Culinary discoveries of 2023

Tofu is not a meat substitute, it's an ingredient on its own and it's a delicious ingredient – J. Kenji López-Alt

The dish I enjoyed making and eating the most this year was mapo tofu. More speciically, my version of Kenji's version of his mom's mapo tofu (which in turn is a japanese variation on the traditional Sichuan dish).

Chasing authenticity in home cooking sure is interesting, but Kenji's openness about his version being just a version (as well as how he eyeballs most ingredients) is liberating. I like more and more the recipes which have "you can do this or do that instead" added to many steps. For my version, I skip mirin and sake (and chili oil at the end) for simplicity, but instead add some chili bean paste early in the cooking.

I don't usually like hot foods (especially those where burning sensation overwhelms anything else), but I like aromatic and just slightly hot. With the right amount of the hot bean sauce (and specifically this one suggested by the shopkeeper of my local Asian supermarket where I also get my tofu – very grateful for both) I can make it just right. I'm not sure if it's the same thing as doubanjiang, but it seems very similar – and good enough to be labelled as my ingredient of the year.

Particularly fitting in autumn, bourbon renewal (2 oz bourbon, 1 oz lemon juice, 0.5 oz each of crème de cassis and simple syrup, dash of bitters) instantly became my favourite cocktail. Here's the original recipe by Jeffrey Morgenthaler and a video by Anders Erickson. The crème de cassis (cassis liquor) is a slightly unusual ingredient for me, but it's findable online, and I also found an almost-local store which sells it in small bottles. Cheers!