The real secret to being a faux gourmet.
Taste & See: The other day some classmates were admiring my lunch: a toasted pita with hummus, melted gouda cheese and prosciutto on top. "Where'd you get that?" they demanded, hoping the restaurant was in vicinity. Actually, I've been spending extraordinary amounts of time at school recently, so last week I brought in some supplies from Trader Joe and now I just head on up to my office kitchenette every day for a quick bite. There is a microwave, toaster, and a small communal fridge, all I need, with the right materials, to make a faux gourmet lunch.
The point of this story is not the deliciousness of smearing a toasted piece of pita bread with hummus, piling on chunks of gouda and strips of prosciutto and microwaving for 20 seconds. It is delicious, yes, but the point is rather the ease with which such deliciousness is obtained. It required a wee bit of thinking ahead, true: when I went to Trader Joes I had to stand in the deli section and reach for the four components of my meal, a task I could do without even moving my feet. Beyond that, the only difference between my yummy lunch and your almost-turkey sliced cold cut/American cheese sandwich (which might still be tasty, if you like fake-turkey) is good ingredients.
Lest you protest my bougie sandwich fixins' are out of your price range, let me remind you how much a slice of greasy pizza costs, and that you'd gladly pay for it because your freezer is out of burritos and you're too lazy to de-thaw a chicken breast and frozen stir-fry veggie mix. I promise you, my pita lunch costs less. [The prices are from Albertsons online]:
Hummus: $2.50, 8 oz, lasts for about 6 sandwiches
Gouda: $4.99, 7 oz, lasts for about 6 sandwiches
Prosciutto: $10.99/lb; use about 1.5 oz ounces prusciutto per sandwich
Pita bread: $2.19 for 6 pieces.
Total cost per sandwich: $2.64. Beat that.
(Not to mention superior taste & healthiness . . . )
Buying some nice grocery staples does cost a bit up front, but it enables you to make quick and easy food in lieu of ordering take-out or buying yet another slice of pizza when you're tired and don't feel like 'cooking,' and it definitely costs less in the long run. In short, it is the primary secret of being a faux gourmet.
If we're going to put our cards on the table, I will gladly admit my astounding culinary creations from my nearly-bare fridge are only possible because of the investment I'd already made in spices, sauces, and a few dried-good staples purchased in one fell swoop at the outset, now in my pantry just waiting for inspiration to strike:
So, what's a faux gourmet in the making to buy? Well, it depends on what you like, obviously, and the kinds of food you cook most often. I like to make various Asian foods, sometimes obviously Thai or Korean, sometimes a mix of my own using ingredients common to more than one cuisine.
The four ingredients above, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and fish sauce (along with sugar) provide the basic four flavors (salty, sweet, sour, spicy) perfectly balanced in every Thai dish. From this starting point, it's a small jump to a cupboard capable of whipping up quick Asian-inspired dishes in a flash.
For example , sweet soy sauce, shrimp paste, garlic and *palm sugar combine to form an incredibly rich addition to curries. In the interest of helping you along your journey to being a faux gourmet chef of the highest order, I proudl present my "Top 30" list of non-perishables to stock up on for Asian food, along with a few produce items I regularly replace. *I don't include palm sugar on this list because you can easily use brown sugar as a substitute. [Prices, when listed, are from a random grocery store in Chinatown]:
Sauces
1. Soy sauce, 20 oz ($2.95)
2. Oyster sauce (can get vegetarian version), 20 oz ($1.95)
3. Soy paste , 20 oz ($2.05)
4. Fish sauce, 25 oz ($1.45)
5. Rice vinegar, 12 oz ($2.00)
6. Sriracha sauce, 28 oz ($2.95)
7. Sweet (thick, Indonesian style) soy sauce, 21 oz ($2.00)
8. Straw Mushrooms ($1.35)
9. Baby Corn ($0.05)
10. Bamboo Slices ($1.25)
11. Pineapple ($1.65)
12. Coconut Milk ($1.15)
13. Sesame Seeds ($0.95)
14. Dried Crushed Chili ($1.25)
15. Jasmine Rice
16. Rice Noodles
17. Egg Noodles
The vegetables make a great substitute for real produce when you just can't be bothered to make a trip outside. I frequently make a basic curry paste and just toss in two or three cans of whatever I have on hand. Having lots of coconut milk is crucial!
