https://paulstapel.com/Recent content on Paul's ParticlesHugo -- gohugo.ioen-usSun, 24 May 2026 15:21:47 +0200https://paulstapel.com/context-engineering/Sun, 24 May 2026 15:21:47 +0200https://paulstapel.com/context-engineering/AI, you may love it, you may hate it, but it’s here. Just like the rest of the world, I have been exposed to Large Language Models for a few years now, but only recently have I been able to see through the hype or criticism to actually form a coherent stand on what I think AI can and can’t do. Most importantly, despite initial criticism, I have come to appreciate that there is quite some craftsmanship in getting AI to actually do what you want it to, and that boils down most strongly to context engineering.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/breezy-chicken-masala/Mon, 11 May 2026 22:40:32 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/breezy-chicken-masala/I tried experimenting with a recipe today, and found one that works well for me. It is easy to make, takes only about 50 minutes, and has a perfectly fresh taste that leaves you wanting more. Ingredients Marinade ~500 grams of chicken thighs 2-3 tbsp full-fat yoghurt 1-2 tsp ginger powder 1-2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp 四川红油/sichuan chili oil ~2 tsp garam masala 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp salt A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil Curry Cooking oil or ghee Cinnamon stick some cloves 2 white onions A can of tomato paste 1/2 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tsp cumin A splash of vinegar Chicken stock (~300 ml, or eyeball it) Garnish Fresh coriander Lime juice Some heavy cream Cooking plan Make your chicken thighs a bit smaller if they are large (cutting each piece into two smaller pieces).https://paulstapel.com/meditation/back-to-basics/Sat, 04 Apr 2026 14:04:55 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/back-to-basics/“There is no complex without basic” - me I was interested in what forms a good basis for my day to day life. For a healthy body and a healthy mind, I’d like to know the minimal set of things to focus on to achieve them. I meditated on this, and came to the following conclusion. The basics of my life are: Order Meditation Care Puzzle Creation Movement Nothing more, nothing less.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-31/Tue, 31 Mar 2026 23:04:43 +0200https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-31/Today I Learned Not that much actually, it was mostly a bookkeeping day. Biography worthy I discovered incense. Also made my gamer tag. Thought I Thought I think I want to embody stillness and calm. Today’s Media Watched apothecary diaries. Song Of The Day Just random lofi slop. Note To Self Make sure to listen to music while working for better focus. Game inspiration Not a game idea, but ECS in general.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-30/Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:05:31 +0200https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-30/Today I Learned How to tunnel your localhost to a server using ssh, and how to host two instances of an app on the same remote server. Biography worthy I finally got the server working, after about 4 hours of trying this afternoon. Thought I Thought I think it would be a good idea to start making a game with (most of) my group of the software project. Today’s Media I played bapbap with friends today.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/suan-la-tang/Sun, 29 Mar 2026 22:03:22 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/suan-la-tang/I made this soup for my birthday last year, and it was a great success. Now, I finally remembered to share it with the world as well. This recipe is mainly vegan, but can also include meat and non-vegan ingredients if you so wish. Ingredients For non vegan: Chicken stock instead of veggie stock Shredded chicken Eggs Main ingredients Veggie stock Soft or silken tofu Dried shiitake mushrooms Fresh (or dried) chestnut mushrooms (woodear also works i’ve heard) Bamboo shoots Carrot Cornstarch Chinkiang vinegar (else regular rice vinegar) Light soy sauce Dark soy sauce (for a bit of color and salinity) White pepper (black pepper works, but is less suitable) Sesame oil Sichuanese chili oil (or regular chili oil) (garnish) Spring onions (garnish) Cilantro (garnish) Cooking plan Slice your dried mushrooms into strips and soak them in warm water for about half an hour.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-20/Sat, 21 Mar 2026 16:11:21 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-20/Today I Learned How to work with AI API’s and specifically Ollama for building AI chatbots. I am still learning. Biography worthy Had a really fun pubquiz, where I felt I was able to socialise with people at work a lot better. Thought I Thought I should make my own websites more often… Maybe for tools or something, idk. Today’s Media Not much really, didn’t have the time. Song Of The Day Bing Bong, by bbno$.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-19/Sat, 21 Mar 2026 16:05:39 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-19/Today I Learned How to write in the Vue frontend framework Biography worthy Went on a walk where I was full of energy and very joyful, realised I should do this more often. Thought I Thought I wish me of the past was as smart as me from the future. Today’s Media I watched the first episode of Steel Ball Run, it was peak. Song Of The Day Dance with STEEL BALL RUNhttps://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-17/Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:12:23 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-17/Today I Learned About how to play TI4 Biography worthy I had a presentation about my thesis, and I really liked the formatting and results I was able to present. Thought I Thought I should maybe try going to a festival once. Today’s Media Another episode of xiaomao Note To Self When running, maybe try setting a constant pace Game inspiration We should have a cooking game that feels more like cooking.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-16/Wed, 18 Mar 2026 08:40:16 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-16/Today I Learned More about testing plans and how to do a retrospective in scrum. Biography worthy We decided with our software project group to do a game of TI4. Thought I Thought Git, when done right, doesn’t have many merge conflicts. Can’t the version control be made simpler than this? Today’s Media I watched another episode of Apothecary Diaries. Peak. Song Of The Day Two, by bbno$ Note To Self Make sure to cancel work next thursday, and try to keep your calendar up to date.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-15/Wed, 18 Mar 2026 08:31:40 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-15/Today I Learned How to mathematically prove properties of networks and how to reverse engineer a circuit from some terminal equation of motion. Biography worthy I finally found a circuit that theoretically implements the Edge of Stability Echo State Network Thought I Thought A company singing sea shanties during work would go hard Today’s Media Started the second season of Apothecary Diaries. Song Of The Day Like a rolling stone, Bob Dylan.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-14/Sat, 14 Mar 2026 23:54:33 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/26-03-14/Today I Learned I learned about different frameworks for A/B testing. I especially learned a lot about posthog. Biography worthy If today were a biography, I’d write about how I realised once again how grateful I am for all the wonderful people in my life. Thought I Thought I should really write more of these, as I like reading back about my days. Today’s Media I am currently watching the One Piece life action, season 2.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/rendang-ground-beef/Sat, 14 Mar 2026 23:02:31 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/rendang-ground-beef/I really love Rendang. One of the only problems I have with it is that it takes so long to prepare :((. But then, I had a thought: what if I make rendang by using ground beef instead of beef chunks? This way, it should theoretically cook a lot faster without needing to stew to make the beef tender. I also had a colleague make a similar recipe at work, and thought I could make it too, but more like a rendang to intensify the flavors even further.https://paulstapel.com/ab-testing-frameworks/Sat, 14 Mar 2026 17:13:09 +0100https://paulstapel.com/ab-testing-frameworks/As I recently published an article on how A/B testing could be implemented for things like algorithms, I wanted to expand on this by also considering a few frameworks that can enable me to actually implement this in a robust way. I don’t really like reinventing the wheel, and think it is wise to first look at solutions already available to me before deciding to roll my own. Requirements To start things off, as always with good architecture design, I’d like to discuss some of the requirements I have for such a framework.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/being-ugly/Sat, 14 Mar 2026 16:44:36 +0100https://paulstapel.com/meditation/being-ugly/Can’t relate, I’m hot as fuck.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/social-guy/Sat, 14 Mar 2026 16:15:28 +0100https://paulstapel.com/meditation/social-guy/A ruler’s success should be measured by the success of his commonwealth - Me Once again I feel myself reaching beyond myself. Lately, I have found myself becoming more and more social, and I wanted to reflect on this. When I tell people that I usually identify myself as an introverted person, they don’t often believe me. The reason is quite apparent; I laugh, chat and bounce around all over the place with social energy not often found in your average person.https://paulstapel.com/algorithm-testing-framework/Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:42:39 +0100https://paulstapel.com/algorithm-testing-framework/This week, I worked on writing some code to abstract out algorithms for the purpose of making continuous development of these algorithms possible, as well as the A/B testing to compare different parameters or implementations. This was quite a considerable design choice for our program, and because of this, I wanted to share my thought process and the challenges I faced when building this. Defining “algorithm” (what do we want to abstract?https://paulstapel.com/wall/memristors-1771155566/Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:39:26 +0100https://paulstapel.com/wall/memristors-1771155566/14:13 Morning work is done, starting work on my thesis. 14:20 Reading a paper on dynamical behaviour of iontonic memristor-capacitor networks. Need to decide on a model to use for my research. basically, we have an infinite-dimensional dynamical system based on a time-delay parameter, and a 2-dimensional system based on HP memristors. 14:32 The trade-off that we are making is one of low dimensionality within our dynamical system and few components used in the final system.https://paulstapel.com/wall/wall1/Sat, 14 Feb 2026 22:59:08 +0100https://paulstapel.com/wall/wall1/22:00 Start work on the wall 22:20 Thinking up ideas and UI to borrow (steal) 22:40 First working outline, looks like ass 23:20 Ported javascript for drops to match this 23:40 Used claude.ai for some small styling adjustments 00:00 Done 00:14 Ready to publish 00:22 Forgot to add mobile support :/ 00:35 Fixed the bug, along with the fact that different browsers display list markers when I don’t want them to.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/greek-ground-beef/Tue, 02 Dec 2025 08:25:27 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/greek-ground-beef/I like Greek food, but with food prices nowadays, it can be a bit difficult to afford lamb or quality beef for these recipes. Luckily, you can still get all those lovely flavors of the Greek kitchen with just a few ingredients and ground beef. Let’s get into it. Ingredients Ground beef Olive oil Butter Cinnamon Nutmeg Thyme Basil Rosemary Oregano White onion Garlic Lime (optional) Feta cheese (optional) Yoghurt (optional) Cooking plan Start by adding olive oil and ground beef to a pan.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-12-01/Mon, 01 Dec 2025 16:45:10 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-12-01/Today I Learned How to use linear algebra in applications of Quantum Mechanics. Biography worthy The time I spend slow cooking food, and how it can bring me warmth and comfort on cold and dark days such as this one. Thought I Thought I wonder if using the terminal to manage my tasks will work out to suit me better than the app on my phone. Today’s Media I watched Yu Yu Hakusho again with my brother.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-30/Sun, 30 Nov 2025 19:49:54 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-30/Today I Learned The fundamental math needed for Quantum mechanics. Thought I Thought I should maybe switch up some of the prompts for the daily drop after each month… We’ll see what I decide tomorrow I guess. Today’s Media I watched some more Yu Yu Hakusho, currently at episode 84. Song Of The Day Some random Lofi music for the chill vibes. Today’s Question Today, I ask myself how to keep the balance of things in life.