Aji Issue 4 - September 2022 by Sydney Kimiko

Cleaning out the Fridge

Issue 4 | 09.22

Aji

I’ve had heartbreak and I’ve had love. I prefer the latter, but I haven’t been able to get there without the former. It’s unfortunate.

This issue of Aji was created by Sydney Kimiko in the closing days of August 2022. I’ve done the best that I can to source my inspirations and visuals, but please continue to let me know if I’ve missed anything or anyone. The words, perspectives, and opinions insinuated or articulated here don’t reflect those of my employers – past, present, and future – or the other parties involved in those experiences. If you’re interested in seeing more about what happens behindthe-scenes at Aji, find me on Instagram @SydneyLikesChefs I value my safety and boundaries, as well as the safety and boundaries of my friends, colleagues, and collaborators. In light of this, please do not seek me out on other platforms. Thank you for your patience with Aji Issue 4. What Issue 5 through Issue Infinity will look like is as blurry as this polaroid of me.

Over the last year, I’ve learned a lot about what I do and don’t want Aji to be. There will be a slight formatting update after this issue – likely unnoticeable to anyone except me. As excited as I am to share Aji 2.0 with you, I’m just as excited to share components of multiple other issues that never came to fruition. Let’s call this the functional blooper reel.

This issue of Aji was created by Sydney Kimiko in the closing days of August 2022. I’ve done the best that I can to source my inspirations, visuals, and paraphrases where applicable, but please continue to let me know if I’ve missed anything or anyone so that I can update the issue accordingly. The words, perspectives, and opinions insinuated or articulated here don’t reflect those of my employers – past, present, and future – or the other parties involved in those experiences. If you’re interested in seeing more about what happens behind-the-scenes at Aji, find me on Instagram @SydneyLikesChefs I value my safety and boundaries, as well as the safety and boundaries of my friends, colleagues, and collaborators. In light of this, please do not seek me out on other platforms. Thank you for your patience with Aji Issue 4. What Issue 5 through Issue Infinity will look like is always blurry.

This fake ranch dip came about when I added nonfat plain Greek yogurt to Sohla El-Waylly’s Ranch Fun Dip recipe from her time at Bon Appetit Magazine. It was released in April 2020, is easily Googleable under that title and her name, and was well-timed for my foray into running. I removed the pistachios, sugar, and her mortar / pestle grinding method, because I’m a fan of drop-and-stir dip recipes. I’ve converted her measurements into ratios, because (1) you should always cook to your taste and (2) her version of this dip is dry. Stir equal parts red chili flakes, dry dill, and onion powder into non-fat plain Greek yogurt. Add half a part of garlic powder, then three parts nutritional yeast. Salt to taste after adding the nutritional yeast, since it has its own flavor profile. Adjust other spices accordingly. Taste test with whatever you’re going to be dipping into the Greek yogurt, because that’s just logical.

I originally intended to include this in an issue that was going to function as more of a training diary – what was and wasn’t working for me, goals, etc. I ultimately decided not to do that, because I didn’t want to trigger anyone or project my recovery from disordered eating and overtraining due to body image issues into this magazine. I am also not a nutritionist.

All watercolor textures in this issue are licensed from Envato Elements from user ivanrosenberg.

The next issue of Aji will feature less vague references to personal experiences, although they might still feel a bit confessional. I started Aji because I had things to say – even if they were only to myself. That’s still true, but I’ve realized that an individual example of a universal experience is a valuable point of reference.

Another recipe from the “training diary” issue that never happened. These lasted in the fridge forever. In the future I think I’d adapt these into those fancy, “energy ball,” bite things. Maybe add some protein powder. Anyway, to make this version, mix 1 part nut butter of choice, 2 parts honey, 2 parts chopped almonds or other nut of choice, and 6 parts rolled oats together in a large bowl. Once you’re sufficiently struggling with mixing everything together, stir in 2 parts dried berry of choice. Pour everything into a baking pan that is lined with parchment paper and press down so that everything is even. Freeze everything until you feel like you can cut the mixture into bars without falling apart (at least an hour). Store in the fridge after cutting.

