Sesame Oil
friggasfemme's recent post has gotten me thinking about food and foodways.
Back when I first began to dive seriously into cooking (it seems crazy to think there was a point in my life before I discovered the immense joy of cooking) I was making all sorts of new things. One of my favorite recipes at the time was stir fried spinach and rice noodles. It used a few tablespoons of rich roasted sesame oil at the end to give it a bit of much needed depth.
I remember vividly how surprised I was when I bit into a natural malt ball one day and distinctly tasted sesame oil. I could never figure out what was more surprising at the time - that a flavor I associated with stir fry should be in a candy, or that I had actually picked out a distinct flavor in a food I didn't cook.
I used to wonder how my mother knew which herbs to put with which meals (does oregano go on Italian pasta or in an Asian salad? Hmmm?). Now I can't wait to learn new flavors and use them in foods.
One of the great joys of my life.
Back when I first began to dive seriously into cooking (it seems crazy to think there was a point in my life before I discovered the immense joy of cooking) I was making all sorts of new things. One of my favorite recipes at the time was stir fried spinach and rice noodles. It used a few tablespoons of rich roasted sesame oil at the end to give it a bit of much needed depth.
I remember vividly how surprised I was when I bit into a natural malt ball one day and distinctly tasted sesame oil. I could never figure out what was more surprising at the time - that a flavor I associated with stir fry should be in a candy, or that I had actually picked out a distinct flavor in a food I didn't cook.
I used to wonder how my mother knew which herbs to put with which meals (does oregano go on Italian pasta or in an Asian salad? Hmmm?). Now I can't wait to learn new flavors and use them in foods.
One of the great joys of my life.