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-29/Sun, 30 Nov 2025 19:43:38 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-29/Today I Learned How to be more efficient at household tasks. Thought I Thought They should invent some term for narcissism that is a bit weaker than narcissism. Today’s Media I watched the JJK execution special in theatres. The recap was so ass I could die. Song Of The Day Hatsune Miku, Magical Cure! Love Shot! Ironically…? Today’s Question What else should I be doing? I feel like I am forgetting something.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-28/Sun, 30 Nov 2025 19:34:30 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-28/Today I Learned More about how to socialise with colleagues. Thought I Thought How does a story become funny? Or in what context. Today’s Media I played Cult of the Lamb with Levi. Song Of The Day Sinterklaas songs, because we celebrated Sinterklaas at the company Today’s Question Am I driving safely enough, or are people on the road just stupid? Note To Self Don’t try to solve other people’s problems too much, as it may shift part of the blame on you.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-27/Sun, 30 Nov 2025 19:27:18 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-27/Today I Learned More on concurrency, and how/why gradient descent works mathematically Thought I Thought How high is the highest ceiling? Today’s Media Watched Yu Yu Hakusho with bro Song Of The Day Color your night, probably gonna be my no. 1 on spotify wrapped this year again. Today’s Question How can I motivate myself to do more creative work? Note To Self Go to bed earlier! A Fascinating World I am really interested to write about magic that comes at some price in terms of the components used.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-26/Wed, 26 Nov 2025 23:14:49 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-26/Today I Learned How to use MVar to make thread safe datastructures. Thought I Thought I should find a way to write these blogs on my phone as well. Should be able to figure something out, as this is just markdown… Today’s Media A twitter post saying the plural form of mutex is deadlock. Yeah, I felt that. Song Of The Day Retrogade, James Blake. Today’s Question What do I still need to do in the next 18 days.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/teriyaki-shrimp/Tue, 25 Nov 2025 20:28:10 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/teriyaki-shrimp/I like shrimp, as they are easy to put in the freezer and stir fry when needed. I try to have some shrimp in the freezer so that I can always have a quick meal ready, and this teriyaki shrimp recipe is really easy and tasty. Ingredients Cooking oil Shrimp Garlic Ginger Soy sauce Vinegar Sugar Cornstarch Mirin (optional) Green onion (optional) Sesame seeds (optional) Cooking plan Dice your ginger and garlic In a hot wok, add a little oil, and stir fry your shrimp until it browns a little and is fully orange Next, lower the heat and add your garlic and ginger.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-25/Tue, 25 Nov 2025 20:20:16 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-25/Today I Learned How to use MVar and IORef to build concurrent and thread safe programmes in Haskell Thought I Thought Cleaning and drying clothes takes quite some time, but is really relaxing as well. Today’s Media Mostly listening to lofi music. Song Of The Day Eterna City, Mikel. A lofi remix of a pokemon song. Today’s Question What steps do I need to perform to enroll for a master’s degree?https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-24/Mon, 24 Nov 2025 22:16:00 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-24/Today I Learned Some more things about working in the terminal of my computer. Thought I Thought I should get back to locking in, haha. Today’s Media Watched some YuYu Hakusho again. Song Of The Day Color your night, big surprise. Today’s Question What shall I do in the evenings after work. Play or creative work? Note To Self Get back to learning Chinese you fool. A Fascinating World A world with your personal weather sphere around you would be cool.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-23/Mon, 24 Nov 2025 21:55:25 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-23/Today I Learned How to play brass birmingham Thought I Thought I need more sleep. Today’s Media Playing some silksong Song Of The Day Flyday China town Today’s Question How to plan my next week for university. Note To Self Make sure to make some appointments for next weeks. A Fascinating World A lego TTRPG would go pretty hard I think. Like, lego dice, building things with friends to help solve puzzles or other obstacles thrown by the DM, stuff like that.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-22/Mon, 24 Nov 2025 21:47:42 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-22/Today I Learned To enjoy time with my friends, and not beat myself up for not being perfect in providing for them. Thought I Thought I am really glad to have met all of these close friends Today’s Media The David/Collin/Levi Podcast xD Song Of The Day Red sun in the sky xD Today’s Question What to do to surpass this year’s birthday dinner. Hmmmmm Note To Self Learn from a Chinese guy how to make 糖油果子https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-21/Mon, 24 Nov 2025 20:31:50 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-21/Today I Learned How to fold dumplings Thought I Thought DotNL is actually kind of based Today’s Media I watched another YuYu Hakusho with Hans Song Of The Day IRIS OUT, from the Chainsawman movie Today’s Question How am I going to create enough food tomorrow. Note To Self Don’t forget to ask coworkers about their day sometimes A Fascinating World Teleporting from place to place would be really cool. I wonder what the infrastructure would be like.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-20/Mon, 24 Nov 2025 20:26:15 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-20/Today I Learned How to plan for a large dinner Thought I Thought At what times can I best study Mandarin Today’s Media I watched YuYu Hakusho with my brother Song Of The Day Color your night, Persona 3 reload. Today’s Question How can I balance pleasing friends and pleasing myself. Note To Self Make a shopping list before going to the toko. A Fascinating World Food gives you actual buffs like in video games, businesses have designated cooks to get just the right buffs to increase sales and development time.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/dan-dan-noodles/Wed, 19 Nov 2025 15:43:58 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/dan-dan-noodles/Dan dan noodles, or 担担面, was one of my favorites when visiting Chengdu. It is spicy, hearty, filling and easy to make (as long as you have the ingredients). I tried to port the flavour over rather than stay true to the original recipe, so that it is also easy to make while here in the west. Ingredients: Egg noodles Chili oil 红油 Ground pork Soy sauce Hoisin sauce Neutral cooking oil Five spice powder Tahini or peanut butter Sichuan peppercorns Garlic Green onions (only the green part, garnish) Sugar Spinach Peanuts (optional) Cooking plan Start by wokking your ground pork on high heat in neutral cooking oil.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-19/Wed, 19 Nov 2025 15:25:05 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-19/Today I Learned The final parts of Chinese grammar for HSK 3 Thought I Thought A clean environment really does cure dips Today’s Media I watched an interesting video about making games in Godot. Song Of The Day Random bossa nova songs. Today’s Question How do I manage my expectations for myself when holding social events or lessons? How can I ensure I don’t overprepare? Note To Self Keep practicing Chinese vocabulary ;)https://paulstapel.com/recipes/chicken-wrap/Tue, 18 Nov 2025 21:32:58 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/chicken-wrap/This recipe is easy, fresh, filled with protein and takes zero effort at all. Perfect for a weekday dinner. Ingredients Chicken thighs Tortilla wraps Avocado (optional) Cheddar cheese (optional) For the seasoning Olive oil Paprika powder Onion powder Garlic powder Black pepper Salt For the sauce Yoghurt Sour cream Cumin powder Garlic powder Paprika powder Chili powder (optional) Mayonaisse (optional) Cooking plan Mix your chicken thighs and seasoning in a bowl and rub untill thoroughly seasoned.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-18/Tue, 18 Nov 2025 21:17:53 +0100https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-11-18/Today I Learned Today I taught myself to get back on track with my bloggin intentions. After an amazing 2.5 months in China, it is high time I get back into my regular, awesome, radical flow Thought I Thought When making a game, I really like difficulty… Today’s Media I listened to a whole lot of music today, let’s see if my spotify wrapped will have increased my listing time this year :))https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-09-28/Sun, 28 Sep 2025 16:01:34 +0800https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-09-28/Today I Learned How to use different metrics about an object to “brute force” your way into object identification. As long as you have enough metrics, there is nothing you can’t qualify really. Thought I Thought Clover Coffee Today’s Media Nothing much, just figuring out Dianping again. Song Of The Day 中间人， by Ice Paper. Today’s Question What shall I do during Golden Week next week. Note To Self Don’t slip, wear better shoes during the rain or walk slowly.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-09-27/Sun, 28 Sep 2025 15:49:43 +0800https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-09-27/Today I Learned How to make mooncake Thought I Thought Japanese would also be quite an interesting language to learn after I’m finished with studying Chinese Today’s Media I felt a bit sick, so I did a lot of searching on Dianping for fun things to do while in China. Song Of The Day Today’s song is 时间胶囊 by Ryan.B and 丛琳潼elf Today’s Question How do people in China guess the pronunciation of a word they don’t know?https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-09-04/Thu, 04 Sep 2025 23:11:57 +0800https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-09-04/Today I Learned How to better work with generics and type-casting in c# in order to make a general system for working with Components in an ECS. Thought I Thought Timo To Go Seriouso Today’s Media Watched some more “The good place”, and tried a few episodes of Great Teacher Onizuka. Song Of The Day Ginger, by TOMOO. I resonate strongly with the cat in that song. Today’s Question Is fortune not man-made?https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-09-03/Wed, 03 Sep 2025 20:54:12 +0800https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-09-03/Today I Learned That the Chinese Visa system can be quite the pain in the *** Thought I Thought How lucky I am to have you and I live in the same world. Today’s Media I watched a few episodes of the good place, and finished the book “Press reset”. Song Of The Day My favorite song: Color you night, from Persona 3 reload. Today again, it helped me be filled with love.https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-09-02/Tue, 02 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-09-02/Today I Learned How to use generic structs in C# to create interfaces that don’t need an instance of a class to still store information about that class. Thought I Thought Would a monkey think my phone is a fruit? (hopefully not) Today’s Media I started watching “The good place” on Netflix after having it recommended, and read two chapters of “Press reset” (2 more to go). Song Of The Day Again, it is Lucky, by TOMOOhttps://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-09-01/Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://paulstapel.com/daily-drop/25-09-01/Today I Learned I played with randomisation in Javascript to make this template, and learned how to convert my usual lay-out to new HTML elements. Thought I Thought Umbrellas are really cool weapons if you hold them like a baseball bat Today’s Media Watched “City the animation” by KyoAni, which I still find incredibly wholesome. Read a chapter of “Press reset” by Jason Schreier, which is more of a gut-punch in terms of what the Game industry is like.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/sore-loser/Mon, 25 Aug 2025 22:20:43 +0800https://paulstapel.com/meditation/sore-loser/“I figured it out - I figured it out from black and white” [One Direction] “All I do is win, win, win no matter what” [DJ Khaled] Just wanted to share a quick observation on humans, call it a philosophical inquiry if you will. Every person I know of is a sore loser. I believe this is something that lies in our human nature even. Let me start off by saying that I don’t think that everyone gets angry at “losing”.