I’ve Moved

The Lost Asian

Today is my last post at aayudame.wordpress.com. Thank you guys. Without my readers, I wouldn’t be inspired to expand and do better.

My journey of eating is moving to thelostasian.com.

See you guys there!

Part II Hot Sauce

crunchy and delicious

Since watching “The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Fried Food,” as well as reading Food52’s drooling recipe by Merrill, I could maybe understand how brussel sprouts could be delicious. Though it is only when I came upon Ya Ya Bean’s hot sauce, at the same time seeing fresh brussel sprouts sold right around the corner that I decided to set aside my judgement for this small round goodies and try out this recipe. The result? A wonderful bowl of crisp, sweet and spicy goodness.

Makes 1 big bowl

Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts adapted from Food52

• 1 pound brussel sprouts (around 22 of them)
• 1 tbsp La Boca Roja hot sauce (or any other hot sauce)
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• juice of 1 lime
• oil for frying

1. Trim the stem end of the sprouts, separating the leaves with your fingers, collecting them in a large bowl. When you reach the heart of the sprout (where it’s tough to pry off the remaining leaves), add the heart to the bowl with the leaves.
2. In a small bowl, mix together hot sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice. Adjust to your liking; set aside.
3. Set about 2 inches of oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat; heat until 350F. Fry the sprouts in batches, using a screen to protect you from sputtering oil; remove the sprouts with a slotted spoon after 30 seconds to a minute, when crisp and brown; drain them on a double layer of paper towels while you fry the rest of the sprouts.
4. Once all the sprouts are fried, transfer them to a large bowl and toss them with the sauce, seasoning with salt if needed.
5. Eat while warm.

Hot Sauce

La Boca Roja

Hot sauce is a necessity; a kitchen commodity; the key component to complete a delicious dish. In my case, I put it on everything; you name it I splash it on: bacon, french fries, milanesa, chicken wings, hamburgers, pizza etc. Since arriving in BA, the nonexistence of spicy cuisine leaves me no choice but to obsessively search high and low for sweat-induced food/ingredients. Well, up until I landed on Ya Ya Bean’s hot sauce and fell in love; I loved it so much that I’m contemplating about being their next door neighbor.

Just a dab on the tongue has me blasting to another planet. It’s HOT. Though what makes it perfect is the right amount of salt and the playful flavors of cumin, onion and garlic.  A well made bottle. Not to say, it’s very affordable with a generous pour: 20 pesos ($5) for the small one and 50 pesos ($12.50) for their big one. Oh, and they deliver to your door.

Ya Ya Bean’s La Boca Roja

Ya Ya Bean is formed by two best friends from DC, who worked on an organic farm in Patagonia, and musicians by trade. To know more about them, they can be seen on youtube, documenting their journey making and selling it to customers in San Telmo fair.

http://www.yayabeans.com/

Location: Every Sunday at San Telmo Fair, on Defensa near Alsina.