LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Dear Readers, This year has been undoubtedly a difficult and unprecedented one for us all. In these tumultuous times, food has been the one constant for many of us. Challenges like food insecurity, student wellbeing, and others have been heightened in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. With MIT bringing most of its students back on campus, to a certain degree, a sense of community could be restored. If anything, we could all come together over the mutual hatred of the dining food most of us are now subjected to. Jokes aside, this year was yet another one where students and others alike found new ways to come together over food. Despite restrictions on indoor dining, with warmer weather and a greater number of vaccines available, Zoom and socially distanced gatherings still retained somewhat a feeling of togetherness. With the reopening of cook-for-yourself dorms, we hope that the Fall will bring about more opportunities for the MIT community to rejoice over food and revive food culture at our school. We, on behalf of Chop Stir Hack exec, feel lucky to be in such a supportive community at MIT and continue to publish an issue despite current circumstances. We would like to thank our hardworking staff as well as the De Flores Fund, Baker Foundation, The Coop, and our other sponsors for making this issue possible. Stay Choppin’, Anru and Julie Editors in Chief 2020-2021
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Meet The Staff Following a letter from the editors on page I
Hacked A two course virtual cooking competition
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Egyptian Goulash A recipe by Christina Patterson ‘23
Vegan Oatmeal Banana Cookies A recipe by Kaveri Nadhamuni ‘21
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Egg tarts A recipe by Joie Le ‘22
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Funny Kitchen Stories Student-submitted cooking mishaps and musings
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Social Media Where to find us beyond the issue
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taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup A recipe by Michelle Luo ‘23
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Acknowledgments A thank you to our sponsors
Lobster, beets, and Leeks A look into Jacky Cheng’s lobster dish
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MEET THE STAFF
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During Thanksgiving week, we hosted “Hacked,” a themed cooking competition open to the wider MIT community based off of the show Chopped. Our contestants were instructed to create an entree and a dessert, featuring preselected ingredients, both normal and unconventional (Have you ever heard of candy in a savory entree? What about popcorn in a sweet dessert? Neither did we). After careful deliberation between delicious looking dishes, the clock is at zero, here are the results! Tart by Monica Busza ‘24 2
SPECIALS CSH Exec Choice MORROCAN CHOCOLATE CHICKEN FRESH FRUIT TART Monica Busza ‘24 Cooking and baking have always been an integral part of Monica’s past, first manifesting in grade-school-aged Monica helping her mom out in the kitchen, then as a way to cope with stress during her high school years. For her, it is a way to relax while also bringing together her friends and family through a shared love of creating delicious things. Monica’s recipes are a new twist on something old - inspired by recipes first found in magazines, then modified till they became a family favorite, and then altered again for Hacked to incorporate the required ingredients such as her ingenious use of crushed popcorn in her tart’s crust. While her main dish, the Moroccan chocolate chicken was a more unusual pairing of bitterness and savory, her tart tasted as good as it looked, masterfully balancing the sweet filling and the tangy mandarin.
Voter’s Choice PUMPKIN GNOCCHI GRAPEFRUIT CHEESECAKE CUPS Grace Sun ‘24 Like many others, for Grace, baking started out as a quarantine hobby, soon followed by cooking. She’s always loved crafts since she was child, and maintains that “baking is somewhat [of] a hands-on craft as well!” Furthermore, to her, being able to share her edible creations with family and friends is a bonus. During the Hacked challenge, Grace was in her element, naturally loving “weird” food combinations (avocado brownies, chocolate zucchini bread, carrot cookies, just to name a few) and was extremely excited to take on the challenge of utilizing more unconventional ingredients in her menu while simultaneously taking inspiration from Instagram and fellow competitors on Hacked. Her main course drew strongly upon her gnocchi experiments over the summer while the dessert was inspired from own childhood - based off of her mom’s tasty New York Cheesecake - so good that young Grace often ate slices until she felt sick. Her spin, the cheesecake cups, were a huge hit, and she personally has a soft spot for the graham cracker crust! 3
MAIN COURSE Served with protein, potato or sweet potato, warm colored fruit or vegeteable, and candy 1
MOLE NEGRO CON PAPA Y CALABACITAS1 Andy Reyna ‘21
CHICKPEA, SWEET POTATO, KABOCHA CURRY 2 Christy Huynh ‘24
GLAZED SALMON3 Rachel Zheng ‘24
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PUMPKIN SPICE GNOCCHI Daniel Tong ‘24
BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SWEET POTATO TORTELLINI Amelia Dogan ‘23 and Sophia Mirda ‘22
DESSERT
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Served with graham crackers, hand-peeled fruit, cream cheese, and a savory snack MANGO CHEESECAKE Rachel Zheng ‘24
LONGAN CHEESECAKE 5 4
Amelia Dogan ‘23 and Sophia Mirda ‘22
HOT RASPBERRY MACARONS Daniel Tong ‘24
SPONGE CAKE 4 Christy Huynh ‘24
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LOBSTER, BEETS, AND LEEKS There is a saying that the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach – if you don’t mind a bit of dental humor, you’ll realize that this saying isn’t just about periodontal infections (gum disease) leading to endocarditis (heart infection). To put things succinctly, if you want to capture the heart of a certain someone, I highly recommend this dish: lobster, beets, and leeks. In 1994, lobster beets and leeks first appeared on the menu of the French Laundry – American chef Thomas Keller’s 3-Michelin-Star restaurant. Since then, the dish has evolved over time into endless forms most delicious, with ever-so-fancy pairings such as truffles, foie gras, saffron, or even Kobe beef. Here, I present my take on this classic lobster dish, featuring four forms of beets and some decadent pairings to elevate the lobster. To achieve maximum enjoyment, I recommend serving lobster beets and leeks as a main dish after an hors d’oeuvre of fresh oysters with lemon and an entrée of tuna tartare with quail egg, then following up with a salad or sorbet, a soft cheese such as brie or stilton, and dessert. In terms of drinks, Provençal rose pairs well with the entire meal. I hope that with these recipes, you will be able to successfully capture the stomachs and hearts of those around you. Bon appétit!
Full recipe will be available on the Chop Stir Hack website, coming soon.
- Jacky Cheng ‘23
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Fun n y K i t ch e n Sto r i e s When I was 15, I was baking chocolate pie with my brothers. They were in charge of reading the recipe and getting the measurements, so when the oldest, who was 10 at the time said that we needed a quarter cup of salt, I was confused, but double checked with him verbally. As the pie baked, I told my mom, “I didn’t know pies need a quarter cup of salt. That’s kinda a lot.” She turned to me in horror. When the pie came out, my tongue instantly dried up, it was completely unsalvagable. And now, I always triple check recipes on my own.
- Leah Yost ‘22 Once, my pod mate and I were holding a baking class for a group of middle schoolers in our dorm’s kitchen. Everything was going smoothly, but when we took the bread out, the towel we were using caught on fire, so I immediately chucked the towel into our serendipitously clogged sink, full of water. Luckily for us, nobody on our Zoom even noticed, and we still had a lovely banana bread to show for it.
- Stacy Wang ‘24
A German Houser wanted a cookie, and decided to microwave straight cookie dough on a plate. The plate cracked in half, and the cookie was burnt.
- Andison Tran) ‘2 1 7
Once, while I was making pasta, I noticed that I had spilled the pasta water while draining the noodles so I grabbed a towel to clean the stovetop - while the flame was still on. Of course, the towel caught on fire, and I panicked and threw it into the trash. Then the trash started to burn and I had to take the burning trash into the bathtub to put it out. To this day, my mom doesn’t know why our trash can suddenly became darker.
- Seung Hyeon Shim ‘23 Once for my dad’s birthday, I tried to bake a cake Asian style with egg whites as the only leavener. I definitely did not fold in the egg whites properly because the cake did not rise at all. I honestly feel like it probably even shrank. My dad was so nice about it, so I just covered it in whipped cream and fruit, and we all ate the pancake cake (still yummy)!
- Sophia Zheng ‘24 My sister was soaking grapes for five hours and when my family asked what was taking so long, she said that she was waiting for them to float to the top when they were clean (she is 3 years older than me).
- Kat Tso ‘22
Brought to you by the De Florez fund For Humor!
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Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup Beef noodle soup was one of my favorite dishes as a kid. I tried this dish at a bunch of restaurants around Boston and each one was slightly different, so it’s a very flexible and always delicious dish. Feel free to make it your own!
- Michelle Luo ‘23 i n g r e d i e n t s
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Cut excess fat off beef and set aside. Chop beef into 2-inch chunks. Blanch beef in boiling water and skim off foam. Remove beef into a bowl and let cool. Fry reserved beef fat, ginger, garlic, and scallions in a large steel pot over medium heat until aromatic and lightly browned.
taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup A two course virtual cooking competition1.5-2lbs beef shank or chuck 1 inch piece of ginger, sliced 6 smashed cloves of garlic 3 scallions, chopped into 3-inch pieces 1 onion 1 tomato 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp doubanjiang (spicy bean paste) 1 tbsp white or brown sugar ¼ cup Shaoxing winte ¼ cup light soy sauce 1 Chinese aromatic spice packet
Add onions and fry until translucent. Add tomatoes and chili peppers and stir fry for another 3-5 minutes.