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/focus/Thu, 21 Aug 2025 21:27:28 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/focus/“If you want to complete a project, maximise the time you spend sat on your chair” [Jonathon Blow] During this summer, I’ve been doing quite some work at the company I work for. Along with all the social obligations and events, it tired me out quite a bit. I got to do what I wanted to do, but I did notice that I noticed that I struggled staying focussed on what is important to me.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/quick-mug-cookie/Fri, 15 Aug 2025 17:16:02 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/quick-mug-cookie/FAST Ingredients 3 tbsp butter 5 tbsp flour 2 - 3 tbsp milk 2 tbsp sugar Some optional toppings, like chocolate chips or fruits. Cooking plan Melt your butter Whisk everything together in a microwaveable mug or small bowl You may also add some baking powder, but it may overflow if you add too much, so be careful! Put in the microwave for 1 minute ENJOY!!https://paulstapel.com/meditation/i-forgot/Fri, 15 Aug 2025 09:32:02 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/i-forgot/“The right way to go easy is to forget the right way” [Zhuangzi] I was looking at my blog, and found that some of the posts where set to draft. I forgot to post them, but ah well, it doesn’t really matter. I will be posting them soon, I think – otherwise all posts will just be uploaded today, and that would be strange. Forgetting is quite an interesting thing.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/thai-salmon-curry/Wed, 13 Aug 2025 20:58:31 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/thai-salmon-curry/I wanted to create an easy dish that incorporates some more complex flavors, and haven’t cooked with salmon in quite a bit. That’s why I decided to create a new recipe using this fishy friend. Ingredients Salmon (fresh, skin-on, but frozen also works great!) Salt Black pepper Olive oil Garlic Shallots Ginger Brown sugar Honey Thai red curry paste Coconut milk Fish sauce Half a lime (for the juice) Holy basil (or substitute for regular basil with a touch of anise powder) Cooking plan If you are using fresh salmon, season with salt and pepper then cook it on its skin with olive oil until golden brown.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/on-purpose/Tue, 12 Aug 2025 08:10:23 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/on-purpose/“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how” [Nietzsche] Although my philosophy on life has been shaped quite strongly in the past few years, the goal of this philosophy was never quite as clear to me. I have built the framework from which I can persue my life goals, but for this to happen, I still needed true life goals. I always knew a direction somewhat, but experience has taught me that vague goals are almost never inspiring enough to be persued.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/coconut-chicken-curry/Mon, 11 Aug 2025 10:41:20 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/coconut-chicken-curry/I want to make my Indian recipes a bit more accessible for weekday dinners, so to start, I have contrived this nice little recipe for an Indian coconut chicken curry. Ingredients Neutral cooking oil (1 - 2 tbsp) Chicken (thighs taste best, but breasts also work) (500 grams) White onion (1 piece) Garlic (5 cloves) Ginger (small-medium piece) Indian curry spices (2 - 3 tbsp, or more to taste) Salt (to taste) Sugar (about 1 tsp or to taste) Coconut milk (300 - 400 ml) Chicken stock (Just about half a cup to deglaze your pan and add some extra flavor) Parmesan rind (optional, for extra taste) Koriander (fresh, or dried) (1.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/indian-spice-mix/Sun, 10 Aug 2025 19:04:02 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/indian-spice-mix/Sometimes, I just want to make some Indian food without having to think about recipes. In that case, a nice and easy Indian spice mix can come in to save the day. This is one of my favorites, and I am happy to share it with you today. Ingredients Coriander powder (2 tbsp) Cumin powder (2 tbsp) Tumeric powder (1/2 - 3/4 tbsp) Ginger powder (1/2 tbsp) Cinnamon (1/2 tbsp) White pepper (1 tsp) Chili powder (1 tsp) Cardamom powder (1 tsp) Clove powder (1/2 tsp) ENJOY!https://paulstapel.com/setting-up-monogame/Sun, 20 Jul 2025 15:33:42 +0200https://paulstapel.com/setting-up-monogame/In the spirit of working on Game Development, I wanted to quickly share with you my current directory structure. Creating a good structure for your projects can be quite the task, as there are many ways to go about it. Besides that, there isn’t really any clear guidance to be found online (in my opinion). Therefore, I wanted to share my approach. It may not be perfect, but it works for me.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/greek-chicken-and-rice/Wed, 16 Jul 2025 07:02:11 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/greek-chicken-and-rice/Recently, I made a recipe for Spanish chicken and rice. Both family and peers seemed to really enjoy this recipe, and therefore I am creating a Greek twist. I recommend eating it with fresh bread and some Tzatziki. Ingredients Chicken breast (If it’s too thick, cut it in half crosswise) Lemon Chicken stock White vinegar (just a little will do, optional) Rice Cooking oil Spice mix 3/2 tsp dill 3 or 4 bay leafs, crushed 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp dried rosemary 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp dried parsley 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp paprika powder 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder Cooking plan Pat your chicken dry with a (paper) towel and rub on a squeeze of (half a) lemon and vinegar.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/pad-kra-pao/Thu, 10 Jul 2025 21:30:46 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/pad-kra-pao/This is one of my favorite recipes from the Thai kitchen. The combination of ground beef with the aromatics and delicious holy basil just hits different. I’m happy to share this recipe with you today. Ingredients Ground beef Holy basil leafs Black pepper Garlic Lemongrass (optional aromatic) Dried or fresh chilies Chicken stock Fish sauce Cooking oil Cilantro (optional) Lime (optional for garnish) Cooking plan Start by mincing or grinding the garlic, lemongrass and chilies (aromatics) into a paste Next, heat some oil in a wok (or pan) until smoking hot Stir-fry your ground beef until browned (so for about 3-4 minutes) Next, push aside your meat and add some more oil to cook your aromatics until fragrant and a little crispy.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/nasi-goreng-biasa/Wed, 09 Jul 2025 21:39:46 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/nasi-goreng-biasa/I love cooking fried rice, and I wanted to share this basic (Biasa = basic) recipe with you all because it really is versatile and delicious. From this base, a lot of very delicious types of Nasi Goreng can be constructed, and it can be served with almost any Indonesian, Malay, Thai, or even Chinese dish. Ingredients Cooking oil (high smoke point) Old cooked rice (as dry and grainy as possible) Kecap Manis (can be subbed with dark soy sauce combined with palm sugar) Garlic Shallots Fish sauce or Shrimp paste (substitute 2 tbsp fish sauce for 1 tbsp shrimp paste) Fresh chilies (optional) Cooking plan Chop your garlic, shallots and fresh chilies until they are fine.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/bumbu-kacang/Wed, 09 Jul 2025 21:25:58 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/bumbu-kacang/Historically, the Dutch have had close ties with the Indonesians starting way back with the VOC. One product of these ties is the introduction of the Bumbu Kacang, or “Pindasaus” to the dutch kitchen. Although we Dutch people have our own view on how we should prepare this sauce, I like to stick a bit more with the Indonesian traditions. This is my recipe for a Bumbu Kacang. Ingredients Peanut butter (chunky, smooth is also fine) (3 tbsp) Dark soy sauce (1 tbsp) Coconut milk (220 milliliters) Fish sauce (1 tbsp) Chili oil (1 tbsp) Lime juice (2 tbsp) Palm sugar (1 tbsp) Ground coriander (1/2 tsp) Salt (1/2 tsp) Cooking plan Add all ingredients to a pan and let it cook on medium heat until it has reached the desired consistency ENJOY!https://paulstapel.com/handling-user-input2/Sun, 06 Jul 2025 20:16:21 +0200https://paulstapel.com/handling-user-input2/Here we are again, back with the second part of this 2-part series on input handling. Last time, we looked into how to use polling, commands and states to represent a lot of what can be done with inputs. Complex games, however, operate in a slightly different way. We will be looking at three ways to use events in our input handling, and how this can further elevate our engine.https://paulstapel.com/handling-user-input/Sun, 06 Jul 2025 12:10:42 +0200https://paulstapel.com/handling-user-input/So I have slowly been working on a game lately, and I wanted to share some of the problems I face and my solutions to those problems. I find that a definitive guide to input handling was something I could not really find online, and although input handling can be done in simple ways, I’d like to make a system to make it more robust and extensible. I wanted to share my findings and opinions here, as I have found that there is not enough information about this topic online.https://paulstapel.com/end-of-2024-2025-uni/Fri, 27 Jun 2025 20:40:44 +0200https://paulstapel.com/end-of-2024-2025-uni/We don’t learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience [John Dewey] Another year has passed at university. This is my third year I partook in, and my second year on paper. Three down, one to go. I have done quite a lot this year, and I wish to reflect on a few things. For this meditation, I reflect on my favorite thing I learned for each subject this year.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/correspondence/Tue, 10 Jun 2025 21:10:47 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/correspondence/Dear Niels, I usually write towards myself in these meditations, but today I would like to write back to you instead. To start at the ending of your letter, I would like to say that I feel the concepts of “perception,” “choosing,” and “reality” are indeed perceptions themselves—only deemed as such because we deem them to be reality. For quite a while now, I have taken a stance of contextual truth—that is, truth as something that lives within the construct of reality.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/different-worlds/Thu, 05 Jun 2025 13:11:28 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/different-worlds/World is as much perception as it is fact [Me] As we develop and grow older, we come to face many realities. It starts at nothing, nothing to be percieved or thought, an empty slate. From there, we gain insight into the reality around us, our parents, our home, eventually our school. We play pretend, maybe watch some shows, play some games. Through our development, we come into contact with many different worlds.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/hoisin-ginger-ground-beef/Tue, 03 Jun 2025 09:03:16 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/hoisin-ginger-ground-beef/I love Hoisin sauce, and a little while ago, I ate some Peking Duck with Hoisin sauce that also added some ginger to the sauce. I fell in love, and decided to adapt one of my signature recipes (Hoisin ground beef) to this amazing flavor combination. The result is this all-new recipe. Ingredients ground beef 5-spice seasoning Cooking oil Ginger Garlic Hoisin sauce Soy sauce (half dark, half light) Oyster sauce Sesame oil Spring onion (green part, for garnish) Cooking plan Season your ground beef with 5-spice and brown it in an oiled pan on high heat.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/muscle-memory/Mon, 02 Jun 2025 11:31:24 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/muscle-memory/“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times” [Bruce Lee] Proficiency is a beautiful thing. When we have reached a point where we can perform an action without having to think about it, it frees our mind to focus on what we wish to focus on, bringing us closer to non-action. In martial arts, we often hear that we must practice a certain technique hundreds of times over, and the same thing holds for all aspects of life.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/marry-me-chicken/Thu, 29 May 2025 09:26:04 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/marry-me-chicken/Before getting started with this recipe, I must credit the original recipe, as it is a classic and this dish is heavily based on it. I really liked the dish, but felt that I could give it a bit of a twist to suit my own taste. From that, this recipe spawned into existence. Ingredients Boneless chicken breasts. Butter Flour (optional, you can skip this step, but it makes chicken juicier) Garlic Salt Black pepper Thyme Oregano Red pepper flakes (can sub with chili powder) Chicken broth Sun-dried tomatoes Heavy cream Grated parmesan Parsley (fresh, for garnish, optional) Extra virgin olive oil (optional) Cooking plan Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celcius.