salty and savory, or an essential part of a sweet chocolate cake.
Food is like poetry made of matter rather than words. When it cooks it talks to you in the sounds it makes, and the complexity of its physicality is something that requires every one of our senses-- smell, touch and taste as well as sight and hearing-- to truly understand. In that respect it even trumps words. It has its own multi-dimensional grammar.
I love my work with words and images on the computer, but I never want to stop creating with food too.
Hope your next stir fry is a creative exploration and not just a means to an end. Get Matt to show you some of those wild Indian dishes he makes-- hard to be neutral about those . . .