At one point, I wanted to do a full Aji issue around wine pairings, because a good friend of mine is fantastic with that (thanks Justin). (And for the record, it’s the one on the right for smash burgers in the opposite photo). At another point, I was going to do a breakfast-or-brunch-themed issue and document my journey figuring out how to make delicious coffee. My biggest struggle has been figuring out how to format everything, then standardize and scale my methodology so that one day I won’t be the only one contributing to these issues. I don’t want to create in a vacuum when food is about connection and community. That is the biggest reason behind why there hasn’t been another issue for so long.

In my world, the only recipe for gougeres is Alain Ducasse’s. It is highly Googleable and easy to make until you get to piping the things out. That apparently takes practice and a real pastry bag. Don’t make the mistake that Justin and I did when we tried this using a sandwich baggie. This version of Alain Ducasse’s recipe was published in December 2013 for Food & Wine. Preheat the oven to 400 and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine ½ cup water, ½ cup whole milk, 1 stick unsalted butter, and a large pinch of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 1 cup all-purpose flour and stir until a smooth dough forms. Turn heat to low until the dough dries out and pulls away from the pan. Scrape the dough into a bowl and let it cool before adding 4 large eggs, one by one, into the dough. (Please let the dough cool, you don’t want scrambled eggs. Plus then it’ll smell funky.) Add at least 1 cup of shredded gruyere cheese with some nutmeg and pepper to the dough before piping it into tablespoon-sized mounts on the baking sheets. Do your best to space them around 2 inches apart. Sprinkle more grated gruyere on top and bake for around 22 minutes, or until you see puffy, golden-brown deliciousness. Serve hot, in high quantity, with an entire bottle of Chablis – ideally the one that Justin recommends (photographed opposite).

A Point-in-Time Fridge Inventory

Canned Nitro Cold Brew Coffee – I’ve tried to make my own, and I only have the patience to learn the mechanics of my Chemex Ottomatic 2.0 at the moment Hakkaisan “Yukimuro” Junmai Daiginjo Sake – Snow-aged sake. IYKYK. Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label Simply Orange Juice Soda Stream Bottle – No flavoring, just the bubbles Fresno Chile Hot Sauce – From one of my favorite local restaurants. I bought a bottle nine years ago and have been hooked ever since. During my Las Vegas interlude, I would store these in my checked luggage with ample padding. Sriracha Shiro Miso - This is white miso that is softer and sweeter in flavor. It’s great for making both soup and salad dressing. Leftover White Rice – No matter how well I use the leftovers or plan meals, there are always at least two cups left over. 1 pound of Local Bacon - Well, local meaning from Southern California in general and then sold at a couple of farmers markets in the area, but you get the idea 1 pound of Yellowfin Tuna Harris Ranch Cowboy Cut 22-ounce Ribeye A side of fruit that came with my PB&J on Sourdough Postmates Order (yes, I was that lazy) that I’m not going to finish A bag of 20 oven mini-frittatas / egg bites – Various flavors, depending on what type of cheese I had on-hand. I’m pretty sure these have a mix of mozzarella, parm, and feta. 1 Quart Homemade Oat Milk – An Almond Cow is the best unitasker I’ve ever purchased and I have zero regrets Fish Sauce Shoyu – That’s soy sauce, for those of you who haven’t picked it up yet or didn’t grow up in a Japanese-American farming family Half of a leftover white onion in a prep container 1 bunch cilantro A handful of lemons and limes leftover from various grocery orders

One of the biggest struggles has come with incorporating fun or everyday cooking, as well as weekly Zoom cooking sessions with Mama, into issues of Aji without feeling restricted. Parameters are useful, but they shouldn’t limit creativity. This recipe came about after looking through old issues of Food Network magazine and trying to find a way to use the nice Dutch oven that had been sitting untouched on my stove for a while. I’ve since recycled the magazine (nothing more frustrating than trying to cite a source appropriately and then literally losing it), but the “Beef Barbacoa Tacos,” recipe that is searchable on their website is what is articulated here, with swaps for both the chile and meat used. Based on the website comments and my memory, I estimate that this was originally developed for Food Network Magazine in 2013.

