Top five recipe posts of 2021 on Burnt My Fingers

Posted on October 12, 2021 by Burnt My Fingers
Halal Guys Sauces

On the left, the original Halal Guys White Sauce; on the right, our adaptation.

We reported our five most popular non-recipe posts of the year the other day; now let’s cut to the chase with the most-clicked-on recipes of 2021. As with the previous post, we’ve made an adjustment to upgrade the recipes that were preferred by our regular readers vs. those that were liked by the folks who flocked here in the depths of the pandemic and have since dwindled. The downgraded recipes (and there’s nothing wrong with them, they’re just not in our top 5) are at the bottom of this list.

  1. Halal Guys White Sauce. It’s almost too easy to make the mild topping which is served along with the fiery red sauce at the iconic street food stands (and now strip mall locations). So maybe you should draw out the experience by reading this post first, followed by this one.
  1. Vinegar Peppers. This one is pure comfort food, and it’s an essential element if you are not eating out as much and recreating the menus of your favorite red sauce places at home. Do try the related recipe for Chicken Riggies, in which these peppers have a big role.
  1. The Colonel’s KFC Three-Bean Salad. We feel like our copycat recipe for KFC Cole Slaw is pretty close, but this one is a dead ringer. You’ll have to take our word for it since the fried chicken stores discontinued the bean salad, to the lament of many of our readers.
  1. Thai Chili Vinegar. We’re noticing a trend here: the most popular recipes of 2021 are also the easiest to make. This is the stuff that is on the table at every Thai restaurant in the world, providing sweet, sour and spicy all in one spoonful.
  1. Bone Bread. Ha ha, this is not at all easy to make and it’s also not a real recipe but a riff on a basic white bread with a ghoulish twist for Halloween. Munch it with some stinky cheese and maybe blood sausage while you’re waiting for the trick-or-treaters.

The also rans, two recipes that would have placed in the top five if we cut off our poll in February:

Amish Creamed Celery. A perennial favorite that will probably return to our top five next year. Celery has a lot of significance to the Amish, as explained in the post, yet we couldn’t find a recipe cooking with it so we created our own.

Instant Pot Sourdough Bread. The popularity of this post is doubtless due to the search gods, and we bet not that many people have actually made it. If you do, you’ll be rewarded with a sourer-than-usual product that may or may not be reminiscent of the loaves produced by the Larraburu Bakery in San Francisco.

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Top five non-recipe posts of 2021

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Burnt My Fingers
Lan Chi Chili Garlic Paste

Lan Chi Chili Paste with Garlic. We tell how to get it in top post #4.

It’s time to report the most popular recipe and non-recipe posts on Burnt My Fingers, measured by the number of clicks over the past twelve months. However, this year we have an unusual situation because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our readership more than doubled during the early months when everything was moving online. As things improved, many of these new readers peeled off toward better climes.

We appreciate their time on Burnt My Fingers and wish them well, but it doesn’t seem right to include them our annual top posts reports. So we are making a one-time exception and downgrading a couple of posts that were popular in the pandemic months, less so with our current readers.

  1. The Halal Guys white sauce mystery… SOLVED! This post has been at the top of our list ever since it was published in 2018. People seem to want to cut to the chase rather than reading this post which is about all the shenanigans leading up to our discovery. If you want to make your own version of the Greek-style white sauce served at the popular food stands and now strip mall franchises, dig in.
  2. Best mayonnaise taste test: Hellman’s vs Duke’s vs Kewpie. This post wasn’t published till we were four months into 2021, so it’s impressive that it vaulted into the #2 position. As with the white sauce post, be sure to read the comments. Some folks think we have it exactly right, while others say we’re full of hooey.
  3. The sauce that made Mr. Durkee famous. An ancient post (from 2010) that keeps ‘em coming year after year. Truth to tell, we only think about Durkee’s Famous Sauce at Thanksgiving turkey time, but there are a lot of folks out there who think differently. We had to revise it because the company that makes Durkee’s lost interest in the product and took down a lot of the links we’d originally provided. Our readers certainly have a different impression.
  4. Lan Chi Chili Paste with Garlic. A newcomer in our top five! Lan Chi is our preferred chili sauce for generic applications such as Chinese takeout, and it’s all but disappeared from grocery shelves for reasons explained in the post. We tell you how to get it, and a lot of folks seem to appreciate this.
  5. The truth about Amish buffets. A post from a few years back that has climbed in popularity during the Pandemic, maybe because readers like to dream about the good old days where you could fill your plate at all-you-can-eat buffets. If that appeals to you, this post might be of interest though the tips it provides are not currently applicable.

