Hummus and warming soups

Hi Fam! I hope you’re having a fantastic week so far. In this week’s post, I’ll be writing about my first attempt at making hummus, soups, and spices that will keep you warm this winter, and everything that’s been going on in my life so far.

If you’ve seen last night’s Instagram story, you may have noticed that I put up a poll to vote for 3 types of logo’s. At the time of writing, I am happy to report to you that the people have spoken! If you’re interested in seeing which other logo’s I designed, be sure to head over to my Instagram, and to click on the little round button that says ‘Logo vote’ on my main page. I really liked sharing the results as well. For me personally, I was kind of partial to the black logo, because I felt that it exuded elegance.

Imagine my surprise, when I noticed that 100% of the respondents voted for this design! I’m so glad so many of you voted, it really made me feel like we were doing this together. So in the future, this design might pop up from time to time.

Last week, I went live on Instagram while I was making hummus. In Arabic, the word for hummus happens to be ‘chickpea’. Which makes sense, since it’s one of the main ingredients. I love having hummus on bread (any type of bread really). And I wanted to know if I could make it at home, without any added preservatives.

Since there are so many different recipes online, I decided to adopt the basic principles, and to just see where it went from there! In the end, I made 3 different varieties. To start, I bought some dried chickpeas and left them overnight to soak. When I woke up in the morning, they had swollen so much, they didn’t even fit the jar anymore!

As I got back after dinner, I cooked them for 45 minutes and removed the skins while they were still a little warm. Afterward, I added sesame seeds (since I didn’t have tahini), olive oil and a clove of garlic. And this was the end result! I divided the mixture over 3 jars. One jar with smoked paprika powder, one jar with turmeric and black pepper and one jar with no added spices.

Chickpea mixture in the food processor

Chickpea blend

Hummus with smoked paprika

As promised last week, I would write about soups to keep you warm this winter. This year we’ve already had two days of snow, and one more day coming up. So in order to keep a little warm in these cold temperatures, I have some recipe tweaks on how to stay warm despite the weather!

Below you will find an example of a ‘soup’ or noodle base (depending on how you look at it) which keeps me warm. For this mixture, I added some noodle water (since it has a little bit of starch), turmeric, black pepper, and melted tomatoes. I find that these combinations help me to stay warm whenever it’s cold outside!

Other varieties of spices I love are cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. If you add a little bit of cinnamon, cayenne pepper or ginger to a soup, it’s bound to give you that ‘cozy’ and warm feeling afterward! (Since it’ll be snowing tomorrow, it’s likely that I’ll be making soup using one of these spices as well!). If you want to achieve the same effect, just add some cayenne pepper or cinnamon and nutmeg to (for example) cauliflower soup. It’s bound to give you a different feeling!

Tonight I am heading back to school, to learn more about lobbying. My alumni group notified me that this was a thing, and since I don’t have to work today, it’s the prime chance to see some of my old schoolmates again. I hope that this will be a fun occasion since we are going out for drinks later!

Wishing you a great week ahead, and I hope you enjoyed this post!

– Kirti

For a link to my previous post, click here. To send me a DM on Instagram, click here. If you’d like to send me an e-mail instead, click here!

Week 4

Hi Fam! I hope you’re having a fantastic week so far. Last week I wrote about minimalism and the art of growing something. In terms of ‘growing something’ I added something new to the family.

 

Last week I ended up buying a shubunkin. It’s a variety of goldfish which can grow up to 30 cm long. For now, I’m keeping him where I can see him though! A few years ago we owned a variety of goldfish and shubunkin, but they all perished. This little guy seems to be doing just fine though!

In terms of life.. I just completed my third day of work, and I am currently on the lookout for an occupation which:

A . Pays better
B. Allows me to make suggestions / to express myself intellectually.

Another thing which slightly bothers me, is that I haven’t even had a look at my contract yet, and today I heard it’ll take another week. Lots of things are handled by ‘the main office’. Which for some reason does not always seem to have their * together.

Last week, I also opted to invest in myself, by purchasing another course. So far, I haven’t had the time to study (nor the motivation to). I will whenever the mood strikes though!

This week also marks the second day of snow (the first one was last week Thursday). I know that Korea has left some marks on me, and I still get kind of sad when it’s the first day of snow and my favorite person and I aren’t together.

Before I forget, I also attempted Ikebana this week! I felt like my room needed a little more flowers, so I bought some at the flower store near my house. I really liked the way they looked, but I have no idea what their name is. (For those who have no idea what Ikebana is: Ikebana is the Japanese art of arranging flowers).

I hope you’re having an amazing week so far, and thanks to Carla I am going to be writing about winter soups that will keep you warm next week! I hope you’ll be there too. Wishing you a great week ahead! – Kirti

For a link to my previous post click here. For inquiries you can always e-mail me or send a DM on Instagram.

3 points of interest

Hi Fam! I hope you’re having a great week so far. For those of you who have seen my instagram story, sorry for the repetition! For everyone else, here’s a quick overview of what I posted.

