I accidentally made a bomb disguised as almond tofu

This might be sudden, but I make my own almond tofu. And because of that almond tofu, I did something quite foolish.

I used about three times the amount of almond powder (annin-so) called for in the original recipe, and the maximum amount of heavy cream. When you do that, the top layer hardens significantly, but when you peel that back, a super rich, jiggly layer condensed with almond flavor appears. This is truly delicious.

It turned out so delicious that a strange question popped into my head: 'Is this actually better than the authentic stuff?'

...No, that's ridiculous, right? I think so too. But I'm the type of person who can't rest until I verify things I'm curious about. So, I went to Taiwan.

I visited famous shops and convenience stores, and compared about five different kinds. They were all truly delicious. Elegant, gentle, and they went down smoothly into a body exhausted by the heat.

...So, I'll be honest.The most delicious one was the one I made myself.

Perhaps this is just because my palate isn't refined enough to appreciate the delicacy of the authentic versions. That punchy, violent richness from packing in as much almond flavor as possible and adding the maximum amount of heavy cream. It feels like I've created a bomb disguised as almond tofu. Although, visually, it was definitely the worst of the five.

I bought South and North almond kernels in their bean state while I was there, but honestly, I still don't know how to use them. I plan to make videos about this, including that.

Just to be clear, I have an unrefined palate

I'm not the type with a delicate sense of taste. In fact, I'm a self-proclaimed 'unrefined palate' person who likes strong flavors with MSG. Even when I go to Michelin-starred restaurants, I honestly feel like, 'Isn't this a bit bland?' and end up going, 'Oh, yeah, it's good. It's good. The flavor of the ingredients is...?' While eating authentic mapo tofu, I find myself thinking, 'I'd love to put some cheese on this.'

But that is exactly why I think this way. The world of food content is overflowing with "authentic, elaborate, and photogenic" recipes. So, I decided to go the opposite way.

It's okay to have an unrefined palate. In fact, let's enjoy having an unrefined palate.—to promote that, I'm creating a YouTube account. Even if you don't have a sophisticated palate, you can make the most delicious food cheaply and easily. I'm going to prove it.

When I was a student, I started working part-time at a Spanish bar I admired, but I kept breaking glasses, mishearing orders, and had my hourly wage lowered to below minimum wage. Even so, my obsession with "recreating the taste of this restaurant at home for cheap" was real. I'm still on that same path today.

I have plenty of ideas, like rum tiramisu (a story about how it tasted incredibly good even though I forgot to add the mascarpone) and lazy pasta made with frozen ingredients from Gyomu Super.

Why suddenly baking?

To give a little background, last year I had an experience at work where I "worked hard but wasn't rewarded," and I felt the limits of working in a way that seeks a return. So I decided: I will stop seeking returns and focus on what I can truly enjoy from the heart..

Tracing back my childhood memories, I arrived at cooking and baking. I wrote about this in more detail in another article, "I decided to stop seeking returns." Please take a look at that if you'd like.

In this note, I will write about how I define "what it means to live healthily" in my own words and put it into practice. The unrefined palate baking vlog is the first step. I would be happy if you could watch me enjoy the process in a relaxed way.

Thank you for reading until the end. I will record it again when I make something.