Cook 4 chopped poblano chiles in a Dutch oven over medium heat until they’re a bit soft, then transfer to another vessel. Dump in a large chopped tomato, half of a large white onion, and some garlic Maybe 4 cloves? The recipe says that, but this prep shot clearly shows I didn’t use that much. - and repeat the same process. It’s okay to transfer the tomato, onion, and garlic to the same vessel as the poblanos, since they’re about to get pureed anyway. Puree the vegetables with one-quarter to one-half of a cup of water and a little salt. Start on the low end with water until the salsa is fairly close to a texture you like, then strain through a mesh sieve back into the Dutch oven. Turn the heat to medium-high and add 1 pound of beef stew meat (chopped into 1 to 2-inch pieces as part of your prep if it’s not already) to the salsa and turn the meat to coat it evenly. Once whatever fat is left on the meat starts to render out and a crust begins to form, season with cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne to taste. Fling in a large handful of torn cilantro, a small pinch of dried thyme, a couple of bay leaves, and 1 to 1 and ½ cups more water. Put the cover on the Dutch oven and turn the heat to low. Let the everything simmer together for 2 hours, max. Check on things every half hour and if the sauce is getting too thick for your liking, then add water to thin it out. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve in tortillas.

I was going to write something more reflective here and not include the recipe, but then I found a document in the cloud drive for this issue that had these notes in it from sometime around when the opposite photo was taken. I also received feedback that pages like this, which contain a lot of text, are challenging to read and, “seem like a lot.” While I appreciate the feedback, I don’t want to put a recipe onto four pages when it can be covered on one, so I respectfully decline.

For the Tare, aka dipping sauce Black Pepper More coriander than you anticipate needing (first brought to Japan in the 13th century, but not commonly used until the 90s when Southeast Asian cuisine became more popular) Red Pepper Flakes Toasted Sesame Oil Shoyu Rice Vinegar Sugar Salt Scallions Vegetable Oil Grind the spices together and heat the oil over medium heat. Add the spices to the oil with the scallions and cook (similar to the Indian chhonk / tadka method of tempering spices in oil before adding them to something to maximize flavor) until it smells divine. Remove from heat and stir in the shoyu, vinegar, sugar, and salt.

Notes on Ivan Orkin’s Version of Dandanmian (Recipe opposite – essentially everything that was in his book except the coriander and the use of both pork and spaghetti noodles). Also, go buy his book. The highest-level Google and Wiki search into the topic about these noodles leads to phrases like, “spicy sauce,” “minced or ground meat,” and, “served dry or as a noodle soup.” A few clicks, and you’ll find home cooks using spaghetti noodles as an attempted substitute for the perfect texture of dandan noodles when they aren’t able to be found in a store. The idea of dandanmian first started appealing to me when I saw Ivan Orkin’s version made with ramen noodles in The Gaijin Cookbook. Maybe it’s because I always felt out-of-place at the Buddhist church I grew up going to, where my last name and appearance meant I didn’t, “look Japanese,” while I was always, “the Japanese girl,” in high school who wore hair sticks to create a sense of personal cultural relevance until I entered the ice rink or my family’s farm house….where I morphed back into the White-passing hapa girl.

For the Pork Look, you could also make this with chicken, especially since you’re using chicken broth, but….I really enjoy pork. I have a favorite pork company that really taught me how to choose and select meat wisely, and it was a pleasure to use their product in this recipe. Black Pepper Coriander Toasted Sesame Oil Minced Ginger Minced Garlic Sesame Seeds Ground Pork Sugar Salt Scallions Vegetable Oil Do the same thing for the spices here that you did for the tare: grind them together and then heat the oil over medium heat and cook the aromatics (scallions, ginger, garlic) before adding in the spices and sesame seeds. Once everything smells delicious, add the ground pork, sugar, and salt.