This week I’m going to write about:

1. Minimalism
2. The art of growing something
3. IRL developments

I know that in the past few months, I’ve written about minimalism. As far as I am concerned, it’s really opened up my view of owning something, and owning things just to let other people see ‘what kind of person I am’. Last weekend, I also watched ‘the art of tidying up with Marie Kondo’ on Netflix. To be honest, I didn’t start off like this. While reading Fumio Sasaki’s book on minimalism (Goodbye, things), I recognized large parts of why I was purchasing some items. At the time, I was not feeling secure at all, and buying things made me feel like I had some control over the situation. Thanks to his book, I’ve started looking at my belongings in a different way. When purchasing, I now think ‘Will this bring me joy? or ‘Am I willing to spend energy on this item/ thing’.’ I’ve also started to donating and selling items I have not used in the past year, or things which are not in line with my current self.

daikon sprouts

Which also bleeds into the next topic, the art of growing something. I realized that I really love watching plants grow. According to the Ikigai book I wrote about a few months ago, it is also one of the things that promotes longevity. On Sunday, I start sprouting the Daikon I’ll have on the next Saturday. For some reason, this routine gives me some sort of peace. I love updating the Fam on the growth process, and it’s really cool to see that some people have taken up the idea as well. It really warms my heart when I get messages from people who have given up on any type of gardening; who then decide to start again because of my weekly updates.

I have some exciting news to announce in terms of in real life developments! In the next 6 months I am going to set up a teachable account, to help the fam with authentic engagement. I’ve received messages from chefs to car mechanics on how to make this happen, so I’m really excited to let everyone know how I manage to get authentic traffic. (Until January 25th I am taking suggestions on the things you’d like to learn about Instagram.)

In other news, I’ve also set up a new Instagram account. It’s called @pouringmytea and it’s focused on basic Korean sentences and vocabulary. The website with Korean grammar and the alphabet is in the works. And I’ll be frank with you, it’a lot easier than learning Japanese or Chinese. So if you’ve ever been interested in learning an Asian language, be sure to follow my other account as well!

That’s it for me for this week! If you’re interested in how I try to incorporate minimalism in my daily life, feel free to let me know on Instagram or via e-mail. If you have any suggestions on what to add to the teachable course, send me a DM! Wishing you a fantastic week ahead, until next time! For a link to my previous post click here.

Quick soba noodle recipe

Hi Fam! This week I am trying something radically different. I know that I tried posting a recipe a few months ago, and I’m ready to give it another go. In these past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about possibly turning this blog into a Dutch blog. A Dutch chef was toying around with the idea of creating his own refinery29 and I thought I would make a good fit. However, a quick Instagram survey, revealed that over 60% of the Fam would prefer it if my posts remained in English. For this reason, the blog will remain in English!

Before I move on to the recipe for this week, I’d like to share a quick story on soba noodles. For me, soba wasn’t really special, and the first few times I tried it, it left an ‘earthy’ feel in my mouth. It would be safe to say, that I wasn’t really a fan. However, when I tried soba noodles that had been seeped into some kind of broth, the flavors would meld and become a mixture of the broth and provide me with a soothing feeling.

Something that also helps, is the fact that soba makes you feel full for longer. For me, it was a go-to in 2017, when I brought my lunch to work. I’d make soba the night before, and leave the sauce on the bottom of the container, during lunch I would carefully mix in the soba with the tomatoes and enjoy the feeling of having noodles that would carry me through the afternoon without a carb dip or food coma. If possible, I do love having soba while the noodles are cold but the broth is still hot.

Without further ado, onto the recipe!

Quick soba noodle recipe

Servings 1 / Prep time 10 minutes / Total time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients: 
1 bunch of soba noodles
5-6 Roma tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of kimchi or vegetable stock cube (whichever you like best!)
a little bit of olive oil

Optional (toppings)
15g of sesame seeds
or daikon sprouts

For the soba noodles:

I usually use a saucepan, but a larger pan is also optional. In this pan, bring 400 ml of water to a boil. As soon as the surface shows tiny bubbles, turn the heat down and add the soba noodles. Boil the noodles for 4 minutes and save the water.

 

 

A bunch of soba noodles

Roma tomatoes and kimchi

Whilst the noodles are cooking, cut up the garlic and Roma tomatoes. As soon as that’s finished, look for the oil and the vegetable cube or kimchi.

 

 

The amount of kimchi I used

Chilled soba noodles in a bowl

Sieve the noodles and add them to a bowl of chilled water. Meanwhile, add the olive oil and cloves of garlic to a pan. Turn the heat up to 6 or 7 and as soon as the oil is hot, add the water which the noodles were boiled in. Wait 1 or 2 minutes before adding in the tomatoes and vegetable cube or kimchi. After 2 minutes, add in the tomatoes and kimchi or cube, and cook the tomatoes until they fall apart. As soon as they do, add the water to the serving bowl. Sieve the chilled soba noodles and serve them on top of the tomato and vegetable base. Feel free to sprinkle some sesame seeds on top, or to add some daikon sprouts. I always boil my sprouts for 5 seconds in a  regular cup to make sure they are safe to eat. Enjoy!