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/morning-rythms/Thu, 29 May 2025 08:53:26 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/morning-rythms/Bathing in the morning sun, not only can we feel a presence of mind, but also a presence of God [Me] What a luxury it would be to have your window aligned with the sunrise. When spring slowly turns into summer, one of the most inspiring changes is that the sunrise is brought to us earlier and earlier. When I awake, I tend to become most energetic at sunrise, and this means that my sleep schedule also shifts earlier into the day.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/hong-shao-rou/Wed, 28 May 2025 20:20:57 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/hong-shao-rou/The name “Hong shao rou” translates to red braised pork, as this is the color achieved by the combination of dark soy sauce and caramelized sugar (“táng gù”). Although this dish is not what most would call healthy, it is an absolute treat and guilty pleasure sure to please your guests. It takes a while to cook, but is well worth it. You can leave out a lot of the ingrediënts, but if possible, use them all.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/coconut-keema/Wed, 28 May 2025 20:06:04 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/coconut-keema/Yep, another keema recipe. Ground beef is cheap here in the Netherlands, and I always like to try interesting ways to spice up such a simple base. This is a go-to for when I crave some quick coconutty flavors. Ingredients Ground beef Vegetable oil Garlic Ginger White onion Coconut milk Tomato paste Koriander (Cilantro) (optional) Lemongrass (optional, for more of a Thai kick to the dish) Lemon juice (optional) Garam masala (optional, for extra seasoning to taste) Spice mix (see below) Spice mix 2 tbsp coriander powder 1 tbsp turmeric powder 1 tbsp chili powder 1 tbsp paprika powder 1 tbsp cumin powder 1/2 tsp ginger powder 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp clove powder 1/2 tsp cardamom powder 1/2 tsp ground pepper 1/2 tsp salt Cooking plan Heat some vegetable oil in a pan on high heat and brown your ground beef until the water contents have evaporated.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/hoisin-garlic-chicken/Wed, 28 May 2025 19:59:27 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/hoisin-garlic-chicken/Some good chicken goes a long way. A classic chicken dish with a Chinese touch is Honey garlic chicken, and I decided to create my own take on this popular dish. The result is this Hoisin garlic chicken. Ingredients Chicken breasts Flour Butter Salt Black pepper Garlic Ginger Soy sauce (dark) Hoisin sauce (sub with honey if not available for a more popular honey garlic chicken) Apple vinegar Cooking plan Start by seasoning your chicken breasts with salt and pepper.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/rendang/Mon, 26 May 2025 21:24:22 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/rendang/When I really want to cook something great, I like to take my time. Rendang is one of the beef stew(-like) meals I like to cook. I usually don’t have galangal at home, but this recipe can also work without, still keeping that amazing taste! Ingredients Beef (lean) Coconut milk Neutral cooking oil Clove powder (a little) Nutmeg powder (a little) Kurkuma powder Cinnamon stick Star anise Kaffir lime leafs Lemongrass (stalk, smashed) Tamarind paste Paste Garlic (3 cloves) White onion (half a large white onion, or one medium-small one) Lemongrass (white part, smashed) (2 stalks) Dried chilis (about 6) Ginger (Medium sized piece) Salt Tumeric (Or galangal if you have it) Cooking plan Add some oil to a pot and start by browning your beef.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/spanish-chicken-rice/Sat, 03 May 2025 10:12:34 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/spanish-chicken-rice/I like the taste of paella, but it can be a bit of a hassle to get right. I wanted to make a dish that scratches that paella itch without having it be an actual paella. This is the result. Ingredients Chicken breast (If it’s too thick, cut it in half crosswise) Lemon Chicken stock Coriander leafs (fresh or dried) Parsley (fresh or dried) Rice Cooking oil Spice mix 2 tsp paprika powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp tumeric powder (optional) 1/4 tsp dried parsley (optional) Cooking plan Put about half of your spice mix on your chicken, and rub in some of your cooking oil.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/phanaeng/Fri, 02 May 2025 08:05:10 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/phanaeng/I really love Thai food, but I’ve not been making much of it as of late. I kind of thought it time to change that, so in that spirit I’d like to present to you this Thai Phanaeng curry. Ingredients Cocounut milk Kaffir lime leafs Fish sauce Pork, beef or chicken (Cubed, but anything goes) (Make vegetarian by omitting) Bell pepper (sliced into thin strips) Curry paste (see below) Cooking oil Salt Curry paste 1 Shallot 4 cloves of garlic 2 bottom halves of lemongrass stalks 2 tbsp (roasted) peanuts 8 - 12 dried red chilies 0.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/breakfast-struggles/Wed, 30 Apr 2025 07:12:52 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/breakfast-struggles/“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper” [Adelle Davis] I’d like to spend more time on my breakfasts. Usually, I cook quite lavishly when it comes to dinner, and I take quite some time to prepare a good meal for lunch, but breakfast has always been left behind a little by me. I’d like to change this soon, but there seem to be some things that stand in my way.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/setting-up/Tue, 29 Apr 2025 21:28:53 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/setting-up/[Donald Knuth] “Premature optimization is the root of all evil” Sometimes, I struggle with getting started on things because there are too many options for the set-up. Maybe this is because no real best way to do something is known, or maybe it is because there are too many good options available, but it leaves me a little paralysed afraid of heading down the wrong rabbit hole. I meditated a little on this, and wanted to share two things that have helped me in this.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/poems-on-a-walk/Sun, 27 Apr 2025 22:08:46 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/poems-on-a-walk/[Me] Eenden op het meer // Een blad valt langzaam naar benee // Water onveroerd [Me] Boom van goud en rood // Buigt voorzichtig oeverwaarts // Kijkend naar zichzelf [Me] In zonnenflux // Stap voor stap // Ademt mijn geest // Een overstap // In rust [Me] Ik dans // Naar het ritme // Van het ruisende gras in mijn tred // En de melodie // Van de zingende wind in mijn armen // Door de stilte heen // Ik danshttps://paulstapel.com/meditation/weak-week-planning/Sat, 26 Apr 2025 22:23:38 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/weak-week-planning/“Having no destination I am never lost” [Ikkyū] When planning ahead, I usually only plan for one day. Everything after that is a little too far into the future for me, and I think it distracts from the present. If I plan too much, it may lead to multi-timing, which I try to avoid at all costs. Besides this, not planning too much is a way of practicing calendar yoga.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/aloo-keema/Sat, 26 Apr 2025 21:52:56 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/aloo-keema/Ok, so I’ve got another Indian recipe I’d like to share with y’all. This is a dish that I did not understand for quite a while, and looking at recipes online, it seemed a little bland to me. Turns out this was all just a skill-issue, as I did not quite understand Indian food at that time. Knowing what I know now, I’d like to share an actually tasty recipe for aloo keema.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/why-need-love/Wed, 23 Apr 2025 14:47:43 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/why-need-love/“My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it - all idealism is mandaciousness in the face of what is necessary - but love it” [Friedrich Nietzsche] As I have stated last week, love is a troubling subject to me. It has taken many a nights of pondering this abstract topic for me to even discover my feelings on it, and only after a relationship of about two years have I grasped them in some capacity.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/silent-observation/Mon, 21 Apr 2025 20:30:43 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/silent-observation/“Poetry should be great and unobtrusive, a thing which enters into one’s soul, and does not startle it or amaze it with itself, but with its subject” [John Keats] I could ask myself to think about the way I am breathing currently. It is often joked that this makes you start to think too much about your breathing, making you switch from automatic breathing to manual breathing. I have been reading “The Art of Game Design” by Jesse Schell, and in one of the earlier chapters, he talks about the paradox of actually observing your experiences.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/avocado-scrambled-eggs/Mon, 21 Apr 2025 13:44:39 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/avocado-scrambled-eggs/As I am starting to excercise more, it becomes more and more important that I maintain a healthy diet. This means that my caloric intake has to increase a little, and that I need some more protein in my diet. In order to facillitate this, I will be looking into some recipes utilising eggs. This is my first creation in that regard. Ingredients Toast or other crispy bread Butter Avocado Eggs Salt and pepper Lao Gan Ma (If you don’t have it or wan’t more spice, you can also use something like sambal) Cooking plan Start by adding butter to a pan.https://paulstapel.com/ode-to-mvp/Sat, 19 Apr 2025 08:49:06 +0200https://paulstapel.com/ode-to-mvp/I believe humans have an innate urge to create things. We like being creative and making things like books, paintings or clothes. It is quite a shame, then, that people often have a rough time getting started with such a creative project. Procrastination is quite easy, and one large part in this is that it takes time before a project actually becomes fun to work on. It doesn’t help that the start of a project is usually the time when you are most overwhelmed with options.https://paulstapel.com/creating-table-of-contents/Wed, 16 Apr 2025 15:15:55 +0200https://paulstapel.com/creating-table-of-contents/Ok, so as my blog has been growing recently, I decided it was about time I started implementing some more features. One of the things I wanted to add was a little floating table of contents. From there, users would be able to more easily navigate through a given page, and as I have just recently implemented my codex, I felt it was about time to create this. As I found it rather difficult to find things about this online, I wanted to quickly share my implementation.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/post-mortum-of-love/Tue, 15 Apr 2025 20:36:52 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/post-mortum-of-love/“The saddest thing about love is not only that it cannot last forever, but that heartbreak is soon forgotten” [William Faulkner] Last December, I broke up with my first serious partner. We had been together for 2 years by then, but we both agreed that it would be better for us to go our own ways. As it has now been 5 months already, I felt it was finally time to write down some of my meditations that came from this breakup.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/codex-meae-mentis/Sun, 13 Apr 2025 22:07:06 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/codex-meae-mentis/In my meditations, I stumble upon thoughts and concepts that cannot always be described fully by language. These thoughts need to be expressed in words that convey feeling, not reason. In my meditations, and throughout my life in general, I may thus share words that are not at all clear in meaning. In order for readers to better understand these concepts, and to keep me from having to repeat myself, I present to you the codex of my mind.