I have spent a long time wondering if I will ever be Japanese enough. One day I’ll make an issue of Aji about it.

Final Assembly Bring enough chicken broth to cover the spaghetti noodles (1/2 lb) to a boil, and cook the noodles until al dente. Feel free to add more chicken broth as needed.

Turn the heat down after cooking the noodles and whisk in the tare. Portion into bowls and top with the cooked pork topping. Garnish with more green onion and serve.

I’ve had heartbreak and I’ve had love. I prefer the latter, but I haven’t been able to get there without the former. It’s unfortunate.

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Sometimes I get frustrated that I didn’t develop a personality in the kitchen at the peak of food blogs–turned-brand. I even thought about doing a series of, “cooking challenges,” like trying to make my way through as much of the Pillsbury cookbook, specific chefs’ bibliographies, or adapted recipes from various TV shows and movies in a specific time period. Then I remember that while those types of challenges fit those creators, it’s not a fit for me. When I was debating on cooking my way through the iconic Pillsbury blue binder that I’ve referred to before, this peach shortcake (instead of strawberry, because my partner prefers peaches) came out of it. Heat oven to 375F and use both grease and flour on a baking pan. Combine 1 cup AP flour, ¼ cup sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then use your hands to, “cut in,” 1/4 cup butter “until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs,” per Pillsbury. Add 1/3 cup milk and 1 egg, but don’t over-mix the ingredients. You just want everything to be appropriately dampened by the addition of the liquid ingredients. Pour the mixture into a pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until either a toothpick or a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before attempting to cut out cute shapes like the ones pictured here. While the cake is baking, toss sliced fresh peaches with a couple of large pinches of sugar (no more than ¼ cup). If it’s going to be awhile before you cut the shortcake, then keep this peach mixture in the fridge. This is one case where using nonfat plain vanilla Greek yogurt instead of whipped cream tastes delicious. Assemble everything together in whatever artsy and mildly pretentious plating strategy suits your mood at-the-moment. Shortcakes are cute when they’re slightly disheveled.

I always have a steady stream of content playing for ambiance when creating issues of Aji. During this section (regardless of what order it will end up in for the final cut of this issue), I’ve had on Julie & Julia. More than once, I’ve noticed myself starting to cry or being close to tears. I’m doing what these two women were doing: putting information and perspective into the void and hoping it resonates with someone, somewhere. I’m also figuring out what aspects of what I’m doing are actually original as I go and doing my best to continuously improve on everything from recipe citations to technique and actual visual design. Here I am, adding to the chaos of the internet with something that is constantly evolving. For those of you who have made it this far – whether this is your first issue of Aji or you’ve been keeping up from the beginning- thank you for supporting me in the void of content you could choose to consume.

I am only calling this, “Chicken Salad,” versus what typically appears in recipe titles because the origins of this salad are mostly Western instead of the culture(s) and the continent it tends to be attributed to. Let’s please make an active effort to stop using broad, generic terminology for things, per Bonnie Tsui’s opinion piece in The New York Times, “Why is Asian salad still on the menu?” that rightfully calls out where cultural appropriation becomes casual racism in the name of diversifying American / fusion cuisine. I’m going to fuse the fusion and make this more of a chopped salad with shoyu dressing. I’ll go with what I would want to eat instead of attempting to encapsulate something that is already so general. Proud of the salad dressing proportions, which took literal tally marks in a notebook to get right.

For the Dressing

3 tablespoons shoyu 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons peanut oil 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 tablespoon shiro miso 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 teaspoons brown sugar A small pinch of salt A garlic clove or so - smashed into a paste If the flavor or texture isn’t to your liking, I’d start with adjusting the peanut oil and rice wine vinegar amounts before starting to figure out the proportions of the others.

