One of the most intimidating — but ultimately gratifying — things you can do in the kitchen is to cook something you’ve never cooked before.
If you’ve ever done this, you know it can be one of the most frustrating, disorienting, thrilling, tantalizing and yes, utterly rewarding things you can do, too. Maybe what you make doesn’t come out perfect the first time — what ever does? — but I guarantee you’ll end up feeling more empowered around the kitchen, or gaining a better understanding of flavors and ingredients, or even simply realizing that while you don’t know everything, you do know something. And that, at the very least, can be a reassuring thought.
Take for instance, the recent experiment of Kat, one of our beloved WAC team members. She knew that Diwali was coming up this week — a festival of light, love, and abundance observed by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains. She wanted to learn more about the holiday, so, as a starting point, Kat asked around and did some research on what foods are typically served as part of the celebration. Indian sweets, in particular, are shared as a symbol of the sweetness of good triumphing over evil. So are decadent fried foods like aloo tikka and pakora. Another staple at the party table? Samosas — those crispy, savory, dumpling-like triangles of deliciousness filled with richly-spiced fillings.
With a pack of ground sockeye in the freezer, Kat decided to make “salmosas,” based on a few different recipes she’d pinned to her desktop. It was her first time ever making them (dough and all, because she wasn’t able to find premade spring roll wrappers — a time-saving hack). However, she was pretty confident that her Alaskan-inspired adaptation would work, having used ground sockeye salmon as a filling for Japanese-style dumplings before.
The verdict? Kat felt she didn’t quite stick the landing on the dough but overall the samosas were, in her words, “acceptable, definitely edible.” Not bad, for the first time! She was so excited to share pictures with us and feels inspired to make these again to see what she can improve. “A little more spice, and a little more crisp if I can figure out how to get the dough crispier,” she suggested. “And also some more people in the kitchen to help me make them and eat them!” To which I say, yay for salmosas (the name alone was worth the effort), and yay for the courage and innovation that Kat brought to her kitchen for this endeavor. While it's important to note that many vegetarian Hindu people do not eat meat, and some choose to obstain from eating meat on Diwali, we hope you find inspiration in the celebration of shared experiences and trial and error.
In the spirit of culinary newness and valiance, I’d love to hear from some of you, too — if there’s anything unfamiliar that you’ve tried to cook at home that ended up “acceptable” the first time, and has become one of your favorites after a little practice.
P.S. Speaking of celebrations, October is National Seafood Month, so we’d like to help you give a special toast to the science-based stewardship that protects the marine ecosystems that we all rely on. Through the end of the month, you can enter a giveaway on Facebook, in our exclusive What’s Cooking group, and on Instagram to have a chance to win one free 12-pack box of seafood (value of $145) and a Wild Alaskan Company t-shirt.
Live Wild,
Monica
Pictured above: “Salmosas” with ground sockeye salmon, peas, and a mix of tasty spices on a bed of cilantro chutney.
