October 15, 2005
My First Mention!
Thanks to recent commenter FarmGirl, I’ve learned that I have been mentioned on english expat Sam Breach’s wonderful Becks & Posh blog, as, no freaking way, her Bay Area blogger of the week!
Yay! Thanks very much for the inclusion. I’ll have to write some good stuff, now! 
Of course, just after the fanfare about my new camera, I found myself out of batteries, of all things, when a culinary Kodak moment struck. Cam-phone it is..
After a night of watching Miss Kittin and much of the Kompakt crew play wonderful techy-glitchy-teutonic music, I awoke, rushed to practice with my space-rock band The Lag, then returned home famished and nursing the tail end of a rather nasty hangover.
With the sushi place below us closed ’til later and falafel and even vegan sausage (other favorite neighborhood eats) sounding too heavy, I realized it was time to improvise.
Thai-Inspired Couscous (portioned for one)
Prep:
Squeeze half a lime over a handful of shrimp or cubed tofu in a small bowl. Add a blast of thai fish sauce and a squirt of Braggs. Mix with half a handful of chopped cilantro and some cracked pepper.
Chop a bit of the tail end of a stick of lemongrass (just above the root) into four 1/4″ rounds. Remove all but the softest center leaves, and use a garlic press to squeeze thier juice into the mix, one or two at a time. You heard me right! Set the bowl aside.
Chop 4 brown mushrooms, 2 cloves garlic and a small tomato. Turn the process into an interperative dance. Shriek, if neccesary.
Prepare 1/3rd cup of couscous according to your variety’s directions. Add a pinch of sea salt as it boils. Once it’s finished cooking, remove the lid from the pot, and reduce heat to low, fluffing the grains with a fork with manic fervor until they become less sticky. Remove from heat.
Execution:
Heat a dollop of sesame oil in your wok (medium heat). Drop in the mushrooms and garlic and fry. If you’ve got a bit of good flaky sea salt (Fleur De Sel is a current favorite), add a tiny pinch. Once the mushrooms wilt a bit, add the couscous and boost heat to high.
Flip all that about for a couple of minutes, then add your shrimp or tofu mixture. Stir fry until much of the liquid has steamed away. Add a bit more lime juice or cilantro to taste, plate the dish with gusto, and enjoy.
This went well with a nice dry Powerbook, circa 2002 (a good year), a sliced kiwi, and a good bit of reading Becks & Posh.
Cheers ’til next time, more (decent) pictures soon!
-GC
Filed under: Recipes
October 15th, 2005 at 10:05 pm
i just discovered your site and read it straight through. really fresh and different and extremely appetizing. thanks for putting it out there.
October 16th, 2005 at 10:39 pm
george
that’s so cute
a picture of my blog on your blog, next to your dinner no less.
I like it. I am chuffed. Ta!
don’t forget to keep that camera battery charged (but looks like your phone takes pretty good pics anyway!)
good luck with the blog, I am looking forward to reading more.
October 20th, 2005 at 6:10 pm
hey that’s some big couscous. and your lj feed isn’t updating.
October 25th, 2005 at 12:00 pm
It’s back on now, methinks!