Who got cut to make room for these guys (at the #4 and #5 positions)? Test driving the Misen nonstick skillet describes an early user’s experience which is now obsolete a few product turns down the road. And The cure for watery steak solves a problem we didn’t realize we had. Perhaps our newer readers were cooking steaks at home last winter, then went back to their favorite steakhouses when quarantines were eased.

Next: the top five recipe posts of 2021.

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Too Good To Go

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Burnt My Fingers
Yummy BBQ TGTG

My $5.99 Too Good To Go (TGTG) special from Yummy BBQ Kitchen.

Too Good To Go (TGTG) is an app that matches up restaurants looking to get rid of leftover food at the end of the day and consumers looking to score a bargain. You pay in advance for a mystery box—the most common price seems to be $5.99 including tax—and pick it up in a narrow window of time.

The Bay Area Eats group on Facebook has lots of posts from happy people who ordered through TGTG. I will join them with the box I picked up at Yummy BBQ Kitchen in Chinatown, a place I’ve visited previously with good smoked duck and friendly service. My box had no duck but it did include generous amounts of sweet and sour chicken and a chicken/mushroom/tofu combo over fried rice. It’s easily enough for two meals.

Larger restaurants may have arrangements with food banks, but that requires a team of dedicated people to collect the food and then distribute it while it’s still viable. TGTG eliminates this hurdle by making the consumer do the legwork. Some restaurants have been criticized on the FB group for measly portions, but most seem to realize this is a smart way to attract new customers who will come back at regular prices if they like the food.

I had assumed TGTG was a Bay Area phenomenon—another version of creative takeout that emerged during the pandemic—but in fact it is an international movement based in Denmark. The website has quite a bit of information and some lofty goals for 2020; in other words it hasn’t been updated in a while. But that’s okay because the basic concept seems to run on its own. TGTG was incorporated as a B Corp in the US in 2020 and is now available in New York, Boston, Jersey City and Washington DC as well as San Francisco with more cities planned.

If you are in one of the target cities, or if you want to get on the list so you are notified when TGTG comes to your area, you should download the app (it’s free, for iOS and Google Play) and set up an account. Good food for cheap while you fight food waste… what’s not to like?

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This Thai beef soup is the best thing I have ever eaten

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Burnt My Fingers
Kings Thai Beef Soup

Guay Tiew Ruer Nuer Puir, Beef Soup with flat noodles, from King’s Thai #1.

What’s the best thing you have ever eaten? To me it would be this Guay Tiew Ruer Nuer Puir—#3 Thai soup with beef stew—at King’s Thai #1 on Clement St. I have a list of must-eats whenever I return to San Francisco, and this bowl of wonder has risen to the top. I now make a beeline for the 38 Geary (actually the 1 California this time, which was closer to my hotel) as soon as I get into town.

I always order it with flat noodles, which provide the maximum surface area to absorb the magnificent broth which is funky with long-simmered beef parts and aromatics, and I request the birds eye chili sauce (the little dish at the top of the photo) which is too spicy to leave on the table because it could easily ruin a meal. I have a few sips of soup to calibrate my taste buds, then pour in the little dish of sauce and stir thoroughly so I don’t get too much at one time, which causes coughing fits. Then I dig in. There’s bean sprouts, a wilted green vegetable (usually spinach), and copious amounts of beef offal (usually intestines, sometimes tendon as well) and the beef stew made with stringy long-muscle pieces that get caught in your teeth so you will continue to experience the meal long after you finish it. It takes me a good half hour to get to the bottom of the bowl, savoring every bite.

During the darkest days of the pandemic, King’s Thai #1 was closed to inside diners and you would order at a makeshift plywood table that blocked the entrance. You’d get the broth in a big plastic container along with the meat, the noodles and vegetables in a separate Chinese takeout box, and the hot sauce carefully wrapped in its own little dish. It’s every bit as good (and consistent) reheated in your hotel room or eaten in your own bowl from the top of a car.

At one time, I would have said Snow’s brisket was the best thing I had ever eaten. But that’s a virtuoso solo, while King’s Thai’s Guay Tiew Ruer Nuer Puir is a symphony. If you find yourself in the Bay Area, do not fail to get some.

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Recipe: Esquites (Mexican roasted corn salad)

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Burnt My Fingers
Esquites

Esquites are the better-behaved version of Mexican street corn.

