Re: The Korean-Styled Pizza

Hey,
 
Thanks for your awesome message! I can't wait to try cooking sweet potato pizza. I'm going to buy some sweet potatoes today and give it a whirl (try it).
 
Thanks also for your kind comments about enjoying writing here. Me too! We have found so many interesting things to talk about and there are so many more. You have great questions!
 
First things first. You asked me to guess about what makes the wrapping on inari sushi. I think it's made of tofu, isn't it? Regardless, that wrapping is tasty. I look forward to hearing what it really is in your next message.
 
Next, I'm going to follow the recipe you sent me for the sweet potato pizza. I have a few suggestions about wording in the recipe. About the bottom of the pizza (flattened bread), we normally call this pizza crust. About the sweet potatoes, you asked if crush or mash is the best word for smashing them, the best word is mash. When we make pizza, we spread the sauce on the crust and then add toppings. Finally, we put grated cheese on top. I think your recipe and instructions will work very well. I'll try it tonight and let you know tomorrow.
 
Your last question was about the double whammy. You can use this in a positive or negative way. It's more common to use it in a negative way, so if we use it in a positive sentence, like in the case of your dad's birthday being on Christmas Eve, double whammy sounds very cool, and modern. Sometimes the phrase "double whammy" is used in marketing food products like coffee or ice cream when there are two flavours. In this case as well,  double whammy has a sound that is attractive and catchy with a meaning of two fun, powerful things coming together. I wanted to express that feeling about your dad's birthday and Christmas Eve.
 
You asked me about a distinctly Canadian food. This is a BIG question! In Canada, we have so many people from many, many cultures and countries, that it's hard to find a distinctly Canadian dish. However, here's one:
 

 
This is called "bannock" and it comes from Canada's first peoples, who we call First Nations. Here's a recipe for bannock that is easy to follow. You'll see it's just a simple bread cooked in a frying pan, but you can jazz it up with your favorite flavors like cinamon, jams or maybe even a spicy Korean sauce. Here's the recipe:
 
Ingredients:
 ◈ 4 cups flour
 ◈ 4 teaspoons baking powder
 ◈ 1 teaspoon salt
 ◈ 4 tablespoons oil

Directions:
 1.  Mix ingredients and add water until you have a doughy consistency. Knead approximately 10 minutes.
 2.  You can add cinnamon/brown sugar to make it taste a bit differently.
 3.  Grease and heat a frying pan. Form the dough into cakes (sort of like tortillas or pancakes) about 1/2
     inch thick and dust lightly with flour.
 4.  Lay the bannock in the frying pan.
 5.  Wiggle the pan every so often to keep the bannock from sticking.
 6.  Once a bottom crust has formed and the dough has hardened enough to hold together, turn them.
 7.  Cooking takes 12-15 minutes.
 
Give it a try and let me know how you like it. What Korean food recipe are you going to teach me next time?
 
L8R,
 
Gwen