What I'm Cooking - 6/11/23

Curried Egg Salad, Char Siu Bao

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Curried Egg Salad

I freakin love mayo. A quick one-bite snack I enjoy (which, I've been told, is "gross") is just taking a crusty piece of bread and dipping it in mayo. A more "socially acceptable" way to consume mayo is this one - egg salad. This version is particularly fun, with a nice bit of extra flavor from the curry powder and chaat masala (although you can replace the chaat masala with just salt, if needed). It's also very flexible, so you can tailor it to your tastes (or use it to clean out the pantry). For lunches this week, I'll be eating it on a (store-bought) croissant along with a small handful of spring mix. I like adding 1 additional, halved soft-boiled egg (because why not) as well as a good glug of hot sauce. To make the egg salad, combine:

• a few chopped, hard-boiled eggs (1-2 per serving)

• veg of your choice (I like chopped celery and carrots),

• something sweet (grapes, apple, or raisins),

• curry powder, chaat masala (or just salt), & black pepper,

• and a few tablespoons of mayo, depending on how wet or dry you like your egg salad.

I like to half Kewpie mayo and half regular Hellman's, since I like the taste of Kewpie but hate the price and caloric density. The fun part of this recipe is how little measuring or thinking you need to do - just keep tasting, and add spices until it satisifies your palate. Or, you know, just dip bread in mayo. I won't judge.

Char Siu Buns (but vegetarian)

Traditionally, "char siu" is Cantonese barbecue pork (a recipe that is several thousands of years old!), but since that's not an option for me, I opt for some other type of protein. A year and half or so ago, when I was first learning how to make seitan, I used the resulting protein to make char siu. Tonight, I used Beyond Steak instead and it was great (it was on sale at H-E-B, okay. Sue me).

I like this recipe from the Woks of Life for the char siu sauce, though you could just as easily (and probably more economically) get it pre-made at the grocery store. Instead of red food coloring, I use fermented bean paste, which is naturally red and gives the whole thing a wild color and umami, funky flavor.

The premise is simple - make the sauce, glaze your protein of choice, and grill. In my case, I'll make it on a cast iron, since my Beyond Steak is already in bite-size form. Regardless, you want to get the protein cooking on as hot a heat source as possible to get some charred bits and to caramelize the sugar into a lacquer-like glaze. The result is a sauce that is sweet and sticky while also being smoky, umami, and salty.

To serve, I made some mantou (Chinese steamed buns), although instead of a traditional bamboo steamer, I used an idli stand I stole borrowed from my mom. The buns come out fluffy, chewy, warm, and just a tad sweet. It's awesome. I filled the buns with my char siu Beyond steak and a little spring mix (left over from the Egg Salad) to add some color and freshness. Per my roommate, this was a phenomenal meal that doesn't try too hard to seem complicated. I would agree wholeheartedly.

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