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1. If you loved this recipe, or would like me to reveal how I usually make lasagne, please let me know! You can always send me a DM on Instagram or send me an e-mail. I hope you enjoy your own set of soba noodles, and feel free to tag me or to send me an e-mail with your own suggestions!

Starting off 2019

Hi Fam! I hope the new year is treating you well so far. As for me, I hit the hay at 4 AM last night. Unlike what I expected, I spent NYE with my parents and family. A few months ago this would not have been on the agenda at all. I’m glad I got to spend time with my family though. It felt good to watch the fireworks together, surrounded by all kinds of treats!

I know I did not post last week, and for that I am sorry. I’m still dealing with my winter depression and trying to come to terms with the fact that some days are just more productive than others. The old me would have pushed through, not caring about the mental strain it would cause, but since my word for this year is ‘kindness’. I am trying to listen more to what my body wants, instead of what my mind is telling it to do.

This week’s intro is a little bit longer than usual, but as promised, I am going to share all of my favorite food experiences in 2018!

My undefeated number one is Ramen-Ya in Amsterdam. There’s something about the store, the broth and the homemade noodles that just keeps me coming back. Whenever we have something to celebrate, my favorite person and I usually head off to this restaurant. It all started a few years ago when I noticed the bright red sign while we were having a stroll. The only thing I actually did was point and yell at the sign, telling him that we were definitely going to eat there! The ‘-ya’ suffix in a name means shop or store and can also be applied to food specialties. The reason why I wanted to eat there, was because of the fact that I hadn’t had any high-quality Japanese food since I came back from Korea. Since Ramen-Ya can loosely be translated to ‘Ramen store/shop’ I knew that it would be a good place to eat! The bowls are perfectly sized and in November the kimchi is even better than what I create at home.

In contrast, I had been hearing a lot about the recently opened Momiji-Ramen in The Hague, and I went to check it out this week. The store interior was absolutely beautiful. What really disappointed? The ramen broth. I ordered the Shoju (which is ramen broth based on a salty taste) but the ingredients did not come together. You could taste that the noodles had been homemade, but that was the only positive thing I really have to say about it. The meat was incredibly tough, and definitely, nothing like they serve at Ramen Ya, all in all, it was a pretty disappointing experience. The gyoza I ordered was filled with meat, which is not how I am used to having it. The pouches are usually filled with a mix of, for example, spring onion and carrot. What I would recommend? Order the fried chicken. It puts KFC to shame. I think that if I ever have the urge to have fried chicken, I would order it there. The meat was perfectly cooked through and the level of crisp on the chicken was balanced.

But, this is a post about the foods I loved in 2018, so on we go! This year I tried new snacks as well. I’ve fallen in love with the snowballs which are sold in the UK. It’s a small round ball, covered in chocolate and topped with desiccated coconut. The center is filled with marshmallows, and when you bite into it you can first feel the crunch and end it with fluff. It’s an experience!

Another thing I’ve tried is to do, is to ‘pimp’ my ramen recipes at home. Usually, instant ramen comes with oil you don’t even want to come near to (palm oil, you know who you are). So what I do, is I keep the dry ingredients and I add either olive oil or pumpkin seed oil. I find that I prefer those now. Another ingredient which I’ve been adding more and more of is dried daikon. (Daikon is a Japanese radish). Ten minutes before I start making the ramen, I soak the radish in hot water, it adds fiber and a crunch to the soft noodles. My final favorite is sesame seeds. I keep a small container near the noodles, and at the end, I add them as a final sprinkle. I love them! The reason I sprout the daikon or watercress seeds is also to boil them for 5 seconds before adding them to the noodles. It’s a quick and easy way to add a little bit of green to a dish, without having to whip out a pan!

On my birthday, we hit the Sea Palace in Amsterdam. It’s a beautiful restaurant, located within walking distance of Amsterdam central station. The menu features numerous options, one more delicious than the next. I loved being able to look out over the water while having some of the best, fried rice I’ve ever had. The steamed meat dumplings come in second. The dishes I loved most? The Sichuan style noodles, which I paired up with a big plate of greens and ‘For Nam’ (which translates to crispy pork belly with crispy skin). All in all, it was a truly memorable night, and an experience I am glad to have been a part of!

The last restaurant which I’d like to eat at is La Cubanita in Almere. I hadn’t had tapas before, but the menu was absolutely amazing. So many to choose from! (You have got to try the fried chicken!) I loved the bread with aioli, the flaming and the gambas in garlic oil. Everything tasted sublime. If I ever have the chance to go back, I definitely will.

So all in all, it’s been more of a restaurant review more than anything else. The reason why I visited so many restaurants, is because of the fact that I was able to afford all of it. At this point, I should be lucky to be able to eat out once a month at the most. I know that change is coming, and I am excited about everything that 2019 will be throwing at me!

I’d like to wish you and your family a very happy new year and I hope that all of your dreams for the coming year come true!

Lots of love,

Kirti