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/oven-baked-short-ribs/Sun, 13 Apr 2025 20:45:58 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/oven-baked-short-ribs/!Be aware that this recipe takes about 4 hours to finish! I love myself a good hunk of meat, and short ribs are a satisfying fill that can feed quite some guests. I don’t grill often, and so I have to get creative when it comes to making ribs, but I have found that ovens work well enough for most pieces of meat. So that’s exactly what we will be using :)https://paulstapel.com/recipes/roasted-veggies/Sun, 13 Apr 2025 20:29:54 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/roasted-veggies/This post is a simple one, but simple does not always have to equal bland. Usually when veggies are served, I find them a little dull, but I have just recently opened my eyes to the possibilities of some good ol’ roasted veggies. Pair them with a juicy piece of meat, and you’ve got yourself a wonderful meal. Ingredients Extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper Dried Italian herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley) Mustard Grated cheese (only a little, ads a nice flavor and crisp) Veggies Choose any combination of:https://paulstapel.com/meditation/view-from-the-summit/Fri, 11 Apr 2025 21:10:30 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/view-from-the-summit/“Defeat is a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality” [Bruce Lee] Yesterday marked the end of my most recent semester of university, and one of the most challenging semesters yet. I was faced with the mountain that was the course “topology and geometry”, a course on abstract topology. If you are interested in reading my original thoughts on this course, I’d refer you to this post, where I shared my anxieties going into this semester.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/peanut-noodles/Fri, 11 Apr 2025 07:47:32 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/peanut-noodles/On a budget? Check! Done in under 10 minutes? Check! Vegan? Check! Delicous? CHEACHK (check in Portuguese?). Ingredients Whole peanuts Sesame seeds Peanut butter Noodles (I use udon noodles) Spring onion Soy sauce (I use dark, but light works as well for a stronger flavor) Vinegar (I use Chinkiang vinegar) Chili oil (Lao Gan Ma also works) Garlic Ginger Cooking plan Grind some of your peanuts and leave some whole for a more interesting texture.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/chili-beans/Fri, 28 Mar 2025 07:38:52 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/chili-beans/For this dish, I was inspired by a recipe from a book I was recently given (One Piece: Pirate Recipes xD). It is a very simple recipe, and I wished to expand upon it to make it even tastier. Ingredients Kidney beans Ground beef (or pork, or mixed) Garlic Onion Ground cayenne pepper Paprika powder Tomato paste Diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce Salt Cooking oil Cooking plan Start by seasoning your ground beef with ground cayenne pepper, salt and paprika powder.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/matcha-cookie/Sun, 23 Mar 2025 12:34:53 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/matcha-cookie/When it comes to baked goods, I really love freshly baked cookies. As it happens, I also love matcha tea. It was a no-brainer to combine the two of them, and following some hints I found online about creating the perfect cookie, I finally managed to nail down this recipe. Ingredients 120 grams of butter 1 tbsp of matcha 120 grams of all-purpose flour 10 grams of bread flour or cornstarch 2.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/gunter-chicken-masala/Fri, 21 Mar 2025 07:12:39 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/gunter-chicken-masala/I have been making a lot of masala recently, and this gunter chicken masala was really tasty when I tried making it. I have made some adjustments to my first iteration, and I hope you enjoy cooking this! Do keep in mind, this dish is among the spiciest I’ve made so far, so reduce the amount of dried chili’s if that is a problem. Ingredients Masala powder About 4-5 dried chili’s 2 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp black peppercorns 1 tsp cumin seeds To make the masala powder, first toast the whole spices and dried chili’s whole, and put them in a spice blender.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/eel-brioche-amuse/Wed, 12 Mar 2025 13:09:16 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/eel-brioche-amuse/My friend Levi and I usually like to cook when we meet up. He is active in the culinary world as a host, and before that he has also worked in the kitchen for a while. It helps that we both have a soft spot for good food :). Last week, he surpised me with an amuse that he had devised himself. It was light yet incredibly tasty, and for how easy it was to make, it left a fancy impression.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/saagwala/Wed, 05 Mar 2025 21:13:47 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/saagwala/I am becoming a little obsessed with Indian cuisine, and while searching for new things to cook I stumbled upon Saagwala, and because I am a large fan of spinach, I simply had to try this. I find it is best served with Naan, but Roti and rice would also complement it quite well. Ingredients Marinade Chicken (bone-in) Cooking oil (1 tbsp) Yoghurt (full) (enough to cover) Cayenne powder (2 tsp) Garam masala (2 tsp) Coriander powder (2 tsp) Cumin powder (1 tsp) Fenugreek seeds (1 tsp) tumeric powder (1/2 tsp) Curry Spinach (a load of spinach, about equal weight to your meat) Vegetable oil White onions (minced) Garlic (minced) Ginger (grated) Tomato paste Red or green chili Heavy cream (yoghurt would also work) Mint leafs (fresh, but dried also works) Cumin powder Coriander powder Garam masala Tumeric powder Cayenne powder Cooking plan Start by marinating your chicken beforehand.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/shoyu-ramen/Wed, 26 Feb 2025 20:44:11 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/shoyu-ramen/Shoyu ramen is an amazing dish that can be extended to your liking very easily. The name of this ramen dish comes from the addition of soy sauce to your broth (Shoyu = Japanese soy sauce). As this recipe can be made with lots of different ingredients, I will simply suggest some of the ingredients you could add to your ramen. This recipe may take some multi-tasking if you are adding a lot of toppings, so prepping well is recommended!https://paulstapel.com/meditation/on-rejecting-the-self/Tue, 25 Feb 2025 08:16:12 +0100https://paulstapel.com/meditation/on-rejecting-the-self/“Oh, you sentimental hypocrites, you lustful men! You lack innocence in desire: and therefore you now slander desiring!” [Nietzsche] After re-reading Nietzsche’s “Of immaculate perception”, I started seeing some of the subjects of resentment more clearly. It is all too common to reject our own nature, and resent our love and desire in this world for we lack a certain innocence in this desiring. We can be a jealous bunch, afraid of our own desires.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/on-company-and-solitude/Mon, 24 Feb 2025 21:48:14 +0100https://paulstapel.com/meditation/on-company-and-solitude/“My solitude doesn’t depend on the presence or absence of people; on the contrary, I hate who steals my solitude without, in exchange, offering me true company” [Nietzsche] Solitude is a tricky thing. On the one hand, I strive to find peace in solitude, and the time I spend with myself is among the most peaceful time I can have. On the other, I recognise that a certain balance needs to be struck between relying on friends and relying on self.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/chicken-korma/Sun, 23 Feb 2025 20:52:55 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/chicken-korma/I am always delighted when I try a new Indian recipe, and today was no different. I have eaten quite some Korma during my last trip to Singapore, and now I am happy to announce that I have managed to bring this flavor home. Enjoy this korma with white rice or naan. Ingredients Marinade Chicken (bone-in) Garam masala Greek yoghurt (any fatty yoghurt will do) Paprika powder Kurkuma/tumeric powder Ginger (fresh or alternatively ground) Garlic (fresh or alternatively ground) Salt Curry Ghee (or cooking oil) Greek yoghurt Ground cardemom Garam Masala White onion (We will caramelise, but for a more traditional flavor, deep fry the onion) Cashew nuts (for extra creaminess, normally tomatoes are added, but I prefer cashew nuts) Green (or red) chilis Cinnamon (stick, or ground) Cloves (whole or ground) Nutmeg (grated or ground) Coriander powder Fresh coriander leafs and/or mint leafs (or dried works fine as well) Bay leaf (optional) Mace (optional, but traditional) Cooking plan Start by marinating the chicken with all of the ingredients.https://paulstapel.com/ground-up-special-relativity/Wed, 19 Feb 2025 16:22:39 +0100https://paulstapel.com/ground-up-special-relativity/I am currently taking a course on field theory, and we are currently working with Lorentz transformations and the likes. I have never really liked the way lorentz transformations are introduced, as previously, they weren’t derived that much, and we just had to take them for granted. The book we are currently working with is also a bit lackluster when it comes to the full derivation of lorentz transformations and the likes, and so I wanted to give this derivation a shot to see if I could explain it in a more intuitive way.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/awake/Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:08:04 +0100https://paulstapel.com/meditation/awake/As yet hath his knowledge not learned to smile, and to be without jealousy; as yet hath his gushing passion not become calm in beauty [Nietzsche] Sometimes, things in life may inspire you to a deeper contemplation. Things that once eluded you suddenly become clearer, and more present in your mind. It can feel as if things just fall in place, and a fire of passion consumes you thus. But it is not that which life reveals to me, but that which life conceals from me that fuels me most.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/festival/Sun, 16 Feb 2025 09:40:40 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/festival/I really like my take on jerk chicken, which is why I decided to try a side-dish to complement it. I eventually settled on this classic Jamaican treat: festivals. It is quick and easy to make, and can even be enjoyed as a dessert with some added sugar. Ingredients Flour (500 grams) Cornmeal (60 grams) (or substitute with breadcrumbs) Baking powder (25 grams) Brown sugar (2 - 4 table spoons, depending on how sweet you like it) Cocounut milk (200 milliliters) Butter (50 grams) (softened or melted) A pinch of salt Cinnamon (3/4 - 1 tsp) Grated/powdered nutmeg (A hint, about 1/4 - 1/2 tsp) Oil to fry in (I used sunflower oil) Cooking plan In a pan on medium to high, heat up your cooking oil.https://paulstapel.com/granular-addition/Fri, 14 Feb 2025 07:47:45 +0100https://paulstapel.com/granular-addition/If you are anything like me, you have lots of things you’d like to do with your time. It took quite some time to learn to say no to these ambitions, as there is definitely a limit to how much I can achieve in a given period. But we should still aim to challenge ourselves, and to say no is by no means to say never. Today I wanted to explain how I manage picking up and putting down projects.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/the-crushing-weight-of-time/Tue, 11 Feb 2025 08:01:39 +0100https://paulstapel.com/meditation/the-crushing-weight-of-time/“The past wants to be loved, the future heard and the present lived - such is the nature of time” [Me] We are subject to much force throughout our lives. I myself can feel this resistance in much of what I do. A principle I try to live by is to follow the path of least resistance - to go with the flow of the way of life. I also believe that life is what you make of it, and that our actions shape these paths for our future.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/queso/Mon, 10 Feb 2025 09:19:17 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/queso/When I have guests around, I want to make something easy and filling that I can just put on the table and forget about. Dips are perfect for this, as it creates a central piece whereabout everyone can gather. I really like this recipe as a guilty pleasure, and would like to share it with you all now. Ingredients Ground beef or chorizo (about 300 to 400 grams) White onion (one large white onion) Flour (2 tbsp) Milk (1.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/pico-de-gallo/Sat, 08 Feb 2025 08:50:28 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/pico-de-gallo/I love Mexican food, and I can never resist a good salsa. I wanted to start making more salsa whenever I make Mexican food from now on, and I decided to start with a pico de gallo, as it is well defined and a tried and true recipe. This is definetely not my own recipe, as I am just throwing ingredients in a bowl, but I will outline some of the things I do to make it taste even better.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/kheer/Fri, 07 Feb 2025 07:31:25 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/kheer/I have been making breakfast more of a part of my daily routine lately. I think it has something to do with the fact that a lot of SEA-countries have warm breakfast, and I felt more invigorated last time I visited. So I started experimenting with breakfast recipes, and I have now decided to make it an entire category. To start, i wanted to share this Kheer recipe, as it is easy to make and energising.