Odds and Ends - Cumin Chinese Cauliflower (Caulilini), Pliny the Elder at Bay Hill Tavern, and Other "Stuffs"

Just a couple of quick things for today.....

I don't know if you've noticed. Many times, when we're having Chinese food whether at a restaurant or for takeout, we don't order vegetables. The reason for this is that the Missus has a hard time spending maybe over $15 for stir fried veggies. On most occasions we'll have leftovers and then I'll go ahead and stir fry veggies at home. I still have a Big Kahuna, my second one since 2005, this one goes to 65,000 BTU and is great for wok stir fries. 

Or, as in the case of the item below, I'll go ahead and roast something in the air fryer.....sometimes I'll do both at the same time as doing the stir fry can take less than 2 minutes!

Anyway, the latest item was something I just kinda made up. The Missus really likes Caulilini, which is known here as Chinese Cauliflower. It's the type of cauliflower She grew up eating in China. Also known as Baby Cauliflower, it features thin green stems, is a bit sweeter, the florets are more loosely arranged. The Missus grew up eating cauliflower stir fried with tomato. I thought I'd try something interesting, knowing that She enjoys the flavor of cumin in dishes like BO Zi Ran Yang Rou (Cumin Lamb). I thought the P-Cresol-ish cumin would go nicely with cauliflower and it did.

Because the quantity of cauliflower varies, I'll just give you a photo of the ingredients (minus the cauliflower).

There's a certain sequence that I've been using for making this.

Air Fryer Cumin Cauliflower
1 - After rinsing, prepping, and draining the cauliflower pour a few tablespoons of avocado, or any other neutral oil into a mixing bowl. Add cauliflower and combine.
2 - Add Sichuan Peppercorn oil to coat and White Pepper
3 - Add Cumin, Chinese Five Spice, and Granulated Garlic - I used to use fresh shopped garlic but it burned too easy. Mix well.
4 - Taste to make sure the cumin flavor comes thru clearly
5 - Add about a tablespoon of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of chili crisp, I found that Lau Gan Ma works the best.
6 - Stir and mix well to coat.
7 - Taste and adjust seasonings and add smoked salt.
8 - Roast in 450° Air Fryer for 12-14 minutes.

The time the Missus said She wanted me to grill some Shishamo:

So, I went to grill some veggies and also some of my Local Kine Chashu Chicken for the Missus when She asked me to grill some Shishamo for Her. I thought this kind of strange, since we'd sometimes do it on the Konro, but She wanted it grilled....

So, I prepped some.

When I finished, I found out who it was actually for. Guess who got Shishamo?

I actually posted about it on Instagram and some folks found it funny.....

Pliny the Elder at Bay Hill Tavern:

Earlier in the week, the Missus wanted some tacos from the Tacos La Chorreada Truck. So JJ and I walked on over, placed my order and decided to head on over to Bay Hill Tavern for a cerveza until my tacos were ready.

I was given the "specials" menu to look over and was pleasantly surprised.

Man, they had Pliny the Elder on tap! When was the last time I had that?

My goodness....it was so good. I'm hoping they still have it the next time I visit. If you plan on dropping by specifically for a PtE, perhaps you may want to call first as I'm sure they'll soon run out - 619-326-8828.

Bay Hill Tavern
3010 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Mon - Thurs 11am - 9pm
Friday            11am - 10pm
Saturday        10am - 10pm
Sunday          10am - 9pm

And finally......

My latest "ear worm":

I'm sure this might be before your time, but someone mentioned the late Wili Moku to me recently. He was the DJ I always listened to on KKUA in the 80's (before they became Public Radio - hey you rememba the Home Grown album?)

But for some reason, Da' Mokkettes song Palolo Valley Girls, a parody (of a parody) of Frank & Moon Unit Zappa's "Valley Girl" started playing in my head. Arrgh.....I just can't clear it out!

So, just to share the wealth.

"Shoot la dat, no act, no act......" "Make a all the way!"

Hope you're having a wonderful week!

Comments

[kat]

wili moku! blast from the past!

[Kirk]

Totally a blast from the past Kat!

[Kimo]

I asked my dad abt that song and he couldn’t stop laughing

[Junichi]

Obrien's has Pliny on tap pretty much all the time. They even get a few kegs of Pliny the Younger (Triple IPA) each year as well. Very dog friendly. Parking lot is not car friendly tho.

[Som Tommy]

That cauliflower looks good. Thanks for the ingredient list

[Dereck]

Woah, that big kahuna looks fantastic. Does it work with flat woks (I have a nice carbon steel one I love).

[Kirk]

A blast from da past Kimo!

I wish O'Brien's was in walking distance Junichi! I'd be there quite often! I mentioned wanting to drop by Russian River Brewing when we visited Santa Rosa during the release of Pliny the Younger, but the line went all the way down the street!

Hope you enjoy ST!

I also do all my frying and cook seafood in my saute pan using the big kahuna Dereck. So it should be just fine with flat bottom woks.

[dag16]

as mentioned, Obrien's almost always has it on tap, as does regents!

[Kirk]

Hi David - I think the key point was that I saw this as a step forward for places in our neighborhood. A couple of folks who live nearby already emailed me. I wish I lived in walking distance to O'Brien's....heck....man, did I wish I lived in walking distance to Tiger Tiger! It's great to hear from you and hope all is well.

[Peter]

I'm late to the party on this post, but will give the Chinese cauliflower a try -- never had it. I've been experimenting with the mala phenomenon -- using a combination of sichuan peppercorns and sichuan ground chilis that I bought from Mala Market. I way overdid the ratio of peppercorns to ground chilis the first time -- ULTRA numbing! -- but am now getting the hang of it.

[Kirk]

Hope you enjoy the cauliflower Peter! Yes, that ratio of "ma" to "la" is quite important!