In the Fridge
18. Onions
19. Ginger
20. Garlic
21. Curry Paste (pre-made, in flavors like Panang, Green, Red, Massuman) ($1.75)
[Curry paste packs an unreal amount of flavor in that $1.75; the lazy cook's BFF.]
22. Limes (or the juice-in-a-bottle as shown above, about $1.50 at Trader Joes's)
23. Concentrated Tamarind Paste ($1.75)
24. Bird's Eye Chilies
While these items should be refrigerated, they last a long time and don't need to be replenished too often.
Spices
25. Dried galangal powder ($1.00)
26. Dried lemongrass powder ($1.00)
27. Dried ginger powder
[Common to several southeast Asian cuisines, I've found the above in Vietnamese and Thai grocery stores.]
The cheater's version of the real thing, the three spices above are really optional, but you'll find them very handy in lieu of (often unavailable at my neighborhood supermarket) fresh lemongrass, and the distinct flavors really go a long way.
In the Freezer
28. Shrimp Paste ($3.95)
29. Dumplings
30. Whatever meat you like. You can generally make a dish with or without it, adding whatever meat (or potatoes, or tofu) you like or have on hand.
Shrimp paste: good as a subtle flavor in food, bad stinking up the kitchen. Keep in the freezer to avoid. In addition to being a handy late night snack, dumplings are a great addition to noodle dishes.
In the Fridge
Green Onions
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Dark, leafy green (kale, bok choy, etc)
Tofu, medium
Kim Chi, 32 oz ($4.75)
Fresh lemongrass
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Eggs
These foods are useful in a wide range of dishes, and obviously not just Asian ones, but of course you may adjust for whatever suits your fancy.
Sound doable? Don't be overwhelmed, with the exception of the produce, everything on this list can be purchased once and used for quite some time before you must brave the grocery store again. Unless, of course, you find cooking with these materials so fun you have a big dinner party & blow your supply in one merry evening. I'm not responsible for that . . . though I'm happy to provide some recipes!
The point of this story is not the deliciousness of smearing a toasted piece of pita bread with hummus, piling on chunks of gouda and strips of prosciutto and microwaving for 20 seconds. It is delicious, yes, but the point is rather the ease with which such deliciousness is obtained. It required a wee bit of thinking ahead, true: when I went to Trader Joes I had to stand in the deli section and reach for the four components of my meal, a task I could do without even moving my feet. Beyond that, the only difference between my yummy lunch and your almost-turkey sliced cold cut/American cheese sandwich (which might still be tasty, if you like fake-turkey) is good ingredients.
Lest you protest my bougie sandwich fixins' are out of your price range, let me remind you how much a slice of greasy pizza costs, and that you'd gladly pay for it because your freezer is out of burritos and you're too lazy to de-thaw a chicken breast and frozen stir-fry veggie mix. I promise you, my pita lunch costs less. [The prices are from Albertsons online]:
Hummus: $2.50, 8 oz, lasts for about 6 sandwiches
Gouda: $4.99, 7 oz, lasts for about 6 sandwiches
Prosciutto: $10.99/lb; use about 1.5 oz ounces prusciutto per sandwich
Pita bread: $2.19 for 6 pieces.
Total cost per sandwich: $2.64. Beat that.
(Not to mention superior taste & healthiness . . . )
Buying some nice grocery staples does cost a bit up front, but it enables you to make quick and easy food in lieu of ordering take-out or buying yet another slice of pizza when you're tired and don't feel like 'cooking,' and it definitely costs less in the long run. In short, it is the primary secret of being a faux gourmet.
If we're going to put our cards on the table, I will gladly admit my astounding culinary creations from my nearly-bare fridge are only possible because of the investment I'd already made in spices, sauces, and a few dried-good staples purchased in one fell swoop at the outset, now in my pantry just waiting for inspiration to strike:
So, what's a faux gourmet in the making to buy? Well, it depends on what you like, obviously, and the kinds of food you cook most often. I like to make various Asian foods, sometimes obviously Thai or Korean, sometimes a mix of my own using ingredients common to more than one cuisine.