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/mustard-bechamel-sauce/Thu, 06 Feb 2025 07:29:04 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/mustard-bechamel-sauce/So I was looking for something to add some extra flavor to schnitzels, as I really like eating them, but they get a little plain after a while if you only add lemon. That’s why I thought of making some kind of mustard sauce, and ended up with this recipe. A friend of mine talked about making béchamel sauce using chicken stock, and after having tried this it actually tasted better than I expected, so I added it to this main recipe.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/jerk-chicken/Wed, 05 Feb 2025 10:54:29 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/jerk-chicken/Yesterday, I combined my love for Jamaican food and inventing new foods to come up with a delicious take on jerk chicken. The result is this simple recipe that consists of simply grilling the chicken and then broiling it in the flavorsome jerk sauce. I usually serve this with a baguette, as the sauce is just heavenly for dipping. Ingredients I am trying to experiment with measurements, as I’ve had quite some people approach me saying they would like to know exactly how much to add of each ingredient.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/facing-mountains/Tue, 04 Feb 2025 08:00:26 +0100https://paulstapel.com/meditation/facing-mountains/“On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain; either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow” [Nietzsche] Last academic period didn’t go easy on me. Or more accurately, I didn’t go easy on myself. I always aim to challenge myself, and with all the things that I had to do outside of studying I found myself struggling quite a bit more than previous periods.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/traditional-teriyaki-sauce/Mon, 03 Feb 2025 08:01:27 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/traditional-teriyaki-sauce/So half a year ago, I shared with you a recipe for teriyaki sauce. Back then, I didn’t really have the ingredients to make traditional teryiyaki sauce, and thus I created an alternative that tasted close to the original in flavour. But of course, we must pay respect to tradition, and that’s why we’ll be making traditional teriyaki sauce today. For comparison, you can also try my original recipe and see which you like best.https://paulstapel.com/how-i-get-things-done/Sun, 02 Feb 2025 08:21:26 +0100https://paulstapel.com/how-i-get-things-done/I can have a lot on my plate sometimes. Work, university, content creation, home organisation, a social life (who’da thunk?) and personal projects all vie for my attention. Amidst all this chaos, I need a way to stay organised while staying flexible enough to enable spontaneity in life, as the best things can come unexpectedly. I would like to share my considerations and results in this (p)article. Down with convoluted workflows In my younger years, when I was still trying to find out what worked best for me, I was enamored by the world of productivity books and videos.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/sweet-and-spicy-hoisin-beef-bliss/Sat, 01 Feb 2025 21:28:30 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/sweet-and-spicy-hoisin-beef-bliss/I love wokking, but it has been a bit too cold to use my wok in the last few months. Today however, I just couldn’t resist the urge to wok, and this delicious recipe is the result. Ingredients Marinade Beef tips Soy sauce Black pepper Hoisin sauce Cornstarch Baking powder Sugar Sauce Hoisin sauce (2 tbsp) (1 tbsp if you like it a little less sweet) Chili garlic sauce (1 tbsp) Honey (1 tbsp) Soy sauce (2 tbsp) Water (2 tbsp) Sesame seeds (optional) For wokking White or yellow onion Green peppers (to add some nice spice, don’t remove the seeds) Spring onion Bell peppers (can sub for green peppers if you don’t like spicy) Vegetable oil Cooking plan Combine your marinade in a bowl and let it sit while you prepare your veggies and sauce.https://paulstapel.com/balatro/Thu, 16 Jan 2025 18:06:45 +0100https://paulstapel.com/balatro/Yep, that’s right. I’m starting a new category of posts on my blog. I wanted to create an outlet for all of the wonderful media I consume. Be it games, books, films, courses or even music, everything I would like to share my opinion on will be gathered in this part of my website. To start things off, I wanted to talk about my game of choice for this winter. Yes, yes, everyone has already talked about this game plenty, but I really really enjoyed this game, which is why I would now like to review: Balatro.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/the-slow-days/Thu, 16 Jan 2025 13:28:45 +0100https://paulstapel.com/meditation/the-slow-days/“Winter is a slow heartbeat, an aged murmur of lifelong love” [Angie Weiland-Crosby] During these cold winter months, it is easy to let the mind slow down to a halt. The combination of cold temperature and short days makes for a season of tiredness, but also of tranquility. I wanted to take this slow afternoon to reflect on this beautiful January, and to shape my winter ways. Staying lively Winter is a numb season.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/roti/Wed, 15 Jan 2025 17:23:35 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/roti/I love roti, and having now made it myself, I can safely say that its lovely flavor carries over to the home kitchen. Ingredients Flour (200 grams) Butter (40 grams) Butter (60+ grams) (used for the grilling of the roti) Water (~100 grams after boiling) Salt (1 teaspoon) Cooking plan Add together your butter, flour and a little salt. Boil your water and let it cool to just below boiling temperature.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/sweet-and-sour-chicken/Sat, 11 Jan 2025 21:59:06 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/sweet-and-sour-chicken/I have always loved sweet and sour chicken. When I was little, I used to eat this on vacations to New York, at a local mall in Middletown, New York. I wanted to recreate this taste, but without having to use tomato ketchup, as that is usually a little too processed for me (and also, I don’t always have it in my pantry). The result is this recipe. Ingredients Chicken breasts (cubed) Cornstarch Salt Black pepper Sunflower oil (or other cooking oil with a high smoking point) White onion Bell peppers (red and green) Garlic Ginger Sugar Tomato paste Soy sauce Black vinegar Pineapple chunks (Optional) Pineapple juice (extra sweet) or lemon juice (extra sour) (Optional) Serve with white rice Cooking plan Start by cubing your chicken breasts, seasoning them generously with salt and pepper.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/social-initiation/Sat, 11 Jan 2025 08:33:09 +0100https://paulstapel.com/meditation/social-initiation/“Life is a conversation, make it a good one” [Glennon Doyle] In keeping with my new year resolutions, I started meditating on how I can become a more sociable person. One of the core parts of being social is conversation, and while I have learned a lot about how to hold an engaging conversation, there is always one thing that I find difficult: How do you start a conversation in a natural way?https://paulstapel.com/meditation/marathon_idea/Fri, 10 Jan 2025 08:01:35 +0100https://paulstapel.com/meditation/marathon_idea/“Once you make the decision that you will not fail, the heart and body will follow” [Kara Goucher] So a few friends of mine came up with the idea to run a marathon in 2026. Now, I have been running for about 4 months, and I wouldn’t have imagined doing this 1 year ago. I wanted to share some of my personal observations. My physical confidence In my youth, I wasn’t always the fittest person.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/resolutions2025/Thu, 09 Jan 2025 11:28:11 +0100https://paulstapel.com/meditation/resolutions2025/“A path is made by walking it” [Chuang Tsu] 2024 was a good year for me. It was a year of great fortune in my education, work and home life. That being said, I have even more to look forward to in 2025, and one of the things I always embrace in the new year is the opportunity to steer myself in the right direction along the tracks of life.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/gochujang-chicken/Fri, 13 Dec 2024 15:14:28 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/gochujang-chicken/This is my first Korean recipe on this blog (cool). When I was out grocery shopping, I stumbled upon Gochujang, and it looked so good that i decided I simply HAD to make something with it. This is the result. Serve with rice. Ingredients Gochujang Chicken breasts Cornstarch Spring onion White onion Garlic Sugar Soy sauce Sesame oil Toasted sesame seeds (optional, garnish) Cooking oil Cooking plan Cut your chicken breasts into cubes.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/htipiti/Fri, 13 Dec 2024 14:47:30 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/htipiti/It is pronounced “tee-pee-tee” by the way. Serve with pita or something, idk, idc, I’m not your mom. Ingredients Feta cheese Red bell peppers Extra virgin olive oil Salt Red wine vinegar or lemon juice Black pepper Cooking plan Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celcius Cut the four sides of your bell peppers and reduce the stem. Lay them out on a baking tray and put them in the oven for roughly 25 minutes.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/smores/Fri, 13 Dec 2024 14:24:19 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/smores/I, like most people, like s’mores. Shame that I don’t really like camping that much :/ but a well. Luckily, I don’t have to miss out on this treat, as I can just use my oven to make s’mores in a pan. I was originally not going to write down the recipe, but after struggling with the marshmallows sticking to the pan the first time, I decided it would be helpful to also explain an easy trick to prevent that from happening.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/moussaka/Fri, 13 Dec 2024 13:22:32 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/moussaka/It is no secret that I love greek food. My stomach simply can’t get enough of the delicous fatty recipes that Greek people have come up with. Among these hearty recipes, moussaka stands out as one of my favorites. I made it for a birthday dinner last week, and the deliciousness is well worth the preperation time. Ingredients Meat filling Beef mince White onion Garlic Tomato passata Tomato concentrate Bay leaves Cinnamon (powder, sticks also work and give an even nicer taste) Oregano Sugar Salt (Cheap) red wine Olive oil Beef stock (cubes or homemade) Besamel sauce (not a typo) Butter (equal part butter to flower) Flour Milk (cold) Nutmeg Eggs (not vital, but help the sauce brown, creating a nicer color) Parmesan Eggplant bottom A bunch of eggplants Salt Cooking plan Eggplant bottom Start with the bottom of your moussaka by cutting your eggplant into circular slabs of about 1 cm thick.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/larb/Fri, 13 Dec 2024 13:06:08 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/larb/A few years back, I had a trip to Thailand with my family. While there, we ate a lot of very delicious food, and I have been recreating the things I ate there quite often. One thing that does bug me about doing this, however, is the fact that some of the ingredients can be quite troublesome to acquire. Not today however, as we will be making larb. The ingredients used for this are quite easy to come by in your local Asian supermarket or even just the grocery store.https://paulstapel.com/classical-mechanics-three-ways/Tue, 10 Dec 2024 16:41:15 +0100https://paulstapel.com/classical-mechanics-three-ways/Classical mechanics is a very useful tool in describing the world around us. As I am currently taking a course about classical mechanics, I wanted to give a quick overview of the three main ways in which a classical problem can be solved in physics. We will also work through a simple example using the simple pendulum with mass $m$ and length $l$. This article will take you through the main steps you’ll have to take to tackle a problem and the derivation of the different methods.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/cowboy-butter/Thu, 14 Nov 2024 22:04:16 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/cowboy-butter/This is one of my favorite sauces to pair with something like an entrecôte steak. It is also perfect for hamburgers and sausages. It becomes even better if you first cook your meat using this butter. Ingredients Butter Garlic Mustard Lemon juice Parsley Thyme Cayenne pepper powder Smoked paprika powder Salt A bunch of black pepper Chives (optional) Chili flakes (optional) A little apple vinegar (optional) Cooking plan Mix all of the ingredients into a pan on low-medium heat.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/beef-stroganoff/Thu, 14 Nov 2024 21:19:53 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/beef-stroganoff/All jokes aside, this recipe results in a rich and creamy beef stroganoff. As pork is a lot cheaper where I live, I often use pork as instead of beef. This is still very tasty, but if you can, try making it with beef, as it will be even richer in flavor. You should serve it with pasta. I recommend serving this with pasta like tagliatelle, but mashed potatoes would also be verrryyy good I imagine.