Esquites are the grown-up, raised-pinky version of elotes, the popular “Mexican street corn” ears which are roasted on a grill and slathered with mayonnaise and spices. Because the niblets are off the cob the product is easier to manage and can be served in a bowl alongside other dinner items. Serves 4.

Ingredients
2 ears good quality corn
2 T mayonnaise
2 T chopped cilantro
2 T chopped green onions (including a lot of the green part)
1 t Taijin seasoning or Trader Joe’s Elote seasoning, or chili powder with a splash of lime juice
2 T cotija cheese (use another crumbly white cheese, like feta, if cotija is not available
½ jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped fine (optional)

Esquites Popcorn

Corn niblets and Taijin, caramelizing in the wok for Esquites.

Method: cut the niblets off the corn; you’ll have about 2 c. Heat a wok or cast iron pan very hot and add the corn*; let the corn caramelize until the hot side is a toasty brown. Stir to expose other sides to heat and continue cooking until all surfaces are well caramelized, about 5 minutes total. (Don’t be surprised if a few niblets jump out of the pan, like popcorn.) Mix in seasoning while the corn is still on the fire to toast it a bit, then transfer to a bowl and mix in other ingredients. Serve hot, cold or at room temperature.

*Thanks to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt for this cooking technique.

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Recipe: Purple Hull Peas

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Burnt My Fingers
Purple Hull Peas

Purple hull peas make a nice side dish on a plate of fried chicken.

Purple hull peas are prized down south, and this born Southerner is lucky to have a fresh supply locally in upstate New York. They are preferred because they have a less-earthy taste than black eye peas, and also I suspect there’s a snob factor because they’re hard to find. At any rate they’re delicious, especially when prepared fresh using this recipe. Serves 4.

Ingredients
2 c shucked purple hull peas
2 c or more chicken stock or water
2 T bacon fat (we use the really smoky stuff from our Benton bacon)
half a yellow onion, peeled
1 t (or more*) Kosher salt

Purple Hull Peas Shelled

Shelling peas is meditative but slow. Consider doing when watching TV.

Method: simmer peas in enough water or stock to cover with bacon fat, onion and salt. Cook until peas are tender but not squish and onion has completely cooked down, about 1-2 hours, replenishing water as needed. You should end up with tender peas and a bit of pot liquor. Serve with a green onion to munch on and plenty of pepper sauce.

*Finished dish should be on the salty side, so feel free to add more after tasting.

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Recipe: Cumin Cole Slaw

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Burnt My Fingers
Cumin Cole Slaw

Cumin Cole Slaw. This stuff’s so good, it was almost gone before i could get a picture.

Cumin Cole Slaw relies on one simple ingredient for a refreshing twist on a classic. We used napa cabbage because we had bought a huge head at H Mart in San Francisco and it turns out napa, aka “Chinese” cabbage, is great for cole slaw because of the way it shreds. Fine to use regular if you don’t have napa or it’s too expensive where you live. (As it in New York, while in California it’s cheaper than green cabbage. Go figure.) Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients
4 cups shredded cabbage, napa or green
¼ c neutral oil
2 T cider vinegar
1 t Kosher salt
½ t ground black pepper
½ t ground cumin

Method: mix all ingredients well. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Goes great with southern foods like pork chops and black eye peas.

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A special offer from Half Time Beverage

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Burnt My Fingers
Half Time IPAs

Here are my beers from the Half Time Beverage IPA sampler. Yours are guaranteed to be different.

I first encountered Half Time Beverage through the Extreme Beer Fest in Cyberspace this past winter. I was impressed with the way they packaged the rare (and expensive) beers chosen for tasting. So when I was offered a sample pack in return for writing about them, I jumped at the chance. (Full disclosure: that’s right, I got free beer for writing this article. Life Achievement #47 unlocked!)

Half Time is a retail beer store down the road from me in Poughkeepsie, NY with a second location in Mamaroneck. They have built a very busy side business shipping beers nationwide and it’s surprising how many ZIP codes are eligible. (Depends on alcohol regulations in your state or region.) The selection available for shipment changes frequently, but it’s huge and almost certainly includes beers that are not available to you locally. You can order beers individually or in sample packs and gift packs. I received the IPA sampler pack and of six cans there was only one beer I’d encountered before and I’ve had quite a few IPAs.

Half Time Packaging

Half Time packaging keeps your beers safe and happy en route.

This wondrous convenience does not come cheap. There’s a markup on the beers, and you will have to pay for shipping as well on most items (some items, like gift packs, have shipping built in). If you are a serious beer head like the folks who pony up for $30 four-packs at my local beer store, you probably won’t mind. Right now, though, there is a special underway due to the unfortunate circumstance that their warehouse in Mamaroneck was flooded in last week’s hurricane.