The four ingredients above, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and fish sauce (along with sugar) provide the basic four flavors (salty, sweet, sour, spicy) perfectly balanced in every Thai dish. From this starting point, it's a small jump to a cupboard capable of whipping up quick Asian-inspired dishes in a flash.
For example , sweet soy sauce, shrimp paste, garlic and *palm sugar combine to form an incredibly rich addition to curries. In the interest of helping you along your journey to being a faux gourmet chef of the highest order, I proudl present my "Top 30" list of non-perishables to stock up on for Asian food, along with a few produce items I regularly replace. *I don't include palm sugar on this list because you can easily use brown sugar as a substitute. [Prices, when listed, are from a random grocery store in Chinatown]:
Sauces
1. Soy sauce, 20 oz ($2.95)
2. Oyster sauce (can get vegetarian version), 20 oz ($1.95)
3. Soy paste , 20 oz ($2.05)
4. Fish sauce, 25 oz ($1.45)
5. Rice vinegar, 12 oz ($2.00)
6. Sriracha sauce, 28 oz ($2.95)
7. Sweet (thick, Indonesian style) soy sauce, 21 oz ($2.00)
[(Fake) oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce & regular soy sauce make a great stir-fry base.]
Canned & Dried Goods etc.Sauces are a small investment that goes a long way, because a few dashes of many combinations of the above turns leftover broccoli into a dish worth writing home about (see entry to come).
8. Straw Mushrooms ($1.35)
9. Baby Corn ($0.05)
10. Bamboo Slices ($1.25)
11. Pineapple ($1.65)
12. Coconut Milk ($1.15)
13. Sesame Seeds ($0.95)
14. Dried Crushed Chili ($1.25)
15. Jasmine Rice
16. Rice Noodles
17. Egg Noodles
The vegetables make a great substitute for real produce when you just can't be bothered to make a trip outside. I frequently make a basic curry paste and just toss in two or three cans of whatever I have on hand. Having lots of coconut milk is crucial!
In the Fridge
18. Onions
19. Ginger
20. Garlic
21. Curry Paste (pre-made, in flavors like Panang, Green, Red, Massuman) ($1.75)
[Curry paste packs an unreal amount of flavor in that $1.75; the lazy cook's BFF.]22. Limes (or the juice-in-a-bottle as shown above, about $1.50 at Trader Joes's)
23. Concentrated Tamarind Paste ($1.75)
24. Bird's Eye Chilies
[Trust me when I say this little bag of chilies goes a long, long way.]
While these items should be refrigerated, they last a long time and don't need to be replenished too often.
Spices
25. Dried galangal powder ($1.00)
26. Dried lemongrass powder ($1.00)
27. Dried ginger powder
[Common to several southeast Asian cuisines, I've found the above in Vietnamese and Thai grocery stores.]
The cheater's version of the real thing, the three spices above are really optional, but you'll find them very handy in lieu of (often unavailable at my neighborhood supermarket) fresh lemongrass, and the distinct flavors really go a long way.
In the Freezer
28. Shrimp Paste ($3.95)
29. Dumplings
30. Whatever meat you like. You can generally make a dish with or without it, adding whatever meat (or potatoes, or tofu) you like or have on hand.
Shrimp paste: good as a subtle flavor in food, bad stinking up the kitchen. Keep in the freezer to avoid. In addition to being a handy late night snack, dumplings are a great addition to noodle dishes.
In the Fridge
Green Onions
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Dark, leafy green (kale, bok choy, etc)
Tofu, medium
Kim Chi, 32 oz ($4.75)
Fresh lemongrass
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Eggs
These foods are useful in a wide range of dishes, and obviously not just Asian ones, but of course you may adjust for whatever suits your fancy.
[Fresh lemongrass, ginger & galangal, with their powder-counterparts in the back, form the base of Gaeng Hang Lay curry paste.]
Sound doable? Don't be overwhelmed, with the exception of the produce, everything on this list can be purchased once and used for quite some time before you must brave the grocery store again. Unless, of course, you find cooking with these materials so fun you have a big dinner party & blow your supply in one merry evening. I'm not responsible for that . . . though I'm happy to provide some recipes!
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