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/pork-adobo/Thu, 14 Nov 2024 20:48:12 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/pork-adobo/My auntie Rose from the Philippines shared this awesome recipe with me recently, and i’ve made it a few times now. I will be sharing the base recipe with some optional ingredients you may add, but having cooked this dish in a few different ways now, I can safely say that all of them are delicous. Serve with white rice. Ingredients Pork belly (or chicken for chicken adobo) (Use the bones seperately as well if you have them) Garlic (lots of it) Olive oil String beans (Optional) Potatoes (Optional) Hard boiled egg (Optional) Salt White onion (Own addition, optional) For the marinade White vinegar (I have found that Chinkiang black vinegar also works, but I prefer white) Soy sauce Brown sugar Black pepper Bay leafs Warm water Cooking plan There are two ways to do the marinade.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/tomato-meatballs/Fri, 08 Nov 2024 18:11:37 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/tomato-meatballs/Ok, so last week I was thinking about what I wanted to cook, when I stumbled upon some inspiration for meatballs in tomato sauce, thinking back to how delicious those were back when I visited Greece. Now I am not about to tell you that this is an authentic Greek recipe (it is more of an Italian recipe I believe), but this is an authentic Paul banger, and as such, I would love to share it with you all.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/brownie/Fri, 08 Nov 2024 17:35:12 +0100https://paulstapel.com/recipes/brownie/I don’t bake often, but from time to time, I really enjoy filling my pantry with some sweet deliciousness. This brownie recipe is one of my favs when it comes to that purpose. You can store this brownie for later, but even better would be to scoop them right out of the pan and eat it while it’s hot. Ingredients 220 grams sugar 120 grams butter 80 grams all-purpose flower 3 or 4 eggs (3 if you want it fudgy, 4 if you like them more solid) 60 grams cacao powder A little bit of salt Optional vanilla extract Optional chocalate chips or chunks Optional whipped cream for serving Baking plan Start by heating an oven to about 180 degrees Celcius.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/tikka-masala/Wed, 09 Oct 2024 21:18:46 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/tikka-masala/I always love the taste of Indian cuisine, and I usually turn to Indian food when I want a fix of rich and hearty flavours paired with a healthy feel. Today’s recipe is rather easy to make compared to other Indian curries, and it is an easy fix for when you crave something creamy. I’m not sure if it can be classified as a weekday meal, but it is definetely easy enough to make it on a lazy sunday.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/garlicsplosion-noodles/Fri, 27 Sep 2024 08:19:15 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/garlicsplosion-noodles/The only way to make a good dish even gooder is to add an exuberant amount of garlic to it. That was exactly the premise of this little experiment. Adding a lot of garlic and seeing where it leads me. It turned out to be a delightful recipe that I have even decided to share her on my blog. Be warned, not for the faint of heart. Ingredients Lots of garlic (I used about 2 bulbs, but adjust to your own tolerance/taste) Noodles Onion Zucchini Ground beef or meatballs Chili oil (I use Lao Gan Ma) A little vegetable oil Light soy sauce Optional black bean sauce Cooking plan To a pot, add some salted water and cook your noodles as per the instructions on the package.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/carbonara/Wed, 25 Sep 2024 20:03:41 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/carbonara/So, yesterday I was craving some good ‘ol spaghetti. I usually go with a tomato sauce, but this time, I saw that I still had some parmigiano in my fridge. I simply couldn’t resist the urge to try something new, and ended up making this delicious carbonara. It may not be the healthiest, but it was definitely worth it in the end. I included a secret ingredient of miso paste in order to boost the umami content.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/ants-climbing-a-tree/Tue, 17 Sep 2024 20:38:46 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/ants-climbing-a-tree/After a long day of work, you probably don’t want to have to cook anything complicated. Whenever I have days like this, I like keeping it simple as well. Of course, simple does not necessarily mean bland, and this dish is both easy and flavorful. The name “Ants climbing a tree” stems from the fact that the small ingredients on top of the glass noodles look like ants climbing a tree.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/mesa-ah/Fri, 13 Sep 2024 08:22:49 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/mesa-ah/There were too many eggplants in my fridge, so I decided to do something about that. I could have made my melitzanosalata, but I didn’t feel like that would be filling enough, and it was too cold outside to grill. That’s when I stumbled upon a dish I had never heard of before. Behold, the Egyptian dish “mesa’a’ah”. Ingredients Tomato paste (about 1 tsp) Eggplants (Like, 2 or something) Strained tomatoes (about 500 grams or something) Salt Dried coriander Cumin Lots of olive oil White onion Garlic (about 6 cloves?https://paulstapel.com/meditation/noticing-no-no/Sun, 08 Sep 2024 21:23:27 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/noticing-no-no/“Every battle is won before it is fought” [Sun Tzu] In my life, I have noticed that most of my failings are only recognized in hindsight. It is often easier to look back with an analytical mind than to analyze the situation on the fly. This is exactly why I mostly fall victim to my unwillingness to say no when I am put on the spot. From my experience, the best way to shift this bad habit is to analyze the course of action beforehand.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/burger-sauce/Sat, 07 Sep 2024 17:18:42 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/burger-sauce/Today, I share a very simple recipe for a burger sauce. It’s easy to make and a lot more interesting than your usual mayonaise or ketchup that you put on your burger. When making burgers, I suggest you assemble the following: your buns, a leave of lettuce, some fried onions, gherkins/pickles, your patty and lastly this burger sauce. Ingredients Mayonaise (250 grams) Mustard (30 grams) 1 tbsp of white vinegar 0.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/learning-to-say-no/Thu, 05 Sep 2024 19:56:21 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/learning-to-say-no/“You have to learn to say no to many good things if you want to say yes to many great things” [Unknown] Recently, I have found myself having trouble saying no to people. Of course, when push comes to shove, I know when to stand my ground when I strongly believe in something, but the main problem lies in saying no to good things. In order to explore this, I will take you on a journey of meditation where I explore this side of myself for the first time.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/rebalancing-oneself/Wed, 04 Sep 2024 21:41:30 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/rebalancing-oneself/“Balance is not something you find but something you create” [Me] Sometimes, I feel like I’m finally getting in a good groove. In those times, my studying routine works, my workout routine works, I’m being social and am taking care of myself and the people around me. Then, something happens that knocks me off-balance. This summer, it has been a wonderful vacation to Vietnam that saw me quickly adapt my way of living to this travelling lifestyle, but this sweeping force may also be something a little less enjoyable.https://paulstapel.com/my-phone-home-screen/Tue, 03 Sep 2024 19:42:24 +0200https://paulstapel.com/my-phone-home-screen/Hiya, long time no see! It’s been - glances at notes - more than 100 days since I last posted something on Paul’s Particles. A lot has happened, but I’m finally starting to settle into my usual routine again. I’ve got some great content planned, but I thought I would start things off with a simple post sharing what my phone looks like. I actually hide all apps that are not on my home screen in order to avoid distractions from social media apps or apps that I just don’t use on a daily basis, meaning my home screen is like a best-of collection for my phone.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/butter-lemon-pork/Sun, 01 Sep 2024 20:19:47 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/butter-lemon-pork/So today, I tried to do something new with pork belly. Most of my recipes involving this ingredient are Chinese, and so I thought I’d spice things up a little by taking some more inspiration from the French kitchen. Be warned, this recipe is quite fatty, but otherwise it’s very easy to make and nutritious to boot. Ingredients Butter Dried oregano Salt and Pepper Pork belly Lemon juice White onion Honey Garlic Water Dark soy sauce (for color) Ginger (or ginger powder) High smoking point oil Serve with white rice.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/japanese-curry/Mon, 26 Aug 2024 20:28:31 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/japanese-curry/After having been on a vacation to Vietnam and Singapore for three weeks (hence the gap in posts, haha), this is one cuisine I have fallen in love with. I simply had to get a recipe to make this myself, and in my opinion, I am quite close to mimicking the taste of the curries I’ve had in Singapore. Be warned, this recipe can take up to 2 hours. I suggest serving this dish with (white) rice.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/scuffins/Fri, 26 Jul 2024 20:22:45 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/scuffins/At first, I was planning on making scones. Because of a lack of better moulds, I decided to use a muffin tray, and the rest is history. This recipe yields about 12 medium-sized scuffins. Ingredients 500 grams of all-purpose flour 200 grams of granulated sugar About 10 grams of baking powder 2 eggs 250 grams of butter 200 grams of crème fraîche About 20 milliliters of milk About 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract A pinch of salt Optionally, toppings like milk chocolate, blueberries or caramel A muffin tray Baking plan Preheat an oven to 200 degrees Celsius.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/burrito/Tue, 23 Jul 2024 07:38:59 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/burrito/A good burrito recipe has been like the holy grail for me. I looove burritos, but I just wasn’t able to get them to taste quite right. This recipe is finally close to the taste I have been searching for. Ingredients Ground beef White onion Vegetable or olive oil. Lots of beans. I use kidney beans. They will be pasted. About 2 parts Salt, 1 part Pepper, 1 part Garlic powder, 4 parts Paprika powder, 8 parts Cumin.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/mishaps/Sun, 21 Jul 2024 22:16:37 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/mishaps/“Falling down is an accident, staying down is a choice” [Unknown] When working on becoming the person you want to be, it is often in the stressful and doubtful situations that you find out your conviction is strong. You can tell alot about yourself and your growth as a person from how you deal with hardship, however small it may be. It is good excercise to ask yourself what your instinctual reaction is when something goes wrong.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/pretty-things/Fri, 19 Jul 2024 22:44:55 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/pretty-things/“Beauty exists only to relief us from ugliness” [Oscar Wilde] Often in live, I find myself feeling like I’m above the need for beauty. It can be seen as a virtue to look not at appearance but at what lies within. I agree with this, but only recently have I come around to realising that beauty has its place as well. A lack of elegance or beauty can be distracting.https://paulstapel.com/meditation/beginnings/Thu, 18 Jul 2024 19:52:09 +0200https://paulstapel.com/meditation/beginnings/“Meditation is conversation with the soul” [Me] For quite some time now, I’ve been wanting to put more of my creative energy into my blog. To do this, I have tried to understand what makes me me by finding my creative voice. I’m afraid this question is too grand for me to answer in one go. In my life, I have meditated quite often, and this is just one of many other topics I will meditate on in my life.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/egg-and-onion/Sun, 14 Jul 2024 21:33:38 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/egg-and-onion/Today, we will be making OE. I’ll let you figure out what that means. Ingredients Onions Eggs (also some pepper, salt and cooking oil) Cooking plan We will be using about one onion per one egg. For people that like the taste of onion, I suggest you let the onions sweat by using a medium-low heat, until the onions turn translucent. This takes about 10 minutes. For those of you that have time on their hands, let the onions caramelise on the same medium-low heat.