![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
I wrote 484 words on a short story -- "In the Redwood House" -- and I have no idea where its going. It's going somewhere; it's not stalled; but my backbrain has not deigned to tell me where. This is sort of exciting and also vaguely disquieting. I mean, I get surprised sometimes, writing, but usually I have more idea where I'm headed than this. (I don't know what the Redwood House is yet, for instance, especially since the people the story is about seem to live exclusively in tents. But that's the title, and for now, I'm trusting the process. It can always be cleaned up and/or renamed in revision, if the meaning never appears.)
I do know that the story is set among the people who live north of the Ketatli, the speakers of my conlang, and speak a very closely related dialect, so hopefully that means that the language will at least come in useful somewhere. Not that I object to creating socieites and then not doing anything with them, but it's nice to know that my backbrain is multitasking.
I should be working on my project for CSCI102, which is actually really interesting, but I'm feeling rather lethargic. Tomorrow....
Ginger Beef
Made almost exactly enough for E and I, who have fairly light appetites.
Take a good knob of fresh ginger -- how much you get depends on how much you like ginger, but aim for at least three or four inches, and I use five or six, or more. (The dish ought to taste strongly of ginger -- it's a primary flavor rather than an accent -- so if you don't like ginger, this is probably not the best thing to make.) Grate it finely. If you can't be bothered to grate it, chop it finely; if you have a food processor, definitely use that. If you're grating it, you'll probably find that you wind up with a fibrous lump at the end. That's fine. Squeeze it over the gratings, and then discard it. Add a few tablespoons of broth or water, a small lemon's worth of juice, a few tablespoos of soy sauce, some minced garlic, some black pepper, and sugar depending on how sweet you like it. Taste it often at this point, and adjust as you like depending on how sour/salty/sweet you like this sort of thing.
Cut up about half a pound of beef into bite-sized pieces. (It's a really good idea to cut across the grain.) I prefer a higher vegetable to meat ratio than a lot of people, but if you like beef a lot, add more. Dump the pieces into the sauce.
Coarsely chop an onion. Julienne about half of a large carrot, and half a red or yellow bell pepper. Cut a smallish head of broccoli into small florets.
Get some vegetable oil nice and hot in the bottom of a pan (or a wok, if you're so fortunate). Sautee the onions and peppers for a few minutes. Fish the pieces of meat out of the liquid with a fork or slotted spoon and brown them in the oil, then add the carrots. After a few minutes, add the brocoli, too. Turn the heat down slightly and let the whole mess cook, stirring frequently, until the broccoli is bright green, the carrots are crisp-tender, and the onion and peppers are limp. Pour the sauce over the top and cook a few minutes more.
Thicken with cornstarch or arrowroot or whatever your preferred thickener is.
Serve over rice or noodles.
I do know that the story is set among the people who live north of the Ketatli, the speakers of my conlang, and speak a very closely related dialect, so hopefully that means that the language will at least come in useful somewhere. Not that I object to creating socieites and then not doing anything with them, but it's nice to know that my backbrain is multitasking.
I should be working on my project for CSCI102, which is actually really interesting, but I'm feeling rather lethargic. Tomorrow....
Ginger Beef
Made almost exactly enough for E and I, who have fairly light appetites.
Take a good knob of fresh ginger -- how much you get depends on how much you like ginger, but aim for at least three or four inches, and I use five or six, or more. (The dish ought to taste strongly of ginger -- it's a primary flavor rather than an accent -- so if you don't like ginger, this is probably not the best thing to make.) Grate it finely. If you can't be bothered to grate it, chop it finely; if you have a food processor, definitely use that. If you're grating it, you'll probably find that you wind up with a fibrous lump at the end. That's fine. Squeeze it over the gratings, and then discard it. Add a few tablespoons of broth or water, a small lemon's worth of juice, a few tablespoos of soy sauce, some minced garlic, some black pepper, and sugar depending on how sweet you like it. Taste it often at this point, and adjust as you like depending on how sour/salty/sweet you like this sort of thing.
Cut up about half a pound of beef into bite-sized pieces. (It's a really good idea to cut across the grain.) I prefer a higher vegetable to meat ratio than a lot of people, but if you like beef a lot, add more. Dump the pieces into the sauce.
Coarsely chop an onion. Julienne about half of a large carrot, and half a red or yellow bell pepper. Cut a smallish head of broccoli into small florets.
Get some vegetable oil nice and hot in the bottom of a pan (or a wok, if you're so fortunate). Sautee the onions and peppers for a few minutes. Fish the pieces of meat out of the liquid with a fork or slotted spoon and brown them in the oil, then add the carrots. After a few minutes, add the brocoli, too. Turn the heat down slightly and let the whole mess cook, stirring frequently, until the broccoli is bright green, the carrots are crisp-tender, and the onion and peppers are limp. Pour the sauce over the top and cook a few minutes more.
Thicken with cornstarch or arrowroot or whatever your preferred thickener is.
Serve over rice or noodles.