There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
So lately I've been having a lot of fun with the wide variety of noodles out there. Rice, green bean, mung bean, egg, good old water and wheat, and all the shapes they can take. Some absorb sauce, some don't, some take oil on as a sheen, just gotta experiment sometimes. But it certainly helps to have had experience and build technique with them. So do the canonical dish first, then figure out how you can incorporate different ingredients.
I've had success rediscovering vegetables and exploring new ones. Many of them open up in new ways given our current infrastructure and technology. Many vegetables are derived from the same ancestor (e.g., Brassica, nightshade) so can be somewhat interchangeable.
Some preparations are always good. I've dumped all manner of protein and starch together and added a spicy coconut milk-ginger sauce. There's just no way that can't be good.
Now that is something I'd like to try. Is this something you make yourself or is it store-bought?
I am still learning about various cuisines (just started living by myself a couple months ago) but yes I agree with what you said about the roles of ingredients in dishes. I tend to think of recipes that way too--instead of thinking about specific ingredients in recipes, I usually think about "hmmm what is this thing doing in the recipe?" and then try and think of other things that _I think_ might do the same thing. I think it comes with practice--I don't think I'm very good at this haha. But this is great advice, thanks!
If you have Chili Garlic sauce you can put in 2 Tbl of that and omit the ginger, sugar, and cayenne. Don't know what Chili Garlic sauce is? Check out this link: http://www.eatitatlanta.com/2008/10/30/chili-sauces-explained-sriracha-sambal-oelek-and-chili-garlic-sauce/ To me, sriracha is a condiment, while sambal oelek and chili garlic are cooking ingredients. Sambal oelek has more flavor-neutral heat while chili garlic is heat + garlic.