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/tennessee-onion/Sun, 14 Jul 2024 21:18:06 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/tennessee-onion/Ok, so the description may have been a lie. I usually don’t barbecue because Dutch weather can be very unpredictable (Dutch struggles). Instead, I like to put stuff in the oven (like a true patriot). Therefore, this dish will be using our favorite inferno machine. The TTC (time to cook) is about an hour, so prepare it well in advance! Ingredients White onions Shredded cheese (Gouda, because it melts well and because it’s Dutch) Butter Paprika powder Chopped parsley Dried thyme Dried oregano Aluminum foil Cooking plan Preheat an oven to 160 degrees Celsius.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/souvlaki/Fri, 12 Jul 2024 07:26:17 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/souvlaki/This is a lovely meaty dish that you can serve as a main course. With summer at its peak, you enjoy this dish on straight from the grill during a barbecue for example. Marinade (extra virgin) olive oil Oregano Sweet paprika powder Thyme (optional) Bay leaves Juice from a lemon LOTS OF GARLIC Salt and pepper Chicken (cubed, which you’ll marinate) Cooking plan Mince the garlic. You should use enough that you can smell it.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/melitzanosalata/Fri, 12 Jul 2024 07:12:28 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/melitzanosalata/I love cooking Greek food. Something about the balance of oils, fresh herbs and grilled meats just really gets me going. But Greek food can be more than just gyros and souvlaki. To give our vegetarians some love, and in order to diversify your Greek palette, let me introduce you to this lovely dish called Melitzanosalata (eggplant salad). Ingredients A few Eggplants Half a red onion (or a full shallot, if you want a more delicate flavour) Olive oil, preferably extra virgin.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/sausage-stew/Tue, 25 Jun 2024 21:05:34 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/sausage-stew/This recipe is a Paul-certified classic. It is easy to make (only about 30 minutes), and is quite filling for when you are having a busy week. Ingredients Sausage (pork works well) Cooking oil A (small) tin of tomato paste Yellow onion Garlic Bell peppers (different colors looks the nicest, doesn’t really matter for taste) Beef broth Garam masala (can sub for 5-spice) Pepper Dark soy sauce (for color and salt) Cooking plan First, cook your sausage in an oiled pan until golden brown.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/sichuan-pork/Mon, 20 May 2024 21:56:30 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/sichuan-pork/The recipe I referred to in my previous post. The flavour can best be described as má là, a Chinese term meaning numbing ( má 麻) and spicy ( là 辣). The aroma is citrusy and deep, and the flavour leaves you wanting more. I suggest you serve this with rice. This recipe takes about 45 minutes, but it is well worth it. Ingredients Pork belly (without the rind) Black pepper About a tablespoon of red Sichuan peppercorns (less if you can’t stand the numbing effect) Five-spice powder High smoke point cooking oil (like vegetable oil) Star anise Onion Ginger As much pepper as you can handle (and don’t be a wimp!https://paulstapel.com/write-in-blood/Sun, 19 May 2024 20:44:13 +0200https://paulstapel.com/write-in-blood/About 9 in 10 people in the world can read. Crazy, considering just 100 years ago this number barely exceeded 2 in 10. Talking about reading, I was doing some of that just now. I was looking into Sichuan cooking because I wanted to make something nice for diner, until I noticed something annoying. EVERY SINGLE COOKING BLOG PLACES THEIR RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE. Now, I’m no stranger to the internet and have done some research into SEO and all that, but this nuisance did spark some thoughts in me that I wanted to write down.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/egg-drop-soup/Tue, 07 May 2024 21:12:21 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/egg-drop-soup/I’ve started getting into making soup recently. This is new territory for me, but I decided to give it a try after pondering what to do with the leftover chinese cabbage that had been living rent-free in my fridge for too long. Behold! This soup was the result. Ingredients Chinese Cabbage About 1 liter of chicken stock Eggs (about 3) White onion (can be omitted) Garlic Sesame oil Powdered or grated ginger Salt and (preferably white) pepper Scallion A little bit of cooking oil Cooking plan Chop up your onions, garlic and scallion (put aside the green for garnish).https://paulstapel.com/recipes/orange-chicken/Sat, 20 Apr 2024 21:28:15 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/orange-chicken/I have to admit, this is a guilty pleasure of mine. I don’t make this often, as it can take a bit long to make, but I always enjoy it when I do. If you are looking for a sweet and unique taste, look no further than this recipe. I suggest serving this with white rice. Ingredients For the meat Chicken breasts (whole, or already cubed) All purpose flour Cornstarch High smoke-point oil like peanut oil For the sauce A bunch of oranges (5 per kilo of chicken, more if you like it saucy) Alternatively, you can use orange juice instead of fresh oranges A bit of sugar (If it isn’t sweet enough already) Soy sauce Garlic powder Ginger (or ginger powder) Cornstarch (to thicken the sauce) Cooking plan Squeeze the oranges and strain the juice.https://paulstapel.com/3d-rotation-python/Sat, 20 Apr 2024 15:55:07 +0200https://paulstapel.com/3d-rotation-python/Today, I wanted to share a bit of code that you can use to rotate any 3D vector using Python. If you want to read a bit about how the code works, and why quaternions are useful, keep reading. If you are only interested in the code, I have it in full on my GitHub Quickly, what is a quaternion? A quaternion is an extension of the complex numbers into 4 dimensions.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/mint-dip/Fri, 19 Apr 2024 21:09:25 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/mint-dip/So I am looking more into the indian cuisine. To start things off, I made a simple mint dip to eat with a meal, or just to dip naan in. Ingredients Yoghurt Mint leaves (dried if fresh isn’t available) Lemon juice A clove of garlic Salt and pepper Cooking plan Finely chop the garlic and mint leaves Mix the ingredients to taste ENJOY!https://paulstapel.com/writing-motivation/Wed, 17 Apr 2024 21:17:08 +0200https://paulstapel.com/writing-motivation/So, I have struggled with a lack of motivation to write. Sometimes, I can be to perfectionistic to get anything done, while at other times I simply have to much going on in my head and I feel like I just can’t find the time to write. Whatever the reason may be, it’s unwarranted more often than not. This does not make the act of sitting down and simply writing any easier off course.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/hoisin-ground-beef/Tue, 16 Apr 2024 10:51:32 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/hoisin-ground-beef/This recipe is both simple and delicious. This is easy comfort food for when I don’t feel like cooking for too long. Ingredients Ground beef Garlic Yellow onion Spring onion (Optional) Shallots Garden peas Soy sauce Hoisin sauce Oyster sauce (optional, adds umami) Shaoxing cooking wine (to deglaze) Sesame oil (optional, but it really is a finishing touch) White rice Cooking plan Wash the rice and cook it. cut up the spring onion and reserve the greens for garnishing.https://paulstapel.com/productive-procrastination/Sun, 14 Apr 2024 21:43:07 +0200https://paulstapel.com/productive-procrastination/Productive procrastination is the art of delaying the task you need to get done by doing other (often less important) tasks that need to be done. Now, I’ve heard many different takes on this habit, and have taken different stances through the years. Today, I will break down some of the benefits and problems. I will also discuss some alternative methods. The good Momentum When doing work, you should aim to stay in motion.https://paulstapel.com/vscode-extensions/Sat, 06 Apr 2024 20:57:18 +0200https://paulstapel.com/vscode-extensions/As I have stated in my setup-page, I use VScode as my main text editor. I especially like the ability to customize your coding environment with extensions. Today, I will share the extensions that really give a boost to my work. Better Comments This first extension allows me to better manage and organize my annotations while coding. When starting comments with alerts (!), questions (?), TODO’s (TODO), or important tags (*), this extension automatically colors them to make them stand out more.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/bbq-sauce/Sat, 06 Apr 2024 18:57:14 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/bbq-sauce/I really enjoy this bbq-sauce with pulled pork or as a glaze for spare-ribs. Ingredients Ketchup Worcester Sauce Mustard Vinegar`` Garlic powder Onion powder Salt, pepper and sugar to taste Cooking plan Put it all into a pan and stir over low heat. Go easy on the mustard and vinegar. ENJOY!https://paulstapel.com/recipes/teriyaki-sauce/Sat, 06 Apr 2024 18:50:31 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/teriyaki-sauce/I love eating this sauce with, for example, chicken and noodles. Do note that this sauce is by no means traditional, and is a take for the home kitchen for people that don’t have the ingredients to make traditional teriyaki sauce. I also have a more traditional recipe on my blog, so give that one a try as well, and see for yourself which you like best! Ingredients Sesame seeds (optional, adds flavour and thickens sauce) Soy Sauce Honey Sugar (only a little if you like it less sweet) Garlic powder Grated ginger Sesame oil (optional, ads nice sesame flavours) Some water Cornstarch (Add if you like a thicker sauce) Cooking plan Add all ingredients to a pan, and stir over medium heat until desired taste and texture is achieved.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/tzatziki/Sat, 06 Apr 2024 14:03:15 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/tzatziki/After a trip to Greece, I fell in love with greek cuisine. Of course, you cant say Greek without Tzatziki, and so I will share this easy recipe for this beloved sauce. Ingredients Greek yoghurt Garlic Vinegar Olive oil (I like extra virgin) Dill Cucumber Some salt Preparation Finely grate a cucumber and wring out the moisture using a towel. Finely press the garlic, and add it to the yoghurt along with the other ingredients.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/mongolian-beef/Sat, 06 Apr 2024 10:01:01 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/mongolian-beef/This recipe makes for a delicious and saucy beef dish. It takes some time to prepare, but is well worth it. Ingredients Marinade Beef (I like using cheap steak for this, as the baking soda will tenderize it anyway) Shaoxing (cooking wine, sub with any rice wine) (Dark) soy sauce Oyster sauce Some white pepper A little cooking oil Baking soda (To tenderize the meat) Cornstarch (To keep the beef moist) Sauce Soy Sauce (light or dark) Sugar Oyster Sauce Shaoxing (To deglaze) A little cornstarch + water to thicken Veggies (for stir-fry) Garlic Ginger Spring onion Onion Bell pepper Dried chili pepper (you can remove this if you don’t like spicy food) Cooking plan Cut the beef into strips and mix it with the marinade (add the cornstarch at the end) Let it sit for at least 15 minutes, but preferably a few hours.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/rice-pudding/Thu, 04 Apr 2024 15:09:19 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/rice-pudding/Whenever I have rice left over, there are two things that immediately come to mind. Storing it to stir-fry it later, or turning it into a pudding if I have time to do so. This is the ultimate thoughtless recipe for when you want to keep your hands busy while listening to music for example. Ingredients (Left over) rice Milk Sugar Vanilla extract (optional) Cooking plan Submerge the rice in milk.https://paulstapel.com/recipes/garlic-beans/Tue, 02 Apr 2024 17:59:38 +0200https://paulstapel.com/recipes/garlic-beans/Ingredients Green beans Garlic Ginger Soy Sauce Butter Cooking plan First, fry the beans in the oil till they become shriveled and you begin to see some yellow. Next, in a new pan, add the butter and heat up the garlic, ginger and soy sauce on medium heat. Go easy on the soy sauce. Finally, add the beans back in and mix them with the sauce. ENJOY!https://paulstapel.com/hello-world/Tue, 02 Apr 2024 17:59:14 +0200https://paulstapel.com/hello-world/Welcome to my blog! This first post gives a basic overview of what this website is about, and why I started it. Paul’s Particles This is a personal website containing everything I want to share with the world. It is my aim to break these topics down to their fundamentals. In doing so, this website can become a repository of neatly contained packages (particles, if you will) of my knowledge and experience.