Okay, so I decided I needed to shake things up a bit. Felt like I was in a rut, you know? Eating the same old stuff, doing the same old things. So, this weekend, I thought, right, let’s actually try exploring some new flavours. Not just buying a different brand of crisps, but properly getting into it.
Getting Started
First thing I did was head down to that Asian supermarket that opened up a while back. Always walked past it, never went in. Bit intimidating, loads of stuff I didn’t recognise. But I just grabbed a basket and started looking.
Picked up a few things purely based on weird packaging or because I vaguely remembered seeing them on some cooking show. Got some fermented black beans – smelled funky, honestly. Grabbed some Sichuan peppercorns, some preserved mustard greens, and this chili oil that had loads of crunchy stuff at the bottom.
The Experiment
Back home, Saturday night, I decided to just throw something together. No real recipe, just vibes. Had some chicken thighs, so I chopped them up. Then I thought, let’s use those black beans.
- Smashed up the black beans with some garlic.
- Fried that up with the chicken.
- Threw in some of those Sichuan peppercorns – maybe too many? Felt adventurous.
- Added a splash of soy sauce and a bit of that chili oil.
The kitchen started smelling wild. Really pungent, spicy, not like my usual cooking at all. For a minute, I thought, “This is going to be a disaster.” Seriously worried I’d wasted good chicken.
Served it up with plain rice. Took a bite. Wow. It wasn’t a disaster. It was… intense. That numbing spice from the peppercorns, the salty kick from the black beans, the heat from the chili oil. It was completely different. Not subtle, really punched you in the face, flavour-wise.
Thoughts After
Was it the best thing I ever cooked? Probably not. My technique was clumsy, I definitely overdid the peppercorns. My mouth was tingling for ages. But it worked. It was exciting. Made me realise how boring my usual meals had become.
It’s funny, reminds me a bit of when I first started messing with Python after years of just using spreadsheets for data stuff. Seemed weird and complicated at first, kept making errors. But then, suddenly, you make something work, even if it’s clunky, and it opens up a whole new way of doing things. Same feeling, really. Just gotta dive in and try, even if you mess up a bit. Better than sticking to the same old bland routine, right?