Extra spices: 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns 1 tsp cumin seeds 4-6 dried chilies Any type of noodles of your choice Toppings (optional) 1 packet of pickled mustard greens Handful of bok choy, spinach, or your favorite leafy green
Remove ginger and scallion pieces and spice packets.
Add blanched beef chunks. Stir fry for another minute, then add tomato paste, doubanjiang, and sugar. Mix well until all pieces of beef are evenly coated. Add Shaoxing wine and soy sauce, then add enough water to just cover the beef. Add Chinese spice packet. If desired, put extra spices into a small fillable tea bag and add to the soup as well. Let the soup simmer on the lowest heat setting for about 2 hours, covered, or until beef is tender. Check on the soup every 20-30 minutes to check the texture of the beef.
Boil noodles and blanch spinach (or other leafy green). Plate and top the noodles with soup, beef, and pickled mustard greens.
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EGYPTIAN GOUL A SH Growing up, many of my saturdays were spent sitting at the kitchen table at my Teta’s (grandmother’s) house, and watching her and my mom turn a pile of ingredients into an array of mouthwatering dishes. My mother and her parents emigrated from Egypt when she was just a toddler, but we stay close to the Egyptian community through our faith, our hospitality, and, of course, our food. This dish, along with many others, was passed down to my grandmother from her mother and so on.
- Christina Patterson ‘23
INGREDIENTS 1-1 ½ pound ground beef (preferably 80% lean) 1 medium onion 2 sticks butter 1 16 oz package of phyllo dough 1 cup milk (ideally whole) Salt and pepper ⅓ cup Feta cheese (optional) ½ tsp garlic powder (optional)
METHOD Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel onion and mince. Mince further in food processor until no large chunks. Add salt and pepper to ground beef. Put frying pan on low heat. Add about ⅛ stick of butter or enough to fully coat the pan. Add onions to frying pan and stir until fully coated and just starting to brown. Add ground beef to frying pan, stirring carefully. When meat is fully browned and incorporated with onions, remove from heat. Sieve until most of the excess fat has drained out. Unwrap butter and rub along the bottom and sides of a baking pan.
Put about 1.5 sticks of butter into a 4 quart saucepan on the lowest heat setting. When butter is fully melted, remove from heat. Take two sheets of phyllo dough and lay carefully into the pan. Using a spoon or a brush, gently sprinkle a layer of butter over the sheets. Repeat until you have finished half of the package (or one fully wrapped portion). Add ground beef mixture and spread over the phyllo dough. You can use a spoon to smooth out the layer as much as possible. Take two sheets of phyllo dough, lay them down on top of the meat, and sprinkle a layer of butter over the sheets. Repeat this process again until you have finished the rest of the phyllo dough. Cut the tray contents into 3 by 3 inch squares. Go very slow, as the phyllo is fairly fragile. Finally, put the remainder of the butter into the 4 quart sauce pan and heat on the lowest setting. Once the butter is fully melted, add about ¾ cup of milk, more if it is needed. Mix the melted butter and milk well and pour over the pan contents until the phyllo is coated well, but not covered. Place in the oven and bake until golden brown for about 25-30 minutes. 11
V E G A N O AT M E A L BANANA COOKIES This recipe was inspired by a trip to the weekly haymarket farmer’s market in Boston. I bought 10 bananas for $1 but, unfortunately, 6 of them were brown and squishy by the time I came home. So, I decided to try to bake something.
–- Kaveri Nadhamuni ‘21
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
1/2 cup oats 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1 banana 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup of vegan chocolate chips
Mush the banana and mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. If possible, set dough asside to refrigerate. Set oven to around 375 degrees F. Then, grease a pan or line itwith parchment paper. Scoop cookies onto the pan in even sized rounds and bake for 10-20 minutes. Check on them to keep from burning and pull out when lightly browned.
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E G G TA R T S
INGR EDIEN TS 7/8 cup (210 g) milk 1/3 cup (66 g) sugar 3 eggs 3/4 cup (180 g) whipping cream puff pastry
METHOD Cut puff pastry into circles and fit into cup cake wrappers and place in tray. Freeze the molds for 15 minutes or until hardened. Combine milk, sugar, eggs, and whipping cream in a bowl and filter the mixture twice through a strainer. Pour the mixture into the molds stopping just before the end of the puff pastry. Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and eat :)
Even though my pod grew up in different parts of the world, we all grew up eating egg tarts. Since this dish was something that connected each of our disparate childhoods, we wanted to recapture the feeling of eating the sweet treat, despite being far away from the bakeries we used to frequent.
–- Joie Le ‘22
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SPRING 2021
