I've lived in the western environs for six years and am still bumping into funky nooks. After a little shopping in Stonestown, I pull off Sunset onto Noriega, because somewhere on there lies the Kingdom of Dumpling. Sure enough, past the Safeway with rooftop parking and countless budget restaurants, there it is, next to Boomerang Cocktail Lounge. (People apparently smoke in there. Elbo?)
I literally jog in and stop in front of the line of top-loading fridges filled with bags of frozen goodness, some of which has been made that day and is ready to steam. I'm immediately attended to and walked through a purchase --- what needs steaming, boiling or simply a quick nuke. Quite a few things are recognizable from my brunches and lunches, even the sesame balls for dessert, though I'm not sure if those are for steaming, boiling or a quick nuking. They even have a couple kinds of buns and pot stickers.
For two big bags of pork dumplings, a flat of a dozen fresh Shanghai-style pork and ginger dim-sum pieces and four Chinese vegetable buns, the tally is about $22. I run home and steam the first half-dozen Shanghai dumplings in the double boiler for 7 minutes; the next batch will go in for 6.
Dumplings seem like a great thing to have on hand for weekend brunches, weeknight meals or even tasty snacks. No need to commit to a whole sit-down scene. (The Kingdom also has a restaurant, my salesperson tells me, handing me a card. It's on Taraval between 27th and 28th.) Why doesn't someone open a bunch of dim sum bars with a quick-service counter? Beats me. I'll have to hop down to Noriega more often.
6/14/08
6/11/08
Laz & Lash: Satiating South of Market
From: Laz
To: Lash
Ah yes, the red-rice with toasted coriander. Kristen had that. But it's not just coriander that's in there; there's also some lemon zest, and perhaps more. I see your point about the magic of the chef, and I want to add something else. Camargue red rice is indeed a pretty foodie ingredient, but there's that imagination with the lemon and the seasoning and the other grilled veg that complement the ramekin-size serving.
The dish looks like something that came together as a staff meal, or as a clean-out-the-fridge thing on a lazy Monday. People eat lots of rice, but that plate brings in other elements in a certain way that speaks to what South Park's doing right. Consider my entree, going backwards: red cabbage, lentils, porcini mushroom, duck breast. Most home cooks have at least two, maybe three of those ingredients on hand in general (if not the red cabbage, then maybe Napa; if not lentils, then cannellini). Add a little bacon or pancetta -- you always have some of that, don't you? -- and bam! You're on your way. The protein almost seems incidental.
But it takes a trip to South Park for me to figure this out, because in my own kitchen the recipe repertoire gets trod repeatedly. Isn't that why most people head out, to be turned on, along with some spice magic?
-----Original Message-----
To: Laz
From: Lash
Spice magic is in fact a product of good forward thinking. I think that's what you're saying. If so, perhaps it's the kitchen corollary to the old saw that you make your own luck.
What we don't see is the 10 times (100? 1,000?) that Ward made the Camargue rice plate and said nope, this ain't gonna make it. Perhaps he hit it on the nose on the first try, but more likely he spent hours in the lab over his bunsen burner. It's a nice story, anyway.
Which bring us to your final point: getting off the recipe treadmill. Funny, but my advice to you goes back to spice magic. Find something you've never or rarely cooked with. One of my discoveries was zataar -- discovered, in fact, in the back of my spice nook, where it had been sitting unused for years, which probably means I'll be doubly impressed once I start working with a fresh batch. Anyhoo, I started with the zataar and wondered what I could do with it.
That led to a round of experimentation: unadulterated, a dry rub on meats. Or mixed into yogurt as a raita flavoring or as a tandoori-ish coating for roasted or broiled meats. Or mixed into salad dressings.
Recently the spice du jour is cumin. I wrote about it re: turkey burgers, but we've been schprinkling it in many places. Oh, behave!
To: Lash
Ah yes, the red-rice with toasted coriander. Kristen had that. But it's not just coriander that's in there; there's also some lemon zest, and perhaps more. I see your point about the magic of the chef, and I want to add something else. Camargue red rice is indeed a pretty foodie ingredient, but there's that imagination with the lemon and the seasoning and the other grilled veg that complement the ramekin-size serving.
The dish looks like something that came together as a staff meal, or as a clean-out-the-fridge thing on a lazy Monday. People eat lots of rice, but that plate brings in other elements in a certain way that speaks to what South Park's doing right. Consider my entree, going backwards: red cabbage, lentils, porcini mushroom, duck breast. Most home cooks have at least two, maybe three of those ingredients on hand in general (if not the red cabbage, then maybe Napa; if not lentils, then cannellini). Add a little bacon or pancetta -- you always have some of that, don't you? -- and bam! You're on your way. The protein almost seems incidental.
But it takes a trip to South Park for me to figure this out, because in my own kitchen the recipe repertoire gets trod repeatedly. Isn't that why most people head out, to be turned on, along with some spice magic?
-----Original Message-----
To: Laz
From: Lash
Spice magic is in fact a product of good forward thinking. I think that's what you're saying. If so, perhaps it's the kitchen corollary to the old saw that you make your own luck.
What we don't see is the 10 times (100? 1,000?) that Ward made the Camargue rice plate and said nope, this ain't gonna make it. Perhaps he hit it on the nose on the first try, but more likely he spent hours in the lab over his bunsen burner. It's a nice story, anyway.
Which bring us to your final point: getting off the recipe treadmill. Funny, but my advice to you goes back to spice magic. Find something you've never or rarely cooked with. One of my discoveries was zataar -- discovered, in fact, in the back of my spice nook, where it had been sitting unused for years, which probably means I'll be doubly impressed once I start working with a fresh batch. Anyhoo, I started with the zataar and wondered what I could do with it.
That led to a round of experimentation: unadulterated, a dry rub on meats. Or mixed into yogurt as a raita flavoring or as a tandoori-ish coating for roasted or broiled meats. Or mixed into salad dressings.
Recently the spice du jour is cumin. I wrote about it re: turkey burgers, but we've been schprinkling it in many places. Oh, behave!
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