The past two weeks have been a lot of fun, work wise. Even though, I have been in and out of a seasonal flu but I loved the work I was doing. I was planning campaign strategies, making decks, and presenting to potential clients. I have this love hate relationship with presenting or public speaking. I always want to do it, but when I get the chance to do it I’m always a little wary. However, once I’m done, I get this amazing high of essentially accomplishing something. This has been the case for whenever I’ve presented. Even when I gave a TEDx Talk, the auditions for the event were fun but when I was offered a slot, I got really nervous and took forever to actually compose my talk. I feel as though its introverted Archit fighting extroverted Archit and even though extroverted Archit wins, introverted still fights all the time. 

I have been thinking a lot about this introverted and extroverted dichotomy that I’m in all the time. When people ask about my personality, I am always confused how to approach it. Being an only child who learnt to be independent at a very young, I am intrinsically very introverted but I do like spending time with people; large crowds don’t bother me too much; and I like working in teams. All the telltale signs of an extrovert. So I am always in this dance and I usually just choose to answer with respect to how I feel at the time, or what the person I am talking to would like to hear. 

I see this dichotomy to be something that I exercise with food as well. They’re definitely some recipes and dishes I make that are just for me. I like to call them my introverted recipes Guilty pleasure meals that I really don’t think I would make for a crowd because it’s either too simple, doesn’t look the best, or just doesn’t have that “wow, someone is cooking a meal for me” factor. Basically, things that are too easy to even be considered a meal. On the flip side, there are the extroverted recipes— dishes built with the idea of sharing, coming together, and enjoying a meal. Through my sesame series, I want to showcase how the same ingredient can be use to make meals for both moods! 

So how are you feeling today? Based on how you respond, I’ll share a new recipe with you! 

Glimpses from the week

Bon Appétit Magazine published this recipe in their March edition and I am hooked! We all know I love pesto, so I’m always down for a new version. This recipe checks all the boxes for a pesto but replaces every box with a different asian inspired ingredient. There’s spinach and cilantro instead of basil, miso instead of salt and lemon, veggie oil instead of olive oil, and toasted sesame seeds that replace pine nuts. The flavors are very different with the aromatics coming from the sesame and garlic as compared to it Italian counterpart where most of the olfactory senses were responding to freshly processed basil. It is heavy but the egg ramen noodles reduce the amount of sauce you need and the burst of umami flavor that comes from that miso is just so inviting that you don’t not want to finish the bowl. 

Ingredients (as inspired by Bon Appétit Magazine)

4 cups baby spinach

2 cups cilantro leaves with tender stems

1 Tbsp. white miso

4 garlic cloves

½ cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Salt to taste

100 grams of ramen noodles (or Top Ramen)

Toasted sesame seeds (for serving)

Methods

Step 1 

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.

Step 2

Meanwhile, purée spinach, cilantro, miso, garlic, veggie oil, sesame oil, and lemon juice in a blender until mixture is smooth and very green. Season with salt and pour pesto into a medium bowl.

Step 3 

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and add to bowl with pesto. Mix well with noodles. Top with sesame seeds

A perfect summer dip is this beautiful beetroot hummus. I LOVE the color. The Burgundy hues mirror the colors of a beautiful summer party and the pastel tones compliment and veggie of chip you put it on. Its sweeter than regular hummus and to be quite honest nothing like creamy chickpea hummus but still something that’s fresh and light on the palate. I have made it for house parties, as a spread for sandwiches, and as a mid day snack for work!

Ps. It will turn your teeth and white t-shirt red. 

Ingredients 

1 beetroot bulb., scrubbed clean and cut into large slices

2 tablespoons tahini paste 

2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds 

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon toasted cumin

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Salt to taste

Method

Step 1

In a food processor, add all the ingredients and blitz well. Add water spoon-wise if needed. (I added about 2 tablespoons of water because my beets were a little dry). Dont add excess oil! 

Step 2

Serve with veggies!