gol gappas > the new chicharrones

Chicken Skin Chicharrones from a batch of adobo from a Beacon Culinary Project class. Adobo recipe courtesey of Adobo Hobo.

Remember when I said that the good chicharrones are made by droppiong up and down in the fry oil/lard? Well I'm not sure why this is true. They seem to become more light and airy when they are dropprd in the oil and removed and dunked back in and out again. Seems like it allows more opportunity for air pockets to form. Same is true with pani puri gol gappas. In order to get them to puff up a lot, it always helps to drop them in and out and shake them around a lot. It also helps to fry fewer at a time.

Manjula only fries a few at a time. And she also bobs them up and down. Manjula is the best by the way. She makes a bunch of different Indian dishes from scratch. Very cool lady.

Here is the recipe for Soul Cocina Gol Gappas for Pani Puri:
For Puri
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 cup semolina flour
1/4 cup soda water
2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients together. Knead for a few minutes. Allow to rest, covered for 35 minutes. Roll thin and cut out circles. Deep fry using the dunk and lift method until GBD.

Street Art

Celebrate Sour Flour's thousandth loaf today at Monkey Club 5pm. Danny the Gastronomer will be giving away free bread. I'll make some winter squash curry to go with the bread.
Tune: Little More Oil Featuring Sister Nancy by DJ Rupture from Special Gunpowder
I first bought this album when I saw it on the shelf at Aquarius Records. I bought it because it was a 12" record with flying watermelons on it and it had a gueast spot by Sister Nancy. When I was a kid I used to do flying watermelons off of the high dive. Kids pools don't have diving boards anymore, let alone high dives. Insurance and fear is the new summer fun.


Tune: Deep Fried (Robot Koch Remix) by Rustie Vs. Cerebral Vortex from Palmsout remix sunday 91


Tune: Snake Oil by Typical Cats


Tune: Chitlins & Cuchifritos by Joe Thomas from Fufu Stew Thanksgiving 2: Dinner With Soul

Joy Of Cooking with Joe Thomas. Funky Flute. Sly Stones "Thank You"

Please read "Back to the Land"

Chicharrones are The New Cumbia

NeoChicharrones
ElectroChicharrones
DigitalChicharrones
NewChicharrones

These crispity clouds fit Juan Data's description of neocumbia

4505 chicharrones are spectacular. There are many varieties of Chicharrones throughout Latin America. My Dominican family {inlaws} makes chicharrones a different way. For them Chicharrones is just fried chicken. It is very tasty. Unlike the Mexican chicharrones I have eaten, the Dominican version is best eaten right out of the fryer. At La Palma, I love the chicharrones con grasa, which are best when they are still warm. They have some of the pork meat still on them and a bunch of the fat, which stays moist and flavorful. Some folks like the ones served at La Espiga de Oro, down the street. Some call these versions "regular". Are 4505 Chicharrones "regular ass" chicharrones? traditional chicharrones? I don't think they are supposed to be. Are they bad? No way. Are they fancy. Maybe. They may seem to be sold at hoity toity gringo places, maybe they are. But if places like Ritual Coffee and Kitchenette are hoity toity, then I'm cool with hoity toity. Ritual Coffee takes coffee making seriously, grinds it's own beans in house and honors the art of small batch French press brewing. Kitchenette is a green business and makes everything from scratch, from kim chee to hand pulled mozzarella to pastrami to a wide variety of in house pickles. Basically, a few very passionate food businesses sell 4505 chicharrones. They are not, however, sold at El Trebol on 22nd and Capp, nor are they sold at El Tin Tan on 16th street, two of my favorite non gringo locations in the Mission. They are not sold any any authentic Mexican place.

Underground/ D.I.Y. Ethics: Check - Ryan Farr has hustled his Zilladogs and other treats on the streets and at the Ferry Building for a while, after many years of working in kitchens. He was the chef at Orsen and Fith Floor before starting his own business. You can get your Turduckin from him too.

I studied the art of chicharrones in the begining of this year when I was working at Nopalito. Research, reading, you tube watchin', and trial and error. At the time, the Nopalito chicharrones were dense and tooth breaking. I told the chef, who is a very talented chef from Mexico who has worked in great restaurants in SF, that our chicharrones were too hard. He told me that's how they are supposed to be. Maybe so, but none of the chicharrones I buy in the Mission are rock hard like that. I asked him If I could make a batch, but he liked to be the only person to make chicharrones {among other things} He would cut the pork rind into thin strips and then blanch in water two times, then they were fried in pork lard. I told the chef about the 4505 chicharrones and said that they were fried in rice oil. We used rice oil to fry the tortillas, not the chicharrones. Only Gringo chicharrones are fried in rice oil. I wonder if they use corn or veg oil on 24th street for chicharrones, or just lard? As weeks passed, the Nopalito chicharrones became lighter and lighter. I think it was because they were blanched longer and fried slower in shorter bursts, being dropped into the fry lard and lifting out, up and down. The chef said he had been watching you tube videos and remembered seeing it done that way in Mexico. They started to get better and better and on the days when they turned out extra special we would serve them on top of a bowl of guacamole. Then one day someone came in and dropped off a bag of Chicharrones from 4505 Meats for the kitchen to taste. No one commented. Not sure if this was the first time the chef tried them. I heard the "Gringo chicharrones" are fried in rice oil.