For the Salad

Shredded rotisserie chicken – reheated at 350F for 25

minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165F 1 jalapeno - sliced if you like it spicier, chopped if you don’t Grated Carrots Green Onion Chopped Cashews – toast these in a dry skillet if they

haven’t already been toasted Cilantro Butter Lettuce Apple – thinly sliced Wonton Strips

When the weather is unseasonably warm or if you feel like being rebellious and out-of-season, cut equal parts of cantaloupe and cucumber into bite-sized pieces and top with flaky salt (the fancy kind, like Maldon, if you keep it around), pepper, EVOO, torn mint leaves, and thinly-sliced Manchego.

My biggest regret in not having my life together enough to release this issue earlier is that I’m catching everyone at the absolute end of tomato season. The bonus is that Aji 2.0 has a concrete direction. The challenge is that implementing these recipes will be irritating in a few weeks unless you don’t mind the nag of out-of-season cooking. To make the version of panzanella pictured on the left, tear sourdough bread into fairly large pieces, drizzle with olive oil, and toast on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for no more than 12 minutes. Bonus points if you season the sourdough with dried spices like rosemary, thyme, or some Italian-style seasoning blend. Also, seriously, use this method for croutons from now on. Who actually eats croutons with a fork? Season chunks of tomato with fresh basil, parsley, and chives and slice up some red onion. If you want to be cute about it, slice pitted olives in half, too. Or leave them whole. Sometimes opening the olive jar is the most challenging part of the day. Cook bacon using whatever method you’re satisfied with, to whatever degree of crispiness suits your salad preferences (I do not have the energy to advocate for roasting bacon in the oven at this late stage in tomato season, please just make this salad before the winter comes.) Whisk together red wine vinegar, whole grain dijon, and EVOO. Combine the salad components listed above in some sort of bowl, toss together, then drizzle with the dressing you’ve just made and toss again.

Molly Baz’s version of pasta al limone, originally developed for Bon Appetit magazine in September 2018, is one of the few recipes that I’ve been able to implement exactly as written that 1) sets expectations appropriately and 2) delivers. This recipe is very Googleable and written just as accessibly using her phrasing instead of the phrasing that I use below. The only “changes” I’ve made are not specifying the amount of parmesan and adding red pepper flakes. I was absurdly grateful that I didn’t have to think when I found this recipe. Kudos to you, Molly Baz and whatever Bon Appetit team members worked on this. It’s delicious. Boil water and add three almost absurdly large pinches of salt. Cook 12 ounces of spaghetti (3/4 of a pound) according to the lowest number stated on package directions.

I was debating on attempting to cook along with various YouTube videos from Bon Appetit, Food Network, etc. in as-close-to-real-time-as-possible and recording myself inevitably getting stressed out to inform the recipe notes. I ultimately decided to save my emotions for a strength training session. I think my partner is grateful that an entire issue wasn’t spent working on recipes using this method.

Use a vegetable peeler to remove as many long strips of lemon zest from 1 lemon as you can (watch your fingers and skin, please). Slice them as thinly as you can while still keeping them intact and keep handy for the end. Zest anything leftover into a Dutch oven then add three-quarters of a cup of heavy cream. Turn the heat to medium – please don’t crank the heat with impatience and curdle the cream – until there are barely small simmer bubbles in the cream. Turn the heat down by half and whisk in six tablespoons of unsalted butter with painstaking love until it’s emulsified into the sauce. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat until the pasta is ready to be finished. Use a heat-safe vessel like a large Pyrex measuring cup with a handle to scoop out the hyper-seasoned pasta water and add it to the cream sauce in the Dutch oven. Return to medium heat. Use tongs to move the spaghetti from the pasta pot into the Dutch oven – yes, it really is intended for that water to come with the pasta, even on top of the water that you just added to the sauce – and start grating in parmesan, then stirring it in to incorporate it into the sauce, then grating in more parmesan, etc. When the pasta looks coated, creamy, and delicious, squeeze in the entire leftover lemon’s juice. Season with salt to taste, add both pepper and red pepper flakes, then garnish with those fancy-looking thinly sliced lemon zest strips.

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The final blooper is this photo that didn’t make the front cover but was too good not to close out on.

See you for Aji Issue 5.