While they last, you can get a “Mystery Box” of IPAs, lagers, sours or mixed craft beers for as low as $12 a six pack. The beers are certified to be clean and tasty. A mystery box (or one of the samplers) is the way I would order anyway… it’s a pleasure to discover a new brewery that makes delicious product. This offer is only good until their flood inventory is sorted out, so don’t wait. And don’t be surprised if you come back for more at their regular prices.

Get your order started at halftimebeverage.com; the link to the mystery boxes is in the top menu and there’s a search box if you want to look for something special. (I was delighted to discover they currently have 3 selections from a recent favorite, Drowned Lands.) You’ll be asked to input your ZIP code almost immediately to be sure you’re eligible. Cheers!

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Food for Thought: Gastro Obscura Recreating Ancient Recipes

Posted on September 1, 2021 by Burnt My Fingers
Pigeon Pie

Here’s the Babylonian Pigeon Pie you’ll make in the first session of Recreating Ancient Recipes. Photo by Manoocher Deghati.

Gastro Obscura: Recreating Ancient Recipes. We are long time readers of the Gastro Obscura website devoted to arcane food cultures and history, and we noticed they have started offering virtual “experiences” in these times of less getting together in person. Recreating Ancient Recipes is especially interesting: a three-part series in which you will “become a culinary archaeologist as we recreate dishes from ancient Mesopotamia, ancient Rome, and the Mediterranean Middle Ages.” More blurbage from the website:

“Together, we’ll turn our kitchens into vessels for gastronomic time travel, using historical recipes and modern ingredients to create dishes from ancient Mesopotamia, ancient Rome, and the Mediterranean Middle Ages. We’ll focus on the Middle East, Southern Europe, and the Mediterranean region, tracing ancient foodways and trade routes along the Mediterranean Sea and the lasting legacy they had on several regional cuisines. From Babylonian fowl pie to Mustacei, we’ll treat each recipe we cover as a portal to the past, looking at the traditions, culinary innovations, and societal values it was steeped in. We’ll explore how various foods, cooking methods, and notions of “healthy eating” were viewed across time, and what a profession in the food industry of yore may have entailed. By the end of the course, you’ll not only have a deeper understanding of ancient Babylonian, Roman, and Mediterranean cuisines, but also the knowledge and skills to weave elements of them into your own cooking practice.”

Tuition is $235 for three seminars, each of which lasts two hours with the first one on September 25 with “Babylonian: Fowl pie and Mersu”;  registration and more information on this page. The seminar leader is culinary historian Ursula Janssen, whose ancient foods cookbook Garum (affiliate link) can be purchased on Amazon. There’s also an Apple podcast interview with her if you want to brush up on the topic before the seminar (or maybe instead of, if $$ is an issue). Check it out!

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Recipe: Best Way Pesto

Posted on August 26, 2021 by Burnt My Fingers
Finished Pesto

Best Way Pesto in its finished state, after cheese and olive oil are added.

Best Way Pesto starts with a mortar and pestle, finishes in a food processor. This creates maximum flavor because the plant cells are broken down through pounding, then chopped into an even consistency which we found was not possible without exposure to a sharp blade. (Kenji has a special mortar and pestle that break up the leaves, but our method works fine with what is already in your kitchen.) Makes about ¾ c, enough for 3 plates of 4 servings of each when tossed with spaghetti along with more oil and parmesan.

Ingredients:
2 c fresh basil leaves, loosely compacted
½ t Kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 T walnuts or pine nuts*
½ cup grated Parmesan or Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil

Pesto in Mortar

This is the best I could do at grinding the basil with mortar & pestle. Leaves are squashed but still discrete.

Method: pound/stir the garlic and salt with the mortar and pestle until pulverized; add nuts and mix to a paste the consistency of peanut butter. Add basil leaves a handful at a time and pound. Transfer to food processor and add cheese and a little oil; blend till smooth then add the additional oil in 2 more steps, blending till smooth each time. If using the same day, transfer to a refrigerator dish and pour a little oil on top so the pesto won’t cover; otherwise spoon ¼ cup at a time onto a piece of plastic wrap then fold up and freeze till needed. When serving, mix with hot cooked pasta adding additional cheese and oil to taste.

*Pine nuts are traditional, but very expensive these days. The nuts are mostly an emulsifier and don’t add a lot of flavor so walnuts are fine.

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