Strike While The Iron Is Hot
Returning from a routine doctor’s appointment with a diagnosis of mild anemia would encourage most people to grab an iron supplement and call it day. I did, but why would I just gulp down the little white tablets with water as intended, when they could do so much more? Iron was exactly the secret ingredient I needed to bring an unconventional recipe idea to life. Food is medicine, after all.
A Taste of Tradition
Soondae/sundae (순대), the Korean version of blood sausage, was a thrifty way to add nutrition before the times of multivitamins. Spices, vermicelli noodles, rice, and blood get wrapped up in a casing and steamed, sauteed, or boiled as a snack. The iron in hemoglobin is what gives blood its characteristic metallic taste and thus, the distinctive twang in soondae. Knowing that, it’s surprisingly easy to recreate the flavor of cooked and well-seasoned blood sausage.
Iron Out the Wrinkles
Aromatic toasted sesame oil blooms garlic and ginger with a touch of sweet heat from gochujang. Tart pomegranate juice adds another layer of tangy flavor, cooked right into the sticky sushi rice. It’s an unexpected combination that’s both assertive and nuanced, bold enough to be eaten solo but not averse to being included in more complex meals.
Colored black thanks to inky charcoal powder, you can rest easy that this polarizing ingredient, though used in emergency situations to prevent the absorption of certain poisons and drugs, does not interfere with the absorption of iron. Your vitamin infusion is safe here.
Ironclad Guarantee
Anyone trying to argue that only animal-based meat forced inside an edible casing can be called a “sausage” should take note: soondae does not and has never included any actual animal flesh. Yes, the casing is made from cow or pig intestines, and of course, there’s the blood, but meat itself has been a rare luxury throughout history.
I would always rather eat my vitamins, although this recipe is a bit more literal than that sentiment would usually imply. There are more benefits to supplements beyond health; if you use them to their full potential, they can improve your cooking, too. Now you can get your fill of iron in plant-based soondae, which is a whole lot easier to swallow.
Brewed Awakening
Instant coffee will never be as good as freshly brewed. Thankfully, this isn’t instant.
From the innovators of Mad Tea, Mad Coffee is made from the same beans we know and love, but somehow an entirely different breed. Cold brew is all I want to drink when it’s over 90 degrees outside, which is the vast majority of the year. Achieving that same clarity and bold flavor without wasted fridge space or long waits feels like a genuine breakthrough in coffee technology.
Just Add Water
In seconds, you’ve got yourself a perfectly balanced cold brew that tastes like it came straight from your favorite third-wave café. No bitterness, no grit, just smooth, full-bodied flavor with tasting notes so clean, it feels like you’re experiencing them in high-definition.
The Mad Difference
Lyophilization is the scientific name for the unique flash-freezing process used to create these coffee crystals. Essentially, it takes fully realized cold brew coffee, freezes it, and then removes all the liquid, leaving behind the pure essence of the original brew, ready to be reanimated. This allows it to dissolve immediately in cold water, creating a genuine cold brew coffee, not just an upscale take on granulated instant coffee pellets, and without having to plan and prep for a 12 – 24 hour slow extraction. As an added benefit, this approach creates a very low acidity cuppa, so it’s easier to enjoy on every level.
Tasty Trio
Whether you’re craving a rich, dark roast or a sweet, flavored brew, Mad Coffee has a cup for every preference.
- Classic Cold Brew: Smooth as silk with deep, rich notes of cocoa and toasted nuts. This one would be easy to drink all day long, if not for the 150mg of caffeine in each capsule.
- Americano: Starts strong and ends strong, robust and dark with hints of dark chocolate. Invigorating and unmistakable, for those with things to do and places to be.
- Vanilla Caramel: Made for the latte lovers, this one really shines with a splash of oat milk and a touch of sweetener. Start your morning with one of these, and you’ll feel like you’re still dreaming.
To Go Or For Home, It’s Here To Stay
Convenience doesn’t have to mean compromise. These pods have managed to distill the soul of a great café experience into something you can carry in your pocket. Whether you’re headed to a remote trail, crammed into an airplane seat, or just dodging Zoom meetings at your desk, Mad Coffee is a little extra perk that will make everything at least a little bit better.
Whereas conventional instant is often a last-ditch option, Mad Coffee is my first choice. Stock up at DrinkMadCoffee.com and use code “HANNAH15” to get 15% off!
This post was made possible as a collaboration with Mad Coffee. My opinions can not be bought and all content is original. This page may contain affiliate links; thank you for supporting my blog!
