"Mix-and-Match Cookbook Offers Delicious Recipes Involving Salt, Sugar, and MSG"
Rewritten Article:
Welcome to the Heart of Good Eats! Here, I'll be featuring cookbooks that offer a unique blend of familiar comforts and exciting new flavors. While quick recipes online serve their purpose, nothing compares to the charm of flipping through an exceptional cookbook. This week, I've chosen "Salt, Sugar, MSG" to spotlight for my pick of the week. This Asian-inspired cookbook not only caters to my taste buds but also provides a valuable resource for those craving a culinary adventure.
Salt, Sugar, MSG has just hit the shelves, and from the talented chef Calvin Eng and Phoebe Melnick, it's a must-have addition to any kitchen. If you've already tasted Calvin's creations at Win Son or Bonnie's, you know this man doesn't disappoint. The book is brimming with bold flavors that will leave your taste buds dancing.
As the title suggests, MSG takes a prominent role in this cookbook. Expect to find it sprinkled throughout recipes, just like the natural occurrence of glutamates in most of our food. Chef Eng embraces MSG as just another seasoning, using it effectively to boost umami in dishes such as Fuyu Cacio e Pepe Mein and MSG Caramel.
I appreciate Calvin for incorporating MSG in the title and dispelling the toxic myth of "Chinese restaurant syndrome." In fact, Calvin has partnered with Ajinomoto to help debunk the common misconceptions surrounding MSG. If you're just starting out with MSG, this cookbook offers ample opportunities to broaden your horizons.
A Cookbook for Creative Combinations
Throughout the book, you'll find anecdotes from Calvin's childhood and his current shopping habits in Chinatown. Calvin shares stories about the aroma of soy milk and the joy of shopping for fresh produce, reminding me of my own trips to the Asian market with my mom. One of the most nostalgic aspects was the bakery section, filled with fresh items made that morning. We'd always come home with a mixed bag of treats, enjoying a feast right at the kitchen table.
Just like those carefree days, "Salt, Sugar, MSG" encourages a mix-and-match approach to eating. Many of the dishes in this book can be served as satisfying snacks or part of a larger meal. Pairing dishes together seems effortless, and if you picked three recipes randomly, you'd likely have a well-balanced meal. To test this theory, I mixed and matched to create a scrumptious lunch of Piggies in Scallion Milk Bread Blankets and Yeun Yeung (milk tea with coffee).
The Meal I Cooked This Week
I wanted to try something new, so I made my own version of mix and match for lunch with the Piggies in Scallion Milk Bread Blankets and Yeun Yeung (milk tea with coffee). I'm not a fan of hot dogs in the typical American form, but swap out the bun for milk bread and add some scallions, and I'm all in!
The milk tea recipe is as simple as it is delicious. It asks for orange pekoe tea, which I found at my local grocery store. Combining boiling water, evaporated milk, and condensed milk, I was initially concerned it would be overly sweet, but it turned out perfectly, offering a satisfying balance of creaminess and bitterness. I saved the rest for the next day to make the bonus recipe Yuen Yeung, which is simply black coffee added to the milk tea.
As for the piggies, they were absolute winners. I only made half the recipe, turning the excess dough into a large milk bread loaf. (What was I thinking?) The milk bread recipe starts with a tangzhong (roux) that helps keep the dough soft and pliable. Sugar, egg, and butter enrich the dough, making for a perfectly rich finish. The scallion hot dog buns and milk tea coffee made for a beautiful, flavorful lunch.
Where to Find It
You can grab a copy of "Salt, Sugar, MSG" in either hardcover or e-book format for a reasonable price. Keep an eye out for it at major bookstores, or check with your local independent booksellers. If you don't see it on the shelves, don't hesitate to ask if they can order it for you.
Salt Sugar MSG: Recipes and Stories from a Cantonese American Home $14.99 on Amazon
Enrichment Data:
Overall:"Salt, Sugar, MSG" by Calvin Eng and Phoebe Melnick focuses on the culinary philosophy of balancing flavors through the combination of salt, sugar, and MSG. Key features and recipes include:
Key Features:
- Culinary Philosophy: The book emphasizes the harmonious blend of flavors achieved through smart use of salt, sugar, and MSG.
- Use of MSG: It challenges the common misconceptions surrounding MSG and showcases its role in enhancing umami flavors.
- Mix-and-Match Style: Recipes can be easily combined to create diverse meals, reflecting the variety found in traditional Cantonese meals.
Recipes:
- Fuyu Cacio e Pepe Mein: A fusion dish that pairs Italian cacio e pepe with fermented bean curd in a Cantonese twist.
- MSG Caramel: A versatile sweet sauce demonstrating MSG's effectiveness in dessert recipes.
- Lemon Cola Chicken Wings: A refreshing and flavorful dish suitable for pairing with various other recipes in the book.
- Perfect Pot of Steamed Rice: A staple component to complement a variety of meals.
- Shrimp and Pork Wonton Soup: A classic Cantonese dish that reflects Calvin's cultural heritage.
- No-Churn Yuen Yeung Ice Cream Cake: Creative adaptation of Hong Kong coffee milk tea into an ice cream cake.
These recipes exemplify the unique blend of traditional Cantonese flavors with modern fusion elements, making "Salt, Sugar, MSG" a valuable resource for home cooks seeking to expand their palates.
$14.99 at Amazon
- The "Food-drink" section of this article features a review of the cookbook "Salt, Sugar, MSG," which brings a unique blend of nostalgia and culinary adventure.
- The average reader may find the cookbook's price to be reasonable, as it can be purchased for $14.99 on Amazon.
- In the cookbook, you will find various recipes that incorporate unexpected combinations of salt, sugar, and MSG, which can be found in many of our "food-drink" choices.