When people say "That's way overpriced" it troubles me. What they should be saying is "that other food is way underpriced" or "that other food was produced by underpaying human beings" or "that other food was made in an irresponsible way that is harmful to the earth and human beings"....

If the 4505 chicharrones they got from Ritual were "Soggy crispy" it may be because they were not fresh. Unlike traditional chicharrones, the 4505 chicharrones are very delicate. When they are done well, the "real deal" chicharrones are tough and durable, while at the same time remaining light and airy.

I understand and support the need to preserve authenticity of products and I believe we should respect the origin and the roots of traditional dishes and ingredients. San Francisco is home to many cultures and we all borrow aspects of culture from each other. As a gringo who cooks Mexican food and food from other parts of the world, I am excited to use flavors and techniques that I have learned from other cultures to create my own cuisine. But It's important to know and respect the roots. You can't beat crushing a bag of chicharrones before opening the plastic and diving in... now that's straight gangsta.

"Gabacho" is used a lot more than "gringo" in San Francisco.

Some Soul Cocina Gabacho Tamales

Join in on a Soul Cocina Indian Feast this Monday at LOCALIZE

Wholesome Bakery will be at OUTSIDE IN
Toasty Melts will be at OUTSIDE IN on Saturday

Yo Digo Baila

Tune: The Hour Long Soul Cocina Mix by Rajah

above photo by eviloars



Soul Cocina Chiles en Nogada photos by Slowpoke SF

Toasty Melts pork belly buns may make an appearance at OUTSIDE IN this saturday

Kike on a Bike will make an appearance at OUTSIDE IN


Got Fries? That Guys Fries will have you covered at OUTSIDE IN

Lumpia Lumpia Lumpia

Selector Ben AKA The Gumbo Man will serve his famous gumbo and select the classic hip hop and dancehall tunes for your dancing pleasures at OUTSIDE IN



The Genie, Fossil Fool, Roger Mas and more will also be performing at OUTSIDE IN

value meal

Value
Perception

Magic Hat Hot Dogs OUTSIDE IN

For more Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs and San Francisco Street food come out to "OUTSIDE IN"

Al Lindrum & His Magic Hat - Come Together / Hide & Seek EP

Fall Brings.....

.....the beginning of citrus seasonal sightings {these is my favorite fall/winter stall at Alemany Market}

...squash and pumpkin pie ice cream from Smitten Ice Cream

.....local walnuts and persimmons

...bhel puri with little surprises like pomegranate gems and persimmin stars

...mushroom risotto with blue corn, squash blossoms and sage-red walnut pesto

1. make a mushroom broth from dried mushrooms, leeks, garlic, herb stems, bay leaf, onions, celery and carrots.

2. blend together toasted red walnuts with parmesan, garlic, parsley, sage and olive oil for pesto.

3. saute risotto, onions and garlic in olive oil then cook in mushroom broth. finish with cream and parmesan.

4. sautee fresh blue corn with garlic and mushrooms in olive oil. finish with torn sage, cracked black pepper, toasted red walnuts and squash blossom.

5. top the risotto with pesto and sauteed corn and mushrooms.
......hot Soul Cocina naan from the pizzahacker oven and rumali roti for your goat curry

..........the street culture indoors

OUTSIDE IN
Food from: Deja Vu Gorditas, Peace Meals, Barcelona La Bona, Smitten Ice Cream, That Guys Fries, Gumbo Cart, Creme Brulee Cart, Brazilian Bites, Javi's Elotes, Chile Lindo and more

Music by Mucho Axe and Canto Mixto

Sandra Duran Y Ryan Garcia (Flamenco dance)

DJs: Fausto, EKG, Selctor Ben {GumboMan}

November 21st from 7pm - 2 am
Baobab Village (former Bollyhood cafe)
3372 19th Street (between Mission and Capp)
$5
RSVP on Facebook


.....hot dim sum on chilly Marin days from True Gourmet at the Marin Farmers Market

.........pumpkin carving


.....little cilantro and lettuce to plant from the Free Farm Stand

.....slow braised hearty greens
......chestnuts


Tune: Beatiful Dancer by Fela Kuti

Tune: I Know (ft. Pharrell) from Hindustani Gangster

Tune: Ley Ja Kitte Door {DJ Ear Flaps joint}

Tune: Gentleman f. Bajah by J.Period & K'Naan from The Messengers (Trilogy)



In the fall twenty years from now, kids will be "making music on their cell phones and grilling octopi."