School started for me yesterday, so unfortunately the time I have to work on my business/craft is probably going to be reduced. I will try to continue updating the blog, and maybe even have some art school-related things to share.
Today I went to the "local" Asian market. I put "local" in quotations because it's not in my town and kind of a chore to go over there. It's called H Mart, and it's huge. I've been to several Asian markets, but this one has been my favorite for a while.
I picked up a lot of things (fruits, veggies, nori because it's so much cheaper there...) but the real reason I wanted to go was for one specific ingredient: sesame leaves.
I had bought sesame leaves before, but I didn't know what to do with them and they went bad before I got around to using them. I was talking to my half-Korean friend Morgan yesterday, and she was telling me about how in her family they use them to wrap around rice and other fillings. I decided to go ahead and buy these mysterious leaves.
I was feeling pretty lazy, so I didn't feel like making any other fillings than rice. I made sushi rice that I seasoned like I would for sushi so it would have a bit of flavor. I was actually very surprised by these leaves and really enjoyed them. They have kind of a minty flavor to them, and it added some subtle flavor unlike other wrappers (lettuce, rice paper...).
I don't think I'll be able to get Jose to try sesame leaves like this. I have several left, and I found a recipe for Korean pancakes that uses these and other veggies. It will be pan-fried and not healthy, so he should be up for trying it ;)
I picked up one other thing at the market that I had never tried before: starfruit! If you remember, trying starfruit is on my list of 25 Things Before I Turn 25. That's one crossed off now! I shared it with my friend Rachel who had never tried it either, and we both really liked it! It's kind of like an apple in taste and texture.
That's all for today, so I hope you all enjoy your weekends!
-- Laura
