Hello my internet friends! Welcome to this month’s list of food related stuff. I’m going heavy on the tips and advice this month, as I’ve been wanting to broaden my cooking horizons and knowledge. I hope you enjoy this month’s selections.
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Food writing
It’s a ubiquitous tabletop condiment, known by everyone. But what actually is “ketchup”? https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-ketchup
Food advice and kitchen tips
Mis en place (or “meez” as it is often referred to) is a kitchen skill chefs swear by; getting everything ready in advance and having it to hand(In terms of “manliness”, no, I don’t think this is just for men, it just happens to be where I found this piece): https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/advice/mis-en-place/
Some of my experiments with Gochujaru and Szechuan cooking have led to some incendiary dishes. This advice on how to fix a dish which is too hot is something I’ll be keeping in mind: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-fix-a-dish-thats-too-spicy-article
The celery in my local Turkish grocers comes with a healthy and vibrant head of leaves and it always seems like a shame not to use them. Other than putting them in salads or stock, here is a very handy use, especially if you love a Bloody Mary: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/mar/22/how-to-turn-excess-celery-leaves-into-celery-salt-recipe-zero-waste-cooking
The “Just One Cookbook” website, written by Namiko Chen, is an excellent source of Japanese recipes and know-how. Here Nami sets out the difference between Soba and Udon noodles. https://www.justonecookbook.com/difference-between-soba-and-udon-noodles/
Many of us need to think about reducing our sodium intake. While both soy sauce and MSG contain sodium, they can deliver lots of flavour while still reducing your overall sodium intake. Lifehacker’s resident food expert Allie explains all here: https://lifehacker.com/food-drink/reduce-salt-intake-with-soy-sauce-msg
If you’ve ever seen the Chinese Cooking Demystified YouTube channel, Steph and Chris give detailed and careful explanations about ingredients, techniques, and dishes. Their guide to rice cookers is every bit as helpful and informative as you’d expect, and there is a video of an epic 7 minute rant which is well worth your attention: https://chinesecookingdemystified.substack.com/p/rice-cookers-a-guide
Chris’s 7 minute rant on rice cookers and cooking equipment can also be found here: https://youtu.be/OpDh_O473Ms?si=8iXfgVYOiG45p7ep
Recipes
The Vietnamese dish “Shaking beef” is a well known one, and I’ve enjoyed it at a Viet café close to my workplace. Here’s a variation for you all, served with pasta: https://www.thekitchn.com/shaking-beef-pasta-recipe-23714820
José Pizarro’s recipe for spring lamb and asparagus rice with saffron and fino: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/apr/15/spring-lamb-asparagus-rice-saffron-fino-recipe-jose-pizarro
Yari Club, on London’s St Martin’s Lane, specialises in Yakitori (Japanese grilled skewers) and cocktails. This is their take on Otoso (spiced Sake): https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/mar/14/cocktail-of-the-week-yari-clubs-spiced-sake-recipe
What you might have missed at Snig’s Kitchen
My most recent instant noodle review – Itsu’s chick n ramen (vegan) instant noodle in a pot: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2025/03/itsu-chick-n-ramen-instant-noodle-review.html
Please note: as with every monthly Favourites List, all of these items have been selected by me simply because I love them. I do not receive any money, benefits in kind or other incentive for posting these links or recommendations.