Wordless Wednesday: Slow Your Sushi Roll
Chicken Katsu Bao
Austin Roll
Spicy Edamame
Shiitake Roll
Manhattan Roll
Kinoko Ramen
Spider Roll
Texan Roll
Volcano Roll
Strawberry Cloud
Yuzu Highball
Nori
3208 Guadalupe St B
Austin, TX 78705
Smash Hit
It should look like a murder scene when you’ve done it right. Guts splayed out across the inky black hard wood on full display, hemorrhaging fast into the gutters, it’s perverse in how right it feels. Beauty in decay, creation through destruction… Or maybe just a fun way to dispatch a garden variety vegetable.
You know how they say there are people who have a very punchable face? That’s how I feel about English cucumbers. Like water balloons waiting to be thrown, their existence inspires an insatiable urge for a very specific, target aggression. Aside from the instant gratification of destroying something beautiful, bashing cucumbers rather than merely slicing them actually serves a very flavorful purpose. The uneven nooks and crannies created by forcing them to split open allows them to more readily absorb dressing, whereas smooth cuts yield slick surfaces that let it roll right off.
This technique is typically seen in Asian cuisine, paired with fiery chilies to contrast with the cooling effect of chilled cucumbers, but that’s not the only game in town. Inspired by a splash of leftover gin, so scant that it barely seemed worth saving, I turned the classic Cucumber Collins cocktail into a salad. An herbaceous yet subtle foundation, a touch of citrus, and a hint of sweetness turn this act of vegetable vengeance into a thing of elegance and refinement.
Allow yourself the raw, primal joy of intentionally obliterating your ingredients. Amid the chaos, there’s a different kind of harmony, and perhaps a deeper appreciation for their resilience. Broken open, the cucumber is only stronger, more flavorful than ever.
Desert Door
J.R.R Tolkein once said that of all the phrases in the English language, of all the endless combinations of words in all of history, that “cellar door” is the most beautiful. I would argue that this is only because the phrase Desert Door hadn’t yet been introduced to linguistic discourse.
Tucked away in a sleepy corner of the Texas Hill Country, Desert Door feels more like a southwestern resort than a distillery. Adorned with carefully curated cacti, earthen textures, and playful string lights, the dog-friendly patio implores visitors to come on in and stay a while. The spirited hum of live music drifts in and out of animated conversations between friends, all while beverages slowly dwindle.
So… What Is Sotol?
Comparisons to tequila are unavoidable; both come from Mexico, both are distilled spirits, both are made from resilient desert plants. Sotol, however, is made from the Dasylirion, also known as the desert spoon. Native to West Texas and northern Mexico, it’s a scrappy little plant that survives on limestone, sun, and stubbornness. Another near neighbor is mezcal, which is a similar agave-based spirit that has a much smokier, more savory character than sotol. Aging, infusing, and generally tweaking the distilling process can create many overlapping qualities that makes their differences increasingly difficult to distinguish.
How It’s Made
Harvested wild by hand, the hearts of the desert spoon are steamed, fermented, and then triple distilled into a crystal-clear spirit. Desert Door crafts three distinct expressions of their sotol, each telling a different story of the land.
- The Original is smooth and bright, with hints of citrus, green herbs, and a clean finish; this is the one most would compare to traditional tequila.
- The Oak-Aged spends at least one year resting in American white oak barrels, soaking in notes of toffee, dried fruit, and warm baking spices, not unlike whiskey.
- Most unique and my personal favorite is the Conservation Series infused with botanicals like mesquite, honeysuckle, and sage that evoke the impression of gin, but without the polarizing taste of juniper.
The folks at Desert Door are passionate about doing things right: sustainable ingredients, zero-waste operations, and a fierce loyalty to their Texan terroir. Even if you’re not usually a spirits person, sotol feels surprisingly accessible. It’s the kind of versatile liquor that plays well with others, be it citrus, herbs, fresh fruits, or just a single ice cube, melting slowly like a summer sunset.
A Taste of Texas in a Glass
Naturally, I couldn’t leave without trying a cocktail (or two). While the tasting flight gave me a deep appreciation for the spirit on its own, I found that sotol truly sings in cocktails, where its earthy elegance can mingle and unfold alongside bright, bold flavors. The on-site bar offered a handful of inventive, locally-rooted options, but one drink in particular bloomed on the palate like a cactus flower after rare desert rain: a Prickly Pear Margarita. Vibrant, jewel-toned, and ever so slightly wild, it balanced sotol’s herbal backbone with a sweet-tart burst of prickly pear and just enough lime to make the whole thing sparkle. It’s grounding and uplifting all at once, much like the distillery itself.
